Yuki knew Gondo was a good player.
No matter how low his volleyball knowledge, Yuki knew Gondo was one hell of a player just by facing against his spike for one set.
But goddamn he didn't expect that his already high bar for Gondo was still too modest to describe how monstrous the talent the Matsukita's captain had.
Power-wise, while Yuki managed to stop him several times, Gondo's spike hurt, leaving a lot of bruises red marks on his forearms. However, that was still solvable in his mind. What was troublesome was his cleverness. He could make any sets passed to him work, whether good or bad, too high or too short. His game sense was sharp too, he always knew what he had to do on a lot of different occasions. From block-out, spiking the ball deliberately to the blocker to get another chance, to even a simple dump like Yuki usually did, Gondo had all of that in his arsenal.
For someone who was this huge and packed so much power inside him, Yuki couldn't believe that Gondo would have so many tricks on his sleeve, not the stereotypical heavy hitter player Yuki knew at all.
Gondo was also good at defense and quick with his feet. The plan to target him was proven to be futile as Matsukita's captain would always be able to react quickly and turn the situation to his advantage. Hell, after failing to receive Noriyuki's spike earlier, Gondo turned into a defensive monster, saving another two spikes from Noriyuki and Yoshi before turning both into chances for him to do a quick attack.
With all of that, Yuki had to wonder whether Gondo had a weakness or not.
However, that wasn't the most troublesome part. No, Gondo's all-around ability wasn't the thing that gave Yuki a headache the most, but it was his outrageous powerful serve.
If he thought before that Riku and Amagi's serve was powerful, Gondo's serve made him re-think the definition of power. The most outrageous thing about it was that the serve itself had so much spin it curved away immediately after passing the net, making it almost impossible to predict where the ball would land.
"Are you okay, Kobayashi-kun?" Noriyuki asked.
If it was earlier, Yuki would be touched, surprised, and maybe a little bit perplexed by the sudden concern from him. After all, this was the first time Noriyuki approached him today. However, right now, he could only give the ace a wry smile, knowing it would be ruder for Noriyuki to ignore him after Yuki kept protecting him from Gondo's serve.
Yeah, he didn't know what happened, but Gondo suddenly started targeting Noriyuki as if he was offended by something. It seemed the Matsukita's captain was unhappy after getting targeted by Noriyuki before.
"Don't worry about it, Senpai." Yuki tried to shrug off the concern. Inwardly though, he thought, 'Goddamnit. Even with so much spin, his serve is still powerful. What would happen if he decided to go full power?' He shook his head immediately, didn't want to imagine something scary like that.
"Nori, don't worry about us. Just let Kobayashi and I handle the ball." Yoshi suddenly said. "Everyone, go forward too. Let us handle this serve."
All the players there looked at each other for a second before they nodded, trusting those two to receive Gondo's serve. It was unfortunate that the rotation right now was unfavorable for Tsunemori, what with Ren on the court and Okumura, the libero of the team on the sideline. Without the presence of the libero, the only players good enough defensively to receive such a strong serve were Yuki and Yoshi.
A bit ironic considering it wasn't even two weeks since Yuki joined the team.
'Just show how bad this team is.' Yuki smiled wryly.
"Kobayashi, focus!" Yoshi's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "My defensive area is wider than you, so if it is in the middle, stay out of the ball and let me handle it. I will leave the left area for you."
"Sure." Yuki nodded.
He took a deep breath, putting all of his concentration on the court. His eyes locked into Gondo on the other side, trying to figure out where the next serve would go. The moment the referee blew the whistle, Matsukitare's captain threw the ball in the air, jumping pretty high before slamming the ball hard into Tsunemori's side. The sequence of moves happened so fast that if Yuki blinked, he would definitely miss the ball in front of him.
'Left! Mine!'
With his quick reflex, Yuki's body moved automatically, leaning sideways toward the ball while extending one of his arms to reach it safely. However, the spin on the serve was too much that the ball suddenly curved wider to the area close to the sideline. At first, Yuki wanted to retreat his hand, thinking it would go out of bounds. However, in a split second, he removed that thought immediately before gritting his teeth, diving toward that area to receive the ball.
'SHI-!'
*BAM!*
"Oh! That number 19 received Gondo's serve once again!"
"No! It is not perfect! The ball flew wild to the right side!"
"Yoshi-senpai!" Yuki shouted, standing up quickly after falling to the floor.
"I got it!" Yoshi ran outside of the court while his eyes were up to the sky, following the ball's movement that finally started to fall down. Fortunately, it didn't go too far or too fast, making it possible for Yoshi to save it.
"NORIYUKI!"
Yoshi didn't hesitate to send the ball in Noriyuki's direction, knowing his friend would be able to do something to change the direction of the game. Unfortunately, his stance when passing the ball wasn't perfect and with his eyes on the ball, he couldn't even see Noriyuki's position, so it went slightly higher than what Noriyuki wanted. However, Noriyuki didn't mind. He took quick three step-backs immediately, then started his run-up before leaping forward to kill the ball.
'If the ace of the team couldn't do anything while his teammates fought to protect him… Then… The ace is useless!'
*BAM!*
He swung his arms fast like a whip, hitting the ball straight on its center to send it back to Matsukita's right back, the position that Gondo guarded. This spike was his answer for the targeting Gondo did in the last few minutes that put Yuki in a bad position. He put all his strength there, wanting to convey his message, 'Don't mess with me!' to Matsukita's ace.
It went straight to the area in front of Gondo which forced him to dive or at least kneel and lean his body forward to receive that ball.This was to ensure that he wouldn'tbe able to participate in Matsukita's defense.
Unfortunately, while that trick might work against any ordinary hitter, Gondo wasn't the ace of Matsukita for nothing. He showed off the incredible physique he possessed by using his agility to lean his body forward and receive the ball without having to lose his balance before following it with his quick speed, jumping even before Noriyuki's feet could touch the floor again.
"AMAGI!"
Without being told twice, the setter tossed the ball to his captain, initiating a quick attack. Tsunemori's blocker couldn't react in time, what with Noriyuki still adjusting his balance after spiking the ball a few seconds ago. Taking advantage of no blocker in front of him, Gondo hit the ball hard, angled it expertly with a cross spike to Noriyuki.
"SHIT!"
Noriyuki couldn't even react as he saw the ball zoomed into his face with an incredible speed. The only thing he could do was to use his arm as a shield to protect his face instinctively, letting the ball hit his body before it bounced on the floor, giving another point for Matsukita.
Yuki had the corner of his lips twitched, finally convinced that Gondo was offended by Noriyuki's attack before. This was the sixth time Matsukita's ace targeted Tsunemori's ace, and this time, the cross spike was like a statement from Gondo as if telling Noriyuki how it should have been done.
"Are you okay, Nori?" Yoshi asked. Being targeted by one of the best hitters in Japan would definitely affect someone's psychology in one way or another.
"Don't worry, Yoshi." Noriyuki tried to dismiss the concern. His eyes were still blazing with determination, yet unlike when he just joined the team for the second time, his expression this time told them all that he wanted revenge. "Anyone, pass the ball to me again after this. I will definitely kill it."
Yuki rolled his eyes immediately when he heard his senpai's words. "Well, in case you forget, senpai, the next one who serves the ball would still be him, and they are one point left to win the game. If we couldn't save the serve perfectly after this, you might as well forget your egoistical desire to get beaten again."
He said the last part with a hint of mocking tone, surprising all the players there. They didn't expect Yuki who usually was polite and respect his senpai would attack his captain with his words. Even though Akira had said before that Noriyuki was unfit to be the captain of the team, that status was still on him right now, so everyone still treated him as the leader of the team.
Honestly, Yuki was just bitter with the team. When they all were so down and he and Riku had to take over the game, there was not a single gratitude thrown at those two, but the moment Noriyuki went back on the court, everyone acted like he would be the savior of the team. It was as if their effort to save the team's ass was far less important than Noriyuki getting out of his slump.
It was even worse for Riku. If Yuki still had his value due to his defensive ability, his blonde friend was stripped of all his role. Not only was he set aside from his position as a setter for his senpai, but even as a hitter, Riku was completely ignored there, no one gave a shit about him as if he didn't exist at all.
Of course, Yuki knew his and Riku's status as freshmen was far lesser compared to Noriyuki as a captain. However, to be treated like this was a bit too much. So, yeah, Yuki was bitter here.
"Okay, please, calm down first." Noticing the rising tension around them, Yori tried to play a peacemaker. "We still have a game to play, so let's settle everyone's down after this."
Yuki snorted, leaving them all and went back to his position. While it was true that they still had a game, he had a hunch Yori said that to bury all of this under the rug just like before. This was the first time he realized how toxic the team was, and Akira had a lot of work to do if the coach wanted to keep him on the team.
Still, the game had to be resumed, so he had no choice but to back down for now. Yuki had to put all of his focus back on the game, staring at Gondo wryly as the ace was ready for another serve.
'Goddamn, this is his eighth serve in a row! Is he a monster or what?' Yuki thought inwardly. He turned around at the scoreboard showed the numbers 24 – 12 there and took a deep breath. 'Well, it would be embarrassing to be killed by eight serves in a row. Let's try to stop him first before thinking of anything else.'
Yuki bent his knee a little, trying to adjust his stance for the next play. Just like before, he was on the back again with Yoshi to receive the serve. However, like poetic justice, the ball Gondo served stuck on the net first before it fell down to Tsunemori's area, straight in front of Noriyuki on the front right.
Noriyuki was taken aback by the sudden let-serve falling down in front of him. He dashed immediately, trying to save the ball. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough as the ball fell slowly yet mockingly to the floor, sealing the game for Matsuyama Kita's win.
Tsunemori High 9 12
Matsuyama Kita High 25 25
-0-
"Boy, you have a lot of internal trouble to be dealt with." Honda chuckled out loud when he greeted Akira after the game. Akira could only smile wryly, knowing that the old man was right. "Still, they have good potential though. Especially, those two freshmen. Any chance you will give them to me?" He asked playfully.
"No way, Old Man!" Akira retorted snidely.
It was at the end of the game, and the tradition was for everyone to gather around and exchange pleasantry with the other team before they went back to their own business. And to no one's surprise, Yuki and Riku were the two Tsunemori players who got the most attention from Matsukita.
"Really? You have just started learning volleyball in two weeks?" Amagi asked, his eyes went wide. "What are you, a genius?"
"I know, right?" Riku grumbled next to them with a tone that was close to a complaint.
Yuki just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, a shade of red appeared on his cheek for the praise. "Just a normal operation, not worth the praise." He said, trying to sound humble.
"Don't be too modest. Take some pride in the talent you have. God knows there are a lot of people who would droll in jealousy for that." Amagi smiled warmly at him. "Man, with your talent, only the sky would be your limit." He paused for a while before continuing, "Well, the sky… Or your teammates." Amagi added the last part cheekily.
Riku and Yuki could only smile wryly, knowing that today, they had already offended most if not all of their senpai here. They knew it would be awkward in the next training session, assuming they both would be allowed to come back there. Well, of course, they would be allowed, considering Akira was still the head coach. But… Yeah, that would be awkward.
"Good game, you two." Gondo suddenly approached them both. He patted their shoulder before saying, "Your two-man combination in the first set was amazing. It is a pity that your teammates dismissed you in the last set." The last part was for Riku who could only smile wryly.
"As for you…" Gondo turned his attention to Yuki. "Damn, I have never seen someone so stubborn and persistent to receive my serve. Usually, it would only take two or three ace serves to break my opponent's mentality in the game. You did really well today."
Yuki had the same wry smile as the one on Riku's face before saying, "Well, if you could score from eight serves in a row against my good performance, I hate to think how many points I would suffer when I am not in my best."
"Bahaha!" Gondo suddenly laughed out loud. "Don't be so hard on yourself. I am probably the best serve-taker in Japan right now, so for you to keep up with it is incredible. I am sure you will be able to rise more in the next tournament." There was no hint of humbleness in his tone, yet they both had no problem with it.
Yuki kept staring as Gondo went to exchange pleasantry with others, yet his mind kept recalling being dominated by Gondo's serve in the second set. A topspin serve, a sidespin serve, timing, where to aim… Today, he learned a lot just by watching how Gondo served the ball. In fact, it wasn't just the captain. He also learned a lot by observing how well they coordinated, how they established their communication, even to the point of how they gave their teammates feedback in every situation that happened on the court.
If he could put half of what he learned today into reality, Yuki was sure his serve game would be elevated to a new level.
"So, this is the second-best team in the country, huh?" Yuki muttered, then a grin spread ear-to-ear on his face. "Interesting…"
-0-
Far from Matsuyama Kita's gymnasium, unknown to Yuki, there was a huge commotion that happened in the Hope Orphanage. All the kids there screamed in panic, crying for help from anyone who could hear them.
"HELP! ANYONE! PLEASE, HELP US!"
"Damn! Where is Yuki-nii when we need him?!"
"Leave a small note for him and let's send Aiko-obaasan to the hospital first! Quick! This is an emergency!"
"Yeah! Go! Go! Go!"