"It seems Hinata's spike to score the first point for Karasuno has brought the team's morale back!" Shimada observed from the stands.
"Well, honestly, I didn't know he could yell like that. He's always tried to keep a laid-back posture… looks like he's finally taking this seriously!" Takinoue said while looking at Hinata's determined face.
"We finally got our first point!" Takeda sighed.
"That's good, but we're still behind... we've got to recover from this poor start!" Ukai said.
After Karasuno's first point, it was Kageyama's turn to serve. He delivered a powerful serve, sending the ball flying at high speed toward Seijoh's court, aiming at Kunimi.
"It's mine... oops!" Kunimi said as Kageyama's serve hit his wrists and flew out of bounds.
"Cover me!" Kunimi requested.
"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa called out as he set the ball toward Iwaizumi, who leapt and faced a double block from Hinata and Tanaka. After analyzing the block, Iwaizumi quickly decided on a cross-shot attack.
CLANG! As Iwaizumi struck the ball aiming for the cross, Hinata moved both arms toward the shot and pulled off a clean block.
"That was easy!" Hinata said, switching back to his relaxed but still determined demeanor.
Hinata went on to score three more consecutive points, completely dismantling the opposing team's block.
"Damn it! That's five in a row from that guy. We've got to do something—the lead we had is gone!" Iwaizumi said, frustrated.
"If you want something done right… do it yourself. Rest assured, our next attack is going straight to you!" Oikawa declared.
Kageyama served again, this time aiming at Matsukawa.
"It's mine!" Matsukawa called as he passed the ball to Oikawa.
"Nice receive, Mattsun," Oikawa complimented as he positioned himself under the ball.
"This one's all yours, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa said, setting the ball for Iwaizumi in position four, just as he had promised.
Iwaizumi jumped and saw a triple block from Hinata, Tanaka, and Asahi. With precision, he hit the ball off Asahi's fingertips, sending it flying out of bounds.
"I won't allow it!" Nishinoya shouted as he ran toward the barricades, crashing into them but failing to keep the ball in play.
"Are you okay, Nishinoya-san?" Kageyama asked, moving closer to where Nishinoya had fallen.
"ALL GOOD!" Nishinoya yelled, energetically leaping over the barricades, looking ready for the next play.
"I may not be as tall and strong as him, but I'm still Aoba Johsai's ace, and I won't let anyone underestimate me!" Iwaizumi said.
"Iwa-chan, that sounded really self-deprecating… do you want a hug?" Oikawa teased.
"Shut up, you bastard!" Iwaizumi yelled.
It was Hanamaki's turn to serve.
"Makki, do the thing!" Oikawa instructed.
"Got it!" Hanamaki replied, targeting the area where Kageyama was swapping positions with Daichi. The transition threw Daichi off, preventing him from receiving properly.
"They're targeting here because it's hard to see when Kageyama moves in front..." Daichi thought.
"So they're aiming at our setter, who can't receive, to mess with the receiver's vision? That's concerning," Takeda commented.
"We have Nishinoya and Daichi on defense. Now that we know their strategy, we just need to stop it!" Ukai said, watching the ball come toward Kageyama again. This time, Daichi successfully received it.
"Nice receive!" Kageyama said, setting up a quick attack for Asahi, who broke through Iwaizumi and Kindaichi's double block.
"Alright! Now it's your turn… Yamaguchi!" Ukai signaled for a substitution, bringing Yamaguchi in to serve for Asahi, and Tsukishima in for Nishinoya.
"I'm counting on you!" Asahi said as he switched places with Yamaguchi.
"You've got this, crush them!" Daichi encouraged.
"Yeah, secure us a point!" Tanaka added.
"Got it..." Yamaguchi said nervously, dropping the ball as he moved into position to serve.
"HEY! Yamaguchi… GET A GOOD SERVE IN!" the bench players shouted in unison, doing a little dance.
"Let's go..." Yamaguchi thought, glancing at the bench before tossing the ball up and striking it.
"A FLOAT SERVE?" the Seijoh players thought as the ball approached.
"Please let it land in..." the Karasuno players silently prayed.
FLAP! The sound of the ball lightly grazing the net echoed as it dropped into Seijoh's court.
"Yes!" Yamaguchi cheered, clenching his fists.
"Nice serve!" Daichi praised.
"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Tanaka celebrated.
"HEY! YOUR PUPIL SCORED A POINT!" Takinoue exclaimed.
"I KNOW! I'M SO PROUD!" Shimada shouted, tears streaming down his face.
After that point, Yamaguchi's next serve hit the net and fell back into Karasuno's court.
"Good effort!" Nishinoya said as he re-entered the court, giving Yamaguchi a reassuring nod.
Kindaichi took his turn to serve, aiming for Kageyama, but Nishinoya intercepted it with a quick receive, passing the ball to Kageyama. Positioned under the ball, Kageyama decided to set it for Tanaka in position two. Tanaka jumped and tried to power through Matsukawa and Kunimi's double block, but they managed to stop him.
"Damn it! My bad!" Tanaka apologized.
Kindaichi served again, and this time Daichi received it smoothly.
"Nice receive!" Kageyama said, setting the ball for Tsukishima. Facing a triple block, Tsukishima surprised everyone by lightly tipping the ball over the blockers, scoring a point.
With Tsukishima's point, the game continued until Karasuno reached match point with a score of 24-21.
"That guy reminds you of him, doesn't he?" Iwaizumi asked, waiting for Kunimi's serve.
"Huh?" Oikawa asked, lost in thought.
"Whenever we're close to winning, a prodigy shows up to ruin our plans. This time, there are two," Iwaizumi said, glancing at Hinata and Kageyama.
"In terms of skill, they're similar... but that orange-haired idiot always has this goofy smile. At least Ushiwaka kept a serious face the whole time," Oikawa commented.
"But it doesn't matter, because we're not losing!" Oikawa declared.
"Absolutely!" Iwaizumi replied, just as Kunimi's serve zipped past him toward Daichi.
"It's mine!" Daichi shouted, passing to Kageyama.
"You better nail this, dumbass!" Kageyama said as he set up a quick attack for Hinata.
"You're not scoring!" Oikawa yelled, jumping to block Hinata's quick attack alongside Iwaizumi and Hanamaki.
"Watacchi!" Oikawa shouted as the ball grazed his fingers and flew toward Seijoh's court.
"I've got it!" Watari said, keeping the ball in play by passing it to Oikawa.
"If I know you, Oikawa-san... the ball's definitely coming here!" Kageyama thought as he jumped with Hinata and Tsukishima to block Iwaizumi, who had indeed received the set.
"Take this!" Iwaizumi yelled, spiking the ball off Tsukishima's fingertips and sending it toward the barricades.
"I WON'T LOSE THIS TIME!" Nishinoya screamed, leaping over the barricades and miraculously digging the ball back into Karasuno's court.
"NICE RECEIVE, Nishinoya-san!" said Kageyama, watching the ball return to the court, though it landed in the defensive zone. As he positioned himself under the ball, he noticed Hinata getting ready to run, looking at him with that same terrifying gaze from before. Then, in a perfectly coordinated attack, Hinata leaped and felt Kageyama's set connect flawlessly with his hand at the peak of his jump. In the next instant, he slammed the ball to the ground without having to face any blockers, who were all rooted to the floor, admiring the play that had just unfolded before their eyes.
25-21 Karasuno