"Coach, I go in now?" Bokuto Kōtarō seemed to have shaken off his earlier frustration.
Hibarida Fuki didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "Bokuto, I recall Volleyball Monthly ranking you among the top five aces iion, alongside a few others."
"Uh…yeah." It was rare to see Bokuto this quiet.
"Even though the whole 'Top Five' or 'Top Three' thing is just a gimmick from Volleyball Monthly, the fact that there's little troversy about it means the public sees some truth in those rankings," Hibarida said, turning to face him. "So, Bokuto, why aren't you iop three?"
Bokuto didn't answer. He simply stepped past Hibarida, gazing at the ongoing mat silence.
"…Coach, I go in now?" Bokuto asked again.
Hibarida looked at his bad let out a soft chuckle.
They had kept an eye on Bokuto Kōtarō since his first year, when he became a starting pyer for Fukurodani.
From a young age, he had set his sights on going pro.
His teique—especially his ability to read the ball's trajectory—was remarkably precise.
But his childlike personality had been a stant headache for the U19 coag staff.
Just what kind of pyer was he, really?
At this moment, as Hibarida took in Bokuto's broad back, the defined muscle lines, and the ess in his voice, realization dawned on him.
Maybe Bokuto uood everything already. Maybe he was just waiting for the right moment to grow.
"Go, Bokuto Kōtarō," Hibarida thought, feeling a sudden surge of anticipation.
Beep! The Youth National Team called for a substitution—Bokuto Kōtarō IN, Ojiro Aran OUT.
Bokuto exged pces with Ojiro without any fshy gestures.
But because it was Bokuto Kōtarō, not being fshy was what felt the most unusual.
[Ding! Bokuto Kōtarō has entered Burst Mode]
[Bokuto Kōtarō (Burst Mode)—Outside Hitter: Overall Ability Rating: 96.7Height: 185.3 bsp;| Power: 98 | Jump: 95 | Stamina: 97 | Speed: 95Teique: Serve: 96 | Receive: 96 | Spike: 100]
A pyer who could get dejected over the smallest thing was also capable of being uedly unstoppable.
The moment Bokuto stepped onto the court, his entire presence ignited.
The worst part? Miya Atsumu had just missed a serve, handing the ball to the Youth National Team.
And stepping up to the service line was Oikawa Tōru.
This was the signal for a terattack.
Against Oikawa, it was impossible to cover both of his serve variations at once.
"Step back a bit. Oikawa-senpai's jump serve is stronger," Kaedehara Taichi advised. "If he uses a float serve, we'll just have to react accly."
As Oikawa's teammate, Taichi's insight carried weight.
Even though the three back-row receivers were fident in their skills, they all took a small step backwards.
Oikawa gritted his teeth. Are they seriously uimating my float serve?!
He tossed the ball into the air, rushed forward, and smashed it with a powerful jump serve.
Sure enough, if they had prepared for his float serve instead, this would have turned into a quick attack for the Reserve Team.
BOOM!
The serve shot straight toward Miya Atsumu. Despite his earlier mistake, Atsumu remained pletely focused. The extra space from stepping back gave him more time to adjust his posture.
Smack!
Kageyama Tobio swiftly moved into positioing the ball high in the tre. Hoshiumi Kōrai soared up and spiked it down.
Bang!
Smack!
Finally, Tatsuki Washio mao time Hoshiumi's spike, sg an effective block touch.
Iizuna Tsukasa sprio the baselio save the ball while Oikawa dashed forward to set.
As they passed each other, their eyes met—eastantly uanding the other's i.
"Bokuto!" Oikawa called out.
His first ball ba the court had to be spectacur.
Iizuna's pass was . As the ball floated into Oikawa's hands, he jumped, weighing his options.
But the man who had been waiting quietly on the side…
He hadn't moved much.
A, his presence was impossible to ignore.
—Whoosh!
Oikawa sent the ball s to the left wing.
Bokuto sprinted in from outside the sideli an angle.
"Three-man block!"
Kaedehara Taichi, Hoshiumi Kōrai, and Kageyama Tobio jumped, sealing off the crosscourt angle.
Taichi and Hoshiumi stretched their hands as far as they could, pressing them diagonally to eliminate Bokuto's cross-shot.
Bokuto's body unfurled midair, his right arm drawing back to its limit. Unlike Kyōtaarō, who folded his eorso for insane angles, Bokuto's form banced power and grace.
"Atsumu! Block the straight shot!"
Kaedehara Taichi's instincts kicked in. He shouted out without hesitation—even skipping the honorifics.
Atsumu didn't care about that detail. He had already been watg Bokuto's movements. Even though he didn't believe Bokuto could hit a straight shot, he still shuffled a step toward the sideline.
BOOM!!
Bokuto's straight shot arrived right on cue.
But what no one expected—
It smmed into the three-meter line.
[Reserve Team 21 – 21 Youth National Team]
"…He really pulled that off?"
"I thought for sure he was going crosscourt!"
"Not only did he fake the angle, but he practically crushed it into the front row! That was insane!"
Pyers on the sidelines gasped in shock. But Bokuto simply stared at the spot where the ball had nded, pletely focused.
Actually, the crosscourt shot might've worked too, he thought absentmindedly.
"Taichi, did you know he was going for the straight shot?" Hoshiumi asked.
Even though he had blocked directly in front of Bokuto, he had been vihe shot would go crosscourt.
"…No." Taichi's expression was serious. "I thought he would go for the cross. But Bokuto-senpai has great court vision. Since we sealed off the cross shot so tightly, I had Atsumu guard the straight."
"…But…"
"Based on that shot just now, he probably could have hit the cross, too," Taichi admitted.
"Agreed," Hoshiumi muttered, still rattled.
A few months ago, Kaedehara Taichi, Hoshiumi Kōrai, and Bokuto Kōtarō had all been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Interhigh Nationals.
In aimeline, Hoshiumi and Bokuto could have faced off as oppos.
Oikawa's eyes lit up.
Man, ing here was the best decision ever. Just pying against these monsters makes it worth it.
BOOM!
Oikawa's sed serve tore through the air.
Sakusa Kiyoomi received it almost perfectly, sending the ball into Kageyama's hands.
Terrifying…Oikawa thought. Sakusa's teique was so refined, he barely felt like a high school pyer.
Kageyama jumped.
Kaedehara Taichi and Hoshiumi Kōrai both sprinted forward.
"Waka-!"
Kageyama Tobio twisted his body midair and spiked the ball straight down.
Thanks to Oikawa Tōru's earlier call, Kiryū Wakatsu had already taken a step forward.
The moment he saw Kageyama's attack, he dove forward and just barely mao save the ball with a st-sed dive.
"Damn it!" Kageyama clicked his tongue in frustration. Only Oikawa-senpai could occasionally read his sed-touch attacks.
Oikawa shot Kageyama a smug gnce.
In truth, he had to thank his monstrous teammates.
Even if he had predicted the attack, under normal circumstances, his teammates wouldn't have been able to save it in time.
Iizuna Tsukasa took two steps forward from the back row a into the air. For a brief moment, it was as if he had frozen in midair.
—Whoosh!
With a sharp motio the ball high into the air towards the right wing.
"Phew...That was close. For a sed, I almost fot I was a libero..." Iizuna sighed in relief, realizing that for a split sed, he had nearly gone for a back-row attack.
???
The Reserve Team's blockers hesitated for a moment, having been momentarily faked out. Only when the ball was set did they scramble to react.
Bokuto Kōtarō's eyes lit up.
Even with Ushijima Wakatoshi in the front row, both setters had secutively chosen to set the ball to him!
Ace!
They trust me as their ace!
"Triple block!" The Reserve Team's front-row pyers leapt again.
Kaedehara Taichi and Hoshiumi Kōrai stepped terally, synized in their approach. Their block this time was even higher than before!
Bokuto approached from outside the sideline, mirr his movement from the previous py.
"He wouldn't…"
"This time, his cross-court angle is pletely shut down!"
"If he still tries to go for it, he's gonuffed—"
Even the pyers on the sidelines were holding their breath at Bokuto's decision.
There was no doubt—he was going for the cross-court spike!
Suspended midair, Bokuto seemed to defy gravity. His core strength kept him airborne for ara fra of a sed.
No—this wasn't an illusion.
The Reserve Team's blockers were already desding, but Bokuto remained up there!
The pyers around him, most of them first and sed years, felt their heartbeats accelerate, their attention pletely locked onto Bokuto's movements.
Bokuto raised his arm high. His body had already started to desd, yet in that exaent, he whipped his hand down, gathering all his power into a single point.
At the moment of impact, he flicked his wrist, subtly altering the ball's trajectory.
BANG!
With an explosive force, the ball cut through the air in a straight line, slipping past the three-man blod the narrow space above the . It shot toward the precise interse of the three-meter line and the sideline—
THWACK!
The ball smmed into the ground and bounced high into the air.
The Way of Ace:
Always inspire your teammates with your back.
No matter what kind of wall stands before you, shatter it.
Every ball must be spiked!
"Hey! Hey! HEY!!!"
Bokuto let out a triumphant roar, fag the sideline, his back to his teammates.
"Hey! Hey! HEY!!!"
The pyers on the sidelines instinctively echoed his cry. For a moment, the entire court seemed to be bathed in Bokuto's presence.
"Hahaha…"
Hibarida Fuki chuckled. There are pyers like him—athletes who trol the emosphere with their presence, lifting both their team and the crowd.
A true star ace.
[Reserve Team 21 – 22 Japan Youth Team]
At the crucial moment, the Japan Youth Team had taken the lead!
Oikawa Tōru stepped up to the service line, a knowing smirk on his face.
"Taichi, after seeing that, you still hold yourself back?"
[Ding! The Host has entered Burst Mode]
[Kaedehara Taichi (Burst Mode)—Outside Hitter: Height: 188 bsp;| Power: 99 | Jump: 92 | Stamina: 95 | Speed: 98Teique: Serve: 98 | Receive: 92 | Set: 88 | Spike: 96]
[Ding! Hoshiumi Kōrai has entered Burst Mode]
[Hoshiumi Kōrai (Burst Mode)—Outside Hitter: Overall Ability Rating: 96Height: 169.2 bsp;| Power: 90 | Jump: 100 | Stamina: 98 | Speed: 92Teique: Serve: 98 | Receive: 98 | Set: 92 | Spike: 100]
After being directly challenged by Bokuto Kōtarō—who could possibly remain calm?
Oikawa served for the third time, this time targeting Komori Motoya.
Smack!
Komori hahe serve with ease.
For a moment, Oikawa wondered if there was something wrong with his serve.
THUMP!
Hoshiumi leapt into the air.
Only Mujinazaka's Unnan had jumped to block.
SMASH!
Without drawing ira blockers, Hoshiumi went for a direct spike!
Despite an imperfect set, Hoshiumi forced the ball straight to the bae.
Smack!
Iizued instantly, cushioning the ball as he retreated.
Oikawa quickly stepped in. The Reserve Team's defence had shifted toward Bokuto, and after a brief hesitatio the ball left—
For the first time, Ushijima Wakatoshi had been pletely overlooked.
His face remained expressionless. Bokuto's performance hadn't affected him, but it was rare for him to be left pletely unguarded.
As the high ball desded, Ushijima began his approach.
Komori, Sakusa, and Miya Atsumu all turo focus on him.
Kageyama had no time to reach the left side. Hoshiumi rinting over, but the only one who could set up a proper blo time was—
Kaedehara Taichi.
At the very least, he had to form a barrier in front of Ushijima.
Ushijima jumped, swinging into his spike—
Right in front of him, Taichi extended both arms.
Ushijima adjusted, spiking dowraight line instead.
BOOM!!
SMACK!
THWACK!
Three sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Ushijima's spike.
A hand appears from below on the right.
Another hand reag from the left.
The ball ricocheted off both Hoshiumi and Taichi's hands, boung bato the Japan Youth Team's court.
Iizuna tried to kick-save it but failed.
[Reserve Team 22 – 22 Japan Youth Team]
They had actually blocked Ushijima!
Aside from the two blockers, no one had anticipated this oute.
"Yosshaa!—"
Hoshiumi and Taichi jumped and high-fived midair—finally, the Reserve Team had stopped the Japan Youth Team's sg streak!
Serve ge.
Kageyama Tobio stepped up to serve.
He tossed the ball, took his approach, and unched into his serve.
His form—his eion—was identical to Oikawa Tōru's.
BOOM!
Even the sheer force of the serve was identical!
Iizuna braced himself, abs the serve's impad sending it high.
Oikawa rushed over ahe ball to the right. Bokuto leapt once again—
"Double block!"
This time, the Reserve Team had itted to a two-man block, with four defenders c the court behind them.
Kaedehara Taichi and Chigaya Eikichi stood in front of Bokuto.
Sakusa covered the sharp cross, Hoshiumi stepped back to cover the straight shot, Miya Atsumu guarded the deep angle, and Kageyama anchored the tre.
BAM!
"This is AMAZING!!!"
Bokuto's eyes sparkled. Being pletely marked only made him more excited.
In an instant, he locked eyes with Taichi—his instincts screamed that if he spiked right, he'd be shut down.
So—he twisted his wrist at the st sed, smming the ball down against Chigaya's forearm.
The ball dropped straight through the seam.
Bokuto scored!
[Reserve Team 22 – 23 Japan Youth Team]
"Hey! Hey! HEY!!!"
Bokuto's celebration echoed through the gym once more.
_________
[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!
Link - (P)atreon./Iseebck [Remove the brackets]
