Haikyuu! Reaching New heights

Score: 4-6

Seki landed smoothly after his spike, shaking his head.

"Speed alone won't be enough, Hinata."

I clenched my fists.

'He's right.'

If I kept relying on just speed, I'd be too predictable.

And against a team like Chihaya—being predictable means losing.

I took a deep breath.

'Fine. Then I'll change the game.'

.

Kenji muttered, "Tch. They keep switching between fast and high. It's messing with us."

Izumi groaned. "How do we stop that?"

I grinned. "Easy. We change first."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "...What?"

I turned to him.

"For this next play—set me high."

Kenji blinked. "Wait, I thought we were going faster?"

I nodded. "Exactly. That's why we're switching it up."

Kenji's eyes lit up.

"Oh… I see where this is going."

.

Chihaya's libero served fast and low.

Izumi reacted quickly, keeping the ball in play.

Kenji rushed in.

Seki's blockers prepared for another quick attack.

But—

Kenji set the ball HIGH.

Seki's eyes widened.

He had expected speed.

Instead, he had to wait.

And that hesitation—that half-second delay—was all I needed.

I jumped late, swung hard—

BAM!

The ball blasted through their block.

Point: Us.

Score: 5-6.

.

Kenji smirked. "Hah. That worked."

Izumi grinned. "They were completely thrown off."

I nodded.

"They've been controlling the rhythm. Now we take it back."

Kenji smirked. "Alright. Let's mess with them."

.

For the next few plays, we kept switching our attacks.

✔ Fast Quick Attacks – To force their blockers to react.

✔ High Sets – To make them wait too long.

✔ Soft Tips & Feints – To confuse their defense.

Little by little—Chihaya started losing control.

Score: 7-7.

Seki narrowed his eyes.

Oda, their setter, muttered, "They're getting annoying."

Seki sighed. "Yeah. But I like it."

Then he grinned at me.

"Alright, Hinata. Let's see who adapts faster."

I smirked.

"Bring it on."

....

Score: 7-7

The match had shifted.

Chihaya had been controlling the rhythm from the start—switching between fast quick attacks and high-powered spikes.

But now?

Now we were the ones disrupting them.

Our attacks were unpredictable.

Our tempo was constantly shifting.

And little by little—they were losing control.

Across the net, Seki wiped sweat from his forehead.

Then—he grinned.

"Alright, Hinata. Let's see who breaks first."

I smirked.

"Yeah. Let's."

.

Chihaya's libero served fast and low.

Izumi rushed in—barely keeping the ball up.

Kenji sprinted, setting the ball high.

I took off, jumping with everything I had.

Seki's blockers rose to meet me—ready this time.

'They're expecting a straight shot.'

At the last second, I angled my wrist.

BAM!

The ball shot cross-court, barely landing inside.

Point: Us.

Score: 8-7.

Izumi cheered. "YES! WE'RE AHEAD!"

Kenji cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Let's keep this up."

I wiped sweat from my forehead.

'This is working. But… how long can we keep it up?'

.

Seki didn't look frustrated.

He looked excited.

And that terrified me.

"Yo, Oda," he called to his setter. "Speed it up."

Oda grinned. "Gotcha."

The next serve flew in.

Oda rushed forward immediately—setting the ball before we could react.

Seki was already in the air.

Kenji cursed. "Damn—"

BOOM!

The spike blasted past our block.

Point: Chihaya.

Score: 8-8.

Kōji groaned. "How do they keep getting faster?!"

Kenji clenched his fists. "They're doing to us what we did to them. Messing with our rhythm."

I exhaled slowly.

'This is turning into a battle of endurance.'

.

We fought.

Back and forth.

Point after point.

9-8.

9-9.

10-9.

10-10.

Every play was a test of speed, reaction, and strategy.

Kenji set me up for another quick—but Seki blocked me.

Seki tried another fast attack—but Izumi dug it up.

The longer this went on, the more my legs burned.

'Damn it. My stamina…'

I wasn't the only one.

Seki was breathing heavier.

His teammates were moving slower.

Both teams were pushing past their limits.

This wasn't just about skill anymore.

This was about who could last longer.

I clenched my fists.

'No matter what—I won't break first.'

.....

Score: 10-10

Both teams were exhausted.

Breathing hard.

Muscles burning.

Sweat dripping onto the gym floor.

But no one was backing down.

This wasn't just about winning the first set.

It was about proving who would last longer.

Seki looked across the net at me, panting slightly.

I smirked.

'Let's see who breaks first.'

.

Chihaya's libero served deep.

Izumi dug it up perfectly.

Kenji rushed forward, setting the ball fast and low.

I sprinted—jumped—

Seki's blockers jumped with me.

I twisted mid-air—tipping the ball lightly over.

BAM!

The ball landed just behind the block.

Point: Us.

Score: 11-10.

Izumi shouted, "YES! WE'RE AHEAD!"

Kenji wiped sweat from his forehead. "We're barely holding on…"

I clenched my fists.

'Just a little more. We have to keep pushing.'

.

Seki didn't look shaken.

If anything—he looked excited.

He turned to Oda, their setter.

"Speed it up even more."

Oda smirked. "Gotcha."

The next play—they attacked instantly.

✔ No hesitation.

✔ No extra movement.

✔ Just pure, high-speed volleyball.

Oda flicked the ball before we even reacted.

Seki was already airborne.

Kenji's eyes widened. "They're going TOO FAST!"

BOOM!

The spike blasted past us.

Point: Chihaya.

Score: 11-11.

.

Every play was a fight.

We scored—they scored right back.

We adjusted—they adapted immediately.

12-11.

12-12.

13-12.

13-13.

Kenji panted. "This is insane. No one's giving up."

Izumi groaned. "My legs feel like jelly."

I clenched my fists.

'I can't stop now. No matter what—I have to last.'

Across the net, Seki smirked.

"Still standing, huh?"

I grinned.

"Obviously."

But deep down—I knew we were reaching our limits.

The question was—who would break first?