Haikyuu! Reaching New heights

Score: 13-13

The gym was dead silent.

Both teams stood across the net, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat.

Our bodies were screaming.

Our legs felt like concrete.

But neither side was backing down.

This wasn't just about winning the set.

It was about proving who could outlast the other.

Seki wiped sweat from his forehead and smirked.

"You still standing, Hinata?"

I grinned, chest heaving.

"Obviously."

The ref blew the whistle.

Game on.

.

Chihaya served fast and deep.

Izumi dug it up cleanly.

Kenji set the ball—

I sprinted forward, jumped—

Seki's blockers rose to meet me.

At the last second, I angled my spike cross-court.

BAM!

The ball slammed toward the sideline—

But Chihaya's libero lunged, barely keeping it alive.

The ball floated back over.

The rally continued.

✔ Fast attacks.

✔ Desperate saves.

✔ Insane blocks and counters.

Neither team let the ball touch the floor.

The rally stretched on and on.

My lungs burned. My vision blurred.

I gritted my teeth. I can't stop now.

.

Finally—an opening.

Kenji set the ball.

I jumped as high as I could—

And for a moment—everything slowed.

Seki was already in the air.

Waiting.

I smirked.

'Not this time.'

Instead of spiking straight, I delayed my swing for half a second.

Seki committed too early.

At the last second, I tipped the ball over his block.

BAM!

The ball hit the floor.

Point: Us.

Score: 14-13.

Kenji shouted, "YES! SET POINT!"

Izumi pumped his fist. "One more! Just one more!"

I panted, staring across the net.

Seki landed, eyes locked onto me.

Then—he smiled.

"Alright, Hinata. Let's see if you can finish this."

.

Kenji stepped up to serve.

One point. One point to win the set.

The ref blew the whistle.

Kenji tossed the ball. Jumped. Served.

The ball shot toward the backline.

Chihaya's libero received it perfectly.

Oda, their setter, moved fast.

And instantly—Seki was in position.

Kenji cursed. "Shit, they're running their fastest quick attack."

I clenched my fists.

This was it. The final moment.

Seki took one step. Two steps. Jumped.

I forced my legs to move.

I jumped with him.

Mid-air.

A final showdown.

Both of us, face to face—hands reaching for the ball.

Seki swung with everything he had.

I pressed my palms forward—

BLOCKED!

The ball ricocheted off my hands—straight to the floor.

BAM!

Point: Us.

Final Score: 15-13.

The gym went silent.

Then—

We won.

.....

The gym was silent.

Then—

BOOM.

The sound of the ball hitting the floor echoed through the air.

We won.

For a moment, none of us moved.

Then—

Izumi screamed.

"YESSSS! WE DID IT!!"

Kenji collapsed to his knees, panting. "Holy crap… I thought we were dead."

Kōji flopped onto the floor. "I think my soul left my body."

I stood there, chest heaving, heart pounding.

Then—I smiled.

We had fought until the very end.

And we won.

.

Kenji groaned. "How… did we even pull that off?"

Izumi grinned. "Does it matter? We actually beat them!"

I wiped sweat from my forehead, still trying to process everything.

'We took on a real volleyball team. A team that was stronger, taller, and more experienced.**'

And somehow—

We came out on top.

.

Across the net, Seki stood still, staring at the ball.

Then—he grinned.

He walked over, extending his hand.

"That was insane, Hinata."

I smirked and shook his hand. "You didn't make it easy."

Seki chuckled. "I wasn't trying to."

Then he leaned in slightly, his eyes sharp.

"But next time? I won't lose."

I grinned wider.

"Good. Because neither will I."

.

As we packed up, Matsuda-sensei clapped his hands.

"Alright, enjoy the win. But don't get cocky. This is just the beginning."

Kenji groaned. "Ugh. Can't we have a week off?"

Matsuda-sensei smirked. "Nope. We've got another match next month."

Izumi's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

Kōji sighed. "Can we celebrate first before you drop more bad news?"

I laughed.

This was just the start.

We weren't just some random middle school team anymore.

We were a real volleyball team.

And I couldn't wait to see how far we'd go.

.

The excitement of our victory against Chihaya still lingered.

But Matsuda-sensei's words echoed in my head.

"This is just the beginning."

We had won. But barely.

And if we wanted to keep winning—we had to get even stronger. 

..

The excitement of our victory against Chihaya was still fresh.

But Matsuda-sensei's words echoed in my head.

"This is just the beginning."

We had won—but barely.

If we wanted to keep winning, we had to get even stronger.

That meant fixing every weakness—for all six of us.

The next day, we sat in the gym, watching the match footage on Matsuda-sensei's laptop.

Kenji groaned. "Do we really have to relive us getting wrecked?"

Izumi muttered, "Do we have a choice?"

Matsuda-sensei smirked. "Nope."

The screen showed Chihaya's dominant start.

✔ Their jump serves crushed our defense.

✔ Their quick attacks were too fast to react to.

✔ Their blocking nearly shut us down.

Matsuda-sensei paused the video.

"Alright. What did we learn?"

Individual Weaknesses:

✔ Hinata (Outside Hitter) – Overly reliant on speed. Needs to improve mid-air control and reading blockers.

✔ Kenji (Setter) – Sets were too predictable. Needs to learn deceptive setting and faster decision-making.

✔ Izumi (Libero) – Struggled with strong serves. Needs better reaction time and anticipation.

✔ Kōji (Middle Blocker) – Weak at shutting down spikes. Needs to improve jump timing and hand positioning.

✔ Arai (Opposite Hitter) – Too passive in attack. Needs to increase power and take more shots.

✔ Daichi (Wing Spiker) – Contributed too little. Needs better movement off the ball and confidence to spike.

I clenched my fists.

'If we don't fix these issues, we're not winning next time.'

Matsuda-sensei crossed his arms.

"So. How do we fix it?"

We had two weeks before our next match.

That meant fixing everything.

Training Focus for Each Player:

✔ Hinata – Mid-Air Control & Attack Variety

✔ Kenji – Deceptive Setting & Quick Reactions

✔ Izumi – Advanced Defense & Serve Reception

✔ Kōji – Stronger Blocking & Net Presence

✔ Arai – More Aggressive Attacks & Consistency

✔ Daichi – Smarter Movement & Confidence in Spiking

Kenji sighed. "This means another hell week, doesn't it?"

Matsuda-sensei smirked. "Try hell month."

Izumi's jaw dropped. "WAIT—WHAT?!"

 1) Defense Training – Izumi & Daichi

Matsuda-sensei made them dig and chase balls for an hour straight.

✔ Every missed ball = 5 laps.

✔ Every shanked ball = 10 push-ups.

Izumi screamed. "This is abuse!!"

Daichi muttered, "I swear I'm seeing double."

Matsuda-sensei smirked. "No, this is progress."

2) Blocking Training – Kōji & Hinata

We had to block against the tallest players at school—from the basketball team.

✔ If they scored past us, we had to do push-ups.

✔ If we touched the ball, we got a break.

✔ If we stuffed them, we got water.

Kōji finally blocked one and collapsed on the floor in joy.

Kenji muttered, "This… is hell."

3) Setting & Attacking – Kenji & Arai

Kenji had to hide his sets better.

✔ No obvious eye movement.

✔ More deceptive plays.

✔ Faster reactions.

Meanwhile, Arai worked on becoming a stronger hitter.

✔ Better timing.

✔ Stronger swings.

✔ More confidence.

Arai clenched his fists. "This time… I'm gonna be a real weapon."

4) Hinata's Personal Growth – Unlocking a New Skill

That night, after practice, I stayed behind.

Jump. Spike. Land.

Jump. Block. Land.

Over and over.

I needed something new.

Something beyond just being fast.

I thought about my last match… about Seki reading my moves.

Then—it hit me.

'What if… I can switch my spike in mid-air?'

I jumped again.

But this time, at the last second—I twisted my body mid-air.

The ball went cross-court, completely unpredictable.

I landed, heart pounding.

Then—I smiled.

This was it.

Just as I was about to leave—

A voice called out.

"You're still here?"

I turned around.

Standing in the doorway was Mayu.

The captain of the girls' team.

I blinked. "Wait—what are you doing here?"

She smirked. "Watching you struggle."

I groaned. "Tch. Go away."

She stepped onto the court.

"How about instead… we have a 2v2 match?"

I raised an eyebrow. "A match?"

She grinned.

"You want to get stronger, right? Then prove it."

Behind her, two more players stepped in—Hana and Satsuki.

I grinned.

"Fine. Let's go."