Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

Despite Hayato's impressive performance, Karasuno could only manage three wins out of six sets. The other schools they faced were no slouches either. The strong teams had long since honed their lineups, while Karasuno was still adjusting—especially with the absence of the first-year duo, Hinata and Kageyama.

Fukurodani and Morisen players, taking a breather on the sidelines, watched Karasuno with growing respect.

"Is Karasuno really that strong?"

"Yeah, especially that spiker with the jump serve. His power's on par with Bokuto-senpai."

"Oh, so he's the first-year who gave Nekoma so much trouble?"

"No way, they said he's a second-year now."

Hitoka's pride swelled at their praise, her face lighting up.

Kiyoko, seeing the look of pride on her face, smiled and reminded her, "This isn't even Karasuno's full strength. Don't forget our first-year duo."

After six grueling matches, everyone's stamina had begun to fade. But for Hayato, the rhythm of the game felt more natural with each set. He was getting into the groove.

He eagerly awaited the next match, which was a showdown between Bokuto's Fukurodani Academy and Karasuno's old rivals, Nekoma. Despite Fukurodani's Ace being ranked among the top five nationally, they struggled against Nekoma's impenetrable defense.

Nekoma's precise counterattacks kept Fukurodani on edge, but in the end, Fukurodani triumphed.

Karasuno, now rested, prepared to take on Morisen High.

Just then, the door to the gym opened, and in walked Tanaka Saeko, Tanaka's older sister with her short blonde hair, followed by the first-year duo, Hinata and Kageyama, who had arrived late due to tutoring.

"The protagonists sure know how to make an entrance," Kuroo, Nekoma's captain, joked, watching the two as they warmed up. "This'll be interesting."

With that, the match began, and Karasuno's lineup was finally complete: Hinata, Kageyama, and Tanaka in the front row, with Daichi, Nishinoya, and Hayato in the back. Tsukishima rotated with the libero, and Asahi took a seat on the bench.

Hayato had no objections to Coach Ukai's arrangement. After several matches, he had come to terms with the fact that he was indeed playing at a higher level than Asahi.

Hinata grinned mischievously. "Go, Hayato! Killer serve!"

Hayato couldn't help but smile. "You got it, kid."

With that, he stepped up and executed his signature jump serve, launching the ball into Morisen's backcourt with lightning speed.

"Whoa!" Hinata yelled from the sidelines, hands clasped in awe. "That was awesome! Call it the Electromagnetic Cannon!"

"Electromagnetic Cannon? What kind of name is that?" Tanaka muttered, awkwardly scratching his head.

Though Hayato's "chuunibyou" remark caught everyone off guard, Morisen's captain, Oginoya Daiki, clicked his tongue in frustration. "That kid… He's got nerve. But that serve—damn, it's the fastest one today."

Still, Oginoya rallied his team. "Focus, people. We'll block the next one."

As Hayato retrieved the ball, he couldn't help but think to himself, How fast can I make this serve go?

His idol, Xu Zhen, the world's top jump server, had a serve speed of about 150 kilometers per hour. Hayato had always looked up to him, and the jump serve was his signature move when he was Su Yun.

With a deep breath, Hayato tossed the ball and executed another flawless jump serve.

The ball slammed into Morisen's court once more, but they managed to return the ball after an intense rally.

Hayato couldn't help but smile, I'm getting there... But I still have a long way to go.

Soon, it was Karasuno's turn to defend. Morisen launched a counterattack, but Nishinoya, the ever-reliable Libero, receive the ball with perfect precision.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Hinata launched into a Freak Quick. His speed was mind-boggling as he dodged the blockers and delivered a perfect spike after closing his eyes mid-air.

Kageyama's perfect toss helped secure the point, and Karasuno's side erupted in cheers.

"That was insane!" Oginoya said, wide-eyed. "So fast…"

"I've never seen a quick attack like that," one of the Morisen players remarked, still in shock.

On the sidelines, Coach Ukai watched with a smile, clearly impressed by the display of speed and coordination.

Later, when it was Hayato's turn to rotate to the front row, he relied on his aerial control, staying in the air just a moment longer than the blockers. Kageyama's precise toss resulted in another spike and another point.

The score climbed rapidly: 9:2 in Karasuno's favor.

Karasuno had managed to dominate Morisen with a mix of Hinata's decoying and Hayato's powerful offense, stunning everyone in the gym.

With their momentum building, Karasuno easily finished the match with a commanding 25:16 victory.

The team erupted in celebration. Hayato couldn't resist scooping Hinata up into a big hug.

"Great job, Hinata! Half of our points were thanks to you!"

Hinata grinned sheepishly, waving his hands. "You're too kind, Kuroha-senpai!"

Hayato laughed. "You are the strongest decoy. With you up front, it's like the blockers don't know who to focus on!"

In a rare moment of warmth, Hayato extended his hand to Kageyama. "Your tosses were on point this set. Keep it up."

Kageyama, unsure of how to respond, hesitated for a second before returning the handshake.

After the match, Hayato went off to rest. Asahi took his place for the next round, since jump serves took a serious toll on his stamina.

After a long day of intense practice, Coach Ukai approached Hayato as he rested, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You did great today, Hayato," he said. "But I'm thinking we should rotate you and Asahi during the Spring High preliminaries. That way, you don't burn out too quickly, and Asahi gets more chances to play."

Hayato nodded in understanding. "I'm fine with that. It's a team effort after all."

Coach Ukai smiled, pleased with Hayato's attitude. "Exactly. Look at Shiratorizawa. They relied too much on their Ace, Ushijima. They had great players, but they couldn't balance the load. We won't make that mistake."

Hayato understood. The point wasn't to burn out one player, no matter how talented they were.

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Huge Thanks to AJ and Qsk for joining my pat-réon! It means a lot to me!