Haikyuu : The Unstoppable Force

"It's Date tech!"

Walking through the corridor of the gymnasium, a group of players in gray-green uniforms appeared in front of Karasuno. On their chests, three bold characters spelled "Date Tech"!

Leading the group was a fierce-looking man with short white hair and no eyebrows. As the two teams crossed paths, he suddenly raised his arm and pointed directly at Asahi, who was at the front!

The atmosphere instantly turned tense!

"Hey! Aone, what are you doing again?"

A senior-looking player rushed over from the rear of Date Tech's group. Seeing the white-haired man's actions, he quickly grabbed his arm with an exasperated look.

Then, nervously, he apologized to everyone in Karasuno.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Hey!, help me out here!"

The senior struggled to pull Aone back, clearly finding it difficult. He quickly called for backup from his teammates.

"Haha! Sorry!"

"This guy has a bad habit—he always has to point at the ace when he sees one!" Futakuchi added with a cheeky grin.

"So..."

"You guys better be ready this time!"

With that, Date Tech turned and left.

"What the..."

"Are they the Date Tech that beat our school before?" Hinata asked, running up to the front.

"That's right," Sugawara replied solemnly. "Their wall-like defense is absolutely impenetrable!"

Then, glancing at Asahi, who looked stiff with nerves, Sugawara said, "I just hope you don't overthink like last time!"

"N-No... I won't!" Asahi stammered, snapping out of his daze. "Why is everyone looking at me?"

"Isn't it Akira ,the Ace of our team now?"

"You should be worried about him!"

Hearing this, everyone rolled their eyes. Sugawara pointed toward Akira, who was chatting and laughing with Kiyoko on the other side, completely oblivious to what was happening.

"Akira's mindset isn't as fragile as yours. He doesn't need anyone to worry about him!"

"It's you we need to keep an eye on! Get yourself together!"

...

As Karasuno entered the venue and began warming up, another group made their way toward the gymnasium.

Leading the group was Aoba Johsai's coach, Nobuteru Irihata, accompanied by their teacher, Mizoguchi Sadyuki.

"Let's see how Karasuno is doing again this year!" Irihata said eagerly. "That quick attack combo and that insanely talented first yearn student ace!"

"Yes!" Mizoguchi agreed.

While walking, Irihata noticed something amiss.

"Huh? Where's Oikawa? What happened to him?"

The coach looked back, puzzled.

"He was just here when we got off the bus!"

A team member scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Uh... About that..."

"What's wrong? Out with it!" Mizoguchi demanded.

"He's outside, surrounded by girls from other schools..."

Hearing this, Irihata and Mizoguchi's faces fell. They knew this happened often with Oikawa. No matter how many times he was reprimanded, he always ended up in the same situation.

"Iwaizumi!"

Everyone at Aoba Johsai knew that only Iwaizumi Hajime could keep Oikawa in check.

"Yes!"

Without needing further explanation, Iwaizumi strode off. Moments later, a volleyball hit Oikawa in the back of the head.

Oikawa turned around angrily, but upon seeing Iwaizumi's glare, he immediately sulked and obediently followed him away from the crowd of admirers.

...

The vast stadium echoed with the sound of players warming up.

As Aoba Johsai walked past, Hinata's sharp eyes spotted them.

"Huh? That onion head!"

Kindaichi, confused, asked, "Huh? Who are you calling onion head?"

"Haha, who else?" Kunimi smirked mischievously.

"Hey, Hinata! Kageyama!"

Oikawa's voice rang out as he waved mockingly at the Karasuno duo below.

"Are you two still perfecting your monster combo?"

Then, turning to Akira, he added with a sly grin, "And you, Akira! Don't cry when we eliminate you later!"

_______

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"You better worry about yourself first!" For such a bad character as Oikawa, Akira was already used to it.

"Oh? Oikawa, do you know him?" In the audience, Coach Irihata of Aoba Johsai, who was already seated, asked curiously. At the same time, the rest of Aoba Johsai also looked at Oikawa.

After all, in the previous practice match, Akira's powerful spikes were still fresh in their memories. Now everyone in Aoba Johsai wanted to know more about Akira.

"Hmm!" At this time, Oikawa didn't have his usual frivolity. Instead, he spoke with a serious tone, saying to his teammates, "I met him at the Miyagi Arena two days ago!"

"Oh?" Coach Irihata was immediately intrigued. "Did he go to that place too? Did you see him play there?"

As Aoba Johsai's coach and an experienced volleyball strategist, Coach Irihata was very familiar with Miyagi Arena. Even Oikawa had gone there to play early in his career under his guidance.

"It's not just seeing him play." Oikawa shook his head, his expression thoughtful. "I played with him in the same match."

"Really?" Coach Irihata asked in surprise. "Your rating there is at least A! Did he play at that level too?"

"It's not just about playing at an A-grade level..." Oikawa said, his voice steady but tinged with amazement. "In the period after the practice match, he's gotten a lot stronger. I feel like he might be on par with Ushijima!"

"Even… maybe a little stronger!"

"What!!" Oikawa's words hit the Aoba Johsai team like a thunderclap. Everyone present was familiar with Ushijima's overwhelming strength. As an opponent they had faced in numerous matches, they knew his sheer dominance on the court.

But now Oikawa was claiming that Akira, the first-year ace of Karasuno, was on the same level as Ushijima?

"But… he's only in his first year!" Matsukawa said in disbelief.

"Strength has nothing to do with what year you're in!" Oikawa glanced at him and shook his head. "Strong is strong."

"The same kind of Spike as Ushijima…" Coach Irihata muttered solemnly. "This means we'll have to revise our strategy for the group stage!"

Coach Irihata and Assistant Coach Mizoguchi exchanged glances, both sharing the same concern about the upcoming matches.

---

Match Time

The warm-up was over.

With the sound of the coach's whistle, Karasuno's first match in the qualifiers was about to begin. Their opponent was a relatively obscure school—Tokonami

However, Daichi mentioned he had a classmate from junior high on that team.

"Everyone, pay attention! Try to observe their tactics!" Coach Irihata loudly reminded the Aoba Johsai players from the stands. "Karasuno might be our toughest opponent in this group stage!"

The team hardly needed reminding. After hearing Oikawa's earlier assessment, they were on high alert.

---

On the Court

The match began, and Akira quickly demonstrated his incredible skills. Every spike he delivered seemed to cut through the air with precision, effortlessly bypassing the opponent's blockers.

For tokonami, picking up Akira's spikes came at the cost of losing 4 to 5 points for every one they barely managed to touch.

An ordinary volleyball in Akira's hands seemed almost alive, as if guided by some invisible force. He hit every ball with the perfect angle and power, leaving no opportunity for counterattacks.

"It's like watching a miracle unfold," Sugawara muttered from the sidelines, awestruck.

In the stands, Oikawa watched with growing unease. A drop of sweat slid down his temple as he observed Akira's movements.

"It's not just raw power…" Oikawa murmured to himself. "There's precision, timing, and… control."

Looking around, he noticed his teammates were equally transfixed by Akira's performance.

"This isn't the same Akira I faced at the Miyagi Arena," Oikawa thought, gritting his teeth. "Did he not go all out when playing against me? Or… has he gotten this much better in just a few days?"

Oikawa's mind raced as he continued to analyze Akira's form and technique.

Meanwhile, on the court, Akira's dominance was undeniable.

With the referee's whistle signaling the end of the match, Karasuno emerged victorious. However, in the audience, Aoba Johsai's players and coaches knew this was only the beginning.

Their true test would come when they faced Karasuno directly in the group stage.

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