The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Yuki felt bored.

Honestly, this was pretty new here, since it wasn't pretty often for him to get distracted by the kind of negative feeling like this in the middle of the game. However, he felt this was justifiable.

For all of the experiences he built over the volleyball court, Yuki would always find himself as the underdog team. His team would always find a stronger team to face, from Shimoyawata to Konan High, and it was always tough and challenging. However, the last two rounds of this winter tournament were far opposite of that.

First, the team faced Sumida High which in theory should be at the same level as them yet ended up disappointing everyone's expectations here. For them, Yuki still found that it wasn't a bad game, considering how Tachi managed to cause trouble for them here and there. If it wasn't for his teammates who couldn't catch up with him, Yuki was sure Tachi would give them more trouble in the game.

However, in terms of the challenge possessed by the opponent, the game today was far worse than before. It was clear that Setagaya High wasn't prepared to play against them. No coordination, no signal attack, and no communication, everything spelled amateur from the home team's side. Hell, the coach himself looked so clueless about how his team was destroyed by Tsunemori.

BAM!

"One touch!" Hirano shouted.

"I got this, I got this!" Yuki rushed, picking up the ball. "Riku!" He shouted, sending it straight to his friend.

"Oh! Nice pass, Yuki!"

BAM!

"YOSSHAAAA!"

It was another point for Tsunemori, which also brought them closer to the win. It was pretty clear by the opponents' body language that they themselves had already given up for this game, choosing to continue just for fun. Seeing that, no wonder that even Tsunemori players also treated the game less seriously.

Honestly, having an easy game like this wasn't that bad. If it was in the past, Yuki would even argue that this was the best scenario. Just let the good teams slaughter each other while they get through the next round quietly by winning an easy game like this, and before anyone realized, they would've already been in either the top 8 or semifinal.

However, after his blood-boiling career against so many strong opponents, facing such an easy game like this, he couldn't help but feel… Empty. It was as if something was wrong here, something important disappeared out of nowhere. As the game went by though, he realized what was it that just lost here. It was the adrenaline and excitement of having to play against a strong opponent that seemed to disappear here.

'Man, I suddenly know why Riku is frustrated to have an easy draw like this.' He couldn't help but chuckle wryly. 'It seems I am also getting addicted to a good volleyball game.'

Still, no matter how it felt, the game still must go on. He had to play his part with his best effort here, playing as a defensive specialist while also creating nightmares for the opponent from the service line and participating in offense here and there. Also, since the opponent was pretty easy, he had a chance to try something different, like a normal attack to Riku to see how the setter fared as an attacker or how would Koji deal when he faced two or three blockers in front of him, and honestly, Yuki was satisfied with the answer he got here.

"Nice play, Riku!"

"Good job for the last attack! Give us more!"

"I knew this would be an easy match, but this is just... dull," Riku muttered. "It would be hard to stay sharp for the next game if we don't have any competitive game before." Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

"Yeah," Asahi couldn't help but accept the assessment. "But we can't just mess around. Let's keep playing strong, even if they aren't putting up a fight. Besides, if we get complacent, we might mess up!"

With renewed determination, they decided to focus on teamwork and perfecting their strategies even in this easy match. This game really reminded Yuki of the Thunder's game against Fukushima Phoenix, in which they were like the Phoenix's shoes regarding how easily it was to dominate their opponent. They played like a well-oiled machine, precise and accurate while also waiting for the opponent to mess up.

In the end, though, they won the game with two straight sets; 25 – 5 and 25 – 4, which made it the biggest win in their team's history. However, instead of jumping up and down in excitement or roaring wildly to vent out their emotion, they just stood there on the court when the referee blew the whistle.

"Hey, we won, but…" Kaede started, his voice trailing off.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ogawa replied. "This wasn't exactly a tough game, was it?" Hell, even Ogawa who always hoped to have an easy game felt something wrong with this situation.

An awkward silence befell them since they weren't sure how to react. Sure, they were happy that they won this game. However… "I don't want to celebrate too much. It feels so wrong to do that." Kaede stated. He winced unconsciously when he saw the opponent's downcast expression.

"We cannot help it, though." Asahi sighed. "I cannot believe that I would say something so outrageous like this, but this is probably the drawback of having a good draw, eh?" He smiled wanly, which elicited small chuckles from the others.

"Okay, everyone! Gather up!" Akira shouted. All the Tsunemori players did exactly what he said, surrounding the coach while waiting for his instruction. "Good job for today's game! You showed your best ability on the court while never for once showing that you underestimated them! I know that sometimes, it is harder to play a game like this compared to a game against strong opponents like Konan High or Kyoei Gakuen, but the fact that you show enough respect to your opponent, which is probably the hardest thing to do here! You should be proud of yourself!"

Some of them laughed awkwardly while the others didn't even know how to react. Akira ignored them and continued, "Also, our next game will be in the top 32, which means not a single team there is weak. Now, we are finally entering the main stage of the tournament, so I hope you prepare yourself either physically or mentally, okay?!"

"Yes, Sir!"