The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

True enough, Yuki's prediction turned into reality. Right after that, Gondo started to dominate the whole game. Even though the process was slow, it was as if an engine was heated to reach its optimum function, and once it was done, the potential unleashed by it was unstoppable. That was probably the best analogy to describe Gondo's performance in this set.

Gondo really showed the people in this building why he was among the best attackers in the country. Even without the help of Amagi's trickery, he still managed to thrive on the front line, destroying all the walls in front of him. His spike was strong and precise, and coupled with his perfect timing and sharp eyes to grasp every tiny hole in the opponent's defense, he became a real nightmare for Tsunemori High.

What made it worse, though, was the fact that Gondo changed his style completely just for this game, turning himself into a leftie spiker.

"This is getting out of hand here." The broadcaster in the commentary box shook his head in exasperation. "Tsunemori High really doesn't know how to handle Gondo-kun at all! Sato-sensei, what do you think about it? Why is it that even a defensive specialist team like them is struggling?"

The old man next to him pondered for a moment before answering, "I don't know if you know this or not, but Gondo is not a natural left-handed player. Even in the last stage, we still didn't know that he was capable of this. I don't know what my old friend Saburo-kun is planning by revealing this trick before playing against Konan High, but I will tell you this. What makes Tsunemori High struggle here is because the element of surprise, as they have never imagined that Gondo-kun could be like this. They are not prepared for the leftie Gondo, and right now, they are still trying to adapt to the boy's new playing style."

The broadcaster nodded his head continuously during the explanation as if he understood what Daiki Sato said before asking another good question. "Sensei, I am curious here. What is the difference between a left-handed spiker and a right-handed one? Besides the obvious, I mean. Who is the more difficult to guard?"

"Of course, it is the left-handed one." The old man answered without hesitation. "You have to know that more than 90 percent of the volleyball players in the tournament are right-handed. That means most of them are used to playing against right-handed opponents, which always makes it awkward whenever a player is going to play against a left-handed opponent. Moreover, Left-handed players often excel in blocking and attacking from the right side of the court, which is typically the weaker side for right-handed defenders. This can create more scoring opportunities and put pressure on the opposing team's defense. Those two reasons are enough to tell you how dangerous a good left-handed attacker is."

The broadcaster was dumbfounded when he heard the long and detail answer that the old man gave. He only asked this casually since the old man seemed to be nonchalant here, forgetting that Daiki Sato was one of the biggest names in Japanese volleyball history.

Sato himself also leaned forward eagerly. It wasn't often for him to see something that could make him excited like this, and somehow, Gondo's transformation really intrigued him. Oh, he didn't doubt that Tsunemori High would be able to find a way to handle this. He knew Akira, and he also knew Yuki and Riku. Those three were probably the most resilient people he had ever known when facing such a beating, and he had been in this volleyball world for almost 60 years. That told a lot about their capability in resisting against a strong opponent like this. Now, the question was, how long would they be able to figure out how to stop Gondo's new offensive method before it was too late?

-0-

Meanwhile, back on the court, all the Tsunemori players were so frustrated right now. When they thought before that Ogawa's two quick points managed to get them back into the game, Gondo really slapped them back into reality. Somehow, the score widened once again, and right now, they were down by seven points already.

"Come on, everyone! Concentrate! This is not our level!" This time, Yuki took over the command as the best defender on the team. "If we cannot fucking stop him with our standard defensive strategy, then, it is time to abandon it!"

"Wait! You mean?!" Everyone widened their eyes in surprise.

"Yeah!" Levin nodded solemnly. "We are going for an all-out defense. Besides Rano-senpai, everyone drops back and waits for the ball. Rano-senpai, your task is to be our hunting dog, barking and chasing the opponent away from your direction. Can you do that?"

While the description was harsh and rude, Hirano didn't have any problem being put at the same level as a hunting dog. Now that Yuki had asked for that, he was ready to run all over the court just to chase away any attackers from his direction.

After this, the game continued again, and this time, it was Nakamura, the third-year outside hitter, who served the ball. The boy was a lesser version of Gondo, only having raw power without refined technique, resulting in an easy ball for Tsunemori High.

BAM!

"Yosh! Nice receive, Kai!"

"Riku, send it to me!"

Asahi and Ogawa rushed forward as quickly as possible when they saw an opportunity coming. This time, they determined to score and stop the opponent's momentum from growing further, wanting to give their own team a chance to fight back.

Of course, Matsuyama Kita players didn't stay idle either. They kept their eyes closely on the obvious attackers like Asahi and Ogawa to the sneaky one like Yuki. Hell, they even put their eyes on Riku, afraid that the boy would pull up an unexpected play like a dump or something like that.

This time, Riku met a deadlock here, and in the end, he could only rely on his spikers to get out of this unfavorable situation. He sent the ball straight to Asahi, hoping that the captain could send a rebound that would give the team another chance to attack.

However, he miscalculated.

Riku didn't even notice that the one guarding Asahi was Gondo, and Matsuyama Kita's ace was a way better than any ordinary decent blocker. The man didn't even flinch, as when Asahi swung his arms, he just raised both hands, erecting the tallest wall that he could possibly pull in this situation. When Asahi wanted to be tricky by changing the angle, Gondo also read that and reacted, moving both his hands like a machine to cover the whole area behind him. In the end, Asahi lost his momentum in the air and could only push the ball toward the sideline, which unfortunately went outside of the line, resulting in another point for Matsuyama Kita High.

Thud!