The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Right after that, the game was continued once again. The right to serve was still in Matsuyama Kita's hand, and Nakatani, the team's middle blocker, was replaced by a pinch server from the bench, a nerdy boy with glasses who carried the same air as Yuki usually did in the game.

"Come on, Itakura-senpai! This is your turn to shine!"

"Itakura, if you missed, you owe me a bowl of ramen!"

"Make it two for me!"

"Hey, hey! Don't be greedy! Make it four!"

While the boy, Itakura, was just a pinch server, not a single one of the Tsunemori players underestimated him. No, they knew that not a single one of the Matsuyama Kita players was so simple. The fact that Itakura managed to enter the court was a testament to his ability.

After waiting for a while, the referee finally blew the whistle, and Itakura threw one of the nastiest floating serves that all of Tsunemori's players had ever seen. It floated in the air and didn't even spin, and the wobbling effect far exceeded everyone's expectations. Hell, even Yuki, the master of the floater on the team, was taken aback by this, not expecting that Itakura would have this nasty serve in his arsenal.

"Shit!" The glasses boy cursed. "Let me handle this!" He shouted, rushing toward the right side where Hirano was waiting for the ball. The middle blocker also knew that he couldn't handle such a moving serve, so he stepped back as quickly as possible, letting Yuki take over the ball.

Thud!

"Sorry, Riku! The ball is shaky!" Yuki scowled.

"Don't worry, I get this!" Riku shouted back, rushing to pick up the ball.

Unfortunately, the ball that Yuki sent was a bit too short, and Riku even had to kneel on one of his legs to send the pass. Even though he still managed to do that, the pass from the blonde boy to Ogawa was a little bit too fast, and the boy only managed to tap it with his fingertips.

Thud!

"Oh! Nice recovery, Kyogo-san!"

"Amagi-kun, get it here!"

Matsuyama Kita High really showed why they were one of the best offensive teams here with how quickly they transitioned from defense to offense. All the Tsunemori players hadn't even recovered yet, and the second ball had already been sent toward Gondo. The only one who was ready to receive the attack was Yuki, the boy who promised to figure out Gondo's attacking pattern.

'Now, is he going with his right? Or left? Come on, show me…'

BAM!

In the end, Gondo went with his left hand, aiming the ball straight to the sideline. Yuki reacted, but it was too late. The ball just bruised his forearms before flying far outside of the court, giving one more point for the opponent's side.

"YES!" Gondo clenched his fist victoriously. After experiencing success in the last few plays, he was far calmer than before, not celebrating the play too wildly. Still, every point was worth celebrating, and the captain would always be expressive to lift up the team's mood. "Come on! We get another one!"

"Yes, Captain! Nice one!"

"Good job, Gondo!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, everyone gathered around Yuki immediately. There was no hint of depression in any of their faces as they all believed that their glasses teammate would be able to figure out just as he promised before. In the end, it was Riku who asked the question. "So, how is it?"

"Not as hard as I thought it would be," Yuki answered honestly.

"Eh?" All of the Tsunemori players were taken aback by this admission. "How?" In the end, Kaede asked with a hopeful tone. After all, he was the defensive specialist of the team, and it hurt his pride so much to see Gondo toying with their defense all the time.

"Yes, after all, the stances for a player to go with his left hand and right hand are completely different. It would be awkward if Gondo-san tried to hide it until he launched the attack, so it is easier to figure out which hand he would use after he jumps." Yuki explained. When he saw the other's eyes light up, he added, "Still, it is not feasible to figure it out when he jumps, because the speed of his launching the attack is so quick. It would be better if we could figure out what he would do right before he launches himself in the air, which is not something that I understand yet."

Even though Yuki poured the cold water on their head, all of the Tsunemori players were so excited about this information. If Yuki could figure out so much just after seeing one play, then it surely wouldn't be a problem in one or two more plays, right?

"Don't worry, Yuki. Just take your time. We will also work hard to force him to give us more information." Riku patted his shoulder firmly.

"Yes, Yuki! Just do your job, and leave the rest for us!" The others added.

Even though they were currently down by more than 10 points, somehow, the mood on Tsunemori High's side was still pretty high. Their opponent looked at them strangely, yet no one made a fuss about it. After all, Matsuyama Kita High players believed that sooner or later, Tsunemori's morale would crumble like wet paper.

Thud!

"YESH!" Yuki roared after receiving another floating serve from the opponent. It only took one time for him to adapt to the opponent's serve, which showed how proficient Yuki was in defense and floating serve. "Riku, take over!"

"I get it!"

This time, Yuki also joined the attack, rushing forward to get ready for a blitz one. With three other players following from behind, Tsunemori High launched a synchronization attack sporadically toward the opponent, making it hard for any of them to figure out where the ball would go. In the end, it was Amagi who noticed their intention first.

"Shit! Tono-senpai, move forward! He is going for a dump!"

"Tch!" Riku clicked his tongue in annoyance when Amagi managed to figure him out. Still… "It is too late!"

Thud!

"YEAH!" Riku clenched his fist tightly when he saw the ball fall. Even though Tono tried his best to rush and even dive forward, the defensive specialist was too late to cover the ball, and in the end, Tsunemori finally managed to break their deadlock, adding one point for them. "COME ON!" The blonde boy celebrated with his teammates.

"Yes, Riku! That is how you do it!"

"Give them hell!"

All of the Tsunemori players celebrated pretty excessively. After all, not only did they finally break Matsuyama Kita's momentum, but the next player to serve from their side was also someone they trusted the most on the service line.

Yeah, right in the next play, it would be Yuki's turn to serve, and he was ready to wreak havoc and give hell to his opponent.