The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Come on! You are on fire today!"

"Do it again!"

It was still the first set, yet the crowds started to disperse slowly. At first, half of the gymnasium was full of people. But right now, Yuki could even count those who were still here with his fingers. However, he couldn\'t blame them. Just like the crowds in their school that started to decrease when they were losing, Teiryo was the same.

The moment they saw Riku gain five consecutive points with his serve, they all knew this would turn into a disaster.

As for the game itself, it was already within Tsunemori\'s control. They all regained their confidence back as the lead kept getting wider, inwardly thinking that no wonder Konan could beat this team without allowing them to get more than 10 points. Teiryo was too weak after all.

The hope inside them started to be reignited again as they kept scoring in this game.

\'Yeah, it is not Konan who is too strong, but Teiryo who is too weak. Even we can gain such a comfortable lead in less than fifteen minutes.\'

Akira\'s strategy to play the record of Konan\'s game before this match was successful. Now, although they still had some fear deep inside their heart, at least all the players there recognized that Konan wasn\'t so strong that they couldn\'t grasp it. If they could beat Teiryo in the same manner as Konan, their confidence would be doubled up for the next game in the top 8 stage.

As time went by, the lead was getting wider, and finally, it was Tsunemori who reached 24 points first. As for Teiryo, they could only score 6 points, and it always came from a tough battle, draining their stamina to the lowest bar even before the first set was over.

"Good job, Riku!" Jimmy gave a high-five to his kouhai who was on fire today. "Your passing is on point today. Keep it up!"

"Sure, Senpai!" The blonde boy grinned.

A moment later, the game restarted with Koji serving the ball. In the last couple of days, he had been working on his jump serve, and this was the first time he had a chance to try it. Even though Koji was a bit nervous, the comfortable lead the team gained made him feel less pressure on the service line. At least, even if he made a mistake, it was impossible for the opponent to chase the score.

"Come on, Koji! Give us a good serve!"

Hearing the encouragement from his teammates, Koji took a deep breath, then launched the ball in the air just to hit it with all his strength a moment later. The sound of the ball piercing the air was so intimidating that all the Teiryo players on the back line winced unconsciously. However, there was one player who reacted quickly enough, saving the ball before it could touch the floor.

*BAM!*

"Oh! Nice save!"

"Come on! It is not over! Move!"

Even though they were one step away from losing the first set, all of the Teiryo players still moved in unison, wanting to add the number of the attacker on the front. Their spirit to not give up even on the brink of defeat was admirable.

However, their effort was proven to be futile, as when the player was about to spike the ball, a solid wall formed by three players that always became a nightmare for them in this game suddenly appeared once again, closing down all the routes to attack.

*BAM!*

"OH! Another clean block!"

"Damn, nice kill, Riku!"

"Good job! We win the first set! We win the first set!"

After everyone finished praising Riku, Yuki came to his friend and whispered, "Do you think you need to calm down a little bit?" Yuki was worried that Riku used all the fuel inside him for this game and it would be hard to get into the same state when they played against Konan.

"Don\'t worry, Yuki. I won\'t overdo it." Riku said with confidence. "I just want to make sure we can win the game with ease and not let them get more than 10 points today."

Yuki was stunned at the bold statement, then remembered something. "Do you want to achieve the same feat as Konan did in the record?" He asked quickly.

"Yeah," Riku admitted without hesitation. "If we can do that, our confidence would be at its peak, and everyone would think that Konan is not untouchable. Although a game cannot be won just by high morals, at least it would help most of the time."

Yuki nodded in agreement after he heard Riku\'s reason. However, he knew the blonde boy was hiding something, and as he had a hunch about it, he decided to ask, "Are you sure it is not related to your competitiveness with one particular boy we just met a few days ago?"

Riku\'s face flushed red as he was caught off-handedly. "Well, I couldn\'t help it, you know? Even though Sawada is super shy, he still managed to achieve amazing feats in the best team in the country. If as a player who is in the same position, I don\'t feel my spirit burning, then I am not a real player."

Well, honestly, Yuki couldn\'t understand what Riku was talking about. Maybe, it was the pride as a setter that kicked in here, making the blonde boy feel overly excited. Still, he couldn\'t deny the fact that Sawada was an amazing player here. But Konan wasn\'t just Sawada. Konan was stronger than that.

When Yuki recalled the record of Lucas Silva\'s amazing spike, the libero\'s tough defense, the blocker\'s quick reaction, and the flawless coordination between each player… Even he was nervous about the game against Konan.

\'Wait, I heard that Konan also plays their game today. I wonder how it goes…\'

-0-

Meanwhile, at the same time in a school far from Teiryo…

"Nice receive!"

"Nobu! Give me a good set!"

"Got it!"

*BAM!*

"Oh! Nice spike, Lucas!"

It was Konan\'s game in the top 16, and just like usual, they crushed their opponent dominantly. The final score (25 – 5, 25 – 4) shown on the scoreboard was enough to explain their opponent\'s despair. All the Konan players walked away from the court, ignoring their opponent as if they were used to this sight.

"Anyway, Sawada-kun, you seem to be on fire in the last couple of days. Is there something special that happened?" One of the players asked the setter curiously. Everyone turned their eyes on Sawada, also saw the unusual excitement on the boy.

"It is nothing, Senpai." Sawada rubbed his neck embarrassedly. "I just cannot wait to play against Matsukita!"

"Matsukita?" Everyone looked at each other confusedly, didn\'t know Sawada\'s train of thought.

As for Sawada himself, he didn\'t care about his teammates\' reaction. Inwardly, he recalled the fateful meeting in Riku\'s house a few days ago.

\'Let alone in Tokyo, even in the entire country, most of the school would be afraid whenever they saw us coming with our jersey. However, at that time…\'

"When we meet against each other in the future…. Fight us with all your best, okay?"

Remembering the shining eyes on Riku\'s face, he couldn\'t help but shudder. \'Even though I forgot to ask from which school they come from, only Yatsuno players were brave enough to declare such a bold statement against a Konan player like me.

And Agostini-san\'s advice at that time was also on point, something that maybe only someone who was coached by a wise man like Honda-sensei could say it like that. The only reason why we haven\'t heard about them until now is probably because Matsukita wants to keep them as their secret weapon. That should be it, right, Agostini-san? Kobayashi-san?\'