A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter! Enjoy!

edited on december 26th, 2021 @ 3:44am

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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR - THE THREAT OF THE "LEFT"

"DON'T MIND! NEXT, NEXT!" Tanaka shouted at Nishinoya, giving a high five to him.

"Yeah." Nishinoya agreed, returning the high five.

Hideaki watched as Kawanishi was up to serve. He threw the ball up as it headed towards Daichi, who thought it was out, but it ended up being in.

"Yeah!"

"Sorry!"

"Nice serve, Taichi!"

TWEEET!

"Kawanishi, one more! Nice serve!" One of his teammates shouted in encouragement as the ball hit the net.

"Got it!" Tanaka and Hideaki shouted in unison.

"Tanaka-san!" Tsukishima shouted at the same time.

The ball fell to the court once more, getting Shiratorizawa another point.

"Sorry!" Tanaka apologized.

"My bad!" Hideaki said.

"Don't mind!"

Shiratorizawa was now three points ahead of Karasuno. "Damn it. This is bad. We need to think of something, and quick." Hideaki thinks to himself.

"Calm down!"

Hideaki winced as he heard Sugawara's voice from the sidelines. "There's no time to self-destruct! What the hell are you so nervous about?! The TV crews? Quit messing around!" Sugawara shouted.

The referee gave Sugawara a dead panned look. "Got it! We got it, Suga, so calm down!" Daichi told him.

"Suga's scary..." Hideaki thought, gulping to himself.

"I'm so sorry!" Daichi apologized to the referee.

TWEEEET!

Kawanishi was up to serve again. He hits the ball up as Daichi kneeled down to receive it. Kageyama tosses to Tsukishima who spikes it but Goshiki ended up saving it.

"Wakatoshi!" Leon shouted, receiving the ball as Ushijima jumps up and spikes the ball. Nishinoya tried to receive it but Shiratorizawa ended up getting a point as Nishinoya looked irritated.

"Give me three." Nishinoya spoke up, holding up three fingers. "I promise I'll get used to it."

Daichi and Hideaki both smirked and nodded. "Huh? I thought something was a bit weird." Riko commented as Seirin looked at their coach in confusion. "Their #1 is left-handed?"

"So that's why he approaches from the right." Hyuga added on.

"Nii-san always had a hard time against him in junior high." Shun explained as his basketball teammates looked at him. "I'm worried for his mental health. If he ends up being reckless, it could get him injured."

The game continued on as Daichi received the ball. Ushijima jumped up and spiked past Hideaki, Tsukishima, and Kageyama, earning another point for Shiratorizawa.

"I get that Ushiwaka guy is super tall and super strong, but does the fact that he's left-handed makes him that—" Hyuga started to say.

"Bring it!" Tanaka shouted, jumping up and spiking past Tendou and Ushijima, earning a point for Karasuno as the cheering squad cheered.

"Thank goodness they got a point." Koganei sighed out.

Hideaki was up to serve as he was given words of encouragement. He did his jump serve as Yamagata saved it. Ushijima spiked the ball and gained another point for Shiratorizawa.

Hideaki took a look at the score.

Shiratorizawa

08

Karasuno

03

There was a buzzer sound that went off as Karasuno gathered around Ukai. "Blocking all comes down to timing! If they get through the top, it'll be difficult to prepare to receive, as well. You need to touch the ball, even if you can't stop it! Make Ushijima feel that there's a wall." Ukai announced.

"Right!"

The buzzer went off again as Karasuno headed back onto the court. The game continued on as Hideaki spiked the ball and Yamagata was able to receive it. Shirabu tossed the ball to Wakatoshi who spiked past Daichi, Tsukishima, and Hideaki. Tanaka tried to save it but it was too late as the ball had already hit the court. He took a look at the scoreboard.

Shiratorizawa

11

Karasuno

05

"Damn it!" Hideaki thinks to himself.

"Shiratorizawa has Ushiwaka." Nishinoya began as the team looked at him. "Then... Karasuno has me."

Ukai let out a laugh. "Right." He agreed. "Stopping all of Ushijima's attacks, or even picking them up, is impossible. But..."

Ukai slapped his hand onto the whiteboard. "All you've got to do is make those impossible spikes possible." He continued.

"Hm?" Hinata hummed, tilting his head in confusion.

"Total defense." Ukai explained. "Ushijima's really good at angle shots, as we've seen in past games, so we're going to tighten up our block on those, and place Nishinoya where the now opened straight path would be. We're going to set it up so he's hitting to our libero."

Ushijima went up to spike again as Daichi, Tsukishima, and Hideaki jumped up to block him. He spikes the ball as Nishinoya received it, making the ball go out and Shiratorizawa getting another point as Nishinoya released a breath.

"If their libero can't pick those up, he's going to be impossible to handle." Hyuga pointed out.

"It's the spin." Shun informed as his basketball teammates looked at him. "Spiking left-handed means the ball will spin differently than spiking right-handed. Nii-san once told me volleyball is a sport where you can't hold the ball, and the space to capture it is extremely narrow. So the moment you capture the ball, if the way it hits your hands is even a tiny bit off, it causes a huge deviation."

TWEEET!

Goshiki was up to serve as he tossed the ball up and did his jump serve. Tanaka quickly dived down to receive it.

"Chance ball!" Yamagata shouted.

"Damn it! I'm sorry!" Tanaka apologized as Yamagata received the ball.

Shirabu tossed the ball as both Kawanishi and Ushijima jumped up. Tsukishima and Hideaki went to block him, but their timing was too fast as Ushijima ended up scoring a point.

Hideaki looked over at the score.

Shiratorizawa

13

Karasuno

05

Kawanishi spiked down the ball, earning another point for Shiratorizawa as they were now at 15 points.

Kawanishi was up to serve as he threw the ball up, but the ball touched the net and getting Karasuno the point.

"Sorry!" He apologized.

"Don't mind!" Leon reassured him.

Hideaki was serving next as he threw the ball up in the air and did his jump serve. As Ushijima was about to jump up again, Tsukishima jumped up to block him. Ushijima spiked the ball past Tsukishima and scored a point. The buzzer sounded once more.

"You were so close, Nishinoya!" Ennoshita informed Nishinoya, who was gulping his water. "You're actually able to react to Ushiwaka's spikes!"

"The spike that I was actually able to touch is definitely not his full strength." Nishinoya stated. "He's probably still warming up his engine, and concentrating on getting his spikes over our blocks."

The buzzer went off as both teams headed back onto the court. 

"Guys! Your faces are stiff! Relax! Relax! Rel—"

Takeda paused when he saw that Ushijima was up to serve as he was bouncing the ball. Once the whistle blew, Ushijima threw the ball up and did his jump serve. Daichi tried to receive the ball, but it bounced off his hands as Shiratorizawa gained a point.

"If they get any farther ahead of them, Shiratorizawa will take the first set." Hyuga pointed out, looking at the score.

"Sorry! We'll get the next one!" Daichi informed.

"Right!"

Ushijima was up to serve again as Nishinoya stayed focused. "Come on, bring it!" He challenged as Ushijima jumped up in the air. He spikes the ball as both Daichi and Nishinoya headed for the ball. Nishinoya ended up receiving it as the volleyball went back up in the air.

"It went up!"

"All right! Perfect!"

"Finish it!"

Kageyama jumped up, acting like he was going to hit it. However, he sends a toss to Tanaka, who jumped up and spiked the ball, sending it on Shiratorizawa's side of the court and gaining a point for Karasuno.

"All right!" Nishinoya shouted, giving Tanaka a high five.

"He definitely did what he said he'd do." Hideaki commented.

"We can't just stand around." Daichi added on.

"You seem pretty relaxed, considering we're playing against Shiratorizawa." Tanaka told the first-year setter.

"Well, no one scares me more than Oikawa-san for the time being." Kageyama stated.

Tanaka laughed. "I see!" He exclaimed as Nishinoya had switched out with Hinata.

The buzzer sounded as Hideaki saw that Sugawara was being switched in with Tsukishima.

TWEEEET!

Sugawara let out a breath as he served the ball in which Leon receives it. Shirabu tosses the ball to Tendou who jumps up and spikes it, getting a point for Shiratorizawa. Tendou cheered as Hinata looked irritated. Tsukishima switches back in with Sugawara.

Shiratorizawa now had 18 points with Karasuno having a measly 9. Leon was up to serve as he jumped up and spiked the ball. But the ball ended up being an out.

Kageyama was up to serve next as he did his jump serve and gains a point for Karasuno in which they cheered.

Once the whistle blew, Kageyama did another jump serve but this time, Leon had crouched down and saved it as Shirabu covered for him.

"Goshiki!" He shouted at Goshiki who jumped up and spiked past Hinata and Kageyama.

"Let's go, Kageyama." Hinata told him.

"Yeah." Kageyama agreed as Hideaki looked at the score.

Shiratorizawa

24

Karasuno

16

The game resumed as Hideaki spiked the ball and Leon received it. "Ushijima-san!" Goshiki shouted, sending the ball to Ushijima.

Ushijima jumps up and spikes past Hinata and Kageyama, but Nishinoya dived in and saved the ball on time.

Tanaka quickly covered for Nishinoya as he received the ball. "Hinata, get the last!" He shouted, giving the ball to Hinata.

Hinata ran up before jumping up and spiking the ball, hitting it against Tendou and Goshiki's block.

"Once more! Once more!" Hideaki shouted, tossing the ball into the air.

Hinata ran up once more and jumped up. He spikes the ball past Tendou but Ushijima crouched down and received it.

"So he knows how to receive, too?!" Kagami exclaimed in frustration.

"Seriously, is there anything that guy can't do?" Hyuga wondered.

"Ushijima-san!" Shirabu called out, sending a toss to Ushijima who jumped up and spiked the ball, getting a point.

TWEEEET!

Shiratorizawa had taken the first set as both teams walked off the court.

"Next, next!" Tanaka reassured his teammates.

"There's no reason to panic. They just happen to take the first of five matches. And about this match... Ushijima scored eleven points, so he scored almost half of the points." Ukai began as Hinata looked irritated. "But the fact that the ball is going to Ushijima so often means you're frustrating Shiratorizawa that much. Ushijima is also human. He'll eventually reach the end of his stamina. He'll eventually start to feel even the attacks that he's not making himself. Don't forget that!"

"Right!"

TWEEEET!

The second set had finally begun as both teams headed back onto the court.

"Bring it!"

Goshiki was next to serve as he bounced the ball a few times. The whistle blew as Goshiki threw the ball up and did his jump serve and Daichi went over to receive it.

Karasuno then began their synchronized attack. Kageyama tosses the ball into the air as Daichi spikes it. Yamagata tried to save the ball but it was too late as the first point went to Karasuno as the cheering squad cheered once more.

"Daichi-san, nice serve!" Tanaka encouraged. Daichi served the ball and Leon received it.

"Nice receive!" Shirabu complimented as he tosses the ball towards Kawanishi who scores a point for Shiratorizawa as Nishinoya was late on receiving it.

"Nice." Kawanishi told the second-year setter, giving him a high five.

Hideaki spikes the ball, getting another point for Karasuno. He was up to serve next as he bounced the ball a little. The whistle blew as Hideaki did his jump serve in which Goshiki crouched down to receive it but it was off.

Shirabu quickly covered for him. "Ushijima-san!" He shouted, sending the ball towards Ushijima.

Ushijima spiked past Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Tanaka, getting a point for Shiratorizawa. "Damn it..." Nishinoya cursed.

"Don't mind! Don't mind!" Daichi told him.

"That guy's serving again." Kagami commented as the rest of Seirin looked over to see Izuki was correct.

The whistle blew as everyone on Karasuno was on high alert. Ushijima threw the ball up in the air, doing his jump serve as the ball bounced off of Tanaka's arms. The ball landed on Shiratorizawa's side as Yamagata was late on receiving it.

"It's just as I planned!" Tanaka exclaimed.

"You're tearing up." Tsukishima informed in a dead panned tone.

"Well done, Tanaka!" Daichi complimented.

Tsukishima served the ball up in the air once the whistle blew. The game resumed as the ball was in the air.

"Chance ball!" Tanaka shouted as Tsukishima saved it on time.

"Give it to me!" Hinata called out as he jumped up. However, he got blocked by Tendou, leaving both Kageyama and Hinata in shock as the ball dropped to the ground.

Tendou looked at the duo. "If you want to beat Wakatoshi-kun, you're gonna have to beat me, first." He declared.

"Ya know?"

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A/N: Another chapter is done! Thanks for reading!