[61] Grade 11: Spring National High School Competition

How can we describe the sound of a volleyball?

For General Yu, this has never been a difficult question to answer.

The sound of a drop shot is a soft "tap," light and short, with a hint of cunning, like a raindrop quietly falling into a deep pool, creating ripples of scoring in the opponent's unexpected silence.

The sound of the slam dunk was a deafening "Bang!!!"—heavy, brutal, and undeniable, like a thunderbolt crashing onto the floor, carrying an aura that shattered all defenses and sent shivers down one's spine.

The sound of a fast attack is "whoosh—bang!", a close combination of the sharp friction of speed tearing through the air and the clean, crisp sound of hitting the ground, as swift as lightning and allowing no hesitation.

These are the sounds made when a volleyball hits the ground.

The muffled "thud" is the solid and stable feel of the volleyball precisely embedding into the optimal point of force in the palm.

The solid impact of the "thud" is the force of the palm heel meeting the heavy slam when setting the ball, demonstrating the courage to bear the weight.

The deep, resonant "thump" is the solid, reliable foundation that allows the forearms to firmly absorb the power of the incoming ball during defense.

These are the sounds made when a volleyball comes into contact with different parts of the body.

The float ball cuts through the air with a soft yet elusive hiss, its trajectory unpredictable, like a whimper that disturbs the mind.

When the jump serve is launched, it is a loud and brief roar, like a cannonball being fired, unstoppable, pursuing the ultimate speed and power;

The side spin ball, with a sharp "whoosh" and a distinct arc, spins and rubs against the air, drawing a strange curve as it hurtles towards the corner of the court.

These are the sounds a volleyball makes as it glides through the air in different ways.

These voices are the underlying tone of the world of General You, a presence more real than words.

So—go listen.

Since it is impossible to predict in advance whether Imadegawa's ball will be a float serve, a sidespin serve, or the most powerful flat serve from his almost perfect uniform posture;

Since the volleyball's spin is so subtle and rapid, it is difficult for the naked eye to detect the minute differences in rotation.

Since that unpredictable initial ball trajectory was designed from the very beginning to deceive and mislead everyone's judgment—

So let's discard all of that.

Focus all your attention on your ears to capture the most authentic and undeniable sound of the volleyball cutting through the air the moment it leaves your fingertips.

Sight can be deceived, touch can be a beat slower, but hearing cannot.

That sound is the most direct and unmistakable friction and dialogue between the sphere and the air.

Every rotation, every trajectory, creates a unique soundprint the moment it leaves the palm.

The soft hiss of a floating ball, the sharp whistle of a side spin, the roar of a bouncing shot—the sounds they produce as they change in the air are distinctly different.

And Tomi, in essence, is a snake crawling on the field.

Snakes do not rely on dazzling light and shadow to hunt.

They possess an almost instinctive and extremely keen perception of specific sound wave vibrations in the air and subtle fluctuations from the ground.

And so, at that moment, all the noise in the world vanished.

The clamor from the stands, the anxious shouts of my teammates beside me, and even the frantic pounding of my own heart—all of this sank into an endless, profound silence.

General You closed his eyes slightly, completely isolating himself from all distractions.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes.

His world had never been so clear.

The volleyball, spinning as it flew towards us, was no longer just a blurry yellow-blue afterimage.

It became a source of vibration, a source of shock that etched ripples in the air and beckoned to him.

But General You "heard" it.

Not with the ear canal and eardrum, but with all the nerves, that crystal-clear, piercing sound cutting through the air was captured—

The trajectory of sound wave vibration.

......

So, after that strangely spinning volleyball crossed the net,

Accelerating at a speed so fast it almost left a blur, it rushed towards Tomi's defensive blind spot.

Just when everyone thought that this point was destined to be easily won by Hemingguan again,

At this critical moment—

The black-haired boy with bangs in the yellow-green team uniform looked like a snake that had been lying in wait for a long time, slithering out from the corner.

It was General Yu who had been eyeing this ball with predatory intent!

He was almost parallel to the ground, his body stretched to its limit, and his right arm reached out hard towards the volleyball.

There was no hesitation, no wavering, no retreat; only a ferocity akin to a snake biting its prey and instinctively refusing to let go.

"Don't even think about it!"

A hissing sound surged from the general's throat.

The next moment, the volleyball hit his forearm.

This ball was heavier and more powerful than the previous ones, and even stronger than what I had seen on videotape. The impact of the ball hitting my forearm at the moment of contact caused my forearm to be knocked back a few inches.

The general quickly steadied his forearm, using the skills he had honed over this period to neutralize the impact of the volleyball on his body.

He then put all his strength into the volleyball.

"Bang,"

The yellow and blue spheres were lifted high into the air by the general.

"Bang!"

The general in the yellow and green tracksuit crashed heavily to the ground during his dive.

The spinning volleyball flew straight into the air, as if trying to break free from gravity.

As the volleyball climbed to its highest point, in an instant, the round shadow of the volleyball, outlined by the lights, completely enveloped General You's upturned face.

General Yuna's brown-green pupils narrowed in the shadows, his thin eyebrows furrowing like a cold-blooded animal locking onto its prey. His face was expressionless, only icy calm, as if all his emotions had been reduced to the most extreme focus.

Don't even think about it.

Don't even think about stepping on Tomi's weak points and easily taking away any point from her!

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh—!"

"They rescued him?!?!"

"They managed to save that ball?!"

(itFn) An incredulous gasp erupted from the audience.

The supporters at the Tomi support booth were banging their paper megaphones with tremendous enthusiasm. The cheers were almost deafening.

"Tomi!!!!!"

"General—easy catch!!!!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, Supervisor Da Shui clenched his fist and swung it upwards in the air, squeezing out a short but powerful shout through gritted teeth: "Bravo!"

It's no wonder they were so excited.

This stationary serve from Imadegawa may seem simple and unadorned, lacking the aid of a running start, but it contains an extremely cunning malice.

The volleyball travels at an incredibly high speed the moment it leaves your hand, and its trajectory in the first half of the flight is so straight it's almost numbing, as if it's about to hit you straight down to the baseline again.

However, just as libero Tomi began to shift her center of gravity, the volleyball suddenly began to spin in the air in a strange manner.

It was as if an invisible hand had tied a thread to the volleyball and then pulled hard on that thread, causing the volleyball to draw a sudden and rapid inward curve in the air above the Humei half of the court, heading straight for the dead corner where the sideline and baseline meet.

This is Imadegawa's signature serve, not a serve that relies solely on power or speed, but a deceptive serve that utilizes spin and control to the extreme.

They cunningly exploited the opposing player's instinctive anticipation, only to suddenly reveal their venomous fangs when the other player thought they had figured it out.

The kind of change in the trajectory of a shot at the last moment is enough to make even the most experienced player's scalp tingle.

That's why Yuna's emergency rescue under extreme conditions was so impressive.

"It's not over yet—fight back!!!"

The free agent, with his lightning-fast reflexes, was the first to rush over.

The general's first pass this time was far from perfect; in fact, it was quite embarrassing.

On the verge of losing his balance, he relied on an indomitable spirit to stubbornly hold on to that unpredictable serve.

He barely managed to prop up the volleyball with his less-than-perfect arm angle, and its trajectory in the air was too unpredictable, carrying a hint of precariousness.

After the first pass was completed, the general fell to the ground due to inertia, but he did not stop and quickly rolled off the court, eagerly making way for the libero senior who was rushing at full speed to save the ball.

The third-year libero didn't hesitate at all, leaping up to take on the role of setter despite the uncomfortable set ball.

The true setter, Hiroshima, was positioned diagonally in the front zone of this ball, but the general's pass wasn't high enough, and there wasn't enough time for Hiroshima to get into position.

The free man gently and swiftly lifted his fingertips—

At the very moment he jumped, his perfectly coordinated ace, who had already understood his intentions, suddenly launched himself from the side, soaring into the air and fiercely swinging his arm to meet the incoming ball.

However, the libero's adjusted pass ultimately cannot compare with that of the setter, as the ball's position is somewhat close to the net.

With the ace behind the three-meter line almost out of the best attacking position, he could only rely on his excellent core strength to forcefully twist his body in the air and deliver a very difficult adjustment attack.

Unfortunately, his hasty exertion of force ultimately fell short of perfection. He couldn't fully exert his strength to press down on his wrist, resulting in a slightly high arc and a somewhat hesitant speed when he spiked the volleyball.

This minor flaw was enough for Kenya Akiyama!

Akiyama, who had been waiting for his chance, did not hesitate at all.

The tall, brown-haired middle blocker leaped into the air, his long arms fully extended, fingers spread, blocking the most lethal shot from the resident's ace.

And so the volleyball that tried to get past the defense line slammed solidly into Akiyama's clasped hands!

The momentum came from the volleyball, but Akiyama used his absolute height and strong hand position to forcefully press it down—

The volleyball changed direction again, and with irresistible momentum, it slammed back into Tomi's court, landing on the floor at the ace's feet.

Akiyama landed lightly and cheerfully gave a peace sign.

"Yes!"

"Even if Xiaohe's serve is returned, I'll be there to support her!"

"Don't underestimate me!"

Before Tomi could respond, Koizumi couldn't help but speak up first: "Tsuru-chan doesn't need you to back her up, does she?"

Akiyama scratched his head: "But Tsuru said she needed it~"

Koizumi: "..."

Akiyama: "Minato, why aren't you saying anything?"

Koizumi: "..."

Koizumi was too lazy to talk.

The superintendent by the sidelines slapped his thigh hard.

"—Damn it!!!"

He actually overlooked the seemingly clumsy-looking middle blocker from the Crane Pavilion.

—This guy is a master at countering ranged attackers in the front row!!!

After scoring this point, the Kyoto taiko and gong of the Tsurumeikan Kyoto ...

Now, Chu Chuan stands behind the service line, holding a volleyball in one hand, calmly watching his teammates playing around in the Heming Hall half of the court.

And now, it's just the first game of the national top 16 tournament between Hemingguan and Humeichun High School.

————————!!————————

(Feeling guilty, I pat the little ones' paws~) I'm half an hour late (the silly author slowly melts away)

It was only a short day of writing—

I've racked my brains completely (runs away underground).