Chapter 30 Quarterfinals 4 Teams

"Whoa!" Hinata jumped up and high-fived Tsunayoshi, Akaashi Kyoji, and the others.

Kuroo stared at the group of men, deep in thought. Remembering that it was the opposing coach, not theirs, who called the timeout, he suddenly realized...

"Grinding them, you're the one who forced them to evolve."

The setter, whose mind was racing, gave his childhood friend an indescribable look.

"Didn't Xiao Hei make a move?"

You were just teasing the other guy a lot, weren't you?

"I don't know if the other person cried or not, but Xiao Hei, if this keeps up, you're going to cry too."

Kuroo Tetsuro was speechless at his childhood friend's retort. Although it sounded a bit like a heart attack, volleyball was such an unpredictable sport. Besides, they might not even lose the match.

"I won't cry." Kuroo's mind raced for a moment before she finally denied it.

"If I lose in the first round, I'll definitely be ridiculed by my seniors when I go back." Moyan continued to exert his strength.

Kuroo was silent for a while, then said, "I'm telling you, what good does it do you to undermine your teammates?"

"No, not at all," Moyan replied quickly.

In the first game, Nekoma lost in a daze. Well, Kuroo wasn't too worried. It wasn't the first time they had fallen behind in the first game. Besides, they hadn't come away empty-handed. On the coach's bench, Coach Nekomata beckoned them over.

Kuroo Tetsurou had always respected this elderly coach. He originally thought he would have to wait until he entered high school to be formally taught by Coach Nekomata, but the old coach somehow found out and came to watch their match.

"Coach Cat." The others looked dejected.

It was his first time representing the club in a competition, and he wasn't very good at keeping his composure. It was understandable that he felt bad after losing the first game.

The cat didn't point out any shortcomings, but simply told them to be more meticulous, just like during their usual training, and not to miss any ball.

While listening, Momo glanced at Owl Valley. Hinata seemed to particularly like clinging to Sawada Tsunayoshi. During the short break, the two children huddled together, seemingly oblivious to the heat. Both had headbands on their messy heads, and their heights were surprisingly similar. At first glance, strangers might mistake them for brothers.

The older brother is cheerful and lively, while the younger brother is shy and gentle.

It wasn't very noticeable in the last match, but their chemistry was subtly emerging in this set. Kozume Kenma thought that Hinata's fast attack wouldn't pose much of a threat, since although Shoyo's running speed was fast, it was still predictable, and the other members of Otokoma should be able to receive his spikes.

Just as he expected, Xiangyang's first shot was indeed amazing. Even though they had emphasized it before the game, they still couldn't keep up with Xiangyang's movement.

But in the middle of the last game, they were able to barely predict the landing point of Hyuga's fast attack. If they couldn't keep up, they would respond.

Hinata Shoyo is indeed very interesting, Kenma thought, but right now Shoyo is just a minor boss. The biggest core of Fukutani is the setter who has firmly occupied the third position and has been very stable since the beginning of the game.

Fukutani is widely recognized as the most offensive team in this tournament. Shoyo and Kujo Ike also have two players, one relying on power and the other on speed. No matter which side is restricted, the opposing setter can always react quickly and arrange another attacker.

Not an easy opponent, Kenma chose to target the middle blocker who was bad at receiving the ball, intending to disrupt the opponent's first pass and reduce the amount of thinking required when Akaashi Kyoji passed the ball.

If the first pass is of poor quality, the setter will also be very frustrated.

Coach Nekomata watched with a smile as Kozume Kenma analyzed and laid out his strategy. Although it was still rough, Nekomata was satisfied that Kenmata was willing to think and devise tactics.

A breakdown of mentality is the result of gradual accumulation, which then erupts in a devastating way.

While waiting for Aoyama Kaede to collapse, Grinding obtained Hinata Shoyo's evolution first.

He had a sullen face, yet he couldn't help but be eager to try.

The libero, Nekoma, looked curiously at the setter, who was lost in thought, then turned to Kuroo with a pleased expression and said...

"He always slacks off during training, but he's surprisingly energetic in the Komaru competition. He's a really good junior." The senior, who was watching Komaru compete in an official match for the first time, was very moved.

Kuro couldn't help but twitch her lips. "No, I don't think Kenma is the kind of person you're thinking of."

At this moment, the free agent revealed his disapproval, "Kuroo, we can't criticize or lecture the younger generation. If they do a good job, we should encourage them."

Kuroo then thought that Kenma had indeed worked very hard today, even running a few extra steps. Standing on the court again, across the net, he looked at Hinata Shoyo in front of him. Well, speaking of which, it should be from the moment he saw the little guy evolve that Kenma, who was originally just excited about his first match, completely transformed into someone who was now immersed in the match.

Enjoy the wave after wave of BOSS attacks.

Anyway, Kuroo himself couldn't quite understand it. He had finally managed to empty the BOSS's health bar, but the BOSS revived with full health and immediately entered the second phase. He would definitely be very disappointed.

However, being eliminated in the first round is absolutely unacceptable. They have trained for so long, how can they just pack up and go home like this?

The members of Xiaogu encouraged each other and won the second game, showing the coaches their strength.

Akaashi Kyoji looked at the group of people behind him who were in high spirits. Aoyama Kaede, standing silently in the front row, seemed oblivious to their lively atmosphere. He wanted to say something, but was worried that he would only add pressure to the middle blocker.

In the previous round, Hyuga's sudden burst of speed caught Nekoma and the others off guard, winning the first round. Kyoji Akaashi knew that the second round would not be easy either.

Once they fully adapt to Xiangyang's spikes, they will once again find themselves in the difficult atmosphere of the previous set.

We can't drag it out to the third game.

If they wait until the third set, their stamina will be exhausted and their spiking power will be insufficient, at which point Okabe's chances of winning will be greatly reduced.

The second game began in this atmosphere.

Irie Shoichi, who was leaning on the railing, straightened up slightly upon seeing this.

"Hey, it seems like Tsuna and the others are playing really aggressively this round?"

Nekoma's approach was also decisive; he didn't focus too much on Hyuga during the block, but instead quietly waited for the ball to fall.

Suzuki stood beside the field, his gaze serious. "As expected of Otoko, who is famous for his defense, he is truly impenetrable."

Even Irie Shoichi could see that Fukutani's offense had sped up, but their score didn't increase much.

Nekoma gritted his teeth and kept up with Fukutani's ferocious attack. The score was very close. Every ball they spiked was caught by Nekoma and then spiked back onto Fukutani's court.

Sawada Tsunayoshi looked like he'd been pulled out of the water; his clothes were soaked with sweat, and he probably didn't have the stamina to play the third game.

Playing one set today was more tiring than playing two sets against the Ohno team. The score in the last set was already 28-26. If this set is the same as the last one, he might collapse on the volleyball court floor from exhaustion before the match ends.

The opposing team spiked the ball again, this time targeting Aoyama Kaede. Sawada Tsunayoshi had no choice but to dive over and catch the ball, rolling around on the ground. He looked at Matsukawa Saki, who was warming up on the sidelines, with hopeful eyes.

If the free agent doesn't come up soon, he's really going to die of exhaustion.

Aoyama Kaede looked down at his colleague's wet hair, sweat dripping down his neck and into his soaked team uniform.

His teammates haven't given up on him yet, so he can't, and shouldn't, give up on himself.

Playing volleyball was just out of familiarity. Aoyama Kaede is tall, and when people hear him playing volleyball, they say, "Aoyama, with your height, you must be a very good volleyball player."

So when his parents heard the coach's recommendation, they immediately found him a club. As others have said, being tall is an advantage; he stood there at the height that shorter athletes need to jump.

With such natural advantages, Aoyama Kaede was able to integrate well into the position of middle blocker. After two years of learning, he gradually became familiar with the role, and more people praised him for his good volleyball skills.

When his family heard that he had been selected for the summer camp, they had a small celebration.

but!

However, despite his outstanding height, at this moment, he was the one dragging the team down.

At first, you have to look down to see them, and you might mistake them for freelancers who wandered onto the wrong set, Sawada Tsunayoshi and Hinata Shoyo. But they are the most reliable and are the indispensable pillars of the team.

Sawada Tsunayoshi's catch was blocked by Hyuga Shoyo, who was prepared, and the audience cheered for them.

Even though Hinata's spikes are always caught by Otoko and the others, why are these two, as if they've never been affected, still able to fight so hard, consistently catching and jumping the ball?

Sawada Tsunayoshi had a feeling that he had already played more than a dozen games on the court, and now his vision was even a little blurry. He caught a glimpse of the tall man looking a bit down out of the corner of his eye, and he still subconsciously put on a smile.

"Feng, block the ball properly, I'll catch it."

He tiptoed, patted the middle blocker on the shoulder, and returned to his position to receive the ball.

Tsuna didn't spike much today, and Aoyama Kaede suddenly realized this while watching the opposing player's smile.

Because they are a team, Aoyama Kaede's weaknesses are magnified, which not only limits him in every way, but also affects his other teammates.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, who was supposed to be the backup, was also affected.

After all, even if he is not on the field or the libero is on the field, the opposing team will avoid letting the libero receive the ball. Their offensive ability is not as strong as Fukutani's, so they limit Fukutani's offensive options, thus narrowing the gap between the two sides and amplifying their own advantages.

It's strange that my brain could come up with so many things.

Because they are a team, they always share the same fate, whether it's a loss or a gain.

Tsuna didn't let himself go; he would wait until the next rotation, when it would be his turn at the net. Before he swapped places with Matsukawasaki, Akaashi Kyoji told him...

"I might have to pass the ball to you more often from now on."

He took the number plate from Matsukawa Saki's hand, his eyes brimming with tears, yet he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Damn it, instead of being made to cry by Otoko, I'm going to be made to cry by my teammates.

Suzuki had intended to take this time to talk to Aoyama, but seeing the look in his eyes, he felt relieved and a smile appeared on his lips.

Isn't that a great look?

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Author's Note: All the tactics mentioned above are completely made up by the author. The author has only ever been on a football team and has never actually played a volleyball match (taking the blame and running away).

I knew the Tenth Boss's smile was something else; I'm totally captivated. [cat emoji]

We have 1000 nutrient solution left! I'll add an extra chapter tomorrow! [heart emoji]