Chapter 40 Final Battle 1: A Tough Battle
In the scene, the members of Fukutani quickly jogged onto the field and began warming up at the coach's whistle. Sawada Tsunayoshi and Hyuga sat facing each other, feet touching, pulling each other down to loosen up their muscles and bones.
Shoichi Irie couldn't help but think of the day after they met, when Tsuna hadn't done his warm-up and post-training stretches and was grimacing in pain as Irie massaged him. Compared to then, the two guys now warming up with perfect form were completely different.
Come to think of it, they've known each other for about half a year. Well, fate is a magical thing. Before meeting Sawada Tsunayoshi and the others, Irie never imagined that she would have such good friends with whom she could visit each other and confide in each other.
Kuroo Tetsurou and Kozume Kenma stood not far from him. They had met before, but were not very familiar with each other. They simply nodded to each other and did not exchange many words.
Kuroo turned his gaze away from the camera in Irie Shoichi's hand, put his hands on his hips, and sighed.
“Their family must be very supportive of their volleyball career,” he said, gesturing for the camera to be seen.
"They even have dedicated cameramen; it's truly a warm and welcoming family."
Mo Ran asked doubtfully, "Xiao Hei, you know they're not blood brothers, right?"
Kuroo Tetsuro smiled indifferently, "That's true, but that little helper from Fubuki Valley has already regarded them as very important comrades."
It's not just because they're in the same class that their friendship is limited to being good friends at school. This sincere and tender feeling, if they don't encounter any special circumstances in the future, may last a lifetime.
Kuroo had noticed during the last match that Sawada Tsunayoshi was surprisingly concerned about his friend. He shook his head, but he was still a kid himself. He simply felt that being friends with Sawada Tsunayoshi should be fun, since everyone wants their friend to support them.
Sawada Tsunayoshi stood up, making sure his limbs were warmed up. He didn't want to experience that sore feeling again, like his limbs didn't feel like his own when he woke up.
Kyoji Akaashi stood at the net, and the other players took turns spiking the ball, getting used to their touch for the day.
Perhaps yesterday's harsh words really worked, because Hyuga Shoyo wasn't very nervous today. Instead, he was eager to make a big splash.
Sawada Tsunayoshi tilted his head, and Aoyama Kaede explained to him, "Going to the restroom up ahead, Shoyo made a promise with the opposite setter to play a match where both sides would give it their all."
Does the challenge from your rivals ignite your motivation?
He watched as Hinata gathered his strength and jumped. During this period, Xiao Xiang's highest hitting point had improved again, which amazed Suzuki. Then he raised his hand and told Hinata to jump freely in the final.
Kyoji Akaashi tossed the ball to his new hitting spot. In the stadium, which was even taller and more spacious than before, he took off and smashed the ball down. Then, with a normal expression, he turned and returned to the back of the line.
It's as if to say, "It's just an ordinary spike."
Looking at the ball, Gong You on the other side smiled and said, "This is interesting."
However, that's not enough.
Gong Zhi threw a ball at him to bring him back to his senses, "What's wrong with you, giving your opponent a pep talk before the game?"
To be fair, Miya Yu really went to provoke them, but unfortunately Hinata isn't a normal person either. After a round of provocation, Hinata was full of fighting spirit and made a promise with Miya Yu to give it their all in the match.
"This kind of match is much more interesting."
Miya Yu received the ball, tossed it high into the air, and responded to Hinata with a superb set.
However, that alone is not enough to make him give it his all.
Turning his attention away from Hyuga, Sawada Tsunayoshi felt relieved and began to worry about another teammate. In the previous few matches, they had not encountered any particularly strong attackers, so their defense, from Matsukawa Saki to him, had not faltered.
Today is different.
After finishing his game, Miyaji quickly retreated to the back, and the next player to practice was Ooshiro Aran, whose height alone was enough to intimidate ordinary people of the same age.
When he spiked the ball, his palm was almost pounding with force. In Tsuna's eyes, the ball even twisted for a moment when the main attacker touched it. The powerful force made a clear loud noise. Before they could react, the ball had already hit the ground and bounced into the air.
Is this really something a primary school student could play?!
Sawada Tsunayoshi touched his arm, a chill running down his spine at the thought of catching such a ball, as if it had already hit him.
He frantically tried to reassure himself that it was just volleyball. He turned to look at Matsukawa Saki, still remembering how Saki would occasionally look dejected when receiving the ball on their first meeting.
Although everyone had gotten to know each other better over this period of time, Matsukawa Saki was no longer hesitant about running to receive the ball, and could even openly direct them on the field not to block his path to receive the ball.
However, no matter what, even Tsuna himself was trying to reassure himself when faced with such a spike, he was still terrified. Matsukawa Saki, who was only a year older than him, was probably worried too.
Let's cheer each other on today!
Suppressing his worries, he smiled at Matsukawa Saki who was looking over, but Tsuna didn't think his companion would be defeated by a spike.
He just felt that Saki's words weren't because he was afraid of receiving the ball, but because he was worried about hurting his teammates. Even though he liked to say some nonsense, he was actually very, very gentle.
Therefore, Tsuna believes he should trust his teammates; Saki will not back down and will only continue to move forward for his comrades.
“Ah, okay!” Matsukawa Saki responded loudly.
As Sawada Tsunayoshi looked away, he lowered his head and couldn't help rubbing his face with his hands.
Ugh, Tsuna's always like this!
Matsukawa wondered if Sawada Tsunayoshi had some kind of filter in his mind, thinking so highly of everyone. He saw the good, the good, and the beautiful in everyone he cared about, magnifying their strengths and ignoring their weaknesses.
So he felt that even if he said he was scared, Tsuna would immediately empathize with him with an expression that said, "I feel the same way." However, people are always motivated by trust.
Unlike Hinata, who can easily regain her vitality by eating, sleeping, and playing volleyball, Matsukawa Saki needs a great deal of support.
There was only one volleyball on the court, but there were six of them. The support of his teammates was the source of his confidence during this period.
He had prepared himself mentally and verbally, but just one ball sent his brain into a frenzy.
Coach Suzuki continued his usual winning streak, failing to secure the serve and forced to watch helplessly as the opposing setter took the serve position.
Then, spike the ball!
He lunged forward, but still couldn't keep up with the ball.
Seriously? The coach clearly put him on the court first because he was worried about the opponent's outside hitter's spikes, but nobody told him that the opponent's setter's spikes are just as strong!
While controlling the angle, he also considered the force. When the ball hit the floor, even if Matsukawa Saki didn't touch it, he could still feel the force of the ball.
Gong You was smug. As the setter, serving was his most direct way to score points. Moreover, Zhi had just mocked him for scoring few points, so how could he possibly let go of this direct scoring opportunity?
The referee raised his hand, indicating that they had scored. Gong You's smile widened, his gaze fixed on Hinata, as if to say...
So how are you going to beat me?
Hinata looked up. What a powerful serve! A strong desire suddenly welled up in his heart. Simply standing on the court and jumping up to spike the ball wasn't enough. He needed more weapons, more power, so that he could stay on the court forever!
Seeing the two of them exchanging glances, Sawada Tsunayoshi still felt very confused. Why did you two, one an attacker and the other a duo, have to be so competitive?
They're in different positions, so what are they fighting over?
Even though they are now opponents, Coach Suzuki couldn't help but exclaim, "Miya Yu is so talented."
Kujou Sa nodded. "He is probably the most talented setter I have seen in recent years. His serve alone makes people not dare to underestimate him, but that is not the most impressive thing about Miya Yu."
The next second, Miya Yu's spike came again, still at a tricky angle, with no less force. Matsukawa Saki's pupils shrank. Even though he reacted very quickly, the ball still grazed his fingertips and landed.
"Damn it!" He pounded the ground viciously.
Not being able to receive the opponent's serve was enough to affect the team's atmosphere. Sawada Tsunayoshi began to worry about the mentality of his team's libero, but the opponent's serve continued.
The ball spun in his palm a few times. Gong You seemed to be deep in thought. The opposing libero didn't seem to be showing as much toughness as he appeared.
So the next ball was aimed straight at Matsukawa Saki.
I served the ball to you, and you still can't return it?
A silent mockery from the server.
Matsukawa bit his lower lip and barely managed to catch the ball.
"Excuse me, I need to protect you!"
Kyoji Akaashi quickly moved to the ball's landing point and passed it to Hyuga, who was waiting at the net, scoring a point with his speed.
But Matsukawa Saki wasn't very happy. This ball couldn't really be considered a ball he received. He couldn't break through the opponent's setter's serve; instead, the opponent made a service error.
"Are you an undercover agent sent by the other side? Pass the ball to the libero."
They acted as if they were afraid the other team wouldn't be able to receive the ball.
"I just wanted to provoke them!" Gong You immediately retorted loudly.
Gong Zhi refused to accept this, saying, "The last person who provoked you just took a point from us."
He nodded at Hinata across from him.
"Well, you can't blame me for that." Gong You pouted, while the other team members all had "who else is to blame but you?" expressions.
"But it is indeed quite interesting." He thought about Hinata's jump earlier, and seeing it during the competition was definitely a different feeling.
Although this point was mostly dramatic, it did break the opponent's serve, and Sawada Tsunayoshi breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But he knew in his heart that what he had just seen was merely an appetizer; the opponent's true strength was far greater than that, and the main course would follow.
Kujo Ike also took his turn at the net, gripping and releasing his fist.
"No wonder they made it to the finals among all the teams from Tokyo, they really have some skills."
His gaze fell on Wei Bai Alan. Their middle blockers were not as tall as the opposing team, making even blocking difficult.
It's going to be a tough battle.
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Author's Note: Ahhh, sorry I'm late. I've been busy with work lately, so this was a bit rushed. (Private message)
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