Kousen Academy urgently called a timeout.
It was clear they planned to use the same strategy as Kitagawa First, breaking Akashi Asuka's momentum by calling timeouts between his serves.
"Seriously? A timeout after just the first serve?"
"Are timeouts this common in volleyball?"
"No way. This is Kousen Academy's counter to Sengoku's ace. Kitagawa First tried the same tactic before. Akashi's serves are so terrifying that teams have to disrupt his rhythm with timeouts."
Kōsen's early timeout not only puzzled many in the audience but even left Sengoku's cheering squad scratching their heads.
But once they overheard the surrounding chatter, surprise began to spread through their eyes.
Wait, our school's volleyball team is actually this strong?
The cheering squad didn't just include students, several teachers had also come to help maintain order. Among them was Saye Tanno, the homeroom teacher for both Akashi Asuka and Oomae Masato.
She too was surprised. Back during the summer training camp, she had heard from Shimokawa Mitsuto that Akashi's offensive skills were already among the best in the prefecture.
But she hadn't imagined that he had grown strong enough to force opponents into burning their timeouts just to deal with his serves.
Not long after,
The timeout ended and the match resumed.
The Kōsen captain returned to the court, but when he looked across the net at Akashi, that same chill he'd felt before was still there, lingering like a shadow.
Akashi stepped back to the service line at position one, gently bouncing the ball in his hand, tuning into his body's condition.
To his own surprise,
He was in great form today. Even after the timeout, his concentration remained razor-sharp. Though he hadn't reached the same meditative calm as before, the moment the ball left his fingers, he had a clear premonition.
This one's going in.
Boom!
Akashi leapt high into the air and struck the ball with explosive force as it dropped from the sky. With a thunderous crack, the ball screamed over the net, heading straight for Kōsen's court.
"Damn, that was fast!"
Kōsen's opposite hitter watched the ball rocket toward him, but for some reason, his body refused to move. It was as if he were bolted to the floor. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't react.
All he could do was stare helplessly as the ball slammed into the floor with a deafening thud.
Whistle!
2–0.
"Wooooaaah!"
"Let's goooo!!"
"Sengoku, charge!!"
The Sengoku side erupted, on the court and in the stands alike, with wild cheers. The school band struck up their instruments in unison, adding even more energy to the roar of celebration.
On the sidelines,
The Kōsen coach looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon.
What the hell!?
Back when they played Kitagawa First, all it took was one timeout and Sengoku's ace would lose his serving touch.
So why wasn't it working now?
You guys running a double standard or what!?
Third serve.
Akashi, still riding his wave of focus, launched another powerful jump serve. As his palm struck the ball, he could feel the surface of the volleyball compress under his hand.
Whack!
The ball shot straight at Kōsen's libero.
Though he managed to get in front of it, the sheer force of the serve sent the ball ricocheting out of control, bouncing all the way up to the second floor.
3–0.
The Kōsen coach was now visibly green in the face.
Inside the team and among the supporters in the stands, a gloomy atmosphere began to settle as Akashi's third serve hit home.
"Uh… did we push Akashi too hard yesterday?"
Even Sengoku's own players like Oomae Masato were stunned. Sure, Akashi had landed multiple jump serve points before, but none of those opponents could compare to Kousen Academy.
After all, this was the finals of the regional qualifiers.
While Kōsen hadn't made it to nationals often in the past, they were undeniably a national-level powerhouse.
"Isn't this a good thing?" Jujiro Kazama asked, puzzled.
"It's not bad per se… It's just that I kinda feel bad for Kōsen." Masato replied.
Boom!
While the two chatted, another thunderous strike echoed through the gym.
Everyone on Sengoku's side thought the same thing at the exact same time:
"That's another point!"
Thud!
The ball hit the court.
Whistle!
4–0.
Beeep!!
At last, Kōsen's coach had seen enough. He stood up and burned his second timeout.
"You've got to be kidding! Two timeouts already?"
"I thought Kousen Academy was supposed to be a volleyball powerhouse!"
"These Junior Highers are terrifying…"
The way this final was unfolding stunned everyone, spectators, reporters, all of them.
Everyone expected a dramatic showdown between a seasoned powerhouse and a dark horse challenger. No one thought Kōsen would be forced to burn both of their timeouts this early.
"Our opponents are off to a strong start, but don't be discouraged. This is only the beginning. Remember, it takes five sets to win a final. The team that endures to the end will earn the right to go to nationals…"
Trying to revive morale, the Kōsen coach poured on the motivational speech.
Meanwhile,
On the other side, Sengoku's coach Shimokawa Mitsuto was doing the opposite: trying his hardest to cool down his players.
"Stay calm. Don't get cocky. Yes, we're ahead for now, but Kōsen is no pushover. Our priority is to protect this lead and secure the first set. Understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
Both coaches rallied their teams in their own way, and the match resumed.
After burning two timeouts,
The Kōsen coach finally managed to shake Akashi's momentum. On his fifth serve, Akashi's ball went out of bounds, and Kōsen regained the serve.
Score: 4–1.
That minor success gave Kōsen's morale a slight boost.
But it didn't last long.
Kōsen served, and Sengoku quickly set up an attack. Akashi leapt from the back row and, despite facing two towering blockers at 188 cm, fired a clean, down-the-line shot that grazed the edge.
Just like that, Kōsen's fleeting morale was crushed once again.
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