The finals had only just begun, but the showdown between Aoba Johsai and Kamomedai High had already thrilled the audience.
For most casual fans, who wins or loses doesn't really matter. What they want is a match that's evenly matched and packed with excitement.
And from the early momentum, it looked like this battle between Aoba Johsai and Kamomedai would deliver just that.
That… was what the majority of the crowd thought one minute ago.
But within just sixty seconds, Akashi Asuka crushed that hope without a shred of mercy.
One service rotation. Three consecutive points.
In less than a minute, Akashi had bulldozed the score to 8–4, forcing the match into its first technical timeout.
Akashi Asuka: "Are you kidding? I'm already in cheat mode, why would I care if the crowd's enjoying themselves?"
From the very start, Aoba Johsai had launched the match with a double setter strategy to help Akashi warm up quickly and enter his "Clear Mind" state. The goal was simple: take the first set fast and seize the early momentum.
Because even with Clear Mind activated Akashi couldn't dominate the first set… then what was the point of this final?
8–4.
Staring at the scoreboard, the players of Kamomedai High fell into a heavy silence.
Had this been against any other team, they wouldn't have flinched. But against Aoba Johsai?
Yeah, this wasn't looking good.
For one, the opponent was too strong.
Second, Kamomedai was never the type of team that thrived on playing catch-up.
They weren't Inarizaki. They weren't Itachiyama. They were a solid, cohesive team, but they lacked a crucial weapon:
A power server.
That's not to say Kamomedai had weak serves. That would be absurd, top-tier national teams don't have obvious weaknesses like that.
In fact, players like Hoshiumi Hoshiumii and Gao Hakuba both had excellent serves.
But against Aoba Johsai, "excellent" just doesn't cut it.
If your skills aren't elite-level, then you're basically handing them points.
Of course, the same held true for Aoba Johsai.
Even Oikawa Tooru, their ever-charismatic setter, approached this final with more caution than usual.
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"Ughhh, not again! Another one of those ridiculous serves!"
Watching Akashi score three points in a row with just his serve, it wasn't just Kamomedai looking troubled. Up in the stands, players from Itachiyama, Fukurodani, Inarizaki, Nekoma, and other schools that had already been eliminated, were all experiencing some unwelcome flashbacks.
"I'm telling you," Kuroo Tetsurou from Nekoma grumbled, "the association should ban 'serve-based scoring.' With the way monsters like him serve, no defense stands a chance."
For teams like Nekoma, who prided themselves on defense, facing someone like Akashi was a nightmare. Why?
Because you can't team defend against a serve.
And without coordinated defense, over 90% of typical strategies fall apart. No strategy means Kenma Kozume, the brain of Nekoma, is basically just… wasted.
"Hey, don't you have two kinds of serves yourself? So how'd you still lose to Aoba Johsai?"
Motoya Komori, the nation's top libero, leaned over and asked Miya Atsumu from Inarizaki.
Honestly, in terms of raw star power, Inarizaki was the flashiest team in the country. Just among the starting lineup, they had at least three nationally recognized players.
Even Suna Rintaro, their usually low-key middle blocker, had gone on to join a V1 pro team after graduating.
Atsumu gave a warm smile. "Yeah, and you're the number one libero. So why couldn't you stop a top-six ace?"
Yep. Definitely not teaming up with this guy after graduation.
To be fair, Atsumu wasn't always this snarky. Sure, he was a schemer, a bit of a troll, and often acted like his brain was leaking toxic waste, but he usually wasn't so aggressive.
This time, though, Komori had poked a sore spot.
Both Akashi and Atsumu were known for being "dual-style" servers. But there was a huge difference between the two.
Atsumu's strength lay in the dual aspect itself, the variation. Two different styles of serve gave him an edge by keeping opponents guessing.
But Akashi's strength came from the flow. Each of his serves, individually, was already terrifyingly powerful. The fact that he had two was just a bonus.
So while it might look like they were on the same level, their actual impact was worlds apart.
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Back on the court, just as the losing teams were muttering in the stands, the tide shifted once again.
After several rallies, Oikawa Tooru stepped up to serve for the second time in this set.
His hands were hot, and this time, he delivered two straight points, pushing Aoba Johsai even further ahead.
And those two points?
They sealed the set.
Midway through the game, Coach Irihata subbed in Ryuuhei Sanka to give Akashi a breather and deactivate his "Clear Mind" state, conserving stamina for the long haul.
Fifteen minutes later…
BEEEP,
The ref's whistle blew.
First set complete.
Aoba Johsai wins, 25–21.
After a short break, set two began quickly.
Coach Irihata kept Akashi benched at the start to let him recover a bit more. After all, the finals were best-of-five, and even in a dominating performance, you still had to win at least three sets.
And managing your ace's stamina in that kind of format?
It was a massive challenge for any coach.
Irihata's plan was solid.
Unfortunately, plans rarely survive the first few minutes of chaos.
Seven minutes into the second set,
Kamomedai High spotted a gap in Aoba Johsai's defense and struck. Back-to-back points.
The score instantly swung from balanced to 8–10.
The crowd erupted in noise.
But in the stands, the players from Inarizaki, Itachiyama, Fukurodani… didn't look too surprised.
"Oh ho~" someone muttered, "Looks like our little dark horse let its guard down."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria