Chapter 20: Battle Against Kitagawa Daiichi (Part 2)
Kageyama Tobio was completely shaken, then immediately clenched his fists.
"You..."
Gritting his teeth, Kageyama pushed away the people around him and charged towards Kindaichi.
Seeing Kageyama about to rush at him, Kindaichi also shoved away his teammates and stepped forward to meet him.
Whether Kindaichi wanted Kageyama's tosses or not, suggesting the coach take him out was unacceptable to the single-minded Kageyama, who was only focused on winning.
The captain again firmly planted himself between the two, bending his elbows to use his forearms to hold each player back, not letting them get close.
"You two idiots! What do you think you're doing? We're in the middle of a match!!!"
Unfortunately, the two emotional teenage boys were completely deaf to his words.
"Captain! He's just dead weight for our team, the balls he sets are impossible for anyone to hit! A setter like that is useless in our team!"
Throwing caution to the wind, Kindaichi shouted with all his might, seeming to want to vent all the frustrations he had accumulated since Kageyama became the starting setter.
"You bastard! If you could just hit my sets, we'd be able to score! If you want to win, just run faster, jump higher, and hit the ball harder, you idiot!"
Kageyama Tobio also spoke frankly, voicing his previously somewhat suppressed thoughts.
"Hah? The balls you set are impossible for anyone to hit! Is this team yours? Why should we listen to your commands?"
Hearing Kageyama's true feelings, Kindaichi became even more unbearable. His bulging veins in his throat roared with full force.
"Is this team yours? Of course we'll listen to whoever can win. Or are you saying you don't even want to win at volleyball? If you want to win, do as I say!"
After exchanging volleys, the two glared at each other again, challenging each other through the captain.
The teammates on the court and the substitutes on the bench hurriedly rushed in, grabbing arms, hugging waists, locking shoulders, forcibly separating the two.
The referees repeatedly blew their whistles. Fortunately, it was just an internal team conflict, so there would be no point deductions. But the entire match was paused for a moment.
In the Karasuno stands, the three players observed.
"Whoa, these two sure have short tempers, to start arguing and almost come to blows in the middle of the match."
Tanaka was the first to criticize.
"What right do you have to say that, Tanaka?"
Sugawara quickly followed up on Tanaka's comment with a criticism of his own.
"But looking at this, the momentum seems to be shifting towards the Yukigaoka team in green."
"Yeah, that captain's spike contact point is way too high."
Daiichi naturally continued the conversation from Sugawara's statement.
"And his presence is really formidable too, like a natural ace."
"Hey, Ichise, what are they arguing about? It seems a bit hard to understand."
Hinata Shoyo was initially startled by the confrontation between the two towering figures, being a sub-170cm player himself, he couldn't help but take a small step back.
"In simple terms, their setter feels his way of winning has a higher chance, while the ace thinks his way doesn't work and wants to do it his own way."
"Huh? Then who's right, they should just use the right one's way, right?"
Hinata rubbed his chin, offering what he thought was a well-considered response.
Hearing Hinata's classic Hinata-esque statement, Ichise Guren couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Aha... Shoyo, they're arguing precisely because they both think their way is right."
"If it were you, how would you prove your way is the correct one? The match isn't a testing ground, if your way doesn't work, the points lost can't be taken back."
"Eh? Eh?!!"
Hearing Ichise Guren's question, Hinata's face was plastered with the expression of "I don't know, don't ask me!"
Patting Hinata's shoulder, Ichise Guren took the opportunity of the disturbance to gather his own team members and started sharing his thoughts on the current situation.
"Everyone, from now on, the tides of battle are turning in our favor."
"The opponents' two main players have a conflict, and one of them is likely to be subbed out."
"If it's the setter that gets subbed out, their attack speed will drop significantly, and their attack choices won't be as sharp, but their offense will become more varied, so we need to be mentally prepared for that."
"If it's the ace that gets subbed out, their blocking height and attack strength will decrease. In that case, our task is to focus on controlling their setter - the setter's will dominates the entire team's."
"Don't worry too much about the other players' thoughts and actions, we just need to familiarize ourselves with the setter's thought patterns and playstyle, and make predictions accordingly. We can effectively contain Kitagawa Daiichi by controlling him."
"Let me repeat the key points - if the setter is subbed out, we focus on adaptability and changes in their attack choices; if the ace is subbed out, we focus on familiarity and prediction, just locking in on one player."
"Understood?"
Ichise Guren looked at his teammates, who were listening attentively, carefully considering his words, with a somewhat relieved expression.
"As expected of Ichise! Your brain is so sharp!"
Hinata's eyes sparkled with admiration, like he was looking at some precious treasure.
"Hinata, don't gawk at human intelligence like a monkey."
Hoshino Masaru suddenly popped up from behind Hinata, startling him.
"Hoshino! How do you always appear and disappear like a ghost!"
Hinata clenched his small fists, questioning Hoshino Masaru with a hint of irritation.
"I've been standing behind you the whole time, you just didn't pay attention to me."
While the other two third-years were fooling around, Hyakuzawa Yudai was quietly listening to Ichise Guren's words, mentally repeating the key points.
"Ichise-senpai!"
Mori suddenly raised his hand, with an expression like a diligent student wanting to ask a teacher a question.
"What is it? Go ahead."
"What if neither the setter nor the ace gets subbed out?"
Mori, having played Go, had a rather nimble mind and quickly thought of a third possibility.
Ichise Guren grinned.
"You were the first to think of that."
"What do you think will happen?"
After a moment of contemplation, Mori spoke, "The setter might not set to that ace anymore, or he might, but the ace will most likely refuse to spike the setter's tosses."
"So if neither of them gets subbed out, that's the best situation for us - it's effectively a 6-on-5, we have the player advantage!"
"Exactly!"
Ichise Guren gave Mori an approving look, then turned around. Seeing the gradually calming atmosphere on the opposing side, he gave his shoulder a pat and shook his right hand a bit.
"Everyone, let's go!"
"The advantage is ours."
Ichise Guren naturally called out the rallying cry to lead the team's charge, and the Yukigaoka players responded in perfect sync.
"Conquer the Nationals!"
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