Kageyama Tobio tossed the ball lightly into the air, timing his steps to the pull of gravity as the volleyball began its descent.
One, two, three!
He jumped, mimicking the powerful jump serves of senior players three years ago. At this moment, it finally found its debut on a real match court.
Compared to Ichinose Guren's serve, Kageyama's jump serve was slightly lower in sheer power and speed, but in terms of control, he was far superior.
He might not have been able to hit exactly where he wanted, but targeting a general zone was no problem at all.
The ball flew along the trajectory guided by Kageyama's palm, aiming between Suzuki and Hyakuzawa. Because they were positioned slightly close together, both reacted just a fraction late, hesitating for a split second.
And that hesitation was enough. Kageyama's jump serve landed right between them. Hyakuzawa, whose fundamentals were solid, could only manage a sideways dodge.
The score now read 8–7, Yukigaoka had closed the gap to just one point.
Kageyama didn't yell or pump his fist in celebration. He knew they were still behind. There was nothing to celebrate yet.
He gathered his focus again, centering his mind. He needed to keep his mental energy intact for the next play, aiming to score off the serve and keep narrowing the score. One point at a time, that was how to stabilize the game.
Of course, Kageyama didn't think just three points would be enough. The more points he scored on serve, the better. Three points was merely his minimum requirement.
This time, the ball was sent toward the back corner, and just when Kageyama thought the point was guaranteed, Ichinose Guren lunged, a perfect flying save.
For a brief instant after Ichinose caught the ball, their eyes met. Though he said nothing, his expression, his body, his gaze all communicated a single message to Kageyama:
Don't even think about it!
He sprang up immediately, running around Suzuki in the back row. From behind the three-meter line, he leaped.
"Ichinose-senpai!"
Ichinose tensed every muscle midair, like a bowstring pulled to its limit, aiming straight at the three blockers at the net, releasing his first arrow.
This back-row attack wasn't a perfectly polished jump spike, but Ichinose's legs, coiled like explosives, launched him to a striking height of 345 cm.
That height was enough to bypass a huge portion of the block, exploit defensive gaps, and strike down the point.
Boom!
The ball cut through the air with afterimages, seemingly teleporting at Ichinose's fingertips. The instant it touched his palm, it vanished from everyone's sight, only to reappear as it hit the floor.
Even the Kitagawa coach, who had just been calming himself, could no longer remain seated. He jumped up, intending to call a third time-out, but his assistant stopped him.
He realized their team had already used all their time-outs for this set.
Still, Ichinose's spike had left an indelible mark on the coach. He stared at Ichinose's landing and absorbed every nuance of the movement, muttering under his breath:
Could this be another 'Prodigy' coming into his own?
The assistant beside him widened his eyes in surprise.
"A prodigy? You mean their captain is as strong as Ushijima back in the day?"
"Ah… no…"
Kitagawa's coach shook his head, trying to clarify.
"That's not exactly what I mean… let me rephrase."
He paused, regrouping his thoughts before continuing.
"What I mean is, the opposing captain's attack on that last spike, the power, the damage to our formation, the way it breaks our defense, it's on the same level as the prodigy Ushijima back then."
"But their styles are completely different."
"Every top ace may have similar raw power, but differences in physical attributes, technique, team role, and other factors create their most defining characteristics, which opponents feel differently each time."
"Take Ushijima, his left-handed spikes were unforgettable due to their unique spin. Only then did his height and strength become impressive."
"Two other top-level high school aces, Kirihara and Sakusa, had slightly different strengths: one with supreme height paired with the strongest power in the country, the other with top-tier height, second-tier power, and the strongest spin control."
"The captain of Yukigaoka, while his offensive strength is comparable to Ushijima in Junior High, the real highlight is his extraordinarily high contact point. Keep in mind, he's still in Junior High."
"If he continues solely with volleyball through high school, without switching to another sport, I can't even imagine how high his spikes will reach…"
"360 cm? 370 cm?"
"The highest recorded spike in professional volleyball is 390 cm in the Brazilian league. While they can't touch the ball with fingertips at that height, spikes at that level effectively turn 1 vs. 6 into 1 vs. 3. Against most blockers, it's unstoppable."
The assistant listened, increasingly astonished.
"You mean… his spike reach could become the highest in Japan?"
"Yes… he might very well become the ultimate ace in Japan."
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