"Lion's Bravery," Hinata looked over, his eyes full of confusion.
What did that phrase mean again..
Although he complained about Miya Atsumu, Aran's fighting spirit burned even more fiercely than before.
As expected, this is the perfect time for him to demonstrate the spirit of an Ace!
——Get ready to cheer for him!
Fukuda General's Shimizu Kanata serves.
In the waiting area, Suna whispered to Kita, "Kita-senpai, I have a bad feeling about this."
Usually at times like this, these people are likely to perform low-level errors.
Kita Shinsuke shook his head. "No, don't worry."
Anyone who dares to mess up during the national finals.. can expect to go back and do extra training.
Aran felt a chill run down his spine and instantly heightened his vigilance by ten thousand percent.
Even though the opposing Libero is not on the court right now, the defensive strength of the back row in this formation is not to be underestimated.
Unfortunately, he already had an idea.
Chapter 116: The One Hundred and Sixteenth Fox
Inarizaki's receiving formation pushed back slightly.
Kiyoko's personality isn't sharp, but she has a great jump serve, its intensity is quite high.
After the loud impact, the volleyball reached Akagi's front almost instantly.
Oikawa Tooru, watching from in front of the screen, felt a hint of regret: "A pity, it went straight to the Libero."
Anyone with a keen eye could see that the ball was aimed at the position Miya Atsumu was moving toward, but unfortunately, the ball's trajectory couldn't be controlled successfully.
"I've got it!" Akagi also breathed a sigh of relief after steadily setting the ball right above Miya Atsumu's head.
What a great set.
Miya Atsumu used his peripheral vision to confirm Hinata's position, tossing the ball high and straight at the exact moment he prepared to jump near the sideline.
The trajectory of this ball was very obvious; it wasn't a straight set for Hinata.
Shiratori, acting as a blocker on the other side of the net, frowned slightly, but he still rushed forward with the two of them toward Position 4.
The Ace's back four?
That position is a bit too far forward; if Aran tries to jump to that position, he will most likely collide with Hinata.
Then..
Shiratori lowered his center of gravity.
At the same time, Hinata's jump came to an abrupt halt.
The moment he landed, he bent his knees to lower his body, then suddenly leaped into the air.
—A personal time difference.
A smile curled at the corners of Shiratori's mouth as the three-man iron wall blocked the space directly in front of Hinata, having predicted Hinata's movements almost perfectly.
But Hinata did not panic; instead, he adjusted his movement while preparing to spike.
Miya Atsumu's ball was not set near the net, but much further back.
Even if the blockers on the other side had already come down, there was still enough space for Hinata to adjust.
With a light push against the bottom of the volleyball, the ball was popped up, sailing over the net and the block to land softly on the opponent's side of the court.
Kiyoko stepped out from the back row, diving to save the ball: "Natsume!"
Shiratori quickly retreated from the front row, after receiving the ball near the sideline, he raised his hands to set it to Kuroo, who had already moved behind Position 4.
The Ace's spike was as heavy and powerful as ever, but the Inarizaki members, having adjusted their defensive positions, swarmed in to surround it.
The moment Kuroo prepared to spike a short diagonal, Hinata suddenly changed his hand shape, barely touching the ball with a flat palm.
Touch!
"Nice touch!" Akagi followed up decisively.
Exactly, that's more like it. Balls that hit the block are incredibly difficult to receive.
In the stands, Komori, who had spent almost the entire previous match dealing with ineffective blocks, wrinkled his nose.
After stepping back from the block, Hinata moved straight forward, preparing for a follow-up attack.
The blocking on Fukuda General's side was in no hurry either; once Hinata's reaction speed slowed due to heavy exhaustion, following up with a touch was a wise choice for them.
After the Fukuda General back row adjusted a step toward Hinata, Miya Atsumu raised his hand and sent the ball out.
Aran, who had already been poised in the back row, took a large step forward and leaped into the air with a thud, just less than two centimeters behind the three-meter line.
In terms of vertical reach and hitting point, he, with his height advantage, was taller than Hinata.
A blocking height of 3.2 meters could stop Suna, who didn't want to jump, but it couldn't stop him as he jumped with all his might.
BANG!!
The sound of the spike was so loud that Shiratori felt his eardrums ache.
Despite trying his best to adjust his distance from the net to reach the ball, the ball came too fast and too heavy, knocking him off balance as his center of gravity shifted.
The volleyball bounced high off the block toward the ceiling before finally landing in the spectator stands.
The whistle blew, Inarizaki scores.
Aran, Aran, you're playing so well—one more point—
Coach Unabara, who had pulled up a chair to sit near the commentary booth, had eyes that lit up: "You're in great form today, Aran."
That last spike was quite decisive, aimed straight for a cross-court kill; it was much better than the indecisive play seen before.
He clicked his tongue softly. "If only he could keep this up."
He has to be pushed; just like Bokuto-senpai, he's a handful.
No, judging by the recent situation, perhaps for Aran, encouragement from a "junior" and feeling a sense of responsibility are what matter most?
—I just wonder if this trick will work on Bokuto-senpai.
Ginjima bounced the ball, tossing it up in the very last second of the service time limit.
In this match, the Inarizaki members collectively maintained a playstyle aimed at the Libero.
They were in poor form after playing Itachiyama, Fukuda General struggled against Shirabu as well; in truth, both sides were performing far below their previous standards, at times like this, it comes down to willpower.
Watching the volleyball about to hit the sideline behind him, a slightly irritated Matsuda decisively dove backward in a diving save.
Amatori felt this scene looked quite familiar, so he turned his head and whispered to Iizuna, "It's starting, Inarizaki's floor-diving tour against the opposing Libero.
Two rows away, Komori scratched his head and smiled helplessly. "Amatori-senpai, I heard you."
Amatori shut up.
Aran, who had already rotated to Position 4 in the front row, delivered another powerful spike, hitting it toward the Libero defending the line while performing an overhand strike from the front row.
He had no intention of dodging at all, giving the impression that he was going to send both Matsuda and the ball flying together.
And Matsuda was indeed sent flying; the ball bounced toward the edge of the court the moment it made contact with his arm.
Save the ball!
Amatori rubbed his chin and began to ponder, "So this is a super ace operating at full power? How terrifying."
Their Ace has a completely different style from these people, so there isn't much reference to be found there.
As it turned out, the decision to play aggressively against Aran yesterday was absolutely correct..
Fortunately, Midorikawa's reaction on the other side was incredibly fast, managing to save the ball just before it hit the ground.
The coach by the sidelines shouted loudly, "Spike it directly!"
But before Fukuda General could catch up, the ball, which had already flown above the net, was slammed down with a loud thwack.
Hinata's sudden movement left the Iizuna members in the stands stunned.
“He really loves spiking those tip balls, though they are certainly quite intimidating.”
The ace from the back row, Kuroo, lunged forward, sacrificing his rhythm for a subsequent attack to successfully save the ball.
It's okay.
Even if he can't attack, there are others.
Midorikawa, who had rushed out to save the ball, has returned and is quickly approaching the front-row attack line.
Kuroo's set was very stable, sending the ball from behind to above the attack line, at an angle that was very easy for the setter to handle.
As Hinata landed and prepared for the subsequent block, he watched the movement of Fukuda General on the opposite side. When he saw them moving up near the attack line, he was taken aback.
Eh? That number 9 is also moving up?
What are they planning to do? A back-row attack? Leaving only the Libero to handle the counterattack?
No, this position is a bit too close to the attack line..
Coach Kurosu's words from before the match suddenly flashed through his mind.
[Midorikawa's receiving skills are excellent, he can also be used as a second setter.]
A flash of inspiration struck Hinata's mind.
A back-row spiker setting, with three attackers in the front row including the setter?!
Just as he was about to dive toward the Shiratorizawa side, Fukuda General gave the final answer.
—No.
The volleyball flew over Midorikawa's head as he appeared to be preparing to jump for a set, was touched by Shiratori at extremely close range, before being back-set toward Position 2; Kazama, who had already jumped, raised his hand and spiked the ball down right on the line.
The line spike hit the floor with extreme speed, since Akagi wasn't there, Fukuda General managed to snatch a point.