Wait, did Mokoba perform a Jump Float Serve during this Haruko?
No, no, no, he hadn't even noticed—Mokoba can actually do that?
The ball crossed the net in an instant, but it was unclear whether the hitting motion was incorrect or if there was an issue with the contact point.
The ball did not exhibit the irregular, non-rotating movement of a Jump Float Serve; instead, it was like an ordinary Jump Serve, but it crossed the net having lost its velocity.
Huh—
How was that play even supposed to be? It was so ridiculous.
Before Akagi could even say he would take it, the Inarizaki members' cheering had already turned into jeers and laughter directed at Mokoba.
This time, the Fukurodani members finally found their rhythm, joining forces with Inarizaki to jeer at Mokoba.
Pfft," Shiratori placed a finger against his lips, unable to stop himself from laughing. "Jack of all trades, master of none.
Miya Atsumu also couldn't help but let a smile break across his face as he sent the ball toward Oori Ren in the front row.
Oori Ren was also not very good at spiking; the best thing he could do was simply jump high.
Jumping with all his might, he spiked the ball straight down while completely over-reaching.
Mokoba, who was already filled with indignation because of his own funny serve, reacted extremely quickly to the ball, the speed of his explosion even left Komi on the other side feeling a bit dazed.
The ball hit Mokoba's arm, then flew steadily down toward the area near the front row's Attack Line.
He quickly adjusted his position from the side to chase after the ball, raising his hands to send it to Osa Noboru.
Osa Noboru hit a high ball in the center, which also cleared the block on the Inarizaki side.
Hinata had intended to receive it, but from the other side, Aran spoke up first: "I'll take it!"
He wasn't the Ace for these two sets, so tasks like opening up the game for the team.. he'd leave those to Hinata.
He could also take a mental break by handling these receiving duties.
After confirming that he didn't need to receive the ball himself, Hinata decisively bypassed half the court to the back of Position 4, stepping forward quickly with the intent to perform a back-row Quick Attack.
Osa Noboru and Saru Yamato both closed in on Hinata at the same time, both leaping up to prepare to block him.
Although Miya Atsumu's ball appeared to be vertical to Hinata's hitting point from the other side of the net, there was actually a difference in depth between them.
Hinata's ball maximized both speed and height, making it impossible for him to catch up and spike a ball that was so close to the net.
So, the person who was actually going to spike this ball..
The moment the Fukurodani block began to descend, Rishia Heisuke suddenly leaped in front of Hinata and raised his hand to spike the ball.
The advantage in timing provided an extremely obvious overhand effect; the ball flew over Osa Noboru's head and slammed into the Fukurodani court.
Inarizaki took the 7th point of this match.
"Yes!!" Rishia cheered, pumping his fist.
As a player on the Right Wing, he focuses on defense, so this is one of the rare scores he has made since the start of this set.
That feeling of almost spiking it into an empty net.. it was simply too refreshing.
Hinata cheered for Rishia Heisuke: "Nice one, Heisuke!"
Aran in the back row gave Rishia a thumbs up.
Exactly, the feeling of spiking right over the net is the best, it's just a shame that the wicked Miya Atsumu doesn't give him many balls.
In short, it was all Miya Atsumu's fault!
Miya Osamu, standing by the sidelines, looked at Coach Kurosu beside him. "Heisuke is still playing quite well; he can hold his own for a short period without causing any major problems."
Coach Kurosu also nodded.
It was true that Rishia Heisuke's performance could be described as faultless; the main reason for the score gap was that Fukurodani was playing too aggressively.
As long as the situation can be stabilized, there is indeed no need to rush into making substitutions.
However.. if possible, we still need to widen the score gap as quickly as possible.
Vice-Captain Akaashi clapped his hands. "Don't worry about it, don't worry about it."
They played quite well; it was just that the intensity of Inarizaki's counterattacks was very high..
Forget it, he couldn't even lie to himself anymore.
Akaashi covered his face with both hands, unwilling to face this painful reality.
What on earth was Mokoba's serve just now! How is that any different from giving points to the opponent!
Just then, the buzzer sounded at the edge of the court, the Head Referee signaled that Inarizaki was requesting a substitution.
Number 3, Kumagai Kuniharu, substituted in for number 2, Oori Ren, to serve.
Watching Kumagai walk onto the court, Bokuto carelessly dealt another blow to Mokoba: "Oh! A real Dual Wield!"
The fake Dual Wield, Mokoba, fell to the ground, unable to get up.
Under the watchful eye of the Head Referee, Mokoba got up and said with absolute certainty, "Wait until I master the Three-Sword Style."
Bokuto blinked. "Are you going to become a ninja?"
Mokoba quickly picked up on Bokuto's erratic thinking and pointed toward Hinata on the other side of the net: "No, no, no, this one is a navigator. The ninja is on the opposite side."
Akaashi also added, "Ah, I've seen this before, it really is Hinata."
Coach Anromi had never felt so exhausted before: "That's enough.."
The Inarizaki members cheered for Kumagai, who had been called upon in a moment of crisis: "Give us a good serve, Akuma!!"
Kumagai's expression was calm, his overall state was quite relaxed.
Rishia, who is also a key server like him, is currently on the court, the coach shouldn't make any substitutions for Suna's position before the score reaches twenty, so at this stage, the only person forced to bear this pressure is himself.
As the saying goes, when you have too many debts, they no longer weigh you down.
With that spectacular serve from Mokoba that had both sides of the net united in awe, he shouldn't have any major problems regardless of how he plays.
That being said, being able to score a point with a serve in the Finals.. that would be just too cool.
The whistle blew, the cheering from the opposing Inarizaki members gradually subsided into silence.
Although the cheers from Fukurodani behind him were still present, they wouldn't affect him.
After counting to five in his head, Kumagai suddenly raised his hand and tossed the ball up.
After taking three large steps forward and back, he leaped lightly in front of the baseline, raising his hand to spike an extremely standard Jump Float Serve.
His serve had been trained under Miya Atsumu's strict guidance for over half a year; in terms of the success rate and precision of his Jump Float Serve, Kumagai was confident that he would not fall behind any player in this tournament.
Mokoba felt his back ache even more.
Why is every single one of them hitting his sore spots?!
Seeing the volleyball cross the net, Komi quickly stepped forward to attempt a receive.
The volleyball was popped upward, falling to a position extremely close to the net.
Akaashi said shamelessly, "What a great first receive!"
“Akaashi!”
Bokuto, in the back row, called out loudly to the setter; his hands had been itching for a long time, especially after seeing Inarizaki coordinate so many beautiful successive attacks.
Akaashi did not ignore Bokuto, but instead performed a fake back set before sending the ball toward Bokuto.
Bokuto spiked the ball with all his might after receiving it, by the time Suna and Rishia realized what was happening and tried to recover, it was already too late.
Fortunately, Miya Atsumu's reaction speed was extremely fast; in the moment Bokuto spiked, he adjusted his blocking hand position, turning it into an active touch.
With a loud bang, the ball flew high into the air, landing toward Inarizaki's back row.
The ball's speed was extremely fast, since the Libero Akagi was not on the court at that moment, Aran quickly retreated to the back row and performed a diving save to keep the ball alive.
Although he barely managed to receive the ball, the trajectory was extremely low, it was almost going to hit the net.
But Miya Atsumu's expression didn't fluctuate much; he simply followed his mission and task to chase after it, jumping and raising his hands to set the ball while moving forward, his movements incredibly decisive.
Hinata stared at the ball as it flew toward the center.
In this emergency situation, Miya Atsumu had not given them any prior instructions, so they could only rely on themselves to read the meaning of this ball.
Height, speed, the overall arc of the set..
This wasn't a ball for the front row, but a back row attack sequence under the cover of Suna's Center High Ball.
The moment he made his judgment, Hinata took a large step forward and leaped with all his might from behind the three-meter line.
He extended his arms in the air, spiking the ball down just as Suna and the opposing block descended.
Even though his power isn't great, thanks to his explosive force and arm extension, Hinata's spike speed can exceed 80km/h under extreme conditions.
That is precisely why his Line shots become a headache for many teams.
However, this ball's speed was much lower compared to Bokuto's and Aran's, Komi was also very skilled at receiving this kind of Quick Attack.
He stepped forward and precisely received the ball.
Bokuto, who failed to score on the last play, called for the ball again: "Akaashi!!"
But this time, Akaashi did not give the ball to him; instead, he used him as a very useful decoy.
The moment Inarizaki's block went after Bokuto, Akaashi passed the ball to Mokoba Akitsugu standing beside him.
Mokoba, having received the ball, did not hesitate to spike it toward the edge of the opposite side of the court.
Although the block failed to follow, the members in the back row prepared to receive the ball without panicking too much.
After all, the speed of this ball was limited and its trajectory was very obvious; there shouldn't be any problems.
A normal spike?
Mokoba had a flamboyant smile on his face, though sweat-soaked strands of hair clung to his face, they could not hide his current state of confidence and high spirits.
No, this was anything but ordinary.
Because this ball..
Kumagai stared at the trajectory of the ball, quickly simulating the entire process in his mind. Having made his judgment, he shouted out immediately, "Out!"
Mokoba landed on the ground at that moment, his eyes wide as he watched where the ball would land.