Even in Karasuno, which was famous for its Iron Wall, Hikari-kun was an important part of their blocking rotation, which was enough to prove that what he needed to practice was still far from sufficient.
Since the end of Haruko, his blocking has undergone extensive training with Suna and Tokura, Coach Inubata has also begun teaching him knowledge in this area.
And thanks to his excellent physical foundation, he was able to perfectly complete every training task even while balancing so many different items.
At the very least, when it came to supporting the block like just now, he was no longer as helpless as he used to be; he could also make his own contribution to the block.
Hinata jumped on one foot beneath the Position 4 marker, while calling out for Miya Atsumu's pass: "Give me the ball!"
But with Akaashi Keiji staring at Hinata, Miya Atsumu did not choose to give him the ball; instead, he gave it to Suna, who was positioned slightly to the right of the center.
Suna twisted his waist, combined with Miya Atsumu's well-covered pass, he could be said to have perfectly evaded Fukurodani's block.
The ball slammed against the floor with a loud thud, the sound of the whistle announced that Inarizaki scores.
Kita Shinsuke, standing by the sidelines, clapped his hands: "Brilliant."
Miya Atsumu leaned in close to Hinata and couldn't help but praise him loudly, "Shoyo, that block was so cool!"
It was so close to being a direct block, what a pity.
Hinata gave a cheeky grin, his whole body unable to suppress the joy radiating from him after being praised for his block: "It was thanks to Suna-senpai!"
Suna stood behind Hinata with his hands on his hips, looking at Miya Atsumu with an expressionless face.
As Hinata said, seventy percent of that last play was his doing, but some people completely ignored his existence, giving Hinata only the corresponding praise.
Although he didn't care much about the praise itself, he just couldn't stand seeing that guy Miya Atsumu acting all smug after taking all the credit.
“Heh.” Suna let out a cold, expressionless chuckle, then turned his head to look back at the other side of the net.
Saru Nagi was a bit dazed after being glanced at by him, but he was still thinking about that last play and didn't pay it much mind.
Sae walked over, patted his shoulder, comforted him, "It's okay, I'll receive the next ball better."
He would never give the opposing team an opportunity ball like that ever again.
Saru Nagi shook his head, looking at Hinata on the Inarizaki side with determined eyes: "Sorry, I'll definitely kill the next ball with a spike."
Inarizaki's block was timed so perfectly just now that he had no way to make a move.
But.. to put it bluntly, Inarizaki's block still had an issue with its height, next time, he will definitely be able to surpass it.
He was born with a smiling face, which made him look very kind most of the time.
But at this very moment, his gaze was incredibly sharp, meeting it was quite terrifying.
Hinata, startled, obediently moved back to his position, but after recovering, he gave him another glare.
Saru Nagi withdrew his gaze and whispered to Akaashi Keiji beside him, "Akaashi-senpai, can you give it a bit higher?"
Akaashi nodded, "No problem."
He also noticed that the overall height of the Inarizaki side was far inferior to theirs.
As long as the contact point is raised as high as possible, there shouldn't be any problems.
Miya Osamu was behind him, preparing to serve the second ball, only at this moment did Hinata realize that his dream of being the first to score three points in a row had been shattered.
But as long as Inarizaki could score, it was fine; he wanted to be the first person capable of scoring three consecutive points!
"I've got it!" Sae dove again to receive the ball.
"What a great first receive!" Akaashi praised, then turned and rushed toward the ball, raising his hands to prepare for a toss.
Kenma, in the stands, lowered his head and sighed, "So tired.."
Kageyama looked at him with a bit of confusion. "But Kozume-senpai didn't even exercise today."
Kenma replied, "It's exhausting to watch."
The frequency at which the Fukurodani libero performed diving saves was too high, he couldn't make the stable tosses that Nekoma could; during these few instances, Akaashi was basically performing sets from positions off the Attack Line.
Continuing like this would be extremely taxing on physical stamina, especially since the arms would give out first.
However, this match isn't a long-term battle of attrition, Akaashi's overall abilities are very strong himself, so it should.. not be a big problem.
Saru Nagi immediately called for the ball: "Give me the ball!!"
There was no need to pursue speed; with the current lack of front row cover, it would be almost impossible to completely shake off the block.
What he wants to pursue is height and power itself; he wants to spike a ball that the opponent cannot defend.
The three-person block from the opposing side closed in once again, looking almost exactly like before.
Hinata, using a one-step approach, maintained a maximum height similar to Suna's vertical jump from a standing position, while controlling his jump timing to ensure he wouldn't be left behind.
But this time..
So high.
Watching Saru's spike, Kumagai was a bit surprised by the movement.
He had seen the video recordings of Fukurodani Junior High's matches, in those recordings, Saru himself had never jumped to such a height.
Over this year, what grew in Saru was not just his height, but also his jumping ability and his offensive capabilities themselves.
Saru's height itself is considered above average among wing spikers of the same age; his hitting point isn't actually as high as Hinata's, it's certainly not at the top tier of jumping ability.
However.. wanting to surpass Inarizaki's block was certainly well within his reach.
BANG!!
A heavy thud followed immediately, in the next second, the ball smashed into Inarizaki's court at extreme speed, as if entering an undefended territory.
The whistle blew, Fukurodani scores.
Hinata watched the direction where the ball landed and couldn't help but exclaim, "That was amazing."
Before this, most of Saru's spikes were either limited by a block or resulted in a touch; this was his first full-power spike of the match that went completely untouched.
That level of power and the sensation of the ball's speed.. it was quite terrifying.
Hinata even felt that if he were the one to receive a ball like that, his arm might actually break.
Miya Atsumu clapped his hands. "Don't worry about it, don't worry about it. He can't keep jumping that high forever. Block him on the next play."
Even players with exceptional jumping ability and physical stamina like Hinata and Hoshiumi wouldn't be able to reach their maximum hitting point throughout an entire match, let alone Saru Nagi, whose jumping ability is quite ordinary.
So there is absolutely nothing to fear; even if we have to drag it out, we can drag them to death.
Hinata nodded, but his gaze toward Saru Nagi held significantly more apprehension.
Akaashi Keiji on the other side of the net prepared to serve, while the opposite Shiraishi Hisashi simultaneously rotated to the front row.
Fukurodani's lineup has always relied on the Right Wing Spiker, commonly known as the "Main Spiker," to act as the Ace, while the Setter and Opposite are equipped with players possessing strong defensive and support capabilities.
Just like Mokoba Akitsugu from the previous year. His skill set will be very well-rounded.
However, Shiraishi's height itself wasn't particularly exceptional, it was obvious that he had no specialty in attacking.
Akaashi's serve was as stable as ever, precisely targeting the area in front of the Inarizaki back row setter.
Unabara Uta took a step away from Miya Atsumu, rolling away from him as she received the ball on the side to avoid getting in his way.
Kageyama's eyes lit up in the stands: "Amazing."
Indeed, the way a Libero moves after receiving a ball can minimize interference with the subsequent attack to the greatest extent.
“Shoyo.”
Miya Atsumu shouted Hinata's name, but instead gave the ball to Rishia Heisuke on the other side.
It was a simple feint, but Shiraishi was still momentarily shaken, by the time he followed up, it was already a bit too late.
Rishia Heisuke's spike was barely touched by Honma Masaaki, Sae quickly followed up from the back row, managing to provide a ball with decent positioning.
Akaashi-senpai!
Akaashi stepped up from the back row and decisively executed a back set feint.
Meanwhile, over there, Honma also drew Rishia Heisuke's attention with his excellent contact point after jumping.
In the next second, he turned and tossed the ball to Saru Nagi, who was in the center near Position 2.
Saru, facing an open space, raised his hand to spike, making it clear that this spike was intended to end the rally immediately.
But in the very next instant, a pair of hands suddenly appeared in his field of vision, precisely blocking the path of the ball he had already spiked.
The ball landed on the Fukurodani court with a thud, Inarizaki scores with a block.
Suna landed on the ground, turning his head to glance at Miya Atsumu with a provocative look in his eyes.
Ogata bared his teeth in the stands. "A solo block against the opponent's Ace's spike.. Suna-senpai is terrifying."
Chapter 282: The Two Hundred and Eighty-Second Fox
Facing Suna's blatant provocative gaze, even Miya Atsumu couldn't help but fall silent.
This guy.. he's a bit too vindictive, isn't he!
But to be fair, Suna's motivation is truly rare; from that last play, it was completely clear that he had pushed every aspect of his performance to the absolute limit.
He rarely saw Suna run that fast even in official matches, let alone in a practice match.
Miya Atsumu looked Suna up and down, his hands on his hips as he tilted his chin up slightly.
Considering the brilliance of that last play, he could manage to give Suna a bit of praise.
But before he could speak, an incredibly excited voice had already shouted ahead of him, "Suna-senpai was so cool!"
How did he block that ball just now? Saru's spike was so powerful, yet he managed to block it all by himself!
Hinata rushed in front of Suna, staring at him with burning eyes.
He had just blocked a ball from Saru Nagi alongside Suna, so he knew exactly what level the opponent's full-power spike was; if it were left to him, it would be absolutely impossible.
Is it some kind of secret weapon technique? If he learned it, would he also be able to make a huge leap in progress?
Even if he can't block a super-heavy cannonball, being able to completely suppress Hikari-kun would be enough!
Suna also decisively continued to treat Miya Atsumu like air, turning his head to say to Hinata, "It's nothing, I just found the right timing."
Observe more, think more, then.. having a bit more experience will make your reaction speed a bit faster, I suppose.