He shouldn't have remembered it wrong; he had always remembered things very clearly when it came to volleyball.
"It could also be.." Shiratori rubbed his chin.
A performance without any props?
Hinata thought seriously about Tsukishima's words just now, trying to understand their meaning.
It couldn't be a pattern where Kageyama sets, Tsukishima blocks on the other side, but no spiker actually spikes.. It couldn't be..
Is that even allowed?
But there was no time left for him to think; the referee had already blown the whistle.
Hinata quickly gathered all his focus to prepare for Yamaguchi Tadashi's serve.
Among all the jump float serves he had handled in the past, Yamaguchi's ball control could already be considered among the strongest. He just hit him and Rishia with extreme precision, even aiming for the baseline.
Yamaguchi waited patiently until the very last second of the service limit this time as well.
When he first started playing Jump Float Serve to help out, he couldn't even keep track of the service time limit; his heart raced under the tension, nearly causing him to time out.
But.. for him, that was already nearly two years ago.
He would never make a mistake for such a ridiculous reason now, let alone commit those kinds of low-level errors.
Having already stood on this court, having already secured a starting position, even with Coach Ukai and Mr. Takeo having previously revealed to him their intention to have him take over the role of Captain after Haruko.. he must also possess the ability to shoulder such responsibilities.
Looking up at the falling volleyball, Yamaguchi Tadashi, who had already stepped forward with quick strides, jumped less than a step behind the baseline, his composed movements revealing the confidence gained from long-term training.
Hearing the sharp sound of the hit, Coach Utsunomiya, sitting in the stands, nodded inwardly. "Beautiful."
Currently, the high school player widely recognized for having the best Jump Float Serve is Miya Atsumu, this reputation was established when Miya Atsumu gained widespread recognition during his second year.
During last year's Haruko, it had been less than a full year since Miya Atsumu began using Dual Wield, Miya Atsumu had even managed to master the Jump Float Serve to its peak in such a short amount of time, thanks to his outstanding ball control.
As a serving technique that once changed the entire landscape of the volleyball world, even in this current era where every team's Libero undergoes specialized training to counter it, it remains a lethal scoring weapon.
Having seen so many different players from various schools using the jump float serve, Yamaguchi was one of the few players whose play gave him a sense of aesthetic pleasure.
He was bold, yet meticulous enough.
After adjusting from the previous play, Yamaguchi's placement on this ball was even more precise, even making Rishia wonder for a moment if the ball was out.
Just then, his peripheral vision caught Yamaguchi's calm expression on the other side.
Rishia, maintaining trust in the Server himself, ultimately chose to go for a diving save to receive this ball.
His ability to handle a Jump Float Serve with both hands isn't actually that strong right now, but during those special training sessions, he learned thoroughly how to pop the volleyball high while diving.
Even if he couldn't accurately judge where the volleyball would land, he could use his own "flapping" motion to pop the ball up, whether using his forearms, upper arms, or shoulders.
And Rishia still gave a quite excellent first receive for this ball.
Miya Atsumu was equally generous with his praise: "Great first receive!"
Miya Osamu quickly moved forward in the front row to call for the ball; he intended to make up for being just blocked.
Just as Miya Osamu leaped forward, Miya Atsumu quickly transitioned the ball to Hinata for a back-row attack, using Miya Osamu's quick attack to create a strong presence that drew away Enoshita Chikara's block. While creating a spiking opportunity for Hinata, he didn't give him so much as a single glance.
Tsukishima and Kageyama quickly moved toward Inarizaki's Position 4, but just as he was about to jump, he noticed that Miya Atsumu's ball used a bit of spin to extend its hang time in the air.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of ball needs to be used in conjunction with a spiker's individual time difference.
Just as he was hesitating internally whether to slow down his own jumping rhythm, Hinata on the opposite side had already jumped.
Tsukishima did not rush to make a decision; instead, he lowered his center of gravity to maintain a state where he could jump at any moment, all while observing Hinata's movements. On the other side, Kageyama also did not act on his own; at the net, he followed Tsukishima's judgment completely, ensuring he would never be out of sync with Tsukishima.
As for blocking a short player like Hinata, Tsukishima, as a tall Blocker, actually needs to time his jump slightly later, so they originally had enough time to determine whether Hinata was going to use an Individual time difference.
Even if it was only for an instant, it was enough for him to react and make adjustments.
But Hinata didn't; he jumped at a normal rhythm, rather than using an individual time difference.
Tsukishima didn't doubt it for a second and followed up with a standard blocking rhythm.
Hinata pulled his arm back, preparing to spike, facing the double block organized by Karasuno's Kageyama and Tsukishima.
His takeoff point was from the back row, but for this ball, he prioritized distance over height. By jumping to this position behind the three-meter line, there wasn't much difference between his spike and a standard spike from a front row spiker.
He knew very well that the two blockers on the opposing side had a greater height than him in this situation.
So.. this is the time to start using your brain.
In Tsukishima's field of vision, Hinata's right arm pushed out very slowly while still some distance from the net, which was not a standard spiking motion.
And that kind of movement usually appears during a roll shot or a dump.
With this basic judgment, Tsukishima raised his arms, which had been pressing down, the moment Hinata's right hand was about to make contact, increasing his blocking height once again to defend against a dump.
With Hinata's arm swing speed, there was no way to use the block to tool it; even if he did, eighty percent of the time, it would just be pressed back down by him.
Miya Atsumu watched Hinata's movements and suddenly burst into laughter as he descended.
No block could restrain him.
And there was no cage that could truly hold him.
Miya Atsumu knew that as long as he provided Hinata with a sufficiently comfortable spiking condition, Hinata would be able to score.
That was all.
Just as Kageyama and Tsukishima finished their hang time and were about to descend, Hinata's center of gravity shifted mid-air.
The right hand, which had originally been prepared to spike, turned into a hand used for a setting motion at this moment, his incredible hang time allowed him to maintain control of the highest point.
A light sound rang in everyone's ears, by the time Tsukishima tried to press down, it was already too late.
The ball flew past Kageyama's right side, Hinata spiked it backhand with his left hand toward the sideline of the Karasuno court; it was, without a doubt, an in-bounds ball.
The whistle blew, the Head Referee signaled that Hinata's spike had scored.
Chapter 505: The 505th Fox
After absorbing the impact, Hinata slowly stood up, tilting his head slightly to stare at Tsukishima Kei, who had not yet reacted.
He flashed a bright smile at Tsukishima, looking incredibly happy. "When I saw you block just now, I was wondering what it would feel like to break through it head-on."
“It really is just like Atsumu-senpai said.. it's super exciting!"
Tsukishima Kei kept a straight face, looking down from his height at Hinata, who was baring his teeth at him.
Even though he should have been the one in control, for some reason.. at this very moment, he felt an intense sense of threat.
He didn't say anything, just quietly watched Hinata, who was grinning at him like a monster.
He couldn't speak.
Once that breath is let out.. they'll be completely at a disadvantage.
Tokura, who had gained the service right, had already received the ball from the opponent. Just as he was about to walk to the serving position, the notification sound rang out from the sidelines; Inarizaki signaled for a substitution.
Kumagai stood by the sidelines holding his number plate, waiting to be substituted for him.
Tokura walked lightly to the sidelines, taking his number plate while simultaneously handing the ball to the other player: "Good luck! Take it all in one go!"
Kumagai gave a helpless smile. "That would be over ten points."
Tokura chuckled and said nothing more.
Watching Inarizaki switch to a crucial Server, Arashiyama, sitting in the stands, didn't know what to say: "Karasuno is in for some serious trouble."
Inarizaki had only changed the server once when playing against them, the one who came on was Rishia.
Looking back at all of Inarizaki's past matches, it is easy to discover that Kumagai, as a substitute setter, generally does not take the court as a key server during the latter half of a match schedule.
In several instances, his appearances on the court were guaranteed to ensure Miya Atsumu's condition was fine, they were definitely at the most critical junctures.
Among all the current substitutes in Inarizaki, Kumagai has the highest overall ability.
After all, he is playing as a substitute for Miya Atsumu; his own skill level would have no problem starting as the starting setter for a team like Star First, he might even be better than their current setter.
And his Dual Wield serve is also the factor with the greatest potential to influence the situation.
Substituting Kumagai while Inarizaki is in an advantageous position.. shows that Inarizaki intends to wrap up this set at this juncture, finishing the set with a massive lead.
Karasuno's Libero seems to be at a fairly high level, but I wonder if he can successfully handle Kumagai's serve.
Compared to Miya Atsumu's Dual Wield, Kumagai's greater advantage is actually his Power Serve; he has great physical strength, the Power Serve he delivers is more threatening than Miya Atsumu's, whereas his Jump Float Serve is relatively mediocre.
Hearing the question raised by Arashiyama, Shiratori, who had encountered Nishinoya before, replied, "No need to worry, Nishinoya received my serve before, he handled it very well."
When it comes to handling power spikes, Nishinoya's performance is superior to his handling of jump float serves.
Thinking about it carefully.. in the other schools in Miyagi, there are indeed more players who specialize in power spikes, so Nishinoya's ability likely stems from that.
Additionally, he noticed that Nishinoya's counterattack was also quite good. When he came to Central Physical Education University previously, Bokuto had played several matches with him against the opposing team. The opponents' handling of counterattack balls was remarkably delicate; among the liberos he knew, they could be considered top-tier.
By comparison, Matsuda's skill level was not even close.
And besides, Fukuda General's new Ace and Setter haven't been fully developed yet, so they can't provide any support for Matsuda and the others; it's estimated they won't see real results until next year.
But none of that has anything to do with him right now; those some troublesome juniors are a headache Coach Tsurumaru will have to deal with.
Shiratori turned his head with a smile to glance at Bokuto, who was being serious, sincere, one hundred percent immersed in the moment, suddenly felt that Bokuto was also quite a handful.
—Compared to one of his juniors.
Kumagai had already taken his position for the approach, his expression serious as he scanned the members of Karasuno on the opposite side.
Nishinoya-senpai is difficult to deal with, but Miya Atsumu gave him strict orders to continuously pressure the Libero.
Karasuno's bench is quite thin, the opponent's Libero has played every match in this tournament. His condition isn't as good as Hayami's, who didn't play a single round this morning, making him a target that can be exploited.
Moreover, compared to Hayami and Hanae, Karasuno's Libero is shorter, which means many balls that could be received by moving the hands down require the opponent to perform a diving save or adjust their body posture, which will also result in greater physical exhaustion.
In short, all he had to do was use a sufficiently heavy and fast Power Serve to disrupt Nishinoya.
But.. he was actually quite familiar with this job.
During their usual practice matches at Inarizaki, he would play with Hinata and Unabara Uta just like this.
Kumagai, feeling much lighter, flashed a smile at the Karasuno members and lightly bounced the volleyball in his hands.
The whistle sounded in his ears, after a quick adjustment to his physical state, Kumagai decisively raised his hand to toss the ball.