Haikyuu: Zero to Almighty

A week flew by in no time, and the much-anticipated Inter-High (IH) preliminaries had finally arrived.

At the Sendai City Gymnasium, the venue for the Miyagi Prefecture Boys' High School Volleyball Tournament, the matches for Groups A and B, as well as the finals, were set to take place.

A cluster of spectators gathered around the match schedule posted at the venue entrance, their lively discussions filling the air.

"This year, Shiratorizawa is going to win again, right? Ushijima still looks as ridiculously strong as ever."

"Not necessarily. I heard Aoba Johsai's Iwaizumi and Hanamaki are supposed to be quite impressive this year."

"And apparently, Oikawa Tōru has grown even taller now that he's in his third year!"

"Yeah, yeah! I also heard that Aoba Johsai's first-years this year include a few exceptional players."

"Ahem." A middle-aged man cleared his throat twice to grab their attention. "My neighbour's kid is on Shiratorizawa's volleyball team. He told me that about a month ago, Aoba Johsai had a practice match against Shiratorizawa."

The onlookers immediately turned their attention to him, leaning in eagerly.

"And? How did it go?"

"Shiratorizawa won..."

"Pfft, I knew it."

"Well, of course! They've won all the important matches so far," someone else said, sounding rather disappointed.

"Hold on, I'm not done yet." The middle-aged man gestured dramatically, as if he'd been present at the scene himself. "Although Aoba Johsai lost, they went toe-to-toe with Shiratorizawa for three full sets. In fact, they even took the first set in decisive fashion!"

"This...!"

"Looks like this year's finals will be worth watching."

"Tch. It's always Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa that everyone talks about," a voice muttered.

A group of players, all clad in matching black tracksuits, strode into the gymnasium in unison, their presence like a looming thundercloud. This was the Karasuno Volleyball Team.

"Well, we are the 'wingless crows.' It's only natural that no one mentions us. They didn't even bring up Date Tech," Sugawara Koushi remarked, attempting to console his teammates.

But today, Karasuno exuded an entirely different energy. Their steady, determined steps carried an undeniable presence, drawing the eyes of everyone around them.

"Who's that team? They look so intense."

"That's Karasuno, right? They were supposed to be strong once, a long time ago."

"Look at that guy who looks like an old man—that's Asahi Azumane from Karasuno! I heard he is the boss of a local gang."

Feeling the weight of the stares from behind him, Asahi hunched his shoulders, trying to shrink his large frame.

Noticing his reaction, Sugawara gave a wry smile. "Oh, come on! It's not like this is the first time."

Daichi Sawamura turned back and chuckled. "It's just your appearance. You can't really help it."

"I-I only wanted my looks to feel a bit more...rugged...that's all!" Asahi replied helplessly, his tone tinged with frustration.

"Pfft, hahaha!" Bursting into laughter, Nishinoya Yū darted over to Asahi and clapped him on the shoulder. "I think it's cool! As long as you think you look awesome, who cares what anyone else thinks?"

Daichi and Sugawara exchanged amused glances, nodding in agreement as they each patted Nishinoya on the shoulder. "Now that's the kind of attitude we call 'wild,'" they said in unison.

"Hey! Isn't that Nishinoya Yū from Chidoriyama? He won Best Libero in middle school!"

"And not just him. Look at that guy over there—he's Kageyama Tobio from Kitagawa Daiichi, the genius setter!"

"The guy they call 'King of the Court'? If Karasuno has him, they must be terrifying this year."

"Yeah....It's almost a shame to think they'll lose to us," came a voice from somewhere behind the onlookers.

"Who's that, acting so cocky?" One of the bystanders turned to look, only to see an unfamiliar face. However, the person standing next to him was someone he recognized.

"Isn't that Iwaizumi Hajime from Aoba Johsai?" The guy doing the talking was also wearing Aoba Johsai's team uniform—a first-year?

The two individuals were indeed Iwaizumi Hajime and Kaedehara Taiichi.

After Aoba Johsai entered the gym, they realized Oikawa Tōru had been caught up by a group of girls from other schools and hadn't come in yet. Kaedehara Taiichi had volunteered to fetch him, but Coach Irihata decided to send Iwaizumi, the one person who could control Oikawa, to accompany him.

As they reached the gym entrance, they noticed a noisy group of players entering—none other than Karasuno.

"What a coincidence," Kaedehara Taiichi thought to himself, amused. He had originally planned to "accidentally" run into Hinata Shōyō in the bathroom.

"Hey, Shōyō!" Kaedehara Taiichi greeted with a friendly smile, as if he hadn't just been the one throwing provocative remarks a moment ago.

"Taiichi!" Hinata Shoyo practically leapt into the air with excitement. Running into a familiar rival in an unfamiliar setting was a pleasant surprise.

"It's not guaranteed that they'll make it to the third round in first place..."

From the opposite end of the hallway, another group of players clad in grey uniforms was approaching. Their tracksuits bore the name 'Date Tech', boldly declaring their identity.

Leading the pack was a player with short white hair and a presence that was both flamboyant and commanding. He came to a halt just a short distance from Karasuno, raised his right arm, and pointed a single finger directly at Asahi Azumane.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy, like the calm before a storm. A palpable tension filled the air, an unspoken battle of wills.

"Hey, you! What's your deal?" Nishinoya Yū frowned and stepped forward, ready to shield Asahi.

"Stop it, stop it already!" Date Tech's captain, third-year Moniwa Kaname, hurried to pull Aone Takanobu back, trying to push his arm down.

"Futakuchi! Get over here and help!"

"Coming—" Futakuchi Kenji replied lazily as he strolled over.

Together with Moniwa, he began to push Aone back. Turning to Asahi, he grinned apologetically. "Sorry about this. This guy has this annoying habit of 'locking on' to the other team's ace as soon as he identifies them. So, uh....be prepared for it, I guess~."

[Aone Takanobu, middle blocker. Overall rating: 86. Height: 191.8 cm, Power: 92, Jump: 80, Stamina: 84, Speed: 88. Technique: Block: 85, Spike: 83.]

[Futakuchi Kenji, wing spike. Overall rating: 86. Height: 184.2cm, Power: 86, Jump: 88, Stamina: 82, Speed: 89. Technique: Block: 82, Spike: 84.]

These two second-years were formidable indeed—no wonder they were so confident about trash-talking.

Still, now that they'd crossed paths, Kaedehara Taiichi figured it wouldn't hurt to leave a strong impression. He called out to the Date Tech players as they turned to leave.

"Earlier, was it Futakuchi-senpai who said Karasuno wouldn't make it to the third round?"

"Huh?"

Futakuchi Kenji glanced back at the black-haired Aoba Johsai first-year.

Truth be told, he'd overheard Karasuno and Aoba Johsai chatting like Date Tech wasn't even a threat, so he'd decided to give Karasuno a little warning. As for Aoba Johsai, he figured he could deal with them when they met in the Group A finals.

"Kid, even Iwaizumi-senpai hasn't said anything yet. What are you trying to say?" Futakuchi's words carried a casual, taunting undertone, clearly aimed at stirring the pot.

Iwaizumi Hajime and Kaedehara Taiichi stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at both Karasuno and Date Tech. Iwaizumi spoke up, "Let me introduce you to Aoba Johsai's first-year ace—Kaedehara Taiichi."

Huh? Iwaizumi-senpai's backing me up! Taiichi unconsciously straightened his posture, puffing out his chest.

"Ace?" Hearing the keyword, Aone Takanobu couldn't resist. Once again, he silently pointed his finger, this time at Kaedehara Taiichi.

Pfft. Is this a passive skill of his? Kaedehara Taiichi nearly laughed out loud. With a smirk, he walked to the centre, standing between the two teams. He raised both hands slightly, one toward each side.

"Alright then. Let's meet in the Group A finals. I'll give you both the honour of losing to Aoba Johsai."

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