Chapter 7: A Dandy Service Run.

Hayato raised the ball into the air again, smiling as he watched the receivers shift and mutter. It was funny how a single-serve could bring up the momentum by so much, despite the fact that Kitagawa was still leading…. For now.

*Fweeee!!!*

He felt his bones vibrate and his vision change as he tossed the ball again. The world seemed to blur about, with only the ball becoming ever clearer. At that moment, that menial blue-yellow sphere made from synthetic leather encompassed him.

*WTOOM!!!*

It was a sharp rainbow of sorts, jetting just a centimeter above the net as it spun towards the backline. Unlike the previous time, someone managed to react. Their Captain, Kaito Hashikami jerked his foot, expression stunned as he watched the ball pound into the floor.

Back-to-back Service Ace.

"You know…. Sometimes, I really feel like I'm good at this game. This is one of them." His ego-shattering through the roof, Hayato cackled as Hinata and Koji paraded around him.

"Don't worry… He gets overly competitive like this in official games. He'll calm down afterward." Izumi reassured the 1st-Years as they watched their "cool-headed" Senpai gloat.

Hayato stepped back to the service line. It was now [10-9] in their favor. He'd seen countless teams bring it back after a good service run. And this was his time. The first two had been unintentionally overpowering, as he wanted to make a statement of some sort. The next few… Should be less powerful, but more… delicately controlled.

"Hayato-san! You got this!" Koji, feeling the intensity of it all, smiled at the taller boy. If their friend kept it up, perhaps… They would be able to gain a definitive lead.

Smirking, Hayato tossed the ball a few inches lower than before, taking off more slowly. As his feet slapped against the floor and his quadriceps propelled him up, Kitagawa Daiichi frantically watched in anticipation, trying to read the serve.

*Wom!*

A solid excellent serve, curving down viciously over the net as it planted on the left sideline.

"Urk!" Two players slammed into each other as they dived against the floor. Hands outstretched, they stared out as the ball rolled by their faces mockingly. It was too fast, too precise for them to receive in time.

[11-9]

*Tweeee!!!!*

The referee crossed his hands in a "T", as Kitagawa Daiichi called for their first timeout of the game.

"Let's go!!!"

"Awesome!"

"I never knew you were so good!"

Seeing this, Yukigaoka broke out into deafening cheers as they danced and paraded about, praising each other to the moon.

The Kitagawa Daiichi side however…. Was less festive. Their players in a muted silence, full of solemnity and anger. The possibility of genuinely losing to this random team in their very first round was just morale-dropping.

Sitting there on the bench, Kitagawa Daiichi's coach looked at all of the players. Then, he spoke, propping up his glasses. "Kaito…. You seem to have something to say?"

The team captain quickly looked up, his eyes filled with bitterness as he clenched his fists, bowing down. "Coach! I'm sorry we have failed to meet your expectations!"

"Hu….." The coach looked up at the silent team for a moment. "At the moment… None of you are doing anything wrong. As much as some of you may try to disagree with me, you simply aren't. All of you have been keeping up quite some consistency. "

"As much as it saddens me to say this, number seven's serves are just too powerful for any of you to receive. I'd say that even high school teams would have a hard time digging that."

Thinking in his mind, the Coach sighed. What kind of monstrous training and determination did this child have to display such prowess? Every single one of his moves oozed confidence and experience. His form was perfect and he could read every toss and hit with ease. It was like watching a pro player at times.

"I have nothing much to say, just try your best, and attempt to side out. This team…. Is quite unorthodox, and number seven and perhaps number one are the only players that can threaten us. Concentrate and stay awake. Do not falter. We are Kitagawa Daiichi. "

The coach looked up at all of them earnestly, as the whistle blew again, and they returned to the court.

"Remember! Stay calm and alert. Not like me. Focus. Get them on the edge, and a few may start making mistakes. Expect the ball to come back over and be ready. Let's have some fun!" Hayato clapped them all on the shoulder as he went back to serve.

*Fweee!!!!*

Raising his arm, the referee nodded, as the game began once more.

*Wapoom!*

His arms pulling back, he sprung up with a bounce, his sweaty outstretched hand slamming into the ball. It warped for a split second, before lashing out, reaping through the backline.

Hayato stretched his hands, smiling as he basked in all the praise. His ego skyrocketing through the roof, he stepped back again. Feet screeching against the floor, he jutted his foot forwards.The ball swirled in his hand as he spun it on the tip of his finger.

*Boom!*

Another ace. It screeched down the backline with a consistency unlike any other.

*Taroom!*

And then another. This time, someone managed to get a touch on it. With their shoulder. It smashed into Kageyama, flying far out of the court.

Hayato was on cloud nine. At the moment, he felt invincible… Which was… Positive? In Volleyball, arrogance was something that could sometimes mess someone up, while at other times, it was a tool of absolute destruction that allowed someone to pop off. A very volatile thing.

His wrist flicking out, he flung the ball up towards the ceiling, before he rose into the air like a bird. It was a high-flying jump as Hayato's adrenaline surged. Hand wide open, it seemed to clamp around the ball as he made an impact.

*KAFOOM!*

No touch, service ace. Kitagawa Daiichi was completely halted in their tracks as they watched the ball ricochet across the middle of the court.

[15-9]

With a single server, Yukigaoka had assumed a six-point lead over the middle-school powerhouse, Kitagawa Daiichi.

Hayato pumped his fists into the air, screaming his heart out as he high-fived Hinata.

*Clap!*

A crisp slap of hands made him feel all the better.

"Go for another!"

"Do that again!"

Hayato sighed. He was truly on a roll. When used correctly, serving was a powerful tool of destruction, both to morale and to the score.

Skipping on to serve, he bounced the ball on the floor, before tossing it. Sprinting forth, he exploded up into the air…. And then his hand made contact. With the bottom of the ball. Whoops. Expression shocked, he flicked his wrist down as the ball smashed into the opposing bleachers, metal rattling. A passing off-player screeched, rolling over.

*WANG!!!*

A rocket, it seemed.

His body kneeling over on the floor overdramatically, Hayato sighed. He'd put a little too much power to that ball. Maybe he truly should have jump-floated.