Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 443: True Colours Revealed (Double-Length)

"Oh? Looks like our ace is starting to get fired up," Kubo Wataru said as he crouched beside Coach Nick. "Coach, let me have a turn on the court in a bit too."

"Go on, then," Nick Foster replied cheerfully. "If Taichi can reproduce the form he showed in the physical tests during actual play, Nitta won't be able to stop him."

"No rush, no rush. Let's watch a little longer," Kubo said.

On the court, Nitta Asahiro launched a powerful jump serve—his second ball of the game.

Having already seen Kaedehara Taichi's receiving and setting, the next thing to watch was naturally his spiking.

The ball flew toward Tom Wilde.

Smack!

Tom barely managed to receive it. Iizuna Tsukasa stepped into position and set the ball cleanly with both hands—a textbook stable motion.

Thump!

Kaedehara Taichi sprinted forward and leapt at the net.

Facing him once again was Nitta Asahiro, solo blocking.

As expected. That's why Tom couldn't avoid his block earlier…Taichi locked eyes with Nitta across the net. Though it was a one-man block, he could sense the man's defensive range—a semicircle with his arms as the radius.

His block probably can't cover the sharp cross, but for this match, I can only aim for the back row.

BOOM!!

Without hesitation, Kaedehara swung his arm. In truth, his earlier thoughts didn't affect his execution at all.

A tool-over spike!

The ball soared over Nitta's outstretched arms and landed precisely in the deep corner of the court.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a spike.

[Youth Team 1 - 1 Veteran Team]

"Whoa! That's some height!" Nitta Asahiro exclaimed. His blocking height was no joke—at 196cm tall, not many could spike over his block.

"That was amazing!" Kitajima Kippei's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"If Taichi's contact point is that high, then we can't leave the area behind Asahiro unguarded," Yoshii Hiyu said. "Let's each take a side…though it still feels like a stretch…"

"We'll manage."

With a change in service possession, Kaedehara Taichi walked to the service line.

"Here he comes!"

During the morning's testing, Taichi's fastest serve clocked in at 118 km/h, surpassing Nitta's 115 km/h to become the fastest server on the team.

But serving is all about rhythm and condition. Nitta himself had once recorded a 121 km/h serve in the World Championships.

As a two-time winner of the national tournament's Best Server award, Nitta and the others wouldn't let their guard down, even against a high schooler.

Taichi tossed the ball, took his approach, jumped, and struck.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

The serve slammed against Yoshii Hiyu's arms and bounced high into the air.

"This is kind of crazy…Looks like Yoshii's getting completely overwhelmed by the serve," Kubo Wataru frowned slightly. As a defence-oriented opposite, Yoshii covered libero and setter duties alike.

He'd sacrificed offensive training time to focus on receiving and setting. His defensive skills were nearly on par with an actual libero. So, if even he was struggling to handle Taichi's serve, it meant the kid's serving would be a formidable weapon even at the pro level.

Kitajima Kippei quickly stepped in and passed the ball high toward the right. Nitta leapt to spike.

"Mine!" Tom Wilde shouted, jumping up to block.

BOOM!!!—

"—!?"

"When did he…?" Nitta's eyes widened as a pair of hands suddenly appeared in the empty space he'd been aiming for—a pair that shouldn't have been there.

—Smack!

The ball hit Taichi's arms and dropped behind Nitta.

Smack!

Yoshii dove forward and barely kept it in play.

"Asahiro!"

Almost simultaneously, Kitajima launched into an attack from the left. After landing, Nitta passed the ball one-handed into the air on the left side.

What would've been a sure point in a high school match quickly turned into a professional-level counterattack.

BOOM!!!—

Kitajima spiked the ball with force.

—Smack!

"No way—?!"

Once again, the ball slammed into Taichi's arms and dropped.

Thud!

The ball hit the ground. Block point for Kaedehara Taichi.

[Youth Team 2 - 1 Veteran Team]

Kubo Wataru, still crouched a few steps away, sprang to his feet with a loud shuffle. He had watched the entire play unfold—and his heart pounded wildly in his chest, his breath quickening in excitement.

The moment Yoshii saved the ball, Taichi had already started moving—not just reacting to Asahiro's spike, but charging left without hesitation.

"Since Yoshii's dig wasn't high enough, even if Asahiro tried to finish the play, it'd be tough. Plus, Tom was still on the right, more than enough to solo the block," Nick Foster tugged at his snowy beard as he analysed. "The best choice was to send the ball left to Kippei. Even if Asahiro's one-handed set was a little off, Kippei should've had an easy point with an open net…"

Kubo listened silently to Nick's commentary.

It wasn't hard to reach that conclusion when analysing from the sidelines—they had the bird's-eye view and clear heads. But Taichi had only a split second to react—and that, right after successfully blocking Asahiro.

Sure, the latter block had relied on his speed and technique, but what scared Kubo more was Taichi's instant grasp of the situation—his ability to see through the play in that fleeting moment.

"Kubo, get in there now," Coach Nick said. "Defend seriously. Don't let this match get boring."

"Of course." Kubo had been doing light stretches on the sideline the whole time.

"Beep!—"

Nick Foster blew the whistle and paused the match.

"The Veteran Team will add Kubo. All other rules stay the same. Game on."

Only three minutes into the match, the 3v3 scrimmage became a 3v4.

"So that's how it is?" Kitajima straightened up. "Guess Coach decided a 3-on-3 wouldn't be much of a contest…"

"Well, duh. You geezers can't keep up with the youngsters in offence," Kubo shot back bluntly as he stepped onto the court.

"Tch—" Kitajima drew in a sharp breath. After getting shut down so cleanly, he didn't really have a comeback.

No one complained about fairness—those last few plays had said it all. The reason Nitta Asahiro had been placed on the Veteran Team in the first place was to avoid too wide a gap in strength. But now it was clear: Taichi's real-game performance was every bit on par with Nitta.

The match resumed.

Kaedehara Taichi served his second ball.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Kubo gritted his teeth as he received the serve. "Is this guy seriously serving over 110 km/h every time?!"

The ball flew toward the net. Yoshii jumped and redirected it with one hand toward the right. Nitta leapt up to spike.

"Double block!" Kaedehara Taichi and Tom Wilde jumped at the same time.

More composed after the previous plays, Nitta remained calm in the face of the double block.

BOOM!!!—

The ball streaked past the right side of Tom Wilde's arms.

A sharp line shot—right on the boundary.

Nitta Asahiro scored.

[Youth Team 2 - 2 Veteran Team]

Nitta Asahiro landed with lingering fear in his chest. Though he had scored, it was clearly a desperate move.

Kaedehara Taichi and Tom Wilde's double block had completely sealed him off in terms of height, and even aiming diagonally, Nitta felt a vague sense of helplessness—like the spike just wouldn't go through.

"Don't tell me…I'm actually getting old." Nitta scratched the stubble that had only recently grown in. "Are high schoolers nowadays really this terrifying?"

The serve changed hands. Kitajima Kippei launched a powerful jump serve.

Smack!

Kaedehara Taichi received it with ease. Iizuna Tsukasa supplemented the reception with a set.

"Left wing!"

Iizuna only gave the left side a casual glance—but just like Taichi had mentioned, even after receiving the serve, his rhythm for launching the offence remained unbroken.

"Kippei, push forward!"

Nitta positioned himself on the right of Tom Wilde. Since their team had an extra libero, he didn't hesitate to have Kitajima Kippei push up and mark Kaedehara Taichi.

Whoosh—!

The ball flew to the left wing.

"Nice set..."

Taichi couldn't help being a little surprised. Up until the moment Iizuna made contact with the ball, he had assumed the pass would go to Tom Wilde again.

"He only glanced this way when I called for it...and yet the set was so precise."

BOOM!!!

Taichi slammed the ball down hard—it soared cleanly over Kitajima Kippei's head.

Smack!

It was received? Although it was Kubo Wataru who made the dig, what caught Taichi's eye was Nitta Asahiro on the right side. He shouldn't have been in that position.

"That's...a pro-level defence. It's definitely something different…"

Same thing happened in the last rally—Taichi had landed a successful block, but the ball, which should've been a sure point, had been saved again. He began to slow his movements slightly, widening his field of view to observe every player on court.

Yoshii Hiyu set the ball. Kitajima Kippei lured Taichi's defence to the far left.

The ball flew to the right wing. Nitta Asahiro jumped and swung—

BOOM!!!

The ball avoided Tom Wilde's block and slammed into the youth team's floor.

Point for Nitta Asahiro.

[Youth Team 2 - 3 Veteran Team]

As expected, even in a 3-on-3 match, the presence of just one additional player could drastically destabilise both offence and defence.

Taichi furrowed his brows. He had a strong feeling this wasn't going to be that simple.

-----

BOOM!!

Taichi avoided the block and blasted the ball downward.

Smack!

Once again, it was Kubo Wataru who made the dig.

"I'm not particularly talented or anything. I only made it to V1 in recent years…" Kubo smiled at Taichi, "But when it comes to basic receiving skills, I'm not about to lose to anyone."

"If you're not going all out, don't even think about scoring off me."

Yoshii Hiyu set again. Their strategy remained unchanged—this time, Nitta Asahiro acted as a decoy to draw Taichi, while Kitajima Kippei attacked from the other side.

BOOM!!

The ball evaded Tom Wilde's block and drove deep into the youth team's backcourt.

Smack!

Coach Nick, who had almost dozed off on the sidelines, suddenly lifted his head, eyes flashing.

"Looks like he noticed without needing a reminder."

Taichi had saved the ball!

"Great dig!" Iizuna called out, a broad grin on his face as he moved in to support.

Thud!

Tom Wilde leapt and spiked.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

The ball hit Kitajima Kippei's hands at the net and flew far out of bounds.

Point—Tom Wilde.

[Youth Team 14 - 18 Veteran Team]

"YEAHHH!" Tom flexed his muscles in celebration, clearly proud of himself.

"Tweet!—"

Coach Nick blew his whistle—timeout.

"When your first spike was dug up, you probably thought it was because the other team had four players, right?" Coach Nick Foster said cheerfully.

"Yes and no," Taichi nodded. "At the time, I did think it was because they had one extra player. But what caught my attention was Nitta-senpai. He should've been at the net marking Tom, but instead, he showed up in the back right."

"Huh? So you noticed from the first ball?" Nitta Asahiro scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I was hoping to impress you first and only explain after we won."

"Taichi's not like you one-dimensional middle blockers," Kubo Wataru said, feigning a sigh.

"Old man, if we're talking one-dimensional, no one beats you!" Nitta grumbled.

"I'm a libero. I don't need to serve or spike. You're a middle blocker—don't tell me you don't need to receive?" Kubo gave Nitta a sharp side glance.

"Ugh...damn it."

Coach Nick rapped on the tactics board to refocus everyone's attention.

"Yes, being able to dig your spike was due in part to having that extra player—but that's not the core reason."

"You're able to initiate threatening attacks even after receiving the first ball. That alone means blockers can't afford to ignore you."

"And your contact point is above the block. If they can't restrict your hitting angles, then with only two players in the backcourt, it's impossible to cover all the ground."

"The front row has to commit two blockers. But that leaves only two defenders behind, which isn't enough. That's where the missing 'one person' comes into play—through rotational movement."

Taichi nodded slowly. It was exactly because the opponent's movements were so fluid that it took time for him to read them properly.

"You probably didn't see this kind of synchronous movement often in high school. Not because the coaches couldn't teach it, but because the players couldn't execute it."

"In pro games, no one just stands around cluelessly!" Nick suddenly raised his voice. "The reason you stood out among those high schoolers is because you instinctively link each of your actions into a continuous sequence."

"But in the pros, you need to make this conscious."

"When Asahiro spikes, the others immediately move to cover. That's why even when you blocked him, the ball still got saved."

"Originally, you and Tom attacking together would force two blockers to commit. But once they identify the true attacker, the one not blocking quickly drops to defend, while the remaining defenders shift left or right to cover gaps."

"When you spike, there are two defenders. But when they move in sync, it becomes three. The reason you can't find gaps in their defence is because they're all adjusting simultaneously."

"I understand," Taichi replied seriously. It was precisely that realisation that allowed him to dig Kitajima's last spike.

Every time the opponent scored with apparent ease, it wasn't because Iizuna left too many holes in the defence—it was because he hadn't recovered quickly enough to defend once the attacker had been identified.

Until now, most of Taichi's attention had been focused on offence.

"The fact that you figured that out on your own is impressive," Kubo said, originally intending to pat Taichi's shoulder—realising the height difference, he gave a light pat to his back instead.

"Thanks, Kubo-senpai."

"No problem. Coach, let's get back to it!" Kubo turned to Coach Nick.

"Of course! Opportunities to beat a so-called 'genius' don't come often!" Kitajima Kippei said with eager eyes.

"Hm?" Taichi tilted his head and looked at the scoreboard. "From the looks of it, I'm the one winning."

Kubo: "???"

Kitajima: "???"

"You didn't misread the score, did you?" Nitta said. "We're leading by four points right now."

"And it's still 3 - 4," Yoshii Hiyu added calmly.

"It's just four points, not four match points," Taichi said casually. "Besides, isn't it because you're weaker than us that you were given the fourth player in the first place?"

Iizuna's eyes followed Taichi's back as he spoke those provocative words, the corners of his lips curling upward.

It finally felt like the real Kaedehara Taichi had returned. That overly well-behaved version from before just wasn't quite right.

Then Taichi suddenly seemed to recall something and added with a grin, "Oh, right. Just so you know, I've been holding back on my spikes until now—just trying to get a good read on your defence."

Kubo: "Hah?!"

Yoshii: "You brat, you really have the nerve!"

Nitta: "Getting more cocky by the second—damn arrogant high schooler!"

Kitajima: "If you lose, the welcome party tab this weekend's all on you!"

Taichi nodded earnestly. Now it felt like a real match. Even if it had just been a test for him before, the atmosphere between both sides had been far too...friendly.

"Let's get back to it. I'm ready to claim the first win of my pro career—"

_________

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