𝐒𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐇𝐔𝐇? | 𝐇.𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐌

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗: 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋

Japanese

English
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HINATA'S POV

PARIS, SCRIMMAGE GAMES

Waking up at 6:30 A.M. I groaned as I sat up; before everything else, I did my morning routine. I took my black tracksuit, jogged around the track and did my early lifting session for half an hour, took a bath, and checked my work email before going to the gymnasium.

"Good Morning!" I greeted those who are already in the gym. "Good Morning Shoyo! Want to be my partner for stretches?" Gabriel asked me with his usual small smile. It's been three weeks since we met, and everyone here treats each other as a family, no one makes the others feel less of a player due to their differences, and it made me so happy!

Some players have long limbs, the others are left-handed like Ushijima-San, others have very unique techniques like Sakusa-San and Suna-San, and there's me small and quick. There's a variety of players in this gym, and we found comfort in each other's uniqueness.

"Sure! That would be awesome!" I grinned and started a small conversation with them as we wait for the coach. Minutes passed, and the coaches came and introduced 12 players from the National team of France, and I felt like a toddler compared to them. HECK, THEY ARE TOO TALL!!

"Shoyo! You look like a kid beside them!" Samuel, a Middle Blocker, snickered and placed an arm around my shoulders. "Hmmph! You bully! I'll tell the coach that you are bullying me; you wait!" I pouted, which earned a series of stifled laughter.

"Ahhh, come, come, let's start our stretches! We get to play with them, isn't that awesome?!" Jinbae said he is a Left - Wing Spiker from Korea. As soon as we finished stretching, we had mixed scrimmage games with the French National Team, and it was one hell of a game.

Three whole days of mixed team games were done in a flash(Trainees and National Team combined). The only reminder of the gruesome training was the aches and pains felt throughout my body, the stinging itch in my scabbed arm when I tried blocking Louise's quick attack. I never knew that someone could spike harder than Ushijima-san! Sighing, I crawled out of my bed as I start a new day by doing my morning jog, lifts, and routine.

I soon reached the gymnasium, and luckily the coach was trailing behind me, meaning I'm not yet late. 'God knows how hard punishments here are,' I muttered under my breath as we formed a semi-circle facing the coaches.

"So Today, we would like to see the fruit of your mixed games! Trainees versus the National Team. We will have two games in the morning, then switch the teams and play again in the afternoons. Am I clear?" Coach Romero smiled as he gave us a questioning look. We all shook our heads, and shallow whispers of 'No' could be heard.

"Well, if there's none, here are the team members for this morning's session! Stefan, Jinbae, Shoyo, Ralph, Dmitri, Leo, and Charles versus National Teams Group 1 and Gabriel, Samuel, Adam, Lucas, Arthur, Alzac, and Louie versus National Teams Group 2," Coach Reiner announced and handed out our practice jerseys.

Games were going smoothly; my block and spike accuracy spiked as the game progressed.

"One Touch!"

"Cover!"

"Connect!"

"Nice Receive!"

The game ended with a 2-3 won by the national team, with the last set ending with a 35-33. "Never in my life had I blocked that many times in a single game!" I squealed as I drank water from my tumbler. "I know, right?! I never set that many in my whole life as well. National players sure are monsters!" Ralph, our setter, gawked before choking in his own spit, earning minutes' worth of tired laughter from us.