The Lost Heroes

The Game

We all lined up on opposite sides of the court facing each other. A whistle sounded, and the game began. We were serving first, and Tanaka made the volleyball sail over the net. A Nekoma player received it, passing the ball to Kenma, who then set it. The wing spiker slammed the ball down, the noise of the ball hitting the floor echoing throughout the room. I looked back as the ball bounced back up, hitting the ceiling and dropping back down before rolling away. A whistle sounded, and Nekoma cheered, Kenma and the wing spiker receiving high-fives.

"Don't mind, we'll get the next point!" Daichi told us, and we nodded. I faced the net again, sizing up the players. The players all seem confident, especially the rooster one, which I'm guessing is the captain, judging from how everyone seemed to revolve around him, always looking to him for the strategy. The whistle blew, and Nekoma was serving. The volleyball connected with Daichi, who made the ball go up into the air. Kageyama went to set it, and I put on a burst of speed, going to his left as he set the ball towards me. I leaped, the ball connecting with my hand within one moment and hitting the ground on the opposite side the next. The gym went silent for a breath, then my team was cheering, going to give me high-fives and slaps on the back. I searched for Todoroki, and he was standing by the coach, giving me a smile. Practically a beam, coming from him. 

"Nice job, Midoriya." Kageyama muttered, giving me a nod.

"Thanks, Kageyama!" I smiled at him.

"Alright guys, now is not the time to get cocky. Stay focused!" Daichi exclaimed. I nodded, turning back and focusing on the game. I mentally started to catalog everyone. Tanaka was a powerful spiker, able to break through most blocks easily, but he tended to get riled up to quick, and his emotions overruled logic in those moments. Daichi was an all-around balanced player, equally good at receiving as he is at spiking. He kept a cool head, and he seemed to be the teams pillar of support, often encouraging the players. Nishinoya's position was purely defense, his reflexes sharp and quick, able to save almost every ball that wasn't picked up by Daichi or Asahi. However, like Tanaka, he tended to run a little wild. Asahi, the gentle giant that he was, was extremely powerful, slamming the ball through blockades as if they weren't there. He lacked confidence in himself though, but that could be worked on. Tsukkishima was an amazing middle blocker, able to read the setter and preventing most spikes from getting through. But it seemed like he was bored, and it looked like he wasn't giving his all.

Then there was Kageyama. He reminded me of Todoroki so much, with his quiet, yet intense, presence, his blue eyes reminding me of a blue fire, deep and burning. He expected nothing less than perfection, and he expected everyone to work as hard as him to improve. It was useful to a fault, because though he had faith that everyone could keep up with him, it wasn't always going to be like that. 

The ball went into the air again, barely skimming the net. It landed on the ground before Nekoma could get it. We cheered, watching as coach Ukai added another point to our score. I looked towards the sidelines, finding Todoroki. I smiled, holding a thumbs-up. He returned it, mouthing "Good job." I nodded and turned my attention back to the game.

It was my turn to serve, and I panicked a little, looking at the ball in my hands like it had personally offended me. Come on, I literally fight villains and save people for a living, serving a ball should be easy. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, snapping them open when I heard the whistle blow. With one last spin on the ball, I tossed towards the ceiling, running and shooting my hand up. My hand connected, the ball fitting into my palm before I used my considerable strength, without my powers, to slam over the net. The ball made a loud thud as it connected with the floor. I pumped my fist, cheering with excitement. The team cheered.

The game continued like that, each of us gaining the lead before the other team manages to catch up. Before we knew it, we were halfway into our third set, scores well into the thirties. Everyone was dripping with sweat and panting. My muscles groaned in protest every time I dived and jumped to receive or spike, and the physical strain was starting to wear on everyone else too. I starting to miss more sets, causing or team to lose points. The only positive was that Nekoma was just as exhausted, and making mistakes too.