Wings of Steel

Part 30~Karasuno vs Date Tech

The hall stared in awe as the group swapped sides. Ukai kept his eyes on Shoyo. He was doing that thing he did when he tried to not walk funny but ended up walking funny anyway.

The team gathered around Ukai as they rehydrated. Ukai walked closer to Shoyo, but Shoyo avoided his gaze. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

"You're hurt. I should put you on the bench."

Shoyo raised his head. "I'm fine, and if you put me on the bench, you'll be setting us up for failure."

Ukai frowned. "Promise me you're not hurt."

"I'm not hurt."

Ukai frowned, stepping away reluctantly. "So for the second set, I'm going to move our starting rotation two spots forward. In the first set, our rotations directly matched up Hinata and no-eyebrows nu 7, so we'll shift that over two places to start."

"I see. That means Hinata-kun won't get marked by nu 7 like he was in the first set." Takeda nodded as Ukai smiled.

"But we can't completely avoid that. All we're doing is shifting players around. And while Hinata won't get marked as much, the other players will get marked instead. We can't let Hinata shoulder all of our burden."

"When Hinata's at his best, we're at our best. I'll do my part as the ace," Asahi raised his head as his friends cheered. Tanaka and Noya screamed proudly as Daichi nodded.

"You're matured."

"What are you, my relative?"

Shoyo snorted, hitting Asahi's side. "Looks like you're getting less pathetic by the day."

"Why do you have to phrase it like that?"

Date Tech's cheering squad began screaming as the second set started.

Asahi glanced at Tsukishima as he stared across the court. "I don't envy you, Tsukishima. You'll be facing nu 7 a lot more than in the first set." Asahi glanced at Tsukishima as he scoffed.

"Nah. No one expects me to beat their nu 7 head-on. It's Hinata's job to steal the spotlight. It's my job to keep trouble from happening while Hinata's rotated into the back row. It's the usual situation, isn't it? Besides, that blocker has already locked on to you, Asumane-san."

Tanaka walked to the back, holding the ball in his hand. He threw it up, slamming it over the next and beginning the set. The ball was received easily, getting thrown to Sasya, who spiked it down harshly.

Date Tech was not even halted by the change in the matchup.

~~~

Shoyo screamed, jumping high as Aone jumped on the other side. Asahi leapt in the air, slamming the wall down. Aone rushed across, trying to reach in time but failing as Asahi scored his point.

His ability didn't last long. The next time Asahi went to spike, he was instantly blocked. It went on and on. One point for Date Tech, one for Karasuno. It almost felt like the distance would never broaden.

Shoyo walked to the front, jumping as Kamasaki spiked past his block. Tsukishima struggled, barely receiving as the ball flew in the air. Kageyama rushed forward, throwing the ball behind him and straight to Shoyo as he slammed the ball down.

The Date Tech blockers couldn't respond in time. Shoyo grinned. He was a problem for date Tech, whether that was scoring or misdirecting.

The coach almost cursed as he called for a time-out. Karasuno was leading 12-10. Ukai pulled the team into a circle, talking to them carefully. They needed to figure out a way to deal with Aone when Shoyo was in the back.

~~~

16-17 to Karasuno.

Asahi walked to the net, glancing at Tsukishima. "Hey, Tsukishima. You said it's your job to keep trouble from happening while Hinata's rotated into the back. The fact that you're doing that against Date Tech is plenty impressive. It's true that our offence relies on Hinata and Kageyama, but it's also essential to augment their attacks. Just as spikers can't score without strong receivers to help, playing our parts now will let us win the match."

Futakuchi threw the ball in the air, jumping and slamming the ball down harshly. Tanaka rushed forward, unable to slow the ball down as he received.

Kageyama jumped up to cover as Asahi called for the ball. His eyes locked onto the gap in the wall, slamming his hand down when Aone moved, blocking it harshly.

Asahi couldn't keep this up. He needed to break through the wall. Charging, Asahi spiked down, the ball bouncing off the blocker's hand. Date Tech prepared, throwing the ball around as Aone jumped to spike.

Tsukishima and Asahi jumped in the air, shutting the ball down.

~~~

Shoyo smiled as he walked back to the front. Tsukishima served as Kosuke received, bouncing the ball off his arms. Moniwa sent the ball up, throwing it to Jino, who spiked it over Kageyama's block.

Asahi received it as Kageyama rushed under it, throwing the ball to Shoyo, who spiked it past the wall. Karasuno was inching closer. Kamasaki scored one point, trying to close the gap.

20-22 to Karasuno.

"We just can't seem to pull ahead," Takeda scowled as Ukai hummed.

"Persevere. Go at it carefully."

Shoyo jumped up, screaming for the ball as Kageyama through the ball over him. Asahi slammed his hand down, spiking it past the blockers. Moniwa tried to receive, but the ball flung off his arms.

Two more points. They just needed two more points.

Noya slid to receive, sending the ball straight up. Shoyo jumped high as Kamasaki jumped, trying to block the spike that wasn't coming.

Kasaki jumped to the side, stretching his arms up to stop Asahi. Noya snapped to the side, trying to stop the ball from going out, but he wasn't good enough.

Date Tech served as Noya stepped back to receive. Shoyo jumped up, slamming down as Aone reached out. The ball bounced between them before hitting the floor, giving Karsuno the point.

21-24 to Karasuno. He just needed one more point, but Shoyo was in the back. Shoyo held up his hand, hitting the ball over the net.

Date Tech found it easy to receive, throwing the ball to Futakuchi, who slammed his hand over. Noya slid to receive, throwing the ball to Kageyama, who threw the ball up. Shoyo jumped up. He cursed as he was blocked.

Swapping with Tsukishima, Shoyo had to stand on the sidelines.

Aone jumped high, slamming the ball over the next. Tanaka jumped to the side, catching the ball and falling to the floor in an attempt to say it. Kageyama threw the ball as Asahi charged forward.

He wanted to score. He needed to score. He needed to score to be the ace. Moniwa jumped, blocking the ball with a struggle.

Daichi turned, seeing the ball flying away from him. Noya charged, diving on the floor, throwing it back and rolling over.

Kageyama struggled, throwing the ball again as Asahi called for the ball. The ball flew too close to the net. Asahi jumped up, trying to push the ball over the net. Aone reached out too, struggling against him.

Aone growled, pushing harder. Asahi's hand slipped, the ball falling from his grip. There was no way someone would reach the ball in time. They were all too far. Noya jolted, sweeping his feet out and kicking the ball up.

The team reset. Asahi ran back, getting ready to spike. Kageyama ran under the ball, his eyes flickering. Kageyama thought back, his mind on what Suga said to him. He needed the toss to be perfect.

Asahi charged as the iron wall got ready. He jumped, his power radiating off as he slammed down. The ball bounced off the iron wall, bouncing on the net. Futakuchi charged, seeing the ball roll off the net. It was going to fall on his side. He dived, unable to reach.

Karsuno scored the point. They won the set and the game.