MONSOON, ushijima wakatoshi

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'The Land of The Free'

After his subpar World League performance in 2014, Ushijima went through a transformation phase in his life.

The disappointment stemmed deeper than his critical move that almost made them lose before the final round. Rather, it was from the loss of drive to play volleyball.

'JAPAN SUFFERS CLOSE LOSS, STAR "YOUNG CANNON" MISFIRES'

That was one of the articles that put a deep frown on his face, and it was the exact one that led to Tendō calling him in concern.

Ushijima for a fact wasn't one to be too hard on himself. He knew that he was good—brilliant, honestly—and he would always try to play to that caliber. If he did badly, he would work even harder. If he lost, he would win in the next game. Every move and mistake was analyzed with a keen eye. That was just it. Although, after that particularly hard season, he couldn't help but feel some doubts creeping in.

From a young age, Ushijima Wakatoshi strived to become the best player. He could still remember each time his father would enthrall him with tales of a fantastic ace that he used to play in high school, the traits of reliability and pure confidence burning in the back of his mind. To the surprise of Utsui Takashi, his son ended up idolizing that ace compared to himself. Nonetheless, he was happy.

"If you're going to be on a team, pick a strong one. You'll find the best and most fun guys on teams where you can grow the most. Well, that's only if you continue playing volleyball. It doesn't matter how, but if you end up liking volleyball in some way, it'll make me happy."

Here he was now, reaching all those stars and even more.

So when that feeling of slight numbness hit him in a burst he felt angry. Disappointed in himself. He knew how much his father sacrificed for him to get to this point, including his self-removal from family affairs, just for the sake of Ushijima to keep his unique skill of being left-handed. He wanted to do Takashi proud, to be the son that a father could gaze at with reverence in his eyes. That's why he started to change his routine, leaving behind the repetitiveness in favor of something new. Yes, he was nationally and internationally known at this point for being an absolute unit in the court, but he didn't want to just be that. From then on, he prioritized studying his past games more, trying to identify his many flaws and strengths to craft a personal regime that could feed into all-roundedness. He developed new signature moves and improved his skills, paying close attention to things that he never did before.

Eventually, Ushijima got to a point where he felt satisfied. No longer was that dullness present in his mind at the thought of a new game. He was able to pick himself up to new heights, playing with a kind of vigour that made him and the Adlers reigning champions of the league. That of course, was also thanks to his equally monstrous team-mates, who were rising to becoming the best of the nation.