The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Oh! It is Amano-kun! I haven't seen him for a long time!"

"When was the last time he played? Three months ago?"

"Damn, it has been a long time!"
Experience tales at empire

"But is it okay to let him play in such a game? Would it be better to wait until the playoff?"

"Idiot! He needs to adapt to the game again! If we didn't give him that, he would have a slow start, and something like that could cost us the game in the playoff!"

"And I don't really want to lose this game, so yeah, I agree to put him on the court!"

The once quiet crowd suddenly became excited when they all saw a handsome boy who looked like he could become a model in the best fashion magazine in the world rose from the bench. However, a strong reaction didn't just come from the stand, but also on the court. Hell, even the Thunder's players also furrowed their brows, looking at the new boy with a new intensity.

"Who is he?" Riku who was confused decided to ask. Yuki also leaned forward, wanting to know about the new boy.

His name is Jun Amano, and he is the only one of a few survivors of the disaster from the former Fukushima Fireball team who decided to continue playing volleyball." Yuki was taken aback a little by the information, turning around to see the boy. "He is so similar to you, Kobayashi. Hell, even your playing style is not that much different than him. Aside from your service game – which I believe no one would be able to replicate – you both are stubborn defensive players, quick, agile, and like to do a quick. He is also a decent setter. Honestly, if only Fukushima Fireball had better players, he would be able to shine more last year."

Now, this caught Yuki and Riku's interest. "If such a player exists, why didn't he move to the better club?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. So many teams, hell, even Kyoto Castle showed their interest in him, but he rejected all the offers coming. He said it was because he is an ambitious boy who wants to help the team improve their position." Shou snorted. "When he said that to reject several offers from the other teams, everyone thought he was stupid. I mean, 18 years old talking big about helping a rock-bottom team improve their position? It was as if he just got a fever dream before saying that. But while in the end, he couldn't achieve that with the Fireball team, he managed to do that straight after this Phoenix team was founded."

Yuki and Riku fell into silence, pondering about the new information. Just based on what they just listened to, Jun Amano sure was an amazing player. He got his reputation when he was still at a young age – at least the age where a normal player was still in the U-19 team. That should've explained a lot about his capability.

Little did they know though that Jun Amano was more than just a player for the Phoenix. He was their icon, a symbol for everyone in Fukushima looked up for. Hell, when the team couldn't afford to play in the main league anymore and had to resort to the U-19 team, he didn't even complain and just joined the team without hesitation, forcing all the people to remember that he was still within the range of age.

So, yeah, for the people of Fukushima, he wasn't just any normal player. He was the definition of loyalty, and that was why people loved him so much.

"Come on, Amano! Kill them all!"

"Amano-sama! Don't get hurt again!"

"Just play it safe!"

Amano waved his hand to the stand, smiling brightly at the support he received. All the female supporters went crazy for the smile, shouting and screaming his name. Yuki couldn't help but have a sweat drop, suddenly turning around at Riku.

"What?!" Riku said, offended by his judgmental stare.

"Nothing." Yuki shook his head. "This just reminds me a lot of you in the class."

"I am not that bad, right?" This time, Riku asked with a worried tone. Yuki just snorted a little, knowing full well to not answer the question.

"Don't get fooled by his sunny smile." Uehara suddenly reminded those two. "Behind that pretty face, he has a wicked mind. Don't lower your guard."

"Yes, Senpai."

After a while, the game finally resumed again. This time, it was Shou's turn to serve. He had a decent jump serve, yet wasn't as powerful as Uehara's. It was at the same level as Riku's, which wasn't that bad, but when it met a strong defender, it would be rendered useless.

"Oh! Nice receive, Nakamura!"

"Teruya! Throw it quick!" Mirai started his run-up even before Nakamura received the ball, trusting his teammates to be able to handle the serve easily.

Having been scolded by Shou before, Tondo didn't move hastily. He waited for a moment until he was sure that the ball would go to Mirai before he also made a move. And when the ball finally flew to the opponent's captain, he spoke without even looking at Shou, "Together with me! One, two, now!"

In a second, three players were in the air, fighting for the ball. However, as it flashed in front of Mirai, the Phoenix's captain suddenly let out a huge grin, and before Tondo and Shou knew it, they both had their eyes widened in shock when they saw Mirai just let the ball go.

'Shit! He is a distraction!'

Far on the left wing, Amano, the new player who just entered the court was already flying. He also had the same grin as Mirai as they both managed to fool almost the entire team. However, Amano knew that the two players weren't fooled by this trick.

'As expected, even though they both are rookies, their game-reading ability is far better than their teammates. But they are still too young and inexperienced. Let this be a teaching lesson for them.'

Yeah, unlike the others, Yuki and Riku weren't fooled by the trick. They both kept their eyes on the new boy, and when the ball came to him, Riku jumped immediately to close the route for a cross-spike while Yuki was ready to receive the straight spike. Little did they expect that Amano would force his way for a cross spike despite the blocker in front of him, and Riku couldn't even hide his surprise when the ball was so close to his face, yet it didn't even touch a single hair and just passed through him before it fell on the front side of the opposite wing.

BAM!