The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

For a moment, there was a short pause there as everyone was still in awe. Even though they needed more time to proceed with everything that the old man said, they couldn't deny his words, especially since what happened in the court really showed the result of this adjustment. However, they still couldn't comprehend how such a small move could change the entire game instantly like this.

"No, it shouldn't be that easy." Suddenly, Yuki, who had been quiet for a while, spoke for the first time in a while. All of the Tsunemori players turned their heads instantly, waiting for the boy to continue. They all still acknowledged that the boy was probably the smartest player on the team, and he could also think about something unexpected that, normally, they themselves couldn't see. "Several rookie mistakes that shouldn't happen from Shimo High players proved that this adjustment is something that their coach did spontaneously, right? The players still couldn't adapt completely to the new system. But, how could they thrive even in such a situation?" This was probably the biggest question inside his head right now.

"Well, what do you think, Boy?" The old man threw the question back with a knowing smirk.

Yuki took his time to think about it carefully, and somehow, all of his teammates were also waiting for his answer eagerly. If anyone watched this scene, they would be confused, wondering why they stared at the boy intently when, down on the court, a heated battle between two teams to grab one of the tickets to the semifinal was running. In the end, Yuki just sighed, shaking his head slightly, showing that he didn't know the answer.

Most of his teammates were surprised by this. After all, Yuki was a lot of things, but giving up was never something that could describe him. Only Riku, who probably knew why Yuki gave up here. After all, it was still one hour after they played such a heated game against Kikugawa High, and Yuki, who worked the hardest in the last play, always had a hard time thinking about complicated things when he was exhausted. Riku knew about this because he had witnessed how Yuki begged Kato to copy her homework whenever he had just done a highly consuming stamina activity. This was probably the only time when Yuki showed weakness to Kato, and Riku couldn't help but find this amusing.

"So, you don't know, eh?" The old man chuckled. "Well, it is indeed something that you young men always have a hard time seeing, but to put it easily, the reason why they could thrive even though they hadn't adapted to their new strategy at the fullest is the momentum."

"Eh?!" They were taken aback, not expecting that the answer would be so simple. After all, not just them, but even the lowest-level team in this tournament knew the concept of momentum in this game. So, how could it be so complicated?

"Oh, you young men always think so simply!" The old man sighed helplessly. "Think about it carefully. After suffering from a humiliating defeat in the first set, when the team was still in its lowest state, the coach suddenly made a strange adjustment. What do you think will happen there?"

"Hmmm…." All of the Tsunemori players pondered for a moment. "They should fall into doubt and uncertainty, right?" Yuki answered hesitantly.

"Exactly!" The old man suddenly clapped his hands excitedly, making the people around them jump out of their seats in surprise. "They would be at the bottom low, didn't know what they should do or whether they should trust their coach or not! That is exactly what they faced earlier in this set. However, once someone is on the bottom low, they can do nothing but bounce back! They couldn't go lower anymore, and the only thing they needed to move back to their track was just one successful play to give them hope, to tell them that the adjustment could work, and that was exactly what happened before! The middle blocker's successful play before really ignited the spirit of the team, and Shirayuki High underestimated them too much, not stopping their momentum before it was too late. As a result, you can see by yourself right now, how Shimo High dominates this set completely."

This explanation left all the Tsunemori players in awe. Somehow, they also started comparing this old man to their head coach, and while they still regarded Akira as the highest place, since they had never heard their coach explained the game so detail like this, so they couldn't help but start doubting their sensei.

"By the way, Old Man, we still don't know anything about you. Can I have a name here?" Riku finally asked the important question here. The other Tsunemori players also leaned forward, eager to know the old man's identity.

However, the old man just smiled mysteriously before answering, "Nah, that would be no fun if I told you directly! Don't worry, you will know about me soon enough, and when that time comes, I really want to see your shocked face! Hahaha!"

-0-

Of course, the players from both teams couldn't know anything about Tsunemori players' conversation with the old man. No, they had more important thing to do, such as trying to deal with this chaotic set.

For Shimo High, this set was the perfect turning point to bounce back after the humiliating defeat before, and they didn't waste this chance here, as they played so clinically, pressuring their opponent slowly without giving them any chance to counterattack. Meanwhile, Shirayuki High also started to fall into a panic state, not knowing what to do. They didn't know how to stop the wave of offense coming from the other side of the court. Even the timely timeout that their coach took was not enough to stop Shimo High's momentum, and that was all because of Ezaki's amazing performance in this set.

Yeah, the former troublemaker really showed personal heroism today. Not only did he manage to deter both Takumi and Yuya at the same time, but he could also contribute to the team's offense. He showed everyone why he deserved to be the team's new ace. Of course, the team's current ace, Hideo, didn't want to lose to his kouhai. Together, the pair of Shimo High's heavy hitters came and tormented their opponent mercilessly.

In the end…

BAM!

"Oh, nice receive, Wakamatsu!"

"Everyone, move! This is our chance! Let's seal the deal here!"

"Let's tie the game first!"

Right after Wakamatsu, their defensive specialist, saved Shirayuki High's strong attack, three of Shimo High's hitters moved in unison, trying to use the same strategy as what their opponent did to overwhelm the blockers. This trick worked perfectly, as right before Hideo passed the ball, he could see that two of the blockers on the other side of the court were attracted to the left side, and without anyone guarding him, Ezaki managed to slip through the opponent's radar, getting ready to attack from the back. As a result…

BAM!