Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 497: The Taichi Era (Double-Length)

"That last play…they could've passed to Taichi-senpai on the left wing too, right? I saw he recovered pretty quickly after making the receive," Yamabuki Yūjin commented.

"It would've been a bit forced, but yeah, possible," Kunimi Akira replied after a moment of thought. "Still, DH's decision there was a direct response to EJP's last play. They're showing that they too have the ability to fight without relying solely on their ace."

"The third set is a critical danger zone for DH. There's no doubt the first two sets have left some physical toll on both Taichi and Akutsu. How the remaining players step up now will determine more than just the outcome of this set," Kunimi added.

Yamabuki Yūjin's expression turned grim as he watched the match unfold. Even Kunimi-senpai wasn't confident DH could win the third set. It wasn't a surprising opinion—shutting out EJP 3-0 was still too difficult a task for the current DH roster.

-----

Serve rotation. DH to serve.

Tom Wilde unleashed a powerful jump serve, and the ball dropped between Chisato Sengoku and Evan Krauss.

"I got it!" Sengoku called out, stepping in to receive.

On the front line, Kitō Yūkan jumped up—as if preparing to set—

BOOM!!

"This guy—!"

Kaedehara Taichi had been focused on defending against a quick attack from Akutsu Ao and didn't expect Yūkan to go for a second touch attack.

"You really can't let your guard down around him...Trying to defend one against two is still pushing it..."

Taichi launched into a diagonal jump, but he was a step too late. The ball slipped past his fingertips and landed dead centre on DH's side of the court.

From the deceptive posture of a fake set to the masterful twist of the wrist that redirected the spike angle at the last moment, Kitō Yūkan had executed the play flawlessly.

[DH 1 – 2 EJP]

EJP reclaimed serve.

Washio Tatsuki fired a strong jump serve. Kitajima Kippei received it cleanly.

Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the middle, drawing the attention of EJP's double block.

But Iizuna Tsukasa's set went directly to the left wing!

Nitta Asahiro soared up, facing a solo block from Kitō Yūkan, and smashed the ball straight over his hands!

[DH 2 – 2 EJP]

In the opening four spike rallies, neither Kaedehara Taichi nor Akutsu Ao had directly participated in scoring!

"But isn't that a little off?" Yamabuki Yūjin said in confusion. "It feels like both teams are deliberately avoiding using their ace for offence. Isn't that a waste, especially when they're in the front row?"

"As long as they score, it doesn't matter who gets the point," Tōma Kaoru replied coolly.

Yamabuki Yūjin had always aimed to become the ace of his team. Tōma Kaoru, as a setter, naturally viewed the game from a different lens.

"Still, the reason the other players can score so easily is because the ace draws the defence's attention," Yamabuki pointed out. "That being the case, they should be given some swings occasionally, to maintain their offensive threat."

"As long as they're not constantly spiking, it shouldn't be a burden for Taichi-senpai and Akutsu," he added.

"Yūjin, do you really think they need to attack in order to be threatening?" Kunimi suddenly asked. "Try imagining yourself on the court facing them."

Yamabuki fell into a brief silence, trying to shift his perspective to that of an EJP player—and looked back onto the court.

"This is..."

He realised that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop focusing on Taichi-senpai. Every little movement felt like a prelude to an attack. And Yamabuki knew—if he were even a second late, he'd never keep up with the play!

"The impression Taichi and Akutsu left in the second set hasn't faded yet," Kunimi said, pointing toward the two players on the court. "Just them standing there is already a threat."

DH to serve.

Iizuna Tsukasa executed a strong jump serve.

"Krauss!" freewёbnoνel-com

Smack!

Evan Krauss received the ball, sending it toward the net. Sengoku moved swiftly to set.

DH's strongest blockers—Kaedehara Taichi and Nitta Asahiro—were both in the front row. Still, Sengoku didn't hesitate and sent the ball far left.

Akutsu Ao launched a spike.

"Double block!" Yoshii Hiyu and Nitta Asahiro both jumped to stop him.

—BOOM!!!

It was a thunderous spike, no doubt about it. The ball slammed into the floor right in front of Kitajima Kippei.

Akutsu Ao scored!

[DH 12 – 12 EJP]

The teams remained neck and neck, but Akutsu Ao's sudden burst of power gave the spectators a hint that the momentum might soon begin to shift.

Rotation. EJP to serve.

Akutsu Ao stepped up to the service line, holding the ball in one hand.

"The change starts now!"

"Tweet!—"

The moment the whistle blew, the ball was tossed into the air. Akutsu sprinted forward, jumped, and smashed the serve in one fluid motion.

BOOM!!!

"Kubo!"

Wham!

The ball smashed into Kubo Wataru's arm and flew out of bounds.

Akutsu Ao scored an ace.

[DH 12 – 13 EJP]

—"118 km/h! Just shy of 120!"

"Something's off..."

DH's overall receiving was generally reliable—but Akutsu seemed even more fired up than usual today.

Yoshii Hiyu rotated to the back row, switching DH into a four-man receive formation.

"Tweet!—"

Akutsu served again.

BOOM!!!—

The ball, infused with Akutsu's full power, howled through the air like a loose cannon shot. The high-speed cut tore through the atmosphere with a sharp, slicing screech.

SMACK!!

DH had adjusted just in time—if they hadn't, they might not have even touched the ball.

The serve hit Yoshii Hiyu's hasty reception posture with crushing force. It felt like his arms had been struck by a sledgehammer. He staggered backwards several steps, hands numb from the impact. His previously solid stance was utterly wrecked by the sheer brute force of the serve.

"Yoshii!" Kitajima Kippei shouted. His eyes were wide in disbelief as he stared at the ball bouncing off the floor. His heart was filled with shock.

That serve from Akutsu Ao had gone far beyond anything DH had anticipated.

"122.8 km/h!"

Even the spectators gasped in unison at the sudden show of force. A beat later, the arena erupted with deafening cheers and applause, thunderous praise for that earth-shattering serve.

Back-to-back service aces from Akutsu Ao!

[DH 12 – 14 EJP]

The pace of the match had suddenly accelerated. The first to break open the deadlock—with nothing but pure serving power—was EJP's Akutsu Ao!

"I remember Akutsu's fastest serve never went above 122 km/h before. And now he breaks his limit—against DH!?"

The exclamation from a nearby spectator caught Kunimi Akira's ear. He suddenly recalled something, then chuckled as he turned to ask his juniors:

"Tell me—what do you think it's like to have someone like Taichi as your opponent?"

The question immediately caught the attention of first-year rookie Ueda Ritsu.

He recalled a certain saying: Aoba Johsai's three-peat national championship was referred to by some spectators as the "Taichi Era."

There was a subtle implication behind the name—that Kaedehara Taichi alone had overshadowed the rest of the so-called "Monster Generation."

Players like Ushijima Wakatoshi, Bokuto Kōtarō, and Kiryū Wakatsu weren't too affected. By the time they were third-years, Taichi had just entered his first year, and the number of times they had directly faced him was limited. Back then, Taichi was still developing, and matches between them were evenly matched.

But for players like Sakusa Kiyoomi, Hoshiumi Korai, and Miya Atsumu…aside from Atsumu, who had managed to defeat Taichi once during their second year (and later suffered the worst retaliation in return), the rest spent nearly their entire high school careers in Taichi's shadow.

"Having someone like Taichi-senpai as an opponent must've been suffocating," Ueda Ritsu said thoughtfully. "It's like your own light gets drowned out, and you feel like the championship is forever out of reach."

"But what if he were your teammate instead?" Kunimi Akira followed up.

"Then you'd be thrilled, of course!" Ueda laughed. "Winning the national title would be practically guaranteed—what a blessing that would be."

He recalled how this year's Aoba Johsai had fought tooth and nail, pushing every match to a third set. But when Taichi-senpai had been around, Aoba Johsai had barely dropped a single set throughout entire tournaments.

"Ritsu?" Nakamori Daiki looked at him, half-smiling.

"Ahhh! No no, I didn't mean the seniors coasted to those championships or anything!" Ueda Ritsu quickly backtracked, flustered. "You guys were definitely part of that legendary run too!"

Kunimi didn't seem to mind the remark.

"What you said makes sense—Taichi's opponents would be in pain because they couldn't win the championship. His teammates would be happy because they could win it easily."

"But aside from that?" he asked, his eyes glinting.

"Yeah…aside from that?" Kunimi gave a subtle nod toward him. "Aren't you curious what it actually felt like back then?"

Ueda Ritsu's eyes lit up. He turned to Kindaichi Yūtarō, genuinely asking, "Kindaichi-senpai, what was it like…playing alongside Taichi-senpai?"

"Huh? Me?" Kindaichi fell into thought.

"Well…the two main feelings I remember were happiness—and fear."

"Fear?" Ueda blinked in surprise. That was the last thing he'd expected.

"Wait…was Taichi-senpai really that scary off the court? Was he, like, a tyrant who yelled at teammates when they messed up?"

He'd already begun imagining Taichi scolding teammates for the smallest mistakes.

Tsk, tsk...never thought Taichi-senpai to be that kind of a guy...

"Ah, no—it wasn't like that at all," Kindaichi said quickly.

"It's just that…Taichi improved so fast. I gave everything I had, but I could only watch his back from afar. I was scared that…someday I wouldn't even be able to see his back anymore."

"And then, when we faced strong opponents, I couldn't help much. I felt a little…useless."

Ueda Ritsu was stunned.

Someone as strong as Kindaichi-senpai…thought like that?

"But it's fine. My talent doesn't match up to Taichi or Kunimi—but I won't lose to them in effort," Kindaichi said firmly.

"As long as he's ahead of you…you'll always know which way you're supposed to go."

"Beautifully said!" Kunimi applauded him on the spot, not expecting Kindaichi to offer such heartfelt insight.

Kindaichi, in contrast, turned beet red under the attention.

Yamabuki Yūjin was deeply moved. He gazed at Kindaichi with a newfound sense of kinship.

He never thought that the person who understood his feelings best in Aoba Johsai would be Kindaichi-senpai of all people!

Who else could truly understand the pain of being Taichi-senpai's backup—only getting subbed in during meaningless games? Sometimes, it felt like you couldn't even see his shadow on the court, let alone catch up to him.

"As for Taichi's opponents," Kunimi continued after a pause, "They might have actually been happy."

"To encounter someone who pushes you forward like that…is a rare kind of blessing."

"Every match against him is a personal test—of how far you can go. Opponents dig deeper and push harder just to try to beat him. That drive to grow, that motivation…it's priceless."

"Whether teammate or rival…encountering Taichi always makes people grow faster." Kunimi's voice was steady.

"That's why, no matter who it is, they'll feel excited to face him—because it helps them become a stronger version of themselves."

Ueda Ritsu suddenly found himself longing for a match against Taichi-senpai.

"But…there must've been players who completely lost their will to fight against him too, right?" he asked, a little hesitantly.

"There were," Kunimi said quietly. "But those people could no longer be considered his opponents."

-----

On the court, the tension had thickened to the point it felt like it could be wrung out of the air.

Akutsu Ao's third heavy serve slammed into DH's back row like a cannonball.

Iizuna Tsukasa's reception was off target, and the entire rhythm of DH's offence unravelled. Their formation, rocked by the impact of that serve, scattered in disarray.

Kaedehara Taichi's follow-up spike failed to land a point.

EJP pounced on the opportunity. With a crisp, fluid counterattack, they seized another point.

[DH 12 – 15 EJP]

A cheer erupted from the EJP fans in the stands.

They could finally see the scoreboard widening. Their side had gained a clear upper hand.

Next serve—Kubo Wataru received Akutsu Ao's fourth serve.

Fwoosh!—

Iizuna Tsukasa steadied the pass, this time cleanly.

BOOM!!!

Taichi followed with a powerful spike, pulling one point back for DH.

[DH 13 – 15 EJP]

They'd clawed back the serve.

All eyes shifted to Kaedehara Taichi—this was DH's favourite kind of counterattack: using their own serve to answer an opponent's.

But EJP had clearly prepared for this moment. They deployed a five-man reception formation, fully bracing themselves for Taichi's serve.

Taichi narrowed his eyes.

The whistle blew.

He tossed the ball gently into the air—

BOOM!!!—

Despite EJP's tightened defences, Kaedehara Taichi found an opening.

The ball flew at a brutal angle and velocity, a bolt of black lightning tearing through the air straight toward Sengoku Chisato.

A flicker of panic flashed in Sengoku's eyes.

He barely managed to get his arms under it—but the ball flew out of bounds beyond the baseline.

EJP's formation was instantly broken.

Akutsu Ao and Komori Motoya scrambled back for the save, but ultimately, it was Evan Krauss who launched a side-attack from the wing.

"Double block!" Kitajima Kippei and Nitta Asahiro went up together.

"One touch!"

The ball ricocheted off Nitta's hand and popped into the air.

"Chance ball!"

Yoshii Hiyu handled the ball cleanly, delivering a perfect first touch.

Iizuna Tsukasa set the ball high on the right wing.

Taichi launched from the back row.

—BOOM!!!

No hesitation.

No room for error.

A single, killing blow.

Taichi's spike scored clean.

[DH 14 – 15 EJP]

Just like that, the momentum began to shift back toward DH.

-----

But just as DH's players started to feel the storm had passed—ready to resume their fierce tug-of-war with EJP—

With Nitta Asahiro rotating to the back row, DH suddenly realised:

They were about to face their greatest crisis of the set.

Only three were left in the front row—Tom Wilde, Kitajima Kippei, and Yoshii Hiyu.

Last time they rotated through this formation, the offensive focus hadn't yet returned to Taichi or Akutsu, and DH barely scraped by.

But now…

DH's offensive and blocking power had hit rock bottom.

_________

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