Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 532: No Interest
"Sorry, I'm just not interested in playing with rookies."
Though Kaedehara Taichi said that, a casual exhibition match might actually be a good opportunity for Hinata Shōyō—who was still with the second team—to show his skills.
After a brief discussion between Oikawa Tōru and Coach Darlan, they quickly agreed on the match format.
Coincidentally, both sides had three players, so a small-scale 3-on-3 practice game was the perfect setup.
Team Hinata:
Hinata Shōyō (170 cm), Oikawa Tōru (188 cm), Kaedehara Taichi (197 cm)
Team Redson:
Bruno Redson (202 cm), Alston (204 cm), Alan Sousa (208 cm)
Once the players stood side by side, the height difference became glaringly obvious.
"How's that team supposed to compete?" chuckled Luca Reilly. "The shorty's side only has one attacker, right?"
"Nope," replied libero Sanhos, "Coach Darlan actually assigned the shorty a spot as the opposite."
"Huh?" Luca's eyes went wide. "He's an opposite hitter? At 170 cm?"
Keep in mind—Sanhos, São Paulo's libero, was 190 cm tall himself.
"Maybe? I think so…" Sanhos answered uncertainly.
A crowd of players had already gathered around. Both Kaedehara Taichi and Oikawa Tōru were opponents São Paulo would be facing soon, so getting a firsthand look at their level of play would definitely help in prepping for that match.
As for this mini practice game, even though Bruno Redson was the only first-string player on his team, no one watching thought his side would lose.
The reason was simple: Hinata Shōyō, at only 170 cm—if he didn't drag his team down, that would already be impressive. From their perspective, this match might as well be a two-on-three.
"Sorry," Hinata said sheepishly, "I really just meant to show you guys around."
"Aw, our little Chibi-chan has grown up," Oikawa teased with a grin. "But no need to be so reserved in front of us."
Taichi couldn't help it—he reached over and ruffled Hinata's orange head. The feel was pretty much what he expected.
"It's fine. Just a little warm-up. This won't take long."
-----
Player Stats (3v3 Practice Match):
[Hinata Shōyō—Opposite Hitter:Height: 170 cm
Serve: 85 | Receive: 95 | Dig: 95 | Set: 92 | Spike: 92| Block: 72
Spike Reach: 350 cm /Block Reach: 320 cm.]
[Bruno Redson—Outside Hitter:Height: 202 cm
Serve: 92 | Receive: 88 | Dig: 88 | Set: 90 | Spike: 96| Block: 92
Spike Reach: 355 cm /Block Reach: 330 cm.]
[Alston—Outside Hitter:Height: 204 cm
Serve: 92 | Receive: 90 | Dig: 86 | Set: 86 | Spike: 94| Block: 90
Spike Reach: 352 cm /Block Reach: 332 cm.]
[Alan Sousa—Middle Blocker:Height: 208 cm
Serve: 90 | Receive: 86 | Dig: 82 | Set: 86 | Spike: 96| Block: 95
Spike Reach: 363 cm /Block Reach: 340 cm.]
-----
Brazilian volleyball had consistently ranked among the world's top three in recent years—second only to Italy and Poland last season. And São Paulo was the number one club in the Brazilian league—a force not to be underestimated.
Brazil had a deeply rooted volleyball culture, and thanks to their players' similar physical traits, the performance gap between athletes was relatively narrow. While only Bruno Redson among the six was from the first-string team, both Alston and Alan Sousa were strong enough to be called up as substitutes anytime.
The match began, with Team Redson serving first.
Standard rules: No short serves, and no tips or soft shots during spikes.
"Beep!—"
Bruno Redson aimed a powerful jump serve straight at Hinata, clearly trying to assert dominance right off the bat.
Smack!
Hinata bent his knees and received the serve cleanly with perfect form.
"Nice receive!" Oikawa called out, calmly moving into position under the ball.
Taichi sprinted up the right sideline and jumped into his approach.
"Triple block!" Bruno, Alston, and Alan all leapt up together.
They had no intention of holding back from the start—rather than receiving, they wanted to shut their opponents down immediately at the net!
BOOM!!!
The ball grazed off the tips of Alston's fingers and flew far past the backcourt line.
"Damn, just a second too slow!"
Alston had noticed Taichi's posture—his spike didn't actually go over the block. It was aimed to glance off their hands and go out of bounds.
The ball landed.
Point, Taichi.
[Hinata Team 1 – 0 Redson Team]
"It's a very standard play. Nothing particularly impressive," muttered Luca Reilly, frowning. Kaedehara Taichi's spike was a bit underwhelming.
That point had only been won so easily because there were just three players on each side. If someone had been in the back row, they definitely could've picked up that spike and counterattacked.
"Shouldn't he be stronger than this? His performance in the Argentine league was supposed to be better," said Sanhos, echoing the same doubts.
Then again, there was another possibility—the blocking in Argentina might simply not be as strong as Brazil's. Against tougher blockers, Taichi's height advantage might not shine as much.
Service change. Hinata's team was now serving.
Taichi tossed the ball high and unleashed a powerful jump serve.
"I got it!"
Alston received it cleanly with a stable first touch.
Bruno Redson rotated in to set. The ball arced toward the centre—Alan Sousa jumped for the spike!
Taichi leapt up for a solo block.
BOOM!!
The ball avoided the block and streaked straight into the centre of the court.
Hinata reacted quickly, nearly making contact—but not quite in time.
Thud!
Alan Sousa scores!
[Hinata Team 1 – 1 Redson Team]
"That little guy is fast—maybe he really is more suited to being a libero," commented Luca Reilly. "His receiving was solid, too."
Sanhos rolled his eyes. "Reilly, are you trying to say I'm not good enough?"
"Ahahaha, no, not at all."
"Taichi?" Oikawa asked directly.
"Isn't this match supposed to be all about Shōyō?" Taichi replied indifferently. "I really don't care about playing against them."
Oikawa: "…"
No wonder he's playing so half-heartedly.
"Shōyō, you should be familiar with this from beach volleyball, right? First touch followed by a direct attack," Taichi said.
"Yeah!" Hinata nodded firmly.
"Then once you receive the ball, get ready to go all in on offence. Don't worry about me or Oikawa-senpai," Taichi added. "I really want to see what you look like when you're at full power."
"Yes!" Hinata answered, serious and focused.
Service change. Redson's team was serving now.
Alan Sousa launched a blazing jump serve, the ball rocketing toward the back row like a missile.
Smack!
"Whoa, that was fast!" Even Sanhos looked more shocked than when he saw Hinata's reception earlier.
Taichi moved into position right on the ball's path, calmly receiving it and sending a perfect first pass.
Oikawa jumped in the front row, eyes scanning the opposing court. Alston quickly leapt to block him directly.
Whoosh—!
With a quick flick of the wrist, Oikawa added a clever spin, sending the ball in a smooth arc toward the left wing.
"Double block!" Bruno Redson and Alan Sousa both rushed to cover the left.
Thud!
Hinata took off.
"Whoa! That's some serious height!" exclaimed Luca Reilly in amazement. Though, truthfully…that compliment was relative—only high for Hinata's size.
On the court, Hinata was still below the block.
BANG!—
Hinata adjusted midair, aiming for a rebound spike off the hands.
—Smack!!
But Alan Sousa anticipated it perfectly—he pressed his arms down in time, and the ball ricocheted back into the left side of the court.
"See? An attacker without enough height—it's easy to read what they're trying to do from the start." Alan Sousa smirked as he spoke.
"Ah, seems like Alan's celebrating too early," Luca Reilly chuckled.
Smack!
Oikawa had silently moved to Hinata's side, and now popped the ball up toward the right wing.
—BOOM!!! freēnovelkiss.com
Taichi smashed the ball down with ease—Redson's team didn't have time to react. The ball hit the floor cleanly.
Point scored!
[Hinata Team 2 – 1 Redson Team]
"Oikawa-senpai! Amazing save!" Hinata shouted in excitement, high-fiving Oikawa.
"That setter is really strong," Sanhos said grimly.
He had taken a misstep and turned it into a scoring opportunity—in just a heartbeat. The sense of timing was too precise.
"Shōyō, you should trust me a bit more," Oikawa grinned, his voice bright. "I am a better setter than Tobio-chan, you know~"
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