Start of Set 2.
Score: 0 - 0.
The whistle blew.
In the first set, Itachiyama had suffocated Nekoma (25-15). They hadn't done anything flashy. They just picked up every ball Ryuu smashed and sent it back with interest.
Ryuu walked to the net, cracking his neck. He wasn't brooding. He was just... mildly inconvenienced.
'Okay,' Ryuu thought, staring at Komori. 'New plan. If hitting it at 100% didn't work, I'll hit it at 120%. Simple math.'
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Nekoma Serve.
Kai served. Komori received. Iizuna set to Sakusa.
Sakusa hit a wipe off Kuroo's block.
Itachiyama 1 - 0 Nekoma.
"Don't mind!"
Ryuu rotated to the front left. He pointed at Kenma. "The usual."
Kenma sighed but tossed it high.
Ryuu approached. He felt good. He felt strong. He jumped, towering over the two blockers.
'I'll just blow past them.'
He swung with everything he had. A massive, shoulder-wrenching cross spike.
BOOM.
The impact was thunderous. The ball flew past the block.
But Komori was there. The Libero didn't even dive. He took a small hop to the left, braced his legs, and took the impact on his forearms.
THWACK.
The ball popped up.
"Cover!" Komori shouted, grinning. "Man, that one was heavy! You trying to launch me into orbit?"
Ryuu landed, staring at the ball still in play.
'Why?' Ryuu thought, genuinely confused. 'I hit that harder than the ones against Nohebi. Why does it feel like I'm throwing pebbles at a tank?'
Itachiyama countered. Sakusa hit a sharp line shot.
Itachiyama 2 - 0.
Ryuu walked back to position, scratching his head.
"Hey, Yaku-san," Ryuu asked the libero. "Is that guy made of rubber? Or am I getting weaker?"
"You're not getting weaker," Yaku said, wiping sweat. "You're just wasteful."
"Wasteful?"
"You swing with your whole body," Yaku explained. "But by the time you hit the ball, half that power is gone because your form is loose. You're a cannon with a leaky barrel."
____________________
Score: Itachiyama 8 - 4 Nekoma.
The set dragged on. Ryuu kept trying to brute force it.
He jumped. He smashed. Komori dug it.
He jumped. He smashed harder. The block touched it, slowing it down.
Ryuu was getting annoyed. Not angry-villain annoyed, just "gamer stuck on a level" annoyed.
"This is tedious," Ryuu muttered, wiping his face with his jersey. "It's like fighting a boss with infinite HP regen."
"Timeout Nekoma."
Coach Nekomata waved them over.
Ryuu drank his water, looking grumpy. "Coach. I need a bigger hammer."
"You don't need a bigger hammer," Nekomata said, tapping his clipboard. "You need to learn how to hold the one you have."
Nekomata looked at Ryuu.
"You think technique is for weak players who need to compensate, don't you?"
Ryuu shrugged. "Kind of. If I'm strong enough, technique is optional. That's how physics works."
"Wrong," Nekomata corrected sharply. "Technique isn't about looking pretty. Technique is about efficiency. Right now, you are using 100% of your energy to generate 80% power because your wrist is stiff and your swing is wide."
Nekomata pointed at Sakusa across the court.
"Look at him. He's not as strong as you. But when he hits the ball, he snaps his wrist like a whip. He transfers 100% of his energy into the ball. That is why his spikes feel 'heavy' even though he looks skinny."
Ryuu looked at Sakusa. The Ace was drinking water, looking bored.
"A whip..." Ryuu muttered.
"Stop trying to crush the ball," Nekomata advised. "Try to drive it. Use the wrist snap you saw Bokuto use. Don't just rely on your shoulder."
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Score: Itachiyama 10 - 5.
Ryuu walked back onto the court. He looked at his hand.
'Loose wrist. Snap. Don't just bludgeon it.'
Nekoma received. Kenma tossed to Ryuu.
Ryuu approached.
Komori was waiting in the cross court. 'He's going to smash it again. I just have to brace for impact.'
Ryuu jumped.
He cocked his arm. Usually, he would tense up his whole shoulder to swing.
'Relax,' Ryuu told himself. 'Be a noodle. A dangerous, explosive noodle.'
He kept his arm loose until the very last second.
He swung.
Instead of a stiff-armed bash, he whipped his arm forward. At the moment of contact, he snapped his wrist aggressively, adding massive top-spin.
KABOOM.
The sound was different. It wasn't a dull thud; it was a sharp crack.
The ball flew at the cross court. Komori was there. He put his platform out.
But because of the wrist snap, the ball had insane rotation.
It hit Komori's arms.
GRRRT.
The spin ripped through Komori's platform. Instead of popping up nicely, the ball shot backwards over Komori's head and slammed into the advertising boards.
Nekoma 6 - 10.
Komori fell on his butt, looking surprised. "Whoa... that one bit me."
Ryuu landed. He looked at his hand.
"Oh," Ryuu blinked. "That felt... easier."
He looked at Nekomata, who gave him a small nod.
"So technique isn't just for nerds," Ryuu mused. "It's a damage multiplier. Nice."
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Score: Itachiyama 18 - 15 Nekoma.
Ryuu was starting to get the hang of it. He wasn't mastering it instantly—he still hit a few into the net—but his spikes were becoming nastier.
He wasn't just hitting hard; he was hitting heavy.
But Itachiyama was still leading. Sakusa was dissecting Nekoma's defense with annoying precision.
Sakusa spiked. Yaku dug it, but the spin sent it off court.
Itachiyama 19 - 15.
"That guy," Ryuu pointed at Sakusa. "He's so clean it's irritating. Doesn't he ever want to just smash something?"
"He's a surgeon, Ryuu," Kuroo panted. "You're a butcher. Different styles."
"Butchers get paid too," Ryuu grumbled.
Nekoma Attack.
Kenma tossed to Ryuu.
Three blockers. Itachiyama wasn't taking chances.
Ryuu jumped.
He saw the wall. He saw the open court behind them.
'I could try to snap-spike it again,' Ryuu thought.
Then he looked at the blockers. They were terrified. They were squinting, bracing for the impact of the "New Ryuu" spike.
Ryuu's Emperor's Eyes saw their elbows locked out.
A thought crossed his mind. Not a strategic, genius thought. Just a lazy one.
'Why work hard when they're practically gifting it to me?'
Ryuu swung his arm fast. The blockers flinched, closing their eyes.
At the last second, Ryuu stopped his hand. He didn't hit the ball. He just... poked it.
He pushed the ball gently into the elbow of the middle blocker.
Boop.
The ball hit the elbow, rolled slowly down the blocker's arm, and flopped onto the floor.
Nekoma 16 - 19.
Silence.
The Itachiyama blockers opened their eyes to see the ball on the floor.
"Did he...?"
Ryuu landed. He didn't look triumphant. He looked like he just found a cheat code.
"That was disgusting," Sakusa said from the back row, looking genuinely offended. "You have all that power and you do a feint?"
Ryuu wiped his sweat and shrugged.
"Hey, a point is a point," Ryuu deadpanned. "I'm not here to impress you with my honor, Weasel. I'm here to win."
_________________
Score: 23 - 21.
Nekoma was catching up. Ryuu's mix of "Improved Power Spikes" and "Lazy Feints" was messing with Itachiyama's rhythm. Komori couldn't just dig for power anymore; he had to watch for the tip.
That hesitation was all Ryuu needed.
Ryuu rotated to serve.
He stood at the line. He bounced the ball.
"Hey, Komori!" Ryuu called out.
Komori tensed up. "What?"
"I figured it out," Ryuu said, tossing the ball. "It's not about strength."
Ryuu jumped.
He whipped his arm. The wrist snap was perfect.
CRACK.
The serve was a laser. It dipped violently over the net.
Komori dove. "Mine!"
He touched it. But the power + spin was too much. It blew his arm back.
The ball flew into the stands.
Ace.
Nekoma 22 - 23.
Ryuu landed, spinning the ball on his finger.
"It's about application," Ryuu grinned. "And I think I just installed the update."
Sakusa narrowed his eyes. For the first time, the "perfect" team looked unsettled. The Monster wasn't just barking anymore. He was learning how to bite.