The silver ball crashing on the back line of the golden boundaries and setting forth a terrific blast of silver ink to cover the immediate landing range in its coat, the whistle is blown by the referee who signals the point to Beacon Hills, promptly getting an overwhelming cheer of the supporters in silver who were in agreement with the decision. The supporters in gold jeered however, finding the decision to be incorrect based on the blasting impact on the landing that had more of the silver out of bounds than in bounds. Nonetheless, point to Beacon Hills. A hectic final set at play in the first round, the teams were once again playing very evenly with neither side allowing the other any room to gather momentum.
The start of the set began with long rallies for the first six points that ended up split by the two competitive sides. A trading of points on each possession, neither side found their rhythm thanks to the flow of the battle constantly breaking. Whenever a rally started, it ended abruptly. A chance to dig a serve? Nope, ace serve awarded. In agonizing fashion, the fans of both teams watched the match progress slowly with the tension only thickening for the inevitable shootout due to occur as the heavy hitters were subtly announcing their presence. But then, the game started to pick up. No more ace serves nor errors, but instead more rallies, and most importantly, the walls couldn't block the other. An offensive slugfest, both teams unleashed their attacks on the other and treated every point like it was a match point and then finally, the runs started to form. The score had been tied at 16 when Gin and his squad broke through and captured lightning in a bottle with their boisterous speed and aggressive attacking play, holding Special Forces hostage with their dynamic offensive approach that allowed them to snatch away critical points and most importantly, prevent and contain Special Forces' response. Outscoring the Hero and his crew on 5-1 run, Beacon Hills jumped to a 21-17 lead and appeared to be knocking on the door of victory needing only four more points to seal the deal. Just four more and they'd be leading the match against their arch rivals right out of the gate. For the fans, this was a spectacular showing since many of them never saw their team truly outperform Special Forces in their lifetime; today was the first day for them and it was bliss. That runner's high would evaporate however as the quiet but effect Special Forces slowly climbed back into it with critical performances from Rina and Taro especially who helped create a 7-3 run rooted in them linking up on plays and a few surprise placements by Rina that saw her even dump the ball to trick the wall and get the point for her side.
"The score tied at 24 each, we've entered the deuce rules. With the efforts of Special Forces paying off so far, they mounted an incredible comeback to stall the Beacon Hills' hopes of a victory."
"A tale of two halves, it felt like a deadlock throughout the first half of the set. Then voila! Alive came the two teams! Beacon Hills struck first behind the brilliance of their defenders and their attacking core of Gin, Silvia, and Obi who orchestrated the plays during the rallies to create the favorable four point gap. But then, here came Hero Jin and his squad."
"Indeed they made their presence felt, netting in an impressive run to erase the deficit and spoil Beacon Hills on their chance to end the contest under regulation. With the deuce rules in effect, we're practically in overtime!"
The venue grew louder as the audiences hoped to play an impact in giving their side the edge, the two teams were more than focused ahead of the next point. With the chance to win now guarded by the teams having to win by two points, they strategized how to achieve the next point and end it as quickly as possible; neither side wanted to exhaust themselves before even getting to the second round, although for different reasons. Beacon Hills played it somewhat safe by only having Gin and Silvia on the floor who were indispensable to the squad, and by adding in Obi there was an extra cushion of support, Special Forces on the other hand played it risky by not only starting with the usual rotation but including fellow seniors Rina and Taro, who were more suitable for the later rounds than the beginning. But with a rivalry match like such on the table and the chemistry within the team not as preferred, the current lineup was the best bet the coaches [and Jin] had to ensure they had a fighting chance against the unified Beacon Hills, who were focused on beating them first and foremost.
After winning the previous point off a long and draining rally, Taro of Special Forces prepares to serve. The contrasting sight of gold before him and silver in the distance with only the white net there to separate the two colors, he took a deep breath and honed in the crowd of booyahs that went into helping create the ball. Tossing the ball up high, it's a slam to the back line of Beacon Hills. Immediately the silver squids are in motion to stop the ace serve attempt and quickly Silvia's already in setting position with Gin and Spanner on the run thanks to Davy's pass. Unlike the many times before in this set where the wall failed to get a stop, this time proved different. As if waiting patiently for this moment to occur, the golden wall of Taro, Seni, and Eijun proved effective in denying Spanner's attempt for a strike. Point earned: Special Forces.
The whispers inevitably began now that match point was available once again and it was up to Beacon Hills to quell the noise on this next serve that'd be done by Taro yet again. The scenario at its best for Beacon Hills, all that worked against them was that they were at match point and trailing. With their rotation for this set differing slightly, they had the blessing of Silvia, Obi, and Gin serving in succession-a triple gauntlet of possible points. But before they could get to that sweet spot, they needed to win this point and put the game back on ice. The serve from Taro going high and fast yet again, this time the roles altered: Spanner was there to make the pass and this time the trio of Gin, Davy, and Obi all rushed toward the net. Silvia had a trio at her disposal who all offered a good chance to get the point with every one of them capable of blasting through the golden wall, but she knew in this case it wasn't about firepower but strategy. Gin leaps, then Davy and Obi, none of their numbers called. Her jump coming at the apex of the other's jumps, Tatyana took flight and found the silver ball soaring in her direction. Point won for Beacon Hills after she brought it down with an emphatic corner shot out of reach of Kary, it was level again. A close but well done effort, the momentum now sat with the silver squids who could run their gauntlet attack against a gassed Special Forces who were holding out for Jin to step it up and clutch the round for them as the lone scorer who could draw all the attention and still deliver under pressure.
"No problem everyone, just remember it's one point at a time. Let's get a stop here!" Jin shouts with a clap to get their attention; Rina and Taro weren't paying much attention to him but his junior trio were all ears, believing in him to lead them.
Silvia stands alone. Eat this, Jin!
A rocket of a shot directed right at him, Jin gracefully returned the ball and had enough strength to steer it over to Rina, who already had her feet planted ready to launch the ball up high. In came the quartet rushing for the net to confuse the silver wall. Would it be Seni or Eijun? Perhaps Kary? Taro seemed like the clear cut choice, but before they had a chance to decide on who to block, Rina's feet shifted position. Her knees bent and doing a slight lean to gain an angle, Rina surprised them with yet another dump attack jumping into the ball and using the lightest of power on the trigger to give the ball just enough of a pump over the net, prompting Beacon Hills to collectively scramble for the ball unsuccessfully. 26-25, Special Forces were once again back at match point.
Damn! Silvia bit her lip, realizing that was likely her last serve and it was an unsatisfactory result that came of it.
"The experience is proving to play its part." Ollie remarked, impressed with Rina's decision making.
"We had our fair share of battles with her didn't we…" Pearl grumbled.
Austin smirked, "You never did like her huh?"
"She's fake! She pretends to be some sweet big sister gal when she's a devil, no, a she-devil!"
Did you need to make that distinction? They all thought together as she steamed in her seat brewing up spiteful thoughts.
The serve by Seni needing just a bit more power over the net, the ball got the lucky bounce but right into the clutches of Beacon Hills who quickly set up their counter attack. What followed was a quick attack that gave the silver squids a chance to fight. All equalized at 26, the time came for Obi to step up to the line and serve-being in prime position to take the game here with a pair of ace serves. Full of confidence since he knew he was in position to clinch victory for his teams with the reassurance that Gin would be after him, he didn't want to have to let it come to that, but he at least had that scenario to ease his mind.
It's already troublesome knowing that he'll be up next Jin exhaled attempting to quell his frustrations, knowing that serve by Seni could've been better but also knowing there'd be no benefit to getting upset with him at the moment; during the break he'd have to talk with him and explain what he did wrong there, most importantly…Obi is capable of icing us here. We can't let him get this next point or else they'll really commit to the kill on the match point. Our best be-
The play starts before he can finish his thoughts, the ball going the opposite direction of him; unlike Silvia's direct serve to him that was meant to be a target, Obi didn't want to risk it and instead went the opposite side hoping Kary wouldn't react in time. But she did. A critical play to start the rally, the rest of the squad moves to action. Rina sets, the rest leap, a strike ensues. This time the erected silver wall blocks the strike from Eijun, Jin saves it, and Rina tries again, this time to Taro, who breaks down the wall. But Gin intercepts the ball much to the dismay of all the gold shirts in the audience who were hoping that was the chance they needed. Silvia in turn sends it to Tatyana, the surprise choice on the attack that no one expected to get called-especially with Gin on their radar. A shocking decision made by the setter in silver, the gamble paid off as the entire field of gold stood there stunned as Beacon Hills grabbed the lead 27-26 with only a point separating them from victory; to make matters worse, it was Gin's turn to serve. The anxiety rumbling in their gut with every step he took, their hearts sank once he got ready to serve the potential match point.
Here he is.
Cold and devoid of emotion, the light in his eyes disappeared as he took a deep breath. The noise surrounding him disappearing, the existence of the audience also disappearing, all that remained was a court of gold and silver with a black background and his brother standing across the net staring him down, the rest of the bodies all resorted to shadowy figures of lesser importance. A look of total focus present on his face, his teammates and the viewers alike felt a sudden chill watching him prepare to serve; it was almost extraordinary to watch all his emotions encompassed into his movements yet at the same time be nonexistent. A totally amazing sight to behold, even in the round of 16 of knockouts as a famed captain of a historic school with a reputation before him, Gin was still finding ways to evolve. His arm outstretched and the ball tossed shortly after, the delivery moved faster than the eyes of every witness could register. It was all instinct, but Jin's body moved. He knew this target, he knew this trajectory, he knew this feeling all too well. But while his body obeyed, his eyes failed him. The ball was too fast, for even his eyes to track.
A momentary silence present on the court, the stunned faces of the players vanquished as the whistle blew to call the result final.
"H-he does it again!?"
"Wh-what speed!"
"That's the match! Game. Set. Match!"
The commentators announced as the first round went into the books. Indeed, it was victory for Beacon Hills.
The audience eating up the first result like a buffet, social media was going abuzz following that long and grueling bout in the third set. With numerous people weighing in and sharing their opinions while streaming the match live, the general consensus among viewers was that Beacon Hills were looking like the better team thus far since they not only showed fight and struck back against Special Forces when they were trailing and still managed to come out on top, which was something that the Beacon Hills of old couldn't ever managed to do. Now granted it was also true that Special Forces weren't fighting with their strongest roster just yet, it didn't change the truth that this Beacon Hills team weren't afraid of being in the shadow now that they could emerge from that hated place freely. The alumni of both schools were animated and put their emotions on full display: the silver squids were actively rooting for their squad while the golden squids were cheering on their side in hopes for them to bounce back. Amid all the noise, Sky watched on critically with a dissatisfied look.
"I don't like this." she warned with a glare directed at Beacon Hills, still remembering what happened in the winter. "They look way stronger than before and they still don't have their full squad in yet."
"Am I bugging or does it appear that they have a different air about them too. It feels like they've been acting differently ever since they won back then. Honestly, it's kind of frustrating watching this match right now." Pearl growls, also irritated drawing on that memory from back then.
The sentiment was shared by all of them since it was because of that very team that they went into retirement, and now watching them evolve and showcase it brought forth a different type a dislike that one could say was unique to only them; it would've made their day to see them get outed here but deep down they hoped to see them in the final and do it personally. As they continued to follow what went down on the Beacon Hills bench, the real action during the break was what was occurring on the Special Forces bench however as already there appeared to be some tension leaking out with the players getting divisive about Jin's leadership with most of them putting the blame of the loss on him for his lack of impact despite him playing lights out and being the sole reason they won the first set in the beginning. They were arguing that he was doing too much facilitating for the juniors when he should've been taking over the match like he always would, but Jin argued that there was more to competition than just selfish play, and that those antiquated approaches wouldn't work against this specific team that seemed built to deal with him and his old style well, meaning that if his side was to achieve victory, it'd be through his vision of play that had his juniors in the mix since they had the best chemistry with him. But in truth, all he wanted to do was make sure that they could shine brighter than anyone else, brighter than the criticism from his teammates, brighter than the unfair expectations that'd be thrust onto them once he left, brighter than any image they even perceived of themselves. He wanted to be the one that gave them that push to become something greater as that was the only way he believed he could leave a positive change on the program after he was gone. Rather than continue the cycle that'd eventually lead to a decline, what is there to lose in breaking the cycle and make positive growth moving forward? But there was also another meaning to this yearning to better the next generation, one that he was finding unfold in real time. He didn't want let another person like Gin be created: a person who operates and strives to thrive purely out of spite and yearning for vengeance.
