It's All Or Nothing
SENDAI PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL
That same morning, Toshiro, like always, goes to his father's swimming pool for a quick morning swim before volleyball practice while his best friend secretly trains with the tiny orange-haired first-year most reluctantly.
KARASUNO GYM
Meanwhile, Tobio hits the ball for Hinata, who misses again as he comes short for a dig. "Hey, your feet stopped short!" Kageyama scolds him, growing frustrated with the petite teen's inexperience. What happened to your serving and receiving reflexes from yesterday? You need to focus!"
"All I'm doing is receiving…" Shoyo groans as he gets to his feet. "There's not much time left! I want to spike, too! I want to jump, too!"
"Go jump around then!" He snaps back.
"Hey, you guys," Tanaka breaks up their little glaring contest. "I should give you fair warning. Daichi is usually gentle, but he's extremely scary when he gets angry. I mean extremely."
"I know," The first-years grumble, remembering the cold eyes their Captain had given them the night before.
"It won't be good if he finds out about this morning's practice. It won't be good for me," He tells them but catches himself, trying to act tough in front of the younger boys. "It's not that I'm scared or anything. Absolutely not. Absolutely not at all. But anyway, the three of us here are the only ones that know about this morning's practice, so make sure that you…" The door of the gym slides open, startling the occupants, fearing that their Captain will appear, but they are pleasantly surprised to see a sweet silver-haired Setter step inside the gym door.
"Morning practice, huh? I knew it," Suga says as he enters, holding his trainers.
"Suga," Tanaka sighs, glad it's not Daichi because he is terrified of his Captain.
"Hey," He greets them.
"But why…" The second-year asks his upperclassman.
"He's a third year," Hinata realises, looking at the nice Vice-Captain.
"Because you were obviously weird yesterday," Suga tells him as he puts on his shoes. "You're always barely on time, but you voluntarily asked to be in charge of opening the lock."
"Oh…ah…" Tanaka tries to speak but is too shocked at being caught.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I won't tell Daichi. This is like secret training or something. It's kind of thrilling," He tells them, and they give a sigh of relief, glad someone is on their side.
{VOLLEYBALL}
Tanaka and Tobio split off from Hinata and Suga, both groups practising; Shoyo looks to the other two as they practise spiking, wishing he was doing the same thing. "Come and get it!" Tanaka shouts, spiking the ball, and Suga hits the ball towards the little distracted ginger teen. "Good, that was excellent," The ball hits Hinata on the head, startling the boy.
"Hinata, don't get distracted," Koshi warns him, though he knows why he's distracted, glancing at Tanaka and Kageyama.
"I want to hit the ball, too. Send me a toss, too," Shoyo pleads with Tobio, making him glance over to him as the ginger raises his arms over his head, waving them around. "Tossing's your favourite, right? Send me a toss, too! Just one."
"Hey, Hinata…" The third year tries to stop him, seeing the irritation growing on Kageyama's face.
"Just try me out once, okay?" he asks the stubborn, egotistical Setter, who stares at him blankly.
"I refuse," Tobio replies, looking away, shocking the others at his utter bluntness.
"What is this? Stinginess?" Hinata cries, tears falling down his face at the rejection.
"That's right, that's right," Tanaka agrees, and Kageyama hits the ball towards the ginger, who crouches down a little to receive the ball.
"That came straight at you from front. Tossing and attacking happen only if there's a reception. Which you're too slow to even do, so don't talk cocky. For the four-on-four match this Saturday, I'll make every effort to give Tanaka and Tosh all the tosses. Let Tanaka and Tosh do the attacking. You do the best to not get in our way," Tobio tells him and picks up one of the balls lying around.
"When I can receive well enough, you'll send me tosses, too?" Hinata asks him.
"I'll toss to anyone who's essential to winning. Right now, I don't think you're essential to winning," Kageyama replies.
"Gutsy!" Tanaka shouts, adding his commentary to the scene.
"What's it take to toss him a few here and there?" Suga questions.
"It's getting to be that time. We'd better clean up," Tobio informs them.
"Crap. Hurry!" He shouts and runs around the gym. "Erase all evidence!"
"Tanaka, get a mop!" The third-year shouts.
"Damn it…" Hinata curses.
"Yes!" The second-year shouts as they begin cleaning up their mess before volleyball practice.
"Damn it…"
KARASUNO HIGH, CLASS 1 - 5
Toshiro walks into his classroom, fixing his gakuran jacket, not wanting his shirt to show as he sees his teacher eyeing him. Tobio wasn't happy about him not going to early practice with him and Hinata, but he understands that Toshiro goes for a morning swim at the same time every day, but Oyama agreed to help them during school. Toshiro sits at his desk behind the blond girl who always seems nervous, but she isn't there yet; he puts his bag down, and their teacher stands at the front of the class. "Sorry, sir," Yachi apologises as she rushes into the room and sits at her desk before their teacher starts the lesson.
"That's quite alright; I needed you all to be here today as we'll be doing a group project." Mr Takashi announces, making some of the students groan. "Now, now, it's for 2 weeks; the groups of two will make a presentation on a chosen subject on Japanese History of your choosing. I'll write on the board the subjects that are up for grabs, and both of you will choose one at a time, but both of you must agree. We'll go with each row of desks; you'll be working with the person behind you, starting from the front desk. Talk with each other to get to know them and pick your topic." Toshiro looks in front of him to see the small blond girl shaking like a leaf as everyone begins to pair up.
"You do realise you have to talk to me, right?" Oyama questions her, making her stiffen in place before nervously turning in her chair to face him. "I'm Toshiro Oyama," he says softly, surprising the girl at the stoic teen.
"I-I-I'm Hitoka Yachi," She stutters, looking a little pale.
"Nice to meet you," Toshiro smiles, and she looks at him in a new light, not seeing him as scary as he looks at her gently, then behind her at the blackboard, now full of topics. "It seems we have some choices to make; I like Taisho or Edo. What about you?"
"Edo," she answers. Toshiro walks to the blackboard, writes his name and Yachi's by their picked subject, and returns to his desk, where she gets her notebook and some colourful pens.
"You seem prepared," he jokes, making her nervous, but he smiles before she can say anything. "I like it. It doesn't make me feel alone now." He pulls out his own notebook and colourful highlighters, still seeing her a little stiff around him, making him frown slightly.
KARASUNO HIGH, OUTDOOR
During the free period at break time, Hinata and Suga practice with the tiny ginger's receiving as the match draws closer. "Hinata, drop your waist and hit it like you're sending it right back in the direction it came from," Suga instructs while showing the first-year.
"Yes," Shoyo complies, and Koshi hits the ball towards him.
"Here goes," the third-year announces, and the tiny redhead prepares to receive. The ball hits his forearms and flies in the air back toward Suga.
"Oh, that was a good one," he compliments the older Setter as he throws the ball towards him.
"Hey, Hinata," Koshi says as Hinata receives the ball again. "You want me to toss to you starting tomorrow morning?" Getting distracted by the offer, Shoyo catches the ball with a beaming smile at the older Setter.
"Really? You will?" The eager first-year eagerly exclaims.
"I'm the official Setter of Karasuno, you know. You want to practise spiking, right?" He asks him.
"Oh, yes. I love spiking. It feels great when it works and it's awesome!" Hinata beams with such enthusiasm.
"Sounds like you got some spiking memories," Suga chuckles.
"Yes. All three years in junior high, there was no Setter or anything. I was the only club member. My friends in the basketball club would toss for me. Even after club activities, I had first-years, mothers, Setters from the girls' team throw tosses for me…" Shoyo explains, thinking of those who helped him. "We got along well, and we're friends, but still, they weren't really teammates. That's why I used to wonder what kind of Setter I'd have in high school," He thinks of Tobio and his words. "I was looking forward to it…" More of Kageyama's words. "...before I got here." He becomes gloomy.
"Like I said, I'm a Setter. I'll toss to you," Suga assures him, making Shoyo happy for a second.
"But if you tossed to me… I'd kinda feel like I've lost," Hinata confesses.
"Hinata, why do you insist on getting in Kageyama's face? Personally, I try to avoid confronting guys who are stronger than me." He tells him.
"At the junior high tournament…he was so much better and taller than me. He was so strong. It was horrible when he stood in front of me," The little first-year replies.
"I understand how that must feel," Koshi agrees, and Tobio walks over to the vending machine, yawning as he waits for Toshiro.
"I came to Karasuno because I was going to beat Kageyama," Shoyo confesses as said teen gets himself a drink.
"I see. But, Hinata, is beating Kageyama all you want out of volleyball?" The older Setter asks, and Tobio moves over to hear them talking.
"Oh….um…" He struggles to find an answer.
"He's practising through his lunch break?" Tobio questions as he takes a sip of his drink.
"I just want to become strong enough to defeat Kageyama. If I can do that, I'll be on even ground with any strong opponent. I wouldn't be easy to beat in a match. I don't want to lose any more," Hinata explains.
"I see… So, in other words, Kageyama is the best player in your grade level, as far as you know." Koshi reasons.
"Y-Yes…" He admits with tremendous difficulty.
"He sure doesn't like admitting it," The older Setter smiles. "But if he was your most formidable opponent, now he's your most formidable ally." Hinata groans as he squeezes the ball and thinks of Kageyama's earlier words. "All right, let's do some receiving."
"All right!"
"Unbelievable!" Toshiro groans as he walks with Tobio behind Suga, and Hinata spots them, almost getting a ball to the face. "This girl is unbelievable! Whenever I talk to her, she looks like I've killed her cat!" Suga and Hinata look over to see the two best friends; the usually stoic teen is anything but. "Even when I asked her if she wanted to come over to mine for the project, she basically bolted out of the classroom." They walk into the building, and Hinata looks at Suga, who is both looking in shock.
KARASUNO FIRST-YEAR BUILDING
"Thanks for taking out the trash," Hinata exclaims as he rushes out of his classroom at the end of the school day and heads out of the building, passing Toshiro, who slowly follows behind him.
OUTSIDE KARASUNO GYM
Hinata slows his run to the gym's open door, peeking inside to see the volleyball team stretching. "One, two, three, four," Daichi calls out.
"Five, six, seven, eight," The rest of the members count together and repeat several times as Hinata joins outside and sees Tobio and Toshiro standing behind him.
"Let's go," Tobio tells him, and the childhood friends walk away.
"Hey. Where are you going?" Hinata asks. "And why is Oyama here?"
"We can't handle the ball freely in there. I found a place we can practise," Toshiro informs him, and they walk away. "And I told the Captain I was helping you both, considering I'll be playing against you both, he didn't see anything wrong." The outcasts look in shock and chase after the taller first-year, trying to get answers from him, though the three are unaware of the two other first-years walking to the school gym.
INSIDE KARASUNO GYM
Meanwhile, Suga and Tanaka yawn at the early rise that morning to help Tobio and Shoyo practise, and their Captain takes notice. "You guys sound sleepy," Daichi comments, startling them. They turn to see him standing behind them.
"Oh, y-you think so? Maybe I studied too much," Suga replies, trying to brush it off.
"M-Me too. I studied…" Tanaka agrees, clearly bad at lying.
"Nobody will buy that from you!" The Setter tells him in a hushed tone.
"Huh?" He gulps, and the two newer first-year members walk into the gym.
"Excuse me," Tsukishima calls out, alerting them to their presence.
"Hey, you made it," Daichi says as he looks at them. "These are the first-year students who'll be joining us. New club members were supposed to be introduced next week, but we're having a match this Saturday. That'll be the true test of your skills."
"They're big," Narita comments and Ennoshita nods in agreement.
"Pleased to meet you," The first-years greet them, and Tadashi bows, too.
PUBLIC OUTDOOR VOLLEYBALL COURT
Toshiro sighs as he watches Hinata continue to practise his receiving, and the taller first-year uses another ball to practice his jump serve. "Don't just use your hands. Move your feet," Tobio snaps at the Shoyo and hits another ball to the side, almost tripping Oyama over. Come on. You need to concentrate."
"I know that," Hinata grumbles and runs after the ball. "We'll win this Saturday, be allowed into the gym, and join this club for real. But you, on the other hand, can't play Setter unless you win."
"If you know that, then concentrate!" Kageyama snaps, and Toshiro walks over.
"That's enough you two, Hinata let's practise, give Kageyama some time to cool off." Oyama suggests, and Shoyo beams, wondering what the stoic teen is like.
The sun begins to set, and the three first-years continue to practise. Kageyama jumps back with Hinata and grows frustrated, hitting the ball too hard, and it goes into a nearby tree. "I said to take it easy when we practise outside," Hinata scolds Kageyama as he runs around the fence to one of the trees surrounding the outdoor court and climbs the tree.
"All you have to do is receive properly," Tobio scolds back, joining the ginger with a twig in his hand and jumping, trying to knock the ball out of the branches.
"Whatever, King," Shoyo mumbles under his breath.
"Hey," Kageyama growls, glaring at the ginger.
"Crap," He cringes, and the ball falls from the tree, and Kageyama catches it with a click of his tongue and walks away. "What's the matter with him?" Hinata jumps down with a scowl. "He gets mad every time I call him 'King'. It's a cool nickname, you know. Oyama doesn't seem bothered by this. I wonder if I could have a cool nickname, too. Like 'Tiny Giant' or something. 'Wind of a fast wind.' That has 'wind' twice…" He ponders and shakes his head. "'The forest's-' That doesn't work. 'The jet black-' Um… 'The one who descended from the northeast-'"
"Hey, let's get back to it," Kageyama tells him, breaking Hinata from his thoughts.
"I wonder what our first-year opponents are like. They'll be better than playing against our senpais." Hinata remarks.
"Who cares what they're like? There's no choice for me but to win, even if it's against Tosh," Tobio tells him.
"That's nice to hear," Toshiro muses.
"That's what I was going to say," Hinata exclaims, and the Setter clicks his tongue again, walking over to his friend. "Don't click your tongue. Let's do this," He gets ready, and the ball flies into his face, knocking the ginger to the ground.
"Hey. You don't receive with your face," Tobio yells.
"Hinata! Are you okay?" Toshiro asks, rushing to his side.
KARASUNO GYM
The team members clean up the gym after they finish practice. "There's something I don't like about those newbie first-years…" Tanaka grumbles as he helps Suga carry the equipment away.
"You don't like anyone you meet for the first time. You know. That's your personality, right?" Suga replies.
"My personality?" He repeats.
"But those guys sure were beyond expectations. Are you going to be okay in the match on Saturday?" The Setter asks him.
"O-Of course. I'm on the team, after all, and we've got Ennoshita." The Spiker assures him.
"That's true. There's Kageyama, too," Koshi replies. "But don't you think Kageyama's mellowed out since junior high?"
"What? How has he mellowed out at all? The guy's cocky as shit," Ryunosuke replies as they walk into the equipment room.
"Well… it's like when he was in junior high, he had this unwavering confidence. Like he was an unprecedented phenomenon or something." Suga explains.
"Either way he's cocky as hell," Tanaka replies.
"Sorry, sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that," He replies and walks out with one of the mops.
"Huh?"
PUBLIC OUTDOOR VOLLEYBALL COURT
Kageyama hits the ball at Shoyo, who dives onto the ground to catch it. "One…One more," Hinata says, and Tobio looks at him.
"Here goes," He throws the ball into the air and hits it towards the ginger, who runs to catch it. "Go."
"Got it," Hinata replies, but before he can catch it, a hand stops the ball; Toshiro looks over to see a much taller blond boy with a more petite greenish-black-haired boy next to him.
"Wow, they're really doing this outside," Tsukishima muses and Hinata looks at the boy with headphones around his neck. "Are you the first-years that stirred up trouble on the first day?"
"T-shirts? Chilly," Yamaguchi comments as he steps out from behind his tall friend.
"H-Huge…" Shoyo gulps and jumps, trying to get the ball as Kei lifts it higher. "Give it back."
"Isn't it time for elementary school boys to go home?" the tall Middle Blocker teases the small ginger.
"Who are you guys anyway?" The ginger demands, growing angry at the teasing.
"You're the other first-years joining the club?" Tobio questions.
"Hey," Hinata exclaims.
"He's got height…" He thinks to himself and looks at Toshiro before turning to Tsukishima. "You, how tall are you?"
"I was talking here," Shoyo exclaims. "Hey!"
"Tsukki is 188cm," Tadashi answers. "He'll be 190 soon."
"190?" His eyes bulge at the thought, and he wishes he could be as tall.
"What are you bragging about, Yamaguchi?" Tsukishima questions his friend, who apologises.
"You're Kageyama and Oyama of Kitagawa Daiichi, aren't you? What're elites like you doing in Karasuno?"
"Huh?" Tobio questions, stepping towards him, and Toshiro stops his best friend going further.
"I don't think that's any of your business," Toshiro warns the tall blond teen.
"Hey!" Hinata gains their attention. "We won't lose this Saturday, you hear me?"
"Oh, I see," Tsukishima replies, but Shoyo feels a slight dig in his voice. "It might be an important match for you two, but it doesn't matter to me at all. I'm not worried about winning or losing, so if you two really need to win, I can go easy on you if you like," he tells them.
"Hey," The tiny first-year yelps, growing angry at the cheek coming from the tall teen.
"What?" A fire lights in Tobio. "Whether you go easy or give it your all, the bottom line is I will win."
"You mean 'we'." Hinata reminds him.
"Amazing confidence. I expect nothing less of the 'King'." Tsukishima teases him.
"Hey. Don't call me that," Kageyama growls.
"So it is true," The blond muses.
"What?" He sneers.
"The rumour that he loses it when he's called the 'King of the Court'. What's wrong with 'King'? It's cool. I think it suits you perfectly, 'King'." Tsukishima teases Tobio further.
"This is out of my hands," Hinata muses, walking away and standing by Toshiro.
"What do you want from me, dude?" Tobio asks, and the tall blond walks past him.
"I watched the prefecture preliminary tournament. That was some egocentric tossing. I can't believe your teammates tolerate it, because I just couldn't. Oh! I guess what happened was because they couldn't tolerate it any more, either." He taunts him more, and Toshiro sees his childhood friend about to move and stops him, surprising everyone as Kageyama holds onto the blond's collar.
"Tsukki," Tadashi calls out to his friend.
"What's going on? I don't know what they're talking about, but why is he holding back on this creepy guy? Tell him off like you usually would. Say something back at him," Shoyo says to himself as he watches Tobio and Toshiro walk away to grab their bags.
"Let's go," Toshiro tells the ginger as they walk away.
"Um…hey." Hinata calls after them.
"Running away? I guess the King and his Black Knight aren't what they're cracked up to be. Maybe I'll win against the King this Saturday, too, with his precious Knight on our side. Did he abandon you, too?" Tsukishima taunts Tobio more and throws the ball into the air; having had enough jumps to catch the ball quickly, Hinata surprises the two newer first-years.
"Shut up with the 'King' and 'Black Knight' crap. I'm here, too. I'll spike the ball over your head at the match." Hinata declares.
"Huh?" The blond teen questions, making the ginger back away.
"W-What? Hey. You wanna fight, bastard?" he nervously replies, shaking his fist to seem intimidating.
"Let's not get so intense. Let's do this cheerfully, for fun. It's only a club activity, after all." Kei replies.
"What do you mean 'only'?" Shoyo demands an answer.
"I mean, literally," Tsukishima replies and walks away. "See you later."
"Hey, you! Stop! Who are you guys?" Hinata demands, making them stop.
"First-year class 4, Kei Tsukishima," He introduces himself.
"I'm Tadashi Yamaguchi," The timid teen adds.
"We're your teammates starting today. But enemies for now. Looking forward to seeing the King's tosses. See ya," Tsukishima says as he walks away.
"Man, those guys totally give me the creeps. We'll pummell them to the ground," Hinata exclaims.
"I don't need you to tell me that," Tobio says, walking away with Toshiro.
"Hey, where are you guys going?" The tiny ginger asks them, and they turn around to look at him. "We're not done yet," The pair drop their bags with a smirk.
"Tsukki, wait up. Is something the matter?" Tadaish asks as he rushes after his tall blond friend as they walk away.
"Guys that are intense for no reason get on my nerves. That King… and his Knight…and that Shrimp…" Kei grumbles, walking away. He knows that Toshiro Oyama will be his teammate for the match this Saturday, but he knows Oyama is only loyal to Kageyama.
"You get in position too slowly. I told you to focus," Kageyama scolds Hinata as they continue, and Suga and Tanaka walk over, Toshiro having told them.
KARASUNO GYM
"How much longer are they going to do this?" Suga questions.
"Who knows?" Tanaka sighs, rubbing his eyes. "I'm so sleepy I can't stand it."
PUBLIC OUTDOOR VOLLEYBALL COURT
Shoyo does a good receive, and the ball flies back to Tobio, who remembers Tsukishima's words from earlier and angrily slams the ball towards the ginger, making the ball deflect off his forearms.
"Hey, Kageyama. It's too dark to see clearly. Don't hit it so hard," Hinata warns him.
"Sorry," Tobio replies with a dark look, and Hinata rushes off to get the ball.
"Scary. What's with that guy? That's not an apologetic look. His nerves have been on edge since he met that big guy. But if he doesn't toss at me, I can't spike. I'll do my best receiving 'til I get a toss." Shoyo thinks to himself and grabs the ball. "All right. Do that again," He throws the ball back to Tobio, and they continue practising.
KARASUNO GYM
The following day, Toshiro walks into the gym after his short morning swim, his hair still wet, and hears Tobio shouting at Hinata as he walks inside. "Is it raining?" Tanaka asks, looking at the first year.
"No," Toshiro answers and puts his red trainers on.
"He goes for a swim every morning around this time," Tobio answers for his overly quiet friend. The older club members look surprised at this new information and wonder why he would go swimming every morning.
PUBLIC VOLLEYBALL COURT
Tobio groans as he hits the ball towards Hinata, knowing that Toshiro is with that lanky bastard from last night. He hates that his best friend is on their side against him. "What's your problem?" Hinata asks him.
"Nothing," Tobio replies, hitting the ball again harder.
KARASUNO GYM
Hinata and Tobio continue to practise; the smaller first-year receives, and the younger Setter notices his improvement. "He couldn't handle a ball like that before," he says in shock.
"Hey, don't go easy on me!" Hinata exclaims, and Kageyama grows annoyed and hits the ball harder.
"You asked for it!" He shouts and continues the harsh assault as Suga watches Tanaka run a little late and rushes to the gym.
"Crap, I overslept. I'm tardy, I'm tardy. I gotta hurry… Then, wham, I run into Kiyoko, who's eating bread." He muses to himself as he opens the door. "I wish," He looks inside to see the rally the first-years are doing. "How long have they been at it?"
"It's been fifteen minutes since I got here," Suga answers.
"Fifteen minutes straight?" Tanaka questions in shock, and the third-year nods in confirmation.
"His great physical abilities make up for his unskillful clumsiness. But…" Tobio thinks and hits the ball harder. "You've reached your limit now!" But Hinata hits it, though his forearms are red. "You can't go any further…"
"Not yet!" Hinata shouts. "I haven't dropped the ball yet!"
"Take that!" Kageyama yells, hitting the ball harder, and it goes over Shoyo's head.
"Wow, bad character! How's he supposed to get that?" Tanaka exclaims, and Tobio seems to realise his mistake.
"Crap! I didn't mean that…" He gulps.
"Hinata's athleticism has been amazing since junior high," Suga comments and Hinata runs after the ball. "It's not just that, though. I feel like he has the fortitude to become a winner. "He has a different weapon other than a gifted physique or superior athleticism."
"I can't take it any more. I want him to stop, And in the very moment, I think that…one step." Tobio watches as the ginger runs after the ball and even runs faster, diving for it and hitting it toward Tobio.
"He saved it. That's amazing, Hinata!" Tanaka exclaims, and Kageyama thinks back on his words to Shoyo, raising his hands into the air and tossing the ball. "A toss?!"
"Kageyama tossed to him!" Suga exclaims in surprise.
"Hinata is too worn out to spike it, though," He adds, looking at Shoyo as he gets back up to his feet, breathing heavily. But Hinata sees the toss and beams with glee, running toward the net and slamming the ball down over the net with a big grin.
"He sure can jump," The third-year comments.
"He recovered from being that worn out. And look how happy he is," Tanaka remarks as he sees the boy's beaming face.
"I think that meant something special to Hinata," Suga says, remembering his words when they were practising. "We have the ball tossed by the Setter. That's something we take for granted."
"Hey," Tobio says, walking over to the coughing Hinata, who looks up at him. "We're going to win tomorrow."
"...now he's my most formidable ally," Hinata remembers what Suga said to him, and Tobio huffs and walks away. "O-Of course we wi-" He tries to say, but his breakfast comes up, making the others panic.
"Tanaka, get water, water! And a washrag!" Suga shouts.
SENDAI PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL
Toshiro swims to help clear his head as the match is today. He hears the doors to the pool open, and Oyama stops to see Tobio walking with his younger siblings behind him. "What are you doing here?" Toshiro asks them as his younger brothers and sister jump into the water.
"It's today, the match," Tobio replies, and Oyama sees his father walk inside.
"I see you're here, come to cool off, Tobi-chan?" Rintarou asks the boy, who shakes his head.
"No, sorry," He replies, and Toshiro gets out of the pool, grabbing his towel.
"I'm in no mood to lose," Toshiro tells his childhood friend and walks into the changing rooms.
KARASUNO HIGH SCHOOL
Tobio walks through the school gates with Toshiro, both of them in their tracksuits, and they hear something coming towards them at high speed and turn to see Hinata running, speeding past them; Tobio, ever the competitive type, races after him. "Wait up, you idiot!" He shouts after him, leaving Toshiro behind, who sighs.
KARASUNO GYM
Tanaka looks at the heavily breathing first-years slumped over from their little race. "What's the point of getting worn out before the match? You'd better rest up," He tells them.
"Damn…" Hinata groans as he gets to his feet after lying on the ground. "That was a draw."
"I won't lose to the likes of you," Tobio replies, trying to catch his breath.
"But…" "He's irritating, and pisses me off… He's going to send me tosses from now on. Tosses from the Setter." "You and I are gonna win today," Hinata says, and Kageyama gets to his feet.
"Let's get ready."
"Yeah."
"Morning, King," Tsukishima greets him, and they look over to see him and Tadashi.
"I'll…break through any wall. You'll see."
"Can we go inside now?" Toshiro asks as he walks to the door with a sigh. The other first-years walk in behind him, changing into his trainers and beginning stretching.
"Good morning," Kiyoko greets everyone as she walks inside,
"The beautiful girl. The beautiful girl is here. Hey, hey. Is she the manager?" Hinata asks Kageyama, who ignores him.
"All right. Let's get started," Daichi announces. "I'll be on Tsukishima's team."
"What? You, Captain?" He asks in shock as he sees the tall blond, his friend, and Toshiro.
"Don't worry. Tanaka's a better attacker than me. Though I won't go easy on you, either," The Captain warns him, knowing that Toshiro is a deadly player in his own right.
"Um…that little one and Tanaka, which one shall I crush-" Tsukishima says but pretends to stop himself. "I mean - block first?" The two he's speaking about hear him with his noticeable voice volume. "Oh, yes, yes. I'd like to see the King lose, too."
"Tsukki, they can hear you. Watch it," Tadashi warns his friend.
"I'm saying it so they can hear it," Kei replies. "I sure hope they lose their cool."
"Tsukishima, you got character problems," Daichi remarks, and Toshiro nods in agreement with the Captain.
"Our special feature is the King and his Knight, who's been abandoned by his underlings." Kei adds.
"Hey, hey," Tanaka says, making the others look at him as he walks over to his teammates. "Did you hear that? My, the things he says. Oh, that Tsukishima, I'm going to really…" He jokingly acts frightened and turns dark as he looks back at the tall blond teen. "...crush him to a pulp," Hinata agrees, sticking his tongue out.
"Let's just get on with this," Toshiro grumbles and moves to the net. "I'll be the Setter," The others look at him in surprise, but the game begins with Oyama serving. He does an easy one, hitting it toward Hinata, who, surprisingly to everyone, receives it and passes it to Tobio, who sets it to Tanaka, who slams it down past Tsukishima.
"He blew that big first-year out of the water," Kinoshita comments as he stands by the scoreboard with Suga and Narita.
"Awesome power! More than usual!" Hinata marvels as he watches from the back, and Tanaka takes off his jumper, swinging it over his head.
"Tanaka, shut up!" Suga shouts from the sidelines.
"Showboating!" Narita shouts.
"Don't take your shirt off!" Kinoshita shouts.
"Maybe you shouldn't have razzed Tanaka," Daichi comments, and they continue to play.
Tadashi hits the ball over the net, and Tanaka receives it. "Okay!" He shouts as the ball flies toward Tobio.
"Me, too… Me, too…" Hinata beams and runs towards the net as Tobio throws the ball into the air. "I get a toss, too… This is my first high school match and my first spike." He jumps into the air. "I'll score," Everyone looks at his high jump in surprise, and he hits the ball down, but Tsukishima and Toshiro jump up to stop the ginger. "And yet again, even here… there's a high, high wall."
"You surprised me the other day, too. You sure can jump. If only you were 30 centimetres taller, you could've become a superstar." Tsukishima taunts the little ginger.
"So he's tall! He's only one opponent," Hinata grits his teeth. "One more. I'll score the next one," He declares and tries again, but the tall blond blocks him again.
"Blocked again," Narita sighs.
"How many is that now?" Suga questions and watches as Kinoshita changes the score.
"Tsukki, nice!" Tadashi says.
"Tanaka is scoring consistently, though," Kinoshita remarks.
"Nice block, Tsukishima," Daichi says.
"Damn…" Hinata curses.
"Thank you," Tsukishima replies, looking at Toshiro, who doesn't look bothered, which annoys him.
"This guy's better than I thought," Tobio thinks as he looks at the blond.
"Hey, there. He's constantly getting blocked. You should do the King's toss. The toss that decimates his enemies…and decimates his teammates, as well." Kei teases him.
"Shut up," He grumbles and walks away.
"Yamaguchi, nice serve," Daichi says. He moves to the end line, throws the ball into the air, and hits it into the net by Toshiro and Tsukishima's heads.
"Sorry, Tsukki, Oyama," Yamaguchi apologises with an awkward head scratch.
"Don't mind. Don't mind," The Captain says, and Tobio walks over to the ball.
"We don't need a speedy attack. We can win without it," Tobio says and walks to the end of the court, spinning the ball between his hands.
"Go, killer serve," Hinata yells as the Setter bounces the ball around.
"Kageyama's jump-serve. It was powerful…" Suga thinks as he watches the first year.
"I'll rack the points up all at once," Kageyama says. He throws the ball into the air and dashes forward before jumping and slamming it down over the net. Daichi easily receives the ball, surprising the two first-years on the other side of the net, and Toshiro gets the ball, tossing it into the air.
"Yamaguchi," Toshiro calls. Yamaguchi jumps up and hits the ball over the net, and Ennoshita receives it.
"Damn it," Tobio curses.
"Nice toss, Oyama," Yamaguchi comments and Toshiro nods.
"Was it okay?" He asks, and Tadashi smiles.
"Yeah, perfect," Tadashi replies and receives a nod.
"Daichi's weapon is his solid receive. They've got serious defence," Tanaka informs the first-years.
"Did you think you'd score a few points?" Daichi questions, surprising Tobio. "I don't have outstanding talent, but I've been doing this a couple years longer than you. My receive is well-integrated into my body. Don't think you can get past me that easily."
"Awesome…" Hinata marvels.
"Hey, King," Tsukishima calls over. "Maybe you should start getting serious."
"What's your problem? You haven't stopped getting in our faces since the other day. What's this 'King's toss'?" Shoyo questions, moving closer to the net.
"Don't you know why they call him 'King'?" He asks, pointing at the young Setter.
"He's called that because he's so good that guys at other schools are intimidated by him, isn't that it?" The ginger answers as more of a question, making the blond teen laugh.
"I'm sure there are others who think that's why. However, his nickname of 'King of the Court' was given to him by the guys of Kitagawa Daiichi. By the teammates of the King. What it means is… He's the egocentric King. The oppressive dictator. I heard rumours, but I was convinced when I saw that match. He got too oppressive and had to sit out on the bench while the Black Knight replaced him." Kei informs them, and the other members look between their childhood best friends. "Do you not use your quick sets anymore because you lost your nerve from that match?"
"Dude. You've been yammering too much," Tanaka growls, moving towards the tall blond boy, and Ennoshita tries to stop his teammate.
"Tanaka," Daichi calls him off, shaking his head.
"To make tosses just to have no one jump-," Tsukishima continues.
"You're right," Tobio admits, and everyone looks at him. "The fact that I made a toss, and no one was there… It's truly frightening."
"But that was back in junior high, right?" Hinata questions, surprising some of the members. "You toss to me just fine. It means no difference to me. The real problem for me is how I'm going to get past you," He points at the Tsukishima, making the older players snicker; even Toshiro can't help a smile, seeing the little ginger stomp over to his best friend, still pointing over at the taller first-year. "We'll win against Tsukishima, become official club members, and you will bravely play Setter. And you'll toss to me. What else is there?"
"How pure and straightforward… It's irritating," Tsukishima grumbles and takes the ball, walking over to the end line. "You can't make up for height by psyching yourself up. If you believe effort alone will win out… You're dead wrong," He throws the ball into the air and hits it over the net.
"I got it," Ennoshita shouts as he steps forward to catch the ball.
"Tanaka," Hinata beams and waves his hand around. "Toss it to me!"
"Who do I toss to? Hinata can't beat Tsukishima one-on-one…" Tobio wonders and raises his hands, ready to set. "Tanaka!"
"Kageyama!" Shoyo shouts, making him look at the ginger high in the air.
"There was…no one there…" He looks in shock.
"I'm here," Hinata announces, and Kageyama sets the ball over to Hinata, who hits it over the net, and Daichi tries to save the ball. "That was close. I almost missed it. It's out, though."
"What was that for?" Tobio snaps at him.
"But the ball came to me," He argues, surprising the Setter. "Forget about junior high. I'll take any toss I can get. Gratefully. I'll jump anywhere. I'll hit any ball. So… Toss it to me!"
"I was sure Kageyama was going to toss to Tanaka, but he instinctively responded to Hinata's voice and motion instead. And a perfectly accurate toss. For now, only his bad attitude stands out, but Kageyama is awesome, after all," Suga thinks to himself in awe.
"Hey guys, you know how to do quick attacks?" Tanaka asks his teammates as Ennoshita tries calming him down, but everyone is still in shock.
"Quick attack?" Hinata repeats.
"A fast attack like the one you just did," He explains.
"Not at all," The ginger answers. "All I've ever spiked are balls that get tossed high up."
"But you just did it. And when you were in junior high, I saw you spike a missed toss by the beginner setter. That's what I mean," The second-year Spiker replies.
"Huh? But I don't remember how I did it. But I'll spike any toss," Shoyo replies. "I'll spike it, got it?" He turns to Tobio, who turns away, surprised by the declaration.
"We've never gotten coordinated. A fast attack is impossible," Tobio tells him, surprising the little ginger.
"Did he just say 'impossible'? Does this guy know the meaning of the word 'impossible'?" Hinata gasps but straightens up and points his finger at Kageyama. "There's something weird about you. Your weakness is giving me the creeps; it's weird!"
"Shut up," He replies, walking away.
"It's not like you, King," Tsukishima calls after him, teasing him more.
"I'll spike it past you. Wait and see!" Hinata exclaims.
"There you go again, getting all pissed off. Just being reckless isn't going to make things right. Some people aren't cut out for some things. Clearly, you're not cut out to be a Spiker," The blond tells the ginger, angering Tanaka; both Daichi and Ennoshita stop him before he can punch the snarky teen.
"That's true," Shoyo admits, surprising the others. "Even when I was in junior high, I would jump and jump, but I kept getting blocked. Height is needed for volleyball. No matter how high I jump, I can't get past their overwhelming height. But…I know I want to become like that. So I don't care if I'm cut for it or not. I'm going to do battle with this body, win and win, and be on the court as long as I can." Toshiro looks at him and glances at his best friend. "No…I want to be…on the court as long as I can!"
"But you don't have what it takes. This isn't a matter of psychology. You can't make up for height with feelings. If you could play libero, that would be a different matter," Tsukishima tells him, and Tobio thinks of the jumps that the boy can do and looks at his childhood friend, who nods in agreement.
"To break the wall in front of the Spiker… That's the Setter's job," Tobio replies, walking over to stand next to the ginge; everyone looks at him in surprise, but even Hinata looks at him, and the young Setter grabs him by the shirt, dragging the smaller first-year away.
"Wh-What, Kageyama? Ouch, let go. Let me go!" Hinata exclaims.
"Calm down, Kageyama!" Ennoshita yells as he and Tanaka race over to the two first-years.
"What's the big deal-," Shoyo snaps and Tobio slaps his hand on the ginger's head, silencing him.
"Listen. If you can't spike it, avoid it. Use every ounce of physical ability you have. Use your reflexes and spike my tosses," Tobio tells Shoyo.
"Huh? That's how you explain a fast attack?" Tanaka exclaims.
"Understood," Hinata replies.
"Liar! You don't understand it!" Tanaka shouts.
"Tanaka! Quiet!" Ennoshita tries to calm him down.
"We'll do it anyway," The two first-years reply.
"What got into you all of a sudden? You were snivelling like a depressed little brat," The spiker questions.
"I am not depressed," Kageyama replies.
"Liar!" Tanaka snaps.
"Tanaka!" Ennoshita says.
"All right… Let's do this," Hinata says, getting himself psyched up.
"With this guy's reflexes and speed, I know he can spike a fast toss. Maybe even faster than Tosh," Tobio thinks as he looks at the ginger.
"All right! Come on, toss. Come anywhere," Shoyo beams.
"Tsukki, nice serve," Yamaguchi calls out to his friend.
"We don't have signals yet, but what the heck…" Tobio points over to his left, and the ginger nods eagerly.
"Okay. He's tossing that way," Hinata nods along, and Tsukishima throws the ball into the air and hits it toward Hinata.
"Hinata," Tanaka warns the boy.
"All right. That was a weaker serve than Auntie Yoshida's," The ginger easily receives the ball into the air and runs toward the net. "Then, I'll jump this way…" He jumps up, but the ball flies past his hand. "Huh?" He looks as the ball falls to the floor, bouncing away. "It's that fast?"
"Hey! What are you doing? You have to be faster-," Tobio shouts but stops himself.
"And there it is, the King's toss," Tsukishima teases, making Kageyama hiss at him to be quiet.
"It's hard to get it right the first time," He snaps.
"I wonder," the blond muses. The two first-years continue to try the quick attack until the ginger taps the ball over the net.
"All right, got it!" Hinata beams but speaks too soon as he gets caught in the net.
"What is this, net fishing?" Tanaka exclaims and helps untangle the ginger.
"I don't know how to time it at all," Shoyo groans as they take a little break.
"You've got fast reflexes, so go like 'bah', like 'gwah'," Tobio exclaims.
"Is it 'bah' or 'gwah'? Which is it?" The ginger snaps back.
"That's not the important part!" Tanaka exclaims, and Suga has an idea, walking over to the discarded ball.
"Kageyama," Suga calls the younger Setter. "You're repeating what you did in junior high," The two first years look at him. "Um…"
"Hinata has the reflexes, speed, and the springing power. If he gets used to it, he can do fast attacks." Kageyama explains.
"But Hinata's weapon, which is his speed…your toss is killing it, don't you think?" The third-year asks, and Tobio seems to understand. "Hinata has no technique and no experience."
"Sugawara," Hinata grumbles, feeling a little hurt.
"He's not an outstanding player who can match your ability," He continues, and Hinata feels down again, deflating more. "But his potential is tops."
"Oh, don't call me a genius or anything. That's an exaggeration," Shoyo beams, blushing a little.
"He never said that," Tanaka reminds him.
"If you can do it… You need to sync with Hinata's style, or his talent, or… Um…" Suga tries to explain but struggles to find the words.
"Suga, fight!" Ennoshita and Tanaka encourage the third year.
"You know, use them to your advantage somehow. I'm a setter like you. I watched you in last year's match, and I was intimidated. By your extraordinary talent, your ball control, and most of all… By your ability to calmly detect your opponent's movement, and your power to make quick decisions. I don't have any of those things," He continues.
"That's not true, Su-," Tanaka tries to argue.
"Tanaka. Listen to what he has to say," Daichi tells him.
"You have technique, and an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm. Most importantly, you have an extraordinary awareness of your surroundings. So there's no way you can't see what your teammate is doing," Suga tells him and throws the ball, which Kageyama catches.
"Somehow use them to my advantage? What does that mean?" Kageyama panics, and Toshiro sees it on his best friend's face with a smirk; he jerks his head at Hinata, who flinches at the sudden movement. Hinata stares back but turns, looking at Tanaka for help and pointing at the young Setter.
"I…" Tobio says suddenly. "I envy your athletic reflexes."
"Huh?" Hinata exclaims.
"But you waste your treasure, and that infuriates me," He continues, confusing the tiny orange-haired teen. "So I'm going to use all of your abilities." He points at him.
"What?" Tanaka questions, looking at the two outcast first-years.
"Use your highest speed and your highest jump. I'll bring the ball to you," The young Setter declares.
"Bring the ball? What's that mean?" Shoyo asks, tilting his head.
"Get to where there's no blocker at your max speed, and jump. Then spike with all your strength. You don't have to watch my toss. You don't have to synch with the ball," Tobio explains, and Toshiro knows he has to try a little harder now they're taking it a little seriously.
"What?" Hinata exclaims. "But if I don't see the ball, I'll end up spiking the air."
"Maybe so," He agrees, but he has a plan.
"What?!"
"But I want to try this," Kageyama replies, looking at Hinata, who sees the look on his face and agrees.
"What's he going to try now?" Tsukishima wonders, looking at their opponents. "No one but the Black Knight can spike the King's egocentric toss."
"No kidding," Tadashi agrees with his friend.
"What's he going to do?" Suga ponders, watching from the sidelines. "There's no way Hinata can handle those tosses."
"Nice serve! One point!"
Toshiro watches from across the court at Kageyama, seeing him taking a calming breath before his eyes turn even colder. "Amazing concentration." Tanaka muses as he looks at the young Setter, and Daichi serves the ball.
"Watch. Watch," Kageyama darts his eyes around, looking at everything. He sees Tadashi, Kei, and Toshiro blocking the net, and he knows that with his childhood best friend there, he might not have a chance to score a point. Tobio analyses everything as it happens, as if in slow motion, before quickly moving towards the ball and tossing the ball straight into Hinata's hand, who smacks it down over the net onto the floor. "Good!"
"Nice," Toshiro comments, observing Hinata's shock as he lands on the ground.
"My hand.. It hit my land!" Hinata exclaims in shock.
"He's so over the top," Tsukishima grumbles, looking at the laughing ginger.
"Hey!" Daichi gasps, making the first years look at him. "Hinata's eyes were closed just then."
"What?!" The boys shout in shock, looking at the Volleyball Captain.
"Um… what?" Tsukishima questions, looking at him.
"From the moment he jumped up until he spiked, Hinata had his eyes closed," Daichi explains in shock. "That means Kageyama tossed it directly into Hinata's palm when he wasn't even looking. He synched the toss to the moment he'd swing with total accuracy."
"Awesome. Awesome!" Hinata beams, looking at his hand in amazement. "It hit my hand. Right then. Hey."
"Hey, you!" Kageyama shouts, turning to Hinata and pointing at him. "Why did you have your eyes closed?"
"You told me not to watch the ball. When my eyes are open, I can't help but watch the ball," He argues weakly.
"I said that, but…" Tobio argues.
"It worked though, right? What's wrong with that?" Shoyo retorts.
"Sure, but who trusts anyone 100 percent?" He snaps.
"Well, I have no choice but to trust you right now," Hinata argues, looking at him, and Tobio stands in shock.
"You're awesome, man!" Tanaka cheers as Tobio stands looking at him. "What the heck was that, anyway? Hey!"
"They're a dangerous combo," Toshiro muses, looking at Daichi, who nods in agreement, watching Kageyama step towards Hinata.
"All right, If Hinata's spike scores, the marks will even out, which makes it easier for Tanaka-san to spike, too." Tobio declares.
"All right!"
"Yeah!"
"I don't have any faith in us whatsoever," Kageyama continues, making the ginger stare at him, "but I'll keep bringing the ball to you. Just trust me, and jump." Hinata nods, and they continue to the game. As they play, Kageyama keeps tossing the ball at Hinata, who keeps messing up, making the points further apart.
"I wonder if that last one was pure luck…" Narita comments, changing the scoreboard.
"The precision of his tosses is definitely getting higher," Suga observes closely.
"You think so?" He questions.
"Yeah," The official Setter nods.
"Here, Hinata," Ennoshita says, handing him a napkin he uses to wash the floor.
"Oh, thank you very much," Hinata mutters, and Kiyoko walks over to check on him.
"Are you okay?" Kiyoko asks him, startling the nervous ginger.
"Yes!" He exclaims, nodding. "What're you smiling about?" Catching the smile on Tobio's face, and so does Toshiro, who smirks, glad to see that smile again, "That's the second time it hit my face."
"I don't get it," Kei mutters, watching the exchange. "That last one must've been sheer luck. Yet he keeps trying the same thing."
"But maybe Hinata will keep jumping without watching the ball," Daichi replies, smiling fondly.
"Did you do that on purpose?"
"Truly, I don't get it either."
"Don't you know we have to win?"
"No one can trust someone 100 percent."
"Of course I know that, dolt."
"Not to mention your own rival."
"Darn, this isn't working," Hinata grumbles, rubbing his offended cheek. Then he looks at his hand, missing the sensation he felt when he hit the ball.
"Hey, Obi," Toshiro smirks, gaining Tobio's attention. "You think you can do it?"
"Yeah, I do," Tobio smiles.
"Glad to see that look. I hope I wipe it off," Oyama jokes, moving away and earning a glare from Kageyama. Tadashi serves the ball, continuing the game as everyone gets into position.
"All right, I got it," Tanaka yells, receiving and hitting the ball.
"Nice receive," Kageyama says, moving.
"He'll toss to the Shrimp and fail again," Kei muses, watching them as he blocks the net with Toshiro. "He should mark Tanaka-san instead."
"Enough. Yamaguchi! Get here!" Toshiro shouts, seeing Hinata speeding towards the net. Tadashi steps toward the net as Hinata approaches them quickly but darts away from the Middle Blockers. They try to keep up with the small ginger, but he's too fast with a head start. Kageyama watches as Hinata jumps into the wall, and Toshiro jumps to block but sees Hinata's eyes closed. Toshiro smirks, falling down before he can block, letting him score as Tobio tosses the ball into the balm of Shoyo, who slams it down and peaks his eyes open to watch it hit the floor with a thud.
"All right!"
