The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Sekine always had a keen eye for recognizing talent. That was a fact that all the Tokyo Thunder coaching staff knew. Out of nearly thirty players on the team, from the main echelon to the U-19 team, almost all were scouted by the old man himself. Even though some came through friends' recommendations, he was always impartial, never hesitating to reject anyone who didn't meet the standard.

However, this was probably the first time Ryotaro Kawaki, the U-19 team coach, saw the old man introduce two high school students to join the team.

There was no rule preventing this; the team always emphasized developing their young players. But there had never been a high school student on the team. Besides the fact that they were still minors and restricted by their school activities, their bodies hadn't fully developed yet, making it harder to adapt to the pace of older players.

But since the old man vouched for them, Kawaki knew those two had something special inside them. Intrigued, he called over the two boys who would be the examiners for this match. "Tondo! Miyahara! Don't hold back and go all out!"

The two were taken aback. The taller boy, Tondo, asked hesitantly, "Are you sure, sensei?" Miyahara nodded, also questioning the coach's decision.

Even though they had a conflict with the two younger boys before, Tondo and Miyahara never took it personally. They knew they were in the wrong for flirting with their friend and teasing them at the wrong time. For them, it was just playful banter that could be resolved with a simple apology.

When they learned that Sekine recommended those two, they were ready to take it easy on them. Although the younger boys were talented, it would likely be impossible for them to adjust quickly when playing against older players, and Tondo and Miyahara intended to give Sekine face by letting the younger boys show off their abilities first. Enjoy more content from empire

Unexpectedly, Kawaki asked them to do the opposite of what they had planned.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Sekine-sensei wants to see how they fare against you," Kawaki said with a confident smile.

"Yeah, Tondo! Don't hold back! Are you really willing to let their disrespect slide without consequence?!" Sekine chuckled, adding fuel to the fire.

Tondo and Miyahara chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what to say. But since both coaches asked them to go all out, they had to comply. They just felt pity for the two younger boys who would struggle during this test.

"Okay, time's up! All of you, come here!" Kawaki called for them to gather around him. "This will be a 2v2 game with the final score set at 11. I want a good game, and please respect your opponent and the referee's decision. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, Sir!"

After that, Kawaki took a coin and flipped it to decide who would serve first. Unfortunately, Riku lost, resulting in the ball going to the opponents. Tondo grabbed the ball from the ground and bounced it a few times as he waited for Kawaki to blow the whistle.

"Get ready, Riku," Yuki whispered lowly.

Riku nodded, his body tense. Even though they were confident in their skills, they knew their opponents were older and more experienced, making this game difficult.

After ensuring that all players from both sides were ready, Kawaki blew the whistle and nodded at Tondo. The boy took a deep breath, tossed the ball slightly in the air, and without even looking where he aimed, unleashed his arm quickly, transferring all his power into the ball.

BAM!

The speed itself wasn't that impressive; Yuki easily followed the ball's movement as he leaned to the left, preparing to receive it. However, when the ball made contact with his hands, Yuki realized how heavy the impact was.

"SHIT! Sorry, cover it up!" he shouted, trying his best to recover.

"Don't worry; I got this!" Riku rushed forward to get the ball.

Unfortunately, Yuki's reception wasn't perfect, and the ball flew close to the net. The other boy on the opponent's side, Miyahara, saw this and also rushed to swipe at the ball. As a result, he and Riku met in the middle, battling to gain control of it.

"Shit!" Riku cursed, feeling overwhelmed by the opponent's power. The ball was redirected by Miyahara far to the side of Yuki's position. This was the biggest disadvantage of playing a 2v2 game: the court was too large for just two players to cover. Once the opponent rendered one of them useless, it was impossible for the other to protect the entire area.

Thud!

Even though Yuki dove forward in an attempt to save the ball, he was a step too late. In the end, the ball hit the floor, untouched.

"Hey, hey, what happened to all that talk before? Are you sure this is all you're capable of?" Tondo asked playfully.

Yuki and Riku ignored him, still staring at their hands as if something was wrong with them. This was when they realized their disadvantage. Compared to them, Tondo and Miyahara, who had already reached adulthood, had more developed bodies and had trained for a long time, giving them more power than any opponents Yuki and Riku had ever faced.

Hell, judging by the heaviness of the serve, Yuki knew Tondo was on the same level as Nitta from Kyoei Gakuen, and that was the only time Yuki had ever been sent out of the court twice due to the opponent's overwhelming power. However, after being silent for a while, the two younger boys suddenly wore identical grins, startling their opponents briefly.

"Man, this is going to be a pain in the ass," Riku muttered.

"Yeah," Yuki nodded in agreement, still wearing the same grin. "But that's what makes the game interesting, right?"

"Oh, I know." The grin also spread from ear to ear on Riku's face. "So, are you ready to get serious, Yuki?" he asked his friend.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this." Yuki rolled his shoulders a little, relaxing the tension in his body. "Do you want to use the tactic we did so well against Konan?"

Riku's face brightened, recognizing which tactic Yuki meant. "Sure! Let's show them what we are capable of, okay?"