Tokyo – Nekoma High School
Several high schools, including Fukurodani Academy, Nekoma, Morikawa, and Karasuno, were gathered together for joint summer training under the Fukurodani Alliance.
Originally, Karasuno, being an ordinary public school, couldn't afford the costs of a full month of intense training camp.
But all for the sake of the long-awaited "Battle at the Garbage Dump–" Coach Nekomata from Nekoma pulled every string possible to make sure they could stay, even if that meant rough living conditions.
Not that Karasuno minds.
"Whoa~~~ What the heck is this!?"
During a practice match between Fukurodani and Nekoma, Karasuno's Oda Miki, who was quietly slacking off, suddenly received a video message.
It was from none other than Ryuhei Sanashita.
Oda didn't think much of it at first, he and Sanashita had been chatting every night lately, after all.
But the moment he opened the video… he lost it.
The players near him turned at his outburst.
"What happened, Oda?" one asked curiously.
Ryunosuke Tanaka was the first to peek over his shoulder.
"What's going on, OHOOOOHHHH!"
Before he could finish, Tanaka caught sight of the footage and let out a screech even louder than Oda's.
"What kind of match is this?! This is insane!"
"Hey, Tanaka! Don't yell like that, you'll disturb, "
Sawamura Daichi tried to hush him, but as soon as he looked at the screen himself, even he couldn't keep his cool.
"What the hell!? Why are all those monsters playing together!?"
"Terrifying… way too terrifying–" muttered Asahi Azumane, clutching his shirt, shivering.
"Wow~~ That kind of matchup is just… beyond imagination."
"Jealous. I'm so jealous–" said Sugawara Koushi.
Just as he was about to say something else, Hinata Shoyo's eyes sparkled as he shouted, "I wanna play against them! Right, Kageyama!?"
"Hell yeah!" Kageyama Tobio's hands twitched as if itching for the ball. He looked like he wanted to dive straight into the screen.
Karasuno's excited reaction caught the attention of the other schools.
Seeing his players getting distracted, Morikawa's coach frowned and shouted:
"Hey! Karasuno kids! Stop disturbing the others, and no phones during training!"
"But Coach Hasekawa! Aoba Johsai, Shiratorizawa, Mujinazaka, and Itachiyama are doing practice matches right now!"
"…Huh?"
Even Coach Hasekawa was stunned by Hinata's words.
"What did you just say? Those are all national-level rivals!"
"It's true! And they're doing random 3v3 matches too!"
Tanaka raised his phone for all to see.
The moment those words left his mouth, not only Morikawa's players, but even the players in the middle of the Fukurodani vs. Nekoma match stopped. Everyone crowded around.
And then… they saw it.
The video of that terrifying match.
"What the hell!? This is a god-tier showdown!"
"This is insane! It's like they pulled a full SSR team, three of the nation's top Aces in one court–" whispered Hinata, eyes shining.
"Uwoohhh~~ What a thrilling battle! I wanna be in that too!"
"Three of the top Aces, the nation's #1 Libero, plus Akashi-kun and King Oikawa… This is just unfair! I wanna play them too!"
Hinata bounced on his heels with envy.
Then a thought hit him.
"Wait, Oda, where is this happening!?"
"Over in Miyagi Prefecture!"
"HUH!??"
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Boom!
Back in Miyagi, the players there couldn't hear a thing from Tokyo.
Right now, the match is starting.
Akashi Asuka was the first to serve.
And right out of the gate… he unleashed a cannon.
The explosive crack of the serve echoed like thunder in the gym, the sheer sound enough to make your skin crawl.
"Seriously!? Was that necessary!?"
Motoya Komori winced.
He didn't even need to look, just from the sound, he knew Akashi was on fire.
The ball shot forward like a meteor, slicing through the air.
Even with Komori's elite reaction speed and vision, he barely saw the trail it left behind.
He relied purely on instinct, took a tiny step to the left,
Thump!
— and somehow managed to receive the serve just in front of him.
"That was too close…"
Komori wiped the sweat off his brow, glancing up.
The ball now hovered 15 meters high under the gym lights.
That kind of power… it's like he's gotten stronger again.
What shocked Komori most about Akashi Asuka wasn't just his current strength, but how fast he kept improving.
Every single day, you could see the progress with your own eyes.
"Sakusa!"
Wakatsu Kiryu called out as he set the ball from Komori's pass toward Sakusa Kiyoomi.
No one on the court doubted Wakatsu's setting skills.
Among the top six Aces in the country, most were near-complete players.
Sakusa caught the signal and started his approach.
Across the net, Oikawa Tooru and Ushijima Wakatoshi instantly moved to block.
As all three leapt into the air,
Wakatsu suddenly twisted his wrist and tapped the ball with the back of his hand.
Slap!
The ball gently floated over the net, dropping into the Red Team's empty court.
And for a moment…
Everyone, whether attacking, defending, or spectating, froze.
"Whaaa, a setter dump!?"
"This guy…"
"Dammit, that monster! Maybe he should just be a setter instead!"
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria