"Out!"
The referee's flag went up. Another point for Karasuno.
Score: 21-19.
"Gojou!" Yaku Yarisuke, Nekoma's demon libero, marched up to Ryuu and kicked him squarely in the shin.
"Ow! Abuse!" Ryuu rubbed his leg, looking offended. "I was going for the receive!"
"That was my ball!" Yaku shouted, pointing at the spot on the floor where Ryuu had awkwardly dived, colliding with Kai and letting the ball drop. "You're a Spiker! Stop trying to do everything! You're ruining the formation! That's why the score is so close, you giant moron!"
Coach Nekomata nodded sagely from the bench. "A powerful weapon is dangerous to the user if they don't know how to hold it. Ryuu is trying to win the game 1v6. He's making holes in our floor defense."
Ryuu straightened up, brushing off his knees.
"Fine," Ryuu huffed, adjusting his jersey. "I'll stop trying to be the hero in the back row. I'll just stick to my day job."
"And what is that?" Kuroo asked, rotating to the back line while Ryuu rotated to the front left.
Ryuu turned to face the net. He looked at Kageyama and Hinata.
"Being the villain," Ryuu muttered. "And villains live at the net."
_________________
Ryuu was now in the front row. The rotation placed him directly opposite Hinata Shouyou.
Kageyama held the ball. He noticed the shift in atmosphere. Ryuu wasn't bouncing around or making jokes anymore. He was standing perfectly still, his arms hanging loose, his golden eyes half-lidded.
'He's not ready to move,' Kageyama analyzed. 'He's flat-footed. We can use the quick.'
Karasuno received the serve perfectly.
"Bring it to me!" Hinata shouted, sprinting forward.
It was the Freak Quick. The minus-tempo attack that had stunned everyone earlier. Hinata was already in the air before Kageyama even touched the ball.
To the normal eye, it was unblockable. By the time you realized Hinata was jumping, the ball was already past you.
But Ryuu had cheated. He had read the manga.
More importantly, he had the Emperor's Eyes.
He didn't look at the ball. He didn't look at Kageyama's hands.
He looked at the impatient muscle twitch in Kageyama's wrist. He saw the vector lines before the physics engine even rendered them.
'You're going straight down the center,' Ryuu thought, his mind moving faster than the game speed. 'Because you think I'm slow.'
Hinata swung his arm, eyes closed, trusting the ball to be there.
The ball was there.
But so was Ryuu.
Ryuu didn't jump when Hinata jumped. He waited. He waited until the ball left Kageyama's hands. And then, he exploded upward.
His vertical reach was 350cm+. He didn't just clear the net; his elbows were above the white tape.
Hinata's hand connected with the ball. He swung with all his might.
THWACK.
It wasn't the sound of a ball hitting the floor. It was the sickening sound of a ball hitting a solid wall of bone and muscle.
Ryuu's hands were there. Perfectly positioned. Palms angled down. A "Kill Block."
The ball didn't ricochet up. It was smothered. Instantly denied. It slammed straight down onto the Karasuno side, bouncing off Hinata's shoe and rolling away.
Gravity seemed to return to the gym all at once.
Ryuu landed. Hinata landed a second later, looking up in sheer terror.
Ryuu loomed over the net. The shadow he cast seemed to swallow the small middle blocker.
"Did you think..." Ryuu's voice was low, devoid of the usual playfulness. "Did you think that just because you're fast, you're untouchable?"
He leaned through the net, his face inches from Hinata's.
"Speed is useless if you're running into a wall, Chibi-chan."
"G-Gojou..." Hinata took a step back.
"Don't close your eyes next time," Ryuu whispered, tapping his temple. "Watch the moment your hope dies. It's educational."
"Ryuu! Stop being a supervillain and celebrate!" Yamamoto slapped his back. "That was a monster block! You stopped the freak quick!"
Score: 22-19.
Kageyama looked shaken. 'He waited. He waited for the toss. How did he react that fast? Is his reaction time human?'
The momentum had snapped.
The next rally, Karasuno tried to go to Asahi on the left.
"Left!" Daichi called.
Asahi jumped, winding up for a powerful spike. He saw Ryuu blocking him.
'He's huge,' Asahi panicked. 'I have to aim for the corner! The extreme cross!'
Asahi swung.
Ryuu's arm shot out. One-handed.
BAM.
He didn't even need two hands. He swatted the ball out of the air like a man swatting a fly. It slammed down onto the Karasuno court.
23-19.
"He's an Iron Wall by himself..." Takeda-sensei pushed his glasses up, his hands trembling. "Nekoma's ground defense is perfect, but they usually lack height at the net. With him... they have no weakness."
Ryuu turned to his team.
"See?" Ryuu spread his arms. "I cleaned up the floor by closing the roof. No need to dig if the ball never crosses the net."
"Don't get smart with me," Yaku grumbled, though he was grinning. "Just finish it."
24-19. Set Point.
Ryuu rotated to the service line.
"Oh no," Daichi muttered. "Him again."
Ryuu held the ball. He looked at the wall where he had hit the 'Out' ball earlier.
'Correction made,' Ryuu thought. 'Power output: 85%. Spin: Increased.'
He tossed. He jumped. He struck.
The ball roared across the net. Daichi was ready this time. He got his platform behind it.
"I got i—Guh!"
The power was too heavy. It popped up, but it flew straight back over the net. A classic chance ball.
Ryuu was already landing from his serve. He saw the ball coming back.
He didn't wait for Kenma to set it. He didn't wait for a play.
He took three strides, jumped from the back row (behind the 3-meter line), and met the ball in mid-air.
A Back-Row Attack.
BOOM!
He smashed it into the center of the Karasuno court. No one moved. They just watched the dust settle.
25-19.
Game Set.
Ryuu landed, striking a pose with one hand in the air.
"And that," Ryuu announced to the silent gym, "is how you clear the tutorial level."
He looked at Kageyama and Hinata, who were panting, frustrated, and sweating.
"Get stronger, protagonists," Ryuu smirked. "I'm not even in my final form yet."