After finally breaking through Yaku's back-row receives, Aoba Johsai secured the win in the end. With that victory, Aoba Johsai smoothly defeated Nekoma. Although the connection between the two teams was not especially deep, after this match the entire Aoba Johsai squad had improved considerably.
As long as they kept moving forward steadily from here, the goal of fighting for a Spring High berth no longer felt so far away.
"I never thought this year's Aoba Johsai would be this strong... I can't even imagine what happened to them over the past year."
"Yeah. They actually crushed a Tokyo powerhouse like Nekoma. At this rate, they should be able to charge straight into the Spring High final. They look like a lock for the last spot in the final."
"This year's Spring High is going to be lively. If Shiratorizawa runs into the current Aoba Johsai, they'll probably suffer quite a bit too."
"I'm really looking forward to it. In the final showdown, who's going to be the one that wins it all?"
The volleyball club members from the various schools watching from the sidelines could all tell from Hank's display of strength that he was absolutely terrifying. He not only possessed top-tier jumping talent, but his physical abilities were outstanding as well. If a team wanted to face a squad like this, then unless they had a way to deal with Hank...
They would probably have no way to win at all.
The moment that thought crossed their minds, many of them were filled with shock. This was what it meant to be called a team's Ace. By relying on one person's effort alone, a team could be led all the way to ultimate victory.
It was truly unheard of.
"I didn't expect the result to turn out like this. Aoba Johsai really found an incredible Ace this year."
Coach Nekomata's face was somewhat gloomy. He had never expected that a simple friendly match between Aoba Johsai and Nekoma, arranged through Nekoma's connection with Karasuno, would let them experience the overwhelming pressure brought by Hank... A player with talent like this would never stop at the level of a mere prefectural powerhouse. In the future, he would definitely make it onto the national stage.
Although Nekoma and Aoba Johsai were in different regions, so they definitely would not meet during the Spring High qualifiers, there was a good chance they might run into each other on the national stage in the future.
The current Aoba Johsai absolutely deserved to be studied by every team in Japan.
"That's great. We pulled it off. I honestly thought we were going to lose. Good thing Hank was here."
"This is definitely the strongest Aoba Johsai generation in the school's history!"
After seeing that they had won the match in the end, Kindaichi and the others could not help cheering. Their ultimate goal was to earn a Spring High berth. There was almost nothing more exciting than securing a ticket to the national tournament while still in high school.
And after more than a month of building chemistry with Hank, they had already accepted in their hearts that he would be their leader in the future. As long as he was on the court, they felt they could defeat any opponent!
"That was close, but we made it through."
Hank said it modestly. In truth, when facing Nekoma, the first thing he had needed to deal with was their ball control. As long as he could break through that, the outcome of the match would become clear soon enough... that much had never been hard to figure out.
"Damn it, that pretty boy actually won in the end!"
"Why?!"
Taketora Yamamoto felt deeply frustrated. He had never imagined that Hank's strength would exceed his expectations by such a wide margin. Hank had scored 30 points by himself in that one match. What kind of concept was that? That meant that in a single match, he alone had scored three-fifths of the team's total points!
Without a doubt, his scoring ability stood in a class of its own, far beyond what ordinary players could reach.
Even among Aces, he belonged to the very strongest tier.
"A loss is a loss. There's nothing more to say."
Kuroo also felt somewhat uncomfortable inside. Now that the final result of the match had been decided, no matter how unwilling they were to accept it, there was nothing they could do. The outcome was already right in front of them.
All they could do was accept it.
"We were so close. If only we could've gotten that last ball."
Kenma looked toward Hank, who still looked perfectly calm on the court, and for the first time there was a slight change in his expression. Hank was definitely the strongest wing spiker he had ever seen. His strength had completely surpassed Kenma's expectations. No matter how much he observed him, Hank still did not leave behind a single flaw for him to exploit.
Without a doubt, Hank had defeated him.
(End of Chapter)
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