This had already become his conviction: as long as they could win, he was willing to pay any price.
"We can definitely do this."
Hank looked at the people in front of him, his face filled with hope. As long as everyone on the team still had fighting spirit, they could face any difficulty that came next.
Even though many of them were already showing signs of exhaustion, Shiratorizawa was not having an easy time either.
As long as they could stay steady and send more balls to him, there was still hope of pushing through and winning the match in one final burst.
"Let's go!"
After Toru Oikawa reached out and grabbed Kyotani's hand, all the starters on the court began encouraging one another. If they could take this final set, they would secure their ticket to Spring High ahead of schedule.
"Just you wait, Ushijima."
"I'll prove to you that Aoba Johsai is a team capable of defeating Shiratorizawa!"
A sharp light flashed in Oikawa's eyes. He had already made up his mind. Next, they would make one final push and take Shiratorizawa down completely.
They would crush Wakatoshi Ushijima completely and overturn Shiratorizawa's control of the match.
…
"Hiss!"
"Both teams are in position. The match officially begins!"
After the brief break, Hank and the others stepped onto the court once again. They had now reached the final stage of the decisive match. As long as Aoba Johsai could win this final set as well, they would directly obtain their ticket to Spring High.
But if they failed to win, there would be no next chance to fight again.
For Shiratorizawa, whose overall strength was superior to Aoba Johsai's, that would absolutely be an enormous opportunity. If they were given even a little more time to recover, Shiratorizawa would definitely be able to slowly wear Aoba Johsai down.
But Hank would not give them that chance.
"For this final set, victory is right in front of me."
"I can't let my guard down."
After playing three high-intensity sets, Hank could feel his stamina gradually starting to falter. But Wakatoshi Ushijima on the other side was facing the same problem.
So the impact was not that great.
"I never thought they would actually be pushed this far. Ushijima has truly started taking this seriously."
"I've never seen him when he's serious before."
Satori Tendō glanced at Wakatoshi Ushijima beside him. For some reason, anticipation began rising in his heart. Someone who could make even Ushijima prepare seriously had already earned his recognition. And the Hank standing before them already possessed the ability to be one of the strongest aces in all of Japan.
"It's not just Ushijima. The whole team has started getting serious. Well, of course…"
"If we lose this set too, Aoba Johsai wins outright."
Tendō's expression shifted slightly. This was also the first time he had encountered a team in the Spring High preliminaries that forced Shiratorizawa into such a hard-fought battle. The Aoba Johsai before them was truly the strongest generation they had ever produced, fully deserving of that title.
"At the final moment, I'm the one who has to step up!"
Tsutomu Goshiki also shouted loudly. He had rested for an entire set during the previous set, so his stamina had more or less recovered. In other words, he still had plenty of strength left to continue the match. Besides that, the Shiratorizawa libero who had previously been substituted out had also returned to the court.
He had already recovered to his peak condition. It could be said that, aside from Satori Tendō and Wakatoshi Ushijima, the current Shiratorizawa had all gotten rest.
Their condition was extremely good. In contrast, Aoba Johsai was panting heavily, giving off the feeling that they were barely holding on.
(End of Chapter)
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