Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty
Chapter 442: Entry Test (Double-Length)

The once-rowdy gymnasium suddenly fell silent, and everyone's mouths hung open in disbelief.

Yes, they all knew Kaedehara Taichi was strong. But for someone who stood at 193 cm to have that kind of spiking height—it was beyond comprehension.

And if they weren't mistaken, Kaedehara Taichi had just turned seventeen. He was now the youngest professional volleyball player since the founding of Japan's V-League.

"Hm? What's everyone staring for? Don't we still have more tests to do?" A small smirk tugged at the corner of Taichi's lips.

"Ah—right!" One of the staff members snapped out of it and hurried to resume the tests.

No-approach vertical jump (block height), movement speed—including initial burst, directional changes, and straight-line sprinting—strength data from upper and lower limbs to core strength, and lastly, flexibility of various joints…

Under the complicated gazes of everyone from the DH Club, Kaedehara Taichi spent half an hour completing every physical test.

To become a pro athlete usually meant being labelled a 'genius.' Exceptional physical ability, keen athletic instincts, a tough mindset and willpower—those were the basics. People used their talent to open the gates to the professional stage, and then used sweat and perseverance to secure their spot on it.

But now, just looking at Kaedehara Taichi's physical test results alone was enough to render the crowd speechless.

There were practically no weak points (if his height of 193 cm could even be considered one). Even from the perspective of a professional, every stat Taichi posted was at least above average—many were exceptional.

Was someone like this even real?

No wonder—even among the so-called "Monster Generation," Taichi was regarded as the most monstrous one.

After the physical evaluation, he immediately moved on to skill-based testing.

Reception accuracy. Passing precision. Defensive digs. Spiking control across various trajectories...

Without exception, they were all beyond what a high school student should be capable of.

Originally, everyone had thought Kaedehara Taichi would need time to adjust to the professional level. But now, it seemed that other professional players would have to start adjusting to the presence of this monster.

"…Should've expected this," muttered Nitta Asahiro.

Last year's batch of high school graduates had already begun to shine in the V-League—Ushijima Wakatoshi, Bokuto Kōtarō, Kiryu Wakatsu, Iizuna Tsukasa—those pillars of their respective teams had all once fallen at Kaedehara Taichi's hands.

"It's getting late. Iizuna, take Taichi to pick up his medical report, then help him settle in with his luggage. We'll do introductions and familiarisation this afternoon."

"Got it," Iizuna Tsukasa replied.

Taichi had arrived at the club sometime past 9 a.m. After a full tour of the facilities and over an hour of testing, it was nearly noon.

Being new to the scene, Taichi had no complaints and followed the schedule as arranged. He had quite a few things to take care of in the coming days—not just getting used to the environment and meeting his new teammates, but also attending an inevitable press conference at the time of the official contract signing.

-----

That afternoon, Taichi returned to the training gym. The first thing on the list now—was choosing his jersey number.

He took this chance to quietly observe his new teammates, the first pros he'd be fighting alongside.

#1 – Nitta Asahiro, team captain, 22 years old. Joined the national team at 20 and started as a regular. Known for his vast defensive range and unexpectedly agile quick attacks.

[Nitta Asahiro—Middle Blocker:Height: 196 cm

Serve: 90 | Receive: 85 | Dig: 86 | Set: 85 | Spike: 92| Block: 95

Spike Reach: 350 cm /Block Reach: 330 cm.]

#4 – Kitajima Kippei, 30 years old. In his 10th professional season. Once awarded Best Outside Hitter in V2 League and promoted to V1 the same year. Has been considering retirement in recent years due to declining form.

[Kitajima Kippei—Outside Hitter:Height: 190 cm

Serve: 88 | Receive: 92 | Dig: 80 | Set: 88 | Spike: 88| Block: 85

Spike Reach: 346 cm /Block Reach: 318 cm.]

#6 – Kubo Wataru, 32 years old. Also in his 10th year. Worked his way up from V3 to V1 step by step after college. A player who built his dream through sheer grit and experience.

[Kubo Wataru—Libero:Height: 178 cm

Serve: 60 | Receive: 95 | Dig: 90 | Set: 85 | Spike: 60| Block: 60.]

#12 – Iizuna Tsukasa, 19 years old. Joined V1 straight out of high school. Currently a regular on the national youth team.

[Iizuna Tsukasa—Setter:Height: 185 cm

Serve: 88 | Receive: 90 | Dig: 88 | Set: 95 | Spike: 75| Block: 78

Spike Reach: 332 cm /Block Reach: 315 cm.]

#15 – Yoshii Hiyu, 28 years old. A reliable and experienced opposite hitter. Has been with DH Club since graduating college. Known for placing pinpoint receptions to set up offensive plays.

[Yoshii Hiyu—Opposite Hitter:Height: 188 cm

Serve: 85 | Receive: 92 | Dig: 88 | Set: 90 | Spike: 82| Block: 82

Spike Reach: 338 cm /Block Reach: 316 cm.]

#18 – Tom Wilde, 24 years old. A Canadian foreign player. Joined the V1 League three years ago. Noted for his well-developed upper and lower body strength, allowing excellent stability during both spikes and blocks.

[Tom Wilde—Outside Hitter:Height: 202 cm

Serve: 85 | Receive: 80 | Dig: 72 | Set: 72 | Spike: 90| Block: 92

Spike Reach: 358 cm /Block Reach: 338 cm.]

There were plenty of other reserve players as well, but Taichi knew he couldn't possibly memorise everyone all at once. There would be time—plenty of time- practices and matches ahead. He could get to know them gradually.

"You look like you've made up your mind," Nitta said.

"Mm. I'll take number 10," Taichi nodded. "That was my number in high school too."

"Ha! I knew it!" Kitajima Kippei grinned mischievously and threw an arm around Tom Wilde's shoulders. "That means drinks on you at the izakaya this weekend!"

"Come on, old man! I wanted to guess #10 too, you just wouldn't let me!" Tom grumbled in protest.

"Sticking to your guns, huh? If Taichi had picked #8, I wouldn't have backed down either," Kitajima replied with a deadpan face.

"You say that like you haven't backed down plenty of times," Kubo Wataru immediately called him out. "Taichi, the first thing you need to remember: never make bets with that old man."

"Wataru! What's with calling me an old man?! You're older than me!"

"Yeah, but I don't sigh and start reminiscing about 'the good old days' every time I drink," Kubo said, mimicking Kitajima's tone with uncanny accuracy.

Kitajima's face turned bright red. "Hey! Don't go ruining my image in front of our future star!"

"Kitajima-senpai, Kubo-senpai," Iizuna suddenly interjected, "I have to remind you of one important detail—Taichi is still underage. He can't drink."

"Wait, what? What's that got to do with me?" Taichi blinked in confusion at how the topic had suddenly turned to him.

"Of course!" Kitajima Kippei said cheerfully. "That was just the start of your welcome party. You didn't really think it ended this morning, did you?"

"We're not that stingy," Kubo Wataru chimed in with a grin. "Now that we've got a bit of free time, we're definitely going to celebrate properly."

Kaedehara Taichi found himself unexpectedly touched. Despite still being relative strangers, they were extending him such warmth and goodwill. So that nonsense Oikawa said about being bullied overseas by his teammates…that must've been because of his personality. Hmph. And here he'd tried to scare him with tall tales.

"So let me get this straight," Nitta Asahiro interjected in a clearly provocative tone. "You two old-timers are planning to celebrate at an izakaya despite knowing full well that Taichi can't drink? Or…are you saying you had no idea our ace is actually underage?"

"Y-You—!" Kitajima Kippei pointed a trembling finger at Nitta. "You little punk, stop trying to stir up trouble between us and our dear ace!"

"Exactly," Kubo Wataru added with an emphatic nod. "Don't twist our words!"

"You lot—! Training isn't over for the day, you know!" Coach Nick Foster cut in just in time to steer the conversation back to volleyball. "What, you guys looking to do extra practice over the weekend?"

"No, no, calm down, Coach." Kitajima leaned in and whispered slyly, "We'll sneak you a couple bottles later—no one will find out, promise."

Coach Nick gave him a secretive wink, signalling that the matter was settled.

Watching the easy, casual banter between teammates—and even with the coach—Taichi couldn't help but smile. What a great team, he thought.

"Not quite what you imagined from a pro team, huh?" Iizuna Tsukasa asked beside him. "I had the same reaction when I first joined last year. I always thought professional teams would be more uptight and rigidly managed."

"But don't worry," Tsukasa added with a gentle smile. "When it comes to actual matches, everyone's completely serious. They just know how to keep life and volleyball separate. Not many teams have this kind of balance."

"I heard this team's atmosphere didn't really change until Coach Nick and Kitajima-senpai came aboard. The results were pretty bad before, so naturally, no one was in the mood to joke around."

"Yeah…I didn't expect things to be this relaxed," Taichi agreed. "It's a sharp contrast from high school teams."

—"High schoolers only ever bet snacks."

Taichi and Iizuna said in perfect sync. They looked at each other and broke into laughter.

-----

"Only spikes to the back row—no tips. Blocks are allowed," Coach Nick instructed.

"We'll split into Youth and Veteran teams. Match starts after thirty minutes of warm-up."

As expected, the best way to get to know your new teammates was through actual gameplay. Coach Nick casually split the starting players into two teams. Kubo Wataru, the libero, sat out of the 3v3 match and instead helped the team manager set up cameras on both ends of the net for filming.

Youth Team:

Outside Hitter: Kaedehara Taichi

Setter: Iizuna Tsukasa

Middle Blocker: Tom Wilde

Veteran Team:

Outside Hitter: Kitajima Kippei

Opposite Hitter: Yoshii Hiyu

Middle Blocker: Nitta Asahiro

"I object!" Nitta Asahiro shouted in protest. "Tom's two years older than me—why is he on the Youth Team while I'm stuck with the old men?!"

"Look at that beard," Kitajima sneered. "You stand next to Yoshii and people think you're ten years older than him. Quit whining."

"Damn it!" Nitta yelled, clearly disgruntled.

He'd grown out the beard to look more mature—after all, most team captains in the league had that serious, seasoned vibe. And even though DH joked around a lot, he still wanted to project some authority when facing outsiders.

"Enough yapping—start warming up!" Kubo Wataru called out lazily after setting up the camera, then strolled over to Coach Nick's side like a fox borrowing a tiger's might.

Warm-up ended quickly, and the match began.

Veteran Team had serve first. Kitajima Kippei unleashed a powerful jump serve.

Everyone knew that the point of this 3v3 match was to build synergy with Kaedehara Taichi.

So naturally, the ball was targeted at him.

BOOM!

Smack!

Taichi received the ball cleanly. Iizuna was already in position, and Tom Wilde was charging in from the right wing.

Whoosh—!

Nitta Asahiro appeared at the net, but he was blocking solo.

BOOM!

The spike bypassed the block and bolted towards the centre of the court.

As Taichi landed from the left side, both Iizuna and Nitta's eyes narrowed slightly.

That was fast—

Right after receiving Nitta's serve, Taichi had launched into an attack without even pausing. But Iizuna, as if on instinct, had already set the ball to the right wing.

Smack!

Kitajima received it steadily. Yoshii Hiyu set the ball cleanly to the right side. Nitta leapt for the spike.

Smooth transition from defence to offence...as expected of the pros, Taichi thought. It reminded him of the Japan-USA exchange match, when all the players were top-tier for their age group. The rhythm of those games had felt faster than anything at Aoba Johsai.

Among the ad hoc team assembled for that tournament, aside from Hirugami who left volleyball to study medicine, most of the third-years had ended up in the V1 League.

Now, facing just three opponents, Taichi could feel that their coordination in both offence and defence surpassed what his old team had achieved back then.

So all that playful joking was just surface-level. Once the match starts, they're dead serious.

Tom Wilde jumped solo to block. His form was solid, but it lacked flexibility.

Nitta's spike skimmed past Tom's fingertips, flying sharply down the line.

Smack!

Iizuna dove to the side, managing a brilliant dig that sent the ball toward the net.

"Cover!"

You're really putting me to the test here...Taichi smiled wryly as he rushed to position.

"Tom!"

Once again, Taichi's quick reaction caught Tom Wilde by surprise. It was a perfect chance for a quick attack, but Tom wasn't ready.

Still, he took a step and jumped. The spike's height was noticeably lower than before.

Whoosh!—

The set landed precisely in front of him.

On the other side of the net, Nitta jumped up to block.

BOOM!!—

—Smack!

Thud!

The ball was ruthlessly stuffed back down. Point for the Veterans.

[Youth Team 0 - 1 Veteran Team]

"Woohoo~" Nitta whistled at Tom Wilde.

"So this is what blocking from a current national team member looks like? Interesting," Taichi murmured, his blood beginning to stir.

Nitta's block just now was a perfect example of late-but-accurate. It wasn't just a read—it was a calculated strike timed after seeing Tom's swing, shutting him down with precision.

"Iizuna-senpai, feel free to toss the ball to the left. Even after a reception, I'll be in position for the attack," Taichi said calmly.

"Got it," Iizuna replied with a warm smile. He was long used to setting for aces.

Just what kind of player is the wing spiker who defeated every high school team one after another?

This was Iizuna's first time teaming up with Kaedehara Taichi—and anticipation was steadily growing in his heart.

_________

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