Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty
Chapter 483: Rematch with the Black Jackals (Double-Length)

November 26th, Evening—DESEO Hornets vs. MSBY Black Jackals

The much-anticipated clash between DH and the Black Jackals kicked off on the evening of November 26th, filling the Toyota Gymnasium to capacity for the first time in a regular-season match.

Tokyo fans truly had deep pockets—even though it was DH's home court, nearly half of the spectators in attendance were Black Jackals supporters.

In the lead-up to the match, media outlets spared no effort in hyping up every possible storyline—from both teams' stellar records this season to the high-profile showdown between their ace players; from the fierce clash of tactical styles to the match's subtle implications on the championship race. The buzz surrounding the game had fans hooked.

Both clubs leaned into the hype, releasing daily behind-the-scenes footage of their players training and preparing, further fueling fan enthusiasm.

With media and team PR working hand in hand, expectations had reached a fever pitch. Even before the match officially began, the atmosphere in the arena had already hit a boiling point.

Spectators couldn't contain their excitement. Some huddled together, whispering about the players soon to take the court; others waved banners and fan gear, cheering loudly in anticipation.

On the massive LED screen above the court, highlights from past matches between the two teams played on a loop. Each thunderous spike and each breath-stopping save sent the energy in the gym climbing ever higher.

"When we played here last year, the place wasn't this packed," Meian Shūgo remarked, gazing at the roaring crowd. "This is the kind of change brought about by Taichi's arrival..."

"They went from a fringe playoff team to a championship favourite. It's no wonder their fans are so wild," Oliver Barnes replied with a grin. "And really, wasn't it us losing to them in the preseason that lit this fire in the first place?"

Meian turned to look toward the DH bench. Under the arena lights, the home team's players seemed to shine even brighter.

"It's not just because they beat us. That confidence of theirs must come from their six-match win streak at the start of the season," he said thoughtfully. "Undefeated in sets—that's quite an achievement."

"Akutsu's team has six straight wins too. They even managed to beat AD. I'll give them that."

"A superstar going off can help a team overcome stronger opponents," Meian said, lifting his gaze toward the dazzling overhead lights, his tone deepening with a steadiness that came from experience. "But not every match goes according to plan. Volleyball, in the end, is a team sport. And this season's strongest team...is us."

Oliver Barnes stood quietly beside him, watching the team captain—two years his junior—stand tall with a natural grit and confidence in his eyes.

"This guy really is a born leader...the undisputed alpha."

Just then, the arena announcer boomed with news that the players from both sides were about to begin their warmups. Stirring music blasted through the speakers, pushing the already electric atmosphere to an even higher peak.

Excitement swept through the stands. Cheers and chants thundered like crashing waves, growing louder with each passing second.

Meian and Barnes exchanged a look, took a deep breath, and followed their teammates toward the court, eyes filled with resolve.

"BEEEEEP—!"

Following a full warm-up session, the players from both teams stepped onto the court.

DESEO Hornets' lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Nitta Asahiro, Opposite Hitter Yoshii Hiyu, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

Back row—Outside Hitter Kitajima Kippei, Setter Iizuna Tsukasa and Middle Blocker Tom Wilde (Libero: Kubo Wataru).

MSBY Black Jackals' lineup:

Front row—Opposite Hitter Oliver Barnes, Middle Blocker Meian Shūgo, Outside Hitter Bokuto Kōtarō.

Back row—Outside Hitter Sakusa Kiyoomi, Middle Blocker Adriah Thomas (Libero: Inunaki Shion) and Setter Miya Atsumu.

DH stuck with their tried-and-true formation. There was no denying that this arrangement had proven the most effective throughout the season so far. However, the downside of a static setup was clear: once opponents figured out their rhythm and defensive structure, they could seize the upper hand, putting DH on the back foot.

Coach Nick knew this risk well, yet still found it hard to make changes. The reason was simple: DH's players had traits too distinct to shuffle around easily—which was putting it mildly.

Forcing players into unfamiliar positions just to test out new formations would limit their abilities and throw the entire tactical framework into disarray. That kind of shift would weaken the team as a whole, a clear case of missing the forest for the trees.

So, even if reluctantly, the DH coaching staff had no better solution for the time being.

Meanwhile, the Black Jackals came in with a radically different starting formation from the preseason. Miya Atsumu serving from Position 1 was expected, but the fact that Bokuto Kōtarō—one of their primary scorers—started in Position 2 caught DH completely off guard.

This meant that after just one rotation, Bokuto would rotate to the back row. Even if the aim was to reinforce their strong service pressure, it still seemed like an inefficient tradeoff—especially since Bokuto's serve had never been a particularly lethal weapon.

On the flip side, Sakusa Kiyoomi had been placed in Position 5. This bolstered their initial serve-receive formation and allowed him to take over on offence as soon as Bokuto moved to the back row. Clearly, this was a calculated adjustment, one that showed the coaching staff had full confidence in Sakusa's attacking ability.

Even if DH fans continued to boast about their team's strength, once both lineups stood on the court, the disparity in raw talent became hard to ignore. Still, DH had beaten the Black Jackals before with this very lineup.

Though anxious and on edge, the home fans remained full of belief.

The match began with the Black Jackals serving first.

Standing behind the service line, Miya Atsumu had a sharp gleam in his eyes. A trace of the "young jackal" he was meant to be had already begun to show.

He took a deep breath, tossed the ball into the air, then leapt high—his arm slicing through the air with a powerful arc. The ball rocketed toward DH's backcourt like a cannonball.

So fast!

Kitajima Kippei had braced himself, but was still caught off guard. In just two short months, Miya's serve had become significantly faster and more unpredictable.

"I got it!"

Kitajima moved with quick, agile steps, positioning himself directly in front of the ball. His eyes locked onto the trajectory. He bent his knees, leaned forward slightly, and received the serve in one fluid motion.

DH's serve-receive training had been tailored specifically to Kaedehara Taichi's serves. Miya's newfound speed might have been impressive, but it still fell within their training range.

Smack!

Miya's opening serve was received cleanly.

The ball sailed toward the net. Iizuna Tsukasa jumped and flicked it with one hand toward the right wing. Kaedehara Taichi soared for the spike.

"Been waiting for you!"

"Triple block!" Oliver Barnes, Meian Shūgo, and Bokuto Kōtarō all sprang up to meet him head-on.

Though the reception had been successful, Miya's serve had still disrupted DH's offensive timing. The ball now hung in the air above the right wing, squarely within the Black Jackals' blocking zone.

BOOM!!—

Taichi's very first attack crashed violently against the three-man block.

SMACK!

The ball ricocheted off Bokuto's arm and slammed down near the Black Jackals' three-meter line.

Smack!

Inunaki Shion dove and managed to save the ball.

"Nice one, Shion!"

Miya Atsumu was already in position and sent the ball all the way to the far left.

Kaedehara Taichi and the blockers had just landed—no one remained in Black Jackals' front row—Sakusa Kiyoomi soared up from the back row!

"Not a chance!"

"Double block!" Nitta Asahiro and Yoshii Hiyu leapt at the same time. Facing Sakusa's back-row spike, their combined block barely reached a sufficient height.

BOOM!!—

Smack!

The ball skimmed the tips of Yoshii's fingers and deflected away.

"Get it!"

Izuna Tsukasa and Kubo Wataru sprinted past the endline but couldn't catch the falling ball in time.

Touch out!

Sakusa scored off the block.

[DH 0 - 1 Black Jackals]

From the very first rally, DH could already feel that Black Jackals' form was drastically different from their previous encounter.

During the pre-season, Black Jackals, as one of the most prestigious powerhouses in the league, didn't outright underestimate DH—but they treated them as just another ordinary team. They followed their standard routine and played seriously, but that was it.

It wasn't until Kaedehara Taichi's terrifying ability to shift the momentum became apparent on their court that Black Jackals finally woke up. By the time they began to truly respect DH, it was already too late.

But today, during DH's counterattacks, Black Jackals' blocks reacted lightning-fast. Even if their block was broken through, their libero arrived instantly to cover. Miya Atsumu's serve was received, yet he still showed up immediately to set. Even after Sakusa's spike, every Black Jackals player snapped into defensive formation without missing a beat.

No carelessness. No arrogance. From the very first point, Black Jackals had come out with full force!

"…This is seriously bad," Coach Nick thought grimly.

He could clearly feel it from the players on court—most of DH's athletes were subconsciously still basking in the excitement of having once defeated Black Jackals and riding the high of their six-match winning streak. They hadn't yet realised the level of resolve Black Jackals brought to this match.

Black Jackals continued to serve.

To their credit, DH's serve reception at the start had been solid. Kitajima Kippei's quick reactions reflected his strong training background, denying Black Jackals any easy points.

But today, Miya Atsumu was clearly prepared. Compared to two months ago, his serving technique had improved dramatically.

His next two serves were sharper than ever. Blazing fast like shooting stars, their erratic trajectories in the air were nearly impossible to track.

One skimmed past a receiver. The other caused a misreceive and flew out of bounds. Neither Izuna Tsukasa nor Kitajima Kippei managed to successfully receive them.

Just like that, powered by Miya Atsumu's exceptional serves, Black Jackals scored three straight points out of the gate, instantly igniting the crowd's passion. Black Jackals supporters in the stands erupted into thunderous cheers, waving flags and chanting Atsumu's name. The roar was deafening, as if it could shake the entire arena.

[DH 0 - 3 Black Jackals]

"Beep! DH calls for a timeout."

Sensing the worsening situation, Coach Nick promptly called a timeout. Falling behind by three points to Black Jackals was understandable—but not in this manner.

"Yoshii, after Miya scored directly off the serve, why didn't you rotate back to help receive?"

Yoshii Hiyu was stunned by the question. If they'd known how dangerous Miya's serves were, shifting to a four-man receive formation should've been a given.

"…Wait, didn't I already know Atsumu was a tough server?" the thought suddenly struck him.

Yes, he did know. But because DH had been the stronger serving team in recent matches—and because their current rotation was solid at receiving—he subconsciously assumed his teammates could handle it…

"I'm sorry!" Yoshii quickly came to his senses.

"Confidence is a good thing. Arrogance is not." Coach Nick wasn't just speaking to Yoshii. "They're a championship-winning team. You guys haven't even made it to the semifinals."

"I don't want to see any of you giving less than they are. At the very least, give me the same level of fight you showed last time!"

"YES, SIR!!!"

"Don't worry. I'll win back those points with my serve," Kaedehara Taichi said calmly. "But from now on, don't lose another point you shouldn't."

The weight of pressure—one that had disappeared during their recent winning streak—settled once again on DH's shoulders.

-----

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew. Timeout over. Both teams returned to the court.

"Finally feeling the tension?" Meian Shūgo sensed the charged atmosphere on court. "Too bad…you've realised it too late."

—BOOM!!!

Atsumu launched his fourth serve.

The ball carved a perfect arc through the air, targeting DH's baseline.

Smack!

Yoshii Hiyu successfully received it.

"Cover it!"

But the first touch was slightly off, flying directly toward Kaedehara Taichi.

Though the ball floated just above net height, Bokuto Kōtarō stayed stationed right in front of Taichi. Even if the chance of a spike was only one in ten thousand, Black Jackals wouldn't give Taichi a free shot.

Whoosh—!

The ball was set to the left. Izuna Tsukasa jumped as if to attack, drawing Bokuto toward him as a decoy.

But both Kaedehara Taichi and Black Jackals' blockers had their eyes on the real target—Nitta Asahiro, sprinting along the left sideline and leaping up.

Thump!

"Double block!" Oliver Barnes and Meian Shūgo jumped in perfect sync. Having played together for years, their coverage felt as airtight as a triple block to most players.

Mid-air, Nitta Asahiro leaned back slightly, adjusting his angle.

Barnes and Meian raised their arms high, palms wide like they could block out half the sky.

Nitta swung with all his might, muscles tight like a drawn bowstring—and just when everyone thought he'd go for a direct power shot, he flicked his wrist and spiked the ball sharply cross-court.

BOOM!!!—

Meian Shūgo tried to sweep his arms down to close the gap, but he was too late—the ball slipped between him and the net.

Smack!

The ball deflected off Bokuto Kōtarō's hands, which had instinctively shot up to defend, and flew out of bounds.

Nitta Asahiro scored!

[DH 1 - 3 Black Jackals]

"Was that spike good enough for you, Meian-senpai?" Nitta said with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

_________

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