Karasuno 21:12 Nohebi!
Karasuno's score has surpassed 20 points!
Phew, phew…
Tanaka's heavy gasps echoed through the court.
He had long lost count of how many times he'd received the ball in the past few rallies.
Every time Nohebi served, it almost always came toward his position!
And whenever they launched a spike, if the situation allowed, they targeted him again!
Under such pressure, both his body and mind were pushed to their limits.
He had to remain on constant alert for Nohebi's attacks!
And yet, Tanaka hadn't been crushed by the onslaught!!
Even though his body was exhausted!
Even though he'd made mistakes when receiving the ball!
Even though everyone on Nohebi seized every chance to mock him!
When Kageyama set the ball for him...
Tanaka still leapt high! Gave it his all and struck the ball with everything he had!
"This..."
"This bald guy... he's too tough!"
By now, as the match had dragged on to this point, everyone on Nohebi was filled with frustration and helplessness.
They thought they had executed their plan perfectly, relentlessly targeting the bald-headed wing spiker.
Attacking him, taunting him, pressuring him with every tactic they had…
All of it was meant to break his mental state!
But even after all of that, that bald head only seemed to grow stronger with each play!
There wasn't the slightest sign that he was close to crumbling!
Swish!
"Tanaka-san!!"
Kageyama's loud call rang from across the court!
Tanaka instantly snapped to attention and started his approach!!
"Nohebi's you stinky punks! Don't underestimate me!!"
Wham!
Nohebi had already done their best to form a solid block, but Tanaka still found an opening and launched his attack!
Boom!
The ball slammed into the court!
Karasuno scores!!
Now, they were just one step away from victory this morning!
"I'm starting to think... maybe we were wrong to target this guy from the beginning?"
On the other side of the net, Suguru Daishō muttered with a wry smile.
"Maybe going after that setter or their big ace would've made more sense."
At this point in the match, with such a wide point gap…
Even the players of Nohebi were beginning to lose hope.
"Feeling defeated already, captain?"
"That's not like you at all."
Kazuma Numai clapped him on the shoulder, a small grin tugging at his lips.
"If we're talking toughness, how could we lose to that bald guy across the net?"
"Look at him — he's still fired up!"
"If you give up now, be careful not to get mocked by him later!"
"Oh?"
Daishō paused mid-thought. He looked up and saw all his teammates grinning at him.
"Yeah! Daishō! You really gonna let that annoying bald head look down on us?"
"I bet if we give up now, he'll definitely mock us after the match."
"And if I'm not mistaken, that Kuroo from Nekoma is probably watching from the sidelines right now! You want him laughing at us too?"
...
Hearing their words, Daishō came back to his senses.
"Hahaha!"
"No way!"
"I'm not giving up!"
"I just needed to vent a little!"
"Alright then! Back to the game!"
"Let's get annoying and take them down!"
"Yes!!"
...
Watching the situation unfold on court, NIshinoya couldn't help but smile slightly.
In fact, everything was unfolding just as he'd expected before the match began.
Even if Nohebi managed to claw back one or two points with cheap tricks, it would hardly change the outcome of the match.
"Tanaka…"
"He's really something."
Noya exhaled, impressed.
"Haha! Tanaka's always been like this!"
"No matter the situation, I've never seen him lose spirit!"
Beside him, Daichi Sawamura watched Tanaka on the court, pride swelling in his chest.
Even though he wasn't playing today, seeing Tanaka's performance made him feel proud from the bottom of his heart.
Doing well when things are going smoothly — that's something anyone can do.
But being able to maintain your fighting spirit in the face of adversity…
That's something only a few can achieve!!
And today, Tanaka had shown them the true meaning of perseverance!
...
Tweet!
As the referee's whistle sounded, everyone's gaze turned toward the big screen on the edge of the court.
Karasuno's score had reached 24 points!
Just one more point, and they would win the match and advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament!
"Send in a good one, Tanaka!!"
"No problem!"
At that moment, Tanaka already felt like he was running on fumes, but as he walked to the service line, he gathered the last of his strength and lifted his spirits.
Because he knew — as long as the match wasn't over, there could be no rest!
Tweet!
The referee gave the signal!
It was serve time!
Tanaka gritted his teeth and focused on Nohebi's formation across the net.
He searched for any weak point.
He didn't need to score with the serve — just throw them off enough to mess up their reception!
Give his blockers a good chance at shutting down the return!
Every second of standing there in silence felt like a massive burden on his already drained body.
There!
At last! Tanaka spotted a slight gap in Nohebi's back-row defense!
This is it!!
Time was running out!
Tanaka tossed the ball decisively!
Smack!
The serve flew out!