Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

"One touch!"

Hinata, launching a solo block at the net, managed to deflect the spike with the palm of his hand. The ball's trajectory, however, became erratic. Kageyama rushed to catch it—already having used up one touch—but that meant he couldn't go for a setter attack this time.

Thankfully, Karasuno still had its trusted Libero on court.

"Leave it to me!" yelled Nishinoya.

He locked eyes with Hayato first, then tracked the falling ball with a sharp peripheral scan of the three-meter line. Timing it perfectly, he leapt and sent a high, soaring toss to the back row. Hayato charged in, taking off from the back line and hammering the ball through a small opening in Fukurodani's double block.

The Libero on the opposing team failed to keep the ball in play. Point to Karasuno.

"Libero Toss plus Back Row Attack!" Sugawara cheered from the sideline, recognizing the beautifully synchronized combo.

Karasuno's bench erupted. That move had worked earlier with Asahi, and now with Hayato—it proved just how deep Karasuno's offensive arsenal had become.

"Nice one!"

"Nishinoya-senpai, that was amazing!"

"Sweet toss," Hayato said, catching his breath. "Should I aim higher next time?"

"No need," Nishinoya grinned. "It was perfect."

Across the net, Bokuto scowled, envious. "Dang it. We can't let them keep this up."

Leading Fukurodani's retaliation, Bokuto fired off a wicked diagonal spike past Daichi and Hinata's double block, grazing the sideline for a point.

Though Karasuno's rhythm was disrupted, no one panicked. Everyone reset, ready for the next play.

Diagonal spikes are a weapon—great for slipping around blockers, but risky if misjudged. Bokuto executed it flawlessly.

The two teams pushed point for point, eventually tying at 23–23. Karasuno edged ahead, 24–23, reaching match point. But Fukurodani wouldn't go down easily.

Their ace struck again.

Instead of spiking, Bokuto executed a sudden dump shot. Hinata dove, but he couldn't get there in time.

"Hey, hey, hey~! That's the Fukurodani way!" Bokuto crowed, arms raised in victory.

"Sorry, I missed it," Hinata said quickly.

"It's okay. He tricked all of us," Hayato reassured, still watching Bokuto warily. That feint had been clean—and dangerous.

Karasuno refocused.

On the next play, Hayato struck hard. His spike blasted off the blocker's hand and out of bounds. Touch out—Karasuno's match point again.

"Let's go! One more!"

Fukurodani reorganized. Bokuto went up once more, opting for raw power instead of another dump. He twisted mid-air for another diagonal—this time, aiming sharp and fast.

But Hayato was ready.

Watching Bokuto's shoulders, he timed his block perfectly. His arms shifted mid-air like an umbrella flaring open. The ball smacked his palm, rebounding straight back into Fukurodani's court.

Point. Karasuno wins the set, 27–25.

The team huddled in celebration—fists bumping, hearts pounding.

On the other side, Bokuto crouched in defeat, muttering, "My angle got read… Sorry, guys."

"No worries," Akaashi said calmly. "Let's move. Time for the penalty run."

Fukurodani jogged off to start the infamous Refreshing Back Mountain Deep Green Slope Dash—a specialty of Morisen's punishing regime.

Meanwhile, Karasuno enjoyed their brief break.

Other matches wrapped up—Morisen had beaten Seikawa, and was now facing Nekoma. The current score: 10–8, with Nekoma slightly ahead. The loser would face a penalty. Karasuno's next opponent: Seikawa.

The team reset with Hayato, Hinata, and Kageyama up front; Tsukishima, Daichi, and Ennoshita in the back row. Hinata rotated with Nishinoya, the sole Libero—on for every set, but pacing himself well.

Karasuno was running a 5+1 rotation to give subs more match time.

Ennoshita looked uneasy at first, his early defense shaky. But Hayato kept the pressure on offensively, while Hinata maintained momentum.

After a successful point, Hayato clapped Ennoshita on the shoulder. "Relax. You're good."

Hinata grinned and added, "Ennoshita-senpai, we've got your back. Even if we lose a point—we'll win it back."

Tanaka, from the sideline, chuckled. "Who taught you that, huh?"

"Wasn't it you?" Nishinoya teased, throwing an arm around Tanaka's shoulders. As fellow second-years, they were rooting hard for Ennoshita.

Encouraged, Ennoshita settled in. The next rally, he cleanly set a ball and called, "Chance ball!"

Hinata sprinted in, calling, "To me!"

Their improved Freak Quick clicked. Kageyama shot the ball like a bullet, and Hinata blasted it straight down. Point.

"YES!"

Karasuno took the second set 24–20. Two wins in a row. The team was buzzing.

After their previous training camp, Coach Ukai had implemented a rigorous new training program—targeting their weak spots, pushing each player to level up individually.

And it showed.

But even so, they dropped the third set to Nekoma.

Nekoma's defense was ironclad, their receives unshakeable. Lev's height gave them extra firepower, and Karasuno, though improving, couldn't break through consistently.

The loss brought them crashing back down. Their confidence? Checked.

No one complained. They lined up for the slope sprints without a word, cooling down, ready to learn and come back stronger.

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POWER STONE!!!

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