The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Hey, hey! Don't make it so easy, okay?!" Riku grinned cockily as he celebrated the point he just scored. It was a bold declaration, one that made even his teammates wince in fright. After all, their opponent was Konan High, the best team in the country.

"Come on, Agostini-kun, calm down," Tanaka urged, trying to stabilize his emotions.

"Yeah, Agostini, don't provoke them unnecessarily like that," Ishida added.

However, Riku dismissed their concerns with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing here."

All of his teammates exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to say. As for the opponents, even though most of the players on the court weren't the main ones since they were resting, even the bench players of Konan High had their pride. For it to be trampled like that was bound to offend them.

'Scary…' Riku muttered under his breath as he felt the glaring daggers from the other side of the court. However, if anyone noticed the smirk on his face, they would realize that this was part of Riku's strategy.

Yes, from an outside perspective, provoking an opponent who was far better than his team might seem like a foolish decision. However, Riku needed this because the essence of his playing style was to attract all of the opponent's attention toward him.

If the game were a show, Riku would be the magician, and his task would be to draw everyone's attention to him so that his teammates could shine. After this, everyone would be wary of his dump attack, and he would be able to make them dance to his tune. It was like playing Jan-Ken-Pon, where he declared that he would throw a rock. By constantly making the opponent think and hesitate, he could control the game to his advantage.

So, yes, deception was his middle name and the essence of his style.

"Come on, Ichiro! Give us a good serve!" he cheered from his position.

Ichiro, the boy with glasses who somehow reminded Riku of his friend—albeit slightly less confident—nodded and took a deep breath. Once Sato blew the whistle, the boy served the ball quickly, aiming far to the back near the sideline. Unfortunately, while the route itself was tricky enough, the serve lacked power and finesse, allowing one of the Konan players to pick it up easily.

"Nice, Toshi!"

"Give it to me, Shigeo!"

Riku kept his eyes on the setter on the other side of the court. Shigeo—if he heard correctly—was probably the team's third setter after Sawada and Harada. Still, Riku didn't dare to underestimate him, as entering Konan's bench unit itself was an achievement that not many could accomplish.

Or at least that was what he thought before he saw Shigeo glance obviously in his direction.

'Is he serious?' Riku was dumbfounded.

It was unbelievable how Konan's setter could be so blatant like this. However, when the dump he expected finally came, Riku cast aside that useless thought and leaned forward to pick up the ball.

"Nice save, Riku!"

"Damn! Someone, cover the setter role!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

For a moment, there was panic on Team B's side since they hadn't communicated about who would be the emergency setter. Riku found himself half-apologizing to Shigeo for his earlier rude thoughts. If this was indeed Shigeo's real target, Riku would have to give the setter credit for his cunningness. But if Konan's third setter thought Riku would be out of the equation after receiving the first ball, he was in for a rude awakening.

"Give it back to me! High!" Riku suddenly barked, leaping into the air.

His teammates were taken aback by his sudden boldness, but since most of them were aggressive attackers by nature, they quickly adapted to the situation.

"Here!"

"Oh! Nice pass, Koda!" Riku beamed as he saw the ball flying in front of him. Just as he had anticipated, there wasn't a single second of delay before two people jumped in front of him, forming a two-man wall to block his sight.

'Well, a good wall. Unfortunately, it's not enough!'

As he swung his arms, the two blockers in front of him tensed for a moment, bracing themselves for the impact. However, the powerful spike they were expecting didn't come. Instead, Riku merely tapped the ball lightly over the wall in a rainbow arc.

Thud!

Even with two players diving forward to pick it up, the ball ultimately fell to the floor first, just a second before anyone could touch it, prompting everyone on the sideline to jump up in excitement over another brilliant play from the blonde boy.

"OOOOOOOHHHHH!"

"Holy shit! You didn't tell me you could do that!" one of the boys exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey, don't mess with my hair!" Riku scowled, attempting to escape the hands that ruffled his hair. "And don't you dare underestimate me like that!"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it."

"But damn, Agostini! You're a crazy son of a bitch, you know?"

"What do you mean by that?!"

Unfortunately, whatever happiness lingered in the air suddenly evaporated as they noticed movement coming from Konan's bench. Three players rose from their seats: Lucas Silva, Matsumoto, and Shimada. All of Team B's players gulped nervously when they saw those three getting ready to play. As for Riku himself, he didn't notice that his hands were trembling, as he was too busy trying to maintain his composure.

'Finally, the real game is about to begin!'

-0-

"The blonde boy is good,"

Lucas commented, his excitement palpable.

"He is far better than when we last played against each other. I want to see it for myself."

Everyone who heard that shuddered in horror, desperately trying to distance themselves from their Brazilian teammate. Normally, Lucas was a laid-back and easy-going guy, usually spending his time smiling and joking with his friends. However, once someone caught his interest, there was nothing they could do to stop him from pursuing what he wanted. Right now, they prayed to whatever deity was listening that poor Riku would survive the game intact.

"Well, Matsumoto, how about you play too?" Harada suddenly spoke up.

"Eh? Me?" Matsumoto pointed at himself in surprise. "Why?!"

"Well, the team needs someone to boost morale, and you are the team captain. So, go out there and kick some ass!" Harada patted his shoulder. Then, leaning in so no one else could hear, he whispered, "Also, keep an eye on Lucas, so he doesn't traumatize the poor boy too much, okay?"

"I know, I know…" Matsumoto grumbled, rubbing the spot where Harada had just hit him. "Man, this is going to be troublesome…"