Chapter Eighteen: Revival

ENDO GATHERED HIS SCHOOL BELONGINGS JUST LIKE any other day. However, today was not like any normal morning. Today is the first day of the volleyball tournament after all. This isn't the first tournament that he's ever been in, but it certainly has got to be one of the most exciting. Not only do they have these new first-years shaking everything up, but it's also his last year to play volleyball. 

This will most likely be the last time that he gets to play with his friends. Since they'll be graduating this year and there isn't really any other chance that they'll get to play like this again. So for the sake of his friends, he'd do whatever he could to get them to win. While he may not feel gratification from it, he knows that they do and he loves seeing them like that.

So after his mother kissed him on the cheek, and he skipped out the front door, Endo was on his way to school. His large family home is a bit of a walk away from Karasuno, but he doesn't mind the walk there. It gives him a bit of time to himself and to contemplate about things. Sometimes it's not the greatest thing since he can be a bit… depressed about certain things. However, it's usually okay.

Just as he was getting in the final stretch of his walk to school, he found himself coming to a crossroads with his other friends. Asahi, Suga, Daichi, and Endo blinked at each other, "Morning."

So the quartet started their journey to school side by side. They were silent for a while. Whether it was because they didn't know what to say to each other or they were still trying to wake up is unclear. Though Asahi then sighed, "Listen, it's finally time for-"

"Don't speak!" The other three snapped at him.

The bearded teen sweatdropped, "Pardon?"

"I'll bet you're about to say something sentimental," Daichi stated the obvious.

Suga nodded his head, "Like, 'it's finally time for our final Inter-High'... or some other such nonsense."

Endo chuckled lightly, "You're usually so sappy about this stuff." However, from time to time, he found it endearing of Asahi. The bearded boy usually got like this around certain things like graduation and such, like during junior high. Endo still remembers the riveting speech Asahi gave him on their last day at their respective schools. He even made a declaration to always be his friend no matter if they went to the same high school and stuff. That may have also played into a part of why Endo chose Karasuno as his high school instead of Shiratorizawa or some other expensive, preppy school. 

"That kind of conversation is like marking us for death," Suga exclaimed, "so no way!"

"Oh, come on!" Asahi whined. What was so wrong with wanting to be sentimental with his good friends? "Why not? What about yesterday? I wanted to boost our morale by getting all us third-years together for a quiet chat under the stars to mentally prepare for our final Inter-High. But you guys just up and left."

"Aww," Endo cooed, causing his friend to blush a bright red, "that's adorable, Asahi."

Daichi shook his head, "We got a 120% boost in morale thanks to Shimizu and Hinata-chan's surprise." They all thought back to the few encouraging words from their manager and photographer. Yeah, their entire team was definitely pumped up after that.

Asahi sighed, "Yeah, well… Yeah, true, but…"

"Today we're going to win the first two rounds and get to Day Two." Suga said strongly as they finally came to the gate of the school. "I don't want to talk like it's all over just yet."

Daichi agreed with him, "We will win every game put in front of us! That's all you need to think about!"

Asahi nodded his head, "Right!"

"Because we're counting on you, Ace."

"Sure…" As their captain headed further into the school grounds, Suga, Asahi and Endo all started to whisper to each other. "Daichi is kind of scary when he's being nice."

"Should we be worried he's planning something." Endo whispered along, not that quietly. 

Suga chuckled lightly, "Maybe it'll rain."

"Would you prefer me to rake you over the coals instead?" Daichi asked, now more than annoyed with them as his forehead furrowed. The trio jumped at being called out by their captain, even more frightened of him.

The quartet of third-years then came upon the club rooms and found that Kageyama, Shōyō, and Sakura were already there. The two boys were obviously itching to get into the room to start their practice. Sakura looked to be pretty tired, which certainly isn't new. Shōyō jumped around and shouted, "Good morning!" The excited boy waved down at them while his sister blinked slowly at them.

"Right! We'll open up the club room now!" Daichi then glanced at his fellow third-years, 

"Let's go."

All of them were now determined to get as far as they could in this tournament, "Right!"

 ---

Taking the bus to the tournament was a normal affair. Shōyō didn't end up getting sick like the time they were on the bus to Seijoh and it wasn't in the middle of the night like for the training camp. A perfect little bus ride towards one of the most important events in this team's short existence. Though everyone was a bit nervous for today, after all they'll be facing some pretty talented schools.

The team walked towards the building together, a few guys talking about strategies, some excitedly jumping around about actually getting to play while some were quite nervous. Sakura was listening to her brother gush about how tall all of the other teams where. Though he kept declaring to her how he was going to be better than all of them. She just nodded her head along with him, believing in his fighting spirit and amused at how fiery he was being.

Just as they were entering the building, the come up to the front doors where a board was posted of the tournament bracket. "Shiratorizawa will rack up wins as usual." Some boy said as he and his teammate looked at the brackets.

"No, Aoba Johsai seems to be a threat this year." The teammate said, "They're a cut above the rest now that Oikawa is a third-year. And I hear the Seijoh first-years are improving fast."

His friend shook his head, "But can they win the block against Date Tech? I'm glad they weren't in Block A."

"Let's see, Block A has…" 

He squinted at the kanji, "Tori? Torino?"

The other boy tilted his head, "Don't you mean Karasuno?"

"Weren't they really tough a few years ago?"

"Yeah, maybe a few years ago. Now they've earned themselves a totally lame nickname."

"Really?" Said team was slowly making their way over there, overhearing the conversation. "What is it?"

"If I remember correctly, 'the Fallen Champs, the Clipped Crows.'" That certainly didn't make Karasuno that happy. They now loomed over the two poor guys, only one of them was aware enough to try and warn the other. 

The boy started to sweat, "Hey, be careful!"

"'Clipped'?" Tanaka came sliding in with his most intimidating face, "What's that again?"

Daichi then grabbed Tanaka by the back of his shirt, as if he were a rabid dog being restrained by his collar. "Come on, we're going!" He then bowed to the two other guys, "I'm so sorry."

Despite the apology and the clearly scolded Tanaka, the two boys were still a bit shaken up. "Oh, th-that's okay."

Daichi started to scold his underclassmen like a disappointed father as they walked away. "Stop picking fights."

"Yes, Sir," Tanaka sighed, thoroughly embarrassed as he was pulled back over to the rest of his team by the back of his jacket. Though as they headed in, they didn't notice the lingering look of a boy from Tokonami.

"You're acting like a child," Sakura rolled her eyes at the display and headed off further into the building. Though she left behind a slightly distraught Tanaka, still being held by Daichi, who pouted at the fact that such a cute girl was annoyed/disappointed in him. Though he still has Kiyoko, of course.

The team continued their march into the building, earning the looks of all of the other teams. Not like they totally noticed since some of them are in their own little worlds. "They look so dark," someone commented.

"One of them doesn't look like he belongs in high school."

A different boy jumped, "I-is that who I think it is?" The clearly terrified boy exclaimed, "It's Azumane of Karasuno!" Asahi blanched as Endo started to chuckle.

"What?" Someone else asked, "Who's he?"

"You mean you don't know? I heard he got his underlings to beat up some guys from North High." That wasn't true, in fact he was actually trying to stop the fight by calling the police. "And he tried to sell a questionable substance on the street." No, he was just returning a handkerchief to a young woman. "And he got held back five years." 

"What? Then he's an adult?" Arrows pierced Asahi with blatant lies about himself. The price to pay while looking a bit older than a teenager.

The other third-years laughed at Asahi's plight. Suga shook his head, "There, there, this is how it always is."

"That's the image you project." Daichi shrugged.

"All I wanted was to look a little wild on the outside, that's all!" Asahi exclaimed in desperation.

"There, y'see?" Suga deadpanned, "Nobody wild would go around saying that."

Endo walked up to Asahi and clapped him on the shoulder, "Yeah, you kind of have to act wild, not just look it." He pinched the rosy cheeks of his best friend, "You're just a big teddy bear, obviously." 

"Don't say stuff like that, Joji." Asahi whined, more than embarrassed by his friends. The laughter that he got in return from the blonde caused even more embarrassment for Asahi. He tried to squirm away from Endo though it didn't work since his friends just cooed even more and held onto him tighter.

Nishinoya then butted into their conversation with a boisterous laugh, "What's wrong with that? Who cares what you look like?"

Daichi and Suga then clapped the libero on the shoulders, presenting him to Asahi, "This is what we call 'wild'."

As they continued their trek through the halls, they were gaining quite a lot of attention.. and not just the tall players, their beautiful manager was drawing some eyes to her. She walked alongside the advisor, unaware of the attention.

"Hey, look at that," some boy commented.

Takeda smiled, neither him nor Kiyoko hearing the whispering around the team, "It looks like the banner did its job!"

"Do you think so?" Kiyoko asked.

"It was far more effective than my silly poem."

The boys watched the beautiful girl walk past, "She's cute!"

His friend encourages him with a pat on the shoulder, "Go talk to her."

"Should I? Should I really?"

He then noticed something else, "Look, they have two girls."

"Two?" The boy questions excitedly, eyeing the group searching for the other girl. "Where?" 

"There, see." He pointed at Sakura who was talking with Yamaguchi about his nerves for today. She didn't even notice that some attention was now drawn her way, she was more invested in calming down the poor boy walking beside her. While not many people noticed that she was actually a teenage girl at first glance, they could see her feminine features eventually. "She must be a tomboy or something."

"Wow! They really do have some cute girls on their team."

Tanaka and Nishinoya's ears perked up, hearing the comments about their manager and photographer. So protection mode was activated. The two became rabid as Tanaka circled around Kiyoko and Nishinoya circled around Sakura like a pair of guard dogs.

The older girl sighed and wacked Tanaka's head with her notebook, "Knock that off."

Tanaka was frozen after being touched by his goddess, "Kiyoko… wacked me."

Sakura kicked Nishinoya's shins, causing him to fall to the ground. Though he barely registered the pain, as he seemed to sigh in happiness. The girl stared down at him with a disgusted expression. "You're so annoying."

"Sakura… kicked me," Nishinoya sighed while staring up at the ceiling in a daze. 

"Say, you see the little guy?" Someone whispered as Sakura scowled at the libero in distaste, "That's gotta be Nishinoya from Chidoriyama. He won the award for best libero in middle school."

The libero then jumped up with his fiery aura intensifying, "Now I have the energy for another day!"

A different boy's eyes widened as he continued to gossip with his friend, "What, he did?"

The teen nodded his head, "That's not all. Look at him over there." He gestured to the gloomy Kageyama, "He's that genius setter they're talking about… Kitagawa First's King of the Court!"

The gloomy king overheard their comment and glared at them. The two boys jumped slightly, "Huh?"

After Kageyama scared the two poor boys, they continued their conversation as they watched him walk away. "Why Karasuno?"

"Beats me. But he had a really bad rep in middle school."

"Okay, then who's he?" He pointed to Shōyō, "Is the little guy as impressive as the rest of them?"

The enthusiastic boy was eagerly glancing around the hall, obviously excited, "Whoa!"

The other boy deadpanned, "Actually, I have no idea."

The Karasuno team made it into the lobby of the building where every team was gathering. The energetic ball of sunshine was buzzing on the balls of his feet as he gasped at the groups around him. "Ooh! Look at all the people!" Shōyō then slid up to a pair of boys, one of them wore a t-shirt with the word "The Summit" on it. He exclaimed, "I'm the same! I'm also aiming for the summit! I won't be beaten!"

The startled boys stared down at the small boy, "Oh…"

"You idiot!" Suga exclaimed and quickly tried to grab the younger boy like a worried mother, "What're you doing? I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"That's okay," the boy muttered in confusion.

Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed the back of her brother's jacket to drag him away, "Don't just start yelling at strangers, nii-san."

As she dragged him back over to his team with Suga, she really couldn't help herself from not feeling too annoyed with him. He's excited about today, and she can't fault him for that. She's more than happy to see him this excited about getting to play. Shōyō has been waiting for something like this for far too long. Now, he's got a team that can actually back him up this time. Sakura could only hope that this time would be different. Perhaps she could let herself be a bit optimistic about this tournament. Though not too much, considering they are a newly assembled team and haven't played a real game against schools like this. So really, she's going to keep some realism in her opinion about today. If they make it through the first game, it'll be both skill and luck, in her mind.

Shōyō allowed himself to be pulled away, however, his smile didn't leave his face, "Sorry, imouto."

Sakura just shook her head with a small, breathy chuckle. She'd let his over excited reaction slide for today, since she also was quite happy for him.

The team came to the door leading onto the gym. Most of the courts were already occupied by teams either in the middle of a game or warming up. Shoyo's eyes were sparkling as he took a deep breath. "This gymnasium is huge! I can smell the Air Salonpas!"

Kageyama stared at him with his eyebrows furrowed, "What're you talking about?"

"This smell makes a tournament feel real."

"I get you, Bro!" Nishinoya cheered along with him, believing the same thing.

The group then started to hear some people exclaim in surprise and slight fear as another team approached the entrance too. The upperclassmen's eyes hardened, "It's Date Tech!"

Before Karasuno stood a group of extremely tall boys, the one team that beat them not even a few months ago. Both sides seemed to remember just how badly their game ended for Karasuno, Asahi and Nishinoya more than anyone else. There was one boy in particular that stood out to Karasuno, however. He had to be the tallest on the team with short white hair, no eyebrows, and a scowling expression. This is Aone Takanobu.

Endo knows about him, how could he not. After all, he's the one that Ukai told them to look out for the most. Not only that, but he certainly remembers him from the last game they played. His blue eyes narrowed while this ever-present smirk grew on his lips. Even if he doesn't care whether or not they lose these games or this tournament. However, he didn't want to see his friends broken down again like a few months ago. So to say he didn't really like these guys was a small understatement.

Meanwhile, Sakura stared at the team with calculating eyes. She could see just why Date Tech would have garnered the name the "Iron Wall". Being that tall would certainly make it easy to make near-perfect blocks against their opponents. Of course, that's not the only thing that would make a good blocker. Height is an advantage, but she knows that they need skill as well. Though going based on the reputation of the team that she's heard from the guys, they most likely have that skill.

Aone then silently pointed at Asahi, who started to sweat a bit at being singled out. Though there was some sort of silent conversation between them. What was being said wasn't necessarily clear, though to Asahi it was obviously a challenge.

Nishinyoa glared, "Who the hell are you?"

"Pointing is rude you know," Endo snarkily said and placed his hands on his hips, "didn't your mother teach you manners?" Though Asahi held out his arm to his two friends, telling them to stop talking. The challenge that was being made between the Ace and blocker silently. So he didn't want them to really get in the middle of it.

"Hold it, hold it! Stop that!" The Date Tech captain, Moniwa Kaname, shouted as he came running up. He seemed frantic as he tried to stop his underclassmen from being so scary, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Daichi just stared at him in a bit of confusion and understanding. Ah, another captain who has some trouble reigning in his teammates. "That's okay."

Moniwa tried to grab Aone's arm and pull it down, but he had no effect on the giant. He turned to one of his underclassmen, "Hey, Futakuchi, give me a hand."

"Coming!" A brown-haired boy stepped up and also started to push the silent boy's arm down. He had a bit of a sickly sweet smile on his face that put the Karasuno team on edge. "I'm so sorry. This dude has a habit of singling out a team's ace. So, I'd like you to get good and ready to lose again."

"You guys are way too rude!" Moniwa chastised them with a slightly embarrassed expression while pushing his team in the opposite direction, "Why do you always do that?"

Karasuno was left to watch Date Tech walk away. They certainly were a bit intimidated now after that. "Well, that was a little scary," Suga commented.

Daichi nodded his head, "Yeah…"

"I'm amazed you kept looking him in the eye."

They all turned to the ace only to see that Asahi was sweating in fear, "Th-that was nerve-wracking."

"Why are you such a wimp off the court?" Nishinoya snapped at his friend.

Tanaka slid over, "Noya, sugar coat it!"

"It is a bit surprising that Asahi's not shaking in fear at the moment," Endo commented with a tone of impressiveness. He clapped his friend on the shoulder, which caused Asahi to jump in fear. "You really are becoming less of a wimp!"

As they were about to head in, another boy called out to their captain, "Sawamura! Long time no see." He has light brown hair with matching eyes and he was wearing the Tokonami.

"Hey, Ikejiri!" Daichi greeted his old friend. He turned to his team, "Go on ahead without me, guys."

"Yessir." So the team plus Sakura left their captain to talk with his old friend.

 ---

Now all getting ready to play their first game, the Karasuno team were all stretching and such in the hallway. Sakura was getting her camera ready while sitting next to her brother. She could tell that he was overtly nervous now. The excitement of the day had gone away as he was now worried about actually playing. He was getting anxious, like he usually does. She knows that her brother could practice, improve his skills, and become extremely confident in himself, only to become so nervous that he ends up playing so abysmally that it makes it seem like he really didn't have those skills. It's one of his biggest flaws, for the moment. As soon as he could get over it, then he'd be even more admirable on the court.

"Hey, don't tell me your stomach is hurting again." Kageyama noticed how quiet the other first-year was. 

Shōyō started to shake even more now that everyone was turning to look at him, "I-I'm univering in ancipation!"

Kageyama bristled, "Excuse me?" Shoyo was getting nervous just like he did in the last game they played. The last thing they needed was for Shōyō to end up playing like he did during the Aoba Johsai practice game. If that were to happen now, there was no way they'd crawl their way to a win.

"I think he's 'quivering in anticipation.'" Suga translated as he walked over to the first-years a bit worried about the nervous boy.

Tanaka shook his head, "Nah, he's just quivering, period."

"I get it!" Nishinoya knelt down to Shōyō, "The sight of Date Tech freaked you out!"

"Of course it did, didn't, did!" Shōyō exclaimed.

"Make up your mind!"

Suga turned to the ace of the team with a quirked eyebrow, "You're just as wimpy, but you don't look that nervous, Asahi."

"'Wimpy'?" Asahi whimpered at the attack, though he shook his head, "There's a trick to get rid of the jitters. Recall an experience that scared the living daylights out of you. The scarier the better. It will remind you that there are scarier things out there so you can handle this."

Shōyō then started the think. What is scarier than this upcoming game? Was it the time that he and Kageyama accidentally knocked off the vice-principal's wig? No, that was more funny than scary. Rollercoasters? No, those are kind of fun. That one horror movie he saw with Sakura a bit ago? No, not really. His terrible grades? Nah, those are expected. Then it hit him. A terrifying Kageyama. That moment he hit Kageyama in the back of the head with his serve. Now, that's way scarier.

His expression then drastically changed as he thought back to the scary expression that Kageyama had as he rubbed the back of his head. The rest of the team looked at him in concern, "Hinata-kun?"

"Hey, I think I'm okay now," he said now smiling, eerily blissful.

The team then started to freak out. Suga started to worry, "Hinata-kun, what's wrong?"

Sakura poked her brother's cheek as his blissful expression didn't even falter, "now this is just unsettling."

Meanwhile, Nishinoya turned to Asahi, "If you had a coping strategy, why did you get so bummed the last time we took on Date Tech?"

Tanaka cringed, "Noya, stop pouring salt and pepper into his wounds like that."

"I had no time to daydream like that." Asahi quickly tried to say, "It takes time and concentration and other conditions to daydream!"

"Too much work," Suga deadpanned, causing Asahi to blanch.

Daichi shook his head at his team's antics and stood at the door, "Okay, are you ready? It's our first game! We need to warm-up."

"Yes, Sir!" The boys all called before they gathered their things and started to follow their captain.

Since she couldn't go on the court with them, Sakura helped her brother stand up and pushed him towards the door. She had to start making her way towards the stands up top so she could get a good seat. Wanting to make sure that he actually got onto the court, she patted him on the back and encouraged him to head in, "Good luck, nii-san."

He finally broke himself out of his stupor and smiled brightly at his sister. "Thank you imouto!" He exclaimed and squeezed Sakura in a hug. She just let it happen even if she doesn't like hugs that much. "I'll make sure to do my best for you!"

Sakura smiled softly at him, more than happy to see him like this. She pushed him one last time, "I'm sure you will." She has no doubt that he'd play his heart out in this game. He had been waiting forever for this moment so hopefully, he wouldn't mess it up. As her brother skipped off she then turned to one of the more anxious players on the team with a similar soft look in her eyes. "Good luck, Tadashi."

The poor boy jumped slightly and scratched the back of his head as the others headed onto the court. "Eh, I don't think I'll play today…"

She just shrugged her shoulders, "Still, good luck." Yamaguchi smiled and thanked her before following after the others.

"Shouldn't you be gone already?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and didn't even look at Tsukishima. "You don't have to be so pissy." His snarky little comment was not going to get to her. "I'm not going to say anything to you, so go away." With that, she turned and swiftly trotted away. As if she was going to wish Tsukishima good luck. Yea, she wants the team to win, but she could care less about that bean stock. If he did good or bad was not something that interested her.

The golden-eyes of the giant followed after her. Though he just scoffed in uninterest and headed off. He wasn't going to get anywhere with finding any sort of insight into her personality today. So he'd just focus on the game at hand.

---

Down on the court floor, Shōyō was obviously amazed by the size of the gymnasium. It was far bigger than any gym that he's ever been to let alone played in. "It's so spacious! It's so huge!"

"Hey, no freaking out," Kageyama told him. He certainly wasn't overwhelmed or impressed with the size of the gym. He's played in plenty of places like this for a lot of games during middle school.

The orange-haired boy bristled, "You're the freak."

"You're the only freak here!" Kageyama shouted and grabbed the shorter boy by the front of his jersey.

Shōyō jumped, "D-don't get so mad at me!" Ah, look at those two bickering like an old married couple.

The team then all looked up at the stands when they heard fabric rustling. All of the boys turned to see that Kiyoko, Sakura and Takdeda were setting up the banner. The bold white characters of "Fly" were certainly giving each other them a swell of determination.

"All righty then!" Ukai called out, "Let's start practice!"

"Yessir!"

On the outside, Sakura may have appeared as emotionless and calm as she normally is, but she was quite jittery on the inside after she helped Kiyoko with the banner. She finished tying up her end of the black banner, wished her senpai good luck and sat herself down right behind the banner. Though she doubted that she'd be sitting for too long. Soon enough she'll be on her feet to not only get some good pictures but also get a close look at her brother playing.

"Hey, it's onion head!" She heard her brother shout out which gained her attention. There was really only one person she knew to be an "onion-head". She turned her head to find that the Aoba Johsai team were here. They were currently walking towards her seat, obviously going to watch a few games to pass the time before they played. It just so happened that they had to come by where Karasuno was playing. Great, Sakura thought sarcastically while slumping down in her seat. There was no doubt in her mind that their captain was going to try and get a rise out of them. Not only that but she has a feeling that if he notices her, Oikawa won't leave her alone so easily.

Kindaichi blinked, hearing that, "Who's an onion-head?"

"You are." Kunimi, a fellow first-year and opposite hitter for Aoba Johsai, snickered, "Who else could it be?"

"Huh?" Kindaichi turned to his friend in shock and offense. Why was he being targeted like this!?

"Yoo-hoo!" An annoying voice called out gaining the duo's attention. It was Oikawa who was smiling down at them with a cheeky smirk and a peace sign. "Tobio and Small Fry, having fun with your deviant combination?"

Shōyō gasped, "Great king!" Meanwhile, Kageyama was scowling up at his senpai just a bit.

Growing frustrated with his friend's behavior, Iwazumi hit him on the back of his hand. "That hurt, Iwa…" The dramatic boy whined. He rubbed his bruised hand and tilted his head as he noticed something, "Huh? You have a libero now. You didn't when we had our practice game."

Iwazumi pointed at another new teammate, Asahi, "They seem to have more big guys now too."

Though as they were surveying the new additions to Karasuno, Oikawa accidentally made eye contact with Karasuno's gossip king. The blond's electric eyes brightened at the sight of the Aoba Johsai captain. Endo waved at him, "Tōru~! Are you here to watch me dominate? Huh? Just like I did at our practice game?!"

Oikawa bristled as he glared, "you didn't dominate anyone and I doubt you'd do it today." He childishly stuck his tongue out at Endo which only caused the blond to laugh loudly. 

Besides the snickering Endo, Asahi nudged him slightly in the ribs, "don't go riling him up, be nice."

"Oh, you're no fun." He blew a raspberry at him for ruining his entertainment. Endo noticed how after speaking, Asahi's attention was quickly drawn back to Date Tech. Ever since they stepped on the court, his friend had been staring at the Iron Wall for the most part. He knew that Asahi was most likely thinking about the team and their loss to them last time.

Nishinoya then walked up to the pair, also noticing Asahi's lingering gaze, "Asahi! Date Tech seriously worries me too. I have no intention of losing. I am only thinking of winning. That's precisely why… we need to focus on the opponent in front of us."

The ace took a deep breath and nodded his head, "Right."

Aoba Johsai all made themselves comfortable in the stands, which certainly annoyed Sakura. For they were now sitting around her. "Oh, it's Small Fry's twin." Oikawa had said to her while plopping himself in the seat beside her. 

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Leave me alone." Yeah, she certainly isn't pleased to have him sitting here with her. Now though, his teammates also joined him in sitting around her. So not only was Oikawa now invading her personal space, but she now had a couple other boys crowding her area. She was hoping to have an entire section to herself. Why is Kami-sama so cruel to her?

"Oh, so moody, huh?" Oikawa poked at her with his calculating brown eyes surveying her. He leaned in close which caused Sakura's eyebrows to twitch. The captain certainly wasn't going to give up on his quest to see this girl swoon for him just like any other girl does. It would just take a bit more persistence on his part to get this tsundere to fall for him.

Sakura clicked her tongue, "Only when I'm being annoyed by pricks like you." It's only been a few minutes and he's already getting on her nerves.

Iwazumi tried to intervene between the two by physically pushing his friend away from the poor girl. He could tell that if she let this go on longer she would most likely punch him or something. She may be small but the cold glare on her face convinced him that she may be prone to some sort of violence against him. So he took it upon himself to push his friend away from her with a smack to the head and a scowl, "Leave her alone, Oikawa!"

"Wha, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa exclaimed while rubbing his head. What was with Iwazumi being so violent? Though Sakura just sighed, now focused back on the court as she stood up from her seat and decided to stand at the at the railing to watch the game and get away from the annoying boys.

"Captains!" The referee called out on the court which prompted Daichi and the Tokonami captain to approach the net.

The two shook hands, "Thank you for the game."

"Gather round! Form a line!"

There was a moment of anticipation as both teams stared each other down from each end of the court. A thickness in the air that started to form around them all now that they were here. At this moment, the first game of the tournament was about to start. The whistle then blew again, breaking the deafening silence. All of the boys bowed to each other, "Thank you for the game!"

"Go, go, let's go! Let's go, Date Tech!" The crowd of other Date Tech students and supporters shouted out loudly. Really it may cause Sakura to go deaf with how loud they are. "Go, go, let's go! Let's go, Date Tech! Go, go, let's go! Let's go, Date Tech!"

"Now listen," Ukai called as Karasuno huddled up together, "this is the first game of the season! This would make anyone nervous enough to throw off their game! Our challenge is to shake the nerves off faster than they do. We need to start by scoring one point to get into the rhythm!"

"Yessir!" They exclaimed together.

Takeda then stepped up, "What I'm about to say is neither flattery nor loyalty. You are all good. Karasuno has a good team. Let's show the entire stadium that the Clipped Crows can fly once again!"

"Whoa!" Nishinoya gasped with his eyes sparkling, "Take has brought out the buzz words!"

Tanaka crossed his arms, "I'll bet anything they're using that infamous nickname on us right now."

"And then we'll say to them…" Takeda then suddenly shouted, "'Observe! The old warhorse Karasuno is back!'"

"Yessir!" He certainly knew how to fire up this team of boys.

Takeda started to panic, "Was it too poetic? Did it gross you out?"

Daichi reassured him quickly, "It's okay! Don't worry!"

On the side, Shōyō turned to question his friend, "What's an old warehouse?"

Kageyama shrugged his shoulders, "You think I know?" Yeah, all he knows is volleyball. How would he know that?

"It's not strictly accurate," Suga tried to explain, "but it basically implies 'We were strong once.'"

Endo slid over with a raised eyebrow, "So he's saying we were shit last year and have the chance to be good again?"

"Hey!" Diachi called out with his eyes narrowed at Endo for his vulgar language, "We're going in!" Endo raised his hands in surrender though his smirk was ever-present on his lips. The boys all huddled together in a circle as Daichi started up their rally cry, "Karasuno fight!"

"Yessir!"

So all the boys lined up, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Asahi, Tanaka, Shōyō, Daichi and Nishinoya were Karasuno's starting lineup for this game. The audience started to talk amongst themselves, questioning why such a small boy was a middle blocker. As Sakura snapped a few photos of her brother, she could hear their confusion. It's not surprising since everyone would be confused about the player who was not meeting the normal expectations of a middle blocker.

A few feet away from her, she could hear the Aoba Johsai players talking about it as well. "Their opponent is confused," Iwasumi laughed as he could hear Tokonami questioning why such a short boy was a middle blocker. Yeah, they were all confused about Shōyō's position at first glance. After all, he looks more like a libero than a middle blocker. "Which is only natural. Who'd put that up for middle blocker where you fight for height?"

Kindaichi growled lightly, "Those who mock will pay the piper."

"Spoken like an expert!" Iawzumi laughed at his underclassmen.

The boy clenched his hand in frustration, "I'll force him into submission next time."

From the side, Sakura raised an eyebrow at him and just shook her head. The rivals that her brother was gaining were quickly growing. They all wanted to beat him and prove that he isn't all that. He wasn't what people expected for a middle blocker, and when he beats someone they become frustrated that they lost to a person who was not the expectation when it comes to that position. He provided them with a challenge. When they first believe that they can beat him just because he's short and small, then he proves he's just as intimidating and talented as a tall player and they start to really see what kind of threat he posed. A threat that they wanted to try and knock him down. She knew that he was going to have quite a bit of uphill battles to fight through in these games with these other teams.

So the game started with Tokonami serving the ball to Karasuno. The point was quickly won by Karasuno thanks to Kageyama's precise setting and Tanaka's hard spike. Though during their victory celebration which just consisted of a bunch of screaming, they were given a warning by the referee. Sakura rolled her eyes at their loud shouts and how they were reprimanded. Though she did find it amusing how they got themselves into situations like this.

"Gee, those boys sure are rambunctious, huh?" A smooth voice commented from beside Sakura, nearly causing the girl to jump in surprise.

Sakura clicked her tongue, not looking in Oikawa's direction. "Didn't I say to leave me alone?"

The third-year shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his luscious brown hair, "Perhaps, but I have some questions."

"I don't care," Sakura snapped, focusing on the game instead of the boy beside her. She didn't care what he had to say. Anything and everything he was going to say was no doubt going to be annoying to her. After their last meeting, she knew that he was going to become increasingly annoying. Not only because he had become a rival of Karasuno and her brother, but because he had this spark in his eye when he had looked at her. It almost seemed like he had taken her as some sort of challenge. What that challenge is, she has no idea.

"Your brother's team gained some new players, it seems." He continued on, not even letting her cold and snippy deter him from talking. "They work quite well, certainly help out in their own ways." Sakura didn't say anything to him, more invested in watching Nishinoya's saves and the blocks made by Tokonami. "Though I'm curious, how is the king getting along with the Small Fry? You must know plenty about it since he is your brother."

Growing fed up, Sakura turned slightly to slowly pinned Oikawa with the most chilling and annoyed expression that she could. For a second, Oikawa froze at such a harsh stare now pointed at him. He truly didn't know how such a small girl could muster such a terrifying expression. "You can make your assumptions." Her eyes hardened, "I want to just focus on the game." With furrowed eyebrows and her brown eyes piercing the older boy to his spot. "Now. Leave. Me. Alone."

Oikawa stared at her in slight fear as she turned away from him and started to walk away from him. Just so she could stand as far away from him as she could. Yeah, she really is a tsundere, but it seemed like she was just annoyed by him quite a bit. His assumption about trying to get her to be interested in him like most other girls was no easy task. He may be a bit of an idiot, but he can see that his attempts will be futile with this specific girl. However, he wouldn't be Oikawa if he didn't do what he could to get under his opponent's skin, which includes this girl.

Back on the court, Endo clapped enthusiastically from the sideline, "You got this Asahi!" He was more than ready to be the cheerleader for the team. The blond could care less if he got the chance to play. All he really is during this game is a backup player. If anyone got too tired to play, he'd be a substitute for them. Though he doubted that would happen since the other guys have been looking forward to this first game for so long. So they weren't going to drop out at any point. However, if there's one thing Endo loves about these games, it's getting to watch Asahi play. The bearded teen looked to be in his element when he focused on the game. Endo certainly loved to see that.

If there was any doubt that Asahi was the ace of the team, his spike certainly squashed that since he hit the ball over the net, easily breaking through a block. His teams cheered for him while some people, mainly from the stands, started to speculate.

"Wow!" Someone shouted from the crowd in disgust, "That's a grown man for you!" Asahi heard it and slumped down as if struck by an arrow with that statement.

Someone else tacked on, "I hear he was held back five years!"

"For real?" Another person questioned, "Is that allowed?"

A different person scoffed, "Maybe he lies about his age."

Those comments from the stands didn't do anything to uplift Asahi who was growing depressed at the lies from the onlookers.

"He's never going to get away from those comments." Endo sighed, a bit frustrated for his friend about all the questions and comments. He grumbled, "At least until we graduate."

Suga worried for his friend, "Asahi, pull it together!"

Back up in the stands, the Aoba Johsai team were once again surprised, to Sakura's smug enjoyment. Iwaizumi shook his head, "Whoa, that had huge momentum."

"Yes…" Kindaichi breathed out.

So the game played on for the next point with Tanaka serving to Tokonami. It was brought back over the net and it was obvious who it was going to next. Sakura readied her camera as she watched her brother practically fly through the air to perform his demonic quick attack. With the echoing sound of her camera shutter, Sakura caught the perfect photo of her brother flying in the air. A perfectly timed moment captured on her camera of the beginning. The beginning of Karasuno's journey to prove themselves as powerful as they once were. This time though, they have the likes of Hinata Shōyō as a secret weapon.