Chapter Twenty-Eight: Removing the Lonely King

THE ONE-HANDED TOSS THAT KAGEYAMA HAD MADE was incredible! Not only did it show how much skill and precision he has as a setter but it tied up the game. There was a moment when the ball had hit the floor on Seijoh's side that Sakura just about screamed out in excitement. Though she kept herself in check and only clapped loudly. Last thing she'd do is get too emotional at a time like this. However, she'll be damned if she'd let someone think that she wasn't invested and supportive. 

During this entire game, it's been quite the rollercoaster of emotions. Her doubts and hopes constantly flip flopping around from believing that they were actually going to win or lose. Though at this very moment, she was wholeheartedly going to have faith that this game would end with her brother winning. After all the miracles and good luck that they've had so far, there's little to no doubt in her mind that they could lose at this point. 

Yes, her heart was taking over her logical thinking right now. However, there was still a very strong chance that they would win this! She was going to let herself be optimistic right in this moment. That point had changed her opinion in just a few seconds. The growing feeling in her chest was new and slightly confusing, but she'll let it consume her at this moment. She was elated for her brother and friend.

Everyone was in complete shock over what had happened. Now that the teams were at a deuce, hopefully that meant Karasuno still had a fighting chance. But imagine it, what if Karasuno could beat them! The underdog taking down one of the most elite teams in this tournament, that would be a complete upset.

Seijoh had to call a timeout after that. Not only did they need a break after those intense rallies but now they needed to slow down Karasuno's momentum. When the boys came over to the side to get some well-deserved water, Nishinyoa was more than excited to greet the troublesome duo. He rubbed their heads harshly with a large smile, "Hey! That was awesome, Hinata, Kageyama!"

Endo smirked at the sight of his tired teammates, "you guys are keeping up with those buffoons, huh? Good job!" Oh, he loved to see the near panicked expression on Oikawa's face. He seemed to now be realizing that Karasuno was a worthy opponent to knock them down a peg. Sure, they hadn't done it yet, but it was more of a possibility than Oikawa originally believed. Endo certainly is salivating for the sight of a defeated Tooru.

After getting a quick drink and calming down some, both teams returned to the court. It was Karasuno's serve and Tanaka was up. "We've got the momentum!" Ennoshita encouraged them.

The other boys all yelled, "Nice serve!"

Endo joined in on the cheering, "You got this!" 

"Give it all you've got, Tanaka!" Suga yelled in encouragement.

Tanaka served the ball pretty well and the receive that their opponent made was a bit wonky. "It's a little off!" Shimada exclaimed.

Takinoue was gritting his teeth, "Block! Block!"

They watched as multiple times Shōyō attempted to spike the ball. Though each and every time he tried, it was saved. Sakura noticed that her brother's jumps were getting shorter. Even if he was able to get a point eventually, it was only because he floated the ball over the block thanks to his jump being short. He was running back and forth too much, and she feared that it was catching up to him. That can't happen now, he can't let that happen! She gripped the railing tightly as she watched the game even more intensely than before. Her camera was completely forgotten at this point since she didn't want to miss a moment of this. The only time she would use her camera at this point, was to capture the moment they won, that was for sure.

"This time…" Takinoue let a large smile spread over his face, "…Karasuno is the one checkmating." 

Though that feeling didn't last all that long since Seijoh just got another point and tied the game up once more. "Even if they're tied, as long as Seijoh doesn't pull ahead, Karasuno will have advantage. Now…" Shimada said as they watched Oikawa prepared himself to serve the ball. "And now, it's time for Oikawa to serve again…"

Oikawa got himself into the right headspace before jumping up to serve. It was just as powerful, just as intimidating as all of his other ones, and it was headed straight for Nishinoya. Though thanks to his keen observations, the libero was able to tell that the ball was going out of bounds. Which it did, much to everyone's surprise. So that just meant another point for Karasuno.

Sakura smirked just a little bit at the seeming panic that Oikawa must have been going through. Let him start to lose his cool, start to squirm now that Karasuno was catching up and over powering him. It was a good feeling to see him in that state. Especially after he had annoyed her so last time she saw him. He was cracking under pressure and she hoped that he got crushed by it.

Takinoue smugly smirked, "If he missed a serve, when that's his strong suit, maybe he's panicking a bit."

"Yeah. Even Oikawa…" Even though Shimada and Takinoue thought that Oikawa may be losing it a little, that didn't mean the rest of the team was. Case and point, Iawzumi had gotten a point back for his team. 

Shimada questioned, "Are you sure Seijoh's never been to nationals? They're not breaking at all."

"No. As far as I know, Shiratorizawa is always the team to go to nationals." Sakura commented with a shrug. While she hasn't done all that much research into other schools, one thing is for sure, Shiratorizawa always seems to dominate. They'll definitely be an obstacle to overcome. Though that was later.

 Takinoue shook his head, "But that doesn't change Seijoh's position at all. Even if the physical fatigue they're feeling is the same, the mental fatigue that Deijoh is feeling is much greater! Get through this Karasuno!"

It was a bit of a blur to some people, others saw it in slow motion, but each team had fought back and forth for points. They fought so hard, that each team got over 30 points! It amazed Sakura quite a bit to see them all like this. The mentality that they must have to be able to keep themselves going for so long is admirable. However, at this point all it could take is one small mistake by one person to end the game. Who knows what that mistake might be, or who it will be that'll make it. She just hoped that it wasn't someone on Karasuno, especially her brother.

Though she has high hopes, for the first time in a long time. High hopes that things could turn out positive for Karasuno. After all, if Karasuno is able to keep up with Aoba Johsai like this, then there's a likely chance of them winning. The percentage of Karasuno winning here has certainly gone up every moment that they stayed on the court. Hopefully that percentage keeps growing and tips the odds into their favor! 

Shimada chewed on his bottom lip in anxiety, "This is rough on both of them."

"But…" Takinoue started, "I think Karasuno is just barely keeping it together. I think their attacks are becoming simple, too. Seijoh should be worse off, mentally, but…"

The three girls besides them all shouted out, "Oikawa-kun, nice serve!"

Sakura cringed at their high-pitch squeals. She really could go without Oikawa's fan girls. She'll have a splitting headache from all the shouting and the stress of watching this game. How does Oiakwa deal with these fans? Actually, she thought it over, he probably loved the attention they gave him, that cocky, pretentious setter.

"Gah! That was one full rotation!" Shimada jumped in worry, "He'll probably have the missed serve on his mind, so I wonder how Oikawa will do."

"Let's hope he chokes," Sakura said blandly, earning some concerned stares from the alumni.

Though even if they wished for the Aoba Johsai captain to mess up once again, it seemed like he had laser focus for this serve. He served the ball, though this time it went straight for Daichi who received it and ended up giving them a chance ball. Even after messing up, he didn't let that get to him at all! The ball was played back and forth for a moment, but the rally ended with Seijoh's number 13 getting the point thanks to a feint.

Now with the score of 32-31, Seijoh was at match point. One more point and it was all over for them. As the boys all congregated together to talk strategy, Kageyama seemed lost in thought thinking about his former teammates and how they've changed. 

"Kageyama! Stop hesitating!" Suga shouted at him, noticing his conflict, "Everyone on our team is…"

From across the court, Kageyama finished his senpai's sentence, "...Strong, as they should be." He turned to see all of his teammates, all of them standing proud and determined in this moment. There was no need for Kageyama to hold back or worry about his team, they were just as capable of handling things themselves.

"Do you think the King is scared of the Great King?" Tsukishima asked no one in particular.

"It's okay." Suga smiled with a chuckle, "Kageyama's not the Lonely King anymore."

Endo nudged Tsukishima in the arm, "what amazing character development, eh?" The first-year's eyebrow twitched as he pushed Endo away from him. As if just having him touch him was one of the most disgusting things ever. Endo shook his head at that, "though it's understandable, Oikawa can be scary at times." He spoke from experience, he should know it more than anyone really.

Tskishima clicked his tongue,"You're scared of him?"

The older boy just continued to smile at him, trying to seem unaffected by his question. "He's extremely powerful, it's usually good to be cautious of him." The determination that Oikawa has towards volleyball is terrifying in its own right. If he were able to put his mind to anything, he'd achieve it, at any cost.

Back to the game, Oikawa served once again though this time it was a near perfect float serve. Yea, the Grand King had quite the range of attacks when it came to his serves. With quick reaction time, Daichi was able to save it from hitting the court. Shimada gasped, "It went up!"

"But it's messed up!" Takinoue exclaimed as they saw that the ball was passed too close to the net. "They won't be able to use a quick!"

Unable to use Shōyō in that moment, Kageyama set it for Asahi who spiked it but Aoba Johsai ended up getting a one touch. Kindaichi was able to spike the ball back over the net, but Karasuno's guardian deity was there to save it!

All while this was happening, Sakura was biting the inside of her cheek. It wasn't a very good idea considering she could taste the slight metallic taste on her tongue now, but she's too invested to worry about that right now. This is the set that might just end Karasuno's dream of getting to the nationals this time. So she'll worry about that later. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the banister like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. She might possibly be working up a sweat just watching this game. All the while, she was just about trembling in worry and exhilaration. A strange combination she will admit, but it definitely made her feel alive!

Shōyō was then at the perfect spot, the perfect time for Kageyama to set him the ball. Kageyama even seemed to have full faith in this play as he sent his signature pin-point toss to the ball of sunshine.

Everything was suddenly in slow motion. 

Nobody saw that block coming, not really. The three man block had stopped Shōyō's spike. At that moment, Sakura's heart cracked. No one could save it which meant… Karasuno had lost with a score of 33-31. As the ball hit the ground, the sound echoed throughout the gym. It felt like that was the only sound that could be heard. Karasuno was in shock as Seijoh began to celebrate.

It took a moment for Endo to comprehend it. Maybe even more than just a moment. They lost… That's not new. They've lost before, plenty of times. So why did it feel so much worse!?

For the first time ever… Endo was upset about losing. He stood on the sidelines with his blue eyes wide and mouth turned down in a heavy frown. In this game… he actually wanted to win. Whether it was to rub it in Oikawa's face or to prove to his father that he could be successful with this team, he didn't know. 

What he does know is that he felt like crying now. Tears built up in the corners of his eyes, Joji felt like sobbing. At the start of this game, he personally didn't care if they won or lost. However, winning would make his friends happy, and he wanted that for them. Now, feeling that crushing defeat from Seijoh, he was sad. He wanted to win, he realized. This tournament gave him the opportunity to feel like a champion, and it felt so good. To be the victor of a game was exhilarating. To be a loser was heartbreaking.

He didn't play in the match, so he shouldn't feel this way, right? He didn't have a hand in the points that were made or lost during this game. Though that seemed to just make him feel even worse.

 Suga solemnly stated, "Let's go." Urging his fellow-benchwarmers to follow him to line up. It took a moment for Endo to break out of his stupor, but he languishly followed after them. He kept himself from crying and put his mask back up on his face, but not even he could completely hide the fact that he was upset.

Sakura watched the way her brother collapsed to the ground. She almost felt like doing the same, she was emotionally exhausted from this, but not as much so as them. So she held herself strong as they lined up to thank each other for the game, shake hands, and lined up to thank their supporters.

Everyone clapped for them, obviously impressed with their fight against Seijoh. Though those claps probably felt like pity to some of Karasuno. They did try their best, it just wasn't enough…

Shimada clapped loudly and tried to cheer them up, "Great work!"

"That was a great match!" Takinoue called out.

The praise didn't mean anything to them. The loss was fresh and whatever good thing that anyone had to say to them would go over their heads. It would take a while for them to come to terms with the loss. Perhaps by tonight they would, but who knows for some of them.

"When we lost…" Takinoue said, as he started to speak from experience. "I hated being told we had a great match. It was like, 'but we lost.' However, being on the side to say that now, I guess I don't know what else to say."

"There's nothing else to say." Sakura said blankly as she sighed through her nose. "They lost, plain and simple. All you can do is compliment them on what they did right and point out some skills they should improve on." She shook her head slightly before saying softly, "they'll have to do better next time." Did she feel like crying for her brother? Just a little. Though she did a good job at hiding that. She doesn't need to add on the emotions at all.

On the court, Karasuno gathered up once more to get their last words from their coach. Most of them were all in their own thoughts, thinking over their loss. Thinking about what they did wrong and how they could have fixed it. What would have happened if they spiked the ball just a little bit more to the left? What would have happened if they had pushed themselves more into a dive to save a ball? Who knows. Though they couldn't dwell on it too long since they had to leave since the next game was going to start.

"We need to clear out immediately. The next team's warm-up is starting." Ukai stated to the group, "We'll start our cool down upstairs or outside. Seijoh will be going to the quarterfinals after a short break."

Endo followed after his teammates slowly, off of the gym floor. With one last quick glance over at Oikawa, Endo lumbered after the team. He didn't want to see Oikawa's infuriating smile, nor did he want Oikawa to see him like this. There was no need for Oikawa to see him upset like this. There was only one time that Oikawa had seen that, and Endo wouldn't let this be the second time.

An arm then placed itself over his shoulders, shaking him out of his thoughts. Endo looked up to see that it was Asahi who had drawn him into a side hug as they walked off the court. They stared at each other for a moment, both of them knowing that they needed this comfort at the moment. So Asahi and Endo silently supported each other while following their team out of the gym. They didn't really need to say anything to each other to know just how they were feeling. All they needed was to be close to each other for right now.

It took a while, but eventually after cleaning themselves up the boys all headed upstairs to grab their team banister. Which meant that Sakura could finally see just how broken up her brother was close up. 

He lumbered up to her like a sad puppy and just plopped himself into her shoulder. Shōyō needed comfort more than anything right now and she would gladly provide it. Sakura swallowed thickly, keeping her emotions at bay as she took a deep breath through her nose. "You guys did well," she shrugged. "Doesn't seem like many people can say they lasted against Aoba Johsai that long." 

"You were right, imouto…" He miserably said into her shoulder.

Sakura closed her eyes in dismay, "Shōyō-"

"Like always." He pulled away far enough to look at her with the most heartbreaking expression she had ever seen as tears built up in his eyes. "Why didn't I listen to you?"

It's not like Sakura wanted to be right. Not this time. If anything, she really wished that she had been proven wrong. The last thing she wants is for her brother to be upset, to be let down like she has in the past. This is the worst thing that she has ever bared witness to. 

In this moment, she didn't know what to say to him. She's usually a voice of reason, to at least try and give him some constructive criticisms to focus on for later. Though that didn't seem to be a good thing to do right now. Bringing up what he might have done wrong in the game certainly would set him off. The last thing she wanted now was to make him feel worse.

With having nothing else to say besides a quiet, "you did your best." Sakura and Shōyō followed the rest of the team once they got their things and headed downstairs. 

"All right, let's go get some food." Ukai called out to them all as they exited the building, "Of course, I'm paying."

Daichi's eyebrows furrowed, "Eh? Food? But…"

"Just shut up and eat." Ukai chuckled as they all filed onto the bus. The team obviously didn't think that they were going to get treated like this. They did lose after all, what sort of thing did they do to deserve a reward? They all ended up going to a small restaurant that wasn't too far from the gym. After sitting down at the table and waiting for their food, everything was set for their lunch. Ukai nervously bowed to the owner of the restaurant, "Sorry, Ma'am, for coming in right before you open up."

The kind owner, an older woman with a warm smile shook her head, "Don't worry. This used to happen all the time."

Ukai looked at his team, all of their faces somber as they looked to him for words of encouragement. "Running, jumping, and anything else that stresses your muscles will cause the fibers to tear. Right after a match, like now, your muscles are at their limits, so you've got to repair them by eating. That's how you build muscle, and become stronger. So eat. Eat a proper meal."

So everyone started to eat in silence after saying thanks for the food. None of them wanted to focus on the loss, just the delicious food. Though that didn't mean they weren't upset. Mostly everyone at the table was silently crying. Who knows where they could go from here. All that they need to focus on right now is to eat. To eat and grow stronger so they can start training once again.