Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty - Chapter 599: The Final Match (Triple-Length)
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- Chapter 599: The Final Match (Triple-Length)
“Tomorrow is the final. Get to bed early.”
“Yes!”
After saying goodnight to the coach, the players headed to their rooms. The rubber soles of their sneakers made soft scraping sounds against the carpeted hallway.
“What’s wrong, Taichi…?” Loser asked.
Kaedehara Taichi stood frozen in front of his door, as if deep in thought.
“Don’t tell me…you lost your room card?” Santiago teased with a laugh.
“It’s fine.” Taichi opened the door and turned to Loser. “You go ahead. I’m going for a walk.”
“Hmm?” Santiago gave him a strange look as Taichi’s silhouette disappeared down the hall. “Is that guy actually nervous?”
“Maybe it’s because Lublin is just too strong,” Loser said. “Even a genius like me felt uneasy watching today’s match.”
[LUK Lublin 25 – 20 Trentino Volley]
[LUK Lublin 25 – 22 Trentino Volley]
[LUK Lublin 28 – 26 Trentino Volley]
Lublin had shown a completely different level of intensity compared to the group stages, decisively sweeping Trentino 3–0.
Anyone who had seen Trentino play would never think of them as a weak team. Even though San Juan had beaten them 3–1 in the group stage, two of those sets had been extremely close, with the outcome uncertain until the very end.
In terms of overall match dynamics, Lublin’s win over Trentino today was far easier than San Juan’s.
“Oikawa, aren’t you going to check on Taichi?” Conte asked, though he didn’t really think Taichi was the type to get nervous.
But Oikawa seemed not to hear him, heading straight back into his room.
“Looks like it’s not just Taichi acting weird today…” Santiago said worriedly. “Then again, this is their first World Championship. I remember trembling non-stop the day before my first big match…The fact they’re only like this now is already impressive.”
“And what about me? This is also my first World Championship!” Loser protested.
“You’re an idiot. You don’t count.”
“What?! How dare you!”
—–
“It’s really strange.”
In the blink of an eye, four years had passed. Kaedehara Taichi had gone from a volleyball novice to being one step away from the top of the world.
Moonlight spilt in through the hallway window at the end, stretching his shadow long and thin.
He wasn’t nervous about tomorrow’s final—rather, he was reflecting on the journey so far, feeling as though he was about to reach the final punctuation mark of this long story.
“So…I have to enjoy this to the fullest.”
Recalling everything, he strolled around until nearly midnight.
Just before entering his own room, he suddenly remembered something and, on impulse, knocked on Oikawa Tōru’s door.
After a short wait, the door cracked open, and Oikawa poked his head out sneakily.
“Knew you wouldn’t be asleep.” Taichi smiled.
The lights in Oikawa’s room were off, but a flickering glow leaked from within.
“If I don’t do something…I feel like I won’t be able to sleep,” Oikawa said. Seeing that it was Taichi, he no longer tried to hide it.
On the hotel TV, a replay of Lublin’s match was playing. It looked like the final set, but no one knew how many times Oikawa had rewatched it.
They locked eyes, then burst into laughter at the same time.
“Pfft—hahaha!”
The same scene had happened once before at Aoba Johsai—the night before their first official training camp match, Taichi had caught Oikawa secretly watching match videos late at night. Back then, it was Iwaizumi who had shouted at them to get to bed.
“We’ll win,” Taichi said seriously.
“Yeah. I believe you…World’s number one ace.”
—–
Under the massive dome of the PalaLottomatica Arena, the giant screen suddenly lit up with a crimson countdown. The ocean of thirty-six thousand seats, split into red and blue, instantly erupted.
A swarm of drones formed the words “FINAL SHOWDOWN” in the air, their roaring engines and the deafening cheers colliding, sending ripples through the stadium’s air.
“Now entering—from Argentina, San Juan!”
As the announcer called out San Juan’s name, the players marched in rhythm to the beat, while flags bearing “VICTORY!!!” waved furiously in the stands.
“The CA San Juan players are wearing blue uniforms—”
“No. 1, outside hitter, Facundo Conte.”
“No. 17, setter, Oikawa Tōru.”
“No. 8, middle blocker, Agustín Loser.”
“No. 18, middle blocker, Martín Ramos.”
“No. 9, libero, Santiago Danani.”
“No. 12, opposite hitter, Bruno Lima.”
“No. 10, outside hitter, Kaedehara Taichi.”
“Oikawa! We’re counting on you!”
“Conti! Bring home the championship!!”
“Let’s go, Taichi!!”
From the stands, Chiba Kaho shouted at the top of her lungs, “Taichi looks even more focused than usual today!”
Iwaizumi grinned. “It’s probably because León was even stronger than he expected yesterday. This is Taichi’s first head-to-head clash against the current world’s number one ace.”
“Next up! Last year’s world champions—LUK Lublin! Wearing their signature red uniforms—”
“No. 1, libero, Paweł Zatorski.”
[Paweł Zatorski—Libero:Height: 184 cm
Serve: 62 | Receive: 99 | Dig: 98 | Set: 98 | Spike: 65| Block: 62.]
“OH—!!!”
The cheers nearly blew the roof off. The world’s number one libero, Paweł, smiled and waved at the crowd, his championship ring gleaming coldly on his finger.
“No. 6, opposite hitter, Bartosz Kurek.”
“No. 11, outside hitter, Ushijima Wakatoshi.”
—
“Oh my! So handsome~” Terano Washijō chirped merrily.
“Hmph. He really has grown…” Tanji Washijō look at the screen with a gentle smile on his face.
—
“No. 15, middle blocker, Jakub Kochanowski.”
“No. 20, middle blocker, Mateusz Bieniek.”
“No. 99, setter, Micah Christenson.”
“No. 9, outside hitter, Wilfredo León.”
The cheers didn’t stop—they peaked when Christenson and León appeared.
“León! MVP! León! MVP!”
“2016 Club World Championship Final—San Juan versus Lublin—officially begins!”
“San Juan—! San Juan—!”
“Lublin—! Lublin—!”
“UWOOOOHHH!!!”
LUK Lublin’s lineup:
Front row—Setter Micah Christenson, Outside hitter Wilfredo León, Middle Blocker Jakub Kochanowski.
Back row—
Middle Blocker Mateusz Bieniek (Libero: Paweł Zatorski), Outside Hitter Ushijima Wakatoshi, Opposite Hitter Bartosz Kurek.
CA San Juan’s lineup:
Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Martín Ramos, Setter Oikawa Tōru.
Back row—Opposite Hitter Bruno Lima, Middle Blocker Agustín Loser (Libero: Santiago Danani) and Outside Hitter Facundo Conte.
“Keep your eyes sharp, analyse your matchups carefully,” Coach Nicola gave them one final reminder. “There’s no such thing as an invincible team, nor an invincible match.”
“Treat every ball with your full focus!”
“Yes!!!”
The players took their positions.
San Juan to serve first!
“Send a good one!” Taichi called. He could faintly sense it—Lublin was going to be even tougher than expected.
“Tweet!—” The serve whistle blew.
Four receivers lined up in Lublin’s back row.
Conte tossed the ball high and launched a powerful jump serve!
BOOM!!!
The ball rotated rapidly, flying straight toward Lublin’s back row.
Smack!!!
Kurek’s reception flew wildly!
León sprinted beyond the sideline to send the ball back to the right front.
Jakub jumped for the spike!
“Double block!” Taichi and Ramos jumped together.
SMACK!!!
“One touch!” The ball deflected off Ramos’s arm and shot up.
Conte covered and passed steadily. Oikawa slowed the attack down, setting a high ball to the middle.
Taichi pulled back and sprinted for his approach!
“Triple block!” Lublin formed a wall centred on León, with Christenson and Jakub timing their jumps perfectly.
—BOOM!!!
The ball slipped above Christenson’s block, dropping quickly into Lublin’s backcourt.
Smack!
Paweł received it, the ball flying toward the sideline.
Ushijima rushed to save it, sending the ball back in from beyond the endline.
“Taichi’s first attack was defended! Lublin sets up a counter!”
“Right here?”
The ball was a bit far from the net—León took one step back, jumped off one foot, and swung mid-air for a sharp-angle spike!
BOOM!!!
Taichi and Ramos both jumped to block.
Smack!
The ball brushed past Taichi’s fingertips and soared out of bounds. Santiago dove for it.
“Cover!”
Conte rushed to the endline, passing the ball back to the front row.
Taichi jumped to spike again!
“Triple block!” Lublin didn’t loosen up at all, following him tightly once more.
“So high—!”
Gasps rippled through the audience. Both Taichi and Lublin’s blockers were towering above the net.
The line was sealed.
Taichi aimed at León’s fingertips, swinging quickly.
“Oh?”
León didn’t dodge—instead, he pressed forward, pushing his hands downward aggressively.
“Beautiful block!” Meian Shūgo exclaimed on the sidelines.
Conte’s set hadn’t reached Taichi’s highest contact point, while Lublin’s block towered above him. León’s hands kept closing in, compressing his attack space.
Taichi not only lost his hitting lane but didn’t even have room for a tool-off or wipe shot.
TAP!
Taichi softly tapped the ball over, dropping it into Lublin’s back row.
“Even Taichi had to pull back?!”
“What’s going on? León’s block is even stronger than it was against Trentino yesterday!”
Ushijima smoothly received it. Christenson moved to set.
León and Jakub landed and immediately reloaded for a new approach.
Taichi and Ramos could only guard one-on-one.
Whoosh—!
The ball soared high in the middle. León leapt for the spike!
BOOM!!!
The ball evaded Taichi’s block and slammed into the heart of San Juan’s court.
León scores with a spike!
[San Juan 0 – 1 Lublin]
The audience generally believed that Kaedehara Taichi and Wilfredo León were in the same league when it came to offensive power—but the blocks they faced were completely different.
Taichi had failed to score on both of his first attacks—and on the second attempt, he had even been forced to avoid the block altogether.
This was the first time something like that had happened since Taichi turned pro…
Serve rotation—Lublin to serve.
“We meet again, Taichi,” said Christenson as he stood calmly at the service line, gently spinning the ball in his hands. “This time, I won’t underestimate you.”
“Tweet!—”
BANG!!!
It was a jump float serve. The ball flew directly toward Taichi, who was in the front row.
Smack!
Taichi lowered his centre of gravity and got his hands under the ball, delivering a clean, accurate reception.
“Perfect. I’ve pinned him.” Christenson didn’t try to do too much—this result already satisfied him.
Oikawa jumped in the front row to set, and León positioned himself directly in front of him.
“No way…”
Whoosh!—
The ball suddenly shifted to the right wing—Conte leapt up from the back row to spike!
“Double block!” Jakub and Kurek jumped simultaneously.
BOOM!!!—
Conte twisted his wrist mid-air and sent a sharp diagonal shot.
—SMACK!!!
A pair of large hands sent the ball flying back.
Just moments ago, León had been blocking in front of Oikawa—but somehow, he had already shifted over to help cover the right side.
The ball crashed down inside San Juan’s three-meter line. Oikawa couldn’t save it.
León scored with a block!
[San Juan 0 – 2 Lublin]
“One spike, one block!”
“Both opening points go to León!”
“León! León!”
León turned to Taichi and crooked his finger at him.
“Come on, keep up. I’m already fired up!”
Lublin continued to serve.
Christenson tossed the ball high, sprinted, jumped, and struck!
BOOM!!!
A powerful jump serve!
The ball shot like a bullet toward Bruno.
Smack!!
The serve angled sharply forward—only a partial reception.
“Nice pickup! Quick reflexes from Bruno!”
Oikawa quickly filled the gap and jumped to set in the front row—Taichi launched into his approach!
“Triple block!” León, Jakub, and Kurek all jumped together.
Now that Christenson had rotated to the back row, Lublin’s front-row block had only become more formidable!
BOOM!!!
The ball turned into a streak of yellow lightning as it shot past all three blockers, slamming toward Lublin’s right side.
A super sharp cut shot!
SMACK!
The ball struck Ushijima’s arm and deflected out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[San Juan 1 – 2 Lublin]
“Sorry,” Ushijima raised a hand in apology.
He had read the position correctly, but still couldn’t handle the reception.
It had been too long since he’d had to defend Taichi’s spikes—he’d need time to readjust.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kurek said, casually rubbing his shaved head. Receiving was boring anyway, in his opinion.
“Wow! That was seriously impressive!” León exclaimed. “Looks like you’re better at sideline attacks—didn’t expect you to have such a vicious shot in your arsenal!”
Taichi didn’t respond.
The fact that his earlier spike had been defended had made it clear: Lublin had come prepared to target him.
Interesting.
It had been a while since Taichi had felt this kind of pressure from an opponent.
Serve rotation—San Juan to serve.
“You bastard,” Oikawa muttered, eyes locked on Christenson. “You bullied Japan’s setter when I wasn’t around, didn’t you?!”
Christenson: “???”
Conte: “What are you talking about, Oikawa…”
“Reminder, I won that match,” Taichi added lightly.
“Huh?” Oikawa blinked. “That’s not the point! He bullied my adorable junior yesterday!”
Taichi: “…You don’t mean Kageyama, do you?”
“Of course I do!”
Taichi rolled his eyes. Someone had been laughing pretty hard yesterday, and it wasn’t Christenson.
“Tweet!—” The whistle blew.
Fueled by righteous fury, Oikawa launched a powerful jump serve!
BOOM!!!
The ball carried intense sidespin and flew straight toward Christenson.
SMACK!
Christenson’s reception went wild!
“I got it!”
Libero Paweł darted forward, popping the ball from outside the line high into the air on the left wing.
León leapt to spike!
“Double block!” Taichi and Ramos jumped in tandem.
BOOM!!!
The ball slammed down just inside San Juan’s right sideline and bounced out.
A line-hugging cut shot!
León scores!
[San Juan 1 – 3 Lublin]
“It’s not as sharp as your cut shot, but this is one of my favourite attack angles too,” León said with a bright smile. “Hehe, not bad, right?”
“Oikawa’s serve may have disrupted the reception, but Paweł’s set was on point.”
“And León turned a chaotic play into magic, finishing it with a precise angled spike!”
Serve rotation—Lublin to serve.
“The match has just begun, but Lublin is already in full control!”
León stepped up to the service line.
San Juan didn’t take chances—Taichi and Bruno both dropped back, forming a five-man receive pattern.
“This puts Taichi at risk again,” Iwaizumi said nervously from the stands. “He has to handle serve reception and score points in attack right after…”
“Tweet!—” The whistle blew.
León’s movements were textbook—toss, approach, jump, swing!
BOOOM!!!—
Smooth and powerful, the serve roared straight toward San Juan’s backline.
THUD!!!
The ball streaked between Bruno and Conti, landing dead on the baseline and bouncing out of bounds.
No one touched it.
Service ace! León scores directly off the serve!
[San Juan 1 – 4 Lublin]
“Damn it!” Bruno couldn’t help but curse.
Pure speed.
By the time Bruno had fully registered the ball’s trajectory, it was already on the floor.
“129 km/h!!!”
“That terrifying serve speed is practically as easy as breathing for León!”
“It didn’t even go out!” León looked slightly surprised, then grinned happily. “Looks like I’m really in top form today.”
“Don’t worry about it! Next ball!” Conte shouted loudly.
Lublin wasn’t like Ryūjin. If they let the score gap widen now, San Juan would be in real danger of losing this first set outright.
Lublin continued to serve.
León’s every move was still textbook-perfect. In the next instant, the ball was slammed out with tremendous force.
BOOOM!!!
SMACK!
Taichi received the ball, but it was only a half-perfect pass!
Taichi had to hesitate a beat—he couldn’t join the attack this time.
Oikawa quickly stepped in to set.
“All in!”
Bruno and Ramos in the front row, Conte from the back row—all launched into their approaches!
Lublin’s block spread out. Kurek stayed in the centre, Jakub and Ushijima took up positions at roughly one-third marks on either side of the net.
“If they go for the quick in the middle, Lublin’s coverage will close in instantly, forming a triple block…”
Whoosh!—
The ball flew toward the right side—Ramos leapt to spike!
Ushijima jumped alone to block.
—BOOM!!!
The ball shot over the block and crashed down near Lublin’s back sideline.
Smack!
Paweł dashed in and picked it up.
“Him again!”
“Damn it!” Ramos roared in frustration. That had been a rare chance.
The ball floated high above the baseline. Christenson got under it and set it high to the middle.
A quick attack through the middle!
Thump!
Kurek soared.
But in the next moment—an iron wall appeared in front of him: a solo block from Kaedehara Taichi!
“So fast?!”
BOOM!!!
SMACK!!!
The ball ricocheted off Taichi’s arm and popped high in the air.
“One touch!”
Conte calmly received it. Oikawa slowed down the tempo and set the ball high back to centre.
Thump!
This time, it was Taichi’s turn for a middle counterattack!
Jakub, Kurek, and Ushijima all jumped together for the block.
“He’s over it—!”
—BOOM!!!
The ball struck Christenson’s arm in the back row and flew far out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[San Juan 2 – 4 Lublin]
“Beautiful hit!”
Jump reach: 366 cm!
It looked like Taichi’s feet had springs attached!
“Both teams’ aces are on fire right now!”
Serve rotation—San Juan to serve.
Ramos stepped up for a powerful jump serve, going all-out!
BOOM!!!
The ball slammed into Paweł’s arms and bounced high—an imperfect pass.
“Great serve!”
Christenson chased it down and set to the right side. Ushijima leapt to attack!
“Double block!” Loser and Taichi went up together.
BOOM!!!—
Ushijima went for a cross-court angle!
The ball shot past Loser’s left and slammed toward San Juan’s deep corner.
Smack!
Conte dug it up!
The ball flew out toward the sidelines, but Oikawa was already in place underneath.
“Taichi!”
That familiar feeling.
The perfect combination between Oikawa and Taichi—no way they’d mess this up!
Taichi pulled back, took his approach on the right side—the ball flew across half the court from outside the sideline—perfect, pinpoint accurate!
BOOM!!!
Lublin’s moving block was rushed—there was a gap between the blockers and the net.
The ball shot right through and slammed into the centre of the court.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[San Juan 3 – 4 Lublin]
“Incredible! That magnificent long set!”
“Simply breathtaking!”
“The synergy between Oikawa and Taichi is flawless!” Commentator Lim couldn’t stop gushing.
“Heh heh, let me tell you a fun fact.” Commentator David chuckled mysteriously. “The reason Oikawa and Taichi have such perfect chemistry is because they were teammates back in high school.”
“Really?! They must’ve been unbeatable back then!”
“They were. In fact, the first year they met, they won the national high school championship.”
“Knew it! Hahaha…”
“What do you mean ‘fun fact’?! You better remember it properly!” Iwaizumi shouted from the stands, shaking his fist.
—–
San Juan continued to serve.
Ramos went for his second serve!
BOOM!!!
The serve carried intense force—it clipped the top of the net!
Pop!
The ball popped up and dropped inside Lublin’s court.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, damn it!” Jakub scrambled to get under it.
Smack!
The ball ricocheted off the net again and fell to the floor right in front of Jakub.
Ramos scores a direct serve point!
[San Juan 4 – 4 Lublin]
Scores tied!
_________
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co