~Back In The Game~

~Chapter Twenty-Five~

"Noya-saaan!!!" Tanaka cries, causing Tsukishima to flinch.

"Just once more!! Call for the ball just one more time Ace!" Noya yells. Suga goes after the ball with uncertainty about who to set it for. His thoughts are interrupted by Kageyama calling his name.

"Do it again! Keep doing it until it works!!"

"Oh, so the King is a sadist, hmm?" Tsukishima teases.

"What!!" Kageyama replies. Suga gets lost in his thoughts again until he hears another shout.

"Do it again!" You yell. "Don't be scared! Remember the joy! Call for it!" Asahi glances at you with uncertainty. He then becomes determined.

"Shimada-san...!" Suga begins.

"SUGAAAAAAAA!" Asahi screams. "ONE MORE!!!" Suga looks at him with shock.

"Asahi!!" Suga calls, setting the ball to him.

"What? You helping the other team? Sorry, but you do know we're stopping him again, right?" Tsukishima quips.

"Duh. It would be pointless if we just handed it to him." Kageyama replies as Tanaka cries some more. Asahi jumps and hits the ball. It slams through the block and hits the floor on the other team's side. You smile and look at the third year proudly.

"Wooow! Did you hear the sound that made?! It was like "BA-WHAM!"." Takeda exclaims as Ukai looks at him annoyed.

"Good one!!" Suga says walking over to Noya and Asahi. "Nice work, Asahi! You too, Nishinoya!"

"Um...guys?" Asahi begins sheepishly. "Nice set, Suga. And, uh, thanks for the great save, Nishinoya." The two look at Asahi shocked before smiling widely.

"That was amazing!!" Takeda begins again. "The moment I realized the ball had been blocked, Nishinoya was already under it! That was incredible! If we can get blocked balls up like that, there's nothing left for us to be afraid of!"

"What the heck are you talking about? No way we'll be able to dig that ball all the time... no matter how hard we try." Ukai states.

"Huh?"

"Spiked balls can move at upwards of 60 mph. Sometimes faster. You can only guess what angle they're going to take, and the ball only needs to travel eight to ten feet to hit the floor. Digging every one of those is impossible."

"Oh..."

"However... It's important to get the whole team to understand that once a ball is blocked... that doesn't mean it's all over. It can be a really big thing, emotionally, knowing...and I mean knowing, down in your gut, that your teammates have your back."

"I see."

'He sure has matured...' You think, having heard Ukai and Takeda's conversation.

"Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Tanaka triple-blocked him, but he still busted through it. So that's...The Ace!" Hinata says, looking at Asahi.

"Yo. You were the one all excited to watch an Ace in action. Don't go letting him scare you." Kageyama says, pulling Hinata's attention away from Asahi.

"I-I'm not afraid!!" Hinata defends as he jumps. "I'm not as tall or strong as him, but I can still play too! Next rally...it's my turn!!" Hinata exclaims. You see Kageyama smirk and you smile at the two. Your attention turns to Noya as he yells at Asahi.

"What was the jump?! It was terrible!! That's what happens when you slack off for a month!!"

"Yeah...sorry."

"Ha Ha...Harsh as always, Nishinoya." Suga laughs. Daichi looks at the three fondly before Tanaka gets his attention.

"Daichi...!" He says happily, pointing at the three.

"Yeah." Daichi begins. "They already had a bunch of veterans over there with the municipal players...adding a back-in-form Asahi is going to make it really tough for us." 'He sure looks happy about that.' You, Tanaka, and Ennoshita think.

"C'mon, Daichi! What're you getting all worried for?" Tanaka begins.

"You've still got..."

"Don't forget that you've got..."

"ME!!" Tanaka and Hinata say together.

"Hm? What was that?" Daichi says as Tanaka scolds Hinata.

"Hinata, you little squirt! Don't butt in like that!! You totally ruined my chance to say something cool!!!" You giggle at them. The whistle is blown indicating the start of the next rally.

~To Be Continued~