"Doesn't that look like bad news?" you heard and the grim faces on your team says it all. You watch Emma look at you with a smirk. Look at her act all high and mighty when she wasn't even playing.
"It's unfortunate. But I don't hit girls." Andrei Williams say aloud and you only looked at him. You don't retort to trashtalk when you're this deep into the match, not when you were trying to figure out what he was thinking. Guys like this should just be dealt with simply.
"Bring it." You challenged him.
He smirks before giving a serve to your direction. It looked like it could hurt. The onlookers could only gulp as he slams the ball to your direction. But Andrei Williams had not watched the match. He had entered the game without knowing anything, having the overpowering confidence to pull anything off and to crush anyone on his way. And that was his biggest flaw right now.
He doesn't know anything. It was the strongest ball you've probably seen so far in this gym. But such things didn't matter.
You could receive anything, as long as it was a ball that was weaker than your father's. And you did. You grin as you killed the ball's speed, the impact of the ball on your arms resounding over the gym, like the entire thing was played on slow motion. It spun in a rotation you knew, simply because you didn't just experienced it since childhood, but because your recent pet did the same.
"CHANCE BALL." Your team shouted and you shake your head as a grin crosses your face. "Wakatoshi!" The setter gives him a high toss. Ushijima jumps up, the mirage of his figure hanging on to the air a little more than usual. He looked glorious.
Andrei Williams jumps to block him. But ignorance was a player's focal point. He may have regarded Ushijima as akin to his younger self but he looked like he didn't consider that Ushijima had been training for the past months. He looks at the sight of the Japanese player as he slams past their three man block with power rawer than they've seen a few months back.
The opponents looked at him, wondering about the drastic change. He looks at Ushijima's figure, your figure coming into his line of sight as you stand behind the large player, with a nasty glare he'd never seen before and you stared at him. Andrei Williams finally realized what was different.
Ushjima Wakatoshi and Andrei Williams were two different players. Because Ushijima had been trained by you.
And you see Williams' face as a scowl plants itself in his face.
An idea suddenly appears inside you head. You called the team's attention. Someone like Andrei Williams was easy to read and you could tell from his expression. He was a player who loved grinding his opponent to dust. But he couldn't do that to you. So he'll most likely do it to the player that he feels most satisfied to destroy— the libero.
A libero unable to receive a ball was a double-edged sword. It could make the opponent's spiker feel powerful and drag the team's moral at the same time. But it could also backfire.
"Let's bait him." You said to them and they look at you with a puzzled expression. "If they receive the ball, they'll most likely give it to Andrei Williams." you said.
"You, since he'll be targeting you, move near the backline and a little forward. Then wait for my instructions." you point at the libero. The guy looks like he was getting the idea and he only nods.
The devious look on Andrei's face spelled danger all over it. But it meant that you were right. They really did gave him the ball after receiving it. The opponent's ace suddenly spikes the ball with a nasty speed and at a horrible point of impact.
You could instantly tell as it flew past over the net.
"TILT YOUR HEAD." You shouted and the ball was headed for the libero's face. But he heard you and he immediately did as he was told. The ball went past the player's head by a narrow margin. The intensity made the ball slam to the floor, the horrifying force being brought to light. But a ball like that didn't matter even if the rest of your team couldn't receive it... Since it was out.
It looked like a lucky guess. And your teammates looked at you. But that wasn't it. An instruction like that wasn't a lucky guess. Even some of them couldn't tell from the ball's speed and rotation.
But the facts were all there— from the miraculous receives to your instructions.
You could see it. "You could see the ball?" your teammates asks you. Your brows furrow at the question. What were they talking about? And the last sentence you spoke only made them drop.
"Why wouldn't I?" And along with it, the whistle sounds, stating the end of the match. It was your win.
You smile at him, giving him a peace sign at your victory. The crowd cheers and Norrie welcomes you with a hug. And a grin plants itself in Ushijima's face. But it wasn't because of the match, he was grinning at your words.
He may have acknowledged the path you were choosing. But he was changing his mind yet again. If you had such skills, no, that wasn't it, If you had such a look in your face, why didn't you still want to play?
The crowd settles down after a while. And Andrei Williams walked up to you after the match. His large strides and the heavy weight of his foot all spelled out his anger. The Japanese team wondered why he was so upset but it looks like he knew you and they didn't want to pry.
"You refused to train me and you're training him?"
Andrei Williams suddenly said to you, his voice loud and clear. You give him a sigh. He was a player who knew who you were because of the opportunities his talents presented him. He knew your family background. He had been given time to be with pro-teams and he'd always see you whenever he went. It wasn't an exaggeration to say how among all of the people in the university, he knew what your worth really is.
"How much did you pay her?" he spats out at Ushijima. And Ushijima only glares at him in return.
"Is this a big deal?" the others looked at him, wondering. Andrei Williams gave out a big sigh, scratching his head. This was becoming difficult for him.
"Brooklyn Archers, Kansas Tigers... She's in charge of making training menus for those teams." he states flat out.
"But aren't those... professional teams?" You hear the silence that echoed afterwards.
"Ehhhh?"
You glare at him as he spilled the beans. But the man directly confronts Ushijima, collaring him. "Now you know the value of who's training you."
"You can hand her over then." He adds and declares. Ushijima suddenly grabs your hand, pulling you and holding you by your shoulder... like an eagle staking claim of its territory.
Andrei Williams smirks at him.
"You better be ready when I see you at the Olympics." he declares and Ushijima glares at him. You watch as his back walks away and disappears into the crowd.
You remember how the guy had pestered you to train him. But you weren't a fan of indoor volleyball a few years ago when he asked. The sports department were always skeptical at why the university's volleyball ace was pestering you. But he wasn't the type to tell. If he did, then he'll have a lot of people to deal with in asking for your services.
"Well that was intense." You say nonchalantly as you sigh.
"The training menus were a side-job?" Ushijima Wakatoshi asks you with a poker face, remembering your words and the way you said it like it wasn't a big deal.
You yelp and look away, like a child being caught by a parent. He stares at you with a frown. And you only lowered your voice with a reply, "Yes".