Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 423: On the Brink (Double-Length)

"Ladies and gentlemen, the long-awaited Japan–USA High School Volleyball Exchange Match is about to begin!"

The commentator's voice, brimming with passion and intensity, boomed through the stadium via the surround sound system, reaching every corner of the arena.

Both teams were doing light warmups on the court.

However, due to Nakamori Daiki's harsh words—provoked by Kaedehara Taichi—the atmosphere between the two sides was far from friendly. The sense of foreboding in the air made it feel as though the clash was imminent.

The U.S. starting lineup consisted of:

Front row—Outside Hitter Taylor Sander, Middle Blocker Max Holt, Opposite Hitter Torey DeFalco.

Back row—Outside Hitter Ethan Champlin, Middle Blocker David Smith (Libero: Erik Shoji) and Setter Micah Ma'a.

The Japan starting lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Hirugami Sachirō, Setter Miya Atsumu.

Back row—Opposite Hitter Hoshiumi Kōrai, Middle Blocker Hyakuzawa Yūdai (Libero: Komori Motoya) and Outside Hitter Sakusa Kiyoomi.

Japan had opened the match with their strongest formation. In fact, to make the height difference look less extreme, Coach Hibarida had even placed Hyakuzawa Yūdai in the starting lineup.

But on the American side...

"…Their 210 cm middle blocker isn't starting…?" Hirugami Sachirō had been paying attention to that towering player from the very beginning.

"And not just him. Even their captain—the genius setter Micah Christenson—isn't on the court," Miya Atsumu added, his tone sour. Did the other team think they could handle him with just a backup setter?

After all, Japan had consistently maintained a world-class standard when it came to setting.

"Looks like we're being underestimated…" muttered Sakusa Kiyoomi, his expression darkening. This was a first for him—being looked down on like this.

Kaedehara Taichi gazed across the court with interest.

Even without their strongest lineup, the Americans' average height still exceeded theirs by about ten centimetres.

[Taylor Sander—Outside Hitter:Height: 196 cm

Serve: 85 | Receive: 85 | Dig: 85 | Set: 70 | Spike: 90| Block: 86

Spike Reach: 348 cm /Block Reach: 328 cm.]

[Max Holt—Middle Blocker:Height: 205 cm

Serve: 82 | Receive: 78 | Dig: 70 | Set: 68 | Spike: 90| Block: 92

Spike Reach: 355 cm /Block Reach: 340 cm.]

Currently the tallest man on the court, Holt—at 2 meters tall—still managed a spike reach greater than both Hakuba and Hyakuzawa.

[Ethan Champlin—Outside Hitter:Height: 190 cm

Serve: 90 | Receive: 85 | Dig: 88 | Set: 86 | Spike: 90| Block: 84

Spike Reach: 348 cm /Block Reach: 325 cm.]

[Torey DeFalco—Opposite Hitter:Height: 198 cm

Serve: 86 | Receive: 84 | Dig: 80 | Set: 88 | Spike: 92| Block: 90

Spike Reach: 366 cm /Block Reach: 338 cm.]

This guy? A spike reach of 366 cm?

It was the first time Kaedehara Taichi had seen someone clear 3.6 meters.

And his height? Only mid-range among the 14-man U.S. squad.

[David Smith—Middle Blocker:Height: 201 cm

Serve: 82 | Receive: 70 | Dig: 70 | Set: 68 | Spike: 90| Block: 91

Spike Reach: 352 cm /Block Reach: 338 cm.]

Every attacking player on Team USA so far had a spike stat over 90… Every single one was a threat at the net.

[Micah Ma'a—Setter:Height: 190 cm

Serve: 86 | Receive: 88 | Dig: 85 | Set: 92 | Spike: 88| Block: 78

Spike Reach: 346 cm /Block Reach: 320 cm.]

[Erik Shoji—Libero:Height: 184 cm

Serve: 70 | Receive: 92 | Dig: 90 | Set: 86 | Spike: 78| Block: 76.]

As expected, only in areas that didn't depend purely on size did Japan remain competitive.

Even after trash talking in advance, Kaedehara Taichi had to admit—Team USA was strong.

So strong, in fact, that one could easily forget they were just high schoolers under the age of twenty, just like Japan.

"BEEP—!"

The prolonged whistle echoed across the arena.

The match had officially begun.

Japan to serve first. Sakusa Kiyoomi stepped up to the line.

"Whether you're 160 cm or 2 meter, receiving is equal for all. Let's see if your first touch is something to brag about."

He tossed the ball, ran up, jumped—and struck.

BOOM!—

The ball rocketed toward the American back row.

Smack!

"—!?"

The ball smacked into Erik Shoji's forearm and veered out of bounds.

"Cover it!"

"What a bizarre spin…As expected of a country that loves trick plays."

Despite being a 190 cm setter, Micah Ma'a moved with surprising agility.

Smack!

With a firm underhand hit, he sent the ball back to the front court.

"Chance ball!"

THUD!

"Wait, this guy—?!"

Torey DeFalco took a quick step and launched himself into the air.

"Double block!" Hirugami and Atsumu jumped in sync.

"No way he's swinging at this height—"

BOOM!!!

Miya Atsumu's hands weren't even close.

Over-the-block spike!

The ball slammed down a clean line trajectory toward Japan's side.

Smack!

Sakusa received it!

"Damn—"

The sheer power behind the hit made Sakusa stagger. The ball bounced back toward the U.S. side.

Atsumu leapt with all his might, trying to tip it back over with one hand.

"Tch…it's too high—"

The ball sailed just over his fingertips.

And then, a shadow loomed overhead.

BOOM!!!

DeFalco leapt again and spiked.

At-the-net kill!

BANG!

The ball slammed the floor just inside Japan's 3-meter line.

Torey DeFalco scores.

[Japan 0 – 1 USA]

"Oho? Did a little guy just try to challenge me up front?"

Torey DeFalco raised a hand to his brow, pretending to scan the court.

"Haha, Torey, just look down," Max Holt teased.

"Oh, you're right!"

Towering over the net, DeFalco peered into the Japanese side. Whether or not they could understand him didn't matter—he spoke anyway:

"My spikes aren't that easy to handle."

With a single point, the U.S. had shut down Sakusa's serve rotation.

"Sorry, the ball was too straight," Sakusa admitted.

Clearly, the U.S. libero wasn't someone you could easily target.

"It's fine. Next one." freeweɓnovel.cøm

Serve rotation switched—now it was the U.S. to serve.

Taylor Sander jumped.

BOOM!!

Smack!

Hoshiumi calmly received it.

"Whoa, the middle schooler's really out here!" Taylor Sander joked with mock surprise.

Fwoosh!—

Miya Atsumu quickly rotated and set. Kaedehara Taichi soared up from the left wing.

"Double Block!" Max Holt and Torey DeFalco leapt at the same time.

For the first time in a long while, Kaedehara Taichi felt a faint pressure as he spiked.

"Interesting."

BOOM!!!—

The volleyball turned into a streak of light, shooting straight past the double block.

On the right front, Micah Ma'a barely had time to raise his hands before the ball slammed into his right side and ricocheted away.

A super sharp cross shot!

The ball landed just inside the right sideline of Team USA's court.

Kaedehara Taichi scores.

[Japan 1 - 1 USA]

"That attack worked. They're not all that scary," Kaedehara Taichi said deliberately loudly to his teammates.

Maybe these guys wouldn't be rattled so easily, but Taichi could tell—everyone's movements were still a little stiff. Facing a team this tall yet agile, they hadn't fully adjusted to the unusual rhythm.

Japan regained serve, and Miya Atsumu stepped up to the line.

"Senpai, why don't you play around with their setter first?" Kaedehara Taichi grinned brightly.

For a brief moment, Miya Atsumu had the illusion that Taichi was actually a kind and cheerful guy.

"Gotta admit, having him as a teammate does give you peace of mind."

Atsumu tossed the ball up, took a run-up, jumped, and struck.

Bang!!!

The serve wasn't especially fast—but it fluttered unpredictably in midair.

Smack!

Micah Ma'a was forced to receive it. For them, a jump float serve with no speed wasn't threatening in the slightest.

Torey DeFalco followed up with a set.

"There it is." A faint smile lifted the corner of Kaedehara Taichi's mouth.

Team USA had an aggressive offence, but only a few of them could actually organise an attack.

Max Holt leapt from the left side to spike.

"Triple block!" Hoshiumi Kōrai, Kaedehara Taichi, and Hirugami Sachirō jumped in unison.

"—!?"

Max Holt was stunned—he'd actually been tracked by their block?!

BOOM!!!

Smack!

With no room to swing cleanly, Max Holt tensed his arm and forced the spike straight into Hoshiumi Kōrai's block.

"Tch!"

The ball deflected sharply off Hoshiumi's arms—though his jump was high enough, the difference in power between them was clear.

The ball flew toward the backline—

A figure followed right behind it.

Smack!

Komori Motoya saved it back into play.

Atsumu leapt and sent a perfectly placed, steady toss to the middle front.

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi jumped to spike.

So fast!

From defence to offence, Japan's entire sequence had been seamless and smooth.

"Double block!" Max Holt and Torey DeFalco jumped together.

BOOM!!!

Kaedehara Taichi's spike cut cleanly through the air, disregarding the blockers entirely.

The ball zipped past Torey DeFalco's right side.

Smack!

It hit Erik Shoji's arm and ricocheted out of bounds.

"Huh?"

Kaedehara Taichi scores again.

[Japan 2 - 1 USA]

"They should've at least watched the finals of the Japan Nationals and studied their best players," Micah Christenson muttered from the sideline, frowning. "Idiots—getting played like amateurs."

"Aaron, that guy can spike with his left hand too," Matt Anderson chuckled.

"Too slow," Aaron Russell said flatly. "Next time Shoji will get it."

Kaedehara Taichi had scored consecutive points, and Japan took a temporary lead.

"Sorry, my bad," Erik Shoji said. "Didn't realise that guy was ambidextrous. Won't happen again."

"Next serve!"

Atsumu continued serving.

Same stance—but this time, he launched a powerful jump serve.

BOOM!!

But Team USA didn't even flinch. Taylor Sander received it cleanly.

Micah Ma'a followed up, and Torey DeFalco soared in the middle for a spike.

"Triple block!" Hoshiumi, Taichi, and Hirugami jumped again.

—BOOM!!!

Even with a full block in front of him, Torey DeFalco's spike point still cleared the top.

The ball slammed into the far corner of Japan's court and ricocheted out.

Torey DeFalco scores with an over-the-block spike.

[Japan 2 - 2 USA]

"RAAHHH!!!"

DeFalco roared at the Japanese team—this was the real deal!

Serve change—USA to serve.

Max Holt launched a powerful jump serve.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Sakusa Kiyoomi received it cleanly—perfect first touch.

Whoosh!—

BOOM!!!

In the blink of an eye, the ball was already down on the American side.

Atsumu-Taichi Super Quick Combo!

Kaedehara Taichi scores again.

[Japan 3 - 2 USA]

"What the hell was that?!"

Compared to the previous plays, this one shocked Team USA far more.

There was no time to react!

The moment the setter touched the ball, that guy was already at the net.

The American front row hadn't even thought of jumping to block yet, and the ball was already in Taichi's ideal spiking zone.

Micah Christenson's eyes lit up. He'd seen a similar play in footage—but never this smooth. Seeing it live was on another level entirely.

"Japan's setters really are impressive. And they've got more than one who can pull that off?"

Originally, Micah had assumed this kind of attack depended heavily on an elite setter. No high-level setter meant no chance of such quick plays.

But then he realised—even if he was just as good as those Japanese setters, he'd never had a spiker who could pull that off with him.

"That outside hitter—Kaedehara Taichi—he's the real deal." Micah admitted. "Saying he's only on Ethan's level? That was a total misread."

The stronger the setter, the more they could bring out a hitter's potential.

And clearly, the Kaedehara Taichi he'd seen in the high school finals footage wasn't even at full power yet.

"They sure love their flashy little tricks, huh?" Matt Anderson said nonchalantly. "That one's only gonna work the first time."

All they needed was one guy to keep an eye on Taichi. Besides, it wasn't easy for the setter to pull that kind of toss—probably needed a perfect first touch.

Ultimately, it was Max Holt's lousy serve that gave Japan the perfect opportunity for that flashy play.

Matt Anderson believed that under normal circumstances, Japan would rarely get such a "sweet first touch."

Serve change—Japan's turn.

Hirugami Sachirō walked to the service line. Japan's only 2-meter player, Hyakuzawa Yūdai, rotated to the front row...

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[Author's Note]

Some readers have said that the stat values are too low. In fact, the original work clearly shows that these characters already had the ability to perform professionally right after graduating from high school. Others have said the values are too high, but take Kageyama's generation, for example—they reached the pinnacle of Japanese volleyball within three years and represented the country in the Olympics.

So, whether the stats seem high or low, everyone will have different opinions. I think rational discussion is totally normal and actually quite welcome.

P.S. The spike and block heights in Haikyuu!! are based on existing data from the original series (which are already higher than those of the real Japanese team). The U.S. team, on the other hand, has been slightly nerfed based on real-life rosters (due to age factors). For instance, according to Wikipedia, some of their spike reach stats are already up to 370 cm.

As a side note, the former world No.1 outside hitter, Wilfredo León, has a spike reach of 385 cm and a block reach of 346 cm.

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[T/N]: In case you haven’t noticed—here's a fun fact: every member of Team USA exists in real life. The same goes for all the members of Oikawa’s team (CA San Juan).

And, if you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!

Link - (P)atreon.com/Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]