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[Start of the chapter]
That being said, defeating Toru Oikawa was never going to be easy. His current ability had already gone far beyond the level of an ordinary school club player. He was already capable of taking charge on his own and leading a team forward. You could even say that any player on Aoba Johsai's roster could be picked out and made the wing spiker of another team.
That alone showed just how deep Aoba Johsai's foundation really was.
It was clear that Karasuno, as they were now, simply could not go toe-to-toe with them. But if they wanted to compete in the Spring High preliminaries later on, they had no choice but to keep practicing and make themselves stronger.
"Damn it... why is it that even after a whole month, I still can't beat that guy?!"
Kageyama was on the verge of breaking down. His pride had always been strong, yet because of Hank's sudden appearance, he had now lost to him twice in a row. And from the look of it, he would continue living under that shadow for a long time to come, with no way at all to break free of that curse.
The name Aoba Johsai seemed destined to become his nightmare for the next several years.
Who in the prefecture could beat a team like that? There did not seem to be a single team that could confidently claim it could do it.
"From now on, I'm going to train even harder. I absolutely can't lose to Hank!"
After being downhearted for a little while, Hinata quickly brightened back up. More than anything else, what he wanted now was to hurry up and train, and eat as much as he possibly could, so he could make up the gap between himself and Hank. As long as he kept doing that, then one day he would be able to keep closing the distance between them.
"We're only just getting started. Don't get discouraged over a setback like this!"
Daichi tried to comfort everyone, but even he hesitated as the words left his mouth. After all, he himself had felt almost suffocated by the pressure Aoba Johsai brought with them. They were absolutely a team that was incredibly hard to deal with.
"If only Nishinoya and Asahi had been here for this match..."
Takeda shook his head. Aoba Johsai had shown up at full strength this time, but Karasuno had not been in its best condition. A loss was a loss. When the real tournament came, they would settle it then.
...
"Ding-dong! Detected that the host has completed a match against Karasuno High. Strength +2, Spiking +3, Passing +4, Ball Control +4!"
"Ding-dong! Detected that the host's overall rating has reached youth national team level. Reward: Multi-Angle Spike!"
The moment Hank defeated Karasuno, the system notification immediately rang out in his ears, informing him that he had successfully improved in every area. And because his overall rating had risen again, he had now reached youth national team level.
In other words, the level of the Japan youth team.
At this point, Hank had completely broken free of the limits of a prefectural-level player and stepped into an even higher tier.
And the Multi-Angle Spike rewarded by the system was also a technique Hank had been looking forward to for a long time. Once he had mastered this skill, he would have far more choices whenever facing a block. He could even launch attacks based on the positions of each player on the opposing team.
It was the kind of technique that elevated his spiking ability by several levels in one leap. Instead of relying purely on vertical jump and strength like some brute-force primitive style—
he had now become a far more complete spiker.
Even if he could not yet be called unbeatable among Japan's younger generation, he now had the right to compete for the title of the strongest.
"As expected, playing matches really is the fastest way to improve. If I get the chance in the future, I need to play even more matches."
Hank had already come up with a plan. If he got the opportunity later on, he could use the club's off-time to secretly slip out and challenge other teams in the prefecture. Granted, that kind of behavior probably would not win him any favor.
But if it let him improve faster, then at least he would not end up crying after failing on the real Spring High stage.
No matter how strong he had become, Hank had never forgotten that his one and only goal was Spring High.
Only by reaching the national tournament could he truly be considered among the leading players in this volleyball world. Otherwise, even with the system, he would still be nothing more than dead weight.
"In this match against Karasuno, everyone performed well!"
"My original plan was to let you face other strong schools in the prefecture before the Spring High preliminaries started, if the chance came up. But looking at things now... all you need to do is focus completely on preparing for the Spring High preliminaries."
"At this point, there are basically not many teams left that can beat you!"
Coach Irihata looked at the Aoba Johsai players standing in front of him, his face filled with pride. He had never imagined that during his time in charge, he would encounter the strongest lineup in Aoba Johsai's history. Perhaps he might really be able to lead Aoba Johsai past the prefectural top four.
Maybe they could even make it to the national tournament in his very first year.
And if that really happened, then as a volleyball coach, he would be more than satisfied.
(End of Chapter)
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