Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

León's volleyball career had always felt a little dull.
Ever since he first picked up a volleyball in elementary school, his instincts and talent have been out of the ordinary.
It wasn't that León had never lost.
His movements, his use of power, techniques he hadn't previously mastered...it was as if each match brought a visibly noticeable evolution.
And by the time he reached junior high, he stopped losing altogether.
At just twelve years old, he became the core player of the youth training camp. In many matches, he didn't even have time to feel excited before securing victory—even when facing opponents three years older.
Then one day, after turning pro, he heard some news—
Brazil's legendary opposite, Wallace Souza, had retired, saying he found volleyball boring because he no longer had any real opponents.
León didn't find this strange.
But unlike Wallace, León would find ways to make the game fun again.
He would, for example, place restrictions on himself during matches, or deliberately attempt techniques he hadn't yet mastered.
Still, even that had started to lose its charm.
Until—
León believed this match would give him an entirely new experience.
-----
"They
lost…?"
At an izakaya in Miyagi, a group of fans sat together in San Juan team jerseys.
They were the 2012 generation of Aoba Johsai's volleyball club, now rarely gathered in one place.
Hanamaki Takahiro had recently switched jobs again in Tokyo.
Watari Shinji was now a tour guide at an aquarium in Kanagawa.
Matsukawa Issei worked for a funeral service company in Miyagi.
Yahaba Shigeru was a fitness coach at the town gym.
"World championship opponents are terrifying. Taichi must be so frustrated right now," murmured Mizoguchi Sadayuki after a big swig of beer.
"To hold multiple set points and still lose in a reversal...I don't think I've ever seen a team with Taichi on it let that happen," Hanamaki added.
"Yeah," Yahaba nodded, "His greatest strength has always been closing out matches. He's usually the one who hangs on until the end and finishes things off in one strike."
"Oikawa's having a rough time too," said Matsukawa, resting his chin on one hand. "The opposing setter's 198cm tall. That's basically illegal."
Watari smiled gently. "But they'll win in the end. Right, Coach?"
"Hahaha..." Irihata Nobuteru chuckled. "
Those two out there on the world stage—they're Aoba Johsai's Twin Stars, after all!"
-----
"Kyōtani, still awake? You've got a match tomorrow."
"Yeah. I'll sleep after the World Club Final's done."
"Ohh, today's the finals, right? Your old teammates are on court too?"
"Yeah."
"They're incredible!"
"Yeah. They really are."
-----
The break between sets ended, and the teams switched sides and returned to the court.
.
.
.
.
"They've got León serving from the front row, matched up against Taichi?"
"What does that mean? Are they underestimating Taichi?"
"No—they're underestimating San Juan."
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Neither coach reacted. The commentators refrained from casual speculation.
San Juan and Lublin were both indisputably elite teams.
Neither side would underestimate the other.
Which left only one explanation —
Coach Nikola believed
starting rotation gave them the highest chance of winning.
The match resumed.
Lublin to serve first.
"Let's go—the show's not over yet!"
León tossed the ball, took a few steps, jumped, and smashed it.
The ball rocketed between Santiago and Bruno—
"Dammit!"
Santiago dove sideways, the ball bouncing off his body and flying out of bounds.
Oikawa scrambled after it.
Oikawa barely popped the ball back in-bounds.
But Bruno had no back-row attack available.
"I'll take it."
León smirked as he eyed the intentionally soft ball aimed to distract him.
Paweł stepped aside.
León passed the ball cleanly—perfect first touch.
Christenson leapt to set from the front row.
León rose behind him for the attack!
"Triple block!" Oikawa, Loser, and Taichi all went up.
The two aces locked eyes above the net.
The ball shot past Taichi's right side, slamming down just inside the back sideline!
Bruno froze in place.
A line shot—hugging the edge!
León served and spiked
scored cleanly against a triple block.
"He's so strong…"
"That monster!"
"Don't let it get to you! Next ball!"
Conte had to shout just to be heard over the cheers.
Second serve from León.
"No you don't!"
Santiago reacted in time, stepping into the ball's path and digging it up.
The first touch was imperfect—a half-decent receive.
But the ball veered sharply toward the left wing—
Oikawa couldn't make it in time.
Taichi had to set it.
The ball arced high toward the middle.
Loser jumped for the attack!
"Triple block!" Ushijima, Bieniek, and Christenson went up together.
"This should be Lublin's weakest blocking rotation compared to others," David commented, "but with Bieniek anchoring the middle, they're still a formidable wall."
Loser avoided the centre, his spike slipping just over Ushijima's block.
"Kurek!" Paweł called out.
"Got it!"
Kurek dug the ball up—
The ball flew forward at an angle—again, a half-decent pass.
Paweł stepped in, bump-set the ball high toward the right wing.
León soared from the back row for another attack!
"Him again?!"
"Triple block!"
San Juan's front row reformed.
Taichi locked eyes on León.
"Nice focus~"
León twisted his wrist mid-air, spiking a sharp diagonal.
The ball sailed over Oikawa's block—and struck Conte's arm before bouncing hard toward the floor.
León scores again!
Lublin opened the second set with a barrage of points!
They continued their aggressive serving run. León launched his third serve!
"You've gotta be kidding…"
The ball ripped straight between Oikawa and Santiago, slamming down on San Juan's baseline!
León scores directly from serve!
-----
"Danger, danger, danger!"
Iwaizumi's concern was clear in his eyes. "What the hell is going on?"
"San Juan
bring Taichi into serve receive," Kenma commented flatly. "Forget setting up the attack—right now, neutralising that
serve is priority number one."
"This León…he's even scarier than in Set One," Lev muttered, dumbfounded. "Is there any way to stop him?" The game unfolding before him felt like a completely different sport from what he knew in high school.
"We can only believe in Taichi now."
Iwaizumi pressed his palms together.
-----
The match resumed.
As Kenma had predicted, Taichi dropped to the back row. San Juan set up a five-man serve receive.
Lublin continued serving.
"Oh? Just like you wanted?"
León tossed the ball and unleashed his fourth serve!
The ball hurtled straight toward Taichi.
He received it—but the first touch soared high. Only a half-decent pass.
"Damn it!" Taichi winced. Even he couldn't come out of that untouched.
Oikawa jumped and set—both Loser in the front and Conte from the back rushed in for an attack!
"Watch the left!"
Bieniek called out, directing the block. He'd read Oikawa's intention.
Conte leapt from the back row to spike.
"Triple block!" Ushijima, Bieniek, and Christensen moved as one, closing in on the left side.
The ball zipped past above Ushijima's block—
—and ricocheted off Kurek's arm, flying out of bounds!
Conte scores!
Serve change. San Juan to serve.
Oikawa stepped to the service line—finally, a cheer rose from the Argentine support section.
"OHHHHHH—hey!"
A chorus of voices rang out from the Aoba Johsai crew watching in the izakaya.
Oikawa tossed the ball with a slow run-up, leapt, and struck!
The float serve wobbled over the net and dropped sharply!
"I got it!"
Paweł stepped in—but the moment he touched the ball, his face twisted.
A float serve like
—he couldn't handle it alone!
The ball hit his hands and dropped toward the floor.
"Too casual!"
León stepped in with a quick, high kick, launching the ball upward again!
The ball hovered just above the 3-meter line. Final touch—Bieniek jumped for the spike.
Taichi rose for a solo block!
Bieniek didn't force it—he tipped the ball toward the back of San Juan's court.
"Free ball!"
Santiago shouted. Time for San Juan's counterattack!
A perfect pass.
Oikawa jumped to set—
The ball sailed cleanly toward the right wing.
Taichi jumped to spike!
"Triple block!"
The spike slammed into Lublin's deep corner and flew out of bounds!
León couldn't rotate fast enough.
Taichi scores over the block!
"Nice one!!"
Iwaizumi shouted, fists clenched. "
how we do it!"
"Let's turn the whole game around!"
-----
San Juan kept serving.
Oikawa launched his second serve.
The ball flashed like a shadow, flying toward the seam between Paweł and León.
León received it—a decent touch, but not perfect.
Christensen leapt to set. Both Ushijima and Bieniek started moving.
The ball headed left.
Taichi scrambled into position and jumped alongside Loser to form the block.
"Loser—watch the straight!"
The spike flew past Loser's left, crashing right on San Juan's sideline!
Ushijima scored with his signature left-handed smash!
"For a left-handed attacker, blockers often need to shift a little more toward the antenna to shut down their line shot," said commentator Lim. "That spike had just enough curve inward—looked like it might go out, but half the ball landed perfectly on the sideline."
"Razor-sharp precision."
"And here's a fun fact for viewers," co-commentator David lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Ushijima and Taichi? They go
back."
"Their first encounter was in the finals of their prefectural tournament. Later, they clashed again in the Japanese pro league finals. And now—they've met once more, on the world stage. You could call it fate."
"Maybe that's the magic of volleyball," Lim added with a smile. "Some rivals are just destined to shine brighter—because of each other."
Serve change. Lublin to serve.
"This could get ugly…"
Christensen stepped up and delivered a powerful left-handed jump serve!
"This guy!"
The spin wasn't as extreme as Taichi's or Ushijima's, but Conte misread the angle. The ball veered wildly toward the sideline!
"I've got it!"
Oikawa scrambled, repositioned, and set high to the middle.
Taichi jumped!
"Triple block!" Kurek, Ushijima, and Bieniek rose to meet him!
The ball tore past Ushijima's block and slammed into the centre of Lublin's court!
León dove
his 2-meter frame moved with unbelievable grace.
The ball smacked against the back of his hand and bounced high.
Christensen arrived in time—but instead of rushing the play, he slowed the tempo.
All three Lublin front-row players moved to attack.
"Because it's Oikawa serving, even the bold Christensen chose a safer route."
San Juan's blockers were spread thin.
"That's a deliberate setup."
Even facing a 1v2 on the right, Christensen didn't flinch—the ball flew high toward the left wing.
—one-on-one!
The ball struck Loser's arm and ricocheted out past the sideline.
A straight-down tool-out!
Kurek scores!
San Juan missed their chance to close the gap.
And now, the lead was growing again.