"Dammit...you think I wanted to match up against you?!" Boro thought in frustration. Why did there always have to be these cocky punks wherever he went—and worse yet, he couldn't even refute them.

The reason Boro found himself forced into position 4 to face Kaedehara Taichi was because Trentino wanted to use Kageyama Tobio's powerful serve to establish an early advantage.

Moreover, Alexander was only offset by one rotation from Taichi, meaning they would both spend most of the time in the front row together. Trentino's plan was to create a showdown between their two aces, as they had absolute confidence in Alexander's strength.

Serve switch—San Juan to serve.

Loser unleashed a powerful jump serve!

The ball skimmed the net and dropped toward Trentino's back row.

Fabio received it cleanly, perfect pass; Kageyama jumped to set.

Alexander was already airborne at the right wing.

"Double block!" Bruno and Kaedehara Taichi both went up.

At this point, it might have been smarter to set to Ryan on the left wing. But neither Kageyama nor Alexander was willing to yield even a single inch in front of Oikawa and Taichi!

Whoosh!—

BOOM!!!

The ball struck Taichi's hand and was deflected upward.

"I got it!"

Conte chased the ball beyond the end line and miraculously kept it in play.

Oikawa didn't wait for the front row to reset—he directly set the ball high to the left wing. Ramos launched into a quick attack!

Ryan jumped for a solo block, while Boro was forced to help cover.

—BOOM!!!

The ball sailed over Boro's hand, a sharp diagonal spike plunging straight into Trentino's backcourt!

Smack!

Fabio executed a solid dig, cleanly popping the ball up!

Kageyama swiftly repositioned for the set; Alexander jumped again for another spike!

"Double block!" Ramos and Taichi both leapt up.

BOOM!!!

The ball struck Ramos's forearm and ricocheted far out of bounds.

Off the block and out!

Alexander scored!

[San Juan 2 - 2 Trentino]

"Nice hit!"

After landing, Alexander fixed a fierce stare on Taichi. He couldn't understand why this guy—who was over ten centimetres shorter—could stand in front of him like an immovable wall.

"Even Alexander has to avoid Taichi now?" Kageyama frowned deeply. Perhaps a head-on clash with Taichi wasn't the wisest choice after all.

Serve switch—Trentino to serve.

Alexander tossed the ball high, a powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

The trajectory was sharp as a blade.

Smack!!

Oikawa barely managed to receive it; the pass was less than ideal.

Bruno stepped in to set to the left wing, Taichi leapt for the spike!

"No, too aggressive!"

Oikawa immediately saw the problem—the ball came from position 1 to position 2, almost directly from behind Taichi. Such a set should have been high and slow to allow the spiker to adjust; Bruno, however, tried to force a quick attack, making the ball too fast, too low, and essentially invisible to Taichi's approach. Problem after problem!

"Triple block!" Yuri, Ryan, and Boro all leapt together. They saw it too and were going for a direct roof block!

BOOM!!

Taichi's palm struck the ball precisely, but it was indeed difficult to generate power. However—

It was with his left hand!

The ball slipped towards the left side of the block.

Ryan reacted quickly, adjusting his hand shape downward to catch it.

Smack!!

"Blocked!"

The solid contact made Ryan rejoice internally, but a moment later he felt something odd in the ball's spin.

Thud!

The ball rebounded back toward San Juan, then crashed just outside the left sideline.

Off the block and out!

Taichi scored!

[San Juan 3 - 2 Trentino]

"Whew—"

Even Taichi let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he had thought to switch to a left-handed swing mid-air, allowing him to adjust the angle toward the sideline without too much modification.

Of course, there was still a tiny bit of luck involved.

At that moment, a sudden idea popped into Taichi's mind…

Serve switch—San Juan to serve.

Taichi tossed the ball up, ran forward, jumped—

Left-handed powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

"I got it!"

Fabio swiftly moved into position and received it squarely!

Smack!!

But the spin was much stronger than Fabio had anticipated—the pass was shanked!

Kageyama scrambled to set, Alexander launched for a back-row attack!

"Double block!" Ramos and Conte both went up.

BOOM!!!

The ball struck Conte's hand and flew out of bounds.

Off the block and out!

Alexander scored again!

[San Juan 3 - 3 Trentino]

"This guy really loves those back-row attacks…" Conte thought silently.

Just as Trentino had surely done their homework on Taichi, Oikawa, and Conte, San Juan had also thoroughly analysed Alexander, Zaytsev, and Kageyama.

However, actual games demanded real-time responses. Besides, even if you knew exactly what someone would do, that didn't mean you could stop it.

"Being able to receive Taichi's left-handed serve on first try and even convert an overpass into a usable set—these are the reasons Alexander can focus purely on attacking without worry," Coach José scribbled notes furiously on his tactical board.

Serve switch—Trentino to serve.

Boro targeted Taichi in the back row with a powerful jump serve!

Smack!

Taichi nailed a perfect pass; Conte jumped in the front row for a second-touch attack!

—BOOM!!!

The ball soared over Yuri and Ryan's double block.

Smack!

Fabio dived to save it, but the ball ricocheted out of bounds.

Conte scored with an overhead spike!

[San Juan 4 - 3 Trentino]

"What? You're targeting Taichi too?"

Conte accidentally voiced his inner thought, making Boro's face flush red on the spot.

"Boro, stay calm!" Fabio called out to settle his teammate.

Serve switch—San Juan to serve.

Bruno served a float ball aimed at Kageyama in the front row.

Smack!

Kageyama received it overhead, perfect pass.

Yuri jumped for a decoy, drawing Ramos's block, then quickly sent the ball to the right wing—Ryan jumped for the attack!

"Double block!" Conte and Oikawa both went up.

Santiago stood behind Oikawa as coverage. Ryan hesitated for a split second before choosing to go cross-court to avoid the block.

BOOM!!!—

Just as the ball was about to slip past the left side of the block, Ramos arrived in time for a last-second readjustment.

—SMACK!

The ball rebounded off Ramos's arm and fell back into Trentino's court.

Fabio lunged, saving it with a diving scoop. Kageyama rushed in and delivered a back set to the middle!

Alexander jumped for another back-row attack!

"Triple block!" San Juan's front row leapt again, but was a step too late.

—BOOM!!!

The ball cleared the three-man block and slammed into San Juan's backcourt.

Smack!

Taichi received it!

The ball popped high; Bruno moved in to set; Ramos jumped for another swing!

"Double block!" Yuri and Ryan both jumped again.

But Ramos, exhausted from consecutive jumps, didn't get enough height. He was forced to tip the ball toward Trentino's back row.

TAP!

Boro passed it; Kageyama orchestrated the offence. Yuri and Ryan bit down and jumped yet again.

San Juan's blockers stayed tightly locked in.

Whoosh!—

The ball went to the middle once more—Alexander's back-row attack!

BOOM!!!

This time, the ball finally landed cleanly on San Juan's side.

Alexander scored with a staggered attack!

[San Juan 4 - 4 Trentino]

—"The score is tied again! Trentino is clinging tightly to the game!"

Serve switch—Trentino to serve, Zaytsev rotates to the front row.

Ryan launched a powerful jump serve!

Santiago received the ball; the pass was halfway to ideal.

Oikawa set the ball high in the middle; Conte jumped for the spike!

"Double block!" Zaytsev and Yuri both leapt together.

Trentino's blocking pressure suddenly surged, making Conte slightly uncomfortable. He adjusted midair to avoid Zaytsev.

SMACK!

"One touch!" Yuri deflected the ball upward.

Boro calmly moved in and passed it cleanly. Kageyama jumped in the front row to set, and Oikawa was right in front of him.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew straight to the left wing, where Zaytsev soared up for the spike!

"Double block!" Ramos and Conte both went up.

—BOOM!!!—

The ball cleared Conte's block and flew deep into San Juan's back corner.

A high-angle, super cross-court spike!

Smack!!

Santiago managed to receive it, but the ball popped diagonally forward, flying over the net and falling near Trentino's right sideline.

"Taichi!!!"

Oikawa darted under the net and chased it down, launching a back set to keep the ball in play.

"Incredible! Oikawa saved it back into the court!"

"But…can they even attack this?"

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi jumped from the back row.

"Left hand!" Kageyama shouted.

Zaytsev and Yuri's iron-wall double block rose again.

BOOOM!!!

SMACK!!!

A thunderous sound exploded as the ball ricocheted off Yuri's arm, forcing its way through a narrow gap right in front of him.

Off the block and down!

Kaedehara Taichi scored from the back row!

[San Juan 5 - 4 Trentino]

—"Kaedehara Taichi did it! An absolutely insane attack point!!!"

—"He literally stuffed that ball into the block from the back row!"

"Is that all you've got?" Taichi tilted his chin upward, his tone filled with disdain.

"The left-handed attack was just a feint—he forced it through purely with raw power." Zaytsev felt completely deceived.

"Beep! Trentino called a timeout."

Even though the score gap wasn't big yet, Coach Ferdinando decisively called for the timeout.

"When did Argentine teams start playing like such punks?" Assistant Coach Reisen fully understood why Ferdinando chose to stop the game here.

Such unreasonable attacks could massively boost San Juan's morale. If they let them ride this momentum, Trentino's good, honest players might mentally collapse.

"A team that can sweep Russia is definitely no pushover," Ferdinando said gravely. "Be ready to go the full five sets. We absolutely cannot show any weakness at the start."

The Trentino players returned to the bench. While Ferdinando appeared to be discussing tactics, he was actually giving them a chance to mentally reset.

"Attack more patiently, don't rush it, and don't blindly force quick attacks."

"Focus on hitting around the block. Make them play defence on the ground, and when counterattacking, watch your footwork. Don't slack—support your spikers properly."

"Go! The match is long. Victory belongs to Trentino!"

"Yes!!!"

-----

Timeout over. The match resumed.

A steadier Trentino returned to the court.

Serve switch—San Juan to serve.

Ramos unleashed a powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

Smack!!

Fabio received it, but the ball was a bit too close to the net.

Kageyama jumped for the set; Oikawa stood in front of him but didn't jump.

The imperfect pass made it impossible for Kageyama to execute a threatening second touch. Oikawa's read was spot on.

Whoosh—!

The ball flew high to the left wing. Zaytsev jumped powerfully.

"Triple block!" Conte, Ramos, and Oikawa all jumped together.

Zaytsev's arm coiled tight, then snapped forward like a whip from behind.

BOOM!!!—

A tight cross shot!

The angle wasn't quite enough—it struck Oikawa's farthest hand.

SMACK!

The ball's speed didn't drop and it slammed straight into San Juan's court, three-meter line on the right.

Zaytsev scored!

[San Juan 5 - 5 Trentino]

—"Beautiful spike!"

—"That tight cross was absolutely flawless in both angle and power!"

—"Zaytsev's form is visibly on fire!"

Oikawa: "…" Better not block anymore—it was pure self-humiliation.

Serve switch—Trentino to serve.

Yuri launched a powerful jump serve; Bruno received it, but the pass was only halfway there.

Oikawa rushed in to set, sending the ball to centre court.

Kaedehara Taichi back-row attack!

BOOM!!!

"Double block!" Alexander and Zaytsev both jumped.

SMACK!!!

The ball hit Zaytsev's arm and popped high.

"I got it!"

Fabio read it perfectly and passed it up steadily.

Kageyama quickly set to the left wing. Alexander jumped for another attack!

"Double block!" Conte and Loser both jumped.

BOOM!!!—

A cross shot even sharper than Zaytsev's ripped through in front of the block!

Oikawa reached out with one hand—but missed!

The ball bizarrely dipped just below Oikawa's arm!

Smack!

Taichi dove and saved the ball!

Oikawa scrambled into position and set to the left wing. Conte jumped for the spike!

"Double block!" Alexander and Zaytsev both jumped again.

—Smack!!!

The ball hit the block and fell back to San Juan's side.

Santiago dove forward to save it.

Smack!

The ball dropped off the tape. Loser kicked it up with his foot!

Conte jumped again!

BOOM!!!—

—SMACK!!!

The ball was deflected again by the block, falling back into San Juan's court!

No breakthrough!

Smack!

Oikawa rushed over from the right and scooped it up single-handedly.

Conte jumped for a third attempt!

"Double block!" Alexander and Zaytsev were determined to kill it this time!

Whoosh—!

The ball flew toward the right wing.

Conte faked the spike—and set instead!

"He faked it?!!"

Thump!

Kaedehara Taichi soared up from the back row; Kageyama went up for a solo block!

—BOOM!!!

The ball slammed straight down inside Trentino's three-meter line.

Overhand vertical smash!

The ball rebounded high beside Kageyama.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 6 - 5 Trentino]

_________