Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 537: Dual Ace (Double-Length)

Serve switch. Yoandy Leal stepped up to the service line.

Yoandy Leal, 25 years old, originally from Cuba, joined São Paulo Club four years ago and acquired Brazilian nationality that same year, becoming a member of the Brazilian national team.

Coach Bernardo had been grooming Leal to be São Paulo's ace, but then came the unexpected return of Wallace Sousa, who had retired and then come out of retirement.

Traditionally, the title of "ace" referred to the primary wing spiker who carried the team's scoring burden. But in international volleyball, there were systems that made power opposites like Wallace the centrepiece of the offence.

During São Paulo's three consecutive championship runs, Wallace was indisputably their ace. However, after his second retirement, Leal—already reaching his peak—naturally inherited the mantle.

Now, São Paulo bore Yoandy Leal's brand.

-----

"Tweet!—"The whistle signalled the serve.

Leal paused briefly, waited for that exact moment when San Juan's tension began to ease—and then tossed the ball high.

"This little trick means nothing to pros—but it's already part of Leal's rhythm."

BOOM!!!—

The serve, laced with heavy sidespin, rocketed toward San Juan's deep corner.

Oikawa Tōru stared intently at the approaching ball, face solemn, suddenly lowering his centre of gravity and bringing both hands together to receive.

Whack!

The ball soared high into the air—Leal had pinned Oikawa near the baseline with his serve!

"I got it!" Kaedehara Taichi quickly shifted over two steps and positioned himself under the ball.

It was set high on the right. Martín Ramos leapt for the spike!

"Double block!"

Darlan Souza, positioned in the middle, only needed a single lateral step to align with Luca Reilly and form a dual block.

BOOM!!!—

A tight cross shot struck Wallace Sousa's arm and deflected out of bounds.

Martín Ramos scores!

[San Juan 2 – 2 São Paulo]

The higher the level of the match, the greater the impact a setter could have.

After all, every attacker was a threat.

"Wallace."

"I know, I should've used an underhand pass," Wallace waved his hand dismissively. He'd tried to bump the ball straight into an attacking position, but it seemed he underestimated the opposing middle blocker.

No, maybe he just wasn't back in full form yet, Wallace mused vaguely.

Leal nodded. He was simply offering the better tactical decision—he didn't care much about the other's attitude.

Serve switch. San Juan's serve.

Martín Ramos unleashed a powerful jump serve!

Fernand Colin mishandled the first pass. Luca Reilly barely kept the ball alive.

Both teams were clearly targeting the opposing setter with their power serves. But—

"Their setter's reception might be a little weak…" Kaedehara Taichi thought.

That wasn't unusual. After all, Japanese players had some of the best receiving skills in the world.

On the final São Paulo attack, Darlan Souza's spike rebounded off San Juan's triple block and back into São Paulo's court.

Smack!

Libero Sanhos dove from the back row and barely kept the ball alive.

Fernand Colin made the recovery and tossed the ball to the left.

Wallace Sousa rose high!

"Triple block!" Augustín Loser, Bruno Lima, and Facundo Conte jumped together.

Completely sealed!

Loser's eyes were lit with excitement.

BANG!!!

Wallace wiped the ball off Loser's arm—block out!

Wallace Sousa scores!

[San Juan 2 – 3 São Paulo]

"Hmm?" Augustín Loser looked at his arm. "I thought I sealed that well…"

"Loser, be a little more flexible when you're blocking Wallace," Taichi said. "Your stance is too rigid."

Given Wallace Sousa's incredible hang time, he probably saw blockers as stationary. If he didn't need to worry about block adjustments, it became too easy for him to aim for the edges and force block-outs.

"Got it!" Augustín Loser nodded quickly.

If it had been anyone else advising him on blocking, Loser might've doubted them. But not Taichi—they were the most feared blocking duo in the Argentine league.

"You figured it out already?" Wallace Sousa raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Of course, I'm a genius!" Loser replied smugly.

-----

Serve switch. São Paulo's serve.

Despite their rotation, São Paulo's formation still allowed for consecutive heavy serves from Leal and Wallace.

"Tweet!—"

As the whistle blew, Wallace Sousa blasted the ball.

Smack!!

Kaedehara Taichi received it. The pass was only half-accurate.

Oikawa jumped in the front row for the set—and all three San Juan attackers launched forward!

BOOM!!!

Augustín Loser dodged the solo block and landed the spike cleanly!

[San Juan 3 – 3 São Paulo]

"Oikawa! That was an amazing set!" Loser cheered.

"Hmph, I'll allow you to keep complimenting me," Oikawa tilted his chin smugly.

"You're almost as good as Taichi!" Loser added, thrilled.

"???"

Oikawa froze for a second. What kind of backhanded compliment was that? He was the setter here!

"Oikawa-senpai, that set was pretty nice~" Kaedehara Taichi added with a sunny smile.

Oikawa: "…."

These two bastards—don't even think about getting another pass from me!

Wait… maybe just for today. Or until the South American Championship ends? Hmm, I'm a generous man. Fine, I'll just freeze them out for the rest of this match.

While Oikawa's thoughts spiralled, Facundo Conte fired off a devastating jump serve!

Yoandy Leal received it cleanly. Fernand Colin scrambled into position and quick-set it down the middle.

"Double block!" Kaedehara Taichi and Augustín Loser both leapt!

BOOM!!

The ball curved around the block and shot toward San Juan's back corner.

Smack!

Facundo Conte dug the ball up. Oikawa moved quickly and delivered the set.

"Oikawa!"

Kaedehara Taichi was already airborne in the front row.

Swooosh!—

The ball floated to Taichi—perfect placement!

BOOOM!!!—

The spike pierced through the two-man block and slammed into the middle of São Paulo's court.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[San Juan 4 – 3 São Paulo]

"Nice—" Conte began to praise.

"DAMN IT!!!" Oikawa suddenly screamed, startling Conte.

I passed to Taichi without thinking! Oikawa gritted his teeth as he saw that slight smirk on Taichi's face.

"Uh…Oikawa, are you okay?" Facundo Conte asked with a straight face after composing himself.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Totally fine, hahaha…" Oikawa laughed awkwardly.

"Then why'd you just—"

"Oh, nothing—I was just slightly unsatisfied with my own set. A tiny flaw," Oikawa Tōru said, his gaze drifting dramatically into the distance.

Facundo Conte relaxed. No wonder Oikawa's sets were so precise—it was because of this relentless pursuit of perfection. He really did hold himself to the highest standard.

"Tweet!—"

The serve whistle sounded again. Conte served the second ball!

BOOM!!!

The ball flew directly between Wallace Sousa and Yoandy Leal.

Smack!

Without a moment's hesitation, Leal took the serve. Fernand Colin jumped in the front row to set.

In the same instant, Wallace Sousa from the back row and Luca Reilly in the front launched into their approaches!

BOOM!!—

—SMACK!

Fernand Colin attempted a surprise setter dump—but it was stuffed directly by Taichi!

The ball dropped back into São Paulo's court. Luca Reilly lunged out and managed to scoop it up with one hand.

Yoandy Leal leapt from the back row and spiked!

"Double block!" Augustín Loser and Bruno Lima rose together.

—BOOM!!!

Over-the-top spike!

The ball sailed just above the blockers and slammed into San Juan's back row.

Yoandy Leal scores!

[San Juan 4 – 4 São Paulo]

"Whoa…that was amazing!" Hinata Shōyō exclaimed sincerely from the bench.

During his year in Brazil, Hinata had maintained his indoor form through youth team matches, but this—this was another level entirely. This was world-class volleyball.

Kaedehara Taichi had anticipated Colin's setter dump. Luca Reilly not only saved the ball but also delivered a usable first touch that immediately launched a counterattack. And then Yoandy Leal—leaping from the back row—executed a clean spike over a double block.

It was a sequence Hinata couldn't yet pull off.

"Everyone's so strong…"

He hadn't even started training with the first team yet, but his heart was already brimming with anticipation.

"I want to stand on that court with them—as soon as possible!"

-----

Serve switch. São Paulo's serve.

Darlan Souza sent a thunderous jump serve!

BOOM!!!

Smack!!!

After being repeatedly targeted, Oikawa's reception finally faltered. The ball ricocheted high into São Paulo's court.

Libero Sanhos tracked it down, and Fernand Colin jumped in to set.

No second touch attack?

São Paulo launched a four-point offensive!

Colin scanned the court, his gaze darting toward San Juan's formation.

"Still trying that trick?!" Augustín Loser lunged toward Colin.

"Loser! Don't bite!" Kaedehara Taichi shouted sharply.

That fake was way too obvious. He'd seen far more skilled setters use it effectively.

Loser forcefully braked—but that hesitation was all Fernand Colin needed!

Whoosh!—

The ball zipped toward the right side—Lucas Saatkamp leapt up to spike.

Loser had moved out of position. He still jumped at an angle, but the ball was out of reach.

BOOM!!!

A single hand appeared in front of the ball.

Kaedehara Taichi, rotating from the centre, arrived just in time—a late but perfect read!

"Touched!"

Santiago Danani scooped the ball cleanly. The first pass was perfect.

Oikawa sent a high ball to the right—Conte soared in from the back row!

"Right side!"

"Double block!" Luca Reilly and Lucas Saatkamp jumped in tandem.

BOOM!!!

São Paulo's block was airtight. Conte could only redirect toward the far left corner.

Smack!!

The ball struck Darlan Souza's arm and deflected out.

Facundo Conte scores!

[San Juan 5 – 4 São Paulo]

Yoandy Leal: "You should've gotten that…"

Wallace Sousa: "Idiot! You couldn't even take that one?!"

Darlan Souza: "…"

Sanhos came in to sub for Darlan Souza. "Don't worry about them. Those two only have volleyball in their heads."

"I know."

Serve switch. San Juan's serve.

Bruno Lima launched a powerful jump serve. Leal received it cleanly.

Luca Reilly set the ball high—Wallace Sousa leapt from the back row!

BOOOM!!!

The entire sequence took less than three seconds.

The ball curved around the block and slammed into the sideline before ricocheting out.

Wallace Sousa scores!

[San Juan 5 – 5 São Paulo]

The score remained tight—neither side able to pull ahead. Both teams could feel how tough the other was.

Oikawa furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

Now that Wallace Sousa had returned, São Paulo faced the same challenge as San Juan: Who is the true ace?

The term "ace" might seem vague, even superficial. It didn't necessarily impact an individual's ability. But defining the ace was crucial to how the team built its entire offensive and defensive system.

In offence, having a designated ace helped the setter establish clear priorities for distribution, keeping the rhythm cohesive. And when roles were defined, attackers could specialise—preventing overlapping responsibilities that could destabilise the team's balance.

Especially when it came to blocking strategies, one main hitter and one supporting attacker complemented each other. If neither core player had the presence to dominate, it would lower overall attacking efficiency.

In defence, precise passing, timely support by the setter, all required players to respond instantly on court. But if attackers were too focused on their own offensive chances, it would result in late reactions, missed sets, and more errors.

Two aces meant both crisis and opportunity.

Handled well, it created multidimensional attacks.

Handled poorly, it could collapse the entire system.

After a full season together, the internal competition between Kaedehara Taichi and Facundo Conte for San Juan's ace position had only intensified. Fortunately, both pursued strength over status, and conflict hadn't yet flared.

But avoiding the issue forever wasn't a solution. If left unresolved by the time the World Club Championship came, stronger opponents would exploit the cracks.

In contrast, São Paulo—despite having the same dual-ace dynamic between Leal and Wallace—seemed far more cohesive. At least in terms of role distribution, they weren't clashing at all. Twice now, San Juan's attempts to target them had failed.

"If only we could solve this problem in this match," Oikawa thought.

But…nothing was ever that easy.

"Right, Taichi?"

"Hah?" Taichi looked over in confusion. "What're you mumbling about now, Oikawa-senpai?"

"…It's time. Time for us to go on the offensive!"

_________

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