Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The excitement of defeating Shiratorizawa hadn't yet dissipated. After a few days of rest, the Karasuno volleyball team began their routine preparations for the Spring High School Volleyball Championship.

Today we're taking physical fitness measurements at the gymnasium in preparation for printing brochures for the national competition.

The first item is to measure height in the health room.

Hinata Shoyo burst out of the infirmary, clutching his medical examination form, his back ramrod straight, even his gait exuding arrogance.

"164.2 centimeters!" He slammed the paper on the windowsill in the corridor, pointing sharply at the number with his finger, then turned to look at everyone. "You've grown 1.4 centimeters!"

Lu Ren leaned against the wall, glanced down at the paper, and mercilessly exposed him: "Didn't you fill out the form a couple of days ago and say 165? You're quite proficient at rounding up and down."

"That...that was to intimidate the opponent!" Hinata stammered for a moment, then immediately straightened up, hands on his hips. "Besides, 1.4 centimeters is a qualitative leap!"

Kageyama Tobio walked out of the infirmary and casually folded his medical examination form into a square and stuffed it into his pocket.

"You always focus on things that don't matter." Kageyama glanced at Hinata, his tone full of disdain. "Does growing 1.4 centimeters longer mean you can spike one more ball?"

Hinata jumped up and down: "Why not! This is called an improved perspective! The air is different up there!"

The curtain was lifted, and Tsukishima Hotaru walked out with her head down. He adjusted his sports glasses, his gaze sweeping over Hinata's head before finally landing on Rikuren.

"It must be tough for a bunch of little kids to compare heights," Tsukishima said, his voice slow and deliberate, yet incredibly persuasive.

Hinata gritted his teeth: "Tsukishima, you're so despicable."

Tadashi Yamaguchi peeked out from behind, his eyes shining: "Ayumi, could it be...?"

"Okay." Tsukishima handed over the medical examination form.

Yamaguchi glanced at it and gasped, "Over 190! Yue is amazing!"

Hinata, unwilling to accept defeat, stood on her tiptoes, trying to close the physical gap of more than twenty centimeters, her face turning red with frustration.

Lu Ren walked over and patted Hinata on the shoulder.

"It's okay, think positively," Lu Ren comforted him earnestly. "From now on, people won't even need to jump; they can stop your ball just by standing still. That'll save a lot of electricity."

Hinata's face fell, and his entire body visibly faded, turning into a gray-white background as he squatted in the corner drawing circles.

The second item is the height measurement in the gymnasium.

After the physical examinations, everyone moved to the next training ground. This is the true battleground for volleyball players.

A vertical reach meter hangs below the backboard, with colorful plastic levers arranged neatly.

Hotaru Tsukishima was the first to go on stage.

Without any unnecessary movements, three steps of running up and jumping. The advantage of long arms and legs was fully displayed at this moment.

The plastic sheet made a crisp sound when flicked with a finger.

"334 centimeters." Wu Yang looked at the reading and made a note in his notebook.

The highest in the entire match. This statistic would be a respectable indicator even among middle blockers at the national level.

Kageyama Tokio followed closely behind.

For setters, vertical reach is also a core metric. Kageyama's approach run was perfectly timed; he pushed off the ground and launched himself into the air.

337 centimeters.

When the data was announced, the air on the sidelines was silent for two seconds.

Lu Ren mentally labeled this setter. With that kind of physical ability, it would be a waste for her not to play as an opposite hitter but to smash the floor.

Next up is Hyuga Shoyo.

All eyes turned to the bottom of the testing device.

In this team, Hyuga jumps the most and relies most heavily on air superiority. No one dares to underestimate this small man's jumping ability, as it is crucial to Karasuno's core tactical deterrence. A competitive spirit silently spreads in the air.

Hinata stood behind the running line and patted his cheeks with both hands.

Run-up, step on the target, standard take-off.

The orange figure rose from the ground, creating a sense of suspended motion that completely defied the laws of gravity.

My fingertips swept across the highest plectrum.

333 centimeters.

The data was reported by Wuyang Xixin.

Despite being less than 1.65 meters tall, her vertical reach is the same as Tsukishima's, who is over 1.9 meters tall.

Lu Ren turned to look at Yuedao, his tone icy: "You've grown so tall for nothing, you're about to be overtaken by a little kid."

Tsukishima twitched the corner of his mouth, not even bothering to refute, and simply turned his head away.

Dong Fengxu, standing on the other side, looked very unwell.

The third-year ace attacker stared at the testing device, swallowing hard. Hyuga was now at the same height as him. Damn it, he didn't want to lose air superiority to a first-year junior; it would be too humiliating.

"Next, Lu Ren," Wu Yangxi called out the name.

Lu Ren walked to the net and stretched his wrists.

Without consciously adjusting his breathing, he casually took two steps back, gave a perfunctory run-up, and waved.

My fingers swept across the pick.

330 centimeters.

Hotaru Tsukishima seized the opportunity and retorted coldly, "Don't talk about me. You haven't even surpassed Hinata yourself."

Lu Ren landed, dusted off his hands, glanced at Tsukishima, and looked displeased.

"Sorry, that was just a warm-up." Lu Ren walked to the sidelines and wiped his hands with a towel again. "Now we'll go all out."

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses: "Don't twist your ankle."

"Too talkative."

Lu Ren returned to the starting line.

This time, he retreated even further.

The first two steps were slow and steady, but the third step suddenly accelerated. The sneakers rubbed violently against the wooden floor, producing an extremely sharp sound.

With the final step, both feet slammed heavily onto the floor. Core strength exploded at that moment, the contraction of the calf muscles perfectly transferring the ground reaction force to the torso.

The immense force propelled him into the air.

Without any unnecessary movements, his right arm was fully extended, and his fingertips slammed hard against the top plastic paddle.

Splash!

The sound of a series of picks flipping echoed throughout the venue.

Lu Ren landed on both feet, his knees slightly bent to cushion the impact.

Wu Yangxi stared at the testing device, stunned for half a second.

345 centimeters.

The venue was completely silent.

Lu Ren straightened up, tilted his head back, pointed his nostrils toward Tsukishima Hotaru, and let out a very soft chuckle from his nose.

That's the quality of the players. As long as the mechanics allow it, they'll maximize the stats.

Just as everyone was staring in disbelief at this outrageous data, the stadium doors were pushed open.

Mr. Takeda, carrying a stack of documents, ran breathlessly, his shoes slipping on the smooth floor, and he almost fell.

"Everyone! Good news!"

Mr. Takeda adjusted his glasses and held up a letter stamped with a red seal.

"The call to arms has arrived!"

Sawamura Daichi stepped forward: "Teacher, is this the schedule for the national tournament?"

"No, not that one." Teacher Takeda calmed his breathing, handed the letter to Ukai Koshin, and turned to look at Kageyama Tobio in the crowd.

"Kageyama-kun, you've been selected for the All-Japan Youth Team's intensive training camp."

The moment those words were spoken, you could hear a pin drop in the entire stadium.

All Japan Youth Team intensifies training camp.

Each of these characters is easily recognizable when broken down, but when put together, they signify the national team's reserve force.

"The national team..." Tanaka Ryunosuke's mouth dropped open.

"Our team is about to produce a Ushijima Wakatoshi," Lu Ren said, leaning against the volleyball basket.

Wakatoshi Ushijima of Shiratorizawa was a regular member of the national youth team. Now, Karasuno has a similar player.

Kageyama Tobio stood there, his expression still blank, but his clenched fists betrayed his emotions.

Hinata Shoyo stood there, stunned, looking at Takeda-sensei and then at Kageyama, still not quite understanding what was happening.

Lu Ren walked over, put his arm around Hinata's shoulder, and whispered in his ear.

"Did you hear that? Your designated setter is going to pass the ball to someone else." Lu Ren's tone was full of stirring up trouble. "The national youth team is full of tall guys who are 1.9 or 2 meters tall. Once he gets used to passing the ball to those people, he won't want you when he comes back."

Hinata's eyes widened, her pupils dilating violently.

"R-Really?!" Hinata grabbed Rikuren's sleeve, jumping up and down in a panic. "Kageyama! Are you abandoning the Monster Attack?!"

Kageyama Tobio was speechless.

"Idiot Hinata! Don't listen to his nonsense!" Kageyama walked over and grabbed Hinata by the collar. "Who's abandoning fast-paced offense! I'm just going to training camp!"

"But Lu Ren said you have to pass the ball to the two-meter tall guy!" Hinata shouted, struggling.

"What does passing have to do with height! A good pass is one that scores!" Kageyama roared.

Lu Ren stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the daily bickering of these single-celled organisms with great interest.

"But seriously," Daichi Sawamura interrupted the farce, walked up to Kageyama, and patted him on the shoulder, "this is a good thing. Go see what level the top peers in the country are at, and bring the experience back to Karasuno."

Kageyama relaxed his head, straightened up, and nodded emphatically.

"yes!"

Sugawara Koji smiled and leaned closer: "Don't be too nervous, and don't throw tantrums on the field like you used to. The national youth team players might not tolerate you."

"I'll be careful," Kageyama replied earnestly.

Professor Takeda opened another document in his hand and cleared his throat.

"Actually, there was another notice."

Everyone's attention was focused on Mr. Takeda.

"A special intensive training camp for first-year students was also organized in Miyagi Prefecture, at Shiratorizawa Academy." Mr. Takeda looked at the list. "Tsukishima from our school was selected."

Tadashi Yamaguchi was the first to jump up: "Aki! That's awesome!"

Hotaru Tsukishima pushed up her glasses, her expression barely changing, and simply replied with an "Oh."

Hinata Shoyo looked left at Kageyama and right at Tsukishima, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"What about me, teacher? Was I not selected?" Hinata pointed to herself, her face full of anticipation.

Mr. Takeda shook his head regretfully: "I'm sorry, Hinata, your name is not on the list."

Hyuga Petrochemical has been shut down.

Lu Ren walked over and patted Hinata's stiff back.

"Don't be discouraged," Lu Ren said. "You're not even 1.65 meters tall, so the county training camp wouldn't dare to accept you."

"Shut up!" Hinata snapped.

Lu Ren chuckled. He glanced at the documents in Professor Takeda's hand, his mind already racing with plans for the next part of the story.

Kageyama went to the national youth team, and Tsukishima went to the prefectural training camp.

This newly formed team is about to undergo a period of division. Everyone is searching for their own path to advancement.