Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-One: Maverick Unleashed...
I know I said I would post this on Tuesday but after writing this there was no way I could keep this from you guys that long! So enjoy!
They say that those at the top of a sport have a sixth sense if you would. The ability to gauge a player's potential and threat level from a mere glance or moment. One moment can thrust an individual into another plane of existence, where the truly formidable players dance and play.
Those on the courts during this training camp, some of which where lauded as some of the best in their prefecture or nation in one's case. All felt the same thing, a chill emanating from a certain player, whose instincts had been honed through countless hours of practice and playing against the world's best, suddenly awoke.
Gone was the fun-loving aura that normally surrounded this player. It was replaced by a steely focus on the game in front of him, their eyes glowing brighter every second as the whistle was about to be blown.
Oikawa who had been on the court when the shift happened had only felt something like this from one player and one player only, Ushiwaka. So feeling this from Bodhi had been a bit of a shock, he knew Bodhi was a force to be reckoned with and that he would no doubt be a crucial factor in toppling Shiratorizawa and Ushiwaka, but had he been wrong in his estimate? Or had his perception of Ushiwaka as this unconquerable figure, warped his views of Bodhi?
Could Bodhi truly put up a fight against Ushiwaka?
Across the court two people felt the change, Kuro who had brought his team out of the depths of despair now felt the chills in the air, a cold sweat starting to form. What the hell is causing this!? Or who… Kuro looked towards the biggest pain in the ass of a best friend in Yaku and saw a similar scene unfolding on him.
Yaku watched with bated breath as he locked eyes with Bodhi. His glowing blue eyes, watching him like a predator watches their prey. Yaku had never felt like this before, and unconsciously took a tiny step back. Bodhi's form grew as Naoi put the whistle to his lips and began to blow.
Bokuto who had been all smiles and laughter after their win against Ubugawa, suddenly grew serious as he felt the pressure Bodhi was exerting. He had only ever felt this pressure come from those who were on a level similar to him or beyond. He'd hate to admit it, but Ushiwaka had given off a similar aura, as well as that of Sakusa and Kiryu. All of them are among the top 5 best spikers in the country, among high school players. Now here was a player he'd never heard of emitting such a powerful aura, it was safe to say Bokuto was excited to play Aoba Johsai.
"That's him eh Tatsuki? I'm getting pumped! Hey Hey HEY!!" Bokuto yelled.
"Mmm," Tatsuki replied, eyes never leaving Bodhi's frame. He had felt this a few times before, whenever an opponent proved to be strong Bodhi would always enter into another gear altogether, rising and always going further than before. Tatsuki had done this twice himself and both times he was utterly annihilated. This time would be different though, he had his team behind him, and he wasn't the same player a year ago.
End this quickly Bodhi! I can't wait anymore! Tatsuki thought. His aura started to leak out, the desire to face Bodhi once again, but he quickly reigned it in, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. There was no need to get so worked up, they still had two more matches before they would face Seijo. He opened his eyes again, only to find Bodhi staring right back at him. All the effort he put into restraining himself fell to the wayside as Bodhi riled him back up.
Don't worry Tattoo…I'm coming for ya…
*Fwee!*
With the whistle blown, Inuoka sent the ball over, completely unaware of the happenings going on with Bodhi. This time however his serve was even more off than last time and sent it straight to Naoki who received cleanly for an A-pass.
Oikawa having not moved from his position, got in place for a quick up the middle which is the plat they decided on before, should it be cleanly received. But the moment his hands touched the ball, instinct took over and he sent it away from Matsukawa who swung through the air hitting nothing.
Damn it Oikawa! What the hell was that set? You were supposed to- Matsukawa's thoughts were cut off as he as well as all the other players on the court felt the presence of the Maverick take over. Glancing back, he saw the look in Bodhi's eyes, one that screamed its mine!
Bodhi who had been waiting on the wing, approached faster than he had before all day and leapt up high. Pulling his right arm back, he saw the wall in front of him, despite completely dismissing the plan of a quick down the middle, Kuro somehow knew Bodhi would get the ball without fail. He too felt the change, so he stopped the players from reacting to any attack that didn't involve Bodhi, so they managed to form a complete triple block with timing that only a seasoned middle blocker could do.
Only, it didn't turn out quite the way they wanted it to…
They started to fall as Bodhi continued to rise…
At that exact moment when the heights changed, Bodhi swung with all his might and hit above the block coming from Nekoma, Yaku who also knew the ball was only going to Bodhi got in position to receive from behind the block, but the moment he got into position…
The ball was already there…
And smashed into his chest knocking him over and the ball out of play…
Naoi who had the whistle in his mouth had it promptly fall out as he watched the sheer power of Bodhi overcome Nekoma's wall and arguably the greatest receiver in their history, like they were a junior team. Putting the whistle back in his mouth he blew it, signalling a point for Seijo. "16-12, S-s-seijo service."
Silence overcame the court as the point was announced, it took them that long to process what had just happened. Nobody moved. They were all still staring at Bodhi who still had pressure rolling off him in waves.
"Keep 'em coming Oikawa, your turn to serve," Bodhi simply said, turning around and getting into service position.
"…R-right, ball!" Oikawa said, catching the ball that was tossed to him by Coach Irihata. Who had a similar look of disbelief and shock on his face. Mizoguchi was in a similar state and Hana was looking a little scared, she had never seen this side of Bodhi before.
As Oikawa was getting ready to serve, thoughts ran through his head at a mile a minute. He had never been swayed by a spiker that way before, or rather not that violently. Bodhi demanded the ball be sent to him like nobody else could get the point. Only he coul- no he would score this point. Has Bodhi become that important to the team? Or was it just Bodhi's natural aura being unleashed…Oikawa shivered at the thought of being controlled like that, Bodhi wasn't that kind of guy, right?
Right?
The whistle blew signalling service and Oikawa sent the ball over doing his normal jump serve, which would be classified as a superb one on a weaker team. And the ball landed onto Nekoma's court who were still recovering from the previous play.
"Point Seijo, 17-12," Naoi stated, looking at his team in such a state was pitiful, but he couldn't really fault them, he too was still trying to come to terms with it.
"WAKE UP!" Coach Nekomata yelled from the bench, standing up and waving to his team, who all looked at him. "THIS IS NO TIME TO PANIC! GET YOUR HEADS BACK IN THE GAME AND SHOW THEM THE STEADFAST PLAY OF NEKOMA!!!"
The rousing speech seemed to lift their spirits enough to get them back in the game, but none of them had ever felt his way before, not even when they played Bokuto and Fukurodani, they had never been scared of a player before. But this time as Oikawa sent the ball over they managed to get a decent receive up, but it seemed to be half-hearted, as it barely went up, causing Kenma to make a poor set leading to a weak spike that was easily dug up by Iwaizumi.
Wasting no time Oikawa set the ball, every intention of sending it to Mad Dog but was once again pulled from that thought as he sent it toward Bodhi. Again!? But once more Bodhi delivered a powerful spike and blew past the blocking of Kuro who had attempted to block Bodhi, but it was all for naught as it impacted the floor, before any receivers had a chance to move.
It was all but over.
~Break~
"Game set! 25-14, Seijo is the victor!" Naoi said disheartened. And who could blame him? Bodhi Hamada had taken over the game and simply ploughed through everything Nekoma tried with pure brute force and unmatched technique. The only points they had managed to score came from errors on service from Seijo whose ace was trying to perfect their jump serve and hit the net.
It was an absolute slaughter, plain and simple. This was only the second game! Of who knows how many they'll play over the weekend. Would his team be able to rebound at all? Could they put up a fight in any of their remaining matches? Naoi who had never experienced this spiral of emotions went to the worst place possible and it showed how little faith he had in his team.
As a veil of depression fell over his head, both teams began to bow to one another, shake hands, and thank one another for the game. But it was awkward at best, Nekoma who could contend with nationally ranked teams was dismantled by one that hadn't ever been to nationals, and they made it look easy, or rather one player did.
Bodhi Hamada had almost single-handedly torn apart Nekoma and brought their players to their knees. And this was just a practice match. How good would they be with their actual starting line-up? Seijo was showing they had what it took to compete with the best of the best and Nekoma showed just how weak their spirits are.
Nekoma's spirits were crushed.
Seijo was riding high.
As the two teams separated, one stayed behind, noticing the gloom that encompassed Nekoma.
"Oi! You'd better not wallow in self-pity because of this loss. You're all better than that!" Bodhi yelled at the retreating backs of Nekoma. Kuro and Yaku were the first to turn around, the gloom barely evident on their faces, they were able to bounce back from this. Their experience speaks volumes. "You lost, yes, but who cares!?"
As Bodhi said that all of the Nekoma players turned around and glared daggers at Bodhi for taunting them in such a way.
"Oho? Now you guys seem to care, eh? Where the hell was that fire when we were playing? So, what if somebody starts to outplay you? That sure as fuck ain't a reason to quit, if anything it's a reason to play even harder. Losing sure as hell sucks and I've experienced it many times, but I never gave up, I'd hate myself all the more for doing so. With all that said, cry it out like the babies you are and look forward to your next ass beating!" Bodhi finished, walking away from an absolutely irate Nekoma. Even the cool-headed Kai had a fiery disposition around him.
Briefly locking eyes with Kuro, Bodhi smiled a little, no doubt the Nekoma captain knowing what Bodhi was trying to do. Although he was now kinda pissed off too.
"Next time will be different Maverick! I can promise you that!" Kuro yelled.
No doubt they would play again… well obviously they would, being a training camp and all…maybe the author got a bit too overzealous in writing and went over the top? Who knows surely the fourth wall may know?
As the court cleared, the coaches from both teams went over shook hands and proceeded to talk to the other's teams.
"Gentlemen, My name is Nobuteru Irihata, I must say you gentlemen have a solid foundation and there's no doubt in my mind you'll bounce back from this. Learn from the mistakes you made today, not in your play, but in your mind. Being able to stay calm and confident in how you play will see you through the toughest of times. Know I had no intention of Bodhi doing what he did, but I frankly wouldn't have it any other way," Coach Irihata told Nekoma, the last point catching some of them off guard.
"Know I don't mean to be rude, but would have preferred a hollow victory or a loss that wouldn't teach you anything? Neither of those have good learning opportunities, so take what you can from this and come back stronger. I know your captain and libero will show you the way," Coach Irihata finished, smiling warmly at Nekoma, before continuing to mention some other points their players could improve upon as well as complimenting what they did well at.
On the other side of the court, Coach Nekomata was having a similar conversation with Seijo.
"You boys sure have a strong team, there's no doubt about that. Your third-years show great tenacity and have experience in abundance so to the first and second years, use them as a fountain of information, they only have a little time left with you after all," Coach Nekomata started, a faraway look in his eyes as he landed on a certain player. He sure as hell reminds me of him. "Your captain has the skills to draw out all of your potential as spikers, but know this, he can't do it all on his own. If you become too reliable on the perfect set you'll never grow as a player and become complacent. Captain, you should push your players to do better, You're smart enough to do that no?"
Oikawa being singled out, nodded at the coach's advice.
"Good, now onto the star of the match! Bodhi Hamada, otherwise known as the Maverick, some deviant player you are. Sure, you're Japanese?" He asked incredulously.
"Damn right whiskers!" Bodhi smiled cheekily, giving the coach a nickname.
"HAHAHA YOU BRAT!" Coach Nekomata roared out, laughing all the while, no real heat in his remark.
Having calmed down, he looked at Bodhi once more. "Next time don't hold back as much, if you do, you'll regret it," He stated as fact, his cat-like eyes staring into Bodhi's soul. Bodhi stared right back his blue eyes flashing in challenge.
Coach Nekomata continued to talk to the rest of Seijo noting too what they did well and what they could improve upon.
Both teams would no doubt learn from this, Nekoma would improve their mental aspects and learn to persevere through hardship, meanwhile, Seijo would have to learn how to play with Bodhi, who had taken over, consciously or not. Oikawa would have to learn how to reign in his instincts and be able to say no to Bodhi's sheer will and desire to have the ball.
"ROTATE!" Coach Takeyuki yelled. With each team having finished their match, they all rotated and met their new opponents. For Seijo that meant a match between a prefecture rival.
Kings Vs. Crows
"Shit I'm out, I'll be right back, gotta go my electrolytes!" Bodhi said to his teammates and coaches.
Bodhi left the gym to go and grab it from his backpack he had left in the room they were staying in.
As Bodhi left the gym a certain girl with glasses and a beauty spot, saw him and decided she too needed to 'grab' something. "Yachi, I'll be right back I just have to grab something from my bag."
"No problem, Miss Kiyoko! I'll hold down the fort!" Yachi said, saluting her senior as Kiyoko walked away, her target in her sights.
"AHHH! That's the good stuff!" Bodhi said to no one as he took a big gulp of his melon-flavoured Powerade. "Gotta get back!"
Opening the sliding door and just walking out, he failed to notice the bespectacled beauty and ran into her, knocking her off balance. "Kiyo!" Bodhi yelled.
Dropping his Powerade, he quickly wrapped his arms around her and caught her before she hit the ground. Their faces were mere centimetres apart, their eyes locked on the other.
"H-h-hi," Bodhi stuttered out, being too lost in her eyes.
"H-h-hello Bo," Kiyoko stammered out, her mind entirely too focused on Bodhi's strong arms holding her up like it was nothing. Such strength…mmm…WAIT! "C-c-could you let me go?"
"Shit! Y-y-yeah, my bad," Bodhi said, pulling her up and holding onto her just a moment too long as he righted her, that tidbit being noticed by Kiyoko.
"So…Did you need something?" Bodhi asked. This had been the first time they had talked since they reconnected, neither one remembering to ask for the other's number when they departed that day. And to say it was awkward finding out they were on opposite teams was also a shock, Bodhi knew she was a runner so why was she a Manager?
"Yeah, I want to, but now isn't the right time, so I was hoping we could do it after the games are all over. On the roof? I heard from one of Fukurodani's managers that they have a rooftop garden here…Is that alright?" She asked in a shy tone, blushing slightly.
"T-totally! I'll be there!" Bodhi replied a little too quickly, but how could he not? A blushing and shy Kiyoko!? I say impossible not to!
After Bodhi's reply neither one talked, simply staring at each other, a comfortable silence enveloping the two. Subconsciously or unconsciously, both started to lean toward one another, neither knowing why, but it was quickly broken as a Seijo player came around the corner.
"Damn it Bodhi! Hurry up! Iwaizumi sai- OH! Shit!" Kindaichi yelled, quickly turning back around the corner he came from. He had been sent by a pissed-off Iwaizumi to retrieve the stray Maverick but was shocked to find his friend with the Karasuno manager!
"Damn it…" Bodhi whispered. "I- We- I should get back."
He gently passed by Kiyoko, who hadn't replied yet and went around the corner to find a blushing Kindaichi.
"Why the hell are you with Karasuno's manager!?" Kindaichi whispered urgently.
"Why should I tell you-" Bodhi shot back, Kiyoko now out of range didn't hear their whispered conversation beyond that. And having finally noticed what she did, she quickly dropped to her knees and covered her reddened face.
Did I seriously just ask him to the rooftop? Kiyoko what were you thinking!? AHHH!!! She mentally screamed. But…it did feel nice to have his arms wrapped around me…
She rubbed the spots his hand went around her arms and noticed how those spots were now a little colder now that he walked away.
"Right! I have to get back!" Kiyoko said aloud, standing up and starting to walk away before her foot hit Bodhi's drink. Looking down she picked up, surely that wouldn't be a problem, right?
"He did look thirsty…I'll bring it to him," she finalized. Walking back to the gym and making her way to Seijo's side, ignoring the looks of sheer terror from Nishinoya and Tanaka as she did so. Yachi's curious gaze didn't help either.
She spotted Bodhi on the bench and made her towards him.
"You dropped this in the hallway, just wanted to return it," she said as if they hadn't just talked.
Bodhi turned his head away from his conversation with Mizoguchi and accepted to bottle from Kiyoko. "T-thank you." He said, but as he grabbed the bottle her hands gently grazed his and a shock ran up his spine. He looked up to see if she felt it too, but she was already walking away back to her side.
Warm…
That was all that was on Bodhi's mind as he turned back to the conversation between him and Coach Mizoguchi, something that caused the coach to blow his top and send Bodhi back to the rest area.
The dazed look on his face didn't go unnoticed by his teammates as they went to ask him questions, but Bodhi didn't answer any of them, his mind was still focused on one person and the warmth of her touch.
Author Note:
HEY HEY HEY!
I am super happy with how this whole chapter turned out and I hope you are too. I tried my best to write how Bodhi is when his switch is flipped and I hope you all enjoyed the different perspectives on how I view the elite players.
Did you guys like that interaction between our boy Bodhi and Kiyoko? I sure did. Lemme know if I could improve upon anything!
Later!
-Daedalus19
Little Omake (Or whatever there called, has No impact on the story. Maybe? Thought of it as I was writing and thought it be funny. Shitty writing but hopefully it gets my point across, didn't want to spend too much time on it)
Karasuno who had just noticed the pressure coming off Bodhi saw his play and was shocked at what he just did. Blowing past a block they had yet to truly overcome and a receiver that was just as good if not better than Nishinoya failed at picking it up.
Despair ran through their thoughts as they now had to overcome this team that had not only beaten them but now gotten a player so strong that they may as well have no hope.
While the players were thinking this, Kiyoko was having very different thoughts. The ravenous look he had in his eyes as he was playing volleyball made her think of him looking at her with those eyes and she shivered in pleasure at the thought.
The pure unadulterated drive to destroy the volleyball, she wanted that to be on her, that sound of him impacting the ball, her ass, reverberating from the impact.
Unbeknownst to her, she mumbled out, "Put a damn baby in me…Fuck!"
It did not go unnoticed by her kohai manager, who blushed up a storm as she saw the look of lust appear in Kiyoko's eyes. Safe to say Yachi was a little more careful around Kiyoko-senpai from that day onward.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone