Air Supremacy, a Haikyuu Fic

Takazawa Second-Years (Some Character Info, May Undergo Further Revision)

NOTE: When Hinata and Kageyama join Karasuno, all of the following characters have just started their second year at Takazawa. Takazawa has only the following 6 initially (plus Reika), and the team must find more players before they can compete again.

Shosuke Sasaki, Captain - He was team captain in his final year of Middle School, was made captain at Takazawa after the third years left, and is essentially a second Middle Blocker now. He is something of an ambivert, living in both the realm of his own mind and in the real world and was quite popular at school. The main reason for his popularity was volleyball, but he found that to be a bit overwhelming. He was only there for the volleyball, anyways. On the court, he's a solid all-rounder, able to receive most balls and still pass accurately to a teammate (unless the ball is too fast or he somehow misjudges its path and really has to struggle to reach it). Although Shosuke isn't the setter, he is everyone's first choice in situations where Kagami is forced to receive. Shosuke only sets the ball high so the spiker has enough time to figure out where they want the ball to go, as he lacks the precision for quick sets. When it comes to spiking, Shosuke excels at line shots, but he doesn't really know how to feint; he compensates by being able to spike at sharp downward angles to counter good blocks. Shosuke is always calm and is in tune with each of his teammates, which he takes advantage of to keep them hyped and their morale up throughout even very rough games. He is also a competent strategist, having contributed a number of staple tactics to the team, though not to the extent that Reika or Kagami have. When it comes to serving, Shosuke is a master of the jump float serve. He can control it about as well as Oikawa can control his jump serve. Shosuke stands at 5'11.5".

Rei Hashimoto, Libero - He was the libero on his Middle School team and continues to play that role at Takazawa. Rei has incredible reflexes, and his killer workouts have conditioned his body so that he can quickly retrieve the ball. Naturally, he is the most precise passer by far. Rei is not particularly talkative, but when it comes to teamwork on the court, it goes much deeper than just words, after all. Rei was not especially talented at volleyball specifically, but he did have pretty good athletic ability. He reached his current level of volleyball skill through mostly hard work. Like any good libero, his presence eases others' fears of failure. Although the oldest of the guys, Rei is the shortest, at 5'9.5".

Shun Teppeki, Blocker - The main blocker. Towering over the competition at 6'4", Shun also has an insane jumping reach of 3.48 metres, which means his blocks tower over the likes of pretty much all high school spikers, going even higher than Ushijima. Shun is also great at reading the spiker's intentions, and the only shots he's ever had trouble blocking are cut shots. Aside from cut shots, only feints can consistently make it past Shun. Shun is childhood friends with Rei, but is a fair bit more social than him, being a bit of a jokester. Shun was the one who convinced Rei to join the club in Middle School.

Takumi Kakudan, left-handed Hitter - He was the Ace of his Middle School Team and now shares the top spot for Takazawa's best hitter. He's taller than average, at 6', and his current jump height is second only to those of Ushijima Wakatoshi, Hyakuzawa, and Lev, but then again, they're all taller than him. Takumi relies more on technique than raw power; as a result, he doesn't have the most powerful spikes, but the spin and his angles of attack will give even a skilled libero considerable trouble. In fact, he's a lefty. He's perfectly capable of spiking with his right hand, but the rarity of lefties gives him a bit of an edge sticking to his dominant hand. Takumi can make any type of shot no matter how he approaches the ball and his back attacks are almost as threatening as his regular spikes. However, he does not particularly excel at passing and setting. All he really does while receiving is hit the ball straight up to give his teammates time to set up attacks, but at least that's an improvement from middle school, when he gave the opposition a lot of chance balls. He is also quite bad at filling in as an extra playmaker. In High School, however, Takumi and Raiden requested that the team not have an ace, as they acknowledged that they each have different strengths and are good enough in those areas to both be aces in their own right. They prefer not to use the terms Outside/Opposite hitter because they enjoy spiking from both sides and regularly swap positions to make the most of this.

Raiden Arashi, Hitter - He was an Outside Hitter in Middle School and has loved the role ever since. Raiden doesn't have the technical prowess that Takumi does, but his power, unpredictability, and height of 6'2" make him every bit as formidable in the air and shine through in his personality too. Raiden excels at breaking through blocks and he makes use of random and erratic footwork that would give the likes of Kuroo trouble, not to mention that this explosive power and nimbleness help him reach the ball in a pinch, despite meaning his precision with receives is the worst of the bunch. He has a special bond with Takumi because of their initial rivalry, but ever since Reika noticed how close they were, she's always been teasing them whenever they say anything bromantic and the joke stuck, working its way into every team member's repertoire before long.

Kagami Yorozuya, the setter - His playing style is somewhat similar to Kuroko from Kuroko No Basket (which is where I got the idea). He is a great all-rounder though, and can perform both jump serves and jump float serves, albeit with less power and somewhat less refined control (as compared to Shosuke and Hiro). Kagami is extremely flexible with his teammates and can adapt to whatever they do. He can also pull off some wicked combination attacks with the help of Shosuke or Rei and a capable spiker. A trick he is particularly proud of is where Shosuke or Rei send him a fast pass which he quick sets to one of the aces, which is faster than the standard quick attack. Kagami has always thought of Oikawa as a role model and tried to emulate the way he can blend in with a team, so he has spent pretty much his entire volleyball career trying to develop the instincts that Oikawa has. Kagami observes all the spikers he works with closely, and makes sure to constantly receive input from them. Kagami eventually came to realise he was never meant to be another Oikawa, however, now seeking to surpass him in his own way. His height is 6'.

Reika Ayano, the manager and a childhood friend of Kagami and Shosuke - In middle school, Reika was the captain and setter of her girls' volleyball team. For now, Reika isn't actually playing volleyball, so she decided to become a manager to stay close to the sport. She went to the same middle school as Shosuke and was Kagami's neighbor. Since Shosuke was a captain and Kagami is a setter, she could somewhat sympathize with each of them, and eventually bonded with them over volleyball. Once she started high school with them at Takazawa, Reika knew she just had to become the manager of the boys' team. The third-year manager showed her all the ropes, and when the third-years graduated, they were confident Reika would surpass her mentor. By the end of her first year, Reika was already on great terms with the guys in her year and they respected her as a manager (thanks to Shosuke and Kagami). Reika also started to get back into volleyball. She hadn't started playing by then, but she would give the team hands-on coaching, also doing the drills herself. She even helped out the girls' team a few times. Additionally, she helped Shosuke learn the jump float serve, which she was already proficient in by the end of her second year in middle school. Reika is a rather tall woman, measuring in at 5'10". Born the earliest in the year, she is the oldest of the bunch.

Now, you might be wondering what these 7 are doing at a school like Takazawa. The answer is simple, if rather unfortunate: it's the only high school in their area that's known for sports, despite its abysmal track record in men's volleyball (thus far).

What do you guys think? Anything you feel I should add, clarify, or restructure? Would you rather find out the rest in the story that's to come? Let me know!