Pterodactyl - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 21: Possibilities

Chapter 21:

Today was the day that the Karasuno boys were going up against Aoba Johsai. As Mizuki and her friends anxiously watched them warm up from the stands, she couldn't help but wonder if they were going to be alright. The more they watched Oikawa and his teammates, the more they felt skittish.

"Do you think they're going to win?" Rina bit her lip apprehensively.

"I hope so." Mizuki murmured tensely.

As the first set commenced, it became difficult for the girls to keep their hopes high. Aoba Johsai was in the lead and it seemed like their team was struggling against Oikawa and his very precise serves. Hinata and Kageyama were under a lot of stress as the team mostly relied on their quick attack in order to score points.

"Shoyo's still spooked..." Rina chewed on her lip.

"It's understandable..." Mina added, intently watching the game.

Unfortunately, at the end of the first set, Karasuno lost with a score of 15-25. Mizuki sighed deeply - she couldn't imagine what the boys were thinking and feeling. She even noticed how frustrated Kei was, despite his supposed indifference about volleyball.

"It's okay," Mizuki reassured her friends, "They'll win the next set. Let's believe in them."

As the second set started, the Karasuno boys seemed to be doing better than their first set. They used different strategies and techniques that they learned from their practice games against Nekoma High and it seemed to be working. Mizuki and her friends continued to cheer as loud as they could whenever the boys scored points. There was even an instance where Kei scored and Mizuki swore she saw him genuinely smile. The entire audience was at the end of their seats as the game approached the set point. The Karasuno boys were ahead but they were still as tense as ever.

Mizuki stared intensely at Oikawa as he set the ball towards Iwaizumi. The relationship that those two had rivaled her and her friends. The two seemed extremely close - and they understood one another without even saying a word. They were truly frightening. As the ball approached Iwaizumi, everything seemed to slow down. To Mizuki's surprise, she witnessed Kageyama and Kei working together in order to block what she assumed was a powerful and devastating spike. They didn't seem to be quarreling - in fact, they looked like they were thinking the same thing. The ball fell back on Aoba Johsai's side of the court. A loud thud echoed throughout the gymnasium, signaling the Karasuno boys' set win.

"YES! YES!!!" Rina shouted excitedly, nearly falling out of the stands.

Mizuki and her friends whistled, cheered, and jumped with glee. Their friends won the second set and they were ecstatic! If they win the third set, they would be one step closer to winning the Interhigh Tournament.

As the third set began, the pressure for the boys to win kept growing. If they lost this game, they would be out of the tournament. Mizuki attempted to squish the negative thoughts out of her head and focused on the game.

The two teams were practically neck and neck when it came to points as the game continued. Mizuki felt like she would have a heart attack every time she watched her friends score a point. Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and the rest of Aoba Johsai was a tenacious force to be reckoned with.

"I can't watch!" Rina complained, "This is not good for my soul!"

At this point, the score was 30-30. The teams were tied. Mizuki could tell that Kei, along with his teammates, was getting tired. She hoped that they would hang in there for a little longer. They were so close.

As the formations changed, Hinata was back in the game. However, Aoba Johsai was mostly able to keep up with Kageyama and Hinata's quick attack now. The game could go either way but she hoped that Karasuno would win. As the game progressed, Aoba Johsai was ahead and was at match point. The ball flew towards Kageyama and he sprinted quickly in order to set it to Hinata, who was almost in the proper position. Mizuki's eyes diverted towards Oikawa, who seemed to anticipate where the ball was going to go. She watched Kunimi, Kindaichi, and Iwaizumi prepare to block the quick attack.