Mitsumi stepped off of the train and rolled her suitcase behind her. Her gym bag bounced on her shoulder as she weaved through the station crowds. She followed the directions on her GPS as she weaved through the crowds of people. Even if she had trained at the Ajinomoto National Training Center several times in the past, she still would always get lost without directions.

She sported her white National Youth Volleyball Team jacket and red joggers. They had asked her to show up in her now-former team's uniform. If all went well over the camp, she could be sporting the famous white jacket with red sleeves. And she wasn't opposed to it as long as it didn't interfere with school.

There was a good number of candidates selected this year. Mitsumi signed in at the stadium check-in desk and passed her luggage off to a worker, who placed it on a cart with some other people's luggage. She put her participant badge on and walked to a quieter part of the lobby to snap a picture of the crowd.

Mitsumi Chie: Made it safely!

She sent the photo to Suga and her parents.

Sugawara Koushi: Have fun! Call me tonight if you aren't busy. <3

"MISTUMIIII!" The familiar voice of an old teammate boomed from across the lobby. "How is Japan's most famous libero doing?! It's been too long!" A girl with a short raven-colored pixie cut launched herself at Mitsumi. She sported the same uniform.

Mitsumi flinched at the sudden contact. "Long time no see, Akira." She didn't even bother fighting it. She and three others had graduated from the Youth Team together. "Are the others here yet?"

"Mayu is here. She's in the restroom right now. Saki is with her. They got here right before you did." Akira looked out at the crowd. There were a few other groups from a different camp leaving the stadium. "There are fourteen of us this year. Seven vets and seven noobs."

This was their first year at the candidate camp. So, even though they have more experience than the other three newbies, they were still classified as noobs. Mitsumi stood with her hands in her pockets and her left hip popped out to the side. "So there are three new faces then."

"There they are!" Saki was with Mayu. They jogged over to them with a wave. They greeted the other duo with hugs. "Chie, did you grow a few centimeters?" Saki rested an elbow on her best friend's shoulder.

Mitsumi glared at her. "Shut up, Saki! What kind of greeting is that?"

"Oh ho ho!" Mayu smirked a bit, "Already irritated?" She crossed her arms. "Mr. Romero is waiting for us in Stadium B. We should head over there."

...

Mr. Romero was talking with one of the stadium employees when the girls turned up. He wrapped up the conversation before turning his attention to the returning players. "Welcome back! It's been a while."

Mitsumi waited for a few moments. It seemed that she was still the group's official spokesman. "It's good to be back! Do you need something?"

"Ah, yes. I wanted to tell you that three players have been selected that weren't on the youth team." The boss looked down at his clipboard with a sigh. He didn't want anyone scaring new faces away. He then pointed to some boxes next to the bench, "Also, I need help taking these over to the youth camp. I couldn't find anyone who could help and I assumed the four of you would be together."

The four girls sighed heavily. They were called over to help haul boxes. Great. They agreed to help out. There was no harm in it. They had made it earlier than anticipated. Apparently, the vets hadn't arrived yet. So, he couldn't snag one of them.

Mitsumi couldn't see over the box of t-shirts that she was holding. "Excuse me!" She shouted as she dodged people to the best of her ability. She stepped right into someone and almost fell over.

"Oi! Watch where you are going!" The woman glared down at Mitsumi. She had to be one of the veterans.

She mentally gulped. "I'm sorry, is there an issue?" Mitsumi deadpanned in response. She recognized the player as Tsukibahara Yuno. She had been scouted by the V League right out of high school. She was the current libero for the Hikari Pharmaceutical Red Rockets. Everyone knew her for her wicked digs and nasty attitude.

Tsukibahara clicked her tongue. "You were on the youth team? Don't think you'll be selected just because you are already a favorite." She had attended the camp the year before but wasn't selected for that year's team.

That was the thing about a National level camp. The V League pulled candidates from college players and division players. After all, they were all fighting for a spot on the National Team.

A dark aura surrounded the two of them. Mitsumi clicked her tongue back. "Ah, so you really are one of those. Don't think you can intimidate me with your childish tactics."

"Mitsumi! Hurry up!" Saki turned around and saw Mitsumi glaring at someone. She was worried that she'd pick a fight with someone. Some things never change.

...

Everyone stood on the court in a semicircle around Mr. Romero and their two coaches. The players had changed into their workout clothes. Introductions were over and the coaches were explaining the plans for the day.

Mitsumi could still feel Tsukibahara glaring at her. It was getting extremely annoying. Coach Momo oversaw the warm-up. She could already pick up on who got along with who.

Mitsumi gave a high five to Saki as she jogged to the back of the line. They were currently doing some receiving drills. The two coaches were hitting crazy fast spikes from a podium on the other side of the net.

The libero took a deep breath and shook off the icy feeling. The first ball fell short, so she dove for it. The second one came flying at her as soon as she was on her feet. Mitsumi managed to bump it onto the other side of the net. A double dig. They kept doing this and increasing the distance. Eventually, they were sprinting through an obstacle course and receiving.

"You two know each other?" Chikahara, one of the vets, whistled and looked over at the former youth team members. She was currently a middle blocker at Sendai University. Back in high school, she was more of the quiet type who would eye the two best friends to keep them in line. 

Saki nodded, "I went to high school with her." She was surprised to see how precise Mitsumi's aim had become. It was clear that she had changed a lot since their practice match. And the amount of growth was terrifying.

It was clear to everyone that they already had to face a major threat. Even Saki was getting major vibes from Mitsumi. Aki and Mayu had never seen their libero acting so scary. It was only day one and the court was turning into a skating rink. They knew she was one to put her heart into everything, but this was more than just hard work. It was spite.

...

Dinner time came pretty quickly. The men and women gathered in the training center's cafeteria. People were mingling amongst themselves. It wasn't anything crazy spectacular. Mitsumi was angrily slurping her cold soba noodles. She refused to sit with anyone but Takuma, Saki, Akira, and Mayu. Although, Akira and Mayu were off socializing with some of the other candidates. Environments such as these were perfect for their social butterfly friends.

"Did you get in a fight with Tsukibahara in the lobby today?" Saki set her cup of water down on her tray. She watched her friend shove more food in her mouth so she couldn't answer on purpose. This elicited an annoyed sigh to escape from her lips.

Takuma had never seen Mitsumi like this. He was well aware of Tsukibahara's aggressive tendencies from the previous year. It was their second year of training camp. Last year, the Red Rocket targeted a second-year candidate. "Don't take her seriously. She's always riling up people she deems as easy targets." He heard a pair of chopsticks slam against a tray and looked up from his meal.

Mitsumi had managed to scarf down her meal at record speeds. "Well, she's made a target of herself then."

"Hey! Takuma! Mind if I join you guys?" A man a few centimeters shorter than Takuma had walked past and then taken a step back. He had short, messy chestnut hair.

Takuma watched the girls nod in approval and gestured to the chair next to him. "Saki, Mitsumi, this is my buddy, Fumihiko Haruko. He is the Middle Blocker for the Sendai Frogs."

"Sasaki Saki, wing spiker, Miyagi University. Everyone just calls me Saki, no need to be formal." Saki had this whole introduction thing down to a pat. She nudged the burnett next to her and gave her a glance.

"Mitsumi Chie, libero, Tokyo University." Mitsumi's brain wasn't computing much of anything at the moment. She was still trying to process Tsukibahara's actions.

Fumihiko leaned forward, "Ah! So you are the one Tsukibahara keeps blabbing about." He finally put two and two together. "You'll learn to ignore her." He said rather loudly. His voice echoed to the other side of the dining hall.

"I can hear you, Fumihiko!" Tsukibahara shouted in response. She was trying to enjoy her meal in peace with one of the newbies, Hotaru Mai. "Stop feeding lies to the noobs!"

"OI! You're one to speak!" Fumihiko jumped up from his chair. Takuma had to yank him back down into his seat. He was an energetic one for sure.

Mayu and Aki finally bounced their way back to the table. They had grabbed a tray of desserts for everyone. And brought a bonus guest. Mayu snagged a slice of strawberry shortcake and sat down. "Guys, Umeko found the most amazing strawberry shortcake in the back."

"You need to save some for the rest of us, Mayu!" Akira plopped down across from her and snagged a plate off of the tray. She waved Umeko over and let out a deep breath.

Umeko was the other newbie. She was one of the setters that were invited to camp after the prefectural tournaments. She had traveled all the way from Hyogo just to have a shot at making the National Team. "I didn't think there would be so many energetic people at this time." She yawned a little bit. It had been a long day for her.

"You're telling me." Mitsumi grabbed a slice of chocolate cake. She really hadn't said much all day. "Saki, let's go practice." She stood up and took her tray with her. "I'll see you guys later."

...

Saki and Mitsumi were practicing on the backcourts alone. Everyone was still at dinner, so they had the practice space to themselves. They were talking as they played a round of pepper with each other. Even after some time apart, they were still able to converse with each other fluently and control the volleyball.

"Do you think Nationals will be anything like what it was in high school?" Mitsumi set the ball over to Saki and was ready to spike it.

Saki slammed it down effortlessly. "I don't know, honestly. I think it'll be way harder. But, we are both on powerhouse teams. So, who really knows?" She was already nervous to face whoever was going to be on the orange court.

"Yeah, I feel that. We had practice with Kyoto University two weeks ago and had an exhibition match against Sora the week before that." Chie's voice flat-lined remembering the last few games. "We lost to both of them. I wasn't around for the end of the practice match for Kyoto, but apparently, their captain put Shimura into a tizzy."

"Dang, that's nuts. I watched the Sora match though. It was wicked intense." Saki responded. She had played with Shimura when she had visited Tokyo once to play with their Thursday night group. To get her in a tizzy is quite the feat. "Your fake outs were pretty insane, but still kinda obvious."

"Yeah, I know." She let out a sigh and fell quiet. The only thing that could be heard in the gym was the sounds of their sneakers squeaking and the ball being passed. Mitsumi was zoning out finally. It felt refreshing to not have any distractions. Both she and her former official captain had gained an appreciation for silent practices. No music, no conversations. If a thought came to mind, they would say it. Just like they just did. It was how they processed the day's events.

The sound of the door squeaking open broke their focus. "I heard you guys were practicing! Mind if I join?" It was Aimi. She set her water bottle down against the wall and grabbed a ball. She was the veteran setter that had been eyeing the duo the entire day. She had been paired with both of them during different exercises and even played on Mitsumi's team during one of the 3-on-3 matches.

Mitsumi mentally groaned but nodded. "Sure." She remembered telling Aimi that she could join them and was slightly regretting the decision. But, it was okay. She had enough regrets for the day, and maybe something good would come out of this.

"Aimi, could you toss a few sets for me?" Saki looked at the veteran candidate with googly eyes. She had become obsessed with hitting the setter's tosses.

"I'll toss it to you guys then." Mitsumi caught the ball Aimi passed to her.

Aimi shook her head, "Serve it from the other side." She wanted to experience the libero's nasty serve for herself.

Several players were from schools headed to the Nationals. Only stupid, single-cell-brained people wouldn't use this as an opportunity to scout out their opponents' abilities. Mitsumi knew this and smirked a bit. "Sure! I can do that." There were two things she could do. One, psyche the setter out and send in a normal serve. Or two, give her what she wants and hit the hybrid. Option one was what she really wanted to do. However, option two gave her a chance to scare Saki and Aimi with her abilities. She knew that her serve would change drastically by the end of camp. So, it wouldn't hurt to hit just one hybrid serve.

Mitsumi took three steps back from the serving line. She tossed the ball into the air and leaped into the air to hit it. She went for the work-in-progress hybrid and decided to let Aimi have what she wanted. Saki was used to receiving these, but she didn't remember them being that fast. What the heck was her bestie up to? Oh yeah, serving reps. The ball smacked her arms and went flying out of bounds.

"What the heck?! Mitsumi! Are you trying to break my arms?" Saki shouted, "That freakin' hurt!" Her arms were bright red and stinging at the sight of impact. The pain radiated all the way up into her shoulders. "I swear it used to not hurt as much!"

"Things have changed since we last played against each other." Mitsumi stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down with a finger. "If you break your arm, that means less competition for me."

Aimi was genuinely afraid now. She made a grave mistake. "You'll be fine, Saki. Let's keep it goin', yeah?"

...

Suga was with the bros blowing steam by going out for raman with the team. He hadn't heard anything from Takuma or Mitsumi all day. But then again, they weren't exactly in the position to be sending updates frequently. He checked his phone after finishing his meal. His brown eyes lit up with excitement seeing that he had a notification.

Kanagawa Takuma: Yo, you guys won't believe what happened today. Mitsumi managed to pick a fight with the libero from the Red Rockets.

"Hey, guys! Captain finally messaged the group!" Bokuto waved his phone around in the air. Everyone whipped their devices out and read the text. The boys bust out into laughter. Some of them were pounding the tabletop. The glasses shook and silverware clanked against each other. Well, almost all of them were laughing. Suga had an extremely concerned look on his face. "Guys! You're going to get us kicked out!"

Kuroo could barely breathe from how hard he was laughing. His eyes were brimmed with tears. "S-She did what?!"

Sugawara Koushi: Don't tell me it was a physical fight.

Kanagawa Takuma: Nah, Tsukibahara sees her as a threat. Anyways, the tension is wild. Apparently, Coach Momo had to put them on separate courts during defense drills after they started making it a competition.

Ichiyama Junpei: I'm surprised they invited her back.

Kuroo Tetsuro: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!! THAT'S OUR MITSUMI!

Matsuda Shou: HAHA! She chose the wrong one to mess with!

Kanagawa Takuma: I think she is starting to realize that. Idk. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Bokuto Kotarou: *sends flaming Elmo gif* TOKYO SUPREMACY!

Whatever was happening, everyone was excited for their beloved all-stars to return to campus. It was difficult playing without them. The team dynamics had totally changed. Koushi was debating on if he should text Mitsumi. He exited the group chat and clicked on Chie's name.

Mitsumi Chie: *sent image* Check this out! Akira and Mayu were invited back this year too! Mini All-Japan Youth reunion!

Mitsumi Chie: Oops, meant to send that in the GC. Oh well, you get it twice. <3

How did he miss that message? He looked at the image and smiled gently. Then he saw that she also sent it to the group chat that had Bokuto and Kuroo in it too.

Sugawara Koushi: Looks like fun! *sends image* I'm at the raman shop with these idiots.

Mitsumi Chie: HA! Tell them I say hi! I'll call you in an hour then and hop in the bath first.

Sugawara Koushi: <3

"Oh, Chie." He sighed, unsure if he should be proud of his girlfriend at the moment. Only if he could be there to watch everything go down.