Haikyuu - I Am A Different Hinata!

Daniel had just scheduled a training session with Hinata's friends and was undecided about what to do for the rest of the day, so he decided to plan out his new life as Hinata Shoyo.

"First, I have to make sure I'm not just another unknown when I enter Karasuno. I'd like to make a name for myself before high school, and not something bad like Kageyama's 'King'. In high school, I intend to win nationals and become the best player in the country, and maybe even pursue a volleyball career and compete in the Olympics. To do that, I need to improve my skills," Daniel thought.

"I need to work with what I already have. Hinata stood out for his incredible agility and stamina, plus his incredible jumping power. I'm curious to test how much the height increase impacted the speed of this body. If I can combine this height with Hinata's natural speed, I can create a monster," Daniel thought.

"I'll have time to test everything tomorrow," Daniel concluded, spending the rest of the day watching television until the day came to an end.

After waking up, Daniel looks at the clock and notices it's eight in the morning, the time agreed for training. He grabs his equipment and a volleyball stored in the wardrobe and leaves home towards the basketball court, which was the location he discovered by asking his mother. Arriving there, he observed two boys sitting on the ground looking at him with a stunned expression.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Sekimukai.

"I was going to ask the same thing. How did you get so tall so quickly?" asked Izumi with the same perplexed face.

"Well, what can I say? I just grew a lot in these past months. I even had to go shopping because my old clothes didn't fit anymore," Daniel said, rubbing his head with a smile on his face.

"Come on, man. If it's some crazy magic potion, you have to share it with us. We want to get tall too," Sekimukai retorted.

"There's no magic potion. I just grew a little each day until I ended up like this. My grandfather said it might have been a blessing from the Gods. I guess I just got lucky," Daniel affirmed, still laughing.

"At least now you can play volleyball for real," Izumi commented.

"I really got taller, but I was going to play volleyball for real even if I had shrunk, you idiot," Daniel said.

"Oh, really? Then start explaining how this sport works," Izumi retorted.

Daniel begins to explain the rules and fundamentals of volleyball to the two boys.

"So, the game can have up to five sets, and the points needed to win the first four are 25 points, and the fifth is 15 points. However, you need a two-point difference," said Sekimukai.

"Right," Daniel affirmed.

"And on the court, each team has 6 players: two wing spikers, a setter, an opposite, and a middle blocker," said Izumi.

"That's correct. But do you understand what each position does?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, the basics," Izumi said.

"And what about rotation, offensive and defensive zones, and court numbering?"

"That part... I didn't understand anything," Izumi said with a sad tone.

"Me neither. It's too complicated..." Sekimukai said with a voice expressing his laziness in learning so many rules.

"No problem. That's the hardest part anyway. We haven't even played yet. Besides, I'll show you some tutorial videos and practical games that will help you understand," Daniel said.

"Anyway, if it's six players minimum, we'll need more people," Sekimukai affirmed.

"Really, we'll have to try to recruit some people from school when the school year starts," Izumi added.

"I'm sure we'll get more people for our team, but first, we need to define our positions. Based on what I explained to you, do you have anything in mind?" Daniel asked.

"I think I'd do well as a wing spiker. I think I have a decent jump," Sekimukai affirmed.

"In my case, I'm interested in the setter position. I think it suits my style," Izumi said.

"That's great. Having a setter is already progress," Daniel said.

"What about you?" Sekimukai asked.

"I'm also going to be a wing spiker, the ACE of our team, and I'll lead us to victory," Daniel said confidently, pointing his thumb against his own chest.

"I always knew you were a dreamer, but when did you become so confident? Is it because of your height? Remember, the rest of the team will just be a bunch of amateurs," Sekimukai provoked.

"It'll all work out... Izumi, catch this ball and start setting some balls for me and Sekimukai," Daniel said, throwing the ball into Izumi's hands.

"But we don't even have a net here... it's a basketball court," Izumi said.

"No problem. We just need to imagine there's one. HEHEHE," Daniel said while laughing.

"You must have gone crazy," Izumi said, observing Daniel preparing to jump.

"You can jump high. The volleyball net is over two meters tall," Daniel said.

"Okay," Izumi said while concentrating to throw the ball at an acceptable height. After the ball left his fingers, he could feel it went higher than he thought, but what he saw was Daniel testing Hinata's body with a powerful jump, though not quite hitting the ball fully due to lack of timing.

"Shit, I still need practice," Daniel thought while watching Izumi and Sekimukai coming towards him.

"Wow, man! What a jump! Seems like you didn't lose your agility and jumping ability after going from a shorty to a giraffe," Sekimukai provoked.

"If my ball hadn't been bad, you could have scored a beautiful point," Izumi affirmed.

"Actually, I failed too. A true Ace also has to adapt to his setter, not just the other way around. Anyway, let's continue. Now it's Sekimukai's turn."

The three spent the entire morning training, with Daniel correcting mistakes and giving some tips, until it was time to return home.

PS: If you are reading this and found the story promising or enjoyable, I kindly ask for your suggestion: would you like to see Aston and John return to the story as players on Daniel's team? If not, please let me know in the comments. Thank you!