Once upon a time

Though not so long ago

In a nearly-unknown highschool

Where it very rarely snows

There lived a workaholic coach

And, though she was oft flighty,

Her personality of late

Had come off too high and mighty

She scowled at figgy pudding

And glared at passerbys

When it came to Christmas shopping,

She didn't even try

To her the Christmas Season

Meant the Winter Cup's approach

She had responsibilities

After all, she was a coach!

Her name was Aida Riko

A second year at Seirin High

In charge of it's basketball team

And feared by all the guys

The team was her pride and joy

She cared for them a bunch

Always tried to stand by them

And even bought them lunch

Under her dear tutelage

They'd won every game they had

They were sure they'd make the championships

And for that she had been glad

Then one day they faced Too High

A team for only strong

And though they all played wonderfully

Something still went wrong

Eventually, they lost the game

And with it their morale

The loss was devestating

But Riko, what a gal,

She found another way to keep

Seirin's spirits up

Another way to championships

A way called the Winter Cup

It's true that for the Winter Cup

Much practice time was needed

So Riko set a schedule

And hard work was suceeded

The basketball team'd do anything

If their coach would ask it

They rebound, dunk, invent new moves;

They'd shoot all kinds of baskets

Yet in the days 'fore Christmastime

The coach took things too far

Blind by want of victory

She raised too high the bar

Practice turned to battlefield

Training almost war

And though the team would try their best

There was always more

Their coach, however, didn't care;

Increased their practice time

No regard for Christmas Spirit

An awful Yuletide crime

"If you don't train," she'd often shout

"In games you'll have weak joints!"

(And though a fitting arguement,

That's really not the point)

So from dawn to night the basketball team

Of Seirin High would play

They didn't know what else to do

They didn't have a say

And though I could continue on

About how Riko'd scream and shout

And how tired all the players were,

That's not what this fanfic is about

This fanfic is all about

A story that's well-known

One with quite a couple ghosts

And a true, redemptive tone

A story that our starring coach

Was tied into Christmas Eve

To learn a lesson 'fore Christmas Day

Or the story she'd never leave

While some might say "impossible"

Or "there's no way that can be done"

Well, gather 'round the fireplace

And just listen to this fun

Because everything that can't be done

In only just one night

Is possible at Christmastime

And Riko knows I'm right...