I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.

Michael Jordan

The buzzer sounded, signalling the end of the match. The crowd had erupted into a series of cheers and screams, but for Shoei, they were heartbroken. The score was Teiko Chugakko – 148, while they were on 55. But it was more for Hachiman Hikigaya, a talented player of the rising Generation of Miracles who is riding in the bench. Throughout the match, to their opponents give up, breathe heavily, and lost their desire to play before him.

It was a heart-breaker indeed.

Shoei was completely crushed.

He can see Shoei's number four completely in his fours while seemingly shocked and traumatized at what happened to their team. And there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing he could've done. He was, after all, a player for Teiko. They had tried their best though but it wasn't enough.

Hachiman had never felt so useless before in his life.

No matter what they threw at Aomine and Murasakibara, nothing bore fruit. The tanned ace and purple headed big man blocked all their passes, and well, they couldn't stop the power forward/ace and center. Hell, no one could. He had just walked past their captain, his spiky black hair that is styled in an abstract mohawk strands riddled with cold sweat. For the first time, to him, the feeling was horrible.

The two teams had then lined up at the centre, and after they had bowed, they headed off into their locker rooms.

Teiko was eerily quiet. No one knew what to say or more like no one could say anything. Despite the crushing victory, Akashi didn't dare to say anything to his comrades. He knew, he just knew that it may make things worse especially that they now just play for the sake of victory and nothing else. So he let them be, and simply told them to come outside when they're done.

As else had been preparing to exit the locker room, Hachiman was still seated on the bench and looking on the floor, while Aomine had got up and was ready to leave.

"Dammit! Do you really have to tell that to the number 4 guy!"

The next day, Hachiman was very mad about the way Teiko had toyed on their opponents from Shoei. Hearing him suddenly rant, Murasakibara disapprovingly turned around him and said in the most boring but belittling way, "What's your problem, Hiki-chin? We simply played the game like how we usually do. Our opponents are just too weak."

"But at least, you could just have—" Hachiman was suddenly cut off by Aomine, who was annoyed at what the former is suddenly complaining about.

"Hah? What's the deal, Hikigaya?" the tanned ace haughtily answered as he lazily rolled the ball in his hands before leaving off, "What, you want us to go full-strength? That's impossible, considering how weak they are already. With the skill difference, to have a game where both the winner and loser have fun, how the fucking hell are we supposed to accomplish that?!" With that, he leaves the venue.

"Well, it's not like that dumb Aomine is wrong, though," Midorima butted in as he holds a scissors as his lucky item for the day, "But no matter who is our opponent, I just do what I have to do in the court. But to sympathize them is the worst thing you could do."

"Please stop! They had enough, please!" Hikigaya shouted while suddenly starting to cry.

"Hoh? You think you can stop us Hikigaya?"

Hachiman heard the voice of their captain, Akashi Seijuro, and the one whom the former served as a back up.

"They are just trash. Who thinks they can beat us with their teamwork," the red head said with a clear sign of arrogance.

"Yes I know, but please! They don't deserve to be broken mentally by us!" But sadly, he was ignored.

"Well, it's a good thing they lose because we should always win!" Kise Ryouta was still in his peppy manner but has hints of disgust for their opponents.

"Can we all go home now? I feel like eating more snacks because I'm tired and out of snacks to eat. Anyway, I'm stronger than everyone else here in Japan so I don't see the point of even practicing," Murasakibara added insult to the injury.

Hearing their merciless comments, Hachiman's heart really broke and he can't stand it any longer. 'You will pay for this someday, you monsters!' He thought angrily in his mind as he ran away outside of the gym, not wishing to see their cold-blooded facial expressions.

He ran and ran on the school hall until suddenly; he bumped to someone. When he looked up, he cried even more harder as he suddenly falls in his knees.

"Hikigaya-kun..." the light blue-haired man, known to their team as none other than Kuroko Tetsuya who is the Phantom Sixth Man of Teiko's vaunted team, muttered softly as he understood with his whole heart his close friend's inner pain.

"I'm sorry Kuroko but I had enough of this!" Hachiman wailed, "I don't like how they destroy everyone's spirits. I missed our old days when we were all playing for the sake of fun!" He said to him. Kuroko looked at him with sad eyes as he patted his spiky hair.

"Me too Hikigaya-kun." Kuroko whispered, "I don't want to see them like this they used to be nice, but they changed drastically."

"Kuroko, I have decided." Hachiman wept as his voice cracked, "I'll go back to my hometown in Chiba. I just can't do this anymore." He muttered.

"I understand Hikigaya-kun," Kuroko said in a tone of regret, "I too also wanted to ran away but I can't. I'm just a shadow but don't worry. I'll promise you that I'll defeat them someday." Hachiman looked at him with a grain of hope.

"I'll thank you then and I'll never forget you in the future but can I ask one more request before I leave this miserable life?" The tealnette looked at him before nodding.

"What is it?" Kuroko asked as he eventually helps the fallen teen stand up in his feet.

"Please never tell them where I am going and I won't ever play basketball again." The sudden decision caught Kuroko off-guard but the latter knew better as he just kept his mouth shut. "I know it's selfish of me to just leave it, but I can't handle the pain of seeing our club in this miserable state..." He then walked pass the tealnette but before he can fully leave, he halted for the moment and said.

"Goodbye for now, Kuroko. We shared a lot of memories that I will never forgot even if we don't possibly meet ever again…"

He said while he started walking away from him, to avoid him seeing his tears in front of him.

He never returned to that school after the talk between him and the shadow, not just because he don't want to see them anymore, but he needed to be ready for his trip back to Chiba. That week, he had fully restyled his spiky, Mohawk hair into a slicked, medium-short length black hair with ahoge.

When he finally got home in his town, he threw his Teiko jersey, basketball gloves, and his pair of Air Jordan Fly Wades into their dusty stock room for one reason.

"This will remind me never to go back to basketball. Anymore."

Unfortunately for him, fate does have strange ways different than what Hikigaya Hachiman envisioned for.