IT IS FINALLY HERE, HOLY SHIT THE BEGINNING OF THE LONG AWAITED MATCH I CAN'T EVEN AT THIS POINT IM SO TIRED AND FATIGUED BUT IT'S HERE, IT'S FINALLY HERE

I really want to thank all of you for being so patient with me and having to deal with waiting and all that stuff. From the results of the poll and the reviews that you all left, option A (splitting the game in two) won by a landslide and honestly, I'm really glad it did. There is so SO much I wrote for just two quarters and I couldn't even imagine myself writing the last two by the end of the year.

So, thank you to everyone who voted and helping me out with this situation, and I really hope that this chapter satisfy you because it took me a long while to figure out what I wanted to put.

I don't really know when the next chapter will be out and I am not giving out any more empty promises, so I'm apologizing in advance if I can't update faster. I am, however, giving this story full priority because I want to finish this as fast as possible. All my other stories (even new ones) will be on hold until this story is officially completed. So if you're wondering when I'm going to update my other stories, please wait until this one is done.

Just letting you guys know that the game does have a lot of manga elements but some have my own twist to it, so please don't assume that I'll be basing this game solely on the original material.

Thank you once more for supporting this for this long, and I really hope you enjoy this chapter :)

So, without further ado, here is part I of the match!

A few answers for my lovely reviewers:

Shibue Miyuu: Well... To be honest, I can't see how the last game will end up. If you want to follow the story like the original one, then it means that Kuroko and Kagami's team will win. But somehow I just CAN"T see that happen. I'm not saying that Kuroko and Kagami's team is a weak one. But, I can't fell the bond between the team, like the Seirin's team has. Sorry, no offense. Or maybe it's just me that don't feel that way. In the original plot, when Seirin against Rakuzan, the only Miracles that Rakuzan has is Akashi. And even though the other members are the Uncrowned Kings, they are not on par *enough* with the Miracles. So, for Rakuzan to lose, it is understandable. BUT, Kuroko and Kagami's team now will against THE MIRACLES, five of them. SO... Even though somehow the real Akashi will return, I still can't see that the GoM will lose. Or will the scores end up in tie? Even if the end Kuroko decides to not going back to Japan, it's okay. But for the Mircales to lose... there has to be A MIRACLE to make that happens. I hope that Kuroko will mend his friendship again with GoM.

A: Your concerns have definitely been heard but unfortunately, I am not going to spoil the ending of the match. I definitely understand where you're coming from, though, because the Generation of Miracles are completely different from the Uncrowned Kings. However, I hope that this chapter can help you somewhat predict how the ending might turn out (but who knows? I might change it up in the end. Mysterious~~) Lol, maybe it's better if you don't predict and leave it up to chance :)

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Meiyo12: OMG! THANK YOU FOR UPDATING THIS STORY! LOOKING FORWARD FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! LOVE IT! LOVE THE AKASHI PART!

A: THANK YOU! Your excitement practically leaps off the page and I'm so happy you're enjoying this story (and my Akashi part!) For more Akashi, please await the next chapter!

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masuchii: Short chapter? This was more than enough! (and satisfying at that) I had to refrain from shaking in anger when Akashi started to look down on Kuroko and his friends even further ARGHHH I really do hope that when the time comes, Bakashi, not to mention Ahomine, repents for his wrong doings HAHAH and I wish that Kuroko, Kise, and Midorima will have some more making up/bonding/brother-brother momentsI could really feel the emotions, especially anger, when Kuroko got defensive over his team. I would too! I excitedly await for your next update!

A: Thank you for the reassurance! I'm really glad that the last chapter could still satisfy you because I was honestly worried that it would anger some. I'm really happy that you could feel the emotions each character had. As a writer, that is my main goal: to really portray the emotions I want the readers to feel as clear cut as possible, and your review definitely helped me realize that I'm doing a good job. Thank you again!

~.~

Guest: Damn where did you even come from?! I was scrolling through, trying to find something that WASN'T romance, and then i come across this gem. This is awesome... you're giving all of the character this amazing depth and revealing different traits about all of them. Aomine definitely has a difficult personàlity but he just can't handle the fact that his best friend replaced him. Sounds like he's trying to convince himself that Kuroko wants to go back to Japan but he knows the truth now. Kuroko punching him in the face was totally unexpected and I was so happy because he went waaaaay too far. That whole scene was pretty heartbreaking to be honest. Kagami is kinda reminding me of Kiyoshi right now :( HE MUST HEAL! Please update soon so we can find out how the game goes!

A: I smiled so hard when I read this review and I want to thank you for calling this story a gem :) As much as I love really romance fluff, I do realize that it's become a very common, if not very cliche, genre in fanfiction, and I wanted to get away from that as well (hence the beginning of this story). If it's not much trouble, if you're looking for other non-romance stories, check out my profile and try out other stuff I've written. Some are definitely romance but I tend to focus on other stuff as well, so if that's your cup of tea, please try it out :) And if you could write a review as amazing as this one, then that would just warm my heart :) Thank you for loving this story!

~.~

Hana Riqa-chan: It doesn't matter to me and to be honest, a chapter with over 7k words take a really long time to finish so I really understand you. Just do whatever you want. I' d be happy if you split the chapters but if you write it in one chapter, i have no complaints. Its really up to you. I can wait! I'll support you forever! And I know how much work to write the whole game so take the time you need! I'll keep waiting and forever supporting you! Please update again! I won't say soon cause you'll be needing time. Good luck!

A: Turns out, the chapter is more than 7K lolol and it took a longer time to finish than I thought, so goodness gracious, I am never making a time-related promise ever again. Thank you for putting so much faith in me and reassuring me that the story is going fine. I'll keep doing my best to make you and everyone else proud :)

[FIRST QUARTER]

The beginning was a disaster. That much was obvious.

It started with the tip off. As the referee threw the ball as high as he could, the crowd eagerly watched Kagami and Murasakibara get in stance to jump. Unsurprisingly, for the Generation of Miracles at least, Murasakibara caught it first and easily passed to Aomine, whose body was ready to move. But the referee suddenly blew his whistle, interrupting the hyped up atmosphere and making everyone hesitate unconventionally.

"Number 5, jumper violation!" He called out, pointing to Murasakibara, and Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You really have to fix that stupid habit of yours. Didn't you make the same mistake in the last Inter High?" The tanned man berated and Murasakibara merely shrugged, giving him a lazy side glance.

"I thought the ball was high enough." Murasakibara easily passed off.

"Well, you just disrupted the whole game, dumbass."

"Atsushi, be more mindful next time." Akashi himself scolded and Murasakibara sighed, reluctantly nodding.

"I will." He replied with a pout, making him look like an oversized child.

Eddy and the others look at each other with wide eyes. "Did he just get a jumper violation?"

"I don't even know what that means." Ben added.

"It's when you touch the ball before it gets to its highest peak." Sebastian explained with a dumbfounded look.

"Is that even possible?" Felix asked, equally surprised. The others shook their heads in questioning. Kagami himself was at a loss for words.

"I couldn't catch up to him, even though I was practically going at full strength." Kagami breathed out, and Kuroko bit his lip in worry. He knew something like this were to happen early on, but the fact that Murasakibara not only beat Kagami to the ball (which rarely, if ever, happened) but also got a violation because he reached the peak before the ball did could only leave a shocking impact on him. And it was worse to see the Generation of Miracles act like it was no big thing, like it was something that happened every single time.

Kuroko nudged Kagami to get him out of his daze. "Kagami-kun, please focus. I understand the shock that has come with this incident but we cannot let that faze us. For now, let us do what we can."

Kagami nodded in agreement but still couldn't get the weird feeling out of his stomach. He was never one to think negatively about a match, especially one with such strong players, but he couldn't help but worry. With such high stakes placed on this match, Kagami's will to win was even more resolute.

The tip off was done once more, with Murasakibara taking the ball correctly this time and Aomine easily grabbing the ball. Kagami immediately greeted him with a grim look, which the Generation of Miracles' ace returned with a smirk, and easily overtook him. Kagami felt like he was watching himself repeat the same mistake as before, when he had first met with Aomine and lost himself in the man's overwhelming skills. No matter how much the redhead tried to pace himself to Aomine's, he just couldn't.

He was hit again and again to the overwhelming difference in power, strength, and talent.

Of course, that wasn't the only problem. Kagami's team also had to acknowledge the fact that their side wasn't scoring at all. Even if Kagami removed Aomine from the equation, there was still an unmovable wall known as Murasakibara Atsushi to deal with. He stood right under the net and his long limbs meant that he could easily cover the entire three pointer distance. He was also fast, reflexes incredible for a man with a size like his, and though he looked lackadaisical, he knew when to be serious.

Murasakibara guarded the goal like his life depended on it, which, in fact, did as Akashi had whispered to him beforehand that he would not allow any mistakes. Whenever the orange ball came close to him, he would chuck it out, making the other team falter in their steps.

The audience watched with worried eyes as they saw the score difference grow bigger and bigger as the minutes passed by. It was only two minutes in and no matter what Kagami's team did, they just couldn't score and defend.

Kagami could already feel a sweat going down his face as he tried to assess the situation. He first had to come to terms with the fact that Aomine was not the main problem. Constantly losing to Aomine in a one-on-one was a big problem, and Kagami understood that, but they would never have a chance to win if they couldn't even score. At least with Aomine, if he passed the ball to the others and avoided the meet up, the hope of winning would still be there. The team had to find some way to pierce through Murasakibara's shield, and as fast as possible, but it was hard to focus on only one thing when the rest of the situation was getting out of control.

Aomine was still proving to be as difficult as ever, especially with his almost god-like movements. Many in the audience could barely catch up with his tricks and shots, and those actually in the court with him could only stare in awe. Kise and Midorima, though reluctant, were also playing with ardor and whose talents shone as well. Whenever Midorima was passed the ball, he would shoot a three-pointer without hesitation and Kise would always copy the other team's movements to pass them by.

Akashi, however, didn't do much, which unnerved Kagami and the rest immensely.

It made Kagami think about how the anyone could ever win against monsters like them in the past because it was obvious that such great talent was tilted to only one side, and beating them would take more than just willpower.

Unconsciously, he was reminded of Kuroko. Was this why he moved?

By the second minute, Kagami's team was already 30 points behind and Alex couldn't bear it any longer. She had to call a time out.

No one spoke as they merely rubbed the sweat off their faces with towels. April, whose face was marred in worry, couldn't say a word as she passed out water bottles as well.

Then, "What can we do to get passed the purple haired giant?" Eddy asked. The others seemed to have no answer, but were clearly thinking the same.

"What weakness does he have? Is there anything we can do that can help us gain some points?" April added, encouraging everyone to think outside the box.

Kuroko spoke up. "He, like the rest, is extremely prone to hurting himself. Because they are still developing their bodies, they can't handle such talent. But I don't think that will help us at the moment, especially since it's only the second minute of the first quarter."

"Then, we need a strategy, and fast." Sebastian said, the others vigorously nodding in agreement.

Kuroko bit his thumb, eyes quickly darting to think of a plan that would work against Murasakibara. His eyes then widened, which Kagami picked up on, but then easily faltered as he shook his head, believing that he wasn't ready yet.

But Kagami believed otherwise. "Tetsu, what are you thinking about? Do you have anything that can help us?"

Kuroko looked at Kagami with surprise, wondering how he could have possibly known, and instantly glanced at Alex, who gave the teal an encouraging smile. She nodded subtly, telling him that he was ready, and Kuroko soon decided that it was worth a shot.

"I was thinking of using one of my new moves against him."

"The one you were working on with Alex for the last couple of days?" Ben asked and Kuroko nodded.

"I'm not sure if it will work because I still haven't perfected it, but —"

"If it can help score points and break that wall, then we'll go for anything." Kagami finished, ruffling Kuroko's hair, and smiled as he brought everyone into a huddle.

"And because I believe in this sucker too much, I think I have a plan for us to keep scoring." And everyone heard with avid ears.

When the time-out was over, everyone got into position and Aomine purposely stood next to Kagami, ready to block him.

"I hope you thought of something good. This battle is getting way too boring." Aomine taunted and Kagami glared at him.

"Do you ever shut your mouth?" Kagami retorted, already getting hot-headed, and Aomine shrugged, refusing to give him an answer.

The sound of the whistle signified the restart and Felix took the ball, passing it to Sebastian, who ran up to the net where Murasakibara was waiting.

"Are we really doing this again?" The giant complained as he got into stance, his voice so lazy that his Japanese became almost a slur. "You can't score no matter what you do."

"I don't know what you're saying!" Sebastian answered back loudly as he jumped and Murasakibara rolled his eyes, holding his arm up to easily block the ball. But the ball never came; in fact, Sebastian never even threw it in the first place. Instead, he passed it to an empty spot, making Murasakibara confused because it seemed to float in thin air.

Then he saw. In fact, everyone did. Those on the court, even Kagami himself, stared with wide eyes as they all saw Kuroko, who was known to never once take the ball to his hands, form a pose that no one had ever seen and prepared to shoot.

Murasakibara, who was completely flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events, didn't know what to do. Kuroko was not one to hold the ball. When it came to misdirection, it was essential that he merely tap it to the right direction and not gain any attention to himself. That was the art of the magic known as misdirection. But shooting required the attention, and the teal would gladly sacrifice it if it meant getting a few points.

There was no way Kuroko would actually shoot the ball, much less make it in. But there was a feeling of dread pooling in Murasakibara's stomach that he couldn't explain and quickly ran towards the smaller man in an attempt to block the shoot.

The teal haired player pushed the ball upwards with all his might, and though Murasakibara was sure that his arms were there to intervene, the ball simply disappeared right before his eyes, and before anyone knew what had happened, there was the sweet sound of a swishing net and buzzer signified two points for Kuroko's team.

It took a moment for everyone in the gym to register what had happened. When they did, the crowd roared in cheers as Kuroko's teammates swamped him with hugs and smiles. Kagami took Kuroko under his wing to give him passionate noogies and jumped up and down in joy.

"I knew it! I knew you could do it!" Kagami praised, making Kuroko smile in secret.

"How did you even do that? The ball just went past his hand, just like that!" Eddy said in admiration and Kuroko shrugged.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Kuroko answered and everyone tackled him once more.

From there on, the first quarter grew somewhat easier for Kuroko's team.

Tearing down Murasakibara's defense was still as difficult as ever, but with the rise of Kuroko's new invisible shot came the inevitable mistakes to be made. Kagami's plan worked like magic as they began to use Sebastian to their advantage.

His flexible wrists and big, calloused hands came in great handy to move the ball wherever he wanted to. He could easily shoot but if he was blocked, he could switch to a pass without a sweat. Alex had ingrained into his mind that he should always mean every action he did, to make every movement like he was going to do it or else the opponent would never be fooled. So, that's what he did. He shot like a maniac whenever he could, landing him some two and even three pointers, and when Murasakibara was there, he would immediately switch to passing, where Ben or Eddy was.

Slowly but surely, they were catching up. But beating Murasakibara didn't mean the problem was solved. In fact, it didn't even lessen it.

For one, Murasakibara was now beginning to jump to further his chances of blocking the ball, which became even harder to deal with. Kuroko's invisible shot only got him so far because his accuracy was still at an all time low, and they couldn't pass to Kagami because he was dealing with Aomine.

Speaking of, Kagami was officially losing it. No matter what he did or tried, he just couldn't beat the man in front of him. Had Aomine been just a bit nicer, Kagami would have most definitely looked up to him and praised him as a worth opponent. But that obviously wasn't the case and now, Kagami was stuck trying to figure out a way to beat a man that was truly unbeatable.

Every time he got the ball, Aomine was there in a flash to stop him. Whenever he tried to pass or shoot, Aomine was there to steal it. Whenever he tried to block him, Aomine was already on the other side, shooting. It was frustrating to keep up with because it felt like Kagami hadn't improved at all. What was he doing wrong? Why couldn't he beat Aomine?

It was sad, really, because Aomine himself was getting frustrated as well. Here he was, thinking that Kagami would finally be the one to break this cycle of hate inside him, but now, he was only getting let down again. Sure, the red head had improved, significantly at that, but it was still no match for his own skill. He rolled his eyes mentally as he easily passed the African American and shot with barely any glance to the net. He then looked at the scoreboard and saw that five minutes in and they were still ahead by twenty points. It was unsatisfying to see that the Americans didn't have a zero for their score, but he couldn't have all the things he wanted in life, just like an opponent that could match his skill. For now, he would just have the bear the fact that he would never have someone to surpass him.

The only one who could beat him was him, after all, and though he said this phrase too many times to count, it didn't make him feel any better. In fact, it only made him feel worse because Kuroko's life was on the line and even he had to admit that he didn't want to force his former best friend to come back to Japan with them when he clearly didn't want to.

Kuroko was happy here in LA, that much Aomine had to agree on. Hell, if it weren't for his terrible personality, Aomine would have encouraged Kuroko to stay because it truly made the invisible man be seen for once.

But Akashi's orders were absolute, and Aomine was extremely jealous of Kagami and the friendship he had with Kuroko. It was selfish, Aomine knew, but he wanted to have that back.

So, when Kagami tried to pass Aomine, he easily blocked it and stole it without even a blink. Felix and Sebastian were there, double teaming him, and he could hear Kise calling out to him.

"Aominecchi, pass me the ball!"

The tanned man, however, merely glared in response as he quickly feinted and left the two in confusion. He dropped the ball into the net with no trouble whatsoever and glanced at Kise, who looked offended and angry.

"Aominecchi, I told you to pass me the ball!" Kise frowned.

"Why? Because you thought I couldn't handle two newbies double-teaming me? Could that even be called double-teaming?" Aomine responded back with a hiss.

"No, but I was open and I could've easily scored, too. How about you finally realize that you have teammates to use and rely on? Is that so hard to ask?" Kise shouted but Aomine merely passed it off.

"What teammates? I can win this on my own." He concluded and walked away, leaving the blond in a furious state. Midorima didn't even try to calm him down as they game resumed once more.

This time, when the ball went out of bounds, Kise took the ball, easily dribbling past defense.

"Oi, Kise, pass me the ball!" Aomine called out and waited for Kise to pass to him, but the ball never came as Kise did the work himself.

Midorima crossed his arms, his eyebrow raising in questioning, as the ball went in and the Generation of Miracles scored another two points.

"How capable." Midorima said, sarcasm dripping in his tone. Kise merely shrugged, his face hard to read. He wasn't smiling, that was for sure, and if anything, it looked like he was in pain.

Aomine sauntered towards the blond angrily. "Didn't I tell you to pass it to me?" He accused and Kise shrugged once more.

"Well, it looked like you were doing all the work, and I got bored. I wanted to get some action in as well." Kise said with a poker face.

Aomine pulled Kise by the shirt. "I told you I could win on my own."

Kise wasn't having any of this. He pushed his face even closer to Aomine's, and his glare looked like it could definitely kill.

"Well, you're not on your own. If you didn't realize already, we're a team. As in, a group of individuals working towards the same goal, but obviously you didn't get the memo." Kise hissed and Aomine was ready to punch him.

"Guys, stop." Midorima intervened, seeing this pattern millions of times already. "What use will it do for you to fight now? Might I remind you that we have no substitute players, so we have to be on the court the entire time? Even if you fight, it doesn't mean you get to rest, so stop acting like children."

"Why don't you sock it, Midorima? Stop acting like you're on the high road. I know both of you aren't into this game anyways." Aomine then said and both Kise and Midorima's eyes grew wide.

"What did you say?" Midorima asked in surprise.

Aomine glared at them in disgust. "You've softened up too much. You don't want to win, so your hearts aren't in it. Your plays have gotten sloppy and it's like you won't even lift a finger to help."

"As if you even gave us a chance to help you." Kise replied with a dirty look, disregarding Aomine's words. "This entire time, you've been playing by yourself. You've never once looked at us for support."

"Why would I want support from people who don't even want to win?" Aomine accused before leaving. Kise and Midorima look at each other for a second before looking away in guilt. In the end, they couldn't retort Aomine's words because it was true. They didn't want to win, so they weren't putting their absolute best into it.

It was wrong, they knew, because Kuroko's team was putting so much heart and soul into this. But Kuroko deserved a place that loved him, and Japan wasn't it, not with them around. He deserved friends who truly cared about him and who he really wanted to be around with. The Generation of Miracles weren't those friends, and Kise and Midorima didn't want to take that away from him.

They would obviously still play and try to score as much as possible, but the fact remained that they would not play as hard as they normally would. Just as Aomine said, they just didn't have the heart to do so.

The final buzzer rang, signaling the end of the first quarter, and though Kuroko's team did their best to catch up, they were still twenty points behind.

[SECOND QUARTER]

Communication is always key when it comes to team sports. There is always a play and a plan, a move and a calculation. Much like chess, sports require concentration and focus, as well as prediction and intuition. But unlike chess, team sports require so much more.

Team sports is about connecting with your teammates and trusting them wholeheartedly because they might very well be the key to winning. It is about becoming good friends with them and understanding them, laughing and sympathizing with them whenever you can. It is about knowing who to pass to next and understanding that everything is bound to one.

And that was the Generation of Miracles' main shortcoming.

They, unlike Kagami and Kuroko's team, lacked this special connection because they had lost it ages ago. In fact, they hadn't even bothered trying to regain it because they had all believed it was not necessary. But the moment Kuroko shattered Murasakibara's defense and the unease started to sink in, it was beginning to dawn on each member that they could not call themselves a team. They were merely individuals who were forced to be on the same side.

An individual could never beat a group who connected so well with each other. Kuroko and Kagami had a bond with the rest of the members in their group that could not be touched nor tampered with because it was just that strong. With just a glance or a nod, each member knew exactly where they had to go and what they had to do. Each play was intricate, like a spider trapping its prey, and the crowd was sometimes left breathless at how beautifully the ball moved.

Kagami himself began to move like a wave, flowing through the motions and passing every person with ease. He was focused, his eyes locked on a single goal, but his movements were more fluid and his expression gave the impression of a calm before a storm. His true powers were yet to show but he gave the game a glimmer of hope. With everyone there to support him, teammates and audience alike, he felt like he could go beyond and move past his limits.

Kagami could not have asked for better teammates and was blessed to be here with them right now. They were already marred with sweat, having played so preposterously in the first quarter, but now that they got a grip on just how ridiculous the Generation of Miracles were, they were now better prepared. Kagami's team was far behind but they weren't losing hope just yet. There was still had a long way to go before the game ended.

As Eddy gave the redhead a smile as he passed the ball, he took it to his heart to make this match the most unforgettable. He was blocked by Kise, who looked like he didn't know how to act, and Kagami used that hesitation to quickly bypass him, a move he learned from Himuro himself. Himuro was always good at feinting.

He was later blocked by Aomine, whom he still had difficulty with. Aomine could match up with Kagami easily, and surpass him most of the time, but the red-head already knew that much. But what Aomine didn't know was how much Kagami had changed. He was more perceptive and learned from his past mistakes. The first quarter was just a dip in the pool, testing the waters to see what worked and what didn't. Kagami now knew for sure that he wasn't ready to face the tanned man alone, so he decided on another route to lead them to victory.

As Aomine reached for the ball to steal it, Kagami feinted into shooting and instead passed it to Ben, who was waiting for it. Immediately, as if he had copied Midorima's shooting style, he threw the ball and it went in smoothly, earning them another three points.

"Relying on your teammates? How weak can you get?" Aomine sneered, secretly annoyed that he couldn't block it, but Kagami merely shrugged.

"That's what basketball is about, isn't it?" He responded as he got ready to move into position. "What's the point in having a team if you're not even going to rely on them?"

Aomine's eyes widened a fraction and found that he couldn't retort to that. He decided not to dwell on it. Kise had the ball and was dribbling, trying to find a way out, and Aomine called out to give it to him.

But Kise was reluctant. It almost looked like he wanted to do everything on his own. Aomine grew angry at the thought because that should've been his job.

"Oi, Kise, give me the goddamn ball and let me do all the shooting!" Aomine yelled but Kise didn't listen to him as he passed Sebastian easily. He got ready to do a layup and Aomine merely rolled his eyes, but soon realized that the man he was guarding, Kagami, was now out of his sight. Instead, the red head was already jumping in front of Kise and pushed the ball away from him, making it land in Eddy's hands.

"Nice block, Tiger!" Eddy commented with a cheer as he then passed it to Felix. Aomine insulted Kise in his head for being such an idiot and ran as fast as he could to where the ball was. Murasakibara was still guarding but with Kuroko right in front of him, he was hesitating on what to do.

Felix began to jump to make a three pointer, which Murasakibara easily intercepted by unintentionally jumping, but Felix never imagined to actually shoot. Instead, he gave it to Sebastian, who was waiting on the sideline, and did a smooth layup, getting them another two points.

Aomine growled, his annoyance reaching a peak as he saw that the point difference was gradually getting smaller when it should have been increasing instead. He went up to Kise, who looked confused, and pushed him unkindly.

"What was that for?" Kise exclaimed in shock and then his face wrinkled in anger. Everyone on the court seemed to freeze as they saw the two interact. Even the crowd's cheering dimmed as they began to feel the tense atmosphere between them.

"I told you to give me the fucking ball. I could've easily made it in."

"So could I. You just didn't defend Kagamicchi well enough. If you had done your job properly, we would've made the point."

"So now you're blaming me for your lack of talent?"

"My talent is just as good as yours, so will you lay off?" Kise retorted.

"Guys, will you stop fighting?" Murasakibara tried to intervene but Aomine instead laid his anger onto the bigger player.

"Will you stop worrying about Tetsu? Just keep blocking, even if it costs you your life." Aomine berated, leaving Murasakibara in a state of annoyance.

"What's your problem? If you think you can do better than me, then go ahead." Murasakibara said childishly, starting to walk away from the net, but Akashi stopped him immediately.

"Get back to your place, Atsushi."

"But Aka-chin, Mine-chin just—"

Akashi stopped him. "I know what Daiki just said, and I will deal with him. Just get back to your place." He ordered and Murasakibara pouted but said nothing more, reverting back. Akashi soon caught up with Aomine, who was muttering angrily to himself, and grabbed him by the shoulder.

Aomine stopped but didn't turn around to face Akashi. "What do you want?"

"Your actions are intolerable. I expected you to at least handle this like an adult but all I'm seeing is a spoilt toddler."

"Yeah, well how about you get your captain shit together and start ordering those idiots around to do better?" Aomine said without thinking and stopped short when he could physically feel Akashi's glare from behind.

"Excuse me?" Akashi asked, his tone not to be dealt with, and Aomine took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Just let me do my own thing." Aomine replied and before Akashi could get another word with him, the referee blew his whistle, telling them to either request a time-out or get on with the game.

"Um, are they ok?" Eddy asked timidly as the rest looked with worried eyes, but even Kagami was speechless, unable to give him a concrete answer.

"I honestly don't know." Kagami answered and Kuroko pressed his lips into a thin line, not liking what he was seeing. But before he could voice his own thoughts to the matter, the match resumed and he and the others were surprised to see how terrible the Generation of Miracles began to play.

The ball, the main attention of the entire sport, was going around haphazardly with no specific pattern. To a bystander, it looked as if the Generation of Miracles were purposely doing this to confuse their opponents and get the final shot in, but to those who actually knew the game and the players, they could tell how random and uncoordinated they were. It was as if the five were fighting to get the ball but not to actually get the shot in.

Whenever Kise got the ball, Aomine would slap it out of his hand for his own benefit, which would immediately get stolen by Midorima to shoot, who would then be mocked by Murasakibara. Whenever Aomine got the ball, Kise would trail behind, eager to get the ball away from him, and would ensure a drop in focus to get the ball in. Whenever Midorima got the ball, the same pattern appeared.

It was as if the Generation of Miracles were fighting each other, completely disregarding Kagami and Kuroko's team. For the Japanese, this was a time to compete to see who could get the most points in, if any. For Kagami and Kuroko, this was an opportunity to catch up.

And catch up they did.

In every moment of confusion or distraction from the talented five, Felix or Ben would be there to steal the ball and pass it to their teammates to earn them points. Kagami was always there to be their support and when he would be blocked, his teammates would support him instead. Kuroko himself did an immense amount of work, especially against Murasakibara, who began to take defense more seriously. His invisible shot worked wonders, and though his accuracy wasn't perfect, it was still enough to earn his team both more points and more hope.

Slowly, ever so slowly, due to the Generation of Miracles' lack of communication and teamwork, due to their constant mistakes and mishaps, the point difference decreased every few seconds and finally, they were able to get it to an eight point difference.

Aomine, obviously, was more than unhappy to see the score board. He began to blame it all on his former teammates, especially the blond who decided that today would be the day to make his life even more hellish.

As he stole the ball from Kagami from their one-on-one, he ran as fast as he could to the net, where Midorima was waiting. The green-haired man raised his arms, as if to gesture to pass the ball to him, but Aomine ignored it and got ready to shoot.

Kise, however, was feeling more frustrated than ever. Every single time, since the moment their talents bloomed, Aomine would always have the ball. He never looked at anyone other than himself and it hurt to know that his idol never once acknowledged him. The frustration just kept building and building.

Before Aomine could shoot, Kise snuck up on him and took the ball away from him, ready to shoot on his own.

Aomine cracked, the glass shattering inside his mind. Without thinking, he punched Kise straight in the jaw.

The loud crack that emanated from Aomine's knuckles rang throughout the entire gym and the crowd grew silent in shock as they witnessed Kise flying to the ground. The referee blew his whistle with all his might and marched up to Aomine with a furious look to his face.

"Number 6, foul! No violence on the court!" He yelled but Aomine wasn't listening. He was frozen instead, looking at his knuckle with wide eyes. He then darted his attention to Kise, who was still lying on the ground, holding his jaw, more in surprise than hurt. Kuroko and Midorima ran over to him to check if he was ok, and Kise shook them off.

"I'm fine. I just need a minute." Kise said, his voice a bit dazed. Kuroko glared at Aomine, mentally asking him how he could do such a thing, and Akashi took this moment to finally call a time-out.

Akashi had enough of this play. He thought the Generation of Miracles could handle this situation by themselves without his having to intervene, just like old times, but it was obvious that this hands-off method wasn't going to work anymore. Was it because they had too many cracks in their teamwork that they couldn't play like old times?

Whatever it was, Akashi had to stop this. The point difference was getting too small for Akashi's liking and regardless of what outcome Kuroko had to face in the end, Akashi would never lose.

April quickly brought Kuroko a rag soaked in ice water, which he gratefully took, and gave it to Kise, who still held his jaw. Kise appreciated the action, taking the rag and placing it onto his face, and moved to the other side of court where the Generation of Miracles were regrouping.

Kise took this chance to face Aomine head on.

"What the fuck was that for?" Kise shouted. "Why the hell would you punch your own goddamn teammate?"

"Why the fuck did you take away my goddamn ball? How about we start with that instead, huh?" Aomine shouted back, his glare intense enough to made some people in the crowd cower.

"As if you haven't been doing that this entire quarter. I am sick and tired of you constantly saying that you're the best and that you're going to get all the points. You're not the only one playing, Aomine." Kise pointed out, forgetting to add his regular -cchi suffix.

"Stop, this is getting us nowhere. Why are you fighting with your own teammate?" Midorima asked, trying to relieve some of the tension, but Aomine paid him no heed.

"It's not my fault Kise stole the ball away. If he had just stayed away and minded his own goddamn business, this would've never happened."

"You're not the only one here, Aomine." Midorima narrowed his eyes, saying the exact same thing Kise said.

Aomine could feel more glass breaking, the sound loud enough to make him wince. The headache was back again.

"Who the fuck cares? I do not, for the sake of my life, give a flying fuck whether you guys are here or not. We all know I'm the best player out of all of us. Just let me do my own thing, will you?" Aomine angrily replied.

Midorima, however, wasn't taking that for an answer. "We are on the same team." He stressed. "We are here to win, not to prove who is the better player. Because of your arrogance, our opponents are now catching up to us. What's the point in proving yourself something as worthless as this when we can't even shoot the ball anymore?"

"Then maybe you should all the just stay out of my way!" Aomine roared, kicking the bench chair. "Just give me the goddamn ball and I'll make up for the points we lost. How is that so hard to understand?"

Kise and Midorima was just about to squabble, making the atmosphere even worse, but was immediately shut up by Akashi's one remark.

"Fine." The red emperor said, calm and collected, and the the team looked at him with surprised eyes, even Aomine, who was the one to propose the idea in the first place.

"What?" Midorima breathed out in astonishment.

"Akashicchi, what are you saying?" Kise said at the same time, his hands trembling.

Even Murasakibara looked shocked, and he didn't even have anything to do with the fight.

Akashi stared at Aomine with unreadable eyes. "From here on out, Daiki will have full control of the ball. Pass to him every time."

"But —"

"No objections. Daiki, are you confident in your skill to win without any help?"

Aomine began to smile cruelly, looking at Kise and Midorima with a haughty stare. "Definitely."

"And what makes you so sure?" Akashi replied and Aomine gave him one of the most arrogant smiles anyone had ever seen.

"The only one who can beat me is me." He simply answered and though everyone else in the group was protesting, Akashi nodded.

"You will not disappoint me, Daiki." The captain ordered and Aomine bared his teeth in cynical happiness.

"I won't."

At the time, it seemed like this was best option for the Generation of Miracles to win. Aomine always had a winning streak when it came to basketball and though he could never beat Akashi, he had a talent that even the red-haired captain could not deny. Aomine could score anytime at any form, and that would be the easiest and most effective way of winning.

At the time, it seemed like the best option.

But Akashi miscalculated just how much that affect the others. Though he predicted that Murasakibara would have no objections to this order, he never expected Kise and Midorima to resent it completely. Later on, he would regret making this decision because the moment he allowed it, the moment he decided to throw any teamwork and rely on Aomine only, he lost two very precious members of the team.

Kise and Midorima would no longer play their best, and just like that, the Generation of Miracles crumbled from five talented players to only three.

"I didn't think it would be this bad." Kagami commented as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He and his team were waiting for the time out to end, catching their breath and reviewing their game plan. Kagami stared at the mess that was happening on the other side of the court and couldn't help but feel bad for them.

Kuroko nodded solemnly to Kagami's statement. "Neither did I. I had a feeling that they would not be able to work as a team because it had been so long, but I didn't think it would affect their plays this much." He then laid his eyes on Akashi, who was talking without much movement.

"Akashi-kun has done nothing for this quarter, but I am afraid that it will only get harder from here."

Kagami nodded, predicting that much. "I just hope I don't have to deal with his freaky future power. It's already a pain to deal with the rest." He then smiled as he ruffled Kuroko's hair.

Kuroko immediately tried to swat it away. "What was that for?"

"Heh, if it wasn't for you and your cool invisible shot, we never would've been able to catch with them this quickly. Yeah, we're still a bit behind but that shot got everyone's hopes up, and that's what's making them so hyped up and ready to go."

Kuroko gave him a small smile. "I'm glad to be of help." He then grimaced as he saw Kise and Midorima getting shut down by the red-head. "They have to know how essential it is to work as a team. We have to win so that they understand that."

Kagami nodded. "Don't worry. We will."

But maybe Kagami spoke too soon.

He regretted making such a promise as the game resumed and wondered if he jinxed the game by saying such a thing because their hopes of getting more points were reducing unmeasurably quickly.

As Kagami tried to track Aomine's moves and gestures with the ball, only to be tricked and confounded as Aomine passed him to make another shot, only then did the red head begin to realize Kuroko's utter desperation to win. This was no longer a match to get Kuroko to stay in the US with him; it was also a match to get the Generation of Miracles off their high horse and realize that they weren't kings.

He watched his surroundings as Eddy got the ball and tried to pass to Felix, who was waiting on the other side. Aomine immediately snuck up on them and stole it easily, not even glancing at them as he dribbled to net. Kagami ran to block him but he was a second too late as Aomine merely threw the ball to get it in.

Not one movement from the rest. Murasakibara just stood there, yawning and stretching his arms in what looked like fake fatigue, and Kise and Midorima seemed out of spirit. They just stood there with spiteful looks on their faces, their hands itching to play but with invisible shackles pulling them down. Akashi was as quiet as ever.

The squabbling was gone, leaving Kagami's team with no openings to steal. The ball would always go to Aomine and it would have to take an equally skilled monster to catch up to him. Their chances of winning was reducing too easily.

The pattern continued. It didn't matter who had the ball first, whether it was a Generation of Miracle or not. In the end, Aomine always had the ball and always made the shot. Murasakibara no longer had to guard because there was no one to block and the other members of the team constantly passed the ball to the tanned man, doing nothing to make the shot themselves.

This kind of play frustrated Kagami for three reasons.

The obvious one was that he still couldn't match up to Aomine's skill. Every second he had with Aomine was like torture because the prize was just within reach and Aomine was doing everything he could to prevent Kagami from getting it. It was even more difficult now that only Aomine was doing the work.

Which led Kagami to his second reason: the fact that the Generation of Miracles were so messed up that some of their players would actually lose their will to play. What Kagami truly wanted was a game in which everyone played their hardest, and it frustrated him that the Generation of Miracles were so cruel to each other that they would actively bring each other down. Kise and Midorima clearly had no motivation to take the match seriously anymore, and it wasn't due to Kagami's team playing badly. In fact, they were pouring everything they had into this match. But it was because of Aomine's selfish request to always get the ball himself that crushed the spirits from two of the most driven people Kagami knew. It hurt to know that a player from your own team could consciously do that.

The third and final reason for Kagami's frustration was the game itself. Regardless of what Kagami thought of before, he still wanted to win. He wanted to win with Kuroko and the rest of his team because they were genuinely good. Better than good, they were exceptional. But Aomine was making a fool out of them by turning this basketball match into a toddler's game. The point difference began to grow and it frustrated Kagami that he couldn't do anything to stop it. He was the ace, the pillar. This match was making him question if he was really any good at basketball, and the thought hurt. He never once doubted himself and his love for basketball, but as he got torn down again and again by just one person, not even the entire team, it made him question just how much he lacked and if he could ever amount to such talent.

Maybe that's why Kuroko had stopped playing in middle school. When he and Kuroko had first gotten to know each other, the phantom man had vaguely mentioned how he had stopped playing but had never actually elaborated why. Before Kagami couldn't even imagine a world without Kuroko refusing to hold the ball. Now, Kagami could picture himself in Kuroko's shoes, constantly having to deal with the Generation of Miracles, especially with their aggrandizing, selfish ideologies. It was no wonder Kuroko quit. Kagami would have as well.

The red head breathed raggedly as he kept trying to fight Aomine in a one-on-one. The tanned man merely smirked as he passed him time and time again. Sure, Kagami's team was still making points but it was nothing compared to what Aomine was doing.

Aomine was scoring everything, without the help from any of his teammates.

Kuroko began to grow even desperate than before because this was exactly what Kuroko wanted to prevent. The tanned ace had learned nothing from middle school because his ideology was only getting proven again — that he was the best and no one could stop him — and Kuroko was so desperate to disprove it.

The teal tried to look at this match from a different angle in an attempt to stop Aomine. The biggest thing he decided to was to help Kagami because it was obviously that his trusted friend didn't have the strength to beat him alone. The red-head was the ace but that didn't mean his teammates couldn't support him from behind. If he could help Kagami, then surely Aomine would realize how important it was to work as a team. If he could stop Aomine with Kagami's power, then surely the tanned man would realize what Kuroko had always been wanting to show him all this time.

So with that, when Aomine jumped to make a formless shot and Kagami jumped as well to block it, Kuroko ran to them, jumping with his friend for extra support. The red-head was a bit surprised but got a surge of confidence as he saw how hard his best friend was working.

"We cannot let you win like this!" The teal-head shouted, his voice trembling from the deepening anxiety that was bestowed in his mind, and imitated Kagami's form to get a better blocking sense.

"We will win!" Kagami shouted with him, holding desperately onto this last hope.

But that didn't deter Aomine in the slightest. In fact, he looked down on Kuroko with a nasty glare.

"Even with you here, you can't beat me, Tetsu." Aomine rebutted as he easily surpassed them by returning the ball to his palm and turning around midair. Everyone watched with wide eyes as he passed the light and shadow duo with no trouble. He then threw the ball carelessly and it still ended up passing through the net. The buzzer sounded, earning the Generation of Miracles two-points and both Kagami and Kuroko ended up on the ground, their bottoms hitting the floor with a loud bang.

Kuroko met Aomine's stare with fear and dejection, but the Generation of Miracles' ace returned it with a look of disappointment.

"Is that really all you got, Tetsu?" He asked, not bothering to help him stand. Kagami just stayed there, dumbfounded.

"I—I just—" Kuroko couldn't finish his sentence.

Aomine rolled his eyes. "The only one who can beat me is me. Just accept it already. You're too weak to face me, even if you have the support of two or four or even a hundred people. You can never match up to me. Just give it up."

Kuroko shook his head, trying his best not to let Aomine's words get to him. "No, no, I will not. I— I cannot. I—" He stuttered but his hands were shaking. Aomine, though he clearly saw such a distressed Kuroko, merely said nothing. Kagami, in seeing it as well, shook himself out of his stupor and moved to protect the teal-head from Aomine's venomous words.

"We still have a chance, Aomine. Don't look down on us." Kagami hissed but Aomine merely laughed.

"Really? But your position says otherwise." He said, exaggerating his disappointed stare by further looking down on them. Kagami glared but couldn't say anything back to his retort.

The referee blew his whistle and called out a time-out. When the players saw that it was Alex who called it, Kagami helped Kuroko up and guided him back to their side of the court.

The teal was silent.

Everyone started patting themselves furiously with towels. Eddy grasped his over his mouth and breathed as deeply as he could, trying to catch his breath.

"It pisses me off that the dude isn't even sweating." He commented with a ragged voice, taking a glance at Aomine, who was leisurely taking a sip of his water.

"It pisses me off even more that he's the only one playing, and actually doing better than all of us combined. I knew he was a monster but I didn't think he would be this much of a monster. What do we do?" Ben grumbled before taking a large gulp of his water.

Alex merely bit her thumb, trying to think of plays to counter Aomine's overwhelming power.

"Tiger, can't you do something about him?" Felix asked, but Kagami shook his head.

"I don't even know anymore. I'm doing my best to keep up with him but it's honestly straining me too much. I can't match up to him, no matter what I do."

"Then, what do we do? How can we win?" Sebastian despaired. "Are we really that powerless to stop one person? What are we even playing for anymore?"

Kagami's eyes widened at Sebastian's remark and he immediately punched him.

"We're playing for us, Sebastian. We're playing to protect our friend." Kagami corrected as he pointed at Kuroko, who was still mute.

Kagami grew worried. "Tetsu?" He asked quietly. "Are you ok?" The others looked with concern as well.

Kuroko's voice was hushed, barely audible in such a noisy atmosphere. But to the team, they could hear him loud and clear.

"What are we even playing for?" Kuroko repeated, his eyes closed but visibly trembling. "What's the point in trying when everything we do is worth nothing?"

"Tetsu!" Kagami shouted in disbelief, the others chiming in, but they all fell on deaf ears.

Kuroko's fits clenched. "We try and try, we bring in so much to the match with such a bond and connection that the other team cannot even hope to gain, but when it is crushed by a single opponent, is this bond even worth it? How strong can a team's connection be to beat one person? How much more do I have to give to make him realize how basketball isn't a one man sport? I just— I don't know what to do anymore." And that was when the first tears came out.

Kuroko then sobbed. Sobbed because it was so frustrating. Sobbed because he feared the worst and was now beginning to lose hope. Sobbed because he was afraid of losing such a bright future by forcefully moving back to the one place he hated to go back to.

He sobbed because he was losing his determination to win.

The first one to hug him was none other than Kagami himself. He yanked Kuroko towards him and let his head rest on Kagami's broader shoulder. Kuroko grabbed onto his shirt and cried even harder. Kagami wrapped his arm around Kuroko and said nothing. Eddy joined in, covering his body onto the smaller man. Ben and Sebastian took the remaining spaces while Felix began to pat Kuroko on the back with a wistful look to his face. Himuro looked away, not knowing what to do or say.

"We're playing to protect our friend." Kagami then said, breaking the cycle of Kuroko's tears. The teal gripped his shirt even tighter and refused to show his face, but his breathing slowed down and the shaking stopped. Kagami held onto Kuroko even harder, as if to reassure him that no one was disappearing.

"We're playing to win."

The Generation of Miracles all saw the heart wrenching scene of Kuroko, strong, brave Kuroko, breaking down for the first time, but when the match resumed, no one mentioned it. No one dared to because doing so meant that they were admitting to doing wrong. They also didn't because they didn't want to physically feel their hearts being torn.

Aomine was the most affected, though he didn't show it. He knew that he was the cause of Kuroko's pain. He knew because Kuroko had once told him outright once, when they were in middle school. The weather had been as terrible as the mood, the rain pouring over their heads in loud crashes. Kuroko had told him that the basketball play Aomine was doing was not right, but he had merely shoved it aside and in turn, lost a once great friendship.

This play he was doing right now was not helping the situation as well. With no one to rely on and still being able to score and get ahead, Aomine's ego kept getting bigger and it was getting to his head. Talent truly crushed teamwork, he kept realizing, and it killed him to see that his point was getting proven again and again.

Kuroko crying never left his mind as he passed Kagami for the umpteenth time. How long had it been since he felt any thrill from basketball, a sport he once loved with all his heart? How long had it been since he was happy to play? How long had it been since he actually had to rely on his friends to help them win?

When would someone come and kick his ass already?

Aomine despaired, but not as much as Kagami in that moment. Kagami didn't know Kuroko as long as the Generation of Miracles had, but he was pretty damn close to understanding him on a personal level.

For one, he knew how much Kuroko loved basketball. Loved it so much because he was able to experience so many good things in life while playing it. Basketball was more than just a sport to the teal-head; it was a blessing because, in a world where no one could see him, basketball did. From friends to skill to lifelong memories, basketball gave it all, and Kuroko would never be able to repay the sport enough for it.

So when Kuroko broke down into tears, he was giving it a tragic message. I'm sorry, he seemed to say, but I don't have anything to give anymore. I cannot repay you anymore.

Kuroko had given so much already, Kagami knew. He had sacrificed so much to get to this level, and Kagami believed that Kuroko had given enough to the sport. But he knew that to truly make Kuroko happy, they would have to beat the Generation of Miracles.

He didn't want to see Kuroko crying.

He didn't want to see Kuroko suffering.

He didn't want to see Kuroko losing his love for basketball.

What could he do to prevent it? What could he do to give Kuroko his hope back?

What could he do win?

The answer was simple, really.

It was to beat Aomine.

When Aomine got the ball from an unmoving Kise, ignoring his obvious look of disgust, he was immediately met with Kagami's fiery red eyes. Aomine hesitated for a second, surprised by such an abrupt atmospheric change in the redhead, but shrugged it off because he was so sure that he would merely pass him again.

But this time, it didn't happen.

It was as if a switch had been turned on in Kagami, something to give him a surge of power. When Aomine moved left, Kagami was there as well, still guarding. When Aomine changed the direction of the ball by moving it back and forth, Kagami's hands were just within reach to steal it. When Aomine took a step forward or back, Kagami was there to match.

He didn't understand how this was possible. He had constantly pushed Kagami down before, to the point where it would surely break a normal person. Even if Aomine admitted that Kagami was a talented man, he still couldn't comprehend the sudden surge of energy and passion that motivated Kagami to go beyond his already immeasurable strength.

So what was it?

To Kagami's friends, it was obvious. Too obvious that it was laughable.

What else was there to consider other than the bond between Kagami and Kuroko? So high, so cherished, and so strong that even the clueless of the bunch could see it. It was there; every time either of them felt down or depressed, the other would always be there to cheer them up. Sometimes, they didn't even have to be physically there to help. Their bond was that strong, so much so that it would be offensive to try and describe it with words.

Kagami's teammates, Kuroko especially, watched at the scenario that unfurled before them. They couldn't even see Aomine anymore as Kagami's aura grew brighter and brighter. The red light that glowed behind him began to take up the entire court and the crowd chattered excitedly, ready to see some change. Someway or another, a chant began, the word Tiger jumping around the gymnasium everywhere.

Kagami didn't even look like he was listening, however. He was in his prime, his zone, as he and Aomine started their one-on-one match once more. His breathing slowed and he realized that his stomach was empty, the food he had downed before all gone. But he wasn't feeling hungry; in fact, he was feeling more satiated than ever. His mind was empty as well. No, it wasn't empty. It was clear. Clear like the LA ocean on a very sunny day.

He lost sight of his teammates but that didn't matter at the moment because there was only one thing to focus on. It was like Aomine was on slow-mo because Kagami could see the ball. Unlike before, when Kagami could barely keep up, he now could. He could see the ball, keep up with Aomine's actions, and most importantly, pressure the tanned man to the point where he became almost predictable. Kagami could now comprehend the patterns of Aomine's once erratic motions and for the first time since the match started, when Aomine moved in for the kill, Kagami was there to interrupt it.

For the first time since the match began, Kagami stole the ball. Stole it and dunked right before Aomine's eyes.

Aomine had tried to block and jumped right as Kagami did as well. But Aomine fell first. Kagami, on the other hand, seemed to fly. In a blink of an eye, which took far longer than Aomine realized, Kagami pushed through with a powerful dunk over his head, and there was a loud thunk of his butt hitting the ground. A beat later, Kagami's light feet would follow.

The tables had turned. It was now Kagami looking at him from above, but with a hand extended as a sign of mutual rivalry, not superiority.

"Sorry, I used more power than I should have." Kagami said, waiting for Aomine to take hold of his hand to help him stand.

But Aomine was prideful, and hateful as well. He shoved the hand away and got up himself.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Aomine muttered but couldn't distinguish whether he was talking to Kagami or himself.

From there on, until the very end of the second quarter, the two aces fought in sparks and flames. Everywhere they went, there were blue and red clashes, so beautiful and intricate that it was like watching a painter masterfully create brushstrokes that would eventually lead to a painting worth millions. Aomine would sometimes shoot and Kagami would as well, and while the Generation of Miracles were still in the lead, hope was not lost for Kagami and Kuroko's. If anything, they were now catching up, and quickly so.

Aomine didn't understand, none of this did. Aomine knew he was the stronger of the two, much so. It didn't matter that Kagami could now match his steps because Aomine could easily overpass that. He never was using his full power to begin with, but now that he was (and he was secretly happy that for once, he could go all out), the difference was obvious.

But it didn't make sense that Kagami's team was still scoring. And it further confused him that Kagami was still there, passing what should have been his limit ages ago.

So what was going on?

The secret relied on the two team's way of playing. Unlike the Generation of Miracles, who were leaving everything to their ace, Kagami's team was there to support him in any way they possible could. Sometimes, when the ball was smacked out of either's hand, Felix was sure to go to that very spot and catch it for Kagami to have once more. When it looked like Kagami had no escape route, Ben would be lurking in the corner, ready to become the second Kagami, even if it were just for a second. When Murasakibara was more trouble than Aomine was, Sebastian was there to wrestle the giant and distract him for as many seconds as he possibly could to let Kagami score. When Kagami was getting tired, Eddy was there to back him up.

And when Kagami needed it the most, Kuroko was always there to pass the ball. Their words were unspoken, the only communication present and needed being their eye contact, and it was as if they were breathing as one. Kagami couldn't see his teammates but he could see Kuroko. It was ironic, since Kuroko was the always invisible one both on and off the court, but now, Kagami could definitely see him.

And it was perfect. Their coordination, their various plays, and their utilization of Kuroko's quirk to maximize accuracy on Kagami's part and confusion on Aomine's.

Communication is key when it comes to team sports, and Kagami and Kuroko had it. That unspoken communication that could only arise from immense trust and unbreakable friendship.

It was everything that the Generation of Miracles had wanted but refused to admit.

It was what Kise had wanted the most.

Though Aomine couldn't see it because no one had yet knocked him down his high horse, it was plainly there to see for someone who had lost as much as Kise had. Kagami and Kuroko's play reminded the blond so much of their times in middle school, and how his friendship was with the rest of the Generation of Miracles.

He remembered the times they fought and made up with burgers; the days some of the tried to get out of basketball practice, only to be caught and severely punished; the moments in which every match was exhilarating to witness and exciting to play with the rest of the team. Kise grew teary-eyed and Midorima couldn't blame him.

What were they doing, Midorima wondered. When had they reached such a low that they were ordered to be excluded from playing by their own teammate? What happened to the good times?

He wanted Kagami to win. They both did.

But more importantly, they both wanted Aomine to fall.

Eventually, he did.

Kagami and Aomine had been at it for ages, their auras shining as bright as the sun that shone outside in the summer. It was almost blinding to watch but no one could take their eyes off them. Surely, someone would slip up in the end and that would ultimately decide the outcome of the second quarter.

And, surprisingly, it was Aomine who got his downfall first.

Maybe it was because he relied on his power a bit too much, or maybe it was because he had lost sight of what was pure and true. Maybe it was both, maybe it was neither, but the fact remained that he had no more stamina to compete. The last few minutes, while the most thrilling Aomine had had in years, was also the most brutal as every second he fought Kagami, his strength depleted even more.

It could have been saved if only he had the support from his teammates, but he had thrown that away long, long ago.

With only a few seconds left, Aomine tried to muster every ounce of strength he had to block Kagami and by the looks of it, Kagami himself was getting tired. Using that to his advantage, Aomine stole the ball and ran to the other side, where Kise coincidentally stood. He should have passed it to the blond and take the pride of winning to the rest of the quarters. He should have passed it to the person whose stamina and talent was at its peak and recover for longer so that he could last for the next two sets.

He should have relied on his teammates — his friends — just a bit more.

But he didn't.

Instead, Aomine passed Kise without sparing a glance and got ready to jump to do a layup, but his legs stopped abruptly, rendering the tanned man shocked and unmoving. There it was: his overexertion.

Eddy took that moment to take the ball away and pass it to Kagami, who was waiting from behind. Kagami, equally tired, decided that enough was enough and passed to Felix, who was waiting by the three pointer line. Though he was surprised to suddenly get the ball, he was also grateful and easily shot a three-pointer, making the score difference only a few points now.

Aomine would not stand for this. He just wouldn't. He would not let something he had thrown away ages ago end up biting him in the ass and teach him a lesson. He would show everyone how useless teamwork could be in the face of pure, unreserved talent.

He didn't care that he was breaking his body by doing this. He willed his tired legs to move once more, to actually run faster than the wind, and while Kagami was huffing for breath, Aomine passed him with his shadow just barely able to catch up.

Kuroko and the rest stared with wide eyes as Aomine quickly got the ball and shot it in before anyone could even react.

He stared down at the teal with a terrible glare and he forced his stamina to hold out for just a bit longer.

"It doesn't matter what you do, Tetsu. In the end, I'll always win. Teamwork isn't enough to get you to win. It never was." Aomine said, his words all jabbing Kuroko in the heart.

Kuroko almost believed it. Just for a second, with the timer running on an all time low, Kuroko was about to agree.

But agreeing would mean disregarding all the hard work that Kagami did up to this point. So he merely shook his head and gave him a smile.

"You are wrong, Aomine-kun." He replied and the ball was passed to him by Sebastian. Aomine looked at him skeptically, about to steal the ball away from Kuroko, but in an instant the ball disappeared. A gush of wind tickled Aomine's cheek and when the ace turned to see where it had went, he saw with wide eyes that it landed straight to Kagami's hands, ready for action.

"We will show you." Kuroko ended as Aomine could visibly see the sweat and tiredness that laced Kagami's features dissipating immediately. The redhead began to run to the net to make the final shot, no obstacles to weigh him down.

Aomine wouldn't let him. He wouldn't — couldn't — let Kuroko and Kagami prove their point by making the final shot before the final buzzer for the second quarter.

"Move, Murasakibara! Fucking move! This one's mine!" Aomine yelled in a frenzy, and the purple-haired giant, offended and confused, reluctantly did as he was told. He moved aside, letting Kagami in, and Aomine got to the post before the redhead.

"I'm not letting you!" The desperate ace shouted as he got into a blocking stance. Kagami stopped short, taking a step back with the ball still dribbling.

Kagami was tired. Very tired. The clearness in his head was now turning murky and grey, and he was slowly losing his focus as everything turned blurry. His legs were practically on fire. But his determination still burned strong and he needed to do this.

For his team.

For Kuroko.

So he jumped. His legs begged him not to, but he couldn't back away now. He would later regret this decision, he was sure, but with the adrenaline still pumping in his veins, Kagami pushed back any pain he was feeling and let it all go.

Aomine followed Kagami's action and before Kagami could make the dunk, Aomine's hand stopped him. The two were in an arial battle, neither willing to give up but both in a state of over fatigue.

If only he had more strength, Kagami despaired. If only he had more power.

And then he realized that he did. But not within him. Outside.

Not letting any more time slip away, he grasped the ball with all his might and pulled away from the battle, making Aomine's eyes grow wide with shock. Without enough support to counterattack, Aomine was forced to watch the play between Kagami and Eddy, who became the lucky person to get the ball.

The African American smiled immensely as the plan grew clear. Just as the buzzer rang, Eddy jumped up and slammed the ball right in, finally making the points equal on both sides.

Kagami's team had finally caught up.

They finally had a chance now.

Aomine was left on the ground, almost dying from the lack of oxygen in his lungs. Kagami was the same, his legs giving out on him and making him lie on the floor without much elegance.

Kuroko and the others rushed to his aid and helped the redhead to his feet. They hugged him, cheered at the spectacle that was the second quarter, ruffled his sweat-drenched head, and Kuroko gave him the most uplifting compliment he could every receive.

"Thank you." Kuroko said with a smile that spoke wonders, and Kagami smiled as widely as he could, exhaustion be damned.

"Any time." Kagami replied and the team hobbled slowly to the benches where April and Alex would be waiting with big smiles and various hugs to give.

Aomine, on the other hand, was left alone, no one to help him up. Kise and Midorima spared him a side glance while Murasakibara and Akashi didn't even react to the fall. Aomine ended up having to pick himself up from the floor, devoid of any encouragement or support from his own teammates, and there it was.

Finally, Aomine felt it.

The crushing defeat, the impending jealousy, and the longing for some company.

He finally felt it. His fall from his high horse.

And he was grateful.

So, so grateful.

And thus, the second quarter ended, with more excitement to come.

So, how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the reviews!

I really, really hope that this chapter was good and satisfying to ready because I worked really hard and tried my best to incorporate as much as possible. I don't know if I overdid it or underdid it but I'd love to hear anything you guys have to say about this.

Again, I am putting some manga elements into the game but it is not the entire plot. I'm putting my one twists and turns so do not expect the entire game to be based on the original material.

I don't know when the next chapter will be up, and I am so sorry for that, but it would mean the world to me if you could be patient and await eagerly :)

So, until then, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

Peace,

FlyAndDontLookBack