80 Thus Began The Hate Towards What He Loved

Teiko's basketball club's mix team was now on an away game to a school in another prefecture.

It had been two months since Aomine's game, and now it was time for other players to go to matches.

This time's Teiko team consisted of Akashi Seijuro, Murasakibara Atsushi, and Kuroko Tetsuya.

They were going to the neighboring Kanagawa prefecture, to play against Kumamoto Daiichi Middle School, or commonly known as Kumadai Middle School.

They were a National level team that made it to the National tournament regularly with a year or two in between.

This year they were on the upside of their fluctuating level and had invited Teiko to play against them in a practice game.

Teiko followed their usual protocol and sent a few members of the first-string team with other members of the second-string and first-string with them.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Kuroko got ready for the game as he tied up his shoes and put on his wristband on his wrist.

As usual, he was stone-faced and calm on the outside, but on the inside, there was a fire of fighting spirit burning.

He looked at his first-string teammates and saw them getting ready.

Kuroko looked at the captain Akashi Seijuro addressing the bench members on recording the stats of the game, among other things.

Kuroko knew that even if he worked best with the Aomine playing with him, but he also knew that Akashi was the one who bought out the best from the duo.

The playmaker made sure that the light was as bright it could be so that the shadow cast was as dark as possible.

Kuroko turned to his other teammate and saw the man he got along very well, but at the same time couldn't stand him when discussing their views on basketball.

Kuroko sighed as he thought about their fights when talking about basketball.

Kuroko: 'He is usually so laid back and gets along with the group, but why is it that his views towards the game are so cruel?'

Murasakibara Atsushi's views on basketball were that only players who were gifted in the game should play it and those who weren't and put in hard work thinking that they would be able to stand alongside the gifted ones were fooling themselves.

That was also the reason why it took Murasakibara the longest to accept Kuroko as a teammate and as a genuine contributor to the team.

Kuroko, of course, vehemently opposed Murasakibara's views on the game. He was a believer in hard work and thought that there was no alternative to hard work. A person, whether gifted or not, should have the opportunity to play the game as long as they loved the game and were willing to put in the work to improve themselves.

But today, Kuroko didn't know it, but he was finally going to understand where Murasakibara was coming from when he put forward his views and believed them with his whole heart.

The game played that day was marked as the game that witnessed the birth of another monster.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The game started with the tip-off between Murasakibara and Kamadai's center.

As expected, Mursakibara won the tip-off with ease.

Kamadai's center was shocked when he jumped for the ball and saw a shadow loom over him. He saw a long arm reach towards the ceiling and getting to the ball much before him.

Kamadai's center: 'S-So high!'

Murasakibara tipped the ball straight to Akashi.

Akashi passed the ball to Teiko's power forward, who was already running towards the basket the moment he saw Murasakibara getting above in the tip-off. He was able to get past Kamadai's shooting guard and score with a layup.

With the ball with Kamadai's point guard, he ran to the half-court and passed the ball to the shooting guard.

Kamadai's small forward set up a screen to let the shooting guard create some space. Kamadai's shooting guard sunk a three-pointer, getting the lead on Teiko.

But, this was the last time Kamadai was going to have a lead as, by the time the game ended, they only had twenty-four points.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Kamadai's power forward was at the basket, jumping for a layup, but at the peak of his jump, the ball in his hands was stopped by a giant hand.

Kamadai's power forward could only watch as the ball was stolen from his hands in a sudden block from Teiko's Murasakibara.

Kamadai's power forward: "What!"

Murasakibara blocked the ball with his right hand and brought it down in speed to grab hold of it with both his hands. He followed by a jump of his own and jammed the ball into the rim with a dunk.

Teiko's bench celebrated Murasakibara's dunk by chanting the name of his favorite candy.

Teiko's bench: "Nerunerunerune! Nerunerunerune! Nerunerunerune!"

Satsuki had experimented on Murasakibara's performance and attention in the game and had found that when the bench yelled out the names of candies and sweets that he liked Murasakibara would be more active and attentive on the court.

Murasakibara's ears perked up as he moved a little faster than before.

Kuroko and Akashi smiled as they watched their teammate's antics.

Till now, nobody noticed any difference in Murasakibara, as to others, he still seemed as much as a threat, as he did on any other day.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

On Teiko's next possession, Akashi ran the offense with Murasakibara's brute force post play.

Murasakibara got the ball in the low post, put his back towards the basket, and then pushed his defender Kamadai's center back and moved to the paint with pure strength.

Kamadai's center wasn't able to stop Murasakibara from moving to the basket.

Kamadai's center: "Ugh!"

When they got below the rim, Murasakibara did a front turn to the basket and rammed it in the basket with a one-handed dunk.

Murasakibara continued to show his game in the post by blocking on defense and scoring on the offense.

The first quarter of the game ended with the score 19-7 in Teiko's favor.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Mursakibara sighed with a bored face as he saw the pressured faces of Kamadai's players as they moved to their bench.

He could even see the faint fatigue on their center and power forward.

It wasn't anything new to Murasakiabara. Every time he played in a game, the center and power forward of the opposition would end up dead tired after the game or even the third quarter.

First, the opposition team would try to double team him in the post, when that didn't work and Mursakibara would dominate them in the post.

Then they would try to score from the outside, which would end up in a rebound battle where the center and power forward would end up tired and defeated.

This lead to Murasakibara playing slow and with less power than he was capable of to avoid the scene of the defeated look on his opponents.

But that also didn't work as they weren't able to stop Murasakibara even when he was holding back.

Murasakibara sat on the bench and looked up at the ceiling, and thought why did he come to the game today.

Murasakibara: 'I knew that it would turn out like this. There is no fun left in this shitty game.'

He remembered the game he had against Kageyama Shun and Tokiwadai Middle School, and that was the only game he had true fun in a long time.

Murasakibara: 'One game a year is not enough.'

He sighed yet again.

Mursakibara: 'I want to go home, but Aka-chin won't let me if I told him that. I don't want to play anymore.'

Then an idea struck Mursakibara's head as he thought of a way to play less.

Murasakibara: 'If I break their spirits early in the match, then they won't play as hard as for the rest of the game. Their spirits end up breaking anyway; it is just a matter of time.

Then I can take it easy and maybe even substitute out if they don't need me.

Yeah, let's do that.'

The time-out was over, and both teams got up. Teiko's bench was surprised when they saw Murasakibara get up before everyone and head to the court.

Akashi and Kuroko followed him to the court, and Kuroko asked him if everything was alright.

Kuroko: "Murasakibara-kun, is everything alright?"

Murasakibara turned his usual bored face towards Kurko and replied.

Murasakibara: "Hmm? Ah, yes. Everything is fine. I want to go home, and so let's end the game quickly."

Akashi stared at his teammate and offered.

Akashi: "Are you sure everything is alright, do you want to sit out for a quarter? You can join in the second half of the game."

Murasakibara shook his head and answered.

Murasakibara: "No, it's fine. Let's end this game quickly."

Akashi and Kuroko were worried but didn't follow through. It was time to play the game.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Kuroko looked wide-eyed as he saw Murasakibara standing below the basket with Kamadai's center and power forward on the ground.

Kuroko: "Murasakibara-kun...?"

Murasakibara had just put in a dunk into the basket and Kamadai's post-defense due, who had tried to stop him but had failed and were now on the ground.

Murasakibara didn't offer a hand to help them get up and walked away to protect Teiko's basket.

Akashi also looked at his teammate as he thought about something.

From then on out, Mursakibara completely dominated in the post. He was blocking every rim finish Kamadai's team put up.

Even the mid-range shots were touched if you were a hair closer to the basket. If you were slow and within the area, Murasakibara was standing, then he was reaching you to block the shot you put up.

Kamadai's rhythm was messed up as scoring at the rim plummeted to zero, and shots from away decreased as shooters became afraid of missing and then losing the ball to Murasakibara in the rebound.

Kamadai's defense also suffered as Murasakibara took to offense and all but sucked the life out of Kamadai's player as the couldn't stop the big man from scoring.

Teiko's bench couldn't believe Murasakibara moving so actively and was performing with such intensity.

They only had one word for Murasakibara's dominance on the court.

Teiko's bench: "Amazing."

The loudest cheer in a basketball match wasn't for a dunk or a shot from a distance. It was always for a spectacular block that snatched the chance to score right from the opponent that was within fingertip reach.

The only thing that could match it was a game-winning shot at the end of the game, but that only came once a game, blocks came multiple times.

In the last seconds of the game, Kamadai's players stood on the court as they watched the time run out, not even trying to play.

They had to substitute their center when he became too tired to play in the game. The power forward was on the brink of collapse.

The shooting guard and small forward's morale was so low from their dismal performance at shooting.

And the point guard was so depressed because he wasn't able to contribute to the match and could only see his team getting battered by Murasakibara as he struggled to compete against Akashi.

The game ended with the score 106-24 in Teiko's favor.

Murasakibara had scored forty-five points, blocked twenty-two scoring attempts, and had rebounded the ball twenty-nine times.

While Teiko's bench was celebrating the overwhelming win, Kuroko looked at Murasakibara's win, and Akashi silently stared at Murasakibara with a calculative look in his eyes.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The team boarded the bus that they came on and departed from Kumamoto Daiichi Middle School.

Murasakibara sat alone on the bus. He was big, and the person sitting next to him was bound to get uncomfortable.

Murasakibara had finished eating his packed lunch and sweets, and now was proceeding to go to sleep.

He closed his eyes and saw a door; A rusty door with a rusty lock barring the entrance to what lay behind the door.

Murasakibara, without a thought in mind, walked to the door. His instincts commanded him to do such, so he followed.

He looked at the lock and touched it with one finger.

The lock unlocked and fell to the floor, and Murasakibara didn't pick it up.

He turned his eyes back to the heavy looking, rusty door. He raised his leg and kicked the door.

Contrary to his expectations, the heavy door panes parted without any resistance.

Murasakibara trotted into the darkroom and saw the only source of light.

It was a throne glowing with a purple light. Murasakibara had one thought when he saw the throne.

Murasakibara: 'It looks comfortable to sit on.'

With such intentions in mind, he moved to the thone, and with a thump, he sat on it.

Murasakibara adjusted his position on the throne and hummed in comfort.

Murasakibara: 'This is good.'

Murasakibara's comfortable expression once again turned to a look of indifference and boredom as he turned to his left and saw two more thrones in the room now illuminating it with two extra dim colored glow.

He also saw the silhouettes that were sitting on the thrones.

Murasakibara: 'Kageyama and Mine-chin, huh.'

Mursakibara closed his eyes as he thought of the quantity of competition near him.

Murasakibara: 'The cruel game just got a whole lot shittier.'

It was the start of a long road of hating the game that Murasakibara loved.