HBI Training in Germany

After their demoralizing loss, the HBI fled to Germany without Kuroko to train. They wanted to improve their individual strength so that they could beat a team like Shutoku without their ace. They were ashamed of themselves. Kuroko had put so much faith in them and they couldn't do anything without him. They had left because they genuinely wanted to be better. Better so that Kuroko doesn't have to worry about them losing and make his injury worse. He had sacrificed his ankle for the HBI and the HBI couldn't get one measly win against Shutoku. They went to a special training institute just for sports. They were prepared to sacrifice their bodies for the win.

Kiyoshi was separated from the rest of the HBI so that he wasn't relied on. The Germans were tough on them and drove the benchwarmers to quit, but those who were dedicated to proving themselves stayed and improved drastically. They were running in harsh conditions such as blizzards with tires tied to them. They were swimming with bricks and if it was easy, they would just attach a new one. They couldn't eat unless they completed their training for the day and they believed that they weren't going to eat for two weeks if two weeks of training weren't complete. They slept on ice-cold, hard beds with a stone slab as a pillow. They didn't know what hell Kiyoshi was going through though.

Kiyoshi had it toughest. His training was made specifically to match Kuroko by merging different attributes; speed, stamina, and misdirection. He read everything he could find on the topic and became a pro at it. He was a shadow but better than the normal HBI players. When they went back to Japan, the first thing they did was request a practice match with Shutoku. They accepted but Midorima declined saying that there was no need to play against a team that they had beaten before. They played against the Shutoku team without their ace shooting guard and won. Shutoku was intimidated. They couldn't believe the transformations that had occurred in the past two weeks. They were now able to face Kuroko.

Kiyoshi walked into the hospital with a grin on his face. "My light, your shadow is here," he said. Kuroko was finally getting his cast off. He was about to train like crazy with his team in preparation for the Inter High.