Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

In the Water Court...

"Wow, the Juren Champions are really unstoppable."

"I can't believe it ended so quickly."

"Well, that's the Juren Champions for you. They had been unbeatable since then—always landing themselves a medal. With Jian under their wing, they had snatched the championship title for three years already."

"Yeah, it sucks to live in the same life as Jian, huh?"

"Well, not only him—but the Elite Five of this generation. They're the best out of the best! They had set the standards so much for the next generations to come."

The crowd already started dispersing. The Yin Yang Knights, who decided to watch their game after they were done in the Land Court, sighed.

"Boring," Fabin said. "We should have watched another game."

"Agreed," Ailun said.

Max shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You guys are only calling it boring because you guys are watching. Let's see once we finally face those guys."

Ailun and Fabin grimaced.

"Don't even mention it. Let's get through the group phase first," Fabin said. "Let's continue with our win streak!"

"Hmm," Max said.@@novelbin@@

"It's fortunate that we're not going against the Shizi Dogs or the Longyu Dragons in the group phase," Fabin sighed in relief. "The gods are on our side! We have only the weak teams to beat."

Max sighed and stood from his seat.

"Let's go," he said. "We need to rest. I want to watch the game of the Guardians later."

"Ooh!" Ailun exclaimed. "Count me in."

Meanwhile, on the court, Chaoxing was busy greeting their opponents.

"Nice game. Nice game."

"You guys did such a great job."

Jian clicked his tongue and pulled him back, not even bothering to smile at their opponents.

"What?" Chaoxing asked as they arrived at their bench.

"Stop interacting with the weak," Jian muttered.

Chaoxing smiled. "But it makes me feel so much stronger!"

"Pathetic," Jian said as he sat on the bench, removing his jersey and changing into their official shirt.

"The game ended too quickly, don't you think?" he asked. "Let's go to the Air Court and see how the Dragons are doing."

"You mean—the Dogs," Jimmy scoffed, joining their conversation. "I bet you want to see those Dogs."

"Hey, not just them," Chaoxing said, defending himself. "Anyway, do you guys want to go?"

"Can't. Kimmy's having flight problems. Dad wants me to book her a flight here as soon as possible, but all flights are booked for the next week. I guess the Nationals are a big factor in that," Jimmy chimed.

Chaoxing rolled his eyes. "With your money, that problem is a piece of cake."

"How about you, old friend?" Chaoxing asked, nudging Jian's shoulder.

"Can't, too," Jian said. "I'm tired."

Chaoxing raised one eyebrow. "Tired? You only played for two quarters—barely!"

"Still tired," Jian said. "I'm going back to the hotel. We still have a game tomorrow."

Chaoxing clicked his tongue. "It's not like you even need to prep for the game. You guys are no fun."

Jian rolled his eyes and placed his bag on before leaving the venue. Jimmy followed after him, leaving Chaoxing all alone.

With that, Chaoxing faced the younger players, who couldn't even meet his eyes.

"How about you, guys? You want to accompany me, right?"

They glanced at each other, all wanting to decline, but they couldn't really deny their captain's request.

"S—sure, captain," they stammered.

"Great!" Chaoxing exclaimed. "Let's go to the Air Court."

It wasn't a long journey to the Air Court. As players, they could access the VIP area, which connected each courts. So, they only had to cross a small bridge for them to get to their destination.

Chaoxing didn't know what he was expecting. All he knew was that the game was far from over. The court felt like it was literally on fire with how loud the cheers were.

Chaoxing even had to cover his ears to protect his eardrums.

He focused his gaze on the court, not minding the score. The ball was in the possession of the Shizi Dogs.

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Sweat dripped from every player's face as they fought tooth and nail for every point.

Twenty seconds left on the clock.

Andy stood at the perimeter, eyes locked on the rim. The ball left his hands, making the crowd hold its breath. It arced through the air, spinning, before sinking into the net.

Chaoxing's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That guy's good, too, huh?" He muttered.

The audience screamed in disappointment, but the Shizi Dogs didn't even have time to dwell on it. Dafu caught the inbound pass and was determined to push forward for a quick response. But in an instant, Jinping appeared out of nowhere, his hand striking the ball cleanly from Dafu's grip. The crowd gasped as the ball spun free, bouncing wildly across the court.

Renren was there, scooping it up with lightning speed. He glanced up at the scoreboard—fifteen seconds left.

"One more play," Renren whispered.

His eyes darted to Kai, standing just beyond the three-point line, hands ready.

Kai met Renren's gaze. This was it. Renren nodded once, initiating the play.

The Dragons had no time to react. Renren took two quick dribbles forward, drawing Fenhua and Guri toward him. But it wasn't Renren's shot. It never was. At the last second, with perfect timing, Renren flicked the ball behind his back, sending it flying straight into Kai's hands.

Kai caught it without hesitation, and the gym seemed to go silent. His eyes locked on the basket, and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

Guri and Calvin rushed toward him, desperation in his stride, but Kai was already moving.

Fenhua stood between him and the rim now. One Dragon is in front of him, and two Dragons are behind his back.

But Kai didn't falter. He drove forward with everything he had, his sneakers squeaking against the hardwood as he closed in on Fenhua.

A split second passed, and Kai leaped.

It was like time slowed down. Kai soared through the air, his body evading Fenhua. The rim loomed ahead, and for a moment, it seemed impossibly far. But Kai pushed higher, his hand gripping the ball with absolute certainty.

The crowd watched with wide eyes, breaths held in anticipation.

With a powerful slam, Kai jammed the ball through the hoop, his body hanging in the air for just a second longer before he dropped back to the ground. The backboard rattled, the net whipping wildly as the ball crashed through.

The buzzer sounded.

Game over.