Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"What are you doing so early in the morning?" Grandma Bingbing asked as she watched her grandson shoot at the unstable ring from afar.

"Damn it," Kai muttered as it entered the rim but bounced off again.

It felt like there was an invisible force that was countering his shots! All of them were already inside the hoop before they come out.

After watching the game with Yin Yang High, Kai quickly realized that he still had a long way to go.

Max Zhou was truly on another level, and he was great at both offense and defense. Kai knew that he had to face bigger opponents out there, but at the moment, he couldn't help but make Max Zhou his goal.

"You're sweating so early in the morning!" his grandma exclaimed.

Kai chuckled. "I'll shower! Besides, I'm practicing. Our game with the Feng Foxes is going to be in two weeks."

Grandma Bingbing raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"The Feng Foxes? How many games have you won already?"

"Two," Kai smirked. "But they were all in the winner's bracket."

Grandma Bingbing was even more surprised. She was no stranger to the reputation of the Shizi Dogs, and she thought that their team would be battling it out in the loser's bracket already.

Kai noticed her expression and narrowed his eyes.

"You weren't expecting that, were you?"

"No," the old woman bluntly said, causing Kai to chuckle.

"It's alright," he said. "I wasn't expecting it to. However, now that we're here, the team is determined to win the Winter Cup."

"Yeah, sure, boy. You should dream big," she said as if she couldn't believe her own grandson.

Kai shook his head in amusement.

"I'll show you, Grandma," he said, a small smile playing on his lips as he looked at his grandma.

At that moment, Grandma Bingbing's breath got caught in the back of her throat.

The image of Kai looking back at her with a smile reminded her of when he was young—the bright and innocent kid who loved his father.

After the death of her son, she felt a shift in Kai's attitude. It was as if he was rebelling against the world. So, she couldn't help but support him even though she didn't agree with his actions.

Now, seeing her grandson finding something he was passionate about brought immense happiness to her heart.

"I'll show you that I can achieve something greater," Kai said, appearing determined.

Grandma Bingbing smiled, but she concealed it by looking at the ground.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said. "Although, it will probably take a hundred years or so."

"Now," she clapped. "Stop playing and eat breakfast. I don't want to get another call from the school that you're late again."

Kai scratched the back of his head as he caught the ball in his hands, placing it on the side of the court.

Then, he happily went after his grandma, the feeling of happiness from Saturday's win still lingering in his mind.

***

Shizi High was buzzing with excitement as students chattered in every corner. Next week was the city's cultural festival, so they were busy making preparations for the allotted programs.

The student council had already started decorating their garden and hallways, so the school appeared brighter than usual.

Kai arrived at the school and looked around, feeling happier than usual because of the bright atmosphere.

"I guess it's that time of the year, huh?" he muttered.

There were colored papers hung on the trees, and the benches had festive decorations that signaled the nearing festival.

However, despite the celebratory atmosphere, there was something else that the students were talking about.

"Have you heard?"

"Oh my gosh! Is it about that one?"

"Yeah—the game."

"I was handed a flier, but I was confident the Shizi Snakes were going to win, so I didn't go. Now, I wish that I did."

"I was there because I was scared that the Shizi Snakes were going to lose. I don't regret it! It was so fun."

"There were only fifty of us, but we beat those Xing students. They started leaving as soon as Kai made the shot."

"Wait—Kai? Kai Guo? The scary kid?"

"Can we even call him a kid? He looks like a grown adult!"

"Hey, I heard he was actually pretty sweet."

"..."

"Sweet? You're out of your mind."

As Suzy and Yani roamed around the school, they were bombarded with greetings left and right (mostly Suzy), but Yani was the one who made an effort to greet all of them.

Meanwhile, Suzy couldn't help but overhear some of the conversations in the hallway.

She stopped walking for a second and tapped her friend's shoulder.

"The cultural festival is next week, right?" she asked.

Yani nodded, a frown gracing her forehead.

"Yeah," she said, looking around the hallways. "Isn't it obvious? The school's already decorated."

Suzy tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Then, why is everybody talking about the Shizi Dogs?" she asked.

Yani looked at her in disbelief. "The Shizi Dogs? What do you mean? You must be mistaking them for the Shizi Snakes. Why would the students talk about the Shizi Dogs—"

"Honestly, Kai was cool."

"Yeah, did you see the underhand shot! I should learn how to do that."

"Nah, Zeren was the coolest."

"Yuze was honestly the best. I think he scored more than half of the points all on his own!"

Yani's statement was cut short when she found out that the students were, indeed, talking about the Shizi Dogs.

Yani's eyes widened in surprise.

"Holy crap! You're right. Why are they talking about the Shizi Dogs?" she loudly asked.

Just then, somebody approached the two of them—an excited-looking batchmate.

"Did you guys also go to the game of the Shizi Dogs?" he excitedly asked.

"It was so cool, right? Nobody was expecting to enjoy it, but it was a very exciting game. I can't believe they actually beat the Xing Stars!"

Suzy and Yani turned to each other in surprise.

"The Xing Stars?" the two of them simultaneously exclaimed.

The guy enthusiastically nodded. "Yeah!" he said. "Maybe you should consider cheering for their games from now on."

With that, the guy walked away, leaving Yani and Suzy to themselves, still in disbelief.

They stood there, unspeaking, for a couple of seconds before Yani scoffed.

"Start cheering for them? That's ridiculous!"

Just then, a commotion was heard in the hallways, cutting their conversation short.

Suzy couldn't help but peer through the crowd to see what was going on.

Then, her eyes slightly widened when she saw Kai's head peeking through the crowd. He was so tall that she was able to see him despite their distance.

Suzy was curious about what was happening, so she paid great attention to the situation.

Then, a loud voice was heard in the hallways.

"I like you! Please accept this."