Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

After Kai said those words, he burst into another coughing fit, making Lina run to where he was and pat his back.

There, she felt how hot Kai's body was.

Not figuratively—although that was also true.

But literally.

He was literally hot.

"Wait, you're hot," Lina said, making the others surprised.

Kai cleared his throat and went to the bench, sitting before sipping on the hot water he had packed in a thermos.

"I'm fine," he said as his teammates surrounded him.

Bao, along with the second-string team, also went to where he was, looking at him with amazement.

"Kai!" Bao exclaimed. "You're here."

Kai nodded and massaged his throat. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't contact you. My grandma confiscated my phone and said that it was the reason why I got sick."

"You're...sick," Yuze said, a small smile forming on his face.

Kun nudged him. "Why do you look happy that he's sick?"

Yuze pursed his lips and went back to a neutral facial expression.

"How come you're here if you're sick?" he asked. Continue reading stories on empire

"Because we have practice," Kai said with an innocent tone, almost childlike.

Lina had to turn away for a second to have a fangirling moment.

Then, Kai felt a sharp sensation on the back of his head, making him frown. He turned around and saw Jinping looking at him with narrowed eyes.

Out of instinct, he stood from the bench and also hit Jinping.

Jinping's eyes widened in surprise as he felt himself growing dizzy.

Jet went next to him and patted his back.

"Don't bite more than what you can chew," he warned.

Jinping snapped back to reality and hit Kai once again.

"What the heck! I thought you really transferred schools!" he exclaimed.

"I didn't," Kai responded. "I was just sick. My grandma didn't want me to go to school, so I snuck out for practice."

"You shouldn't have come," Lina said in a concerned tone.

Kai smirked as he looked at all of their worried expressions.

"And what? Make all of you have a heart attack? I know you're anticipating my presence," he boasted.

Shang shook his head as he continued to peel another carrot.

"I don't like this. His head has gotten big."

Kai chuckled and shook his head.

"Am I wrong?" he asked. "Yuze looks like he's about to pull his hair out."

Yuze shook his head in amusement. "You actually stayed."

Kai smirked. "Where else could I have gone?"

"To Feng Arts," Jinping said. "I saw you there yesterday."

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Were you stalking me?" he asked.

"I didn't," Jinping muttered. "My mom's car was just passing by, and I saw you going out there."

"Oh," Kai muttered. "I had to deliver some onions to the new cafe on their campus. They're giving out free sandwiches to their customers."

"Must be nice," Shang muttered.

"Anyway," Kai said, sniffing once more. "I didn't go to any other school. I'm going to stay in Shizi High."

"I have a question," Yuze said, making everybody turn their attention to him.

"Why did you choose to stay?"

Kai was silent for a moment while his teammates anticipated his answer.

It definitely wasn't an easy decision.

He had considered a lot of factors going into this.

The Xing Stars was still too systematic in his books. He felt like his real playing style would be hindered if he decided to join them.

He didn't even have to mention the Daxue Dolphins or the Shizi Snakes.

The Feng Foxes, on the other hand, would have definitely given him a better chance to become a champion. However, even then, he felt that he would have to compete against his own teammates.

In the Shizi Dogs, he felt that he would compete with his teammates.

Moreover, the people in the team were also among the reasons why he stayed.

"Well?" Yuze asked, making Kai snap back to reality.

Kai smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning against the wall.

"Wouldn't it be cooler to win as a team of underdogs rather than joining the strong guys?" he asked.

The court was silent for a moment as they internalized Kai's words.

"Why do you keep saying such cool stuff?" Jinping muttered, wanting to write his words down so he could use them for himself later.

"Anyway, aren't we going to train?" Kai asked.

Lina shook her head. "Don't even think about it," she said. "You're not going to train in your current state."

"She's right," Yuze said. "We're going to train, and you're going to sit there."

"What?" Kai exclaimed. "Why did I even come here then? I can just focus on dribbling."

Yuze smirked before shaking his head. "Wipe the balls if you want," he said, making Kai sigh.

"Maybe I should have joined another team," he teased, but Yuze merely smirked.

"It's too late for that now," he said.

With that, he dribbled the ball loudly.

"Alright," Yuze exclaimed, capturing everybody's attention. "Let's start our training. Let's have a 4v4 match for now."

The players went to their designated teams. However, they quickly realized that they were lacking players.

"Wait, why are there only three of us?" Kun asked, counting his teammates.

Then, it dawned on him.

"Where's Zeren?"

***

"I have successfully recruited one player into our team," Coach Ben said as he entered the court. "He will be playing with us from now on."

The Feng Foxes stopped training as they gathered in front of their coach.

As they made their way there, they couldn't help but whisper among themselves and speculate who their new teammate was.

"Do you think it's Kai?" Chunlei asked. "It would be nice if he came."

"I tried my best to get him to come," Yiming responded. "But I would have noticed him already if that was the case."

"Boy, come on," Ben loudly said.

With that, the doors opened, revealing the Feng Foxes' new teammate.

His every footstep echoed through the walls while the players followed his every movement.

Then, he stood at the center, right next to Coach Ben, before bowing deeply in respect.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he greeted.

"My name is Zeren, and I will be your new teammate."

"Please take care of me."