Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"WHAT?"

The boys' voices were heard in the entire pizza parlor, causing Muchen to glance around while muttering apologies to the other customers.

"The Yin Yang Knights?" Kun asked, glancing at Yuze for a second. "They actually agreed to play with us for a practice game?"

Lina, too, frowned in confusion. "I have been trying very hard to get the Yin Yang Knights to play against our team, but they never gave us a chance."

"It's probably because they didn't think they would benefit from our team back then," Kai said. "Now, they might want to see how well we play."

"That's true," Coach Muchen chimed. "However, I also work part-time as a math tutor in an academy. I helped this little kid pass his math class, and it turns out that Guanyu Chen was his father."

Yuze pursed his lips. So, Sir Muchen was the one tutoring his little Xiaobo.

"In the end, I asked for a favor to have his team play against us. He was a bit hesitant at first, but then he agreed. So, we're going to be playing with them next Friday!"

"Sweet!" Jet exclaimed. "Now, we'll see how our team stands against the strongest team in the entire city!"

Kai, too, couldn't hide his excitement.

A smile crept up his face, causing a shiver to run down Andy's spine.

"Scary," he muttered as he looked away.

The team excitedly talked about their upcoming practice game with the Yin Yang Knights, and Coach Muchen watched them with a satisfied smile.

"Pizza's here!" Shang exclaimed, causing them to halt their conversations.

Not a word was spoken when the food was placed on top of their tables.

Muchen continued watching them fondly despite knowing that his wallet was going to be drained dry.

"It's going to be a good year," he muttered.

***

The days passed quickly, and before they knew it, Friday had come.

Coach Muchen had been with them for the entire training, and they had been focusing on drills that focused on teamwork for the past few days.

Muchen and Lina sat at the bench and continued watching the boys.

"It's good that we asked them to do this, Coach," Lina said.

"Hmm," Coach Muchen hummed. "You have two new players, so we need to build their teamwork with repetitive drills. Kai has been on my tail for a practice game, though."

Lina chuckled in amusement. "He hasn't stopped asking me, too."

Kai, despite knowing that executing the repetitive drills would help instill teamwork within the team, wanted to have a game so he could test out his upgrade.

"Can't we have a game?" Kai asked as soon as they were finished, barely covered in sweat.

His teammates glanced at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Why is it that he barely looks tired when we train?" Jet muttered.

Sir Muchen was also amused. "Why? Are you not tired yet?"

Kai shook his head.

"Well, we're exhausted," Andy chimed. "Let's just have a practice game next week."

"Yup!" Lina said. "That's what we're planning. We'll have one practice game on Wednesday, so we can prepare for the game with the Yin Yang Knights."

Kai clicked his tongue but nonetheless agreed.

He couldn't wait to see how much he had improved! He felt that doing the drills was much easier after his upgrade, but he reckoned that it would still feel different for a game.

As the players talked among themselves, Coach Muchen observed them.

"Are you guys settled now?" he asked.

The players turned to him with curious expressions.

"Yeah. What is it, coach?" Yuze asked.

Muchen smirked as he brought something out from his bag—his laptop.

He then turned to Lina with a smile.

"Bring out the projector."

Lina's eyes widened in surprise. The players, too, knew what was coming, making them feel nervous yet excited at the same time.

"Is the game schedule finally out?" Kun asked.

"Yup," Sir Muchen answered. "They sent it to my email this morning."

"Huddle up," he instructed.

The players didn't have to be told twice as they gathered in front of the white screen.

They waited for Lina to set the projector up, appearing like children who were waiting for free snacks.

Muchen couldn't help but chuckle at their cuteness.

"I haven't seen it yet, too," Muchen started off. "So, this will come as a surprise to all of us."

"Hmm," Kun hummed. "I wonder who our first opponent would be."

"I kind of want it to be the Feng Foxes," Jet chimed, making Andy turn to him with wide eyes.

"The Feng Foxes?" Andy exclaimed. "You guys have never beaten them before, right?"

"We haven't," Yuze said.

"Then, why would you even want to play with them in the first round?"

"Because we've come close!" Jet said. "I think we can finally beat them if we are given the chance."

"I heard there are some drastic changes in the league rules this year," Dylan said, capturing their attention.

"Where did you hear that from?" Kai asked.

"From my mom's friend's daughter's boyfriend, who works for the national high school basketball committee," he nonchalantly responded.

Kai shook his head, wondering if he should believe Dylan's statement.

"Let me just pull it up," Sir Muchen said, making them focus on the screen once more.

"Here it is," Muchen said. "Starting with the written instructions."

Sir Muchen read the instructions out loud while the players silently followed with their eyes.

"This year will be the 50th Interhigh Preliminaries in the history of the country. With this in mind, the committee has decided to change some of the guidelines in the tournament as follows:"

"The tournament will follow a single elimination format."

From the get-go, the boys were already surprised.

"One loss, and we're out," Jet muttered. "Now, I take back my words. I don't want to play with the Feng Foxes."

Coach Muchen cleared his throat, also feeling a bit nervous.

"The tournament will start on February 2, 2024, and will continue for approximately eight weeks."

"And as a commemoration for the 50th year of the Interhigh Preliminaries, two schools from each state will be reigned as the victors and will participate in the Interhigh Nationals."