Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Why are they here?"

"Is that really the Yin Yang Knights?"

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"Did they come here to watch the Shizi Dogs?"

"You're delusional. They came here because of the Xing Stars."

"You guys are both delusional. They came here because their game is next."

"Who are those guys?" Aang suddenly asked, causing Shang to shake his head.

"Didn't you come here last time during the league opening?" Shang asked.

"We did," they said all together.

"Then, why don't you know who the Yin Yang Knights are?" Shang asked incredulously.

"We only came for Kai," Gang innocently smiled.

Meanwhile, the Yin Yang Knights took their seats in a vacant area on the side of Shizi High. They were set to have their second game today at the main court, and it seemed like they came earlier than the schedule.

Max looked at the scoreboard, his eyebrows raising in surprise when he saw the low scores and the tight gap.

"They didn't score that much," he remarked.

Fabin nodded in agreement. "It must have been a tough game."

"Yeah, it's surprising," Max noted. "The Xing Stars are only leading by two points."

Ailun and Fabin looked at him with raised eyebrows, causing Max to turn to them with inquiring eyes.

"The Xing Stars aren't leading," Ailun deadpanned.

Max Zhou quickly turned to the scoreboard and saw that it was, indeed, the Shizi Dogs who were leading.

"What?" he couldn't help but exclaim.

He was expecting to play with the Xing Stars since he had always been intrigued by their playing style.

However, it seemed like they were having a difficult time against the Shizi Dogs.

As he continued looking at the scoreboard, a familiar person came into his view.

Max raised his eyebrows when he saw Kai, the grandson of the woman who always delivered onions to his mom's restaurant.

Then, a small smile appeared on Kai's face as he met Max's eyes.

Knowing that the strongest team in the league was watching them play only pumped him up.

Kai couldn't look at him for too long, though, since the game was still ongoing.

However, he was more determined to beat the Xing Stars while the Yin Yang Knights were watching.

Zedong was no stranger to the Yin Yang Knights, too. They haven't had the opportunity to play with them a lot because of the Feng Foxes, and they wanted to be granted more opportunities.

However, the Shizi Dogs were slowly plucking that aspiration away from the Xing Stars.

Zedong began shaking his head.

"I can't let this happen," he muttered.

"Let's go," Yuze's voice was heard, only adding to Zedong's determination.

With the arrival of the strongest team in the city, the two teams played even harder.

There were six minutes left on the clock, yet the scores were still close to each other.

One by one, the teams started exchanging points. The Shizi Dogs kept up with their illogical plays, while the Xing Stars retained their calculated ones.

It seemed like a bull ramming into their fellow bull, as the score increased at an equal pace.

36-36.

40-42.

45-47.

49-50.

"They can't seem to surpass the Shizi Dogs!"

"What the heck is happening? I feel like I'm in a seesaw!"

"This definitely isn't good for the heart."

The Yin Yang Knights also couldn't take their eyes away from the game.

It was admirable how the two teams weren't giving up.

"Man, the Shizi Dogs aren't joking this year," Ailun said. "How come they're giving the Xing Stars such a hard time?"

Max leaned back against his seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked.

"What is?" Ailun asked.

"The reason why Shizi High is winning right now," he responded.

Fabin frowned in confusion.

"I don't know," he muttered. "Did the Xing Stars regress in skills?"

Max shook his head.

"The Xing Stars didn't regress in skills. In fact, they even improved. The Shizi Dogs just realized their faulty system."

"A faulty system creates faulty players," Max continued. "That's just how it is."

Fabin pursed his lips. "Star players really talk differently. I'm still not sure what you're talking about."

"It's still strange, though," Max muttered. "I figured out their team's flaws last year, but it was hard to execute the counterattack against them."

"I relied more on our skills than the strategy," he continued.

"However, Shizi High is doing the opposite. They're executing their strategy really well. It makes me believe that only Shizi High will be able to pull this off."

"Three minutes," Zedong muttered, glancing at the scoreboard once more.

52-53.

It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, their team could never truly surpass the Shizi Dogs.

'Why is this so difficult?' he muttered.

He looked at his teammates and found that they looked exhausted. They have given their all in this last set, and it seemed like they were slowly losing hope.

Coach Yixing also appeared frustrated, but they had used all of their time-outs and didn't have the chance to shake the Shizi Dog's momentum.

"Nice," Jet said as Kai shot another lay-up.

The Xing Stars were already aware of the first-year player's strength, and that led them to become afraid of him under the rim.

"I don't want to ram into a wall," one of them muttered.

Moreover, it seemed like he wasn't the best at shooting, so they let him be.

Nonetheless, he was able to sink this particular shot, which widened the gap once again.

52-55.

"Crap," Zedong cursed under his breath, his palms getting sweaty.

This whole situation seemed funny to him, and he couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.

"Two minutes," he whispered, looking at the ball that was in Yuze's hand.

Without any warning, he snatched the ball out of Yuze's hand, causing their bench to erupt into cheers.

Yuze turned to him in surprise. However, he quickly went to their side of the court to predict and prevent their next play.

The other Shizi Dogs quickly followed.

Meanwhile, the Xing Stars waited for Zedong to orchestrate another play.

He looked erratic, and it seemed like he was slowly using his sanity.

Coach Yixing halted as he took in Zedong's appearance.

He had never seen him like this before! He was always so calm, composed, and strict.

The Xing Stars waited for the play, yet it never came.

Then, before they knew it, Zedong ran to the ring and shot the ball without a plan in mind.

It was too fast that the Shizi Dogs weren't able to predict it.

The ball swished through the net, and the referee signaled an addition to their points.

54-55.

As Zedong ran to the Shizi Dogs' court, his hair messy and his breathing heavy, the players couldn't help but feel concerned.

However, Kai was the most concerned out of all of them.

This was what he was afraid of.

"The AI has gone rogue," he muttered.