Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

[Official training: +5XP]

[Current rank: Rising Rookie (94)]

Enjoy new adventures from empire

Kai stared at his current rank and couldn't help but feel that it was a waste. He only needed 6 XP in order to upgrade to another rank.

The sun was already sinking as he left the school. Since they had to talk about their booth for the Cultural Festival, their training was a little bit delayed. Moreover, since Lina was more determined than ever to beat the Feng Foxes, they also extended their training time.

Strangely, though, Kai didn't feel tired, and as his teammates dispersed to go to their respective homes, Kai found himself walking in the opposite direction from their house.

He first went past the gated neighborhood and hesitated to sneak his way inside to play basketball for longer. However, he decided to give the guard a break for this day, so he walked past the gate to go to a further place—the city's public basketball court.

Kai smiled to himself as he stood on the empty basketball court, the evening sun casting long shadows across the pavement.

The court was usually full at this point, so he felt like luck was on his side when he didn't see anyone playing.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Luck's truly on my side," he muttered when he saw a basketball laid in the very middle of the court.

With a smirk, he picked up the basketball and started dribbling with practiced ease.

Then, he made his way to the hoop. He took a few shots, still feeling a bit awkward shooting from a distance.

But then, he went for it, launching himself into the air and slamming the ball through the hoop.

Hanging from the rim, he couldn't help but grin at his own success.

"Sweet," he muttered. "I can do this with more ease now."

However, his moment of triumph was interrupted by a voice from behind him.

"What are you doing with my ball?"

Surprised, Kai let go of the rim and turned around to see none other than Max Zhou.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What was the star player doing on the public basketball court?

He was still wearing Yin Yang's signature jersey, and his sideburns were dripping with sweat. It seemed he also went here after training, similar to Kai.

When Max saw Kai's serious expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"No need to be so serious, man," Max said. "I was just surprised to see someone here."

Kai placed the ball down and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry. I saw the ball here...and I just wanted to shoot some hoops."

Max paused to look at Kai and internalize his words.

"You know, you're really not what other people tell you to be."

"Which is?" Kai asked.

Max shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"Well, what are you doing here?" Max asked, changing the topic. "Isn't this court a bit far from your school?"

Kai shrugged. "I just didn't want to go home, so I decided to come here. The team is preparing for our game with the Feng Foxes, so I reckoned I need more practice."

"I heard," Max smirked. "You're actually going to play with the Feng Foxes after beating the Xing Stars."

Kai raised his eyebrows in inquiry.

"Is that so surprising?" he asked.

"It is," Max bluntly answered. "I was looking forward to playing with the Xing Stars during the semi-finals, actually. I guess we can still play with them."

Just then, Max's smile fell, and a serious atmosphere engulfed them.

Kai mirrored his expression. "Are you saying that our team wouldn't make it into the semi-finals?"

"Those words came out of your mouth and not mine," Max said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

He walked closer to Kai, his gaze appraising.

"I was actually impressed with the way you played against them. It seemed like you captured their weakness and were able to use it to your advantage."

"However, I can't help but notice that you still move like an amateur. It's like you're not used to your own body."

Kai froze since Max hit the nail on the head.

He truly wasn't used to his own body...and that was his biggest obstacle at the moment.

Kai felt a pang of annoyance at the criticism, but he knew Max was right. He wasn't as smooth or as skilled as he wanted to be—not yet, anyway.

Max seemed to sense Kai's frustration and stopped himself from saying more. "Anyway, you have a long way to go."

With that, Max reached out and effortlessly plucked the ball from Kai's hands. In one fluid motion, he dribbled down the court and took a swift shot from the three-point line. Kai watched in awe as the ball sailed through the air and swished through the net.

It felt like a gust of wind just went past Kai just now.

Max smirked as he turned back to Kai. "You're not going to be able to play a game with us at this point. You need to train harder."

"You won't even get past the Feng Foxes," he taunted.

Kai's jaw clenched, his competitive spirit flaring. "No, I'll definitely play with you. I bet my words."

Max stopped in his tracks, his gaze locking onto Kai's. There was a challenge in the air, unspoken but undeniable.

"I'll make sure to take a spot in the Elite Five, too," Kai added, his voice firm and determined.

Max couldn't believe what he was hearing. The younger guy couldn't even shoot from a distance, yet he was already hoping to make it into the Elite Five.

That was ridiculous.

Max smirked before grabbing his ball from the ground and placing it on his side.

With that, he walked away without saying anything, leaving Kai all alone in the court.

Meanwhile, Kai clicked his tongue as Max nonchalantly walked away from him.

"I'll show you," he muttered before turning around to the ring once again.

He was determined to raise his level tonight—and no one was going to stop him.

However, as he looked for a ball, he realized that he didn't have any.

Kai sighed deeply as he raked his hands through his hair. Then, in his peripheral vision, he saw something similar to a basketball—well, at least their shape was similar.

Kai hesitated before walking over to it.

He saw a bunch of crumpled plastic bottles and cans inside a small plastic bag. It was shaped in a circle, and it appeared like it fit perfectly inside the ring.

It didn't bounce, but it had a similar weight to a basketball since the bottles and cans were squished.

He looked at it before nodding to himself.

"I guess this is better than nothing."