Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"I told you—mine was definitely bigger," Jet said, squaring his shoulders as they went out of the court.

[Unofficial Match Win: 5 XP]

[The Shenyang Sharks remember your name.]

[+30 XP]

[Current rank: Elite (62)]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The game ended with the high school players' win, and it seemed like the Shenyang Sharks weren't in a good mood as they had the students escorted quickly right after.

Zeke claimed that the Shenyang Sharks gave the high school boys an easy time because they wanted them to win. However, Kai could tell that he also poured a lot of energy into the game.

"Well, he is quite small," Shang said, scratching the back of his head.

Zeren turned to them with wide eyes. "That's not small!" he exclaimed, looking offended.

The team turned to Zeren with wide eyes, surprised by his sudden outburst.

It seemed like he wasn't expecting it, too—like it was just instincts.

Meanwhile, Lina clicked her tongue in disgust.

"How long are we going to be talking about this? Can we just move on from this Luke guy? He got what he deserved already. I get that he's not physically endowed!" she exclaimed.

Right on time, Luke's team was passing by, allowing them to hear what Lina had just said.

Luke, with teary eyes, looked at the Shizi Dogs before shaking his head and sprinting away.

He did the Naruto run, which made the situation even more comical.

"Luke, wait up!" his team exclaimed, all running up to him to console him.

As soon as he was gone, the Shizi Dogs pursed their lips to stop themselves from laughing.

However, Jet and Shang didn't hold back from guffawing.

Lina clicked her tongue and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I swear," Lina said. "You guys will get into a fight someday."

The team chuckled and were about to leave the vicinity when somebody suddenly called Kai's name.

"Kai!" Calvin exclaimed, making the first-year player turn around.

The team stopped walking and watched as the two of them acted friendly with each other.

"Good game," Calvin said.

"Yeah," Kai smirked. "We even beat them."

Calvin chuckled in amusement.

"Well, did you want to tell me something?" Kai asked.

Calvin opened his mouth but found that nothing had come out.

When he saw Kai from afar, it just felt like he wanted to call him.

Although they didn't converse about personal matters just yet, the two of them felt like they had gotten closer after the game.

"Nothing, actually," Calvin said. "I just wanted to tell you that it was a good game. It was fun playing with you."

"Same with me," Kai said.

"...and I guess, see you again?" Calvin added, suddenly feeling bashful.

Lina narrowed her eyes at Calvin, feeling that he was acting chummier than usual.

"Of course," Kai chuckled. "We still have a few more days until the end of our training camp."

"I'm not talking about that," Calvin clarified. "Not here. Let's see each other in Beijing next year."

Kai tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Well, you're a bit slow," Calvin deadpanned.

"In the Interhigh Nationals," he continued. "I'm looking forward to seeing you guys there," he said, now looking at all of the Shizi Dogs.

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The Shizi Dogs turned to each other with small smiles.

Meanwhile, Kai smirked once again.

"Yeah," he said. "We'll see you there."

"Calvin! Fenhua is jealous already!" Riley loudly exclaimed, causing Calvin to turn around.

"Well, I better head back," he said. "My team is waiting."

Kai nodded and waved goodbye before facing his teammates.

Kai's eyebrows raised as soon as he saw the teasing looks on their faces.

"Well, we have Mr. Popular over here," Shang said, poking his sides.

Kai clicked his tongue and pushed him away. Then, he smirked.

"I was pretty cool back then, wasn't I?" he asked.

Jet and Shang turned to each other before shaking his head.

"Well, it's not fun now," Shang said, shaking his head.

"Anyway," Zeren said, clearing his throat. "The courts are still closed, right? Does that mean we're going to take a rest?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

The team all turned to Lina, who appeared deep in thought.

"A speedy improvement is actually very possible," she suddenly said, her fists clenched in front of her chest.

"Kai is the testament to that," she continued.

"With that, I believe that each one of you can also improve faster!" she exclaimed with an innocent smile.

"Oh no," Jet said, feeling dread fill his heart.

"So, with that, let's head to the outdoor garden and do some drills!"

***

The Shenyang Sharks sat in silence as soon as the high school players left the court.

Hong couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

He was still in disbelief at what had happened.

"You guys lost to high schoolers," he deadpanned, making those who played turn their gazes to the ground.

One of the new players had the courage to speak up.

"Well, they were really good. I wasn't expecting them to be of that caliber," he said.

"Calvin Wu is expected to be good," Hong said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"The Elite Five are respected in the basketball world despite them being in the high school league for a reason," he continued.

"They are being recruited into popular teams fresh out of high school, and they excel in the professional league not long after."

"However, that one guy—Kai Guo, was it? He had nearly the same skills as Calvin Wu."

"But he's not in the Elite Five," Zeke said, making everyone frown.

"It's strange," Hong said with an amused smirk.

"It seems like Coach not coming with us is a mistake," he continued.

"What do you mean?" Zeke asked with furrowed eyebrows. "Would you have wanted him to watch us utterly lose against guys who are younger than us by years?"

"No," Hong said, shaking his head.

"I just think he would have enjoyed watching the game."

"He is part of the committee that chooses the Elite Five anyway," he smiled.

"It seems like they have another player to watch out for this year."