Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The crowd erupted into cheers as the team emerged victorious.

"And there we have it, folks!' Mark Li exclaimed. "We have an overwhelmingly fast game from the Yin Yang Knights and the Chuntian Rams. With this, the Rams will be delegated to the loser bracket, while the Knights will continue with their journey in the winner's bracket!"

"The final score is 109-43 in favor of the Knights. They have once again shown their strength on the court, with the second-year Max Zhou leading the points, rebounds, and assists!"

Yani stared at Max Zhou with wide eyes, her mouth nearly watering as she continued to observe him.

"I think I'm in love," she said to Suzy, who had already removed her black jacket and was sporting a pink crop top.

People around her couldn't help but glance in her direction, marveling at her beauty. Her blonde hair even added to her ethereal grace, making her the center of attention in their part of the bleachers.

"You say that to every skilled basketball player," Suzy chuckled.

"Correction!" Yani said. "I say that to every skilled basketball player who has decent looks."

Suzy smirked. "Ah, right. Is that why you confessed to Yuze but got rejected in the end?"

Yani's expression became bitter as she slumped in her seat.

"Don't remind me anymore. It's also the reason why we aren't cheering in their games!"

Suzy shook her head in amusement before focusing her gaze on the court once more.

Max Zhou was still there and was currently being interviewed by numerous people. It appeared like he was a bit overwhelmed, which made Suzy wonder whether he was enjoying the attention.

Max Zhou was the very first elite high school basketball player to ever emerge in Jilin City, so his presence was definitely notable.

"He's really good, though," Suzy muttered, noting that he scored 40 points all on his own. The Rams definitely didn't have a chance in this game. In fact, no one can beat the Knights in their roster. The only team who could come close to beating them was the Feng Foxes, but Suzy still had to see them play before she came up with a conclusion.

"I wonder how the teams at the South are doing," Suzy mindlessly said, causing Yani to turn to her with wide eyes.

"You're curious about the Shizi Dogs and the Daxue Dolphins?"

Suzy's face reddened since she didn't expect to say those words out loud.

"Well, you know," she said, coming up with an excuse. "We still go to Shizi High after all."

Yani shrugged. "I guess. Well, it looks like it's not finished yet. My bet is that Shizi High is going to lose again. They've never beaten the Dolphins before."

Suzy pursed her lips before nodding.

"You're right," she said.

"Let's go!" Yani excitedly said. "I want to eat some chicken."

The other cheerleading team members also enthusiastically agreed, so Suzy eventually joined them.

As they walked out of the gymnasium, Suzy heard loud screams coming from the subsidiary court, causing her to halt in her steps.

"Suzy, let's go!" Yani exclaimed.

The pretty girl glanced one more time at the court where the Shizi Dogs were currently playing before nodding.

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

***

Meanwhile, Kai couldn't believe that he finally accomplished a slam dunk! After numerous failed attempts, here he was.

A smile appeared on his lips as he continued hanging on the rim, his teammates staring at him with wide eyes. His satisfaction increased even more as the referee signaled two points to the professional scorer's table.

69-64.

There were less than thirty seconds left on the clock as Kai descended to the ground. However, before he could celebrate, Chuyi grabbed the ball from the ground and ran to their side.

Kai's eyes widened, and so did his other teammates, scrambling to run after Chuyi.

Yuze, too, stood in surprise, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched Chuyi take his position on the three-point line.

"Block!" Yuze exclaimed from the sidelines.

Kai cursed under his breath and ran even faster. He was so happy with his accomplishment that he nearly forgot that the game still wasn't over!

Standing defiantly on the three-point line, Chuyi raised the ball, his eyes locked on the hoop with anger coursing through his veins.

"We can't lose."

"We definitely can't," he continuously muttered.

With a flick of his wrist, he released the ball, the arc perfect as it sailed through the air toward the basket.

In a heartbeat, the ball dropped through the net, adding three crucial points to the Dolphins' score. The arena fell silent for a moment, the weight of the shot hanging heavy in the air.

However, just as the ball reached the ground, the buzzer rang out, signaling the end of the game.

69-67.

The court was silent as they internalized what had happened. Then, they all glanced at the score, with the majority of the people wanting to see the Dolphins reign victorious.

However, as they glanced at the scoreboard, they realized that Chuyi's three-point shot still wasn't enough.

Then, the silence was broken with the sound of cheers from Shizi High's bleachers. Kai, too, smiled in relief as their victory became certain.

His teammates all rejoiced at their very first victory in the league, feeling a bit more special since they played two quarters without Yuze.

Shang stared at the court with bright eyes, feeling a sense of change from the team that he used to part of.

"This year....it's really going to be different," he muttered.

Meanwhile, the Angs rejoiced in their seats like they had played and won the game themselves.

"I never knew basketball was this exciting!" Aang exclaimed.

"We'll go to every game that our boss has now," Wang said.

"Count me in!" Gang exclaimed.

The first-year students, who hadn't heard of the Shizi Dogs' loser reputation before, also felt a sense of thrill rush through their veins. They didn't expect their basketball team to be so cool!

Meanwhile, Kai, wanting to hear a compliment from Yuze, walked to where he was.

He was expecting some praise—any kind of praise—from their team's captain as he stood before him.

However, as soon as he got there, he felt a strong blow on the back of his head.

"Idiot," Yuze said. "Why did you let Chuyi shoot at the end?"