Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Coach Guanyu stood from his seat, capturing the attention of the players beside him. He groaned as he stood, dusting his track pants that were filled with popcorn bits.

"You're going, coach?" Fabin asked.

"Hmm," Guanyu hummed. "The game isn't interesting," he said before walking out of the line of seats.
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With that, he settled on the side of the bleachers, where the narrow pathway lay. His eyes narrowed as he watched the game for a couple more seconds.

"You've come a long way," he muttered before turning around. Then, a frown graced his face. "But you're still not the best."

With that, he walked away, leaving the Fire Court with his chin held up high.

"So, who do guys think will win?" Ailun teasingly asked after Coach Guanyu left.

"It's obvious," Fabin scoffed. "Maybe Coach Guanyu left because he got bored. I'm also starting to get bored. I hope something interesting happens soon; otherwise, I might fall aslee—"

Just then, a loud thud was heard in the court. It was of the same caliber as that of Kai's fall—maybe even louder.

The people, who didn't pay much attention to the game anymore due to the increasing gap, gasped when they saw who was lying in the middle of the court.

Kai watched as the ball rolled out of bounds. The referee whistled, signaling a break for the game.

The events happened fast. One second, Yuze was preparing to dunk. Then, the next thing they knew, he was already on the ground.

The players watched Yuze from the bench. Meanwhile, Ming Yao let out a small smile.

"I still have it," he muttered. At first, he thought he was losing strength because the Dogs wouldn't fall down no matter how hard he tried. However, hearing the thud that Yuze's body produced, he felt proud of himself—taking away his frustration from their loss to the Dogs.

Renren frowned from the bench, placing his hand on Kun's shoulder as they gazed at Yuze.

Kai, too, didn't know how to react.

By this time, Yuze would have gotten up.

He always did.

He finished every game. Even if he didn't play for the rest of the game, he was still there as their captain—cheering them on.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Yet, he still didn't get up.

The murmurs of the crowd began to envelop the court.

Chaoxing frowned in concern. "He's…okay, right?"

Meanwhile, the Knights, who were present for the game, also worriedly turned to each other.

"Yuze has to get up," Ailun chuckled. "Even back then, he's been very strong."

Max's eyebrows furrowed, now standing from his seat.

"Crap," Lina muttered. "He's not okay!"

"Shit," Kai cursed as he went to where Yuze was.

"Captain," he said, gently patting his shoulder. He sighed in relief when he saw that Yuze still had his eyes open. However, his expression showed he was in pain—immense pain.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Yuze couldn't even answer because of the pain he was feeling.

"Crap, can you get up?" Kai asked, feeling frustrated.

Yuze shook his head, sweat forming on his temples.

Kai felt his blood run cold. He knew Yuze as someone who bottled up his feelings for the sake of everybody—a natural-born leader. Even though he was hurting, he would push through if it meant the team would benefit.

So, to see him admit he wasn't okay made Kai realize that he was really hurt.

Just then, Kai was pushed to the side as the paramedics went and tended to him.

Suzy's eyes were constantly wide with the interaction. Yani, who had liked Yuze before, covered her mouth.

"This is the first time I've seen him like this," she softly said.

Meanwhile, the crowd also began gossiping about what was happening.

"Well, it's not a Giants' game without someone getting injured."

"The other instances only seem to be minor injuries, though."

"Yeah, this looks like a pretty hard hit. I saw him land badly on his ankle."

"Poor kid. He was good, too."

"Could he play for the rest of the games?"

"Oh, that's honestly a shame. This is their first time in the Nationals. He must be bummed out."

Yani turned to Suzy and held onto her shoulders. "That's not going to happen, right? Yuze would still be able to play," she muttered.

Suzy pursed her lips since she genuinely didn't know the answer to her question.

Meanwhile, the paramedics assessed Yuze on the spot. One of them pushed on his ankle, causing Yuze to scream in agony.

Then, she turned to the referee and shook her head. The referee nodded, and with that, the male paramedics hoisted the stretcher up.

"Wait!" Renren exclaimed. "Where are they taking him?"

The Shizi Dogs appeared devastated. There were only three minutes left in the game, and this still had to happen!

"We need to go with him," Jinping said, about to accompany the paramedics.

However, for the first time since his fall, Yuze spoke. He appeared like he was in deep pain, but he still spoke in a steady voice.

"Jinping, don't you dare," he strictly said. "I'll have you run ten more laps if you leave this court and follow after me."

Jinping frowned. "But, captain. How can we continue the game when—"

"Shh," Yuze said, covering his ears. "You're making my pain worse. Stop yapping and just play."

Then, Yuze turned to Kai, who appeared to be in a dilemma.

"Kai," Yuze said, getting his attention.

Kai snapped out of his daze and gazed at Yuze.

Yuze sighed and shook his head. "You're really still young at heart despite being a monster on the court," he muttered.

Then, Yuze glanced at the timer and the scoreboard. The Giants had just managed to surpass sixty points. He turned back to Kai, whose gaze was still focused on him.

Yuze smiled despite the pain he was feeling. Kai felt his heart soften.

"You know what to do," Yuze said.

"I'm leaving it to you."