Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"What was that game?" the crowd asked as they went out of the court.

There were a lot of new people who came to watch the Shizi Dogs, and they weren't disappointed. Although it became pretty boring by the middle of it—when the Giants were being suppressed by the Dogs—the last quarter definitely up for it.

"The last quarter was crazy. Did you guys see how their team moved? They've been hiding that for so long, huh?"

"That was amazing! I've never seen a team be that passionate in the group phase before. I thought I was watching them play in the Finals or something."

The Shizi Dogs went to the bench, still in a bad mood. Lina felt like she had led a war as soon as the game was finished.

"Great job, guys," she said. However, it was obvious that her anger hadn't dissipated. Of course, the Shizi Dogs were the same.

"Can we go and see Yuze now?" Shang asked.

Lina glanced at her phone and shook her head. "No," she said. "Coach Muchen told me to wait for them at the hotel."

"But—," Kun tried to argue.

"It's Yuze's request," Lina said, causing him to purse his lips.

"So, the group phase is over, huh?" Renren said. "We definitely got into the top 16."

"Yeah," Jinping muttered. However, for some reason, they didn't feel too happy about it—at least, not until their captain was cleared.

Lina sighed and stood from the bench. "Let's go back to the hotel. I believe they'd post the results a little later."

The Shizi Dogs nodded and exited the Fire Court. On their way there, they passed by the Giants, who appeared like they already knew their fate.

"You didn't score beyond 63 points," Coach Li angrily muttered while massaging the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe you allowed yourself to be this utterly defeated!"

Just then, they felt a menacing force behind them. They glanced to the side and saw the Shizi Dogs there—all with murderous looks on their faces.

Somehow, despite their tall height, they felt afraid of the smaller team. Ming Yao pursed his lips and clenched his fists together. However, with one glare from Kai, his eyebrows raised, and he quickly looked away.

With that, the Shizi Dogs left the atrocious team, heading back to their hotel, still with that murderous aura.

On the way to the hotel, they came across a number of people—most of them in awe of their aura.

"I want to ask for a photo, but I don't think they'd appreciate it right now."

"I, too, would be pissed off if one of our players got injured in the Nationals."

"Poor them."

"But they look so cool, though."

Everyone they encountered turned to them, not being able to deny their aura.

As they reached their hotel, they still remained silent—all of them in a state of shock.

There was only one collective thought in their minds—for Yuze to be okay.

***

"Did you tell Lina and the boys not to come here?"

"Yup," Coach Muchen sighed. "Although, wouldn't it be better to have them here? You need all the support you can get."

Yuze sighed and shook his head. "They just won in the group phase. Seeing me in such a state would dampen the atmosphere."

Muchen clicked his tongue and raked his fingers through his hair. "I swear—you're the most selfless person I know. How can you think about that when you've been injured."

Yuze smirked. "That's why I've been a captain for two years."

"Yeah, well deserved," Muchen muttered.
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Just then, the doctor came in, making Muchen and Yuze straighten their backs.

"Doctor," Muchen greeted. "Are the test results finally back?"

The doctor nodded and gestured for them to come to his table. Muchen helped Yuze sit on the chair before him; then, he sat next to Yuze.

Yuze pursed his lips as the doctor arranged the test results on the table. From the get-go, he could already tell that it wasn't going to be good news. However, he kept a strong front despite his hunch.

"So, we did an MRI on both of his ankles, and this is what we have found," he started off.

"Both ankles are showing inflammation; however, your right one, specifically, looks quite bad," he started off.

Yuze pursed his lips. That wasn't news for him. His ankle had been bothering him since the Winter Cup. However, it would get better once he iced or rested it.

"I'm assuming that this isn't the first time you felt such a pain," the doctor continued.

Muchen turned to Yuze with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Yuze nodded.

"I had been suffering from sprains and strains since I started playing basketball," Yuze said.

"And when was that?" the doctor asked.

"Elementary school," Yuze answered.

The doctor's eyebrows furrowed. "No wonder," he said. "This is the kind of injury that old basketball players incur. It's just strange seeing it from an 18-year-old student."

"Have you taken any rest in between those injuries?" he asked.

Yuze shook his head, making Coach Muchen even more surprised.

"The team relied on me a lot, so I played in most games. It wasn't that bad. It would get better in a day or two with rest and ice therapy."

"Oh, dear," the doctor muttered. "It's not because it isn't bad. It's because you got used to the pain. I applaud you, really. How can you play well all this time when you have a Grade 2 sprain?"

Coach Muchen nearly jumped out of his chair. "A Grade 2 sprain?" he exclaimed.

Yuze focused his gaze on his lap while Coach Muchen continued asking questions about his injury. "So, he's been playing with a torn ligament this whole time?"

"Partially torn," the doctor said. "However, as you can see in this image, your fall had made the injury significantly worse. He circled the area with his pointer finger before settling on a small section of his ligament attached to the bone. "It's barely holding on."

"So," Yuze muttered. "What does this mean?"

"I think you already know," the doctor said. "You need to opt out of the Nationals."