Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"The Shizi Dogs are going to be playing in the Finals!"

"They created a huge storm in Jilin City! From being one of the bottom teams to playing in the Nationals!"

"I can't wait for their game with the Knights next week."

"How do you guys even know that they're playing with the Knights?"

"Come on! It's already obvious."

Fabin burst through the doors of their waiting room, feeling breathless.

"They won," he said. "The Shizi Dogs won. Everybody's talking about it outside."

The players looked at each other in surprise. "They actually did it," Fabin muttered.

A small smirk appeared on Max's lips. "He kept his promise," he whispered.

Fabin clicked his tongue and nudged his friend's shoulder. "What are you smiling about? It would have been easier if we faced the Xing Stars in the Finals instead."

Max shook his head. "Where's the fun in that?"

"We're already set for the Nationals after we win this game anyway. Don't you guys want a real challenge?" Max asked.

His teammates didn't look amused.

"You're the only one who's thinking that," Ailun sighed, sitting on one of the chairs. "I would love to have some rest before we go to the Nationals. It isn't long before it starts."

"Yeah, only a few more weeks, right? Just right before the graduation ceremonies?" Fabin asked.

"Well, Max over here has always been different. Besides, I think he really wants to play with Onion Boy," Ailun chimed.

Fabin smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Honestly, I think that's the best explanation to this all."

Just then, the door slammed open, revealing Coach Guanyu.

"What are you guys chatting about?" he asked.

"Just the Shizi Dogs, coach," Fabin chimed.

Coach Guanyu frowned at the mention of his son's team.

"What about them?" he asked.

"They just won the game," Max revealed. "We're set to play with them for the Finals."

With Max's utterance, Coach Guanyu's face hardened even more.

Yuze didn't tell him that they had won.

"I see," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You look really calm, coach," Ailun chimed. "I thought you wouldn't be too happy about the news."

"Why not?" Coach Guanyu chuckled.

"We'll just beat them in the end anyway."

***

Meanwhile, the Shizi Dogs were having an emotional lunch after they had won their game for the semi-finals.

"Yuze hasn't stopped crying," Jet whispered.

Lina clicked her tongue. "Let him be. He's feeling emotional."

"Well, this is his last year, and he's finally going to the Nationals," Jet smiled. "It was long overdue for Yuze. I'm happy that he's finally able to fulfill his dream."

The others nodded. Renren, too, was on a phone call with his dad, sharing the good news.

Shang joined them once more, saying he was there for the free food. However, it was evident that he also wanted to celebrate the team's win.

Andy bounced in his seat excitedly, feeling elated since he had scored more than 20 points in the game.

Meanwhile, Kai sat at the corner, finding everything surreal.

"We actually did it," he muttered.

Jinping clicked his tongue as he heard Kai.

"You've been saying that since a while ago," he said. "It's getting annoying."

"Shut up," Kai said. "You only had 7 points this game."

Jinping quickly pursed his lips. "Well, at least Eva congratulated me for it," he happily said, boasting to Kai.

Kai shook his head. "Good for you," he deadpanned.

Just then, he looked around the room, frowning when he didn't see a familiar face.

"Where's Kun?" he asked.

Jet sighed. "He's tired, so he went home early. His mom fetched him."

Jinping frowned. "Tired? He didn't even play that much."

Jet clicked his tongue. "He's been feeling under the weather these days. He won't tell me anything, but I know that there's something wrong." Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

Lina frowned after she heard Jet's statement.

"The finals are already next week," she said. "We can't afford for him to get sick."

The others nodded.

"I'll talk to him," Renren said, to which Lina nodded gratefully.

Their food finally came, and they ate with gusto. Although the gap between the two teams was large, they still felt tired after it all.

After a while, Yuze wiped his tears and stood from his seat.

"Guys," he said, capturing their attention.

They stopped eating for a moment and focused their gazes on their team captain.

"I know that I've been pushing for us to go to the Nationals since the beginning of the school year, but I never really thought we would be able to do it," he started off.

"Oh no," Renren muttered. "Yuze's getting emotional."

Lina shook her head in amusement. However, she, too, found herself getting emotional.

"I thought it was just a way of manifestation. However, I also had my expectations set low. We had never even advanced to the quarter-finals. How can we go to the Nationals?"

"Yet, you guys have proven me wrong. I know that I've been harsh to you in one way or another, but just know that I appreciate all of you for being here."

Jet nudged Kai's shoulder and whispered, "I'm not used to seeing Yuze like this."

"Me too," Kai whispered back.

"Truth be told, I thought I would walk away from Shizi High without being able to prove myself to be a worthy basketball player," he continued. "Yet, now we're here. It's better late than ever."

"We're going to the Nationals!"

With that, he raised his glass into the air. The others followed, clinking their glasses that were filled with water and drinking them greedily, acting as if it were alcohol.

The players looked at each other with wide smiles.

"However," Yuze said, his tone going back to normal, causing their smiles to slightly drop.

"It's not over yet," he continued, his gaze hardening.

Jet clicked his tongue. "I miss the emotional Yuze. He was gone too fast."

"We may have been able to secure a spot in the Nationals, but our goal for the Preliminaries doesn't end here."

"Next week, we'll be battling against the strongest team in our city."

"Think of it as a simulation. Jilin City is a small district. There are plenty of other schools that are stronger in the bigger cities."

"If we can beat the Yin Yang Knights, then our chances of winning the Nationals are also going to increase!"