Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"You don't want to switch bodies back?" Kai exclaimed, his eyes nearly popping out from their sockets.

"No!" Aiden exclaimed, throwing his hands up dramatically.

Kai's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why not? Don't you want your life back? Isn't that why you came here?"

Aiden leaned back against the bed, crossing his arms. "Why would I? My life's fine as it is. Or at least it was until this whole thing happened."

Kai blinked, taken aback. "Then why did you run after me earlier?"

"Because you ran," Aiden retorted, shrugging like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kai groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "You're not what I expected."

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kai hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "I mean...you have this reputation before I transmigrated. A really scary one. I thought you'd be more...I don't know, cold, calculating, cunning? You were the Mad Dog! How can you be this unserious?" he exclaimed, gesturing to Aiden's entire body.

A smirk played on Aiden's face. "Oh, I'm all of those things. Don't worry."

Kai crossed his arms skeptically. "Doesn't look like it to me."

Aiden smirk faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "Yeah, well, appearances are deceiving." He gestured vaguely at himself. "This isn't exactly how I pictured my life turning out either."

Kai tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Kaiden exhaled sharply, his gaze going to the floor. "After my dad died, everything changed. I was scarred. I mean, I was young, and he was the only family member I had."

"We lived with our grandma, but it's not the same, you know? He was my dad. When I found out he died, I felt like a part of me left along with him."

"After that, I started working out, partly to cope and partly to distract myself. Got a few tattoos because, well, why not? It felt like something I could control. But then people started treating me differently."

Kai listened intently to his story—one he wasn't aware of. All he knew was that the former Kai Guo was a troublemaker and that was it. That was how most people put it.

"Then, they began fearing me," Aiden said. "Some thought I looked dangerous. Others picked fights, trying to prove something. I didn't know how to handle it at first, but eventually, I just...leaned into it. I became what they saw—a serious, distant guy who didn't take crap from anyone."

He paused, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "But it's exhausting, you know? Always being seen as the bad guy."

Kai nodded slowly, sensing the Aiden's sincerity.

"It didn't end at that," he continued. "I disappointed my grandma all the time. She raised me after my dad died, and I know I've let her down more times than I can count. I can't even look her in the eyes anymore."

Kai's heart ached at the honesty in Aiden's voice. For all his reputation, the guy was clearly carrying a lot.

"That's why I like this life better," he continued, gesturing at Kai's body, the one in the wheelchair.

"Yours, I mean. It's simpler. People still judge me for my legs, but it's different. It filters out the fake people—the ones who'd only stick around for shallow reasons. The friends I've made are real, and the orphanage isn't as bad as people think. Plus, I've got a dream now. I want to be a scriptwriter."

"A scriptwriter?" Kai repeated, surprised.

Kaiden nodded. "Yeah. It's something I stumbled into, but I love it. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have a purpose."

Kai didn't know what to say. On one hand, he understood where Aiden was coming from. On the other, he couldn't exactly be thrilled about the situation.

"So, trust me when I say I don't want your body," Aiden added firmly. "This wasn't something I planned. It just happened."

Kai frowned, running a hand through his hair. "Great. But what are we going to do now? I've got a game on Sunday."

Aiden tilted his head. "Is it important?"

Kai stared at him, incredulous. "Important? It's the Global Games! We're in the quarterfinals for the first time ever!"

Aiden winced. "Oh. That sounds...big."

"Big?" Kai repeated, throwing his arms up. "It's huge! Do you know how much work we've put in to get here?"

Aiden raised his hands defensively. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I didn't ask for this!"

"Well, you're me now, so you have to play," Kai said, his tone firm.

Aiden groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "I can't play. I mean, sure, I worked out a lot back in the day, but I don't know the first thing about basketball."

Kai's shoulders slumped. He had been so close to proving himself, to solidifying his place on the team. And now this? It felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke.

He was only seven points away from an upgrade, too!

Aiden studied him for a moment before muttering, "Sense of newness."

Kai furrowed his brow. "What?"

Aiden tilted his head, his expression distant. "Weird. Something just popped into my head. It's talking about a free upgrade?"

Kai's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

Aiden shrugged. "I don't know. It's like a message or something. Anyway, I declined it. Sounds like a scam."

Kai's jaw dropped. "What do you mean you declined it? You can't just—"

But Aiden had already moved on, unbothered by the chaos he just caused.

"My system," Kai muttered. "A free upgrade…"

It never gave him anything like that!

"Anyway," Aiden continued. "I really can't play. Aside from that, I have this writing competition on Monday."

"In conclusion, we need to look for a way to switch back into our bodies before the game."

Kai massaged his temples, knowing that was the most ideal solution. However, the situation had an important factor that Aiden was forgetting.

"And how are we going to do that?" Kai exclaimed.