Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The sun hasn't even risen yet, but the basketball court was already noisy.

No, it wasn't because of a bunch of old men competitively playing chess. It also wasn't the sound of badly-remixed music that middle-aged women used to dance for their Zumba classes.

Instead, it was because of two young boys training at dawn, wanting to make sure that one was ready for the upcoming game.

"Again!" Kai barked from his wheelchair, holding a stopwatch in one hand and a notebook in the other.

"Again?" Aiden wheezed. "I'm dying here!"

Kai barely looked up, scribbling something in the notebook. "You think the Chinese team was granted a chance to play at the quarterfinals by whining? Do it again!"

Aiden groaned and jogged back to the three-point line, his steps faltering. He dribbled awkwardly, barely managing a crossover before attempting a layup. The ball clanged against the rim and ricocheted off.

Some of the early-morning joggers turned to them with amused expressions.

"What an unusual pair," an old man chuckled when he saw the smaller guy scold the big one.

Kai sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You suck at basketball."

"No kidding," Aiden shot back, collapsing onto the court. "What's even at stake here? Why are you pushing me so hard? We should be working harder on switching our bides back!"

Kai's face darkened, his voice low and serious. "What's at stake? Everything. I've spent weeks proving myself to this team. Now, Coach Xu Wei wants me to play as a starter. Aside from that, Marcus actually wants to me to play with him now!

Aiden tilted his head, wiping sweat from his brow. "Marcus? That old guy on the team? You're definitely better than him!"

Kai ignored him, continuing his rant. "Critics are saying that we might actually have a chance. They also think I'm the future of this country's basketball leagues! Most importantly, the team's morale is at an all-time high."

"Chinese basketball fans believe in us, in me, to bring home a victory. The pride of the country is at stake, Aiden."

Aiden stared at him for a moment, then threw up his hands. "Okay, okay! No pressure or anything!"

Then, he sulked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You don't see me complaining about your writing," he muttered.

Kai frowned, scribbling a few more lines on the notebook before handing it to Aiden.

The latter's eyes widened as he took in the neat handwriting.

"It's because you haven't even read it yet," Kai said, shaking his head.

Aiden hesitated before taking the notebook, a pout still on his lips.

He finally took the notebook and began reading. As he read, his expression softened. The essay was about wanting something so desperately, working so hard for it, only to face the prospect of losing it.

"It's like our situation," Kai said, running his fingers through his hair.

Aiden finished reading and looked up at him with a solemn expression. "Dang, this is good. You're good at writing, too? Better than me, even."

Kai frowned. "I thought you wanted to be a scriptwriter. It's your dream, isn't it?"

"I do," Aiden said, chuckling while leaning back against the court fence. "Doesn't mean I have to be good at it."

Kai rolled his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Of course," he muttered.

Aiden chuckled and, without warning, ripped the page from the notebook.

"What are you doing?" Kai demanded, his eyes widening.

"Nothing," Aiden said with a mischievous grin, slipping the paper into the compartment of Kai's wheelchair.

"You're not seriously going to use that for your writing competition, are you?"

Aiden feigned innocence. "Me? Never."

Before Kai could retort, an alarm blared from his phone. Both of them froze.

"It's time for training," Kai said, his voice filled with panic.

Aiden's eyes widened. "Okay, calm down. Everything's fine! We'll do good. Wait, I'll do good. I need to do good. Oh gosh. What if I can't do it at all?"

Kai raised one eyebrow. "You sound more nervous than me!"

"Because I'm the one who needs to play!" Aiden exclaimed before turning to him, and kneeling so their eyes could be leveled. "You need to come with me."

Kai shook his head. "As much as I want to, practice sessions are prohibited for outsiders. You have to go on your own."

"What?" Aiden's voice cracked.

"Go!" Kai urged, waving him off. "And don't embarrass me!"

Muttering curses under his breath, Aiden jogged toward the main training facility, his movements awkward and clumsy.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt entirely out of place. The court was alive with the sound of basketballs bouncing and sneakers squeaking against the floor.

Marcus spotted him first, his sharp eyes narrowing. "You're late, Guo."

"Uh...sorry?" Aiden said, scratching the back of his neck.

Marcus crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Sorry? That's all you've got? Do you think this is a joke? We're less than a day away from the Global Games quarterfinals!"

"I... uh..." Aiden stumbled over his words, his face growing hot.

"You've been acting weird since yesterday," Marcus continued, his voice rising. "Are you even taking this seriously?"

Aiden panicked, flashing a peace sign and adding what he hoped was a cute smile. "Peace?"

Marcus stared at him, dumbfounded. The other players burst out laughing, their chuckles echoing across the gym.

"Kai, what's wrong with you today?" Marcus asked, his frustration replaced by confusion.

"Nothing!" Aiden said quickly, his heart pounding. "I'm just...trying to keep things light!"

"Cut him some slack, Marcus," Dong chuckled. "He just got hit by a car. Well, almost. Coach said he isn't right in the head."

Meanwhile, Max narrowed his eyes at him, causing Aiden's butt to start sweating.

"Hello?" he said.

Max pursed his lips. "You're weird," he said before walking off.

Meanwhile, Coach Xu Wei went to the middle of the court.

"Alright, let's mix teams again. I want to see Marcus and Kai play together. That one was the ultimate weapon for the South Korean team."

Marcus nodded and went to the other side.

The others began to move quickly, while Aiden still continued to feel out of place.

"Kai!" Zheng exclaimed. "Right here."

"Don't we have to warm up?" he asked, hoping he could buy himself more time.

"Well, you're late," Jian said. "We've already done that. Now, go to your side."

"We'll be having a game."