Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The post was very ambiguous. It held nothing but a file of some sort—no text or any fancy emoticons. It was a timed post. Kai clicked on the file, his eyes widening when he saw the real-time rankings on the page. However, he didn't see the actual contents. He turned to the other players, wondering what was happening. It seemed that they, too, were confused. They thought it must have been a mistake—but no. The post really came from the official page of the Interhigh Nationals. "What's happening?" Johnny muttered, looking at David and Gina, who also appeared shocked. He grabbed David's phone and saw the post himself, frowning as he clicked on the link. It felt like he was being boiled alive. The list was leaked? How could he announce that Jimmy was the first Elite among the first-year players if that was the case? He let out a deep breath, preventing himself from exploding in front of a large audience. He also knew that this was being broadcast live. In fact, the people from their homes already knew who was going to be included in the current Elite Five. - Holy crap! The list was leaked? - I don't think we should call it a leak! It has been posted! - Yeah, but it doesn't feel that way. Johnny Wang seems too shocked. - And it's weird how the post does not have any caption. Aside from that, they have never released the list to the public before. Why would they start doing it now? - You're onto something! However, can we stop talking about how it was leaked and talk about the list itself? Isn't it insane? - I never imagined this! - Seriously, announce it already. Jimmy was staring at his phone in shock before looking up at the stage. At that moment, he saw his dad looking at Ashley with murderous eyes. However, Ashely also looked genuinely confused. On the other hand, the girl beside her, Kimmy, appeared calm—too calm. Kimmy made eye contact with her dad, and she didn't waver. At that very second, Johnny realized who was behind the leak. His mouth went agape, unable to say anything. However, Kimmy kept on a strong front. David cleared his throat into the mic, not giving Johnny any time to process what was happening. "Sir," David said. "I believe it's time for you to announce the Elite Five." Johnny pursed his lips and brought out his phone, tasting something bitter in the back of his throat. He had to scrap his original plan. With that, he smiled at the camera, acting as if he was unfazed. "In fifth place," he started off. "We have none other than Jimmy Wang." Jimmy lifted his head as the camera focused on him. The crowd clapped while the other players congratulated him. Jimmy wanted to feel happy. He really did. However, in the back of his mind, he knew that he would never be satisfied with just the fifth place. If he had thought about it, he would definitely have moved up in the ranks since this was the ranking that included Zheng and Jian. However, even then, he was still unhappy. Meanwhile, Calvin and Fang turned to each other. "You reckon we're still in it?" Calvin asked. Fang nodded. "It's already certain," he said. "Based on my data, I will be in fourth place. However, since they're announcing the current Elites, we won't be called just yet." "Sweet," Calvin smiled. Jimmy went up the stage, his head held down as Kimmy placed a badge on him. Johnny didn't bother glancing at them. "In fourth place," Johnny continued, sounding less enthusiastic. "We have Max Zhou." Max bowed at the cameras, already expecting it. He then glanced at Kai, a knowing look in his eyes. Kai frowned. He still hadn't seen the rest of the list. In fact, he didn't want to look at it. He wanted to hear it from Johnny himself. He reckoned he would be the next one to be called anyway. "In the third place, we have none other than Zheng Zhang!" Zheng smiled despite his regression in rank. He smiled respectfully and went to the stage. Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise. He never expected to beat one of his inspirations in basketball. It was simply ridiculous! However, he wasn't complaining. As Johnny Wang prepared to announce the second placer, it seemed like a lot of people already knew. However, Kai tuned them all out and focused on the stage. He glanced at Kimmy to look for some kind of clue, but he found that she was looking at Jian with a fond smile. His eyebrows raised in surprise. Well, it seemed like they were getting along better. "In second place," Johnny continued, sounding almost like a mutter. "We have our very own Jian Niu." Jian pursed his lips before heading to the stage. He looked calm from the exterior, but inside his mind, he was screaming. 'Oh, this is so embarrassing,' he thought. He never knew he could feel such things! After being beaten by Kai Guo, it seemed like a switch was turned on inside of his body. However, he felt better as Kimmy placed the badge on him. There was a small smile on his face as she struggled to put the pin on his clothes without touching his skin. "You can touch me, you know?" Jian muttered. Kimmy's cheeks reddened, and she felt the urge to slap him. "Shut up, second place," she muttered. Jian smiled. It seemed like he had won in other aspects, though. On the other hand, Kai was frozen in his spot. How could he have manifested these things so hard that he managed to snatch the first place from THE Jian Niu? It was ridiculous! "And for the first Elite. The very first in history to have achieved it in his first year," Johnny said in an unenthusiastic tone. Lina frowned at the tone of his voice, but even then, she couldn't help but feel elated. "Kai Guo, the first Elite. Please come up on the stage."