Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Wake up," Max said, shaking Kai awake as they finally landed in Beijing. Max shook his head as he watched the calm Kai. "Why are you not nervous about this?" he muttered. Kai rubbed his eyes awake and turned to Max with curiosity. "What did you say?" Max sighed. "Nothing," he said. "We've landed." "Oh," Kai muttered, sitting straight and waiting for the attendants to tell them to exit the plane. Meanwhile, Max was still amazed at how Kai looked so calm despite knowing that they had landed in Beijing. They were also bound to meet the Global Games team later in the afternoon! Of course, what Max didn't know was that Kai had been a mess for the past couple of weeks. Now, he had gotten used to the feeling of anxiousness. Thus, he looked calm on the outside. They got out of the plane and went to the designated area—where all the high school players were going to meet. The first one there was none other than Zheng, who was a local in Beijing. He waved the two of them over. "Here!" he exclaimed. "I'm so glad you guys got here safely." "Unfortunately," Max muttered, still feeling nervous. Zheng chuckled and shook his head. "Are you nervous?" "Is it obvious?" Max asked. "And you?" Zheng asked, turning to Kai. Kai nodded without a word. Yet somehow, that came off as a silent confidence. Zheng and Max turned to each other. Such an amazing guy! "When are the others coming?" Kai asked, glancing at his watch. "They'll be here soon," Zheng said. "Jian said that they were brought here by his dad's chopper. They'll meet us after they eat." Kai shook his head in amusement. "Oh, such perks." "Tell me about it," Zheng muttered. The three of them started discussing anything under the sun except for basketball. No matter how calm Zheng and Kai looked, it seemed like they were subconsciously staying away from the topic. After a while, a whole entourage finally arrived. Jian and Jimmy were being escorted by Johnny Wang's guards. The other three Elite Five players watched the scene with wide eyes. It seemed like a scene straight from a Mafia movie! Some civilians also turned towards their way, making Max feel embarrassed. "Gosh," he muttered. "Why are they receiving such special treatment?" Jian and Jimmy finally arrived in front of them. "Took you long enough," Zheng said. Jian shrugged with his usual nonchalant expression. "His dad's bought us to an expensive buffet." "And you guys didn't bother inviting us?" Max asked. Jimmy glanced at Kai and shook his head. Well, if Kai hadn't been there, then he would have asked the others to join them, too. Meanwhile, behind them was Ashley, who was entrusted by Johnny Wang to take care of them since he needed to go to the current players of the Global Games. She watched as the five of them interacted, feeling a strange, powerful aura emanating from them. The five of them together was just surreal, and at that moment, it felt like they would have been a perfect line-up during the Interhigh Nationals. However, this was the Global Games now, and as much as their stats were highest among their peers, she wondered if it would be enough when it came to playing with professionals. Just then, her eyes strayed toward Kai Guo. You couldn't blame her. She really couldn't help it. He had the type of looks of an idol and not a basketball player. Aside from that, his tall physique and large frame, despite his young age, were really impressive. He was also rising in popularity, which would help boost the Chinese team's popularity. She took mental note of these things before clearing her throat. "Boys," she started off. "We need to go." The boys didn't stop bickering despite Ashley's statement. She sighed and shook her head. It seemed like she forgot about the fact that these were high school boys. They were already having a battle on who was the best player. "I'm the MVP," Jian said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just going to put it out there." "I'm the most hardworking out of all of us," Zheng said. "Basketball is all about hard work." "I work hard, and I have talent," Max smirked. "Can you beat that?" Jimmy scoffed. "Give me another year, and I'll make sure to plummet you to the ground." Max clicked his tongue. "Says the guy whose foundations were built in the court of his house. You only got to where you are because you have a lot of resources, boy." "What did you say?" Jimmy exclaimed. "Boys," Ashley said, feeling regret creep inside her mind. She shouldn't have taken up this job! It felt like she was babysitting five little boys at the same time. Before Jimmy and Max could argue, Kai cleared his throat, capturing their attention. Then, he pointed to the badge on the right side of his clothes—one he wore proudly. It had the number one on it, in the shape of a basketball. "I'm not number one without a reason," he smirked, causing the other four to become silent. Somehow, they wanted to refute it, but in the end, they couldn't. Why? Because he was just telling the truth. Jian clicked his tongue, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "So freaking annoying," he muttered. Ashley sighed and shook her head, finally having enough. "Kids," she said in a louder tone. Fortunately, that captured their attention. "Go to the car right now if you still want to be granted this chance. You were chosen because of your skills, I know. But even then, you should act with decorum," she continued. The boys stood in a straight line, their lips pursed as they listened to her. "Now," she sighed. "If you want to be part of the line-up, get inside the car. If you continue on with this, then I suggest you go back to your places and continue to play high school basketball."