Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Let me tell you a story," Marcus said. The room became still. Kai sat on the ground, surrounded by his teammates sprawled across couches and on the floor, each one knocked out after a long night of drinking and celebrating. Kai was the only one truly awake—the only one sober. And the only one to listen to Marcus' story. He knew that if the older man was sober, then he wouldn't have talked to him at all! Kai pursed his lips, wondering if it was all right to listen to him. Before Kai could decide, though, Marcus had already started speaking. "You know," Marcus said, leaning against his elbow. "You remind me of someone." Kai blinked, surprised. "I do?" Marcus nodded, turning the bottle in his hands. "Yeah. You do. Someone I knew a long time ago. A guy named Zhu." Kai tilted his head to the side. "Zhu," he muttered, leaning forward slightly. "Who's Zhu?" He doesn't recall someone called Zhu playing in the pro leagues in their country—nor in the USA. Marcus didn't answer for a few seconds. He stared at the bottle, his fingers tightening around it. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded regretful—like he had lost something. "Haoran Zhu," Marcus started off. "He was…well, he was my best friend. My brother in all but blood. We came up together and drafted the same year. They called us the 'Twin Flames.' Young, hungry, and ready to set the league on fire." Kai listened intently. Was he finally going to figure out why Marcus was so against them being on the team? "He was special," Marcus continued, his gaze distant. "A kind of talent you don't see often. Quick on his feet, sharp as hell, and a mind for the game that put veterans to shame. He could see things before they happened and make plays out of nothing. People said he was the future of basketball." Kai nodded slowly, imagining this Haoran Zhu—a prodigy, someone who could make the impossible look easy. Someone like…him? Kai chuckled at the thought. Nah! It was too early to tell, of course. He snapped back to reality when Marcus spoke once more. "But the league wasn't ready for him," Marcus said, his jaw tightening. "Or maybe he wasn't ready for the league. Too much talent, too young. The veterans didn't like it. He said he needed to learn his place and wait his turn. So, they benched him." Kai frowned. "That doesn't make sense. If he was that good, why hold him back?" "Politics," Marcus said bitterly. "Tradition. The system wasn't built for guys like him to shine early. And maybe…maybe it was for the best. They said it was to protect him, to make sure he didn't burn out too soon. But Zhu?" He shook his head, his lips twisting into a humorless smile. "He wasn't the type to wait." Kai felt frustration on Zhu's behalf. "What happened to him?" The more Marcus talked about him, the more this Zhu guy reminded Kai of himself. And the people in Marcus' story—the veterans who held them back—seemed to be similar to Marcus himself. Marcus's expression darkened. "Injury," he said simply. "Nothing big at first. Just a bad landing during practice. But it never healed right. One thing led to another, and before he even had the chance to prove himself, his career was over." "The elders failed to protect him," he muttered. "He really…should have been contained." Kai's heart sank. "That's…that's awful. But I think—" "It was more than awful," Marcus said, cutting him off. Kai let out a soft breath. "It was devastating for both of us. You see, Zhu was my brother, my partner. We had dreams and plans—hell, we were going to take the league by storm together. And then, just like that, it was over. He was out, and I was left behind to carry on without him." "I played in pro leagues. I played in Europe. However, I knew he was offered those things before me." Marcus paused, the silence stretching between them. The only sound was the soft snoring of their teammates. "Do you know what that's like, kid?" Marcus asked, his eyes locking onto Kai's. "To lose someone who believed in you? To have to keep going, knowing that every success, every opportunity, was supposed to be shared?" Kai swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say. "I don't think I ever got over it," Marcus admitted, his voice softening. "I kept playing, kept pushing, but it was never the same. Every time I stepped on the court, I saw him. Every win felt empty because he wasn't there." Kai's chest tightened. "Did you…did you stay in touch?" Marcus nodded slowly. "For a while. He moved back home and started coaching local kids. Said he wanted to give them the opportunities he never had. We'd talk sometimes, but…" He trailed off, his expression heavy. "Life happens. People drift. And then…" Kai leaned forward, his breath caught in his throat. "And then?" Marcus closed his eyes. "And then he came back," he said, a smile appearing on his face. "Oh," Kai muttered. Well, he wasn't expecting a happy ending! "That's good then," he said. "Is he playing in the pro leagues or overseas?" Maybe he was a new name that Kai still didn't know about. "Where is he now?" he asked, wanting to hear more about Zhu. For some reason, Kai felt they were going to get along really well. "Here," he said, pointing at the table. Kai's eyes widened, looking around the room. "Here?" Kai shakily asked. "You're not saying he has died and is now a ghost, right?" "No!" Marcus angrily exclaimed. "He's…here." "He's supposed to be here," he said, his speech slurring even further. Because of that, Kai had a harder time understanding him. "What was that?" he asked, leaning closer to the older man. "Here. With us," Marcus whispered. "But…" Kai frowned. "But…," he repeated, already dying from the suspense. "But…" Kai held his breath as he waited for Marcus to finish his statement. Silence. Kai pursed his lips as he found Marcus knocked out on the table. "Great," he muttered.