Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Max looked around just to make sure. However, Kai really wasn't in the lineup.
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Yuze, Andy, Jet, and two unfamiliar people were the ones who were going to lead the third quarter, causing his frown to deepen.

Then, he turned his attention to the bench and found Kai sitting with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a small pout playing on his lips.

"Huh," he muttered. "Is he going to play at the very last quarter?"

Coach Guanyu was also confused. For him, the third quarter was usually the one that determined the fate of the game. So, he was expecting Yuze and Kai to both be dispatched for the particular quarter.

The referee blew the whistle, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Max glanced at his teammates—Ailun, Fabin, Shin, and Bai.

Four of them were their starting players, so he knew that they had a higher chance of overtaking the Shizi Dogs.

However, even then, Max couldn't shake his mind away from Kai.

Everybody could feel that the court was more intense than usual. Max, on the other hand, stood at the post of the Yin Yang Knights.

It was one of his strengths—his calmness on the court.

"Even though they're our opponents, I can't help but admire Max," Lina remarked. "It would be reassuring to have a teammate like him."

"Yeah," Kai muttered, observing Max. He felt like he could be trusted with the game, and that was only possible because of his great skills.

Truth be told, Max led the team really well.

Yuze, who never had the chance to play with him before, felt like he discovered a new perspective as the game progressed.

Max was like an unyielding wall, calm and steady despite their five-point deficit.

He didn't have a particular playing style. However, he was just good—plain good.

Not even five minutes into the quarter, they had already overtook the gap that the Shizi Dogs had built.

53-59.

Yuze sighed in frustration. He knew he was a great player, but playing with Max made him realize why his dad favored him in the team.

He felt someone pat his back, causing his eyebrows to relax.

"Don't mind," Andy said. "Let's get one in."

Yuze pursed his lips and dribbled the ball, wanting to capitalize on Andy's shooting power.

With that, he poured his energy into surpassing his opponents to pass the ball to Andy.

Coach Guanyu watched as his son dominated the court. For a second, he felt that it was a shame.

If Yuze was in their team, then the Knights would be even more formidable.

Max was surprised to find the ball in Andy's hands. He acted quickly, trying to stop Andy from shooting.

Andy's heart raced in his chest as he felt Max's presence charging toward him.

However, Yuze boxed Max out just as Andy had thrown the ball.

The referee called for a foul, but the ball was already high in the air.

They watched as the ball bounced on the rim before going inside the net.

Andy sighed in relief as the ball descended to the ground.

Fabin and Ailun threw each other surprised looks.

"He even got that one in?" Ailun asked in disbelief.

Fabin shook his head as he watched the tall, lanky boy celebrate with his teammates.

56-59.

A small smile appeared on Max's lips.

"This is fun," he muttered, capturing Shin's attention.

Shin shook his head in amusement. "Only you will find our vulnerability fun."

Max shrugged and went to their side of the court to conduct yet another play.

After that particular play, Max seemed to be playing even more aggressively.

Ailun chuckled. "He's taking this seriously," he muttered.

"Hmm," Fabin hummed by his side.

"The more he's under pressure, the better he plays."

Somehow, seeing Max in that state assured the Knights that they were going to have good results.

"He's flying. Max is literally flying!"

"He's proving his position as a member of the Elite Five!"

Kai pursed his lips as he continued watching Max.

"He had improved again," Kai muttered.

Kai knew that he already reached a high level, but he felt that Max's level was still higher than his.

Kai's thoughts strayed back to the schedule of the games. He knew that the Yin Yang Knights were located at the bottom, so if the Shizi Dogs would make it far, then it was very likely that they'd only meet during the finals.

With that in mind, Kai was determined to drastically increase his level once the time came.

The referee blew the whistle, and the quarter ended in favor of the Yin Yang Knights.

64-70.

"Nice one, Max!"

The team flocked to Max as he made his way to the bench.

Coach Guanyu also nodded in acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, Yuze shook his head as he sat back on the bench.

"He's better than I imagine," he remarked.

Kai's hands itched once more, curious as to how it was to play against Max.

He was about to ask Lina to let him play once again, but Lina just had to throw him a look, not even a glare, and it was enough to make Kai silent.

"One last quarter," Lina said. "I'm assuming that you've already learned a lot."

Andy nodded excitedly. "I thought I wouldn't be able to shoot at all!"

Renren patted his back. "You did a great job. You showed them that the Shizi Dogs has a sharpshooter."

Andy smiled and stuck his tongue out at Jet, who rolled his eyes in ridicule.

"Maximize this time to learn how they play," Yuze said, standing from the bench once more. "Who knows if we'll be able to play with them again."

Lina clicked her tongue and nudged Yuze's shoulder.

"Don't say that," she said.

With that, the referee blew the whistle for the final quarter of the night.

Max stood excitedly, looking forward to the game. He found himself enjoying it more than he expected.

"You think Onion Boy is going to play in the last quarter?" Ailun asked.

Max smirked and nodded. "Of course," he said.

"He has to."

"Unless he got hit by a car or something, then he would play at all costs."