Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The people around him also watched in anticipation, time seemingly slowing down as the ball made its trajectory toward the ring.

"He's not going to make it," Guanyu said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Ah, you thought the same thing as me," Lei said, confident that the Falcons were going to steal the ball and land a two-pointer.

"If this game goes to overtime, I think the winners are already set."

Guanyu nodded in agreement.

"It's definitely not going to make it," Kai said as he followed the ball with his eyes.

However, just when he felt like all hope was left, a stroke of luck hit the Shih Tzus. Peng Yang launched himself into the air, aiming to deflect the shot away.

But, it seemed like he wasn't able to control his movements because instead of the ball sailing away from the basket, Peng Yang did quite the opposite and sent the ball flying toward it.

The crowd began to stand, gasps escaping their lips as they watched the ball move in a near-perfect trajectory.

Lei, too, couldn't help but stand as he watched the turn of events. His eyeballs were nearly out of their sockets as the ball landed on the basket before dropping through the net with a satisfying swish.

The ball bounced on the ground, but nobody made an attempt to get it.

Even the referee stood frozen since he didn't know what to do.

Then, after a few seconds, he showed three fingers toward the Professional Scorer's table, making their points official.

29-31.

"What the heck just happened?"

"Did he just land the shot for the opposing team?"

"That was such a stupid thing to do!"

"Peng Yang isn't really that great at basketball."

"Dang, that must have hurt to watch."

"Thanks," Kai teased, flashing a grin at Peng Yang as he walked toward his teammates.

The Shih Tzus warmly welcomed Kai, exchanging high-fives as they glanced at the scoreboard.

However, their celebration was short-lived as Peng Yang snapped out of his reverie and captured the ball in his hands before running toward their side of the court.

Kai's eyes widened, and he quickly glanced at the timer.

Six seconds.

That was six seconds too long.

Kai believed that Peng Yang could land a shot in those six seconds.

Peng Yang arrived at the court with no one in sight. It was only him—and he believed he could recreate the perfect three-point shot just a while ago.

Again, time slowed down as he bent his knees and raised the ball over his head.

With two points, they would go into overtime.

However, with three points, the Falcons would win the game and proceed to the next round.

Peng Yang was desperate.

So, he glanced one more time to his left and right, smirking when he saw that none of the Shih Tzus were in sight.

"This is our victory," he whispered before launching the ball into the air.

His smirk widened as the ball left his hands, feeling similar to the shot he made just moments ago.

"He's going to make it!" Lei exclaimed from the sidelines, still standing.

However, Peng Yang's smirk quickly faded when a shadow loomed over him, followed by a resounding slap echoing through the court.

Startled, Peng Yang looked up to see a towering figure blocking the ball's path to the basket, his hand outstretched to deny him the shot.

With a roar of determination, Kai deflected the ball away. However, he made sure not to make the same mistake that Peng Yang did and slapped the ball away from the ring.

The crowd turned silent as Kai landed on the ground, the impact almost shaking the concrete and the basketball stands.

Due to Kai's towering image, Peng Yang's knees buckled, and before he knew it, he plopped down to the ground with his eyes fixed on the tall, imposing player.

The sun was shining behind Kai's neck, and from this angle, he appeared like a monstrous predator ready to devour his prey.

Kai breathed heavily, and the pressure of playing four quarters finally got to him.

However, with the sound of the whistle, which signaled the end of the game, a feeling of relief went through his body.

"With a final score of 29-31, the Shih Tzus take the victory!"

***

[Congratulations on fulfilling the mission: Best Scorer.]

[You scored 19 points in the game.]

[XP: +19]

[You won an official game. XP: +20]

[Current level: Novice (64)]

[New skill acquired: Guard Wall]

[Upgrade your skills and become a legendary player!]

Kai smiled as he observed his continuous upgrades. As expected, joining this league was a great choice.

"That was so cool!" Dylan exclaimed, walking backward as he excitedly conversed with the team.

The Shih Tzus were currently on their way to a barbeque place to celebrate their win. Dylan proposed to pay, so as expected, all of the members followed despite their initial hesitance.

"Did you see the looks on their faces! At that moment, they looked darn ugly," he continued.

"I don't think you should be saying that when you have dirt all over your face," Sunny chimed.

"Who cares?" Dylan smiled. "We're winners!"

Mingze scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that was pretty amazing."

"I thought we would lose when Peng Yang captured the ball at the very last second. However, Kai deflected the ball away. The sound was so startling that I thought it was a building collapsing," Mingze excitedly said.

"However, aside from all of that, I really had fun," Tony smiled. "I think this was my first official game ever, and I can't wait for the next weekend to come. Now that we've beaten one of the strongest teams, I believe we can win against anyone!"

"We're here," Kai said, opening the door of the restaurant.

He froze when he smelled the delicious scent and saw the familiar faces inside.

"What did you say just now, Tony? One of the strongest teams? Are you talking about the Falcons?" Dylan scoffed.

"They were never considered a strong team in the first place! They're just a bunch of little shrimps with pretty faces. However, if you ask me, my face is definitely more charming—"

"Dylan," Sunny warned.

However, the short guy continued ranting.

"Oh, these kids are so noisy!" an old man suddenly exclaimed. "Sit down if you're going to eat!"

Dylan finally stopped ranting and turned his focus on the front, his eyes widening when he saw the Falcons eating at one of the group tables.

"Little shrimps, huh?"