Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Yay!" the six young boys huddled in a circle, wide smiles on their faces after Kai's appraisal.

Peng Yang couldn't help but frown as the group of stupid-looking boys continued to celebrate. Maybe they really lost their minds after maintaining a score of zero in the entire two quarters!

"Wait, what are we celebrating?" Mingze suddenly asked.

Kai sighed, looking at the scoreboard.

"We did a great job defending them," Kai said.

"We really did," Tony proudly said. "That guy was frustrated since most of his shots didn't go in."

"But then again, why did you make us focus so much on defense, Kai?" Alen asked. "We haven't even had the chance to score."

"Because we're noobs," Kai bluntly said, surprising his teammates.

Dylan scratched the back of his head. "You don't have to put it that way. I've been playing for three years."

"But you're still a noob," Kai said, not holding himself back.

Dylan pursed his lips before laying on Tony's shoulder, even jokingly sniffing in sadness.

"You don't have to be so harsh, Kai," Sunny said in amusement.

"I'm just telling the truth," Kai chimed. "Our offensive skills aren't up to par. We're not used to playing in a league like this, and it definitely shows."

The team members' faces started falling, yet Kai continued criticizing their team.

"We're clumsy and inexperienced, and there's no way we can beat the other team with our offense alone," Kai said, his gaze hardening.

A murmur of protest rose from the group, but Kai simply ignored them and continued talking.

"But defense? That's something we can do. It's our best chance at leveling the playing field," Kai continued.

"It's true that we haven't landed any shots, but we've hindered them from shooting to their maximum potential, too. And that, my friends, is why we've done a great job so far."

The team turned silent as they took in Kai's words.

He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. "But now, it's time for us to strike back. I assume you've gotten used to their playing style by now. You're probably more comfortable on the court. Most amateur players focus solely on offense, and I'm willing to bet they're no different. But defense?

That's just as important, if not more so."

"With our lack of offense, they've underestimated us. Even more so than when we started. And with underestimation comes relaxation. They'll be more lenient, more open to mistakes."

Kai smirked as he looked them in the eyes.

"That is where we capitalize."

"Dang," Dylan whispered. "I should have said that."

Tony went closer to him to whisper in his ears.

"I've memorized his speech. I'll write it down for you."

Dylan smiled in satisfaction and showed Tony a thumbs-up.

Mingze wanted to applaud right then and there. Kai looked really cool just now!

Alen, on the other hand, still had some questions.

"Why did you ask us not to let them score more than 15 points, though?" he asked.

Yani, too, asked Suzy a similar question.

"15 points? What's with 15 points?" she asked.

"It's to give you guys hope," Kai smirked. "15 points seem like a lot, but 14 points is still doable."

"15 points will bring down the team morale," Suzy answered Yani's question. "With 14 points, they would feel more encouraged."

"Will they really think that way?" Yani asked in confusion. "I think you're reading into this."

Suzy chuckled as she played with her fingers. "Well, I guess that would just be my own interpretation. It would be nice if they think like that, too."

"Two more minutes!" the commentator exclaimed.

Kai turned back to his team and nodded.

"Just do as we've practiced. You've already gauged their skills, so be more confident. They're not as good as our first-string team. We can definitely beat them," Kai said.

However, even then, he also found it hard to believe his own words.

[Quest Available!]

[This quest targets the host's teammates. Do you want the team to complement each other better?]

Kai silently nodded without any hesitation.

[Quest Title: People Pleaser]

[This is a quest designed to increase teamwork and communication within the basketball team. As the host embarks on this quest, the Shih Tzus will have the opportunity to complement each other better than ever.

The objective of the quest is to utilize the power of silent communication to enhance the team's coordination on the court. With this unique booster, the host will be able to inject his thoughts directly into his teammates' minds.

However, the ability is only valid for a limited time, lasting for just 10 minutes after the mission is completed. Within this time frame, the Shih Tzus can work together to execute plays with efficiency.]

[Booster will be activated through a compliment!]

[Complement with a Compliment!]

[Compliment one person on the court except for your teammates and activate the booster right away!]

Kai smirked as soon as the quest was revealed. It was easy enough. Moreover, being able to communicate without speaking out loud was a great advantage to their team.

Kai looked around the court, looking for someone whom he could compliment. Unfortunately, he couldn't compliment his teammates, which was terrible since he was incredibly introverted.

So, he had to look for someone he knew in order to accomplish it.

There were less than two minutes on the clock, so Kai had to pick a person right now.

Aside from his teammates, the only other people he was acquainted with were the Falcons. However, there was no way he would compliment those guys—even if they were really handsome.

Kai saw Guanyu Chen from his peripheral vision, and he wondered if it would be all right to compliment him at this moment.

However, looking at his face, he shook his head.

Talking to someone on the Professional Scorers' table wasn't a great idea.

Then, as his eyes continued to search the court, he came across a familiar person.

"Bingo," he muttered.

He swallowed his introvertedness and walked over to where the familiar person was.

"Kai, where are you going?" Alen asked as the tall player walked away from them.

However, Kai continued walking despite their questions.

"Strange," Dylan said. "The second half is going to start in a minute."

The crowd and the other players also observed Kai as he walked away from the court.

Yani's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Kai walking toward them.

"Goodness," she muttered. "He's looking at me! Don't tell me—he's going here?!"

Suzy, who was on her phone at that time, didn't heed her friend's statements.

"He's really coming here!" Yani continued to rant. "Is he going to confess? Then, I have no choice but to reject him."

Suzy finally looked up from her phone, and she quickly stepped back when she saw that Kai was already in front of her.

"What are you doing—"

"Hey, you're pretty."