Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Now, it was a test of their true skills...

...which honestly wasn't a lot, so Kai was pretty worried.

The referee blew the whistle once more, signaling the end of the time-out.

With that, the Shih Tzus took their positions on the court, strangely feeling like a void had been left in their hearts.

As the third quarter began, it seemed like the absence of their silent communication booster weighed heavily on the Shih Tzus. They weren't as bad as they were in the first quarter; however, without their ability to coordinate silently, they found themselves struggling to maintain their momentum against the Falcons.

The passes, in particular, were quickly intercepted.

Kai, accustomed to orchestrating the team's movements with a mere glance or nod, now found himself shouting instructions from afar.

"Pass," Kai exclaimed when he saw Sunny stuck between two players. However, the command led Peng Yang to where Kai was, and he quickly guarded him just as Sunny had passed the ball.

Kai, however, moved quickly and went in front of Peng Yang—just in time to capture the ball in his hands.

Then, he passed it on to Mingze, who was waiting beside the ring.

Mingze waited for the voice to encourage him. However, when he heard nothing but the pressuring 'boos' from the audience, he suddenly felt afraid.

"10 seconds left on the clock!" the commentator exclaimed.

"Shoot it!" Kai shouted. However, it was drowned out by the sound of the audience screaming.

In the end, the third quarter ended without the score moving.

14-14.

Nonetheless, it was still great that they were able to keep the tie. It would be easier for them to surpass them in the fourth quarter that way.

However, Kai was still pretty worried since it appeared like his teammates definitely lost confidence after not hearing his voice inside their minds.

They went back to the bench before the start of the first quarter.

The people who weren't expecting such a thrilling game were now on the edge of their seats.

Most of them were sure that the game would end with a huge gap in favor of the Falcons.

Nonetheless, they continued supporting the handsome bunch, wanting to see them battle it out in the finals along with other strong competitors.

"Why do you think the Falcons are struggling so much, Lei?" the commentator asked the former Feng Arts player, bringing the microphone away from his lips.

Lei clicked his tongue, his gaze focused on the second-string players of Feng Arts.

"These are the weakest members of Feng Arts," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "However, their foundations aren't too bad. It's really a surprise how the other team, whose foundations are worse than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is suppressing them,"

"The Leaning Tower of Pisa is still standing up to this day, though," Guanyu remarked, making the other two individuals on the Professional Scorer's table look toward his way.

"Well, of course," Lei chuckled, feeling a little bit bitter. "The only reason why it's still standing is because it had some remedial work. These kids aren't any good, based on what I have seen," he said, pertaining to the Shih Tzus.

The commentator nodded. "It seems like they're playing solely with their willpower."

Lei smiled in satisfaction since the commentator was on his side.

"Guanyu must be rooting for the Shizi High because his—"

"That's enough," Guanyu said, cutting him off. "I'm not rooting for anyone. I'm just stating the obvious. You were right when you said that these kids don't have good foundations. I'm not surprised since they're from Shizi High."

Lei was startled by Guanyu's stern expression. Nonetheless, he brushed the topic off since it seemed like the talented coach wasn't fond of the Shih Tzus as well.

"What happened?" Alen asked as the five players made their way back to the bench.

Mingze shakily drank from his water bottle before letting out a deep breath.

"I…don't know," he muttered. "I just felt like I couldn't do it all of a sudden."

Sunny scratched the back of his head. "As funny as this sounds, it does feel like something's…missing."

"The voice?" Kai asked, making everyone surprised.

"Yeah!" Dylan exclaimed. "The voices inside my head are gone."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Alen innocently asked. "I've been wanting the voices inside my head to go away for a while now."

The players were silent for a few moments before deciding to ignore Alen's statement.

"Look," Kai said. "The voices I told you to listen to during the start of the third quarter—just forget about them."

"But you told us to listen to it," Dylan scratched the back of his head. "Now, I'm unconsciously waiting for the voice to guide me."

His teammates nodded, agreeing with Dylan's sentiment.

"The voice inside might just be your imagination. Instead, it's most likely your willpower telling you to keep trying and trying," Kai said, locking eyes with each of his teammates in turn.

"Look at our opponents," he instructed.

The group all turned to the Falcons, who were still basking in the attention they were receiving. Nonetheless, they didn't appear as calm and collected compared to the start of the game.

Instead, they actually looked tired.

"They're just as breathless as we are," Kai smirked. "This game could go either way, and we're not going to let them outwork us."

"And look at the crowd," Kai said, gesturing towards the stands where the fans were cheering for the Falcons. "They want to see us fail. They want those bastards to win. But do we really want to give them the satisfaction?"

"Heck no!" Mingze enthusiastically exclaimed, surprising his teammates.

"Dylan," Kai continued. "Do you want Peng Yang to underestimate you again the next time he sees you?"

Dylan's expression hardened as he cracked his knuckles.

"No way," Dylan said. "I'll show him that the only good thing in his life is his face!"

"Exactly," Kai said, a fierce glint in his eyes.

The referee blew the whistle once more, marking the start of the fourth quarter.

"This is it," Kai said.

The last quarter—their last chance to turn the game around.