Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The atmosphere was silent as the Shih Tzus stuffed their mouths with flavored meat. They were in 'Babycue,' the same restaurant they ate in last week after their game with the Feng Foxes.

The owner glanced at their team and shook his head. "Oh, I hope they don't make trouble again."

"So, uh," Tony said, finally breaking the silent atmosphere. "You can't play the game with us tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Kai said, scratching the back of his head.

It wasn't that he couldn't deny Yuze's request. In fact, he was about to tell him that he had a game tomorrow. However, after Yuze told him that Shang's dad needed to go to their farm to pay for the hospital bills, Kai couldn't help but cave in.

Moreover, Shang's injury didn't look trivial at all. As someone who knows what it feels like to not play the game that you love, Kai wanted to support Shang despite them not being good friends.

"Will we be able to do it without you?" Mingze muttered, suddenly feeling anxious.

"Of course you can," Kai said. "You may not win, but hey, we got this far already, so why not aim for the highest place?"

Dylan shook his head, admiring Kai's optimistic mindset.

"What do you mean we may not win?" Dylan scoffed, picking up the courage. "Of course, we can win without you! Do you think this team revolves around you?" he jokingly asked.

Sunny chuckled. "You're hearing this from a person who played basketball for seven years."

With their jokes, the icy atmosphere started to melt.

"Although it's a bit disappointing that Kai couldn't play with us, I think this is also a great way to prove our skills—much like Kai did," Tony chimed.

"Yeah," Alen nodded in agreement. "I also have a desire to get into the first-string team!"

"That's the spirit!" Dylan exclaimed.

Kai smiled in amusement as he observed his teammates—well, past teammates. He felt bittersweet, leaving them behind after training with them for almost a month, but at the same time, he couldn't wait for what was to come now that he was in the first-string team.

"Don't worry about us, Kai," Sunny patted his back. "We've been training harder since you came to our team, so I think we've become decent players."

"Take good care of Shang tomorrow," Dylan smiled.

"In turn, we'll also do a good job with tomorrow's games."

***

Kai was standing outside of Shang's room, preparing himself for what to say. Now that he was here, it became clear that he and Shang never engaged in a casual conversation before.

Just then, the door opened, revealing a kind-looking man wearing a straw hat and a torn flannel shirt.

"Oh, you're here?" Shang's dad asked.

Kai bowed his head in respect before shyly nodding at the old man.

Shang's dad chuckled in amusement. "Well, I see that you're a polite kid. Thank you so much for doing this for Shang. I know that you boys are busy, but I can't leave my kid behind without any supervision."

"It's alright, sir," Kai said.

"Just call me Shin," the old man said. "I'll be coming back in the afternoon, so hang tight until I get here."

"Yes, sir—I mean, Uncle Shin."

Shin smiled before finally leaving the hospital. With that, Kai knocked on the door before slowly opening it.

"Dad, I told you I don't need anyone to take care of—"

"Oh, it's you," Shang said as soon as he saw Kai.

Kai pursed his lips and entered the room before closing the door behind him. It appeared like Shang was on his way to the restroom; however, it was obvious that he was struggling, so Kai went up to him.

"I don't need help, bro. I'm fine," Shang said, sounding tired.

Kai looked down at his right leg and shook his head. It seemed like he couldn't even bear any weight on it.

"I don't think you're fine," Kai said. "No offense, but your leg looks really bad."

Shang sighed. "Thank you for your observation, Captain Obvious. I just wanted to go to the restroom. Don't tell me I can't do that too."

"I'll help you," Kai said, moving to Shang's injured side, acting like a human crutch. As they arrived at the toilet, Kai wondered if he should stay or go.

"Are you going to hold my pee-stick for me?" Shang asked, causing Kai's eyebrows to raise in surprise.

"Do you need that kind of help?" Kai asked in confusion.

Shang gently slapped the back of his head. "No, idiot. Get out. You're not holding my meatstick before any woman could."

Kai raised both of his hands in surrender before finally leaving the room.

He sat on the watcher's chair and waited for Shang to finish his business.

Just then, the door opened, revealing a doctor who appeared to be in his late 50s.

"Mr. Shang Li?" the doctor asked.

"He's using the toilet," Kai said, standing from his seat.

"Oh," the doctor said. "Well, I'm just here to relay the results of the X-ray and his knee MRI."

Just then, the restroom door opened, revealing Shang. Kai immediately stood and assisted him back to his bed.

Shang greeted the doctor politely as he introduced himself once again.

"Let's see," the doctor said, half-kneeling to observe Shang's injury.

"It's still pretty swollen. Does it hurt if I press it like this?"

Shang flinched and swiftly nodded, making the doctor hum as he stood and went over the results of Shang's diagnostics.

"I'm guessing this isn't your first injury?" the doctor asked.

"This is the first time I've felt this much pain in my knee," Shang said. "But yes. This knee has been pretty bad ever since I was a kid."

"I see that," the doctor muttered. "With your preexisting conditions, your knee has become much more vulnerable to injuries."

Shang pursed his lips and nodded.

"The results—are they bad?" he finally had the courage to ask.

The doctor remained expressionless as he presented the images to Kai and Shang.

"This right here…" the doctor said, pointing to a suspicious-looking white tear on the black-and-white image.

"...is a torn ACL."