Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Yuze went to the holding room along with his other teammates as they waited for the ten-minute half-time to end.

Unlike other times, when Yuze would come up with strategies for his teammates so they could beat their opponents, Yuze was unusually quiet this time.

'How long do you think you can save your team with that bad ankle?'

Chuyi's words echoed in his mind.

It almost felt like a threat—no, it was just a reminder.

At first, he thought that giving it his all would finally lead to their very first victory against the Dolphins. However, what Yuze failed to realize was that it was only the second quarter, and he could already feel his ankle aching.

Yuze had to give it to Chuyi. It seemed like he had been planning this all along. He must have planned for Yuze to give it his all so he wouldn't be able to play as well during the second half of the game.

Yuze clicked his tongue and stared at his ankle, which appeared fine on the surface.

His injury started off as a minor sprain; however, he didn't want to stop playing since the team relied on him. At the end of the day, Yuze was Shizi's pillar, and once he showed that there was a crack—even the slightest one—in his play, then the entire house would crumble.

So, he endured it all.

Honestly, it wasn't too bad when he played to the best of his body's capability. However, in each game, he did exert more effort than the average player in order to compensate for his teammates' lack of skills.

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In the end, he never got it checked again, as it would feel better once he rested. However, it still became a cycle of hurting and not hurting whenever they had a rigorous game.

"Yuze can't leave!" Jet exclaimed in a loud voice, causing Yuze to snap out of his thoughts.

He looked at his teammates and found them seemingly engaged in a heated argument.

Kun massaged the bridge of his nose as the tension increased in the room.

"Goodness. Are we going to argue at every halftime now?" he muttered.

"Leave?" Yuze asked. "Who's leaving?"

"You—according to Lina," Jet responded, causing Yuze to frown in confusion.

"I didn't agree to this," Yuze said, turning to their manager.

"I already told you. I'm playing the entire game. This is the first game of the league, and I don't want our team to fall off into the loser bracket with our very first game," Yuze said.

"And I told you that you're not playing," Lina said, her voice firm.

Her gaze wavered as Yuze's stare intensified, but the younger woman stood her ground.

Kai had talked to her before they went inside the holding room, expressing his concern for their captain's safety.

Lina wasn't a stranger to Yuze's injury. She was there when he first incurred it. However, the doctor did say that it was just a minor sprain. Nonetheless, Yuze never stopped playing, even after he was recommended to rest.

So, Lina feared that he was going to over-exert himself and sacrifice his well-being in the end.

"Why?" Yuze asked. "I'm doing well."

"You're always doing well," Lina said. "There's no surprise in that."

"However, you can't just play four quarters for every game that we have. As you said, this is only the first game, yet you're already giving it your all. What more when we start facing stronger and much better opponents? What are you going to do then?" Lina asked.

"You can't always expect your body to hold up well, Yuze," Lina sincerely said.

Jet was about to argue since he didn't want their captain to leave the team. As much as they trusted their own skills, they also felt like without Yuze, those skills wouldn't be used to their best capacity.

However, before he could even speak, Lina had already cut him off.

"And for you guys," she started off. "I'm sure all of you are aware that the Shizi Dogs is called 'Yuze's Team.' That might be a compliment to Yuze, but it's a challenge for you, guys," she scolded.

"Are you going to keep on relying on Yuze in order to win the game? Are you not putting our training to good use? Or maybe you're just comfortable with the fact that you have someone to back you up when things do not go your way?"

Kai raised his eyebrows in surprise. Lina sounded like a coach just now—even much better than a coach. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he observed her calm yet heated gaze.

Then, Lina sighed.

"The Dolphins is a team we can beat even without Yuze," she said with determination.

"This is to prove to them that we're not just 'Yuze's Team.' We're the Shizi Dogs, and we never let go once we bite," she smirked.

The others were undoubtedly fired up with Lina's speech. Zeren even clapped as if a plane had just landed.

Meanwhile, Jinping raised his hand to ask a question.

"If Yuze's not going to play, then who's going to take his position? Shang's injured," he said.

Yuze nodded in agreement, still not convinced that he should stop playing.

"Me," Kai suddenly said, standing from his seat and towering above the seated figures of his teammates.

The room was silent for a moment before they burst into laughter.

"You?" Zeren asked. "You think you can replace Yuze as the Shizi Dog's center?"

Jinping also shook his head at Kai's ridiculous answer. As much as he was good at rebounds, he could never be like Yuze under the rim—who was practically uncontrollable.

Besides, having three first-year students on the team was just a recipe for disaster!

However, amidst their laughter, Lina remained serious, causing their laughter to die down.

"Oh no," Jet muttered. "Is he really going to take over Yuze's spot?" he asked Lina.

Lina smiled before enthusiastically nodding.

Yuze let out a deep sigh before shaking his head.

Will their team be okay?