Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

52-48.

With a four-point gap, the third quarter finally ended. Kai sighed in relief since they were able to maintain a gap. It wasn't the eight-point gap that Yuze initially created, but he believed they still managed to do well despite Yuze not playing in the game.

The players wordlessly walked over to their bench, panting as they drank from their sports drinks and water. It seemed like they had exerted more effort when Yuze wasn't around, which Lina noticed and was proud of.

Maybe Yuze's absence was the push that they needed in order for them to work to their fullest potential.

Meanwhile, Yuze stretched and stood from the bench, squatting up and down to warm up his body.

Lina noticed this, causing her eyebrows to furrow.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Warming up," Yuze answered.

Despite Kai's efforts and the Dogs' lead, Yuze was itching to get back into the game. However, Lina, sensing his eagerness, held him back with a firm hand and a shake of her head.

"We can lose," Yuze protested, frustration evident in his voice.

But Lina's expression remained resolute. "Trust in them. You've trained them well," she said, her confidence unwavering as she gestured towards the players who were already sweating buckets.

Yuze pursed his lips and looked down at his lap.

"I'm going in if they lose the gap," Yuze said. Lina nodded with a smile.

With a deep breath, he settled back into his seat, his eyes fixed on the court where the game continued to unfold.

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Kai glanced at Lina, and she gave him a thumbs-up—a silent gesture that preempted him to walk to the court along with the other members of the team.

Meanwhile, the players at the Daxue Dolphins' bench turned to Chuyi in curiosity.

"How is he?" Coach P asked.

"He is good at defense," Chuyi confirmed. "His body is as hard as rock, and he's probably as strong as Yuze despite their height difference. However, he cannot fill in the space that Yuze had left," he smirked.

"He's a complete amateur—probably a slightly more advanced beginner. But that's all there is to him. For now, let's continue doing what we're doing. We're going to close the gap soon with how the game is progressing."

Runchu, feeling more breathless than usual, placed his hands on his knees.

"Isn't it strange, though? At first, I was comfortable with playing. However, during the last five minutes, I feel more tired."

"Me too," Shandong said. "No matter how much we shoot, we also can't close the gap."

"We just need more time," Chuyi insisted.

Then, he glanced back at the Shizi Dogs and saw that Yuze was still on the bench, making him smile.

"See?" he chimed. "Yuze's still out of the game. The other three had been playing for four quarters already. We can definitely beat them."

The others were finally convinced, going back to the court for the very last quarter of the game.

Chuyi took his position in front of Kai, a small smirk playing on his lips since he believed he had completely figured out the tall player.

However, as the ball found its way into his hands, Kai executed a flawless lay-up ten seconds into the game! The ball kissed off the backboard and dropped through the hoop, adding another two points to the Dogs' score.

54-48.

Kai's teammates looked on in disbelief while the Angs screamed in praise.

Shang shook his head as he observed Kai's movements. They were, most definitely, still amateurish. However, the improvement he portrayed was almost comical. Back then, he couldn't even dribble without fumbling the ball!

As the fourth quarter progressed, the scoring pace between the two teams remained neck and neck. It seemed like the Dolphins refused to go down without a fight.

However, with each passing minute, it became increasingly apparent that catching up to the Dogs would be no easy feat. Although the teams scored one after the other, the gap that the Dogs initially built remained the same.

The Dolphins couldn't believe that they were struggling to beat the Dogs, even in Yuze's absence.

"What is happening?" Coach P asked, his eyes darting around the court in disbelief.

Kai, determined to widen the gap even further, did something out of the ordinary.

He positioned himself from the three-point line, ready to take a shot.

"There's no way," Coach P muttered. He wasn't hiding his shooting skills, was he?

'I'm so glad I can try this in an actual game!' Kai excitedly exclaimed in his mind.

Deep down, he knew that the odds of making the shot were slim, but he felt like this was the only game where he could take such risks. He wasn't even sure if he would be allowed to play in the next games!

As he raised his arms, Chuyi, desperate to stop him at all costs, lunged forward and pushed him away in a last-ditch attempt to disrupt the shot. But to Chuyi's surprise, Kai remained steady, his body seemingly unaffected by the force of the push.

Kai sighed in relief as the referee blew the whistle, signaling a foul in his favor. Chuyi frowned in frustration at his failed attempt to stop Kai, but Kai couldn't help but internally thank him for stopping him before he could make a fool out of himself.

He was sure that the shot right then wouldn't have made it in!

As the game entered its final minutes, the tension in the arena reached its peak. With less than two minutes left on the clock, Kai stepped up to the free-throw line, his heart pounding in his chest. Despite his best efforts, he knew that mid-range shots weren't his strong suit, and true to form, the ball bounced off the rim, making him scratch the back of his neck.

The second attempt was also a failure, so he apologetically glanced at Yuze, who was shaking his head in disappointment.

"He really needs to work on that," Yuze muttered.

Meanwhile, Coach P sighed. "Alright," he said. "He's not good at mid- and long-range shooting after all."

However, Kai's failure didn't bring him down. Instead, he wanted to seize the opportunity for redemption, rebounding the ball and driving toward the basket with determination in his eyes.

As he approached the hoop, Kai's mind raced, calculating the distance of the court and perfecting his timing for the dunk. He made sure to dribble as he ran, avoiding any violation, and adjusted his jump to ensure he wouldn't overshoot the mark.

'I can do this.'

'I've attempted this many times before!'

He assured his mind, knowing this was his last chance for a slam dunk.

With a burst of speed, Kai leaped into the air, the world around him seeming to slow down as he soared towards the hoop. With focus, he slammed the ball through the net, the booming sound echoing in the gymnasium.

He felt his hand aching, but he kept holding onto the ring, wanting to marvel at the feeling of a slam dunk for longer.

Those at the benches stared at the scene before them with wide eyes.

"Was that...?"

Yuze's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Now...why would he do that?"

"Did he really just do that?"

"This funny dude..."

"He did a slam dunk!?"