Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The game resumed, but nothing seemed to change.

The Australian team continued to dominate the game, and their confidence grew with every possession.

On the bench, Kai sat in silence, his eyes fixed on the court. Coach Xu Wei hadn't even glanced his way since the start.

He knew why. He was young, untested on the international stage.

Beside him, Jimmy was in the same boat, sitting idle with his legs bouncing restlessly. "This isn't what I thought it'd be like," Jimmy muttered under his breath. "I figured they'd at least try us out, you know?"

"Especially since my dad is watching," he muttered to himself but Kai heard him clearly.

Kai didn't respond. He knew exactly what Jimmy meant. As much as he respected the veterans, watching the game slip further out of reach while sitting on the bench was unbearable.

The camera panned to Kai for a moment, and a murmur spread through the crowd. Online, comments flooded in under the live feed.

- Why isn't #16 playing? At least give us something to look at.

- Lmao, I swear they only brought him for the camera shots.

- He's just eye candy. If he was any good, they'd put him in.

- Imagine having a whole prodigy but not playing him. Typical.

- Y'all are ridiculous. He's here to learn, not win the tournament single-handedly.

Kai clenched his jaw. He tried not to let the noise bother him—both on the court and off it—but every passing second made it harder. He wanted to be out there.

By the fourth quarter, things had only gotten worse. The score was glaring on the board: 88-68.

A twenty-point gap.

Coach Xu Wei finally made another substitution. "Dong, Caleb, come out. Jian, Zheng, you're back in."

Dong and Caleb staggered to the bench, sweat pouring down their faces.

They both dropped heavily onto the seats, breathing hard.

"Man," Dong said between gulps of water. "These Aussies…they do this every year."

"Every damn year," Caleb echoed, shaking his head. "They didn't end up fourth in the last Global Games for no reason. I don't know how we're supposed to match that pace."

Kai couldn't stay quiet anymore. "But it's not impossible," he said firmly.

Dong and Caleb both turned to look at him.

"What are you talking about?" Caleb asked, brow furrowing.

Kai leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He couldn't help his next words.

"It was our first Interhigh Nationals this year," he started off. "It's a similar situation. Our team faced players like Jian, Zheng, and Max—all guys who'd been playing longer and had more experience than us. Nobody thought we could win, but we did."

Max, overhearing from the side of the bench, turned his head slightly. Max nodded to himself, feeling that what Kai said made a lot of sense.

Caleb gave a dry laugh. "The Interhigh? Kai, this isn't some high school tournament. This is the Global Games. You think that mindset's going to work here?"

Kai frowned, the words hitting harder than he expected. "Is it really that different?" he asked quietly.

Caleb shook his head, leaning back. "It's completely different. You'll see it yourself—if you ever get the chance to play."

Kai didn't reply, but his mind raced.

Was he really stuck in that high school mindset? He didn't think so.

He believed in his skill and in his ability to adapt. He knew he could make a difference if he just got onto the court. But Coach Xu Wei and his older teammates hadn't given him the chance.

Out on the floor, the Australian team continued to pick them apart. Every possession was clean. McCree nailed a mid-range jumper over Marcus. Henderson followed it up with a putback dunk off a missed three-pointer. The Chinese team was scrambling to keep up, but they looked slow and tired.

The gap grew wider. The scoreboard now read 92-70.

Kai could hear murmurs spreading through the crowd. Even the fans who'd been cheering earlier had grown quieter. The commentators weren't holding back either.

- It's clear that the Chinese team just isn't ready for this level of competition.

- There's a lot of pressure on them as the host team, but this performance isn't meeting expectations.

- They've got talent, sure, but they lack experience. Maybe next year. If they do qualify in the world champions…haha.

- Honestly, the women's team are the ones to watch this year.

Kai pursed his lips, not being able to argue.

The truth was there on the court. The veterans, as hard as they fought, couldn't keep up with Australia's pace.

With only a couple of minutes left in the game, it was all but over. Coach Xu Wei stood on the sidelines, arms crossed. He didn't call for any more substitutions.

Kai knew what that meant.

He wasn't going to play today. Not even for a second.

The final buzzer sounded, and the scoreboard froze: 98-76.

The Chinese players walked off the court with their heads low. The Australian team exchanged high fives and fist bumps, their expressions relaxed.

It had been like what they expected.

Kai followed his teammates back to the bench, his chest tight. He didn't want to look at the cameras, or at the disappointed expressions on the fans' faces.

Max walked up beside him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Rough start," he muttered, trying to sound casual. "It happens."

Kai nodded stiffly but said nothing. He could feel Caleb's earlier words lingering in the back of his mind. This wasn't high school.

He stole one last glance at the Australians as they walked off the court, their jerseys damp with sweat but their heads held high.

As they headed back toward the locker room, the murmurs from the crowd followed them.

"They weren't ready."

"Did we really expect more?"

"Really, though. I wish Kai Guo had played."

"Nah, I haven't seen that kid make noise aside from the opening ceremony and his looks."

Meanwhile, they bumped with the Australian team on their way to the locker room. It was true that they had been expecting something greater from the Chinese team especially after their interaction in the cafeteria.

However, it was all shattered now.

With a smug smile, McCree went over to Kai and patted his back.

"Good luck on your next game."