Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"I knew it! You were too good to be true."

"Is that why you're always wearing track pants with your skirt?"

"And you also managed to become the manager of the basketball team? Now, I don't feel bad not making it in."

Kai hastened his steps when he heard familiar voices, along with Lina's, coming from the alleyway.

It was those rowdy boys that didn't make it into the basketball team!

Without any hesitation, Kai interrupted the scene, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw Lina crouching on the ground with teary eyes.

Roy and his friends turned to Kai in surprise.

"Oh, it's you," Roy said as their eyes met.

Kai ignored Roy's statement and went straight to where Lina was.

"Hey, are you okay?" he softly asked, holding onto her arm to gently lift her up.

Lina leaned her weight against him, so Kai felt like a thorn was plucked out of his heart.

Lina wasn't avoiding his touches!

"Let's go, hmm? You must be tired," Kai said, continuing to ignore the three stupid boys.

However, it seemed like Roy didn't want to pass up on the chance to insult Kai.

"Where are you going?" Roy asked.

Kai halted and placed Lina behind his back to shield her away from them.

One of Roy's friends went up to him and tapped his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this? He's Kai Guo!"

Roy shook his head.

"He wouldn't be able to do anything," he chuckled. "He's on probation."

Kai frowned as Roy looked at him mockingly.

"That means that one wrong move, and he'll get kicked out of his precious basketball team, isn't that right?"

"Not only that but he might even get kicked out of the school," Roy chuckled.

Kai didn't say anything since Roy was indeed right.

Kai knew that he couldn't get in trouble because the teachers and the principal were already wary of his presence. His reputation in the different schools in the city wasn't that great, to begin with, so Shizi High wasn't even supposed to take him in.

His grandma was the only reason why he was accepted.

"We're leaving," Kai said with the resolution, holding onto Lina's hand.

He felt how she trembled, which caused him to resent the three even more.

Even Jinping's gang couldn't compare to this!

"See?" Roy chuckled. "He can't do anything right now. However, that doesn't mean that we can't."

Kai's eyes narrowed when the three of them circled around them, not giving them a chance to exit.

Lina gasped, and she held onto Kai's hand tighter.

Kai looked at her with reassurance.

"Let me handle this," he whispered.

Lina shook her head. "No, don't fight. Please, don't get into a fight."

Kai didn't respond and turned his attention to Roy once again.

"What do you want?" Kai asked, wanting to get out of the scene unscathed.

"Nothing, really," Roy shrugged. "It's just fun messing with people sometimes. Moreover, I still feel pretty bitter not being able to make it into the basketball team."

"You guys are getting pretty popular, so I want to become a part of it, too."

"Won't you do that for me?" Roy asked with a wide smirk.

Lina couldn't hold herself back.

"You play like a preschooler," she shakily spat, causing Roy's smirk to drop.

"This disabled girl is quite brave, huh?" Roy asked, making Lina look down at the ground once more.

Kai clenched his fists by his side.

"Did you know?" Roy said, continuing to mock Lina. "She's lacking a leg! However, she's brave enough to lead the basketball team as the manager. Isn't it quite funny?" he chuckled.

His friends laughed along with him, yet Kai remained stoic.

"I don't think it's funny at all," Kai deadpanned. "If anything's funny, then it's your face."

Roy stopped laughing. "I know you're not the one talking. You look like a middle-aged man."

Kai shrugged, not finding it offensive. He, indeed, looked like a middle-aged man in his current get-up.

"Still, I don't find it funny at all," Kai continued to say.

Roy and his friends finally stopped laughing as Kai continued to speak in a serious tone.

"A disability doesn't mean that you're unable. It just means that you have a different way of doing things—something special. You're given a life wherein you navigate things differently."

"Doesn't that make it more special?" Kai continued.

"You're able to do the things that others can when they're complete...when they're default."

He paused before continuing.

He felt as if he was talking to his old self—giving advice to the young man who hated his disability.

"The world often sees disability as a limitation, but I see it as a unique form of strength."

"Every day, you face challenges many people will never understand, and you overcome them. You adapt, and you find new ways to achieve your goals."

"You know, it's easy to look at others and see what they have that you might not."

"But what if we turned it around?" Kai asked.

"What if we looked at what you have that they don't? Your perspective, your experience, your kindness—those are things that not everyone possesses. They shape you into someone who is not just capable, but extraordinary."

With Kai's last word, he turned to Lina, who was now looking up at him with glistening eyes.

It was as if Kai had told her the words she needed to hear, and she felt comforted and heard by someone who didn't even have the same disability as her.

However, the moment was interrupted by Roy's scoff.

"Oh, heck no. He did not just give us a speech," he said.

"Let's just beat him up since he can't even fight back," Roy instructed.

With that, the three of them charged toward Kai, but with his great instincts, he was able to dodge all of their attempts—except for one.

"Kai!" Lina exclaimed as she looked at his bleeding lip.

Kai ignored the pain and continued dodging their attacks, all while protecting Lina.

One of the guys tried to punch him once again, but Kai ducked down, making him hit Roy instead.

"What the heck?" Roy exclaimed, holding onto his bruised cheek.

"Why is he so good?" one of them muttered, not being able to land any punches on Kai.

Meanwhile, Roy hit his friend for accidentally hitting him.

Kai, seeing that they were having an inner struggle, decided to take the opportunity to run away from the scene.

He held onto Lina's legs and hoisted her up into a princess-carry. She yelped in surprise, but she didn't struggle in his hold, unlike the first time Kai tried to carry her in the same manner.

"Hey, come back here!" Roy exclaimed while holding onto his inner cheek.

However, Kai's speed was unmatched, leaving the three of them behind.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Roy cursed under his breath. "Damn it," he muttered. "He's really strong and fast."

His friend scratched the back of his head. "We're really no match."

Roy clicked his tongue, unable to accept the result.

Just then, he heard a familiar sound—something that came from a phone.

"Did you guys hear that?" Roy asked.

They kept silent for a moment before one of his friends shook his head.

"Nah, I don't hear anything."