Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"I hate you, Lina," Jet said as soon as they arrived at their housing facility.

Because they were so tired, they didn't even mind the creepy ambiance inside the room.

Instead, they immediately sat on the floor and ate the food that the facility had promised to provide them.

Kai, despite his tough workout routine, also found Lina's new regimen to be quite exhausting.

His back and temples was drenched with sweat, and some of it even dripped onto his food.

Lina clicked her tongue, grabbed her towel from her bag, and wiped Kai's sweat.

"It's disgusting," she reasoned out.

Kai smiled and allowed her to do so. "Thanks," he smiled.

Lina shook her head with a small smile. "It's just what I have to do," she muttered.

Meanwhile, there was a dark figure looming in the corner, about to murder Kai with his eyes.

Jet sat next to Zeren and patted his back. "Just give it up, buddy."

"I don't understand," Zeren exclaimed. "I have a much better face compared to him!"

"Sometimes, what matters is what's on the inside," Jet comforted him.

"Thanks for insinuating that I'm handsome," Zeren deadpanned before drinking a full glass of water, wishing it was some kind of alcoholic beverage instead.

"After you're done eating, take a shower and come back here. We still have some things to talk about," Lina said, making the team groan in frustration.

"What for?" Kun whined.

"Is it still not over?" Jinping asked. "Maybe we should have lost to the Longyu Dragons instead."

Lina glared at him, causing Jinping to zip his mouth shut.

"What else do we need to talk about?" Yuze asked.

Lina smirked and brought out a tiny notebook from her pocket.

"Aren't you curious why I didn't prepare a strategy for you in today's practice game?" she asked.

Kun raised his eyebrows. "Now that you've mentioned it, you really didn't prepare anything."

"Yup," she chimed. "That's because I wanted to see your guys' weaknesses. It has been a while since we had a training camp, and now that I feel like we actually have a chance to win the Interhigh Preliminaries, I have decided that we shall talk about the weaknesses that I've been afraid of pointing out."

The team froze, even Jinping, who was already aware of it.

"I think it's better if we continue training," Jet said, not ready to hear about his flaws.

"Nope," Lina said. "We'll address everything tonight. For now, get showered. It smells like socks in here."

***Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The Shizi Dogs gathered in the small space, their tall figures appearing humorous as they hunched over. Despite their intimidating aura, they looked more like chastised street cats who were begging to be taken home.

The fluorescent lights flickered above, casting an unflattering light on the tired faces of the players.

They had been at it all day, but Lina wasn't done with them yet.

"Alright," she began, already sounding scary. "Let's start with your individual weaknesses.

She paced in front of them, her slippers squeaking against the rough wood floor. The players shifted uneasily, glancing at each other but saying nothing for fear of triggering Lina even more.

"Yuze," she said, stopping in front of the tallest player.

The team captain held his breath as he waited for his criticism.

"You tend to over-exert yourself. Even when you're in pain, you push too hard. You need to learn how to pace yourself. Remember, you want to play for a long time."

Yuze looked down, his broad shoulders slumping slightly. He was known for his endurance, but it often came at a cost. "I'll work on it," he muttered.

"Kun," Lina continued, turning to the next player. "You're overly anxious. You made a lot of mistakes in your first year in the team, and you're still making them. What are you so afraid of? You're not going to improve if you keep playing scared."

Kun's face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'll try to be more confident."

Shang smiled as he watched the players get humbled.

"Ah, it's times like this that I'm glad I left the team," he muttered.

"Zeren," Lina continued. "Your stamina sucks. You're always a hit or miss. Extremely good or extremely bad, and it's because you lack endurance."

Zeren clenched his jaw, nodding slowly. "I'll increase my conditioning," he said, his voice barely audible.

"I'll make you proud, Lina," he quickly added, but the pretty girl ignored it.

"Jinping," Lina called out, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You can't play offense. You're too defensive, even when you're supposed to be scoring. You only put up single digits. Is that how you score in your exams, too?"

Jinping sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "No need to bring my academics into this."

"And Jet," Lina said, turning to the mischievous player. "You're too hasty. You make erratic movements that cause a lot of errors. Slow down and think before you act."

Jet nodded vigorously, appearing like an obedient puppy. "I understand. I'll be more mindful."

Finally, Lina turned to Kai, her heart beating a little faster. "Kai," she said, her voice softening slightly. "You're hard to predict. I don't know what's going on inside your head."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "How is that a bad thing?" he asked.

"It's good for the opponents, but it's also bad for the team," Lina explained. "They can't predict your play."

The room was silent for a moment. Then, with a small smile, Lina added, "But when you're on, you're really on. Your unpredictability can be a strength, too."

A chorus of groans and complaints rose from the other players, but Lina ignored them. She had more to say.

"Why does he get a compliment?" Zeren muttered.

"Now, as a team, we have some weaknesses, too," she said, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the grumbling. "First, your teamwork can still improve. That's what this training camp is all about, so we'll keep working on it."

"Another thing," Lina continued, "we lack players. That's a big weakness. We need more depth. But even without those extra players, you should be able to carry the team in the next league."

The team nodded, agreeing with everything she had said.

It pained them to hear their flaws, but it also had to be said.

"I know this feels like a lot," Lina said, her tone softening again. "But you need to overcome it. It's the only way we can win the Interhigh Preliminaries, move on to the Nationals, and conquer the entire world!"

The players looked at their manager with wide eyes, fearing her even more. Read new adventures at empire

"Now," Lina said, her voice suddenly loud and authoritative again, "get ready to be here at 4:30 AM tomorrow. Training starts early."

A collective groan filled the air, but Lina didn't waver. "No complaints. We have a lot of work to do."