Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 621: China vs. Germany (2)

Outside the roaring arena, Aiden and Grandma Bingbing sat quietly on a wooden bench near a vendor cart. Aiden balanced a cone of chocolate ice cream in one hand, the other resting lazily on his lap. Beside him, Grandma Bingbing licked her vanilla cone. Her posture was relaxed, but her expression was distant.

"Ah, damn it. The ice cream is melting too fast," Aiden muttered beside her, trying to lick the ice cream before it ran down his hand. However, he was failing miserably.

Grandma Bingbing chuckled and brought out some napkins from her bag, helping her grandson with the mess.

"You look like a small kid," she said softly, sounding amused.

Aiden laughed lightly, a smear of chocolate clinging to the corner of his mouth. "Well, I guess I miss these moments. It's been a while since I felt like a kid."

Grandma's gaze softened. "You're making up for it now."

Aiden smiled and continued to struggle with his ice cream. Just then, he glanced behind him, where the arena was.

"Don't you want to go inside, Grandma? The game's definitely started by now. Besides, I want to see Kai play. He's awesome, you know? I never even felt that basketball was cool before I watched Kai play live."

Grandma Bingbing shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. "I told Kai I'd be there at the finals. It's better this way. He needs the motivation. If I go in now, it'll only distract him."

"You think so?" Aiden asked skeptically, glancing back toward the arena. "I think he would appreciate it if you went, though."

"I know so," Grandma replied. "Kai will want to prove himself. Knowing I'll be there for the finals will push him even harder. You'll see."

Aiden nodded slowly, taking another lick of his cone. "He seems...intense, though."

Grandma chuckled, and the sound was light and full of affection.

"You know, I never expected him to turn out this way," she started off.

"Kai used to be such a humorous kid. Always cracking jokes and pulling pranks. The kind of boy who'd make you laugh even when you wanted to scold him."

Aiden stopped eating when he realized she was talking about him. The 'him' before he transmigrated into Kai's body.

"But after his father passed..."

Her voice trailed off, and she took a deep breath. "It changed him. Took a toll on him in ways I didn't understand at first. It was really tough. I knew I should have been more understanding. He was young, and he lost a father. I had a fair share of my mistakes, I wish I could tell him these, but this old woman has a lot of pride, you know?"

"I'm sorry," Aiden muttered, feeling guilty. However, he also couldn't help but smile after hearing the apology from his grandma. If she only knew she was actually talking to him.

The old Kai Guo.

He appreciated the apology he never even knew he needed.

"Why are you saying sorry?" Grandma asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's all in the past now. I'm just glad he found basketball. Gave him something to hold on to. Something to keep him going. And now..."

She smiled warmly, her eyes glistening. "Now I get to see the both of you playing your own parts in the world. I am the happiest grandma in the entire world."

Before Aiden could respond, a deafening cheer erupted from the arena, making them both turn their heads in unison.

The sound was no ordinary one. They were hearing faint screams here and there, but this one made them feel like they were in the arena itself!

Aiden's eyebrows raised in inquiry.

"What the heck is happening in there?"

***

Inside the arena, the only word that could describe the situation was 'chaos.'

The German team had launched an aggressive offensive, their star forward, Bastian Reinhardt—a towering 6'8" powerhouse—leading the charge.

Germany's point guard dribbled up the court, scanning for an opening.

Bastian moved into position, his arms raised as he signaled for the ball.

He grabbed it and went for the kill. He positioned himself just in front of the three-point line, smirking as he felt the shot was his.

It seemed impossible to intercept.

Seemed.

Kai darted in, his movements lightning-fast. His feet barely touched the ground as he leaped, his hand swatting the ball mid-air before it could go into the net.

The crowd went crazy. The sound of the ball touching Kai's skin felt like individual slaps on their cheeks, and it garnered more reactions than all the other plays of the night!

"Blocked!" Gina exclaimed, her voice echoing through the speakers. "Kai Guo has just denied Germany's Bastian Reinhardt at the rim!"

"Amazing!" David added. "Bastian is one of the tallest players on the court, and Kai still managed to stop him cold!"

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The crowd roared as Kai landed gracefully, the ball already in his control.

His eyes burned with intensity, his jaw clenched as he sprinted down the court. His teammates followed suit, their movements sharper, faster, not wanting to lose to Kai, too.

Max caught up to Kai, falling into position on his left. "Man, what's gotten into you?" he huffed, barely keeping pace.

Kai didn't respond. His focus was unbreakable as he scanned the court, calculating every move.

Zheng, running ahead, glanced back and grinned. "Whatever it is, keep it up! We're not letting them catch up!"

Kai smirked, showing his first hint of emotion other than anger since the game began.

He passed the ball to Zheng, who drove into the paint before passing it back out to Max. But just as the defense shifted to cover Max, Kai appeared like a ghost, cutting through the gaps and demanding the ball.

Max didn't hesitate. The ball was in Kai's hands for barely a second before he launched a three-pointer. The crowd fell silent for a brief moment, watching the ball arc perfectly through the air.

Swish.

"Another three for Kai Guo!" Gina shouted, her voice struggling to compete with the noise. "That brings the score to 47-35. The gap is now 12 points!"