Nina sighed as soon as the first half of the ga was finished.
Rolan turned to her with a smirk. "How is it? They're good, right?"
Nina nodded, not even bothering to deny it. "This is more intense than all the college-level gas I've attended."
Rolan nodded. "It kind of sucks that this is their last ga. But, if they go to the Nationals, we might be chosen to accompany them, too."
The atmosphere on the Shizi Dogs' bench was thick with tension.
Kai sat at the end, a towel draped over his shoulders, staring out at the court.
There was a sense of unease among the players—an unspoken acknowledgnt that sothing was off. However, they couldn't point out what was truly wrong.
The gap was still doable since there were two quarters left, but for so reason, they felt an impending doom.
"We can still do these guys," Kun said. He was usually the player who cheered them up during monts like this, but even then, he was quieter than usual.
He clapped his hands to his teammates on the floor, but there was a noticeable lack of conviction in his voice. Coach Muchen noticed and walked over, crouching down beside him.
"Kun, do you want to go in?" he asked, his voice gentle but firm.
Kun looked up, his expression conflicted. He shook his head slowly. "I can't do it, Coach. I'm not ready for this."
Jet, sitting next to Kun, sighed heavily. He had been watching Kun struggle with his confidence for the past week.
"Bro, where did your thick face go? You've been on edge since the ga with the Foxes."
Kun smiled, a bittersweet expression on his face. "It's just the way it is. So players are ant to play in the finals, and so of us are better off on the sidelines."
He said it like there was nothing wrong, but everyone on the bench worried for him.
Yuze shook his head with a small frown. "But this is our last year. This has been your dream, too."
Kun's smile faded, replaced by a look of resignation. "And the dream of being champions in our last year will shatter once you put in. Forget about it, guys. The person who needs to go in is Kai."
While they spoke, Kai was lost in thought, his eyes glued to the court.
He recalled how he felt while playing with Max Zhou.
Since the Winter Cup, it had been his goal to be able to play with him.
And now, here he was.
He definitely had so similarities with Chunlei. However, while Chunlei felt like a strong cup of coffee that woke you right up, Max felt like a sweet cup of matcha that stayed in your system throughout the day.
Max was smiling with every shot he made.
It wasn't arrogance. It was a joy.
Kai could see it clearly now. Max loved the struggle.
The half-ti clock ticked down, and the team continued their conversation. The tension continued to increase, and it seed like no one had a clear answer. Then, Kai stood up, halting their discussion.
"Why don't you want to play this ga?" Yuze asked, wanting an answer from Kun.
Kun scratched the back of his head. "I just think that I shouldn't enter a crucial ga like this."
"Moreover, you guys already have a good line-up. Kai can compete with Max, too. I think he's the one who can't leave the line-up."
Kai appeared serious as he cleared his throat.
"Take off for the third quarter," Kai said, his voice calm but commanding.
"What?" Lina exclaid, turning to Kai with wide eyes.
She was perplexed! Kai loved playing so much that he was the one who usually forced them to make him play.
Now, he was asking to abstain from the third quarter?
The boys turned to him with confusion.
Jet was the first to speak up. "What do you an? If we want to beat Max, then we need you in the team. You're the closest to ever co to his level."
Kai looked at each of them, his gaze steady. "Do you trust ?"
There was a mont of silence.
At that point, the team knew that Kai was their best player.
Even Yuze, having the title for so long, acknowledged his improvent. There were tis when he couldn't keep up with the young player. Aside from that, he had proven himself to not only be physically competent but to also have intellectual power.
However, he has been their greatest scorer throughout the season, and the thought of him sitting out seed unthinkable.
Kai repeated, "Do you trust ?"
There were murmurs of agreent, though they were reluctant.
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"What are you planning?" Yuze asked.
A small smile appeared on Kai's lips before answering vaguely.
"Then take off the third quarter," Kai said firmly. "We need a different approach. Max is playing like he's having the ti of his life out there."
"You can't fix what's not broken," Kai quoted.
"However, there's clearly sothing wrong here—although we're still not sure what it truly is. If we keep trying to match him head-on, we'll burn out. So, we need to change the rhythm."
"And the solution to that is to take you off the team?" Lina asked.
"Exactly," Kai nodded. "There's sothing I want to test. If my hypothesis is right, then I'm sure that you guys will understand soon enough, too."
Coach Muchen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He knew Kai wasn't one to make rash decisions. The others also felt that there was sothing deeper going on in Kai's brain.
With that, Coach Muchen nodded slowly. "Alright, Kai. If that's what you think is best."
Kun looked down, his hands clasped tightly. Jet stared at Kai, still unsure but willing to trust his judgnt. Yuze's expression was hard to read, but he didn't complain further.
As the third quarter began, Kai took a seat on the bench, watching intently. He knew this decision was risky, but he also knew it was necessary.
"Let's see," Kai muttered.
anwhile, Chunlei frowned when he saw Kai sitting on the bench.
"What is he doing there?" he muttered.
"Why?" Yiming asked. "He's been playing for the past two quarters. It's ti for him to rest."
"No," Chunlei shook his head. "There's sothing going on inside his brain right now."
Yiming waited as Chunlei struggled to co up with a conclusion.
"Perhaps…did he figure it out so quickly?"
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