Kai, Andy, Jet, and Shang looked at each other with amusent. Then, they shook their heads.
They had tasted a bit of fa back in their hotown. So locals even ca to support them at the airport! A lot of tis, they even got recognized in the streets—especially Kai. However, it was a different story here. That recognition was nowhere to be found. They were just another team among the sea of competitors.
Kai scratched the back of his head as he moved onto his desert. "I guess," he said. "Shizi High is a pretty small school," he added with a wry smile.
Before the original guy could speak, another voice chid in, drawing their attention.
"That's alright!" he said. "We're also from relatively small schools. We're from different ones, by the way," the boy, a lanky player wearing a li green uniform, grinned at them. "The two of us are first-year players from North Ningxia Academy! We ca in second this ti, although it was a far score from the winner. It's our first ti here.
My na's Jiali!"
"Ah, that's why they're full of energy," Jet muttered. "First-year players."
The introduction seed to open the floodgates, and soon, the other group began to introduce themselves.
Three players, their uniforms bearing the sign of Heilongjiang's Harbin Prep School, joined in on the conversation.
"I've heard of you guys!" one of them said. His eyes were sparkling, and it was clear that he was very excited to have made it to the Nationals. "We ca from Heilongjiang—Harbin Prep School. It's a private one, and it often gets mistaken for Harbin High. However, we're different. They were the ones who won while we got second place!"
"Heilongjiang?" Andy asked. "You guys are just right above us on the map."
"We are!" he exclaid. "That's why we've heard of the tournant in your place. We heard it was pretty fun. My na's Anjing, by the way."
Jet managed a polite smile. "Oh, thanks," he said. "What exactly did you guys hear?" he asked, wanting to know if they had heard of Shizi High's unexpected domination.
Another player, the one behind Anjing, jumped in with a teasing grin. "That the Yin Yang Knights dominated once again! Was it fun getting beaten by the Yin Yang Knights? They're the most famous team in our part of the country!"
The Shizi Dogs chuckled weakly, not liking where the conversation was going.
It seed like even if they had co close to obtaining victory, others would still only hear about the winner in the end.
Before Andy could respond, the remaining four players who hadn't introduced themselves chid in. They were wearing violet uniforms, and they seed to have the most confident aura on the table.
"We're from Fujian, Faith Academy!" one of them announced proudly. "We're also the first-year players of our school. We managed to get first place! In fact, our school has done this for two years."
"Wow!" the others, except the Shizi Dogs, leaned in, clearly impressed. The player from Faith Academy continued with a boastful grin. "Our seniors are really good. My na's Dingbang, and I sotis play as a starter with Hong," he said, gesturing to the small guy sitting beside him.
"You can ask us questions!" Dingbang added, his tone princely as if he were doing them a favor.
Jiali, the player from North Ningxia, raised his hand. "How does it feel to be in the Nationals? You guys made it here before, as you said."
Dingbang shrugged, trying to downplay the excitent in his voice. "Well, we're all first-years," he began, "but it's nice because we're well-known in our city."
The others sighed in envy, exchanging glances. "We're jealous!" Jiali exclaid, causing the Fujian players to smile even wider.
"It's just unlucky that we're in the last bracket," Hong added, sighing in disappointnt.
The Shizi Dogs glanced at each other. Well, it seed they were in the sa bracket.
"Oof," the players around the table exclaid in unison, wincing at the thought. Being in the last bracket ant facing the toughest teams right from the start.
Jiali perked up, feeling better about their situation. "Ningxia is in the first bracket, so we're happy since there are a lot of other teams we could beat."
Anjing nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. "We're in the second bracket. I hope we can make it into the top four!"
Then, all eyes turned to the Shizi Dogs, who were still eating.
"What about you? What bracket are you guys in?" Jiali asked, looking directly at Kai.
Kai swallowed the last bite of his food before answering, sounding nonchalant. "The last," he said.
Another collective "oof" was heard around the table, and the first-year players from Fujian exchanged knowing looks, their smiles widening.
"You ca second, too, right? The Yin Yang Knights won," Hong said, addressing the Shizi Dogs.
Kai and his teammates nodded in unison.
"Ah, finally, we have a team we could beat in our bracket," Dingbang teased, his voice light but with a tone of arrogance. "Kidding!"
Kai forced a smile, his lips pressed into a thin line. He was getting annoyed by this dickbag. It even sounded like his na. However, he knew better than to show his frustration. Instead, he simply nodded and let the comnt slide.
"By the way, you're very handso, brother," Jiali added, showing Kai a thumbs up.
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Kai blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the complint. "Thanks," he replied, his voice a bit awkward. He could feel the eyes of his teammates on him, their gazes filled with teasing amusent.
"Well," Dingbang continued, changing the subject, "we actually talked a while back. There's a court not far from here."
"Oh, yeah!" Anjing exclaid. "We were talking about that before you guys ca. The players from Faith wanted to orient us on the Nationals and have a friendly ga," he excitedly explained.
"That's right," Dingbang said with a sly smile. "It's a rare opportunity to play against the winners of Fujian."
"So, do you guys want to co?" he asked, his eyes flicking between Kai and his teammates.
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