Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 567: The Time Concept

Marcus frowned. Now, he may admit that he has a slight, a miniscule, smaller than the tiniest speck of dust in the Earth attraction toward Ziyi, but he wouldn't let her talk down on his team once again.

He opened his mouth to retort, but before that could happen, the doors swung open again.

"Let's sit," Ziyi said to her team. They nodded and sat next to the basketball team, much to their dismay. Well, it wasn't like they had a choice anyway! They were all seated by sports.

Silence fell over the athletes as Johnny Wang made his way to the stage. Behind him was a group of older, very official-looking men and women.

They looked important, but of course, Kai and the rest of the high schoolers didn't know who they were.

Johnny went to the microphone and tapped it. At that moment, they already knew what was going to happen.

Jian groaned and nudged Jimmy's shoulder. "Tell your dad to quit it with the inspiring speeches. I feel like it's being recycled a hundred times now."

Jimmy scoffed. It was brave for Jian to think that Jimmy could say that to his dad!

"My fellow athletes," Johnny started, his eyes shining bright. "We stand on the precipice of greatness. Each one of you has been chosen not just for your skill but for your heart, your determination, and your unwavering spirit. Together, we represent the soul of this nation, the hopes of a billion people."

Kai pursed his lips. There it was—the mandatory inspiring speech.

Jimmy straightened in his chair, his back rigid with focus. Max, sitting next to him, leaned closer to Kai and muttered, "What's up with him?"

Kai shrugged.

"Daddy issues," Max guessed, making Kai stifle a laugh.

Johnny continued, oblivious to the whispering. "We are not just athletes. We are symbols. Symbols of strength, unity, and perseverance. When the world looks at us, they see the very best of China."

Kai fought the urge to groan. His mind wandered to how long the speech might last while Jimmy nodded along.

"Man," Max muttered. "He speaks like our principal."

"Quiet!" hissed Zheng, though even he looked like he was holding back a laugh.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Johnny wrapped up his monologue. "Let us not merely compete. Let us inspire. For China!"

"FOR CHINA!" Jimmy nearly shouted, startling everyone.

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose while Max tried not to laugh out loud.

With the speech over, it was time to move on to the practicalities. The team managers began distributing clothes to the athletes.

Kai held up his uniform, a tracksuit with a combination of red and gold. "Hey, these aren't bad," he said, admiring the design.

"Yeah," Jian agreed, inspecting his own. "At least we won't end up on one of those 'Worst Outfits of the Global Games' lists."

"But not the best list either," Max added, pulling at the fabric of his jacket. "It's fine. I'll live."

The atmosphere lightened as the athletes admired—or critiqued—their outfits. Then, Johnny cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to the front.

"Now," he said, "we must discuss the opening ceremony."

"As hosts of the Global Games," he continued, "it is our responsibility to put on a performance that represents the very essence of China. The theme for this year's ceremony is 'Time.'"

The athletes nodded, listening intently. Of course, they wanted to put on a good show for the rest of the world. With that, most of them were excited to learn about the main character of the ceremony.

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Usually, the most iconic athlete in the country would be the one to do the torch-lighting ceremony. However, there were way too many iconic athletes in the crowd, so it was hard to decipher who would light the torch.

"I hope it's Marcus. He's already old. He needs to be put in the spotlight," Caleb teased, earning a glare from the older player.

Johnny elaborated, "The concept revolves around honoring both the past and the future. As such, we need two athletes to light the ceremonial torch. One to represent our storied history—"

At this, everyone turned to Fernando Ching, the 45-year-old shooter whose perpetually grumpy expression made him look like he wanted to shoot more than just targets.

Fernando pursed his lips, trying to keep his smile at bay. Of course, he would be chosen! He was the oldest among all the athletes. His subordinates already turned to him and gave him a thumbs up.

He kept his facial expression serious and merely nodded.

"And the other," Johnny continued, "to represent our bright future. The youngest athlete."

Johnny pursed his lips as he knew what he was going to announce next. The concept of 'time' was something that the board had decided upon last year. However, it was different then.

It was only supposed to be the oldest player to light the torch.

However, their sponsors insisted that this ONE player needed to be in the torch-lighting ceremony. He had become more popular in the past few months, and his fame in the youth contested those mumble rappers that seemed to be a trend among that age group.

With that, Johnny had no choice.

Kai was too busy admiring the fit of his jacket to notice the change in the room's energy.

It wasn't until he felt dozens of eyes on him that he looked up.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" he muttered under his breath.

"You're not even listening," Max said, shaking his head in amusement.

Johnny smiled curtly. "Fernando Ching, the oldest player, and Kai Guo, the youngest, will do the lighting of the torch."

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise, and he looked at the young girl he found cute in the 2020 Global Games. She wasn't the youngest player?

It seemed like he said that out loud, though, as Zheng responded to him.

"She was," he said. "In 2020," he deadpanned.

"Oh," Kai muttered.

"So, I'm going to light the torch?"