"Well, technically, I won't be here next year anymore," Dylan sighed. "But I'll be sure to be cheering you guys on the sidelines!"
Kai stayed silent after Dylan said those words.
Of course.
How could Kai think that the second-string league had different rules from the main one?
"Can't we recruit more people to the team?" Kai asked, not wanting to let the topic go.
"Technically, no," Tony smiled.
"The second-string team is comprised of people who tried out but didn't make it to the main team," he explained. "So, unless someone tries out for the main team again, we can't hold our own tryout period."
"Yeah," Sunny nodded in agreement. "Besides, anyone who tries out for the team at this period needs to be a really good player for Yuze to even consider him. So, in the end, he'll probably end up in the first-string team anyway."
Kai sighed in frustration.
"So, there's no way for us to join the league?" he asked.
Dylan, Tony, and Sunny turned to each other, taking a moment of silence to ponder upon Kai's question.
Then, they faced the tall player and ultimately said—"no."
"That's why I was trying to stop you from embarrassing yourself earlier," Dylan said.
"Or maybe you're just overly loyal to Yuze," Sunny chimed.
Dylan opened his mouth but couldn't really refute the statement.
"Aside from that, I just knew that Kai would swallow his words," Dylan said.
Kai sighed before directing his gaze to the ground.
Was that why Yuze was so confident in challenging Kai to join a league?
Dylan went beside the tall player and patted his back to comfort him.
"I get that you want to play," he started off. "But sometimes, we can't have anything we want in life."
"You're still a first-year, so you have plenty of time to play in the future!" Dylan smiled. "I've endured this for three years, so I'm sure you can do it too!"
"Besides, who knows? You might be a second-string player now but become a legendary player someday!"
Kai sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair.
"How am I even going to do that when we can't even have our own training ground?"
"Well, you have to understand that the school's facilities aren't... well-endowed. The auditorium goes to the boxing club since they're the school's most prized possession. The covered court is with the badminton and table tennis team in the morning. The open field is for the football team."
"Then, the court outside is for the volleyball and tennis team."
Kai slumped in disappointment
"However!" Sunny exclaimed, causing Kai to perk up once again.
"We do get the outside court during Tuesdays!" he said.
"So, we'll be able to train tomorrow."
Kai pursed his lips. "Just once a week?"
"Yup!" Dylan exclaimed, not finding a problem with it.
"Alright," Kai said.
Once a week was better than not having any training at all.
However, even after all of that, Kai still hadn't let go of the desire of wanting to join a league.
***
Kai sighed in frustration as he missed another shot.
[XP from own hard work will only be activated once the weekly quest is finished]
Kai tried shooting the ball once again, but it fell after swirling around the rim.
Feeling frustrated, he sighed and settled with polishing his dribbling skills instead. These were the rare moments where he got to play on a basketball court because not only did their neighborhood have a court, but he also didn't have a ball.
His first-week allowance weren't enough to buy one either.
So, he snuck into the gated neighborhood when the guard wasn't looking. Fortunately, there were stored basketballs on the side of the ring—another perk of the rich people.
Meanwhile, rich teens on their balconies watched the lone, tall teen in the middle of the court.
"That guy looks like he can't play at all," one chuckled.
Another chuckled in agreement, bringing his teacup to his lips.
"Indeed," he said.
Kai continued playing by himself, even though he probably looked stupid.
"Goodness," Kai sighed. "How long will it take for me to become a decent player?" he asked.
He felt like a baby walking with his feet for the first time. His mind wanted to execute a lot of skills, but his body wasn't following.
"League...league...league," he muttered.
The conversation with Yuze a while ago still lingered in his mind. The captain appeared like he didn't believe in Kai one bit.
Somehow, that made him more determined to prove him wrong.
Kai needed one of the official jerseys.
He ran around the ring, dribbling loudly as he made his way to the other side of the court. Then, when he reached the area just right before the free-throw line, he threw the ball high into the air.
Kai held his breath and watched as it didn't make a trajectory. Rather, it just made a straight line, and before he knew it, the ball hit the backboard, making a loud sound that would wake up the entire neighborhood.
And indeed, it did.
"Hey, you!" the security guard exclaimed as he pointed a flashlight toward Kai's way.
Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise as the guard started running toward his way.
He clicked his tongue and started running away from the guard. With his long and strong legs, he was able to escape without any problem.
The guard followed him for a few minutes, screaming for him to stop.
"Get back here!" he loudly said.
However, Kai merely ran faster until the guard was finally out of sight.
"Stingy," Kai whispered as he got out of the gate. After a few moments, the guard finally arrived at the gate, a long baton in his hand.
Kai should have run away. However, he stayed in one spot, reading a poster pasted on their pristine-looking gate.
"What are you doing?" the guard tried to approach him.
However, he quickly stopped when he realized he had stepped foot outside the compound. He recoiled like a vampire going out into the sun.
The guard couldn't leave the community at all costs!
Kai smirked when he realized this weakness.
Then, he continued reading the contents of the poster hung on the gate.
'League of the Legends!'
Kai stopped for a moment since it sounded familiar—almost like a game.
However, the thought was quickly forgotten when he read the following words.
'Basketball League—open for all players aged 15-18! Open for all teams! No minimum number of players for registration. Win exciting prizes in this two-week league!'