"What?" the five players exclaimed in shock, their eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
Kai nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah. It's not like we have anything better to do."
Dylan raised his hand. "Just so you know, I attend math academies, a ballet class, and a cooking class after school," he pointed out.
Kai shook his head in disbelief. No wonder he was horrible at basketball!
"Don't worry. This one's conveniently scheduled during the weekends, and it's going to happen in a span of two weeks."
"That's honestly not the problem," Tony absent-mindedly chuckled. "The problem is—you registered our team name without our consent?"
"Yes," Kai said.
"And without the school's consent?" Dylan inquired.
"Yes," Kai repeated.
"I don't see the problem," Kai smirked. "The school probably doesn't even care about the basketball team's endeavors."
Mingze turned to Alen to whisper in his ears. "Is that even legal?"
"Is it even possible for a mere player to register the team?" Dylan asked, still in disbelief at the situation. "Didn't they ask you about the other team members?"
"They did. But when I didn't respond for a while, they told me it was alright. Actually, they said that the slots were all filled since the league was going to start quite soon."
"You probably scared them to death," Alen pointed out. However, when Kai gazed at him, he quickly zipped his mouth shut.
"Well, I wasn't asking you. I was informing you, guys. The first game is on Saturday," he said.
The five second-string players thought that the situation couldn't get more ridiculous.
However, it just did.
"This Saturday?" Dylan asked. "You mean, three days from today?"
"Yes," Kai nodded. "I'm going to talk with Yuze after this so I can ask for our jerseys."
"Wait, wait, wait," Dylan said. "Everything's moving so fast. We just finished our training, and now, you're telling me that we have to join a league?"
"We haven't joined a league before," Tony said, pacing back and forth in nervousness. "I hope you're aware of that."
"I haven't either," Mingze said, feeling nervous. "The tryout game was actually my first game ever."
Kai sighed and observed the weary looks on their faces. As they continued questioning their worth as basketball players, the sense of unease in the air only continued to increase.
Kai already expected them to be hesitant, but he didn't expect them to be so doubtful.
"Listen, guys," Kai began, his voice soft yet filled with conviction.
"I know the idea of joining a league is intimidating. It's stepping into the unknown—and the unknown is scary."
"However, this is also an opportunity to push ourselves, test our limits, and discover what we're truly capable of," he continued, feeling like he was saying those words to himself rather than to his teammates.
He paused, his gaze lingering longer on the older members. "I know that you've spent so long playing it safe and sticking to what you're comfortable with."
'I did, too,' he thought.
"But ultimately, our growth is hindered in our comfort zones. We can grow more when we face our challenges and confront our uncertainties head-on."
"I'm really not sure about this," Dylan said, still a bit hesitant.
Kai sighed deeply.
"Sure, there will be setbacks. I'm sure there will be more moments when we doubt ourselves and wonder if we're good enough. But those moments—they're just stepping stones on the path to greatness. They're the moments that define us, that shape us into players—and the people we're meant to be."
Silence hung in the air after Kai said his words. However, it was quickly broken with Alen's utterance.
"You told me he was stupid," he whispered to Mingze.
"He is," Mingze whispered back, recalling Kai's interactions with Sir Dao.
Nonetheless, the Kai who spoke just now was very eloquent. Moreover, he had the convincing power that the team needed in order to change their minds.
Dylan narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the first-year student. Looking at him now, he still looked pretty calm, making him even harder to read.
'What a strange kid,' Dylan thought.
Sunny and Tony glanced at each other, suddenly feeling fired up.
"Well, I do want to play with other players, too. For the past two years, it has only been us," Tony bitterly chuckled.
"Yeah," Sunny scratched the back of his head. "Maybe it wouldn't be too bad? It's not even an official league. Besides, maybe the prizes would be worth it!"
Alen inspected the poster and nodded in satisfaction. "It's also going to happen in that gated neighborhood. The prizes will surely be expensive!"
"What's with the name, though?" Mingze muttered. "Battle of the Handsome Balls?"
Sunny chuckled as he read the title once more.
"Well, I am pretty handsome, so I guess the shoe fits."
"You look like a chewed-up piece of gun," Tony retorted.
Kai shook his head at Tony's ridiculous statement.
"I guess I'm in," Mingze said, finally making up his mind.
With the four players' consensus, there was still one person they had to convince.
"Dylan, come on," Tony said, nudging his shoulder. "We can't possibly play without our captain!"
Dylan pursed his lips, secretly finding it nice being referred to as their captain.
Kai sighed as the team captain didn't budge. So, he walked to where he was and gazed into his eyes sincerely.
Dylan's face became pale, and he found himself gulping in nervousness. He saw Kai's clenched fists and subconsciously stepped back.
A shiver ran down his spine as he was met with Kai's cold gaze. It was only then that he was reminded they were in the presence of a notorious troublemaker.
So, not wanting to get beat up, he finally nodded.
"Fine," Dylan caved in.
"Let's do this."