Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Coach Xu Wei was in the reception area, phone in hand and a cup of tea in the other. He placed the cup of tea down and grabbed his glasses before memorizing the number that Ashley had sent.

He dialed the number. It was a call to Kai's Grandmother, Bingbing. After the accident, it was his responsibility to ensure everyone involved was updated.

He waited patiently as the line rang. Then, a stern voice answered.

"Hello, who is this?" she asked.

Coach Xu Wei cleared his throat. "Good morning, ma'am. This is Coach Xu Wei, the coach of the Chinese team for the Global Games."

He heard utensils clanging before the woman responded once more, sounding much friendlier this time.

"Ah, yes," she said. "I know of you. I've watched every game. Is something the matter, coach? Is my grandson behaving well?"

He cleared his throat. "He's doing great, better than everyone has expected," he responded. She sighed in relief.

"However, he ran into a little bit of an accident tonight."

"An accident?" she loudly exclaimed. Coach Xu Wei had to retreat his phone a few centimers back with how loud her voice was.

She then cleared her throat. "Sorry about that. I was just shocked. An accident, you said?"

"Yes," he responded. "Like I said earlier, it was a small one."

Her voice was still tense as she asked, "Is he okay? What happened?"

"He's fine now," Xu Wei assured her quickly. "It was a traffic accident. Kai and another boy ran across the sidewalk while the pedestrian light was red. A driver wasn't paying attention, and there was a collision."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "Oh, my goodness. Is he hurt?"

"No injuries at all. The doctor said he had a body that was as solid as a rock," Xu Wei said. "He's at the hospital for observation, but the doctor said he'll be fine. He and the other boy will both be discharged tomorrow."

Grandma Bingbing let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank heavens. Poor boy. What's the other boy's name?"

Xu Wei glanced at his notes. "Kaiden Tian."

For a moment, there was silence on the line. Then he heard a strange noise—short, panicked breaths.

"Ma'am Guo? Are you okay?"

She didn't answer. He could still hear her hyperventilating.

"Do you need help?" Xu Wei asked, his voice tinged with concern. Oh goodness. Was the old woman having a heart attack?"

"Can you...can you say that name again?"

"Kaiden Tian," Xu Wei repeated slowly.

The line was silent again. Then, in a strained voice, Bingbing asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Xu Wei replied, more confused than ever. "Is something wrong?"

But the call abruptly ended. Xu Wei stared at his phone, his frown deepening.

"What a strange family," he muttered, setting the phone down. "Looks like it really runs in the blood."

He stood, deciding it was time to check on Kai and the other boy.

Their room was only a short walk away, and he wanted to ensure his player was resting properly.

When he entered the hospital room, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Kai—his star player, the team's shining hope—was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning suspiciously close to the other boy. And then, unmistakably, Kai leaned in to try and kiss him while the other struggled to push him away.

"What the heck?" Xu Wei exclaimed, his voice echoing in the room.

Kai and Aiden sprang apart like guilty children caught sneaking cookies before dinner.

"We're not doing anything!" Kai blurted out, his face redder than a basketball.

"I'm all for everything—love is love," Xu Wei said, raising his hands defensively. "But I heard you have a girlfriend," he said, pointing to Aiden.

"It's not like that!" Kai shouted, scrambling for an explanation.

Xu Wei held up a hand to stop him. "Why are you the one answering for him?" he chuckled, finding the situation amusing.

"Well, anyway, I don't need the details. Whatever's going on here is your business." He turned toward the door, shaking his head. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Try to get some rest."

Once Coach Xu Wei was gone, the room fell into an awkward silence. Kai buried his face in his hands, groaning loudly.

"This is a disaster," he muttered. "Why would you try to kiss me?"

Aiden sat cross-legged on the bed, looking far too amused for someone in the same predicament. "It could've been worse. At least he didn't hear you confess your undying love for me."

Kai shot him a glare. "That's not funny."

Aiden grinned. "A little funny."

Kai threw a pillow at him. "We need to figure this out. What are we going to do now?"

Aiden caught the pillow, tossing it aside. "We've already tried bumping heads. Didn't work."

"Praying didn't work either," Kai said, squeezing the pillow for dear life.

Aiden shook his head. "Well, you didn't want to kiss me, so we will never know if that would work."

Kai massaged the bridge of his nose. "Aiden, please. This is serious! I have training tomorrow."

Aiden sighed. "Why don't we just tell your teammates about it? That would explain your sudden regression in skills."

Kai clicked his tongue. "No," he deadpanned. "We can't tell anyone about this—especially not my team. It'll rattle them, and they won't believe it anyway. What are we going to say? We both switched souls last year, and now we've switched back! That is a trip to the psychiatric ward."

"So what's the plan?" Aiden asked, folding his arms. "I'm already running out of ideas."

Kai sighed, slumping into the bed. "Then, we don't have a choice. Until we figure out what's happening, we have to live each other's lives."

"Thank goodness it's the weekend, so I don't have to go to your school," he added.

Aiden laughed. "Me? Play basketball? You're really out of your mind!"

"Well, do you have any other ideas?" Kai snapped. "Until we figure out how to fix this, we're stuck."

Aiden smirked. "You guys are going to lose."

Just then, a determined glint shone in Kai's eyes, making Aiden freeze. Kai turned to Aiden and clenched his fists together.

"Then, I'll train you. That is my body. It must remember even when the mind is unstable."