I Get Stronger When Called Up - Chapter 4

Several of the school’s basketball courts are being renovated, and some areas are temporarily closed. There aren’t many open courts left. Fortunately, Fang Qimai arrived early and secured one.

“Quick! Pass it to Qimai!”
“Ding! You have been called by your teammate Xiong Peng, Reward: Ball Control Quick Stop skill].

“Well done, Qimai! Another basket!”
“Ding! You have been called by your teammate Luo Tongyi, Reward: Fake Quick Stop Jump Shot skill!】.

“Damn it! Guard Fang Qimai! This guy is really good at driving to the basket!”
“Three people need to guard Class 10’s Fang Qimai! Don’t let him get through!”
“Ah, crap! Fang Qimai just dunked on us! Great, I’m impressed!”
“Ding! You have been summoned by opponent Zhang Xuepeng, unlock Physique: Biceps Enhancement (Permanent)!】 You have been challenged by opponent Li Xihua, Reward: Flying Dunk Skill!

…

After a few games like this, Fang Qimai was called out by teammates and opponents alike for his outstanding performance, and he became stronger with each match. He gained six basketball-related skills, and his biceps grew permanently. This system is really something.

…

“Hey, the school team needs to clear the court, you all go play somewhere else!”

At that moment, a group of people suddenly arrived. They were all dressed in basketball uniforms and were tall and strong. The leader of the group was someone Fang Qimai recognised. It was his classmate, Jiang Zejian. In middle school, he had been a bully, arrogant and domineering, and no one dared to provoke him. This behaviour continued now; he was loud and aggressive, always looking for trouble. At the same time, he was one of the few art students in the class with some talent for painting. Although he was not academically inclined, as long as he could meet the standards in cultural subjects, the teachers did not pay much attention to him. He was also a member of the school basketball team. Behind him was a group of first-year students who were also members of the school team. Seeing the situation, Fang Qimai’s companions began to panic: “Let’s go, let’s go, the school team is here.”
“Brother Jian is coming… should we go back?”
“I’m going back to take a nap.”
Fang Qimai knew that Jiang Zejian was showing off again.
The few people who had just played basketball together were getting ready to leave.
Fang Qimai remained unperturbed and continued to shoot hoops.
“Hey, hey, did you hear? We are the school team!” Jiang Zejian said again.
Fang Qimai replied, “So what?”
“So hurry up and get out of here! We want this court!”
“I claimed this court with my own ability, why should I give it to you?”
“You…”
Jiang Zejian was taken aback; usually, his words carried weight.
Whenever he asked for the court, everyone in the school would usually obey him.
Especially in front of these freshmen, he had to maintain his image.
Why was Fang Qimai so arrogant today?
“Confusion score of Jiang Zejian: +2”
On the sidelines, the classmates who had just played basketball with Fang Qimai, both from his class and the class next door, were all stunned after hearing what he said.
Fang Qimai was too bold, daring to take on Jiang Zejian?
Who in Second High didn’t know what kind of person Jiang Zejian was?
Fang Qimai might be in for a rough time.
“Damn it! Fang Qimai, don’t agree to drink and then force down shots!”
“Ding! You have been called by art student Jiang Zejian, Reward: ‘Art Appreciation Master (Painting)’!】.
Art Appreciation in Painting?I thought I could learn some basketball skills from Jiang Zejian, but it turned out to be related to art. It’s probably because Jiang Zejian is an art exam candidate; it seems that the rewards from this system are quite comprehensive. It randomly selects something related to the person who called as a reward.

Although this thing seems useless, it never hurts to have more skills. Besides, I had already learned enough basketball skills after that game.

…

Jiang Zejian folded his arms and said, “You bunch of losers think you deserve to play on our school team’s court? Hurry up and get lost!”

The basketball team members chimed in. “Seniors, with your level, you should really think twice before embarrassing yourselves out here.”

“Go practice dribbling on the side! Your dribbling stance isn’t even standard, haha!”

“Hahaha! Exactly!”

In the face of the basketball team’s ridicule, the few students from the neighbouring class quietly slipped away.

A few classmates stepped forward and whispered, “Qimai, let’s go. Don’t provoke Brother Jian.”

“Yes, they’re the school team, we can’t afford to mess with them.”

Fang Qimai replied, “So just because they are the school team, they can act without restraint and remove others from the court?”

“You…”

“Confusion score from Jiang Zejian: +3”

“Just because we are the school team! We can play well!”

Fang Qimai laughed, “If you’re so good, how come you didn’t get an exemption and had to become an art student instead?”

“Damn!”

Fang Qimai’s words made Jiang Zejian angry. The other classmates were also stunned; no one had ever dared to speak to Jiang Zejian like that.

Jiang Zejian was deeply humiliated. With so many people around him and the juniors watching, if this got out, where would Jiang Zejian’s face be?

“All right, Fang Qimai! I see you’ve got guts!”

Jiang Zejian pointed at Fang Qimai and said, “Come on! Let’s have a fight! We’ll send out five people, and you send out five! The losers will give their ball to the other side and roll out of the basketball court!” “Watch out, it’s rolling out!”

Just then, Fang Qimai thought of trying out the system’s rewards for these basketball skills. He hadn’t been able to show off his skills before. Now that the opponent was the school team, he should be able to enjoy the game a bit more.

“Alright.”

At that moment, a classmate said, “But we only have four people left.”

“And our opponent is Brother Jian. Whether we win or lose, we’ll be insulting him. I don’t want to join.”

“I won’t join either…”

“Besides, playing against the school team is like asking for death, right?”

“Yes! It’s a definite loss!”

Jiang Zejian said, “Hey, don’t say I’m bullying you. You can all go to court; I won’t hold you responsible. You only have four people, so I won’t take advantage of you. We’ll send four as well. The main thing is that you leave this basketball court convinced!

…

The rules were set: half court, and the first team to score eight points wins. Jiang Zejian chose three members of the school team, and the four of them huddled together to discuss tactics.

However, Fang Qimai’s team had no idea what they were doing. The opposing team members all had an average height of nearly 1.9 metres. On Fang’s side, they were just playing around; Fang Qimai was 1.86 metres tall, two others were over 1.7, and one was even under 1.7.

As for tactics, there were none. It was clear that they were preparing for a beating. But Fang Qimai didn’t care. With all his basketball skills, he wasn’t the least bit worried. Taking on four opponents was no problem – what was there to be afraid of?

…

Soon, the match began. Jiang Zejian initiated the ball, and the others passed it around the perimeter; from their perspective, their opponents’ weaknesses were glaringly obvious, their defences sparse, and every position a potential breakthrough point. The ball landed in Jiang Zejian’s hands, and as he dribbled it, a confident smile spread across his face. Suddenly, he began to move forward. At that moment, Fang Qimai’s teammates were all nervous. Mentally, they had already lost half the battle. How could they defend themselves against the school team’s attack?