Problematic Child

Link had been feeling down all day because the amusement park event turned out to be far more boring than he'd imagined.

Aside from running into a fan who recognized him at the entrance, Link discovered that ninety percent of the people in the park had no idea who he was at all.

The reason this crowd was so eager to challenge him wasn't because he was a professional player—it was because the reward for winning was tempting enough: a five-foot-tall plush toy and a month-long park pass.

But since he'd already taken the money, Link could only grit his teeth and endure. And so he spent a dull afternoon. The only thing he did the entire time was play arcade basketball machines with middle-aged men and kids.

It felt terrible. Link felt like a clown—except instead of juggling or comedy, his act was shooting hoops in front of people.

Two hours later, he'd finally made it to the last challenger slot, the moment he could take the money and leave. But when the final challenger stepped forward, Link suddenly found himself interested in the event.

Not because he'd gotten into the swing of things, but because the girl walking toward him looked very familiar.

Yet when he searched his mind—a brain carrying memories from two lives—he found that the old Link didn't know this girl either.

"Miss, may I ask your name?"

Just as Link was spacing out, the host spoke up.

"Rachel. DeMita."

The girl grabbed the basketball eagerly and said her name.

"Rachel. DeMita..." Link scratched his head, and suddenly it all clicked!

The young woman in front of him was none other than the future host of NBA 2KTV, and one of the most beloved basketball goddesses among the younger generation of fans—Rachel DeMita!

The moment he recognized Rachel, Link almost rushed over to ask for her autograph. But luckily, reason won out over impulse.

Right now, Rachel hadn't yet entered the basketball world. She wasn't famous—just an ordinary college student. A professional player asking a college student for an autograph would be hard to justify.

"Are you really a pro player? I've never seen you on the Thunder roster." Before the shooting even started, Rachel, standing next to Link, asked bluntly.

"I don't play for the Thunder. To be precise, I don't play in the NBA. I play for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League." Link nodded, a little nervous.

Having the "goddess" he'd always admired standing right in front of him—any guy would be a bit tense.

"I see. I thought you might be a fake. But don't let your guard down—you might not beat me."

Rachel smiled, and then the host announced the start of the game.

The first few shots went smoothly for both of them. Even though the arcade machine's height was completely different from a regulation basketball hoop, both had great touch, and adjusting to the rim height was no challenge.

Link was amazed by Rachel's performance. He'd only known her as a basketball show host before, not that she could actually play this well.

In reality, Rachel had been a fierce women's basketball player in high school. Four-time top-65 player in Ohio, a member of the 2005 AAU Junior All-American championship team, the 2007 Medina County three-point champion...

If not for injuries, Rachel would have been playing NCAA ball right now. But unfortunately, she'd given up basketball long ago.

That brief distraction caused Link to miss two shots in a row—a rare occurrence.

And those two misses ultimately cost him the game, 13 to 14.

The future NBA 2K goddess, Rachel DeMita, became the first visitor to successfully complete the challenge today!

"Oh my god, she actually did it! This young lady is the first person to succeed today! Congratulations to her—she's won our event prize: a giant plush toy and a one-month park pass!"

The host raised Rachel's hand high, while Link clapped reluctantly off to the side.

But judging by the host's exaggerated expression, he probably thought Link had thrown the match on purpose. After all, setting up a challenge with no one winning at all wouldn't look great either.

That only made Link feel more helpless. He hadn't meant to let up at all...

"Alright, young lady, now take your prize and get a photo with Link! Don't worry, the photo is free."

The two came together, and Link got his first close-up look at Rachel's face.

Rachel wasn't wearing much makeup today, so she had a pure, fresh beauty—like an ordinary girl next door who somehow always lingered in your thoughts.

"You said you play in the G League—is that true?"

Rachel suddenly turned to talk to him, startling Link into quickly looking away from her face.

"Yeah... the Oklahoma City Blue. Have you ever watched the Blue play?" Link hurriedly changed the subject.

"Honestly, today's the first time I've even known Oklahoma had a G League team. But if you're really a pro player, that means you still have a shot at the NBA, right?"

"Right. The G League is the closest path to the NBA."

"Hmm," Rachel nodded thoughtfully. "I hope your basketball career goes well from here, Link."

As someone who'd been forced to give up what she loved, she sincerely wished every basketball player could make their dreams come true.

After the photo, the girl walked away with lively steps, carrying a giant plush toy.

"Good haul today, Link. Look—just over an hour, and five thousand dollars in the bag!"

Manager Carl Jones walked over from beside the park staff, holding a thick stack of green cash.

He handed four thousand to Link and pocketed the remaining thousand for himself. Even with a twenty percent cut, the money Link kept was more than enough for him.

"Yeah, a great haul today..." Link said with a faint smile. The "haul" he meant wasn't just the money...

※※※

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants were one of the G League's more "established" teams. Founded in 2007, the Mad Ants had always been based in Indiana, never relocating.

For a small G League team not affiliated with any NBA franchise to survive this long was no small feat.

Although the Mad Ants have a "long" history, their accolades are pitifully few. In three years of playing in the G League, their best result was merely experiencing the playoffs.

Mad Ants head coach Steve Gansey found this very headache-inducing. He needed players with greater ability, like some sent down from the NBA.

This year, the Mad Ants and the Pacers reached a preliminary cooperation agreement. Although the Mad Ants still weren't affiliated with the Pacers, whenever the Pacers had a player to send down, their first choice would be to "dump" him on the Mad Ants.

This should have been good news for the Mad Ants, but Steve Gansey couldn't be happy at all.

Because the player about to join his team was simply too difficult to manage.

In just a few short months with the Pacers, he had already caused trouble repeatedly. Speeding tickets, arriving late to practice, talking back to the coach—these things happened to him all the time.

Because of this, people called him a "problem child." Steve Gansey agreed; he didn't think he could rein in a wild horse.

This time, the guy was sent down for throwing a tantrum in the locker room. A rookie who dared to lose his temper in an NBA locker room—Steve Gansey didn't know if he could withstand the "torment."

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Just as Gansey was at his wit's end, a knock came at his office door.

"Come... come in," Gansey stammered in reply. He knew his "big gift" had arrived.

Sure enough, the door to Gansey's office swung open, revealing a tall black man. He wore a simple white T-shirt and a headwrap, looking for all the world like a street gang member.

"Coach Gansey, didn't think we'd meet again so soon! Don't worry, with me around the day after tomorrow, we won't lose! Don't sweat that guy who dropped a triple-double last game—I'll handle him! This time I got sent down, I don't want to lose any more games."

This player, called a "problem child" and named Lance Stephenson, seemed to already have Link on his mind quite a bit...