Kobe was a proud and prickly man.

But being proud and prickly was useless.

Cats are proud and prickly, too.

But when their owner brings out a laser pointer, they can’t stay calm.

Su Xi’s laser pointer was, "Come on. One-on-one."

Kobe couldn’t refuse a one-on-one, just as a cat can’t refuse fish, a dog can’t refuse meat, and Ultraman can’t refuse a monster to fight.

Previously, when Su Xi played against Kobe, he had always taken a defensive stance, letting Kobe attack. He did this because he wanted to fuse his own talents.

But now, Su Xi’s need to integrate skills surpassed his need to develop talent.

So he asked Kobe to defend him.

And he told Kobe forcefully, "I want to give you a few pointers on your offense."

Su Xi was being sarcastic and provocative, but it just so happened that this was Kobe’s weakness. It was like brine setting tofu—there’s always something to keep another thing in check.

If O’Neal had said something like that, a fight would have probably broken out.

But when Su Xi said it, Kobe thought, ’Alright, bring it on, you stupid groundhog. Let me kick your ass black and blue.’

And so, the two began their one-on-one.

Kobe on defense, Su Xi on offense.

Su Xi started off with Kobe’s signature set of jab steps. Kobe frowned; Su Xi’s every move made him feel like he was looking in a mirror.

’This motherfucker... he must have been studying my tapes non-stop. And he says he doesn’t worship me? Is there any clearer proof of worship than this?’

Kobe’s defense was highly targeted because he knew exactly what Su Xi’s next move would be.

It was as if they had been taught by the same master.

He couldn’t find a way through.

So, Kobe’s defense was suffocating and fierce.

Airtight.

However, Su Xi still found some space to get a shot off. Even though the skills were Kobe’s, Su Xi... had more strength than Kobe, longer arms than Kobe, and bigger hands than Kobe... These advantages gave Su Xi better and more relaxed shooting windows.

Most importantly, Su Xi had copied Larry Bird’s Super Spatial Sense talent and had already fully fused with it. This was an acquired talent that didn’t have high physical compatibility requirements.

Facing Kobe’s overwhelming defense, Su Xi managed to get the shot off... CLANG!

A brick.

Kobe was happy, but he was also surprised. Although Su Xi’s technical moves weren’t yet polished and the transitions were disjointed, he was shocked that Su Xi could still seize the only sliver of space to get the ball off so smoothly.

But, it didn’t go in.

Even though it missed, Su Xi was happy. Because under the intense defense of the original master, Kobe, Su Xi’s Super Offensive Talent had fused upwards by another point.

"You almost stopped me, Kobe," Su Xi started trash-talking the Little Flying Hero.

Kobe was completely stunned. He stared wide-eyed at Su Xi, a sense of absurd unreality washing over him. ’Is it you who’s crazy, or am I? You’re clanking bricks left and right, so what the hell are you acting so smug about?’

’Besides, you clearly stole this offensive combo from me, so why are you spouting Jordan’s trash talk?’

"Your shamelessness has the flair of an old-school rogue. But no matter how many of my moves you steal, you still can’t score on me," Kobe told Su Xi.

"But no matter how hard you try, you can’t stop me from shooting. Even when you know exactly what move I’m using." Su Xi stared at Kobe, taunting him, "If you’re so great, then stop me from even getting a shot off!"

Su Xi’s challenge was basically the equivalent of throwing a cat into a litter box and telling it, "I dare you to not piss in here."

Could Kobe tolerate that?

He absolutely could not.

Su Xi continued his one-on-one, and Kobe continued to defend.

Just as Kobe had noted, Su Xi’s skills and experience were all copied from Kobe himself—from an Acquired Super Offensive Talent that was the culmination of over a decade of relentless practice and had only just been activated.

Kobe knew Su Xi’s next move all too well.

His defense was incredibly targeted, so airtight you couldn’t splash water through it. But Su Xi could still get the shot off!

It was like Kobe Bryant had put ten condoms on Su Xi, but Su Xi still managed to get him all over his hand.

The more they played, the more fired up Kobe got. He refused to believe it was impossible. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

At the same time, a flicker of admiration for Su Xi grew in his heart. ’To be able to learn my skills to this level just by copying them is truly impressive. This kid’s talent for learning far surpasses mine back in the day. If I ever start a ’School of Kobe,’ I’ll definitely make him my top disciple.’

Their time was limited.

The two of them played for 40 minutes.

Su Xi took 21 shots and made 6, with zero blocks from Kobe.

Su Xi could always find an opportunity, even when Kobe was practically in negative-distance contact defense with him. It still wasn’t enough.

It was so damn freaky.

If the staff hadn’t come to clear the court, Kobe would have wanted to keep playing one-on-one with Su Xi forever.

Who wouldn’t want to battle their own shadow?

On offense, Su Xi was like his shadow.

And as they went on, the guy clearly became more comfortable, his technical movements and transitions smoother than at the start.

It just went to show why Kobe was the top of the four great shooting guards—his intuition was on another level. His perception was sharper than the other three. Su Xi had indeed evolved. Catalyzed by the powerful defense of the original master, Kobe, Su Xi’s Super Offensive Talent had climbed all the way from 74 to 79.

It had increased by 5 points in 40 minutes.

How awesome is that?

This was the perfect remedy.

However, towards the end, Su Xi clearly felt the super talent within him become less active. It seemed he had developed a resistance; the "antibiotic" that was Kobe might not have much "improvement" value left.

Thinking of this, Su Xi couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

"You just have longer arms and bigger hands. When it comes to skill and shooting, you’re miles behind me."

Kobe said to Su Xi, panting, as they finished their one-on-one.

He hadn’t warmed up and was still wearing his track jacket. He hadn’t done any physical training recently, spending all his time in court for his lawsuit.

Going one-on-one with Su Xi like this for forty minutes was inevitably a bit too much to handle.

Su Xi chuckled slyly. "Just be secretly jealous. Skill and shooting can be learned. But... the things I have that are longer and thicker than yours, you’ll never be able to catch up."

HUFF! HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!

That wasn’t the wind blowing through the Athens Stadium; it was the sound of Kobe huffing in anger.

Su Xi walked back to the bench. He began to rest and grab a bite to eat to replenish his energy, preparing for the upcoming game.

Kobe huffed and puffed for a while before suppressing the urge to take a bite out of Su Xi. "You’d damn well better destroy Argentina. Don’t just run your mouth in front of me and then go soft when you face the Argentinians."

Su Xi smiled and nodded.

"I’ll be sitting on the sidelines. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me."

Kobe said magnanimously.

"You got it," Su Xi agreed cheerfully.

Kobe was slightly moved. He still preferred this "obedient" version of Su Xi.

However, Corey Maggette, who had come to watch the game with him, thought Kobe was being a bit of a simp. Su Xi had clearly infuriated him, yet here he was, still sucking up to him and being so devoted.

’If he had been this good to O’Neal, would things have gotten to the point where O’Neal felt he had to leave?’

...

"CCTV! CCTV! You are watching the live broadcast of the men’s basketball final at the Athens Olympics! The game is about to begin, and the heroes of the Chinese Team are warming up. Su Xi has already taken off his jacket, revealing his powerful muscles. He is in high spirits, full of fighting will. As the best basketball player in all of China, all of Asia, and the entire world, he is fully prepared to win the gold medal for his country and his people."

"He is not fighting alone! At least eight hundred million viewers are watching this game in front of their TVs! Our cheers will surely cross the oceans and reach the side of our Chinese Team heroes..."

The commentator for tonight’s national broadcast is Han Big Mouth.

His commentary style is known for being wildly imaginative. Hopefully, he can bring some good luck to the Chinese Team.

Sitting beside him are two expert analysts, Coach Zhang and Coach Xu. Both have dedicated most of their lives to the sport of basketball. Their expertise is top-notch, but the question is... will Han Big Mouth give them a chance to speak?

The starting lineup for the Chinese Team tonight is: Su Xi, Zhu Fangyu, Li Nan, Wang Zhizhi, and Yao Ming.

The starting lineup for the Argentina Team is: Delphino, Ginobili, Nocioni, Scola, and Oberto.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and the game began.

Yao Ming won the tip-off against Oberto on his tiptoes.

No disrespect to Oberto.

It was just that Yao Ming didn’t want to jump. Su Xi had told him to conserve energy. He didn’t want to be a dragon in the first quarter and a worm in the last.

There was a classic saying about Yao Ming in the NBA: a superstar center in the first quarter, an All-Star center in the second, an elite center in the third, and in the fourth... just being able to stand up was a victory.

Su Xi got the ball. Argentina’s Delphino approached him, adopting a strategy of containment without engagement, using his footwork to disrupt.

The squeak of his sneakers on the floor! Such devilish footwork!

BANG!

Su Xi charged right at him. He didn’t bother playing games, just accelerated and pushed past. In the face of absolute explosive power, absolute speed, and absolute strength, such clever tricks were useless.

Su Xi broke through his defense, leaving a single thought: ’All flash, no substance.’

Charging straight for the paint, Su Xi was unstoppable.

Nocioni’s attempt to slow him down was bypassed with a single spin move from Su Xi. Su Xi took a step into the paint and leaped explosively... Scola didn’t even have time to flop before Su Xi collided with Oberto.

Oberto’s defensive positioning was excellent this time, and his arms were a wall, blocking all of Su Xi’s paths to the basket.

But just as it looked like Su Xi was completely smothered.

He simply tossed the ball up gently with his left hand... He had somehow found the only angle. The basketball traced a beautiful arc... SWISH!

It was in.

After a violent collision, it was a move as smooth as silk and down feathers.

Kobe was stunned on the sidelines. ’Is this the magic of having big hands? How did he find that gap? How can he make it look so effortless?’

’I feel like he’s just showing off.’

Kobe grumbled internally. For a moment, he really was reminded of Larry Bird.

But Maggette, beside him, said, "I think his move was a bit like Jordan."

"Like Jordan? What’s Jordan-like about it? Where do you see Jordan?" Kobe issued a triple denial.

’He’s clearly copying me. It’s just that his way of finding angles is a little unusual, and his hands are bigger.’

’That’s all.’

Just then, Kobe saw Su Xi raise an eyebrow in his direction.

Kobe was about to trade a few words with Su Xi but noticed Ginobili accelerating. He quickly shouted a warning, "They’re going for a fast break! Get to the left wing!"

Su Xi instantly took off at a sprint.

...