The players from Flash felt numb. They stared at their screens. Feared. The Hecarim. Roundy Round’s Hecarim had baited them into a five man ultimate. His spectral riders had feared all five of their Champions! The screams from the 12,500 fans in the arena hit their eardrums, making it all the more painful. Chris especially felt his heart drop. This was the second time this game that he’d been baited by Roundy Round. He’d fallen for it both times. “T-this can’t be…” he mumbled.

On the caster desk, Qinghe couldn’t hold his excitement back any longer. “Look! Look! It’s Orianna and Rek’Sai! They’re finally there to help God Roundy! They can with this! KG can with this! Come on, KG, get that ace! ACE FLASH! ACE FLASH!”

The players on Flash saw the health on their Champions drop. Lee Sin especially. He was the only one who could keep up with the Tristana Rocket Jumping after the Hecarim by dashing to her–Safeguard! Then, as both of them were under KG’s outer tower and he got tower aggro, Hecarim hit them with Onslaught of Shadows. The tower fired off an energy shot at him. A second one followed right after and hit him before the fear broke.

Tian Tian was in the middle of Flash’s team after using Onslaught of Shadows. He turned around. The Tristana was walking aimlessly under his outer tower. He activated Devastating Charge. Hecarim gained increased movement speed and could walk through units. He charged through the Riven and Lee Sin. Then he kicked the Tristana with his hooves, knocking her back into his outer tower.

The voice chat from KG had been quiet during the games last week. It wasn’t all that different at the start of this game, safe for when Tian Tian got the solo kill on the Riven. But right now it finally sprung back to life. Tian Tian’s teammates were showering him with compliments.

“Nice job Roundy!”
“You roll over ‘em, Roundyboy!”
“We can win this fight! Focus, guys!”
“Let’s do this!”

The Rek’Sai had burrowed underground for the increased movement speed as she rushed down to the fight in bottom lane. She arrived just as the players from Flash broke free from the fear. Three of them were closely huddled together. She flashed towards them and Unburrowed, knocking them airborne! One of them was Lee Sin. His health was almost zero. Rek’Sai sunk her teeth into him–Furious Bite!–and killed him.

《An enemy has been slain!》

The Orianna arrived in the river entrance to bot lane. The players from Flash were still disorganized, and Rek’Sai stood in the middle of them. This was Orianna’s chance to make a move. She flashed forward and used Command: Protect to attach her Ball to Rek’Sai. The Tristana tried to run out of tower range, but ran straight towards the Rek’Sai Now! Now! Now! The Orianna watched her Ball move until it attached to the Rek’Sai and activated her ultimate–Command: Shockwave!

The millions of Chinese spectators all held their breaths. Their eyes were glued onto their screens. This was it! The moment when KG could win the fight! Even the casters weren’t really casting. Only Stone was talking and he kept repeating the same words over and over again. “Come on. Come on. Come on.”

A powerful electromagnetic shockwave erupted from Orianna’s Ball. It swept out into the surroundings before sucking everything towards it! The Tristana had walked right into its range, while the other members from Flash were also in range. They were all pulled in and lost a lot of health! Then the Orianna used Command: Dissonance to release a pulse of energy that also dealt a lot of damage. The four players from Flash suddenly had only a fifth of their health remaining at most.

It was beautiful to watch, that synergy and combo by Orianna and Rek’Sai! They did exactly what the fans expected of them! The millions of people watching the Chinese stream went wild! This wasn’t just a 3,000 ELO Orianna ultimate, this was also the move that won KG the fight! It might even be the catalyst to them winning the entire game!

「Did you see that ori ult? SO SICK!!!」
「the rek-ori wombooo commboooo!!!!1!!!」
「KG GOT THIS! LEZ WIN THE GAMEEEEE」
「Orianna is the best Orianna in the world!」

Tian Tian chased after the Tristana. After she got caught by the Orianna ultimate, her health dropped into the single digits. All he had to do was attack her one last time with an auto attack. His polearm swept across her body.

《An enemy has been slain!》

Chris had a little bit more health left on his Riven than the Tristana had. But it still wasn’t anywhere near enough to stop Tian Tian. Tian Tian had his Hecarim cleave the Riven with his polearm–Rampage!–and then hit her with a last auto attack. For the second time this game, he’d killed the Riven.

《Double kill!》

Tian Tian’s screen was flashing red and his Hecarim had less than 10% of his health remaining. There were still the Alistar and Kassadin alive on Flash’s team. The Kassadin fired an orb of void energy at the Rek’Sai–Null Sphere! He followed up with a Force Pulse, swiping his blade and firing off excess energy in a cone in front of him. It hit Tian Tian’s Hecarim, slowing him and dropping his health to less than 1%. Then a purple rift appeared out of nowhere and Kassadin disappeared. This was the animation for Riftwalk! If this skill hit the Hecarim, he would die! Tian Tian smashed down on his D key to flash away. His Hecarim disappeared from the exact spot where the Kassadin arrived. He’d gotten out just in time! With another Devastating Charge, he ran down the lane all the way back to his inner tower.

The Rek’Sai used Queen’s Wrath to empower her basic attacks, then attacked the Kassadin with her claws. His health dropped to almost zero. The Orianna also threw an auto attack at the Kassadin and then commanded her Ball to attack! The Ball moved to the Kassadin and hit him. It was just enough to kill him. All the while, the Alistar tried to run away. He’d gotten halfway down the lane when Orianna and Rek’Sai caught up to him. And between the two of them, they had enough damage to kill him before he could reach his outer tower. The Orianna dealt the last attack.

《Double kill!》

《Aced!》

Millions of people were watching the Chinese live broadcast of Worlds. They watched KG turn a terrible situation around! Tian Tian had single-handedly helped his team win this teamfight! KG had a chance at winning this game! Messages flooded into the chat. Everyone had an opinion on the fight and wanted to explain just how good God Roundy was. As for the three shoutcasters, they were speechless and sat there staring at the screen. Qinghe then turned to the other two, a voice in his ear reminding him he had to cast. “WOW! KG has come out big! That play was insane, you guys!

“I can’t believe he turned that fight around! They even aced Flash!”

“I thought for sure Orianna and Rek’Sai were too far away. But they never gave up and arrived in time to clean up the fight! Props to them!”

“However, I think we need to stand still for a second and look again at what God Roundy did. That was something special, guys. A five man Hecarim ultimate. He hit a five man Hecarim ultimate! Have we ever seen this happen before at Worlds? Or even in competitive play? I don’t think so. I know I haven’t.”

“For all of you watching at home. This is one of those moments you’re going to tell your children about. I think this play will be one of the highest skill plays we’ll ever see in the game! God Roundy just made himself a legend! Oh my god, that was a five man Hecarim ultimate!”

“Are we going to start calling it a Roundy? I say we start calling it a Roundy as a sign of respect to the man! Though, I doubt we’ll ever see another one. That was just too good. God Roundy is too good.”

Qinghe hit the nail on its head. This teamfight was the God Roundy show! Roundy Round showed the entire world why his fans called him a God. He showed them why they nicknamed him the Uncrowned Eighth. Though, going solely off this play, calling him the Uncrowned Eighth would be an insult. This play alone made him deserving of the title of King, if not Emperor!

Lolo laughed and cried. Her emotions were in turmoil. She didn’t know anymore how she felt or how to act. Then she wiped her eyes clean and spoke towards the camera, “God Roundy did fantastic. He carried that teamfight on his back! That was so good.”

As for the man in question, Tian Tian slumped back into his gaming chair. His Hecarim had survived and they’d won the teamfight. He looked drained. But there was also a smile. He grabbed his chest with both hands and breathed out deeply. Then he laughed. One short laugh full of disbelief. I-it worked. It worked! I can’t believe that worked! There’d been no big plan, no grand scheme, nothing behind his play. All he did was follow his intuition. He’d used his ultimate when it felt right. I-i’m really really good. Lin Feng was right. I’m good! Then he calmed down. Whenever he thought of Lin Feng, he remembered the promise he’d made. He had to win this game! Not just one teamfight. It’s time to focus and win!

✹

In the NetCow Cafe in downtown Shanghai, the players from High School 13 had jumped up from their seats and were hugging each other and cheering. High School 7 had surrendered 25 minutes into the game! Though, the game was pretty much played after the teamfight at the Dragon pit. That fight had crushed High School 7’s motivation. They’d stopped trying as hard and got caught out of position constantly, to the point where there wasn’t another big teamfight to speak of, only solo kills all over the map. But it didn’t matter what High School 7 did or how they played. All that mattered was that High School 13 had won the game and would move on to the main tournament!

Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou ran at their teammates and created a bigger hug-circle, as they jumped up and down. They’d done it! They were going to the Shanghai 16 School Tournament!

“Nice! You guys are the best!” Ren Rou laughed.

Ouyang ruffled Lin Feng’s hair and shouted loudly into everyone’s ears, “HAHA! I KNEW IT! You guys totally did it! The Championship trophy will be ours! Watch out everyone, HERE WE COME!”

When everyone calmed down a little and the hug-circle broke, Lin Feng rubbed his nose and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “It’s still not enough, though.” He waited for the others to look at him before continuing, “It doesn’t matter that we already qualified. We still have to win the next game. Just this isn’t enough. We have to go three for three.”

The third game in this qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was against Tonji Aff. High. They were the strongest team in this group and had made it all the way to the semifinals of the main tournament last year. But compared to what Fatty had to face at Worlds, this was nothing. Lin Feng only had to beat some high schoolers, while Fatty had to beat Legend, whose Midlander was Phoenix and one of the Four Emperors.

“WEI DONG! LIU YUE! WATCH OUT!” Ouyang yelled. He tried to go up and help them, but Ren Rou pulled him back by his shoulder, pinching down hard. “AH!” Ouyang glared at her. “Goddamnit,” he cursed before looking back at the monitor, frantic. Liu Yue and Wei Dong had overextended. High School 7 was almost on them. “You gotta back, guys! BACK! PLEASE BACK!”

If High School 7 got the drop on Liu Yue and Wei Dong, then they could pull far ahead of High School 13 in a matter of a minute. More important than the gold from the two kills were the 30 second death timers. This was a lot of time in which High School 7 could take down the Dragon and the outer tower in mid lane. These were both important objectives that netted a lot of team-wide gold. The Yasuo would catch up to Lin Feng soon, and the rest of the team would pull far ahead of their direct opponents. High School 7 would put themselves in a very good position to win the game.

Liu Yue and Wei Dong ran into two Champions from High School 7, and suddenly spotted two more on their minimap. Lin Feng ordered them to back. But it barely registered. It was all a haze before them. There was nowhere they could really escape. They were caught out in the middle of the river. Liu Yue tried to get away by flashing towards Blue team’s side of the map, and Wei Dong used Stand behind me! His Braum leaped towards the Elise, increasing both their armour and magic resist.

The players from High School 7 spotted the two players from High School 13 out of position. They circled in on Liu Yue and Wei Dong and shouted in voice chat,

“Go go go go go!”
“Get ‘em! Don’t let them escape!”
“Quick! Kill them fast!”
“Elise first! Get the Elise first!”

The Leona raised her sword to the sky and called down a beam of solar energy–Solar Flare! She was too hasty. The Elise and Braum weren’t caught in the middle of the skill, but in its perimeter. So, instead of being stunned, they were only slowed. The Jarvan IV followed up with a flag-toss combo into a Cataclysm. He leapt into battle with such force that he terraformed the ground and created an arena around him and Elise!

Liu Yue’s screen flashed red. His Elise was almost dead! There was nowhere left to escape. He changed his Elise to Spiderform and then Rappelled up into the air. Elise could stay up here for a few seconds. Those were a few more seconds during which High School 7 couldn’t kill her. Liu Yue wasn’t sure what this was supposed to accomplish, but he figured it was better than just letting them kill him.

Lin Feng grinned when he saw Liu Yue Rappel. He’d bought them a valuable few seconds. “Come, Tang Tang!” he ordered, already running towards the Elise and Braum in the river with his Zed. Tang Bingyao had her Kalista make a beeline for the Braum. Lin Feng nodded and then continued, “Chen Ze, get ready to Teleport. We can win this fight!”

✹

In the match between KG and Flash, there were also two players caught out. But unlike in Lin Feng’s game, here it was the ad-carry and support of KG. The bot lane duos of both teams had returned to their bottom lane a few minutes earlier. Flash’s Jungler, Lee Sin, moved into the tri-brush above KG’s outer tower and swept for wards. There were none. KG had no idea he was in there. He waited a few seconds, until KG’s Thresh walked up to ward the brush. Then he placed a ward behind Thresh and dashed to it–Safeguard! He followed up with a powerful roundhouse kick, launching the Thresh further away from his outer tower–Dragon’s Rage!

The Thresh wanted to escape back to his outer tower. But Lee Sin was waiting for him. So he made the call to Flash diagonally over a large boulder. That was into lane, but from there he could run back to his outer tower without having to deal with the Lee Sin. He flashed but had no vision on the other side of the boulder, and he came to regret that. Flash had anticipated this move. Their Alistar Support was already waiting for him, Pulverizing the ground and knocking him up into the air when he appeared, as was the Tristana. When he was still knocked up in the air, the Tristana walked past him and loaded a massive cannonball into her weapon–Buster Shot! The cannonball knocked into him and sent him flying towards Red team’s side of the map, far away from his own outer tower.

Several wards in bot lane suddenly lit up. Champions were Teleporting in! Three in total! They were Flash’s Riven and Kassadin and KG’s Hecarim! This was going to be a full on teamfight! Whoever won this fight could take Dragon and maybe even an outer tower! That would be a massive gold boon!

The Chinese fans at home put their hands over their ears and closed their eyes or turned their heads away, only throwing a few glances at the screen. They were terrified of what might happen. The casters also felt their nerves getting to them, but they were hired to do a job. So they put their feelings to the side and casted the fight.

“One… THREE TELEPORTS! It’s going to be a teamfight! It’s going to be a teamfight!”
“Orianna doesn’t have Teleport! She has to walk down! Flash has the numbers advantage!”
“KG’s Jungler is also in mid lane! Way too far away to join the fight! This is going to be a 3vs5! KG is completely caught off guard! This is bad! This is really bad!”
“God Roundy has to buy his team some time! Come on God Roundy! You can do it! COME ON!”

On the stage in the Wembley Arena, Tian Tian sat hunched over in front of his computer. He was the first to Teleport in. His Hecarim would be there before the Riven and Kassadin! C-crap! T-this is bad. Bad bad bad. Every fiber in his body told him that he shouldn’t have used his Teleport, that it was better to just cut the losses and let bot lane die. But he’d still Teleported down. His intuition told him he could win this fight and he’d listened to it. There was no going back anymore. He had to win this fight, or it would cost KG the game.

✹

Back in the game between High School 13 and High School 7, Liu Yue’s Elise came down to the ground. She was in the middle of the enemy team. If they focused her down, she’d be dead in an instant. Wei Dong wouldn’t let his Jungler die just like that. His health was dropping dangerously low. But there was one more skill that he could use to buy himself and the Elise some extra time. His ultimate skill, Glacial Fissure! He activated it. His Braum slammed his shield into the ground, freezing and fissuring the ground in front of him. The immense force caused large blocks of ice to come loose and launch upwards, knocking the Champions up in the air. Three of High School 7’s Champions were airborne!

Tang Bingyao was the first to arrive. She pulled the Braum away with her ultimate–Fate’s Call. The second part of her ultimate was up to Wei Dong. He could decide in which direction Kalista would launch him. If he hit a Champion, they’d be knocked up. But his health was low. The safe play would be to launch himself away to safety.

“Knock them up with the Kalista ultimate!” Lin Feng shouted.

Wei Dong didn’t need to be told twice. He clicked on the three Champions from High School 7 that were still huddled up together after his ultimate. The Kalista launched him. He flew through the air and hit the players from High School 7 like a wrecking ball. It was another three man knock up!

Lin Feng ran straight passed the knocked up Champions and closed in on the Jinx. When he got in range, he used his ultimate skill–Death Mark! He left a shadow behind as he dashed on the Jinx, marking her. The Jinx flashed away, but he followed after her with his Living Shadow. Then he attacked her with his blade claws and shurikens. Her health dropped fast. He hit her with two more auto attacks, then jumped back to the Shadow created with his ultimate. The Jinx’s health hit zero when the mark exploded.

《You have slain an enemy!》

Chen Ze’s Teleport finished casting. He arrived in the river just behind High School 7’s team. The crowd control was perfectly linked together so far and the timing worked out. Chen Ze found the players from High School 7 lined up for him, so he had his Rumble fire off a group of rockets to create a wall of flames on the ground–The Equalizer! He followed up with his Flamespitter, setting the river ablaze.

Tang Bingyao started auto attacking the members from High School 7 after using her ultimate on Braum. Her spears were piercing the Champions and the damage was quickly ramping up. The Zed arrived back in the middle of High School 7’s team and also started auto attacking. The Yasuo died before getting his ultimate off. The Jarvan IV’s skills were on cooldown and he also died without putting up any real resistance. As for the Gragas and Leona, they tried to do something, but it was far too little. Neither was strong enough to kill the five players of High School 13. They weren’t even strong enough to make it back to safety. Their screens turned grey.

《Aced!》

“WE DID IT! WE FUCKING DID IT! DID YOU SEE THAT ROU ROU?” Ouyang jumped up and down and then hugged Ren Rou, overjoyed.

“Get off of me,” Ren Rou complained. Then she looked at the team, her team, and smiled, “Great work guys! Keep it up!”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and then balled his fist. “Yes! That might’ve very well just won us the game! Good job guys.”

✹

Back in the KG versus Flash game, the situation went from bad to worse for KG. Orianna and Rek’Sai were running towards the bot lane, but were still far away. Too far away to be of any influence on the teamfight. The Thresh was caught and after the Tristana sent him flying backwards, Flash killed him. The 3vs5 was now a 2vs5. But this still didn’t stop KG’s ad-carry, Kennen. He initially tried to get to his Thresh and help his Support escape. But when the Thresh died, he didn’t turn around. He committed. Konjac pressed down on his R key and activated Kennen’s ultimate–Slicing Maelstrom!

Slicing Maelstrom was a storm of lightning that spread out around Kennen and followed him wherever he went. Anyone caught within its radius would be struck by lightning. If a Champion got three stacks of lightning on themselves, they would get stunned. Konjac positioned his Kennen so that the lightning would hit the Lee Sin, Alistar, and Tristana at the same time. He dealt damage to all three of them, but not enough to kill any one of them. Then the Slicing Maelstrom wore off and Riven’s Teleport finished.

Chris teleported into the river brush right above bot lane. The Kennen was a little up river. He had his Riven flash forward and then activated her ultimate skill–Blade of the Exile! Riven lit her blade up with green energy, increasing its attack damage and range. She attacked the Kennen with the first strike from Broken Wings and then stunned him with a Ki Burst. A stunned ad-carry was a dead ad-carry. Kennen had low health to start with. The Riven, Lee Sin, and Tristana killed him before the stun broke.

Tian Tian had followed Kennen into the middle of Flash’s team. This was a terrible call. He knew it, but he still did it. The Thresh died, and then the Kennen did too. He was all alone in the middle of Flash’s team. The little damage he had done so far was not anywhere near enough to make his actions worth it. He pressed down on his E key–Devastating Charge! His Hecarim gained increased movement speed and could move through units. He charged down the river and towards KG’s outer tower.

The Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired a shell into the ground, launching herself into the air and after the Hecarim–Rocket Jump! Then she hit him with an Explosive Charge, a bomb that would explode after a short duration. She attacked the bomb with her auto attacks, increasing its eventual damage. And then it exploded. Hecarim’s health dropped fast.

The Wembley Arena went silent, the crowd waiting to erupt into cheers when Flash won the fight. Or when KG pulled off the turn around by stalling long enough for Orianna and Rek’Sai to arrive. They didn’t care either way, as long as it was exciting to watch. It was completely different for the Chinese fans watching from home. They were also silent, but that was because they were afraid that one fart all the way over in China could distract God Roundy in London. The stream chat was empty, because typing on the keyboard also made a sound. Even the casters of the official Chinese broadcast started whispering, their eyes locked on the screen instead of on the camera.

Qinghe chewed on his lips and didn’t blink. He didn’t want to miss even a second of this fight. This was the fight that could very well end up deciding the game! He looked at the close up of Tian Tian’s face and then at the Hecarim. His eyes went wide. “Ultimate. Ultimate! The Hecarim still has his ultimate! God Roundy hasn’t used his ultimate yet! There is still the ultimate!”

It seemed as if Tian Tian could hear Qinghe scream. His Hecarim’s health had dropped below 25% as he reached under his outer tower. The players from Flash were chasing after him. All five of them. They ran after him in a perfect straight line. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. The sole reason why he hadn’t used his ultimate yet. He flicked his mouse to hover over Flash’s Champions and then pressed down on his R key–Onslaught of Shadows!

The sounds of a thousand hooves rang across the rift. Hecarim had summoned his spectral riders! He aimed his polearm at the Champions from Flash and commanded in his hoarse voice, “Break their ranks!

“Trample their bones!

“Crush them underfoot!”

Hecarim led the charge into Flash’s team. The cavalry of spectral riders followed behind him. They charged through the Tristana and then the Lee Sin. Riven. Alistar. Kassadin. All five Champions from Flash got caught in the skill. They were terrified by the spectral riders running through them and ran away like headless chickens!

The Wembley Arena erupted with deafening cheers! This was a five man Hecarim ultimate! God Roundy had actually hit all five members from Flash! The Chinese fans at home leaned closer towards their screens. This was their God Roundy! God Roundy was making the plays! They wanted to scream and yell, but had no one to scream or yell to. So they took their excitement to the stream chat.

「omgomgomgomgomgo did you guys see that. tell me youg uys saw that! Telll meeeeee」
「WWOOOOOOOO GOOODDD ROUNNDDDYYYYY」
「!!!!!!! FIVE MEN ULTTIIII」
「HOLLYYY DAMMNNN SOOO GOOODDDDD!!!!!!111!1!」
「im not crying im not crying im not crying」
「this is so fcking sick like holy fk dude」

Stone’s voice was already hoarse. But he didn’t care about his dry and painful throat. He screamed at the top of his lungs, “HECARIM HAS ULTED! WAAAAA! HE’S DONE IT! GOD ROUNDY HAS LANDED A FIVE MAN ULT! THIS IS THE TURN AROUND!”

Lolo couldn’t believe what she was seeing! God Roundy was giving a great performance! Her mouth fell open. She closed it with her hand, then flashed a smile towards the camera. “Oh my! This is the God Roundy we all know and love! That was such a beautiful outplay. It gets my vote for best solo kill of the tournament!”

“Sorry sorry.” Qinghe said to the people at home. He wiped the tears from his face again. “I’m just so happy. I’ve followed God Roundy for the past few years. I know how good he is. Last week was painful. Really painful. But he’s back now. The god is back! God Roundy! The Uncrowned Eighth! HE IS BACK!”

The three casters didn’t know how to approach or prepare for this game of KG. They all hoped that KG would do well and win, just like the people at home did. But KG’s performance in week 1 was so disappointing that they didn’t want to raise the hopes of the fans too high. That would only lead to even greater disappointment if KG didn’t show up. They had to walk a fine line in the pre-game analysis, where they hyped the fans up just enough that they stuck around to watch the game, but not so high that they were expecting KG to win. In their efforts to deliver this message, they spent so much time focusing on KG that they started caring more about the game than they usually did. They cared about it to such an extent that they were even more worried about the game than the players from KG were! But that all changed after God Roundy’s outplay on Hecarim. Their worries evaporated. The restrictions they put on themselves were gone. No more curbing in the excitement. They could finally cast the game!

It wasn’t just the casters who felt liberated, everyone watching the Chinese streams did! First Blood had washed away all their worries! This was the KG they knew from the LPL! They weren’t any worse than the best teams in the world! The KG and God Roundy fans who were previously too embarrassed to show themselves came out of the woodworks and flooded the stream chats and forum boards.

「God Roundy is back boyzzzzzzzz」
「WAAAAA ILY ROUNDDYYYYY」
「finally. why didnt they play like this last week?…..」
「Third seed in lpl >>>>> third seed in na」
「Chris is such a n00bbbb!!!!!1!!」
「WE”RE GOING TO WIN THE WHOLE DAMN THING!!!!!」

✹

Chris stared at his screen. It was grey. His Riven was dead. FUCK! He gnashed his teeth as his cheeks burned red. It was such an embarrassing death, and the whole world had seen it! He let go of his mouse and keyboard, put his elbows down on the table, and let his head hang down. Then he started pulling his hair. M-my Riven… How did that fatso kill me? UCH… D-did I really get outplayed by that fatso? He thought back to the play and every move he made. I couldn’t kill him. Fine. But that towerdive should’ve been fine… This shouldn’t have… No matter how he looked at it, he should’ve been able to get out. Even with the Flash, it was still Roundy playing the Hecarim. He usually wasn’t this spot on with his mechanics, reflexes, or situational awareness. Fuck. He played that well. This was a play so few people could pull off that he hadn’t even stopped to think about it. There were maybe two or three players in the entire game this good. NO! That fucking fatso isn’t that good! He just got lucky. Yes. Luck. That’s all. I’ll get him next time.

Across the stage from Chris was KG’s set-up of five computers. The mood over there was completely different. The players of KG were screaming into their microphones in excitement.

“Good job Roundy!”
“That was awesome, man!”
“This is perfect! We shut the Riven down early! That’s a massive advantage! Let’s build on it, guys!”

It was only First Blood. This usually didn’t have too much of an impact on the game. However, this First Blood was a solo kill in a difficult matchup! Tian Tian had completely outplayed Chris! This was the confidence booster the members from KG so desperately needed!

As for the person in question, Tian Tian’s heart was racing as he tightly gripped his mouse. The hand on his keyboard trembled. The thrill had taken everything out of him. He’d predicted Chris’ next move, focusing so hard that he’d forgotten to breathe while waiting for the Ki Burst. Then he’d jumped into action with incredibly fast and accurate reaction speed. And now, now he could relax. He breathed out deeply as the pressure he put on himself left his body. The shackles of nerves tying him down snapped and broke. He stopped fighting against himself. That could wait for another day. Now, he was going to win this game!

Tian Tian sat up straight in his chair and looked at the Riven. Her corpse still lay under his tower. He smiled, his heart pounding in his chest. I-i really did it! His focus turned to the minions. The large wave was dying to his outer tower. He had to get as many last hits on them as possible! Lin Feng was right. I really can do this!

Tian Tian’s analytical abilities weren’t limited to just the game itself. This was a process he would begin long before the game even started. Take his Hecarim pick in this game. In the current meta, Hecarim top lane needed the Teleport Summoner Spell to be viable. The second Summoner Spell had a little more freedom, but most Toplaners went with Ignite for the extra lane pressure it offered. Tian Tian, however, had opted to go with Flash. This wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, but rather a well thought out plan.

Tian Tian had spent a lot of time watching videos of Flash’s recent games. Specifically on how Chris played the lane. During his research, he’d picked up on one of Chris’ habits. Chris liked to build up a strong minion wave and crash it into the opposing Toplaner’s tower. Then when the opposing Toplaner tried to clear the wave, he’d take advantage of the opportunity to engage on them. When Tian Tian noticed Chris attempting to do the same thing in this game, he set his plan in motion. Instead of trying to stop Chris, Tian Tian started helping him. He purposefully didn’t clear Chris’ minion wave and let it push into his own tower, all the while preparing for the opportunity to kill Chris. Chris took the bait. He towerdove and Tian Tian outplayed him to pick up the solo kill. This was a perfect example of how much good research of the opponent was worth.

Despite his many hours of research, Tian Tian didn’t have the confidence to base his choice of Summoner Spells on an eventuality. So he looked beyond this specific scenario to choose between Flash and Ignite. The advantages of Ignite were especially clear in the early game, while Flash became more valuable the longer a game went on. Since he wanted Flash for the early game and it was also a better choice for the team fights later in the game, the choice became obvious.

Back in Season 1, when there were no analysts on a team, it was normal for players to put as much effort into researching their opponents as Tian Tian still did. Now, in Season 5, most players didn’t bother with that anymore. They had analysts to do the research for them. This also meant that they only saw what the analysts showed them. Tian Tian, on the other hand, saw a lot more. He really knew his opponents, watching their games even when he sat on the toilet. This was a valuable habit, and even more so because no one knew he did this. Since they didn’t know this, they couldn’t prepare for it. Even his own teammates and coaches didn’t know about this side of him. Lin Feng was the only exception. He knew how much time and effort Tian Tian put into researching his opponents.

✹

In the NetCow Cafe branch in downtown Shanghai, the game between High School 13 and High School 7 reached the 10 minute mark. High School 7 had worked hard the last few minutes to get back into the game, having their Jarvan IV show up top and bot to put pressure on the side lanes. It was a success. Both lanes got a slight gold and experience lead in their lanes. The complete opposite was true for mid lane. Yasuo was being toyed with by Lin Feng. It was to the extent that the audience crowding around the computers couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Uhh… Isn’t that guy a Master? What the fuck…”
“That’s what I heard too! How is he getting his ass kicked this hard?”
“Who is that Midlaner for High School 13? Also a Master? It must be, right?”

Despite it being obvious that the Yasuo was losing the lane, it looked a lot worse than it was. High School 7’s Midlaner kept his calm. His other lanes were doing well. As long as he could stay close enough to the minions so that he could pick up the experience and stay relatively even in level with the Zed, then everything would be fine. When the teamfights began, the rest of his team would win them and carry the game. All he had to do was show up and pick up a kill here and there to catch back up in items and become relevant again.

The Jungler of High School 7 roamed bot. High School 13’s bot lane duo was pushed under their tower and their Jungler had just revealed himself in the top half of the jungle. This was a great opportunity for a towerdive! The Jarvan IV didn’t worry about wards. There was nowhere to run for High School 13’s bot lane anyway. His team’s minion wave in bot lane was pushing into Blue team’s outer tower. He waited just outside of the outer tower’s range for the Support on his team, Leona, to engage.

Leona was a defensive support Champion with a lot of crowd control skills. The most powerful one was her ultimate–Solar Flare! She could call down a beam of solar energy and stun Champions! The Leona arrived at Blue team’s outer tower and waited for Kalista and Braum to walk close together. Then she threw down a Solar Flare!

“Wei Dong!” Tang Bingyao exclaimed, annoyed. The Leona was obviously waiting for them to stack on top of each other before engaging. Wei Dong had done the one thing he should never do in a lange against a Leona!

The Leona stunned the Kalista and Braum. Wei Dong frantically clicked his mouse and hit down on his keyboard but nothing happened. A flag-toss combo of the Jarvan IV knocked both his Braum and Tang Bingyao’s Kalista airborne before the stun broke. The Jinx was shooting them down with her rocket launcher. Kalista died in an instant, and he followed soon after. The crowd control was too strong. There was nothing he could do. It was a clean two kills for High School 7. He looked up at Tang Bingyao sitting next to him and mumbled, “Sorry.”

Lin Feng could hear the annoyance in Tang Bingyao’s voice. Bot lane was losing. Top lane was struggling again. And Liu Yue in the jungle was unable to put the same pressure on the lanes as the Jarvan IV did. They were falling behind left and right. Only mid lane was doing well. But this didn’t mean the game was lost. Anything but! The game was still even right now. However, the next big fight would be very important. If they lost that, the game would become very difficult to win. Lin Feng zoned out everything else around him. He had to focus and win for his team!

✹

On the other side of the world, the game between KG and Flashed also hit the 10 minute mark. The minutes after Tian Tian killed the Riven had been relatively quiet. Only one big play had happened. A gank in mid lane. Flash’s Jungler, Lee Sin, had ganked KG’s Midlaner and helped his Kassadin pick up the kill. This brought the score back to one kill for both teams.

The Chinese fans started to get nervous again. After watching Tian Tian pick up an early solo kill, their hopes for a KG win were reignited. KG had started playing better in the few minutes after too! Everything seemed to be going smoothly. But then the Orianna died in mid lane. The game suddenly didn’t seem all that easy anymore. KG was still playing well, they had at least that going for them, but playing well just wasn’t good enough. If KG wanted to make it out of the group stage, they had to win all three of their remaining matches! One loss and they were out!

「Come on KG! Don’t give this one away! You guys have to hold on! We believe in you!」
「STOP FEEDING ORI!!!!! just let the heca carry you!」
「we can still win! go kg go!!!!!」
「dont give up guys this is still a win for kg, just trust them」
「tell that to the ori! GO GOD ROUNDY! carry your shitmates!!!」
「Give me a K! Give me a G! KGGGGGGGGG」

✹

Prophet Stone was careful with what he said on the caster desk. He was terrified of jinxing KG. Qinghe and Lolo felt the same, as did the millions of fans in China. They were praying for a win. KG had to win! Their hearts were in the game. They started talking to the screen as though KG could hear them. Sometimes even screaming. There were some fans who put on their special t-shirt. They believed it’d bring their team luck. They’d do anything they could think of to help KG win this game!

Though there weren’t millions of fans watching, the situation in the match between High School 13 and High School 7 was very similar to the position KG found themselves in. But instead of commentators and fans worrying for them, there were only Ren Rou, Ouyang, and Yang Fan. Ouyang hid behind the other two, afraid that him looking at the game would cause his team to lose.

Both teams in both games gathered around the Dragon pit. This would be the first teamfight of the game. It was one of the most important few seconds of the entire game! One team would pull ahead, while the other would spend the rest of the game playing catch up.

Lin Feng stared at his screen. He couldn’t let anyone disturb him now. His team wasn’t good enough. He had to carry them, but he wasn’t sure if he could single-handedly win this next teamfight. And if he failed, the rest of the game would suddenly become a lot more difficult. Losing wasn’t even out of the equation then. For you, Fatty. I’ma win this fight for you!

Tian Tian was worried, just like Lin Feng was. His nerves started assaulting his mind again, and it looked for a moment as if he’d fall back in his old habit. N-no. L-lin Feng won’t forgive me. He forced himself to calm down and focused on the game again. There was no second chance after this game. This game was his second and last chance to make it out of the group stage! He had to win. He couldn’t let this game slip from his fingers! One mistake and it was over. I-i can’t screw up! I have to win!

Then, it happened. In two different games in two different tournaments, separated by over 5,000 miles of land and sea, High School 13 and KG both fell for an ambush. For KG, the bot lane duo was caught out, while for High School 13 it was the Jungler and Support. Four players from High School 7 had spotted them warding high up in the river and surrounded them.

Ren Rou and Ouyang panicked. Qinghe, Lolo, and Stone panicked. The millions of fans at home all panicked. High School 13 was trapped! KG was trapped! All their hopes and dreams came crashing down on them. It was over! After everything, this looked like the start of the end!

Lin Feng took a deep breath. The buzz in the internet cafe disappeared. High School 7’s Midlaner sitting across from him disappeared. His teammates sitting around him and talking in the voice chat disappeared. All that remained was Zed. The Master of Shadows. His eighth grader syndrome reared its head. “A shadow hidden in the darkness, a traitor to Kinkou doctrine of balance.

“Turning to the darkness and mastering the forbidden techniques, he is the leader of the Order of Shadow, the ruler of the unseen. The cold, ruthless gaze beneath his mask strikes fear into the hearts of all those who see him.

“Embrace the shadow… or die in darkness!”

Minion for minion. The Zed and Yasuo stayed on even footing. Both looked for openings, but neither were giving anything away. This lasted until the sixth minute of the game. Then it all changed. The Zed reached Level 6. Level 6 was an important level, because a Champion could then learn their ultimate skill. For Zed, this was Death Mark. He’d disappear into the shadows, after which three of his shadows would dash onto the target and mark them. This mark would trigger three seconds later and deal a portion of the damage Zed dealt while the mark was active.

Lin Feng changed his playstyle. He pushed the Yasuo away from the minions and deep underneath Red team’s outer tower. The Yasuo tried to walk back into lane to last hit a minion, but there was Zed. The Zed was stalking around the minion wave, using it as bait. High School 7’s Midlaner felt the pressure. He knew he couldn’t get close to the minions. He’d just get abused if he did. But the minions were also right there, almost begging to be last hit. It took him all his restraint to stay back. He was almost Level 6. When he had his ultimate, he could be a little more aggressive again.

Damnit! What is this? The Yasuo could only watch Blue team’s minions die in the middle of the lane. He couldn’t get to them. I need to do something… He looked down at his experience bar. It was almost full. A few more minions, that was all. Then he could learn Last Breath. This skill let him blink to an airborne Champion, keeping them in the air before slamming them down to the ground. If he hit the Zed with it, he could at least get his footing in the lane back. One more minion should do it.

High School 7’s Midlaner hit Level 6. He learned his ultimate skill and pushed forward into lane. But the Zed was waiting for him. Yasuo’s ultimate wasn’t enough of a deterrent. Or not at all, it felt like. He got two minions before he ran back to his tower, having lost a good bit of health. “Dammit… Who the heck is this guy?” he cursed under his breath. Then he looked at his minimap. The Jarvan IV was at the Wraith Camp, right next to mid lane. I need a gank! Then I’ll win.

The Jarvan IV moved to mid lane, sweeping the area for wards. He didn’t find any, not even in the river brush right above the lane. The Zed was still pushing over the halfway line. The Jarvan IV had played so many games together with his Midlaner that they didn’t need to talk. They both knew the plan. He pinged on the Zed and jumped in with a flag-toss combo. If he could hit it and knock the Zed up, they would get the kill. Yasuo’s Last Breath would take care of that.

The Yasuo ran forward, dashing through the minions–Sweeping Blade!–while charging up Steel Tempest. If this Zed dodged Jarvan IV’s knock up, he would be ready to use his whirlwind. It didn’t matter that his health was low, or that Jarvan IV’s health was low. This Zed would be dead before he knew what hit him! Time to say goodnight! He grinned.

Lin Feng knew the Jarvan IV was coming. High School 7’s Jungler had missed a ward. It was placed just a little further up river, but close enough to reveal him as he walked into the brush above mid lane. Hehe. Let’s do this. Lin Feng smiled. The Yasuo suddenly got a little more aggressive. It wasn’t a lot, but enough to warn Lin Feng something was up. He knew what would happen next. His finger hovered over his R key. Death Mark would make Zed untargetable while dashing to the target. That also meant he couldn’t be knocked up. Hehe, watch this.

High School 7’s Midlaner timed his whirlwind from Steel Tempest perfectly with Jarvan IV’s flag-toss combo. The Zed would be toast! Got you! And then the Zed was gone. His eyes went wide. It felt as if time came to a stop as he mumbled, “Crap.” Both knock up skills had missed. Three blood red shadows jumped on him and put a mark above his head.

The Zed appeared behind the Yasuo. His claw blades swept in a circle, cutting through the Yasuo–Shadow Slash! He followed up with Razor Shuriken. Then the Yasuo finally reacted. He dashed to a nearby minion, and then another. But Lin Feng wasn’t about to let him get away. His Shadow dashed forward and he directly switched positions with it–Living Shadow! He was on top of the Yasuo again and hit him with an auto attack. That should do it. Lin Feng pressed on his R key again, and his Zed switched positions with the Shadow he’d placed when activating his ultimate skill.

The Jarvan IV ran after the Yasuo and Zed, but couldn’t keep up. By the time he caught up, Zed had disappeared and the red mark above the Yasuo was about to explode. There was nothing he could do about it. His Midlaner would die. He turned around to chase the Zed, but he was too late for that too. The Zed was already halfway to his own outer tower. Then the sound of the red mark exploding rang out beside him. This gank was a complete and utter failure.

《You have slain an enemy!》

Lin Feng breathed out. He’d held his breath during the fight, and only now relaxed. The kill was his. His KDA went up to 2/0/0. The sound of the crowd around him entered his ears again. He could hear them gasp, while his teammates were cheering. He grinned and pumped his fist in the air, “Let’s go!” Then he looked back at the screen, a little nervous. Fatty’s game should’ve started. I hope he’s doing ok.

✹

In the Wembley Arena, KG and Flash were in the middle of Champion Select. Below the stage, the players from Fate had found their places in the VIP viewing area. They’d just won their game and were now going to unwind by watching the next game at Worlds. Moon leaned back in his chair and looked at the picks, especially those in top lane. Flash had chosen Riven. She was a really strong laner who had a lot of potential to outplay her lane opponent and get solo kills in the early game. On KG’s side, God Roundy picked Hecarim. What is he thinking…?

Hecarim was a decent pick in the current meta. This spectral fusion of man and beast could single-handedly win teamfights with his ultimate skill. But he was a relatively weak laner, and he needed a little extra to get rolling. When taking KG’s recent form in consideration, this pick seemed downright suicidal. What are they doing? Did they give up already? But why… This is Worl–

“Excuse me, passing through! Excuse me!”

Moon needed an extra second. The man trying to walk by was speaking in English, and he wasn’t great at the language. “Sorry, sorry,” he mumbled. He moved his legs to let the man through and looked up at him. Late twenties to early thirties. Casual expression. Nor did he spare Moon a glance. This last part was strange. Most people would take a minute to greet him or even ask for an autograph. He was an Emperor, after all. But it didn’t bother Moon that this man didn’t stop to say a word or two. He didn’t even really notice it, because that man looked really familiar for some reason. He looked at the man and mumbled, “Where do I know him from?”

“Wait!” His eyes went wide. He knew who that was! This was a legend of the scene! He looked towards the man, who’d found a seat and reclined back, his feet up on the balustrade in front of him. It really is you! Before making the switch to League of Legends, Moon had played a different esport. That was where he knew this man from. This man was one of the biggest names in that esport. A true legend! A real OG!

Moon kept looking at the man, fighting back the urge to go up to him and ask for an autograph. Then he scrunched his nose. Why is he here? He retired from the scene years ago… Has he ever even played League? Before he could think more of it, the crowd in the Wembley Arena started cheering and singing. The game had started. It was KG versus Flash!

✹

《Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!》

Flash was on the Red team. They decided to start the game with an odd set-up. Their bottom lane duo went up to top lane. They took the Golem Camp on the way there for some early experience, and then started pushing out the lane from the first moment that the minions arrived in lane. Down in bottom lane, KG mirrored this tactic. They also first took Golem Camp before pushing out the lane.

As for the Toplaners of both teams, they didn’t go to a lane. They wouldn’t get any last hits on the minions in lane against the bottom lane duos and the constant pressure they would be under could easily see them slip up and give away an early First Blood. So they went into the jungle and helped their Jungler clear their camps faster.

KG’s bot lane duo was a Kennen ad-carry and Thresh support. After pushing out the first two waves into Flash’s outer tower, they recalled back to base. They wanted a standard laning match-up, so they rushed up to top lane. Their Jungler had started on the Blue camp in the top half of the Jungle and had made his way down to the bottom half of the jungle together with Tian Tian’s Hecarim. When the Kennen and Thresh recalled, Tian Tian split from his Jungler and had his Hecarim charge down the jungle towards bot lane. The minions were fighting in the middle of the lane when he arrived. He quickly pushed them back into Red team’s outer tower.

Flash didn’t push for another laneswap. They were confident that Chris’ Riven would beat the Hecarim in lane. That was an advantage they had to abuse. So they left their bottom lane duo up in top lane, while Chris recalled back to base to buy a few potions. Then he teleported to the outer tower in bot lane.

The Chinese fans watching streams, and the odd few in the Wembley Arena, let out a shared breath of relief. They’d been worrying all week that KG would give away an early advantage to Flash and lose from there. But right now, the game was still even. And KG had even made a good play! Instead of recalling back to base and buying an extra health potion, Roundy Round had rushed to bot lane and pushed out the wave. If he hadn’t done this, Flash’s Chris would’ve arrived in time in lane to freeze the minion wave halfway down the lane and force Roundy Round to sit under his outer tower and miss gold and experience. That would’ve lost KG the game then and there. This was a great play by God Roundy!

The Riven arrived at the outer tower in bot lane. Chris versus Roundy Round. The real fight between the two Toplaners was finally beginning! Chris looked at the Hecarim trying to get some last hits in. Hehe! Just you wait, fatso. I’ma make you wish you were never born!

✹

The second round of games in the first qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was in full swing. After Lin Feng’s second kill on High School 7’s Midlaner, his team started to pull ahead. Liu Yue began to show that the weeks of training weren’t for nothing. He finally started putting pressure on the lanes, even helping Rumble pick up a kill on Gragas in the top lane.

Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong also found an opening in bot lane. Jinx pushed out a little too far and they jumped on her. The Kalista dashed forward, throwing a spear with every jump. Tang Bingyao chased after the Jinx until the Jinx flashed away to tower safety, then shifted targets to the Leona. Caught out in the middle of the lane, the Leona was also forced to flash away, while the Jinx used her Heal to keep them both alive. High School 7’s bot lane survived this fight, but they paid a high price. They were forced back to base and lost a full wave and a half of minions.

Top lane came back after giving away an early kill, bot lane seized a small advantage, and the Jungler was applying pressure all over the map. Lin Feng’s teammates seemed to have shaken off their nerves. They weren’t worrying about making misplays, but rather focusing on making plays! Lin Feng smiled. He was proud of his teammates. They’d finally fought back their fears and were really performing now! Fatty, do you see me? I’m trying my best here! I hope you are too!

✹

It was quiet in the Wembley Arena. The crowd had forgotten about their phones. All eyes were on the giant LCD screens above the stage, which showed the battle of the Toplaners down in bot lane. Unlike everyone had expected, this game wasn’t a stomp. Chris was playing hyper-aggressively on his Riven, pushing out the minions and harassing the Hecarim. But Tian Tian wasn’t taking the abuse lying down. He fought back, blow for blow, and was even coming out on top! His Hecarim that should be losing to a Riven in lane was actually pulling ahead!

No one had any expectations for KG going in this game. Not the fans in the crowd. Not the fans at home. Not even the coaches of KG. But what they were seeing right now was a strong team that was going toe-to-toe with Flash! Most impressive of all was Roundy. The fans felt that spark of excitement again as they watched him play. Maybe he would live up to his reputation today! Hopefully, he would show the world why his fans called him the Uncrowned Eighth!

The cameras in the arena got no good shot of Tian Tian’s face, it was hidden behind his monitor. But they got a great shot of Chris’. His casual expression from before the game was gone. In its place was anger and frustration. He squinted his eyes and leaned closer to the monitor. His Riven and the Hecarim both had about a third of their health remaining. The lane was pretty much dead even. Fucking fatso… I don’t care how good you are. Let me show you how good a real professional Toplaner is!

Tian Tian looked like he was going even with Chris. Hecarim and Riven were both at the same health and the lane was stuck in the middle. But appearances were deceptive. Chris made sure to leave KG’s minions alive for a little longer. The wave pushed slightly to his side, but not so far that it got near his tower. A second minion wave arrived in lane while the first was still mostly alive. Hehe. Finally. He started killing Blue minions again, timing it so that the next blue minion wave would stop his minion wave outside the reach of the outer tower.

Hehehe. He’s got no clue what’s coming for him. Chris killed this minion wave fast. There was a short window here until the next minion wave would arrive. The Blue minions quickly died to the large Red minion wave and Riven. The Hecarim was forced underneath his tower. Hehe. Now. Gotcha, idiot. The minion wave reached under KG’s outer tower. He had to act fast. If he got the kill on the Hecarim, he would win the game right there and then. As he saw it, this was a win-win situation for him! Force Hecarim back to base or kill him. Either way, he’d get the experience and gold lead. He chuckled and then dashed towards the Hecarim–Valor!

The Riven lashed out with her large sword–Broken Wings!–and linked that up with an auto attack. She was in range of the outer tower. An energy shot charged up and shot at her. It did far more damage than Chris expected. So much so that he started to worry. Fuck. Too much damage. He’d gotten greedy. The tower would kill him before he could kill the Hecarim. But he’d already gotten so far. He didn’t want to turn back now. Screw it. One combo and I’m out. He pressed down on the W key–Ki Burst!

Tian Tian had shaken off his worries and was playing with confidence. When the Riven dashed at him, he spotted the mistake right away. His finger moved over the D key. The only thing Riven could do was try and stun him with her Ki Burst. That was her only possible play here! Or she could walk away, but that just wasn’t Chris’ style. So he let her hit him with the first charge of her Broken Wings and waited for the animation of Ki Burst. It came a moment later. The green Ki bursted out around the Riven and he pressed down on his D key. His Hecarim flashed past the Riven, dodging the stun. He followed up by activating Devastating Charge and charged into the Riven, knocking her backwards.

FUCK! Chris cursed. He never expected Roundy to flash, or that he’d make a play like that at all. This was nothing like the Roundy from last week! He smashed down on his F key and flashed away, but not before taking another energy shot from the tower. His health was already down to 10%!

Tian Tian knew what was in front of him. First Blood. He wouldn’t let this chance go to waste. When Riven flashed, he was ready for it. He charged after the Riven and hit her with an auto attack. Then he cleaved the Riven with his polearm–Rampage!–and finished her off with one last auto attack.

《First blood!》

The Wembley Arena that was predominantly European erupted into cheers! What a phenomenal outplay! This was a true solo kill at the World stage! They almost never got to see this! They forgot that it wasn’t a European team who’d got the kill as they jumped up and down and screamed as loudly as they could, “GOD ROUNDY! GOD ROUNDY!”

The online platforms, where most Chinese fans were following the game from, went even wilder. This was exactly what they’d been dreaming of! A comeback from KG! The turn around in week two of Worlds! And God Roundy!

「AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!1!!!! OMG DID YOU SEE THATTTTT」
「fiiiiiiiiiiirst bloooooooooood!!!!!!!!」
「GOD ROUNDY!!!! DAMN THAT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!!」
「Lez fucking goooooooo we got thizz boys ez win gg」
「FUCK THE HATERS!!! GOD ROUNDY IS THE BEST」
「I’m not Chinese, but that was such an impressive play! Roundy Round is really deserving of the title God Roundy. I think he should be one of the Seven Kings. He really deserves it. What do you guys think?」
「LOL ^ Who’s that idiot? ALSO GOD ROUNDYY WOOOO!!!!!!! WAAAA!!!!!!」

On the caster desk of the Chinese official broadcast of Worlds, Qinghe lost control over his emotions. His eyes were wet and he had to wipe the tears away. He couldn’t find the words, much like Lolo who was just staring at the screen, shocked. Only Stone didn’t forget how to talk. His voice was hoarse as he shouted, “OH MY GOD THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL! THAT WAS GOD ROUNDY! EVERYONE! THAT WAS GOD ROUNDY! HE’S COME TO PLAY AND GETS FIRST BLOOD!”

In the Wembley Arena, multicoloured lights danced in the air! Loud beats drummed through the venue. Everyone could feel the excitement the DJ tried to build! But it failed miserably. The 12,500 fans in the crowd didn’t really go wild. They watched the Nexus explode. Gold hadn’t stood a chance against Fate. The Koreans, led by their Midlaner Moon, methodically dismantled the European team. It was one of those games where there was no excitement. Everyone knew from minute one who would win. Not that it wasn’t impressive. It was, incredibly so. But it was also a boring match for the neutral fan.

If it was just losing one game to a stronger Korean team, the crowd in the Wembley Arena wouldn’t have been this quiet. But Fate didn’t just beat Gold, Moon also used this game to send a message to Legend’s Midlaner Phoenix! That he was the better Midlaner! Moon had played Anivia, Phoenix’s signature Champion, and ended the game with a score of 7/0/3. He was just one kill away from being Legendary!

In the VIP viewing area, Phoenix leaned forward on the balustrade. He’d watched the entire game and was now staring at the large picture of Anivia on the big screen. Well played. His eyes fell on Moon, smiling. He felt the itch to play, to show Moon who the better Anivia was. A fight between Emperors, now that was something to look forward to! But the tournament had barely started. There was still plenty of time for that.

The second game of the day would be in Group A. It was North America’s Flash versus China’s KG. If last week’s performances were anything to go by, this game wouldn’t hold any suspense either. The crowd felt the same. Those who had to take a bathroom break left the hall, while those who stayed were more focused on talking with their friends or looking at their phones than they were with waiting in anticipation for the game to start. KG was such a big disappointment this year, even the wildcard team in Group A looked better. Many fans even thought that if KG kept going like they were, they would end up at the bottom of their group.

Chinese fans all around the world turned silent. They stopped flaming KG on the forums, and they stopped judging them in the various streams. No matter how low their opinion was of the current KG, they still held that last trace of hope. KG still had a chance! They could still make it through to the next round! If they’d dealt with whatever problem they were dealing with last week, then maybe they could finally show the world how good of a team they really were! It wasn’t much to hold on to. But the Chinese fans desperately clung onto this hope. KG had to perform! They just had to!

The players from Flash walked up on stage, waving at the cheering crowd. They were loving all the attention. Their Toplaner Chris sat down on the gaming chair in front of his computer and leaned back, smiling. This was what he lived for. Thousands of people cheering for him! He cracked his knuckles. I’ll show them how good I am! This game was the perfect moment for that. They wouldn’t just qualify for the next round by winning this game, or as good as, but he would also show the entire world how much better of a player he was than God Roundy! Though, he did hope KG would perform better today than they did last week. Last week was just pathetic. If that was the level of KG and the LPL, then that was really disappointing.

Chris looked across the stage at KG. He looked at Tian Tian. God Roundy, ha. God… Roundy Round looked like a nervous wreck, much like how he’d looked a week ago. Chris sneered. This’ll be easy. Uncrowned Eighth my ass… Just a nervous, fat scrub. Can’t believe he beat me four years ago. Well, he didn’t really. The other guy did… The thought of what happened four years ago still stung Chris. This terrible Toplaner had somehow beat him. It was humiliating! He’d been looking for a chance to get revenge for four whole years, and now that chance had finally come! Last week was fun, yeah, but there were no consequences. This time though. Hahaha! I’ll kick that sad excuse for a player off the World stage! I want to see him cry and wobble away! He laughed. Just the thought of watching Roundy Round walk away in defeat had him crazy with joy!

The mood on KG’s side was completely different from Flash. No one was talking. They walked up on stage with their heads hanging down in defeat. They hoped the crowd wouldn’t look at them. Worlds was already as good as over for them after last week. It would take something really special to save this sinking ship. But it wasn’t over yet. Not everything was lost. They realized at least that much. There were still three more games to play, and if they won all three of them, they would make it to the next round! So they forced smiles on their faces and mumbled motivational quotes to themselves. They did whatever worked to hype themselves up for this next game.

However, they were only motivating themselves. They didn’t even look at their teammates. This game was for personal redemption. To show everyone how good they were, and not to come together as a team and win. They’d thrown that plan out the window during their off time last week, when instead of planning and preparing for these three games, they’d spent their time sulking in their rooms and reading all the terrible things their fans had to say about them online. They couldn’t be considered to be anywhere near their optimal state of mind.

Tian Tian looked the worst out of all the staff and team members from KG. His face looked ashen and he was chewing on his lips. He thought of the match and the stakes at play, and then his mind wandered back into that dangerous corner. It traveled to that place of darkness, where all he thought of were the ways in which he could screw up. What if I towerdive and screw up? The thoughts were wild and unnecessary, but they haunted Tian Tian’s mind and he couldn’t rid himself of them.

But then a figure appeared in Tian Tian’s mind. A vague silhouette. He recognized it in an instant. Lin Feng! He thought back to his phone call, and the promise he’d made to his friend. His friend had believed in him. “Arrghh!” he groaned, causing his teammates to look at him, annoyed. But he didn’t notice, he was battling in his own mind. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid! You can’t be afraid! I trust him! He said I can do it! I can do it! I can really do it! He screamed louder and louder, trying to fight off the demons in his head. He failed. The demons struck him where it hurt. And he let them. Those dark thoughts were right. A-ah… I can’t do it. I-i’m useless…

“I don’t need players who can’t even get out of the group stage.”

Tian Tian trembled. The thought hit him out of nowhere. He’d already forgotten about it under all the pressure. But now it was back in his mind. Lin Feng wasn’t looking for a weak teammate, or an old friend to goof around with. He was looking for someone who could compete at the highest level! So if he wanted to play with Lin Feng again, he had to perform. I-i can’t drag him down! I-i have to win this game! Every match! I-i win!

His nerves and worries lost to the pure confidence in Lin Feng’s words. He raised his head. There was no more crippling anxiety of everything that could go wrong shackling him down or ten tons of abuse from his fans weighing down on his shoulders, there was only Lin Feng’s voice in his mind, reminding him how good he was. He took a deep breath and started smiling. “L-lin Feng is right! I can do this! I’ll win every match!”

✹

In the NetCow Cafe branch in downtown Shanghai, the game between High School 13 and High School 7 was in full swing. After Lin Feng secured first blood with his Zed on the Yasuo, High School 7 got a kill back. Jarvan IV had ganked top lane and helped the Gragas pick up a kill on Chen Ze’s Rumble. The score was now one to one.

The least interesting lane to watch was bot lane. Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong failed to capitalize on a mistake from High School 7’s bot lane duo early on and the game had since entered a deadlock. Kalista and Jinx were both busy farming, and were both failing to put any real pressure on the other. Tang Bingyao on her Kalista was the better ad-carry, but High School 7’s Leona was the better Support. It was an even match-up.

Mid lane wasn’t much more interesting than bot lane after the first kill. When the Master rank Yasuo came back to lane, he changed his playstyle and started playing far more defensively. He kept his skills to retreat and used his Wind Wall skill to block Zed Shurikens whenever it was off cooldown, while he only went to last hit a minion when it was safe to do so. There was no opening for Lin Feng to abuse. He couldn’t get another kill.

Lin Feng kept pushing the minion waves into Red team’s outer tower. He killed the red minions the moment they got into lane with the help of his Living Shadow. It gave him a false sense of security. And when his ward in the river brush wore off, he stuck for another wave. This was the wrong move. He used Living Shadow again to clear out a wave, when Jarvan IV came for a gank, jumping on him with a flag-toss combo. His skills were on cooldown. He had to run away as the Yasuo dashed to him. Fortunately, Liu Yue arrived at mid lane to bail him out. He had his Elise throw out a Cocoon which stunned the Yasuo.

High School 7 didn’t have enough damage to finish Lin Feng off. His Zed got away with less than 10% of his health remaining. Though High School 7 didn’t pick up the kill, they did force Lin Feng back to base. This gave Yasuo some breathing room to push out the minion wave. By the time Lin Feng returned to lane, he’d lost an entire wave and the advantage he’d built up with his first blood was mostly gone.

High School 7 was putting the pressure on High School 13. They were a strong team, but there were stronger teams participating in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. If High School 13 gave up to this little pressure, it would be the same as giving up on the tournament and on their dreams! That wouldn’t happen. They weren’t going to give up or cave under the pressure from High School 7!

Lin Feng took a deep breath. He’d promised his team that he would carry this game. He didn’t forget his promise to Fatty either. They would be fighting side by side! Though in different tournaments in different parts of the world and for different stakes. He smiled and looked at his screen. What’s the point of a promise if I don’t keep it? A man keeps his word!

“First place is ours! Haha! We’re gonna win this whole damn thing! No one can stop us! We’re the fucking best!” Ouyang exclaimed. “Who cares about who we gotta play? We fucking rule! Isn’t that right!”

“Exactly! We don’t care! We’ll beat them all!” Liu Yue was infected by Ouyang’s enthusiasm. He gave Ouyang a bro hug and shouted, “We’re totally awesome! No one can take first place from us!”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and nodded, “We can really do this!”

Ouyang’s little outburst drew a few eyes, but when Liu Yue jumped on top of him, most eyes in the internet cafe turned to High School 13’s esports team. Some chuckled or just shook their head before going back to what they were doing before. It wasn’t strange to see a team get a little overexcited. There was always one. Others didn’t turn away and instead started whispering amongst each other.

“Who the hell are those guys? They look like idiots…”
“I love their vibe, man. They’re totally feeling it. Can you feel it? Man, they’re feeling it.”
“Smack-talking after playing the first round of games… Do they think they’re already in the main tournament?”

Those who were still paying attention to Ouyang and his crew after their little outburst learned which school this team belonged to. High School 13. There weren’t many esports clubs in Shanghai who didn’t know about High School 13. It was one of those teams that believed the world had it out for them, always claiming they got dealt the worst hand. Just last year, they made some wild accusations about a spy after getting their asses kicked in the first qualification round. As if that was the reason they lost. Only the best 16 teams could make it to the main tournament of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, and High School 13 definitely wasn’t one of them. High School 13 was only here for the experience.

“You for real? Haha! That’s hilarious! Are they high on something?”

“Shit man. I’d be too embarrassed to show my face again if I lost here in the first round. Like, can you imagine, losing in the first round… Heh. And now they’re talking about taking first place? You know what? They’re probably just having a laugh. Hehe. We’re taking them more seriously than they do themselves is my guess!”

“I kinda wanna know where their confidence is coming from. What if they found some great first year?”

The whispers turned into a louder discussion, until someone informed the gathering crowd that High School 13 would play against High School 7 next. This little piece of information hit the floor like a bomb. Most people stopped laughing. It wasn’t funny anymore. This team from High School 13 had no clue what they were in for. High School 7 wasn’t some no name team. They were a contender for a spot in the main tournament! Just last year, they made it all the way to the round of 16, and it was rumoured that their current roster was at least as strong as back then!

A small audience gathered around the isle of 10 computers where High School 13 would face off against High School 7. The commotion caused by Ouyang had drawn so much attention that there were people curious to see where he and his crew got their confidence from. Plus, if High School 13 really did end up beating High School 7, then that would be a huge upset! There was no losing here for the crowd. They’d be in for some good drama and an exciting game either way!

The team members from High School 13 looked around the place. It felt like all eyes were trained on them. Wherever they looked, people were staring at them, laughing and whispering. Their joy and excitement vanished, and back came the nerves they’d beaten a few minutes ago. Ren Rou and Ouyang took a step back, while those who were playing had to walk forward and take their seats. Only Lin Feng walked to his chair with his head held high. He looked nothing like the nervous wrecks around him.

High School 7 looked as confident and calm as Lin Feng. They weren’t at all afraid of High School 13, joking and laughing with each other as they found their places behind their monitors. High School 13 was the team that always called itself unlucky. There was nothing for them to worry about or watch out for this game. This would be nothing more than a warm up match in preparation for their game against Tonji Aff. High later in the evening.

Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and looked around the room. He was playing because High School 7’s Midlaner was quite strong. Too strong for Yang Fan, and High School 13 really needed this win to move on to the next round. Huh? What’s up with them? He noticed the worried looks of his teammates. Oh come on, not again… How many more times are they going to be like this… He patted Liu Yue on the shoulder and said, “Come on guys, cheer up! I’ll crush their Midlaner and carry the game. Just have some fun. Don’t worry so much.”

This comment got some laughs from the crowd, but the biggest reaction came from High School 7. Two of their team members lost it as they started laughing uncontrollably, while their Midlaner shook his head, smiling. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d reached Master on the Zuan server and was a Diamond 1 on the Ionia server. These were genuine high ranks. Poor guy doesn’t know what he’s in for… He grinned one last time before focusing back on his monitor. This opponent wasn’t worth his time. Huh? He looked back up and caught Lin Feng smiling at him, bright and confident. Uhh… Why does he look like that? Doesn’t he know who I am? Though he tried to convince himself that was the case, there was something that didn’t feel quite right about the situation. That smile was a little too confident.

✹

High School 13 and High School 7 loaded into the game. There were no big surprises in Champion Select. High School 13 was on the Blue team and got first pick. They’d locked in Rumble who was a really strong Toplaner in the current patch. In response, High School 7 locked in Gragas and Leona. Leona was the Support, while Gragas could go Mid, Jungle or Top. High School 13 decided it was best to choose their bottom lane duo and get a little more information before deciding what to play in Jungle and Mid. They went with Kalista and Braum, two favourite picks for Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong. The next two picks for High School 7 were Jarvan IV and Jinx. Jarvan IV was usually played in the Jungle and Jinx was an ad-carry.

High School 13 discussed their best option for a bit. They had two more Champions to choose. But ultimately, Lin Feng reminded Liu Yue to just have fun. He would carry this game, and the rest of the team could play something they were comfortable with and just do their best. With that in mind, Liu Yue chose to play Elise in the Jungle, while Lin Feng locked in Zed, the Master of Shadows. In direct response to this pick, High School 7 chose Yasuo. This meant that Gragas would play in top lane and that Lin Feng was up against a Yasuo with his Zed!

The crowd had their eyes on both Midlaners, and they were loving what they were seeing. Zed versus Yasuo! This was a pure skill matchup! The better player would win! They’d all heard Lin Feng say how he’d crush High School 7’s Midlaner. This would make for a really interesting lane match-up!

“What do you guys think? Who’s gonna win?”
“Yasuo, obviously. The dude is a Master. That Zed is going to get destroyed!”
“Haha! Either way, it should be a fun game to watch!”

《Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!》

High School 13 and High School 7 opted for a normal start to the game. There were no lane swaps and there were no jungle invades. Everyone found their way to lane and waited for the minions to arrive. At 1:55 minutes, the minion waves met in the center of mid lane. Zed and Yasuo started laning.

Yasuo learned Steel Tempest at Level 1. This was a skill where Yasuo would thrust forward his katana and deal damage to everyone it hit.

Lin Feng had his Zed learn Razor Shuriken at Level 1. As the name would suggest, Zed could throw his Shurikens. It was similar to Yasuo’s Steel Tempest in the sense that both their skills dealt damage in a straight line, though Razor Shuriken had a longer range than Steel Tempest.

Lin Feng and the Yasuo focused on last hitting the minions while also trying to harass each other. This worked out better for Lin Feng than it did for High School 7’s Midlaner. Lin Feng sidestepped every Steel Tempest with his Zed, not taking any damage. The Yasuo wasn’t so lucky, or good. He failed to dodge even a single Shuriken the Zed threw at him. His health was quickly dropping.

The crowd that had gathered behind Lin Feng and High School 7’s Midlaner gasped “ooh’s!” and “ah’s!”. This Zed wasn’t all talk! He was playing far better than any of them had expected. High School 7’s Midlaner felt the same. He’d thought Lin Feng was all talk, but it seemed he would have to get a little serious if he wanted to win his lane. He sat up straight in his chair and started really focusing on the game.

The Yasuo started playing more carefully. He couldn’t afford to lose more health, or he would be forced out of lane and back to base. But it still wasn’t enough. Another Shuriken hit him, and also the minion behind him, killing it. It was the last bit of experience the Zed needed to Level up. Lin Feng had his Zed learn Living Shadow. This skill let Zed place a living Shadow in front of him who would mirror his actions. If he activated the skill again, he could switch positions with the Shadow.

Lin Feng pressed down on W twice. The Zed’s shadow dashed forward and then he switched positions with it. He was on top of the Yasuo and attacked. Yasuo hit back with Steel Tempest while retreating back. He ate two auto attacks from the Zed before he activated the third hit of Steel Tempest. After hitting two targets in a row with this skill, the third attack would turn into a tornado and knock everything in its path airborne. Including the Zed. This was enough for the Yasuo to run away to his outer tower, his health dropping dangerously low.

Lin Feng pushed the minion wave in mid towards Red team’s outer tower. His Zed still had well over two thirds of his health remaining and he had yet to use the first of his three health potions. In stark contrast, the Yasuo had dropped below half health and had already used his health potion. It became dangerous for him to stick around in lane.

The small audience standing around the isle of computers couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They expected a fun match-up, yes, but not an easy one like this. It looked like Zed was completely outplaying the Yasuo, leaving zero room for counterplay.

“How’s Yasuo getting pushed back? That’s High School 7’s Midlaner!”
“I know right! Isn’t that dude a Master?”
“On the Zuan server, but yeah, he’s a Master. Also pretty good on the Ionia server actually.”

Lin Feng lingered just outside the range of Red team’s outer tower. His eyes were trained on the Yasuo. He’s so careful. He knows if he makes one misstep he’s dead. He last hit the red minions while throwing his Shurikens at the Yasuo. But he didn’t try anything more. He was waiting. Waiting for the Yasuo to make that mistake. It always happened. He just had to be patient.

Zed hit Level 3 and learned Shadow Slash. This was a slash that dealt damage in a small circle around Zed. Lin Feng still waited. The Yasuo hadn’t made the mistake yet. He got a few more minions. There! And Yasuo made the mistake. He went in to last hit a minion with Steel Tempest. It was small. Most players wouldn’t have been able to capitalize on it. But Lin Feng jumped on it right away.

Lin Feng had his Zed’s Shadow dash forward–Living Shadow! It appeared right behind the Yasuo. He stood right in front of the Yasuo. Lin Feng pressed down on Q and E. Zed and his Shadow both threw out their Shurikens, after which their claw blades swept out in a circle. All four attacks hit the Yasuo! His health fell below 30%! The Yasuo tried to run, but Zed switched positions with his Shadow, then auto attacked and ignited the Yasuo. It looked like the Yasuo would die right there, just inside his outer tower’s range. Then the Yasuo disappeared. He flashed away to behind his tower and then threw out a hurricane at the Zed–Tempest Steel!

Lin Feng saw this coming from a mile away. He wasn’t new to the game. The Yasuo was trying to bait him and play an UNO reverse card. The idea was to get him into the outer tower’s range and then knock him up, after which he would die to the tower’s energy shots. He had his Zed take one step back, retreating just outside of the outer tower’s range to cancel its aggro, then flashed through the hurricane and appeared right on top of the Yasuo. He hit the Yasuo with an auto attack, and then another.

《First blood!》

The audience around Lin Feng lost it. They started screaming and wanted to go up and high five Lin Feng. Ouyang had to step in to keep them away. But Lin Feng didn’t notice any of this. He was under Red team’s outer tower and would die if he didn’t move. It was too far away to walk back up the lane, but there was an opening into Red team’s bottom jungle just behind the tower, almost exactly where he was. He had his Zed run there and get out of range of the tower, its last energy shot bringing him down to less than 10% health. Then he tracked back through Red team’s jungle, fortunate enough not to run into High School 7’s Jungler. He safely made it back to lane, where he recalled back to base.

When Zed recalled back to base, Lin Feng let go of his mouse and balled his fist. Let’s go! I’m holding up my part of the deal, Fatty! The rest is up to you! Let’s do this together!

“L-LIN FENG!” Tian Tian blew his nose on his already wet and sticky sleeve. Then he tried to wipe his eyes dry too. “W-what happened to you?” His heart was racing and his stomach flew around like he was on a roller coaster. He hated roller coasters. But hearing Lin Feng’s voice again was worth more than anything else in the world. ‘“W-why did you leave without telling us… What did we do wrong? Is it because we lost Worlds? Did I do something wrong? We could’ve just tried again next year…”

Tian Tian stopped mumbling, and he stopped crying. “You know, the others all left after you. We were a team. And suddenly, we weren’t. Everyone lost their motivation. They stuck around for a little while longer, but it just wasn’t the same. Until I was all alone.” Alone. It was how he felt all the time these days.” I’ve been hopping from team to team for four years now, but I never really felt like I belonged—not like when the five of us were together.”

The more Tian Tian spoke, the more he began to reminisce. His throat became dry again and he had to fight hard to keep the tears back. “I-i tried to keep in touch, with the others. But everyone had their own lives. I-it became really hard to keep in touch. A-and you even changed your phone number and QQ! I tried to reach out to you, but no one knew where you went. I tried so many times…”

The only sound coming from the other side of the line was someone breathing, more loudly and irregular the more Tian Tian spoke. Then Lin Feng finally spoke out, “Fatty, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Tian Tian shook his head, frantic. He’d forgotten for a moment he was talking over the phone with someone on the other side of the world. The voice sounded so clear and the emotions so pronounced. It was easy to forget. But then he caught himself mid head-shake. His gaze fell back down on the floor. He missed his friend. “N-no. Why are you apologizing? There’s nothing you have to say sorry for. I-its just…” Lin Feng wasn’t here. He was still all alone. Tears started flowing down his face again. “I-i just really miss you. A-all of you! It’s b-been so lonely without you.”

Tian Tian loved League of Legends. He loved watching it, he loved talking about it, but most of all he loved playing it. Though his demeanor right now would suggest otherwise, he also loved being a professional player. He loved walking up on stage to a cheering crowd. He loved competing against the best. The only thing holding him back was his personality. He couldn’t deal with stress. It all quickly became too much for him. Lin Feng and his other teammates shielded him from this stress back in Season 1. They gave him the strength to compete at the highest stage against the very best. He wasn’t scared of anyone!

However, right now, Tian Tian was on a team of individuals. These players only cared about their own branding and were quick to throw anyone else, even their teammates, under the bus if that meant generating more traction for themselves. And after last week, they’d made full use of this. Any hatred directed towards Tian Tian was a little peace of mind for them. All of them had screwed up, but the fans had it out for Tian Tian and that was good for them. They’d left him all alone to deal with the abuse flung at him. Even the strongest of minds would struggle to deal with this, let alone Fatty who was especially sensitive to these kinds of things.

Tian Tian waited for Lin Feng to say something. Anything! He could hear Lin Feng breathe, so the call was still connected. But his friend didn’t say a word. Finally, he broke the silence himself. “W-when are you coming back?”

There was a slight pause, just enough time to really think about the question. Then Lin Feng promised, “Soon. I’ll be back soon. Trust me Fatty, just a little bit longer. And when I come back, I’ll have you join my team!”

“Okay! I’ll wait for you! Just hit me up when you come back! I’ll join your team!” Tian Tian just about shouted through the phone. It sounded like a promise between two children. His overwhelming feeling of despair was replaced with excitement. Only for a moment. Then he remembered where he was. He was at Worlds as the Toplaner for KG. Every fan in China hated his guts right now. One more loss and he was out of Worlds. It would only get worse for him if that happened. There wasn’t anything to be happy about. Dark thoughts flooded his mind again as he whispered, shivering, “B-but please h-hurry! I-i can’t hold on, i-it’s all too much. I-i worry that I’ll break.”

“Don’t cry!” Lin Feng shouted.

Tian Tian yelped, almost dropping his phone on the ground. He was caught red handed. Lin Feng knew him too well. He quickly wiped a tear from his face, then bit hard on his teeth. I won’t cry! I won’t! Lin Feng said I can’t cry, so I can’t! He clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm. The physical pain numbed his urge to cry. I’m not crying! Lin Feng is here!

“You’re playing next right? Couple more minutes or so?”

The sudden distraction was enough to keep him from crying. Tian Tian replied, “Yeah. Should be any minute now.”

“Ok. Hear me out. You’re going to win every game. Those next three games? Win them all. Carry your team and win. If you win all three, you can still make it out of group stage.”

“W-what? All of them? Did you really say all?”

“Yes. Win all of them. If you don’t, you’re out of Worlds. We can’t have that.”

Tian Tian’s eyes went round. He looked beside him at the bathroom stall. But Lin Feng was on the phone, so there was no point in hiding in there. The only thing he could do was argue. “No no no! Impossible! I can’t do that! Did you see Legend and Flash? They’re too strong right now. I can’t beat them. It’s impossible!”

“Yes you can.”

Tian Tian rubbed his nose, sniffling loudly. Then he placed his hand over his mouth. No! Lin Feng said I couldn’t cry. I can’t cry! I won’t! He bit  his lip and said, “I-i know you think I’m good, but… B-but they’re really really good. T-they’re way better than me. I-i really can’t beat them…”

“Do you trust me?”

“With my life!”

“So when I say you can win. What do you say?”

“Uhh.” Tian Tian stared at his hand, searching for an answer. He didn’t know how to explain to Lin Feng just how good these teams were. They weren’t some pushovers. These were two of the best teams at Worlds! Just because he wanted to win, it didn’t mean he could. It’d take more than a strong conviction! So he argued, “But…”

“No buts. I don’t want to hear a single but from you ever again. Listen to me, Fatty. If I say you can win, I say that because I have full confidence that you can actually win. I’m not trying to hype you up here. I really believe you can win. No. I know you’ll win. Now, promise me that you’ll win. Say that you’ll win all three games!”

Beating Legend and Flash, but Legend has Phoenix… When Tian Tian thought of Phoenix, he started trembling. Phoenix wasn’t just the best player on Legend, he was one of the best four players in the entire world! An Emperor! Tian Tian didn’t think he was bad, but an Emperor was still an Emperor. They were far better players than anyone else. No one can beat them! So he muttered, “But… Phoenix. Legend has Phoenix. They’re too strong. I can’t beat them. Phoenix is an Emperor.”

“I know Legend is a strong team. I know Phoenix is a very good player. But I also know you, Fatty. I know how good you are. I wouldn’t ask you to get out of the group stage if I didn’t think you could. In fact, you know what? If you can’t make it out of the group stage, then don’t even think about joining my team. I don’t need players who can’t even get out of the group stage. You’re only welcome in my team if you make it far at Worlds this year!”

Tian Tian felt like his heart stopped working for a moment. All his joy and happiness from hearing Lin Feng’s voice disappeared. He started trembling and couldn’t hold back the tears. Through the sobs, he asked, “Y-you don’t mean that. Do you? T-tell me you don’t…”

“I do mean it. So, promise me you’ll win?” Lin Feng’s voice sounded firm, but there was a slight disruption in it that revealed how much pain it caused him to say these words.

Tian Tian missed this. All he heard were the first two words, the rest was a blur. I do. I do. I do. They played in his mind, over and over again, as he let the phone drop to the side. If you don’t win, you’re not welcome in my team. Not welcome in my team. Not welcome in my team. He started fighting with himself. Lin Feng’s words played on repeat, but only those he didn’t want to hear. The ones that were most painful. I know you’ll win. It was one sentence. A single thought now in his mind. But it quickly boomed louder until it was all he could hear. I KNOW YOU’LL WIN! He breathed out deeply. Lin Feng believes I’ll win. That’s the only reason he said those other things! He placed the phone back to his ear. His eyes flashed with determination. “O-okay. I promise you. I will win! W-we’ll be teammates again! I’ll beat Phoenix!”

On the other side of the bathroom, Tian Tian’s mentor leaned against the wall. He’d acted like he didn’t care when he gave his phone to Tian Tian. But he did care. He cared a lot. That was the only reason he was here. Not because a friend had asked him a favour, but because he still cared deeply for Tian Tian. When he saw his mentee fired up, he couldn’t help but smile. It was a reaction he’d been trying to get out of Tian Tian for the past three years, but had always failed to do. He’d even given up. But here he was again. And there was that expression on his mentee’s face again. He bit  his lip as his heart swelled with pride.

When he first discovered Tian Tian on the ranked ladder, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d never seen anyone that talented before. Tian Tian might be timid and easily scared, but he was so talented that none of that mattered. Well, it didn’t matter to compete professionally, at least. But it did stop him at the final hurdle. It stopped him from becoming one of the truly great. When he didn’t let his emotions hold him back, he easily had the raw talent to become an Emperor! The only one holding him back was himself. In fact, Tian Tian’s mentor had only ever seen one player who was more talented than Tian Tian since then. But that person was just something else entirely. Like a freak of nature. Out of this world. Lin Feng. The talent he possessed was one in all of existence. There was, quite literally, no one who could compare.

✹

Lin Feng hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket, when cheers rang out from inside the NetCow Cafe in central Shanghai. He pulled the door open and walked in, then started smiling. At the gaming station of High School 13, his teammates were jumping up and down and celebrating. It looked a lot like they’d just won the game against High School 3. He rubbed his face and took a deep breath, then hurried over to them. “Did we win?”

“WE WON!” Ren Rou shouted as she hugged Lin Feng, still jumping up and down in joy.

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and smiled, “One down, one to go! We just have to beat Shanghai High 7 or Tonji Aff. High. Just one win and we’re through to the next round!”

Chen Ze’s expression crumpled when he heard Yang Fan mention their next two opponents. “Right. One more win. But we have to play those two schools. They’re way better than High School 3.”

“He’s right,” Liu Yue mumbled. The others felt the same. Their good mood disappeared and was replaced with worry. They didn’t want to admit it, they really didn’t, but the other two opponents scared them. After Lin Feng’s speech a few days ago, they wouldn’t give up. But they hadn’t suddenly changed their point of view. Shanghai High 7 and Tonji Aff. High were two of the best schools in the entire tournament. It would take more than a little speech to beat them.

“Oh, it’s fine. You guys don’t need to worry about that,” Lin Feng said, calm as ever. He laughed, “Just leave the rest to me guys, I got this.”

“Yes, it’s really me. Now open that door. What are you waiting for? Come on, open it up already,” Tian Tian’s mentor said.

“O-oh, right! S-sorry,” Tian Tian replied, flustered. He pushed open the toilet stall door just enough that he could stick his head out. Then he wiped his face clean again with his sleeve before peeking through the opening. A familiar figure leaned against the wall on the other side. It really is him! His eyes went wide as he pushed the door wide open and stepped out. “Uhm.” He started playing with his fingers while looking down at the floor. “W-why are you here?”

“Because a little bird told me you had another nervous breakdown. They had a pretty compelling story. Got me curious. So, Worlds hasn’t gone your way, huh?” The man pushed himself off against the wall and looked right at Fatty. He started smiling and mocked, “Crying in bathroom stalls has become your thing, huh? Do you come and decorate the place before you move in?”

Tian Tian stepped back, his back touching the bathroom stall. He scratched his forehead and lowered his head as far as he could to hide the tears.

The man stopped smiling. He’d tried to lighten the mood with a little joke, but it hadn’t worked. How many times have I been here… He started to feel frustrated. “I keep trying to hammer this into your thick skull, but it just doesn’t seem to register. Alright, let’s try this again. Tian Tian, what is the most important quality a professional player absolutely must have?”

“M-mental fortitude.”

“Exactly! Mental fortitude, confidence, whatever you want to call it. You’ve always been a worrywort, I know that. Remember, I’m the one who’s helped you deal with it all the way up until the end of Season 3… But I don’t know what to say. The you I see right now? You look like a pathetic fat sack of tears. I’ve never seen you look this bad. What happened? How did it get this bad? Where is the best Toplaner in China? Where’d he go? Show me him.”

Tian Tian shook his head. He kept shaking it as he started tearing up again. “N-no. I’ve n-never asked for any of this! T-there is only m-me here! I-i don’t want any of this.”

“If you wanted none of this, you could’ve retired. Just walked away. But did you? No. You’re still here. So you do want to play. And when you play? You’re really good. Fans are going to cheer for you. It’s that simple. Instead of trying to get them to stop cheering for you, why don’t you try and live up to their expectations? China only has one King and no Emperors. You could easily become the second King from our region. It’s a shame you can’t see that. You could be the hero of the LPL. Have you never thought of making your fans proud? And don’t come with that bullshit excuse of not wanting this or not having asked for it or whatever it is you keep saying. You’ve had 5 years to walk away. You’re still here.”

Tian Tian wiped the tears from his face and looked up at his mentor before quickly looking back down again. He reached behind his back and searched for the edge of the stall door. Then he pulled lightly on it while also fighting the urge to jump back in. In there it was safe. In there no one could see him. In there he could be himself B-but I can’t disappoint him… He didn’t hide away, not yet at least, and instead muttered under his breath, “I-i’m not good enough. I can’t make anyone p-proud…”

“Yes, you are good enough. Yes, you can make people proud. And yes, you are really good at this game. Like, really good. But you’re so stuck in your own head that you can’t see the world around you anymore. You can’t even see what’s right in front of you.” Tian Tian’s mentor clicked his tongue. “I’ve told you this before. Quite a few times, actually. But I’ll say it one more time, just in case you’ve forgotten. You have the talent, Tian Tian. You do. If you stop fighting with yourself and set your heart to it, you can become a King, maybe even an Emperor!”

Tian Tian looked up at his mentor, for the first time meeting his eyes. His hand slipped from the door stall and balled into a fist. But then he let go. He reached almost instinctively out for the stall door again and pulled it open while his gaze fell back on the floor tiles. He took a step back, hiding half his body behind the stall door, and said, “N-no no no no! I’m not good enough. O-only… Only lin Feng could fight an Emperor! L-lin Feng…” His teeth started chattering and his lips quivering. He shut his eyes and started crying, “L-lin Feng! W-w-where are you? I miss you! I-i miss him!”

The last couple of days Tian Tian had forced his mind back to Season 1. It was the last time he really enjoyed playing League of Legends. The last time he was truly happy. He was also a nervous wreck back then. But he had real teammates who cared for him. When they saw he was down, they would help him back up. They were his rock. And Lin Feng was the person he could count on the most. Lin Feng lifted up the mood in a room just by being there. Whenever he needed to eat his stress away, Lin Feng was there with his big, goofy smile and a tray of food. But Lin Feng wasn’t here anymore, nor were any of his other teammates from Season 1. They’d all quit and had left him alone. Now, there was no one he could eat with.

“Oh, you’re talking about Maple. Funny you mention him. You know, he’s the reason I’m here. I got a message from him for you.”

Tian Tian’s eyes went wide. Tears were still streaming down his face, but he started smiling. He pushed himself out of the bathroom stall and even took a step towards his mentor. “A-a message from Lin Feng? Really? What did he say? Did you speak to him? Is he doing ok? Where is he?”

“Yes, really. I got asked to pass on a message from that kid. And for some reason, I stupidly agreed. I left my nice resort in Barcelona and flew all the way here to meet you. This morning I was still enjoying the sun, and now I’m in this land of rain. Stupid rain, reminds me of four years ago…” He looked at Tian Tian and grinned, “Now that I’m here, though… Eh, I’ve changed my mind.”

“What did Lin Feng say? Huh? W-what do you m-mean?”

“Hmm. Yup. I’m way too good to be a messenger boy. If that kid wants to say something to you, he can do it himself.” Tian Tian’s mentor took his phone from his pocket and dialed a number, grinning as he looked at Tian Tian’s face that kept alternating between fear and confusion.

✹

The qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was held at a branch of the NetCow Cafe in downtown Shanghai. The place was packed with people. More than 70 teams were looking to secure one of the 16 spots for the main tournament. Their first step was a group stage, where they would play against three other teams. To make sure everyone got through their matches before the end of the day, the Chinese Esports Association had reserved the entire internet cafe, and they had rearranged the computers so that there were islands of two rows of five computers throughout the place. This made it possible for 10 matches to be played simultaneously.

At 7 pm on the dot, the first 20 teams took their places behind the monitors. Everyone else took a step back so as to not disturb the teams. They walked around the internet cafe in search for the most interesting matches or to scout out their next opponents. A small crowd gathered around the teams from High School 13 and High School 3. They started quietly discussing the champions and team compositions, and their expert opinion on who would win the game.

Lin Feng stood with Ren Rou and Ouyang next to a gaming station. The match was already 15 minutes underway. In the first few minutes, Ren Rou was biting on her nails and Ouyang was hopping up and down on his feet as though he had to pee really bad. But both of them had calmed down as the laning phase came to an end. This was because High School 13 was playing really well. Ouyang and Ren Rou even started laughing and cheering as their team took first Dragon and destroyed two enemy towers! Then Tang Bingyao got a double kill on her Tristana. She already was 6/0/3. Ouyang and Ren Rou forgot the last of their worries as their nerves finally settled down. They had this first game in the bag!

Ren Rou and Ouyang had every reason to celebrate. High School 3 was no pushover. They had reached the second round of the qualifiers last year and were rumoured to be a strong contender again this year. But High School 13 still ran all over them with flawless teamwork. It only took them 15 minutes to build up such a big lead that it was harder to lose the game than it was to win it!

Lin Feng wasn’t celebrating with Ren Rou and Ouyang. He wasn’t even paying any attention to the game. He trusted the team, and besides, there was something more pressing on his mind. It should be just past noon in London. KG is up next game… He’d memorized the schedule. KG would play in the second match of the day against North America’s Flash. Fatty should be getting ready for his game. Why haven’t I heard anything yet? Did he not get to Fatty in time?

Just as his worries started gnawing at him, Lin Feng’s phone started buzzing. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was a foreign number he didn’t recognize. Is this? His heart started racing as the crowd around him suddenly sounded incredibly loud. He searched around for somewhere quiet, but the internet cafe was packed. There was no time. He sprinted out the front door and picked up the call. “Hello? Who’s this?”

“Hey, Maple! It’s been too long. Your voice hasn’t changed a bit! Haha! Do you still remember me? Ah, doesn’t matter. Hey, I’m here at Worlds with Fatty. You wanted to say something to him, right? Here, I’ll give him the phone. You two talk.”

Lin Feng heard the voice. It sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. Before he could figure out who it was, a second voice interjected from the other side of the line. This one he did recognize instantly. He would recognize it anywhere. It was as quiet and timid as he remembered it to be. “L-lin Feng, i-is that you?”

Lin Feng froze. Fatty! It’s you! I, I… His throat felt dry and his head started spinning. He didn’t know what to say as his eyes became wet. That same voice he knew so well sounded out again, now a little more nervous. “Hey. A-are you there? P-please, say something!”

Lin Feng took a deep breath, then wiped the tears from his eyes. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and forced out a big, goofy smile. “Yo Fatty! Long time no talk! How’ve you been holding up?”

In the backstage area of the Wembley Arena in London, Fatty sat with his back against a bathroom stall. He was barely keeping it together. His hands were shaking as he held the phone to his ear. When his mentor had given him the phone, he couldn’t believe Lin Feng was really on the other side. But now that he had heard that voice. The voice he’d been longing to hear for the last four years, he knew it was Lin Feng. It all became too much for him. He started bawling his eyes out. “L-lin Feng, it’s really you! Y-you don’t know how much I missed you! I c-c-can’t take it anymore. T-the pressure is killing me! Where are you?”

The National Holiday came to an end. There was no more playing League all day and watching Worlds all night. Lin Feng had to get up early on Monday morning. He grabbed some breakfast and then went to school. Ouyang and Yang Fan were already sitting in class, worried like they’d been all week. In fact, there was a buzz going through the entire classroom. Angry hushed whispers with the random shout. Today was do or die for KG and Hand of God. And after last week’s performance, everyone in the class was worrying both teams would get kicked out of Worlds! They’d completely forgotten that HoG was currently sitting in second place with two wins and one loss and on schedule to make it to the next round. The teacher tried to get their attention, but no one really paid attention to her. She was the least of their worries.

There was a second reason why Ouyang and Yang Fan were worried today. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament! The qualification round would start later in the day. They would play three games that decided whether High School 13’s esports team would move on to the next round! All their hard work over the last few weeks would be put to the test. They would finally get to show Lin Feng just how much they’d learned from him!

All throughout the morning, Ouyang shuffled on his chair. He couldn’t sit still. His nerves were getting the better of him. Two of the biggest moments of the year had come together on the same day! He opened a forum on his phone and started browsing posts, yelping as he read some comments. The teachers warned him, hour after hour. It was so bad that he got sent out to the hallway in the last hour before lunch. But he didn’t care. He was even a little happy. Now he wouldn’t have to hide his phone. He could sit on the floor and browse as much as he wanted!

Yang Fan was faring better than Ouyang. He didn’t get sent out of class, and only got reprimanded a few times. But that didn’t mean he paid attention to the teacher. He hadn’t the faintest idea what class he was even in. His mind traveled between Worlds and the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Come on KG! You can win! I’ll win too! I have to! I won’t let it be like last year again! He spun the pen in his hand as the hours ticked by.

Something really unusual happened in last period. Tang Bingyao got called out. This was a first for her. She sat in the front row and always paid attention. But today, for the first time in high school, she was lost in her thoughts and missed the question the English teacher had asked. She was forced to ask the teacher to please repeat the question, and had to think twice before answering.

Just like the others, Lin Feng also had a hard time paying attention in class. But unlike the rest, he wasn’t worrying about Worlds or the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. He didn’t particularly care for either at the moment. There was only one thing, one person he cared about right now, and that was Fatty. It’d been three days since he’d called his mentor and asked for help in passing a message along. He hadn’t heard anything since then. The next game for KG was only a couple of hours away. He worried his message wouldn’t reach Fatty in time. That Fatty would completely collapse under the pressure and feed and tilt even worse than last week. Come on! Please be in time! Please! He then breathed in deeply and let the full breath out. I need to calm down. I can trust him. He said he would take care of it, so he will. I just have to be patient.

While Lin Feng was listening to his English teacher droning on and on about grammar rules, an airplane landed at Heathrow Airport in London. Inside the cabin of the plane, a man in his late twenties looked out the small window. “Ah, why did I have to come here? From the sunny skies of Barcelona to this muggy mess… Such a shame.”

He grabbed his belongings and walked out of the plane. After getting through security, he turned his phone back on and made a call. “Hey Ol’ Yang. I just arrived in London. Get me a backstage pass for Worlds, will you?”

✹

At exactly 4:40 pm, the final bell of the day rang. The students from High School 13 grabbed their backpacks and bolted for the door. They ran home, where they shoveled some food down their throats before rushing through their homework. There were only two hours left before Worlds would start! Though they were busy flaming KG and HoG online, they also really wanted to see both teams show up and make it to the next round. They were planning to follow every second of the action!

The members of High School 13’s esports team didn’t have this luxury. Homework would have to wait and they didn’t have the time to watch Worlds either. There was something more important waiting for them. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament! The seven team members gathered in the club room. They weren’t looking all that excited. If anything, they looked worried and afraid. Ren Rou tried to amp the others up by announcing they were going to take the bus! It was a bad attempt at trying to do something about the sad faces around her.

Lin Feng looked at the team members. Even Ren Rou didn’t sound one bit convinced. It felt like a few days ago all over again. They looked like they’d given up! He tapped Ouyang on the shoulder, drawing everyone’s attention, and said, “Uhh? What are you guys so nervous about? I thought we talked about this…”

Ouyang brushed Lin Feng’s hand away. “Bro… Why do you think? Just because we aren’t giving up doesn’t mean we aren’t nervous as fuck. Like fuck! Calm down dude. We’re just really nervous! It’s right here! We’ve been working so hard, and one bad game and it’ll all have been for nothing! We’d be like those idiots from KG. Oh god, please don’t let us pull a Roundy!”

“Yeah! What Ouyang says!” Liu Yue nodded. His head went up and down so fast it looked like he would hurt himself. “Didn’t you hear who we’re up against? Tonji Aff. High! High School 7! High School 3! They’re all really, really good! How can we not be nervous? Are you a robot or something?”

Lin Feng grinned. “Not a robot, no. But I am very excited to see you guys show off! You’ve all worked really hard. This is the moment to show everyone how far you’ve come!”

Lin Feng told them the words they needed to hear. He was right! They had been working their asses off for the last two weeks. Even with the distraction of Worlds last week, they still hadn’t slacked off! The goals Lin Feng had set for them when his Legends Bootcamp officially started were all met. And then some! They had overachieved! No one was left behind. They had come together as a cohesive unit and helped each other out! When they thought back to where they were only a few weeks ago, and how much they’d improved since then, they felt butterflies in their stomachs. It was an unbelievable feeling! They never thought this was possible. The group of low ranked individuals, with the exception of Tang Bingyao of course, had become a strong team! As this realization clicked in their heads, their mood turned for the better. Some nerves were fine, but they wouldn’t let those nerves get the better of them! They were a real contender for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament title! This qualification round was nothing and they would prove that! Their faces started beaming with anticipation and excitement.

Ren Rou smiled at Lin Feng. He’d managed to do what she’d tried to do but failed at. She nodded towards him, thanking him, and then turned to the others. “Lin Feng is right, guys! You can do it! I believe in you!”

“YES! We can do it! Let’s go!”
“WOOT WOOT! That trophy is ours!”
“No one can stop us!”
“We’re going to kick some asses!”
“Coach Lin Feng is the best!”
“Mhm!”

✹

In the Wembley Arena in London, the second week of Worlds kicked off. The first match of the day was between Korea’s Fate and Europe’s Gold! There were 12,500 Europeans in the crowd cheering their team on. An early first blood had them jumping up and down on the stands. They chugged their beers and screamed at the top of their lungs, “GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!”

The sounds of the fans reached all the way backstage in a private room. KG had gathered there. The coaches, analysts and players were sitting together, attempting to prepare for the next game. Though it could barely be called that. They weren’t talking with each other, only sitting together in the same room. Everyone was caught up in their own minds and they didn’t even notice that one of their teammates was missing.

One of the coaches looked around. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know what. It couldn’t go on like this. He knew that. But he didn’t know how to make the others see it. He had no clue how to help them out of this slump. As he was searching for an answer, he looked for the supposed star player of the team. “Huh?” he mumbled. Then he searched around the room again before asking, “Guys, has anyone seen Roundy Round?”

The players looked at each other for a bit, until one of them mumbled, “Probably shitting again.” Then another one grumbled, “Seriously, what’s his problem? How much can a guy shit in one day? And every single time it’s right before a game. How are we to prepare like this…”

✹

In one of the restrooms backstage, Tian Tian had locked himself up in a toilet stall again. He sat on the floor with his back against the door and his knees up to his chest. He wrapped his hands around his knees and rocked back and forth, mumbling to himself.

“I-i c-c-can’t d-do this… P-please, s-stop! I-it’s n-not m-my f-f-fault!”

“I’m useless! Y-you all say it! W-we can’t w-w-win with me… L-let m-me go home! I w-want to g-go home!”

The stress from the last few days had only made him feel worse. He barely managed to force himself out of bed in the morning. There were large bags under his bloodshot eyes, and his face was a sickly pale. If it was only the abuse he received from the fans online, he’d at least still function. But it hadn’t stopped there. His coach and teammates all blamed him for what happened in week 1 of Worlds. It was his fault they’d lost those two games. And it was his fault that they almost lost to the wildcard team. Their expressions haunted him, their faces floating in his mind laughing and jeering at him.

Tian Tian was completely lost in his own little world. He didn’t even hear someone walking into the washroom, and he didn’t hear the footsteps stopping right outside of his stall. Then, a loud knock rang just above his head. The stall door bumped into him. He reached out to grab the toilet bowl and forced himself up faster than his frame would suggest he could. Wiping the snot and tears from his face, he asked, “W-who i-is it?” He forced himself to breathe to steady his voice. He didn’t want to show his teammates that he’d been crying. “D-did the c-coach send y-you? J-just wait. I-i’ll be out in a m-mi-minute.”

There was a moment of silence, after which a familiar voice rang out from the other side of the stall door. A voice he hadn’t expected in a hundred years. “I knew I’d find you here. Tsk. What a waste of talent. Tell me, Fatty, how many times have we been in this exact situation? You know what’s coming next, right? The part where I tell you to grow up. That if you want to make something of your life and become one of the Seven Kings, you need to do something about that shitty attitude. And then you tell me how you don’t care to become one of the Seven Kings…”

“I-i don’t! I-i don’t want t-to be a-a King…” Tian Tian muttered. It was a line he’d said many times over. It was his go-to response when his mentor scolded him. His mentor who’d given up on him. His mentor– “W-wait! I-is t-that r-r-really you?”

The Finals of the Season 1 World Championships was the day that Lin Feng’s short life came crumbling down around him. He still remembered the hype he felt that morning, the excitement as he won the first game. But that all changed in the final game of the series. The score was 2-2. There was one last game to decide who would become the World Champion. The game started off well for Lin Feng. It was an intense back and forth from the first minute, with neither team giving an inch. His heart was racing and his hands were sweaty. The laning phase ended and the team fights started. What little advantage he’d built up in lane wasn’t enough to win over the opposing Midlaner. The fights became trickier and trickier as the minutes went by. All the champions reached Level 18 and most had completed their item builds. One misplay and it would all be over. One lapse in judgement would end the game. His nerves got to him and he made a rash play. A huge blunder. The opponent capitalized on it. They aced his team, stormed his base, and destroyed the Nexus.

Lin Feng remembered the defeated looks in the eyes of his teammates. The way they looked at him still haunted him to this day. They didn’t say it, but he could feel their disappointment. It was his fault that they lost, and his alone. He had let them down. Everything they’d worked so hard for, he’d made it all worthless. It was all too much for him. He couldn’t take it. So he ran away, far away from all those judging eyes! He didn’t even stop to tell Fatty, who was the teammate he got along with best. The only person he told about his decision was his mentor, a man he deeply admired and respected.

His mentor had always been there for him. In fact, it was this mentor who’d helped him with the problem of competing at Worlds. When the Global Esports Association told him he couldn’t participate because of his age, and when even the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Esports Association wasn’t enough to change this decision, it was his mentor who had helped him. A few words from him were enough for the Global Esports Association to change their minds and let Lin Feng participate at Worlds despite his age.

When Lin Feng told this mentor his decision to retire from the esports scene, he wasn’t given a lengthy speech about how young he was and how much more potential he had left in him. Instead, his mentor calmly listened to his little speech and then nodded. “Oh, if that’s what you really want, alright. Take some time off and get your thoughts sorted out. When you’re ready, give me a call.” He left Lin Feng with a pat on the shoulder and a note with a phone number on it.

It wasn’t until today, almost four years later, that Lin Feng finally called that number. He weakly said, “H-hey… it’s me.”

There was no response, just silence. Then, the man on the other end of the line started chuckling, a bit amused. “Oh? Wow, It’s you! Here I thought you’d walked away for good. I never thought you’d call this number again.”

Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. He couldn’t help but feel he’d let this man down four years ago. His mentor had done so much for him, and what had he given back in return? A failed tournament and early retirement. He tried to think of something to say, anything! But he couldn’t. His mind was empty.

“Hey! If you need something, hurry up already! You’re costing me a ton of money.”

Lin Feng was caught off-guard. He felt a sharp pain in his heart. He’d prepared himself to be lectured, chided, or even yelled at, but certainly not this. He asked, choking up, “I’m sorry for calling you. Do you not want to talk to me? I can hang up…”

“Huh? What?” Lin Feng’s mentor asked. Then something almost audibly clicked in his head. “Oh! No, it’s good to hear from you! But you’re really costing me a fortune here! I’m on holiday in Hawaii. Long distance charges are a killer. It’s like several bucks a minute.”

“Oh!” Lin Feng breathed out, relieved. The calm and casual tone of his mentor calmed him down too. His worries about himself disappeared and Tian Tian moved back to the front of his mind. He remembered the reason he’d called his mentor. “Hey, I’ve been watching Worlds. You know, KG and Fatty.” Lin Feng paused for a moment. It wasn’t fun for him to say the next part. “It looks like he’s had another nervous breakdown. His first game was a disaster and from there it just got worse. I’m worried about him.”

“Oh, huh? That brings back memories. You remember what I told you back then? You gotta be able to take the criticism. All the compliments are nice, but you won’t amount to anything if you can’t take the criticism. Anyway, I guess you want me to go do something about it? Should I go to Fatty for you and pass on a message?”

“Yes!” Lin Feng blurted out. “That would be great! Thank you so–”

“No. Can’t do. I told you, I’m in Hawaii. If you forgot your geography classes, that’s like half a world away from London. And I don’t have Fatty’s phone number either. I don’t know how I’d get in touch with him.”

“That’s not true! I know you can do it! If there’s anyone who can, it’s you!” Lin Feng insisted.

“Ha! You’ve been practicing asskissing, huh?” There was a pause on the line, but then the man continued, “Eh, you’re not wrong. I can do it. Hmm. You know what? Don’t worry about it. Leave it to me. I’ll take care of it.”

Lin Feng’s eyes started shining. He clenched his fist and wanted to scream in joy. Yes! Yes! Yes! It worked! Fatty’s gonna be alright! Wait. Calm down. Thank him first. He’s doing this for you. You have to thank him. Thank h– The voice of his mentor interrupted Lin Feng’s thoughts. “So you call me after four years just to ask me a favour for someone else? What about you? Have you thought about what I said to you the last time we spoke?”

When Lin Feng heard this question, there was no hesitation. He’d thought about it a lot, and he’d made his decision. No dream was too big, and he would chase after his no matter how small his chances of success were! “I have. I’m not giving up. Just wait and see, I’ll become the best professional player in the world!”

✹

On a beach in Hawaii, under the clear blue sky, stood a small wooden hut. In front of the hut was a large umbrella spiked in the white sand. A man in his mid twenties reclined on a beach chair underneath. He held a phone to his ear and sighed when he heard the last words from Lin Feng. After hanging up, he mumbled to himself, “You’ll become the best professional player, huh?” He rubbed his nose. He’d heard this line many times before and usually dismissed it with an amused chuckle. But not this time. He started smiling, “If anyone can do it, it’s you. I’m really looking forward to seeing how far you’ll get.”

“Ok! Enough daydreaming!” He leaned to the side and blindly felt around the little table next to him. When he grabbed hold of what he was looking for, he lifted it up and sighed. The piece of chocolate he’d saved for later had melted. His hand was wet and sticky. He tried to lick his fingers clean as his thoughts went back to Lin Feng and how he could help him. Finally, he grabbed his phone from his lap and dialed a number.

The phone rang twice before it connected. A voice sounded from the other side of the line, “Hey? What’s up?”

“Yo! Where are you right now?”

“I’m in Spain. I told you, I’m on holiday here. Did you forget? Oh, and why did you call me?”

“Guess it slipped my mind. Sorry. I need a favour.”

“A favour? What kind of favour…”

“Haha! Don’t worry man. It’s nothing big! Just a small little thing for me! Hahaha! Come on, just hear me out.”

“No! Nope! No way in hell! I’m not doing it! Find someone else.”

“Oh, quit your whining. Just go and get on the next flight to London. Do you remember Fatty? He’s playing for KG at Worlds right now. He’s had a nervous breakdown. I need you to go to him and pass on a message for me.”

“Worlds? You still follow League of Legends?”

“Of course I don’t follow that game. I’m on holiday, I don’t have the time to worry about something like that.”

“Uhh… Then why are you asking me to go there and talk to Tian Tian?”

“Oh, I’m not doing this for myself. You remember Feng Feng? He just called me and asked if I could help him pass on a message. If I remember correctly, you cared a lot about that kid too, right?”

“Me? Why the fuck would I care? If he can’t handle the pressure, that’s his fault. I told him this back in Season 3. Grow a spine and grouw the fuck up. But did he listen? No. It went in one ear and came out the other. That’s on him. If he doesn’t want to change, nothing will happen. I’m not wasting anymore time on that kid.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re a little upset with him. That’s why I’m not asking you to go help him. I’m only asking you to pass on a message for me.”

It was quiet on the other side of the line, almost as if they’d hung up. But the call was still connected. So after another second, he added, “I’ll take your silence as a yes. Great! Thanks for helping me. You’re the best!”

“Fine. Just this once. But you owe me for this.”

“Sure, sure, whatever you say. How about this? Next time you come visit me, I’ll have my babe fix you up something really good.”

“Ha. What kind of guy makes his girlfriend repay his favours? You really are something else, you know? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? Oh! And I have to correct you there. She’s not my girlfriend anymore. She’s my fiancée now.”

After hanging up the call a few minutes later, he sat up straight in his beach chair and looked towards the crystal clear waters. She stood on the shoreline, waves washing over her feet. Her long, raven black hair fell over her shoulders. She wore a beautiful sundress and a straw hat that protected her face from the sun. You’re as beautiful as the day we met. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have met her. She’d grown only more beautiful over the years, her hot temperament mellowing out with time. Then she turned around and smiled at him. I love you.

✹

Lin Feng felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. He’d been worrying about Fatty ever since that first game of Worlds. But now he’d finally done something about it. His mentor would help him get in touch with Fatty. He would have to wait to see how that would turn out. Until then, he turned his attention back to something a little more pressing. High School 13’s esports team! They still had a lot of work left in front of them while the first day of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was next Monday!

Two days of practice came and went for the trainees in Lin Feng’s Legends Bootcamp. Then they turned their attention back to Worlds. It was time for Group C and Group D to play their first three games in the double round robin. The two days and 12 games that followed were another deception for China. Dust performed a little better than KG, but that was all. They ended with 1 win and 2 losses. Both losses were to the Korean teams in their group. The Chinese fans started to worry. It began to look like not a single Chinese team would make it out of the group stage this year!

There were three more days until the second half of the group stage. The Chinese fans used this time to type out their hatred on the community boards and forums. Maybe that would motivate their teams and light a figure under their asses!