Rise

was the best penta and the best play of the tournament so far! Huh, it might even be the first penta of the tournament.
I wonder if we’ll get another one…”

Su Xue laughed and said, “Me too! I can’t wait to see Lin Feng get another penta!” Her eyes grew round as she heard her own voice in her headphones. Shit! I need to stop doing that. She shook her head and looked at the large monitor.
She pointed at it and said, “Look! They’re racing through Champion Select!”

Zephyr looked at Su Xue and chuckled.
He then turned his head to focus on the monitor and replied, “They really are.
Bans are done and they’re almost– They’re through Champion Select! That was the fastest I’ve seen in a while! Let’s see who they’ve all picked…”

Round of 16 Winter Collegiate Cup, Game 3

Team Guangzhou (Blue) versus Team Shanghai (Red)
Top: Irelia versus Rumble
Jungle: Lee Sin versus Jarvan IV
Mid: Twisted Fate versus Morgana
Ad-carry: Tristana versus Kalista
Support: Thresh versus Braum

“That is a surprise!” Zephyr said into his microphone.
“Look at that mid pick from Goalie! Twisted Fate! Now, mind you, Twisted Fate isn’t a bad pick.
He’s a very strong pick even! But Goalie is known for his AP assassins.
He hasn’t played anything but AP assassins this entire tournament! Until now!”

Su Xue grabbed her microphone and took over.
She said, “It looks like the pressure is getting to them! They know they need to change something if they want to win.
Looks like this is their last ditch effort to turn the tides and get a game back against Team Shanghai!”

“Wait, wait! Hold up!” Zephyr suddenly said.
He scrunched his eyebrows and looked at his screen again.
Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai were in the loading screen.
There were two rows of five Champions.
Beneath each Champion portrait stood a Summoner Name.
He focused on the names below Team Shanghai’s Champions and muttered, “An Xin is playing in the mid lane, Zeng Rui in the Jungle, Lin Feng as ad-carry and Tang Bingyao the Support? What?”

“Are they crazy!?”
“Hahaha! I love this! The disrespect!”
“Imagine if they beat Team Guangzhou like this? I’ll bet you those guys from Team Guangzhou will uninstall the game and tell their friends they never even played anyway!”
“It would be hilarious if Team Shanghai won.
But… What if they lose? Why would they risk this? Isn’t this just giving Team Guangzhou a way back into this series?”
“Cocky kids will be cocky kids.
Hopefully they’ll learn some humility from this game.”

Su Xue smiled.
She’d been there the previous night when Lin Feng came up with the idea. This is something only Lin Feng could come up with! She pushed the microphone against her lips and said, “I have some secret information.
Earlier, before this series, I spoke with Team Shanghai and they told me about this strategy.
They made me promise not to say a word about it unless they used it.
So I can tell you guys now…–” 

“Tell us!” Zephyr exclaimed.
He looked at Su Xue and added, “What is the strategy!?”

“There really isn’t much to it,” Su Xue explained.
She giggled and continued, “Lin Feng and An Xin are very good players.
They can play multiple roles.
So as for this game? The plan they have going in? It’s to confuse their opponents and make their opponents underestimate them! And if I look at Team Guangzhou’s soundproof booth…” she pointed at the monitor which showed the players from Team Guangzhou furiously arguing, “…
look at them! I think Team Shanghai’s plan is working! Team Guangzhou is going to be so upset that they forget to pay attention! By the time they do, they’ll realize that Team Shanghai isn’t being cocky.
All they’re doing is putting on a good show!”

✹

Zeng Rui glanced past Lin Feng at An Xin, then looked back at his monitor.
At his Jarvan IV. How did I let them talk me into this? Why am I playing Jungle…? I’m a terrible Jungler! I only know the normal pathing and I do know where to ward and everything, but I’m not BunBun! I don’t have her awareness! I don’t know when to be where and I don’t know exactly how hard I can push these Champions! I don’t even know about the Champions in the lanes I’m ganking! I’m the Support! I… I need to Support in the Jungle.
Yeah.
I can do that. He glanced at An Xin again. I get why we’re doing this.
We kind of had to…

Tang Bingyao’s finger injury was causing her enough trouble that she couldn’t play her best game.
And even her best game wasn’t enough to beat Seo.
She simply wasn’t that good yet.
Zeng Rui chewed on his lips and slowly nodded. Tang Tang needs rest.
She can play Support.
It doesn’t require as many quick movements and with Lin Fe– Maple as ad-carry, we’ve got nothing to worry about.
Even if he’s half as good an ad-carry as a Midlaner, he’ll still crush Seo.
But what about BunBun? He grimaced and looked at Twisted Fate’s summoner portrait. Goalie is still a very talented Midlaner.
Lin Feng can beat him, of course he can! He’s goddamn Maple! But BunBun isn’t Maple… Can she…?

“Why do you look like you need to poop?” Lin Feng asked over the team’s voice chat.

Zeng Rui was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard the question.
He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and found a pair of eyes looking straight at him.
He mumbled, “Uh, me?”

“Yeah you!” Lin Feng replied.
“Oooh!” He smacked his forehead and laughed.
He said, “You’re worried! You always worry! But you’ve got nothing to worry about! I’m a really good ad-carry and BunBun is a great Midlaner! She’s definitely better than that Goalie anyway!”

An Xin looked past Lin Feng at Zeng Rui and smiled.
She nodded and said, “He’s right, you know? I’m not as good as he is, but I’m at least as good as Goalie.
I can guarantee you that much.” She turned her head back to look at her screen.
At Goalie’s Twisted Fate.
She narrowed her eyes. I’m kind of sad that I didn’t use my Korean ID for this tournament.
Now Goalie won’t recognize me… Oh well, maybe he’ll remember me when I play against him.
I did leave a deep impression on him. She giggled. I doubt he’ll ever forget about that.

✹

《Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!》

The announcer’s voice blasted through the headsets from Team Guangzhou.
The five players sat behind their computers, tense.
They were 2-0 down in this best of five series.
And the main plan going into this third game was to play better.
That was what Coach Yin had demanded from them. 

The three Chinese players stared at their screen, upset.
They were playing their best, they were giving it their all, they were trying everything in their power to win their lanes and beat Team Shanghai! But they were getting outclassed.
It was that simple.
And on top of that, to make it so much worse for them, Goalie and Seo were both furious.
From the start of the series until now, they were steaming with rage.
There was nothing fun about this match against Team Shanghai for the three Chinese players.
They gritted their teeth and clicked their mice, mad.

Goalie was furious.
He wanted to kill Lin Feng! He ground his teeth, glaring across the stage at Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth. You son of a bitch! Do I really look that easy to you? Did you get bored? Is that it? Did you get bored? Did you want to give someone else the pleasure of beating me because I’m bad? FUCK YOU I’M NOT BAD! I’m not bad! He closed his eyes and slammed his hand on the desk. FUCK! Fight me! Fucking fight me! I’ll show you who sucks! I’ll beat you! He growled in Korean, “I’ll make you pay for this humiliation!”

“We’ll both make him fucking pay!” Seo exclaimed.
He pushed his hand against his twitching nose, trying to make it stop.
He then pointed at Lin Feng and shouted in Korean, “You think you’re all amazing because you’re good at Mid? You think that alone is enough to be a good ad-carry? Or do you think I suck? Is that it? Are you saying I suck? FUCK! You really don’t know what’s good for you! I’ll kill you! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

✹

Lin Feng had his Kalista run down the bot lane, past the inner tower and towards the outer tower.
He then glanced at Tang Bingyao and said over the team’s voice chat, “It’s been a while since we duo’d.
Remember the NetCow Cafe how we always stomped our opponents? That was fun! Let’s do like we did then!”

“Mhm!” Tang Bingyao replied, nodding.
“I’d like that!”