The Finals of the Season 1 World Championships was the day that Lin Feng’s short life ca crumbling down around him. He still rembered the hype he felt that morning, the excitent as he won the first ga. But that all changed in the final ga of the series. The score was 2-2. There was one last ga to decide who would beco the World Champion. The ga 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 beca 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 judgent would end the ga. His nerves got to him and he made a rash play. A huge blunder. The opponent capitalized on it. They aced his team, stord his base, and destroyed the Nexus.
Lin Feng rembered 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 disappointnt. 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 ntor, a man he deeply admired and respected.
His ntor had always been there for him. In fact, it was this ntor 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 ntor 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 ntor 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 ntor calmly listened to his little speech and then nodded. “Oh, if that’s what you really want, alright. Take so ti off and get your thoughts sorted out. When you’re ready, give 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 .”
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 ntor had done so much for him, and what had he given back in return? A failed tournant and early retirent. He tried to think of sothing to say, anything! But he couldn’t. His mind was empty.
“Hey! If you need sothing, hurry up already! You’re costing 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 ? I can hang up…”
“Huh? What?” Lin Feng’s ntor asked. Then sothing almost audibly clicked in his head. “Oh! No, it’s good to hear from you! But you’re really costing 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 ntor cald him down too. His worries about himself disappeared and Tian Tian moved back to the front of his mind. He rembered the reason he’d called his ntor. “Hey, I’ve been watching Worlds. You know, KG and Fatty.” Lin Feng paused for a mont. It wasn’t fun for him to say the next part. “It looks like he’s had another nervous breakdown. His first ga was a disaster and from there it just got worse. I’m worried about him.”
“Oh, huh? That brings back mories. You rember what I told you back then? You gotta be able to take the criticism. All the complints are nice, but you won’t amount to anything if you can’t take the criticism. Anyway, I guess you want to go do sothing about it? Should I go to Fatty for you and pass on a ssage?”
“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 . 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 ntor interrupted Lin Feng’s thoughts. “So you call after four years just to ask a favour for soone else? What about you? Have you thought about what I said to you the last ti 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 beco 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 beco the best professional player, huh?” He rubbed his nose. He’d heard this line many tis before and usually dismissed it with an amused chuckle. But not this ti. 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 lted. 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 ?”
“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 ! Hahaha! Co on, just hear out.”
“No! Nope! No way in hell! I’m not doing it! Find soone else.”
“Oh, quit your whining. Just go and get on the next flight to London. Do you rember 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 ssage for .”
“Worlds? You still follow League of Legends?”
“Of course I don’t follow that ga. I’m on holiday, I don’t have the ti to worry about sothing like that.”
“Uhh… Then why are you asking to go there and talk to Tian Tian?”
“Oh, I’m not doing this for myself. You rember Feng Feng? He just called and asked if I could help him pass on a ssage. If I rember correctly, you cared a lot about that kid too, right?”
“? 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 grow the fuck up. But did he listen? No. It went in one ear and ca out the other. That’s on him. If he doesn’t want to change, nothing will happen. I’m not wasting anymore ti 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 ssage for .”
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 . You’re the best!”
“Fine. Just this once. But you owe for this.”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say. How about this? Next ti you co visit , I’ll have my babe fix you up sothing really good.”
“Ha. What kind of guy makes his girlfriend repay his favours? You really are sothing 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 t. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have t her. She’d grown only more beautiful over the years, her hot temperant llowing out with ti. Then she turned around and smiled at him.
✹
Lin Feng felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. He’d been worrying about Fatty ever since that first ga of Worlds. But now he’d finally done sothing about it. His ntor 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 sothing 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 Tournant was next Monday!
Two days of practice ca and went for the trainees in Lin Feng’s Legends Bootcamp. Then they turned their attention back to Worlds. It was ti for Group C and Group D to play their first three gas in the double round robin. The two days and 12 gas that followed were another dissapointnt for China. Dust perford 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 ti to type out their hatred on the community boards and forums. Maybe that would motivate their teams and light a fire under their asses!
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