Rise

”

✹

Only 8 minutes into the game, Team Shanghai held a commanding lead.
Mid was practically lost for Team Guangzhou and bot was struggling.
But top was still relatively even.
So when the opportunity for a gank presented itself, they jumped on it.
Goalie’s Fizz snuck away from the mid lane and joined Lee Sin in the tri brush behind Blue Team’s outer tower.

Zhang Hao’s Dr.
Mundo was throwing cleavers at the minions there, passively farming.
When he walked a bit close to the wall of trees and boulders separating the lane from the Jungle, a fish flew at him.
Hit him.
It started swimming around him, a portal opening beneath.
A dark shadow appeared from the depths, waiting for the portal to grow big enough.

After casting his ultimate skill–Chum the Waters–Goalie’s Fizz dashed at Dr.
Mundo with Urchin Strike! Lee Sin joined behind him with a Sonic Wave into Resonating Strike! From the other side of the tower, Fiora Lunged into the fight, stabbing Dr.
Mundo with her rapier! That was when the portal beneath Dr.
Mundo fully opened and Megalodon jumped out, knocking Dr.
Mundo up in the air and mauling him!

Dr.
Mundo was known for his high health bar and frightening regenerative abilities.
More specifically, his ultimate skill called Sadism was basically a second health bar! But there was a very clear counter to this.
Ignite.
The unquenchable flames didn’t just burn away at his health bar, they also lowered the efficacy of health regeneration skills and abilities! Goalie’s Fizz cast Ignite, then followed up with Playful! He stabbed his trident in the ground and hopped on top of it, stopping the outer tower from firing energy shots at him.
When the tower switched aggro to Lee Sin, he hopped back down from his trident with Trickster, activated Seastone Trident to empower his basic attacks and dug the three prongs from his trident in Dr.
Mundo!

《You have slain an enemy!》

“Tower, tower!” Goalie ordered over the team’s voice chat, the hints of a smile appearing on his face.
Getting a kill on Dr.
Mundo wasn’t the same as getting revenge on Lin Feng’s Riven.
But it was something.
A lifeline to help him get back into this game.
He smiled and panned his camera across the map.
Down in the bottom side river, Team Shanghai was countering their play at top by taking the Dragon, but he’d expected as much.
He’d be disappointed if they hadn’t done that. This is all going as I want it to go.
This is how it should be! Now all that remains for me to do… He zoomed in on the Riven and gnashed his teeth. All that remains is to kill that dog!

“Woooo! A kill in top on Mundo!” Su Xue exclaimed, smiling. I’m impartial! 

Zephyr glanced at Su Xue and then said into his microphone, “Team Guangzhou got the kill on Mundo and the top outer tower from that gank.
But Team Shanghai used that opening to take the Dragon.
That’s a pretty standard trade.”

“I think we also can’t forget about what’s happening in the mid lane,” Su Xue added.
She pointed at her monitor and continued, “Lin Feng’s Riven has almost destroyed it.
That isn’t a direct advantage, but it could prove important later on.
And.
On top of that, we can’t forget that Team Guangzhou’s Botlaners backed away real quick when their team made the play in top.
Imagine what could’ve been if they stuck around!”

Zephyr laughed and said, “A beautiful skirmish is what could’ve been! But slow and steady is the game plan for Team Guangzhou’s Botlaners this game! And who can blame them? Vayne is a Champion that only gets stronger as the game progresses.
He’s perfectly happy letting this game drag on to the ultra late game!”

“Mm-mhm!” Su Xue agreed.

Zephyr’s deduction was spot on.
In Team Guangzhou’s soundproof booth, Seo had retreated deep under his outer tower, far away from a possible gank by Team Shanghai.
He’d moved his camera towards the Dragon pit and watched Team Shanghai slay the creature, steaming. Calm, calm.
Goalie’s right.
I need to be calm.
I’m playing Vayne.
Late game! I’ll be the hyper carry in the late game.
I’m one kill up.
This is only going to get better! I’ll make those… those… He closed his eyes and forced himself to take deep, long breaths. Stay calm.
Don’t call them names.
That’s just going to work you up– FUCK THOSE BASTARDS! I’M GONNA KILL THEM ALL AND MAKE SURE NO ONE REMEMBERS THEIR FACES! He slammed his fist on the desk in frustration.

✹

There was a short lull in the game.
The players from both sides returned to farming their respective lanes and the Jungle.
But this could never last long.
Top lane was completely in Team Guangzhou’s Fiora’s control.
But at the same time, Zhang Hao’s Dr.
Mundo was tanky enough where he could survive everything she tried.
He simply clung to a defensive position halfway up his lane and farmed minions.
If Fiora tried to push, she ’d become susceptible to a gank from An Xin’s Sejuani; if she didn’t, she’d fall behind in levels due to lost experience.
So she had to take a different tactic.
More specifically, she roamed down to the mid lane for a gank.

Lin Feng’s Riven was pushing so hard in the mid lane that Goalie could only place his Fizz defensively next to his outer tower.
Even then, the tower only had a couple of auto attacks worth of health remaining.
Goalie chewed on his lips and grumbled quiet complaints, clicking around his tower furiously.
That all changed when he glanced at his minimap and saw Fiora running down the river.
A smile crept onto his face. The slightest opening is all I need! Thanks Fiora! He smashed down on his keyboard to activate Chum the Waters! His Fizz stabbed his trident forward to fling a fish at Riven! It hit Riven and started swimming circles around her, a portal to the deep opening beneath her.

“A GANK! A GANK! THEY’RE GONNA GET THE RIVEN!”
“FINALLY A COMEBACK KILL! LET’S GOOOOO!”
“WE’RE FROM GUANGZHOU AND WE’RE PROUD!”
“TEAM GUANGZHOU, LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO!”

Zephyr chuckled and said into his microphone, “Sounds like we’ve got some fans from Guangzhou in the stadium with us today! Let’s give it another one for Team Guangzhou!”

“Team Guangzhou! Woooooo!” Su Xue exclaimed, cringing. It feels all kinds of wrong to cheer for Team Guangzhou… But I’m impartial! No one is more impartial than I am! I’ll hype up both sides and then cheer nice and loud when Lin Feng wins!

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes.
He counted the seconds until Megalodon would jump at him through the portal to knock him up and how long until Fiora would arrive in the lane–a ward had revealed her seconds earlier.
He placed a finger on the D key.
Flashing was the only way to escape the initial engage.
He turned his complete focus to Goalie’s Fizz. You’ll jump on me first, won’t you? You’re impatient like that.

Team Guangzhou’s Fiora arrived in the brush right above the mid lane and the portal to the deep beneath Lin Feng’s Riven was growing wider.
Goalie couldn’t wait any longer.
He dashed at Lin Feng’s Riven with Urchin Strike and followed up with Playful! He hopped on top of his trident and waited to see where Lin Feng was going to escape to, ready to flash after him.

Fiora was in the lane and almost upon Lin Feng’s Riven and the Megalodon could jump through the portal at any moment.
Yet Lin Feng didn’t Flash.
He waited, patient.
Careful.
Then it all happened.
A mottled flash of light wrapped around Goalie’s Fizz as he guessed the direction in which Lin Feng was going to escape, the Megalodon jumped out from the water and Fiora Lunged at Lin Feng’s Riven! And Lin Feng flashed.
A veil of light fell over his Riven and carried her a short distance towards Red team’s outer tower.
Behind him, Fiora stabbed Megalodon who failed to knock up Lin Feng.
And even further behind him, Goalie’s Fizz had flashed the wrong direction.

“OH MY GOD! HE JUST…” Zephyr cried out.
“HE JUST DODGED IT ALL!”

Su Xue clenched her fist, her knuckles white, and shouted, “THAT’S LIN FENG FOR YOU!”

“HOLY DAMN!”“OH MY GOOOOD!”“DID HE JUST? YEAH HE DID!”
“BEJEBUS!”

Goalie’s eyes twitched and his mouse hand trembled.
He glanced up towards his outer tower where Riven was. How did he…? He just… His mind was numb, his passive self taking control over his body.
He clicked towards Lin Feng’s Riven, though all his skills were on cooldown.

Lin Feng was in his element.
He was playing a high mechanical Champion and relied on his high mechanical skills to outplay not one but two Champions.
His fingers glided over his keyboard in practiced motion and he moved his mouse in short bursts with frightening accuracy.
There were two targets in front of him.
Two victims.
He grinned as he activated Blade of the Exile!

A thick hue of runic energy appeared around Riven.
It reforged her blade and boosted her stats! She followed up by jumping towards Fiora and Fizz and sweeping out with her blade! This was the first cast from Broken Wings and brought her exactly in range for a double stun! Riven pointed her reforged blade up at the sky and shouted, “Ki Burst!” Green energy exploded outwards and smashed into Fiora and Fizz! Both were stunned.
She then cast Ignite on Fizz while also stabbing at him with an auto attack!