Rise

“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!”