Rise

“I’ve had my fun. It’s time for you kids to make your move.“I’ve had my fun... “I’ve had my fun....”

The words echoed in Lin Feng’s head, bouncing off the sides of his skull. Booming through his ears. Just a few words, but they carried so much meaning. Three wasn’t old. Far from. But his years in the spotlight had come to an end. He’s had his fun… time for me to make a move…

Lin Feng was so caught up on those two sentences that he almost missed the next. Three’s voice rang out through the phone, “There’s no room for an old fart like me. I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame. It’s time you young’uns take the lead. Step up and find your own paths! Don’t let anyone tell you how to do it. Do what you think is right.”

Three was passing on the torch. Lin Feng understood how important this was to his old mentor. And how important it was to himself, too. He listened in earnest. Soaking it all up and giving it a special place in his mind. He’d had his fun. It’s time I have mine.

“Fatty should be good for now. Your little speech really helped him fight through his own head. He looks good. I think he’ll keep up his performances and become one of the Seven Kings. But that’s not enough. I won’t be happy with just that. We’re better than that. We got the talent! I expect at least half of the Seven Kings and Four Emperors to come from the LPL! Anything less is a failure! But more than all of that. You. You’re good, kid. You’re really good. There’s a reason One saw something in you. You know he was the best in the world? He was better than me and everyone else. And he saw something special in you. You’re the special one. Follow in his footsteps. Make him proud.”

Lin Feng took in every word. When Three spoke of Fatty, he smiled. It was great to hear his friend doing so well. And then came the last few sentences. One was the best. And he was One’s protege, so he had to become the best too. That was his dream. He was going to give everything he had to achieve that, no matter how hard it was. “I understand.” He nodded, earnest. Then he grimaced. “I lost to Rake once. He’s got to enjoy that long enough. It’s about time I beat him back.”

There came a chuckle from the other side of the line. “That’s what I was hoping for. I’m looking forward to it. But. What are you doing right now? Fatty said you’re doing some school stuff… What’s that all about? Some kiddy League tourney?”

“Oh, that.” Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and chewed on his lips. “The Shanghai 16 School Tournament…”

“Why? Ah, nevermind. Sure. Have your fun with that little tournament. But when that’s done, you’re coming back, right? You can easily find a second rate team to brush your skills back up. A lot of the veterans still know you. They’ll have you in a heartbeat! Do one season in the LPL with that team and then move to one of the top teams. It should be easy for you. Is that what you’re going to do? Or what’s your plan?”