Rise

Just like a few weeks ago, High School 13 played on the same day as KG! However, that was where the similarities ended. This time, the games wouldn’t be played simultaneously. There would be no Lin Feng and Tian Tian finding the same wavelength, wreaking havoc on the opponents with their Rivens. Due to the time zone difference, KG wouldn’t play until it was 11 PM in China. High School 13 would’ve finished their quarterfinals series by then. If they hurried home, they could even catch the start of the KG versus SSK series. But many people weren’t going to hurry. They’d choose to watch one or the other. And the KG versus SSK series was a lot more interesting and exciting than some high school tournament.

Ouyang had gathered up with the other members of the esports club main team. All eight of them were here, watching Ouyang as he threw his hands up in the air and wailed, “Why! Why can’t we play a day later? Or earlier! I want everyone to come cheer us on! They have to come for us! I want to show off how good I’ve become!”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and looked at Ouyang for a long, never-ending second. Then he sighed and shook his head. “So that’s what you were getting worked up about. The attention.”

“No shit!” Ouyang snorted. He pushed his chest up and clenched his fist. “Last year we had nothing to be proud of. That spy really screwed us over. We could’ve made it to the main tournament if it wasn’t for him, and then. Then…” He looked past Yang Fan, standing opposite of him, and at the wall behind. He stared at it, then shook his head. “We had nothing to brag about last year. But this year? This year is different. We made it to the quarters. The quarters! Yang Fan, we’re in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Don’t you think it’d be really cool if the other club members come and watch us play? Watch us win? Maybe we can even get the whole school to come! All the cute girls will see how cool I am! Can you imagine?”

Ren Rou looked over at Ouyang. She shook her head and scrunched her nose. This little piece… She breathed in, long and deep, gathering all her frustrations. Then she breathed out. He’s right. It would be cool. She sighed and shook her head again before saying, “Hahh… I hate this. Why do you have to say something that makes sense? But you’re right. It would be cool to have the other students come and cheer us on. This is a pretty big deal for the club. I suppose we could make some flyers and hand them out, or maybe just tell everyone we know about it. Some word of mouth can do miracles. It might even help to build up the popularity of the club.”

Last year we didn’t even tell Mr. Zhou. Ren Rou smiled. Mr. Zhou was in charge of club activities. He could help them get the word around school. She looked at the others until she reached Lin Feng. Here she paused. She looked at their new teammate, her new friend. It’s all thanks to him. She nodded towards him and then said, “Let’s ask the club members to come and watch us Wednesday. I’ll make an announcement for it, and it’d be great if you guys could build some hype up as well. If we make it to the semis, I’ll inform Mr. Zhou. He can help us get the whole school to come and cheer for us! It’d be awesome if they’re there, cheering us on when we win the tournament and lift up the trophy!”

Making it to the Finals. Having the whole school cheer them on. Beating Shanghai High School or Shanghai International or whichever team they’d be up against in the Finals. And then lifting that trophy. Realizing their dream. Making history for their school. Their minds went wild. It actually sounded plausible! They were almost there! Only a few more steps! Perhaps they could really do this! Maybe! Maybe! Maybe Lin Feng was there to curb their enthusiasm. He put up his finger and said, “Hey, guys… Uhm. It sounds good and all. Just. We aren’t even in the semis yet. We have to keep working really hard to get there. You guys can’t start celebrating now. Celebrate when we’ve won.”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and nodded. “Lin Feng is right. We need to focus on our next match. There is nothing beyond that if we don’t win.”

Liu Yue bit on the inside of his lips, holding his tongue. He glanced over towards Ouyang, fighting back the urge. But Ouyang wasn’t saying it. Ouyang was staying quiet. So he jumped onto the table in the middle, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, “WE CAN DO THIS! THE TROPHY IS OURS! HERE WE COME!”