Rise

Bloodsucker stared at his screen as it sprung back to life, vibrant colours replacing the dull tones of grey. He knew it was only temporary, though he refused to admit it. He stubbornly guided his Fizz back to mid lane. All I need are a couple of last hits. That’ll see me right back into the game! I just need a few more… a few more! He gritted his teeth. If it wasn’t for this damned LeBlanc, I’d be winning right now! LeBlanc was always there, cutting him off when he tried to last hit a minion or zoning him away from the lane entirely. Then he’d hide underneath his tower, the only place where he could at least get the experience from the dying minions. But LeBlanc didn’t even let him get experience. She baited him to use Playful Trickster, the only skill that could help him escape, and then killed him with a sudden burst of magic damage. And then it started all over again. And again.

At 17 minutes, Bloodsucker had completely given up on the mid lane. He didn’t even want to look at it anymore. He had his Fizz move into the Red team’s top side Jungle and attacked the Raptor Camp, which was adjacent to the mid lane. He could use Playful Trickster to land some splash damage and speed up killing the Raptors, but he didn’t. LeBlanc was somewhere, he didn’t know where. And if she came, he needed Playful Trickster to escape. I just need a bit more gold… a few more kills… then I’ll finally be relevant again! I’ll sh—

A silhouette dashed over the jungle wall into the middle of the Raptor Camp, just as Bloodsucker’s Fizz was about to kill the big one. Two Sigils of Malice slammed into Fizz, followed by LeBlanc’s Ethereal Chains. Bloodsucker’s screen flashed red for a brief moment before it turned grey again. He never even got to use Playful Trickster to escape. LeBlanc’s burst damage was too high.

《You have been slain!》

Bloodsucker pinched his mouse and lifted it up, searching for a wall to throw it at. Then he gritted his teeth and fought back that urge. “FUCK!” He slammed the mouse back down on its pad. “FUCK! FUCK! HE FUCKING DID IT AGAIN! HOW DID I NOT SEE HIM? FUCK!” He smashed down on the E key, his screen still grey, and shouted, “PLAYFUL TRICKSTER! PLAYFUL TRICKSTER! JUMP, YOU STUPID FISH!”

The game wasn’t even 20 minutes in and Bloodsucker found himself at the same score as in his previous game, 0/8/2. But in his Tryndamere game, he was playing against God Roundy in his secondary role. He didn’t like losing, but he could still accept that. But now he was playing his main role against some no-name Midlaner with his main Champion. He ground his teeth, glaring at the LeBlanc. FUCK THIS GAME! AND FUCK THIS STUPID LEBLANC!

Bloodsucker hurled a constant stream of abuse at his monitor, calling LeBlanc every bad word under the sun. But when his Fizz respawned, he didn’t chase after her. There was something else he felt beside humiliation. Fear. This was the first time in his still relatively short League of Legends career that he’d played against someone who made him feel utterly and completely helpless. I’ve scrimmed against LSPL teams and played against almost every big name on the Ionia server… I didn’t win every game, but that was never really my fault. They always come to gank me, and my Junglers usually help other lanes… Or my Junglers suck, like this one. He gave a fucking kill to the LeBlanc! But I should still be crushing her. How is she this good? Who is she? Where the fuck did she come from? God fucking dammit! He slammed his fist on his desk and shouted, “I’m supposed to be the most talented Midlaner in China! I’M SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT RAKE AND GET SOME HONOUR BACK FOR OUR REGION! ME! ME! ME! NOT SOME FUCKING RANDOM PLAYER IN SOLO QUEUE!” Then he slumped back into his seat, out of breath. He can’t be better than me! HE ISN’T BETTER THAN ME! I’m the best! I’m going to play at Worlds next year! I can’t lose to some fucking nobody! I WON’T!

✹

At 20 minutes, Lin Feng’s LeBlanc was still hunting down the Fizz. But it became harder and harder to find him as he started refusing to even leave the base. Lin Feng looked around the map to take stock of the game. Bot lane was minding their own business, having what looked like a fun skirmish that went back and forth. And Tian Tian was steamrolling the top lane after a slow start. Lin Feng smiled and shrugged. “Guess I’ll keep hunting the Fizz, all the way to the fountain if I have to. But maybe I can bait him out too…”