The players returned to their seats, with the camera following close behind.
When the lens focused on Sui Ning’s face, the spotlight happened to fall on his fair skin, clearly outlining every detail. The audience went completely wild, screaming uncontrollably.
A mischievous director immediately switched the camera to a fan whose expression had gone totally feral.
Noticing himself on the big screen, the fan didn’t act shy at all. Instead, he shouted furiously, “What the hell! Don’t film me—there’s nothing to look at! Film Feng-bao instead!!”
[LMAO, this is too real, bro]
[He said what we’re all thinking! Director, do your job!]
[Fire this director immediately!!]
At the commentary desk, Qing Ci sighed. “Honestly, Wind’s looks are definitely among the top in HPL.”
Chao Mi laughed. “Yeah, just seeing him makes the ticket price worth it. No wonder he was picked to be a celebrity before—he’s got the face for it. But now that he’s back playing professionally, at least he’s found his way again.”
Hearing this, the audience members who had seen Sui Ning’s old singing and dancing clips burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!” Qing Ci couldn’t hold back either. “We might even have to thank Idol Gas Station for this. Sure, the show has a terrible reputation now—but thanks to them, Wind realized early that being an idol wasn’t for him and switched careers in time!”
“According to the materials from the production crew, Wind made a name for himself on the national server around late February—which was right after he got eliminated from the talent show. He hit the top ranks not long after! If he’d stayed on a few more rounds, dragging it out until March or April, he probably would’ve missed the summer season entirely.”
Fans watching the livestream froze for a moment—then had a collective epiphany.
[Damn, that actually makes so much sense.]
[True! That dumb show ended at the end of March, way too late! Chen Chen even said himself Wind had already tried out in early March.]
[Fun fact: by the time that crappy show ended, Feng-bao had already ranked first with two heroes.]
[Unbelievable—did that stupid show accidentally become my idol’s savior?]
[My boy almost went astray, thank god he got back on track fast!]
Meanwhile, the PNG players had no idea what the commentators or fans were talking about.
Their custom noise-canceling headsets shut out all the chaos. Sui Ning took a deep breath, logged into the tournament account “PNG_Wind,” and began adjusting his settings in a custom match.
“Don’t be nervous. Stay relaxed.”
The coach’s voice came through their headsets as Chen Chen paced behind them, muttering instructions nonstop. “Our training matches went pretty well—we’ve adapted to the new patch better than most. But don’t get cocky. Everyone’s been grinding overtime; don’t go thinking you’re invincible…”
His rambling was almost like chanting, but somehow, it calmed the players’ nerves.
Sui Ning remained composed, doing everything by the book—tuning his settings, then resting his forehead on his hand and closing his eyes to gather focus.
Over on the AQ side, things were similar.
Coach Fan Fan confirmed one last time with his mid-laner: “You sure? You’re really gonna leave it open for him?”
“Yeah.” The mid-laner, Zhou Hang—ID Dami—nodded, a trace of contempt flickering in his eyes. “No matter how hyped he is, it’s just ranked play. Everyone knows how little that means on the pro stage.”
Most professional players didn’t have time to grind hero rankings, and anyone who hadn’t been tested in pro matches wasn’t worth fearing. That’s why Zhou Hang suggested leaving Aeria open for PNG—to “test the waters.”
“Besides… even if we leave it open, it’s not like they’ll dare pick it.”
He smirked, his tone dripping with malice. “If he takes it and loses, imagine how embarrassing that’d be.”
“Still,” Fan Fan mused, thinking further ahead, “it’s worth trying. If it turns out he can’t play that hero at a professional level, our drafts against PNG will get a lot easier later.”
——
Countdown 00:00
Phoenix Nirvana Gaming vs Aquarius Gaming — Game 1
As the pre-match countdown ended, the soft waiting music abruptly shifted into fast-paced R&B metal, its pounding beat enough to jolt any sleepy spectator wide awake.
The crowd roared with excitement.
“AQ——!! Fighting——!!”
“PNG——!! Let’s go——!!”
At the same time, the massive screen at the center of the arena displayed the Ban/Pick interface for both teams.
“The first game’s BP has started!”
Qing Ci switched into serious mode. “This is the HPL Summer Regular Season match—PNG versus AQ. The current patch is 6.2.0, best-of-three format! PNG’s on the blue side, with first ban and first pick; AQ’s on red, holding the counter slot!”
“Both sides are starting cautiously with their early bans,” Chao Mi continued. “PNG first bans the jungle Shadow of Vengeance—a very flexible champion that fits many comps, a classic all-purpose ban.”
“And AQ?” Qing Ci followed up. “Hmm… will they respect Wind’s hero pool? Oh? Their first ban’s White Bird, a marksman pick—fair enough. White Bird was strong in spring and didn’t get nerfed in 6.2.”
“Seems AQ’s just testing the waters,” Chao Mi added. “They might be watching PNG’s draft tendencies before going for a targeted ban.”
Soon after, both teams took turns banning Dragon Monk, Wrath of Thunder, and the supports Shadow Hawk and Scythe of Calamity.
The last pick of the first three rounds of the draft came to AQ.
“So what now?” Chao Mi scratched his head, a little puzzled. “Both sides’ bans are interesting—midlane is completely open now; it all comes down to AQ’s final ban. Do you think they’ll ban Aeria?”
Qing Ci nodded. “For safety they could ban her, but Wind has two mains on the national server—removing only one might leave you passive… does AQ already have a counter plan?”
The camera panned to the players’ seats; mid-laner dami looked very relaxed, as if everything was in his hands.
“Then it seems AQ is confident,” Chao Mi declared. “Ten seconds left—what are they banning?!”
[No way, giving them no respect? Why hesitate?]
[Not banning Aeria—what does that mean? Giving them a free win?]
[LOL, how can a ranked player be this arrogant in a pro match?]
[I’ll bet fifty cents they won’t ban her—stubborn as hell.]
[Better not ban—if they leave Aeria open, this game will be insanely entertaining.]
With three seconds left on the clock, AQ locked in their final ban: the support hero Little Traveler.
“The final ban goes to—oh oh oh oh oh, what does this mean?!”
The commentators shouted in astonishment like they’d seen the impossible. The arena instantly erupted.
Before Chao Mi could finish his sentence, PNG’s first pick had already locked in.
His eyes widened. “My god—instant pick, it’s locked!”
A blue streak of light leapt above the AR projector at the center of the stage; the heroes selected by the teams would be magnified and projected there.
A dark-purple starfield shimmered as the blue-haired girl slid down the moon and bounded onto the stage. Her bright eyes held endless delight as she delivered the classic selection line: “—I knew it, you wouldn’t forget me!”
At the same time, the hero’s info floated beneath her feet.
[Aeria, Stellar Sprite — Pick: 0%, Ban: 0%, Win: n/a]
Today marked Aeria’s debut in the Summer Split.
“AQ didn’t ban her, and PNG is so bold—if you dare to leave her, I dare to pick her!” Qing Ci was ecstatic. “First-ban player instantly locks—Stellar Sprite - Aeria—no hesitation at all!”
“So confident!”
[6666666]
[Oh my god, the hype is real! Win or lose, this is a major smackdown match.]
[Holy—what’s up with PNG’s rookie coming in like this? Is this gambling his pro career?]
[I think so. If they lose, it’d be a career-ruining embarrassment—given all the hype, he could just retire on the spot.]
[But if he wins, he’s instantly god-tier—just thinking about that is terrifyingly exciting!!]
[I’m turning into a fan because of this!! I love this kind of stuff—dare to leave it, dare to take it!]
[I’m Feng-bao’s fan and I’m kinda suffocating right now—where do I get an oxygen tank...?]
[1: Though I always say Feng-bao’s great… this is a pro match, wins and losses are normal!! He’s still a rookie—oh my god, why choose Aeria? If he loses he’ll be roasted online, I’ll collapse.]
[I’m desperately trying to comfort myself—losing is normal, don’t put pressure on him—but no, all the pressure’s on Feng-bao now!!]
[Chen Chen’s crazy, Wind’s crazy, I’m crazy too.]
On the red side, Dami’s expression immediately soured. “…They really picked her?”
“Of course they picked her.” Fan Fan was a bit helpless. “If you let her through and they don’t take her, that hero loses strategic value in PNG’s hands forever.”
Unlike Dami, who seemed keen to make a rookie choke, Coach Fan Fan was thinking tactically. This BO3 was Wind’s pro debut; so many people were watching. Emotionally and logically, if Aeria’s left open, they would definitely pick her.
It all came down to whether Wind could handle that pressure.
If he couldn’t…
Fan Fan sighed silently. “What do you want mid for? Want me to give you something that handles Aeria?”
He still trusted his player’s input.
“No need.” Zhou Hang’s face went cold. “I can take the Winter Queen to play supportive, linked plays.”
——
The crowd’s roar hadn’t faded when AQ’s first player picked Winter Queen - Yuna.
The commentators were stunned. “My god—what is this?!”
[?????]
[WTF WTF WTF]
[Why is Dami suddenly playing Yuna? Isn’t he known for Sakura Dance Princess?]
[Guess what Wind’s other national-server hero is besides Aeria?]
[…WTF??!!]
[Help, I’m Wind’s die-hard stan—do I still have time to bail??]
“To be honest, although I’d considered this possibility, seeing it happen still gets me excited.”
Qing Ci’s voice was excited. “This game is going to be amazing—really amazing.”
“I see you’re more than a little excited!” Chao Mi was slightly out of breath. As a commentator, he naturally knew what Yuna represented, though he couldn’t say it outright.
“Both teams picked mid first on the blue side—this situation hasn’t been seen much in recent seasons. Only two picks have come out so far, and it’s already full of highlights! AQ’s second pick secured Phantom Assassin—both mid and jungle are out!”
Chao Mi spoke rapidly, “What about PNG? There aren’t many strong junglers left—should they pick one?”
But PNG clearly had their own picking rhythm. They first took top-laner Verdant Treant, then counter-picked with Soul-Piercing Spear, revealing both the top lane and double carries.
AQ hesitated for a moment, then picked top-laner Broken King - Enric.
During the second round of bans, AQ further restricted jungle options, while PNG put pressure on the enemy marksman.
“On PNG’s side, what hero will Cloud use against Phantom Assassin? Feels like options are limited.”
Qing Ci frowned. “Lately Cloud’s been playing Fanlei a lot, but without Fan’en synergy, his strength seems a bit lacking.”
Chao Mi guessed, “At this point, Void Devourer seems like a decent pick?”
But it wasn’t what he expected—PNG picked Coldfront Lord for Ji Yunyu.
“Whoa! That’s a bit unexpected!” Chao Mi was surprised. “Coldfront Lord was reworked in patch 6.2, and today is his first appearance on the pro stage post-rework!”
[??????]
[What’s going on??]
[Isn’t Coldfront Lord a low-tier solo-queue hero?\
[It’s reworked, should be okay? But no one has tried it!! Cloud—Chen Chen, what are you doing!?]
[It’s only just reworked, someone has to try it—it’s just the regular season.]
Qing Ci laughed. “I feel like PNG is a team that’s hard to predict, but at the same time, you can’t really say they’re wrong.”
“Indeed, this draft has slapped my face the hardest today,” Chao Mi joked. “None of my predictions were right.”
“Compared to the Spring Split, PNG’s picks now show a completely different mindset. Not sure if this is a new tactic for patch 6.2.”
——
“All right, with this lineup, just play like you do in practice.”
During the final confirmation countdown, Chen Chen hurriedly gave some instructions. “Keep mid-jungle’s tempo in the early game; don’t let the jungle collapse; both sides…”
“Coach, you need to step down now,” the referee reminded him. “Time’s up, you can’t speak anymore.”
Chen Chen kept mumbling, “Control the Rift Herald, top-lane vision…”
The referee’s face darkened. “Coach–”
Behaving like a child, Sui Ning couldn’t help but smile softly. “Don’t worry, we remember everything.”
“Yeah, master, stop lecturing!” Ji Yunyu also smiled. “We’ve got this.”
Chen Chen glanced at them, then at the other players cracking their knuckles and getting ready. He wanted to say more.
But, the referee signaled a staff member, who promptly escorted him off: “Coach, this way—you need to go shake hands!”
Chen Chen: No—! I haven’t finished—!
The lineup selection countdown hit zero.
Blue side PNG vs Red side AQ
Top: Verdant Treant vs Broken King
Jungle: Coldfront Lord vs Phantom Assassin
Mid: Stellar Sprite vs Winter Queen
Marksman: Soul-Piercing Spear vs Gunslinger Caitlyn
Support: Radiant Goddess vs Holy Healer
“The lineups are confirmed!” Qing Ci’s voice rose. “The match officially begins!”
----------
No comments:
Post a Comment