Rise Chapter 239 – Dream the Impossible, but Don't Lose Yourself in the Process

Bloodsucker was a troll. He loved to talk people down on the internet, just so he could feel better about himself. This rang especially true after having played a bad game of League of Legends. A loss stung so deeply into his ego that he needed a release. So, like a trained professional, he hurled abuse at his teammates throughout the game and in the endgame lobby. But then they talked back to him. All four of his teammates ganged up on him and told him it was his fault they lost the game and that he could piss right off. That stung even worse than losing the game, because somewhere deep down he knew they were right. But he'd never admit that. So he took the easy way out. Bully the fat kid.

Tian Tian was one of the biggest names in all of League of Legends. But unlike many of his fellow professional players, he didn't walk with his chest raised, full of confidence. He was about as far away from that as possible. He slouched, bit his lips constantly, and looked like a nervous wreck more often than not. And on top of that, he was the quiet fat kid. That made him the perfect target for Bloodsucker. Someone who didn't talk back, regardless of how much abuse was thrown at them. So Bloodsucker bullied Tian Tian until he left the endgame lobby. And then Bloodsucker sent Tian Tian a friend request, just so he could get a little more abuse in.

Lin Feng sat next to Tian Tian in the cybercafe. He watched over his friend's shoulder as Bloodsucker sent the long string of messages, stewing. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot. He hadn't blinked once after the bullying started, committing every message to memory. Then he muttered, “I'll remember this. You're going to regret this, Bloodsucker.” He spit out the last word. You crossed the line so far that you can't even see it anymore! Bloodsucker. I'll remember your name. And I'm going to find a way to pay you back for this! I'm going to make you feel how shitty you make others feel with your words! AND THEN MUCH, MUCH WORSE!

Tian Tian did what he always did when he got bullied. He tried to act like the words didn't hurt him, even though they destroyed what little confidence he did have. He chewed on his lips, forcing back the tears, and invited Lin Feng to another game. When his friend didn't accept the invite right away, he glanced over. And his eyes widened. L-Lin Feng! His lips quivered as he muttered, “L-Lin Feng, I'm okay. I really am! D-don't get angry, please.” T-that guy was just a troll. There are so many of them… And they always go away eventually if you just ignore them. I-I would know… They always bully me. No, no. He shook his head and blinked a tear away. P-pretend it didn't happen. It didn't happen. Nothing happened. He looked back at Lin Feng, who looked like he was about to explode, his entire face red in rage. “P-please don't get yourself in trouble for me…”

Lin Feng looked at Tian Tian and forced the anger off his face. Then he smiled weakly. I can't ignore this. You're my friend. Friends stand up for each other. I'm going to get Bloodsucker back for this. He's going to regret ever having said anything about you! But I know you don't like confrontation. So don't worry, I'll do it. You won't have to do a thing. He nodded and said, “It's okay. I won't get myself in trouble. Anyway, let's queue up for another game!” Now, how do I find this asshole? And how do I teach him a lesson he'll never forget?

✹

Lin Feng and Tian Tian played their Top-Jungle combination again in the second game. Tian Tian was still visibly upset at the start, but quickly forgot about Bloodsucker the Bully after Lin Feng helped him get a kill. From there, the two friends found their rhythm from the first game again. They were joking and laughing and completely decimating the Blue team. Towers fell and they were knocking on Blue team's base after only 15 minutes. Two minutes later, they destroyed the top inhibitor. And another two minutes later, they destroyed the Nexus and won the game.

Lin Feng invited Tian Tian to a third game and started the queue. Then  he looked over at his friend and said, “I think I'm going mid this game.”

“Oh, yeah! Ok, that sounds good,” Tian Tian replied.

The two friends accepted the queue and moved into Champion Select for the third time that day. They were on the Blue Team. Tian Tian chose to play Irelia in the top lane, and Lin Feng went with LeBlanc in the mid lane. Then they went into the loading screen and got a look at their opponents. One of them was the mid lane champion Fizz. His Summoner ID was Bloodsucker.

Tian Tian's eyes widened and he asked in surprise, “That Fizz, isn't he…?”

“The Tryndamere from the first game,” Lin Feng finished the sentence. Then he started grinning. This wasn't his happy-go-lucky smile, but something terrifying. You're going to regret what you did so badly. A fire blazed in his eyes and he clenched his fists. “What a coincidence that we see him again!” he said, laughing like a maniac. “This makes it so much easier!”

Tian Tian shivered, afraid to even look at Lin Feng. He felt a rage that was about to explode bubbling next to him. He uncomfortably moved in his seat, unconsciously inching away from Lin Feng. T-that Tryndamere has really done it. I've almost never seen Lin Feng this upset… He bit hard on his lips, fighting to find enough courage to look at his friend. But he couldn't get himself to. He let his eyes fall to Lin Feng's legs below the desk and mumbled, “Uh, L-Lin Feng? are you sure you're okay? You sound and look… I mean…”

✹

Breezy was one of 16 professional League of Legends teams that competed in the LSPL, the second highest league in China. They were too small for a headquarters in Shanghai, the esports capital of the world, and instead had a small gaming house in Guangzhou. Their gaming room was little more than a bedroom refitted with six computers, one for each team member and the last one for the coach.

Bloodsucker sat in his gaming chair, chewing on some gum and playing with his red curls. Shit, what a shitty game that was. He took a deep breath and then blew all the air from his lungs. At least I finally got myself to calm down a bit. But damn that Lee Sin… Why do I always get these trolls? He shook his head and looked at his loading screen. Let's see who I'm up against thi—

Bloodsucker's eyes went wide. He shot up in his seat and took a double take, then exclaimed, “KG RoundyRound and… MapleInShrub!” The initial surprise quickly disappeared and a smile that turned into full blown laughter replaced it. “Haha! AWESOME! That fucking Rengar! Is he duoing with Roundy or something? Haha, whatever, I don't care. But I found him again! I can make him pay for that shit he pulled on me!” He jabbed his finger at his monitor and shouted, “I'll get you back for that, you hear me? Mid is my main role and my Fizz is the best in the LSPL! And probably the LPL! Maybe even at Worlds! I'll show you! Hahaha!”

Bloodsucker was a relatively new face in League of Legends. He'd started playing not too long ago, and quickly found out he had some real talent for the game. He breezed through Gold, Platinum, and even Diamond. And when he finally reached Challenger, the professional team Breezy reached out to him and offered him a spot on their roster. They called him a big up and comer, and he knew they were right. There's almost no one who can beat me when I really try! I always win! This is just one season in the LSPL. Then I'll move to the LPL and qualify for Worlds in the summer. And then I'm going to show everyone that our region does have better talent than that fat fucking pig of a Roundy! 0-3… What a fucking disgrace for a player! The government should have him banished! He suddenly started smiling and mumbled to himself, “Good thing I'm playing on my second account. I can tell that fat pig exactly what I think of him and no one will know it was me. Haha!”

Bloodsucker focused on Tian Tian's Irelia in the loading screen and said, “So what if you're a good Toplaner? I'm a Midlaner! That's the only reason I couldn't carry the last game. And we only lost that game because my Midlaner was the single worst Syndra in Challenger I've ever seen! She belonged in Gold or something!” Then he shifted his attention to the LeBlanc and smirked. “But this game, I'm Mid. My main role. And I'm against this MapleInNoob LeBlanc. Haha, what a joke! I should be competing against the likes of Rake and Phoenix! But this is awesome. I'm going to show this camping bitch just how good my Fizz is. And how good I am!”

✹

《Welcome to Summoner's Rift!》

Lin Feng's LeBlanc walked from the blue fountain to the mid lane and Bloodsucker's Fizz came from the red fountain. They taunted each other in the middle of the lane until the minion waves crashed into each other at 1:45 minutes. Both players were out for blood. They played with absolute focus, last hitting every minion while also finding openings to land some harass. This lasted for a little more than a minute when Lin Feng's LeBlanc completely outplayed the Fizz to secure first blood.

《First Blood!》

Bloodsucker stared at his gray screen in disbelief. His hand trembled and he muttered, “D-did that just happen? I… Maybe if I…” He couldn't comprehend how he'd just given away a solokill, so he just sat in his gaming chair, incredulous. Then his Fizz respawned as colour returned to his screen. He shook his head and had hiz Fizz run down the mid lane again. One mistake. No big deal. I got this!

Lin Feng didn't follow his usual LeBlanc tactic of killing the opposing Midlaner and then looking for a gank in one of the other two lanes. He recalled back to the fountain, bought items, and then returned to lane. He continued last hitting minions and waited for the Fizz to come back. Then he started looking for openings again. Every small and miniscule mistake by the Fizz was taken advantage of by Lin Feng's LeBlanc. And two minutes later, he found the opening for a kill. Eat this!

《You have slain an enemy!》

Bloodsucker fell back in his gaming chair, stunned. What the fuck is happening? How is he… He bit on his lips and shook his head. No. NO! I can't let this continue! Where is my fucking Jungler anyway? Why do I have another useless Lee? FUCKING HELL! He started pinging Lee Sin and furiously typed away at his keyboard.

Bloodsucker (Fizz):「Yo Lee! You could've had two kills already! This LeBlanc keeps overextending? What the fuck are you doing? Stop jerking off in your fucking jungle! Come and kill this LeBlanc. FUCK!」

Red Team's Lee Sin came for a gank a minute later. He waited in the brush above the mid lane for Lin Feng's LeBlanc to overextend. All the while, he was forced to listen to a cacophony of pings as Bloodsucker was pinging him to engage.

Lin Feng grinned. He had a ward in the brush that Lee Sin was hiding in. How nice of you to give me two kills! That'll make it so much easier to toy with this bully! He then straightened his shoulders and leaned a little closer to his monitor. Let's get this double kill.

Lin Feng's LeBlanc moved forward, seemingly overextending. Red Team's Lee Sin ran out of the brush and Bloodsucker's Fizz threw his ultimate skill. But LeBlanc was one step ahead. She dodged the Fizz ultimate by sidestepping it, then locked the Lee Sin down with her Ethereal Chains. The Fizz jumped at her, but she jumped away, dragging him with her under her tower–Distortion!

Lin Feng's LeBlanc didn't wait underneath her outer tower. She activated Mirror Image, replicating the last skill she used. Then she jumped back out, firing a Sigil of Malice at Lee Sin before the splash damage from the jump killed him. Then she started auto attacking the Fizz, who'd taken two energy shots from the outer tower. Her Sigil of Malice came off cooldown and she threw that in between her auto attacks, shearing away Fizz's health.

《Double Kill!》

Bloodsucker's eyes were twitching as he stared at his grey screen. That was three deaths now. And this last one hurt so much that he temporarily forgot to take his anger out on his teammates. He just sat in his gaming chair, numb. When his Fizz respawned on the Red fountain, he rolled his shoulders and said through gritted teeth, “My Fizz is the best. Your stupid LeBlanc just got lucky. I'm going to kill you!”

At 8 minutes, Bloodsucker's Fizz arrived back in lane. And thirty seconds later, he gave away another kill. It all happened so quickly. He didn't even really know how it happened. The LeBlanc appeared out of nowhere, linked her skills together flawlessly, and his health just vanished. Then that grating voice from the game announcer echoed in his ears, taunting him with LeBlanc's success. His eyes looked lifeless as his entire body started trembling and shaking violently.

《Unstoppable!》
“Unstoppable!”
“Unstoppable!”
“Unstoppable!”

Chapter end