GTRSH Chapter 69

Chapter 69 Flash

Two weeks into the playoffs, TZ faced their first opponent, YC.

YC had been very consistent this season, losing only 4 games and ranking fourth in the league, in the same half of the bracket as TZ.

The night before the match, the coach called Yu Xinche out for a private training session.

For a rookie, achieving such results in their first season was undoubtedly lucky. Even if they lose every game afterwards, they could still manage to finish in the top four. It’s almost a certainty that he’ll win this year’s Rookie of the Year and Best Support.

However, there were also disadvantages. Yu Xinche had no experience in major tournaments, and facing a team like YC in his first BO5 match puts him under a lot of pressure.

The coach believed in his abilities, but also knew the player was meticulous. Fearing Yu Xinche might overthink things, he said to him, “We’re playing YC tomorrow, are you nervous?”

Yu Xinche understood what the coach meant; he didn’t want anyone to worry. He smiled and said, “It’s alright. We won last time, so we should be able to do it this time too.”

“Haha, okay. It’s rare for a BO5 to be won 3-0, so even if they win one or two games tomorrow, there’s no need to rush. In the final game, it really comes down to who can maintain their form better and who can stay calmer.”

Yu Xinche listened quietly.

“If you have any thoughts about the bot lane, just tell He Ci. If you have any problems, speak up immediately…” Xu Le patted his shoulder. “I don’t need to say much more about these things. Just believe in yourself. You are definitely capable enough now and won’t hold our team back.”

Yu Xinche knew these words herself, but hearing them from the coach gave her a different feeling.

He nodded obediently: “Yes, I understand. Thank you, Instructor Fang.”

On the way to the venue the next day, Xu Le told him across the seat to relax and not be too nervous.

Several teammates heard this and joined in the conversation for a while.

Only He Ci remained completely silent throughout the entire journey.

If the two hadn’t been sitting together, Yu Xinche would have thought he was asleep and hadn’t heard him.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Yu Xinche asked him after the conversation with the others ended.

He Ci leaned back in her chair, looking lazy. Hearing this, He Ci turned his head to look at him, feigning ignorance: “What should I say?”

Of course it’s encouraging words for me. Yu Xinche wouldn’t say this aloud; after a brief eye contact, he leaned back in his seat, pretending to be oblivious.

A few seconds later, he saw out of the corner of my eye that He Ci sat up, leaned towards me, and whispered, “You only need encouragement when you’re not sure. I think you’re in good shape and you can play well without me saying anything.”

“Let’s save the encouragement for the finals.”

Yu Xinche blinked. This could be considered a form of encouragement, since he had already secured a spot in the finals.

“Alright then,” he replied reluctantly, his gaze still looked ahead, not looking at He Ci.

“…” He Ci paused for a moment, then said, “You also need to be careful to conserve your energy. Some newcomers get too excited in the first two rounds, and then they become listless after they run out of energy.”

That sounded pretty convincing. Yu Xinche was slightly satisfied: “Okay.”

YC had already played a BO5 before, so they quickly got into the game today and gained an advantage in the early stages of the first game.

TZ hadn’t played a formal match for almost two weeks, and made a few minor mistakes at the start. Fortunately, they quickly stabilized the situation and prevented their disadvantage from widening further.

【So boring】

【It’s so boring it makes me sleepy; they’ve stopped killing people.】

【Conserve your strength for the fifth game】

【Why didn’t anyone build Thief’s Blade? Isn’t it a must-have in ranked games now?】

【Players who use the “steal the knife” strategy have a shockingly low win rate in the playoffs.】

【In high-level ranked matches, it’s not a must-pick anymore; players have learned to counter it. If they see you stacking stats, they won’t engage; just wait until your stats disappear before team fighting again.】

【4-minute cooldown is too long. Professional players need to do a lot in a minute, so this slows down the pace.】

While the Thief’s Blade was a good item, it’s not well-suited for fast-paced gameplay. Neither team prioritizes this item; they want to end the game as soon as possible, so buying the Thief’s Blade would be a waste of resources.

They would only consider buying one in the late game when they have enough resources.

Indeed, this game couldn’t be dragged out to the late game where the Thief’s Blade appeared.

Yu Xinche found an opportunity to flash and unleash his ultimate, using his Wind to control three people. It was a beautiful and a perfect initiation, and his teammates followed up in time, securing a smooth victory in the first game.

【Wind God is online again】

【YC, listen to me, ban support next game】

【The team fights were absolutely beautiful!】

TZ won the second game, bringing the score to 2-0. One more win would allow them to advance to the next round.

However, as the coach said, unless the difference in strength is particularly great, it was difficult to win 3-0.

YC, on the brink of elimination, dominated all three lanes in the third game, gaining an advantage during the laning phase. They then played steadily and won the game, bringing the score to 2-1.

【Coming from 0-2 to 3-2】

【?】

【OB is awake】

【FIX is ​​asleep】

【Is there anything wrong with He Ci this game? What can you do if your teammates are not safe?】

【Are you blatantly slacking?】

【Alright everyone, everything was fine this game, except for that time around the second tower where he got caught out and it caused a butterfly effect.】

【Yes, it will be better next game.】

The comments in the chat made some sense. TZ’s performance in this game wasn’t too bad. The coach didn’t say much in the rest room, just told them to rest and clear their minds for the next game.

After playing three games, he had exhausted a lot of energy. Yu Xinche closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa to rest, deliberately trying not to think about anything.

Suddenly he felt an itch on my face, like something had touched him.

However, it’s also possible that it was just a misperception; Yu Xinche didn’t really want to move and didn’t open his eyes.

Soon he felt myself being touched again, this time it was a little prickly.

Yu Xinche opened his eyes.

He Ci was holding a chocolate and scratching him with the wrapper.

“Childish,” Yu Xinche said to him, then reached out and took it and ate it. It was hazelnut flavored, not bad;he who hadn’t eaten all afternoon finally tasted something.

“Are you alright?” He Ci stood in front of him, looking quite energetic, unlike how lazy he used to be after playing three games.

“Mmm.” Yu Xinche also perked up, stood up and walked a few steps.

He stretched out his arms and shoulders, and his neck cracked twice.

Hearing the sound, He Ci walked behind him and gently squeezed his shoulders and neck twice.

“??”

Caught off guard by his sudden move, Yu Xinche froze instantly, like a stressed kitten.

“Why is it having the opposite effect?” He Ci’s voice sounded like he was laughing. “How about we send the team doctor instead?”

“No need, no need,” Yu Xinche quickly replied.

The team doctor was massaging CONTROL’s wrist, which had developed an occupational ailment and would ache after playing for a long time. Yu Xinche was just a little tired and didn’t feel any particular discomfort, so he didn’t bother the team doctor.

But he suddenly thought of something.

“By the way, is there something wrong with your hand?” he asked He Ci.

“No.” Perhaps to clarify, He Ci extended both hands in front of him.

With long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles, they were very beautiful hands, seemingly born to compete.

“That’s great.” Yu Xinche then thought of something else, “What about the cervical and lumbar spine? I’ve heard that they’re also prone to occupational diseases.”

He Ci lowered his head and looked at him, his expression indifferent, but his eyes held a complex look that Yu Xinche couldn’t understand: “No, everything is fine.”

“Great! Is it because you’ve been exercising?”

“Mm.” He Ci nodded.

The fourth round was about to begin, and they were about to enter the arena, so the two stopped talking.

In this round, Yu Xinche chose Road, while He Ci played Rain.

After the draft phase ended, commentator A remarked, “He Ci is under a lot of pressure to survive this game. He doesn’t have many ways to stay alive except for Flash. BREEZE’s Road pick was also fine, since the enemy has Black Hole, and Road can break through their dark vision.”

Commentator B: “Well, they’re probably worried that the opponent will drag the game into the late game. Rain is quite strong in the mid and late game.”

“In terms of survivability, we see that Road is using healing and tank runes, so BREEZE’s game will likely revolve around He Ci and won’t be roaming as frequently as before.”

【If we can’t protect it, then we’ll forcefully protect it no matter what.】

【Preventing fish from swimming away is like cutting off your own arm.】

【Have you ever watched TZ’s matches?】

【With support, He Ci can reliably carry the game, and his Rain is very smooth; just trust him.】

The commentators were right; Yu Xinche rarely roamed in this game.

He Ci was the biggest damage dealer in the late game, but Rain was too easy to kill. He needs to stay with He Ci and protect him.

However, the game would not unfold exactly as planned. The opponent’s Black Hole knew that Lu could counter him, so he avoided his attacks and went to other lanes to gank.

During a brief respawn, Yu Xinche glanced at the match statistics panel. His teammates in the top and mid lanes had already died once each, and if things continued to go poorly, the game would become even more difficult.

He thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go to the mid lane to clear the bottom lane.”

After CONTROL died once, he was constantly being pressured by the opponent and couldn’t provide support, making the game very difficult for him.

If Yu Xinche could help push the minion wave, it might turn the tide of the battle.

“I can manage, but it’ll be better with your support,” CONTROL asked. “What about He Ci?”

“Go if you want to.” He Ci had just returned to town to resupply, and his equipment was slightly better than the enemy’s, making him relatively safe. “Where’s Black Hole?”

“Heshould be at the top.” Xiao Ou marked a point on the map. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

During the exchange, Yu Xinche was already rushing to the mid lane. After helping to push the lane, he used his skill to mark the enemy mid lane mage.

Knowing the enemy’s location, CONTROL immediately used his skills to launch an attack.

The two players executed a perfect combo, and CONTROL secured the kill.

At this moment, teammates from both sides arrived after hearing the kill notification, and a small team fight broke out in the mid lane.

He Ci was guarding the tower alone in the bottom lane, and was worried about being intercepted on his way to provide support, so he was slow to arrive.

When he arrived, CONTROL was already low on health and had to recall to base. After Xiao Ou was focused down and killed, Yu Xinche was isolated and helpless, being chased and attacked by two players

Just then, Yu Xinche’s Flash came off cooldown. Without a second thought, he blinked away to create some distance.

The opposing magician got carried away and used Flash followed by his ultimate to forcefully hold the opponent in place.

“Why are you still chasing?” The Magician’s ultimate has a large range, it’s impossible to dodge. Yu Xinche knew he was already a corpse, and while running forward in vain, he reported the information, “The Magician has no ultimate and no Flash, Black Hole has no Flash and no Q. He Ci shouldn’t come, he’s used his ultimate.”

He Ci was still some distance away on the minimap, and he would be pulled in in the blink of an eye. He wouldn’t be able to catch up with He Ci anyway, so he might as well go back and farm some soldiers.

The next second, another person appeared in their field of vision. Rain had flashed over and entered the Magician’s Mirage with Road.

【????】

【What does this mean? Flashing to your death?】

【I’ve seen this script before. He even flashed to save the support and got himself killed while playing against Wing.】

【But they won that round.】

【We might win this round too.】

Commentator: “Uh, here we see FIX had flash to Road and they get pulled in together. Now it’s a 2v2 situation in the mirage. Strictly speaking, Road has no mana and no health, so it’s FIX in a 1v2 situation.”

After He Ci joined the fight, Yu Xinche did not immediately use his skill on He Ci. He first helped He Ci tank a damage skill while keeping his health low, and then used his last bit of mana to possess He Ci to give him a control immunity buff.

He Ci didn’t say a word throughout the entire process, focusing solely on his actions. He dodged all the skills he could with his movement, first killing Black Hole, and then killing Magician when he was on the verge of death.

Before dying, the magician unleashed a final enhanced basic attack, the special effect of which flew onto He Ci, ensuring his inevitable demise.

He Ci knew perfectly well that he had lost based on his positioning and was waiting to die.

The card effect of the basic attack slowly floated over, and at the critical moment, Road’s healing cooldown was ready. Just as the card was about to float to He Ci, he managed to heal.

【!!!!!!!】

【Holy crap, that’s was insane!】

【These two are incredibly lucky.】

Yu Xinche breathed a sigh of relief. The healing skill had a 120-second cooldown, and he had thought he wouldn’t have enough time, but He Ci had managed to hold on until now.

【Holy crap, He Ci’s movement was amazing!】

【Like a science fiction movie】

【If he had taken even one more skill hit, he would have died.】

【His playstyle with this hero is truly unique.】

【Cheat-like movement, Cheat-like auto-attack, invincible】

【Baby’s Support is no worse than VI’s, right?】

【Even he got carried away and flashed to save the support, sob sob】

【This is so awesome for CP fans!】

“Wow, amazing!” Xiao Ou exclaimed.

Yu Xinche didn’t leave; he stayed with He Ci and recall back to the base with him.

Hearing this, he chuckled in the group, “Luckily, I made it in time.”

“I’m so tired of pressing the ‘d’ key.”

 

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