The finals tug-of-war

The elation of their first-game victory had barely faded when the second-game pick and ban screen quickly lit up. ZT, having clearly learned from their mistakes from the first game, targeted AY's core players with their bans—the first ban targeted Lan, and the second banned Wang Zhaojun, effectively severing the mid-jungle duo that Lin Yu and Su Ran were known for. The audience gasped in surprise, and the commentators' voices grew tense. "ZT's bans were brutal! They didn't give AY a chance to create their preferred lineup!"

The coach's voice boomed through the headset: "Ban Pei Qinhu and Zhuge Liang to slow down their early game. Lin Yu, you pick Li Bai, focusing on suppressing the jungle. Su Ran, you pick Sima Yi, relying on your nimble movement to cut into the backline. We'll use Da Qiao to push the lane and contain them."

Lin Yu and Su Ran quickly reached a consensus. While Li Bai's jungle invasion prowess wasn't as strong as Lan's, his three-stage displacement from "Song of the Wine" allowed him to flexibly counter Nakroth's pursuit. Sima Yi countered Zhou Yu's wave clearing ability and could quickly support the side lanes with his ultimate. The final lineups were: AY Team: Lin Yu - Li Bai, Su Ran - Sima Yi, Side Lane - Ma Chao, Marksman - Marco Polo, Support - Da Qiao; ZT Team: Aze - Nakroth, Lao Xia - Zhou Yu, Side Lane - Bai Qi, Marksman - Yu Ji, Support - Sun Bin.

"Match Begin!" As the referee's call came to an end, Lin Yu piloted Li Bai straight towards the blue zone, with Da Qiao following closely at his side. Her first skill, "Sea of ​​Fate," activated early, providing Li Bai with a movement speed bonus. According to the strategy, Da Qiao placed vision near the blue buff to ensure she wouldn't be counter-jungled by Nakroth. ZT's Nakroth tended to attack the red zone first, leaving a brief window of opportunity in the blue zone, which was Li Bai's chance to seize the rhythm.

At 1 minute and 20 seconds, Li Bai cleared the blue zone and reached level 4. Without hesitation, he headed straight for the middle lane. Meanwhile, Su Ran's Sima Yi had already cleared the first wave of minions and was using his first ability, "Shadow's Bite," to close in on Zhou Yu, pretending to drain his health. Zhou Yu fell for it and unleashed his second ability, "Fire Arrow," in Sima Yi's direction, attempting to force him back.

"Now!" Lin Yu's voice sounded in the voice chat. The first part of Li Bai's first skill "Drinking Song" moved him close to Zhou Yu, and the second part directly picked him up in the air. Su Ran's Sima Yi immediately followed up with the ultimate skill "Death is Coming". The dark figure instantly rushed in front of Zhou Yu, and the normal attack combined with the second skill "Desolate Realm" instantly reduced Zhou Yu's blood volume to a low level.

Zhou Yu tried to use Flash to escape, but was caught up by Li Bai's third "Drinking Song" move. He followed up his basic attack with his ultimate, "Blue Lotus Sword Song," and instantly took first blood. "Beautiful!" cheers echoed from Team AY's voice chat, and the orange signboards in the audience instantly lit up, with shouts of "Lin Su" echoing in unison.

In the following match, Lin Yu's Li Bai completely seized control of the jungle. He frequently invaded Nakroth's red zone, always stealing the red buff and small monsters before Nakroth could reach him. Su Ran's Sima Yi, with his agile movement, repeatedly swerved behind Yu Ji. Although Yu Ji's second skill, "Strong Wind," granted immunity to physical damage, was no match for Sima Yi's spell damage, and she was repeatedly reduced to low health and forced to return to the city.

At 10 minutes, AY was already two thousand gold ahead of ZT and had successfully secured their first Overlord. With the Overlord vanguard, AY began pushing towards ZT's bottom lane high ground. Just when everyone thought AY would press on, ZT suddenly launched a counterattack.

Bai Qi's ultimate, "Scythe of Death," suddenly swung out from the flank, precisely capturing AY's Ma Chao, Marco Polo, and Da Qiao. Zhou Yu's ultimate, "Beacon Fire at Chibi," followed closely behind, engulfing the battlefield in flames and instantly reducing the three to low health. Aze's Nakroth seized the opportunity, descending from the sky with her ultimate, "Eagle Strike," and combining it with her basic attacks to instantly kill Marco Polo and Da Qiao.

"Retreat!" Lin Yu decisively ordered. Li Bai's first skill, "Jiang Jin Jiu," led Sima Yi to retreat, but ZT had already formed a siege. Sun Bin's second skill, "Time Fluctuation," provided his teammates with a boost and health recovery, while Bai Qi continued his pursuit. Ultimately, Sima Yi was slain by Zhou Yu's flames. ZT seized the opportunity to push down AY's mid-lane high ground, closing the gold gap to 500.

At the 20-minute mark, the Storm Dragon King became the deciding factor. AY Team gathered first at the Dragon King's pit. Da Qiao unleashed her ultimate, "Vortex Gate," ready to summon her teammates to attack the dragon. But just as Li Bai was about to punish the Dragon King, ZT Team's Sun Bin suddenly activated his ultimate, "Time Passage," silencing all five members of AY Team!

Nakoruru's ultimate, "Eagle Strike," cuts in again, and combined with Zhou Yu's damage output, instantly kills Li Bai, Ma Chao, and Sima Yi. ZT Team seizes the opportunity to capture the Storm Dragon King, and with the Dragon King buff, they push forward, eventually destroying AY's crystal and catching up to 1:1.

The atmosphere in the locker room was somewhat tense. The coach, however, didn't blame the players, simply offering them warm water. "It's okay. That last wave was a tactical error on my part. I shouldn't have forced the dragon without vision. In the third game, we'll play it safe. We'll establish a strong early-game comp and control the tempo."

Lin Yu and Su Ran nodded, and they looked at each other, seeing determination in each other's eyes - they would not be discouraged by losing a game, but would focus more on the next game.

In the third game, both teams played with extreme caution. During the draft phase, Team AY took the lead with a lineup of "Lin Yu-Pei Qinhu, Su Ran-Wu Zetian, Lü Bu on the winger, Gongsun Li on the marksmanship, and Taiyi Zhenren on the support." Team ZT followed suit with a lineup of "Aze-Jing, Lao Xia-Mai Shiranui, Guan Yu on the winger, Di Renjie on the marksmanship, and Zhang Fei on the support." Both lineups favored early-game strategies, and whoever could seize the early advantage would seize the initiative.

In the early stages of the game, there were no large-scale teamfights, with only probing attempts in the jungle and side lanes. Lin Yu's Pei Qinhu, leveraging his high damage output in human form, repeatedly suppressed Jing in the jungle. Every time Jing attempted to counter-jungle, Pei Qinhu's basic attacks reduced Jing to low health, forcing him to retreat in disarray. Su Ran's Wu Zetian, using her ultimate ability "Life and Death," supported the side lanes, landing precise hits and stunning Guan Yu several times as he flanked, helping Gongsun Li resolve crises.

At 15 minutes, AY was ahead of ZT by 1,000 gold, having successfully secured their first Overlord. With the Overlord vanguard, AY began pushing towards ZT's mid lane tower. ZT, on the other hand, was fully prepared in the mid lane, Zhang Fei's ultimate, "Beast Blood," ready to activate at any moment, while Jing and Mai Shiranui were also looking for opportunities to penetrate.

At the 25th minute mark, the two sides engaged in a decisive battle in the middle lane. Lu Bu's ultimate, "Demon God's Descend," suddenly descended from the sky, trapping ZT's Jing, Mai Shiranui, Guan Yu, and Di Renjie. Su Ran's Wu Zetian immediately followed up with her ultimate, "Life and Death," stunning all four with a golden beam of light. Lin Yu's Pei Qinhu switched to human form, using basic attacks combined with Taiyi Zhenren's damage output to instantly dispatch Di Renjie and Mai Shiranui.

Team ZT was completely defeated after losing its back-row output. Team AY took advantage of the situation and pushed down ZT's crystal in one wave, taking the lead 2:1.

In the fourth game, ZT fought a desperate battle, playing with exceptional aggression. Jing and Mai Shiranui's synergy grew stronger, repeatedly flanking and cutting into AY's backline. Mai Shiranui first used her second skill, "Flower Butterfly Fan," to slow Gongsun Li, before Jing's ultimate, "Execution," instantly killed her. Despite Lin Yu and Su Ran's best efforts, they were unable to reverse the decline. ZT successfully won the game, bringing the score to 2-2 and forcing the deciding game.

Before the final set began, the coach gathered the players together. Without going into any complicated tactics, he simply patted everyone on the shoulder and said, "Relax, believe in yourselves, and trust your teammates. We've already proven our strength by making it this far. From here, we just need to bring our training to the table, and we'll win!"

Lin Yu and Su Ran exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously. They knew the upcoming match would determine the ultimate champion. No matter how strong their opponent, no matter how difficult the match, they would fight side by side, giving their all to secure the championship trophy that belonged to them. Under the lights of the training room, there was no fear in their eyes, only a desire for victory and trust in each other.