A stunning regular season debut
The late autumn sun filtered through the glass walls of the esports center, illuminating a poster at the entrance. Lin Yu and Su Ran stood side by side, clad in their blue Team AY uniforms. The slogan, "Lin and Su side by side, glory will emerge," stood out prominently. With an hour left before the match, a long line formed outside the venue. Fans held up cheering signs, their light placards flashing blue and red. Occasionally, someone could be heard discussing the lineup.
"What hero do you think Lin Yu will use today? I guess it's Lan. He has a very high win rate with Lan before!"
"I think it will be Han Xin! AY's Da Qiao system is very suitable for Han Xin, and he can quickly push the line and push the tower!"
"Whatever it takes, just seeing them work together is great! I've watched the scrimmages from last week three times, they're so well-matched!"
Inside the arena, in the AY team's lounge, the atmosphere was tense and exciting. Lin Yu sat in his gaming chair, his fingers repeatedly pressing the screen of his phone. On the screen was the LK team's jungler's play plan that he and Su Ran had reviewed the previous night. LK's jungler excelled at using Zhao Yun, and was accustomed to attacking the red buff before going for the blue buff. They had memorized this detail no less than ten times.
"Don't be nervous, just treat it like any other training session." Su Ran came over and handed a bottle of warm water to Lin Yu. Her fingertips accidentally touched the back of his hand, and she felt the sweat on his palm. "We've been working together for two weeks, and we're all ready."
Lin Yu took the water, tilted his head back and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down his throat, easing his nervousness a little: "I'm not nervous about the game, I'm worried...what if I don't play well and disappoint the fans." He knew that many fans came for the cooperation between him and Su Ran, especially those CP fans who had been following them since they were rivals, and their expectations for this game were particularly high.
"No." Su Ran patted his shoulder, his tone full of confidence, "The Da Qiao + Han Xin system we practiced yesterday was specifically designed to target LK's Zhao Yun. As long as we follow the tactics, there will be no problem."
At this time, the staff knocked on the door, reminding them that it was time to go to the pre-match interview area. Lin Yu took a deep breath and followed Su Ran out of the lounge. The cheers in the corridor came through the soundproof door, making his heart beat faster.
The host was already waiting in the pre-match interview area. Seeing them approach, he immediately greeted them with a smile. "Welcome, Lin Yu and Su Ran! This is Lin Yu's first time representing Team AY in the regular season. How are you feeling? Are you ready to cooperate with Su Ran?"
Lin Yu took the microphone and subconsciously turned his gaze to Su Ran beside him. Seeing the encouragement in Su Ran's eyes, the tension in his heart gradually dissipated. He smiled at the camera, his voice clear and firm, "I'm very excited and looking forward to it. Su Ran and I have been working together for two weeks, and we have been practicing double scrimmages every day. From the timing difference of 'invasion-support' to the details of 'team fight-harvest' coordination, we have practiced it many times. Now we are ready and will give you a wonderful game."
Su Ran then took the microphone, his fingers gently rubbing the edge of the microphone. His tone was gentle but confident: "Lin Yu's joining the team has brought many new possibilities. His jungle rhythm is very flexible and can well drive the team's offensive rhythm. Our entire team has made full preparations for this game and will go all out to win."
After the interview, the two walked into the competition booth, and the audience immediately erupted in thunderous cheers. Lin Yu sat in his seat, adjusting his headphones and microphone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Su Ran checking his phone screen. Their eyes met, and they both saw confidence in each other's eyes.
The BP screen lit up, and Team AY took the lead in banning heroes. The coach's voice boomed through the headset, "Ban Jing and Gongsun Li first. LK's jungler Jing and side laner Gongsun Li have excellent synergy, so we need to cut off their core duo first."
Lin Yu and Su Ran nodded simultaneously, manipulating the mouse to disable Jing and Gongsun Li. LK Team's bans precisely targeted them—first banning Lin Yu's Pei Qinhu, then Su Ran's Wu Zetian. Clearly, they'd done their homework and didn't want to give them heroes they were good at.
"Take Da Qiao on the first floor." The coach's voice sounded again, "First lock Da Qiao, then take Han Xin, and play a fast-push system."
AY team locked in Da Qiao without hesitation on the first floor, while LK team chose Zhao Yun and Shiranui Mai - Zhao Yun in the jungle and Shiranui Mai in the mid, which is their best mid-jungle combination. When it was AY team's turn to choose heroes, Lin Yu directly locked in Han Xin, while Su Ran chose Zhuge Liang.
"Han Xin + Da Qiao, with Zhuge Liang providing damage, perfect!" the commentator's voice was filled with excitement. "AY chose a very clever lineup. Da Qiao's second skill allows Han Xin to quickly return to the fountain to replenish health, and then use his ultimate to send him back, greatly increasing Han Xin's tolerance for mistakes in pushing lanes. Zhuge Liang can rely on his passive and ultimate to harvest, which just makes up for Han Xin's lack of damage in the late game."
The final lineup is confirmed: AY team jungler Han Xin (Lin Yu), mid laner Zhuge Liang (Su Ran), wingers Xiahou Dun and Marco Polo, and support Da Qiao; LK team jungler Zhao Yun, mid laner Mai Shiranui, wingers Lu Bu and Yu Ji, and support Taiyi Zhenren.
As the game loaded, Lin Yu tapped his fingertips lightly on the screen, silently repeating the signal he and Su Ran had agreed upon—"center right" for Su Ran to support the right jungle, "center left" for the left jungle, and "dragon" for preparing to attack the dragon. Su Ran, sensing his nervousness, quietly reached out from under the table, gently touching the back of his hand with her fingertips, then quickly retracted it and gave him an encouraging look.
"The game begins!" As the referee's voice fell, the game officially entered the loading interface.
Lin Yu controlled Han Xin and headed straight for his own red zone, with Da Qiao following closely behind. Her first skill, "Sea of Fate," activated early, providing Han Xin with a movement speed bonus. Han Xin's jungle clearing rhythm was fast, combining basic attacks with his first skill, "Relentless Charge." He cleared the red zone in just 1 minute and 10 seconds, then headed to the blue zone to collect the blue buff, successfully reaching level 4.
"Center right." Lin Yu's voice sounded in the voice, concise and clear.
Su Ran's Zhuge Liang had just finished clearing the second wave of soldiers. Upon hearing the signal, he immediately abandoned the third wave and used his second skill, "Time Travel," to move towards the right half of the jungle. He knew that Lin Yu's Han Xin was going to counter LK's red buff. According to LK's jungler habits, Zhao Yun should be attacking his own blue buff at this time, and the red zone was just open.
Sure enough, when Han Xin reached LK's red zone, the red buff was still there. Han Xin's first skill, "Relentless Charge," instantly moved him to the red buff's side, and his basic attacks, combined with his second skill, "Last Stand," rapidly depleted its health. LK's mid laner, Mai Shiranui, sensed something was amiss and immediately rushed to the red zone. However, Su Ran's Zhuge Liang had already circled to the river bushes. Seeing Mai approaching, he immediately used his first skill, "East Wind Breaking Attack," to cripple her health, forcing her to retreat back to the tower.
"Beautiful!" Lin Yu's voice was tinged with excitement. After Han Xin took down the red buff, he didn't retreat immediately, but instead headed towards LK's mid-lane tower. Shiranui Mai had just returned to the tower, before she could replenish her health, when Han Xin's first skill, "Ruthless Charge," suddenly moved in front of her and sent her flying. Su Ran's Zhuge Liang followed closely behind, using his first skill, "East Wind Breaking Attack," followed by his ultimate, "Spirit Bomb." The golden energy ball instantly hit Shiranui Mai, instantly taking her first blood.
"First Blood!" The system prompt sounded, and the fans in the audience instantly boiled over. Shouts of "Lin Yu" and "Su Ran" came one after another, and the sound of waving cheering cards was like a blue wave.
"What a rapport! This wave of counter-jungle kills perfectly showcases their coordination!" the commentator exclaimed excitedly. "Han Xin is in charge of initial control, while Zhuge Liang is in charge of damage and harvesting. The division of labor is clear, and the rhythm is spot on!"
In the following match, Lin Yu's Han Xin was unstoppable. He exploited Da Qiao's teleport system to frequently push the lane and push the tower. When LK sent Zhao Yun to gank him, he used Da Qiao's second skill, "Sea of Fate," to return to the fountain for health, then used his ultimate, "Vortex Gate," to teleport back and continue pushing the lane. Su Ran's Zhuge Liang was steady in the mid lane, using precise skill releases to repeatedly harvest kills in teamfights. Once his passive was fully stacked, he could instantly kill low-health heroes with basic attacks.
Ten minutes into the game, AY was already two thousand gold ahead of LK and had successfully secured their first Overlord. With the Overlord vanguard, AY began pushing towards LK's mid lane high ground. Unwilling to fall behind, LK launched a counterattack in mid lane. Lu Bu suddenly activated his ultimate, "Demon God's Advent," trapping AY's Xiahou Dun, Marco Polo, and Da Qiao beneath the tower. Zhao Yun seized the opportunity to cut into the backline and unleashed his ultimate, "Thunder Dragon," towards Marco Polo, aiming to instantly kill the core damage dealer.
"Be careful!" Lin Yu's voice sounded in the voice chat. Han Xin immediately gave up pushing the line and used Da Qiao's ultimate move "Vortex Gate" to pass back to the middle lane.
At this critical moment, Su Ran's Zhuge Liang suddenly rushed out from the flank, accurately hitting Zhao Yun with his ultimate skill "Spirit Bomb," instantly killing him. Lin Yu's Han Xin circled around to LK Team's back row, using his first skill "Ruthless Charge" to knock Yu Ji and Taiyi Zhenren into the air. His second skill "Final Battle" dealt area damage, and combined with Marco Polo's ultimate skill "Frenzy Barrage," he killed the remaining LK Team members one by one.
"Team wipe! Team AY wipes Team LK!" The commentator's voice was deafening. "They can push down the crystal in one wave!"
Sure enough, Team AY led the troops and successfully pushed down LK's mid-lane high ground, and then pushed down the crystal. When the system prompted the word "Victory", the cheers in the venue reached a peak. Fans stood up, waving cheering signs and shouting "AY will win" and "Lin Su is the best."
Lin Yu took off his headphones, let out a long sigh, and turned to look at Su Ran. The two smiled at each other, their eyes filled with joy. His teammates gathered around, patting them on the shoulders and excitedly discussing the team battle that had just taken place.
As is customary, after the competition, the contestants walked to the center of the stage and bowed to the fans. Lin Yu and Su Ran walked side by side in front, their blue uniforms dazzling under the lights. They stood in the center of the stage and bowed deeply to the fans in the audience. The audience cheered again, and the flashing lights of the signage illuminated the entire venue like daylight.
During the post-match interview, the host asked with a smile, "Su Ran, you and Lin Yu had excellent coordination today, especially the first wave of counter-jungling to get first blood, and the ultimate in the last teamfight to instantly kill Zhao Yun. Do you have any secrets you can share with everyone?"
Su Ran took the microphone and turned his gaze to Lin Yu beside him, a gentle smile on his face. "Actually, there's no secret. We just often train together privately and review games together. After training every day, we spend an hour analyzing the day's mistakes, such as the timing of invasions and the speed of support. Gradually, we developed a tacit understanding. Lin Yu is a very good jungler. He has a very accurate grasp of rhythm. It's fun and reassuring to work with him."
Lin Yu continued, "Su Ran's support was very timely. Every time I invaded or pushed a lane, he always arrived at the most critical moment to help me with damage or control. With him in the mid lane, I had no worries during the fight and could push lanes and counter jungle with greater confidence. This victory belongs to the entire team. I'm grateful for the cooperation of my teammates and the support of the fans."
After the interview, Lin Yu and Su Ran left the venue together. The night wind was a little chilly, and Lin Yu subconsciously took Su Ran's hand and put it in his pocket.
"We did it." Lin Yu said softly, with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice - this was not only a victory in a game, but also the first milestone in their fight side by side.
Su Ran nodded, a happy smile on his face. He looked up at Lin Yu, his eyes twinkling with stars: "In the future, we will win more games, win more championships, and stand on the highest stage together."
Lin Yu held Su Ran's hand tightly, his heart filled with warmth. He knew this was just the beginning. There would be more competitions waiting for them in the future, and more glory waiting for them to strive for. As long as they fought side by side, there would be no difficulties that could not be overcome, and no championships that could not be won.
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