Secret training before the playoffs
The regular season championship trophy still sat in the display case in the training room, but Team AY's rest period lasted only one day. The next morning, the coach walked into the training room at the bell, clutching a thick stack of playbooks. He slammed them on the table. "Don't assume winning the regular season championship means you're guaranteed a victory. The playoffs are where the real action begins. Especially the defending champions, ZT. Their mid and jungle duo, Xia and Aze, have been working together for three years, and their jungle synergy has a 91% win rate. We must come up with a targeted strategy within a week."
The training room instantly fell silent, and the players' relaxed expressions gradually faded. Lin Yu and Su Ran exchanged a glance, then simultaneously picked up their pens to record the coach's next instructions. They both knew that ZT Team's mid-jungle duo was the league's "ceiling." Lao Xia's mage excelled at predicting supports, while Aze's jungler could accurately seize the opponent's rhythmic loopholes. To defeat them, they would have to put in more effort than usual.
For the next few days, the lights in the training room stayed on until the wee hours of the morning. During the day, the team played five-man squad scrimmages, simulating various tactics against the ZT team. At night, after the other players retired for bed, Lin Yu and Su Ran would stay behind for their own "secret training"—in a custom room, one taking on Lao Xia's favorite hero, the other Aze's jungler, repeatedly practicing their strategies.
On Wednesday night, they were the only two left in the training room. On the computer screen, Su Ran, controlling Sima Yi, Lao Xia's signature character, was attempting to flank and ambush Lin Yu's Nakroth. Lin Yu, on the other hand, stared intently at the minimap, his finger flicking across the screen, searching for Sima Yi. According to ZT Team's tactics, Sima Yi would typically flank the jungler during a dragon drive, so Lin Yu had deliberately placed vision in the brush near the dragon pit.
Sure enough, when Nakoruru started to attack the Tyrant, Sima Yi's portrait flashed in the grass by the river on the minimap. Su Ran controlled Sima Yi, used his first skill "Shadow Bite" to enter stealth mode, and moved towards Nakoruru, trying to launch a surprise attack the moment she punished the Tyrant.
But just as he approached the dragon pit, Lin Yu's Nakroth suddenly turned and activated her ultimate, "Eagle Strike." A golden eagle shadow enveloped her body as she swooped down towards Sima Yi. A basic attack followed by her first skill, "Eagle Strike," instantly reduced Sima Yi's health to a trickle. Su Ran tried to distance himself with her second skill, "Desolate Realm," but Nakroth's basic attacks caught up, ultimately killing him at the edge of the dragon pit.
"Sure, my reaction has become faster." Su Ran put down his phone with a smile and rubbed his sore eyes. In order to simulate Lao Xia's operating habits, he deliberately slowed down the speed of skill release, but he didn't expect that Lin Yu would still see through it.
Lin Yu also stopped playing, got up, went to the tea room to make a cup of hot milk, and handed it to Su Ran: "The route you took just now was too obvious. Old Xia wouldn't go that way." He sat back in his seat, clicked on the replay video, and traced Sima Yi's movement trajectory on the screen with his fingertips: "Every time the ZT team flanks, the support will clear the vision near the dragon pit in advance and use skills to scout the grass, so that the jungler won't take risks alone. Next time in the simulation, I will be the support and help you reproduce their complete tactics. This way, the practice will be more meaningful."
Su Ran took the milk, the warm touch spreading from his fingertips to his heart, instantly dispelling his fatigue. He looked at Lin Yu's profile as he carefully analyzed the situation. Under the light, Lin Yu's eyelashes were very long, and when he was concentrating, he would frown slightly. His fingers slid quickly across the screen, marking every detail. This scene suddenly reminded him of the time when they first met: Back then, they were still playing in the city competition. Lin Yu was the same way, writing down every mistake in every game in his notebook, helping him improve the angle of Zhuge Liang's ultimate move bit by bit, and never complaining even if he practiced until late at night.
Back then, they were just ordinary friends, but now, they are not only teammates fighting side by side on the court, but also lovers who rely on each other in life. Time has changed, their identities have changed, but Lin Yu's attitude of taking everything seriously has never changed.
"By the way," Su Ran suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the training room. "Tomorrow is the weekend. After training, let's go watch the popular movie 'Dream Chaser'. My teammates told me it's about two esports players supporting each other, and it's a lot like us."
Lin Yu turned to look at him, his eyes flashing with surprise. The intense training had made him almost forget to rest. He had wanted to see this movie for a long time, but had never been too embarrassed to bring it up, fearing it would delay his training. "Okay!" He nodded immediately, his tone tinged with anticipation. "Let's finish training early tomorrow and go see the 7pm show. Afterwards, we can go to your favorite barbecue place."
Su Ran smiled and nodded, his heart filled with warmth. In fact, he suggested going to the movies not only to relax, but also to let Lin Yu not put too much pressure on himself. He could clearly feel that Lin Yu had been staying up late every day to study tactics to deal with the ZT team, and the red bloodshot under his eyes was becoming more and more obvious.
The next day's training went exceptionally smoothly. The players worked well together, winning five consecutive practice matches. At 5 p.m., the coach looked at the stat sheet and said with satisfaction, "You're in good form today. Let's rest early and continue tomorrow."
Lin Yu and Su Ran took the opportunity to pack up their things and quietly left the training base. They had changed into casual clothes—Lin Yu wore a black hoodie, Su Ran a light gray sweatshirt. Both wore masks and hats, trying to minimize their presence. The theater was crowded, so they chose seats in the last row. As soon as they sat down, the movie started.
The film tells the story of two teenagers who go from playing online games in an internet cafe to joining a professional gaming team, experiencing failure, doubt, and even nearly disbanding their team, but ultimately, through mutual trust and perseverance, they win the championship together. During the climax—when the protagonists are two games behind in the finals but refuse to give up, relying on tacit cooperation to win three games in a row—Su Ran quietly reaches out and shakes Lin Yu's hand.
Lin Yu was stunned for a moment, then shook hands tightly. Both of their palms were sweaty, but neither of them let go. In the dark theater, only the light of the screen reflected on their faces. The plots in those movies were very similar to their journey together—there had been confusion, arguments, doubts, but they never let go of each other's hands.
After the movie, the two walked side by side on their way home. The streetlights were dim, and the evening breeze blew gently, bringing a hint of coolness. "Actually," Lin Yu suddenly stopped and looked at Su Ran seriously, "I sometimes wonder, if we hadn't been selected by the professional team, would we still be like before, playing online games in our rental house until the early morning, eating instant noodles together, and watching games together?"
Su Ran leaned against the railing by the roadside, looking at the seriousness in Lin Yu's eyes, and couldn't help but smile: "Whether we become professional players or not, we will be together. In the past, we played games together and worked hard for a place in the city competition together; now we win championships together and strive for a higher stage together; in the future, we will do more things together - travel together, watch all the movies we want to see together, and grow old together."
Lin Yu walked over, hugged Su Ran gently, rested his chin on his shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice: "Well, we have to do everything together in the future." The evening breeze blew, carrying their heartbeats, which were particularly clear in the quiet street.
By the time they returned to the training base, it was already 11pm, and their teammates had all gone to bed. The two tiptoed into the training room, turned on their computers, and continued reviewing the footage from the day's simulated training match against Team ZT. Although they had only rested for one night, their coordination was even better during the next day's training. Lin Yu's jungler was always able to accurately predict the opponent's movements, and Su Ran's mid laner could also provide support at the most critical moments. Even the coach couldn't help but praise him: "You guys have been getting better and better these past two days. At this rate, you'll definitely beat Team ZT in the playoffs."
With three days left before the playoffs, Lin Yu and Su Ran wrote the same sentence in their respective training diaries: "Goal - Championship." They knew that the next games would be even more difficult, and that the mid-jungle combination of the ZT team would bring them many challenges, but as long as they trusted each other and fought side by side, there would be no difficulties that could not be overcome.
Under the lights of the training room, the two sat side by side in front of the computer, with the screen showing the game video of the ZT team. Their eyes were full of expectations and determination for the future.
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