Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 55
byChapter 55
The second and third games were indeed without suspense.
Even though Blazing Feather and Void Star Scar were banned, and even though CHIP used the bans to restrict FHM’s MID and Jungler, the players’ skill levels were undeniable. The mid-lane couldn’t be broken through quickly, and the jungle was invaded the moment they let their guard down. CHIP couldn’t display even one-tenth of their original strength against FHM.
If CHIP were a team specializing in the late game, they might have been able to stabilize and drag the game out to see if they could turn the tide. However, they were a team that excelled in the early game and struggled in the late game. Once FHM gained an economic advantage, their chances of winning visibly shrank.
In the second game, CHIP’s MID and Jungler heavily targeted Wei Xiao, but they failed to secure Wei Xiao’s kill until the match ended. On one occasion, they reduced Wei Xiao to just 20 health, only for Wei Xiao to execute an extreme counter-kill, drawing gasps from the audience and commentators.
Commentator Wu Ya: “He didn’t die! He’s too resilient!”
Commentator Xue Xiao: “Wei Xiao’s positioning is incredible. His reaction speed is too fast and too flexible.”
Commentator Wu Ya: “Elegant! This is what you call elegance!”
In short, the match between FHM and CHIP concluded with a 3-0 victory for FHM.
Having successively faced KPI and CHIP, two of the top four teams, and winning both 3-0, this was absolutely not luck—it was absolute strength!
FHM is terrifyingly strong!
How long does it take to become a fan of a team? The answer is one match is enough.
Although KPI and CHIP are more focused on the early game, and WI and FOU are the true gods among the top four, being able to beat KPI and CHIP 3-0 is undeniably powerful.
Will I have a chance to see FHM play the late game?
FHM’s next opponent is WI. I’m fiercely looking forward to it!
In the past few days, FHM’s discussion level has been exceptionally high across live streaming platforms, social media, and official forums, covering all sorts of topics.
Some analyzed the team’s style, some listed their hero pools, some bet on the championship, and some simply admired their looks.
Of course, there were also those shipping pairings.
Don’t you think FHM’s MID and Jungler are great to ship? When they walk together, I always imagine two lions. They are too powerful!
The Top-laner also has a strong presence. The Top-Jungler synergy is delicious, and Top-MID works too.
FHM’s overall style is steady yet aggressive. The Top, MID, and Jungler either don’t strike, or they strike and secure a kill. The Marksman is cautious in the lane but charges to the front in team fights, while the Support is aggressive in the lane but extremely cautious in team fights.
Hiss, if you put it that way, I might start shipping the bot lane.
Broaden your horizons a bit. Look at the coach. Isn’t it better to just ship the coach with everyone?
???
Don’t, upstairs… Although I understand you, this thread is going to get deleted.
…
This trend of shipping reached the post-match interview.
When the host asked, “Does your team ship internal pairings?” the five FHM members looked bewildered, while Wen Shi Yu nervously lowered his eyes on the side.
Wei Xiao blinked before asking, “Shipping whose pairing?”
He didn’t pay much attention to matters outside the competitive scene, barely remembering the names of the starters for the top eight teams.
If he had known that CHIP had been heavily marketing their MID-Jungler pairing, he wouldn’t have considered trying out for CHIP after being kicked out of KPI.
If he absolutely had to form a pairing, he would only accept one with Wen Shi Yu.
The host noticed the confusion of the FHM members and had to explain: “A pairing, or CP, is someone who is particularly compatible both in and out of the game. They cooperate tacitly in the game and have a mutual understanding outside of it.”
Wei Xiao: “…” Are you sure that’s what CP means?
Although the five FHM members were confused, they weren’t so clueless as to not know what CP meant.
But that didn’t stop them from stirring up trouble.
“That would definitely be the Captain and the Coach,” Zhou Miao Miao said with an innocent expression. “Their 1v1s are so exciting! It’s such a shame you can’t see them!”
Wen Shi Yu: ?
“Yes, friend, yes,” Tang Li fanned the flames. “Their MID-Jungler duo queue is exactly what you described: tacit cooperation in the game and mutual understanding outside of it.”
Qin Jin Yao frowned and tilted his head.
The host keenly caught his reaction and handed the microphone to him: “Does the Top-laner have anything to say?”
Qin Jin Yao saw the microphone approaching, instinctively recoiled slightly, and then said, “…Is that what CP means? Never mind, never mind, I won’t say anything.”
He crossed his arms in front of the camera, refusing the interview.
The audience who later watched the video couldn’t hold back their laughter at this part.
The honest one.
I’m dying of laughter. FHM’s only honest person.
The temperament of a solo player.
Ultimately, the topic failed to continue due to Qin Jin Yao’s honesty and the banter of the other FHM members, allowing Wen Shi Yu to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Wei Xiao waited until the camera moved away before turning his gaze toward Wen Shi Yu.
From Wen Shi Yu’s expression, it was impossible to tell his opinion on forming pairings; he didn’t seem disgusted, but he didn’t find it amusing either.
Wei Xiao retracted his gaze, thinking that since Wen Shi Yu was still unwilling to form a bond with him in the game, he probably disliked being paired with others, especially being discussed afterward.
Wen Shi Yu sensed Wei Xiao’s gaze and instinctively looked at him, only to find that Wei Xiao had already looked away.
Wen Shi Yu actually didn’t care about being shipped, nor did he care about the discussions in the super-topic that he couldn’t bear to look at but couldn’t help reading. However, he didn’t want anyone bringing those discussions up to him, because he hadn’t figured out how to respond yet.
Forget it, overthinking this is pointless. He would deal with it if someone actually brought it up to him.
Wen Shi Yu calmly stood up: “Let’s go back.”
The FHM team members responded in unison.
The group returned to the internet café and began studying their opponent for the fifth, and second-to-last, playoff match: WI.
This team, which had won the Global Finals for three consecutive years and had comprehensive development with almost no weaknesses, gave off an arrogant vibe from the coach to the players, but they had the capital to be arrogant.
WI’s coach, in the group chat named “E-sports Alliance Hero League Professional League Division,” directly stated that FHM was not their opponent.
WI’s captain, Jungler Xing Guang, declared before the match: “Only FHM is qualified to compete with us for the championship. The other teams, including you, shouldn’t waste your time. Go to bed early.”
WI’s core player, Marksman Sun, said in a post-match interview: “I still stand by what I said: it’s not that we are too strong, but that our opponents are too weak. The EN from back then, the one Wen Shi Yu carried, still had the strength to fight us. The current EN is just a little brother. So, I personally look forward to playing against the team coached by Instructor Wen Shi Yu.”
Yes, this was WI: arrogant attitude, direct speech, and never holding back when criticizing anyone.
KPI once created a small group dedicated to roasting WI.
KPI: Why hasn’t anyone pinned WI to the ground and taught them how to talk?
CHIP: If you can do it, you go.
FOU: If you can do it, you go.
MID: If you can do it, you go.
KCD: WI’s strength is undeniable. You have to respect it.
DIE: We’ll go! We will definitely win the next match against WI!
KPI: …
KPI: Where is FHM? Why aren’t you talking?
[FHM has left the group chat.]
Wen Shi Yu would never participate in such a “Victim Alliance” small group.
DIE’s promise to win was just trash talk, but they genuinely intended to defeat WI and win this season’s TPL championship.
Instead of spending time in a group chat complaining about WI, they should analyze more videos and think about tactics.
If one were to say WI had no weaknesses, Jungler Xing Guang’s weakness was actually quite obvious: his mechanics were inferior to Fei Yu’s, and he had suffered terrible losses in several 1v1s against Fei Yu.
But if one were to say WI had weaknesses, their early, mid, and late games were all strong. In the early game, their MID-Jungler synergy was seamless. In the late game, their main carry’s positioning was invincible; they could turn even an Off-meta Pick Marksman into the opponent’s daddy. From laning to team fights, from individual skill to teamwork, there were no shortcomings.
The legendary six-sided warrior.
Halfway through analyzing WI’s matches, Wen Shi Yu suddenly felt it was pointless. He crossed his legs and fell silent.
The five FHM members, with ten eyes, looked eagerly at him, waiting for him to continue.
After a period of silence, Wen Shi Yu spoke again, saying the following: “Although WI has common compositions, they are not a rigid team that sticks to one successful strategy. They also have no obvious shortcomings. Therefore, rather than trying to predict their compositions and tactics and preparing detailed countermeasures, I want you to approach the match with the mindset of facing and defeating a strong opponent, engaging in a battle full of unknowns, just like your first encounter with KPI.”
FHM’s first encounter with KPI was an unplanned 5v5 ranked match. At that time, Wei Xiao hadn’t even joined FHM and wasn’t familiar with the others.
Yet, they still won beautifully.
In contrast, they had lost a few times during subsequent scrims against KPI.
Sometimes, the less you know about your opponent, the more cautious you play, maintaining high concentration and performing at a level higher than usual.
Wei Xiao understood Wen Shi Yu’s meaning, so instead of feeling uneasy, he gently curved his lips: “Understood. Maintain the tension. Don’t worry, I’ll handle things in the game.”
Wen Shi Yu secretly sighed in relief and hummed in agreement.
However, Wei Xiao’s next sentence was: “Anyway, when playing against other teams, I forget all your pre-match analysis the moment I enter the map.”
Wen Shi Yu: ?
The other FHM members instinctively shrank their necks upon hearing this.
In the past, when they made such outrageous statements, Wen Shi Yu would hit them on the head!
However, facing Wei Xiao’s outrageous statement, although Wen Shi Yu raised his chin and widened his eyes, looking like he wanted to grab the back of Wei Xiao’s neck and pin him to the floor, he ultimately did nothing.
The other FHM members looked surprised, and even Wei Xiao himself tilted his head in confusion: “You didn’t hit me?”
Wen Shi Yu almost laughed out of exasperation: “You know that saying that would get you hit?”
Wei Xiao raised a hand and scratched his head: “Actually, I just… didn’t want to put too much pressure on you. I wanted you to feel safe leaving it to us… I’ve kept everything you taught me in mind.”
Wen Shi Yu: “I know. That’s why I didn’t hit you.”
Wen Shi Yu replied so quickly, as if without thinking, causing Wei Xiao to freeze slightly.
Wen Shi Yu didn’t dwell on his reaction. After a pause, he continued calmly: “Precisely because I trust you, I feel there’s no need to say too much. I don’t feel stressed analyzing teams with you. I simply judged that to defeat a flexible team like WI, we cannot be too rigid either.”
“I see,” Wei Xiao responded blankly, feeling that he had underestimated Wen Shi Yu’s rationality, mentality, and strategic foresight.
For some reason, he always tended to view Wen Shi Yu as more fragile than the real Wen Shi Yu. Perhaps it was because of Wen Shi Yu’s slender physique, or the hint of vulnerability in his every gesture.
Even knowing that he wasn’t a princess needing protection but a warrior with several times more competitive experience than himself, Wei Xiao couldn’t help but want to protect him.
Wen Shi Yu seemed to sense this but didn’t get angry, merely offering a calm explanation.
Wei Xiao pursed his lips, wanting to say something more, but before he could open his mouth, Zhou Miao Miao suddenly stood up: “Time’s almost up, I’m going to take a shower!”
Immediately after, Tang Li pulled Lu Qing Yang up: “I have something to talk to you about. Let’s chat privately.”
Seeing the three of them slip away, Qin Jin Yao also followed suit, leaving without a word.
Wen Shi Yu looked at the three of them in confusion. Although he didn’t know what they were plotting, he didn’t stop them, as it was indeed time to rest.
Wei Xiao remained seated until everyone was gone. Only then did he speak, saying to Wen Shi Yu: “I apologize. I was a bit flippant just now… The matches are something we participate in and win together. I shouldn’t have casually said I forgot your analysis.”
He spoke with his head slightly lowered, his fingers intertwined, visibly feeling guilty.
Wen Shi Yu found it a bit amusing: “I haven’t even scolded you, and you’re already reflecting?”
Wei Xiao said seriously: “Adults must be responsible for the words they speak.”
Wen Shi Yu wanted to laugh even more, managing to hold it in after a long moment: “It’s not that serious. I wouldn’t escalate a joke and think you’re trying to usurp the throne.”
Wen Shi Yu knew what Wei Xiao was struggling with. He had always felt Wei Xiao’s affection for him. When Wei Xiao looked at him, it wasn’t just as his coach; there was a subtle protective instinct, wanting to protect both his body and his emotions, afraid he would get tired or unhappy, which was why he said that.
The subtext of that sentence was—
It’s okay for you to take a break.
That wasn’t a calculation to exclude him from the match, but an overstepping concern for his physical and emotional well-being.
And this wasn’t due to Wei Xiao’s dullness; on the contrary, it was because Wei Xiao was too perceptive, keenly sensing his momentary hesitation when making that decision.
Yes, Wen Shi Yu wasn’t as decisive as he appeared, but once a decision was made, he would act decisively, even if he had to fake it: “There’s nothing else. Go to sleep.”
Wei Xiao hummed and stood up.
But he still didn’t leave. After a moment of silence, he said to Wen Shi Yu: “Although I said to leave it to me, facing WI, I’m actually not confident we can win 3-0 like we did against KPI. However, whether it’s reverse sweeping from 1-0 or 2-0, no matter how many points they take, I will chase it back. I promise.”
Wen Shi Yu looked at him with interest: “Who are you? You’ve become a stranger to me. Where is the Wei Xiao who shouted, ‘Xing Guang’s era is over. What is Fei Yu as the number one Jungler? I am the future of TPL’?”
Wei Xiao raised a hand to cover his face, laughing helplessly, but there was no guilt in his smile: “The two things don’t conflict… If we beat WI, I am the future, and FHM is the future. And that is about to come true.”