Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The sudden team fight in the bottom lane startled even the commentators, despite their overall map vision.

Wu Ya: “Phantom Assassin uses stealth to ambush! Thorn Whip… Thorn Whip used Flash!”

Xue Xiao: “The support’s crowd control was timely, and the marksman’s Flash was also timely. Phantom Assassin’s ultimate missed.”

Wu Ya: “Bamboo Swordsman flew down, holy cow! All five members of KCD are in the bottom lane, they are absolutely determined to take down FHM’s duo lane!”

Xue Xiao: “I feel like the marksman is going to die. KCD initiated this fight aggressively, their desire to attack is maxed out.”

Wu Ya: “Soul Summoner activates its ultimate, Thorn Whip can still live! FHM’s MID and Jungler are rushing down, but it feels too late… Thorn Whip activated its ultimate! Thorn Whip killed… holy crap, a double kill!”

Xue Xiao: “FHM didn’t lose out! This wave is absolutely worth it! Two versus five, securing a double kill, and the MID and Jungler are starting to clean up the battlefield.”

In this team fight, although both Lu Qing Yang and Zhou Miao Zhou secured double kills in the end, Lu Qing Yang’s double kill was undoubtedly the most breathtaking highlight of the entire fight, because he achieved it while critically low on health, under immense pressure from the entire KCD team, pushing the limits.

The healing effect Thorn Whip gains after activating its ultimate is almost equivalent to damage immunity.

While it is inherently a marksman with strong counter-attack capabilities, the hero’s design is one thing, and the actual execution is another.

This scene appearing on the professional stage will undoubtedly be recorded in history.

KCD initiated this team fight, but it caused FHM’s economy to soar.

KCD’s morale was shattered. The second half of the game felt like they were just going through the motions. They didn’t make many mistakes, but they had no impressive plays, constantly revolving around FHM’s rhythm until the end, unable to find a single breakthrough.

Ultimately, this game lasted 22 minutes, a complete victory for FHM.

Neither the commentators nor the audience questioned this result, which meant they were skeptical of KCD taking such a risky composition from the start.

“It’s good to be brave enough to try new things, but it should also align with your team’s style,” Wu Ya said.

“Yes, we hope they can perform well in the second game,” Xue Xiao said.

During the 15-minute break, some FHM fans tried to use the result of the first game to prove FHM’s strength to those who didn’t favor them, but the latter were unconvinced.

What if FHM won? KCD wasn’t even serious!

Didn’t you see KCD trying out new tactics? Still celebrating like idiots, KCD has seen all of FHM’s secrets!

If you’re so capable, win the second game too!

They agreed to disagree, and both sides dispersed, turning their attention to the second match between FHM and KCD.

In the second game, amidst high anticipation, KCD truly reverted to their old four-protect-one tactic.

However, almost all the banned heroes were changed.

The first ban was Thorn Whip, the second and third bans went to Blazing Feather and Void Star Mark, and the last two bans were given to Full Moon Wolf and Blade Shadow Dancer.

Then they first-picked Bamboo Swordsman.

This time, KCD only picked one Assassin, and Bamboo Swordsman was clearly the Jungler.

This ban/pick phase actually silenced some people who were elevating KCD to belittle FHM.

The logic is simple: if KCD truly hadn’t played seriously, and had truly seen all of FHM’s secrets by hiding their strength, then why would they ban the heroes FHM used in the previous game?

The changes in the ban list were a silent acknowledgment of strength. FHM had played Thorn Whip, Void Star Mark, and Full Moon Wolf in ways that KCD couldn’t handle, forcing them to ban them.

However, the ban slots are limited, and they can only ban heroes, not players.

So, when Wei Xiao picked up the true melee ADC, Radiant Knight, and Zhou Miao Miao picked Phantom Assassin, the entire KCD team gasped.

Jungler: “We can’t ban them all, we simply can’t ban them all.”

Support: “Don’t panic, we’ve already qualified for the top eight.”

The KCD coach cleared his throat.

The Support quickly corrected himself: “Don’t panic, we will win.”

MID: “We haven’t spent a moment grieving the defeat of the last game, we are about to rush to the next battlefield.”

Marksman: “Damn, the dead meme caught up to me.”

Top Laner: “How wonderful, there’s something to look forward to in life.”

KCD Coach: ?

The KCD coach couldn’t understand what his team members were saying, but he could feel their despair.

Before today’s match, they analyzed the situation for half a day and concluded, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” But even after joining them, they still couldn’t win. Who wouldn’t feel despair?

But this was a competition! How could they admit defeat without a fight?

“Why are you scared? How much stronger can the opponent be than WI? We’ve played against WI before.” The coach tried to rally them.

“Yes, and we’ve never won,” the Support retorted.

Coach: “…In any case, no one knows the result until the last moment. Just do your best.”

The KCD players acknowledged this.

They were, after all, frequent attendees of the top eight, with rich combat experience. Their mentality was relatively stable. Although they spoke disheartening words, they still aimed to win in their hearts.

However, the strength of some opponents truly demands respect.

The last time Wei Xiao played Radiant Knight was during the qualifiers. He not only secured over twenty kills but also got a penta kill, ending the game in 14 minutes and driving the opposing team into self-isolation.

But fewer people paid attention to the qualifiers. Many viewers were seeing him play Radiant Knight for the first time and didn’t know what was about to happen.

The commentators didn’t know either.

Before the game started, commentator Wu Ya said: “KCD’s composition is quite stable this time. Let’s see if they can push it to the third game.”

—Pushing it to the third game meant KCD would win the second game.

“Since this is a match between two quasi-top-eight teams, going to the third game is normal,” commentator Xue Xiao said.

However—

Three minutes in, Radiant Knight solo-killed the opposing Jungler, Bamboo Swordsman.

Four minutes in, Radiant Knight tower-dived and killed the enemy Marksman.

Five minutes in, Radiant Knight counter-jungled, securing a double kill on the enemy MID and Jungler in the jungle.

Six minutes in, Radiant Knight secured a quadra kill in the bottom lane. Except for the Top Laner who escaped in the top lane, everyone else became a ghost under his sword.

The MID, Phantom Assassin, was not idle either. Wherever the Jungler went, he followed. Whoever the Jungler ganked, he ganked, completely ignoring the mid-lane minions.

The opponent’s composition returned to normal, and FHM’s tactics reverted accordingly.

The Top and MID no longer needed to tie down their lane opponents; they roamed constantly, providing support to their teammates.

Three Assassins rampaged everywhere, giving the Marksman no chance to shine.

Incidentally, Lu Qing Yang played Void Hunter this game, using ultra-long-range sniping. Several times, he used his ultimate to secure kills that his Assassin teammates couldn’t finish off.

—You won’t let me play short-range heroes, huh? Then I’ll play the one with the longest reach!

At 15 minutes, the two sides fought a team fight near the mid-lane tier-two tower, and FHM wiped out KCD.

Although Wei Xiao’s Radiant Knight didn’t get a penta kill, his output was maximized, accounting for over 50% of the team fight damage.

After winning the fight, he led his teammates to take the dragon. With every swing of Radiant Knight’s sword, the dragon’s health bar visibly shortened.

It was the same when attacking towers. A full-health defense tower was taken down in three strikes.

Ultimately, the second game lasted more than a minute shorter than the first.

The third game the commentators hoped for was gone.

Wu Ya: “2-0! Let’s congratulate FHM!”

Xue Xiao: “Thank you to FHM and KCD for bringing us these two exciting games.”

Wu Ya: “Wow, FHM’s Jungler, Wei Xiao, right? His Radiant Knight is too fierce! I have to say, watching a highly skilled Radiant Knight play is truly exhilarating! I was excited throughout the entire second game… Ah, of course, if you put yourself in KCD’s shoes, it might feel a bit desperate.”

Xue Xiao: “It feels like KCD struggled against FHM. It was hard for them to gain an early-game advantage, relying only on the Marksman for a late-game comeback, but they couldn’t stall until the late game in either match… In any case, we hope they can quickly recover and face the playoffs with a positive mindset.”

The final match of the regular season thus concluded.

Ending this phase with Radiant Knight was something Wei Xiao hadn’t anticipated, but looking back, it felt like a fateful coincidence.

His favorite hero is Overlord Blade. If Overlord Blade is played as a melee ADC, then in that category, the strongest is not Moon Shadow Spider, nor Full Moon Wolf, but Radiant Knight.

It was the strongest hero among the type he excelled at.

Throughout the two-month Spring Regular Season, he proved to all players who questioned the Overlord Blade’s mechanics that Overlord Blade is a 1, not a 0. He used Wen Shi Yu’s first-choice Phantom Assassin to crush EN, showcased all the heroes he was proficient with, and finally won the last game with a hero he hadn’t specifically trained with, yet was ridiculously and terrifyingly strong.

It’s safe to say he had no regrets.

If he had any, it was… why was he so honest? Why didn’t he pretend his hero pool was shallow, allowing Wen Shi Yu to mentor him on a few more heroes? Only being mentored on Phantom Assassin was too much of a loss… *cough*.

During the post-match interview, given that KCD had always given off a very humble and polite impression, Wei Xiao didn’t say anything negative about them, focusing mainly on praise—

“KCD is quite strong. The Support is great at setting the pace, the Marksman has flashy positioning, the Jungler is cautious, hard to kill like an eel, the MID has good mechanics and accurate skill shots, and the Top Laner is very aggressive. Everyone played their part.”

He finished with one sentence: “They lost only because we are too strong.”

Wei Xiao couldn’t help but laugh after saying this, but it wasn’t a nervous laugh from saying the wrong thing; it was a feeling of confident pride.

The host was also amused and laughed a few times, and the interview concluded in a lighthearted and pleasant atmosphere.

And on KCD’s side…

The person accepting the interview was KCD’s captain and Support. He said very seriously: “FHM is very strong, extremely strong. Personally, I think they have a chance to win the championship this year. I am now really looking forward to them playing against WI.”

“Every player is strong. After these two games, the most impressive, besides Wei Xiao who goes without saying, were Miao and Qing Yang, who also greatly surprised us.”

“Miao?” The host paused before realizing, “The MID?”

“Yes, M-I-A-O, Miao. You definitely wouldn’t guess what level his Void Star Mark was two months ago. Now he has mastered it to a point I can’t even comprehend.”

“Qing Yang’s Thorn Whip didn’t put much pressure on us in the lane, but in team fights, seriously…” He almost laughed in frustration again, “I don’t think anyone would disagree if I called him the World Server Rank 1 Thorn Whip, right? He is the first player I’ve encountered who can play Thorn Whip with such oppressive force.”

Afterward, the KCD captain praised the other members of FHM, bestowing titles upon them.

To Wei Xiao: “Little Yu God is well-deserved. He is the first Jungler after Yu God to make me feel despair. I think he is the current World Server Rank 1 Jungler.”

To Zhou Miao Miao: “World Server Rank 1 Assassin MID.”

To Qin Jin Yao: “World Server Rank 1 Assassin Top Laner.”

To Tang Li: “World Server Rank 1 Poke Support. I never want to lane against him again in my life.”

Before this interview was released, some people—not necessarily KCD fans, but those who disliked FHM—tried to use the excuse that “KCD wasn’t playing seriously” to save KCD’s face and belittle FHM.

After this interview was released, their faces hurt so much they didn’t want to speak.

KCD had praised FHM to the heavens, to a degree that even a narcissistic person like Wei Xiao would blush and feel his heart race.

After this, anyone who questioned FHM would simultaneously be questioning KCD’s judgment.

On FHM’s side, everyone except Wen Shi Yu suggested celebrating again.

Wen Shi Yu saw through them and exposed them: “Do you want to celebrate? You’re just craving food.”

“So, what does Brother Wen want to eat?” Wei Xiao asked with a smile, knowing he wouldn’t refuse.

Wen Shi Yu met his gaze for a while, until Wei Xiao became slightly uncomfortable and looked away. Only then did he speak: “You guys decide. I’ll just pay. Spending money is happiness.”