Rise
Chapter 358: Just Cause There’s a Goalie, Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Score!

Real Riven players learned Broken Wings at Level 1, and Lin Feng was a real Riven player. When the first minion wave marched past the outer tower into the mid lane, he followed along with them. Red minions came from the other side of the lane. Lin Feng focused on them, ignoring Goalie’s Fizz trailing behind the Red minions. He watched their health bars drop and zoomed in on a melee minion in the front. Two more attacks to kill it. Broken Wings! Riven swept out with her blade and then, before the animation from Broken Wings could finish, hacked at the minion with an auto attack!

“Oooh!” Zephyr said into his microphone. He leaned in closer to his monitor and watched Lin Feng’s Riven continue into the 2nd part of Broken Wings. It was again perfectly linked together with an auto attack to claim a minion’s life. He continued, “Oooh! That’s one fast combo there! This Lin Feng looks like a Riven main!”

Su Xue nodded and added, “You see how he backs away after every skill? He’s doing that to make sure the minions don’t start focusing him and also to keep some distance from Fizz! What he’s doing there, that’s real big brain!”

On screen, Lin Feng’s Riven finished her Broken Wings combo with its third and final cast. She leaped up into the air, both hands locking around the handle of her weapon, and then hacked down! The minions underneath her blade were knocked up into the air! She then struck the lowest health one with an auto attack and killed it.

“He’s looking like a boss on that Riven! Goalie is just sitting back there!”

“When I try to do that on Riven, I just get attacked and killed… Why isn’t Goalie attacking?”

“Because that Riven is good! Can’t you see how he’s animation canceling perfectly there?”

“It’s so easy not to notice that. But what he’s doing up there? That’s some real skill!”

“I’m a Riven one-trick pony and even I can’t link it together that well!”

Goalie stared at his monitor. Glared at it. Your Riven is half decent. But you think you’re going to win this game by showing off that combo? Is that your plan for this game, to scare me off with your CS ability? Fucking dog! I’ll show you what I think of your Riven! He glanced at the bottom corner of his screen and confirmed he needed one more minion kill to hit Level 2. Lin Feng’s Riven had already gotten to Level 2.

A blue caster minion was about to die. Goalie had his Fizz thread through the field of minions and arrived exactly in time to land the final attack on the caster minion. It died and he hit Level 2. Urchin Strike! His Fizz dashed through Riven and struck out with his trident! While he did that, he learned his second skill: Playful/Trickster.

Goalie narrowed his eyes and pressed the E key. His Fizz slammed his trident into the ground and jumped on top of it just as Riven shouted out a Ki Burst! Green energy exploded through the ground around and between them, but it stopped just short of Fizz’s trident! Goalie smiled. Shitty reaction speed there, dog. He then flicked his mouse and cast the second part of his E skill—Trickster! Fizz jumped off his trident back towards his side of the lane. Water splashed around him when he landed, dealing damage to the nearby Blue minions.

Lin Feng’s finger hovered over the Q key. He wanted to dash after Goalie’s Fizz and return the poke, but hesitated. Something tingled at the back of his mind, an itch that gave enough discomfort for him to think twice. He glanced at his minimap and chewed on his lips. Their Lee is going to be somewhere here soon. I’ll be ready for that instead. 

The players watching the game from the player seating area visibly relaxed. Most of them were pretty vocal about Goalie being the better Midlaner, but few had actually believed those words. It wasn’t until now, when Goalie showed faster reaction speed than Lin Feng, that they started to believe Goalie was the better player.

“Knew it. I just knew it! Goalie just had an off game! Yes. That’s all that was!”

“I know right!? I was like, no way, last game. This looks like the Goalie I know again!”

“Team Guangzhou is still the team to watch out for! Yes. Totally!”

Qiu Yijie from Fudan University listened to the people around him and shook his head. They’re just trying to convince themselves. They would learn so much more if they watched the game and compared it to their own and learned how to improve from that. Oh well... He turned to look at his teammates and said, “Watch what happens carefully. We’ve seen him play. He never holds back unless there’s something to gain from it. Feels like that something is gonna happen soon.”

✹

At 4 minutes, the minion wave in the mid lane was pushing towards Red team’s outer tower. Goalie smiled, proud of himself. His Fizz was Level 3 and could now deal enough damage to scare Riven. All he needed was a good gank. He glanced at his minimap. His Jungler was already waiting in the brush right above the mid lane. Now I just need to bait him. Make him waste his skill-- He laughed. He didn’t even need to ask for it. Riven swept out with her blade and cleaved three melee minions. This was the first cast from her Broken Wings.

“FightFight!” Goalie shouted over the team’s voice chat. He moved his mouse over Lin Feng’s Riven and activated Urchin Strike! His Fizz dashed at Riven and pierced her with his trident! From above, he saw Lee Sin place down a ward and hop towards it with Safeguard, quickly closing in on Lin Feng’s Riven. Goalie smiled wickedly. You’re dead! Stupid dog!

Zephyr reached for his microphone and shouted, “It’s the gank! Team Guangzhou has got the first gank again! Just like last game! But this one looks like it might be a kill! RIVEN MIGHT DIE!”

Lin Feng breathed slowly, calmly. This was the second time Goalie’s Fizz engaged him. The first time, on purpose, he’d waited a brief moment before casting Ki Burst. That trick paid off now. Fizz planted his trident in the ground and hopped on top of it, expecting the Ki Burst. Lin Feng grinned. This Goalie is so predictable! He waited for the Fizz to come back down with the second part of the skill while also giving Lee Sin the time to get a bit closer. Then, right before Fizz splashed down on the ground, he activated Flash. A veil of light fell over his Riven and carried her a short distance straight towards Lee Sin.

“He’s going all in!” Su Xue exclaimed. She leaned towards the microphone and continued, “Riven is going for the kill on Lee Sin!”

“He’s crazy! He’s nuts! Why isn’t he running!?”

“He’s mental! He’s insane! He could’ve escaped!”

“He’s sick! He’s delusional! Why didn’t he run when he could’a!?”

Team Guangzhou’s Lee Sin was fully expecting Lin Feng to try and escape. So much so that when Lin Feng jumped on him, he jumpscared. His hands refused to move and he just stared at his screen, watching Lin Feng’s Riven sweep her blade at him and cleave him! In the distance, he could hear Goalie say something. What’s he saying…? He blinked and focused on the voice. “FIGHT! IDIOT! DO SOMETHING!” It shook him awake. His hands moved back into action. He flicked his mouse over Lin Feng’s Riven and cast Sonic Wave! A discordant sound wave flew from point blank range at Riven!

Lin Feng was ready for the Sonic Wave. He’d been watching Lee Sin’s every motion, searching for the activation of the skill. When he saw it, he activated Valor! His Riven dashed to the side, a shield wrapping around her, and dodged the Sonic Wave!

“H-how…” Zephyr mumbled into his microphone, slack jawed.

Su Xue chuckled and shouted, “That’s Lin Feng for you! And just wait until Bu-- An Xin shows up at just the right time!”

Everyone in the stands and down on the grass focused on the minimap. An Xin’s Sejuani was running towards the mid lane, just like EveningSnowfall had said. Shock stunned them dead silent. The blowing of the wind and the sound of traffic off in the distance together with the ingame sounds blasting from the speakers was all anyone could hear at the Tianhe Stadium.

Lin Feng’s Riven jabbed her broken sword in the air and shouted, “Ki Burst!” A green energy shot out on the ground around her! It latched onto Lee Sin’s feet and stunned him! She then hacked at Lee Sin, while Lin Feng shouted over the team’s voice chat, “BUNBUN!”

An Xin chewed on her tongue which stuck slightly out of her mouth. Her Sejuani was further away than she’d have liked. She ran out from the top side Jungle and ran towards the outer tower in the mid lane. Above her was a large boulder and above that the brush from which Lee Sin had appeared. I’m almost in range, almost… She flicked her mouse and timed the stun from Ki Burst. I need to go now! She tapped twice on her keyboard, first to cast Arctic Assault and then Flash. Her Sejuani charged forward as a mottled flash of light wrapped around her. It carried her a short distance through time and space. She kept her momentum and slammed into Lee Sin, knocking him up into the air!

An Xin breathed out and glanced at Lin Feng. That was close. He was faster than I expected… Faster and better. She breathed out again, loudly. Then she chuckled and said, “No need to yell. I’m always here at your beck and call, you know that.”

“Of course!” Lin Feng replied, laughing, clicking on Lee Sin. His Riven brandished her blade and hacked and cut and stabbed at him!

Zephyr shoutcasted, “And another auto attack! And another! Lee Sin’s health is at critical levels! A few more hits and that’s the kill! Can he stop this!?”

Team Guangzhou’s Lee Sin fell back to the ground. Goalie was shouting in his ears, telling him to Flash away. He gritted his teeth and slammed the buttons on his keyboard and clicked on his mouse! But Lin Feng’s Riven linked her skills together too well. All this time, she’d been holding onto the third and final cast from Broken Wings. This one contained a knock up effect. Before Lee Sin’s feet could touch the ground again, he was knocked up again!

Lin Feng calculated the damage he still needed to do to kill Lee Sin. It’ll be close. If he flashes in time… No point in risking it. He cast Ignite on Lee Sin as the Jungler from Team Guangzhou came tumbling back down to the ground. Unquenchable flames lit up on Lee Sin’s body and burned away his health bar! It secured the kill, but not before Lee Sin flashed away. One last act of panic and confusion.

《First Blood!》

“HAHAHA! HE GOT IT! HE GOT THE KILL!”

“AND THE PANIC FLASH! HE EVEN GOT THE FLASH!”

“WIN FENG! WIN FENG! DOIN’ WHAT NO ONE ELSE CAN!”

“Fuck me that was intense. What an outplay! WOOOOOOOO!”

“Think I pissed my pants! This game is so exciting!”

“AND I JIZZED IN MY PANTS! YEAH I JIZZED IN MY PANTS!”

“Goalie is screwed!” Zephyr exclaimed. He grabbed his microphone and leaned back in his chair before continuing, “Just look at that! Riven never cared about killing Fizz there! He just wanted the double buff from Lee Sin! I feel so bad for Goalie right now… Playing in a solo lane against an opponent with double buff is the worst experience ever!”

Su Xue smiled and said, “That’s Lin Feng for you! Knows exactly how to win his lane, and then wins it! His skills were great there! But let’s not forget about An Xin! She arrived exactly in time! If she’d been a second later, Lee Sin would’ve escaped!”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Zephyr replied. He shook his head and continued, “That Lin Feng actually kept the third cast from Broken Wings all the way until the end there. If Sejuanie had been a bit later? He would’ve just knocked Lee Sin back up and waited for her. That’s what makes it all the more impressive!”

Su Xue’s eyes went wide open in surprise. I-I didn’t even think about that… She glanced at Lin Feng and shook her head, incredulous. How is he so good? She then smiled and balled her hand into a fist. Good kid! You didn’t let me down! You made me proud! She took a long, deep breath and then said, “Riven’s got the lead in mid! I bet Goalie is stewing real hard on that! But there’s nothing he can do right now! He’s going to need all the help he can get from his teammates if he wants to turn this game back around!”

✹

Most people in the audience didn’t play League of Legends at the highest level. They just enjoyed watching it, letting themselves be informed about the quality of a play by the casters. The people in the player seating area watched the game a bit more analytically. But when it came to Lin Feng’s kill on Lee Sin, even they were simply mesmerized by the play. They let themselves get carried away by the casters, cheering for Team Shanghai and a beautiful kill!

There were only a couple of players not celebrating this kill. They sat in their seats, silent. Stunned. They were the handful that understood just how much skill it took to do what Lin Feng just did. One of them was Yu Ping. He slowly shook his head, his breathing a bit faster than usual. If I were playing Riven there, I could’ve dodged the Fizz thing. No problem. And the Lee Sin Sonic Wave isn’t that hard to dodge with Valor or Flash either. And then… then I’d have retreated. How… How did he even get the idea of going in for the kill? How did he know he had enough damage? How did he know to keep the third strike from Broken Wings until the end there? How did he… How, how, how… He looked through the glass panels of Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth at Lin Feng. Was that just cocky? Or did you know? Did you calculate everything and… That can’t be. Even I… He breathed in, trying to calm himself down. If that’s the real you, then I’m fucked. I need to do something… Think of something!--

“Nice!” Zhang Hongyi shouted next to Yu Ping, interrupting his thoughts. “Kill him! Kill him!”

Yu Ping glanced at his teammate and then followed his gaze up to the large LCD screen. It was showing the bot lane. Team Guangzhou’s Leona had landed a Zenith Blade on Tang Bingyao’s Kalista and dashed at her. Before she could land a stun with Shield of Daybreak, a Black Shield wrapped around Kalista and protected her from crowd control. But the engage from Leona’s was only a diversion. A trick to force Zeng Rui into using his Black Shield.

Seo’s Vayne ran past Tang Bingyao’s Kalista and Tumbled to get the angle on Zeng Rui’s Morgana for Condemn! She then pulled the large crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. A thick, massive bolt shot through the air and struck Morgana, lifting her off her feet and pinning her to the wall behind her! Stunned!

A silver ring appeared beneath Zeng Rui’s Morgana, followed soon after by a second one. Team Guangzhou’s Leona also appeared in front of him, waiting for the stun to wear off, ready to prolong it with Shield of Daybreak.

Zeng Rui ordered over the team’s voice chat, “Tang Tang! Get out! I’m dead!”

“Mhm!” Tang Bingyao replied. She had her Kalista run past Zeng Rui’s Morgana and back to the outer tower. In her headphones, she heard the sound of an arrow striking Morgana followed by the explosion of true damage from the three silver rings beneath Morgana’s feet.

Team Guangzhou’s Leona slammed her shield into Morgana right before the stun from Condemn wore off. This gave Seo all the time he needed to auto attack. Silver rings appeared beneath Morgana one after the other. Every third, they exploded and dealt true damage. And then he killed her.

《You have slain an enemy!》

Zeng Rui grimaced watching his screen turn grey. He then turned to look across the long desk at An Xin and said over the team’s voice chat, “Vayne burned her Flash there. A gank would be perfect.”

“On it!” An Xin replied, smiling.

✹

An Xin took a Jungle path that led her past a few camps to the bot lane, where she arrived at the same time as Zeng Rui did. Team Guangzhou’s Botlaners had been pushing Tang Bingyao’s Kalista after Zeng Rui died and were because of that overextended. Zeng Rui had his Morgana run into the lane, past the protection of his minions, while An Xin’s Sejuani appeared in the bot lane from the river entrance above.

“They’re doing it! It’s gonna be a kill!” Su Xue shouted into her microphone!”

Zephyr nodded and waited briefly. Team Guangzhou’s Botlaners were too far away from their outer tower to escape. So rather than try and both survive, Leona body blocked the three from Team Shanghai and helped Seo’s Vayne escape. Zephyr then said into the microphone, “And that was a quick and easy kill. Team Guangzhou practically gave that to Team Shanghai!”

“It’s 2-1 again! Team Shanghai is in the lead!” Su Xue cheered.

Zephyr nodded and said, “Right now the difference is all with the Junglers. That gank in bot was a good, decisive gank. But while we focused on that, another gank happened in the top lane. It was slow and lacklustre and Team Guangzhou didn’t get anything out of it. That’s 0-2 in ganks for Team Guangzhou and 2-0 for Team Shanghai. That’s the real difference.”

The gank in the top lane failed because Zhang Hao was playing defensively on an already tanky Champion. Ganking him was never going to work unless he grossly misplayed or if Team Guangzhou came with three Champions or more. But Lee Sin revealing himself in the top lane did allow for other plays to be made elsewhere on the map. More specifically, in the mid lane. Lin Feng raised his eyebrows in surprise and mumbled, “Oh? Lee is top? Odd…” He then shrugged and smirked and said, “Guess I’m getting another kill.”