ATIBTF Chapter 88

AFK and JW could be considered “old friends” at this point, and with the WPL officials announcing a small ceremony at the airport, both teams booked the same flight to M country.

As usual, JW took their black-and-gold-painted bus to the airport.

This time, it was a public itinerary. As soon as they got off the bus, there were already many fans waiting around.

“Go, JW!”

“Bring back the trophy for us!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

The fans shouted encouraging words enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, the team members, who had to wake up early to catch the flight, were still a bit dazed.

Not long after JW arrived at the airport, AFK also showed up.

In addition to the players, both teams included their coaching staff and team personnel, making for a large group.

Whenever traveling abroad for competitions, teams often bring along some filming crew for the sake of team operations, to capture gameplay and daily Vlogs to share online.

This time, the team’s event promotion and Vlog filming were being handled by JW’s official blogger, Ah Xin, and photographer Xiao Li from the operations department.

The two quickly blended in with AFK’s photography team, and even before arriving in M country, they were already plotting to film some collaborative moments between the two teams.

At the airport, WPL officials had coordinated in advance with the airport and obtained approval to hold a small ceremony.

The ceremony would be streamed live on major broadcasting platforms.

Yun Ning, the official host for WPL and part of the larger group heading to M country, was also set to host the ceremony.

As soon as she saw Yu Hao and the person beside him, Jiang Min, she made faces at Yu Hao.

Anyone unaware would think she was flirting.

In reality, Yu Hao understood that the girl was just too far away to ask him directly, so she was using gestures to check if he had sorted things out with the person next to him.

Yu Hao gave Yun Ning a reassuring look and nodded slightly.

Yun Ning smiled with relief.

Jiang Min observed this entire interaction.

If Yu Hao hadn’t already explained things to him, he might have really misunderstood their relationship.

He used to think of Yun Ning as a rival and found her annoying. Now, he felt that the girl was actually quite charming.

“Ah Min, the hopes of WPL are resting on our two teams this time,” Shu Lou said from the other side of Jiang Min. “To be honest, I’m feeling a lot of pressure!”

Shu Lou, the captain of AFK, felt an even heavier burden knowing that only two WPL teams made it to the World Championship this year.

“Ah, I really am not cut out to be a captain. I’m already thinking about what to do if we lose before the competition has even started…” Shu Lou slipped into his usual pessimistic mode. “Sigh, as captain, I should be responsible for adjusting the team’s mindset… I’m really failing at this…”

“…” Jiang Min, familiar with Shu Lou’s tendencies, felt both accustomed to and helpless about it.

“No way, Captain! You’re doing great!” Flow, the mid-laner from AFK, cheered from the side.

“Exactly! Our recent form is good! The results at the World Championship won’t be too bad!” AFK’s position one chimed in.

“Captain, captain, let’s bring a trophy back!” Ring, the youngest member of AFK, also joined in.

The other four players seemed to dote on their captain, and they all had very optimistic and cheerful personalities.

It was because of the four optimistic members that the atmosphere within AFK was so well-maintained.

After a brief exchange between the two teams, the small ceremony began.

“Hello everyone, I’m WPL’s official host, Yun Ning.” Yun Ning kicked things off, “I’m currently at S City International Airport. As we all know, today is the day our two WPL teams set off for M country to participate in the global finals. On this special day, WPL is hosting a small send-off ceremony for both teams. Now, let’s welcome the teams to the stage.”

WPL had actually set up a small stage at the airport, with a large WPL logo and the logos of its sponsors in the background.

Surrounding them were not only fans there to see them off but also many ordinary spectators watching.

Jiang Min stood on stage, scratching his nose.

…Why does this feel a bit embarrassing?

Yu Hao smiled, draped his arm around Jiang Min’s shoulder, and rubbed his arm playfully.

“It’s fine. The officials just want to gain some exposure for WOC. We’ll just go along with it,” Yu Hao whispered in Jiang Min’s ear.

“…Mm.”

The ceremony and send-off event were being streamed live across major platforms, so Yu Hao and Jiang Min’s interaction was also visible to the viewers.

【Wow! The fish pond CP is openly flaunting their affection!】

【So sweet! I’m all in!】

【Waaah, sugar sugar, mama doesn’t want you to get married!】

【Hey, how can you be sure that Yu Hao is the one on top?】

【Height determines who’s the attacker and who’s the defender, you know!】

【Can you guys calm down about the CP? This is a send-off ceremony! Let’s be serious!】

【There are only two teams in the World Championship this year, and neither of these two made it past the group stage last year. It’s not looking good for them to win a trophy this year!】

【The competition hasn’t even started yet, why so negative? I think JW looks pretty good!】

【JW was good until they got stopped in the semifinals at P City? Don’t forget that besides the Europeans, M country is also pretty strong. Winning the championship will be tough!】

The comments were lively and heated.

Everyone seemed eager to become the coaches of the two teams, personally guiding the players on how to play.

This had become a common sight on WOC live streams, with many viewers offering their unsolicited advice in the comments.

Due to time constraints, Yun Ning only briefly interviewed both teams about their outlook and confidence for the competition before inviting a staff member from WPL to the stage.

The staff member came forward holding a tray stacked with some clothing.

“So, our WPL officials have prepared a small gift to show their support for the players and to express a little message,” Yun Ning said as she picked up one of the garments.

It was a dark red jacket embroidered with golden patterns, featuring the WPL logo on the back, brimming with the unique style of Z country.

“This is the custom uniform designed by WPL for the departing players. We hope that wearing it will bring good luck to everyone!” Yun Ning announced, holding the microphone.

According to the schedule, the players put on the jackets one after another.

【Wow, it looks so good! I want one!】

【Once we step out, we’re a team! Go WPL!】

【Go WPL!】

【Go JW! Go AFK!】

【I want to hear ‘We are champions’!】

The viewers flooded the comments with excitement.

“The official uniforms will be available in the official store tomorrow evening, so for those who are interested, don’t forget to order from the official store. There’s a limited quantity!” Yun Ning added with a smile.

【…I knew it!】

【An esports league that doesn’t know how to do business isn’t a good official one.】

【Buy, buy, buy! I’m buying!】

The official store selling merchandise related to the event and the game was also an important source of income for WPL.

“Hey, don’t you think their jacket design looks a lot like our team’s uniform? Are they copying us?” Hao Qianyi nudged Wei Yafeng lightly with her elbow and whispered.

Wei Yafeng kept her gaze forward, smiling and waving at the fans below, while casually saying, “Even if they are copying, do you dare challenge the officials?”

“…I don’t dare,” Hao Qianyi admitted obediently.

“Well then, just take what the official dad gives you,” Wei Yafeng replied as she continued to wave at the audience.

“But I heard Los City is pretty hot. Do we really need to wear jackets?” Hao Qianyi asked, puzzled.

It was early September, and summer hadn’t fully passed yet; the weather forecast showed high temperatures in Los City.

“Apparently, people in M country set their air conditioning super cold, so it might be quite chilly indoors,” Wei Yafeng explained.

The well-known streamer Wanguo was also watching the send-off ceremony live.

“Hey, this jacket looks really nice. I think I’ll buy one too,” Wanguo commented.

“Hmm? Too fat to fit?” Wanguo raised an eyebrow at the comments, “I can always get an XL! Seriously!”

Wanguo, who streamed every day and had no time to exercise, was gaining weight fast, especially since he only wanted to lie down at night after a tiring day.

However, he didn’t seem to care much about it.

“Honestly, I hope both of our teams perform well this time,” Wanguo said. “I want to see my Sugar God lifting the trophy!”

Wanguo didn’t realize when he became part of the “Sugar Fans,” always praising Sugar God during his WOC match reviews, which his viewers had grown accustomed to.

“Hmm? You’re asking me why I like Sugar God?” Wanguo rubbed his chin, pretending to think.

“He has great skills, is handsome, and has a good character!” Wanguo said. “Look at him; he never speaks ill of others.”

Up to this point, Wanguo’s comments seemed normal.

“It’s just like how you all like me,” he added.

The comments section was filled with 【？？？】.

It’s well-known that Wanguo is famous for his foul mouth whenever he gets excited during his streams.

After receiving several warnings from the streaming platform, he toned it down considerably, but sometimes he still couldn’t help himself when emotions ran high.

Seeing the flood of question marks, Wanguo became displeased.

“Are you not fans of mine because you think I have high character???”

Once again, the comments filled with 【？？？】 floated by.

The streaming room was filled with laughter and jokes, but it was just for show.

Even though he hadn’t played in any competitions, Wanguo sincerely loved WOC and hoped that WPL would achieve good results in this global finals.

Like him, other WOC streamers and retired players who had once fought on the battlefield shared the same hopes.

The champion trophy of the WOC professional league world finals had been waited for by WPL for nearly seven years.

Amidst the blessings from everyone and the expectations of their hometown fans, AFK and JW finally set off for Los City, M country.

There, the World of Challengers S7 global finals was about to kick off.

¹You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad

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  You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad