January 28, 2032, Wednesday. The night was stormy, filled with howling winds and thunder. Jake sat at his desk, surrounded by burger wrappers and an empty beer bottle. He was staring intently at the screen, a pained expression on his face.
Today was the Grand Finals of the Boston Major. The matchup: a reborn Cloud9 vs. his favorite "Galaxy Battleship," FaZe Clan. As a die-hard Nikola (NiKo) fan, Jake had slowly stopped following pro CS since NiKo transitioned to coaching, focusing instead on his adult life. But today was special.
The "Galaxy Battleship" had reached the final, but their young star player was sidelined at the last minute. In the end, their coach—the legend himself, NiKo—had to stand in. For a NiKo fan, this was a dream come true. The roster was insane:
35-year-old substitute coach: NiKo;
32-year-old legendary French IGL: ZywOo;
27-year-old "unflinchable" sniper: m0NESY;
25-year-old entry-fragger: donk;
24-year-old lurker: kyousuke (still seeking his 1st Major).
The match reached the final map: Nuke. FaZe hit match point first but then suffered a mysterious choke, losing 6 rounds in a row. The score was 12-11, and FaZe's economy was broken. "Wow, they actually blew a six-round lead! Is kyousuke going to be a runner-up again? He really is NiKo's direct disciple!" the commentator shouted. Jake smiled bitterly. NiKo had countless trophies, but the Major title was the one that always got away. Now his protégé was repeating history. "Some people just aren't destined to win a Major. Old Ni, it's just fate," Jake muttered.
"Alright, final round. FaZe's economy is... oh my god! NiKo bought a defensive AWP for Ilya (m0NESY)! That means he only has a Desert Eagle and half-armor himself!" The Twitch chat exploded:
[Anyone else shipping NiNi and HaiHai (m0NESY)?]
[The Desert Eagle in NiKo's hands... I'm getting Nuke heaven flashbacks.]
[Tell us more stories about the goat!]
"Ten years ago today, Ilya played his first S-tier event. Time flies. Can NiNi and HaiHai finally win this damn trophy?!" "Tactical pause over. This is it! Overtime or glory—it all comes down to this!"
NiKo pushed outside. Ilya was baiting from the sniper nest. The Ts threw a one-way smoke, but NiKo had already crept to the Red Box. "Will they check Red? A T is holding it with an AWP! NiKo, don't peek!" Jake held his breath, expecting NiKo to be shut down instantly. Was he going to be the "sinner" who cost them the game again?
BANG! "Oh! The T missed! NiKo punishes him with the Deagle! Two kills! He's falling back, Ilya covers with a flash!" The commentator's voice hit a high pitch. "Old Ni held! Is this it?! Is NiKo finally going to win a Major?!"
But the round wasn't over. The Ts executed a full push onto the A site. "ZywOo anticipated it! Heavy defense inside!" "Ilya is holding Yellow from Heaven... he sees one... he's waiting... OH! He got one-tapped! He didn't even fire a shot!"
"What the hell?! Ilya got deleted! The site is collapsing!" "donk gets burned out by a molly... ZywOo dies with his knife out?! What is kyousuke doing?! He got caught with a grenade!" The stream was filled with question marks. "The team is falling apart! These aren't pros, they're bots!" Jake was fuming. His temples throbbed. Four teammates just threw the round.
"It's over! NiKo is alone with a Deagle in his fated spot—Heaven! But there's a sniper waiting for him!" "NiKo... HEADSHOT! He takes down the AWP! Another one on the bomb—DOWN! But the bomb is planted!" "The last T misses his timing! NiKo drops down! Pre-aim... HE GOT HIM! He has time to defuse! HE KILLED THE GAME!"
"The Galaxy Battleship has landed! Congratulations to FaZe Clan, the 2032 Boston Major Champions!" Watching NiKo standing in the golden rain, Jake felt like he was dreaming. A Deagle ace to win the Major. The 35-year-old legend still had it. He cheered so loud it rivaled the thunder outside. He was too hyped to sleep, so he decided: "Time for some Faceit grinds!"
He had tomorrow off, it was a stormy night, and his idol just won a Major. Perfect. He queued for a match, scrolling through Reddit, when suddenly—a massive bolt of lightning struck his room, shattering the window and hitting him directly. Jake didn't even feel the pain before everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he flinched, but the storm was gone. It was a bright, sunny day. "Wait... I'm not dead?" "Not dead? Then why aren't you clicking 'Accept', you idiot?! Are we playing or what?!" A familiar voice. It was his best friend from college—someone he hadn't talked to in years.
Jake looked around. His room looked exactly as it did ten years ago. He looked at the bottom right of his monitor. January 28, 2022. "I'm back... ten years in the past." "Dude, what are you yapping about? Get ready! I'm hitting Level 10 Faceit today! You're not leaving until we rank up!"