Just as the "Dawn" team exited the "Starry Sky Cup" tournament with regret and Harvest after stopping at the semi-finals, in another city, another team named Pojun Team was making rapid progress in their local internet cafe tournament with an unstoppable momentum.
The formation of Pojun Team was even more legendary than "Dawn." Its core consisted of three childhood friends who grew up together in an internet cafe: Captain and Mid-laner Han Feng (ID "Sharp Edge"), ADC Sun Yu (ID "Piercing Cloud"), and Support Li Rui (ID "Bulwark").
The three had incredible synergy, constantly played in high-ranked queues, and were known as the "Internet Cafe Trident."
To participate in the Thunder Championship, hosted by "Thunder Internet Cafe" with a prize pool of 30,000 yuan and a promise to invite Riot Games officials to watch, they recruited Liu Zhen (ID "Mountain"), a master top-laner, and Wang Hao (ID "Gui Shu"), a jungler known for his aggressive playstyle and cunning strategies.
Unlike the "Dawn" team's struggles, Pojun Team displayed formidable strength from its inception.
All five members were well-known Master in the server, with top-tier individual skills.
However, even so, the path to the championship was not smooth sailing.
In the early stages of training, they also faced the growing pains of integration.
Wang Hao's jungling style was too aggressive, sometimes disconnecting from the lanes; Liu Zhen's top-lane habit was to farm solo, always being a beat late to team fights; and while the bottom lane trio had good synergy, they sometimes over-relied on each other, lacking coordination with the mid and jungle.
"We're not here to play Rank!" Han Feng sternly warned his teammates after a training match loss, "No matter how strong individual abilities are, a disorganized team cannot defeat a disciplined one.
We must be like a true 'Pojun' spear, concentrating all our power into one point!"
They began more rigorous training.
Eight hours of daily team training was non-negotiable, including tactical drills, lineup simulations, targeted BP (Ban/Pick) practice, and extensive post-match analysis.
Han Feng was responsible for studying patches and tactics, Wang Hao for designing early-game invasions and resource control rhythms, while the bottom lane duo continuously refined laning details and team fight positioning.
Liu Zhen also worked hard to change his habits, focusing more on the map and supporting teammates.
Their training ground was the private room at Thunder Internet Cafe, filled with the smell of smoke and instant noodles.
When they were tired, they would nap in their chairs; when hungry, they ordered takeout, dedicating all their spare time and energy to preparation.
There was only one goal—the championship.
The scale and specifications of the Thunder Championship were far beyond those of ordinary internet cafe tournaments.
Sixty-four teams participated, attracting many experts from the city and surrounding areas, including some teams that had achieved rankings in other smaller competitions.
The tournament adopted a double-elimination format, making the competition extremely fierce.
Pojun Team showed strong dominance from the group stage.
They often opened up the game through exquisite individual plays in the lanes, then Wang Hao's jungle would snowball the advantage.
Han Feng's mid-lane champion pool was unfathomably deep, capable of stable damage output with mages or tearing through the backline with assassins.
Sun Yu's ADC, under Li Rui's meticulous protection, always dealt tons of damage.
And Liu Zhen's top-laner gradually became a reliable front-liner and engage point for the team.
They advanced all the way, reaching the winner's bracket final.
Here, they encountered the top seed of the tournament, "Mythical Second Team," composed of several former professional Warcraft 3 players who had transitioned.
This team was experienced and had extremely skilled teamwork.
The match was incredibly close.
The first two games were tied 1:1.
In the decisive game, "Mythical Second Team" gained a nearly five thousand gold advantage in the early game by capitalizing on several mistakes made by Pojun Team through clever vision control and lane swaps.
The situation was precarious.
The hearts of the Pojun Team supporters in the audience were in their throats.
"Steady, we can turn this around!" Han Feng said in a deep voice over comms, sweat beading on his forehead, but his tone remained calm, "Their late-game composition isn't as strong as ours; stall them, look for opportunities."
"We can't get vision out," Li Rui reported.
"I'll split push to draw attention; you guys hold the line," Liu Zhen volunteered.
"Wang Hao, look for a chance to steal the Dragon, or engage their carry!" Sun Yu added.
At the critical moment, Wang Hao stepped up.
His jungler, Lee Sin, with extremely limited vision, relied on intuition to sneak into the Dragon pit.
At the exact moment the enemy jungler used Smite, he ward-hopped in with a W, landed a precise Sonic Wave, followed by Resonating Strike and Smite, snatching the crucial Baron from the hands of five enemy players!
"They stole it!!" the commentator yelled hoarsely.
The entire arena erupted!
This Baron steal greatly delayed the enemy's push rhythm and bought precious farming time for Pojun Team.
Then, when the enemy impatiently pushed high ground, Han Feng's mid-laner (Orianna) seized the moment when the enemy's formation was concentrated.
A hidden ball Flash Ultimate Ability "Command: Shockwave" pulled in three enemies!
Liu Zhen's top-laner (Ornn) immediately called in his ram for follow-up crowd control, and Sun Yu's ADC dealt damage unhindered... "ACE!"
A perfect counterattack!
Pojun Team then pushed straight through mid lane, destroying the enemy's base and completing an incredible comeback!
"We won! We won!" The team members embraced excitedly, with Wang Hao even jumping onto his chair, waving his arms.
This victory not only propelled them into the grand finals but, more importantly, greatly tempered their mentality and their ability to play from behind.
Their opponent in the grand finals was another strong team that had fought its way up from the loser's bracket.
But after enduring the life-or-death test against "Mythical Second Team," Pojun Team's demeanor had transformed.
They played with greater composure and confidence, their offense flowing like mercury, and their defense impenetrable.
Ultimately, they cleanly defeated their opponent with a score of 3:1, lifting the Thunder Championship trophy!
As golden rain (simple golden confetti prepared by the internet cafe) drifted down from above, and the host loudly proclaimed, "Champions—Pojun Team!" Han Feng, Sun Yu, Li Rui, Liu Zhen, and Wang Hao embraced tightly, their eyes moist.
All the sweat, arguments, and exhaustion transformed into unparalleled joy and a sense of accomplishment at that moment.
They stood at the pinnacle of this city's internet cafe tournaments!
The audience erupted in thunderous applause, and camera flashes flickered continuously.
Just then, the host, his voice slightly distorted with excitement, announced: "Next, let us welcome with the warmest applause, the distinguished guest presenter for this tournament, and a legend in the hearts of all our league of legends players—Mr.
Qin Feng, founder and CEO of Riot Games, to present the awards to our championship team!"
The moment his words fell, the entire venue fell silent for a second, then erupted into a mountain-and-sea-like roar of gasps and applause!
The spotlight suddenly shone on the entrance of the aisle.
Qin Feng, dressed in a simple casual suit, walked slowly onto the stage with a gentle and approving smile on his face.
He held the massive prize check symbolizing the championship and custom-made medals in his hand.
Han Feng and the other five were completely stunned, their minds blank.
They had thought that Riot Games might pay attention, but never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that Qin Feng, the creator of league of legends and regarded as the "Esports Godfather" by countless players, would personally present them with the awards!
Qin Feng walked up to them, shaking hands one by one with the excited and flustered team members, and handed the prize check and medals to Captain Han Feng.
He took the microphone offered by the host, his gaze sweeping over the fervent audience before finally resting on the five overjoyed young men in front of him, and said with a smile:
"Congratulations, Pojun Team, your matches were incredibly exciting, showcasing immense talent and team spirit.
You have proven that dreams and hard work are enough to create miracles on Summoners Rift."
He paused, then changed his tone, his voice carrying through the microphone across the entire venue, and also reaching the ears of countless players watching on screens via live stream:
"But, being the champions of this city, perhaps this is just the beginning."
Qin Feng's eyes sparkled with a profound light.
"I want to ask you, and all young people like you who harbor esports dreams, a question—"
The entire venue was silent; everyone held their breath.
"Are you ready to embrace a bigger, more brutal, and more valuable stage that will truly prove your worth?"