Adrian, Tarzaned, Soligo, Tyler1, and Xpecial gather in front of the LCS cup, arms around each other, and bow towards their audience. The crowd is elated; “ROO ROO ROO ROO ROO” can be heard throughout the stadium and into the streets. The Shadow Dogs Unleashed have just swept the LCS with a remarkable 18-0, the first of its kind in LCS history.
Tears well up in Tyler’s eyes. Memories of the team’s starting days flash through his mind.
“First one: GENIUS ATHLETIC FREAKS OF SWAGGER.”
“No.”
“Okay. Second one. UNSTOPPABLE DOMINATORS BIG GIANT SWAG.”
“Definitely no.”
“Okay, now, here’s another one. Me, personally, I really like this one. SHADOW DOGS UNLEASHED.”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
Yeah, that was the one. That IS the one. This is it. His arms tighten a little around his teammates, and he chokes back a tear as he nods towards Tarzaned. James Jungle God Tarzaned, MVP of their breakthrough Twitch Rivals run. Tyler thinks back to ‘THE play’ which landed them a spot in the LCS to begin with: Tarzaned’s infamous Baron steal, guaranteeing them the Twitch Rivals 10-0 sweep.
“LET'S GO! YOURE THE FUCKING GOAT BABY, YOURE GOING TO LCS I SWEAR TO GOD YOU ARE, LET'S GO JULIAN! LET'S GO JULIAN, THE FUCK IM TALKING ABOUT BABY, LET'S GO, ITS FUCKIN NA KWHDAMWHD BEST FUCKIN JUNGLER IN THE WORLD. GET AN LCS TEAM SIGN THIS MOTHERFUCKER.”
Tyler didn’t know how right he was. Adrian’s Riven; Tarzaned’s jungle pressure; Soligo’s mid carry; Xpecial’s comms; and of course, Tyler’s own Heimerdinger. There are so many factors that brought the Shadow Dogs to where they are now. But the most dominant factor is that the five are family. They’ve redeemed their past selves by coming together and supporting each other.
Tyler looks out into the crowd. He scans the purple and black jerseys prominent throughout the stadium. His eyes stop near the front of the crowd, where he sees with someone he recognizes: a man, tall and slender, shaking his head as he claps, staring straight back at Tyler. There’s a small child on his shoulders, waving purple pom-poms. Tyler freezes, then shakes his head, stepping forward from his team. His smile grows as he grabs a microphone and points straight at the man.
Tyler belts out these next words with true conviction:
“THIS ONE’S FOR YOU, TRICK.”
