Rewind With A Superstar System

Chapter 157: Knockouts

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Shadow Dance by Griffin Tyler>

...

(Monday, 30th March, 2020)

"And, we’re back!" Timothy announced, adjusting his tie and straightening his sheets of paper with a bright smile on his face.

"It’s only been two days, but we’ve all missed the action!" Max said, matching his co-caster’s high energy.

"The Battle Royale phase was chaos, but now the real tactical gameplay begins. Tim, what do you think of today’s matchups? Do you expect any of our tournament favorites to fall short?"

Timothy shook his head firmly. "Honestly, Max? No. If you look at the bracket, there is a clear superior team in every single tie today. I expect the results to heavily reflect that skill gap. But then again, this is Citadel. This is a competition, and we can’t be sure of anything until the final shot is fired."

"Indeed," Max agreed. He tapped his console, and a sleek graphic detailing the tournament rules appeared on the screen for the millions of viewers tuning in.

"As a quick reminder, the format for the Knockouts will remain the same until the Grand Finals," Max explained smoothly.

"Two teams will duel it out in a Clash Squad format. They will each defend their Citadel, while also attempting to capture the opposition’s Core. But this time, it’s in a highly competitive setting. Economy matters. It will be a first-to-three series, and the winner advances to the next stage."

For the next ten minutes, the casters effortlessly entertained the massive audience. They discussed the map pool, made a few terrible puns about the upcoming matchups, and even patched in some brief live interviews with a few of the pro gamers waiting at their homes. They kept the energy high, engaging with the live chat before it was finally time.

The clock on the broadcast hit 7:00 PM.

"Alright, you heard them, sweats and tryhards!" Timothy shouted, pointing a finger directly at the camera. "Sixteen different matches back-to-back tonight. Let’s kick off the first match!"

The Knockout stage was a non-stop marathon of high-level tactical gameplay. The broadcast hopped from match to match, showcasing the very best of the global esports scene.

The rounds went on late into the night. By 11:00 PM, millions of viewers were still glued to their screens, rubbing their tired eyes and refusing to sleep because Team Starfall was scheduled as the final match of the night.

And Von and Aura didn’t disappoint them.

They employed a high-risk tactic. Because the Knockout matches used a strict competitive economy system, teams had limited in-game currency to spend on base defenses.

Realizing this, Von made the ultimate sacrifice play: he left their Citadel Core completely undefended.

Instead of buying heavy blast doors, barricades, or automated turrets, they funneled all their credits into Aura’s loadout. Aura used the funds to purchase advanced sniper gear, locking down the absolute highest point of the facility. She put relentless pressure on the opposition, scouting their every move and making sure absolutely no one got close to their side of the map.

With Aura providing flawless, oppressive cover fire from above, Von was free to roam the map like a ghost.

He was far superior to the opposition. He moved through the shadows, bypassed the enemy’s heavy defenses, stole their Core, and eliminated them with his dagger before they even realized their base had been breached.

They won the series three to nothing.

That flawless trend continued throughout the week. Team Starfall breezed through their next opponents without suffering a single round loss.

The tournament eventually reached Day 5: The Quarterfinals.

Starfall faced Rogue Syndicate, a veteran esports organization known for their slow, methodical playstyle.

This time, Von and Aura actually struggled. The pro players knew exactly how to counter Von’s stealth, throwing down smoke grenades and EMPs to force Starfall to play a much slower, highly tactical game.

Von had to waste precious minutes baiting out enemy utility, waiting for the perfect opening.

But even with the increased difficulty, it didn’t stop the inevitable. Starfall delivered a cold 3-0 beatdown of the pro esports team, officially securing their spot in the Semi-Finals.

A few minutes after the final Quarterfinal match concluded, the Glitch broadcast shifted back to the analyst room.

"Game boys and game girls, we are officially down to the final four!" Timothy announced, clapping his hands together enthusiastically.

"Yes we are, Tim," Max smiled, leaning back in his chair. "It’s been an absolute roller coaster of battles this week, hasn’t it?"

Timothy shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "I’ll actually argue with you on that, Max. And I’m pretty sure the hardcore fans in the chat will agree with me. It’s been a rather boring Knockout stage."

"Boring?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"Look at the bracket!" Timothy defended. "Aside from Spirit Elementals eliminating Speed Demonz early on, there hasn’t really been a single major upset. The favorites have completely dominated. And today, we saw Abyss harass Spirit Elementals three to zero. How unfortunate."

"It’s unfortunate indeed," Max sighed. "I really thought Spirit Elementals would be our dark horse underdogs for this tournament. But Leviathan and K-Z0 were not joking around. My word, they’re really aggressive in these Knockouts."

"Starfall is another insanely aggressive team at this stage," Timothy pointed out. "Both Starfall and Abyss are yet to suffer a single map defeat since the Knockouts commenced. What do you think, Max?"

"I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised at all," Max said with a laugh, grabbing a branded bottle of water from his desk and taking a quick sip before continuing. "They’ve both been really amazing. You have the telepathic teamwork of Starfall going up against the individual prowess and experience of Abyss. They’ve been entertaining us well, for sure."

Timothy nodded, tapping his digital tablet. "Speaking about entertainment, let’s remind you all about the locked-in Semi-Final ties for tomorrow. The random seeding has given us an absolute treat."

A massive graphic flashed on the screen behind them.

SEMI-FINAL 1: Starfall vs Abyss

SEMI-FINAL 2: Ironclad vs Nemesis

Timothy shook his head in awe. "No underdogs left. And isn’t this a perfect recreation of the top four from the Battle Royale phase? How great is that script?"

"It is incredible," Max agreed. "And that first tie... everyone is going to be a little disappointed they had to meet before the final. They’ve clearly been the best teams so far."

"It’s a pseudo-final," Timothy declared. "Not to write off Nemesis or Ironclad, they are fantastic teams, but the Champions will likely be from that first tie. But who will reign victorious between Starfall and Abyss? We saw what happened to Rogue Syndicate today. Do you think Abyss got a chance?"

"Absolutely!" Max said, his tone turning serious. "If you observe closely, Abyss is the most proper opponent to face Starfall. K-Z0 is crazy, and for two years now he’s been undefeated in competitive gaming tournaments. He’s the one to watch out for on Day 7."

Max suddenly paused. He reached into his suit pocket and retrieved his phone, his eyes widening in shock as he read the screen.

"Wait... hold on, Tim," Max stammered, looking directly into the main camera with a grave expression.

"I just got an emergency text from the organizers. Team Starfall has officially withdrawn from the tournament for personal reasons."

Timothy’s jaw dropped, his face paling instantly. "What?! Are you serious? Right before the Semis?"

"I’m so sorry, folks," Max said softly.

Timothy rubbed his temples, looking genuinely distressed. "Wow. I really, really hope they’re okay. That is a massive blow to the—"

"April Fools!" Max suddenly burst into loud, obnoxious laughter, pointing a finger directly at his co-caster. "I got you once again!"

Timothy’s face flushed with a mix of sudden anger and profound embarrassment. He threw his pen at Max. "Why do I keep falling for you?! I even forgot it’s April first!"

"You’re too easy, Tim!" Max wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye while the live chat exploded with laughing emojis.

"Okay, okay, moving on!" Timothy grumbled, trying to compose himself while holding back a laugh. "There’s something amazing about the way Abyss actually plays."

Timothy pulled out a tactical digital graphic on the main screen, displaying heat maps and movement patterns.

"Look at the positional play of Abyss. This is exactly what makes them so lethal in 2v2s. See the way they..."

***

(Tuesday, April 2nd, 2020 — 19:37 PM)

Inside his gaming room, Von was sitting at his desk with his headset on. He and Aura were currently in a private Thiscord voice channel,analyzing the VODs of Abyss’s previous matches to formulate a rock-solid strategy for their impending Semi-Final fixture.

The tension was high. They knew K-Z0 was going to be a nightmare to deal with in close quarters, and Leviathan’s heavy suppression fire was historically difficult to counter.

Suddenly, a notification pinged softly on Von’s secondary monitor. He received a surprise direct message.

[Leviathan 🐲: Yo. See you two are in the team channel. Mind if I crash for five minutes?]