Chapter 3

News of Sarah leaving Alpha Squad spread like wildfire through the collegiate e-sports scene the next morning.

Her phone buzzed with messages from teammates, confused, concerned.

She ignored them all.

She sat in her dorm, the silence a welcome change from the chaos of the team house.

What now?

Her dream of the Collegiate Champions League felt dead.

Then, an unexpected call.

Coach Davies, from the Omega Ghosts, the rival university's team.

They were good, really good, but always the underdogs compared to Alpha Squad's flashy reputation.

"Sarah," Coach Davies' voice was calm, professional. "I heard you left Alpha Squad. I'm sorry to hear about the circumstances, but I'm not surprised."

Sarah frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say Ethan's reputation isn't spotless. We've been interested in you for a while, Sarah. Your support play is exceptional."

Sarah felt a familiar pang. Support. Always support.

"Thanks, Coach, but I'm not sure I'm ready to jump back in."

"I understand," he said. "But there's something you should know. Our captain, Alex Chen – Ghost – he's made his participation in the Champions League conditional."

"Conditional on what?"

"On you joining Omega Ghosts."

Sarah was stunned. Alex "Ghost" Chen? He was a legend. Quiet, almost unnervingly observant, with game sense that was off the charts. She'd played against him in scrims. He was respectful, never trash-talked, just dismantled teams with cold precision.

"But... why me?"

"Not as a support, Sarah," Coach Davies said, his voice firm. "Alex has been watching your VODs for years. Not just Alpha Squad matches, but your solo queue streams too, the ones where you play fragger."

Sarah's breath caught. Someone had seen. Someone knew.

"He believes that's your true calling. He wants you as Omega Ghosts' primary fragger."

Fragger. The role Ethan had always told her she wasn't good enough for, not aggressive enough, not consistent enough.

The role she secretly excelled at.

A surge of emotion, something like hope mixed with a fierce determination, coursed through her.

Alex Chen, Ghost, saw her. Not the convenient support player, but the skilled fragger.

"He thinks I can do it?" Sarah asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"He's certain," Coach Davies replied. "He says you're being held back. Severely."

Held back. By Ethan.

The pieces clicked into place. Ethan's undermining comments, his insistence she stick to support, it wasn't about the team's success. It was about his control, his ego.

"I... I'll do it," Sarah said, a new resolve hardening her voice. "When do I start?"

A smile was evident in Coach Davies' tone. "Welcome to the Omega Ghosts, Sarah. Alex will be thrilled."

Thrilled. Not exploited. Valued.

It was a new beginning. A chance to prove not just to Ethan, but to herself, what she was truly capable of.