Almost ten months had passed since Sam Hyde decided to join their squad. It was nearing an entire year since Mandrew arrived at the facility.
Likewise, it was nearing a year since Mandrew's last RLCS tournament; he wouldn't be able to attend this year's RLCS match and perhaps he would miss even the following year's.
'How time flies,' Mandrew wallowed amidst his drifting thoughts, thinking back to that fateful day in a tranquil state of melancholy.
That fateful day, oh how pivotal of a moment it was for Mandrew's life—but for all the wrong reasons!
The very foundations in which he built his life and dreams upon were battered by his mistake, crumbling into debris beyond repair as his own team abandoned him.
Hoah Nill, his dear friend abandoning him! And for the very team that beat him no less! And what for? Because some She-devil asked him to? Because that bitch liked their team more?
And then there was Delexi who up and left, not even giving him another chance? Just walking away with a sigh, giving up without a fight.
Mandrew grumbled, clenching his large hands into fists, his bones crackling with an invigorated strength. 'They abandoned me and their final goodbyes were over text messages? I wonder, have they bothered searching for me over the past year?'
Just before Mandrew lashed out, he took a deep breath. Ever since he had started training, he worked on learning to control his breathing so that he could maintain his composure.
Furthermore, over this past year of gruesome training, Mandrew perfected his physique under the grueling training and the consumption of Super Soldier Formula.
He also practiced with a wide range of arsenals, such as the Barrett M82, a semi-automatic anti-material rifle; the Nr.6 M24, a bolt action rifle; the M16A4, a gas operated, air cooled assault rifle; the Beretta M9, a standard pistol and many other weapons.
All of their accuracy levels had reached in-between sharpshooter and expert, with only the occasional inaccuracies. And with their close-quarters training being given to them personally by the knife-wielding Sam Hyde, their standards were up-to-par with even the elites who had trained for tens of years.
Before Mandrew delved any deeper into his thoughts, Sam Hyde's commanding voice broke him out of thought.
"Today was the last day of your professional training. Be prepared to set off in a week. However, this does not mean you can slack off on your general fitness training. And make sure you maintain your consumption of the Super Soldier Formula; this stuff is pretty addicting."
Mandrew stood tall until all signs of the voice disappeared and the sight appeared to be clear.
'It's finally over! I can get the fuck out of this hell!' Mandrew rejoiced, congratulating his fellow brethren.
They finally had a week off, but what was there to do?
Mandrew found that among the four, Ivan Rodriguez and him shared the closest interest. Of course, they were both pro Rocket League players, so that was to be expected.
"Hey, Mandrew, considering our skill levels, why don't we start a pro Rocket League team when all of this is over?"
Mandrew was stunned, but he didn't feel it was a bad idea.
After all, why make use of his recently acquired super-ultra-killer skills? Rocket League was obviously leagues ahead, so the decision was obvious.
"I don't see why not, I still have some business to take care of with RLCS anyways. Who's going to be out third though?"
All this while, Ivaan Evilrez pointed towards himself fanatically, ushering their attention.
Mandrew and Ivan exchanged glances before focusing on Ivaan.
Strictly speaking, Ivaan wasn't the worst of candidates, but he didn't really have any experience. At the same time however, the two of them were more than skilled enough to train him.
Enlivened, Mandrew said, "I'm not against you joining our team, but I wanna get a feel for your natural talent first. What do you think, Ivan?"
"Should be fine. Where are we gonna test that though?"
Ivaan hurriedly agreed, and Price cut in, "Hey, don't forget about me. If you're making a pro team, you're gonna need your own BGM. I can put something together and when it drops, I'll be buffing the team!"
Everything was looking good, but there was still one question.
"Mandrew, what are we going to call our team? I was previously with Mandinga, and your team was The Three Fiends." Ivan scratched his chin in thought.
Mandrew took but a second and a sharp glint flashed across his eyes, "How about The Fiend's Resurgence? Just think about it. Our Will is to take back what we lost! This Will is a testament for revenge, best shown by a Fiend itself!"
The others felt pepped up, and even Mandrew was impressed with himself. But again, where were they gonna play Rocket League on this military base?
Like the flickering of a light bulb, one person abruptly came to mind—Serones.
Serones was an interesting man, and considering he was the one overseeing their top secret mission, he was surely of high rank, possibly even being a military general.
Together, the four left the training facility, entering into a spotlessly clean corridor.
Yes! The corridor was spotlessly clean! One part of their training, oddly enough, was to clean the entirety of the training facility and corridors, a chore that Sam Hyde neglected amidst his drinking addiction.
Soon, they passed into the courtyard from when they first arrived at the facility, finding a familiar blood stain on the ground… Mike Ohckiner—no—Sean Weller! That was it! Sean Weller! Poor dude died before he even knew what hit him.
Continuing on, they arrived at Serones' office, knocking on the door lightly.
"Come on in," he said quietly.
The door opened slowly, revealing Serones on a luxurious recliner, puffing on one of his Cohiba cigars.
"Well, it's been quite awhile, hasn't it?" he laughed softly. "I told you, I expected a lot from you, and you haven't let me down. Now, come in! I'm sure you have a reason for your visit?"
Just when he was about to speak, Mandrew froze in place.
'Am I really going to ask… if we can play Rocket League here? What kind of request is that?!'
Thaty train of thought only lasted for mere seconds. 'No, Rocket League isn't just a game. It's my life! Why should I be embarrassed?'
"Serones, we're actually here to see if we can play some Rocket League for the week before our mission."
"Rocket League? Sure thing. I've actually already had everything setup in a room just for the four of you."
"You already had it setup?" Mandrew was dumbfounded.
"Of course! It's my job to ensure the best preparation for this mission after all! That naturally includes your mental state! Now, let me call someone to take you there," he offered generously.
Mandrew accepted graciously, soon following under the guidance of two burly men. In retrospect, these two burly men used to be much stronger than them, but now… now Mandrew felt he could easily take them on his own without breaking a sweat. It was even hard to consider them burly when comparing Mandrew's current stature.
Very quickly, they arrived in a room that was much more lavishing than what they were used to.
Taking a quick glance, several 8k monitors framed the walls and newly opened Xbox Series X consoles with Rocket League installed sat on luxurious tables.
These consoles were top of the line, running with the strongest technology! It was perfect for Rocket League!
Taking a seat on a brand-new red furniture set, lush and comfortable, their bodies sunk deep into it as they laid back to rest.
Mandrew grabbed a controller by his chair, making a mental note of how this controller was different from what he was used to. It was larger and the material was much more durable. If it were the previous controller model, it might just get crushed between his hands.
These controllers were definitely custom-made for his physique, fitting perfectly into his larger hands.
While he, Ivan, and Ivaan logged onto Rocket League, Price was in the back working with various software, making some beats, and writing lyrics.
And now it was time!
"Time to play some Rocket League!"