For the first time in his life, Olivier opened the streaming service and looked up a streamer's name. He had not wanted to contact Aqua this way, but there had been no other choice left for him.
Olivier's curious nature was a double-edged sword. His need to know the type of 'help' Aqua wanted made him quickly contact the other player.
But since in-game chat was out of the question due to Olivier's 'inbox' problem (yes, it still hadn't been solved yet), and opening his mic was out of the question, Olivier decided to contact the streamer through the streaming platform.
Aqua's screen displayed an animated avatar instead of his real face. But that was the trend nowadays so Olivier did not pay much attention to it.
"Hey Controller, if you are here then drop a 'Hi' in the comment box. I will message you back."
Instantly, most of the chat began to comment 'Hi' to lure the streamer's attention. So, Olivier decided to follow them and mix in with the stream of people.
He was not sure if the streamer would be able to recognize his message or not, but he was surprised when he got an instant replay back from Aqua.
{Aqua: Did you have a hard time navigating this app? Man. it is inconvenient to talk like this. Do you have an account on the messenger? That would be more comfortable for me.}
Olivier did have an account, but he was hesitant to give it out to someone this chatty and annoying.
But since he could block this man later if he became too much to handle, Olivier was not worried about giving out his social media.
{Aqua: I am here. Did you receive my message?}
Aqua's words made him sound impatient and Olivier almost ignored him to see what would happen.
{Aqua: I can see that you read my message already. Just hurry up and reply.}
Well, since Aqua already knew that Olivier opened his message, Olivier decided to just reply to him.
{Controller: I am here. What kind of help do you want from me?}
{Aqua: There is a content-creator tournament where we need to form teams and duke it out. Our team is short one member and I wanted to ask if you were interested in forming a team with me and my companions.}
Aqua's words were sharp, but Olivier could not sense any harm in them.
However, they were too good to be true, which made Olivier doubt their sincerity. Why would a famous streamer want a 'no-name' like Olivier on his team?
After all, streamer competitions were not about skills or even proving how good you were at the game. They were about publicity and drawing more crowds toward your channel.
That was why Olivier had never actually clicked with streaming as a business for professional players. It was an option after retiring, but it was not something he openly advised for players who still played professionally.
{Controller: What's the catch? This offer is too good to be true.}
Olivier had learned to read between the lines. If an offer looked too good, it was likely a trap.
{Aqua: Hey, there is no catch. I am sincerely asking you to join. This event will be streamed online but it is an in-person event. I just want to meet my side-kick once in person.}
Olivier was intrigued by these words. He did want to participate in another competition since the last one had ended so eventfully.
Besides, this steamer's competition was different than locals and regionals. It had a lot of professional players participating as well.
It was an amazing 'first step' into the professional world.
'And there would also be scouts in this competition. Hmm, it is a good opportunity.'
The only problem was - Olivier did not know Aqua that well.
For all he knew, this man could be a scammer and he was trying to get Olivier to lower his guard down.
{Controller: What time is this tournament and which day? I will need to look at my schedule to see if I am free. I also need to know how long it will last for and other things. I am not saying that I agree to participate, but I do need all this information.}
Olivier waited to see what the streamer would do next. Would get angry? Be understanding.
{Aqua: Alright, I understand. In that case, I will pass on your information to my manager. He is the one who books all my schedules and he is also responsible for managing my stay for this tournament. So do not be startled if you get a message from a known account}
Surprisingly, Aqua decided to be professional about this dealing and he even gave Olivier time to brace himself.
Olivier did not give any verbal or written consent for his information to be given to Aqua's manager.
But he received a message from an unknown number within the next five minutes.
{Unknown: Hello, I am Aqua's manager. He passed this number to me and asked me to inform you what would happen next. Oh, here is my company card.}
The unknown person attached the photo of a real-life company card and Olivier relaxed. He had heard of this company before.
{Aqua's manager: I am sorry for Aqua's impulsive actions. We are still working on his manners and other qualities but he still goes ahead and causes problems for us all the time. If you find this tournament too burdensome, then let me know beforehand.}
Unlike Aqua, his manager seemed responsible enough to handle all the work. They also seemed apologetic about Aqua's behavior.
{Controller: It's not a problem. I am interested in participating in this tournament}
Olivier did want to test his current skills against other professionals. And he had a feeling he would not get a better chance than this tournament.
{Aqua's manager: Alright, I understand. I will send you the required forms and other data to read over tomorrow. Keep your phone on alert and ask me if you have any questions regarding this competition.}
Somehow, Aqua's manager was more responsible than the streamer himself. The manager guided Olivier through the necessary steps and assured him that he was not being scammed.
Not that Olivier thought he would be. He had looked up the tournament and everything he had heard about it matched up with what he had heard from Aqua so far.
"Hmm, this competition would be interesting. But would I need to take days off because of this? Somehow, I did not think this conversation would go so well with my family."
Olivier was sure that his 'uncle' and 'aunty' would have a few words to speak on this topic. His brother had never liked Olivier leaving home because of a tournament before. So, he doubted that all these years had changed him much.
But there was still a chance they would allow Olivier to participate.
And for that, Olivier would need someone's help. Someone his guardians would not be able to say 'no' to as easily.
In simpler words, Olivier needed Natasha's help to go to this tournament.