"Let's give a massive shoutout to the Asian Games Summit organizers—"
Ethan Caldwell, VP of the Global Digital Entertainment Association, swaggered onto the stage to drop his speech!
Holy crap—
Whoever snags the crown gets their rep to hype the crowd.
Ethan Caldwell was buzzing as he hit the spotlight at SkyDome Arena in Tokyo!
Eight years!
It's been eight freaking years!
After League of Legends, WindyPeak Games finally brought the Best Esports Game Crown Award back to the U.S.!
And now Ethan Caldwell's back on stage, repping the Asian Games Summit!
Sure, it's just a short trek from his guest seat to the stage's center—barely fifty feet!
But it felt like he'd grinded through eight years of hustle!
Right before stepping up, he spun around, scoping out the manufacturer seats.
Every company at the Asian Games Summit was packed in here today.
His grin was blinding, but he couldn't pick out the young hotshot he was eyeing in the crowd.
Still, one glance, and everyone knew who he was locking onto—and what that sly, loaded look meant.
It's only a matter of time.
The old boss of PacificTech is stepping down.
The only name in the game for PacificTech? Ethan Caldwell.
That look carried some serious weight!
Crash—
The crowd went wild as Ethan Caldwell hit the stage and kicked off his speech!
It was all formal—repping the Global Digital Entertainment Association and the Asian Games Summit ain't no small gig.
Ethan Caldwell broke down the Asian Games Summit's roots and mission, recapped past events, then threw some love to the companies that didn't score awards, wishing the Asian Games Summit bigger wins down the line.
Under flashing spotlights and thunderous applause!
Then the DJ host's voice boomed: "Big thanks to Ethan Caldwell for that killer speech!"
"Now, let's drop the award decisions and hand out the hardware!"
Swish—
The whole arena went dead silent.
Yeah, everyone knew who was taking home the Asian Games Summit crown.
But the announcement? Still got the blood pumping!
Ethan Caldwell nodded, his grin stretching wider than a PUBG map.
He set his speech notes on the podium, pulled an envelope from behind, ripped open the Asian Games Summit wax seal, and unfolded the gold-flecked paper:
"I declare—"
"At the 6th Asian Games Summit, the winners of the Best Esports Game Crown Award and Best Esports Game Designer Award are—"
"PUBG! Gus Harper!"
BOOM—
SkyDome Arena erupted!
Home-field advantage hit hard—cheers crashed like a tidal wave!
Spotlights zeroed in on a dude in a sharp gray-blue suit, rocking a Mickey watch, chilling by the stage's side curtain!
Click, click—
Camera flashes lit up, turning the place into a starry night.
Talk about owning the moment!
Gus Harper had hit plenty of big press events in his career.
But this? Tens of thousands of eyes on him at SkyDome Arena? First time.
He was hyped and nervous as hell!
Fiddling with his watch, Gus Harper strode onto the stage, all smiles, steps steady, waving to the stands.
At center stage, he shook hands with Ethan Caldwell, bowed, slipped on the golden crown, and grabbed the scepter Ethan Caldwell handed over with both hands.
A new king, crowned.
The crowd roared like a thunderstorm, all loyal fans of WindyPeak Games.
Gus Harper and Ethan Caldwell shook hands again, snapped some pics, then Ethan Caldwell bounced, leaving the stage to Gus Harper.
"It ain't plastic," Gus Harper quipped, cracking up the crowd:
"My prepared speech was gonna kick off with how stoked I am to nab this award."
"Was worried I'd feel ripped off when I got the real thing, but damn, the organizers went hard. This is legit."
The quick joke had the crowd rolling.
Gus Harper hefted the scepter: "Guess I can start this without feeling shortchanged."
"I'm freaking pumped to score this award…"
Wow—
Cheers and applause exploded.
Down in the crowd, Zoey Parker watched Gus Harper own the stage, sparking roars and claps, her eyes gleaming with pride.
Those big eyes were practically crescent moons, her lips curling up.
That suit fits him like a glove.
That watch? Nailed it.
Heh, I've got a killer eye for this stuff!
Lost in her moment, Chloe Quinn coughed lightly, nudging her:
"Yo, ease up on the smug grin. Media's snapping pics."
"Huh? What?" Zoey Parker snapped out of it, flinching:
"What's wrong with my face? My face is fine, dang it!"
"Can't I hype my game director? Without Gus Harper, WindyPeak Games wouldn't be crushing it, right?"
Hah.
Even Chloe Quinn, all poised and sharp, couldn't help but smirk at Zoey Parker's big talk.
"That's hype?"
Chloe Quinn raised an eyebrow:
"Your eyes are practically heart-shaped, boss."
Zoey Parker's face went full tomato!
Like a kettle boiling over, steam practically shot out her head:
"What… what kinda talk is that?!"
"You got any manners?"
"Who says that… about their boss?!"
Seeing Zoey Parker's meltdown, Chloe Quinn threw up her hands:
"Lighting's fault. My bad, I saw it wrong."
"Damn right!" Zoey Parker nodded: "Ain't no lighting issue with me!"
"Yeah, yeah," Chloe Quinn chuckled, shaking her head:
"Lighting's the problem. You're good, you're good…"
"No… just no…" Zoey Parker snapped her fingers, muttering.
But she didn't dare glance back at Gus Harper, glowing on stage, crown on, scepter in hand.
Growing up, she'd never dated, never even had a suitor.
Not 'cause she wasn't a stunner.
Nah, her looks and aura were too dazzling.
Dating's got a barrier, you know.
Too low-tier, and you're ignored. Too high-tier, and nobody's got the guts.
Zoey Parker's got it all—porcelain-doll looks and a dad, Walter Parker, who's a business tycoon with some heavy-duty connections.
Any wannabe suitor's gotta think twice about facing the heat from Walter Parker's crew—think steel pipes and bats.
So, yeah, plenty of folks probably crushed on her.
But stepping up to confess?
Zero. Nada. Not one.
At 23, Zoey Parker's love know-how comes straight from rom-coms and her friends' gossip.
She's got no clue what's going on in her heart.
Doesn't even wanna think about it.
Ostrich mode: locked in.
Ostrich is the move.
Yup.
Scratching her cheek, Zoey Parker peeked around like a thief, making sure no one was watching, then sneaked a glance back at the stage.
"…In closing, WindyPeak Games will keep pushing, dropping fresh ideas and dope games for players everywhere."
"We ain't slowing down!"
"'Cause we're—"
"Born this way!"
BAM!
The crowd lost it!
Then—
Lights dimmed!
[wu—emmmm—]
A soft hum, like a church choir, filled the air.
It had this raw, hidden power, like the calm before a storm.
Then—
A voice cut through with the hum.
Will you hold the line?
When every one of them has given up and given in
The hum stacked, building energy, brewing something massive.
BANG!
Spotlights snapped back on!
And there, on stage—a blond dude in a denim jacket, gripping a mic.
Behind him? Guitarist, bassist, drummer.
The band's debut!
Cheers and screams erupted again!
Wow!!!
The roar was deafening!
If Gus Harper and WindyPeak Games were the expected hype of this closing ceremony—
Then Imagine Dragons' live set was the freaking rocket fuel!
The crowd went nuts!
At the same time—
The big screens around SkyDome Arena lit up with PUBG's custom closing ceremony trailer!
Hundreds parachuting in.
Guns blazing, life-or-death stakes!
Snipes from a mile out, close-range one-taps!
A teammate pulling up a buddy in a smoke cloud, while an enemy rips past on a dirt bike outside.
Rumbling music synced with the visuals—storm brewing, thunder rolling.
Carpet bombing flashed across the skyline.
Then—
Sweeping in!
Lights flooded the venue, flames roared on stage, the crowd screamed, and—
Dan Reynolds' gritty growl hit:
And you're standing on the edge face up 'cause you're a—
NATURAL!!! (Born this way!!!)
The iconic Natural blasted, its raw power like a lit fuse, setting SkyDome Arena on fire!
The place exploded!
Even Gus Harper couldn't help but jump up, cheering with the crowd!
Freaking epic!
What a damn show!
He knew the Asian Games Summit closing ceremony would pull in big-name performers.
But Imagine Dragons? No way!
Now it clicked—Ethan Caldwell tweaked his speech's last line to We are born this way for this.
Slick freaking move!!!
The arena was straight-up chaos!
And as Dan Reynolds belted the final Yeah, you're a NA-TU-RAL!
The vibe hit a second peak!
Then—
The DJ hollered—
"Ladies and gentlemen! I declare!"
"The PUBG Asia Invitational Exhibition Tournament—"
"Kicks off now!"
Buzz—whoosh—
A plane roared over SkyDome Arena!
A hundred motion-sensing cabins glowed with dazzling lights!
And right then—
Every player in the tournament felt a rush, diving out of Quality Square.
"Yo—Old Horse, I'm freaking out—" Muffin's voice crackled in team chat, her Shonan accent thick as ever.
"Chill, it's just a small stage. We're eating chicken today!" Old Horse shot back.
Yup.
The finals squad today? The gold-medal chef duo: Old Horse and Muffin.
Sure, they made the finals, but let's be real—their wins leaned hard on the other two heavy hitters:
Eggplant and XTT.
Eggplant? A grizzled FPS vet, grinding since CS and CrossFire. Bit rusty, but his skills are rock-solid.
XTT? A post-00s Twitch star who blew up riding PUBG's wave. One day, Benny from Eggplant's crew was MIA, and XTT got auto-matched in.
Boom!
His wild aim and ice-cold tactics blew up the stream, making him an instant legend!
At his peak, fans were so shook by his skills they demanded WindyPeak Games check him for cheats—motion-sensing cabins are locked tight, but still!
Took three rounds of checks for WindyPeak Games to clear XTT, shutting down the haters.
And that just made him bigger!
A sharpshooter, a vet, and two chefs.
This wild-ass team stumbled through wins and losses but clawed their way to SkyDome Arena.
And they weren't alone.
Today's finals were stacked with epic squads.
Sure, these 25 teams from across Asia were thrown together, mostly streamers, not pro-level.
But it's an exhibition match!
For the crowd, as long as the plays are wild, it's all good!
And these teams delivered!
Y City housing district.
Whoosh!
Dax Nolan folded his chute, rolled onto a rooftop, and scoped the loot pile—then cursed his luck.
Bullets, meds, a machete. No gun.
And, just his luck, a Japanese streamer landed across the roof and snagged a pistol.
They locked eyes. Dax Nolan's face twisted, then he bolted!
Bang! Bang, bang, bang!
Shots rang out behind him.
The Japanese streamer's smug laugh echoed: "Hahahaha, sayonara!!!"
Blood sprayed from Dax Nolan, health bar halved in a flash!
He's done for!
Then—genius struck. Dax Nolan sprinted to the roof's edge and leaped!
Clang—he grabbed the opposite building's windowsill, rolled in, smashing the glass!
The crowd roared, the commentator hyping: "What a freaking parkour play!"
But—
Before Dax Nolan could catch his breath—
Dengdengdeng!
Footsteps downstairs.
The Japanese streamer's teammate rolled up. A quick team chat, and they had Dax Nolan pinned!
Screw this…
Dax Nolan cursed, ducked into a side room, calling for backup while hunting for a gun.
Nada.
His luck was straight-up trash. The small suite had nothing!
And now—
Footsteps closed in!
Dax Nolan's brain raced.
Ten health left. Just a machete.
No way his squad could reach him in time.
Two seconds, and the enemy's kicking down the door, spraying him with no gun to fight back.
What now?
His eyes locked on the machete…
"Desperate spot!" the commentator boomed:
"Dax Nolan pulled off some sick parkour to dodge the first wave—"
"But now a Neon squad member's at the door!"
"With his team too far, no backup's coming!"
"Is this the first blood of the match?!"
BAM!
The Neon player kicked the door open, raised his SMG, aiming at the kitchen suite!
No windows in this house, and Dax Nolan wasn't in the main room.
He's gotta be in the kitchen!
But—
Right as he squeezed the trigger—
Buzz—BOOM—whoosh!!!
A black machete flew from the kitchen corner, ricocheting off the doorframe, and—
WHAM!
It lodged in the Neon player's neck, blood gushing as he dropped, turning into a loot box!
"OHHH—First blood! An insane first kill!" the commentator screamed:
"Dax Nolan used PUBG's physics to bounce that knife while staying hidden!"
"Bet that Neon player's yelling to his team right now!"
"What's he yelling?" the co-commentator jumped in.
"'There's a freaking Draven on the second floor! Stay back!!!'"
Hahaha—
The crowd cracked up at the commentator's quick wit.
This wild first kill set the tone for the exhibition match!
As the game rolled on, crazier plays piled up!
Brother Kai, a streamer, tried to hold a bridge but was too scared to peek, blind-firing from cover—dubbed the "Bridge Guard"!
Milo Tate—not Old Horse—yelled "Sky Dragon!" and dove off a second floor for a clutch kill, but got smoked instead, earning "Sky Farmer"!
Pete Floyd chased a drug drop for miles, snagged a ride, declared victory—then got bombed to bits. Crowd chanted: "Forget chicken, is the game over?!"
Nonstop chaos!
The exhibition match was a highlight reel, cranking the hype at SkyDome Arena!
Finally—
Seventh poison circle hit, and the last Southeast Asian team got blocked out by the Neon squad.
Three teams left!
Three-man U.S. team!
Two-man Neon team!
Full four-man Korean team!
Two poison circles to go.
But everyone knew—once the timer hit zero, the circle would shrink again.
The U.S. and Korean teams gotta ditch cover and charge the Neon squad in the destiny circle.
On this open plain, that's a straight-up death sentence.
This is it.
The final battle's about to kick off!