Chapter Text
Zhang Jiale didn’t understand. He knew he had fallen asleep at his desk after the loss to Happy. He knew that when he woke up, he would probably get some concerned looks from Lin Jingyan and a lecture from Zhang Xinjie about proper sleeping habits. But to his surprise, the first face he saw was not of his teammates, but one of his old ones.
“Hey, how long are you gonna stay sleeping? We have scrimmages with the other teams later today.”
In front of him was his old partner, Sun Zheping. The Blood to his Blossoms. What Zhang Jiale didn’t understand was how he got into Tyranny’s building and what he was talking about. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he cracked his neck as he responded.
“What’re you doing in here, Old Sun? How did Captain not scare you away with his fa-“
His words caught in his throat as he took his first good look at his surroundings. Gone were the sleek computers of Tyranny’s training room, the floor to ceiling windows, the red banner. In its place was a fleeting memory from his past, a room cluttered with computers, small fans running at maximum power to deal with an insufferable heat, and numerous people chatting and playing at their stations. Zhang Jiale turned his head to and fro, seeing the place for what it really was: the café that Hundred Blossoms began in. His brain started turning gears as he struggled to understand his situation.
“Captain? How am I supposed to scare myself? I know you say I can rob someone with just my face, but isn’t it a bit harsh to say it’s that ugly?”
The gears stopped as he turned to his partner. His face was all wrong, familiar, yet foreign. He looked young, way to young to be his Sun Zheping. No bandages as well, something he knew his Sun wouldn’t be without. Then it hit him, and a big grin emerged on Zhang Jiale’s face as he got up and looped an arm around his partner’s shoulder.
‘Ok, I admit, you pulled off a great stunt. Getting these old computers couldn’t have been easy. But who moved me from the training room? Was it Old Lin? I know you’d never get Sour Han to do it, so it must have been him, but really, you should’ve known that last night’s loss was no big deal, so why’d you go through all this trouble to bring me back to our glory days?”
He looked at Sun Zheping’s face, looking for the grin that would soon appear. Then it hit him. There was no make up, no mask on his face, just sheer confusion. Zhang Jiale’s face soon lost its grin as he loosened his grip on his friend, pivoting on his heel to look back at his computer.
2016
His jaw slackened as he tried to process this. Eight-no nine-years earlier than what it should have been. Those gears in his head began turning again. Younger Sun Zheping, outdated computers, and a grossly incorrect time. He had woken up in a younger version of himself.
His eyes rolled back in shock.
Once Zhang Jiale had recovered from his shock, he actually adapted fairly well to his new situation. His friends and teammates had always joked that his upstanding reputation had led to his successor having wonderful luck, but to him, it looked like the luck of getting second gave him a second chance for him to win. The second season of the Glory Pro Alliance progressed how it had in the past, albeit with some slight variations.
For one, Hundred Blossoms had actually suffered a series of losses early on. The invincible Blood and Blossoms duo debut was spoiled due to Zhang Jiale’s performance. Even Sun Zheping was angry with him after their third loss in a row, but Zhang Jiale could only smile in apology. Glory had come a long way from when he debuted, altered repeatedly by patches and additions. His Dazzling Blossoms Style had evolved alongside with it, and when put back at the beginning, a large amount of his style was missing. Essentially, Zhang Jiale was forced to relearn his old style, making the coordination between him and his partner less than perfect. Once he had grasped that memory again though, Hundred Blossoms win record began to sky rocket, dominating other teams in the fashion that he remembered they had.
Another variation was that Hundred Blossoms had continued their win streak through the entire season. Zhang Jiale remembered this season well, and with it, he remembered the players and how they liked to fight. Blue Rain, Tiny Herb, Tyranny, not even Excellent Era could stop their sweep. After the final match, Hundred Blossoms ended first place. They were the favorites to win the championships, and Zhan Jiale had never felt better.
Playoffs rolled around and Hundred Blossoms swept the competition. They easily won their first two matches and went on to the finals, with Ye Qiu and One Autumn Leaf waiting for them. As the teams walked towards their player booths, Sun Zheping pointed towards Wu Xuefeng.
“Keep an eye on him, he’s important.”
Zhang Jiale smiled. He had heard that statement so long ago, but back then, it was when Excellent Era had stopped their streak. Today, he was going to make sure that Excellent Era didn’t do the same again.
“Damn, you guys studied me too well.”
The words spoken by Ye Qiu were almost drowned out by blood rushing through Zhang Jiale’s ears. He had done it. He had finally won a title. No more second place, no more runner up. He had actually broken his curse and succeeded. What cemented this dream was the trophy that Sun Zheping was waiting next to. On it were the engraved words: “Season 2 Glory Champions”. Lifting it with his partner, the two cheered loudly as the stadium chanted their name.
Hundred Blossoms!
The party afterwards was surprisingly tame, with the team only having one round of celebratory drinks before marching off to their respective rooms, exhausted from what had been a brutal match. Well, brutal for all but one.
Left alone, Zhange Jiale sat in the hotel lobby of the building they were booked in. Outside, the night life of City S was still bustling, people walking in and out of stores, laden with bags from shopping. In time, Zhang Jiale knew that he was extremely lucky to be given this second chance, but now that he had, he was going to make the most of it and set up his own Glory era. As he dreamed of the future, his eyes slowly closed, hypnotized by the city lights. And within a few minutes, he was out.
“Hey, how long are you gonna stay sleeping? We have scrimmages with the other teams later today.”
Only to be woken up seemingly seconds later.
Zhang Jiale opened his eyes in irritation as he looked at Sun Zheping, who had somehow woken up just to annoy him.
“What do you mean scrimmages? We just won the championship title. All the other teams are licking their wounds and trying to figure out how they’re gonna be-“
His words caught in his throat. This situation was far too familiar to him. Gone were the lights of the city, replaced with artificial lighting, the calm lobby music replaced with chattering people. He looked around, confirming his fears.
“Championship title? Lele, is your brain still dreaming? We haven’t even played our first match.”
He was back in the café. Back before Season 2. Back before he won.
“GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!”
A chair flew across the room, clattering as it collided with a wall and fell to the floor. Chatter fell silent as every pair of eyes locked onto Zhang Jiale, who was currently heaving in anger, eyes wide as he looked around the room. Next to him was Sun Zheping, trying to usher him out of the room and calm down. As he let himself be led out of the room, his mind was trying to figure out what was happening.
This was his fourth time in this loop. His fourth time winning the championship, only to be sent back here. In a twisted way, it meant that he had beaten Excellent Era’s record, not that anyone would know. The first two loops, he had thought it was just a fluke, that something went wrong and he was sent back to fix it. He tried perfectly sweeping every game in his second try, thinking that he needed to imitate Excellent Era. Clearly it didn’t work when he woke up again in the café. The third loop was his attempt to perfectly match his original past. Every loss, every point, all the way up to playoffs. Then Hundred Blossoms narrowly won against both Tyranny and Excellent Era, clinching a championship title. When he went to sleep that day, he woke up, finding that time had progressed normally. Pleasant surprised, he had spent the day celebrating more with his team and making more plans for the future. Unfortunately, the next morning resulted in his current loop. Fate and Time had played a cruel trick and given him hope, and now he was stuck again.
“Are you cool now, Lele? What did you dream to piss you off?”
The voice of his friend cut through the red haze, allowing Zhang Jiale to finally calm down and think rationally. Perhaps he needed to let Excellent Era establish their rule, then let Hundred Blossoms dethrone them instead of Tyranny. Preparing himself for a long wait, he nodded to Sun Zheping.
“Yeah…just had an irritating dream. Your face kept blocking me from getting to my dream girl.”
Sun Zheping placed a hand over his heart in mock offense, causing the two to laugh as they walked away together. This time, it would work out for Hundred Blossoms.
It had to.
Zhang Jiale’s eyes didn’t open, but he was awake. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know where he was, as the sound gave it away. This loop was moderately more successful, as he had made it further than before, only to come back after winning the Season 4 championship. Mentally marking a check in his mind, he ran through a list of what he understood of his looping issue:
- If Excellent Era didn’t set up their dynasty, he would loop.
- Hundred Blossoms needed to stay together
- He couldn’t change classes
- Tyranny needed to win Season 4
He found out that fourth one from his most recent loop, bringing the total tally up to thirty-five. Thirty-five loops, with the last four lasting three years. Age wise, he was certain he outstripped many of the old generals now, almost doubling their ages. Laughing to himself, he got up again, surprising Sun Zheping who had been about to wake him up.
“C’mon, we got teams to scrim.”
He would find a way out of this loop.
This, he swore.
“Big Sun, you can’t go out today.”
Sun Zheping scowled as Zhang Jiale blocked the door. He had almost forgotten today’s date. It was the date of his partner’s accident. The accident that would end Blood and Blossoms. No matter what, he couldn’t allow this to happen.
“Lele, you’re being absurd. I’m just trying to get some stuff from a street vendor that’s right across the street. Why can’t I go?”
Zhang Jiale grimaced at this question because he had no plausible answer. He couldn’t tell him that he had experienced the future and that his friend would suffer a career ending accident, but he also couldn’t let it happen.
“Just…I have a bad feeling, ok? Just stay inside for today.”
To his relief, Sun Zheping let out a sigh of frustration, turning around and stomping back to his room. Taking a breath to calm his nerves, Zhang Jiale took an assessment of his current situation. Judging from how his loops had reset, he knew that he wouldn’t last long in this current loop. Despite this, Zhang Jiale still stopped Sun Zheping from experiencing his accident, ensuring the loop reset. And to no surprise, when he woke up the next day, he was back to four years prior, in the café where it all began.
It’s fine, I’ve got plenty of time. I’m certain that I can find a way for Blood and Blossoms to continue through season 5.
Despite his self-encouragement, a nagging feeling in his heart left him uneasy.
I can do this.
I can’t do this.
Zhang Jiale refused to open his eyes. He knew. He knew if he opened them, he would see the artificial lighting, the computer in front of him, and his best friend and partner next to him. And the sight would crush him.
One hundred times.
He had been in this loop a hundred times, forty of which were spent trying to prevent Sun Zheping’s accident. And to his dismay, not a single path worked out, as he kept coming back to this point. The toll from his loops was beginning to show as well. His mind was beginning to become more and more fragmented, and it scared him. If his mind broke, he’d be stuck in this loop, never moving forward, and he wasn’t certain if he would ever recover. Nonetheless, Zhang Jiale knew that he couldn’t deviate from his goal. Better to try to save his friend from a life of regret than to live with the guilt of knowing he could have saved Sun Zheping.
Into the abyss we go again.
He opened his weary eyes, a burning fire faintly glowing in the back of them.
Sigh….Loop….300?
The effects of looping were definitely affecting his mind now. Memories were getting harder and harder to recall. He could remember the events of the next 4 years with clarity, as he had lived them for countless lifetimes, but, to his dismay, he was forgetting other things. His parents, his address, and his childhood were gone. He had images, but no names to accompany them. From this, he knew that he was running out of time, ironically. He was sacrificing his mind in order to save his partner. Was it worth it?
In his heart he sighed. It was always worth it. No matter the cost, he couldn’t let it happen.
Play. Live. Sleep. Repeat.
Zhang Jiale could no longer recall the face of his mother, his childhood friends, or his home. He was forgetting where he grew up, and who his family was. But to him, it no longer mattered. Only the loop mattered. It was his way out, and the way out for his partner as well. Then, to his horror, he realized an awful truth.
For a second, he had forgotten Sun Zheping’s name.
Wang Jiexi knew something was off when he was called in by Tiny Herb’s head of security. Walking into the lobby, he saw someone unexpected.
Zhang Jiale.
The man looked like he had seen better days, with dead eyes locked in a thousand yard stare as he chewed on his lip absent mindedly. Waving away the security guard, Wang Jiexi brought Zhang Jiale up to a small conference, seating his senior down before take a seat himself.
“Senior Jiale, what are you doing here?”
Zhang Jiale visibly shook, his eyes regain light, but not in a good way. If Wang Jiexi didn’t know any better, he would say it was crazed, but this was always how the iconic Spitfire of Hundred Blossoms had been. Many news articles suspected he was drug addicted, or suffering from PTSD, but that was simply impossible, as he was always tested clean and he had a stable past. As he pondered this, Zhang Jiale spoke for the first time.
“It never works.”
“What?”
“This…this farce of a season. It never works. No matter what, he always gets hit. I can never stop it, and if I do, I end up back at the beginning.”
Wang Jiexi was confused by the man’s mutterings, but not surprised. Many other players had talked about Zhang Jiale’s tendency to talk nonsense. The only reason he had not turned away the man was because often times, his mutterings would allow a player to gain insight on how to improve. Hence, the younger generations were calling him “Guru Lele”, just never to his face.
“You win this season.”
Wang Jiexi raised an eyebrow, but Zhang Jiale continued rambling.
“You, that healer of yours, Li Yihui, everyone. You all win the championships this season. It never work out for Hundred Blossoms. It never does.”
This was certainly something that peaked Wang Jiexi’s interest. The guru had spoken, claiming his team would win, but was it a certainty? He couldn’t be certain, and simply slotted away the information in the back of his mind.
“You know…I tried killing him to solve it.”
Wang Jiexi felt his blood chill. Now they were veering towards a topic that was bordering dangerous, depending on Zhang Jiale’s next words. His hand crept towards a nearby drawing board, ready to grab and defend himself if necessary.
“It was a few runs back, I wanna say thirty? I’ve lost count by now, but I know it was probably around 1300. I tried that method of making it past the checkpoint for a couple hundred tries. I just…I went insane during those runs. I was tired, and at my wits end. I couldn’t bear seeing him lose his career, and I just thought, if I could spare him that life, I would be able to live with myself. After all, he stopped heeding my warnings after my 300th try.”
Wang Jiexi relaxed slightly, realizing that Zhang Jiale was probably talking about a game he was trying to beat, letting the man continue.
“I suffocated him, I beat him, I did so many things. Things that haunt me now. There were so many ways to end him…and I…I”
Zhang Jiale burst into tears, unable to continue his story, but from what Wang Jiexi could gather, his senior had been playing one of those speedrun games that plagued the internet and was suffering a breakdown from failing one too many times. This was something he could understand, having consoled some of his younger members who had been brought to tears by those games. As such, he stretched out a hand, rubbing the back of the sobbing mess.
“You can’t give up, senior. You’ll beat this struggle, no matter how long it takes.”
Zhang Jiale let out one last quivering sob before taking a shaky breath to steady his emotions. His eyes were clearer now, the dead eyes having a spark of life in them now.
“You’re right, I can get through this.”
Without another word, he left, leaving Wang Jiexi sitting in a chair, considering the recent interaction. Despite his mind telling him that it was just a game, his gut left him uneasy as he recalled the look in Zhang Jiale’s eyes.
Whatever, I think I just need some sleep.
This is it.
After countless loops, he had done it. He had lived through the countless defeats, the loss to Excellent Era in the finals. He watched as Sun Zheping suffered his accident, watched as his team suffered loss after loss. He saw the effect his own departure had on his own team, but he endured it. He returned in season 9 to lose in the finals again, but he accepted it. He knew he was close, so close to his goal at that point. And now, after a bitter battle, he had lost to Happy in the semifinal. As he watched the “Defeat” appear on his screen, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was keeping. After tonight, he would be able to break free of this loop and try again next season.
And that night, Zhang Jiale laid in his bed and drifted to sleep.
And by the next morning, he was free of the loop.
He was free from life.