From Pokémon to The International, Dota 2

December 30, 2028, 6 p.m.

The Immortal Cup selection process began on time. After hosts BBC and Yuno smiled and waved to everyone, they began reading the opening remarks:

"The Immortal Cup, sponsored by Dongjin Group and Jinshuang Herbal Tea and co-organized by Douyu and Douyu, officially kicks off today. Thank you to Perfect World Esports for their strong support of this competition. Hello everyone, I am your host BBC today."

"Hello everyone, I'm your host for today, Yuno."

BBC is a veteran presenter, and players who have been following DOTA since DOTA1 will be familiar with him. As the main host of "Gamefy", he provided commentary on a large number of early DOTA events.

With his exceptional ability to manage the flow of the event, Uncle B is invited to host the official Chinese live stream of The International almost every year, where he is responsible for the overall flow and pacing of the competition.

Yuno is a popular female DOTA2 host in recent years. She sometimes also works as a commentator. She has participated in the commentary of many well-known DOTA2 events such as the Riyadh Masters and the Snow Ruyi Invitational. She also hosted the DOTA2 Chinese New Year event and presented several special programs with DC.

"It's another Immortal Cup year, and I'm sure all the viewers in the live stream have been looking forward to it for a long time. So let's first introduce today's selection rules."

"This time, our Immortal Cup selection rules are back to Season 1. We have invited a total of eight captains. Each captain needs to build a team and they have 250 million starting funds. If the captain participates as a player, they need to deduct their own value from the funds to participate in the auction."

"The auction will consist of five rounds, each with its own rules. Please see the screen for details."

After the audience had read through the rules, Uncle B continued:

"Some viewers may not be very clear about the rules, but that's okay. We will explain the rules again in each round of the auction, and you can also understand the rules by observing the specific operations during the auction."

"Next, we will connect with each of the eight team captains to say hello and discuss their bidding strategies and expectations."

Two small boxes appeared on the live stream screen: the left one showed the auction hall where the host was located, and the right one showed the screen of the team captains connected online. The first captain, Sora, had already successfully connected, and her room was decorated in a very girly style.

The host, with a smile, first introduced the team leader who was connecting via video link:

"Captain Sora is a player specially invited by our sponsor. She is a student at MIT, loves watching DOTA2 matches, is a loyal fan of the Immortal Cup, and has also participated in the recently held Pokémon Community Tournament."

This time, she'll be participating in our Immortal Cup as captain, not as a player, but she'll be bidding to form her team.

"Hello, Captain Sora, this must be your first time participating in the Immortal Cup, right? I'd like to ask how familiar you are with our Immortal Cup auction rules? And what are your expectations for your first Immortal Cup participation?"

Su Xiaoman, wearing her favorite pink cat-ear headphones, answered with a smile:

"Although this is my first time participating in the Immortal Cup, I watched every single match of the previous editions, so I'm very familiar with the rules. My expected result this time is, of course, the championship!"

Applause erupted in the live stream chat, and the host seemed to appreciate the directness of the response. Yuno replied:

"Alright! Then I wish Captain Sora all the best in winning this year's Immortal Cup!"

After a polite brief farewell, the second team leader connected online.

"Our next team captain is a player that all of you viewers are very familiar with—our MAY! Blue Lightning leaps across the black hole, Holy Sword Ember Spirit makes a comeback from the brink of defeat, let's welcome MAYBE!"

"Hello everyone, I'm MAYBE."

Chao Ge's opening remarks were very brief.

"Hello, May, it's great to see you on the Immortal Cup stage again. What's your bidding strategy for this year's competition?"

"I plan to spend 1.4 million to acquire Sen, the strongest power forward, to show my sincerity. Then I'll use the remaining money to acquire other players depending on the situation."

As soon as Chao said that, the viewers in the live chat knew he was joking. He only had 1.7 million yuan in disposable funds. If he spent 1.4 million yuan to buy Sen Ge, he would only have 300,000 yuan left to buy three unsuccessful bidders. Obviously, he was saying this on purpose so as not to reveal his selection strategy.

"One million four hundred thousand? If the bald guy really bought me for one million four hundred thousand, he just wants to die with me. Anyone who believes that has a problem with their IQ."

Brother Sen offered his sharp commentary in his own live stream.

After chatting with the host for a few more minutes, Chao Ge ended the interview, and the host then continued the live call.

"Our next team captain is our beloved Chalice—the originator of the 'Sun is useless' theory. After retiring, Academician Yang has contributed many classic theories to everyone. This time, he is participating in our Immortal Cup again. What strategy will he adopt to defeat his opponent? Let's welcome Chalice!"

"Hello everyone, I'm Charles."

Pig Brother appeared somewhat shy in front of the camera.

"Hello Charles, as the academician Yang recognized by our netizens as a stock trading expert, you must have already prepared your bidding strategy for this competition. Could you share it with us?"

Pig Brother couldn't help but chuckle, then said:

"Uh... that's definitely an idea, but it's hard to say how others will bid. I guess we'll have to be flexible and just watch how things go."

"Okay, so your old teammate Maybe just said he'd bid 1.4 million for Brother Sen. Do you have anything to say about that?"

"This is obviously a smokescreen from a bald guy, okay? There's no way I'd believe him. As for Brother Sen, I can only offer a million at most. Any more than that and I'll have to reluctantly give up on him."

One million? Don't miss out!

[Zhuge Liang and Li Si are also using smokescreens!]

[Zhuge Li Si already has a new lover, Zhao Gao; who knows, he might be filming XinQ later!]

The live chat was buzzing with discussion, and the host chatted with Charles for a few more minutes before cutting off the connection.

"Next, we'll connect with DY—our familiar idol is back on the Immortal Cup stage. He's dedicated on the field and witty and humorous off the field. Let's welcome DY!"

"Hello everyone, I'm DY."

After getting married, DY looks more mature and has more of a god-like aura.

"Our idol is also participating in this Immortal Cup as a returning player. We all know that he enjoys playing Three Kingdoms Kill in his spare time, strategizing and winning from afar. So, can you share some of your strategies for this competition with us?"

DY smiled slightly.

"I feel a lot of pressure coming here this time. All the contestants are very strong, basically the top-ranked male gods on the ladder. My only strategy for participating is to avoid being on the same team as Rubik's Cube Man, and if possible, I want to be on the same team as Lou God, after all, I am the little Gaozu."

Meanwhile, in Zeng Jiaoyang's live stream, there was a block of lightning.

"DY, just wash your neck and wait. I'll go to his enemy team and completely dominate his mid laner, then I'll hear his mid laner say to him, 'Why don't you come and try?'"