Kade Ozoliņš

INT. GRAND FINALS – MSI: INTERNATIONAL MID-SEASON INVITATIONAL

The arena is completely still, the crowd stunned, quiet in disbelief. Nova Vanguard just sent Obsidian packing. Then chaos erupts. People are screaming, commentators are crying, and analysts are poised like the pointing wojak meme.

Kade isn’t listening to any of it. Instead, he’s staring across the stage. Not at the cameras or at Darius, who’s still posturing like his ego didn’t just get 3-0’d. Not even at the scoreboard, where his name’s still flashing as MVP.

Nope. Kade’s looking at something else. da_rat indeed.

Half-finished, forgotten, and sitting on Obsidian’s side of the table like a loot drop blessed by RNGesus himself. A half-finished can of protein milk.

His stomach growls. Loud enough to startle the tech walking past.

Bro. No way. He should be better than this now. They’ve got sponsors and actual prize money. A team account he’s technically allowed to use for real groceries. Plus, that Nigerian prince from his email last week just promised ten grand any day now.

But Kade was raised on struggle meals and miracles. He doesn’t let food go to waste, not even enemy food. So while the crowd holds its breath, waiting for a post-match handshake turned grudge match, he walks.

Right past Darius. Doesn’t even make eye contact.

"Yo," he says, squinting toward the table. "You gonna finish that?"

Silence... then a camera clicks.

"Can I have it?"

The moment would go down as either peak 'da_rat' behavior or the most unhinged act of post-match psychological warfare ever documented.