Rise - Pursuing a Dream - Inglês version

Photo shoot

As Pond stood in the fitting room, donning the complete Warriors of Night uniform for the photo shoot, an entirely new excitement coursed through his body. The black team t-shirt with the logo, the pants, and the official sneakers meant so much more than just a uniform. At that moment, Pond felt that the ordinary twenty-two-year-old boy no longer existed; in his place emerged a Mid Laner from the Thai League of Legends.

His heart suddenly raced, and he could barely contain a smile of excitement.

"Come on, Pond, are you okay in there? Did you trip or something? We're all waiting for you," Dunk teased from outside the fitting room, bringing Pond back to reality.

"I'm coming," Pond replied, fixing his hair one last time and stepping out. He was met with applause and whistles from Gemini, Dunk, and Force, who started teasing him.

"Look at our Mid Laner; he's a hot guy," Force teased, playfully. Pond winked, joining in on the banter. Despite the short time they had spent together, there was already a closeness among the four.

"Careful with all that beauty; he might steal all your fans," Gemini teased the other teammate, Satang, who feigned indifference.

Pond didn't feel shy about the compliments on his looks. In fact, people around him often praised his appearance; he usually had to make an effort to show that he was much more than just a handsome face.

"My fans love me; they won't trade me for a newcomer. Besides, I am very much myself," Satang replied, pointing at his own face.

"Black suits you," Phuwin complimented. Although the expression on the captain's face seemed somewhat disinterested, Pond had the impression of a different sparkle in his dark eyes.

"Thank you," Pond replied, feeling strangely bashful with the simple compliment, more so than with all the teasing from the other teammates.

"Alright, boys, my team will just check your makeup one last time, and then we'll start the photos," declared Maggie, and the boys waited for the team's final check.

"Okay, let's start. Since Pond and Dunk are the tallest, I want each of you standing at one end, with Phuwin in the middle. Gemini, position yourself slightly forward, crouched between Pond and Phuwin; Satang, do the same, but beside Dunk. Alright, now pay attention to the photographer," Maggie instructed, already at the photo shoot location.

"1, 2, 3," the photographer began counting. After several shots, he stopped, and Maggie and Force were laughing, while the boys looked puzzled.

"What's the problem?" Phuwin asked, confused.

"We forgot to tell our newcomer not to smile," Maggie commented. In the photos, everyone else had serious expressions, except Pond, who was smiling in all of them.

"He was smiling?" Satang asked.

"Yes," explained Force. The Warriors of Night members laughed at the newcomer, who at that moment started feeling his ears burning.

"Sorry, I didn't know I couldn't smile," Pond said, sheepishly running his hand through his hair.

"It's alright; stop making our newcomer uncomfortable. Pond, don't touch your hair; you'll ruin the hairstyle," scolded Maggie.

"Okay, sorry," Pond replied.

"Pond, relax and try to maintain a more serious expression in the next shots. You said you were our fan, so I bet you've seen some of our photo shoots. Try to follow that line and feel free to use some charm too, just avoid smiles for now," advised Force. Pond nodded.

"Okay, let's try again. 1, 2, 3," the photographer requested. This time, Pond managed to follow the instructions. After a few shots, they tried different poses and positions until they finished all the team photos and moved on to individual shots. Pond went last to get the hang of it after observing his teammates.