As the start of the battle at the Hexgates was imminent, a large crowd gathered on the other side of the bridge enjoying the spectacle.
"You have to listen! Whether they win or lose, we have to do something!" Sevika stood at the forefront, trying to convince the people of the Undercity to fight, but her voice was lost in the cheers of the masses.
"Hah, serves them right!"
"That's what you get for treating us like trash!"
"Now you'll learn what it feels like to suffer!"
"Let'em burn!"
Just as she was about to give up and storm through the bridge with what remaining allies she had, a giant air balloon appeared above them.
They're here.
A single voice, amplified by the loudspeaker in the hands of its source shook the entirety of the crowd.
"Listen up, trash! Your big fat hero is here!"
Silence fell over the crowd first, then surprise, then joy as they erupted into cheers.
"Jinx!"
"She's here!"
"She's alive!"
"She escaped!"
"We are the worst Zaun can offer. We've lived our lives proud of that fact. That we were the thorn in Topside's ass, fighting them in every street and every corner. Earning their respect. But right now, when I look down… all I see is a bunch of pussies too afraid to take their destiny into their own hands."
The cheering stopped as quickly as it started.
"I didn't collapse the Council Hall just to see you laugh as it's conquered by foreigners! I didn't bust you out of Stillwater to see you whine like little crybabies!"
A few people hanged their heads in shame.
"You see those Noxians marching on those pompous pricks and you think 'serves them right'.But you forget that Topside is ours to torment! No one else can take that away from us! They are our enemies, not anyone else's!"
She began to find some sympathy among them.
"She's right…"
"Yeah! They're our enemies!"
"We are Zaunites! We don't run from a battle! And this time, when the battle is over… we will force Topside to sit down on its uptight ass and listen to us. We will be equal to them on the battlefield, and we will be equal to them afterwards."
Whatever momentum she had built so far instantly dissipated, as the crowd erupted in boos and dissatisfaction.
"You're joking!"
"Equal? After everything they've done to us?"
"You can't expect us to negotiate with them!"
"Are you really Jinx?"
Her anger was visible as she nearly cracked the loudspeaker in her hands.
"SHUT UP!"
Her voice reverberated through the entire Undercity as the crowd fell into dead silence, obliging her request.
Do you really wanna live like this forever? Running around in circles? Picking fight after fight, war after war. Do you really want your children to grow up in a world like this? In a world like you did? "
"No…"
"Of course not…"
"We don't live like shit because we like it. We do it because have to. We all lost family. Friends. We worked shitty jobs and did shitty things in order to survive, in an endless cycle of hate and killing. But we still kept our heads high, knowing that our time would come. A time to prove that we are ready for a better life."
"Yeah, we are! "
"We're ready!"
"We want a better life!"
"Now is that time! Today is the day that proves we are ready to be free from our own past, our own demons. To be looked at as equals. To build a better future for the next generation. To not have to worry about whether our sons and daughters will die due to starvation, gas poisoning or an overdose of Shimmer! It's time to break the cycle!"
"No more starvation!"
"No more Shimmer!"
"I'm with you!"
"Let's break the cycle!"
"These are our fissures! Our lanes! Our streets! This is our city! Let's go and show these oversized Noxian bastards how we do things in Zaun!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Zaun!"
"Zaun!"
"Zaun!"
As the balloon flew over the bridgehead, Jinx dropped a long and extremely heavy object in the direction of Sevika, covered in purple and green gift wrappings. As she caught it, a wide smile spread across her face.
"Try to keep this one for more than two seconds, please. And make sure to keep them in line, Lefty."
"You bet," she snarled.
"Hell of a speech," Ekko praised her, as the Firelights on board jumped up and down around them, fully pumped on adrenaline, hoverboard in hand, waiting for the action.
"Thanks. I've practiced. Though the merit is not completely mine." She looked below at the disappearing figure of Sevika. She already had her new arm attached and started leading the charge through the bridge.
"You were so good, you got me wanting to challenge Ambessa to a one on one here."
"No can do, Big Man. We made a promise. No hero antics, remember?"
"Right, right."
"You just go in smooth as always with your guys, I'll be covering you."
"Let's hope you don't accidentally put a bullet or two in me."
"I'll make sure to spare the important parts," she teased, as she rotated the control wheel, and the balloon started its flight towards the Hexgate.
"Now then…" she smiled, "…it's time to play."