FROM THE LONG LINES in SM Megamall Cinema 6 to the loud screams from ECHO fans upon seeing Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera's face, the phrase 'Limang ECHO fans' suddenly roared into a million.
It was a heroes welcome for the M4 World Champions as the team that was once branded as an 'early exit' victim, became a source of inspiration to the Filipino community, that the setbacks or challenges we encountered in life can be resolved.
And this was embodied by an ECHO fan named Mylene who came into the venue on a wheelchair.
In an interview with the press, Mylene revealed how her condition came to be.
"Noong two years old, nakakalakad pa po ako, then nagkasakit po ako, fever, high fever, then after medical malfracture, na-injectionan po ako, pero I can walk, I can drive also, pero automatic."
Yet despite her condition, she was able to interact with her personal idol, Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno and gifted the two-time world champion a One Piece t-shirt.
"Nag-hello po ako then I told him na, 'At last nakita kita kase noong umuwi po kami noong December 9, from Bali to Manila, hindi po kami nag-kita sa Jakarta."
Sabi niya po, "Hello po, hi and thank you!" recounted Mylene.
Her admiration for KarlTzy began even before the pandemic began. Even when KarlTusok switched teams, her loyalty to her idol remained.
"Three years before pandemic, I was in Bali, Indonesia, siya po talaga yung idol ko. Noong Bren po si Karl, si KarlTzy po yung idol ko talaga, then noong nag-transfer po siya sa ECHO of course even Sanji, SanFord, all of the players of ECHO, I really loved them."

KarlTzy: From explosive jungler to team-centric player
The transition that KarlTzy underwent from Bren to ECHO remains to be one of the best storylines in 2022. Who would've thought that a player who was once categorized as a funneling maestro and an explosive jungler would end up as a team-centric utility jungler.
But it wasn't only his playstyle that saw a massive change as KarlTzy's personality even evolved. Gone were the days when KarlTusok was the most heated player when he said: "I think we're the best team. I'm a team player right now, so I don't care about stats or MVP. I've been there," during the team's M4 campaign.
This doesn't mean that KarlTzy's usual swagger had disappeared as there were hints of him throwing shade to his opponents as seen when he said: “Siguro yun po, gusto kong patunayan na ako pa rin yung magaling kahit sobrang daming nang nakakasabay, pinahabol ko lang talaga sila. (laughs)" before the world series began.
But for Mylene, KarlTzy's bouts of arrogance as perceived by the community isn't really a big deal for her.
"Honestly, sobra po niyang nag-change pero before kahit ang dami pong basher na sobrang yabang, it's really fine. Psychologist po ako kaya alam ko po na yung pagiging mayabang niya para lang to exude na maging confident siya lalo," reflected Mylene.
She added: "Pero sobrang proud na proud ako sa kanya, kase from the super na laging siyang pumapatay everytime na may play, ngayon nag-adjust siya ng sobra."
And upon witnessing ECHO's journey en route to their M4 championship, an emotional Mylene couldn't hold her tears. It was such an inspiring journey to see a team that felt like everything was crashing down on them, to suddenly overcoming the hurdles ahead.
"I'm really happy honestly, teary eyed ako noong nanalo sila kase back then nakita ko kung paano sila nag-struggle. Sobrang sad nila noong natalo sila. All the bashers, talagang sobrang...ngayon lang po talaga silang nag-ano [nag-champion], knowing they're happy, I'm really happy."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph