Jonathan Tejedor Rua had come a long way since Jan. 29.

“Sad” and “depressed” were the words he used to describe his state as a support player -- better known as “HarryHook” within the Overwatch League -- but the Dallas Fuel would need him.

He didn’t know that at the time.

HarryHook, 28, is the last remaining player from the original Fuel squad that was assembled in 2018. Some guys had loud exits, others traded or retired and a couple transitioned to content creation.

That left only HarryHook.

“I’m the last one standing and it’s sad,” HarryHook told The Dallas Morning News on Jan. 29. “I’ve been with Envy for my whole career and I’ve seen all my friends go, which is f---ing sad.”

There were only question marks about his role with the team. The once stardom-bound support player was on a new, competitive healing core and he wasn’t up to speed with his skill. Being a starter wasn’t what worried him, though, so he talked with Fuel head coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins about what he could do.

“It doesn’t make me sad that I don’t have play time. What makes me sad is that I’m useless and my friends are leaving,” HarryHook said. “I don’t want to have no one, and I had a conversation with Aero about how I can improve. Right now they are talking about what to do with the support role, and I know I’m going to have to play a lot to be better. But we need to find a way for me to have value, because right now it’s depressing.”

It’s important to distinguish that this state of emotion was abnormal for HarryHook. He admitted that himself Wednesday because he wasn’t that kind of player. He wanted to help the Fuel find success.

It wouldn’t take long before HarryHook was a necessary piece again.

The Fuel started their season with two losses before the coronavirus (COVID-19) derailed the globalization plan OWL strived for with its third season. All of a sudden, the Fuel were stuck in their apartments like the rest of the country, working in solitude while trying to not be the losing team many thought they would be.

Aero needed a spark for his team before they returned to play last weekend against the Gladiators and Valiant.

“Something Harry does, he has a certain way of rallying the team that we really like,” Aero said Saturday. “We wanted to give him the chance to push them.”

HarryHook played Lucio for the Fuel in their loss to the Gladiators on Saturday and in their win over the Valiant on Sunday, which snapped a 15-match skid dating back to June 13, 2019. It was his positive attitude that was beefed up by his team and head coach. That’s what he had excelled at for his entire career before he landed in a funk before the 2020 season.

“I’ve always been a happy guy and I try to laugh about everything,” HarryHook said. “I have so much fun all the time so I try to take that with me when I play Overwatch every time. I’m not the type of serious player that always has a strict face. I try to have fun and I think we kind of needed that.”

The decision to start him wasn’t paid off just by jokes and smiles, though. HarryHook’s gameplay took a step. He knew he was going to make the main roster for about two weeks before returning to OWL play because Aero told him his practice was paying off.

Aero did have that talk with HarryHook back in January. They decided that there were some things HarryHook could improve on to help him contribute. HarryHook simply checked the boxes.

The numbers from his two matches backed up his gameplay, too.

HarryHook’s healing per 10 minutes on Lucio hit 6,773, good enough for ninth in OWL among Lucio players. His standout statistic was that he was second in hero damage among Lucio players per 10 minutes, with 5,291. He was the best Fuel performer in several other Lucio categories, too.

“I’ve just been playing the game with the time they gave me,” HarryHook said. “I practiced what they told me to practice and I made sure I didn’t try to do too much. I was worried because I wasn’t playing and I don’t want to sit down and do nothing for the whole season. I usually want some type of objective so I’m not useless.”

Every player on the Fuel, who will continue their season Saturday against the Washington Justice, had a role, not just limited to the heroes they play. That’s what HarryHook was searching for. Noh “Gamsu” YoungJin had a good example of a clear role. Other than the team’s main tank player, he also served as a bridge between the Korean-speaking players and the English-speaking players.

“In-game I just help our players communicate well so we can have balance, especially when we talk about strategies,” Gamsu said Sunday. “I always translate so we can be on the same page.”

HarryHook was looking for something like that -- a solid purpose, that would give him meaning. He said playing or not playing, he doesn’t care. He just wanted to help.

Turns out, he might’ve been best fit to lead the Fuel all along.

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