VALORANT Pro Florescent Announces Break and Apeks Exit

After becoming the first female pro on the VALORANT Champions Tour, Ava “florescent” Eugene has announced she’s taking a break for the remainder of the 2025 VCT season. 

“I’m going to be taking off the rest of the 2025 VCT season to rest up and recharge,” she said on X. “I may return to competing again in the future, but that isn’t something I’m putting much thought into right now.”

This comes after Kyedae, a VALORANT streamer, announced her indefinite hiatus. 

More On Her Reasoning

Her X post was several paragraphs long. In it, she mentioned relocating to EMEA for boot camp just days after the Game Changers Championship ended. 

“2024 was a very busy year for me. I relocated to EMEA for bootcamp just days after GC Champs ended and that grind has been catching up to me. I’ve also been dealing with some personal and family emergencies through Kick/off and Split 1. My teammates have been very supportive of me during this time but I want them to be able to focus on Split 2 without any interruptions.”

She then went on to explain that it was solely her decision, not Apeks's. She mentioned that they even discussed buying out her contract for the last few weeks. 

“This was very much my decision and not that of Apeks, our coaching staff, etc. Several other VCT teams even showed interest in buying out my contract these last couple weeks and Apeks told me I could explore those options for Split 2 if anything made me happy and allowed me to continue competing. I’m sharing this because I’d really like to ask the community and fans to avoid directing negative comments toward Apeks. They really did prioritize my happiness and career in every decision they’ve made this year.”

Finally, she did admit that the relocation to EMEA was challenging and that she didn’t “always feel at home while in Germany.” 

“The relocation to EMEA was very challenging and I didn’t always feel at home while in Germany but I want to quickly thank Apeks management and my teammates who all welcomed and supported me over the last few months. Also, thank you to Riot ops and the other pros in VCT EMEA who have all been really kind to me and go out of their way to make sure I’m doing well.”

More on florescent’s Career

florescent started playing VALORANT at 14 and was signed to an esports team by age 15. 

Now 18, he’s competed in VALORANT as a pro with multiple squads, including Misfits Black, Version1, and Shopify Rebellion. 

She was with Shopify Rebellion during Game Changers, which was a female-focused event put on by Riot. 

At Game Changers, Shopify Rebellion took first place and florescent was a massive part of that. 

She then signed with Apeks to compete in the VCT International League, becoming the first woman to make said switch. 

“Despite working closely with Ava and her agent to find solutions over the past couple of months, we’ve come to the mutual conclusion that it’s not right for Ava to continue to play,” Apeks wrote on X. “Sometimes life gets in the way of our competitive goals, and that’s part of the game."