The third game between Stratus and the Leopards kicked off.

"Dang, are ya sure this lineup gonna be ok?" Luke asked for the hundredth time. "I mean, we don’t have that OOMPH we had last time, ya know?”

"You're right, we don’t," Yuel agreed. "This is a more balanced lineup, so we'll have to play accordingly. We can't go for overwhelming plays as easily."

"But, ain't that a waste? We did so well in the last game because we were pushing offense real hard."

"I know, but I didn't want to give them the opportunity to counter-pick us too hard,” Yuel explained. “The classes that focus too much on offense are often susceptible to counter-picks, so I had to play around that."

"Indeed, as expected from the one and only Chessmaster!" Vincent made noise. "He takes into account considerations that we, mere mortals, have no chance of figuring for ourselves!"

"Actually, knowing that you have to play around counter picks is kindergarten-level stuff," Kai retorted. "But, knowing how to do it right is the real challenge. Honestly, I’m also not sold on this lineup working out. Like, it looks alright for the most part, but it also got DK."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Luke exclaimed. "Did I hear you throw shade at my DK?"

"Yeah, I sure did. If not for your dumb DK, our lineup would’ve looked solid."

"Dang, the disrespect." Luke shook his head. "And you still dare to say that even after I put on such an awesome performance last game, huh. I guess no matter how many opponents I beat, you boomers never gonna recognize memes."

"We won that game because Yuel somehow knew how to pilot that quirky lineup,” Kai said. “But, I doubt any of that gonna fly again, unless you plan to prove me wrong, Yuel?"

"It’s hard to say," Yuel admitted. "This lineup is an experiment of sorts. All I can say is that I did run some simulations about piloting a ‘balanced’ team along with Dark Knight, but it's hard to say how any of that theory will hold in practice. In the first place, anything related to Dark Knight feels like a coin toss."

"Yo, dude!" Lars called out. "That's not what you're supposed to be saying to the team. You gotta tell 'em this lineup rocks and that we gonna win for sure, believe it!"

"I'm just saying the truth."

"That 'truth' thingy of yours ain't raising anybody's morale. We gotta believe we gonna win, yo! I mean, if we don't believe in ourselves, then who will?"

"Right…" Yuel smiled wryly. "Well, I've never been good at pep talk and whatnot. The only reassuring thing I can say is that I did my homework on using a balanced lineup along with a Dark Knight. Perhaps I didn’t research that variation as much as I did the aggressive one, but nonetheless, I have some ideas for this game."

"Hmmmmmmm." Lars made a long, judging noise. "Lukewarm! Still not hype enough."

"Well, I'm not you. I can't produce hype out of thin air."

"Haha, okay fine. I guess this is good for now." Lars nodded. "So, are ya pumped up for this game, my dudes?!"

"My body is ready!" Luke pumped a fist. "This game gonna be ‘Total Annihilation Round 2 - Electric Boogaloo’, just you watch!"

"Indeed, indeed!" Vincent buffed the hype. "We also mustn't forget that our foes uncharacteristically picked a handful of aggressive classes for this game. This should mean that penetrating through their defenses shall be easier than ever!”

I wish I could promise random nonsense like that with such confidence. Yuel sighed. But honestly, I can't tell how this game will go at all. But, we're already here, so I have to make the most out of this team. So, offense, defense, or anything in between - I'll make it work.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Once everybody finished gearing up at the base, they all headed out into the jungle.

"So, what’s the master plan this time? It’s gonna be something cool, right?" Luke wagged his tail like an excited puppy. "Are we gonna invade this time?"

"No," Yuel answered. "I was planning to play the opening safe this time."

"Say whaaaaat? Bruh, we got a DK, ya know? I can wreck any of these guys ezpz this early into the game."

"They'll be on their toes this time around,” Yuel explained. “They won't underestimate your Dark Knight a second time. You won’t find any easy openings in their formation."

"Hey, you'll never know until you try! Maybe they're not expecting us to invade because our lineup doesn’t look that aggressive and stuff."

"Maybe they don’t think we’ll actually do it, but I’m sure they’ve at least considered the possibility. Either way, an early invade won’t go smoothly this time, that I can assure you."

"Dang, what a letdown." Luke pouted. "Me and Vince here could’ve made quick work of these guys, word."

"How about you make quick work of the jungle camps instead."

"Aye aye, sir..."

And so, Stratus didn't set up any surprises for the opening this time around. Yuel was convinced that the enemy would surely be prepared for any early aggression, therefore it was futile to attack them in such an obvious fashion.

Yet, at the same exact time, the enemy was thinking the complete opposite.

"Let's invade them, bro!" Ronald suggested. "Berserker and Viking, we can steamroll them!"

"Hmm. An interesting idea." William stroked his chin.

"Excuse me?" Cato raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'interesting idea'? Perish these silly thoughts at once, young men."

"Oh noes, here comes the party popper." Ronald rolled his eyes.

"I'll gladly be a 'party popper' or whatever is necessary as long as it means stopping terrible ideas from passing through."

"Is it really such a bad idea, though?" William asked.

"You can't be serious, Will."

"Oh, but I am," William insisted. "Think about it. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you think the enemy expects to be invaded right now?"

"Probably 2 or 3," Cato answered. "Obviously, they're not expecting it because it's not going to happen."

"But, what if it does?” William insisted. “Imagine we go in there, catch them off-guard, and mess up their opening. This can seriously mess up the DK's early-game, which will automatically render it useless."

"That's assuming he's hanging out around Top in the first place," Cato pointed out. "To remind you, that wasn't the case last game."

"If he's not in Top, then even better for us. We'll just run over whoever is there without much risk."

"Yeah, what bro said!" Ronald pumped a fist. "We can catch these guys sleeping and smack them real good!"

"You're talking about it as if you actually put a grain of thought into that idea." Cato sighed. Seriously, these brothers can be so difficult to deal with sometimes. Worst of all, Will almost made his plan sound reasonable. Almost.

The Dark Knight class itself was like a racing car with a turbo engine, but what about the driver? How strong was LegendaryMemer compared to William and Ronald?

Memer was a decent fighter, no doubt. But, how well will he fare against the 'third strongest' player of the region? And, there was also the younger dumbass brother who was sometimes surprisingly capable on the offense, too.

They'll also be attacking together. Cato thought. Each of them individually is already strong, but together their power is quadrupled.

If there was an alternative timeline in which playing a bruiser duo in Top was meta, then in that world, William and Ronald surely would’ve dominated the competition. Their superb teamwork, combined with their natural strength, would’ve overwhelmed anybody.

Unfortunately, there was no such meta in the current world. As bruisers, the two brothers had to be separated. One remained in Top while the other traveled around the jungle. As such, they could only join forces on a few rare occasions throughout the game.

But, every time they do, the enemy should prepare for trouble and make it double.

The reckless early invade they were suggesting was one such rare opportunity to have them cooperate. As suicidal as it was to aggress on a Dark Knight in the early-game, these two had the skill to pull off such a stunt together.

“Alrighty,” Cato gave in. “Will, if you really believe you can pull off this invade, then go ahead.”

“Got it.” William nodded. “Let’s go, Ron.”

“Right behind you, bro!”

The two brothers went in without any hesitation. They were confident enough in their skills, so they felt like they had nothing to fear. And, their confidence was rather founded, as much as Cato didn’t want to admit it.

These two hooligans executed plenty of invades during club practice, and even during scrims with pro players. It was evident the duo had the knowledge, skill, and experience to deliver devastating invades that even pros struggled to fend off.

But, was their invade going to be strong enough to overcome the innate power gap between their classes and a Dark Knight...?