Yuel and Lars reached the second string’s room. That’s it. The moment of truth.
Honestly, Yuel had no idea how he was going to convince Trever to sub out. Nevertheless, he had to do it. Somehow. Magically.
M-Maybe I’ll just give up on this idea... His legs shook, refusing to step in. The more simulations he ran through his head, the more suicidal the whole thing sounded. He was literally going to kick out the team captain. It was nuts! No way that’s going to work!
“C’mon, dude,” Lars said. “Let’s go.”
“A-Ah!” Yuel staggered into the room after being pushed. Wait! I’m not ready for this!!!
Nevertheless, he now stood inside the room, the lion’s den. He had to face not only Trever but the other upperclassmen as well. Gulp. He was dead.
Ugh, what a tense atmosphere. His body turned to lead. Now it’s clear why even Howard hesitated to enter this room. The air felt so heavy it could crush him alive. The silence was deafening as if it’s a graveyard and a funeral is in session.
To make things worse, everybody’s eyes jumped on him as soon as he entered. He could feel their gazes drilling into his skin. All his thoughts were stuck in his throat. He had to speak up, but it was like coughing out rocks. It was impossible.
No, I have to do it. This was a chance. Everybody’s attention was on him, so he had to strike while the iron was hot. But, where should he begin? He couldn’t just casually drop such a huge bomb. How could he smoothen things out? No matter what ideas crossed his mind, shivers ran down his spine whenever he imagined everybody’s reactions to them.
“Yo, what’s up?” Lars greeted everybody with his usual goofy smile as if the heavy atmosphere meant nothing to him. Wasn’t he also nervous about entering this room a couple of minutes ago? Maybe he forgot all about that. His brain was now filled to the brim with “I get to play, yo!”. Heh, what a simpleton. If only Yuel could be this simple.
“Heh,” Trever sneered. “Came to laugh at us? Last match was shit, not gonna lie.”
“Nah, that’s not cool.” Lars shook his head. “I came here to save you, my dudes!”
“Wha-!?” Yuel’s jaw dropped. What was that goof doing!? Was he seriously going to drop the bomb? Just like this? Without any warning!?
“Save us? The heck that means?” Trever cocked his head.
“I’mma sub for ya,” Lars announced in broad daylight, pumping a fist and everything. He just said it. He went ahead and said it. HE SAID IT!!!
“Heh, good joke.” Trever chuckled. “I know you wanna play, kid. But, leave this to the big boys.”
“Nah, I’m telling you, I seriously gonna sub in.” Lars insisted. “That’s what our Shield Dude said, right?” He turned to Yuel for confirmation.
THAT’S where you put me in!? Yuel felt like he was smacked in the face and almost knocked out. He wasn’t mentally prepared for any of this! What’s this stupid goof doing!? He never heard of “breaking the ice”? Goddammit!
All attention was on Yuel now. The countless eyes spearing him until now? He could swear they’d shoot lasers at him any moment now. Was there even any oxygen in the room? Because none was reaching his brain. His head was heavy and his body was ready to buckle under the pressure.
“Um, well...” No matter how many times he gulped, his throat was as dry as a desert. Squeezing out a single word, a single letter, was like lifting five tons.
But, he had to do it. Lars passed him the baton at the worst timing possible, but maybe it’s for the best. Yuel had to deal with this anyway, so it’s better to strike sooner than later! If Howard could’ve done this, then I can too!
“Sorry, Trever. We need to sub you out.” Yuel declared. “T-That’s what Howard and Aron agreed on.” He was quick to add.
“Ha, ha,” Trever produced a hollow laugh. “You two formed a stand-up duo to cheer us up? Well, it’s not funny. You’re saying you wanna sub the team captain?”
“Yes.” Yuel clenched his fists, fighting off the trembles assaulting his arms. “That’s what I agreed with Howard.”
“So, that’s why you were gone for so long.” Trever sneered. “He called you to secretly talk about subbing me out? Is that it?”
“That’s...” Yuel took some time to choose his words. Technically yes, Howard indeed called Yuel to listen to what Yuel had to say. But, if Yuel were to put things that way, it’d shift all the responsibility on Howard. It’s unfair and wouldn’t lead to anything good. Trever might confront Howard directly after hearing that.
“Don’t even think about sending him to me or Aron. Solve it yourself.” Howard made himself clear. Dumping the responsibility on Howard was the easy way out, but that won’t do. Yuel had to deal with this himself, here and now.
“He called me for something else,” Yuel said. “I used that opportunity to tell him how our last match really went. That includes all the arguing you did among yourselves and the repeated misplays.”
“You little...!” Trever’s eyes glinted dangerously. His fists were clenched to strike, but he didn’t make a move, not yet.
“Talking behind our backs?” Gilbert said. “After all the work I put into summarizing the match neatly in front of Howard... Not very nice of you.” Despite the criticism in his words, he didn’t seem too angry with Yuel.
“I did what I thought was right,” Yuel said. “If we keep playing like this, we have no chance of winning. I’m sure you all agree?”
“That doesn’t give you an excuse to rat us out!” Trever stepped forward, towering over Yuel. “Some teammate you are! I bet you made yourself look good while trashing the rest of us!”
“No, that’d be unfair.” Yuel shook his head. “I properly told him part of the blame lies with me too. I was too passive while things were getting out of hand. I waited for the storm to pass without doing much. I thought the problem will resolve itself if I just ignore it. That was a huge blunder.”
“Oh, that sure sounds nice! Your only fault was how you ‘didn’t do anything’ while everybody else played like trash? Is that how you put it, eh!?”
“That’s not what I-“
“What about your shitty support? You left me to 1v2 in the lane when I was already behind! Some genius Support you are!”
“That’s all on you.” Yuel retorted, blood rushing into his head. What the actual heck? Trever was beyond unreasonable! “You charged in alone without telling me. Every. Single. Time. I even asked you to stay at the Turret while I sub for Gilbert in Mid, but you died anyway. How is any of that my fault!?”
“So, that’s what you told Howard, huh!?” Trever drew even closer, now standing face to face. “You told him I played like trash. That’s why he decided to sub me, right!?”
“I only told him the truth.” Yuel insisted. “Admit it, you’re in your ‘slump’ again. You should know best: it always takes you a long time to recover from it. So, it’s best if you step down now and-“
“Don’t fuck with me, kid!” Trever roared and thrust his fist toward Yuel’s face! Goddammit! Things were about to get physical! That’s what Yuel feared the most!
“A-Ah!” Yuel stumbled backwards, almost crashing into the floor. He was still within Trever’s range! He was going to be beaten to a pulp!
... But, the hand didn’t reach him. It was grabbed in midair and tightly held in place.
“I know you’re mad,” Lars said. “But, that’s not cool, dude.”
“Gah, you little...!” Trever tried to shake off Lars’s grip, to no avail. “The hell is your problem? Don’t fuck with me, kid!”
“Calm down, dude. You only make yourself look bad.” Lars released Trever, hoping for peaceful negotiations. But, Trever had other plans. The moment he was freed, he tried pushing Lars with both hands.
“Just calm down already.” Lars dodged the assault. In turn, Trever tripped from the momentum and almost crashed into the floor.
“Fuck.” Trever cursed, but finally lowered his arms. Did he admit defeat? Was it over?
“Phew, thanks.” Yuel sighed in relief. Good thing Lars was here. Who knew how hard Trever was going to do smack Yuel otherwise.
Unfortunately, they weren’t out of the woods yet. Trever still looked like an enraged bear, raring to wreak havoc. He wasn’t done yet, far from it.
“This doesn’t make any fucking sense!” Trever thundered. “I’m the captain of this team! I’m the one who’s supposed to make the big decisions! You wanna sub me out? Who the fuck do you think you are!?” Attacks were fired at Yuel again. Trever failed to hit Yuel physically, so he resorted to verbal attacks instead. So sad. Why won’t this guy give up?
“Aron and Howard are in charge of the club,” Yuel said matter-of-factly, his tone surprisingly calm. Now that he knew Lars will defend him if push came to shove, most of his tension vanished. “They gave you the captain role, so they have the right to take it away.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“And what? Give it to you? I bet you just wanna be promoted from vice-captain to captain, ain’t ya? Greedy fuck. You should be grateful you’re even on the second string in your first year! We didn’t even have a second string when I was a rookie!!”
Trever’s arguments were all over the place. He just lashed with anything that came to mind.
How was Yuel supposed to respond? He “wanted to be promoted into a captain”? Sure, that could be nice, but the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind until now. He didn’t discuss anything of the sort with Howard. Besides, if somebody had to replace Trever as the new captain, Gilbert would be the most appropriate choice.
As for Trever never getting to play during his first year because a second string didn’t exist at the time... What was Yuel supposed to do about that? This whole back-and-forth didn’t make any sense no!
“Got nothing to say, eh?” Trever clicked his tongue.
“I just can’t process your arguments.” Yuel retorted. “You’re all over the place. I understand you’re mad about the substitution, but attacking me isn’t going to change the facts: you’re underperforming and dragging the whole team down with you.”
“I just had bad luck last game. I can still play! If you actually support me next time, I won’t have to 1v2 all the time!”
“Why? I really don’t understand. When you fall into a slump at the club, you always leave of your own accord to not ruin games. You know better than anybody it takes time to recover. The same should apply right now too, yet you insist to stay in the game. It’s like you don’t care if the team loses because of you.” Yuel’s words became increasingly harsh, he was aware of that. It’s impossible to reason with Trever right now, so Yuel attacked with everything he had. No matter what, Trever had to step down.
“Tch, you fuck.” Trever trembled from rage. It seemed Yuel’s attack was at least somewhat effective. Trever will now hopefully understand how obnoxious he was acting. And yet, he refused to yield and turned to the other members. “This is fucked up! Don’t you agree? Who hell kicks out their captain like that! Gil, tell him something too!”
This can be bad. Yuel frowned as his eyes met Gilbert’s. If Trever gains the support of other members, Yuel will have no chance of winning here.
Well, maybe that’s fine in its own way. Yuel braced himself. If others choose to side with Trever, it means they believe Trever is right and Yuel is wrong. That’s all there is to it. Yuel would have no choice but admit defeat. Maybe they’d even turn on him and kick him out of the team instead. Goddammit, why did all of this have to happen?
Anyway, everything was about to be decided soon. Gilbert was considered the “true” vice-captain of the team, so his words were going to sway the entire team’s opinion. Who will he side with?
“What exactly do you want me to say?” Gilbert asked, clearly preferring to stay out of this mess.
“Whose side are you on?” Trever demanded. “This damn rookie ratted us out in front of Howard. Don’t you think that’s low? If anybody here should be subbed - it’s him! His supporting and shot-calling were shit last game too.”
“Yeah, he totally ruined the pretty match summary I reported to Howard,” Gilbert said. “To be honest, I'm kinda salty about that.” He threw a blaming glance at Yuel.
Ugh, I should have added Gilbert to the conversation with Howard. Yuel bit his lip. The way he complained to Howard behind everybody’s backs, especially behind Gilbert’s back, was really unbecoming. He should have at least consulted the real vice-captain first.
It’s over. He got on Gilbert’s bad side too, so he couldn’t win here. Gilbert siding with Trever meant defeat.
“You know why I kept hush about everything in front of Howard, right?” Gilbert addressed everybody in the room. “We all wanna get into the first string and Howard’s opinion of us plays a huge factor in deciding that. If he learns we made fools of ourselves during a serious scrimmage, he will write us off right there. You know how harsh he can be.”
“Yeah, yeah! Exactly!” Trever nodded repeatedly. “This kid just ruined our chances of getting into the first string for the rest of the year!”
“But, all-in-all, I think he did the right thing,” Gilbert said.
“Eh?” Yuel blinked. Wasn’t Gilbert angry with him? What’s going on?
“The ‘right’ thing?” Trever’s face contorted. “Are ya high, bro?”
“No, it’s just how it is.” Gilbert shook his head. “I just gave a nice excuse for my actions, but the truth is: I simply didn’t have the balls to report everything to Howard. Deep down, I knew I should have done it. I bet Howard expected me to put things as they were, including the ugly bits. After all, he made me a vice-captain. But I chickened out.”
“So, what are you saying?” Trever asked. “You’re siding with that rat?”
“It’s not about taking sides, it’s about what’s best for the team.”
“And, what are you saying is ‘best for the team’?”
“For you to be subbed out.”
“Gah! You fucker!” Trever’s fists trembled, along with the rest of his body. He was going to blow up any moment now. “You’re seriously telling me I, the captain, should get the fuck out?”
“Y-Yeah, I am.” Gilbert flinched for a moment against Trever’s murderous glare but stood his ground. “You’re too tilted to keep playing. Just look how you’re acting right now. You’re supposed to be the senior, but you’re arguing like a kid.”
“You little...!” Trever was about to snap. It’s bad! Lars wasn’t close enough to stop him, he was going to pummel Gilbert... Eh?
SPLASH
The room fell silent. What? Why? Everybody watched the scene in disbelief, struggling to process what the heck just happened.
Water poured on Trever’s head, flowing downwards to soak his shirt. Wait, that’s not water. It was brown... Coke? He was showered by Coke? Pft, what?
“W-What are you doing!?” Trever jumped away, as angry as he was confused.
“Lol, just cool down, bro.” Roi moved away his Coke can. He just emptied half of it on Trever’s head. Pft, haha! Chuckles and laughs filled the room.
“You didn’t just do that!” Trever examined his wet clothes in disbelief. His anger was overshadowed by bewilderment. He had no idea how to even begin reacting to this silliness. “Bro, what the actual fuck?”
“Lol, pretty effective, right?” Roi laughed. “My baseball coach always did this when somebody was tilted. Calmed down a little?”
“Calmed down? I was calm all along!” Trever barked, but he definitely sounded less intimidating than before. As bizarre as Roi’s method was, it somehow opened the way for peaceful negotiations. “What’s your stance on this anyway?”
“You know what’s my stance, same as everybody’s.” Roi shrugged. “I feel you, bro. We’ve been watching the first string play scrimmages this whole time. I’m also jealous. Now we finally got a chance to play too, so nobody here would want to sub out. But, you got your... Well, ‘issue’. It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it right now.”
“You too, huh.” Trever hung his head. His clenched fists had been trembling this whole time, but they finally relaxed. It looked like the realization started sinking in. “Heh, just look at me bitching. It’s like I’m some damn clown. Stupid, isn’t it? I can’t even properly play on a second string team. What the heck I’ve been doing in the club these past two years?”
As somebody who was on the first string before and lost his spot, Trever’s frustration ran deeper than anybody here could understand. They were still striving to reach the first string, but he already went there once... and fell off. He climbed all the way to the top, only to come down crashing. It was even more soul-crushing than never making it into the first string.
Ever since, he had been working hard to reclaim his position, to no avail. Now, he was already a senior. This was his last year to achieve anything. And, today’s scrimmage was most likely his last chance to participate in something that resembled an official match.
“You guys have it nice,” Trever said. “Rookies and juniors, you still got years ahead of you. But me? This scrimmage is my last chance to play competitively in middle school. Because let’s face it: I won’t be getting into the first string this year. Today is my last chance to do anything meaningful. Yet, you ask me to give up on it too, huh.”
Nobody responded to Trever’s monologue. What could they possibly say? Nobody on the second string was in the same shoes as him.
How would Yuel feel if got into the first string and then lost his position? He couldn’t begin to imagine how depressing that’d be. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt about switching Trever out. Maybe it was a mistake? Maybe they should let Trever play his final game? Even though he dragged the team down? It was wrong, but Yuel couldn’t help but wonder...
“Heh. ‘Slump’, ‘issue’, ‘tilt’, you sure like calling it names.” Trever chuckled. “Just say it straight to my face and get it over with. Say that I’m trash who doesn’t even deserve to be on the second string.”
“That’s not true, dude,” Lars said. “I’m subbing for ya, but you were on the team first, not me. If I may say so myself, I’m pretty damn sick at this game. Still, they picked you over me. That means you’re like super mega sick, yo!”
“I wonder about that.” Trever’s shoulders slumped. “I bet they picked me because I’m a senior. It’s all pity”
“Nah, no way.” Lars shook his head. “I’ve been fighting ya more than anybody since I joined, so I know for sure - you’re stronger than me, dude. I mean, just a little stronger. Gimme a few weeks and I’mma kick ya butt!” He grinned and pointed at Trever, declaring war.
“Heh, don’t get ahead of yourself, kid.” Trever smiled wryly and started walking. His destination was the most certainly the exit. At long last, he gave in. As he passed by Lars, he stopped and patted Lars’s shoulder. “You better do a damn good job. You’re subbing for the great WildDragon, so better not embarrass me, kid.”
“Heh, easy. Go take a rest, geezer. I’mma wreck these scrubs for ya.”
“Good.” Trever nodded and went on.
Somehow or other, Trever was successfully persuaded to sub out. Did Yuel live up to Howard’s expectations by achieving that? Hard to say. After all, this result was only possible thanks to everybody’s efforts. Without Gilbert and Roi’s support and without Lars’s defending him, this would have never been a success.
“Oh, right.” Trever stopped and turned around. “You don’t have a captain now, huh. Okay, lemme do one last thing as the cap before I go.” Trever approached Yuel.
Is this what I think it is? Yuel was rooted in place like a tree. Was it really going to happen? Based on Trever’s words, that’s what he was planning to do. But, was he really going to nominate-
“GUUUUH!?” Yuel shrieked and stumbled forward. It’s like a truck rammed into his back! Trever slammed him with everything he had! Compared to the normal Trever slam, this one was like a thousand slams! No, a million! A bazillion! Trever poured all his frustration and all his determination into this one, almost snapping Yuel’s spine in half.
“You’re up, kid.” Trever grinned. “I still don’t like how you ratted us behind our backs, but I get it. You had to do something, can’t blame ya. And, well... Sorry I yelled and all that.”
“N-No problem.” Yuel mustered all his strength to straighten his broken back. He was entrusted with huge responsibility and he had no choice but accept it.
“You started this whole thing, so you better see it through.” Trever lightly punched Yuel’s chest. “You’re the new captain.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Haha, ‘sir’ he says!” Trever laughed and so did the rest.
Ugh. Well. Heh. Yuel sheepishly smiled along with the rest. His head was blank. The weight of the situation hadn’t fully sunk in yet. He... was the captain. The new captain. A captain of a team. He. Yuel. A captain.
“That’s all from me.” Trever reached the door and turned to everybody one last time. “Go out there and win this shit, guys!”
“You betcha!” Lars gave a thumb up.
“That’s the intention.” Gilbert nodded.
“I’ll kamikaze these guys to death,” Dan smirked.
“Just so we clear,” Roi said. “You owe me three euro for that Coke.”
“Wait, what!?” Trever thundered “Bitch, you spilled that shit on me! Look at my shirt!”
“No need to thank me, lol.”
“Heh, you fucker. Okay, if you guys win, I’mma treat each of you to a drink.” He turned away and waved one last time, then vanished from view.
After a long and exhausting back-and-forth, Trever finally accepted reality and surrendered his spot to Lars. For the sake of the team, he gave up his last chance to play competitively in junior high. With did he feel as he set foot out of the room? Yuel couldn't even begin to imagine.
“StormBlitz, you’re running late.” The referee popped up in their room. “What’s going on? It’s time violation.”
“We’re sorry,” Yuel stepped forward to confront the referee, unexplained confidence surging through him. “We had an important decision to make. We’d like to substitute WildDragon for this guy over here: Gunz. Also, I’m... I’m the new acting captain.” Shivers danced across his arms as he breathed these words.
He didn’t know how to take this development at first, but now it finally struck him. He’s a freshman, yet he got as far as becoming the captain of the second string! Not only that, but Lars was going to play as his lane partner! He could already tell - the next match will be one they never forget!