"Good job getting out alive," Kai said. "I thought we were both goners."

"Yeah, I did get away," Yuel said. "But, I didn't really help."

"Hey, you tried," Kai averted her eyes. "Gotta admit, you were pretty sharp back there. Almost pulled me outta that crap."

"Um, sure," Yuel was taken aback for a moment. What on earth? This was the part where Kai was supposed to complain about his failure to help. And, about the fact he went for such a hopeless suicidal play. In fact, everybody should criticize him for making that mistake.

"That rescue operation was slick, yo!" Lars nodded. "Gave me the shivers. Almost pulled it off, almost! But dat Aron, I'm tellin' ya. Real killer."

What’s going on? Yuel looked around in confusion. It’s as if he wandered into some crazy alternate reality, one in which his gank was an acceptable play. It was crazy.

"Yeah, man," Luke tuned in. "That gank was something else. Learned a bunch from it."

"It was really nice," Ben nodded.

"Such a splendid display of comradeship!" Vincent made noise.

I can't tell if these guys are serious or making fun of me. Yuel made a face. Though, admittedly, their words felt nice. It was rare for others to praise his plays in this manner.

Normally, everybody only ever praised his shot-calls and reads. However, here they were praising his... What, exactly? "Comradeship"? The fact he didn't give up on Kai until the very end?

It was the same praise people gave him whenever he fought for the life of his Carry to the bitter end. For him, it was just a tactical decision. He judged that he could keep the Carry alive at the expense of his own life and that doing so would benefit the team more than his own survival. Therefore, he struggled until the very end despite the odds stacking against him.

There was nothing particularly genius or amazing about these plays, but others often praised him for them. That never made much sense, but Yuel just went along with it. He assumed his teammates understood the tactical decision he made and simply praised him for it, nothing more.

However, the current situation was different. His decision to gank Top was objectively a misplay. He calculated ahead of time that the chances of success were slim-to-none and it indeed failed in practice. Even worse, this misplay cost the team a lot of momentum because Aron injured Yuel heavily, forcing him to recall to base. So, for a short time, this game became a 1v3 situation with only Lars left to hold the fort. It was a terrible position.

Yet, his teammates praised such a play? Even though it was so helplessly foolish?

Ah, I guess they just didn't know. Yuel smiled wryly. In this entire club, only he figured that the gank was a hopeless suicidal play. The rest must have thought there was a real chance of success, that's why they sang him praises for his futile efforts. Ignorance is bliss.

Still, there was one thing this play did achieve. The whole reason he threw himself into this pointless danger was to make it up for Kai. She has been prissy at him from the beginning of the match, even though he hasn't really done anything wrong. So, with this gank, he was hoping to mend things a little. He thought that maybe, just maybe, if he gets Kai alive out of that situation, she'll be grateful enough to let bygones be bygones.

Unfortunately, he failed to get her out. And yet, Kai still seemed grateful enough. She appreciated the fact he tried so hard to get her out of that predicament, regardless of the fact he failed. So, maybe that play wasn't a total waste after all.

Interesting. So, misplays can have an unexpected benefit like that. Yuel nodded to himself. He felt like a scientist who has just discovered a new element of nature. It was such a bewildering reveal.

But, none of that changed one important fact: Kai's reckless charge at Freezer was foolish and irresponsible. It put her in that losing situation and cost her her life. This was a huge issue and it had to be addressed.

It was a shame to ruin this positive atmosphere, but Yuel had to clarify the situation. He couldn't let this slide, for it’d send the message that Kai's play was acceptable; it definitely wasn't.

"Kai, what was the big idea there?" Yuel asked as carefully as he could. "You were asking to get ganked."

"Ah, well..." Kai averted her face and scratched her nose. "It wasn't my brightest idea ever, I admit."

"That's putting it lightly. It was suicidal."

"Hey, whose fault you think it is that I gotta go for these desperate plays? My lane disadvantage ain't gonna resolve itself, you know.”

"Yes, but dying sure improved your situation."

"I thought I could get him," Kai clicked her tongue. "That damn Freezer turned out to be pretty good. It's like he saw it coming."

"He does seem to have an acute game-sense," Yuel nodded. Freezer hasn’t done much this game, but each of his actions was remarkably on-point. He was always in the right position, at the right time, and using the right skill.

"But, of course he’s good!" Vincent exclaimed. "After all, Freezer possesses the Third Eye of Truth! He can see through anything and always make the correct play!"

"Sounds a little too invincible, don't you think?" Yuel asked.

"He might as well be." Vincent nodded with a dramatic expression. "Have any of you actually outplayed him this game so far? Nay, I say."

"That's..." Yuel didn't have a rebuttal. Indeed, they haven't made Freezer sweat this match at all. It always felt like he was on top of the situation.

Back during the scrimmage with the Leopards, Freezer's sloppy execution seemed like the main thing holding him back. And, there was no trace of that weakness in this match. So, at least so far, Freezer truly passed himself as an opponent without any weak points to speak of.

"Actually, I dodged one of his shots," Kai said.

"Oh, correct!" Vincent nodded. "True, there was one such unexpected exchange. Your Rhythm Reader bested the Third Eye of Truth in that scenario! No matter what truths his third eye might reveal, they're powerless against the reality-bending Noble Phantasm that is Rhythm Reader!”

“So, you’ve only surprised him once with impressive mechanical skill,” Yuel said. “But, the second time you failed to dodge his attack, hence you failed to escape alive.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I didn’t fail,” Kai objected. “That bastard didn’t even give me a chance! He pulled me in with one ball and smacked me with another. I couldn’t even move.”

“Huehue,” Luke cackled. “Sounds like he crushed ya with his balls.”

“Oh, shut it,” Kai rolled her eyes.

“Freezer’s skill aside,” Yuel wheeled the conversation back on topic. “Kai, you should’ve known it’ll end poorly if you charge at him like that.”

“Well, what else was I supposed to do, genius? He had all the lane control and you weren’t exactly helping me. Sure, you made him retreat a little every now and then, but that didn’t change anything. You should’ve come to gank for real.”

“That wouldn’t have...” Yuel didn’t finish the sentence. According to his analysis, ganking Top wouldn’t have borne any fruit for the team. However, that was just his own personal estimation of the situation. Kai didn’t see things the same way, so she wanted a gank.

Despite that, Yuel didn’t provide her with one. He kept repeating the same “remote intimidation” tactic without fully explaining his reasoning to Kai. No wonder it didn’t instill much confidence.

As the shot-caller, it was part of Yuel’s job to do something about that situation. At the very least, he should’ve reassured his teammates that he had a plan and that everything will be alright. Yet, he hasn’t done either of those. He just kept playing silently, keeping his in-depth analysis in his own head.

In truth, he had all sorts of ideas in mind. The matchup in Top was indeed terrible and things were rough in Bot as well. However, their team composition should be able to hold the upper hand in team-fights, so it was a good idea to wait for mid-game.

Alternatively, instead of struggling to defend two lanes, they could abandon one and concentrate all their forces on the other. It was a gamble, but it could’ve given them the spark they needed for gaining momentum. More than anything, it would’ve instilled Kai with more confidence about the future of the match.

In the end, Yuel deemed that plan too risky and dismissed it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any other bright ideas aside from waiting for mid-game. Therefore, he went passive. He decided there was not much for him to do at that point in the game, so he just remotely supported Kai by intimidating Freezer, without truly resolving her problem. He didn’t do anything to give her any hope.

So, no wonder Kai decided to take matters into her own hands. She lost all faith in Yuel, so she had to do something about the situation herself. All that piled pressure gave birth to her reckless kamikaze attack.

If it were Howard in my place, he'd know how to instill confidence in his teammates. Yuel bit his lip. Even though that reckless attack was undoubtedly Kai's fault, Yuel shared some of the blame as well. If only he did a better job reassuring his teammates about the future of this match, they wouldn't become so frustrated with the current situation. It was a grim failure on his end.

I still have a lot to learn. Yuel sighed in defeat. Why was it so difficult to properly guide his teammates? The answer was obvious: they weren't chess pieces. They were human beings, with their own minds and ideas. Therefore, they needed more than just flat orders in order to perform. Even though Yuel should've known that, he made the same old mistake. Darn it.

"Hey, dude," Lars called out to Kai. "I know how it feels. I also wanna charge in and beat the heck outta Trever. But, ya can't just decide to do that stuff by yourself. You gotta tell us whatcha planning so we can help ya."

"Huh, well..." Kai shifted her eyes away.

"The guy is right, you know," Luke tuned in. "Where's your communication at, cap?"

"Indeed, such solo plays are no good," Vincent added. "It was like a play made by a pouting child rebelling against his parents."

"Alright, alright, I get it already," Kai made a face. "Yeah, it was a dumb play and I should've discussed it first. I was just trying to get something done, okay? Jeez, you guys are assholes."

They're siding with me? Yuel blinked. This was rare. Normally, he was the received end of the large group. It seemed his pointlessly valiant efforts during the rescue-gank moved these guys. So, even irrational misplays had some uses, huh. I don’t think I'll ever be able to deliberately make such plays, though.

"Alright already, I'm sorry and all," Kai said. "Anyway, do we have an actual plan now or what?"

"As I said before," Yuel started. "The plan is to beat them during the mid-game with our superior team-fighting potential. Though, the current situation threw a little wrench in that plan. Even with better composition, we'll have trouble pushing them back from this disadvantageous position."

"Gah! Will you drop it already? I apologized."

"I'm just stating the facts as they are," Yuel stopped for a moment. Maybe continuing with this line of thought isn't the brightest idea. The team already feels discouraged enough as it is.

According to his analysis, Kai's death and the loss of Top put them in a jeopardy. In a small and limited mode like 3v3, he couldn't find any immediate solutions to this disadvantageous situation. Most likely, whoever gained momentum first in this mode often carried all the way to victory.

However, saying any of that out loud will only put a damper on the team. All of it was facts and felt important to share, but maybe Yuel should keep this to himself. After all, Lars was no stranger to taking reckless independent actions when push came to shove. So, painting this situation as hopeless might motivate the goof to pull something crazy. That wild beast has been restraining himself pretty well recently, but there was never to tell for sure.

"They'll most likely take Top Tower now," Yuel explained. "Sometime after that, I expect all three of them to push Top for the win. So, we'll have to gather there and fight back. As I said, we got an advantage in team-fights, so we just have to beat them. We win the team-fight, we win the game."

"Okay, I like it!" Lars gave a thumbs up. "Let's kick up their butts, yo!"

"I suppose that works," Kai nodded.

Did I do it? Yuel wondered. Did I reassure them about the future of this match?

At the very least, he wasn't met with any objections, that was a start. But, was it really a good idea to not disclose all the facts with his teammates? According to his analysis, their chances of fighting back this momentum were slim to none.

I suppose that's something for me to mull over. Yuel smiled wryly. He was the shot-caller, so it was up to him to figure out a winning game plan and calculate the risk-reward ratios. His teammates didn't have to know their chances were exceedingly low. As long as Yuel brings victory in the end, all this discouraging analysis was irrelevant.

Easier said than done, though. Yuel frowned. If they fight 3v3 while defending Top, they were bound to lose. Even with their team-fighting advantage, it was unlikely they could beat Aron's experienced team. At best, it'll be a continuous draw and the enemy will gradually pressure Yuel's team into submission.

So, they needed an alternative. But, what else could they do in this small game mode? There were only the three of them here, nobody else to rely on. Yuel didn't have many pieces to work with.

Should I try backdooring? Yuel wondered. Viking's ultimate made it great for split-pushing lanes. So, while the enemy is busy attacking one lane, he could blast through the other lane.

But, that means leaving Kai and Lars without a frontline. Yuel shook his head. That idea was a bust; way too risky. It seemed their only option was to stand their ground and fight to the bitter end.

We'll just deal with it as it comes. Yuel nodded. For now, I need to focus on the situation at hand. What will Aron do after claiming Top?

Naturally, the enemy was going to start by demolishing the Top Turret. But, what's next? Kai was dead and Yuel had to heal up at the base. So, it left Lars all alone to hold the fort.

Aron will try taking Lars out. That was the only reasonable conclusion. Aron could capitalize on this advantageous situation in many different ways, but he was definitely going to target Lars next. After all, Aron knew all too well how dangerous Lars could be. The faster he kills the beast, the better.

"Lars, watch out," Yuel warned. "Aron will try ganking you sooner than later."

"Lemme at him, yo!" Lars exclaimed. "I'mma avenge you guys no problem, believe it!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, keep your distance from the jungle. Don't let them lure you in."

"Roger. I'mma sit here like a tank. 200% immovable! Ain't nobody gonna pull me into the jungle!"

"Good," Yuel nodded.

And so, one of the most critical periods of this match began. If the enemy can take Lars out, the game will be over right then and there. However, if Lars survives, there will still be a chance. It'll be an uphill battle from there, but they'll have a chance to pull it off during team-fights.

Please, Lars. Just don't mess up...!