『DEFEAT』

"Well, that was an attempt," Kai shook her head in resignment. "Would have gone way better if we didn't get counter-picked so hard."

"Perhaps," Yuel had to admit he played it a little too safe during the drafting phase. Especially, the way he made Lars pick Elf over Trickshooter or Gunslinger.

Elf was effective at getting away, which kept Aron at bay as planned. However, the cost was too big. Yuel knew the statistics, he knew that Lars could only reliably beat Trever with his top classes. And yet, he chose the safe option and it cost him dearly.

"It was a splendid match!" Vincent tried to inject positivity into the air. "It may have looked one-sided at times, but I’m sure you made these high-schoolers sweat! With just a few tweaks here and there, you could've taken the entire thing! Your names would have gone down in history!"

"You said it," Kai nodded. "If not for the terrible matchup, I would have destroyed that guy."

"Oh? You sure sound confident." The high school team approached the group. "You got some spank, I'll give you that much."

"So,” Kai shot the boy a glare. “You were that cocky bastard with the annoying spacing, weren't you?"

"I was the Sorcerer, if that's what you’re asking," Alex answered.

"Dammit. I’d beat you no problem if the matchup wasn't literal dogshit."

"Confident, aren't we," Alex glanced aside in disinterest. "You got mechanical skill, I'll give you that much. I can see you giving me trouble in 1v1."

"I'd whoop your ass in a duel."

"Maybe. But, your teamwork is a shitshow. Who just goes ahead and suicides like that?"

"That was..." Kai bit her lip and averted her eyes. There was no doubt Alex was referring to that one time Kai got frustrated with the lane situation and charged in for the kill. Looking back on it now, that was such an embarrassing performance. That decision-making was on the level of a Bronze player.

"T-That was just a slip. I got a little angsty there," Kai said.

"You make one dumb misplay like that and GG the tournament," Alex said.

"Yeah, I know that much," Kai muttered. "It won't happen again. Fight me one more time and see for yourself."

"Nah, sounds like a drag," Alex shrugged. "Besides, it won't prove anything. It doesn't matter how good you are in 1v1 when laning, it's all about teamwork. In fact, I don't remember beating you even once by myself. I always borrowed Aron's services for that. I mean, it comes free of charge, so why not."

"You know," Aron frowned. "It'd be great if you tried to establish lane control yourself sometimes."

"Why bother? You're the Jungler, you do it for me. My only job is to keep the lane in good condition."

"This guy..." Aron sighed.

"Wait, you don't fight for lane control?" Kai raised an eyebrow. "What kind of dumb playstyle is that?"

"Of course I fight for lane control," Alex said. "But, if I see my opponent is going to be a pain, I rather leave it to the Jungler. Gotta make the guy feel important sometimes too, you know."

"I'm more than satisfied with handling other things, you know," Aron retorted. "But, I'll admit the way you do it usually works."

"Of course it does. I set up the lane for you, so you have an easy life."

"So, you rely on the Jungler to win the lane for you?" Kai asked.

"You can put it that way," Alex nodded. "That's why I picked this nickname. ‘Freezer’, because I freeze lanes. Neat, right?"

"Indeed, it is art in the making!" Vincent joined the conversation out of nowhere. "I must apologize, for I failed to recognize your talent right away, even though it was right under my nose! I can’t even begin to describe my shame"

"Um, sure?" Alex was visibly confused.

"Haha, what's with this guy?" Trever laughed.

"Ignore him. He just likes making noise," Kai awkwardly averted her eyes. As the captain of the club, it was a little embarrassing when people asked what the heck was wrong with Vincent. "Pipe down already,” she demanded.

"But, don’t you think Freezer is amazing!?" Vincent typed furiously on his tablet like a madman.

"Amazing? Aaaah..." Kai wasn't sure how to react to this one. The idea that somebody could be so proud of his "ability" to freeze lanes was beyond her.

Also, he apparently trusted others to win the lane for him. Kai knew she had to increase her faith in her teammates, but dumping her responsibility on others? That was just lame. She’d much rather seize the lane with her own two hands. That's how she always proved her worth as a strong player who could compete with any boy.

But, as Alex said, this was a team game; Kai couldn't win it all by herself. The playstyle of endlessly freezing the lane and trusting somebody else to win it was too extreme to her taste, but it had the correct mindset at its core. Freezer relied on his allies and made them split the burden. It's something Kai almost never did. She’ll have to work on that.

"Seems like you've achieved enlightenment," Alex said. "Atta girl."

This asshole is totally looking down on me. Kai made a face. "Yeah, I learned a thing or two. Things won't turn out the same next time."

"It better not. Your opponents will eat you alive at the regional if you keep this up."

"Well then," Aron took over the conversation. "I believe Alex covered everything I had to say about your performance. Then, let's move on to the next target."

"Oh!" Trever grinned. "We gonna shame the kids one by one and stuff?"

"I call it constructive criticism. If it happens to be unpleasant to listen to, that's their fault."

"Haha, you ain’t wrong," Trever darted toward Lars and body locked that kid. "Well then, I got a lot to say about this damn brat over here."

"Ya ain't got nothin' on me, yo!" Lars slipped through Trever's arms.

"Let settle this like men!" Trever assumed a fake boxing stance.

"You're on, dude!" Lars did the same.

What is even...? Kai made a face.

The goofs and their usual nonsense. Yuel sighed. This sudden development didn't faze him in the slightest, which said a lot about the environment he was exposed to on a daily basis back in StormBlitz.

"In the left corner, we got Gunz!" Vincent became the announcer at some point. "In the right corner, we got WildDragon! The two fighters go a long way back, I'm sure they used to spar a lot. Old friends turned foes! Who will take the national championship!?"

"Haha, this kid is hilarious!" Trever laughed. "Love it."

"I know, right?" Lars nodded in agreement. "He almost got dat commentator voice too. I betcha he gonna become da best Mancers commentator in the world, yo!"

"Heh, we'll see about that," Vincent wore a complex expression for a moment, then snapped out of it and continued the hype. "Alright!. Ready. Set. Fight!"

"I gonna start off with a heavy blow, better prepare your defense," Trever started shadow boxing. "So, tell me. What in the bloody hell was that turtling? Who raised you that way!?"

"Not my fault," Lars stepped back and dodged a swift uppercut. "That's how you gotta play Elf." He thrust a slow punch, directly at Trever's face.

"Defense ain’t your playstyle, kid!" Trever sidestepped and launched a hook counter. "You play more aggressive!"

"Different playstyles for different classes, yo!" Lars didn't dodge. Instead, he drew closer and stuck to Trever like glue. This made the hook whiff.

"Different, shmifferent," Trever created some space again and lunched a straight punch. "You really think you can beat anybody with this so-called 'playstyle' you used? I mopped the floor with you, boy!"

Lars didn't dodge. He didn't block either. But, the punch was heading straight toward his face! Wham! It connected!

"Ah, I think I put too much power on that one..." Trever got carried away in the heat of the moment. The fake boxing punches turned real at some point. "You okay there?"

"......." Lars didn't answer. He just stood there.

"Hello? Did I knock you out? '

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"Heh, you wish," Lars said. He successfully intercepted the punch... with his forehead! "Ya right. I played like a Bronze scrub back there. Also, gotta admit, you're a pro Elf killer, no question."

"You bet I am. This broken class sucks ass and I hate it with everything I’ve got. It got range and escapes for days. Freakin' turtling galore."

"Haha, I feel ya," Lars smiled wryly. "Turtles are the worst."

"Look who's talking, the freakin' Turtle Godfather himself!"

"Haha, harsh. C'mon, I didn't turtle that hard. I just maintained my distance and shot ya from afar."

"That's, like, the 101 of turtling. You were a damn turtle, bro. Admit it."

"Maybe a little," Lars glanced away. "But hey, that's how ya make the most outta Elf."

"So, the most you can do with Elf is get your ass whooped?" Trever smirked. "That's some rad payoff right there, haha! Should've picked a class you can actually play."

"Welp, you're a guest here and all. Didn't wanna beat the crap outta ya with Shooter, haha."

"Heh, you sure learned how to talk back" Trever's eyes glinted dangerously. "I'd eat your Shooter for breakfast any time! 1v1 me, bro!"

"You're on!"

The two goofs ran off and picked up their tablets. The show was on!

“Are they seriously going to do it now?” Kai narrowed her eyes.

“Just let them be,” Yuel said. “That’s how these two always are.”

“Huh, boys,” Kai rolled her eyes. Then, her eyes laid on Alex. “How about it? Think you can take me on?”

“I’m sure I can,” Alex shrugged. “But, not feeling it right now. Too much of a hassle.”

“Huh, all talk and no backbone.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex dismissed the antagonism. He clearly had zero motivation to duke it out with Kai. It seemed like duels weren’t his idea of a fun time.

“Let’s ignore them and move on,” Aron laid his eyes on Yuel. Harsh judgment was incoming...

“Let’s hear it,” Aron said. “What do you think were your biggest mistakes?”

“Well...” Yuel wasn’t sure where to start. Everything went wrong in that match. He couldn’t even tell what was a real mistake and what was merely a case of bad luck.

“Don’t tell me you can’t figure out what you did wrong.”

“Of course I can, it’s just...” Yuel pursed his lips. He had a lot of things on his mind, but he didn’t want to say anything unnecessary. “To start off, I got outplayed by the counter-picks.”

“More like,” Aron corrected. “You drafted too safe by focusing on counter picking my Lion.”

“So, you figured that one,” Yuel smiled wryly.

“Seems like you also tried to counter my Warlock,” Alex shook his head. “That would have been a smart move a few months ago. But, I’m not the same one-trick pony you saw back in that scrimmage. Sorry, couldn’t let that one fly. Nothing personal.”

“Yeah, I messed that up,” Yuel admitted. He underestimated Alex. All the information he had about Alex’s playstyle and weaknesses was based on that one scrimmage they had months ago. So, Yuel should’ve taken this outdated data with a grain of salt.

“Though, I would have won the lane either way,” Alex claimed.

“You wish,” Kai hissed. “I’d kick your ass if I wasn’t stuck with Lumi.”

“Keep dreaming, girl,” Alex ignored her sharp glare.

"Frankly, I'm very surprised by some of your picks," Aron said. "You chose Elf over Trickshooter for Lars, even though you know his win rate against Trever. Can’t say I agree with that one. It's true this pick made my life harder as far as ganking is concerned, but you paid for it with lane advantage."

"You might be right," Yuel admitted. "I didn't expect Trever to overwhelm Lars so hard. That one is on me."

"I ain't got overwhelmed, yo!" Lars shouted in their direction in the middle of an intense 1v1 against Trever. "My Elf is just ain't good enough yet, that's all. Just watch y'all, I'mma turn it into one of my best classes! Gonna wreck everybody, yo!"

"So, you gonna become a high-level turtle?" Trever sneered. "You disgust me, kid. Take that!"

"Ya ain't hitting me while the show is on, yo!"

"Gah, stop moving all around the damn screen!"

The two went back and forth, making enough noise to fill up the room. Vincent and Luke gathered around them and added to the loudness with some cheers.

"Putting these guys aside," Aron returned to the topic. "In short, you played it too safe with that Elf pick.”

"Yes, that's how it turned out, unfortunately," Yuel nodded.

"In general, many of your decisions were too safe. You started the game on the left foot and didn't do anything to turn the situation around. I was expecting you to make one of your infamous gambles. Say, to give up on Top and focus all your forces on Bot."

"So, you anticipated that," Yuel smiled wryly. "I considered that but deemed it too risky. Sounds like you were prepared for it, so good thing I gave up."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Aron objected. "Just because I was aware of the possibility doesn't mean I had a strong counterplay at hand. I thought about it a lot throughout the match but never quite found an effective response to such a play. It would have made things hard for us, that's for sure."

"You're overestimating this play. Or, maybe you’re thinking about a higher-level version of what I had in mind. According to my estimation, it had a very real chance of backfiring and leading us to immediate defeat."

"Is that so," Aron frowned. "Compared to your usual high-risk plays, it didn't seem that much riskier."

"It's thanks to these high-risk plays that we ended up here,” Yuel lowered his eyes.

"I see," Aron nodded. It seemed like Yuel learned some harsh lessons during the selection match against Howard. Aron received a replay of those games from Howard, so he watched the entire thing. There were indeed multiple occasions in which Yuel's shot-calling led to disaster.

However, there were also many other scenarios in which Yuel's ballsy calls allowed the team to establish an unexpected advantage. But, Yuel must have found it easier to dwell on the times things went wrong, such was human nature. Each and every small defeat he suffered that match hurt a lot, for it pushed him a step away from the competitive scene.

On top of that, Howard played safe and compact. It was hard to deliver a fatal blow to his team, even with a high-risk attack. And, every time he foiled the enemy’s high-risk assault, Howard mounted a swift and devastating counter, shattering the attackers’ confidence.

So, it was hard to blame Yuel for the conclusions he reached. Indeed, high-risk plays weren't the best approach for taking Howard out. Nevertheless, it has been Yuel's greatest tool until now. Was he going to give up on it? Aside from fighting Howard, it should serve him well in many future matches. It was too useful of a skill to throw away like this.

Is he that hellbent on beating Howard? Aron frowned. Hmm, yes, I suppose he is. He even transferred schools for that. But, is abandoning his forte really the right thing for him to do? I can't tell.

"Then, let's move on to the worst thing I saw," Aron continued.

"That defensive gank when I tried to save the Lumimancer, right?” Yuel delivered the blow before Aron had the chance. “That was a mistake. 100%. I deserve every piece of criticism you want to shoot my way."

"I'm glad you're aware. That’s not like you. What made you go through with it?'

"It's hard to explain," Yuel shifted his eyes away. "I guess I wanted to be an optimist for a change, considering how bad our situation was."

"Is that so," Aron left it at that. Overall, it seemed like Yuel was well-aware of his faults. He was still in the middle of molding his new risk-less approach to shot-callings, so that's why things turned out the way they did.

But, were things really alright like this? The way this match played out irked Vincent. Yuel should've been able to achieve much more, but he remained too passive and let defeat claim him.

"Is playing safe your idea of winning the regionals?" Aron asked. "Fortifying your defense and preventing unnecessary risks is good. But, that alone isn't going to win you games. I think you’re not fully applying all the lessons from your match with Howard."

"You watched it?"

"Howard sent me the replays, so I dissected them in my free time."

"And, what did you see?"

"I saw one chaotic team fighting another well-organized team."

"My shot-calling was that bad?" Yuel bit his lip. He knew he made a lot of mistakes,,s but he didn't think it was THAT bad.

"The shot-calling itself was fine. It worked well most of the time, but still failed a few times. That’s par for the course with you. But, I also had the feeling your team didn't quite mesh well. You played like a group of cogs that didn't fit together."

"You're saying our teamwork was bad?"

"You and Lars worked together well, as always. But, the rest of the team seemed sluggish. Roi and Dan made a lot of mistakes, the kind I normally wouldn't expect to see from them. I dare say, it almost looked like they were throwing the game."

"They were?" Yuel was taken aback. "But, they played decently overall. True, a little worse than I would have liked them to, but they did their part."

"The fact you didn’t even notice that attests to how unorganized your team was. You commanded them with shot-calls, but you didn't keep them united as the captain. Players can easily grow frustrated when playing in a negative environment," he turned to Kai ."Isn't that the kind of thing that made you charge in with that desperate attack?"

"Yeah," Kai admitted. "I felt Yuel's game plan was going nowhere, so I took matters into my own hands."

"So, it's my fault you became reckless?" Yuel frowned.

"I'm not trying to pass the blame or anything. That play was still dumb and that’s all on me. But, if you're asking what led me there..."

"I see," Yuel didn't know what to say to this. Somewhere at the back of his head, he knew his communication with the team wasn't stellar in this 3v3. Apparently, the same issue occurred during the selection match as well, without Yuel even noticing. He was too busy thinking about plays and counter plays that he didn't have time to spare for his teammates.

"It's a problem you've had since day 1," Aron said. "You always distance yourself too much with your shot-calling. It's like you're a robot giving orders. The orders might be good, but they're worthless if there's nobody to execute them"

"So, I have to work on teamwork and communication," Yuel summarized.

"Yes, that's the gist of it," Aron nodded. "Deciding whether you want to change your playstyle to something more defensive is your call, but there’s no doubt you have to work on your ability to keep the team united. You have to make your teammates run like oiled cogs."

"I understand." At least, I think I do. Yuel will have to check the replays of the selection match again. He has dissected these videos so many times by now, but he never saw the things Aron was talking about. Perhaps the errors he committed that day were greater than he thought.

"Are we done here?" Alex asked.

"Yes, that's all I had to say," Aron said. "As it stands, I don't think you'll get far at the regionals. But, the year has just started and you have scrimmages ahead of you. You still have time to shapen up. If you improve enough before the regionals, let's have another bout."

"Deal," Yuel said.

"Hey," Kai exclaimed. "I'm the cap, so I'm supposed to accept the challenge."

"Sure," Yuel rolled his eyes.

"Mark my words," Kai glared at Alex. "Next time, we'll blast you to bits."

"You know what they say," Alex shrugged. "A dog that barks never bites."

"You little...!"

"Leave that for the rematch," Aron stopped the two. "C'mon, Trever. Let's go."

"Just a sec! I'm about to wreck this kid!"

"I think ya mean you’re about to get wrecked by this kid!" Lars launched a swift shot that decided the duel.

"Shit, your Shooter packs a punch like always,” Trever jumped off the chair and waved angry fists. “You should've come at me with this fair class, instead of picking that broken turtle."

"Don't worry, I'mma kick yo butt with Elf next time."

"Ain't happening, kid. And mark my words, by then I gonna become good enough to mop the floor even with your Shooter."

"Heh, no chance!"

On that note, the high schoolers left. Yuel, Lars, and Kai all received their fair share of criticism and got things to work on. They’ll learn from their mistakes and turn Stratus into the strongest middle school team in the region by the time the regionals come around!