Both sides finished setting up their tables and began preparing for the match. For Stratus, the three representatives for the match were Yuel, Lars, and Kai.

  "O brave warriors of Valhal!" Vi stretched his arms theatrically. "You have been chosen to fight for all of us! Godspeed in your battle! Break a leg!"

  "Yeah, good luck," Luke gave a thumbs up. "Show 'em we're not the crappy team everybody always says we are."

  "Good luck," Ben said timidly.

  "Mhm," Nia followed up with a supportive nod.

  "S-Sure," Kai said. "We'll show them. No problem."

  "You okay, dude?" Lars asked. "Rex. It’s are just Aron and Trever. We got this!"

  "R-Right."

  "I wouldn't say they're 'just' Aron and Trever," Yuel said. "Aron was the leader of StormBlitz st year and Trever had the skill to be on the first-string. They're not 'just' anything. They're strong oppos who represent the pinnacle of our petitive se."

  "Y-Yeah," Kai stiffened. Damn, I wasn't prepared for this. Where the hell did this super high-level match drop on us from? Dammit. After everything Yuel said about the club, too...

  Back then, Yuel went out of his way to stand up for the club in front of these skilled seniors. They cimed this team had no future in the uping regionals, but Yuel, as uncharacteristic as it was, boldly objected to those cims and insisted this club had a bright future ahead of it.

  I should've been the oo say that. I'm the captain. Kai pouted. But, what's done was down. Yuel sent a decration of war to the seniors. Now, this small team of representatives had to prove its mettle. As the captain, Kai absolutely had to make sure they'll e on top.

  As Yuel said, their oppos were mighty. They were pyers from StormBlitz and Leopards, the twest teams in the region. So, it's like Kai and the rest were about to face grand-finals quality oppos right now! T-This will surely go well...

  " dude," Lars pio Yuel. "Ya just sg her with yo big talk for no reason. So what if they're from Storm or Leo? They ain't nothing, yo! I whoop Trever all by myself, believe it!"

  "I'm not saying we're going to lose. I just..." Yuel noticed Kai's pale face. She was clutg the edge of her cap and her firembled. Could it be? Was the captain having a nerve break? Well, pyers of this caliber might indeed sound intimidating until oo fight them.

  Yuel and Lars were already used to that by practig with StormBlitz every day. However, a small low-level team like Stratus probably didn't have many opportuo produce pyers of that caliber. So, perhaps Kai has pyed on this level. Will she be alright?

  "It gonna be fine, dude!" Lars smacked Kai on the back.

  "Agh, gah!" Kai staggered forward from the impad almost crashed into the ground.

  Did this idiot just smack her for real!? Yuel facepalmed. She's still a girl, you know.

  "Ahh," Kai rubbed her back. "The hell was that for!? It hurts!"

  "Good, ya already look more alive," Lars grinned. "I tell ya, Trever's secret smack tech works like charm every time. , ya give me ooo me too if ya want." He turned his back to Kai.

  "You want to be smacked?" Kai made a face. "You sure got funny hobbies."

  "Smack me, mommy!"

  "Heh, idiot," Kai spped Lars's back.

  "Yeah, that's the stuff!" Lars gave a thumbs up. "That's how ya send all your energy around! We gotta give some to Yuel too."

  "I'll pass," Yuel was already teers away from the danger zone.

  "No, no. We have to do it," Kai insisted. "We have to make sure we all got energized, right? Besides, double the smacks double the energy, right?"

  "Um, guys?" Yuel gulped as he took aep backward. The two predators were about to jump him! GAH! DOUBLE SMACK! He felt the impact all the way in his soul!

  That's what you get for stressing the shit outta me. Kai took a deep breather. Alright, I think I'm fine now.

  All this smag business was funky, but it somehow helped her rex. It didn't ge the fact she was about to face legendary oppos, but at least she wasn't alone on this battlefield. She had two Challenger rank teammates who were just as strong, if not strohan their oppos.

  And, Kai pyed with these boys on a daily basis a up with them. Therefore, she surely was on the same level as well. As such, there was nothing to be afraid of. She just had to py as usual and she'll deliver results, even against these strong oppos. Yeah, even against these grans-finals quality pyers from legendary teams-

  Drop it already. Kai shook her head. It didn't matter who her oppos were. She just had to py her best, that's all there was to it. If they were really grand-finals quality, then it just meant Kai will also be at that level after she mops the floor with them!

  I just o get my mind off that shit. She plugged an earplug into one of her ears and booted heavy metal. Yeah, this was the stuff! Fuck these guys! She gonroy them like the nobodies they were!

  "Okay," Yuel started. "We o decide on the lineup now. Trever already tipped us that he's going to py Bot, so that's where Lars will py."

  "Hell yeah!" Lars pumped a fist. "Lemme at that dude! He thinks he's some hot stuff now because he's at high-school, but I'mma show him!"

  "Also," Yuel tinued. "Bot will be the Carry he meta is simir to MOBA here in that sense."

  "Huh?" Kai turned dowal. "Hold it right there. I'm the Carry."

  "Ah," Yuel fht, Kai had that odd fixation on being the Carry. That pletely escaped his mind when he ig the third member for the team. If he remembered it back then, he might have opted for somebody else in order to sidestep this flict.

  "Hey, dude," Lars turo Kai. "I'm the only one here who harever. I joke and all about him being a scrub, but dude is tough like a bull. Ya ain't taking him down easily."

  "You're implying I'm not good enough?" Kai frowned.

  "Weeeeelp, err..." Lars scratched the back of his head and g Yuel. He knew all too well that giving it straight to Kai might lead to a fight.

  Yeah, I better ge the dire of this discussion. Yuel thought. How could he vince Kai without ht saying she wasn’t good enough yet?

  "Lars fought Trever on a daily basis ba StormBlitz," Yuel expined. "So, he knows this matchup well. Trever is a momentum-heavy pyer so he's good at steamrolling you if you let him. It's better to let somebody with experience hahis one."

  "Tch, fine," Kai clicked her tongue. "So, I'll take the other ne."

  "Yes, that'll be best," Yuel nodded. "I'll be the Jungler. I assume Aron will be their Jungler, so you'll be up against the st guy. Alex, I believe."

  "You know anything about him?" Kai asked.

  "A little. We only pyed a couple of matches during a scrimmage. He came across as a det pyer, especially in team fights. But, he only pyed Warlod performed poorly after we ba."

  "So, a Warlock specialist? Talk about being cheap."

  "I 't say for sure whether he only pys Warlock, but I'm pretty sure that's his favorite css. So, without bans, there's a good ce he'll go for Warlock. It also happens to be a strong pi Csh. It’s much harder to deal with a Warlock as a small team."

  "So, I'm most likely fighting a Warlock," Kai crossed her arms. "Kinda sucks. Are there even any hard ters to it? 't think of one from the top of my head."

  "Pyromancer do a good job with its fast clear.”

  “Oh, yeah. Pyro sounds dope.”

  “But, I wouldn't go for it. There's a bigger threat we have to address first. Namely, Aron. With no bans, he's most likely going to pick his favorite as well: Lionfolk."

  "Yikes, g." Lars made a face. As somebody who mairickshooter and Gunslinger more than any other css, he didn't appreciate Lionfolk's ult in the slightest. That thing was hax. It didn’t leave these csses any way of esg.

  "If we add Lionfolk to the equation," Yuel said. "Pyromancer bees a bad pick because it 't escape from the ult."

  "Yeah, doesn't sound like a smart pick," Kai agreed. "What else we got?"

  "This may sound a little weird, but how do you feel about Lumiamncer with a power build?"

  "Like, Lumi Mid?"

  "Yes, essentially. It's borderline low-tier territory but it's definitely not a meme build. It got its niche in the pro se"

  "Yeah, some people like this stuff," Kai nodded. "It's even kinda viable. I've picked Lumi before for Support but ended up building power because our Carry was wack. The damage sg is a little sad for a mage but it get things done."

  "You think you py it well?"

  “Hmm, not sure about that,” Kai pondered. “To be ho, out of the two options, I rather pick Pyro. I got way more experieh it.”

  “But, it loses hard to Lionfolk.”

  “Yeah, it sure does,” Kai frowned. "Well, Lumi should be fine.”

  "Okay, let's go with that then," Yuel turo Lars . "As for you..."

  "I'mma go with Gunslinger, yo!" Lars gave a thumbs up. "They never gon ing! They think I only got Trickshooter up my sleeve but I'mma blow their socks off!"

  "Between Gunslinger and Trickshooter, I agree that Gunslinger is the better option."

  "Yep, Trever never saw my sick Gunslinger skills!"

  "Unfortunately, both csses are no good in this matchup."

  "Huh?" Lars blinked. "Wut?"

  "As I said, Aron will most likely pick Lionfolk. Does either Trickshooter unslinger have any way of esg the lion cage?"

  "Ah, welp, not really..."

  "Exactly. If you pick either of those, you'll be a sitting duck for Aron's ganks. You need something else."

  "Wha!? No way! These are my best csses!" Lars made noise. "I mean, I know I'm good with other csses too but this is Trever we're talking about. I talk all sorts of shit but dude is legit hel strong. I ain't gonna take him down with some bootleg css. I need da best stuff, yo!"

  "That’s a viable ," Yuel nodded. "But, no matter how strong your css is going to be, it will e to nothing if you're too vulnerable to ganks. Suppose you gain the upper hand against Trever with Gunslinger, what will happe? Aron will focus your ne and you’ll stantly be in danger of dying unless you py it safe. The map in Csh is small enough for a Juo stantly apply pressure on one ne."

  "Geh, that really doesn't sound fun," Lars made a face. "You’re saying Boss Dude ain’t gon us fight? This sucks, yo. 't ya help me out with that somehow? You gonna jungle, right? So, you should e and ter Aron's ganks and stuff."

  "True, I could try sg him away with ter jungling. But, there's a limit to how many times I'll be able to pull that off successfully. As the attacker, the initiative will always be on his side. Not to mention, it's not that easy to ter a Lionfolk's gank in the first pce."

  "Yo, that css is busted. Oh, wait! I know! I'mma just buy Blink! Gonna blink outta the cage every time! Ez."

  "A valid idea," Yuel nodded. "We all should buy Blink just in case. The bad news is that Blink alone isn’t enough. You know how long Blink's cooldown is, especially if you don't level it."

  "Yeaaaah, only takes it like a year or two to e online."

  "Exactly. Aron's ult will e out of cooldown much faster, so you won't be able to pete against all his ganks with just Blink."

  "Geh, that blows. Why her of my csses deal with Lion?"

  "You tell me. You decided to maiwo."

  "Gah, you're right...." Lars hung his head. How could this be happening!? He finally got a ce to show off his mad Gunslinger skills to Trever, but now he couldn't pick the css!? Nuuuuuu!

  "But," Yuel tinued. "If you tell me there's no way yoing to win the ne against Trever with any other css, we might have to bite the bullet and gunslinger anyway."

  "Nah, no problem," Lars gave a thumbs up. "I take on that dude with any css! I even Archer him to death!"

  "Jokes aside, what do you think your ces are?"

  "Welp, ya know how me and that dude py. We always go head-to-head in some inteches, so it’s anybody's guess who gonna e on top."

  "So, it's about 50-50," Yuel crossed his arms. It has been a while sihe st time Yuel checked these 1v1 statistics. At the time, Trever had a higher win ratio, standing at around 60%. The only css with which Lars had a positive win ratio was Trickshooter. With everything else, it seemed like Trever was slightly better.

  But, that was over two months ago. Lars has trained a lot sihen. In just the st couple of weeks, Lars grew up a lot. The defeat at the sele exam made him uand the importance of pying safer and improved his deaking tenfold.

  In the first pce, Lars was the more meically skilled fighter out of the two. Trever only won these duels thanks to his robust experiend sharp deaking. So, the way Lars was now, he had a very real ce of besting Trever.

  "So," Yuel tinued. "You're fih something other than Trickshooter and Gunslinger?"

  "What choice do I have?" Lars shrugged and shook his head. "If I stantly gotta think about Aron's Lion ganks then RIP. Ain’t gon anything done like that."

  "Indeed," Yuel smiled meaningfully. Just a few weeks ago, it was unfathomable for Lars to agree to something like this. This goof surely would have insisted he could somehow deal with Aron's ganks despite not having the escape tools.

  However, the Lars right here and now was astonishingly reasonable. He uood the problem at hand and was willing to make sacrifices in order to overe it. The goof was growing up!

  "So, which css you'd like?" Yuel asked. "You need something with a leap or a blink in its kit."

  "Hrmmmmm. Oh, I know! I try Seraph! Dude literally fly out of the lockdown! I was actually thinking about making it my third main css. Last time, it worked like a charm."

  "Oh, you've been practig Seraph?"

  "Ah, welp, not yet. But, but, but! I totally gonna! I'mma bee the No.1 Seraph in world, believe it!"

  "So, your Seraph is still at about the same level it was during the sele exam. In that case, I'd advise against it. Seraph has a rough early-game and you have to really know how to ha."

  "Yeah, I know, I know," Lars smiled wryly. "That's why I don't py it much. Dude feels hel weak early. But daim, oe-game hits, bruh bees a beast! Everybody is free kills, yo!"

  "Out of curiosity, how's your win rate with Seraph against Trever?"

  "Geh..." Lars's head dropped.

  "Figured," Yuel nodded. "In that case, you better piething else. Aside from how you're likely to lose to Trever, pig Seraph also means we have to stake everything oe-game. And, you remember who is very strong ie-game?"

  "Of course I do. How did Vince call it, again? Oh yeah, the Late-Game Destructor!"

  "It was Late-Game Terminator," Vi corrected. He and the rest of the club were gathered around the representio show their support.

  "Putting aside the silly name," Yuel tinued. "We both know how strong Aros ie-game."

  "Yeah, dude bees a killing mae. He eve me 1v1 at that point, ya believe that?"

  "Of course I . I've seen that happen."

  "Boss Dude is wild, I'm tellin' ya."

  "And, that's why we don't want to bet everything oe-game."

  "We sure don't, haha."

  "So, any other css you feel fident in?"

  "Hmm, lemme see," Lars crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Um, what other csses escape the lion stuff, again?"

  Of course he doesn't have that kind of information at the ready. Yuel thought. After all, I always hahese ter picks for him when we py. I really spoil him too mu that regard, huh. And, seems like I'll be doing it again. Oh well. In for a penny, in for a pound.

  "Judging by your stats," Yuel scrolled on his tablet. "Your Elf performs pretty well."

  "Welp, I'd be surprised if it didn't. After all, I'm a pro sniper, yo!"

  "So, you like this pick?"

  "Eh, 'like' is a strong word," Lars smiled wryly. "I mean, I really dig the first-person view and all but I don’t like the turtley pystyle, ya feel me? Always feels cheap as heck."

  "But, you do perform nicely with it."

  "Yeah, I guess," Lars shrugged. "It's just ez like that. And cheap. I rather run in with guns bzing than sit at my tower all day."

  "Sometimes, you have to sacrifice a little bit of fun in order to increase your ces of winning."

  "Yeah, I know. But, it's like geeeeh."

  "How's your win rate against Trever with it?"

  "It's okay, I guess. He sure knows this matchup tho, so he ain't gonna lemme do my thing in peace."

  "That's to be expected,” Yuel nodded. “That’s a high-level pyer for you.”

  “Nah, dude got nothing on me, yo.”

  With that, it was decided that Lars will go with Elf instead of pulling one of his aces. It was a difficult decision and they’ll surely suffer the sequences if Lars's Elf 't win against Trever. heless, it was a much safer pick against Aron's Lionfolk so it had a much higher ce to get things going.

  For the st pick, Yuel went for Viking. Any team position least one frontliner, even if it was a small team of three. In fact, this only further reinforced the idea that Aron will most likely pick Lionfolk, as it was a bruiser css that could serve both as a Jungler and a semi-tanky frontliner. Yuel picked Viking for the same reason.

  In addition, Viking could escape the Lionfolk's cage of lions by tossing his axe outside and blinking to it. On top of that, Viking was dangerous at cle due to his destructive ult, so that banced out the defensive picks of the rest of his team. This should cover all bases.

  With that, the team's lineup was decided.

  Yuel (Chessmaster): Viking

  Lars (Gunz): Elf

  Kai (Beat): Lumimancer

  DarkestCymore