Knock. Knock. A sound interrupted Yuel’s thoughts. Apparently, somebody was at the door.

  “Hey!” Luke opehe door. “Lars, it’s yirlfriend again!”

  “I-I’m not...!” Julia was there, spearing Luke with her gre. Her face was slowly, but surely, turning into a tomato.

  “Oh, you two aren’t an item yet?” Luke snickered. “Then, how about you go out with me?”

  “In your dreams.” Julia scoffed.

  “Wow!” Luke staggered backward as if he received a fatal blow. “The way she pys hard to get is so damn nice.”

  “You better drop it,” Yuel advised quietly. “She’s proo losing her cool. Trust me, you don’t want to be on the receiving end of her fury.”

  “Heh, sounds like you got first-hand experieh that.”

  “Yeah, I’m practically a pro in the field. It wouldn’t be strange for somebody to sponsor me.”

  “Haha, damn.” Luke smiled awkwardly. “Sounds like she’s a difficult gal.”

  “You have no idea.” Yuel sighed deeply.

  “She does act cute around Lars, tho,” Luke pointed out.

  “She sure does.” Yuel made a face. “Lars is about the only person I’ve seen her aice around. Everybody else is on her bcklist.”

  “Gotta admit, she sounds more attractive by the moment.”

  “How, exactly?” Yuel narrowed his eyes. “Are you into masochism?”

  “Haha, nah it’s ain’t like that,” Luke reassured. “She just sounds like a tough chick to quer, that’s all.”

  “If you aren’t already her love i, then you probably have no ce.”

  “Challenges like that are the best!”

  “If you say so.” Yuel shrugged.

  Holy, he had no idea what Luke was on about. It sounded like the guy liked throwing himself at impossible challehen again, that was a fitting attitude for somebody who insisted to py memes on the petitive se. As always, I ’t begin to prehend this guy.

  While Yuel and Luke were whispering, Lars went to greet Julia at the door. The two exged some words.

  Lars was all smiles and sunshine, but Julia’s expression was stiff. She pstered a cute smile on it, a thing she has always done around Lars. But, the girl wasn’t amused at all. Yuel could tell at a gnce because he ro at dealing with her.

  Well, she probably came to see Lars, so it’s no my business. Yuel ighe se auro his brainst.

  But, just as he started turning the gears in his brain again, he felt a prig sensation at the back of his neck. His hair stood to an end for no obvious reason.

  I know this feeling. Yuel sighed in resignation. There was only one person whose gre could spark static electricity in the air.

  Yuel relutly turned around, only to firm his suspi. Two sharp eyes were spearing him with obvious killing i. Julia was gring at him, and she wasn’t amused.

  What is it this time? Yuel sighed and dragged his feet to the door. Did she e to chew us out for losing? I don’t have time for this. I o e up with a backup pn in case any of our csses gets banned.

  But, of course, the rude invader didn’t care about any of that. She came here to pin, so she was going to unleash all her fury without holding anything back. Sigh.

  “What is it?” Yuel asked.

  “I’ve been asking about the two games you just had,” Julia expined. “What was that all about? Are you stupid or something?”

  Starting off with insults, I see. Yuel wao get angry, but he didn’t have the energy for that. This was the usual deal with Julia, so Yuel has already developed an Anti-Julia passive ability at this point.

  "It's as you saw," Yuel said pinly. "We lost."

  "Yeah, I have eyes, thank you very much.” Julia scoffed. “What I’m asking is, what the bloody hell- Ahem. I mean, what was that all about? Why aren't you taking this seriously?"

  "But I told you, July," Lars insisted. "We were totally serious. These dudes are just that good."

  "You were serious? Really? Then, what's with that formation?" Julia's expression veyed obvious doubt. "And, if you were really 'serious' that game and you still lost so badly to some B-grade team, then I don't wanna know you anymore."

  "Haha, harsh." Lars ughed dryly a an SOS to Yuel.

  You wao hahis? Yuel made a face. Really? Me? The guy she hates more than anybody? Is this some sort of harassment? It got to be, right? And, thinking of it, I totally deserve it.

  This euation was Yuel's fault, so it only made sense for him to ha. After all, Lars was against this formation all along. The guy has been insisted to py Carry since day 1.

  It was Yuel who decided to eain Kai's selfishness for so long. Of course, he had additional reasons freeing to that deal, such as helping Lars develop independence by pying Mid. But, that was something they could've practiced at any time.

  In the end, no matter how Yuel tried to sugarcoat it, this was a mistake he itted. And, by not sharing the details with Julia, Lars was actually c for Yuel here.

  I have to up my own mess. Yuel resolved himself. As the culprit, it was his responsibility to appease the vicious beast in front of him. "I'm the one responsible for that formation."

  "Aha!" Julia excimed. "I knew you were the oo bme! As always, it's you and your stupid decisions that ruihing."

  "I had my reasons."

  "Oh, you did? Really? Pray tell."

  "I don't think I'm obligated to share suformation with an enemy."

  "Wha-!?" Julia excimed. She opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish. Clearly, she didn't have a good retort to this one.

  "Haha." Lars patted Yuel on the shoulder. ", dude. Don't be mean like that. We're all friends, right?"

  "Sure." Are we, though? Yuel wasn't really fident about that point. They pyed on opposite teams and they didn't i muowadays. Holy, it was a stretch to still call them "friends".

  heless, they were close friends at one point in time, even with all the bad blood between them. So, maybe that kind of cold treatment was really uncalled for.

  "Okay, I'll tell you ohing," Yuel said. "You were asking about our formatiht?"

  "Yeah, it makes no sense! Why Lars isn't the Carry? And, you don't have to be the Support for all I care, but the current Support you got is even worse than you, and that says a lot."

  "Well, you see, there was a really good reason to use that formation."

  "Oh? I'm all ears."

  "It's because people like you are here."

  "Eh?" Julia tilted her head. "Are y to pick a fight?"

  "No, I'm just stating facts. There are people like you in the audieoday. Namely, spies from other teams."

  "Oh." Julia blinked. It seemed like she pletely fot her own role in all of this.

  "I was trying to keep information leaks to a minimum," Yuel expined. "I didn't want to reveal our full strength to other teams just yet.”

  "Oh, really!?" Lars jumped.

  Why are you ag surprised!? Yuel wao facepalm so badly. You should be bag me up here!

  "O-ht!" Lars forced a grin. "Yeah, you totally said something like that before. I remember now! It was some sick 200 IQ tactic, yo!"

  "Really?" Julia examihem with suspi. Apparently, she wasirely vinced.

  Well, half of it is a lie. Yuel admitted silently.

  It was true he wao ceal as much data as possible from the spies, but it was a sideration he only came up with after agreeing to py this formation. In other words, it ost-facto excuse he came with to justify his poor decision.

  "Hmm." Julia gave it some careful thought. It sounded a little bogus, but it made sense. After all, she herself y tasked with rep this game to Howard. Naturally, other teams had their own representatives here as well. Yuel being Yuel, he came up with a stupid pn to fuse the spies.

  But, that pn backfired. It was no good anymore.

  "I uand what you were trying to do," Julia said. "But, you better not be pnning to do it agai game."

  "Nah, don't worry," Lars reassured. " game, we're going all out!"

  "Good, that's what I wao hear." Julia nodded in approval and turned around. "Sorry for taking your time. Good lu the game."

  "You better watch it." Lars grinned. "We gonna show them the business!"

  "You better do," Julia smiled softly. On that note, she left.

  Looks like I didn't have to worry after all. Julia thought. Well, I was only worried about Lars anyway. Yuel keep pying whatever he wants. Lars doesn't need him to shine anyway.

  Finally, Julia could sigh in relief. She rushed to this room all anxious, but now she eace. If it's Lars and Yuel in Bot, then they won’t lose to a team like Taurus.

  Rather, they not ALLOWED to lose. Julia thought. They 't lose until they get to face me. I'll be the oo crush them!

  And so, the final game of the scrimmage was about to begin. It was the final showdowween Stratus and Taurus. But, with Lars and Yuel pying their main roles, it'll surely be a cakewalk... right?

  DarkestCymore