The final game of the scrimmage began.

  After the drafting phase was over, it was now clear which pyer had which role. Gunz took the Gunslinger, whereas Chessmaster went for Aquamancer. In other words...!

  "Yes!" Jaiden pumped a fist. "Watch out, guys! The StormBlitz duo is ing for Bot this time! And, they mean business!"

  "A yeah!" Nash grinned. "So, if we beat these guys, that makes us better than StormBlitz, right? Let's fu' gooooooooo!"

  "Actually," Rio started. “They weren’t on the first-string there.”

  "Only because they were newbies st year," Jaiden said. "I'm sure that, this year, they would've made it into the first-string easy."

  "Would they, really?" Rio leveled a difficult question. "StormBlitz had a strong Bot duo st year and they were Juniors, so they’re still around. Besides, if Chessmaster and Gunz could make it into the first-string this year, do you think they’d transfer schools like this?"

  "Transfer? What are you... Ah." It finally hit Jaiden.

  One question has been weighing on his mind for a while now. Why did strong pyers like Gunz and Chessmaster trao a school with such a weak team?

  Until now, he hasn’t thought much of it. Or, rather, he was trying to not think about it. After all, there was one obvious guess anybody could make, but it'll make him mad if it was true.

  As Rio suggested, it ossible Gunz and Chessmaster transferred because they couldn't make it into the first-string this year. It was silly talk, but Jaiden couldn't help but wonder.

  It’s suspect that they transferred together like this. Jaiden thought. They don’t look like brothers or anything.

  It'd still be ohing if one of them transferred while the other remained in StormBlitz, but both transferred? And, to the same school, too? That was suspect as heck. It really felt like they ran away from the challenge and chose to py on a weaker team’s first-string

  But, Jaiden didn't want to believe that. If that was true, he'd lose all the respect he had for them. In his mind, they were an unstoppable high-level duo who didn't yield to anybody. So, for them to quit over such a petty matter would be hel me. Not to mention, it'd be disrespectful toward everybody who didn't make it into StormBlitz st year.

  Gunz and Chessmaster earheir p StormBlitz by trampling over others. Such was the nature of a sele exam, so nothing wrong with that. Jaiden just happeo be one of the examihey crushed on their way to the top, that’s all. He didn't hold it against them because, uhe girl who got in, those two had actual skills.

  But still, Gunz and Chessmaster made it into the club at the expense of many other petitors. It meant they were carrying the weight of everybody they defeated. They were obligated to find success on the petitive in the pce of those they trampled over.

  Therefore, if Gunz and Chessmaster turheir backs on that responsibility and simply abahe club, that'd be unfivable. If that was the extent of their vis aermination, then they had no business pying Cssmancers petitively. What’s more, they had absolutely nht of robbing others of their ces to join a strong team.

  I also transferred because of Mancers. Jaiden thought. But, my case is totally different.

  He transferred to Taurus because he was one of those who didn't make it into StormBlitz, partially due to Gunz and Chessmaster’s “fault”. But, uhose two, Jaiden didn’t abandon any hopes and dreams pced on him.

  No, that wasn’t quite right wrong. There were two dreams pced on his back then.

  "Bee the topdog in Storm, bro!"

  "I'm sure you'll make it big."

  Two years ago, his two friends enced him with smiles on their faces. He informed them about his pns to attend Riverstock Junih, and they appuded him for that decision.

  Of course, they wao follow after him and join StormBlitz as well. However, Riverstock was far from their houses, so their parents didn’t agree to that arra. In the end, Jaiden had to veo the unknown all by himself and abandon his friends.

  heless, they were smiling as they saw him off. Rio looked as if he was holding back tears, but he still forced a smile.

  Even though Jaiden was abandoning them. Even though he chose Cssmancers over their friendship. Even so, his friends were smiling in front of him and encing him to chase the petitive se he was dreaming about.

  And so, despite his heart being split in two, Jaiden stuck to his guns and decided on Riverstock as his middle school. He was serious about Cssmancers, more so than anybody in his css. And, even more so than his closest friends.

  The three of them pyed together on a regur basis, but Jaiden often tinued pying solo after that as well. He just really loved this game, it clicked with him on so many levels. Stuff like teaming up with his friends to wipe out the enemy always felt good. At least, it was a riot as long as his teammates were actually cooperative enough.

  That dedication to Cssmancers led Jaiden to pursue StormBlitz, the sed-best team in the region. It wasn’t an easy decision. Attending Riverstock demanded him to take a bus, a train, and then another bus to get there every day.

  heless, Jaiden had the willpower to bear through these hardships. He wao py on the highest level the region had to offer.

  In truth, he would've gdly joihe Leopards, but Leo Junih was on the opposite side of the region. Now that was too far, even for him and his boundless determination.

  Besides, joining the 2eam sounded cooler. This way, he'd be able to take on ed champions of the region and make history by destroying their unstoppable winning streak. Yeah, that'd be sick!

  He was really pumped about it. Despite the fact he had to abandon his best friends, ae the fact the school was so far he had to wake up two hours in advao get there on time, Jaiden was still pumped up about it. He believed that was the best road toward the petitive se avaible for him.

  But, then he blew the entrance exam. Holy, it was a shock. It's as if the entire world colpsed from underh him. He fell into a bottomless pit of despair, with no ce of climbing back to the surface.

  Everything he dreamed about and worked toward - gone. Without warning, without a trace. It all vanished right in front of his eyes. Only he remaihere, staring at that unbelievable reality like a tool.

  He couldn't believe it. His friends couldn't believe it either. It had to be some sort of mistake. Somebody as dedicated as Jaiden failed? How was that possible?

  "No fu' way. It gotta be a mistake!” Nash argued. “Talk to them, man! Maybe they picked somebody else by mistake or some shit ."

  "I agree, you should iigate,” Rio said. “Maybe there was some foul py there."

  Jaiden heeded his friends' advid set out to iigate the matter. Instead of drowning himself in tears, he rather keep moving forward. That's why he froormBlitz's captain.

  "I'm sorry to say, but there was no mistake on our side." The captain dropped the truth bomb. "You're indeed a good pyer. If the school allowed us to piore pyer, you'd most likely be our pick. As, we’re restricted to five newers a year."

  That was the end. The captain even admitted that Jaide a positive impression during the exam, yet he didn’t make it all the way. It meant there were three other didates who did a much better job than him. They out-skilled him, that's all there was to it.

  Maybe Jaiden was just arrogant. He thought he was one of the best because he pyed the game so much. And, his friends alraised his skill, further boosting his ego.

  But, the world was a harsher pce than expected. Jaiden was indeed a dedicated pyer, but there were others who were just as dedicated as him, if not more. There were enough kids his age whose skills rivaled and even surpassed his own. Even in this very region, in this very school, there were that many pyers who surpassed him.

  Such was reality. Yes, it was reality. It was time for Jaiden to leave La Land and front the facts. He just wasn't good enough.

  No matter how highly he and his friends evaluated him, it was all biased. Jaiden was trash. He was a nobody. A total scrub. Someone like him wasn't good enough for StormBlitz.

  After he fialking with the captain, Jaide around the er and colpsed. Yes, he simply colpsed. With his back against the wall, he sat on the cold floor and gazed at the empty ceiling. It was as hollow as his heart.

  Then, he heard voices. It was a versation he wasn't supposed to hear, but he heard it anyway. A girl approached the captain with a pyful tone.

  "Hey, Ronron. Who was that just now?"

  "Jaiden."

  "Who?"

  "You already fot?" The captain sighed loudly. "He was the third didate we discussed. You know, the one I was voug for?"

  The captain of StormBlitz vouched for me!? Jaiden's ears perked all of a sudden. That was ued. The captain actually wanted Jaiden for the team? A, Jaiden still didn’t make it in? How was that even possible...?

  "He came to ask why he failed," the captain tinued. "Apparently, he chose to attend this school even though it's far from home, just so he could py on StormBlitz."

  "My, what a poor boy. His dreams must've been crushed."

  "You're talking as if it's not your fault," the captain criticized. "You maniputed everybody to pick Julia instead. It's all on you."

  "My, pegging me as the vilin here. Not cute. Not cute at all."

  "Truth to be told," the captain said. "I still think he should've made it in. Julia didn't exhibit the same level of skill."

  "You just don’t see what I see. That girl is something special~"

  "I'm still vinced you only vouched for her because she's a girl."

  "My, do you really think I'd do such a thing?"

  "Holy? Yes, I do. You always pin about being the only girl in the club. How did you phrase it? 'A rose among the thorns’?"

  "Teehee~"

  Jaiden shouldn't have heard that exge. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on anybody, but he did. His hearing only greer with each word. He had to get all the details. He had to kly why and how things came to pass.

  The truth was far from what he expected. In a word, it was bullshit. Pure, undeniable bullshit. There was no fairness ao be found there.

  Apparently, there were two didates who actually surpassed Jaiden in skill. It was hard to believe anything at this point, but Jaiden wao give the captain the be of the doubt on that one.

  Okay, so two guys were better than me. Jaiden sorted the evidence. But, he said I was supposed to be the third, right? Then...

  Somebody stole his spot at the st moment. And, that pick was based on total bullshit.

  From the sound of it, it was a girl who passed the test simply for being a girl. Jaiden had the necessary skills to be the third didate, but that girl didn’t. She got in thanks to favoritism.

  It was bullshit. It was unfair. How could such a petitive team pick a pyer based on such a stupid reason!? Skill was supposed to be everything. Only those who really loved the game and were skilled enough should have the honor to py on StormBlitz. Gender had nothing to do with it.

  Jaide his insides were about to explode. He wao charge in there and yell at that girl, to give her a piece of his mind. But, he stopped himself at the st moment.

  “I just hope you didn’t make a mistake.” Those were the final words the captain spoke oter. Even though the guy believed Jaiden was the better pyer, it didn’t sound like he was going to fight for Jaiden’s sake.

  Isn’t he the captain? Shouldn’t it be in his best is to get the best pyers? Jaiden couldn’t his head around this se. His entire uanding of the world was crumbling apart, piece by piece. The dazzling image of StormBlitz, that he has always held in his heart, was now stained bck.

  The world was a cruel, unfair pobody was there to care about how much Jaiden loved Cssmancers or how hard he trained. Even the captain, the oh the highest authority, didn’t bother lifting a fio help Jaiden.

  That irresponsible captain just shrugged it off, as if it couldn’t be helped. As if it erfectly fio pick a girl over Jaiden based on nothing but gender.

  I almost wish I hadn’t heard that versation. Jaiden thought. It made him disillusioned with everything. For him, StormBlitz was no lohe amazing petitive team he believed it to be.

  No, it was a corrupt anization that people entered via favoritism and es. At this point, it was questionable how many of its members got in via genuine skill.

  I quit. Jaiden stood up a. There was no point in making a se over this.

  StormBlitz has made its decision. They chose gender over skill, and they won’t ge their minds. For some ungodly reason, they believed that was alright. Holy, it was disgusting.

  Therefore, Jaiden just gave it up. If that’s how ugly reality was, then there was no point in pursuing the petitive se in the first pce. He might as well just quit Cssmancers altogether.

  If that’s how the world was going to repay him for his hard work and dedication, then fuck this game. He didn’t . It wasn’t worth his blood and sweat.

  However, two voices stopped him.

  "You're an awesome pyer, bro!” Nash cimed. “They’re hel dumb for not letting you in."

  "You should try transferring to our school,” Rio suggested. ”There are still some undecided spots left in the club."

  "Oh, yeah! Great thinking! e over, bro. We'll tell the captain you’re da shit!"

  The two called Jaiden over and over, desperately reag out to a friend who was lost within the darkness of depression.

  Maybe I’m really lost. Jaiden thought.

  He was roaming around like a zombie, going in and out of school without paying any attention to anything that transpired there. Every day, by the time he realized he wasn’t paying attention, the school day was already over.

  The homeroom teacher urged Jaiden to pick a different club, but he made no effort toward that goal. It ain. Why couldn't he just be in the Cssmancers club? Why did they have to py favorites and pie girl over him? Why!?

  That one unfair decision screwed all his pns for the uping years. He nning to train hard a into StormBlitz’s first-string, then participate in the regionals ahe Leopards. He was supposed to make history!

  But, instead, he became history. StormBlitz decided they didn't need him. He was a nobody. A nobody who couldn't eve some girl they picked based on gender. Screw it. Screw it all!

  Moving from his current spot ain. Everythi pointless. The entire world ainted in hues of gray.

  But, even in this desote gray world, his friends kept talking to him. Their vibrant colors ihe gray world and tried to paint it anew.

  "We talked with the cap,” Nash informed. “e over tomorrow and show 'em watcha got!"

  "We arra so that y together,” Rio expined. “It should be good."

  "Yeah! Let's kie serious butt!"

  Jaiden’s friends were pulling him back to Cssmancers. Even though he didn't want it, even though he was tired of everything - they never gave up on him. They even came over to pick him up after school. Seriously, these guys...

  And so, Jaiden ended up attending Taurus's entrance exam. Even though his heart wasn't in it, he didn't want to waste the efforts of his friends. Therefore, he feigned motivation and acted as if he was really trying to pass the test.

  In truth, Cssmancers was history for him now. He hasn't touched the game in a few weeks, maybe more. Just thinking about it brought bad memories.

  Yet, there Jaiden ying this accursed game again. Just the thought of it made him sick.

  I know Nash and Rio mean good, but... Jaiden gritted his teeth. His entire body trembled. He didn't want to do it. He didn't want to be there. Run. Just run away. That's what his mind screamed.

  ", let's rek these guys!"

  "I'm here to help whenever you need."

  His friends kept talking, ignorant of his painful feelings. Or, maybe because they knew how Jaide, they found it necessary to keep talking like that. They meant no harm, but it was suffog. Frankly, Jaiden should've just called it quits.

  heless, he jumped into the game and put on a fight. As expected, his movements were slow and sluggish. He was out of touch with the game for over a week, and more than anything - his heart wasn't truly in it. He just wao get it over with. Winning or losing didn't matter.

  "Are you even trying?" Rio criticized. "That's not the Jai I know."

  "........." Jaiden had s. His performance was really god awful. He missed many shots, and he allowed the ne oppoo nd many ters on him. His spag and aim were all over the pce, but he couldn’t be bothered to fix any of it.

  "The Jai I know is an amazing pyer," Rio tinued. "He'd crush guys of this level in five seds."

  The Jaiden you knew is dead. That's the only response Jaiden could e up with.

  Even so, Rio didn't give up, aher did Nash.

  "Hey, watch out, man!" Nash delivered a ter-gank on Bot to rescue Jaiden.

  "Retreat. I'll hold them down," Rio sacrificed himself to help Jaiden escape from a dangerous situation found himself io his own carelessness.

  Unlike Jaiden, his friends didn't give up, not even for a moment. Even though his performance was as sloppy as it could get, barely better than a Bronze rank, his friends supported him. Truly, he was blessed to have such good friends. And, that’s why watg their efforts was so painful.

  An ally has been killed!

  An ally has been killed!

  Every time they died during the early game, it was somehow Jaiden's fault. He’d make a careless mistake and they’d rush to his aid. Sometimes, they successfully defused the situation. Other times, they paid for Jaiden’s mistake with their lives. Either way, it was all his fault.

  It 't go on like this. Jaiden couldn't bear to watch this any longer. His friends were dying for his sake, while he was wasting time mopping like a weak bitch. He only came here for the sake of his friends, so he shouldn't make them suffer like that.

  "Let's win," Jaiden said pinly as if it was easy to do.

  "A yeah, boi! Now ya talking!" Nash grinned.

  "About time you woke up." Rio smiled softly.

  "Sorry, I was a little out of it." Jaiden stepped forth against his ne oppo. "I'll take him down. Nash, hahe up."

  "You got it!"

  "Rio, make sure to heal me."

  "Of course."

  And so, the turnaround began. Jaiden suddenly transformed into airely differe. It caught his oppo off-guard, granting him the powerful “surprise attack” advantage.

  "He's all yours," Jaiden announced after redug the Pirate to 25% HP. The guy figured he couldn't win this one, so he was backpedaling.

  "On it!" Nash leaped out of the Jungle and chased down the hapless prey.

  At the time, they haven't yet developed their Invincible Triangle formation, so the other two didn't follow up on Nash’s py. heless, even back then, Nash was already an amazing chaser who didn't let anybody slip away from him. It was ez.

  An enemy has been killed!

  From there, the team mounted a full-blown eback. Sg a single kill during the mid-game was twice, maybe thrice, as impactful as killing during the early-game. Therefore, this one kill made up for all the sloppy performances from the early-game. It was eback time!

  VICTORY

  Jaiden's strong performance during the mid-game and te-game made everybody fet the numerous mistakes he itted during the early-game. He was strong, that's the impression everybody got, including the captain.

  Thus, Jaiden passed the exam. Even though he didn't put all his heart into it, he passed the exam. It was almost ughable.

  He worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get into StormBlitz, yet he failed that sele. Oher hand, in this exam, he pyed worse than usual, yet he still got in. It was irony of life at its fi.

  There was oruth he grasped during that exam. No matter how much pain it brought him, no matter how much he waet all about it - Cssmancers was a genuinely fun game. Pying by his friends' side and wreg the opposition, there was no greater fun than that.

  After all was said and done, Jaiden still loved Cssmancers. And, he loved his friends. When those two elements came together as ohey bined into somethiiful that made him fet all his sorrow.

  "I'll join this club," Jaiden decided. "Let's see how far we go."

  "A yeah!" Nash pumped a fist. "We gonna run over everybody together! And, let’s wreck StormBlitz while we're at it. These fuckers gon not pig you."

  "Agreed." Rio nodded.

  And so, Jaiden transferred from StormBlitz to Taurus. He relocated from a pce where people got rejected for stupid reasons, to one where everybody weled him with open arms.

  In the first pce, it was dumb of him to leave his friends behind just to pursue the highest level of petition. After all, Cssmancers was the most fun when he pyed it together with friends.

  StormBlitz or Taurus, the team itself didn't matter. Wherever Jaiden was, he wao py together with friends he could trust. Nash and Rio were definitely such friends. Together, they'll quer the regionals!

  heless, despite all that renewed positivity, a stain remai the er of his mind. In one word, it was “revenge”. He felt like exag revenge on everybody in StormBlitz. That team was corrupt. It deserved to be exposed and crushed.

  Jaiden only failed to get in because StormBlitz had stupid priorities. At least, that's what he thought at the time. But, things have ged after he withe spectacle that was the StormBlitz vs. Leopards scrimmage.

  There, Jaiden caught a glimpse of Gunz and Chessmaster, the two freshmen who pulled through the rigged entrance exam. Those two meant serious business. They clearly didn't get into StormBlitz based favoritism or anything unfair like that.

  I’m pretty sure I wasn't as good as them during the exam. Jaiden admitted. But, what about now? I and my homies beat Gunz and Chessmaster? I feel like it'll be a tough fight.

  Watg that scrimmage made Jaiden ge his mind about StormBlitz.

  He still bmed the girl who stole his spot, that part didn’t ge. However, Gunz and Chessmaster were fire! Uhe scrubby girl who got into the club via unfair politics, the two boys were truly talented pyers. Therefore, Jaiden wao test his mettle against them.

  If he wins, he'll have the right to rub it in StormBlitz's face. If he loses, he’ll finally e to terms with his failure to get into StormBlitz.

  For the first time in a long time, his heart burned with genuine passion. Jaiden wao improve, to bee stronger, and to wreck those two!

  I remember thinking 24/7 about that goal... during the first couple of months. Jaiden smiled wryly as he recalled his old burning passion.

  Once he started throwing himself at interaining regimes, there was no time to think about any distant goals. He had to focus on the challenges right in front of his eyes. Ead every day, he set himself short-term goals which he had to achieve together with his pals.

  And so, his grand motivation ushed to the back of his head, to the point he fot how Gunz and Chessmaster even looked like. heless, the fmes those two sparked burrongly to this day.

  Jaiden trained harder than ever alongside his friends, and together they brought their team py to new heights. That's how the “Invincible Triangle” was born.

  It was one heck of a road. Jaiden thought. But, finally, I made it all the way here.

  At this very moment, Jaiden was here, locked into a decisive game against Gunz and Chessmaster, the rivals he swore to defeat a year ago. It was like a dream e true!

  However, there was one disappointing thing about the entire arra. Gunz and Chessmaster were no longer pying for StormBlitz. Just like Jaiden, they transferred from Riverstobsp;

  But, why? In Jaiden's case, it was a justified trahere was no future for him in Riverstock.

  But, unlike him, Gunz and Chessmaster made it into the club. They reached the petitive enviro Jaiden dreamed about. Then, why did they abandon it? Were they disappointed by what they found there? Was it never worth pursuing in the first pce?

  I really want to give them the be of the doubt, but... Jaiden couldn't lie to himself.

  Just like Rio, his first guess was that Gunz and Chessmaster left StromBlitz because they wao py on the first-string so badly. That's why they joihe weakest team in the region, where it was guarahey'll bee superstars.

  If that was their reason, it was really disappointing. If they just stayed in StormBlitz, they would have made it into the first-string as seniors for sure. Waiting one more year wouldn't have killed them.

  Well, maybe I'm just being hostile because they made my pns more plicated. Jaiden smiled wryly. Now, he had to beat Gunz and Chessmaster, and then also beat StormBlitz separately. It made things needlessly plicated.

  Heck, whatever. e at me! Jaiden smiled. I'll take you on! I'll prove that, with my friends on my side, nobody is a match for us!

  DarkestCymore