The long and exhausting match against Taurus came to an end. It was held on Friday, right before the weekend. As such, the team got two days to rex a after the intense scrimmage.

  But, not Yuel. He had a lot of work cut out for him.

  There were many things to review regarding the scrimmage. He had to carefully go over the ech repy and jot down the main points of i. The pn was to gather everybody on Monday and to go over all the details with them.

  For that, he had to prepare a detailed presentation, apanied by a dot of timestamps for key pys from the repy. That should help everybody review what they had to work on, but...

  That’s not as effit as we did it in StormBlitz. Yuel frowned. Holy, I should’ve looked into video editing ahead of time. It’s probably not that hard to bine simple cuts, but I ’t summarize the scrimmage AND learn video editing from scrat just two days.

  Ba StormBlitz, match reviews were a big deal.

  Aron was in charge of analyzing repys iail, often apanied by helpers for additional opinions. Yuel was one such frequent helper, so he learned a lot about the process. As such, if nothing else, he was fident in his ability to destruct the repy.

  However, that wasn’t the end of the process. After Aron piled all the key points of the matd wrote dowimestamps of the important pys, he delivered those to a senior with video editing knowledge.

  Said senior cut apart and stitched together the repy footage acc to the timestamps, always making sure the camera was focused on the area of i. It wasn’t some awe-strikiing quality or anything like that, but it tremendously tributed to the match reviewing process.

  Instead of pausing the review presentatiowo minutes in order to skip ahead in the repy and find the right example, the edited video simply went over all the examples in the requested order. Sometimes, there were multiple such videos for a single scrimmage, split by different topics.

  Looking ba it, these videos were valuable beyond measure. Yuel thought. Doing a simple presentation ’t even begin to pare.

  Not only did the video help the match review run smoother without wasting time and b anybody, but it also made it easier for everybody to review the match again after the meeting.

  Of course, they always review it themselves by simply booting the game. The repy feature of Cssmancers was quite robust and offered many tools like skipping ahead, slowing down, moving the camera, and so forth.

  But, I really trust anybody to gh all this trouble by themselves? Yuel sighed.

  The repy feature was great and ve, but searg for specific pys from specifigles was still a chore that not everybody to. Trever and Roi were the usual suspects on that front ba StormBlitz, and Lars was very much the same.

  In our club, I think only Vi will put in the effort. And, maybe Kai too, if she feels like it.

  The team sometimes analyzed their own Ranked matches iail, but most goofs couldn’t be bothered to mess around with the repy feature. They all said it was “too plex” or “too bothersome”. Lazy bums.

  Well, they werely “zy”. They were petitive pyers who wao learn from their mistakes and improve, they really did. However, navigating ihe repy feature to find all the right moments was too much work for them.

  That’s why a plied video is so good. Yuel thought. It spares them the busywork and only gives them the details they’re actually ied in.

  Case in point, Lars, Trever, and Roi watched ached their own pys with great attention when a piled video resenting those. The goofs burheir own mistakes into their minds and made sure to work hard on them.

  That’s how potent piled videos were for reviewing matches. But, unfortunately, editing videos wasn’t a skill Yuel possessed.

  It probably wasn’t too hard to pick up if he tried, but he was too preoccupied with Cssmancers practice. He had to work on his shot-calling, oratus’ teamwork, on Nia’s problems, and so forth. There was barely any time to breathe.

  Well, that’s all excuses. Yuel shook his head. I just procrastinated a little too much. I reap what I sow.

  Fortunately, not all hope was lost. On the ride back from Proter, Yuel shared all these siderations with the team. Then, somebody spoke up.

  “Oh, brave traveler!” Vi started up some sort of py. “I’ve heard you’ll be challenging the great quest of reviewing the scrimmage. If you so desire, then I, the God of Video Editing, shall lend you a hand.”

  “Are you good at it?” Yuel asked.

  “At the very least, I do possess the skill to rip videos apart and stitch them back to life, like a professional Video Neancer!”

  “Sounds rather macabre, but I’ll take you on that offer. Your mom does editing work, right? So, worst case, I assume she help with basic video editing.”

  “Hold it right there! I was my own Video Neancy skills, not my mother’s!”

  “Well, I haven’t seen you in a, so I prefer to have a backup pn just in case.”

  “I see, I see.” Vi nodded. “As always, the Chessmaster must prepare pn B, as well as pns C, D, and E just in case.”

  “Something like that,” Yuel said. “Anyway, your mom help us if we get stuck, right? That already makes this sound a lot more promising. At the very least, it ehis won’t be a total waste of time.”

  “I see you have zero faith in my Video Neancer skills. Sob.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Yuel shrugged. “Anyway, it’ll take me some time to go over the repy and gather the material. So, we do the video editing on Sunday? I hope one day is enough.”

  “If we spend the entire day on it and keep it simple, a single day should suffice,” Vi said. “However, that’ll be dull beyond measure. I shall spice things up with effects and entary! Also, just the other day I learned how to make the ‘To be tinued’ meme. It’d be a waste to not put it to use!”

  “Haha, that’s awesome!” Luke ughed. “Yeah, you totally gotta add some of that spice, or else I gonna fall asleep during the review.”

  “Please don’t,” Yuel objected. “I have a lot to say about everybody’s performances, and about yours in particur.”

  “Me? But I did great!” Luke cimed. “What kind of nitpicks are ya pnning to throw my way?”

  “Oh boi.” Lars smiled meaningfully. “You have no idea, dude. Yuel is the realest pro when it es to finding faults with how people py. Heck, ya show him a newborn and he gonna expin ya how the little dude mispyed.”

  “Oh lordy.” Luke ughed dryly. “Hey guys, I don’t feel so good. I think I caught the flu or something, so I might not make it on Monday.”

  “Then we’ll review the game on Tuesday,” Yuel responded.

  “Eh, I might still be sick that day...”

  “Then Wednesday.”

  “Who knows if I recover by then.”

  “Thursday is fioo.”

  “Gonna be rough to e to su intense meeting right after rec...”

  “ Friday works too.”

  “Dang.” Luke slumped i. “There’s no escape, is there.”

  “No, there’s none,” Yuel said matter-of-factly.

  “Fuuuuuuuun.” Luke gave up and resigned himself to his fate.

  And so, they decided to on the schedule. Yuel will pile all the necessary match data tomorrow, then he’ll borrow Vi’s video editing skills on Sunday.

  To be ho, I’m not even sure what to expect. Yuel thought.

  No matter how fident Vi sounded about his own craft, there was never knowing for sure with that . Sometimes he’s putting on airs, other times his skill is legit. Such a troublesome fellow.

  heless, Yuel decided to trust the unreliable this once. After all, the guy did a det job preparing a flyer for the club back when they were recruiting new members. So, he clearly had some editing knowledge at least. And, in the worst-case sario, Vi’s parents should be at home on Sunday, so they might be willing to lend some assistance as needed.

  This is also a good opportunity to see some live video editing. Yuel thought. Maybe I’ll even learn a thing or two. At the very least, I’ll pick up the basid know which programs to start with. For the rest, I assume I’ll have to read tutorials.

  “So,” Lars interrupted that thought process. “Are we training at yo pce today?”

  “Of course.” Yuel nodded. “Though, I need a short rest before we begin.”

  “No problem, dude.”

  “Are you two for real?” Kai scowled. “We’ve just finished a long-ass scrimmage. Haven’t you had enough Mancers for today?”

  “But, it was only five games,” Lars said. “We usually py way more than that even at the club.”

  “Just five games, huh.” Kai had no idea how to react to that statement. It was objectively true, but also horribly wrong.

  Today’s scrimmage drained everything from her. Sure, on paper it was really just five games, but every game was as exhausting as pying ten Ranked matches in a row.

  I’m spent. Kai thought. The only thing I think abht now is how I gonna drop on the bed as soon as I get home. Ahese guys gonna keep pying more? After su intense day? They’re really something else, huh.

  Until today, she thought she was retively close to them in skill. The three of them were like the pilrs of the team. However, there was a huge gap between Kai and the ex-StormBlitz pyers.

  Yuel and Lars both lived and breathed Cssmancers. It was always the main activity of their day.

  Therefore, even after finishing an intense scrimmage, the first thing they thought about ying Cssmancers again. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they had to py Cssmancers regurly, the same way humans o breathe.

  Their unrivaled dedication and petitive attitude allowed them to perform so well under any circumstances. Even during the most critical moments of the scrimmage, these two never wavered. They didn’t break down or succumb to despair. They weren’t weak like Kai.

  I don’t wanna lose to them. Kai thought. I’m the captain, so I have to set a better example than this. I ’t have any more slumps like that during games, and I o get closer to Yuel and Lars’s level.

  If Yuel and Lars were going to py some more today, then Kai should do the same. She’ll join them and practice Cssmancers until she drops!

  But, just as the thought crossed her mind, her eyes grew heavier and she almost dozed off. There was no energy left in her body. She was thhly spent.

  Alright, maybe ime... Kai promised herself while fighting off her drowsiness. I’ll train even harder from now on until I catch up to the boys. In the scrimmage, I’ll put on a performance befitting a captain, that’s a promise.

  “By the way,” Yuel addressed Kai. “ we make today’s positions official? I believe this scrimmage suffitly proved that Lars and I should be pying Bot. I’d like the club to trate on this team formation during practice.”

  “Hrm.” Kai grumped. She was in the middle of psyg herself, but Yuel had to e and spsh a bucket of cold water on her. Seriously, this guy cked any hint of delicacy.

  But, I guess he’s right. Kai had to cede. I’m sure everybody already knows that these two should be pying Bot instead of me and Vince. If anything, I’m surprised Yuel and Lars allowed me to monopolize the Carry role for so long without arguing.

  They must’ve been respeg Kai’s whims because she was the captain. It’s like they were eaining a child, waiting for her to crash and burn on her own.

  Kai had already realized the truth a long time ago. She was no match for Lars when it came to carrying. It was frustrating to admit, but it was true. That meical beast was on a whole different level.

  In addition, Lars’s teamwork with Yuel was unrivaled. They brought out the best in each other, dominating every fight. Kai couldn’t pete against any of that.

  Even if Yuel stopped being such a snob and agreed to py Support for Kai, their duo-py would surely pale in parison. These tryhards were simply that amazing when paired together.

  “Okay, fine,” Kai said. “You take Bot, but remember that it es with great responsibility. If you don’t properly do your job, I’ll be taking it right back.”

  “Of course.” Yuel turo Vi. “I trust you’re also fih this arra?”

  “But of course!” Vi nodded repeatedly. “I’ve been waiting for this moment from the time I id my eyes on you at school! I knew you’ll bee the Golden Duo that’ll carry our team to victory!”

  “Huh.” Kai frowned. “So, that’s how little faith you had in my carrying. I see how it is.”

  “Ah, well, that’s...” Vi stumbled over his words and tried to ugh it off. The rest of the team soon joihe ughter.

  And so, the bus ride tinued, apanied by chatter and banter. One by ohe pyers dropped off at their respective bus stops until only Yuel and Lars remained.

  “Man, today was sure fun.” Lars thought ba the battles he waged on that dazzling petitive stage. The entire event sted for less than 3 hours in total, but it’ll be forever burned into his memory.

  “I y strong dudes like that again! When’s our match?”

  “In about a month,” Yuel said. “We’ll be pying against the Leopards.”

  “A yeah! The big boy league.” Lars grinned. “We’ll bee the best in the region if we beat them, right?”

  “Yes, in theory,” Yuel said. “But, the losing team will have time to learn from its mistakes and to improve before the regionals.”

  “No problem, dude!” Lars gave a thumbs up. “We’ll beat them twice if we have to, both in the scrimmage and at the regionals!”

  “That’s the spirit. But, before that, our team has to get stronger. We were cutting it dangerously close today.”

  “Yep, it was a bumpy road alright. I gotta get eveer than that.”

  “You did great, actually,” Yuel said. “I don’t even have much criticism toward your performaoday.”

  “Whoa, really!?” Lars gasped. “You usually lecture me for like ten hours after a match. What’s wrong?”

  “You just pyed that well,” Yuel admitted. “Your offense was as strong as ever and your defense also substantially improved over the st few months, so you didn’t make any big mistakes. pared to that, my shot-calling was...”

  “What about it?” Lars cocked his head. “It was sick, as always. You totally rekt ‘em dudes with your tactics stuff!”

  “You know as well as I do that it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows like that. I made too many defensive calls because I was too scared of taking risks. We almost lost because of my hesitation.”

  “Welp, I’m not gonna pretend I uand any of that 1000 IQ stuff you always gotta think hard about during the game. It’s actually amazing how you think about so many different things at ond still give such awesome orders. I’ll never be able to do that.”

  “Well, that’s my job as the shot-caller.”

  “Yeah, I get that. But, you’re doing the kind of big brain stuff that nobody else oeam do. So, I get why you feel bad about making some bad calls, but your role is just that hard.”

  “That’s not an excuse,” Yuel argued. “If I want to beat Howard, I have to make the right calls.”

  “Sounds rough, but I get ya.” Lars nodded. “So, let’s get back to practid perfect all dat stuff!”

  “Yeah.”

  “The weekend is already here, so let’s spend it pying Mancers 24 hours a day! We gonna bee pros by Monday!”

  “I’d gdly do that, but I have to go over the scrimmage repy tomorrow and take notes.”

  “That sucks, but we still got Sunday open! We’ll just have to py 48 hours that day to make up for the lost day! Ez.”

  “Heh, as if that’s possible.” Yuel chuckled. “Anyway, I might not be able to py on Sunday either. I’ll have to work with Vi on piling a video for the match review.”

  “Nuuuuu! But, all pns to bee pros over the weekend...!”

  “It’s okay, we have time,” Yuel reassured. “As long as we keep training regurly and learn from our mistakes, we’ll be in a much better positio month. If all goes well, we might even stand a real ce against the regional champions.”

  “Nah.” Lars shook his head. “Not a ‘ce’. We gonna WIN. For sure, yo!”

  “You’re right, we’ll win.” Lars nodded. “And, after that, we’ll beat StormBlitz too.”

  “Yeah, I like that p’s go, yooooooooo!”

  They spent the rest of the day pying Cssmancers, all the way into the night.

  Even though they just won their first scrimmage, there was no time to rest. They had to keep gettier aer before they could challeormBlitz for a fair rematch.

  But, ohe time es, they’ll defeat Howard and Ellen! And Julia too, if it es to that.

  DarkestCymore