From the audiehe petitive stage looked pletely different. It was gigantic, stretg across the whole stadium as if to decre domihe lights were dazzling, turning the stage into a majestitity. It rivilege for oo gaze upon it.

  It’s hard to believe that, until retly, Alex also pyed on that grand stage. He had been looking down on it this whole time, thinking it’s me because it’s the sed string. Only now that he was kicked off the stage and had to sit among the oners, he finally appreciated the huge opportunity he was given.

  How stupid. It didn’t matter whether this was a sed string match or a tour match. Both teams were strong and the petition was fierce. The stage was filled with high-level pys and brilliance. Some visitors from the ter even stopped by to watch the match. Yes, to watch this middle school sed string match.

  Alex should have done more. He should have tried harder. Even though it was just a spot on the sed string he should have held onto it with all his strength, so he could keep pying on this majestic stage.

  If only he tried a little harder from the beginning, he could have prevehis 1-4 score. Heck, he could have led the team to victory... Okay, maybe that’s wishful thinking. But at least, he wouldn’t have dragged them down to oblivion.

  As, he messed up. Big time. He spat at the opportunity Coach gave him. And now he was down here in the audience, while the rest of his team there on the grand stage. Jennifer reigned as everybody’s beloved queen, whereas Alex was a hated beggar.

  It felt like shit. All of it. But, too te frets. Everything was his fault, sht now this hall of oners fit him perfectly.

  Alex took a sip of his apple juice, took a deep breath and walked to the seats tucked away at the very back. It should be hard enough to spot him here. Good.

  “Oh.” Alex stopped in his tracks. There was already a guy sitting in the back row, glued to a wall like some criminal hiding from the w. Hm? He looked kinda familiar...

  What’s even more iing was this fellow’s soggy appearance. He was wet. Like, thhly soaked. From his hair and down to his shirt. Did he take a shower or something? There were actually shower rooms in Proter if memory served.

  “Yo,” The guy waved. “Freezer, right?”

  “Yeah...” Alex nodded slowly. So, it wasn’t just his imagination. He khis shuy from somewhere. But, based on that relut greeting, they weren’t particurly familiar. Where did Alex meet this guy? And, why was the guy soaked ihe hall? Alex simply couldn’t prehend.

  “Oh, this?” The guy poi his wet hair. “Just a fashion statement, haha. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Huh.” Alex knotted his eyebrows. That’s some revolutionary modern fashiht there. Anyway, it’s best to keep a distance from this guy.

  “Whoa, sitting so far away? Cold.” The guy made a face.

  “Do I know you?” Alex finally asked, since guy’s overfamiliar attitude starting irking.

  “Hey. an. We’ve been pying each other the whole day, ya know.”

  “Oh,” It finally hit him. Somebody who pyed oage today and got subbed out. Yes, there was another poor fellow like that beside Alex. “WildDraght?”

  “Yep, I khere’s no way you fot. I’m known for leaving an impression, haha.”

  Yeah, the impression of a chatty idiot who’s all talk and no skill. Alex nodded, which the uy apparently interpreted as a friendly gesture.

  “Trever.” The guy stretched his hand with a smile.

  “... Alex.” He dragged his hand to form a handshake across the two chairs separating them. Sigh. What a drag.

  The versation died after that. Good. Now Alex could enjoy his drink in peace-

  “Man, Bot is s this game,” Trever said out of the blue. “Last game had some crazy a there, but now both sides are pying some hardcore defense. What a s, right?”

  “... Sure.” Alex shrugged. “Well, it’s not that weird. Elf is desigo py defense.”

  “Yep. That's why the Pirate should git gud and pressure him.”

  “Hmm,” Alex pted what to say. Wait, the heck was he even doing? He just wao watch the game in silence, yet something pelled him to respond.

  Sigh. Alex was never good dealing with these chatty fellows. “You say Jenny isn't pying that early game right?”

  “Jenny?”

  “Oh, I mean boBreaker.”

  “Heh, her name is Jenny? hat down.” Trever grinned like an idiot. Actually, that’s wrong. It's not “like” an idiot, as Trever was most assuredly an actual idiot. Whatever.

  “Well,” Trever tinued. “I guess It’s up to pystyle? I know a chick who turtles with literally every css and it works for her. But, I believe Pirate better pressure Elf early to trol the ne. Weird to see Breaker py like a pussy after she had been kig everybody’s butts with a meme before.”

  “Hmm, that’s really peculiar.” Or, maybe not really. Had Jennifer ever pyed Pirate in practice matches and such? Alex couldn’t recall a single instance from the top of his head. Then again, the testimony of somebody who barely showed up to practice didn’t hold much.

  “Oh! Finally!” Trever excimed as the situation in Bot heated up. Jennifer unleashed her Kraken, finally going on the offensive. As, after a sequence of fast pys, it’s Jennifer who ended up fleeing the se. In the end, the ancer ganked her before she mao slip away.

  “Oh yeah!” Trever jumped from his chair and pumped a fist. “Nie, Dan!”

  Too loud. Annoying. Alex rolled his eyes and took another sip of apple juibsp;

  “Kinda disappointing, though.” Trever sat down and crossed his arms. “That was kinda one-sided, don'tcha think?”

  “... I guess.”

  “I mean, it's not like she pyed bad or anything.” Trever tilted his head. “How do I put it? She had some good pys there but it’s all basic Pirate stuff, ya feel me?”

  “Huh.”

  “Like, it's the kinda stuff everybody does. Bait with Kraken, rush with Backfire. There's nothing like ‘Hey, that move is cool!’. Know what I mean?”

  “Sure...” Alex sighed. Still, the information mildly ied him. Assuming this guy knew what he was talking about, it suggested Jennifer was out of her element when pying Pirate. Iing. It was in lih how Alex never saw her seriously py Pirate or any non-bo Carry for that matter.

  Maybe that’s why Coach held her ba the sed string? Alex had been actually w about that for a while now. Why somebody of Jennifer’s level was stu the sed string? As far as her skill was ed, she was among the top pyers in the club. In fact, depending on the criteria used frading pyers, she may as well be the stro in the club. Well, after Fenrir, of course. That guy was a legend.

  Anyway, there’s no reason why somebody like Jennifer would be stopped at the sed string. That’s unless she had a gring weakness which Coach refused to overlook. And, this subpar Pirate performance may very well be it.

  It’s simir to how Alex performed poorly as Elea game, but also very different at the same time. Unlike him, Jennifer opped practig. She just didn’t bother pying that many serious matches with non-bo csses, resulting in a ck of practical experience. Her moves were polished, but they cked a certain level of fluidity which was only achievable by pying many matches.

  But at least, unlike Alex, she opped polishing her favorite bo skills and that made her a stant threat for the eeam. pared to that, what did Alex achieve today with his favorite Warlock? His performance was mediocre at best. He made some impactful pys, but he also messed up in a bunch of critical moments. Sigh.

  At least the versation died out again. Good. Now he could quietly watch-

  “Gotta say,” Trever spoke up. Again. “The stadium is more packed than I expected. I mean, it’s just a scrimmage and it’s the sed string. What gives?”

  “Probably spies from other schools or something” Alex shrugged.

  “Oh, think they came to check us out?” Trever smirked. “Makes sense. We’re hel strong, after all.” He turned his head from side to side, sing every er of the hall.

  If you think there’s any paparazzi here to report on you, think again. Alex rolled his eyes.

  “But hey, isn’t that weird?” Trever crossed his arms. “We’re the sed string, ya know. If they y on our team, shouldn’t they spy on the first string?”

  “I suppose.” Alex checked the audience again. Upon closer iion, he reized half the faces here despite the darkness. “Huh, there are some guys from my club. Coach always makes us watch scrimmages.”

  “Even the sed string matches?”

  “Dunno, our sed string never had a scrimmage against other schools befuess Coach thinks it’s worth watg?”

  “Heh,” Trever grinned. “We’re the best, so of course we’re worth watg!”

  I don’t see you oage, though. Alex jabbed internally. “I agree, though. There have been some high level pys here today. I think your sed string is eveer than some of the representing teams I’ve seen this year.”

  “Maaaaan, if only we could py in the regionals too.” Trever slid down his chair, staring at the ceiling. “I actually was on the first string st year, so I pyed in the regionals. We got our asses hao us, though. Haha.”

  “Must be nice being in a small club.” Alex lowered his eyes. He never even got the ce to be on the first string. If only that damn coach was more willing to enter freshmen and juniors into the first string... No, stop. That’s not Coach’s fault. That’s all on me. If I kept practig, I’d be in the first string by now. Maybe I could evehere on my sed year, like Fenrir.

  “By the way,” Trever said. “You guys got a coach, right? How is it? To be in a club with a coach, I mean.”

  How am I supposed to ahat? Alex rolled his eyes. It’s not like he ever was in a club without a coach, so he had nothing to pare with. Not to mention, as far as he was aware, the Leopards were the only middle school team in the region with a coach. “What do you want to know, exactly?”

  “Hmm, I dunno.”

  Then don’t ask!

  “Like, you think it’s a good thing to have a coach?”

  “Depends on the coach, I guess.” Alex shrugged.

  “How’s your coach?”

  “He’s...” Alex opened and closed his mouth. What did he think of Coach? A sly bastard, who’d go as far as setting Alex up as the vice-captain of the sed string just to see him crash and burn. Also, a strict dictator who won’t let anybody into the first string until they’re a senior. Yeah, there were many things Alex could say. But...

  “He’s okay, I guess,” Alex said. “His coag really helps. You may not believe it, but boBreaker was actually one of the weakest members in her first year. But look at her now.”

  “Wow, that’s crazy.” Trever’s eyes opened wide. He stared at the ongoing mat disbelief. To think that this chick who kept everybody in StormBlitz ooes was actually a scrub during her first year. It’s unbelievable.

  “So,” Trever said. “You reend going for a high school with a coach?”

  “Oh.” Alex paused for a moment. Right, graduation. They were both seniors, so they’ll have to pick their high schools soon.

  Coaches were more prevalent in high schools, to the point about half the schools in the region had coaches. Whether to aim for a school with a coach was a legitimate for anybody who po py petitively in high school. It was a which eluded Alex for a long time. After all, he...

  “It’s probably better to have a coach,” Alex said. “It’s usually the teams with coaches that make it big, like Venom.”

  “Ivy High, huh.” Trever smiled wryly. “Gonna shoot for it?”

  “I...” Alex opened his mouth, but words didn’t e out. He hadn’t really thought about it, despite graduation being around the er. “They’re the regional champions every year and they got a coach, so may as well.”

  A businesslike answer. It just showed how little thought Alex had been putting into this topitil now. “Venom is the goal for most pyers, right? If you get in, it’s your best shot at getting to nationals.”

  “I dunno,” Trever crossed his arms. “I mean, it’s cool to py on a good team and all. But, there also gonna lots of pressure and stuff, ya feel me?”

  “True. I heard the coach is strict.”

  “Yeah, so I dunno if all that hardcore stuff fits me.” Trever smiled wryly. “I just y and improve. Don’t wanna deal with all the difficult stuff, ya feel me?”

  “Huh. So, you don’t want to work hard?”

  “Nah, that’s not the problem” Trever waved his hand. “Ever since I got kicked outta the first string, I’ve been w my ass off to climb back. But here I am, sitting in the audience of all pces. Funny, right?”

  “Hmm.” Alex nodded vaguely. The words “worked my ass off” stung a little, sihey were the plete opposite of what Alex had been doing these past two years.

  Here they were, two seniors who walked pletely different paths and developed differealities. Yet, both became sed stris and were demoted to sit in the audience.

  “What went wrong?” Alex asked. “You couldn’t beat the pyer who took your spot?”

  “Nah, I’m better than her,” Trever cimed. “That is, when I’m in top form. But turns out I’m not really good at maintaining that form. I somehow always mess shit up at the critical moments.”

  “So, you buckle under pressure?”

  “Something like that.” Trever sighed and shook his head. “Dunno why I’m even telling this to some random dude.”

  “I think that’s what makes it easier to share.” Alex also found himself unusually talkative. “So, you rather pi underdog team which doesn’t have much riding on it?”

  “Yeah. Besides, isn’t that way cooler? Be an underdog ahe reigning champions!”

  et trashed by the champions and use the underdog excuse to justify your defeat. Alex sneered.

  Underdog, huh. Ba grade school, Alex was set on pying for the stroeam. That’s how he came to attend Leo Junih, even though it demanded a long train ride every m. Alex heard how the Leopards was the only team with a coach, so he pestered his parents to let him attend here.

  But, was it really the best choice? Probably not, at least not for Alex. There’s no denying he learned a lot from training under Ruez, but at the same time he also lost his drive due to Ruez’s strict policies.

  Ruez was actually upfront about his policies from day one. During the club application process, he warudents that he prioritized seniors and that newers shouldn’t get their hopes up about pying in tours.

  Even so, Alex applied without a sed thought. He was sure he’ll knock off Coach’s socks by being a starter during his first year! What a cocky idiot he was. As a result, he learned on his flesh how frustrating it was to be a skilled pyer who couldn’t py in tours.

  Had Alex picked a school with a no-eam, he’d surely bee a starter right away, Or at least, he wouldn’t have to worry about eventually being a starter. A no-eam would have a small club, so there wouldn’t be mupetition for spots in the first string.

  But instead, Alex threw himself into the lions' den. A huge club, filled with pyers hungering for the petitive se. He had to practice hard. He had to bee strohese were the only thoughts occupying his mind during his first year.

  In the end, all this hard work went unrewarded due to Coach’s policy. Alex felt like a fool f so hard. It pletely killed his motivation and the rest is history.

  So, if Alex decides to tinue pying Cssmancers in high school, he rather not gh this bullshit again. A no-eam erfectly fine. With Alex joining, the team will stop being no-name anyway.

  And most importantly, he’ll be able to py in real matches. He’ll no longer have to sit in the audiend gaze upon the dazzling stage from below. No, he’ll sit on that majestic stage himself.

  “I guess going to Ivy really isn’t for everybody,” Alex said. “The bigger the club, the harder it is to bee a starter.”

  “I knht?” Trever nodded repeatedly. “Lemme py, dang it. I didn’t join just to warm up a chair.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Besides,” Trever wore a difficult smile. “If I go to Ivy, I won’t be able to py against her.”

  “You got a rival?”

  “It’s more like a curse. Unless I beat her, I’ll stay cursed.”

  “Now that sounds like ic,” Alex sneered. “Just bi with the underdog story and you got yourself a bestseller.”

  “Heh. it’ll be the season that ges the city forever!” Trever chuckled. “You know what’s funny? Everybody only ever talks about Venom because these guys have been taking the regionals every years. But, there are actually reat teams in ion which are always runner-ups.”

  “Oh?” Alex blinked. Iing. He also was uhe impression that “You either py on Venom or you’re a nobody.”

  “A pal of mine dug up on previous tours,” Trever expined. “There are two other teams which always make top four: Aces and Knights. Coht?” He puffed his chest as if he deserved any credit for obtaining this data. Still, it was news for Alex.

  “Whibsp; schools?”

  “Aces in Hamilton High and Knights in Gordon High.”

  “I see.” Alex didn’t recall hearing much about these teams, but he khe high schools at least. Gordon High was actually pretty close to his house. Hamilton was like two hours away if memory served. “So, you think to join one of them?”

  “Yep, that’s the idea,” Trever nodded. “The thing is, Aces got a coach while Knights don’t. Made me wonder.”

  “If you’re already dodging Venom to minimize pressure, may as well go all the ick the ohout a coach.” Alex wasn’t sure whether he was telling that to Trever or to himself. “Having a coach help you improve, but he’ll always demas.”

  “Yeah, figured.” Trever shrugged. “Think I gonna go for the Knights then. Besides, don’t they sound cooler? Ya know, like heroiights who rescue beautiful dies? Haha.”

  “... sure.” If there were a Guinness record for “the stupidest reason to pick yh school”, Trever would easily take first pce.

  Aces and Knights, huh. Two teams which sistently made it into top four, and most likely were the sed and third seed of every tour. They’re “underdog” teams pared to the uable Venom, but they’re not bad to the point they ’t achieve anything in the regionals. Therefore, they were the perfect picks for anybody who didn’t want to go to Venom but still wao pete.

  I haven’t done any homework at all, huh. Alex sighed. High school was right around the er, yet he didn’t cheything at all.

  After spending over two years in the Leopards, Alex should have already figured that joining Ivy’s big club was not in his best is. Yet, he didn’t bother searg for alternatives. Did he even pn on pying in high school? He wasn’t even sure what he was thinking these past two years. It’s like his time was frozen in pce all this time.

  But, things were different now. Today, he faced his foolishness and took the first step forward. He came to terms with the fact he pletely wasted the past two years. While he was busy hating Coad ranting about the first string, he degeed and became a total loser. Somebody like him didn’t deserve to py on the petitive stage right now.

  Fortunately, there’s still time until the regionals. He’ll use it to salvage himself and to shoot for the first string once again. Maybe he’ll make it in, maybe not. Either way, he took the first step.

  Even if it doesn’t work out, year he’ll be in high school. It’ll be a fresh start. All the effort he’s going to put this year will build up toward year.

  Whether Alex will join Aces or Knights, he hadn’t decided yet. But whichever it’s going to be, he’ll do his utmost to bee a starter and face Venom in a tour. His ultimate goal: to take down the big renowned club! That’ll be fun!

  Fmes sparked in his heart once again. This was just the beginning of his Cssmancers career!