Ihan 5 mihe long-anticipated scrimmage against the Leopards will begin. This match will put Stratus to the test like never before. They’ll be fag han the uable regional champions!

  But, acc to Howard, that’s only the first part of the test. Even if they clear that hurdle, a far more difficult challenge will be awaiting them .

  I’ll find a way to clear both. Yuel was determined. I'll defeat Cato's shot-calling and I’ll find some weakness in that Koreahe team is ready for anything. They improved a lot over the past month. We properly reviewed our mistakes from the Taurus scrimmage and we all worked on them. At least, most of us did...

  There was one guy who refused to cooperate throughout the whole period. He refused to ge his ways no matter how much Yuel argued with him. It was her than Luke, the so-called LegendaryMemer.

  "Don't worry, man. I'mma do my job just fine in tours. Word." That's the kind of nonsense Luke usually used to dismiss Yuel's pints. These versatio like bashing his head against a wall.

  So, at some point, Yuel simply stopped trying. There was no reasoning with that fool, that’s the only viable clusion.

  I just hope Nia will st looday. Yuel g the problematic girl, who also ed to work on one of her greatest weaknesses. Namely, her sleepiness.

  "This is how my body funs. I 't go against it." That was Nia's excuse.

  The girl was cooperative enough when it came to fixing her problems in the game itself. But, outside of that? She was stubborn as a mule. It was impossible to make her budge.

  Lars suggested that Nia should start exerg on a regur basis in order to i her body with more energy. The girl was thin as paper, but not because she was athletic.

  She was just one of those kids who didn’t gain any visible fat no matter how much they ate. So, no matter how much she stuffed herself with chocote, there were no obvious sequences for this uhy lifestyle, at least for now.

  I’m sure it’ll hit her hard whes older. But, arguments like that never vince kids e. Turning old sounds like such a dista that it barely even feels real.

  Regardless, Yuel tried to push that narrative. He seded Lars’s idea and he lectured Nia about the many bes of exerg, both for the near future and the far future.

  He even used himself as a living example. Exerg helped him plenty back when he was starting out with Cssmancers. It tremendously improved his tratioion speed, and stamina. It was so effective, that he stuck with the routio this very day, despite thinking it ure hell at first.

  Unfortunately, all of it went in one ear and out of the other. Nia blocked out the information and insisted she “couldn't fix how her body worked”.

  And now, a month ter, her stamina wasn't aer than it was during the Taurus scrimmage. It was rather worrisome.

  On top of that, it also looks like she didn't get much sleep st night. Yuel examihe troublemaker, who was lying motionless on the sofa. She was clearly sleep-deprived, no question about it.

  She had time to nap at the bus, but she kept answering my trivia questions from her sleep. So, that nap probably didn’t do much for her.

  Judging by how well Nia answered Yuel’s review questions, it was clear she diligently prepared for today’s match. Even though she didn’t admit it, she probably stayed te into the night memorizing various details against today’s oppos. It was very mulike the usual Nia, who normally only searched for excuses to sck off outside the game.

  Did she cram everything at the st moment? Yuel frowned. It’s definitely possible. I stressed so many times yesterday how important it is for the Juo be prepared, so maybe Nia took it to the extreme. In fact, I’m almost vi’s the case. Sigh.

  Now, the result of that st-moment ch time was staring Yuel right in the faia was lying on the sofa like a corpse, exhibiting no signs of life. There was a good ce she already succumbed to a deep slumber and won’t be able to wake up for the first game.

  But, there’s no way I allow that. Yuel approached the sleepyhead. We don’t have the luxury to meme around against the Leopards, especially not until we bring out their “secret pyer”. So, no matter how much she wants to sleep, Nia has to py.

  “Nia, we have to go soon.”

  “.................”

  “Nia. Wake up.” Yuel gently shook her.

  “.............................................”

  No response, huh. Yuel sighed. I wish I was surprised, but I’m not.

  Nia’s sleeping teique was definitely something else. Vi described it as “slipping into another dimension” and it really felt that way sometimes. The girl wouldn’t budge even if an atom bomb went off in the same room.

  But, I know just the thing to lure her out of that “other dimension”. Yuel didn’t waste any more time trying to shake the girl awake. That was futile, he khat from experience.

  Instead, he approached Nia’s bag and fished inside. As always, one of the pockets acked to the brim with tless brands of chocote.

  From my experiehis one is the most effective. Yuel grabbed a bar of chocote, uned it, and brought it to Nia’s his brand seems to have a stronger aroma thahers, so it has the best ce of tig her senses.

  “Nia, there’s something you really like over here. How about you take a bite?”

  “........... gufu...” Nia’s witched.

  It’s w! Yuel pumped a fist. The experiment is a success! Like I thought, this brand is the most effective method to date.

  “Gu... fu...” Nia took a bite of the chocote in front of her.

  Good, good. Now, I just o annoy her a little.

  Yuel slowly pulled the bar of chocote away from the hungry critter. After each bite, Nia had to work a little harder for the o was like taming a wild animal with food.

  After giving the pet four bites, Yuel pletely removed the bar of chocote from the se. Now, what will the sleepyhead do?

  “Gu...” Nia tried to bite once more, but her teeth only ked against each other without hitting any chocote.

  heless, that didn’t disce the chocote-addicted animal quite yet. She blindly searched for her prey without opening her eyes.

  As, all her random bites came to naught. The chocote was no longer in the viity.

  “Guuu...” Nia relutly opened her eyes after failing five times in a row. The situation has successfully irritated the Chocote Devourer, f her to desd to the mortal realm.

  “Finally awake?” Yuel asked as he brought the chocote closer.

  “Gu...” Nia bit the chocote without responding to his query.

  “I uand that you’re sleepy, but we need you to py in the first game.”

  “Gu... gu!” Nia went for another bite, but Yuel pulled it away at the st moment. “You’ll get the rest after you promise to wake up and py.”

  “But, I’m tired...”

  “It’s okay, I’m sure your stage fright will ki once go onto the stage. It should give you the adrenaline you o stay awake. I’m sure today’s audience will be much bigger than st time, so look forward to it.”

  “Goodnight.” Nia gave up on the chocote and knocked herself out.

  “Hey now.” Yuel shook her. “You ’t run away from it. You’re the team’s main Jungler, so you have to fulfill that role.”

  “Gufu... Don’t wanna... Too scary...”

  And here I thought she’ll overe her stage fright after the first scrimmage. Yuel sighed once again. He’d be rich if he got paid for every time Nai’s shenanigans made him sigh like this.

  “Soooooo.” Luke snickered. “Does that mean it’s my turn to shine!?”

  “Shush, you.” Kai shot him down. “Nia will py. Right, Nia?”

  “Gufu...” Nia puffed her cheeks.

  “We’ve talked about this how many times already, right? You ’t keep running away from the stage.”

  “Totally, dude,” Lars tuned in. “Ya’ll never overe that stage-fright thingy unless you throw yourself into the fray.”

  “Scary...”

  “Indeed, it is a harsh trial,” Vi joined out of nowhere. “However, once you quer it, you shall burst out of your co as a powerful butterfly! The name VanishingFlower will ring loud across the entire petitive se!”

  “Sounds even scarier...”

  “You’re not helping.” Kai shot Vi a gre.

  “Apologies.” Vi bowed like a nobleman. “It appears this heroine is not yet ready to accept her call to adventure. But it shall happen with time, surely.”

  Oer another, everybody joined in to try and talk Nia into leaving the bed.

  Even though Yuel was the most experienced in the field, it wasn’t just his personal responsibility and Kai reized as much. Therefore, she made sure to intervene iter more frequently retly. The more peer pressure they could pile on that sleepyhead, the better.

  “To be ho,” Ben said weakly. “I’m also a little nervous. I’m not sure I’ll eveo py today, but knowing that many people will be watg is kind of scary.”

  “an,” Luke said. “Are y to ence her or to scare her?”

  “S-Sorry, I thought she might feel a little better if she knew she’s not alone like that...”

  “That’s a good point, actually,” Kai said. “Look, Nia. You’re not special, okay? We’re all hel nervous here. Just because we aren’t openly pining about it, it doesn’t mean we don’t feel the pressure.”

  “Yeah, true,” Lars backed it up. “I always act all gung-ho and stuff, but even I get goosebumps before we go on stage, for real.”

  In your case, Yuel thought. I have a feeling these are goosebumps from excitement, not from pressure. But, Nia doesn’t have to know that.

  “Even you get nervous...?” Nia slowly opened her eyes. Raising her eyelids took as much effort as lifting 200 kg weights, but she did it. Lars’s fession turned out to be that impactful.

  “Ok, then I’ll try...” Nia finally decided to lift herself off the sofa. She pushed her hands against the soft surfad raised her back... only to colpse a moment ter. “Too tired... no energy...”

  “Here, eat some more.” Yuel brought the chocote bar closer.

  “Mufufu.” Nia nibbled through the bar like a hamster. “Ok, a little better. But, still so sleepy...”

  “Seriously?” Kai sighed deeply. “So, anybody else got any ideas on how to wake up this girl?”

  “We don’t have much time,” Yuel pointed out. “We have to start heading to the stage.”

  “Don’t wuys!” Luke reassured. “I’ll sub in for her. I even pick Rogue so you won’t feel her absence, haha.”

  “No, she’s awake enough to py,” Yuel insisted. “Sorry to ask you again, Lars, but could you please carry her? I’m sure the pressure of the stage will wake her up really fast.”

  “Okey-dokey.” Lars lifted the log in his arms.

  And so, with Nia in hand, the team headed to the grand stage. There, they’ll face their greatest challe - the Leopards. And, there was also the phantom Korean pyer lurking in the shadows.

  It’ll be a difficult matchup, no question about it. In fact, acc to Yuel’s initial estimation, Stratus’ odds weren’t that favorable.

  Therefore, every single member of the team had to do their absolute best here today, or else the team won’t even have a glimmer of hope. And, that especially applied to Nia.

  She better fully wake up before the game starts. Yuel thought. I don’t know how many games she’ll st, so we have to start off strong and steal as many games as possible before they adapt to her.

  With such heavy thoughts weighing on Yuel’s mind, the scrimmage was about to kick off!

  DarkestCymore