The third game between Stratus and the Leopards kicked off.

  "Dang, are ya sure this lineup gonna be ok?" Luke asked for the huh time. "I mean, we don’t have that OOMPH we had st time, ya know?”

  "You're right, we don’t," Yuel agreed. "This is a more banced lineup, so we'll have to py accly. We 't go for overwhelming pys as easily."

  "But, ain't that a waste? We did so well i game because we were pushing offense real hard."

  "I know, but I didn't want to give them the opportunity to ter-pick us too hard,” Yuel expined. “The csses that focus too mu offense are often susceptible to ter-picks, so I had to py around that."

  "Indeed, as expected from the one and only Chessmaster!" Vi made noise. "He takes into at siderations that we, mere mortals, have no ce of figuring for ourselves!"

  "Actually, knowing that you have to py around ter picks is kindergarten-level stuff," Kai retorted. "But, knowing how to do it right is the real challenge. Holy, I’m also not sold on this lineup w out. Like, it looks alright for the most part, but it also got DK."

  "Hey, hey, hey!" Luke excimed. "Did I hear you throw shade at my DK?"

  "Yeah, I sure did. If not for your dumb DK, our lineup would’ve looked solid."

  "Dang, the disrespect." Luke shook his head. "And you still dare to say that even after I put on su awesome performa game, huh. I guess no matter how many oppos I beat, you boomers never gonna reize memes."

  "We won that game because Yuel somehow knew how to pilot that quirky lineup,” Kai said. “But, I doubt any of that gonna fly again, unless you pn to prove me wrong, Yuel?"

  "It’s hard to say," Yuel admitted. "This lineup is an experiment of sorts. All I say is that I did run some simutions about piloting a ‘baeam along with Dark Knight, but it's hard to say how any of that theory will hold in practice. In the first pce, anythied to Dark Knight feels like a toss."

  "Yo, dude!" Lars called out. "That's not what you're supposed to be saying to the team. You gotta tell 'em this lineup rocks and that we gonna win for sure, believe it!"

  "I'm just saying the truth."

  "That 'truth' thingy of yours ain't raising anybody's morale. We gotta believe we gonna win, yo! I mean, if we don't believe in ourselves, then who will?"

  "Right…" Yuel smiled wryly. "Well, I've never been good at pep talk and whatnot. The only reassuring thing I say is that I did my homework on using a banced lineup along with a Dark Knight. Perhaps I didn’t research that variation as much as I did the aggressive one, but heless, I have some ideas for this game."

  "Hmmmmmmm." Lars made a long, judging noise. "Lukewarm! Still not hype enough."

  "Well, I'm not you. I 't produce hype out of thin air."

  "Haha, okay fine. I guess this is good for now." Lars nodded. "So, are ya pumped up for this game, my dudes?!"

  "My body is ready!" Luke pumped a fist. "This game gonotal Annihition Round 2 - Electric Boogaloo’, just you watch!"

  "Indeed, indeed!" Vi buffed the hype. "We also mustn't fet that our foes uncharacteristically picked a handful of aggressive csses for this game. This should mean that peing through their defenses shall be easier than ever!”

  I wish I could promise random nonsense like that with such fidence. Yuel sighed. But holy, I 't tell how this game will go at all. But, we're already here, so I have to make the most out of this team. So, offense, defense, or anything iween - I'll make it work.

  Once everybody finished gearing up at the base, they all headed out into the jungle.

  "So, what’s the master pn this time? It’s gonna be something coht?" Luke wagged his tail like aed puppy. "Are we gonna ihis time?"

  "No," Yuel answered. "I nning to py the opening safe this time."

  "Say whaaaaat? Bruh, we got a DK, ya know? I wrey of these guys ezpz this early into the game."

  "They'll be ooes this time around,” Yuel expined. “They won't uimate your Dark Knight a sed time. You won’t find any easy openings in their formation."

  "Hey, you'll never know until you try! Maybe they're not expeg us to invade because our lineup doesn’t look that aggressive and stuff."

  "Maybe they don’t think we’ll actually do it, but I’m sure they’ve at least sidered the possibility. Either way, an early invade won’t go smoothly this time, that I assure you."

  "Dang, what a letdown." Luke pouted. "Me and Vince here could’ve made quick work of these guys, word."

  "How about you make quick work of the jungle camps instead."

  "Aye aye, sir..."

  And so, Stratus didn't set up any surprises for the opening this time around. Yuel was vihat the enemy would surely be prepared for any early aggression, therefore it was futile to attack them in su obvious fashion.

  Yet, at the same exact time, the enemy was thinking the plete opposite.

  "Let's ihem, bro!" Ronald suggested. "Berserker and Viking, we steamroll them!"

  "Hmm. An iing idea." William stroked his .

  "Excuse me?" Cato raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'iing idea'? Perish these silly thoughts at once, young men."

  "Oh noes, here es the party popper." Ronald rolled his eyes.

  "I'll gdly be a 'party popper' or whatever is necessary as long as it means stopping terrible ideas from passing through."

  "Is it really such a bad idea, though?" William asked.

  "You 't be serious, Will."

  "Oh, but I am," William insisted. "Think about it. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you think the enemy expects to be invaded right now?"

  "Probably 2 or 3," Cato answered. "Obviously, they're not expeg it because it's not going to happen."

  "But, what if it does?” William insisted. “Imagine we go in there, catch them off-guard, and mess up their opening. This seriously mess up the DK's early-game, which will automatically re useless."

  "That's assuming he's hanging out around Top in the first pce," Cato pointed out. "To remind you, that wasn't the case st game."

  "If he's not in Top, then eveer for us. We'll just run over whoever is there without much risk."

  "Yeah, what bro said!" Ronald pumped a fist. "We catch these guys sleeping and smack them real good!"

  "You're talking about it as if you actually put a grain of thought into that idea." Cato sighed. Seriously, these brothers be so difficult to deal with sometimes. Worst of all, Will almost made his pn sound reasonable. Almost.

  The Dark Knight css itself was like a rag car with a turbo engine, but what about the driver? How strong was LegendaryMemer pared to William and Ronald?

  Memer was a det fighter, no doubt. But, how well will he fare against the 'third stro' pyer of the region? And, there was also the younger dumbass brother who was sometimes surprisingly capable on the offeoo.

  They'll also be attag together. Cato thought. Each of them individually is already strong, but together their power is quadrupled.

  If there was an alternative timeline in which pying a bruiser duo in Top was meta, then in that world, William and Ronald surely would’ve domihe petition. Their superb teamwork, bined with their natural strength, would’ve overwhelmed anybody.

  Unfortunately, there was no such meta in the current world. As bruisers, the two brothers had to be separated. One remained in Top while the other traveled around the jungle. As such, they could only join forces on a few rare occasions throughout the game.

  But, every time they do, the enemy should prepare for trouble and make it double.

  The reckless early ihey were suggesting was one such rare opportunity to have them cooperate. As suicidal as it was to aggress on a Dark Knight in the early-game, these two had the skill to pull off such a stunt together.

  “Alrighty,” Cato gave in. “Will, if you really believe you pull off this ihen go ahead.”

  “Got it.” William nodded. “Let’s go, Ron.”

  “Right behind you, bro!”

  The two brothers went in without aation. They were fident enough in their skills, so they felt like they had nothing to fear. And, their fidence was rather founded, as much as Cato didn’t want to admit it.

  These two hooligans executed plenty of invades during club practice, and even during scrims with pro pyers. It was evident the duo had the knowledge, skill, and experieo deliver devastating ihat even pros struggled to fend off.

  But, was their invade going to be strong enough to overe the innate pap between their csses and a Dark Knight...?

  DarkestCymore