DEFEAT

  That was the oute of the final game. In the end, Stratus lost the scrimmage.

  Perhaps, some would cim it was a atch because of the score 2-3. However, Yuel didn't see it that way. We're still not there quite yet. We have a lot of work cut out for us.

  If the Leopards used Apprentece from Game 1, then this scrim could've easily ended as a 0-5. That Korean pyer was something else.

  For better and worse, it turned out Howard wasn't pulling my leg at all. Yuel sighed. Everything he said sounded absurd but it turned out to be true.

  Apprentece was an immehreat. He was just one pyer, but he was the type to domihe entire game all by himself.

  He's like a force of nature. Yuel shuddered. Holy, I don't even knoe'll deal with him at the regionals.

  This was simir to how unstoppable Taurus’ Triangle formatio. That was another oppo Yuel was uo fully defeat.

  But, at least the Triangle has its share of restris. Yuel thought. They hree people to execute the tactic, so there are ways to ter them ily.

  Oher hand, Apprentece was just one pyer, so he didn't have the same strings attached to him. He was a legit force of nature, the kind humans simply couldn’t stop.

  … well, I still have a few months to solve this. Yuel stood up. For now, let's get this scrim over with.

  After the final game, both teams gathered at the ter of the stage again for a handshake. This was a that didn't really speak to Yuel, but it was enforced every time so he didn’t have a say here.

  Perhaps the idea was to "humahe petition a little. After all, unlike in regur sports, here both teams barely came into direct tact throughout the game. They only battled through digital avatars.

  At times, it was easy tet that there were living, breathing humans behind these avatars. Especially, when it came to Apprentece's overwhelming skill, it seemed unbelievable that a middle schooler could wield such power.

  But, there he was. Among the pyers who stepped in, there was an Asian boy.

  In real life, he looks... small. Yuel didn't mean to insult but that was his ho impression.

  Apprentece was a boy with a rather small structure, just a little taller than Nia. He was a freshman acc to Howard, so that made sense.

  He was so terrifying throughout the game, but in real life, he almost looks harmless. Yuel smiled. The perfect example of “don’t judge a book by its cover”.

  One by one, everybody left their chairs and gathered at the ter of the stage. Normally, Lars was among the first oo make it there, but this time he was dragging his foot a little.

  "Are you okay?" Yuel asked.

  "Yeah, just a little spent. What a tiring game, haha."

  "It sure was." Yuel nodded.

  This was indeed a long match, filled with tons of trials and tributions along the way. Now that it was over, Yuel also felt heavy fatigue washing over him. All the mental chess battles he fought with Cathout the day were finally taking their toll.

  Still, for Yuel, feeling tired after a scrim was normal. Oher hand, the goof was usually beaming with energy even after things were over.

  But this time, Lars was visibly burned out. He was walking toward the ter of the stage with unsteady steps like a drunkard who might trip over his own foot at any moment.

  It’s definitely unusual. Yuel thought. Even if this scrim was much harder than the previous, the ever-eic goof isn't supposed to ever bee like that. I'm sure this is the after-effect of “entering the zone" or whatever that thing was.

  Then again, it was always difficult to analyze the sequences of this traate in a vacuum. That dition seemed to strike only after a few intense games in a row, at a point where Lars was already expected to experiene fatigue. As such, it was hard to tell how much “the zone” added on top of that.

  He IS a human after all, even though sometimes it's hard to believe that the ws of physics apply to him in any shape or form.

  Lars was alositive and eic, so it was difficult to get an accurate read of his dition. In fact, Lars himself was always so gung-ho that he probably never noticed whe tried.

  But surely, he accumuted fatigue over time like everybody else. And, it seemed that “the zone” only showed itself ohe fatigue passed a certain threshold.

  Maybe if he could ehat state before reag that point, then he could actually put it to good use without burning himself out. But, it’s all jecture.

  In the end, there wasn’t nearly enough information to go by. The eopic was vague at best.

  Regardless of the theory behind all of this, it was undeniable that Lars was currently dragging his foot toward the ter of the stage. Yes, the ever-eic goof was exhibitireme signs of weariness. It was an impossible se.

  Seeing Lars like this really doesn't motivate me to pursue that "zoate or whatever it really was…

  And so, both teams gathered at the ter of the stage and exged pleasantries uhe referee's surveilnce.

  "Good game." Both sides delivered the usual exge. It hrase that would’ve e across as sarcasti an online game, but on the petitive stage, it was expected to be sincere.

  Though, this time it's very loaded. Yuel analyzed everybody's expressions as the exge happened. It felt like her side was satisfied with how this match turned out, so the "good game" rang hollow.

  On their end, Stratus was worn out from the needlessly long games caused by the Leopards' obnoxious defense. On top of that, some of the members’ spirits were likely crushed by Appretence’s unstoppable domination in the final game.

  At the same time, the Leopards didn't seem all too happy about their victory either. There was a small cloud of gloominess h over them.

  Are they not satisfied with the result? Yuel wondered. Well, I'm sure a 3-2 isn't quite what they were expeg to get today against some "underdog" team. Not to mention, the way the final game pyed out is a little...

  The finale didn't feel like a real “Stratus vs. Leopards” game. It was almost exclusively Stratus vs. Apprentece.

  I don’t know what are their feelings about pying alongside Appretence, but I'm sure I wouldn't have enjoyed a situation like that if I were in their shoes. Especially, not when it’s the decisive game of the match.

  Perhaps this was another reason they were keeping Apprente the bench the eime. The guy was far above the petition, to the point his presence didn’t let the others py the game. That definitely didn’t sound like a healthy enviro.

  But despite all that, the enemy captain mao put on his usual impish smile regardless. And, it felt like the disturbing smile grew wider as he approached Yuel...

  DarkestCymore