Everybody silently watched Alex leave the stage, without turning his head even once. From start to end, nobody uttered a single word. There’s nothing to say here.

“This is good.” Rodriguez nodded to himself.

“Good?” Jennifer raised an eyebrow. Sure, that lazy bum deserved some scolding, but wasn't this too much? She never saw Alex react so strongly about anything before. It kinda freaked her out, honestly. He even tried shouldering all the blame, despite being a master of excuses. She had no idea how to digest this.

“Now,” Rodriguez turned to Jennifer as if what just happened was already history. “One player already came to terms with his faults. What about you?”

“I...” Jennifer’s lips trembled. She couldn’t bring herself to lay her feelings bare, but she had to. Because even Alex, of all people, managed to admit he was a trash quitter. Jennifer won’t run away either.

“I probably shouldn’t have rushed Spellbook,” Jennifer said with downcast eyes. “After falling behind, I should've built something more stable against an aggressive scrub like Gunz.”

“And why you didn’t do that?”

“Because...” Jennifer gritted her teeth, chewed her lips and finally opened her mouth. “I wanted to play combo. I’m a combo player.”

“Even at the expense of losing the game?”

“No, that’s... I mean...” She hung her head. No, that’s wrong! She didn’t... But, she actually kinda did... GAH, her brain hurt!

“Good girl.” Rodriguez patted her head.

“Eh? What?”

“Admitting that combo held you back is a huge step forward.” Rodriguez nodded with a kind smile. Normally, Jennifer would dismiss this kind of topic in five seconds, without even sparing a fraction of thought on it. No matter how many obstacles she had to swim through while playing combo, she never admitted that sticking with combo was a big mistake at times. Today was a first.

“I know you’re fed up with this lecture by now,” Rodriguez said. “But, you need to stop chasing that false ideal you created in your head. That famous video of DimensionShift beating Maker with a combo is sure amazing, but it made you miss the whole point. Before being a renowned combo player, Shift is firstmost a strong pro player. That one amazing combo play in the video was build upon solid foundation, it didn’t happen in the spur of the moment like you seem to think.”

“I know it wasn’t a fluke,” Jennifer said with sparkling eyes. “Shift can pull off that kinda play any day! He’s awesome like that!”

“That’s not the point,” Rodriguez sighed. “The point is, Shift decided it was appropriate for him to play combo that match only after he analyzed the development of the match to that point. That’s why I told you to also watch matches in which he doesn’t play combo. Did you watch them?”

“A little...” Jennifer shifted her eyes away. Honestly, she couldn’t bear watching them for more than a few minutes. For her, Shift was the best combo player in the world. Watching him play something other than combo was like watching how the best pitcher in the world played as an outfielder. Sure, it could be fun to watch too, but it ruined Shift’s cool image.

“If you tried to analyze them, you’d realize he’s not using combo every game. In fact, I’d be surprised if he uses combo more than half his games.”

“Geh...”

“I know you don’t like hearing it, but it’s the truth. As I said, he’s a pro player before he’s a combo player. His job is to win. He knows when to give up on combo to secure victory.”

“Grrr...”

“If Shift were in your shoes last game, he wouldn’t hesitate to give up on combo. He’d go for a slower and more stable build instead of rushing Spellbook.”

“I get it already.” Jennifer grumped. There’s no denying it, Coach was right. If she truly wanted to play combo on the highest level, she had to learn when to give up on it for the sake of victory. It sounded dumb, but that’s the circumstances combo players had to face in the current meta. Combo buffs when!?

It was a painful reality to accept since for her playing Classmancers was all about playing combo. Still, little by little, she started coming to terms with it. Even a legendary pro player like Shift, renowned as the best combo player in the world, couldn’t afford to play combo every match. So, playing combo 100% of the time was clearly wishful thinking.

“As long as you understand,” Rodriguez nodded. “I’m not going to force you to play either way, it’s your choice to make. In the end, I’m just a coach. It’s you who’s playing the actual game. You have to decide what’s right for you. I made you practice the standard playstyle too, so I’m sure you can play at least half-decently without combo.”

“I can play SUPAH decently with any build!” Jennifer pouted. Coach drilled AAAAAALL the stuff into her, included how to build and play meta classes as Carry and Mid. She rarely ever used these builds outside practice, but she definitely knew how to. Compared to playing combo, the standard playstyle was like the easiest shit in the world.

“Decently, huh.” Rodriguez sneered. “I hope you give it a try next match. You may be surprised.”

“Huh? Surprised by what?”

“You’ll see,” He smiled meaningfully. “Very well, that about wraps up the important points. Now, just a couple more pointers for the rest of you. Let’s start with Albert.”

“Yes?” Albert stiffened. Something was coming. Gulp.

“First, I’ll say you played well overall. No complaints about your performance.”

“T-Thank you.” Albert forced a smile. Gulp, gulp and double gulp. Coach was starting with praise? A meteor of criticism was about to drop on Albert.

“With that said,” Rodriguez continued. “You’re technically the shot-caller. I know I divided the responsibility between you, Jenny and Alex, but I’m sure everybody sees you as the main shot-caller.” He scanned the rest of the kids and they nodded in response.

“Yep, Albert makes the best calls.”

“Mhm, no question about it.”

Oi, don’t agree so casually. Albert frowned. Thanks for the extra pressure, guys.

“As I previously noted,” Rodriguez continued. “You’ve been turtling too much last game. There were multiple times when you could have gone on the offensive, but you retreated. Why?”

“Um, well, I actually... Err...” Albert shifted his eyes from side to side until they laid on Jennifer. In truth, he wanted to take the initiative on multiple occasions, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t allowed to, because Jennifer made a different call.

“Okay, okay,” Jennifer pouted. “Jeez, no need to look at me like that. Yes, I chickened out, I admit.” She already admitted that playing combo was a mistake, so at this point, she was willing to admit anything. “It was all me. Sorry, Coach. I didn’t feel like we could win any of these team fights, so I said we should retreat. My bad.”

“I see,” Rodriguez nodded in understanding. “However, that doesn’t clear Albert from responsibility. I divided the shot-calling role among you to ensure nobody monopolizes the control. If one of you makes a poor call, the others are supposed to object. Isn’t that right?”

“Y-Yeah...” Albert cast his eyes downwards, avoiding Coach’s piercing gaze.

“Tell me, did you agree with Jenny’s call for a retreat every time?”

“Not exactly...”

“Yet, the team ended up retreating every single time. I thought everybody agreed you’re the main shot-caller here? Why they didn’t listen to you?”

“Well...” Albert didn’t know how to retort. Perhaps he was seen as the “main shot-caller”, but Jennifer was the captain. Compared to her, Albert was practically a nobody. He’s just one of many semi-decent bench players in this huge club.

“You didn’t oppose her, right?”

“Well, I did say the 4v3 situation looked like a good chance to attack, but...”

“You gave in to her.”

“I... I guess. I mean, she’s the captain.”

“That’s an excuse,” Rodriguez shook his head. “In the end, you didn’t trust your own judgment. Jenny is the captain just because she’s loud, that’s about it.”

“Hey! Hey!” Jennifer waved angry fists.

“I joke, of course,” Rodriguez snickered. “But, my point is: she didn’t become the captain for her shot-calling skills. She can make a decent call once in a blue moon, but it’s clearly not her strong suit.”

“Grrr, is it just me just me or Coach is bullying me more than usual today?” Jennifer hissed.

“It’s all for your own good.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure!” She puffed her cheeks.

“Anyway,” Rodriguez turned to Albert. “No need to be scared of Jenny. Have more confidence. If you think she’s wrong, say it to her face. She wouldn’t get the hint otherwise.”

“I understand.” Albert nodded. Easier said than done, but he’ll give it his best shot.

In this fashion, Rodriguez addressed every player in order. His criticism was brief but sharp. It struck every player in their most sensitive spot, forcing them to confront their greatest blunders.

“There’s more I’d like to say,” Rodriguez concluded. “But, I need to pay a visit to the first string too.”

“Did they blow it?” Jennifer asked.

“I haven’t seen the result yet, but most likely.” Rodriguez nodded as he walked toward the exit. “Jenny, go pick somebody from the reserves to sub for Alex. You can take whoever you deem fit, I trust your judgment. Ask for Albert’s opinion if you’re not sure.”

“Roger.”

“One last thing: make sure you ban their Trickshooter. I doubt Gunz can play every class on such a high level.”

“Of course, no question about it. That fucking Trickshooter is getting his ass banned for sure!”

“Language, young woman.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jennifer waved her hand. Her former vigor gradually returned. That’s good because being energetic and positive was her main redeeming point. Without that, this girl simply wouldn’t be Jennifer.

“Good luck in your next match.” Rodriguez left the stage on that note, leaving the kids to their own devices. They’ll surely put on a good performance in their final game. And if they stumble again, that’s alright too. After all, this was just a scrimmage, not a tournament match. They were here to learn and gain experience, not just to win.

Losing today’s scrimmage may cost the Leopards the chance to be seeded high in the tournament, but that’s not a deal breaker. If the kids get to learn something new and improve for the future, that’s a fine trade.

In that regard, Rodriguez was thankful to StormBlitz. Both their first and second strings were strong and engaging. Fighting against them provided his kids with an abundance of experience.

On his way across the hallway, Rodriguez spotted a familiar face. Alex was just standing there, staring at a wall with a soft drink in hand.

“You really put me on the spot with your stunt,” Rodriguez admitted. “It was hard for me to be too harsh on Jenny after you quit like that. Was that your goal?”

“Who knows,” Alex shrugged and took a slow sip from his drink, without even turning to face Rodriguez. “Don’t get the wrong idea, though That idiot can go die in a hole for all I care- agh!” CHOP!

“Don’t talk like that, especially when you don’t mean it.”

“Tch, whatever.” Alex rubbed the aching spot on his head. “Some coach you are. Is it fun beating your players? You literally put me on the second string to fuck with me, you twisted bastard.”

“First, language. Second, ‘twisted bastard’? That’s some respect you show your coach.”

“Whatever. I don’t expect to stay in the club anyway after all this crap.”

“I’m not kicking you out, if that’s what you think.”

“Eh? You want to keep me?” Alex shuddered. With everything that just happened on stage, he was sure his middle school Classmancers career was over. Yet, he was allowed to stay? “Why? Didn’t you put me through all that shit to make me quit on my own?”

“If I wanted, I would have kicked you out a long time ago,” Rodriguez said matter-of-factly. “You can call me ‘twisted bastard’ or any other names you wish, but I want you to understand I didn’t intend to bully you.”

“Then what? What was the point of that whole gig?”

“I simply wanted you to realize how low you’ve fallen,” Rodriguez explained. “I knew you’ll stumble once Warlock is banned, and I and hoped that’ll make you question yourself.”

“Wait, you knew I’ll perform poorly without Warlock? You make it sound as if...”

“I do have access to your match history, after all,” Rodriguez smirked.

“You sly bastard,” Alex clenched the drink in his hand, almost making it spill out. “You knew all along, but you made me dig up the data anyway for the show.”

“It’s to make sure you confront the facts by yourself. It’s one thing to be told by somebody else, and another to uncover the truth on your own. Either way, the goal wasn’t to make you quit. On the contrary, it’s to make you take the game seriously again.”

“Ah.” Alex paused. So basically, it was a wake-up slap. Or rather, a freaking punch. This sly coach went as far as putting Alex on the second string, endangering the whole team’s chances of winning, just to punch Alex straight in the brain.

This stunt might cost the Leopards some seeding points, which will hurt their chances to win the regionals this year. Didn’t Coach care about winning the regionals more than anything? After all, it’s the guy who came up with the weird mixup strategy for that sole purpose.

So, what gives? All this effort and risk, for what? Just to mentally slap Alex across the face? That’s so dumb. What did Coach want from him? What did he expect?

“Keeping me in the club after all this shit,” Alex muttered. “It’s like you’re saying I still have a chance to get anywhere.”

“Yes, you do,” Rodriguez nodded. “You’re a talented boy. Already in your first year, you were very close to the level of the first string.”

“But, I didn’t make it.”

“Indeed, because I have a policy of forming the first string from seniors,” Rodriguez said. Unless the kid was a godly prodigy who stood above the rest, there’s no chance Rodriguez would pick them for the first string before their last year. There were many reasons for that approach.

One of the goals was to make the younger players hunger for the first string, motivating them to train harder. After all, it’s not like getting on the first string as a junior was entirely impossible. The current captain of first string was one such rare example, a truly genius kid.

All in all, this motivator worked well for most kids. However, it backfired in Alex’s case.

In hindsight, maybe Rodriguez should have strayed from his policy this once and put Alex on the first string as a freshman. Unfortunately, he couldn’t predict these consequences at the time. He still had a lot to learn as a coach.

“This is your last year,” Rodriguez said. “You can still make it into the first string if you’re good enough. You may be rusty, but your sharp instincts are still there. If you can polish yourself in time for the regionals, who knows what’ll happen.”

“Are you really going forgive me...?” Alex hung his head. The drink can in his hand trembled as he tried to take a sip. “Even after all the shit I’ve been pulling the last two years, you’d still let me into the first string?”

“If you prove you’re putting effort and show results, I have no reason to refuse you. Everybody makes mistakes, especially kids. There’s no reason to condemn you for it.”

“T-Thank you v-very much.” Sobs mixed into Alex’s words.

“Good luck,” Rodriguez patted Alex’s shoulder and continued further down the hallway. “I’m expecting great things for you.” On that note, he left.

Both Alex and Jennifer received heavy blows after this match. Good. That should serve as a wakeup call for them. Each of them had to be broken down so they can rebuild themselves from scratch, stronger than ever. Once they do that... Hmhm, who knows how strong they’ll become.