Friday arrived and the match for deciding the new first string was upon them.

“We'll use the computer rooms,” Howard handed Yuel a key.

“How did you get the keys?” Yuel asked.

“Let's just say I borrowed them, alright?”

Borrowed. Even though we're supposed to keep a low profile about being at school without our advisor. Sure. Yuel wanted to retort, but that didn't really matter. Howard probably knew where to get the keys because StormBlitz held their entrance exams in these computer rooms. That’s where Yuel met and fought Howard for the first time. And now, yet again, they'll be clashing with each other in these same rooms.

“Good luck,” Howard smiled and stretched his hand.

“You too,” Yuel accepted the handshake with a smile, but immediately applied some force behind it because Howard did the same. The handshake and smiles were just a sportsmanship formality. In truth, they both wished for the other to crash and burn in the upcoming match. Neither of them was allowed to lose today.

After a tug of war that felt like it lasted five minutes, neither of them managed to crush the other's hand and they let go. That's it. From this moment on, they were sworn enemies. No pity and no mercy. They silently approached their respective doors and went inside.

The two computer rooms were adjacent to each other, a single wall separated between them. Perhaps the two rooms were a single one in the past and were separated to make it look like this school had two computer rooms. That’d explain why each room was too small to house a whole class and students had to work in duos and trios.

Whatever the case, this arrangement of two rooms was convenient for them today. There were even five monitors already lined up in a row, just waiting to be used for a Classmancers match. Everything looked exactly the same as during the entrance exam.

Yuel booted the five computers and opened Classmancers on all of them. He and Howard organized everything by entering all game clients into the same room. Physically, each team was going to be in a separate room, but virtually, inside the game, they were all packed together into one space. Nothing new about that concept, but it felt funny somehow.

Before long, the other team members arrived. Howard and Yuel arrived early to set everything up but everybody was told to get here at 9 am.

“Yo,” Lars greeted everybody by flashing his teeth. “Ready to rek these dudes?” He raised his hand.

“Of course,” Yuel also raised his hand for a high-five. They were born ready for this.

“I'm going to play my best too,” Julia interjected.

“Look who’s all ya fired up,” Lars grinned and huddled both of them. “We gonna do this, yo!”

“Definitely.” “We got this.”

Roi and Dan shortly joined them. Dan barely made it in time, whereas Roi was late by three minutes. There always had to be that one kid who comes late, right?

Anyway, everybody was here now. The stage was set. The match was about to begin!

“About the first game,” Howard addressed his team. “We might lose because I plan to let them use Trickshooter.”

“Kek,” Gregory adjusted his glasses. “I see you like to live dangerously.”

“Sounds like an unnecessary gamble,” Gilbert said. “Reason?”

“Simple,” Howard said. “We all agree their team gonna be at its peak if Lars gets Trickshooter, right? Which means: if we beat them in that condition, it's as good as winning the entire match right there. Think of the mental blow that'd deliver.”

“Evil,”. Gregory smirked, his eyes full of respect. He must have been taking mental notes about this tactic.

“But,” Gilbert objected. “If we lose, they'll be one game away from winning. You sure that's worth it? I never thought you, of all people, would ever suggest taking such a big risk.”

“Sometimes, you have to take a calculated risk to increase your chances of winning.”

“Sounds like something Yuel would say,” Gilbert raised an eyebrow. “But, if you're sure...”

There were no further objections. Calling this idea “bizarre” didn't do it justice, but everybody trusted Howard's judgment. Over the past week, he has displayed an unrivaled ability to organize, strengthen and lead the team. He paid attention to the smallest quirks of each teammate and advised them how to cover their weak points, how to play without dying in difficult situations and even which classes suited them best in different team compositions.

Howard's way of doing things often led the team to victory in Ranked, even against strong pre-made teams filled with “golden names”. These guys were either active/former competitive students or maybe even legit pros. Even so, with Howard holding the reins, the team felt strong and successfully ground most opponents into submission.

Therefore, even though nobody quite understood why the ever-careful Howard would go for such a dangerous gamble, everybody was going to follow his lead.

Nobody seems too concerned. Alright. Howard nodded to himself. As long as this plan wasn't going to cause distrust, it was worth a shot. It's alright that nobody understood the full scope of Howard's intentions this time. In fact, it’s better this way.

“Something Yuel would suggest”, huh. Howard smiled meaningfully. At first glance, the idea of taking a big gamble to potentially reap huge benefits was very Yuel-like. In fact, maybe Yuel really inspired this line of thinking in Howard.

However, there was one fundamental difference between Howard’s idea and Yuel’s tactics. What Howard was trying to achieve here was radically different from gaining “a better position” in a game. Yuel probably couldn’t think in such a way yet because he was still a greenhorn when it came to competitive experience.

“Tai,” Howard patted Taison’s shoulder. “Your ability to 1v1 Lars is going to play a huge role this game. Think you can handle his Trickshooter?”

“Kahaha, no problem!” Taison pumped a fist. “I'm the 1v1 champ! I beat scrubs and get da pizza!”

“A very questionable motivation, but good enough for me.” Howard nodded. Let's see how far he can go. I'm not going to count on it, but if he can beat Lars in 1v1 that'd give us a real chance to win this gamble. If he loses, that's good in its own way too.

“So, Greg,” Howard turned to Gregory. “Do you feel like playing hardcore defense?”

“Eh, do I have to?” Gregory made a face. “I mean, if you tell me to, I’ll do it, but...”

“Nah, that’s alright. Play what you think works.”

“Sweet! I wanna go for something more balanced, like Knight.”

“No problem.” This first game will change your mind, then. Howard left it at that. Forcing a difficult brat like Gregory play something he didn’t like was only going to put a damper on his motivation and will create a rift in the team. It’ll be a hundred times better when Gregory chooses to turtle of his own accord. That’s one benefit to reap from this crucial first game.

After Howard addressed each member, nobody was concerned about the Trickshooter gamble anymore.... save for Howard himself. No matter how he twisted it, this plan still harbored huge risks. Losing a game in a best-of-three match was like putting one foot in the grave.

Even if they lose, they’ll gain many benefits. Ultimately, they should win more than they lost. In the long run, it’ll be the superior strategy... it had to be.

This isn’t good for my health. Howard sighed. Even the tiniest risk could prove fatal, and failure was absolutely not an option today.

“My,” Ellen leaned on Howard’s back. “You’re such a worrywart.”

“I’m not worried.”

“Oh, is that so? Then, pray tell, why are you tapping your foot as if you’re trying to break the floor?”

“Tch,” Howard looked away. His right leg was really restless, he didn't even notice.

“You’re not the only one who is good at noticing stuff, you know.” Ellen gently wrapped her hand around his. “It’s okay, we got this. We’ve been discussing that idea the whole week, remember?”

“Since when it’s your job to console me?”

“Hehe, what can I say? I’m a woman of many talents~” Ellen playfully rubbed her nose against his arm.

“And here I thought you’ll be the most worried about this first game. You’re probably going to be a primary target. Sure you can survive his Trickshooter?”

“I have absolute faith my dear knight will protect me~”

“You gonna make it my responsibility?” Howard sighed with a chuckle. “Alright, let’s begin. No use worrying about it. We won’t know the result until we play them.”

With everybody convinced, or at least not outright opposed, Howard’s plan was set in motion.

“Hey, look!” Lars shoved his finger into Yuel’s monitor. “They left Shooter open!”

“I can see that.” Yuel frowned. The first banning phase was over, yet Trickshooter was still available and it was Yuel’s turn to pick a class for the team.

“C’mon, dude! Let’s grab it!”

“Hrm.” Yuel crossed his arms. Why? Why didn’t Howard ban Trickshooter? Everybody knew Lars was exponentially stronger when playing Trickshooter. There was no conceivable reason to allow Lars to play Trickshooter.

Was it some sort of trap? If so, Howard was way too obvious about it. And yet, it was a very alluring trap, the kind you can’t help but walk into even though you know it’s risky.

“My, Yuyu is pretty shaken~” Ellen covered her lips as if to muffle laughter.

“He must be pretty shocked” Howard smiled to himself. So, you hesitate even though I gave you such a great opportunity. Alright, we’re off to a good start.

Picking Trickshooter should have been a no-brainer for Yuel, yet he took his time. Sure, standard theory claimed that taking Carry as the first pick wasn’t advised and yadda yadda yadda, but that theory didn’t hold to this situation. Lars’s godlike skill with Trickshooter transcended any reason or logic.

Nevertheless, Yuel hesitated. He was wary of what Howard could possibly have in mind to allow this. Yuel will probably still go for Trickshooter in the end, but this hesitation was huge. Howard’s presence already started weighing on Yuel’s mind and that weight will only become heavier as the game goes on. This was bound to impair Yuel’s judgment at some point.

I can’t figure it out. Yuel sighed. There were multiple ways to deal with a Trickshooter on lane but none of them was effective enough to hold down a beast like Lars. Maybe Howard and Ellen underestimated Lars’s skill? Or rather, they underestimated Yuel and Lars as a Bot duo? Perhaps it was Howard’s way of saying “We’ll beat you even with this handicap.”

“C’mon, dude!” Lars insisted. “Gimme a Trickshooter already.” He pretended like he was going to snatch Yuel’s mouse, which made Yuel instinctively grab the mouse.

Due to the way this match room was set, Yuel had complete authority over the drafting phase. He was the one who’ll pick classes for everybody, so the decision laid with him. So, Trickshooter or no Trickshooter?

“Just to make sure,” Yuel turned to Lars. “You can play Trickshooter, right? I pretty much banned you from playing it the whole week because I was sure it’ll be banned every game.”

“No problem,” Lars grinned. “You didn’t let me play it in Ranked, but I still practiced it at home every day.”

“Seriously?” Yuel blinked. Even though they trained together from early in the morning until late into the night every day, Lars still found time to work on his Trickshooter? Heh, what a guy.

“Okay, let’s do it then.” Yuel locked-in the Trickshooter. If they think they can beat me and Lars with this handicap, be my guests. Surprise me, maybe there’s a counter I haven’t thought of.

But, there was nothing that resembled a hard counter in the enemy’s picks. Howard's first two picks were Paladin and Knight, their Support and Top. Paladin was a decent counter because he could shut down Trickshooter’s ult with Justice Strike, but it wasn’t the most reliable tactic, especially not against Lars’s inhuman twitch reflexes.

Afterward, Howard picked Pirate for Carry. Again, nothing unusual and nothing that directly countered Trickshooter.

Maybe there’s some larger strategy in store? Yuel couldn't help but wonder. There had to be something to it because Howard would never take such a risk for no reason. But, no matter how hard Yuel pondered, it felt like banging his head against a wall. Howard's plan was shroud in mystery.

Before long, the drafting phase approached its end. Both sides had only one more class to pick, which happened to be the Jungler for both teams.

Leaving Jungler for last was a calculated choice by Yuel. With Dan's versatility, it was best to push the Jungler pick to the very end and pick a class which countered the enemy comp the best. On the other hand, in Taison's case, there was probably no special reason to leave him to last. As a Jungler, low versatility was one of Taison’s most glaring flaws. He only ever played bruisers and never played assassins. Therefore, Yuel could pick a Jungler with the assumption that Taison will pick a bruiser.

“Venomancer seems good here,” Yuel addressed Dan. “What do you think?”

“Sounds good,” Dan smirked. “If Taison picks a bruiser, they gonna have a pretty tanky comp, so taking them down with percentage damage gonna be fun.”

“Indeed.” Yuel nodded. They have already discussed Venomancer as one of the likely picks for this match. The enemy already had a Paladin and a Knight, so together with Taison's bruiser - they'll have three tanky classes. Venomancer was one of the most effective ways to deal with those.

So, he went for it. Howard smiled wryly. That Venomancer pick clearly factored Taison's tendency to play bruisers. Howard left Taison’s pick for last in hope Yuel wouldn't consider this line of attack, but Yuel gotta be Yuel. Sneaking somebody’s weakness past Yuel was impossible.

But, you fell into my trap! Howard smirked. I also knew Taison's weakness, so I made him practice assassins! ...I wish it was like that. He sighed. It's something he really wanted to do, but it was impossible to pull off, especially not over the span of a single week.

Taison's love for 1v1 fights caused his fixation on bruisers. Sneaking behind enemies to burst them down wasn't his style. Instead, he wanted to fight his enemies face-to-face and take them down via a display of strength. As a result, even when he agreed to play assassin due to Howard's request, Taison retained the same gung-ho mentality and challenged his enemies to 1v1s. Needless to say, that didn't turn out well for him.

To fix Taison's weakness, it was first necessary to change his mindset. That was too great of a challenge for Howard, especially with the time limit of a single week. Not to mention that forcing Taison to practice something he didn't enjoy was only going to hurt his motivation. Howard's hands were tied on that matter.

“What you want to pick?” Howard asked.

“Lancer looking hot right now,” Taison said without the slightest hint of concern. So what if picking a busier will play right into the enemy's Venomancer pick? Taison just gonna wreck some scrubs as usual!

“Alright,” Howard nodded with a small sigh on the side. This was his team right now, so he had to deal with it. He was the one who came up with this arrangement in the first place, so there's nobody else to blame but him. He’ll have to make the best out the hand he dealt himself and to push toward victory despite the odds.

With the Lancer pick, the drafting phase came to an end. The starter selection match was about to begin!

Picks:

Yuel: Alchemist

Lars: Trickshooter

Julia: Electromancer

Dan: Venomancer

Roi: Dark Knight

---

Howard: Paladin

Ellen: Pirate

Gilbert: Warlock

Taison: Lancer

Gregory: Knight