“So…” said DJ, breaking the awkward silence that hung over Team 8’s table. “Should we go around and say our names and positions? It’d…uh…probably help us make a strategy for the match.”

Blaze snickered, making DJ glance down at the table in embarrassment.

“The name’s Blaze,” said Blaze. “My in-game name is Sonicboom, and I like to go fast. I’m just playing this game ‘cuz I have some free time, unlike this nerd DJ right here.”

The only person who laughed was the girl who had accompanied Blaze.

“I play scout ‘cuz it’s the fastest role in the game,” continued Blaze, running his hand through his curly locks of hair. “My favorite character to play is Artemis the Lightning ‘cuz, y’know, she’s fast.”

Val’s heart fell. Most Artemis players he played with tried to utilize her speed and stealth to assassinate, while her true strength lay in disrupting the enemies’ plans and positioning. This guy definitely did not know how to use her correctly.

“I’ll go next!” said the girl who had accompanied Blaze. “My name is Sydney and I’m a support player! I haven’t really played this game either, but when I do, I play Amethyst the Gem Healer!”

Val grimaced. Amethyst was nicknamed the “girlfriend character,” as she was extremely easy to play for beginners. Most players used her for her namesake asset – her ability to heal. Sydney seemed to fall under all of those stereotypes.

“I’m DJ,” said DJ, starting down at the table. “I’m a fighter. I’m learning how to play Sune the Alchemist.”

“Oh god!” said Blaze. “We got a wannabe pro on our team!”

Val opened his mouth to snap back out of instinct, but he stopped himself before he did.

That’s right. She told me I would never become a better player that way.

They turned to face Willow, the little girl. Her face was mostly obscured behind a curtain of long, red hair, but Val could make out a pair of pale blue eyes staring back out at them. After an awkward pause, Willow fumbled in her dress and pulled out a deck of notecards. She shuffled through them and placed one in the center of the table.

I’m Willow.

Willow sifted through a few more cards and began placing several down in succession, forming a sentence.

I play fighter. My best character is Benny the Bear.

After shuffling her cards, Willow placed one last card down on the table.

Suck a dick!

The other four at the table squinted and leaned in closer to see if they were reading the words correctly. Before they could get a good glimpse, Willow snatched the card away and replaced it with another one.

Nice to meet you!

“Ah,” said Blaze, speaking for the group. “Pleasure is all mine…ours. Except DJ.”

Val, after hearing what characters were on the team, had eliminated what little hope he had had for victory. They simply didn’t have the ability to succeed. Sydney and Willow were playing characters with a low skill ceiling and didn’t seem to be more than casual players. The casual player description also applied to Blaze. DJ had potential, but he was playing Sune, a character that took more than his fair share of hours to learn…

“Val?” asked DJ.

“Huh?” said Val. Upon meeting the expectant glances of his teammates, he realized it was his turn to introduce himself.

“My name’s Valentine, but you guys can just call me Val. My main is Lancaster the Knight. I play king.”

Blaze whistled. “Lancaster, eh? You any good?”

Val scowled. “I’m better than you!”

Before the tension could escalate any further, DJ interrupted.

“We should come up with a few starting strategies! We know the map is divided into four quadrants – the northwest is the Ruins, the northeast is the Mountains, the southwest is the Forest, and the southeast is the Lake. We know Excalibur can be placed anywhere in the map -”

“We know how to play the game, DJ,” said Blaze. “Stop nerding out and get to the good part.”

DJ obediently closed his mouth and took a deep breath.

“Team 8, you’re up in five minutes!” Elle called from a microphone.

“Don’t worry about the strategy,” said Blaze, sneering. “I’m the scout right? It’s my job to find the sword and the enemy team. I’ll be able to do both of those things before you can blink. You know why? ‘Cuz I’m fast.”

“What do I do? What do I do?” asked Sydney, sidling up to Blaze’s side.

“Hm?” said Blaze. “All you have to do is heal whoever is hurt.”

“Oh, that makes sense!” said Sydney. After a moment, she tilted her head to the side. “How do I heal people again?”

A single tear leaked down Val’s cheek.