A Dragon's Pride

BAM! Ronald crashed into the ground like a meteor! He was high in the sky just a moment ago, then he and the Ninja dove straight into the ground.

[C'mon, stand up! Quick!] Ronald urged his stunned knight. Bruh was lying on his ass after taking the fall and he took his sweet time getting up. This was a weird "downed" state that Izuna Drop inflicted as if that ult wasn't already busted enough.

[I mean, that shit took over 30% of my HP!] Ronald ranted. [Why does it need extra CC on top of that damage???]

Naturally, the enemy didn't miss this opportunity. Vanishing flipped backward and shot a shuriken at Ronald. The pointy metal lodged itself into Ronald's chest, marking him as a target to execute.

[So, running away isn't going to be an option, is it?] Ronald frowned. [This is sure turning ugly...]

With the shuriken stuck in Ronald's body, the Ninja was able to instantly blink to Ronald's location at any moment. Therefore, even if Ronald tries to get past that girl and flee toward his tower, Vanishing will catch up to him immediately.

[I can get outta here no problem with my ult, but I don't wanna waste it on a lame defensive play like this.]

Like, Dragonborn's main selling point was his ability to turn into a giant dragon and ravage the battlefield. Therefore, wasting this epic skill on escaping from some puny Ninja was lame. There's no way Ronald would ever do it-

"I hope you know what you have to do," Cato said. "In a situation like this, survival is your top priority."

"Dang, for real?" Ronald's shoulders slumped. [So, he's telling me to waste my ult. It's dang weak play, like everything this guy ever suggests. But...]

Dying here would be terrible, that's for sure. It'll give the enemy tons of momentum, and everybody on the Leopards will blame Ronald for the rest of his life.

Especially, now that he received an official order to survive, his teammates gonna bash him twice as hard if he disobeys and winds up dead. [Thanks a lot, Cato...]

Basically, Ronald had no choice. So, the moment he got back on his feet, he unleashed Draconic Fever. His body expanded, transforming him from a metal-clad knight into a giant dragon.

[Well, now I just gotta leap away and get outta here... or do I?] A sudden realization hit him all of a sudden.

There he was, a giant dragon towering over a little Ninja. His opponent, the one who threatened to take his life just moments ago, now looked so small and insignificant. With his newfound powers, Ronald could easily crush this assaulter!

[I can kill her for sure if we fight now.] Ronald was that confident. [I see the Vanguard stopped to fight the minions, so this is my cue! I'm about to turn history's biggest table on you, girl!]

"Don't bother fighting." Cato shot down the idea before it even had a chance to be born. "I'm sure the Vanguard will come over there soon enough, so you'll be in a 1v2 unless you keep running."

"Nah, the guy is busy with the... the minions..." Ronald's words trailed off as he realized that this was yesterday's news. Phoenix did stop to play with the minions for a moment, but right now, he was rushing to the scene again!

For a moment there, Ronald almost got fooled into thinking that the pesky Vanguard was out of the equation. Thankfully, Cato saw through that ploy before it was too late.

[My, such a disgustingly nice shot-call.] Cato praised his opponent with a hint of venom. [You made the Vanguard taunt the minions, which simultaneously fooled our resident idiot into thinking that he had a chance to fight 1v1. So damn shrewd.]

Most likely, Phoenix's slow response to Vanishing's gank wasn't a planned act. It reeked of miscommunication.

Nonetheless, Yuel found a nice way to utilize this suboptimal situation in his favor. That shrewd tactician almost fooled Ronald into thinking that he wasn't actually in grave danger.

[This brat should be thankful I pointed him in the right direction.] Cato thought. [He'd be dead without me, that rascal.]

Now that Ronald knew the Vanguard was on the way, the only option left for him was to retreat. Or, was it?

[Maybe I can pull off this 1v2?] Ronald entertained the idea. [I mean, I'm hella strong right now and these guys aren't anything to write home about. I just might be able to do this!]

"I hope you're not thinking about something stupid like fighting them," Cato said.

"Naaaaah, of course not, haha..." Ronald gave up and activated Draconic Rush.

In dragon form, the skill transformed into a big leap ability. The dragon flapped its giant wings and took off toward the sky, then landed a long distance away from the scene.

Just like that, Ronald evacuated from the area. He put an end to the enemy's gank with this one simple trick.

Despite how unexpected the attack was, Ronald was never in true danger here at any point. Nonetheless, the whole exchange left a bitter taste in his mouth.

[Dang, there goes my lane control.] He grumped. [These guys are nothing, so they got no business kicking me out of the lane like this. Next time, I gonna turn the tables on them real good!]

By the end of the day, Ronald survived this attempt on his life. So, if even he was salty about the outcome, then his opponents were surely ten times saltier...