Give Up or Burn Out

"My, my~" Cato smiled impishly. "It's impressive that they still keep going."

"Shouldn't we wrap this up already?" Sonya asked. "The longer we drag this out, the riskier it's getting for us."

"Oh, please. This is just our usual strategy, isn't it?"

"More like, [your] strategy. I don't remember ever advocating a strategy that needlessly drags out the game."

"My, so rebellious~"

"No, but really," Sonya insisted. "Aren't we dragging this out more than usual? We should finish them off already."

"Yeah, c'mon!" Ronald tuned in. "We've already won, so let's move to the next one! Chop chop!"

"I agree," William said. "This is getting tiresome. We could've finished this game at least five minutes ago if you just let me push all the way."

"Just a liiiiiiittle longer," Cato said. "We finally got to play decent opponents for once, so we have to make sure we crush their spirits VERY thoroughly~" He smiled like an angel as he said that.

"You damn sadist." Sonya made a face.

"Not gonna lie, dude legit be creeping me out sometimes." Ronald laughed dryly.

"This is just STRATEGY, guys. STRATEGY." Cato insisted. "You understand, right, Matt?"

"I guess so." Matthew shrugged. "I mean, I agree this is getting a little boring, but this is an actual strategy. Our opponents are wasting way more energy than us right now. So, if they keep tryharding so much without taking a break, then they'll wear themselves out."

"Yes, yes! Exactly!" Cato nodded. "We're squeezing out all their mental juices right now. And, if they keep being this persistent, then they'll be playing like zombies in the next games~"

"Do we really have to resort to such cheap tactics?" William asked. "We're clearly stronger than them even without these lame tricks."

"My, you're the last person I expected to hear that from. I thought you're a big fan of using your smarts to defeat strong opponents."

"Yes, emphasis on 'strong' opponents. I don't think Stratus fits that description."

"Oh, is that how you see it? Even though you went neck-to-neck with Gunz and lost?"

"Hmph, I didn't lose. It was just a matter of not having enough time to adapt. The next time I duel him, I'll beat him convincingly."

"My, is that so? Then, I can't wait to see that~" Cato smiled impishly. "Anyways, until that actually happens, I firmly believe we should regard Stratus as a 'strong' team. I mean, if our strongest fighter can't beat their strongest fighter, then you can't really say we're 'stronger' on all fronts, can you?"

"I'll get it done next game, mark my words."

"I'll hold you to that. Until then, I'd like to continue using this long-term strategy and keep wearing down our 'strong' opponents."

"Tch, suit yourself." William sighed and didn't argue any further. [In the end, he is right. I didn't crush Stratus as convincingly as I should've.]

And so, by the time the debate died out, everybody was back on board with Cato's long-term strategy.

[Easy.] Cato smiled to himself. [All I needed was for Matt to back me up a little and for Will to step down. That's how I get myself a convincing majority vote. Oh, how I love democracy~]

With William bending the knee, Ronald wasn't going to object any further either. So, that left Sonya as the sole rebel, but this robot won't ever object to the majority vote.

Just like that, the entire team ended up greenlighting Cato's strategy. No matter how "questionable" they considered it, they were going to keep dragging this game on and on without delivering the finishing blow. It was so much fun~

[I wonder, what's going to happen next?] Cato licked his lips. [What will you do, my dear Yuel? Will you swallow your pride and surrender? Or, will your team run out of patience and will rebel against you? Either way, it'll be an entertaining show for sure. I'm so glad you're such a sore loser~]

More often than not, players who favored fast aggressive tactics also happened to burn out just as quickly. They started off strong and swift, but they also called it quits as soon as they hit a wall. Essentially, it was "all-or-nothing" for them.

But, Yuel wasn't quite like that. Even though he usually sought a swift victory, he was more than ready to play the long game if needed.

Perhaps it was his chess experience that taught him the importance of struggling until the very end. Even though many high-level games were practically decided during the mid-game, there were still times when the late-game had the last word.

[And, MOBA is even more unpredictable than chess. There's so much room for human error that anything can happen.]

For example, that doofus Ronald might overextend at some point and die. In turn, that'll hamper the team's power during team fights, possibly leading to further deaths and to losing control of the game.

Just like that, with a simple domino effect starting from one fool's mistake, the entire game might flip on its head in an instant. And, knowing that such a scenario was possible, Yuel had no choice but to keep playing. Giving up wasn't an option, not in a competitive game. That's probably what that sore loser thought.

[This is almost as fun as messing with Fiona.] Cato smiled wildly. [Ah, I just can't get enough of it. Soooo good~]

He literally shook from the ecstasy. The mere thought of toying with Yuel's entire team like puppets gave Cato shivers of pleasure.

[Oh, this isn't good. I might get addicted to this~] Cato thought. [As Sonya said, if we drag this out for TOO long, then it might actually start getting a little risky. But, this is SO MUCH fun~]

There was nothing better than watching a sore loser struggling to the bitter end despite impossible odds. And, bonus points when it was a strong player, somebody who wasn't easy to crack under normal circumstances.

[But, I did it. I cracked you, Yuel. I did my homework on you and it's paying off now. It's just like our chess match~]

Back then, too, Cato came to the match prepared. He knew all about Yuel's victory against Fiona, so he naturally studied this new threat. At the time, trampling over Yuel sounded about as attractive as defeating Fiona.

[And, it was really almost as fun~] Cato smiled from ear to ear. [He was just as stubborn as I expected.]

Even once Cato established a far superior position on the board, Yuel continued struggling until the bitter end. The fact Cato didn't go for the kill right away encouraged Yuel to continue struggling despite how hopeless his odds were.

Most opponents would've given up at that point, especially the aggressive players who banked on the mid-game to seal the deal. But, not Yuel. Even though his early aggression fell through, he continued fending off Cato's attacks while desperately searching for an opening.

[As long as your chance of winning isn't a round 0%, you'll keep struggling, right? You'll keep racking your little brain to find some sophisticated solution that might not even exist.]

Cato shuddered at the mere thought of this, as it was both exciting and horrifying at the same time. It was delightful to force a stubborn opponent like this into such a difficult dilemma, but Cato almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.

[I can be a sore loser sometimes too, so I know the feeling.] Cato smiled wryly. [I bet that, in his shoes, I'd be trying just as hard to find a solution. So really, you have my sympathies, Yuel, you really do. So, that's why I'm going to keep bullying you~]

Truly, there was no greater joy than messing around with strong, stubborn opponents. Creating the most unbearable hell for them was true art~

[So c'mon, show me how you plan to end this story. Are you going to submit? Or, to burn yourself out? Or, maybe your teammates will crumble first? Either way, this is going to end in tragedy for you, and I'll be here to witness it~]

And so, the victim continued his pointless struggle.

Will Yuel actually be able to change anything by fighting until the very end? Certainly not. Nonetheless, he'll keep trying anyway.

It was a simple matter of his pride as a competitive player. As long as the possibility was there, Yuel will refuse to give up. That's what made this so fun~

And as expected, under Yuel's command, Stratus continued struggling on all fronts. They fended off incoming attacks and jumped on every opportunity to counterattack. But, of course, Cato's shot-calling shut them down at every turn. He had complete control over the board here, like an overlord looking down on rabble.

It was a dead end for sure, yet Stratus continued the futile struggle. And, their endless suffering was soooo sweet~