The End of Preparations

The day of the Valkyries vs. StormBlitz match has finally come.

For the past two weeks, the Valkyries studied their opponents from top to bottom, squeezing out every possible bit of information from the available replays. And, at the same time, they also continued honing their individual skills to leave no weak spots in their formation.

Now, it was time to show their newly gained skill on the competitive stage. They had already faced one embarrassing defeat in ProCenter, but they had every intention of making up for it today. At least, most of them were confident about that...

"Ugh, I don't feel so good..." Lua held her stomach. Her face was pale as a sheet. It wouldn't be strange to see her collapse at any moment.

If this were the first time it happened, then Fiona would have assumed the worst. After all, one sick player would immediately disqualify the entire team when there were no substitutes available.

Of course, unlike sports that placed a physical burden on the players, it was perhaps a little more passable to force a sick teammate to play in esports. However, doing so will surely not lead to a fruitful game for either side. Only the stronger team has the luxury of playing with such a handicap, and even then it was a bad idea.

Therefore, by all accounts, Fiona should have announced the Valkyries' forfeit. That is if Lua was truly sick. However, after the experience of the previous scrim, it was clear that Lua's issues lay elsewhere.

"You appear just as shaky as you did last time, my dear flower," Andria spoke to Lua using her usual theatrics. "Does the grand stage overwhelm you yet again?"

"P-Probably…" Lua had a seizure as she said that. Just thinking about playing on that huge stage sent shivers across her body.

In short, Lua's symptoms were caused by stage fright. The same exact thing happened during the Leopards scrim as well. Back then, Fiona was a few steps away from making the team forfeit.

Fortunately, as a member of the drama club, Andria had plenty of experience with freshmen who went through similar ordeals. The symptoms always looked grave at first, but it was usually possible to calm down the patient with the right words.

"There is no need to be so nervous, my dear flower," Andria spoke softly, almost whispering into Lua's ear. "You have practiced plenty over the past couple of weeks. There is absolutely no reason why you should fear these opponents."

"That is true," Fiona tuned in. "I can personally attest that each and every one of you has worked hard over the past month. We are not the same newbie team we were during the previous scrim."

"R-Right!" Lua nodded strongly. She knew all that in her head, but it sounded a hundred times more convincing when the Landberht Princess came out and said it out loud.

"Likewise, there is also no reason to be afraid of the crowd, my dear flower," Andria spoke gently. "Those who came here today to watch this bout will not be interested in criticizing your performance. Right now, all their eyes are focused on StormBlitz."

"Yes, that makes sense," Lua agreed, her tone now sounded more relaxed than before. Some of the usual colors returned to her cheeks, though she still wasn't looking 100%.

At the same time, Andria's words also sparked a flame in the other members. "So, they all think we're gonna the back dancers here today, huh," Karen shook her head. "I say we show them who's the real boss! Let's smoke StormBlitz!" 

"I agree with you for once!" Cornelia nodded strongly. "These peasants have no right to look down on our noble team!"

"Wait, so now the entire team is considered 'noble'?" 

"What are you talking about? Of course it is!" Cornelia lifted her chin in confidence. "After all, this team has nobles such as myself and Fiona playing for it! So, it's obligated to be a noble team, even if it has lowly peasants like you."

"Are you picking a fight, girl?" Karen cracked her knuckles but she didn't get the chance to start anything.

"Karen, Cornelia," Fiona said coldly. "I would appreciate it if you spared us your childish quarrels for today."

"... okay, fine." Karen pouted but relaxed her threatening fists. "You're right, this isn't the time for this shit. Sorry, sis."

"Thank you. Also, language." 

"Bleh."

"And, you too, Cornelia," Fiona shifted her gaze to the other troublemaker. "Please refrain from such blatant provocations, at least for today."

"Very well," Cornelia complied. "Just for today, I shall treat this peasant- ack!" A cold shiver ran down her spine the moment she uttered the word without thinking! Fiona was staring daggers at her! "I-I meant, I shall treat this [honorable teammate] with respect! Yes."

"Thank you."

"Phew." Cornelia wiped the noble sweat from her forehead. For a moment there, Fiona's majestic aura was going to choke to death.

Even though Fiona politely thanked them for complying with her request, her words sounded more like confirmation that the duo avoided capital punishment this time. It was quite terrifying, to be honest.

Shortly after that, the commission died down. Lua gathered bits of courage for the upcoming match, whereas Karen and Cornelia piped down.

Fiona took advantage of this preparation time to quiz the other members about StormBlitz. It was a last-minute review session about the most important topics of today's match.

Sometime later, the team's coach also joined them in the waiting room. "I see you're reviewing the material. Good."

"Oh!" Karen saw this development as an excuse to tune out of the review session. "Heya, coach!"

"MASTER," Nakajima retorted sharply. "How many times do I have to correct you?" 

"Yeah, yeah, [master]." Karen rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad you made it here early," Nakajima said. "I figured you'd be running late since I couldn't give you a ride this time."

"It was not a problem," Fiona said. "I simply arranged a ride in the limousine instead. It had more than enough space to accommodate everybody."

"Oh, yes, of course..." Nakajima smiled wrly. [Rich people and their privileges. Sigh.]

Before continuing, she took a few moments to examine everybody's condition. Unlike in the previous scrim, this time the girls looked ready. Even Lua wasn't shaking like a leaf anymore.

"You're looking better than ever," Nakajima said. "I'm impressed."

"We had a chance to do some pep talk before you arrived," Fiona reported.

"I see." Nakajima nodded in satisfaction. [It looks like there's no need for any of the motivational speeches I prepared. Oh well.]

It was always best when a team overcame such obstacles on its own. The master could only guide the pupils up to a certain point. Ultimately, the players will be on the stage all by themselves, so they had to be able to sort out such issues on their own in the heat of the action.

[Fiona and Andria are good in this department, so I'll leave the job to them.] Nakajima thought. [It's going to be hard, but I'll have to restrain myself from stepping in at the first sight of a problem.]

Despite being a greenhorn team, the Valkyries had the talent to make a big wave in the region's competitive scene. It might not happen this year, but it'll definitely happen at some point.

And no, this wasn't just Nakajima's biased opinion as their coach. Some of these girls were really that impressive.

Currently, their greatest weakness was the lack of practical experience, both with competitive games and with Classmancers at large. That's why Nakajima had to carefully lead them by the hand for now so they wouldn't trip on any of the obvious pitfalls.

"Very well!" BAM! Nakajima drove her shinai into the ground, producing a loud knock that got everybody's attention. "Since you appear mentally prepared, let's briefly review our game plan for today. If there are still any things you're unsure about or don't understand, then I'm sorry to break it to you, but you should've asked me about them at least a week ago."

"Dang, harsh…" Karen squirmed in discomfort. This review felt like an exam and she wasn't so sure how well she was prepared for it. [Whoopise, haha.]

"With that said, a moment of embarrassment is far better than an eternity of ignorance," Nakajima continued. "So, make sure to ask away, don't be shy about it. Better late than never."

And so, the team went over today's game plan one last time. Fortunately, everybody remembered the key details about their respective opponents and how the team was planning to combat the StormBlitz's defensive shield at large. Even the usual suspects, Karen and Cornelia, answered questions correctly. It was a sight to behold.

Though, of course, they ought to be able to do that much. After all, Nakajima and Fiona drilled all that info into them on a regular basis.

They spread the many studying sessions across two weeks to make sure the materials slowly but surely sank in. Therefore, nobody here had any excuses. They were obligated to ace this final test. It should come naturally to them at this point.

However, there was also the pressure of the stage to consider here. After all, if theoretical knowledge was enough to win games, then armchair theorizers would've been the world champions.

In reality, the practical execution of the game plan was a challenge in its own right. It was so common for people to blank out, to confuse themselves with overthinking, etc.

So, to warm up the gears in their brains before the match, Nakajima fired off a pop quiz.. "Karen, how will Athena fight you in a 1v1?"

"She probably wouldn't," Karen answered. "She's gonna run away like a pussy like 100% of the time. And, if she DOES stay to fight, it'll be hella sus. It'll mean she's probably planning some shit."

"Correct. Next, Cornelia. If Hitter picks a fight with you, how should you respond?" 

"Hmph, by teaching that peasant his place!" Cornelia puffed her chest in confidence but quickly backed down against Nakajima's sharp glare. "A-Ahem. I mean, I will gracefully retreat to a more favorable position before engaging in combat."

"And, why exactly do you have to retreat first?"

"Hmph, because it's a waste of time for a noble such as myself to deal with a commoner of that level."

"And, more specifically?"

"Hmph..." Cornelia scowled. "The formal answer is that some people seem to believe I will struggle to reliably overwhelm Hitter in combat, so I must secure a superior position before fighting him. Though, I must insist that is completely false."

"I see," Nakajima said. "So, you would rather trust in your baseless confidence and take the risk?"

"I…" Cornelia wanted to respond with ["Of course!"] but she knew it wasn't the answer the coach was looking for. "No, of course not. For the sake of the team, I shall avoid such uncertain battles. Most of the time."

"EVERY time."

"... yes, of course." Cornelia averted her eyes. She was vehemently opposed to this, but she had no choice but to bend the knee at this time. This wasn't the time or place to incur the coach's wrath.

"With that said," Nakajima continued. "We also discussed that there are exceptions to the rule, right? So, in what situations are you allowed to pick a fight with Hitter on even ground?"

"When Fiona grants such permission."

"Huh." Nakajima was taken a little aback by that answer. "The more accurate answer is: when the entire team agrees to the idea given the circumstances."

"Hmph." Cornelia lifted her chin. "Clearly, Fiona is the only one worth listening to on such matters."

"Very well." Nakajima sighed. "Fiona, I trust you to properly analyze such situations and consult others as needed."

"Of course." Fiona nodded. "I believe events like this will only occur when I'm in a position to provide immediate backup."

"That's a good way of thinking" Nakajima nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, next question…"

In a similar manner, everybody cleared the pop quiz without any problems. This much was to be expected, given that Nakajima had already asked them similar questions over the past two weeks.

In many ways, this was just a review exam. The goal wasn't to stump the girls with difficult questions but rather to check their state of mind.

It was all too common for an amateur's brain to turn into a salad the moment the real event started. This actually happened to some of the girls during the previous scrim, something Nakajima overlooked.

So, coming up with this carefully planned pop quiz was Nakajima's homework for the scrim. Fighting the region's 2nd best team was already going to be a Herculean task for the girls, so at the very least, they had to face it in optimal condition.

And, in addition to sorting out any salads in their heads, acing the pop quiz should fill the girls with confidence. That's why Nakajima specifically picked questions that sounded hard on the surface but which the girls should already know the answers to.

She had already asked them variations of all these questions over the past two weeks, so this "pop quiz" was more like a review exam. Still, it was good to see that the girls remembered the finer points.

After this, the Valkyries were mentally prepared from every angle for the upcoming match. They did their homework, they built their confidence, and they improved their skill substantially since the previous scrimmage.

Now, it was time to show the results on the competitive stage!