Decisions

Yu Wenzhou felt the early morning breeze brush past his face and sighed deeply. As he watched the sunrise from the balcony of his hotel room, he felt the weight of indecision heavy on his shoulders.

It was currently the 18th of July and he was certain the team would be resting, basking in their victory over Australia the previous day. He closed his eyes and briefly relived the moment the last Australian player fell in the group competition.

The goosebumps that covered his skin, the sigh of relief that escaped him as he pulled the headset off, the joy blooming in his chest as he retrieved his card from the reader and the ear-splitting shouts that filled the stadium the moment the players stepped out of the booth.

It was a moment he would never forget.

The match with Australia was not in any way close. China had won, crushing the opposition with twelve points to four. It was a match whose result was set in stone but its importance could not be overlooked.

The first match of the tournament for the Chinese team and an overwhelming victory. Morale was high and while the members of the public and the news agencies would be carrying the news for some time, Yu Wenzhou and the pros had already moved on. Their gazes were fixed firmly on what the immediate future held for them. Canada. Denmark. France.

And that was where the indecision came in.

The more Yu Wenzhou thought about it, the more it solidified in his head that Ye Xiu had to play One Autumn Leaf for their match against Denmark. He was also certain that the rest of the team, including the current One Autumn Leaf wielder, Sun Xiang agreed with him.

Even if everybody was on board with the idea, it had to be approached carefully.

Should Ye Xiu and Sun Xiang alternate practice sessions with the card? Sun Xiang was scheduled to play in the group competition against Canada. Would the switching affect his performance? They could end up losing to Canada due to their preparations for Denmark.

It was not only the switching that could affect his performance. The thought of being replaced alone was a significant psychological blow.

The blow might have overreaching effects, not be limited to Sun Xiang alone. The other team members may begin to fear for their positions as well. Yu Wenzhou had no problem giving his account card to Ye Xiu. He knew Ye Xiu was better and to him, the greatest pride would be winning the world cup.

But everybody's cause for pride was different. Would the rest of the pros feel threatened by Ye Xiu's versatility and fear losing their positions?

Add all this to the fact that Sun Xiang had a huge fan base that would love to see him play at any cost and you had a proper bomb that could blow the entire team apart.

Yu Wenzhou's hand tightened around the railing of the balcony as the thoughts made rounds in his head. He had been up before the dawn and yet, no answer had revealed itself to him.

Shaking his head, he pushed off the railing and stepped into his room.

"There is no need agonizing about it. Let's play Glory instead," he whispered to himself in the quiet room.

Although there was a personal computer in the room, he needed the short walk to the training building to clear his head. Grabbing a jacket, his phone and keys, he made his way down the lobby and into the elevator.

He treaded the now-familiar terrazzo pathways to the building, enjoying the early morning and subsequent quiet.

Yu Wenzhou inserted the key into the door of the Chinese team practice room but to his surprise, the door was already open. Twisting the knob, he peered inside, expecting to see the cleaning staff but the room was empty and dark, save for the blue light of a computer screen illuminating the features of one person.

Ye Xiu.

Yu Wenzhou paused, hand on the knob, brows furrowed. What was Ye Xiu doing at this hour?

He stepped into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him and went to stand behind Ye Xiu. Yu Wenzhou glanced at the computer screen, absorbing the information displayed on it and slowly, his confusion turned to respect and something akin to awe.

Ye Xiu was practising. Here in the dark room, at the crack of dawn, less than twelve hours after their last match. And what was more, the timer on the screen showed that he had been practising for the past one hour.

Ye Xiu, the greatest player in Chinese Pro history, was practising jumping and sliding motions the morning after a match.

He remained there for a minute, silently admiring Ye Xiu's devotion before pulling out the seat beside him and after inserting a practice card into the reader, began going over some exercises. The indecision and responsibility he felt slowly faded away. They sat in silence, except for the clicks of the mouse and the rapid taps on the keyboard.

It was after an hour had passed that the Blue Rain Captain felt comfortable enough to break the silence.

"The team feels it will be best if you play One Autumn Leaf in the match against Denmark," he said, his voice mellow.

A simple statement but it came with a plethora of underlying messages.

Ye Xiu tilted his head slightly to the side, not removing his gaze from the computer screen. His expression remained blank; however, he was seriously considering what Yu Wenzhou had just said.

"The team, you say. Have you spoken with Sun Xiang?"

Yu Wenzhou shook his head. "No. I have not." He paused and then said, "Honestly, I do not know if the request will destabilize Sun Xiang. I want him to be in a good state of mind for the match against Canada. Yet to make such a request of him…"

Ye Xiu did not reply immediately.

"Sun Xiang is… different now. You should speak to him directly and don't underestimate him."

Underestimate?

As they both silently considered the options, the door to the practice room opened and Sun Xiang stepped in. He halted, gazing at the two figures in the room before taking a seat at the other end of the long table.

Sun Xiang booted up the computer in front of him and put a card into the reader but made no moves to start practice or anything else. After a few seconds of staring at the screen, he turned his head to glance at the Master Tacticians.

He had since learned the importance of tactics and experience when it came to Glory and that was why when the idea of giving One Autumn Leaf to Ye Xiu for the upcoming Denmark match came up, Sun Xiang, although anguished and embittered, understood the decision.

Ye Xiu had proved to Sun Xiang, Excellent Era and the rest of the world that he was truly the better player. Therefore, on this big stage, he decided to allow Ye Xiu to step up at his expense.

Put the team first; myself second.

He stood suddenly, surprising the two others in the room. He walked swiftly to where Ye Xiu and Yu Wenzhou sat as if afraid that he would rethink his decision.

"For the match against Denmark, I will let you play One Autumn Leaf," he said curtly.

Yu Wenzhou leaned back in astonishment while Ye Xiu gazed at Sun Xiang with an unreadable expression on his face.

"After our match with Canada, if we win, there will be seven days till we face Denmark. One Autumn Leaf is a character you created and played for almost a decade. There have been changes, yes, but none so drastic that it will take you more than seven days to master so I'll only give you the card after the match with Canada."

Sun Xiang made the lengthy statement and walked back to his original seat. He, however, seemingly did not want to practice anymore. He pulled the card out and made to leave. Hand on the knob, he turned slightly to glare at Ye Xiu. Contempt, determination and frustration could easily be read from his gaze but he said nothing as he opened the door and left the room.

Yu Wenzhou stared at the shut door for a second before shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"It seems like Sun Xiang has decided by himself."

"Yes, it seems so."