Setting up the Undesired Aggression

The fourth game began. Both sides finished their game-opening farming and everybody headed to their lanes. Now, it became clear which player occupied which lane, and...

"Dang, that's not what I had in mind," Jaiden smiled wryly. As he deduced, Gunz was the one who picked Trickshooter. Alas, the legendary beast didn't grace them with his presence in Bot. Instead, Gunz was playing a Mid Carry, as odd as it was.

"The heck are these dudes up to?" Nash laughed. "A marksman in Mid? Who the heck does that?"

"Some pro teams play like that," Rio pointed out. "But, it's an old meta. It was popular some years ago, then fell out of favor."

"This thing was popular? How the in the heck?" Nash couldn't wrap his head around it.

"It makes some sense, if you think about it," Jaiden said. "If you pick a marksman who can clear minions fast, you can compete with mages."

"Hmm. Yeah, I guess you can," Nash agreed. "But, don't you always need a mage and stuff? That's the meta, man."

"Do you even know why it's the meta?"

"Eeeeeh," Nash scratched his head. "Ya know, because that's how you make a strong team and all."

[So, he has no idea.] Jaiden smiled wryly.

"You need a mage for the magical damage," Rio explained. "If your team is all physical, the enemy can go ham on physical defense."

"Oh yeah, of course!" Nash nodded repeatedly. "I know all about dat stuff, ez. So, again, what the heck are they doing not placing a mage in Mid?"

"They place the mage elsewhere," Jaiden explained. "Looks like their mage is the Jungler."

"Wut? Their Pyro is the Jungler!? That's some wild shit right there, haha!"

"I agree, it's a funny lineup," Jaiden turned to Rio, a professor on the topic. "Is Jungle Pyro viable?"

"It's passable," Rio said. "It used to be more common back when Pyro was released in OP state, but it's still used by some teams today. Though, never by the highest-ranked teams."

"So, it's poop," Nash snickered.

"Well," Jaiden said. "If their Jungler knows how to pilot that Jungle Pyro, it might work out for him. Still, that's such an awkward lineup they picked. I wonder why."

Even if Jungler Pyromancer was somewhat viable, why did Stratus even bother? It felt like a workaround for the sake of picking two marksmen. But, why did they even want two marksmen in the first place? And, why didn't they place a stronger one in Bot? Why Gunz and Chessmaster weren't in Bot? Why, dang it!

[It's almost like somebody doesn't let them play Bot.] Jaiden had a weird gut feeling. Maybe Gunz and Chessmaster actually wanted to play Bot, but somebody was in their way.

Who could that culprit be? But of course, it had to be Beat, the so-called "captain" of their team. And, maybe that Blackhole dude was an accomplice too. Thanks to these guys, Jaiden couldn't fight his sworn rivals! It was a sad story.

"Rio," Jaiden called out. "Do you mind creating a 1v1 situation for me and their Carry?"

"Which one of the Carries?"

"Heh, right," Jaiden cracked a laugh. There were two options and Jaiden wanted to defeat both of them. However, one took priority over the other right now. "Their Ranger. I feel like she might be the reason Gunz isn't playing Bot, so I wanna make her realize she's making a mistake."

"I see," Rio wasn't too thrilled about this.

There was a hint of grudge in Jaiden's tone. His bias against girls was speaking for him. Chasing revenge will only lead to his downfall. It wasn't healthy. Nevertheless...

"Okay," Rio said. "I'll see what I can do about their Support."

"Thanks, man."

"No problem," Rio smiled weakly, with a mixture of happiness and worry. He was glad to be of service to Jaiden. If there was anything Jaiden wanted and it was within Rio's powers to grant, Rio would do it without hesitation. Even if the request was a little misguided, Rio will heed it any day.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lane, a similar discussion was taking place.

"Vince," Kai called out. "Help me get some shots on their Cleric. I wanna drive him out of the lane so I can fight their Slinger."

"Are you sure about that?" Vincent couldn't hide his worry. "Last time, things didn't exactly..." He couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence.

"Huh? Are you saying I gonna lose?" Kai's face contorted. "To remind you, last time I only lost because their Cryo froze me. And, that only happened because you didn't support me like you should've."

"Right..." Vincent still felt bad about that one. "Very well. If it's a duel you desire, then it's a duel you shall get. I will use every ounce of my power to arrange that sort of situation."

"Good." Kai nodded. "Then, let's start by shooting on that Cleric while farming."

"Isn't that a bit reckless? We'll find ourselves on the receiving end of their minions."

"I thought you agreed to help?"

"Well yes, that I did. However-"

"So, shut up and do as I say."

"Hah..." Vincent was at a loss. How was he even supposed to retort here?

This wasn't Kai speaking to him right now. It was the vile goddess of hatred possessing her body. She was the manifestation of Kai's Pheromone Buster. This parasite of hatred hasn't devoured all of Kai's sanity yet, but it was getting there.

For now, Kai still possessed some of her reason. She could probably use her Rhythm Reader without any trouble for now, but it was just a question of time before evil corrupts her mind. Once that happens, she'll lose her sense of self and will entrust herself to her destructive urges. It was a tragic tale.

What could Vincent do to prevent this disaster from happening? He was powerless. There was no surefire method to persuade Kai.

And, it certainly didn't help she pegged Vincent as the reason she lost to Renegade last time. That alone invalidated everything Vincent had to say. Kai won't listen to the one responsible for her defeat. Therefore, Vincent had no choice.

"I shall comply with your request," Vincent gave in. Now, he just had to pray for the best.

Kai was a skilled duelist and she still had some of her reason intact. As long as she properly utilizes her Rhythm Beater, she might defeat Renegade. Vincent had to believe that, or else supporting Kai here would become a total misplay from start to end.

From what Vincent could gather, there was nothing in particular that stood out about Renegade's skill as an individual player. He was undoubtedly the God of Triangles, the one who commanded the Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom. However, by himself, Renegade didn't stand out. He was a decent player, nothing more.

Therefore, if Kai challenges Renegade with her full ability, she should be able to topple this adversary. However, that's only provided Kai will be able to control herself and will find a way to make her Rhythm Reader work against Renegade.

The last time they fought, neither of these conditions was met. Will their next fight be any different? Vincent could only pray.

"So, that's the plan," Kai explained. "We'll poke the Cleric until he runs out of HP and leaves."

"I'd say we're more likely to grind him out of MP first."

"Either works. As long as he leaves the lane, it's good enough."

"Right," Vincent nodded.

For Cleric, who specialized in healing, MP was practically like an extension of his HP. Cleric's kit was relatively weak, but the heals were on point. Especially, God's Blessing was a quick spell, it healed HP in a burst, and it had a relatively low cooldown. Its only downside was the fact it was mana hungry.

Therefore, before they grind the Cleric out of HP, they'll have to grind the guy out of MP. It'll be quite the challenge.

Vincent didn't fully agree with this idea, but he had no choice but to follow Kai's lead. So, this time, he had to make sure he won't mess up. He'll do his absolute best to bring Kai closer to her target, even if the entire endeavor might end in nothing but tragedy.

"It's a bad idea," Yuel raised an objection after listening to the details of their plan. He was expecting Vincent to stop this madness, but it seemed like Vincent was on board for some reason. Therefore, Yuel had to step in and slap some common sense into those two.

"If you play aggressively like that, you're only going to lose more HP than your opponents. The Cleric will outlast you with his heals."

"Then, what do you suggest, genius?" Kai gave him the evil eye.

"To not do any of this nonsense, obviously," Yuel said plainly. "Why do you want to push for an early fight so hard? Take your time and build your Ranger for the late-game. It'll become much deadlier at that point."

"And so will the Gunslinger," Kai pointed out. "We both got late-game classes, so it doesn't matter when I choose to fight him. The moment I get my ult, I'm good to go. It's even better to fight him early, before he unlocks all six shots."

"I agree with that," Yuel said. "It'll be great if you get an opportunity to duel him during the mid-game, where Ranger is at its strongest. But, putting yourself at risk to create that 1v1 opportunity is a whole different story, especially against well-organized opponents. This is going to turn into a repeat of the last game."

"Then, how about you come up with something better?" Kai argued. "It's cute how you criticize my idea like that, but where's yours, huh?"

"My idea is very simple: wait until the team-fighting phase."

"That again?" Kai gritted her teeth. "I'm not waiting for shit. I'm taking down Renegade the first chance I get!"

"Trying too hard to force an early fight will only play to their advantage. You'll be handing them opportunities on a silver platter. Is that what you want?"

"Actually, you know what? You're right about that," Kai agreed for once. "Even if we get their Support out of the picture, I'm sure their Jungler will come after me next."

"Indeed," Vincent nodded with a meaningful smile. "Such is the nature of the Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom."

"So, any suggestions?" Kai ignored the nonsense and cut to the chase. "Keep in mind that, no matter what you say, I wanna have this 1v1 before team-fights begin. Because, once we get to that point in the game, it'll be hard to find opportunities to duel the guy. He'll probably surround himself with bodyguards 24/7."

"Indeed, for that's the famous Bermuda Triangle-"

Yuel and Kai both muted the clown and continued their discussion.

"So, you're not going to back down?" Yuel asked again.

"No."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what," Kai insisted. "I have to 1v1 him. He's looking down on me. I can't stand that."

"Are you sure you're not imagining things?"

"No, it's clear as day," Kai clenched her mouse. "He thinks I'm trash. He even told me that on stage."

"I see," Yuel didn't have any good retorts at hand. Was there anybody else who could convince Kai to change her mind? "Lars, what do you think about this?"

"Hm? Me?" Lars cocked his head, then flashed his teeth. "I say, Kai gotta shoot for it, yo! It ain't cool when somebody is disrespecting ya like that. Gotta give 'em the business!"

"Damn straight," Kai nodded.

[I made a mistake.] Yuel regretted this immediately. [They were arguing so hard just before the game, but now they're all buddy-buddy again. Well, shoot. Now, Kai will be even more stubborn. Sigh.]

In the end, Yuel couldn't think of any decisive argument. The girl wanted to 1v1 Renegade no matter what, the rest of the world could be damned.

[If I keep arguing, it'll only create bad blood.] Yuel bit his lips. His hands were tied here.

Out of the two of them, Kai was the more emotional one. She'll be the first to snap and start rampaging like a blind berserker. She was already one push away from that, so it was best to not provoke her any further.

[She promised she'll win this time, so I'll let her handle things as she sees fit.] Yuel concluded. [If she loses while following her own plan, she'll have no choice but to let me and Lars play Bot.]

It was a disgusting line of thinking. A part of him probably wished to see Kai crash and burn this game. He didn't openly exhibit his dissatisfaction with Kai's stubbornness like Lars did, but Yuel was also storing a lot of angst on the inside. It was like a ticking bomb that could go off at any moment.

Alas, the situation was as it was, with Kai playing Bot. Just because Yuel and Lars didn't get their desired spots, it didn't mean they had the right to throw this game. On the contrary, they should do everything in their power to secure victory despite the harsh circumstances. Just one more victory and they'll win the entire scrimmage. They had to push hard through this hurdle!

[I see Lars understands that.] Yuel nodded in approval at Lars's strong performance in Mid.

For the first time today, Lars was holding the upper hand against his lane opponent. Nirvana has previously established himself as Lars's equal in terms of skill, but Lars's Trickshooter had the power to overwrite that fact. With a Trickshooter in hand, Lars was a league above his rival.

[I also have to do my best with these negotiations.] Yuel nodded to himself.

Opposing Kai any further will only cause a rift between them. Therefore, Yuel will have to accept her plan for now. Kai will get to fight Renegade one-on-one, just as she wanted.

As such, Yuel had to figure a way to elegantly arrange such a position. However, it won't be easy, not against Renegade.

The previous game taught them that Renegade often surrounded himself with his trusty bodyguards, Laplace and StormMonster. That trio was like a team within a team. Their teamwork stood testament to how hard they trained together and how much they trusted each other

On top of that, even individually, each of them was rather impressive. Vincent's analysis of them went something like this:

StormMonster had the "Storm Chaser" trait. He was a predator who could catch up to any fleeing target, even if it was a raging storm. His skill level increased across the board when he was on the chase. There was little to no chance of escaping from him alive.

Next on Vincent's exaggerated list, Laplace was coined as the "Phantom Approacher". He possessed the ability to approach opponents without being noticed. It sounded similar to Nia's "Vanishing Phantom", but it was apparently more restricted in its utility. Nevertheless, it was effective enough to catch Kai off guard last game, so it was plenty dangerous.

And finally Renegade, the one who earned the silliest and most bombastic nickname out of them all, the "God of Triangles". Apparently, Renegade didn't possess any specific skills that stood out when he was alone. He was a skilled player, but that alone wouldn't cause Stratus that much trouble.

What really set the guy apart was the way he commanded the triangle he formed with StormMonster and Laplace. It always seemed like he was in the center of it all, as the one who initiated the triangle's plays and directed them. He was the leader of that trio, no doubt about it.

Those three were a consistent threat. They WILL find a way to join forces and they WILL run over anybody who wasn't prepared to deal with their overwhelming teamwork.

[I have to separate them somehow.] Yuel reached the obvious conclusion. [But, how? They seem to be well trained. Can we break their formation without me and Lars there?]

To get all the way to the king, Kai will have to sneak past his bodyguards. Laplace was sticking to the king like a castled rook, so Kai had to take him out of the picture first.

Next, there was StormMonster, the wildcard bishop who could cut through the jungle to deliver a timely gank. The only way to stop him from intervening was to block his best rotation routes toward Bot.

[Easier said than done.] Yuel frowned. There were many available routes spread throughout the jungle, it was impossible to cover them all. Realistically, all they could do was to gamble on one of the jungle entrances leading into Bot and block it off. With some educated guessing, it should be possible to pick the entrance StormMonster will go for.

"Okay, I have a plan for you," Yuel said. "First, focus on driving the Cleric out of the lane."

"Sounds like a promising start." Kai considered Yuel carefully. She didn't fully believe the guy was on her side, not yet.

"Once the Cleric is out of the picture, the only problem is their Jungler," Yuel explained. "Luke, you'll have to keep watch in the jungle once the duel begins."

"So, I gonna stand there like a guardian dog?" Luke cracked a dry laugh. "Man, that's why we can't have nice things. But alright, sure. Cerberus, reporting for duty!"

"You should keep watch around here." Yuel pinged above the jungle entrance on the left side. "Also, we need a ward over here." Yuel pinged a little more to the right. "This is usually not the most ideal spot for a ward, but it'll warn you against incoming ganks from the center and the right side."

"I shall take care of placing the ward," Vincent volunteered.

"Good." Yuel nodded and concluded the explanation. "That's it. That's the setup."

"Sounds good," Kai nodded. "You see? You can come up with something decent if you try."

["Something decent", you say.] Yuel wore a difficult expression. He really tried his best to cover as many angles as possible for this problematic plan, but that didn't make the plan "decent" by any stretch of the imagination. It was more akin to a desperate attempt at postponing an impending disaster.

The only "decent" plan here would be for Kai to abandon the idea of challenging Renegade early. Unfortunately, that didn't seem like an option. She was stubborn as a bull on this one.

Yuel could only pray that his plan will go as smoothly as possible and will prevent a disaster like the one from the last game...