Calming Down

Kai and Vincent retreated all the way to the Turret. Despite the multiple hiccups, Vincent successfully rescued Kai. That was good and all. But...

"Damn, I was so close," Kai cursed through her teeth. "If your stupid wall didn't get in the way, I would've killed him."

"Then, his minions would've killed you."

"Hmph, who knows. I could've gotten away."

"I find that hard to believe," Vincent insisted. "You were so focused on the fight that you didn't see anything around you. It's like you were locked inside a Reality Marble."

"No idea what's that, but yeah, I got a little one-tracked there," Kai frowned. Thinking about it, she should've taken the minions into consideration even before she delivered the first attack. But, murderous thoughts raged in her mind and clouded her judgment.

"Yet again, the Pheromone Buster possessed you," Vincent shook his head. "You let the anger control you. That leads to the Dark Side, young Padawan."

"Oh, shush already," Kai threw him a look. She finished clearing the minion wave and began recalling. "I'm going back to heal."

"I hope you'll also use this time to cool down."

"I'm calm."

"Indeed, as calm as a raging tornado that spins at the speed of light."

"What does that even... Eh, forget it," Kai sighed. "I'm calm. I just felt like playing a little aggressive this time, that's all. I knew that bastard is all bark and no bite. I had to put him in his place."

"And, you didn't deem it important to inform your Support about any of this?"

"Ah, that's..." Kai didn't have a rebuttal this time.

"With all due respect," Vincent started. "The way you played reminds me of one young and inexperienced troublemaker. She had a short-fuse and never cooperated with her teammates, always carrying everything on her own shoulders. I had the distinct impression that said troublemaker grew past such problems, but it appears I was gravely mistaken."

"Do you have to talk like some pretentious poet?" Kai clicked her tongue. In truth, Vincent's words merely echoed the same exact thoughts Kai has been wrestling with.

Honestly? It was dumb of her to charge in like that as soon as the game started. She did have an early-game advantage, but that wasn't the right way to use it. An advantage should be used for crushing the opposition, not for suiciding on them and getting a double KO.

She could've cooperated with Vincent to increase the chances of securing a kill, but she didn't. Why? Because it was her fight. That chauvinist Pirate called her names, so Kai had to beat that bastard to a pulp with her own two hands.

Or, did she, really? What was the point? Aside from achieving a small vendetta, that sort of solo play had no value. Frankly, it was plain dumb.

[Vince got a point. I'm playing like I did at the beginning of the year.] Kai cast her gaze downwards. What did she train on for the past few months? Why did she go out of her way to practice together with Yuel and Lars after school?

She thought she overcame this problem by now. Nowadays, she rarely got mad playing Ranked, even though most of her teammates were boys. These guys were alright. They all treated her as a serious player despite being a girl, so she started believing that boys were alright.

But, all it took was meeting one bastard. Everything came down crashing the moment she ran into TheLegend. Kai snapped at that bastard before she even realized she was getting mad. Naturally, the pressure of standing on a big stage didn't do her any favors either.

For a moment there, Kai felt she was alone against the entire world. All the encouragement that Lars and the others gave her vanished without a trace the moment the game started. Anxiety took the reins.

Was she really stronger than TheLegend? Could she topple him in a fight? No matter how much Lars praised her skill, words were just words. Kai had to support them with actions. That's why she recklessly charged in the way she did. She was like a moth drawn to fire. That play was dumb beyond redemption.

She wasn't alone in this fight. Vincent was right by her side, supporting her. Nia, Lars, and Yuel were here too. Kai had dependable teammates who believed in her mettle and fought alongside her. And yet, she was distracted by something petty like taking revenge on some scumbag. She was risking the team's chances of victory for nothing.

[Alright, enough being stupid.] Kai took a deep breath. She'll definitely make TheLegend pay for his insults, but she'll do it properly. There was no need to rush things. She had time. Establishing lane advantage came first.

"Sorry..." Kai mumbled.

"Oh? What was that? I didn't quite catch it," Vincent pretended stretching an ear toward her, even though he was wearing headphones. "Did the stubborn amazon just grace me with an honest apology?"

"Are you asking to be punched or what?" Kai shot him a glare. "Besides, what's the deal with you? That Ice Wall placement was terrible. What were you even trying to achieve?"

"Oh, about that..."

"Also, what took you so long? You should've placed the wall as soon as you realized things were heading toward a double KO."

"Yes, about that..." Vincent shifted his eyes from side to side. "Welp, let's just say that a higher force made me stay my hand until the right moment. God works in mysterious ways."

"Mysterious my ass. Not only he slowed you down, but he also made you misplay. That 'God' of yours sounds like a real dumbass. I'd like a word with him."

"Haha, I'll try calling him."

"No need. I know exactly where he is. RIGHT. HERE." Kai slammed Vincent's knee thigh!

"Ouch! What the-!?" Vincent jumped. "I'm calling violence!"

"You've been drilling a hole in the floor with all that stomping. Your leg just won't stop shaking."

"What are you saying? My leg is perfectly... relaxed..." Vincent fell silent. His leg started jumping up and down in the middle of the sentence.

"You're still nervous, huh."

"A-Am not!" Vincent cleared his throat and forced his leg to stay still by force. "See? The Shaking Leg Syndrome has been successfully neutralized!"

"No need to bluff. We're all nervous in here."

"No, no, no. I'm perfectly fine! The Arbiter of Talents doesn't even have the word 'nervous' in his dictionary!"

"Better study it up then," Kai smiled wryly. [So, even this loudmouth can get nervous. Well, of course he can. He's just good at bluffing with all the noise he makes.]

Unlike Kai and Nia, who exhibited clear signs of nervousness, Vincent hid his nerves pretty well. Nobody noticed he was secretly wrestling with the pressure, not even Kai.

[I should have figured it out sooner.] Kai thought. Today was the first competitive match for Vincent as well, so of course the guy will be nervous. In fact, he dialed down his loudness ever since they set foot on stage. It was easy to ignore that fact because it didn't bother anybody, but in retrospect, it was odd. Why would the ever loud actor be silent now, of all times? Nerves, what else.

"Anyway, calm down," Kai said. "It's just a match."

"Well, at the very least, I believe I'm calmer than a certain amazon who jumped the gun and nearly suicided on the enemy."

"That was dumb, I admit," Kai nodded. "I'm over it already. Thanks for saving my ass back there."

"Oh, it was nothing," Vincent bowed lightly. "The glorious knight is always here to help those in need."

[He already looks better.] Kai nodded to herself. She was always the first person to make fun of Vincent about every little thing, but now wasn't the time to poke at him. Even if it meant cracking her tough persona, she felt it was neccessary to treat Vincent a little nicer today.

After all, in the past two years, Vincent was the only boy in the club who openly treated her as a serious player. The seniors looked down on her for being a girl and Luke parroted their stupid jokes. He didn't harbor any ill will toward Kai, he was just trying to fit in with the rest. But, was any of it pleasant for Kai to bear? No, far from it. At the time, Kai hated the guy's guts. And, to this day, she hasn't fully forgiven him.

Similarly, Ben lacked any backbone whatsoever. If any senior pressured him enough, he'd cave in and nod in agreement on any insults Kai received. He didn't mean any of it and always came to apologize afterward, but that only made things more infuriating. Like, he was a boy, yet he was acting like a total submissive weakling. Pathetic, He was technically on Kai's side, but his support was never felt.

Vincent was the only one who stood up to Kai, loudly and confidently. Time and again, he claimed she had this amazing "Rhythm Reader" skill. He always volunteered to play with Kai, even when the rest were hosting a "boys only" party in Ranked.

It was embarrassing to admit, but the reason Kai pulled through all that mistreatment and stayed in the club - it was all thanks to Vincent's support. If not for that one goofy guy, Kai would've flipped a table and stormed outta that shithole a long time ago. So, as much as she enjoyed jabbing the guy and talking smack about him, she was genuinely grateful to him. Of course, she'll never admit any of that to his face.

To Kai, Vincent always came across as an immovable force who pushed through any problem with his weirdness. Nothing could ever bring him down. He was always upbeat and loud. That's the kind of invincible weirdo he was.

But no, Vincent was just human, just a teen like everybody else. When it hurt, he felt pain. When something bad happened, he felt sad. When it was his first scrimmage on a big stage, he felt nervous.

This time, it was Kai's turn to help him. She overcame the pressure by letting off some steam, but Vincent was still stuck in that mud. So, Kai had to pull that idiot out. That's the least she could do for him right now.

"Let's take it slow for a while," Kai suggested. "I won't charge in. We'll focus on slow and steady farming, just the way you like it."

"That'll be much appreciated," Vincent smiled. [Phew, looks like I won't have to worry about any stressful situations for a while. Praise be to the ancient gods.]

With that, Kai and Vincent calmed down a little. However, the battle was still in its infancy. Will they maintain their composure to the very end and defeat their opponents in the next clash...?