Julia's Last Chance

A ward revealed Rosemary in the middle of her rotation from Mid to Top. She was probably planning to solo push the lane while nobody was there.

As it happened, Julia was in Top Jungle right now. She had just finished clearing the Wraith Camp and planned to go back to Mid, but...

Wow, is this like the best freakin' opportunity ever!? Julia grinned dangerously. "Alright, I'll agree to surrender and all, but lemme play one more wave! I'll show you what I can REALLY do!"

"One more wave?" Howard raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to fight Rosemary in Top?"

"Yeah, I'll mop the floor with that pompous Jungler!" Julia asserted. "She's been feeling herself too much just because she's a little fed."

"She's not just 'a little' fed, you know," Howard corrected. "She's two levels ahead of you."

"Yeah, that she is…" For a moment there, that fact nearly knocked out Julia's determination.

In terms of raw stats, a difference of two levels wasn't a big deal. Like, Julia could easily take on a Lv. 12 opponent as a Lv. 10.

The real problem was that a "two levels difference" implied more than just that. Rosemary was "two levels ahead" in terms of exp, but also in terms of gold. It meant her build was stronger than Julia's.

In short, Julia was at a total disadvantage here, no question about it. Nonetheless…

"I want to try it anyway," Julia insisted. "I mean, all these girls are supposed to be newbies, right? I gotta be able to dunk on them!"

"Well," Howard said. "I definitely wouldn't say Rosemary plays like a newbie."

"Hmph. To me, it looks like she's just riding the momentum she built at the start of the game."

"That's true, yes." Howard nodded. "She's been coasting on it ever since the opening."

"So, I say it's about damn time somebody kicked her off the high horse! I'll MURDER her!"

"... and, you seriously believe you can do it?"

"Well, you're planning to throw the game anyway, right? So, there's nothing to lose even if I fail."

"And, I bet you're hoping I won't deduct you any points for failing, right? Smartass much? Haha"

"I mean, let's be real," Julia continued. "The only reason you even considering putting me on the first-string is that I can fight better than Gilbert, right?'

"Not quite. But, not exactly wrong, either." Howard nodded. "Your turtling is also pretty useful in the right circumstances. But yes, I do care more about seeing your aggressive side in action. That's the main thing the team is lacking."

"So, lemme show it to you!" Julia declared. "I'mma WRECK that fed fatty and prove that you should ALWAYS put me on the first-string in all games!"

"That's quite the determination you've got there, but you picked the worst possible opponent here. This is one fight you can't win." 

"Then, lemme prove you wrong!" Julia insisted. "Though, as you say, it's going to be rough. I might even have bad luck and lose, so it'll be great if you don't hold it against me if that happens."

"You're seriously trying to eat the cake and leave it whole, huh." Howard shook his head. "I can't judge your performance based on something one-sided like this. Either commit to it and treat it like a real play, or just drop it."

"Grrrr..." Julia grumbled. God, what a blockhead! Does he hate me or something!? I swear he does! He's always like this, refusing to compromise on anything. Goddammit!

The aggressive side in her was already coming to the surface. The heated debate only further fueled her desire to KILL and DESTROY that cocky Rosemary!

Alas, Howard had no intention of playing along so easily. He was adamant about having Julia fully commit to this dangerous play. She will either get points or lose points, no discounts.

Like, is he dumb? It's too damn dangerous! Julia grumped at her debate opponent. There's no way I'd go for a suicidal play like this under normal circumstances! Though, I guess that's kinda his point...

It's not like Howard's stance was entirely unreasonable. As far as he was concerned, the current situation didn't properly simulate a real game, so it was unfair to give Julia free points for it.

If she wanted the points, she had to 100% believe in this play and act as if it was something she would've done in a real game too. Geh…

I'm stuck… Julia had no idea how to continue the argument from here, so she was on the verge of giving up. At that moment, a voice whispered in her ear.

"Hey July, do you copy?" Ellen asked in a low voice, pretending to be a soldier hiding in the field. "Switch to private for a moment."

"Huh? Sure..." Julia switched to a private channel with Ellen. It was like having a secret phone call under their teammates' noses.

"Listen, July," Ellen said. "Keep heading to Top, alright? If you stop moving now, you'll miss this precious chance. It'll be too late even if Wardy the Blockhead agrees in the end."

"Oh, you're right!" Julia realized she slowed down to a crawl because of the whole debate. She was almost ready to give up, but she had to keep going!

Even if there was only a slim chance that the stubborn captain would change his mind, this was Julia's last chance in this game. She had to go for it no matter what!

"Alright, I'm moving!" Julia activated Burning Spirit to not miss this important opportunity. "But, I seriously can't change his mind on this. He's so damn stubborn!" 

"Don't worry, leave that to me~" 

"Can you really do anything about it…?" 

"Well, maybe." Ellen shrugged. "But, that doesn't really matter, does it?" 

"Huh? I'd say it matters quite a lot, actually." 

"Nah, not really. Just go for it, regardless of what Wardy says," Ellen advised. "That is, unless you have a better idea for how to score points?"

"Well, not really, no…"

"So, there you have it. QED~" 

"But, if I mess this up, then..."

"Then what?" Ellen asked. "Regardless of what Wardy says, he understands this is a very risky and difficult play. He won't judge you too harshly for it, promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep." 

"Well, if you say so..." Julia pressed toward Top even though some doubt still lingered in the air. Should I really take her word for it? It sounds hella sketchy. Then again, she usually makes things work out somehow.

Ellen was like a foxy witch. It was always hard to tell whether she was genuine or trying to manipulate you.

But, the truth is, I don't remember a single time when I chose to listen to her and it turned out badly for me. So, I think she's "on my side", overall.

Ellen was no stranger to coaxing her own teammates, but thus far, she had never done any harm to Julia. Despite acting hella sus, it felt like Ellen genuinely tried to help Julia whenever she could. As the two only girls in the club, they shared a vague sense of comradery.

At least, I think we do. Julia shrugged. I have no idea what this girl is thinking sometimes. But, I'll trust her on this one.

And so, Julia continued onward to her destination. In the meantime, Ellen started pulling strings on the other party...

"My, you're being so serious about this, Wardy~" Ellen wore the usual foxy smile. "I think you're forgetting one important bit here about Julia's suggestion."

"Which is?" 

"Think about it," Ellen said. "You've given up on this game by now, but what if you hadn't? If the game continued, how would you have responded to that obvious split-push attempt from Rosey?" 

"Hrm." Howard frowned. I automatically dismissed the situation because it doesn't matter now, but Ellen has a point. If the game had gone on, we'd have no choice but to respond to that push.

Rosemary's rotation to Top was a powerful play. If left unchecked, that split push would easily destroy the Top Golem. That would seal the fate of the game right there. Even Maker wouldn't be able to come back from that kind of situation.

So, that push absolutely had to be stopped. But, how? What sort of command would Howard have given if the game had gone on?

I would've had to send somebody over there, there's no two ways about it.And, Julia really is the closest to the scene…

For fast-paced developments like these, Dan's Chornomancer would've been the perfect response. Alas, he didn't have any convenient Time Portals in Top right now.

"Hrm." Howard finally cracked. "I… might've sent Julia to Top anyway."

"Yep." Ellen nodded. "I'm sure you would've."

"Then again, it makes no sense to have Julia confront Rosemary. That's the quickest way to a disaster."

"My, is that so?" Ellen tilted her head. "If you ask me, I'd say that wolfie is quite exhausted. She's at 60% HP, and both her ult and Blink are on cooldown. She's not in perfect shape, that's for sure."

"But, none of that changes the fact she's overfed as hell," Howard argued. "She's not the kind of opponent any of us can handle in a 1v1. Even you struggled against her that one time you tried."

"True, true." Ellen's smile grew dimmer as she recalled that irking clash. She applied her most foxy tactics in that fight, yet Rosey busted through all of them like nothing. It was impossible to zone that wolfie or to bait her it into an unfavorable position. What an irksome opponent.

"But," Ellen continued. "Our dear Pyro July might be able to do it~"

"Pyro July? Is that how you call it now?" Howard made a face. "It sounds like a superhero name or something."

"It sure does, doesn't it~? Anyway, I think she might be able to pull this off."

"You do?"

"Yep. July can get really impressive when her blood is boiling, you know?"

"Well, that's the main reason I even considered including her on the team in the first place. That and your constant nagging to 'give her a chance'."

"Oh, so you know the drill by now." Ellen smiled cutely. "Please give her another chance~ Pretty please~ Wardy~"

"You do know that trying to sound cute isn't going to work on me, right?"

"My, it's not?" Ellen tilted her head. "But, you almost always agree in the end."

Only because it's hella annoying. Howard wanted to spit that right in the girl's face but that would be a critical mistake. No, I can't say that out loud. She'll realize this is a weakness she can exploit. Though, I think she already kinda figured that out, even if her conclusion is a bit off…

"Fine, whatever." Howard gave in, mainly because he didn't want to deal with this headache any further. "I'll just write this off as an experiment."

"Thanks, Wardy! You're the best! I wuv you~!"

"Yeah, yeah. Pipe down already." Howard rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. Well, whatever. I suppose this play can at least turn out to be a little informative.

Even though Julia's chances of success were slim to none, it was impossible to tell for sure. Maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to surprise Howard and deliver some kind of result.

With all said and done, in an ideal world, of course Howard would've liked to confront Rosemary in Top. The girl was definitely pushing her luck by solo-pushing with just 60% HP. Not to mention, she had neither her ult nor her Blink. Cocky plays like these had to be punished accordingly.

But, she's being cocky because she knows her build is far ahead. So, despite how attractive it is to try and punish her, it's almost guaranteed to be suicidal. Yet, Julia wants to give it a shot anyway...

Though Howard had very low expectations, he had to admit it was going to be interesting to watch. Did Julia have some sort of plan? Or, was she going to bump into her foe with raw animalistic aggression...?