The Burden of the Champions

The Leopards came to terms with the crushing defeat and were ready to move on, but one member of the club was far from satisfied.

"Isn't it best to let me play?" Jin asked in a strong tone. It wasn't so much a question as it was an assertion. "I don't think you want to lose any more face than you already have."

"Hmm." Rodriguez pondered. "Yes, you're right, it's unbecoming of 'regional champions' to lose like that, especially not against a team that was previously regarded as the 'weakest'."

"It's not only this defeat," Jin added. "Even in the first game, there were horrible misplays. That game was dragged out too long and they almost lost during last push. It looked bad."

These words came as a slap to the face, especially when the Leopards were just getting back on their feet. The harsh criticism threatened to knock them down to the ground all over again.

Even though they came to terms with the fact they have been underestimating Stratus, Jin made them realize that this issue didn't start only in the second game. It started all the way back in the first game, where they just barely squeezed out a victory in the end despite dominating the entire game.

Cato wrote that off as "his mistake" at the time, but Rodriguez lectured them about how the entire team was responsible for allowing it. But, in the first place, why did they let Cato get away with such blatantly flawed shot-calling?

Because somewhere, at the back of their heads, they were already underestimating Stratus back then. They didn't bother stopping Cato because they were sure they'll win no matter what happened.

In fact, even after losing so terribly in the second game, deep down they still believed that they were far superior to their opponents. They only lost that game because they "lowered their guard" and the enemy exploited that to launch a devastating surprise attack.

In other words, as long as the Leopards take their opponents seriously, then their victory was guaranteed. That's what they believed.

But, wasn't that a form of underestimating as well? In the end, even after processing everything Rodriguez said, it was impossible for the team to do a 180 on their opinion of Stratus.

As such, Jin had every reason to be concerned about the team further embarrassing itself in the next few games.

Not to mention, these amateurs have already tarnished the reputation of the "regional champions" with so many misplays. This was almost irreversible.

Even if the Leopards win every game from here onward, it won't necessarily be enough to save face. Their lackluster performance has already planted an image of weakness in the audience's heads, so it won't be so easy to remove it now.

"I can't watch this," Jin said. "I need to sub in and ensure we win decisively, or else the team will look like a joke that loses to memes."

"Right, reputation is important," Rodriguez agreed. "But, there's no need to go that far quite yet. I believe everybody has learned a hard lesson from this game, am I right?"

"Yes, sir!" Everybody answered in unison, like a squad of trained soldiers.

All of them came together as one to reject Jin's suggestion. They didn't want this condescending pro-level player to shove his nose into their business.

The next game was their opportunity to prove that they'd learned their lesson, that they were capable of defeating Stratus properly as long as they played 100% seriously. But, having Jin join the team would trivialize all of that.

"Jin, I understand where you're coming from," Rodriguez reassured. "It's bad for the team's image when the 'champion' loses to a 'dark horse'. So don't worry, I've already prepared a handful of lectures for them on this topic and we'll start going through them tomorrow."

"Geh..." The team responded to the threat with a mixture of sighs and gulps. Everybody could already imagine themselves sitting in the clubroom for 24 hours straight, listening nonstop to Rodriguez's lectures.

Furthermore, if they lose any more games today, then Rodriguez will likely lecture them 24/7 for an entire week. Therefore, they absolutely weren't allowed to lose anymore or else they'll find themselves in hell.

"All of that aside," Rodriguez continued. "There's no denying that Stratus is a strong team this year. They've already defeated Taurus, and now they even took a game from us. So, I'm sure the audience's opinion of them is gradually shifting for the better. In fact, they might very well be the strongest team we'll face after StormBlitz this year."

It was still too early to say for sure, seeing as the Leopards haven't faced every team in the region yet. Not to mention, Stratus wasn't exactly the most "stable" team out there. They had many highs but also just as many lows.

Nonetheless, the potential was definitely there. With a little more polish, Stratus will definitely become a force to be reckoned with.

"I'm sure they'll put on a strong performance this year," Rodriguez said. "So, in time, people will come to accept that Stratus is a competent team and that's why they were able to win one game off you. Frankly, a part of me is glad that things have turned out the way they did."

"Glad...?" Jin frowned. "You're happy the team lost?"

"I wouldn't say 'happy', per se. That's too strong of a word here. It's just that it's a bit of a relief."

"Why? I don't understand."

"You see, as the regional champions, this team doesn't get to lose very often."

"Good. That's how it should be."

"Indeed." Rodriguez nodded. "But, it's also a problem. You're all so young, you still have plenty of room for growth. And, there's no better catalyst for growth than facing defeat."

"Catalyst...?"

"A motivator. Something that encourages rapid growth."

"You're saying that losing does that?" Jin cocked his head.

"Do you not agree?" Rodrigeuz asked. "Doesn't the frustration of defeat give you the strongest desire to improve? To make sure it won't ever happen again?"

"Hm. Yes, I suppose."

"That's why defeats are so valuable," Rodriguez explained. "Letting you kids face strong opponents and get roughed up in matches is the best way to help you develop. That's a big reason why I always arrange a few matches against pros for you."

Any powerful team that reigned supreme by default was bound to stagnate without sufficient competition. Athletes always need a challenge, a catalyst to push them to train harder, and to become stronger. As long as they felt like they had a goal to chase, they'll work hard and improve.

Alas, the uncontested regional champions often didn't have such rivals. The Leopards were the only middle school team in the region that had a coach and their Classmancers facilities were far superior to those of the other teams.

Not to mention, the team had a reputation that attracted all the best players this little region had to offer. Therefore, the club was both big and brimming with talented kids.

With all these factors combined, the Leopards were bound to reign supreme among their peers. The team was always far ahead of the competition. Sometimes, it wasn't too strange for them to outright forgot that the word "defeat" exists in the dictionary.

"Some of my previous teams haven't lost a single game in the region, not even during scrimmages."

Everybody in the Leopards lowered their heads or glanced away awkwardly upon hearing these words.

Until now, they were confident that they'll also become one such undefeated team. Alas, the defeat in the second game became a black stain on their perfect record. They have failed their predecessors.

"Such a stainless win record is very impressive and I'm proud of what these kids accomplished," Rodriguez said. "But, that doesn't mean everything was sunshine and rainbows for those teams. After all, the regionals aren't the entire competitive scene."

"My, are you saying they fared poorly at the nationals?" Cato asked.

"Yes. The nationals were the place where the competition became harsh for the first time. And unfortunately, the kids who never suffered an official defeat before weren't mentally prepared for it."

A team that had never faced a defeat against anybody in the same age group naturally became a legend, but it was a short-lived one. Soon after, the team tackled far stronger opponents at the nationals and crumbled after losing just one game. These kids didn't develop the necessary mental fortitude to bounce back after falling off the high horse.

"That's why you should cherish experiences like this," Rodriguez said. "Losing to pros or in online matches can't begin to compare to the frustration of losing in an official match like this, right?"

The kids gave him vague nods. They were definitely frustrated by how things went down, to the point it surprised them just how strongly they felt about it.

It's not like this was the first time the Leopards had ever suffered a defeat as a team. They have lost to pros before, as well as in some rare online matches against other premade teams.

So, they definitely knew how defeat tasted in general. And yet, losing here today, on this competitive stage, felt very different from all of that. It was a much harder blow than they expected.

One moment, the Leopards were at the top of the world, on their way to becoming the "uncontested champions" of the region. Then, the next moment, they found themselves defeated by the most unexpected of opponents.

"Savor this feeling and turn it into motivation. For every defeat you overcome, you'll emerge that much stronger in the following game. That's the natural way in which progress happens in the competitive scene."

The words lit a light in everybody's eyes. It was only burning faintly like a candle right now, but in time, it'll transform into an inferno that'll help the Leopards to devour their opponents.

This lecture convinced the team beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had to overcome this defeat by themselves without relying on "supernatural aid" like Jin. Even during competitive games, some things were more important than simply attaining victory.

Even though this team was carrying the heavy responsibility of becoming the "regional champions" and they had to "save face" as Jin called it, in the end, the members of the Leopards were also humans who had to grow and develop. As such, at times, losing a game was acceptable as long as the Leopards made sure to learn from their mistakes and grow stronger for the future.

With that said, even though the main team was convinced, what did the Korean boy think about all of this? How different were his standards on this topic?

"Did you understand all of that, Jin?" Rodriguez asked.

"I… understood, yes." Jin's slow reply didn't instill much confidence.

On the surface level, he definitely understood every single word Rodriguez said. There wasn't a language barrier in the way or anything of the sort. The only word that caught him off guard earlier was "catalyst", which he never heard before and sounded like some niche word anyway.

But, Jin could only confidently claim that he understood the words and sentences themselves, not the philosophical meaning behind them. In that department, the coach's words made very little sense.

[What is going on?] Jin failed to process. [The team has just lost. This is a "prestigious team" as far as this region is concerned, so they're supposed to be the most concerned with saving face. And yet, the Coach is saying that this is "fine"...?]

It was unfathomable. If this happened back in Korea, it wouldn't be odd for the coach to relegate some of the members back to the second-string as punishment.

The players responsible for the loss would be thrown all the way back to the bottom and would have to climb their way up all over again. That's what real consequences looked like.

Yet, there was none of that with Rodriguez, not even remotely close. On the contrary, the man said he was "glad" that the team lost. It made no sense.

As the coach in charge of this "prestigious team", Rodriguez had to save face more than anybody else. After all, every time the team underperformed, it stained Rodriguez's reputation, making him look incompetent.

In turn, Rodriguez was supposed to lash out at the team and punish them for making him look bad. That was the natural order of things. Or at least, that's how it always worked with the coaches back in Korea.

Yet, Rodriguez didn't even get angry with the team. Why?

[It's as if he doesn't care about saving face at all.] Jin thought. [Isn't his reputation important to him? Stains like this can easily affect his salary and various other opportunities. So, how can he not care? Is this some western mindset in play here?]

This wasn't the first time Jin encountered this sort of dissonance. Even though western players clearly cared about their reputations as any reasonable person should, they seemed to care far less overall about saving face.

As a result, they were very forgiving about certain things that made them look bad. It was rather bizarre.

[But, if this really doesn't bother the coach much, then maybe I'm stepping out of line here.] Jin concluded. [But, that doesn't change it also affects me when the team's reputation is tarnished like this. I might not be playing in all the games, but this is still "my team", so to speak.]

Running the Leopards' reputation into the ground will subsequently ruin the reputation of every team member, including Jin. The damage might not be as big for him because he wasn't physically present in the game, but nonetheless, some damage will be done to him as well.

In the future, once Jin reveals himself as part of the first-string to the masses, everybody will surely associate him with the "bad team that lost to Stratus's memes". He couldn't let that stand.

"Alright, I understand," Jin said. "I won't ask to take the stage right now. But, if you lose another game, then I sub in."

"It's a deal," Cato promised. "But, don't worry. It won't happen. We'll be taking this scrim 100% seriously now."

"You should have done that from the start."

"Touche."

"What?"

"Oh, of course. 'Touche' means that I concede and that you're right."

"Alright." Jin nodded in satisfaction. This was good enough for now.

He'll permit this prestigious team to misstep once, but only once. They won't get off the hook a second time.

One defeat could still be considered a fluke, but two defeats will start forming a pattern. That's the one thing Jin absolutely couldn't allow, no matter what the coach says.

But for now, it was decided that the Leopards will continue using their regular lineup. They'll only switch their formation from B to A, which was the superior formation against Stratus according to Cato and Sonya's analysis.

All of them were still the same players, but swapping their positions was going to greatly alter the team's dynamic. Such was the nature of the "Mixup" that Rodriguez forced all his teams to learn.

With all these factors combined, the next game was going to be nothing like the previous two. This time, the Leopards will live up to the title of the regional champions and will demolish the opposition without fail!