The Ex-StormBlitz Players

"Hey, where ya going?" Nash jumped from his chair.

"I realized something huge!" Jaiden shouted as she dashed toward the match hall. [It can't be. But, what if it is? Then, this match might actually...!]

『DEFEAT』 『VICTORY』

The giant letters were hanging on the screen. The match was already over. It was pretty fast for a high-level match. Matches only ended this early when one team was steamrolling.

Earlier today, Jaiden was actually expecting a conclusion like this. Except, it was supposed to be backward. The 『DEFEAT』 was supposed to be hanging on the other side of the screen.

But no, it was clearly on the left side, on the side Taurus played! They've lost. Taurus lost to Stratus, the lowly bottom tier team. No, it wasn't just any defeat. Looking at the stats, Stratus thoroughly and utterly crushed Taurus. It was a one-sided slaughter from start to end.

[The players' names... Yeah, I was right!] A shiver ran through Jaiden's spine. He had no idea how this was even possible, but he was correct! The two players from StormBlitz were here: Gunz and Chessmaster. They were the awesome freshmen who kicked some serious butt last year!

But, what were they doing in Stratus? No, that didn't matter. What's more important was the fact they were here today, playing on the stage.

[I gotta fight them!] Jaiden was determined. No matter what his seniors say, Jaiden had to participate in today's match. He gotta go out there and wreck the two awesome StormBlitz players! That way, he'll finally prove his worth. He was just as good- No, he was better than them! StormBlitz made a mistake when they didn't pick them. He'll prove it today, on this stage!

"Phew, you're so fast, man," Nash arrived shortly, panting as if he just finished a marathon. Rio also appeared after a while. He was jogging lightly, but still looked half-dead from exhaustion.

"W-What's wrong?" Rio asked while catching his breath.

"Just look at the results, guys!" Jaiden pointed at the screen.

"Huh? The game's already over?" Nash took a deep breath and straightened his back. The next moment, his eyes almost popped outta their sockets. "We... lost?"

"It looks one-sided..." Rio was speechless as well. Nobody predicted this result. Today's scrimmage was supposed to be an easy win for Taurus. Yet, reality was the complete opposite.

"I suddenly realized there are two big fish in Stratus," Jaiden shared his findings. "It looks like we're in for a treat today! Guys, we gotta fight them! It gonna be awesome!"

"Hell yeah!" Nash pumped a fist. "Let's get these ex-Storm dudes or whoever they are!"

"I'll help too," Rio nodded.

"You guys...!" Jaiden thrust a first toward. His pals locked their fists together with him. Together, they were the Invincible Triangle! There was no opponent they couldn't beat!

"Invincible Triangle, assemble!" Jaiden raised his arm.

"Invincible Triangle for the win!" Nash also raised his arm.

"Do we have to do it?" Rio reluctantly raised his arm.

"C'mon, say the word!" Nash insisted.

"Do I have to?" Rio shifted his eyes away. "It sounds kinda lame."

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

"Ugh..."

"Haha, it's okay," Jaiden came to the rescue. "The Invincible Triangle isn't about saying the words, it's about the heart! As long as he's our comrade and fights by our side, Rio is also a part of the triangle!"

"Um, anyway," Rio wheeled the conversation elsewhere. "How will we convince the seniors to let us play?" With that one question, he killed all the hype.

"Ah, shoot. He's right," Nash scratched his head. "Bruce and Co. ain't gonna let us play today."

"We'll see about that," Jaiden strode toward Taurus' waiting room. There was no way in hell the team was happy with this result. In fact, knowing Bruce, the guy was probably throwing a fit right about now. This was a great opportunity to ask about subbing in. Bruce and his gang were quite the quitters sometimes, so they might give up their spots. [Fingers crossed.]

"You really wanna go in there?" Nash gulped. The trio stood in front of Taurus' door. There was no doubt that an unpleasant atmosphere laid on the other side of this door. In fact, they could even sense miasma slipping through the door. But, it was just their imagination. Probably.

"C'mon, let's do it," Jaiden placed his palm on the handle. It felt a little wet. Or, maybe it's his palm that was sweaty? "I'm opening it..." He slowly, very slowly, pulled down the handle. Gulp. [This isn't going to be a pretty sight, is it?]

"FUCK!" That's the first word to greet Jaiden. BAM! Something went flying across the room. It crashed into a wall and fell on the floor. A wooden chair. Bruce just kicked it like a soccer ball.

"How did that shit happen!?" Bruce ranted. "How did we lose to these punks!? They're Stratus, the weakest team! This ain't real. This ain't real, yo!"

"Please don't break the furniture," Raymond, the captain, picked up the poor chair. It seemed like the chair wasn't damaged, a fact that made Raymond sigh in relief.

"Gaaaah! I can't fuckin' take this!" Bruce punched the wall next. "Oh shit! It hurts!"

"Haha, idiot," Bryan cracked a laugh.

"Whatcha laughing at!?" Bruce stomped toward Bryan with clenched fists. "This shit ain't funny. We were owned by such a scrubby team. That's bullshit!"

"Yeah, it's ridiculous," Bryan nodded. "But, I kinda accepted it halfway through. These guys ain't half bad. I've been trying to tell you, but you don't listen."

"Because I don't listen to bullcrap," Bruce stated matter-of-factly. "That's ain't real. We shouldn't have lost. Not like this, man. Not like this."

"Just accept it already," Zeph shrugged. "I dunno about your opponents, but I can say for sure that their Top is hella good. The others also seemed decent during team fights. Say what you want, but facts are facts."

"Dammit!" Bruce cursed and dropped on the sofa. He tapped his leg nonstop and wore a glare intense enough to kill. That's when he laid his eyes on Jaiden. "What? Came back to laugh at us, eh?"

"Not at all," Jaiden answered as calmly as possible. "I just saw the match was over, so I came to check what's up."

"Nothing to see here. Piss off."

[Charming as ever.] Jaiden rolled his eyes. "So, is Stratus strong this year?"

"Hell no, they ain't nothing," Bruce insisted. "We only lost because some idiots on our team fucked up big time."

[Like you?] Jaiden looked aside and tried his best to not burst into laughter. Judging by how mad Bruce was, he was clearly frustrated by his own performance as well. That douche cared firstmost about his own reputation. Even if the entire world were to sink at this exact moment, Bruce wouldn't give a shit long as he's safe. On the other hand, if even the smallest misfortune hits him? It was a disaster! A crime against humanity!

"Cap, what happened?" Jaiden turned to Raymond.

"Hrm, it was rough," Raymond frowned and spoke slowly. It seemed he was also shocked by this development, even though it didn't show as clearly on his stoic expression.

"Did they catch you off-guard? Or, they had hard counter-picks?"

"They did pull some unexpected plays and their picks were solid," Raymond said. "But, that's not all. They were just really well-trained."

"So, high-level players!?" Jaiden trembled. [As I thought, there are strong guys here today! Dang, lemme on the stage! Lemme play...!]

"Tch, these scrubs ain't high-level for shit," Bruce clicked his tongue in denial. He wasn't going to accept that narrative, no matter what.

"High-level or not," Dylan dropped his back on the sofa. "They sure did a number on us. Nobody expected this shit."

"Was their Bot duo strong?" Jaiden asked, unable to contain himself.

"The Bot duo?" Bruce grimaced. "Nah, they're trash. But well, they're probably the best that team had to offer. I mean, they did put up a fight against me, after all. While everybody else was losing to some scrubby shit out there, I was dealing with the enemy's strongest shit and almost made it!"

[Sure, sure.] Jaiden rolled his eyes.

"That Bot duo was sure strong," Bryan nodded. "Especially, that Carry chick."

"Huh? Chick?" Jaiden blinked. "Didn't Gunz play Carry?"

"No, he played Mid," Raymond confirmed. "He was my lane opponent."

"Huh, weird," Jaiden scratched his head. "Do you remember what role Chessmaster played?"

"Top," Zeph answered without hesitation. "That bastard is is a piece of work. Couldn't make a dent in him with my DK."

"Is that so," Jaiden had no idea what was going on. During the StormBlitz vs. Leopards scrimmage, Gunz and Chessmaster played Bot. That's the position Jaiden saw them shine in.

So, why Mid and Top this game? Maybe those were their sub-roles? Or, maybe Mid and Top were actually their best roles and Bot was the secondary position!? Whoa, just how good were these guys!? [I gotta play a game against them! Ten games, even! No, a hundred! Lemme at theeeeeeeeeem!!!]

"Do you know those two from somewhere?" Raymond asked.

"Yeah, but it's kinda weird," Jaiden shared. "I realized it a little late, but I actually saw Gunz and Chessmaster last year. But, they were playing on StormBlitz back then."

"Say WHAT!?" Zeph's jaw hit the floor. "The hell? What are they doing in Stratus then?"

"No idea," Jaiden shrugged. "Maybe they transferred."

"Or, maybe they joined the match illegally," Dylan smirked. "The plot thickens."

"Why would they do that, though?" Jaiden asked.

"Beats me," Dylan shrugged. "But, won't it make for a cool story if it's true? Haha."

"Wait, won't that be against the rules?" Zeph leveled an important question.

"It sure is," Bryan nodded. "Also, if you think about it, StormBlitz got a motive for doing this. They might be trying to help a lowly team to win. With less competition, it'll be easier for them to get seeded higher."

"Damn, these fuckers!" Bruce roared. "I knew something was fishy! So, that's why they were so good! It's Storm, so of course they gonna give us some trouble."

[Wow, that's the fastest 180 I've seen in my life.] Jaiden spat a sigh.

"Hey, Ray!" Bruce called out in a demanding tone. "Go check with the ref the fuck these guys are doing here! We gonna ban their asses from this match! Heck, we might even get this whole scrimmage for free! Ez, haha!"

"Yeah, I better ask," Raymond headed to the stage.

When it came to verifying the identities of the scrimmaging players, the referees trusted the club supervisors. That left a big opening for exploitation. Nothing stopped the supervisors from bringing in strong players from other schools.

[Dang it, maybe I shouldn't have said anything.] Jaiden scratched his head. He also considered this possibility at first, but he quickly disregarded it because it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to play against Gunz and Chessmaster, that's all. Unfortunately, for the other people here, this situation was a huge deal.

[Dang, but I really wanna play them!] Jaiden pouted. Whether this was legal or not didn't matter. This was a rare opportunity to test his mettle against those two. They were the two guys who made it into StormBlitz when Jaiden failed. If they were really that much better than him, they gotta prove it in a real match!

[But really, what are they doing here?] Logically, there were only two explanations. Either they were illegal players from StormBlitz, or they simply transferred schools. Jaiden couldn't tell which sounded more plausible.

[I think I prefer them to be spies from StormBlitz. Otherwise, it means these guys...] Jaiden clenched his fists. If the other option was true, he'll be pretty dang mad.

Raymond returned after a while. "I talked to the referee about this. We checked it with Stratus' supervisor and she said they transferred to the school this year."

"You gotta be kidding me..." Jaiden couldn't believe his ears. So, Gunz and Chessmaster defected to another team? They passed StormBlitz's entrance exam at the expense of other candidates, then they quit the club? Just like that? What the actual heck!?

"The referee made a call to both schools to confirm, so there's no mistake," Raymond explained. "They transferred schools."

"Is that so," Jaiden clenched his fists. Now, he absolutely had to fight these guys. Who the hell they thought they were!? Getting into StormBlitz like that, then leaving as if it was worth nothing. Did they even realize how many players out there were desperately trying to get into StormBlitz and failed!? Gunz and Chessmaster were among the few who actually made it, yet they threw that opportunity away as if it was garbage. Unforgivable.

"Can I play in the next match?" Jaiden requested.

"If anybody wants to switch with you," Raymond looked around. His eyes naturally laid on Bruce, the Carry.

"No chance, kid," Bruce lifted his chin. "I'm the Carry."

"But, you lost last time," Jaiden said. "In less than fifteen minutes."

"Hey, watch your mouth, kid," Bruce stood up and waved a clenched fist. Jaiden had to choose his next words wisely, or else that dangerous fist will come flying straight into his face.

"I mean, I just thought you might want to take a break to calm down. You look pretty titled. We can sub as many times as we want during scrimmages, so no harm in skipping one game."

"I ain't titled."

"I see," Jaiden backed off a little. He knew nothing good will come out from pushing that angle any further. Anything more than that might trigger Bruce for real and start a fight. [Let's not do that.]

Everybody in Taurus knew that, in order to survive, it was best to stay on Bruce's good side. He was somewhat of a dumbass, but also strong as a bull. There's no beating this dude. Only Raymond had the strength to pin down that mad dog, but it was questionable whether the captain will intervene if something happens.

"So, you got any plans for the next game?" Jaiden asked.

"Sure do," Bruce nodded. "We go all in and kick their asses!"

[Brilliant plan. This guy is a natural strategist.] Jaiden rolled his eyes. "Not to rub salt or anything, but the team lost pretty bad last time. We have to adjust."

"Oh, you betcha we gonna adjust, now that we know they got some big shots," Bruce said. "We just underestimated these guys a little last time, that's all. Right, guys?"

"I guess," Zeph said. "I only agreed to pick DK because I thought these guys were scrubs. No wonder I got my ass handed to me. You should've told us earlier, Jai."

"My bad," Jaiden apologized. "I only figured it after the match."

"Meh, it's fine," Zeph waved his hand. "Next game, I'm going Dragonborn. Gonna wreck that Cheese-master."

"Cheese-master, haha," Bruce laughed. "Yeah, you show 'em. Bryan, we also gotta step up our game. We gonna show 'em the true power of BB!"

"You betcha!" Bryan locked his fist with Bruce's. They were the Bruce-Bryan duo, the almighty BB! They had no business losing to some potatoes.

[Well, at least they got their fighting spirit back.] Jaiden smiled wryly. He had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, he wanted his team to claim victory. On the other hand, he wanted to actively contribute to said victory.

[Meh, it's okay.] Jaiden shrugged. He and his pals might not make it into the first-string this year, but they still had next year. Until then, they'll support the first-string from the bench.

"Too bad they won't let you play," Rio said as Jaiden returned.

"Yeah. Like, c'mon," Nash shook his head. "You're a better Carry than Bruce will ever be."

"'Shh, he'll hear you," Jaiden whispered. "It can't be helped. We're still juniors. This is the seniors' last year, so they deserve to play. Besides, if we don't play together, I'm not sure how much I'll contribute by myself."

"Don't worry, man. You're plenty good!" Nash gave a thumbs up. "But yeah, guess there's no way they're letting us play."

"Maybe if Stratus beats them to a pulp next game..." Rio mumbled something scary.

"Whoa, relax there, bro," Nash cracked a laugh. "I also wanna play, but that's some extreme shit."

In truth, Rio's grim words merely echoed Jaiden and Nash's true thoughts. A part of them was hoping to see Bruce's gang lose badly in the next game. It might spark something. Maybe, just maybe, Jaiden and his pals will get a chance to play after that.

"Anyway, we're watching the next game," Jaiden announced. "Make sure to burn everything you see into your brains. We gonna play against these guys someday."

"You betcha!" Nash gave a thumbs up.

"Mhm," Rio nodded.

On that note, the trio headed into the hall. For now, they were only there as part of the audience. Will they get a chance to show off their Invincible Triangle today? Maybe. Maybe not.

Either way, Taurus gonna win today's scrimmage, no matter what. Jaiden will do everything in his power to find Stratus' weaknesses and bring them down.

Especially, Gunz and Chessmaster, the two ex-StormBlitz players. Jaiden will bring them down no matter what, even if he has to do so indirectly. Hopefully, by doing so, he'll finally be able to convince himself.

He was a strong player. He wasn't some scrub. He didn't fail the StormBlitz exam because he was weak. That's what Jaiden constantly told himself ever since. He had to repeat such thoughts like a mantra to not drown in the mud of negativity.

Today was an opportunity to finally put all these statements to test. Was he good enough to compete against the boys who made it into StormBlitz? Or, was he merely deceiving himself the entire time?

Also, there was Stratus' captain girl. Naturally, she wasn't the girl who got into StormBlitz at Jaiden's expense. Nevertheless, this girl was also far from innocent. She probably got the captain position by acting cute in front of the boys or something. Disgusting.

[I'll put her in her place.] Jaiden swore.

With that determination, he sat down in the audience and glared at the stage. He wanted to play up there so badly, but he wasn't allowed to set foot in there today. The stage was so close, yet so far.

But, he won't give up. Quitting wasn't in his dictionary. Even from the audience, he'll find some dirt on Stratus and bring these guys down!