The No. 2 Strongest Player

"Same as with Chess, we have footage from both years about Gunz," Sonya explained. "Let's go over them first, to make sure everybody is on the same page."

"Oh boy!" Ronald swung back and forth on his chair. "Too bad I didn't bring popcorn. This gonna be wild!'

『Roles: Carry/Mid』『Class Variety: Low(?)』

『Mechanical Skill: 10/10』『Decision-making: 6/10』『Game Knowledge: 6/10』

『Playstyle: A strong mechanical player with decent enough fundamentals. In 1v1s, he's strong enough to turn misplays into strong plays via brute force.』

The displayed stats made more than a few of them cock their heads in confusion.

"Wait, what?" Ronald asked. "Aren't these stats too low? I think you did my guy dirty there."

"No, that's my honest evaluation of his ability," Sonya said. "His mechanical skill is indeed impressive, but the rest is just passable."

"No way! Bruh literally DESTROYED people! How can he bad this weak!? I think even I got better stats than that. What the heck."

"Yes, your decision-making and game knowledge are a little better, at least the way I see it. Gunz is rougher around the corners, albeit this year he showed plenty of improvement compared to last year, so maybe 6/10 is too harsh."

"Definitely too harsh," Ronald insisted. "This bruh is supposed to look like a BEAST! These stats don't do him justice. None at all. Nada."

"It seems like you don't understand what these stats are meant to represent," Sonya said. "They're supposed to give us an idea of how the player performs on average, across a myriad of different situations they encounter during a match."

"And you're saying my guy is that bad on average? No way! I've seen him mop the floor with people like there's no tomorrow!"

"Yes, you're right. He does excel in battles, especially in 1v1 and 2v2 situations. But, if you think back on all the battle examples you saw, what's the main stat that helped him emerge victorious?"

"His sick mechanical skill, duh."

"And, did his decision-making or game knowledge impress you any?"

"Eeeeh, hard to say. Like, how do you even gauge somebody's game knowledge from a replay?"

"We already established that's a challenge, so let's ignore that for now. How about his decision-making?"

"Hmm. Hmmmmmmm." Ronald crossed his arms. "Dang, asking them trick questions."

"It's a pretty straightforward question, I believe," Sonya said matter-of-factly.

"About other types of situation I could answer probably, but when it comes to 1v1s? And even 2v2s for that matter. It's hard to say what counts as 'decision-making' and what's an extension of that guy's awesome mechanical skill. The more skilled you are, the easier it is to react to stuff without thinking and all that."

"Exactly," Sonya affirmed. "So, what did you just prove here? That his decision-making and game knowledge didn't leave much of an impression on you."

"Oh. You got a point there." It finally dawned on him. It was really all mechanical skill. The rest of Gunz's stats weren't necessarily that high, if at all.

"But, I still don't like that," Ronald argued. "Like, what's the point of showing these stats as the 'big three' if they don't even give a proper representation of the player's skill? I mean, Gunz is a BEAST, nobody gonna argue against that, right?"

He checked everybody's reactions and they all seemed to side with him on this one. There was no denying that everybody in the room considered Gunz a serious threat, even Matthew who finally unglued his eyes from his phone for once. Everybody was focused to the max when the topic switched to Gunz, indicating just how big of a deal this guy was.

"You're running too far ahead," Sonya said. "For now, I only showed his average stats. As for his combat capabilities and the threat he poses with them, it's something we're going to discuss in detail soon."

"Oh, is that so? Okay then." Ronald nodded. "I hope you do my guy justice real soon then."

"Don't worry, I'm not planning to belittle him if that's what you're worried about. He's undoubtedly one of the biggest threats in the region."

"Heck yeah! That's what I wanted to hear."

With Ronald finally convinced that his homie was going to get the proper treatment, the meeting moved on to showing clips of Gunz's best plays. As Sonya foreshadowed, most of them were either 1v1 situations or 2v2s alongside Chessmaster.

Gunz overpowered everybody in this year's scrimmage. Even Nirvana, the skilled captain of Taurus, folded against Gunz's Trickshooter. The two of them fought a lot in Mid and were mostly even, but then Gunz picked Trickshooter and it became an entirely different story.

"Trickshooter seems to be his best class," Sonya explained. She backed up her argument by showing footage from last year's scrimmage. There, Gunz also played Trickshooter during his debut.

It was unpleasant to see these events again, but Sonya had no choice but to present the evidence to the court. Everybody had to understand the extent of Gunz's strength, even if it meant showing examples of Jennifer's team being stomped.

"I'd like to clarify that these are handpicked examples," Sonya said. "They show Gunz at his strongest in that scrimmage, which is why these plays may seem very one-sided. It's not like the entire scrimmage was like that, not even close."

"The copium is strong with this one." Ronald chuckled.

"ANYWAY, here are the examples."

Sonya played the clips from last year's scrimmage. There, Gunz dunked on his foes with Trickshooter.

It was hard to believe these fights were between a freshman and the Leopards' seniors. Second-string or not, Jennifer's team was filled with skilled seniors. And yet...

"Yikes." Ronald smiled wryly. "It's even wilder than I remembered. The second-string was no pushover, that's for sure. But, this guy..."

"Moving on," Sonya continued. "It seems Mid is his secondary role. At least, so far, he only established himself as a threat when playing Carry. And, based on the data from both years, it seems there's a big gap between his mastery of Trickshooter and other marksmen."

"Hey," Ronald interjected. "His Slinger is hella dope too! Did you see all these headshots? Dude is wild!"

"Yes, of course I saw." Sonya nodded. "There's only one game showing him play Gunslinger so far, but his performance was very convincing. My impression is that his Gunslinger is about as good as his Trickshooter."

"Nice!" Ronald rubbed his hands. "Finally, a worthy opponent! Can't wait to take on his Shooter and Slinger!"

"My, in that case," Cato said. "You'll be waiting for a long, long time."

"Yeah, we still got a week until the match, right?"

"That's not what I meant. Even during the scrimmage itself, you won't get to play against his Shooter or Slinger."

"Excuse me what?" Ronald cocked his head.

"We're obviously going to ban them."

"Wha-!?" Ronald jumped. "C'mon, man! Until we finally get a fun opponent, you not even gonna let us fight him!?"

"If he's only strong with specific classes, then why should we let him play those? The banning phase exists for situations like this."

"Yeah, I know, but..." Ronald twisted his lips.

"Let's just hope he got other tricks up his sleeve," William said. "If he's the kind of player who can only play two classes, then that's all there is to him."

"Yeah, guess that's true." Ronald nodded. "So, Sonya, how are his other classes?"

"Insufficient data," Sonya said. "Last year, only his Trickshooter stood out. But, considering he was just a freshman and a lot of time has passed, he probably leveled up some other classes by now. The Gunslinger is evidence of that."

"Heck yeah!" Ronald grinned. "I hope he mastered at least four classes!"

"Let's hope he didn't," Cato objected. "It'll make it much harder to ban all his options."

"Man, what a buzz killer. That's why everybody says you're boring."

"I prefer to be boring and win than be 'interesting' and lose. If you prefer to lose, then you're free to step down from your position. There are many who'd gladly take your place."

"Heh, just you watch. I gonna be both interesting AND win!"

"Sure, sure." Cato shrugged.

Next, they discussed a few more aspects of Gunz's playstyle, primarily his offense and defense.

"Last year," Sonya started. "His offense was exceptional but his defense was lacking. So much, that I wouldn't have considered him a serious threat if that remained the case"

"But, he leveled up since then, right? Right?" Ronald asked.

"Yes, he did," Sonya confirmed. "His solo performance in Mid was quite stable. I wouldn't go as far as saying that his defense is anything special, but his fundamentals are much better than before."

"Alrighty, let's goooo! Bruh means business!"

"I suppose he does." Sonya frowned. [This is fine by me. He's stronger than he was last year, but I'm still going to take revenge on him. I hope Jenny will come to watch this game.]

After some more analysis, the discussion about Gunz came to an end. But, one big question remained.

"So," William started. "Out of all the strong players in the region, how high is Gunz on your list?"

"That's..." Sonya chewed her lips and glanced away.

[There it comes.] Cato has been waiting for this.

Even though Sonya tried her best to avoid touching on the subject, it was only natural for William to ask. After all, the guy held great pride in his prestigious position on Sonya's vaguely defined "power ranking" list.

[She doesn't want to say it.] Cato knew about it before the meeting. Sonya looked troubled when she delivered this information to him a few days ago.

The girl had a hobby of rating and ranking things. So, she started up a list of "power ranking" among the players in the region. An innocent idea, but it soon turned into a big topic once the brothers got caught wind of it.

William trusted Sonya's analysis on most things, and Ronald trusted his older brother's perspective on most things. As a result, the two got interested in their rankings on said list; they wanted to know how they compared to other players in the region. Naturally, they both wanted to be as close as possible to the top.

Since William cared so much about his rank, Sonya now felt uncomfortable sharing her new findings with him. There were multiple reasons for that, but the specifics weren't Cato's business.

[The point is, she doesn't want to be the one who says it.] Cato thought. [I told her she can just dodge the topic but looks like she didn't like that advice. Well, of course she didn't.]

As somebody who prided herself in delivering robust analysis, omitting any information from her teammates was like betraying her own beliefs. No matter how unpleasant the facts were, she had to suck it up and keep sharing the information, that's what she believed.

[Well then, I can play the villain here.] Cato already prepared a line against this scenario.

"Sonya and I talked a lot about where to place Gunz on that list," Cato said. "In the end, it seems she's not too sure where to place him."

"Is that so." William looked at Sonya for confirmation.

"Yes, that's true..." Sonya mumbled. Failing to rank a player on her list was embarrassing to admit, but at least it wasn't as bad as serving the facts raw to William.

"That's rare." William was visibly disappointed. Judging by his reaction, it looked like he'd press Sonya on this topic some more in the upcoming days.

[Looks like I have to casually spill the beans.] Cato concluded. [Well, I really wanted to say this anyway, so it's all good. Hehe~]

"You can't really blame her," Cato said. "Gunz is a wildcard. Sometimes he's incredibly strong, other times he shows glaring weaknesses. Not to mention, he seems overly reliant on his main classes."

"That's true," William agreed. "But, there should still be a way to rate somebody like that. I expected Sonya to be able to."

"Well, it sounds like she needs more data," Cato lied. "But, I'm fine with giving you my own verdict based on what we've discussed so far, if you really want to hear it. I've analyzed plenty of players with her, so I'm usually pretty on spot with my predictions."

"Huh." William carefully judged the smiling guy in front of him. "Alright, where would you place Gunz on the list?"

"If I had to say," [or rather, if Sonya had to say,] "then Gunz is the second strongest player in the region in terms of raw strength."

"......."

Silence.

Everybody simply stared at Cato for what he had just uttered. Even though he wasn't the official maintainer of the ranking list, there was still weight to his words, especially when he dared to claim something outrageous like that.

"Do you agree with that?" William asked Sonya. His voice was calm, but there was a hint of venom in it.

"There's not enough data to say for sure." Sonya used the rescue wheel Cato prepared for her.

"But, you're not denying the possibility."

"Right..." Sonya glanced aside.

"Hmph, I see." William scoffed. "Then, looks like it's up to me to provide data that'll contradict this evaluation. Very well." His outward demeanor seemed calm, but a storm was raging inside his stomach right now. He was like a shaking volcano, ready to explode without warning.

"Yeah, you show 'em, bro!" Ronald cheered. "There's no way that dude is better than you!"

Being No. 2 on Sonya's list had heavy implications. Especially for William, it was a big deal.

The player who held No. 1 on the list was far beyond their level. William knew that for a fact because he tried to topple that rival many times, enough to conclude that he stood no chance right now. Therefore, there was no question about who deserved to be No. 1 on the list.

Then, who was next in line? Until now, it was none other than William himself. He held the prestigious spot of No. 2.

Indeed, Sonya deemed William the strongest middle schooler in the region, second only to the monster whose skill level couldn't be judged by middle school standards anyway. Therefore, being No. 2 on the list was a highly regarded position, one deserving of everybody's respect.

But, now Cato was trying to cause a coup d'etat. He was suggesting that Gunz was the rightful heir to the position and that William should be dethroned. Such nonsense.

"Keep in mind," Cato said. "The idea that Gunz might deserve the No. 2 spot only applies to when he's playing Trickshooter or Gunslinger. It's unclear what his rank would be otherwise. William might be stronger in those cases."

"Hmph. I don't need a consolation prize." William scoffed. "After we get three wins from them, I say let Gunz pick Shooter and Slinger. I'll make sure to take him down"

"Very well," Cato said. "We'll need Coach to approve first, but I'm sure I can convince him."

Despite everything he said about Gunz being "the No. 2 of the region", Cato wasn't entirely convinced either. Ultimately, it was mostly Sonya's conclusion. Just like William, Cato also trusted that robot's analysis on matters such as this.

But, was it really true? Was Gunz so strong he could rival the strongest member of the Leopards? It'll be interesting to see for sure.

And, if Gunz was really that strong, would other members of the team be able to handle him at all?

"Matt, what do you think?" Cato asked. "Can you nullify Gunz's offense if you fight him?"

"Hard to say," Matthew answered. "I'll have to run some simulations to understand his playstyle better."

"I see." Cato nodded. "I'm sure Sonya can help you with that. She gathered lots of data on Gunz, right?"

"Of course." Sonya nodded. "In terms of raw combat potential, he's the No. 1 threat on the enemy team. So, we need all the data we can get on him."

Sonya shared where to find additional notes and clips she made about Gunz. From the sheer amount of data she gathered, the girl almost came across as a stalker.

[She must really want to avenge Jenny~] Cato smiled meaningfully. [Personally, I think Yuel will be our greatest problem in this match. Gunz is like a big cannon, but Yuel is the one who decides when to fire it. Even last year, Jenny owned most of her defeat to Yuel, not to Gunz.]

"Alright," Cato continued. "Now that we're familiar with our opponents, it's time to discuss their tactics a little."

This was always the part where most of the audience lost their interest. Matthew returned to his mobile gaming, Ronald nodded off, and William yawned, just barely keeping himself together.

[Well, I can't blame them.] Cato thought.

Unlike the process of deconstructing specific players, tactics and strategy were far more abstract. They were difficult to fully comprehend, let alone remember.

Nonetheless, the topic was very important to cover in this case, so Cato and Sonya pressed on regardless. They did their best to accompany their explanations with interesting footage that showcased Chessmaster's irregular shot-calling in action. Some of the plays managed to impress the audience, while others were too dubious to be taken seriously.

"Are you sure that one was intended?" William asked. "To me, it looks like the Lancer just happened to run into Jennifer."

"That's the beauty of it all," Cato sang praises. "Even when you analyze this play from the side, it's not obvious whether it was calculated bait or a happy accident. But, even if you want to disregard all these examples as 'happy accidents', you have to agree there are far too many of them in one scrimmage, right?"

"I suppose." William remained unconvinced. He probably won't be entirely on board until he experiences Yuel's shot-calling firsthand on stage.

"Well, no need to worry your pretty little heads over this right now," Cato said. "Just remember that their shot-caller leans toward aggressive shot-calls and he likes unconventional plays. So, make sure you question things. Don't take anything for granted."

"Heh." Ronald produced a dry laugh. "Sounds like you're asking us to be paranoid."

"Not paranoid, but vigilant," Cato clarified. "Of course, I'm not telling you to be cautious to the point it'll negatively affect your performance. In the end, it's primarily the shot-caller's role to outplay the enemy shot-caller."

"Heh, too bad our team doesn't [have] a shot-caller." Ronald snickered.

"Kid, it really sounds like you want to be kicked out of the team."

"Haha, I'm just saying, man."

"Well, he [is] right," William interjected. "This team [doesn't have] a shot-caller. That's the narrative, at least."

"Fair enough." Cato nodded. "Anyway, I'll make sure to come up with countermeasures for Yu- Ahem. I mean, countermeasures for Chessmaster's shot-calling. You just focus on studying the players and thinking on how you're going to beat them."

Everybody nodded in approval.

"As for our lineups," Cato said. "I was thinking of opening with lineup A. As you all hopefully understand by now, it's important for us to assess Gunz's current skill level as soon as possible so we can decide how to deal with him. And, there's no one better than Matt for this detective job."

"I can do it too," William said. "I want to start with lineup B. Let me fight Gunz."

"Wait, we can do better!" Ronald interjected. "Let's start with lineup C! It's the best formation!"

"Lineup C doesn't exist," Cato said.

"C'mon, it's totally real!" Ronald pouted. "It's like B, except I'm the Carry! Lemme at Gunz! I'll prove you he's NOT No. 2. That spot belongs to my bro."

"I appreciate the sentiment," William said. "But, I can handle him myself."

"Yeah, I'm sure you can, no doubt about that." Ronald nodded. "I'm just saying dude isn't worth your time, bro. I can wreck him real quick for ya."

"Sure, sure." William rolled his eyes. "You want to fight him, I get it. Maybe after I trash him hard enough, I can let you play Carry for one game."

"Really!?" Ronald jumped. "You're the best, bro!"

The brothers reached an agreement without even consulting the captain.

[My minions are revolting against me! Sob.] Cato wiped a nonexistent tear. [Well, it's alright. It's just a scrim anyway, so I can entertain them for now. If I let them do whatever they want and they end up losing, they'll be more obedient in the future. Kukuku, it's the ultimate subjection plan!]

"Alright," Cato said. "We can open the match with lineup B."

"Are we really doing this?" Sonya frowned. "That wasn't the plan we outlined."

"I know, but real life doesn't always go as planned. For the better and the worse, we have to consider the quirks of our teammates."

"Hah." Sonya sighed in defeat. It was one of these irrational topics she wasn't good with.

As far as TheTheorist was concerned, sticking to the optimal game plan was always the best move. It made no sense whatsoever to bend the knee for somebody's illogical caprices. And yet, Cato was partaking in that very foolishness.

"Fine." Sonya surrendered. "Just don't come crying to me if it doesn't work."

"Don't worry, I won't."

After discussing a few more details, the meeting came to an end. Everybody knew exactly what they had to focus on in the upcoming days.

"As usual, there'll be another review meeting with the Coach in two days," Cato informed. "Make sure you have something good to report. And please, for the love of God, don't forget the key details we discussed today. Coach is going to question you about them for sure."

"Geeeeh." Ronald made face.

"I know, I know. Tests aren't ever fun, but it is what it is. So, make sure you're prepared. I suggest you review Sonya's notes a day before to refresh yourselves."

"Yes, you better do," Sonya said. "It might be an exam, but you pretty much have all the answers at your disposal. It's just a question of memorizing them."

"Right." Cato nodded. "I know it's a little tiresome, but keep in mind that you make the entire team look bad when you can't answer a question. So, make sure you can do it."

"No problem!" Ronald saluted with a smile. If only his promise was at last half as convincing as his confident expression...