Duel Preparations

[Dang, I think I'm done for.] Jaiden found himself in a difficult spot. A Ranger in front of him and a Pyromancer behind him. A 1v2 that was also a pincer and took place inside the jungle. It couldn't get any worse than that.

[But, that doesn't mean I gonna let them kill me!] Jaiden broke into a run toward the lane.

The Pyromancer was blocking that path, but that guy should be the less dangerous guardian out of the two. LegendaryMemer spent his ult on Rio, and he apparently also used Flame Wave against Nash a short time ago. So, the normally dangerous mage didn't have any burst at his disposal at the moment.

"Oh, so you chose death by my hands?" Luke grinned and activated Burning Spirit, buffing his Attack Speed and Movement Speed. He was locked and loaded to give this Gunslinger chump some heat!

"Don't let him get away," Kai commanded. "We have to get this kill."

"Roger!" Luke nodded. "Eat this, bruh!" He shot a fireball.

[Dang it!] Jaiden didn't have any spare time to dodge incoming shots while running. He had to eat this shot like a champ and continue running.

Was he going to make it? He still had his Dodge Roll available, but he was saving it for a true emergency. With Combat Roll still on cooldown, Jaiden couldn't carelessly spend Dodge Roll, his only escape tool in this situation.

Still, even if he executes a perfectly timed Dodge Roll, Jaiden's chances of making it out alive seemed grim at best. The Ranger was chasing him from behind, while the Pyromancer was barraging him from up ahead. Jaiden was so done for...

"Hey Jai! Over here!"

"Huh? Oh!" Jaiden's eyes popped wide. Nash was heading in Jaiden's direction from the other side of the jungle. "You didn't escape!?"

"I did, but then I realized nobody was chasing me. Then, I turn around and see all this wack shit going down. Figured I better join the fun!"

"You're the best!" Luke exhaled in relief. This was his ticket out. It was exactly the kind of timing to use his Dodge Roll.

And so, Jaiden rolled forth to reach Nash as quickly as possible. Before long, the two reunited inside the jungle.

"You're my savior, man!" Jaiden sang praises. "Please let me have your babies!"

"Ew, dodge me with that gay shit." Nash laughed. "Time to pay back these bastards! Let's avenge Rio."

"Totally."

They both assumed fighting positions. It was a 2v2 now, so there was no reason to keep running.

It was unfortunate they couldn't fight together as the Invincible Triangle, but they were strong enough even as a duo. They'll crush the enemy pair without breaking a sweat!

"Uh-oh," Luke exclaimed. "The Lancer joined the fray."

"Fine by me," Kai said. "Let's just kill them both."

"Yeaaaaaaah, about that plan..." Luke smiled awkwardly. "All my damage is on cooldown."

"Tch." Kai perfectly understood what that meant for them.

Pyromancer's basic attacks were roughly on par with a Carry's during Burning Spirit, but it was just a temporary boost. Once the Attack Speed buff ran out, Pyromancer's combat strength dropped significantly, especially during the early game. So, they won't be able to win this 2v2.

"So, we retreat?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, no choice." Kai nodded.

"Alrighty, I'mma head toward Top next."

"I'll return to lane."

The two split ways and began retreating.

"Oh, look at 'em running!" Nash licked his lips. [They probably gonna go separate ways after they retreat, so I can chase one of 'em!]

But, which one should he pick? The Carry chick who tortured Rio? Or, the Pyromancer who waltzed into the scene at the last second and stopped Rio from escaping?

"Hey, who do I chase?"

"Go after the Pyro," Luke said.

"You sure? If we take the Carry, we can push Bot."

"I'll handle the Ranger myself," Luke proclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Nash nodded. The Ranger will most likely return to the lane, so Jaiden will handle her there.

[Then, Pyro it is! Come to daddy, boy!] Nash grinned. [Any moment now.] He waited for the two enemies to split ways. They'll pay for what they did to Rio. [I'mma end their whole damn careers!]

The Ranger and Pyromancer reached an intersection inside the jungle. It was a good place to bid farewell to each other and go separate ways. But...

"Wait," Yuel called out. "Stick together. Go to Bot first, then Luke will rotate out of the lane from the back."

"Why tho?" Luke cocked his head.

"Their Lancer seems to be good at chasing," Yuel parroted the knowledge he received from Vincent. "If you retreat individually, he might chase one of you down. But, if you're together, you'll be safe."

"As expected from Chessmaster," Vincent tuned in. "Indeed, extra caution is neccessary for eluding the unstoppable Storm Chaser!"

"Isn't he StormMonster?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"That's his IGN, but his ability is called Storm Chaser!" Vincent explained with brimming confidence as if it made perfect sense. "He is a monster who can chase down anything, even a raging storm!"

"Haha, sounds wild." Luke laughed. "Okay, I'mma stick with Kai for now."

Instead of going separate ways at the intersection as intended, Kai and Luke headed toward Bot together. Needless to say, that wasn't quite what the enemy expected to happen.

"Wait, what?" Nash stopped in his tracks. "Where the heck are they going together? There's nothing for them to do in Bot right now, is there?"

"No, I don't think there is," Jaiden agreed. "Interesting."

"Maybe it's a precaution?" Rio suggested. "Nash chased them pretty hard last game."

"Oh, so they're scared of me!" Nash's nose extended all the way to the ceiling. "Yeah, fear me, scrubs! Run away like pussies, haha!"

"Looks like we're disengaging then," Jaiden said.

"Yeah, looks like it." Nash shrugged. "Are ya gonna fight the Ranger now?"

"If she wants to fight, I'll gladly accept."

"Then, I'mma stay around and wait for a good chance to gank her."

"No need. I'll finish her off myself," Jaiden declared.

"Really? I mean, I trust ya and all, but we better take her out for sure if there's a chance."

"I think so too," Rio tuned in. He felt like Jaiden won't budge unless the two of them implore together.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Jaiden gave in. "But, let me fight her one-on-one. Only gank her if she starts running."

"Sure, go nuts." Nash nodded. He understood why Jaiden wanted to do this so badly.

That Ranger chick was acting like some big-shot captain, but there's no way a girl could climb to such a position so easily. She probably cheated her way up there by acting cute and whatnot. That's lame as heck, so Jaiden had every right to hate that shit.

While they were discussing all of this, the Ranger and Pyromancer reached Bot Lane.

"Well then, I'm out." Luke saluted and headed into the jungle, passing through the entrance at the back of the lane.

"Don't wander too far," Yuel requested. "Stick around the lane for a while."

"Again???" Luke made a face. "Fool me once, I'm mad. Fool me twice, how could you?"

"Their Jungler might still be around," Yuel explained.

"Really? You think dude still hasn't given up?"

"I can't tell for sure," Yuel admitted. "Vincent, your opinion?"

"Hmmmmmmm," Vincent thought about it long and hard. "I shall admit that I, the all-knowing Information Blackhole, do not have the faintest idea!"

[I see.] Yuel knotted his brows.[ So, the 'Storm Chaser' tag doesn't necessarily mean that StormMonster is always on the lookout for targets to chase. At least, not by Vincent's definition.]

Yuel didn't have any hard evidence to support that line of reasoning either. Nevertheless, it was human nature to seek advantageous situations in which they could show off their skills.

For StormMonster, the ideal scenario was a chase. That's the situation in which he could bring out his everything to stomp the opposition. As such, it made sense for StormMonster to actively seek out scenarios like that.

"He likes chasing injured targets, so he's probably lying in wait," Yuel explained his reasoning.

"Sounds legit," Luke nodded. "Alrighty, I'mma wait here like a good boy. Looks like I'm not getting any farm again." He sighed. "Hey, everybody! Listen, if I start lagging behind by a level or two, you all know who to blame, right?"

"Yes, it'll be my fault." Yuel took responsibility.

Asking Luke to spend so much time helping out in Bot will definitely affect his farming. He'll probably fall behind in exp and gold unless he scores another kill in Bot soon. Unfortunately, this was a necessary sacrifice for keeping Kai alive.

If everything was up to Yuel, he'd simply stop Kai from pursuing this dangerous duel. Alas, he knew words won't convince Kai at this point. The girl was hellbent on dueling Renegade. That was the only reason Yuel gave in and went out of his way to arrange such a convoluted plan to eliminate the Cleric.

The end result was far from optimal. Both sides effectively traded Supports, a piece for a piece.

Fortunately, Stratus earned a little more from this exchange. Removing the Cleric before he could use Arise was a big deal. So, at least Stratus had that going for them.

All that was left, was to pray that Kai will defeat Renegade. There wasn't enough data to compare their strengths, but they looked fairly even the last time they fought. So, this fight will probably be 50-50 That's why Yuel wasn't too thrilled about letting it happen.

Kai's chances looked as good as a coin toss. And yet, the entire team will be severely punished if she loses. These odds were far from fair.

Alas, Kai won't back down. She insisted to take this risky gamble.

"Alright, I'll kill this bastard now," Kai declared with unwavering confidence. "Luke, just kick back and watch. You don't need to do anything unless their Jungler shows up."

"Roger." Luke nodded. "Too bad I didn't bring some popcorn, haha."

[Alright, the stage is set.] Kai nodded to herself. After many trials and tribulations, she finally reached her desired 1v1 situation. It was just her and Renegade now.

Unfortunately, the conditions of the duel were far from ideal. Kai was at 70% HP, whereas Renegade was at 90%. On the flip side, Kai saved her ult for this fight, whereas Renegade has just spent Fan the Hammer, which was his most deadly tool.

[Too bad my wolf is still on cooldown.] Kai thought. It was great she saved her ult for this moment, but it won't be truly deadly without the aid of Wolf Companion. [Well, that probably makes the odds fairer. Skill will be the deciding factor here.]

Still, one important question hanged in the air. Will Renegade actually accept this duel?

For some reason, Kai was convinced he will. She couldn't explain it well, but it felt like Renegade was gunning for her as much as she was gunning for him. They both thirsted for each other's blood.

[So, you did all of this just to invite me to a duel?] Jaiden smiled thinly. [Gotta say, you sent one heck of a roundabout invitation. But okay, let's settle this.]

"Nash, don't jump on her while we fight," Jaiden requested. "I want to have a fair 1v1. At least, as fair as we can get here."

"Sure, man." Nash nodded. "But, once she starts running, I'm going all in! I gonna take the kill, too."

"No problem." Jaiden nodded.

If the fight reaches a point at which Beat will start retreating, it'd mean Jaiden has already won. So, he didn't care who'll actually secure the kill at that point. [Well, I'd rather kill her with my own hands, but I'm not gonna stop Nash.]

It was time to settle this, once and for all. Not only did this girl occupy a mighty role she didn't deserve, but she also possibly prevented Gunz and Chessmaster from playing Bot today. It was unforgivable.

Jaiden had to put an end to that nonsense. He'll thoroughly destroy this girl, to the point she'd want to quit Classmancers as a whole! There will be no mercy in this fight.

The two raging forces were finally about to clash. This time, there won't be any outside interference. It'll be a pure 1v1 from start to end.

Each fighter bore an uncontrollable hatred toward the other. The girl didn't want to be treated like trash, whereas the boy insisted she was an eyesore for everybody. Who will come on top in this fateful duel!?