A Jungler Who Can't Babysit Mid

The enemy frontline was gone and only one bowman remained in the rear. Despite Kai's suboptimal execution of the advanced Bomber tech, she and Yuel still cleared the lane quickly enough to transition into a strong push.

"Let's go!" Kai shot down the bowman and marched forward along the lane, leading her army behind her.

"Don't get carried away," Yuel warned. "Their Lion is going to arrive at any moment."

"Yeah, I know. But, I don't think he gonna attack. These guys are some of the worst turtles I've ever seen. They never attack."

"Yes, it seems they're not too fond of starting fights. But still, it's dangerous to extend like this. Slow down a little."

"Why, though? You're here to bail me out if something happens, right?"

"Well, yes, that's part of the plan."

"So, I'm counting on you."

"Is that so..." Yuel sighed with a wry smile. He had conflicted feelings about this.

On one hand, it felt like Kai shoved all the responsibility on him. But, on the other hand, it meant Kai trusted him to back her up.

Just a few months ago, an interaction like this would have been unthinkable. However, slowly but surely, Kai was getting used to the idea of relying on teammates. So, in light of that...

"Okay, fine." Yuel conceded. "Let's push, but don't stray too far from me. I won't be able to 'bail you out' if I can't cast my shield on you."

"Got it."

And so, they pressed ahead along with the minion army.

All the soldiers were injured to one degree or another from Aeromancer's Whirlwind, but they all lived. So, this push was packing an entire minion wave!

Naturally, the enemy had to respond to this threat on the double. They couldn't allow a brigade like this to invade the tower area.

"They're pushing," Matthew informed.

"Yep, sure looks like it." Cato frowned. "My, what an annoying offense."

"You're going to help out, right?"

"What choice do I have? As awkward as this exchange is going to be, I have to be there to defend. They really put us between a rock and a hard place."

The Druid's presence in Mid was quite the eyesore. He could keep the Bomber safe with Gaia Shield and he discouraged any ganks with the threat of Nature's Grasp.

What's more, he had "Awaken the Ents" that could turn the incoming push into a devastating one. In fact, it was pretty much assured that Yuel will summon the Ents at some point during this push.

[I have to discourage that.] Cato leapt out of the jungle and crashed on the swordsmen that has just invaded the tower area. This play put him within the range of Druid's Nature's Grasp, but it was a risk he had to take. [I have to stop this offense in its tracks, right here and now.]

Of course, there was no chance the enemy would pass on a juicy opportunity like this.

"He's here! Pull him!" Kai requested as soon as the Lionfolk jumped in. Alas, Yuel didn't respond in time.

The Lionfolk crashed on their swordsmen and immediately rolled away to safety. It all happened in a matter of one second. Yuel completely missed the opportunity.

"Why didn't you pull him!?" Kai complained.

"I couldn't," Yuel explained. "For one, my reaction speed isn't as good as yours. And, even if it was, I'd still have to predict exactly where he was going to land, which wasn't easy to do."

Nature's Grasp was one of the hardest skill shots to connect in this game. Its range was a narrow straight line that had to be aimed perfectly.

Yuel was able to land it properly via prediction every and then. However, this particular scenario was beyond his skill, at least for now. Most likely, the enemy took this into account.

"Tch, what a wasted opportunity." Kai clicked her tongue. She was ready to unleash hell on that annoying Lionfolk after Yuel drags him in, but looks like that'll have to wait.

Through a combined effort, Merlin and Rook have already eliminated two of the swordsmen. And so, Kai's army was reduced to just four soldiers.

"You're not jamming in your ult?" Kai asked.

"No, I don't think this is a good time for it," Yuel explained. "It's best to use it when they're lacking defenders, which isn't the case right now."

"Huh. Pretty sure that's as few defenders as we're ever going to get since this damn Lion always rotates over here."

"He can keep rotating as much as he wants. The more time he spends here, the less threat he poses on the rest of the map. Forcing him to waste time here is already a win in its own right."

"If you say so." Kai understood the strategic importance behind it, but that didn't make her feel any better. [As far as I'm concerned, this guy always comes here to ruin my pushes. So, I'd REALLY like to kick his ass outta here already.]

But, Yuel didn't cooperate on that front, so there was nothing Kai could do about it at the moment. The two of them simply followed their minions into the tower area and fired basic attacks at the enemy Turret.

Of course, Yuel made sure to cast Gaia's Protection on Kai, in case the enemy decides to launch a counterattack. Between the Lionfolk and Aeromancer's ults, the enemy duo had strong tools for launching a devastating counter here. Therefore, Yuel and Kai had to tread carefully.

And so, the joint push reached the tower. Kai and Yuel positioned themselves at the edge of the tower area and fired basic attacks, while Rook and Merlin were busy clearing the invading minions.

Shortly, the last swordsman collapsed. And, the three bowmen started following suit one by one.

What's more, the Lionfolk slowly but surely got closer to the duo, no doubt with ill intentions.

"Let's go," Yuel said. "He'll cage us if we stay here any longer."

"I say let him. We can just gang on him inside the cage."

"You seem to be forgetting he has an Aeromancer as his backup, with his ult ready to go."

"Oh, right, we don't wanna deal with that shit."

Getting locked in a cage with a raging typhoon wasn't exactly their idea of a fun time, so they disengaged from the fight and retreated.

Knowing Cato, the guy was probably delighted with this result.

[Yes, flee in terror!] Cato smirked. [Fear my impenetrable defense!]

In the end, he and Matthew splendidly deflected the push. He was already prepared for the worst-case scenario of dealing with Ents, but Yuel decided against that aggressive play for some reason.

[Interesting. I expected that offense-addict to go all out.] Cato recalled the chess match they had, where Yuel's biggest mistake was bashing his head over and over against Cato's impenetrable defense. Summoning the Ents here would've been a similar case. It was the kind of offense that sounded much stronger than it actually was.

[Looks like he learned a thing or two from our match. Good, good~ I'm always happy to teach people about the importance of respecting the enemy's defense.]

Both sides disengaged from combat, but the threat remained on lane. It didn't seem like Yuel was planning to leave any time soon, which meant the next wave will probably be much of the same.

"Any ideas?" Matthew asked. "I don't see an easy way to deal with this duo."

"Yeah, my neither," Cato admitted. "I wonder if I can just jump them and lock them in my ult, and then you ult them too. I doubt we'll get a kill from that, but at least one of them will have to recall for sure."

"Are you seriously suggesting such a risky plan?"

"It's just a thought. But, from that tone, I take it you disagree?"

"Yeah, can't say I'm a fan."

"Figured." Cato nodded. "After all, this goes against Esmeralda's Creed."

"You make her sound like some sort of goddess."

"Isn't she practically like that for you?"

"No really." Matthew shifted his eyes away.

"Heh, let's leave it at that." It was time for Cato to leave the lane. However, as things stood, he'll have to return before long.

[This is such a big exp sink for me.] Cato sighed. [I have to at least farm a couple of camps before I return. But, once I do return, what's next?]

Clearly, he and Matthew weren't enough here. They needed a way to pose a bigger threat, to make sure these cocky attackers won't even think about trying anything funny.

But, was anybody available to lend them a hand here? William was locked in an intense duel against Gunz, so that was out of the question. And, similarly, Sonya was busy holding the fort against InformationBlackhole. So, there was only one more player who was free right now, but...

[My, I really don't want to rely on this clunky piece.] Cato grumped. [But, what choice do I have, right? Coach keeps forcing me to play with this fool, so I might as well put him to some use. Besides, it looks like Will doesn't want this brat anywhere near Bot for now.]

For the better or the worse, the circumstances aligned just right. Ronald has recently recalled to base in order to restore his MP, and he was still on his way back to lane.

However, nobody was really waiting for him there. William preferred to continue his duel with Gunz in isolation, so he pretty much shooed Ronald away.

[Honestly, I'm not a fan of that decision.] Cato thought. [Will has lost way too much HP, so that duel is over as far as I'm concerned. But, he's stubborn as a bull. Sigh.]

Cato tried to convince William to stop this madness, but the guy refused to listen. And, once this guy got like that, there was practically no convincing him, Cato knew that from experience.

[The only thing that'll convince him is actually losing the duel. And, I won't lie, a part of me is actually eager to see that happen~]

If William loses badly after disagreeing with Cato, then it'll hurt his pride for the rest of the day. As a result, he'll become a much more obedient piece. Good, good~

[Though, it'll be nicer overall if he wins.] Cato admitted. [This way, we'll know we have a piece that can shut down Stratus' strongest.]

Either way, regardless of the outcome, there was a lot of data to be gained from allowing this duel to continue. As such, Cato gave in and respected William's selfish desires this time.

[Well, as they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Well, in this particular case, it's borderline trash for me too, but I'll have to pick it up anyway.]

"Ronald, come over to Mid."

"Oh, Matt needs my help?" Ronald asked. "Okay, I'm on my way!" He sounded so eager that it was easy to imagine him as an abandoned puppy that found a new home. After all, his own brother pretty much kicked him out of their lane. So tragic~

[Well, I doubt he really feels bad about it.] Cato thought. [Knowing these two, they're both equally eager to see how that duel in Bot plays out. Admittedly, I'm interested as well.]

Did Gunz really deserve the No. 2 spot that previously belonged to William? At the moment, Cato was leaning toward "yes", but it was hard to say for sure. So, hopefully, the outcome of this duel will answer that once and for all.

[But, that's beside the point right now.] Cato examined Mid again. [What are you really up to, Yuel? Are you hoping to gain control over Mid? I'm sure we both know that isn't going to work, not like this. So, what's the catch? Or, maybe there's no catch and you're just trying to make our lives difficult for no good reason?]

Even back during his chess day, Yuel's playstyle had two distinctive traits. The first and most noticeable was his love for offense, which manifested itself via fast piece development and early attacks.

However, there was one more important aspect to his playstyle, one that wasn't always obvious at first glance. It was Yuel's insistence to find the best way possible to annoy his opponents.

[Now, THAT'S my kind of skill.] Cato nodded in approval. [I'm glad there are other good players out there who understand the art of frustrating the opponent~]

Though, with how serious of a fellow Yuel was, he probably didn't do any of it for his own fun. For him, striking the most uncomfortable spot in the most frustrating way possible was just strategy, nothing more. That's exactly how he took down Fiona in that one fateful chess match that shocked everybody.

[So, he might be doing the same to us right now.] Cato reasoned. [He is sticking to Mid because that's where he believes he'll frustrate us the most. And, he's right, This really puts me on the spot.]

The situation in Top was already occupying Cato's mind more than enough, forcing him to constantly hang out around Top Jungle in order to intimidate Blackhole with phantom ganks. And now, Cato also had to do something similar for Mid in order to discourage the enemy's push, and he'll probably have to be physically present on the scene, too.

[So basically, you're trying to corner me, right?] Cato concluded. [I can't jungle in peace when both Top and Mid are in such awkward positions. It's not like we're losing in either of them per se, but both lanes are competing over my attention. Fun...]

And so, Cato had no choice but to continue jungling while constantly looking out for both Top and Mid. In addition, he was also tasked with supervising VanishingFlower, that pesky little phantom. Really, Cato's attention was all across the board here.

Combined, all of this placed a substantial amount of pressure on him. But, he was mentally prepared.

[This is like deflecting attacks from two sides of the board at once.] Cato thought. [No big deal. I got it.]

On his way to farm the nearby Hyena Camp, he continued monitoring the situations in both lanes, searching for ways to turn the tides in his team's favor.

Meanwhile, Ronald rendezvoused with Matthew in Mid. Together, they opened a joint attack on the next minion wave. And, it was a fairly strong attack, at that.

Unlike Yuel, who had a proper defensive build, Ronald was sticking to his disgusting power build. It was an unsightly build for a Support, but in rare situations like this, it did wonders for tipping the odds in his side's favor.

Thanks to Ronald's unexpectedly high damage output, the lane situation effectively became a 2v1 in the Leopards' favor.

So, how would Yuel handle two power mages in one lane? Did he already have a line of play prepared for this situation? That'll be interesting to see~