Summer arrived soon after the nationals. Before Yuel realized, he had already spent an entire year in the Classmancers club. He improved a lot and class-changed from “Kid” to “Second String Captain”. But, that’s about all he achieved. He’ll have to work even harder next year if he wants to play competitively.

The end of the year was approaching and a third of the club was about to graduate: Aron, Trever and all the other seniors. It meant all their spots on StormBlitz will be open next year. But Howard and Ellen were still here, so Yuel and Lars’s spots were still taken... for now.

Before graduation day, the club threw a small farewell party for the seniors. All juniors and freshmen joined hands to bring snacks and drinks. Chips, cupcakes, candies, cola, you name it. Yuel could only imagine the horror of cleaning all of this afterward, a job that’s clearly going be forced on the freshmen... oh well. It was supposed to be a party, so he did his best to shut his brain and enjoy.

“Hey,” Lars called out to Trever. “You finished entry exams, right? Got into Ivy?”

“Ivy?” Trever took a slow sip from his drink. “Nah, I blew it.”

“Pft, not surprised.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Trever jabbed. “Man, like you’re the one to talk. I’ll know for sure the zombie apocalypse is coming when ya get higher than a failing mark at literally anything, haha.”

“Have to agree with that,” Yuel gave Lars a look. “From what I heard, most of your grades have only one digit.”

“Haha!” Trever smacked Lars on the back. “And you wanna get to Ivy? Better start taking cram school, boy.”

“Heeeeck no.” Lars shook his head so hard it nearly flew off his neck. “I’mma just study hard in the last year. Things will work out for sure. Believe it, yo.”

“Second year.” Yuel insisted. “You start studying in the second year. You need to get your grades at least into double digits first.”

“Geh, what a pain. I’ll think about it.”

“Do it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll tell your mom about your grades.”

“Gah! Okay, okay! I’ll try harder next year!”

“Good.” Yuel nodded. Ivy High was known as a rather “prestige” school. It demanded an average grade of 70 or more across subjects, as well as passing their entry exam with at least 60 points..

Fortunately, there were various scholarships which made things easier, like a sports scholarship. Since Classmancers was so highly regarded in Ivy, the sports scholarship extended to scouted Classmancers players. Being scouted didn’t always guarantee admittance, but at least it significantly lowered the required average grade and entry exam score. Honestly, that’s Lars’s only hope.

Trever didn’t get to play in the regionals this year and barely even in scrimmages, so of course, nobody scouted him. Not to mention that even if somebody had seen him during the StormBlitz vs. Leopards scrimmage, they wouldn’t have gotten the best impression of him. Though it seemed the guy in question had completely forgotten about that dark past of his, and that's for the better. Trever was at his best when he acted like a goof and pretended like he’s everybody’s big bro.

Unlike Trever, there’s one senior who DID participate in the regionals and put on a solid performance. He would have easily gotten the “Best Jungler” award in the regionals if not for Fenrir. Of course, the talented senior in question was Aron.

“Did Ivy scout you?” Yuel asked.

“No,” Aron shrugged. “Nobody contacted me.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“They got high standards, I guess. An elitist school and all.”

“I see. But, that’s not an issue for you, is it? I’m sure you still passed the entry exam with flying colors.”

“I did. But, I won’t attend Ivy.”

“Huh?” Yuel was sure he misheard for a moment. “Why?”

“After riding there for the exam, I realized how far it is,” Aron shook his head. “The thought of traveling there every day by metro and two buses killed all my motivation. I’ll be going to Gordon instead.”

“I see...” Yuel wasn’t sure how to take this. Aron should have been the type who strives to play in the best environment possible, he even considered going pro later down the line. Everybody and their reasons, I guess.

“By the way,” Trever butted in. “I’m going to Gordon too.”

“You don’t say.” Aron made a face.

“Hm?” Yuel raised an eyebrow. There was something off about that reaction, but didn’t seem like either of them was planning to talk about this.

“My,” Ellen waltzed into the conversation out of nowhere and smiled at Aron. “You gave up on Ivy to go to the same school as your boyfriend. How romantic~”

“You chick and your creepy fanfics,” Trever shuddered. “You’re still aiming for Ivy, right?”

“That’s the idea, but who knows what gonna happen. At least, I’m sure I won't give up on Ivy for a silly reason like failing all my exams~”

“You’re real cute, you know?”

“My, thank you~” Ellen tilted her head and smiled like an angel. A thoroughly disturbing angel.

“So,” Trever grinned and thrust his finger at Ellen. “We gonna play each other next year. Better brace yourself, girl!”

“My, how rude.” Ellen smacked Trever’s finger away. “Your parents didn’t teach you to not point at people? Sheesh. And sure, I’ll brace myself real well. That is, brace myself to never playing you in high school because you’ll never become a starter~”

“We’ll see about that.” They glared at each other for about two seconds, but it felt like an hour. Finally, Ellen shrugged and waltzed away, with a foxy smile still plastered across her face.

“Tch,” Trever clicked his tongue and refilled his drink. Yuel never heard the full story of these two, but they clearly had some bad blood between them. Was it just because Ellen stole Trever’s Carry? It felt like there was much more to it, but Yuel never mustered the courage to poke that beehive.

“So,” Yuel changed the topic. “Is the team at Gordon any good?”

“Heck yeah!” Trever nodded, the usual smile gradually returning to brighten his face. “They got the Knights! These bad boys don't have a coach, but they get into top four every year. How cool is that, huh!?”

“I see.” Impressive, but also strange. If these “Knights” were truly so strong, why hadn’t Yuel heard more about them?

Then again, the only high school team anybody ever talked about was Venom, the team of Ivy High. They had been the reigning champions of the region for the past six years, so the accepted mentality was: “You either play on Venom, or you’re a nobody.”

Whichever reasons Aron and Trever had for picking the Knights, hopefully they won’t regret their decision. They were good players, but not being in Venom meant facing Venom in the regionals. Merely being “good” won’t cut it, that much was evident by the fact a strong player like Aron wasn’t even scouted by Ivy. It’ll be a tough competition for these two in high school.

Will Aron and Trever be able to shake the tradition and overthrow Venom with the Knights? I should really start following the high school competitive scene...

But, it wasn’t so simple. The high school scene was where competitive Classmancers began overlapping with the pro scenes. It wasn’t uncommon to hear about talented high schoolers receiving pro contracts.

Unfortunately, all of this was so far from Yuel right now. He was just a freshman in middle school, about to become a junior. The high school scene was still many years away from him. Every time he remembered that he died a little inside.

As much as he wanted to debut on that stage right now, he first had to conquer the junior high scene, for which he first had to graduate from the second string. And to do that, he had to beat Howard. Speaking of the devil...

“Alright,” Howard raised his voice. “We got a farewell speech from our captain. Gather around.”

Everybody crowded in the center of the room around Aron and Howard.

“Let’s see,” Aron started off by going over his notes.

“C’mon, cap!” Trever shouted with hands cupped over his mouth. “Speak from the heart, not from your notes!”

“If I did that, you’ll be stuck here until tomorrow listening to my rants about your performance.”

“Wooooh!” Lars and Taison waved their hands. “Roasted!”

“You punks,” Trever chuckled as he tried to kick them. “Don’t forget who still has the highest win rate in our fights!”

“Ahem, moving on,” Aron took one more glance at his notes and then raised his eyes. “I wrote a nice scroll, but I don’t want to bore you to death. So, I’ll try to keep it short.”

“He means it’ll take one hour instead of five.” Trever pretended to whisper.

“AHEM,” Aron stabbed Trever with a sharp glare. “First of all, we got the seniors who have spent three years in this club.” He went over the seniors one by one. “Thank you for bearing with me to this day. I know I can sometimes get a little obnoxious, but you stuck with me to the very end and I’m really grateful for that.”

“A ‘little obnoxious’ is an understatement.”

“Yeaaaah, but you did a great job as the captain.”

“Yep, nobody could have handled it better.”

The seniors gave Aron thumb ups. Even though Yuel had spent only one year with Aron, he understood how they felt. Aron was very meticulous. He planned training regimes weeks in advance and did whatever it took to see them through, no matter what.

The zombie apocalypse was going to strike tomorrow? No matter. Everybody had to assemble in the clubroom and follow the schedule Aron posted on the notice board. Anything that got in the way of the plan was frowned upon.

That’s the kind of punctual captain Aron was. While Yuel thought that’s admirable, some complained how this scheduling was a thorn at their side. Mainly, the wild ones like Lars and Trever. They always just wanted to have fun and do whatever they felt like at the moment. It’s not surprising Aron mostly gave up on chaining them and mostly filled their schedules with “independent practice”.

Regardless, it’s undeniable that Aron’s organized schedules and strict management greatly boosted the level of each and every member. He was critical, sometimes downright unforgiving, but it was all for the sake of players.

The first time Yuel interacted with Aron was during the entry exam and at the time he also thought Aron was a rather demanding person. Aron bombarded him with questions after every move, giving him no chance to catch a breather. However, now Yuel knew that was just Aron’s way of assessing Yuel’s level and helping Yuel improve. When Aron asked questions, Yuel’s flaws came to the light. When Aron criticized the flaws, Yuel learned what to work on. In the end, it was all for the better.

“Next, the juniors.” Aron went over the names of the juniors. “After today, you’re the seniors. The club is in your hands. Not it’s your job to pull the younger members.” He passed a huge responsibility to them, emphasizing how they must serve as role models for the younger members and keep on striving for the championship.

“Since I’m no longer the captain after today,” Aron said. “I’ll announce the next captain now: Howard.”

A round of applause broke out, with some whistles mixed in-between. Yuel should have joined in, but his arms froze. His palms trembled, unwilling to connect.

This should have been obvious for a while now. It’s only natural for Howard to become the next captain. It’s a standard promotion from a vice-captain into a captain, nothing special.

However, it carried heavy implications for Yuel and Lars’s chances of making it into the first string next year, because the captain decided the lineups. There’s no way Howard would give up the Support role of his own accord, especially not when he can single-handedly decide who gets to play and who doesn’t.

Just when Yuel thought he was getting closer to the competitive scene, a new wall appeared in front of him. Was it even possible to overcome? Even if he somehow convinces everybody he’s a better Support than Howard, it’s still the captain who had the final say. Ugh.

And what’s even more frustrating, Howard just took another huge step forward and increased the gap between himself and Yuel. Ever since their clash in the entry exam, Yuel had been chasing Howard’s back the whole year. From a rookie to a second string vice-captain and all the way to a second string captain. Yuel made tremendous progress in this one year.

However, all of that paled compared to this one promotion Howard received. Just as Yuel was finally about to catch up, Howard sprinted five kilometers ahead yet again. Was it even possible to catch up at this point...?

“Alright,” Howard finished giving a small speech regarding his ambitions as the new captain, but none of it registered with Yuel. Something something, winning the nationals, something something. “Now then, since I’m the captain, it means the club doesn’t have a vice-captain, right? So, I gotta pick some sucker who’ll do all the work for me, haha. The new vice-captain gonna be Yuel.”

“Eh...?” Yuel stumbled backward. He? The vice-captain? Ah...

“C’mon,” Howard motioned to come over.

“Right...” Yuel wobbled forward, each step felt heavier than the previous. He? The new vice-captain? That was...

“Heh,” Trever smacked Yuel on the back. “Good job, kid. You’re finally a bigshot, haha.”

“Yeah, dude!” Lars lightly punched Yuel on the shoulder. “You gonna be one of the top dogs, yo!”

“Haha, thanks...” Yuel responded with a weak smile. He was actually going to become the vice-captain? That was... He didn’t even...

He was wobbling all over the place, but somehow reached his destination and stood beside Howard. Yes, they were actually standing shoulder to shoulder. It’s the first time Yuel felt this close to Howard. Even though Howard leaped forward by becoming a captain, Yuel closed much of the gap by becoming the vice-captain. The chase wasn’t over yet! It’s still possible to catch up!

But at the same time, Yuel felt anxious. Howard was the vice-captain before Yuel. In other words, Yuel was walking down the same path Howard did. It should have been a good sign, since it meant Yuel was on the right track for catching up with Howard.

But at the same time, it emphasized the greatest gap between them: the one year gap. Just by being one year older, Howard will forever be one step ahead. Was it an impossible chase all along...?

Eventually, the crowd dispersed and everybody returned to their snacks and drinks. Howard said more things regarding the club’s future, but it all went in one ear and out the other. Yuel just stood there like a statue, mulling over this development.

“You okay?” Howard asked.

“Yeah...” Yuel mumbled. “Just wondering: why me? Wouldn’t somebody like Gilbert be a better fit?”

“Maybe,” Howard shrugged, not even trying to deny it. “But, the tradition is that the captain is a senior and the vice-captain is a junior. That way, the vice-captain becomes the captain in his last year.”

“I see.” It made sense. Even though Howard spoke lightly of it, this had huge implications about Yuel’s future: at this rate, he was going to become the captain next year. He’ll literally walk down the same path as Howard. Was that good or bad?

“Why me?” Yuel asked.

“Heh, and who else could I pick?” Howard chuckled. “You knew Lars and Tai are out of the question. and July wouldn’t be arsed. I guess Greg was one option, but you’re the better player. You even passed my ‘test’ with flying colors.”

“Test? Oh, so that's what it was about.” It finally clicked. When Howard forced Yuel to confront his teammates during the scrimmage, it was a test of Yuel’s ability. How well could he speak up his mind? How would he deal with problematic allies? Could he lead the team into a comeback? That one simple test answered all these questions.

“Well,” Howard patted Yuel on the shoulder. “Better be ready to work your ass off. Another thing that’s according to tradition, is that vice-captain handles most stuff. The captain gets to kick back and relax.”

“That sounds irresponsible.”

“It builds character. Think of it as gaining exp for when you become the captain. Besides, I can’t babysit everybody. My job as the captain is to bring the team to nationals.”

“Makes sense.” Yuel wasn't keen on the idea of becoming Howard's errand boy, but that's actually how Howard was as the vice-captain too. Howard handled most issues throughout the year, making him feel like the actual captain of the club. Aron had the last word in everything important, but he was a rather distant figure for everybody outside the first string. Aron was like the unapproachable CEO of a big company, while Howard was the company’s representative.

And now, Yuel became said representative. Huge responsibility dropped on his shoulders along with the promotion. He had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he was glad his skill was recognized. On the other hand, it invited more trouble than it’s worth. His resolution for the upcoming year was to catch up to Howard, but the vice-captain job will surely get in the way of that.

Was it going to be alright? Will he be able to catch up despite this slowdown? Either way, there’s no choice but to accept his fate. It's not like he could casually step down from the job. Not to brag or anything, but he was really the most fitting junior to handle this job. Not necessarily because he was that amazing, but because of who the other juniors were. Putting his ambitions aside, this was a responsibility he had to accept as a club member with the appropriate set of skills.

It’ll be fine. Howard overcame this ordeal, and so will Yuel. Just because Yuel will have more work cut out for him, it didn’t mean he’ll stop in place. He’ll catch up to Howard and become a starter, without fail. By walking down this road, he’ll acquire the necessary experience for topping Howard not only as a Support and a shot-caller, but also as a captain. There’s still a long road ahead of him!