It was already past midnight. When the clock hit 1:27 am, the door to Yuel's house opened. Finally, his mom was home.

“Why are you up?” Leona demanded as soon as she walked into the living room. The room had its lights on without her approval.

Okay, here goes. Yuel took a deep breath to steel himself. “I was waiting for you.”

“I see,” Leona wore a thin smile. “Kids should be sleeping at this hour. There's a study that shows-”

“That kids who sleep less than nine hours are moodier, have worse attention spans and partake in more dangerous activities. Did I forget anything?”

“No, that’s a perfect summary,” Leona smiled softly. “So, I assume you have something important to discuss?”

“Yes. Very important.”

“I see,” Leona nodded but she headed toward the kitchen in the opposite direction. “You mind if I fix myself some noodles first?”

“You're eating at this hour?” Yuel raised an eyebrow.

“The day was so packed I had to skip dinner,” Leona explained as she fished for a cup of instant noodles in the drawer. “I see we're almost running out.” She checked the refrigerator next. “I'll prepare you a grocery list for tomorrow. Would you take care of it, please?”

“Okay.”

“Sorry I push it on you again. This month has been so chaotic I don't have time to breathe.”

“No problem,” Yuel said. He was already used to this routine by now. They used to run groceries together when he was younger but recently it has become entirely his responsibility in the house.

“I'll leave you some extra cash, so you can buy whatever you like with it.” Leona smiled softly.

“Cool,” Yuel nodded. This was the great benefit of doing the groceries himself: he was rewarded with extra cash that he added to his savings. One day, he’ll have enough to buy himself a decent laptop to play Classmancers on. That’ll finally save him from playing it on a tablet when he’s not home.

But, that’s a plan for much later down the road. Right now, he had to focus on this important conversation.

“Okay,” Leona began brewing water and returned to the living room. “So? What's so important you had to wait until 1 AM to talk to me about?”

“I...” Yuel gulped. His throat was as dry as a desert. He coughed once and continued. “I'd like to transfer schools to Skyline Junior High.”

Leona reacted with a frown, as expected. “Explain yourself, young man.”

“Well, it's a little compacted,” Yuel fidgeted as he tried to recite the explanations he prepared. “Remember how I’m in a club for a competitive game?”

“Of course, a video game. Something with ‘Class’ in the name, if I recall.”

“Yes, Classmancers. Anyway, there's a little problem in the club...” Yuel chose his words carefully. “In short, I won't be able to play in the regional tournament this year even though I know I have the skill for it. So, if I try in another school, I'll have a decent chance.”

“You're being vague. Elaborate.”

“Well,” Yuel gave up on being dodgy and gave it to her straight. “There's a boy who is one year older than me and he's the captain because he's a senior. So, he gets to decide who plays in tournaments and he took the position I play best. So, I can’t play on the main team because of him.”

“I see,” Leona crossed her arms. Will this minimalistic explanation fly with her? Mentioning the selection match and how Howard defeated Yuel was definitely out of question. That'll make Yuel's mom reject the request on the spot.

“That older kid,” Leona started. “Is he a better player than you?”

“It's... hard to say,” Yuel couldn't answer for sure even if he wanted. “He's better in some areas and worse in others, so it's not clear-cut. But, he got one extra year of experience on me and his older sister is a pro at this game, so he got many unfair advantages.”

“Is that so. And, I assume you tried challenging him for the position you want? That should be one of your rights as a club member.”

“Yes, I did,” Yuel had no choice but to admit because otherwise his mom will get hung up on that point. “It’s hard to test such a thing in a team-based game. We had a serious match but I was the captain, so it tested much more than just my performance in my main role.”

“You were the captain?” Leona nodded with approval. “That’s a big responsibility. Sounds like you’re highly regarded in your club.”

“Yeah, I believe so. But, I don’t have much experience being a captain while the other boy has been leading teams for over a year now. So, my team lost in the end, but I don’t believe that’s proof I’m worse than him in the position I’m maining. He was just a better captain than me.”

“I see,” Leona said. “So, that’s why you want to try your luck in another school. But, you sure Skyline even got a team?”

“Yes, I checked everything. I even know their team is called Stratus and how well they’ve been doing in tournaments the past few years.” With that said, Yuel didn’t dare to share the statistics because they’d make Stratus come off as a weak underdog team.

“I see, you've done your research,” Leona nodded in approval. “Are you sure they'll let you join after your transfer? You will no longer be a freshman.”

“I called the school today,” Yuel was prepared for this line of attack. “I squeezed out all the answers I needed from them.”

“You did good,” Leona smiled proudly. “Alright, you made a solid case so far and I understand where you're coming from. But, there's one thing I can’t quite agree with. I understand you want to play in tournaments, but is waiting one more year such a big problem? Does it really warrant transferring schools?”

“Yes, it is,” Yuel answered. “I have the skill to play on a competitive level, so I don't want to stay on the bench for another whole year. I want to compete and to win.”

“That look...” Leona knotted her brows. “Getting so overworked over some game... Out of all things, why did you have to inherit this trait from your father?”

This was the breaking point. Yuel didn't have any more weapons in his arsenal. He did everything he possibly could to make a solid case for the transfer. Now, everything was in the prosecutor's hands.

“Back when you were playing chess,” Leona said. “You went to the nationals in fifth grade.”

“Yes, I did. It was really hard, though,” Yuel said. He still remembered that difficult final match he had during the regionals of that year. His opponent was a knowledgeable theory player who knew all the optimal standard moves. Yuel only beat her in a clutch with some unconventional moves that threw her off.

“I’m not going to pretend I approve of how much you invest yourself into a video game,” Leona said. “However, I understand you're very passionate about it. According to my research, it's a game with a serious competitive scene, so at least I know it’s not a braindead game that only exists to waste children’s time. And, since even schools approve of it as a competitive sport, it's not my place to judge it.”

This sounds good so far, but I'm sure there’s a catch. Yuel braced himself for impact

“But, if you really want to dedicate so much of your time to a video game, I want you to prove you’re not wasting your time with it. So, suppose I let you transfer, will you be able to reach the nationals this year?”

“That's...” Yuel stumbled over his words. He hid the information on purpose, but he knew Stratus was one of the weakest teams in the region and hasn't passed the first round of the regionals in years. This will be rough.

Did Yuel and Lars have what it took to pull an underdog team all the way to the finals and beyond? Will they be able to beat Howard's StormBlitz for sure? And, what about the Leopards? In addition, there were other tough contenders too. Yuel couldn't even begin to imagine how low his chances were. Nevertheless...

“Yes,” Yuel answered. “I believe I can do it.”

“Then, this is my condition: if you don't reach the nationals this year at your new school, you'll drop that game and concentrate on your studies.”

“Y-Yes, I understand.” A chill ran through Yuel but he stood his ground. He couldn't show any weaknesses right now.

The condition was absurd, but he expected nothing less from his mother. For her, failure in a competitive environment was unforgivable. Anybody who didn't possess the neccessary skill shouldn't bother trying. It was an extreme opinion but one his mom wouldn't budge on.

So, Yuel just had to do it. He'll have to find a way to bring an underdog team like Stratus all the way to the top. It'll be a long and thorny road. But, together with Lars, they'll pull through it.

“I see how serious you are about this,” Leona approached her son. “Frankly, asking for a transfer just before school begins is unreasonable. I've already paid for the school, so now I'll have to negotiate a refund. After that, I’ll have to talk to Skyline and ask them to register you at such short notice.” She sighed.

“Sorry.”

“It's okay,” Leona smiled softly and rubbed Yuel's cheek. “It's not often that you ask something from me, so I'll spoil you this once.”

“Thanks a lot, mom.”

“Well,” Leona smiled and glanced away. “I actually wanted you to attend Skyline from the beginning, remember? According to my research, the level of education is higher there.”

“Yes, I know. But thanks anyway, mom.”

“Will your studies be okay?” Leona gently patted Yuel’s head.

“I'm sure I'll manage.”

“If your grades drop, you'll have to prioritize your studies over the game. I hope that's clear.”

“Yes, of course.”

“And, what about friends? It's a good thing you finally made some friends in your current school.”

“It's okay,” Yuel said. “There’s a boy I play a duo with and he’s going to transfer there too, so we'll keep playing together.” On second thought, maybe it was better to keep that one to himself...

“You mean Lars, that bratty kid you always hang out with? I'm really not sure he’s a good influence for you.”

“I know he's a little childish, but he's a good guy and he's one of the best players around. Together with him, I'm sure we can reach the nationals.”

“Is that so. What about the girl who visited a few times? Julia, I believe.”

“She... probably won't join.” Yuel looked away.

“Unfortunate, I thought she was pretty cute,” Leona winked.

Yes, she can be cute when she wants to be. But, most of the time, she's one of the most annoying creatures ever.

“Okay, I'll take care of the transfer tomorrow,” Leona kissed her son on the forehead. “Now, go to sleep, young man.”

“Goodnight.” Yuel gave his mom a small hug before going to bed.

Phew, he did it! He really did it! This year, Yuel and Lars will be attending Skyline Junior High and play for Stratus. They’ll finally get a chance to play in real tournaments.

From this moment, everybody from StormBlitz was an enemy. Howard and Ellen didn't even require mentioning, but also Gilbert, Dan, Roi, and... Julia.

Was this really the right thing to do? Yuel's heart stung. He and Lars were about to leave their friends behind just to get a chance to play in the regionals.

Yuel wasn’t nearly as close to the others as he was to Lars, but they still spent an entire year together in the same club. Calling them “friends” might be a stretch, but they knew each other well and depended on each other when they played together as a team. So, there was a bond there.

Worst of all, Yuel was the club's vice-captain. Just a week ago, he and Howard discussed their plans for StoemBlitz’s upcoming entrance exam. Yuel was supposed to supervise the entire exam himself next year, but now he was bailing out in the last moment. Abandoning his responsibilities like that was bad manners.

I'll talk to Howard the first thing tomorrow. Yuel nodded to himself and took out his phone. It was already 2 AM, so he couldn't call Lars to share the news. Therefore, instead, he sent a message.

『My mom approved』

Surprisingly, a reply arrived a few seconds later.

『sick dude! we gonna take the regionals by storm!!!』

Wasn't that goof asleep already? There's no way he was waiting until this hour just to hear the news from Yuel, right? Either way, Yuel returned Lars’s enthusiasm in kind.

『Yeah, we'll win against Howard and Ellen this time and take the regionals』

『ez』

“Heh,” Yuel chuckled, then put down his phone and crawled into bed. The difficult fight was behind him. Now, he could finally relax.

In just a few days, he'll be attending a new school and playing for a new team with new teammates. There were so many unknowns down this path. Shudder.

But, no matter what, Yuel had to deliver results. He promised his mother he’ll get to nationals this year, so his ability to keep playing Classmancers was at stake here. He and Lars will have to pull Stratus from the bottom and push it all the way to the top of the region.

It won’t be easy but Yuel never asked for an easy solution. He just wanted an opportunity and he got it. Now, he’ll have to face the fierce competition head-on and he’ll conquer it!