Yuel slowly entered the basement club room after Lars dashed in. The goof was eager to see the entire place because he was still buying into that whole “secret base” narrative that Vincent fed him. However, based on all the data so far, Yuel set his expectations extremely low and he was right on the money.

Like the rest of the basement floor, this room looked more like storage the school staff used and less like a room for club activities. Desks, chairs, whiteboard. cleaning tools, stage props, and whatnot. It definitely felt like a place that should be out of reach for students.

The only redeeming quality of this room was the two computers sitting there. Yes, just two computers. But, two were still more than zero.

“Wow,” Lars smiled wryly. “The place is kinda big and stuff, haha...” His excitement vanished without a trace. So much for the “secret base” fairytale.

“How do you like it, folks?” Vincent was the only one who still maintained high spirits. “This is our super secret base, the Den of Undiscovered Potential!”

There's only one word in that name that's on point and it's “undiscovered”.

Bam. Bam. A heavy sound resounded throughout the room. Somebody was banging their shoulder against the heavy iron closet, trying to push it.

“Tch, this damn thing,” A boy ranted while fixing his cap. The iron closet had wheels, but it still looked too heavy for a middle schooler to push. Especially, for a boy who looked about as thin as Yuel.

“Hey, cap,” Vincent advanced forward. “I see you're working hard.”

“And, I see you're late,” The captain detached his shoulder from the closet to catch a breather.

“My bad,” Vincent admitted. “Took a while to get to the secretary. Everybody and their moms wanted to speak with her today for some reason.”

“So? How did it go?” The captain asked.

“It was like talking to a brick wall.”

“About what I expected,” The captain shrugged and resumed his fight with the closest. He made some progress, but the closet refused to move more than a few millimeters at a time.

“Need help with that?” Lars stepped forward.

“No, it's fine. Umph!” The boy rammed his shoulder into the closet again, his black cap almost slipped off. Why was he even wearing a cap indoors? No sunlight could possibly reach this godforsaken clubroom.

Either way, it didn't seem like that closet was going to move any time soon.

“C’mon, lemme help,” Lars approached the closet even though his offer was already shot down.

“No need,” The captain insisted. “I’ve already pushed it all the way across before, so- hey, what are you doing?”

“You keep pushing,” Lars said. “I'mma pull it from this side.”

“I can do it myself.”

“C'mon, we almost got it, dude!” With Lars’ help, the operation finally started making some progress.

“... fine,” The captain pulled his cap down with a sigh, then resumed pushing. Through a combined effort, they finally returned the closet to its proper place.

Why did he move that closet in the first place? Yuel examined the area. Judging by the cleaning tools nearby and the wet floor, the captain must have moved the closet in order to clean underneath it. That’s some diligence.

“We did it, yo!” Lars gave a thumbs up.

“I could've done it myself,” The captain crossed his arms and sized up Lars and Yuel. “Who are you supposed to be, anyway?”

“Let me present them,” Vincent stepped forward. “These are Lars and Yuel. However, they’re best known as Gunz and Chessmaster!”

“No idea what you're on about, but I thought we agreed about not bringing any outsiders here. You remember what happened last time, right?”

“Oh, but these two aren't just some outsiders. They're two legendary players who seek to join our prestige club!”

“Legends?” The captain made a face. “Did you coax them into coming here or something?”

“Nope, not all at. Right, guys?”

“Indeed,” Yuel seized the opportunity to take hold of this conversation. Vincent’s presentation was wack. This was a serious matter. “We came here to apply to the club.”

“Really eager to join, huh,” The captain tilted his head. “But, club applications begin next week.”

“We know,” Yuel said. “But, we wanted to check out the club. It’s better to get to know our clubmates as soon as possible.”

“Your clubmates?” The captain raised an eyebrow. “Somebody sounds awfully confident about their chances.”

“We will get in,” Yuel proclaimed. “That’s for sure.”

“Yeah,” Lars tuned in. “We gonna join. 200%, yo!”

“Where did you find these two?” The captain shook his head and tapped on the tip of his cap.

“It was a fateful meeting!” Vincent provided a completely useless answer, pretty much as expected. “My sixth sense as the Arbiter of Talents drew me toward the immense potential these two were emitting! There's a gravitational field around them that sucked me in an instant!”

“Really now,” The captain came closer to inspect Yuel. From this close, Yuel could properly see the captain's face under the cap and...

Wait, is this captain a boy or a girl? Yuel thought the captain's face looked a bit too soft for a boy.

Yuel’s initial impression of the captain’s gender was formed based on the boyish clothes the captain was wearing: a t-shirt, long pants, sneakers, and a sporty black cap. It’s not like there was a rule against a girl dressing this way, but this sporty look was definitely more common for boys.

However, from up close, the captain’s face stood out more than the clothes and it was harder to see him as a boy. So, maybe he was actually a she?

I don't think I can just casually ask, though. Yuel frowned. Being mistaken for the opposite gender never felt good, especially when it was an honest mistake and not just somebody trying to be mean on purpose. Fortunately, there was one easy way to solve this mystery without looking bad.

“By the way,” Yuel said. “You forgot to introduce yourself.”

“Oh, right,” The captain nodded and revealed the decisive piece of information that'll unravel the mystery behind their gender. “I’m Kai.”

Dang it! This name can go either way. Yuel ranted internally. This is awkward.

“You both seem passionate, I’ll give you that,” Kai concluded. “But, you have to wait for the club recruitment next week like everybody else.”

“How you're going to decide who gets in?” Yuel asked.

“That's up to me as the captain,” Kai shot down the question. “I don't think it's fair to give this information to an outsider.”

“We're going to decide it by online rank,” Vincent pretended to whisper.

“Hey!” Kai shot him a glare. “We're not supposed to reveal that.”

“Whoopsie daisy,” Vincent rolled his eyes.

“If it's only by rank,” Yuel said. “Lars and I will get in for sure. That is, unless you expect to stumble across any freshmen who are higher than Challenger V.”

“You're Challenger!?” Kai's jaw dropped for a moment. “H-Huh, that's not bad at all. Yeah, pretty acceptable. Mhm.”

“Wow!” Vincent exclaimed as he scrolled on his tablet. “You guys got to Challenger already? A few months ago you were still around Diamond II. That's some grind right there. I hereby dub thee ‘The Duo that Shall Grind the Heavens’!”

“How do you even know them?” Kai asked.

“Why, it’s elementary. My Information Blackhole gathers all Classmancers-related knowledge from across the globe! Twenty-five hours a day and eight days a week!”

“And seriously?”

“Well,” Vincent chuckled and dropped the act. “Remember when I went to collect data on the Leopards vs. StormBlitz scrimmage? These guys played on StormBlitz's second-string and they mopped the floor with the Leopards’ second string.”

“Is that so.”

“Yep. Remember I told you about this awesome Bot duo I saw playing in StormBlitz’s second-string?”

“Eh, not really.”

“Anyway, these are the guys!” Vincent presented Yuel and Lars again as if they were some superstars. “And, they transferred to our school this year.”

“Really,” Kai turned back to Yuel. “Sounds like you two will pass without a hitch. But, I’m not sure we can recruit juniors.”

“It's fine,” Yuel said. “I’ve already asked the school about this.”

“Really,” Kai crossed his/her arms. “I'll have to double-check, though. The answer they gave you might not apply to this club.”

“Is that even possible?” Yuel wondered.

“You’d be surprised,” Kai said. “We can only recruit three new people this year.”

“Three?” Yuel paused. That was odd. According to his knowledge, last year Stratus had five seniors. “Shouldn't you be able to recruit five?”

“Yeah, totally should,” Kai clicked her tongue. “But, imagine the year starting and the school informs you they cut the club down to seven people.”

“Wha... That's...” Yuel was at a loss for words. Only seven members? Seriously? Nine was already a low number, but seven!? That's beyond absurd.

Classmancers was played in teams of five, so seven members barely offered any flexibility for composing a competitive team. Without Yuel and Lars, the club would have had to recruit three freshmen this year and one of them would have to be part of the main team just because there weren't enough members. It was insanity.

“Only seven dudes?” Lars asked. “That's hella harsh, yo.”

“Tell me about it,” Kai sighed.

“Why they did ya dirty like that?”

“It's... Well...”

“Because we suck,” Vincent gave it straight with a hollow smile.

“No, well, that’s,” Kai desperately tried to counter somehow but Vincent delivered the finishing blow.

“This team traditionally drops out on the first round of the regionals. You can imagine the school isn't too happy about it. We deserve the achievement ‘Forever Stuck at Stage 1’.”

“That’s in the past,” Kai insisted, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as well. “This year will be different. I'm the captain this year and I’m gonna make sure everybody takes things seriously this time. We'll pass the first round for sure this year!”

“That’s such a low goal to aim for,” Yuel retorted. “If you want to take it seriously, then at least aim for the nationals.”

“Wha!?” Kai jumped. “Well yeah, I guess. Hell, let's go all the way and win the nationals!”

“Totally!” Lars gave a thumbs up and flashed his white teeth. “Then, after that, we gonna challenge the entire world!”

“That might be a stretch, but that's the spirit,” Yuel nodded. “And, to achieve any of that, this club absolutely needs any strong players it can get its hands on, right? Like, for example, two Challenger rank players.”

“Yeah, that'd help a little, I guess,” Kai shrugged with a smile.

Clap. Clap. Clap. “Beautiful!” Vincent exclaimed. “Today, the Alliance of the National Warriors was born! Brave warriors have come together to fight all the way to the pinnacle of the competitive world!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Kai shrugged. “There's just one thing, though. I believe Vincent said you're playing Bot?”

“Yeah,” Yuel answered.

“The thing is,” Kai said. “I'm going to be the team's Carry and I had Vincent in mind for Support. So, you'll have to play different roles. Well, I don't mind replacing Vincent if you can do a better job, though.”

“I see...” Yuel held himself back. Goddammit! It was happening again! Why couldn't people let Yuel and Lars play as a Bot duo in peace!? Did they transfer schools just to run into the same exact nonsense again!?

No, calm down. Yuel exhaled. At least, we're assuredly going to be on the main team. That's already one step forward. But, unless we play Bot, we won't be able to carry this team to victory...

“That's cool,” Lars smiled for some reason. “So, you two are also a strong duo with great teamwork and all that jazz?”

“Great teamwork, huh” Kai glanced away. “Not sure what your standards are, but I'm a strong Carry and Vincent is an alright Support. So yeah, we’re pretty good as a duo.”

“Then,” Lars grinned mischievously. “What you say we play a 2v2?”

“Huh? Sure, I don't mind,” Kai said. “But, first, we have to tidy up this room. The club supervisor told us the room has to be sparkling if we want to keep using it as clubroom. Tch, as if we even want this stupid basement room so much.”

That's really low. Yuel thought. From the looks of it, the school used this room as storage for many different purposes. In other words, people came here to dump whatever and then just left.

From the looks of it, nobody was assigned to keep this room tidy on a regular basis. So, the school just dumped that responsibility on the Classmancers club because it's their “clubroom”. Honestly, it feels like exploitation.

Isn’t this child labor? Yuel wondered. Maybe I should ask mom if I can sue the school.

“Okay!” Lars grabbed a mop. “Let's get this stuff over with real fast and then play! Let's go let’s go let’s go!!!” He drove the mop into the floor and sprinted around the room.

“Um, you forgot to dip the mop,” Kai pointed toward the bucket of water.

“Oh, right! Haha,” Lars returned, dipped the mop and dashed away again. “Let's goooo! This time for realz!”

“He sure got energy,” Kai made a face.

“Yeah, he's always like that,” Yuel also made a face because this development came out of nowhere. He and Lars only came here to join the club, but somehow they found themselves helping with cleaning duty before even becoming official members.

Well, we're going to be a part of this club soon and, unfortunately, we'll also be using this room. So, I suppose we have a reason to help out here. Still, cleaning... ugh.

This was going to be such a pain, but Yuel nevertheless joined the effort.

“Such teamwork!” Vincent exclaimed. “New and old warriors join hands to defeat the Evil God of Dirt!” He loudly rooted on everybody's efforts. But, that's literally all he was doing.

“Would you mind helping too?” Kai shot a glare.

“Hey, I'm helping. Look, I'm sending you my energy!” Vincent joined his hands as if to shoot some sort of beam. Very helpful, much contribution. Seriously, this clown...

“Here,” Kai shoved a cleaning cloth into Vincent's face. “You go clean that table over there.”

“Okay, okay. I got it, Ms. Overlord.”

“Who's a ‘ms.’?” Kai stabbed Vincent in the ribs with her fingers.

“Au au!” Vincent jumped. “The mighty overlord unleashed her final move: The Rib Poke of Judgment Day!”

“Get moving already.”

“Okay, okay!” Vincent made a few more silly comments before finally departing to do his job. Evidently, Vincent didn't think of cleaning as a fun pastime. He was a clown and an oddball, but at least he saw eye to eye with Yuel on one matter: cleaning was a pain!

But, more importantly...

So, Kai is a girl. Yuel concluded. Vincent said “ms.” and referred to Kai as “her”. If one uses the advanced deduction technique called “simple logic”, Kai had to be a girl.

So, Yuel resolved one problem related to Kai. However, that was the trivial one. The much bigger issue was that she’s the captain and she was set on playing Carry with Vincent in Bot. So, for Yuel and Lars to be able to play Bot in Stratus, they'll have to find a way to get Kai to give up on her position.

“Don't worry, dude,” Lars passed by Yuel and gave a thumbs up. “We gonna show ‘em how much better we are in the 2v2. After we beat them good, they gonna have no choice but let us play Bot!”

“Yeah, that should work,” Yuel nodded. That 2v2 challenge was a great spontaneous idea by Lars. It’ll prove beyond a shadow of a doubt how strong of a duo they were. An overwhelming victory will earn them their Support and Carry spots on the team.

It felt like the selection match all over again, but this time it'll be a 2v2 in its purest form. Even against Howard and Ellen, Yuel and Lars often held the upper hand in straightforward 2v2. So, not to disrespect or anything, but a Bot duo from a weak team like Stratus didn’t stand a chance against Yuel and Lars.

This 2v2 will be their first important battle on their road to the nationals, so Yuel and Lars will win for sure! But first, they had to tidy up this room. There were so many things to move around and so many places to wipe clean. Ugh, my back...