In less than 5 minutes, the long-anticipated scrimmage against the Leopards will begin. This match will put Stratus to the test like never before. They’ll be facing no less than the undefeatable regional champions!

But, according to Howard, that’s only the first part of the test. Even if they clear that hurdle, a far more difficult challenge will be awaiting them next.

I’ll find a way to clear both. Yuel was determined. I'll defeat Cato's shot-calling and I’ll find some weakness in that Korean player. The team is ready for anything. They improved a lot over the past month. We properly reviewed our mistakes from the Taurus scrimmage and we all worked on them. At least, most of us did...

There was one guy who refused to cooperate throughout the whole period. He refused to change his ways no matter how much Yuel argued with him. It was none other than Luke, the so-called LegendaryMemer.

"Don't worry, man. I'mma do my job just fine in tournaments. Word." That's the kind of nonsense Luke usually used to dismiss Yuel's complaints. These conversations felt like bashing his head against a wall.

So, at some point, Yuel simply stopped trying. There was no reasoning with that fool, that’s the only viable conclusion.

I just hope Nia will last longer today. Yuel glanced at the problematic girl, who also neglected to work on one of her greatest weaknesses. Namely, her sleepiness.

"This is how my body functions. I can't go against it." That was Nia's excuse.

The girl was cooperative enough when it came to fixing her problems in the game itself. But, outside of that? She was stubborn as a mule. It was impossible to make her budge.

Lars suggested that Nia should start exercising on a regular basis in order to inject her body with more energy. The girl was thin as paper, but not because she was athletic.

She was just one of those kids who didn’t gain any visible fat no matter how much they ate. So, no matter how much she stuffed herself with chocolate, there were no obvious consequences for this unhealthy lifestyle, at least for now.

I’m sure it’ll hit her hard when she gets older. But, arguments like that never convince kids our age. Turning old sounds like such a distant event that it barely even feels real.

Regardless, Yuel tried to push that narrative. He seconded Lars’s idea and he lectured Nia about the many benefits of exercising, both for the near future and the far future.

He even used himself as a living example. Exercising helped him plenty back when he was starting out with Classmancers. It tremendously improved his concentration, reaction speed, and stamina. It was so effective, that he stuck with the routine to this very day, despite thinking it was pure hell at first.

Unfortunately, all of it went in one ear and out of the other. Nia blocked out the information and insisted she “couldn't fix how her body worked”.

And now, a month later, her stamina wasn't any better than it was during the Taurus scrimmage. It was rather worrisome.

On top of that, it also looks like she didn't get much sleep last night. Yuel examined the troublemaker, who was lying motionless on the sofa. She was clearly sleep-deprived, no question about it.

She had time to nap at the bus, but she kept answering my trivia questions from her sleep. So, that nap probably didn’t do much for her.

Judging by how well Nia answered Yuel’s review questions, it was clear she diligently prepared for today’s match. Even though she didn’t admit it, she probably stayed late into the night memorizing various details against today’s opponents. It was very much unlike the usual Nia, who normally only searched for excuses to slack off outside the game.

Did she cram everything at the last moment? Yuel frowned. It’s definitely possible. I stressed so many times yesterday how important it is for the Junglers to be prepared, so maybe Nia took it to the extreme. In fact, I’m almost convinced it’s the case. Sigh.

Now, the result of that last-moment crunch time was staring Yuel right in the face. Nia was lying on the sofa like a corpse, exhibiting no signs of life. There was a good chance she already succumbed to a deep slumber and won’t be able to wake up for the first game.

But, there’s no way I can allow that. Yuel approached the sleepyhead. We don’t have the luxury to meme around against the Leopards, especially not until we bring out their “secret player”. So, no matter how much she wants to sleep, Nia has to play.

“Nia, we have to go soon.”

“.................”

“Nia. Wake up.” Yuel gently shook her.

“.............................................”

No response, huh. Yuel sighed. I wish I was surprised, but I’m not.

Nia’s sleeping technique was definitely something else. Vincent described it as “slipping into another dimension” and it really felt that way sometimes. The girl wouldn’t budge even if an atom bomb went off in the same room.

But, I know just the thing to lure her out of that “other dimension”. Yuel didn’t waste any more time trying to shake the girl awake. That was futile, he knew that from experience.

Instead, he approached Nia’s bag and fished inside. As always, one of the pockets was packed to the brim with countless brands of chocolate.

From my experience, this one is the most effective. Yuel grabbed a bar of chocolate, unwrapped it, and brought it to Nia’s nose. This brand seems to have a stronger aroma than the others, so it has the best chance of tickling her senses.

“Nia, there’s something you really like over here. How about you take a bite?”

“........... gufu...” Nia’s nose twitched.

It’s working! Yuel pumped a fist. The experiment is a success! Like I thought, this brand is the most effective method to date.

“Gu... fu...” Nia took a bite of the chocolate in front of her.

Good, good. Now, I just need to annoy her a little.

Yuel slowly pulled the bar of chocolate away from the hungry critter. After each bite, Nia had to work a little harder for the next one. It was like taming a wild animal with food.

After giving the pet four bites, Yuel completely removed the bar of chocolate from the scene. Now, what will the sleepyhead do?

“Gu...” Nia tried to bite once more, but her teeth only clanked against each other without hitting any chocolate.

Nonetheless, that didn’t discourage the chocolate-addicted animal quite yet. She blindly searched for her prey without opening her eyes.

Alas, all her random bites came to naught. The chocolate was no longer in the vicinity.

“Guuu...” Nia reluctantly opened her eyes after failing five times in a row. The situation has successfully irritated the Chocolate Devourer, forcing her to descend to the mortal realm.

“Finally awake?” Yuel asked as he brought the chocolate closer.

“Gu...” Nia bit the chocolate without responding to his query.

“I understand that you’re sleepy, but we need you to play in the first game.”

“Gu... gu!” Nia went for another bite, but Yuel pulled it away at the last moment. “You’ll get the rest after you promise to wake up and play.”

“But, I’m tired...”

“It’s okay, I’m sure your stage fright will kick in once go onto the stage. It should give you the adrenaline you need to stay awake. I’m sure today’s audience will be much bigger than last time, so look forward to it.”

“Goodnight.” Nia gave up on the chocolate and knocked herself out.

“Hey now.” Yuel shook her. “You can’t run away from it. You’re the team’s main Jungler, so you have to fulfill that role.”

“Gufu... Don’t wanna... Too scary...”

And here I thought she’ll overcome her stage fright after the first scrimmage. Yuel sighed once again. He’d be rich if he got paid for every time Nai’s shenanigans made him sigh like this.

“Soooooo.” Luke snickered. “Does that mean it’s my turn to shine!?”

“Shush, you.” Kai shot him down. “Nia will play. Right, Nia?”

“Gufu...” Nia puffed her cheeks.

“We’ve talked about this how many times already, right? You can’t keep running away from the stage.”

“Totally, dude,” Lars tuned in. “Ya’ll never overcome that stage-fright thingy unless you throw yourself into the fray.”

“Scary...”

“Indeed, it is a harsh trial,” Vincent joined out of nowhere. “However, once you conquer it, you shall burst out of your cocoon as a powerful butterfly! The name VanishingFlower will ring loud across the entire competitive scene!”

“Sounds even scarier...”

“You’re not helping.” Kai shot Vincent a glare.

“Apologies.” Vincent bowed like a nobleman. “It appears this heroine is not yet ready to accept her call to adventure. But it shall happen with time, surely.”

One after another, everybody joined in to try and talk Nia into leaving the bed.

Even though Yuel was the most experienced in the field, it wasn’t just his personal responsibility and Kai recognized as much. Therefore, she made sure to intervene in the matter more frequently recently. The more peer pressure they could pile on that sleepyhead, the better.

“To be honest,” Ben said weakly. “I’m also a little nervous. I’m not sure I’ll even get to play today, but knowing that many people will be watching is kind of scary.”

“C’mon man,” Luke said. “Are you trying to encourage her or to scare her?”

“S-Sorry, I thought she might feel a little better if she knew she’s not alone like that...”

“That’s a good point, actually,” Kai said. “Look, Nia. You’re not special, okay? We’re all hella nervous here. Just because we aren’t openly complaining about it, it doesn’t mean we don’t feel the pressure.”

“Yeah, true,” Lars backed it up. “I always act all gung-ho and stuff, but even I get goosebumps before we go on stage, for real.”

In your case, Yuel thought. I have a feeling these are goosebumps from excitement, not from pressure. But, Nia doesn’t have to know that.

“Even you get nervous...?” Nia slowly opened her eyes. Raising her eyelids took as much effort as lifting 200 kg weights, but she did it. Lars’s confession turned out to be that impactful.

“Ok, then I’ll try...” Nia finally decided to lift herself off the sofa. She pushed her hands against the soft surface and raised her back... only to collapse a moment later. “Too tired... no energy...”

“Here, eat some more.” Yuel brought the chocolate bar closer.

“Mufufu.” Nia nibbled through the bar like a hamster. “Ok, a little better. But, still so sleepy...”

“Seriously?” Kai sighed deeply. “So, anybody else got any ideas on how to wake up this girl?”

“We don’t have much time,” Yuel pointed out. “We have to start heading to the stage.”

“Don’t worry, guys!” Luke reassured. “I’ll sub in for her. I can even pick Rogue so you won’t feel her absence, haha.”

“No, she’s awake enough to play,” Yuel insisted. “Sorry to ask you again, Lars, but could you please carry her? I’m sure the pressure of the stage will wake her up really fast.”

“Okey-dokey.” Lars lifted the log in his arms.

And so, with Nia in hand, the team headed to the grand stage. There, they’ll face their greatest challenge yet - the Leopards. And, there was also the phantom Korean player lurking in the shadows.

It’ll be a difficult matchup, no question about it. In fact, according to Yuel’s initial estimation, Stratus’ odds weren’t that favorable.

Therefore, every single member of the team had to do their absolute best here today, or else the team won’t even have a glimmer of hope. And, that especially applied to Nia.

She better fully wake up before the game starts. Yuel thought. I don’t know how many games she’ll last, so we have to start off strong and steal as many games as possible before they adapt to her.

With such heavy thoughts weighing on Yuel’s mind, the scrimmage was about to kick off!