The competitive stage. It was a dazzling arena in which warriors had the opportunity to show off the results of all the blood, sweat, and tears they shed to get this far.

And once more, Stratus set foot on this holy land. This time, they came to challenge the Leopards, the regional champions.

The entire enemy team was already organized on the stage, waiting for Stratus’ arrival. It was apparent that their coach, Rodriguez, was very strict about appearances. He stood at the back and watched over all his soldiers like a commander.

But, that’s not the entire squad. Yuel reminded himself. There should be another player out there, someone who has no intention of showing his face until it’s absolutely necessary.

Yuel scanned the stage. Unfortunately, there was no special sixth player on the front line, but that was a given. If Apprentece was anywhere in this stadium at the moment, then it’d be either in the audience or at the back of the stage.

The audience… I wouldn’t find him there even if I tried.

The front rows were filled with the Leopards’ supporters. They were probably younger members of the club, potential opponents for the future.

There were a couple of kids there who looked somewhat Asian, so searching for Apprentece there would be pointless. As such, Yuel directed his gaze to the back of the stage, to the area around Rodriguez. There, he saw yet another kid and he looked Asian to boot.

Maybe that’s him? Yuel wondered. He does look rather unpleased with the entire situation.

The Asian boy was standing far behind the Leopards’ first-string, as if trying to stay out of view. From the side, it looked as if he didn’t appreciate being involved in any of this.

Oh? Yuel blinked. For a moment, his eyes locked with those of the Asian boy. It’s as if the guy had a sixth sense and felt that Yuel was watching him.

Or, maybe it was just a coincidence? Regardless, the Asian boy scoffed and turned away from Yuel. He had no intention of giving them the time of day. They were all insignificant as far as he was concerned, that’s what his body language conveyed.

I’ll definitely drag you to the stage today, mark my words. Yuel asserted. But first, I have to make sure we can defeat the Leopards we know.

It was time for the official greetings. As the captain, Kai stepped forth to greet Rook, the enemy captain.

As the vice-captain, Yuel followed a few steps behind Kai. Likewise, a female player did the same for Rook. She was TheTheorist, the only female player on the Leopards.

But, why did the two of them even step forward along with their captains? Unfortunately, nobody could quite answer that question….

I hate how undefined the vice-captain’s role is. Yuel made a face. Some referees tell us to participate in the greetings, while others give us weird looks as if asking why we even stepped forward.

Nonetheless, to be on the safe side, Yuel followed behind Kai. And, Theorist did the same, probably due to the same considerations. Better safe than sorry.

Unlike the time with Taurus, the greetings went by smoothly this time. Nobody from the Leopards disrespected Kai for her gender here, which was only natural for a team that received professional coaching.

Not to mention, Theorist was their vice-captain, so they definitely didn’t discriminate against female players. And in general, it felt like they respected the competitive stage and their opponents.

Actually, I’m not 100% sure about that. Yuel corrected himself. They're not showing it, but they’re probably looking down on all of us as a team. Their confidence is practically oozing out.

Especially Rook, the enemy captain, wore an ever-present smile on his face. He was smiling nearly the entire time, but it wasn’t a smile that invoked a sense of friendliness. No, it was a smile of confidence, the smile of somebody who believed they were above others.

They probably think of us as a warm-up practice, nothing more. Yuel thought. I’m sure they expect to beat us 3 times in a row, then switch over to their second-string just like in previous scrims.

But, that won’t happen today. The Stratus of this year was unlike ever before. They were no longer the dark horse of the region, and they’ll prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt today by defeating the powerhouse in front of them.

The greetings concluded briefly after the referee said a few words to both sides, all according to protocol. That’s where the formalities should have ended, but instead of returning to his team, Rook stepped toward Yuel.

“Fancy meeting you again on this stage.”

“Cato, right?” Yuel verified.

“My, you even remember my name? I’m honored. Looks like our match left a long-lasting impression on you.”

“I suppose it did...” Actually, I deleted it from my memory five seconds after it ended.

“As we’re both shot-callers here today,” Cato continued. “It looks like we’ll have another chance to play ‘chess’ against each other.” He stretched his hand. “Who knows, maybe this time you’ll fare better~”

“I definitely will.” Yuel accepted the handshake. “In fact, I could’ve easily beaten you that day as well if we had a rerun.”

“Oh? Is that how you remember it?” Cato titled his head. “Because, if my memory serves, I stomped you pretty hard that game~”

“You took me by surprise, that’s all. I wasn’t prepared for that pawn barricade you created.”

“My, you remember that match down to the last detail?” Cato smiled impishly. “I can’t imagine how salty it must’ve made you to lose to such an unorthodox strategy.”

“Salty? Not at all,” Yuel said. “I was just caught off guard by a strategy that had a very poor affinity with my own, that’s all. It was a combination of my inability to adapt fast enough and my lack of research regarding your playstyle, that’s about it.”

“At least you’re honest about your shortcomings, I respect that. But, you still seem to be implying that my playstyle didn’t impress you much, even though I destroyed you so thoroughly~”

“As I said, it was just a case of bad affinity and me being unprepared, that’s all,” Yuel repeated. “At the time, I already started getting into Mancers, so I had to divide my free time between researching the two games. I ended up focusing more on Mancers, which is why my chess performance suffered.”

“Sounds like excuses if you ask me.”

“Then, I’ll let today’s scrimmage convince you.”

“Oh?”

“As you said, we’re both shot-callers, so this scrim will be similar to a rerun of our chess match, right? Let’s see whose shot-calling comes on top today.”

“I like that.” Cato nodded, with a confident smile not leaving his face for a single millisecond. “Honestly, I’m a bit skeptical about the specs of your army, But, if you’re so confident, then I won’t say anything.”

“Our specs are just fine, thank you for your concern.”

“Haha, alrighty then. Then, let’s enjoy this rerun. I’ll make sure to stomp you five games in a row, so you’ll stop spouting nonsense about how you could ‘easily’ beat me if you were prepared.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The two of them turned their backs to each other and returned to their respective teams.

“You know that dude?” Lars asked.

“Yeah, it turns out I do,” Yuel confirmed. “I played chess against him once before.”

“Oh!” Vincent made noise. “Such a fateful coincidence! Former chess rivals reunite on the competitive stage of Classmancers!

“So, what’s the story?” Lars asked. “Dude is seeking revenge on you because you beat him hard or something?”

“... something like that.” Yuel felt it was unnecessary to go into specifics. Telling them that I lost might harm their morale. There’s no good reason to share that info with them.

"Sick, yo!" Lars pumped a fist. "So, it's like we’ve already won! Yuel gonna use that strategy thingy of his to mop dat Rook dude, right? He did it once, so he can do it again no problem!"

"Indeed, indeed!" Vincent hyped it up as well. "It appears we already possess a definitive advantage in the strategy department.”

"Right…" Yuel felt like the hype was getting a little out of hand but it was too late to stop it. Well, I’ll just have to deliver the results they're expecting, then it won't be a lie. I'm sure I can crush Cato's defensive game plan in chess, so I'll just have to do the same in Classmancers.

The other team showed some interest in Yuel and Cato’s exchange as well.

"You never mentioned you knew their Support," Sonya said.

"It's a trivial detail, not even worth mentioning." Cato shrugged. "We played each other in a chess tournament two years ago, that’s all. Nothing too special."

"Is that really all? You wouldn't remember a random opponent you faced two years ago unless they left an impression."

"My, as perceptive as ever. As expected from my secretary."

"Who's your 'secretary'?" Sonya gave him a look. "Anyway, how come you remember a random opponent from two years ago? Don't you try switching topics on me."

"My, always blunt and to the point, aren't you? That's why boys are afraid to approach you~"

"As if I care."

"Oh right, you don’t, do you? After all, Jennifer is the only one for you~"

"What are you even..." Sonya sighed. "Well? Did you hit your joke quota yet? I'd appreciate an answer to my previous question. How come you remember a random chess opponent from two years ago?"

"It's cute how serious you get about every little thing~"

"Can you blame me? You just casually revealed important data I wasn’t aware of. Depending on how the two of you are related, it might have a big impact on the match."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Relax." Cato smiled wryly. "But really, as I said, it's nothing important. We just played each other two years ago at the chess regionals. The reason I remember him? It's because he won the regionals a year before that."

"So, he has a record like that." Sonya made mental note. "Did you only recognize him now on stage? Or, did you know he was Chessmaster all along?"

"Who knows~"

"It's not funny. If I knew he's a chess player of that level, I would've looked into his match records. It could’ve helped me profile him better as a shot-caller."

"Is that really necessary?" Cato asked. "Chess is chess, Mancers is Mancers. We got plenty of data about him already, from footage that’s a lot more recent than some oldie from two years ago."

"I rather leave no stone unturned. We have limited information about our opponents as it is, so every little bit helps. I thought you understood that much."

"Oh yes, of course I do. But as I said, you're taking it way too seriously. It's just one chess match, nothing more."

"Oh, I think I figured why you kept quiet about it. You lost that match, didn’t you?"

"Not at all. I crushed him thoroughly." Cato smiled confidently. "He stood no chance against my unbreakable Pawn Wall."

"Pawn Wall? Really? Do you play like that even in tournaments?" Sonya made face.

She had the honor of playing chess against Cato a couple of times before. These bitter experiences made her develop conflicted feelings toward his playstyle.

It was a defensive style that definitely worked, but it went against so many chess conventions. As somebody who improved in chess by studying theory, Sonya had a hard time stomaching Cato’s “Pawn Wall” nonsense.

"Anyway,” Sonya said. “I'd like to review that match you had with Chessmaster, if you don't mind."

"My secretary is ever busy, isn’t she?" Cato smiled impishly. "No problem, I'll send you the records during the break."

"Thanks. And, next time, I'd appreciate it if you informed me ahead of time. You never know where we might find crucial data."

"Duly noted." Cato saluted with a smile.

Of course, there was a very good reason why he didn't share this piece of information until now. And no, it wasn't just to tease Sonya, even though that was definitely part of the fun.

The real reason was a little too awkward to share. Basically, Cato wasn’t sure whether Yuel even remembered their match.

If I bragged about how I “crushed him at a chess tournament", but then turns out he doesn’t even remember the match, it’ll be a little embarrassing, wouldn’t it? Would make it sound like I’m obsessed with that one “random match” or something. Awkward.

It was a pathetic reason, Cato was perfectly aware of that. But, in the first place, he didn’t consider any “data” from that chess match to be too relevant for today, so it really wasn’t worth losing any reputation over it.

But, I'm glad he remembered~ Cato smiled impishly. Now, I can publicly announce how I crushed him at that chess tournament and traumatized him so much he still remembers the match~ And, he was a former regional champion to boot, which says a lot about my own level, hehe~

With these funny thoughts swirling in his mind, Cato returned to the team along with Sonya. And so, the formalities between the two teams were over. Now, it was time to do battle!