『DEFEAT』

The red letters flashed on the screen, informing loudly of the Leopards’ defeat. The entire stadium fell silent, no doubt shocked by this unexpected announcement.

Even the Leopards were sitting silently in place. Not a single one of them budged from their chairs even though the game was over. Their minds failed to process that this had actually happened.

When this game started, not a single soul expected to see Stratus triumphant in this game. Not only they were up against the Leopards, but also their lineup was questionable at best and laughable at worst. And, the more they revealed about their intended game plan, the more it felt like one big joke.

And yet, Stratus pulled through. Yes, with this unlikely hyper-aggressive comp and with this absolute meme of a Jungler. Stratus toppled the regional champions using the least meta plan there was.

It was mind-boggling. Unreal. Astonishing. But, also fascinating.

This performance deserved nothing less than applause. And, somebody felt it was necessary to supply it.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! One person's clapping resounded loudly across the sheer silence of the stadium.

"Awesome game!" Jaiden praised as he continued clapping.

Surely, Stratus's performance deserved this much. Not only did they topple the unbeatable regional champions, but they also showed how an unconventional non-meta lineup could still work on the competitive scene with sufficient know-how.

And perhaps more than anything, it was impressive how Stratus reproduced the Triangle's trademark "EVERYBODY PUSHES THROUGH MID!" strategy.

It was a delicate and complicated line of play that Jaiden and Co. researched a lot. This extreme strategy played to their strengths, so they really wanted to make it work against competitive teams.

It took them a lot of practice and research to nail this strategy, so it was thrilling to finally execute it on the competitive stage in the last scrimmage. They felt like they broke the meta with that absurd play!

Yet Stratus, probably under Chessmaster's lead, successfully adopted the strategy and polished it to the point it was usable degree. Not to mention, they used it alongside a spicy meme. Even the Triangle hadn't gone that far yet.

So yeah, these guys deserved nothing but praise for this amazing performance. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"Yeah, this was some sick shit!" Nash tuned in as well. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"Um, we're attracting attention..." Rio sunk in his chair, trying to avoid everybody's gazes.

The loud pair of clapping made everybody turn their heads in the trio's direction. It was so embarrassing!

But, I agree with them. Rio also quietly joined his hands together. It was a praiseworthy performance. They pulled off something that everybody here must've thought was impossible. I should take some notes from this game so we can improve our own tactics more.

And so, while sinking low in his chair, Rio joined in on the clapping.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! The three sources of noise resonated with each other and spread across the silent stadium like a tsunami.

Naturally, everybody got curious about this increasing loudness. Some even considered joining in, but they felt it was too embarrassing or out of place. After all, there were only three people clapping right now, which was hardly a majority.

But soon enough, another somebody joined the event from a different side of the stadium. CLAP CLAP CLAP.

"My, are we also doing it?" Ellen tilted her head.

"Why not?" Howard smiled meaningfully and continued clapping. "They deserve that much, don't you think?"

"Hmm~" Ellen looked curiously at her future husband. "Is that so~? Are you sure you're not doing this to traumatize the poor Leopards?"

"Traumatize? What a scary accusation. I'm just celebrating that our ex-members are winning."

Despite what Howard was saying, the smirk on his face laid his intentions bare for Ellen to see. Therefore, she joined in on this psychological attack. CLAP CLAP CLAP.

"C'mon, you join in as well," Howard instructed the team.

"Got it, lol!" Roi clapped loudly too. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"Haha, this is kinda weird." Dan joined in as well. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"This is silly..." Gilbert said so but he complied with the order and started clapping as well. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

"Hmph. I guess they kinda deserve it this time." Julia clapped softly too. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

With this big pack of clapping joining the fray, the loud sounds dominated the entire stadium. It was no longer just a minority showering Stratus with praise. It felt as if “a lot of people” were doing it.

The loudness attracted more loudness, so more people followed along with the clapping. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Shortly, the clapping infected the entire stadium and resonated loudly as true applause. That's exactly the outcome Howard was aiming for when he joined the clapping.

My, what a devilish man I found myself~ Ellen smiled from ear to ear as she clapped along, understanding all too well what her husband had in mind.

Perhaps, a little tiny bit of Howard's applause was indeed to praise the team for winning such an unlikely game. But surely, that wasn't the main point. No, her handsomely devilish Wardy was far more vicious than that~

He wanted to deliver a mental blow to the Leopards, to shake them up at their moment of weakness. The poor guys must have already felt terrible about losing to such a meme, and now the applause was going to mentally scar them even further.

There was no way that the Leopards will be able to forget about this humiliation too easily. The frustration will continue haunting them in the next game as well.

But, why did Howard even go so far in the first place? Was he trying to help Yuel’s team win? Well yes, sort of.

Yuel’s team had a very important mission to accomplish here today, so Howard lent them a hand where he could. It was all for the sake of bringing the Leopards’ big secret to the surface.

Soon, Jin. Soon, they'll drag your arse onto the stage. Howard’s gaze speared the Korean prodigy, who was currently lying low amidst the crowd as if he was nobody important.

It was crucial to force this key player onto the stage today. StormBlitz had to extract more data about his skill and playstyle before their scrimmage.

Alas, there were almost no other teams who could give the Leopards a run for their money in this region. As such, Yuel’s clunky team had to somehow achieve that.

You were right to doubt my intentions, Yuel. Howard smiled meaningfully as he clapped. I’m not here to run a charity and I’d definitely never help YOUR team for no good reason. I just need you to accomplish something for me, that’s all.

It was like a business trade. Howard offered as much support as he could from the sideline in order to improve Stratus’ standing, helping the diligent puppets do Howard’s work for him. It was a fair transaction, nothing more and nothing less.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

What started off as a brief clapping of honest appreciation soon transformed into thunderous applause that filled every corner of the stadium. It’s as if the whole audience was praising Stratus and booing the Leopards.

So, on top of suffering an embarrassing defeat, the Leopards now had to cope with this additional mental blow...