Nia smiled giddily, imagining herself on a pedestal amidst the region’s best players.

"Don't let this advantage get to your head." Yuel kicked her off the high horse. "This a good start, but the game isn’t over yet. Don't expect it to be easy to win. Our opponents are the Leopards, the regional champions."

“Yeah, yeah, I know…” Nia pouted. It felt like Yuel just poured a bucket of cold water on her head. This killed all the excitement she had a moment ago.

“Seriously,” Kai interjected. “For once in your life, would it kill you to just praise somebody without being such a party pooper?”

“What do you mean?” Yuel asked. “I generally give credit where credit is due. I did say Nia did well.”

“You did? Oh yeah, you probably mixed in something small like that in the middle of issuing orders.” Kai made a face. “Lemme tell you, these small throwaway praises don’t feel like much at all. It always sounds like you take the outcome for granted.”

“Well, things did go according to plan, so that’s not wrong.”

“Huh.” Kai sighed. “So, just because your super difficult plan worked out, does it mean the involved players don’t deserve any praise at all???”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Yuel argued. “The play I planned for Mid was on the difficult side, I agree. But, I still suggested it because I knew you two had the necessary skill to pull it off.”

“Whoa, you actually just said that with a straight face…” Kai felt a little embarrassed.

There was unwavering faith in Yuel’s words. He was so confident in his high evaluation of Kai and Nia’s skills that he felt no need to express any of it. As far as he was concerned, the fact he suggested that risky plan for Mid already stood testament to how highly he evaluated both girls.

“Alright, I think I sorta get how your brain is wired,” Kai said. “But, we can’t read your mind, you know? We don’t know what you really think until you tell us. Besides, getting direct praise is… well, you know.”

“Do you want to be praised so much?”

“T-That’s not the point!” Kai made a face. Even though this was really more or less her argument, the way Yuel phrased it made the whole thing sound cheap somehow. It’s as if Kai and Nia were desperately yearning for flattery, which they definitely weren’t!

"I always tell ya, dude," Lars joined the conversation. "You gotta give out more straightforward praise, you know? Even if you appreciate 'em in your head, they can't hear any of that."

"Hmm." Yuel knotted his brows. "I thought I made it clear enough how risky and difficult my plan for Mid was. So, the fact we pulled through it should indicate enough how well they both played, am I wrong?"

"Yeah, maybe it does," Lars said. "But, it still won't hurt to reaffirm it, ya know? Not everybody gonna automatically think about it the way you do.”

"I see." Yuel realized he might have things for granted too much there. Even though he was very satisfied with Kai and Nia’s performances in Mid, he didn't directly express these thoughts. Basically, he was like a customer who didn't bother leaving a 5-star review even though he evaluated the service very highly.

The thing is that they might get carried away if I praise them too much. That's the one thing I have to avoid at all costs.

Yuel has seen players getting carried away countless times like this. The sense of success provided a catharsis for them, which made them feel like they didn't have to work as hard anymore.

But, now that I think about it, Howard often reassures his teammates, doesn't he? Yuel thought back on his experiences in StormBlitz. He almost always drops a word or two about the team’s achievements. I never paid much attention to it before, but maybe he was following a calculated principle.

Perhaps Howard did it not because he wanted to, but because he knew it was important, So, did Yuel have to do this, too? He wasn't the captain in Stratus, but he was the shot-caller. As such, he was in a reasonable position to praise his teammates’ performances.

Also, it seems like I’ve built an image of being a “cheapskate” when it comes to handing out praises. Yuel made a face. So, I guess it’s a “big deal” for them when I give praise. I should really consider the implications such praise can have on the team’s morale.

As much as Yuel wanted to rely only on objective factors like teamwork, player skill, and strategy, there were also some emotional elements in the equation that influenced the result just as much, and one of them was morale.

Yuel had seen games in which the team’s morale made all the difference between victory and defeat. In fact, the selection match he lost against Howard was largely caused by low team morale.

Back then, it felt like Yuel’s decisions caused a lot of dissatisfaction within the team. He forced Julia and Roi to do things they didn't want to, which definitely hit their motivation and performance.

Yes, it's undeniable that morale is a big deal. Yuel summarized. I always tend to assume that morale will stay high as long as the team makes good plays, but things aren’t that simple in practice.

Kai and Nia surely knew that they performed well in Mid, but they also wanted to hear it from their teammates.

But, instead of giving them that praise, I told Nia to not get carried away. Yuel realized his mistake. Okay, I think I know how to fix this. Hopefully.

"You're right, my bad," Yuel admitted. "I should have properly started by saying that you both did a good job in Mid."

"You did pretty well, too, you know," Kai said.

"I wouldn't say I've done much,” Yuel argued. “I only cast my ult and I was almost too late to do it."

"Yeah, you did cut it pretty close, huh." Kai nodded. "Thinking of it, you really took your sweet time rotating to Mid. What gives?"

"I had to play around wards," Yuel explained. "Nia marked suspicious areas on the map, so I had to maneuver around those, and also dodge other meta warding spots. Now that you mention it, I don't think I’ve given Nia enough credit for that, either."

"Right, you haven’t.” Nia gave him a look.

Is she begging to get praised? Yuel made a face. "So yeah, Nia, your marks were very helpful. There's no saying whether I could've safely rotated to Mid if not for those."

"So, you’re saying the entire play in Mid was only possible thanks to me, hehe." A smirk crept onto the girl's lips.

Ugh. This is why I really don't like praising her more than it’s absolutely necessary. Yuel sighed. It immediately gets into her head.

As usual, Nia was a troublemaker in every sense of the word. She had a bad habit of getting drunk on any praise sent her way.

Even now, she's basking in what little praise I gave her. Yuel sighed. It's just impossible to catch a break with this girl, is it? I constantly have to monitor her and make sure she’s stable.

Nia was like a big baby who needed careful care. But, despite being such a high-maintenance player, she was capable of delivering results that (mostly) made up for all the trouble.

And, she only gets better and better with every game. She's still very inexperienced, so she has a lot of room to grow.

But, all such thoughts only ever existed in Yuel’s head. He rarely, if ever, said any of this out loud. Because of that, maybe nobody actually understood how he really evaluated Nia. All they ever saw was Yuel’s strictness toward the girl and the lack of praise.

I’ve been avoiding praises so she won’t get carried away, but maybe I was looking at it the wrong way. Yule realized. Getting used to praise to the point she won't be carried away is also an important skill to work on.

Perhaps Yuel was worrying too much about Nia’s growth, to the point of hampering said growth with how own two hands. By denying Nia the praise she deserved, Yuel didn’t allow the girl to get used to receiving praise. In turn, this might’ve made her problem even worse.

I somehow developed the image of somebody who rarely gives any praise, so Nia probably regards my praise too highly. This is the exact opposite of how I would’ve wanted her to develop…

“I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the ENTIRE play in Mid was only possible thanks to your efforts,” Yuel clarified. “It was possible thanks to many factors, such as Kai and Ben doing a good job in their respective lanes. But, you did play an integral part in all of it. Your stealthiness and ward-marking were two key ingredients that allowed us to execute the plan smoothly.”

“Hehe.” Nia twisted her lips like a smiling cat. The praise made her feel that good, huh.

“With that said,” Yuel continued. “I still have to stress it’s important that none of this gets to your head. The reason I often refrain from praising you is that you have a bad habit of getting carried away.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Every time somebody gives you the tiniest of praises, you suddenly start thinking you’re the best player in the world.”

“Nope, never happened.”

“Deny it all you want, but it’s the truth.”

“It really kinda is,” Kai agreed. “I mean, I know I’m the one who attacked Yuel about this, but I kinda see his point. You really do get carried away sometimes, Nia.”

“Really?” Nia tilted her head. “Hmm. I dunno if I agree.”

“Just accept it already,” Kai said. “As for you, Yuel. You should’ve explained all this shit to us right away so we don’t get the wrong impression.”

“Yes, I realize that now."

"You always realize these things so damn late, huh." Kai shook her head. "Anyway, Nia. There you have it. He gave you your well-deserved praise, but don't let it get to your head."

"Whoa, there are two Yuels now..." Nia made a face. Did the alien robot just convert a human to his cause!? So, that's how these weird species multiply. I see.

Nia pouted for a few more seconds but then decided to let it go. As much as she wanted to disagree with the "getting carried away" part, she couldn't deny it entirely. There were times when the praise she received fully occupied her mind. But, it only happened a few times, okay? And, these were all short-lived instances. Yeah.

Anyway, he did praise me. Actually, both of them did. Nia smiled to herself. And, the others also said some nice things about how I played. Hehe.

Lars and Ben also congratulated Nia back when she scored her Double Kill. Those two were easier customers than Kai and Yuel, but it felt good to be praised all the same. Basically, the entire team recognized Nia’s worth!

On top of that, the Leopards had been wary of Nia the entire game. In fact, it probably wasn’t a stretch to say they were scared of her! And, Nia lived up to that scary reputation by being the first one to bust through the Leopards’ defense and score a kill!

Could it be that I'm... kinda awesome!? Nia shivered in excitement. Maybe I got the makings of a pro!? Yes, for sure!

Such thoughts filled her mind as she rotated around the map. Not to brag, but she was pretty much the MVP of this game!

From the moment Nia scored that Double Kill, Stratus was on a roll. They started off the mid-game with strong momentum, and the Leopards had been struggling to reclaim control over the flow of the game.

But, of course, the Leopards were no pushovers. Their defense was as airtight as ever and they launched a few nasty counterattacks, too. So, the game was still far from decided.