The long and exhausting match against Taurus came to an end. It was held on Friday, right before the weekend. As such, the team got two days to relax and rest after the intense scrimmage.

But, not Yuel. He had a lot of work cut out for him.

There were many things to review regarding the scrimmage. He had to carefully go over the entire match replay and jot down the main points of interest. The plan was to gather everybody on Monday and to go over all the details with them.

For that, he had to prepare a detailed presentation, accompanied by a document of timestamps for key plays from the replay. That should help everybody review what they had to work on, but...

That’s not as efficient as we did it in StormBlitz. Yuel frowned. Honestly, I should’ve looked into video editing ahead of time. It’s probably not that hard to combine simple cuts, but I can’t summarize the scrimmage AND learn video editing from scratch in just two days.

Back in StormBlitz, match reviews were a big deal.

Aron was in charge of analyzing replays in detail, often accompanied by helpers for additional opinions. Yuel was one such frequent helper, so he learned a lot about the process. As such, if nothing else, he was confident in his ability to deconstruct the replay.

However, that wasn’t the end of the process. After Aron compiled all the key points of the match and wrote down the timestamps of the important plays, he delivered those to a senior with video editing knowledge.

Said senior cut apart and stitched together the replay footage according to the timestamps, always making sure the camera was focused on the area of interest. It wasn’t some awe-striking editing quality or anything like that, but it tremendously contributed to the match reviewing process.

Instead of pausing the review presentation every two minutes in order to skip ahead in the replay and find the right example, the edited video simply went over all the examples in the requested order. Sometimes, there were multiple such videos for a single scrimmage, split by different topics.

Looking back on it, these videos were valuable beyond measure. Yuel thought. Doing a simple presentation can’t even begin to compare.

Not only did the video help the match review run smoother without wasting time and boring anybody, but it also made it easier for everybody to review the match again after the meeting.

Of course, they can always review it themselves by simply booting the game. The replay feature of Classmancers was quite robust and offered many tools like skipping ahead, slowing down, moving the camera, and so forth.

But, can I really trust anybody to go through all this trouble by themselves? Yuel sighed.

The replay feature was great and convenient, but searching for specific plays from specific angles was still a chore that not everybody was up to. Trever and Roi were the usual suspects on that front back in StormBlitz, and Lars was very much the same.

In our club, I think only Vincent will put in the effort. And, maybe Kai too, if she feels like it.

The team sometimes analyzed their own Ranked matches in detail, but most goofs couldn’t be bothered to mess around with the replay feature. They all said it was “too complex” or “too bothersome”. Lazy bums.

Well, they weren’t exactly “lazy”. They were competitive players who wanted to learn from their mistakes and improve, they really did. However, navigating inside the replay feature to find all the right moments was too much work for them.

That’s why a complied video is so good. Yuel thought. It spares them the busywork and only gives them the details they’re actually interested in.

Case in point, Lars, Trever, and Roi watched and re-watched their own plays with great attention when a compiled video was presenting those. The goofs burned their own mistakes into their minds and made sure to work hard on them.

That’s how potent compiled videos were for reviewing matches. But, unfortunately, editing videos wasn’t a skill Yuel possessed.

It probably wasn’t too hard to pick up if he tried, but he was too preoccupied with Classmancers practice. He had to work on his shot-calling, on the Stratus’ teamwork, on Nia’s problems, and so forth. There was barely any time to breathe.

Well, that’s all excuses. Yuel shook his head. I just procrastinated a little too much. I reap what I sow.

Fortunately, not all hope was lost. On the ride back from ProCenter, Yuel shared all these considerations with the team. Then, somebody spoke up.

“Oh, brave traveler!” Vincent started up some sort of play. “I’ve heard you’ll be challenging the great quest of reviewing the scrimmage. If you so desire, then I, the God of Video Editing, shall lend you a hand.”

“Are you good at it?” Yuel asked.

“At the very least, I do possess the skill to rip videos apart and stitch them back to life, like a professional Video Necromancer!”

“Sounds rather macabre, but I’ll take you on that offer. Your mom does editing work, right? So, worst case, I assume she can help with basic video editing.”

“Hold it right there! I was offering my own Video Necromancy skills, not my mother’s!”

“Well, I haven’t seen you in action, so I prefer to have a backup plan just in case.”

“I see, I see.” Vincent nodded. “As always, the Chessmaster must prepare plan B, as well as plans C, D, and E just in case.”

“Something like that,” Yuel said. “Anyway, your mom can help us if we get stuck, right? That already makes this sound a lot more promising. At the very least, it ensures this won’t be a total waste of time.”

“I see you have zero faith in my Video Necromancer skills. Sob.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Yuel shrugged. “Anyway, it’ll take me some time to go over the replay and gather the material. So, can we do the video editing on Sunday? I hope one day is enough.”

“If we spend the entire day on it and keep it simple, a single day should suffice,” Vincent said. “However, that’ll be dull beyond measure. I shall spice things up with effects and commentary! Also, just the other day I learned how to make the ‘To be continued’ meme. It’d be a waste to not put it to use!”

“Haha, that’s awesome!” Luke laughed. “Yeah, you totally gotta add some of that spice, or else I gonna fall asleep during the review.”

“Please don’t,” Yuel objected. “I have a lot to say about everybody’s performances, and about yours in particular.”

“Me? But I did great!” Luke claimed. “What kind of nitpicks are ya planning to throw my way?”

“Oh boi.” Lars smiled meaningfully. “You have no idea, dude. Yuel is the realest pro when it comes to finding faults with how people play. Heck, ya show him a newborn and he gonna explain ya how the little dude misplayed.”

“Oh lordy.” Luke laughed dryly. “Hey guys, I don’t feel so good. I think I caught the flu or something, so I might not make it on Monday.”

“Then we’ll review the game on Tuesday,” Yuel responded.

“Eh, I might still be sick that day...”

“Then Wednesday.”

“Who knows if I recover by then.”

“Thursday is fine too.”

“Gonna be rough to come to such an intense meeting right after recovering...”

“Next Friday works too.”

“Dang.” Luke slumped in defeat. “There’s no escape, is there.”

“No, there’s none,” Yuel said matter-of-factly.

“Fuuuuuuuun.” Luke gave up and resigned himself to his fate.

And so, they decided to on the schedule. Yuel will compile all the necessary match data tomorrow, then he’ll borrow Vincent’s video editing skills on Sunday.

To be honest, I’m not even sure what to expect. Yuel thought.

No matter how confident Vincent sounded about his own craft, there was never knowing for sure with that clown. Sometimes he’s putting on airs, other times his skill is legit. Such a troublesome fellow.

Nevertheless, Yuel decided to trust the unreliable clown this once. After all, the guy did a decent job preparing a flyer for the club back when they were recruiting new members. So, he clearly had some editing knowledge at least. And, in the worst-case scenario, Vincent’s parents should be at home on Sunday, so they might be willing to lend some assistance as needed.

This is also a good opportunity to see some live video editing. Yuel thought. Maybe I’ll even learn a thing or two. At the very least, I’ll pick up the basics and know which programs to start with. For the rest, I assume I’ll have to read tutorials.

“So,” Lars interrupted that thought process. “Are we training at yo place today?”

“Of course.” Yuel nodded. “Though, I need a short rest before we begin.”

“No problem, dude.”

“Are you two for real?” Kai scowled. “We’ve just finished a long-ass scrimmage. Haven’t you had enough Mancers for today?”

“But, it was only five games,” Lars said. “We usually play way more than that even at the club.”

“Just five games, huh.” Kai had no idea how to react to that statement. It was objectively true, but also horribly wrong.

Today’s scrimmage drained everything from her. Sure, on paper it was really just five games, but every game was as exhausting as playing ten Ranked matches in a row.

I’m spent. Kai thought. The only thing I can think about right now is how I gonna drop on the bed as soon as I get home. And yet, these guys gonna keep playing more? After such an intense day? They’re really something else, huh.

Until today, she thought she was relatively close to them in skill. The three of them were like the pillars of the team. However, there was a huge gap between Kai and the ex-StormBlitz players.

Yuel and Lars both lived and breathed Classmancers. It was always the main activity of their day.

Therefore, even after finishing an intense scrimmage, the first thing they thought about was playing Classmancers again. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they had to play Classmancers regularly, the same way humans needed to breathe.

Their unrivaled dedication and competitive attitude allowed them to perform so well under any circumstances. Even during the most critical moments of the scrimmage, these two never wavered. They didn’t break down or succumb to despair. They weren’t weak like Kai.

I don’t wanna lose to them. Kai thought. I’m the captain, so I have to set a better example than this. I can’t have any more slumps like that during games, and I need to get closer to Yuel and Lars’s level.

If Yuel and Lars were going to play some more today, then Kai should do the same. She’ll join them and practice Classmancers until she drops!

But, just as the thought crossed her mind, her eyes grew heavier and she almost dozed off. There was no energy left in her body. She was thoroughly spent.

Alright, maybe next time... Kai promised herself while fighting off her drowsiness. I’ll train even harder from now on until I catch up to the boys. In the next scrimmage, I’ll put on a performance befitting a captain, that’s a promise.

“By the way,” Yuel addressed Kai. “Can we make today’s positions official? I believe this scrimmage sufficiently proved that Lars and I should be playing Bot. I’d like the club to concentrate on this team formation during practice.”

“Hrm.” Kai grumped. She was in the middle of psyching herself, but Yuel had to come and splash a bucket of cold water on her. Seriously, this guy lacked any hint of delicacy.

But, I guess he’s right. Kai had to concede. I’m sure everybody already knows that these two should be playing Bot instead of me and Vince. If anything, I’m surprised Yuel and Lars allowed me to monopolize the Carry role for so long without arguing.

They must’ve been respecting Kai’s whims because she was the captain. It’s like they were entertaining a child, waiting for her to crash and burn on her own.

Kai had already realized the truth a long time ago. She was no match for Lars when it came to carrying. It was frustrating to admit, but it was true. That mechanical beast was on a whole different level.

In addition, Lars’s teamwork with Yuel was unrivaled. They brought out the best in each other, dominating every fight. Kai couldn’t compete against any of that.

Even if Yuel stopped being such a snob and agreed to play Support for Kai, their duo-play would surely pale in comparison. These tryhards were simply that amazing when paired together.

“Okay, fine,” Kai said. “You can take Bot, but remember that it comes with great responsibility. If you don’t properly do your job, I’ll be taking it right back.”

“Of course.” Yuel turned to Vincent. “I trust you’re also fine with this arrangement?”

“But of course!” Vincent nodded repeatedly. “I’ve been waiting for this moment from the time I laid my eyes on you at school! I knew you’ll become the Golden Duo that’ll carry our team to victory!”

“Huh.” Kai frowned. “So, that’s how little faith you had in my carrying. I see how it is.”

“Ah, well, that’s...” Vincent stumbled over his words and tried to laugh it off. The rest of the team soon joined the laughter.

And so, the bus ride continued, accompanied by chatter and banter. One by one, the players dropped off at their respective bus stops until only Yuel and Lars remained.

“Man, today was sure fun.” Lars thought back on the battles he waged on that dazzling competitive stage. The entire event lasted for less than 3 hours in total, but it’ll be forever burned into his memory.

“I wanna play strong dudes like that again! When’s our next match?”

“In about a month,” Yuel said. “We’ll be playing against the Leopards.”

“Awww yeah! The big boy league.” Lars grinned. “We’ll become the best in the region if we beat them, right?”

“Yes, in theory,” Yuel said. “But, the losing team will have time to learn from its mistakes and to improve before the regionals.”

“No problem, dude!” Lars gave a thumbs up. “We’ll beat them twice if we have to, both in the scrimmage and at the regionals!”

“That’s the spirit. But, before that, our team has to get stronger. We were cutting it dangerously close today.”

“Yep, it was a bumpy road alright. I gotta get even better than that.”

“You did great, actually,” Yuel said. “I don’t even have much criticism toward your performance today.”

“Whoa, really!?” Lars gasped. “You usually lecture me for like ten hours after a match. What’s wrong?”

“You just played that well,” Yuel admitted. “Your offense was as strong as ever and your defense also substantially improved over the last few months, so you didn’t make any big mistakes. Compared to that, my shot-calling was...”

“What about it?” Lars cocked his head. “It was sick, as always. You totally rekt ‘em dudes with your tactics stuff!”

“You know as well as I do that it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows like that. I made too many defensive calls because I was too scared of taking risks. We almost lost because of my hesitation.”

“Welp, I’m not gonna pretend I understand any of that 1000 IQ stuff you always gotta think hard about during the game. It’s actually amazing how you can think about so many different things at once and still give such awesome orders. I’ll never be able to do that.”

“Well, that’s my job as the shot-caller.”

“Yeah, I get that. But, you’re doing the kind of big brain stuff that nobody else on the team can do. So, I get why you feel bad about making some bad calls, but your role is just that hard.”

“That’s not an excuse,” Yuel argued. “If I want to beat Howard, I have to make the right calls.”

“Sounds rough, but I get ya.” Lars nodded. “So, let’s get back to practice and perfect all dat stuff!”

“Yeah.”

“The weekend is already here, so let’s spend it playing Mancers 24 hours a day! We gonna become pros by Monday!”

“I’d gladly do that, but I have to go over the scrimmage replay tomorrow and take notes.”

“That sucks, but we still got Sunday open! We’ll just have to play 48 hours that day to make up for the lost day! Ez.”

“Heh, as if that’s possible.” Yuel chuckled. “Anyway, I might not be able to play on Sunday either. I’ll have to work with Vincent on compiling a video for the match review.”

“Nuuuuu! But, all our big plans to become pros over the weekend...!”

“It’s okay, we have time,” Yuel reassured. “As long as we keep training regularly and learn from our mistakes, we’ll be in a much better position next month. If all goes well, we might even stand a real chance against the regional champions.”

“Nah.” Lars shook his head. “Not a ‘chance’. We gonna WIN. For sure, yo!”

“You’re right, we’ll win.” Lars nodded. “And, after that, we’ll beat StormBlitz too.”

“Yeah, I like that plan! Let’s go, yooooooooo!”

They spent the rest of the day playing Classmancers, all the way into the night.

Even though they just won their first scrimmage, there was no time to rest. They had to keep getting better and better before they could challenge StormBlitz for a fair rematch.

But, once the time comes, they’ll defeat Howard and Ellen! And Julia too, if it comes to that.