As a new minion wave arrived, Vincent set his plan into motion. Once again, the plan was to quickly blast through the enemy army and then take on the enemy commander herself.

As usual, he started off with the Aero Barrage + Aero Slice combo. He pushed the enemy swordsmen back to the rear, then advanced to slash through them.

Like before, the enemy commander paid no heed to Vincent’s transgressions. Theorist didn’t confront him on the topic and simply let her soldiers perish on the battlefield. Such heartlessness.

Instead of aiding her subordinates, Theorist waltzed into Vincent's side of the lane and slammed his minions. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

So far, so good. Vincent nodded in satisfaction. And now, this is where the show begins for real!

He channeled the power of pyro into his dark blade, turning it into a demonic tool of destruction! While his lane opponent wasn't watching, Vincent was planning to tear through her entire army and assault her!

However, unbeknown to him, somebody was watching the scene at the time.

"I believe it's about time for them to get a little frustrated," Cato said. "They'll probably try something again in this wave or the next."

"Yes, sounds reasonable," Sonya agreed. "I'll bait him into it."

"That's really unnecessary."

"I disagree. It'd be a waste to not bait an eager opponent into overextending. That's just common sense for game theory." 

"Well, you do you." Cato sighed in resignation. It was a bit too tiresome to argue with Sonya when the topic involved game theory. As usual, our Ms. Sticker-to-the-Rules has to play by the book. Well, not that I dislike it or anything.

In order to balance out Cato's extremely defensive playstyle, it wasn't so bad to run into rebels every now and then. For example, there was William who frequently disagreed on matters concerning his offense, and there was Sonya who occasionally challenge Cato's shot-calls and analysis. These were mildly irritating, yet very insightful, interactions.

Oh, and then there was Ronald who was disagreeable in every way imaginable. Seriously, this team had so many rebels…

Really, only Matt respects my authority and agrees with everything I say. Sob sob. Cato pretended to be sad about it, even though this was a big part of what made it fun to command a team.

Figuring out how to submit these strong soldiers to his command and use them efficiently was more challenging and rewarding than moving faceless chess pieces. And, from Cato’s experience, it was sometimes better to leave these human pieces to their own devices and let them do as they wished, even if he disagreed with their plans.

This way, every time they fail, I can say “I told you!” and make them a little more obedient for next time~ Cato smiled impishly. After they fail enough times, they’ll have no choice but to submit to my supreme overlord wisdom, muhahaha!

With that said, Cato had no intention of letting Sonya commit any grave mistake if he could help it. They were far too early into the game for making any big mistakes, and today's match was far too important to gamble on.

As such, Cato did what he had to do in order to thwart the enemy's potential aggression.

It should be around here. He headed toward Top and made sure to pass through a couple of checkpoints he marked on the mini-map. 

The last time he rotated to Top through this route, it caused Blackhole to retreat right away. As such, it was safe to say there was a ward or two around these parts.

Bingo! Cato smiled as he watched the enemy’s movements. Bye-bye, Blackhole. Until next time~

The trick worked like a charm once again. The enemy started retreating without further ado.

"Dios mio! Once again, my plans have been foiled!" Vincent announced. "The Rook is eyeing this file once more, ready to strike me down!" 

So, Cato is at it again. Yuel somehow managed to understand what Vincent talked about, despite the peculiar phrasing. "It goes without saying, but you better retreat."

"Yes, of course." Vincent nodded. "I shall not allow our foes to draw First Blood! Nay, I say!" 

As unfortunate as it was, he couldn't initiate a proper attack this time either. The Pyro Blade he activated was almost wasted, only helping him strike down some minions at a faster pace. Frankly, it was terrible value for his MP investment.

Regardless, Vincent fled from the scene as if his life depended on it. However, the assailant he was cautious of didn't even show up in the end.

 

"It appears the phantom ganker refuses to honor us with his appearance once again. Hmm. Curious.”

It was almost exactly the same pattern as last time. Theorist acted more vulnerable than ever, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to strike! But then, the Rook made his presence known and discouraged the entire plan.

“I must confess, the Records of Akasha can only reveal facts, not theories,” Vincent said. “Nonetheless, I must say I find Rook's actions quite suspicious. It appears he opted to take the same exact jungle route as last time, despite being plainly aware of the vision we have in these parts. All of this is quite odd indeed, alas the true nature of Rook’s grand chess strategy remains veiled in mystery."

"Actually, what you just said makes it pretty clear," Yuel pointed out. "He wouldn't have taken the same route twice if he was really planning to gank the lane."

"I see, I see! In other words, it was a phantom gank."

"So it seems."

Rotating without actually ganking, it was a form of remote intimidation that Yuel was all too familiar with. As a player without scary mechanical skill, he often had to rely on tricks like that as a Jungler, and even as a Support. It was a psychological trick that created a sense of "lose-lose" for the target.

After seeing that Rook was nearby, what were Vincent's options, really? He could retreat from the scene as he did, which meant giving up his offense in exchange for safety. Or, he could stay in lane and push the offense at the very high risk of being ganked to death.

Neither outcome was favorable, therefore it became a "lose-lose" situation. Retreating was bad, but staying around was even worse. There was simply no winning against this check.

Essentially, it created an unsolvable dilemma, that’s why remote intimidation worked wonders. And, as a fellow theoretical player, it wasn't surprising to see Cato utilizing tactics like these.

"It seems they won’t let you that attack so easily," Yuel concluded.

"I concur." Vincent nodded. "Then, what shall I do? Should I give up on my early-game advantage and play by the rules for now?" 

"No, that'd be a waste," Yuel argued. "You have to take control of the early-game against a Monk, that's the class's only real weakness. If you don't capitalize on your advantage now, then you won't get another chance later. So, you must hinder Theorist as much as possible because a late-game Monk means trouble."

"With all due respect, Spellblade is also a late-game class." 

"True, but it doesn't pose nearly as much of a threat by design. It can't one-shot a tank, can it?"

"Fair enough." Vincent conceded on that point. As strong as Spellblade was in the late-game, it didn't have access to a deadly tool that could rival Monk's late-game Asura Strike. It was a tool of pure destruction that could wipe out anybody within seconds.

"Then, what shall I do?" Vincent asked again. "Do I request reinforcements?" 

"That's the only option I can think of." 

The enemy has been countering Vincent by adding another piece to the fray, but Vincent also had the option to do the same. He could counter them back by summoning an ally of his own, to cancel out Theorist’s backup. And, the most logical candidate for this role was none other than their own Jungler.

"Nia, were you listening?" Yuel asked.

"Gufu!?" Nia jumped in her seat, like a snoozing student caught by their teacher.

"Vincent needs help in Top.”

"Oh, that sucks. Someone better help him." 

"Yes, and we were thinking about you."

"Me? Eh..."

"Is your 'stealth' not ready yet?" 

"Um, is it?" 

"I'm asking you..." Yuel made a face. "You're already Lv. 5. That's usually far enough into the game." 

"Oh, I'm already Lv. 5?" Nia confirmed by checking her own level on the screen. “Huh, yeah, I guess I am.”

"So, are you ready?"

"Eh, maybe...?"

"That sounds vague."

It was odd. Nia usually had no trouble stating whether she finished “erasing her presence”, so to speak. And yet, Yuel failed to get a proper answer out of her.

Is she still sleepy? Yuel closely examined the girl’s face. Hmm. It’s hard to say. She always looks half asleep since most of her face is covered by that black spaghetti hair.

With that said, there were a couple more hints scattered here and there based. Yuel could analyze other avenues, such as Nia’s performance thus far in the game.

For the most part, the girl was doing her regular jungle routines. But, every now and then, Yuel spotted her wandering around aimlessly after rotating to a camp that hasn’t respawned yet.

Well, she's not exactly pro-level material when it comes to optimizing jungle routes, but normally she does far better than this. At the very least, she knows how to look at the respawn timers and adjust rotations accordingly. But, this game...

This was clear evidence that Nia wasn't in top shape. Most likely, her sleepiness hasn’t fully worn out yet. So, maybe an action-packed play was exactly what she needed.

"Nia, can you rotate to Top on the next wave?" 

"Hm..." Nia twisted her lips, unsure how to respond. Her eyelids and head were heavy, almost making her submit to slumber.

However, at the same time, Nia was also aware she was playing on a big stage watched by many people. This scary fact slapped her awake every time she dared to doze off, but even this pressure failed to wake her up entirely.

In the end, she was stuck in limbo, going back and forth between sleepiness and alertness. As a result, her mind was covered in a haze.

Was she ready to gank any lanes? Did she erase her presence enough from the enemy's minds? She couldn't even begin to tell.

"Worry not, o Vanishing Phantom," Vincent spoke up. "Even as the Slumber Realm is dragging you into its warm embrace and casts haze upon your reasoning, it is all but a fleeting illusion! Shall you choose to reject the temptation and answer the call, surely the haze will clear up and you, once again, shall become the phantom you were always meant to be!

"Eh...?" Nia titled her head.

"In short," Yuel translated. "He's saying you should shoot for it, even if you're not sure. Who knows, the process might help wake you up. I actually agree with him for a change."

"But, what if I fail...?"

"Then it will be nothing but a fleeting moment of embarrassment," Vincent said. "However, if you conquer your sleepiness here and now, you shall transform into an almighty phantom who'll dominate this game!" 

"Almighty? Sounds nice..."

For a moment, Nia imagined herself as a hazy shadowy figure. She emerged from the darkness and stabbed every opponent in turn with her kunai.

"Ok, I'll try." Nia nodded.

This mental image, that of a phantom slaying the Leopards, was already clearing up the haze in her mind. She was still a far cry from being fully alert, but her concentration started coming back to her.

And so, she headed toward Top during the next minion wave. However...

"Abort operation!" Vincent signaled. "The enemy is retreating!" 

"Ok..." Nia's shoulders slumped. All her newfound energy sunk into a bottomless pit, vanishing without a trace.

It was an unfortunate turn of events, one that baffled even the great Chessmaster.

Did they spot her rotation? Yuel wondered. From all the way over there? That’s very early.

Under normal circumstances, spotting a Jungler's rotation from that distance was nothing out of the ordinary. However, this was Nia. The girl's greatest talent was her ability to rotate to lanes undetected. It was the one big thing she had going for her that made up for her countless shortcomings.

"Let's try this again," Yuel said. "In the wave after the next, rotate to Top with the same timing."

"Ok." 

Nia went to farm in Bot Jungle for one wave, then she rotated back to Top again. She was already Lv. 7 at this point, yet her Inazuma Drop didn’t see the day of light.

And, the enemy had no intention of giving her a single opportunity to use it.

"Sonya, retreat," Cato called out. "Their Jungler is coming after you." 

"Yes, I can see that." Sonya has already started backpedaling.

"My, you actually saw Vanishing’s rotation coming?”

“Yes. And, I saw it last time too, just like I said.”

“That's surprising. I thought Vanishing was all about being stealthy." 

"I’m not entirely sure, but I have the distinct impression it's a little hard to be 'stealthy' when the entire jungle is covered with wards."

"Ehe."

"Don't you 'ehe' me." Sonya made a face. "Just how much gold do you think you wasted on all of this? And, you even made me help out with this nonsense. Our bank accounts are in the red because of this, you know?”

"Now, now, no need to be melodramatic," Cato reassured. "This is all for your sake, to keep you safe."

"More like, to satisfy your curiosity." Sonya rolled her eyes

"Please, as if you're not curious as well." Cato smiled impishly. "I know you. You also want to test out this 'vanishing' act the girl pulled against Taurus, to see whether she can really slip past wards."

"No, I've been saying it's hogwash from the start. The players in Taurus just weren't attentive enough, that's all." 

"Perhaps. Either way, so far, she is rather disappointing." Cato shrugged. "We spent so much time discussing who'll be in charge of supervising her in every lineup, but maybe it was unnecessary, after all.

"You can only blame yourself for hyping her up too much." 

"Heh, I guess so." 

Thus far, thwarting VanishingFlower's rotations was nothing more than a child's play. The wards caught her every single time, so everybody saw her coming from a mile away. And so, the entire operation ended up being nothing more than a money sink, much to Sonya's disdain.

Then again, troubling my secretary with gold issues is fun in its own right~ Cato consoled himself with that as he continued warning the team about every incoming gank, just in case.

Admittedly, Vanishing was quite stubborn, if nothing else. She tried time and again to find a route that wasn't under Cato's supervision.

However, such a route simply did not exist. Cato's gaze covered the entire map. Not even an ant could slip by undetected.

And so, every time Vanishing tried to rotate to Top, the Leopards responded immediately.

"Once again, abort operation!" Vincent called out. "The enemy is making a hasty retreat!" 

"Again...?" Nia's head slumped. Rather than waking her up, all these repeated failures drew her close and closer to slumber instead. This isn't fun...

"O Vanishing Phantom," Vincent started. "May I inquire as to whether your Stealth Mode is turned on?" 

"I think so...?" Nia answered the question with a question. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's not."

Her repeated failures to gank Top implied she hasn’t fully erased her presence yet. Or, maybe the enemy was just that good and could see through her stealth? Scary.

"Either you're not ready," Yuel said. "Or, perhaps the enemy warded Top Jungle like crazy. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past their captain." 

Cato was the very definition of an irregular player. The same way he obsessively used pawns to erect absolute defense in chess, he also seemed to enjoy inflating his team’s defense in Classmancers.

Therefore, it was very much possible he resorted to excessive warding in order to catch Nia's rotations. If so, then no matter how stealthy Nia was, she had no hope of slipping past the tight security. She'd have to be a real phantom to pull off something like that, which she definitely wasn’t, no matter how much Vincent called her that.

Well, at least her rotations aren’t entirely useless. Yuel thought. If nothing else, they apply some remote intimidation.

Every time Nia attempted to rotate, the enemy Top Laner retreated early, losing on more exp than usual. It was a small advantage per wave but it piled up over time, making Vincent outlevel Theorist by a decent margin.

But, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Yuel thought. Unlike Cato's calculated remote intimidation, Nia's is cruder. She misses on a decent chunk of exp by hurrying to Top Jungle every time.

It remained to be seen which team will truly benefit the most from these routines in the end. But, for now, it was clear Nia had no chance of catching Theorist off-guard. As such, she'll have to search for a victim elsewhere.

So, where could she target? Bot? Mid?

In Bot, AbsoluteChallenger has just recalled to base due to running low on MP. This created a great opportunity for Lars to duke it out with Winner in a fair 1v1, which Yuel probably shouldn’t interrupt with a gank from Nia. Surely, Lars won’t appreciate any such “unfair” intervention for the much-anticipated duel.

Therefore, the only other lane Nia could gank was Mid. And, it just so happened that Yuel was already on his way over there himself.

Can I integrate Nia into this rotation somehow? He wondered. There wasn’t an obvious answer quite yet, but the gears in his brain were already turning.

At the time, he had no idea that the upcoming operation in Mid was about to decide the fate of the entire game…