With the 3v3 decided upon, the group headed to the Classmancers stations, which ProCenter had in spades. There were many occupied spots, but also just as many free ones.
"By the way," Luke started. "I hope you guys ain't gonna play dirty and counter-pick my DK on purpose."
"Nah, that ain't cool, man," Nash said. "I wanna fight your DK fair and square!"
"Heh, that's what I like to hear!"
"Actually," Rio said. "We should totally counter-pick it. If you're going to make it so obvious you'll be picking DK, then any reasonable opponent would counter-pick that. That makes for a more realistic practice, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, well..." Luke didn't have a good argument for this one. Any team worth its salt would definitely draft a lineup that makes a Dark Knight's life hell.
"And, the same holds for Lars's classes," Rio added. "I'm fine with letting him play one of his mains to even the odds, but it's not something that'll ever happen in a real game."
"Yep, I know." Lars smiled wryly. "But hey, I've got a rare opportunity right here so I'mma grab it, yo!"
"Tch." Rio shifted his eyes. I was hoping that would make him change his pick. Oh well.
"Also," Lars continued. "It's not like Luke only plays DK, ya know? He can meme with anything, believe it!"
"Oh, that's right." Luke suddenly realized. "Yeah, you only know I'll be playing DK here because we talked about it. If not for that, I could be picking literally anything else here and you'd never know!"
"I suppose…" Rio agreed against his will. Great, the plan is ruined. Oh well. We're going to win anyway.
With that sorted out, everybody went on to grab places. The teams picked seats that were far apart from each other to avoid any potential eavesdropping.
In particular, any overheard shot call could become a deadly weapon in the hands of the enemy. Except, there was one problem for Stratus…
"Dios mio! We don't even have a shot-caller!" Vincent realized. "How are we going to craft any strategy like this!?"
"Um, we just wing it?" Luke shrugged. "A dedicated shot-caller is cool, but it ain't necessary."
"Yeah, true," Lars agreed. "It's a 3v3, so it's easier anyway. I mean, it'd be awesome to have somebody like Yuel to cook up crazy stuff, but we can manage."
"You both seem extremely nonchalant about all of this," Vincent said. "Do you not realize that we're going up against the Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom, one of the most organized trios in the world!?"
"Hmm. True." Luke nodded. "I guess they have some sauce. They're probably gonna make our lives difficult from around mid-game."
"Indeed," Vincent agreed. "They will effortlessly run all over us if we fail to come together as one under a united strategy!"
Lars shrugged. "Then, you be the shot-caller, dude."
"Me...?" Vincent paused.
"Yep, you. You're the one here who understands the most all 'em complicated aspects of the game, right? So, you're the only one who can do it, yo!"
"Yeah, that makes sense to me," Luke agreed. "Vince understands the game just as well as Yuel does, if not better."
"Understanding the game and knowing how to craft strategies for it are two entirely different skills," Vincent proclaimed. "My ability to access the Akashic Records allows me to excel in the former, but I'm afraid I'm far too inept in the latter."
"Welp, think of it this way, dude," Lars said. "No matter how bad you think you are at it, me and Luke are far worse, haha!"
"Dang, the self-burn." Luke chuckled. "But yeah, that's true. Lars and I don't know a lick about shot-calling, so you're automatically a hundred times better than us."
Vincent smiled wryly. "I do not have the foggiest idea whether I should take that as a compliment or pity."
"Haha. Just relax, dude." Lars placed his hands on Vincent's shoulders. "Ya just too stiff. Here, lemme help ya loosen up."
"O-Oh! W-Wait a moment- GAH!" CRACK! His shoulders snapped into two! It was the infamous Brutal Massage From Hell!
A normal massage was supposed to slowly and gently loosen the stiffness. However, Lars's unique technique skipped a few steps of the process and immediately went from 0 to 200. It was like an adrenaline injection!
"Ya feelin' better?" Lars asked.
"Y-Yeah, quite..." Vincent rolled his aching shoulders. There was still a lingering sense of pain, but they indeed felt lighter than before. And, his thoughts became clearer, too.
"You're both right," Vincent said. "I might be inadequate, but I'm the best fit for the job in this situation. Very well. I shall do it!"
"Cool." Luke nodded in agreement. "Though, I wouldn't overdo it in your place. Shot-calling can be helpful, but it'd be for nothing if you end up getting distracted by it."
"Indeed, that is a valid concern," Vincent agreed. "Only time will tell how well I manage to juggle between these two responsibilities."
And so, everybody finished logging in. The game was on!
As they promised, the Triangle didn't ban any of Lars's classes. So, Lars grabbed Trickshooter without thinking twice.
"Welp, that's it, my dudes. GG WP. The game is a wrap." Lars grinned. "No way I'm losing with Shooter, yo!"
Luke chuckled. "Dayum, the confidence on this guy."
"I wouldn't be so hasty," Vincent warned. "Do not forget we're facing the Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom. Their power level shan't be underestimated."
"Meh, don't worry," Luke said. "Along with my DK, Lars and I are gonna rek these bozos! And look, they aren't counterpicking my DK, just like they promised. This is gonna be a breeze!"
In fact, Nash doubled down on the promise by picking Werewolf, a fellow early-game class. Bro was clearly picking a fight!
"This amateur." Luke shook his head. "Wolf is basically a worse DK, right? Gonna be EZ."
"That is quite the hyperbole," Vincent argued. "It's true that Werewolf doesn't excel as much as Dark Knight in the early-game, but it packs a punch in the latter parts of the game. The same can't be said about Dark Knight that's not overfed."
"Meh, that sounds like meta propaganda to me." Luke shrugged. "I'mma show you that DK reigns supreme!"
"I'm sure that, with your Meme Force, you can bend reality to produce such that result!"
"Believe it, yo!" Lars threw that in for the hype, even though he only understood about 20% of what the two were talking about.
Since this wasn't some grand official game, the teams wrapped up the drafting face in a jiffy. As the makeshift strategist of the team, Vincent was immensely grateful for that. It took a heavy weight off his shoulders.
And so, the game proceeded to the main course.
=== Stratus ===
Lars (Gunz): Trickshooter
Luke (LegendaryMemer): Dark Knight
Vincent (InformationBlackhole): Spellblade
=== Taurus ===
Jaiden (Renegade): Pirate
Nash (StormMonster): Werewolf
Rio (Laplace): Aeromancer