Chapter 11 — Middle Road Rules

District Electronic Sports Arena on Saturday morning was as noisy as a bustling market. Dozens of teams from high schools in the area gathered here, everyone wearing colorful uniforms, carrying their own mouse and keyboard and full of fighting spirit.

In contrast to that atmosphere, the HD E-sports squad entered with an expression as if they were going to a funeral.

"Oh my god, there are so many people, my stomach hurts, Ms. Châu," Nam 'Cowardly' held his stomach, his face pale.

"Stand up straight! If you're not scared yet, go home and drink a bottle!" Hùng 'Gaur' shouted, but his voice was also a bit shaky. Several teams passing by pointed at their shirt logos, laughing and talking about Hoàng Diệu school's famous title of "Mobile Warehouse".

But their biggest problem right now was not psychology, but human resources.

According to the competition rules of the MOBA genre, a team was required to have 5 members playing on the field. Because of Đăng's injury, he could only register as a Coach, standing behind the player during the Pick/Ban phase and was forced to leave the field when the match started.

That means, HD E-sports lacks a Mid laner.

And the only person named on the club's reserve list was none other than Manager Bảo Châu.

"I... I can't do it, Đăng!" Châu clutched Hải Đăng's hoodie tightly as they sat in the waiting room. Her hands were cold and she was sweating profusely. The guy who just a few weeks ago solicited a 1vs1 solo for First Blood is now shaking like a leaf under the pressure of an official tournament. "I can only scratch the keys blindly! Out there, they'll kill me!"

Hải Đăng looked at the panicked girl and sighed softly. He raised his uninjured left hand, took off the black rubber bracelet engraved with his old team's logo, and slipped it onto Châu's small wrist.

Châu was stunned and looked at the bracelet.

"Put it on. Consider it a talisman," Đăng said, his voice warm and calm, in stark contrast to the surrounding chaos. "You don't have to be a hero. You just need to choose the hero 'Seraph' - the Mage with the longest skill range in the game. Your only mission: Stand far behind the tower, release the skill to clear minions, and absolutely never step foot past the half of the river in the middle of the map. No matter how much the opponent provokes or curses, just think of yourself as playing a game of throwing rocks and fingerprints. Got it?"

"But... but if I don't deal any damage then the team is severely lacking in firepower," Châu stammered.

"The other four will take the brunt of your damage," Đăng glanced at the four male members standing straight as if waiting for orders. "I've loaded them with enough thinking to fight 4vs5. You're the reason we're here today, Manager Châu. So just step on stage and fulfill the role of a scarecrow."

Đăng's words of encouragement (if it can be called encouragement) that smelled of coffee suddenly had a strange effect. Châu's tension disappeared in half, replaced by a feeling of speechlessness mixed with determination. She tightened her grip on his rubber bracelet. "A scarecrow is a scarecrow! I won't die for you to see!"

In the first match of the Preliminary Round, HD E-sports clashed with the Trần Phú High School team - a middle-class team.

Entering the Ban/Pick phase, Hải Đăng stood behind the squad, authoritative like a true general. Unlike the awkward looked of other school coaches, Đăng only needed to glance at the opponent's first three Bans to clearly read their tactical intentions.

"They intend to play a split-push formation," Đăng quickly analyzed. "Hùng, lock on the Fighter to block the attack. Tuấn, choose Forest that can take the target quickly. In this match, we will fight in a death squad and wait for the opportunity."

The whistle signaling the end of the Pick/Ban time rings. The referee asks the Coach to leave the playing area.

Đăng put his hand on Châu's shoulder for a second, then nodded to the team and turned to walk back to the stands. From now on, the fate of HD E-sports lies entirely in the hands of "puppet" Bảo Châu and the four reformed "bullies".

The match began.

Just like Đăng's strategy, Bảo Châu applied the "shy" philosophy to a new level. She controlled the Seraph to stand close to the Guardian Pillar as if the Pillar was her lover from her previous life. Every time the soldiers came out, she retreated far away, threw two wide-area skills at the soldiers and then retreated straight back to the Altar if she felt the presence of an enemy Forest wandering around.

The enemy mid laner—a guy with pretty good skills—was mad because she could not find a way to kill Châu. He deliberately froze the soldiers, provoked them, and danced, but Châu was determined not to step over the safety line. As a result, Trần Phú's mid laner was stuck dead in the lane (lane), unable to gank for fear of losing his tower, while the damage was abundant with no place to discharge.

Meanwhile, in other areas, Đăng's "Macro Lesson Plan" began to exert terrifying power.

Tuấn 'Compass' doesn't rob the forest anymore. He bought dozens of Control Eyes, spread across the map like a security camera system. Every time the enemy Forest appeared to take the spell, Tuấn pinged loudly for his teammates to retreat.

Hùng 'Gaur' fights a Tank Fighter with a full armor build. He was continuously ganked by three opponents, but instead of rushing in to dry blood, Hùng persevered, weaving through the bushes, poking and retreating, buying time long enough for Tuấn and the Bot Lane couple to take out big targets like the enemy Dragon and Tower.

The audience began to whisper. Trần Phú's team seemed to be punching a cotton ball. They were ahead in kills, but fell behind miserably in Gold and map control. The gameplay of HD E-sports was too annoying, pragmatic and cruel.

Đăng sat in the stands, pulled down his hoodie to hide his smile. He knew, the tactical trap he had set had begun to tighten its prey. The game really began now.

Đăng did not get on the computer in game two because of a dull pain in his wrist. Châu asked him if he wanted to change people, he nodded after a few seconds. Hùng sat in the temporary position, his hands were cold. Đăng did not direct each operation; he only mentioned three points: look at the map, call the time and didn't chase the kill point. Hùng played slower than usual, but the team moved together.

The win made a few people in the stands turn to look at them. Another schoolmate asked Châu where the team practiced. They met in the old computer room, whose schedule was open to students who wanted to study. Đăng heard it and told her there was no need to promote during the tournament. Châu said the team survived thanks to visibility, as long as they didn't turn the players into advertising tools.

On the way to the parking lot, Hùng was still excited, waving his hands and reenacting his speedy push for two classmates who happened to meet him. Kiên and Tuấn walked next to him, occasionally stepping in to correct a few details that Hùng had "over-salted" with. Nam walked last, more silent than usual, still clutching his backpack containing headphones as if afraid of losing the victory he had just won.

Đăng slowed down and walked side by side with Nam. "Are you okay? You hardly said a word the whole game."

Nam was startled, looked up at Đăng, then bowed his head, his voice mumbling. "I... I'm still very scared, Mr. Đăng. But this time when I'm scared, I remember that I have to throw the shield to Mr. Kiên first, not run away first."

"That's progress," Đăng nodded, rarely patting the shoulder of the smallest boy on the team. "No one forces you to stop being afraid. As long as you learn how to act right even when you're afraid, that's enough."

Nam raised his head, his eyes shining with a rare ray of pride. For the first time since joining the club, he felt like his shyness was not a weakness to be hidden, but simply a part of who he was — something the team accepted, not ridiculed.

Arriving at the parking lot, Bảo Châu was waiting, holding five bottles of cool water that she had just bought at the canteen. She gave each person a bottle, not forgetting to give instructions like a true big sister.

"Drink some water, ice the sweat to melt away, then go home and shower immediately. Don't catch a cold before the Quarterfinals."

"Sister Châu takes care of us even more than our mother," Kiên said while drinking and smiling.

"Because your mother doesn't have to worry about being responsible if the team lacks players because of the flu," Châu replied dryly, causing the whole group to burst into laughter.

Đăng stood watching the scene from afar, not participating in the conversation, but his eyes followed each person with silent concern. He remembered his time on the professional team, where his teammates only talked to each other about tactics, about prize money, about reputation — no one ever asked him if he had eaten enough, if he had had enough sleep. Here, in the dusty parking lot of an ordinary high school, he found something that even a national championship team had never given him.