After grilling Kai, Yuel moved on to criticize Vincent. "In terms of any major faults, I don't have anything concrete to say."
"Such honor!" Vincent exclaimed. "To think that Chessmaster, the one who possesses the Mystic Eyes of Weakness Perception, does not see a single weakness in my plays!"
"There are many small things you can improve on, of course," Yuel hurried to add. "But none of them are worth discussing in this forum. Overall, I've been thinking a lot about your situation, and it's a little… weird."
"How so?"
"There's no doubt in my mind that you're an experienced and competent player, good enough for the region's level," Yuel said. "Yet, somehow, it doesn't feel enough. I think it's because you don't specialize in anything, which is both a blessing and a curse."
"Why, of course. I'm a jack-of-all-trades!"
"And a master of none," Yuel pointed out. "You like giving others these bombastic titles that emphasize their specialization, but you don't have one for yourself, do you?"
"I do have some, of course!" Vincent exclaimed. "I'm the Information Blackhole and the Arbiter of Talents!"
"But, these skills mostly come into play outside of matches," Yuel pointed out. "You generally finish diagnosing your opponents before you even get to face them."
"Yes, that sounds about right." Vincent nodded. "I do sometimes unravel new abilities during the match itself, but that is very rare."
"And, at that point, it's usually too late," Yuel added. "Figuring out something the enemy is good at usually doesn't help you come up with a strategy to defeat them in that same game."
"True, true. In general, knowing my foes' strong points does not mean I know how to defeat them. I'm not the Arbiter of Weaknesses, after all."
"Right. So, all of this puts you in a sticky situation," Yuel said. "On paper, you're the best Top player in the club. But, in practice, against the aggressive playstyles of Challenger, Apprentece, or even Hitter, I'd probably pick Ben over you."
"M-Me!?" Ben jumped.
"Yes, you," Yuel said. "You're still rough around the edges, but your hyper-defense works well against all these offensive Top Laners."
"And," Vincent added. "These three names you dropped happen to belong to the teams that represent the crème de la crème of the region. In other words, you're saying I might not get a chance to play at the finals, or even at the semi-finals."
"Yes, pretty much."
"I see, I see." Vincent nodded repeatedly. "It is what it is."
"Are you going to tell me you're fine with this?"
"Yes, for I'm the Arbiter of Talents!" Vincent struck a dramatic pose. "I oversee all the talents of this realm and reveal them for everybody to see! Therefore, whether I'm physically present on the stage during the games themselves is of lesser importance. Even when I'm not there, the information I drew from the sea of knowledge will accompany you into battles all the same!"
"Dang, that's too cool, dude!" Lars was deeply moved. "Even when you're not there, you're still helping us a ton! It's like the power of friendship and stuff, believe it!"
"Indeed! That's exactly how it is!"
"Well, if you're fine with that…" Yuel didn't know what else to say here. I understand what he's trying to say, but I can't relate to it at all.
Yuel would never give up the starter spot so easily. He even went as far as to switch schools just because he couldn't be on the first-string in StormBlitz this year.
Is he REALLY fine with this arrangement…? Yuel couldn't fathom that being the case. Alas, there was never knowing what really went inside that loud clown's head.
But, one thing was for certain: Vincent was a fellow Classmancers player just like everybody else in the club. He participated in every part of club practice, including the extended after-hours. On top of that, he helped Yuel a ton with preparing for the match review meetings. And, on top of that, Vincent was ultimately a decent player, just not a specialist in any area.
So, was it really alright for somebody like him to just "give up" like this? Shouldn't he try harder to reinvent himself and find ways to remain relevant on the first-string?
Well, maybe I'm just projecting myself onto him. Yuel thought. Lars and I wanted very hard to be on the first-string, but not everybody is like that. Nia also wasn't all too interested in it at first.
Vincent's mentality was so different that Yuel had no idea how to advise the guy. What exactly should Vincent work on? Did he even have any reason to do anything differently than usual?
"For now, I only have this to say," Yuel continued. "If you want to play against Storm or the Leopards, you must take your defense to the next level. I'm not telling you to become a defense specialist like Ben, but it would be great if you could at least nullify the aggression of Challenger and Hitter."
"Peculiar," Vincent said. "You mention these two, but not Apprentece?"
"Apprentece is… a complicated topic." Yuel frowned. "If you noticed, I haven't talked much about him in general, even in previous meetings."
"Yeah, totally!" Lars jumped. "I've been dying to hear what you got to say about that dude. I mean, he's sick! A legit pro!"
"I don't know if you've noticed, but you tend to throw around the term 'pro' all the time," Yuel pointed out. "But, this is the one time you might actually be right. Apprentece really is pro material."
"For real, yo!"
"That's why I consider him beyond our scope for now," Yuel explained. "Even Ben couldn't really handle him."
"I'm sorry..." Ben lowered his head.
"No need to feel bad, dude," Lars reassured. "That Korean pro is just too strong! Even I had a hella hard time going up against him. But, I did get one kill, tho!"
"It was only thanks to Nia's gank," Yuel reminded. "Anyway, back on topic. Vincent, if you improve your defense to the point you can fend off Challenger and Hitter, it'll be a no-brainer to include you in the lineup. Otherwise, Ben will have a definitive edge."
"I understand." Vincent nodded. "I shall see what can be done on the matter. Though, I must say, I value versatility very highly. As such, it will prove difficult for me to focus only on training defense while neglecting everything else."
"Well, you don't have to focus only on defense if you don't want to," Yuel said. "In fact, it will be ideal if your offense also levels up along the way. But, that's probably too much to ask for."
"Indeed, it does sound like quite the ordeal." Vincent nodded. "But, I shall do my best! Not that I'm expecting my defense to ever compete with specialists like EnduringPhoenix." He smiled wryly, and that smile pretty much said it all. He gave up on his spot and had no intention of fighting for it…