Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.17 Ch.33: Yuel's Rare Praise

Nia smiled giddily, imagining herself on a pedestal amidst the region's best players.

"Don't let this advantage get to your head." Yuel kicked her off the high horse. "This a good start, but the game isn't over yet. Don't expect it to be easy to win. Our opponents are the Leopards, the regional champions."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Nia pouted. It felt like Yuel just poured a bucket of cold water on her head. This killed all the excitement she had a moment ago.

"Seriously," Kai interjected. "For once in your life, would it kill you to just praise somebody without being such a party pooper?"

"What do you mean?" Yuel asked. "I generally give credit where credit is due. I did say Nia did well."

"You did? Oh yeah, you probably mixed in something small like that in the middle of issuing orders." Kai made a face. "Lemme tell you, these small throwaway praises don't feel like much at all. It always sounds like you take the outcome for granted."

"Well, things did go according to plan, so that's not wrong."

"Huh." Kai sighed. "So, just because your super difficult plan worked out, does it mean the involved players don't deserve any praise at all???"

"That's not what I'm saying," Yuel argued. "The play I planned for Mid was on the difficult side, I agree. But, I still suggested it because I knew you two had the necessary skill to pull it off."

"Whoa, you actually just said that with a straight face..." Kai felt a little embarrassed.

There was unwavering faith in Yuel's words. He was so confident in his high evaluation of Kai and Nia's skills that he felt no need to express any of it. As far as he was concerned, the fact he suggested that risky plan for Mid already stood testament to how highly he evaluated both girls.

"Alright, I think I sorta get how your brain is wired," Kai said. "But, we can't read your mind, you know? We don't know what you really think until you tell us. Besides, getting direct praise is... well, you know."

"Do you want to be praised so much?"

"T-That's not the point!" Kai made a face. Even though this was really more or less her argument, the way Yuel phrased it made the whole thing sound cheap somehow. It's as if Kai and Nia were desperately yearning for flattery, which they definitely weren't!

"I always tell ya, dude," Lars joined the conversation. "You gotta give out more straightforward praise, you know? Even if you appreciate 'em in your head, they can't hear any of that."

"Hmm." Yuel knotted his brows. "I thought I made it clear enough how risky and difficult my plan for Mid was. So, the fact we pulled through it should indicate enough how well they both played, am I wrong?"

"Yeah, maybe it does," Lars said. "But, it still won't hurt to reaffirm it, ya know? Not everybody gonna automatically think about it the way you do."

"I see." Yuel realized he might have things for granted too much there. Even though he was very satisfied with Kai and Nia's performances in Mid, he didn't directly express these thoughts. Basically, he was like a customer who didn't bother leaving a 5-star review even though he evaluated the service very highly.

The thing is that they might get carried away if I praise them too much. That's the one thing I have to avoid at all costs.

Yuel has seen players getting carried away countless times like this. The sense of success provided a catharsis for them, which made them feel like they didn't have to work as hard anymore.

But, now that I think about it, Howard often reassures his teammates, doesn't he? Yuel thought back on his experiences in StormBlitz. He almost always drops a word or two about the team's achievements. I never paid much attention to it before, but maybe he was following a calculated principle.