The next day, Yuel dragged Nia to exercise as well. Her shoulders slumped in response to this development
"So, we're here again…"
"Yes, we're here." Yuel nodded. "You said your legs don't hurt, right?"
"Eeeeh, I feel like I should've lied about that one…" Nia still had a little bit of motivation at the start of the day, but she lost all of it the moment she imagined herself dragging her body across this accursed road.
"Well, I'm glad you're being honest for once," Yuel said. "You're making your dad proud."
"GUFU!" Nia received an invisible blow! "Nuuuu! Stop it! Bully! What was I even thinking yesterday!? It was such a mistake for me to say something like that…!"
"Yes, it definitely was," Yuel agreed. "You dared to expose a weakness in front of me of all people. Now, I'm going to use this against you whenever you turn rebellious."
"Bully! Alien robot! Sadist!"
"Is that how you speak to your dad?"
"GUUUUH!" Nia held her head in despair. "Kill me now…"
"No, I need you alive," Yuel objected. "You're going to get revenge on Appretence at the regionals, right? So, c'mon. Start stretching."
"Yes, dad…" Nia sighed in defeat and did as ordered.
Just as the day before, the exercise started out easy. It was pretty much just regular walking, but a little faster. No biggie, right?
However, it didn't take long for Nia's muscles to start getting sore. "Uuu!" She wobbled. "My legs…"
"Feeling pain?"
"Yeah, it's not looking good. I may not be long for this world. Gufu."
"You're probably fine," Yuel explained. "Your muscles are probably still sore from yesterday, so they're bound to hurt a little. In fact, this is a sign your muscles are adapting."
"I wish they adapted without making it painful."
"As long as the pain isn't severe and it's only in your leg muscles, it should be fine. But, if it gets seriously bad, then inform me immediately."
"Guh. I'm literally dying over here."
"Oh, are you lying to your dad right now?"
"GUUUUH! Not this again!" Nia nearly tripped because of the emotional damage. "Ok, fine… I'll keep going."
"You can slow down if it's too hard for you," Yuel said. "The most important thing about exercising is maintaining a consistent pace and finishing the entire thing. The speed itself is secondary."
"Ok. I'mma crawl then."
"Hey, I didn't mean slowing down THAT much." Yuel ranted. "Keep walking, just don't push yourself too hard."
"I feel like I'm already pushing myself way past my limits, both physically and mentally."
"Nonsense," Yuel asserted. "You've only started exercising. You don't even know your limits yet."
"Actually, that's my point. I've already passed my limits the moment I started doing any of this."
Yuel rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure. Just keep walking, you lazy bum."
"Gufu... This is parental abuse…"
"Think of it this way," Yuel suggested. "Every step forward you take brings you closer to defeating Appretence."
"Eh, cheesy much?" Nia gave him a look. "I can't believe you just said that with a straight face."
"Yeah, me neither." Yue scratched his cheek. "I was hoping to hype things up with some nonsense like Vincent usually does."
"Oh, yeah, it did kinda sound like him." Nia nodded. "And, it was kinda funny, actually. So, do some more. Maybe it'll help me forget this pain you're forcing me to endure."
"Hrm. It feels like you're blackmailing me into this..." Yuel made a face. "Just so you know, laughing a lot isn't the greatest thing to do during exercise. You have to be mindful of your breathing and pacing."
"Tch, cheapskate." Nia pouted. "Oh, my legs suddenly started hurting again. I guess I can't keep walking. If only there was something funny to distract me…"
"Okay, now you're not even trying to hide it. This is a clear-cut case of blackmail."
"Naaaaah, you're imagining things."
"If you need to distract yourself with something, how about simulating jungling scenarios in your head?" Yuel suggested. "I'm letting you skip club practice for this, but you can at least do mental training."
"Eeeh? Seriously?" Nia made a face. "Are you telling me to practice Mancers while I'm exercising? Huh. Looks like I was wrong until now. You're not just a demon coach, you're the devil himself!"
"Yes, yes, whatever." Yuel shrugged. "Alright, here's the scenario: Imagine you're playing Ninja and you run into the enemy Jungler in some neutral area of the jungle. What do you do?"
"Eh, what class are they?"
"Good question. Which class are you hoping they have?"
"Hmm. Hopefully something squishy."
"Like Shadow Walker?"
"Pls no." Nia shook her head repeatedly. "Rogue, maybe? Actually, no. That can be annoying in its own way. Hmm"
In her head, Nia saw herself standing in front of a scary, shadowy figure. What class could that enemy Jungler possibly be so that Nia would be at ease?
"Hmm. It's too hard," Nia said. "There are too many classes out there, so I can't think of anything good on the spot."
"Fair enough." Yuiel nodded. "Then, let's reframe the question. What general properties would you like them to have?"
"Well, they better be squishy," Nia said. "If I can't kill them with my ult, then I don't wanna mess with them."
"That's a good start." Yuel nodded. "But, generally speaking, that's an overly optimistic scenario. So, what would you do if you can't kill them so easily?"
"Hmm. I'd probably continue my jungling routine. Gonna pretend like I saw nothing."
"But, what if the enemy has other plans?" Yuel suggested. "Let's say they make the first move and come at you."
"Wha-!? The nerve!" Nia pouted. "Well, then I'd retreat."
"But, he chases you down."
"Huh!? Into my territory!?"
"Yes, he doesn't care."
"What a cocky little..." Nia twisted her lips. "So, what if I just ignore that and keep running away?"
"Then, eventually, he stops chasing," Yuel said. "Instead, he starts stealing your camps."
"Excuse me!?" Nia nearly tripped from shock. "Somebody better arrest this man! He's committing crimes in broad daylight!"
"Yes, and he's perfectly aware of that. His nickname is Criminal68."
"Pft. What a rascal."
"Anyway," Yuel continued. "He starts stealing your Hyena Camp."
"Tch, what an annoying guy." Nia grumped. "Then, I'll... I'll smack him!"
"Are you sure? We haven't even established his class yet."
"B-But my camp!" Nia exclaimed. "Geh. I don't like this scenario. This kind of thing never happens anyway."
"Are you saying what I described is so unrealistic?" Yuel challenged her. "You could literally try this trick for yourself; nothing is stopping you. You can go out there and steal camps right in front of their eyes."
"Yeah, but nobody does that."
Yuel nodded. "True, it's a rare scenario, isn't it? But why is that? What's the expected counterplay that would discourage our Criminal68 from committing this particular crime?"
"Me attacking him, of course."
"But, are you going to do it? I see hesitation."
"Well, it does sound scary," Nia admitted. "I still don't know his class, and apparently, he won't die from my ult."
"So, that gives him a free pass to farm your camps?"
"Hell no!" Nia was confident about that. "I have to smack him. I think. Probably."
"You sound extremely indecisive," Yuel criticized. "While you're mulling over your options, our good fellow Criminal68 has already killed one of the hyenas."
"Oh crap." Nia groaned. "Oh, wait. I figured out what I'd do in this scenario!"
"Oh? Pray tell."
"I'd just let Mr. ShotCaller68 figure it out for me! Heh, gotcha."
"Asking for advice is a valid approach," Yuel said. "When you're unsure, it's always good to consult your teammates. In fact, in this particular scenario, that can probably solve your entire problem right there and then."
"Eh? How so?"
"The most straightforward solution is to ask a nearby laner to help you out," Yuel explained. "You didn't feel confident enough to face Criminal68 by yourself, even though he's technically in 'your territory', and rightfully so. The jungle is a lawless area by default, but an easy way to prove which side belongs to you is by showing you've got strength in numbers."
"Mhm." Nia nodded. "So basically, we've gotta bully him as a group. Gotcha."
"Of course, there are other approaches as well. It all depends on the situation," Yuel said. "For example, you could counter-jungle him while he counter-jungles you. Basically, fight fire with fire."
"Heh, that's trollish." Nia chucked. "Yeah, that'd teach him."
"But, there are some critical flaws in this approach. Can you list them?"
"Hmm. Well, for starters, it's scary. They can gank me at any moment. As you said, the Mid Laner can rotate over there to screw me over."
"True." Yuel nodded. "And, that's not your only problem. Criminal68 himself might drop his counter-jungling in order go fight you."
"Oh, true..." Nia pouted as her revenge plan against Criminal68 fell apart. And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling Criminal68!
"So, what else can I do?" Nia wondered. "Counter-counter-jungling sounds too risky, but I have to punish that cocky guy somehow."
"Another option is to exploit the fact he's busy with your camps," Yuel suggested. "You can rotate to another lane and gank over there, knowing you won't be counter-ganked."
"Oh, that's also good. I like it."
"You can even just pretend like you're going to gank without fully committing to the play. The enemy knows their Jungler is busy, so they'll be extra cautious about any incoming attacks."
"Oho, now we're big brain." Nia nodded. "Honestly, that sounds like the best option. Gonna apply that 'remote intimidation' thingy and whatnot."
"As always, the best solution depends on the circumstances," Yuel said. "But, it's good to simulate such scenarios in advance so you'll be aware of all your options. Otherwise, you'll be flustered when you find yourself in that kind of scenario."
"Yeah, makes sense." Nia nodded. If I ran into Criminal68 before we had this talk, I probably would've been a little lost. She admitted that only to herself.
"Anyway," Yuel said. "We're done. Good job."
"Hm? Oh, it's true." Nia just realized they walked a long distance during that conversation. Her muscles ached throughout the process, but she didn't pay attention to it because she was busy tearing apart Criminal68.
Hooray! Finally, the torture was over! At least, for today...