The fans are currently cheering and shouting as the match between JLNC and Dominant Rooks began.
When the Dominant Rooks entered the stage, their fans started cheering loud while waving their LED banners and light sticks.
{"Please welcome JLNC!"}
The members of JLNC entered the stage one by one and due to the recent accident, Rio is the one playing as their mid-laner.
{"As we can see here, JLNC Renin's fans have decided to go on full support for their favorite player who is playing for the first time since the recent Autumn Season's Playoffs."} Elvis Letterman said
{"JLNC Renin is JLNC El's substitute in the game as the latter has been involved in an accident just yesterday, and if not for him, JLNC might have been forced to back out from the Nationals because they don't have anyone to play as the mid-laner."} Gino Morin said
{"Well isn't it quite a common event during tournaments, some may call it a foreshadowing."} Elvis Letterman replied and Gino Morin nodded
Indeed, in their industry, accidents, and events that sometimes lead to temporary to lifetime hand injury is quite common especially when a well-known team has an upcoming game.
In some countries, some people are even caught deliberately injuring their opponents before a game to ensure their victory that's why teams take in players who will serve as substitutes.
During the banning part, the Dominant Rooks banned Chikara, Chasseur, and Laidir, while JLNC banned Maesta and Coraje, now it's Opal's turn to ban a shinigami that will conclude the banning part.
"Oh, Key's Foschia wasn't banned," Quant commented
"Want me to ban it?" Opal asked
"Don't you dare," Key warned in a jested way
"Opal, ban Intrepidus," Bright told Opal
Intrepidus is Dominant Rooks mid-laner's strongest shinigami.
After the banning part, the shinigami selection began and they alternately chose their shinigami for the game.
"Do you want to use Foschia?" Bright asked Key but she shook her head
"Maybe I'll take Sournoise in this one." Key replied
"That's a surprise," Opal commented and Key smiled
"You doing fine, Rio?" Quant asked their mid-laner who hasn't spoken a word since the match began
"Don't be nervous, Rio, you'll do fine," Key assured him
"I almost forgot the sensation of being in the arena, it's chilling." Rio replied with a small smile
{"And we have our final shinigami line-up. For Dominant Rooks, we have Ausu as the off-laner, Dexameni as the top-laner, Luxy as mid-laner, Fidens as Forward, and Clypeus as Support. For JLNC, we have Sournoise as off-laner, Vis as top-laner, Fiore as mid-laner, Luccicare as Forward, and Evocatrice as Support."} Gino Morin announced at the end of the shinigami selection
After appearing at their base at spawning, they began roaming the map to level up.
Key stayed with Rio in the middle lane Opal, Rasheed, and Quant started roaming to their respective lanes.
They developed by preying on the opponent's minions.
"Huh, what happened?" Rio asked when the opposing off-laner who is also in the middle lane suddenly left
The opponent's Luxy then attacked amidst their confusion but it was a two against one battle so, of course, Key and Rio won.
They started dealing with the opponent's defense tower in the middle lane.
"Middle lane cleared," just as Key declared this, Opal's Vis was attacked by Dexameni and Ausu, then a notification appeared that Dominant Rooks had just claimed the Kitsune
"I'm stunned!" Opal called out and Key immediately headed to the top-lane
When she arrived, she immediately used Sournoise's Spiorad against Ausu, she controlled the shinigami to use its ultimate attack against Dexameni, immediately breaking through his high defenses.
After the 30-second duration of her spiorad, the opponent's Ausu began dealing damage to both of them but in the end, the opponent's top-laner ended as the first blood.
The opposing off-laner suddenly left and ran away so Key and Opal used that opportunity to destroy their defense tower in the top lane.
Meanwhile, in the middle lane, Rio is developing himself when the opponent's Luxy arrived and just took damage from his attack before venturing up.
"Luxy's going to the Den," Rio reported so Key and Opal immediately headed to the Manticore's Den
They saw Ausu stunning the manticore, but after they lost the Kitsune to them, Key wouldn't let them claim the Manticore so she charged in and started attacking Ausu and Luxy along with Opal.
They overpowered the two opponents but this came with a price, her blood was halfway drained while Opal only had little blood left.
"Hydra's Lair," Rasheed said while his Luccicare and Quant's Evocatrice are dealing with the opponent's Fidens and Clypeus
"We need help in the bottom lane," Quant called out to them
When Rasheed gave the order, their only opponent in the bottom lane were Fidens and Clypeus, but moments later when Clypeus's blood lowered down to half, the opponent's Dexameni arrived, and worse, Ausu arrived next as well and he stunned them.
It was a two against four and Dominant Rooks have the upper hand in the team fight, Rio immediately headed down to help, and so did Key and Opal.
As soon as Opal arrived, however, Fidens drained his blood. Their numbers are now equal, but then Dominant Rooks' mid-laner arrived as well and this pushed the battle to JLNC's acing.
Because they were aced, the opposing team had the opportunity to spend the 45 seconds of their absence destroying all of their defense towers, and the moment they arrived at their respective lanes, they no longer have any towers to defend.
They only had one chance and that is to claim the Hydra, and so they navigated their respective shinigami to the Hydra's Lair, and they immediately clashed with the members of the Dominant Rooks, with the Hydra stunned.
The clash continued to limit their battle lines until only Rasheed and Quant were left in the Lair to fight against Dexameni, Luxy, and Ausu.
"Retreat," Rasheed ordered and they began retreating to their base
Luxy, Dexameni, and Ausu fought and claimed the Hydra giving them a higher advantage in gold and level compared to JLNC with Ausu being the shinigami with the highest level on the map currently.
"Five," Key began counting down their resurrection time
"Four," Rio followed
"Three," Opal said
"Two… and one," Key said and her Sournoise respawned back on the map
Her resurrection was just in time to help Rasheed's Luccicare and Quant's Evocatrice in driving back and defending their base.
They did their best but in the end, they were overpowered in their very own base and the victory is claimed by Dominant Rooks.
They were given a 15-minute break to rest from the recent match so all players headed backstage.
"It wasn't your fault, Rio." Key tapped Rio's shoulder while they're walking to their resting area
"Man, it's the first time I played and we lost," Rio said and shook his head
"Don't beat yourself for it, we all have our times of victory and loss. It's just one round, we have another round to win to have a third-round that we will win." Key said and smiled while Rio sighed
They went inside and saw their teammates seated at their usual position, only Alexei isn't there because he's back at the base to accompany El.
When Rio came in, he couldn't face his teammates so Opal and Quant placed their arms on his shoulder.
"It wasn't your fault," Opal said
"Yeah, we didn't blame Key when she was contained." Quant said and Key chuckled
"That wasn't my fault either, you know," Key said with a small smile
"Who said she won't be the first blood?" Rasheed said making Key frown
"Are you holding grudges, Captain?" Key asked him in disbelief before looking at her laughing teammates with a betrayed expression
"They are right, Rio, it's not your fault." Bright told him and Rio sighed before nodding
But in his heart, he feels small.
He knows that El is a better player, but he can't believe that in his first match as the starting player, they lost.
"We didn't lose the match, Rio, we just lost a round." Key, who could read what Rio was thinking from his expression, said with a small smile
They were all down, although they didn't want to, they really felt like they were not in the best condition to play because if anyone will ask them, the only member in the starting line-up that actually played with Rio in a match recently is Key, so their teamwork and communication is in a jeopardy.