Chapter 83: Team Jersey Ready

I stayed behind to watch them play. I wouldn’t deny it—I actually enjoyed being here, watching the squad grind and build chemistry from the ground up. Plus, even though I wasn’t a pro player, I had an sharp eye for details and could spot things they might miss while in the heat of the moment.

I pulled up a chair behind NightEye’s station, watching her hands on the keyboard and her crosshair movement on the display. It didn’t take long for me to notice the core problem: she was way too quick to force a kill. Every time she saw a sliver of movement, she panicked into an immediate peek, trying to out-flick Piercer on raw speed alone.

"NightEye," I spoke up calmly over her headset mic. "You’re rushing your engagements. Stop trying to beat her to the trigger every single time."

Piercer glanced over from her monitor with a playful smirk. "Hey, boss! Are you seriously back-seat coaching her against me?"

"I’m doing it for your own good, too," I replied dryly, not taking my eyes off the monitor. "The faster she fixes her habits, the sooner you get your actual revenge match against Amanda."

Piercer chuckled, but she didn’t argue.

"Look at how Amanda plays against Piercer," I pointed out to NightEye, nodding toward the main overhead screen where the two captains were clashing. "When Piercer swings aggressively, Amanda doesn’t panic-fire. She holds a patient off-angle, waits for Piercer to overextend, and lets her walk right into the crosshair. Patience is the absolute best counter against hyper-aggressive players like her."

NightEye stared at the broadcast screen, watching Amanda calmly dismantle Piercer’s aggressive rush simply by holding her ground and waiting that extra split-second. The realization hit her like a lightbulb turning on.

"She’s baiting the movement..." NightEye whispered, her eyes widening. "I’ve been rushing into her crosshair because I was afraid of getting peeked first."

"Exactly," I said, leaning back in my chair. "In a matchup against someone with Piercer’s raw reaction time, if you rush, you lose every time. Wait for her to commit, then punish the mistake."

NightEye took a slow breath, her posture completely shifting from tense panic to cold focus. "Alright. One more time. Piercer, load us back in."

Piercer cracked a grin, adjusting her headset. "Let’s see if the boss’s advice actually saves you."

It didn’t pay off immediately—the score line was still a rough loss for NightEye. But this drill wasn’t just about winning quick rounds anyway. It was about helping them spot their own flaws before walking onto a live stage.

I clapped my hands together to get everyone’s attention. "Listen up. Don’t just play to rack up wins right now. Use these 1v1s to figure out where you’re failing, so you can fix it before match day."

Amanda took off her headset, spinning her chair around to face me with an amused look. "You sound like a natural. Have you ever coached an esports team before?"

"Nope," I said with a light shrug. "Never."

NightEye wiped her palm on her pants, taking a deep breath. "Well, your advice actually made sense, even if my hands haven’t caught up to my brain yet. I could tell I held out longer in those last two rounds."

"That’s all that matters for day two," I replied, checking the time. "Recognize what you’re doing wrong, adjust, and repeat."

The squad nodded, the heavy tension in the room finally breaking as they loaded into the next practice lobby with a much clearer goal.

While the squad kept grinding through their drills, I sank deep into the high-end massage chair Piercer had ordered, letting the rollers work out the stress in my back.

My mind naturally drifted to Chloe. She hadn’t called in a while—law school over in the UK must have been absolutely hectic for her, and she was probably deep into another intense mock trial competition. Then there was Ruby, out on her tour doing her thing. Everything around me felt like it was shifting so fast, but I was just sitting here enjoying the ride, watching my investments grow, and finding new ways to make serious money.

The low hum of the massage chair and the rhythmic clicking of four mechanical keyboards in the background was surprisingly peaceful.

"Boss looks way too comfortable over there," NightEye muttered between rounds, eyeing me with a mix of jealousy and amusement.

"Let him chill," Piercer said with a smirk, her eyes locked onto her monitor as she clicked away. "He bought the chair, he gets first dibs."

I just smiled, closing my eyes for a second while the chair worked its magic. A full squad leveling up by the hour, and zero stress on my end. Life was good.

While the squad was right in the middle of a heavy team fight, the elevator doors chimed, and Tiana walked onto the floor with a few assistants carrying several slick, garment-wrapped packages.

"Alright, take a break for a minute, everyone," Tiana announced, her warm voice echoing across the open facility. "Your custom gear just arrived from the design bay."

Everyone instantly paused their games and threw their headsets onto their desks, gathering around the main table in a heartbeat.

Tiana unzipped the top bag and pulled out the primary jersey. The design was fire—a sleek, dark matte fabric accented with sharp neon highlights along the shoulders, subtle breathable mesh side panels, and the bold Zenith crest emblazoned across the chest with each player’s custom handle stitched cleanly on the upper back.

"Woah," Piercer said, her eyes lighting up as she ran a hand over the material. "This looks insanely good."

"We made sure the material was lightweight and sweat-resistant so you stay comfortable on stage," Tiana smiled, handing out each player’s personalized uniform. Then, she turned to me with an extra bag in hand. "And of course, one for the boss."

I unzipped mine to reveal a clean, custom jacket version with the Zenith investor crest discreetly embroidered on the breast.

"Now," Tiana continued, folding her hands together, "Zenith is doing a massive official unveil to announce our entry into the esports space. We’ve got a full media crew, stylists, and makeup artists waiting in the studio downstairs. We need to get you all styled, prepped, and shot for the official roster reveal posters and social media launch."

NightEye grinned, holding her jersey up against her chest. "Stylists and makeup? We’re actually getting the full superstar treatment!"

"Alright, team," I said, zipping up my jacket and looking over at the four of them. "Let’s head downstairs, get prepped with the stylists, and give them some proper photo shoots."