Inklings and Octolings cheered in delight at the sight of Off the Hook coming up on stage.
Pearl said happily, "Welcome everyone to the Ultra Fresh Tournament!"
At this time Rider, the Blue Team, and I arrived just in time to hear Marina say,"For this tournament, there will be 64 brackets on the board."
At that moment, the giant screen up above Pearl and Marina's heads displayed where each team was placed in the tournament.
I was the first to notice a picture of an intimidating-looking team of yellow Inklings at the very top of the board.
I asked Rider nervously,"Who are those guys at the top?"
Rider replied as he lifted his head slightly to get a good look at the picture,"That's Team Monarch. And that's their leader..."
Rider slightly bit his lip before saying,"Emperor... also known as the King."
Suddenly, a single bright light shined on Emperor who was seated on a red and gold throne.
He smirked down at all the Inklings and Octolings who couldn't help but shiver in fear.
My eyes bulged a bit. I thought worriedly, Man... he must be extremely talented in Turf and Ranked Battles...
Specs said in a serious tone as he bowed to Emperor,"Whoever wins the semi-finals will face off against Emperor."
Bobble Hat said happily,"We can crush him!"
As Specs and Headphones stared at Bobble Hat in disbelief, I noticed that Team Green was going up against...
"What the...?!" I asked in a state of complete shock.
At the top left corner of the screen showed Team Green VS the S4!
My jaw dropped and then I immediately looked to my right to see the S4 walking right towards me.
Aloha greeted with a wink,"Hi Krystal! Long time, no see!"
I was completely speechless.
The S4 were teaming up for the event and their vibe seemed friendly? I thought in confusion.
Army was the first to notice my perplexed expression. After clearing his throat, Army said to me, Rider, and the Blue Tean with remorse,"We're so sorry for our sour behavior."
Skull rubbed the back of his head rather sheepishly,"You could say we had some typical self-esteem issues..."
To my surprise, Mask took off his headgear and said rather tiredly,"Pleaaase forgive us."
Out of sheer excitement, Bobble Hat gave Mask a great, big hug and said,"Hooray! We're besties now!"
Emperor, who was seated near me, Rider, Team Blue, and the S4, put on a sly smile. He said to himself, "Interesting..."
Headphones told the S4 happily, "With your combined power, you're sure to win."
Aloha said with a grin, "Yeah, it was actually Emperor's idea for us to team up."
I looked up to see Emperor walking towards his three teammates who bowed their heads at the presence of their leader. I soon frowned.
I thought in anger, Is he seriously that confident that he'll possibly beat the S4 in one go? Some King...
Suddenly, Pearl announced, "Our first match for today will be the Blue Team VS Team X-Blood!"
A sudden stomp of a foot made me and all of my friends swiftly turn around to come face-to-face with Team X-Blood!
Their leader, Vintage, said in a disturbingly blunt manner, "You're in our way."
Red-Sole said in an obnoxiously "sweet" voice, "You better do what our leader says!"
We all moved to the side with angered expressions.
The way Vintage was stomping towards the Deca Tower made me remember the time when Rider first appeared in the manga. But, that was in the past. Rider had grown so much as a person ever since Goggles and his team defeated him.
Mask said, "Team X are so rotten, they make Emperor and his teeeeam look like the most approachable people in the world."
Specs crossed his arms and added in a slightly nervous tone,"And that's saying something."
Rider directed his attention from Specs and Mask to Goggles and told him, "Good luck out there."
Goggles replied cheerfully, "Thanks Rider!"
Goggles faced his teammates with a look full of confidence. "Come on guys! Let's show those bullies what we've got!"
I waved good-bye to Team Blue who were running towards the Deca Tower in excitement.
Rider walked on over to me and smiled. "You ready to watch the battle?"
I said with a playful smirk, "I don't know. I'll have to check my schedule..."
Rider couldn't help but laugh a little.