A pristine blue sky with not a cloud in sight, there's less concrete and more palm trees with civilians out and about-rows of mountains decorate the horizon as the backdrop with the desert sitting along the outskirts of civilization. Residents are walking along casually-some to work and others home, all minding living their lives peacefully despite the ordeal of just a month ago. The aftermath from that time still remains in certain parts of the city, but for the most part, Ravia is bouncing back in their own way. Cars are on the road again, people are frequenting from place to place, and most importantly, business is back to normal. Roaming through the city on a bus getting to see for themselves firsthand the state of Ravia are Squid Academy who just made touchdown within the Squirabian territory, already looking to make a stop at their lodging before deciding where to go from there. Since Fuchsia was a princess, acquiring transportation and lodging was simple the moment anyone recognized her, treating her as a hero for what she did and reminding the team that despite seeming like any ordinary team, there were plenty of figures who are larger than life-starting with the head coach! On the ride to their lodging, there's life on the bus as students struggle to contain their excitement. For those who never left Inkopolis, it was an unforgettable trip already as they did their best to take pictures from out the windows-fascinated at the foreign scenery they'd soon explore, but there were those who weren't as excited about being here but for personal reasons, for Team Ravia, this was almost a nightmare as the memories of that fateful day returned; then there were those who were simply in the zone and only had their eyes on the tournament and no interest on exploring the environment.
Arriving at their destination, everyone was pleased to know they would be staying at an elegant resort that resembled a palace, able to get such a nice lodging all thanks to Fuchsia's connections. Their base of operations for the tournament, the resort came with an indoor gym, and even a rooftop similar to New Albacore Hotel where they could do turf wars and entertain guests at the same time, which was actually one of the primary reasons they would be staying there-Fuchsia found it effective at Giande for them to train in front of spectators, and to get them used to the plenty of watchful eyes, what a better place? With four to a room, they all were lucky enough to be on the same floor with most of them next door to one another. After getting settled in their rooms, Fuchsia had them all meet downstairs in the lobby and explained the rules for their time in Ravia. Much like in Giande, they had to be on their best behavior and respect their environment, and also had a curfew, much to everyone's dismay. A precaution she found necessary, she gave them the day to do as they please as long as they returned before the curfew, informing them that she'll stay at the resort and sort things out in preparation for the tournament. Free to explore Ravia, she advised them to stay in the area and not to venture out into the residential areas. While most of the players went on the bus and told the driver of the spot they desired to visit, Fuchsia stayed behind and was accompanied by Cobalt, Tangie, Apollo, Gileslie, and Chlora, who all opted to stay with her; the rest of the Elites and the Rebels decided to hit the gym.
A noisy ride with Squid Academy on board, some were excited to head out and immerse themselves among the locals with a few planning to explore the bazaar while others prioritized trying out the food and sight-seeing. But with everyone looking forward to exploring the city in little groups, one lone inkling sat off towards the end of the bus with their head lowered to block out the surrounding noise; everyone wondered what happened to their captain, noticing he's been different ever since he left Inkopolis. Squidcom looked especially concerned since they knew the reason behind their melancholy captain's cold gaze when he stared out the window like someone who lost something valuable here. As a show of respect, everyone kept their distance and let Azule be by himself, hoping he'd come back to his usual lively self who always wore the brightest face in a room. As the bus made frequent stops and the players got off in their little groups, the last group to get off was none other than Pastelle and Parker, who both looked back to their captain with concern-never before seeing him in such a state. A glance towards their bus driver, they ask them to watch over Azule while they are gone. What follows is a somber drive to Azule's destination, only the humming tires and occasional bump bring life as the drive continuously glanced in the rear view mirror to check on their final passenger for a while; Azule kept his gaze outside and watched the life of Ravia, noticing how quickly life seemingly returned to normal. Kids walking with their parents to and fro the market place, passengers getting in and out of transportation after reaching their destination, people communicating and enjoying the weather, businesses operating as usual, and even nature returning to normal with birds flying about endlessly-amazing that life moves on no matter who misses out. A painful realization for him, the bus comes to a stop just at that time, the bus driver calling out to him that his destination arrives. With a nod, Azule got up and walked down the aisle slowly like a zombie, his mind isn't gone. As he approaches the driver and gives his thanks and walks down the stairs, the driver offers their condolences and closes the doors, driving off. Nothing but cement and tombstones with flowers, decorated memorials and passages to other resting places, Azule could feel the chill in the air despite the arid climate-a haunting sensation as he takes his first step into the land of the dead and hears the crunch of stone below his feet. Somewhere around here, his friends rest eternally. A look from left to right, he reads the tombstones of those who are no longer part of the living, amazed that the most peaceful part of Ravia is a place shrouded in death.
"There it is…" he whispers under his breath as his body twitched, noticing the fresh flowers and incense burning before the pair of graves that read their names. He clenches his fists and holds back his tears in recollection of that nightmarish day, remembering the traumatic sight he witnessed when he saw Annie's lifeless body and her final expression, the vividness of Spyke's final wish returning to his mind as if he was there. Even if he was from a strong family, even if he'd overcome plenty of adversity...Azule is still a child in the face of adulthood. "I'm so...sorry!" he wipes away his tears with a sniffle, unable to stop them from falling-dropping to his knees and bowing his head; "I promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of you two, but this is harder than I thought, you know?" he says with a little bit of a hurting laugh, doing his best to hold a smile and looking up at their graves. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down, "There's a saying: 'you never know how good something is until it's gone.' which is something I'm only realizing now after fact. I understand the gift of life, and the pain of death. Spyke...Annie...thank you. Thank you for being part of my life, for welcoming me into your lives. I still don't know how the afterlife works and I don't know if you can hear this, but...please watch me!" he said with a serious gaze, the light starting to return to his irises; "I've returned to Ravia because I have unfinished business, a score to settle. I failed once before but I've learned from that and I vow not to ever fail again so long as my heart beats! Please, if you're listening, watch me in the upcoming tournament from your seats in heaven. Please listen to my heart when I play, to the hymn it sings when I play in your name! I dedicate this tournament to both of you, my dearest friends!" he concludes with conviction, carrying a different air of confidence; in response, a powerful wind blows and the incense ceases its burn.
"Terrible wind…" a voice calls out, approaching Azule that alarms him; "I see you knew them as well." the person said, holding an umbrella. When Azule looks up, he notices a woman who had a similarity to Annie and wore the same clownfish as the one she used to have. At first he wondered if this was Moe and his new companion that Annie mentioned when he was working under her briefly, but upon closer look, it was clear the rude fish wasn't present. Rising to his feet, Azule introduced himself. "Ah, you must be the one Annie and Spyke talked a lot about." she said, holding out her hand, "My name is Doria, a cousin of Annie's."
A relative of Annie's, Azule felt compelled to learn more about Annie since he never got the chance to speak with her as often as he did with Spyke and to his surprise, he ended learning far more about the pair than he ever imagined. Doria unloaded many of the fond memories she shared of her cousin in the days of youth, telling stories about Annie that seemed far different from the one he knew. She was outgoing and ambitious and fearless! Doria mentioned that she often tried to convince her to come back home, but Annie was focused on making her dreams a reality. While listening to these stories, Azule couldn't help but wear a smile to know that Annie was this amazing of a person even when she was so young, but Doria's light vanished when she transitioned to why she hadn't seen Annie so long. Ever since she met Moe, Annie changed drastically, almost going into a shell-never contacting her or home ever again and seeming vanishing off the face of the earth. Doria tried to track her down but with no success, and the only clue she knew was of Moe, who Annie only mentioned twice. Doria suspected the clownfish of manipulating her cousin and possibly causing her mental abuse, which would explain why there was such a drastic change in her behavior, but she'd never know the truth. After that, she never heard from her again, and it didn't help that her decision to leave didn't sit well with the extended family, who essentially excommunicated her. One day many years later, she got a call out of the blue and learned from Annie that she was moving to Squirabia and even engaged!
"You must've been stoked!" Azule said with warmth.
Doria nods, "You bet it. I was elated to just hear her voice again and to know she was doing well. Of course I came to visit immediately after that and I rekindled my lost relationship with her. I talked with Spyke quite often and I knew that he was someone who had a broken past...but the fact that he mended his issues to be together with her was a testament of love, and I respected that greatly!" she said with a regretful look to their tombstones; "It breaks my heart to know that their wish will never come true. When I was told she was pregnant-I can't describe the face she showed me. It hurts to know I'll never see her again…" she said covering her mouth as tears begin to fall; Azule looks away and observes the incense and flowers.
"I'm guessing you were the one who put these here…"
"Yes…" she nods, regaining her composure; "The rest of the family only came by for the joint funeral, but none of them have any intentions of coming back. I know I can't make up for the time lost, and it's probably selfish of me to think by coming by everyday I'm doing something when in reality I'm just satisfying my ego, but I don't know what else to do…"
"What about their business?" he asked with a shine, as if hatching a great idea.
"Hm? Oh, that...what about it?" she asked, not following along with what he had in mind.
"Why not take over the business? You know, keep the dream alive. Annie loved her shop greatly and even left the country to make a new start. Why not pick up the torch and carry it on?"
Doria looked compelled and thought about it for a moment, "It'll be tough…" she mumbles under her breath; "But, if this is something I can do, then I'll do it. Thank you!" she expresses with gratitude, shaking his hand; "I'll see what I can do to take over their business and pick up where she left off, likely my records should be somewhere since I was the only one to keep in contact, and I'm sure Annie thought far ahead if she's anyone like I expect."
"I'll even swing by to help out, too." Azule said flexing his arm with a wink, remembering the promise he made to the pair.
Thankful that he could spend the next few minutes reflecting on the memories of Spyke and Annie with another person, Azule felt like the sadness he carried before no longer holds weight on him. Instead of mourning the loss, he'll celebrate them in the best way he can and that was by putting on the best performance he can at Nationals! He stands by and waits for the bus to come and get him, using that period of time to continue his talk with Doria and even offers her to come watch him play at Nationals. By the time the bus arrived, Azule looked like a different person carrying a glow of hope, stepping on the bus to a relieved driver and team that looked thankful to see he was all better. Instead of the melancholy gaze he wore full of despair and regret, he had eyes full of life and most importantly, hope. At The end of a long day, Squid Academy called it in early now that all the novelty and entertainment is out of their system. From this point onward, the focus is on the tournament and how to prepare for their upcoming games with intense training and plenty of recovery. Many of the players already felt anxious about the future as they knew at a moment's notice, they would be at the venue that was a dream for any competing school. A night where nobody could get proper rest with the nerves on edge, they all thought about how that first day would turn out-the crowded stadiums, the overwhelming presence of other teams, and the overall atmosphere of the environment they were about to be part of-an unforgettable month awaits!
