The dome is rocking back and forth, the supporters of Squid Academy building up the hype on an already on match full of expectations. A medley of pre-game fight songs are played by the school brass band while a wave of blue and pink shirts hop about with their banners flying overhead with the drums banging loudly behind them. Bianca leads the call as the heart of the school populace, her voice carrying all throughout the section with echoes behind her. It's been a dream of a run thus far for Squid Academy but with each serene moment becoming a reality for them, the supporters were hungry for more. They wanted a round of 16 birth, a spot in the final 8 in the quarterfinals, and maybe-just maybe, an appearance in the semis. But they were thankful for the journey already and were in no way taking for granted the unbelievable run their team had up to this point. With that established, it couldn't be emphasized just how critical this match was for them. A victory here not only meant Squid Academy's advancement into the next round, but meant that Squid Academy would be among the remaining 16 best teams in the world and a shoe in for the Grand Slams that'd be happening shortly after Nationals, a privileged circuit of events where the best among the best compete among themselves for the ultimate bragging rights. With such a reality awaiting them, the rabid fans couldn't deny the inferno welling in their guts. They wanted war against the best. An awe inspiring view for the Galloway family who arrived just moments ago and finally reached their section for their seats, they could feel the emotion from the buzzing noise and the radiant faces. This is the pulse of the Squid Academy nation. The two sisters quickly rushed to catch a glimpse of the starting squad to see if their brother would be on the floor to start the round but to their surprise found him sitting on the bench having a conversation with Jory and Nelson instead of warming up to go in the game. Also arriving at the arena and staying in the luxury suite to watch the match were the party of Nefertina and the others, who were met by the missing trio who were already at the suite waiting for the game to start. Having been granted access to use all the facilities at every venue for the remainder of the tournament following Sultan Ruhtab's wishes for her to at least enjoy the tournament now that his horse had been taken out of the race, the Pharaoh seized that offer in an instant and had taken her sweet time tormenting him on his defeat. And speaking of the Sultan, he now sat in the comfort of his palace alone without any guests to bug him and his servants-his eyes glued to the television as the broadcast began; his eyes still carrying a glint full of bitterness watching the live broadcast.
"Welcome everyone to the round of 32 here at the Hulabo dome! I'll be providing commentary for today's game with my colleague here and what a show we'll have today!"
"That's right! It's the surging Squid Academy facing off against the very capable Dango in what should be a treat for everyone!"
"Squid Academy are entering this match as the favorites after having a surprise run this tournament…" The highlights start to show for the Squid Academy squad, and right away there are various reactions; Verde's face lit up seeing his little brother's face on the screen as the commentators discussed how pivotal the young captain has been in their run during this tournament, especially highlighting some of his key battles with Romaine in the previous round and his duels with Kippy and Siot; Sultan Ruhtab scowled seeing the young skipper on the screen, remembering the failure of Vulerby from just a few days prior. "They survived the group of death with a run for the history books, but it was the previous round that truly cemented them as a dark horse candidate in this tournament."
"Yup! Squid Academy's battle with Vulerby was nothing short of a brilliant fight between two capable fighters and what impressed me the most was that tenacity shown by the team overall and the presence of that first year captain. There's been so much talk about his older sister-and rightfully so-but I think it's high time we come to appreciate the growth and leadership of the little Royale too. He was clinical in that bout and provided them with that chance for victory and I predict he'll play a similar role today."
"Well, we'll see how they fare against Dango-a team all too familiar with these types of matches. A team of charger specialists, Dango are known for having skilled charger users every year and this rendition of the Yellow Brick Wall is no different as they boast a staggering charger trio of Nagumi Goro, Emuri Gien but her friends call her 'Mugi' and Owan Sawada who have been frightening for any team they've faced. That bench is also going to have Squid Academy's hands full…"
The players of Squid Academy gathered around their coach, their focus on her as she attempted to keep their eyes on the main prize and block out the surrounding noise, wanting them to remain calm under the crushing pressure of the trapped noise in the dome. Reminding them that they've taken a long path to get here but the work was far from down, Fuchsia and the rest of the staff wanted to make sure they weren't succumbing to the pressure. That concern wasn't warranted though as the starters who had their numbers called all looked ready to step out there and put it all on the line, the hunger for battle etched in the calm gazes. A new type of obstacle presented before the team in blue and pink, Dango were yet another team added to their list of unique and improbable opponents to overcome-despite their status as a team without the hallowed ranking. But the same way Squid Academy were motivated for this match, so too were Dango who were approaching with a similar outlook. For them, Squid Academy with this team without a ranking too-but a giant killer. It didn't matter the status of the opponent because that team went out and played their best performance each and every time. An opponent that saw no fear, they were the type of adversary Dango hated the most since that unpredictability was something they had to account for. Despite that though, Dango were also motivated by the shift in favoritism and how quickly pundits and observers jumped ship and were now writing them off in favor of the hot streak Squid Academy. It felt like a slap in the face, and became bulletin board material. The black and yellow huddle breaks with a group cheer and the starting six are revealed as they head to spawn. A team known for their devastating charger users, they boast a trio of sniper elites: Owan on the Squiffer, Mugi on the Bamboozler , and Nagumi on the E-Liter. There's also the team rest of the starters who were also a solid trio of their own with Chio on sloshing duty, Erie on roller duty, and their captain Miloch on dualie duty. The first round in the rotation happening in the dome itself is Turf War, a mode that both teams were especially strong at and no doubt had many pundits and critics predicting utter chaos to occur immediately. They believed that both teams would look to establish the tone that would remain throughout the match and believed the victor of the first round would go on to win it all with how closely the teams were on paper. For Dango, their victory laid in how well they started off and if their chargers established their usual rhythm of kills and covering vast space. For Squid Academy, it's the presence of the Royale siblings and whether they can get their fingerprints all over the stat sheet and leave a mark on the battle overall.
Dango lines up in spawn. Squid Academy lines up in spawn. The countdown begins up on the screen suspended above. The crowd shouts out the count but for the players, the noise they felt beforehand waned as the count approached zero, their focus taking over as the realization of battle nears. As the whistle blew to start the match, both teams were off to a running start leaving behind trails of blue and yellow on their way to greet the other. Dango wastes no time in following their strategy centered around the power of their charger trio who dispersed for vantage points around the central part of the map while the remaining trio grouped together heading in the direction of the center to engage in what they expected to be the full force of Squid Academy. After hours and hours of studying film, the coaches of Dango found that Squid Academy preferred group battles more than anything and saw that preference as a boon that could work to their benefit. With their chargers posted up in favorable positions to cover their allies down below, they'd have eyes on all the enemy opponents first and be able to take down a couple enemies before the ground team has to do anything and should things get heated, the chargers can join in and surround them. If they could disrupt the chemistry of Squid Academy, they could seize victory. Dango liked to surround their opponents and bully them into frustration especially early on, but as is always the case with warfare, where there is a planned attack, there is also a counterattack.
Enter stage right: Squid Academy.
Not one, not two, not three, but four chargers are spotted by Owan who reached a vantage point that allowed him to get a view of the enemy spawn. His eyes darted back and forth tracking the players but found that his count was too short as only a couple targets were spotted heading in their direction submerged in ink and moving just quick enough that he couldn't recognize who was who. In almost no time, the Dango trio turfing their surroundings have their efforts halted as a blue path emerges from the pool of yellow with a blue blur darting towards them on the offensive. Blue bombs burst as the dualies release, the user utilizing their precious rolls to their advantage to get some extra mobility and if that wasn't enough, a devastating shot cracks through the air and splits the yellow sea with another blue path to reveal a terrifying presence. The Royale siblings were finally unleashed! The pace of Azule and the accuracy of Sky offered a threatening attack to Dango's trio, who knew their numbers advantage posed little effect against a pair who had enough power to feel like there were four instead of two. Azule grabs their attention breaks through their formation with his brilliant pace and marksmanship, in turn giving Sky the room to slip around against the wary bunch who couldn't figure which target to prioritize. A flashy dodge of the enemy fire and return of his own allows Azule to take one of them down and quickly following him is another splat from Sky to shred the numbers advantage into their favor. The rest of the Dango players are on high alert observing the sudden losses but are unable to take action as all of them are preoccupied by the enemy in blue shirts. Just as the Royale siblings intercepted the first Dango trio, the other Squid Academy players located the charger trio and isolated them much to Dango's surprise. Pearl encounters Nagumi, Violet encounters Mugi, and Evelyn encounters Owan. Three solo battles emerging in the blink of an eye, the audience is due for a treat. A blue splash wall is deployed to protect Pearl from Nagumi's scoped attack, but Nagumi expected as much quickly went around to meet the much expected answer from Pearl. A back and forth exchange of blue and yellow, the pair are at a stalemate just like the other skirmishes happening nearby: Violet and Mookie with at a draw as well with Mugi carefully keeping considerable distance between her and Violet who seemed to have all intentions of closing the gap, and Evelyn was holding her own against Owan who noticed he had the advantage in speed against her. The seconds that pass are precious, and it isn't until the fourth presence arrives that the match greatly alters.
"Another enemy sight-"
Owan didn't have time to alert anyone with Pastelle swooping in like a hawk fishing for a meal, only barely avoiding death in that instance. Already preoccupied with the continuous pressure from Evelyn, Owan couldn't handle another threat on his heels. An opportunity that couldn't be passed up, Evelyn charged forward and dialed up with the pressure forcing the Dango player to make a difficult choice: prioritize his safety and retreat and give up the turf in the process or stick it out in a fight and earn the turf in spite of the obvious risk. Getting a glimpse of how the first rounds operated, Evelyn's mind was processed everything at a brisk pace. Her shots narrowly missing Owan, Evelyn didn't need to finish him off. Pastelle did the honors anyways. Brief but meaningful, Squid Academy lands the first punch and jumps ahead in possession. The continuous rain of blue and yellow clashing to only a trickling of blue ink, Squid Academy managed to weaken Dango with the trio getting splatted and Owan's erasure shifting numbers in their favor for them to climb ahead with the turf possession while Violet and Pearl stalled the others and prevented them from regrouping. A display of overwhelming power and pace, Squid Academy quickly established their dominance early on and locked down key areas and began their encroachment in enemy territory looking to keep Dango down and out. The inklings in black and yellow didn't give up however, responding in a few different ways looking to muster a spark but failing on all attempts; their charger trio couldn't get anything done against Squid Academy's tight knit defense of four, and the pacey Azule and Pastelle combo surely didn't help matters. A violent exchange of bombs, walls, and specials with the landscape altering appearance between the warring parties of blue and yellow, the match was reaching its end with Squid Academy still in complete control but the will of Dango far from crushed. As time continued to elapse, slowly but surely did the lead of Squid Academy trim. Miloch's presence grew more and more as time passed with his aggression to lash back and make things competitive growing with each failed attempt. No doubt the coverage by the chargers were a primary concern of his after seeing what Squid Academy devised and how effective it proved. The captain and his squad noticed what the intentions of Squid Academy were based on how response was swift once any of the chargers came under attack with the vanguard duo making their presence felt immediately-fishing for the kills while their snipers handled the bait. Although Squid Academy were looking solid out there, Fuchsia and the other coaches and staff weren't too thrilled with the developments considering that the more the round progressed the more it looked like Dango were finding their rhythm and it would be a matter of time until they launched a surprise counterattack to steal the first round from right under them.
"I'd bet that's what they're attempting to do right now considering our lead has gradually dwindled by the second. Around the final thirty seconds, they'll probably flank us and try to take back the lead just before the round ends." Cobalt analyzed Dango's strategy, wary they might pull something moving forward with how laid back they became after realizing Squid Academy's might couldn't be stopped.
Kosami nods in agreement, "Overtime doesn't exist in turf war, so if they narrowly pull through it'd be a critical blunder on our part that'll affect us in the next round."
"Captain Miloch is definitely a troublesome one when paired with that charger trio and we can't forget about the other two on that team. It's clear to me that he's hoping we'll overlook them at the wrong moment and let them get the slip on us."
"Luckily we're not so conceited that we'd underestimate our opponents. We know what it's like to be looked down on, so if that's his intention…"
"We'll have this in the bag." Sally states with conviction.
A collection of solo battles that slowly returned to an overall team battle, Dango had to learn the hard way that no matter what they did to try and throw Squid Academy off their rhythm, the team in blue never got flustered. The teamwork of the big three in Azule, Sky and Pastelle seemed flawless as those three alone were enough to keep Dango scrambling. Chio did well to make a slight impact but the efforts weren't fruitful as her initiation went nowhere. Mugi tried as well to spark something and met failure the same. No matter what Dango tried, they just couldn't create that dent in the armor just yet. After putting a stomp on the counterattack, Pearl and the other chargers of Squid Academy finally swarmed the other half of the territory once the time remaining ticked to half a minute left; they were aware for a while what Dango might've been up to and figured that the futile efforts were just a matter of biding time until the moment approached where they could flank cause chaos but thanks to Violet's quick thinking and confirmation by Evelyn, they decided to nip the attack at its bud. After finally having their team in sync and on the same page, Miloch and his team found to their surprise that Squid Academy were swarming them near their own spawn.
"Get ready everyone, they're coming to us! Remember that if we take them here we'll still have just enough time to turn the tides." Miloch commands, rushing to the enemy blues.
"I spot a pair of chargers coming to us and another up high. No slayers spotted yet."
"They're prepared." Miloch bites his lip with a cold sweat, realizing that even if they managed to breakthrough here and blaze forward, they'll still have trouble getting past Azule and Pastelle. A realization that this was practically a checkmate, he knew that although the charger's motives were to stall them for the remaining thirty seconds, he wouldn't go down without swinging and led a charge.
Specials are unleashed on both sides: tenta missiles meeting ultra stamps, booyah balls clashing with the bubbles blown. A swirl of blue and yellow contrasting one another, the game clock ticked away its final seconds to a nearly empty field. Casualties tallied on the scoreboard above, the audience reacted to the results of the first round. Squid Academy won, and they won big in containing Dango to just under twenty percent of the turf marked. The drums of Squid Academy banged and their supporters made their praise known as they sang their fight song with their banners raised, demanding an encore performance in the next round. The commentators reacted with utter astonishment, finding Squid Academy's lethal attack in the final moments to resemble that of what a champion ought to do by never letting an opponent get back into the match; crush them completely and leave them no room to breathe.