Do have a lovely day to those who are reading this and thank you so much for the kind words, really appreciate the love and I hope it can be reflected in my writing how much I appreciate the support!

A deafening cheer echoes throughout the dome drowning out the voice of the commentators, chants shouting the name of the team currently in position to advance to the next round, nearly bursting eardrums in the process. Now that the once improbable outcome was merely moments away from becoming a stunning reality, everyone from loyal supporters and fanatics to casual viewers enjoying the mayhem had sided with Squid Academy. But there were still traces of the Dango base showing their support against the wave of support for the blues. The sidelines are lively for different reasons: this is the last chance for Dango to save their season, and this the prime opportunity for Squid Academy to punch their ticket to the next round. Everything hinges on the tower control battle at center stage. The spotlights bright on the yellow side and the blue side, the match that nearly flew under the radar of the many hot clashes for the day soon commanded the attention of everyone who waited with baited breath to see if their curiosity could be satisfied. Kippy was glued to her phone with intense focus, clenching her fist nervously praying for a sweep along with the rest of the Kalebrough team who watched on with growing interest to see whether Squid Academy could pull it off, and whether they could look forward to a potential meeting down the line. Siot wore an icy look listening to the commentary while his teammates watched the match, already in battle mode picturing his opponents before him. The players of the Bottlenoses were also following the match after having viewed the other noon game for most of the time, interested in seeing what all the fuss was about with the supposed "Giant Slayers" from Inkopolis and Yuji Nada and the rest of the cast of Nimaroshi 1stalso tuned in to see the conclusion to the match.

The curtain about to rise on the potential final round of the contest, the players of Squid Academy looked to be the complete opposite of nervous and instead wore intense looks on their faces. They could taste the sweetness of victory sprinkling on their taste buds as they opened wide to take a breather. The team huddle breaking up after instructions were given by the coaches, Fuchsia wanted everyone to have a moment of peace before turbulence took over in the coming moments, which was especially true for the captain shouldering the burden. Although his efforts led to a successful victory in that round, it was clear from the mighty karate chop from Sky, the neck grab from Pastelle, and the double cheek pinch from Sally, and the scolding from Fuchsia that his actions were absolutely reckless. He succeeded in utilizing Midnight mode without taking any considerable damage, but the problem was that he overexerted himself from how obviously he was out of breath during the break to the point that he rushed to take a seat and cover his face with his cap prior to getting scolded.

"Hey…" Fuchsia nudged Azule as he tightened his cap; "Think you can close this one out or should preparations be made to end it in five?" she asked calmly despite the overbearing noise in the arena, already moving on from her scolding of him earlier; she watched every subtle movement of her captain, awaiting his answer.

"I'm the captain, aren't I? Have some faith in me at the helm. Besides, you've made a good choice in the closing lineup…I'll make sure we're going to the next round." he said with a beam turning to her, nearly giggling when he saw she needed some reassurance about his condition; even though she scolded him for his recklessness, he knew it was all in good faith. She and the others were simply looking out for him, especially after everything they'd all been through.

It was that radiant smile of his that always created a sense of serenity between them, even in the most stressful of situations where their thoughts couldn't even be heard. Her cheeks flushed for a moment but she quickly caught herself, noticing behind that beaming face was a different aura. As he turned away from her to face the stage he'd soon return to, she noticed the intense glint cutting through his irises matched with that contagious grin he wore; That look left a knot in her stomach. Given the context, it felt like he was teetering between total excitement and immense fear, and whenever he arrived at that fork in the road he tended to do too much. Anything imaginable to move beyond that position. Wanting to reach out and gently caress his cheek, she refrained knowing they're on live television. "Just don't push yourself, 'kay?" she said clearing her throat, trying her best to still sound professional.

"A true champion knows when to close." he said with resolve; "We'll go to the sweet sixteen. Watch us." he said with stability in his tone as he marched ahead with his head held high and shoulders squared, his teammates following shortly after. From her perspective, it appeared as though he'd started to grow into the number plastered on his back.

The Dango squad for this round kept their core of Miloch and the charger trio in but made their adjustments for how to approach this ultimate round of survival, standing in spawn doing a team huddle to boost their morale just before their big fight in the fourth. Squid Academy's lineup underwent another overhaul with Sky subbing out in favor of Hannah stepping in, as well as the appearance of Nelson, Audrey, Austin, and Taylor stepping in for the others. The idea of this lineup was to build around Azule's leadership and include some power and mobility while also utilizing a lineup of players who were specialists at their roles and could grind it out with their efforts. Gathering around the skipper who called for them, the faces of the players chosen for this fourth round transitioned from focused looks to one of bewilderment as they read their captain's lips under the mask of the overbearing noise, struggling to find the logic within his decision but unable to question his resolve with such a combo of an intense stare and reassuring grin. Nodding with reluctance at their captain's commands, they all get to their positions for the countdown. Five seconds, four, three, two, one…

Instantly his hair flickered a flashing blue.

A strike of lightning later and he was gone from their sights. The crowd awed in disbelief at the figurative sonic boom as he left his squad in the dust in a rush for the tower, a trail of blue already created for them to follow. Miloch and the others wondered exactly what was all the fuss based on the reaction while on their way to the center of the map for the tower but a few moments later, they all found their answer when they saw a flash of blue and felt a jolt of electricity run through their bodies. An immense pressure thickening in their vicinity they felt their instincts at competitors screaming for them to retreat, not needing the piercing commands of Miloch to instruct them to avoid the blue menace like the plague. Miloch attempted to intercept and give his comrades a chance to disperse and continue onward towards the objective, but a look into the eyes of Azule and he saw a different breed of ferocity that wasn't there in the prior engagements. Shaking off the violent tremors coursing through his body, he answers the challenge and commands his squad to head for the objective and dare not look behind; he could tell this encounter was about to end in his massacre but more importantly he couldn't allow his teammates to get caught up. Azule approaches him at a breakneck pace, a crushing pressure following him as he closed the gap between them and Miloch answers the threatening action with an ironed resolve. Tightening his grip on his dualies, Miloch engages primarily out of the triggering of his survival instincts. To back down meant to surrender. A strange feeling of gratitude overcoming him just before their clash, Miloch felt thankful to be shown respect, knowing the arrival of Azule's trump card of Midnight mode meant the captain of Squid Academy was taking this duel with the greatest of seriousness, acknowledging that Miloch couldn't be bested otherwise, which was considered the ultimate compliment. The speeds of the two colliding freight trains came to halt on the collision, a burst of blue and yellow splashing all over the turf creating puddles.

The exchanges of sub weapons, the continuous dancing in the rain of blue and yellow while trading shots, the motivation of the two captains resonated the more the intensity of the exchange grew. Azule yearned to draw blood and put an end to the stubborn captain, and Miloch thrived off the fear welling up within him from every close call brush he had with Azule's devastating accuracy that sharpened with each attempt. A valiant effort in contending with the superior Azule in speed, Miloch simply couldn't keep up and was only stalling long enough for his team to make a difference on the objective, realizing he could preoccupy Azule just a little longer to buy his side time to turn the tide where it matters. But like a game of pinball where it was difficult to follow the moving target, Miloch soon lost sight of Azule…

Where did he-

A gasp as heavy as the implications of the round, a wave of despair overcame him in that moment as he realized the sudden disappearance didn't mean a surprise ambush, but a tactical retreat. Particularly to the objective. Quickly bringing up his map to confirm for himself if his suspicions were true, he hoped the blue menace would surprise him from a blind spot and attack him to continue the duel. The cold sweat on his face as he scanned the enemy signatures only confirmed the worse, and moments later the erasure of his comrades only further the revelation.

It'd been a deadlock on the tower with neither side able to gain an edge thanks to the core of Dango doing well to keep Squid Academy at bay while Squid Academy did an excellent job annoying Dango into a continuous scrap for the tower, refusing to surrender the objective when the match was still close. Though Squid Academy stubbornly held on, it appeared as though Dango's core finally found their rhythm and were ready to finally seize the momentum and ignite their comeback. But the ultimate disruption arrived unannounced and led a rally in the early moments of the match. It was meant to be Dango's last stand, their big hurrah to continue their story and tell the unbelievable comeback story against the red-hot Squid Academy, but it all shattered to shards when that nuisance of a captain showed his face. A total massacre ensuing, Azule became the cleaner and left no trace of Dango, disposing of the horrified Miloch as well to secure a comfortable lead for Squid Academy.

Steering the tower and terrorizing the desperate Dango side each and every time there was an encounter, Squid Academy displayed their dominance and deflated the hopes of their opponents time and time again. It should've been a nightmare of a fourth round, one where they had to face the difficulty of scaling the yellow brick wall and the tenacious Dango high who awaited them at the top. But instead, they experienced a midnight dream that served them an unforgettable experience: a sweeping knockout victory to secure a spot in the round of 16.