A little bit before the fourth round in Squid Academy's Match...

The seats of Shamsa stadium are packed to the brim on a bright and broiling midday, and one of the spectators in attendance inadvertently drew quite the attention with their appearance. His puffy Afro gracefully absorbing the heat from the searing sun overhead with beads of sweat escaping onto his forehead and running to his shades-covered face, Mori wears a hard boiled exterior, both figuratively and literally. Although he felt like he was being boiled, he saw this situation as a willing price to witness the amazing treat he got in return. The reason why the stadium was sold out and a packed sardine can was because the match featured a showcase of when bad meets evil, the two powerhouse contenders Skolar and the Bluerings, a pair of teams who've been dominating the tournament news as headliners. A dreamlike match between two titans, the match was full of sparks and luster thanks to the many star studded showdowns that resulted in a heated exchange of rounds. A split score of 1-1, it was a pair of grueling rounds so competitive that the match lagged behind schedule with the other match happening over at the Hulabo Dome; only now was the match entering the third round!

In the first round of turf war, the Bluerings opened up the match swinging like an explosive striker fishing for a knockout blow in the first round. C.C. looked unstoppable in the early moments showing a different intensity from his prior performance, leading the way for his squad and demonstrating to the twin giants that he wasn't afraid to rise to the occasion against their level of competition, a critical topic of concern that many pundits had for him based on his previous woes. Frazzy also ascended to new heights in the first round, offering relief for C.C. by elevating his game to cause problems for the Skolar offense and defense, utilizing his explosiveness to draw the enemy's attention that was already preoccupied with handling the captain. But even with those two talents leading spearheading the attack for the Bluerings with a stellar starting cast, their prized knockout punch was nothing more than a meatball thrown at Skolar, who weren't fazed by the ferocious display of their opponents in blue. The Bluerings secured the victory in the first round, but it was in the second round that the true battle really showed. With the lead in their grasp and the chance to build a real lead that'll help them in the long run of this match, the Bluerings intended to continue to play with the same aggression shown in the first round, but with the second round being a game of Last One Standing, quickly did C.C. and his teammates realize they made a critical error in approach. The reserved and calm Skolar resembled monsters this time around. From the likes of Carmichael dancing all over the map to confuse the Bluerings to the efforts of the rest of the team to put in hard earned work to tire out C.C. and the crew, it was Miralem and his critical presence that uprooted the momentum planted by the Bluerings. Tearing through the entire roster and displaying his mean streak-having a vendetta against the Bluerings for their aggressive play in the first round-Miralem displayed why he was nicknamed the "Gentle Giant" by putting down nearly the entire team off his strength alone, still showing mercy while doing so. Leading the way for his team, Miralem almost won the match single handedly with a whopping 4.5 kills and 1.5 assists, showing that he was the major factor behind the tie.

An obvious show of brute strength, the message was sent to the Bluerings through the gentle giant: They couldn't try the same stunts that worked in the other matches, and they were only getting started. The Bluerings didn't get rattled by the threatening response however, because at the start of the third round of Splat Zones at the Oasis, they responded showing the same intensity. Skolar intended to continue their dominance from the second round and succeeded in creating a convincing lead of 44-79 with the Bluerings already on a bonus penalty. It was a nasty return punch to the jaw that Skolar landed, one that they expected to stun the Bluerings and have them wobble in a struggle during the break, all to show why they're the most brutal team in the tournament when it came to physicality. They didn't want to simply overwhelm the Bluerings physically, they wanted to pressure the skipper too. They dared C.C. to show the hot stuff that made him some sort of a mythical presence. They'd punish him severely if he truly thought he'd get by with the same finesse he relied on. But C.C. and his squad responded in the best wear they knew: fearlessly. As a team that survived the group of death, with a captain that crossed paths with many capable rivals, this wasn't anything that couldn't be handled.

Having started the round with all intentions to get a flashy knockout despite the ugly defeat in the previous round, the Bluerings struck first yet again and managed to claim total possession to lower the score early on. But Skolar responded swiftly by utilizing the sandy terrain to slow and trap the Bluerings, taking possession away from them shortly after and adding a bonus penalty in the process to slow them down further. The Bluerings however retaliated at full strength and the next available opportunity, defiant in allowing a similar pattern of events to repeat and worked well to eradicate the bonus upon claiming possession once more. But unfortunately for the Bluerings, that burst was short-lived with Skolar refusing to allow them a chance to breathe when they held possession-continuing to make life difficult for the team of super talents by clinging to their every move. Once again wrestling away possession from the Bluerings and throwing them back into the loop on dealing with the bonus penalty, Skolar headed for the hills without looking back this time around and overtook the Bluerings to capture the lead, intending to wrap things up with a gentleman's sweep.

"I won't let that happen!" C.C. shouted angrily, staring down the arrogant side who already shifted their gazes ahead to the next round after taking the lead, casting aside the Bluerings entirely looking forward to their next opponents. Offended by how quickly his opponents were ready to discard him and his team, C.C. grits his teeth and confronts the horde of ogres occupying the zone; his sharp glare on the twin terrors at the center.

Carmichael wore a cold look of disgust in response to hearing the battle cry from C.C. tearing through the zone with his teammates following closely behind, "You reek of desperation!" he responded, intercepting the charging captain.

"Space out and defend!" Jean commanded, noticing Miralem rushed over to support Carmichael in a major clash between the three powerhouse talents; It was up to him and the others to hold down the fort while their aces dealt with the most troublesome opponent.

An opening that needed to be seized if they wanted to keep themselves in the match with a fighting chance, Ray called out to Frazzy while he revealed himself at the zone's 4' o clock catching the attention of Jean and the others who'd just dispersed. Frazzy growled in response, aware of the urgency but not yet in the best position to unleash without any harm heading his way. But beggars can't be choosers. Likely their only fighting chance in this round of splat zones where they could make a meaningful impact and avoid sinking deep into a deficit they'd be unable to recover from, Frazzy unleashed a booyah bomb that shadowed the zone entirely. The support pouring in from his comrades, Frazzy delivered a blue calamity that flooded the zone. Ray and Polo darted inside as the bomb dropped to assist in taking out any strays that managed to slip the area of effect from the booyah bomb, and following the blue flooding of the zone that quickly changed possession to the Bluerings, to Frazzy and the other's surprise, they found some of the Skolar players to still be alive even after such a devastating attack. A stunner of a development, Skolar used that moment to swarm the shocked Bluerings who had their guards down from the expectation that they'd taken out their opponent in a team wipe.

Their armor of resolve is already showing cracks this early into the bout… Mori thought with a frown forming, his peering eyes hidden behind his shades as he observed both teams. This was always going to be a toss-up of a match when considering the identities of the two teams and DNA etched into their codes. No doubt, the Bluerings are a team possessing limitless potential with a captain who seems to continue to grow with every match, but their biggest problem is how they face adversity-being challenged. Last year was one thing with the graduating third years, but when they met their respective challenges in the group stage this year it was clear as day that they needed to tweak their approach if they planned to make a run for the title. Skolar is battle hardened, and a team that's been in these situations before with a roster who are all too familiar with the pressure of the knockouts and a captain who thrives off of battling superstars and prodigies supposedly better than him. If I had to describe him, he is the prototype to what captain little blue of Squid Academy is becoming as the Giant Slayer. Carmichael is...the Star Killer.

The battle rages on as Skolar are led by Jean and Pierre take the fight to Ray and the Bluerings. The number of casualties accumulated on both sides, and like a flower blooming and withering simultaneously, the life of the Bluerings extinguished on that attempt as they struggled to combat the aggressive Skolar Ogres who seemed to be getting only stronger and stronger as the round progressed. C.C. and Frazzy did their best to make their presence felt, but the solidarity of Skolar proved far too mighty for the individualistic minds that are the Bleurings. Even if they have the better players, Skolar has the better team. The competitiveness in the third round soon lost its edge, the lead of the Ogres expanding and nearing another knockout. The Bluerings went from a contender to almost a shell of themselves with many spectators coming to the conclusion that the implosion that followed was nothing short of a meltdown that exposed the fragility of the sixth ranked team. Even though these two teams were ranked right next to one another, the experience and mental toughness differed like night does to the day. Despite it having been an uphill battle, what kept the match intense wasn't necessarily the score when considering that Skolar were slowly running away with the lead, but the refusal of the Bluerings to roll over and allow a knockout. Even when C.C. got isolated or Frazzy, Ray, and the others were thrown into unfavorable positions all under a broiling sun traversing sapping sand, they still grit their teeth and showed their determination that the match wasn't over yet, that there still was another round of play to turn things around.

It all vanished.

That vigor, tenacity, stubbornness. All gone. It went from a slugfest to a massacre as Skolar simply beat the brakes on the downed Bluerings and put them into a mental submission. C.C. couldn't find an answer for the challenge Carmichael presented, and the Bluerings couldn't respond to the declaration of war from Skolar. What went from a valiant effort based on the will to survive diminished to a disappointing performance, the match score shifting to a 2-1 lead for Skolar who were already thinking about taking a commanding 3-1 lead heading into the break, anxious to put the Bluerings on the ropes following the back to back victories. Mori could only cross his arms and shake his head in disappointment at how that round derailed so quickly after how well the Bluerings held up; from his perspective, it appeared as though the team simply ran out of steam mentally in trying to combat the Ogres and now the physical punishment was settling in.

The moods of the two teams heading into the break were polarizing and reflected the score in the match. Skolar's sidelines were active with players engaging in conversation and doing their best to keep their bodies energized even through the fatigue while the coaches guided them on the strategy to carry out for the remainder of the match. Carmichael kept his teammates engaged, wearing a relaxed smile full of relief now that they had the lead and the momentum on their side-the skull crushing pressure applying to the Bluerings becoming inevitable with the way the match was setting. In the captain's eyes, he identified that the best way to combat the Bluerings was through psychological warfare. Aware of C.C.'s struggles as a leader when it came to the second year handling responsibility, Carmichael wanted to test C.C's limit as a captain and leader. He refused to allow the Bluerings to defeat his side through any other means. If they were going to lose to the Bluerings, it had to be through C.C's doing. Substitutions are made during the break for Skolar as Mia and Erik come off the bench for Amber and Pierre. With the fourth round of tower control taking place at the Barracuda Aircraft Base, Skolar's coaches and leaders felt that with the temperatures continuing to rise as the match progresses with the remainder of the match having venues that'll lack shade, they needed to preserve their manpower but juggle with the switch; they'd move two players at a time to rotate with fresh legs with the current roster who've grown accustomed to the tempo all in hopes of avoiding a situation where it felt like the new substitutes were being tossed into an abyss without any preparation.

Over on the sidelines for the Bluerings, frustrations boiled with the entire team from the players to the faculty all under stress following the development of the match falling out of their favor. Staring at a deficit with a couple consecutive failures and the flow of the match looking all too much like it'd be over in five rounds, the coaches of the Bluerings realized this next round was a must win for their chances to advance to the next round to remain a possibility; A tied series meant they could turn things around swiftly but to fall into a deeper deficit spelled doom for their hopes of a championship even if they managed to win the fifth and bring it to a 3-2 deficit; staring at elimination every round would only drain them mentally. His arms crossed and his head buried in his thoughts, C.C. looked possessed as he searched through the endless forest of answers to the problem presented. Unlike before when he would isolate himself whenever times got rough, he stood by with his teammates to show his unity with them-that they were finally on the same page and he had no intentions of regressing to the selfish player he once was. But this current situation is a tricky one that requires careful consideration. One wrong move and their season might be over, and C.C. didn't want any part of an uphill battle where his teammates might feel their odds for success are hopeless and it'd be on his shoulders to carry that burden; his mind and body were already pushed to the brink as it was. As such, he was brainstorming a strategy to tip the scales in their favor. The coaches of the Bluerings gave their assignments and voiced their input for how to approach the fourth. From their perspective, the Bluerings did well to land that solid strike in the first round but have fallen short in the following rounds and although they've played some of their best performances in this match, it wasn't enough to overcome the twin terrors on the other side. They believed the time came to maximize their offensive firepower and sacrifice their defensive power on the basis that they can't defend a deficit, they had to go on the attack without any reservations. Swapping out Polo for Manuel, the coaches hinted that following this round they intended to do major substitutions to get a quick start on the fresh substitutions.

A loud horn sounding to signal the end of the break, the faces of all the players prepared to enter the battlefield turned cold with realization that this next round may become the deciding factor in whether they can become the national champions, or go home in sour defeat. Captains C.C. and Carmichael, Miralem and Frazzy, the Bluerings and Skolar. An already heated contest between two heavyweights is now about to enter the business end of the match. Will the Bluerings mount the comeback in 6 or 7? Or will Skolar crush their dreams in 5? As both teams spawn at the Aircraft Base, these questions would be answered by their actions in the fourth round and beyond.