The desperate gasps and weakened breaths riddled along the sidelines following the conclusion of the round belonged to the Kalebrough players who braved the fifth round, struggling to save air for even a second. Random acts of twitching plagued their bodies once they stood still warning them that even a millisecond of inactivity would result in unbearable cramping. The mental pressure and fatigue enough to swell their heads like a balloon, they were figuring out a plan to save their season. A price they were willing to pay for the prize of an appearance as one of the final 16 teams remaining, they pulled what remaining memtal strength they had to outline their strategy for tackling the enemy all while a big board suspended reminded them how dire their situation developed, reading: "Nimaroshi 1st leads 3-2" in illuminated fashion.

Exhaustion written all over their faces, they managed to prolong their season with a victory in the game of Hide Ink Seek in the fifth round at Dentex Subway. Kalebrough had approached the fifth round with the utmost urgency and once again brought the fight to Nimaroshi right from the start and as expected, the team with the commanding lead had a response. Nimaroshi's intentions were to play at their own rhythm and frustrate Kalebrough with their interference, but once they saw their control of the tempo was unsuccessful behind the unflinching Kalebrough, they brought the fight instead to shut down any hopes of repeating what happened. Unfortunately, Kalebrough showed their hands and it was a devastating deck. Kippy stepped up working more efficiently thansk to her smart decision-making, Kappa doubled down on his gritty performance, and Zepp utilized his role as the captain and facilitated the spotlight on all the others who played with persistence. That fear of failure that once loomed now subsided thanks to their tenacious play and instead the Kalebrough bunch played with ferocity, aware their backs were to the wall and their tournament lives on the line.

Although Kalebrough were the Hiders they played like they were Seekers and showed their aggression in their relentless attacks against the supposed Seekers Nimaroshi. Virgil served as the target player for Kalebrough, but he was anything but a liability. Nimaroshi failed to tag him even once, only scrapping by off of kills they got off the others. Utilizing the risky but effective method of exposing the target player and sacrificing other pieces to protect the target, Virgil showed his gratitude by turning in top tier marksmanship and accuracy to keep the entire Nimaroshi team at an arm's length. Yuji and his squad tried to use their speed to fluster the experienced sniper, but they found themselves stalled like an army before a fortress- the efforts of Virgil alone enough to strike doubts in their hearts about a successful round with how deadly accurate Kalebrough's premier sniper operated. It started off as a close contest in the opening moments but then quickly became one-sided as Kalebrough's aggressive strategy and Virgil's dazzling performance kept Nimaroshi from mobilizing, next up came Kippy who led the way as the vanguard pocketing most of the kills commanding the turf as she pleased, often drawing Nimaroshi to her with that dangerous presence she carried as the team's best scorer and with Kappa by her side, the siblings were unstoppable. The effective teamwork of the Moreno siblings opened up the floor for Zepp to pile on that agitation and tactically coordinate an attack that would further plunge Nimaroshi into uncertainty about maintaining their weakening grasp on the match overall.

Nimaroshi tried to appear unfazed during the round, but it was hard to remain composed when the developments taking place clearly painted a different narrative from the one displayed earlier on when they were in a commanding position. Kalebrough weren't breathing a sigh of relief just yet as they still faced elimination if they allowed another loss. Nimaroshi weren't stressing out just yet about dropping another game to a surging Kalebrough since they still had another chance to close them out, but they weren't thrilled about allowing Kalebrough to build some confidence in a round they should've used to their advantage to close the match out instead of allowing Kalebrough to stoke the flames that might blaze for a comeback.

The sight of the empty sidelines of Kalebrough showing a group huddle of the players and coaches alike, the live feed cycling through all the TVs showed an inspiring sight: Unified with arm locked in arm, heart's in harmony, and their heads bowed, the entire Kalebrough team were channeling their last but of magic they had left to save their season before a critical sixth round to a ravenous show of support from their fans. It felt like electricity circulated through the air inside the dome with the way Kalebrough fans were roaring behind their team creating a sort of bounce with the way the noise elevated and dropped much like the spectators hopping around. Music playing loudly from Kalebrough's brass band, it was evident that the atmosphere of the match dangerously shifted to a somewhat home field advantage for Kalebrough as the pulse of the Inkstinct intensified.

A seventh and final round in this match proving to be dangerous at the pace things appeared, it was in Nimaroshi's best interest to silence the audience in the sixth before they become a relevant factor in the match. As to why they had to worry so much about the noise of the crowd? There stood a certain player who fed off the crowd's energy like it was injected into her veins, her game face worn and her eyes carrying that dangerous light that many seasoned players knew spelled trouble. Kippy could taste a tie, and a tied series would be devastating for Nimaroshi 1st with the way momentum shifted to seemingly be in Kalebrough's favor. The pressure thickening for Nimaroshi with time working against them, their 3-2 lead was starting to become a burden as their opponents began to approach the match as though they had nothing to lose-placing all the pressure on Nimaroshi to seal the deal and close the match. The sixth round of rainmaker next with the stakes raised for both teams, they approached the rainmaker with the same urgency. From the opening whistle, Nimaroshi played more group oriented with a strategy to coordinate their attacks whereas Kalebrough isolated to pick apart their opponents, looking for a home run play with the way they relied on the star power of Kippy, Kappa, and Zepp. The clashes were even, neither side able to hold a stable lead with some exciting duels between the stars. Yuji and Shinichi played the Moreno siblings evenly, and even with the addition of Zepp, the top duo of Nimaroshi still managed to play well. Possession of the rainmaker swapping between the two sides frequently early on due to the many uneven battles, as the round progressed it settled down to an occasional change with both teams doing far more stable with the tempo settled. Kalebrough played aggressive and urgent whereas Nimaroshi decided to play calm and patient, wary of another mistake being made from their hastiness. As the score remained close all the way into the final minute of the game, the rallies became more explosive. Kippy started collecting more kills and Yuji's impact become more apparent as his side attempted to hold the lead. Desperation to satisfy the priority objective of seizing the rainmaker before it's too late becoming a growing factor behind Kalebrough's push, Nimaroshi threw caution to the wind once they noticed their biggest target becoming all too much of a growing concern for them. Kippy's trail slicing through the enemy pool protecting them, she denied them any chance to feel relaxed with her shots nearly connecting on every attempt. Although the score favored Nimaroshi, a predicament arose with the arrival of Kippy's aggression that placed upon them a precarious decision to commit: take an assertive stance to extend the lead and put their opponents away for good and risk losing the rainmaker or play defensive and protect what was left of their lead before it's too late; whichever decision made would have to be a commitment as a half-hearted decision would result in getting burned by Kippy and Kalebrough with the way they were playing.

An elimination game in a knockout round at Nationals with our ticket to the sweet 16 all but secured, we can't afford to play with any regrets. I'd be sick to my stomach to play with such disrespect when our opponent's are putting it all on the line!

"All-in!" an intense Yuji shouted at that moment, his resolve decided as he rushed the front to lead his team on the counterattack; Shinichi and the others approved of their captain's decision and followed suit.

A fiery display that rivaled their opening performances that earned them the lead they had, it wasn't enough to quell the flames of Kippy and Kalebrough who were already in the zone. Thanks to the pressure of being under elimination for the remainder of the match they had nothing to lose, their continuous aggression working effectively with the way they managed to mount pressure on Nimaroshi who were in danger of blowing their advantageous 3-1 lead and allowing an unthinkable seventh round. All the expectations of them to close and the failure to win in the fifth allowed the spark for Kalebrough that's resulted in this difficult sixth round, the momentum favoring Kalebrough as all the pressure went to Nimaroshi 1st with the expectation that they'll avoid the potential tied series. In these situations where a potential tie breaker awaited, it was preferable to be the team who forced the tie than to be the team who allowed the scenario to begin with. The whistle blowing loudly a few moments later, the electrified dome erupted. A hot lash given late to deliver a stinging result for Nimaroshi 1st, the Kalebrough supporters screamed at the top of their lungs sending echoes of support for their team that elevated the noise trapped in the dome to a rumble. Kalebrough managed to force that elusive game 7 and turn the match around much to Yuji and Nimaroshi's dismay, who were hoping to prevent this scenario from developing. The frustrations boiling on the Nimaroshi sidelines, the players and coaches alike showed their agitation in allowing this scenario to come to fruition. They had two opportunities to close it out and they failed on both attempts, but hope wasn't lost just yet…

"The third time's the charm!" Yuji called, clapping his hands; "We know what they are about, and we know they also have plenty to lose as well. They might have come back to tie it but the battle is far from decided. Remember how we got here and understand why we're in this predicament! This is Nationals, damn it! Channel that frustration into play! Let your voice out and support your comrades out on the turf! We can't let the journey end!" His team responding with a roar, Yuji looked ready to settle it all on the turf for a finale.

And on the other half, Zepp and his team were eerily quiet and almost at peace. No big speech given, only a team huddle with all their heads bowed. On the break, Kalebrough dispersed with their final roster already selected-their six players prepared to play for their season. The final round round awaits with the winner earning a spot in the round of 16 to face Crystal Coast, would it be a rematch with Kalebrough? Or a fierce duel with Nimaroshi 1st? The answer to that question awaits in an ever important seventh round game of Clam Blitz.