Weeks ago, they all knew this day would come-the day they'd face the Elites. Squidcom doesn't say a word at all,standing completely focused and ready to win. On the other side, the Elites also stood ready, with no one moving a muscle and completely relaxed; the Elites had experienced pressure like this before and this match was nothing different.

The whistle blows and both teams rush out the gate at full force; the crowd begins cheering, one half cheers for the Elites: the 4 time defending winners of the rank wars, while other half cheers for Squidcom: the new kids on the block. Sally heads into 2 on 1 scenario against Aaron and Austin, the Shooter and Roller users of the Elites. No worries, this is only a team of first years. They can't possibly look to overpower us? Thought Aaron, approaching Sally with Austin giving him support.

"Right from the beginning we're already seeing a match-up between the two aces." Comments Fuchsia, watching the match closely as tangie takes a bite into her burger-making Fuchsia hungry.

"Sally will win this 2 on 1 easily." Added Tangie, sitting back in the chair and savoring the delicious burger; Fuchsia raises an eyebrow of envy.

"You're very confident in her…" with a smirk and beady-eyes, scooting closer to snatch the burger from her.

"I saw how she reacted to the news Cobalt gave earlier, its hell for the Elites if they think they can stop her." Sitting up and offering a bite to Fuchsia; Fuchsia accepts. Cobalt returns with snacks, "You're late!" squints Tangie with her eyes at him and a fiery aura around her; A cold sweat drop befalls from him, knowing he's still in the dog house with her after he kept her the dark for weeks about where he'd been and, to make matters worse it happened to involve Sky, Azule's ultra beautiful older sister. Tangie tightens her glare on him when he looks away from her in fear of what she'll do to him when the others leave them alone.

Sally goes berserk, splatting Austin so hard that his football helmet falls off! Aaron retreats, Holy squid! This girl is crazy! He thought, throwing a burst bomb to get some ink on her; Sally cancels it out with her splash wall and proceeds forward.

Reice and Violet square off against Sky and Pearl, the two charger users of the Elites, Reice defends the lower ground as Violet covers him from above on the balcony. Sky and Pearl aim towards Reice but, Reice moves out the way in the nick of time, avoiding the lethal blows that they fired. Violet splats Pearl instantly as a result and does a good amount of damage to Sky as well. Squidcom commands the game firmly with 2:30 left; the Elites regroup.

"Good job guys, let's get keep the pressure going!" yelled Sally, inking into the opposing territory as Reice joins her in support to tail the fleeing Aaron.

Violet keeps her high ground, switching between areas and eventually taking the central platform. Sally takes the left ramp as Reice secures the open area of the Elites- prepared for the assault about to happen. The Elites exit the spawn area and bombard Reice with a collection of sub weapons from burst bombs to suction bombs, splatting him in the process.

Sally's mind begins to race, Should I rush in and take them all at once or stand back and secure the middle ground…If I rush in I risk getting splat and giving ground to them, but if I stay back and defend the middle ground with Violet then I risk giving them an opening! Sally looks back at Violet, who's aiming and taking shots at the Elites and swims back to her.

Violet notices Sally's sudden retreat, "Sally?"

Sally doesn't look up, "Violet, take down as many as you can, I'll support you in any way I can." returning back into squid form and swimming forward.

Violet beams a smile and gains a boost of confidence. For quite some time in their battles, Sally's been known as the team ace, but in the real truth, Violet has been the most important player for them in performance, showing up in crucial moments. If Violet can keep the central platform in her possession, we should be able to win, my focus will be to support her from here on out.

Violet's face is still beaming with confidence as her aim reaches Austin and Pearl; Sally's putting her faith in me! I can't let her down! I'll do my best to bring this win home! Violet pulls the trigger yet again and splats Aaron.

"Oh? You guys are playing us tough!" remarked Sky, "I think it's high time your big sister teach you a lesson!" She added, moving forward with accelerated speed.

Sally fires rapidly at her, but she avoids them in succession and splats Sally on the spot; Reice moves in to catch her off guard. Sky's blind spot is open as Reice tries to splat her from behind and Violet aims to splat her from atop, but, Austin and Pearl come just in time to block all attacks. Aaron splats Violet from behind and Sky catches Reice, splatting him too; with a minute on the clock, Squidcom are under pressure as the Elites regain the lead and the advantage of securing the central platform.

"One more attack! We're almost there!" Shouted Sally, leading the charge.

The two teams enter an all out battle with ink flying everywhere. Sky takes to the central platform to begin sniping, Pearl grabs the balcony right behind and Aaron and Austin make the forward push. Sally enters a deadlock battle against Aaron, both of them going all out to grab the advantage. Reice grabs a one on one with Austin, both rollers leaving all they have on the turf with defensive strategies and opportunistic splats. Violet takes on both Pearl and Sky, dodging their shots with succession.

"Woah! They're playing like crazy…" Tangie remarks, grabbing some popcorn from Cobalt's bag; Cobalt shimmies in his seat, why are you such a glutton? you'd nearly be one the prettiest girl in the school if you didn't have such an appetite. Tangie gives him an angry look and pinches his ear, "I can hear what you're thinking you moron!" blushing with embarrassment.

"It's a battle of will power; both teams are playing for something that they care deeply about." butts-in Fuchsia, feeling like a third wheel.

"It's an incredible sight to see…" added Cobalt.

20 seconds on the clock and my heart's racing like this!? I've never had a rush like this! Is…is this what they call adrenaline? I don't think I'll be able to walk for a bit after this! Thought Violet, continuing to avoid being splatted by Sky.

"Stay still!" yells Pearl in frustration leaping from the balcony.

"No! Get back Pearl!" commanded Sky, waving her to fall back.

"Gotcha!" shouted Sally, splatting both Pearl and Sky.

Squidcom seizes the lead! But, Aaron and Austin begin their defense. Aaron drops back from Sally to avoid getting splatted and so does Austin; it's futile though. Squidcom has a different look in their eyes-a savage one, they don't have an ounce of hesitation in their actions.

T-terrifying! This is the first years!? Man, Azule's one lucky kid! To inherit a team of this nature…They could give Beacon Hill and the Special Forces big problems if they continue with this intensity in their play. Thought Aaron, realizing the result was already decided.

The whistle blows, the entire skate park erupts as the results are displayed, people jumping up and down waving their hands in the air chanting "Squidcom…Squidcom!" Tangie, Cobalt and Fuchsia give each other high fives and rush down to meet up with the others. For the first time this season, the Elites lost a match, and to Squidcom of all teams on the last day.

"They won't be undefeated!?" yelled one student, "Does this mean Squidcom's the best team now?" yelled another.

For the first time, Squidcom became the heroes of the school. They earned everyone's respect in their heartbreak losses to Squidforce and the Rebels, now they became a fan favorite with their outstanding performance against the best team in the entire school. Sally, Violet and Reice lay on the floor fatigued-looking up at the light blue sky; they all give each other a fist bump and laugh. Sky and the Elites walk over to them and shake their hands, helping them up too.

"Goodness me! You guys are scarier than I thought!" said Pearl; Squidcom all blushed trying to be humble.

"You…really wanted this win." added Aaron, turning his attention to Sally.

"We knew, Azule would go all out against you guys. It was only natural that we'd do the same in his absence." Spoke Sally in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well I'm proud. You guys played like a team possessed, and I like it!" Sky added, holding her fist out, "Next time, we'll win! We can't let our under class-men show us up!"

They all closed their eyes briefly and in sync, "We'll beat you again!"

The members of the Elites gave them hugs and walked out to Tangie and the others. Tangie jumps for joy after witnessing such an incredible match, Fuchsia stays composed-not allowing herself to radiate too much attention; Sky and Cobalt exchange a quick glance at each other, knowing the plan's in set.

Squidcom celebrate the victory afterwards, visiting Azule at the hospital and telling him everything that happened, hoping there might be progress for his condition. To their surprise, Azule cracks a small and barely visible-but there, smile, giving the others hope that he'll be fine.

"So it seems your next match will be against Squidforce in the playoffs…" opened Cobalt, walking with them all down the street to the dorms.

"We'll crush Cameron! We'll destroy them and their spirits next week!" states Sally with a straight face. No else says a word to the other, continuing an awkward walk back to the dorms. Everyone knew how much Sally was hurt by Azule's coma, for Sally, Azule represents the light in her life that she lacked for so long. the many lonely days she'd spend worrying about Reice and his little sisters, the days spent taking care of them, the many nights she'd cry alone in her room-knowing she wouldn't see her parents when she went to sleep at night and not see them in the morning. For Sally, Azule's simple but powerful words of "This team is a family." resonates with her deeply; She has another family that she can see all the time, one she can love and share memories with.

For the next week, Sally doesn't say a word to the others; She keeps silent and sort of in a trance. When Reice and Violet looked to practice after school, she simply refused, choosing to practice alone in a 4 on 1 game everyday afterschool at the Inkopolis Plaza. The others began to worry; Reice knew how much she could be when it comes to competition, but he knew if she continued to overwork herself, she'd collapse on the spot.

The night before the Playoffs began, the girls sat around the coffee table to have one of their daily discussions; Sally was absent again.

"Friya, I remember, I didn't see you play yesterday in Squidforce's victory…Instead I saw someone else?" says Violet, getting her tentacles braided by Brittany.

Friya's eyes begin to water, "He…He said I'm not worth the trouble!" quivering her lips; Brittany stops braiding.

"What?" they say in sync with shocked expressions.

"Captain Cam doesn't think I'm good enough to be their roller, he replaced me with one of his friends and kicked me off the team." Clenching her fist, with tears streaming down her face, "I…tried so hard! I tried my best help! But he said that it's my fault that we didn't get first place."

Violet closes her eyes and begins to remember a something from her childhood. The many times she'd been bullied by her fellow school mates because of her family. The many times she'd been put down by her own relatives, "You're worthless! Undeserving! Trash!" Constantly she'd been called those things by her own family and school peers.

Violet slams a fist on the table, gritting her teeth while looking down at her feet; Friya and Brittany are caught off guard by her sudden action, it didn't suit her personality, she's the shy and quiet one of her team and dorm.

Violet keeps her head down, "Do you want payback?" she asked in an intimidating voice.

"Yes…I want to show him and the others that I'm not some tool they can just throw away whenever they're done using. I'm someone with my feelings, feelings that are currently harboring hatred! Hell yes I want payback Violet!"

Violet slowly lifts head up with a devilish grin, "Join our team! Let's break with emotions with force!" Brittany backs away, spooked at the uncharacteristic darkness surrounding the two girls.

"Count me in." shaking her hand.