"Thank you for coming today, Sky…" Dr. Sinclair said while flicking the syringe to bring the fluid up to the tip of the needle; Sky sat at a table with her right arm sleeve rolled up and a band wrapped around that same arm, she looked to be out of it-probably because the sight of needles made her uncomfortable.

"It's for Azule's cure…" she responded with anxiety; Dr. Sinclair noticed Sky's tenseness and reassured her that everything will be ok and wiped the area where she'd be drawing blood from with an alcohol wipe. The moisture from the wipe sent shivers down Sky's back as Dr. Sinclair gently placed her thumb on the area; the gloves felt weird once it touched the skin.

Dr. Sinclair looked at Sky, "You know, in anatomy we learned something pretty interesting about the mollusk evolution onto land."

Sky kept her eyes on Dr. Sinclair's hands, "What was it?"

"Apparently, any creature-specifically in the mollusk family-have very sensitive skin because of the transition onto land. In a sense, we're very delicate creatures-physically and mentally…"

Sky felt even more weirded out, "What…?"

"Oh sorry…"-she giggled, preparing the needle- "I wanted to ease you out of the discomfort, but as you can see, this isn't my style."

Sky watches Dr. Sinclair begin, holding her breathe as the needle comes closer to her skin; Dr. Sinclair's eyes turned lifeless as though she'd entered another train of thought. Sky felt stiff and could only keep her eyes on the concentrated Dr. Sinclair. The needle penetrates her arm, and blood slowly filled the syringe; Sky felt woozy seeing her blue blood leave her body.

"Keep your eyes on me…" she said indifferently, noticing how hard Sky had been staring at her during the procedure.

"S-sorry…"

Dr. Sinclair smiled, "You and your brother are a strange pair. I'm glad I got to meet you despite the situation."

"Uh, I'm not sure if a doctor should be talking to her patient like that."

"Then consider us friends…"-taking the needle out of her arm and swiftly placing a band-aid where the hole was.

"Thanks…"

"You should get going, I hear you're competing in a tournament soon."

"How'd you know?"

She laughed a little, "Your brother is a huge fan of yours. He's always mentioning you whenever I message him for an update on his health."

Sky smiled, "I know."

Sky opens her eyes, her hands clasped, and sound of indistinct chatter in the background; Sky leans back into the booth seat and closes her eyes again, transferring the background into white noise as she tried to sort her thoughts. She feels a tug at her sleeve and slowly looks over, seeing Pearl in her face with huge smirk. Pearl makes a motion with her head to Aaron and Austin, who were waiting on her. Sky looks at her partly full coffee, and then at her teammate-dazed.

"Sky, we're ready to begin our practice…c'mon don't tell you fell asleep."

"N-no…"-Scooting out from the booth- "I was just resting my eyes…" she yawned.

The four of them headed to the battle area, since the winter tournament was just a few days away. They knew they had to be cautious of the opponents they'd be facing in the tournament, knowing all of them could win it all, but the Elites knew very well that they weren't necessarily well respected among the fellow teams competing since their history showed they could never win the big tournaments against the powerhouse schools. The four of them walk through the plaza, feeling the stares and hearing the whispers from onlookers who recognized the matching Purple-Yellow-White apparel, the colors the Elites were famous for; Sky and Aaron were also a standout, both being well known in the country as top players in their weapon class, but weren't treated the same as Gin, Kin or Shiva. Pearl breaks away from them to rush over and have a look at the maps displayed on the wall that showed where competitors would be playing for the day; they'd be competing on: Pirahna Pit, Inkblot Art Academy, and Walleye Warehouse. Pearl squints her eyes as she tries to think of what role she'll play on each map since she was unfamiliar with a couple of them; An inkling girl wearing a black hoodie with black hair that protruded outwards and a matching outfit walked up next to her and stared at the same map.

The girl grinned, "Seems like it's a blessing that we finally were able to run into you guys…"

"Huh…?"-Pearl turns to the girl, being met with a glare- "What do you mean?"

A group of inklings dressed in all black wearing hoodies walked up next to the rest of the Elites and stood there, staring at the girl and Pearl; An uneasy atmosphere arrived, one that reeked of an intense battle that was about to unfold. Sky and Aaron's guard went up as soon as the presumed leader of the group took off his hoodie and showed his face.

"It really is our lucky day if we get a chance to face you guys so close to the tournament…"- the leader unveiled his identity with a smirk- "to think Aaron of the Elites felt the need to show his face here after what he did to us."

"And what's that supposed to mean…" Aaron said in firm tone, arms crossed and his head forward but slightly tilted upwards as if he was looking down upon the captain of the enemy team."

"I mean, this is our turf…unless you think different."

Sky came forward with a sharp look in her eye putting her hands in her pockets, "If I were you, I wouldn't be looking to pick a fight with us…"

"I see the two Aces of Squid Academy are putting up a strong front, huh? No problem…I've been wanting a crack at your team ever since the fall prelims."-A boy wearing black shades came forward with his hands in his sweater pocket- "I found your victory at the fall prelims to be a fluke anyways. No way will you guys go far in the winter tourney."

The crowds of people nearby began to whisper and grow larger as the attention grew on the two teams; indistinct chatter threw about the names of "Squidops vs. Squid Academy" and "revenge for the ops"-the Squidops were looking for revenge after the defeat they took at the fall preliminaries against the Elites. Excitement filled the plaza as two of the teams competing in the winter tournament were right about to confront each other so soon.

"You wanna go?" Carbon said with confidence.

"It'll be your mistake…" Aaron replied, shaking his head.

Somewhere in the city, Sally was on the piano playing a joyful melody in front of Tangie, Hatsunika and a couple of men dressed in grey formal attire along with a younger man who was dressed very casually-wearing a green beanie cap, red tee, and white joggers with his hands in his pockets and his back slouched. Tangie had an exuberant expression on her face as she swayed side-to-side enjoying the music, the young man was also enjoying Sally's performance, but the two suits were emotionless-intently observing Sally's hands and finger movements.

"Play something more difficult…how about the Hungarian Rhapsody no.2 by Franz Liszt?" one the serious men said crossing his arms with a shine in his eye, expecting Sally to cower at the arduous task.

Sally's eyes widened upon hearing the request and she halted her play abruptly, looking down at the piano keys; shock filled her thoughts. She gulped and looked at the man with sorrow in her eyes, "do you mean…the ancient piece from one the national sunken scrolls?"

The serious male nodded, "What's wrong? You can't play it?"

Sally shook her head, "It's not that I can't play it…but I've never experimented with such a piece like that."

"Don't lie, kid." The young man said while gazing at her- "you've got potential; I can see it in your play. Have more confidence in yourself…"

Sally blushed, having never received such a praise before from anyone outside of Tangie-who'd always stop by to hear her play in the music room whenever she had the time. The men gave her the sheets and she placed them in front, staring at them; after a solid few seconds of, Sally nodded, looking at the keys, then smiling with conviction-beaming on her face; She cracked her fingers and began to play the classic. The serious and solemn beginning that matched Sally's uneasy feeling along with her concentration, that soon transitioned into a cheerful and playful tone that mirrored how comfortable she became once she realized that the piece she was playing was not as difficult as she imagined, and then to a smooth ending that satisfied everyone, she captivated them with her incredible talent on the piano; playing any of the classical works that were on the ancient scrolls were considered to only be done by masters and prodigies since the ancient scrolls preceded even the sunken scrolls, especially the musical notes that they were written in. The two men were amazed, and proceeded to applaud Sally as she finished; Tangie contained her excitement, knowing Sally captured their hearts with her beautiful playing.

"Wonderful…! You're the one! We finally wound the right pianist!" rejoiced one of the suits; Hatsunika had a pleased look on her face as she crossed her arms.

"Didn't I tell you she was amazing? Sally has a gift that we've been in dire need of-you saw her earlier on the guitar, drums, even the turntables, and now the piano…she's the ultimate musician!" Hatsunika praised, overjoyed that Sally was gaining recognition.

"Miku…" Sally blushed, embarrassed by the comment, looking down at the keys.

"She's definitely a hire, that's for sure. I expect you to start working by next week!" the young man said happily; Sally nodded, still embarrassed.

"We'll sign you whenever you're ready…just promise that your future in music will be with Zony's music company. We'd love to add you to our roster!" the other suit said with honesty.

"We'll sign you exclusively to Hatsunika's team as well…that is until the other artists in the label get a hold of your talents."

Hatsunika's twin tails shot up, "Oh no they won't! She's mine!"

The two men laughed, "Of course she is, you discovered her talent first. It's only right that she's your partner."

"If you'll excuse us…" the young man said, exiting the room with the two suits.

The door shuts and the three girls are left alone; Hatsunika immediate throws herself onto Sally with affection, to which Sally pushes her away. Tangie laughs at Hatsunika's failed attempts, but Hatsunika doesn't lose face-instead she smiles with a sparkle in her eye, feeling that Sally's only rejecting her love because there's a witness, to which Sally immediately denies.

"Anyway, you were incredible Sal! I can't believe you pulled off something so amazing like that. Now you've got corporates coming after your talents along with a new job!" Tangie said with excitement for what lied ahead for her friend.

"Thanks…to be honest, I was really nervous the whole time."

"You shouldn't be, you've got a talent I've never ever seen before. Use that talent to your advantage, and eliminate trivial things like nervousness before a performance." Hatsunika said.

Sally looked at the keys again and smiled, knowing she made the right life choice in choosing music; it'd be a difficult road, but if she had people like Tangie and Hatsunika to support her, she'd be fine. Over at a park in the suburbs, Reice and Violet sat on a bench looking at the playground before them, eating crepes. Marigold and Canary were also there, but they were busy socializing with the other kids at the park; things were still awkward between Reice and Violet ever since Reice's confession. Violet looked at the ground before her, and then in the crepe in her hand-she could feel Reice's stare, which prompted her to take a glance to her right at Reice's hand; Reice kept his eyes on Violet.

Violet's eyebrows frowned as she looked ahead, "You can stop staring…" she said with mild irritation.

"Talk to me, then. You haven't said anything to me ever since that day, and even today you just talked with my sisters…what gives?" Reice said with annoyance towards Violet's reserved actions.

"What gives…? Reice, do you understand what you're doing?" Violet said, offended by Reice's insensitiveness.

"I confessed…was that wrong?"

"Yes!" Violet yelled uncharacteristically as she turned towards Reice, catching the others' attention. "You know I'm romantically involved with Azule now, right? Azule, the same guy who's your friend and roommate, not to mention our team captain!"

Reice was still indifferent, "You say that, but you two don't look like a couple. You guys barely even spend that much time together…have you even kissed him?" he said leaning back in the back and putting his arms on the bench head.

Violet blushed angrily, "T-that's none of your business!"

Reice grinned-she crosses hers in response and sits forward; there were some mild whispering from people who were nearby, many thinking that this was a lovers' quarrel of sorts. Reice gaze at Violet, admiring her features; He didn't mean any harm by the feelings he had, but he just didn't know how to project them.

"Y'know…I've never felt this way about anyone-not even Sally; you know that whole situation, I'm sure…" Reice said wholeheartedly, "I know its selfish of me to do this to you, but ever since I saw you in that suit and fedora…dressed like a real mafiosa. All my feelings for you when we were young just rushed at me, and I understood that these weren't the false kind."

Violet closed her eyes and shook her head, "I'm flattered that you have interest in me, but I have to reject your feelings, Reice. What you're doing could ruin our friendship, our partnership, and everyone else's relationship with us…"

"You say you love him, but your interactions with Azule are nothing more than that of regular friends-I'd say Fuchsia is a better match for Azule than y-"

"Enough Reice…drop the topic."

"I'm just speaking the truth…you're better suited with me than Azule."

Violet shook her head and got up suddenly, abruptly ending the discussion. Marigold notices the departing Violet and chases after her since she wanted to be friends with her; Canary observed Reice's reaction, seeing him take out his phone.

Reice stared at Azule's number, is it wrong for me to want her? I understand well that she's with Azule but, it's not like they're an actual item-they're platonic from what I see; I can be SO much better for her…-He sends a message to Azule asking him if they could talk about something important; he immediately gets a response from Azule, to which Azule politely declines stating that now he is very busy with something. Reice responds that he'll wait until he returns.

Over in Meiju, Azule closes his phone and continues walking through the marketplace, following the directions given to him by Mrs. Hanazami; Azule had been asked by Cobalt's teacher to go and take care of the groceries on the list-probably her way of being alone with Cobalt since it was clear they had a ton to catch up on. He held up the grocery list with confusion on some of the items, lost on where to go; he came there with an attendant, but he lost her the moment he got sidetracked. Luckily for him, he remembered where to go in terms of getting to Hanazami's domain. He retraces his steps, arriving back at Hanazami's domain; the guard lets him in, unaware that he's not supposed to be there right now.

Azule walks around the yard searching for Cobalt and Hanazami, admiring the scenery while doing so. He begins to faintly hear Cobalt's voice and follows, finding Cobalt and Hanazami in a room; he hides behind the corner and looks around to make sure he doesn't seem suspicious.

"How's your Seishun Powa? I sense that its growth has tripled since I last saw you. That could only mean…"-Cobalt began sweating bullets; Hanazami has displeased look on her face- "I thought I told you not to use that power except for emergencies. Using such a destructive power will have consequences on your body…"-she facepalms, shaking her head in disappointment- "we'll save that for later; the reason I wanted you to come back here for so long long was because…I have news regarding someone."

"What's the news?" Cobalt leaned forward; Hanazami closed her eyes.

"Your mother is alive…" she said solemnly; Cobalt's mouth dropped and froze, stunned by what he just heard.

"M-my mother…? Is alive…?" he put his hands on his head, still struggling to comprehend.

"I know it must be difficult for you to take in right now, but this was the news I wanted to share."

Cobalt gripped his clothing and clenched his teeth looking down at the floor in emotional ruin-holding back tears, "My mom…I thought she died in the war…"

Hanazami shook her head, "They found her in a near death state on the battlefield and tried their best to preserve her health. But, after a few weeks of no response they were ready to write her off until she showed signs of life. From there…they performed immediate surgery on her to keep her alive; it was a crucial surgery, so her rehab took plenty of years since the surgery was the reason she could still live."

Cobalt covers his mouth and began breathing heavy, tears streaming down his face as his body trembled; chills went down his spine at the thought of what his mother had to go through the entire time she was gone, and he thought she was dead! Cobalt tries to regain his composure, but this was something too close to his heart, something too close to softest part of him, that he couldn't control his emotion.

"She'll be staying here in a few weeks for recovery, and I wanted you to come and stay here for the time being so that you could see her immediately."

Cobalt balled his fist, "Sensei…I…I can't do that…"

"What…?"

"I can't stay here until her arrival…I have friends who're waiting for me back at school. As much as I love mother, I can't sacrifice my education and current friendships to wait and see her; I'll get a one-way ticket the moment she steps foot in Meiju, and give her the biggest hug I can!"

Hanazami smirked, that was the answer I wanted to hear. She rotated her head a bit to the side, looking at the curtains that led to a room behind her; Azule got so engaged in everything that he forgot to conceal himself and stay hidden.

"Come on out, kid; I know you've been hiding there for quite some time." Hanazami said casually; Azule came out to Cobalt's dismay.

"Sorry…" Azule bowed; Cobalt still was too hooked on the news just received to really react to Azule's eavesdropping.

Hanazami studied Azule closely, "You're Agent 3's son…"

"You knew my mom…?''

Hanazami nodded, "We were comrades in the war; I got to know her well."

"How was she?"

Hanazami considered her moments spent with Agent 3, "Special…she did things that I never saw an inkling do."-she observed Azule's features- "You look just like her; it's kinda scary."

Azule blushed with embarrassment, "I barely remember anything about her…"

Hanazami didn't pry since it wasn't any of her business, "I imagine there must be more you want to know about her…?"

Azule nodded, "I heard she was incredible in the war…what did she do?"

Hanazami clearly remembered the war, "Your mother was a monster, what she did during the war was indescribable-a war machine if you will. She showed no mercy to her opponents and always ended her confrontations swiftly."

"Strong…"

"Your mother didn't steal the hearts of this country by doing nothing, she stood as the face of the country in military power as the top Agent-albeit there were only four at the time."

"I think we should call today a day…" Cobalt interjected, still rattled by the news; Hanazami and Azule understood what Cobalt was feeling.

They wrapped up their conversation lightly and prepared for supper; tomorrow would be their last day to be in Meiju before returning home. Azule and Cobalt helped the attendants in setting up tables, earning gratitude from them for being so considerate. The evening came, and everyone enjoyed a feast that featured entertainment of dancers and performers; Azule and Cobalt felt their bond grow during this time in Meiju.