It was way back in the first Rank War season at Squid Academy that Sky had begun to unleash "Midnight" on her opponents. Since it coincided too much with the daunting tasks she was given as Agent 5 outside of school life-some which included assassination and brutalities-the Rank Wars would become the hub for her to blow off the heavy stress she'd accumulate, both from before her time as an agent and after becoming one. It was a partial reason both boys and girls alike became infatuated with Sky, initially falling in love with her aggressive attitude on the turf, but then admiring her personality outside of turf wars. But soon it got worse for Sky as her popularity began to spike locally and nationally until one day she made terrible choice. It was around that day that she began making questionable decisions in her life: ranging from buying multiple cars and other material items with the salary she got as an Agent, to hanging out and even dating dangerous people. These combinations of issues only stockpiled onto her already loaded stress until it began to affect her gameplay in matches, even costing the team some matches in the 2nd Rank Wars and an early exit in the Spring Invitationals. Sky's problems were creeping onto the turf and it was then that the Elites realized that they had to do more than just be a teammate for Sky; they needed to become her best friends and support her through all her struggles. It was also during this time that Sky had her fallout with Cameron about some relationship issues, to which it got violent...In the end, it took Aaron getting involved for Sky to escape that toxic relationship, but it was also then that Sky began to understand that she doesn't have to only rely on her power, and that she has a team of friends she can rely on for help at any time.

"Midnight Sky is a last resort of mine, and I will only ever go into that mode when I know that there is no hope of winning as a team. Then-and only then-will I go into that state, but I'll do it for the sake of my team because they've made many sacrifices in their careers, and if I'm ever to go there it's only through their wishes." Pastelle recalled during a previous encounter with Sky during one of their personal moments as Agents on a mission. "I rarely ever got to see her go into this state unless the situations were dire during our missions. I never saw her enter the state in competitive matches though…" Pastelle added as she began to think about that memory.

Azule was amazed by the inkling that was on the turf with glowing blue eyes and slightly paler hair that was his sister, "Wow...but, why is her hair so light? Shouldn't it be the same hue as the others?"

Pastelle nodded, "That's a side effect of the heavy stress she underwent. She pushed herself so hard during those times that whenever she evokes that same fire, it causes her colors to fade away in response to the heavy strain."

Azule became concerned, "Afterwards, will she...have recoil?"

Pastelle didn't want to answer but she knew there was no point of holding back, "As you can imagine, there are numerous reasons why Sky doesn't use "Midnight" often. From disruption of team chemistry to body strain, indeed if she does go into that state, she'll have an intense recoil. Hence why it's amazing that she's chosen now to use that trump card since it's only the semifinal."-she elbows Azule- "That goes to show you just how powerful teams like Special Forces are. Even with a squad consisting mostly freshies, they're still tough enough to warrant Sky giving it her everything…"

Azule's hands trembled nervously as he feared for his sister's safety; Pastelle rests her hand on Azule's, "Your sister is strong. Trust in her. We might be rivals, but I've come to respect her. She always keeps her word."

Back on the turf, Sky towered over everyone as her intimidating aura poisoned the air that everyone breathed; the first years unconsciously shivered with fear, their bodies recognizing the monster that stood before them. Her eyes glowed sharply as she lifted her chin, pointing her finger at Jin; Jin grinned.

"Seems like you're ready to go…" Jin said with sharpened eyes after being called out by Sky. Everything became slow motioned for him as his sights locked on Midnight, feeling his competitive side begin to take over as the opponent that hovered over him was unlike any he'd ever face before; this was the "Dark Horse Inkling" at her strongest, and she handpicked to settle the score with him personally.

"You wanted to face me? Heh, don't blame me what will happen next..." she said in an unusually deep tone, her eye glowing with such a burn that it'd seem as if her eyes sparked a fire; Jin felt his body heat up with intensity, from boiling blood to a spring in his step, this was going to be an intense fight in his head.

Jin sports an evil grin as his eyes go bloodshot as he takes a massive spring step, inking a path to Sky who was still in an elevated position; the crowd is beginning to roar as so action is about to begin. Sky hops form the ledge, making a hard landing as a thick force of air pushes everyone back, but Jin picks up speed and leaps out of his ink to deliver a round at Sky. But Sky does the unthinkable, blocking each shot with her gun at a rapid speed so fast that even the naked eye couldn't catch sight, returning to her ink afterwards to and creating some space before reappearing. The pressure in the air continues to thicken and extends to the crowd, who all become amazed by the heavy sense of intimidation that was given off from Sky. Even the other members of the Elites were surprised to see this level of intensity from Sky, despite knowing her since the first year of the Elites' season. Ollie and Apollo give a nod of approval, Cannola and Chlora are out of their seats and rooting passionately for their team, Gileslie can barely contain her excitement since she could finally get to see Sky play at her peak level once again like the old times.

The match halts as everyone has their eyes on the prodigy, waiting on what the "Queen Bee" of Squid Academy will do next; Jin was trying his best to hold back himself back from blindly going into battle. Sky slowly turned to Aaron, her eyes beginning to soften as she gazed at him with one last message before she begins her war.

Are you sure you're fine with this? her eyes spoke as she slowly tilted her said to the side a bit, not wanting to make a move without his approval.

Aaron gave a solid nod with a serious expression, and that would be all that was needed. Sky returned to her vicious state with an even darker air beginning to emerge as she got in position; Aaron and everyone else all took a few steps back as Sky and Jin exchanged a glare with one another. Sky bursts out of her spot at full speed and into Jin, but Jin expects this, side stepping and shooting in her direction while in midair. Sky swiftly inks a spot and drops into it to avoid the flying gold ink, jumping out of the purple ink and creating some more space again as she contemplated her next move.

With every chance that it seemed like the two would clash, the audience began to get more eager; to them, this felt like the ultimate showdown of two of some of the best inklings in the country. To see Jin Ika in such a serious and battle-ready state only confirmed for many in attendance that Sky Royale was indeed the real deal. She was everything like her mother, from intimidation to battle style. Some began to whisper that Sky might be the second coming of her mother.

Aaron breaks the stalemate of the continued stares and swiftly inks at the Rainmaker with the help of Austin and Pearl, looking to destroy the barrier and recapture the lead now that the trump card finally made her presence felt. But Special Forces weren't going to back down, and in fact...they were inspired by Sky's presence. 18, and Kary had gotten the bone tingling shiver down their spines when they saw Midnight Sky tower over them with her vicious glare.

Jin hops into the ink to try and get closer and use his advantage of a higher damage weapon with closer range to make it super effective in splatting her, but Sky's clairvoyance was keen, seeing through Jin's plan andforcing him to rethink his approach by timing his charge and firing a warning shot that nearly takes his head off and douses him in some purple ink.

Some cold sweat falls down his face as his pupils dilate-beginning to shiver with a hint of fear, S-she...didn't even flinch!? She nearly splatted me just like that… he thought, realizing that the legacy Sky had created wasn't a fluke. Even though she was known in the sporting world as one of the most talented individuals to never play to their fullest strength, one thing was well known about her controversial position as Agent 5: She was a cold-blooded assassin with an accuracy that very few in the country-even the continent-could rival.

Jin felt a heavy beat in his heart and body as adrenaline rushed into his system, "Amazing...You truly are amazing…!" Jin said with a twitch in his eye and face. "Don't think I'd run away, Sky! I want you at your best!" Jin yelled in a berserk tone, with matching eyes like a madman obsessed; for the audience, they got anxious as they saw Jin abandon his hero personality unleash this newer side.

Sky lower her chin as she realized something seemed different than before, Just as I thought, this dude does have a fixation on me. I was wondering why he went out of his way to find me, why Shiva warned me to keep away from him, and especially why mom gave me that death stare…-She briefly looks up to where the stare came from, seeing her mother still looking at her but with a less powerful stare than the one that made her body move on its own-She definitely knows something about Jin if she used that fearsome stare on me...Sky thought as she grips her weapon and inks a line swiftly, swimming in the line to lead the crazed Jin away from everyone else; Jin follows her with a hungry grin spouting on his face, tasting her defeat approaching.

If my hunch is right, it'll be best to lead this guy away from the others...he might be more dangerous than I thought. Sky noted as Aaron and the others entered her mind.

Over in the Beacon Hills side, Gin crosses his arms as he gives a play by play of the match-watching it on the TV monitor. "She's smart. Though she might not be aware yet of it-though she probably picked up on it-my brother has always been obsessed with being a hero. The reason why he went to Special Forces was because he knew the perks he'd get, and knew that he could make his dream of becoming a hero possible. But one thing always prevented him from having that sole stardom as a hero, and that was Sky Royale-true hero and daughter of the most legendary hero. Jin always hated having to be compared to Sky and always be considered the hero of the sports world while Sky was an actual hero in the real world. He pushed himself to unbelievable limits at boot camp in hopes that he could also become an Agent like Sky and Pastelle, but that geezer told him he wasn't ready yet."

"Woah...I didn't know any of this." Silvia said with shock, unaware of this side to Jin.

Gin narrowed his eyes and flicked his hair with a motion of his head, "Jin's always wanted to face Sky and test his strength against hers. He's always wanted to prove himself to be the unstoppable alpha male that he is. For Jin, the talk he'd always have to hear is about Sky's potential and of what a force she could be if she ever played serious all the time ate away at him since he always gave his best when matches mattered the most. But in my opinion for Jin, if Sky ever reaches her true potential...when that happens...he might just snap and lose all sanity."

"How? Isn't he already beginning to snap? I've never seen him get this passionate in a match." Silvia asked, finding it hard to believe it could get much worse than it already.

"Oh, it will. Trust me, my brother is much darker than what is perceived about him. If Sky continues to play the way she is playing right now, with control and pace, Jin will begin to deteriorate as an inkling and return to the barbaric ways that led us to become the dominant species that we are today. Jin's weakness-though he appears to have none at a glance-is in his obsession in becoming recognized as the one true hero in this country. He wants all the glory and the fame, the power and authority...he's a villain in my eyes."

Silvia smirked, "That's rich...coming from you."

Gin shook his head, "I might be a scumbag, but my brother is much worse."

The battle for the Rainmaker continues as Kary keeps the Rainmaker from becoming the Elites' by timing her shots to null the effects of the rapid-fire rate from the opposition. 12 and 18 were attempting to splat Austin and Pearl to gain advantage, but both were slippery but focused on taking down the Rainmaker instead of punishing the young first years for their hasty play. There is still plenty of time left in the match, but both sides are getting wary of the other side the longer the match continues. The Elites are playing solid but have yet to take a firm grasp of the match in partiality to the timing of Jin Ika. As for Special Forces, it was clear that the inexperience was showing for the first years as they struggled to hold their own against their senior competitors without their captain.

"Gah! we don't have time for this…" Aaron yelled, playing more aggressively as he got closer to the Rainmaker; Austin and Pearl recognized what his intentions were and adjusted accordingly, with Austin rushing around the Rainmaker to splat Kary and 18 while Pearl helps Aaron in claiming the Rainmaker; Purple ink splatters everywhere-including 12 who had just returned-as the Rainmaker barrier is destroyed and claimed by Pearl with Aaron giving support.

Advantage is on the Elites' side after having gotten a triple kill and possession with the score still in a manageable spot. Pearl decides to cut to the sides and take the longer route, which didn't seem like the logical thing to do judging from the crowd's reaction to her intently avoiding a linear path. Meanwhile Jin and Sky were still going at it, but it was clear who was in control. While Sky was dominating the showdown, but she refused to splat him and instead chose to keep drawing his attention away from her team and the Rainmaker. Jin notices that his team had lost possession yet again, but this time he didn't seem to want to go and help them and instead chose to continue his chase after Sky.

"Heh heh, you haven't attempted another shot at me? Why are you the one running away?" Jin said in a possessive tone as he neared Sky; Sky was uncomfortable with his stare, since it reminded her of another possessive one...but she kept her Midnight mode alive despite her glow beginning to vanish and her hair beginning to return to the stock purple team color.

This is bad…I shouldn't have had the others on my mind like that. I should've remembered that being in this mode require unbelievable levels of concentration...Sky thought as she looked back at the closing Jin who could smell blood in the water. Sky was running out of time before the situation would get worse and quickly she looked back at Jin again as she leapt out of her line of purple ink. "So, you'll risk losing this match just to go against me?" she said hoping to stall him while she thinks of a plan.

Jin shook his head with the same hungry smile, "I trust those brats to pick up the slack when it matters...And there is nothing more I want right now than to obliterate you to pieces!" he said as he lunged forward with a surprise shot, but Sky instinctively dodged the ink at perfect timing and inked some surrounding areas quickly to create some space, doing so with one hand on her charger as she twirled around all of his shots and she slid into the ink and swam away again to think of another plan; Jin yelled in frustration as he followed after her, his eyes becoming filled with rage.

Over in the luxury box, Saint Henry is quite entertained by the two superior inklings going at it while a devilish grin begins to show on his face. "Sky Royale will soon break...I can taste it..." he said cryptically under his breath with Cap'n Cuttlefish next him, who looked at him with a disturbed expression by the words of the future leader of the country.

Sky looked back at Jin and smirked, starting to have fun with the way she was toying around with Jin despite being in such a dangerous position. She had full control of this match, with a better weapon in her possession since she was a charger specialist, better physically and clearly mentally. All she had to do was keep Jin entertained until her team could close the match and they'd be one step closer to ultimately accomplishing their goal of winning a title to bring silverware and relevance to Squid Academy. In her mind, the rush of being able to play at this level against the top talent gave her the best feeling as she remembered her early days when she'd enter this state so effortlessly.

But as Sky began to think everything out in her head, she briefly lost sight of Jin for a moment...and that was all it took. Jin appeared before her with a deadly glare-his eyes sharp like a dagger; time slowed down as Sky genuinely didn't notice him get ahead, and swiftly he delivered a punch straight to Sky's gut, knocking the wind out of her as she fell to her knees, dropping her gun on the floor and breathing heavily as if she was having an attack, spitting out blood afterwards; Everyone called foul at Jin's illegal move of physical combat, from the stunned other members of the Elites who became enraged, to Squid Academy fan's, to Azule-who got up out of his seat and was ready to jump down from the stands and fight Jin, having to be held back by Pastelle who told him to remain calm. Gin simply shook his head in disappointment while Silvia was frozen in shock, Shiva had tears streaming down her face as she covered her face, squatting on the floor and telling her teammates to turn off the monitor in a shaken tone, not wanting to see any more of what was about to come. With everyone in horror of what was happening, some hoped this violence would stop with the blow of a whistle, but no whistle was blown...no action was taken...and the match didn't end in disqualification; under normal circumstances, Jin would've been disqualified from the match and banned for the next one, but just as Jin had expected, this match was no longer under committee guidance but of another person, and one who would allow this. Jin's grin widened as his thirst for Sky's destruction began to get quenched.

"Your hideous face irritates me...maybe I should reconstruct it?" he said as he grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the wall of a home-face first, repeatedly punching her in the face and beating her with his weapon right afterwards; many people couldn't handle watching this anymore, pleading for it to end as they saw a helpless competitor being torn apart live on national television. Many of the people in attendance-including Special Forces fans- booed Jin for abandoning his charm and doing something so cruel and unsportsmanlike in a match. As the crowd's reactions grew stronger, the Elites were just about to grab the lead when Aaron looked up at the giant monitor and saw his girlfriend getting brutally beaten.

Veins sprouted from his face as the sight of her limbs moving unwillingly as each punch is thrown intensified; at this rate, if this assault continued, Sky would be seriously hurt. Aaron's teeth gritted until a sound could be heard, he furiously searched around and looked for a way to eliminate himself on purpose, so he could respawn closer, but there was no out of bounds area. Without hesitation, Aaron turned around and rushed to where Sky and Jin were. Pearl and Austin followed with all three of them abandoning their duty in the match to fulfill their role as Sky's precious teammates.

Each punch got tougher and tougher to endure for Sky as she watched the hate-filled face of Jin's turn more sadistic with each punch, a sadistic smile growing as he kept muttering the same words in between each punch with some of her blood beginning to stain his hands and clothes. "I'll make sure you never forget my face!" he said while doing all of this against a wall; Sky could barely keep her eyes open as she began fade out of consciousness, losing lots of blood as his fist continued to connect.