As the stage undergoes further maintenance in preparation for the final, a lengthy intermission takes place in the arena as the power sprinklers cleaned off the ink to the latest hit songs trending in the country. In the luxury box sat Saint Henry who guffawed at the defeat of Octo Valley, making laughing sport of the crushing defeat that would prolong the Octarians under Inkopolis government jurisdiction for yet another year. According to the deal, if Octo Valley was to grab a victory at any of the major tournaments, they'd be granted their freedom in exactly one year from the date of victory. Although conditions in Octo Valley have improved in recent memory with minimal thanks to the government, Octarians still wanted to be out of the shadows of Inkopolis and bury the dark history of defeat that they had to live under in every waking moment.
"Maybe now these Octarians will understand that even their best chance to be free still isn't meant to be. Hahaha!" he held his belly while laying over into the couch like a child after seeing a funny skit on television; Cap'n Cuttlefish was irritated that he was stuck in a room with the man presumed to become the future leader of the nation.
In the stands, the different pockets of SAHS students began to buzz about the exciting final that awaits. Over where Sally, Reice and Violet were sitting-only mental notes were being taken. They were focused on learning as much as possible from the best of the best, hoping to utilize it in the upcoming 2nd Rank Wars that would be starting in the late winter to early spring. Over by where the rest of the Elites were sitting, all the seats were vacant. Where Azule and the others sat, they were all tense for the final; Fuchsia was wiping away what tears were left from the previous heartbreak, preparing herself for the next match with full intent to root for the Elites until her lungs burst. It's what her sister would've done in her shoes, she figured.
Looking at the atmosphere of the arena, it was starting to get louder as more people filed into their seats. A larger number than earlier; usually people didn't show up to these smaller tournaments until the final match. But the crowd multiplied once the news of a dream battle between two crowd favorites: Sky and Gin, was confirmed. Many of the older public favored Gin and Beacon Hills for their established formula of winning, citing that Gin had awakened to his true potential in the previous match with this final being his stage to showcase just how terrifying he and his squad can be. But on the younger side of the kids and young adults, they were favoring Sky and the Elites with the belief of the unbreakable team chemistry overpowering the machine-like play of Beacon Hills.
In the Elites locker room, there were more bodies present than just the main four judging from the sounds of other voices being present, their indistinct chatter made the room feel much smaller than it really was. The conversation being held between all the Elites members was a last-minute check before the active squad would depart for their match; Apollo and the others were given special permission after Aaron talked with the guards to notify them that they were allies. In the locker room, Aaron and Sky are the only ones standing up while the others are sitting in various locations whether on top of the lockers or on benches-surrounding their captains. The mood in the room was calm-but nervous as time approached. This was the do or die moment that they all gambled for while riding the hot wave of momentum throughout the fall and the winter to arrive at the final. They were ready for this moment but aware of the consequences that would await them if a single one of them missed a beat. The room silenced as the moment was upon them.
Gileslie's face was sweating as she fidgeted tensely, her body trembling a bit as she stared at her hands. Cannola pats her back, trying to calm her down; she wasn't the only one who couldn't contain her worry as Chlora's face was as pale as the walls of the locker room-she too was trembling with nervousness. Ollie and Austin were stone faced as though they were about to head out onto the turf themselves, and Pearl was just keeping silent as she stared at the ground with a disturbed look, bothered by something. Sky also had a colorful expression, but hers was an anxious one-ready to battle. Aaron inhaled deeply as though to suck out all of the negativity and doubt in the room, and then exhaled.
"Guys, what's up with the air in here?" he clapped, trying to get a response from his team.
"We knew this match would come eventually...but, is this really it? Are we really doing this?" Apollo asked with question in Aaron's resolve to get the win and accept the consequences if they lost. Apollo always put his faith in the leadership of Aaron but for the first time, even he was beginning to feel the pressures that Beacon Hills were applying. And he wasn't the only one.
Aaron shook his head and spread his arms, "I don't ever recall retiring if we win? This is the last opponent, but we've faced tough competition before. We overcame the best player in the country-continent even...I believe in our strength."
"B-but Aaron…"-Gileslie raised her hand; her hand still trembled- "This match. It's the big one. We all gambled on it…"
Aaron sighed as he looked into the innocent and scared eyes of his most intelligent member, walking over to her and crouching so he could look up, "In life, sometimes risks are necessary in order to get the rewards we want. Putting our backs to the wall in a situation like this really shows whether we have what it takes to be called the champions. Do we have that pedigree? I believe so."
"Even if that's true. Isn't it extreme that we all made such a decision? I understand what you're vision for the future is in passing the torch to Sky's little brother and the rowdy first year. But, ain't this getting a bit shady? The one time we make it to the finals after playing the best string of games possible, we run into yet another wall." Pearl voiced her thoughts as her tone denoted some second thoughts about the consensus that was made prior to the tournament, feeling the pressure too. She stood and faced her leader, "We bet our careers on the line, and furthermore we're going up against Beacon Hills at their strongest."
Aaron's face darkened as he listened to her, soon another spoke up. "To be honest, I have full faith in this team, but now that the time has come to this I have to admit it. I'm worried about our chances…" Austin added, also standing up to face his captain; Sky noticed the pattern being given and gave a smirk as she crossed her arms.
"I'm scared as hell about what will become of us after this game. Will we be hailed as the saviors that brought home the first silverware in seven years, or will we be forced to kick the can and let the juniors take over?" Sky said plainly, giving the remaining silent members a wink of approval. Ollie stood up next.
"Captain, this is the 2nd best team in the country-maybe even the best when considered Special Forces didn't play their 'Death Squad' in the tournament." he said, standing up as well; Chlora and Cannola both were unsure of whether to follow along.
Aaron-head still down-crossed his arms, "Don't you two have anything you want to add? Chlora? Cannola?" he said in an irritated tone directed towards Chlora and Cannola, tapping his foot as he waited for their answer.
The girls looked at one another, "If you want us to be honest captain…"-Chlora spoke, getting up first- "This match might be more than we can chew…"-Cannola stood up as the remaining member- "And everyone here has grown together. No way do we want to say goodbye off of a loss. We all want to stay together no matter what!" she said with conviction, both her hands in a fist and resolve emanating from her posture.
Aaron chuckled after hearing her, understanding the feelings of his team. What they were doing was getting everything off of their chest, all the negativity and doubts that would hinder their actions from here-on-out. They wanted to rid them so that they could head into this match without any regrets regardless of win or loss. Aaron understood it all, knowing that they were testing his resolve-after all he was the one who proposed it; they wanted to be sure he'd commit to it with unwavering resolve. Aaron looked up at his team-his Elites, giving them a smile that told it all. He had conviction. He had resilience. He had the drive to win.
"We started this journey about three years ago. On this journey, we've experienced happiness and confidence in our victories, agony and disappointment in our defeats. We've shed blood, sweat, and tears in more ways than one. We have one goal in mind: Win a cup for Squid Academy. The lessons we learned along the way have led to this moment for us. We knew heading in here that we wouldn't settle for anything less than winning it all. We owe that school everything, and no way-with the Great Zapfish as my witness-would I, or anyone in this room, dare to go back to school and look everyone who has supported us on this journey in the eye, and assure them 'we'll get it next time' and move on as if it doesn't matter. We're here to accomplish this goal. There isn't any thought about losing. Play this game as if it's your last! Root and cheer as if it's your last! But know that, this isn't our last time together. We'll always be a team, a family. We'll always be there for each other through thick and thin. So, on my mark. .Win."
Silence filled the room afterwards as everyone had a grin on their faces, and then they all came together for a group hug. The flames that burned inside them all grew hotter by the second as they got ready to release a wildfire. None of them were going to hold back. Those were the last words spoken in the locker room before both sides went their way. The next time they would say a word to each other would be after the game, and hopefully, after a victory. On the side of Beacon Hills, no one said a word as Gin stood at the entrance and observed the stage being unveiled for the final. His teammates were behind him, all of them focused with the same goal in mind of winning the match as swiftly as possible.
The stage that was revealed for the final was much different with the architecture changing entirely. First, the suburban setup was replaced with a metropolitan setup with medium length buildings erect and dozens of cars and obstacles placed all over the map. The arena roof had retracted to let in sunlight, but since it was snowing heavily-snow started falling into the arena and some blanketed certain areas of the turf rather quickly; fans were excited by this, understanding that the final match was going to have weather conditions be very effective. Pastelle was a bit surprised by what was going on, but soon she realized that this match might already be out of favor.
"They're helping Beacon Hills. Whoever is in charge is helping Beacon Hills…" She said in an irritated tone with a dissatisfied expression.
Azule tightened his cap as he observed the turf, "How can you tell? I'll admit that this tournament has been a strange one..."
"Usually the stuff that's happened in this tournament would never occur. Add in crazy things like Jin not being disqualified and the random changes to the turf, changes reserved for professional matches. Someone else outside of the usual committee is controlling the way this tournament is going and he was aware of Beacon Hills' advantage in the snow."
"What kind of advantage do they have in the snow?" Kosami asked from further down the row over by Cobalt and Tangie, peeking her head out to see Pastelle.
"Well, for starters...Beacon Hills, Octo Valley, and Special Forces are the best teams in the country. Have you ever wondered where they do their training and practices? They don't go to the plaza or square to compete with everyone else."
Azule chimed in, "So, they have their own special training grounds?"
"Correct. They train and practice in the most grueling of conditions: Heat waves, blizzards, wind storms, you name it. For Beacon Hills, they're very adept to playing in the cold since at Beacon Hills they practice in the snow way more frequently than the other teams because of this region being known to get more colder the further north you go. Even where we are, it's not a surprise to get snow."
"Then they'll be more adapted to the snow that would usually slow down others…" Kosami deduced; Pastelle nodded in agreement.
"Hopefully the fiery passion of Sky and the others will melt the snow away." Pastelle added, concerned with how the match might play out now that it was clear something fishy was going on.
Half an hour passed by in no time. Everything was setup and ready for an electric finale. The map was completed with the Rainmaker placed in the heart of the city and the spawns in two hotels. Fans were anxious for the start of the match, cheering in a frenzy as the players for both teams were introduced. The players could feel their hearts beat heavier and slower as they both approached their spawn points. Cold air invaded the open arena as snow continued to fall, leaving the map floor with a thin and thick blanket of snow in certain areas. Lucky for the fans, they were covered by the roof so that the only part of the arena to capture snow would be the turf and very front rows. Fans were getting wild as both side sang their school fight songs and snag their chants, many fans in their respective colors were hopping up and down and creating waves in anticipation for the match. The rules were still the same as before with an extremely long amount of time being given for the match; 15 minutes! Surely fans would be excited to know they'd have a long match ahead. The countdown began as everyone in the building readied for one last match. "Three..."-the timer went, fans chanted, and students from SAHS tensed up- "Two..."-Saint Henry's grin intensified, the player's grips tightened- "One…!"-Whistle blows, fire sparks in the eyes of Sky and Gin as both beat the rest of their respective teams out of the spawn points. Sky runs on the snow, feeling the thin blanket crush under her feet, hearing the awkward sound it made with her boots; Gin was already swimming in silver ink, not hesitating to go for the Rainmaker.
I don't play in snow too often, but I do remember it'll be a lot more slippery if I don't have any snow glued to my boots. This should be enough to cover…
Sky was gone, leaving her team behind as she made a break for the Rainmaker as well. Fans were screaming in excitement as right away; the dream battle was nearing its fruition of Sky and Gin. Sky makes a break around a car and then slides on the snowy sidewalk, spotting the Rainmaker to her left over by and intersection and taking out her weapon. Time slowed down as she takes aim with her custom E-liter 3K, deducing that she should be within range to take a shot that'd give her a straight path to the Rainmaker. While still sliding, she takes the shot and swiftly hops into the ink, transitioning from the sliding motion into the swim with perfection. She nears the Rainmaker, ready to come back up and begin tearing down the barrier when-FWAP! Silver ink cuts off her path in front of her. Gin had beaten her to the Rainmaker beforehand. She couldn't notice his silver in in the white snow since they looked nearly identical, and it also didn't help that snow was still falling-cutting her vision down even lower.
I should've wore goggles for this match...
Sky held her bobble hat on by one hand to keep it from falling off and the other was busy having to lug her weapon around. She leaps backwards into her ink and swims away; Gin tries to chase her, but runs into the rest of the Elites, who had caught up in the perfect moment. Sky slides behind a car, adjusting her signature hat and catching her breath. She'll need to figure out a better plan if she'll have any effect in this match. Just then, a pair of razor blue goggles flew into her lap from the right. When she looks in the direction of the sender, she saw Pearl-giving her hand gestures of a message.
"That's a gift from Apollo, he handed them to me before they left. He had a feeling something like this was going to happen!" -she too was wearing some goggles, except they were razor pink. As Sky observed, she noticed that Aaron too had on razor red goggles, and Austin had on razor green goggles. Apollo really did look out for them.
Apollo smirked as he saw his teammate were breaking the rules of the amount of gear they were supposed to be wearing. He knew they wouldn't be disqualified after what happened to Sky earlier at the hands of Jin, and he also knew that something fishy such as a final in these conditions were going to happen, so he bought the goggles at the arena store during the long intermission break and held onto them until just before the Elites were about to leave. Though he no longer competes anymore, Apollo was still very much a competitor at heart.
He folds his arms with a beaming smile-closing his eyes with a laugh, "We've done what I could for you guys. This is our way of contributing, now bring it home!"
The fire in Sky's heart burned more ferociously now that she'd been given the ultimate opportunity for an even fight. She burst from behind the car and saw the battle unfolding between both sides. The Rainmaker was changing from a yellow-silver to a yellow-purple and then to all three colors. Both sides had both numbers in full surrounding the Rainmaker to take the first major lead. Sky and Pearl notice that at this rate, their jobs as the snipers weren't to add extra heat into trying to destroy the barrier, but to pick off the rapid fires of Beacon Hills instead; they get into positions where they can fire a splat on Beacon Hills, but to do that, they'd need to enter the buildings and find a good window to fire from. Could Aaron and Austin hold on long enough for them to grab the splats?
Gin was alert as he motioned all around the Beacon Hills side of the Rainmaker barrier, making sure all parts of the barrier was getting the silver ink. He had made sure that his team were equipped with rapid fire guns instead of the usual strategy with someone on a charger. He had unwavering confidence that the match could end in a knockout if they seized possession first. His instincts pierced his body as he sensed danger about to occur, yelling at his teammates to stay on guard and out of striking distance form any snipers. He was aware of what setup the Elites would go with: One shooter, two snipers, and a roller. He figured that there was a chance that the chargers went into a sniping position looking to cut them off since they left they were gambled with an aggressive offense and no defense.
"Keep your aim on the Rainmaker but don't stay out in the open!" he yelled.
It didn't help that the streets of this map weren't as vast as the previous map. Much more narrow streets and pathways made it a lot more difficult to find cover in, and so his only advantage was having the snowfall to hinder the vision of the attackers; Beacon Hills applies pressure, overwhelming the two boys of the Elites. Aaron and Austin don't falter though, fighting back with everything they got, knowing that even if it was early in the game, it wouldn't be good if they allowed Beacon Hills to gain any substantial lead.
"Both of them are playing with their unique style. Beacon Hills is playing an aggressive short game, looking to end the match quickly. Their weapons that specialize more for kills and damage as well as increased mobility speak to their game plan. They don't want a game any longer than five minutes. For the Elites, they're prepared for a long run and are ready to drag this game into overtime if need-be." Pastelle commented as she read the flow of the match, understanding both sides.
Sky sneaked around one of the buildings and climbed up the stairs, entering a room that appeared to have a window with a better view to land a hit. But when she peeked, she noticed that due to how long the barrier had gotten, and because of Beacon Hills going right up to the barrier-they created a blind spot. Sky moves over to the next window to see if there were any improvements in where she could aim, but to no luck. Pearl was on the opposite side of where Sky was, and in her building, she had a window with the perfect view and took aim. POW! her gun fired like a cannon at the squad of Beacon Hills, but sadly she missed her mark by a just a little. The massive purple lump of ink at Silvia's feet sent a clear message to Beacon Hills: "This game is going down to the wire."
The stunned behavior of Silvia caused a lapse in focus for her, working in favor of the Elites who understood although that shot was a miss, it was enough to grab the lead. The Elites push ahead and start to cover more ink of the Rainmaker barrier in purple when suddenly and ferocious strike came in from their right, exploding the Rainmaker and getting a team wipeout. Purple smoke simmered from the barrel of Sky's weapon with fire in her eyes. She was angry.
"GET GOING!" she yelled as she motioned for her team to pounce on the opportunity.
Austin snatched the Rainmaker and the Elites took the first lead of the match. The audience is in a frenzy after the initial bout ends in a team wipeout. Sky and Pearl kept to the high ground, taking to the slippery roofs to do recon of the landscape ahead, far below were Aaron and Austin moving through the snow in any attempt to widen the lead-every point mattered.
"Amazing…" Violet said as she replayed the highlight in her head, breaking down the many key moments that went down in that play.
"It looks like they weren't the best team in our school for nothing." Reice commented.
Sally was speechless, mesmerized by the team chemistry the Elites had to trust each other in that situation. In her head, the only thought she could muster up what that she wanted Squidcom to operate just like that, to be able to communicate without any hesitation and recognize the optimal chance to strike. The Elites were the blueprints of what Squidcom needed to build their foundation on.
After Beacon Hills responded, they tried to answer back and snatch the Rainmaker-failing in doing so. The sheer power of diversity that the Elites equipped themselves with were proving to backfire in Gin's face as he found a hole beginning to get deeper as the Elites moved past the half century mark. 100-46 in favor of the Elites. The Elites didn't allow the snow to slow them down, pouncing on the initial opportunity and swiftly cutting a chunk away to build their lead, and then inching forward even more as they forced Beacon Hills to retreat a bit further back. While the Elites took care of the many obstacles Beacon Hills left scattered in the way to slow them down, Beacon Hills needed to come up with a plan. They were desperately in danger of getting KO'd.
"There is plenty of time left in this battle. We're down but we're not out. We'll use our offensive prowess to our advantage and key in on swarming the Rainmaker. They have it under loose guard and have been relying on the cover of their two snipers from the mid-high levels, so we'll blitz the two on the ground before the snipers can react in time. We just need to make sure not be close together when we do so, or else we'll risk getting wiped together like the first time." Gin ordered, leading his team back into the approaching Elites.
Honestly, I didn't expect you to bare your fangs so early in the game but...I won't hold back anymore.
Gin and Beacon Hills rush at the Elites, all four of them spreading out with their sights on the two figures with their feet buried in the white blanket of snow. The sounds of the audience amplify as more action is about to go down. Platinum and Silvia get a better sprint ahead of their teammates and dive in for the attack, avoiding the shots from Pearl. Alumia was behind them and attacked Aaron in his blind spot, and as for Gin...he parted ways. Gin spotted where Sky was and instantly he changed his course, jumping and running on the hood of the car and then doing a jump off of the roof of the car into a tall telephone pole-kicking off of that and then running on the side of the building where Sky was, firing his Aerospray right in her direction. Sky darted back away from the window, sensing that this was about to get ugly fast and she heard him crash into the room. The arena was deafening as the crowd awed the incredible display of talent Gin had, watching the replay of his acrobatic moves. Another camera got displayed inside the room where the two impact players were located...
