So thanks to a wonderful friend getting me the octo expansion two days ago, I've been playing nonstop. I'm practically done having finished 3/4th of it but BOY IS IT A CHALLENGE! I won't delve into it but, I haven't been able to write since I picked up those joy cons and played what seems like a flurry of punches to the mouth by big meaty fists (so much lore that my mind can't process how to incorporate it into this story, but hopefully when I finish it'll flow well). As usual, thank you for reading and I hope to have your continued support!


In the Osuma arena, the songs of agony from dying men from left to right fill the arena as sounds of swords and daggers clash under the spotlights. Bodies are scattered everywhere with pools of blood and torn garments covering the ground, the scent of iron filling the air as the songs of battle reign high in the voices of the many that still fight. Two young blue haired monsters were settling a deal made between men by fighting to the brink of death. A heavy sumo punch shatters a silver sword in half and sends Cobalt rolling backwards, Azule tailing close behind with a follow-up attack. Cobalt does a back bender and stabs his carbon sword into the ground to bring him back to stabilization, jumping off from the hilt to avoid Azule's attack. Leaping away from Azule, he quickly runs over to the carbon sword stuck in the ground and yanks it out with an overwhelming dark aura emerging from the blade right afterwards-his face sweats like a pig being roasted as he glares at Azule. Charging at Azule, Cobalt stops a few feet before the readied Azule and takes a baseball swing at Azule's head, a sickle of dark energy shooting from the blade. Azule turns around and hands no time to dodge or properly dodge the attack and instead catches the attack with his bare hands.

"G-GYAH!" he yelped as the energy passed through his skin, leaving a terrible burn on his hands so hot that his hands receiving cuts so deep it was as if he'd been directly cut by a knife.

But that wasn't all as Cobalt does a triangle of strikes followed by a "z" strike, then an "o" and finally, a downward slash that knocks Azule off his feet and sends him scraping into the ground. Azule rolls back to his feet and quickly spots the approaching Cobalt.

"Gah!"

"Haah!"

They charge at each other with full steam and clash yet again! Cobalt's carbon sword meets the fists of Azule, Azule throws a flurry of devastating close-range punches at Cobalt, who can only sacrifice his offensive by matching the speed of Azule's punches and proficiently block the lead bullet-like punches. With each hit, a ferocious wind expends between them. Azule sends a slower yet stronger punch, Cobalt weaves it to the left and lunges, but Azule spins to the right of Cobalt and with his free hand and lands a punch right to the cheek of the samurai. Cobalt is groggy for a second as Azule leaps backward and sends a powerful force of wind that cracks as it hits Cobalt, sending him a few feet away. Azule was now in control of this fight, managing to land a clean hit on Cobalt. Cobalt recovered quickly and gazed at his comrades behind Azule. The entire fight, he'd let his rage consume him like times in the past, and again he saw the negative effects. If he had any chance to beat Cobalt, he'd need to stay true to himself and fight without hatred. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head and let his thoughts collect; Azule stopped for a moment as he watched Cobalt lower his weapon. Closing his eyes, Cobalt's hair began to "blink" from blue to light blue, then to white. From his eyebrows, to his aura, a white light and hue emitted as Cobalt took breaths so weighty that it felt like he was sucking the atmosphere itself with each huff and puff. None of Squidcom knew what the phenomenon was that Cobalt was doing, but they knew something monumental was about to occur. As flashbacks of the late Arosuke enter his train of thought, the words he spoke that day when he first learned about his potential echoed yet again.

"A man's strength isn't measured by his muscle, nor is it his training. It is the man's determination, his resiliency, his heart. Show your motivation, continue your discipline, and stay resilient in the face of adversity. Then one day you will find the strength you are seeking..."

Hearing his father's advice ring in his mind once more, Cobalt gave an understanding nod as he concentrated. "I found it, father…" he said under his breath as his hair flashed from white all the way back to his normal cobalt hue, but the aura around him remained the same white. Opening his eyes, his red irises turned a cold wolf grey as he looked at his comrades with calmness. "I'm sorry, everyone." he said with deep remorse as he rose to his feet. Acquiring the full potential of seishun powa, Cobalt knew the next hit would end this fight.

Azule clenched his teeth as his wounds bled, his body echoing the heavy heartbeat that pumped loudly and slowly. Though the irregular beat was stable again, Azule knew he had to be suffering from internal bleeding, "My body is failing me faster than I imagined it would. My already short life span dwindles with each pounding I take, and yet I'm still going? I have no clue if this is my adrenaline speaking but if I'm going to die at the hands of anyone, then I'm glad it'll be you…" Azule said with a smile while coughing up blood.

"Azule…" Cobalt murmured with a saddened expression; if Cobalt wanted, he could end Azule's life easily since he was nothing more than a shell of himself from earlier.

Azule's smile didn't fade, "I see you've finally come to, Cobalt. Now, let me ask you one more time…Are we still bros? Are you still apart of Squidcom?" he said as the pain grew stronger throughout his body, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Cobalt gripped his sword, "If we weren't, you'd be dead by now."

Azule laughed lightly before holding his chest to ease the discomfort. As they both stare down each other for what seemed like the last time, the vicious red eyes of Cobalt had returned to the calm and careless gaze that Azule knew so well, and likewise for Azule, his blue eyes that'd gone to madness had finally settled back to the charming and innocent light that Cobalt had always known. Setting their feet in the ground and putting all the weight into their legs…

This is it. Either him or me…who falls first!? They thought simultaneously.

Cobalt comes at Azule with all he has left, forcing Azule to dance around his offensive onslaught as he traps him away from Squidcom, who're fighting their hardest to hold back the tears pouring from their face. They couldn't watch this fight any longer knowing what the result might be; Sally and Reice were the only ones who held tears back quite strongly, but their expressions told the entire story: this was agonizing to watch from the perspective of being close friends. New cuts appear on Azule's skin as Cobalt's carbon sword finds its mark and chips away at Azule's defenses. Though he was fortified for most of the match, Azule was still a growing boy-he wasn't completely developed to handle such fatal attacks. Cobalt's pace quickens as he notices the sluggish response of Azule, and thus an opening.

SCRINNNNNNG!

An upward diagonal slash to the right catches Azule, who'd mistimed his dodge and wrongly predicted which attack was coming. Cobalt easily cut Azule's left cheek and left a small but deep gash that'd surely make for a permanent scar. Azule's stunned for a split second, reeling from the sudden hit when Cobalt lands a double: a leg sweep followed by a sumo punch to forehead, sending Azule hard onto the floor. The back of Azule's head hit the floor hard, and immediately his irises disappeared with only the whites remaining. Cobalt knocked him out. Cobalt won.

Falling to the floor, Cobalt dropped his sword-stunned as his returning red irises tremble in disbelief as the lifeless body before. His face was covered in Azule's blood much the same way Azule's was with his since they both went all out. Squidcom were shocked by Azule's defeat. Throughout the team's existence, Azule and Cobalt reigned as the two strongest members with Azule seeming to have the edge in raw power, but with this result, it was clear who the supreme inkling was. Fuchsia and Kosami had rivers of tears as they rushed over to his aid, Reice, Violet and most importantly, Sally, were all ready to carry on Azule's will and got into a fighting stance. All of them were emotionally bruised by this. Cobalt rose to his feet after catching his breath, seeing his comrades point their trembling weapons at him. A disheartening feeling it was to see the reluctance on their faces as they tried to convey hostility.

"Please...lower your weapons." Cobalt said in an exhausted tone, losing his will to continue fighting.

"We promised to bring you back." Violet said, her composure not the same as it usually was as she struggled to hide her shaken tone.

Cobalt shook his head, "I'm not going back with you guys...I can't"

"Tangie already told us the backstory. We know why you're doing this, and that isn't your burden to deal with. You competed in the selection, ain't that good enough!?" Reice yelled, all three of them holding guns in their hands.

Cobalt shook his head again, "That's not the complete story...if I tell you my reason...if I show you my resolve...will you grant me freedom to do as I please?" he said while out of breath, struggle to maintain eye contact thanks to the ferocious pain hitting him now that he wasn't focusing on battle. The trio looked as one another, knowing they couldn't bring themselves to shoot their dear friend; lowering their guns, they were all ears for Cobalt's reason to go this far. Fuchsia and Kosami, along with Jory who came over to help aid Azule, turned their heads to Cobalt and hear his story.

"..."

After explaining to them his true reasons for leaving their side, none of them could even bring themselves to look him in the eye. It was never his intention to leave them for good, but he'd be gone for the selection and hopefully return safely. Unfortunately, fate played a different story instead, leading to this brutal fight. Seeing the glimmer of hope in Cobalt's eyes, none of them could respond with the selfish with to take him back to Inkopolis. He belonged in Ikayumu, as the future successor to the Tokugawa throne. Fighting to get to his feet, he drags himself with a limp in his step-approaching Azule. The members of Squidcom let him through, understanding what his intentions might be. Standing before the unconscious Azule that rests in Kosami's lap, Cobalt gets on his knees and rests his hand on his unconscious captain's face. Running his hands along Azule's face, Cobalt can't help but feel the moisture in his eyes as he looked as his captain that laid peacefully asleep painted in blood. Slowly running his hand down the side of Azule's face-Cobalt smiles warmly, tilting his head with a familiarity lie that of a brother, and letting the tears flow as his smiling lips quivered.

"I'm sorry…" he uttered while bowing, "Brothers will fight, captain." he said shakenly as he wrapped his arm around Azule's head and gave him a thoughtful hug, sniffling as the tears stained his attire. Thinking about the memories he made with Azule, and everyone, Cobalt was hugging his captain for the last time.