Squid Academy High School, a unique preparatory school with high end dorms that's also the home to the popular event known as the Rank Wars, a school-wide competition that pits team clubs against each other with the winner representing the school on the bigger stages of competition. The previous winners of the Rank Wars were the Elites, the 5x Rank Wars champions that hadn't lost a single competition since their conception in their first year where they shocked the sporting community. Everything changed with their retirement, specifically with the end of Sky and Aaron, the queen and king of the school who retired and set the standards for the next wave. With them gone, the school populace was desperate to find a replacement for the void left by the icons, and luckily for them, this Rank Wars would possibly fulfill that. Three teams led the popularity poll on campus: Kidvel, Rebels, and Squidcom, the three teams that made it into the remaining four of the last rank wars; one of them were predicted to win the competition this year. Kidvel were the main favorites to win since they had the experience over all the other participating teams, with four members who're all second years and experienced in playoff competition as well as possessing talent that rivaled many of the top teams in the nation, it was hard to go against Kidvel led by Pastelle, their ace player. The Rebels sat in second place as favorites to win it all, led by their reformed leader Todd who evolved on the turf, becoming a force to be reckoned with once he developed his team of first years further after losing his original squad. In third sat the wild card team of Squidcom, who shocked the community by making a deep run with only three members and playing without their team captain, leaving the nagging impression that if their captain was there, they might've won the whole shebang. But with their captain returning, some people had doubts and questions about whether this team was the real deal, or whether the little brother of the iconic Sky Royale would crumble under the heavy expectations left behind by his sister.
The atmosphere around school had the excitement similar to a festival with the amount smiling students who couldn't help but ponder the first week of matches that saw all 20 teams SAHS square off. Of the teams competing in this Rank Wars, only 3 teams were returning from previous bout, meaning plenty of fresh faces were taking a crack at the title this year. None of the newcomers were any notable names, but many of the new teams contained familiar names that competed in the previous competition. As the hype around the school grew, the only topic for discussion was the schedule for the rank wars and the extent of the rules given. During this iteration of Rank Wars, it'd model it's campaign after the ranked mode used in Inkopolis Square and Plaza with the themes of the matches being based on the actual game modes. On the schedule released to the teams, there would be 20 regular season matches played within the span of 4 weeks, meaning 5 games a week that led into middle and late February with the playoffs taking place in the latter part of the month. The winner of this competition would go on to represent Squid Academy in the Spring Invitationals, the next major competition on the road to Nationals and the Grand Tournament. The list went as followed: Week 1-Tower Control/Splat Zones, Week 2-Clam Blitz/Rainmaker, Week 3-Rainmaker/Tower Control, Week 4-Clam Blitz/Splat Zones. Afterwards, a playoff featuring the eight best teams would go down to determine the winner with a random mode being drawn. Maps for the competition had also been released, following the same rotation as the local battles, the first matches started on campus, and the last match took place on campus.
February Rank Wars Map Rotation:
Week 1
Matchday 1: Snapper Canal-Wednesday
Matchday 2: Kelp Dome-Thursday
Matchday 3: The Reef-Friday
Matchday 4: Walleye Warehouse-Saturday
Matchday 5: Inkblot Art Academy-Sunday
Week 2
Matchday 6: Blackbelly Skatepark-Tuesday
Matchday 7: Camp Triggerfish-Wednesday
Matchday 8 Humpback Pumptrack-Thursday
Matchday 9 Arowana Mall-Friday
Matchday 10: Mako Mart-Saturday
Week 3
Matchday 11: Shellendorf Institute-Tuesday
Matchday 12: Ancho V Games-Wednesday
Matchday 13: Piranha Pit-Thursday
Matchday 14: Manta Maria-Friday
Matchday 15: Goby Arena-Saturday
Week 4
Matchday 16: Musselforge Fitness-Tuesday
Matchday 17: Sturgeon Shipyard-Wednesday
Matchday 18: Port Mackerel-Thursday
Matchday 19: Starfish Mainstage-Friday
Matchday 20: Moray Towers-Saturday
Playoffs: Wahoo World, New Albacore Hotel, Flounder Heights, Saltspray Rig, Hammerhead Bridge, Bluefin Depot, Museum D'Alfonsino, Urchin Underpass
Sitting together in a classroom after school, Squidcom sat together and formulated on their plan. Opening day was tomorrow, and they'd need to be on their best form if they wanted to knock off rivals Kidvel and Rebels while also avoiding any of the newcomer teams that remained a mystery until their debut. Azule, Sally, Violet, Reice, and their rotation player, Jory are all sitting in desks that form a U shape around Fuchsia who is giving them the rundown on the assessment made by her and Kosami during the matches made from the previous Rank War, the turf wars and ranked modes.
"If there is one thing our team has over the others, it is in our team balance. We have undoubtedly one of the fastest teams in the competition with the fastest swimmer and runner on our team in Sally. Azule stands as another speed threat who can catch everyone off guard with his sudden burst of acceleration, and last but certainly not the least, we have Jory, who is as slippery as any octling I've ever seen. To maximize this potential for speed, I devised a formation known as the Blitzka. A formation that will have three attackers and one supporter, the roles of the attackers are to act as sweepers and clean the floor of any opponents while their fellow sweepers work on the objective; an interchangeable formation that'll work based on the flow of the match. For this formation, I'd see Sally, Azule, Jory, and Violet as the optimal setup." Fuchsia said as she looked at the concentrated team and adjusting her reading glasses; they gave a nod of approval, but Reice raised his hand.
"I like the formation, but surely there are more you have in mind? Seeing this tells me that it'd be perfect to use in Splat Zones and Clam Blitz since the speed factor can be crucial, but what about the others? If we get wiped out, our speed will mean nothing."
Kosami nodded with a satisfied smirk, "Hm hm. That's exactly why we devised multiple formations. Blitzka is just one of the many with a special focus on swift play."
"We can go over the rest of the schemes when the season begins and we're in the thick of things. Right now, we'd just be troubling ourselves to go over these tasks."
"Fair enough, anything else we should go over before we call it a day and get some rest?"
"What about weapons? We should go to sleep tonight knowing what weapon we'll be using."
"Oh! I forgot about that…"
"Ah, for weapons, we'll need to come up with strategies as well since everyone's been switching." Kosami added as she looked at her notepad.
Azule already raised his hand, "I'm switching to dualies permanently. I'll rotate between Enperry, Squelcher, Dark tetra, Light, tetra and Splat."
"Ehhhhh? You're a roll whore now?" Sally said condescendingly with a smug grin; she hated dualie users but found it entertaining that Azule was converting to a different weapon class.
"Roll whore!?" Azule's face paled in surprise, shocked by Sally's harsh title for him.
"It means you just roll around the map but aren't actually good, you just depend on the rolls to style on other play-"
"I know what it means, Reice!" Azule responded with irritation and steam.
"Putting that aside, what are your weapon choices?"
Reice, Sally, and Violet look at one another and give a nod before giving their answers. Reice decided to rotate between sloshers and rollers with his main being the sloshing machine and the flingza roller, Sally decided to stick with splatling weapons for the most part-though she said she'd surprise everyone on matchday with her weapon choice. Violet stuck to her specialty of charger weapons, though it was probably an E-liter of some kind based on how she ruled out using anything other than the E-liter scope, making a frown when the others mentioned the squiffer, goo tuber, or bamboozler. As for the meeting, it wrapped up rather quickly. Though the Rank Wars began tomorrow, everyone was fatigued after a long day of school from having to power through boring lectures to listening to all the announcements and important information about upcoming events, to coping with the anxiety of a hefty Rank War where only three or four teams were known as of yet with half of those being speculated.
Deciding to take a trip to the city and enjoy the ambience of the night surrounded by the skyscrapers of the concrete jungle, Azule skipped out of going home with Reice and put on his headphones to have some tunes to listen to. Enjoying the sight of the packed streets with cars, people walking along the sidewalks, the lights from the many shops still open, and the scent from the many vendors who were wrapping up before closing time helped put his mind at ease. Under a lot of stress, Azule felt his head was about to burst and needed this walking trip to put him at ease and not think about how tomorrow would go. He just needed time to himself. Upon returning late with the moon out for an appearance, Azule makes his way into the dorm, only to spot a strange pair of shoes in the doorway upon entering. Taking off his shoes and peeping into the living room, Azule spotted a grown man sitting on the couch sipping tea as if awaiting his arrival.
"Good evening, son…" Julian said as he rests the tea on the table; Azule's mood went sour immediately as he looks at his father, reminded once again of his similarity in looks to the man he greatly disliked.
"He was outside the door when I got home and has been waiting all evening for you. I know everything, by the way, since I kept him company along with Reice…" A shadow in the dark hallway said as he leaned against the wall, his glare was the only thing visible in the darkness. "Regardless of what's happened between you guys, you need to straighten it out. I don't want you having any excuses when we face each other." the shadow said as he disappeared; Azule knew all too well who that was and just hissed to himself as he looked back to his dad.
"Get your shoes on, good for nothing. If we're going to talk, I rather it be somewhere else than here."
Julian felt hurt but followed along with his son's request; they didn't say anything on the way out the dorm nor did they say anything once they reached outside. Instead, Azule guided his father out of the school ground and pointed a finger, "Get out."
"What?" Julian sounded with extreme shock and how blunt his son was with the harshness.
"Did I stutter, pops? Leave."
Julian held out a hand, "S-son...please, at least give me a chance. I came all this way to spe-"
"I don't care. Just leave, dad." Azule said in a harsher tone on the verge of yelling; trying his hardest not to look his old man in the eyes, it was clear he was on the verge of crying as his eyes moistened with color.
"Azule…"
"Just because you feel guilty doesn't mean you can be forgiven. The things you put me and Sky through...abandoning us, and suddenly you think spewing lies is going to make me forget it? Just leave and go die in a car fire you good-for-nothing!" Azule shouted as a stream of tears fall down his cheek while he clenches his teeth, hiding his face from his father's view; even though he'd accepted the suffering from his childhood and decided to move forward with his life, Azule still kept the door shut on his father and wanted nothing to do with him.
Julian watched his son shed his tears with silence before coming closer and holding out a hand, "Please, let me share with you with what's been on my mind."
Giving a frustrated laugh for getting emotional and showing his weakness so soon, Azule wiped away his tears with his arms and nodded, reaching out for his father's hand. Julian pulls him in close and give his son a warm embrace; surprised by his father's gesture, Azule immediately smelled the scent of alcohol that seem woven into his clothing and looked up to see the rugged face of his old pops. He didn't look the same as he did earlier, looking worn down, stressed, fatigued, he looked like a mess. Seeing this unsightly manmade Azule feel the need to at least hear him out for what was on his mind. Following his father, the two take a detour through a neighborhood and sit at bench under a streetlamp surrounded by the many sleeping houses.
Under the streetlamp, Azule could see the lost look in his father's eyes as he leaned forward and kept his focus on the scenery of plants and alleys ahead of him. "I've made plenty of regrets in my life, Azule. I know I can't atone for the sins I committed, but…"-rubbing his forehead before running down the rest of his face and shaking his head a little- "I want to try and help. I want to be there for you…"
Azule's face lost color for a moment as he watched the hopeless man begin to cry tears himself, choked up on words he couldn't string together in a sentence, all he could do was say, "I'm sorry…"
This was strange. Even though he despised his father for everything he was, there was something that felt wrong about seeing his own father shed tears-especially for him. For Azule, crying wasn't a sign of weakness but an indicator that a person cared too much, that they cared enough to exert such a reaction. All the times his father tried to reconnect meant nothing to him but seeing that same old man shedding tears on a bench in the middle of a neighborhood in the night only made it all too real for Azule; he treated his father harshly.
"I know about it. I know everything. I knew I was too hard on you and Sky with the training, and the orphanage...I... know…"
Azule's eyes dulled as he continued to go pale with the memories from that dark time beginning to materialize once again. Julian had pushed Azule and Sky past their possible limits as children by forcing them to engage in brutal military training in preparation of war. Although he never abused them physically or verbally, the excessive load of training they had to overcome on a daily basis was inhumane that it was the same level of pain being inflicted as though he were beating them. Continuing them on the brutal path, he later on abandoned them by leaving them in the care of a suspicious orphanage on the borders and never returned for either of them. From one struggle to the next, Azule had to endure multiple degrees of abuse and malnourishment to the point that his mind forcefully shut down as a coping mechanism for stress, forcing himself to forget his traumatic memories. Now, his father sat next to him weeping…
"Dad?"
"I never knew that you were going through all of that. All those days when I spent my time trying to fight for a cause, little did I know you were battling monsters. Azule, I'm so hurt that I failed as a father and didn't protect my two youngest cubs of the pack."
Azule could smell it too from his breath that he reeked of alcohol, "Dad, wait."
"I... I don't know what I can do to make it up to you…"
Azule felt the brim of his cap and tightened it, "How about coming to every single one of my games? Spending time with my sister? Try outside of just looking to talk. Seeing you like this is...pathetic."
Julian laughed, "You're right…"
"Now, wipe your face and return to that annoying good-for-nothing that I know so well."
Following his son's advice, he wiped his face and kept on laughing and shaking his head. Azule kept his ears open and urged for them to finally talk it out, realizing that the man who put him through those strenuous years of training was no longer there. Though he was a pathetic shell of that ruthless dog, the man before him was a person who'd been cut through emotionally countless times, and showed the scars woven on every part of his body. Sharing his experience of the brutal wars he fought in, the comrades he lost, and then coming home to see that his children were nowhere to be found. It ate away at him for years before he found Sky after hearing her spruce up the mountain in turf wars, but his son, he never knew what became of him. Sniffling as he wipes away tears, he turns to his son and gives him another hug, catching Azule off guard once again and making him blush with embarrassment as he tries to pry his old man off of him.
"A-anyways… I know things are bad between us but, I want to let you know that I'm rooting for you. I know I'm a failure as a father, but I'll do my best to try and become a better figure-one you can be proud of and brag about." He said while flexing an arm with a worried smile, prepared for rejection even though this was the longest he'd ever talk with his son.
Azule looks at his father blankly before having an annoyed expression and then closing his eyes. He walks past his father and tightens his cap, "Dad, you're a gutless, spineless, good-for-nothing that is a waste of space." Azule said as he looks to make an exit, then turns around and flashes a warm smile, "But you're still my dad, and... I love you. So... make sure to stick around the area more often, okay? Better keep your word and not let me down."
Julian was frozen in shock since this was the first time that Azule ever smiled at him like that. Seeing that rare image of Azule brought back the waves of memory from Azule's infancy when he used to hold him in his arms and play with him. Seeing the beams of sunshine from his son's laugh and his first words being, "I love papa."-remembering this made Julian cry sweet tears of joy; his son finally accepted him, and they could start anew.
Opening day has arrived...
Starting immediately after school, the charter buses were neatly parked out in the front of school like traffic cones as they caught the eyes of the students passing by. All preparations had been completed from team uniforms being delivered first thing in the morning in homeroom, to the bleachers and benches being setup at the current location for today's event, the first matchday of the Rank War season was finally here! As the students split into the buses to go to Snapper Canal before coverage by the media began, the actual participants were already at Snapper Canal and ready to begin their season. Dressed in their home uniform of blue and pink, Squidcom were overlooking the canal where other teams had already gathered and were discussing their schedules for the week; Based on the schedule posted earlier, the game that was the talk of the day was a match between Kidvel-fan favorites, and one of the newcomer teams that'd been created known as the Tigercrabs. Serving as the last match for the day, no doubt, it'd be the game getting the most coverage on television while the others are only going to get streamed through websites and social media. Standing together, Squidcom focus on the skyline in the far distance before looking back to the colorful jerseys and shirts scattered on the grounds with friendly exchange. While today was opening day, since it started after school that meant the matches would run all the way into the late evening with a total of ten matches being played, and with each match containing three rounds in which the first team to win two games won the match overall. Squidcom's match is the seventh of the ten matches today, so they'd have time to check out their opponents and assess their skills while they waited for Fuchsia, Kosami, and Jory. Many new faces caught their eyes as they dissected the fresh faces dressed in their team colors. There was one boy dressed in green, black, and white that had a serious aura about him from his spiked-up hair and his harsh glare filled with focus; his name is Mason and he was one of the first years who'd wanted to participate after seeing how the previous season played out. Another standout inkling that caught their eye was an inkling in yellow with curly pigtails and a radiant aura about her. Her name is Evelyn and based on the murmurs being heard, she was a popular pick among the newcomers that'd shake up the ranks. Thanks to playing later in the day Squidcom got to watch the matches and make their deductions on the main teams and notice some of their habits that showed during the tower control; some teams were quick to rush in and secure the objective while others were busy focusing on getting splats more than the objective itself. Case in point, every team had a personality to them that made them unique. Indeed, the next five weeks were going to make this a memorable Rank War.
"Coming up next, Squidcom will be facing Deadquake. Will both teams proceed to spawn point." The match announcer said as he prepared to give the team introductions; It became noticeable throughout the evening but, there were plenty more people-not just students-that showed up as the matches went along.
There were plenty of cheers and a few jeers as Squidcom were announced with their usual starters, especially for when Azule was called; an interesting reaction was Sally's introduction, which was overwhelmingly positive. Since her work in the previous season, Sally had become a fan favorite in the school and managed to even sway the minds of a few naysayers that didn't believe in her and her teammates. Known as the crazy person to fight with a splatling like it was a splattershot, Sally was dubbed as the rookie version of the beloved queen bee, Sky Royale. With the combined forces of the wild card captain and his insane ace, there was little doubt in how effective they could be. However, the same thing could be said for their opponents, Deadquake, who were one of the new teams formed for this Rank War season. Since there wasn't any info on any teams other than the ones from the previous season, every new team that debuted for the season already had an advantage of their own: anonymity.
"That's what we'll need to be careful of. These teams know us, but we don't know them. More than likely this first round will be an indicator of that." Sally said cautiously as she held her weapon in hand for the match; surprisingly, she wasn't using a splatling of any kind and was instead using a slosher weapon. It looked like a toilet, but…
"Is that a toilet?" Violet pointed with disturbance at Sally's choice, skeptical if he friend had lost a few screws.
"I always knew you had a knack for potty humor, but this isn't what I meant…" Reice joked with his Flingza roller in hand.
Azule giggled, "Sally, please never change who you are."
Sally smirked, "Bwahahaha! Don't worry, I'll flush away the competition! Also, this is a bathtub! Soooo I'll scrub them clean?"
Looks like a toilet at first glance… the others thought.
As the whistle blew, both teams made a rush for the objective without any hesitation. Tower Control was one of those game modes where team chemistry was crucial since blindly rushing in or having poor schemes would leave a team doomed for failure. Since this was the first round of the match, it was clear that both sides would be feeling each other out but were cognizant that whoever won this round had overwhelming momentum for the next round. With that thought in the back of their minds, both sides didn't hold back as they rushed to the tower placed in the middle of the map. Blue and Orange ink spray the turf as both teams make a linear path to the tower with at least one member from each side splitting just before going to the objective. Violet takes the higher path and keeps her scope locked on the tower, ready to land a splat on any unfortunate soul that tried to grab an early lead. Reice flanks with Azule for the tower, and Sally cuts to her left after spotting one of the enemy members making an obscure route. Using her Blobobber, she bubbled the boy the a puddle. On the tower, it was hectic as the members of Deadquake struggled to secure the tower thanks to the irritating work of Violet keeping watch and Azule and Reice adding the pressure in wait to land multiple splats and secure an advantage in moving the tower.
"Okabe, what do we do!? Jeremy's splatted and I doubt Soza and myself can keep this up with the amount of ink consumed, we'll need to retreat and refill."
"Valerie, we can't. If we give them possession of the tower, we'll lose." Okabe, the captain said as he sweats cold bullets.
Deadquake's fear was natural since they were going up against the infamous Squidcom. After Azule's spike in reputation when he squared off with Shiore and the others, his ascension to S rank, and his teammates also getting promotions, it was clear that they were a team to fear. The most notable fear was the activation of Midnight Azule, the crazy powerup ability that seemed to be exclusive to only the most talented of individuals. If Azule ever went into that state, they had no chance; Deadquake had to finish this match as soon as possible by bagging a double of rounds.
"Okay! Switch up. Refill and attack when ready, I'll create the opening needed to grab the tower." Okabe yelled.
Using his clash blaster, Okabe shifts to the left corridor and makes a jump onto Squidcom's side, his blaster aimed at Violet; Violet's mafia instincts kicked in and immediately, her scope turned to Okabe and in cold blood she splats him before his ink can even reach her. Taking down Okabe was the mistake however, because as Violet turned her attention to the tower, she notices the tower was orange and moving toward its goal. But, how!? Just a moment ago, Azule, Reice, and Sally were putting up a fight to grab the tower...what happened!?
"If you think we'll just back down because you're Sky's little brother, you got another thing coming. Everyone wants to represent Squid Academy! Don't look down on us just because you're the chosen one, earn your stripes Squidcom!" Jeremy yelled while on the tower taunting with his .52 gal.
Though the match was only a minute and-a-half in, already Deadquake was making their statement that if Squidcom thought this road would be easy, they'd have another thing coming at them. After Deadquake's hard stance that they wouldn't back down against Squidcom, the match changed drastically and worked in the favor of Deadquake. The momentum they had extended over the course of the round as they slowly but surely continued to extend their lead and continuously force Squidcom to be on the defense and fight to stop the lead from becoming a knockout. After suffering a bombardment of Baller, Inkjet, Tenta Missiles, and Sting Ray specials, Squidcom found themselves in an unfavorable spot. After only managing to ride the tower back to its original spot of no man's land, Squidcom never were able to get a point on the board. During these times of futile rallies, the one who pushed the hardest was none other than Reice, who went all over the map to take down enemies and also push the tower whenever able to after getting the splats. With each offensive rally Squid attempted, they were stumped by the solid teamwork of Deadquake.
With the score at 98-33, the crucial point of this round came with one critical play performed off Okabe's special. Drowning the turf in orange, Squidcom stand no chance as Deadquake get a team wipe and claim the tower to make their final push for a knockout; Squidcom's respawn time proved to work against them since Deadquake only needed one person on the tower while the rest dispersed to cover as much turf as possible to slow down Squidcom.
"ROUND FINISHED!" One of the students working as a commentator said as the tower landed at the finish; with a few minutes still on the board, the round was over as Deadquake snatched a knockout victory for the first round.
An unsurprising victory based on the content of the first match, chatter filled the audience as they respond to what they saw. Although Squidcom had this hype surrounding them with the return of their captain, already they were looking unimpressive after falling short in the first round to one of the newcomer teams. Unfazed by their initial defeat in game 1, Squidcom strengthen their resolve as they look at the scoreboard and see how little impact they were able to make. Stone faced with darkness, none of them showed any light as they lowered their heads and kept quiet, returning to respawn. Droplets of sweat fall from the faces of Jory, Kosami, and Fuchsia, but was it fear? Was it something else? The cold sweat made it clear that something was bothering them as they watched their teammates. Was this it for Squidcom? Was the goal of going to Nationals too far to be reached? After only one round, the luminescence of hope found in the Rank Wars were already becoming a bleak picture filled with gloom for them as they fell down a game in the match, Squidcom found themselves on the ropes in their first match. If they wanted to carry on the wishes of Sky and the Elites, they had to overcome this obstacle, for it wouldn't be the first...nor the last.
