"Ughhhhh I'm tiredddd…" Azule groaned with complaint as he sprawled out on the couch; Sally whacks him on the head with a fan, prompting Azule to roll out the couch.
Jory rubs the back of his neck as he looks at his drained teammates, "I guess this is the grind of the Rank Wars. You guys have been playing every single day of this week. Crazy to believe that we only get tomorrow and Sunday off from Rank Wars, and on top of that, we still have school Monday through Wednesday...what's up with the education system?"
"They prioritize other things. One of them is sports." Violet said with her usual lack of emotion as she gets up from the chair she was sitting in to go and look for something in the fridge.
"Still, to think that we've remained undefeated up until now is quite surprising! I mean, we took down Legion, the second most popular team in the rankings!" Reice said with awe; his teammates pay him no mind as they scattered through the room for a spot of their own, most of them were fatigued because of that very same game and needed somewhere to rest their heads for the night-unable to make it back to their dorms in their current state
Outside was dusk as the sun already set an hour prior to now, and just a few hours ago they were engaging in a battle that felt like it had raised its stakes with each game. But the fatigue started from before today, instead it was yesterday that served as the culprit for the team's fatigue. Yesterday at Walleye Warehouse was where the shift came when the second game mode for the Rank War was revealed: Splat Zones. A change that each team knew would come, it was important by all means to win the match and gain momentum for the fifth matchday, where the week would end and take the teams to another new mode immediately. Squidcom's opponents were the Pirates, a team with a losing record, but by no means a pushover. Three games could be played, but in the minds of many, it was thought to just be a sweep with the way Squidcom were impressing with their star players in Azule and Sally; the Pirates, however, had other intentions. As the first game got started, the tone of the match was established immediately. Like a cephalopod that was possessed, the Pirates raided the Splat Zone and anchored there, fighting off the pressing Squidcom that seemed to have been just a step too slow. As the match continued and it seemed like Azule and his team would make their eventual turnaround and claim the first game, the warning signs began to show. To the eyes of Fuchsia, Kosami, and the worrying Jory, who felt compelled by his teammate's lack of intensity that he'd prefer to be down there instead of one of them, they knew that at this rate, Squidcom were in danger of losing their first ever match in the Rank Wars. Was it a dire situation if Squidcom took a loss? Of course not, in fact, it was encouraged to lose early in the season so that the standings won't have a devastating effect later on in the season where every game has a meaning. There was a reason Squidcom were undefeated and why there was such a push to stay undefeated…
In the last Rank Wars, the Elites-Sky's team-managed to play undefeated until a surprise loss that came on the final day of the regular season and at the hands of none other than Squidcom. Defeating the team that was levels ahead of any current team in this Rank Wars, Squidcom performed a task that no other team-not even Pastelle's Kidvel-could pull. If that powerful team of Sky, Aaron, Pearl, and Austin, could fall to the hands of a group of first years, then what could stop Squidcom? Squidcom had the potential to go undefeated if they really put in the effort. The effort however, was being tested in this very match as the Pirates held off Squidcom to win the first game by knockout. Finding new struggles at every turn, Squidcom learned after that loss that as they got stronger, wiser, and hungrier, so did the people who they went up against; everyone wants to take down an undefeated opponent. Having a different type of target on their back from the one they had in the first Rank Wars, this target carried more significance. They weren't the targets of the competition because of hatred, but because they were just that good. Realizing the weight that sunk on their shoulders, Squidcom lowered their heads and gritted their teeth. Taking a well-earned victory at 2-1 with every match ending in a knockout.
As Azule laid on his back while looking up to the ceiling with a drained stare, he slowly closes his eyes, hearing a hissing pressure in his ears as his breathing slowed and eyelids become heavy like weights, he dozes off. The image in his mind turned to what happened today at Inkblot Art Academy…
Daytime at the Inkblot Art Academy. Azule is walking down the hallway with Kosami and Fuchsia, who're feeding him info as they walk. Time was still left before teams had to meet up for the Rank Wars, and at this time it seemed like Squidcom's scouts were using this time to share all information they had gathered. Updates on Kidvel, Sealions, and many of the other teams were what dominated the ears of Azule, who learned that Kidvel was indeed stronger than the previous season, and that the Sealions-Todd's team-were an immediate threat that he needed to be weary of. Stopping in his tracks, Azule lifts his hand to stop them and gives them a beaming smile.
"Thanks for the info, but you should probably go and tell the others too." he said happily with a glow; they were a little bit surprised at how sudden he was trying to get rid of them, but knowing he meant no ill will, they both gave a nod and went ahead to meet up with Squidcom.
Walking the two girls go ahead of him, Azule's beaming smile quickly dissolved as his blue eyes became heavy with thought as a sharp glint pierces them like a killer about to strike. Crossing his arms, Azule lowered his head with a widened stance of his legs. Listening to the echoing surroundings of the hallways, Azule heard the bickering friends who gossip about the Rank Wars, the jellyfish who're taking classes at such an unfortunate time of the day, and... another inkling.
"If you're going to tail someone, you need to do a better job of it." Azule said slowly as he as his sharp eyes look back; standing before him was an inkling who had his hands in his pockets and a downward look as though he thought little of Azule as his chin raised upward obnoxiously. Donning the colors of black, white, and green with spiked up hair and a serious expression like a bull about to attack a matador, this boy was someone who had the same serious aura as Azule.
"So, you're the infamous little brother…" the boy spoke, his voice having a strange calm but arrogant tone.
Azule narrows his eyes as he gets a better look over his shoulder of who this dude was, "What's it to ya?"
"I'm Mason. I'll be facing you today."
Azule turns around to face him, his arms coming apart as he stares down his opponent. "The leader of Legion."
Mason smirked, "Squidcom's captain. A pleasure it is to meet you."
That sarcasm pissed off Azule as he read Mason's eyes. That tone didn't match what he saw. His reason for being here-no, tailing him...what was Mason up to? Watching his opponent seem to be lost for a moment, Azule figured out what he wanted to say. But as he opened his mouth to speak, Mason cut him off.
"Don't think you're special. I've only come to give you a warning message." Mason said coldly as he looked down Azule, but Azule wasn't going to let somebody who barely had any screen time give him the cold shoulder.
Azule fixed his cap as he kept his glare on Mason, "Go back to your team if you know what's good for you."
"Ah, so the person I saw at orientation still has that same bark. No matter, I'll show you in our match...that we're a different class from what you've faced thus far!"
Azule looks bored, "Yeah, whatever. Just leave and I'll take care of you in a few." he said without a care in the world, already dismissing Legion as a challenge; Mason smirked as though he had a trick up his sleeve.
"I'll show your sister that it was a grave mistake letting you take her midnight ability." Mason said as he walked away, Azule had trouble comprehending what he meant by that last line. How in the world did he come to that conclusion? Either way, he was wrong.
Left in a foul mood, Azule proceeded to go and meet up with his team for the start of the match. With no words being exchanged, Squidcom's plan was the same as usual where they'd adjust their play depending on the flow of the game. Game 1 is off to a fast start as both teams dispersed from spawn and make a rush for the single zone located in the middle of the map, the cheers from the fans get noticeably louder than usual as the teams make their move. This time, music plays in the background unlike the previous matches; the funky melody of acid jazz that blasts through the speakers offers a whole new level of depth to the match as the syncing of drums, trumpets, the piano, and even a saxophone mesh together behind the vocals of an energetic inkling. Reice sticks to his upper platform and inks the turf that he can while avoiding the dangers of the opponent's range, Sally throws caution to the wind and makes her advancement with her Blobobber in hand, backed up by Azule on her right and Violet to her left. Violet shoots herself a vertical path and climbs up the wall to get a better view of the enemy location, but as she arrives at the top, she's greeted by the H-3 Nozzlenose D of her opponent, who gives a sly grin as he pulls the trigger. Green ink is splattered everywhere as Violet disappears from the damage with only her ink tank and gun remaining for a moment. Violet was so stunned by the surprise hit that she already had the face of the person burned into her mind, their squid bagging taunt getting under her skin as she watched them show off their momentary victory. At that same moment, Sally was finding herself in a pinch as she noticed the falling momentum of her attack now that Violet got sent back to spawn and Azule-too was struggling to hold his own. Realizing she could no longer make a push, she retreats while still staying on the attack to avoid having any of them chase her. Legion weren't holding back in their attack as they worked like a well-communicating unit, switching targets as they kept within the zone and always prioritizing getting control of the splatzone over the splats of the enemies. Irate at the way, things were going with the score heavily in favor of Legion after two minutes have passed, Squidcom needed to make an adjustment. But nothing was working! From changing their approach to the splatzone, to ganging up on one individual, Squidcom just couldn't seem to get any momentum flying their way as they watched the bad guy's meter descend closer to zero.
"Legion's playing solid." Kosami said with concern heavy in her tone.
"They're playing with a strange air of confidence. Their leader, Mason, looks like he's everywhere. He's assisting in splats, racking up the most turf inked and overall looks like he's got his fingerprints everywhere in this match." Fuchsia added as she shook her head in disbelief.
Jory brought his hand to his chin, "He's casting a cloud of despair over Squidcom. Unless they find a way to get out of this predicament, they'll be in danger of losing. Someone needs to step up to the plate and hit a homerun."
But who? Everyone seemed to be in a funk now. Azule didn't look too impressive with his play despite his talk earlier with Mason. He was struggling, though that was partially due to his stubbornness in wanting to go after Mason solo, who continued to end him easily with his .96 gal gun. Violet and Reice were stuck with even being able to penetrate the splat zone thanks to the disarray in communication with each chance they tried to flank going up in smoke thanks to a surprise splat by a Squeezer or Explosher or by the press from the same H-3 Nozzlenose D that took down Violet earlier. Sally seemed the quietest, having not made much of an impact throughout the match and instead playing very conservative instead of taking the usual risks that she was known for doing.
The way they're playing...it bothers me! Sally thought as she made her leap out the spawn after having been splattered a moment earlier. This feeling of containment. I feel trapped. Not just by them but...myself as well? Am I limiting myself by using this weapon? She stops at a ramp that leads to the elevated area just before the middle of the map, her eyes glued to her Blobobber that she'd been using so far. I thought that using other weapons would be fun. That I could enjoy this competition with my friends, experimenting with new weapons and allowing myself to grow further beyond the walls that limit me...was I... wrong? Having a crisis, Sally became a pedestrian while the action went on by, and everyone took notice. Reice looked back at the statue of a sister and quickly yelled to her.
"SALLY! THIS WAY!" He shouted, just before being splatted.
Snapping out of it, Sally saw her brother get splatted but took no action, and instead watched as her team struggled. Seeing an angry Reice get in front of her trying to get her attention, Sally kept her thousand-yard stare on the splatzone that was still in Legion control, seeing Azule get pummeled by a gang up and seeing Violet be forced to retreat. There was no possible way to stop Legion, and as the counter came to zero and the whistle blew, Sally kept her gaze on the four enemies that stood atop the point all taunting in their own way.
This isn't fun… Sally thought as she watched time expire.
After the first game, murmurs and whispers filled the crowd at the unsightly effort of Sally and the ugly performance of Squidcom. Legion were up 1-0 and only needed another victory to claim the match outright and it didn't seem like Squidcom was going to put up much of a fight. It didn't help that the commentators for the match were showing clear bias to Legion since they were one of the hottest teams in the competition. Returning to spawn, Sally gave a sigh-followed by an angered Reice shouting at her for not trying. Azule calms Reice down, but he didn't disagree with what he had to say. It felt as though Sally just gave up on them…
"Sally…?" Violet muttered as she placed her hand on Sally's shoulder, noticing that her teammate refused to even look up from the ground.
Sally didn't move an inch, "Leave the next game to me." she said ominously; Squidcom had no clue what she was planning, but when she raised her head and turned to look at her squad-she sent chills with her stare. It's often known that sometimes the first games can be considered a sacrifice of sorts. In the case of Sally, her sacrifice in the first game was just one thing: her joy in competition. The fun and excitement of switching weapons and trying new gear to see what can work, playing with teammates, and visiting different maps. She enjoyed making those memories. But when she saw Legion's style, the way they bullied her and her team. For some reason, it got under her skin. It got her riled up. She couldn't take the beatdown she received in the first game without having an answer that'd erase that embarrassment.
"R-right…" Reice mumbled, seeing the fire in his sister's eyes and seeing her take out another weapon.
Azule smiled with confidence, "Okay! We'll leave it to you, Sally! So, we'll win this one!" getting pumped up, he hopped in place while waiting for the next match.
Once the whistle blew for game 2, Sally took the initiative. Without another word being said, Sally raced for enemy spawn and ignored the splatzone. On the opposing side, Legion were making the same push as usual when they spotted a figure rushing towards them. Unaware that it was the speeding predator in Sally who was about to wipe the floor with them, they continued the same strategy as before and dispersed to different routes looking to regroup on the splatzone. However, they didn't get far. Sally does a jump to the left and fires her heavy splatling in mid jump, first taking down her opponent who tried to cut to her left the ramp before her that led to a side area, then redirecting her gun to take down Mason and another of his teammates, who'd tried to take the linear path by climbing up the little obstacle that resembled a tree. Capturing a triple splat in the blink of an eye, Sally wasn't done yet; many were left speechless by the insane speed of Sally but were forgetting that indeed, she was known as the fastest squid in the country after her victory in the fall festival.
"ALRIGHT!" Bianca shouted with hype as she pumped a fist after Sally's triple. Sitting beside her was some of her friends from her club.
The commentators were stunned by the sudden change in the mood of the game as Squidcom went from being crushed in game 1 to completely owning game 2 with the entire attitude being adjusted by the performance of just one inkling. As they continued to call the game as objectively as possible after seeing a shift in the cheers from those who were watching, their mouths drop like a block as the match continued. Sally was consistently splatting the team by herself to the point that she was spawn camping them and giving them no room to even leave. As Legion sit in their spawn trapped like a gazelle about to be hunted by a lion. Whenever anyone from Legion tried to leave their spawn-no, so much as even ink outside their spawn-they were met by the deadly encounter of a raging Sally who reminded them that attempting to fight back was suicide.
"T-this is only game 2! Why is she going so far!?" one boy of Legion said as he tried to create a path before it got instantly cut off.
"I don't know, Dexter! I didn't think our biggest worry would be Walleye of all the people from Squidcom!" A girl replied in an anxious tone, terrified of leaving her spawn after being conditioned with fear by Sally's death stare.
Mason's head lowered in shame as the audible shots of fury from Sally's heavy splatling pound against the barrier. This wasn't what he expected… back when the first rank wars took place, his attention had only been focused on the rambunctious first year inkling who was much like him, except the telling difference being that Azule took the initiative to make his mark and leave an impact in the minds of everyone for better or worse. Seeing Azule stand his ground and go against an entire school was inspiring. Watching Squidcom seemingly struggle in their opening games before the surprise absence of their captain, and then seeing them show their true colors as they fought game after game at a disadvantage because of their loyalty to their captain. How could he ever have forgotten? The one who led that fiery trio, the one who earned the title as the team's lethal ace, the girl who was every bit like her captain-and then some. How could he have overlooked Sally, of all people? Focusing on trying to crush Squidcom's shining star, to extinguish the flames of hope that were burning in the heart of Squid Academy that saw the flashes of the successors to the Elites spring to life, he'd forgotten that before he could even break the defenses of Reice, rattle the composure of Violet, or even get to the captain Azule, he had to fight off the fangs of Sally.
"Step back, everyone." Mason said as he looked up at Sally; plenty of time was still left on the clock, but after having wasted plenty of time on trying to escape, Squidcom were on the verge of victory. If Legion were going to have any chance to close them out, it had to be now. If Squidcom won this game, there was no chance to stop the comeback. Their only hope was to take possession of the splatzone and hope that the hefty bonus that'd be added to Squidcom would help in slowing down the pace of this game and give them enough time to come up with a counterattack. They just needed a way to contain Sally, and then once that was taken care of, they could go back to the way they play-
"You're done." Violet said under her breath as she fired her shot from a high point with an open aim on spawn.
He thought that only Sally was on the spawn, that only Sally would bother to camp there and terrorize his team. How foolish he was. As he took a shot to the head, followed by the merciless extermination by Sally, he connected all the pieces together at the final moment. Sally had been stalking them the entire time, but once Squidcom saw their opportunity, they took the advantage of having the lead countdown to get into a position where if anyone tried to leave spawn, they'd be cancelled. 1, 2, 3, 4, all four inklings are at the door of spawn, ready to kill. From Sally at the entrance, to Violet atop a high point, from Reice approaching via the ramp, to the sitting Azule who'd been next to the spawn the entire time watching his teammate make easy work of her opponents. Legion never had a chance to begin with, and that realization of helplessness is what crushed them...
"That game was a close call thanks to your efforts Sally. I've never seen you get so worked up like that before." Fuchsia complimented after a sigh of relief when she thought back to the match as she relaxed in a reclining seat.
"N-no need to give me all the credit. It was a team effort!" Sally blushed as she tried to cover his rosy-red cheeks.
"But for real though, you played excellent. I think it's safe to say we're on pace to be the best team in the league." Kosami added.
Squidcom managed to survive and keep their undefeated streak to five wins but knew that this was only the beginning. Their upcoming games saw them having to face familiar foes in the Rebels and against Todd and his new team. But, beyond the gossip of the competition that saw Squidcom projected to move up the ranks to 2nd, another topic still loomed over: Ixia's interference. Though they hadn't interfered in the Rank Wars like they hyped up on their various sites and forums, the looming talks that the hacker group were going to take action still remained relevant with each day that passes by. That silence filled with anxiety spreads throughout the room like a cloud about to grow, becoming heavier as time goes by. A nervous Jory runs his fingers down the threading of his pants, "There's still Ixia to worry about as well." he said, breaking the silence with knowledge that this was the next topic at hand that the rest probably didn't want to bring up. Already having to handle the stress of balancing this competition with their school work and clubs, the addition of Ixia just made everything even more upsetting. The idea of some random group of intelligent people abusing their talent to try and destroy the morale of some teenagers was irritating to the likes of Azule, Reice, and Violet, while seeming more worrisome for Sally, Fuchsia, Jory, and Kosami.
"I'm still concerned about our upcoming games and the fact that Ixia hasn't made a move on the Rank Wars. We're already a week into competition and their threats just seem empty and yet..." Sally voiced her displeasure at the way the overcast of fear from Ixia felt like it was hindering some of the joy of the Rank Wars, but even she couldn't figure out a way to translate the frustrating and fearful emotions that clashed within her when it came to Ixia's involvement.
Kosami shook her head as she gazes out through the window at the view of the evening lit campus, "I already told you, they won't attack until an opportune moment. It might not be Tuesday or Wednesday, but it might very well be. All that can be assured is that they will attack the games at some point."
"What do you think they'll do for an attack?" Jory asked.
Kosami shrugs her shoulders, "The possibilities are endless: They could overwrite the system and crash it to make all networking disabled-stopping it from giving live coverage and even damaging the records being tallied, or they could hack our weapons and favor teams over the other by messing with the kits and setups of the weapons, another is maybe misplacement in transporting the players to the spawns of different maps that might even be outside of jurisdiction, or flat out, something even worse."
"Worse as in abduction, right?" Azule said under the shadow of his cap as he rests his arms on his kneecaps.
Kosami nods reluctantly, "...yes. Ixia is a huge group. Although they started as a hacker group, they can be considered terrorists. I...no, we have no clue what they might be planning."
The silence in the room becomes stronger as all of them reflect on their journey leading up to this, pondering whether this would be yet another chapter in which they had to grit their teeth for a fight. From taking down Spyke and the Black Urchins to battling Kida, to stopping a crime war in Beacon Hills, to attempting to contain a prison break from the notorious Death Row island, to the loss of Cobalt and Tangie in the events of the Tokugawa selection. Once again for Squidcom, this felt like yet another mess that they were about to get themselves into with Kosami's involvement. But as Ixia's cloud of misfortune darkened, the resolve of Kosami strengthened as she kept her wishes true. She wanted to help her team in the same way they helped her when they killed her abusive monster stepfather, to help their captain the same way he helped her when they were kids. She wanted to prove her worth, to show that she was a member of the team willing to make a sacrifice of her own. The same way Tangie sacrificed an arm, or Cobalt's sacrifice to leave home to return to his true domain. Kosami was willing to sacrifice her safety and ambiguity to delve into the dangerous realms of the web if it meant putting a stop to Ixia, she was fine with being targeted by the group should she ever expose them. After Friya and Brittany returned to the dorm to the surprise of entire cast of Squidcom camping out in their living room, they decided to get as many blankets as they had and let everyone spend the night since it was pretty late for the guys to just head back to their place in the condition they were in and Kosami didn't want to leave when her entire team was sticking together at Sally and Violet's domain; she'd feel left out. Thus, everyone went to bed before it was even midnight with the girls staying in their rooms like usual while Squidcom crashed in the living room. Azule sleeps on the floor like a baby and is curled into the fetus position with his hat resting next to him, Reice sleeps on his back while on the opposite side of Azule-sleeping next to the coffee table, Jory and Fuchsia sleep together on one couch with each sitting on one side of the couch, and Kosami sleeps in the other chair. Time passes by at the white noise of the fan running from the girl's room echoes throughout the dorm, adding a peaceful ambience to the darkened room that only had the cast of blue light from the moon shining through one of the windows.
Bzzt!
Kosami's head jerks forward in the dark as she opens her eyes with alertness and looks around the room to make out the slumbering shadows at on the floor and in the other couch. Slowly taking out her phone, she covers the light of it to avoid waking the others and brings the brightness down-putting on her glasses to see what notification she got at this time of the night. 3 am!? She shouts in her fuzzy mind as she looks at her phone's time; someone messaged her this early in the morning about something it seems. Giving a strained sigh, she opens her phone to check the message, only to see it was from someone she knew quite well.
"I'm meeting up with Sky around 4, can you come along? It's about Ixia…" the message read and its sender, Pastelle.
Why did Pastelle want to do this meeting now?
Sluggishly getting up, Kosami made her way to Pastelle based on where she asked to meet up. Marching through the chilly early hours of the new day, Kosami saw how peaceful the dead campus was before the sunrise, looking over her shoulder and to her side at every passing glance of the dark trees and lit building, looking for the pastel green inkling. Sitting over at a bench near the entrance of the school sat Pastelle with her arms crossed as though asleep, an inkling with a sky-blue hue and sharp leer that cut through Kosami's guard the moment she laid eyes on her; realizing it was them, she raced over.
