There is a symphony of footsteps a thousand times over as the citizens of Inkopolis begin their usual morning routine from taking the subway to stopping at the nearest shop for a cup of coffee or for a quick snack, students dressed in their uniforms laughing and giggling as they wait for their destination all under the foggy morning sky with hints of sunlight behind the grey puffs that move along at a steady pace. Many folks are on their phones checking through the latest news on the net, the highlight of talk in the local area being of the Rank Wars playoffs. Squidcom's victory at Musselforge fitness is still fresh in the minds of everyone with plenty shocked by Pastelle's defeat and starting to call a recurring pattern of the Kidvel captain seeming to always struggle against the Royale siblings, having a history of losing to Sky Royale and now finding herself losing to Azule Royale. Many are wondering if the hype around Kidvel might be misplaced as she failed to live up to the expectations given by the Elites and the sect that supports them since the retirement of the Elites meant their fanbase gravitating to the team they respected the most in Kidvel. But with the emergence of Squidcom, many former supporters of the Elites saw the same spark in Azule that they saw in their beloved Sky that's made many jump onto the bandwagon. Becoming the most popular team on campus brought a new atmosphere to Squid Academy as it felt like the weight of uncertainty had finally disappeared with worries put to rest as many students who were on the fence about the conclusion of the rank wars and who to pick as there team to put faith in came to resolution; Squidcom were unofficially the team of the school expected to win it all and represent the school in the Spring Invitationals. The newfound popularity wasn't without its flaws as the members of squidcom found it a little bit suffocating having fellow classmates and students come up to them and ask for pictures and to hang out, especially Violet, who found the new fame interrupting her quiet time of reading books to be quite irritating, leading to Sally having to step in and cover her by running off anyone annoying. For the next few days that go by, Squidcom continues their usual form of crushing their opponents in style with Sally continuing to attract votes as the best player in the competition and even wowing some rivals from around the country and even outside the country, looking more and more like the Sky Royale who had the same attention for her scary nature on the turf. Likewise, Azule got coverage and it wasn't for his relation to Sky, but for his Midnight mode that had many wondering if his skillset was on par with the best in the nation like the Ika bros. Daily life still went along like normal with Sally still working at the music shop and continuing to attract customers with her live performances on the various instruments and even singing on some songs, Azule and Reice are out adventuring the city in the evenings finding new places to discover, Kosami's still working at Inkopolis square after school, Violet spends her time in the library getting as much work done to have her nights free for binging shows with her roomates, and Jory started a part time job at a cafe nearby the campus. As for Fuchsia, she spent her days doing research and scouting in her free time, finding it fun to help out the team in her own way and holding a daily evening video chat call with all members to keep the morale and chemistry within the team to an all time high. On the eve of final game of the season, Fuchsia has her laptop resting on her lap as both her hands are filled with notes and plenty of papers scattered on her bed. Adjusting her glasses, she hums aloud while pressing her thumb against a button on her headphones and watches the video footage of Meta's recent games. Her eyes dart from left to right as she tracks everything on the screen, her brows wrinkling as she puts her thoughts together on what this team could be capable of.

"This team…" she takes a deep breath and rests some papers and picks up her pen and begins scribbling down on a blank page; "Meta… I guess sporadic and rowdy is the best way to describe them. They don't seem like an organized crew and yet they're able to get wins convincingly…" though she was impressed by the energetic team, there was still one concern that she couldn't overlook. In every game that Meta played, it got so rough to a point that someone has nearly gotten injured or a player from their side nearly got disqualified for their aggressive play. Thinking of the safety of her team, her fears turned to one player who was hot headed enough to face them head-on without fear: Sally. "Even if Azule is fearless, he's learned to cool his head unless it's against familiar rivals who are irresistible for a challenge. Reice has changed in many positives and he tends to follow his role to perfection, and Violet is stone cold-no one can get under her skin. But Sal…"

Having a few fears about what tomorrow would hold, Fuchsia reaches for her phone and calls Sally, looking to fill her in on what she found while also voicing some concern; Sally's in such a carefree mood that she doesn't take Fuchsia's words too seriously, but thanks her for being considerate enough to tell her at least. As the evening comes to a close and brings forth a new day, the final matchday at Moray Towers arrives with heavy anticipation in the hearts of all competitors and spectators alike with crowds of people packing all available areas outside of the except for the freeway next to the towers; Since for some it will be their last game of the season, every single team had on their home team gear matched with their best weapon setup for the splat zones. With all momentum on Squidcom's side in the final game of the Rank Wars, their opponents are Meta, A lesser known team that'd been under the radar for the whole season but were somehow in the playoff picture. A rowdy team with four delinquents that had more than just attitude, Kosami and Reice found themselves shocked that morning when they saw the video Fuchsia showed them, recognizing who the boys were. None other than those boys who tried to cause trouble back on Valentine's day, Kosami felt her skin crawl thinking about it as Reice felt his blood boil like the ignition of a flame by what happened that day. If it wasn't for Pastelle's involvement of sending those guys running, Reice would've had to fight them. That alone left him feeling a heavier sense of duty to get revenge and protect the honor of his comrade, the insulting nature of those boys wouldn't be tolerated under his watch. Grouped together right before the game going over the information briefed by Fuchsia, Reice looked raring to go as a sense of bloodlust clouded his thoughts with veins protruding from his forehead as though he were holding back all of his might from breaking through spawn and pummeling the members of Meta. Opposite of Reice was Sally who looked more fatigued than usual since the game hadn't started yet, although she still had the same cheerful grin to reassure her teammates that everything was fine despite grimacing in pain just moments earlier.

Game 1 gets under way…

Right out the start, Meta gave trouble as Mhiki, Fzonli, Delly and Roosey didn't hold back their punches. They come out the gate fast and furious with all four members swarming the pair of splat zones with their mentality being to apply early pressure on Squidcom by gaining the early lead and force Squidcom to play with discomfort the longer the match goes on-believing the advantage was that since these were the smallest splat zones on any map in the rank wars thus far gave them the chance to use their dynamic play, a plan that other teams have tried and failed, but for Meta there was a difference since they'd learn from their previous games against opponents like Kidvel and the Rebels on how to handle big time talent. However, Squidcom expected as much thanks to Reice's intuition and suggestion for how to approach the opening minute. Though he didn't have much time to dwell on the this game in recent weeks, he was aware that this battle would come eventually from what Mhiki said that day. It also helped to get a reminder from Fuchsia in the team video call when she gave out her review on how to take them down.

"It's towards the end where they struggle. To make it quick, they aren't clutch. Either they dominate the game early on to a point that their opponents find it difficult to comeback or they blow their leads later on or in overtime in which several of their games they've lost that way." Fuchsia said as she watches Sally get a triple splat with elegance in her form, boasting how much quality she'd achieved over the course of the competition; Sally looks like a seasoned veteran schooling Meta, treating them like nameless grunts who keep coming back for punishment as she handles them easily from their spawn while the rest of Squidcom spread throughout the regions of Meta's side and look to contain them to only the upper levels of the towers. The crowd gives an energetic reaction with many hopping in place while chanting their own fight song about Sally, one where she's being hailed as the next queen that'll lead them to uncharted territory and ultimate victory. At the head of this fight song is none other than Squidcom's (And Reice's) biggest supporter, Bianca, who leads the crowd with a powerful pump.

"Go Go Squidcom!" she chants, echoed by her fellow supporters, who're all wearing pink much like her; Jory's wincing in response to the elevated volume in their section, his ears more sensitive to the proximity of the elevated volume.

"Don't worry Jory, it'll only get louder from here onward." Fuchsia said unfazed by the noise after having many months to get adjusted to how loud it can possibly get, she knew that the end goal of Squidcom saw the levels of cheers they heard now paling in comparison.

"Honestly, I really wish those guys were joking when they said they'd be in the Rank Wars. I forgot about their existence up until now." Kosami shuddered, still disgusted by what happened on valentine's day. "Though they shouldn't be a problem now, after all, I got my family with me!"

"D'awww Koswahmi!" Fuchsia cried out dramatically jumping on her for a hug and rubbing her cheek against hers.

"Jory! Do something about your sister!" Kosami struggled.

"Hm? What? Sorry, can't hear you~!" Jory smirked while covering his ears.

"Why, you littl-"

Kosami stops struggling from the octoling's grasp and instead meets the eyes of a familiar pair of little sisters dressed in pink and yellow, their expressions looking a lot similar to their older brother whenever he looked bored; Bianca stops her singing and waves to them. "Ah! You finally made it! It's pretty late into the day but you at least made it for Reice and Sally's game, so that's all that matters." she says resting her hands at her hips and puffing out his chest with pride in their arrival.

"Why else would we be here…" Marigold responds with irritation, crossing her arms and closing her eyes once Bianca comes over to sit by them.

Bianca shrugs, "I was hoping you'd say you came to see me too haha!"

"As if!" Marigold denied.

"H-hi Bianca…" Canary waved shyly.

"Hiya Canary!" Bianca beamed.

"Why are you so peppy? It's just us…"

"Silly Marigold, don't you know how much this means to your siblings? They haven't seen you a while and were hoping you'd come to see them. Although it was understood that they couldn't just let you guys stop your studies in come watch them, I couldn't let you miss the chance to watch them in action at their best, especially on a Saturday! Man, I can't wait for their reactions after the game when we meet up!"

"What's the score right now?" Canary appears from behind Marigold's shoulder, wanting to join in.

"We're winning comfortably. Reice and Sally have played outstanding so far so it's a great thing you showed up to see them live." Fuchsia smiled. Marigold blushes but tries to hide it behind a pouting face, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes in search of her siblings. Scanning the area for them, she spots Sally dancing her way around opponents while holding a heavy splatling in her hand as though it was only a feather like object, and afterwards she found Reice, who looked a lot more serious than the one she was used to seeing. Just a quick glance and she could already see the maturation in him, and unconsciously gives a smile; she thought of him as a bonehead big brother that usually had to be kept in line by Sally, but here he looked on par with Sally-both giving off the same level of alpha intensity. At this moment, being a little sister felt like something she could boast about as she watched them represent the family.

On the grounds of Moray Towers, It's a triple splat from Sally who does arching dodge avoiding Fzonli's throw of a burst bomb, following from Fzonli's left at the top ledge sits Delly who then jumps over the grate ledge and looks to take down Sally with him incoming attack, but a devilish smirk from Sally is all he needs to know he made a foolish error. Sally Leans back and drives a round of ink to his gut until he bursts, then taking her already firing splatling and sending it behind to the fleeing Fzonli. Ambushing behind her is the respawning Roosey who'd gotten splatted earlier by Violet and saw his boys go down and couldn't resist taking a crack at Sally.

"Don't you know it's wrong for a dude to lurk behind a woman!?" Sally shouts, taking her Splatling and swinging at his face to get him to back up, then kicking her feet up and firing a quick shot to blind him before disappearing into her ink. Roosey wipes his face, only to be met by the flying splashdown of an upset Reice, who'd been on rampage the entire match collecting as many bodies as possible; Azule and Violet were closer to the splat zones and had each zone locked down watching their lead increase as the score becomes a huge gap with Squidcom leading 34-100, heading for a knockout.

Reice does a power flick upwards and sends an arc of ink at the ledge where Meta respawns, but this time the delinquents learned their lesson, and thanks to Mhiki's sneak around the aggressive Reice and Sally he managed to get to the lower levels of his side of the tower, but it's cut short as an arrogant Sally squats before him with her splatling in hand, mocking what he and his boys would do when they're up to no good.

"Ora Ora! C'mon Mhiki mouse, I'm waiting ta splat ya!" Sally mocks lifting her chin. "You know, I respect you making it pass Reice. But if you're looking to get to the zones, I got you locked down."

He's trapped. Though he could try and bulldoze through Sally, what awaits him afterwards is Azule and Violet: two opponents he knows he can't tango with at such a disadvantage. A plan that backfired just as quickly as it seemed effective, it seems like the wind is out of the sails for Meta as they've hit a brick wall. No matter what they try to do, Squidcom is one step ahead-from spawn camping to annihilation before even so much as glancing at the zones. It'd take a miracle to make a comeback.

"Screw you!" he shouts knowing it's futile to make a fight in this game.

A sound defeat in game 1 brings everyone to their feet with thundering applause as many people are bobbing and dancing at the sight Squidcom's knockout victory. A united victory, many people made the right move in bringing team flags and signs to this match, flaunting with pride as the cameras roll to them for the intermission. From the people at school watching on giant monitors to those who sat in the bleachers on the top floor to those peeking out from the garage, there wasn't an empty space as everyone chants for a sweep; the sooner Squidcom wins, the closer they get to forging a legacy of their own. For those supporting Squidcom, this game felt a bit more emotional than any of the others-even intermission left them feeling on the verge of tears of joy. A long journey that started with hatred finally blossoms to acceptance and hope. With possibly one last game left in the regular season, the overwhelming anxiety reached its peak. Sitting together as they catch their breath, Azule looks to his team to soak in the sights of his exhausted teammates: from Reice gasping for breath leaning on his roller for support, to Sally sitting on the floor curled up rocking with her mind in a trance, to Violet squatting and holding her hands with her head down-nothing seemed more satisfying for Azule than to see the team he started from scratch with come this far. Just one more game. They're just one game away from going to the playoffs together as a team, an honor that was robbed at this same venue many months ago. Azule takes off his cap and holds it to his chest and takes a deep breath…

It wasn't an easy game 2. It took grit. It took endurance. It took perseverance. It took resilience. It became a match of adrenaline once the whistle blew for the start with Meta having a second wind in their body as they played more effectively in this bout than the previous, ignoring the same tactics their opponents displayed in the previous scuffle. This time, Meta's fangs seemed sharper than before as they started effectively executing what they couldn't do before: splat Squidcom. It started with Violet, then to Azule, and finally, Sally. Able to start scoring on Squidcom and quell the loud audience, Meta started looking like the team they were known for, spoilers. Coming to spoil the awakening, Meta were ready to put it away for another day and save face for the playoffs, even end the undefeated streak. They captured both zones and flipped the script on Squidcom in using a similar defense but with less aggression. Sprinklers, Walls, Sensors were all used to keep tabs on Squidcom and prevent them from creating sort of rally with Meta staying together and attacking proficiently by avoiding tunnel vision and keeping their sights vast and sensitive to any slight changes.

But Reice…

"Not here, not ever!" he shouted with fury coming in behind the screen of ink as cover, using his splashdown to reclaim a fallen zone.

A back and forth battle that got uglier as time went on became a ruthless struggle as the players of Meta began trash talking in hopes to bring a psychological interference to Squidcom once Squidcom began to recapture momentum and seek the second zone, repeatedly slandering Kosami and Reice's name by Mhiki. With each insult, Reice grew more vicious as he started to resemble a beserker as he flings his splat roller around with murderous intent; for once, Azule wasn't the one out for blood. However, as Squidcom recaptured the points and then overtook Meta for the lead, Mhiki's mouth opened once more to try and catch Squidcom slipping in their guard but that soon proved to backfire. As Pastelle's name got dragged through the mud by the captain of Meta, Azule stepped up to the plate to shut him up personally. Driving them back while the rest stay on the zones, Azule secured the sweep with Squidcom winning game 2 in knockout.

It felt like they'd won an award based on how everyone's celebrating with a dance and song as Squidcom rise to their feet and interact with smiles and waves of their own. Azule takes off his cap and gives bow, Reice is pumping up the crowd, and Violet has the biggest smile on her face; all three satisfied by their historic achievement of an undefeated regular season. Sally however, looks drained with a pale face and a loss of light in her eyes as she struggles to stay on her feet, barely able to keep balance. The moment she waited for finally delivered, and now wasn't the time for her to start feeling sick, she had to celebrate with her team. But as she inches closer to the back of Reice and Violet to the dozens of cheers and songs praising her, she felt an incredible pain in her legs that she'd never experience-a pain so demanding that she immediately felt a headache come along before dropping to the floor, both her legs twitching furiously; A huge gasp lets out in the crowd, the rest of Squidcom turn around, horrified as their comrade laid on the floor in agony clenching her teeth.

"Sally!" Reice shouts in a petrified tone rushing over; Marigold and Canary stood frozen, unable to close their widened mouths. They wanted to shout her name, but they also wanted to cry. Though not related by blood, they felt the same pain she did, as did Reice. It was called a sibling connection, but the feelings that the Galloway siblings felt extended just beyond pain, but immediate fear. Sally's writhing on the floor clenching her right leg which twitches furiously, the pain so amplified that Sally's attempts to hold back tears fails miserably as she keeps her eyes shut shaking her head. Help is called, and quickly the celebration that was supposed to ring in a new dream soon turned to a nightmare as the stunned audience went silent with many students bowing their head in prayer hoping it wasn't too serious and others anxious to see if Sally could get up on her own power in hopes that she was still strong enough to fight off the pain-that it wasn't that serious. However, their hopes were never reached...