The rush of rain in the presence of sunlight is an odd but pleasant sight as the rays of the sun sparkle glittering drops leaving the streets with a shiny coating that blinds the eye, as if nature itself was preparing for the Spring Invitationals. Today is officially the preparatory week for the Spring competition with the event taking place next week and all invitees being informed of preparation of the trip and what protocols to follow. The biggest headline on all media following this tournament rotated around the luster of the new Big 4 which featured defending Winter Tournament winners-Beacon Hills, Special Forces, and newcomers in Kalebrough Inkstinct and Yermozani Fangs. Considered to be equals coming into the competition, the next big headline was of the stacked bracket containing Beacon Hills, Special Forces, Yermozani Fangs, Squidops, and Squid Academy's Squidcom and on whether the tournament drawing got it wrong by having the hottest battles in the competition happen so early rather than in the final pair of rounds. After all, this is a popular showcase for the country and the rest of the world to see who will be making a fight at Nationals with some teams fighting for their hopes here and others looking to bolster their standing for the battle at Ravia.

Much like the noisy streets of Inkopolis, the dismissal bell chimes its tune to interrupt the final periods of the day at Squid Academy. The delighted students are quick to pack up and call it a day, but several students were called to principal's office just after the bell. An odd feeling to be welcomed by their principal, Squidcom are together as a team in his office for what they could only assume to be their rundown of what to expect for the Invitationals based on what classmates and peers tipped from rumors, they wait with anticipation. He kicks things off by congratulating them for getting this far and reminds them of the expectations of the school, especially highlighting that everyone in the country would be watching. "As I'm sure you know, the Spring Invitationals is held in Giande. It's a bit out of our proximity so this event is being treated as an extended field trip since the tournament is a week long and all schools competing are required to stay for the closing ceremony. Opening ceremony will be that morning of the first day and shortly afterwards will be the first game of the tournament. I'm sure you received the schedule but to be sure, I'll tell you: You will be playing on opening day as the first match of the schedule and your opponents will be Green Lakes High School." he says clasping his hands together with a professional aura, continuing further explanation about the tournament and of its duration. A week long, he highlights the itinerary for their stay in Giande-putting emphasis on their trip being an extended field trip where they will stay in hotels along with fellow students who opt to make the travel in support. "I know this experience will be an exciting and stressful one at the same time, so while there I want you to enjoy as much of the town as you can before the Invitationals. Of course, I expect you to be on your best behavior since you will be representing us."

They understood well where he came from and all nod in compliance, acknowledging that before their departure on Thursday at dawn, they had to hold a school pep rally before they leave and that Azule is expected to give a few words before they leave. Afterwards, he asks if they have any questions or concerns they'd like him to address before he dismisses them to which Azule raises his hand halfway before Principal Telfin nods in his direction. "I wanted to confirm, sir. The rules of the Spring Invitational aren't too different from the recent Rank Wars, right? The only difference is that we do the playoffs right from the start."

Principal Telfin gave a light smirk, "Are you sure that wasn't a statement?" he laughed; "Indeed it is as you say. You will participate in a best-of-five series in each game, including the final-different from ours where it was seven and then a single game for the final. The Spring Rank Wars were meant to get the winner of the season acclimated to the schedule of the Invitationals with several curve balls being thrown. The solo game for the final was our attempt to maximize the stakes of putting your all into the last game while also offering a break from the grueling path you had to endure to arrive there."

After hearing that they didn't know whether to continue holding their breath about the competition or breathe a sigh of relief that it might be more manageable than before. The Rank Wars season was brutal to them from the range of frequent matches every week to having little to no rest-the wear and tear was so severe that it literally hospitalized one of their teammates. The Spring Invitationals seemed a little less aggressive lengthwise, but more than made up for it by offering the high stakes of every round facing elimination against the strongest teams in the country. Concluded promptly after with most of their concerns quelled by the reassuring smile of their principal, Squidcom broke apart to head back home and get a rest, but for Azule, he takes a different route. A call that came in just as he left the office with his team meant a change of plans as now he found himself sitting in the passenger seat with his sister behind the wheel. Along the ride he tried his best to pass along the time by informing her of his meeting with Telfin, to which she responded with nostalgia of her times in his shoes, offing advice on how to handle certain obscure situations that might occur in the near future.

The car comes to a rolling stop at the scenic intersection, her eyes wandering to her little brother who has his eyes glued to the articles written about the spring, scanning for any potential news on his team. Whether it was pride, or concern, she couldn't help but grip the wheel tightly give a weak smile watching how innocently he yearned for recognition from strangers. To think that he grew up strong enough to reach there. "I'm really proud of you, Zule. It's a blessing that I can call you my little brother." she said in an emotional tone, trying her best to hold back her tears as the flashbacks of their troubles from youth remind her that he didn't have easy path reaching to this point, and yet he's gone through this much growth.

"Sis…?" Azule pokes, noticing her teary eyes.

"A-h man! Can't believe someone left onions in here!" she said quickly blinking away those tears.

"A-are you okay? D-don't cry!"

Sky punches him in the arm while wiping away her tears, "Dumbass! What idiot would be crying about you." she laughed hitting the gas as the lights change; A few minutes later after a drive through the hills of Inkopolis, they arrive at a scenic overview that shows the city in the distance. Sky gets to rest on the hood of her car, to which Azule stays by the door and rests his arm on the roof. A brief moment of silence, he never bothered to bring up the obvious question since he figured there was a reason for them coming this far.

"I don't want to sound rude, but why did you bring me all the way out here? I know this isn't for my peace."

"Sharp to a fault, huh…" she mumbles under her breath, turning to him with her back to the scenery; "I'm sorry, Zule. I won't make be able to tag along on the trip to Giande and I'll be missing the opening game."

Though his eyes dulled a little after processing that, he still stayed upbeat and gives her a thumbs up, "No problem, you'll be there for Nationals."

Though a bummer that she'd miss his opening game, she cheered him up right afterwards by surprising him with the other news: their family would be attending to support him. Azule grimaced at the thought of his parents and siblings with their powerful auras watching in a crowd filled with unsuspecting people. They share a laugh and a brief moment overlooking the city skyline, where Sky calls him over and wraps one arm around him to bring him in close. She brings her head to his, and congratulates him on his journey thus far, wishing him the best of luck for the road ahead. The passing of the torch from the queen to the prince, their moment soaked by the melody of nature with evening approaching.

As the following days passed, it was like the calm before the storm with no further mentioning of the Spring Invitationals-instead the focus turning to the exams; then finally, Thursday arrives. Like planned, there were plenty of students from Squid Academy at the station. Everyone were in their own circles and groups chatting away as they waited for their designated train. Since Squid Academy managed to prepare ahead of time with placements, the students would be seated in their own private cars. As the white bullet train arrived a few moments later after the gathering and role call of everyone from each class and grade, the doors to the train open swiftly to welcome the students and faculty. Blue cushioned seats with 6 seats in each row with trios facing each other, comfortable carpeting of the stitch, and smooth white interior with a sweet aroma left an inviting first impression for the Squid Academy students, for many on this trip were making their first trip to beacon hills by this transportation. Team, teachers, and students, were the order for this trip as the first row in their car consisted of Squidcom with Azule, Reice, and Jory sitting in one row facing Violet, Fuchsia, and Kosami in that same area. Behind them is Bianca with the main squad known for cheering on Squidcom in the Rank Wars, with many seniors consisting of second years and a few third years making the trip as well. Though Sky wasn't there, the rest of the Elites were also on board, as well as every team who competed in the Rank Wars. A team effort with the support of the entire school, it gets lively. Noisy in the back with idle chatting ranging from excitement to visit Giande and the local attractions to the competition, even faculty found some enjoyment about their plans during the week and a half long trip.

"The view out here looks amazing!" Jory gasped as the train exited a tunnel and zoomed by a hilly view of the mountains.

"Giande is over by Beacon Hills and Flounder Heights. The northern region of Inkopolis is known for being mountainous and elevated. The closer we get to Mollusca, the higher the elevation and the colder it gets." Fuschia added as she scrolls through her phone doing a quick search on the area.

"The higher the elevation, the thinner the air." Reice said as he sat forward with intention to bring up a subject of importance; "For the Invitationals, we'll be going up against the new Big Four. There's also plenty of powerful opponents we'll be running into but in addition to that we also have the terrain as our enemy."

Azule looks bored, "Elaborate for us, Reice. It's the spring so I doubt it'll be as cold as you expect." he said in hopes to find some engagement for conversation since Violet was busy reading her book while Fuchsia was busy looking at her phone and Kosami was doing much the same as Jory: preoccupied with absorbing the sight of the hilly side of Inkopolis.

"Giande is already a disadvantage for us. Even though we're a school based near the capital, we don't have the same elevation..." Violet looks up with interest once she heard Reice bring up something intelligent for once, to which he felt a bit proud to finally catch her attention; "The higher we go, the thinner the air. Why is this a problem for us? I wondered the same throughout this week ever since I learned we'd be going here-then I thought that the reason I had this gut feeling we'd be in trouble came down to one fatal flaw: our play style."

Fuchsia lifts her gaze from her phone and interjects, "Because the air is thin, it doesn't suit us. That's what you're saying, right?"

"Precisely. We play a very active style of mobilization. Which forced us to improve our stamina and polish our movements. Now that we're heading to this new environment, we'll have to be wary of our breathing-especially outdoors."

Just one of the many topics discussed, they reviewed the matchups for the opening day and following day and began their team meeting on how to tackle each opponent with the film gathered; even though they had no information about where they were playing nor the game mode, they at least knew their game would be on opening day, but the time was still to be announced. Opening day had the times of the game still to be determined but the matchups were set in stone. Beacon Hills will play the Solastine Twilight, Squidops will play the Yermozani Fangs in a heated battle between the former and current Big 4 members, Special Forces will face the Keystone Golems, and Squidcom of Squid Academy will play Green Lakes. For the second day, Cershraid Saints play Fort Songhart, the Milliboca Conquerors play Bronze Grove, Irongate Harbor plays Mahi-Mahi Prep, and the Kalebrough Inkstinct play Reef. Sixteen of the best teams in the country, each side has a story for their appearance and a record of their journey there, which Fuchsia narrates highlighting why every game matters for each team. They aren't the only ones fighting for something...

As the clock hits noon, they arrive. Clearing through the station and taking charter buses to the hotel. A twelve story structure with a swimming pool and bar on the rooftop, a gym on each floor, a hot springs bath on select floors, a game room, plenty of lounge areas, a courtyard next to the hotel and a golf course behind, the students are welcomed to the luxury western style establishment. A welcome surprise, the students are briefed of their assignments by their teachers about staying within the vicinity of the hotel and that tomorrow would begin their fun. Allowed to explore the hotel, many students headed straight for the food hall while some chose to stay indoors or hit the game room. For Squidcom, they were met by Principal Telfin-their chaperone for this trip-and offered a visit to the city center to take a quick tour of the area. Taking one of the buses, the principal and the team drove through the commercial roads and got to see dozens of parks and restaurants on their way to the city, arriving there in no time. A unique sight with the backdrop of the frosted mountains in the far distance along with the sea of trees below, they met the thin charming air that Reice referenced. Slightly chilly with a gentle breeze, the team takes a walk around the pedestrian filled streets and absorb the sounds of Giande. Honking car horns, indistinct chatter from those passing by, people at markets and shops advertising their products to attract customers, colorful signs and huge posters, indeed there was a little bit of the capital even here. A treat to mark their welcome to Giande, Principal Telfin takes them to a restaurant to grab dinner before they have to head back, explaining it's their little secret to dine out while the other students stay at the hotel. After a couple hours, they return to the hotel in time for evening activities at the hotel which was live performance from a local jazz band out on the courtyard. While many patrons and students stayed for the food and entertainment, with many of the teachers and faculty socialize and congregate with one another and the hotel staff, Principal Telfin returned to the bus.

"Take me to Livingston's Hut." he said with a tense tone, looking behind to make sure he wasn't being followed or observed from afar; the bus driver nods curtly and shuts the doors behind him. "So sorry to make you do this when you were just about to head inside."

"No apologies sir, just doing my job. When should I pick you up?"

"Around 2 in the morning."

"Gotcha."

A silent drive where the humming engine of the bus is the only music, they arrive at the city. He steps off the bus in a parking lot of a bar, and enters through the door; the bus driving off behind him. He steps out a moment later and instead wanders behind the bar to the dark alley of some buildings nearby. He arrives at a red door with a single light hanging above serving as the only light in the dark corridor, looking left, then right, and finally, knocking a certain pattern to open the door.

"We've been expecting you…" a familiar old voice calls welcoming him.