Another day arrives with a week having passed since the closing ceremony of the Spring Invitationals, and the mood around the school is upbeat as all around as the students of Squid Academy got to see what amazing future awaits them under the command of Squidcom after seeing them beat Beacon Hills, and show the capability of beating Special Forces; an automatic pick to win next year's Rank Wars, everyone was on the bandwagon and showing their appreciation in all forms for what was an unforgettable run by a group of first years. Reice got more attention for his hard work he showed in the tournament and even had a fan club of adoring girls who wanted to suffocate him with their affection-much to the dismay of Kosami who found herself irritated every time she saw one of his "fans" around, finding the need to channel that anger into punching him in the arm at random. Violet got her wish of some peace and quiet with people becoming fans of hers and learning that she likes to be kept to herself and reading her books, finding the best way to befriend her was to respect her personal space. For Jory, his popularity grew even larger as everyone invited him to more hangouts and events with several hopeful crushes getting denied kindly by him every time. Much was the same for Fuchsia and Kosami, who were seen as just the behind-the-scenes members of the team but still they got some recognition for what was seen during the team training; they became very popular and caught the eyes of other clubs in the school that tried to recruit them. While it seems like a resurgence of hope around the campus now that everyone knew where they stood in the pecking order among the elite powers of Inkopolis, for the captain of the team, his status was shrouded in mystery. Ever since that loss, the light in Azule's eyes vanished. Soon after, he started avoiding his teammates, preferring isolation at every chance he could. He didn't eat with them, nor did he associate with them. The team was unsure what was going through his mind since he didn't let anyone in. At home, he ignored Reice and Todd no matter how much they tried to get his attention. He ignored the calls and messages from Jory, Violet, Fuchsia and Kosami. Becoming a topic of growing concern, Squidcom wanted to find a way to resolve the issue before it worsened, with everyone having their own opinion on how to approach the situation.

"His silence is almost haunting." Kosami gloomily spoke with her crestfallen gaze to her lunch; together as a group at a lunch table without Azule, everyone in the group wanted to find a resolution before these weeks turn to months, with some fearing this might spell the end of the team if this continued on.

Reice brings his sandwich close to his lips, "Still eating by himself in the classroom?" he asked just before taking a huge bite and chewing with satisfaction as he felt a burst of flavors react in his mouth.

Fuchsia nods regretfully with some discomfort, "Some of his classmates told me he hasn't said a single word, not even a greeting. I think this really did affect him more than we thought."

Reice shrugs his shoulders, "He's Sally-strong, so we should leave him be. Not all wounds heal the same. We can't tell him how he should handle his feelings. If he's hurt, them we let him be. If he's angry, let him be. We have to trust that he'll overcome this and come back stronger."

That struck a nerve for Violet, who saw red the moment Reice said that, finding his suggestion to be lazy and somewhat insensitive; "It's unbecoming of him as our leader to still be hung up on this. We don't have the time to be sulking around. At this rate, things could get much worse." Violet said in a sharp tone, her abrupt response sparking a shocked reaction from the rest of the table, who never imagined it would be her who'd take the harsh outlook against Azule.

Jory stops himself from taking a bite and looks over to Violet with a combative look, "And how can you be so sure? Exactly how will things get worse?"

"If our captain falls, we'll fall. Sally isn't here, and Azule's shrinking under the scope of failure. How can we be sure we'll be ready for the next season at this rate?"

"How can you say that? He worked the hardest out of all of us! Of course this hits him differently!" he shouted, upset that Violet could think that way after watching how hard he performed through the Rank Wars and tournament; his outburst caught the attention of neighboring tables and other surrounding tables that prompt murmurs from those watching on.

Violet's eyes sharpen as noticed the growing attention at their table, "Jory, lower it." she said with a deeper tone, clenching fists with a stern look.

"What? Say what's on your mind! Let's have everyone here be a witness to your unfaithful attitude!" Jory said with open arms inviting for Violet to display her opinion for the whole cafeteria to hear, his actions leaving Fuchsia and Kosami appalled.

Fuchsia's hand shakily reaches for his shirt sleeve, her index finger and thumb gently pinching the sleeve."Please stop…" Fuchsia she whispers in distress from the division taking place; her voice brought him back to a calm state.

Violet lowers her head and excuses herself, quickly getting up and rushing out of the cafeteria. Fuchsia and Kosami rush after her calling her name desperately to bring her back. A sudden shudder overcomes Jory as he realizes his abrasiveness might've been a bit too much. He shrinks a bit and slowly descends to his seat. Reice nonchalantly continues chewing his sandwich with satisfied sound effects and rests his hand on the seated Jory, "Nothing wrong with venting a little frustration, but even I could tell she's hurting and just wanted to express what she felt. It's not easy for any of us. None of us want to see the sun of our team fade to gloom. Not your fault, but you should be mindful, alright? Here, take a bite of this, it's good." he said patting him on the shoulder and waving the sandwich near his face; Jory reluctantly takes a bite, though he nods in agreement that the sandwich is indeed delicious.

Even if they were doing well after such a stinging loss, the reality was that none of them had yet to move on from the loss and these last couple of days have been nothing more than a distraction to preoccupy their minds long enough for their captain to return to his usual jovial nature and help them move forward, but if he's still stuck in the funk as well as Sally keeping herself isolated, then who could help them move on? That's what Violet explained as she grits her teeth on the verge, holding back with all her might to stop the calamity from reaching her friends who've done great to be strong. Much like they thought, of course Violet was hurting as she played a pivotal role, especially in the absence of their main attacking force. The burden she carried was one she wasn't used to handling and in the wake of such a defeat, she felt responsible for their failures to a degree. To see even the brightest and most lively members of the group handling everything with such dejection and despondency left her fearful if this might be the end of it all for them. Could they rebound for next year? Were the scars to deep to heal? This was a traumatic loss unique to anything she's ever faced.

"I know what I said was harsh but I can't help it. It feels like we've hit an unbeatable wall. We conquered one obstacle in the rank wars, then defeated another in Beacon Hills, only to run into another wall in Special Forces. I'm just...tired. So tired of all these battles." she gripped with a tone growing strength as she continued; "The time I've spent with Squidcom has been some of the happiest moments of my life, and to see those moments threatened by events I can't fix makes it all the more irritating. I know me saying something won't help. I know I'm not capable of fixing these problems, but what else can I do!?"

Fuchsia's face dropped after hearing the hopelessness in her tone, "Violet…" she murmured with growing concern.

"It's ok, this isn't the end. We've overcome so many trials and this is no different. Even now, we're still doing a great job of fighting our battles thanks to the support we show each other. Look at how well Sally's pro-" Kosami said hoping to cheer her up to no avail.

"I even let her down. She's working her body back in rehabilitation and I can't even greet her with a smile that we're going to nationals. She probably sat there and watched our defeat crying her eyes out. Then there's Azule. I've never seen him stay silent, inactive with a group of friends he pledges he loves as much as his family. I never know what he's thinking but this is the first time that I feel such unease in the way he carries himself. It's as if some giant disaster is about to unfold within our group if him of all people is out of character."

"You have to trust in them. Trust in Sally and see her in person, there's probably so much she wants to say that she can't do through the phone. For Azule, well...I've never seen him encapsulate himself in solitude to such an extent, but I'll trust that he's doing more than dwelling on the past. He wouldn't be our captain if he was that weak. We saw how far he's willing to go for those that he cares about, so what makes this any different, right?" Fuchsia said with conviction, hoping to instill some confidence in her friend.

Violet shrugs her shoulders, "I can't face her. I can't face him. There was more I could've done and I know it. Everyone was counting on us and we failed. People claim that they have overwhelming support but at home they're probably grinding their teeth with rage that it was us that became the reps instead of Kidvel."

The most that they ever heard from Violet when it came to what was on her mind, neither of them could find the appropriate words to convey in this situation. Even if they knew she desperately needed comfort from a friend, they couldn't help but feel as though it'd be impossible when they themselves were still processing how to feel about life without competing in the competition-they've spent the entire year so far doing nothing but competitions and battles. Their silence hits hard for Violet, who trembles to the point that she shakes her head wiping away her falling tears unable to hold them in. She quickly makes her escape from the stalls pushing them out the way, sending the message that she just wanted to be alone. A sense of defeat in their efforts to comfort Violent, the pair returned to the table to inform Reice and Jory that Violet wanted some time alone, preferring to keep what was said to themselves. Around that same time, Azule was in the classroom with his eyes glued to his phone in one hand while his chopsticks moved in the other, taking a bite with his gaze always on the display, his thoughts are occupied to the brim that he doesn't notice many of the students were returning. The aura around him keeps them away however as they sense that he's in a different zone as he watches the games happening in other tournaments around the continent, viewing games like Crystal Coast, Hugh-Napri, and as of right now, the Emperors. His current thoughts a mystery to everyone, Azule was still bummed about what happened weeks ago, but now he was in a different drive: to study the tactics and play of the best teams around and find a way to put his spin on it. From the individuality of Siot and his squad to the unified offenses and defense of Hugh-Napri and the Emperors, Azule analyzed all of the big team as much as possible, dissecting every minute detail he could uncover and memorize them before implementing them into a simulation in his mind. Even if this run was over, the journey still continues. After this summer, his team will have to defend their reign as representatives from the other hungry teams in school if they want a crack at the winter tournament. Even in a time where he should feel despair, where he should give up, he still believed in his chances of seeing nationals.

"I see. I figured it would happen like this." Sky said taking a sip from her coffee; the pair were at a local cafe close by the campus. Kosami ran into Sky while she was still on campus helping out some underclassmen in a club and they agreed to meet later on once Kosami explained she had something on her mind.

Kosami crosses her arms with agitation present in her tone as she gives a sigh, "We really need him back for things to get better. I thought everyone was doing well based on how quick the adjustments to the loss were when we got back, but I should've known it wouldn't be so easy-not when we invested so much collectively. As a team. Staying up late going over plans, waking up early to do training, studying the film of our opponents..."

"What happened in the Spring is a feeling that can't be described even if you are close with the team. Everyone fought in their own way: You cheer your heart out and they played theirs to the limit-yet only defeat was there for you in the end. To play with an optimistic mindset paired with the belief that maybe luck was on your side after the previous failures of your predecessors and that the hunger for victory magnified by your support would be satisfied by one measly victory was nothing but an illusion that led to a harsh reality. As unfortunate as this defeat is to accept, it's a necessary result for the future."

"Your wisdom shines yet again." Kosami smiled weakly, reminded once again that the inkling before her was cut from a different cloth. From her stoic manner to her warm tone under those cold words, Kosami's admiration for her only grew from this conversation as she got to see on full display just how great of a mentor she'd make. She loved Squidcom dearly and considered the team like a second family to her, so no doubt she was hiding frustration behind those words, but it was that conviction in her gaze that left her in awe. She couldn't help but show enough respect to match her gaze.

"I'm only speaking from experience..." Sky said while taking a moment to stare at her reflection in the coffee and recall when she experienced her first defeat in a major tournament.

"Then do you have any advice on what to do in a situation like this?"

Sky smiled, "Nope!"

"REALLY!?"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Look, in moments like these where you feel like you've hit rock bottom are where you fight just how high you can soar. There's no bottomless pit in this world. You can only go up after so long or stay where you are. None of you strike me as the type to be complacent with defeat or anything that doesn't suit your preferences. Honestly, I feel like a mother having to overlook you bunch-so stubborn!"

"I guess you'd be our team mother after all." Kosami giggled.

On the topic of stubbornness, I don't think anything negative is happening or will happen from this point and moving forward. I think some evolution is on the way."

"Evolution?"

"Every time this team gets into something, they're pushed to their limits. In the first rank war, the core trio learned their limitations without their captain at their side and of where they stood within the hierarchy of the school. At the selection, they learned their limitations of what a team member was willing to do to stay in finding Cobalt leave to handle his personal business and Tangie leave for the sake of love. In the second rank wars is where you sought to find new limitations but instead got the all-time high of going undefeated, which created the illusion of invincibility and perhaps some arrogance. In the spring, you finally hit the ceiling. Now, it's time to break through those limits and evolve." she said concluding on her point on the topic, preferring to spend more time talking about other things rather than simple advice on matters they had to deal with on their own.

The first day of no school for the week started off as a silent morning over at the residence of Azule, Reice, and Todd. Up from dawn and having spent his morning doing some work for class, he decided to take a break from the tiring exercise by making a request, brewing some tea in the meanwhile and taking out some notes to place on the table while waiting for the company. Steam escapes from the kettle, whistling throughout the room to entertain the silence surrounding Azule. In the reclining chair kicking his feet up, he enjoys the solitude, but only for a moment. Just when he felt relaxed enough to doze off, he hears a knock at the door that makes him spring to life.

"Ah, you made it." he welcomed with a smile; "Please come on in. I already made some tea."

"Thanks…" Fuchsia said taking off her shoes; "You called me here pretty early. Are Reice and Todd here by chance?"

Azule shook his head, "I told them you'd be coming and that I wanted to be alone with you, so we have this place to ourselves."

"E-eh? First you don't talk to any of us for weeks and now you invite me over alone? Pretty strange, don't you think?" Wait a second, is he seriously… she thought blushing a little at what was going on in his head. To suddenly invite someone over alone like this, and so early in the morning, she could only speculate what his intentions were, especially since she had to dismiss every possibility with him being too dense and innocent minded to have an ulterior motive.

"Is it? Hm, never took that into consideration...Anyway, I've been thinking for a while about where to go from here and I feel it's only natural that I come across and let my feelings be known. I want you to be my first..."

W-wait a second, Azule do you actually- She's beaming at the dreamy thought.

"I…"

Yes? She's hanging on the edge of her seat with a cup of tea in her hand, trembling a little at what exact phrase he'll utter to her.

"I'm ready to move to the next phase."

YES! She thought as she felt the cap of her head shoot to the heavens and her heart flutter. Finally, she could express her feelings with honesty rather than hesitation. Prepared to get down to business, she fortified her resolve to do what her sister always joked about. She'll snap at the first bite, or something along those lines.

"I've gathered up as much information about the other teams during the time I was isolating myself from everyone. I did as much as I could on my own but I think this information is far better in your hands." he said innocently dumping a thick folder of notes and papers with tabs on her lap with a beaming smile.

WHAT? She screamed in her mind nearly ripping her tentacles out. "Huh?" she in polite yet confused tone, trying to hold a smile while internally screaming at the top of her lungs as veins sprout from her forehead-about to channel a demon from another dimension.

Azule's smile fades a little as he recalled the experience, "To tell the truth, that loss hit harder than I ever imagined. Those first few days I felt so sick to my stomach. I couldn't even breathe well at times because of the anxiety brought just by thinking about it. I tried to put up a front for Reice but he figured me out too well. Then he encouraged me to just go at my own pace. It probably wasn't much to him, but those words meant so much to me." Fuchsia's gaze wandered to him after looking at the size of the folder. "Once I accepted what happened, I had to do something. There's no way I'm going to get anywhere just by doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself. So instead, I got to work. Instead of doing physical training perfecting my own skills, I should learn to adapt my skills around the opponents I face-not every team will shrink at the presence of a great power. What used is my strength if my opponents can use it against me. I decided then that I'd study every team. Soak in as much as I could within these weeks and report to you when the time was right. I mean, if we didn't get an automatic bid, we're not exactly out of the competition."

Fuchsia felt her heart flutter in admiration and astonishment. Even when her teammates were worrying about him, he was still thinking ahead to the next goal. Even when they were stuck in the blues, he was already over it and onto the next objective. It was moments like these that reminded her why he was their captain, and why she liked him. The conviction in his tone, the glimmer of light in his irises, and just the right shine in his smile all were the makings of a true leader. Anything he said would be contagious to the mind. Feeling her spirit lifted just from that, she opens up the huge folder and skims through the notes for a minute. "Alright, this stuff is solid. I'll get to work on this when I get home."

Azule nods, "Once I completed what I could, I knew there was only one person I could turn to in a time like this. That's why I called you." He gives a huge sigh of relief, "Honestly, you're an irreplaceable member to our team. Without you I don't think anyone-myself included-could've gotten so far. Thank you for being with us."

Before Fuchsia could respond to him, she her the lock on the front door switching as though someone was unlocking the door, only to be met by the yellow haired inkling she knew so well. Unaware that Azule and Fuchsia were alone, a huge bullet of sweat trickled down his face as the mood in the room became awkward. Azule shoots him a glare but he responds by whistling and averting his captain's unpleasant stare. He apologizes for interrupting them and explains his reason for coming back so early. After giving them the situation with a pale face, his teammates shared the same reaction. Apparently, Reice was visiting her in the morning to drop off the work she missed in class-like he always does-and he slipped up and mentioned some of the problems going on in the team at the moment. Sally wasn't pleased to hear it and requested that the entire team come to her room as soon as possible, with emphasis on everyone being there. He already contacted the others to meet him at the entrance to the rehab center, but the only two he couldn't reach were them. Azule and Fuchsia both got shivers as they about what punishment Sally might have in store. Even though she was the most laid back on the team and seen in a way as the cool big sister of the team, she still had an intimidating aura that differed from Violet's stoic expressions, or even Cobalt's latent blood thirst. Informing them that they were leaving immediately, the trio made their way to the meeting point joined by the rest of the team who were all dressed as casual as possible. Apparently everyone had to stop what they were doing thanks to Reice's big mouth; Kosami hadn't even woken up, Jory was studying, and Violet was just about to take a trip to Karpomagi for some research on her story. Instead they're all here. Reice jokes around that at least everyone was together again, but the air was awkward as the other finally saw their captain for the first time greet them since returning from Giande. Entering the building and following behind Reice, the crew did several turns before arriving at Sally's room, warned by Reice to stay outside the room while he cools her down-expecting her to be furious the moment she catches eye of the culprit responsible for ruining the team morale. For Squidcom, they were all nervous because this was the first time since Giande that they'd be communicating with her, especially in person. During these tense weeks following their defeat, they all felt great shame in making a promise they couldn't fulfill, remembering that Sally was fighting her own battles placing her trust in them to hold their end.

Reice knocks on the door and gives a nervous smile, "I'm baaack!" he entered, noticing she had her arms crossed while sitting up straight like a boss waiting for her subordinates to arrive.

Sally beamed welcoming her brother, "Talk about timing! Mari and Canary were here not too long ago. They were asking for their big bwother!" she teased, which made Reice feel a little relieved that she wasn't using her scary tone. However, in a split second, her voice changed as she called out the remaining members by name and told them to come in, spooking everyone. One by one, everyone enters to the intimidating purple aura of the salmon haired ace. "I heard things have been hectic while I was away." she said gently, though her intimidating laser stare and smile petrified them. As she asked for an explanation about everything that happened and why there was friction in the group, she quickly arrived at the conclusion that it was all Azule's fault for slack as a leader, though Fuchsia quickly came to his defense and explained that during the time he was isolating himself from the team, he was doing it with them at heart. Sally rebutted that even though he was doing it with good intentions, his role as a captain is to communicate with everyone and assure that team morale never gets broken. "I'm not angry at what you did. You guys made a promise and unfortunately it couldn't be fulfilled. But that's fine, because I'm so proud everything you did in that tournament." her smile widens as she looks around to her team; "To the bitter end, you all never gave up, and that's why I'm surprised to have learned that during the time after defeat-when you should all be unified and planning your next move-were instead spending it in isolation, fighting among each other, lacking in communication." as she concluded with her statement on the matter, she quickly switched gears to brighten up the mood. In addition to calling everyone here for a talk about what happened during the past couple of weeks, Sally had an announcement to make. "I've been cleared to go home and can be discharged as soon as tomorrow!" Everyone was speechless. Where they failed to hold their promise, Sally already made enough progress to walk again when she was told even that might be a miracle. "What? No reaction?" she smirked raising an eyebrow; they didn't know how to react to such sudden news. Whether to jump up and cheer or cry tears of joy, the moment was too sudden. "How disappointing." she mumbled under her breath to the side; "Anyhow, I'm not cleared to do anything physical, so I can't play anymore. My doctor warned me that if I play I'll aggravate the symptoms and increase the chance of the clotting returning. Apparently I'm not supposed to do anything for another few months. Just light stuff for now."

"Then what will you do? You love turf wars."

"I'm glad you asked, Azule. I plan on taking it easy. I got tons of work to catch up on and little time before the new week starts, so I was thinking we could all go spend time at the villa in Squirabia!"

"Huh…?" Jory's eyebrows raised followed by a couple blinks.

"Villa…?" Kosami parroted with her head tilting a little, her confusion visible.

Violet narrows her eyes, "Squirabia…?"

"Isn't that on the other side of the continent?" Azule asks.

Sally nods her head, "It's fine. I cleared it with my dad so everything will be ready for me. Since I can't go back to school just yet, I figured I can spend the week there doing some work. I know you all will be busy with classes but I'd like you to come visit me there for a few days. I'll be looking for my grandparents!"

"Wait, when are you leaving?" Fuchsia asked, genuinely interested in the idea of visiting the Walleyes who looked after young Sally, innocently blushing at the idea of seeing baby photos of young Sally, to which Sally popped her bubble by informing her that she wouldn't dare let a single baby photo of her escape her sights.

"The day after my discharge is when I'm going. I'd stay for a couple weeks before returning to Inkopolis and going to school."

"Seems like an elaborate plan to skip school if you ask me." Reice mumbled.

Sally holds up her fist with an arrogant grin, "I'll sock ya!"

An invitation none could refuse, everyone agreed to go visit Sally at her villa in Squirabia and even meet her grandparents! That remainder of time they spent together as a team, sharing their time and adventures in Giande during that week and what they've been up to, enjoying each other's company until the evening where everyone had to return to campus. Watching everyone leave only reminded Sally that regardless of the circumstances, she couldn't give up. After seeing them today she felt inspired to beat the odds again, but that'd have to wait, as her body came first. With one valuable member back for a probable return in the next season and a captain who had his sights set on the future, Squidcom were slowly preparing for the next step in their evolution.