Despite the natural season of summer, the nation of Kolnogov still wears a permanent coat of frost and braves the chilliest of wild winds. The days are a bit longer but the night still rules the daily cycle, the city lights in the town of Rukovna shining like stars on the empty road and sidewalks. Known as an eternal land white for the permanent wintry weather, even now there is some snowfall in Rukovna, but not enough white to dispel the pale green that resides. The sun isn't out yet, but already some people are up in the early hours of the day. Atop the hillside sits a manor with a grandiose structure resembling some of the older buildings throughout the country that reflected a far different era from the one now, a modern palace to some, this is the home of the Fifth Emperor. Much like the exterior, the interior is high and wide, decorated with more than just art, but history as well. From the aged walls that still looked fresh thanks to the careful maintenance to the distinct smell of antiquity covering the various books and furniture and filling all the rooms the moment anyone walks in, it's the usual for the members of Rukovna who called the Fifth Emperor more than just their captain, but their friend. Somewhat a tradition that started with his grandfather, the Fifth Emperor kept it going by holding a gathering with those he could rely on the most. All sitting together around the fireplace holding cups of tea, they allowed the warmth of the flames to extend to their drinks, listening to the crisping of the firewood incinerate.

"And that's it…" the captain concludes, taking a sip of his tea.

A blonde inkling marveled with her mouth dropping to the floor, "The group of death! It'd been far more exciting if we joined them instead. Imagine going up against Crystal Coast, Kalebrough, and the Bluerings as the show-runners?" She shrugs her shoulders showcasing her dark complexion with a shine, known as the Queen of Diamonds, she's a dangerous inkling that many consider to be on par with the captain.

"Venus is back at it again with her nonsense…" Another inkling calls, sporting a messy hairstyle with a sharp red hue matched with a deviant expression.

"And Jace is still as immature as always, looking for another fight?"

"Will you two cease the commotion? Edward and his family were gracious enough to allow us entry so early in the day and offer us refreshments. Show some respect!" an inkling with black hair said, his ponytail standing out thanks to the golden hair-band that wraps it. He crosses his legs and leans into his seat, looking over at the other two in the room with an irritated glare; "Jack, Royce, join in the conversation as well."

Edward gives a tired sigh watching his teammate get all worked up, "Akira, I respect your intentions but there is no need to force them to speak."

Jack holds up his hand, "It's fine, Ed. I was just thinking about what you said just now about our schedule...Our group is fairly decent with teams like Acropolis and Sunset who are more than capable of at least putting up a challenge, and then there's the team ranked at 22nd who will probably be a fun match: Polaris. I'm not concerned or anything of the like, but I'm interested in if we can pull off an undefeated run."

"It's happened before, but I think it was only early on. Within the last few decades, there's never been a team to do it. We could be the first?" Venus' tone raises.

"An attempt at an undefeated run? I like it." Jace said, finding it amusing that his teammates wanted to pull off something so difficult rather than take it easy and coast to another final like the last couple of years.

"What about you, Royce? What are your thoughts on the tournament drawing and what implications it has for the tournament?" Edward asked, curious about the quiet inkling who kept to himself.

Royce's head jerked, "Oh-I want to start by thanking you for considering me worthy as a starter-I've worked hard to earn this spot and I assure you I will work my utmost hardest to see your decision wasn't an error. I-"

"Apologies for interrupting but could you continue? I chose you to be our starter because you proved your worth. You're good enough, and don't ever forget that."

"Right, well...thinking about what you said, I'm not concerned about our chances in the group nor am I particularly worried about Polaris. They might be a ranked team but they lack individual firepower. In a sense, they are a prototype build of Beacon Hills. Not to say they aren't a team worth the time-they're ranked 22nd after all-but we can handle them easily based on our team composition to theirs."

Edward gives an endearing smile, appreciating his opinion like a teacher listening to his student; a rare sight to behold, the other players found it strange to see the often serious prince show such emotion. "You have the right idea and I'm glad you show such confidence, but remember: this is Nationals we're talking about. Even if we're the defending champions and have among the best teams in the tournament, what defines a team isn't on the paper, but on the turf."

Akira holds his face, "Oh no, there he goes…"

Venus sighed, "We've enabled him…"

Jack's annoyed, "I should've expected as much when he smiled, he never does that…"

Edward clears his throat, "You ever wonder why teams pull off upsets? How does a team who is facing a monumental task of battling a top team somehow manage to shock their opponents and the world? Well, it's about mentality; A team can be built to be unbeatable and still get caught slipping. The spirit of a champion is found on the turf."

"Look at that team who got into the tournament off their spring performance, beating Beacon Hills and putting up a fight against Special Forces-two of some of the best teams in the country! A shame they'll be in the uphill battle of the group of death." Jace adds, also easing into the conversation now that it got to a topic he's interested in.

"Squid Academy...I consider it strange a team like them has quite a decorated list of talent. Sky Royale, Pastelle, Aaron, Todd, and then their unit of Jory, Reice, Violet and that captain Azule; they're stacked!" Venus remarks, impressed she hadn't heard of them any sooner.

Jack crosses his arms and turns to the new member of the starting unit, "Royce, you crossed paths with them. What is their captain like? Their players?"

Royce takes a few seconds to put his thoughts into words as he recalled the small sample size he got when he played with them in Inkopolis. Azule's talent, Violet's accuracy, Reice's defense, and most importantly, Sally's presence. Speaking into existence his flooded thoughts and emotions about them, he painted a vivid picture of Squid Academy for the interested Rukovna side.

As the Rukovna Emperors gathered together, they weren't the only ones who anticipated the mayhem of Nationals. Over at Hugh-Napri, the cafeteria is packed with students still filing in to get their meals. A table hidden in the heart of the room sits the entire team of Hugh-Napri with their stars at the center. A team led by the Empress Shiori with their ace Street Queen Shiore and the Immaculate Octoling Takahashi. Considered to be the big trio of the school, everyone showered them with praise and best wishes for the upcoming tournament, hoping to bring the title back home after failing to win it back-to-back last year. They weren't the only team at the top who had a grudge that needed to be settled as Siot of Crystal Coast walks with a few of his teammates along the seaside on their way back to the campus after grabbing lunch off campus.

"Crazy, right? Our time is almost over. After this tournament and the Grand Slams, we'll be done with Crystal Coast!" Siot laughs, nonchalantly resting his hands in his pockets with his shoulders dropping without a care in the world, his head turned to the sparkling emerald water that shines thanks to the white sand. A frown appearing on his face with furrowed brows, he recalled his previous defeats that led to this moment.

"It's the cycle of life. Time waits on no one, which is why we must do our best with what remains." Arian said with a snake-like grin, noticing that Siot wasn't looking like his usual self. An attempt to change the mood, aware that his captain wore his emotions on his sleeve, he looks over to the same girl who called them over last time; "Wouldn't you agree, Rikki?" he elbows with a wink motioning his head over in Siot's direction.

Rikki immediately beamed and rushed over to grab her captain by the arm in hopes to get him flustered, "As the only third years left, it's our job to see them off with a smile, right?"

"Y-yeah...you didn't need to surprise me like that."

"Mean! We've been together since we were first years and look what we've built since then!" she said turning around to point towards the core of Crystal Coast, the team of mostly second years and a couple first years that showed incredible promise as a champion in the making; "Leila, Tiki, Arihi, and Arian...we've got reliable underclassmen that all followed in our footsteps to help build the powerful we have today."

"I know that."

"Then why do you look like that?"

"Look like what?"

"I know you're still blaming yourself for our losses last year, but it's time to move on. We have an incredible team and this tournament looks like it'll be plenty of fun! Let's enjoy it like we've always done and worry about the future when we get there, okay?"

A brief moment of silence, he looks around to see all his teammates staring at him with confident stares-some even nodding. This year would be different from the others as they're led by one of the best players on the continent with an incredibly talented core who still had plenty of room to grow. It's true that Siot shouldn't feel too concerned about the upcoming tournament, but for some reason he just shook the sinking feeling that something unbelievable, so catastrophic that he couldn't help but worry was on the verge of occurring at the tournament. Usually confident and lax, for the first time, Siot felt unsure about his team's chances in the tournament. Partially because his side in the group of death, there was also the possibility of his dream finally coming true: the Royale siblings, Moreno siblings, and then C.C. of the Bluerings. Was it fine for him to get his wish of facing so many strong teams right away? Has he possibly bitten off more than he can chew? Taking Rikki's advice to worry about the future, he rested those thoughts on the back burner. Much like the three were thinking about the big tournament, so are the rest of the competitors who are spending their final days before departure for Ravia doing last minute practices and study. Some teams are spending time enjoying the brief calm before the storm while others continue to hammer away at the anvil and forge their weapons for battle. C.C. is one such individual, currently at his local boxing gym and hard at work in building his mental strength. Dashing across the ring with his guard down, practically taunting his opponent while everyone in the gym watching, he was building up his confidence by putting himself at risk for suffering a terrible defeat; he believed that if he couldn't take the risk of defeat and put himself on the line, how could he expect victory? The turf wars are like boxing. Each game is slug fest-an endurance filled with technique. Each blow thrown is calculated and with full power, and the opponent knows each other better than even their families through intense studying. If he's going to cement his legacy as the "The Greatest" then he needed to take down those before him, in the prime of his career with an entire year left, C.C. felt that desperation to eclipse and become better than what the Fifth Emperor and Street Queen already were in his position. A left. A right. None connect as C.C. dodges them easily, not even bothering to counter with the openings available. The coaches were impressed by his fancy footwork and technicality as always, noting that even as a second year, he's living up to his title. With another year still left to reach his full potential, they saw this upcoming tournament as a chance to only undergo further growth at a tremendous pace. With the cast of first and second years that surround him, they were sure that this was the year for a big surprise and found that if anyone could upset the likes of the top 5 teams, it's the 6th ranked Bluerings. They weren't the only team under the banner of potential candidates to win it all, as the 10th ranked Toka looked powerful going into the tournament. The team known as the "Samurai of the Rising Sun" donning red and white with a hint of blue, they're led by the very exciting and talented captain "Smooth Samurai" Shunpei Natsudane and the ace "Silent Killer" Kazuma Hokuzumi who is regarded as one of best players on the continent. The 5th ranked Skolar also looked impressive led by "Green Viking" Carmichael and the "Gentle Giant" Miralem. 4th ranked Vulerby also looked quite strong with their lineup as the premier team from Squirabia. A tournament for the ages, the strongest and most worthy prepare to occupy the same city in what many believed to be the "bloodiest" of tournaments to ever happen.