After midday games concluded, the teams returned to their respective private locker rooms and changed into their casual gear-clearing out to free up space for the teams following them up in the double header games. For the Kalebrough Inkstinct, their side were wrapping up their post game meeting and making their exit after a well done performance for the day by winning their game in a sweep to sit atop their group table. During the meeting, their head coach reviewed everything in the game and highlighted what he found to be great improvement but also went over some key moments in the match where he felt his players would have performed better if they made a few adjustments, but was overall satisfied with how well they played. Following the meeting where he beamed with satisfaction at them remaining unbeaten, he advised they enjoy the rest of their day by spending it however they like but driving home that the best thing for them was to rest and relax since they earned it; he also reminded them that there would be a team briefing tomorrow morning in regards to their next opponent, a team they were aware of and knew well thanks to a super fan being among their ranks. Afterwards, they headed to the loop where their team bus was parked, ready to take them back to their lodging. It was on the way there that Kippy found someone tapping her on the shoulder that caught her attention immediately, when she whipped her head around to see who it was, she found it to be her assistant coach who asked for a second of her time.

"Eh? They got swept!? What do you mean they got swept!?" Kippy shouts with wrinkles on her forehead, disturbed by the results; the assistant coach stopped her to mention what happened since he knew how much she cared about this particular team.

The assistant coach kept a calm expression while telling her to settle down, "They gave Crystal Coast a good run for their money in the first three rounds, but by the final round it was evident they didn't have enough left to put up a fight; their captain looked exhausted and though they swapped out the rest of their roster for fresh legs, it backfired greatly as they didn't have enough time to mesh well in such a chemistry heavy game mode. Honestly, they should've gambled on the main squad for that one, but I can understand the need to protect the starters given how long the group stage is. Oh well-guess this was to be expected since they weren't supposed to play at this time either."

"They weren't!?" Kippy's tone raised, her emotions skyrocketing as she already pieced together the situation Squid Academy are in.

"No, no." The assistant coach shakes his head emphatically; "Weren't you listening yesterday? Coach told you all that there was a scheduling issue and they decided to work around it by having today's game swap slots instead. So their match-and ours-were scheduled to play at midday rather than the original time of the evening. As such, we'll be playing in the evening for the next pair of games."

"Alright." Kippy said, her voice losing life as she began to understand why Squid Academy lost.

"More than likely they didn't receive warning until the last minute and just shrugged it off and winged it. I found it strange that they kept their starting six in for so long, but I guess they are unfamiliar with this stage after all-but back to back games in the blazing sun...Shamsa and Mutrah aren't friendly locations in that heat."

"Unbelievable...it's as though the committee is against them or something."

"Hey now, we're affected too and so are the other teams. I know you're a fan of theirs, but you'll need to keep your head in the game when we go up against them. They are the enemy, you hear? E-N-E-M-Y!" he said, scolding her a bit as she seemed lost in her own thoughts; since they were the next opponents for their side, they were already scouting them and taking some precautions after seeing what they were capable of even in that sweep.

"R-right, of course!" she said with a salute, shoulders stiffened and back erect. "I'll do my best!"

"Come on, coach. Give her a break will ya?" said an inkling girl wearing a big ribbon tied in her hair, joining the pair just before they head on their way to the bus; "She put up big numbers today, and she's got to be exhausted! Worry her head off another time..."

"Alannis!" Kippy beamed, hugging her third year senior that she hadn't seen for the day.

Alannis pried off the arms of her happy junior that stuck like glue, "Easy now, Kips-I'm glad to see you too, but no need to do that every time we see each other."

The assistant coach chuckles, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just know how much Kippy likes that team. Since we're facing them, I thought it would do her well to know what they were up against and how they might respond when they come for us."

"Even then, save it for tomorrow! Let us enjoy the rest of our day like Coach advised."

"Alright, get on the bus you two." he said, dismissing them-finding the pair amusing.

The pair hop on the bus to crowded rows of staff members conversing with one another at the front and the excited players in the middle and end all sharing their feelings about the game and their plans for the evening. A pair of seats were saved for the girls by their teammate Fiona, who wore big round glasses and a white headband-calling them over with a hand gesture and then tapping on the seat. Alannis and Fiona were Kippy's closest friends on the team outside of the starters, both considered to be reliable third years coming off the bench with roles as super substitutes. Their precious junior nestled between them, they do their best to have her unwind after the game and feel like a regular student rather than the superstar that the country was trying to mold.

"Got any plans for the day?" Fiona asked, telling them she planned to do some shopping nearby and grab souvenirs for her family; Alannis told her she planned to try out a nearby shop for their native cuisines, asking if she could tag along so they could go together.

Alannis elbows her playfully, "Wanna come with us, Kips?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I'm going to stay at the hotel and rest for a bit and do some research on our next opponent."

Fiona pats her on the back, "Already looking ahead, talk about responsible!"

Alannis showed her bottom lip, "Rejected by my junior, how painful!"

Kippy panics, "No! I'd love to come, really! It's just-"

"I understand, I know what the next game means for you."

"A dream come true, huh? I remember when you first joined and you were so quiet, then the moment one of us mentioned him and that team you became a different person. I'll never forget the shine in your eyes as you talked about that boy." Fiona recalled, finding it amusing how much Kippy admired a fellow player in her age group; "I can't lie, at first I thought you just had a huge crush on him."

"C-crush!?" her face reddened; "N-no! I just respect him very much! I owe him everything that's happened to me since I started playing. Because of him, I've met wonderful people on this team and gained irreplaceable friends. That's all! It's nothing like that, really!"

Fiona's got hearts in her irises and her hands clasped together, "So cute!"

"So honest!" Alannis praised.

"It's true though! He was my inspiration for why I've become the person that I am, and I doubt I would've recognized my talent if it wasn't for watching him that day. Life would probably be far different for me if i never saw him." she said, her tone dropping in energy towards the end. "I have a great respect for him as a competitor, and I'd love nothing more than to face him and show him my thanks."

Fiona giggled, "At this rate you should marry him, sounds like he's a walking charm."

"Marriage!?"

"Hey, what would you do if you see him again? Would you confess to him?" Fiona asked with stars in her pupils, waiting with baited breath for an answer; Alannis was also curious for an answer.

Kippy short circuited the moment the image popped in her mind of confessing to Azule, unable to see herself holding that type of a talk with him, though she's already made it obvious from her previous interactions with him that her admiration goes beyond just the sport itself. Their teasing super effective, the pair decide to ease up and give her a chance to recover from the consecutive damage heavy attacks, shaking off the topic with a laugh and continuing onto something else; sitting a few seats ahead with his arms folded and his head down and appearing to be asleep-although he was actually eavesdropping on the conversation was Kappa, amazed at how far Kippy has come from the little brat he knew going up. Slowly but surely, she was growing up to become a person of her own and escape her destructive thinking-even if he hated the idea of it, he was glad that she found someone to latch onto that could be her guiding light whenever she felt herself slipping back into a sunken place. He vowed to do everything in his power to be as reliable of a brother as possible, one that she could lean on rather than the idolized illusion created by some random person who barely even knew her; never again did he want to see the light leave her eyes, or hear her repeat the phrase that she's a weapon meant to be exploited. Occupying the the window seat, next him are two of his friends from the bench: Dale-a wild spirited inkling who loved adventure, and Pedro-a studious inkling who preferred to stay indoors. They had been having a conversation from the moment they boarded, and once the bus started moving, it appeared they wouldn't ever stop talking, but the moment Kappa overheard Kippy's conversation, his input on the conversation vanished right in the middle of the discussion.

"Hey Kappa! Kappa…!"

"Hm?" Kappa jolts, returning to his friends.

"You never told us what you thought." Dale elbowed, amused that he ignored the conversation.

"My bad, I wasn't following along." he said without sincerity.

Pedro shakes his head with a sigh, "You worked hard today so it makes sense you might space out but come on, man."

"We were thinking about watching the Beacon Hills and Special Forces games tomorrow to get a scope on what our fellow countrymen are doing. As one of the representatives, we have to make sure everyone is pulling their weight so we can rub it in the others' faces. As much as this is a team competition, it is also one for the nations as well."

"I'll pass." he said shooing them away.

"Figured you say that." Dale sighs, sporting a defeated smile. "Gonna rest up for tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, I want to be at full strength when I face Squid Academy. It's a match I've been looking forward to ever since we got them in our group. Kippy's done nothing but talk about them after all, and I want to see for myself if they're worth her praise."

"Do you hate them?" Dale asked, mostly curious if this related to how kippy felt about them.

Kappa crosses his arms and stares at his feet recalling the performances, "Far from it. Honestly, I'd like it if they could be friends with Kippy. But, I can't help but harbor some distrust for them since their team just seems...eerie. I can't describe it but that team isn't normal by any means. Then there's the captain that Kippy can't shut up about-no doubt he'll do something crazy against us given the recent trend for his team."

"A sound answer." Pedro comments, glad to hear Kappa open up a bit-aware of the pressure he has to carry as being the shadow star of the team who remains undervalued compared to his sister. Even now, he is still thinking of ways to help the team and his sister, putting them as his priorities.

While Kippy was the star of the team, it was evident to many within the team that the player most qualified to inherit the team was Kappa, his maturity and wisdom on the turf surpassing anyone else on the team that wasn't a third year. With their time almost up, the third years had to plan for the future and figure who was the best person to inherit the team, and none stood out more to be the most responsible successor than the shadow star himself. It was unanimous that moving forward in the tournament, they would pour their efforts into not just having Kippy grow, but to also nurturing Kappa in becoming a strong captain. As such, their attention turned to what they will do for their next match that takes place the day after tomorrow-aware it'll be a personal battle for the Moreno siblings and they will likely be far more vulnerable than ever. Even though the two siblings were the main cannon and spearheads of the team, this would be the first time they would be playing a game that had a different feeling to it-one similar to a rivalry game. With personal goals and emotions tied to this game, there was a chance that the pair might not deliver the same impact. Zepp, Virgil and Pascal all sit together with Tiffany hovering over them about what they must do to ensure their promising stars don't freeze in the spotlight. Zepp believed this match to be a statement match for both sidesL Squid Academy have lost back to back and find themselves in a deep hole that'll be miraculous to recover from should they lose yet again, and Kalebrough have a message to send to the group of death and the rest of the top teams in the tournament. Pascal called it a trap game, comparing it to an adversary attempting to antagonize a bluering octopus; they might have a couple losses, but the poison they carried shows in how strongly they can put up a fight-unafraid of the gargantuan predators occupying the group.

The evening ride back to the resort for Squid Academy was a long and silent one with most of the players asleep on each other's shoulders thanks to the smooth transport. A comforting sight for the Fuchsia and the other staff members who were emotionally drained after that match, they found their sleeping faces to put them at ease-glad they could sleep so peacefully after such fatigue. After a group dinner and showers, they all split up to spend their spare hours before bedtime in different ways-a period of solitude for some and a chance to socialize with their comrades and strengthen their bonds. Over in the lounge just before the lit up pool staring out at the sparkling lights together, the company of Fuchsia sat with Kosami, Tangie, and Apollo were all sitting comfortably listening to the white noises of the environment. Not much was said between them thus far as they let the environment talk instead, using that white noise to pass the time as they recall the hectic events of this morning, finding it amusing now that they have time to dedicate towards processing what led everything to happen as it did. An unforeseen event, Fuchsia received notification from one of the representatives in the dead of night that her team's evening game was changed to midday instead, the reason not entirely clear other than it was an emergency and that they were extremely apologetic about it. Such a last minute decision that had Fuchsia and her squad scrambling, only calming herself once she remembered that she was the little sister of a whole queen of a nation-it'd be foolish for her to get flustered at something as trivial as a spontaneous change in plans. Rather than fight in the favorable cool evening, they were prompted to battle once more in the scorching heat against a difficult opponent.

As she remembered the sequence of events, Tangie breathed a sigh of relief followed by a laugh while shaking her head. "We still lost..."

Apollo found it humorous that even after such a defeat she could still sport such innocent smiles and laughter. Kosami also found it refreshing to have Tangie's carefree personality in their presence, remembering what made life so fun being part of Squidcom in the first place. Fuchsia looked to her crew and brought her curled fingers up to her chin, "Apparently some of the teams were having issues regarding transportation and were in danger of having to forfeit their games, so they swapped the games to give them more time. To fix this, they swapped the order of the schedule and stacked the later games in the midday like a double-header and put the earlier games to play in the evening. Care to watch them?" she jokes, getting tired looks from the trio.

"I'm done with games for the day." Tangie sighed, slumping in her seat and waving her hand in denial.

"I second that, I'd much rather not even think about another game for now." Kosami nods, leaning back into her seat and closing her eyes for a bit.

Apollo chuckles, "Good work today, everyone. The end result might be a loss, but I think we could take something from it; I believe we've learned quite enough about ourselves after such a clash with Crystal Coast."

It gets silent for a moment as they all agreed that they put up a good fight against Crystal Coast given the circumstances, but they couldn't remove the hard truth that they got swept nonetheless. Even with the use of substitutes in their rotation this time around and their strongest players putting their best foot forward, they couldn't conquer the wall of Siot and his side when it mattered the most-especially when they weren't using their full power. Their goal for the next day was to figure out how they could prevent the situation from getting worse and make a quick turnaround. As it stands, they are down a couple games and are in danger of facing elimination from the group should they lose another pair of matches. In this period of silence, Fuchsia's clockwork brain works overtime until she arrives at a conclusion. "Hey, can I ask the three of you to do something for me tomorrow? There's plenty on my mind I want to review as part of preparation, and I won't be able to carry out this portion of my study so it'd mean a lot if-"

"Anything for you~!" Tangie teased, fluttering her eyelashes with her hand up to her mouth.

Fuchsia wears a blank stare, "I'm gonna prepare for our upcoming match with Kalebrough and do some studying on the rest of the group of death, so in the meantime I'd like you all to scout the matches within group B. Should we advance to the knockouts-and I plan on it-we'll be going up against those who advance from group B."

"Sure thing, but an entire day of prep? Sounds like it'll be rough."

"I'll be fine. I just need to do some deep thinking and review our previous defeats and what we'll need to do against Kalebrough and Fujiro Industrial. Now that we've lost a pair of games, it'll get tricky about how we approach the next couple of games and the rest of the group. I also got to think up some scenarios on what happens to us based on the odds of how the other teams perform. As for the teams to watch out for in group B, Vulerby and the Wobblegongs are the two ranked teams to be on the lookout for as well as Burste-Riota Tech and Xavier Tech, who are a pair of well performing schools thus far. Based on where we finish and where they finish, we'll have to think about which matches are more favorable. So, from this point onwards, I ask that you focus solely on collecting info on them." She said with focus, reassuring them that the rest of the staff members would assist them and her on covering the teams within their group; happy to see she still has every intention of going to the knockouts without a shred of concern, the trio accept her orders and promise to carry out their scouting and help her to the best of their ability. Even after a couple losses to difficult opponents, they didn't lose their faith while looking ahead to their mountain of troublesome obstacles.

Over in Azule's room, he's over on the balcony. The view of the lit up streets under the bright moon, the warm gentle breeze tickling his skin as he leans on the railing, his thoughts deep as he closes his eyes. Next to him sitting in a comfortable chair with his arms folded and his head lowered is Cobalt, who decided to keep his captain company after noticing he looked troubled by something. The first time in a while where they could talk alone like this, Azule shared everything that was on his mind-looking to clear up his clouded thoughts. Starting off by mentioning his thoughts on the tournament thus far, Azule shared how he felt about the recent losses and his decision to not use Midnight. After telling Cobalt his decision was mostly influenced by his conversation with Sky, a brief moment of silence followed as Cobalt processed what he needed to say to Azule, finding that more than anything what his friend needed right now was to solve the complex issue.

"No health issues thus far, but my guess is that if you pull the trigger and use Midnight, that might change." Cobalt's red irises sharpen, remembering the struggles Azule went through; "I can understand the need for caution at least."

"Of course." Azule straightens his back and turns around to look at his samurai friend; "But I've thought about it for a while and I'm drawing up blanks. Exactly how am I supposed to continue? What should I do? I mean, I can't put my health at risk nor can I continue to play conservative and rely on my own power. I can try as hard as I like, but I'm still not there."

Cobalt's gaze softens after seeing the helplessness in his captain's eyes, "Ever heard the phrase 'work smart, not hard' my dear friend?"

Azule shrugs his shoulders, "Seems simple enough."

"I consider it profound. From youth, we are taught by our environment to always be hard workers, to put forth our best efforts and eventually we can achieve our aspirations. What happens when we fail? What happens if the effort we put in still isn't enough, though we know that it was done with all our strength?"

"We reach a dead end?"

"Exactly. Once we reach a dead end, there are two courses of action: smash through, or give up. I'm not telling you to do either of those things, but rather, work smart-the third option. Instead of limiting yourself to the pair of options given, why not introduce a third one? You want to avoid risking your health and jeopardizing future plans by using Midnight prematurely, but the problem is that given the circumstances, it'll be hard to refrain from using that trump card, especially when it is clear that our opponent's strength is far mightier than we can handle. In such a case we work smart..."

"How?" the intrigued captain asked, perplexed by Cobalt's unusual answer.

"Working hard to me seems like choosing one of those options: Midnight's usage means you'll have to push your body to its limits as well as undertake newer levels of stress than what you're already dealing with, and then there's the other option. You're tackling the same stress but now there is the risk of getting eliminated early rather than have a fighting chance. The smart approach would be to say 'screw it' and do both."

"Really…?" Azule scoffs.

"Yeah, why not both?" Cobalt beams, mocking Azule a little bit since that was the type of answer he'd give.

Azule isn't amused, "Cobalt."

"Hear me out, captain." he smirks with such warmth and brightness his red eyes are half open; "Rely on your strength first and foremost and save Midnight for when it matters most. You have the spirit of a warrior so you should know better than anyone when to let loose, and I believe in you as well. You'll know when to gun it."

"Both, huh…I was approaching it more from a numbers perspective, but if you're tellling me to take necessary risks, then-"

"Risk and Reward go hand in hand like curry and rice. Without risk, you can't expect to gain anything meaningful. We're at the national tournament of all the places, so of course we'll have to make a gamble if we're serious about going far. You think any of the top teams will take it easy and conserve their strength once the knockouts begin?"

"Of course not, they'll give it all they have."

"Exactly, and we'll be doing the same. The only difference between us and them is that we'll have to go all out much earlier and fight to survive just the group stage alone, where for the others it'll be at the knockouts." Cobalt said, satisfied to see they were on the same page.

Azule lowers his head, "What an unfair group this is, though, it only just occurred to me that at least one of the ranked teams will be eliminated. Only four can advance and there are five of these ranked teams. To think one of the best teams in the country may end up eliminated before getting to the knockout stage is baffling to me."

"What difference will a pair make?" Cobalt smirks with a devilish grin, insinuating that there's a spot for them.

Enough said, Azule returns the expression with a nod. Even if they were in a difficult group, it was already written in stone that one of the mighty would fall, so if fate has allowed it, then they could write their own path in faith's image and slay another giant. Admiring their surroundings, the peaceful silence offers them a nostalgic trip of revisiting the many trials they overcame. Ever since they first reunited, it has always been a wild ride after another with so many unforgettable moments. There were laughs, and even fights, but no matter the situation they were always together-this time is no different. It might seem difficult given the context as a team with no prior national tournament experience and with a roster that had some rust, but this isn't the first time they have face nearly impossible odds. They've stared at many scary situations in the face and even butt heads with death itself; this was nothing compared to that. Many of the core pieces of Squid Academy have already faced much worse scenarios than what they are up against and battled opponents far more terrifying than what stands in front of them, the teams they were up against were no more than a hollow mannequin placed in front of them to test their resolve. It isn't a matter of life or death anymore, rather, they could take it easy and just do what makes them comfortable. A meaningful few minutes of peace, Azule thanks Cobalt for helping him come to an understanding about what he'll do moving forward.

The next day…

All the teams from the group of death were spending their day off in ways as varying as their rosters. Teams like Crystal Coast and Baiji's players were out visiting landmarks to make their trips memorable but in Siot's case, he didn't look to be having much fun despite the smile he sprouted while taking pictures with his teammates, his thoughts lingering about the last words he said to Azule. He knew what was said was harsh and he didn't personally hold a grudge against the first year, but he couldn't help but feel provoked after getting a whiff of the latent power within Azule, one that he had a very uneasy feeling would soon awaken from its deep slumber during the group stage and likely change the entire flow of the competition. Even if it was only for a moment, he genuinely felt his instincts warn him-not as a player, but as an inkling. Left with more questions than answers after crossing paths, Siot wondered what did that boy go through to carry such an aura. Kalebrough's players are doing their own thing with some of them checking out the matches playing and others staying behind to get some light training in; Kippy stuck to her word and spent her time formulating how she would fight against Squid Academy, also studying Azule intently and looking for ways to counter his dualies. C.C. and the Bluerings were fulfilling their usual training regimen and maintaining discipline, while the Titans were doing the opposite and enjoying their day off wholeheartedly. For Squid Academy, the best thing for them was to take it easy and recover after the grueling matches under the sun-though some didn't heed that advice. On a long run away from the resort are Sky, Aaron, Pearl, and Austin are all feeling helpless that they're under restriction. Though they didn't say anything to one another while competing to be the fastest, they all shared the same thoughts with their gazes forward and their hearts beating like a drum. After watching their juniors put on such a fight, they felt motivated more than ever to get out there and make a difference, planning to speak with Fuchsia later in the day about their playtime. As the most experienced players on the team and essentially the key leaders the team needed, they knew that they needed to step up in their roles and contribute more than just being a presence on the sidelines-they needed to be on the turf where they belonged and steer the team towards victory; the more their minds wandered to the current status of the team, the faster they got-worked up about still not getting to play knowing they will have to miss another couple games at the very least.

"Oh! Nice one~!" Parker claps in response to seeing the balls clank across the green table and ricochet against the walls, a solid and stripe each getting pocketed as the cue ball stays in play and narrowly avoiding the 8-ball as well.

"No need for praise, this is child's play." Todd responds in a plain tone, uncomfortable with the cheerful energy from his senior-receiving looks from Zaneki, who was extra competitive today after playing in a game.

"I must admit, I'm still a novice at billiards, so go easy on me." Mason joked with a chuckle, preferring to play darts or chess but going with the flow.

Zaneki raises his chin, "You're talking big-pick one already!" he hurries, wanting to go clenching his cue stick tightly with some veins sprouting behind his head.

"Uhhh, solids." Todd responds while squatting, lining up the cue ball for a shot; Having run into each other at the dining area by coincidence, they all had breakfast together and decided to play a game of billiards. "Four in a row." he calls, spotting a path for him to pocket multiple balls into a corner and also send a third solid into the opposite corner to pocket another solid that teetered on the edge.

Parker and Mason are excited to see what Todd will pull now that he called the pockets, while Zaneki holds his breath in anticipation of his turn. With a big wind-up and the cue stick tip between his fingers, he does a power shot that smacks the pair of solids right into the pocket, but unfortunately his shot had a little too much power and bounces right off the wall next to the third solid instead of hitting the side just enough to send it the other way; luckily he has another try since he pocketed a pair. Right now he only needs to pocket four more solids until he tackles the 8-ball, rounding the table, he narrows his gaze and winds up-this time releasing a much weaker shot. This time he nails that third ball to pocket the ball at the edge, and then afterwards pockets the fourth; the final solid ball he needs is tightly packed between a group of stripes. Unable to get the last one, it's Zaneki's turn to go.

"Hogging all the glory, what else is new." Zaneki comments, walking over to where the cue ball is.

Todd rolls his eyes, "You got enough salt to give me high blood pressure."

"You two are a joy to watch!" Parker said with a dash of sarcasm, interrupting any chance for a response from Zaneki.

A chance to build some momentum and wrestle away momentum from Todd, Zaneki takes over and pockets a pair of stripes before he falls short of a third. Mason takes over afterwards but misses terribly, leading Parker to get a chance to put the game out of reach after pocketing the last solid and taking the 8-ball right afterwards. A quick victory for Todd and Parker who didn't even have to break a sweat in that game, Zaneki and Mason challenged them to a rematch. Todd wasn't averse to another game but wanted them to up the ante and put something on the line to make it interesting, to which the pair betted they would pay for dinner; another round underway, the two teams played with something to prove. Much like they were doing their best to take their minds off the difficult defeat, the other members of Squid Academy were making use of the day of. Evelyn, Pastelle, and Sandra met up with Bianca to grab a bite in the city, and Violet had Jory accompany her hunting at local small shops for any rare finds. At the resort, Azule, Reice, Hannah, and Audrey were in the lobby at one of the tables playing some card games. What was proposed to be a therapeutic and friendly game meant to pass the time with some comforting white noise behind them turns into a competitive showdown between Reice and Audrey after they win a round each and acknowledge the other as a legitimate threat while Hannah was only there to keep them company, mostly on her phone keeping up with the local gossip on social media. While the pair slam cards on the table getting more heated as the round continued, Azule sat dormant without a blink-deeply recalling the conversations he had with Sky and Cobalt and bridging the messages from both to come to an understanding. He knew it made sense to conserve Midnight and protect his health while also relying on his own strength for mental toughness, but if he played it safe for too long he risks missing his opportunity entirely. An impasse of sorts, he organizes the pros and cons of both sides and considers the various factors that impact both decisions; the title of captain indeed carries a different weight to it as every move he makes can affect the entire flow of the team. Remembering what Siot said about Midnight being the difference maker between a sweep defeat and a possible competitive series that could've gone their way, he carefully assesses what will be awaiting him in his clash with Kalebrough. Lifting his head, he observes the tv monitors watching some of the games happening, remembering what Fuchsia told him earlier about where the others went for the day. Hard at work observing all the games today at different posts are the entire Squid Academy coaching staff, splitting up their forces to cover nearly every game. After seeing how hard their players worked, they all felt a spark light them up to do their best to support them-gathering as much useful data as they can. As for Fuchsia, she's working diligently in her room hunched over the neatly organized desk, her chair squeaking a bit as she adjusts her posture-her head going up and down like a needle as she scans all the info presented, writing down in her notebook what was most vital for the plan she's creating. Already at a disadvantage in her group, she's racking at her brains at all the possibilities and searching for an achievable route, but there are nothing but errors registering in her mind while processing everything. Kalebrough Inkstinct, the Bluerings, Titans, and Baiji, are all teams with as much caliber and firepower as Crystal Coast, so after hours of branching out her thoughts and creating an entire flowchart of all the possibilities-she reached a conclusion long after the sun departed and welcomed the moon. Leaning back in her chair, she lets out a sigh of relief and stares at her phone, seeing she got a few messages from Azule. Meanwhile in the lobby, the group of Azule, Reice, Hannah, and Audrey grew to add Violet and Jory, who were filling them in on what they did for the day and showing off some of their findings.

"Oh look, it's the coach!" Hannah chirps noticing a tired Fuchsia walk towards them.

"Hey Fuchsia!" Jory waves eagerly, holding something he wanted to show her.

"Hi everyone…" she smiles softly with fatigue showing on her face, "Apologies if I'm being sudden but is it fine if I borrow Azule? I'll be needing him for the night." Azule does a spit take-blushing heavily afterwards as his teammates give him teasing looks; Fuchsia gives him a questioning look, "Azule…?" sighing afterwards with her hands at her hips once she picked up on what everyone was thinking; "I need to go over some things regarding the Kalebrough match that I believe the captain should know." she said, the tiredness in her voice apparent as she wobbles a bit from the exhaustion.

In that moment, everyone looked at one another.

"Azule, you should go with her." Violet said.

"Yeah, you're a sixth wheel anyways." Reice adds, shooing him away.

Audrey giggles, "You two should run along now!"

With such insistence from everyone, Azule excuses himself and takes Fuchsia by the hand. Right away he can tell she's at a loss of balance as she leans into his arms. "Let's get you somewhere quiet to sit." he said, clasping his hand tightly in hers. After leaving the others and walking through the hallway, he can't help but notice how weakly her grip is getting, "How are you feeling? You're dozing off on me..." he asks, looking over his shoulder at her drained face.

"Pushed myself a bit, that's all. I'll be fine with some rest." she forces a smile.

He could only sigh, knowing that there wasn't any way for him to stop her from getting like this. After a few minutes of walking through the resort, he sat her down in a comfy cushion seat and disappeared for a moment to grab her a drink. Alone for a moment once more, Fuchsia looked over at the darkening horizon where the mountains are almost invisible under the coat of night. Before a moment's notice, Azule is back with a pair of drinks in his hands setting them on some coasters. His smile as soothing as his gentle voice asking her if she was ok, she couldn't help but wear smile as her cheeks burn for him. Graciously accepting the drink, she takes a sip as she sits across from her-wearing a nervous expression of his own. After she had enough to drink and Azule runs out of things to keep the conversation flowing and away from the obvious topic, she gets up and heads over to lean by the railing and stare off to the distance; Azule follows her, leaving behind a tip. For what was only a few minutes, the silence between them lingers as Fuchsia's eyelids get heavy.

"What did you do today to get this tired?" Azule said giving her a soft nudge on the arm.

"Plenty of reading and number crunching. I was going over our odds for the rest of the group games and predicting what all the other teams willl try. I set up several simulations and ran them under different circumstances to get a picture of just how deep in hot water we are. I guess it didn't help I did all this hard work while straining my eyes a little." she yawns, bringing out some much needed tears to moisture her dried eyes; "But luckily I have you, my sweet blue source of energy who chose to be by my side rather than play games with the others."

"I don't know how much energy I'm providing if you nearly fell asleep just now." he shrugs his shoulders, his face a little lighter after seeing she can still crack jokes.

"You're worried about the match tomorrow, aren't you?" she asked, though it felt more like projection.

"How did you know." Azule responds in a sarcastic tone.

Fuchsia gives him a soft smile while leaning forward-his reflection in her eyes, "I've noticed that you tend to carry a more serious look when you're unsure of something. You change from your energetic and carefree nature to a more conscientious one, always calculating and processing everything in real time."

"Is that bad?"

"Not really, no." she said with a soft smile, lost in his unsure expression as he blinks at her a couple times before returning his attention to the distance.

"Still, a couple losses is unacceptable."

"We knew it wouldn't be a simple run coming into this tournament." she shrugs her shoulders; "It'll take more than just working hard to win, and some questions just can't ever be answered. But I must ask: how's your body holding up-no cramps or anything?"

Azule feels his chest, "I've been keeping hydrated and following the doc's orders-my heart is fine too; my body just feels heavy but I'm sure that's from the buildup of stress. Luckily, I know someone that can help me with that."

Fuchsia blushes and then punches him in the arm, "Even now you still have enough time to think about that?"

"Octolings and Inklings have great chemistry, don't they?"

"Can it!" she says pushing him away.

"So, what's the business you wanted to discuss?" Azule asks, finding it right to finally touch on what must be on her mind.

"I've been thinking about how we'll fare in future battles. The group stage is enough of a challenge for us, but the knockouts will be even tougher. With that said, we've got a trump card that could help us tremendously."

"Midnight?"

"Yeah, with that I know we can stand a chance against the ranked teams. The thing is, I know how you've been doing your best to avoid using it for the group stage and it makes sense since we can't be revealing our best weapons so early on, and then there's your health. Those are valid reasons to keep that weapon concealed. However, as things stand..."

"How unusual of you to leave your sentences incomplete." he teased, looking to get a reaction out of her; Fuchsia couldn't help but wear a bright grin and giggle in response. "I'm good to go. I've learned from my mistake in the first games that although I had the right intentions, I took the wrong approach. For the rest of the group stage, I must treat every game like our last."

"Talk about character development-here I figured you would be depressed or throw a tantrum. I guess you're a good captain after all."

"I can't consider myself a good one without a win."

"We'll see tomorrow then."

"Indeed." Azule responds; an end to their discussion, the pair let their thoughts settle. Their next match will be yet another next experience for them as they will play in the night rather than under the blazing sun. They will be much stronger, and so will their opponents.

Next up: Kalebrough vs Squid Academy