Tiffany takes a deep breath and exhales to calm herself after the frustrating end to the third round, sitting beside her fellow starters during the break. Their coach had finished his strategy meeting and made the necessary adjustments for the following round that included the benching of Pascal and Tiffany in favor of Alannis and Dale, notify several substitutes including Pedro and Fiona to get warmed up an mentally prepared to step in if need be, warning all of his players that they might be looking at a long series if Squid Academy persists and they fail to find a countermeasure; the approach hasn't changed with Kippy being the forefront of their attack, but after seeing her get beat in a one on one, it might be too much of a burden to place on her shoulders. So instead, Kappa and Zepp would be stepping up with bigger roles than they already had from this point onwards. Kalebrough's setup wasn't anything complex: Kippy is their ace weapon and most teams struggled to handle her, but she wasn't their only powerful asset since they had Kappa and Zepp. That had its perks and flaws however, as the spotlight on Kippy allowed them to play more freely in supportive and balanced roles as anchors rather than as slayers poaching all the kills,, allowing Kippy to freely heat up and control the tempo of the match, but if she's struggling, then their approach must shift to a more offensive style with less concern for defensive and more so about domination which sounds nice in theory, but can prove cumbersome since they weren't in their preferred styles of play, as well as swapping out their weapons to suit the new approach. With the assistant coach stepping in for the head coach, he was going over what weapons everyone should select for the hide ink seek round, highlighting that Azule on the tetra dualies would be a nightmare unless they have a dualie user of their own, also predicting the likely rotation of the next Squid Academy squad.

"Don't beat yourself up, Kips…" Alannis said rubbing her friend's back gently sitting beside her, feeling the light trembles from her as she wears a towel over her head with a hidden gaze. "You played well in that round, he just happened to play better. We'll turn it around in the next round."

That isn't it. Kippy thought shutting her eyelids tightly and holding part of the towel up to her mouth, feeling her heart in her throat. His answer. He gave me his answer in that last exchange when it was just the two of us, and I could feel it the moment he took me down. His rejection. A melancholy stare with a glaze over her irises as she clenches her chest and wrinkles her jersey, Kippy discovered another emotion in that battle-one that carries a higher intensity and felt like a dagger carving into her chest to scoop out her heart that was chained so tightly it looked as though it was on the verge of bursting into scraps, unable to shake the uneasiness that latches onto her worse than the fear she learned earlier. Oh, I hate this. She thought, her senses dulling the more she thought about it-the overloading of information processing too much for her.

"Snap out of it." Fiona says, snapping her fingers and dragging Kippy out of her thoughts. "I don't know what's on your mind right now, but it'll have to wait until later. You still have a match to play and an important role on this team, can't fulfill it? I'll gladly step in. Don't think that just because you are our best player on the team that you can afford to screw up.

"Fiona...!" Alannis scoffs, upset with her comments; Kippy looked up at her with a lighter expression in surprise of what she said.

Fiona smiles, "Did that help? Are you focused, now?" she asks in a gentle tone; "If you're struggling, come to us-we'll always be there." Reminding her that no matter how lonely it can seem being a prodigy rising to the top, she has friends who will climb along with her even if their destinations aren't the same.

An action that needed to be taken before it got worse, Fiona recognized as much that something unusual was going on once Kippy looked as though she was overthinking-a trait that didn't suit her but her brother instead. The little push needed to get her mind back on track, Kippy gratefully thanks her and vows to show her resolve, aware of how frustrating it must be for her friends and teammates to sit on the bench when they could be out there fighting for their team-rendered to having to rely on her and trust in her ability rather than their own; the remembrance of who she is as the ace of the team and a weapon-a tool to be used until she's no longer useful. Her objective has always been the same, but now she knew she couldn't waste any time on pointless discoveries when the margin for error is so narrow. Rising to her feet to join her teammates in the huddle, she repeats in her mind that she won't let that moment of weakness appear again. A scenario nobody foresaw, Kalebrough's issues no longer were about winning convincingly and staying undefeated, but about surviving the surprise attacks of Squid Academy who are looking dangerous. On the Squid Academy sidelines, they were getting the same talk as Kalebrough, though Fuchsia had a little pep in her tone as she delivered the plan for the upcoming round, glad that her side came out on top. The next round a hide ink seek battle at Eikah underpass, Fuchsia wanted to jump to a 3-1 lead now that she saw holes starting to form in the otherwise perfect Kalebrough, their fragility apparent after that round. She believed they needed to pounce on the opportunity and make their gamble on the fourth and fifth rounds, believing that if they could take this next round then all the chips would fall in their favor for the fifth round. In preference to keep her starters in, she notified all substitutes to get warmed up for their substitutions with the likely players to get subbed out being Jory, Todd, and Violet. After hearing Fuchsia's strategy, the starters took into consideration what setup they should use for the round, noting that they'll need more attacking based weapons if they plan to play more aggressive, but should they end up as the hiders, that could leave them with too many openings. Then there was the case of their opponents, who would likely come at them fiercely and make it far more difficult than it already is-they'll need countermeasures. Proposed by Tangie, she advised that they focus on weapons with more balance for their support-minded players, and weapons with greater mobility, power, or range for the rest of the team, having them consider which kits could work for both scenarios. After the break concludes, the two captains meet for the coin toss, the audience watching on the big screen excited to see what the result would be, and who they could stake their predictions on to win the round. After Kalebrough won the coin toss and chose to be the seekers, which was to be expected, the two captains shake hands with a nod and return to their teams with fiery gazes, the game about to begin. In their respective spawns waiting for the game to begin, both teams use the brief moment of silence to gather their thoughts. Kalebrough's decision to play seekers was the best outcome they could get to boost their team composition consists of Zepp taking the Sploosh-o-matic 7, Virgil on the Custom E-Liter 4-K scope, Kappa switching to the Soda Slosher, Dale using the Carbon Roller Deco, Alannis takes up the Aerospray PG, and Kippy sticks to her the Nzap '89. But their hands would be full as Squid Academy kept their starting lineup the same but altered their weapon composition greatly to fit the plan they'll carry out for the round. Azule sticks to his Light Tetra Dualies, Reice will swap out his roller for the Tenta Camo Brella, Violet takes up the Bamboozler Mk.I, Todd equips the Grim Range Blaster, Jory equips the Octobrush nouveau, and Pastelle takes the Custom Dualie Squelchers. In terms of who will be "it" as the hiders, it was already agreed that the best person to take the task would be Pastelle.

"One game at a time, and we'll be golden. It's a seven round match and we're only in the fourth-let's turn the tables. Kippy, play at your own pace and don't get overwhelmed by the opponent's tempo. Captain, direct us as always-you're our pillar and foundation. Virgil, continue to watch our backs as always. Dale, Alannis, we'll be in your care and thanks for your help." Kappa said solemnly, his posture calm but his gaze burning. A jolt of energy sent to his teammates, Kalebrough was ready to go hunting as they grip their weapons and listen to the calm echoes through the underpass.

On the Squid Academy end, Azule and his team look determined to start the battle after realizing the situation created from their hard work. They are a couple wins away from upsetting the 7th ranked team on the continent, and they were going head to head against their heavy hitter stars-if that wasn't enough to boost their morale, then nothing would. Azule tightens his cap with a thousand-yard stare and a stone face, "What lies beyond the gate…?" he utters with his back to his teammates, who all turn to him after hearing his question; "Wouldn't you all like to know what is on the other side? The side where teams like Kalebrough and Crystal Coast will inevitably get to cross?" In reference to the knockout stages, Azule reminds them that their battle is only beginning here in the group stage and that there will be many more. If they want to get to the knockout stage and see the other side, they need to get adjusted to slaying giants from here on out. Once again playing as the hiders, Azule and his team are playing a much different round from when they fought Crystal Coast as they now have more to protect than just their "it" but their lead as well.

The match begins.

Both sides are released from spawn and off to the races, green and pink spills across the ground as several swim through to advance further. A win for Kalebrough is needed desperately if they hope to have a fighting chance in the match and in Squid Academy's case, another win puts them a step closer to achieving that elusive first ever win at Nationals. They spot one another meeting in the middle ground, Pastelle shining brightly for Kalebrough to know she is the one they must target. Right away shots get fired on both sides by their respective vanguard who lead with a battle cry, seeing red from this point forward. Splat bombs and burst bombs are chucked from the Kalebrough side to blind Squid Academy, but the squad approach the exchange differently: Azule rolls out the way but rushes in for the attack, Violet goes the other way and retaliates with a curling bomb of her own to stir up confusion and loads up her shot, Todd goes down the center doing pop shots each time he emerges from his puddle making slow advancements to apply more pressure down the middle, and the others do well to protect Pastelle with Reice and Jory guarding her while she launches a splat bomb into enemy defenses. Violet draws first blood by splatting Alannis amid the confusion and kicks off the wild start to the game, Azule and Todd following up by splatting Virgil and Dale in succession as well; the remaining trio retreat in awareness that they'll only be feeding Squid Academy easy points and free buildup for their specials if they foolishly continue to attack. The battle heats up as seconds pass with Squid Academy announcing their intentions with that opening performance and in turn making Zepp and the others aware of the challenge it'll take to splat the heavily protected Pastelle, the follow up performance of Kalebrough unable to do too much as their only consolation was grabbing a splat off of Squid Academy. A quick lead for Squid Academy with a little under two minutes played in the match already, Kalebrough's approach has to change as at the current rate Squid Academy would steadily build a lead that'll be hard to squash.

Their defense is far more aggressive than I expected, but it isn't like it's impossible to get them. We need to change our style before they get too comfortable… Zepp thought, carefully dissecting the flow of battle, narrowly avoiding a burst bomb from Todd. After spending the game focusing on getting Pastelle to kick start their scoring, Zepp realized that it wasn't proving effective against Squid Academy's defenses. But not yet.

"They've been doing well to snag those points even while defending Pastelle." Tangie said, analyzing the battle as another minute passes.

Kosami wears a frown however, "I'm a little concerned."

"About what? We're doing well in balancing between offense and defense?"

"Well, these types of games always favor the seekers points-wise. If we want a chance at winning we'd have to keep up our intensity for the entire match, and if we don't we'll risk letting them heat up. It just has me feeling worrisome considering that there is at least another game to be played."

"Kosami's concerns are reasonable." Apollo said joining the pair; "Kalebrough have been dealt with so far, but as the game progresses, it'll get tougher for us to maintain that same energy. For all we know, this might be Kalebrough's strategy to wear us down."

Tangie shakes her head with a confident smile, "I'm sure we'll prevail. As long as we build up a big enough lead and protect it, we'll be fine."

"I hope so..."

Green autobombs are launched. Bubbles are blown. Kalebrough unleashes a pair of specials to break the tightly knit defenses of Squid Academy, but they're met by the triple stacking of tenta missiles from Violet, Todd, and Jory, driving away any green threats in an instant; Pastelle puts the icing on the cake with an inkstorm that claims some victims, once again boosting the lead of Squid Academy as they get the bonus points for passing the target four-minute mark. A switch in plans, Zepp and Kalebrough proceed to abandon their previous intentions of cashing in on Pastelle, and instead spread their offense to combat the rest of the team. Even though it'd be more of a grind to pick off Squid Academy one by one, this was the only way to chip away at the defensive core of Pastelle, Reice, Jory, and Violet since Azule and Todd alone were proving too problematic with their combination of power and mobility leading the charge. A continued effort of chipping away while enduring the casualties suffered, Kalebrough's finding light at the end of the tunnel. A sacrifice of Virgil and Zepp on the play, Kappa and Kippy push through with Alannis against a weakened Azule and Jory to finally reach Violet and Reice who are the last lines of defense for Pastelle. Alannis drags Violet down with her, but Reice still remains strong while Pastelle covers him-keeping her map open scanning for any potential teammates to super jump towards should things get out of hand and she needs to retreat, but at the moment no one is open. A defensive stand to buy her enough time to get to safety, the pair battle the siblings. Reice has his brella shield up and absorbs the pounding damage, his shield about to break at any moment-Pastelle right behind him creating a puddle for him to dive into, both of them on the same page. Immediately his shield gets propelled in the direction of the siblings and Reice drops into the ink for a refill, Pastelle already retreating with a head start from her rolls. A quick moment to buy them time, Reice and Pastelle round the corner and wait for a moment as they sense several teammates about the respawn. In the blink of an eye however, Pastelle realizes she's alone as Reice explodes followed by a gush of green and twinkling silhouette, Pastelle instinctively went into her battle stance and rolled out the way, her aim never missing a mark as she splats the one who took down Reice in an instant, but in her blindspot…

"There's two of us!" Kappa declares, drowning her with several strikes from his Soda slosher to put her away and claim the points before the next minute mark is achieved.

The score 34-29 following those bonus points awarded to Kalebrough, they not only denied Squid Academy from getting another bonus of 20 points but also shrunk the lead significantly just from their first time tagging Pastelle, which is what worried Kosami the most. Almost in an instant, Kalebrough sapped away the brimming energy of Squid Academy in almost a single exchange, reminding them that their lead was fragile, both in this round and in the match overall. For the next few minutes, it's a back and for battle for the bonus points. In the 5th and 6th minutes, Squid Academy tightened their defenses and utilized Pastelle more after seeing their defenses breached earlier and it does prove effective for that first minute of use, but as they get to the critical minute where they will be awarded points, Kalebrough turned it up a notch to put more pressure on them. Fuchsia, Cobalt, and the others noticed a pattern in how Kalebrough were playing since splatting Pastelle: It seemed as though they targeted their attacks around the times where points would be awarded, seemingly attempting to simulate that if they snatch the points and lead away from Squid Academy just before they're about to be awarded the bonus, it'll likely have a greater psychological damage on them as it'll feel like they're facing an uphill battle, a similar style to playing a defensive tactic to tire out an opponent physically and mentally, Zepp was applying a similar approach, which explained why they cooled down in the odd minutes but came back fiercer during the even minutes. A cold mindset to play with an opponent's psyche, Fuchsia was pissed at how they could think to try something that lowly, but remembered that at Nationals, such tactics were to be expected. But Squid prevailed in the 6th minute thanks to the teamwork of Pastelle, Reice, and Jory in getting bonus splats while protecting the latter pair stuck close to their senior. Now at a score of 68-45, Squid Academy are back to a decent lead heading into the 8th minute but they are far from comfortable as a bonus splat from Kalebrough erases the lead to a three-point deficit that Kalebrough could easily poach to tie the contest.

"Kalebrough won this." Romaine said, sitting forward in his seat with a concentrated gaze like someone who was studying the board in a game of chess.

"How do you know?" Rashid asks, curious what his captain was up to; "It looks to me like the underdogs can pull off the upset. They just need to secure the next bonus points and continue what they've been doing. That girl who is the target has been doing well to keep them at bay, and the trio who are constantly within the vicinity to back her up have played well consistently."

"Remember that Kalebrough has the ultimate advantage and needs to just focus on their target and ignore the others and they can pool the points. Sure, Squid Academy has done well in tightening their defenses following that first slip up but they haven't done too well in creating a comfortable lead. Perhaps they're still green and haven't learned their lesson, but Kalebrough is in a very good position. Have you noticed that they only play proactive when the bonus points are on the line for Squid Academy? They already know that the bonus points are limited for Squid Academy and that they have to play near perfect just to survive, which means they can manipulate them and choose the right moments to dish out the pressure since they know the hiders will be on edge, knowing when to attack can sway momentum heavily in their favor."

"Kind of like when you put your hand close to someone's head and they can feel it even though there is no contact?" Fonsa asked.

"Right idea, but terrible analogy. Squid Academy already has the pressure on them to win this round and close it out in five games, and since they've been leading all game there is an insecurity present among them on what will happen should they blow the lead, and can they recover in time. Then add in the restrictions of this match and the play of Kalebrough, who are purposefully waiting until the moments when Squid Academy are about to score to try and pry the points away. It's brutal for a team in Squid Academy's position to maintain such fortitude when they know a big play could happen at a moment's notice and turn everything against them. They're actively fighting at a hundred percent while their opponent plays at varying percentages before unleashing an attack that chips away at them physically and mentally. They should consider themselves lucky this is a night game and not a day game."

Adel nods, "I see, and you think Kalebrough will win because Squid Academy will run out of energy?"

"Bingo. This team is young but part of the drawback to that is they can't pace themselves yet. I applaud them for making leaps and bounds of progress from their previous games, but they aren't quite there yet-well, not all of them."

"Who stands out for them?" Mirai asks, still a little groggy since the match was a bore for her.

Romaine's teeth sparkle with a grin, "Their captain and that girl with the dualies. I don't know what it is that catches my attention with them, but they clearly don't belong on that team-they should be playing for a ranked team."

Rashid crosses his arms, "I disagree. I'm pretty fond of the guy with the brella, he's hard working personified, and then there is the girl on charger duty-she's a natural. To think most of them are only first years and they're showing such promise."

"Like a diamond in the rough, they'll take shape thanks to this competition."

Romaine raises his chin, "Let's hope they'll survive long enough first. The moment of truth approaches."

The game enters the final minute of battle, the score altering greatly leading up to this point. After Squid Academy stretched their lead to 73-51 following some helpful splats from Azule and Todd, Kalebrough went on a rally and managed to get revenge by taking down Jory, Reice, and Violet, their attention turned to Pastelle. But Pastelle stepped up with the help of Azule and Todd to help score some points to keep the lead from dwindling any further. With all the players gather for this critical last stand, both teams dig down deep into their reserves to summon any last bit of strength to get them over the top; Squid Academy needed to hold on for just a half a minute, and Kalebrough just needed a single splat to keep the game alive and deny Squid Academy the bonus. Dale opens up with a wide vertical swing that flings a wave of green at Reice's shield that protects Squid Academy, Alannis creates a trail to bypass him and infiltrate their defenses but gets met by an ink mine set up by Reice himself-the score turning to 74-54 following her blunder. But her failure wasn't in vain as it opens up a path for Kippy, Kappa, and Zepp to pass through knowing that Reice will have his hands full guarding against Dale. Violet's posted at a higher point and takes fire at the trio, a curling bomb sent to knock them off the trail and add more damage to them; Kalebrough make it obvious what their intentions are as their main trio rushes in with worry about their welfare, aware that if they failed to take Pastelle down, it all meant nothing whether they stay alive-worry about the extra points after overcoming the biggest hurdle. Jory and Todd approach the trio, a splash of ink sent from Jory as he paints his surroundings, looking to draw one of them in, Todd also fires at them with his pop shot method and does well to err them to caution as his marks will send them back to spawn. Down the center comes Azule propelling himself with his dualies and sending out a sprinkler to plug up their route; if Kalebrough are so desperate to get to Pastelle they need to overcome Squid Academy's last line of defense and the terrifying shots from Violet. A game of weaving for Kalebrough, they're met by an inkstorm sent out by Pastelle from the rear followed by a flurry of autobombs launching simultaneously with tenta missiles all locked on the same target. An ultra stamp is activated by Reice and he flattens Dale in an instant to extend the lead to 75-54, Squid Academy doing their best to build what little lead they can in the waning moments of the round. 20 seconds remain, and Kalebrough is in trouble with only three players left in play and a wave of specials coming their way-all they could do was brace themselves and survive the onslaught, aware that they'll likely get rushed right afterwards. A narrow dodge one after the other and their visions blurred by pink, the trio survive, but unfortunately, their worst nightmare comes true. Zepp gets splatted and Kappa suffers heavy damage-another strike likely to take him down. Squid Academy swarm him and splat him right away to put the score to 76-54, all of them breathing a sigh of relief for a moment as it felt like they'd done enough to extend their lead, but as they took Kappa down, they all realized that Kippy wasn't anywhere to be found. Out of the corner of Pastelle's eyes, she spotted a shadow that escaped her, immediately combusting as a shot of green pierces her-alerting everyone that one more still remains. 76-74 with 10 seconds remaining, Squid Academy just needs to protect their lead and they'll lead 3-1 in the match overall.

Azule's gaze sharpens, "The moment of truth-"

"Is here!" Kippy roars, her mind going blacking out as her instincts take over, launching herself at them with a run.

7 seconds remain.

The nearest targets are Azule, Todd, and Jory and she needs to avoid fire from the three of them and then also watch for Violet up high and Reice from far behind. A trail of steam escaping from her grinding teeth, she propels an autobomb that smacks Jory in the face and detonates automatically, bringing the score to 76-75; All of Squid Academy's hearts begin to dangle from a thread as the impossible becomes a reality.

4 seconds remain.

Todd locks in on her, convinced that he can end all the worries right then and there. He has the stronger weapon, while she has him beat on the firing rate, so as long as he keeps a safe distance, he can take her down. But Kippy doesn't get nearer, instead her hair lights up as her special arrives and she takes out her tenta missiles; Azule screams for everyone to get away, sensing imminent danger.

2 seconds remain.

The missiles are launched, the targets located. Todd is caught up in the mess trying to escape, Violet and Reice are able to make an escape and Azule does well to draw in his share and roll out the way, but Azule's wide open. A twinkle shines in her irises as the moment of vengeance she'd been yearning for since the previous round finally arrives as her final target-the only target that matters, is within her reach; Reice and Violet's heart sunk, unable to reach their captain in time. Azule flashes a frustrated smile as the determined Kippy nears him, already seeing the green ink approach him.

You really won't make this easy, will you?

The ending shocking everyone from players, coaches, and viewers alike, the score displayed brightly on the board elicits a deafening response reading a score of 77-76. Nobody could believe what they just witnessed as it turned out to be such an unlikely sequence and result overall. The statement that declared this would still be a competitive series, Kippy Moreno snatched a victory away from Squid Academy to even up the series at two games apiece. Violet and Reice are stunned, but angry before anything else as they watch Kippy hold her arm up high to signal victory. The response is thundering as the Kalebrough fans roar, and sing her name. Both teams return to the sidelines, but the atmosphere is heavy on both sides. Squid Academy's sidelines are eerily silent, the faces of the starters pale as their eyes tremble. They blew it. A critical game that they had in the palm of their hands, and they ended up choking it away to Kippy. And now, they had to fight yet again just to get the lead. How frustrating and taxing this series was turning out to be, not just as a player, but as a spectator. The fans of Squid Academy were still loud and confident in their side, but the fear of defeat began to enter their minds as they noticed that this was a familiar sight they'd rather forget. With the fifth game serving as the tipping point that could possibly decide the winner, both teams use the break carefully to decide their next course of action.