"Fujiro Industrial 1-0 Squid Academy" is what the scoreboard read, suspended overhead at the Pelagi dome where the noise is trapped within and circulating to such a decibel level that it's nearly impossible to hear one's own thoughts. Fujiro fans are waving their maroon towels and singing their fight songs full of passion as the first round is in the books; A game of splat zones that was fast paced and full of action, it assured everyone watching that they were in for a special match. Starting off with a bang, Squid Academy went on the attack led by Midnight Azule, Pastelle, and Todd and captured the zones with ease. Determined to prove the previous result against Kalebrough wasn't just a close call and that they could do more than just trade jabs with the best of the best, the fiery Squid Academy brought the house with their team defense and in turn shut down Fujiro Industrial. The fingerprints of Azule found everywhere, he led the stat sheet in every category and spearheaded their offense while in two places at once-pushing his dualies to their limit in terms of mobility; desperate to grab a win this time around, Azule didn't want any regrets. The lead stretching further thanks to the efforts of Jory and Pastelle easing the load off of Azule, Squid Academy did well to maintain possession of the zones despite the efforts of Fujiro to make an impact. No matter what the team in white and maroon tried, they were stalled by Squid Academy's defenses. That pattern did alter however as Fujiro's relentless attacking and consistent intensity proved to have some effect as Squid Academy soon became preoccupied with defending to keep on the offensive. A continuous effort of chipping away at the stamina of the team in blue and pink, Fujiro challenged the resolve of Azule and his squad with their constant pressure. An endurance of punishment, it all changed at the halfway mark. Fujiro were starting to look quicker than their opponents and even harder whereas Squid Academy were beginning to look slower and miss the mark more frequently. Though they had control of the zones, it was by a thread. A slow and steady attack that proved effective after tiring down their opponents, the maroon team inched their way in and took one of the zones, shifting the momentum of the game. The beginning of the end for Squid Academy's dream-like dominance in the first round, Fujiro hammered away behind their consistent teamwork and took the lead of the round shortly after stripping possession of the zones away from Squid Academy. Over from the moment the lead changed, Fujiro's persistence paid off as they protected their lead the same way they fought for it, continuously making it difficult for Squid Academy to catch their breath, and in a come from behind victory took the first round to lead the series. An unsurprising development given Squid Academy's track record, both teams were using their breaks wisely.

"We're doing good, everyone. Don't let that one get you down-we got a whole series to work with." Fuchsia said, making sure to keep them composed; "We've been in this situation against tougher opponents and gave them trouble, so this is an opponent we can beat! We can take them down, everyone-just harness that aggression and frustration you're feeling utilized as a weapon. Don't attack them blindly, and don't get caught up in their tempo. Play at your own pace and work smart-not hard." she said, proceeding to highlight what Fujiro did that allowed them to take that round; "They are as we expected them to be, which isn't a surprise considering they gave Kalebrough some trouble as well. They aren't an opponent to overlook and we're seeing it up close. Notice how they play without a hint of urgency-laid back and yet so clinical on their attacks. They've seen through our type of attitudes before and thrive off of self destruction, but they haven't done anything too unique to warrant them being a threat and honestly I believe we're our own worst enemy at this point. As the hardships fall on us, we tend to crumble under the pressure and I'm sure they are expecting much of the same this time around as well. But we're built differently. We're not a team who regresses. So once again, utilize the emotions you're feeling as a strength and not a crux. Play intense but do so wisely as lapse in judgment will be our downfall."

All of them giving a nod listening to her, Azule is the first to break away from the huddle. Looking up at the shadows hidden behind the bright lights suspending up high, he clutches the brim of his cap. He takes a deep breath and shouts, "SQUID ACADEMY…!"

"FIGHT!" his teammates shouted in response.

"SQUID ACADEMY!" he shouts louder.

"FIGHT!" their response matching his tone.

"SQUID ACADEMY!" he shouts again so loud his voice cracks and his eyes shut, echoing through the sidelines and into the audience.

"FIGHT!" they respond with intensity, resonating with their captain's resolve.

Azule wears a confident grin and nods holding up his fist, "All right." he said smoothly, leading his starters to spawn.

A boost in their morale, Fuchsia and the others were thankful to see that though he might not seem like it all the time, he knew when and where to step it up as the captain of the team. In such critical moments, it was reassuring to know that he is the one at the helm of the ship in the rocky seas known as Nationals. Everyone knew that there was plenty resting on his shoulders based on how he was that morning, his eerie silence throughout the day prompting some worry since he wasn't the type to wear such a serious face. But once the match started and fire filled his eyes, they knew he had no intention of losing today, and after those words spoken a few moments ago, they were reassured. Midnight's activation in the first round didn't come as a surprise since he told them prior that he'd be going all-out for the entire match, which didn't sit well with Sky since she knew firsthand the risks that came with using that ability excessively. But it was too late to play it safe, and if they were going to survive this tournament, some risks would need to be taken. Arriving in Amberjack Plaza moments later, the second round is almost ready. A popular shopping mall in the city, they closed off part of the mall for the competition with shoppers getting up close to see the match from the safety of the stores that were out of bounds and the upper levels. The cheers from the people are full of enthusiasm as the details for the round are announced along with the starting lineups, the game mode for this round being rainmaker battle. Fujiro Industrial's squad are wearing their white jerseys with trims of maroon and black and their ink in maroon, their starting squad consisting of Toribo, Juna, Yuikami, Hayasuka, Oreharu, and their captain Tsubasa. Squid Academy are in their inverse outfits rocking royal blue jerseys with trims of salmon pink with their ink in royal blue, their starting lineup consisting of Todd, Pastelle, Violet, Jory, Reice, and captain Azule.

The stage is set.

Both teams ready their weapons as silence takes over, a quick flash of their memories racing by as the spawns open, the battle beginning as they jump out. The setup of the map has three main areas lined up with paths spreading out to dead ends at major department stores, and in the central area of the middle area right near a clock tower surrounded by some comfy cushions was where the rainmaker is. A race to the rainmaker, the west has a wave of blue gushing forward while to the east comes a path of maroon with both teams sure to mark their territories. The encounter finally arrives a few seconds later with a collision of two powerful forces, the teams welcoming the other with curling bombs and autobombs. Red toxic mist is thrown to deter the team in blue, but they power through behind a suction bomb to keep the enemy at bay for a second. Shots are traded and damage is taken, casualties following soon after. The rainmaker barrier swirls in yellow while getting doused in maroon ink one moment, and royal blue the other, the guns firing rapidly from Pastelle and Todd against the likes of Juna and Yuikami. Azule and his team found it surprising that the approach of Fujiro differed from how they played in the first round; rather than their approach last time where they played at a consistent pace and seemingly allowed Squid Academy to take clear control, they were playing with the intensity that won them the round-defiant in letting them capture the rainmaker. The switch flipped now that they had advantage, Fujiro Industrial were demonstrating how it looked to pace oneself for a war of attrition within the context of group stage battling. The players are engaging with one another and switching targets by the second, the key objective of claiming the rainmaker blocked by the obstacles laid before them.

"It's just like Kalebrough..!" Reice shouts in a struggle before getting splatted by Tsubasa, recalling what happened with their previous opponents who played with a similar style; Azule rolls to take over and crosses paths with the captain of Fujiro.

His midnight fire burns as he enters Tsubasa's range, "Switching it up on us the moment you have the lead?" he asks, using a roll to juke Tsubasa's attack and firing away at the captain, but Tsubasa is able to back away before he gets splattered and trapped, unable to escape perfectly as some blue covers his arms and pants.

"We saw everything that needed to be seen-it'll be over in four, no worries." he responds, shaking a fizzy bomb in his hand; "You're out of rolls!" he shouts as the bound explodes multiple times. Azule's face twists as he rolls one final time, leaving himself open for attack as Tsubasa does a roll of his own, aiming centering on Azule. The maroon ink firing away, Azule drops his sprinkler to give himself cover, but a shadow appears in his peripheral before he can make the refill. "Too easy!" he shouts, trapping Azule and taking him down.

A messy confrontation in the opening encounter, Fujiro opens up the round by taking the rainmaker first and moving along briskly in hopes to deliver a quick knockout and move up a couple rounds, but before they could even gather everyone together to make a protected push, Violet shot Toribo clean and disarmed him of the rainmaker, in turn allowing the barrier to reform with a couple shots firing to keep the others away. A back and forth contest in a constant state of flux, the moment Jory and Todd took up the rainmaker did Squid Academy make their steady march-refusing to get too hasty and repeat the same errors that plagued them thus far. A tale of two differing philosophies, the tempo of the game alters dramatically depending on who possesses the rainmaker. The audience in the mall watching the game live, they actively sway between teams as neutral viewers and root for whoever looks to be in a better position to win. Captivated by the blinding speed of Midnight Azule and the consistency of Tsubasa, they were treated to an entertaining contest between the pair of captains who appeared to be the total opposite as Tsubasa handled Azule well, seemingly finding the secret to how to deal with that mystic form of the Squid Academy captain. Aside from that constantly isolated duel, it was chaos whenever someone dropped the rainmaker as several casualties followed soon after. A nerve racking game to watch on the Squid Academy sidelines, all of them had the fear of elimination front and center in their minds as they watched their team fight urgently. Fuchsia and Cobalt watch on with focus while Tangie and Kosami were reacting with mumbles and murmurs under their breath directing their team though it was pointless since they couldn't hear them, and the other players all watched on with serious gazes imagining what would've happened if they were in their shoes right now. The game winding down in explosive fashion, at one it turns into a Fujiro showcase as they extend their lead and find some comfort, and at other times it was a rally by Squid Academy-a flux of emotion as the game rises and falls by the team's actions. A couple minutes passing in the game with score still close at 47-59 in favor of Fujiro Industrial, the game was at a critical point with time running under a minute and nobody on the rainmaker following a clutch splat from Violet that took Oreharu off of the weapon but also saw the removal of Azule and Reice for the moment as well. Currently at the main area closer to Squid Academy's goal, Fujiro just needed to make another strong push and they would close to delivering a knockout victory, but with Squid Academy choked in their own third, this was their big chance to make a change, but would everything unfold?

"And hit...!" Todd shouts, desperately tagging Yuikami before she can aid her teammates in taking down the barrier; right now Squid Academy has Violet, Todd, Pastelle, and Jory, available with the former trio all near the barrier and battling furiously to defend their area from an enemy siege.

Violet closes one eye and scopes the battlefield where all the players are gathered, Thanks to Todd that evens it up. 57 seconds. That's all that remains in the match and we're pressed in our own side. It'll take them about 10-18 seconds to reach the goal should they capture possession-and even then it'd be problematic for us if that happens since we'll have barely any time to launch a counterattack. Luckily, the others have about another 4 seconds until they can spawn and join us which means…

These next few seconds are priceless.

Tsubasa, Juna, Toribo, and Hayasuka are present for Fujiro and turn their attention to the blasting the rainmaker barrier, hungry to retrieve possession and put an end to the round before their plans go awry. The situation should look bleak for their opponents from their perspective: time is against them, the score is against them, and their main playmaker wasn't available at the moment, and then there is also the factor that should possession go to Fujiro the round is practically over as long as it stays in possession and Squid Academy fall to a couple round deficit. All seeming to be peaceful for Fujiro as they easily overpower the desperate efforts of Jory and Todd to keep the barrier from bursting in maroon and also kept Pastelle away as she tried to distract them, it all gets ruptured in an instant. A single shot is all that it takes as a piercing trail of blue sends Hayasuka out of the match, the shot from Violet hitting the mark right between the eyes to tip the scales. Like a thunderbolt cracking the sky with a rumble, Violet disrupted the fragile armor worn by Fujiro, and it was Pastelle who smelt it like fear, pouncing on the opening created. One, two, three, Pastelle landed a triple splat followed by the barrier bursting thanks to Todd and Jory finally being allowed the breakthrough. Only a few seconds, Squid Academy were given their moment to change their fate with some critical plays, and the first domino fell; Azule and Reice joined the others in that moment and on their way to the enemy goal, they caught up on the situation. With only 40 seconds left in the match, Squid Academy needed to take the lead before time expired or at least force overtime and come from behind with the goal to retain possession; under no circumstances must they lose the rainmaker. Chugging along the map, they face the first wave of Fujiro in Oreharu and Yuikami, who wanted to stall more than anything. Protecting the rainmaker user Pastelle, Azule and Jory went ahead and got them from behind, the addition of Reice a big help as he helped put them away. A swift cleanup and advancement, Squid Academy push forward with time ticking dangerously against them; the spectators in the mall roar as they pass by, cheering them on to pull off the comeback and tie the series. Running a 3-1-2 formation with Todd, Pastelle, and Violet to the rear and the duo of Azule and Jory up at the front with Reice close behind them, the push forward and a uniform and stay aware of their surroundings in preparation of another attack, knowing this one will hit harder than the previous.

A final encounter between the two teams, a little over 33 seconds remain in the match with Squid Academy approaching the maroon hair inklings waiting on defense. Who will hold out? Squid Academy's bulldozing offense, or the fortlike defense of Fujiro? There is only one path to take to the goal, and it is directly ahead. Both teams brace themselves for the collision, weapons raises and cries shouted-the sound of splashing ink following with the audience reacting positively. A blinding sight, on the battlefield, specials are dropped from left and right as both teams unleash their stacks. A storm. Missiles. Inkjet. Splashdown. And lastly, a booyah bomb. Royal blue and maroon collide in an epic fusion as pained cries are heard from opposing sides, gear dropping in the puddles of the fallen as their comrades continue the battle under the ticking clock. Difficult to breathe under all the ink firing, it just takes one misstep-one critical error, to forever change the outcome. And with 21 seconds remaining in the round, it was delivered by none other than the judge, jury, and executioner himself-Azule Royale. His Midnight glare pierced like the sparkling fire of his hair, he did a twirl of his dualies and uttered these words just before he unleashed, "Squid Academy in five." firing several shots and then doing a roll and in the process unleashing yet another couple of shots, each hitting their mark and taking down half of the team. Squid Academy are out on a tear in the dying seconds of the round after achieving a wipeout right before the goal, the formation altering greatly as they protect Pastelle at all costs as she climbs the goal and slams it firm, signaling the end of the round.

The people in the mall are screaming and howling with cheers but back at the Pelagi dome, it was ear shattering. Roaring to life just like their team, the Squid Academy supporters were hopping around and waving their flags, making as much rowdy noise as possible to keep morale up; they've seen their team struggle in the tournament thus far, but if they still had fight left in them, then they too had enough faith to trust them to the very end. An unbelievable display of dominance unlike anything seen from Squid Academy during their entire run in the tournament, they had social media buzzing once again and caught the eyes of many who were minding their business for the night. From the big teams that played yesterday to their rivals who were watching the match live after playing their matches earlier, all eyes were once again on Squid Academy with the question once again looming about whether they could grab their long overdue victory. Arms folded watching comfortably from a luxury box, the octoling man cracks a tiny smile after that performance-that was the team he knew they could be. A swift execution to the morale of Fujiro, that victory had more impact than casual viewers would realize as Squid Academy's ability to recognize when to strike was a prime indicator that the team was already showing great improvement from what was seen in the first round; this team isn't playing around anymore. During the break, cameras were glued to the two sidelines and showing how both sides are reacting, and how their coaches are preaching their philosophies and approach for the next round; Fuchsia is reminding them that they've been in this situation before and now was the time to correct the mistakes made in previous matches while the Fujiro coach tried to stay upbeat and keep his team in a positive mindset, aware that having doubts could become contagious and the last thing needed was another factor working against them. Both teams using their breaks wisely, the third round is set and they make their departures-no substitutions made.

A game of tower control at Mako Warehouse, the teams take a gander at the massive warehouse and imprint the layout into their memories. A fiery start to the round, both sides arrive at the unoccupied and begin their fight for possession by going up close and personal and infiltrating each other's line. Fusions of blue and maroon swishing and sloshing everywhere, the tower gets claimed amid the chaos in favor of Squid Academy thanks to the work of Pastelle and Reice, who hopped on in time to get the tower moving in their favor. A continuous clash in the opening minutes, Squid Academy do well to protect the tower with Pastelle and Violet firing away on the moving tower while Azule, Todd, Reice, and Jory actively clear the path for them. Fujiro desperately fought to overcome the vanguard, but between the pace of Azule and Jory and the marksmanship of Violet and Pastelle on the tower, none of them could start a proper counterattack-much less get near the tower. Chugging along the path with the tower singing a tune, Squid Academy already were building a strong lead. Azule led the way in splats by continuously rounding up bodies before they could find a way to escape, the path slim for Fujiro as they found at every corner waiting for them and firing too fast to track were the rest of Squid Academy. There were questions going into the round about whether it would be something like the first round where Fujiro were able to play their game after getting handled, or would it be like the second round where Squid Academy went on an amazing run late-another close battle that'd get decided late. Instead it was the opposite as Squid Academy displayed their utter dominance early on and kept the same intensity that was shown in the dying seconds of the second round. A knockout victory that nobody expected, the round only lasted about a minute as Pastelle and Violet delivered the tower without any challenge. Mouths dropping and people gasping in disbelief, Squid Academy cruised to a 2-1 lead after losing the first round. The Pelagi dome is shaking as the fans of the team in blue and waving their flag proudly and singing their songs, aware that the team they witnessing aren't the same side last lost three matches in a round; though this scenario wasn't anything new as Squid Academy led 2-1 against Kalebrough before dropping the next pair, something about how they were playing and Fujiro's response were different-this was the team Squid Academy were capable of becoming. A return to the dome to an overwhelming wave of cheers, Squid Academy's starters aren't wearing smiles or looks of relief, but rather they carry the same piercing glint as their burning captain, who could only see red; all of them knew better than to breathe easy or let their guards down, for the next round would make all the difference like Fuchsia told them prior. One round at a time, Squid Academy were tested once more by the same scenario that burned them last time around and the critical game mode to impact their fate was none other than the same mode Fuchsia targeted as the key game. The fourth round of the match to be played in the dome, Squid Academy made their preparations during the break. The next mode will be booyah ball, would it be a tied match afterwards, or would Azule and his squad move one step closer to their first victory?