A sea of darkness swirls slowly with such thickness it resembles tar, a sleeping Azule floats in the center of this strange space. Jolting awake, he looks around to find himself floating surrounded by the strange black phenomenon that has the presence of water and the appearance of tar, yet no volume as his hand passes through like air. A familiar sensation as he looks to the left and then the right, he spots a glimmer of a blue light off in the distance, its cool twinkle attracting him in this eerie space. With no solid ground for his footing, all he can do is swim through the weightless setting and reach the light. The closer he gets, the heavier it gets to navigate in the darkness with sounds starting to emit from the darkness repeatedly in a muffled tone. "Co-..t-...-e." a distorted voice projects, leaving him a bit perplexed as he swims. He had no idea who or what it was, but he felt a striking familiarity to it the more he continued to hear it while in the darkness. After what felt like ages of swimming towards the light, he notices the blue light starting to take the shape of a body the harder it gets for him to swim, realizing that the darkness is beginning to carry in an incredible weight as he approaches what looks like an individual made of pure light. A distinct color of a glowing royal blue body, the figure turned around to look at him with eyes lacking irises and pupils-only shining whites; its hair was on fire in a brighter blue, and it had such a bare face without any distinct features that it made his skin crawl. An emotionless face lacking any features aside from the pupil-less eyes and the form of what should be a nose and ear, the figure studies Azule for a moment with a tilt of the head. No mouth and no pupils and irises in its eyes, Azule had trouble figuring where he should focus his attention and it didn't help with all the light shining in his face. He wondered what the thing was doing there, and what it wanted with him in this darkness, and what emotion it must be emanating at the moment-if any at all.

Azule rubs the back of his neck and looks away after mistakenly looking into its eyes and getting blinded for a moment, "H-hi…hello?" he murmurs while shading his eyes from the brightness, unsure of whether this thing could even speak since it had no mouth; the thing just looks at him, blinking a couple times. "Oh, you must be mute then. Sorry, I'm just really confused about where I am right now. I just woke up and heard this weird voice that sounded like it was telling me to come here. It said 'come to me.' in this weird way that felt familiar, but I've never...hm."

A moment of silence passing between them as Azule is visibly lost regarding everything that's going on, the thing lowers its chin and appears to sigh. "Critical thinking isn't for you after all." it said in monotone, matching its emotionless face; Azule freaks out for a moment, surprised to hear that it could talk. The eyes turn into a pair of upside down sickles, "Animated as always. It was getting tough to stay silent with how much you appeared to be struggling." the thing spoke with what felt like an endearing attitude towards Azule, though he couldn't tell since it didn't have much of a face..

"Do you know what happened to me? Where am I?" he asks, hoping the enigmatic figure will have the answer.

The sickles return to how they were before, "Hasty as always, not even asking who I am."

"W-well, I'm thinking about that...what, can you read minds?"

"Something like that." The being chuckles; "I've always been with you, watching you grow and seeing the many reckless things you do. But to think you'd go overboard this time, there really isn't a limit to how much you punish yourself."

"Punish…?" Azule scoffs, his mind provoked as that word triggers the conversation he had with Sally and from there the gears in his mind start to turn. Studying the features of the enigmatic being, he noticed the striking resemblance after seeing the fiery blue hair and as the name popped into his mind, his eyebrows raised with a twinkle in his eyes, his mouth dropping like a weight as the dots connected. Unable to say it aloud, he choked on his words realizing the identity of the figure before him. and he chokes on his words as his mind connects the dots. Royal blue embers for hair and an aura of grace and intimidation. This familiarity he felt could only mean one thing, water forming in his eyes as it felt like he was staring at a long lost friend, the being's eyes turned to slits.

"Have you figured it out?" it taunts, probably wearing a smirk with the tone its giving; "You refer to me as-"

A light bulb shines over his head with realization, "Midnight!" Azule shouts jumping into it for a hug; "You're real!? H-how in the world!? I mean, like...am I cursed? Will I go berserk and grow tails!? I-"

"So noisy…" Midnight said leaning its head away, prying Azule off.

Azule's lips curl upward, "Midnight. I can't believe this." he said softly still in disbelief; "I should've known sooner since I didn't feel any hostility from you, but this is unbelievable!"

Though its face had no emotion, Midnight's body relaxed as it gave a slow nod. "We have plenty to discuss."

"Yeah." Azule takes a look around; "So if I'm here, that means I'm in…"

"You're within your unconscious, and to be more precise, you're deep within your unconscious."

Azule slowly nods as he observes his surroundings, "Makes sense with this weird setting, but why am I here? It doesn't feel like I'm supposed to be here."

"Correct. You aren't supposed to be here, and do you have any clue why you are here? Something led to this."

"No clue...I only remember the match against Fujiro and that we won, but everything else is a blur."

"A blur. Well, you wake up briefly…" Midnight mumbled in response.

"Come again?"

"In short, you passed out. You pushed yourself way past your body's limits and went beyond the safety measures placed." Midnight said in a matter-of-factly tone, staring down Azule.

"Passed out…? I do seem to recall feeling terribly sick after the game, but I don't think I felt any pain up until that point."

Midnight's eyes turn to slits, "Liar."

"What?"

"You're lying to yourself, literally." it said in an irritated tone.

"How? I didn't feel any pain during the match, how am I a liar?"

"During the fourth round, the warnings kicked in. You brushed them off and powered through it all with a heavy shot of adrenaline kicking in that numbed the pain. Once the match concluded and you relaxed in relief of finally winning, the attack began. Because you broke your limiters and caused serious harm to your body, it reacted the way it did to avoid you having an overworking heart."

"In other words, a heart attack…" Azule said in a somber tone, remembering what happened to his sister.

"Precisely." Midnight responded sharply like a parent disappointed in their child.

"Am I going to get scolded?"

"No, I'll leave that to the people that care about you out there. I just wanted to meet you face to face since there is something I need to discuss with you if you're going to be calling on me all the time. I can't have you continuing what you've been doing or else it'd be bad news."

"Can't you just come and speak to me whenever it's convenient since we're connected?"

"Not that simple since I'm confined here."

"Confined? But how else are we-"

"I can't speak to you so freely since I'm buried deep within your unconscious mind. The conscious mind is your active thoughts, the subconscious is the layer below that, and where I am is an area that is permanently inactive-deep within the unconscious. You will never just simply enter the unconscious whenever you want since it's meant to be buried away. The only time I can be released is when you summon me in what's meant to be the rarest of occasions and only in dire situations."

"I've been doing so frequently, though."

"Exactly, and that's why you're here. You shouldn't be doing that, fool. It's throwing your entire system off track and you're pushing your body beyond its limits. For starters, I'm not some 'midnight mode' super ability that can be your trump card. I'm just you without the powerful restraints that restrict you from using the fullest of your power-all to protect you from harm."

"I remember mom mentioned it before when she was training me, she said that we innately possess incredible strength and abilities but they are very destructive to our bodies, so it's only when the adrenaline kicks in that we're able to seem invincible. Problem is that it only lasts for a moment."

"And once the adrenaline wears off, the trauma can be so overbearing that we die from that alone. Hence why the limiters are placed to begin with."

Azule's face turned pale realizing just how dangerously close he was treading something severe, "With my recurring health problems, my strange genetics and the fact that I was accessing this untapped power so freely meant I would run myself into the ground if I kept going."

"Mh hm you've been using me however you please and misunderstood the risks, hence why I've brought you here to see for yourself what happens when you go too far."

Azule looks around for a moment, "Then this darkness…"

Midnight nods, "Yes...this is your subconscious where your deepest and darkest thoughts are chained away, never meant to escape. You did well in keeping them here after finding your closure by the way."

A melancholy look appears on his face as the memories return, "Oh, that explains why it got harder to swim here…" he shakes his head to shrug off any unnecessary thoughts, remembering what's most important at the moment; "What should I do? I can't beat my opponents without you, but you say that if I continue to use you as-is I'll just hurt myself even more? We won that round in part because I took the gamble! How am I supposed to win without using Midnight mode!?"

"You'll have to do that on your own from now on. I refuse to hold your hand every step of the way. Do you think everything will just be handed to you because you wish for it and will work hard? Get real and use your head." Azule stayed silent for a moment as he got scolded by his other self; "You have plenty to think about when you go back, and remember that you aren't alone-you have an entire team with you. There is more to being a leader and captain than just assuming you can carry everything on your shoulders-that mindset is exactly why you're here. Didn't you learn that already?"

"I did but-"

"Don't think and do the right things when it's only convenient for you. You've come too far to burn yourself on the same mistakes and problems that tripped you up before. If you want to use me again at full power, you'll need to understand yourself first and figure out how to maximize your potential. Once you've reached the top of that pyramid, I'll be at your call. That will of yours is enough reassurance."

Azule realized Midnight was basically telling him that they'll be watching on and awaiting the next encounter. "Thank you, Midnight." Azule smiled.

"Yeah, now get going. You can't keep the others waiting."

Massive steel doors appear out of nowhere, the sea of darkness turns to a white space. The world of the conscious and subconscious, Midnight was ready to see Azule off back to where he belonged. Azule approaches the doors and then looks behind to see the lonesome Midnight standing there with their arms crossed. This would likely be the last time they ever meet each other again based on the dullness he felt in his chest. A nagging feeling of loneliness, Azule only met his unconscious self for a moment, and he already found himself greatly attached. Hesitant to cross into the conscious realm and awaken, he instead darts toward Midnight and hugs them one last time. Midnight's surprise reaction turns to appreciation as he pats Azule on the back with semicircles appearing where the eyes should be. Azule apologizes for having to leave after they just finally met, feeling instant regret that he couldn't stay there and talk more even though they were the same person. Azule could feel it deep within his heart despite being in the deepest part of his mind that Midnight was sad about this departure, and that all those years of being trapped in a space where it has to relive the darkest of memories and feelings, to Azule, that felt unfair.

"This is it..." he said with reluctance to go, looking over at Midnight.

Midnight's emotionless face looks to soften a bit in response, "Get going." they said with the snap of a finger, opening the doors behind Azule that suck him in instantly. "I'll always be here, fool." it said with warmth as Azule disappeared.

Falling through the doors, he returns to darkness once more but this time it doesn't carry the same heaviness as the one within his unconscious; it felt light, like he could rip it off like it was decorative paper on a wall. His darkness disappearing as a slit of light expands, Azule blinks a couple times before sluggishly getting up. Immediately he feels something heavy at his leg and notices a sleeping Fuchsia, his heart heavy with guilt as he could only imagine how much he must've worried her, he notices the room looks far more crowded than usual; a few sleeping bags scattered in the room while the others slept in the beds or on the couch, Azule counted seven additional sleeping bodies that are the members of Squidcom and all in one room. If that wasn't enough of a bizarre sight to wake up to, he noticed the sliding door was also open. Slowly getting up to avoid waking Fuchsia, he tiptoed around the sleeping Reice and stepped through to reach the balcony, getting a soft kiss from the morning wind that blew gently. A relaxing sight of sunrise, Azule noticed a figure with sky blue hair out the corner of his eyes and froze once he saw her. Leaning against the wall with her arms folded and one leg up on the wall with her head bowed, walking over slowly to see if she was sleeping. Just before he could reach out to give her a nudge, her head bounced up and her sharp irises locked on him with a tiresome gaze. Her stern face softening once she recognized it was her brother she breathes a sigh of relief after realizing he woke up.

"Don't startle me like that." she said rubbing her eyes groggily after having a lousy night of sleep in the crowded room, getting up early to relax outside and weigh in on her thoughts when she dozed off.

"Sorry about that…" he whispers, slowly closing the door behind them careful not to wake the others; Sky's eyes softened as she watched her brother carry on normally as if nothing ever happened, a little hurt that he didn't realize how much he had everyone worried.

"You remember who I am?" she asked nervously, fearing that he might have amnesia again.

Azule beams, "My precious big sister?"

Sky suppresses her laughter, finding his response cringey but understanding that their bond is an irreplaceable one-even for siblings. Walking over to him, she rests her hand on his forehead and then on his neck all around like a mother would her child, which prompts Azule to feel a little embarrassed since it seemed like Sky looked a lot like their mother while doing so. "You've got a low fever, so stay in bed and get some rest today." she said in a soft voice before pinching his cheeks with a vise grip; "I'll come and see you later on to grill you for being a dumbass, my sweet little dumbass of a brother who is quite high on the scale of dumbassery." she said, forcing a beaming smile, though her darkened face and the presence of the devil behind her showed her true feelings at the moment as her hand pinching his face carries the same cruciform veins seen on her face.

Azule shrinks as she lets go of his face, "Y-you sound upset."

Sky's face darkens en further as she opens her bloodshot eyes, her irises swirling as her lips tremble with anger. "You still don't seem to understand how much you had us worried, and not only that, but you ignored my warnings." she said in an exasperated tone with a menacing aura manifesting; Azule knew he screwed up big time since this was the first time she ever looked this upset about anything.

"I apologize for ignoring your warnings and for worrying everyone. I just knew I needed to make a gamble to give you a chance to play. More than anything, I want to play alongside you, and if it meant I might have to suffer some pain for that dream to happen, then so be it."

After hearing that, Sky knew she couldn't be too upset with him. "Regardless, understand that your actions have consequences and affect the rest of us. You're the team captain, you shouldn't be so reckless."

A few minutes of silence passing, Sky's ears twitch as she senses somebody else is about to awaken, and noticing that it was time to take her leave, she excuses herself and vows to see Azule later on to talk. Opening the sliding door slowly, she tiptoes around everyone and makes her exit, while Azule stays outside to enjoy the morning view. A few seconds later the door opens again and as Azule turns around, he's met Fuchsia lunging at him with her hands pressed on his cheeks bringing him in close. Her eyes shut as she tries her best, she doesn't let go for a few seconds as Azule finds himself weakening under her strength, closing his eyes too savoring the morning surprise. But before he can lose himself to the moment as she leans away from him with him following her movements wanting more, he's met by a swift punch to the kidney that wakes him up. A dozen softs punches to the gut following, Azule was stunned by the punch but realized the message Fuchsia meant to convey once he saw how visibly hurt she looked when she glared at him.

Her down casted pairs with balled fists, she bit her lip holding back her anger and asked in an exasperated tone, "Why? Why didn't you tell me you were feeling sick?"

Azule rubs his neck with some guilt, "If I told you, I would've gotten taken out of the match. We needed to win that match more than anythi-."

"To hell with the match, Azule." she responds swiftly, without a hint of restraint-her emotions running high as she stared directly into his eyes; "Your health comes first and foremost!"

The genuine concern she showed, even this early in the morning. He knew it was dumb to think this way, but he felt glad to know there was someone out there that thought so deeply of him. Unable to say anything else to her, Fuchsia notices the warmth in his gaze and blushes shaking her head; "You're going to be the end of me, you know that?" sighing afterwards and massaging her forehead.

"I know." he beamed, chuckling a bit.

"Well then, downstairs should be serving breakfast around now. Let's head out."

"Eh? Already? The sun just rose!"

"Let's get something to eat and talk there. It'd be rude to wake everyone up after how long they stayed up watching over you."

Heading out for breakfast and grabbing a table outside where they can enjoy the scenery, Fuchsia came clean and informed Azule about his current status, revealing that he's been benched until further notice. A stunning development for him as he was eating breakfast, he chokes on his food and pounds his chest furiously, gulping down some water immediately and looking at her with a bewildered expression. She could only imagine how he must've felt, waking up to learn he'd been benched indefinitely. He asked several times over why the decision was made, still in disbelief. Each time, Fuchsia answered concisely and reminded him that though he is the captain, the decision was unanimous and first and foremost, she is the head coach. The energy between them getting a little sour, Fuchsia broke the silence by explaining that there was an emergency meeting held while he was asleep in which the decision arrived to have him sit out the next game or two and recover. Stunned that everyone went and decided something so drastic like that without his permission, he wanted details from Fuchsia about why this was happening. A return to last night, Fuchsia filled in the blanks of what Azule missed out on while he was sleeping. Shortly after he blacked out, the arena medical staff arrived and took care of him and oversaw everything until he woke up about a half hour earlier. Apparently he'd been responsive and cleared to return to the resort since his vitals were fine and it appeared all the symptoms were mild and would be solved with some rest, plugging up his nose and ears with tissues to stop the bleeding.

"We were really worried about you, you know?" she said in a gentle voice, recalling the concerned faces of the others; "Cobalt and Tangie refused to leave your side, and Sally pleaded with the medical staff to double check you, worried that they weren't taking the matter seriously. Kosami and Jory were a mess crying over you, and Reice and Violet looked pale the entire time, and then your sister..." her lips tremble as she looks hurt recalling; "A-anyways, we don't want anything to happen to you."

Azule calms down taking a deep breath, folding his arms and leaning his seat with half open eyes in understanding of their feelings, "What happened after that?" he asked calmly, already seeing what Midnight meant with how this interaction goes; he's already being tested.

Fuchsia continued by telling him that he fell passed out again during the ride back to the resort where the others were waiting. Everyone looked relieved to see him again, and the seniors helped the boys carry Azule to his bed, all of them crowding the room to see him sleeping peacefully; Sky wouldn't come out of her room the entire time everything was happening, shutting herself in. Afterwards, Sally declared that there should be an emergency meeting held since she believed it'd be a few days before he makes a full recovery. With everyone in agreement, Squid Academy assembled in a conference room; Sky made an appearance with a red face and puffy eyes and kept to herself rather than her usual self of interacting with everyone, and they all understood how she might be feeling. The first topic addressed was Azule, and of whether he should start for the next game. Almost instantly, Sky answered that he should miss the next match and also suggested he sit out the following match as well, becoming cautious about letting him return to such physical activity. Squidcom were in agreement as well, mostly concerned about letting him come back so soon. An awkward atmosphere since it felt wrong to make such a decision without him there, Pastelle stood up and stepped into her vice-captain role, suggesting that she serve as the captain in his stead and introduced the one thing that everyone seemingly forgot because of this ordeal. She also announced that the third years are allowed to play now and with an entire roster available they could experiment for the upcoming game to see what works well with Azule out of the rotation. It was then that everyone's gloom disappeared after hearing that, some hope returning as the arrival of Sky, Aaron, Pearl, and Austin were surely a welcome one. Right away, everyone came to a general consensus that Sky should substitute in for Azule and that the starting roster could use some tweaking to adjust for their next opponent. The 8th ranked team overall, the Titans weren't a team to overlook just because there were other flashier names within the group, as they too commanded a presence that was just as intimidating as the rest. For their upcoming game, it'd take more than what was shown against Fujiro to survive a series against the Titans with the current lineup they ran; with Sky swapping in for Azule, rolling with Pastelle, Reice, Todd, Jory, and Violet looked too predictable, especially now that the Titans would do their homework and account for every single starter-they could jump them with Sky, but it'd be remiss of them to not capitalize on the element of surprise. They needed to keep Pastelle in for obvious reasons and it'd be nice to alternate the lineup, but they couldn't do so as freely as they'd like. The hard truth is that the starters had the most experience against these tough opponents, and the substitutes still hadn't had too much time themselves, and then there are the addition of the third years who haven't stepped on the turf in half a year, putting them in could prove to be problematic as well. Racking their brains together for a few hours while going over the strengths and weaknesses of the Titans, they finally arrived at their official lineup, eager to see the surprise on their faces once they notice the changes made. After the meeting, Sally called upon Squidcom and Sky to stay the night in the room with Azule and show solidarity, that no matter what they'll be there for him.

"And that's what happened…" she said, tired after having to do that entire recap; Azule looked much calmer now that he knew the details-still in disbelief at how easily he was benched.

Azule shrugs his shoulders, "Well, I guess I'll have more time to dive deep into my unconscious then."

"What?" Fuchsia looked up in confusion.

"Nothing." Azule said, waving his hand with a laugh. The pair enjoying their breakfast together, they soon get joined by the rest of their friends who all woke up to see their captain and coach missing. A group breakfast like old times, they plan out how they'll spend the rest of their morning and day since their next game will be a daytime game rather than in the evening. A long day ahead for Squid Academy as they look to enjoy their first day of winning a match, elsewhere, the tournament presses on.

The summer day heats up as the temperatures rise at high noon with the morning breeze disappearing entirely, the Kalebrough players are feeling the brunt of it as they spend their time outside. A light training session out in the hot sun that was sure to sap them and send them to bed right away, they players wanted to accomplish as much as possible before it gets too dark in preference to enjoy their evenings playing card games and watching television together. A quick break session for some of the players as they caught their breath under the shade, everyone was going at their own pace. Sitting under the tent watching her brother and teammates work up a sweat sat a drenched Kippy with an exhausted Fiona beside her. There's a lot on her mind that had her staring off into space focusing her gaze on stationary objects directly ahead of her, doing her best to organize her thoughts. Priority was about the tournament of course and on how to approach their next opponent, but she was also thinking about the near future of the knockout stages and wondering if Azule and Janice's teams would make it there. The first people she ever took a liking to aside from her teammates, she wanted to see them again-hopefully on the battlefield. Watching everyone work hard, she was feeling a little melancholy as she came to the understanding that all the teams were working just as hard as her and the team, but only the hallowed few would be allowed entrance into the knockout stage, and only one team will remain in the end. As that thought unraveled and revealed the harsh reality of competition, the thought burned in her mind about how unfortunate it is that competitions had to be this way where teams had to beat each other up in order to get ahead, but she knew that the last thing she should be thinking was anything that could hurt her resolve, though she already made up her mind before the tournament that she'd see everything through to the end-regarding herself as the strongest weapon for this team and their ticket to a deep run and possible championship.

"Hey, you feeling well?" Fiona said, elbowing her, fanning herself as well as she tries to recover before having to head back out there; "You're really silent today."

Kippy snaps out of it and smiles, "Yeah...I was just thinking about some things and I got lost in them."

"Thinking isn't for you since you tend to get too deep into it." Fiona said with a sigh; "Anything you want to talk about? Is it anything bothering you or pent up?"

"Not really, just more of a realization and I guess, a little sadness."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"I enjoy being together with everyone. I like how we spend our hours practicing and communicating with everyone, and afterwards we still find time to hang out and do things together. It really feels like this team is a second family for me, one where I can be myself and share my feelings. Even when I fall into a slump, you and the others are there to pick me up."

"Of course, that's why we're a team."

"But...this tournament-all the time spent together. Once it's over, we'll likely be done with each other until the grand slams, and that's so far away."

"Worried about being away from everyone?"

Kippy buries her face in her knees as she brings them up, "Yes, I've grown so attached to everyone here after all the time we've spent preparing for this tournament. Now that we're here and I know the days we'll be together are numbered, I'm feeling mixed about continuing forward. I don't ever want these days to end."

Fiona found it sweet that Kippy could be so honest during a hellish practice, but that was Kippy for her, a genuine girl who really cared about the people she valued. The feelings she possessed weren't unusual as every member of Kalebrough likely felt the same way, preferring for this tournament to never end so they could be together like always, but like everything, all good things must come to an end. Their coach calling out their names, Kippy and Fiona head out from under the tent and get back to training, seemingly tagging out Kappa, Alannis, and the others who were training at that time. While Kalebrough were utilizing their day for some training under harsh conditions, their fellow inkopolis counterpart Beacon Hills were doing quite the opposite by spending their day touring Ravia and visiting a local observatory at one of the many towering skyscrapers in the city. A chance to view the city from one of the highest points in Ravia, they were treated to a meal at the restaurant on the top floor of the building where they got to see a wonderful view as well; at one of the tables, all of Beacon Hills' most important players were gathered together. Sitting atop group N comfortably with their only meaningful competition being the 19th ranked Serpents, Beacon Hills' coaching staff decided the students deserve a chance to enjoy their time in Ravia since all work and no fun made for a dull experience. Enjoying some delicious meals together, they make the most of the precious break given to them.

"Here Platinum, try this…" Alumia said, holding a spoon up to his mouth; "It's crunchy on the outside but really gooey on the inside!"

"Stop that." he said plainly, leaning away from the spoon as he tried to eat his own meal.

"Awww come on! Just one bite?"

"No."

"Boooo!"

"I'll take a bite." a boy beside her said, already finishing their plate; ALumia looked pleased to see someone willing to try her food.

"Here you go! See Platinum? At least Sterling is willing to give it a try."

"Sterling is a glutton."

"Rude." she responds.

"I'm only speaking the truth." he shrugs his shoulders, turning his attention to his captain sitting across from him who hadn't even touched his food yet; at the table were the main starters of Beacon Hills and some of their reliable substitutes: one side has Platinum, Alumia, Sterling, Ashe, Tatyana, and Sully, while sitting across from them are Gin, Silvia, Machi, Obi, and Taiji. "Hey Gin, your food will get cold."

Gin doesn't listen, his mind lost in his thoughts.

"Looks like he is overthinking again." Alumia giggles just before filling her mouth with a spoonful.

Silvia sighed, "Gin…" she said, poking his arm with annoyance.

"What."

"You haven't eaten anything yet." she responds turning her gaze to his plate full of food; "What's on your mind this time?"

"I'd like to get back to practice rather than waste time here."

"But this is also practice." Sterling said while cleaning his teeth with a toothpick, "We have to know how to pace ourselves and have some fun or else we'll get burned out."

"We can't afford to fall behind." the captain responded irritably.

Obi finishes his plate, "Fall behind who? We're top of our group." he said with a full mouth.

Gin leans in his seat and folds his arms, "You can continue to dodge it, but know that the others are catching up."

"Are you talking about Squid Academy and the other Inkopolis teams?" Machi said joining in, the newest member of the squad who was added for her unmatched speed, proving to be a valuable asset, she's their best player off the bench.

"Squid Academy are looking better with each match, Yermozani are leading in their group, Kalebrough has the wonder girl, Squidops are flying under the radar and Special Forces...well, you get the rest."

"I'm sure we'll run into one of these teams eventually." Platinum nods.

Silvia wears a sneering look and elbows Gin, "I'm starting to think you secretly care about Jin with the way you obsess over him, don't you think?"

"I hate him!" Gin responds full of spite.

"Yes, yes my dear captain." she responds full of sarcasm, taking his spoon and filling it with food, "Now sit there and eat-complain later."

"I admire his determination now more than ever, dedicated to outperforming Jin and Special Forces despite already overcoming that obstacle." Obi said watching his captain begrudgingly eat the food under Silvia's supervision. "This tournament isn't something we can ease off the pedal and take it slow. If we get complacent, we'll suffer greatly. We'll need to be on our best performance throughout the group stage if we want to make headway in the knockouts."

Machi grins, "Then for starters we should focus on that instead of talking about the knockouts prematurely, no? Anyways, the only true focus for us should be about placements. If we finish in the top spot, we'll face the weakest of the four teams to advance from group C."

"Hugh-Napri's group…" Alumia mumbles with a little nervousness of going up against such an opponent.

Silvia pats Gin on the back as he wolfs down his food, "Right now the order goes: Hugh-Napri in first and undefeated, Bonread in second with a lone loss from the team above, Noelle 1st high in third with a game in hand with the team above, and fourth is Sierra Tech with a tied record but worse differential."

"Sierra Tech, huh? Not too shabby. Even if we match with them that isn't much to worry about." Machi said, noticing Sterling eyeing her plate.

"It will be if the Serpents get the jump on us and we drop to the second spot and end up facing a stronger opponent." Gin replied with a hint of sass.

"Okay we get it. After the food digests we can do a light training session." Silvia groaned.

The hot day progressing as the sun leaves the apex position and begins descent, the matches for the day are concluding as the evening games begin. The teams that had the day off were either resting or beginning their training session now that the sun wasn't as brutal, all of them turning their thoughts on how to tackle the next game on their schedule now that the tournament is approaching the halfway mark of the group stage. At this point, some teams are already eliminated from contention in the knockouts while other teams are crunching the numbers and weighing their options as time works against them, the knockout stages looming on the horizon as the path wanes for many. Many teams use the time they have alone to think deeply about where to go from here, all aware that the most that can be done is to play with pride.

A new day and a new schedule of matches, the Hulabo dome is especially crowded as spectators seek refuge from the scorching heat outside; located in a neighboring district to where the view of the sultan's palace could still be seen, there were some other hotspots like the underwater Aramtam Sea Mall, the Barbel Bazaar, and the iconic Burri Backstreets where many famous athletes from the country grew up. A treat of a match, the 8th ranked Titans will face the exciting underdogs Squid Academy. The sidelines of both teams were busy as the coaches went over the strategy to approach the first round, the crowds in a frenzy awaiting the opening whistle. Sulking while he watches Fuchsia go over the plan with the starters, he listens in on the plan. A bittersweet feeling of having to watch from the sidelines, he was sour that he couldn't be out in the numbers and go marching in for a fight. However, there was something about seeing his teammates wanting to continue the fight on in his stead that made his body feel light and had him wanting to sport a huge grin. Joined on the bench by Sally, the pair listen in for team introductions as hide ink seek is revealed to be the game mode for the first round. Introductions being given as the players take to their spawns, everyone in the stadium notices something incredibly different about the starting lineup, especially with the appearance of Azule on the bench. Right away, murmurs fill the crowd as people wonder if what they are seeing before them isn't an illusion. The players lined up in spawn as the announcement is made, the cheers grow among Squid Academy supporters as they recognize the bobble hat wearing inkling holding her signature weapon. The wearer of the captain's armband being Pastelle rather than Azule, she's joined by Todd as the only other starter as the rest of the starting six look much different from the squad they had last time out. Evelyn makes her debut as a starter, Zaneki also steps into a starting role today, Mason has his number called today in the starting lineup, and the last name to get introduced is one that many knew quite well, the long awaited debut of Sky on the grand stage has finally arrived! The next challenge ahead of them being a contest against the 8th ranked Titans, Squid Academy are prepared for a grueling battle as the group of death heats up!