A dark and silent room with a crack of light coming from the window, everyone is sound asleep cherishing the precious few minutes of extra rest except for one lone girl who woke up by accident but no longer could fall asleep after getting some wonderful news that had her tempted to jump for joy, though she knew she couldn't afford to wake Alannis, Fiona, and the others who were still sleeping. Holding her phone close to her face to read every detail clearly, Kippy was stunned to see the top trending topic on social media being about yesterday's upset of a match where Squid Academy pulled off the unthinkable and survived a seven game series against one of the best teams in the tournament; crashing after her match, Kippy fell asleep and missed all the news, waking up in the middle of the night and falling asleep again-never learning about Squid Academy's surprise win until now. Unable to contain her happiness, she had the biggest smile forming as she thought about how Squid Academy must be feeling, glad that they were able to overcome a lofty opponent that gave her team some trouble when they face. After getting dressed and leaving the room, she headed downstairs where some of her teammates were already having breakfast.
"You're glued to that phone…" a voice said walking beside her on the way there.
Kippy jumped for a moment until she got a good look at the person and realized it was a teammate, "Oh, it's you!" she said, beaming happily; "Don't scare me like that, my soul nearly left my body."
"Sorry about that, but you were so engrossed with your phone I was surprised you didn't notice I was walking beside you." Gerard said, chuckling a bit before walking on ahead; one of the players who came off the bench, he was a reliable substitute that Zepp especially liked.
Hurrying on behind him, she grabs her food and takes a seat at the table with the others who already finished their grub and were just letting the food digest. At the table were Zepp, Virgil, Pascal, Maxine, and Ron, welcoming the pair as they showed up with plates. Kippy asked where her brother was since he'd been sharing a room with Virgil and Zepp, but both the boys looked sour when thinking about Kappa. It turns out he's a snorer and a heavy sleeper at that, so Virgil explained that it made no sense trying to wake him up since he exerted himself way more than usual in their last victory. A powerful team that didn't look like they could be stopped, they were undefeated in their group and sat atop the tables tied with Crystal Coast, who happened to be their next opponent. The project match of the group stage that everyone had been expecting when the drawings unveiled the groups, the massive appeal of the "Wonder Girl" Kippy versus the "Sensational" Siot struck everyone like a widely acclaimed match between a pair of heavyweight champions fighting for the undisputed title. Both undefeated, both top ranked, both possessing powerful talent, this match had all the makings of becoming a classic, and that was the true reason as to why Zepp, Virgil, and Pascal were up and ready to get to work-they knew the next match wouldn't be like their previous battles against the Bluerings and Baiji, where they were able to show their might since the teams were even more or less, but Crystal Coast was a different type of opponent, one that could only seem to be defeated by the likes of the Emperor and Empress. Observing her seniors closely, Kippy could sense their uneasiness in the blank stares they carry.
"Hm? Is there something on my face, Kippy?" Zepp said, wearing a sadistic smile in response to her obvious stare-mildly irritated for some reason; Kippy fumbled her spoon clumsily and had to borrow Pascal's unused one.
"Y-you seem tense, boss!" she chirped stiffly with a growling stomach, doing a salute at the same time; Zepp sighed and told her to eat her food, confused by why she'd call him boss all of a sudden.
Gerard does a few stretches in his seat while eating, "The big one is finally coming up, are you ready for the battle with Crystal Coast?" he said looking at Zepp; Kippy nearly chokes, stunned that Gerard went and said what everyone was thinking.
Zepp's eyes sharpen as he focused on his empty plate, "What a difference a year makes…" he said with a suppressed laugh mixed with genuine amusement and nervousness; "In that span we've become quite the team, blessed with a pair of special siblings." he said looking over at Kippy as she stuffs her face.
"Crystal Coast are the fastest team in the tournament and it's proven with how they've beaten everyone quite convincingly." Pascal comments, wandering their gaze to the nearby screen displaying the news.
"That team is really something, after all. A team of amazing talent, they're led by a monster of unspeakable skill." Virgil adds, also thinking deep about the upcoming match. "But if we can beat them, we'll likely secure the top spot and face the fourth spot from B group...which looks like either Xavier Tech or Burste-Riota Tech."
"Both of them are strong teams, and the teams ahead of them are Vulerby and the Wobbleys. Honestly, that group is unfair." Gerard said, taking a gulp of his drink afterwards.
Pascal takes a sip, "The same can be said about our group, too. At least one of the teams ranked within the top 25 will miss out on the knockouts, and with the emergence of Squid Academy, it's becoming all too real. I wonder if they might just climb up the standings and spoil the other teams."
Kippy brightened after hearing Squid Academy's name, "I think they'll do it!" she said with conviction wearing a confident smirk; "We promised to meet again, so they'll definitely make it! Until we see each other again, we can't lose to anyone! We have to show them that the same way they've gotten stronger, we've also eclipsed our strength. I can't imagine how strong of a team Crystal Crystal is, but I refuse to bow down to anyone!" Her feelings still strong from that day against Squid Academy, no other team came close to replicating the sensation she felt when she crossed arms with Azule and his squad, going up against the team that swept Azule's side was a personal matter for her.
Zepp and the others look at her with blank stares, surprised by her statement.
"W-well, as long as you're on the same page as us…?" Pascal wondered.
Virgil teases a tiny smile, "Leave it to her to say something like that."
Zepp bellows a laugh watching his clueless junior stare around unaware of what she just said, "Fearless as ever, wonder girl. You're right, we'll meet them again so until then...we can't lose to anyone else."
A fire lit under them, they all had their reasons to approach the next match with seriousness. Another individual wearing a serious face while thinking about their next match was Valentina who spent her morning doing a deep reflection on yesterday's match, the result of yesterday sinking in worse. Disappointed with the result, she didn't feel too sour about the loss since it gave her a chance to see for herself that even after climbing so high and soaring to new heights following that heartbreaking exit last year, they still had plenty of room to grow. An unforgettable lesson learned from crossing paths with Squid Academy, Valentina turned her mind to the next match and wanted to make the necessary preparations as this match was one marked on their schedule for a long time; the next opponent is the 6th ranked team, the Bluerings. The standings updated overnight and revealed that the next matchday might be pivotal in deciding the group of death as three major fixtures would happen simultaneously. A mighty battle between undefeated giants, the match on everyone's agenda was the contest between 3rd ranked Crystal Coast and the 7th ranked Kalebrough for the top spot of the group of death. The 8th ranked Titans look to bounce back against the sizzling 6th ranked Bluerings in a battle that could decide the third spot in the group and possibly put the loser in danger of even losing the fourth spot and getting eliminated. The final significant match was the 17th ranked Baiji facing the giant slayer Squid Academy in a battle that could possibly bolster Baiji to the fourth spot or give Squid Academy a fighting chance in the group after making a late push. The most exciting group in the tournament living up to expectations, this day off felt like the calm before a storm.
"Now that we've surpassed Fujiro and Towson, we'll need to win out the group to have a chance at making the knockouts and even then, it's nothing assured." Fuchsia said while wearing some glasses reading through her notes to her beloved Azule as they walk through the hallway on their way to meet with the rest of the team who were already doing their team practice; "Even in the case that we win out against Baiji and the Bluerings, we'd still need another loss from the Titans." she said with some reservations about the harsh reality of the tournament.
Azule only glanced at her for a moment and understood her resentment about the circumstances. The same way they pursue their dreams and desire to win the tournament together with this special squad and accomplish their own personal challenges along the way, so too did their opponents; everyone staked something in this tournament that they couldn't afford to lose. "Having to trample on the feelings and goals of others to satisfy ours is the nature of competition unfortunately, and though it'll leave a bitter taste in our mouths we need to push forward and remember that losing after defeating an opponent is just as bad. That nagging feeling won't go away anytime soon, especially if we plan to go all the way to the finals. The only friends we have in this tournament is our team, everyone else we meet in this tournament will unfortunately become an enemy somewhere down the road and that'll complicate things." he said with an emotionless face keeping his gaze ahead; Fuchsia was surprised by the comment, but understood what he was trying to do by playing the role of a serious captain.
"You're trying too hard to be serious!" she joked, punching him in the arm with some cruciform veins sprouting on her forehead, hiding her annoyance; "Lighten up." she pouts.
Azule rubbed his arm in response but kept a straight face as they continued walking, "I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud but there is more on the line than just us, and with the squad we have I know we can go far-meaning we'll have to wake some of the other teams up from their dream. I'd rather us advancing and wrestling with the guilt of eliminating someone than getting knocked out of the tournament and watching them stand where we should."
She knew he was right, but still didn't like the idea of having to send teams home in such a way. A stressful position to be in as Squid Academy, their final pair of matches decided their fate and if that wasn't enough, they'd need outside help as well. It was because of that frustrating scenario that the players were hard at work so early in the day and more the reason why Fuchsia wanted to hold a celebration to let them cut loose-even if for just a moment; she believed that after their victory against one of the best teams in the world as well as consecutive victories called for celebration, especially since they weren't able to do so last time since there was the situation with Azule. Reaching the rest of the team, the pair already notice the main team is split up into different groups for practice and were overseen by the coaching staff in a rotation that allowed them to focus on an area in greater detail before switching; Tangie and Kosami coach the starters, Apollo and the Elites oversee the majority of the team, and the Rebels looked after the remainder of the players. Fuchsia announced that she'll be heading to the city to get everything they need to hold a celebratory dinner in one of the conference rooms, wanting to give them a chance to rest and take it easy-proud of what they've accomplished in the span of a few games. Highlighting their growth as a team and as individuals, Fuchsia had plenty of positive things to say to them but first encouraged them to continue their practice. While they continued their practice, she decided on who to bring along with her since it wouldn't be wise to go alone and bring all the things back on her own. Her volunteers front and center once they heard a chance to ditch practice, Sky and Pastelle didn't hesitate to join. Tangie also volunteered to tag along but after hearing the pleas of her starters, she decided to have Cobalt go in her stead, reminding him that as a samurai it was his duty to protect his lord, which in this case was a literal princess; Azule wanted to join, but Sky, Sally, and Fuchsia all shot him down and made him focus on his own assignment since he wasn't allowed to do any strenuous activity.
"You know, I'm happy you two decided to come along as my friends, but as a coach you know I'll have to scold you for this. I would've been happier if you stayed behind and practiced with the others like the responsible leaders I know you're capable of being." Fuchsia said, glad to have Pastelle and Sky at her side while Cobalt relaxed in the other seat alone, staring out the window sulking about being forced to tag along when he wanted to coach the starters, who preferred Tangie to him.
Pastelle wrapped her arms around her and brought her in for a snug, "But I missed spending time with you! It's been so long since we've had a chance to hang out and it feels as if you've forgotten about me." She whined, rubbing her cheek against Fuchsia's cheek as the octoling tried to break free of her iron grip of a hug.
"I've been working myself ragged lately so I'll welcome a day off like this." Sky stretched out her arms and back before going into a slouched position to relax.
Cobalt looked over at the beaming trio and sulked, "I feel out of place."
"Would you like to join us?" Sky joked with a sadistic smile.
Cobalt could feel her menacing aura behind the smile, "I already have a good balance of vitamin c for my health, I don't need anything else."
"Cute answer." Sky snickered afterwards, taking a brief nap.
Arriving in the heart of the city and stepping off the team bus, Fuchsia notified the driver to meet them in a few hours and had him take that time to also enjoy himself while in the city, thanking him for driving them via orders from the school. Heading down the crowded streets under the searing sun, they take in the view of the metropolitan area and search around for the necessities of tonight's celebratory dinner. Clutching the strap of his baseball bat case over his shoulder that holds his precious blade, Cobalt walks behind the trio as their security, though it isn't needed since all of them are capable of defending themselves. After a fair bit of walking around in the brutal heat, they decided to grab a bite and take a break after Pastelle complained about getting fried like a calamari. Stopping at several shops afterwards and loading up with the necessities for later tonight, little did they realize how quickly time got away from them. Carrying several bags and heading back to the meeting spot arranged with the driver, they review the state of the tournament to help pass the time and see how all the groups are shaping up as the knockouts loom. Thus far, Group A's Rukovna looked on track to go undefeated and secure their group while Polaris looked strong in the second spot, Group B's Vulerby and Wobblegongs were likely to top their group and were followed closely by a strong performing Sunset high in the third spot. Group C was controlled by Hugh-Napri who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the group who were fighting viciously for that second spot and Group D was surprisingly competitive as the Monarchs found themselves going down the wire with Kiv for the top spot, a team from the cold north that were often overshadowed by the likes of Rukovna. Group E was another interesting setup as the Knights led the standings as expected but were followed closely by the Moon Pharaohs of Sanyrier, Nevermore high, and Flamingo high. In Group F, it's still competitive but Toka commands the lead while the Wizards, Momera prep, and Quest high all trail closely. Group G looked all but wrapped up as Skolar remained undefeated with Nimaroshi 1st serving as the only threat while the rest of the group tried to fight for Dango high's third place spot. Group H is controlled by the Blazers without anyone else to emerge as a challenge thus far and Groups I and J both offer some competition as their leaders have a much closer contest than anticipated, especially in Group I where there were no ranked teams and was a toss up between half of the field. Group K's duel between Special Forces and the Joyriders was a treat to behold as they found company in third place Honnokai Vocational getting into the mix. And as for the other groups, all the ranked teams were at the top and seemingly ready to advance to the next stage with the only questions looming was the fate of the group of the death in its precarious situation.
"Kalebrough leads the tables and Crystal Coast is right behind them with a game in hand, and then the third spot is held by the Bluerings who have a narrow margin ahead of the Titans and Baiji while we sit in the sixth spot." Pastelle said, reviewing the current scenario aloud while heading to the meetup point for the team bus.
"Yeah, and we own the tiebreaker on the Titans after beating them. So that's a good thing but we're not in the clear just yet as we need to win out our games and see the Titans drop another game."
"If we win out our schedule, we'll own a tiebreaker over all the teams fighting it out closely for the positions: Bluerings, Titans, and Baiji. As long as we hold our end, I'm positive things will work in our favor."
In that moment, Cobalt spotted a group of inklings wearing sky blue and orange T-shirts that had Baiji's name on it-their presence far from friendly, sensing their hostility the moment they entered his peripheral he didn't sense any malice, but could tell their appearance there wasn't with good intentions. Preferring to observe them for now, he kept his head forward but watched them out the corner of his eye. Sky and Pastelle were still in the middle of their conversation with Fuchsia that they didn't notice the group approaching them. Only noticing the group following Fuchsia's attention turning towards them, Sky and Pastelle immediately look over their shoulder sensing the hostility from Baiji's group. The air between them tense, Fuchsia got a bad feeling about this encounter as the Baiji squad came closer with sneers and grins. Noticing a boy and girl standing out from the group as the leaders, Fuchsia recognized them from her data as members of the Baiji team's main lineups. The boy's name is Shudo and he's a starter for Baiji, the girl's name is Jodee and she's a recurring player off the bench.
"Seems like this isn't a coincidence." A standoffish Cobalt states staring them down, realizing that they were being watched for a while.
Pastelle furrows her eyebrows with a questioning look, "And how may we help you…?" she said with a glare, already suspicious of their approach.
Sky raises her chin with her hands in her pockets-ready for a fight, "Playing hooky? Go back to practice." she said without hesitation, almost shooing them away with a nod of the head; the Baiji players don't take too kindly to her statement, wearing angrier looks.
Shudo's disgusted by Sky's comment, "Sure are getting a swelled head after a fluke of a win, just because you caught the Titans slipping doesn't mean you're vindicated. You still have a ways to go before you have the luxury of thinking about the knockouts."
"And we dissolve in water-tell us something we don't know?" Sky said, wrinkling her face.
"I'm impressed that you're making a name for yourselves, but isn't it strange that you're playing better without your captain? Maybe he's the weak link." Jodee said with a sneer, followed by the rest laughing among each other; Sky and the others didn't let that comment faze them, aware that the only reason Baiji had players confronting them was because they had to be scared of the possibility of getting upset in the same fashion as the Titans-Sky and Pastelle had seen such tactics before when in combat.
With a look of arrogance paired with a sparkling smirk, Sky chuckled to herself looking at Shudo and Jodee who looked so full of themselves as well, "Some people try to bluff their toughness and pretend they're all about it, but from one glance I can already see you don't want the smoke."
Stop antagonizing them! Fuchsia screamed in her mind, her stomach churning as the tension brewed between the two sides.
Shudo laughs, "Cocky one, aren't you? You must be feeling good shedding all that rust after laying on your ass for however many months while that shrimp of a captain barely did a decent job. Imagine having to rely on some old rusty third years to carry the team in the absence of a mediocre captain!"
Sky and Cobalt's expressions worsened, neither of them liking the idea of them continuing to slander Azule's name. But before either of them could say something to about keeping Azule's name out of their mouths, Fuchsia already shouted it out passionately-defending him and the team overall by highlighting how far of a journey it's been for them and that the team they have still possesses plenty of potential to go far, so Baiji shouldn't dare underestimate them. Letting out her emotions get the best of her, Fuchsia realized immediately she shouldn't have said all of that, noticing the blank stares worn by the entire Baiji group.
"You're...that octoling princess, aren't you?" Jodee pointed at Fuchsia with a darkened face; "Hey Shudo, the rumors were true after all. I can't believe it-they've got one of those savages for a coach!"
Savages…? A nerve struck in Sky, Pastelle, and Cobalt's mind at that very moment, glints appeared all around as they took offense with that statement; Fuchsia shrunk hearing that word, knowing the implications meant when one called an octoling by such a title.
Shudo's hostility grew once he identified her, and Fuchsia didn't know what she'd done wrong but she could feel his hatred once he shot a glare, tensing up into a freeze as he picked up his feet clenching his teeth with all intention turned to raising a hand at her. Cobalt senses his intent immediately and steps in putting his hand on the zipper of his baseball case, giving Shudo a visual warning that he won't hesitate to clean him up. Sky's eyes sharpen noticing what Shudo planned on doing and takes her hands out of her pockets in preparation to protect the princess, and Pastelle instinctively moves Fuchsia behind her-refusing to let her get harmed. As the trio looked prepared for a fight with the punk from Baiji and by extension their entire group, Fuchsia noticed what Baiji were up to by attempting to cause a ruckus in the city.
W-wait everyone we can't throw down here, or we'll get disqualified! Fuchsia's expression shouts in a panic, though she couldn't find the words to speak because of the struggle to create sound. Her head darts between the trio wearing a huge frown shaking her head as she wanted to avoid mindless violence more than anything, sensing that her friends were on the cusp of sending these Baiji players to a hospital. Clenching her fists, she stomps with a pout and clears her throat, grabbing their attention. The sharp eyes of the trio turning to her in an instant, they notice her commanding gaze and realized that this wasn't the time to entertain a fight since it would've erased all the progress they've made and undermined the effort the entire team put in to reach this moment; they couldn't risk getting disqualified over something so stupid, especially when it was clear these Baiji players were instigating for trouble. Letting the wisdom of their coach calm them down, they back down: Sky puts her hands back in her pocket and lowers her guard, Pastelle calms down a bit, and Cobalt takes his hand off the zipper though he still wore a sharp glare.
Cobalt's face wrinkles with intimidation, "Leave." he said in a tone full of spite, scaring all of the Baiji members except Shudo and Jodee, who were so preoccupied by Fuchsia's presence that they didn't register him on their radar.
"Yeah, get out of here. We'll deal with you tomorrow." Pastelle grumbled with huff.
"We have no reason to fight with you all here, so scram." Sky added, still watching them closely.
Fuchsia opened her arms wide, "We have no intentions of risking the progress we've made to entertain a pointless skirmish. If you wish to pick a fight with us, do so on the battlefield where it counts!" she said concisely for them to get the message that a team led by an octoling "savage" had more discipline than what they expect, and if they were so hungry to get pummeled, Squid Academy would do with the whole world watching-not in front of a small crowd in the city in the middle hot day.
Shudo could see the fight on her face and realized his plan was foiled, folding his arms and wearing a grin in hopes that he could still get under her skin, "Such an entitled response. All you octolings do is take, take, and TAKE!" he raises his voice, knowing that raising one's voice before royalty was a huge show of disrespect.
Fuchsia doesn't flinch, "Leave us alone." she said plainly, crossing his arms and widening her stance and raising her chin; Shudo could sense her superiority and felt even more riled up.
"Sickening. All of your kind are an eyesore. You might be on your high horse because you've deceived the whole world into thinking there's an era of peace, but many of us know that you octos never change. You belong underground with the rest of them."
"What's sickening is that you're a fellow Ikayuman and have such backwards and bitter thoughts, if we were in the old era I'd have you slit your belly!"
"At ease, Cobalt. Let him speak." Fuchsia braved, ready to hear the worst and trying her hardest to maintain an emotionless expression though in her mind she repeated over and over again the words, "How dare you." with greater intensity the more he spoke. Listening to his insults one after the other while her friends bite their tongues trying not to respond, she thought about her sister, her retainers, and the people of her nation, wondering how they'd feel knowing that someone loathes them this much just for being born the way they are. "How heartbreaking" she mumbles under her breath while he continues.
"No matter what you do, your efforts are wasted. That change and acceptance you're yearning for will always be hindered because it's too naive. The world hates you and your kind. The only reason anyone has entertained your pleas is because there is something in it for them, but mark my words when I say that this will all blow up in your face. You'll always remain the scourge of the surface like the salmonids, and don't forget it!" he said, feeling much better about himself now that he saw the light leaving her eyes after what he had to say, and even better when she started to lower her head a bit and reflect on what he said. His job done, he and the rest of Baiji made their cowardly exit now that they inflicted enough psychological damage to the team's coach to throw her off her game for tomorrow.
Waiting for them to leave, the trio looked over to the silent Fuchsia and found her dead eyes haunting. Unable to stand there and watch her drown in despair, Pastelle takes her hands and presses them against Fuchsia's face telling her to snap out of it. His words were harsh but that's all they were-just words. What was most important was to take those words and shove them down his throat in response, and the best way to do that was to beat him and Baiji. The light returned to her irises as she laughed, hugging Pastelle and thanking her for being there; Cobalt and Sky had enough of Shudo's words and were tempted to shut him up then and there but understood that Fuchsia wanted to take them on herself and without any violence or confrontation needed. Thankful to have friends like them around, Fuchsia got her mojo back and decided to shrug off Shudo's words-preferring to keep this encounter a secret from the others since she didn't want this to ruin their celebratory dinner. Quiet returning for the group now that they're gone, it doesn't last long as people nearby and passing through that overheard everything now had their attention on Fuchsia, the fact that she was the octoling princess prompting them all to feel uneasy. Fuchsia already knew it wouldn't be easy to bring about change and was aware that this would be a slow process, but that wouldn't stop her from advocating for peace and coexistence. The bus arrives a moment later with them all boarding along with their several heavy bags-all of them fuming about that exchange but glad that Fuchsia toughed it out like the strong coach she is.
A long drive back to the resort that they planned to figure out how to set up the dinner, little did they know they passed by the facility where Beacon Hills were holding their team practices. Already in the middle of a teamwide practice for Beacon Hills that saw every member focusing on select drills, Gin was hard at work with Platinum and Obi only to get interrupted by one of the coaches who told him his phone was ringing constantly. At first he didn't care since he figured it was just another spam call-having receiving plenty of them recently for some reason, but when they notified him of the caller id, his body went cold-then ran hot. Hastily stopping his drills, he swiped the phone and walked off with an angry skip in his step; everyone in the building knowing that the reaction he just gave could only mean one thing.
"Jin…!" he said in an exasperated tone through his grinding teeth, gripping his phone tightly as veins pop from his hand, visually imaging the look on his brother's face.
"Oh, you finally picked up haha! I called you a bunch of times earlier but for some reason you didn't pick up-I'm not disturbing you in the middle of practice, am I?" Jin said on the line, his lax tone irritating Gin already since sounded like sarcasm.
"Since when did you care about me, what do you want?" Gin hissed, wanting to hang up from the irritation of wasting precious practice time listening to him speak.
"How mean, I'm trying to be a good brother and you're not even-"
"What do you want, Jin." Gin said, refusing to entertain him; "If there is nothing to be said, I'm hanging up. Don't call me again, either."
"Fine. Look...have you…" his hesitation to speak catching Gin off guard, the silver inkling hurries it out of him.
"Out with it!" Gin shouts through the phone, his tolerance waning.
"Have you heard from mom and dad?" Jin said, his tone shifting to a serious one; Gin's demeanor changed, his irritation boiling at the thought of their parents.
"Of course not, I'm the black sheep." he said as though it was a matter of fact.
That comment didn't sit right with Jin as he bites his lip on saying anything in response, only reflecting on the treatment Gin received compared to him. "Hm." his voice escapes struggling to advance the conversation.
During this moment, Gin remembers his parents with a nasty look of spite, "Why are you bringing them up now of all times, huh? More of that false narrative about reinventing yourself?"
"It's not like that, I-"
"Then enlighten me, Jin. All you've ever been is an arrogant prick who gets whatever they desire handed to them on a gold platter. You haven't ever had to work an ounce to do anything from scratch and have always had the support of everyone. The one time you don't get what you want, you crash and burn. And you think you can just do a little self reflection and change your attitude and you'll be redeemed? I'm not buying it. Old habits die hard, and you're living proof of it."
Jin sighs, "I know there's some bad blood between us, but I think it's about high time we remove that hatred and treat this like it's just a battle between brothers."
"Cut the crap! We're finally at the point that my side is equal to yours-the point where I'm on your level, and now you want to run? Looks like that loss was more damaging to your ego than I thought."
"My ego isn't damaged, I just realized that it's pointless to have some 'rivalry' with an opponent who can't beat me. Is it even considered a rivalry then?"
"And there it is…" Gin laughs with frustration; "No matter what you do to appear heroic and saintly, you're still a scummy person. Anyways, what's the purpose of the call-I'm busy."
"I wanted to check up on you since we rarely ever talk and we're both in the tournament, but you're not satisfied with that as an answer, I take it?"
"Looks like you understand that much."
"The other purpose of this call if deceiving you wouldn't work was to be straightforward: there's a possibility we could meet each other in the knockout stage. I know it's arrogant to just look ahead and ignore our competition in the groups but we're both in good stead as-is."
"Don't care about any of that, we just have to win all our matches and we'll eventually run into each other. Whether it be in the round of 32 or 16, or even in the finals, I have every intention of settling the score with you and I refuse to be in your shadow again. Now that I've proven myself, it's high time you get beat. Just don't lose to anyone other than me."
Jin felt challenged, "Likewise, it'd be a shame if you croak before even keeping your word. Just remember that history always repeats itself."
"You're right since you'll be living proof of it. Getting beat by those who scare you that-is."
Laughing it off, Jin hangs up the phone, daring him to do his worst on their day of destiny-but his smile fades instantly once he puts down the phone. He lost his reputation, the respect of the masses and most importantly the trust of a majority of his team, the last thing Jin wanted to lose was that edge over his brother, whom he finally recognized as a threat after all this time living in his shadow. Jin agreed with Gin's statement that he's scared about something, but Gin was wrong about what it was. More than anything, Jin was afraid of losing to Gin not because of pride or skill, but simply because he knew that if Gin ever defeated him where it mattered, their connection as brothers might become null and void. Jin knew Gin's hardworking attitude and obsession with surpassing him was both a blessing and a curse. While he lived life lavishly and had everything he ever wanted at his beck and call, Gin was grinding it out building something and their positions now reflected it. While Jin supposedly had everything, he just as easily lost it whereas Gin built everything from scratch and now has a strong supporting cast surrounding him. A day that he yearns but also dreads, Jin looks to the trials of the knockout stage. On the other end stomping back to where the others are, Gin is steaming and ready to release the excess stress built up from talking with his brother, ignoring the orders of his coach and teammates that wanted him to rest before he overworks himself. Another story developing within the tournament, the fate of the two brothers is uncertain for now. Meanwhile at the resort, Squid Academy had been hard at work accomplishing their tasks for the day with every player working on their assigned missions; Azule spent the entire day focusing on his reflection and on how to tackle matches without using Midnight until he could break the ceiling, having Sally at his side to help him brainstorm and understand what he's lacking. Due to missing the next match as part of team orders, he wanted to figure out what he'd been doing wrong and correct those mistakes in time for when he'll be activated again, being sure to avoid another nightmare like last time. He wasn't the only one who'd been hard at work however as Violet, Reice, Jory, and the others were all excelling greatly throughout the practice, looking harder better faster and stronger than they did just a week ago-the reason for the improvements stemmed from that new confidence from defeating an opponent like the Titans that gave them new motivation to keep up that consistency. As practice concluded once the others arrived with all the necessities, the players were excited to have a big dinner after all that hard work throughout the day-none of them aware of what happened with Baiji. A dinner spent sharing laughs and having some fun after all the hard work the last couple of weeks have been, they transitioned to their team meeting and began their report on Baiji. Ranked 17th in the world with a capable captain in Raquelle, they also had a solid starting roster with some notable names in Lotus and Nelly, who were both players that had something special about them. If they planned to beat them tomorrow, they needed to find an answer to the explosiveness of that trio as well as maintain their consistency. Unafraid to list the starting roster, Fuchsia and the others agreed to use experience to their advantage and employed the starting six of Pastelle, Sky, Reice, Violet, Parker, and Aaron with Jory and Todd being the likely subs to appear first off the bench. They knew they'd likely have to play the same style that helped them against the Titans, aware that this match was already a difficult task already but the context of losing their edge now that they've accomplished something monumental was also a nagging obstacle. As they continue their meeting with all sights turning to tomorrow's big battle, elsewhere...
Shudo, Jodee and the others were returning from their day out in the city, hearing someone yelling their names the closer they got to their destination. "Hey! You're all late!" a girl shouts leaning against the wall, seemingly on sentry duty waiting for them to return; "It's passed curfew and we're already doing the meeting, get in there and get scolded by the captain and Lotus afterwards!" she shouts pointing her thumb behind her.
"Come on Nelly, give us a pass?" Shudo smirks.
Nelly lowers her chin and puts her hands at her hips with suspicion, "You weren't causing problems again, were you?"
"No way! We just went for a little view in the city!"
"Hm…" she groans; "Well, anyways-get in there. We've got a battle tomorrow."
"Roger that." Jodee answers, the rest of the team following after her.
A match of high stakes raised higher thanks to the intolerance of a few, the battle between Baiji and Squid Academy looks to possibly decide the fate of the group of death.
