"Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen! For those of you joining us following the end of the Sunset-Stoneridge match, welcome! We are live from Mugil Arena and right now you're getting a live feed of a loaded crowd of Vulerby supporters who are out in numbers showing their patriotism for the home nation team. Before we begin our coverage of the highly anticipated Vulerby-Squid Academy matchup that will start shortly, we have an upset alert!" the lead commentator said as the camera panned to the booth where he and his colleague sat watching the monitor.
"That's right, earlier today we saw the twelfth ranked Blazers take on Squidops and what a mesmerizing match this was! After losing the first couple of rounds, the inklings in black rallied to win their next four and send one of the higher ranked teams packing in the opening round of the knockouts! The surprises keep on coming!" the color commentator announced with jubilance, finding it fun to see such highly competitive matches right from the beginning.
"Squidops were once a team held to the same standard as the likes of Special Forces and Beacon Hills when discussing Inkopolis' best teams but this year has been a different one for them. With the arrival of hotshot upstarts in Kalebrough and Yermozani who dominated the campaign in Inkopolis and the emergence of Squid Academy here in this tournament as well as the usual attention given to Special Forces and Beacon Hills, the last team from the eastern powerhouse nation has become an afterthought for many, but that doesn't seem to rattle them as they showed the Blazers that their ranking didn't decide the fate of the match."
"Exactly! Squidops are an experienced team who've seen the ravages of Nationals already and know how to navigate around its tumultuous waves. Their match with the Blazers is a prime example of what can happen when an overwhelming favorite undermines their capable opponents. If I'm the other competitors that have them in the bracket I'd keep a lookout for them."
"The Blazers were the twelfth highest ranked team in the tournament behind their captain Qadir, but they didn't have an answer for Carbon and his squad, who looked to play with a sort of vengeance that wasn't present during the group stage."
"That's right, Squidops finished fourth in Group I with a few pedestrian performances in arguably the weakest of groups. Nonetheless, they do boast some firepower that nobody should take for granted and they used that to their advantage this time around."
"One has to wonder if we will see something similar in the rest of the matches happening today and tomorrow, and perhaps even in this match we'll be covering between Vulerby and Squid Academy!"
Proceeding to highlight some of the key stats of the two opponents while also viewing their journey to the knockouts, the other scores were also covered. As expected, the Rukovna Emperors won in their early morning battle against Candle Lake without having to even break a sweat, Polaris also won their match and booked their spot into the next round with some ease and the other teams that won today were Gideon-Strawsburg, Sunset, and Pharaoh Nefertina's personal favorite team in the Sun Pharaohs. Another game that'd be airing at the same time as the Vulerby-Squid Academy match was the Yermozani game against Acropolis at Alqamar stadium. In attendance to watch the game were the entire Crystal Coast squad, who chose to watch their fellow group of death rivals since their match was also scheduled to be played in Mugil arena. Rikki, Zaza, and the others were all excited to see how Squid Academy would fare against the mighty Vulerby they considered to be a formidable opponent, but for Arian and Siot especially, this was a critical match that had to be witnessed. Vulerby was the fourth best team in the tournament and boasted power superior to even the Bluerings. As far as teamwork goes, their chemistry was on par with the robotic motions of Rukovna but had that vice like Crystal Coast. They were a nightmare once they got into a rhythm, and yet this tension seemed too eerie. Why? Because despite what narrative the media spun, it was clear to anyone with an instinct for battle that the team battling Vulerby weren't some fodder waiting to be fed to the big baddies. Squid Academy were battle tested through their group stage battles after having gone head to head against the top percent of the teams in the tournament already and having an impressive trio of signature wins to show for it, if there was any team that could pull off the unthinkable, it'd be the team with those capable fighters.
The decibels in the arena rise exponentially once the jerseys of white, pink, and yellow are spotted, the audience screaming and shouting aloud welcoming their home team. The reason why Vulerby donned these colors rather than their usual navy blue and yellow was to throw Squid Academy off their game mentally since pink was the dominant color they wore in the tournament and a sort of symbolic color that has defined their tournament run, taking that away just adds to the superstitions that can sometimes impact a match even if there is no direct correlation. No doubt a petty reason, it was clear that in the same way Squid Academy intended to get dirty, so too did Vulerby. After all, this would be a war. Luckily for the Squid Academy crew who would've ran into a serious problem of clashing colors, Tangie and Kosami accounted for the possibility of such a scenario and had alternate colorways prepared for such occasions, serving up the third alt jerseys of royal blue and race yellow; if a third alternate color scheme wasn't enough, it should be known Squid Academy had somewhere around 7 or 8 total color schemes with differing designs that Kosami and Tangie hoped to unveil throughout the tournament. As Squid Academy made their entrance following Vulerby the entire arena immediately changed tune, the overwhelming cheers and support shown for Vulerby nonexistent for Squid Academy. Though they had Bianca, their school section, and the brass band and drums out in a concentrated section, it was clear the neutral attendees were supporting Vulerby as they drowned out Squid Academy's supporters with ease. Faced with yet another daunting task in the subject of adversity, Azule and Squid Academy are already in an uphill battle before the whistle even blows.
Leading her team over to the sidelines, Fuchsia gathered everyone up for a group huddle and reminded them that they expected as much heading into this clash and wanted them to pay the audience no mind. The easiest way to silence the crowd was by simply winning. She reminded them that it's a seven round match which meant that Vulerby had to beat them four times, and she had confidence in her side that they wouldn't let that happen. She didn't see anyone beating them four times in one match. When she asked them if they would let such a thing happen, they all emphatically denied the possibility, which seemed rather convincing once she stared them down finding the look in their eyes to be reassuring that today would be a good day for battle. Just before sending them off, she reminded them to soak in the moment and realize that they are in the knockouts. Today is business as usual, but they should enjoy today as well. Breaking up the huddle, Fuchsia sent off her starters with confidence; Azule is back in the fold at captain with Pastelle and the usual cast of Violet, Reice, and Todd all reprising their starting positions with Parker stepping in today as well. Vulerby's lineup of Romaine, Fonsa, Mirai, Adel, Nadish, and Rashid all resembles the consistency seen previously in their other matches. Plenty of eyes are cast on this afternoon match with Sultan Ruhtab watching from his palace full of top percent guests rooting for Vulerby, Queen Shiva is also at the party rooting for Squid Academy but back home in Octaria all of the citizens put their support in Squid Academy and their octoling led head coach; Siot and Yuji Nada and their respective teams are also in attendance to watch the outcome.
"Eh? That scary third year isn't starting for them this time? Are they looking down on us?" Fonsa asked, a little surprised to see Sky on the bench.
"I doubt they would leave her out of the starting lineup without a reason. More than likely they want her to get as much rest as she can." Romaine responds.
"I can understand why they want to let her sit for the first couple of rounds but that seems risky to do against us. Are they that confident in their roster?" Rashid asks, joining the pair.
Romaine wore a look of wisdom staring down the unsuspecting starters of Squid Academy, "Regardless, they can't be underestimated. Remember everyone, this team is known for taking down the giants, and guess who we are? Don't take them lightly by any means!"
"Right!"
A lone tower standing in the middle of the turf. Arena lights shining on the teams in spawn. It almost sounded like the arena had a pulse of its own as the noise thumped with an echo via the claps and stomps from hyped Vulerby supporters. The announcers fuel the fire of the audience behind them and help elevate the noise as the countdown begins, the audience nearly bursting into a frenzy once the whistle blows for the start of the round. Operating on automatic, Squid Academy rush out the gates without a miss in their step en route to the tower waiting at the center of the map. A shocking display of speed as they seemingly found the perfect line to follow, A blue swarm splatters the tower as Azule and company claim the first possession in a matter of seconds! A chance to build an early lead with Romaine and Vulerby nowhere to be seen, the team splits their forces with three on the tower and three pushing ahead to turf as much area in blue as possible-aware it'll be a matter of time before Vulerby arrives. Though the execution was surprising considering how blistering their speed was, many seasoned viewers weren't shocked by what Squid Academy were planning since this approach was what most teams attempted when going up against Vulerby; in their eyes, it was only a matter of time until Vulerby would turn the tables on them since Romaine and his squad almost always flipped the match around whenever their opponents tried to put them away early with an upset performance.
"It appears as though Squid Academy are looking to cash in on an early strike! Taking control of the tower, they press forward and show some aggression here in the opening moments of the match!"
"Looks to me like they want to take control of the match as soon as possible and avoid a drawn battle, but that's just what Vulerby wants. Romaine and his team already know how to handle opponents that attempt such tactics and with ease. If I'm Squid Academy, I'd be on edge with how Vulerby responds."
Hoping to stretch out their lead as much as possible before Vulerby arrived, it didn't last long once the wave of pink appeared. Vulerby became a ruthless saber relentlessly striking away at the helpless shielder in Squid Academy, immediately slashing away at the blue team removing Todd and Reice from the battle expeditiously with their strength in numbers. A vicious eradication of the lead Squid Academy worked so hard to build expending all that energy to get a head start, possession of the tower changed in an instant as Azule retreated with Violet and Parker following Pastelle's defeat at the hands of Romaine who looked to be on a tear with a triple splat. A wild cheer erupts from the Vulerby supporters as they see the possession change hands and the momentum subsequently shift in favor of their side who begin their counterattack after an abrasive response. Looking to avoid any further casualties, the Squid Academy trio created as much separation as possible but in the process caught the hunting eyes of Romaine who turned his sights on finishing them off to further drive a nail into their coffin. In hindsight it looked like Vulerby already shut down Squid Academy in the opening moments with their vicious response but to the Squid Academy sidelines, this looked par for the course. It was obvious that attempting to try anything hasty would backfire heavily but nonetheless it didn't hurt to gauge how their opponents would respond.
"He's following us!" Parker yells to Azule after noticing Romaine tailing them, looking for guidance from the captain.
Azule turns around and focuses his sights on the trailing enemy, his narrowing gaze hollow as he took a deep breath. It was clear what Romaine was after and though he didn't want to entertain it, he could see the potential in this skirmish versus a simple retreat and survival. "Alright-change of plans, we're sticking it to them rather than simply tiring them out. Romaine is probably like the rest and wants to have a one on one and he'll take you both down if you get in his way, so instead we'll force him to make a decision: get his selfish wish of facing me and letting you both escape in the process, or risk fighting all of us at once." he decides with confidence, his tone matching his serious expression.
Violet didn't bat an eye, "If he lets us go we head for the tower?"
"Precisely. Take back the tower or make it a dying effort, remember the purpose."
Parker's jaw drops watching how calmly his juniors operate while on the run, "Whoa we're fighting them with these numbers!?"
"I'll trim them to a trio so make sure you grab a body for me too." Violet said in the most serious tone possible, almost frightening her senior.
"T-too intense! You all are way too intense to be my juniors!"
Azule teases a slight grin, "Battle tested. We're battle tested."
The trio preparing to go their separate ways for now, Azule raised his fist wearing a face full of composure and signaled for them to make their move, in which the pair responded by raising their fists as well and taking off in Romaine's direction. An order of calling the captain's bluff, they were ready to make this tower control a nightmare for Vulerby. Everyone rises to their feet as the lone pink inkling encounters the pair of blue inklings with plenty of murmurs filling the crowd wondering if he was about to take on the skilled Violet and Parker all by himself, finding his lack of hesitation all the more exciting as he neared them with his weapon drawn and ready to fire.
They're not coming for me. Romaine thought as the pair came closer noticing that though they carried a fire in their eyes as they approached, their embers weren't for him. Eventually brushing past him without even so much as passing a gaze in his direction the reason for their overflowing confidence laid in the trust of their captain and his word; that glimpse they saw of him before he issued the order resembled all too much of a leader-a rare show of maturity that he didn't have at the start of the tournament.
"Ooh! Violet and Parker ignore Romaine on the charge and head in the direction of the looming tower with the numbers against them five-two! What could Squid Academy be planning early on while their captain separates from them?"
"It's clear they're doing damage control following that powerful triple play by Romaine. They managed to create a tiny lead before it got wiped away in an instant and now they're doing their best to keep things close. They don't want this match blowing up in their face in the very first round on the very first counter attack. I'm sure Squid Academy are gauging for a long and contested battle and the little stunt we saw them pull early on was to get a reaction out of Vulerby. Question is, can they take the heat now that Vulerby are turning up the pressure?"
"We'll find out soon enough as Romaine tracks Azule down for an isolated battle. If their skipper fails to put up a good fight, I think it'll say enough about how today's battle will go..."
Finding Azule waiting for him just around the corner, Romaine felt his body give him a serious warning the moment he met the irregular inkling's gaze; the chilling blue glow in the enemy's irises resembles a will o' wisp dancing rings in the midnight darkness. It felt like two big bad predators staring down one another on nearby peaks. Shifting his feet just a bit to have better positioning, the action begins with Azule disappearing into the nearby blue ink followed by Romaine firing a few pink shots to enclose him and cut off his escape, forcing Azule to emerge from the puddle on guard. An erasure of space in an instant thanks to his quickness, Romaine had Azule lined up for a shot but so did Azule who had both of his dualie squelchers locked on him the moment he showed himself.
His teammates are heading for the tower with the numerical disadvantage and he's isolated without any reinforcements on the way. It's early in the match and already looking dire for him, so why does he have that smirk on his face? What's so amusing about the situation he is in?
"Rumor has it you're a monster of a first year, so I'll be slaying you." Romaine called him out with a glare.
Azule's hand gripped the brim of his cap as he beamed feeling a bit embarrassed by the sudden praise, "Aw shucks if I'm catching your attention then I guess I mi-" His head jolted to the side at the last second before he could even finish the sentence, his beaming smile still present although his shut eyes opened to reveal a freezing cold blue; "It's rude to cut people off." he said in a deepened tone, a burning yet chilling sensation forming around his cheek followed by a droplet of pink splatting onto the ground from where the shot grazed.
"You don't make friends on the turf, first year." Romaine glared with an imposing tone holding his gun out aimed at Azule; a show of disrespect and an immediate challenge, Romaine's actions prompted the entire arena to react the same as he declared war against the rookie captain.
Azule runs his thumb across his skin wiping away the pink, "You mentioned earlier that you're here to slay me, and I find that pretty hilarious." he said with a growing smirk.
"I don't recall making any jokes." Romaine's face wrinkled in response to seeing a hint of glow in Azule's irises.
"A giant without any knees is just an overgrown tree." His said with almost a whisper, his glowing irises sharpening with a violent flash suppressing the urge to release Midnight. In a heartbeat, he sprung towards Romaine using one of his rolls and maneuvering around the puddles of pink to land in his blue ink.
The duel begins.
Here he comes...Romaine thought, narrowing his eyes to keep track of the swift inkling. The space between them is closed in an instant as Azule's first shot almost carried a gale with him. Romaine uses his athleticism to his advantage and continuously avoids the narrows shots to prolong the battle, using that brief moment of retreat to figure out how to confront the young captain. Azule on dualies was just as troublesome as he imagined, finding the boy's speed and accuracy to be so deadly that his reliance on his escapability and surefire power wasn't much of a bonus as he thought. Reviewing everything within the couple seconds of breathing time he had, Romaine answers back by slashing the space between them instantly and puts Azule on his heels. Staring down the barrels of Azule's dualies, Romaine's eyes looked dead as he focused on Azule in the moment. Azule felt an instant shiver in his spine and instinctively backed away. Was it fear? Was it anticipation? Azule didn't know what that strange sensation was in that moment but he didn't let it simmer in his mind for long, aware that he needed to keep up the intensity. Holding out his arm with a splat bomb in hand, Azule's eyebrows slant as a glint cuts through his pupils with a show of his clenched teeth. Flinging the bomb with ferocious force in Romaine's direction, the captain of Vuelrby tracked the bomb in mid air and made the proper movements to avoid it but…
"I-it's curving!" the commentators shouts in awe.
Soaring at a high speed, Azule handled his sub weapon with such a precise grip and angled throw that he achieved what he'd practiced for such a long time. Azule successfully curled his throw, bending it so viciously that it looked as though it disobeyed the law of gravity. Resembling a homing missile, the splat bomb drops just at Romaine's feet and beeped violently in preparation for detonation. Romaine escapes in time, but the message was sent to him: Azule wasn't an ordinary first year after all. The arena gasps with many in awe by what they just witnessed from Azule, to pull off such an amazing play against one of the best in the most spontaneous of moments spoke volumes to what kind of player Azule would be for the next few years in these competitions. A fearless attitude in the face of titans, the captain of Squid Academy wasn't afraid of the moment. The Squid Academy sidelines and supporters alike get rowdy, already having seen glimpses of Azule at full power already-if today was indeed going to be another showcase of Midnight Azule, they were here for it.
A cold sweat falls down Romaine's face, That...wasn't the mystic form? Having to reevaluate his approach to Azule, Romaine realized his primary concerns centered around Sky and Pastelle were a mistake. He was aware that Azule wouldn't be some pushover of a player but never did he expect the captain who missed the amount of matches that he did to return with such a striking presence. What would've unnerved others were they in his position only made him more determined, a grin showing teeth forming on the captain's face as the scenario played out in his mind of what would happen should he cross paths with Azule yet again. The boy's swiftness and accuracy, Romaine knew he could beat him despite how dangerously close the boy was approaching equality in skill; that major upgrade in such a short time was so baffling to Romaine that he didn't know what else to do other than attack and see for himself if his thoughts were just noise, or were his instincts true.
The arena roars wildly in response craving for more of the duel between the seasoned captain who carried the hope of an entire nation on his shoulders and the young hotshot captain who didn't fear anyone-a case of experience versus raw talent. Resuming their duel, Azule closes the gap once more with a pair of rolls followed by an accurate shot afterwards. Romanie skillfully avoids the dangerously accurate shots and returns fire of his own, mindful of his tank emptying as he tries to tag Azule. A splash meeting a gush, they douse one another in the other's ink managing to slow down the pacing. Azule was much faster than Romaine expected and likewise his shots were far more accurate than Azule was expecting. A duel so evenly matched it was somewhat frightening to imagine how things would've played out had this been a different type of game mode. The duel between the pair halted, it wasn't by choice as a sudden development that neither player foresaw took place while they were fighting it out; the entire audience including the commentary was so absorbed by the duel between the captains that they neglected the actual action on the tower! A shocking occurrence that none could explain, Squid Academy somehow managed to wrestle away possession of the tower and make it neutral. All thanks to the magnificent marksmanship of Violet and the support of Parker covering for her on the defensive end with his brella. At first Romaine believed it to be possible when considering the rest of Squid Academy likely super jumped to the remaining pair's coordinates and probably helped wrestled away possession into neutrality, but once he saw none of the other Squid Academy players respawned just yet, his jaw dropped. Having trusted in his team to handle the objective while he was gone for the moment, to see them allow a couple players to do them dirty didn't sit well with him in the long run. Before he could process and figure out what to do next, he looked over to where Azule stood and found him gone; his eyes popping out of his sockets once he realized the sneaky inkling super jumped to the tower to aid his team.
"Brella up!" Violet commands after firing yet another shot that unfortunately misses Adel, her back to the tower as she focuses on keeping the remaining Vulerby players away from the neutral tower with her quick accuracy.
"Got it!" Parker responds hastily, setting up his brella to protect her as she refills her tank.
The trio of Adel, Rashid, and Fonsa unload a combination of suction bombs, curling bombs, and a sprinkler once the brella goes up, believing the combined damage would pressure Parker into conceding once he ran out of ink with the numbers favorable for them. But Parker does well in standing his ground protecting Violet with all his might knowing she's their best chance at stalling the enemy until reinforcements arrive; ever since engaging in this skirmish, it's been a rotation of Parker holding up his brella to protect her on her refill and Violet returning the favor by keeping the enemy away from them while he refilled as well. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until the numbers worked against them as Vulerby began to spread themselves and cover the perimeter. Violet could sense their plan was to pin them from three directions: two on the flank and one from the front and she could already tell they were moving ahead with the attack since splashes of pink were already entering their line of sight and to make matters worse, the neutral tower that was positioned a little further behind them was on its way back to the center of the map, which meant it would be coming nearer to where all the action is. Violet had to micromanage: Should they occupy the looming tower and chip away at Vulerby's lead or should they value their lives and retreat and attack when there were reinforcements? If they didn't go for the tower it was obvious one of the flankers would abort the attack and head for the tower instead since that'd give them three prime angles to attack from and possession of the tower, but taking the gamble of grabbing the tower first cut their forces by half and would leave one of them stranded to somehow handle the brunt of Vulerby's attack in the process.
It's a tall task but we can't let them bully us nor can we waste the slight opportunities given. Fuchsia wanted us to play smart rather than hard but...if we let them get the tower here, so much will be in jeopardy! A cold sweat runs down Violet's face as she lets out a couple shots to keep the flankers at bay, "Parker, we're taking them down right here!" she resolved, her sharp gaze piercing her senior who could tell she was serious. Our teammates will arrive soon so we need to buy time. Azule isn't here so it's all in my hands. As things stand, we'll only be able to put a dent in their attack if we show some tenacity ourselves and…!
The pink splashes turn to gushes.
"Alright, I want you to take the tower. Once I give you the command, scramble for the tower and don't look back. I'm carrying us until the others return."
Parker didn't bat an eye, "Make sure you get on the tower with me. Remember, no unnecessary losses."
"No unnecessary losses." Violet chuckled with a nod; with both of them on the same page, they began their survival task.
The sturdy brella up and blocking all the stray pink shots from every angle, Parker slowly marched forward holding his ground; if he dared backtrack he risked giving them room to pounce and the last thing he could do was leave Violet exposed. Trusting in his junior's targeting ability, Parker placed the fate of these next few seconds in her hands. Sure enough the trio spread themselves in preparation to attack like Violet expected and before they could even turn their attention to the tower, Violet already splatted Fonsa in a single shot the moment the pink figure emerged in her peripheral. Her left side clear, Violet whipped her body around on a half spin and landed a body shot on Adel-non vital. The opening she was looking for, Violet shouted for Parker to get moving and immediately rushed toward the wounded Adel to finish the kill. Parker lowers his brella and swims for the nearing tower, trusting Violet to take care of Rashid now that he can't defend himself any longer. Violet's senses sharpen like an arrow after she counts the distance of Rashid and Fonsa, revealing her tenta missiles and firing them in an instant. The turf quakes as blue ink plasters the surface. Able to bring down Fonsa in the mayhem, Violet grabbed a pair of splats but failed to take down Rashid, who was on the retreat after taking severe damage. The tower is claimed in the name of Squid Academy and after what seemed like an improbable encounter works in favor of the underdogs! The supporters donning blue went rabid in response, all of them singing Violet's praises as she showed everyone she isn't second fiddle to anyone in her position, not even the queen bee herself. But before they could breathe a sigh of relief, Parker yelled Violet's name desperately as he noticed something speeding through the pink ink aside from the retreating Rashid.
"Someone else is there!" Parker shouts desperately, realizing he's too late to do anything even if he left the tower.
It was instantaneous but Violet only noticed his presence when he revealed himself and that was when he already had her in killing range, his eyes resembling exploding stars as she saw her reflection in his pupils, Violet felt her body freeze from fear. Romaine of Vulerby has entered the battle. Unable to even react quick enough to the pink ink targeted at her, Violet felt a swift breeze past her-an afterimage of blue all she was able to notice. A clash of pink and blue followed by a swift exchange before both sides backed off, Romaine was thwarted once again by Azule. The arena erupts as the captains return just in time, the tower of Parker and now Violet appearing behind Azule like familiars as he stared down Romaine, who had the return of Rashid at his side. Yet another three on two encounter, the teams butted heads once more in a battle for the tower. A show of brilliance in leadership as Romaine tactically terrorized the trio defending the tower, his speed proved deadly as he nearly took down Violet and Parker on several instances-only failing to complete the kill due to the targets being that difficult to bring down on the moving tower. Azule likewise displayed amazing talent in taking on the pair all on his own, ordering Violet and Parker to remain on the tower and support him from a distance; they saw this as their moment to put some stress on Vulerby while the numbers were in their favor. Romaine and Rashid didn't make it easy for them however, throwing everything they could into stalling their progress as much as possible but it all proved futile once the reinforcements arrived for Squid Academy and forced the pair to retreat. The first tense encounter ending in Squid Academy's moral victory, they extend the lead while also chasing down the retreating pair to finish the job. Building their lead in the meantime while packing bodies on the tower, Squid Academy defended well against several attacks en route to creating a comfortable 59-83 lead. Though plenty of time remained within the match and Vulerby's resistance was improving by each attempt, it was hard to deny Squid Academy's credit for getting the jump on the favorites so early on in the battle.
"Build that lead!" Fuchsia shouts in support, clapping her hands from the sidelines, looking anxious as she tries her best to keep calm like her team on the turf.
Watching her coach get animated on the edge of the sidelines stood Sally snickering to herself, finding it amusing whenever Fuchsia got invested the way she does. Her voice always carried weight and she almost exclusively communicated with hand gestures when she couldn't yell anymore. "She looks happy..."
Cobalt does his best to keep his poker face as he too found it amusing to see Fuchsia get so energetic whenever these games were close, "It's a satisfying feeling when you've spent so much time coming up with strategies and schemes and seeing them play out just as expected. She must be happy to know we're doing damage even if it might not seem like much."
"We geared for a full series and expected them to lash at us hard for the first round, but I think after seeing how well everyone is playing now I wouldn't be surprised if that royal side of her is showing some pride in wanting to snag that first round as a bonus." Tangie added with a proud look.
"Hm." Sally hummed; "Looks more to me like she's hyped up since a certain someone is looking great out there."
Cobalt cleared his throat, "Well, he is acting like a captain again. I can understand why she'd be excited at seeing him play closer to his potential in the face of adversity. We all know what he can be capable of when backed into a corner, but what if he could draw that latent power on command? Just thinking about how awesome he'll look and the look on everyone's face when they see him get serious is fun to imagine."
"I agree, I remember when he was just starting out as captain and now look at him! Time really does fly by, huh?" Tangie asked full of nostalgia for the old days.
"Indeed, those were such simpler times too." Cobalt agreed, relishing in the days when their priorities were much smaller and they seemed to just be going wherever the wind took them.
"Why do the two of you sound like proud parents watching their kid grow up?"
"Aren't you the same with dear old Reice? Hm, big sister?" Tangie teased her.
"You're lucky you're adorable or else I'd pinch you like there's no tomorrow." Sally sighed, hiding her embarrassment. "But I must admit Reice has surprised me with his performances lately. At first he was nothing more than a nameless figure to a roster that had names that popped out like Violet and I and of course our captain, but he embraced that role. He spent all this time being the odd one out who had the most on his plate and never received the recognition for it. When he became the lead defender of this team, it seemed so natural given his personality so seeing him catapult to where he is now where there are people chanting his name and singing a fight song based on him...I have to admit I'm feeling proud!"
Tangie's eyes sparkled, "Aw man, that was a nice smile just now! I should've snapped a picture of that one and sent it to Mika."
"Don't!" Sally hissed with a red face.
Watching the game progress with arms folded and mumbling under his breath, Siot's eyes are peeled while the rest of his team offers their opinions on the state of the contest so far. Arian, Rikki, and the majority were impressed by what they were seeing from their little rivals from the same group but overall believed in the strength of Vulerby knowing they were one of the teams they might have to run into on their way to the championship; Siot thought different however, believing that more needed to be seen from Vulerby before he could arrive at such a thought. The first round was so incredibly close both in the atmosphere of the battlefield and by the score that it didn't feel like anyone could breathe in the arena, the tension in the atmosphere so thick it could be cut. Everyone is on the edge of their seats watching the scoreboard in anticipation of a Vulerby rally and Squid Academy self destruction. The score 42-83 in favor of Squid Academy who still maintained possession at the moment, the underdogs in blue were doing well to thwart off the continuous attempts by Romaine and his squad to seize the tower and in return were on track to record a shocking 1-0 lead via a knockout. Siot knew better than to entertain such a scenario, having seen what Vulerby and especially Romaine were capable of when they were clicking, and so far what he witnessed was almost eerie to watch; the patience shown by the team in pink was almost frightening when considering they were getting outmatched by the hot giant slayers in the opening round of the match. A question that provoked him while he continued his observations, Siot could only ask himself what Romaine was planning with all this time remaining.
Squid Academy have done well in sticking to their strategy of utilizing number mismatches and weapon advantages but whenever Vulerby brings everyone together for a full-fight, it's always close. If I was in Romaine's shoes, I'd slow down their tempo and take control. Gather my squad and regroup and prepare for an all-out assault and take the tower before anything else. After all, Sauid Academy want to protect that tower more than anything so-
Right on cue, the formation of Vulerby altered.
After failing to capture the tower on a few occasions letting the lead escape to what it is, Romaine organized a tactical retreat and withdrew the team from the encounter, letting them collect a few more points to tally. Many gasped and murmured at the captain's questionable decision, finding it strange that one of the best in the tournament would suddenly withdraw from battle so suddenly, but little did they know the purpose behind doing something seemingly foolish. Azule and Pastelle noticed immediately that his actions had meaning, and before he created any further separation, they rushed in pursuit of the retreating team-splitting their forces in the process. His eyebrows raising in that moment, a cold droplet of sweat falls down his face with perplexity at how much of a coincidence it appeared for the two of them to share the same thought in that moment.
"They're onto us." Fuchsia stated with mild concern.
"You mean they figured out our plan?" Sally
Fuchsia shakes her head, "Not necessarily, but they're aware of the predicament they're in because of how we've played them. We've done well in picking them off in mismatches and using our possession of the tower to our advantage and we've been able to gradually put pressure on them thanks to controlling the lead and the tempo of the match. I reckon that he's figured that out and drew his numbers back in realization that their current approach wasn't effective enough at this current stage. "They stand a better chance in a full six on six battle, and they'll probably look to keep their numbers so they can test it."
"Then…!"
"Azule and Pastelle realized what Romaine was up to with that retreat and went in pursuit. If they allow Vulerby to completely regroup and orchestrate a coordinated attack, their chances of maintaining the lead will dwindle. Although, it's still risky to follow after them with such disadvantageous numbers, it can't be helped. These are the measures to take when you're up ahead.'
"Kind of like they're stalling the inevitable…"
"It took half of the match of him searching and seeking a path and it looks like he's found it. Romaine found the path of victory."
Azule and Pastelle's chase is interrupted by a sudden act of aggression from Rashid and Mirai, and in an instant a swarm of pink shirts overwhelm them. They fell for it. Romaine storms past the pair and heads for the tower with full intention to take the tower, yelling out orders for his team in the process. In an instant, Azule and Pastelle found themselves surrounded by a group of pink shirts while Romaine and Adel rushed for the tower where the rest waited; the pair realized they jumped the gun too early on the response and allowed themselves to be exposed. A massive swirl of pink crashes into the tower as a booyah bomb connects, catching Violet and Parker in the process and leading Todd and Reice severely weakened from the collateral damage. With enough pink occupying the tower, possession left Squid Academy's clutches and leapt into the arms of Vulerby, who seemingly changed their fate in a single moment. Todd and Reice heal themselves quickly as Adel joins Romaine, and once the pair are united on the tower, the Squid Academy duo launch a joint counterattack. A blue roller creating a wave as it slams on the ground, Todd emerges from the ink and launches himself headfirst into the pair. Adel and Romaine are awry of the move and hop off the tower in response, split up by his move-just like the pink duo intended. Reice immediately rushes for Adel whilst Todd focuses on Romaine. A desperate attempt to keep the tower from advancing further, this was their response to Vulerby's sudden control over the momentum after remaining idle.
"Azule!" Pastelle shouts alerting her captain, avoiding a dangerous shot from Fonsa.
"I know!" Azule responds, dodging the curling bomb that detonated before him.
Stuck in an unfavorable matchup, the pair struggled to splat the four targets in front of them-only able to do enough to keep themselves alive but not return fire of their own. With the way Vulerby had them surrounded, it was clear the priority was to keep them away from the tower more than anything and then cut their numbers in half with the likelihood of Reice and Todd surviving seeming slimmer by the second. A failure in sticking to the plan Fuchsia laid out for them, they got a bit too greedy with trying to steal the first round and overextend and overreact to the bait put out by the experienced side. Now going from having a decent 42-83, the score trimmed to 35-71 as Adel gave Reice the slip and advanced the tower, keeping him at bay with a bombardment of pink and some aid from Romaine, who seemed to be able to do it all-both handling Todd and offering remote assistance for Adel.
"Here comes the Squid Academy duo!" The commentator shouts frantically as Azule and Pastelle manage a breakaway from the swarm following the splat of Nadish and the weakening of Fonsa and Mirai, leaving only Rashid free to give chase.
Adel and Romaine's attention turn to the looming captain and vice captain with Rashid giving chase, understanding that the critical point of the first round approaches. As things stand, having a full fledged six on six battle will be impossible with that pesky pair always in the mix, and having to dedicate numbers to slow them down proved inefficient when they trailed by a considerable amount. Right here and now, Azule and Pastelle must be dealt with. Almost doing so without breaking a sweat, Romaine broke free from Todd and swam towards the duo, shouting an indistinct order just before he submerged. Though Todd and Reice had no clue what the captain of Vulerby ordered, all they saw was an elevated performance from Adel who had every intention of defending the tower with a drop circle appearing around her; reinforcements are on the way!
You did well with what you could. Romaine's gun is aimed at Azule; But that isn't enough to rattle us! His gun switches targets and immediately Pastelle is brought down to heavy damage; Azule speeds ahead to meet the captain at full impact, aware that this encounter will be the deciding factor in who takes the first round: Squid Academy and their favorable lead, or the surging Vulerby who finally figured out a way to beat the giant slayers. As everything comes to a head, the audience in the arena let their voices be heard as bursts of pink and blue spring forth in several locations followed by bodies dropping like flies until finally, possession is claimed once again...for Vulerby.
Unable to hold off the overwhelming might of the reinforcements, Reice and Todd fold under the pressure of Rashid and the others, who quickly pack the tower without any resistance. Pastelle tried to heal herself in time to make an impact, but amid the wild duel between Azule and Romaine, she's caught in the crossfire and bails out to spawn-a critical loss for Squid Academy in that moment. A crucial few seconds remaining until Violet and Parker return to the fight, the chances for Squid Academy dwindle by the millisecond until they return. Azule hangs on desperately, now having to bob and weave the extra firing from those on the tower and those interrupting the duel to bring him down; none of them cared about playing fair since they were trailing in the match, and Azule surely didn't have the energy to voice his frustration as any lapse in concentration would be fatal for him. Dodging Mirai and Adel with a couple rolls and managing to tag Fonsa, Azule's body couldn't hold out as Romaine and Rashid took him down simultaneously. A huge sigh of defeat plaguing the Squid Academy student section, they felt the wind knocked out of them once their captain went down, the return of Violet and Parker not enough to hype them up as their chances to prove useful in the situation proved futile as they both at e a face full of specials saved by Vulerby for just the occasion. A mesmerizing counterattack that happened in quick succession, Vulerby recorded a team wipeout and had possession of the tower.
Cruising close to tying the match with how fast the tower moved, Vulerby got back Nadish and looked far stronger than prior with their whole unit on the tower prepared for battle. Squid Academy looked to bounce back with their entire squad present, but after such an electric encounter on that previous skirmish, they all forgot the entire purpose of why they fought so hastily to keep Vulerby together. In convincing fashion, Romaine and Vulerby steamrolled Squid Academy on their counterattack and essentially sapped the life out of them with their emphatic rejection of the tower. In no time, that lead north of 40 points evaporated for Squid Academy and instead became a growing lead for Vulerby. Unable to ever get back on the tower following their loss of the lead, Squid Academy fought an uphill battle and suffered one of their most humiliating defeats in recent memory, losing via knockout as Vulerby sent the statement to them that this wouldn't be like their endeavors with the other ranked teams. Jumping ahead to take a 1-0 lead, Vulerby is ahead as both teams head into the break.
