The score is close and the mood is ever changing as the action heats up once again with some time already passing since the start of the round, the hide ink seek battle already proving to be a ferocious clash thanks to the boldness of Romaine who started off the round with a bang by seemingly materializing out of thin air appearing before an unsuspecting Squid Academy and splatted their "it" player Todd to kick off an explosive start for Vulerby, opening up the scoring and also sending a serious warning to the squad in blue. Squid Academy found themselves on total defense thanks to this and spent the subsequent minutes playing with patience refraining from attacking unnecessarily, only getting their points off of counter picks. A seekers team dead set on getting the knockout finish and burying Squid Academy before they could rally, Vulerby were relentless on the attack led by their assertive captain who refused to fall into the trap of playing how Squid Academy wanted, aware that the source of Squid Academy's patience stemmed from some sort of plan and as long as he pushed them into a corner and gave them no room for escape, he'd get them to crumble before they could find the golden opportunity to retaliate. Despite the intimidation thrown their way however, Squid Academy didn't budge and made it far more difficult for Vulerby to continue their attacks by protecting Todd at all costs, baiting the pink squad into exerting more energy into attempting to seize the kill by leaving him vulnerable at times. The way they shuffled around Todd while also never missing a beat in their step when they went with a counter shot that landed accurately, it all alarmed Romaine who thought that they'd have chinks in their armor by now but instead found the opposite occurring as they continued to adapt despite trailing the entire round. After losing those early bonus points, Squid Academy worked well to make them back up and essentially keep the round competitive in only giving up an occasional point here and there.
"The score 66-59 in favor of Vulerby, the inklings in pink built their lead off an impressive first strike and followed up with a pair of powerful wipeouts afterwards. But Squid Academy turned up their defense and managed to save their target player from danger long enough to secure the bonuses and bring the match back to a close scoreline. As we approach the final five minutes of the game, the biggest question in this match is whether Squid Academy can overtake Vulerby in time. They appear to be trending upwards recently with stellar performances from the team overall!'' The lead commentator narrates with a recap as they returned from a quick commercial break, the action unfolding beautifully as utter chaos plagues the turf with plenty of kills following.
A seven point difference between the two teams, Squid Academy have the numbers advantage following the brutal exchange but it wasn't as it seemed as they were missing key playmakers in Reice and Pastelle while Violet was busy refilling her tank; This situation was all thanks to Parker's sacrificial efforts in taking down the majority of Vulerby's forces. A shot of pink stains Azule's wrist with a sting and forces him to grit his teeth through the pain, the culprit of the shot none other than the captain of Vulerby. The duo of Romaine and Fonsa are all that remained from the carnage of the prior battle and the pair were hellbent on securing those signature points off the target to widen the lead, aware of the danger posed if Squid Academy managed to hold on and eke out a victory. A pink curling bomb thrown followed by the release of an array of pink bubbles and the swing of a bubble blower, the Vulerby announced their intentions to strike once more. Azule uses two rolls to navigate around the pink with Violet covering him by neutralizing the bubbles in the process; Todd kept a distance from the action but he offered his assistance since it'd be rare for them to have another chance to have the numerical advantage while trailing in the round. If they could splat both of them, they'd trim the lead to just a five point lead and if they kept Todd alive for the rest of the round they'd have enough points to close the gap and win. In order for Vulerby to escape the danger of a comeback by Squid Academy they needed to reach a score of 80 to cover the bonus in the case that Squid Academy held on to keep Todd alive, which meant that Romaine and his squad would need to grab 14 more kills off the rest of Squid Academy instead of focusing entirely on Todd. Squid Academy knew of this scenario playing out and in turn focused on protecting Todd at all costs, leaving it up to their slayers to grab those few precious extra kills that could catapult them ahead.
"We're so close, don't falter now!" Azule shouts while weaving around the pink bubbles, his surroundings fading to obscurity as only his heartbeat can be heard; this tightness around his head, this burning sensation coursing through his body live a river, this was the immense pressure of performing in the clutch. If he falls here, they're as good as done with Violet and Todd exposed in unfavorable matchups.
"To the left, Fonsa! Pressure their sniper and leave their captain to me!"
"Righ-!"
"Oh no you don't!" Azule responds with a shout throwing a splat bomb in Fonsa's path after doing a half spin to avoid the shots fired by Romaine. "I'm taking you both down with me!" he shouts.
"You won't have time!" Romaine yells in response, closing the gap and nearly butting heads with Azule; "Don't get cocky, first year!"
The alarms in Azule's head trip and in an instant he backs away. Fonsa breaks away from the chaos between the captains, but Violet has everything covered, promising Azule that she won't let Todd get harmed under any circumstance. Unfortunately time wasn't on the blue team's side as the rest of Vulerby were due to arrive at any moment with the temporary numerical advantage they had sure to be lost. It's now or never. A gamble that might cost them the match if they fail the execution, Azule knew desperate times called for desperate measures and with his special meter already filled thanks to all the turfing done prior to this moment as well as surviving all the devastating damage at every turn, the knew this was the perfect opening to launch the tenta missiles. But there was one glaring issue that he couldn't overlook before pulling the trigger that would lead to the point of no return: performing this action would be premature. With Romaine performing at such a level that his presence felt like multiple people attacking simultaneously along with Fonsa in the mix, Azule felt the pressure to get rid of them as swiftly as possible and take advantage of those next few seconds, but releasing such an attack with this few people might be a waste when he could save his special for the return of the rest of the team where it could be far more effective. Should he save it? After all, using it now would mean they'll have trouble later down the line when the rest of the team arrives. But then again, taking down the opponents in front of them would reward his team with immediate relief in having a brief moment to breathe and recollect themselves. Weighing between the options on his shoulders, Azule had to decide between making the impact right now or to defer and play things out-the situation dire as Romaine and Fonsa close in with intention to them down while they were vulnerable. A decision made as his sea of thoughts crashed along the walls of his mind, Azule pulled the trigger. They needed the points now. Several blue missiles lighting up above soaring about homing onto their pair of targets, who didn't look the least bit fazed since they accounted for the enemy skipper to make such a move; in their eyes, Azule just made the wrong decision. A show of weakness and proof that the pressure was finally getting to him, Romaine and Fonsa knew that it wouldn't be long before Azule collapses-along with Squid Academy as a whole. A violent splash of blue blinding everyone's vision, everyone gasped as the pair of inklings were taken out immediately by the blast. The blue mess that stained the area for a precious few seconds cleared up however as the firing of a pair of guns shooting pink signaled reinforcements for Vulerby and spelled trouble for Squid Academy, who were now down their captain who needed to refill. Rashid, Mirai, and the others all gathered for the four on three battle; the tables turned on Azule and his teammates following the miscalculation, not expecting Vulerby to respawn and arrive before their own teammates.
"Get them!" Rashid shouts, leading the swarm towards the helpless trio.
His captain compromised and Violet rendered less effective with the numbers proving too many for her to handle at her post with her specific weapon, Todd noticed he was the only one able to defend himself against the pink menace. But he was the last person who should step into the action as he was the primary target of Vulerby and his demise spelled defeat for his team as the whole reason for the score remaining close due to them protecting him at all costs. Now more so than ever, he needed to get far away from the action and wait for his team to jump to his location and protect him-the arrival of Vulerby pretty much confirming that Azule, Parker, and Pastelle were on the way. But after seeing how hard Azule and Violet worked to keep him safe just now, he couldn't just turn tail and run from a fight, not when everyone else was doing so much for his sake. He didn't have much time to mull over his thoughts however as the entire arena gave him an earful on what he should be doing. Azule and Violet's looks of desperation preparing to stall the enemy pursuers knowing it'll be an ugly sacrifice for the sake of protecting Todd, Fuchsia and the rest of the sidelines animated pleading for him to escape, and all the supporters in the stands shouting for him to book it and survive. They all screamed at him to run. Everyone was aware that if Todd fell here he would be giving up a precious twenty bonus points to Vulerby at the very end of the round that practically meant the end. Todd heard them all loud and clear. But the reality of things were that Squid Academy were only down by five points thanks to Azule, a measly 66-61 score. If Vulerby got taken out here, that deficit would only be a single point. Just a single point. That alone gave him a reason to consider taking a risk. If he could survive through all of this while also trimming that deficit to a single point, the bonus points would be enough to secure the win for his team. Allowing Azule and Violet to sacrifice themselves in order to ensure his survival would erase the entire point of Azule using his special to trim the deficit, Todd thought that letting such a scenario play out for a possibility that might not even come to fruition was also enough of a reason to follow his instincts rather than the ocean of voices telling him otherwise.
"Is he going for it? He is! What is he thinking!?" an infuriated Fuchsia screamed tugging on her hair with horror, her eyes protruding like she'd gotten whacked on the head with a mallet; Cobalt, Tangie, and the other coaches all ahd their jaws on the floor in disbelief at what Todd just did.
The lead commentator projects his voice raising his hand with the biggest grin on his face, "He's going for it everyone! Todd has thrown caution to the wind and challenges the entire squad of Vulerby to an improbable four on one battle!"
"How reckless can he be! What's the point in saving those who are willing to sacrifice anyway!? Azule and Violet were going to buy him time to escape which would mean giving away points for sure, but their hopes laid in preserving their key player long enough for him to have backup to protect him and win this through their sheer defensive effort. What Todd is doing is nothing short of total selfishness!"
"He has decided to test his luck! Will this work out in his favor and make him a hero or will it be a critical blunder on his part that costs his team the round? Let's find out!" the lead commentator shouts with a fist pump, the crowd giving a reaction of their own as they saw what looked like a fool rushing to his demise.
"What an idiot." Siot frowned with disgust at the sudden developments; his teammates also share the same sentiment, empathizing with the frustration Azule, Violet, and everyone in blue must be experiencing at this moment.
And that's the game⦠Sultan Ruhtab chuckled with amusement at the sudden turn of events, finding Todd's selfish decision to be rather entertaining considering that if he fails here he alone cost his team the round and possibly the match. In his eyes, this is the best chance Squid Academy will have all match to take the lead in the entire match.
Uncomfortable with the reactions everyone gave Todd, Sandra, Hannah, and Audrey all rushed to the edge of the sidelines and cupped their hands over their mouths, closing their eyes shut tightly and letting their voices reach him through the sea of negativity, reminding him that no matter what, they'll always be on his side. And much to everyone's surprise on the sidelines, also joining the trio in showing their support was Zaneki, who resonated with how Todd must've felt in this moment. Watching from the sidelines, he was moved by the determination the starters showed every and every match, the intensity and madness of colorful personalities like Azule and Sky so infectious that even he couldn't find the words to describe how it felt to play together with them and be around them so frequently; seeing Todd out there among them slowly assimilate into that personality, he couldn't help but want to give him the extra push as well, hoping that he can one day make such progress. Their heartfelt feelings reaching him as he approached the enemy squad, their warmth surged through his body like a chemical reaction-a burst of energy that would be enough to tackle the numbers. Skillfully dodging the immediate dangers from the enemy firing squad, Todd lures all the attention onto him as he wears a bright target on his body rushing towards the enemy. Azule and Violet's jaws dropped watching their partner ignore their wishes, but once they caught a glimpse of the resolve in his eyes they knew they couldn't let him tackle the enemy alone. They rise together, they fall together. Given a few seconds to refill their tanks, Azule and Violet scan the field ahead as their teammate makes the risky attempt.
I might be a lone target in your eyes who is making a foolish decision by charging ahead, but I'm not letting that stop me from showcasing to you what makes me who I am. Why am I a recurring presence on this roster? Why are Sandra and the others placing their trust in me? Why does the whole nation think so highly of me? I'm about to show you! Gritting his teeth with a sharp look, Todd dances in the rain of pink weaving around the deadly drops en route to the several targets ahead. First up on his radar is Mirai who closes the distance looking to splat him frontally, but Todd sidesteps and gets the kill instead, instantly doing a juke to avoid the deadly bomb from Adel who lined him up from the flank. Violet interrupts Adel in that moment and manages to do enough damage to make them retreat. In comes the skipper, Azule. The numbers even, Todd knew they had a fighting chance now. Azule performs a double roll and deals a critical pair of blows to Nadish up close who ends up getting finished off by Todd who pierced from behind, and when Rashid thought he was coming to the rescue of his ally, he found himself becoming severely weakened by a perfectly lined up shot from Violet who kept him from interfering. Things were looking up for Squid Academy: they reduced the numbers, kept Todd alive despite the odds, and would be getting the other half of their team returning. If things kept on pace, they could pull off a huge comeback and take control of the match. That overwhelming pressure they felt smothering them from their first loss seemed to be nonexistent now as it appeared as though the goddess of victory was starting to smile in their favor.
A stray shot of pink hits Todd for a critical hit.
It was a less than one percent chance of a success rate, but Adel managed to pull off the miracle strike and catch Squid Academy off guard; Violet thought she took care of Adel earlier but little did she know that Adel recovered instantly and was simply awaiting the moment to retaliate. Like a punch to the gut, the wind gets knocked out the sails of Squid Academy's comeback as the bonus points are tallied on for Vulerby. 86-64 is the new scoreline. Squid Academy needs to scrape together 12 points just to tie up the score and potentially force overtime should time expire, which seems highly unlikely but far from impossible given the return of the others based on their super jump. But just when Squid Academy looked ready to go down with guns blazing and scrap for every last point, Vulerby parked the bus. Preferring to play "keep away" from Squid Academy to avoid losing any points off of the aggressive picks coming their way now that Pastelle and Reice were hungry to make an impact, Vulerby runs out the clock with their conservative change in style and manages to hold onto the lead until the end. A sigh of relief overcoming those dressed in pink and yellow, the supporters in blue and purple were gutted by the loss but none more so than Todd who dragged his feet on the way back to the sidelines, prepared to get an earful from his coach and teammates-already hearing some unpleasant comments from the Vulerby supporters who hammered home his failures. A final score of 89-70, Vulerby prevailed to take a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth round of clam blitz. A win that was within their grasp, Squid Academy tastes a bitter loss instead.
