A painful loss for Squid Academy that left everyone gutted who witnessed it in real time, the show had to go on. Down 2-1 to the fourth ranked best team in the tournament against one of the best players in the world, surprisingly this wasn't a first time scenario for the team trailing. With a chance to steal the win in that round and swing momentum in their favor after tying up the match, Todd's gamble backfired in the most heartbreaking of fashion as he left himself vulnerable at the last moment and in turn sealed their defeat. Sitting on the bench with a towel over his head getting consoled by Zaneki of all people, Todd felt he deserved all the blame for the error although Azule and Violet were adamant that he wasn't at fault for anything. They believed that his heart was in the right place and understood that risks always opened up the possibility to an immense reward and payoff is successful, and that Todd's actions had that intention. Although bummed they couldn't take the lead in the match, Fuchsia was far from deterred since she expected this scenario to unfold regardless. Currently sitting on a chair before a huddled up squad, she listed the adjustments the team needed to make and highlighted what she noticed from that previous exchange-the fight still in her eyes as she actively kept the team in engaged in the discussion. Watching his girlfriend rally her troops passionately, Azule looked as still as a tree as his mind emptied and only replayed those critical moments in his head. The reason he couldn't allow Todd to blame himself was that he-too felt heavily responsible, recalling his choice to pull the trigger rather than buy some time. The pressure and hesitation he felt in those moments reminded him that as he currently is he still was far off from being a captain capable of leading a team to a deep run in the tournament, and that there was still plenty of work for him to do if he ever wanted to break the ceiling and go beyond with Midnight.
"Their path to victory just got murkier." Siot mumbled to himself after digesting everything that transpired, preoccupied with determining the path to victory for both teams. Having become highly invested after seeing a spark of brilliance from Azule when he went up against Romaine, Siot was curious about seeing if the rest of Squid Academy could play up to their captain's level, finding that though they are doing well by their own standards it clearly wasn't enough to get them over the hump in this case. In all of their impressive feats during this tournament, the key factor behind those victories wasn't a matter of the freakish talent of Sky and Azule but of the ability for the whole team-especially substitutes-rising to the occasion and making their mark in critical moments and he wondered if Fuchsia would pull the trigger and make the necessary changes, especially following Todd's actions. How would she react and how would it affect the team overall. So far both teams looked about even but that isn't going to cut it for Squid Academy who needed to play nearly perfect and force Vulerby to make some errors to get an edge. Now that the easier path to victory dissolved thanks to that loss, Squid Academy had to find a way to rally from down 2-1 against arguably the toughest opponent they've faced yet and with the next round serving as a toss-up, their chances are looking slim. "Their odds of winning are questionable at best given the upcoming rounds but if they can even up the series, it'll still be a chance nonetheless. Despite how well they've been playing, Vulerby hasn't managed to distance themselves the entire match. Whenever they look to create something some breathing space those Squid Academy players continue to erase that comfort and force them to be on their toes. If they fail to take the commanding lead here, there will be some questions they need to answer for themselves later on." Aware of the difficult positions both teams are in, Siot thought about what events could play out depending on the scenarios: After the upcoming fourth round, the fifth round would be at the sultan's palace yard which depending on the result could spell the end of the game or mean great significance for who will win. If Vulerby went into that fifth round up 3-1, there was almost certainly the expectation to close the match before the sultan as an ultimate honor, which was likely why the sultan pulled some strings to schedule the match at his venue because he anticipated such a scenario. But if Squid Academy evened up the series instead heading into the palace yard, an immense pressure would be on their shoulders to beat the sultan's team on his turf. Were they up to such a challenge?
"It sickens me at how convenient this just turned out for Vulerby." Nefertina clicks her tongue watching the scoreboard waiting for the start of the fourth; "Ruhtab foresaw this and orchestrated for this match to get played on his turf. He no doubt wants to see Vulerby close it out before his very eyes, that prideful son of a-"
"My Pharaoh!" Handan interrupted awkwardly, uncomfortable with hearing her cousin speak in such a manner in front of guests.
"It's fine!" Shiva waved her hand with a chuckle; "I'm thinking the same thing that she is, heck I should be more upset since this is my little sister's team who he's underestimating, but it'll be fine."
"Right, the young princess isn't the type to cower to anyone. We've seen her at work first hand."
"I'm pretty sure right about now she'll be thinking up a storm since she likes to favor the marathon instead of a sprint. All I hope is that the team will be ready to meet her unreasonable demands."
"And that darling of hers will surely have his work cut out for him these next rounds..."
Fuchsia's fist gently lands on Azule's chest, "You're looking good out there but it's not enough and I know you're better than what you've been showing. You've had way too much time off to be giving inferior performances."
An arrow shot through his chest hearing his darling critique him, "Inferior?"
Fuchsia gives him a sneer, "Were you expecting me to pamper you? Go earn it, lover boy. I'm sure you already know this but our fate will rely on your performance. I know Pastelle and the others will pull their weight like always and do everything to keep us in the fight but at the end of the day if you don't do well, this team won't do well. Sky is an amazing spark, but nothing replaces our captain."
"Way to take the pressure off my shoulders..." Azule sighed, unable to let his weakness show when she looked at him with such expectation; out everyone in this arena, nobody placed their trust in him more than her. "About Romaine, I'm aware that he's been doing as he pleases all match and that it's hindering our progress. Trust me, I'm doing what I can to get myself in the groove but it's hard to maintain consistency when he is my assignment."
Fuchsia shrugs her shoulders with a look of indifference, "This comes with the territory of being the captain, remember? All the apex talent will be targeting you and looking to have you questioning the legitimacy of your role. They'll look to neutralize you and make us overwork ourselves, force you to try and do too much that subsequently hurts the team because it strays from the predetermined strategy. But you've been through enough battles and the cap on your potential is limitless. I believe in you, Azule." She said with a soft smile and a pair of slightly narrowing eyes, almost letting out a giggle as he blushed a bit hearing her genuine words. A test for him to prove he can roll with the best of them, Azule recalled the reason they made it this far, of how they challenged several giants and became the definition of survival. He didn't want this dream to end, certainly not when people like Sky and the other seniors were gave up so much for this opportunity.
"Prepare for substitutions in the next round. We'll deliver." Azule spoke with confidence, resolved to connect his strength with the rest of the team.
The banging drums drowning out anything Fuchsia had to say afterwards, Azule marched off to the battlefield. As preparations finalized for the start of the fourth round, both sides were once again sticking with the same rotation which came as a surprise for Vulerby and Squid Academy supporters alike who were expecting to see an appearance from Sky Royale by now. For her to still be sitting on the bench along with the rest of the team meant Fuchsia and the coaches had something up their sleeve or were hiding something that would hurt them detrimentally if uncovered. Either way Romaine didn't care, finding all these tactics to be cheap and only delaying the inevitable now that they retook control of the match. For the rest of this match, he'd dedicate his energy to putting Squid Academy away as soon as possible, wary of that pesky luck of the giant slayers.
"...And we're off!" the lead commentator announces after hearing the whistle blow for the start of clam blitz, listening to the roar of the crowd as both teams exit spawn and rush past their goals. "It's a do-or-die round for Squid Academy and a huge opportunity for the giants to sedate the challengers!"
"They've done well up to this point when facing ranked opponents, but Vulerby aren't like any of the teams they defeated in the past. When Romaine smells blood in the water, it's practically over. I believe the biggest key in this match will be that captain of Squid Academy. He's never been tested seriously since his team went on this dreamlike run. Sure, he won them that match against Fujiro Industrial but the following battles against the Titans, Baiji, and the Bluerings he was absent and it was actually his older sister who was the pivotal factor. Since it looks like she won't be participating in this round, it'll be on his shoulders to carry the team in the same way she did. He's yet to prove himself the way she has, and as a captain-it's on him. Standing before him will undoubtedly be a challenge that'll push him to the brink, but this is what Nationals is all about!"
Vulerby and Squid Academy clash once more.
Sub weapons bursting and early specials unleashing one after another thanks to the quick charge up form the accelerated consumption of ink, the constant flinging and exchange of pink and blue on the turf made everything a mess all too quickly as bodies got piled up in the splatted category. Just as quickly as they met they quickly dispersed and broke into isolated battles: some focused on gathering clams while others were focused on slaying, either way not a single participant was idle. An entire minute passed since the start of the round and it was still a scoreless bout thanks to both teams denying the other of scoring. The first scoring attempt came from Reice when he gathered up enough clams to make a power clam and charged in with Parker supporting him while the rest of the team were separated and preoccupied collecting clams and respawning. He believed that ambushing the enemy while they were down would work in the favor and kick the momentum onto their side but little did he know his intention to strike while the opponent was distracted backfired heavily as the Vulerby goal had a couple players perched on defense who quickly alerted everyone else with her squid beacon and piled the numbers on them, shutting down the pair before they even had a chance to launch the power clam. Vulerby's first attempt to score was also met with failure when the group of Adel, Fonsa, Rashid, and Mirai decided to stock up their power clams together and unload simultaneously, which failed miserably thanks to the accuracy of Violet who picked them off one by one with some assistance from Pastelle and Azule. A back and forth battle of attrition with both sides struggling to create much offense in the face of an impenetrable defense, it was around a minute and a half into the round that the first points were tallied-in Vulerby's favor.
"And finally we have a score! Thanks to a powerful throw from Romaine, the deadlock is broken!" the commentator holds up a fist, channeling his passion as he too became just another spectator watching the battle unfold.
"But can Vulerby capitalize on the opportunity? Just look at the automatic response by Azule!" The color commentator highlighted as Azule rushed through the chaos to defend the exposed goal.
With everyone already preoccupied and the goal wide open, Azule kicked into high gear to do damage control on the situation. Romaine didn't have any extra clams left to throw and the rest of his team were held up by their opponents; a key chance to extend the lead, it felt like nothing was falling in their favor early on. An opportunity missed, Romaine resorts to abandoning the open goal once Azule interferes, and just like that, what would've been a devastating start for Squid Academy is just a bitter setback. In a match that felt like there would barely be any scoring at all, still giving up the deadlock wasn't a favorable outcome although it wasn't too large of a deficit for them to overcome. The chaos continued following the break in the scoring and soon after did Reice make a few big plays with some multiple kills to give Pastelle a chance to break the goal, contributing by tossing in a extra few clams to give Squid Academy a narrow lead-their first for the round. What would've been a chance for their supporters to at least rally behind them never occurred since following that change in lead by Squid Academy was the bursting of their own goal by Vulerby courtesy of Rashid who'd been lurking around for the longest time waiting for the chance to strike. A back and forth defensive contest in which neither side allowed the other to even threaten the goals, it would be the last time a team scored points for the majority of the match. Maintaining their 48-71 lead with the bonus of a few extra points plaguing Squid Academy, Vulerby actively did everything in their power to overwhelm Squid Academy even if they couldn't breakthrough in scoring-them having the lead alone was enough considering how well they were defending against the blues, especially against Azule Royale who looked to be stuck in a loop: everytime he tried to make a move, he was splatted by a gang of pink shirts. Vulerby didn't want to take any chances like the last round, a win here practically meant the match was over.
"As we approach the final moments of this round, Vulerby looks as though they are settling for a defensive victory."
"I can't blame them for wanting to play conservative here rather than get aggressive since they have the overall lead in both the round and the match. If they can win here and take a commanding lead they can expel all their efforts on closing them out in a gentleman's sweep. If they jump the gun here and try to overextend aggressively they'll find themselves in the same predicament as they were following the second round. They're thinking down the line and I can respect that."
"But the same could be said by playing conservatively and allowing Squid Academy the chance to muster up one final push that could overpower them. I can understand them wanting to protect the lead at all costs but such safe thinking can backfire against an unpredictable side such as Squid Academy."
"More than likely Vulerby believes they can maintain this tempo for the remainder of the round. They've done a solid job so far."
Under half a minute remains, Squid Academy spent the match scattered and out of sync trying to nibble at the Gunner's heels and have failed to make much of an impact since Reice's big play. Pastelle and Violet seemingly cooled off, Azule was practically shut down, and Parker was nonexistent. A dreadful showing for the last few minutes, the team's hopes were hanging by a thread as Reice anchored himself in front of the goal staving off an attack from Adel and Mirai. His roller resembling a sword with the way he swings emphatically, Reice slowly collected some clams until he had a power clam ready for launch; Violet, Pastelle, and Parker had a few clams of their own prepared from their traversing and Todd and Azule were nowhere to be seen. Time working against them with twenty four seconds remaining, they all knew they had one last chance left. Shifting their attention to attacking the enemy goal, they swapped priorities with Reice marching to the enemy goal with Parker and Pastelle while Violet stood to the rear and kept nearby her goal. Encountering Romaine and the others who regrouped in time to protect their goal, the final battle begins.
It opens up with a burst bomb.
Reice ducks to the left as Parker covers him with his brella while Pastelle swoops in to distract them. Romaine barks out his commands and calls for the remaining players to return to him, anticipating that Squid Academy will blitz here and attempt to win in overtime based on the ammo they've brought; he wouldn't let it happen on his watch. Pink swarms the approaching blue like an incoming wave on a sandy shore and ate up everything Squid Academy has to offer, but Reice and his duo aren't backing down either as they do callouts watching each other's backs. Parker closed in with his eye on the goal, Pastelle stayed mobile drawing the enemy's attention with her eye on the goal, and Reice continued to lash at them with his sights on the goal as well-all three of them aware that less than fifteen seconds remain. Their heads are thumping, their breath is light, and their bodies are energized by the adrenaline rushing through their bodies; even if they'll collapse in the following rounds, they need to keep the dream alive for their teammates on the bench-aware that Fuchsia will likely do a huge overhaul on the squad. Reice can't wait any longer.
"Here comes Galloway!" the commentator shouts.
Reice launches his power clam, his heart sinking as the last ray of hope escapes his grasp mid throw. Almost with a shine in his eyes, Romaine pulled the trigger faster than Reice could lift. What felt like their hopes for a comeback shattered by the clutch denial from Romaine as Reice got splatted, to his and everyone else's surprise, the Vulerby barrier still bursted with the final seconds ticking away to expose the goal. The lead cut down by twenty points, Squid Academy were only down a clam to tie it as the overtime buzzer sounded. The hero that nobody accounted for showed up just before the stroke of midnight and performed the ultimate redemption for his folly in the prior round. A clutch strike to keep their hopes alive in overtime, Todd made his triumphant return in the best way imaginable. With it all up to Pastelle and Parker, they receive support from Violet who was en route via super jump after noticing the extra bodies nearby her teammates. A race against time for both sides: Romaine and his team in pink were desperately counting down the seconds until their barrier returned and Pastelle and her team in blue were desperately recording every passing second gauging how much time they had to keep the game alive. Only a single clam needed to tie the score, Violet, Pastelle, and Parker all grit their teeth with daggers in their eyes as they smell the chance of a lifetime; Todd swoops in to distract the Vulerby crew and picks off a couple, looking to ease the resistance as much as possible.
"GO IN!" Bianca and the Squid Academy supporters scream, jumping out of their seats.
Everyone on the edge of their seat watching the end approach, it felt like the air in the arena got sucked out with every gasp. The defensive unit of Vulerby still remains ironclad as they bring down the nuisance Todd and take down Parker and Violet as well with only Pastelle left. She makes a desperate heave aware that she'll get splatted, but it's to no avail as she's just short on the launch. Everyone's jaw drops. It wasn't like they weren't aware of the possibility, but in the heat of the moment with so many things happening all at once that even the mighty Vulerby were prone to the error of forgetfulness. Almost as if he was waiting for this exact moment in time, Azule appeared behind the group of Vulerby players-a clam already thrown in the goal to tie up the score and with all the enemy's players eyes on him, Azule stared them down coldly as he tossed in the game winner. The jaws of everyone in the arena dropped, including the Vulerby players on the turf who were stunned frozen as the chilling eyes of Azule pierced them. Almost as though he was staring them down before killing them, he laid a nail in a coffin they didn't think existed.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Once again, it's my pleasure to say that we...HAVE A SERIES!" the lead commentator announces before a rampant audience who were processing what they just witnessed.
The brass band for Squid Academy plays their fight song proudly following the victory by their precious blues, the students singing their praises for their beloved first year captain who looked like he was already at his limit from the way he was sweating. A match guaranteed to go six rounds thanks to clutch play of Todd and Azule, the entire world reacts on social media and from their couches: Mori couldn't help but let out a laugh in disbelief, Telfin's jaw was on the desk, and Siot and the others' eyes were wide open with some of them rubbing them to make sure they weren't imagining things; over in Ravia stadium, Kippy had the widest grin on her face and Shiva and Nefertina high fived one another imagining the look on the sultan's face at this moment. Watching everyone breathe a sigh of relief on tv as the cameras rolled on the Squid Academy sidelines, Sultan Ruhtab gripped his cup a little tighter, disgusted by what he just witnessed. His picturesque ending that he envisioned and trusted to Romaine especially-all ruined by a rowdy bunch from Inkopolis. More than anything now, he wanted to see them crushed before his very eyes and he would get that opportunity when they come to his turf for the next round. The reaction from his guests distinctly heard behind him, he joins his guests on the balcony to oversee the large crowd crammed at the perimeter of the palace yard, awaiting the arrival of Squid Academy.
