Since this will be the last chapter for the year, I'd like to say thank you for reading and sticking by despite the lack of constant updates like one time. I greatly appreciate seeing the reviews and hope it's been fun reading how everything turns out each week. I hope all of you have stayed safe during the pandemic and are taking care of yourselves physically and mentally and as always, thank you for continuing to show support and do have a lovely new year! (I'll probably say it again in the next chapter but it wouldn't hurt to say it now, right?)
A crucial sixth round just about ready to take place at Mugil arena, the stadium is brimming with life as the pulse of the audience echoed throughout the venue. Almost in a acapella, the Squid Academy supporters were in sync singing their fight song looking to rally their warriors to one more victory and secure a spot in the round of 32, but the overwhelming majority of the attendance in the arena however were drowning them out with their brass band and support for Vulerby instead. The most resistance they've shown all match, the Vulerby supporters were hell bent on impacting the game in however many ways they can to assure their side the victory, defiant to see their hopeful quest to championship glory denied by a team like Squid Academy. More so impassioned than the fans were the players of Vulerby who looked extra motivated after that defeat in the fifth, understanding the magnitude of those pair of consecutive defeats and aware that if this weren't an elimination game, they would've been concerned with losing after such a development but with so much at stake they couldn't allow themselves to get distracted by the negativity.
Huddled up together around their coach listening carefully to every order he gave, Romaine and his team soaked in everything like a sponge with intense gazes on all their faces realizing this next round would be a do-or-die performance for them and a loss was to be unfathomable. Regardless of how they felt, a victory is to be expected. After a few minutes of discussion with his team, the final lineup of Vulerby was decided. A decision to stay as fresh as possible grounded mostly on anticipating whatever wild tactic Squid Academy would throw their way while also deciding to roll with an entirely new lineup for beneficial purposes in combat, the final stand of Vulerby would be a team of Abel, Jadib, Abraham, Cain, and Theodore all joining Romaine with the purpose of delivering the tide of change and sparking a comeback; no better six players on the team were best suited for such a scenario where their tournament lives were on the line. Vulerby weren't the only ones treating the next round with the most extreme of importance as Squid Academy too weren't taking the round lightly after finally managing to go ahead in the match. Although they held the lead now and are within striking distance of punching their ticket into the next round, the suffocating pressure very much squeezed their lungs with force. Failure to close them out here meant a toss up in the seventh round where anything could go, and they knew that would be the worst case scenario since the pressure would be entirely on them to upset the giants they were in position of slaying.
"Azule. Sky. Pastelle. Zaneki. Evelyn. Mason. For this round, I want to put everything on the line and trust in my pack of alphas. All of them are capable leaders on their own and together they can create chaos so...let's have at it!" Fuchsia psyches herself up after sending the squad out, nervous about the outcome since Sky, Pastelle, and especially Azule were all physically exhausted and mentally drained.
"We kept in our core trio and bolstered our attacking prowess with the new trio incoming but I have to wonder if gambling on their explosiveness and experience will pay off, or will it be a blow to us. If I recall, this team composition hasn't been practiced enough, correct?" Cobalt asked with a curious look to the coach, getting a grip on the situation based on what's transpired.
Fuchsia tried to hide it, but she had a mild look of concern on her face. "I never imagined we'd need to resort to such a drastic lineup but after seeing how winded the others were and the remaining lineup not suitable for this particular scenario without its own concerns, I figured this composition is the safest bet we have available. It won't be easy by any means, but I trust in our team's innate abilities for something like chemistry to gel together as the match progresses. As long as we don't give up too much ground in the beginning, we'll make a breakthrough I believe." the coach said with a hint a wisdom showing, reminding her comrades that she never makes a decision without some sort of logic and trustworthiness.
"Reckless as always." Sally grinned with folded arms, on the same page with the coach that this composition was the most suitable for a climatic battle. Standing along the sidelines stifling her laugh and trying to remain as upbeat as possible, she couldn't trick her friends who knew her too well. Her eyes were ravenous, hungry to return to the turf and make an impact, imagining what it must feel like to play on the biggest stage in this sport.
"Is the reason you devised this team comp due to the effect of the crowd as well? I'm sure they will play an immense role in this match by making as noise as possible and look to feed Vulerby energy and deter us from making progress, to which the answer to such hindrances is to line up a roster of explosive players that could change a situation at the drop of a hat and silence them."
"Correct, my dear Kosami! I had to think of a roster capable of handling Vulerby while also accounting for the outside noise, and I've arrived at this. Although Pearl, Austin, and the others are talented in their own right, such a scenario might be too much for them to handle at this stage. Albeit it's a bit hypocritical to say that when I'm throwing in that trio so late into the match but lest we not forget that they are all captains of their own teams. They've been in similar stress inducing situations out on the turf." Fuchsia answered automatically, though her quickness on the response sort of gave it away that she just devised that answer on the spot and hadn't even considered such a thought.
The teams entering their spawns and getting a look at the intimidatng stage for the sixth round, they soak it all in. The massive map decorated with platforms and ramps, a pair of zones spread out with several paths connecting to them with blocks and walls cutting off their vision, up above where the ceiling traps all the noise made memorizing the map all the more difficult and had the player's eardrums pulsating. This is what an elimination round at Nationals looked and felt like. The air cold and heavy within the air conditioned arena, the players take deep breaths to calm their rattled nerves one again as the countdown to battle begins. The lead commentator wonders if this could be the final battle between the two and asks his colleague what he thought, seeing him shake his head emphatically in disagreement with the possibility. He hoped this wouldn't be the final round since it'd been such a treat to call the spectacle and enjoy as a fellow neutral fan. He cited how nerve racking it must be for the supporters of both sides and how it would be a lie if he said he didn't entertain the idea of Squid Academy pulling off an upset victory, following up by predicting Vulerby to win this upcoming round and put on a show for their supporters and overtake Squid Academy in a thrilling seventh round. Ending his opinion on what he think will happen, the color commentator followed up by stating that should Squid Academy manage to get the victory today, they should be considered a scary dark horse candidate with the strongest resume out of any of the remaining 32 teams. They defeated the Titans, Baiji, Bluerings, and Vulerby all in consecutive matches-an incredible string of performances when considering those teams are all ranked within the top 25, which meant Squid Academy defeated the top percentile of competition before even getting to the round of 16!
"Wow, that is pretty impressive when he says it like that. Didn't this team just come together for the most part? Incredible..." Nefertina said with raised eyebrows after learning that stat.
"Right? I believe they're the real deal. Not only were the Squidcom core a magical blessing for that school, but they only upgraded once they acquired those deadly names to their arsenal like Sky, Aaron, and Pastelle. Their nickname as the giant slayers couldn't be more true. They are built to slay the mighty colossal opponents of nationals."
"Woah there fangirl, didn't expect you to be so passionate about them."
"Well, how couldn't I be? In a way, I see myself as a part of them as well with my little sister and brother both out there representing me and our country. I know Sky is also honoring that promise we made."
"Hm. Well, don't expect me to be an avid supporter for them if they go up against my Sun Pharaohs!"
"Don't worry, in no time you'll be brainwashed into becoming one of us." Ciri said with a chuckle.
"I admit that rooting for them has become contagious." Handan nods with the biggest smile on her face staring at the screen, almost feeling the emotions of the players through the screen.
All cameras focused on the pair of teams awaiting their exits from spawn, the captains of both sides gave one last rally before their epic clash. Azule chanted his team's name and heard in return their eagerness for a fight, and Romaine reminded his squad that it'll be an uphill battle for them, but they've already been through the fire and the flames and such a scenario was nothing more than an ember for them; their inferno awaited them in the later clashes with the other giants of the tournament. A final chance for both teams to collect their nerves before they begin another clash, both captains remembered their purpose for fighting and why they couldn't falter for this round. The hopes of a school, community, and nation's hopes all on the line, neither side wanted to let their beloved supporters down.
The whistles blowing for the start of the sixth, it felt like a miniature earthquake went off within the arena-all from the rabid supporters who couldn't contain their movements with most already on their feet shouting at the top of their lungs; it was only a round of 64 match but had the energy of quarterfinals and semifinals match. In turn, the players fed off the atmosphere and came out the gates firing on all cylinders rushing to the pair of zones. The balanced composition of Vulerby butting heads with the explosiveness of Squid Academy, it was sure to be a heated battle when the stakes are high. A split into a pair of trios, both teams dove off into the direction of one of the zones, like a pair of trains on a collision course. Sharing the same thought simultaneously, they ended up arriving at the zone with the same intentions: to stave off the other. It's an epic showdown at the western zone where the trio of Abraham, Cain, and Abel take on the trio of Pastelle, Mason, and Zaneki. Releasing his ink storm upon the turf after a few moments of chaos ensue on the battlefield, Abraham hoped that by spreading out the field and covering the zone in pink he could help in easing the burden for his comrades who struggled with handling the trio-mostly Pastelle, who moved with a sharpness that made it difficult to track her.
"Eyes on her!" Abraham shouts, firing away at the slippery Mason who makes a break to the left in the opposite direction of Zaneki while Pastelle bulldozed down the middle
Splashes of pink splatter everywhere like a hose unattended at full pressure, the Squid Academy trio forced to dance around the pink in more ways than one. Although the zone was still neutral, there was a greater amount of pink than blue and in no time would Pastelle, Zaneki, and Mason find themselves in sticky situations should they hesitate here-they needed to get more aggressive and sway the flow before they fail and give up the zone. Proceeding to do callouts with a permanent analytical gaze, Pastelle's tone sharpens like her movements as she rushes at the wary trio. Zaneki and Mason follow suit with Zaneki following right behind while Mason creates some distance and launches a suction bomb in their direction. Pastelle and Zaneki close the distance and time their attack on the detonation and disappear behind the blue blast.
"On your guard everyone!" Abel shouts before submerging in a pink puddle to refill.
"Watch the rear, Abra! Watch it!" Cain yells with peeled eyes after spotting a blue shadow escaping his vision while concentrating on marking his opponent's locations.
Abraham throws out his sprinkler without any hesitation in response to Cain's order, This is just what they wanted when they did that split up. He keeps a close eye on that sprinkler and anticipates a detection of the enemy through some of the stray droplets but alas, the enemy doesn't bite on the trap. Noticing Pastelle's presence followed by Mason, he realized the only person was the one who matched up the worst for him. A blue splat bomb rolls to his feet and nearly detonates but he manages to escape in time to catch the culprit revealing himself, seeing a pair of twinkling irises behind the silhouette. In an instant, Abraham found himself locked in a heated battle as Zaneki rushed him with some accurate shots and closed the distance, almost shutting him out to the edge of the zone. Abraham does well to avoid the danger, still keeping tabs on how his comrades are faring against the others out the corner of his eye. Zaneki reminds him who his opponent is at the moment by keeping on his heels and giving him no room to breathe and maneuver. Over at the eastern zone, the heavy hitters are doing battle of their own with the trio of Azule, Sky, and Evelyn squaring off against Romaine and his support of Theodore and Jadib for the zone with the winner of this skirmish able to take a major advantage early on. The players moving at such a brisk pace it was difficult to keep track of what was happening on the zone, all that could be seen were splashes of pink and blue and sounds of guns firing and bombs detonating followed by an occasion shrieking player in pain from one of the attacks but surprisingly, nobody bowed out yet. A careful but deadly contest, it was only a matter of timeā¦
"Watch out, Zule!" Sky warns, firing her gun in his direction and just barely missing the slippery Jadib who was in the skipper's blind spot.
"A little help over here!" Evelyn demands, fighting off the dual threats of Romaine and Theodore who saw her as a problematic third option they couldn't afford to keep alive; Sky was already enough of a problem as is and she was ever dynamic on the charger, but Evelyn was more of a traditional style player on the chargers and should she sync well with Sky and especially Azule, they would be in immense trouble.
Azule does a roll into the skirmish and intercepts Romaine while Sky takes over for him in covering his rear while keeping tabs on Jadib, but when Azule pulled up to duel Romaine once more he found it surprising to see the captain of Vulerby clearly avoid a direct matchup, likely due to the factor of Sky being nearby serving as much of a threat. Although he was just as talented as the likes of Edward V, Shiore, Siot, Carmichael, and C.C., what made Romaine different from the other star talents was that he always blended team and solo play together like a delicious cup of joe, handling the chaotic change with grace and never losing his cool as he adjusted styles to whatever proved the most optimal for getting his team the victory. Changing his assignment, he turned his focus to Sky instead after noticing she was in prime position to snipe him and the others-just like on the film he and his squad studied for hours. The glint from the barrel of her gun, one closed with the other peering through the scope, he knew that was a dangerous sign and by instinct fired in her direction. Little did he know that the reason why she'd set up there was because she found a perfect window where she could tag the lurking Jadib and by taking aim at her he interrupted her entirely and forced her on the scramble. Total chaos ensues as everyone in the zone throws caution to the wind in a free-for-all scrap. Azule utilizes his rolls and focuses on nabbing kills while Evelyn protects herself to the best of her ability while turfing the zone as much as possible, and Sky does her best to do a little of both, drawing the attention of Romaine with her thunder-like shots. Romaine and his squad were active in this bout, consistently pressing the trio to the outer edges of the zone and forcing them to decide between prioritizing the objective or the immediate threat. At the apex of this dangerous skirmish, blue tenta missiles are launched with a pink autobomb and toxic mist thrown in response to create a haze over the zone. Within the momentary purple haze shrouding the turf, casualties are tallied with the difficult to maneuver becoming increasingly difficult. Footing became a blur as blue turned pink and pink turned blue, all while the eardrums of the players pounded from the sound of the firing guns and the rowdy audience surrounding them in the trapped arena. The air thinning like the margin for error, once the haze dissolved and the chaos died down, the result of the clash became apparent. Heavy losses were taken as Azule's special did the job in taking out Theodore and Jadib, but it wasn't a clean sweep as Romaine managed to escape the incoming missiles. Romaine in turn capitalized off that critical opening and showcased his status as one of the best by recording a triple kill to become the lone inkling standing in an already pinkish zone that became wholly pink once he fired a couple shots to remove the last blue stains. With the eastern zone claimed and the dust settling over in the western zone, Vulerby scored early after claiming the zones.
"And with that the first team on the board is Vulerby with limited numbers after suffering casualties in their fierce battle with Squid Academy!"
"What a surge from Abraham and Cain to capture the zone and help their team begin the comeback in this match. If they continue to help ease that burden for Romaine, it'll be a lethal destruction for Squid Academy. Romaine is looking every bit the player we expected to see."
"As Vulerby begins to build their lead with both zones in possession, how will Squid Academy respond?"
The team in question responded with a vengeance running their same squads in a rematch for the zones, hoping that their previous lashing would be all they needed to learn how to set up the proper response to Vulerby's intensity. Unfortunately it wasn't as simple. Vulerby already had their defenses set up air tight and handled Squid Academy's attack with ease and drove them off to a momentary retreat. A botched counterattack on that attempt, Squid Academy came back stronger the next time around against the coordinated duo of squads and managed to even strip them of the western zone; that didn't last long however as Vulerby rallied to retake possession and reminded the blues that they needed to go back to the drawing board once again and make adjustments. Squid Academy didn't quit however and still fought back in defiance despite taking a couple tough responses from the pink jerseys that undoubtedly dealt a blow to their confidence during the round. No matter what they tried, Vulerby wouldn't budge. A 67-100 deficit for Squid Academy, the team was desperate to stop the bleeding and in turn saw Sky get more aggressive in hopes she could create a spark and Azule behaving uncharacteristically in going out his way to isolate Romaine from the rest of the team in desperation to prevent a seventh round from becoming a reality. After all that hard work to not only come back but even take the lead, they couldn't afford to have their opponents come back in the game. The unsuccessful attempts racked up as they slowly clawed away at the momentum by continuously managing to take away at least one of the zones but failing to capture that second one to officially take the possession away until finally they managed a brief run to cut the score to a 50-78 scoreline. With a little under a minute remaining and the score stagnant following several strong defensive fronts by Squid Academy to hold onto the western zone, Squid Academy regrouped from their encroachment on the eastern zone. Having managed to push Vulerby's forces all the way back to the eastern zone and force them to play more conservatively although that was partly due to them having the lead and not being too concerned with stomping on their throats but more just getting the win and surviving, Squid Academy regrouped. With Azule, Pastelle, Mason, and Zaneki all withdrawing from their contested battles, they sparked some confusion from the audience and weariness from their opponents as their unusual actions had become predictable-they were among the biggest surprises of the tournament after all.
"If there is one thing I want to maintain as our team's identity throughout this tournament, it is our dynamism. We need to continue to evolve with each match and round, pulling from our previous experiences to help us trudge forward. We're serious about winning, so we need to do whatever it takes to keep the marathon going." Fuchsia said to her audience of Cobalt, Tangie, and Kosami while sternly watching the game unfold, recognizing what order Azule gave the squad.
"With that said, Vulerby's tournament is on the line right here and now. We need to bite back at them or suffer a serious deficit and have to fight out of it. Last thing needed is a seventh round with a fatigued squad."
The time remaining is 47 seconds with a crowded eastern zone of pink jerseys in a pink zone, just down the path of waning pink to blue comes a charging Squid Academy squad. A lone shot from Sky in the rear becomes the flare that signals the attack, the vanguard of Zaneki, Mason, and Pastelle storm the zone with Azule rolling into the puddle of blue. A four on six setup, Squid Academy had their snipers guarding the exits to close off any attempts by Vulerby to break away and disrupt the flow. A tactical enclosure with time expiring, the mission became clear for both sides: Vulerby needed to protect the zone at all costs to retain their lead and force a seventh round, and Squid Academy needed to take the zone, overtake Vulerby, and do it all in quick succession; with a score of 32-78 in favor of Vulerby, that would become quite difficult for the inklings in blue. The pace picks up, guns sounding rapidly with gushes and bursts of pink and blue flying everywhere mixing in with the sweat from each of the players who moved about at a higher gear. A pink splash wall serves some protection from the harmful blue, but nobody hides behind the temporary barrier as they turn any little breathing space into an opportunity for a counterattack. Jadib falls to Pastelle, Mason gets splatted by Romaine, Zaneki eliminates Theodore, and Cain manages to severely weaken Azule. The possession of the zone teeters between pink and blue as the efforts of Romaine and his crew look all the closer to prevailing until Sky and Evelyn push forward and get involved following Pastelle's removal from battle. Sprinklers spreading pink and curling bombs delivering blue, neither side allowed the other to get ahead. 30 seconds remain. The field is even. Azule recovers from his damage from earlier and tries to maneuver around the pink and close in on the remaining targets, deciding the best time to get up close is when they are already distracted. He pins down Abel and gets the splat to put numbers in his favor, but Romaine does the same bringing down Evelyn-wiping out one of the precious snipers that had been containing Vulerby into this little bird cage. It was too late however but still beneficial in removing one of the annoying players posted at a distance contributing to the difficulty in killing. Possession leaning towards pink over blue following that kill, in comes Azule. With a fire in his eyes, he dodges the danger posed by Cain and stuffs him with a couple shots, turning his attention to Abraham. With only those two pink shirts remaining, Azule figured as long as the numbers favored them they could take the zone-even if Romaine was the last one standing.
I see what you're up to. Romaine's glare sharpened, reading Azule's mind and shifting to intercept him.
20 seconds remain.
Abraham and Romaine swap positions and the captains clash once again, a burst of wind repelling them as they exchange fire. Abraham focuses on Pastelle while dodging the dangerous fire of Zaneki and Sky who only see red now that the biggest deterrent to victory has finally turned their attention to Azule. Like watching a pack maul a giant, Squid Academy brought the fight to the defending Vulerby looking to strip them of their last hopes for victory. Azule didn't waver as he fiercely kept up with Romaine, seemingly getting faster and sharper the longer he survived. Zaneki took over handling Abraham and left the turfing to Sky, who was determined to take possession before time expired. A fast paced battle with quick fire and results following, the arena rattled as the zone turned blue with only a few seconds remaining in the round. Squid Academy finally broke through and started the comeback. Romaine's heart sank once he heard the sound of the zone changing to an entirely blue turf, hasty to survive no matter what. Hopping and turfing little pink spots to stay alive, he manages to escape the ravenous Azule and make it outside the zone where there was a little more pink, the biggest loss suffered being the removal of his whole squad and the fall of the zone; he had to find a way to end Squid Academy before overtime. But standing in his way were a trio hellbent on preventing him from getting a foot on the zone. "Try and beat us, we dare you." were the faces they made as they stared down Romaine with fierce glares, adrenaline no doubt rushing through their bodies. Romaine knew that if he could stop them here, the seventh round would be his victory. A final push. A leap of faith. Romaine takes one last gamble. His resolve or Squid Academy's resolve. Which will prevail?
"Five seconds remain and the captain rushes into the sea of blue!"
The screams are wild and sidelines are in an uproar while the rest of the fallen are due to make a return. At this moment, it's Romaine versus the Squid Academy trio. A single goal focused on taking away their possession, Romaine didn't care about getting any kills-he just wanted to survive. Azule pounces on him like it's automatic, but Romaine's able to weave around the deadly shots from the captain of the blues. Zaneki takes a crack at him, hoping to stop him in time as Romaine effectively turfed a piece of the zone in pink; Sky erases the pink, but Romaine continues to apply more than what can be erased. Azule and the others knew what he was up to, and they knew how to stop him-problem was, can they actually complete the action? The overtime siren sings, and the hearts of all those in the arena skipped a beat with some palpitations present. The game hangs in the balance now. The target score was 31. Squid Academy needed to surpass Vulerby's 32 in order to win it all, but with their score at 45 they needed to maintain the zone just a bit longer. The Vulerby sidelines are animated, the Squid Academy sidelines are packed to the outer edge with every screaming at the top of their lungs. These next few seconds will decide everything.
Romaine moves desperately around the blue blasts, juking and spinning around each attack with grace, his body burning up as he sweats profusely-almost out of breath but moving off of pure will alone, a reel playing in his mind as his vision narrows. The sight of being surrounded by his entire team celebrating their accomplishment on becoming the fourth ranked team in the tournament, the tremendous growth they'd made in just a year and the prime opportunity they had to pull off something special. The smiling locals who expressed their gratitude when they walked out on the streets, the warmth they received from their families after every victory, the feeling that it was all destiny and they were going to accomplish the dream regardless of the adversity faced. But like all dreams, one had to wake up from them. As he felt exhaustion sap away at his mental strength and surely at his physical strength, little did he know that he indeed survived Squid Academy's wrath but failed to put a dent at preventing their lead. Their numbers too much to overcome, Romaine saw the writing on the wall as his spurts of pink were washed away by blue. The overtime siren ringing in his ears, he felt he'd done what he could.
"We're not done yet!" Jadib yells, landing right beside him. "The journey isn't over yet!"
A rally to survive-to save their season, Romaine and Jadib fight tooth and nail in overtime to take away possession. Soon, reinforcements come and once again it's a full fledged battle that gets spread out with Abraham, Cain and Abel attempting to take away the western zone while the eastern zone was preoccupied but the Squid Academy reinforcements had different intentions. A grueling battle of willpower, the overtime siren disappeared and the whistle blew to signal the end of the round. Everyone in the arena is up on their feet for different reasons, all of them looking up at the scoreboard to see the finals results. The commentators were speechless, the audiences watching from Ruhtab to Shiva and Nefertina were puzzled by the developments until finally: 32-31 to Squid Academy. A tremor occurring in the arena, the supporters in blue and purple banged their drums with some jumping for joy and others crying letting out their full emotion. In one of the most improbable of outcomes, Squid Academy managed to slay not only another giant, but the hometown giants, the fan favorites. The Vulerby supporters were stunned and in disbelief with some already wiping away bitter tears from their faces; none of them expected the dream to end in the round of 64-not with this lineup and this captain. Sultan Ruhtab looked full of remorse watching the children in pink and yellow on the turf come to grips with their epic failure, understanding the pressure that just made their bodies collapse. Romaine laid on the floor covering his face, almost lifeless. He failed his duty as a captain, that he believed, and witheld his angry tears gripping the ground. Azule limps over to the enemy captain and kneels beside him rubbing his back, consoling the defeated opponent. Having the utmost respect for Romaine, Azule wanted to let him know from the heart that he'd never face an opponent like him, and that it was his honor to butt heads with one of the world's best. Seeing such conviction in Azule's eyes confirmed in Romaine's mind that he didn't lose but simply got beat by a team with a stronger resolve and will to fight, and as frustrating as it is, it wasn't his loss so much as it was their victory. Wiping away his tears of frustration, he gave Azule a hug to show his appreciation for someone he considered to be the scariest opponent he ever faced, not off of talent, but his imposing aura that seemed too much like someone with the intent to kill rather than treat this like a game. Rushing over to console his own teammates who were suffering the heartbreak the most since they knew how badly everyone wanted to win this tournament, especially their captain who shouldered the greatest of burdens as one of the best players in the tournament. They wanted to make his prophecy to become a champion a reality and instead they awoke from the dream to a frustrating revelation.
"What a performance you all put on, congratulations." the coach of Vulerby said solemnly, shaking Fuchsia's hand.
"Your side played tremendous out there and pushed us to the brink, I'm proud to say we competed against a team of your caliber." Fuchsia responded with a hardened stare, not out of intimidation or pride, but simply to prevent herself from getting emotional too. What she witnessed from her team today was unlike any of their previous victories, this time, they were truly the hunters rather than the hunted. They fought with a backbone and willed themselves to a victory in six and denied that seventh round.
Hugs shared all around as the two teams embraced one another in full respect, understanding that this game would stick with them forever as an unforgettable memory, the Vulerby players had just a single message for Squid Academy moving forward: Keep Winning. The journey over for the fan favorite of Squirabia, the giant slayers now had far more eyes on them than initially as they added another victim to their collection of slain giants and were now emerging in the eyes of many as the ultimate dark horse contender. A final score of 32-31, Squid Academy are going to the round of 32.
