My thoughts on Splatoon 3? I screamed so loud I almost popped a vein and blew up my group chat freaking out. I LOVE this franchise with all my heart so I am SO elated that there's a third installment on the way and it looks like the franchise is here to stay thanks to the wonderful player base. That said, I have SO many thoughts about that trailer and just what in the world is about happen in the story. I...don't know if I can pull it off again with incorporating new stuff like THAT into this story so late into the story but who knows this is all great regardless. Anyways sorry for the lengthy message before the chapter begins but once again and as always, please enjoy and I hope you'll look forward to what is ahead.
Following the shocking announcement by Fuchsia to deploy Evelyn into the starting unit for the next game where they would feature a whopping four chargers on the battlefield, the conference room became full of discourse like a meeting in parliament with many of the players vocally showing disapproval of the decision. Though they weren't contesting the decision necessarily because of distrust in Evelyn's ability but more that the stakes of the upcoming match are too great to make such a gamble when they've got a tried and true method of success in multiple forms. The other members who were scouting rivals and potential opponents returned to the display of fireworks between coach and team, the news reaching them immediately as several players notified them of the coach's decision in hopes they could persuade her to rethink her choice.
Tangie had been eating a tangerine when she heard the news and with a powerful squish did the gush of juice squirt everywhere as her jaw dropped like a cinder block, "EH!?" she outbursts in sync with the juice squirt, prompting several of her fellow scouts to shush her in that moment and Cobalt to walk over and dry off her hand with a tired sigh, used to this occurrence based on how he nonchalantly handled everything and proceeded to get a towel and wipe up the place.
"That's our starting lineup?" Cannola grimaces with a whisper in response, looking over at the coach for confirmation.
"In Fuchsia we trust." Kosami murmured helplessly, the doom setting in as her allegiance to the octoling finally showed she might've placed too much trust in her decision making.
"Damned if we do! Is this really the bright idea you have after all? Four chargers?" Phillip asked with skepticism, upset by how sure she seemed on her decision.
Fuchsia nods smugly with arms crossed and in a slightly wide stance, "We'll beat them at their own game. Mhm!"
Not everyone was overreacting however as Ollie looked calm in response to the news given. "I'm guessing your mentality here is a 'I dress better than you, I look better than you, I walk and talk better than you, I wear your clothes better than you' kind of approach? We're going to steal their thunder by outplaying them in their strengths. I'm not against such a mentality but are you sure about this? Are you sure about this?"
"Look, we understand what you're trying to do here but please let it fester for a moment that we're in an elimination game where one wrong move means it's all over for us!" the frustrated Zaneki does his best to refrain from shouting.
"This is such a drastic change from what we usually do that it feels all too much like a gimmick move that'll get exposed in the following rounds-maybe even late into the first round!" Todd voiced with concern, having seen firsthand how fast-paced the matches often got.
"Honestly, it's that kind of thinking that scares me sometimes. Aren't you supposed to be a princess? I might have to wonder if you've got a madness enhancement that you never told us about." Sally chuckles, amazed by the ever unpredictable Fuchsia.
"Look cute like a princess but rule like a queen!" Fuchsia winked.
Azule gave a thumbs up, "That's hot. Keep go-"
Violet karate chops him on the head so hard his tongue showed, beating Sky and Pastelle to the punch as well.
Cobalt just finished up with wiping away the fragment splatters of the squashed tangerine, "I'd say this is more like firing shots in the dark but can you take me into what led to this decision? Even with Azule and Pastelle as our main slayers, that's asking them to do quite much after such a grueling match."
Fuchsia's smile wiped away in an instant after hearing her own confidant show hesitation, "It's not like I haven't thought about it." her face turns as serious as her tone; "I'm aware that this will greatly alter our style of play and put a heavier burden on the players. But I trust them. Sure, I might be pushing the envelope with that and such a gamble can backfire tremendously...but I've seen enough of Dango to know that when the going gets tough, they aren't built the same way we are."
"More than likely, they already have a plan in mind catered to dealing with either myself or Sky. The key match ups in this case will be the rest of the lineup and since they're probably going to try a group setting where they can utilize their chargers better amid the confusion, the choice of us putting out a lineup to play a slower game will prove more beneficial since we won't be walking targets for their skilled snipers." Azule explained, hoping his presence as captain will put everyone at ease a bit; he backed Fuchsia completely.
Reice rubs the back of his neck with a groan-still unsure, "I mean, it sounds good but when the battle begins we don't know what to expect with them. For all we know they might've pulled out all the stops and accounted for this possibility. It's not like what we're doing is unheard of anymore. Everyone's aware of how frequently we switch things up and profit off of unpredictability. Maybe we do gather a benefit from sticking to one of our already used-"
"It'll work!" Fuchsia stated with conviction; "I've noticed that most of the upper crust teams in this competition prefer consistency in their actions and rarely swerve into the unknown or pull from their bags of tricks. I'm not too keen on the possibility that they might've thought this through as well and prepared for this possibility, but I won't rule it out. The difference is how we approach one another. Dango is a team that likes their chargers more than anything-it's their identity. As far as they know, our identities can be an amalgamation of different things: The Royale siblings, the consistency of our starters, or the unpredictability of role players and the bench. No doubt they'll focus on one but not all, for doing so would spread them thin and disallow them to utilize their specialty of ganging up with their snipers from a safe distance."
"I'm on board with this." Violet stated in her usual monotone, preferring to move along to the actual important duties than mull over something as trivial as this.
Pastelle nods in agreement, "We're team everyone! We should be supporting one another, yeah?"
Sky smirks with an eye closed and the other turning to her comrades who'd join her out on the turf as starters for the first time, "If the worst case scenario plays out the two of you can give me a nice back massage as thanks for having to carry again."
"Bold words there big sister! But Eve and I aren't gonna lose to a granny like you!" Pearl responds, patting Evelyn on the back receiving a cold glare from Sky.
"But Pearl, you're the same a-"
Pearl cut her off, not wanting to hear the ugly truth. A bit of laughter becoming contagious, the mood of the room lightened after letting out some of the tension with a laugh and many of the once reluctant players understanding that at the end of the day they are all a team and must support one another as such regardless of how they felt personally. Fuchsia had her reason for choosing the squad she did, and the starters and other regulars are on board for the most part. Fuchsia felt a little relieved to see everyone calm down a bit and the truth was that she-too was skeptical with her decision a little in terms of how efficiently her plan could be carried out. At the end of the day, a plan is only a plan and isn't in any way going to carried out completely or ever, and Fuchsia made her peace with that decision. In her eyes this was a game of chess where the first move matters greatly and will affect the remainder of the flow of the match which was why she decided to make such an unexpected move as the very first punch. She wanted to make them flinch just long enough to put the game away before they established their classic rhythm and made things a pain and the best way to do that would be by frustrating them with a taste of their own medicine. Her resolve unwavering with every word spoken, nobody could question her when she looked at them with such confidence-especially her reliable trio who she placed lofty expectations on to lead the way for the squad. And with that difference put behind them, the team got down to reviewing the information obtained from the scouts and on what to expect when they face Dango.
In the camp of the Bluerings where the players are extra hyped up for their clash with Skolar, C.C. and the boys were performing their team drills with an extra hop in their step, attempting to elevate their game by sending their emotions on an all-time high. C.C. looked focused, Frazzy looked hungry, and the rest of the squad looked confident; for the first time this tournament, they felt the rare feeling of nervousness-not because they weren't sure of their abilities but because their opponents were the worst type of match up for them. C.C. moved with swiftness and a polish that seemed completely different from what was seen thus far which was a pleasing sight for the coaches. They knew that the motivation for this sudden elevation had to be related to clashing with Carmichael and Miralem who were a handful for even the likes of him, and this was a statement game with great implications for the remainder of the tournament. The pressure is on C.C. as a second year to face one of-if not the biggest-challenges of his career, and with questions still looming about his capabilities as a leader despite what he's shown in this tournament. He's learning just how difficult it is to please the critics who constantly challenge him and refuse to spare him a moment of peace. Every match isn't just a fight against the opposing team, but also the supporters, critics, and general audience as well. Frazzy and the others noticed his agitation but couldn't really afford to do much to alleviate that tension since they too had their own work cut out for them.
Over at the Skolar practice session, the Ogres are looking just as motivated as their counterparts to get out on the turf and go wild but Carmichael in particular looked especially in the zone. He could smell the blood in the water and could practically see the path to defeating C.C. so crystal clear in his thoughts it was almost as if he was in a dream. A cosmic clash on the verge of actuality, he was recalling the time he spent practicing with the likes of Royce, Sylvester, and Shiore. He refused to bow out of the tournament until he crossed swords with one of those masters and even if C.C. was on par and better than some of those names, in his eyes he was nothing more than a hotheaded talent who was due to get exposed in the spotlight. As he and his squad squeeze in some extra time for practice, the other teams who already booked their spot into the round of 32 were also taking advantage of the time remaining before they renewed their right to advance to the elusive round of 16.
