I hope you'll still be reading this far ika tako but YES, I'm stoked for Splatoon 3. It feels like the first game released just yesterday, and now it's been six years going on seven? It's amazing. I remember when I saw the game for the first time and knew I'd fall in love with it, but I didn't expect it to be the overall world's culture and aesthetic to be what reeled me in for a ride. The first one gave me so many fun (and not so fun) memories, the splatfests, the music. Oh man, the music! Then they made a whole second game! That was even better than the first! More gear and fits, more tunes, and my favorite: hairstyles! Then what else? They dropped that behemoth of an expansion packed with so much lore it's like a prime cut steak. I'm so happy that this fanbase has been blessed with such a wonderful team of devs and I'm hoping that 3 will build off its predecessors and evolve even more. (That bow weapon though? I'm watching you nintendo...)

As for everyone else, I hope you're all doing well and in good health and will look forward to what's to come. Thank you for reading and please enjoy this chapter.


Venue: Alqamar stadium.

Time: Afternoon.

Match: "David vs Goliath"

A title as timeless as the concept itself, it became the theme of the match but failed to illustrate the type of battle taking place. A fierce duel that entertained the masses, it went the distance as both teams rested before a decisive seventh round. Rukovna most definitely lived up to their title as "Goliath" turning in dominant performances in every match including their trio of victories, however it was the so-called "David" that won the heart of the audience watching at home and around the world. A squad that boasted a solid roster with a capable captain in Carbon, Squidops did what nobody anticipated and took the match the full seven rounds after denying Rukovna their victory twice and forcing the world to remember who they were once again. A former member of the big four of Inkopolis, they were the fallen powerhouse; a team who still carried prestige but suffered a monumental blow to their reputation thanks to the emergence of Kalebrough and Yermozani. Stuck in the waves of change in the ever evolving landscape of the competition, Carbon and his squad in black struggled to adapt to the new conditions and competition that toppled the one they knew from days of old. These new bloods were faster, better on reaction time, stronger with their resolve and most importantly, they hit way harder. It became a slow climb as a result, having to lurk in the shadows behind the new big four and the headlines that followed when going into that spring tournament. Though it'd only been a few months, their decline was so rapid that they'd lost the respect of all the pundits and neutral alike, and it didn't help when they failed to make a statement in that tournament either. But little did the world know, that was the catalyst. When they tasted their defeat in the spring, that downtime and period of reflection led to a plethora of "jam sessions" where they experimented and played with the many puzzle pieces on the board looking to find the right image they wanted to find. A team that needed to reform their image and fundamentals to adapt to the vast changes occurring, the team that now stood before the defending champions as one of the final sixteen teams remaining spoke volumes to how critical that time before nationals had a profound impact on the product being unveiled now.

The Emperors were most certainly a goliath of an opponent boasting overwhelming strength with a stacked roster, but the so called "David" of this duel carried a fearlessness to rival the hero of legend. Led by Carbon, Squidops played with tenacity when in the face of the kings of the turf. Kuro, Nactia, and Ciel all brought their best performances to open up the first round of Booyah Ball but that strong chemistry they shared simply wasn't enough to combat the awesome power of Rukovna's booyah ball squad. Contrary to the expected lineup, Rukovna didn't start their usual power lineup and instead made alterations with a squad built to start strong; the belief by the coaches were to preserve the strength of the starters for later in the match as they believed Squidops would prove a troublesome opponent despite the media's portrayal of them. Thanks to Squid Academy's emergence as a giant killer, the coaches couldn't overlook the other giant slayer from Inkopolis. The first set was highly contested with Squidops demonstrating their skills and their notable speed as they were able to jump to a 7-3 lead behind the poaching of Kuro and Shia who continued farming points to extend the lead to a 16-10 lead as the game progressed. But it was at this point that Edward and his squad began their turnaround, starting with Cliff and Martin scoring back to back points to trim the lead to a more favorable 17-13 deficit, the efforts of Diana, Harry, and L'andria are added bonuses as Edward served as the setter for the team, preferring to facilitate opportunities for his team than be the main cannon for the squad. An approach that Squidops hadn't foreseen, the squids in black took that opportunity to build their lead and hopefully steal the first set. Unfortunately that lead wasn't enough to stop the surge. Edward's accuracy and ability to pull off tight passes that had the Squidops players on their heels showed just how effective of a presence he was as the team captain; he didn't need to beat them by scoring.

A tied contest at 20, a trio of ace serves from Edward put the Emperor's up by three with final points getting earned off of careless mistakes by Squidops. 25-21 being the final score. A missed chance to snag the first set, the second set was seen by complete dominance of the Emperors who were red hot on a 9-0 start off a couple ace serves and a few close rally points won. The Squidops tried to respond but it was always delayed as the Emperors continued to pile on the pressure and prevent any spark. A dreadful second set for Squidops, it was over in a crushing 25-11 defeat. The tension already building up for Squidops, the second round of Tower Control only worsened the predicament for Squidops as the Emperors picked up where they left off sweeping the tower and preventing the Squidops from having a chance to build momentum, Edward and his team quickly assumed a 2-0 lead heading into the third.

It was at this point that plenty of viewers started to count Squidops out since a 2-0 deficit against the defending champs usually meant a sweep was bound to result, the continuous warnings that their season was virtually over with another loss ringing in from the commentators calling the match as well. It was a frustrating position to be in when all things considered, they were a sleeper pick to go far after their amazing run so far, why did they get the unlucky draw of eventually running into the champions? While that should've been the question they asked themselves with despair, none truly felt that way. They knew eventually they would face the kings of the tournament whether it be now or later down the line; Nationals went through them. Looking calm despite being down 2-0 to arguably the best team in the tournament, Carbon didn't need to deliver an empowering speech or rally them to be motivated to compete: their season was on the line as-is, what more motivation could they possibly need? With that burning look in his eyes, they followed him back onto the battlefield for the third round of Hide Ink Seek at the cliffside. The sight of the beach and stadium serving as the backdrop to the critical third, the two teams played with ferocity trading kills and gaining points. Serving as the Hiders, the Emperors kept their predatory style and attacked, attacked and attacked, throwing aside the caution of leaving their target open; they believed that it wouldn't matter once they beat it into Squidops that they had no hope to win. But slowly and steadily, the Squidops stuck to their strategy and took it one kill at a time. When the Emperors were building their lead behind the points collected from the continuous killing, Squidops were tactical in picking when and where to attack and more importantly, who. After several successful picks, they finally went after the target and had a big payoff, minimizing the Emperor's lead in no time. As the round continued, a few who were watching began to notice the pattern playing out: the lead was dwindling and Squidops were looking better and better by the second. It was a gradual process but by the time the match reached its crucial moments, it'd already become a different story: Squidops were now leading!

A stunner of a victory given the context prior, Squidops forced everyone to realize that the match was still competitive and it came to fruition in the fourth at the beachside in Turf War. As if becoming an entirely different team from what everyone witnessed in the first couple rounds, Carbon and his squids in black looked fiery as they brought the fight to the Emperors. While it was true that Edward still didn't have his best lineup on the turf just yet, it was amazing to see the Squidops show no fear against the player who was regarded by most pundits as the best of his generation. They played as a team and dared the Emperors to match them. The back and forth battle turned to a slightly advantageous one for Squidops, and to everyone's surprise, it was a tied match after four rounds. Proof that they not only belonged but deserved their credit as a fellow contender, Carbon and Squidops were demonstrating that even as the ultimate underdogs they had no intention of rolling over in fear just because of who their opponents were: they dared the champs to prove their worth. A fiery demonstration that proved successful, the champs fielded their ultimate lineup to show they planned on exterminating this team in six rounds; a seventh round would prove troublesome since there was a superstition that any time an underdog could force a final round of play it would almost surely lead to their victory as all the pressure was on the favorite's shoulders to hold them off or suffer an embarrassing defeat.

The fifth round of Splat Zones welcoming them at Catfish Canal, the two teams slugged away at one another for the zones. Highly contested time and time again, Squidops looked even more fired up now that Rukovna took them seriously with their best squad finally appearing but it was that freshness and difference in talent that proved why the Emperors were the overwhelming favorites. Despite the solidarity of Carbon and his squad, they couldn't keep up with the Emperors. A knockout result in the fifth and a 3-2 score returning to the stadium, the thundering cheers that rained on the Emperors were evident that everyone expected the champions to finish the job here. It all played out like the captain expected. The world against him and his team with the disparity between their teams so staggering, Carbon saw the path to victory for his team. From the beginning, the Emeprors never took them seriously enough to treat the match like a priority to end early thinking they could cruise by with bench players and role specialists, but by putting fire under the chair they were forced to take things seriously, and now that it seemed like things would settle down thanks to their saviors holding the fort with a lead and chance to close, they've left themselves open. Carbon saw it: the Emperors didn't want a seventh round no matter what. He'd seen this scenario play out so many times and it was actually what he'd been aiming for from the start. A gamble that could've backfired, now was the time to punch the ticket.

Clam Blitz served as the sixth round and all eyes wandered to how the Emperors were going to finish off Squidops. Would it be in style or with brutality? Either way, the audience were entertained and ready to see once more why the Emperors were considered the best team in the tournament. From the opening whistle, the jaws of everyone dropped as silence took precedent. The emperors were trailing, Squidops moved like lightning, and Carbon looked like the superior captain on the turf. For the first time, the Emperors were getting a taste of what they'd done to other teams like clockwork. It was two strikes as fast as a bullet train and they hit hard, the lead created by tactical strikes from Kuro and Ciel led to the unforeseen developments of the underdogs taking a considerable lead and with Carbon at the helm, they showed no intentions of slowing down. Attack. Attack. Attack. Carbon's commands were relentless as he wanted to break the backbone of the Emperors and strike the same fear in their hearts that they'd done to so many others since their inception as team. Edward and the others saw his actions as an insult and tried their best to answer back, but the gap was too wide and the time working against them. An overtime rally in the works to save themselves from a seventh round of play, their hopes were denied by Nachtia who got the kill at the last moment before the throw could be made. With that, Alqamar stadium erupted.

It was a scenario no one foresaw, and a round that no one believed they'd ever witnessed. For the first time since their defeat to Hugh-Napri in the National Final two years ago, the Emperors looked thoroughly outplayed by their opponents. A result that prompted exaggerated gasps and wild takes, the opinion of the match changed drastically behind the especially vocal Squidops supporters who made sure to make it known that their side were the one team who could pull off the unthinkable. Watching closely to see how their rivals were doing, Shiore and the rest of Hugh-Napri were disturbed by what they saw-never expecting to see them of all teams allow a seventh round of play to happen against a team they'd been heavily favored to defeat. In the eyes of the veteran leaders like Shiore and Shiori who'd been dealing with that team for years, they could feel the possibility of a stunning upset. Sinbad guffawed like a sailor at sea entertaining his team, amused to see the almighty Emperors getting shown up by an unranked team from Inkopolis. From his perspective it was a matter of time until a team would figure them out and an even longer time coming that the team to do it would be someone like Squidops: a fallen powerhouse. Parading up and down to the laughs of his teammates, he declared this to be divine intervention and an act of karma, warning that even if they manage to survive the upset here and now, they've been exposed for the whole world to see; they aren't the invincible team from last year. In the Special Forces camp, the players were speechless as Rukovna was one of the very few teams that they regarded highly, even Jin was a bit surprised to see fellow rival Squidops take the fight to the tournament favorites. Over at the Beacon Hills camp, the players were busy prepping for their clash tomorrow but spared time to see what Squidops were doing; Gin couldn't help but wear a satisfied smirk as if to say "Don't doubt us from Inkopolis." as he listened to the live reactions on the broadcast, finding the surprised and stunned responses to be like music to his ears. He wanted to see an upset and a potential clash with Squidops, a familiar old foe that even he was a little disappointed to see fall from grace.

The final round set to start with a game of last one standing serving as the epic finale in a battle between David and Goliath, both teams showed their emotions ahead what would be their fight for survival. Carbon gathered all his teammates and faculty to do a group huddle and one final war cry with their final six players being the deciding factors: they left it to them to carry them into the Quarterfinals. Emperor Edward for the first time carried the glow of royalty with a defiant look in his eyes: his teammates were aware that he wouldn't tolerate such a humiliating defeat. Akira, Venus, Jace, Jack, and Royce especially all felt his frustration, and as they were the ones who'd fight beside him, they planned to make every effort to prevent him from ever making such a face unbecoming of an emperor.

The round started with the blow of the whistle, and in that moment it felt like the air cracked for a moment with a gust of wind whipping the audience as both teams launched out of their starting parameters. Carbon led Squidops. Edward led the Emperors. Right away, the teams collide with black and pastel yellow splattering everywhere. Near misses and close calls are reported by the commentators who have to fight with the crowd for letting their voices be heard while still somehow being able to dissect the various sounds on the turf amidst the frenzied crowd: the two teams looked as though they had every intention of killing the other. First blood drawn shortly after the skirmish, the match settled down immediately as the scoreboard displayed the victor of the dispute with a 6-4 advantage: Rukovna managed to snag a quick lead thanks to Jace's double kill on Shia and Sidney. Smartly breaking away from the chaos and slowing down the pace, Carbon and Squidops regroup, aware that an early deficit wouldn't bode well for them moving forward, though it was better to lose only a couple than half their forces right away. The Emperors thrived in team settings and it was obvious from that skirmish that they were visibly upset and fed up with Squidops; they planned to bury them and their hopes right away.

But Carbon and his squad weren't scared, in fact they were the opposite. A confidence brewed thanks to knowing they managed to get under the skin of the ultimate favorites, the defending champs who'd seem so absolute and a cut from a different class, meant that they had a realistic chance of pulling off the unthinkable against all odds. A wager of luck versus talent, Carbon and Squidops approached with a new tactic to put some distance between them but focus on picking them off one by one rather than an outright team battle. A risk considering that the Emperors had more numbers and could thus double and triple team, he also had confidence that his team were just the kind capable of pulling off such a feat. Their guns singing as the splatters of black overwrite the yellow, here came the Squidops. Nactia and Kuro paired up with the latter being the attention seeker while the former provided cover and Carbon and Ciel split off in hopes to attract the enemy into a more favorable divided set up. A 3 on 1 welcoming Ciel with Akira, Jack, and Venus, Nachtia and Kuro encounter Royce and Jace, and lastly, Captain versus Emperor: Carbon and his majesty himself. As though waiting until now to showcase just how much of a threat she could be when pushed into a corner, Ciel brought everyone to her feet as she dodged not one, not two, but three consecutive deadly attacks, managing to even severely damage Jack in the process and keep the other two at bay. The venue broke out in a roar as the underdogs baring their fangs were challenging the defending champions to step it up. Intense on all fronts as the pace picked up, Nactia and Kuro played the chain game and chain their attacks together to both defensively protect themselves and also create a counterattack, effectively keeping the ever quick Royce and troublesome Jace from having a chance to land a strike on them. A difficult block in the road for Jace and Royce, they were stumped by the incredible teamwork that their progress was hindered, soon finding themselves on the other end as Kuro continuously went for their heads. Lastly were the two captains, who looked about as even as possible with Carbon shocking everyone with just how on par he was with one of the best players in the tournament.

Don't look down on us! Carbon's eyes yelled as he kept his sights on Edward, who grew increasingly frustrated with being unable to break through Carbon's perfect balance of offense and defense.

A display of competition that took everyone's breath away, the jaws of everyone dropped as the commentators shouted in excitement jumping out their chairs. Someone got splatted. Cameras rushing to focus on where the action unfolded, the score quickly changed to 6-3 in Rukovna's favor before becoming a 5-3 score. A valiant effort to fight off a dauntless trio, Ciel managed to take down Jack just before taking too much damage from Venus. A show of defiance-that they'd managed to chink the armor of the Emperors one last time, Carbon and the remaining players laid it all on the line. Firing with everything they got, they went for a full fledged attack and threw their defense to the wind; even if they held out, they'd lose on score alone, so it was now or never: their adrenaline or the Emperor's strategy. Screams and shouts filling the atmosphere of Alqamar stadium, the decibel levels in the venue peaked with every kill recorded. Down went Royce, then Nachtia, then Jace, then Kuro, and lastly, holding hope for his team by stubbornly combatting the remaining trio of Akira, Venus, and Edward, the latter didn't have to do much as his teammates let out their frustrations on Carbon, shutting down his futile hopes with an emphatic and ugly double team of a splat.

The sound of the whistle concluding the match sucking the tension out of the stadium, everyone had to rise to their feet to commend the Squidops, who just showed with their dying breath in the tournament that the Emperors were a hair's breadth away from being eliminated in shocking fashion. A 4-3 victory to the Emperors, they punched their ticket to the Quarterfinals where they would face the winner of the Yermozani-Sun Pharaohs battle. A well fought battle that earned the respect of everyone who watched, even the Emperors had to show their respect to a team that gave them one of the hardest matches of their entire careers.

"Not bad for the worst team from Inkopolis, huh?" Carbon said, shaking Edward's hand.

"When I saw that there would be six teams from a single nation in the round of 16, I must admit that I was thrown off by such a development considering a couple of them weren't expected to get that far. I'm grateful that I got to cross paths with you and your squad and that you've proved us wrong. With the utmost sincerity I can say that you were by far one of the toughest opponents we-no, I, have ever faced. You were far from being anywhere near defined as the worst."

"Hey now, easy to say that when you win. Your team definitely deserves to wear the crown again from what I saw today and you're every bit still the same champions from last year."

"Unfortunately I have to disagree. Your efforts today showed that while we may still be the same champions from a year ago, our competition surely isn't."

Carbon knew the expression Edward was wearing was one that only he could understand as a fellow captain who had the responsibility to lead and account for his players. The emperor looked troubled even after such a victory, as though to say that it wasn't enough to satisfy him. It was too close for comfort, and if it hadn't been for the obvious difference in talent and those early strikes... "I'll be watching you closely from here, so do well to repeat as champions or else this loss will sting all the bit more."

Edward failed to produce a smile in response but a strong nod was just as much a good enough response. His eyes told the whole story.

So I had it wrong the whole time huh...of course...even a king has his problems. Carbon thought as he linked back with the rest of his team, arm in arm as they gave a final bow to their loyal supporters who shedded the tears for them. A team that fell into oblivion and clawed their way back to relevancy with their hard work alone, Squidops were sure to be one of the bright gems of this tournament for years to come with their story of nearly upsetting the defending champions sure to go down in their school's history as a critical turning point in their program. From a fallen powerhouse to a team with a bright future ahead, the story of Squidops ends in the round of 16. The spotlight of the underdog left to their cousins from across the street, the attention turns to the heavily anticipated match between the fifth ranked Skolar and the ultimate underdogs Squid Academy.