The fifth round of Splat Zones await.
The scoreboard greatly reflected the quality of the competition in the match so far in what truly was a duel that lived up to the hype. From the epic team battles between the senior members to the emergence of the junior trio of Special Forces who were rising to the occasion, it was the acclaimed rivalry between the two brothers who proudly represented their respective teams as captains that captivated everyone the most. Thus far, the focus of the match was the tale of two stories: Beacon Hills won the first and latest rounds with definitive victories but it was Special Forces who appeared to be riding the better of the momentum by winning back to back rounds. And now with a critical fifth round over their shoulders looking to set up the potential winner, both teams had an incentive to snag that advantageous lead at all costs. The team substitutions becoming a given now that the match was entering its latter stages, Beacon Hills bolstered their roster by adding the rest of their starters to the mix with Platinum, Alumia, and Sterling all coming in for Sully, Spanner, and Ashe. Special Forces stuck with the core of Jin and his junior trio much to the dismay of the senior members of the squad who were fed up with the team's performance and getting anxious to get in; and it was understandable from their point of view as well as they had several third years who would be graduating this summer. In addition to Jin, Rina, and Taro, there's still the other original starters who were there from the beginning in Copper, Topaz, and Gibbs, and all three of them felt confident in their abilities to sub in and take over. But the coaches were still holding out hope that Jin's vision was indeed the correct approach to follow and thus continued to place their trust in his experience and insight against an opponent he was so familiar with.
"This should be an interesting one considering there'll only be one zone this time around." Ollie observed, recalling that a single zone meant battles would get high competitive and see plenty of duels for the objective especially when the teams were even.
Cannola scratched her with a little confusion at the decision by the higher ups, "Isn't that kind of weird how they shuffle it? I know in the regular street competitions the maps are final."
"Yeah but while that's true, it isn't unprecedented. Remember that the splat fests did something similar with shifty station? That set the tone for future maps to try something similar. Here at nationals, there are a number of different obstacles a team has to overcome and one such obstacle is the composition of the map. Sure, you know the venue and the game mode, but in a mode like splat zones where the number of zones can make all the difference, it adds a little spice." Aaron added, joining in on their commentary. "And in turn, that makes it all the more crucial for both sides to establish their rhythm early before the other takes advantage."
Apollo glanced over to the silent observer engrossed in the battle, "Hey Sky, how do you feel about the match so far? Think Beacon Hills still got it?"
"Yeah. Despite what I'm seeing from Special Forces, I can't shake the feeling that this is the moment for Beacon Hills to shine. Gin looks like he's finally polished himself and not only caught up to Jin, but even surpassed him."
That statement sent a shiver down their spines since they knew Sky wasn't the type to make such conclusions lightly. If it was true that Gin really upgraded from his play when they faced him back in the winter, then he alone would prove to be a nearly impossible opponent to deal with. Among them, the only one who could likely hold their own with him or trade blows consistently would be Sky but she'd already have her hands full; luckily Squid Academy's roster was fairly deep, so more than likely it'd be Azule or Sally who would butt heads with the skipper of Beacon Hills. Nonetheless, it wasn't pleasant to hear such an appraisal about a potential opponent in the future.
The battle kicks off.
A bomb rush of gold and a blush of silver, the two teams rushed for the zones and engaged in another set of fierce battles. Exchanges of sub weapons, tactical usages of their surroundings to gain the advantage, and finally the unleashing of their special weapons; both teams showed their hands in the opening moments yearning to take over the round and deliver a swift knockout. But the opposing side worked double as hard to prevent that outcome. It was a solid lock in those first few moments with the teams actively battling for possession and trading the lead. For a bit it seemed as though neither side would be able to breakaway and establish a hold with how precise everyone was performing at survival, but when a big tenta missile launch of gold scattered the silver forces and wiped them away in half, the 4-3 advantage to Jin and his squad gave Special Forces the chance to make their move. Jin made a swim at the isolated Platinum who broke away from a prior battle with his teammates Alumia and Silvia to recover, only to get attacked from the rear by none other than the captain of Special Forces. Immediately there is a struggle between the two as Platinum navigates around the blasts of gold still protecting what was left of the zone in silver, doing everything within his power to survive; his teammates were busy in a battle with Eijun, Taro, and Kary, to offer any assistance.
So damn annoying! He's got the others stalled by making sure they kept a considerable distance enough to keep the zone partially gold. At this rate, we'll be finished before Gin and the others can return-
A swift and crushing splat, Jin took down another one. From there, the dominance of Special Forces was established as they swept the zone and rid the place of any sights of silver, replacing the area with gold. Beacon Hills followed up after regrouping and launching another team attack, finding that their best plays came when they operated as a collective force-at least in this specific round at least. Jin and his squad saw through that however and initiated a type of zone defense: Four on the perimeter and two inside the zone itself. While the perimeter units staved off the attacking six, the two inside offered support with their sub weapons and helped keep the zone covered in gold, also swapping with their comrades on the perimeter when they ran out of ink. It was practically a foolproof setup. No matter what Gin and his squad tried, they couldn't break though. Whether it be in one on one battles, a concentrated effort on a single person, or just reliance on speed, they couldn't break through. It was all thanks to the communication of Jin with his junior trio, and then the connections between the cousins themselves who knew when to make the shift and the right time.
"The struggles continue for Beacon Hills as the round ticks away against them. Currently they've had trouble breaking through that golden zone."
"It's all thanks to the brilliant formation set up by Jin of Special Forces. A zone formation with fluidity yet a special sturdiness, the composition of their weapons and kits along with their chemistry allows for them to rotate efficiently and handle the likes of Gin and the others."
"Not to mention that there's their pseudo use of Man-to-Man defense as well by marking certain players as a focus. And when one of them gets taken down, the other takes their place seamlessly and holds down the fort in the meanwhile. It's because of that relentless effort that Beacon Hills have failed to crack the wall."
"Time is of the essence for the team clad in silver and black. Will they change the tone of this round and spark a comeback or face an ugly sixth round trailing?"
The answer would follow in the coming moments.
A continuous clash for the lone zone, the two teams were locked in their game of zones. Special Forces were getting slower but still proving proficient in maintaining possession of the zone behind Jin's leadership, who felt like he'd finally found a way to keep Beacon Hills at an arm's length. Gin and his crew didn't falter though and it primarily came from Platinum and Alumia's tenacity; they knew this type of formation quite well and knew that when it came to Zone defenses, there was always a hole to exploit-the matter was where could be exploited? And thus, it became a race against time as the squids in silver had to work against a strong defense and the management of the clock as well. Back and forth to no real success, Beacon Hills tried everything from the release of toxic mist, fizzy bombs, and torpedoes in hopes of dispersing Special Forces to more aggressive measures of deploying Tenta Missiles, Suction Bomb Launchers, and even the Ultra Stamp, nothing seemed to faze Jin and his squad who worked well to avoid death at all costs and run the silver team off the zone. But the tactical deployments did create minor opportunities that they just didn't have enough spunk to act on-be it the lack of manpower or exhausting their reserves to create the opportunity but not having enough to capitalize afterwards.
"Less than thirty seconds remain and Special Forces are still locked in a scrap with a relentless Beacon Hills side."
"Yeah, so far it appears like Jin and his side can hold on for the remaining time and recapture the lead, but Gin and his squad aren't backing down with their desperate heaves thrown at every chance. Just a shame they can't take advantage."
"Should Special Forces hold on here, it would be an unbelievable pressure for the squids in silver to endure as they'd once again find themselves staring at familiar waters like the teams before them."
The moment finally arrived.
In a struggle that saw Special Forces recover their full squad and return to their prior setup, the heavily damaged Beacon Hills still fought with tenacity to uphold pressure on the enemy defenses-although they were losing bodies within seconds of one another returning and creating a vicious cycle of stunted growth on the battlefield. For the last few seconds their captain wasn't anywhere to be seen as they struggled to find their mark on the enemy who remained at just the safe enough distance to avoid getting tagged while still returning dangerous fire. Special Forces were in the driver's seat, and unless something was done, nothing would change. A single booyah bomb changed everything however. It was a dire situation with the silver squids fighting a losing battle when a stray booyah bomb from left flank broke through the formation of Special Forces and opened a hole wide enough for an all out war to ensue; the reinforcements arrived in the nick of time, and the first to make his appearance following that all important strike rushed a furious captain who understood how desperate the situation became. The gold shirts scattered following the invasion of silver that swallowed up a part of the zone, the battle for possession waged once more by Beacon Hills who now had a chance to break through and reclaim possession before time expired. Specials were unleashed from golden bubble blowers and golden ink armor to protect the defenders to a rush of silver suction bombs and a splashdown paired up with an ink storm flying overhead. The casualties followed immediately in turn with the numbers dwindling especially for Special Forces who were overwhelmed by the speed of their opponents who not only bull rushed them but managed to claim over half the zone and take possession, although they managed to take a few silver shirts down in the process as well and keep things somewhat leveled despite losing possession. A chance to capitalize now that they had possession, Gin and his duo take their chance to establish dominance on the zone by following through on the carnage under the cover of silver with all three remaining attackers splitting apart to make a move from different angles on the remaining duo who threatened their attempt at a comeback. Jin and his Seni don't falter however, instead expanding the distance between themselves to allow the other as much room for maneuverability as possible, aware that them being so close would work against them in this case. A sharp attack from the flank with another from the front, and then to the rear where there's someone turfing away at the zone; the last gasp attack began. Jin sprung to action promptly and went for Silvia at the rear, dodging and ignoring his brother entirely who went at him head on. Seni dealt with Platinum in a jam to alleviate the obvious ambush targeted at Jin. Fast paced and chaotic in all forms as the overtime siren signaled the start of the critical extra time, the two teams acted desperately. Seni and Platinum traded fire until they both took one another out, and although he managed to turf enough gold to leave a considerable mark, Platinum's efforts were successful as he prevented enough gold from passing by to stop possession and end the game. And for the other battleā¦
A critical hit was landed.
A sight of pure silver and scattered droplets of gold remaining, the overtime siren rang loud and proud warning all spectators to keep their eyes on the battlefield below. A successful team effort that saw dramatic losses on both sides, only a pair of silver heads remained on the turf, waiting in anticipation for any stray gold shirts to come at them any minute now. But their guards wouldn't remain for long, as time expired shortly after. There wouldn't be a last minute effort from Special Forces, nor would there be a chance for Jin to answer back at his brother; Beacon Hills secured the victory in overtime. A clutch strike at the eleventh hour that dealt a likely lethal blow to the morale of Special Forces, Gin and Beacon Hills were now one win away from a monumental victory in the most anticipated derby in the rivalry's history.
