Dreams aren't only for those who sleep. There's a waking world waiting for yours. - Iso Padre

---------------------------------------------------------------

I was floating in darkness. I didn't know exactly where I was until I saw bubbles drifting up from beneath me, and as I looked down, I could make out what appeared to be very fine sand. I realized I was on the ocean floor. Very quickly after I had figured this out, from out of the darkness came a rhythm, a moderately fast drumming. A flash of green light accompanied by an outline of magenta then appeared, revealed a being of light. The flash of light would appear with each beat of the drum until both the light and the outline separated into two beings, with one being entirely green and one being entirely magenta

The beat was so familiar, almost as if it were ingrained into my very soul. I needed to go towards it. I began swimming, the beat most surely getting louder. As I swam, I saw glimpses of an inkling in a yellow hoodie. She stared at me with the bluest of eyes, and as I tried to ask her who she was, I found I could not speak, my voice missing.

Then I heard singing.

Once, we were as one, but war-torn we became two parts. We tried to rule it all.

Fighting, killing, it didn't seem to end until we got onto stage, and from then on we would sing our battle call.

For all this time, we thought if we kept fighting it out until the oceans dried,

That we would win, but that wasn't the case, now was it?

Now it's time to end the great divide.

With a brush in hand, we'll paint the land with ink, but not with malice on command.

I'll hold your hand. Together we will color the future with arrays of rainbows, just you and me, won't it be grand?

The voices singing the song sounded so familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it... I was instantly in the mood to dance, and everything seemed right, as if this very song could lift a curse.

I heard a growling noise come from behind me, and after I turned around to see what it was, I was frozen stiff. There were two big eyes staring at me, both blue and with a green sclera. I took a step back, but the eyes moved closer. I took another step. They moved even closer.

So I ran. I ran as fast as I could. Looking behind me, the eyes were still there, following me. As I continued running, I noticed two things. One, I felt like I was running very slowly. Two, I was underwater, so how was I running? Wait, was this a...?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up in a cold sweat, then looked at the clock beside my bed. It was nine in the morning. As I got out of bed, I realized I was still in the same clothes I wore yesterday. I guess a change wouldn't hurt...

After changing into the gear I got from yesterday, along with a pair of sweatpants, I ran into the living room, my beanie on my head. "Nem-Nem!" I shouted. "How do I look?!"

Nem-Nem was watching television, laying on the couch eating kelp chips. And before you say anything, they're nothing like potato chips. They're actual dried bits of kelp. It took me a while to get used to them. They're actually really good with salt.

Nem-Nem looked at me and sat up. "You look great," she said with a forced smile. She didn't want me to go. I looked down, thinking of what I should do. Before I could say I'd stay home, she stood up. "Alright! Are you ready to get out there?"

"You don't look like you want me out there," I said.

Nem-Nem rolled her eyes. "Oy, kid, I'm tryin' to help. I can't avoid this forever. Eventually you're gonna grow up and the next thing I know, the octarians are gonna attack and you won't know what to do because I couldn't let you learn the basics."

"And what about you?" I asked. "I don't want you to feel bad about it."

"Hey, Amelia. Look at me," she said, placing both hands on my shoulder. I looked at her and she continued. "Adulting is hard. It's dumb, and sometimes it hurts. I'm doing this for you. If you really wanna make me happy, then you show me that you can handle yourself out there on your own. Show me you can go up against the competition. Okay?"

I nodded, gripping my weapon. Upon seeing the Splattershot Jr. in my hand, Nem-Nem shook her head. "What are you doing with that?"

"I was gonna use it," I said. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Nuh-uh. That won't protect you. You're gonna need mine," she said. ...Hers?

She quickly ran off to her room and I simply waited, confused. What did Nem-Nem use during her turf wars? When she finally came back, she was twirling, to my amazement, a pair of Light Tetra Dualies. I was speechless. Designed for mobility, dualies were basically twin handguns of sorts. Of course, they only shoot ink.

"Where did you--?!" I started to say, walking forward excitedly before tripping. I quickly got up, getting a close look at them. "Where did you get these?!"

"I told you. I used to compete," she replied with a proud little smile. "They were pretty fun. Probably still are, but they're not for me anymore. Here!"

As she held them out to me, I was very hesitant. Was I worthy enough? I slowly reached my hands out, taking one in both. They felt like they fit perfectly. I shuddered with joy and squealed a bit, making Nem-Nem flinch.

"Woah," she said. "You're not gonna freak out, are you?"

I released another squeal of excitement. It was like opening a Christmas present early! "I never thought I'd get to even hold these, let alone use them!"

I looked at the Tetras a little closer, then noticed something odd. There was a button on the top of the grip. Nem-Nem, seeing this, tried to warn me. "U-Uhh, don't touch that button just ye--"

It was too late. Before my mind could even register what she'd said, I had pushed the button, and I was suddenly sent sliding forward a bit, but I wasn't able to hold onto it. The one Tetra in my right went flying across the room, shattering a picture frame that had been hanging on the wall before falling onto the ground.

"Grandpa Nema!" shouted Nem-Nem, running up to the picture frame. She carefully held it in her hands and pulled out an old photo of her grandpa. He was very important to her, and she'd often tell stories of his adventures.

I quickly ran over as soon as I realized what had happened. "Nem-Nem! Is... Is it okay?! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, it's fine!" she said, looking very shaky as she held the photo. "Just... whew... The glass protected it. We can get a new frame for it. This picture is priceless. It's the only thing I have left of Grandpa Nema."

"I'm really sorry," I repeated. I don't know how it happened.

Nem-Nem slipped the photo in her pocket, then turned to me, giving me back the Tetra. "It's fine. It's a dodge mechanism. Wherever you point those shooters, you gotta keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. That button on the top will make it spray ink to propel you in direction, resulting in a dodge roll. Of course, these types of dualies don't do a 'roll'. It's more of a slide. Just slides you in the direction. Used to wear out my shoes and had to get new ones, but that Kensa brand you're wearing should be fine."

"Wait... you said it sprays out ink to propel, right?" I asked.

Nem-Nem blinked, confused. "Yeah? Why?"

I turned around, seeing ink, or rather, what used to be ink, settled into the carpet floor as a small puddle. I heard Nem-Nem's screech. "Oohhhh nononononono! We rent this place! How am I gonna get this out before the next payment?!"

Looking at the ink, I wondered where it had come from, considering the dualies weren't connected to a tank. Then I realized it must have been leftover from her very last match. Being stuck in the dualies, the ink must have aged very badly. "It looks... disgusting," I said, noting that it seemed to be bubbling. It was a green sludge at this point.

"Look, uhh..." Nem-Nem looked at me, then at the ink stain, beads of sweat on her forehead. She was obviously very stressed. "You do know your way around town... I'm gonna need you out of here for a bit while I try to get this out of the carpet. It's not you. I uh... I just don't want you causing any more damage. No offense."

"Are you sure...?" I asked, not wanting to leave her here to clean up this mess by herself.

"Yeah, yeah. Just keep your gear on. Keep that beanie on. And uh..." She looked at me one more time. "Something's missing... Oh!"

Nem-Nem ran into the restroom, then came out with her makeup kit. I was immediately concerned. "Uhh... What are you doing?" I asked.

"Hold still," she said, grabbing me by the shoulder. "Close your eyes, I'mma apply this."

I did as told, but was very puzzled. "What are you doing?" I asked as I felt her brush over my eyes over and over, very precisely around them.

"There," she said, and I opened my eyes, startled that I saw an inkling staring back at me. Only... it wasn't an inkling. It was me. My eyes had black makeup on them, giving me the same eyemask-like trait as the inklings did. She smiled and said, "This is so no one asks you any questions."

I couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Nem-Nem."

"No problem. Now hurry up, cuz I gotta get this cleaned up and I don't want distractions. Get out there, remember what I told you about the dualies, and please don't get run over by a roller," she said.

I chuckled nervously, remembering yesterday when I had snuck out. I nodded, then grabbed my phone before running out the door, making my way to Inkopolis Square. This would be it. This would be my debut!

After taking the straightforward path, I quickly made it to Inkopolis Square. Surrounding me on opposite sides of the streets were the shops on the left and the arcade on the right. At the end of the street... was Deca Tower, a hotspot hub for all competitors, and I would soon be one of the participants.

As I was just about to run over, I heard my name. "Amelia!"

Who...? I turned around and saw him. It was the very same inkling who had saved me yesterday, Ace.

Ace ran to up me with a big grin on his face, adjusting his beret with one hand while he held out the other to shake my hand. "I almost didn't recognize you," he said with a smirk.

"How did you recognize me?" I asked. I had completely forgotten until now that I had been wearing this new makeup.

"My phone," he answered. "It told me you were nearby, and considering there's no other people here..."

I blinked, realizing, then looked around. He was right. There wasn't a single inkling in sight. Where were they all?

As I opened my mouth to ask, he answered quickly, "They're in the Deca Tower, competing to get noticed by the brands."

"The brands?" I asked. "What are those?"

"Ah, right, I forgot you're a newbie," he answered. He shook his head. "Can't have that. Don't worry, I'll teach you all I know. Alright, look down," he commanded.

I hesitantly looked down.

He asked me, "What do you see?"

"My shoes?" I answered, confused.

"What kind are they?" he asked.

"Toni Kensa," I answered.

"That's a brand," he explained. "See, today is a big day. The representatives of those brands are gonna be watching us all participate in turf wars today."

My eyes widened. "Wow! Sounds really important!"

"It really is!" he said. "If we get noticed, they might decide to sponsor us. That means fresh gear and an even fresher rep!"

I thought about it, and getting new gear did sound amazing. I wondered what could possibly go with my hi-tops. While I was thinking, he grabbed my arm and began running towards the tower.

"Uh... Where are we going?" I asked, trying my best to keep up so I didn't get dragged.

"I'm gonna help you get good! That way you can get noticed!" he answered. There was a grin on his face and determination in his eyes.

"You'd help me get noticed?" I asked.

"Why not?" he asked as we slowed down, walking up to the silver doors. As we approached, they opened to reveal a kaleidoscope of colors. "If I help you get good, that means more fun for me! I get a new rival!" he exclaimed. That was... an odd outlook on it. It made me giggle a little, and he noticed, his grin getting a little wider.

"Alright!" I replied enthusiastically. "Let's go! Where first?"

Ace raised up his hand and pointed out a finger, a giant holographic screen appearing as soon as he did. He quickly tapped on one of the locations: Blackbelly Skatepark.

"Oh, neat!" I said, grinning, pulling my beanie on a little tighter and hooking up my cloth mask to my mouth.

As he tapped it, the colorful array of colors swirled around us, making me a little dizzy, just like last time. Though I had to admit, it was beautiful, like a fever dream. The lights went faster and faster until they quickly collected in my vision, blinding me with a bright white.

I blinked, and found that we had been transported to the actual skatepark. Beneath me was a metal circle with a pink light. This was known as the spawn point for inklings, and the light's color would represent the team color when the match started, but the battle shouldn't have started just yet. We still had at least thirty minutes to coordinate.

Looking beside me, I saw Ace, his bowlcut now pink. With a grin, he took my hand and led me off the metal circle. In front of us was a bowl ramp, leading to many canyon ramps and corners where many skaters would shred throughout most of the day, but today was special. This skatepark was reserved for a turf war.

"Alright," said Ace, jumping into the bowl ramp. "Get your weapon out. Show me what you got. I wanna see you hit me."

I quickly took my dualies from my pockets, aiming them right at him, and all of a sudden, a heaviness could be felt on my back. This was normal in the inkling world. Whenever you entered through a spawn point, you were marked. This marker would equip an ink tank every time you pulled out your weapon by materializing it on your back through a special transport system.

How they managed to make this tech, I'd never know. It's incredible. Or should I say... 'INKredible'? Eh? EH? No...? Okay...

He feigned fear, both hands on his cheeks, mouth open, as if he were about to scream. He stayed like that for several seconds before bursting out into laughter. I smiled and laughed a little in response. "Alright," he said. "Let's see how good you are with those. Try to hit me. I'm pretty fast."

I pulled the triggers, immediately firing a stream of rapid-fire ink shots, and he was right. He was amazingly fast. There must have been some power-ups in his gear that allowed him frightening speed. He ran out of the bowl ramp and to my side.

I quickly turned as he ran to the side of me, and as I fired, I didn't notice that he had pulled a weapon from his pocket until it was too late. It was an N-Zap, a pistol-like ink shooter, and it was aimed straight at me. He fired, and I was instantly hit. I stumbled back, and I did, one of my steps felt no ground, only air. I was falling into the bowl ramp!

Before I could, he grabbed my hand, halting my descent. He looked me in the eyes, and he gave me the most smug smile I had ever seen. Who was this inkling, and why was he willing to teach me when he was so talented, when I shouldn't even be worth his time?

"You're supposed to use your dodge rolls. These are dualies, right?" he asked, shaking my hand with my tightly-gripped shooter.

I was still breathing heavily, my heart still racing from having almost fallen and possibly breaking my back. "Y-Yeah," I managed to choke out. He pulled me up and shook his head.

As he took out his phone and scrolled through what looked to be his contacts, he said to himself, "How to teach a newbie who can't even dodge roll...? I need Bryson."

"You rang?" a rather snobby voice from the spawn point asked. I was taken by surprise, looking to see a dark-skinned inkling with a beret of his own, wearing round sunglasses and a very fancy vest and very sleek Navy Enperrials, a high-class brand of footwear. "I'm not some teacher. These noobs are beneath me," he said with a clear hint of disgust.

"Didn't think you'd be here, Bryson." said Ace. "I was just about to call you."

Bryson sneered. "Isn't it obvious why I'm here? I'm here for the turf war. Normally I'm in ranked battles, but this so-called casual battle is being monitored by the big brand companies. I have no idea why they wouldn't want to just go to the very top and ask an X-Rank to represent them."

"Because it's all about fairness," answered Ace. Besides, odds are that a person like you would only intimidate potential consumers. They probably want a fresh face."

"Oh, I'll be that face," replied Bryson.

Ace rolled his eyes. "Uh huh..."

It was then that the spawn point produced another inkling, this time with very pale skin and a rather odd hairstyle, considering most inklings didn't wear their tentacles in a ponytail with suction cups facing outwards. Her ears, unlike other inklings, were more rounded instead of the usual pointed ears. She wore a red ski jacket with down boots, and atop her head was was red and white cap with a Zekko signature logo on it.

"A-Am I late?" she timidly asked. "I hope I'm not late."

"You noob," answered Bryson. "Check your phone. It displays the scheduled matches." Then a bead of sweat travelled down his cheek. "Oh no," he said, looking at me, and then looking at the new inkling. "We're half incompetent! I can't be on this team!"

He ran onto the spawn point and pushed the inkling girl to the floor before kicking the metal disk angrily.

Ace laughed and said, "Calm down, Bryson. You've still got time to coordinate. Also, aren't you a professional? You of all competitors should know that the spawn points don't let us go back until the match is over."

"Gah!" Bryson kicked the spawn point even more. "This is not fresh!"

I went over to the fallen girl and held out my hand. "Need help?" I asked, smiling as sincerely as I could.

She returned the smile and grabbed on. "Thank you," she replied. "I'm grateful."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Olivia," she answered. "My friends call me Liv, though."

"Am I your friend?" I asked?

"Are you?" she asked in return.

"I like to think I could be your friend," I replied with a hopeful smile.

She smiled back and said, "Then you are my friend."

Bryson turned around, giving us both an angry glare. "You'd better not mess this up, or I'm gonna splat you so hard you won't wanna come out the spawn point!"

"Geez, Bryson, calm down," said Ace, chuckling. "I think you're overreacting. It's just a casual match."

"I have never lost a single match," claimed Bryson. "My brother would flip if I did."

"Then let your brother flip." replied Ace. "It's not like your life depends on it."

From what I could see, Bryson was one of the elite, and certainly didn't consider me or anyone else as his equal. I hoped that this wouldn't lead to complications in our fight. Before I could say anything to him, all of our squidphones beeped.

"It's time already?" Ace wondered. He held his N-Zap firmly. "Alright, guys! Spawn point, now!"

I tensed up. It was time, and it would be my first time with these dualies, and I had barely even gotten any training in. Walking onto the spawn point, I heard it beep, trying to register my squidphone. I then saw a red x appear on my screen. It read, 'Genetic material unidentifiable.'

That meant it couldn't tie me to the spawn point if I were to be, um, splatted. I couldn't come back like an inkling could. This machine supposedly caught the ghosts of inklings and puts those ghosts into new bodies, recreating what they used to look like before being splatted.

I shuddered and put my squidphone back in my pocket, wanting to think of something else, like this match. My teammates readied their weapons. Ace had his N-Zap, Bryson had his umbrella, which, oddly enough, worked like a shotgun and a shield at the same time, and Liv had a slosher, which was, um... an ordinary bucket. I think the Squid Research Lab was running out of ideas for the weapon department at this point.

I held up my dualies, ready to begin the match. I didn't notice it until now, but there were people watching us from outside the turf, and it wasn't just inklings. There were so many different species of marine life, cheering from their seats.

I was nervous, because I knew that somewhere in the crowd, one of those big brand reps would be watching. Looking at my dualies, I wondered now Nem-Nem would've played. Come to think of it, I'd never seen her do anything extreme.

Across the skatepark would be the competitors. Who they were, I didn't know, but I was ready to go at it with all I had. My squidphone beeped.

One beep.

Two beeps.

Three beeps.

And the match had started. I immediately began spraying, as did my teammates. I could see Ace already heading for the large tower in the center of the skatepark. Maybe he wanted to get to the high ground before they could? I could never get up there unless I went squid, so I was restricted to ground level.

"Hey, noob!" shouted Bryson. He was already near the tower. "Get over here!"

I quickly ran to his position, having to jump and climb out of the ramp just to get to him. Reaching him, he gave me a scowl. I couldn't help but ask, "Where do I shoot?"

"Are you an idiot?!" he angrily asked, his fist shaking in the air. "Shoot where there's no ink! And splat the opponent! You're a Tetra user, so go to the frontlines, too!"

I was going to panic. I'd never met anyone like this guy before. I followed orders, not wanting to anger him further, firing my dualies wherever I found dry ground. Already, I saw someone on the ledge above me. It was an enemy inkling, her ink color being blue, and she had a smug smile on her face.

"Wow," she said. "You sure are ugly. What's up with your ears?"

"My ears?" I asked, reaching to feel them.

"They're not pointed," she said. "I guess you messed up your transformation. Or maybe you just have poor taste in looks. Ah, well. At least I can rid my gaze of your offending looks!"

She raised what I recognized as a Kensa Splatterscope, a sniper rifle of ink-shooting weapons, and it was pointed at me. I quickly pointed my dualies to my right, pressing the button and activating my dodge mechanic, pulling me out of the way of her near-instant shot. What was left in the shot's wake was a long line of ink, which she quickly dived into in squid form, travelling to the end of it and reemerging.

I saw her aim her weapon at me again, and I activated the dodge mechanic once more. My body jerked as I was pulled out of the way, dodging another shot. "A-Ace! I need you!" I cried. "Bryson?! Liv?!"

"Hold still, you dumb, ugly noob!" she demanded. I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction. I remember what I saw on television once. A tetra user was utilizing the dualies' mechanics to their full limit, dodging in a zigzag line.

So I'd do the same. I immediately pressed the button, inching forth, then pressed them a second time, inching in another direction, coming ever closer to her. She was struggling to line up a shot with me moving around. I move a third time, then a fourth. I was now in front of her. I aimed both dualies at her, firing them at point blank range.

In only a few shots to her face, she exploded in a mess of pink ink, and I mean she literally exploded. Inklings, when shot with ink that is not their color, will explode. They don't really die, though, because they're tied to the spawn point.

I could see her ghost floating back towards her spawn point for a new body. Too bad I couldn't do that. Then I could make as many mistakes as I wanted without having to worry about dying permanently.

I looked up at the tower, seeing Ace shooting from above at one of the enemy inklings. He had this big smile on his face, like nothing could phase him. You could tell him the world was ending and he probably wouldn't care.

Bryson was slow with his moves, but he was also unstoppable. His umbrella was both a weapon and a shield. An inkling with his own set of dualies attempted to take down Bryson, only to be denied and shot in the face, the poor inkling exploding. Bryson was unstoppable.

Suddenly, I heard Ace's defeated cry as he was splatted by an inkling with a weapon I could recognize anywhere. It was a blaster, similar to a shooter, but with a neat feature. About half a second after being shot out, the ink explodes, damaging nearby inklings.

The inkling was very pale, with a black jacket, possibly a Black Inky Rider, Punk Black shoes, and a Hockey Mask. He looked down on me from the top of the tower. "Scared?" he asked.

I shook my head and aimed by dualies up at him, firing. He simply stepped back, my shots unable to hit him from down below. I couldn't get up there, because in order to do so, I'd need to paint the walls of it with ink and swim up it in squid form.

But I'm human.

Then, the hockey masked inkling aimed his weapon at me, firing. I wasn't fast enough to dodge, and so I took two direct hits, pain hitting my body. The ink didn't do anything, but the impact was everything.

I was drenched in blue ink, my body feeling pretty icky at this point, and I really wanted to wash myself off. Then I realized something. He had stopped shooting. I looked up to see him standing up there, awe-struck, eyes wide open.

"Uh..." I was a bit confused, but then I remembered, I wasn't an inkling, and I didn't explode into ink like inklings did.

He took a step back. "You're completely covered in our ink, but... N-No, you must have been using ink armor. I must not have seen you glowing was all."

Ink armor was a special ability that could come with a weapon. Usually, the user would be glowing if they had ink armor on, and it could protect you from one hit. I was about to speak, but... he shot me again, right in the face.

"Hah! Got y--" The inkling stopped his sentence midway when he saw that I was still there. He was freaked out, and I could tell. He'd never seen this kind of thing happen before.

He fired again, then again. Blast after blast, I was pelted, and it hurt. I was on my hands and knees, unable to stand up because of the pain. I was blinded, unable to see, and while I wanted to scream for mercy, I didn't. This game meant too much for me to quit.

Then, I heard Ace. "Woah! Hey, stop it! What do you think you're doing?!"

"That inkling's either a freak or doesn't have a limiter on their gear!" the enemy inkling replied. "Hey! Let go of my blaster!"

I heard a splat, and seconds after, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me up, then wrapped their arms around my shoulders. "C'mon. I'm getting you back to the spawn point."

"Ace?" I asked, unable to open my eyes.

"Yeah," he answered. "Don't worry, newbie. I've got your back."

"That blaster," I said. "I'm in pain."

"Yeah, it'll sting," he said. "But we don't normally feel it too much if we die. I don't see how you survived, but that's kinda fresh, if you ask me. You don't see that every day."

I was set down on what I assumed was metal. I tried to tell him, "Ace, I--"

"Hang on," he said, wiping my face with his hands. They were oddly cold. I always thought inklings were warm like I was, but then again, considering they were squids, it kinda made sense.

I could finally open my eyes, and when I did, I found him staring back at me, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face. I asked, "Wh-What's wrong?"

He raised up his hand to show me the black makeup smeared on it. Uh oh...

"Hey, uh... Don't get me wrong," he said. "I'm not making fun of you or anything, but are you okay? Usually our eyes can come with the transformation. I've never seen an inkling use makeup for that look."

As I opened my mouth to answer, my phone beeped. The match was over. I saw the turf behind Ace, and it was obvious who won. There was blue everywhere. We had lost. "I'm sorry," I said, my heart sinking into sadness.

"Huh?" Ace looked behind him, then turned back to me. "Oh, that? Who cares? It's just a sport. What's important is having fun, and right now, you don't look like you had a good time."

"That girl's a freak!" I heard coming from above us. The inkling with the hockey mask from earlier was sitting on the ledge above us, holding his Blaster. "She should be disqualified!"

"Isn't it a little too early for Splatoween?" Ace asked. "Take that mask off."

"Make me," replied the opponent. "I'm going to report her."

"For what? Being unable to die?" asked Ace. "I don't think she can help it."

"I bet she's cheating," said a female voice. It was the inkling I had splatted earlier in the match. Her hair had changed from blue to pink. She aimed her Splatterscope, making me flinch. Seeing that, she giggled to herself, lowering her weapon.

"She's completely new to the game, guys, look at her stats," defended Ace. "Cut her some slack."

"Won't matter anyways," said the masked inkling. "We won, and that means we're more likely to get noticed."

"Sweet gear, here we come," said the girl inkling.

"I'd better not see you cheating again," said the masked one as they both walked away.

Why were some of these inklings so rude?

"Don't pay attention to them," assured Ace, placing his hand on my shoulder. He had a big grin on his face, his fangs unsettling me a little. Inklings always had these odd teeth, where there were two fangs where a human's would be, and an extra fang on the bottom middle.

I could help but return a soft, nervous smile. "Thank you for helping me. I don't think I could've taken more of that."

"That must've been painful, surviving so many blasts like that," he said. Then, looking up, he said," Hey, Judd!"

I turned my head, seeing Judd. Judd was the judge around here, and like many judges, he was in charge of determining who won the matches. That wasn't the only special thing about him, though. The really special thing about him was the fact that... he was a cat.

Judd was a white cat with a tuxedo-like gray fur pattern on him, and he had one dark patch on his head's left side. He was a very special case, where he was also frozen in a cryopod, but not by one built by my dad. Whoever made his cryopod made it much more efficient than the one I was in.

While I had been in that pod for a long time, the president of Japan and his men had not survived, their pods having failed shortly after they were put in. Judd's cryopod was meant to keep going, even after power was long lost. The inkling who had found me had said that the cryopods containing the president and his men had shorted out. Judd's cryopod was designed to keep going, even after a failure. In other words, I was lucky to be alive.

Judd looked at me, his cat eyes squinting. "Didn't think I'd see the day,"

"What?" asked Ace.

"Nothing," replied Judd. "I don't need to judge this battle. Look at all that blue. Alright, listen up, cool cats. Ol' Judd gotta lay down the rules."

I was even more confused than Ace by this point.

"Normally, I'd disqualify an inkling who can't be splatted," said Jude. "Buuuuut... I'm also seeing that you can't go squid, right?"

I nodded my head. "I can't."

Ace looked at me, a brow raised. "Why can't you go squid?"

I froze, then said, "Uh... Personal reasons."

"Hmm..." Judd stroked his chin with a paw, "Meow. That's quite a tricky set of circumstances. I could let it slide, judging how you'd probably be slow in a match. Being unable to die, but you're slower than other inklings. I think that's an acceptable handicap. Considering you can't go squid and you can't superjump to another teammate, you'd be slowing them down if they waited for you."

"Are you saying she can keep playing?" asked Ace.

"Meow. For now, but if I get more complaints, and I mean a lot of complaints, I'd have no choice," answered Judd. "I think her slow nature is a pretty fair trade."

Ace grinned again, showing off those strange teeth. "Nice! See? You don't need to stop playing until the big cat says so!"

"Meow. Just make sure you don't upset others," said Judd.

Why was he letting me play? What was his reasoning? It's not that I wasn't grateful, but he just took one look at me and I knew there was something odd in his eyes. Was it pity? I was afraid to ask honestly.

So I just nodded, and after Judd had left, I turned to ace. "Again, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," said Ace.

"Sorry," I said before covering my mouth.

Ace then laughed. "I don't know what region you're from, but here, we stay fresh and don't apologize for it. So stay fresh!"

I was taken aback by his attitude. He was always so positive, even when losing. How could I get in his mindset when I'm me? "So I don't have to apologize?" I asked.

"Nope. Just stay fresh," he answered.

"Stay fresh?" I repeated.

"Stay fresh," he repeated back.

I blushed. I was very intimidated by this personality, and while I wanted to convey in the same way, I was shy.

Ace tapped his foot, thinking. Then, his eyes lit up with an idea. "I got it! How about I take you out on a Salmon Run?"

"Salmon Run...?" I was confused. I had never heard of such a thing.

"Yeah!" he replied. "Follow me!"

I didn't even have time to object. He grabbed my hand and dragged me halfway across Inkopolis. Then, finally, we were there. Next to Deca Tower, in a hidden corner of the square, we were in front of a gritty building, the inside full of what looked to me like junk. Ace cheerfully walked towards what looked like a spawn point and stood on it. He gave me a gesture with his hands to come over, and I did, warily, feeling like this was wrong for some reason.

I stood on the spawn point and my phone beeped. I was surprised by what my eyes registered..

Genetic Material Identified.

How did...?

Before I could raise questions, I was suddenly warped. I could feel my body stretching, as if I was taffy. I could feel myself being pulled into forever, if that made sense. The feeling intensified more with every second that passed, and I wasn't sure if I could keep stretching without splitting apart.

Finally, I felt my feet finally touch solid ground again. We were on the deck of a small boat, and in my hands was the heaviest of weapons, the Splatling gun. It operated similarly to a gatling gun, and it packed a lot of firepower.

I saw Ace next to me, wielding the same weapon, a big grin on his face. "Hey, this is what I main."

I looked down at myself. I was, for no apparent reason, wearing overalls, rubber boots, and rubber gloves, and so was Ace. I was really confused, my mind trying to figure out what kind of tech I was dealing with.

I looked around and spotted an island up ahead. "What is this place? Where did you take me?" I asked.

Ace smiled and said, "Oh, those are the ruins of /////////// /////////////////////."

I couldn't understand that word. "I'm sorry, could you explain those last two words?"

"Um... This is where the humans did their rituals, I think," he said.

"Rituals?" I asked.

"Um... Something about space. That's one of their things, I think," he said pointing to the wreckage of a large space shuttle. One wing was jutting from the water, the letters, 'ICA', written on it. I had never heard of an ICA before. They must have been some big company that dealt with space flight before the ocean levels started rising. On the island, there was a building, a building that I vaguely remembered seeing in a textbook that was on dad's bookshelf. The book was all about space, and how humans had gone to the moon once.

The building was squarish, with ramps leading upwards to upper platforms. Overall, it was kind of like a tower, one that anyone could easily climb on without any trouble. The water surrounding it was a disgusting green, and it made me shudder to think that we may have caused that effect from our unintentional pollutionary attack on the ocean.

I looked over to Ace, who had already gone to the other end of the boat, talking to some radio. The radio, wooden, and shaped like a grizzly bear, reminded me of my dad's old knick-knacks. I missed my dad's humorous obsession with antiques...

I walked over, hearing a gruff male voice coming from the radio.

"Look kid, she's a rookie. I'm not gonna hire her," the voice from the radio said.

"Oh, c'mon, Mr. Grizz! You know me! I can keep her safe while we do this! Trust me!" replied Ace. "She'll be in safe hands."

"It ain't legal, kid. Don't try me. I'm sending you back," it said.

"Look, Grizz, I got this," reassured Ace. "Besides, look around. Do you see any cameras here? Plus, I heard you didn't get as many workers this week as you normally do. Would be quite a shame if you missed out on those eggs today. Remember, the Great Salmon Migration only happens only once every seventy years."

The radio went silent. I was sure that we'd be sent back, but then...

The radio speakers blared, "Fine, kid, but I swear, if you screw this up, I never met you, you never met me, got it?"

"Yep!" answered Ace. "Don't worry! She'll be in good hands!"

I wasn't sure what just happened. "Ace, what are we doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, right!" Ace realized. "I didn't explain. Okay, see, a Salmon Run is where we retrieve special eggs for Mr. Grizz, and we get paid for doing it."

"Eggs?" I asked. "What kind of eggs?"

"Golden eggs," answered Ace. "To be honest, I dunno what he does with 'em, but at least we get paid, right? We can buy you some new gear, and maybe something to eat."

"That sounds nice," I said, a little excited. "Let's go, then!"

"Alright," said Ace. "Superjump. Let's go."

"W-Wait!" I blurted out. "I... can't."

Ace was struck with confusion. "You can't superjump?"

"I cannot," I answered. How would I explain this without complications? "I, um, can't superjump, because I... have a fear of heights."

Ace seemed to have a look of skepticism. I was worried that he'd say something about it, but then he said, "I getcha, I getcha. Grizz, can you drive us a little closer?"

"What am I, a chauffeur?" Grizz asked sarcastically.

"Eggs," said Ace.

"Alright, alright. Yeesh," said Grizz, the boat turning and heading towards the island.

As I stepped ashore, I could see English writing on the walls of the building. It read, 'Danger: Beware of Bear.' I wasn't liking this. Human ruins, and here we were, doing something obviously sketchy. "Ace? I'm a little scared," I said, my brain on high alert.

"Huh?" Ace looked at me and smiled. "Don't worry! I've got your back!"

His overwhelming confidence seemed to melt away what fears I had. How was this a real person? I'd never met anyone this confident, especially in the world I once grew up in before that fateful day. "Y-Yeah," I said. "And I've got yours!"

"You know what to do?" he asked.

"You said something about eggs, right?" I queried, hoping for an explanation.

"Okay, so, we gotta collect eggs," said Ace. "I'll guide you through the tougher ones, but for now, focus on splatting the regulars."

I nodded, then held down the button on the grip of my splatling. The gun whirred to life, the barrels spinning and shooting out ink with so much power, I was sent skidding back on my heels. After a while of figuring out what stance to position myself into in order to fire the weapon properly, I was somewhat ready.

"Here they come," said Grizz through a small speaker I was apparently wearing. I didn't even realize I was until now." "Do your job! Collect those eggs! There's salmonid approaching."

"Salmonid?" I muttered. All I saw coming ashore were these odd little walking fish with bulbous eyeballs. They didn't even seem to be focusing on a single thing, both eyes looking in different directions.

As it approached me, I raised my splatling, revving it up and firing a flurry of orange ink. In only two seconds, the creatures exploded into orange. I felt something eating away at me in the back of my mind. My conscience wasn't liking this, and honestly, neither was I.

It was only when I saw a dozen climb ashore that I panicked. They were coming right at me, and this gun was really heavy. Not much mobility for me. "Ace!" I called.

"Already got it!" he said, jumping off the ramp, his gun whirring as he went through the air." Half of the dozen were immediately splatted, but it didn't stop the rest of them from coming my way. I raised my hand, a splat bomb materializing, then threw it at them, splattering all six.

"That's it! You got it!" cheered Ace, but in my mind, I felt horrible.

"Ace?" I queried. "Are these salmon tied to a spawn point?"

"I dunno," said Ace. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" I asked.

"I mean, I dunno what you mean by that," he answered."

"Ace, what happens to inklings who die without being tied to a spawn point?" I asked, my mind raising alarms.

"That's easy, they d---..." Ace rubbed the back of his neck. "Is... that what this is about?"

"Yes," I said.

"I, uhh... I know that's a problem, but..." he trailed off.

"But what?" I asked.

"They're the enemy," he answered. "They're in league with the octarians."

Octarians were the common enemy of the inklings. Long ago, octarians and inklings used to be friends. But then, the ocean levels started rising again, forcing them to fight for territory. I didn't know much about it, but I do know it ended up with the inklings winning, forcing the octarians to live elsewhere.

I held my gun close. I felt conflicted. "Does that really have to make them our enemies?" I asked. I was hoping the answer was no, but...

He took my hand and looked me in the eyes. "Do you wanna go home...?" he asked.

I was shaking a little. I didn't want to just go home, but I also didn't wanna do this. "Can we just... I dunno, get something to eat?"

He chuckled, then hugged me. "Sure," he said. "Hey, Grizz! Can you take us home?"

"What?! You wasted my time for this?!" Grizz asked in anger. "I swear, if I wasn't elsewhere, I'd..."

"I'll do extra work, free of charge," said Ace.

"...Two months," said Grizz.

"Two whole months?" I asked.

"Deal," said Ace, smiling, still as chipper as ever. How did he do it? He was never upset, even upon hearing this.

I felt guilty, especially with him doing this for me, some random girl he'd just met. "Do you really wanna do this?" I asked.

"You wanna splat salmonids or do you wanna eat?" he asked, still smiling.

He had my best interests in mind, and... I just sighed and nodded. "Let's eat," I said. "I'm so sorry,"

"Think nothing of it," he replied. "The way I see it, it's good practice."

I couldn't stop him from splatting these things. It was an inkling world now. Humans were no longer present, and I guess... the general morals here were different. Then again, would humans have done the same to an enemy? I know our kind had fought each other, but...

No. Stop thinking about it. No more thinking today.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"YOU IDIOT! YOU WENT ON A SALMON RUN WITHOUT MEEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?!" Bryson was furious, his umbrella open and pointed at Ace, with Ace drinking his beverage casually.

After heading back to the square, Ace treated me, Bryson, and Liv to drinks. We were all outside, and although the sun was hot, the drinks helped a lot.

"Yuh huh, but it was kinda boring. We had to go right after starting. I don't mind, though," said Ace, looking at me as he said that last part with another of his smiles.

Liv sat across the table from me, looking down at her phone. She seemed rather shy, and I couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Liv seemed to snap out of a trance, her eyes dart up to look at me. "Hm? I'm okay," she assured. "I, uh, was just checking the news."

"News?" I asked.

"Yep," she answered. "News."

Bryson huffed, closing his umbrella. He took a deep breath, then exhaled. He seemed to be rather annoyed, and I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to smack Ace upside the head. "I'm fine," he said. "It's fine. We're all fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Ace, his smile becoming more of a smug smirk.

"NO!" answered Bryson. He took another deep breath, then exhaled with more of an irritated groan. "I don't know what would prompt you to leave for a Salmon Run without me, especially after we just did a turf war. You know we also do Salmon Run together. That was our thing, and you decide to just pair up with some noob?!"

"I, uh, take offense to that," I weakly muttered.

"No one cares." Bryson quickly said in response. I shrank back into my chair, feeling intimidated by this guy.

"Relax, Bryson. It's not like she's taking your rank," said Ace, taking another sip. Then, he opened his mouth to say," Not yet, anyway..."

Bryson gasped. "What is that I'm hearing?! Are you saying this noob could surpass me?!"

"Again, offense," I muttered as quietly as I could. Bryson shot me with a glare, one that radiated pure and total anger. I shrank back even further.

"Give her a chance, Bryson," said Ace, shrugging with a grin. "She's a bit rough around the edges, but I'm pretty sure she could become just as skilled as you are in the future."

"Never!" declared Bryson. "I will protect my rank! Even if she reaches X, I shall not let you surpass me!"

I drank my soda, finally running out. I don't know what they put in this, but it was amazing. I felt like I could take on the world. Looking at Bryson, there was something about him that stood out. It wasn't just his fancy appearance or his anger issues. I felt like there was something more to him.

"In all of my years," said Bryson, "I had never been beaten... At least, not until today..." He looked at me with what looked to be bitterness.

"I didn't mean to... you know..." I sipped my soda, trying not to draw more of his wrath towards me.

"And that's okay," said Ace. "You're just a rookie. It's not as if Bryson here hasn't made any mistakes."

Bryson looked very offended. "Excuse me?"

"You hear me, Bryson," said Ace. "Remember your first match?"

I saw Bryson's cheeks turned red, and he replied with, "You swore you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"I'm not," Ace replied. "I'm just saying that you made a mistake. I never said what it was, so don't worry."

Bryson clenched his fists, but took yet another deep breath and stowed away his anger, He looked at me, approached me, and I shrank even further back into my chair. I raised my drink in defense.

He didn't hit me, though. What he did instead was much more surprising. He held out his hand. I looked at it, then looked at him, then looked back at the hand. "Well?" he asked. I very carefully took his hand, and he shook it.

I stared at him, confused. "Why--"

"Shut," he said. "I will admit that even I have made mistakes." Then he pulled me close, his fist holding the collar of my shirt. "But if you ever cost me victory again, I will personally see to it that you'll pay the price."

"Classic Bry," commented Ace, drinking the last of his soda. He shook his cup, a disappointed look on his face.

I nodded meekly. I was honestly afraid of this inkling. His X rank was reason enough not to mess with him. His personality was just a plus. Were all X ranks like this? I didn't want to offend him any further. "O-Okay," I said, hoping he'd take that answer.

Thankfully, he did, letting me go and sitting down in his chair. He picked up his cup from the table and sipped from the straw, looking like he was finally calming down. I took this opportunity to relax as well, feeling relieved that he wasn't angry anymore.

My phone buzzed, and taking it out, I saw that it was a text from Nem-Nem. Apparently the ink that had stained the carpet had vanished. This wasn't really surprising, but it was a relief. Ink that was naturally made from an inkling normally vanished up to an hour after it had touched oxygen.

The tanks that we non-inklings use are actually special, using a strange technology that used inkling cells to produce ink slowly over time. It usually gave non-inklings a disadvantage in turf wars, but it certainly didn't stop them from playing, and it definitely wouldn't stop me.

I texted her back, telling her about how the turf war went. After a minute, I received a text back, with Nem-Nem saying she was sorry about the loss. Smiling, I texted her back, saying it was okay, that I had Ace with me.

Then, all of a sudden, I got an immediate text back.

Nem-Nem: Ace? Who's Ace? Is it a boy?

I looked at Ace, then at my phone before answering.

Amelia: He's just this really nice guy.

Nem-Nem: What's his motive?

Amelia: Motive?

Nem-Nem: I'm just curious. Some boys can't be trusted.

Amelia: Nem, he's cool. He hasn't done anything wrong. He even got me a soda

I waited for her response while listening to Ace and Bryson chatting.

"Splatfest is coming up this Friday," said Ace. "You ready?"

"I'm always ready," answered Bryson. "I drive my team to victory each time."

"What's the theme again?" asked Liv.

"Uh, what was it... Old versus New, I think," said Ace.

I looked back at my phone as it buzzed in my hand. Looking at the message, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Nem-Nem: Just be careful, okay? Stay alert.

I smiled and texted her back.

Amelia: Thanks, Nem. You're awesome. <3

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I commented, "Old versus New?"

"Yeah," answered Ace. "There's been a bit of a trend going on lately, where some inklings are trying to go back to older traditions, while others have been trying out newer things."

"My pops was talkin' about it," said Bryson. "Says he misses the old days, where things were 'more intense' or somethin' like that, but if you ask me, I think his days were childsplay. I saw his old videos too, from when he used to enter tournaments as a kid. I could have easily taken on the inklings he battled."

"Shouldn't diss your dad like that, bro," said Ace. "There's a reason he was number one back in his day."

"I'm not trying to diss him," replied Bryson, leaning back in his chair. "I'm just saying I think that inklings weren't as hardcore as they are now. I mean, think about it. I can do his tricks, and more, because this is a new generation with new strategies."

Liv quietly sipped her soda, her head down and her eyes up, looking Bryson's way. "What do you think, Liv?" I asked, catching her attention.

"I kinda like the new, but... from the old, we've learned so much," she replied. I took that into consideration. My dad wanted to teach me all sorts of things, but I could never really understand the things he tried to show me. He would often try to explain the subjects in simple ways.

I could understand some things, like outer space and the planets and stuff, but when it came to his favorite subject, like genetic manipulation, I could never grasp it. My brother could, though. My brother, Mark, was obsessed with the science of evolution, and he'd read my father's books on the subject.

I then remembered something, a flashback. A week before I went into the cryopod... I remembered my father, sobbing. I had knocked on the door, asking if he was okay. When he opened the door, I could see behind him, so many pictures of human anatomy on the wall. My brother sat behind him in a chair, holding a book, his eyes gazing at me with an odd emotion I couldn't decipher.

Was he... cold towards me?

"Dad, what's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nothing, sweetheart," he said in a gentle tone, his voice cracking a bit. "Your brother and I are just discussing important things. We've hit a crossroad, is all. No need to worry."

"Can I help?" I asked.

My dad turned to my brother, my brother shaking his head. Dad then looked at me and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Amelia," he said. "This is a private matter. This... goes beyond your understanding, and that's no insult. It goes beyond most people's understanding."

I didn't know what to say. I just looked at my brother, blood running cold as his eyes pierced my own gaze. This was the first time I'd ever seen him so indifferent towards me. I slowly nodded, and my dad patted my head before closing the door.

The next day after that conversation, my brother was back to his normal self, happy, carefree, even offering to hang out with me like he usually did. As for my dad, he pretended the conversation never happened, never bringing it up after.

Sometimes I wondered if that talk between them was about the cryopod...

"Amelia? You there? Yoohoo," said Ace, waving a hand in front of me. I snapped out of my trance.

"What?" I asked.

"We were asking you what side you're picking for the splatfest this month," said Bryson. "I suggest you pick New."

Splatfest was a festival that inklings held, one that pitted two teams against each other, bringing out the best of the best. The events were so random, it was unknown when they'd actually be held. It'd actually been two years since the last Splatfest, Chaos versus Order, and from what I remember, Chaos won.

"Um... Old," I replied, favoring my old life.

"Nice," said Ace. "Same here."

"What? Seriously?" asked Bryson, offended. "Ace, we've always been on the same team!"

"Eh, I've always preferred the older fighting styles," said Ace." My dad taught me everything I know."

"Fine," said Bryson. "I suppose I'll be beating you down this Splatfest."

I looked down, staying quiet. My mind kept wandering back to my brother. If he was still alive, did he miss me? And if he did, why hadn't he come to find me? I shook my head and stood up, Bryson looking at me with a confused expression.

I looked up at him, a determined expression on my face. "Good luck?" I said, holding out my hand.

He took it into his, shaking it. "I won't need it."

And so, my first taste of turf war life was realized, my mind having doubts already, but I won't waver. I'll do what I can to keep in good spirits.