I always passed by Inkopolis Tower on my morning commute. It was filled to the brim with all different kinds of Inklings––not to mention with all different kinds of fashion. I knew that there were shops nearby, but I never knew what they were selling. Booyah Base, I think it was called? I've always wanted to go there, but never found the time.
Until now.
The train started to chug away behind me as I stepped off and onto the platform. I slugged my bag over my shoulder and stared at the massive crowd of Inklings that were in front of me. There were everywhere in the plaza––some were dancing; some were sitting; some were just walking around. I sighed nervously under my breath, looking down at the gravel ground while I walked towards the Tower. I could feel people's eyes digging into the back of my neck––I knew they were looking at me. Looking to see how fresh I was.
"How did he get that disgusting camo hoodie? Must of been from the flea market..." I heard a girl Inkling giggle behind him. I shot a meaningful glance at her before continuing on.
They don't like my clothes... this is my favorite hoodie... and I totally did not get this from the flea market...I thought as I stopped at what looked to be the center of Inkopolis.
On my right was a big building with some sort of raccoon statue on top. A big screen was hanging from the building as well, flashing all different kinds of images. I think it might show the news or something. In fact, I think that IS the news station building.
There was also a dojo next to it, where players of Turf War could sharpen their skills with a friend or two. Seemed fun.
Peering over to the left were the shops, with a wolf statue at the peak of the building this time. I smirked, as maybe this was where people bought their clothes. With there being four shops to choose from, I walked into what seemed to be the hat store––titled 'Cooler Heads' appropriately. I heard a bell ring as I entered, twisting my head to get a wider look of the place. I walked up to a rack stocked with different hats, including beanies and visors.
"U-um, hi... um, it seems that you are new here..." I heard someone say. I turned around to see a short girl with a LOT of hair. It was made of pink anemone with green tips––and it actually looked really cool. In fact, she was looking pretty fresh, according to me. I took a step back and waved my hand at her, smiling.
"Uh, yea... hi, my name is––"
"LOSER ALERT!" I heard something scream. I jumped back a bit, slowly sliding behind a nearby rack.
"Moe, hush... but... yea, he's kind of right. My name is Annie, b-by the way..." I peeked from behind the rack and held my hand out shakily. She sighed and looked to the side, entwining her fingers together in nervousness. Her voice stutter was actually really cute.
"I'm sorry, but... y-you're not fresh enough to be in here. Sorry..." I blinked as the girl approached me, tugging on the bottom of my hoodie and dragging me towards the exit and out of the store. She did one final push, sending me stumbling backwards into Inkopolis.
"BEAT IT, LOSER!" The little clownfish yelled as the girl walked back into the store. I blinked and got up, dusting myself off. I glanced at other upside down Inklings, watching them gaze back at me in embarrassment. The girl from earlier turned to her friend and whispered something into her ear, making them both burst into laughter.
"Pfft... I didn't want to be in there anyway..." I mumbled before quickly strolling to the Tower. I sighed once more as I entered into the lobby of Inkopolis Tower.
-~-
The inside of the Tower was humongous. There were Inklings in here as well, congregating in the tan yet spacious lobby. There were a couple of couches strewn about the room, along with some desks and TVs. There was even some food being served in the back corner. I gaped at what the Tower had to offer, ending with me walking up to the counter of the Lobby and glancing up at an adult Inkling.
"H-Hi. I'd like to sign up for Turf War, please..." I said. The adult Inkling nodded, retrieving a paper for me to fill out.
"Ah, yes. I see that we don't have you here in our catalog of other Turf War players. Since this is your first Turf War, you have to fill out some legal papers before entering. Don't worry though, it's worth it." I nodded and began to fill out what was required, signing my name at the bottom of the sheet. Handing it back to the Inkling, it looked at me with a glint in his eye.
"Have fun, kid. I know I did," the Inkling grinned. I instantly felt a burst of energy around me, making me turn into a squid and back again in a quick succession. The whole room became dark, and I was all alone. Suddenly, LED lights began to flash around me, with them lighting up as squids. I felt somewhat startled, yet excited about what was to come.
"Welcome, Inkling. Currently, you are at a Level 1 rank in the mode 'Turf War'. Be careful, be safe, and be sure to have some fun!" I heard a voice say before disappearing. A bubble started to float down above me, popping to drop a Splattershot Jr. right into my hands. I twisted it around, looking at the engravings and the cover to the ink storage on top. I smiled proudly as I held the gun tightly in my hand.
This is going to be fun.
-~-
After a couple of moments, the wall started to slide back on two sides, opening up to let a boy Inkling enter into the room. I jumped as he slowly walked in, noticing me standing in the corner of the room.
"Hey! What's up?" He looked up above my head.
"Level one, eh? Is this your first Turf War?" He nodded, holding up my hand towards him.
"Uh-huh! My name's Devonne, by the way. What's yours?" The boy Inkling grinned happily, showing his small yet sharp fangs.
"Ethan. Oh boy, aren't you in for a ride. I hope you're on my team!" Ethan exclaimed, grabbing my hand and shaking it. The walls slid back once more, with two girl Inklings treading in. They kept to themselves, talking about their own business in another corner.
"I–I hope you are too. You wouldn't mind explaining the whole process to me, would you?" I asked nervously. Ethan smiled and patted me on the back, loosening my now nervous grip on the Splattershot Jr.
"It's quite simple, really. Surprised you haven't heard of the rules yet, though. Anyway..." Ethan began.
"It's four Inklings versus four Inklings in an all-out Turf War. In Turf War, all you have to do is cover the ground with the color of your ink in about three minutes. After that, Judd totals up how much ink your team has covered. Cover the most ink to win!" He explained, pumping his gun into the air. I blinked once more, getting a good look at his gun. However, a question was stuck in my head.
"Wait, who's Judd?" I asked, putting a hand on my chin. "Is it some ultimate being that watches us play these games from up above?" I started to think quietly before Ethan pulled me back into reality.
"Uh, no. Judd's a cat, dude." I looked at him dazed, then started to chuckle.
"Alright... also, what's that gun of yours?" I questioned, peering down at it.
"Hmm? Oh, my Blaster! Check it out!" Ethan said, pulling it up and holding the canister in his hand. He pointed at me as if he was about to shoot, making me shriek and turn into a squid forcefully. Ethan laughed as I changed back, pointing my own gun at him.
"Hey, not cool!" I yelled bashfully, the anger sizzling in my voice. Ethan grinned playfully.
"I'm just playing, dude. As you can see, I'm level nine. That's how I got this gun. Bought it at Ammo Knights," Ethan said, pointing above him. I looked, as it stated what level you were above you in- wherever we where. That was another question I had. I opened my mouth to inquire him again, but he started another sentence before I could.
"I haven't stepped into the lobby in a while though, so this will probably be my warm-up round. Hey, it looks like the lobby is almost full." I scoped the area around us, as I didn't notice that many people entered the lobby while we were talking. A sudden ding-a-ling sounded in the lobby, and we were ready to play. The floor suddenly turned into ink, and we sunk down into the depths below, leaving me wondering where we were truly going.
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