#LETS PULL THROUGH AND WIN. THIS. SPLATFEST!!!!!!

[justacasualidiot]

i may be writing Legend of Zelda fanfiction rn, but goddamn I need my Calimari Inkantation and other Splatoon songs in the background- (in a good way)

[halorocks1214]

i had the idea to compile the best pics from all of the x100/x333 wins i amassed throughout each splatfest as the same ol v. bucket list v. save the day splatfest was the one where i had finally obtained at least one for each idol (redemption for team vanilla where i lost two x100s lmao *cries*)

if i manage to get any more in later fests i'll probably add them in a reblog because my original idea was to keep this drafted until fests were done in case i get more, but considering i have gone multiple fests in a row without even participating in them let alone winning them i decided to just pull the trigger as there's probably only going to be like two more fests in total (unless the devs have a secret third year planned haha <- copium(TM))

this game has brought me a lot of fun and joy throughout the stresses of college and young adult life so it will always hold a special place in my heart. through the waning hyperfixations, through the toxicity and grind, splatoon as a whole is a game that has given me many wonderful memories and new friends, and i can't wait to see what the series next brings to the table <3

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

Splataclysm! - chapter 6

Oh wow, I’m really on a writing roll today (I say, knowing this chapter has been 90% complete for like a month already and I couldn’t be bothered to finish it until today) Anyway yeah, here’s more of the Splatoon AU fic, it got kinda silly hehe

Also on AO3

Sabrina couldn’t help staring through the window in awe. The Squid Sisters themselves were in the studio, chatting to each other, only a few metres away. All that separated Sabrina from them was a panel of glass! She wished she could meet them. How inspirational were they?

But it probably wouldn’t happen. Sabrina knew she wasn’t a good singer anyway, she could never be like them. She should just focus on battling.

Turning around, she saw that Chloé was still leaning against the railing, watching Inkopolis Plaza down below them. Or rather, watching someone in particular.

“Are you still looking at Alya?” Sabrina asked. Ever since the final Splatfest, where both Alya and Chloé had chosen the same team, they had decided upon a truce to their rivalry. Now it seemed that Chloé was just fascinated with her.

“I don’t get it,” Chloé said. “Why would her friends just leave her like that? First Nino, then Marinette and Adrien… in fact, why would Adrien just leave me like that…”

“I don’t know,” Sabrina said, standing beside Chloé and looking down at Alya too, who was doing something on her phone. “Maybe Adrien’s father made him leave or something.”

“True. But now Alya’s all alone.” She shook her head. “I should have been a better friend to her much earlier on, shouldn’t I? I thought rivalry was an important thing! I thought having a rival would make me better somehow! But it didn’t. I was just stubborn.”

“Why don’t you go talk to Alya?”

“I don’t know if she’d want to talk to me.”

“But you’re not rivals anymore.”

“Still, that doesn’t mean we’re friends!”

Sabrina put a hand on Chloé’s shoulder. “You managed to make friends with me, didn’t you? So you can make friends with Alya too.”

Chloé smiled at her. “Thanks, Sabrina. You’re right. I ought to try.” She looked back down at the plaza. “Do you think I should switch weapons? I’ve been using a Splattershot for a while but I don’t know, I think I might be better off with a .52 Gal…”

“Are you doing this because Alya uses a Gal? I’m pretty sure she uses a .96 Gal, though.”

“Alright, Alya may have inspired me. But a .52 Gal is much easier to use so I’ll at least start off with that. Then Alya and I will both be using Gals.”

Sabrina chuckled a little. Chloé and Alya… would they be Gal Pals then?

Down below in the plaza, Alya wasn’t the only inkling around.

“Aw, come on Rose!” Nath said, pulling Rose towards the Lobby by the arm. “Just one Ranked Battle? Please?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “It’s far too competitive, I always feel like everyone’s being so aggressive–”

“But I’ve never tried it before and I don’t want to do it alone! Pretty please?” He put on his most adorable expression, hoping it would work on a sweetheart like Rose.

“Alright then,” she said, her face softening. “But just one match. I believe the current Ranked Battle mode is Splat Zones, and that’s not so bad. I’d say it’s the least aggressive out of the three.”

“Then let’s go!”

Just then the large screen in the plaza lit up, ready for another announcement. Nath and Rose stopped to watch. The Squid Sisters appeared on the screen, all dressed up in their bling as usual.

“It’s stage changeover time!” Mireille said, punching a fist up in the air. “Let’s see what the Turf War battle stages are!”

“Here they come,” Aurore muttered, looking as if she was reading lines off a telescreen somewhere.

“The first Turf War stage is… Arowana Mall! Hey Aurore, remember that time we went to that café here and bought seven helpings of ice cream?”

“I remember you spilling at least two of them on the floor,” Aurore replied, her expression unchanged.

“Ahem, yes… anyway, the other Turf War stage is… Flounder Heights! Doesn’t Plagg live here?”

“I think so, I’ve seen him commuting into the city sometimes.”

“Nice! And now for the Ranked Battle stages. The next Ranked Battle mode is… Tower Control!”

Rose sighed, leaning on her Carbon Roller Deco. “Tower Control is so stressful…”

“And the first Ranked Battle stage,” Mireille continued, “is Kelp Dome! Aurore, do you know if they grow chip plants here?”

Aurore stifled a yawn. “I seriously doubt it, Mireille…”

“Right, right, I knew that. Anyway, the other Ranked Battle stage is… Walleye Warehouse! And ooh yes, even we’ve heard the juicy stories… off in a remote corner of the warehouse, two young inklings are–”

“BATTLING!” Aurore said quickly, putting on a giant grin that looked very out of place. “Yep. Battling. We’re not spreading any rumours, are we Mireille?”

“No, no, of course not, haha!” Mireille chuckled nervously. “Alright, that’s it for now. We’ll see you later for the next battle stage announcements. And in the meantime…”

The two Squid Sisters put their hands up in unison and sang, “Stay fresh!”

Nath turned straight round to face Rose. “What rumours? Please tell me! I know I’ve been here for a while now but I still always feel like a newbie, so out of the loop…”

“Oh, it’s just something silly,” Rose said, giggling a little. “Juleka told me about it, she hears everything. It’s not anything terribly important, just some silliness, I’m surprised the Squid Sisters even mentioned it…”

“So what is it?!”

“You know Lê Chiến Kim, right?”

“Of course I do, I’ve been splatted by him like seven hundred times.”

Rose giggled again. “So have I! Anyway, apparently a while ago he was bragging that after a match at Walleye Warehouse, he went and hid off in a corner and kissed someone.”

“Who?”

“No one knows, he’s been keeping it a secret. Most people guess it must have been one of his teammates, but who knows? It’s a mystery! And now Walleye Warehouse is somewhat notorious for being… well… romantic, I suppose…”

“How can a noisy, smoky factory be romantic?” Nath scoffed. “And what if Kim’s lying?”

“He may be a show-off, but he’s not a liar.”

“Whatever.” Nath held up the new weapon he was going to try out, the N-ZAP ’85. “So, should we go battle?”

“Fine, I suppose. But like I said, I’m only doing one match. Tower Control is really not my thing.”

Seeing her dejected face was enough to make Nath feel a little guilty for dragging her into this. It was like kicking a guppy. He leaned forwards and gave her a quick hug.

“Thank you Rose, you’re an awesome friend.”

There – that had cheered her up! She gave him one of her massive smiles.

“It’s no problem! With you it’ll be fun! Let’s get going.”

They went into the Lobby together and joined a match. Since it was Nath’s first time he had automatically been assigned a rank of C-, the lowest, so he was matched up with other players of similar ranks. Rose had done few enough Ranked Battles that she was still a C- rank too, so they were assigned to the same team together along with two other people.

While the team was getting ready, Nath read a little information booklet that explained the rules of Tower Control. In this mode, there was a small square tower with a little post in the middle of it. It started off in the centre of the battle stage, and whenever one of the teams “controlled” it (by having at least one of their members standing on the tower) it would slowly move along a predetermined path towards a goal near the enemy team’s base. The objective was to get the tower as far towards the goal as possible within the time limit, and stop it falling into enemy control.

That sounded simple enough. Of course, there were a few more rules, such as the match going into overtime if the losing team was in control of the tower when time was up, or that if the tower reached one of the goals then the team in control would automatically win by knockout, etc. Nath decided he would get the hang of it better by actually taking part.

He and his teammates were transported to Kelp Dome for the first match. It was a large indoor greenhouse full of all sorts of plants and food being grown everywhere, making it hot and humid. According to the map the tower was on top of a large platform in the open central area of the battle stage.

Rose started giggling for some reason.

“What’s funny?” Nath asked.

“Oh! It’s just… well, have you had a look at our opponents?”

Nath took a look. Some random guy called Justin, that was alright… and the others were…

“The Slaughter Squad!” he yelped. “How is that funny? We’re going to lose for sure!”

Rose managed to stop herself laughing long enough to answer. “If this was a Turf War we’d lose, but when it comes to Ranked Battles, they’re only rank C- for a reason! You’ll see what I mean!” She collapsed into giggles again.

Nath still wasn’t sure. Alright, fair enough, Kim and Alix wouldn’t be too bad to deal with probably. But what about Max, the legendary unsplattable inkling? Was he still going to be using an E-Litre 3K Scope?

Sure enough, taking a look at what weapons they were using, it was true. Max was still using his E-Litre. The other two had switched to using Tentatek Splattershots. That made sense, since Aerosprays would not be ideal for the kind of fierce battling needed for Tower Control. But Max, with his ridiculously long-ranged Charger… Nath shivered just thinking about it.

The signal played for the match to begin, and Nath immediately jumped off the starting platform onto the low ground, shooting orange ink everywhere. The N-ZAP ’85 had a very quick fire rate and reminded him somewhat of using the good old Splattershot Jr. that he had started off with, though thankfully with better range and accuracy. Maybe he would actually be good at using this one!

One of his other teammates inked the side of a wall and swam up it to get access to the tower much quicker than going the long way around, and Nath followed. They arrived in the central area to see that the other team had already got to the tower first, with Kim standing on top of it raining down Suction Bombs everywhere, and Alix running around on the ground shooting at anyone who came near.

Nath noticed a laser line from somewhere high up and quickly swam away, hopefully out of reach. Kelp Dome had narrow grated walkways running above most of the arena and it looked like Max must have been standing up on one of those, trying to splat people from there.

Anyway, there was no time to lose. The tower was already moving towards the finishing point near his team’s base and he had to stop it from getting there!

He swam up to the side of the tower, unnoticed, while Alix was off chasing Rose. Then he leapt into humanoid form for a second and threw a Splat Bomb onto the tower, hoping that would force Kim off it. But Kim merely went around to the other side of the tower and used the post to shield himself from the explosion.

Alright – maybe direct action was better. He shot orange ink up the side of the tower, swam up onto it, then tried to splat Kim by shooting at him directly.

For some reason, Kim suddenly jumped off the tower, leaving Nath standing there alone. Huh, that was weird. But good! It was good! The tower was now in his team’s control and had started heading the other way.

He went around to the other side of the tower for a better view of where the tower was going, only to see that Kim had left a Suction Bomb there. Nath backed up as quickly as possible but it was too late – the bomb exploded, splatting him in bright blue ink, and Kim went back onto the tower and regained control.

In the several seconds it took Nath to respawn back at his home base, he could see several interesting things happening on the map. His teammates were all distracted and not focusing on the tower. Rose was in a battle with Justin, and the other teammates seemed to be chasing Max and trying to splat him – though surely that was futile, considering Max’s title of “unsplattable”. Meanwhile, the tower was getting closer and closer to the finish, closer and closer to knocking them out completely!

Nath knew it was up to him to stop the tower. He couldn’t afford to make any silly mistakes this time, like not noticing a sneaky Suction Bomb. He had to be careful and do this properly.

The tower was already closing in on the final stretch, down one of the side corridors – though calling it a “corridor” didn’t seem right, since Kelp Dome was so big and spacious. Nath swam over towards there as quick as he could…

Then stopped, staring in disbelief.

“…and I was on the tower first, so you get off and protect it!”

“The tower goes faster with more people on it so will you just let me stay here–”

“But you’re always getting splatted, you’ll sabotage the whole–”

“There’s no one around! Just let me on the tower, you big oaf, we’re meant to be a team!”

Nath couldn’t help it – he burst into laughter. Of course it wasn’t the first time he had seen Kim and Alix furiously arguing with each other, but right in the middle of battle? Oh, this was just too good!

“There, go splat that guy!” Kim said, pointing at Nath. Nath tried to hold up his N-ZAP ’85 and shoot at them but he was still laughing too much to aim anywhere near well enough.

“Why don’t you go splat him? I thought you said you were the one who’s good at splatting people, huh?”

“Oh, just get off my tower you stupid midget!”

Kim picked up Alix by the scruff of the neck and threw her off the tower. Within a few seconds she had climbed back on and started violently hitting him with her weapon.

“HOW DARE YOU CHUCK ME OFF THE TOWER, YOU COMPLETE, UTTER–”

A string of interesting swear words followed. Nath finally got his laughter under control, knowing that he couldn’t waste this chance. If those two were busy having a full-on fist-fight in the middle of battle, at least they weren’t concentrating on him. He ran closer and started shooting at them. That seemed to stop the brawl immediately.

His N-ZAP didn’t have quite as much range as the Tentatek Splattershots, not to mention that it was two on one. He was splatted within just a few seconds. The other two immediately went back to fighting each other.

Respawning back on his home base, Nath knew it was hopeless. None of his teammates were anywhere near the tower so he couldn’t Super Jump there quickly, and trying to swim all the way there would take too much time. There was no point. He watched the map, seeing the tower getting closer and closer and…

There. The tower reached the goal and the signal played for the end of the match. The inklings were all Super Jumped to the centre of the arena where Plagg was waiting to judge them, as always.

“You know,” he said, in a completely monotone voice, “there is a rule that states no physical violence allowed or you will be disqualified. But then again, that rule only applies when you are attacking people from the opposing team. There’s nothing that forbids you from fighting your own teammates. So I guess I’m not allowed to disqualify you complete morons, as much as I want to, since you technically did nothing wrong. Congrats on the win.”

Without another word he vanished.

“I’m not the one who started the fight!” Kim said indignantly. “That thing hit me first.”

“I’m not a thing and I am this close to hitting you again!” Alix snapped.

“Ew, the thing’s trying to speak to me. Max, make it stop.”

Max simply sighed and Super Jumped away.

“Oh fine then, just leave me here with an overly violent little rodent who seems to like trying to beat me up–”

“We should probably go,” Rose muttered, tugging on Nath’s arm. “I don’t like arguments.”

Of course she didn’t. Nath, on the other hand, was finding this far more amusing than he should. At least it was distracting him from the fact that he’d lost his very first Ranked Battle, even though he’d had a chance to win it.

“Fine,” he said. He and Rose Super Jumped back to the plaza. They landed rather near where Max had landed. How was that guy so cool? He hadn’t even needed to say anything to his idiotic teammates, he just left. What gracefulness. What… freshness.

“Phew!” Rose said, a smile back on her face. “I told you Tower Control is aggressive, though I wasn’t expecting it to be quite that aggressive. A real fist-fight, honestly! Did you witness it yourself? What caused it? I would think that they… Nath? Hello?”

She waved a hand in front of his voice. He snapped out of his daydream. Had he been staring at Max? He really didn’t mean to. He was just… trying to figure out how to be that fresh. Of course.

“Yeah, I’m listening,” he said.

“Oh, right! Sorry.” Rose continued to speak. Nath wasn’t really listening that much, though. What type of sunglasses was Max wearing? Why did he wear them all the time? They certainly looked good, that was for sure. And that jacket, that jacket looked good too. And that whole attitude, the whole way of life, being unsplattable and carrying that E-Litre 3K Scope around everywhere with him even when he didn’t need it, just because it fit his aesthetic…

Nath tried to shake himself out of it. He wasn’t feeling jealous, was he? No… so then what was he feeling?

Another boss battle. Another time for Adrien to use his Kraken. Yet again, he felt the toxic Octarian ink overtaking him. But this time he wanted to stay awake – he had to stay awake! He had to help Marinette defeat the “Octonozzle”, as this Octarian boss was called.

Why had he used his Kraken? They were doing fine without it. It might have been difficult, but they would have lived. He didn’t need to do it. Why was he always so impulsive? Using his powerful weapons just to be on the safe side, even when he didn’t need to. And this time, all it was doing was causing him pain.

“Chat Noir, stay safe!” he heard Marinette call to him, as if from a distance. She pushed him towards the edge of the arena and then ran off to fight the boss herself. She was so good at being the hero. Afraid of nothing, excellent at everything. Would Adrien ever be able to reach that level? Maybe, maybe not. It would take a long time, that was for sure.

“You okay, bucko?” he heard Captain Fu ask him through the radio.

“I…”

He couldn’t reply. If he opened his mouth anymore, he might be sick. The edges of his vision were starting to black out.

No! He didn’t want to faint again. The boss wasn’t defeated, it wasn’t safe to just suddenly pass out right here. But this Octarian ink that he had absorbed while transformed into the Kraken, it was hurting him. Killing him. It felt like his blood was sizzling.

“Take a seat if you want, bucko. You’ve earned it.”

Had he though? Had he really earned it, when Marinette was out there still fighting?

Feeling dizzy and sick, he slumped onto the floor. The world seemed to be spinning around him. He could see Marinette shooting at the Octonozzle’s tentacle, though it seemed blurry from here, and he could see her stand back as the Octonozzle burst into pieces. All that remained was the butterfly that it had been holding captive.

Oh, thank goodness. The boss was defeated. It was safe.

Without even realizing it, Adrien had ended up lying down, swimming in and out of consciousness. Vague memories drifted past him, nothing concrete. Was that a side effect of prolonged exposure to Octarian ink? Reliving your memories? Because that had happened to him the first time, too.

“Chat! Chat, are you okay?”

He could barely even hear Marinette. Heck, was that even Marinette? Or was it Captain Fu? He couldn’t tell through the ringing in his ears.

Closing his eyes, he finally let the darkness wash over him completely.

A park, with everyone on skateboards and having a good time. But Adrien waits outside. He won’t enter. Not without…

“Why don’t you want to go in?” he asks.

Those grey eyes turn to look at him with less enthusiasm than he has ever seen. “I’m not really… welcome here, I guess…”

“Why not?”

A sigh – not a tired one, but a sad one. “I have an enemy here.”

“You have an enemy?!” Adrien can’t help but feel shocked. “How could anyone be your enemy?”

“You don’t battle with me much, you don’t know, but…” A soft hand squeeze. “I’m not really as nice to other people as I am to you.”

“I know that,” Adrien admits.

“Yeah. I wish I could be better. I just…” A harder hand squeeze now. “I find it so hard to apologize! And I’ve got this reputation already, and I don’t wanna change it, I worked so hard to get here. But I always get so jealous and reckless, and a certain person here at this skatepark hates me very much, and I wish I could change that but I just don’t even know where to start…”

Adrien always loves receiving hugs, but now is the time to give one. He never tires of feeling that precious warm hoodie fabric against his arms.

“I’m proud of you for trying,” he says. “You know there’s a problem and you want to change. That’s the first step. And I love you.”

A long pause. His words must have really had an effect.

“I… I love you too, Adrien.”

Of course. He knows that. He smiles into the hoodie, feeling lucky for once.

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

Splataclysm! - chapter 5

Hey does anyone remember that really weird Splatoon AU fic I was writing? I promise I didn’t forget about it. I’m gonna try and get it finished as soon as possible because I have been in such a Splatoon mood lately. Anyway, have some Octoling appreciation :D

Also on AO3 as always

It wasn’t long before the next Splatfest was announced in Inkopolis. The difference was that this time, it was the final Splatfest. The Squid Sisters were becoming too busy to regularly host them.

“It’s so unfair!” Nath complained to Rose as they walked towards the voting booth to pick their teams. “I didn’t get here very long ago and I’m only ever going to experience one Splatfest while everyone else got to participate in loads!”

“At least this is the most interesting one!” Rose said. “Usually our team choices were things like Barbarian vs Ninja, or North Pole vs South Pole. But this time? Mireille vs Aurore! That’s much more exciting!”

Nath sighed. “I don’t even know who I’ll pick. They’re both equal to me.”

“Same! I’m going to feel ever so bad for having to choose between them!”

Of course Rose would. She was just too nice for her own good. Nath was slowly starting to feel weirdly protective over her, like a little sister, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

There was the voting booth up ahead, where people picked their teams and were given a “Splatfest Tee” to wear for the duration of the event to signify which side they were supporting. Nath was about to go up and just flip a coin to pick a random side when he noticed who the inklings standing at the booth were.

The Slaughter Squad.

“Let’s just stay back a second,” he muttered, grabbing Rose’s arm and pulling her aside.

The Slaughter Squad seemed to have trouble choosing too. They didn’t appear to notice that they were completely blocking off the voting booth from anyone else who wanted to vote and had already made up their mind.

“What do you think, Max?” Kim asked.

Max just shrugged, his sunglasses obscuring his expression but body language betraying that he seemed rather bored.

“Mireille does tend to always win,” Alix said.

“Yeah, duh, we all know that. No need to point out the obvious, jeez.”

“Alright, I was just saying!”

“So anyway, I think we should pick Team Mireille. Everyone always picks Aurore’s team so the multiplier will be in our favour and whatever other maths stuff Max told us about last time.”

“But if everyone knows that Mireille always wins, and this is the final Splatfest, then more people might pick Mireille and the multiplier might boost Aurore’s team instead…”

“Oh shut up,” Kim snapped, shoving her aside. “We’re voting Team Mireille and that’s final. Right Max?”

Max just shrugged again, very much looking like he was stifling a yawn.

“Okay, that’s settled. Team Mireille it is.”

The three of them pressed the left side buttons on the machine and were given three magenta-coloured Splatfest Tees.

“I hate these stupid t-shirts,” Alix said, scrunching hers into a ball.

“Of course you do, you’re way too small to fit in them properly.”

“Actually I hate them because all the abilities I worked so hard to earn on my hoodie just go to waste for these two days when we’re forced to wear these instead–”

“I don’t care. Let’s go.”

Nath watched the Slaughter Squad walk off, suspecting that he might have been gripping Rose’s arm just a little too tightly. How were the Slaughter Squad so fresh? How did they become so good? Was it practice? Luck? Were they just born like that?

Well, he suspected in Kim and Alix’s cases it might be luck and practice. But Max? Max “Unsplattable” Kanté? That guy just oozed freshness, so easily, so effortlessly, with his E-Litre 3K Scope slung over his shoulder, that 3-star triple Damage Up jacket, those sunglasses catching glints of the light from the sky and buildings around them, the way the sun seemed to shine its rays on him specifically, basking him in some kind of ethereal glow like a sort of immortal omnipotent being–

Nath looked away quickly, blushing. He hadn’t realized he was staring.

“Have you decided on a team yet?” Rose asked, distracting him from his rather overactive mind.

“Hm?... Oh, yeah…” He loosened his grip slightly and led her over to the voting booth. “I’m picking Team Mireille. I don’t want to lose my only Splatfest, and if she always wins, well…”

“Good choice!” Rose said, beaming up at him. “I think I’ll pick Mireille too! Then the two of us can be on the same team.”

He smiled back, feeling oddly comforted at the thought of Rose being his teammate. She was pretty much still his only friend here. It was good to have her around.

They cast their votes, then were given Splatfest Tees to wear. The actual Splatfest would begin the next day, so they didn’t have to wear them until then. Meanwhile in the plaza, a large stage was being set up near the television booth. Apparently every Splatfest, the Squid Sisters would perform their songs standing up on here. Nath couldn’t wait to see it. Of course he’d heard them perform live before – he had been there to watch them win the Youth Folk-Singing Contest in the first place – but here in Inkopolis, where they were celebrities, it would feel much more exciting.

“Oh! I’ve got a new message!” Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“Let me guess, it’s from Juleka?” Nath asked. Juleka seemed to be the only person Rose got messages from these days.

“It is, it is! And oh listen… she’s asking me if I’d want to get a coffee… that’s so sweet…”

“You don’t even like coffee,” Nath pointed out.

“I know, but still! It’s the thought that counts!”

“Have you even met Juleka before? In person?”

“Of course I have!” Rose frowned at him, looking slightly annoyed for once. “I know I don’t tend to battle much, but I have asked her to update my gear with more ability slots before. I’ve spoken to her a lot. She’s just shy, she doesn’t like going out of her way to talk to people. It doesn’t mean I can’t get to know her well. And where better than a coffee date at Arowana Mall?”

She had a kind of fire in her eyes that he hadn’t seen before. Huh, she really cared about Juleka, didn’t she?

“You should ask her to be your girlfriend,” he said on a whim.

“You think so? I mean, I would love to, but… she’s… a sea urchin…”

“No one bats an eyelid at Mylène the anemone and Ivan the inkling.”

“True! You’re right, maybe I should ask Juleka!” She giggled a little. “So, what caused your sudden dramatic turn-around, Nath? According to Juleka you weren’t even willing to give her my number at first…”

Oh drat, Rose knew about that? How embarrassing.

“I was just being stupid,” he said quickly. “Seriously though, you and Juleka deserve each other. You both seem to like each other a lot, so why not?”

“Aww, Nath!” Rose hugged him. “Do you really think she likes me back?”

“Well why else is she asking you on a coffee date to Arowana Mall?”

“Good point! Anyway, I’d better reply and then head off to go find her. I’ll see you later, okay?”

She started typing away on her phone as she walked off.

Well, now what? Nath found himself wishing he had more friends. People often tended to go battling in groups, but he just wasn’t close enough with anyone else. It wasn’t like Rose ever battled much anyway.

He sighed, watching all the other inklings milling around in the area. Why couldn’t he just talk to them? He had always been so shy, so reserved, so quiet. And now, here in this city, he wasn’t fresh enough either. How long was it going to take?

Octo Valley was slowly becoming more unforgiving as the Octarians were improving their forces. Some of the foes that Marinette and Adrien had to face were much more difficult than before, with advanced weaponry that could only have been stolen from the inklings. How was that possible? Did they get the information from Nino? And where were they keeping him? How long would it be until he could be found?

The most difficult of the Octarian enemies so far were the Octolings. They were essentially the Octarian versions of inklings – humanoid creatures that could shift into octopus form at will and swim through their own ink, with weapons and bombs just like the inklings used. It was far more tiring to fight them than any of the other, simpler Octarian enemies.

“This kettle looks a lot like Kelp Dome,” Marinette said to Adrien as they entered a new area. “It’s like they’ve copied it.”

“I was thinking the same thing…”

“Beware of the Octolings!” Fu warned them through the radio. “There’ll be plenty ahead, no doubt!”

“It’s no problem,” Marinette said. “We know this course inside out. Adrien, you go right. I’ll go left. We’ll meet back in the centre. If you need any help or find the butterfly before me, just let me know by radio.”

“Are you sure we should split up?” Adrien asked.

“It’ll be fine.” Marinette smiled at him, hoping she looked encouraging. “You can do it. Octolings are just like inklings, right? Pretend it’s a Turf War or Ranked Battle and you’re just splatting your opponents. I’ll be close by to help if you need it.”

“Alright. Thanks, Marinette.”

He put his Krak-On Splat Roller on the ground and began running off down one of the side paths. Marinette turned to the left and headed the other way.

It wasn’t difficult at first. Sure, Octolings were tougher than other Octarian enemies. But Marinette was a battle veteran, she was used to difficult situations. This kind of thing didn’t feel particularly out of the ordinary for her. She splatted Octoling after Octoling, keeping her eyes out for the butterfly, trying not to feel too guilty. Octolings really did look like inklings to her. At least they would respawn – though hopefully not too soon.

She had reached the opposite side of the dome when she heard something that sounded incredibly familiar. Was that… the Squid Sisters? Singing?

Marinette ran towards where the sound was coming from, though cautiously in case it was a trap of some sort. Sure enough, as the music got louder, she did recognize it. That definitely was the sound of a Squid Sisters song, and not just any song. “Calamari Inkantation”, as it was called, was the inkling song. The most famous melody in existence. The Squid Sisters had covered it and their version was topping the charts, it was such a favourite among the citizens of Inkopolis.

Hiding behind a wall, Marinette slowly inched forwards and had a look around the corner. There! A radio was sitting on one of the platforms, playing Calamari Inkantation. And someone was sitting in front of it, quietly singing along.

Not just anyone. An Octoling.

Marinette lowered her weapon slightly. Why was an Octoling listening to inkling radio stations? And singing along? Marinette hadn’t even thought Octolings could understand the inkling language. It usually took jellyfish and other sea creatures long enough to learn.

The Octoling… she had a lovely voice, that was for sure. She was sitting facing the other way so only the back of her was visible. Her tentacle hair was longer than most Octolings usually kept theirs, a beautiful auburn colour with gentle curls. It swayed slightly in the breeze.

Huh, a breeze? Here, underground? Maybe the Octarians pumped air into their caves or something. Or perhaps this Octoling’s hair just moved like that on its own. Marinette watched in fascination.

The song came to an end, and the sound of the radio presenter followed.

“…And that was our good old Calamari Inkantation, by the Squid Sisters we all know and love! I hope everyone out there was singing along! Now for the Splatfest news – our final Splatfest, Mireille vs Aurore, has begun! We can’t say for sure what the results will be yet but surely it’ll be close…”

“I’m missing a SPLATFEST?!” Marinette yelped, unable to stop herself. She quickly put her hand over her mouth and dipped into squid form.

The Octoling switched off the radio and jumped up, looking around. Marinette stayed as still as possible.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

The Octoling had spoken in inkling – oh, she had spoken in inkling. Singing a song was one thing, but she had really said a sentence in the language. She could speak it. Her words had a strange lilt to them, her voice sounding slightly lower and smoother than that of inklings. Marinette held back a gasp.

“I know I heard someone…”

The Octarian turned around. Her tentacles were cut short at the front into a fringe, and she had little foxtails dangling down by her shoulders. Most Octolings wore visors but this one didn’t – her eyes were green, a beautiful, leafy green that was surprisingly uncommon on this wasteland of a planet.

Marinette moved backwards a little. It was a mistake. The Octoling’s eyes snapped down to where Marinette was hiding in the ink.

“You’re there, I know you are! Please come out! I promise I won’t attack you!”

“Don’t fall for it,” Fu muttered through the radio. Marinette had forgotten he was there. “She’s just luring you into a false sense of security. Better to splat her on sight.”

It was true. Octolings were not to be trusted.

But this Octoling… she didn’t have a weapon with her. She was entirely defenceless. And anyway, how could she be all bad? She had been listening to inkling radio, right? Apparently she liked the Squid Sisters. She couldn’t be an enemy to the inklings.

Marinette slowly stood up into her full humanoid form, still keeping her weapon close just in case. The Octoling’s expression softened as she watched.

“You’re an inkling,” she said quietly, keeping her distance. She looked a little afraid. “You’re one of the ones travelling through our lands and taking the butterflies away.”

“I’m taking the butterflies back,” Marinette clarified. “They were ours to begin with.”

The Octoling sighed. “That’s true…”

“What are you waiting for?” Fu said. “Splat her! She’s right there!”

“Why were you listening to inkling radio?” Marinette asked, ignoring Fu for the moment. She was too intrigued now. She needed answers.

“I love the Squid Sisters,” the Octoling replied. “They have such amazing voices! And amazing songs! I want to be a singer too, so it really inspires me.”

“Don’t you have any Octarian idols of your own?”

The Octoling shuffled around nervously. “We’re not supposed to make our own music. Our leader likes us to listen to his music only.”

“Your leader doesn’t sound very nice…”

The Octoling shrugged. “What can we do? Inklings won’t let us have any land up on the surface, and we can’t go back in the sea. Our leader and our kettles are all we have.”

Oh, so was that why they were stealing butterflies? Because they didn’t have anything else? To them, the inklings must seem so privileged. Marinette was starting to feel rather bad indeed for how many Octarians she had splatted recently. Weren’t they just doing exactly what she was doing? Trying to protect her home and her friends?

“You’re not as bad as they’ve told us the inklings are,” the Octoling continued. “Are all inklings like you?”

“Every inkling is different, I suppose. Maybe some are good, some are bad.” Like Octarians, she thought to herself, though she didn’t say it out loud. Fu was still listening, after all, and he hated all Octarians no matter what.

“You seem like a good inkling. You just want to get your butterflies back. I understand.”

“And I want my friend back too,” Marinette said, feeling stronger as she thought of Nino. “He’s been kidnapped and we don’t know what’s happening to him down here. Me and my fellow agent have to rescue him.”

The Octoling nodded. “I know who you’re talking about. Your friend. He’s… well… please don’t be too shocked when you find him, okay?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“He might be a bit different now. Well, a lot different. I don’t know exactly what our leader has done with him but I’ve heard some rumours.”

“What rumours? Please, tell me what’s happened to Nino!”

“I don’t know!” The Octoling looked scared again. “Even if I did, how could I tell you? You’re an inkling! You’re… you’re an enemy…”

“Exactly,” Fu said, sounding impatient. “She’s your enemy, now just splat her already!”

“We don’t have to be enemies,” Marinette said.

“I know,” the Octoling replied. “But what can I do? I’ve already betrayed my people enough by telling you all this. And listening to your music. And wishing I could move to Inkopolis and be as fresh as all of you are–”

She snapped her hand over her mouth, looking around as if she was expecting someone to be spying on her.

“It’s okay,” Marinette said. “You don’t have to tell me anymore. I’ll, uh, leave you alone now…”

“Wait! I just want to know… what’s your name?”

Marinette hesitated. No one was supposed to know her identity, not even people back home.

“Ladybug,” she replied finally. It wasn’t a total lie. “What’s your name?”

The Octoling hesitated too. After a few seconds she said, “Volpina.”

That must be a lie. Marinette just nodded.

“Volpina. Thank you. I wish you luck in your singing career.”

“And I hope you can rescue your friend.”

“WHY AREN’T YOU SPLATTING HER?!” Fu screeched.

Marinette hurried away, back towards the outer edges of Kelp Dome. How could she have splatted “Volpina”? Sure, Volpina would have respawned, but still. It would have seemed so unfair.

Things were still not sinking in. An Octoling who was a fan of the Squid Sisters? Who wanted to move to Inkopolis and be just like the inklings? Marinette carried on trudging through the dome, but she just couldn’t get her mind off it. She couldn’t get her mind off Volpina.

This Splatfest was not going well. Nath had decided to try out a Blaster, and his teammate Ivan was just staring at him in dismay.

“What?” Nath asked.

“You’re using a Blaster,” Ivan replied, his voice completely monotone. He sounded more disappointed than Nath had ever heard him.

“Yeah? So? I like trying out new weapons.” More like, he kept trying out new weapons because he still hadn’t found one that fit, and Tikki wouldn’t help him with it.

“You’re using a Blaster. For a Turf War.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Ivan rubbed his forehead. “Blasters are for splatting. Not for inking.”

“Well so are Chargers, right? And Max uses a Charger!”

“Max is an exception to every rule. Some people might be alright at using Blasters during Turf War, but you? On your first try? During a Splatfest, when it actually matters whether we win or lose?”

Ouch. Did Ivan really have such little faith in him?

“Relax, Ivan, it’ll be fine,” he said. “Okay, so I know Blasters have a low fire rate and stuff. But they have exploding bullets! I’ll be able to splat people way more easily, so they won’t be able to ink any turf, and we’ll win. That’s how it’s going to work.”

Ivan just sighed. “I sure do hope so, Nathaniel…”

The match that followed was a disaster. It was true that Blasters did not cover much turf. Nath had hoped that the bullets would make up for it, but the low fire rate meant that if Nath missed his shot, the opponent would have time to splat him before he could take another shot. And that happened far, far too often. Nath was terrible at aiming. The only thing that kept him going through the match was the Squid Sisters music that was blasting through the speakers, keeping his motivation up.

“I knew our team would lose,” Ivan said once the match results had been announced. The rest of the team members were trudging away solemnly. It seemed that people took losing Splatfest battles much more seriously than normal battles.

“It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Nath said, looking at his Blaster. “You’re right, this weapon sucks for Turf War. I should have thought about that first.”

“Hey…” Ivan looked like he was trying to smile, though it didn’t look particularly genuine. “You still did pretty well for a Blaster, though.”

“No I didn’t! 400p? That’s awful!”

“And what did you get on your very first match here in Inkopolis?”

Nath thought back. It suddenly felt like a long time ago. “I think it was about 140p…”

“See? So you are improving!”

Well, that much was true. He wasn’t anywhere near as bad now as he used to be. Alright, so he wasn’t amazing yet. But at least things were changing.

“Thanks, Ivan,” he said, really meaning it. “Hey – are Heavy Splatlings easy to use, by any chance?”

Ivan picked his Heavy Splatling up off the floor beside him. “Not that much. It took me a while to get used to it. But this is the exact kind of weapon I love. I can keep back, away from the front lines, but still protect my teammates when they need it. And unlike a Charger, I don’t need to bother with single, accurate shots. I can just pummel the opponents until they give in.”

That sounded amazing. “Maybe I’ll try that next.”

“Sure, but remember, it’s still hard to get the hang of. Most weapons are. Maybe a Mini Splatling would be better for someone as… well…” Ivan looked down at Nath from his rather high-up point of view.

“Yeah, okay, I get it,” Nath muttered. “I’m small. But I can lift a Heavy Splatling, don’t worry.”

Ivan’s smile looked a lot more genuine now. “I’m sure you can. Good luck, Nath. I know this is your only Splatfest so I’m really hoping we win.”

“Me too.”

“Will you two hurry up and go away?” Plagg called from the centre of the arena. “I need to start the next match!”

Oh – of course! Nath quickly Super Jumped away.

Heavy Splatling didn’t work so well. Mini Splatling didn’t either. Just like Chargers, those weapons had to be charged up before being fired. And Nath was constantly being splatted while waiting to charge. It was just so, so tedious.

“Tikki, what kind of weapon should I be using?” he asked her after yet another lost Turf War. At this rate Team Mireille were going to lose the Splatfest for sure.

“That’s not up to me,” Tikki said.

“But I’m trying out so many different things and it’s not helping!”

“Well, you do seem to be very good at using a Splattershot these days…”

“Everyone’s good at using a Splattershot. And anyway, I’m not above average when I use it. It just doesn’t feel like the kind of weapon I should be using. I know there’s something out there that’s perfect for me, and I just need to find it!”

“In that case, here is my advice.” Tikki took a deep breath. “Watch your teammates and opponents very carefully. See what weapons they’re using, what playstyles they are employing. Do they play aggressively? Cautiously? Defensively? Are certain strategies better with particular weapon types? Do some analysis. See if you can imagine yourself in their positions, whether or not you would feel comfortable playing the way they do. Use that to help you narrow down what sort of weapon you want to use.”

That was pretty much what he had been trying to do already. But getting mad at Tikki wouldn’t achieve anything – she was just trying to help him.

“Thank you,” he said. “I think I’ll stick with a Splattershot for now…”

“That sounds like a good idea. But let me know if there’s anything else you want to try out!”

“I will. But I’ll wait till the end of the Splatfest first.”

Tikki glanced at a clock on the wall. “Isn’t that in about 2 minutes?”

What?! Nath looked at the clock to see–

No! The Splatfest was about to end! Did he have time for another battle?

Without even bothering to say bye to Tikki, he raced out of the door and across the plaza towards the Lobby. Surely he could make it in time?

But he didn’t. The doors were closed. And a few seconds later, the screen in the plaza lit up with an announcement from the Squid Sisters. He turned to look, trying not to feel too grumpy.

“And that’s the end of the final Splatfest!” Mireille said, punching a fist up in the air as usual. “I can’t wait to find out the results!”

“Same!” Aurore said, a rare smile on her face. “We’ll let you all know when the results have been calculated. In the meantime, carry on with all your regular battles, and stuff.”

“And now to announce the Turf War stages…”

Nath didn’t bother to listen to any more. This Splatfest was over, and he had hardly contributed at all. He’d lost most of his matches. It wouldn’t be a surprise if his team lost.

The next morning, he sat in his apartment drinking a rather large mug of coffee and feeling more glum than usual. He had been intending to psych himself up to find out the results of the Splatfest and then go into the plaza when he was ready. But the morning newspaper had arrived and already told him the bad news.

TEAM AURORE WINS FINAL SPLATFEST DESPITE GAINING FEWER VOTES

Wasn’t that exactly what Alix had been warning her teammates about? Most people would have voted for Mireille, expecting her to win, and the mysterious “multiplier” (whatever that was) would give enough of a boost to Aurore’s team to drive her to victory instead.

So that was it. Nath had lost his only Splatfest. He would never get a chance to participate in another one again, ever, in his life.

He grabbed an energy drink off the counter beside him and dunked it all into his coffee mug. He was definitely going to need it today.