*Turf war*
*Arowana Mall*
*Ink the most turf to win*

Dawn spawned onto her respawn pad with her three other teammates, looking up at the night sky and hearing a siren go off, indicating the start of the match. She quickly ran off and began to ink her turf, moving with speed and precision down the map.

Dawn looked over to her side and saw the outside of the mall, seeing many cars driving by and cephalopods walking along the sidewalks, which made her admire the atmosphere for a second before she heard the sound of rapid footsteps and enemy shots going off, which brought her back to reality.

She ran into the middle of the map, scoping out her surroundings to see ink flying all around her. Dawn saw a laser from a charger point straight at her forehead from a distance, making her quickly move her head out of the way, dodging the hard and brutal sound of the E-Liter shooting at her from a distance, making it sound like a clap of Thunder.

The E-Liter was stunned from Dawn's swift reaction timing, and when they saw her glare in the distance, they instantly began to back away just as Dawn took one step forward to rush them down. Just as Dawn was about to chase the E-Liter, she heard the beeping sound of an AutoBomb, making her look down, then quickly jump away from the explosion of the walking enemy robot.

She saw an Inkling boy rushing towards her while holding and N-Zap 89, shooting quick and swift shots of Ink in her direction. Dawn dodged the swift shots of Ink, then pulled out a burst bomb, throwing it straight at the N-Zap, but they managed to dodge the bomb just in time by moving their body quickly to the side.

The N-Zap smirked at Dawn, but before he could do anything, he heard the sounds and wails of an Inkling girl from behind him, making him turn around and see that Dawn's burst bomb wasn't supposed to be aimed towards him, but rather the Inkling girl from his team behind him, who was on the verge of splatting an Octoling boy on the ground, using the Dynamo roller.

The Octoling boy on Dawn's team used this opportunity to stand up on his feet and use his Dynamo to swing at the Inkling girl, hitting her directly on her waist and brutally splatting her with a hard, clean hit.

The N-Zap cursed under his breath before turning back around towards Dawn, only to notice that she was nowhere to be found, which made the boy hold up his N-Zap and look all around him.

N-Zap: show yourself!!

The N-Zap began shooting at the enemy ink to try and reveal Dawn from her hiding place, but he found no traces of her anywhere, which made him grit his teeth in anger. The boy felt a drop of enemy Ink touch his head from above, making him look up and see Dawn high in the sky with her tentacles glowing along with her fist.

Dawn glared straight into his eyes and quickly flew downwards, punching him in the face and slamming him down onto the ground with her splashdown, splatting him in the process while creating a large explosion of ink.

Dawn stood up and sighed just as she heard the sound of a torpedo locking onto her. She turned her head and saw a torpedo heading straight in her direction, making her swiftly shoot it with ease to knock it down.

From the enemy Ink emerged an Octoling girl holding clear dapple dualies and pointed them straight at Dawn, but she reacted by jumping away from the short ranged shots. The Octoling girl rushed Dawn down and began to shoot at her once more, but Dawn avoided the shots and saw the Octoling smirk right in front of her.

Dawn thought to herself for a minute, then noticed that majority of the map wasn't getting inked at the moment, realizing that all of her squadmates were getting overwhelmed by the enemy. She felt another cephalopod emerge from the ink behind her, a Splattershot Pro Inkling girl that the Dynamo splatted earlier.

Dawn: (.....quick respawn.....mm..)

Dawn looked over to see the E-Liter looking straight at her once again, aiming directly for her.

Dawn:....(she must've super jumped to the E-Liter once she respawned.....)

Dapple Dualies: It's over!

Dawn could feel the pro aiming at her from behind, while also feeling the beaming laser from the E-Liter on her body. Dawn let out a little sigh and watched as the Dapple Dualies lowered their fingers onto the triggers. Dawn quickly jumped up and over the Dapple Dualies the second she shot her weapons at her.

Dawn still felt the laser of the E-Liter on her, and just as the E-Liter took their shot straight at Dawn, she reacted by grabbing the Dapple Dualie's hoodie in mid air while above them, spinning her body swiftly in midair while pulling the Octoling from behind, dodging the shot by making it barely miss her ear.

While still above the ground, within the blink of an eye, Dawn pointed her splattershot at the Dapple Dualie's head from behind and splatted them, creating a large explosion of Ink in her color.

When the explosion happened, Dawn was nowhere to be found by the E-Liter, but from the explosion, emerged a burst bomb that was thrown by the Inkling, swiftly curving in mid air and hitting the E-Liter directly on their face, stunning them and making them rub their eyes from the ink.

The explosion settled down and the Splattershot Pro saw Dawn glaring directly at them and gestured them to come at her. The Pro gritted her teeth and threw a point sensor at her, but Dawn moved her body and turned into her squid form, swimming through the Ink and evading the shots from the Pro.

Dawn jumped up from the Ink and aimed her splattershot at the Pro, threatening them and making them jump back from hesitation. Even though the Pro knew Dawn had a perfect angle to splat her, Dawn didn't pull the trigger, which confused her, but then, the Pro stepped on a patch of enemy ink and heard a loud beeping sound coming from below her.

Splattershot Pro: An Ink mine!?....

The Ink mine exploded from under the Pro, stunning her and damaging her while throwing her off balance. The Pro survived the explosion though, thinking to herself as Dawn rushed towards her.

Splattershot Pro:.....(the Dynamo.....before he splatted me.....he must've.....*tsk* there's no way she knew!.....she didn't even speak to him!...but her team coordination....)

Before the Pro could react, Dawn threw a burst bomb and hit her clean in the face, splatting her from her already weak state.

The E-Liter rubbed their face and quickly looked down to find Dawn, only to see that she was gone. The E-Liter looked around, but couldn't find her, which made them back off from their position just as a burst bomb flew straight at them once again. But before it hit them, the E-Liter dodged the bomb, making it hit the ground behind them, which triggered the E-Liter's own Ink Mine explosion to go off from behind them.

The E-Liter turned around to notice the explosion just as Dawn swam up the wall and jumped in the air, shooting the E-Liter before they could even blink, splatting them in an instant. Dawn landed on her feet and let out a sigh, dusting the enemy ink from off of her shoulder just as her team came running back into the battlefield.

Dawn: finally....

Dawn's team let out booyahs and began inking their turf once again, which made her roll her eyes and join them in turning the tide of battle. Dawn shot her Ink everywhere she could while also admiring the scenery of Arowana Mall at night.

Dawn:........you'd love this.....wouldn't you......eight?....

————-

Rune casually spun his charger in his hand and looked down at the little cat who was holding up their team color flag, symbolizing their victory, which made Mona jump a little with a smile on her face.

Mona: y-yeah! We did it!

Octoling boy: what the hell did you say, Parasite!? Are you talking all big because you won one game!!

Mona:.....(they still can't hear me....even when I yell.....)...

Mona whimpered in fear as the Octoling boy gritted his teeth in anger, but before he could do anything, he looked over at Rune, seeing his menacing red eyes pierced straight through his soul, glaring into him which completely locked him in place, shutting down his emotions.

Rune: calm down.........she's just happy that we won.......

The Octoling boy saw Rune kneel down and pet Judd and little Judd before standing back up and walking off with Conner following next to him while Mona grabbed onto his sleeve and walked with him as well.

Octoling boy:....*tsk*....who the hell does he think he is-

Just then, an Inkling on his team pushed him aside and began to run towards the 3 cephalopods, making him stumble but barely catch himself.

Octoling boy: HEY!!

Rune: I wonder if we get Rose, she can help us beat the level too.

Conner: *shrugs*

Rune: do you think Rose is good at videogames?

Conner and Rune had their little chat while Mona silently and adorably held onto his sleeve, looking up at the Octoling and seeing his nice and gentle appearance, which only made her heart flutter and her body warm.

Even though many squids and Octos were scared of Rune and Conner's red eyes, she never felt any sense of fear when she looked at them. She knew the two had pure hearts and a calm path of triumph planned out for them. Looking at Rune's eyes specifically made her feel safe and comforted, which made her clench more onto Rune's sleeve unintentionally, catching the attention of the Octo.

Rune: you alright, Mona?

Mona:....Rune.......c-can I-

???: Stop right there!!

Rune, Conner, and Mona all stopped in their tracks and looked behind themselves to see an Inkling girl with a cap, bandanna and shades on, hiding their identity from them.

Rune:.......can we help you?

???: I've been searching for you everywhere!

Rune:....who? Me?

???: yes! You ditched me!

Rune: who the hell are you?.....wait....that voice.....

???: yes yes! You told me you're very good at remembering people from their voices alone.

The Inkling girl looked around to see if there were any cephalopods nearby, seeing barely anyone within her range. She turned over to Rune and took off her shades, then gave him a tiny smile.

Crystal: *smiles* it's me; Crystal.

Rune:.....oh yeah.....the girl from the store.

Crystal: hmph! it's been a while, Rune!

Rune:.........I saw you yesterday........and how did you know my name? I don't remember telling you that....

Crystal: o-oh....well uh.....I do my research...heh...

Rune:.....

Crystal expressed an embarrassed smile towards the three, but neither Rune or Conner really acknowledged it all that much. The only one who stared at the smile with any slight emotion was Mona, who looked back and forth between Rune and Crystal, seeing the girl, and for some odd reason, she felt the warm flow of her ink completely disappear from her body, replacing itself with a more heavy and stiff flow which weighed her down mentally, yet this feeling wasn't understandable to her.

Mona:.......Crys-

Just as Mona began to speak, her phone began to ring in her pocket, making her embarrassed. She pulled her phone out and looked at the contact as Rune looked at her, noticing her curious expression change to an expression of fear.

Mona: I'm sorry.....g-give me a moment.

Mona walked away from the three and picked up her phone call. Conner shifted his attention back to Crystal, who was looking right at him, pointing at him with a little smile.

Crystal: what's the up, my Octo friend!?

Conner:..........*confused cringe*......

Rune: she's saying the "average slang" that she thinks Inkopolis squids say....

Conner:........*shakes his head*.....

Rune: yeah, I know......

Crystal let out a tiny chuckle and put her shades back on, then rested her hands on her hips.

Crystal: I saw the book you were reading yesterday. Shattered Chronicles!

Rune: what about it?

Crystal:.........well...

Crystal walked up to him and gently grabbed onto his hand, which confused him along with Conner, looking as Crystal put on a warm smile towards him.

Crystal: Rune! You made me so happy, yesterday. Thank you for acknowledging my father's work!

Rune:.....huh?.....

Crystal: my dad is the author of Shattered chronicles. He's a writer and has made many books throughout his lifetime, but his books didn't really get many good reviews......it made me smile to see someone actually reading one of his books.....

Rune: wait....your dad is the author of my favorite book series?

Crystal: it's your favorite too!?

Rune: yeah. Also, can you let go of my hand now-

Crystal: Rune! From the bottom of my heart, I am now marking you as my first friend ever!

Rune: wait wait, slow down a bit.

Rune gently used his other hand and grabbed onto Crystal's hands that were clenching onto him. He slowly peeled her hands off of him and raised his eyebrow in confusion towards the girl.

Rune: you're going way too fast....calm down.

Crystal: o-oh.......I'm sorry....I just got a bit excited. After seeing that book, I just felt something......I like the nature that you bring wherever you go.

Rune:......

Mona: y-yes....I understand......I'll be home soon........

Rune turned his head and saw Mona hanging up on her phone, then walk towards them, giving them a tiny apologetic bow of respect.

Mona: I'm sorry....I have to head home early today......

Rune: want us to take you back?

Mona: n-no....I'll be alright.....*tiny smile* enjoy the rest of your night....

Mona super jumped away, and Rune could simply tell by her face that something was off, and when he looked over at Conner, he saw the same expression on him as well.

Rune: I've been starting to notice that Mona has been always declining our offers to come over to her apartment.....do you think we did somethin'? She says no all the time.

Conner: *shrugs*

Rune shook his head slightly, then turned his head back over to Crystal, watching her write in a little notebook to herself while mumbling.

Rune: what are you doing?

Crystal: writing down tasks on my Fresh list.

Rune: your what?

Crystal: my fresh list. I'm doing this because I want you to help me become fresh by lending assistance for me to complete these tasks.

Rune: well uh.....that's swell and all....but I kinda wanna go home and....ya know....relax.

Crystal: but the night just started. We should at least complete one.

Rune:......how the hell am I supposed to help you become fresh? I'm not even fresh myself.

Crystal: You are in my eyes! Please!

Rune:.....but-

Crystal: please, Rune! I promise I'll let you go if you help me with just one task tonight!

Rune stood in silence, looking over at Conner for help, but Conner simply looked away from his glance, showing that he didn't want to get involved. Rune rolled his eyes at his brother and looked back at Crystal, seeing her pleading for his assistance, and after a solid moment, Rune let out a very hard sigh and walked over to Crystal, taking the notebook from out of her hands.

Rune: let's just see what's on this damn list.......

Crystal: yes! Thank you!

Rune began to read, but before he finished, he heard the distant sounds of footsteps getting more and more quiet, causing him to look up and notice Conner walking away from the two with his hands in his pockets.

Rune: W-Wha-...WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?

Conner looked back at Rune and nudged his head towards the distance, which made Rune stare at him in disbelief.

Rune: don't leave me by myself!

Conner:......

Rune: if  I'm not going home, you're not going ho-

Just then, Conner quickly turned into his Octopus form and super jumped away, not even allowing Rune to finish his statement, which only annoyed him.

Rune: uuuuugh! for fucks sake....

Crystal: I'm starting to notice a pattern.......Do cephalopods abandon you like this quite often?

Rune:...I'm not answering that. Let's just do this....

Rune looked at the list and began to read once again, and Crystal saw him raise an eyebrow in a confused way, then look at her.

Rune: buy a weapon?

Crystal: yes.

Rune:......why? You already have one....

Crystal: *shakes her head* nope. I don't have any weapon at all.

Rune:.....then what were you using during that turf war match?....

Crystal: oh, a Small blast thingy.

Rune:........a small blast thingy?....oh.....the Luna blaster?

Crystal: so that's what it's called!

Rune:....yeah....where is it?

Crystal:......well uh....you see....

Just then, in the distance, Rune heard the screaming of an Inkling boy during the concert, which made him turn his head and see the boy looking on a table, then all around himself.

Inkling boy: MY LUNA BLASTER!!

Rune:........oh.......so you stole someone else's weapon........

Crystal: I borrowed it, technically.

Rune: well, go give it back then.

Crystal: oh, I gave it to that spiky-haired short guy. He said he'll take care of it and he gave me some sea snails for it.

Rune:..........you sold his weapon.....

Crystal: what?

Rune: you gave it to Murch......the only time you'd ever give a weapon to him is if you're selling it......

Crystal: oh.....uh....heh....sorry, I'm still new to Inkopolis......I don't really understand what you guys do over here. I don't leave Moray city that often.

Rune: I've noticed. Alright then....let's go.

Inkling boy: MY LUNAAAAAAAAA!!!

Rune walked throughout the square and Crystal walked with him, looking up at the stage to see the squid sisters and off the hook still preforming for the minimum amount of cephalopods in the square which concerned her a bit.

She saw the expressions the idols gave off, seeing their fake smiles, and the only ones in the crowd who seemed to be enjoying the show was the two Judds and some jellies. She looked back at Rune, only to see him not really paying it any mind at all, which made her curious, causing her to tap him to catch his attention.

Crystal: where did everyone go? I've never seen this small amount of cephalopods at a concert before.

Rune: they all left to play turf war.

Crystal: but it's the squid sisters. Wouldn't some squids stay just to not miss this opportunity ever again?

Rune: it's just because the squid sisters aren't really......acting normal.

Crystal: what do you mean?

Rune: well, I some shit happened yesterday, but I wasn't here. I heard from some cephalopods that the squid sisters randomly ran off the stage yesterday and began chasing an Inkling girl with pale skin and Black tentacles, which I obviously know is Dawn.

Crystal: do you know "Dawn"?

Rune: yeah. We're coworkers.

Crystal: oh, so you two must be good friends, right?

Rune: definitely not. She hates my guts. *shrug* she hates everyone.

Crystal:.....well, do you know why exactly they were chasing Dawn?

Rune: No, but I'm a little concerned about it. Anyway, squid sisters were also late to the concert today, which literally never happens...like, ever.

Rune walked up to Ammo Knights and pushed open the two double doors, walking inside with Crystal following behind him. When she got inside she was instantly draw to the atmosphere and weapons spread across the walls.

Crystal: woah....

Sheldon: welcome welcome, my dear customers!

Crystal looked slightly down after hearing the voice come from in front of her, which lead her straight to Sheldon, who gave her a nice smile, but then his smile faded away after looking at Crystal a bit longer, confusing the girl from his expression.

Sheldon: oh dear......you must be new here, huh? I've never seen you before.

Crystal: oh. Yes yes, I'm new here. I wanna buy a weapon!

Sheldon: hm....yes, I can take care of that. You are very dry at the moment, so it looks like I'll have to give you a weapon to freshen you up.

Crystal: *looks at Rune* see?

Rune:....*rolls his eyes*

Sheldon began to escort the two cephalopods throughout the shop, showing them many different weapons that amazed Crystal, walking around and smiling at everything she saw.

Crystal: everything is so Fresh in here....

Sheldon: hard work and help from my grandpa's blueprints. I'm surprised you've never seen or heard of my creations.

Crystal: O-Oh....well uh...

Crystal stopped walking and reached up towards her shades, taking them off in front of Sheldon along with her bandanna and cap, and to Rune's surprise, Sheldon's jaw dropped directly in front of her in pure disbelief, and Crystal giggled while rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

Crystal: today was my first turf war match ever......my parents never let me-

Sheldon: Holy carp! C-Crystal!

Sheldon ran towards Crystal and shook her hand while giving her a nod of respect, which made Rune confused when she saw the crab man blush from embarrassment.

Sheldon: I apologize for calling you dry earlier! I didn't kno-

Crystal: it's alright. I appreciate your honesty.

Crystal gently separated her hand from Sheldon, then presented Rune towards him with a pair of jazz hands.

Crystal: this is my best friend, Rune.

Rune:........hey.......

Sheldon let out a chuckle and walked over to Rune, holding out his hand for the Octo to shake it in respect.

Sheldon: it's nice to meet you properly. You have no idea how lucky you are, buddy.

Rune: yeah.....I'm a very "lucky" guy.....

Sheldon: *snickers* I already like your sense of humor.

Rune:.......*tiny smile*....that wasn't a joke....

Sheldon got on his tippy toes and patted Rune on the shoulder before walking over towards the front doors of Ammo Knights, grabbing a sign and flipping it from "open" to "closed" while locking the door, then the crab man dusted off his hands while looking over at Crystal.

Sheldon: there. Just so nobody walks inside. *ahem* now, we shall continue.

Crystal walked with Sheldon throughout the shop, and Rune walked behind them, keeping to himself with a blank face while Sheldon lifted a finger with a smart grin appearing on his face.

Sheldon: I can tell by your personality and care for your city, that you'd be a squid that wants to deeply help your squadmates, yet splat anything in your path, right?

Crystal: yes yes!

Sheldon: well then....

Sheldon pointed at the wall so show Crystal many types of weapons at her disposal. He specifically pointed at the splattershot pro hanging from a stand, then looked over at Crystal once again.

Sheldon: the splattershot pro. A very versatile weapon that could either be played aggressively or defensively. You have a sub of point sensor to mark your enemies, giving your teammates the chance to spot them and give them the advantage. Your special, Ink storm, is a very good use for controlling a certain part of the map and move your foes back to allow your team to push forward.

Crystal:.....hm....

Rune: I'm guessing it doesn't click for you?...

Crystal: not just yet.....

Crystal walked over to the wall that Sheldon pointed out to her, looking at many weapons, then her eyes rested on an Octo Brush, making her pick it up and hold it in her hands.

Crystal: What's this one?

Sheldon: that is the Octo Brush Nouveau. It also falls into the same category as the splattershot pro. You are given a beakon sub instead of a point sensor.

Crystal: what's a......bacon?

Rune: it's Beakon.....your teammates can jump to it whenever they want until it's destroyed.

Sheldon: indeed. One of the rules of turf war is you're not allowed to super jump anywhere on the map besides to your teammates, or else that would be a big penalty.

Crystal: really?

Rune: *nods* if cheating is caught within the match, the cephalopod along with their team will be punished. In Turf War, your team automatically will lose the match, and in ranked, your team will get a 100 point penalty added to their progress.

Sheldon: example: one of your squadmates jumps to the tower immediately when the game starts, and since he jumped to nobody on his team who was near the tower, the tower will take a longer route, starting them at 200 points instead of 100.

Rune: with beakons, that doesn't matter, because they count as jump locations.

Crystal: what's my special thing?

Sheldon: tenta missiles. You can shoot them at the enemy and watch them run around while screaming, which is pretty funny in my opinion.

Crystal placed the Octo brush on the wall, then looked around once more at all of the weapons. Her eyes glistened when she looked at one specific weapon, which made her run over to it and grab it, looking at it with a giant smile.

Crystal: what is this!!?

Rune: it's the tenta Sorella brella.

Sheldon: yes. The biggest and strongest brella of them all. It trades speed for strength and durability, but your brella shield is very strong and it even provides you a splash wall for it's sub, then it gives you curling bomb rush as a special. A perfect weapon for pure shielding and defense, yet can also fend for itself quite well.

Crystal stared more at the brella, then pointed it in front of her, directly in front of Rune as well, which made him take a step to the side and stand right behind Sheldon instead. Crystal pulled the trigger and a gigantic gust of wind shot out from the brella, which made her lose her balance for a second, but luckily catch herself.

Crystal: this is so.....F-Fresh....

Rune: yeah....it'd be even more fresh if you didn't point that directly at me for no reason......

Crystal: *smiles* sorry. How much is this?

Sheldon: around 80,000 splats worth of cash.

Crystal: I'll definitely take it!

Sheldon couldn't help but smile at Crystal's excited and cute expression, which made him let out a tiny chuckle before walking over to his counter, typing onto his computer system while Rune and Crystal walked with him, standing on the other side of the counter, with Crystal hugging the brella.

Crystal: I can't wait to start using it!

Crystal looked over at Rune and giggled to herself when she saw him simply leaning onto the counter while looking behind Sheldon, zoning off into space.

Crystal: do you want to accompany me for tomorrow during the splatfest, Rune? I know we will have a blast.

Rune:......What?.......oh....yeah, I guess...with Conner and Mona, we'll have a full squad anyway....

Crystal: that's perfect!

Sheldon: alrighty! I'm ready when you are!

Crystal placed the tenta brella down and began to reach into her pocket for her, and considering that barely any cephalopods had actual physical cash, many just use their phone to scan and make their payments instead because it was more consistent.

Rune looked over at Crystal, seeing her reach more and more into all of her pockets, but he slowly saw her skin turn more pale along with her face, then she began to panic slightly on the inside while Sheldon simply tilted his head at her.

Sheldon: you alright?

Crystal: my phone! I forgot it at home!

Rune: how the hell do you forget your phone?.......that's.......like, almost impossible........

Crystal: I was rushing from home so I can make it to the splatfest! Don't judge me!

Rune: I'm sorry....but I'm definitely judging you right now....no doubt...

Crystal: c-can I pay with snails? I got some earlier!

Sheldon: sorry. I only accept cash.

Crystal whimpered for a minute, then quickly ran over towards the front door of the shop, putting back on her shades and bandanna.

Crystal: I'll be back as fast as I can!

Crystal left the store and the two heard her super jump away, and all Rune did was let out a sigh, then look at the crab man once again.

Rune: how much did you say it was?.....

Crystal flew through the sky by herself, freaking out due to her embarrassment. She saw Moray city in the distance, which made her let out a tiny sigh.

Crystal: I'm so stupid....

Crystal landed on a building and shook her head at herself in disappointment before charging up more ink and blasting off once again with her tentacles swaying in the wind, dragging from behind her.

Rune: hey....

Crystal tensed up in fear for a slight second before looking over and seeing Rune flying next to her while holding her tenta brella. Crystal was lost for words while they descended downwards once again, landing on top of another building. Rune walked over to Crystal and handed her the brella, giving her a little glare.

Rune: you better use it until it breaks. I spent 70% of my money on that.

Crystal: Rune....you didn't have to-

Rune: just consider it as a thanks to your dad for his books.

Crystal: but I could've paid for I-

Rune: just accept the gift.

Rune turned around to head back in the opposite direction of Crystal, but before he left, he turned around and looked directly at her.

Rune: we'll be waiting for you in the square tomorrow.......

Rune super jumped away from Crystal, leaving her alone on the roof to look at the brella all by herself, and without even noticing, a smile formed on her face and she gently hugged the brella close to herself.

Crystal: don't worry.....I'll be there.

—————-

*Extra story art*

A little Rose sketch