Hello, all! This is very short because I'm unsure of how it will be received by the community. Let me know your thoughts!
I
I couldn't believe it.
You know when something truly amazing happens and every atom in your body jitters with excitement and your limbs shake and you almost feel as though you're going to explode?
My name is Abyss, and I was invited to join Super Smash Brothers!
The day started out like any other; I woke up super late for Splatfest and nearly left my arsenal at home. I put on my favorite gear, grabbed a piece of toast on the way out, and ran as fast as I could to Inkopolis Square. The theme this month was boneless wings versus wings and needless to say, every Inkling and Octoling signed up for this.
I made it to the bus with minutes to spare and grabbed a seat near the back. The bus was surprisingly empty which meant I had more than enough time to quickly check the rules for Splatfest tonight. I took my phone out of the pocket of my shorts and clicked into the SplatApp to begin making my gameplan.
"Ugh, really? Kelp Dome again?" I said aloud and tied my tentacles up into a ponytail. "Pearl and Marina must really hate me."
Kelp Dome was my most challenging arena to compete on. For starters, it's insanely difficult to be mobile on the grates and a good portion of the arena is glass-entirely ink proof! People who prefer using rollers and brushes have it a little easier than I do; I'm more of an aggressive player who likes to ink the every bit of my environment to hide on walls, corners, and pillars. Kelp Dome makes that near impossible to do.
I began to feel discouraged but quickly shook that feeling away. It was almost game time; I had to ready myself for the next few hours of competing and worrying about one arena that was my least favorite wasn't going to help. I rest my cheek on the window of the bus and watched the scenery fly by. After a while, I could see Inkopolis Square lit up and a massive crowd already present. The crowd was bigger than usual, way too big for the first few rounds of Splatfest.
I hurried off the bus and was nearly trampled by a crowd of people rushing to the plaza.
"Jeez, watch where you're going!" I yelled after them and dusted my jacket off.
As soon as I reached the plaza, I started to get a better understanding of what all the fuss was about. The big screen where Marina and Pearl would usually broadcast had a different message present. It read, "Stay Tuned for Exciting News!".
The horde of people talked amongst one another in anticipation of the message that was coming.
"Hey…" I said to the Octoling beside me. She had long teal tentacles and her bang covered her right eye. "Do you think this is going to be an update of the arenas for tonight?"
"I'm not sure…" She said and kept her eyes on the screen. "Someone said it may be a message unrelated to Splatfest. Maybe it's Callie and Marie's comeback tour?"
I squeezed the handle of my N-Zap tightly and looked back up at the screen.
Momenets passed and finally the large television switched to a different channel and instead of Pearl and Marina, there was another person instead. He was brown with something like a pair of glasses on his eyes but it only covered one.
"Good evening, residents of Inkopolis!" He said with a huge smile on his face. The whole plaza erupted into conversation. It was so chaotic, I could barely hear the rest of his message.
"I apologize to interrupt your upcoming Splatfest, but I assure you, this will not take long. My name is Fox McCloud and I am here to send a very special invitation to a person in this crowd!" The plaza still roared in confusion while I waited for this "Fox" person to continue.
His next words brought silence to the plaza.
"This particular person," a photo popped up beside his head and silence followed, "is invited to compete in Super Smash Brothers!"
Jaws had hit the floor and I could almost feel everyone's attention shift from the screen to the nominated person.
That person was me.
"Newcomer!" Fox's voice rang throughout the quiet plaza. "Will you accept this honorable invitation?"
"Super Smash Brothers?" I whispered and kept my eyes focused on the screen.
Everyone looked at me and I could feel the expectancy from their gaze. How was I supposed to proceed with this? An invitation? To the universe's most prestigious competition? And worst of all, I was going to be the one who brings Inkopolis a reputation. It all fell on me.
"Newcomer?" He repeated. I swallowed hard and raised my gun to hold it with both of my hands. From the television screen, it almost felt as though his own eyes peered into mine. The corner of his mouth turned upwards and he smiled, those green eyes igniting with a burning flame. "Do you accept?"