Chapter 1
It was a bit past midnight when Marcie got home. She usually got home much later at night, since the Battle Lobby had only just closed and she tended to go to a lounge or something with Jamie, but tonight was an exception, because today had been a special day.
Jamie, after weeks of racing against the clock, had finally achieved Level 50 as an Amateur Turf Warrior, just two days before the deadline to register for the Inkopolis Pro Circuit Draft. Tomorrow, they would go to IPC HQ to throw his name in the pool of the best Amateurs in Inkopolis. Finally, they had their first opportunity at achieving their dreams.
But right now, Marcie just wanted to lie down and watch some TV.
She propped her back against the headboard, having changed out of her gear and into a t-shirt and shorts, and settled under the covers. She was nowhere close to being tired enough to sleep, despite her and Jamie's battling all day with only brief breaks for meals. She just wasn't used to going to bed this early.
"It is midnight in Inkopolis, and it is time for the only official Inkopolis Pro Circuit news broadcast on air. Welcome to IPC Tonight!" The voice of Pepper Lakes opened the show as Marcie turned on her small TV sitting on her dresser. The light of the TV shined on her pale skin, bathing her surroundings in a cool blue. The bright red and white graphics on the screen parted to reveal the broadcaster, an attractive Inkling with black tentacles braided down one shoulder and gray eyes. She sat at her usual glass desk, various monitors and set lights set up behind her. She smiled into the camera, straightening papers on her desk. "Well, there is a buzz in the air for fans of Pro Ink War as the Draft deadline approaches, and many experts are saying this draft class will be the best in years." Footage of various Amateur battles appeared on the screen as Pepper continued. "In just two days, we will have the complete list of Amateurs who have declared for the draft, and the pecking order will begin to take shape. Who will be chosen first overall? We may not know, but now we do know what club will be picking first."
Marcie leaned forward a bit. Was the number one pick finally traded?
"Grizzco Grizzlies, which finished last in the New Circuit last season and was awarded the number one pick, has elected to sell the pick to City Circuit juggernaut Four-75s."
Four-75s? The club Marcie had grown up obsessed with, the winningest, most valuable, most hated, most beloved club in all the IPC, would pick first.
"The price tag for the draft pick was a reported 250 million cash, the most expensive draft pick transfer ever."
"250 million," Marcie murmured to herself. Even for a girl who had made hundreds of thousands in cash from Amateur battles, a quarter of a billion cash was astronomical. It was no surprise that a tiny club like Grizzco Grizzlies would sell their number one pick in the "best draft in years" for such a price, especially since it seemed like the club was just a way to make money and wasn't about winning. Marcie was very relieved that the possibility of her getting drafted to the two-year-old club owned by notorious cheapskate Mr. Grizz was off the table.
Maybe, just maybe, she could end up on Four-75s, the 37-time champions, one of the original four clubs founded over a century ago after the Great Turf War. Marcie remembered back to when she was a squishy youngster, cheering on Four-75s while watching them battle on TV. Admittedly, she had way too much Fives memorabilia when she was little. All she had in her apartment now was a lone poster of the Four-75s red and black logo among the dozens of other posters for bands and brands.
"As for the second draft pick, New Circuit squad Rainbow Nouveau has yet to make a move," Pepper Lakes continued her opening news breaks. "It is unlikely they will hold onto the pick, as the young club is experiencing financial troubles and could use a few extra millions in their budget, even at the expense of a top-two pick. The recent contract dispute that saw the dismissal of Nouveau's coach only punctuates their situation."
It was normal for the little clubs that often finished last and got high draft picks to sell those picks to make some extra funds. Only a few times in the past had a small team from the second-tier New Circuit kept their high pick. It never seemed to work out for them, or the poor Squid who got chosen.
Or Octo, Marcie reminded herself. She would have to get used to not being able to call Turf Warriors "squids." After the recent Octoling Liberation, Octolings were showing up in Amatuer battles, some even entering the draft. Marcie felt it was good to see the Octolings get a fair shot at the big time, even though others felt they didn't have a place in the Inkopolis Pro Circuit, what with the war against the Octarians being the entire inspiration behind Ink Battles and the IPC in the first place. But, it seemed the IPC was leaning into the arrival of the new Octo kids. They were introducing a new club this year called Unity, named for uniting Inklings and Octolings. Squidforce even changed their club's name to OctoSquidforce for inclusion's sake. The company's still called Squidforce, though.
"Here is the current draft picking order. Of course, it is not final," Pepper explained. On the screen appeared a graphic showing all 30 draft picks and which teams would be making them, at least for now. Some of the big clubs like Four-75s and GTW Memorial had more than one pick, while plenty of little clubs like Annaki Athletic and Club Centennial had already sold theirs.
Marcie kept watching the show for a while, but was slowly losing interest and beginning to tire once it became obvious Pepper Lakes was running out of things to talk about. It was the off-season after all. Marcie eventually decided to lie down and turn off the TV. It was close to 0100, and Marcie finally gave into her mounting exhaustion. She forgot to set an alarm.
IPC 104 Draft Order (unofficial)
1. Four-75s (transferred from Grizzlies)
2. Rainbow Nouveau
3. GTW Memorial (transferred from Annaki Athletic)
4. Plaza Originals
5. Unity
6. OctoSquidforce (transferred from Off the Hook!)
7. Takaroka
8. Splash Mob
9. Skalop
10. Club Calamari
11. Rockenberg Heights
12. Four-75s (transferred from Club Centennial)
13. Coralsite Pro
14. Krak-On Specialists
15. Zekko
16. Club Diamond
17. Tentatek Franchise
18. GTW Memorial
19. Inkline
20. Firefin
21. Wolfpack
22. Forge Pro Club
23. Legacy IPC
24. Trifecta IPC
25. Zink
26. Club Orange
27. OctoSquidforce
28. Four-75s
29. Inkopolis Founders
30. South-End Knights
Inkopolis Pro Circuit clubs:
Original Club*
Number of Championships in parenthesis (103 total)
City Circuit
1. Inkopolis Founders* (20-time Champions, first ever champions)
One of the Original Four IPC Clubs named in honor of the founders of Inkopolis. Nicknamed "Founders"
2. Club Orange* (13-time Champions)
One of the Original Four IPC Clubs named for the color fighters in the Great Turf War often took on in battle. Nicknamed "Club O"
3. Four-75s* (37-time Champions)
One of the Original Four IPC Clubs named in honor of the legendary 75th Splatoon, renowned for their bravery during the Great Turf War. It is the most successful IPC club in history. Nicknamed "Fives"
4. GTW Memorial* (12-time Champions)
One of the Original Four IPC Clubs named in honor of all who fought in the Great Turf War (GTW).
5. Club Diamond
6. South-End Knights (1-time Champions, most recent)
Owned by Sheldon of Ammo Knights. Nicknamed "Knights" or "Sheldon's Club"
7. Firefin (1-time Champions)
8. Wolfpack (5-time Champions)
9. Legacy IPC (1-time Champions)
10. OctoSquidforce (3-time Champions)
Formerly named Squidforce after the brand of the same name, added "Octo" to include newly arriving Octolings to the IPC. No Octolings currently compete for OctoSquidforce, but the name was changed anyway to reflect inclusivity.
11. Trifecta IPC (2-time Champions)
Named for the elusive Trifecta Award, given to a team that leads an entire IPC season in Turf Inked, Opponents Splatted, and Most Wins. Trifecta IPC is the only club to achieve this honor. Previously known as Central Inkopolis Pro.
12. Zink (1-time Champions)
13. Zekko
14. Forge Pro Club (1-time Champions)
15. Inkline
New Circuit
16. Krak-on Specialists (2-time Champions)
17. Rockenberg Heights
18. Splash Mob
19. Plaza Originals
20. Skalop
21. Club Centennial
Named for being founded just before the 100th IPC season
22. Takoroka
23. Tentatek Franchise (1-time Champions)
24. Annaki Athletic
25. Unity
Newest IPC club. Founded in honor of Liberated Octolings being eligible to participate in the IPC alongside Inklings.
26. Grizzlies, Sponsored by Grizzco
27. Club Calamari
Owned by Callie and Marie of the Squid Sisters
28. Coralsite Pro (3-time Champions)
Operated by Coralsite Academy, often featuring current and former Coralsite students.
29. Rainbow Nouveau
Owned by former IPC star and fashion icon Sherry Lee.
30. Off the Hook!
Owned by Pearl and Marina
Monday, October 1st - 6 days before the Draft
Marcie woke to a banging on her door.
She sat bolt upright, gasping from surprise. However, she felt an instant wave of annoyance at hearing the interrupter's voice. "Marce! It's, like, almost 1030! We gotta get to the IPC building before it gets too crowded!"
Oh crap, Marcie thought, shoving her covers away and bounding towards her closet. "I'm getting ready! Be out in a minute!" She quickly shed her sleepwear and put on a striped long sleeve shirt and shorts. She put on some slip-on shoes, grabbed her Zekko glasses, and burst through her front door.
There stood her blue-ponytailed friend Jamie, dressed in his usual hoodie and shorts. He sighed as Marcie emerged from her apartment. "Did you not set an alarm?" He asked.
"I did not," Marcie admitted, putting her glasses on. "Sorry."
Jamie just rolled his eyes and smirked his signature smirk. "You trying to sabotage me declaring for the draft? Wanna weed out your competition?"
Marcie scoffed as she closed her door. "You're a long ways away from being my competition."
"We both know I'm getting drafted before you," Jamie continued.
"I'd laugh if you weren't so serious," Marcie chuckled. They always had an element of competitiveness between them, even if they had been friends for years. Marcie was objectively the better of the two of them. She had reached Level 50 long before Jamie had, and even just reached Rank X in Tower Control the day before, which was a good look to impress the pro scouts. Although, Marcie had to owe a lot to Jamie. Their partnership had taken them to whole new levels.
They were called Team Sure-Fire for their fame among the Amateur realm for being the best duo in the game. When alongside one another, they worked incredibly well, sometimes edging out a win even if they had lackluster teammates. Their path to this year's draft had been one with a lot of hype behind it, but as Marcie noticed every night on IPC Tonight, they weren't notable enough to make the news.
The two headed down the nearby staircase and soon reached the ground floor. They emerged into the mid-morning sun, the familiar bustle and noise of Inkopolis Plaza hitting their ears. They started down the sidewalk, already able to see the silvery IPC building a few blocks away. Fellow pedestrians and cyclists roved along on the concrete as they exited the Plaza and made their way along 28th Street, with cars and trucks driving by on the road. The city was as vigorous as it could be, with Inklings, Octolings, Jellyfish, and many other a sea creature running their errands or enjoying time with friends. Marcie loved this city. It always felt so alive.
"So Four-75s has the number one pick," Jamie mentioned as they walked.
"I heard," Marcie said back. "Wouldn't it be awesome to play for them?"
"Maybe, so long as you don't mind all the crazy fans," he joked, fully aware of Marcie's admiration for the squad.
Marcie just scoffed, shaking her head. They continued on walking for a silent few moments before she brought up the question that had been on her mind for days. "Do you think we're good enough to be drafted?"
Jamie chuckled. "Well, yeah. Why else would we be signing up for the draft?"
"I mean, like...we're great as a team, but...unless a club with two picks gets lucky and gets both of us, would a team want just one of us?"
Jamie took a moment to think about that. "Well...I don't know. I am kinda bad when you aren't my teammate." He offered a halfhearted chuckle. "We'll see."
"What if we're drafted to different teams?" She asked.
"I don't know. It would be a change," he said with a shrug.
Marcie hummed with uncertainty. She always tried to stay positive about this, especially since she worked so hard alongside Jamie to reach this level of skill, but she could never keep doubt from creeping in. She was pretty good on her own, but she only really seemed to stand out as a team with Jamie. That served them well in League Battles, but if Marcie really wanted to endear herself to some of the top clubs in the IPC, she knew she'd have to be impressive on her own, which had been hit or miss up to this point.
They were nearing the building, and even from a block away they could see all the people near the building entrance. There were TV cameras and reporters, along with plenty of Amateurs looking to get registered for the draft, just as Jamie was. In that moment, Marcie was glad she had already registered back when registration first opened. Then again, she'd have to wait in this line anyway.
"Oh, boy," Jamie huffed as they approached.
"Yeah," Marcie agreed. They began to weave through people as they neared the entrance—two large double doors flanking a revolving door. Above the entrance, emblazoned in shiny steel, was "Inkopolis Pro Circuit Main Headquarters."
The two Amateurs made it through the revolving door, only to run right into the end of the queue for registration. Outlined by velvet ropes, a long line of Inklings, with a few Octolings here and there, snaked from wall to wall, all leading to the front desk. Dozens of voices echoed off the white and blue walls. The ceiling was adorned with contemporary light fixtures, and the walls displayed the logos for every IPC club, with the logos for the Original Four on the back wall above the front desk; Inkopolis Founders, Club Orange, GTW Memorial, and of course, Four-75s were all represented.
"This is gonna take hours," Jamie murmured.
"That's a lot of people," Marcie agreed. "Is this really how many there are going to be in the draft?"
"Plenty of them are gonna get rejected," a voice behind them spoke, startling Jamie and Marcie. They turned around to see an Octoling girl, seemingly just now getting behind them in line. "Sorry to scare you two."
"No, it's fine," Jamie chuckled nervously, pushing back his hood that had jumped onto his head when he flinched.
"Why do you say they'll be rejected?" Marcie asked, not able to suppress the quiver in her voice. The Octoling had a very bright pair of purple eyes, regarding her as if analyzing her.
"Because a lot of them forget the requirements," the Octoling explained while adjusting the collar of her pink polo shirt. Her pink hair tentacles occasionally obscured her face, forcing her to push them aside. Her skin was like the dark bronze of a South Shores sunset. "Reaching Level 50 is just one requirement," she continued. "You also have to have been in at least 500 Ranked Battles. Some of the kids here probably haven't reached that."
"You know the rules pretty well," Marcie told her.
"For an Octoling," the girl finished for her.
"I wasn't gonna say that." Marcie felt her face heat up a bit.
"Thanks, I know you weren't." The Octoling girl chuckled, then reached a hand out. "My name's Angel."
What a name, Marcie thought as she returned the gesture and shook the girl's hand. "Hi, Angel. I'm Marcie."
Angel smiled at her, and Marcie couldn't help but return the favor.
"I'm Jamie," the boy said as Angel let Marcie's hand go. They shook hands. "Are you here to register?"
"I already have, actually." Angel explained. "I'm just here to meet a friend." Their hand shake ended.
"I'm registered, too," Marcie said, then elbowed Jamie. "I'm just here so this guy doesn't go crazy waiting in this line."
"I'll go crazy anyway," Jamie claimed, snickering. "I'll start throwing the velvet ropes around...unless Marcie runs and gets me a smoothie right now."
"Have fun going crazy, then," Marcie deadpanned.
Angel laughed. "You two are funny. Maybe we should keep in touch."
Marcie was about to say Yes, we definitely should! But Jamie spoke first. "You think so?"
"Why not?" The Octoling shrugged. "We'll all be going to the Draft Academy in a few days. It might be nice to already know a couple of people by then."
"Oh, yeah. The Draft Academy," Jamie murmured lowly. Marcie shared his sentiments. The Draft Academy was notoriously brutal. Every Pro Club sent scouts to analyze every candidates' skills in the most difficult drills and competitions imaginable. Marcie agreed that they ought to find some allies, especially if one of them would be Angel.
Marcie wasn't even going to kid herself. This Octoling named Angel was really cute and she wanted to ask her out, like, right now. But she settled for swapping phone numbers for the time being.
"Awesome," Angel said as she finished typing Jamie's number into her phone. "I guess I'll see you two around. I ought to find my friend." She then moved past them, waving and shooting Marcie a smile. Marcie smiled back, waving as she left.
"Well, what do you know," Jamie chuckled. "We already made a friend."
"I like her," Marcie said, still watching as Angel navigated her way through the crowd.
"Me too, I guess. She's cool," Jamie agreed, only to realize what Marcie meant. "Ohhh, you mean you like her."
"Yeah," Marcie affirmed, turning away once Angel was no longer visible. She looked at Jamie. "Do you think I have a chance with her?"
Jamie chuckled. "Tell me something. Do you think of me as an expert on romance?"
"You're right, never mind." Marcie waved her hand in dismissal. Since they arrived, the line had moved about two meters. "I just think...with the way she recited all the requirements to signing up for the Draft, she must be really smart when it comes to strategy and tactics. I mean, she could be a great ally," she shrugged, looking at Jamie. "Right?"
"If you want to go out to dinner with her, just say so," Jamie laughed.
"I do, I just mean...strategically."
"You don't need a strategy for everything," Jamie told her. "Before you do anything, you might wanna find out if she's even single."
Marcie's shoulders dropped at the insinuation that Angel might already be dating someone. Jamie recognized the look on her face, the way the girl's brow furrowed and her mouth turned down in a displeased sneer. This was the same face she'd make after losing a Tower Control Battle in overtime. This was enough of a sign to indicate just how serious Marcie was about getting with the Octoling, despite only talking to her for, like, two minutes. I'll never understand how this girl works, Jamie thought.
"I'll just ask her later," Marcie said, still sporting the same displeased expression. "I'll text her and ask."
"You do you," Jamie told her, shuffling along with the slowly moving line. "So say you actually do go out with her. What if you and her get drafted to different clubs? Then what?"
"We'd figure out something," Marcie declared.
"What makes you think she'd even be interested in you?" Jamie asked.
"Okay, ouch," Marice shot Jamie a look. The look.
Jamie held a hand up and closed his eyes. "Okay, that didn't come out right."
"I'll fight you," Marcie threatened. She was kidding, but she also kinda wasn't.
"I mean what if she isn't looking for a relationship?" Jamie corrected himself.
"I can take rejection," Marcie claimed.
"That's a lie," Jamie accused. "You wanted to go vandalize Coralsite Academy after they didn't accept your application."
"I just wanted to toilet paper some trees," Marcie told him, crossing her arms. "I can handle it if Angel doesn't wanna date me."
"You wanna toilet paper her if she doesn't?" Jamie joked.
"What does that even mean?"
Their banter continued as the line continued moving at a sea snail's pace. The minutes and hours dragged by until they finally reached the front desk, four clerks busily helping people get registered.
"What did she say, 500 Ranked Battles?" Jamie asked Marcie.
The naturally orange-tentacled girl shrugged as she adjusted her glasses, leaning to the side from how tired she was of standing. "Yeah. You've got that many, I'm sure."
"But what if I don't?" Jamie asked as one of the clerks called "next."
"Then you're the one who will have to deal with rejection," Marcie quipped as they approached the clerk on the left end of the front desk.
The clerk was an older woman with a short hairstyle, like a ponytail but stubbier. Her white tentacles were a stark contrast to her dark skin tone. She peered sleepily at the two kids as they stepped up to her desk. "Hello," she murmured as if she'd said it in the same tone a thousand times today, which she probably had.
"Hi," Jamie greeted. "I'm registering."
"Are you now?" the clerk asked as an annoyed joke as she slid him a iNKpad tablet. A search screen titled "Amateur Log In" was displayed. "Search for yourself on there, enter your personal info, and I'll let you know if you're eligible or not."
Marcie had gone through this already. Just as she had, Jamie would enter his name, his TurfID number, date of birth, blah blah blah, and submit the form. If he were approved, which he ought to be, he'd be handed an access pass for the Draft Academy.
Sure enough, after the blue-haired boy tapped "Finalize and Apply," the entire screen turned green with a little white check mark in the center.
"You've been registered for the IPC draft, congrats, have a good day," the clerk declared in her constant monotone voice and handed Jamie a green plastic card on a red lanyard. Jamie took it and thanked the clerk. The two were then on their way.
"I got in!" Jamie declared jubilantly as they walked down the sidewalk. He stared at his card, which looked identical to Marcie's, except for the number on it: 157. Jamie was the 157th person to sign up for the draft. Marcie's number was 3.
"That's a lot of competition," Marcie said of Jamie's number.
"We can handle it," Jamie said confidently, obviously riding high off of the big victory of signing up for the thing.
Marcie sighed and nodded, which Jamie caught. "Nervous?" he asked.
"Maybe a bit. It's only, like, my life's one and only goal," Marcie said sarcastically.
"We'll still do great," Jamie said certainly, and Marcie wanted to get behind his enthusiasm, but the numbers were too much to doubt. 157, certainly more, were going to be at the Draft Academy. 30 of them would be drafted to a Pro club. Maybe a few others would be offered smaller contracts by clubs afterward, but there was never a guarantee of that. Marcie would have to do more than work together with Jamie to carry a team of Amateurs to a Clam Blitz win or bag a decent six splats with a splatcharger in a Splat Zones. She would have to prove herself to be one of the best in this draft class, on her own, and hope to hear "Marcie Tyler" announced at the draft in just a week's time.
Marcie had to accept a reality. Unless there was some sort of miracle or coincidence, she wasn't going to be on the same team as Jamie.
"Wanna get a Seanwich?" Jamie asked.
"Please no," Marcie responded. "Let's go to Ghost Town Café." It only took a pop idol once calling Inkopolis Plaza a ghost town for a restaurant there to open with the name. Sure, the Plaza wasn't as busy as it once was, but slimy little hipsters like Jamie and Marcie liked to stick around. It was more of a dining and shopping district now.
They continued their walk, passing by other Inklings and Octolings seemingly bound for IPC HQ. Every single one of them made Marcie feel even more nervous. All she wanted at that moment was a nigiri plate and maybe some shrimp. Yeah, that would calm the nerves, maybe get her mind off the daunting task ahead.
"So when are you gonna text Octo Angel?" Jamie asked her.
Marcie's heart dropped, and she put a hand to her forehead. Great, another thing to worry about. Screw you, Jamie Anderson. Screw you.