SPLATOON STORIES
THE GREAT OCTOLING IMMIGRATION
BY DEV8903
Chapter 1 An Octopus Among Squids
(Yeah, this must be the place.)
After what felt like hours, a lonely, wandering octopus found himself approaching that fateful hub he had heard of only in distant reports of his kind, Inkopolis Square. It was an urban, social venue of squid kids that had gotten his interest ever since that night he heard the wonderful, catchy music that changed his life. This boy with a light brown skin tone with teal eyes and lime green punk "hair" had ridden a bus to where he can walk over and take it all in. He had passed the corner near a peculiar yellow vehicle, and the sight stunned him into coming to a stop and leave his mouth open.
(Oomi, this place is so colorful. Those signs. That tower. And everyone looks so fresh.)
The boy didn't feel nearly so fresh right now. He was wearing a Fresh Octo Tee with no headgear and Neo Octoling Boots that didn't fit the simple style. Compared to these kids who were decked out in impressive uniforms, cool outfits, and even a costume or two, he felt he might as well be a caveocto. He nervously scratched his "hair", which was actually an octopus arm, and continued to marvel at the sights and sounds. Many of these kids were either wandering around, chatting with friends, or just leaning up against a wall, all trying to look cool while they were doing it. Some were eagerly waiting in line at the parked yellow vehicle playing funky music. The buildings were decorated in many signs and stickers. One sign with a weapon crossed out clearly implied that no weapons were allowed. Above, a giant, golden tortoise and a giant origami bird watched over on opposite sides. In the center up front stood the tower seemingly composed of nothing but screens, signs, and even a giant phone. Shops lined the west end of the square, while the other side looked like the arcade. The far corners of the area looked dark and uninviting, but everything else looked so cool.
(Welp, time for this Octoling Boy to walk around and get a sense of things. My Inkling better be decent.)
So the Octoling Boy started to wander, feeling awkward about staring around like the new person he was. Before he had embarked on this journey, he dived into studying the language of these squid people. It was a challenge, but his newfound eagerness to embrace a new culture gave him the drive he needed to persevere enough to learn the basics. He read every Inkling sign he could spot, feeling reassured when he could interpret even half of them. Before he knew it, he had already wandered around half the square just looking at signs, and he inevitably caught the attention of an Inkling bystander.
(Uh oh, here comes a squid kid to meet me now. Time to put my Inkling to the real test. I'm going to sound so dumb.)
Sure enough, this Inkling with a pale skin tone, lime green eyes, and a lime green mush-cut hairstyle was a bystander no more, as he started to approach him to strike a conversation. Thankfully, the Octoling Boy's first impression of him was positive. The Inkling Boy looked stylish, much like the others, but this one seemingly more so. The Octoling Boy had done enough research on Inkling clothing to identify what he was wearing. The Inkling Boy was wearing a House Tag Denim Cap, a Sage Polo, and Green Lace-Ups. Evidently, he was a Splash Mob fan whose favorite color is green. This latter fact cheered up the Octoling enough to smile a little, because green happens to be his favorite color too. Maybe he could let his guard down just a little? He attempted to smile and wave, a universal sign of greeting he thought would translate well enough. The other boy returned the greeting, flashing his sharp, toothy grin.
"Welcome to Inkopolis Square!" greeted the Inkling. "The name's Tom, but friends call me Denim."
"Denim?" replied the Octoling. "Oh, you wear a House Tag Denim Cap. That is clever."
"Good call!" complimented Denim. "Hey, I know you're new here. I see you're rocking that 'punk' hairstyle that's been the talk of the town the past two months. There's a few more of you guys around here, and they all act new too. But enough about that! What's your name?"
"My name is Octavian," he replied.
"Nice name," said Denim. "Inspired by those octopuses of ancient times, yeah? But I guess you don't have a nickname yet?"
"I am not having a headgear right now. I do not have a nickname," answered Octavian, looking up at his head with concern both because of his lack of headgear and feeling awkward about his Inkling speech still being rusty.
"Don't sweat it, you can just go over to Headspace to buy something," said Denim.
"I do not have the money," answered Octavian sadly.
This made Denim shrug his shoulders and point toward the tower. Octavian looked, noticing that the tower was not just imposing but making loud, booming music. He was clueless about what the tower's purpose was. It looked like he was going to rely on this Inkling a while longer.
"Sounds like you have no choice but to play Turf War to make some money," said Denim. "You'll need a team. Hey, how about you join MY team? We just so happen to need a fresh addition! Forgive the shameless plug."
"Huh?" replied Octavian in confusion. "What are you saying about the team that is fresh, and what is the shameless plug?"
"Never mind me," replied Denim, swinging his hand down dismissively. "I like pulling people's legs sometimes. It's fun."
"To pull the legs of the people?" said Octavian, even more confused. "That is sounding odd."
"Oh, whatever! Just follow me to Deca Tower, squid!" blurted Denim, causing Octavian to suddenly feel surprised.
Denim quickly started walking off, but Octavian stayed put. The Inkling just called him a squid, even though he's an octopus. He crossed his arms and squinted his eyes at the departing Denim with offense, but he then realized something.
(He called me a squid, but he doesn't know any better. We Inklings and Octolings used to be mortal enemies for over a century. We haven't even seen each other. That Denim called octopuses "ancient" so he must think octopuses are extinct. We're not extinct. Can't these silly squids tell something's different by our eyes, ears, and hair? That's not counting our octopus form…)
"HEYO! OCTAVIAN! You gotta keep up with me if you want to play Turf War with me!" yelled Denim, who was far ahead.
Octavian shook his head to refocus and walked quickly to Deca Tower. A large group of Inklings (and a few Octolings, he noticed right away) gathered both outside and inside the tower. It was noisy, with the kids chatting loudly above the booming music. What caught his attention, however, was a bizarre animal unlike anything he ever saw sleeping on a green pillow with what looked like a miniature version on top of it. Once he caught up to Denim, he wanted to ask about the two creatures.
"What are the two animals sleeping on the pillow?" asked Octavian. "They are not being familiar to me. They have the hair that is different."
"Those are called cats," answered Denim. "The big one's named Judd, while the young one is Li'l Judd."
"They are interesting," said Octavian. "I am wanting to touch them. I have never seen animals like the two before."
Octavian approached the two cats while Denim secretly chuckled behind his back at Octavian's overtly formal Inkling, though not in a mean way. Denim was actually not at all surprised by Octavian's speech, as he was used to it ever since his fellows started popping up in Inkopolis. It was a little alarming at first, but he now saw it as a fun challenge to get to know these strangers, hence his friendly, random introduction with this particular one.
(I don't know where these Inkling dudes with weird hair, eyes, and ears come from, but they sure are an interesting bunch. I'm willing to give this dude a try.)
Octavian had now approached Judd, and he was absolutely fascinated. His mouth open and eyes widened, he rubbed Judd's round body and admired the warmth and comfort of fur. Li'l Judd merely watched him with those black beady eyes of his, while Judd grunted with approval at Octavian's petting.
"Oomi! I have never seen or felt anything like it," said Octavian. "The cat's fur is very warm, and it is being so comfortable. The cats have the cuteness, too."
"Yeah, cats are definitely not sea creatures," said Denim, "I think they belong to some class of animal called 'mammal' but they're the only ones alive. Don't worry yourself asking me why."
Suddenly, the giant TV screen on Deca Tower began playing and a funky jingle rang out across the entire square. Everyone, squid and octopus, stopped talking or moving around. Some darted out of the tower to watch the screen, others stopped their conversations cold to look up at the screen with big smiles, and a couple just rolled their eyes and walked on as if they've seen this many times and knew all too well what was in store.
Bewildered, Octavian could only back off from the tower as he and Denim watched the screen change to show what looked like a studio with two hosts. One was a very short Inkling girl with a pale skin tone and pink and blond hair and the other was clearly a tall Octoling with a black skin tone and lime green and dark purple hair. Their piercing, colorful eyes looking at the camera, these two were no ordinary newscasters, but pop idols skillfully playing the part.
"Y'all know what time it is!" cried the Inkling Girl, curving her arm in a formal-like gesture.
"It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!" said the Octoling Girl.
Octavian was stunned again. Their names, Pearl and Marina, were shown on the broadcast. It really was Off the Hook! He had heard of them in his homeland, especially Marina. It was surreal getting to watch their news show after all.
"Check it! Here are the current Regular Battle stages!" said Pearl, pointing at the TV screen in their studio.
Marina did her thing, making a little beat on her turntables to switch between the two stages currently in rotation, The Reef and Starfish Mainstage. After this, Pearl and Marina would say a couple of brief lines of dialogue about the second stage. Most of the audience in the square promptly laughed at their punchlines almost in unison. Once they were done showing all the stages, the celebrity duo would conclude the show with their catchphrase.
"Don't get cooked... Stay off the hook!" they called. And the screen went black just as they stepped out of their poses.
Octavian continued staring up at Deca Tower, smiling warmly. Denim, knowing that this was the first time he watched Inkopolis News, liked seeing his delight.
"Well, what do you think? Isn't it so cool how the biggest celebs of the day get to show the news?" asked Denim
"That was so the fresh," muttered Octavian. "I do not think I will get tiredness to watch the show over and over again."
"I always liked Inkopolis News," said Denim. "I've been watching ever since the Squid Sisters used to do it. What's also cool is that Off the Hook are just right over there."
He pointed toward the east side of the square, and Octavian looked and was stunned yet again. It was Off the Hook's studio, with Pearl and Marina themselves right there! Octavian instantly started walking to the studio to get a close look at the pop stars. Not surprisingly, being so close to the people meant that others were watching them closely too, but the two celebrities didn't seem to mind. They continued to chat to each other even as nosy squid kids and even a jellyfish took pictures of them or tried to peer inside to get noticed.
"You can eyeball them all you want, but good luck ever getting a passing glance," remarked Denim as he soon approached. "You have to admire their ability to just tune people out like that."
"Yeah, I do not like it when the people give the stare at me," replied Octavian.
They watched Off the Hook in their studio for a couple of minutes, but Denim looked over his shoulder and was delighted to see two girls walking toward him.
"Hey, Octavian! Here comes the rest of my team!" exclaimed Denim
Octavian tore himself away from watching Off the Hook to see them. One was an Inkling girl with a pale skin tone, purple hair with pigtails, and violet eyes. She wore Squid Clip-ons, a Grape Tee, and Plum Casual shoes with a skirt and shorts. She was cute enough, but it was the other girl that made the currently shy and awkward Octavian feel instantly better. She was an Octoling girl with a brown skin tone, pink hair with a ponytail, and red eyes. She wore Studio Octophones, an Octo Layered LS, and Smoky Wingtip shoes with tight capri sweatpants. Octavian felt better that he was about to play with another Octoling. Joining a team with at least one of his kind who can sympathize with him has now made a world of a difference to this introvert.
"Where've you been, Denim?" asked the Inkling girl quizzically. "We've been searching all over for you!"
"Heh, you girls know that I've been liking to talk to these guys with the new hairstyles," replied Denim with a playful smirk.
"Oh, Denim, don't tell me that you're still thinking about getting a big haircut to try to be like them!" said the Inkling girl, rolling her eyes at the thought. "Believe me, Octophones can tell you it's fruitless. Your hair just can't make it happen."
"Fruitless?! Aw; come on, Clip! At least one guy oughta try!" insisted Denim.
The two Inklings might have been confused with each other, but the two Octolings were different. The Octoling girl who had been freshly nicknamed "Octophones" was almost as pleased to see a fellow Octoling as the boy. She gave him a small smile of satisfaction, which encouraged him that much more to smile bigger. Their silent friendliness was a nice contrast to the two Inklings still being perplexed with one another.
"Anyways, we gotta get going or else we'll miss a big match-up!" said Clip. "Here in another couple of minutes Team Jock will be playing."
"Team Jock, what a quirky quartet those guys are," retorted Denim. "They think they're so badly fresh with their totally Tentatek gear. We'll just show 'em with our new tentacled-hair teammates! Let's go!"
The two Inklings hurried to Deca Tower, but the two Octolings were still interested in each other. They strolled to Deca Tower as they began to talk. Octavian was greatly relieved that he can now speak Octoling after garbling his Inkling for too long. He felt as if he can finally show his true feelings.
"Ugh, I cannot BELIEVE how stupid I sound speaking Inkling with these squids!" complained Octavian, lowering his eyes and shaking his head.
"Believe me, I'm still trying myself," replied Octophones. "What is your name?"
"My name is Octavian," he answered. "You must be the 'Octophones' that Clip mentioned. I haven't even gotten a nickname yet. I need to make some money to buy my first headgear. I'm glad I'm joining a team with you, Octophones, because I'm honestly pretty scared right now. Do you think I'll be good enough to stay on your team? Will I ever speak Inkling well?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… slow down, Octavian," replied Octophones. "When I got here, I was as nervous as you. But I got lucky with Clip. She's nice, and Denim is too. We've both gotten lucky."
"Yeah, but I still don't know," muttered Octavian. "How are we going to hide the fact that we're octopuses? All these Inklings think we're just Inklings too. If they ever found out who we really are, they'll either shun us or splat us. We used to be mortal enemies; you know?"
Octavian paused, realizing that he seemed to have spilled out all his pent-up fears and frustrations with this fellow Octoling.
"Forgive me for freaking out," he said. "I didn't even ask what your name is. What is your real name, Octophones?"
"My real name is Clara," she said, flicking the tip of her ponytail stylishly. "Don't be so worried, Octavian. You don't feel fresh right now, but pretty soon you'll be wearing some neato octo gear like me! I had to play a while to afford these clothes."
Octophones realized something and began to rummage through her pockets.
"Actually… you can't even play Turf War without headgear," she said. "But… you can have these."
She handed Octavian a pair of what looked like eye contacts with a logo on them. This made him scoff with a little amusement.
"Thanks, but my eyesight is good," he said.
"Um, do you see that the logo covers the whole front of these things?" said Octophones. "You don't even wear these. That's why they're called 'Fake Contacts'. Just hold them or keep them in your pocket, and you can still use their gear abilities. It's as if you're not wearing any headgear at all!"
Octavian took them and gladly put them away in a pocket. No sooner had he done this when their Inkling teammates suddenly realized half of their team was still behind. Standing just outside of the tower entrance, they both whipped around at the same time to look back at the other two with consternation.
"HEYO!" yelled both Denim and Clip.
Octavian and Octophones both jumped a little and ran to Deca Tower without another word. Once they caught up to the two Inklings, they filed through the automatic doors into the Battle Lobby. It was there that they noticed some shelving hidden in a corner.
"OK, now that we're finally here, let's pick up our weapons!" said Denim.
Denim went straight to his favorite weapon, a Splash-o-matic. Clip chose hers, a Sloshing Machine. Octophones, an Octoling with at least some experience, gravitated to her Custom Blaster. Octavian was so new that he just opted for a basic Splattershot for now.
"I hope you'll stay with us for a while, Octavian," Denim told him. "It's been awkward picking random strangers for a few matches and then they leave us. We need a new friend!"
Octavian nodded and smiled reassuringly.
"I need a new friend too," he said. "Or the new friends, that is."
The four looked over at the other side of the Battle Lobby, where their foes were meeting. Team Jock, as they liked to be called, appeared to be four Inkling boys with an obvious taste for sports and the athletic gear brand Tentatek. They seemed to be a fresh team with a mostly matching theme to boot. They had gotten their weapons when they soon noticed who their foes were going to be. They were used to Denim and Clip, but they took immediate interest in their two strange-looking teammates. Their leader had a pale skin tone, pink eyes, and pink slick hair and was wearing a Cycle King Cap, Cycle King Jersey, and Pink Trainer shoes with classic shorts, and he brandished his Light Tetra Dualies.
"Nice, we get to play with more of THOSE guys again!" he remarked. "Seeing their bumpy hairstyles and disjointed eyes never gets old!"
"Yeah, Cycle King, these guys have been around for a couple of months now, and they still haven't told us why they look the way they do," replied one of his teammates, who had a pink skin tone, gray eyes, and pink topknot hair. He held Fake Contacts, wore a Silver Tentatek Vest and Black Trainer shoes with leggings, and he was holding his heavy, intimidating-looking Nautilus 47.
"They can change their hair, but why are their ears rounder than everyone else's?" asked another, a boy with a black skin tone, yellow eyes, and yellow buzz-cut hair. He wore a Streetstyle Cap (the only member with a non-Tentatek piece of clothing, even Octavian noticed) as well as a Lob-Stars Jersey and Yellow-Mesh Sneakers with classic shorts. He started spinning his Slosher on his finger like a basketball player his basketball.
"Aye, Street, we don't even know what their hair is made of!" said the last member, a boy who had a light brown skin tone, dark green eyes, and lime green slick hair. He wore a Soccer Headband, Part-Time Pirate shirt, and Canary Trainer shoes with drawstring cargo pants. He carried a Carbon Roller Deco.
"I don't know what their hair is made of either, but you guys better not pick on my new friends," said Denim irritably, "or you'll be splatted!"
The four jocks only laughed at his threat. Octavian already seemed offended when he glared at Cycle King calling his eyes "disjointed" while Octophones shook her head with disgust.
"But being splatted is just the name of the game!" said Cycle King. "Pretty soon you'll be the one who's going to be splatted. Multiple times!"
The eight of them didn't have much time to engage in trash talk, because the lobby soon featured a trolley that entered through concealed automatic doors. They sat on this like they were about to go on a trip through the metro. Once they had taken their seats and Judd and Li'l Judd also hopped on, they were taken out of the tower and toward the destination where the battle was to take place. Denim looked over next to Octavian, who still looked grumpy.
"Never mind their trash talk, Octavian," Denim told him. "You know how jocks are. They like to talk down."
"I am looking forward to my first Turf War more than ever," grumbled Octavian. "My eyes are not disjointed. I am eager to give that Cycle King the splatting."
"Me too, squid, me too," replied Denim, who quickly squirmed when Octavian growled at being called a squid again.
"Mellow down, dude, I'm ready to splat Cycle King and the rest of his jocks too," said Denim. "But you oughta know that splatting is not the goal; it's covering turf. Whichever team manages to ink the most turf in a three minute match wins! It wouldn't matter if you splatted Cycle King ten times… you'd lose if most of the stage is pink! Here, let me share some tips and tricks about classic Turf War from yours truly..."
Denim continued to chat with Octavian about the rules of Turf War as they rode along to this first, pivotal match for the hidden Octoling.