So... that surprise at the Nintendo Direct kind of blindsided me. I had kind of just woken up, and wasn't thinking that much. The first thought was "Wait, why is this like Splatoon 1's trailer? Are they bringing Splatoon 1 Subs and Specials to Splatoon 2... wait why is the screen getting darker... is this going to be a Splatoon spin off... OH MY GOD."
So that happened.
I had done a few stories like this for some of the newcomers for Smash 4. And with how much I love Splatoon, I wanted to do one for the Inklings. Although, I'm probably not going to do that for everyone. And I don't know what all is going to be in this story. It's kind of just something I'm quickly writing with no plans so we'll see where it goes.
Chapter 1: Ika the Inkling
Turf War, a battle between two squads of four Inklings that lasts 3 minutes. It was a simple battle that anyone could join in and learn the rules of instantly. But a deceptively deep battle that took a lifetime to master. All the while opponents and the weapons that they use along with the stage that you're on may change, opening up new strategies by the second.
Battling in Turf War was an art, both figuratively and literally. Turf War was a battle of area control, marking the ground with ink. At the end of 3 minutes, Judd the cat would judge which team had covered the most ground to declare the victor, and with everything changing with every second, it wasn't over until the very end.
But in the end, the goal is always the same. Cover as much ink as you can in the arena, and cover more than your opponents do. Even if you cover a simple 0.01 percent more than them, you win. That's all there is to it.
Those were the thoughts of Ika the Inkling as she just won another battle. She had two long orange pigtails, and currently wore a white shirt, and bright pink shoes. The rest of her squad was cheering and congratulating themselves for a battle well done. "Good job guys, we did good today!"
"Right!" The others replied.
"I'll see you all again tomorrow!" Ika said. She was faking the cheerfulness, and it went by unnoticed by all of those in the squad. She just made here way towards the exit.
"We did really good today." One said. "Especially with that sponsor that was there watching us."
"We may be going to the big leagues soon!" Another said
Ika looked back at them a bit shocked. "A sponsor?" She had completely forgotten about that. For her squad's sake, she hoped that her boredom wasn't that noticeable, and hadn't distracted from her usual playing.
"Wanna hang out today?" One teammate asked. "We can go to a cafe."
"Sorry, but money is a bit tight." Ika said.
"Oh, well, maybe later than."
And with that, they all went their separate ways.
Ika just traveled through Inkopolis, a bustling metropolis that was the center of Inkling lifestyle, and to her apartment. When she got into her apartment she just closed the door and leaned against the wall.
She let off a heavy sigh and just collapsed. "Damn it." She muttered.
The rest of her day was spent just in her apartment, curled up in a ball underneath some blankets, binge watching some TV shows. She looked up at the clock and eventually decided to make dinner. A rather unhealthy choice of instant noodles.
"Is this just going to be my life going forwards..." She muttered to herself. She was about to return back to her couch to watch more TV when there was a knocking at the door.
She paused and waited a few more seconds. The inkling on the other side knocked again. She just put down her instant noodles and walked over to it looking through the peep hole. Standing outside of her apartment door was an older inkling dressed in white. She opened the door slightly. "Hello?" She asked.
"Hello." the Inkling said. "I was watching your turf war today. I guess you may of heard of me as the sponsor."
Ika just went white. "Yes?" She said rather afraid.
"You're the captain of that team, Ika, correct?" the Inkling asked.
"Yes..." She said once again, not exactly liking where this was going.
"Would it be okay if I came in and we could talk over some tea." the Inkling said.
Ika just nodded. She fully opened the door and welcomed the Inkling in. She began to boil some water for some tea. "Do you mind what flavor?" She asked.
"Oh no, anything is fine." He said.
After a few minutes she brought the tea to him. She sat down at the table, and they just began to slowly sip it in.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Master J Hand." He said.
"Mr. Hand?"
"Just Master Hand is fine. Anyways, I guess you've probably heard the rumors of someone going around looking for Inklings to sign on to a deal."
"Yeah." Ika replied. "It's been pretty big news recently. A lot of Inklings have been doing their best to try and stand out."
"Yeah, I noticed." Master Hand replied. "Word does seem to travel fast here. And, well, I was observing your matches today." Ika felt her heart skip a beat. "Am I correct in assuming you are rather bored with your current situation?"
Internally Ika was screaming, and she wished nothing more than to just bang her head against the wall. "Oh god, I screwed up everything, my team is going to hate me! Crap, crap, crap..."
"I... well... I..." she paused and tried to collect her thoughts. "If I say yes, will this affect my team?" Ika asked. "I don't want them to suffer because of me."
"Oh, no, they won't." He replied. "After all, I was only looking for a single Inkling."
"A single inkling?" Ika said confused. "But how, or why? A squad is composed of four Inklings. Unless, you already have 3 other Inklings and were just looking for someone to fill the gap..."
Master Hand paused. He blinked a few times a bit confused. A few moments later he realized what was going on. "Oh no. There seems to be a misunderstanding in what I'm looking for." He said. "You see, I'm not looking for a squad. I'm looking for a single Inkling, one that can battle in much different fights than turf wars."
Ika just looked at the Inkling. "Different Fights than Turf Wars?"
The Inkling just smiled and nodded. He pulled out an envelope, on it was a red wax seal with a circle and an offset cross. "And, when I saw you fighting today, I knew that you were the one. This is a fighting tournament. Welcome to the Smashers." He put the envelope down on the table and pushed it over to Ika. "Of course you have to accept, and there's a bit of paper work to do, but..."
Ika just took the envelope in her hands, and opened it. She read the letter and was just shaking in anticipation.
There was suddenly a ringtone. "Excuse me for a second." Master Hand said. He just reached into his suit and pulled out his cell phone. He stepped out into the hall. "Yes, I found one, I've proposed the idea, she's reading it over." There was a brief pause. "Wait, you never told me that! What!? Brother, I'm going to have some stern words with you when I get back!"
He just came back in looking rather defeated. A few seconds later he tried to make himself presentable, as he sat back down at the table. "If you still need time, I realize this is a big commitment, and you probably need time to think it over, so I can leave you my cell phone number."
Ika just nodded. "Yeah... There's quite a bit here to think about." She said. "I would like a little bit more time."
"Of course, and if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask." Master Hand said.
Ika nodded. "Yeah..." She paused for several seconds. "I guess my first question is; will I still have time for my team here?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Master Hand replied. "You can come back whenever you want, your schedule is printed well in advanced. Although some people still prefer staying at the mansion just for convenience's sake."
Ika nodded. "All right." She said. "If I have any further questions, I guess I'll call you."
"Thanks. I look forwards to hearing your decision."
The two shook hands and Master Hand walked out. When he was a few blocks away he just grumbled in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me sooner I needed two?! It's taken me weeks to find one!"
Ika, although she shares the same name with another Inkling in my other stories, is not the same one. (Same with Ink if/when he shows up.)