Meggy Spletzer sat alone in her living room, sipping a cup of tea. Her cat Loaf was next to her, rubbing his head against her arm and purring, begging for attention. Meggy scratched her pet's head, gladly giving Loaf the attention he was craving.

This week was surprisingly calm and quiet, especially after SMG4's Clown Fever nightmare and the whole giant pizza debacle from the past several days.

Plus, there was that whole bit with SMG4 almost landing in hot water with Nintendo when they came to get Mario so they could work on a new game with him, leading to all sorts of crazy legal nonsense. But regardless of that, life was fine in the Mushroom Kingdom. Meggy had her hair tied back in a ponytail, her beanie sitting next to a hat on a shelf.

She sipped her tea, wondering what the rest of the year had in store for her and the gang.

It didn't feel that long since she graduated from Omnia Academy after Zero was finally destroyed for good. And yet, despite achieving her goal of becoming a sports coach, Meggy hadn't done anything related to sports coach stuff, nothing had occurred. However, she hadn't forgotten her career.

Whatever came up, Meggy was ready, ready to coach in whatever sporting events that required her to be one. And, as a Splatfest champion, Meggy was perfect for the role of sports coach.

The doorbell rang, perking the ears of the former Inkling. The orange haired human finished her tea and went to answer the door while Loaf mewed, wanting more love from his owner. Meggy opened the door, finding a light blue-colored Inkling boy in a mailman outfit on her porch with an envelope in hand. As a former Inkling resident of Inkopolis, seeing a connection to her past made Meggy smile.

"Meggy Spletzer?" The mailman asked.

"Yep, that's me." Meggy nodded.

"Letter for you." The mailman handed her the envelope and saluted Meggy in a decent Inkling way, showing the Inkling-turned human respect.

Meggy looked at the envelope and covered her mouth in amazement, seeing the pink signature and the address on the envelope. It... It was from the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie. Meggy couldn't believe it, she'd just gotten a letter from them. Perhaps it was a birthday card that had just arrived late?

She opened the envelope, her heart pounding with excitement, finding a brown-orange piece of paper inside with an Inkling symbol on the back of it. Meggy noticed something else in the envelope and reached in, pulling out a pair of tickets with Inkling and Turf War symbols on them. Meggy's eyes got wider, those looked like...

'Read the letter, read the letter!' Meggy's mind screamed.

With the paper still in hand, Meggy looked at it and she started reading it...

Dear Meggy,

it has been so long since we saw you and we hope you are doing very well. Two years doesn't feel like a long time, especially when we remember your amazing victory in the final Splatfest in Inkopolis.

But now, it is time to meet again.

We are pleased to inform you and your fellow Splatfest champions that you have been invited to the newly-opened town of Splatville, far from the great city of Inkopolis, where Inklings live side-by-side with Octolings and humans and compete in Turf Wars among other things. We hope to see you there soon, there are so many who want to meet you.

And on a related note, in case you have noticed the tickets that came with this letter, Splatfest events have returned and will soon be taking place in Splatville. As a Splatfest champion, you shall be pleased to know you have been invited to witness the first Splatville Splatfest and you and your friends can compete in the tournament as you wish to do so, should you like.

Take care, Meggy, we hope to see you and your friends soon. Until then, stay fresh!

-Callie and Marie, the Squid Sisters

She read the letter several more times, wondering if she was imagining things. But no, this was real. It was happening, Meggy couldn't believe it. Splatfests were back, they were bringing them back and she was feeling so many emotions. Plus, the tickets were for her and the gang. It was amazing! Meggy couldn't contain herself any longer, a tear rolled down her cheek and she squealed.

"YES! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YES, YES, YES, YES!" Meggy screamed, "OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH! YES, LET'S GO, BABY!"

Loaf meowed, startled by Meggy's outburst. Meggy hugged the cat to comfort him, squeezing him a little tightly with excitement bubbling inside of her. "That's right, Loaf!" Meggy told her pet, "Mama's going to Splatville and seeing some Splatfests, THE SPLATSQUAD IS BACK IN BUSINESS!"

Gripping her letter and the tickets, Meggy put on her shoes and raced out of the house, eager to tell the others the news. This was big, she was not going to miss this one bit. Who cared if she was a human now, Meggy was still the same girl who got stuck in that paint can from years ago, the same girl whom Mario made friends with, just with a different look.

Out in the fields of Mushroom Kingdom outside his house, Mario was taking in the fresh air when he heard a squeal of excitement, followed by someone screaming his name.

"MARIO, MARIO!"

"Wha… Mama mia!" Mario remarked, "What is the trouble now?"

Meggy ran up to the plumber, holding a pair of tickets and a piece of paper, a giddy look on her face. She grinned like a maniac, filled with so much eagerness.

"What is it, Meggy?" Mario asked.

"Mario, you're not gonna believe this!" Meggy exclaimed, "BUT WE GOT A LETTER… FROM CALLIE AND MARIE! It's an invitation to Splatville and we got tickets to a new Splatfest tournament, SPLATFESTS ARE BACK! YEAH, BABY! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

No sooner than he'd heard the news, Mario's eyes lit up with glee. He loved games and had enjoyed competing in the Splatfests with Meggy despite their losses in the first two, Mario thought Splatfest was done after the last tournament where Meggy fulfilled her dream, but hearing the news that they were coming back amazed him beyond belief. This was a golden opportunity for a lot of fun!

"Oh boy!" Mario said happily, pumping his fists, "Splatfest superstars Mario and-a Meggy are going on a Splatoon Woomy adventure, let's-a go! YAHOO! Ha ha ha!"

"Grab your gear and let's get the others, Red!" Meggy said with confidence, "This is something we cannot turn down, WE'RE GOING TO SPLATVILLE AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME FUN! MEGGY SPLETZER AND THE SPLATSQUAD ARE BACK IN TOWN, LET'S GO! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! GO SPLATSQUAD, LET'S ROCK THE TOWN!"

Mario and Meggy cheered with excitement some more and headed off to go find Tari and Luigi to tell them the good news, they also had to inform SMG4 and the others as well. Even if the letter didn't say to bring along any others, the whole gang was gonna go.

However, they were not the only ones who got the news...


Somewhere in Inkopolis, the leader of Team Killer Ink was at her apartment, throwing darts at a picture of Meggy with anger on her face. Two years, two years since her team's defeat, The Leader wanted revenge and she wanted to make that stupid beanie human girl pay for what she'd done. Before that day, Team Killer Ink had been a crowd favorite, now it was the SplatSquad.

The Leader threw another dart at the wall and threw her Splattershot on the ground angrily. She'd been boiling with anger since the end of Splatfest, anger towards Meggy. As far as The Leader was concerned, Meggy had ruined her life.

And when that beanie-wearing human showed up in Inkopolis during that... that meteor shower... The Leader didn't think much of what she did. Every day, she thought of getting revenge against Meggy and the others in a Turf War. While Splatfests had ended, Inkopolis still hosted Turf Wars. Despite that, The Leader was not satisfied, especially since Meggy had skipped town.

Nowadays, while the former leader of Killer Ink sulked away in her house and vented her anger on pictures of Meggy, the rest of the team was doing their own thing.

But the last time The Leader had talked to them, the Commando, Sniper and Thug had expressed respect for the SplatSquad and voiced their apparent newfound appreciation for human beings. That disgusted her, especially given how Inklings like her had viewed humans in the past.

Human beings, worthless and un-special, especially in the eyes of many.

Leader clenched her fists and screamed angrily at the thought of Meggy again. She surged towards a picture of Meggy on the wall and began punching it until it cracked, then she kicked over a rack of inactive Splat-Bombs. No matter what else she did in her downtime, nothing made her happy, The Leader was alone and was nothing but a grim female Inkling filled with thoughts of revenge.

Rarely did she smile, rarely did she think happy thoughts or look back on her glory days. So many awards decorated her room, several golden Inkling squid trophies and medals from previous Splatfest victories. And yet, there was no escape from that day, it was as if The Leader never knew happiness.

"WHEN I FIND HER, WHEN I FIND THEM!" The Leader screamed, "I'LL CAUSE THEM PAIN, I'LL MAKE THEM REGRET WHAT THEY TOOK! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! I HATE THAT HUMAN, I HATE HER, HATE HER! HATE, HATE, HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE! FUCK YOU, MEGGY SPLETZER! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL, YOU GLORY-STEALING BAGS OF TRASH!"

Anger wasn't the only emotion The Leader felt. She soon calmed down and sat on her couch, tears rolling down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing her eyes out.

The Leader thought back to that fateful day, when the SplatSquad became Splatfest Champions, she was tempted to hurt that human in any way possible. At any moment, she could have ran up and broken Meggy's neck, she could have beaten her up and then harmed Mario. Maybe she could have ripped that cybernetic arm off Tari, trashed it and hurt the team in every way.

Oh, how she visualized every scenario playing out so many times. But then, there were times when The Leader suddenly visualized another insane scenario; Meggy beating her up, Meggy causing her pain, Mario joining in. And sometimes, she saw Meggy... stabbing her... with a sword.

So many violent thoughts, so much pain and anger, so little time.

A dark shadow loomed over The Leader, speaking to her mind, fueling her anger and laughing at her. There was no escaping, no escaping from the reality, and Inkopolis didn't have enough budget.

Rage, sorrow, the only emotions The Leader felt. She was alone, no friends or family to even give her comfort. Rarely did she interact with anyone else since the final Splatfest. People didn't bother visiting her, nobody called except for her former team members now and then.

She rarely left her place. Yet, she still ate and exercised plenty. The Leader was pale, her eyes red-shot after two years of crying and being filled with rage. Dust filled her apartment and the walls were cracked, especially after all of those tantrums. In the first few months after Splatfest, The Leader vented her rage during the night by beating up Inklings in the streets, unleashing all of her rage.

No one escaped her wrath, she caused so many citizens pain without remorse, not even the Octolings were safe from The Leader's rage.

The unhappy blue Inkling looked at her TV set, which was unbroken by her rage episodes. She still watched the news, often channel surfing for whatever movies were playing at the time. What she couldn't bear watching were the human movies, those stupid stinking hairless monkeys...

"*Sigh*" The Leader rolled her eyes, "What's on the TV today? More boring weather reports? Another big idiot human bore-buster? Something exciting? Hopefully nothing to do with that Spletzer bitch, BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR HER NAME OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT!"

She fetched the small remote and flipped the power button. The TV clicked on and the grim, angry blue Inkling made her way to the Nintendo '85 Channel, unaware of what waited for her.

No sooner than she'd blipped onto the channel as a commercial ended, the words: BREAKING NEWS appeared, followed by the scene of an Inkling reporter standing against a screen that showed the newly-opened Splatville. Splatville, the new city where Inklings and Octolings could live with humans. What was going on there, why was it on the news now?

"It has just been announced by Deep Cut in collaboration with the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook this past week..." The reporter declared, "Splatfests will be taking place in Splatville. Two years after Inkopolis' last Splatfest, Splatville will be hosting Anarchy Splatfests and word has it that the SplatSquad has been invited. We will receive more updates in the coming weeks and in other news..."

And at the mention of 'Splatfest', the Leader's face lit up. Two years of anger and sadness slowly became replaced with a mad grin, an evil smirk, a sinister and confident smile. Splatfests were returning in Splatville and the SplatSquad was going there, that could only mean...

'Looks like a big opportunity has surfaced.' The Leader thought. She turned off the TV, rising to her feet and looked at his Splattershot. Her smile widened and she began chuckling, then it turned into a creepy giggle and The Leader began laughing evilly. This was it; this was what she'd been hoping for. After two long years, she had the opportunity to finally have her revenge.

The Leader picked up her phone, laughing maniacally, her eyes ablaze with satisfaction. Revenge, long-awaited sweet revenge. If she couldn't do it here, she could do it in Splatville. She could show the world, prove to the world, that Inklings were superior to humans.

It was time at last, time to take back her title.

She dialed in the number, making the phone call. The dial buzzed for a minute and her phone rumbled, the Leader grinned before she got impatient and her happiness was replaced with anger. "C'mon, c'mon..." She growled, hoping her teammates would answer, "PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE, YOU STUPID... ARGH! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"Hullo...?" A voice asked, it belonged to the Commando.

"Hullo there, old friend." The Leader said in a sinister monotone.

"BOSS! Is that you? W-We haven't heard from you in so long..."

"I know. Tell me, have you heard of Splatville?"

"Yeah, I'd love to visit that at some point."

"Well, get the others, we're going. Something just came up and I need my team."

"Ok, no problem." The Commando sounded nervous, "Wh-What is it?"

"Splatfests are back and I just caught wind that a certain team may be visiting Splatville, we may have just hit the jackpot of luck." The Leader replied evilly.

"Really?"

"Oh yes, now get the others. It's time for a... reunion. We're going to Splatville, to settle some old scores. Grab your weapons, gear up, get the team. Team Killer Ink is back!"

"One question; When do you want to go?"

The Leader was furious, she was being questioned by her own team... for the first time. "NOW!" She yelled, "WE ARE NOT TURNING DOWN THIS OPPORTUNITY, NOW DO AS I SAY! I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK HUMANS 'AREN'T SO BAD!' JUST GEAR UP AND GET THE TEAM AND DO IT AND DO IT NOW!"

"Ok, ok I will..."

"AND IF I HEAR YOU SPEAKING HIGHLY OF HUMANS ON THE WAY THERE, IF ANY OF YOU TALK BACK TO ME OR IF YOU SPEAK NICELY TO MEGGY SPLETZER WHEN YOU SEE HER, I WILL FEED YOU TO A SALMONID KING AND I WILL DROWN ONE OF YOU IN INK! DO NOT QUESTION ME, DO NOT DELAY AND DO NOT TRY ANYTHING! NOW GET THE OTHERS, I'll see you at the station!"

*Click*

The Leader hung up the phone and grabbed her Splattershot, smirking evilly. "Watch out, Meggy Spletzer, because you'll never see me coming." The leader of Team Killer Ink screamed with villainous laughter, filled with joy for the first time in so long. She wasted no time in packing up and headed out the door, eager to get train tickets and travel to Splatville. The time was near...

The End