A new day had dawned in Inkopolis, and as far as the Inklings and Octolings of Inkopolis Square knew, today was going to be yet another day of fun Turf Wars, Ranked battles, shopping, dining, and socializing. Nothing was different about the kids as they did these various activities. However, over at Off the Hook's studio in the upper east corner of the Square, the mood was anything but ordinary. Marina stood alone at her turntables. She tried to keep a straight face as the usual group of kids and a jellyfish looked at her with faces of cheerful greeting, but deep down, she was very nervous.
(Smile and wave, Marina. Once Pearlie shows herself, all bets are off for today.)
The clock struck one of the hours when two new stages would begin, and Marina gulped and composed herself as the opening animation of Inkopolis News played on Deca Tower's screen to alert everyone. Just like normal, kids stopped talking, the ones in Deca Tower rushed out to catch the news, and many eager faces looked up to start watching except for the few who went about their business because they were familiar with this. Once the title card had been shown and the screen changed to the studio, Marina appeared while Pearl's cream and pink chair was empty.
"It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!" greeted Marina.
No sight of Pearl made things a bit more interesting for the audience. Kids suddenly began murmuring to each other about what this meant.
"Where's my 'Y'all know what time it is!'?" cried an Inkling boy's shocked voice.
This was all part of the show, as Marina looked over at Pearl's empty chair and grinned uneasily.
"Say, where's Pearlie at?" she asked the audience. "Oh, right! Get a load of this. We have a special segment for today's news!"
Then the screen went dark. The audience gasped loudly at this highly unusual turn of events, but they had little time to react as the lights went back on in the studio to reveal a much taller, more beautiful Pearl sitting on her chair, which now seemed to look and feel much more snug. Some of the kids gasped again, others screamed, and a few burst out laughing. As much as everyone wanted to start talking again to each other in bewilderment, this young lady who was supposedly Pearl quickly began to speak up.
"BEHOLD, Y'ALL!" exclaimed Pearl, making her opening gesture. "How do you like my new look?! You're lookin' at the new ME! Eat your hearts out, Squid Sisters!"
"Yes, you heard that right, and you've seen that right!" replied Marina. "Pearl has undergone a bit of a change. Wanna spill the beans?"
"Just call me Super Pearl!" said Pearl with a smug smile. "Don't I just look more like a real princess, yo? Y'all better get used to this new gig of mine, cuz Off the Hook ain't NEVER gonna be the same again!"
Half of the Square's audience changed between muttering and watching in stunned silence. Even Crusty Sean couldn't believe what he was seeing from The Crust Bucket, peering out of his window, and taking his glasses on and off in his own shock. The few jellyfish in the Square similarly couldn't help but silently stare, their white eyes widened. One riding its skateboard stared at Deca Tower's screen until it fell off its skateboard in its resulting crash. A small urchin playing a handheld game near Deca Tower paused his game in the midst of this commotion. He looked up and his one eye widened at the sight of Super Pearl within her studio. He jumped off of his spot and peered inside the studio, having to look up at what Pearl had done to herself.
"Aight, so here's the sticky," said Pearl, trying to pose on her chair but visibly struggling to do so. "I found this Super Sea Snail at a park yesterday. The snail just transformed me with one touch. Marina got to see it, then had to take me all the way back home. It took way too long hiding me! But I got back home, got this special segment planned, and presto! Super Pearl 'bout to confound the press, yo!"
"OK, that's enough of an introduction, Super Pearlie," replied Marina. "Our manager had to cut some corners to put this segment in, after he got out of his shellshock, of course."
The rest of Inkopolis News went on as normal. When it came time to end the show, Pearl hopped off of her chair like she normally would, but this time it got pulled up when she hopped off and fell to the side with a dramatic clatter. They said their motto while posing, and the screen went black.
Many Inklings and Octolings suddenly rushed to the windows of Off the Hook's studio to catch a glimpse at Pearl's new makeover. Those up front pressed up against the window to witness Pearl in all her beauty while the ones farther behind could only jump up and down to catch any glimpse. The large crowd kept the remaining kids out in the Square to talk to one another about what just happened. Inside the studio, Pearl had gotten her chair back up before smiling and waving at her admirers. Marina only smiled awkwardly from behind her turntables, privately hoping that the kids wouldn't break the windows in their frenzied state. The urchin who had luckily come to the window early now found himself completely boxed in with the taller kids, though his spines did keep them a little distance away. The kids could only gawk in silence or start chanting Pearl's name, which was somewhat unusual even for her.
"PEARL! PEARL! SUPER PEARL!" the Inklings and Octolings chanted.
Pearl continued to bask in it all, but Marina soon put a hand on her shoulder and leaned to her ear.
"Uh, Pearl, we better get outta here," Marina told her. "Things are getting crazy."
"Good!" squeaked Pearl. "I'm lovin' this, Marina! It's 'bout time fans give me this kind of attention. BOOYAH!"
She jumped and stuck out her hands and pointed fingers after exclaiming, but Marina only shook her head and began to tug on her shoulder.
"No, let's go take a break," insisted Marina, almost about to take Pearl's hand to lead her away.
"Whatever, Marina," muttered Pearl. "It's not like this is gonna end anytime soon. I'm just getting started!"
…
It really did only just get started. Super Pearl found herself nothing short of a meme. Super Pearl was all over the airwaves, the Internet, and many a table conversation. There was hardly a soul in Inkopolis who had not heard about what happened to Pearl. The major news networks for the adults not playing Turf War could not resist bringing up the transformed rapper at the beginning of their shows. The New-Color Times newspaper featured a large photo of Super Pearl in Inkopolis News with a massive, bold headline declaring, "PEARL GOES SUPER." And has usually been the case for the youth, Super Pearl became the subject of memes on all of the Inklings' favorite social media apps, especially one photo of her appearing to be stuck on her favorite chair.
It was later in the day in Inkopolis Square, and the buzz had barely settled down. A common crowd of admirers now mingled outside of Off the Hook's studio. Like they did before, Off the Hook were chatting in their studio, but now Pearl had a larger, more comfortable recliner to sit on that had similar colors to the old chair. The Inklings and Octolings snapped photos, grinned with bewildered pleasure, and remarked to each other about who they were seeing. As a result, the area was a lot nosier than before, so much so that the young urchin who normally played his game across the studio grew annoyed and had moved down into the nearby alley, playing at the subway entrance instead.
A couple of Inkling boys were making their way toward the studio now. The twins were about to meet the firm, seemingly-impenetrable crowd of kids, but the younger one was determined. As soon as he approached the crowd, the boy with a King Flip Mesh turned into squid form and squeezed below the kids' feet to get ahead. Some of them yelled with surprise or irritation, but this boy didn't care. He was a huge Pearl fan who became absolutely captivated by Pearl's new makeover, and nothing was going to keep him from witnessing his favorite celebrity's freshness. However, his older brother stayed put, and unlike everyone else, didn't seem to really care. He only stood waiting beyond the crowd, his eyes downcast and sighing when he gazed at the empty table near Headspace.
"What. A. BEAUT!" exclaimed the mesh-wearing boy when he finally got to behold Super Pearl. "Bro, I'm just stunned. Like, totally stunned. Check her legs! Her face! Her… uh, bro?"
He turned around, only to see the disgusted faces of the kids he had cut in front of. He chuckled uncomfortably and began to inch away from the glass. Not wanting to cause trouble due to the Square's surprisingly strict guidelines, the kids made a way for this rascal to leave. He shuffled out in a hurry.
"Denim! Oh, bro!" he cried at his older brother standing with his back to him. "I got to see her! Don't you wanna go try and take a look? Just don't go into squid form."
"Sure, Mesh. I guess," muttered Denim, turning to look at the crowd with a glum face.
"You GUESS?!" cried Mesh. "Pearl has TRANSFORMED! She got some kind of random growth spurt. Whattaya mean you just 'guess' you're gonna go see her?"
"Trust me, I'm weirded out by it too," replied Denim, making a perplexed face at the thought. "But… there's something else bugging me."
Mesh, who struggled to understand when other people didn't care quite as much about Pearl as a fan like him, frowned with annoyance and crossed his arms. Here was his brother, having been dragged all the way from home to the Square, now admitting he pretty much didn't care! This made Mesh groan and turn to the crowd. It remained solid, and the kids were likely not going to accommodate their rude disruptor.
"I shoulda known something's off about you," griped Mesh, looking over his shoulder at the still-glum Denim irritably. "You've really been acting funny for days, yo. I just thought I'd take my brother to come see the single freshest thing happening in all of Inkopolis right now, but nope. You've been one awkward mess. Spit it, bro. What's been eatin' ya up this time?"
"It's my team," muttered Denim, staring at the ground. "We lost a big match the other day. It wasn't just any old match. We had Marina there. We lost. Lost to Clip's rival with Marina herself watching. Imagine if you lost a match in front of Pearl, and before your greatest enemy? Yeah, that happened. Clip didn't take it lightly. She accused my two Octoling friends of blowing the match, and I'm scared that my team is about to break up."
Saying this out loud forced Denim to sigh heavily and droop his head even lower. Mesh briefly took pity on him, but quickly reverted to his earlier annoyance. He shuffled past Denim, shaking his head as he went out into the Square. He was not going to let his brother's gloom stop his joy over Pearl.
"That's too bad, bro, but things are different now with Pearl's makeover," remarked Mesh as he passed by. "Your teammates will get over the salt. We all do it. No big deal. Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna find my team."
Mesh quickly left Denim behind. Denim peered up from the ground to watch Mesh go away, hurt by his brother's indifference. Scowling, Denim went his own separate way. He stomped over to Deca Tower.
(Silly Pearl fanboy of a brother. He goes to his team and just leaves me despairing over mine. Whatever, I guess I'll play with some random squids and octos and maybe have to find new friends. Again. Where can Octolife and Octophones be? Oh, Clip. I don't want to lose you most of all…)
His anger gave way to sadness just as he filed past the tower's automatic doors. Back with Mesh, he spotted his teammates standing at the back of the Square. They were eating their seanwiches and discussing Super Pearl like many others had. They waved at their leader as he approached them with relief.
"Hey, gang. Radish, FM, and Sneaky," he greeted each of them. "Boy am I glad to see y'all after the way my gloomy brother's been. He doesn't care about seeing Super Pearl. Can ya believe it?"
"Nope," said Radish. "One look at her and everything else seems trivial."
"Yeah, and that's after he even got to meet her!" piped up Mesh. "When I heard that he saw her over in some plaza, I got SO jealous."
"Heh, that's predictable," muttered Sneaky, who carefully took another bite of his seanwich to avoid staining his Sneaky Beanie mask on his neck.
Mesh nodded in bitter agreement. He looked over in the direction of where this plaza supposedly lied. The younger Mesh was unfamiliar with Inkopolis Plaza, only having heard about it from Denim's fond stories of hanging out there back in the day. Mesh could see its tower off in the distance, but he seemed unimpressed. This plaza sounded too much like the Square that he knew and loved, only the Square was clearly better because it was fresher. He wouldn't have cared about Denim's trip there had he not reported his encounter with Pearl.
"To be honest with ya guys, that's been eatin' me up," he said to his team. "I can't believe the luck of my bro sometimes. I could use some of that! Just think, seeing Pearl playing an arcade machine in some private place? We'd have all the time in the world to get autographs and chat and take photos. UGH! It just makes me wonder. What if WE could get to do that?"
Full Moon, nicknamed "FM" by Mesh, finished his meal and briefly left to throw his trash away at a nearby can. He got an idea. His eyes widened behind his Full Moon glasses at the thought.
"Say, what if we could just go to Inkopolis Plaza ourselves?" he suggested to the team. "If the area is abandoned, it makes sense that Pearl would just show up back at that arcade machine again."
Mesh was stunned. His eyes went wide and he staggered on his feet.
"FM?! That. Is. BRILLANT!" exclaimed Mesh. "Yo, that's why you are the ideas squid. As the leader, I wholeheartedly approve of your brilliant, flawless plan! 'K, I guess that about settles it. Gang, we're gonna go to this Inkopolis Plaza. We're gonna find Pearl. BOOYAH!"
Sneaky and Radish exclaimed "Booyah!" as well to voice their approval. They gave each other high fives and fist bumps before immediately walking down the street in the direction of Inkopolis Tower. Mesh couldn't help but beam excitedly with every step he took.
"If my big bro can see Pearl, why can't I?" he asked his teammates as they went. "We'll even see Pearl in her ultimate form this time. Take that, big bro! We'll have the whole place to ourselves, we'll play games, chat, get autographs, take photos to last a lifetime… this will be the best day ever!"
…
Later in the day at The Shoal, Inkopolis Square's popular arcade, the two Octolings on Denim's mind were hanging out. They wanted not just to play the games here but to try to think of a way to save their team from a possible breakup. Octolife and Octophones were playing a round of air hockey. The Shoal's lime green and black interior gave the building a fun, somewhat modern atmosphere, helped by the constant noises and jingles typical of arcades. It was in the midst of this noisy, frantic setting that the two Octolings wanted to discuss their plans.
"Is it really a good idea to come up with a plan in a noisy arcade like this?" asked Octolife with a raised voice in a Octoling dialect, swiping at the puck and hitting it back.
"We're stressed out. We need a little fun," replied Octophones, hitting the puck back. "Besides, it'll get us thinking about what we can do to get our Inkling friends' minds off of the drama. And I know just what to do!"
"Yeah, I'd like to hear it," said Octolife, trying to swipe at the puck, but failing and letting it fall into his goal.
The scoreboard up above dinged, and Octophones said a quick, happy "Veemo!" at winning game, set, and match. Octolife only rolled his eyes and shuffled away from the board, refusing to even see the score. The two met on the side to discuss this new plan of Octophones'. Judging from Octolife's unenthused look, Octophones felt that she needed to reassure him that her plan was genuinely good based on her experience.
"Look, I've been in Inkopolis long enough to know my way around now," she told him. "And I've been with Clip long enough to get to know her too. We're going to go shopping. Nothing gets her happier than spending her hard-earned cash. Maybe after that, she'll be reminded of all the money she made because of us, and then she'll drop her thoughts about leaving faster than doing a Splashdown."
"Not bad," admitted Octolife, "but I don't know about any shops outside of the Galleria. How am I able to help?"
"You don't have to do much," said Octophones, shaking her head. "Actually, you can just tag along. You can even just leave it to me!"
She seemed pretty sure about all of this, but Octolife still seemed somewhat indifferent, shrugging his shoulders. Octophones giggled.
"Trust me, this will be easy," she told him. "Maybe by just going around the city, you can start to do things too."
"Yeah, I can start," he mumbled.
"Well, I'm going to check what's new at the prize counter," said Octophones as she began to walk off. "I hope they still don't have the same things we saw last week. I'm tired of just getting candy!"
Octolife let her go her own way, then he went his own, out of the arcade. He exited the building feeling that he wasn't doing enough. Sighing, he began to wonder about how he could ever truly make a difference. It bothered him that he was stuck between trying to learn Inkopolis and helping his friends.
(What am I going to do? I still can't read all of the signs in Inkopolis but I want to help Octophones. I don't just want to tag along. Am I really THAT wet behind the ears? Actually, I'm getting tired of just tagging along. I feel almost useless.)
While in the middle of suddenly feeling sorry for himself, he looked up and noticed an unusual sight. It wasn't the sight of the Great Zap Fish flying by, which was normal. It was the sight of an orange balloon holding a small crate. It was high up and only barely spotted by the Octoling boy, but he saw it and became instantly intrigued. Looking around and surprised to see that no one else bothered to look up, he made a resolute frown as he started walking quickly in the direction of this mysterious balloon.
Once he was outside of Inkopolis Square, he took the backpack he had been lugging around and pulled out his Custom Dualie Squelchers. With their good range, these weapons managed to shoot the balloon without Octolife having to execute a single roll. The crate fell to the sidewalk with a loud thud, and Octolife broke it open from a safe distance with more shooting. What popped out of the crate was a letter with its envelope sealed with a sticker bearing an octopus icon. This icon made Octolife flinch the moment he came close enough to see what it was.
"That's Octarian," he muttered under his breath.
Whether this letter was for him or someone else he did not know, but he just knew that this was trouble. He took it and ripped the envelope open in a sloppy way to show his disdain. Pulling the letter itself from the ripped envelope, Octolife unfurled it and began to read the written Octarian words that he could understand all too well. It didn't take long for his hands to start shaking and his reading eyes to glare harder.
Dear Inklings and Deserters
If you have received our letter and are smart enough to read it, know this. We have seized control of the place you simply call "Inkopolis Plaza" with hardly any resistance. Not long after this, we have also squidnapped a boy who claims to be the brother of a certain "Denim" as well as his friends who had carelessly and foolishly entered into our new base. We will not tolerate the interference of intruders much more. We demand that you send "Denim" to Inkopolis Square so that our brave, feared captain may challenge him in a duel. If not, we will dispose of this "Mesh" and those with him. You have three days to reply.
- The Octarians
Octolife tried his best to resist the temptation to tear up the letter, so he crumpled it up into a ball before stuffing it in his pocket instead.
"Blackmail," he growled.
Now he really wished there was something he could do. Just when things seemed bleak, they turned bleaker still. He shook his head and closed his eyes in intense thought. It became clear to him that he had to alert Denim that his little brother and his friends were in great danger.
(I must tell Denim. I know he's not at the Square. I'll go on a whirlwind tour around all of Inkopolis if I have to. Now's the time to prove myself!)
His fists clenched and eyes hardened with determination, Octolife turned around and power-walked back to go straight to Deca Tower. He had looked up earlier that the two stages currently in rotation were Walleye Warehouse and MakoMart. He was about to enter Deca Tower when he stopped himself.
(No, this is no time to play Turf War. If only I could get to these two stages without the trolley that just takes me to play a match. Maybe Octophones can help me here?)
Before he could think more, Octophones herself exited The Shoal. She looked perplexed as well as a little disappointed. She was clutching a bag of candy as she skillfully spotted Octolife in front of the tower and came toward him. Evidently, Octolife's currently rough mood didn't help.
"There you are!" she exclaimed at him. "What's the matter with you? Oh, don't mind me. Those jellyfish at The Shoal just couldn't have bothered to rotate their prizes. I had to get candy again, and I could only afford getting taffy too!"
"Octophones, we've got a bigger problem than old arcade prizes," said Octolife. "Mesh has been squidnapped!"
To prove it, he pulled out the crumpled ball of a letter from his pocket. Octophones took it and tried to straighten it out as best she could, and when she was done reading, she became just as upset. She even decided to roll the letter back up into a ball too, shoving it into her own pocket.
"Things really are spinning out of control, are they?" she said. "Well, maybe when we take Clip to Arowana Mall, we can go find Denim and tell him he's in big trouble."
…
Arowana Mall, a sloping district of shops and dining places, was the logical choice for a shopping trip to help Clip get over her saltiness. All they had to do to get there was take a transit bus. They had found Clip at the Square not long after the encounter with the letter. They decided to keep the letter hidden from Clip for now, lest they make her even more bent out of shape. When they had met up, the two could tell that Clip was still smarting from the loss, but at least she wasn't still mad at them. Now seemed to be the time to make up.
Once they were dropped off outside the mall by the bus, Clip started to get a little cheery. Dangling her bag of gold coins, she walked by the seemingly reassured Octophones as the three entered Arowana Mall's grounds. Octolife, on the other hand, kept scanning his eyes back and forth over the area's shop entrances. He wanted to see Denim, but no sign yet. There wasn't even a Turf War going on right now. This was why shoppers were taking advantage of the quiet to shop while they could.
"You've got a point," said Clip to Octophones, after looking down at her coin bag. "We won a dozen or so matches before that one, and if not for you guys, I probably wouldn't be holding this much money right now."
"Yeah, and now you can buy more fresh gear," added Octolife, still scanning over the area. "By the way, where is Denim?"
"I don't know," replied Clip a little sheepishly, "I actually have a good amount of gear, so I think it'd be best if I go check the new toy store."
Mentioning this toy store brightened Clip's mood that much more. She started to walk faster in the direction of this store, making Octophones have to hurry before her friend would be on the other side of the sloping hill already. Octolife could only watch with quiet surprise as Clip swung her coin bag back and forth. Octophones was right; Clip does like to go shopping!
"Wait for me, Clip!" pleaded Octophones. "Did you somehow equip Run Speed up gear before we left?!"
Amongst the jellyfish, Inklings, and Octolings, Octolife now found himself alone once again. Frowning, he turned away from the hill the two girls disappeared over and looked up to see the entrance to an alley. Maybe Denim could be hanging out up there? It was worth a look, and the fierce urgency of the three day blackmail made him feel compelled to pull out his Custom Dualie Squelchers and ink his way up the wall in lime green ink. This allowed him to make it up to the alley, where he could get a nice view of the city from the railings. It was at this spot that Octolife stopped and stood with surprise.
(There's Inkopolis Tower. That means the new Octarian base is just right over there. But how? It looks surprisingly normal.)
Standing above the buildings and streets of the nearby city blocks stood Inkopolis Tower itself. It was where Octolife and his friends had a dramatic encounter with the enemy Octolings in a previous adventure, yet something was off about it. Octolife could distinctly make out the appearance of flat shapes that appeared to be put up and around the Plaza. They stretched far and wide, with the number of them implying that at least a decent number of creatures had erected them together. However, there appeared to be no sign of construction in the area. These panels simply reflected the outside buildings, camouflaging to hide what was going on within. Thinking about what these things could be then made Octolife become startled at one thought.
(Oomi! Those reflecting panels are just like the ones in the domes of Octo Canyon. How clever!)
He glared at the Octarians' hidden hideout from the safety of his mall wall. As much as he wanted to infiltrate the base to free Mesh and his friends, he knew this would be just as reckless as what they did. Instead, this only made him become even more resolved to find Denim before it was too late. Octolife turned back to the alley, seeing it leading down to another part of the shopping district.
He was about to head back to the mall when another sight caught his eye. It was down by the street, nestled under a tree on the sidewalk to try to be obscured. This wasn't enough to fool Octolife, who mainly took notice because of the hooded figure. It might've been the case that this person thought no one was around to see, because the person was openly pointing and directing a couple of even more suspicious figures much shorter and circular bumping around down there, also wearing hoodies. Octolife looked back and forth between the tower and this parked trolley, and he chuckled.
(Wow, they must've taken an unused trolley at the Plaza to go on operations. Nope. I don't think so. Looks like I'm going to have to head down there and put a stop to this.)
Brandishing his Squelchers, Octolife inked the ground and dropped into the puddle in octopus form. Once down there, he came back out and shot at a distance from the shady figures that he could go and hide in the ink. It was here that he attempted to listen in on what the Octoling and her gang of apparent Octarians were saying and doing.
"Take a seat. Any seat," said the enemy Octoling in Octarian speech, a typical girl with red shoulder-length hair and Neo Octoling gear armed with an Octo Shot. A simple, gray hoodie was all that was different about her.
Her Octarians were the simple grunts who usually rode on vehicles, but now walked around on their stubby, little feet. The gray hoodies they wore were small with a ridiculously-large hood big enough to cover the one octopus arm they have for hair. It was an awkward disguise, and the Octarians were clearly not having an easy time due to their hunched forms and stiff movements, but the hooded Octoling had no choice.
"With this trolley, we're going to go on a tour of this city," she explained to her Octarians. "Maybe we'll see why the squids think this city is so, um, fresh. I doubt it."
"Not without me!" yelled Octolife, who rose from his ink puddle and ambushed them.
The Octarians jumped and the enemy Octoling swung around to fire her Octo Shot immediately. Fortunately for Octolife, her aim wasn't nearly as good as an elite's. The Octarians were helplessly unarmed and were splatted by Octolife's well-aimed shots. The two Octolings now found themselves alone.
"What do you want, deserter?" growled the enemy Octoling, after looking around to see the lime green puddles where her Octarians had been.
"I'm the one who read the letter," replied Octolife, pulling out the crumpled letter from his pocket and throwing it at her feet. "I'm a friend of Denim's. I guarantee you that he's going to want to challenge your captain ASAP. However, I'm trying to look for him. Looks like the trolley you stole might be useful."
This suggestion made the enemy Octoling make a mean, little laugh as she took her hoodie off. This boy apparently wanted to force her to go on her tour. The nerve of him after splatting her poor Octarians! She kept her Octo Shot firmly pointed at him.
"Me riding with a traitor like you?" balked the enemy Octoling. "Hmmm… the Captain does want me to do something useful. Whatever. But I have my eye on you, you traitorous deserter!"
Lowering her Octo Shot slightly, Octolife showed his seriousness by slightly lowering his own weapon, though he was prepared to dodge roll at any second if necessary.
"I promise not to splat you if you promise not to splat me," said Octolife. "So… what's your name?"
"You don't need to know my name!" she snapped. "If you insist on a stupid nickname like your Inkling buddies, just call me Enemy. That's what I am to you."
"OK, Enemy. That's actually not a bad nickname," muttered Octolife, chuckling. "I want you to drive to a place called Humpback Pump Track. It's one of the few places in Inkopolis that even I know where it is."
She boarded the trolley first, followed by Octolife. Despite their promises, they both held their weapons very tightly and looked completely uncomfortable and irritable in each other's presence. They were both expecting the other to break their promise at the first opportunity. The trolley remained empty other than the two up front, their weapons still at each other's side.
"Fine. Just give me directions. GOOD directions," mumbled Enemy. "You better not direct me to some police station."
"And you better not drive me over to the Plaza you just took over," shot back Octolife. "So, take a right turn at that intersection…"
…
Humpback Pump Track was familiar with Octolife because he learned from Denim that this place was popular for kids with little opportunities to socialize, such as after-school clubs and cliques. While it was known as a Turf War stage, it was a BMX track first and foremost, and the Inklings and Octolings would enjoy watching races if not able to participate themselves. Shops around the building would sell bikes and biking gear. The large indoor facility with its notable socializing and bumpy terrain made it a good choice as a new Turf War stage in previous years.
Octolife and Enemy arrived outside of the facility as Enemy parked the trolley in a corner of the large parking lot outside. The two of them had been on pins and needles throughout the whole trip over. Both of them were privately surprised that one hadn't stabbed the other in the back. For Octolife, he also felt anxious because he knew perfectly well that he had abandoned Clip and Octophones back at Arowana Mall, and worried about this sparking yet another conflict. But dealing with Enemy, incredibly risky as it was, felt to him like an opportunity to find Denim and then go directly to a showdown at the Plaza, if Enemy upheld her end of the bargain.
"I hope that this Denim fool is here," said Enemy, hopping off with her Octo Shot firmly in-hand. "The thought of the two of us going around this silly city all day makes me want to vomit."
"You and me both," replied Octolife. "Let's go."
They shuffled into the building. A few kids glanced at Enemy's unique shoulder-length hair and Neo Octoling gear with some interest, but the two of them were mostly ignored by the crowd. Humpback seemed surprisingly busy today. Several groups of Inklings and only some Octolings milled around the halls, some going to shops while others were putting on gear to try to ride. Octolife was dismayed, because this meant finding one particular Inkling boy would be challenging, not to mention finding the right Inkling boy with a mush-cut hair style and the right gear.
"Look at all these squids," growled Enemy with disgust. "Their goofy faces and outlandish styles are just as uncivilized as I was taught in the academy."
"Lies," muttered Octolife to her. "I don't have time to refute them. We have to find the source of all of this commotion. I see a pretty big crowd over there."
He pointed at one crowd toward the track itself. Some of the kids at that spot seemed to sport pink outfits with the Inkling letters for "CK" written on them. Octolife and Enemy headed toward them, and they soon found the source of this gathering. It was another Inkling boy, and one Octolife didn't much care to see either. An Inkling boy with pale skin, pink eyes, and pink slick hair with a Cycle King Cap, Cycle King Jersey, and Pink Trainer shoes with classic shorts. Octolife groaned.
"I know that guy," he told Enemy. "He's Cycle King. He's the leader of Team Jock and a little bit of a rival of mine. Hanging out with him wouldn't be much better than with you."
"If he's not Denim, I don't care," replied Enemy tartly.
They were about to walk away when one of the Inkling boys turned and recognized Octolife. A friend of Cycle King's, he was a boy with a Silver Tentatek Vest and Black Trainer shoes with leggings, and he walked toward them. Just as Octolife was about to slip away behind a wall, the boy called out his name.
"Octolife!" he cried. "How about you come see my buddy Cycle King's next race?"
Sighing at the fact that he was caught, Octolife stopped and turned around, prompting Enemy to stop and do the same. They both appeared to care less.
"We are not going to watch a race, Silver," said Octolife in blunt Inkling speech. "I have a question for you. Where is Denim?"
"Denim? You mean YOUR buddy?" asked Silver. "I guess you can ask Cycle King. He might know. Hey, I like your girlfriend's fresh gear. I've never seen it before!"
Enemy almost jumped Silver in outrage for calling her "girlfriend" but Octolife quickly rushed in between the two to get to Cycle King. The crowd was not like the one at Off the Hook's studio. Octolife was able to get to the front without trouble. Cycle King's eyes turned on him, and they grew with surprise.
"If it isn't one of my former bad guys!" exclaimed Cycle King. "I never got to say that it was a pretty nasty sneak attack you did in our last Turf War."
"Where is Denim?" asked Octolife irritably, in no mood for a conversation.
"I'd tell you, but I think I will on one condition," said Cycle King. "See, I'm looking for a new challenger in a race. Care to challenge me to a race here in Humpback Pump Track? If you win, I'll tell you where Denim went."
"Ugh, are you serious, Cycle King?" asked Octolife in disbelief. "But I do not even know how to ride a bike. This is an emergency!"
Enemy, who had been silent this whole time, finally had enough and confronted Cycle King herself.
"I will challenge you to a bicycling contest!" she yelled at him.
"Huh? What did you say?" asked Cycle King, not understanding Enemy's Octarian speech.
"She said that she will challenge you to a bicycling contest," interpreted Octolife. "Evidently, she knows how to ride a bike."
"Cool, cool. But I gotta warn ya. They call me 'Cycle King' for a reason!" he warned.
The surrounding kids began to get hyped about seeing another one of Cycle King's many races at Humpback Pump Track, convinced that he was about to win one yet again. As for Octolife and Enemy, they became determined to prove them wrong, especially the latter.
"I'll make you eat my bike's dust, squid," snarled Enemy. "I'll have you know that I took a daily bike ride to the academy. Back and forth! Since I was still in octopus form!"
"Wait, what? What? I can't understand your teammate's speech, Octolife," said Cycle King, perplexed.
"She is just saying that she will win based on experience, pretty much," said Octolife, not really caring to act as interpreter.
"We're gonna put that to the test, then!" said Cycle King, walking over to his prized pink and white bike standing nearby. "At least her gear is super fresh. Where'd she get those? And why's her hair different?"
Neither Enemy nor Octolife bothered to try to answer these questions as they all started to head out to arrange this race.
"I'll lead you to where the bikes are," Octolife told Enemy. "I mean it when I say that I hope you win."
"Yes, I am in it to win it," she replied. "Funny how fate has brought me into this city like this."
As they headed to the area where the bikes were stored, a scene was about to unfold outside of the building. A white limousine was beginning to pull into the parking lot. It was followed by an entourage of security to keep groups of fans at a distance. Inside the limo awaited one who was eager to come here after what all that had transpired to her.
"This is it, Marina!" squeaked Pearl in delight, sitting on her pink leather seat with her longer legs crossed and her elbow on the door. "I'm finally gonna learn how to ride a bike!"
"If you can't do it now, Pearlie, you never will," said Marina, sitting on the opposite side. "Hopefully today is the day I'll stop poking fun at your training wheels."