CHAPTER I

THE BEGINNING - A


Nothing about the partly cloudy sky in Inkopolis Square suggested that something was about to go very, very wrong. I had lived a partially normal life until this day.

This day would change everything for everyone.

I sat alone next to Crusty Sean's food truck, holding my soda when the screen on the tower flickered on. The screen was barely even used anymore since Pearl and Marina left.

Who was on the screen was apparently someone in the army. They wore a camo vest and had a blue ink tank on their back, as well as a ton of dirt on their face. They also sported a classic man-bun. They were obviously someone more than 20 years old.

"Okay, listen to me, all of you," they yelled into the camera. "The end of the world is coming soon! Please keep a weapon on you at ALL TIMES. The company that is known as K-(static) Co. is planning for several attacks on us and then they'll..." He stopped dead. Footsteps could be heard in the background as well as some Octolings talking in our language.

I could understand it. Thank goodness.

"I think there's someone over here," one said. "No doubt," another replied.

Suddenly a bunch of lime-green ink covered the camera, and it winked out.

You know those awkward moments when a ton of people go silent for about 10 minutes?

Yeah.

That's pretty much what happened.

Everyone was just frozen in place, looking at the now black screen.

A little bit of talk started to develop when I stood up and ran to my house.


I skidded to a halt and flung open my garage door.

Over the years I had collected quite a few things of Inkopolis'. Since I had come from a place where we rarely saw daylight, these things kind of had a bit of sentimental value.

I tore off my shoes (with some difficulty) and ran to my weapons closet.

Everyone had one of those. They were usually for Turf Wars, Ranked Battles and things like that. But this was a special case.

My Kensa Splattershot was at the top shelf because that was my most used weapon of the bunch.

Once I had armed myself like I was going to war, I went outside again. Now, I was ready for anything.

Except for 50 sanitized Octarians.

They came from NOWHERE, and if I wasn't already confused by this, what made it more confusing was the fact that there weren't anymore sanitized fleets anymore since someone destroyed whatever it was that was creating them.

I shook myself and went to absolutely destroy my first battle.