"And the winner of round one of the Inkopolis Sniping Tournament is…"
Susan held down her breath and stared at the speakers hanging from the ceiling. "Was it worth it?" went through her mind. There was a short pause. "SUSAN SPLATNAIR!" Marina's voice boomed from overhead. Susan's eyes widened and she was petrified. Was she dreaming? How? It couldn't be! Susan pinched herself to double check. Nope. Still here. Susan heard loud cheering from outside. It was actually real. People in staff uniforms came in and started to clean up the ink. "You gotta go outside miss, we have to make ready for the next round," an Inkling told her. Susan nodded and walked outside in a daze. When she came outside, she saw Pitri and Anna come running towards her. They jumped and cheered around her, but Theo stood a little awkwardly a few meters away. "That was so good Susan, you totally wrecked him!" Pitri said and hugged her. "He didn't stand a chance!"
"It wasn't that great," Susan murmured under her breath. "I barely won."
"The points were 59680 to 53720!" Anna said and jumped up and down. "He was too focused on splatting you, so you overtook him!"
Susan stared at her in disbelief. Was it really so? "Really?" Susan asked and looked at the two of them. "Yes, look!" Pitri said and pointed. Susan looked up at the leader board and her throat tightened. It was true. She had really beat him by that much. Theo walked over to her and put his hand awkwardly on her shoulder. "Nice one," he said. Susan smiled and looked around. She had to find Lens and thank him for the match. "Well played," a voice came from behind her. Susan spun around to face Lens, who was leaning up against the table. He had already packed down his charger and looked like he was about to leave. Susan shook his hand. "You played better than me," Lens said as they let go. "Next time I'll have to focus more on popping the balloons instead of just trying to snipe you," he continued. "You better not screw this up."
Susan blushed and nodded. Lens smirked. "I'll watch the finals when I get home. Good luck!"
And with that, Lens turned around and walked away. Susan walked back to the others, who were looking at the scoreboard. "250.000 coins," Theo said. "What are ya gonna use it for?"
"I already told you, I'm saving up for a Kensa Charger," Susan replied irritated. She had lost track of how many times she had told him this. "Are you sure that's the only reason why you're participating?" Pitri said with a slight tease in her voice. "Is there a chance that you might also be doing this to catch the attention of the big sport teams, maybe get some offers?"
Susan froze and tried to say something, but she was too startled to reply. "Uhm… maybe," she replied after a short silence. Theo and Pitri looked at each other smiling. "It would be nice to get on a big team and, ya know, be able to complete in the big tournaments," Susan continued and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "I knew it!" Theo said. "After that performance in the first round, I'm surprised you haven't already gotten tons of deals."
Susan looked at him. "It doesn't work like that," she replied. "They only look at the winners, no one else."
"That's not true," Pitri said and patted Susan on the back. "There are many instances where teams make deals with people even if they didn't win."
"Still," Susan murmured. "I've been waiting for this chance my whole life, I don't want to screw this up."
"You won't," Pitri said encouragingly. "You'll roll over whoever wins the next round. Speaking of which, where are the other contestants?"
The four of them looked around. There was no one in the waiting area except them and a few staff members. There was no sign of Headphones or Two. "There's Headphones," Theo said and pointed. The four of them looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Headphones come out of the bathroom. "That's one," Anna said. "But where is this Two?"
The lady with the clipboard walked into the middle of the waiting area. "The next round starts in ten minutes, I need the participants to confirm that they're here."
"Headphones is here," Headphones said as she walked up to the lady, holding her charger. "Great, now we only need Two," the lady said and looked around. "I need Two to come let me know that they're here. If she doesn't show up, the match will be forfeit."
"Two is here," a female voice came from behind her. The lady spun around and smiled. "Great, get yourself prepared and then go to your starting position. Your match will start in ten minutes. Susan leaned back to see behind the lady. "Thank you," the voice said. Susan's eyes widened and she froze where she stood. By one of the benches stood a gray haired, female inkling. She was tall, clearly much older than Susan was. She wore a dark green jacket and black shoes. She wore a green cap which was turned a little sideways, with a skull pin stuck to it. She also had a white face mask covering her mouth. Susan gaped at Two, who sat down at one of the benches. Two opened her case and took out a Hero Charger. A Hero Charger?! Those things were so expensive! Only the best of the best had those! Two flipped it in her hands and aimed down the sight. She was so confident in her movements! Susan stared in disbelief, her mouth gaping. Two glanced over to her and then looked back down the sight. Susan realized that she was staring and closed her mouth. She could feel her face heat up in embarrassment and looked away. How could she win the tournament against someone like that? "Whoa!" Theo whispered in astonishment. "A Hero Charger! Those are super expensive!"
"No kidding," Pitri whispered. "She must've been doing this for a long time, judging by her confidence."
"She looks tough," Anna whispered uneasily. "Those eyes look like they could freeze molten lava."
"Great help guys," Susan sighed. All of the joy from winning the first match had vanished in an instant. The others looked at her. "Oh, sorry," Theo said. "You totally got this! She hasn't even won the first round! Maybe Headphones will win!"
He might act like he was confident, but Susan could hear his voice was shaking. Susan sank down on the beach behind her and sighed. "I'm never gonna beat her, am I?"
"Don't give me that carp!" Theo said. "You've totally got this!"
A bell rang, signalling that there was five minutes until the next match started. Two looked up and put her charger on her shoulder. Then, she walked over to the starting position. "Come on," Pitri said. "Let's go watch the match."
Before Susan could walk over to where the big screen was, a man in a staff uniform walked up to them. "I'm sorry, but participants are not allowed to spectate other matches."
"What!" Pitri said and turned around. "That's stupid!"
"Sorry, but this is done so that competitors can't pick up any tips before the match. You'll have to go in blind," the man continued. He pointed at the other three. "And you are forbidden to tell her anything revealing about the match. Sorry, but rules are rules."
Susan sat back down. The other three looked at her with concern in their eyes. "I'll be fine guys," Susan said and smiled. "Just go watch the match, I'll just wait here."
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Anna asked. "Of course I will!" Susan reassured them. "Just go!"
Susan's smile disappeared when the others were gone, and she went limp. In reality, none of those things were true. She just didn't want them to worry. How on Earth was she supposed to beat someone like that? "ARE WE READY FOR ROUND TWO!" Pearl's voice boomed in the speakers. The audience roared back. "That's right ladies and gentlemen, round two of the Inkopolis Sniping Tournament is about to begin," Marina said. "Should we meet our participants?"
The audience cheered and clapped back. "I think the audience wants to hear," Pearl said. "Tell us Reena, tell us!"
"Understood Pearlie!" Marina boomed back. "On one side is Headphones! She alongside her team, Team Blue, have won many battles and overcome many obstacles. People called them idiots, so they rose to the top! Her aim is true and her heart strong!"
"Why does she wear headphones anyway?" Pearl asked. "Won't that distract her from the game?"
"She wears them for the same reason why you wear a crown, silly," Marina replied. "Because it looks cool."
The audience cheered on and Susan could feel the sweat on her forehead. "And on the other side is Two!" Marina continued. "A mysterious inkling who has won many battles. It is said that she has never missed a target and that she has gone on many dangerous adventures. She's a lone wolf and not part of any team."
"Odd that someone presumably so good isn't part of a team," Pearl said. "I wonder who she is."
Susan's breathing became uneasy. It was exactly what she had suspected. She was really good. "And without further ado, let round two of the semifinals, BEGIN!"
All Susan could do the whole match was listen to the cheers of the crowd. Her stress built up as time went on, and her imagination went wild. "She's probably already gotten 100.000 points," Susan thought. "I can't do this, she's too good."
When the familiar tunes of Now or Never started playing, the crowd went wild. Something big was happening, and Susan had no idea what it was. She hid her face in her palms. She would do anything just for the crowd to stop. Anything. When there were ten seconds left, Susan looked up to see what the points were, but she couldn't see them from where she sat. The bell rang, signalling a game over, and the crowd roared. "And the winner of round two in the semifinals, is…" Marina's voice boomed.
"Please be Headphones, please be Headphones," Susan prayed in her mind. She felt that she wouldn't be as stressed if she was facing Headphones, Two really gave her anxiety. She stared at the speakers, holding down her breath.
"TWO!" Pearl roared. The audience went wild and Marina's voice was barely heard through it. "Thank you for stealing my line Pearlie, but yes, this game was undeniably in Two's favour. I don't think I've seen such domination in one game. It looks like Susan will have to do her absolute best if she wants to win."
"I was already doing my absolute best in the first match, and if that isn't enough, what is?" Susan thought and clenched her teeth. She was no longer happy that Off the Hook was hosting her match. She just wanted to get this over with and go home at this point. She saw Two and Headphones come out of the warehouse, shaking hands. "Hey," came from behind her. Susan spun round and saw her friends walking to her. Their expressions were awkward and anxious. "That was… quite a match," Theo stuttered and looked down at the ground. Susan looked at them. "How was she," she asked coldly. "She was…" Pitri started but was interrupted by a man in a staff uniform clearing his throat. "Go on, you're allowed to tell me if she was good or not," Susan said and sat back down. Pitri hesitated but then continued. "She's… she's good. Really good."
Susan groaned and looked back up. "And the points? What were they?"
The other three looked at each other and then back at Susan. "The points were 76.420 to 48.840," Anna said after a short pause. Susan felt like her stomach was going through a roller coaster. "Yeah," Theo continued. "She kinda bullied Headphones the last minute of the match, she couldn't even leave the spawn."
Susan took a deep breath trying to calm down. "Okay great,"she said after a short while. "I might as well forfeit."
"What!" the other three protested. "You can't forfeit now, you've come such a long way," Pitri continued. "Pitri, there's no point in trying if I've already lost," Susan said and started to pack down her charger. "You don't know that yet!" Theo protested, but Susan ignored him and walked away to pack down her stuff. "What's even the point, I can't beat someone like that," went through her mind as she closed her case. She heard someone behind her and spun around. It was Anna. "Look, no matter what you say, you're not going to change my mind," Susan said irritated and turned away. "I'm not going to win this."
"You want that charger, right?" Anna said. "And a chance of a deal with the big teams?"
Susan froze. "Of course I want those," she said after a short while. "I just won't be able to get them here."
"If you always give up when the storm is against you, you'll never ever be able to get either," Anna continued. "Do you really wanna go to bed every night wondering what would've happened if you hadn't forfeited? And what about those deals? If you give up in the finals, all teams are going to label you as a person that gives easily up. Which decreases your chances of getting a deal, even if you win another tournament later. If you try, at least there's a chance they'll give you an offer based on your performance. You won't get that if you just give up. Do you really want to be labelled as the person that gives up?"
Susan didn't move. "Look at me," Anna said and grabbed around her shoulders. Their eyes met and Susan saw those deep, black eyes stare at her. Those sad eyes. "I've seen you play ever since we were little," Anna kept going. "You are the sniper of Calamari Street, you're the Bane of those unwary."
Susan chuckled, remembering all the nicknames she had gathered over the years. "I've seen you play, and I can tell you that you have every chance in the world to win! Do it for us!"
Then Anna hugged her, keeping her locked in an embrace. Susan could feel tears stream down her chin, and she hugged back. She felt warmth coming from Anna, shielding her from the cold she had felt for the last few minutes. After a short while, Anna let go and smiled. Susan tried to smile back, but it was hard. "Alright, I'll try my best," she said. Anna's smile widened. "Awesome! Go over to clipboard lady, I think she's looking for you. I'll go to the others and tell them you'll be competing."
Anna hugged her one last time. "She's really good at hiding," she whispered in Susan's ear. "Watch out for corners and don't ever let your guard down. She'll probably try to take the high ground, but she has one blind spot. She never seems to check behind her. It's like she doesn't expect anyone to flank her. Remember that."
Anna then turned around and walked over to the others. Susan wiped away her tears and walked over to the lady with the clipboard. She felt newfound strength from what Anna said. She also thought about what she had said. "I can do this!" she thought to herself and took out her charger. The lady was talking with Two. "Ah, there you are!" she said when she saw Susan approaching. "I gotta explain the rules of the finals to you, they're quite different from the semifinals."
Susan looked at her with question in her eyes. "What do you mean by different?"
"There will be no balloons in this round," the lady continued. "Instead, this will just be a normal 1v1. The first one to be splatted loses. Other than that, same rules. No sub weapons or specials, no punching, pushing, kicking or any physical contact with the other player. The timer is still five minutes."
Susan's insides spun. This was a lot different than what she had prepared for, but this was actually easier. Now she no longer had to focus on the balloons and her enemy. Only the enemy. But that was the same way for Two. "Okay great," Susan tried to sound optimistic. "And before we start, I should tell you something," the lady continued. "If either player hasn't been splatted by the end of five minutes, you will be required to go to the middle. Then there will be a cover less 1v1. No cover to hide behind, just a 1v1 until the other is splatted. There will be lights making a circle. If you step outside of that circle, you lose. After a short while, the circle will start to shrink. The person that splats the other first wins. But people are usually splatted before the timer runs out, so you probably won't have to worry about that."
It was starting to get hard to breathe. Susan had always relied on cover as her friend. She was hopeless without something to hide behind. She just had to splat Two before the timer runs out! "Do both of you understand?" the lady asked and looked between the two of them. Both of them nodded their heads. "Great!" the lady said. "Shake hands and then go to your starting positions. The match starts in five minutes."
Two extended her arm, and Susan shook it. Two's grip was tight, and her eyes were cold, and it was like she was measuring Susan. "Good luck," she said. "Good luck," Susan replied. Two turned away and walked over to her starting position. Susan tried to ease her breathing. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. Anna's words echoed through her mind. "Watch out for corners and don't ever let your guard down. She'll probably try to take the high ground, but she has one blind spot. She never seems to check behind her. It's like she doesn't expect anyone to flank her. Remember that."
Susan walked inside the warehouse and got ready. "I can do this."
The speakers crackled and Marina's voice boomed in the warehouse. "Hello ladies and gentlemen, squids and octos, and all sea creatures! Welcome to the final round of the Inkopolis Sniping Tournament! These are your hosts, Pearl and Marina from Off the Hook, and before we get started, are you guys rea-"
"Yes, we are ready!" Pearl interrupted. "Let's hurry, because I'm ready to see some action. What about the audience, are you ready for some action?"
Susan could hear the crowd roar outside. "It looks like the crowd is as hyped as I am!" Pearl continued. "Tell us Marina, who are the participants?"
"I'm glad you asked Pearl!" Marina replied. "On one side, we have Two! I don't think I'll have to tell you people how capable she is with a sniper, since I think we all saw that last round. I don't think I've seen such domination in one match! She has a lot of things in her favour, but we'll just have to wait and see!"
Susan took a deep breath. "No mistakes."
"And on the other side we have Susan Splatnair! We all saw how incredible her performance was in her round. And I know I'm not supposed to pick sides, but I want that hair to win! You'll have to tell me what you put in it when this is over!"
Susan blushed. "Don't get distracted."
"And this isn't like the last match either," Pearl's voice boomed. "This time, there'll be no balloons to worry about. Just good ol fashioned 1v1. But are you guys ready?"
Susan lifted up her thumb to signal that she was ready. This is it. No turning back now. "Let's do this," she murmured. "It looks like both of them are ready!" Pearl continued. "I'm certainly ready, what about the audience?"
Susan heard another roar from outside. She felt this newfound energy pulsing through her.
"Alright!" Marina boomed. "Then let the final round of the Inkopolis Sniping Tournament, BEGIN!