Susan rolled forward when she landed, stopping at the edge of the box pile. Her body still ached from the fall earlier. But she ignored the pain and turned to face where Two had stood. Where Two had been moments ago. The boxes were covered with blue ink, and Susan turned in all directions, looking for Two. "Maybe she dodged it!" she thought and tried to find any movement. "There's no way that hit!"

And then she saw her. Standing in the spawn on the other side of the warehouse, was Two. She stood completely still, watching Susan. It was like she was studying her. Susan's heart raced and her knees buckled. "It hit!" she murmured. Her legs gave away and she sat down, trying to calm herself. Doubt and disbelief washed over her, and she took a deep breath. "The timer ran out before the shot connected!" she thought and rocked back and forth. "It has to be!"

Suddenly, the speakers cracked and Marina's voice boomed throughout the warehouse. "Uhm… well this was an exciting match, wasn't it Pearl!"

Pearl's voice echoed through the silence. "Oh uh, yeah! That was wicked!"

Susan could hear that even they were uncertain. Two was still standing motionless, watching her. Susan felt like she could see through her, and looked away. Marina's voice boomed again. "Sorry ladies and gentlemen, the judges will have to discuss this for a little longer. In the meantime, we'll have a little break! See ya in a few minutes!"

Susan's head shot up. "Really?" she murmured. She had never ever seen this happen before. At least not in a sniping tournament. She stared at the speakers, half expecting Marina to come back to correct herself. But the speakers remained silent. "Hey miss?"

Susan looked away from the speakers and looked at an Inkling girl in a staff vest. The girl repeated what she had just said. "Sorry miss, but you'll have to go outside while we clean everything up!"

"What? Oh, yeah," Susan said after a short silence. She was still a little dizzy. Susan stood up, picked up her Squiffer and glanced over to where Two stood. She was still staring at Susan. A man was trying to tell her something, but Two didn't seem to hear him. Their eyes met. Susan couldn't see very well, but Two's eyes weren't mad. They looked calm, and like they were thinking, like they were looking at a very complicated math problem. The man walked over to Two, trying to tell her that she should move outside. Without responding, Two finally looked away from Susan, picked up her charger and walked out the door. Susan shook her head and dropped down on the floor and walked to the door that led out to the waiting area. She had barely been able to take one step outside when she was tackled by Pitri and Anna. "Oh my cod, that was absolutely amazing!" Pitri said and hugged Susan so tight that she could barely breathe. Pitri's eyes were red and her voice was shaking. Anna was more calm, a little sweaty, but she inspected Susan thoroughly with a really concerned expression. "Are you alright?" she asked and brushed Susan's hair away. "That fall looked like it hurt!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Susan was able to squeeze out of her mouth, struggling to breathe in Pitri's tight hug. "Are you sure?" Pitri half screamed. "Yes, yes, I'm fine Pitri!" Susan said and broke away from Pitri. "Look, I'm still alive!"

Theo stood a little away, and smiled. "Susan, that was absolutely amazing!" he said and took a step closer. "Like, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this! The way you flipped over Two and behind her was so cool! How did you do it?!"

Susan froze for a split second. "I… I don't know." she said. "I just sorta… did it."

The woman with the clipboard came walking up to them, talking with someone on a radio while trying to write something on a piece of paper. "Yeah... Yeah, I know... What do you mean you can't see it?... Then find a different camera angle, there has to be at least one camera that caught what happened!" she said to someone on the other side of the radio and then put it back into her pocket. "The judges are still discussing what happened, just wait for a few minutes." She said. Her tone was a little lighter than it had been when she was talking on the radio. "Do you need something? A drink? Or are you maybe hurt?"

"No thank you, I'm fine," Susan murmured. The woman inspected Susan. "Are you sure? It'd be safer for some people to take a look at you."

Susan shook her head. The woman shrugged and walked over to where Two sat on the other side of the preparation area. Two looked really calm, and just casually fixed up her charger. How could she be so calm? Susan's thoughts were interrupted by Pitri's and Anna's discussion of the match. "Do you think you splatted her in time?" Pitri asked and squeezed Susan's hand. Susan looked at her. "I… I don't know," she said in a low voice. "I am 100% sure that you splatted her before the timer ran out!" Anna said. Theo smiled. "You got this!"

Susan smiled nervously and stared at the ground beneath her. She couldn't have won. It was impossible. Millions of thoughts raced through her mind. Pitri, Theo and Anna were busy discussing the match. "And when she broke your mirror, I for sure thought you were done for!" Pitri said and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. Theo nodded. "Yeah, and when you predicted that she was behind you and escaped by going between the boxes, that was insane!" he said. Susan's face turned red. They didn't know that she had fallen down there by accident and that she had panicked the whole time. "How did you know she was behind you?!" Theo continued. Heat moved into Susan's face and she looked up. "It was kind of an acci—"

But she was interrupted by a crackling sound from the speakers. Marina's voice boomed over them. "Hello ladies and gentlemen, squids, octos and all other sea creatures, and welcome back to the Inkopolis Sniping Tournament! These are your hosts, Marina and Pearl from Off the Hook and we are back after a short break!"

Pearl's voice took over. "Yeah, this match was absolutely wicked, as Susan Splatnair and Two duked it out! I don't think I've ever been this excited over a match in my entire life! And by the sound of the audience, you guys felt the same way I did, right?"

The audience cheered and clapped. Susan took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm. "Yes, this match was quite exciting, and even the judges had to take some time to reflect on what happened in the last ten seconds of the match! But now, they have all come to a conclusion after inspecting some footage and discussing it! The decision is so new, that not even we know what their conclusions are!"

Pearl took over. "Yeah, but now after they've made me wait over who won, they have sent us this envelope that contains their conclusion! Was Susan able to splat Two in time, or will the contestants have to duke it out in a cover less 1v1?"

Susan bit her tongue. "It's too good to be true, it's too good to be true," she muttered over and over again. Marina's voice boomed again. "Yes, we will all find out what happened… after a short commercial break!"

The audience groaned and Pearl exclaimed. "What?! Oh no, no, no Marina, you are going to tell us, and you are going to tell us now! I'm too excited to wait!"

Marina laughed. "I'm only teasing Pearl! I'm just as excited as you are! Anyway, are you guys ready?!"

The audience cheered back. Susan stared at the speakers. The sound of rustling paper boomed on the other end. "And their conclusions are…"

The world silenced. The audience held down their breath, the woman with the clipboard stopped talking on the radio, her friends stared at the speakers, the birds stopped singing, and Susan Splatnair held down her breath. Marina continued. She was reading off the paper inside the envelope. "After watching replays of the last moments of the match, we have come to the conclusion that Susan Splatnair splatted Two when there were 0,34 seconds left of the match. Susan Splatnair wins!"

Everything was in silence. Then, the audience erupted in cheers, and Susan's friends jumped up and down. Susan could barely believe her own ears. "What?! No! It can't be! I can't have won!"

The woman with the clipboard walked over to her, writing something on her clipboard. Even if she looked a bit serious, she looked a little cheerful. "Susan Splatnair, you gotta go to the stage and accept the price! Come on, hurry up, you don't want to keep the audience waiting!"

"But… but… there has to have been a mistake! I can't have won!"

The woman smiled. "No mistakes, Miss Splatnair! You won! Now go and let the people see you!"

Susan stood up, her legs shaking. She walked in a daze all the way to behind the stage. A few security guards stopped her friends, saying something about that only the winner was allowed to come on stage. Her friends looked disappointed, especially Pitri, since she had always dreamt of being a star. But they still smiled and waved to her in encouragement as they walked over to the WIP seats. Susan could see Two by the stairs that led up to the stage, and Susan walked over to them. Neither of them said anything. Pearl and Marina were up on stage, talking to the audience. "This has been a thrilling time down here by the harbor!" Marina said. "But let's not keep you waiting and welcome the contestants on stage! Please give huge applause to Susan Splatnair and Two!"

Susan stood completely still. She wasn't used to this, and had no idea what she was supposed to do. She glanced over at Two, looking at what she did. Two just looked at Susan. "You gonna go on stage, or what?" she asked Susan. Two's voice was kind of deep, and Susan was startled by hearing her speak to her directly. "Wha—" she asked confused. "She told us to go on stage," Two continued. "You going?"

Susan was very confused. "Wha—" and then she realized that she was supposed to go first. Her face heated up and she walked up the stairs, Two following right behind her. When they came on stage, the audience cheered and clapped, and the floodlights blinded her. In the middle of the stage, stood Pearl and Marina, the two members of Off the Hook. Pearl was wearing her usual idol clothes. A white, sleeveless dress with a high collar, a diamond-like pattern in the bottom left, with a large golden zipper. She also wore white shorts, pink tights, white platform boots and a white crown on her head. She smiled towards Susan, her light, golden eyes shining in the floodlights. Marina stood next to Pearl, a lot taller than Susan was. Her silver eyes were lit up with excitement, and her long, black hair fell down her sides. She was also wearing her idol clothes, a black, sleeveless top with a high collar, and with a large, silver zipper. She was also wearing her black shorts, teal colored tights, and large, black boots. Her black headphones bopped on her head as she walked with Pearl towards Susan and Two. Each of them was holding a trophy, and Marina also held a large envelope. Pearl shook hands with Susan, and then Marina shook her hand as well. "I can't believe it!" Susan thought. "I'm shaking hands with Off the Hook!"

Pearl and Marina turned to the audience. "Before we finish up for tonight, we want to say that this whole tournament has been absolutely amazing!" Marina's voice echoed over the crowd. Pearl stepped forwards. "Yeah, it was absolutely wicked! Let's give a round of applause to everyone who participated and those who assisted in making this tournament possible. Susan joined the claps of everyone else, still in somewhat of a daze. When the cheers had died down, Pearl turned to face Two. "And second place, goes to Ma-, ehhhh, Two!"

The audience went wild as Two accepted the trophy Pearl handed to her. It was a silver model of a charger, silver ink flowing all around it. Pearl continued. "So, how do you feel Two, after this exciting match?"

Two cleared her throat and spoke into the microphone that Pearl was pointing towards her. "Well, I think it was a great match, my opponent was great and I think it was overall great. But I do not intend to lose next time!"

Her deep voice echoed from the speakers. Pearl turned towards the audience again and spoke into the little microphone in her hand. "Well, looks like this won't be the last time we hear of Two! Let's give a round of applause to Two!"

The audience cheered and clapped, Susan joining in. Marina took a step closer. "And first place goes to Susan Splatnair!"

The audience erupted in applause, and Susan accepted the trophy that Marina gave her. The trophy was a golden statue of a hooded Inkling aiming a sniper, ink flying all around. Susan smiled and lifted the trophy over her head, and the audience got even wilder. When the cheers and claps died down, Marina handed Susan the microphone in her hand. "So, Susan, how do you feel about this?"

Susan struggles to find the right words. "I… uhhhh… I honestly can't believe it," she said in a low voice. "It's just… amazing."

Marina smirked. "But you won't only be leaving with a trophy tonight, you will also get 250.000 coins as a reward!"

Marina handed her the little envelope in her hand. Susan accepted it and was surprised by how light it was. "Anything you want to say to the audience?" Marina asked. Susan was still dazed, and only said the first thing that came to her mind. "This thing is surprisingly light."

The audience laughed and Marina smiled. "Oh, don't worry! The envelope just contains some papers with a bunch of words, they'll transfer the cash afterwards!" Pearl replied and winked. Susan could feel her face heat up, and smiled an awkward smile. "Anyway, a round of applause for Miss Splatnair!" Marina boomed, and the audience clapped. When it had quieted down, Pearl and Marina stepped forward. "Anyway folks, this is sadly the end of this lovely evening!" Marina boomed. Pearl smiled. "Yes, but we have a lot of other events coming up soon, so yall better stay tuned!"

"Thank you all so much for watching!" Marina took over. "Until next time!" Pearl boomed. "Don't get cooked, stay Off the Hook!" they said in unison. The audience clapped and the TV cameras moved away. People started to leave their seats, and Susan started walking towards the stairs, but was stopped by Pearl. "Yo, we still have to take some pictures with the contestants!" she said and pulled Susan towards another staircase, where Marina and Two waited. "Oh? Oh, yeah," Susan said. She still couldn't believe it. "I'm going to a photoshoot with Off the Hook!"

She followed the others to a little stage with a white background, a bunch of photographers and journalists waiting with their cameras. Marina stood on Susan's left, Two on her right, and Pearl on Two's right. They all posed for the cameras, Pearl and Marina doing their normal pose, while Susan and Two held out their cups. The flashes from the cameras almost blinded her, but Susan still smiled her brightest smile. After what felt like forever, the photoshoot was finally over, and the four of them walked out a door that led to the preparation area. Two instantly walked over to her case, and started to pack her charger. Marina stretched her back. "It gets really tiring just standing there for hours and hours," she said. "I could really use some dinner right now!"

"Yo, I agree," Pearl said and yawned. "I feel like I could eat a whole whale!"

Marina smiled and turned towards Susan, who was just standing there awkwardly. "Why don't you join us?" she asked. "I really wanna know more about you! And while we're eating, you could tell me what you put in that gorgeous hair of yours!"

Susan froze and her head started to spin. A dinner? With Off the Hook! "I… I…" she started. Pearl interrupted her. "And don't worry, your friends can join us too!"

Susan's eyes widened. "I… I'd love to, oh my cod!" she stuttered nervously. "Thank you!"

"Nah, don't worry about it kid," Pearl replied. "The pleasure is all ours!"

Then she turned and saw Susan's friends coming running towards them. "Hey, you three!" she shouted. Pitri, Theo and Anna all froze in their tracks, stunned by the fact that they had just been shouted at by a member of Off the Hook. "You three are joining us for a dinner!" Pearl continued. "What ya say?"

Her friends looked like they had all been punched in the gut. They all looked at Susan to look for confirmation, and she nodded back to them. "So?" Pearl asked. The three of them nodded furiously, all too nervous to talk. Marina stepped forward and laughed. "Don't worry, even if Pearl looks like she bites, she doesn't!" she said. "Come on!"

Susan's friends walked over to them, still a little nervous, and introduced themselves. After a few seconds, Marina spoke up. "So, where should we eat? What do you say about Le Calamar Restaurant?"

Susan's eyes widened. Le Calamar restaurant was one of the most fancy and expensive restaurants in the whole of Inkopolis! But before Susan could voice her concern over that neither she, nor any of her friends had the money to eat there, but then Pearl spoke up. "Nah, I ain't in the mood for something fancy. Let's go to Sean's!"

Marina laughed. "Alright, let's go!" she said and turned and pointed at a limo parked behind the building. That's our ride, come on!"

But before they could walk over there, Pearl froze and grabbed her head. "Oh carp!" she exclaimed. Susan and the others turned to her, question in their eyes. "We forgot to make the contestants shake hands!" Pearl continued and directed this towards Marina. "It was part of the script, we were supposed to make the contestants shake hands!"

Marina facepalmed. "Oh cod!" she muttered. "We'll be in big trouble tomorrow!"

"Nah, let's not think about it now!" Pearl said. "Let's just go and enjoy some snacks at Sean's!"

Marina nodded and turned towards the car, but this time, it was Susan that spoke up. "I forgot to thank Two for the game!" she said and looked around. "Have any of you seen her?!"

Marina turned and pointed behind Susan. "There, if you run you might catch her."

Susan spun on the spot, and saw Two walking over the street, her case in one hand. Susan handed Pitri and Theo her trophy and her envelope, and looked at Pearl and Marina, a little embarrassed. "I hope you don't mind," she said. Marina and Pearl smiled. "Nah, take your time gurl," Pearl replied. "We'll just be chattin here, go and catch her before it's too late."

Susan smiled and ran over the street. Two was standing by a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green. "Excuse me?" Susan asked in a low voice. Two turned to face her. The white facemask covered her mouth and nose. "Yes?" she asked. "I just wanted to thank you for the game," Susan continued, a little more confident. Then she extended her hand. "Good game!"

Two turned her head and nodded towards another Inkling woman that stood across the street. She wore a pink beanie and sunglasses, and she nodded back at Two. Then Two turned back to face Susan and grabbed her extended arm. "Good game kid!" she said. "That match was the best one I've had in a while! I don't think I've ever seen someone your age pull off that trick. Who taught you?"

Susan hesitated and then answered. "I taught myself," she answered. "Been practicing ever since I was little."

Two raised one eyebrow. "Self-taught, eh?" she said. "Pulling off a trick like that while being self-taught is really impressive. Ya got potential kid. A lot of potential."

Susan looked down, a little embarrassed. "Thank you!" she said in a low voice. Two laughed a little. "Hope we meet again, Splatnair!" she said. "And next time, I won't be holding back. I'll win that rematch no matter what!"

Susan laughed. "I hope so too!"

Two picked up her case again. Then, her voice changed a bit. "See ya kid! Stay Fresh!"

"Yeah, Stay Fre—"

Susan froze. That voice! The way she said it! Susan had heard that a billion times before! There was something missing from the way Two said it, like there was supposed to be someone else that said it with her! Was it? No! It couldn't be!"

"Wait…" Susan started. "That voice…"

Two's eyes lit up. "I suppose there's no point hiding it," she said. Her voice had changed a bit. It was still calm, but it wasn't as deep as it had been before. "And since there's no one else here except you, I don't see any harm in telling you!" Two continued, reached behind her ears and took off her facemask. Susan gasped and almost fell down. In front of her stood Marie, a member of the Squid Sisters. Marie! Susan couldn't believe her own eyes, and struggled to find the right words. "But… you were… how…"

Marie smirked and put one finger up to her lips. "Congrats kid, you beat a member of the Squid Sisters!" she said. The world spun around Susan and she felt like she was flying through space. "But I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that I am Two," Marie continued. "Even your friends. Got it?"

Susan nodded furiously. Marie smiled and winked her. "See ya around Susan, Stay Fresh kid!"

Then Marie put back on her facemask, turned and walked over the crosswalk. "Sta- Stay Fresh!" Susan stuttered. She was frozen to the ground, dazed by what just happened. Midway over the crosswalk, Marie stopped and turned her head back. "By the way, me and my cousin might join you for your dinner tonight! I'm really hungry, and I'm sure Callie would never say no to a bite at Sean's!"

Susan nodded, since she was too shocked to say anything. Marie winked her again, turned and walked to the woman waiting for her, who Susan assumed was Callie. Susan turned in a daze back towards the warehouse, and walked over the street towards it. What a day. She had fulfilled all of her wishes in one day! She had won the tournament, she was going out dining with Off the Hook and maybe the Squid Sisters! And she had also-

She froze. No. She had not fulfilled all of her wishes. She still had to-

But her thoughts were interrupted by someone's voice. "Miss Splatnair!" a man's voice came from behind her. Susan turned and saw a man in a jacket walk up to her. He stopped and inspected her. "You're Susan Splatnair, right?" he asked. Susan hesitated a bit before answering. "Yeah, I'm Susan Splatnair."

The man's face lightened up. "Great! My name is Boris Goldstein and I am an agent for Aquawaves."

Susan's eyes widened. Aquawaves was one of the largest team organisations in the whole of Inkopolis. The man continued. "You're not in a team, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Susan replied in a shaky voice and shook her head. The man smiled. "Well, we are forming a new team and we're looking for a good charger user. And I think your performance in this tournament was absolutely spectacular! What do you say you come down ya and take a few practices with the other members of the team? And if you like it, and if you do well enough, we can set up a contract! What do you say?"

Susan's stomach turned and she almost screamed back. "Yes! I'd love that!"

The man smiled and reached into his pocket. "Great! Just call this number and we'll set up a practice!"

He handed her a small card with a phone number on it. Susan accepted it and put it into her pocket. "Well, congratulations on winning the tournament! We'll look forward to see you play!" the Amman said. "Thank you!" Susan replied. "Have a good night!"

The man turned and walked over to a car, reaching for a phone in his pocket as he did. Susan turned in a daze and started walking over to the limo, where Off the Hook and her friends were chatting. "What was all that about?" Pitri asked. Susan smiled. "I'll tell you later."

Anna walked over to her, and put one hand on her shoulder. "Great job out there!" Anna whispered and smiled. "You did amazing"

Susan could feel tears filling her eyes, and she turned and hugged Anna. "Thank you!" she whispered into Anna's ear, tears dripping on Anna's jacket. Anna took around Susan's head and patted her. "Shhhhh," she whispered. "What are you thanking me for? You were capable of doing everything you did in that match! I just gave you a little push! That was all you!"

Susan half laughed, half cried into Anna's shoulder and then pulled away, wiping her own face. "There, there," Anna whispered. And then she continued in a more teasing voice. "But I mean, if you want me to take all credit, I'll do that and take those 250.000 coins, thank you!"

"Oh, shut it," Susan laughed and both of them laughed for a good while. When Pearl saw Susan, her face lit up. "Awesome, we're all ready!" she said and opened the door of the limo and climbed in. The others followed and sat down in the comfortable seats. None of them had been in a limo before. "Jelldon!" Pearl said, and a tiny window opened at the end of the limo, and the driver, who was a jellyfish, peeked inside. "Aye?" he asked. "Take us to Sean's!" Pearl replied. "I'll buy you your favorite!"

Jelldon wiggles with excitement. "Aye aye, captain!" he said and the window closed. "He's still trying to learn how to speak inkling," Pearl said. "He's a great guy, and really funny to be around!"

Susan started out of the window, still not believing what had happened today. Everything that could've possibly been good, happened. She took a deep breath and sank into the comfortable seat. Marina glanced at Anna. "Oh honey, you got a inky nose!" she said. Anna looked at her confused. "Huh?" she asked and then realized that ink was leaking out of her nostrils. "Oh cod!" she said and grabbed her nose. "Oh cod, I'm sorry you had to see that, it happens when I'm excited!"

Marina smirked. "Oh, don't worry hon, it happens to the best of us!" she said, reached into a little cabinet and pulled out some tissue. "Here!" she said kindly and handed it to Anna. "Thanks!" she said gratefully and started cleaning her nose. Susan smiled and looked back out the window, cars flying past. What a perfect way to end a perfect day.

The End