Withered Spirit

The population of Inkopolis didn't believe what they saw at first. At first there were denials. Saying that the gods couldn't have done this to them. That it is all some elaborate prank. That maybe, just maybe, the next Splatfest in two weeks would proceed as usual.

When the altar stayed silent two weeks after that fateful day, the populace knew their worries were confirmed. Small groups began to try to raise a festival themselves, but they never managed to replicate the feeling of a Splatfest. It just never felt the same.

A month after the broadcast and a second missed Splatfest later, the effect it used to have on the populace had become clear, to everyone's misfortune. Inkopolis itself fell into a wave of depression, as winter began to take its toll on the entire city.

Cobalt wandered Booyah Base, seemingly in deep thought. Inkopolis Plaza itself is unusually quiet, the winter chill from a month before has now worsened into a deep freeze that has overtaken the entire plaza and a thick layer of snow and ice covered every corner. A howling wind coupled with an increased snowfall had forced the masked inkling into wearing something resembling a raincoat over his usual attire to avoid the snow from causing damage to him.

"Yo squiddo, what you doin' out here?" a voice called to the masked inkling. Looking up, he saw that Crusty Sean, the proprietor of Shrimp Kicks, the shoe shop in Booyah Base is trying to shovel snow off of the stairway leading to his store, to no avail.
"Waiting." Cobalt simply replied, looking around the plaza expecting company.
"Well whateva you're wait'n for, don't wait out here, squiddo!" Sean said, waving a claw towards the store. "Get inside here! It's better than stayin' out here and becomin' a squidsicle!"

Without much complaining, Cobalt wandered into the store, also oddly devoid of customers. Immediately he began to shiver as the freezing temperature finally got to him.

"Woah…H-has it really been t-that cold outside?" He chattered through teeth that rattled like a jackhammer.
Crusty Sean handed a steaming mug to Cobalt, an eyebrow raised at his condition. "Yep. You better drink that, it'll warm you right up. Can't say I don't take care of my customers every so often now, do I? Heh."

Cobalt held the steaming mug for warmth, eyeing the unusual brown substance inside, then tipped his mask slightly to take a small sip. "Um… tempura sauce?"
"Sorry squiddo." Sean shrugged. "Best thing I could'a find on short notice. Darn blizzard 'ad me trapped harder than a sardine in a tin can! Anyway… what were you wait'n for exactly, out there?"

The masked inkling sighed, "Competition. I badly need money so I've been waiting for people to play Turf War with me. Didn't expect the plaza itself to be deserted though…"
The prawn sighed. "'fraid that'd be a pointless endeavor, squiddo. Look outside."

Cobalt rubbed off some of the condensation on the glass with his sleeve, and looked outside. Sure enough, the door in front of Inkopolis Tower itself appears to be frozen shut, Judd the cat isn't in his usual spot right outside the tower, and even the TV screen normally broadcasting advertisements whenever a news bulletin isn't up appears to be shut off, a black screen now on display.

"I'm willin' ta bet the Squid Sisters aren't holed up wherever they usually are too." Sean said, looking up at the studio, the dim glow from inside absent. "I'm tellin' ya, that whole 'No Splatfests' thing seems to have hit everyone rather hard. Just feels like the whole place has its spark sucked out!"
"No kidding. Cobalt said, looking back around the shop. "Looks like your usual customers are gone too."
"Don't be reminding me, squiddo!" Crusty Sean looked distraught from that statement. "No Turf Wars, means no demandin' for new gear! I'm slowly losin' ma touch havin' ta drink nothing but tempura sauce without the credits, but you should've 'eard what Moe 'ad to say, that clownfish is losing his tiny lil' mind over this whole ordeal!"

Cobalt had a guilty chuckle over that. Moe, the co-owner of Cooler Heads alongside Annie the anemone, the shop that specialized in selling headgear for Turf War enthusiasts, was infamous for his sharp tongue in contrast to Annie which was extremely shy. Cobalt had a few times where he lost his cool in front of Moe, suffice to say the thought of amusing if ambiguous revenge gave him a sense of satisfaction.

"Say, come ta think of it, I think I've seen you before." Sean said, rubbing his feelers in thought. "You that blue boy that I've seen a few times oglin' the rare stuff a few times before with your clever pal. Cerulean, right?"
"Cobalt, actually." The masked inkling replied, "Haven't had the time to thank you for that pair of Crazy Arrows by the way, I love those shoes. As for my 'clever pal', I think he's along his way, I told him to meet me up at the plaza."
"Did you tell 'em that you'd huddle up in a shoe store sipping tempura sauce?"
Cobalt's eyes perked up as he realized he hadn't. "Oh…"

"THERE YOU ARE!" An exhausted and irate inkling said, bursting right through the entrance to the shop before he hurriedly closed the door. "You didn't tell me you'd be sitting here drinking something warm while I had to freeze my tentacles off out there, looking for you!"
"Sorry Chris." Cobalt said, with a slight look of guilt in his eyes. "I only just got here myself. Sean dragged me in here when he saw me doing the exact same thing as you were."
Chris immediately eyed the mug that Cobalt was holding onto. "Are you gonna…"
"Yeah sure. Here-"

Chris immediately snatched the entire mug, and downed the entire contents of the mug before Cobalt could even finish his sentence. "AH! That's more like it!"

"I'd never seen anyone enjoy tempura sauce that much." Sean said, staring in slight disbelief.
"That was tempura sauce?" Chris replied, "Look, in this kind of weather, I'd down an entire keg of HOT WATER if it means it'll warm me up. I'm not keen on decorating Inkopolis Plaza as an ice sculpture. Anyways Cobalt, I think this trip's a bust. We gotta turn back."

The masked inkling didn't take that statement very well.
"WHAT?!" Cobalt cried, causing Crusty Sean to step back slightly. "Chris, you know I can't-"
"I know." Chris replied, sighing. "Look, even if we somehow pry those doors to the tower open, the stages aren't available, and Judd is nowhere to be seen! As much as I hate to say it…sometimes you just got to learn to accept defeat."
"BULLSQUID!" Cobalt was practically yelling now. "You know just as well as I do that I don't just do this for the sport! I HAVE TO, I NEED TO! And I'll march up to the freaking GODS themselves and threaten them at gunpoint if necessary!"

"Woah there, squiddo, calm your tentacles!" Sean interjected, his claws held up in defense. "Casual blasphemy aside, how are ya even gonna attempt to restore Turf Wars when everyone else has more or less given up? Your clever pal's right, it'll take more than a gun and a can-do attitude to get Inkopolis outta that funk!"

Cobalt's arms simply fell to his sides as his rage just drained away, and he sat down looking at the floor, crestfallen. "…I dunno. I can't even control myself, let alone an entire city's worth of inklings. Are we just gonna give up like this?"
There was a strained silence in the shoe shop, as the blizzard outside hammered the windows of the shop.

"…y'know," Crusty Sean finally spoke up. "Me old mama, she always told me the same line when I was just startin' out. 'If ya never find the opportunity ya lookin' for, tossin' a handful o' fish feed outta the sea might let da opportunity come ta ye'. Used ta' never know what she meant by that, but one day, I impressed an official that was just passin' by my neighbourhood down by the sticks in Bluefin Depot, he was impressed at how I can manage so many shoes at once! I got elevated to this pretty famous location right here thanks to him."
"So…how's that relevant?" Chris asked, taking another look out at the snowstorm outside.
"The answer's simple, really." Sean continued. "I most certainly won't believe that you two are the only ones willing to get Inkopolis outta this funk, heck I'm certain that every inkling that Turfed least once in their life misses them old days! All it'll take is one call to action, and you're all set to begin your little quest!"

"How do we do that then?" Cobalt asked, a little glimmer of hope in his voice.
"Well, there is another old saying-"

Suddenly from a few meters away, an outburst emanated from another nearby store.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T DO GIFTS?!"

Sean chuckled slightly at the voice. "-that 'fate sometimes descends and hands ye a sushi platter'. That sounded like another inkling, ya better go meet 'em, you don't see a lot round here nowadays."
Cobalt immediately jumped out of his seat, motioning Chris to follow. "Gotcha. Thanks for the pep talk! C'mon, let's go!"

"Wait, don't slam the-"
Cobalt closed the door behind him so hard, a pile of snow collapsed off the sign above and fell all over the walkway Sean just finished shoveling.
"…door." He finished, sighing as he reached for the shovel.

"THIS IS IMPORTANT! AND YOU'RE JUST SWIMMING HERE REFUSING BUSINESS?! HOW COULD YOU!"
"Like I'd listen to someone as stale as you, let alone let you help someone as UNfresh! HA!"
"Please…stop…"

Katelyn is not having a good day. First a snowstorm happened so she's forced to wear a snowcoat and not be able to superjump due to the extreme conditions, then she managed to get herself turned around because she was forced to walk due to the trains not running, and then she discovers upon arrival to Inkopolis Plaza that the place is literally deserted and that everything Turf War related has been closed down as a result.
Now on top of that, a certain clownfish is giving her lip, just when her patience is starting to run thin.

"For the last time!" Katelyn shouted, raising a huge pouch in one hand and a pair of Octoglasses in the other, "I wish to purchase these glasses for my friend! I am going to give them to her as a gift, levels be damned! So SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!"
"I TOTALLY REFUSE!" Moe shouted back, his little form somehow generating even more volume than seemingly possible. "I'm the freshest of the fresh, the dough, the big cheese! And it is in my eternal freshness that I refuse to let you taint our reputation with your unfresh actions!"

"Oh yeah?!" Katelyn immediately tossed the pouch aside, a large pile of credits spilling on the floor, and snatched Moe out of Annie's hair with her free hand, squeezing the air out of the clownfish's lungs as she bared her sharp teeth at him. "GIVE…THEM…TO…ME…NOW."
"Wait…stop…" Annie said quietly, trying to reach Katelyn's arm to no avail.
"Get yer hands offa me, you stale excuse of a squid!" Moe screamed, "WHOO! WHAT HAVE YA BEEN EATING, YOUR BREATH SMELLS LIKE A SLAUGHTERHOUSE!"

"Woah, Moe! What's the excuse for a commotion this time?" An oddly familiar male voice said behind Katelyn, "Lemme guess, another unfresh-"
Katelyn instinctively turned around, and saw an inkling looking straight at her, her eyes widening. That mask… those dark blue tentacles…that fashion disaster of a clothing arrangement. She knew this guy all too well.
"YOU!" Katelyn shouted, dropping Moe and the Octoglasses on the floor (Annie meekly scooped up the slightly skinnier clownfish and the glasses, tossing the former back into her hair and the latter she started rubbing with a cloth).
"W-what?" Cobalt asked, staring at the irate inkling in front of him. "Um… do I know you?"
"I KNOW YOU!" Katelyn screamed, as hours upon hours of frustration finally boiled over. "You caused all this! You're the reason she refused to leave her home! You're the reason I have to wade through snow for hours! AND YOU'RE THE REASON I HAVE TO TAKE SASS FROM A ROTTING HUSK OF A CLOWNFISH!" Unstrapping an Inkbrush Noveau from her back, she ran straight at Cobalt. "C'MERE! I'M GOING TO STUFF YOUR TENTACLES DOWN YOUR THROAT!"

"W-wait…" Annie tried to shout, looking flustered, "No weapons in the shop…"
"OY, OTHER GUY!" Moe shouted from inside Annie's hair, "BEAT THE STUFFING OUT OF THIS MADWOMAN!"

"With pleasure." Cobalt replied, unholstering a Neo Sploosh-O-Matic and began starting to shoot a salvo of ink everywhere, knocking over a few hatstands in the progress. Dodging a downward swipe from Katelyn, he leapt sideways into a patch on the wall, switching into squid form and diving headfirst into the wall.
"S-stop!" Annie said, "If one of you gets splatted this far from a respawn point, it's permanent!"
"Yeah! Go get 'em silly man!" Moe laughed. You could've sworn he was enjoying this.
Leaping out of the wall and vaulting himself across the room, Cobalt painted the entirety of the shop, dodging a sideswipe from Katelyn as she charged right at Cobalt with anger in her eyes. Immediately afterwards, his tentacles began to glow and bubble as his special became fully charged due to his mask's power.
"Time to end this." Cobalt quipped. Turning into a Kraken, he charged straight at Katelyn spinning as he went. In retaliation, she screamed in rage and started swinging her brush with reckless abandon in Cobalt's general direction, managing to beat the giant squid back with the resulting shower of ink alone.

Moe is having the time of his life. "Oh, this is better than watching it on- HEY ANNIE, where are ya going? Don't duck behind the counter, I can't see!"

Eventually Cobalt's special ran out, and he backflipped towards the counter, banging into it and falling over ("EEK!" Annie squeaked). An exhausted but still steaming Katelyn staggered slightly after that barrage, stepping forward towards Cobalt's fallen form, dragging her Inkbrush behind her and not even caring about the dark blue ink she was stepping on.
"I…can't…give up…" Katelyn breathed, staggering with every step. "For…her…I'll…make…you…disappear!"
"Well…whoever you are, prepare to be disappointed." Cobalt coughed, barely having the strength to get up onto his knees.

Katelyn raised her swinging arm, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Cobalt, just as he pointed his gun at Katelyn's head-

"Oy, Cobalt! And Miss…whatsyourface! That's quite enough!"

Chris wandered into the shop, brushing a pile of snow off of his snowcoat, and raising both hands. "I don't know what happened, but stop right now! Last thing we need on our heads is a homicide charge."
"Aww, man!" Moe said from behind the counter, "We were just getting to the good part!"
Katelyn's arm shook with effort as her expression became strained, and she begrudgingly put the Inkbrush down gently as her own legs gave way and she fell onto her knees. Cobalt simply shrugged, as he put down his gun to his side, and took in a strained breath.

"Cobalt," Chris said, looking at the girl with the Inkbrush, "Don't suppose you can tell me what's going on? She looks familiar."
"No clue." Cobalt replied, taking in another strained breath. "She just went nuts, screaming that I caused…something, and she just went right at me with an Inkbrush!" He gestured towards the counter. "If you need proof, those two saw everything. Well… the clownfish did at least."
"Um…hello." A shy female voice emanated from behind the wooden desk. "Sorry about the…mess."

Chris turned his head at the female inkling, who has since fallen silent since her little rampage.
"…Hold on. I think I remember where I've seen you before." Chris said. "Cobalt, we've fought that girl before in Turf Wars. Remember one of our first matches?"
"Not in particular." Cobalt replied, straightening his mask and squinting. "I don't really remember my opponents that much."
"Then do you remember the one where you KO'd a rookie?"
A flash of realization flashed through Cobalt's eyes. "OOOOOH… THAT match. Come to think of it, whatever happened to her?"

"Huh? I didn't realize you cared!" Katelyn suddenly interjected. "I thought you were just some overlevelled jerk that hunted rookies for fun!"
"Oh… about that." Cobalt replied, rubbing his head. "Truth be told, me being a relentless monster in the battlefield, it's more an…act. Gets me in the mood, you know."
"Is that so…" Katelyn wrung her hands, a look that said she didn't quite believe what she just heard on her face. "That's…good. I was so worried you genuinely meant to harm Mei-Lin."
"You say that like you know her." Chris said, approaching Katelyn and sitting down on the floor as well. "Can you tell me what happened? I need to know your side of the story as well."

Katelyn sighed. "Well, after that match, Mei-Lin just told me she wanted to stay in the plaza to dance instead, so I just left her there and I just went to play with the others. I was fairly certain that after that fiasco of a match, she just simply gave up. I don't know what it was, but looking back, she didn't splat anyone or was splatted at all. I think she was actively avoiding everyone, she always was never good with intense activity or being watched. I should've noticed earlier…I couldn't even find her after I finished playing with the boys."
"I noticed." Chris said. "Found her with my Echolocator, but I don't think I've ever seen rookies that terrified. What else?"
"After that… well there was that whole deal with "No Splatfests"." Katelyn looked down as she recounted the silence that befell the crowd when that foreboding message showed up on TV. "I always loved Splatfests. The sights, the sounds, the Turfing, watching young couples fall in love, it was magical. But in all honesty I didn't expect that simply removing them would've led to Turf Wars being stopped altogether…I feel I've lost a bit of myself after that."
"I couldn't believe it either." Cobalt said, nodding understandably. "It just feels like everyone outright stopped caring about enjoying themselves."

Katelyn began to choke as her recollection started to become painful. "Mei-Lin… She just locks herself in her house now. She's even stopped coming out to doodle on that little sketchbook of hers. Mark and John, I haven't seen them ever since the Splatfest that was meant to happen didn't. I…well… being lonely flat out sucks…"

She started to sniffle slightly, as tears began welling up in her eyes.

"I came here today, hoping that I could get something for Mei-Lin so I can cheer her up. She's locked herself in her house for a month by now. But I saw Inkopolis Tower frozen shut like no one even bothers anymore…got into an argument with Moe… and well…" she gestured at Cobalt. "You came along. I really didn't know who to blame more for Mei-Lin shutting herself away…myself, or you. But just seeing you standing there, still breathing while I have all these problems to think about. I just…snapped."

Lavender tears began to drip on the floor, as Katelyn shook with regret, her eyes moist, clutching her chest.
"I…I wanted to go back to those days…me and Mei-Lin…smiling…I…"

"Oh man. That's harsh." Cobalt said, his voice a whisper. "I really didn't know. Man, I feel guilty now."
"D-don't blame me." Katelyn sobbed, "I-I did attack first after all."
"Welp, can't believe I have to do this at all…" Cobalt held his arms out in a hug gesture. "C'mere."

Katelyn tackled Cobalt head on, embracing him and began crying loudly into her shoulder, staining his shirt with tears as she cried an entire month's worth of depression into him. Chris joined in, hugging both of them and closing his eyes. "It will be fine." He said, "I promise."

"Ugh, I can't stand this cliché-ass scene. Get me outta here!" Moe whispered from behind the counter.
"Shhhh!" Annie shushed.

After what felt like hours, Katelyn finally let go of Cobalt, and the three split their group hug.
"Thanks…I needed that." Katelyn said, wiping the last of her tears away. "I'm feeling much better now."
"I guess that helped me a bit too." Cobalt replied, "I was feeling rather bummed out not being able to participate in Turf Wars."

"Kay then, we all good?" Chris asked, "You two better not be killing each other while I talk to the shopkeepers." Walking to the counter and looking over, he saw Annie huddled under the desk while Moe was desperately trying to hop out for a good view in case they indeed tried to kill each other again.
"Sorry about the mess." Chris said to the anemone. "Cobalt does hop into situations faster than I can restrain him."
"I-it's okay." Annie replied, standing up and looking at the inkling. "Moe may speak like that, but he cares about me. He knows I can't risk my reputation even in times like this…"
"I didn't ask you to speak for me!" Moe yelled.

"…Katelyn is it?" Annie said, turning to the female inkling that just got up alongside Cobalt. "I'll sell those Octoglasses to you so you can gift it to your friend, even if she's below the level requirements. It's the least I can do to apologize for…that."
"It's alright, Annie!" Katelyn replied, beaming. "Besides, that was partially my bad too…"
Wrapping up the glasses, Annie handed them to Katelyn with the latter accepting them happily and pocketing them gently.
"Here you go…" Annie said. "You can leave now….if you want… I can pick up the credits by myself."
"Aww, thanks. Well then… guess I'll be going now." Katelyn turned to the door, and then looked back at the two inklings before her. "You guys coming along? I was thinking…"

"I suppose we can tag along." Cobalt added, turning towards the door. "I suppose I owe Mei-Lin an apology for that scare."
"Agreed. Lead the way, Katelyn." Chris said, opening the door and swiftly closing it as soon as the three of them left before the snowstorm caused too much mess.

"ONE MORE THING!" Moe shouted audibly through the glass door, "Try to kill each other again sometime! THAT WAS AWESOME!"
"…was that a positive comment?" Annie asked, picking up the pouch thrown on the floor and scooping up some of the credits strewn about. "That was surprising."
"Aww, shaddap!" Moe snapped back, blushing slightly.

AN: WELP. I think I just discovered my Achillies' Heel: I suck utter shiny chrome balls when it comes to writing emotional scenes. Well...I can at least say I tried to by reading some reference material. Go check out An Inkling of Sympathy & One of the Worst, those are decent when you want some sob material. Well, more the former than the latter.

Also, I was finishing this chapter late into the night, and my effort was deteriorating near the end. AND IT SHOWS =_=