I can't believe that I just won my 1st Turf War! However, I'm not feeling very victorious. I just developed my first crush- who apparently was just a trick. He was using flirting mechanics just to distract me. Not to mention, he has a girlfriend- who may have something to do with the Octarians stealing Zapfish. I'm not sure what to believe, but, maybe Inkaletta might have some answers... if I could find her, that is.

As soon as I finally made it back into the Lobby, Inka, Jet, and Judd were calmly talking to each other. In the two Inklings' hands were tiny sacks filled with their prize money.

"Hey, look. Here comes your friend right now.", Judd stated, pointing towards me.

Inka happily cheered as she ran towards me, while Jet nervously followed her.

"Nibs! Nibs! Guess what?! We just finished our match and my team won! The Blue team did well too, but, my team was much cooler-", Inka babbled on about her first Turf War.

"Umm, Inka?", Jet tried to but in, for he noticed my current state.

I can't let my friends see me like this!, I nervously thought, hanging my head low and covering my face with my tentacles.

"Not to mention, my team was super clever and used some sweet tactics too. Oh, and-"

"Inka?!"

"I saw some epic Special Weapons too. Oh, man. I can't wait to use my Special Weapon during my next Turf War or maybe even Splatfe-"

"INKA!"

"WHAT?!"

"Nibs...isn't...um...well...she- Just look at her! I don't want to sound blunt."

Inka gasped immediately as she eyed a tear drop dripping down my chin.

"N-Nibs?! Why are you crying?! D-did you lose your match?!"

"Like I said, I don't want to sound blunt, but, you don't have to cry just because you lost. Besides, there's always next time."

"Oh no. She didn't lose. Her team was very helpful. I don't understand why she's so upset." ,Judd scratched his head in confusion, as he pulled a tiny sack of coins for my victory out of his... fur?

"W-who said I was upset?! I-I'm just so pumped that I won. I mean, I was in total shock- I wasn't expecting my 1st victory.", I fibbed as I stuffed the sack of money in my shorts pocket and quickly wiped my eyes.

Suddenly, I began to hear familiar voices approaching the lobby.

"You know, you weren't being very nice to that new girl. Calling her a "10-limbed slime ball." What were you thinking, babe?!", a masculine voice exclaimed.

"She deserves to be called that. That girl is not Turf War material. Besides, I caught you chasing her, calling her "cute", and not to mention, trying to sneak a kiss! Don't you even care about my feelings?! I mean, why flirt with her?! She's a freakin' weak crybaby and you know it!", an even angrier tone- that sounded more feminine- filled the lobby.

"Look, I'm not interested in her- at all. Ok?! I swear, even if I was, I truly care about you more than anything in the world! All of these other girls don't matter. Only you matter!"

"Don't try to persuade me into forgiving you again! You know it's not going to work- no matter how many times you do it. I don't want you to ever, EVER use that dumb tactic of yours with any other girl- especially her! I won't let any other stupid girl take you away from me! These Inklings will never understand my feelings for you- they feel differently than me. You only belong to me- and only m-"

"Hey, look. She's in the lobby right now. Now would be a good time to introduce ourselves and you can apologize to her for what you sai-"

I couldn't take anymore of this drama. It's too much for me to handle. I immediately started running out of the lobby, more tears pouring out of my eyes.

"Nibs? Come back!"

"Where are you going?!"

"Huh? Hey, wait! I want to talk to you!"

"Don't you even think about it, mister!"

Inka, Jet, the masked boy, and his furious yandere girlfriend immediately ran after me.

As soon as I made it back into Inkopolis Plaza, I quickly looked around, trying to find a place to hide. I don't want anyone to notice me. I then noticed an alleyway, ran inside, and calmly leaned against the wall, hoping that no one would find me. But, apparently, someone did.

"Wot are you doing here, love? I guess you're not here to order any gear now, are you?", a stern voice with a distinct Australian accent called out.

The voice apparently came from a strange-looking man with super spiky dark hair that had multiple tips of purple, violet, and dark green. He sported a multi-colored poncho, colorful bracelets, brown clogs, dark green pants, and green eyes with a purple sclera. He was sitting on a dull brown rug surrounded by what I believed to be Super Sea Snails. Some of them were shaking, while the others were empty.

I gasped nervously and just stood there, unaware of what to do. I was too heartbroken to even talk to anyone. Not to mention, I don't even know this guy.

I tried to run away from the stranger, but, he stopped me.

"Wait, don't go. At least tell me why you look so sad."

Although, I didn't recognize this person, he seemed very considerate. So, I sat down and explained my situation. While we had our discussion, the man introduced himself as Spyke- a street urchin who sells gear that other Inklings around are wearing in exchange for Super Sea Snails. Apparently, he's only interested in the "juicy entrails"- which basically means that he eats the poor snails.

Having this conversation with this total stranger somehow made me calm down and eventually stop my crying. However, I was a little afraid to bring up the part involving that Inkling boy. Despite that, he was very considerate and thoroughly paid attention to what I had to say.

"Listen here, Nibs. You can't make any Inkling make you feel unfresh. That rotten girl can't have control over what you do or what you say. She's just a brat who probably doesn't have any friends anyways- unlike you. If you ever cross paths with her, just be sure to have your friends by your side to support you and keep your little head up high. I know you can make it to the top one day, love.", Spyke gave off a friendly wink, a small smile on his face. I smiled back it him, but then, I couldn't help but hear my friends calling out my name. That was my signal to go.

"I should probably get going now, Spyke. My friends are probably worried sick. Thanks for the chat.", I took in a deep breath as I got up and walked out the alleyway. Surprsingly, I felt like this wouldn't be the last time I'd have a chat with Spyke.

"Hey, if something wrong ever happens- or if you want to order gear- you'll know where I'll be, love.", Spyke responded as we waved goodbye.

As soon as I left and walked around the plaza, Inka immediately tackled me from out of nowhere!

"Inka, get off of her! It's not like she was abducted or some-", Jet hollered at the crying orange Inkling before being cut off.

"Shut up, salt spray! OH MY SQUID, NIBS! I'm so happy you're ok! Where were you? We thought you were kidnapped by a crazy ghost person and then it forced you to either swallow a tub of salt or marry it."

"What are you talking about? And, get off me- please!"

As Inka finally let go of me and helped me up, Jet sternly said:

"Nibs, we know why you were really upset."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"That boy...and his girlfriend."

"Huh? What boy?"

I felt my face start to burn as I thought about them again.

"You like that boy, don't you? Even though you're aware about his girlfriend?", Inka asked, raising an eyebrow and placing a hand on her hip.

"Ummm, I don't know what you guys are talking about..."

"Oh, really? Then, why are you blushing? C'mon, Nibs. There's nothing to be ashamed about having your first crush and then having your heart shattered into pieces. Ask Jet- it happened to him before."

"I-it's true. Before I was able to get a humanoid form, I was pretty clumsy. One day, at the park, this beautiful lime-green Inkling girl helped me up when I tripped. Ever since that day, I was madly in love with her. I even used to stalk her a bit... which I kinda regret now. Because of family issues, she ended up moving to another city- before I even had a chance to confess my love for her."

Poor Jet. I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one who's been through the same situation., I sadly thought before Inka grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the cafeteria.

"C'mon. Turn that frown upside down. How about we stop to the cafeteria and get some coconut slushies to calm those nerves? After that, we'll head back to the lobby to do more Turf Wars."

"I'm not sure if slushies will calm nerves, Inka. A nice hot cup of tea might be better.", Jet disagreed as he followed behind us.

"Pfff. Tea sounds lame. Besides, some sugar will absolutely give us some energy so we can be more efficient in Tur-"

*SPLASH!*

Inka accidentally bumped into another Inkling, who was leaving the cafeteria. This caused her steaming hot cappuccink-o to spill all over her clothes.

"AHHH! What have you done?! Why don't you meddling kids watch where you're going?! Geez!", the mysterious Inkling girl shrieked as she cleaned up the mess.

"I-I'm so sorry. I got distracted. H-here, let me help you with this me-", Inka apologized, before I suddenly gasped in shock, gazing at the taller Inkling in front of us.

"Inkaletta?!"

"Nibs?! I-is that really you?!"

Oh my squid! It really is Inkaletta. The golden eyes, the hair, the matching complexion...and that voice.

"INKALETTA!", I squealed as I leaped in her arms, real tears of joy streaming down my face.

"NIBS! Oh, get over here, you little squiddy!", Inkaletta cheered as she squeezed me tightly, tears pouring out her eyes as well.

"That's your sister?!", Inka and Jet screamed in shock.

"Ummm...yes.", I nervously replied.

"Oh my squid. Nibs, you look beautiful! Dad's eyes compliment you so well.", my sister smiled as she wiped away her tears.

"Don't be silly. Dad said you always were the prettiest.", I disagreed as my sister put me down and I dried my eyes.

"Ummm...hi! I'm Inka. Inka Splashington. And, this little squiddy over here is Jet Toner. We met Nibs on our way to Inkopolis.", Inka intervened as she and Jet awkwardly waved at my sister.

"Ooooh, new friends! You guys are totes adorable. Thanks for looking out for my sister.", Inkaletta cheered as she pinched my friends' cheeks happily.

"Ummmm, sis. How come you're not at... you know... work?", I asked in confusion.

"Oh. Cap'n Cuttlefish thought that it was ok if I took a short break before heading back later on. Sooo, since I don't have any plans later on today, I thought that it would be nice if you could come over to dinner with me at this squid-tastic restuarant. Just we can, you know, catch up and stuff. Hopefully, you'll have a chance to meet my boyfriend too- that is, if he can come."

"Sure. Sounds like fun. How about around 7?"

"You've got yourself a dinner with big sis. So, how about you guys tell about your trip here?"

Inkaletta, my friends, and I had a fun long chat about our journey to this amazing city. She even bought us coconut slushies for us- of course, tea for Jet as well. But,I left out the part about the masked boy and his scary girlfriend who basically hates my guts. Although she was my sister, I was too ashamed to say anything about it.

As we were beginning to head back to the Hotel, we stopped at the Pledge Box near the Inkopolis Tower.

The Pledge Box consisted of a poster with the Splatfest teams' pictures and colors. A caption on the poster read:

Fri, 7/17 at 12:00 a.m. - Sat, 7/18 at 12:00 a.m.

Hanging onto the poster were two small spotlights. Directly, in front of the poster was small box with two small buttons and two small lights the colors of the different splatfest themes; purple and green.

Like Callie and Marie mentioned on the news, the new Splatfest theme was: Which would you rather ride? Roller Coasters or Water Slides? Inka boldly signed up for Team Roller Coaster while Jet decided to join Team Water Slide. Inkaletta wasn't really certain if she would be able to make it, since she had work and all. I stood there in confusion, since I had a hard time choosing between the two teams. I'm terrified of roller coasters and I'm pretty sure water slides are basically killing machines.

In order to pick a team, I shut my eyes tight and randomly hit a button. Once I hit the button, a tiny beep sounded from one of the lights.

I quickly opened my eyes back and realized that I picked Team Roller Coasters A tiny monitor above the poster read:

Join this team? You can't change it later! Hit your selected team's button again to join or the opposite team's button to change your team!

I gulped nervously as I eyed the flashing green and hit the green button again. As another beep sounded, the monitor changed and then read:

You joined a team! Enjoy your Splatfest Tee! It will be delivered as soon as you approach your door. But...you gotta return it after the fest. Sorry!

After we took a taxi ride back to the Hotel, the lady at the front desk handed us our Splatfest Tees. They looked so amazing- too bad we had to return them later. We then took the elevator back up to our rooms, so I could get ready for my dinner meet-up, with my sister. But just as soon as I was about to enter my room-

"YOU!", a harsh feminine voice hollered at me.

"AHHH! Oh no, not again!", I sighed as I eyed the person talking to me. Turns out it was the masked boy's girlfriend- whose dark emerald eyes were staring at me with engulfing rage.

"You listen- and you listen good! I'm going to get really pissed off if I have to repeat myself. My boyfriend- Ikameshi Solvent- apparently wants us to make up and be friends. But, I don't want to. I don't understand why a little simpleton like you would come to a city like this. You don't belong in my life or in my city. I don't give a damn if my boyfriend breaks up with me- the Octarians and I will get our hands on him! If I catch you trying to get with my man, you're dead, Nibs! You hear me?! D-E-A-D! Hopefully, the same goes to your sister at the dumb dinner. Yeah, that's right. I overheard the entire conversation between you two. That dinner will definitely be Inkaletta's last meal before you and this entire city meets the edge. Go celebrate, eat, and pretend to look cute while it lasts. Because once your sister flies with the angels, hopefully the rest of Inkopolis will follow behind. The war has just begun- and there's nothing a 10-limed slime ball like you can't do about it!"

As soon as she finished her harsh speech, she slammed her door in my face and I just stood there... completely shocked.

Oh...my...squid! This is getting too intense for me to handle. What do the Octarians want with Ikameshi?! What's going to happen to Inkaletta at the dinner?! I don't think I can take anymore of this. Maybe... it won't happen. Yeah, maybe she was just trying to scare me o-or something. But, what if it will happen? Oh, I don't even know what to think anymore.

I wiped the tiny bits of nervous sweat off my forehead as I slowly walked into my room, preparing for my sister's supposedly last dinner.

Awww, squid paste! Let's just hope for the best tonight! What ever that girl has planned for Inkaletta, I'm down right going to get prepared for it!