"So, on Wednesday, I'm taking you to fight in a proper turf war." Luma said as the train rocked. Seeing the incredulous look Inkley gave her, Luma elaborated. "Against a bunch of random kids. Not a semi-pro team."

"Oh." Inkley replied. "That would be… Better."

Luma scoffed, shaking her head and laughing. "Duh. And with me on your team, you're pretty much guaranteed a few wins." She bared her fangs in an undeniably cocky grin. "Maybe then you'll quit bein' such a sadsack."

Inkley gave her a nervous smile in return. "Y-yeah." And though he was smiling, Inkley wondered if he could survive following in Luma's wake. Inkley was certain of one thing; Luma makes a big splash. I hope her waves don't carry me away.

Inkley pulled his hood tighter around his head as he crept onto his own street. No houses had any lights on. There were two street lights, one on the corner Inkley stood, and another on the other end of the street. And plenty of shadow in between them. Inkley stepped out from under the light and made his way back to his home. He slowed as he stepped onto his own front yard, and carefully slid up to the front door. He slowly turned the doorknob, and was relieved to find the door still unlocked. Opening and closing it slowly, Inkley carefully climbed the stairs and went to his room. Gently closing the door, he let out a groan and put his bag in the closet, before kicking off his shoes and throwing himself into bed. A cool breeze rolled into his room, and he wrapped the sheets around himself, and drifted off to blissful sleep.

"Inkley, sweetie? It's time to wake up."

Inkley groaned, and rolled to the side as he realized he was awake. He was cocooned in his sheets, and at a length, he unraveled himself and sat up. His mother was standing halfway through the doorway. She looked at him questioningly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and groggily stood.

"Dear, why are you fully dressed?" She asked.

Inkley looked down at his body and realized that he was still wearing all of his clothing from last night. "Uh… I got cold…"

His mother's eyes went past him, to the window. "Because you left your window open."

Inkley blinked, and looked over his shoulder. "I guess I did." He looked back to his mother and shrugged weakly. "I was really tired."

His mother arched an eyebrow at him, but said nothing else on the matter. "Well, I wanted to make sure you were alright before I went to work."

"Yeah." Inkley replied, rubbing his head. "I'm alright… I think I'm gonna lay down a bit longer, though…"

His mother frowned worriedly at him. "Don't sleep too long, dear. It's bad for you. I'm going now. Love you."

Inkley flopped back down on his bed and gave his mother a thumbs-up. "Love you, too, mom."

And a few moments later, she was gone. Inkley didn't even bother to close the window, opting instead to simply stare up at the ceiling trying to sleep. After five minutes of mind-numbing boredom, Inkley sat back up and trudged to the kitchen. Unable to sleep, and feeling completely awful, Inkley could do nothing but make himself a bowl of cereal. With breakfast in-hand, he sat himself down on the couch and ate in silence, with not even the TV to accompany him. Getting something in his stomach made him feel a little better, and he went back for seconds. With a full belly, Inkley felt he could actually make it through the day.

Two days passed. Wednesday morning, Inkley sat at his computer, munching on an apple, waiting for some kind of message from Luma. He waited for nearly two hours before an IM appeared in the corner of his screen.

"Inkley."

"Luma."

"Ok, smartass. Meet me at the plaza, at 1. Bring your gear. Time to properly pop your cherry."

"Alright. See you there."

And then Luma logged off, as quickly as she had logged on. Inkley frowned and checked the time. He still had an hour and a half to kill, and so, he powered down his computer and went to the kitchen to find something lunch-worthy. The time passed excruciatingly slowly. TV didn't help, Inkley found. At some point, he found himself reduced to watching the minutes pass as he stared at the clock. Finally, at twelve-fifteen, Inkley found he couldn't wait anymore. He gathered all of his things, making sure to pick up the spare house-key, and walked out the front door, locking it behind him. And the trip to the plaza began.

Inkley stepped off the train into the plaza at twelve-fifty, and looked around. Inkopolis Plaza was alive as ever, with inklings of all ages hustling about, window-shopping at the Booyah Base, trying to sneak a glimpse of the Squid Sisters, or generally loitering around. Inkley found himself a shady spot next to an alleyway and leaned against the wall so he could watch the crowd until Luma made her presence known. He spied a group of four, standing close together, wearing matching shirts and talking animatedly. A squad. Inkley sighed when he realized that he didn't even have enough friends to form a squad.

"Inkley!"

Inkley blinked and glanced around. That definitely wasn't Luma's voice.

"Hey, Inkley!"

Inkley's jaw dropped as a figure emerged from the crowd. "Brine? What're you doing here?"

Brine came trotting over to Inkley, nearly bowling over several inklings in the process. "Hey, man. I'm here to get my shooter looked at. It's been clogging up lately." Brine sent Inkley an unsure look. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to do a turf war." Inkley replied matter-of-factly.

"By yourself?"

"No."

"Then with who? Jet?"

"Inkley. Who's the kid?"

The sudden question, asked by an unseen figure, made both Inkley and Brine start. They both turned to look at Luma, who stood beside them, her bag over one shoulder and her arms crossed. She stared expectantly at Inkley.

"L-Luma, this is Brine." Inkley introduced, his heart skipping a beat. "He's my friend."

"He can't come with us." Came Luma's immediate response.

"I know!" Inkley stammered, heat rising in his cheeks. "H-he wasn't going to."

Luma glanced between the two, before shrugging and turning away. "Good. C'mon." With that, she began walking casually towards the base of the Inkopolis Tower.

Brine watched her as she walked. "She's hot."

Inkley scowled and slugged Brine on the arm, before running to catch up with Luma. Narrowly avoiding collisions with at least three other inklings, he slowed to match her pace. Seemingly not noticing or not bothered by the fact that Inkley wasn't beside her the whole time, she carried on silently, and Inkley followed in her wake.

"They organize most of the non-official turf wars from in here." Luma said off-handedly, opening the door to the tower and stepping inside.

Inkley stepped in after her. "Really?"

Luma stopped suddenly, looking at Inkley over her shoulder. She gave a genuine smile and laughed. "Yeah. Really."

Inkley found Luma's smile infectious, and he couldn't help but grin as he followed her towards a desk at which a rather bored-looking clerk sat, chin resting on his fist as he stared at a computer. As they approached, the clerk barely looked at up them.

"Solo or duo queue?" the clerk asked, the words sounding as though they had come from a robot.

"Duo." Luma replied, putting a hand on her hip.

The clerk looked back at the computer, scrolling for a moment. "There's an opening at Walleye Warehouse in fifteen."

"We'll take it."

"Your teammates are over there." the clerk stabbed a finger at a pair of eerily similar inklings, who matched almost perfectly, down to the gear they wore and their rollers. "Good luck."

Luma huffed and stalked away. "Those two are gonna suck, I just know it."

"What do you mean?" Inkley asked, sending her an unsure glance.

"Look at them. They're just here to fool around."

"Isn't the point to have fun..?"

Luma set herself down on a bench and looked at Inkley. "Yeah. But there's a difference between fooling around and having fun. Look at them and you'll see what I mean."

Though Inkley hated the idea of judging the two just by looking at them, he sat beside Luma and examined them as closely as he could. One was a boy and the other was a girl, but the difference wasn't immediate. They both wore blue visors, shirts, and even blue and neon green shoes. They were undoubtedly siblings, maybe twins, even. While waiting, they talked excitedly, motioning and laughing energetically. They certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"See what I mean?" Luma's voice broke Inkley from his thoughts.

"I guess…"

Luma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look at the way they're dressed. They way they're acting. Twinsies. They might even be tourists, for all we know."

Inkley frowned as he processed Luma's statement. In the end, all he could do was shrug noncommittally.

"Just don't put your hopes on them bein' great, is all I'm saying." Luma said eventually. "Stick with me, and you'll go far, kid."

"Sounds like a plan." Inkley mumbled dumbly, nodding. You don't have to tell me twice…

They waited patiently to be called.

"All fighters for Walleye Warehouse, please report to the desk."

Luma and Inkley stood, shouldering their bags and moving to the desk. The two blue twins followed them, and another cluster of four inklings, all of whom looked like they didn't know each other, were already there. The clerk looked at the gathered group and sighed.

"You all know the rules?"

A few mumbled responses and a general nod satisfied the clerk.

"Alright. Everyone, give me your left arms."

The clerk started with the opposing team, fitting red wristbands onto their arms. Inkley's team was next, with each member being fitted with a yellow wristband. Inkley was last, and the clerk stood up afterwards.

"Okay. Come behind the desk." said the clerk, taking a keyring with only a few keys on it from his waist. "So, you've all been here before, right?" When no one answered, the clerk took it as a yes. "Good. So, the dark blue tunnel will take you to Walleye Warehouse. The staff at the warehouse are waiting for you, so get moving."

With his piece said, the clerk stepped away from the desk. Inkley's team, behind closer, shuffled behind the desk until there was no more room. Peering over Luma's shoulder, Inkley could see a hefty-looking hatch. The clerk crouched beside it, sticking a key into the lock and giving it a sharp twist. Inkley could hear the kerchunk of the heavy lock shifting. The clerk stood, and with a grunt of effort, heaved the hatch open. He gestured down, and looked at the gathered inklings expectantly.

"There you go. Dark blue tunnel. Have fun."

The blue twins were closest, and they descended first. Luma followed them, and Inkley after her. Inkley climbed down the ladder, and stepped away, marvelling at the tunnel he found himself in. Several different pathways branched off, some small, some large, all of them painted a variety of colors and patterns. This clearly wasn't like the sewers in which he spent the occasional Monday night. This was an actual tunnel-system, meant to move bodies from one location to another as quickly and with as little fuss as possible. The dark blue tunnel was one of the smaller ones, leading off into the distance with just enough room for two inklings to walk shoulder-to-shoulder somewhat comfortably. It was just tall enough for all but the largest of fully-grown inklings to stand without hitting their heads.

At length, all eight of the participating inklings stood in the tunnels. The clerk loomed over them at the edge of the hatch.

"Follow the dark blue tunnel until you find a ladder going up. Don't branch off, or you'll get lost." The hatch closed with a resounding boom, and Inkley heard it lock once more. The finality of the locked hatch made Inkley shiver.

"C'mon." Luma said, waving for Inkley to follow her.

"Is this… Normal?" Inkley asked, motioning to the walls around them.

"What? The tunnels? Yeah. It's either this or take a half an hour train ride." Luma replied with a shrug. "These are actually kinda new-ish. Like, ten or so years old. Before they built these, you'd actually have to walk or take a train to get to where you needed to go. It was a real hassle. Or so I've heard."

"Huh." was all Inkley could manage.

"Hey, you two." Luma hissed to the twins who were walking ahead of her. "C'mere. We gotta talk." The twins slowed their pace, walking just a few steps ahead of Luma and Inkley. "Right. Since you two have rollers, we're gonna have to cover you. Cover as much turf as you can, and we'll try to keep the chick with the charger from pinning you down."

The twins both gave a nod. "Got it." they said in unison.

"It looks like the other team is just a bunch of random kids, so we've got that on them. They're more balanced than we are, though." Luma said, looking at the other team over her shoulder. "That charger is probably gonna be a pain to deal with."

Inkley turned to look at the inklings behind him. They certainly looked like a bunch of strangers, walking in single file, their hands either stuffed in pockets or fiddling with gear. The leader of the line, an orange-tentacled boy wearing a red hoodie and black sneakers. One hand was crammed into the pocket of his hoodie, while the other held onto the roller slung over his shoulder. Seeing Inkley looking at him, he pulled his hand from his pocket and gave him a half-hearted wave. Inkley returned the wave and looked forward again.

They walked in silence for nearly ten minutes on end. The ink on their path glistened beneath the overhead lights. The path branched off at two different points, with one path being painted green and blue, and the other yellow and blue. Inkley could tell that nearly everyone had considered exploring the branching pathways, judging by their antsy glances. But they all carried on down the proper tunnel, and at length, they reached a ladder with a beam of light shining down on it. Their pace picked up as they saw the ladder, and not a few minutes later, all eight participants were up up the ladder.

Two inklings around eighteen or nineteen were waiting for the group.

"Wristbands, squiddies." One of them said boredly.

When all wrists were presented, the other staff-member stepped forward. "You guys are lucky, you know. First match of the day here. Okay. Leave anything that isn't pre-approved for turf wars here. You'll get it back when you're done." Moving to a set of lockers, he opened them up. "Come get your spawn-vests and get to your bases. Yellow, you're at the far side."

All non-essential items were set aside, spawn-vests were donned, and the teams split to go to their bases. Inkley made sure to examine the area as he went, mindful of the fact that he knew only what he had been told in his last turf war. Determined not to suffer another defeat like his first, Inkley squared his shoulders and attempted to map the place out in his mind. Though his success was questionable, Inkley felt reassured that he had at least tried.

Just as they reached their base-pad, loudspeakers crackled into life. "Both teams are at base. Change your colors and fill up."

Ink-nozzles appeared around the pad. Inkley felt a slap on his arm and turned as Luma jerked a thumb towards her tank.

"Gimme a hand." She said. Inkley chewed the inside of his cheek as he retrieved a nozzle and plugged it into the port on Luma's tank. As soon as it was filled, Luma turned around, taking the nozzle from Inkley's hand, gripping his shoulder, and wheeling him around. "Hold still."

Inkley did as he was told, idly checking the hose that led to his Junior as he waited. "Thanks." He said, shrugging his shoulders as he felt his tank fill. "So, you think we're gonna win?"

"Duh." Luma answered, as though she had seen the future. "Two duo-queues against a bunch of random kids? We have a huge advantage. We'd have to screw up big time to lose."

"That's a winning spirit if I ever saw one!" the male twin said brightly.

Luma glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Yeah."

The twin seemed utterly oblivious to the way Luma had brushed him off, which Inkley was thankful for. Looking at his teammates, he realized their tentacles were all yellow now. With a thought, he shifted the color of his own tentacles, and satisfied with that, he turned to face the same direction as Luma. She stared off towards the other base.

"You want to take middle or sides?" Luma asked suddenly.

"Uh… Sides?"

"Cool. I'll go up the middle. Shout if you see the charger, so we can get into cover."

"Teams, get ready to splat, in five, four, three, two, one… Splat!" An airhorn sounded.

Inkley took of at a light jog, moving down the ramp and veering to the left. His pace slowed as both of the twins came running past him, and Luma after them. Inkley was going to continue on his way, when he realized that all of his teammates were making a mad dash for the middle. Frowning, Inkley came to a stop, and looked around. Only a few streaks, fitting the mark of rollers, colored the concrete floor. Inkley turned and sprayed, painting the majority of the base yellow.

Satisfied, Inkley turned and looked out across the warehouse. The opposing team seemed to be sticking to their base, establishing a solid patch of red for them to expand from. Inkley stopped to refill his ink before moving to the left as he had originally intended. Stopping on the edge of a platform raised above the center, Inkley watched as ink flew in both directions in the center. His hand reached behind his back, and he retrieved a splat bomb. Tossing it as far as he could, Inkley felt a certain satisfaction when he saw the large splotch of yellow from the bomb. That done, Inkley continued to the left, trying to move as quietly as he could on the grated walkway.

He went, painting whatever space he could as he moved. Coming to the very end of the walkway, Inkley dropped down, coming to crouch as he landed. He let out a shout of surprise as a red-tentacled inkling with a shooter appeared before him. The opposing inkling seemed just as surprised as Inkley, pausing to gawk at Inkley before raising his shooter. Inkley let out another shout as his Junior bucked in his grip, sending a wave of ink flying. At some point, the other inkling exploded into a puddle yellow, but Inkley continued to spray, both shocked at how he had just splatted someone, and aware that there was still very little yellow ink around.

Inkley refilled his tank and moved to join his teammates in the center. One of the twins ran past, carving a yellow streak towards the opposing base. Inkley stepped out to follow her, but reeled back when she exploded in a shower of red. The enemy charger appeared on one of the elevated platforms, and sighted at Inkley.

"Charger!" Inkley managed to shout before a glob of red silenced him.

He would have huffed while he floated upwards, waiting to spawn. Inkley saw the girl wielding the charger explode, and felt satisfied when Luma climbed up the platform and began painting the enemy base. A few seconds later, Inkley spawned, feeling a little queasy. Waiting for the vertigo to pass, Inkley stumbled back to the center and rejoined the fray.

At some point, in the thick of it, Inkley heard his tank ding. He paid no heed to it, until the enemy roller rounded the corner, malicious intent written on its wielder's face. Inkley, in a panic, reached back and pressed his special button. A yellow bubble shimmered into existence around Inkley, and the boy with the roller skidded to a halt before him. Inkley splatted him, and made a mad dash towards the enemy base, Jet's words about the length of his special suddenly ringing in his head.

"Shield me!" Luma shouted, suddenly appearing beside Inkley. He reached out and tapped his shooter to hers, and they pressed on.

A veritable tidal wave of ink met them as they approached the enemy base. Inkley, nervous despite the shield around him, reached for a bomb and hurled it at the nearest enemy, watching as they burst into a splash of yellow. And then his shield faded from existence, and panic rose in him as the enemy roller charged at him and his Junior clicked dry.

The airhorn sounded just as Inkley was about to be splatted. Instead, the roller swept his feet out from under him.

"Oh, crap!" said the boy wielding the roller. He extended a hand to Inkley. "Sorrysorrysorry!"

Inkley accepted the offered hand and stood shakily. "It's alright. I'm fine."

Judd appeared, announcing his presence with a meow. Barely sparing a glance at the ink-stained competitors, he withdrew a red and a yellow flag, holding them both in the air. And then he lowered the red one.

Inkley grinned uncontrollably, and couldn't help but let out a victorious whoop when he heard Luma cheer.

"Nice work with that bubble." Luma said, giving Inkley a slap on the shoulder.

"Attention competitors! The turf war is over. Retrieve your personal belongings."

They returned to the staging area, removed spawn-vests, and picked up bags. The same two staff-members were there waiting for them. One pointed down a corridor.

"There's an exit over there, if you don't want to go back to the tower. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

The twins made for the exit that had been pointed out, while everyone else was content to return to the tower.

"Victory tastes great, huh? You feeling up for another fight?" Luma asked.

His confidence bolstered by victory, Inkley grinned. "You bet."