Hero…. A term used to describe those who face the ones that threaten many people.
Although, there's a flaw.
Those who're chosen by the official superiors are those that choose their decisions, be it saving the world or fighting for fun.
And you're one of them, child.
Being chosen by an individual to join their cause and fight against the enemy of your people.
But do you regret it?
May peace be with you, Agent 3.
14015 May 28th
Shiokara Village
A breezy morning with a salty air with the birds cawing, flying around the blue sky, the clothes are hanging as they're drying on the clothing line.
A silver tentacle haired, pale 13 year old inkling girl is sorting the clothes out as she hums, only for her to quickly catch the ball with surprise as other inkling kids, both humanoid and blobs are running towards an inkling girl.
"Hey! Sorry about that!" A brown topknot inkling boy apologised.
"It's okay. It's just an accident." The silver hippie cut inkling girl smiles while tossing the ball back.
As the children are gone, the inkling girl sighs and then continues on sorting out the clothes.
"Rei, breakfast is ready!" An inkling woman called.
"Coming, mama." Rei replies, finishing the clothes and then enters the house with a wash basket she's carrying.
Inside the house, Rei and her mother, Hikari, who appears in a black kimono with red lily print as her black tentacle hair appears twisted into a bun, clap their pale hands as they're preparing their meal.
Their breakfast is egg rice and buttered toast along with tea.
While eating, Rei turns as the news shows a black inkling girl and a grey inkling girl showing what's new.
[Hold onto your tentacles…] The black inkling girl said as she's ready to surprise those watching.
[It's Haikara News Time!] The grey inkling girl cheers as well as the black one.
[Let's unveil the current Regular Battle stages!]
[Here they come!]
[Now, here are the current Ranked Battle stages!] Before the screen changes, the black inkling girl halts as she's getting a call from her speaker. [Huh? What!? News flash! News flash!] The black inkling girl yells as she's panicking.
[Huh? What is it?] The grey one halts as she's confused.
[The Great Zapfish… It's gone! The Great Zapfish has vanished!]
[Wait, seriously?]
[If it isn't recovered soon, are we gonna lose power!?]
[Oh quit being so dramatic, Callie, I'm sure it'll be fine… I think.]
[Hm… I wonder if it had anything to do with the UFO crash.]
[Makes sense to me.]
As the news continues as it shows the arenas of the turf war, Rei went back to eating while ignoring the Great Zapfish incident.
Sighing, Hikari looks into her daughter's eyes and continues eating her breakfast.
"Rei. Are you prepared for Haikara?"
"Oh. Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"Because I heard there's a massive amount of cash prize for winning the turf war tournament." Hikari whispers as she's waiting for her daughter to claim the prize.
"But I don't play turf war." Rei points out.
"Huh? Really? I was expecting a tougher kid, I mean you run a lot faster than a normal child."
Rei lowers her head out of concern as if she's being put into doing the things she disagreed about.
Although, she doesn't have a choice.
"Yes, mama."
"Good. Now get ready." Hikari orders.
"Yes, mama." Rei stands up from her chair and grabs her bag, her ink tank and a Splattershot Jr. That is a starter weapon and the only thing Rei has.
[And that's it, folks!] The black inkling said while raising her arms along with the grey inkling.
[Squid, best regards and Stay Fresh!]
As the news ends, Rei sets foot outside her home entrance.
"Make sure you win that cash prize. Do it and I'll let you back in. Understand?"
"Yes, mama." Rei nods and finally walks away from her house.
To Hikari, a girl like Rei is far too capable of doing all these things, despite having no training on a turf war.
At least she has a little knowledge on that.
Driving in a pickup truck, a blue topknot muscular inkling man is playing the radio while following the road.
To his surprise, he can see a silver hippie cut with an ahoge, walking all the way through a field of grass next to the road, only for him to stop and park next to the girl.
"Hey. You're lost?" The blue inkling man asked.
"Yeah. I was heading to Haikara." Rei answers as the man looks at the road and then back to Rei herself.
"Really now? Haah. Well, the seat's free if you wanna get there quickly."
"Really!? Thanks, mister!" Rei cheers.
The man sighs, realising that he's now travelling with a fellow inkling and a child at that.
"Kids…"
As the pickup truck takes off, Rei is glad that she'll be there on time after being in the middle of nowhere for hours.
Later.
Snoozing, Rei is still carrying her equipment and her bag which catches the man's attention.
With the bump this truck is getting from a stone, Rei opens her eyes as she moans, only for her to see the city nearby as she gasps.
"Hey, kid. You're going to Inkopolis City, right?" The inkling man asked.
"Oh, yeah. I am." Rei confirmed.
"And why?"
"Because there's a big cash prize at the tournament and I was about to participate there in order to get it." Rei answers her reason.
"Really now? Do you know the risks of facing turf war?"
"Well… Not really."
Clicking his tongue, the man said, "Your funeral."
This had Rei leaning by the window and watching wildlife doing its own nature thing.
"So, is the lift free?" Rei asked.
"Listen up, kid, I'm giving you a lift, so don't expect a payment, also I wish you pay me for helping you."
"Boo." Rei pouts as she's unable to get a single cash from a stranger.
"Kids… You know, I never gave anyone a lift." The man sighs.
"Really? Does that mean I'm your first?" Rei asked.
"What? Implying I'm taking advantage of a kid like you? Don't say that."
"Have you ever been to turf wars before?" Rei asks another question.
"A long time ago. The major event was chaotic over there and the Splatfests are the hot stuff over there. Seeing it all this year is bringing back memories. Although I warned you earlier, you'll be able to find a weapon of your choice. A Splattershot is good for beginners after all." The man explains.
"I mean, everyone at school has different weapons, so I'm not actually experienced in using weapons." Rei explained.
"Seriously? Did you skip class or something?"
"No. I have never been to school."
"Huh!? So, you're armed, yet you've never been to school!? Haah. I bet you're homeschooled." Muttering, the man realises that he's giving a lift to a girl who has never been to school.
Then the rest of the journey is straight towards the city that is in Haikara.
Haikara, Inkopolis City, Plaza
The city of high-colour. A structure that resembles the city from 12000 years ago from fashion to gaming to technology to entertainment in general but with a spice of ink.
The inklings that are doing things like eating, gaming, parkour, sports and something very adult, giving Rei the impression that this place is somewhat foreign to her due to living in a village.
Standing, Rei appears in a grey t-shirt and black shorts, making her the least fashionable inkling in this city.
"Welcome to Inkopolis City. If you excuse me, I'm doing a bit of delivering."
"Thanks! See ya, mister!" Rei waves with a big smile on her face.
"Please stop calling me mister. I'm Tanaka."
"Oh. Sorry about that. I'm Rei, it's nice to meet you, Tanaka." Rei bows and then runs off.
Sighing, Tanaka is seeing a teenage girl being naive, yet stupid as his impression of her is that she's uneducated in life.
As for Rei, she's unsure if she's able to enter turf war as she's gulping and looking around her left and right, seeing a bunch of inklings chatting and minding their own business, leading her to be the only one who couldn't socialise.
"Oh boy. Hm?" Rei stops herself, seeing 3 inklings walking into the alleyway, making her stray from the path to the lobby as she's following said 3 inklings.
Hiding, Rei is seeing 2 familiar girls who're talking to an old man, leading her to gasp with surprise.
It's Callie and Marie, the Squid Sisters.
With the 3 morphing into squids, Rei is surprised to see them disappear though the manhole as Rei rushes forwards and looks at the same manhole 3 inklings disappear from.
Maybe Rei has plenty of time going into turf war, leading her to morph into a silver squid and place herself in a manhole where no one is looking.
Octo Valley
The sky is breezy on the high building, the city is quiet, and the air is fresh in the afternoon.
As for the city, it appears to be a large area that is similar to Haikara's Inkopolis City.
Appearing out of the manhole, Rei stops herself as she sees Callie and Marie, as squids, shoots themselves towards the sky, causing Rei to stare in awe.
"Woah… Maybe I can try it." Rei stretches herself as she's preparing to jump as high as the Squid Sisters, leading her to morph into a squid and then…
Hop and slap.
Nothing.
"Eeh?" Rei morphs back to her humanoid form after seeing how it didn't make her jump as high as the Squid Sisters. "How am I going to get up there?"
Rei then turns towards the entrance to the building, leading her to check inside… Nothing.
Rei then opens the door and looks around as she's starting to climb up the stairs.
Looks like no one's around, but just her all alone.
Opening the rooftop door, Rei then hides behind the part of a building while she sees magenta and green ink shooting towards a farther direction, seeing as an old man inkling sighs and sits on the chair near a shack on top of a building.
Where she's at is a place where there's weaponry and an old man listening to the radio.
While hiding behind the trees, Rei can see packs of botamochi and crabby cakes on the table, even the old man who was calling on like some sort of a mission control.
While sneaking past, Rei wants to see what the Squid Sisters are up to when not in the city, leading her to sneak in and jump onto another building.
What Rei appears to be in is a battlefield after seeing green inkstains all over the walls and billboards, causing her to shriek as she sets foot on one ink, sizzling through her shoes.
"It burns… Hm… What should I do?" Thinking, Rei is looking into a ghost rooftop while walking forward and holding out her Splattershot Jr.
Before Rei raises her weapon, she stops to see a few birds flying from the building which causes her to block her hand, seeing the sun that is bright and fairly warm.
"So bright…"
This doesn't stop Rei as she sees the buildings that are getting lower, making her hop down until she sees an item that is left on the ground.
It appears to be a headset.
"Hm?"
[Agent 1!? Agent 1!? Respond!] A voice shouted.
To Rei, this could be the voice of an old man she saw at the rooftop.
"Hello?"
[Hm!? Who are you!? An intruder!?]
"Um. I was here to see Callie and Marie. I saw them vanish with nobody around." Said Rei.
[Huh!? Y- You saw them!?] The old man exclaims.
"Well, yeah. Is there a problem?"
[This is bad! This is bad! This is supposed to be a secret!] Panicking, the old man feared being exposed.
"Secret? Like some sort of a secret agent?" Rei stops as she's curious to know what the old man is panicking about.
[Well… Yes…]
"I mean, no one told me about that, so maybe I'm the first?"
The old man clicks his tongue as he calms down.
[Okay, missy, this is top secret. Have you heard of the news about the Great Zapfish that powers the city being kidnapped?]
"This morning? Yeah. But kidnapped? Why do you ask?" Rei is getting more and more curious about the old man's work.
[I guess I'll give you a short answer, missy. Nobody believed me when I told 'em that it's the work of the octarians, but they're the ones that have been stealing the Great Zapfish from us right under my nose.]
"Eh? And what's important about it?" Rei asked.
[Like I said, it's what's powering Inkopolis City. They want revenge for the Great Turf War that was 100 years ago. I've been keeping an eye on them this whole time, of course.]
"Okay… So what's the Great Turf War?" Rei is now lost.
[Never mind that, but please don't tell anyone about all this, got that?]
"Um…"
[I'll take your silence as a yes. How about you working with us for today?] The old man offered as Rei had some questions to ask. [I'll also take your silence as a yes. From now on, I'll be taking mission control for you. Now let's get those Octojerks!]
"Okay…" Rei is now under the impression that the old man is desperate.
Rei then puts on a headset while preparing to move forward and follow the trails of ink green ink, turning her ink from silver to green.
[Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm Commander Captain Craig Cuttlefish, the legendary member of the Squidbeak Splatoon Unit!] Cap'n Cuttlefish introduces himself to an inkling girl who was in the middle of a battlefield.
"Oh, cool. I'm Kurohana Rei. It's nice to meet you." Rei introduces herself.
[Of course. Best of luck, bucko.]
Silent, Rei is now assisting Cap'n Cuttlefish whether she likes it or not, causing her to quietly huff and then walk forward.
As Rei follows the ink tracks, Rei can see a dying octarian that is melting into both magenta and green ink, leading Rei to silently walk forward.
[Launchpad ahoy! Do you know how to use it?] Cap'n Cuttlefish asks.
"Not really."
[It's easy, morph into your swim form and you'll be able to fly like a bird!]
Rei did as Cap'n Cuttlefish says, morphing into a squid on a circle of a swirling ink then fires her like a missile, causing Rei to scream as she's no longer on land.
The next area is going to be similar to the first one as there's no 'octarians' in the field.
But something is charging towards Rei as if it looks to be a magenta beam that is shaped like a missile.
"Huh!?"
SPLAT! A mixture of green and magenta ink has exploded as it caused Rei to fall towards a different building as she screamed.
[Kid!]
Then she crashes onto a building that appears to be a warehouse, causing her to roll as glass shards smash on the floor, leading Rei to hit the wall and grunt as well as fading back from green to silver.
[Hey, bucko! Are you alright!?] Cap'n Cuttlefish's voice is now worried after hearing what happened to Rei.
"Ngh… Huh?" Opening her eyes, Rei can see behind the sun after seeing not just one, but more girls with different tentacles appearing as their weapons appear to be high tech.
[O- Octarians!? Here!? I thought they were dealt with earlier!] Cap'n Cuttlefish exclaimed.
"Wait, those are the octarians?" Rei asks out of confusion.
[Unfortunately, these are the octolings… You need to get out of here, now!] Cap'n Cuttlefish warned.
̶"̶H̶e̶y̶,̶ ̶C̶a̶p̶t̶a̶i̶n̶,̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶e̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶?̶" An octoling with a glowing red Splat Roller asked in octarian language.
̶"̶S̶i̶l̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶k̶,̶ ̶c̶y̶a̶n̶ ̶e̶y̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶p̶a̶l̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶a̶v̶e̶r̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶.̶" The octoling with a glowing red Splat Charger confirmed in the similar language.
"What the?" Rei is now under the impression that the octolings are targeting her specifically as if she's a completely different species to them.
Before Rei picks herself up, she ends up getting jumped on by the leader that is the one with a Splat Charger and getting her head at a gunpoint with other octolings surrounding her in the warehouse.
"Who are you guys?" Rei grunts as she asks.
"The real question is: what's your name, inkling?" The leader asks back, leading Rei to gulp.
"Ah… I-"
[Don't answer their questions, young missy! They'll leak your data to their organisation!] Cap'n Cuttlefish interrupts as he yells.
"Can it, old man. This is between us and this inkling." The leader said, her tone is calm as it's almost soft, yet bitter.
"Well… I mean, you know who I am, but what about you?" Rei asks without answering the question.
"̶T̶c̶h̶!̶ ̶W̶h̶a̶t̶'̶l̶l̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶,̶ ̶C̶a̶p̶t̶a̶i̶n̶?̶" The Splat Roller wielder asks.
"̶T̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶k̶e̶t̶t̶l̶e̶.̶ ̶W̶e̶'̶l̶l̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶k̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶g̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶" The leader clicks as she orders, leading to both octolings to pick Rei up by the arms, making Rei question what is going on.
"Wait! What's going on!?"
Finally, Rei as well as the octolings are boosting away as they're all super jumping together, leading Rei to get dragged into a certain area where the kettle is located.