Chapter Five:

The Decisive Bridge Battle

Hammerhead Bridge, positioned above the water, and serving as one of many routes leading in and out of Inkopolis. On most days, it was busy, with cars driving across. Today, it was devoid of incoming or outgoing traffic, and the bridge was covered in barricades with a few Turf War symbols seen in various spots across the bridge.

Now and then, Hammerhead Bridge was the setting of many Turf War battles. And once again, it was about to see a Turf event, and it would be in the final match of the Potatoes vs. Green Beans Splatfest event.

Atop the carefully placed platforms overlooking the bridge, the cameras were in position, and all the lenses were on the last remaining Splatfest players as they prepared to face off. All of Inkopolis was hyped, and stood by, with every Inkling, Octoling, Jellyfish, and crustacean eager to see one of the biggest battles in Splatfest history.

Like usual, the Squid Sisters would be giving the play-by-play report from their studio, and Callie and Marie were ready.

Wren stood upon his spawning pad on his side of the bridge, waving to the cameras above, and holding his Charger firmly. His gaze shifted to across the bridge, and the seasoned Turf player stared intensely at his opponent; Inkura, leader of Team Limestone, the ultimate team representing the Green Beans.

Wren and Inkura's opposing ink color had been chosen, the former's Charger was filled to the brim with tan ink, trying to replicate the color of a regular potato, even as Wren retained his black hair color.

And with green beans being the secondary focus of the Splatfest, Inkura retained her natural green ink color, and so did the female Octoling on Team Limestone known as Veronica. Inkura's other teammates, a red-haired Inkling boy named Bucky, and a one-tentacled, golden eyed Inkling girl named Stella, were given a green makeover to match their friends' corresponding team colors.

Even from afar, Wren knew Inkura had to be bubbling with excitement to face him on the field. Almost every Inkling or Octoling that he'd competed with in a Turf War and a Splatfest was a fan of Wren, and getting to face him or team up with him felt like a dream come true for them.

The objective of the Turf War was simple, ink as much turf was possible before time was up, whomever had the most turf would be the victor of the match. Wren was an ace, just like everyone else, and he had it in the bag. Whatever else went down when the match started, Wren hoped Inkura's team kept it interesting, especially when he gave them a run for their money.

"Sophia..." Wren said, "Anetta, my love... Everyone who's supported me for years, I won't let you down." He raised his charger. "It's time for Oneshot Wren to wipe some folks out."

Excitement was buzzing in the air, and the tension grew higher, inching closer to the point of no return. The whistle blew, and it was time for the match to begin. Loudspeakers installed onto the bridge's support beams whined to life, and the Squid Sisters' hit song 'Ink Me Up' started blasting out across Hammerhead Bridge in all of its pop glory.

Go time!

Wren leaped off of his spawning pad, spinning his Charger in a dramatic manner, and squeezed the trigger hard. Tan ink splattered the first quarter of the bridge, and Wren hit the ground without having to worry about the ink hurting him. He fired off more shots, and threw Splat-bombs onto the pavement, inking more territory, as he ran towards Team Limestone to meet them in battle.

On the other side of the bridge, Inkura, Bucky, Stella and Veronica were unleashing a wave of green ink everywhere as they made their advance. They'd practiced hard, and there was no chance of them losing, especially to a one-squid army like Oneshot Wren.

"YEEEEHAAAAW!" Bucky exclaimed as he fired the Inkzooka in various directions, unleashing torrents of green ink across the bridge, "BRING ON THE EXPLOSIONS, BRING ON THE BOMBS! It feels so good to blow something up, and I WANNA BLOW UP THIS WHOLE BRIDGE UNTIL IT'S ALL GREEN INK, BABY! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Just don't get us covered in explosive ink, okay, Bucky?" Stella called, "I don't want to get my hair messy."

"Wren's gotten a head start, while Team Limestone is covering up to 35% of the bridge within just the first twenty seconds of the match!" Callie announced as she and Marie watched the footage of the action from their studio, "Looks like having an explosion nerd on the team has its advantages."

Inkura morphed into her squid form, and super-jumped into the air, then she reverted into her humanoid form and raised her Splattershot with a manic smile. The green-haired squid girl tapped her weapon's trigger hard and fast, splatting a whole section of the bridge in ink from the pavement to the support beams, all before she landed on the ground.

And, by that time, Wren was halfway across, and he'd just inked the left half of Hammerhead Bridge. He could see the opposing team's advance from a distance, and he knew the drill, especially when he was facing someone in the final match.

They weren't the Lean Greens, or the Inky Mohawk Raiders, Captain Squid Star, the Ink Brigade, or the supremacist-Fascist group Hale Hydro, but Wren was not about to hesitate to splat 'em up.

Grinning like a maniac, Wren activated his jetpack, and took to the air. The seasoned Splatoon player soared around Hammerhead Bridge, and unleashed his load, dropping Splatbombs, and firing shots from his charger. Wren struck Veronica, Stella, and Bucky in one strike, hitting them in either the head or the torso, knocking the three out as their souls floated back to the spawning pad.

Wren powered down his jetpack, and splatted up the green spots, then he set his sights on Inkura. The charger-wielding squid had missed her when he went for the squid girl's team, and that was often his intent when taking on the enemy team; take down the leader last.

Inkura stood atop a platform next to one of the support beams, smirking in a dirty manner, and raised her weapon. She opened fire on Wren, and he ducked backwards, Neo-style. The Splatoon star fired back, and Inkura morphed into her squid form, diving into a puddle of green ink to avoid Wren's incoming shots.

He kept his eye on his opponent, and ran through the ink-covered field in an effort to intercept the squid girl, who vanished behind a large barricade. Wren maneuvered around the barricade, finding several puddles of green ink, with one on the wall close by.

And where was Inkura?

Wren prepared his charger, and was ready to fire a shot, then he heard a giggle, and wheeled around to see a green squid diving into a puddle that it had just emerged from. Wren fired a shot, covering the spot where the Inkling had just been.

"Woomy."

He spun around, spotting Inkura emerging from a puddle in humanoid form as she stuck her tongue out. Wren raised his weapon, only for Inkura to vanish into the ink. Wren moved towards the puddles, and attempted to land a shot as soon as he spotted Inkura coming out of the nearest puddle. However, she vanished once more.

'What the carp is this?' Wren thought, 'I've never seen this before.'

"Lee-dee-dee-dee!"

"Got ya!" Wren spun around, but Inkura quickly sank back into the puddle. Just then, a splat bomb flew in his direction, and the turf player leaped out of the way before it exploded. Inkura jumped out of an ink puddle, shooting ink in Oneshot Wren's direction, and he ducked his head before firing back at his attacker.

However, Inkura seemed to be quicker than him, and she dove into a puddle before he could hit the squid girl. Wren was ready to fire again, but just then, he heard a bloop sound and something hit him in the middle of his back.

Wait, he'd just been splatted. For the first time in a Turf War, in a Splatfest, someone had landed a shot on him!

"Unbelievable, folks!" Marie exclaimed, "We are witnessing history, the legendary Oneshot Wren, who has NEVER taken a hit on the field, has just been splatted by another player, by the leader of Team Limestone."

"Damn it! I need to up my game!" Wren muttered, struggling to stand as the ink oozed into his skin under his shirt.

He wheeled around, and fired at Inkura, who launched into the air in her squid form. Wren quickly activated his jetpack, and took flight. He evaded some shots from below, coming from Inkura, and spun around to face her. That was when he noticed her crew, whom he'd previously splatted, was back in the game, and inking up the spots he'd taken from them.

"SURFACE TO AIR SPLAT-BOMB AWAY!" Bucky cried, aiming his Inkzooka at Wren.

The energetic explosive-loving squid boy opened fire, and a Splat-Bomb came flying towards Wren. The determined Inkling moved out of the way, and fired a shot at the bomb, causing it to explode before it hit the ground. Wren swooped in, making another attack run on Inkura's team, and spun his charger before shooting at his opponents.

Inkura dodged, Veronica and Stella went down, and Bucky dove out of the way. The still-standing Inkling boy picked up a Splat-bomb, which had some sharp x-shaped edges, and chucked it at Wren as he was getting ready to shoot at him again.

Just before Wren could react, the bomb hit him in the head, and the skilled Splatoon squid yelled in pain while blindly flying to the side before the projectile went off, spraying ink in various directions. Ink dripped down his face, and Wren realized that Bucky's special bomb had just given him a deep cut above his eye.

BWOOSH! Wren felt the tank on his jetpack give out, having just been shot at by one of the players on Inkura's team. He was so distracted, he failed to notice Inkura shooting at him. Green ink slammed into Wren's face, and he briefly blacked out.

Next, he felt cold. And then, when his vision fully returned, he was back on his spawning pad. Wren reached up, touching the spot where he'd been cut, and felt a mark. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but the scar would be there for ages. Wren shook his head, as he watched Inkura and her team continue their advance.

Green ink was covering Hammerhead Bridge, and was slowly covering the ground that Wren had taken. No, he could not fail, and Wren's fellow potato lovers were depending on him. He had a chance, he could still do it.

The recovered player made a dash from his Spawning Pad, his Charger primed, and he let loose. However, a green squid performed a kamikaze dive into his position, and Wren found himself getting hit in the face by a torrent of ink before he could act. He was soon back at the spawning pad, thinking of what to do, and morphed into his dark squid form.

Wren launched himself into the air in a super-jump, flying over most of the arena, before morphing into his humanoid form. His weapon came up, and he aimed for Inkura, then he opened fire on her. As he watched, the squid girl exploded and her spirit floated away with a tear in her eyes.

"YEAH!" Wren proclaimed as he landed in a superhero position. He was just about to splat up some turf, and take back his territory when someone splatted him in the back of the head. Wren grunted, feeling dizziness, and stumbled into a puddle of green ink. He struggled to stand, his vision blurring, and looked up to see Veronica aiming her weapon at him.

The disoriented Oneshot Wren threw a Splatbomb at her, and managed to blast the Octoling away before the sound of beeping filled Wren's ears. He looked down, seeing a pair of white-gray robots encircling him.

Wren saw their eyes blinking rapidly, and he heard Bucky laugh excitedly, realizing he'd sent out some Ink-Bomb Drones. He yelled as he was consumed by the blast, finding himself back at his Spawning Pad. Wren looked up, seeing Inkura super-jumping towards him, and he could hear "Now Or Never" playing over the loudspeakers.

One minute left, and Team Limestone had covered 80% of the turf. Wren had only 20%. He was about to lose, for the first time, and nothing stung more than the feeling of defeat. Wren gripped his weapon. If he was going to go down, then he was going to go down fighting, no matter the results. He hoped the potatoes had enough popularity.

Thirty seconds remained.

Wren stepped forward, ready for one last fight with Inkura, and he opened fire with everything he had. Inkura skillfully maneuvered around the incoming shots, morphing into her squid form, and she fired back at the seasoned Splatoon player. Wren ducked, then he leaped to the side, and threw a bomb at Inkura.

Inkura dodged, and Wren grunted as he was hit in the face with a shot from Stella, who gave him a grin that made the charger-wielder uncomfortable. He had a wife, and that girl looked like she was trying to flirt with him

And he knew Anetta was worried for him right now, along with so many who looked up to him. A tear rolled down Wren's face as he stumbled, reeling in pain from the attack, and Inkura threw a Splat-bomb at him. He barely dodged, and the blast knocked him off his feet, sending Wren over the edge, down towards the water.

'I didn't think this would happen.' Wren thought.

He hit the dangerous H20, and found himself respawning again, with ten seconds left. Wren moved forward, ready to fight Inkura's team again. But time was up.

The whistle blew, and the music stopped playing. On every jumbotron in Inkopolis, everyone watched as an overhead view of the bridge appeared, and Judd made his appearance with Li'l Judd. The results rolled in, and the Squid Sisters reported on the scores. Seconds later, as the light-yellow neared the green, Li'l Judd held up the flag and Judd fell over.

Defeat for Wren.

Victory for Team Limestone.

On the bridge, Inkura squealed, and she pumped her fist. She couldn't believe it; she was the first person in history to defeat Oneshot Wren. Bucky whooped, and Veronica grinned, and Stella blew a little kiss to Oneshot Wren.

Wren, exhausted, dropped to his knees, shocked by how it had all turned out. He'd just failed his fans, he'd just failed his wife, and he'd just failed the potatoes. He was probably about to lose it all, and he'd never been beaten before. It would be hard to get back up from this, and he didn't know what to do next.

And, on top of that, Wren had never seen such a move from Inkura before, that whole… whack-a-mole, thing. He didn't know what that move was, but it had certainly played a role in his defeat.

But at least he had fun like everyone else...