Chapter Six:

The End of An Era

-Calamari County, years ago-

He looked out the window with giddiness in his eyes, watching as a pair of Inklings in cowboy outfits galloped by on large Sea Horses while one twirled a Splattershot. One cowboy whooped, and lifted his hat, while proclaiming, "YEEHAW!"

"You see those Inklings out there?" He heard his father say, "They're the best of the best. They worked hard, they never gave up, and they never failed. They're the most respectable in this town, and in Inkopolis, true champions, in Splatfest, and those sea horse rodeos. They worked hard to become famous, well-respected, just as others before 'em have."

Young Walter turned away from the window, looking into the gray-blue eyes of the tall Inkling in a black shirt and gray jeans, the man who was his father. He looked at him with love, with excitement, and respect.

"Just like you, dad." Walter said, "You're the best of the best, the best Splatfest champion in the world."

"One day, Wren..." Walin told the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder, "When your day comes, it'll be you out there on the turf, and I know you will be one heck of a champion like I am.

"But know this, there is no glory in defeat. Failure will not and cannot be tolerated, losing is not an option. You fight hard and prevail, or the world will leave you behind as a forgotten memory."

"I won't fail you, father."

"That is good, partner." Walin told the promising young boy, "If you fail, not many people will be willing to help you, because in some cultures, the weak don't deserve help, and I probably won't be there to help you..."

-Inkopolis Plaza, years later-

He rubbed his head, processing what had happened on the bridge. Walter "Oneshot" Wren, the King of Splatfest, the Unsplattable Oneshot, had trained hard, and never faced defeat on the field before. Captain Squid Star was a different story, especially since Wren had persevered that day, and managed to take him down before time was up.

Right now, in the Plaza, and just minutes before the final results of the Splatfest were announced, he was enduring the sting of defeat. Wren could hear the buzz of Inklings chanting "green beans" again, and he could hear Inkura chatting with her crew.

"Dear, are you okay?" Wren could hear his wife's concerned voice.

The defeated squid looked up, seeing Anetta holding his hand, and he held her hand back. Wren smiled, and leaned in to kiss her, which made him feel a little better after what happened. His niece Sophia stood near him, looking at her incredible uncle with concern. Wren's brother, and Sophia's father, Michael, looked at the sports star with apprehension in his eyes.

"I'm okay..." Wren told Anetta, his niece, and his brother, "It's just that, things don't work out in the way we expect them to do. That move she pulled back there, I... never saw anything like it before, but I thought I could still do it. I... still pulled through in the matches before then."

Michael stepped towards his brother. "If I'm being honest, Walter..." He said, "I... I didn't think you'd actually lose, but when you think about it, you... likely got ahead of yourself."

"What's up?"

Wren turned around, seeing a green-haired Inkling boy wearing a mask, a green sweater, and dark shorts. The beaten "Splatfest champion" had seen a lot of green Inklings, but this guy was like someone he'd never met before. And then, there was the tall-looking guy in a green army uniform, who didn't look like an Inkling.

Trying to be polite, even as the memory of his defeat still stung, Wren waved. "Hi, uh, I don't believe we've met before. Who are you?"

"My name's Spider, ASpider25..." Spider introduced, "Some folks just call me 'Green', I'm Inkura's... friend."

"Nice meeting you, Spider." Wren quipped as he shook the masked Inkling's hand with a smile, then he looked at the tall man in the green uniform with the 'A' symbol on it, "And, uh, who's the dude in the green military uniform?"

"Oh, this guy?" Green chuckled, "He's a... friend of mine, sort of a human military ambassador, a corporal. He goes by the codename 'Spider', which is also the name of a special forces unit he's part of."

"What's up?" The soldier introduced, his voice was silky and almost reminded Wren of the voice coming out of the masked Inkling's mouth, which greatly perked the black-haired Splatoon star's curiosity by the second.

"Is it just me? Or did your human acquaintance actually sound like you?" Wren asked curiously, "I swear I heard your voice coming out of his mouth."

"Don't worry about a thing, Wren." Green said to the highly-skilled Turf player with a chuckle, "There's nothing super fishy that is taking place. Me and Spider are good buddies, and Inkura doesn't mind him."

"Speakin' of Inkura, what the carp was that move? I have never EVER seen anything like it, popping out of ink puddles in squid or humanoid form, just where in the world did that even come from?"

Inkura, who was standing close by, giggled, and gave Wren a sheepish look.

"If I'm being honest, I have no clue, dude." Green told the Splatoon star, "Inkura is full of surprises, which is what makes her victory over you a pretty exciting one, if I say so. She's got some real special skills, even though she can be quite a goofball on some levels, and they've come in handy during some misadventures we had."

"Really?" Wren smirked, "I bet you a Sea Snail you can't splat Inkura while she's doing that whack-a-mole move."

"Is that a challenge, Mr. Oneshot Wren?"

"Ooooh." A couple squids and jellyfish exclaimed.

"You bet your Splattershot it is." Wren told Green.

"Oh, it's on, asshole!" The masked, green-haired Inkling pulled out a Splattershot, and glanced at Inkura, "Do your thing, Inkura."

Inkura brandished her weapon, and inked up the pavement around her, then she morphed into her swim form and dove into one of the ink puddles as several Inklings gasped. Green aimed his weapon, keeping an eye on the puddles, and waiting for Inkura to make her reappearance.

He stepped into the middle of ink patches, looking around, and then, Inkura raised her head from a puddle behind her friend. She giggled, and Green whipped around, then Inkura dove back into the ink. The squid girl reappeared next to the Inkling boy, and dove back under when he turned in her direction.

His finger was on the trigger, and Inkura popped up, and down, taunting Green while he tried to catch the persistent squid girl, all while she continued to evade being caught by the masked squid.

"You have to admit, this is almost funny." Anetta commented as she placed a hand on Wren's shoulder.

"Woomy!"

"Whoooaaaaaaa!"

Green fell over on his butt, and Inkura laughed as she exited the ink puddle. She laughed at the masked squid, and several other Inklings started laughing with her. Green rubbed his head, feeling a hint of dizziness from trying to catch his own friend. Wren stepped forward, smirking at the masked Inkling.

"I was right." The squid sniper remarked, "Looks like you owe me a Sea Snail."

"The Squid Sisters are on the air!" A Jellyfish exclaimed, "They're about to report the results of the Splatfest!"

"Alright!" Green quipped.

"Heck yeah!" Spider proclaimed with a grin.

"GREEN BEANS, GREEN BEANS, GREEN BEANS, GREEN BEANS!" A large crowd of Inklings chanted.

"Oh, those beans are nothin' compared to potatoes, which are so good, you can eat 'em raw." Wren remarked, staring up at the jumbotron as a chime echoed over the city plaza.

"I don't think today is Potato Day, Arthur." He heard his brother quip.

The Squid Sisters' logo flashed across the screen, accompanied by the famous chime, and the live footage of Callie and Marie in their studio appeared. The screen behind them showed the Splatfest banner, and the words 'Splatfest Results' rolled in.

"Hold on to your tentacles..." Callie said in her peppy tone.

"It's Inkopolis News Time!" Marie finished.

"We have some very exciting news for all of the squids out there, those who watched the Splatfest, and those who partook in the event." The peppy Callie exclaimed.

"Oooh, what is it, what is it?" The laid-back cousin asked, trying to contain her excitement.

"It's the results of the Potatoes vs. Green Beans Splatfest!"

'C'mon, let's have a tasty victory for 'em potatoes.' Wren thought, taking notice of how excited Inkura and her friends were.

"Let's see 'em." Marie said with a smile.

"First, we'll see which team or, rather, food was the most popular." Callie announced, the Splatfest theme banner changed and a popularity chart made its appearance, numbers began rolling in and every Inkling in the Plaza held their breath anxiously.

"Come on..." Marie breathed, "Come on..."

"Well, would you look at that!" Callie exclaimed, "Looks like the squids out there really love green foods. Potatoes may be tasty, but today, the food with the most popularity is... the Green Beans!"

The Green Beans side of the Splatfest banner lit up, and an 89.5% score appeared, surrounded by a yellow star. Inkura punched the air excitedly, and Wren stood there, surprised by what had happened. He loved the potatoes, and he had hope they could still beat the beans. But the signs were clear, and he didn't see the writing on the wall.

'No...' He thought.

"Bummer!" Callie remarked, "And they say potatoes are so good, you can eat 'em raw."

'At least someone agrees with me...' Wren thought.

"He-he, maybe another day, Callie." Marie said to her cousin, "We can still have baked potatoes with beans for dinner next Saturday. But now, to determine which team had the most battle victories."

The popularity screen vanished, replaced by a new screen that tallied the Splatfest battle results. Tower Control, the Rainmaker Challenge, and the Turf War, the results of both events would all add up to the overall final results of the Splatfest.

And even before the scores were added up, Wren knew it was over, he had failed his family, and the many fans who believed in him.

Worst of all, a majority of those fans were aspiring Turf players, or those with dreams of becoming Splatfest champions, and one of them was a sweet orange Inkling girl whom he'd gifted one of his beanies to.

He didn't see her in the crowd, and that left him to wonder where she was right now. But, Wren began to ponder; if young Meggy Spletzer and her parents were all seeing what was happening, would the young squid girl still respect him, and would she still want to be a Splatfest champion, and a 'great Turf War player' just like him?

Perhaps Wren had already lost, even before his match with Inkura. Before this Splatfest, he'd retired from the field after his victory over Captain Squid Star, and Wren had many victories behind him with rows of Splat Cups to show for it. But he knew, he wasn't the ultimate Splatfest player, despite being number one.

There were many other Turf War players, aspiring or high-ranking, who wanted to be famous Splatfest champions. And, when Wren retired, he was aware there would be others who were eager to claim the title he held, and some of them likely achieved that.

And one of those players, who was claiming the title he held, was Inkura. Wren recalled the day of his first meeting with the girl he gifted his beanie to, and before they parted, young Meggy had promised she would train hard until she became his successor. Right now, she was probably still training, and it would likely be a few more years until she was out there in the field.

Right now, the only Inkling in the city who just proved to be Oneshot Wren's successor, was Inkura. She and Wren watched the jumbotron, as Callie and Marie gathered the battle results, seeing which team had emerged victorious in the most battles overall.

"Bada bada badabing badaboom." Callie said dramatically, imitating a dramatic drumbeat.

"C'moooooooon." Marie intoned.

The numbers flashed across the screen, with the battle tally being two to three. Two for Potatoes, and three for Green Beans. The latter got 25 additional points for it's victory, especially in the last round. Inkura squealed, and Bucky whooped. Stella and Veronica grinned from ear to ear. Even Green was happy as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

Wren could hear several Inklings chanting "green beans" excitedly, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He felt a pat on the arm, and turned to see his wife looking at him with a smile. The once-great Splatfest star held Anetta's hand, feeling some comfort knowing there would still be people who cared about him, even as the world moved on without Oneshot Wren.

He accepted the glimmer of hope that his family would still care, but Wren knew things wouldn't be the same again, and he could already hear someone mocking him, calling him a 'Oneshot Loser'.

The former champion and his successor watched as the final results were announced, and for the Potatoes and Green Beans, with the popularity and battle victory scores adding up into the overall results, it was:

230 - 360.

"Great jellyfish!" Marie exclaimed, she smiled at the camera, "Looks like I'm having some tasty greens tonight, maybe Ms. Inkura and Team Limestone would like to join me. That'll be quite the Splatfest Champion feast if you know what I mean."

Inkura hugged Green excitedly, thanking him for his support, and Wren watched with a weak smile as his victorious Splatfest rival rejoiced her victory with the others. Just then, some green-haired squid in a yellow hat ran up, and kicked Wren in the groin, mocking him.

Wren lowered his head in near shame, knowing this was the end of an age, and the start of a new one.

The question was; how long would the Inkura Era last?