Chapter Eight:

Wren Loses It All

After losing the Splatfest and being dethroned as the King of Splatfest, Wren's life would never be the same again. However, he still had Anetta, and a handful of friends who tried to help in whatever way they could.

Even Kingfish, Wren's instructor and a friend of his father Walin, tried to get the former Splatfest King back in the Turf field, but Wren wasn't the same passionate, charismatic Inkling that he used to be. He did a few Turf battles here and there with a group of Inklings, but those wound up being on weekends depending on circumstances.

For a time, Wren and his wife still held on to the mansion, with Anetta continuing to assure her husband that she would never leave his side. And yet, things were changing in ways Wren dreaded greatly.

Everywhere he went, whenever he went out, Inklings would mock him and call Wren a total loser. He often bumped into people who still cared about the great Oneshot Wren, but he had to face the fact; After that fateful Splatfest, no one seemed to care about Wren anymore. By this point, the world seemed to be moving on without him.

Wren received a call from his parents, with his mother offering her condolences, even though Walin was a little harsh. However, not long after a previous chat with his father, Wren was told that Walin had been shot by an Octoling bandit. In that very moment, he began to wonder if Walin wouldn't have been shot if Wren had beaten Inkura in that Splatfest.

As he thought about it all, Wren and Anetta traveled to Calamari County for the funeral, where Wren said his goodbyes to his father and tearfully apologized for failing him. Michael and Sophia were there too, Sophia comforted Wren, even though Michael didn't have much to say.

"May Walin Wren find peace among the squids of the past..." The Inkling pastor said in a sincere voice, "...and while we lay this body to rest, the soul shall live on above in Heaven."

Wren comforted his mother at the reception, and Anetta gave them a bit of space, even as a few Inklings mocked the former Splatfest champion while laughing at the family name. As the funeral services ended, Wren began to wonder if this was the curse of losing Splatfest, and he looked to Anetta with worry. Would he lose her too?

Thankfully, Anetta's father Burin didn't give his daughter and son in-law any trouble, even though he would call to make remarks that Anetta was taking a dangerous risk by staying with a failed Splatfest champion. He did try to be delicate with his words, even though Anetta was in tears when she put the phone aside, and Wren had to comfort her.

And things went downhill again after that. Outside of Splatfest and Turf Wars, Wren had taken a job as a Salmon Run worker, and his sharpshooting skills had been effective for the others. Not long after his defeat at Splatfest, Wren's fellow Salmon workers began to question if he was worth having around anymore.

Despite what was going on, Wren continued to work alongside other Inkling workers with gathering Salmon eggs and taking out invading Salmonids until, one fateful day, the foreman told Wren that he was done.

"No, please! I'm not that bad!" Wren pleaded, "Just give me one more chance."

"We gave you plenty..." Rul Sturn told the former champion, "...and you have good shooting skills, but skill isn't always enough. Times have changed, Walter. You're bad luck now, one of my workers got bit and nearly died a few days ago. Hate to say it to the once great Oneshot Wren, but you're fired."

His former boss' words sank in. As Wren left Grizzco Industries HQ building, where workers accessed the Spawning Grounds, the former Splatfest player could hear the sound of a couple Jellyfish laughed at him and Mr. Grizz calling from the statue of the bear eating a fish to say; "Looks like the Salmon harvesting has no use for a washed up worker like you..."

Anetta was waiting to comfort Wren when he returned home, and the fallen Splatfest player's day got worse when he found a letter from a landowner in the mail. The letter read; "The association has decided you will be evicted and are to sell your possessions starting today."

That wasn't the worst of it, Wren found a notice from the bank, telling him his account had been foreclosed. It was official, the one and only Oneshot Wren was broke.

"We'll figure it out..." Anetta comforted her husband, "We still have each other."

As he and his wife prepared to say goodbye to their longtime home, Wren made sure all of his Splatfest cups were safely stored in the house he and his father used to stay at, then he set up the 'for sale' sign and said a tearful farewell to 135 Inkwell Road. He thought about what the future would entail for him and Anetta, and he knew it would be rough out there.

Leaving their old home for the final time, Wren couldn't help but feel thankful that at least he wasn't adventuring into an apocalyptic world. Even then, with everything falling apart, it felt like the whole world was coming to an end around Oneshot Wren.

Somewhere deep inside, his sorrow was accompanied by anger. Wren tried to mask it, tried to shove those feelings aside, but he felt a level of contempt for the world casting him aside. He had it all, and it seemed that society had swindled him. Did the people of Inkopolis really care about him from the start?

Or was that all a lie?

Nobody seemed to wish to be friends with Wren like the old days. And he could hear the Calamari Cowboys' leader Dualie Dan saying "I told you so". His wife Anetta, she stuck by him until now, and she was holding his hand.

Lightning exploded in a darkening sky as Wren and Anetta wandered the streets of Inkopolis, broke and alone, with no home. Nobody looked up at them wherever they went, nobody waved to the homeless Inkling and his still-caring wife, it was as though Wren had become a ghost to Inkopolis. And rarely did he see images of himself in the papers or on TV.

Time passed as Wren and his wife wandered alone. Whenever it started to rain, they would find shelter until it passed, and the two Inklings cuddled together and engaged in makeout sessions with Wren holding his wife in his arms gently whenever they slept together.

From time to time, they'd meet up with people, some of whom would let them stay at their house for a meal or two. After that, Wren and Anetta would move onward. They didn't bump into many familiar faces from Wren's heyday, but it was nice to often see an old fan or two, with Wren signing autographs for a couple kids before they parted once more.

Cloudy days were not as kind as sunny days. Wren found himself huddling in an old dumpster as he looked at a newspaper from ages ago, reading a story about one of his Splatfest victories, and a tear rolled down his face when he looked into the image of his younger self holding the well-earned Splatfest Cup.

'Splatfest King Oneshot Wren Prevails Again!' The title read; 'Nothing can beat him!'

And when he was about to break down, Anetta was there to comfort him. She set aside the paper, and she hugged her husband. "It'll be okay..." She whispered, "You didn't lose everything you have in life. The world is still here."

The two married Inklings found a homeless shelter on one street, located not very far from one of the dumpsters where the two would sit together. Luckily for Wren, the managers let him and Anetta stay, and they managed to get a room. Their meals were reasonable enough, despite it being Fried Salmonid or Calamari Glop, and the two were happy.

One dark night, Wren lay in bed with his wife in his arms after making out with her, and he gazed out at the full moon through the window. And some part of him felt thankful the universe let Anetta stay with him, even after all of that loss.

But even then, how long would it all last?

Just as life was full of good surprises, life always had dark turns waiting. One cloudy afternoon, Wren and Anetta were wandering through the streets and getting some fresh air, even as a nearby TV announced that it would be raining pretty soon. Wren put his arm around his lovely wife, and locked eyes with her before they shared a kiss, making their hearts swim together…

Moments later, the sound of rumbling caught their ears, and the two Inklings raised their heads to see several people on motorbikes in dark leather racing their way. Wren and Anetta tried to run, hoping to get away from the apparent trouble... but the bikers were fast.

They swarmed them in seconds, and Wren stepped in front of his wife to protect her. The leader of the group, a crimson Octoling in a Nazi uniform, let out a laugh. "Well, what do we have here, boys?" He said, "If it isn't the loser, Oneshot Wren, alone in the streets with a woman. Ain't this a sad sight..."

"Oneshot Loser!" An Inkling proclaimed.

"Homeless squid sac!" A Jellyfish mocked.

"You suck!" Another Octoling hollered, "Loser! You're a loser! Are you feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Looks like we're gonna be having a loooooaaaad of fun!" The biker leader proclaimed, he brandished a chain, "Let's give that former champ and his girlfriend a day they won't forget!"

Wren dodged to the side as the chain came at him, and he made sure that Anetta got out of the line of fire. One of the Inklings in the gang threw a Splat-bomb at Wren, and he dove out of the way before it exploded. Even after so much time, he still had skills. The Jellyfish biker grabbed Wren and picked him up, laughing like a lunatic, before driving around wildly.

BAM! Wren kicked the biker off of his motorcycle, then he kicked the bike into a garbage dumpster. He wheeled around to confront a female Octoling on a Harley just as the octopus girl threw a whip in his direction. Wren grabbed the links, and he pulled the Octoling off the bike, then he punched her in the face.

'I didn't think I'd do that…' Wren thought, feeling a little surprised by what he'd just done.

"WREN!" He heard Anetta scream.

The caring ex-champion ran in his wife's direction, and he kicked down the bikers harassing her. After losing everything, he was not about to let some lowlife street punk gang take away the woman he loved, and what gave these scumbags the right to even go after a former champion like Oneshot Wren anyway?

Wren knocked out the Inkling who'd called him a "Oneshot loser" and the bike crashed into a wall before its engines ran out. Most of the other bikers turned tail, leaving only the leader of the group as he and Wren faced each other. The Octoling brandished a gun, a Glock 19X, and he aimed it right at Anetta.

"DON'T!" Wren yelled.

BLAM!

Anetta dropped to the ground, moaning in pain. Wren ran towards her, fearing for her safety, and the biker leader laughed. Wren held her, comforting Anetta, and he kissed her on the head. Ink was dropping from her midsection, and the lovely Inkling girl was looking pale and dizzy. A tear rolled down Wren's cheek and he continued to cradle his wife.

"It'll be okay, my love." He assured her, "It'll be okay."

"Looks like you won't have anyone left, Wren." He heard the biker.

Wren looked up, and when he faced the biker, a storm had come to the surface. Anger was exploding forth, and he ran towards the Octoling. He socked him hard across the face, making ink burst out of his nostrils, and Wren twisted his arm. The uniformed octopus fell off his bike, crashing into the street, and Wren picked up the motorcycle.

He slammed it down with a yell, making the bike leader scream. And then, he grabbed the Glock that the Octo-biker had dropped, and fired a shot… directly into his head. For good measure, Wren angrily fired off a few more shots into the Octoling's body, watching the dead biker lay in a pool of ink.

'Oh, Cod…' Wren thought, dropping the gun with shock. He'd just crossed the line, all to protect Anetta. His thoughts shifted back to her, and he ran back towards his wife, who lay on the ground in a small puddle of ink. She was still breathing, but she looked more dazed than ever.

"W-Wren…" Anetta was crying.

"It'll be okay, it'll be okay…" Wren breathed. Anetta passed out in his lap, and Wren, terrified, put an ear to her heart. He breathed a sigh of relief, just as lightning exploded, and rain began to fall. She was still alive, but Wren was horrified by what had happened.

"SOMEONE!" He screamed, "CALL AN AMBULANCE! PLEASE! HELP MY WIFE! MY WIFE IS HURT! Anetta, Anetta. Don't leave me, DON'T LEAVE! YOU'RE ALL I HAVE LEFT! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITHOUT YOU! Oh, Cod. Oh, Cod. Oh, Cod…"

Thankfully, a passing ambulance picked up Anetta, and the Inkling doctors took her to a hospital room to inspect her wounds. Wren found a spare phone, and made a few calls. It wasn't long before Michael and Sophia arrived along with Anetta's father. Wren was a mess, his face was stricken with tears, and he had some ink from when he shot the biker after his wife was hurt.

Michael hugged his brother, giving him some comfort, and Burin lowered his head. He didn't look at Wren much, but it was clear that he was very worried for his daughter, Wren's wife, his precious baby girl. Even Wren's mother-in-law, Burin's wife Kathree, was distraught.

A doctor reported to Wren a short time later, telling him the news; Anetta would live. However, she was in a coma, and it would be some time before she woke up. After being shot in the waist, it would take time for Anetta to recover, and she would be suffering from slight paralysis in the legs.

Hearing the bad part of the news, Wren was terrified. He was relieved his wife would live, but it would be hard to live with the knowledge and guilt that he couldn't stop that Octoling from shooting her. And with his wife, one of the only people left in his life, out of commission, Wren was alone.

The former champion thanked the doctor, then he left the hospital with his relatives giving him space. Once he was alone, Wren wallowed in despair, and accepted a bottle of whisky from a drunk man exiting a bar. Several days later, Wren sat alone in the dumpster as rain poured down, wondering what was next.

He'd lost his fame, most of his friends, and he'd lost his father, his home, his job, and now, his wife was badly hurt. Meanwhile, Wren and Michael rarely talked, Michael never popped by to see him and he never offered to help him outside of paying for Anetta's hospital care.

Maybe it was best to wait for the end, maybe there was nothing else left. Wren had no hope, he was lost, and he was alone with no one caring for him.

As he thought about what those dark lonely nights would bring, Wren heard a thump, and he looked down to see a white envelope sitting by his dumpster. He picked it up, seeing a strange TV symbol on it, and noticed the address written upon the envelope. Wren opened it and found a letter inside, a message from someone, making him a fascinating offer.

Oneshot Wren's curiosity was peaking by the second, and he was unaware that the sender was watching from the shadows...