Clumsy

Chapter 2

Life in Inkopolis Square is surprisingly busy compared to the Plaza, and often (Y/N) caught herself reminiscing of her parents' home.

It was one of the only things she missed-
As soon as you'd walk in the front door, the fragrant smell of cinnamon rolls in the oven would intoxicate you. Then Mrs. (L/N) would always see to all guests leaving having drunk a cup of tea and eaten themselves a full belly of baking- a master of the art of hosting, and baking for that matter. From cookies to cupcakes, Mrs. (L/N) would've made them.

Mr. (L/N) and Mrs. (L/N) adored tea- it was their holy water, their 'liquid gold'. Their fuel, which they were extrenely passionate about. When she was younger, her parents washed her mouth out with soap when she stated that tea was only hot leaf water.

Tea was one of the only things (Y/N) continued to drink in honour of her parents' avid love for the stuff. In all honesty, over the years she'd become quite partial to it herself, constantly having to refresh her forever-diminishing supply of tea-bags.

And as she sat in her lonely apartment, gazing through her window down into the bustling streets, her mind wandered to the inkling she'd crashed into a few weeks ago...

"Oh, squidget!"

(Y/N) had burned her tongue on her freshly brewed cup of tea.

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"Let's krill some squids!" (Y/N) grinned to her teammates, walking into Deca Tower, in the afternoon. Her tounge was still slightly swollen from the mornings' mishap.

"Sooner or later Orange team have to lose their streak, and today I'm not in the mood to lose" Tenta, one of her teammates frowned.

It was the talk of the square- Army's team versus (Y/N)'s team. A battle not to be missed. To be honest, (Y/N)'s team was the underdog here. Though popular, they were thought to be inconsistent despite their constant winstreak. Army's team, on the other hand, was famed to be one of the best, and on top of that their leader belongs to the S4, the second best team in the entire square! They're renowned profreshionals.

"Look, let's be nice to the little guys. You never know, they might kick the cot and throw their pacifiers at you if you're not careful." (Y/N) winked as they approached the Orange team. Army's tangerine eyes pierced through (Y/N)'s vibrant (E/C) ones as she stood in front of him.

"May the best team win," She held out her hand,

"May our team win." He replied, shaking hers, maintaining his intense stare.
'Yeesh, this guy should ease up a little. It's just a battle' She thought, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his glare.

"Haha! What a funny joke! But in all seriousness, I hope your team has fun. See you soon~!" The inkling's voice trailed off as her team stepped into the waiting lobby, ready for turf war. She was 90% sure the map was supposed to be Sturgeon Shipyard, so her and her teammates worked out a strategy specific to the map. At least, that's the map Forge (-octarian-jacket) had sea-mailed her.

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"Today, we're gonna be watching the first battle between the Orange and (I/C) teams! Better buckle up squids, this looks like it's going to be a rocky turf war!"

"Pearl, remember the Octopi as well! Don't be exclusive. C-E-P-H-O-L-O-P-O-D-S."

"Sheesh, okay Marina. Whatever floats ya boat. Cepholopods, hold onto your hats!"

3

The crowd above roared in excitement, even though most were convinced Army was going to 'sweep the floor with these scrubs' - Courtesy of Mask.

2

The rest of the S4 stood, looking down at the two teams. Mask and Skull were pretty disinterested with the whole shebang, but Aloha was as excited as a puppy for his friend.

1

'Wait, do I know the inkling in the (H/G)? I feel like I remember her cute face...' Aloha suddenly felt unsure of who to cheer for.

Go!!

The (I/C) team immediately got into formation, inking their turf just as fast as the Orange team. Before long, the two teams had collided in the middle and engaged in combat. Enemy ink sprayed everywhere. Quite suddenly, all of (Y/N)'s teammates were splatted, and she herself was cornered by Army.

"Awh, man!"
Her large smile had diminished into a concentrated frown, with a small quirk of her lips visible.

But, just as Army raised his weapon, (Y/N) dodged. Swimming between his feet, she splatted him from behind. The crowd was in chaos.

In the end, her team pulled through at the last minute by claiming 49% of the turf, much to Army's dismay.

"Where's my notebook- This wasn't satisfactory, but there were many things to learn from-" Army mumbled into his small book. When (Y/N) approached Army after the battle, she found him hunched over a small book and muttering words to himself.

"Good game, Army. It was fun. Your team was hard to beat," She flashed a friendly smile, catching Army off-guard as he tucked his book into the folds of his jacket.

"Good game indeed. It was a pleasure to battle you, (Y/N). You have a very strong team too, but next time, you might not have the same luck." Then Army returned a light smile back, the first she'd ever seen from him.

Aloha, Mask and Skull were intrigued by this aspiring team who had managed to defeat one of their own. Eager to hear Army's point of view, Aloha rushed out of the viewing stands and into the lobby, maybe a bit too fast.