Requested by DanicaTheLonely
For this story, the reader will be gender-neutral. I've realized that I may not be appealing to everyone when I write the reader as a female. So from now on, the reader will be gender-neutral.
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"Good morning, Inkopolis Square!" Marina greeted the tuning in cephalopods.
"Before we get into the maps for ranked battles and turf wars," Pearl said, "We've got some important news!"
A picture of a young inkling with [f/c] tentacles and bright [e/c] eyes showed on the screen. They looked stunning as well as graceful. Upon seeing this talented young squid, everyone in the Square gazed in awe. Rider, who is currently with his team, was even hypnotized by the inkling's image. They looked like they were having fun.
"The pop star, [I/n], just released their newest album, Star Dreams!" Marina announced, "Reviews say it's the best one yet!"
[I/n] = Idol Name. Let's see what creative names you come up with. ;)
"Yep, so if you don't hurry, all the albums are gonna be gone~!" Pearl smirked.
She held up an album of her own, "Good thing I pre-ordered mine."
"Wait, they allow us to pre-order albums?" Marina asked, "I didn't even know that."
"That's okay, Marina. There's always next time to get one."
Marina sighed, a little sad. She wanted that album. The two then announced the current stages for ranked battles and turf wars before going off-air for a short break. Rider overheard a few inklings fangirling over [I/n].
"Oh my gosh!" Uniform perked up, "I gotta get back to my apartment, quick!"
"Why's that?" Rider asked.
"I pre-ordered the album online a few weeks ago! It should be at my front step right now!"
Before Rider could protest, Uniform raced off to her apartment to check if the package arrived. Sighing, Rider turns away and takes a seat next to Stealth. Rider didn't understand the whole obsession with a pop star. Music just isn't something he cared much for. Now that Uniform left, they're short one inkling for their next match.
"Dang it, now that Uniform's gone, we can't play any turf war," Rider sulked.
"There's always another day," Bamboo tried to cheer him up.
"Yeah, I guess. We can-
"Hold it!"
A voice called out from nowhere. Rider and his teammates looked on to see an inkling with a hoodie concealing their tentacles and sunglasses covering their eyes. They had an innocent smile on their face, like nothing bad was happening in the world. Rider blushed a light green, though he didn't know why. He just met this inkling, why is he blushing?
"You're down one member, right?" They asked, "Can I join you then? I've been wanting to play turf war for a while now."
"Is it okay, Rider?" Stealth asked.
"Yeah, I guess it's fine," Rider shrugged. "Just don't be like a certain idiot I know."
They gave Rider a salute, "I won't let you down, boss!"
"Good, then let's go."
After hearing that, Rider, his teammates, and their temporary teammate walked into the Deca Tower. This inkling has a lot of energy, though. There was something familiar about them but Rider couldn't place why. Deciding to ignore it, they entered the battlefield and waited for the match to start.
"Ready? Go!"
Once the match started, it got heated pretty quickly. Both teams were wrestling for the center of the map. It was hard to determine which team will get the victory. Rider clicked his tongue in annoyance, they weren't going to get anywhere like this. If only Uniform were here, then we'd have some good synchronization, but she left, Rider turned to see the new inkling getting splatted again. They're not too familiar with turf wars, are they? He made a mental note to scold them later.
"I've got you now!"
Shi-! Rider was caught off guard by the enemy and was almost splatted by them. Luckily, he jumped out of the way before they could crush him with their roller. Rider looked around to see he was surrounded by the enemy team.
"Oh no! Rider's surrounded!"
The crowd whispered among themselves. Was the great Rider, an S+, about to lose? The team was about to jump Rider but a voice stopped them in their tracks. Rider looked up to see one of his teammates super jumping to him. And that teammate was, the newbie!
"Moron, don't super jump to me!" Rider yelled.
"I've got it!" They yelled back.
Rider saw them glow and then, they slammed their fist onto the ground, creating a massive wave of ink to splash on their enemies. The crowd went wild at the quad-kill they just got. The inkling turned to Rider and smiled at him. He was honestly shocked.
"Come on, let's take back the middle!" They ushered.
"R-Right..." Rider blushed.
Rider and his team took back the middle ground and managed to keep the enemy team away. After the battle was finished, Judd and Judd Jr declared team yellow-green the winners.
"Wow, that was fun!" The inkling rejoiced, "I haven't had that much fun since like, forever."
"For someone who hasn't played turf war before, you did great!" Stealth complimented them.
They blushed a light [f/c] and turned away, "R-Really? Thanks..."
While they conversed with his teammates, Rider studied the inkling. Their voice sounded so familiar but Rider couldn't place why. As they were walking out of the tower, Bamboo and Stealth walked to the train station without Rider. Simply because they had to check if Uniform got the album or not. Rider reluctantly let them go.
"Oh yeah, I never told you my name, right?" The inkling realized.
"No, I don't think so," Rider replied.
They extend him their hand, "My name's [Name], nice to meet ya. Rider, isn't it?"
Rider awkwardly shook their hand and nods. That seemed to make them smile more.
"I'm so happy, I got to meet an S+ player. This is such an honor!"
"It's not that great..."
"Maybe not to you, but to me it is."
[Name]'s phone buzzed. After taking one look at their phone, their smile turned into a frown as disappointment washed over them. Rider assumed they didn't like what they read.
"And it looks like it's the only time we'll meet," [Name] said, disappointed.
"Do you want someone to walk you home?" Rider suggested.
"You would do that for me?"
"Only if you want me to."
[Name] smiled, "Sure!"
The two began their walk to the train station. When the train arrives, they notice there's barely anyone on the train. [Name] was relieved and pulled their hood down, revealing their [f/c] tentacles. They took off their glasses and turned to Rider. He was shocked to see that the inkling in front of him was the one and only [I/n] themself!
"Wait, [I/n]?!" Rider exclaimed.
"Yep, it's me," [Name] chuckled, "Are you surprised?"
Surprise is an understatement, Rider gawked. Seeing this, [Name] started to laugh but Rider was confused. Why were they laughing?
"I'm sorry about tricking you," They apologized, "It wasn't my intention, I just wanted to have fun like everyone else."
They gave a sad smile, "Being an idol is fun, but doing almost the same stuff every day is just boring. I want to get out and do something new, like play in turf wars or rank battles."
"So you're just a rebellious teenager," Rider concluded, "I understand."
"Yeah- wait, rebellious teenager?!"
He snorted at their pouting face. Strangely enough, he found their pouting adorable. The train stopped at a rather busy city, it wasn't like the Square though. There are a lot of business buildings plastered all over. When they exit, [Name] and Rider walk until they meet a giant building with a star at the top. So, this is where they work. This place is pretty big, Rider felt a little terrified when looking up at the building.
"Well, guess this is where we part ways," [Name] frowned, "Um... I guess this is goodbye."
Before they crossed the street, Rider grabbed onto their hand. They turned to him with a curious look.
"I-If you want, you can play turf war with us again sometime," Rider stuttered, "W-We'd love to have you on the team again..."
[Name]'s eyes glowed, "Really?"
Rider meekly nods in response. He was so embarrassed, he didn't know what to say. [Name] suddenly engulfed the yellow-green inkling in a hug.
"Thank you so much, Rider! You're such a good guy!" [Name] rejoiced, "Let's exchange numbers, then, whenever I have free time, I'll join you and your team and we can hang out!"
The two quickly exchanged numbers. [Name] gave Rider a quick kiss on the cheek and walked across the street. They waved at him one last time before going inside the building. While still in a daze, Rider took the time to ask himself:
"What just happened?"