Merlis's POV

The sound of the cheering crowd surrounded me as the timer ticked closer and closer to zero. Reaching into my bag, I threw one last ink bomb before a giant buzz rang through the air. It was dead silent as everyone waited for Judd to announce the results but everyone knew who won.

Cheers erupted as I caught a view of the victory flag aimed in my direction. I gave my splattershot a small twirl around my finger, ready to go back home. In the midst of my thinking, my teammates were already walking towards the exit as I hurried to catch up.

"Nice job, Merlis!" One of my teammates said and gave me a high five. I felt bad because I didn't remember his name but I didn't have to bother as he ran into the crowd of female fans waiting for him. All the girls squealed when he started to give everyone a high five.

"Good job, Merlis. I can always trust you to watch my back," said Asdil, patting my back.

"Well, I always listen to what you say and it works out," I replied.

Asdil was our team captain. She was the oldest on our team, being twenty-seven, but her strategies were unbeatable.

A group of Inklings huddled by the exit were calling my name, wanting to congratulate me. I knew none of them. Instead of going over, I decided to take the exit towards the Subway entrance to avoid them.

Walking out the door, I strolled into the center of the bustling Inkopolis. Music blared from the speakers placed on top of the main doors to the tournament arena. The streets filled with conversation, Inklings rushing to where ever they needed to go. The great Zapfish was perched on the Inkopolis Tower, keeping everything powered. I took a deep breath, glad to be out of the competitive mode. All the attention I got from the tournament just didn't sit with me. I didn't even want to be part of it and just got pulled into it by a friend. Many Inklings believed that our team was going to end up on top in the tournament. It's a classic underdog story really.

I walked into Cooler Heads, the headgear shop, wanting something fresh to wear. I was getting tired of these sunglasses. They were giving me a bad boy look that I don't like. Annie stood by the counter when I walked in, her hair looking just like a coral reef. It was pink with green on the tips, having a starfish on the side. A little clownfish popped out, swimming around.

"Please, have a look around, Merlis…" she spoke softly, having a small blush on her cheeks.

"Give us your money!" the clownfish demanded, swimming back into her hair.

"Shh, Moe."

The shelves were littered with all kinds of hats. They ranged anywhere from a scuba mask to a headband. A blue cap with a small squid on the front caught my eyes. I tried it on, fitting perfectly on my orange hair. I gave a small smile as I said I'd buy it.

Strolling out, I noticed Judd lazily rolling around in a beam of light that shone through the clouds. He was on top of a blue box, his chubby cat body looking as fluffy as ever. His fur made him look like he was wearing overalls with a small black tie and I found that funny.

"Hey, Judd. How's it going?"

He gave a big yawn, rolling over to face me. "Purrfect timing Merlis. Someone came over earlier. Told me to give this to you."

He handed me a small black box. It fit perfectly in the palm of my hand, like it was made to be that size. It opened upward, revealing a cushin-y inside. There was a little gold circle placed upright in the center.

"What's this?" I asked Judd, curious.

As soon as my fingers touched it, a bright, white light shone everywhere and blinded me as I screamed out. Next thing I knew, my mind went black.