Chapter Text
Chapter 7: I, I Am On My Own
A/N: Has it really been a year? Jeez. Sorry for the lack of updates, school has been kicking my ass. Regardless, enjoy!
“Is this everything you need, Taylor?” His mother asked, dropping a box of clothes onto the floor of Taylor’s new apartment.
“Yep, that should be everything,” He responded, giving his mother a big hug. “Thank you so, so much, mom.”
“Aw, it’s no problem, honey,” she said, returning the hug. “Just be sure to win some battles for me, okay?”
“I will, mom. Don’t worry a bit.”
“Alright, good luck. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to call me.”
“I will. Bye mom!”
“Goodbye, Taylor!”
Taylor watched as his mother left his apartment, leaving him all alone. It was a very basic apartment, with a bedroom, bathroom, a small kitchen, and a small lounge area. His mother provided him with groceries to hold him over until he would be able to begin doing battles and making money.
He had his bed sheets and clothes stored in boxes, which he began to put away into his dresser almost immediately after his mom left. His bedroom was small, but it provided a decent view of the small park across the street. And although his apartment was not right next to the Square, it was only a thirty minute walk away.
A quick glance at the alarm clock on his dresser told him that it was 12:15 in the afternoon. Taylor told Will previously that he would meet him in the Square at one. The young boy put his apartment keys in his pocket, along with his new phone and papers to get his turf war registration complete.
The walk to Inkopolis Square was beautiful. It was a gorgeous day- not too hot, not too cold- just right for Taylor. The park outside his apartment was nice, with lots of space to relax and trees to provide shade.
But Taylor was not here to relax- he was here for battling and excitement.
It was 12:50 when Taylor arrived in the Square. He found a bench in the shade to sit down on, waiting for his friend to arrive. His eyes darted around the Square, taking in all of the sights. The Deca Tower stood tall in all its glory, beaming in the sunlight. Sheldon’s weapons shop had customers constantly flowing in and out, some leaving with weapons and others seemingly returning them.
His eyes landed on his friend, who had just entered the Square from another entrance and was standing still, scouting the area. Taylor stood up and began approaching Will.
Will noticed Taylor, and a smile spread across his face. The two boys approached each other, looking extremely happy.
“Will! How’s it going!?” Taylor exclaimed when he got close.
“It’s going good Taylor, what’ve you been up to?” Will responded.
“Not much. Just finishing up moving in. Are you ready to turn in our forms?”
“I’ve never been more ready. Let’s go!”
The two boys approached Deca Tower with smiles plastered on their faces. Both of them had their forms in their hands, ready to turn them in.
They entered the tower and, amazingly, there was no line at the front desk. Battlers were queuing up for matches elsewhere, and the man at the front desk stared forward in drowsiness, protected by a layer of glass in front of him.
Taylor approached the desk first. “Um, hi, I’m here to turn in my forms from the turf war exam…”
The man looked at Taylor and perked up. “Ah, yes, another examination passee. If you could just slide the forms through the hole in the glass…”
Taylor did so and looked at the man in anticipation. He quickly looked through the forms, making sure all of the signatures were in their proper places.
“Alright, everything looks to be in order, I just need to ask you a few questions.”
The young inkling nodded.
“What is your full name?”
“Taylor Daniel Coralle.”
“Age?”
“Thirteen.”
“Date of birth?”
“May Tenth, 2004.”
“Natural tentacle color?”
“Orange.”
“Your official battling license name will be Taylor Coralle, T-a-y-l-o-r C-o-r-a-l-l-e, identification number 84021. Is this information okay?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, just need you to stand in the box to your left for your ID photo.”
Taylor stood in the box and looked forward. He kept a neutral look on his face, keeping his eyes straight. A camera flashed, taking his picture.
“Alright… your ID is printing now… and… here you are.” He handed the ID to Taylor through the glass. It displayed his name, his photo, and his ID number. “Keep this ID on you, you will need it to participate in battles. It can also be used as a regular ID outside of battles. If you need a replacement, it will cost you 5000 coins.”
Taylor grimaced at the cost. That would cost him over a weeks’ worth of battles, if he was lucky. He pocketed the ID and made a mental note to invest in a wallet.
“Since you are thirteen, you will have to wait until you’re fourteen to participate in battles. Otherwise, you’re all set. Have a good time battling. Next!”
Will went through the same process, giving the man his information. The only difference was that Will was already fourteen, so he could begin participating in battles immediately. The two boys walked away from the desk with smiles on their faces and IDs in hand.
“Are you gonna go do some battles, Will?” Taylor asked his friend.
“Not right now, no.” Will answered. “I haven’t seen much of Inkopolis yet. Want to explore it with me?”
“Absolutely!”
The two boys ventured through the city, looking at all the incredible sights within. They wandered through every street, sought out every park, and even went to the top of Deca Tower. To most people, Inkopolis was a concrete jungle; but to those two boys, Inkopolis was the start of a new journey.
////////// One month later \\\\\\\\\\
It was one week before Taylor’s fourteenth birthday. He was making his way towards the Square, ready to start his day of watching Will’s matches and chatting with him in between matches. The young boy was excited for his birthday, as he would finally be able to participate in matches with Will.
Will had made some good progress in matches. After starting with turf wars, he was able to quickly progress into ranked battles, fighting his way through C rank and reaching B- rank just yesterday.
Taylor enjoyed watching his friend battle. It was one thing to watch professional matches online, but going to the battles in person and personally seeing, and even meeting some of his future opponents made him overjoyed.
Unfortunately for the two of them, Tommy and his friends Evan, Cal, and Parker, were all fourteen and actively doing matches together. The group dominated low level ranked battles, and were already actively scrimmaging low-ranked amateur teams in their spare time. All eyes were on the group, who called themselves InCEPTion, using the first letters of their names as an acronym.
Even with his newfound fame, Tommy still found the time to pick on Taylor. He would constantly call him names whenever the two crossed paths in the Square, and during a match against Will in regular ranked battles, Tommy constantly pursued Will instead of the objective.
While waiting for Will to show up, Taylor stood outside of Ammo Knights during a particularly slow day. There was no line of people waiting to get into the shop, and Sheldon spent his time polishing the weapons he had in stock. Taylor had purchased a Splatterscope earlier, in preparation for his beginning of battles next week. He sat against the wall next to the shop, looking out into the distance.
Approaching him was Tommy and his friends. Tommy stood in front, with Evan to his side and Cal and Parker behind the two of them. The bully noticed Taylor, and snickered to his friends while quickly pointing at him. Taylor noticed this, and didn’t say a word as Tommy approached him.
“Whaddya think you’re doing here, Coralle?” Tommy said loudly at the boy.
Taylor, again, didn’t say anything.
“I said, whaddya think you’re doing here, you bitch!”
“I’m here because I can be, Tommy. ” Taylor spat.
“I don’t think you should be around here anymore. People like you don’t deserve to be able to do matches.” Tommy now stood right in front of Taylor, blocking his view almost completely.
“I think I have every right to do matches,” Taylor said, glaring at all four boys. “Just because you are your stupid little followers are doing well doesn’t mean I can’t do anything.”
“The fuck you call me!?” Evan yelled, rolling up his sleeves. Cal and Parker moved up next to the boys, encircling Taylor.
“I called you stupid, you meathead,” Taylor shoved Tommy as he started to move. “Now get the hell outta my way.”
“Oh, that’s it,” Tommy said, grabbing Taylor by the collar. “You’re gonna get it now.”
Taylor jerked back and fell to the ground backward. He frantically got to his feet and balled his hands into fists, ready to fight. Tommy threw the first punch, which connected with Taylor’s shoulder.
Taylor punched back, hitting the bully square in the nose. He fell backward, staggering as he tried to stay on his feet. His nose started bleeding, and he looked at Taylor with ferocious intent.
Evan hit Taylor several times in the head, knocking him to the ground. With Taylor prone, Parker and Cal started kicking him while Tommy came back over and grabbed Taylor’s own Splatterscope. Using the Splatterscope, the bully began beating Taylor with his own weapon, breaking the barrel, scope, and trigger off the weapon and severely injuring Taylor.
Sheldon saw the commotion and ran outside his shop.
“Stop that! Stop that right this instant!” He yelled at the boys, rapidly approaching them.
The boys stopped the beating and looked at Sheldon. Tommy dropped the broken Splatterscope to the ground, putting his hands behind his back. Taylor groggily got up, looking dazed.
“What happened here!?” Sheldon demanded. “What possibly could have happened for you to beat this boy!?”
“He instigated it, sir,” Tommy answered, looking down at the crab.
“I dunno, Tommy, you instigated that whole damn thing.” Taylor said from the ground.
“Oh, shut the hell up, you bitch.”
“Now, I will absolutely not stand for that kind of language from a competitor,” A voice from behind the boys said.
All of the boys turned around to see a tall man in a suit and tie standing over them. Taylor immediately recognized him as Samuel Lamprey, overseer of the battling system in Inkopolis.
“Misters Lagardes, Planker, Reefton, and Stauroza, you will all come with me. Your behavior is not up to par. Sheldon, if you could tend to Mister Coralle while I take care of these boys…?”
Sheldon nodded and moved next to Taylor. Tommy and his friends followed Mr. Lamprey away from the Square, as the entire population of the Square was watching them.
“You okay, kid?” Sheldon asked. “Say, what’s your name?”
“Taylor. Taylor Coralle.” He gripped his head in pain as he checked his surroundings. “But yeah, yeah, I’m okay.”
“Come on. I’ll take a better look at you inside my shop.” Sheldon began guiding the boy into Ammo Knights.
He put the young boy in a seat as he looked over his injuries. Taylor had bruises all over his body, and was bleeding from his nose. Thirty minutes and a dozen ice packs later, Taylor was feeling a lot better, but still a bit sore. He sat behind the counter while Sheldon dealt with the few customers that came in.
“So, you’re a charger user?” Sheldon asked the injured boy.
“Well, that’s what I hope to be,” Taylor responded, prodding his tentacles out of his face. “I’m not old enough to do battles yet. But I’ve been training, and I hope I can do well with chargers.”
“Chargers are a very underrated class of weapon. I wish more people used them, but they are among the least popular weapons in my shop.”
“Personally, I love chargers. I think that being forced to have steady aim and pinpoint accuracy provides an amazing challenge. That, and being forced to think fast to help your team. I hope I still love them once I start battles.”
“I think you will, honestly. I see how you feel about the weapon, and I see that look in your eyes. You’re going to do amazing things with chargers.”
“Thank you, Sheldon. I might have to wait even longer for the battles, though. Tommy-” Taylor spat at his enemy’s name. “-broke my only weapon. I’ll need to get some money to buy a new weapon before I can take part. And I turn 14 in a week.”
“Well, if you’d like, I can provide you with a weapon, since your old one was broken.”
“Really!? That’d be amazing, Sheldon! Whaddya have!?” The boy was now incredibly excited.
“Since you’re interested in chargers, I do happen to have an extra E-Liter 4K Scope that a customer returned. It’s in perfect condition, so if you’d like it, it’s all yours.”
Taylor took the weapon from Sheldon’s hands and inspected it. He looked at all the components, aimed it and checked its sights, and checked its comfortability. He was blown away by the quality of the weapon.
“I love it, Sheldon. I’ll take it!” The boy glowed.
“Amazing! Now, go train with your new weapon. I don’t want you losing any matches. And you’re always welcome to come hang out here!”
Taylor walked into the training area behind Sheldon’s shop to practice with the new charger. He connected his ink tank to the weapon, and fired a few short shots to see how it felt. Satisfied, he raised the weapon to his shoulders and took aim at a target.
BANG!
The weapon fired with extreme power, hitting the target dead on. It popped, and he aimed at a new one. He felt incredibly comfortable with the E-Liter, even though it took longer to charge up shots and drained his ink tank much more than the Splatterscope did. He tried new movements to be able to weave in and out of his ink and fire off a shot quickly, which he mastered.
He spent over an hour in the training area, not missing a single target. The E-Liter just seemed to come naturally to the boy. When he walked out of Sheldon’s shop, Taylor was grinning from ear to ear. He stepped out into the sunny Inkopolis Square, wielding his new weapon in a sling over his shoulder. His eyes darted all around, looking at the other inklings relaxing in the Square.
Some of them had their weapons with them, others were simply weaponless and watching matches on the large screen that hung on Deca Tower. Taylor made his way through the Square, seeing most people glare at him with discontent. He shrugged it off and returned home. His head was hurting, and he wanted to relax.