♡ goggles x rider ♡

Chapter 3: A Private Battle

Inkopolis Tower had a green shine to it that beautifully complimented the clear glass windows and shiny metal doors of the stores surrounding it. This amazing view of the plaza was covered by a certain squid's big blue head.
"Whatcha looking at?" he tilted his head to the side with curiosity.
"None of your business," Rider retorted. "Let's head into the lobby."
The room was small but well lit with different colors. They went through all the match options until finding a purple button with the words "Private Match" written above it. The battle type was set to turf war, ink color were set to blue and yellow-green, and the stage... That was still being decided on. It would be best to try Moray Towers since that was Skull's best stage. However, trying out a different stage would mean Goggles would be prepared for more. At last, the two of them decided on Saltspray Rig. Both Goggles' and Rider's weapons were unpacked in the lobby as they waited for the map to be ready. Each of them super jumped to their respective spawn points. The turf war would take place right after the countdown.
They had an encounter in the area between the two spawn points. This would be where the real match began. Each inkling had a tight grip on their weapon. Rider looked at Goggles straight in the eyes.
"What would you do in a situation like this?" he questioned with his chin up.  Held up behind him was his roller, and it patiently waited to be moved.
"I would attack!" Goggles inked the ground around him and swam past, them behind his yellow-green friend. He felt more confident in squid form because he wouldn't be noticed as easily. However, his plan didn't work, as Rider looked behind him and saw the blue squid there. Rider pointed out the pros, cons, and flaws.
"Being unpredictable is one of your best strategies," he spoke. "If you swim too fast, they'll see you." He slowly lifted his roller, its glowing gold and great size being the last thing Goggles saw before being splatted. "Meet me above the rising platforms."
The blue squid returned to his respawn location. His splattershot quickly inked the ground below him and he swam to where Rider told him. Being unpredictable... Oh! I got it, thought Goggles. Very carefully, he swam up onto a higher platform and hid in his own ink. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Rider making his way here. He appeared to be waiting for Goggles to get there. Though Rider didn't know where the other was, he began walking towards the platform Goggles was on.
"Gotcha!" he exclaimed, jumping out of his hiding spot and pointing the Tentatek Splattershot at Rider. The fast fire rate outnumbered the other's slow, single stroke. Rider returned to the spawn point, and became aware of the small improvement.
Time passed as he taught and helped Goggles improve upon different methods to 'outsmart' his opponent. Although some methods were practically unthinkable by others, like pulling the opponent's pants down and splatting them, they worked fine regardless. There were still other things Goggles needed to work on.
"Alright, let's kick it up a notch." He smirked as if suggesting a competition. "Your aim should be accurate and you should avoid enemy ink."
The two squids swam to the end of the stage where there was an open areas.
"What are we doing here again?" Goggles examined the section. Then he looked back at the green inkling.
"I'll swim around here and your goal is to successfully splat me without missing any shots." Hopefully, it wouldn't be a challenge too difficult for Goggles. He has pulled off things that seemed unimaginable at times. The turf was painted green, and Rider gave a nod to let the other know he was starting.
Small green ripples followed the green squid as he swam around his own colored ink. The blue inkling positioned his splattershot and shot at his moving target. He missed a couple of times before finally getting a hit. Rider turned into inkling form. "Try again, until you get it right."
Eventually, Goggles started to get accurate hits more and more often. The other felt proud of this accomplishment, although he wouldn't say that to him. Goggles felt a hand on his shoulder.
"You know, you're doing pretty well."
"Oh, thanks!"
"There's one more thing we still have to do," Rider said. "Bombs are just as important as your main weapon. You can't rely on the sharpest shooter to have great bomb-throwing accuracy." He pulled out a bomb and skillfully threw it on the highest platform he could reach. It exploded into a colorful burst of yellow-green ink that dripped off the sides. Splatting someone with a bomb can be both satisfying and impressive, he thought to himself.
Goggles took out a suction bomb and held it in his hand. "So what now?" he asked. He looked at the object in his hands. Rider stood behind him and placed his hand on the blue inkling's.
"If you hold a bomb long enough," he began, "You'll be able to see where it lands." Lightly, he pulled back on Goggles' hand until the trajectory was visible. Then he pushed both their hands forward and the suction bomb was let go of. It stuck onto the ground and needed a few seconds for it to finally erupt into blue ink. Truly, it was a pleasing thing to watch.
"Hey Rider?" Goggles spoke up, "Your breath tickles." He placed his hand on his neck and rubbed the area to help ease it. Rider didn't say anything for a short while.
"You being ticklish isn't relevant to this... But whatever," he finally said.
Goggles sighed and pulled out another bomb. He aimed for the spot the other had first thrown it in. He waited until he received a nod of approval and threw the suction bomb into the same place. Just like any other ink bomb, it disappeared into thin air and left behind a blast of its inner color. His view was shortly blocked by a taller, dark-skinned figure.
"Focus on your surroundings and don't let things like this," he lightly brushed his fingers on Goggle's neck to tickle him, "...distract you." The blue inkling chuckled softly in response. "Aw, I didn't know you had a soft spot!" His face lit up.
"I DON'T!" Rider barked. "That's just an example." He turned his head away to hide his awkward expression. Goggles put his arm around the other and pulled him into a hug.
"Whatever you say, grumpface."