More Priceless than Gold - Emperor x Reader

The Tournament

"She's part of a team already, huh?
If they do decide to enter the tournament, then this should be fun..."

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<Your POV>

It's been a week since I've joined the team. Since then, I've leveled up quite a lot. My teammates also introduced me to Salmon Run, which seemed pretty suspicious. But it did earn me some quick cash, so I didn't complain. I was also able to snag some Crust Bucket tickets from the bonuses I received, which helped in my experience gain. Needless to say, I was having a great time here in IS.

My level was still the lowest out of all of us so far, but that didn't bother me much. Our team had grown in popularity ever since I had joined, and some of the preexisting teams would sometimes greet us and even compliment our teamwork. Ian and Ember were pretty overwhelmed at the sudden fame, while Levi seemed a little ticked off. Me? I didn't really care about our status. Sure, our reputation as a team was important, but my main priority is enjoying myself while still giving everything I got.

Back to the present.

Today was the start of the tournament and we all agreed to meet up at the square as early as possible. Usually Ember and Ian wake up first, then me, and Levi would always wake up last. But this time, we all woke up at around the same time. It seemed even Levi was excited about the tournament. After we all got ourselves ready, we headed down to the already crowded square. A stage had been situated in front of the tower for this special occasion.

(...let's just pretend they made it through the prelims.)

Ian sighed in defeat. "I was hoping to make it here before the square got filled...guess we're just gonna have to take the back rows." Ember tried to cheer him up. "C'mon now, Ian. We can still see clearly from back here since the stage is high enough! But for now let's grab a seat. We've still got a while before the tourney actually starts." We all sat at one of the tables, coincidentally the very same one we always meet at.

After a few minutes of screwing around on our phones, all of us heard an announcement. We looked up to see the host. "Goooood morning, Inkopolis! Welcome to the first day of the Square King Cup Tournament!" the host said as she spoke into the microphone. The audience roared with applause in response. "And now, a word from our current undefeated champion, the greatest in all of Inkopolis! It's the leader of the Monarchs, Emperor!"

The host stepped aside to reveal the all too familiar face. The golden inkling briefly waved to the crowd as they cheered even louder. He stepped up to the microphone and spoke with an elegant voice. "Everyone has done well to ensure their spot in this competition. Now which one of you lucky teams will be facing me in the finals?" Everyone immediately shouted variations of "it will be our team!!" Emperor softly chuckled at this. "Alright, alright," he said, silencing the crowd. "You all know it doesn't work that way. Only one team will be strong enough to persevere. I trust that you all will do your best to ensure that position." He scanned the audience with his glistening eyes as he said this.

It seemed like he was looking for someone. But he didn't make it obvious. However, as soon as he caught sight of me, it looked as though his smile grew wider ever so slightly. I thought it was just because he recognized me.

And then he winked.

My face started to heat up again. I was blushing again, wasn't I...I pretended to be distracted so he wouldn't see, but I was probably too late. Some of the inklings were looking to see who he winked at, and some fangirls in front of us began to fight over it.

"He winked at ME!"
"No he didn't, it was definitely me!!"

I brought the collar of my (P/C) up to hide my face. Ember noticed and asked me if I was alright. I looked at her and said "H-he winked at me. Emperor winked at me." My friend's eyes widened as she turned to look at Emperor again, who had wished everyone good luck and was now walking off the stage.

The host came back up to the mic. "The tournament will begin shortly. Please look at the main screen to see when your team will be battling. Thank you and good luck!"

<Emperor's POV>

After the host introduced me, I walked up to the microphone and was instantly greeted with a wall of sound. Just like I expected. I gave them a quick wave and began my "speech."

(smol timeskip brought to you by Prince's adorable little face)

I scanned the crowd with my eyes, trying to look for the newbie. Then I finally caught sight of her, sitting at a table in the far back, her (F/C) tentacles shining in the sunlight. So she made it. Good for her, I thought to myself. Once I knew she was paying attention, I smiled a bit more and winked at her. This caused her face to turn a shade of (F/C), as expected.

"I must take my leave now. My team and I will be preparing ourselves for the finals. Good luck!" With a flourish of my jacket, I turned around and left the stage. I met up with my teammates and told them to go practice on their own. As for me, I took a seat in my throne and waited for the first battle to begin.

<Your POV>

The crowd began to disperse, but I couldn't stop replaying that moment in my head. He noticed me in a crowd of people and winked at me personally. I didn't realized how long I'd been thinking for until I heard Ian calling my name. "(Y/N)? (Y/NNNN). We gotta go. We're in one of the first brackets." I shook my head to recollect my thoughts. "Right! Let's do our best!" We all cheered and headed into the lobby. 

All the while I was hoping no one noticed that I was still blushing.

Emperor...I'll be seeing you soon enough.

A/N: This chapter was relatively short...sorry about that lol

I think I may have caught a tiny cold so bear with me for the next few chapters ^^;