Chapter 19: Chapter 14: Hostile Takeover (IV)

Artemis sighed as she wandered the Square, wondering what to do. She wasn’t used to being alone on days like this. Maybe she could do ink battles solo, but she really wasn’t feeling it.

“Hey. What’re you doing all by yourself?”

Artemis turned around to see Ayane, walking over to her, once again in her Hero Suit. “Oh, hey. Everyone else is busy with other stuff, including helping Iris and Ethan with improving their grasp on Inkling language stuff.”

Ayane nodded in understanding. “Ah, I see. I’m gonna go catch a train to Inkopolis Plaza, and then take the sewer manhole to Octo Valley to do my usual rounds. Wanna come with?”

That got Artemis immediately interested. “Oooooh, I haven’t been to Octo Valley! Sure, I’m down!”

“Alright, follow me, I guess,” Ayane shrugged.

After Artemis got her own Hero Suit on and two train stops later, they arrived at Inkopolis Plaza. It wasn’t completely deserted, but Artemis immediately could tell it used to be a thriving gathering place for young Inklings. A few shops were open, and it was still quite clean, but other than that it was a shadow of its former self. It also felt a lot less ‘cluttered’ than the Square. “I heard from Marie that this place was a ghost town now, but wow…”

“I always did like this place. There was always a simplicity to it,” Ayane noted as she glanced around, while they walked. Artemis noticed some nostalgia creep into her expression. She pointed up to an unusued studio area up the ramp to the right. “That used to be where the Inkopolis News Studio used to be. You could see Callie and Marie do their thing up there back in the day.”

“Wait, for eel?! Wow, would’ve loved to have seen that. Then again… Geez, it’s so weird to think that we’re friends with the Squid Sisters now,” Artemis blinked, as she stopped to take a look. “Not that Orion cared about that, he was too focused on extracurricular activities to watch popular TV.”

“Celebrity culture is overrated,” Ayane snorted. “They’re just people like you and me, but you know that by now. Ethan and I met the Squid Sisters during our adventure in the Valley, but they were disguised right up until the end. And now you know Off The Hook, too.”

“Still, some people noticed us hanging out with Off The Hook the other day and people kept asking us how we knew them,” Artemis chuckled, as she caught up with her senior. “Kinda hard to make up excuses that don’t make anyone cotton on to the existence of the Splatoon, but we managed!”

“Okay, good, you actually understand operational security by now,” Ayane smirked.

“You guys are never gonna let me live that down, are you?”

“Nope,” Ayane remarked as they stopped in front of the manhole. “Here we are. This is where Ethan and I met the Cap’n.”

“The Cap’n is pretty dedicated for a guy who can barely stand even with a walking stick,” Artemis pointed out, recalling their previous interactions with him.

“Well, that’s partly why we joined up. Gotta respect someone like that, after all,” Ayane nodded, “follow me, and don’t fall behind.”

❖

“This is Octo Valley?! Why is it so much more greener than the Canyon?!” Artemis gawked as the pair ended up at the starting point in Octo Valley.

Sure, that was a slight exaggeration, but the Valley as a whole was covered in much more greenery, including vines and trees dotted around the walls of the Valley. Unlike the much larger octopus formation in the Canyon that looked almost artificial, the Valley had a smaller one perched on the wall that looked more natural. Artemis took a look over the side to see what else she could see, and spotted actual waterfalls filling a large lake at the bottom of the Canyon. “And there’s actual water, not just a massive gross lake of purple goop!”

“Well, get used to it while you’re here, because there’s not much to do, really,” said Ayane as she gestured for Artemis to follow her. “With the whole exodus of Octolings that happened, the energy crisis that was looming here in the Valley kinda solved itself for the time being since there’s less people putting strain on the Octarian energy grid. I just come around regularly to make sure there Octavio’s loyalists don’t start something here.”

“Wish we didn’t have to fight over land and energy. We know Inklings and Octarians can live together peacefully,” Artemis lamented as she followed closely.

“Yeah, well, the Octarians are a proud bunch. They’ve got their own culture and nation, and they don’t want to lose either of them,” said Ayane as they went through the first area. “It took their own Emperor getting his butt handed to them and exposure to the Inkantation for them to reconsider. You’re not wrong, it’s just that it’s never that easy or simple.”

They rode an ink rail to the second area. Artemis immediately realised what this place was. “Wait, there’s a skate park here?! That’s so dope!”

“Eh, kind of a small one, really. Come on, they should be here at this hour,” Ayane said, stepping down a small flight of stairs.

“Wait, ‘they’?” Artemis blinked, following her.

Then she saw a bunch of juvenile Octolings playing in the park - none of them were older than ten years old, she reckoned. They were just so adorable. They were having so much fun playing on their skateboards and listening to music. When Ayane came over, they quickly noticed, and most of them rushed over to happily greet her in Octarian. To her surprise, Ayane greeted them in Octarian as well, letting them crowd around her. Artemis couldn’t help but notice the slight smile on her face as she talked to them individually.

One of the kids noticed Artemis, and pointed at her, asking Ayane something inquisitively. Ayane glanced at Artemis, and then responded in Octarian again. The kids seemed to be awestruck, and surrounded Artemis while asking questions in a language she didn’t understand. “Uh, Ayane, what did you tell them?”

“That you’re one of the Agents and you helped beat up Octavio the second time around,” Ayane chuckled, seemingly finding this amusing. She then spoke something else in Octarian, before saying, “told them you don’t know the language.”

“Well, kinda makes communication tricky…” Artemis looked down at a blue-eyed young girl with a cat plushie in her arms standing in front of her, and she kneeled to get down on her level, patting the top of her own sternum to gesture to herself. “Artemis. Ar-te-mis.”

It took a moment for the girl to process this, but she smiled, and performed the same gesture, “Alouette! Uh… Voomy!”

Artemis was trying her best not to squeal how cod-darn cute that was. She giggled, giving Alouette head-pats, “that’s right!”

Next thing Ayane knew, she was introduced to all of the kids, and spent a good hour or two spending time with them. She didn’t even notice Ayane had slipped away for a while until she came back to join in.

Soon, the kids had to go home, leaving the two Inklings to themselves, resting on a ledge as they looked out towards the rest of the Valley.

Artemis spoke up first. “Didn’t take you for the type to befriend a bunch of Octoling pre-teens.”

“Kinda just happened, really. Ethan and I decided to learn Octarian for, well, tactical reasons. Then, I was just doing my rounds here one day, took a nap back at base… And then I woke up to find that one of those little snots stole my Hero Shot,” Ayane chuckled. “After that wild goose chase, they latched onto me, and became kinda like my informants here in the Valley. They also took a big liking to Ethan, too. I thought they’d be scared of me, but weirdly enough, not really.”

“I don’t get why people think you’re scary,” Artemis sighed, putting her hands behind her head as she laid back. “I just think you’re really cool.”

“Huh. Ethan never found me scary, either. He just saw me as a rival at first, and was never afraid to get in my face. And I just saw him as a moron who was too big for his britches,” Ayane shrugged. “Then we had that reality check after I saved him from getting killed by Marino, talked things out, and we’ve been best friends ever since.”

“You seem stoic and aloof, but you’re a good person, Ayane. And you’ve got a soft side,” Artemis smiled. "Maybe people wouldn’t find you scary if you tried to be more friendly.”

“I was always a bit of a quiet kid growing up. Socialising was never something I was really good at, I guess - not like I didn’t try, though. I guess I just gave up and focused on what I did best,” said Ayane with a sigh. “Then I met Ethan. He thought he was some up and coming hot-shot and was kinda peeved that I kept splatting him. You should’ve seen what he was like back then, he was like a whole different person. Turns out he had talent, it’s just that he needed to loosen up. That wasn’t my style, though. After all this time, I never really changed. The only thing I got was… Scars.”

“I guess I got a couple of scars of my own, too, so I get what you mean,” Artemis chuckled. “Marie told me ‘the path of the hero is a lonely one’. She meant that we’d never get any fame or recognition for our heroics, but while that is true… None of us were really alone from the start. You had Ethan. I had my bro, and then my friends. And now we’ve both got… All of us. And even after we’re gone, X and Zero will hopefully be still around to remember all of us and what we did, and be there for future generations of the Splatoon, if that ever becomes a thing.”

“Geez, I thought you’d be kinda annoying, and, well, you are kinda annoying, but I can see why Marie recruited you,” Ayane chuckled, ruffling Artemis’ hair. “You’ve got a lot of heart.”

Artemis sat up, putting her feet together, grinning widely. “I ain’t that smart, but I just tell it how it is in my heart.”

Ayane shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“So. Are we friends?”

That obviously gave Ayane pause. “You know what? Yeah. Sure.”

“See? Not that hard to admit it,” Artemis giggled. “Between me and Ethan, two is better than one!”

“Please, I’m not that lonely,” Ayane smirked. “You missed the Cap’n, Callie, Marie, Pearl, Marina, Iris, Axl and X. And I’m sure your brother and your other four friends aren’t far behind.”

Artemis blinked, and smirked back, “you didn’t even want to hang with us in public the other day. What changed?”

“Maybe, just maybe, someone’s rubbing off on me,” Ayane chuckled. She then sighed. “Ethan and I never really considering bringing more people into the fold. I guess we were scared that any newbies would get hurt, or worse… And if another conflict happened, they come away with scars, too. Nobody our age should have to go through what we did.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong, but that doesn’t mean us newbies shouldn’t step up and do what’s right, either,” Artemis shook her head. “Truth be told, I was terrified when Gamma appeared. But I was more scared of what would happened if we didn’t stop it. So I put my life on the line to stop that from happening.”

“Well, that’s why I want to train you,” Ayane said as she got up. “Because I want to make sure you guys can step up to the plate when you need to. By the way, Marie tells me you need some serious Charger practice. That’ll be the focus of our first one-on-one training session.”

“Aw, man,” Artemis groaned as she got up on her feet.

“Enjoy your break, squiddo. Because after it’s over, I’m putting you through your paces,” Ayane smirked.

❖

Today was the day that Zero was finally due to be released from Ciel’s care. She had been repairing him in Sheldon’s workshop, and while she did not have any of Wily’s documentation, Dr. Light had been immensely helpful due to his knowledge of his former colleague’s work.

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“Thanks a million, Ciel,” Zero chuckled as he tested his shoulder joints, “I feel like a whole new robot.”

Sitting around in the workshop for a whole week had bored Zero out of his mind, so finally being repaired was absolutely thrilling. He could actually get out and see Inkopolis for himself! Right now he wasn’t in his armour, instead just sticking to a white shirt, jeans and a pair of runners.

“You’re welcome. Just take it easy for a bit, until we know for sure there isn’t anything wrong with the repairs,” Ciel smiled as she did one final check.

“It’s great to finally see you up and about, Zero,” X grinned as he and Zero shook hands. “It’s nice to not be the only robot around here.”

“Don’t take it easy just yet, X, I want to fight you again. But, you know, without us trying to kill each other this time,” Zero chuckled. “We need to keep each other sharp in case another mess like that happens again.”

“As much as I don’t like fighting, yeah, you’re right, if the kids are gonna train, I can’t slack off either,” X sighed. He was a bleeding heart through and through, but Zero knew he wasn’t the type to waffle about with decisions when lives were in danger. Still, X needed someone to keep him from becoming indecisive.

“Well, that can wait for now. What’re we doing first?” Zero asked.

“The Splatoon are holding a party at Tentakeel Outpost to celebrate your recovery, basically,” X smiled.

“Sweet, what’re we waiting for?” Zero chuckled, “hold on to me, Ciel, we’re gonna teleport.”

“Sure, lets go,” Ciel nodded, taking hold of his arm. And with that, the three warped out.

❖

“Hey, Iris, Axl! I need you guys to teach me Octarian!”

Zero was now wondering what the heck was going on as he, X and Ciel teleported in to Tentakeel Outpost. It seemed they were the last ones to arrive - the whole Splatoon was there, as well as Off The Hook.

“Uh… Any particular reason why?” Iris blinked.

“Because Ayane introduced me to a bunch of adorable Octoling kids who hang out at the Octo Valley skate park and I want to be able to talk to them!” Artemis said excitedly.

“You do know Marie and I know a bit of Octarian as well, right?” Callie giggled. “Also, Ethan and Ayane do, too.”

“Nah, it’s alright, it’d be fun to help teach each other our native languages,” Axl chuckled, hands behind his head.

“Hold that thought, the guest of honour is here,” Marie smiled. “Good to see you on your feet, Zero. And hello, X, Ciel.”

“Hey, everyone, it’s good to see you,” Zero smiled as everyone’s attention was drawn towards him. He noticed Callie’s flustered expression, and chuckled. “Like what you see, Callie? You’re a pretty sight for sore eyes, yourself.”

Callie’s only response was incoherent blubbering.

Ciel pouted, holding onto Zero’s arm tighter, “Zero, you’ve barely talked to her…”

“I was just teasing her, Ciel. Besides… You’re quite lovely as well. Your presence has made this last week much, much more bearable,” Zero smiled to her.

Ciel looked away, smiling and blushing, putting a hand on her cheek, “oh, Zero, you flatter me so…”

“You know, I wasn’t expecting the robot who was insane and homicidal just a little over a week ago to be a pretty-boy ladies man,” Karlene chuckled, shaking her head.

“Not what I imagined either,” X chuckled.

“I blame my creator. That old man had some weird ideas,” Zero joked, as he walked over to Iris and Axl, “hey. Sorry I tried to kill you back at the Metro. We cool now?”

“Totally cool. Not upset about us kicking your butt?” Axl smirked.

“Not at all,” Zero smirked back, and took Iris’ hand, kissing the back of it, “your skills with the blade are as marvellous as you are beautiful, Iris.”

That got Iris flushed now as well, and she laughed sheepishly, “oh, please, you don’t have to be so complimentary…”

Zero glanced to the left, and noticed that Artemis was giving him a look. A look that screamed jealousy. He pulled her aside, and whispered, “hey, not gonna move in on your girl, she’s all yours.”

Now it was Artemis’ turn to be flustered and confused, blurting “what what what?!” as Zero moved on to the others. Hinata was already swooning, while Artemis and Ayane looked less impressed, and Ethan just found this all hilarious. Liam and Koji looked a bit jealous about the female attention, but Zero couldn’t help but notice that Orion was blushing. Either I’m way more feminine than I thought or Orion swings at least one certain way…

“Just an FYI, don’t bother, pretty-boy, we’re taken,” Pearl smirked, much to Marina’s embarrassment. Yeah, they were lesbians, exactly as Zero expected from what Ciel told him.

“You certainly can stir up a crowd, whippersnapper! Ah, I remember when I was young, the ladies couldn’t get enough of me,” Cap’n Cuttlefish chuckled from one of the couches. “Goodness, this place is so much more lively now.”

“Feh… You couldn’t settle for just the lands you took during the Turf War, so you started setting up shop in the places we had left?” spitefully said the large octopus in the nearby snow globe. Zero immediately realised who he was.

“So you’re the big bad Emperor DJ Octavio, huh?” Zero walked over, knocking on the glass. “You’ve certainly got a mouth on ya. Don’t be so angry all the time, it’s no way to live.”

Octavio just glared at him angrily.

“I wouldn’t bother. He’s become… Rather spiteful,” Ciel sighed.

“Am I the only one here with Octarian pride, Doctor?” Octavio directed his ire towards her next.

“You’re just making things worse with your vendetta,” Ciel frowned. “I’m at least trying to fix our energy crisis so we don’t have to fight over the Zapfish anymore.”

“Alright, everyone settle down and ignore the big meanie octopus,” Callie called out. “Everyone’s here, so let’s party already!”

Zero could not be more happy to agree.

❖

Cap’n Craig Cuttlefish drank his tea, watching the young folk party the night away. He wasn’t used to the Splatoon being this lively. The original Splatoon wasn’t either, when it was just his comrades and Judd. He could get used to it, though. The good mood was infectious.

Still, he couldn’t help but glance at Octavio every now and then. If his old enemy wasn’t napping, he was just glaring at everyone spitefully.

“Captain, is there something wrong? You don’t look entirely at ease,” spoke Dr. Light, as his hologram appeared on the other side of the table from Craig.

“You never really reconciled with Dr. Wily in life, did you, Doctor?” Craig asked.

“I know of at least one alternate timeline where Albert gave up his schemes and made amends with me, but sadly that did not come to pass,” Thomas sighed. “And as you saw, he died alone and without the recognition he so craved. I wish things had indeed been different, but that was the past.”

“I saw that look of hatred he gave you. It was… Mortifying,” Craig mused, as he took another sip. “So much anger and hatred. Quite dreadful.”

“Is this about you and Octavio? You were friends once, yes?” Dr. Light asked.

Ah, he should’ve know the good doctor would broach that uncomfortable subject. It wasn’t pleasant to think about, but Craig couldn’t just shy away from it. “Yes and yes. Then the sea levels rose, Inklings and Octarians fought over the land, and the rest is history. Sadly… He never could stop fighting the Great Turf War. Now that I think about it… I fear the same could be said of me as well.”

There was a pause as Dr. Light rubbed his chin in thought. “Captain… I wish I could give you definitive advice, but I’m afraid I’d need to know a lot more about you two before I can do such a thing. But I will say this - if you’re worried about things getting to a boiling point, where Octavio might cross a line he’ll never come back from? I suggest you try and figure out how to repair that broken bridge between you two before it’s too late.”

“Easier said than done, Doctor, but thank you,” Craig nodded, taking another sip.

Recent events had made him realise that perhaps he could do a lot more good by extending an olive branch towards the Octarians rather than be purely hostile to them. But the hard part was getting Octavio to accept it… Assuming he wasn’t already too far gone as it was.

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