Splatoon! Rise of Squidcom

by LiamKypaiWalcort

Follow the adventure of the young team of first years at Squid Academy high school who hope to compete on the National stage. But, can they do it? They look to win the Rank Wars, a school-wide competition that decides who'll represent them at the Winter and Spring events. At the same time they'll also need to overcome the many personal challenges in their lives. This is their rise!

186. Conference arc: Rapture and Rebirth

Indistinct chatter, flashing cameras and zooming lens focusing on the features of the representative of Inkopolis, snapshots taken of his companions protecting and accompanying him as well. A microphone patiently waiting for its user to make his debut on the world stage, he had no choice but to address the several issues presented after being summoned to the spotlight by leaders from smaller nations who were being impacted by the problems occurring in their borders. Risen with all eyes on him, it felt like the audience faded to black with a beaming light shining on him, the whispers and murmurs in the room ceasing so silently a pin could be heard if dropped. Much like the conference room, the entire world kept silent waiting on what the politician had to say on the global stage as a representative of a nation that lacked a leader, as the face of a progressive wing looking to ease the tensions. A statue with a cold face, Mack Netifla addressed the audience. First, he thanked everyone for coming and thanked his colleagues for giving him the opportunity to speak; little did they know they played into his hands as Netifla's popularity came from ability as a speaker who controlled the room the moment he had the microphone despite having little presence when he walked into a room. He understood everyone's frustrations and concerns about Ixia, and greatly sympathized with anyone affected by their antics-transitioning to what Ixia were and why they were a growing problem. A cyber hacking group known for pulling pranks turned terrorists, they caught everyone's attention when they hacked a sporting event held by a popular school; usually, this would just be mild, but it was who they hacked and what they said. To paraphrase, "They picked a fight with the world leaders because they thought us to be down and out." he said with conviction his tone strong and his demeanor as serious. If it was any other school in the nation, it wouldn't be a problem, but it was the fact they targeted a school known to be a facilitator of graduates to the various military branches of Inkopolis. Their doctrine that Inkopolis needed a radical movement to bring about change had some valid points but he explained that their message was more harmful than good, and that though there were innocent people buying into the rhetoric of Ixia, he believed it mostly stemmed from fear and anxiety about the unknown state of the country. An unprecedented situation for the most powerful nation on the continent, in a time where fellow rival nations grew in power and there was no figure to lead the nation that slowly became divided under social issues, he recognized that some of this was the fault of those in charge. He took partial responsibility as a member of parliament that failed to unite people though it wasn't his faction that caused discord, but rather it was Liandt who spreads the message of divide and conquer rather than coexistence. The solution he offered was perfect for the situation: an open discussion on the world stage about the various issues that not only troubled Inkopolis, but also proved to be a conflict in other nations. Discrimination, Stagnation, and Corruption. In an age of progression where people learned to grow more tolerant, there were still plenty of Inklanders who weren't accepting of certain races, the biggest case being the treatment of inklings toward octolings. Ever since losing the most recent Great Turf War that took place over a decade ago, octolings were still despised and discriminated in parts of Inkland, and mostly in Inkopolis, where few octolings were able to find success but fail to spark the discussion; As he touched light on the sensitive subject, several cameras panned to Shiva and Fuchsia, who sat calmly-absorbing the wisdom of Mack Netifla, the man Fuchsia once knew as her principal. For years, it was known that the way Octaria was treated after the war was unfair, nearly stripped of everything and left for dead, it was a major war fought between the two nations, but the rest of the world heavily favored one side and as such in the eyes of the octolings that lived on the surface, it felt like the entire world was against them. Unable to get higher paying and status jobs despite displaying skills on par-if not better than their counterpart, octolings felt as though they were being mistreated because of what they are rather than who they are, and they weren't the only ones. Part of a society that has several species and races, a race who shared their frustration to a higher level were the Cuttlefish, who were ridiculed and despised by both their counterparts for being the product of the rivals. Stuck in the middle, they-too were outraged and wanted a voice feeling as though they were forced to hide who they were and disguise as one of the other species in fear of taking backlash for being a mixture of the two. Netifla got a little emotional when talking about this, clenching his fist the entire time while doing so and demanding that there must be a change, that there must be an acceptance. "We all bleed the same, so why must discriminate?" he added, continuing that a building can't be constructed without the efforts and communications of a group. "If we want to rid ourselves of these problems and fears...if we want to rid ourselves of threats like Ixia, then it falls on us to do the right thing. Instead of obsessing over the latest trends instead of educating ourselves on our history and culture, instead of negatively viewing one another and looking to tear each other down, why not build a relationship and learn to understand one another. "At the end of the day, Ixia are a group people with harmful views that stem from intolerance. They are an example of what we mustn't become. Never should we rely on violence and selfishness as a guidance for change. Chaos can be good too, and making a positive change is an example of that." He takes a pause for a moment, and already there are some people clapping for him, respecting that on a stage like this, he was doing more than what usual leaders would; few ever were willing to touch on these topics, and with him at the helm, many other like minded leaders felt relaxed knowing their feelings were getting across to the world even if they weren't the ones advocating. "The old saying goes 'Remember the lesson, not the disappointment' and by that I mean: We should never forget our past and the lives that were affected because of it, but the most important thing to do is to take the knowledge of those experiences and do our best to make sure they happen again." turning his attention away from discrimination and the stagnant foul minded people unwilling to create positive change, he turned to the biggest subject and the true purpose of project Rebirth: Corruption. Although Rapture didn't appear to occur yet thanks to the surprise efforts of Netifla's students doing their hardest to stall them, he knew now was the perfect moment to spin the world on its head now that he caught their attention; no one felt they could follow-up or dispute anything and instead chose to keep silent and watch him continue, curious if he could keep it up or if he'd burn out under the watchful eyes of Inkland. The familiar names of Octaria, the Octavios, Inkopolis, and the parliament were mentioned, but not in a favorable light as Netifla held them accountable. Exposing the truth to the entire world, everyone's jaws dropped as Mack Netifla exposed the confidential secrets never meant to see the light of day all in the hopes of showing that if there needed to be change, the people on top needed to be held accountable for their actions. It all started way back during the scandals where the Great Zapfish went missing. Nobody knew why or how it went missing, but they knew in the span of a few hours, it was back. DJ Octavio stole the main energy source of the inklings and looked to power his underground domes that hid in kettles, but his actions led to inklings taking action. These events eventually became the legend of Agent 3, who would later on reveal her identity when she joined the Great Turf War that followed. In the Great Turf War, it was known as a massive war that was started by yet another form of aggression by DJ Octavio that escalated to something far greater, mostly attributed to him migrating from the scattered domes to a massive cavity underground that was right below Inkopolis and nearby the revamped Deepsea Metro in addition to the heinous actions of brainwashing that he committed, in which he forced his soldiers to fight for him unwillingly. When he made the move, he brought along several advancements that were concerning to Inkopolis, or so he and they claimed. As the years went by, he became more vocal and showed aggression towards Inkopolis that led to the aforementioned war, or so it was thought. It turns out that the real reason the two nations went to war weren't because of aggression to protect the homeland like Inkopolis leaders such as Liandt advocated for years, but rather it was an elaborate cover-up for a shady deal done by members of the Inkopolis parliament. Prior to the war, Inkopolis and Octaria shared the usage of the Deepsea Metro along with the Deep Sea-a vast world that lay beyond the reaches of the surface world, mostly due to the inability of the denizens of the deep to evolve and live on the surface. The Deepsea Metro was mostly known for transporting the denizens of the deep and for cargo transportation for the octarians, but once Inkopolis got involved, the contagious disease they carried spread like wildfire, and soon the railroad became a hot route for illegal trading and other business unfathomable to the surface world. Netifla revealed that Inkopolis and Octaria were using the railroads for their own selfish reasons and some heinous: Octaria transported and gathered materials that furthered their technology and helped them in militarization whereas Inkopolis used the routes for trafficking drugs, slaves, and illegal biohazards harmful to the surface. For a while, both sides turned a blind eye to each other's doing until one day DJ Octavio notices Inkopolis were beginning to encroach on his endeavors. After several requests for them to cease their interference, DJ Octavio became fed up and threatened to reveal what Inkopolis was doing in the dark, at the time Liandt and his faction were dealing with social backlash since many octolings were being seen in society and slowly being accepted much to their dismay. An opportunity to take everyone's attention off of domestic affairs, the Prime Minister at the time was urged by Liandt's faction to engage in war, which they did. A propaganda created off the existing image of the contentious Octaria wanting yet another with longtime aggressive rival Inkopolis, it wasn't difficult for most of the world to be fed up with the octolings and take the inkling's side, lending their moral support to them. A deadly war that ended with DJ Octavio's imprisonment to keep him silent, what followed was an unfair hard hammer that fell on Octaria. Concluding on his history lesson, he highlighted that this is all attributed to the corrupt efforts of both nations and should serve as a reminder that everything done in the dark must come to light. "As inklings-no, as a continent, we've been conditioned to believe that our 8 tentacled counterparts are a vile enemy that should suffer, we're conditioned to believe we can never get along since we're always at odds, but I'm here to tell that such a predisposition is so erroneous it baffles me that such a flawed outlook has lasted so long."

The room is stunned to silence, with most of the journalist's hands frozen unable to record what he just said, Shiva rose to her feet and applauded him. Objective and tolerant, his view on the matters was what she wanted to see in people who carried a high position-not pity, nor hatred, just an objective outlook. At home watching the conference with a dropped jaw and sweat running down his face was Liandt and his fellow faction members who were watching the conference and were shocked by the surprise unfiltered facts dropped on live television. They weren't the only ones shocked by the exploitation, as were all the citizens of Inkopolis and the rest of Inkland who were digesting so carefully that the moment froze for them. If what he said was true, their hatred for the octolings were misplaced and instead should've been redirected to Liandt and people carrying similar views as his faction, though they knew Netifla wouldn't support any acts of hatred. The world takes a moment to catch their breath and react to the bombshell, at the same time, Ixia were also reacting to the revelation, angered that not only were they failing to hijack the conference with their announcement, but Netifla beat them at their own game and stole the show. Each time they tried to hack the conference, they were denied access by the A/V Club of Squid Academy. A last minute move that Mack Netifla waited until the final hour to reveal, it was his grand play that proved effective; the A/V Club were made aware much like the Elites about his plans for Rebirth, and in turn took measures to prepare, if they hadn't done so, Ixia might've already caused mayhem. In preparation for this day, Netifla and Cuttlefish set up many nanodevices that were able to bypass security and send a signal to Inkopolis, allowing the club to set up as strong a defense as possible all while incognito under the eyes of their enemies. They were aware that something strange happened since their connection to the underground was suddenly jammed, and it worked out in their favor as well. Underground in Octaria, Candice Octavio was also stunned by what she heard while eavesdropping on the conference and looking over to Charles, her livid expression gave him shivers. She was livid for a couple reasons, the first being that Ixia failed to hack and get their plan started, and the other was that not only did Netifla expose Octaria, but he also shined light on history that Candice had never known about. Confused and slightly afraid of what might happen next, she was invested in the conference. Next up in the sea of hushed royals, Shiva bravely rises to her feet her shoulders squared ready to carry the wishes of her people hidden on the surface, restricted to one little territory, and for the many trapped underground. Addressed as Princess Magenta Octavio of Octo Valley, the perceived successor of Octaria, she thanks Mack Netifla for everything said in regards to Octaria and jokes about it being a valuable history lesson, in turn lifting the heavy ambiance with some laughter. In a matter of seconds, the tense audience were relaxed now that someone so young was about to take the stage of the conference. "Everything stated previously is true." she opens, confirming that indeed her nation wasn't washed in the blood of the lamb nor white as snow and that their sins were paid in the suffering they've undergone since the wars. More than anything, she wanted freedom-the liberation of her people from the chains of authority. "Look where I came from. I'm royalty, carrying the blood of the oldest of my species dating back to an age where we lived in the sea, and now under the eyes of everyone here, I'm nothing more than a delicate race with the same respect as a commodity. We have no positive value other than for others selfishness and among some? Fear. For ages, we've been feared for being different, for our intellect. Even when some notable figures found success on the surface, they failed when it came to this conversation. Today, I'm going to change that perception." commanding everyone's attention, she advocates for unity of not only octolings, but for all species who sat in the shadows of the inklings and jellyfish. After that, she could tell many were on the verge of supporting her cause, but knew it'd take more than that to convince them, but what? She poured her heart out to the world and yet it felt like she was still short of earning their conviction. Just then, a leader rises to her feet ready to make her presence and soon after she's followed by another pair of leaders who seemed anxious; trio of leaders were Pharaoh Nefertina, Tzar Nikola, and Squirabia's own Sultan Ruhtab. Whispers and murmurs emerge as the trio give no context to their decision to rise; many wonder if they had enough of Shiva's naivety and decided to share their opinions. Shiva looks worried as her eyes glance at the other leaders, though she knew that Pharaoh Nefertina was on her side, what of the others? Were they aware that her mother was their enemy? Would they feel any sort of way now that they knew the truth? The next few seconds feel like days as she wondered their thoughts.

"Unity? Exposure? Quite the conference we've had. On one hand, a politician has revealed to us the shadows of two nations-people, we believed to be at war, and on another, his supposed rival race advocates for harmony. Both sides seem to be on the same page but at opposite ends of the table like a negotiation." Pharaoh Nefertina led, sparking bits of laughter since there was a hint of amusement in her tone, however, her face was very serious; "I take the stand today in the corners of the pair and confirm that indeed, the enemy isn't ourselves-the nations-but rather the toxic and vocal minds of few that believe they can overpower us…" Pharaoh Nefertina shakes the world yet again and reveals the one truth that not even Shiva expected: she revealed that Candice Octavio had placed nanomachines to track the movements of those who engaged in a fake alliance with her-in turn revealing to the world that several world powers had conspired with the octarians in hopes of overthrowing Inkopolis and taking their land in return. Several disgruntled sounds can be heard before being silenced by her glare, with a stern look to her fellow colleagues who'd been working with Candice, the tension in the room thickened. Shiva realized that this wasn't a planned move by the Pharaoh: she was turning on them and ready to expose them to the world. If they denied her, hell would break loose. A strong arm maneuver to force the allies of Octaria into jumping ship or remaining neutral, Pharaoh Nefertina was maintaining her stance when she entered the meetings. Candice Octavio placed such a great emphasis on her nation's capabilities of handling Inkopolis that she reassured her allies that they had nothing to lose, and that they only needed to play a part in her plans when she already conquered the common foe; the Pharaoh took advantage of that opportunity by threatening to expose them to the world since as it stood, they had no conviction for aligning with her, only having to do so when Inkopolis fell, but they couldn't do it if the nation wasn't attacked yet. In a matter of seconds, the power players of the conference who knew what went on behind the scenes were careful about what the Pharaoh might say. With a wink and a smirk to Shiva, Pharaoh Nefertina reassured her that her loyalty lay with her, and in turn added a bit of interesting information. She only mentioned that there were talks with various nations to negotiate in talks with Octaria to help better relations and destroy the barrier known as discrimination, careful not to drop any details about the other nations involved, she expressed disappointment as she revealed the Queen Octavio wiretapped them with nanomachines out of suspicion, and highlighted that though Shiva meant well, her mother didn't share in her holistic view, and rather showed hostility toward Inkopolis still and threatened to take action. A shocking announcement, it only creates further outcry as people demanded proof, mostly out of fear that yet another war might occur. Nefertina holds out the gnats that were buried in their clothes and meant to spy on them, revealing that anyone who'd negotiated with her were also wiretapped. A warning only meant for those who were at the meeting, the Tzar and Sultan realized that the Pharaoh was looking out for them in her own way and convincing them to abandon the queen's ambitions and instead side with her daughter. Pharaoh Nefertina believed that the world would be better if the powers of the continent were all on good terms and abandoned fighting, though it was naive to think it'd go as smoothly. As the pair who is supposed to be part of Candice's alliance, confirmed that indeed Pharaoh Nefertina and Princess Magenta's words were true, the Octarian queen had her eyes so wide in shock that Charles worried they might pop out of their sockets. Not only did they betray her, but they exposed her to the entire world. The narrative created painted her as the villain in all of this, but Candice believed what she was doing was in the right. How did they know? She thought, biting her nails as her daughter continued; Cap'n Cuttlefish smirked witnessing the fruition of his wild card agent's doing. It was all thanks to Agent 8. The plan known as Rebirth and Rapture may have been carried out by Cap'n, but it actually Agent 8 who proposed the plan, the one responsible for all these different communities coming together for the same cause. Though she told him after the fact, Agent 8 had actually gathered the same world leaders who later worked with Candice Octavio, proposing them the plan and encouraging to seek an alliance with Candice to later double-cross her. She predicted everything far ahead of time and put everything into action; it all led to this. "They knew of the tracking devices that the queen left on them, and they allowed her to deceive them, knowing she'd have the last laugh. Today will mark the day we see this world change for the better, both Octaria and Inkopolis. The cracks of division of the old days will be washed away by the new wave of progression. Let today be remembered as a day of Rebirth for the entire continent of Inkland."

Up high overlooking everything from her post proudly witnessing history as Shiva unified inklings and octolings, Violet looks over to her uncle who was on the roof of another building watching the same conference floor from a different angle. All is well for the pair as they keep tabs with their snipers in hand following their roles for the plan, down below on the ground in a car keeping watch on the front entrance packed with journalists was Violet's father, who would alert them if there was anything suspicious, driving around circling the building to make sure nothing goes wrong. Violet was surprised to see Shiva speak with such passion since in the limited time she spent with her she gave the presence of a troublesome older sister who liked playing mischief on those she cared about the most as an expression of love; even the other leaders were amazed by her bravery, with some already convinced by her words alone, curious of what else she might say and excited to see her put her words to action, believing that she could bring great change for the good of the continent by burying the hatchet with Inkopolis on live television.

"Such ambition! She's only a couple years older than you?" Mario marveled on the voice channel after having never seeing someone her age have drive an initiative.

Violet nods her head, "I'm happy that the world is changing thanks to the words spoken by her and Mr. Netifla. It's as if the landscape of Inkland's society will change for the better thanks to the them."

The pair are so preoccupied having their attention on the conference that they failed to notice they weren't alone; Santiago was also held up by the huge crowd that suddenly packed the front entrance to the point that it was difficult for him to get out of the traffic. The sudden crowd wasn't random however, as they all dressed the same and swarmed the area like locusts; he couldn't follow the sudden mayhem but he identified that there were a significant amount of people entering several of the nearby buildings. Attempting to warn the pair, communications are fuzzy from the interference; A twinkle appears in the darkness behind Violet's blind spot and almost immediately she dodges a bullet that brushes past her so sharply that if it wasn't for her instinctively moving her head, she'd take a shot to eye. It fired like a cannon but moved quietly like throwing a needle! She backed away, getting into a battle stance with her gun. Despite being a sniper, her shot fired quickly, so to her, it was like operating a machine gun with the power and accuracy of a scope. The heat and gunpowder from the bullet kiss her cheek as she nears the person who shot at her, putting the barrel of her gun to their chest and blowing it out in a single shot. Not a single word is uttered in response to the agonizing cries of her enemy, but on her uncle's side, he was calling out her name taking down the enemy at a dozen an attack, warning her that more were on the way for her. Violet sucks her teeth and bites her lip, knowing that the enemy were coming for them, and as such, the sinking feeling in her gut meant they weren't the only pair about to meet the enemy.

A horde of black clad invaders storm the hotel like a virus in a body, entering from every possible direction and tearing through external security; Santiago does his best to warn everyone on the inside that the enemy were making their move. Only Cap'n Cuttlefish was able to receive the message in time, but before he could react, walls surrounding floor detonated, and following behind broken walls were storms of the enemy entering the conference room. As the enemy finally made their first move in Ravia, the students who worked so hard to stall them for as long as possible finally saw their role in the mission satisfied: They worked so hard to stall for not only for Netifla and Shiva, but in general as every second they were able to keep Ixia away counted-a success since Ixia were forced to take physical action after failing to hack the systems like they wanted.

"Well, that's all we can do…" they all thought, leaving the rest to their comrades in the hotel and wishing them the best of luck.

Ixia infiltrates the conference building with an alarming number, overwhelming the guards posted on each floor. Guests were advised to stay in their rooms and hide, but it wasn't needed, since they ignored the people there and simply went for the seventh floor with their sights set on dirtying their hands with the blood of royals and other powers within the world. At all angles, they would attack the conference room. A horde of masked people dressed vests and other equipment walk through the doors leading the swarm from the entrance and joining up with the others who broke through the walls. Live feed is cut off immediately as everyone looks for cover in a frenzy with their bodyguards protecting them; coverage continued from the outside although the streets were in discord. Inside the conference room, glass and walls shatter, panicked screams echo, and blood gets spilled-the blood of the intruders that is. Both sights fight immediately as the bodyguards only had one job in protecting their bosses, whereas Ixia's followers wanted to cause as much damage as imaginable. In the midst of this battle were Shiva, Fuchsia and their retainers who took a stand as octolings to fight to protect the conference; they pledge to defend the defenseless, which boosts the morale for their side, knowing they had reliable hands on their side. Shiva unveils her octorb and Fuchsia brings out her gauntlets, and the pair get to work with the extermination. Also on the defense and battling at a different area of the room were Maya and Julian, who caught the attention of the masked man believed to be the leader of this attack. Maya's glare turned cold knowing from her research on her enemies that this was the man Akane was looking for. Ready to unleash her full strength to take him down, Julian placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a disapproving look; under no circumstances could they get serious in these battles since the possible death toll would take too many innocent bystanders. Instead, they focused on a defensive approach with their objective simply to make sure no one got hurt, jumping around and taking down enemies like they were paper thin. While they were on defense, the rest of the guards at work fought on offense and fired away at the enemy, getting some kills but ultimately stuck behind avoiding a shot hitting an innocent. The floors get sprayed red like a turf war, the screams of the dying Ixia followers similar to an inkling meeting their demise in a battle.

"Get down!" Azule warned, grabbing both the Pharaoh and ambassador and holding them in his arms, his gaze tense scanning the room his priority was to keep them safe after all that they did for him. Pharaoh Nefertina buried her face in his arms and trembled, her body cold from the fear of death, Handan too was also frightened but her biggest concern was her cousin's safety. Azule explained the situation to them and quickly advised them to take cover while he tries to put an end to the commotion; the pair didn't like the idea of him joining the battle, but there was no chance they could plead with him, since the resolve in his gaze convinced them.

Chaos unfolds in the conference room as the dominating color is red and the music attuned to the atmosphere is shrieks and cries for help, clothes ripping and flesh sliced. Forced to take momentary glances during her defensive battles against the Ixia followers, Violet grew more irritated the bigger the wave of small fry approaching her, ending them easily by firing her gun like a classic six shooter; even though it was a disturbing thought for kids to be killers, Mario knew that if it wasn't for Violet's familiarity with the stench of death, he'd be gone by now. I need to get there, I need to get there, I need to get there! I don't have time for this! She fights emphatically, desperate to lend her strength to her friends fighting in the room adjacent to her. Thanks to the walls getting blown out, she had a front row view to the carnage and was only a leap away from descending to the floor where her friends battle. However, with all the mayhem there, it'd be difficult to dive into battle without getting caught in the crossfire, and if that wasn't enough, she couldn't desert her uncle who was stuck in a shootout. Hiding behind vents and pipes for cover from enemy fire, the purple inkling counted at least 20 enemies firing at her, between disarming them when they crossed her line and shooting down the remainders, she'd have to help pick off those firing at her uncle before lending support to the others. Peeking from cover, she snipes a pair and attracts a trio of them to her location, beating them with her gun and rendering them useless shooting them in spots where they'd be unable to move. Repeating the process and dirtying her clothes and face with their blood, she picks off the remaining people on her uncle's building until none are left, asking her uncle if he could handle it from there, to which he assured that he'd take care of himself. Confident in his words, she turns her sights to the battle in the conference room. Meanwhile, Azule joined up with Fuchsia and Shiva to help in their battles. So far, they'd done a great job but it felt like their enemies were endless.

"Fuchsia! Azule! Assist those people there quickly while I create a path. Our numbers are limited but we have to protect everyone!" she shouts, helping to hold off the horde of enemies thanks to the assistance her retainers. Operating like a magnetic ball, Shiva's octorbs proved effective in gluing to its targets and bloodying them with its considerably heavy weight before somehow returning to the fingertips of Shiva. The pair sprint to a corner of the room where they find some people in trouble, rushing to their aid, they're met with a huge surprise as a figure crashes in and blasts them down in a row like it's targeting practice.

"Sorry about the grand entrance, the angle from the roof wasn't pleasant…" Violet pointed to the other building, showing them how she even got there in the first place; A dangling rope that looked like it broke once she placed her weight on it, she crashed on the way down from zip-lining and was lucky to even make a landing in the building. "I got an idea of the situation. We need to spread out to cover as much ground as possible?"

"Yeah, this is a big room with an endless wave of enemies. Luckily most of them are unarmed or only carrying weapons like pipes and knives, few of them have guns. Already it looks like their hands are full too." Fuchsia said, referencing that her sister and retainers would handle them along with the rest of Team Ravia. As such, it was up to the trio to protect the defenseless and stand their ground, and as a unit, they work strongly. Fuchsia's at the helm of the attack getting up close and in the faces of the Ixia subordinates, chaining together crafty strikes with her gauntlets and rearranging the faces of anyone who might be troublesome. Azule's backing her up, relying on his guns rather than using his hands, mostly since Fuchsia handled that department well, and supporting them from a little further, mostly for Azule's blindspot since he covered Fuchsia's was Violet. There are a few near misses as some tried to sneak up from behind to land their attack, but luckily they were able to prevent them from becoming anything more than a weak attempt. After a few minutes of fighting, Violet notices one of the world leaders are in danger after their guards were struck down, and thanks to her ranged weapon, she could take them down; unfortunately, her current position left her too exposed with all the fighting and it would prove favorable if she could get closer at an angle that left here comfortable for firing. Quickly she sprints in that direction to help them, trusting Azule and Fuchsia to handle themselves. Just then, that opens the door for one of the men who'd been hiding and lurking among the dead bodies, biding their time to create a group to sneak attack them. The moment Violet was out of the peripheral, they swarm the pair; on instinct, Azule was able to take down a few with a combination of kick and punches that put them down in one strike, and so did Fuchsia with heavy hits wearing the gauntlets, but the swarm was too overwhelming despite their efforts. Before they knew it, they were in grave danger with some trying to kill Fuchsia by firing at her, but luckily her gauntlets were bulletproof and she protected her body well enough to avoid getting hit. However, dodging bullets wasn't enough to get Fuchsia out the danger zone. Someone holding a knife in their hand charges at Fuchsia in her blind spot while she's busy dodging everyone; Azule noticed it but by then it'd be too late to warn her-the concentration she had was too strong to get broken by a sudden warning from him as it'd throw her off and make matters worse. In a nanosecond, the man that charged at Fuchsia fell with a slash of blood leaking from his torso-a cut so deep he didn't have time to wait and instead died instantly. All the men who were near her also collapsed and spilled, creating a pool of red around her. The man who was fighting Fuchsia fell also tasted the black blade, but unlike the others, he was given an additional punishment as a hammer kick pounds him followed by a reverse roundhouse kick to the face so hard he gets sent flying. It was all in the blink of an eye, but it played in slow motion for Azule and Fuchsia. It wasn't a matter of the fact that they were saved, but rather who it was that came to their rescue. The lips on their mouths quiver, their eyes watering and their head swelling with a billion thoughts to share. In a room full of commotion, it felt as though they were the only four there in these few seconds of tranquility. Was it a dream? It wasn't their imagination? Surely, it couldn't be true. And yet, when they rise to their feet and take a look at the back of their heads, it was hard to hold back their emotions. The swordsman before them dressed in Ikayuman blue has long hair tied back, his hands careful in sheathing his black blade, and slowly showing his face to them, he reveals calm crimson red eyes. An encounter that had to be fate, he's joined by a girl in orange who wore short orange hair and still had a missing arm. Smiling gently, his face relaxes and when she turned to them, her radiant smile was as wide as they remembered. "You've been slacking." they said in unison, holding hands.

"TANGIE! COBALT!" the pair cried in unison, jumping into their arms and hugging them tightly. A reunion none thought to ever happen again after they made it clear they were going their separate ways, here they were together again. Azule gripping Cobalt's sleeve, hiding his face, though Cobalt already knew how he felt. Tangie squeezed Fuchsia tightly with her arm rubbed their cheeks together, immediately complimenting her become even prettier than she already was.

"Captain…?" Cobalt called, patting Azule on the back, "I appreciate it, but we're in the middle of the battle, we have to take care of this first."

Azule wipes his face and shows an eager look, nodding in agreement. Ready to fight together as a team, they work on taking down the remaining Ixia members, combining their strengths to plow through enemies who proved troublesome earlier; Cobalt and Tangie showed some new flashy moves, but Azule and Fuchsia wouldn't allow them to get ahead of themselves, also showing their strengths as well. Despite their efforts though, there isn't much done to the numbers of the invading Ixia members, mostly because they had so many reinforcements. But luckily, no one on their side was hurt either, proving that though they had significantly smaller numbers, they could handle them.

When it looks like disaster has fallen in Ravia with the conference and the best chance for world peace stunted by this display on live television, a massive earthquake erupts in the capital of Inkopolis. The streets are unusually quiet-the tremors of the earth only having company in Team Inkopolis, the defenders of the capital. As the earth shakes, so do their cores as the predictions mentioned by the leaders of this alliance were coming true-peering at the giant billboard that would surely display a new message in a matter of seconds. Able to finally put in an appearance after the efforts of the students of Squid Academy, Ixia announce their arrival. Much like when they interrupted the second Rank Wars of Squid Academy, they doubled down on their fear filled rhetoric and placed emphasis on the idea of stripping away certain parts of the inkling culture in the country and continent alike, especially in relation to entertainment. In turn, they used Shiva and Netifla's speeches to their advantage and spun a tale based on the facts presented. In their own words, they declared octarians to be the rightful rulers of the surface, and that all the history accumulated was false, and that the infrastructure built wasn't even off of their own merits, but rather the intellect of close cousins in the jellyfish. They also capitalized on the injustices in the Deepsea Metro, and hoped that by exposing Inkopolis, many would share in their outrage and take arms against the leaders of the nation, however, all the people of Inkopolis that watched from safety weren't convinced by their words thanks to the meaningful words of Telfin and Shiva. If they had more power, the problems Ixia highlighted would disappear-they didn't need violence to get their message across nor was it necessary once everyone was of the same mentality. Antsy to make a difference after learning the truth that'd been hidden from them by people they trusted with their future, finances, and daily lives. Sick of the antics of those stagnant few that wielded such power, they knew the best thing to do was to make their voices heard when it mattered-rather than create their own justice that'd only fail them, they'd do the right thing and wait until all those guilty were caught and stood before them in judgment. After the minutes of rumbling come to an end, Team Inkopolis is met by their worst fears. Far away from the cityscape, a massive drill emerges from the ground, followed by several mechs. Lime, Verde, Akane, and everyone else who spent the last few weeks preparing for this moment could feel their hearts sink. Rapture is approaching. Several machines appear, and a wave of foot soldiers appear as well led by the likes of Leone of the Royal Guard. Rapture officially begins in Inkopolis.