The sun blazed across the sky, generating a searing heat throughout the desert, hot enough to create mirages for anyone affected by the temperature as they traveled through the landscape.
Octo Valley had seen near better days, especially with the rare patches of plant life. And despite the heat, it didn't stop a duo of Octolings from doing guard duty atop a watch tower overlooking the area.
"Gee, it sure is boring around here." A uniformed male Octoling remarked.
"Oh, shut up and do your duty!" Another quipped.
But just then, something from out of the corner of the guards' eye caught their gaze and they looked down from their outpost at the horizon ahead.
"Hey, what's this dust coming?" Guard #2 asked.
Guard #1 gazed into his binoculars, spotting a hummer car driving at high speeds, generating the dust that the Octolings were seeing. The guard put down the binoculars and glanced at his colleague with bewilderment, "The driver must be a madman."
Loud rock music sounded across the valley, shaking the mountains and rattling the eardrums of every Octoling and Octarian who can hear it.
The music got the watchtower quaking as well, the two Octoling males were taken completely by surprise and didn't know what to think until they heard a loud snap, followed by the tower collapsing off its own hinges.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The guards exclaimed.
In the days after the band's reformation following the events of The Meme Games, KS-2 had been on a roll with its tour from the Mushroom Kingdom to New Donk City and other places like Hyrule.
Now, musical colleagues Kaizo Koorumaniru and Saiko Bichitaru were heading to Inkopolis for a little performance and jamming session there.
But on their way to the city of the Inklings, they'd decided to take a detour through Octo Valley and cause a ruckus in the region on the way to their destination, stir up some musical trouble for those nasty Octarians.
"OH YEAH!" Kaizo yelled as he stood up in his seat, the demon threw his arms in the air and banged on his fiery drum set while blasting more chaotic rock music from the sound-speakers installed into the car, "WE'RE ROCKIN' BIG TIME AND NOTHIN' CAN THROW KS-2 OFF THE SOUNDTRACK STAGE!"
"GROOVIN' MUSICAL ANARCHY! YEAH!" Saiko cried as she sat behind the driver's wheel, "ALL THOSE OCTOPUS PEOPLE BETTER WATCH OUT, BECAUSE WE'RE CUTTIN' THROUGH THIS VALLEY AND NOBODY CAN STAND A CHANCE AGAINST SAIKO AND KAIZO, ASS-KICKING ROCK SENSATIONS! Kick-ass! Rock 'em up! With style! FULL BLAST!"
Saiko and Kaizo whooped and unison and turned up the gas, speeding through the valley and intensifying the volume of the music until Octo Valley was quaking like mad. They were going to rock Inkopolis and the duo may as well rock up the valley on the way, give the Octarians a ton of trouble.
Kaizo laughed with glee, pounding on the drums hard enough to generate earthquake-causing shockwaves that rocked the region, causing towers to fall and shaking the mountains.
"Let's make things more interesting before we quickly get bored of this place." Kaizo suggested to Saiko, "I suggest that we give that DJ Octavio guy a whole load of trouble, rock the evil out of his day and make his Octarians shake in their boots, what do you say to that, Saiko?"
"OH, HELL YEAH!" Saiko cried, she briefly let her hands off the wheel to throw her arms in the air and the car almost crashed into a rock before Kaizo warned the pink-haired guitarist to watch out. Saiko swerved at the last second, avoiding the impact and ensuring the automobile remained intact.
KA-BOOM! An explosion shook the car and nearly knocked it off course, disrupting the performance of the active sound-speakers and taking KS-2 by surprise.
"Damn! We're under attack!" Kaizo cried, "And we got company heading our way!"
"Its the Octarians!" Saiko remarked, "They got a welcoming committee for us!"
"KS-2, DYNAMITE DUO MUSICAL ASS-KICKING POWER! PREPARE TO WRECK UP OCTO-SHIT!"
Sure enough, a horde of Octarian drones and Octo-bombers were coming in their direction, emerging from several nearby bases and accompanied by advance guard Octolings consisting of several female-led brigades and a few males among the ranks.
The enemy forces advanced after KS-2, their weapons all locked and loaded, ready to give the invaders a world of trouble. Tension filled the air!
Kaizo slammed on the breaks and the car halted, Saiko and her friend leaped out of their ride, ready for the battle. Kaizo turned up the sound-speakers full volume until it was blasting out edgy battle rock music, setting the tone for the impending battle.
Saiko whipped out her guitar, ready to rock and roll the Octarian Army. Kaizo got ready on the drums as well, ready to drop the big beats.
The enemy advanced closer and closer, coming at them from nearly every side, the duo got ready and the music intensified, the mood swelling further. Then the heat exploded into full blast, Saiko's hands swept across the strings and the guitar's sound-waves rolled across the canyon.
Kaizo banged on the drums, shaking the ground and rattling the mountaintops. Octarians crashed into each other, wailing in shock and agony. The Octolings covered their ears, stumbling over one another and unable to stand the intensity as well as the loudness.
Flames erupted from the car's exhaust pipes, providing special dramatic effects and providing KS-2 a near-intimidating appearance.
A horde of Octolings rushed the duo, oblivious to the sound-waves and shockwaves of the musical insanity. Saiko and Kaizo glanced at each other, ready for action.
Saiko aimed her guitar and strummed some notes, firing off a massive blast of energy that reduced the Octolings to a puddle of ink while their ghosts flew off into the air. Octarian bombers flew over, bombarding the area in an attempt to obliterate KS-2 out of Octo Valley.
Kaizo went all-out, beating on the drums harder and threw up his sticks into the air, blasting away the bombs that came for the duo and the projectiles went right back towards the Octarian army, annihilating almost all of them in seconds with Octarians being vaporized, their war machines sent flying and smashing into rocks.
"OOOOOHHHHHH YEEEAAAAHHH!" Kaizo screamed with delight, "FEEL THE POWER OF KS-2!"
"WHATEVER YOU THROW AT US, WE'LL BLAST YOU ALL AWAY WITH OUR JAMS OF FURY!" Saiko chimed in, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE UP YOUR ARSENAL, WE'RE READY TO ROCK YOU!"
"Gya ha ha ha ha! You underestimate our power, intruders!"
Every Octarian ceased their advance and KS-2 dialed back the music, a sinister laugh echoed across the valley, accompanied by chilling mechanical noises. Saiko and Kaizo braced themselves in preparation.
The Octarians pulled back, the sounds came closer and a huge robot appeared, piloted by a red-pink octopus with green eyes and a crown helmet on his head.
"DJ Octavio in da music house, ready to drop the beats of retaliation!" DJ Octavio declared, "I'll show you what happens when idiots like you think they have the right to cause a ruckus on our turf. If you want to face me, then come face me on Octo Tower! I'm ready to unleash my soundtrack of terror!"
"Bring it, you ugly bastard!" Saiko said confidently.
Octavio closed down his robot mech's head and flew off, Saiko and Kaizo nodded to each other and hopped back into their car. They started up the engines and drove off, pursuing the Octobot mech through the canyon and following him, eager to give him the big beat.
Very few Octarians came after them, any Octolings they encountered stepped aside, most likely out of a semblance of respect or curiosity for them.
"You have been foolish to come to Octo Valley..." Octavio taunted from afar, "You could have just left us alone, you could have just passed through peacefully and just gone somewhere else such as Inkopolis, but you chose to come knocking on our door and disturb us. Now, I will show you what happens to those who intrude in our midst and cause mayhem without my say-so."
Anyone else would be intimidated by Octavio's taunts, but Saiko and Kaizo were not going to back out that easily. Once they started something, they were going to finish it no matter what.
Music rumbled across Octo Valley, intimidating, bone-chilling music. But it wasn't from KS-2, they weren't blasting the sound-speakers. It had to be from Octavio, he must have been trying to scare them off, trying to instill fear in their heads.
They took a left around a large rock and drove through a dark cave in the mountains, following the path ahead of them as the music continued. A device in the car clicked and KS-2's radio turned on, playing the very intimidating Octarian tune that the duo was listening to right now.
The Octarians must have hacked the car somehow, whatever else came next, they were ready for the looming battle.
Saiko steered cautiously, Kaizo looked around, making sure they weren't about to be ambushed. The duo drove up a twisting ridge, avoiding rocks along the way. Chills crawled up their skin, but they were not about to give in to that fear growing in them.
KS-2 drove through a dark chamber, driving up the metal ramps while chilling music played, getting louder and louder, indicating they were getting close to DJ Octavio now.
Whispers in the dark perked their ears, KS-2 noticed several Octolings watching them, curiously observing the dangerous duo. The music was louder now, by this point, the radio wasn't the only one blasting out music as the sound-speakers were rattling to the point where the car was shaking.
They drove through a bright haze of light near the end, the light dimmed, revealing itself to be sunlight.
KS-2 emerged atop a large tower overlooking the valley, surrounded by Octarians and Octoling soldiers. And waiting for them, still in his battle mech and looking very much prepared for battle, was Octavio himself.
"You chose to face me..." The octopus declared, "Now you shall face my orchestra of doom!"
Saiko whipped out her electric guitar and Kaizo prepared his drum-set, KS-2 was ready for the impending battle. The pink-haired musician was glaring at Octavio very fiercely, eager to take him down.
A pair of Octolings chatted excitedly among each other, wondering how this battle was going to turn out. The Octarians kept their distance, not wanting to end up in the way of things.
KS-2 and Octavio glared at each other, a chill breeze flowing through the area and a Sea Snail shell rolled across the tower before falling off the edge and out of sight. Saiko found herself having western vibes, the growing tension made it feel like a looming western showdown.
Octavio's tentacles gripped the controls of his Octobot mech, the ends of his tentacles wavering over the buttons.
Saiko grasped her guitar tightly, getting ready to drop the base, Kaizo raised his drum sticks in preparation and twirled them in a confident and intimidating manner. The Octolings kept their Splattershots on standby, prepared to act if they had to, waiting silently for the inevitable...
The tension increased, chills crawling up the skin of everyone in the surrounding area, the sky seemed to darken as a cloud rolled by and blanketed the sun. And then...
Kaizo made the first move, banging on the drums, and Saiko followed suit, she swiped the strings of her electric guitar. KS-2 hit it off, letting Octavio and his forces have it.
The ground rumbled and loud music echoed across the tower and Octo Valley, it was so loud, that citizens in Inkopolis could hear it from far away and wondered if there was some sort of wild concert in-progress.
Octavio howled and pressed several buttons on the control panel, launching several missiles at KS-2 while a metal fist emerged from the Octobot's arm port. Saiko aimed her guitar and fired another energy blast, taking out the incoming Octo-missiles in one shot.
Kaizo unleashed a sound-wave from his drums, deflecting another missile away from him and his friend, sending it right back at Octavio. The octopus' eyes widened, he barely had time to figure out how to dodge with his massive robot when the missile struck his arm, blasting it clean off and damaging the Octobot Mech. Sparks flew and Octavio stumbled back, yelling with clear fury.
"MAH SOUNDTRACK RECEIVER!" He raged, "NOW I'M GONNA ROCK YOU HARDER!"
He pressed a button and a huge sound-speaker emerged from atop the robot, gleaming dangerously. Kaizo and Saiko glanced at each other, almost taken by surprise, but they knew what Octavio was going to do.
"NOW!" Saiko and Kaizo yelled, "SOUND-WAVES AWAY!"
"I WILL BLAST YOU ALL AWAY! FEEL MY SOUND-WAVE OF DESTRUCTION, LET IT BURN INTO YOUR MIND AND MAY YOU NEVER FORGET THE BLAZE OF DEFEAT FOREVER!" Octavio howled.
"Oh yeah, we got a big beat to counter yours..." Kaizo cried, "It's called… 'FLY OCTAVIO FLY'!"
The DJ slammed down on a big button with a shriek and the speakers activated, blasting out loud rock music and unleashing a massive sound-wave that rattled the tower.
At the last second, Kaizo and Saiko activated their car's sound-speaker and launched into playing their instruments, Saiko was playing the guitar like wild and Kaizo was banging the drums harder than he ever had before.
In seconds, the sound-waves connected, fighting against each other. Octavio's eyes blazed with determination, two red Octolings brought out the popcorn, eagerly eating their entertainment meal and watching to see what was about to happen while several Octarians exploded in ink from the loudness.
Kaizo drummed harder, Saiko rocked louder and KS-2 joined hands. They summoned all the will they had into their music, creating more synergy and charging up a powerful musical energy attack...
KER-SHWIWIWIWIWIWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! KS-2 unleashed a huge energy wave that tore into the Octobot, ripping the robot apart and shaking the tower. Octavio tried desperately to stabilize his malfunctioning machine, but it was all no use.
His robot crumbled and the explosive shockwave sent him flying over the horizon while he howled, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Kaizo and Saiko dialed down the music, slowing the pace until they stopped to cool down, the car was vibrating and several Octolings had covered their ears while many Octarians had been knocked out of the air, dissolving in ink puddles while their war machines exploded in the valley below.
The Octolings stood, dropping their weapons in shock. Some took off their mysterious dark glasses, revealing various eye colors of red and purple. They all looked at the victorious KS-2 with stunned expressions of amazement, it took a while to take it in. And then, the Octolings squealed and began swarming the duo, complimenting them and lifting them into the air with excitement.
Both musicians glanced at each other, filled with pride as the Octolings carried them around.
"Hell yeah!" Kaizo cried triumphantly as he took in the sounds of Octolings rooting for him and Saiko's victorious performance, "We made that octo-bastard fly!"
"But where to...?" Saiko questioned.
Meanwhile, many miles from KS-2's current location, Mario and Meggy Spletzer were having Calamari Tea with the Squid Sisters and Captain Cuttlefish in their hillside hangout somewhere near Inkopolis.
It was a peaceful afternoon for them, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to have happened, even though Cuttlefish was aware of Mario's almost recent encounter with the fearsome DJ Octavio.
"So, you're the world's avatar?" Callie asked Mario as she sipped some tea, commenting on the plumber's story of the battle with the sinister SMG0, "And if you perish, we'll all perish?"
"Yeah, mama mia..." Mario replied in his usual manner, "It's-a so cuckoo crazy."
"But at least we're all safe and that demonic virus you mentioned was destroyed in the end." Cuttlefish said happily, "And on top of that, we have you and your friends to thank, Mario. You have some very good friends, Meggy."
"I couldn't agree more, grandpa." Marie nodded.
"Whatever is up next, its best to be prepared." Meggy said.
She then frowned, having just heard a noise from somewhere not too far off. "What's that noise?" The ex-Inkling asked.
Everyone listened, it sounded like somebody was screaming and the sound got louder until something crashed nearby, followed by a clunk! Mario, Meggy and the group set down their tea and turned, spotting DJ Octavio... stuck inside a massive snow-globe, his green eyes ablaze with anger.
"DJ OCTAVIO?!" Callie exclaimed, "What the fish-fingers is goin' on here?"
"Well now..." Captain Cuttlefish chuckled, coming over to inspect the imprisoned Octavio, "Looks like the DJ started causing trouble again somewhere and someone took care of it. I had a feelin' that sooner or later, you'd end up back in that snow-globe, DJ."
"Urgh!" Octavio snarled, clenching a tentacle angrily, "I never would have believed you kept this prepared for me, Craig. And you haven't apologized, big-nosed plumber."
Mario walked up to see it for himself with an amazed smile on his face. After the crap he'd gone through with getting captured by the feared Octarian, even though he beat him in the end, it was satisfying to see him get the justice he deserved.
And on a related note, Octavio's justice was him being locked up in a snow-globe for who knew how long, it was just too hilarious to ignore.
Meggy started giggling at Octavio's predicament, humored by the scene. Mario snickered, then he giggled and then he burst out into a fit of laughter. The plumber doubled over, laughing it off as Octavio growled angrily and screamed, "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Back in Octo Valley, Saiko and Kaizo were taking their time to mingle with their new Octoling friends as a way of rejoicing their victory over the feared Octarian leader himself.
Kaizo went off somewhere, likely to jam with a few Octarians, while Saiko entertained a pair of Octoling soldiers with a rock solo. Coming up with a song wasn't that hard, especially after what happened.
The song Saiko figured out in her head was perfect, 'Octo Valley Rock', who could possibly argue against that? The Octolings didn't mind, they were mind-blown by Saiko's singing as she sang it all;
"...Rockin' Octo Valley, right up the alley.
Mark it on the tally because we're gonna rock Octo Valley tonight.
"Octo Valley tonight, its the perfect time for a rally fight. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Rockin' Octo Valley, the unquestionably perfect place to visit on a Calamari Safari.
"Fly high as you're explorin' Octo Valley, yeah, get ready for the Octo Rally.
Mark it on the tally, don't dilly-dally, IT'S TIME FOR A RALLY FIGHT IN OCTO-VALLEY! "YEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Saiko finished her performance and several amazed Octolings squealed with excitement. An armored Octoling boy ran up and grasped the pink-haired anime girl's hand, his face full of awe. "That was amazing!" The male octopus said, "I don't know any other words that could describe my feelings."
'Looks like we got fans in the Octarian army...' Saiko thought with delight, it felt so amazing to be famous among these humanoids that were the cousins of the Inklings. And speaking of Inklings...
Saiko looked at her watch. It was getting a little late, she and Kaizo had to get back on the road, they had a performance in Inkopolis soon. She and her accomplice couldn't stay for too long, they did not want to keep Inkopolis waiting.
"Ok, everyone." Saiko said into a microphone, "Thank you so much for your generous hospitality, but now, we have to get going. KS-2 is more than happy to have dropped by on our tour."
"Aww, do you have to go?" An Octoling asked with tears in her eyes.
"We'll come back and visit you again. I promise."
The Octolings cheered with joy, excited at the prospect of getting to see KS-2 again. Saiko wondered where Kaizo went off to and looked around for him, hearing muffled noises coming from behind a door at one point. Concerned that he was in trouble, Saiko opened the door and gasped when she saw a shirtless Kaizo making out with a red-haired Octoling girl and grasping her slender hips.
"You are very beautiful, Kazetta..." Kaizo said to the Octoling.
"And you are very strong…" The Octoling called Kazetta said, leaning in to make out with the white-haired demon even further.
"OI, JACKASS!" Saiko yelled, startling Kaizo and Kazetta.
"C'mon, Saiko." Kaizo protested, "I just got a girlfriend."
"Its time to go, we're gonna be late for a jam in Inkopolis."
"Ah, all right." Kaizo put his shirt and jacket back on and grabbed his drum-set, but then he glanced at Kazetta and said, "Until next time..."
Saiko and Kaizo hopped into their car as the Octolings gathered to wave goodbye, chattering happily and wishing them a safe travel.
Saiko geared up the engines and assured them one more time they would come back one day, then he and Kaizo drove out of the Octarian base and rode out back onto the road leading through the valley.
Both musicians grinned at each other and steered through the canyons and deserts, along the dry road that would lead to Inkopolis. Behind them, the mesmerized Octolings and Octarians waved farewell, watching on with delight as the duo rode off and eager to see them again one day.
As for when they would see them again, time would tell...
The End