It had been five months since the climactic showdown in space against Mr. Grizz.
Five slow and relatively carefree months since the New Squidbeak Splatoon and Deep Cut (with surprise aid from DJ Octavio) had prevented him from saturating the Earth with his fuzzy ooze and ushering in the return of the mammalians.
In the time since everyone has enjoyed a welcomed period of respite in between the usual antics of the people of Splatsville. Turf wars were still being waged, fresh fashion continued to evolve (for better or worse), and the world kept on spinning.
And yet, there was still work to be done.
The Splatlands were a veritable hotbed of ancient discoveries for a craggy sun-baked dust bowl.
Alterna was only one of many underground arcologies built by long extinct humans, and the echoes of the past seemed to have a nasty habit of rearing its ugly head at the worst of times.
Even with DJ Octavio and the threat of the Octarian menace seemingly out of the picture, hopefully for good this time, who was to say that another alien threat similar to that of the misinkthropic artificial intelligence Commander Tartar or the aforementioned Mr. Grizz won't rise from out the ruins of old and threaten all they hold dear once again?
Vigilant as always, the NSS remained in Splatsville to further investigate the remnants of humanity that linger in the depths of Alterna and resolve any possible dangers that may come their way.
And, who knows?
Maybe they'll learn even more about their doomed forerunners along the way.
Hopefully something less... existential in nature.
Unfortunately, even with part-time-bandits-full-time-idols Deep Cut on their side, a boon that has continued to pay off dividends, the NSS were still woefully underprepared for all the strange and cryptic paraphernalia that existed in the underground arcology. Advanced technology bordering on magic, dead languages, hostile security measures and the like. They were going to need some backup if they wanted to continue unraveling more of its mysteries.
And so, they called in the rest of the squad.
Sheldon didn't need much convincing or even an invitation, he had been a part of the splatoon since day one and has continued to faithfully served in whichever capacity he could. And as fortune would have it, he had already relocated to Splatsville to grab himself a slice of that sweet pie, catering to all the hip and fresh turfers looking for some shiny new gear.
Agents 4 and 8 along with Pearl and Marina of Off the Hook fame arrived quickly, they all answered the call the moment it was sounded and have been stationed in Splatsville since. Though it was not without their share of difficulties.
Agents 4 and 8 had at first thought it unwise to leave Inkopolis unguarded, seeing how often the city seems to fall prey to foul machinations. After a brief report by Captain 3 explaining the importance of their new mission, however, they had conceded that the situation in the Splatlands was a priority that required their utmost attention.
Besides, it's not like the Great Zapfish can go missing a third time for the great metropolis... Can it?
For Pearl and Marina, finding a reason to stay in Splatsville took a bit of creativity and smart marketing on their part.
Pearl had come up with a great cover story and an even greater plan in order to make it seem as if they've come to the city of chaos on business, which was technically true. They were already on a world tour and were collaborating with any and all musical artists worth their sea salt, it was only fitting that they'd come to join up with not just Deep Cut, but the Squid Sisters as well, to the surprise of many.
Thus, Seven Day Forecast was born.
A never before seen triple collaboration between some of the hottest names in the music business that was in actuality a clever front for the clandestine operations of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Though that didn't mean they weren't going to drop the absolute hottest mixtape of the century, they sure as heck weren't going to quit their day jobs.
Seven Day Forecast's whole aesthetic was an idol representing a form of weather for each day of the week, a veritable star-studded smorgasbord of musical genres and talent all blended together and rolled up under one umbrella.
It was simultaneously the perfect smoke screen and a killer combination of sounds that was gonna rock the entire music industry to its very core. People everywhere will remember it for decades to come.
Back in the present, everything had been proceeding at a rocky pace. Each subsequent delve into Alterna had been met with diminishing returns. The only good news so far was that, at the very least, they were on the verge of a major breakthrough.
Currently, the team were all gathered at Deep Cut's private studio. Everybody was paired up with someone, each doing their own thing either conversing amongst themselves or were out and about helping with the preparations.
Marie, Marina, the Captain and Agent 3 in particular were huddled around a laptop computer as line after line of alien code sped by on screen. Only a small portion of it had already been translated, but without the proper context there was no way to make sense of it and the rest was still a garbled mess of cryptic code, angular glyphs and alien iconography.
"Tsk," Marina frowned, clicking her teeth in frustration. "It looks like the language decryption program was a bust, we're nowhere closer to the whole truth than we were before. Hmph, that's the last time I trust off the shelf computer programs."
"I don't get it, why didn't you just make your own program?" Marie queried with a raise of her brow. "A prodigy like you should be able to cobble something like that together from scratch, can't you?"
Marina blushed, a sheepish grin curled on her lips. "As good as I am with computers, I'm an engineer at heart. I can disassemble and reassemble an Octoweapon blindfolded in record time but when it comes to coding the most I can do is bypass pesky security measures. Creating a new program tailored specifically for decryption is beyond my capabilities, especially if it's to decode the language of humans." She concluded just as she felt a firm hand clasp her shoulder, causing her to yelp in startlement.
"It's okay, Marina. You did what you could," the Captain assured. "We're dealing with things we don't have a clear understanding of, it would be wrong of us to think you could have it resolved so easily." She paused to look over the screen, furrowing her brow as she did. "Regardless, we might have to go at this differently."
"You don't mean?" Marie looked over, worry etched on her face.
The Captain nodded sagely. "Looks like we're gonna have to make another trip to Alterna soon."
"Eugh," Marina shuddered, "that place gives me the heebie jeebies. Almost everything there is artificial; the sky, the climate, even the ice and the snow. All fabricated to uphold the illusion of reality. It's crazy to believe we Octarians emulated all that to some lesser degree."
"It likely wasn't a complete coincidence if the other logs are anything to go by," said the Captain. "In any case, I should call a meeting soon. We got to plan out some field work."
"Aw, so soon?" Marie pouted.
"Yeah, Pearl's almost back with our new outfits," Marina smiled gently. "Maybe we should take some time to worry about our big collaborative debut first before getting back into field work. We could definitely use a breather."
"Yeah, let's take a break," Marie grinned mischievously. "Come on, Captain. Pretty please?" she playfully batted her lashes for added effect.
"Er..." The Captain suddenly lost her composure. Even after spending so many years around idols she found herself flustered when speaking to them, probably because outside of her position as captain she was still the same excitable girl from Inkopolis who was easily starstruck by the glitz and glam. "I-I guess we can focus on other things until then. Wha-?!" She gasped as she was glomped on by both Marina and Marie, chuckling warmly as they did.
"You're the best, cap!" Marina exclaimed as she pulled away with Marie.
"Yeah, yeah," Captain pulled her hat over her eyes, "Just go and do what you idols do."
"You know it," Marie smiled back before finally taking notice of the individual standing behind the Captain. "Oh? It seems we're not the only ones who could use a break."
She pointed behind the captain, towards Agent 3 who had been quietly napping nearby, resting himself up against the stage in a standing position as quiet, almost feminine snores escaped his lips. Little Buddy was nestled comfortably atop his head, bobbing up and down to an unheard beat as his creepy comically bulbous eyes were darting every which way with all the speed of a sugar-addled toddler.
As the newest addition to the New Squidbeak Splatoon, 3 was a little green around the gills but no less effective as a field agent. After all, he did brave the depths of Alterna, went toe to toe against Deep Cut, thwarted Mr. Grizz and saved the Earth.
A native Splatlandian, he wasn't any taller than the average Inkling, but he made up for that with above average musculature and impressive stamina, no doubt as a direct result of his former occupation. He had described himself as a 'relic hunter,' which was a fancy way of saying he was a trash trawler who dove through piles of junk littered across the Splatlands selling whatever valuable scrap he could get his grubby little mitts on.
Craig Cuttlefish quite literally met him by the grate in Splatsville as he was eating a perfectly good crab wrap some wasteful squid had callously thrown away in the dumpster. The moment their eyes met, it was like destiny. The new 3 had a weathered look in his eyes and the sense to not let good food go to waste, that was when Cuttlefish knew he was the one and recruited him on the spot.
3's yellow tentacles were styled in the peculiar dreadlock pattern that were popular here and his complexion leaned more towards a warmer sun kissed tone than the paler Inklings of Inkopolis. And though his eyes were closed, they knew he possessed cool turquoise irises that compliments his own preferred coloration.
His fresh fits, if you could even call them that, were neither fresh nor fit; being a torn half shirt that bared his navel for the world to see, a pair of stretchy jogging pants, and spatting in places of gloves or shoes, all in a dusty tasteless shade of faded black. The only noteworthy articles of clothing on him were his shockingly crisp white rolled shawl around his neck and the little pouch that Little Buddy hung around it.
"Has he been asleep like that this whole time?" The Captain stared in bafflement.
"He has such cute snores, oh my gosh!" Marina gushed, bringing a hand to her mouth. "It's like a soft bubbly melody. Marie, are you recording this?"
"Way ahead of you," Marie said with a smirk on her lips and her phone in her hand. "Aaaaaand, saved for posterity."
"We're definitely sampling that," Marina grinned. "It's got a chill rhythm to it and I for one am down with adding chill lo-fi beats to the new album."
"I hear a new hit single coming on," replied Marie.
"Oi, oi," Captain frowned. "You had your fun, now let's wake him up. He's supposed to be acting as security for you. He can't secure you if he's snoozing away in the corner with his Little Buddy treating him like a living perch."
"Right, his cover," Marie shrugged and called out to Agent 3. "Hey, 3." There was no response. She tried again. "Agent 3!" Once again, no response. She rolled her eyes and called him out by his real name. "Tres!"
"Whuah!" Tres's eyes snapped open and he stumbled about, nearly losing his balance as he caught Little Buddy after he fell from his head. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" Instinctively he saluted sloppily, his bleary expression still marked with signs of sleep. "What? Is it another mission? I'm ready, I swear." He looked over at the trio staring at him, each wore their own expression of amusement on their faces.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" The Captain hollered.
"Captain Kuki, what's going on?" Tres replied as he eased his stance, wiping away the sleep from his eyes with his free hand.
"Nothing much, just needed you up and at 'em'," replied Captain Kuki.
"Sorry, I didn't realize how tired I was," yawned Tres. Once he was more lucid he grabbed hold of Little Buddy and brought him over to the pouch on his back where the small fry comfortably nestled himself into. The salmonid chirped happily as he snuggled deep into the pouch.
"Well, it isn't exactly your fault," Kuki nodded. "We've been sending you to the depths every chance we've gotten lately. Even with the help of rotating partners it's only natural that you'd be beat. Still, it's kinda impressive how you're able to just snooze in any position you feel like. I swear, you Splatlanders are just built different."
"Ahem, it's Splatlandians," Tres corrected. "Please use the correct terminology."
"Eh, yeah. I'll be sure to remember that," Kuki replied halfheartedly. "Anywho. Congratulations are in order, because you're finally getting some R&R before the next spelunking mission."
Tres's eyes lit up at the mention. "You really mean it?"
"Mmhmm," Marina hummed.
"Well, it isn't so much R&R as it is taking the time to get Seven Day Forecast's debut in order, and we need you to do that security thing you're supposed to do," Marie explained. "You know; secure the perimeter, keep the creeps and crazy fans off our back, pick up a supreme party pack of Funky's fried fish wraps every so often. The usual."
"Tsk, is that all?" Tres grinned widely. "Shoot, this is practically a vacation already. Just let me do my thing and I'll make a day of it."
"I wish Kuki had your level of optimism back when she was a rookie," Marie grinned back.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kuki shot Marie an annoyed look. "When DJ Octavio fishnapped the Great Zapfish the first time around, who did most of the leg work again?"
Marie laughed with a cute snort, "D'aww, I'm just ribbing you, Kuki. You know that."
"Hmph, you're lucky I'm a lenient captain," Kuki huffed, grabbing her green tentacles and wrapping them around her face to hide her blushing cheeks. "Anywho," her voice came out muffled. "I think we've said everything that needs to be said. Now, let's get this show on the road."
"Aye, aye, capitan!" Tres gave a brief salute and turned away, leaving everyone to their own devices.
Meanwhile, far to the corner of the studio was Shiver, Frye, Big Man and Callie. They were wrapped up in their own discussions while the others were messing around with the laptop, mostly popular gossip and the like.
Deep Cut had gotten to know the NSS quite well by now. And in spite of a few shake ups here and there; namely Marie weaseling out of being Deep Cut's head honcho and Callie cementing herself as their unofficial big sister (much to their delight), the bond forged between the two groups may well have been inksworn in all but the actual ceremony itself.
For Shiver, there was one reason in particular, outside of loyalty, as to why she had remained so close to the NSS the way she did, and that reason was; Tres, Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, the one that had bested her in a duel.
Her three hearts skipped a beat at the thought of him.
In the beginning, she had thought him merely an obstacle when they had first met, something to be removed in order to plunder the treasure deep in the depths of Alterna, callous as it was.
When he had defeated her best friend Frye, she deemed him prey worthy of taking on the proud heiress of the great Carcharodon clan. To think he would be so bold as to clash with her and Master Megalodon with nary a twinge of fear in his eye.
That level of steely resolve was seen as respectable in her eyes. Respect that later blossomed into admiration when he saved the world, and even after when they would occasionally team up to explore Alterna, perhaps something a little more.
The hearts of a maiden were a mysterious thing.
Shiver had been quietly wrestling these newfound feelings of unrequited affection for some time now, mostly during her private moments. The fact that something like this could leave her so terribly befuddled was beyond frustrating.
She was as much a shark as she was an octoling. Usually so cool and collected, the very picture of poise, of cold practiced elegance. Yet, the longing she felt deep within was enough to cause her to slip up even at the most basic of tasks, to make small negligible mistakes, the very bane of her existence.
It was all Tres's fault she felt like this. She'd mince him into chum if she weren't so enamored with the boy.
The solution to all her internal trouble was simple, of course. She should tell him how she felt, to give him a piece of her heart and pray to the great sea beasts lurking in the depths of the deep blue sea that he reciprocates. Hopefully, he'll say yes. But if it was not meant to be, she'll do the honorable thing and accept his decision.
It should be no problem for someone like Shiver, an idol who prided herself on sheer audacity and ironclad mental fortitude, qualities crucial to the ancient art of shark taming.
Tres would just be another shark for her to tame. A roguishly handsome shark with a refreshing down-to-earth personality, a smile that shone like the sun, and gentle eyes that made her knees weak...
"Hey, Shiver?" Frye addressed her best friend, who had apparently been staring out into space for the last ten minutes. "Er, Shiv? You doing alright there?"
"I am not weak!" Shiver snarled, gripping her fan tightly with white-knuckled intensity as a scowl formed on her lips. It was a subconscious response, which, to the outside observer, appeared as utterly nonsensical.
"Whoa, whoa!" Frye held up her hands defensively. "Easy, girl. I didn't say you were."
"Frye?" Shiver was nonplussed, until she finally realized what she had done. "Oh, carp! I-I am so sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you like that." She quickly apologized, bowing in rapid succession. "I was in my own head at the moment."
"I'll say, you've been staring at Tres for like," Frye began counting with her fingers before holding up all ten, "that long."
"I... What?" Shiver blinked, the full effect of Frye's words were slowly creeping in until the full realization of it all hit her like a ton of bricks. Her face flushed a cool blue. "Hold on a second, I wasn't-!"
Frye smirked, bellowing great laughter. "I'm gonna stop you there, Shiv. Relax, it's cool. I get it."
"I-Excuse me, what?" Shiver's earlier distress was replaced by bewilderment. "You... get it?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Frye tsked. "Shiver, in all the years we've known each other I've learned how to read you like a book," She narrowed her eyes, a mischievous smile curling around her pronounced fangs. "You can't hide it from me. I know exactly why you've been staring so intently at Tres."
Shiver's red eyes shrank to pinpricks, an icy wave of panic washed over her. She turned away, her coiffed tentacle obscuring Frye from view. "I don't know what you're talking about," she uttered, perhaps a little too quickly for her likely.
"Ah, you can't deny it, Shiv! I'm way too smart for that," Frye pointed an accusing blue-tipped finger at Shiver, who had to muster up every ounce of willpower not to recoil at the simple gesture. "You..."
Shiver was screaming internally despite her reserved appearance. In that moment there was nothing she wanted more than to melt away into a puddle of ink and evaporate to the four winds, never to be seen or heard from again. If that didn't happen, the embarrassment of it all would likely cause her hearts to give out either way.
"...Want a rematch with him," Frye concluded.
"NO!" Shiver practically shouted, nearly snapping her fan in half from sheer grip strength. The air between them was then filled with an awkward silence after her outburst. Once Frye's words had finally registered with her, Shiver flushed blue again. Her mind running at a million miles an hour, she attempted to salvage the conversation. "I mean, yes! That's precisely why I was oglin- er, sizing him up. Heh heh," she unfurled her fan to hide her nervous grin.
"Heh, I knew it!" Frye's expression turned smug. "That's the cold-blooded shark queen for you, never content with loss, always ready to go one more round!"
"That's right, heh heh," Shiver chuckled nervously before swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. "Always ready for one more. Always ready..."
"So, when are you gonna tell him?"
"...Tell him what?" Shiver raised a brow.
"Uh, about the rematch, duh," Frye replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh! Uh, well, you see," Shiver broke out into a cold sweat. "There hasn't been any time for me to issue a challenge. We've just been oh so busy with Alterna and Seven Day Forecast, you know? And, uh, er... Big Man!" she frantically gestured over to Big Man, who was enjoying a rather riveting conversation with big-sis Callie about personal hygiene. "Big Man seems really distressed about something."
"Ay, ay? (Big-sis, Callie, how do you keep your tentacles so shiny and smooth?)" Big Man asked.
"Well, I have a very strict daily tentacle care regimen that I adhere to. First, I make sure to scrub them down thoroughly with a special Tentacare brush for at least ten minutes to get all the surface grime off, then I use Oceanica brand moisturizer and let sit for another ten before wiping down with a damp cloth. And for that extra sheen on a night out I apply a very thin coating of avocado oil," Callie enthusiastically explained.
"Ay! (Wow! So informative!)" Big Man beamed brightly. "Ay, ay! (You're one fresh squid, big-sis!)"
"Aw, come here you big lug!" Callie pulled Big Man into a cozy hug.
"Ay! (This is nice. You're nice.)" Big Man hugged back.
Frye scratched at her head, bemused. She turned to Shiver, "He seems fine to me."
Just then, Big Man's expression suddenly changed to one of gastrointestinal discomfort. A beastial gurgling sound could be heard rumbling from his stomach. "Ay! (Whoops! Nature calls.) Ay, ay, ay! (Looks like that conch ceviche I had for lunch doesn't agree with me. Gotta go!)" He pulled away from Callie and hurriedly flopped on over to the restroom. "Ay! Ay! (Oh, that's bad! Looks like I'm gonna be hanging out in the little mantas room for a while!)"
Callie waves him off before turning around and joining Frye and Shiver. "Hey, girls! What's fresh?"
"Hey, big-sis. Shiver wants to feed Tres to the sharks," Frye said without the barest hint of tact, earning a glare from Frye.
"Frye!" she fumed, collapsing in her fan to reveal the indignant look on her face.
"What, why?!" Callie gasped at Shiver. "I thought you liked Tres?"
"I do!" Shiver exclaimed before catching her horrible mistake. "I mean that in a completely platonic way. Like a friend or a brother or a co-worker. Yes, that's it." She quickly added, feeling bits and pieces of her heart chip away as she uttered those words. Was she really so prideful as to compromise the one thing she wanted most all to maintain this flimsy facade? Love really was making her act unbelievably stupid.
"Really?" Callie tilted her head to the side, placing a finger on her lips. "Now, this is because I'm a hopeless romantic, and I may be reading into this too closely, but I kinda assumed your relationship with Tres bordered beyond just friends. After all, you're the one who spends the most time with him. Whether it's during mission briefings or exploring the depths of Altena, I often see the two of you together. Heck, didn't you just volunteer to join him on the next deployment earlier this week?"
"Nah, you got it all wrong, big-sis," Frye cut in before Shiver could make any more mistakes. "She's sizing him up, observing his every action in order to better understand his capabilities. The journey throughout the depths of Alterna is the perfect opportunity to do just that. Shiver is the Megalodon Mistress, the Shahbanu of Sharks, the cold-blooded Chief of the Carcharodon Clan. She wants to square off with Tres, her rival, in honorable duel."
"Using a giant shark in a fight doesn't seem very honorable," Callie reasoned.
"...He's a megalodon," Shiver mumbled quietly to herself.
"Eh, I threw a whole swarm moray eels at him and he chucked Little Buddy at us, so at this point we're just arguing semantics," Frye shrugged, continuing without missing a beat,
"Be that as it may, as long as it's all in good sport I won't get in the way of your battle tendencies," Callie placed her hand on her hips, still not convinced about Shiver's motives. Then, a thought came to her. Platonic or not, it couldn't hurt to sow the seeds of love early on. A too-innocent smile stretched across her face, it was time to play matchmaker.
"You know, Tres had a lot of good things to say about you, Shiver," Callie began, hiding her grin behind her hand.
This caught both Shiver and Frye's attention.
"A-ha! So he acknowledges her strength," Frye nodded. "It is only natural to be awed by such magnificence, even in the face of victory. That's the kind of impact Shiver has on others."
"Frye, please..." Shiver grew exasperated, but curious at the same time. "Why am I the one getting hyped up all of a sudden."
"Because it's fun teasing you," Frye giggled as she stuck out her blue tongue. She finally revealed her hand, much to Shiver's chagrin.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Shiver muttered before facing Callie, her expression hopeful. "Back to the subject at hand... What did Tres say about me, exactly?"
"Oh, he said- Ah, whoopsie!" Callie acted in faux surprise. "Spoiler alert. I shouldn't go around saying these things, that would be rude to him. He was really endearing about a lot of it though, I can tell you that."
Shiver's eyes widened, her face twisted into a glower. "What?! You can't just-! I mean- Gah!"
"Calm down, your big-sis is just being considerate to his feelings. I can't exactly go around parroting what he says to others now, can I?" said Callie. "If you want to know, why don't you ask him yourself? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to oblige."
This was clearly bait, it couldn't have been more obvious than if she had dangled a literal fish hook in front of Shiver's face. But she fell for it anyway. With a huff, she spun around on her heel and began walking away, assuming a dignified air as she did.
"Perhaps I will," Shiver grumbled. "I'll hear it straight from his mouth."
Callie smirked. feigning ignorance. "Take all the time you want, he's not that busy. If fact, I'd think he'd enjoy the company."
"As he should. I'm Shiver of Deep Cut, tamer of sharks and plunderer of the Splatlands," Shiver proclaimed boastfully with a flick of her tentacles, suddenly feeling more confident than she was before.
"You do that," Callie waved her off. She puffed her chest out in pride knowing she had done her part in joining two potential lovers together, woefully unaware of the chain of events she had just set in motion...
"...They make cute rivals," said Frye, joining Callie's side.
"They sure do," Callie nodded.