Most of Crusty Sean's dialogue is from Splatoon 2.
Alexis's PoV
Rolling forward, Alexis pressed down on the trigger of her Hero Dualies, orange ink squirting out of the barrel. Skylar stumbled backwards as the ink hit her chest, and moments later, she splatted, exploding into a puddle of orange ink and leaving her gear behind, an octopus-shaped ghost flying into the sky.
A whistle blew, and she directed her attention up to the sidelines of Arowana Mall, where Geneva stood, letting the whistle in her hand drop and hang around her neck. Once Skylar rejoined Alexis, she clapped her hands and picked up two flags. Surveying the area for a few moments, she soon struck out a blue flag.
"Skylar wins!" she declared.
Alexis turned to the octoling and held out a hand. "Good game."
She took it and shook it. "Good game." She smiled. "Eat at the Crust Bucket?"
"Yeah, sure." The inkling lifted her head, staring up at Geneva. "You wanna come?"
She shook her head, long hair waving around. "Nah. I gotta meet with you-know-who."
The New Squidbeak Splatoon, she realized. They always referred to it through roundabout ways, especially when there were people unaware of the Splatoon present. She didn't know if Skylar knew of Geneva's involvement, but she was sure the octoling didn't know of her own involvement.
Skylar tilted her head, confused. "...Who?"
"Don't worry about it," Alexis assured her. "Let's just go to the Crust Bucket."
The three of them proceeded to super-jump out of Arowana Mall, back to the Deca Tower. They exited the lobby, and Geneva said her goodbyes as they parted ways. As they entered the line, Alexis pulled out two food tickets she found the other day in Octo Canyon, handing one to Skylar.
"This'll get you a Crusty Seanwich," she explained. "Have you had one before?"
"No," she replied. "Only Deep-Fried...Shwaffle." Clearly, she struggled pronouncing the last word.
"Well, I think a Crusty Seanwich is much more filling. It's not as sweet, but the flavor will knock you out!"
Skylar gasped. "Knock you out? Dangerous!"
"No, I didn't mean it like that," Alexis fretted. "I mean that it's so good, you'll want another one."
"Ohh, I see now." She nodded. "I hope it good, like Deep-Fried...the other one."
"Well, you won't be disappointed."
About ten minutes later, Alexis and Skylar were at the front of the line at last. Crusty Sean wiped his claws clean with a tower before attending to them, his beady eyes filled with warmth.
"Hey there, what's kraken?" he greeted. "What'll it be?"
Alexis and Skylar held out their tickets. "Two Crusty Seanwiches," the former requested.
"Will do." Crusty Sean took the tickets and moved over to the grill, grabbing some raw shrimp and placing them in the deep-frier. Skylar's brown eyes followed him with interest as he fried up their Seanwiches, and she almost seemed disappointed when he finished, returning to the counter and holding out their meals. Once they took them, Crusty Sean waved goodbye, saying, "Peace!"
"Peace!" Alexis echoed, saluting goodbye. She directed Skylar over to one of the tables, sitting down to enjoy their meal. The snow from a few days ago was gone now, and while the grass seemed dry, it was as if it had never happened. As they ate, they simply talked about ranked battles—Skylar had recently started participating in them, and she was quickly climbing the ranks.
To think that only a few months ago, Alexis thought she would never be friends with an octoling. Yet here she was now.
Their conversation stopped short as someone suddenly slammed their hands down on the table, startling both of them. Orange eyes wide, the inkling focused her attention towards the newcomer. It was an inkling boy about her age, his sea green hair styled into a bowl cut. His mouth was covered with a Forge mask, and he wore a Zekko jade coat alongside shorts and orca woven hi-tops. She recognized him from school, but that was about it.
"Hey," he greeted, winking. "How ya doing?"
"Good," Skylar replied. She glanced over at Alexis. "Do you know him?"
Alexis shook her head. "Who are you?" she asked him, staring into his eyes.
"Clark," he replied. With a bow, he added, "I'm so happy to finally meet you."
The octoling raised an eyebrow. "'Finally?'"
Clark dug his face into his hand. "I can tell you don't go to West Inkopolis. Well, over there, Alexis is part of the student council." A blush dusting his tan-skinned face, he exclaimed, "She's pretty popular!"
"I wouldn't say I'm that popular," the short-haired girl argued. "Just popular enough that most squids know who I am."
Skylar looked over at Alexis. "Move somewhere else," she suggested.
"What? But we're not done yet," she protested.
Clark frowned. "C'mon, can't we talk for just a little longer?"
The octoling shook her head, taking another bite out of her Crusty Seanwich. She rose from her chair and swung over to Alexis, whispering in her ear, "You just let him do the flirting with you?"
She narrowed her gaze. "If he's flirting, then he's being real subtle about it." Besides, maybe Clark was just being friendly. Though it was odd that he would approach her now, of all times. Why not do it at school? Or did people just perceive her to be too busy?
Skylar sighed. "Have people do the flirting with you before today?"
"Maybe, but whatever." Alexis shrugged. "Might be fun to have a third squid running around with us. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
Though her eyebrows knitted with worry, she nodded. "If you say so..." Skylar returned to her seat, finishing up her meal. The group with silent, Clark looking back-and-forth between them anxiously as the girls finished up their meals.
Eventually, he decided to break the silence. "So, you got any plans?"
"Not really," the inkling girl replied. "Just hangin' out."
"Hm..." Clark smirked. "How about a battle?"
Skylar blinked. "We just battle," she pointed out. "If all us battle, then not fair."
"I can call up my brother," he suggested. "I don't think he's busy."
"Not fair either," the octoling rejected. "Siblings battle very well together." Alexis knew she had a point—she's seen her and Octavia battle together before. And while they weren't perfect, sometimes they battled together better than their own teammates.
"Nah, he's not very good," he argued. "Unless we're up against a team of squids who hate each other, it'll be a fair fight."
"You don't have to battle, Skylar," Alexis remarked. She stared into Clark's sea green eyes. "It can just be between us two."
She frowned. "It your break also. You always think about the battle?"
"No, but I gotta keep my skills sharp. ...But maybe you're right." Besides, who would be the referee?
Clark put a hand on his chin, thinking. Eventually, he proposed, "How about we go to the Reef? There's a café I like going to. Their drinks are superfresh."
"Which one?" Skylar questioned.
"Coral Rings," he answered. "Ever heard of it?"
"Yeah," Alexis replied. "My sister goes there sometimes." She had only been there a few times herself, however, usually with Octavia or one of her other friends.
"I never go there," the octoling noted. "Is good?"
Clark nodded. "They have pretty good tea. And coffee, too."
"Tea..." While Skylar's poufy hair was usually stiff compared to some octolings, the tips of her tentacles started to wave around rather quickly, something she picked up from Eight to mean excitement. "I hope Inkopolis tea is good."
"Hold on." The boy smirked, crossing his arms. "Who said you were coming?"
Alexis stood up from her chair, scowling. "You were willing to battle her, weren't you?" she snapped. "So can't she at least come along?"
Taken aback by her sudden harshness, Clark lowered his arms, staring at her dumbfounded. Then, he smiled, blushing—a similar look she's seen on Perry whenever he talked about Pearl. Perhaps Skylar was right in that he really did have a crush on her. But regardless of if it was true or not, she figured it was too late to back out now. At least Skylar was here to make it seem less like a date and more like a hangout.
"Alright," he conceded. "Your friend can come." He started walking past the group, waving his hand for them to follow. "C'mon, let's go. I know just the way."
Knowing it wasn't far from the Square, they trekked through the streets of Inkopolis, in the direction of the Reef. Though the buildings in the area tended to look similar on the outside, admittedly, they were always distinguished by their interiors and large signs, or perhaps even its shape. Nonetheless, Coral Rings was easy to find with how close it was to the parking lot. When they arrived, Clark stood just outside the entrance, turning to face the two girls and putting his hands on his hips.
"We're here," he announced. "Can you smell it? The faint aroma of coffee coming from within?" He winked again, snapping his fingers. "It's bittersweet, literally."
Alexis and Skylar merely stared at him, unamused. His face falling, he faked a cough and lowered his hands. To add insult to injury, the door swung open moments later, hitting him in the back. He stumbled forwards, groaning. The two people leaving the café, a hagfish with a fedora and an inkling woman, stared at him in horror for a few moments before discussing among themselves and continuing on their way.
"As I was saying..." Clark continued, straightening himself. "Let's go in."
Green walls surrounded the group as they entered Coral Rings, some wooden tables scattered about. A menu was located behind the counter, where some employees were brewing various drinks such as coffee and tea. Clark was quick to lead them to a table towards the back of the dining area, beaming with excitement. They sat down, Alexis and Skylar sitting next to each other while the inkling boy sat across from them. A few minutes later, a sea anemone walked up to them, holding a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other.
"Welcome to Coral Rings," she greeted. "What would you like today?"
"Um..." Skylar frowned, tapping a finger on the table. "Can I see menu?" she eventually asked.
Nodding, the waitress pulled a piece of paper out of her apron pocket and handed it to the octoling. "Take your time, there's no need to rush. While you're deciding, though...do you mind a little gossip?"
"Gossip?" Clark reiterated. "Boring." The sea anemone grimaced at his remark.
"Ignore him," Alexis said. "I'll listen to your gossip."
Suddenly, she looked relieved. "Oh, thank you. Now..." She leaned closer to them, lowering her voice. "Today, I served Alyssa Cabezon. You know, the actor? She was incognito, though. I wanted to ask for her autograph, but then a bunch of other people would start swarming her. So I didn't."
"Well, this is a nice place. I guess it's no surprise she would come here." Alexis didn't watch many movies the actress was in herself, but she did know that she was going to be in a TV show with Callie. Even if it wasn't out yet, the idol's own praise about her coworkers made her want to watch it.
"Yeah, yeah. But...did you know there's a rumor she had a secret baby?"
"What?" Clark interjected. "A secret baby?" He slammed a hand on the table, startling Skylar. "Tell me more."
"So now you're interested," Alexis muttered, narrowing her gaze.
"Well, basically, it says that before she even started acting, she had a baby with an unknown man. There's actually quite a bit of evidence to support it. Like-"
"Aight, aight," he interrupted. "Get to the point."
"Impatient, are we?" the sea anemone murmured, her voice just barely audible. A little louder, she continued, "Well, I overheard her arguing with her friend about a kid whose name definitely did not belong to one of her kids. Trust me, I've done my research. And from the sounds of it, it did seem like she was talking about her own kid." She sighed. "But enough of that. I need to do my job. So, are you all ready to order?"
Alexis and Clark looked over at Skylar, and, her mouth forming an 'oh,' she lifted her head. "Yes." At her answer, the waitress pressed the tip of her pen to her notepad. "Chai tea. That is all."
"I'll have cinnamon tea," Alexis requested.
"And I'll have..." Clark paused for a few moments, thinking. "A latte. Just a normal one."
The waitress finished writing and bowed. "Coming right up!" She dashed off, approaching the counter to hand over the order to the baristas. Alexis started to watch them as they brewed the drinks, but Clark's voice pulled her attention away from them.
"So, what weapon do you main?" he asked. "It's the Clash Blaster Neo for me."
She frowned. She was not a fan of the Clash Blaster. "The Hero Dualies," she replied. "Replicas."
"That fancy dualie skin, huh?" Clark mused. "Sometimes I wonder what gave Sheldon the idea to make them."
"Hey, they're fresh," she defended.
"Eh, whatever."
"I like Slosher," Skylar spoke up.
He glared at her. "Did you think I was asking you?" At his harsh words, she squeaked, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and hiding her poufy tentacles. Alexis returned a glare at Clark, and he gasped, unnerved.
Soon enough, the waitress returned, carrying a tray of drinks. "Here you go." She handed the drinks to each person respectively. "Enjoy!" She parted ways with the group, leaving them to drink in peace.
While the two inklings started to consume their beverages, Skylar spun a spoon around in her cup, frowning. Alexis glanced over at the octoling from time to time, making sure she was okay. She did start to drink her tea, albeit slowly.
Clark's words must've hurt her more than I thought, she remarked silently. She was starting to regret going along with his plans if it meant being rude to Skylar. Even if they haven't been friends for very long compared to some other people such as the Rainbow Squids, Skylar was still her friend. She wasn't just going to sit by idly.
"Are you OK?" Alexis whispered in her friend's ear.
"Yes," she muttered. "Bad memories. That is all."
"Hey." At the sound of his voice, she snapped her attention to Clark. "I-"
"I think you should apologize," the short-haired girl interrupted. Skylar looked at her, surprised. "If you're gonna take me out somewhere, then you should at least be nice to the squids I bring with me."
Clark held his hands up. "Hey! She's only here because you insisted we bring her!"
"That doesn't mean you have to be rude!"
He stared at her for a few moments, and then he started to rub the back of his head, letting out a sigh as his cheeks glowed red. "Sorry, what's-your-name."
"Skylar," the octoling supplemented.
"Skylar, yeah. Again, sorry." He picked up his mug and took another mouthful of his drink. "Now, let's move all of this behind us."
She didn't respond, lowering her head and continuing to drink her drink. Consequently, the table went silent—even Clark had no remarks to share. After they finished, they got up and left, with Skylar's pace quickening. The inklings sped up to compensate, but she always seemed to be faster, to the point where they were now running.
"Hey, Skylar, wait up!" Alexis called. "Is something wrong?"
Still, she ignored her. They were out of the Reef by now, entering the narrow streets of Inkopolis. She eventually turned into an alleyway, and of course, Alexis and Clark followed her. At the end of the alleyway was a dumpster, and Skylar sat down with her back to the container, hugging her knees close to her body. She lifted her head upon the inklings' arrival, her hood falling slightly. Alexis held her hand out by her side, preventing Clark from going any further. Once he got the message, she carefully approached Skylar, kneeling down to look into her brown eyes.
"Hey... You can talk to me, you know," she tried to comfort her, reaching out a bronze-skinned hand.
"You no would understand," she muttered.
She frowned. She couldn't just tell her she was Agent 4—that would surely cause Skylar to freak out. Worst case scenario, they wouldn't even be friends anymore. She went silent, unable to find any words. After all, what could she even say in this situation?
She didn't have to dwell on it for long, as Clark's scream brought her out of her thoughts. Alexis swung around to find him lying on the ground, unconscious. Standing over his body was a lady dressed in a skin-tight uniform that exposed her belly. A red light shone on her black shades, dark hair framing her fair-skinned face as kelp trailed behind her. Behind her were more ladies like her, except their hair was red, and they wore no kelp.
Octolings.
Skylar yelped, scrambling backwards as her eyes widened with fear. Out of habit, Alexis changed her ink color to her friend's shade of red and whipped out her Hero Shot, pointing the weapon at them. The elite octoling merely laughed, kicking Clark out of the way as she approached them, her comrades not far behind.
"Cute," she cajoled. "She must come with us, though."
"No, she doesn't," Alexis snapped. "What makes you think you can just take her away?"
The elite shrugged. "Orders are orders." She whipped out an Octo Shot, pointing it at Alexis. Yet, the inkling did not flinch. If it came to it, she would just have to take her out first. "Now, move."
She raised an eyebrow. "Who orders their troops to just kidnap people off the streets of Inkopolis? That's just cruel."
"We are not kidnapping her," she argued. Behind Alexis, Skylar made a small sound of disapproval. "She is misplaced. We are bringing her back to where she belongs."
"She belongs in Inkopolis. She made her choice long ago—this is her new home."
"She is just being brainwashed by this city. It has no place for her and our kind."
"That's nonsense. Inklings and Octarians can co-exist—I've seen it with my own eyes. You'd be stupid to think otherwise."
The elite octoling scoffed. "What do you know? You inklings are just dumb brutes. You will never understand what our life is like, and you will never understand all that we have suffered in the past one hundred years."
Alexis faltered slightly upon hearing her comment. But her confidence still burned strong. "Well, maybe I don't. We can't change the past, but we can change the future. But if you don't want to, then fine. I'll just splat you myself."
"Alexis." She felt something grab her ankle, and she looked down, seeing Skylar gazing into her, her eyes watery. "Do not."
The elite octoling did not respond, instead smirking as her fingers moved to the trigger of her Octo Shot. Realizing she was going to fire, Alexis jumped into the air, the ink bullets instead hitting the dumpster. Skylar ducked, whimpering. As she started to fall, the short-haired inkling fired her Hero Shot as well, the elite merely taking the hit as she covered her face, red ink now dripping off of her. She shook it off and whistled, causing the two standard octolings behind her to step up, weapons in hand.
When her feet hit the ground, she tossed out a splat bomb, landing at the octolings' feet. They jumped back, ink splattering onto their legs. Her attackers charged forwards again, firing their Octo Shots. To the best of her ability, she dodged them, though she let out a startled cry as some ink hit her eye, blinding her temporarily. She felt more bullets hit her, and she was thrown into the side of the dumpster, groaning as pain surged through her body.
In her blurry vision, she could still see the elite octoling's grin, even if she was far from where she sat right now. Her hand shaking, she lifted her Hero Shot again, firing at the octolings. But they merely dodged, jumping to the opposite side of where they stood. Slowly, they started to approach her again, weapons pointed at Alexis.
Any ordinary inkling would've given up by now, but Alexis was not one of them. Trembling, she got up, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't fall here. Not when the situation was so dire. As she blinked the Octarian ink away from her eye, she readied her weapon once again.
The elite octoling growled. "Why will you not stay down?! Just splat already!"
Alexis let out a laugh. "You think I'm going down that easily?" As if by instinct, her hair suddenly flared up, glowing as bubbles of ink rose from the top of her head. The two attacking octolings gasped, the grip around their weapons tightening.
She sprinted towards them, leaping up into the air as a dotted circle formed around the area of impact. "Splashdown!"
Ink gathering around her fist, she slammed it into the ground, a vortex of ink swirling around her as the octolings let out startled cries, exploding into puddles of red ink. Octopus-shaped ghosts flew away from where they once stood, soon disappearing into thin air. The elite octoling had survived the impact, though some ink dripped off of her as she stared at Alexis, baffled.
"J-Just who are you?" she muttered, fear etching itself into her voice.
"Agent 4," she replied, creeping towards her, "of the New Squidbeak Splatoon."
With realization, her eyebrows raised, and she could even see a tiny bit of the whites of her eyes peeking from beneath her shades. But she shook her head, donning a furious expression once more as she pointed her Octo Shot at Alexis, her lips curling into a snarl. She fired, but Alexis merely shrugged off the hit, wiping the enemy ink off of her. Now that she was close enough, she pointed her Hero Shot directly at the elite octoling and fired, finally splatting her. Her gear clattered to the ground, red ink surrounding the area where she once stood.
Her breaths heavy, Alexis slumped down to the ground, the adrenaline fading away. Finally, it was over. She submerged into the puddle of ink, healing her injuries away. Once she emerged, she could see clearly again, her eye as good as new, and most of the enemy ink on her body was gone. Yet, she still felt tired, her consciousness threatening to slip away from her. She turned her attention back to Skylar, who merely stared at her with wide eyes, trembling.
She tried to come close to her, but Skylar merely shouted, "Stay away!"
Alexis jumped from her sudden volume. "Skylar..."
"I am seeing truth," she said, her voice cracking. "You...the Dauntless. The same inkling who try to splat me so long ago." She blinked, a few tears trailing down her cheeks. "I should of notice earlier. You look so similar to her—of course she is you."
"Skylar, all the octolings I've ever fought look the same to me," she tried to explain. "To me, you were just another enemy back then."
"Yes," she acknowledged, sniffling. "Will you try to splat me now?" She let out a sob, wiping her eyes. "Were we ever being friends?"
"I won't splat you," Alexis assured her. She put away her weapon and tried reaching out to her. "The past is the past. You just happened to be on the other side of the conflict. But you're not anymore, are you?"
Skylar shook her head. "No... I'm never going back."
Alexis smiled. "Then we're friends. Octarian or not, that won't change."
She sniffed again, the corners of her lips turning upwards. "Promise?"
She transformed into a squid, sitting up and reaching out a tentacle. "Promise."
Skylar wiped her tears away before turning into an octopus, crawling towards her and wrapping her arm around Alexis's, squeezing it. When they let go of each other, they transformed back into their kid form, staring into each other's eyes.
But then a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she collapsed.
When Alexis returned to her senses, she found herself staring up into the orange sky, birds squawking as they flew overhead. She caught a waft of a familiar smell—grease. She sat up, rubbing her head and looking around. She was in Inkopolis Square again, sitting on a makeshift bench. Not far from where she was sitting stood the Crust Bucket, though no one was there at the moment. Looking next to her, she saw Skylar, her hands clasped again. When their eyes met again, the octoling swaddled her with a hug.
"You are awake!" she exclaimed. After a few moments, she let go. "I am the glad."
Alexis examined her surroundings. "Where's Clark?" she asked. She recalled that he had followed them into the alleyway, but some octolings knocked him out. In the midst of the battle, she had forgotten all about him.
"The hospital," Skylar replied.
"What?" Alexis cried. "You didn't call the ambulance in that alleyway, did you?"
"I move you both to another one. Then I call it. They say you good, just rest and drink many fluids. Clark though...his injury more serious. They take him away."
She shook her head. "Cod... Guess you were right when he said it was a bad idea to go with him."
"I think the Octarians find me regardless," she admitted as she started to pout. "But he got hurt because he come. If he not come, then he be fine."
"Hey, there's no way we could've known they were following us," she tried to comfort her. "It's not your fault."
She gave a half-hearted smile. "I suppose."
"There you are!"
Alexis whipped her head to the source of the new voice. Octavia was walking up to them, with Roy not too far behind.
Via approached her and put a hand on her hip. "I was wondering where you were."
The short-haired girl blinked. "Why?"
"Well, I thought you'd be home right now. But you weren't, and Mom hadn't seen you, so I started looking in the Deca Tower. You weren't there either, and I bumped into Roy, so we did some turf wars together. We didn't see you there, so we decided to look in the Square, and then bam, we found you."
Alexis let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of her head. "It's been a long day." She leaned over to Skylar, whispering in her ear. "How long was I out?"
"About...two hours," she answered. "I wait the entire time."
Two hours?! Her eyes widened with surprise. Geez, no wonder. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and looked over at Roy. "Why were you at the Deca Tower?"
"What do you think?" he remarked, crossing his arms. "Battling, duh."
"Wyatt had just left," Octavia elaborated. "I thought I saw him when I was coming here."
Roy sighed. "We left our current lobby because his phone started ringing. Turns out his brother got a concussion. I don't think I've ever seen him that worried."
"A concussion?" Alexis frowned. Her mind drifted back to Clark. Now that she thought about it, he did remind her of Wyatt... Perhaps his ink color was throwing her off. Wyatt did usually have red ink the same shade as Roy's, after all. "How?"
"Dunno. Wyatt didn't elaborate."
Octavia shrugged. "Whatever. You wanna battle some more?"
Alexis shook her head. "No, I'm all tired out for today."
"Well, if you wanna go home, might as well." She outstretched a hand. "C'mon, let's go."
She took her sister's hand and looked over at Skylar. "See ya later."
The octoling nodded. "Same to you."
"Well, I'll just keep battling," Roy announced. "See ya."
Octavia jumped up into the air, waving a hand. "Buh-bye!"
The group went their separate ways as the sunset enveloped Inkopolis, signaling the end of the day at last.
A/N: Hey, I actually posted a chapter on time! Something else I'm proud of is that I managed to write every day this week. Even if it was just a little bit, it was still something. Hopefully I can keep up this trend. Well, that's it from me. Branchwing, out.