Author's Note: I'm trying to get back on schedule, and hopefully, I do…Finally got Yuri's Revenge to work on my toaster of a laptop, and it's taking my time. That and…plot issues…anyway, enough rambling, onto the story.
*Hours Earlier…
Marina, Pearl, and Shannon, aboard Pearl's Flyfish sedan, were pulling up in front of Arowana Mall, Marina driving while Pearl was in the passenger seat, and Shannon just chilling out in the backseat. Marina was pulling up, doing her final maneuvers making her way into the parking spot.
"Ready for another rocking time?" Pearl asked Shannon in the back.
"Yes." Shannon replied cheerily.
"As per usual, it's all on me!" Pearl grinned. "I'm still Pearl Dorry ye know, one-half of the famous Off the Hook and the disgraced heiress of the Enperry group of companies!" she joked. Marina sighed meaningfully, but chuckled nonetheless.
The three then stepped off the luxury sedan, all three wearing their usual casuals: Marina in her tank-top and yoga pants that she paired with a denim jacket, completed with her trademark headphones. Pearl was wearing a hoodie branded after herself, from the peak of their popularity, paired with a short skirt, and her preferred kind of shoes, the Hi-Horse line. Shannon wasn't so shabby herself, a band tee and a pair of denim short shorts, and completed with a pair of red sneakers. They then headed for the entrance of the mall, ready for a good time.
Once inside, the trio dawdled around the main entryway, thinking where to go first. Marina then decided to do a little grocery shopping, restocking their pantry with various ingredients, including cereal and milk. There's also canned goods and beverages in the cart too, among many others.
Later…
"Hey Shannon, you're getting the hang of being an Inkopolis citizen." Pearl said, while Shannon was wheeling the cart into the cashier lane.
"I have you to thank, Pearl." Shannon said to her, facing the smaller, older Inkling. "And you too, Marina." she faced the taller, older Octoling. "I'm sure you're a name to remember now, much as you were in the domes.
"Hmm, it is true." Marina pondered. "Well, if I didn't do that, it would haunt my conscience. Forerver." Marina confided. "I am so sick of lying…ever since the day I got freed from Octavio's rule." she emphasized. "I'm done lying, to the people around me, and to myself, especially." she firmly said, flipping out her wallet to pay for the groceries.
"I just wish I can fix my relationship with my folks…" Pearl sighed. "No offense to you two, but I can go only so long without my family." the short Inkling sighed. "But enough about that, we're here to have fun!" Pearl cheered up. They soon left the cashier and carried the goods into the trunk.
"So, watcha wanna do, kid?" Pearl asked Shannon. "Up for a little stint at the arcade?" she offered, grinning.
"That'll be actually nice!" Shannon said excitedly. "I'll be up for some Squid Beatz!" she said peppily. Marina just grinned knowingly at the two, thinking of how she can show the two of them up. They then arrive at the SquidCade, and the place was modestly lively, playing customers buzzing about. A few stares were directed at them, but no one knew who they were…yet.
The trio then proceeded to the row of SquidBeatz machines, making their way past the ambling crowd, which was fortunately not too thick. They then waited for their turn.
"Psst, Rina, look, it's us." whispered Pearl to Marina. Surely enough, there were digital figures of them, dancing along to the beat. The ones who were using the machine were decent enough, but made a few mistakes in crucial points of the song. They soon finished, stepping off the machine after they saw the results.
"Meh, not the best." the male Inkling with the twintails sighed.
"You'll get better." Marina assured him.
"You look a lot like Marina…wait, you are!" the boy realized.
"Yes…I am…" she sighed, her identity exposed.
"That announcement…it was brave of you." the boy told her.
"Yeah, very cool!" his companion, a female inkling with the twin long tentacles, agreed, stepping off the machine to join her companion. They then gave way to the trio to use the machine for themselves.
"We support your decision, Marina." affrimed the boy, as he walked away with his friend. "Same with you Pearl!" he added.
"Both of you guys rock!" his female friend added, as they exited the arcade. They were then left to themselves to begin with their session. Pearl and Shannon went up first, Marina electing to watch from the sidelines.
"So, ready for this, kid?" Pearl smirked, positioning herself on the machine.
"Anytime!" Shannon excitedly replied. "Marina, if you will?" the younger Octoling beckoned the older one.
"Mmm, yes!" Marina said, proceeding to pick a song for them. Pearl and Shannon then began tapping the square pads furiously, trying not to miss a beat. Pearl still had the edge, despite clear rust from retiring as a pop idol. Shannon was not too far behind, getting some beats even Pearl missed. Inkling and Octoling were neck and neck on notes hit. Soon, the song drew to a close.
Both then eagerly awaited their results. Just a little later…
"Ha!" Pearl exclaimed triumphantly.
"Aw." groaned Shannon. She ultimately lost out by a few hundred points. "Well, I'm just getting started." she smirked. They both went another round, Shannon choosing the music this time. Once it started, their focus was on the game. The three took turns in the machine, competing with each other. When Marina and Pearl went against each other, people gathered into a small crowd, recording the whole thing.
"Ready for this, Pearlie?" Marina challenged her friend, smirking.
"Any damn time, 'Rina." Pearl playfully smirked back. The tune chosen was Nasty Majesty…Marina's signature piece. The music began, and their moves was all the proof the crowd needed to know it was actually them. Beat for beat, step by step, they were neck and neck in the scoreboard. The two exchanged glances in certain points of the music, glancing knowingly. They continued at it for a few more songs after.
*Present…
"M-Marie, w-what the hell are you?—" Evan gasped, surprised and shocked by Marie's actions, while Jesse was in the background, waiting to come intervene in case it was needed. "This is all real bad timing…" Jesse thought, seeing the jealous mess Marie was in and the timing of Callie and Evan's arrival.
"No words, Four." she said, as she spat the last word. "I provide you and train you everything you know, AND THIS IS WHAT I GET?" she roared in fury, eyes inkshot.
"What has gotten into you, Marie?!" asked Callie pleadingly, desperate to know how her beloved cousin ended up acting like this. They were so fine sharing him with each other…until now, apparently.
"Shut up!" spat Marie, eyes livid. That moment, Jesse stepped in, not wanting to see this escalate any further.
"STOP, ALL OF YOU!" yelled Jesse. "Can't we resolve this like adults...like Agents?" she says, in a lower tone, so as to not let the neighbors hear their Agent business side of things. "All of ya…inside." she beckoned them. All four got inside. Marie seated by herself in the far side of the living room, while Callie and Evan took another side. Jesse then took the middle, just like an arbiter.
"Right, Marie?" beckoned Jesse, facing her superior.
"I-I…" Marie sniffled, still crying, "Did I…deserve this?" she asked, still sniffling.
"N-no Mar…we were gonna tell you we're an actual thing now!" Callie exclaimed, pleading.
"Y-yeah…Sorry…" Evan managed to get out, shaking his head.
Jesse sighs, then shakes her head. "Damn. That was...not too mature of you Marie, honestly…" she sighed, "Why…why break into this outrage now, Two?" asked the exasperated Inkling.
"I give my everything to you guys! Why…w-why is this happening to me?!" Marie blurted out. "Did I lack in anything? Was my tactics faulty?" Marie gasped maniacally.
"N-no…" Evan mumbled ashamedly. "You're the best at it, 2." Evan tried to assure him.
"Y-Yeah. Without you, I'd be splatted out there." chimed in Callie lowly.
"Then why would you do this to me?" Marie snapped at the pair. "Don't you have professional etiquette? Or any idea how would I!...feel?!" she screamed at them. Both tried not to get shaken, but was failing. Jesse once again was on watch should Marie lash out.
"Marie! This is not normal for you!" Callie cried out.
"What do you know about me, you dumb bimbo?" Marie blurted at her.
"Two that's enough!" Evan blurted out. "I don't know what got into you, but it's not you, and you're not calling your own cousin a dumb bimbo!" he thundered.
"Dammit." Jesse grunted. "Evan, take Callie into your apartment or something…" Jesse sighed, unable to bear the situation anymore. Both did as told while Jesse escorted Marie back to the bedroom, sobbing.
*Meanwhile…in the workshop…
"What has gotten into that woman?!" Sheldon blurted, bewildered at the way Marie just acted now. Soon enough, Marina was calling the crab, making Sheldon's phone ring.
"Yes? Good grief you answered, Marina!" the crab squeaked.
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond earlier, Shannon and Pearlie were out in the mall with me and I can't just whip out my phone…" Marina responded on the other line. "But…how is Marie?" asked the former pop-idol.
"This is not good…" Sheldon breathed, "Marie wasn't like this…" he sighed. "She snapped at me, then yelled at me…" he told her. "It was like…Marie was a different person altogether…" Sheldon sighed sadly.
"W-what!?" Marina gasped. By that time, both Pearl and Shannon can be heard breathing, intently listening to her conversation with him. "That's horrible!" she exclaimed. "I'll put you on speaker so both Pearl and Shannon can hear you." she said, as she tapped the option on. Now both girls can hear the crab clearly.
"Pearl, Shannon, can you hear me?" asked Sheldon.
"Loud and clear!" screeched Pearl.
"We can hear you." Shannon responded.
"So, you do know how Marie acts, right?" he asks the girls, "You all know she never would resort to this…" Sheldon added, "I suspect something is up. This is too drastic, too soon." he said finally.
"How so?" asked Shannon.
"I suspect some foreign substance is at play, courtesy of our zombie friends over at the RFR." Sheldon said to them. "I haven't have a concrete idea how, but some agent may have slipped some upgraded goo down Marie's drink or something." Sheldon whispered, suspicion in full swing.
"Ya mean that thing Jesse got struck with?" Pearl asked.
"The very one." Sheldon gasped. "Those goons may have probably upgraded the formula…and maybe including the goo being able to disguise as other matter it sticks on." he added.
"We should investigate, Sheldon." Marina said, determined. "We cannot allow this to tamper with the New Squidbeak Splatoon…not with the situation at hand." Marina sighs.
"We won't let get the squitch who did this get away with it!" Pearl yelled. Shannon silently nodded, agreeing with both girls. "I do feel sorry for Cal and Evan though…" the short Inkling sighed, shaking her head.
"I'll begin my investigation." Sheldon resolved. "I've known that girl long enough to know this isn't her." he affirmed, resolve and determination on his voice and his face. Sheldon knew Marie and Callie for as long as both lived. Marie would never resort to this, he thought.
"Likewise. Let us compare notes soon, Sheldon." Marina replied. "I hope Marie would be alright after all this…" Marina sympathized. "I may have known her not as long as you Sheldon, but I know for one that she wouldn't resort to this." she said, shaking her head, sighing. She then ended the call.
Sheldon then got back to finishing the weapon he was creating. He then put away the prototypes he was working on, pulling out a few papers, and then pulling up few computer files, particularly about the fight with Agent 3 against 8, and the goo that infected the former. He then began analysis on the makeup of the goo, and how it messed with Jesse's brains.
*Meanwhile, inside the house.
Marie was still crying, and Jesse was hugging her. The orange inkling was having some suspicion of her own, pertaining to that fight a year ago. For years now, Marie was her senpai, as some Inklings would call it. "Marie is a quiet gal...she would never resort to whatever I saw earlier…" Jesse thought. She would know, as she went through the same, and worse last month, fighting against her own free will.
"Whoever did this must pay." Jesse whispered, to no one in particular. Soon she bade her goodbye to Marie, saying that Cap and Celia were waiting for her waiting back home, and she'll be working another Salmon Run shift tomorrow.
*Meanwhile, at Tiger Prawn Esates…
Marina, Pearl, and Shannon were all slumped on the living room, digesting what have they just heard from Sheldon. All three knew the gal in some way, shape or form, and as for the two Octolings, they owe a huge debt to Marie and Callie for bringing them where they are now.
"Perhaps Octavio was right all along…" Shannon sighed.
"No." Marina countered firmly. "A misguided tyrant would never be right about anything, Shannon." she reminded the younger Octoling. "We were saved by Marie and Callie with the Calamari Inkantation. This is our chance to repay them." Marina added, to no one in particular.
"We'll save Marie." Pearl said, resolved. "And we'll take care of this nonsense with the Red Fist Revolution too." she added.
"Because of her, I am here now. Because of her, I made it to the fight out of the Metro in the first place. And because of her, I met you all…and broke free of the the domes." Shannon said, as if reciting a poem. "And so…I will set things right! With all of you!" she declared.
"That's our girl." Pearl said, proudly. "That's the girl we supported down in the Metro, and the girl who took down NILS." she added, beaming.
*Meanwhile, in Evan's apartment…
Evan was busy consoling Callie after that mean outburst Marie just threw at her. Callie started breaking down the moment the pair got into Evan's apartment. Callie then slumped into the sofa and straight into Evan's arm.
"No…not at this time…" Callie mumbled. "W-why?!..." she sobbed, tears flowing into Evan's shirt sleeve. "We have just...begun…why would Marie be like this?...Why?!" she sobbed more. Evan then hugged her.
"I don't know too, honestly…" Evan sighed. "She was right, though…you and her, you both taught me everything I know now being an Agent." he sadly sighed. "Still, all that outrage…why?" he asked, clearly bothered. He then hugs Callie tighter. "One thing is for sure…that ain't herself." he assured Callie, shaking his head.
"Are we…really meant to be, Evan?" Callie sniffles. "Why now, when I…we made it official?" she mumbles, shaking. "I do love my cousin though…we grew up alongside each other…struggled, fought, and made it big…together." she sadly recounts. "We broke up once, and I'm not gonna let it happen again." she screamed almost, still sobbing.
The pair were like that for quite a long time, until Callie told Evan she was going to take a bath. Evan then waited in her room, glaring pink whichever way he looked. He then rested on the bed. Callie was heard still sobbing in the bathroom, and wasn't much better when she came out.
"Hey..." Evan said, hugging Callie. "We'll be alright." he whispered to her. "We'll endure…and Marie would be back to normal…and understand." Evan sighed. "Anyway, I'll be off to shower." He told her. The long-haired Inkling didn't say anything, and was still sobbing a little, slumping to her bed.
Evan then proceeded to take a bath, letting the shower run, while his thoughts ran ambient in the back of his mind. He was still shocked at Marie's sudden outburst and change of attitude. Bewildered even, to the point he can still hear the ring of Marie's outbursts. "Whatever the hell happened to you…Marie…" he thought. He then lathered and rubbed himself with soap, the scrubbed it all off. Soon enough, he was out of the showers. Callie then can be seen hugging her pillow, her sobbing stopped for now.
"Oh, there you are." Callie said lowly. She was still huddled, sitting on the bed, shaking. Evan then put on his shirt and joined her, putting his arm around her. They then cuddled, until both fell asleep. Evan held Callie tight in his arms, which gave Callie a warm, soft sense of security. Morning came, the two still holding on tight to each other.
Morning came over the world, still in the same uncertain tone as it was yesterday, due to the kidnappings and beatings still happening all over. Life remained the same in the Square,the same people still milling about and getting their daily turfing fix.
However, life for the Sisters, Cap, and Evan, wasn't so hunky dory. Jesse was telling the Cap all that happened last night, and the elder Inkling was growing more uneasy and shocked, while Celia was getting more worried the more she hears.
"What the devilfish is going on with those buckos…" Cap groaned. "Does anybody else know about this?" he asked Jesse.
"Presumably Marina, Pearl, and Shannon." Jesse replied. "It was…all so sudden…and then Marie called Callie a dumb bimbo…" she trialed off. "I beckoned Evan and Callie to take off before it can get uglier…" Jesse sighed, sipping her broth.
"Good Cod what is happening with them…" Cap sighed, shaking his head. "Sheldon told me he also was subject to my granddaughter's rampage. I assume he let the Squidbeak know." he stated in an asking manner.
"I can only assume so, Gramps." Jesse sighed. "He must have been shocked and devastated that Marie would act like that." she speculated. She then left the table to prepare for another day of work, while Celia elected to stay behind with Cap for the day. Jesse then bade the two farewell, as she made her way for work at GrizzCo.
*Later…
"Hey kid, get prepared." Cap told Celia. "I'll have a talk with dear 'ol Sheldon…see what's going on…" he added.
"Is Marie still angry?" Celia asked.
"Honestly kiddo, she might…" Cap groaned. "Not so sure, lass."
"I hope she isn't too angry anymore…Evan is a nice guy." Celia told him.
"Ah yes, I did hear from your sister he was one of your first teammates." Cap nodded. "Run along now lass, get to the bath." Cap smiled. Celia did as told and was fairly fast, waiting for Cap in the living room for a short while. They soon departed for Sheldon's workshop, which was inside Callie and Marie's house.
*Later in the afternoon, in the Square…
Somewhere near Deca Tower, two Octolings, a blue male and a green female, were having a heated argument. They were raising their voices at each other, arguing about a rather personal matter.
"Seriously. Josh? You actually believe that?" the green female blurted out. "This photo is proof Joshua! Proof that you have been canoodling with another squitch!" she yelled.
"I just met her there, is all! I assure you, Fabian is stirring squit up!" Josh said exasperatedly. "Believe me Ecca! Please!" he desperately told her.
"Bullsquit!" Ecca spat, storming away.
"Ecca?" Josh called her. "Wait, Ecca, please!" he ran after her.
"Heh! Fabian was right all along! You would give me up the moment you find someone prettier!" she mirthlessly chuckled, then sighed in anger.
"I told you, Fabian would do anything to smear and destroy everything of me!" Josh tried to reason with her, but it clearly was of no use.
"Whatever, you squitch." she spat, running away from him. Joshua was left there, absolutely confused about was just happened…and hurt about what just transpired.
Sheesh, finally! Got it done before too long. And now, I got my hands finally on a Persona game. Now to be a Gekkoukan High student…and a member of SEES. Ah, what the hell. Oh well, see y'all next chapter, hopefully in schedule, on June 15th local time( HK time, +8).