A/N: I didn't really know how to write a text conversation, hope this style isn't too confusing! Also WOW chpt 2 was short, I do like shorter chapters but aaaa!

Chapter 3- Army

Army impatiently paced down and back an aisle of books. It was 16:05, and they weren't here. Why'd he have to get paired with a bunch of lackeys?

"Heeey." a small, weak voice called from behind him. It was Mask. Army didn't like his slouch. But, the boy is sick, it can't be helped, he reasoned silently.

He huffed, accepting the situation. "At least you're here. I sincerely doubt the others are coming."

Mask nodded, and did nothing more. Army took that as him waiting for instruction. "We should get started. Can you scribe? What's your words per minute?"

"Enough…" he shrugged. Army was annoyed that he didn't provide an exact number, but reminded himself that he couldn't expect much from this group.

"Well then, we'll start with an outline. I believe we should begin with the early conflicts of the war, and how tensions rose between Inklings and Octarians. At its core, the Great Turf War was a fight for land, and one that could've been avoided if not for the corruption in the old monarchies. Also worth noting is the technology developed in preparation, battle strategies and the siege of Arowana Castle-"

Army went on like this for nearly an hour. Mask said nothing, just typed. It was kind of nice, having a walking encyclopedia of military information. Army's family had been heavily involved in the war, so naturally he went down that path as well and learned everything. He spent a solid 20 minutes talking about his grandfather's involvement in Captain Craig Cuttlefish's famous Squidbeak Splatoon. But eventually, even Army got sick of talking. He safely assumed Mask was tired of listening and note taking. He sighed. It wasn't supposed to be like this. This was meant to be a group of four dividing the work equally.

"That's enough for today." He finally admitted. Mask closed his laptop with a sneeze. Army rubbed his temples. If this was how it was going to be, he wasn't sure if he could handle it.

"You are dismissed." he told Mask, who really didn't care. Army was mostly just dismissing himself, as he strode out of the library as quickly as possible. He continued his prestigious walk home, pulling out his phone on the way.

Perhaps some turf would help him relax, he thought. He pulled up the Team Orange group chat.

I am on my way to Inkopolis Square, please meet me there in 10 minutes for practice. Forge, could you bring your spare N-Zap?

It was only after he clicked send, that he realized the Team Orange group chat was not his most recent. The school project one was, and he had totally just sent turf plans to the wrong numbers.

Aloha: lol whos forge? she cute?

Army's face flushed a bright orange. I apologize, that was meant for my teammates. Wrong numbers.

Aloha: i didnt know mr class president played turf!

Aloha's improper grammar was starting to bug Army, but he took a breath, trying his best to remember that most teenagers his age were just plain lazy.

Skull: So you play N-Zap, huh?

Now Skull was here. Could this day get any worse?

Army: Yes, I main the N-Zap '85.

Aloha: nzaps do like no damage tho…

Army: Actually, the high fire rate makes up for the low damage output. If the user can land a fair amount of consecutive shots, it splats opponents almost faster than other shooters. It's also a highly accurate and lightweight weapon, making strafing all the more easier.

Aloha: wow, we get it, ur a nerd. tho im with ya on shooters- best weapon class.

Army: The party animal plays turf? Who would have thought?

Aloha: yep! .52 gal main here~

Army reached into one of the many pockets on his jacket, retrieving a small notebook and even smaller pencil. Never would he have thought he'd be dedicating a page of the Squid Net Manuel to Aloha of all Inklings, but he could never be too careful. In neat letters he scrawled Aloha's name, age, estimated height, and weapon choice.

Skull: I play turf sports too, but I'm a sniper. E-Liter 4K Scope, it's the best way to support my team.

Ah, so Skull had a team. Army flipped to a clean page before returning to the conversation.

Army: Who's on your team? Does it have a name?

Skull: Yeah, we're Team Superior- It's me, Aviators, Vintage, and my gf Omega.

"Interesting…" He replied, jotting down the names. He didn't want to be too obvious by asking what they mained, so he'd research it later. And Superior, he'd heard that name before, if he remembered correctly, they were S rank as well. That was something he had to know for sure.

Army: So you're S rank?

Aloha: of course i am!

Army: I was asking Skull, but okay, good to know.

That couldn't be true. Lazy, carefree Aloha, an S ranked player? He wrote an "S?" next to his name.

Skull: Uh huh. Our whole team is S+, all modes.

Why was he being so calm about it? Was he just showing off?

Mask: ...I'm S rank too.

Army wondered how long Mask had been there without saying anything. Probably the entire time, Army couldn't remember ever seeing Mask without his phone. He flipped to a new page. How could a sickly Inkling fight well enough to obtain S rank? Again, he wrote "S?" next to Mask's name. Looks like he had a lot more research to do.

Skull: Cool. What you main? Got a team?

Mask: carbon roller deco. And no.

Aloha: lol me either, i play with skull sometimes tho~

Army secretly thanked Skull for asking.

Aloha: oh shoot skull we gotta go

Skull: Oh yeah, you're right. Uh, see you guys at school tomorrow I guess?

Army: Alright.

Mask: sure.

Army couldn't help but wonder what could be so important for them to leave for- it's not like they had any certain group project on their minds. Probably a party or some other thing most squids his age did. He huffed in dignified disapproval. But he couldn't stay upset- he had some turf records to review.