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"... all of your progresses are coming to an end, Mirii Kelpshell." The man's eyes opened. "The vase is safely traveling away from your attention…"
Mirii growls loudly: she starts walking, only to have Hun's right arm stretching sideways, resting on her body.
"Are you truly believing this whole organization will keep the vase off my hands?!" Her hands were resting on Hun's right arm, as her eyes squeezed a bit. "I have a new objective to take care of… I'll perfectly achieve such conquer, even if you are trying to splat me"
"You can forget that… I got what I was seeking: seeing the vase away from you." His eyes reclosed.
FUM!
It was my pleasure, meeting the Perfection Seeker in person… I can see the potentials everyone was talking about.
The two Inklings' heads rose, both were frowning.
It's going to be a matter of time, before the Perfection Seeker will truly dig through this project… that will be the moment, I'd be very curious to follow through…
The wind was whispering in the air. Mirii's irises went left and right.
"… you can lower your guard, Hunley." Mirii walks to the right, passing the boy, then moving back on the left. "There is only the large buffoon observing us from above." Her arms folded.
"And so I'd be th' buffoon, huh?! Ye be th' one talkin', Squid! Ye lost th' vase long ago too!" Roy's right fist was moving back and forth, while his face was frowning.
"Hmpf. Nothing escapes my sight… unlike your crew of idiots, who will mindlessly look throughout Inkopolis." Her left forefinger was pointing towards the man. "Listen carefully at my warning: if you happen to stand in my way of perfection, I'll not hesitate sending you back in your flying ship. Understood?"
"Don't hurt us, ok?!" Hun hugs Mirii from her behind.
Both blushed a lot.
"Har har har! A pirate o' one thousand rum bottles doesn't waste th' time 'n energy wit' puny Squids..." His right fist slammed on the platform's small border. "At th' same time, I don't wants t' get in th' ship without doin' somethin' about th' situation... I'll get humiliated by me envious rivals!"
"Hmpf." Mirii's head rose, as her arms folded. "You should rethink about challenging the Perfection Seeker: even your rivals would end up in humiliation, if they are doubting my intelligence."
"Interestin'... mighty interestin'!" His right hand fell inside his right pocket.
His hand pulled out a remote control: his left forefinger pushed one of the small, red buttons.
FFWWOOOOOSSSHHH!
The platform took off from the pillar: two flames were coming from below, each on the platform's extremes.
"So, this is how you intend solving your situation?!" Mirii's knees bended down, while frowning. "Crooks like you need to be thrown inside a jail… and I would had been glad to do as such!"
"Enough wit' this pointless natter!" His left hand went from the left to the right. "I don't wants t' get caught lazin' wit' th' enemy."
His left forefinger pressed the bigger red button, located on the bottom of the remote.
WARNING! SELF-DESTRUCTING SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.
The two Inklings' irises shrunk, as their heads kept twisting left and right. Roy laughed loudly, a bit bending down.
"'ave fun, panickin' like th' helpless Squids ye be! I'll eagerly wait fer th' good news, back in me Captain Room."
His left forefinger pressed the right arrow, located above the red buttons: the platform was twisting clock-wise. The captain's left forefinger pressed the up arrow: the platform starts moving forward.
"So long, scurvy dogs!" His left hand was waving towards the Inklings.
"Mirii, wh-what's going on exactly?!" Sweat was jumping out of his forehead, as his head turned over the girl and his arms were waving up and down. "I-I don't know what a Self-Destructing Sequence is… but it doesn't sound good!"
"That's because it's terrible! Really terrible!" Sweat covered Mirii's forehead. "We must find Bars and Grina, before evacuating this ridiculous vehicle!"
FIVE MINUTES LEFT… PLEASE, TAKE THE SAFE BOATS ON THE SHIP'S EDGE.
"LET'S MOVE, HUNLEY!" Mirii sprints towards the crate. "After all those efforts, I do not want to fail right now!"
She stops in front of the crate: her hands went on her mouth's sides.
"BARS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Her eyebrows went up.
Her ears were raising. Hun stops near Mirii's right side.
"He's not answering… he must have fain"
Finally! Some familiar faces!
Mirii screamed, immediately turning behind and standing on her left leg, as her hands were sideways with the left one behind her right one: Grina stops, as her eyes expanded.
"Hey, hey!" Her hands were moving back and forth. "What's up with that fighting pose?! I'm your friend!" Her fingers rest on her chest, as her eyebrows went up.
Mirii growled, as her arms stretched down and her fists clenched.
"Why you…" Her eyes squeezed a little. "Where have you been?!"
"Looking for Barsy, unlike you two…" She frowns, as her hands went on her hips. "So much for helping friends"
"He fell behind this crate!" A vein popped out on her forehead. "And if we don't act quickly, we'll blow up along with this ship!"
"I knew that, Captain Obvious!" Grina's cheeks puffed. "I ain't born stupid, you know!" Her head rose a little, as her irises pointed at the crate. "Hunry, would you give me a push? I'll get on the crate and get Bars out."
"W-will you not fall inside the crate, right?!" His hands were opened, pointing towards the girl.
"HUNRY!" Her eyes squeezed a little. "What did I said before?! I ain't born stupid! Don't make me repeat that music again…"
"S-sorry!" His hands went on his head, as his feet were stomping in place and sweat was jumping from his head. "I-I just don't want to see the situation getting worse…"
"It will not! Trust me!" Grina walks towards the boy. "Come on now, farm boy! Give me a hand here…"
She jumps towards Hun, turning into a Squid: his hands caught her, quickly throwing her up. Her feet landed on the crate, as her knees were immediately bending down and her irises were seeing something blurry…
"Barsy?! Send a beat over here!" Her eyebrows went up.
"… uuuuhh… … whoa… … is that you, Grina?" His voice was coming from the crate.
"The only!" She smiles. "Thank turfness you are fine!"
She chuckles a bit, tilting her head to the left, closing her eyes and grinning.
"Looks like a crate can't stop the mighty Barsy…! Not a big surprise for me, actually."
"… heh… even as a Squid, crates fear me…" His head sticks out of the crate's hole. "Not to sound all ego, but can I stay inside this crate for another 5 minutes…? It's rather comfy here, actually… I was getting a good sleep"
"YOU IDIOT!" Mirii's right foot stomped three times, as multiple veins popped out from her forehead. "THIS SHIP IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP IN LESS THAN FOUR MINUTES!"
Bars' eyes almost popped out.
"FOR REAL?! WHY IN THE WORLD ARE WE CHATTING THEN?!" He jumps out, landing on the crate. "LET'S SCRAM, EVERYONE!"
"Scram by jump-diving towards the grass?! Not for me!" Grina's arms opened wide, as she starts trembling. "I would appreciate the more safer, kid-friendly approach with the safe boat!"
"Then let's get that safe boat crackin'!" Bars jumps behind the crate. "Like, if this is a ship… the safe boat should be hangin' on the edges, right?!"
THREE MINUTES LEFT…
"Of course." Mirii was walking around the crate, stopping in front of the ship's edge. "Once we find the boat, we shall deploy"
"THE ONLY ONE OF THIS SIDE IS WAY BACK THERE!" Grina's right forefinger was pointing in a direction, as her eyes expanded. "FOLLOW ME!"
The girl jumps out of the crate, sprinting forward. Soon, Bars and Mirii were right behind her with the girl standing to the left. Hun was running past the two Inklings and even Grina, as his eyes closed and his teeth were gritted.
"Whoa! Someone winded up Hunry!" Grina's mouth opened a bit. "Look at him running!"
"He's truly an expert in movement!" Mirii rose her head. "I-I'm simply amazed from his mastery in sprinting…"
TWO MINUTES LEFT…
"Uuufffff!" Grina was sliding forward, stopping in front of a cloth-covered ship. "Uuugghh…" Her right wrist was drenching her foreward, while bending down and panting loudly. "Once I get my feet back on the grass, I want to take a quick nap…"
"You animal!" Mirii was frowning, as her hands were pulling out the cloth, throwing it behind herself. "Sleeping on the grass… I don't want to have friends devolving themselves into primordial stages." She jumps on the boat.
"I don't wanna wait to reach my bed, before napping!" Grina frowns, as she stands on the boat, one leg at the time. "I'm a living being, Miss Perfection! Yeah yeah, I want to have fun… but I can't get any more of that, without taking breaks!"
"Girl, I can't agree more!" Bars sits on a wooden seat, as his head points up and let out a loud sigh. "I can't beat stuff down, if I'm the one beaten down."
Hun jumps inside the ship.
ONE MINUTE LEFT…
Mirii snorted.
"After all we went through… you two didn't boost any stamina"
"ARGH!" Hun's right foot was pressing on the floor, as his head was turning left and right rapidly. "GET THIS THING STARTED, ALREADY!"
Grina and Bars were looking at each other, with their irises shrunk. Mirii turns behind: two hooks were grasping the boat's edge.
"… I-I'm sure all we need to do at this point is to remove the hooks and"
"FINE! I'LL REMOVE THEM!" Hun stands up.
His hands pulled up the right hook, then the boy immediately jumped in front of the left one, pulling it up as well.
"DONE!" His arms opened, as his teeth gritted. "Not to sound rude or anything, but why talking normally in a time like this?! Wasn't it clear enough that the ship is about to blow up?!"
The three Inklings were staring down Hun: their faces got paler.
"… ehm… wh-why those looks now?!" His eyebrows rose. "I-I even said"
"Hunley… I-I didn't finish my sentence..." Her right cheek was twitching. "This boat is suspended in thin air…"
"… ah… …" He swallows silently. "… r-really?" He chuckles a bit.
Jerkily he turns behind, seeing the left hook.
"Then… I-I will just"
The boat falls down rapidly! The four Inklings were yelling loudly! Grina jumped towards Bars, as he lifts the girl and hugged her!
FIFTEEN SECONDS LEFT…
Mirii's irises were bouncing all over the place, making the same movements!
"I… must… find… the… solution…" Her irises fell down.
A small, metallic lid was resting on the floor, in front of her feet: her right fingers pulled it up, as a red button was standing underneath it.
"Wh-whatever this button will do…" A single sweat passed through her small nose.
TEN… NINE… EIGHT…
"… screw precautions!" Her right hand pushes the button.
FFLLOOOPP!
A white rubber dinghy grew below the boat! It was falling towards a rock… impacting on it, diagonally! The four Inklings sprung all out of the boat, flying backwards!
FOUR… THREE… TWO… ONE…
BBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!
Large pieces of metal were flying all over the place! The four legs were slowly falling down, heavily landing on the grass. Bars was sliding down on his back, with his legs pointing up! Mirii kept rolling, moving towards a bush.
Hun turned into a Squid, sliding on the grass and stopping gradually. He returns into his humanoid form, as he starts turning left and right.
"MIRII! MIRII, WHERE ARE YOU?!" His eyebrows were up, his mouth downturned.
Frush… frush…
From the bush, Mirii was slowly walking out of it, while frowning: a twig was sticking from behind her right ear, leafs were coming out from her clothes and her cheeks were puffed. Her head turned to her left, spitting down more leaf.
"Blaugh…" Her right hand covered her mouth, as her eyelids lowered to the middle. "… most, imperfect landing… ever…"
Hun's arms were wrapping around the girl.
"Are you alright?! Th-that was a terrible fall…!" His head was tilting down, as his body was trembling a bit.
Mirii's face got gradually red, as her mouth opened wide. She smiled.
"Hunley… the nightmare is over." Her arms wrapped around him. "We emerged victoriously… with perfection."
Hun chuckles a bit.
"Yes! The Stingrays are beaten yet again!" He tilts his head backwards, pointing down Mirii. "And it was all thanks to you!"
Mirii giggles.
"I may receive all this gratitude with pride… but I cannot take all of it: egoism is a trait who can't live in my soul. Hunley, I want to see you receiving the same gratitude…" Her eyes closed.
"Don't forget us!" Grina grins, as her right arm was covering Bars' shoulders. "The Inkinators triumphed once more! That's the stuff I want to see!" Her left eye closed, as her left thumb rested on her chest.
"Eh eh! Like, I wouldn't mind if they would do a cartoon or even an anime based on our adventures, at this point…!" Bars' eyes were closed, as his eyebrows were up and his mouth was smiling.
"Cool idea!" Grina's head turned over Bars, as her eyes were sparkling. "You already got a top-notch actress in the group!"
"Hmm… demonstrating perfection on the set…" Her head rose, while smiling. "I must say, that's a rather interesting project…"
"Ehm… I'm not sure if I like the idea of getting all that attention…" A sweat drop appears on Hun's left side of his head. "Let alone understanding anything about acting…!"
"Aaawww, don't say such thing, Hunry!" Grina's left arm wrapped around Hun's shoulders. "Didn't I told you how much potentials I see in your eyes?!"
The four Inklings starts walking towards the forest.
"And don't think I'm lying just for the sake of it! I'm a professional! If I would lie to a dear friend, I would lie to myself too!" Grina's eyes closed.
"I-I would never make you look like a liar, Grina!" Hun's head turned towards the girl. "What kind of friend I would be?!"
"Dude, like you can't say lies even if you want to!" Bars' right arm stretched a bit to the right. "Wish I would know some tricks like that…"
"You can't, Bars." Mirii's right forefinger was pointing up. "Hunley's kindness is unmatched. Not even my genius could replicate such natural talent…"
The four Inkling kept walking, slowly entering inside the forest…
Sigh… I just can't seem to calm down… … those four kids… … they make me rage so much, yet I can't really blame them…
This luxurious office chair I'm sitting… it's so relaxing… I can feel the power coming through it… I have to admit, without the Inkinators who knows when I'll become the chief… probably never…
Knock knock.
Come in.
Hey there, Tonna!
Huh?! You guys! What a surprise!
How are you, Tonna? I see you are totally immersed inside a beautiful dream.
… aaah… you can say that, again…! I'm twisting around this chair… I'm admiring my all-new, sophisticate office… really, I can't even think of a possible need right now!
I would even be satisfied, even with that chair alone… I-I'm not sure if I would be worthy enough to sit on it…
Want to try it? Go ahead!
Gasp! Are you… s-sure, Tonna?! C-can I really sit… th-there?!
My friends have a free pass! I could even arrange you with some nice ornaments for your offices…
Whoa… to think I was getting so worried about you, Tonna! Being covered so much from all the luxury could change someone, you know…
Ha ha ha! Doesn't work with me! I got too much paper work to do in the past, it's a milestone caved inside my head!
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Anyway, please take a seat! You Clari, take my chair!
Bu-but I'm not a chief…
I insist! I'll call the bellhop to bring some snacks and drinks!
Oooooh, fancy…! Who would have thought that being a chief could mean all those privileges?!
Aaaah, yes… and I intend to enjoy every last bit of them!
Ship, you'll stay here for all day then!
But now guys… stop talking about me! I'm still regular Tonna with zero things to say… what about you?
Ah, yes… actually, we got here to tell you something rather important…
Hmm? Oh yeah yeah, sure! Tell me everything who's nudging you… I'll solve that in no time!
It's nothing too complicated, actually. It's just a simple question, that's all…
Sure, go ahead. I'm all ears.
Alright… … do you know this Mirii Hanache?
…
…
Wh-why are you asking me that…?
… we were on a mission, earlier… it's actually a rather turfing story… you know, one of those.
… I heard that Stingrays were attacking farm towns…
We were sent there to check things out. Turns out, they were using this weird liquid we have never seen before… unfortunately, we got captured by our enemies. With the aid of some turfing luck, we were saved after a long time.
From who?
From a ninja… and this Mirii Hanache. She was staying with this boy who looks like a farmer.
… ah… interesting…
Tonna, we know you became a chief because of Mirii Kelpshell. We heard many things from her… even that rumor who's getting in everyone's ears.
Th-the fact she knows something about that…? Yeah, I know that one too…
Look, we are not here to throw ship at Mirii… we are here to know the truth, Tonna.
This is important… if that girl we saw is really THAT Mirii Kelpshell…
Ha ha ha! Wh-what are you talking about?! She's… eeehhmmm… out! Out for a mission!
… Tonna… before we reached your room, we took a look on the Permission Records. We found turfing Mirii Kelpshell on the list.
We also found her other friends, including Hun Squidson.
Th-that name… made me realize about the fact she called him Hunley, so many times… notice the Hun at the beginning of the name.
… ehm… come on, guys…! You ar-aren't seriously suggesting that
Tonna, you gave permission to Mirii and her friends. Don't say ship on this, please. This is serious…
We are not here to accuse you… we want to protect you. You know that there are Agents getting envious about your status… if they have proofs about Mirii Hanache, being truly Mirii Kelpshell… that would be really trouble for you.
The turfing ninja also splatted us. That's because he mentioned the existence of a vase. He said that Mirii was looking for that thing too…
Why?
I chatted with my friend, while I was reporting our mission… he said that a group of Agents were actually sent on those fields, earlier. They claimed to have finally found an important element connected to Project Neo.
… th-the vase…?
He also heard that it was just a stupid vase. Along with it, the Agents captured two old scientists. I bet their butts are inside the Interrogation Room…
Tonna… do you see the reason why we are here? It wouldn't take too much work to create a dangerous accusation…
If that girl IS that Mirii and she's truly snooping around those private affairs… you might as well hope to even get on the turfing road!
…
…
… if you happen to see the Inkinators… please, send them in my office… I have a long, long speech in mind…