"Sir, we've arrived." A quiet voice from the driver seat makes itself known. "Inktopolis' Police Headquarters. Would you like an escort inside?"
"No, no, that's quite alright." An inkling, far older than the one in the front seat, lets out a long sigh. "This is Onishima we are talking about. He can hardly catch a fly let alone those foolish outcasts. Besides, without me, he wouldn't have this job in the first place..."
"... Uh... That's great and all, sir, but... Why are you telling me this? Don't you like, have an appointment or-?"
"You see, it all started in my youth-"
"Oh good god he's monologuing again- Mister Rokkaku, please, you're going to be late to your meeting!"
"DON'T YOU INTERRUPT ME YOU LITTLE-" He lets out a strained growl, before conceding. "No, never mind that, you're right. If I don't get in there, I'm going to have to put in ear plugs while that bumbling buffoon screeches at me." With that said, the man opens up the door to the car, and steps outside.
Lanky, tall, wearing black and white, with black inked tentacles, smoothed down to the scalp to provide a sheen and clean skull to match, slick glasses framing his face, Seigouji Rokkaku enters the scene...
"Please don't call me that..."
Call you what? Seigouji?
"It's just Gouji, thank you."
What?! How am I gonna put the fish name pun in there though if it's just-
"Shut up and get to the point, would you?!" The jerkfish old gourd that is Gouki Rokkaku waves off the narrator as he leaves the scene. What a stubborn old fart.
"... I think boss is off his meds again." The driver lets out a long sigh, as he parks the car nearby, having witnessed an old man practically arguing with the sky. How that man's the most powerful business tycoon this side of Inkopolis is beyond his understanding...
-=Chapter 2, Part 4: Overture To Grace And Glory=-
Gouji enters into the police station, and immediately, every person inside goes dead silent.
"Good to see you all know to respect your elders. Is Onishima in?" He asks the receptionist at the front desk, who is quivering in her shorts at the sight of him.
"R-... Right this way sir!" Panicking, the girl quickly leaves her post to guide Gouji directly to Police Chief Onishima. 'Just don't do anything to upset him. I have a match in an hour. If I can just get him to his office, then I can disappear for the rest of today and never see Gouji Rokkaku again!' was the thought that was racing through her head.
Thankfully, even though Gouji is aware of the narrator, he is unaware of the thoughts of other people. This is known as a convenience. See-
"Shut up."
"Eep!" The girl practically feels her heart skip a beat. Can he read minds now?!
A very awkward escort later, with every police officer in the building finding a moment to stop and stare, even while escorting some recently arrested Rudies (Keep your eyes on the one in the back, that one's important for later. Yeah, the one in the beanie. We'll be back for him-) and allowing them to slink away while the rest of the police find themselves unable to look away, terrified.
Except for Onishima, who is, of course, doing what he does best. Loudly and abrasively abusing the eardrums of other inklings through his phone.
"I told you, we had those plans set for TODAY! Where are my damn splatanks?! What about my new handcuffs, huh?! Where's the stuff you promised me?! WHADDAYA MEAN IT'LL TAKE YOU A FEW MONTHS?! I NEEDED THOSE PUNKS ARRESTED YESTERDAY!"
"Ahem..." Gouji politely clears his throat-
"IN A MINUTE!" Onishima not-so-politely roars back.
Gouji was sitting down when he cleared his throat for his attention. Now, he's flat on his back from the sheer force of Onishima's wrath. He adjusts his suit, as he carefully rights himself, and it, back to normal. Onishima will not hear the end of this one.
And... Neither will Gouji, as Onishima continues to hollar down his telephone.
"AND IF I DON'T GET AT LEAST THOSE INKCOPTERS BY TOMORROW, I'M GONNA HAVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FIRED! You hear me?! I WILL RUIN YOU!" He finishes the conversation by slamming the phone as he ends the call. How it survives such daily abuse is beyond anyone's understanding.
"Mornin' Mister Rokakku! Wonderful day today, eh?! Ya need somethin'?" And for the first time, uncomfortably so, Onishima is seen smiling in public. After all, Gouji Rokkaku deservers every bit of respect that Onishima can give, considering he's the reason he's the chief of police to begin with.
"... It was better when you weren't screaming at me, Chief Onishima." He adjusts his glasses, and sighs. "So. I hear you're having trouble getting your... Armaments? Is that right?"
"Oh my- Boss, with all due respect? These guys can't develop anything worth crap! What kind of savants did you hire for this job?!"
"I assure you, Onishima, they will get the job done. You simply need to give them time. Those... 'Rudies' can wait. I need you for something important." Gouji reaches into his suit jacket, and the pulls out a file, putting it on the table between them...
"Eh? Whuzzat?" Onishima takes the file, and opens it, reading into it...
"Something something something, uhhhh, something something, record player, something something, devil's contract, blah blah-"
"Please, Onishima, read the entire report?"
"Augghhh! Fine..." He starts over again...
"Somewhere in Inkopolis there's a record that, when played over a record player, completes something called 'The Devil's Contract' and allows for the-" Onishima lets out a sigh, and puts the file down. "Boss, did you give me some kinda creative writing prompt or something?! The hell is this?!"
"It's your next job, if you want to keep your position-"
"OH! Of course! This is such a serious file! I shoulda known better! Ahaha! Man, yeah, this file? Super serious business. Definitely not completely insane." Onishima lets out a long, lingering, awkward laugh, which can be heard across the building... Everyone is frightened by the sound. Has the chief finally gone mad?! Is he going to start rampaging in the building?!
"But... Uh... You want us to find this... Devil's Contract?" Onishima looks over at Gouji with a curious gaze...
"Yes, Chief Onishima. Do this for me, and I'll be sure that the Rokkaku group gives you a considerable bonus on your next paycheck. If you don't... Well, I'm sure there are better people to take the position. More... Agreeable people..."
Onishima gulps at the implications of denying it... But he lets out a sigh. Yeah, he was gonna agree to this anyway. He was hooked in the moment he heard "Bonus" and "Rokkaku group" in the same sentence. That's an early retirement fund there.
"Alright, I'm in. You'll get your silly record." Onishima starts rereading the file... Some guy called Coin is mentioned in it. Apparently, he's got a huge record collection... But there's just one problem. The guy is a whole city away...
"... Erm-"
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. In the meantime, I have another appointment to attend. Inkopolis' position for Mayor isn't going to claim itself, after all. Now, if you need me, you know how to contact me. Just do me a favor?"
"Yeah! Anything, bossman! Whattaya need?!"
"Don't contact me."
Onishima gulps, and then nods. Looks like he's on his own for this one...
Gouji leaves the station, and gets into his car. Yet another business meeting... He can't wait until he's done with these. Soon, Inkopolis will be his... And after Inkopolis? The world will be his... He has a smile on his face just thinking about it. An evil smile... So mysterious and dastardly was he. Delightfully devilish indeed...
Little does he know, that a certain gas-masked wearing Inkling was nearby, tailing the car...
"What does the Rokkaku group have to do with the police...?" Agent 3 thinks to himself... Surely, there's something strange going on here...
Splatsville
Splatsville is a place that's hard to find. Usually, the people of Splatsville tend to have more reserved inklings. People who tend to stay loners by themselves, but as a community, can really liven things up.
But, compared to Inkopolis, the place is like a grinder. People come in, and get mixed in with all the infrastructure... They don't come out the same.
That's why, to people in Splatsville, it's known by a second name.
Grind City.
Grind City is both a district of Splatsville, and a rude awakening to the people that settle in the city. Filled with all kinds of thugs and densely packed, it's hard to get by, even when you play turf wars. Here, in Splatsville, where the desert sun beats down on the poor inkling denizens, is where we find the next step in our journey.
Combo is another thug like any other, bigger than most inklings, he's an exceptionally strong guy. Doesn't play turf wars, but in the Splatlands, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't, so he goes around doing what any other thug does. Shake down inklings for their money. Of course, it's not like he's a big fan of general thuggery, but you do what you do to make ends meet. Here, outsiders and turf-warring inklings alike are on equal ground.
Combo isn't like the other inklings. He's also an Octarian.
Here, the Inklings and the Octarions live in a relative harmony. Sure, there are some tensions between the two races, but they are amicable at worst. After all, suffering is a good way to make friends in Splatsville, and there's more than enough of that to go around. There's no greater example of unity than Combo's best friend, Coin.
Coin is an inkling. He's on the frailer side and doesn't like to do too much physical activity. He stays away from turf wars purely so he can focus on what he likes best. Collecting records.
Records are an old technology dug up from long forgotten memories. Coin has some of the oldest records known to Inkkind. Of course, the use of Music Records has long since been adopted by Inkling culture, and was further innovated upon with the invention of the Radio, the CD, and other such inventions for recording and playing sounds.
Coin and Combo met one day on pure coincidence. Coin was getting mugged for his records, and Combo protected him. Combo was a bit of a hypocrite. He didn't like seeing people mess with the little guy, despite him constantly messing with the little guy in his line of work. Didn't mean he approved of it, it was just what you had to do to get by. After some talk, Coin and Combo quickly became good friends, and Coin was the first to introduce Combo to his now beloved jukebox.
Combo keeps the jukebox on him everywhere he goes. He listens to the songs that Coin collected over the years, adapted to cassette tapes for easy listening. It's also how he listens to the radio, though up until lately, he hasn't used the radio often. Mostly because what's on the radio has never really been interesting to him... Until now, that is.
Combo sits in the park, listening to some music from the radio... It's groovy, he'll admit, but he doesn't care much for the music right now. What he's interested in is the DJ.
And, as if summoning the man himself to speak, a familiar voice booms out of his speakers...
"Hey you boys and girls, -BUZZZZ- havin' a good time out there?! Well you will be when you -BRZZZT-rom your favorite guerilla music broadcaster, JET SQUID RA-BBBZZZZZZZZZZZZT!-"
Combo, obviously, gets very bad reception out here. If not for the signal boosters that Coin managed to set up, he'd never be able to hear this...
"Let's go to the mailbag!" Professor K, as Combo learned their name was, seemed to be reading the mail his station got. "This one's from Mister Osaki- quote, -BZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT-. Easy! Just burn your house down!"
Combo lets out a loud gruff laugh at that. He loves this dude. He wishes he could meet him in person one day. Wouldn't that be cool? But this guy doesn't even know where to begin... Travel plans are out of the question...
"Yo! Combo! What's up man?!" Suddenly, a girl appears, waving at Combo as she struts over to the bench he's sitting on.
"'Sup Cube?" He waves back at her, and turns his jukebox down. He never puts it down though. "Coin ain't with ya?"
"Nah." Cube lets out a long yawn, as she sits down, and stretches a bit. "Something about a new record he found. He says it's pretty cool- some real spooky vibes though. Wonder what he found?"
"Probably one of those weird speeches again. You know how I don't like ghosts and stuff." He scoffs a bit. "Seriously, hearing the dead talk? Just gives me the heebie jeebies... Eugh. Don't like that, no sir."
"Aw, it's just a recording, Combo. Not like there's gonna be magical monster ghosts that come out of the record to spook ya, right?" Cube chuckles at the thought. "Besides, I'm happy for him! You should be too. The guy's super enthused to show you later."
"What, more than his girlfriend?" He gives Cube a sideways glance.
"Part of me thinks he sees you as a boyfriend the way he talks about you!" Cube lets out a boisterous laugh, before patting Combo on the shoulder that's holding his Jukebox up. "What'cha listenin' to?"
"That new Jet Squid Radio. Combo fixed up my jukebox to pick up those real long signals." He pats his jukebox affectionately. "The guy's a total whizz. Don't think I can thank him enough for this cool thing..."
They share a moment of silence...
"Hey, Cube?"
"Yeah, Combo?"
"You ever think about getting outta the grinder?"
Cube thinks about it for a moment, then shrugs. "Hey, anywhere is better than here, right? But it's not like we got a reason to really leave. All our stuff is here!"
Combo chuckles a bit at that. "Yeah, yeah. True enough..."
"True enough..."
There's a long moment of silence. It's not awkward, just... Quiet. Companionable.
"That's all I got for you squiddies today! Tune in for the results of today's Rudie Rudetactular Spray-paintathon! Keep on rebellin' rudies!" Professor K ends his segment with more tunes.
"Heh. I like that guy." Cube comments idly.
"Yeah. Me too." Combo agrees. "I wonder what he looks like though..."
Coin coughs from exhausting himself, as he runs around his room, trying to save what he can. He has to hide it. He can't let anyone find this...
What he found isn't any ordinary record... This thing? It's evil... He knows it...
He has to get rid of it somehow. He has to...
There's banging on his door. They found him... He needs to get out and fast... He needs to send a message to the others.
He opens up a dufflebag in his room. A lone spray-can sits at the bottom, as well as some turf-war gear that he bought for an occasion like this... He hopes he won't need to use it...
He hops out of the window, quietly, trying to make sure nobody spots him as he makes his escape... He has to send them a message. They have to get outta Splatsville immediately, because this grinder is about to get turned on...
The door breaks down, as five suited inklings break in. They look around, and find a bunch of records on the ground, smashed to bits...
"He went out the window. Get Agent 5 on his trail." One of them commands. Another of them nods, and slips their sleeve up to reveal a communicator...
DJ Mushoo's Author's Note
Finally, we're picking up the pace! It felt like this fic had a pretty fast pace to begin with, but we're officially booting up the canon original JSR storyline, with almost all the major characters properly introduced! I'm pretty excited, to be honest, especially after having been mulling over this for a few years. This fic suffered from the classic case of "I know how I want to end this and I had a great start but I lost steam halfway". I was younger then, but I've done a lot these past few years since I last updated to really reflect on how I write stories.
I'm tempted to actually put up a discord or maybe a forum for this fic as a neat way to introduce people to my favorite past-time, which is Discord Roleplays. Specifically, Discord Roleplaying Games. I've been doing a lot of Game Mastering- to the point where I've even made my own RPG systems, and they helped me a lot in sticking through my stories and helping me flesh out the bits between. I prefer it over normal roleplaying too, which I used to do very often. Now I only do those kinds of roleplays as a side gig or on request from my friends. Depends on how I feel. That aside, though, it's nice to return to this fic finally. I was originally going to post this one yesterday but I ended up getting sidetracked. The next chapter I should be able to knock out soon and send your way.
At the very least, I think a discord for Jet Squid Radio would be neat. That way, when I disappear for long periods of time, you guys can yell at me to keep updating, and I can more actively interact with you guys reading this.
Speaking of which, thanks for reading! The last thing I want to point out is that Chapter 2 is very long. You noticed that we haven't reached Chapter 3 yet? That's still a long way coming! Chapter 2 is going to focus on the first chapter of JSR, complete with my own personal flourish of lore and backstories and what have you- and a fun return of Marina as a more central character. Chapter 3 however will not follow along with JSR's Chapter 2. I have something fun planned for that.
Oh, and the dog. We can't forget about the dog. That comes in the next part.
I better cut this AN short before it inflates the chapter word length longer than I anticipated. Keep on rebellin', rudies!
