Splatoon: The Bate Bros.
Octo Valley Expedition
"Ancient weapons? Bah, the Great Octoweapons were all destroyed in the Great Turf War, there's no possibility to a surviving mech. Those Inklings up there made sure of it, twice now. Lies, nothing but lies."
"Fine, don't believe me. But if you don't at least try to put those rumors to rest, you're gonna have one heck of an Octarian uprising on your hands. What's the great DJ Octavio gonna do when he gets assaulted by hundreds of thousands of upset, questioning people who want to know if they're safe or not? Your forces aren't gonna help you then."
"...sigh. Alright, Send out T-41, tell her to rally our Inkling allies. C-H1, if you are right, you will be granted freedom, no questions asked. However, if it turns out you were lying in some sort of attempt to distract us or get our allies splatted…" An ink gun was heard cocking. "You will be eliminated."
"I swear on the honor of an Octoling. Unbind me, and I will make sure that the expedition is done thoroughly." Chi promised.
"Oh you better."
"Alright, you got your roller ready?" Splin asked.
Sharq raised his large Krak-On Splat Roller, odometer sticking to the handle, accidentally bashing the ceiling. "Yup!"
Splin looked at the ceiling with a steady nod. "...And we wait…"
The ceiling cracked where Sharq had accidentally bashed it.
"Knew it. Good that I didn't already pay for repairs." He reached for his Forge Splattershot Pro, all cleaned with a brilliant shine to ensure proper precision. "Ah, one second."
Sticking his hand into his pocket, Splin pulled out the figurine of Ann-Gel, placing it gently on the dresser.
"You're collecting figurines?" Sharq tilted his head. "She looks pretty nice."
"Um, found her on the ground in Inkopolis Plaza, no one seemed to be missing it."
"'It'? C'mon Splin!" A miniature feminine voice protested, a hint of amusement added to the tone.
"What was that?" Sharq asked.
The statuette pursed her lips, a bead of artificial sweat rolling down her face.
"Probably just hearing things, we'll talk about her later." Splin winked discreetly to the statuette, who nodded.
"Alright, well let's get going!" Sharq exclaimed, opening the doors and jumping outside.
Splin began to follow, but was interrupted.
"Psst! Splin, you're gonna tell him about me, right?"
Splin looked back at the statuette.
"Of course. Wouldn't forget about it." Splin waved.
Ann-Gel smiled. Suddenly, a Super Sea Snail and a cube sat down by her, staring at her intently. The alarm clock sat by as well, hardly beeping as if listening and waiting.
"Hello!" She greeted them, the three others sitting by, ready to listen to whatever tales she had to tell. "You dudes wanna hear a bit of a story?"
Salty hopped up and down joyfully, the cube glowing. The alarm clock stayed silent.
Ann-Gel giggled. "Alright, well it all started in a plaza…"
Both of the Bate Brothers had left their home, standing outside on the soft grass surrounding them, and Super Jumped once more to the city of squids, straight towards the manhole leading to the valley of the octopi.
"So, where exactly did Tai tell you we should meet her?" Splin asked loudly, zooming through the clouds.
"Kinda sketchy, something about meeting us in Octo Valley? She said we'd know where to go exactly, uh… That's it." Sharq finished, spinning around in the air a little, shaking away birds flying close by.
Both of them were closing in on Inkopolis Plaza, aiming for the manhole cover leading into Octo Valley, determination etched on their faces. They were just a little off this time. And by a little, I'd say, landing into the Squid Sisters' studio while a broadcast was happening, that close.
"Appreciating the helpful tips voice." Splin rolled his eyes, shaking off the landing.
The entire studio cast and crew stared at the two in a mix of shock and surprise. Marie quietly sneaked towards them, popping up from between the two, not too happy to see the two somehow enter the studio via ceiling.
"Agent A, B, what are you DOING?" She whispered irritably.
"Uh, visiting, don't mind us, we're just leaving." Splin said, dashing out of the door before they could ask him any other questions.
"Hello Inkopolis, goodbye!" Sharq waved to the camera, leaving the studio and the audience with a very confused and dumbfounded stare.
They both dashed through the studio's staircase, leaving the building soon after, quickening their pace
"Sharq, you should pick up the pace." Splin said, ducking through Inklings walking by.
"Why?"
"OMC! It's those Inklings who crashed the news!" A squeal rang out, multiple heads snapping in the brothers' direction.
"Book it brother, book it!" Splin shouted, Sharq agreeing without hesitation.
They sprinted with all of their might, a large crowd of curious news watchers following them, hastily running into the Inkopolis Plaza. They spotted the manhole leading to Octo Valley, jumping inside without a second thought, the manhole cover clattering behind them as they dropped down. The crowd stopped at the plaza, looking around confusedly, trying to find the two news crashers. They quickly gave up, and dispersed, all shrugging off another news incident once more.
Splin and Sharq landed by Cap'n Cuttlefish sleeping on his raggedy blue couch, quickly waking him. They passed by him with a very quick apology before they left, leaving him to wonder about what the youth of Inkopolis is thinking nowadays.
"Ah, probably left their fancy doodad gadget phones here or something. Squids these days..." Cap'n said, and fell back asleep.
They had finally stopped running, panting for breath placing their hands on nearby trees for support.
"Think anyone followed us?" Sharq gasped.
"No… No we're fine, they wouldn't go down into a potential sewage pipe. No one would be that desperate." Splin sighed, looking behind him.
"Alright, well Tai told us to meet up here, so I guess now all we gotta do is wait." Sharq stated.
"...Really? Here specifically?"
The area the two finally decided to stop running in was a desolate, abandoned facility, hidden in a caved in section of the valley, rocks and debris littering the ground around them. Windows contained shattered glass, loose scraps of metal from the sunken building chipped off and fell, and overall the entire place looked like a mess.
"...Reminds me of the inkslide park." Splin remarked, looking over the building.
"Yeah…" Sharq agreed.
"There you two are."
The brothers whirled around, and Tai was there, holding Chi by her armor.
"Hi Tai!" Sharq chirped.
Tai smiled, waving. She turned back to Chi, smile quickly dissipating. "We got intel from this one here that a Great Octoweapon, you know what those are right?"
Splin nodded. "Read about it somewhere, in a Sunken Scroll I believe."
Tai gave him a thumbs up. "You got it Splin. Chi says that there could be one inside, so prepare yourselves."
"Yep." Chi said.
"Don't give it any sympathy, by the way." A masculine voice called out.
Ike, I'm pretty sure your match starts soon.
A bit of grumbling could be heard, as footsteps echoed away.
Tai stared at the sky, the debatably artificial one, and shook her head.
"...Yeah, pretty much. Guys got your gear ready?"
In a synchronized effort, the two brothers revealed their weapons, Splin crouching and down and aiming down the sights of his Splattershot Pro, figuratively speaking because there are no sights, and Sharq brandishing his Roller.
"Great, so all we gotta do is storm this facility, find the Great Octoweapon, and destroy it. Once it's gone, we won't have to worry about it accidentally activating and splatting us all. If you were telling the truth, at least." Tai shot a glare at Chi.
Chi sighed. "Tai, please relax. I'm telling the truth, look." She took Tai's hand off the suspenders on her back. "I'll go in first, and you guys can follow behind me closely."
Tai scanned her face closely, and reluctantly gestured to the building. Chi smiled, patting her on the shoulder, and went inside.
"Well? Let's get moving you two." Tai said.
Sharq excitedly hopped ahead in squid form, Splin and Tai following him in. The building's interior looked just as decayed as its exterior, various shelves and vials of sorts lying broken on the tiled floor. Papers covered the areas untouched by the debris, all detailing some sort of machine. Splin reached down to inspect one of the papers, eyes squinting to perceive.
"'Initial drill prototype unsuited for proper use drilling use'?" Splin read aloud.
He reached for another paper, reading it.
"'Fuel supplies running low, electricity considered as substitute'... Fascinating. This must have been a research center for Octoling weaponry of sorts."
Splin began gathering the papers, stacking them all neatly. He looked to his left, Tai and Chi watching him with a smirk.
"What?"
"Heh, you totally remind me of one of the Octarian researchers that used to walk around the base." Chi pointed out.
"...Yeah. You actually do. Hang on one second."
Tai looked around, spotting a pair of slightly chipped glasses on a counter. She picked it up, quickly placing it on Splin's face. Splin blinked, adjusting the glasses.
"Uh…"
Tai and Chi gasped in mock surprise.
"It's like the splitting image!" Chi elbowed Tai, who responded in kind.
"Pfff, you're totally right!" Tai laughed.
"Professor Splin, what lesson shall you be teaching us today?" Sharq joined in, the three of them sitting on the ground, pretending to be interested.
"Ha ha." Splin coughed, placing down the glasses, when he noticed something in the of the facility.
A large set of indoors hangar doors was half open, though the doors were slightly bent and rusted. Splin motioned at the three to follow him, but found that they were too busy laughing and playing around with some of the facility's relics. He rolled his eyes again, going to the hangar doors, still retaining the project papers. Peering through the opening, he saw a large object under a tarp, presumably a research project. He walked slowly, approaching the tarp, gulping down a hint of fear.
"What exactly were the Octarians researching here?" He thought, stepping directly in front of the object.
Curiosity overtook him, causing him to duck underneath the tarp, and get a better view of the object. What he saw next had him stop in terror and wonder.
"...Wow."
Splin stood underneath a huge drilling machine, the largest drill, about 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide, (6 meters on both sides if this calculation is correct) large treads serving as the movement options. A large rocket booster was attached to the side, a bit of dried oil inside the barrel, as well as two headlights. What terrified Splin the most was the fact that a wilted tentacle was sticking off the top, where a shattered glass dome was.
"What is this thing?"
The tentacle sticking out began to twitch.
"Gah!" Splin jumped back.
The headlights started to blink, a purplish light falling on Splin. Shining on Splin, the tentacle began to twitch more violently, and the drill began whirring.
"...No way…" Splin whispered, turning back and running away.
Back in the research labs of the facility, Sharq was balancing a glass vial on his head, while the two other Octolings were shifting through cabinets searching for any indication of a Great Octoweapon.
"Blueprints, blueprints, dust, blueprints…" Tai repeated.
"Weird. I was sure that we'd find the Octoweapon here…" Chi looked up. "Hey wait, where's that other Inkling?"
Sharq dropped the vial into his hand, and set it down. "...Oh yeah! Where is Splin?"
The aforementioned Inkling was making his way outside, panicked.
"Dude? What's got you running?" Sharq asked.
Splin pulled Sharq outside with him, motioning that the others should do the same.
You should really listen to him.
"We haven't even finished trying to find the Great Octoweapon! Don't be lazy Splin, this is coming from me." Tai pointed her thumb at herself.
A revving sound could be heard. Splin's eyes widened, and he gathered everyone as best he could and pushed them outside, much to their protests. They stood on the ground, glaring at Splin, who was flipping through the research papers.
"Okay, what is the big deal?! What's so important that you need to-"
The drill Great Octoweapon burst out of the facility, completely destroying it. The headlights shone down on the four of them, and the drill began to spin rapidly.
"Oh."
We tried to warn you.
The booster on the side lit up, large smoke and flames erupting, and the machine attempted to ram them.
"Duck!" Splin yelled, rolling out of the way, the others doing the same.
The Great Octoweapon barely scraped them, making large tread tracks in the earth as it went. Tai and Chi had rolled to the left, taking out their Octoshots to shoot it, but to their surprise, their ink would only bounce off the machine, a small light pattern acting as cover each time they tried to hit the machine. Surprisingly, the machine whirled around to face them quickly, the headlights flashing once more. The treads revved, as well as the drill, the entire machine barreling at them at high speeds once more.
"This thing is fast!" Sharq accurately observed.
"How's it still working this well after so many years of inactivity?!" Tai wondered aloud, tossing a Splat Bomb at the large tentacle sticking out. The tentacle slapped it back, the bomb exploding harmlessly on the ground, much to Tai's annoyance.
The machine attempted to tackle the Octolings once more, skidding to a halt once it missed again. The headlights flashed menacingly, then dimmed in a sense of confusion when it noticed a loud banging sound on its side. The tentacle poked out, appearingly sensing for trouble. Sharq once pounding the side of the machine with his roller, frustrated.
"Yah! Tah! Take this!" Sharq cried out with each slam.
The Octoweapon spun around, knocking Sharq to the side easily.
"Ooohg…" Sharq laid on the ground dizzily, shaking it off fast and jumping back into the fray.
Splin reached a page in the research notes, reading aloud. "Uh… 'A-Artificial tentacle made to deflect projectiles', 'Self-sustaining energy barrier'... This machine is made to contain a nearly unbreakable defensive!"
"Great." Chi groaned. "Just when I thought I'd finally get to destroy something, it turns around and destroys us." She dodged another attempt at being skewered.
"Wait a minute…" Splin wondered, running in front of the machine.
"Splin?! What are you doing?!" Tai yelled.
"Testing something!" He yelled back, taking out his Forge Splattershot Pro and firing at the Octoweapon.
The Octoweapon turned to face Splin, charging towards him, but missed when Splin leaped out of the way in squid form. The Octoweapon harshly slowed down, but only momentarily, immediately turning back around to pursue the headphone wearing Inkling.
"Ah! That's its weakness! The treads may be well suited for movement across land, but when it tries to splat us…"
True to what Splin had said, the Octoweapon's treads were already slightly worn from the days it spent decaying. Still pushing onward, the machine tried to run them over once more, the treads screeching to a halt. Splin distracted the menacingly machine again, the Octoweapon pushing its treads to the limits to try and splat him.
"Now's your chance! Hit him from behind, and-" Splin had tripped, and was rammed by the fast moving tread, sprawling onto the ground with a moan.
"SPLIN!" Sharq and Tai yelled out.
"Oh no!" Chi said, earning a glare from the other two. "S-Sorry, I don't know him very well!"
Sharq went over to assist his fallen brother, Tai and Chi launching Splat Bombs at the back of the Great Octoweapon. The bombs fell through the weakened back of the mechanical monstrosity, a whirring noise from the bombs and a small ink explosion rupturing the machine, now smoking rather profoundly. The tentacle on the top began to flail violently.
Sharq let Splin placed by a tree gently. "Take a rest Splin, I've got this guy!" Splin coughed a bit, nodding.
Sharq Super Jumped as a squid, just above the tentacle, which froze dead in its tracks.
"FINAL ROLLER SLAM DUNK…Uh, MOVE!" Sharq yelled, bringing his roller down on the Octoweapon's tentacle, which began to spray ink. The tentacle wilted, and popped, Sharq leaped off, sheathing his roller. "Alright!"
Tai and Chi clapped, patting Sharq on the back, when they all remembered another Inkling.
"Splin!" They ran to the fallen Inkling, who was blinking, papers still in his grasp.
"You feeling alright?!" Tai asked, putting two fingers to his neck. "...Well, he's still breathing at least." (By the way not 100% sure how Inkling anatomy works, just going to wing it)
Splin coughed. "I-I'm fine." He got up to his feet, only to drop again quickly. "Just need to get back on my feet."
"You're not fine! You just took the hugest tackle in the history of Inkling kind!" Sharq exclaimed.
Splin chuckled. "Pretty sure not the hugest… Did you destroy the Great Octoweapon?"
Tai pointed to the smoking heap of scrap metal that was previously a huge threat. "Yeah… You'll be fine, we just gotta get you back to the base."
"Wait! You didn't d-destroy it completely. It's still in one piece." Splin's eyes widened, attempting to hop away as a squid, only to lie on the ground tiredly.
"So? Doesn't matter, we need to get you home!" Tai grunted, lifting him up and carrying him over her shoulder. Chi stared in wonder, but backed up when Tai snarled at her.
"That's not what I meant, I just found something out, this thing has a timer built inside it that will…"
A loud beeping interrupted him. All four of him stared in horror.
"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" Chi cried out, Tai and Sharq nodding in agreement.
The three of them, Splin being carried, tried to dash away, the broken machine exploding behind them, the blast pushing them.
They were suspended high above the kettles of Octo Valley, Tai and Chi preparing for a harsh landing.
Sharq suddenly smiled.
Splin looked at him, with a puzzled look.
Sharq simply sang, "Cool squids don't look at explosions~"
Splin sighed.
Lucklily, all four of the adventurers conveniently landed by the kettle leading to the Octarian base. The kettle opened up quickly, a worried Octoling and Octocopter popping out.
"T-41! C-H1! Are you two unharmed?" Aussie asked, staring at the two.
"We're fine." They answered unanimously.
"And what of are Inkling comrades?"
Splin stood shakily, leaning on Sharq for support. Sharq gave a wink and a thumbs up, Splin waving with a painful smile.
"Oh thank goodness." Aussie sat back in relief.
Jerry inspected the two Inklings. "Are you guys okay? Splin- I mean, Agent B looks like he's about to faint"
"Well, Splin nearly got run over by the Great Octoweapon, but for the most part he's fine." Sharq grinned, elbowing Splin. Splin fell down on the ground with an, "oof.", Sharq picking him up worriedly.
"The Great Octoweapon? The explosion, then…"
"Yep." Tai said. "Chi was telling the truth. We've also extracted a couple files, thanks to Splin here."
Splin handed over the data he had found, Aussie going over the information.
"We commend you for your service, Inklings." Aussie saluted them.
"Think nothing of it." Splin gasped. "I-It's our pleasure."
"Oh boy. We better get you home!" Sharq said, slinging Splin over his back, who hardly protested.
"...Gotcha. Bye…" Splin waved exhaustedly to the Octarians, and passed out on Sharq's back.
"I'll come with you too, nemutai, oyasumi nasai guys." Tai yawned, but was stopped by Aussie.
"Hold on Tai, Octavio wants to talk to you. You too Chi."
Tai and Chi looked at each other, Tai sighed and Chi smiled, the four Octarians waving goodbye to the young Inkling brothers-in-arms.
Cap'n Cuttlefish stood waiting outside his shack, waken up again by the sound of explosions, when the two brothers from before walked by.
"Agent A? What happened to Agent B?"
"We fought an Octoweapon!" Sharq stated victoriously, Splin snoring lightly on his back.
"Really?! Why didn't ye tell me?"
"Sorry Cap'n, we were in a rush to stop it! Besides, I need to get Splin home, he's beat from helping me beat it!" Sharq pumped his fist up in the air, waving goodbye.
The Cap'n sighed. "Alrighty then. Next time though, notify me and the rest of the agents! We'll be there lickedy split!"
"Thanks! See ya!" Sharq said, transforming into a squid, still carrying the unconscious Splin squid. The both of them jumped through the manhole, back into Inkopolis, ready to rest for another day tomorrow.
You did good today, Sharq.
"Really?" Sharq said, bursting out from the manhole, several pairs of eyes turning to him when they heard the noise.
Well, for the most part.
"Uh…" Sharq stopped, several Inklings waiting and watching. "...Hello Inkopolis! Goodbye!" He stated, Super Jumping, carrying Splin, cheers and applause sent after him, oddly. "Inkopolis is actually kinda weird."
You don't even know the half of it.
"You two did a great job shattering that record of a weapon!" Octavio laughed heartily, Tai and Chi standing by smiling.
"Of course, what else would you expect from a 'master'?" Tai bragged, juggling an unactivated Splat Bomb.
"Ah. Well, er… That's what I wanted to speak to you two about. T-41…" Octavio looked directly into Tai's eyes, in a official way not in a creepy way, and stated, "You will be tasked with mentoring C-H1 again."
An awkward silence filled the room. Tai looked over at Chi, who nervously smiled and waved her fingers just as nervously.
"...As long as I get to do awesome stuff like that." Tai grinned.
Chi's eyes sparkled. "Really?!"
"Just don't blow off my mother's spare leg, or the Inklings'." Tai said, patting her on the back.
Chi fixed up her tentacles, clearing her throat. "Thank you Octavio, thank you Tai! I-I mean, cough, this isn't freedom, but whatever. Tai, don't get in the way or I'll mess you up!"
DJ Octavio smirked. "Good. Dismissed, I gotta go mix up beats for a celebration, see you later." He floated away in his giant DJ octopus robot like a boss.
Tai huffed, albeit still grinning. "...Likewise."
The two Octolings walked away, to the same room. Inside, the room was enlarged to include a second bunk.
"...Welcome home Chi."
Chi jumped on the spare bunk, flipping under the covers as an octopus.
"Good to be back…" She answered quietly, slightly muffled from the blanket sheets.
Tai sat on her bed, snuggling in the sheets, but shifted uncomfortably.
"...This bed sucks compared to the one at Splin and Sharq's house."
AN: Scrapped Content: Apologies for the delay, I had… Work… To do. *cough Yoshi's Wooly World cough* I had an idea for a Great Octoweapon boss fight like this on Miiverse, but then I realized that compared to some of the other boss fights, it would seem pretty lazy and unsuited compared to them. But enough about my life, let's talk reviews! Thanks again to Anon360, and thanks Mr. Loner for reviewing! Ayyy right back at ya, Anon! Mr. Loner, appreciating the artistic view on that chapter! Anyways, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, off to ACTUALLY prepare for the Halloween chapter. Stay spooky!