Can I just say, I'm completely obsessed with Splatoon 2 on the switch. I've never been a fan of competitive shooter games, but Splatoon just has that feeling to it. If anyone wants my friendcode just let me know. If you see a misbex in a match, that's me!

Chapter 11 ~ Unwilling Betrayal

"Mommy? Why don't I have a daddy?"

"Eh? Why Lela! Why are you asking such a question?"

"Well… my friend at school asked me if my daddy was in the army like her daddy and when I said I didn't have a daddy, she called me weird."

"Hmm… well… I suppose you were bound to ask me that question eventually, though I was hoping it'll be for a few more years yet lassie loo! Your daddy never wanted to leave us Lela… why I remember when you were nothing more then a little egg, your father use to carry you around everywhere with such pride! See… we never believed we could ever have children due to… err… certain things… yet, along you came."

"Really? Did daddy love me a lot?"

"Yes Lela… your daddy loved you so much. You were his whole world… I sometimes wish he was still here now to see how you've grown…"

"Oh… how did he get to heaven?"

"… … …"

"Mommy? Why are you crying?"

The wind blow through the ruins that scattered the area, deep pitch howls filled the air as trees rustled and leaves scattered in a never-ending dance. Tela swallowed hard as her eyes focused on the small little shack ahead, deep sorrow and regret reflected in her amber eyes.

The windows to Cap'n Scuttlefish home were black, the darkness matching that in her heart at the prospect of what she had to do. The Octoling hoped that the darken windows and lack of activity from inside meant that the old Inkling wasn't at home, which in inside was a strange thing. Scuttlefish never left his haven in Octo-Valley.

Tela looked down at the clothes that DJ Octavio had provided for her, according to the Octarian Leader he had a couple of Octo-Stealth solders (Small little tentacle clippings about the size of your foot) sneak into Inkopolis during the early hours of the morning when most Inklings would be snoozing away. The Octo-Stealth's broke into the clothes shop with the lower-risk security and stole a bundle of clothes.

Despite the seriousness of the crime in which they were acquired, Tela couldn't help but admire the clothes. A waist length green jacket with fake fur around the hoodie and cuffs of her sleeves, dark green tights, sleek black boots with little zippers on the inner sides and a large dark brown bobble hat complete with a pair of dark sleek sunglasses that hide away her amber eyes.

She even had a black mask to go around her eyes in case the glasses ever came off and her face were seen, Tela had looked in a mirror previous to arriving and was taken back how much she looked like an Inkling.

The Octoling gave a deep sign and began to walk with a slight shudder towards the kettle that would take her to Inkopolis, her final destination being the Power Plant that housed and raised the Zapfishes in the western part of the main city.

Tela dived into the kettle and a moment later found herself on the ground in the all too familiar back alley, the familiar smells and sounds assaulting her ears and nose once more. Normally being here would send a certain chill of excitement through Tela, but the heaviness of what she had to do blocked that feeling away.

"Ok… If I remember right, there should be an information centre near the centre plaza… shouldn't be too hard right?" muttered Tela as she left the alley-way and made her way down the street that should take her straight to the large plaza area. Just as she had expected, there were hardly any Inklings on the streets.

Inklings were lazy by nature after all, she could remember her father telling her that bit of information when the Octoling was nothing more then a child. Most Inklings are either in bed or heading home in an almost drunken state. Some of the Inklings that was working at this time were older, way into their adult-hood. They took no notice of their surroundings as they went about their jobs, the joy of their youngers days has far left them behind.

Tela stopped as a particular building caught her sight, her amber eyes becoming hazy as she read the flashing neon sigh. Suki's Bar.

The Octoling could remember the first day she came to Inkopolis, it was then that she ran into Sora for the first time too and began her journey in learning all the amazing things the Inklings had to offer.

Ironically… the first time she came here was also with the intention of stealing back the zapfishes. Guess things tend to come full circle sometimes.

Tela watched as the door to the club burst open as an Inkboy came stumbling out laughing, an Inkgirl clinging to his arm as she giggled with glee. Both stunk of alcohol.

"That was amazing Ryuji! Like, I totally can't feel my face anymore!"

"You're pretty amazing too babe, I say we continue this party back at my place."

"Ohhh! Ryuji you party animal! Haha! Guess that's why I love you!"

Tela watched the pair stagger down the street with a wistful smile, would she and Sora ever be like that one day? That's if the Inkling ever forgives her of course.

It didn't take long for the Information Centre to be found, Tela casually walked over and read the opening times. 10:30.

10:30!?

"Wow, these guys really are lazy. What was the point of Octavio sending me here this early. Octo damn it…" muttered Tela as she glances at her watch, 4:38.

Nearly six hours she would have to wait, what was she doing to do for that amount of time. Tela glanced back down the street and frowned as her amber eyes narrowed in thought. Suki's bar technically didn't close until 6:00 and she did have some money left over from Mr. Cuba, and she was nearly 18 anyway in a couple of weeks so…

A smirk appeared on the Octolings face as she headed back down the town, feeling a little sliver of happiness for the first time in days. Not a lot, but in times like these… every little drop of joy felt like an Oasis in a dessert.

The club only had a few Inklings left, some were drinking their last one before heading out while others were passed out on the floor or across tables. Some of the workers simply ignored them as they stepped around their bodies to pick up trash and empty glasses.

"What do you do about them when this place closes up?" Tela asked the barman while pointing to the passed-out Inklings on the floor as she sipped her Sour Inkaberry juice, she had been too afraid to ask for anything alcoholic in case they asked for ID.

The barman raised an eyebrow while rubbing a glass with a cloth. "Nothin'… we just leave em there til they wake up."

"Wha? But don't you need to close this place?" Tela was really confused and curious at the same time. She was so sure the club closed down at 6 am.

"Nah… we only lock up the drinks cabinet. We're known around the place as the best club this side of the city. Ain't no one gonna rob us or trash this place, if they do they'll have a mob of angry n' thirsty Inklings after them."

Tela sipped her drink as she let her mind process this piece of information. Surly this was un-orthodox! Yet… oddly enough it seems to work. Plus, this solved a little problem of hers, the Octoling could just crash here for a few hours before heading back to the Information Centre.

"Ere'…"

Tela blinked in surprise as the barman slapped a bottle on the bar in front of her, the noise almost making her slip off her stool.

"On the house… you are 18 right?" the older Inkling smirked as he said the last word with empathise. Tela grinned as she picked up the bottle and, without looking at the label took a big sip.

The Octoling eyes nearly popped out as what felt like fire rushed down her throat, she pulled the bottle away from her lips and began to cough and hack violently, tears brimming in her eyes.

The barman threw his head back with a barking laugh as Tela slipped and crashed to the floor, her head spinning and her vision blurring. What the Octo-hell was in that drink!?

"Hahaha! Kid, that was the best laugh I've had all night! That there drink is 70% alcohol, the strongest one I've got!"

Tela didn't respond, the barman leaned over the bar and began to laugh loudly again at the view of the girl passed out on his floor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Urgh…" groaned Tela as she turned over onto her side and slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light of the morning. Her head throbbed with pain as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, Tela swore then and there that she would never drink anything free from a stranger again.

"Please… kill me…" moaned a nearby Inkboy as he tried to pull himself up onto a chair, but the chair ended tipping over sending the Inkling to crash with it and curse out loudly. Other Inklings around the area were in a similar state of distress or were just starting to stir.

Thankfully because Tela hadn't drank as excessively or as long as the others, she soon got over her slight hangover and walked out of the club as fast as she could, nimbly stepping over writhing bodies that were crying for a swift death.

A quick glance at her watch made her gasp in shock and break into a run along the much more busier streets, 13:34.

"Stupid drink! Stupid Barman!" hissed Tela as she weaved in and out of on-coming Inklings, almost knocking into a few whiles ignoring their scathing looks of anger and dark muttering.

Minutes later she burst through the doors of the Information centre and dashed to the front desk where an elderly green tentacled Inkgirl in spectacles watched her in slight alarm and suspicion.

"Can I help you?" the Inkling sniffed with narrow eyes, her chin jutted upwards slightly as Tela banged both her hands on the desk.

"Do you have any maps of Inkopolis, specially around the western area? I'm doing a little sight-seeing." Said Tela while trying to catch her breath.

The Inkling raised an eyebrow at her before leaning down to rummage underneath the desk, seconds later she popped back up holding a plain white leaflet with a picture of a yellow squid waving two flags in its tentacles.

Tela snatched the leaflet out of her hands and turned to dashed back out of the building with muttered thanks. The elderly Inkling sniffed and gave the retreating Octoling a look of disapproval as she nudged up her glasses.

"Ok… let's see…" murmured Tela as she made her way over to a bench and sat down with the leaflet opened up in her hands. Power Plant… Power Plant… where could it… ah!

"Denki Banku Power Plant… Home of the Zapfishes… Ok, according to this a quick train ride over and I'm practically there."

Tela lowered the leaflet and looked up towards the sky which happen to be a beautiful shade of blue, her favourite colour in the whole world. Her thoughts began to drift as a certain Inkling invaded her mind. What was Sora doing right now?

No… not now… after all of this was over and Levi was once again safe back in her arms, then she'll deal with Sora. That's moment she's dreading most of all, even more then the thought of stealing back all the zapfish.

Finding the station wasn't that hard, selecting the correct train however… was a completely different story. Tela always knew how large the island was, after all it wasn't just the Inklings that lived on the surface. Jellians, Horseshoe crabs, shrimps… all different species that lived in different sectors of the Island. The amount of trains and destinations to choose from was making the Octolings head hurt.

Octarians really did draw the short end of the stick…

In the end, Tela asked an assistant for help and finally she was able to line up on the correct platform with the correct ticket clutched in her hand while feeling a little sad that all the money she had was now gone. How on Octo-earth she was going to get back she didn't know… She'll breach that barrier when she came to it.

A voice from the intercom rang across the platform to inform that the train would be arriving in a few minutes.

Tela joined the line that started to form, then yelped as someone bump into her from behind. She turned around to glare at the offending person, the anger disappeared however to be replaced with shock. The person who had bumped into her was no more then Ryu, Sora's best friend and squad member.

"A-ah, my apologizes miss. I had no intention of bumping into you." Said Ryu as he nudged his glasses back up.

Tela only stared, thankful for her dark shades that hid her eyes. Out of everyone to bump into her, going on the same TRAIN as her, it was Ryu. It was like the universe was playing some kind of sick joke on her.

"It's fine." Mutter Tela as she quickly turned to face forwards again, ignoring her pounding heart and the sweat that was starting to form on her forehead.

Thankfully the train arrived at the moment, as soon as it had stopped and its door swung open, Tela rushed forwards with everyone else and walked quickly down the carriages to try and find a seat that would put as much distance between her and Ryu.

Fate seem to have other plans as, no sooner as Tela had sat down in the last few seats at the back, Ryu appeared and took the seat opposite her. She stared at him for a few seconds before glancing around and realizing her mistake, there were no seats available at all apart from the few where she was.

Ryu seem oblivious to the squirming girl before him as he took out his laptop from his bag, his fingers becoming a blur as they tapped away. Tela watched him for a few more seconds before looking out the window, the train gave a lurch as it began to move.

She had never really interacted much with Ryu, she knew the Inkling is Sora's best friend. Something she never really understood as Ryu and Sora couldn't have been more different like chalk and cheese. Yet both Inkboys seem to understand each other to a level that Tela didn't know existed.

"You heading home?" asked Tela as she glanced towards the Inkboy who stopped typing, surprise filling his face at being spoken to as he looked up.

"Yes… and no." he said with a cryptic voice as he nudged up his glasses. Tela raised an eyebrow at him, what did he mean yes and no?

Ryu smirked slightly at the girls look of confusing.

"I'm heading over to finalize the details of the flat I've been renting. I'm moving to the block of flats near Centre Plaza, indeed… it is the same flats that one of my closet friends live at."

Closet friends… that's Sora. So Ryu's going to live in the same building as him?

"What about you?" asked the Inkboy as he nudged up his glasses.

Tela stared at him and flushed, what could she say? Hey, I'm actually Tela in disguise and I'm heading over to the power plant to steal back your zapfishes and betray you all in the process? Not likely…

"Sight… seeing?" asked the Octoling as Ryu squinted at her.

"Right… well if you are, you should check out the Yumazaki Distillery first. It's one of the very first of it's kind to be established in Inkopolis and is still famous to this day for the Ink Whisky it produces. I've been there a few times myself… very educational."

Tela nodded her head eagerly, despite the situation she was in, the Octoling had always loved learning new things about the surface above.

"Then there are the Denku fields attached to the Power Plant which you'll see in the distance when we reach our stop. The Denku fields are a sight to behold! It's been the nesting grounds for the coveted Zapfish for over a thousand years, the source of all our electricity. Isn't it simply fascinating?"

Tela blinked at this new source of information, there was a field full of zapfishes near the powerplant?

"Are they being protected?" asked the Octoling, Ryu tilted his head slightly in confusion. "I mean… they were already stolen by the Octarians right? Won't they simply just go over to the field and steal them again?"

The Inkboy continued to looked greatly confused… and also suspicious.

"The Octarians? It's true the Great Zapfish mysteriously went missing along with quite a few others… but nothing was mentioned about the Octarians stealing them. Do tell me the source from whence you got this information from?"

Tela stared at Ryu nonplussed, did the Inklings really not know what happened to the zapfishes? Yet Sora did, Captain Scuttlefish did and so does the other Agents 1 and 2. Had they kept it a secret?

"I er… just assumed that's what happened… I mean, everyone knows about the Great Turf War, right? You know… hundred years ago?"

Ryu looked at her strangely, then a flicker of recognition appeared in his eyes.

"You seem awfully interested in the Zapfish..." muttered Ryu as he nudged up his glasses and gave Tela a hard stare. The Octoling didn't like the way he was looking at her.

"From my observations, you share many characteristics to someone I know… What is your name by the way, I failed to ask before."

Ryu peered over his glasses at her and waited expectantly as Tela blanched, Tela and Terry were dead giveaways… so…

"Levi… my names Levi."

Ryu narrowed his eyes before leaning back, Tela really didn't like that calculating look on his face.

"Right… I'm Ryu, a pleasure to meet you… Levi." Said the Inkboy as he held out a hand, Tela hesitantly took hold and they slightly shook hands.

"Excuse me for a moment." Said Ryu as he abruptly stood up, laptop under his arm. Tela watched the Inkling walk off down the train, what was that all about?

The Octoling looked out her window at the passing buildings and frowned, wondering where Levi was right now and if she was ok.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ryu didn't return when the train finally stopped, Tela wasted no time in leaving and was out of the station before the last passenger had left the train. Her nose stuck in the leaflet as she walked down the street causing some Inklings to swerve out of the way and cast her dirty looks.

"Ok… so if I follow this street up to the junction then take… left? No right! Maybe?" Tela tilted the leaflet sideways before growling and shoving the blasted thing in her pocket.

The power plant can't be that hard to find right? If she wanders the streets for a bit, surly she'll see a sign or something to point her in the right direction?

It took over two hours of walking and back-tracking through streets and alley ways before Tela had the courage to ask for directions, thankfully the Inkling she spoke too lived locally in the area and was able to point her in the right direction.

However, as soon as Tela turned the corner into the industry street, she stopped in her tracks. The Denku Powerplant was nothing like what she was expecting.

The tall building gleamed white in the sunshine, it almost looked like a fairy-tale castle. It stood three-storey high and had engravings of zapfishes along its walls. The fields that surrounded the building along the sides and back were fenced off and teeming with mini-zapfishes.

"Woah…" breathed Tela as she stared at the withering creatures, sparks flying everywhere from their tiny whiskers. "This is so cool!"

The Octoling walked up to the fence and peered with wide eyes at the scene before her, further back she could spot some of the older zapfishes. Some were even curled up peacefully around a cluster of eggs.

The amazement soon faded however when Tela realized what was going to happen to them, guilt plagued her terribly in knowing she was going to be the cause of it all.

"Better get this over with…" she muttered as she pulled out her communication device and pressed the button to call, a few seconds later a familiar voice issued out.

"Yo Tela, finally found the goods?"

"Yeah…" answered Tela as she looked around to make sure no one was near. "They're at the powerplant like you said."

"Excellent! My stupid Octarians couldn't even get close without being spotted! What I need you to do is cause a distraction, draw attention AWAY from the Powerplant so that my extraction team can drop in and nab those little beauties!"

"A distraction? How in Octo-hell am I supposed to do that? I don't have any gear or weapons on me." Muttered Tela angrily, her anger only grew as Octavio simply laughed in response.

"I may have forgotten to tell you but… that communication device I gave you? It actually works as a bomb too!"

"WHAT!?" screeched Tela as she suddenly held the device out away from her face, her eyes wide in sudden fear. Was he crazy!?

Octavio laughed even harder at the Octolings reaction.

"Oopsie! Just flip open the top and press the red button, 5 minutes later… KABOOM! Instant ink explosion! Hahahahaha!"

Tela shifted from one foot to the other, feeling uneasy about the whole situation. An ink bomb could splatter an awful lot of Inklings… was Octavio really serious about this?

"I can feel your bad vibes all the way over here Tela… if you feel that bad just blow up some old abandon building or something… geez…"

Tela blinked in surprise, she had expected the old Octarian to demand she place the bomb in a highly populated area. For him to even suggest she did it in a place where it would not harm others was almost… kind of him.

"My Octo-Stealths are already in place, they'll alert the Extraction Team when attention has been drawn away from the Power Plant. DJ Octavio OUT YO!"

The communication device went dead with a loud click. Tela still didn't feel comfortable using the bomb to destroy Inkling property, but at least it was WAY better then splattering a horde of Inklings.

Now then… where to find an abandon building? Such a thing seemed extremely unlikely…

Tela gave the fields full of frolicking zapfishes one last guilt-filled look before turning away and leaving. As she walked onto the busier streets of the city, thoughts swarmed in her head as she tried to thinks of ways of getting Levi and herself out of this safely. It was times like this when she wished her father was still around, he always had such good advice when Tela had problems.

Now then… where can she place the bomb? It has to be a place where the ink explosion can't hurt anyone, but be important enough to attract attention and drive the forces to the scene.

"I'm bored!"

Tela looked to the side and saw the source of the squeaky high-pitched voice. It was an Inkling girl, judging by her tiny squid like form she assumed the girl was in stage 4 of her growth.

The little girl raised her tentacle like hand and tugged hard on the shirt of a much older looking Inkling female who Tela assumed must have been the mother.

"I'm bored!" yelled the little girl again as she tugged her mother harder. "I want to join a Turf War!"

"Don't be silly!" snapped the older Inkling as she stared down at her daughter with a frown.

"You know you can't do Turf Wars until you turn 14. That's when you gain your humanoid form."

The little girl who looked a cross between the squid form and humanoid form stamped her feet angrily.

"I don't want to wait! It's not fair!"

The mother tutted at her daughter and bent down to pick her up. "That's enough… you only have two years to wait before you can join. Now why don't we head over to the shrine? I'll let you throw some money down the wishing well."

The girl stopped wriggling in her mother's arms and began to cheer.

Tela shook her head at the scene while a sad and wistful smile graced her lips. Memories of her own mother sprung to mind, the day she fell and scraped her tentacle… the way her mother kissed it better with tender loving care and promises of something sweet and tasty to chase away her tears.

Without realising and thinking why, Tela began to follow the pair down the street while still thinking about the happy days when her parents were still alive.

Out of the two, it was her father that Tela felt most close to. There was just something about him that always seem to make others around him feel at ease, and he seem to understand and be laid-back more compare to other Octarians. Indeed, her father seem to have no hatred for the Inklings. While her mother on the other hand…

Tela always had the feeling her mother's hatred for Inklings were more personal, yet the reason why was never revelled.

Then there was the whole deal with her grandparents from her mother's side whom she had never met. Tela had constantly asked about them but her questions were always ignored, even her father changed the subject despite giving off the impression he wanted to tell her.

Tela was pulled out of her thoughts when she walked into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" snapped the Inkboy she had accidently bumped into, his purple eyes glaring angrily at her through his glasses.

"S-sorry…" Tela muttered as she held up her hands in a sign of peace. The Inkboy gave a huff and continued on his way.

"Jerk…" the Octoling said under her breath before turning her attention to her surroundings. The street she stood on seem a lot different from where she had started, the buildings here were defiantly smaller and less flashy and colourful.

Then her amber eyes went wide as she caught sight of a large and impressive grey stone building at the end, the area section off with old mossy covered stone walls. The most impressive thing of all was the large stone statue on top of the building, Tela didn't recognise the creature but knew it was from the old age before the great flood.

Hundreds of Inklings were crowded around the walls and the large stone well that sat station in front of the entrance. None of the Inklings were actually near or inside the building itself.

"A shrine to the old ones huh?" said Tela as she leaned on one foot while placing a hand on her hip.

As much as she hated to admit, the Octoling had just found the perfect place to set up the bomb.

Everyone was so focused on staring at the building and fighting on whoever goes next to throw their coins in the well that nobody notice Tela slip through a crack in the wall in Octopus form. She crawled along through the undergrowth of the bushes and long grass until she was behind the building and out of view.

Tela went back into her humanoid form and pulled the communication device out of her pocket. This was it, her heart pounded painfully as her hands began to tremble. She really didn't want to do this… but she had to, for Levi's sake.

"Here goes nothing… I'm such a horrible person!" yelled Tela as she flipped open the top and pressed the red button. The device gave a loud click as a small red red began to flash. Thanking the Octo gods that the building wasn't that tall, Tela pulled back her arm and then threw the device with as much strength as she could muster. The blinking device flew high into the air and landed on the roof with a faint 'clink'.

With the dirty deed now done, Tela made her way back to the crowd of Inklings. Once she had slipped through the wall again, she stood with the crowd and watched the building with sorrowful eyes.

All too soon her 'distraction' came to life. All the Inklings began to scream in terror and dismay as a large explosion of ink covered the entire of their beloved shrine and statue.

The fearful cries then turned into cries of outrage, and a few minutes later the sound of a siren in distant.

Tela lowered her head and walked away from the angry mob of Inklings and began to make her way back to the Power Plant, without the device she had no idea if the plan to steal the zapfishes have been successful or not.

"I really am a horrible person…" tears began to fall down her cheeks as the horrible feeling of guilt consumed her. She was no better then her fellow Octarians…

Several polices cars and fire-engines zoomed past, their lights flashing furiously but Tela paid them no attention. She felt too wretched about her situation and the fear of what was to come.

The walk back to the Power Plant took no time at all, despite getting lost twice on the way. As soon as the fields came into view, the Octoling felt her heart sink even lower. They were empty, not a single zapfish in sight.

They really had done it… all those zapfishes Sora had spent months on saving and bringing back, gone in a blink of an eye.

"I'm so sorry Sora… but I had too…" sniffed Tela as she rubbed at her eyes.

"And here I thought you was a friend."

Tela froze at the familiar cold voice, she slowly turned around and came face to face with Ryu.

"It really wasn't that hard to figure you out Tela… though I admit. Setting a bomb off on the Old Ones Shrine as a distraction? I really wasn't expecting that at all." Ryu stared at her with hard cold eyes.

"Ryu…" Tela looked away, then finally gave up. She locked her emotions away as she came to a conclusion. Levi was the only thing that mattered right now, if she had to cut the ties to the Inklings to save her. Then so be it.

She looked up again, her own face hardens to match Ryu's own.

"What surprises me is how stupid you Inklings really are. Now get out of my way Ryu… or I'll make you."

Ryu pushed his glasses up as he smirked.

"Really Tela? You think I would have confronted an Octoling knowing full well I have no weapons on me? I think the lack of intelligence refers to you, not us."

Tela fell into her fight position as she rapidly scanned the area around her, waiting for whatever Ryu had planned for her.

"I really believed in you…"

Tela gasped as Sora stepped into view from behind a corner, clad in his hero clothes while his scattershot pro aimed right at her.

"All this time you were just stringing me along. I thought you was dead! Yet here you are WORKING for Octavio and stealing the zapfished once again. HOW COULD YOU!?"

Tela flinched at Sora shouts, her mind a complete blank. She had not expected to be confronted by Sora at all. I'm so sorry Sora… please forgive me!

"What did you expect? It's not my fault you were so stupid in following me along like a little lost squid." Hissed Tela as she bared her fangs at Sora who winced, a look of pain and misery flashed through his face before his mask of anger slipped back into place.

"Just tell me… when you said you liked me, was that all a lie?"

Tela froze as her eyes went wide for a second, then she signed as she looked away. Her heart thudded furiously, demanded for her to stop, but Tela ignored her feelings as she glared at Sora.

"Of course, it was a lie. What Octoling in their right mind would want to be with an Inkling? Just the thought makes me sick! I only played along on Octavio's orders."

Sora gave a silent gasped as his eyes went wide, then fury filled his feature as he took aim. Tela expected the shot as she rolled to the side and then broke into a sprint down the street.

I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry but I have to! I can't afford to lose Levi, she's the only family I have. I love you Sora… I'm so sorry…

"Wait… what do you mean? H-how?"

"How!? You know exactly how squid for brains!"

"I know how it happened! It's just… how? It should be impossible… right?"

"I don't know! It's not like an Inkling and Octoling ever did the deed before! Not that I've heard off, but the six tests I did have all come up positive. I can even feel my stomach growing harder."

"I… wow…"

"… Do you hate me for this?"

"What!? Of course not! I could never hate you! I love you too much! This is just an unexpected surprise… but to be honest… I'm actually happy."

"You are?"

"Yes! I didn't think we could have kids! We're going to be parents! Isn't that amazing!"

"Parents… I wonder what she'll or he'll look like."

"… hey… I love you Janjan."

"I love you too Inka."

"When the egg hatches and it's a girl, can we call her Lela?"

"Lela? That's actually a really cute name. Ok, as long as we can use the name Biro if it's a boy."

"Deal!"