Dual Fates

A Splatoon Fanfic

By The Impartial Hand

Chapter 9: Showdown

Inkopolis, the wreckage of The Vampire

And so it was; once more, 07-34 and 07-35 facing each other down. 07-34 scowled as he clutched his broken mask as ink seeped out from behind it, oozing down his face; the wreckage of his ship strewn around him.
"YOU... This is all YOUR fault... You've ruined me!"
"Nobody has ruined you but yourself, 07-34. It was your pride that blinded you to our presence on your ship, your ego that led you to believing you broke Green's spirit; and it was your blind obedience to Octavio that led you to leave me behind. It didn't have to end like this-"
"Don't you... even START with that garbage. You were about to go into a spiel about how there's good in me, weren't you? Then allow me to stop you there. I. KNEW."
"You- what?"
"I knew what Octavio did. I knew about the Octo Weapons, and I knew about the experiments. Don't you dare try to tell me to defect."
"I... but... but why?"
"Before Octavio, we lacked order. I mean, have you even heard the stories? We lost because someone accidentally UNPLUGGED the OCTO WEAPONS. So, after the War, when Octavio seized power... well, I wasn't even around to see that; my father was just a boy. But the order Octavio brought? The strong leadership? He did more for us than our previous leaders ever had. SO WHAT if most of the Octoling forces are being controlled through hypnotic suggestion? If that's what it take for us to rule? I'm fine with that. So no, 07-35, I won't defect. This only ends one of two ways, and you know-"
07-34 was cut off by a powerful punch to his gut, 07-35 having closed the distance while he was monologuing. Slightly winded, but more surprised than anything, 07-34 scoffed, gritting his teeth and delivering a powerful knee to 07-35's stomach in kind. Both Octolings backed up, getting into fighting stances; the ink once flowing from 07-34's face had begun to stick, the remains of his mask clinging loosely to his face.
"I recall this ending poorly for you last time 07-35. Are you sure you're ready to die again?"
07-35 answered his question by charging. 07-34 smirked, stepping to the side at the last moment and going to counter with a punch to the face; his confidence faded quickly when 07-35 managed to dodge the punch, diving into a roll and grabbing him from behind. She heaved, lifting the more experienced Octoling by the midsection and arching her back, slamming him down on his shoulders and leaving him dazed on his back- a suplex. He knew this move- he was regretting passing up the opportunity to kill that agent when he still had it. He rolled out of the way of a stomp from 07-35, flipping away from her and back onto his feet; likewise, she backed up, and the two began circling each other again. The look in her eyes... he didn't like it. When they had last fought, there was fear; now it had been replaced by... Confidence. Anger. Hope. He didn't like that. Letting out a wild howl of rage, he charged.

Meanwhile, Inkopolis, the Wreckage of The Immortal

Morado woke up, dazed from Octavio's ship crashing; the atrium was shattered, and Octavio himself was nowhere to be seen, likely ejected during the crash. He could see Cobalt and Persimmon helping the others up, and Hali didn't seem to be hurt; all in all, it seemed the mission was-
His train of thought was cut off as the remnants of the bridge began to shake violently. He ran over to the others to regroup-
And then, the back wall of the bridge exploded, blowing out in a massive display of shrapnel, as a massive object emerged. Octavio, in some kind of vehicle, the likes of which they had never seen.
"Even if my invasion was a failure, I've covered my bases... I'm still going to remix all of your faces! Gwo-ho-ho! Prepare to embrace a bitter defeat, none of you are ready for my sick beats!"
The speakers on Octavio's weapon blared to life, his frankly sub-par music now blasting through the area. Morado was the first to respond, springing into action and firing at Octavio, only for it to bounce off some kind of force-field. Octavio laughed, firing off a wave of seeking missiles at Morado in return.
"You fool! My Octo-Weapon is invincible, your puny weapons aren't even comparable!"
Octavio fired off another volley of missiles, then turned his attention towards the others.
"And hey, you lot! Come and fight me, you ought! Or perhaps have you forgot? My A-Game I've brought!"
One of the fists on the side of Octavio's weapon shook, powering up and firing at Cobalt. His eyes widened at the incoming attack as he dove out of the way, the fist leaving a large spatter of ink where it impacted before being retracted back to the machine. Persimmon took a shot, her charger no more effective than Morado's attempt to break the shield. Octavio responded by swinging around to face her, a faint tracer giving Persimmon all the warning she needed to jump from her perch as a Killer Wail fired off at where she had just been. Cobalt pulled a can from his pocket, opening it and activating an Inkzooka before firing it at Octavio; but even the mighty special weapon had seemingly no effect on the shield.
"I'm sorry, are you deaf or just plain dumb? My shield is invincible, you may as well twiddle your thumb! Unstoppable, I have become, now it's time for me to have fun!"
Octavio fired off another wave of homing missiles, dancing around in his seat as he did so, while Cobalt just barely managed to avoid them. He was about to fire another volley when Morado opened fire at the back of the weapon, the ink pinging off the shield once more. He spun around, firing off the Volley at Morado instead, but this time, Morado just shot the missiles down.
"What's wrong, Mr Amateur DJ? I thought you were gonna remix my face? I'm right here, and I ain't feeling very remixed!"
"Amateur!? AMATEUR!? I'll show you who's an amateur, you tasteless filth!"
The fist on Octavio's right roared to life, firing off towards Morado, but at the last second, Cobalt sprang up from the ink at Morado's feet, swinging his roller down on the fist and knocking it back. He watched with bated breath as the fist soared through where the shield was and slammed into the Octo-Weapon, knocking it backwards through the hole it had created in the wall. Morado and Cobalt charged after it, the former stopping to look back at Persimmon.
"Come on! We can't give him any chance to escape!"

Meanwhile, Inkopolis, the Police Headquarters

Vermillion and Naranja finally reached Chief Evergreen's office, slamming the door behind them and locking it. Vermillion strode to the center of the room before addressing the traitorous chief.
"Evergreen. By the authority of... well, me, you're under arrest for treason."
"Under arrest? Me? Boy, you don't understand, do you? In Inkopolis... I AM LAW. If I do something, I make it legal."
"Presumptuous of you to assume your authority still stands." Naranja interjected. "Your deception has been uncovered, Evergreen, and the invasion has failed. You have nothing."
Evergreen paused for a moment, then pressed a button under his desk. Storm shutters rolled down, covering both the doors and the windows of the office.
"Well. If I have nothing, then I suppose I'll lose nothing if I beat the both of you to a pulp."
Evergreen charged, going for Vermillion first. Vermillion threw a gut-punch, but the chief's bulky physique made it feel like hitting a brick; the Moray was barely even fazed as he continued his charge, shoulder-tackling Vermillion and carrying him a fair distance before grabbing him and chucking him into the wall. Naranja went in, swinging with his sword, but Evergreen spun around, his hands beginning to become coated in a slimy mucus- a self-defense mechanism, held from the Moray's genetic ancestors. The mucus, combined with thick skin, allowed him to catch the blade in his hand, wrenching it from Naranja's grasp and throwing it aside before following up with a devastating punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of the Inkling.
"Really. What was your plan? Two Inklings of your size, charging me? You'd have to be fools to think that could be enough. Fools, or just-" He spun around, catching Vermillion's jump-kick before whipping the Inkling around by the leg and slamming him into ground. "-Fools, or just, plain, stupid."

The Immortal

The Agents operated like a well-oiled machine, all three of them attacking Octavio in turn; never giving him a single target, never letting him get his bombs even past his shield. Every time he tried to launch a fist, it was sent back towards him, and he'd have to dive into his ink pool to avoid being crushed. He frantically piloted the machine further and further through his wrecked flagship, not even dreaming of using the Mega Missile he had stored- against this much firepower, he'd never be able to get it out past his shield. His machine wasn't designed for this, but... if he applied some quick thinking... Yes, it would wear some parts out a little faster, but it should... "Gwa-ha-ha! So what, you think you've won, you think I'm defeated, you think this is done? No! My systems may be critical, my outlook may be cynical, the ship's functions may be minimal, but you can bet I'll still give it all! Behold, Octarian ingenuity!"
One of the machine's fists roared to life, beginning to spin before firing. Cobalt leapt towards it, bringing his roller down on it, ready to send it flying... only for him to be sent flying instead, hurtling back and narrowly being caught by Hali.
"Ha! See, I've still got a few tricks left, I won't fold, this new technique will leave you all out cold!"
Morado sighed, gunning out another wave of octo-bombs before dive-rolling to avoid a killer wail. "Shell, your rhymes suck! Can you just shut it!?"
"...No. My rhymes are impeccable, your music's not even comparable!"
To accentuate his point, Octavio fired off both fists, spinning them to repel attacks; Hali and Cobalt narrowly diving out of the way to dodge them while Persimmon provided covering fire.
They couldn't keep going like this forever.
But he couldn't, either.
Morado's fear, though, was who would let up first?

Police HQ

Both Inklings lay on the ground; battered, bruised, and defeated. Evergreen sat on his desk, one foot firmly planted on each opponent, monologuing while he debated which one to kill first.
"You see, Octavio had some convincing to do, he really did. Powers from beyond this world- Pah. Who cares. But when he showed me what they had learnt about humans... well, that caught my eye." He brought Naranja's blade to it's owner's neck, considering killing him first. "You see, the humans, they had so many ways to control the masses. Fear, manipulation, power- they created a system that perpetually pit one side against the other so thoroughly that people couldn't even agree on basic things like medicine. They had weapons of such power that even having one made people afraid to challenge you, regardless of if you could actually use it. They-" He brought the blade over to Vermillion's neck- yes, kill the friend in front of the sword's owner, perhaps? "-they made each other afraid of their very neighbours over the smallest difference, to the point where many groups had to meet in secret or never at all, for they were never sure who was really who they said they were. Octavio saw this, and like me, he appreciated it. We can both see the bigger picture. There has to be order. You run around, and play your little turf wars all free and chaotic and foolish, and you base your entire lives around the chaos of Splatfests and Daily Stage Rotations and such and such... Such noise, such chaos! We rely on Zapfish for power, since you're all too content! Nobody bothers to research new power sources, since "why should we, we already have electricity!". But no more. Under my perfect order, Octavio can have his Zapfish, for we will develop better ways. We will-" He brought the sword back to Naranja's neck. "What was that, boy? Speak up, will you?"
Naranja rolled his head slightly, unable to even lift it. "I... said... the people won't-"
"Oh, the people won't have a choice. There will be order, freedom be damned. To quote a human we researched in particular, "We're making the mother of all Omelettes here; we can't afford to fret over every egg." The "people" will have to get over it."
Vermillion spoke up. "They won't. You'll never have your-" He was cut off, as Evergreen kicked him in the stomach, sending the Inkling tumbling across the carpeted office, hitting the wall with a thud. He coughed up some in, grimacing, before finishing his statement in spite of the Moray. "...you'll never have your "order". They'll fight you for forever, if they have to."
The Moray sighed, hopping off his desk, walking over to Vermillion and raising Naranja's sword to attack. "Then it's a shame you won't be alive to fight with them."

The Vampire

"Well, well, well, 07-35. I must say, I'm impressed. Only a couple days ago, I almost killed you, yet here you are now, matching me? Truly, you've learnt well. Unfortunately for you, you're fighting fair... While I am not." 07-34 withdrew something from his seat- a capsule of some kind, full of... ink? He clenched his fist, breaking the glass, and the ink slowly crept across his body, slowly fading to reveal... a fully restored 07-34. Violet recoiled- all that effort, gone? She was near her limit, there was no way... no. She couldn't accept defeat before she had even lost, she had to keep fighting-
All 07-34 saw was Violet suddenly get up, yelling in frustration as she ran towards him; he chuckled, catching her angered punch, before throwing a devastating counter-punch-
A counter-punch that never landed, as instead 07-34 felt a fist collide with his head, just shy of hitting his temple, his eyes spinning around to see- The Agent. Green had gotten back up, throwing his whole body into a punch that could have seriously injured the Octoling... could have, but didn't. Recovering, he let go of Violet's fist, throwing a spin-kick at the Inkling, only for his former subordinate to drive her knee into his groin, eliciting a howl of pain as he took a few steps back... No. NO! He had this; it was the two of them, two half-dead weaklings, against him, still at full strength- this was easy! He could not lose! Collecting himself, he caught the oncoming dynamo punch from Green, kicking out to defend from Violet's attack- only for her to strike from somewhere completely different, somewhere he hadn't predicted.
Another step back.
Right, that was his own blunder, he had expected her to fight like an Octoling. But if she was fighting like and agent... He blocked another punch from Green, before spinning around, lashing out at her attack from behind- but she wasn't behind him, she was waiting, carefully timing a devastating uppercut to his undefended jaw.
Another step back.
So she was fighting like an Octoling? Then,- he caught a kick from Green, spinning to knock the Inkling off-balance before realizing he couldn't see Violet- just as a blow hit the back of his head, sending him face-first into the ground, the remnants of his mask digging into his face and aggravating his wounds. He got up, swinging blind, and this time Green hit him, with a precise kick to his stomach.
Another step back.
He caught Green's follow-up punch- but as he did, Violet grabbed his arm, heaving and throwing him over her shoulder, directly into Green's waiting, raised knee, knocking a few of the Octoling's teeth out. He kicked Violet, freeing himself from her grip and getting up-
Another step back.
How. HOW!? How was she doing this? How were they doing this? He had the skill advantage, superior stamina, not to mention, the Inkling hadn't eaten in days- he jabbed, catching Green in the face, and he spiralled and fell- just as Violet landed a spin-kick to the back of his head, knocking him down next to the Inkling, making it all the easier for Green to roll over and put him into an arm hold, grunting with all his remaining strength as he wrenched the Octoling's left arm from its socket before collapsing once more. In pain, 07-34 got back up- right as Violet kicked him in the chest, sending him
Another step back.
He drew a knife.
Violet's eyes shifted, subtly, trying to mask a pang of fear.
"Oh? Recognize this?"
He shifted his grip, charging and slashing at her. She dodged, but as she did, he was able to flip the blade around, delivering two quick stabs to the back of her right shoulder. The two backed away from each other again, Violet's breathing notably less focused now.
"Awe, what's wrong? Scared top die again, Traitor?"
She let out a yell as she charged him, trying to sound angry, but a little more fear escaped through the cracks. He was smiling again. He was planning something. She couldn't let that happen. She had to keep up the advantage.
As she threw a punch, ready to dodge his knife, he didn't try to counterattack. Instead, he swung his dislocated shoulder forwards, letting her hit it as he relaxed his muscles- it didn't quite work as he hoped, his shoulder still dislocated, but not quite as much as before. Taking advantage of Violet's moment of confusion after this, he swung his knife, ready to plant it firmly in Violet's throat-

The Immortal

Cobalt dove for cover, panting, as a fist flew past him. They couldn't keep this up much longer, and Octavio's machine hadn't taken any damage- he wasn't even sure if the shield had been effected at all by their attempts to pierce it, and they hadn't been able to even push Octavio back ever since he started spinning his fists.
Morado dove for cover beside him, narrowly avoiding another killer wail, and the two exchanged a glance before both rolling out of their cover in opposite directions, just in time to avoid a spinning fist smashing through it- only for both of them to be hit by missiles they didn't see coming, getting knocked flat on their backs and narrowly avoiding being splatted. Persimmon turned, trying to provide supporting fire, but had to quickly turn again to try and avoid another killer wail, also being knocked down in the process. Hali was... nowhere to be seen, having ran off saying she had a plan. Octavio laughed.
"Gwo-ho-ho... Looks like this is it, agents. Time to face the final curtain. You said that I wouldn't win... but are you certain?"
Octavio's fists revved up once more... before beginning to smoke, sputtering and ceasing to spin as thick black plumes began to rise. Octavio had overdone it. The rotational controllers, designed only to automatically right the fists, had been worn out by his tampering.
"Bah! No matter, I can still finish you off! Say your prayers, inklings, DJ Octavio signing-

Whether by luck, or careful calculation, at just that moment, Octavio was cut off by the OctoWhirl bursting through the wall, heavily damaged. Gigatonne followed through, also sporting some damage, reaching into it's inky surface and tearing free a zapfish. It then backed up as the mighty Octo-Weapon let out a sad, low whirl, and powered down. Gigatonne paused, at first facing the downed trio of agents, before turning to Octavio.
PRIORITY ONE TARGET CONFIRMED. ENGAGING TARGET: [DJ OCTAVIO]. FULL WEAPON USAGE: ENABLED.
"Who the shell are you! Get out of my face! Behold my power, I'll show you your place!
Octavio's fists, no longer spinning, roared back to life and shot off, only for Gigatonne to catch the first one, pulling it hard to force Octavio's machine to let out more cable. It grabbed said cable, spinning the fist around by it to knock the other fist back at Octavio, then letting go to send the other back at him as well. While Octavio recovered, his machine moving back, Gigatonne's fist spun out of the way to reveal a hidden weapon- four small missiles shot out, impacting Octavio's shield not in explosions of ink, but fire.
OBSERVATION: TARGET PROTECTED BY ENERGY BARRIER. PROPOSAL: DETERMINE BARRIER FREQUENCY.
Gigatonne charged forwards as the agents got back to their feet, regrouping to plan while Gigatonne bought them time. Octavio fired off several missiles at the robot, who at first seemed unfazed, but as the ink from their detonations seeped into it's body, it staggered.
OBSERVATION: EXTERIOR DAMAGE HAS ALLOWED FOR INK-BASED DAMAGE OF INTERIOR SYSTEMS. PLEASE BE ADVISED, UNIT EFFICIENCY IS DECREA-
Gigatonne was cut off but one of Octavio's fists slamming into it, knocking it against a wall, where Octavio then began to barrage it with everything he had. Fists, missiles, killer wails- the robot didn't seem to recover quite as quickly, anymore, and it seemed plausible it would fall as Octavio finally fired off a Mega missile at it.

Police HQ

Chief Evergreen was about to bring the blade down on Vermillion's neck when they heard it. A dull, ringing, metallic thud. Turning his head, he looked with amusement at the door, before chuckling.
"Awe, what's that, Inklings? Your friends, trying to save you? Too bad. They won't be able to get through that door. It's steel, the same as your sword here. Ink won't break it-"
Another thud, louder this time. Evergreen didn't seem to notice it, but Naranja noticed a difference in the door...
And again, an impact. This time, the dent was made more obvious, Evergreen stammering as the metal creaked-
Another hit, the metal brackets starting to groan at their seams. Evergreen calmly walked over to his desk, grabbing an electric rifle and taking aim. Whoever came through that door was going to-
He wasn't able to finish that thought before something hit the door again, finally breaking the brackets holding the metal slats together, and just as quickly, purple ink seeped through the gaps, reforming into the shape of an Octoling just as Evergreen fired.
Unfortunately, this weapon was made by Green. Meaning that when Gigatonne had broadcast the override command, it had also been shut down. Instead of a powerful zap, Evergreen only got a dull click as the Octoling- Luna- charged at him, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks at the Moray's chest, finally staggering him.
Evergreen recovered quickly, though, swinging the rifle like a bat at Luna's chest and launching her across the room. He went on the offensive once more, his shirt now soaked with the mucus his body was producing in response to the attack, throwing another of his dynamite punches at the Octoling- only for her to dodge, her hands shifting as she let out her claws, slashing and scratching at his chest. He recoiled, backing up from the sudden assault, but then chuckled, countering her attempt to attack again by punching her hard in the gut. He'd take another couple of steps back before grabbing his tattered shirt, ripping it off to reveal there wasn't even a scratch on his well-defined chest.
"Ha. Haha! You sly sea-dog, you almost got me! Had you started with the claws, maybe you would have done some damage there!"
She tried to attack again, but her claws just slid off him, his mucus-covered skin as effective as armour as he responded with another punch to the gut, followed by a kick to the side.
"Unfortunately, You tried punching first. Now, see, the thing is, my body produces mucus in response to physical trauma. Which means-"
-He caught her leg as she attempted to kick him, before punching her square in the face-
"-You can't hurt me!"
As he said this, though, Vermillion noticed something.
He wasn't entirely correct.
They could hurt him.
They could win.

The Vampire

-Only for him to lose feeling in that hand, as his elbow erupted in a burst of red ink, trailing back to a lone inkling wielding a cracked Bamboozler. His forearm, knife still in hand, tumbled to the ground as he howled in pain, stumbling back and clutching the stump with his other, now only, hand. Carmine broke into a sprint, sliding down the side of the crater and taking a defensive position next to Green as Violet advanced on 07-34 once more. He got up, trying to defend himself, but with only one and a half arms, it wasn't easy. Even in her exhausted state, Violet held the advantage. She took a defensive stance, and began fighting one last time. Carmine recognized the stance- Vermillion's. Violet threw punch after punch, no longer having to worry about 07-34 throwing counter-punches- even when he blocked, she'd just throw a hook with her other arm, wearing him down further. 07-34 was trying to find a pattern, a logic, a gap in her defences- there! Jab, Jab, Hook, Uppercut- No, wait, it was Hook, Jab, Jab- No, it was- As punch after punch came in, he found his body less responsive, slower, his own thoughts slowly drowned out by the ringing in his ears-
And with one last uppercut from Violet, he was knocked off his feet, the last broken piece of his mask sent flying from his face as he landed on his back, drifting out of consciousness.
As soon as she was sure he wasn't getting back up, Violet went back to the others, helping Carmine get Green to his feet and out of the wreckage.
Violet took one last look at 07-34 as they left, content to just leave him there to die.
But as they left, a cloaked figure arrived, slinging 07-34's body over their shoulder and making a stealthy exit.

The Immortal

Only for the Mega Missile to get knocked back at him by a barrage of ink. Octavio's eyes widened, his fists too slow to respond as he dove into his ink pool for cover, the Mega Missile impacting and sending his Octo-Weapon spinning through the air.
Cobalt ran up to Gigatonne, but it seemed too late; the robot had lost power, no longer responding, and he shook his head at the other agents. They had no time to be sad, though, not now, as Octavio tried to take them out with another Mega Missile-!
A missile which never reached its targets, being knocked by with precision. Octavio tried punching it back at them, only to be met with the same results, the Agents knocking it back a second time, and as he tried to punch it back once more, Persimmon shot his fist, sending it towards him instead. The machine was knocked back, again, eliciting a low growl from the Octarian leader- he was back against a wall, now, there was only one way left to go-
"Gwa-ha... Even if you think that I am beat, I will never admit defeat!"
-He crashed through the ceiling, heading off into the city!
"Shit! He's trying to escape!"
The three agents pursued, though, super-jumping after him- they couldn't let him escape.

Meanwhile, deeper in the bowels of the crashed ship, Marie and Callie were getting more desperate in their search, until they heard a rhythmic thunk-ing sound from a nearby room. Heading in with their weapons at the ready, they were relieved to find Captain Cuttlefish, smacking at a strange machine with his cane.

Police HQ

As Evergreen went to stomp on Luna's chest, Vermillion leapt on his back, filled with newfound strength as his mind worked together a plan. It all hinged on Evergreen's fist- the one he had just used to punch Luna in the face, the one that was now reacting strangely to the smallest of cuts it had gotten from Luna's beak. Evergreen noticed, too, as he ran backwards, ramming Vermillion into the wall.
"What... is this?"
His hand was out of control, some parts of it practically dripping with mucus while other patches secreted none at all, and it seemed to be spreading, slowly, up his arm. Slamming Vermillion into the wall again to break his grip, he turned his attention back to the rising Octoling.
"What did you do to me!?"
She answered only by spitting to her side, before the two charged at each other, Luna dropping into a slide at the last second and clawing his legs, eliciting a pained howl as her talon-like fingers sliced through unprotected flesh, though the cuts were quickly coated by the mucus his legs started to secrete. As the two fought, Naranja's eyes wandered to his sword, where Luna's spit had landed. He had also noticed the phenomenon with the chief's hand... He wondered... Blue rings...
His eyes widened. Getting up as best he could, he ran to get his blade, picking it up and waiting. As Luna and Evergreen fought, trading blows, they slowly turned, and no sooner than Evergreen found his back facing the Inkling did he strike, slashing the saliva-coated blade across the chief's back-
Or, rather, venom-coated, the same venom Blue-Ring Octolings inherited from their ancestors. It seeped readily into Evergreen's back, his mucus glands going haywire in the presence of the potent neurotoxin, revealing more gaps in his "armour". The venom spread through the Moray's body, his chest and upper arms also no longer iron-clad, leaving gaps for Luna to slash at with her claws. Evergreen howled in pain, spinning around to try and hit Naranja, but the venom was effecting his muscles too- he was getting slower, weaker. Naranja dodged, slashing defensively as he did, though to his disappointment he hit a spot of Evergreen's arm where the mucus had become thicker and his sword only slid off. Before Evergreen could focus too heavily on Naranja, though, there was Luna again, slashing at his now-undefended back before sliding underneath him. He tried to kick at her, but was instead met by Vermillion catching his leg, holding tight as Luna leapt in for another attack at his chest. Her claws sunk in deeper, again and again, as the Moray finally staggered backwards, collapsing on his desk. Luna went to spit in his face as Naranja sheathed his blade...
Only to draw it immediately as Evergreen grabbed Luna by the throat, spinning her around and holding her against his chest.
"Another move, from either of you, and I snap her miserable-"
His words devolved into a howl of pain as she bit his hand, and as he recoiled, Naranja made the decision, rushing forwards with his blade.
Evergreen's body fell to the ground, limp.
Naranja grabbed a nice handkerchief from the ex-chief's desk, using it to wipe down his blade before sheathing it once more, and as he sat, Vermillion collapsed, panting.

Port Mackerel
Rainmaker
Persimmon, Cobalt and Morado were hot on Octavio's tail as he passed over the abandoned Rainmaker match at Port Mackerel, the ground still inked up from the ranked game that had been taking place before the invasion started. Seeing the opportunity, the three agents quickly jumped into the still-active respawn pad, changing their colour to that of the ink already on the ground as well as gaining a life-line in case Octavio got a lucky hit in. Advancing swiftly through the old ink, Cobalt caught up first, firing a quick burst at the fleeing Octo-Weapon and forcing Octavio to turn- seems the back of his weapon wasn't as well-shielded as the front? The Octarian commander growled in annoyance, firing off a volley of special bombs, though unfortunately Morado would shoot them from the air before they could land and release their Octoball payloads. As he continued backing up, Octavio was careful not to let the agents get behind him, proceeding back to the middle of the map, where the teams have been battling for territory. Cobalt saw the Rainmaker sitting there, and he ran for it, figuring the weapon would be useful-
Only to be met with a hard kick to the stomach, as easily a dozen Octoling troops emerged from the other team's ink!
Octavio let out a cackle as more and more Octolings appeared, climbing over the arena walls and swarming the three agents.
"Ha! You've fallen for my trap! Tell you what, agents, I'm feeling generous. As long as you don't shoot, I'll order my troops not to, either- much more fun to watch them beat you to death, instead! Gwa-ha-ha!"
With that, the Octolings advanced, their cold masked gazes matching the agent's determined yet fearful glares. Octavio continued to laugh, beginning to blast his music from his machine once more as the agents started to fight- and while the Octolings weren't using their weapons, they would often engage two or even three on one, until finally Cobalt had no choice but to shoot in order to back up Morado, who had been ganged up on, and a firefight broke out, the inklings retreating towards their pad as the Octolings advanced, each splat only confirming that they had tuned into the opposing respawn pad.
And to make matters worse, Octavio began to sing along to his tunes.
"You fought well but now you'll fall, and with you gone we'll beat them all, yes despite all your persistence, we'll still end your existence! The Octo way just is the best, far superior to all the rest; atop the smouldering Inkopolis hearth, we'll build a city to rule the earth! If you think that you won't fail, feel free to cry about your ails, But you will fall upon my trail, now feast upon these killer wails!"
And to emphasize his line, he shot off not one but two killer wails, clipping Cobalt on the shoulder and leaving him open to be splatted, sending him back to their now-surrounded spawn point. Something was off... He should have been able to dodge those? Something was dulling his reflexes, somehow...
Octavio turned his attention to Persimmon.
"Eye in the sky, head in the clouds, you shoot and miss and still act proud; Your friend has fell and crashed and burned, but still you two refuse to learn; Hear my song and feel the beat, soon you will accept defeat; Without your friend to watch your back, fall before my jab attack!"
Before Persimmon could fully register what the last verse meant, an Octoling tripped her from behind, leaving her unable to dodge the incoming fist-
-SPLAT-
Sending her back to the respawn pad with Cobalt, still surrounded.
Only one left. Octavio focused in on Morado.
"Second in charge or second fiddle? Even among agents, stuck in the middle; Not the best, and not the coolest, Forgivable, if you were newest; But despite all that you too will fall, one last missile to end it all!"
Between the incoming fire from every direction, and his own dulling reflexes, Morado had no chance of shooting down the incoming Mega Missile-
-SPLAT-
Sending him back with the others.
They were all surrounded now, and Octavio laughed as they saw an Octoling engineer cutting the power to the pad.
They braced for the incoming hail of ink that would end them...
But nothing happened? Looking around them, The Octolings that were previously staring with murderous intent seemed... confused?
"Excuse me? Hello? Annihilate them!"
But the Octolings still didn't move... and but a second later, Octavio's weapon stopped playing his music?
-KZZZTCHK-Shhhhhzzzz-"Hello, is this thing on?"
It was Callie's voice!
"Radio Override Activated!"
And Marie's!
And as the rocking beats of Calamari Inkantation began to blare from Octavio's weapon, the three agents felt the sluggishness from before fade quickly- and they sprung into action, advancing past the still-stunned Octolings to engage Octavio once more, who had to quickly back up to ensure Persimmon's troublesome charger didn't hit him from behind. At the same time, the Octostomp arrived, marching up to the side of the arena, giving the agents a moment of panic- before Hali emerged from the top, shouting.
"I can't target him! It must be a safety mechanism- give me something I can target, and I can take him out!"
Cobalt's mind sprung to work. Octostomp could target them, it had done so many times before-
Meaning...
He rushed forwards, once more going for the rainmaker as Octavio shot out volleys of missiles, bombs, and his fists, though Persimmon was quick to snipe the fists whenever her tried. Octavio found himself constantly on the retreat, now, as Cobalt fired at him with the Rainmaker and he braced for impact- only for the powerful special weapon to splash off the shield, causing him to sigh in relief... though, he couldn't be sure the shield would hold forever.
Overhead, the incomplete Mimic, which had been left behind, lumbered into place. It was now or never. If Octavio got out of the Shipyard, he could escape to the warship and make it away. Cobalt kept up the Rainmaker fire, careful to position himself such that Octavio couldn't retreat too fast, as Morado kept handling the missiles and Persimmon kept watch of his fists. Only a few meters left, now... As Octavio passed over the Rainmaker stand, Cobalt made his move. He leapt, super-jumping over Octavio's machine, before launching straight down, as if he intended to plant the rainmaker on Octavio's forehead...
And the big Octo laughed, as Cobalt bounced off the shield.
"Gwa-ha... was that your plan? You are a fool; now to escape, I rule and you droo-"
Wait, what was that shadow? Octavio looked up as the Octostomp, which had locked onto Cobalt as he was falling, smashed into the greatest Octo-Weapon, Hali jumping clear at just the last minute.
The crushing and wrenching of metal could be heard, and then silence. And then...
From inside the wreckage of both weapons, one could hear the voice of Octavio...
"So... sad..."
"Cross-fade... To black..."
And then, both machines exploded in bursts of purple ink, freeing the regular zapfish held in one, and the Great Zapfish held in the other.
Exhausted, Cobalt collapsed.

Author's note: One more! Onward, to Chapter 10!