Part 2


Later

Ammo Knights

As night started to fall over Sashimi Town, Hannalie was just closing up shop for the day when she once again heard the door open. As she looked over, Cuttlefish and Clara shoved their way in, walking over.

She awkwardly brushed some hair out of her face as she faced them. "Um… we're closed."

"Doesn't matter." Cuttlefish walked over. "This is important."

"How important?"

He pulled the golden pin out of his shirt pocket. "We talked to your friend Biff. This is all he had for us." He held it out toward her.

Her eyes widened as she stared at it. "You… You got it?"

"He gave it to us." Clara said.

She stepped back a bit, quite shocked. "He… He actually trusted you with it?"

Cuttlefish nodded a bit. "Yes. I think he did."

"Where… is he?"

He didn't respond.

"...Is he…?" She didn't dare say it out loud.

"Yeah." He somberly nodded. "He passed. I'm… I'm sorry."

Hannalie took a moment to recompose herself, taking in a breath. "…Well…" She took it from him. "If he actually trusted you with this and… with his life… then…" She paused, thinking it over.

They both stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"...Come with me." She finished, turning and walking into the other room.

They both glanced at each other as they followed her into the backrooms, up until Hannalie walked up to what, at first glance, appeared to be an ordinary wall that was blocked off by ordinary shelves.

"Help me?" She stopped and looked up at him.

"Oh. Uh, sure." He stepped where she motioned him toward, and they both worked to pull some of the shelves and other objects off and away from the wall. Eventually, the wall was just left barren.

Clara stared at it. "What… are we doing here, exactly?"

"Shhh…" The girl briefly held her finger to her mouth before she held the pin up and held it to the wall. She pressed it up against the slightest dent in the wall, which was shaped just like the pin. In reaction, the entire wall suddenly buckled.

Cuttlefish and Clara backed up as the wall started making mechanical noises, and a moment later, a hidden door in the wall came out and then slid to the side, revealing a downward staircase behind it.

Hannalie stepped to the side, putting her hands together. "This way, please."

Cuttlefish shyly took a step forward, amazed. Exchanging yet another look with Clara, he inched forward more and more, peeking down to see the dark path that these stairs led down, until finally, he started walking down. Clara followed, and as they went deeper down, Hannalie stayed behind to once again seal the entrance back up.

They briefly glanced up as they were slammed in darkness, and Clara pulled out her light, turning it on as they walked down the rest of the way. A million thoughts raced through Cuttlefish's head. What was down here? Was this another trap? What were they walking into?

They weren't left pondering for long. They walked down all the way until they came into a medium-sized room, which was filled to the brim with maps on the wall, battle plans and strategies, notes, and unusual weapon parts that were scattered on the central table.

"Holy shit." Clara muttered as she looked around.

Cuttlefish remained just as silent, completely amazed, as he walked over to some of the tables to examine the notes and maps that were collected here. They were… Octarian plans. Plans for upcoming Octarians strikes, and how to counter them. How was this here? Where did they come from?

As he pondered this, his thoughts were taken from him as he heard a nearby… purring sound? He glanced to the side somewhat. "Do you hear that?"

Clara was looking around a bit as well. She looked at him. "No. What?"

"That weird… noise." He turned and tried to follow it, when at that moment, a bizarre, small furry creature, unlike anything he had seen before, came up from behind the table.

It walked up to him, about to touch his leg. "Meow."

"AH!" He jumped and rushed over to Clara. "What the hell is that thing!?"

As the creature jumped in response and ran away toward the room's corner, the Inklings were both startled once more as they heard a voice from the nearby hallway. "Don't spook the cat, friends." They both turned to watch the figure step out of the shadows and into the main room.

It was a tall Horseshoe Crab, who was wearing a large welding mask and holding multiple tools in his hands. "Hannalie let you down here, huh?"

"Who are you?" Cuttlefish asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" He reached up to take the mask off, revealing the face of Ammoses Shellendorf, who smirked at them. "You didn't know coming in?"

"Y-… You…" He lowered his guard.

"Yep! Me." He set the mask and his tools down.

"We… We were told you were dead." Clara spoke up.

"That's what we want the Octarians to think, now isn't it?"

"...Yes." Cuttlefish nodded a bit. "Yes, I guess it is. Biff didn't even know you were down here… but… Hannalie does?"

"Oh, yeah. I'd trust that girl with the last breath of my life. I've actually been training her myself, and was actually in the process of giving her flying lessons, before everything went to hell. She's a fast-learner and a trusty sidekick, I'll tell you that."

He gave another look around, as the strange creature climbed up on the table at that moment. "But… what the hell is that thing?"

"The cat?" He casually walked over and picked him up. "That's just Judd. I've been protecting this little guy from the Octarians, too."

"The… cat?" He and Clara kept staring, bewildered. "I thought those were extinct."

"Yeah, again, that's what you're supposed to think, but this li'l guy has been hanging out in secret for the past 2,000 years or so." He pet and tickled the cat. "Isn't that right, Judd? Isn't that right? Oh, you cute little thing."

"...Weirdest god-dang thing I've ever seen." Clara muttered to herself.

The two of them kept staring as Ammoses kept petting the cat. After a bit, Cuttlefish shook his head. "…Anyway. What… happened to you, exactly?"

Ammoses set Judd down. "The Octarians stole a shipment of my Ammo Knights weaponry and tried to have me assassinated. They blew up my house and all. They didn't know I survived the wreck and went underground, but I'm afraid it didn't stop them from seizing almost complete control of our Ammo Knights stores and weapons back in Inkadia."

"They've been using them in the war." Cuttlefish replied. "They disguised themselves as our own forces and hit us hard. We lost good people to them."

"I know. From down here-" He motioned to the room around them. "I've been doing everything I can to counter them. But I could only do so much besides planning."

"And what are you planning?"

"It's been more like figuring out what they're planning." He went over to a table. "And how to counter it. Because, I'm afraid… we only have so much time."

He stepped closer to him, concerned. "So much time before what?"

"Before they take down Arowana Castle." He turned to them and stepped out of the way, motioning to the map behind him. "And win the war."

Cuttlefish walked over to look at the map. Indeed, it appeared they were planning a bitter seige on the castle. "Oh, no."

"What?" Clara asked. "What's so important about Arowana Castle?"

"If they take control of the castle, there won't be anything stopping them from taking control of Inkadia City. From there… we'll be forced to surrender."

She put her hand on her chest. "Dear God."

He turned back to Ammoses. "How do you know all this? How do you know they have the capabilities to do this?"

"Because by using what resources I have left, me and my allies have been keeping an eye on them as best as we could. They've been using Ammo Knight's resources to build something." Ammoses went over to the nearby blueprints. "Something big."

Cuttlefish and Clara followed him over, allowing him to show it to them. Cuttlefish's eyes widened as he saw the blueprints to the massive, destructive Octoweapon.


Octarian Turf

Indeed, the Octarians had been working on some very big projects, and they were just about finished with their most massive one that stood in front of Lord Octavio. It was a massive, mechanical suit, with an open slot that could fit an Octoling inside to control it.

Octavio stepped toward it, reaching his hand up and over to feel its metal exterior. "Yes." He whispered to himself. "This is the key. This will take them down."

A few of the Octoling mechanics that helped put this thing together stood behind him, hands behind their backs as they watched him admire their handiwork.

He slowly turned back to them. "Will it be ready for the attack?"

They slowly nodded.

He stepped back and looked directly back up at it. Its head, which was vaguely shaped like an Octopus, practically stared back at him, ready for its new mission.

"First, we take Arowana Castle." Octavio nodded, grinning. "Then the world will be at our knees. And Cuttlefish…" He paused. "Cuttlefish… Will be forced to surrender."


Ammo Knights Hideout

Cuttlefish sat down to look over his Bamboozler weapon and get it prepared. "How soon will this attack happen?"

"Soon." Ammoses said. "Could be any day now."

Clara was pacing a bit. "Do you have a telephone?"

"It's too dangerous to be communicating with anyone from here, honey."

She turned to him. "I don't care. If the war is about to enter a decisive stage, I want to talk to Jack."

"And I understand the sentiment, but right now, we can't do that."

"Jack is my brother, I'm not just going to-!"

"Clara, easy, easy." Cuttlefish stood up to grab her shoulder. "Jack made his choice when he walked away. Nothing we can do about that now."

"But… I can't just…" She trailed off, starting to cry.

"Hey." He pulled her into a tight hug, which she returned. She closed her eyes as she leaned into him.

Ammoses stared at them for a moment as they shared the moment, but upon realizing how deeply cuddled into Cuttlefish she was, Clara opened her eyes again and backed off. Cuttlefish awkwardly let go of her.

"...Heh." Ammoses chuckled. "You two haven't connected in that way yet, have you?"

Clara ignored that as she turned to him. "What do we do next, Ammoses?"

"It's plain and simply, actually." He turned back to his plans on the table. "We need someone at Arowana Castle who knows how to counter that Octoweapon."

"So, you." Cuttlefish replied.

"Yes, very much me. But the thing is, I can't do it on my own. I've been ill-staffed, in case you haven't noticed."

"How many people will you need?"

He shrugged. "Luckily, I know a couple good-hearted individuals who just happened to wander in… didn't you notice?"

"Us? You want us?"

"Yes. You can get me in, to the Octoweapon, and you can distract the enemy while I dismantle it. You're a Cap'n, aren't you?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm not."

"I read it in the paper, Cuttlefish. Cap'n Squidbeak gave his life in the line of duty. And the one who was there for him to pass the hat along to… was you."

"Which was a mistake on his part."

He squinted. "You fought by Squidbeak's side for a long time, and you think he makes mistakes?"

He didn't respond.

"If I'm not mistaken, Cuttlefish, you were given that hat for a reason."

Cuttlefish took a moment to come up with his next response, looking down. "A good captain should be ready to march his army into battle. I'm… I'm not that."

Ammoses stared back at him. "Hm… Well, in either case, this Octarian attack is coming up. And I need fighters."

Another moment of silence hit them until Clara spoke up next. "I'll go."

Cuttlefish turned to her, immediately about to object.

She, however, cut him off. "I know what you're going to say. I… couldn't even take on that Octarian man without getting knocked out instantly. But… if Ammoses needs us… if the world needs us… I'll do anything I can for them."

"But if you get hurt because of me, I don't know if I'll ever be able to-" He stopped himself, sighing.

She stepped toward him, a comforting gaze in her eyes. "You have a good heart, Cap'n Cuttlefish. And I'd like to think I at least have a decent one. I've been here for you this far, let me stay for the rest. Let me do this."

He stared back at her. This was in no way a thing he wanted to let happen, but… at the end of the day, it wasn't his choice. It was hers. And if he was going to allow it to happen… it was doing to be on one condition.

Clara watched as he slowly walked over to the table, and took his backpack off, setting it down. He zipped it open and slowly pulled out Squidbeak's Captain hat, staring at it. Clara and Ammoses both watched from a fair distance, Ammoses nodding his head with a smirk.

After a moment, Cuttlefish turned back to them. "How good are you at shooting?"

Clara shrugged a bit. "I know how to shoot. You can teach me more."

He nodded. "…Let's get to work, then."

Ammoses suddenly laughed, with his arms folded. "Guess that settles it. We're a small splatoon or something down here, now."

"...Yeah." Cuttlefish nodded, still holding the hat. "We are."


Meanwhile

Jack practically slammed his shot glass down immediately after downing its contents, sighing. He had found himself at a random, quiet bar, somewhere in Sashimi Town, which he had come across by chance after taking a long, thoughtful walk to clear his head. The result: He was now well on the way to being drunk beyond rational thought. It was lucky for him that he wasn't already at that point, however, and the bartender was keeping an eye on him as he dried off some freshly washed dishes.

"Slow down, you're gonna get drunk beyond repair." The man remarked at him. "We're not gonna be open that long."

"How about you just shut up…" He motioned for a refill. "…and keep doing your job."

He sighed, quickly finished what he was doing, and grabbed the bottle. "Who's the girl that you're moping over?" He asked as he poured him his next drink.

"Admittedly, it's a man." He glared at him. "And he hit hard."

He stared at him. He had noticed his battle damage before- the bruises, the cut knuckles- he just hadn't wanted to say anything. Now, however, he started to suspect he should say something. "Someone… did this to you?"

He downed it yet again. "You could say that…" He motioned for another refill.

At this point, he just slid him the entire bottle. "Did you call the police?"

"Police can't do anything." He poured his next glass for himself. "Our world is probably going to end soon, my friend. And there isn't shit we can do about it. Except drink until it's alll over. At least… that's my mantra. From one bartender to another." He briefly held up his glass as if for a toast, then again downed his shot.

Although he had been listening intently, the bartender scoffed upon hearing 'the end of the world'. He got back to drying off dishes. "Yeah, you're drunk, bud. Slow down a bit."

"I'm not drunk. Not yet." He shook his head and poured yet another drink. "I'm still clear-headed enough to remember what just happened."

He looked at him. "What… happened?"

Jack sighed. From there, he spent his time explaining his woes to him, from what the Octarians were doing, to Ammoses' apparent demise, and how he had failed to find him in time.

The bartender listened to his every word; He did not know this man. He couldn't fully relate to his struggles. He wasn't typically the type of person to try and help others like this guy. But… listening to his story… he felt for him. He felt the sorrow in his voice, and his guilt in having left Ammoses behind. He was filled with it. He looked down.

When Jack was finished talking, he went right back to drinking, dramatically throwing his head back as he downed it. They fell into silence for a good few moments before the bartender spoke up.

"So why don't you do something about it?" He suddenly asked.

Jack paused as he slowly looked at him. "…Excuse me?"

"If this Ammoses Shellendorf meant so much to you… and these Octarians who did that to him are still out there… why are you here drinking?"

"A business-runner really shouldn't be asking questions like that."

He leaned forward, hands on the counter. "…I can feel your pain, friend. But sitting here and drinking your sorrows away… isn't going to help you."

He set his glass down, glaring at him. "How do you know what's going to help me or not?"

"Personal experience."

He scoffed and looked down.

The bartender leaned forward slightly more. "You can still do something about these people who got your friend. Go to the police. Or go to Ammo Knights. Go to your two friends you left and help them. Just do something. Make sure he's avenged."

Jack stared at him, and although he didn't respond, he too listened to his words.

"Trust me." He continued. "Doing something is going to help your situation more than sitting in my bar and trying to drink away the memories that anything ever happened."

He paused for a few moments, thinking about that. He leaned back. "…Are you telling me this because you care about me, or because you want me out of your bar?" He asked, with sarcasm in his voice.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Both."

Another moment passed. Jack stared down at his drink, thinking it all through. Before he had even completely made up his mind, he stood up, set down his money for the drinks, which included a handsome tip for his brief new friend. "Almost feel like paying you extra for the shrink session, doc."

He nodded and took the bills. "Just don't do anything rash."

"No promises." He turned and headed out the door. The bartender watched until he went out of view down the street, staring down at the sidewalk. The man had a point; He had unfinished business. And quite possibly, a war to prepare for.


It wasn't just Jack McLeod that was thinking about war that night; Everyone else involved was thinking of the same.

Jack, Clara, and Ammoses remained down in the Ammo Knights hideout, talking strategy, preparing weapons, and teaching Clara about the basics of the battlefield, using Ammo Knights dummy balloons to practice her aiming. Cuttlefish would smile at her from behind as he watched her shooting, and Clara would turn to notice, unable to help herself from smiling back, with a nice red blush on her face. Ammoses noticed this for himself and looked between the two of them, his signature dorky grin stuck on his face as he pet Judd.

By morning, Jack was in his own hotel room, and was preparing his own weaponry while going through intense work-out sessions, looking through the papers all the while to catch any sort of hint on where to go next to confront the Octarians. As he soon picked his next target to look for, he got his suit ready in his room's mirror, anxiously staring at himself for a good few seconds before he got his things and headed out.

Octavio and his Octarians, of course, were preparing as well in their own turf, and were finishing their final preparations on Octavio's massive Octoweapon. Before long, Octarians were beginning to load up onto trucks and planes, heading out in different teams.

"The Inkling menace will never see us coming!" Octavio shouted his last motivational speech at everyone as he watched the Octoweapon get loaded up and prepared for transport. "After we take the castle, no one will be able to stand in our way! NO ONE!"


Finally, the final preparations of Cuttlefish and Ammoses led them to another Ammo Knights warehouse somewhere in Calamari County's fields. Its massive doors opened up, allowing sunlight to stream inside as the three of them stepped forward.

"Behold my secret beauties." Ammoses held his arms out as he led them inside. "The Octarians never got a hold of all of my stuff. And this place, well… it'll do by us particularly well."

Cuttlefish and Clara stared ahead in amazement as they saw its contents. It wasn't just a warehouse; It was a hangar, lined with multiple Ammo Knights planes.

"I…" Cuttlefish barely knew what words to use. "How?"

"I'm Ammoses Shellendorf, that's how." He folded his arms. "This will get us to the castle, no fuss. At least, the fuss won't begin until we get there."

"I… don't know to say." He looked at him.

"Then don't say anything. Except thank you. Also, thank the weather for blessing us and making this a viable option." He led them forward, and they all got their things loaded up onto the best plane.

As they loaded everything up, Cuttlefish looked at Clara. She, of course, appeared quite nervous. "You ok?"

She awkwardly nodded. "Just thinking about Jack. I, uh… wish I had stopped him from walking off. I wish I could've talked to him, at least."

"…You know, you still have a last chance to walk away. Put this behind you. You can go find him."

Clara barely even looked back as she worked. She shook her head. "I'm still in this same as you, Cap'n." She looked down somewhat. "…You almost sound nervous that we're not going to win this yourself."

"I… don't know what I think." He admitted.

Finally, she turned to him, a comforting look in her eyes. "We'll get through this. We're going to win. Thanks to you."

He was still a bit too flustered to say much, and instead opted to give her a nod.

"You about ready?" Ammoses asked.

"Yeah." He placed the last of their supplies in the plane.

"Alright, then. All aboard." He passed around aviator goggles before he climbed up into the pilot seat. "Let's get this show on the road. For all we know, the attack could've already begun at this point."


Arowana Castle

Arowana Castle was, without a doubt, a complete fortress and one of the Inkling forces' sturdiest strongholds. The castle itself was a maze, and was heavily patrolled by the ever-so-cautious Inkling military, even more so since word had spread about what happened to Captain Squidbeak's last fort. Tension was already high; They knew about the tactical advantages of hitting this place, and what would happen if the castle fell. They were the last line of defense before the Octarian's very victory.

But even with all of this tension, and all of their preparations, the Inklings were simply not in place to properly defend against what was coming… largely, because they were still underestimating the coming threat.

The attack was not stealthy, nor did it need to be. The lookout crew had easily noticed the first incoming Ammo Knights planes, and identified them to be allied with the Octarians.

"Incoming!" The first guard to notice, with binoculars in hand, shouted first. Before long, men were shouting at each other, both to give orders and just in general panic, as they quickly lined up to get the cannons into position.

"Fire!" The present Captain shouted just before the cannons were fired, blasting off massive balls of destructive ink at their foes. A couple planes were taken out, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the first wave of bombs, which tore through the front of the castle.

Just like that, the Inkling forces were thrown off balance, with several front-line soldiers abruptly taken out as the planes began to circle back around. But they had minimal time to recover, as soon after the bombings took place, the frontal assault began. The Octarian army approached the castle from multiple sides, in great numbers, forcing the Inklings to fight back in a brutal, ink-filled battle.

Thus, the Siege of Arowana Castle had begun.


Ammo Knights

Peace was always a fickle phenomenon. Hannalie, who was still running the shop in Ammoses' behest, knew this. She glanced at Judd, who was napping on the table with his head in his arms, softly purring to himself, as she anxiously yet calmly worked on cleaning weapons. It was the type of peace she wished the world could keep forever… without having to go through all of the conflict that surrounds it.

As she somberly thought about this, she soon heard a ding, prompting her to look over at the opening door as an Inkling she had seen once before walked in. She shyly lowered her weapon as she faced him. "C-Can I help you?"

"Yeah." Jack walked up to her. "Have you seen my friends come back through here? Looking for answers on where to go next?"

She gulped. "Who's asking?"

"Please, ma'am." He held a hand forward. "I just want to help. Especially if they're in trouble."

She hesitated. For a couple moments. Again gulping, she nodded slightly. "…They may be."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

She stood up straight. "I know exactly where they went."


Arowana Castle

The Inkling's bold fortress was already slowly falling to the enemy. More of its walls were cracking or collapsing, and more Inkling soldiers were being taken out. They were surrounded by screaming and death as they fought, to the death if it was needed, as they bravely marched forward into the growing battle no matter the consequences.

The soldiers that manned the cannons were trying their best to fend off the attacks both on the ground and in the air, but they were slowly running out of ammunition, making them gravely aware that they simply weren't going to withstand this onslaught forever.

"Captain!" A soldier rushed up to the big Inkling inside the fort. "We won't have enough to fight off all the planes!"

"Do what you can!" He shouted back. "Just focus your aim on their air forces!"

In obedience, they kept loading the cannons and waiting for the next air attack, which came by soon enough. More bombs were rained down, and more intense explosions rocked the castle without mercy, sending their forces in a frenzy. The ground troops were doing a well enough job keeping the grounded Octarians from getting too close and entering the castle, but it did not change the fact that they were all swiftly getting overwhelmed, bringing more casualties and lowering their moral significantly. They simply would not last much longer until the invasion became too much to contain…

Sweat built on the captain's head as he realized this, staring ahead as the planes circled back around for their next brutal attack.

"I'm out!" A soldier at one of the cannons announced.

"Me too!" Another one said.

The Captain's mouth opened anxiously, but no sound came out. He stared ahead as the planes got closer and closer, signifying their next hit that they may not withstand…

Bangs filled the air, and the Captain briefly shielded his face as loud plane gunfire struck his ears, wincing to himself before he forced himself to look out to see what had happened. To his surprise, one of the Octarian planes had taken a hit from something other than the cannons, derailing from its path as it careened and collapsed elsewhere. A second later, an intense wind came over them as another Ammo Knights plane soared up from behind, passing over the castle.

He squinted. "Is that…?"

"WOOHOOOO!" Ammoses cheered onboard the plane. "THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT ONE CAME FROM, COMMIES!"

Soldiers on both sides of the conflict looked up at the surprise newcomer, as the plane began circling around and taking on a couple more of the planes in air combat. "Holy shit!" One person cheered.

As more Inkling-allied troops cheered for their arrival, Ammoses soon flew back over the battlefield. He looked back at both Cuttlefish and Clara in the backseat. "Make me proud and make them bleed! I'll join you soon enough!"

Cuttlefish nodded, and was the first to leap off the plane. He drew his parachute and drifted down near the battlefield, a small distance away from the action. As soon as he touched ground, he took off his pack.

One soldier came over to help him up. "Well, I'll be damned! Word was that you disappeared!"

"Just took some time." He grabbed his weapon and then his own captain hat from his pack, putting it on. "Looks like a relentless strike, this one."

"How'd you know to come here?"

"Had some help, but we'll talk later!" He patted his arm as he walked toward the battlefield with him.

Indeed, their arrival and Ammoses' air interference had helped to turn the tide of the battle, at least a little bit, but it was more than enough to anger the Octarians, and draw out the next phase of their invasion. As the ruthless battle continued, some soldiers began to feel the Earth beneath them rumble, for a second at a time, prompting some people to look up in confusion.

Taking one massive step at a time, the massive machine marched its way forward and onto the battlefield, toward the Inkling's front lines. Before long, a soldier looked up and backed up in a panic as he looked up to see the Octoweapon towering over him. He turned to run. "Retreat! Retr-"

A massive mechanical fist was swung down at him, crushing him and splashing grass and dirt around him. The fist slowly rose as the machine kept inching forward, taking out any Inklings that stood along its path. Any attempts to fire at it or do anything against it did nothing.

Cuttlefish, having made his way closer to the castle in the heart of the battlefield, soon noticed the rumbling himself, and along the other soldiers at his side, looked up as the Octoweapon approached their base.

With each thunderous footstep, the Octoweapon trembled slightly until finally, it came to stop a small distance away in front of him. It slowly fell into a neutral position, before its head slowly lifted up and backwards, revealing the familiar, crowned head that rested inside. "Cap'n Cuttlefish!" Lord Octavio rose his hands from underneath the massive armor, briefly raising them into the air. "So it's true! You got promoted!"

Cuttlefish felt his hearts sink. "Octavio."

"Do you like what I've been up to? I hoped you'd be able to see it! I made this design with you in mind!"

He angrily gripped his Bamboozler as he stared up at him. "What are you doing here!? Why are you doing this!?"

Octavio's expression was furious, and his eyes practically held its fire as he glared at him. "Do you remember our last conversation we had, old friend? Just before this whole war started? Before all of this started?"

He shook his head. "Your mind's not clear, Octavio. It hasn't been for a long time!"

"Are you serious?" He visibly winced. "You don't remember?"

He didn't respond. He did remember… he remembered clearly… but…

Octavio shook his own head. "You had promised me that you would help my people keep their homes in Inkadia City… throughout all of Inkadia. That this senseless war would be stopped before it could ever begin. That our peoples would still share these lands! You promised me, with your own hands in the mud! And what did you follow it up with?"

Cuttlefish still didn't respond. His gaze slowly went down as he listened.

"Oh? You have no answer? Well, allow me to jog your memory." He leaned forward. "You went straight to Captain Squidbeak, and you leaked our plans to build Inkadia into something better! Something stronger! For everyone!"

He finally shot his own glare up at him. "You wanted to force our people from our homes! You wanted supremacy! You wanted to rule! And what do you rule over now? You turned your people into another army and called war on mine! It was not a decision I forced upon you!"

"You forced more than you know!" He clenched his fist. "You don't take responsibility for anything! But I do. And when I rip Arowana Castle from you, my plans for Inkadia City will move forward! And you will NOT BE A PART OF IT!" Octavio was automatically lowered back down in the Octoweapons chest as its head closed back up, and a moment later, the machine once again became mobile. It rose its fist and stepped forward.

Cuttlefish of course turned to run, but he was a bit too late, as the fist slammed down, knocking him forward. He hurled through the air before rolling across the dirt, groaning to himself as he came to a stop. Octavio's machine of course didn't stop there, and was now coming in for the kill. Cuttlefish briefly held his leg, assessing it to possibly be sprained, before he scrambled to his feet and continued running.

Unbeknownst to him, the Octoweapon stopped as its chest opened up, unleashing four different turret-like gun barrels, which began spinning around as they aimed directly at Cuttlefish.

"Craig!" Cuttlefish heard just before he was tackled to the side. He again rolled to the ground, as a line of ink shots ran down the path where Cuttlefish was previously running.

Clara was on top of him, holding him as she panted. "You ok?"

He couldn't help but smile. "Am now."

Getting back on her feet as quickly as she could, she pulled his arm to help him up, briefly looking back to see that Octavio's Octoweapon was charging up another shot. They ran out of the way as more blasts of ink were hurled at them, striking other soldiers in their vicinity.

"Run as much as you want, Cuttlefish." Octavio's voice sounded from the Octoweapon's speaker, as it continued on its way, walking forward toward the castle. "It will only do so much for you."

The brutal battle continued as Octavio marched his way toward the castle, with nothing able to stop him. He continued to easily take out any soldiers that dared to come close, either slamming them down into the ground or unleashing his turrets to fire upon them.

As he inched closer and closer to the castle, the soldiers in charge of the fort grew steadily more aware of his power. "He cannot get into the castle, he'll tear us right down!" The Captain announced. "Fire upon it!"

The soldiers on top armed the rest of the available cannons as fast as they could, aimed, and awaited their command.

"FIRE!"

Octavio looked up as multiple large blobs of ink soared from the castle directly at him. Stopping in his tracks, the machine held an arm up to block them, before instantly and entirely becoming buried under a mountain of its ooze. The Inkling forces all watched intently as, after some visible struggling from within, the collective blob fell silent and settled on top of the Octoweapon, starting to harden like cement to keep it trapped.

"Got him! Yes!" Someone cheered.

Another moment of cheering happened before the massive, mechanical fist punched its way out of the blob, before reaching down to start tearing it off. From there, Octavio didn't struggle much from pulling the Octoweapon out entirely. He laughed once he was fully free, victoriously raising the Octoweapon's arms into the air. "Is that the best you can do!?"

"Shit- RELOAD!" The Captain commanded.

"We don't have enough!" A private replied.

The Octoweapon kept marching forward toward the castle, with nothing to stop it. The battle continued as it was from there, as Inklings and Octarians clashed near the castle gates. The Inklings were finding it harder and harder to keep the Octarian forces out, long before Octavio would even arrive.

After Ammoses leapt from his own plane, he soon rolled into the battlefield, using his shell while holding his necessary pack of tools as he reunited with Cuttlefish and Clara. "It's time!" He announced to them. "We need that thing dismantled before it reaches the castle! We need to get close so we can distract it!"

"That thing's more destructive than we anticipated, Shellendorf." Cuttlefish commented. "This might not work."

"I know, he made improvements." Setting his pack on the ground, he started casually equipping his necessary gear, which included gloves and special goggles, which were even larger than the ones he already wore. "Just get me in close, we'll have to figure it out."

"Ok." He and Clara both made sure their weapons were ready as Ammoses grabbed Cuttlefish's back and pulled himself up, piggy-backing on him. "Ready?" Cuttlefish finished.

"Ready." He nodded.

Together with Clara, he ran away from the castle and in the direction of the Octoweapon. Clara wasn't quite as fast as him, but followed from behind as they fought through the battlefield, shooting their way through waves of incoming Octarians and their attacks to get through. Even on Cuttlefish's back, Ammoses did his part, pulling out his gun and firing at enemies as he was carried along. They took cover when needed, and continued running when they could.

At the same time, Octavio was still well on his own path, smashing his way through Inkling forces and blockades, occasionally laughing through the Octoweapon speaker as he did. It wasn't long at all, however, before his laughs turned into a growl, as he saw Cuttlefish and his team approaching.

Cuttlefish stopped in his tracks as he started to get a little bit too close, staring up at the massive threatening machine before him. "Ok, now what!?"

"Keep him distracted, like we discussed!" Ammoses leapt off of him.

Inside the Octoweapon, Octavio squinted as he saw the Horseshoe Crab he thought to be dead. "Are you-?"

With barely any fear for his own life, Ammoses rushed up and leapt up the Octoweapon, grabbing on and starting to climb up.

"What the- INSECT!?" The Octoweapon buckled, nearly throwing him off. Ammoses screamed as he held on for dear life.

Before Octavio could shove him off, he looked over as Cuttlefish and Clara both started firing shots of high-pressure ink at his armor. Screaming in anger, he once again drew his chest guns, aimed, and fired a barrage of high-pressure at them.

"Duck!" Cuttlefish screamed as he and Clara dived out of the way.

"Shouldn't have to go this way, Cuttlefish!" He screamed as the Octoweapon marched forward and once again tried slamming its fists down upon them. "Don't make me kill you!"

As Cuttlefish and Clara dodged his attacks, the distraction was enough for Ammoses to fully climb up on top of the Octoweapon's back. Although he was still struggling to hold on as the Octoweapon buckled beneath him, he was able to situate himself by grabbing onto the back's handles, and he reached into his pack. "Ok, ok, ok…" Sticking his tongue out, he pulled out his first tool and started working to take the armor plates off. Again, he was almost thrown off as the Octoweapon took another giant swing, almost dropping his tool. "Shit! Stop squirmin'!"

Clara was finding dodging harder and harder, as Octavio figured out their patterns and struck the ground next to her. She collapsed as dirt and grass flew through the air above her, wheezing.

Octavio had been going easy on these two, but his slams starting to get more aggressive as he slammed the ground before her. She weakly got up and tried to run away, but was briefly sent hurling through the air again by another shockwave. She rolled across the ground.

"Claraaa!" Cuttlefish shouted.

"What's the matter, Cuttlefish?" Octavio continued. "Afraid I'll hurt your girl?"

He kept firing distracting shots at him, making his way in Clara's direction, as Octavio moved in for the killing blow. He defiantly stepped between the two, and proceeded to stand still there, facing him.

Octavio stopped as well. "Well… look at that. You do care for her. More than you ever cared for me."

Cuttlefish shook his head as Clara started slowly getting up behind him. "I always cared for you, Octavio. You were the one who betrayed my trust."

The robotic fists rose into the air. "You're twisting our history again, you LIAR!" Before he could attack again, he stopped, pausing as he noticed something.

Indeed, Ammoses was working on opening up the Octoweapon from behind, and Octavio was finally alerted to it as an alarm in his suit went off. However, between every time Ammoses was almost thrown off and the sheer durability that this armor had, which beat even his expectations, he started to realize that it may not have been possible for him. He grunted.

"Cuttlefish! I can't get through!" He announced in his panic.

"I see what you're doing!" Octavio refocused his efforts on knocking him off. One of the mechanical fists reached back in an attempt to grab him, prompting him to scream and climb onto the head for safety.

Cuttlefish took the opportunity to help Clara up. "You ok?"

She just shakily nodded in response.

"Go, get out of here." He tried pushing her away, before the Octoweapon managed to reach down and grab him. "GAH!" He screamed as he was lifted into the air.

"CRAIG!" Clara reached for him in vain.

"I should crush all of you!" Octavio shouted once more as he successfully shook Ammoses off a moment later.

Ammoses careened to the ground near Clara, screaming and hiding in his shell as he landed. Clara went to help him up as well.

The Octoweapon held Cuttlefish tightly, squeezing him. He could barely do anything, struggling weakly to break free. He watched as he was held face-to-face with the Octoweapon's terrifying helmet.

"You messed with my people. I'm just returning the favor." Octavio taunted.

"Octavio… please…" Cuttlefish grunted, finding it harder to breathe.

Clara and Ammoses looked around somewhat. The battle was turning more and more against the Inkling's favor. More Octarians were taking over the surrounding battlefield, and the front lines had now managed to infiltrate the castle, attacking its guards inside. More Octarian air forces, with the same Ammo Knights planes, were flying overhead as well, restarting the Octarian's air assault. This time, the cannons simply didn't have enough ammunition to hold them off. The Inkling forces were finally getting overwhelmed, and Cuttlefish's team at the center of all of it could now do nothing about it.

But there was still one more surprise coming in to again turn the tide. Cuttlefish found himself suddenly dropped from the Octoweapon's gasp as aerial blasts of ink struck it, confusing Octavio and causing him to back off somewhat.

Again, everyone looked to the sky to watch as yet another Ammo Knights plane had swooped in overhead, and was currently in the process of circling back around.

Clara was more confused than the others. "Who's this!?"

Ammoses squinted as he stood up. He turned his goggles to zoom in on this new ally. "I think that's-" His eyes widened.

Indeed, the plane was driven by Hannalie herself, and onboard the plane in the passenger seat was Jack, holding the bizarre Cat creature that was Judd.

Jack was holding Judd with his arms outstretched. "A-Am I still supposed to be watching this thing!?" He shouted.

"Remember what I said, don't let him out of your sight!" She replied.

"I'll be damned!" Ammoses excitedly punched his fists into the air. "The flying lessons worked!"

"Grrrr…" Octavio was slowly getting more pissed than ever as he straightened the Octoweapon and braced for the next assault.

Cuttlefish and the others moved out of the way and watched as the plane and Octavio focused their attention on each other. The plane circled the battlefield, coming in when able to land its aerial attacks, but Octavio was retaliating, and unleashed his turret to unleash his own attacks at them.

Hannalie panted as her plane just barely dodged the last attack. "O-Oh, man! T-This might be rough!"

"Just get in close!" Jack continued. "Blast that son of a bitch apart!"

"I-I'm trying!" She took the plane around for another attack, which went about the same way as before except worse. The plane briefly shook as a powerful blast of ink shook the side. "O-Oh, no! N-Not good!"

Cuttlefish's team on the ground watched in concern as Octavio prepared his next attack. Clara ran up to distract the machine once again, but Cuttlefish grabbed her arm. "Let them handle this!"

Hannalie briefly looked back at Jack, then stared ahead, silently contemplated what to do next. It was harder at this point to keep peace in her thoughts, but she tried her hardest regardless. "…Get ready to evac the plane! Do what you came here for!" She shouted at him.

"What are you doing!?" Jack replied.

"Just do it!" She circled back around for her next attack.

Ammoses anxiously gripped his own helmet. "Hannalie, what're you doing?" He muttered.

They watched as Hannalie came in, unleashing her next attack, as Octavio then unleashed his own, this time successfully smashing the plane's wing. Hannalie, Jack, and Judd all shook violently in their seats.

"NO!" Ammoses shouted.

As they watched the plane start to careen toward them, Cuttlefish's own eyes widened. "Go! Go! Get out of here!" She grabbed Clara and took off running. Ammoses turned as well, and then ducked down into his shell.

"Hehehe…" Octavio chuckled as he stared up at the incoming wreckage, before he noticed that Hannalie had lined herself up directly in his path. "Oh-"

He didn't have long to react as the plane drove itself into the field, destroying everything in its path in a fiery explosion as it ran the Octoweapon over. Ammoses, just out of its path, was knocked aside, and Cuttlefish and Clara both just barely managed to escape its deadly path and were too knocked down as the ground beneath them uplifted from the force.

The plane settled, and in the aftermath, the wreckage's smoke began to fill the air, leaving behind a fire-lit trail of destruction. The plane itself now sat as a destroyed, burning husk, its pilot now dead and left burning inside. The battlefield had been significantly quieted as everyone reacted to what happened.

It took a few moments for everyone to recover from the daze. Coughing up the smoke, Cuttlefish slowly helped Clara up once again. "You ok?"

She just nodded, covering her mouth with her shirt to block the smoke.

They slowly turned to face the wreckage. Ammoses, seeing no way that Hannalie made it out, fell to his knees. "…No… no…"

Clara herself was just now getting a good luck at the destruction left behind. "Jack!? Jack!?" Again, she tried to run forward.

"I'm right here!" They heard a voice from a small distance behind them.

Her eyes widened as she turned around, seeing where Jack had landed with his parachute. Still holding the cat, he was in the process of taking the pack off as he made his way over.

"Jack!" She rushed over to hug him, practically tackling him.

"Woah! Hey-hey." He patted her back as he held her tightly.

Judd leapt from his arms and instead walked over to Cuttlefish, who stared down at him as Ammoses slowly made his way over. "Uhhh…" Cuttlefish droned as he saw the cat. "Hey."

As they embraced, Jack turned to face Clara after a moment. "What did I tell you about staying out of this, you little shit?"

"I'm sorry… I couldn't help myself this time." She replied.

"And why was that?"

"Because the Cap'n needed my help." She broke the hug.

He turned to face Cuttlefish, nodding as he noticed he was finally wearing the Captain hat. "Nice to see you, Cap'n."

He nodded in return. "You too, Jack."

"And… Ammoses!?" He turned to notice as he walked up.

Ammoses nodded. He sadly sniffled, still very much grieving his new loss. "You and ol' Hannalie decided to come out all this way just for us, huh?"

"You bet your boyscout uniform I did." He embraced him as well.

As they all reunited there on the field, Cuttlefish turned to notice as the Octoweapon shook once again, as if coming back to life. He gripped his Bamboozler. "Look alive, everyone. This ain't over yet."

Now standing as one team, they all turned to watch as the Octoweapon slowly opened up. Stepping out from the burning wreckage was Octavio, now in the flesh and on his own. He appeared to be bruised and cut in places, and his own crown was partially damaged, awkwardly tilted to the side on his head. He panted angrily as he faced all of them. "You… do you think this war will end here!?"

"Not really." Jack held up and cocked his own Bamboozler. "But this skirmish here? Kinda."

Cuttlefish clenched his fist. "Tell your forces to surrender, Octavio. Make this easier for all of us."

"No!" Octavio replied. "My Octarians will never stop coming for you! You hear me!? NEVER! We will never surrender this war! I will NEVER stop fighting for MY PEOPLE!"

"You say that you're fighting for your people, but all we've seen you do is hurt innocent ones." Clara stood alongside Cuttlefish and Jack. "And we will stand up to you as long as you do."

"Gahh!" Octavio whined almost like a child. "Who do you all think you are, anyway!?"

"...We're the Splatoon. The Squidbeak Splatoon." Cuttlefish said. "And we'll fight in the name of everyone you've hurt. In this war and beyond if needed."

Octavio growled angrily as he then lunged forward, taking them on all at once. There was no mistaking that he was a talented fighter, and was dodging their imminent gunfire as he rushed them to make his stand… but he was no match for the combined might of this new team. Beyond even that, he was blinded by his own rage in this moment. They didn't even need to splat him as the team, mainly Jack and Cuttlefish, starting beating him around, knocking him back and forth and taking turns on him, until finally, he was knocked to the ground, bleeding and defeated. His new enemies all stood over him, holding their weapons in case he tried anything else.

Octavio moaned in pain, as Judd suddenly crawled onto his chest. "Meow."

"Ah- g-gaaack!" He hissed as the cat leaned forward and started licking his face. "N-Not like this… oh… so sad…" He muttered to himself.

Octavio may have been out of this fight, but he wasn't out yet. His crown opened up to form a large propeller, and he lifted his head somewhat as it activated. The Splatoon watched in bewilderment as he was suddenly lifted into the air, and Judd leapt off of him.

"Dagnabbit!" Ammoses groaned as everyone tried firing at him, but their ink missed, and they instead watched as he lifted further and further into the air.

"Hear me, Cuttlefish!" Octavio said for the last time, smirking in spite of his injuries. "I'll get my revenge!" He laughed mockingly as he was lifted further and further away. "Still hear me!? I'LL GET MY REVENG- oh!" The propeller briefly wavered as it continued carrying him off. "Oh, dear!"

The Splatoon watched him as he got smaller and smaller from their perspective, as they relaxed themselves and looked around the battlefield. Octarian forces were already retreating after hearing that their plan had gone sour, and the Inklings were celebrating their victory. A crowd of soldiers even ran over to their location to thank them and congratulate them, creating cheers all around them.

The team stood proudly, enjoying this moment. Cuttlefish and Clara looked at each other, exchanging smiles.

The only one who didn't seem quite as proud was Ammoses, who was staring off at Hannalie's crash site in silent sadness. Jack noticed and patted his back, comforting him.

After a moment, Clara moved over toward Jack, and Jack put an arm around her as they all stared onward, motivated to fight another day.


The Great Turf War was by no means over. Everyone knew this. But Cuttlefish knew in his hearts that one day soon, peace would return. And to work toward that goal, he and his new friends had dedicated themselves to their new team, and made it official. It wasn't before long that they were making headlines on the paper: The Squidbeak Splatoon, mainly comprised of Cuttlefish, Jack, and Clara, with Ammoses as their proud weapon supplier and Judd as their weirdly adorable pet and friend. There was no doubt in anyone's mind and this Splatoon was turning the tide of the larger war, and it was thanks to their exceptional team effort.

They had been participating in this war for quite a while and had gotten multiple war victories under their belt. But today, they were relaxing, and trying something a little different. They were all standing in a field within the Inkling's battle turf, and were simply enjoying this moment of calmness together as a nearby Jellyfish prepped his new, experimental camera technology to finally snap a picture of this legendary team.

Jack and Ammoses were hanging out and chatting, and Judd was napping on the grass nearby, as Clara walked up to Cuttlefish, smiling. "How're you feelin', Cap'n?" She asked.

He took another look at the scenery, smiling. "I'm feeling pretty good." He looked at her. "You?"

"I'm feeling great." She gave him a smile. "I just… I noticed before that on more relaxed days like this, you tend to think a bit more about Cap'n Squidbeak. And how he's no longer here. Just like Ammoses with Hannalie."

Again, his eyes went out toward the scenery. "Squidbeak would be proud of what we've accomplished in his name. I know that much. Hannalie would, too. And perhaps Biff. And everyone else… It's actually something else that I've been thinking about today."

"What's that?"

"Octavio. He… really seems deadset on the idea that I'm the one who caused this. That I'm the one who started this war. We used to be good friends." He looked her in the eye. "Do you think that makes me like him?"

"No." She shook her head. "You may be alike in some ways, but in others… you're the opposite. And don't ever forget that he started this war. That's why we're here. To finish it."

He smiled. "We wouldn't be here without your heart, Clara."

"And I wouldn't be here without all of yours."

They both blushed a bit as they again broke eye contact, running out of words to say. Clara awkwardly moved her hands behind her back.

It took Cuttlefish a moment to muster the strength for his own question. "I don't suppose that… later on, in a relaxed day like this, you and I could… grab a drink? Just us?"

She smiled. She had been waiting and waiting for such a question… she just wasn't sure she herself had the strength for it, either. "I'd love that, Craig."

He smiled back, as they both continued to awkwardly stand there like lovestruck children in grade school. Cuttlefish looked down, again avoiding eye contact, with the smile stuck on his face.

"I still think about my future, after all of this, after the war's won. When we've found peace again." Clara also found herself looking out at the scenery.

"Yeah? Any plans?"

"Yeah. I want to go back to Calamari. After all these years. I want to… be among its fields. With Jack. With my future children." She looked at him, smiling. "And with you."

He stared at her, with love in his eyes. "That sounds captivating."

"It does." She nodded.

"Any ideas of what names you wanna be passing down?"

"...Shorten down the name, Calamari, what do you get?"

Cuttlefish paused, thinking about that for a second.

"Callie." Clara answered, smiling. "I always liked the name Callie."

He kept staring lovingly at her, thinking about such a pleasant name, as the Jellyfish again called out to them. "Places, everyone!"

They hesitantly broke from that spot as everyone went to their places. Judd woke up at that moment, sitting up, as Cuttlefish, Clara, and Jack took their poses, and Ammoses stood in the background, smiling.

"Hold for a moment." The Jelly pressured as the camera did its work.

The picture that would go on to be the only surviving photograph of the Squidbeak Splatoon was snapped that day. Cuttlefish didn't know it at the time- none of them did- but the Squidbeak Splatoon and the Cuttlefish family line's legacy had started here… and it was going to go on to be the greatest and most cemented legacy the world would ever see.


You all know how the story went from there. So I will say, after finally coming back and figuring this one out, I had a surprisingly fun time working on this. I intended on making this standalone from the beginning because of how isolated it is timeline-wise, but I may be interested in revisiting this era and these characters in a sequel in the future. Just need a good idea and the motivation to make a sequel work. If this one is well-received, that will become more likely, so if you liked it, make sure to leave a review. Even if you didn't like it. That works too.

Anyway, talking about what I've been working on for recurring readers real quick, my writing flow these past couple months did get thrown off, so aside from the work I'm still doing on Into the Splatlands, I plan on just getting back to New Squidbeak Splatoon: Ascension as soon as possible and focusing on that again for now. So keep an eye out for that story's part 2. It does have some connections with what you saw happen here... Anyway, see you there. *waves*