The following is a non-profit fan-based work of fiction. Splatoon, Splatoon 2, and Splatoon 3 are all owned by Nintendo and Hisashi Nogami. Please support the official release.
Warning: The following content may contain violence and disturbing imagery. If you are easily disturbed by such content, please do not continue beyond this point.
For more information, please read the AN below for an announcement regarding upcoming changes soon.
Thank you, and enjoy.
A helicopter flies through the skies above the Splatlands. Its brown color blends with the sandy dunes below, providing camouflage.
Inside the helicopter, a white-haired Inkling woman with chunky iridescent earrings in a white coat with yellow stripes types with her black gloves on her computer, resting on her dark-grey leggings above her black ankle-high yellow-soled 'jika-tabi shoes with a map on her screen next to a closed white parasol.
"It's been three days after Gramps contacted us in the Crater, an abandoned archaeological dig site predating the Great Flood." She informs with a beauty mark below her right eye and a black calamari ring hat. "We received a report from a squadron led by the Captain that they've discovered a hole inside the crater. It is estimated to be more than 3,776 meters deep and around 250 meters in diameter. Traces of Gramps' signal were located in the area before he went silent three hours later."
"Before we descend into the hole, we'll meet with the Captain. Additionally, while we're in there, we'll need to watch for DJ Octavio, last seen flying into the area, and, supposedly, our New Agent 3, who Gramps recruited without the Captain's consent." She exasperated the last part before she turned to the other passenger with her golden eyes and cross-shaped pupils. "Did you get all that, Callie?"
Callie snores in her sleeveless black tube dress with a pair of chunky iridescent earrings, a large silver choker, and a matching bandolier crossed over her left shoulder, her legs wearing white tights and black ankle-high boots dangling from her seat as her black 'ika-somen hat slides slightly off her long black hair.
The white-haired Inkling pops the snot bubble.
"Yipe!" Callie yelped as the sashimi on her head bounced off its yellow leaf before readjusting her hat with her black gloves. "Marie!" Callie whined to the white Inkling.
"You were asleep during the debriefing," Marie told her. "I told you not to stay up late."
"Sorry, but I'm so excited to see the Agent 3s again!" Callie beamed with her golden eyes and cross-shaped pupils. "The last time we all got together was five years ago, right after the NILS incident."
"One, it's Captain now." Marie corrects her cousin. "And two, only one of them. The other retired with one of the 8s."
"Oh, I forgot that." Callie giggled before looking at Marie's computer. "Who's that?"
Marie turned to the monitor, showing a picture of an orange-haired Inkling with green eyes. "Walker, our New Agent 3."
"Ooh!" marveled Callie. "Whatcha know about him?"
"No idea."
"Huh?"
"There's practically nothing on him," Marie explained as she went through several empty files on Walker. "No Turf War logs, no Rank, no recorded Salmon Runs, purchases, nothing. Except," She clicks as a wanted poster appears on the screen.
"A hundred million!?" Collie gasped. "What did he do to be worth that much?!"
"According to the list, it's…" Marie scrolled down to see one crime. "Theft."
"...I call bull-"
"Shh…" Marie shushed Callie. "Me too. I'll have a word with Sheldon when we've finished."
"Wait, he's the one who put up the bounty?" Callie asked with an incredulous look. "What did he steal from him?"
"It says here a prototype weapon built by his grandfather," Marie explained before closing her laptop. "We'll have a word with this new agent when we meet him."
Under a large tent, a yellow-haired Inkling sits on a crate in her tattered black pants, dangling her flip-flops. A blue captain's hat covered her eyes as the sandy breeze played with her scarred hair, held in place by a black and blue headset. The winds blustered against her shirt, composed of a loose grey shirt under a tattered patchwork coat, as the wind speed increased. She lifts the rim of her cap to reveal her fair skin and orange eyes before glancing at her side.
"Captain Phyllis!" an armored Inkling runs up to the captain and stands at attention. "Agents 1 and 2 have arrived, ma'am!"
"I can see that." Captain Phyllis gets up from the crate and turns to the soldier. "You may return to your duties."
"Yes, ma'am!" The soldier runs off.
"Time to roll out the welcome mat," Phyllis smirks while approaching the landing area.
The helicopter winds made waves on the sand until the engine went out.
Callie slams the doors open to Marie's chagrin and spots Captain Phyllis approaching the helicopter.
"Agent 3!" Callie gleefully smiles as she leaps to Phyllis with open arms.
Captain Phyllis steps to her side, allowing Callie a mouth full of sand with a face plant.
"Bleh!" Callie spat the sand out of her mouth.
"Saw that coming from a mile away." Captain Phyllis smirks while helping Callie dust the sand off her clothes.
Callie wrapped her arms around the Captain, nuzzling her cheek against her cap.
"Miss you too, Agent 1." Phyllis pats Callie's back.
"Glad to see our little sister misses us," Marie smirks as she pets the captain's hat.
"As I am with that joke of yours, Agent 2." Phyllis bantered with Marie while prying off Callie.
Marie pulled off Callie, who was giggling before standing at attention.
Captain Phyllis begins with her arms behind her. "I expect you two are aware of the mission?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"She fell asleep during the debriefing." Marie tattled on a shocked Callie.
"Marie!"
"Agent 1?" The captain smirked with a raised eyebrow. "Congrats on volunteering for the frontlines."
"Ugh!" Callie groaned while bending back. "I'm going to check on my roller!" She fumed as she walked off before taking a few steps back. "Do you have fries?"
"First tent to the left." the Captain answered.
"Thank you."
They watched Agent 1 storm off to the mess hall as Agent 2 smirked.
"You already enlisted her."
"Well, given her specialty, it's not hard to see why." Phyllis tipped her cap. "And don't worry, you'll be joining too."
"Why, thanks." Marie giggled. "Will you be joining us, Captain?"
"How else can I meet our new 'Agent' face-to-face?" she responded.
Marie's smirk fell as she stared at the hole.
"Gramps is down there with him and Octavio." Marie forboded, gripping the laptop she held. "3… we-"
"Marie." Phyllis lifts her cap to reveal her eyes. "How about you go check on Callie? You can grab what you need before we move."
Marie lets out a breath she held, giving a soft smile to the former Agent 3. "Maybe I will. Thank you, Captain."
Phyllis watched Marie head off to the armory, smiling before it fell when she turned back to the hole. She clenched her fist as she steeled herself.
"Hang in there, Cuttlefish."
Marie fastened her harness with an umbrella strapped to her back before equipping her climbing helmet and attaching a flashlight.
Phyllis watched Marie assist Callie with her harness and Roller before she turned to the three soldiers before her.
"Once we've reached the quarter-point, open the communication lines within the personnel. We'll give sit-reps every 15 minutes during the descent." Phyllis instructed. "Any questions?"
"Isn't this reckless, ma'am?" One soldier asks with his arm raised. "As the unit's captain, shouldn't we be the ones descending?"
"I appreciate the concern, but this requires all hands on deck." Phyllis attests. "With the involvement of the Octarian leader, things could get complicated. Besides, we have history."
"The dating kind or-?"
"No."
"Captain! We're ready!" Agent 1 calls out.
"Move out, men!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Two hours later
Beneath the crater's surface, the captain and the sisters cautiously descend into the hole, battle-ready and with focus.
"Hey, Marie!" Callie called her cousin.
"What?"
"Are we there yet?" Callie asked.
"No," Marie sighed.
"Are we there yet?"
"No," Captain Phyllis grumbled.
"Are we there yet?"
"No." Phyllis and Marie responded with growing frustration.
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"NO."
"Hey, Marie?"
"What!?" Marie asks with a twitch in her eye.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Are we there yet-"
"NO!" Phyllis and Marie fumed as they descended.
"Callie," Marie began as sweetly as possible, "We've been moving for two hours now. So, for three hours, could you NOT be yourself?" Marie sported her biggest frown at Callie. "FOR THREE HOURS!"
Callie remained silent as they climbed down, and the other two calmed themselves.
"It's been that long without a sitrep…" Phyllis noticed.
Letting her gaze wander about, she released a sound from her mouth.
"*Pop*"
"MOTHER FU-"
~Start BGM: "[When] Your Middle Name Is Danger" by [Trocadero] from {Red vs. Blue}~
Face-planting into the sand, the soldier gasped as he pushed himself up, reached for his gun only to get kicked, and watched his attacker dispose of the gun into the hole.
He pants before turning his back to the sand to find a gun barrel aimed directly at his head. He glimpses his attacker, whose shadow hides their identity, except for a pair of pink-lensed goggles.
As he stared at his assailant's eyes, a wail from behind caught his attention.
Panicked and sobbing on the ground, his comrade clenched the upper half of his left calf to stop the bleeding. The bleeding ink trailed down to one of the assailants, who stood before the dismembered leg as it slowly disintegrated due to the airborne microbes.
The assailant loomed over with her brown fuzzy hair as the soldier's eyes dilated with each step taken.
"No, please, let me go!" he begs through his tears."I won't tell- we won't tell anyone, please!"
His three hearts rapidly beat as he claws through the sand to drag his body away from the threat. But the enemy was now in range and pulled a knife from behind before crashing it down to his knee, keeping the prey in place.
He screamed in tears as he grasped his stabbed leg, with his ears ringing and hyperventilating in between as he saw the monster frivolously tower over him.
"Please!" he shrieked as he tugged his limb, only making a small gash on the pinned leg as his howl echoed throughout the camp.
The assailant aimed her blaster and fired.
*SPLAT!*
Ink splotched on her leopard-print crop top as she relaxed around the empty armor in the puddle where the soldier once lay.
Now gaping at the sight, he turned back to the threat towering over him as he stared into her eyes, only to find the flowing pink ooze filling the lenses before it all went white.
Phyllis heard static go off in her communicator before she answered.
"Anything to repo-"
"Captain, you gotta get out of there!" The soldier on the other side. "We've been compromised! Everyone is-"
"Calm down, soldier!" Phyllis ordered as the sisters tensed at the sudden shout. "Give me a sitrep! What happened-"
"Phyllis! Look up!" Callie exclaimed.
Phyllis saw an object moving in fast before catching it. She remembers the weapon, previously owned by one of her men.
Her eyes widened at the revelation as she turned to the sisters below her.
"Start climbing!" she ordered. "We need to get-"
She screams as the three of them free-fall into the hole.
Phyllis watched Callie cling to her sister, who did the same. As they fell, the cut rope followed them.
~End BGM~
On a snowy island, a red-violet tentacle uses a welding torch nearby to weld two metal plates.
Sparks flew as a blinking light flashed and beeped on a desk behind the welder.
The welder stopped working as he turned to the screen, lifting his welding mask and revealing his tired green eyes.
Octavio pressed a key on a keyboard, causing a computer monitor to turn on, revealing a radar with three blinking dots.
A window of a 3D model dome appeared on the screen, with the three dots approaching at an alarming rate: one yellow, one pink, and one green.
Without wasting time after a sigh, Octavio threw his torch, wore a backpack half his size, and ran out.
"You owe me another, kid."
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Callie cried while spinning.
"Would you stop screaming?! We've been falling for an hour and a half!" she fumed while covering her ears.
"How are your vocal cords still working by this point?" Phyllis asked with her arms crossed and a raised eyebrow.
"Tea and cough drops." The Squid Sisters reply simultaneously.
"Uh… huh…" Phyllis slowly nods before clicking her tongue. "Dammit, now I'm thirsty."
"Too bad." Marie opened her canteen as the contents flowed out of the bottle.
The water splashed the crying Callie.
"Ack! Okay! Okay, I'll stop!" Callie spat as the water coated her.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Marie swiftly closed the bottle, halting the water flow to Callie.
"Bleh!" Callie cringed as she tried to shake off the water. "Marie made me wet!"
"Please rephrase!" Phyllis and Marie objected as the captain sighed before pausing.
She sniffed the air around them, gaining the sisters' attention.
"Salt water?"
"Of course not!" Marie attested, "That'd be… Do you guys see that?" she pointed below them, a white light drawing closer by the second.
"Permission to panic, Captain?" Callie raised her hand as the light enveloped them.
The trio opens their eyes to an artificial sky and a small archipelago of islands below it.
"Permission granted." Phyllis and Marie nod as they fall towards the waters.
"Thank you. WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Callie screams as Marie hastily digs through her bag, only for some of its contents to fly out.
Phyllis kept her cap on her head as she glanced at three objects approaching from one of the islands below.
"Unknowns coming in at ten o'clock!" the Captain alerts while readying the shooter in her arms.
The objects diverged as one of them zoomed toward Marie, grabbing her by the arms before whisking her away.
"Marie!" Callie gasped as another snatched her by the legs and screamed away from the captain.
"Crap!" Phyllis fired at the metal hand, only to miss her shout as it swept Callie away.
The third hand grabbed the captain, restricting her as she struggled to release herself. Unaware, the metal hand descended to one of the islands where a large orange container stood.
The hand releases her once they've reached the ground, along with the Squid Sisters, who regain their bearings.
"Agh… someone get me a sitrep," Phyllis ordered while shaking her head.
"Somehow okay, captain. Though lost a bit of our equipment during the fall." Marie responded. "Callie stopped panicking, by the way."
"We're alive…" Callie weakly gave a thumbs up.
"I'd prefer you three stay that way." A voice adds in as the three agents turn to the source.
~Start BGM: "Ice" by [Jesper Kyd] from {Borderlands 2}~
He stands on the snow with two lower tentacles as the metallic hand slides into Octavio's free tentacle.
"How do you do, New Squidbeak Splatoon?" Octavio greets them with a pair of crossed tentacles in his hard hat.
"Octavio!" The three exclaimed while preparing for combat.
"...You're welcome, numbnuts." Octavio deadpanned.
"Where are you keeping Cuttlefish, you bastard!?" Phyllis demanded while aiming her shooter.
"Does it look like I have him captive, you ingrate?" Octavio countered as he spread his arms.
"You look puffy in that hat." Marie sassed, aiming her modified Bamboozler Mk III.
"And you look like a balloon in that coat." Octavio returned.
"Where the heck are we?!" Callie blurted while raising her fists.
"No idea," Octavio admitted. "The kid and I have been stuck here for three days searching for a way out. As you can see, we haven't even figured out how to get to the other islands."
"I'm assuming you're referring to our 'New' Agent 3? The one Cuttlefish recruited without consent." Phyllis interrogated.
"Walker?" Octavio asked. "Yeah, the kid helped me build my new gauntlets!" he expressed as he showed six gauntlets on his tentacles, two more holding him up as his legs. "He explored the island and returned with some parts to help make these."
"Where is he then?" Marie asked as a light glared at her vision.
"You just missed him. He told me he found a possible lead out this island and went off. That was when I found your signals and caught you three." Octavio informed before chuckling. "I could kill you here and now if it were up to me. But that wouldn't help any of us."
"Why the change of heart?" Phyllis raised a brow as she lowered her shooter.
"Well-"
*BANG!*
~End BGM~
All four of them took cover as the shot rang out.
"Sniper!" Phyllis exclaimed as the sisters hid under the orange container next to a stack of crates.
"There, by the stone head!" Octavio exclaimed while his three arms intertwined, forming a makeshift shield while pointing at the distant location.
As Phyllis took cover behind Octavio, Marie fired her Bamboozler at the location, sending long streaks of yellow ink. Callie hid next to three barrels behind the crates.
Octavio deflected another bullet as it fell to the snow around them. He continued to protect the captain, unaware of a figure loading a weapon next to the barrels.
Phyllis paused as she widened her eyes in the Sisters' direction.
"Callie!" Phyllis reached out as Octavio blocked her path while covering them.
Callie looked up to find a strange shooter held by a fuzzy Octoling aimed at her forehead.
The emotionless Octoling, behind his pink-lensed goggles, pulled the trigger.
*THWACK - SNAP!*
An axe struck the weapon, cleaving its barrel while leaving a wound on the Octoling's hand. He nursed his hand as someone ran up and landed a dropkick.
He crashed through the crates as his head sailed to the beam below the orange container's steps.
The Octoling bared his teeth as he got up, glaring at his attacker as he drew his knife into a backhanded position. His mask chipped before its left half fell into the snow, revealing a singular amber eye.
Callie saw her savior grab his thrown axe, locking eyes with the enemy with his green eyes and wavy orange Mush-cut.
"Walker!" Octavio beamed while protecting the shocked captain.
Marie turned to see an Inkling in an open Hero Jacket, exposing his black shirt over his grey sweatpants and worn-out shoes, twirling the axe in his right hand into a tight grip and holstering a yellow Hero Shot to his left hip.
The Octoling sprints toward the axe-wielding Inkling with a knife in hand.
Walker swapped his axe into a reverse grip and swung it diagonally, clashing with the knife as its blade ground its handle to its beard.
The Octoling used his speed to rotate himself for a kick to the head, only for Walker to block it with his left arm and release his axe, causing the Octoling to lose his knife.
Walker then took a boot to the head as the Octoling kicked off him before rolling back into a dash away from him.
Phyllis fired her shooter at the escaping Octoling, who sprinted past her toward a nearby kettle.
Marie aimed her Bamboozler at the escapee, only to stop as Callie gave chase while holding a metal pipe.
"No, wait!" Phyllis reached out to Callie before a bullet ricocheted from Octavio's shield, nearly grazing her arm.
Walker gave chase, dashed past the captain, and grabbed Callie's arm as the kettle whistled upon entry.
"Callie!" Marie screamed, only to be stopped by Octavio, who shielded her from an incoming bullet.
"Get to the house!" Octavio ordered as he pushed the two away from the kettle. "I got a communicator inside we can use to reach them!"
Marie fired her Bamboozler until they all reached the gate to the stairway and entered the building, unknowingly followed by a Small Fry Salmonid.
{Baby steps to Alterna}
{You're not going to like it here}
An ounce of yellow ink from the ceiling hits the ground before exploding into particles, revealing Walker and Callie blinking as they scan their surroundings.
"Is it just me, or is this kinda… empty?" Walker noted, spotting a space with foggy structures outside the glass walls beyond the door.
"You're telling me." Callie gulps in the silence. "There's no one around for miles."
"That Octoling must've gone up ahead." He points to the open path outside of the door. "I say we press on," he suggests as he walks to the door.
"Sounds good to me." Callie nods as she follows.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask."
"Hmm?" Callie turned to Walker, who stopped and turned back to her.
"Who are you?"
They stopped in place as a breeze flapped Callie's hair.
"...Are you serious?" Callie blinked.
"I am! I'm sorry, I thought you were Octavio when we entered the kettle!" he surrendered with his arms raised.
"Do I look like a pink Octo to you!?" Callie pouted as she accused.
"No, you're yellow! But you were both shiny!" Walker defended as he leaned back. "And for the record, it was in the heat of the moment! How was I supposed to think while under fire?!"
"I guess that makes sense." Callie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "But really, you don't know me? Callie? As in Callie and Marie from the Squid sisters?"
"No?" Walker Winced. "That some kind of idol group?"
"Is this how Marie felt with Agent 4?" She mumbles before answering Walker. "We're more like superstars."
"Never heard of you," Walker replied as he stepped into a circle. "But to be fair, I'm not from around here. So-"
*Click!*
Subject: confirmed.
A tempered glass tube emerged from the ground, startling Callie while Walker remained trapped.
"Uh…"
"Walker, are you okay!?" Callie worries as she pounded her hand on the glass.
"I am… I think."
Comencing biometric scan.
The tube begins to revolve around Walker as an aqua-colored light blinds him as it scans his body from head to toe.
Scan complete… No matches found in the database
Alert: Subject has met the required frequency
Requesting permission
...
...
...
Access granted.
Metal cuffs emerged beneath Walker as they held his arms and legs in place.
"...I'm starting to think I'm not okay," he notes as his neck gets cuffed above the collarbone while a metal hand tilts his head forward.
Beginning incision on the posterior cervical region.
Walker's blood ran cold as he felt a knife cut into his nape and opened by a pair of pliers, exposing the nerves and vessels gathered around.
Proceeding with intracerebroventricular injection.
One of the floor panels opens to reveal a sky-blue fluid inside a syringe, one with three vials and a long needle.
The needle draws close to Walker's neck as Callie covers her eyes.
Though she could not see, she could hear what sounded to be gagging, accompanied by rattling metal.
She peeked from her hands, found the empty vials, and the needle removed from Walker's neck.
Procedure: successful.
Proceeding with primary closure.
The syringe and tools returned as a metal claw closed the wound before a laser sealed the skin, leaving a scar.
Complete.
Finalizing registration sequence.
Standing by.
The tube collapsed as the cuffs released his body, now fallen to the ground.
"Walker!" Callie gasped as she ran up to him, turning his body over, nursing his head while facing up.
His eyes remained wide with his erratic breathing and ringing ears while his body remained limp.
Callie's communicator rings out before she answers.
{Callie!} Marie's voice exclaims. {Can you hear me!?}
"I can hear you!" she squeaked, "But Walker's…"
Walker coughed as he sprang up, taking deep breaths and grasping his shirt.
"Easy now." Callie rubbed his back as he calmed down.
The two heard beeping as the monitor above the doorway turned to static.
Registration complete
The static on the monitor turned into a logo of a green animal with fins.
Greetings, I am O.R.C.A., a sentient navigation program of Alterna designed to meet your needs and provide necessary assistance.
"How can I hear you in my head?" Walker asks while dealing with a migraine.
Due to the injection into your brain's fourth ventricle, the nanobots spread throughout your body systems, completing their task.
"So you're an A.I. inside my mind now?"
As well as your whole body, yes.
"Huh. Did not expect that today."
"Um… Mr. O.R.C.A., sir? Where are we?" Callie asked while Marie listened through her communicator.
Currently, we are located in a pocket dimension. I'm unable to configure the schematics of this phenomenon with my programming. According to the data logs, however, it would seem the facilities had been tampered with months before the applicant's arrival along with Captain Cuttlefish and DJ Octavio.
{Still think I took him, idiots!?} Octavio blared from Callie's communicator. {Although I don't know how Octarian tech got over here, it's starting to answer where my troops are.}
{But why here?} puzzled Phyllis before shrugging. {Questions later. Right now, you two need to return to base.}
"Any ideas on that, O.R.C.A.?" Walker asked as he stood and stuffed his pockets.
I highly recommend completing the trial to progress your exploration. By completing others scattered across the facilities, you will unlock passageways to access the other islands.
"That explains the valves by the cliffs!" Walker affirmed, striking his palm. "In that case, let's get to it! Where do I start?"
Simply pass through the gate, and we will begin.
"That's it? Alright." Walker nodded as he stood by the gate.
"Good luck!" Callie waved by the circle.
Beginning trial in 3… 2… 1…
The gate opens as a blast of wind launches Walker onto a spawn point.
Objective: Reach the goal.
"That sounds easy," Walker noted as he stepped off the spawn point onto a linear platform without walls in a very open space. "...Too easy…"
{This'll be a walk in the park for you, Walker!} Callie comments.
{Of course, his name is a walking pun- dammit, now I'm doing it!} Marie cursed
"Wait, how can I hear you two? I don't have a communicator with me."
The nanobots in your system can connect to various communication signals. I believe it would be beneficial to communicate with your allies.
"Aw, well, thank you, O.R.C.A." Walker smiled. "That is very nice of you-"
*BANG!*
A stream of ink shoots out of Walker's left temple, collapsing before the spawn point.
…
…
…
"AAAAHHH!" Callie released an aghast screech as she fell back.
{Callie, we just lost Walker's signal! What happened?!} Phyllis demanded.
She covers her mouth, staring at Walker's corpse, bleeding on the ground.
Suddenly, the spawn point shined a cyan glow as the substance surged into the air, forming into Walker's build.
The substance poured back into the spawn point, vanishing into particles as the sculpt turned to flesh, restoring Walker's body and clothing unscathed.
He blinks at his surroundings before noticing his corpse in front of him.
"O.R.C.A.? " Walker asked, raising a brow.
Yes?
"Why am I not dead?"
You respawned.
"Not answering my question here."
As an applicant of Alterna's trials, you are given unlimited attempts to complete the task given. No matter how much you die, you must complete the mission at all costs.
"That's… motivating…" Walker awkwardly acknowledged before turning back to Callie behind the wall. "You okay there, Callie?"
"How can you be calm right now!?" Callie demanded.
"Well-"
*BANG!* *SHINK!*
"We'll talk later." He stated while shielding himself from the bullet with his corpse.
Holding his old body upright, he treaded to the goal as the bullets struck the meat shield.
Halfway to the goal, he shifted his body to cover his left when another bullet hit his corpse's lifeless eye, forcing Walker to pick up the pace.
After a long session with sniper rounds and his corpse, Walker stepped into the circle at the goal, releasing a bright cyan glow as beeping reached his and Calliie's ears.
Mission accomplished
Initiating return sequence
Walker sighed in relief as he dropped his corpse. He turned back to see Callie releasing a breath before a light enveloped the two, vanishing without a trace.
Phyllis, Marie, and Octavio scan their surroundings outside the shelter before the kettle clangs open.
The kettle whistles as it shoots Callie and Walker into the air.
"Yes!" Callie lands on her feet in the snow.
Walker lands on his face in the snow.
The kettle slams shut before sinking into the snow.
Walker pushed himself from the ground, spotting the three starting at them with Marie running over.
"Callie!" Marie tightly hugs Callie before checking every inch of her body. "Are you hurt?! Anything painful?! Ingrown-"
"Marie, I'm fine! More importantly," She assures the white Inkling before turning to the fallen ally. "Are you alright, Walker?"
"Yeah, just a few scratches here and there."
"You took a bullet to the head and used your corpse as a meatshield." Phyllis scolded with her approach. "I don't believe they'd be considered a 'few scratches,' now would you, Mr. New Agent 3?"
Marie releases Callie, who steps in front of her superior.
"Captain-"
"Wait, Captain?" Walker began as he stood. "You're one of the previous Agent 3s Cuttlefish told me about!"
"You know about me?" Phyllis raised her eyebrow while crossing her arms.
"From Cuttlefiish and Octavio, yeah."
The three turned to the DJ, who raised his tentacles in surrender.
"Hey, Cuttlefish and I formed a truce to fill him in!"
"It did help, though," Walker added.
"Are you sure you don't know me and Marie?" Callie repeated.
"Or me?" Octavio asked.
"No, I don't?" Walker answered.
"Off the Hook?" Callie began listing.
"Squid-Squad?" Octavio added.
"Wet Floor?"
"Chirpy Chips?"
"Those are all band names?" Walker questioned, with Phylis inhaling as Octavio continued.
"Wait, how about-"
"HAAHH!"
All four flinched away from Phyllis' howling scream, which echoed throughout the island.
The Squid Sisters blinked as Phyllis approached the fallen agent and held him by the collar.
"I will ask you one question and expect a clear answer." Phyllis begun. "Where is Cuttlefish?"
Walker struggled under the Captain's grip and steel-eyed stare before answering.
"Somewhere within Alterna, as far as we know."
"Explain."
"When Cuttlefish, Octavio, and I fell into Alterna, Cuttlefish was dragged in deeper by the Fuzzy Ooze before we could act." He explained. "After arriving on the first island-"
Future Utopia Island.
Callie found a speaker in the snow where O.R.C.A.'s voice came from.
"-We were blocked off by the Ooze and the locks keeping us from checking the other islands. The fall destroyed my scanner, but Octavio extracted the data for us to use."
"There's more," Octavio added, gaining the attention of the three as a metal hand flew into his tentacle with a tablet in hand. "When we checked the data, we found this."
The three looked at the tablet, showing a map with three signals on different islands. One of them being on the next island over.
"These were detected during the fall. We believe they could be a possible lead on Cuttlefish. It's not much, but it's what we've got."
Phyllis pondered before turning back to the "agent" at hand.
"One last question for you, Agent Walker." she finalized as Marie prepared her tablet. "Who are you?"
"...Didn't you just answer your question?" Walker noted.
"Before our arrival, we looked into your files on every source we could find. Birth certificates, records, documents, Turf War logs, Rank, all blank. As if you've never existed." Marie clarified. "Save for a wanted poster with a hundred million bounty on your head."
"A hundred-"
"-MILLION!?" Walker and Octavio gasped at the revelation.
The DJ's reaction raised the Captain's brow before turning to the Agent's empty eyes.
"All this now begs the question," Phyllis released him to stand on his feet before backing away from the individual to the group behind her.
They all look at the individual as she asks a single question.
"Who are you?"
"That's what we wanna know!"
A loud voice booms from the nearby hills.
The group turns to find three masked silhouettes posing before the light by the row of stone heads.
Walker blinks to see them clearly before widening his eyes when they lay upon one individual.
~Start BGM: "Deep Cut Introduction" by [Nintendo] from {Splatoon 3}~
On the left, a blue Octoling in a revealing outfit dorns a white shark mask, peeking a red right eye at Walker.
On the right, a yellow Inkling in baggy, worn pants lifts her tan eel mask, peeking with her yellow star-shaped eye.
Behind the two, a manta ray wearing a beige onryō mask spreads his fins.
"Who… are you?" Callie asks with star-struck eyes.
"We're not supposed to be anything." The Inkling begins. "But we will tell you who we are!"
"Say it with a sizzle…" She throws her mask away, revealing her blue tongue. "I'm Frye!"
"Sharks call me cold-blooded. But you?" Her mask shifts into a fan with a symbol revealing an angered gaze. "You may call me Shiver."
"Ay! (Get money! Get fish quick!)" The manta ray gently lifts his mask to reveal his calm eyes. "Ay! (Big Man in the house!)"
"The Splatlands are our turf." Shiver began, aiming her fan towards her audience.
"Only we may loot here!" Frye posed with her right arm.
"Ay! (Yeah!)" Big Man chimed.
"We are…" All three entered poses with three fingers sticking out.
"Deep Cut!"
The group varied in reactions, from Octavio scratching his head, Marie trying to remember their crew name, Walker remaining still as he stared at Shiver and Phyllis' monotone stare at the crew overall.
"I… love them!" Callie admired them with a squeak before Marie chopped her head.
"Fan-girl later," Marie told her as she rubbed her head. "Furthermore, what's a Splatcast group doing out here?"
"Ever heard of a day job, old lady?!" Frye sassed as she squats. "We have a real passion, you know!"
"Banditry?" Marie returned with a twitch in her eye. "Is that why you stooges are here?"
"It's treasure hunting, you hag!" Frye barked with a stink eye. "And hello? Have you seen all this?! All this loot right under our noses!"
"Ay! (She's right, you know!)" Big Man supports.
"Like hell, we're gonna let you nutheads take this before we do!" Frye bragged. "I mean, look at that guy's gauntlets! They'll pack a hell of a price at the market!"
"But I just made these," Octavio complained while keeping his gauntlets away from them.
"Right, right, whatever." Frye shrugs before facing them. "But of course, with Mr. Million there-"
~End BGM~
Shiver cuts off Frye by jumping off the hill.
"Huh?" Frye blurts while watching Shiver land.
"You best choose your words carefully." She walks over to Walker, who kept eye contact throughout their introduction as she reached for a device behind her, causing the group to be alert.
"Because I only want one thing from you." Walker gulps as she draws out the Alto Crux, arming the weapon while holding a poster roll in her right hand.
"And when I want something..." She stops at an arm's length between her and Walker.
"I take it." She unrolls the wanted poster of him with the 100,000,000 bounty on his head.
"And I want answers."
Never finish a chapter the night before a quiz. That's an important lesson to take note of. Also, never underestimate the length of writing one chapter, no matter how close to finishing you are. Neither of them are good. It will DRAIN your energy if you're not careful.
So once again, a new chapter in another set of… three months. I feel like this may become the new routine, but who knows? I mean, I got back to college last month and got swarmed by sessions and whatnot. 'Come home tired as FUCK before getting back in the saddle to write those new chapters, and yes, I did curse. Let's get to that.
I've been looking back on my entire plan for WLS from point A to B, and I've decided.
At this point, WLS will have its age rating changed to M.
That warning at the beginning was not a joke. Before the release of chapter 3, I showed some scenes I've been working on to some friends of mine: ChaosFlash912, Nan the Keyblade Master, and others. They gave me their thoughts, leading to my decision to change. It was not an easy decision, but it was necessary.
But in lighter news, I will now be making Omakes for WLS!
As for when these take place, well, see for yourself.
In a quiet room, on a soft bed, Walker lays asleep until a light gleamed into him, waking him up.
His gaze strikes the digital clock on the side table reading 10:45 AM.
~Start BGM: "Lazy Afternoons" by [Yoko Shimomura] from {Kingdom Hearts II}~
He rose from the bed to find himself alone in the room. Scratching his chest, he stood from the bed and walked to the kitchen.
Opening the fridge, he finds a lunch box with a note attached that had the words "Good morning from 7 AM" with a heart.
He smiles as he sets it in the microwave before heading off.
He exited the shower before putting on a new pair of pants. While putting them on, he noticed his reflection in the mirror.
There he stands, his body riddled with scars from long ago, each holding a lingering pain to bring him back but reminding him of what he endured to reach where he is now.
He wipes his wet hair before wearing a grey shirt over his sweatpants.
He exits the bathroom before sitting in the living room to eat breakfast while watching TV.
In the middle of the news, his phone vibrates with a notification.
"Time to move." Walker smiles as he stands from the couch.
After washing his lunch box, he put on his socks and grabbed his Squid Satin Jacket before heading to the door.
He ties his Onyx 01ster shoes, tapping the tips as he takes a deep breath.
He opens the door while pulling a pair of circle shades from his pocket.
~End BGM~
*Sqwelp!*
A force pushes him to fall on his butt, finding a stab wound below his chest.
"Does it hurt…?" A voice asks as Walker looks up to find a purple-haired Inkling with a crazed look. "Well, I was hurt more!"
Walker blinked as he looked back at the wound.
"How dare you have a boyfriend when you are an idol-" He pauses as he looks at who he stabbed and who stared back at him.
Walker looked back at the wound, then at the stabber, and now back at the ink, finally back at the stalker.
The stalker paled upon recognizing who he stabbed and stiffly turned from the door with ink on his fingers.
"...Sorry, wrong add-"
"I just got this cleaned!" Walker roared as he charged at the stalker.
The stalker took a sharp right, leaving the address before an arm caught him by the neck.
Walker stepped up to the building's railing and leaped from the sixth floor with the stalker locked in a lariat hold who screamed as they both fell.
"I appreciate you offering to drive us back to my apartment, father." Shiver thanked, exiting the car as she held a few bags of groceries with Frye and Big Man following.
"It's the least I could do during my visit to Splatsville." A tall, blue-haired Octoling smiled, crossing his arms in his Haori as they made their way to Shiver's apartment. "Aside from that, I wish to speak to this Walker you three mentioned. He sounds rather unique from the tales you told."
"Hehe, yeah, he is pretty nice." Frye sighed with her elbows above her head. "He's a lot more fun to talk to in person."
"I'm looking forward to our talk, aside from that bounty on his head."
"You have nothing to worry about, father." Shiver reassures. "Despite the pain he endured, Walker is a gentle soul. And remains that way by his own will."
*CRASH!*
The four turn back to find the car wrecked from above.
On the now-dented roof, a hand crawls out to reveal a purple-haired Inkling dragging himself out of the crash site.
He falls to the ground and crawls away from the site before an arm grabs his leg and throws him to the wall next to Frye before falling flat.
Stretching his back before the group, Walker puts on the circle shades from his pocket as he turns back to the stalker, revealing himself in his open jacket and bloody shirt.
"Huh?" Walker noticed the group. "Hey, Frye! This guy's our next foe!"
"What!?" Frye exclaims before throwing the stalker back to the street in front of Walker.
"This is for trying to start trouble, bastard!" Walker kicked his rib.
"Take that, you psycho!" Frye yells while kicking his arm. "And this! And that! And one of these!"
Big Man stared at the scene before him, finishing his refreshing bottled drink.
Big Man bashed the stalker's head with a metal pipe while the two Inklings hit harder.
After one last bash from Big Man, the three ran out of breath.
"Thanks… for the help… guys…" Walker thanked in between his panting. "This guy… was stalking… Shiv…"
"How… do you know that…?" Frye asked, wiping sweat off her chin.
"Oh yeah." Walker straightened his back, revealing the stab wound. "He stabbed me in the gut when I was about to head out."
"HE DID WHAT!?"
The trio flinched as they turned to Shiver, who handed the groceries to her father before marching up to Walker.
"Um… h-hey, Shiv, I-"
"Show me the wound!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Walker obeyed.
Shiver examines the wound before releasing a sigh.
"You knew he was there, didn't you?"
"Uh…"
"Walker, we both know you could have dodged that, don't lie to me!"
"I guess I got distracted from how peaceful my morning was?" He hesitated.
"You were asleep for ten hours."
"It was a good sleep, though!" he complained.
"You arrived home at midnight. I changed your clothes 'cause of how much a heavy sleeper you are."
"Wait, does that mean you…!?"
"No!" Shiver bickered. "It's no fun if I'm the only one awake."
"You got a good look at my ass, though?"
"As soft as buns." She nods. "Though, you'd want a good hand of cake now, wouldn't you?"
Walker's face flushed from her flirt as his eyes trailed to her hips.
"You know you want it~!" she purrs, making his face redder.
"Can't you two keep it in your pants?!" Frye fumed with her red face.
"Ay… (I need an adult.)" Big Man whispered.
"You are an adult!" Frye returned.
"Ahem."
The man coughed as Shiver froze before blushing as they all turned to him.
"I suppose you are, Walker? The young man courting my daughter?" he asked.
"Um… Yeah- I mean, yes, sir." Walker replied. "Do you need something?"
He straightened his Haori as he steeled his expression.
"I am Tremble Hohojiro, head of the Hohojiro clan." He introduced himself in his splendor. "I invite you, the King of Fear, to our yearly banquet of the three clans as a guest."
The group widened their eyes at the invite, turning to Walker, who blinked.
"Oh shit."
Shiv elbowed him for that.