Splatoon: The Brothers and the Others
A Tale of Two Colors | Omega Version
Splin and Sharq, as well as a morose Tai and anxious Ari, sat down on a mat, Corrin sitting across from them. The three sat inside Corrin's private quarters, Corrin patiently staring at the four.
"So let me get this straight, you live in a world of advanced technology where you can battle each day for fun or for glory?" Corrin asked.
Splin nodded. "More or less."
Corrin glanced elsewhere. "Reminds me of a certain tournament...nevertheless, you two definitely aren't from this world, are you?"
"Nope! Not at all." Sharq stated, Corrin frowning.
"That seems so strange...I bet it's a blast though, playing with your family and your friends anytime you wish…" Corrin sighed.
Splin and Sharq frowned. "I...suppose."
Corrin froze. "Oh, I'm so sorry, is that a touchy subject?"
Splin rubbed the back of his neck. "No, it's fine...our parents just...how do I say this?"
Sharq cleared his throat. "They straight up went missing one day, we haven't seen them since…"
Corrin glanced down at the floor. "I understand how you feel. Both my mother and father were taken as a result of this war between two kingdoms."
The five sat in a pitiful silence, Tai and Ari looking back and forth between the three previously orphaned characters. Ari began to speak up, until Tai cut him off.
"Sorry to break up the mourning, but we still need to get back home." Tai stated, crossing her arms. "As soon as possible too, I don't want to have to be stuck with Casanova over here."
Ari stared down at the floor in shame. Corrin perked up, clearing his throat.
"Right, apologies. Got a little morose there. I can't say I know a direct way home, but I do have an idea." Corrin said, clearing the tension.
Sharq perked up. "Really? What is it?"
Corrin looked out the window of his quarters, staring off into the distance. "Off in the mountains, there is a place called the Kraken's Gate, made by the First Krakens."
"Krakens?" Splin questioned.
Corrin nodded. "Yes, I suppose I had forgotten to tell you about that, but that's for another time. If I remember correctly, it has the power to travel to other worlds."
"Really? Interesting…" Splin murmured.
Tai stood up. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Just lead the way and we'll follow."
Corrin sighed. "As easy as that may sound, the journey is somewhat perilous. Bandits, possible Nohrian troops and other perils block the way. Of course, as soon as we reach the Kraken's Gate, we should be safe, but the way there isn't going to be a walk in the park."
Tai smirked. "Heh, it will be for me." She reached at her back, grasping for something, then frowned. "...As soon as I find a weapon I can use."
Ari stood up as well, gripping his .96 Gal, raising it towards the sky. "Don't you worry. I'll be sure to leave a lasting impression on those scoundrels!"
Tai scoffed, turning away. Ari faltered somewhat, glancing at her sadly.
Corrin smiled at the two. "If you lived in this realm, I would've made sure to recruit you two right away. Splin, Sharq, what about you two?"
Splin and Sharq nodded, standing up. The two unsheathed their Inkbrushes from their backs, then presented the brushes to Corrin, whom nodded, standing up with the other four.
"Well then, shall we get moving?" Corrin suggested, the other four agreeing silently.
Corrin walked out of his quarters out an open door, the four following him. Greeted by the light of day, the five Inklings climbed down onto the ground below via ladder, Corrin stepping onto the warm grass first. Corrin gestured for the four to follow him, the party moving towards the inside of the castle courtyard, where Felicia stood sleepily.
"Good morning Felicia!" Corrin greeted her, the Inkling maid jolting out of her tired state.
"Hm?! A-Ah, Lord Corrin! S-Sorry, I'm just a little tired this morning!" Felicia stuttered, Corrin waving her off.
"It's quite alright Felicia. I was just wondering if you'd help accompany us to the Kraken's Gate." Corrin told her, Felicia jolting once more.
"The Kraken's Gate? Lord Corrin, you realize-"
"Yes Felicia, I'm aware of the danger, but that might be the only way to get them," Corrin pointed a thumb behind him towards the Inklings and Octoling standing patiently, "Home."
Felicia bit her lip, worriedly glancing around. "Oh...okay, but we're going to need to stock up on some supplies."
Tai waved at her. "Hey, if you don't mind, could you grab a weapon for me?"
Felicia bowed respectfully. "Of course! Wait here!"
Felicia dashed off into the courtyard, following a path into a building, the five protagonists watching her go. As soon as she entered the building, Tai wandered off towards a tree nearby and took a seat in the shade, Corrin walking away and sitting close by. Ari sighed, dejectedly letting his arms fall to his sides. Sharq noticed this, eyeing the older Inkling curiously.
"What's wrong Ari?" Sharq asked, tilting his head.
Ari glanced over at Tai, who simply turned her face. "Tai's still upset with me. Cod, I feel like such a fool, I can't even bring myself to flirt today!"
Splin crossed his arms. "Is that a bad thing?"
Sharq lightly elbowed Splin in the chest, to which he responded with an offended huff.
"It's alright Ari. She'll lighten up soon!" Sharq reassured him.
"No I won't!" Tai called, Sharq turning at her with a light smile.
"You can't stay mad forever!" Sharq called, only getting Tai to turn her head away as far as her neck would allow it.
Ari managed a miniscule grin. "Thanks for trying r- Sharq."
Sharq beamed. "Anytime!"
Splin stood by, still staring at the building Felicia had entered. "Hmm…"
A crash could be heard. Everyone snapped towards the building. Felicia came stumbling out, attempting to balance a collection of two Inkbrushes, one decorated with gold and extra bristles, a green, round gem of sorts, and a lot of gray bottles at the top. Shouts of frustration came from the building she left.
"Sorry! I'll be sure to clean up later!" Felicia called, making her way over to Corrin.
Corrin stood up and walked over to Felicia. "You...uh, need a hand there?"
Felicia gasped, nodding solemnly. Corrin reached the two of his hands out, barely catching the green gem and the bunch of bottles.
"That's a lot of vulneraries…" Corrin muttered.
"Err...you can never be too careful?" Felicia said, smiling sheepishly. "Miss Tai, your Inkbrush!"
Tai grinned, walking over to Felicia, taking the regular Inkbrush, practicing swinging it. "Nice...lightweight yet stable."
Corrin smiled. "Thank you Felicia. I see you also brought Yato?"
"Right! You're the only one who can wield it, after all!" Felicia said with a smile.
Corrin gave the gem in his hand an experimental toss up into the air, catching it as it came down. He then took the golden Inkbrush as well as the vulneraries and handed one bottle out to each of the others.
"Take these, drink them if you're wounded." Corrin told the four.
"Are these...health items?" Splin asked.
Corrin nodded. "I suppose so. They mend your wounds fine enough during the heat of battle if there isn't a healer around. Luckily, we're not going without one, right Felicia?"
Felicia nodded. "Right! I'll assist any of you in case you get hurt along the way, okay?"
Ari blinked. "But then what will become of you in the case of you getting severely injured?"
Felicia smiled, pulling out another vulnerary. "I'm covered, and don't worry, I have a bit of a trick up my sleeve!"
Corrin smiled, looking at the group. "Well then, I'd say we're prepared. Shall we be off?"
The others nodded. Corrin began marching off, everyone following behind him as they left the castle.
Everyone reappeared in a blink of light, finding themselves in a hillscape area, rugged mountains towering over them.
"Huh? This doesn't look like the place we entered from before." Sharq said.
Corrin rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, apologies, that would be because the entrances and exits to my castle are strewn about across the land."
"Oh." Sharq murmured.
"Does that mean we potentially could have just bypassed multiple enemies?" Splin asked.
Corrin sighed, nodding. "I suppose we didn't really need to equip ourselves too well anyways. Oh well, safety first. The Kraken's Gate should be right on top of that mountain-"
Corrin pointed across to a gray mountain not too far from them, the sun hovering lazily above it. In the distance, the group could spy a rock formation that glowed with a mystical energy.
"Would that be the Kraken's Gate you told us about?" Ari asked.
"Yes. We'll need to make haste if we wish to get you home before the sun sets. I'd hate for us to be ambushed alone in the dark." Corrin told them.
The others nodded, with that said, everyone advanced towards the mountain, slowly but steadily. On the way there as they trudged through grass, Ari would continually sneak glances at Tai, which were almost always responded by a glare or ignored entirely. After a couple of minutes, Ari finally sighed.
"Tai...listen…" He began.
Tai turned her head away again.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am about earlier. I just- I really wanted your help in fixing the tower." Ari explained.
Tai remained silent, staring in the other direction.
"Never again will I push you to do something against your will, I'm extremely sorry about...you know…" Ari's face was tinged with a light redness.
Tai paused in her tracks, still staring away from him.
Ari also paused, but made his way over to her, reaching for her shoulder. "Tai, please-"
Tai stopped his hand with her own, making a shushing gesture with her index finger. She stared hard in the other direction, eyes squinting to perceive something.
"Corrin." She whispered sharply.
The others stopped, Corrin blinking. "Hmm?"
"...What are those things?" Tai asked, turning back briefly.
Corrin walked over to where Tai was standing, squinting his eyes. His eyes then shot open, Corrin backing up instinctively, startling the others.
"Corrin? What's the matter?" Felicia asked.
"Faceless." Corrin muttered. "Lots of them."
Felicia's eyes also widened, the other four cephalopods staring at them in confusion.
"Faceless?" Tai asked.
"Undead monsters with masks covering their...faces." Corrin said slowly, backing away.
Splin, Sharq, and Ari turned in the direction the others were facing. They could spot dull green-gray creatures stumbling in the distance, making their way towards them. Upon a closer inspection, they realized that the monsters did in fact wear a mask, one full of holes that one could only see darkness in. Shackles and belts were strapped to the monsters, the shackles broken off yet still cuffed to their arms.
"Everyone, we have to get to the Kraken's Gate, quickly!" Corrin shouted. "Splin, Sharq, ready your Inkbrushes!"
Splin and Sharq blinked, the two snapping out of their gawking, then brandished their Inkbrushes, the two of them starting to dash away, the both of them suddenly skidding to a halt, blue ink splashing off the brush as a result.
"Hold on, how are you guys going to catch up? We can't just leave you behind!" Sharq shouted.
"It's fine, we'll catch up soon enough!" Corrin shouted back at them.
"Corrin, with all do respect, we can't just leave you or Ari and Tai behind!" Splin shouted.
Felicia shook her head. "You two are too young to get yourself involved in this! I'm sure we can handle it!"
Sharq pouted. "No way! Either we run together, or we stay and fight together!"
Corrin bit his lip, staring at the two surprisingly stubborn brothers. He then glanced over at Tai and Ari, who both adopted fighting stances. Corrin sighed, closing his eyes.
"...Alright, fine, follow Splin and Sharq, there are too many Faceless to fight here!" Corrin ordered.
The others nodded, the group quickly retreating towards the mountain with the brothers. They made good speed, making it to the foot of the mountain after a relatively medium long run. All six of the cephalopods began gasping for breath, carefully looking back. The Faceless slowly followed after them, one even went as far as to shake his fist menacingly at the party.
My, what a threat they pose.
"You're telling me." Tai muttered, smiling condescendingly.
"That was...easy." Felicia said between pants.
"Yeah…" Sharq muttered.
"I had forgotten how slow the Faceless were. I believe it will be smooth sailing from here on out, but stay vigilant." Corrin said.
The group ascended up the mountain, scaling up the incline again, slowly but steadily. After a grueling ten minutes, they reached the first foot of the mountain. The Kraken's Gate remained six floors above them. Fast forward an hour and a half later, complete with Corrin having to assist Felicia and Tai having to carry Ari up the rest of the steps, the party finally managed to reach the foot of the Kraken's Gate.
"Finally, the Kraken's Gate!" Corrin announced, sinking to his knees, panting.
"G-Great! Phew…" Felicia panted as well.
Tai climbed up the mountain behind them, dumping Ari on the ground below, profusely sweating. Ari also wheezed for some reason despite being carried up three-fourths of the way there. Splin and Sharq followed after, Splin shakily reaching one tentacle up in his squid form and Sharq tagging along behind him closely, pushing his brother up with his squid head. As soon as Splin hit the top of the mountain step with a flop, he froze, trembling in place.
"Did we really just c-climb an entire mountain...when we could've easily just SUPER-JUMPED?!" Splin roared.
Sharq glanced elsewhere, his squid eyes blinking. "Oh yeah, that would've saved us a lot of a hassle."
Splin then proceeded to bang his head repeatedly against the stone ground they stood on, startling the others. Tai sighed, walking over to the younger brother, then snatched him up from the ground, then smacked him once.
"Ow, wha-"
Tai smirked. "What do you know, works with both of you. Don't smash your head out, Splin. Seriously."
Splin sighed in exhaustion, and let himself fall from Tai's grip, lightly flopping down on the ground. Tai smiled at the squid, then glanced over at Ari, who froze where he sat.
"Work out a little, dude, not everyone's willing to carry you forever." Tai told him, to which he embarrassedly tilted his Jungle Hat down to as to cover his face.
"Well, it appears that the Kraken's Gate is within reach." Corrin said with a light smile, looking straight at the vortex of energy that laid ahead of them.
A large rock formation with a blue swirling vortex stood in front of them, towering above the six of them. They made their way towards the gate, ravished by the sight ahead of them.
"Amazing. This is the Kraken's Gate." Corrin murmured, staring straight ahead. "It's a wonder this gate laid alone for so long. Perhaps explorers from other realities used this?"
"Ahem! Hello?"
The group flinched, snapping to the left. Standing by the Kraken's Gate in a miniature concession stand made of rock was an Inkling with red tentacles, bright red eyes, and a red cloak, with a white silk shirt worn underneath that draped over her legs, black boots finishing the attire.
"Welcome to the Kraken's Gate! Care to visit another world?" She asked, one index finger on her chin.
Everyone blinked as if this were some sort of illusion.
"...What is that woman doing up here?" Ari whispered to Corrin.
"No clue." Corrin whispered back, then cleared his throat. "Uh, yes. Miss…"
"Anna." She said, winking.
"Anna, we need to send these four back to their home. Can you...uh...transport them there?" Corrin asked.
"Of course! It is my job after all. Where are they from?" Anna asked.
"Um…specifically?" Splin asked.
"Mmm-hmm! Can't let you through without specifying your location, you might find yourselves in a hot pool of water! After all, that would be terrible for business." Anna told them.
"Uh…" Splin rubbed the back of his head. "One moment."
The four Bate Brothers characters began pondering, huddling into a group while Corrin and Felicia inspected the gate, Anna patiently standing by.
"What do we tell her?" Splin asked the others.
"Maybe we can describe home." Tai suggested.
"Ooh! Let me try!" Sharq said, running out from the group huddle.
Sharq made his way over to Anna, then took a deep breath.
"We're from Inkopolis!" Sharq told Anna.
The sound of three cephalopods slamming into the ground followed.
"Sorry, could you be a little more specific?" Anna asked, batting her eyelashes.
"How?" Sharq asked curiously.
*cough* Splatoon Shared Universe 6 *cough*
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sharq asked upwards.
Splin rushed past Sharq, nearly slamming into the stand. "Splatoon Shared Universe 6, please!"
Anna nodded. "Wait here for a moment!"
Anna then switched into a red squid and dropped to the floor, where sounds of clicking were heard. Splin frowned, shrugging, then walked off towards Ari and Tai, Sharq following closely behind.
"I think we're just about to leave for home, everyone." Splin notified them.
"Good." Tai stated plainly.
Splin and Sharq looked from Ari to Tai worriedly. They nodded, then made their way over to Corrin.
"Thank you for helping us out, Corrin." Splin said.
Corrin smiled. "Of course, if you ever need help, you know where to find us."
"Have a safe journey back!" Felicia said, bowing.
Anna reappeared at the stand. "Alright, all set, just walk through and you'll be fine!"
Anna gestured towards the portal. Splin, Sharq, Ari, and Tai shuffled towards it, glancing back to Corrin and Felicia, who began waving. The four made their way to the portal, just about there, when a blockade of Faceless smashed down before them, blocking the portal. Anna's eyes went wide, she ducked into the concession stand for safety.
"Yep, of course this would happen." Splin grimaced.
"Faceless!" Corrin gasped, unsheathing his Yato Inkbrush.
"You guys take care of those things! I'll stay here." Anna called out, peaking her red squid head out. "We can't have them use the portal! That's another business bane!"
Ari dashed away, Splin and Sharq both shielding themselves with their Inkbrushes. Tai growled, taking her newfound Inkbrush and slicing across, smacking down a Faceless monster, the shackles clanking as it fell onto the rocky floor. The other Faceless began charging towards her, which she managed to avoid by changing into an octopus and sliding to the right. Splin took a deep breath, then began flinging ink towards the advancing monsters. They shielded themselves with their arms as they charged, hardly slowing down. Splin gasped, bracing for the impact, Sharq tackling his brother out of the way, the two landing safely to the side.
"That was close! You okay?" Sharq asked, Splin nodding.
Sharq glared at the Faceless, who began to cease their charge, halting over the steep cliff wall the others had climbed. Sharq ran up behind them and smacked them with his Inkbrush out of anger, the Faceless careening off the mountain as a result.
"Yeah! Try and hurt my brother again!" Sharq shouted, then froze.
A troop of Faceless was climbing up the mountain, breathing out dark fumes from their masks. Ignoring their comrades' demise, they pushed onwards and upwards, growling unsteadily. Sharq frowned, and backed away from the mountain.
"Hey guys? There are more coming up the side." Sharq called out, turning back. The color from his face began to drain somewhat.
"We've noticed." Tai muttered, a dozen of the Faceless monsters advancing from the other side.
Tai slashed at one, causing it to stumble and fall, unmoving. Three other Faceless began charging at her, which were met with blasts of ink. Tai turned back, where Ari stood vigilant, cocking his .96 Gal carefully. Ari glanced at her carefully, Tai simply nodding as a result. The two looked back at the Faceless, which were currently being pushed backwards by Corrin, who slashed repeatedly with his Yato, taking down Faceless after Faceless. It appeared that Corrin couldn't be stopped, golden ink being flung to and fro, until he was punched in the face.
"Corrin!" Felicia cried out, watching Corrin fall on his back, gritting his Inkling beak.
"Nngh…!" Corrin muttered, wiping away ink/blood from his maw.
A Faceless came dangerously close, raising its large fist, but was intercepted by a dagger of sorts cutting into its arm. The Faceless stopped, as ink burst from the dagger, freezing in an instant, the Faceless quite literally freezing up in its tracks. Corrin stared back at Felicia, who was panting, a dagger gripped in her hands. She immediately stowed away the dagger, taking a staff from an invisible hammerspace- Cough, I mean her inventory- Or...her back?
Freakin' video game characters and their convenient item stowing.
Anyways, confusing the Bate Brothers aside, Felicia took out a staff, pointed it towards Corrin, who was healed almost instantaneously. Corrin stood up shakily, shook his head to relieve the dizziness, then nodded a "thank you" towards Felicia.
"Ice?" Splin questioned out loud.
Felicia smiled, embarrassment hidden under her cheerfulness. "Y-Yeah, I'm part of an Ice Tribe, it's um..."
"So you have ice powers?" Sharq asked.
Felicia shrugged, then nodded, Ari blinking as if he were completely dumbfounded.
"Spectacular!" Ari complimented, Felicia wrapping her hands behind her back shyly.
"A-Aw, thanks!" Felicia said, blushing as a result of complete flattery.
"Hey, Ari, pay attention!" Tai shouted, pointing behind Ari.
"Eh? Oh!" Ari gasped, fumbling with his .96 Gal, spinning around and blasting a Faceless in its mask, the Faceless falling backwards, its mask almost exploding. "Th-Thanks!"
"Don't dwell on it, we've got things to splat." Tai reprimanded him, slicing towards a Faceless.
Ari nodded, dashing to keep up with Tai, holding his .96 Gal ink gun steady. The group quickly beat back the Faceless, Splin and Sharq simply coating the cliff with ink, slipping up the Faceless trying to climb up, sending them packing. Sharq raised his hand out for a high five, which Splin responded with a quick slap to the palms quickly enough, Sharq cheering somewhat, Splin only shaking his head at his brother's excitement. Corrin fought back the Faceless on the other side well enough, Tai dashing in between the monsters, cutting at anything that was too close, Ari backing her up with .96 Gal shots. Felicia assisted Corrin, healing with each wound that any of them received. After a few more raises of her staff however, Felicia raised one last time, before the light on her staff faded, the staff shattering into pieces.
"Lord Corrin, my staff broke!" Felicia cried out, Corrin nodding.
"Hmm…" Corrin muttered, looking ahead. A few Faceless remained, each tirelessly grabbing out for them. Corrin reached into his armor, pulling out the green gem from before. "Felicia, get behind me."
Felicia noticed the gem, then nodded. Corrin ran towards the Faceless, sheathing his sword.
"Corrin, what are you doing?!" Splin shouted from across the mountain.
Corrin glanced back, smiled, then jumped, the gem glowing as he did so. Corrin's form shifted in a flash of light. Corrin reappeared in a new form; he appeared to be a large squid with white skin with black undertones, a visor-like area of skin covering where Corrin's squid eyes would be.
"Is that a Kraken?!" Ari asked, taken aback.
"Well, yes!" Felicia began. "Corrin is...well, how should I put this...he can transform into a Kraken at will."
"Yeesh, how come everyone except us seem to have superpowers or something?" Sharq wondered out loud.
They all watched as Corrin slammed and skewered the Faceless with his head and tentacles, until there were none left, all either laid out dead on the ground or tossed off the mountain. Corrin slid back towards the five, the four younger cephalopods moving back uncertainly, somewhat nervous of Corrin's new form.
"Alright, is everyone okay?" Corrin asked in an voice, the voice echoing.
"Y-Yes." Splin said, rubbing his arm.
"Dude! Imagine if Corrin was in a Turf War, he'd clean house!" Sharq exclaimed.
Sharq then went over to Corrin, tapping the tip of his squid head curiously. Corrin chuckled, then shifted back into his Inkling form, taking his green gem and stowing it away, rubbing Sharq's head, ruffling his cap.
"Ah. Anyone else?" Corrin asked, looking around.
Tai exhaled, stretching her arms. "Whoo! Now that was fun. We should do it again sometimes."
Corrin grinned, then paused, his eyes growing wide. The other followed his gaze, a Faceless charging in towards them, fist raised to strike. Tai gasped, fumbling to grab her Inkbrush, the Faceless about to strike. Ari then heroically pushed Tai out of the way, shooting at the Faceless as he did so, knocking it back. Felicia instinctively hurled daggers at the Faceless out of fright, the Faceless stumbling back from the impact of each sharp bit impaling it. The Faceless then paused, freezing immediately, then shattered into thousands of pieces, Felicia gasping for breath.
"You might've gotten a little too dagger-happy Felicia…" Corrin said softly, Felicia hiding her daggers bashfully.
Splin blinked, then glanced over at Ari and Tai, the two leaning sideways on the ground, Ari gasping for breath with his eyes closed, while Tai looked shocked. Ari opened one eye slowly, then quickly backed away, scared of what Tai could do to him. Tai sighed, standing and dusting herself off, then walked over to Ari.
"That was a pretty stupid move, Ari." Tai scolded him.
"...My apologies." Ari sighed in defeat, waiting for Tai to beat him up.
Tai eyed him suspiciously, then shook her head. "I'm not going to punch you for saving me from getting punched, dude."
Ari looked up at her, Tai managing an extremely miniscule smile at Ari.
"I guess this is the part where I say, 'I'm sorry', huh?" Tai asked.
Ari shook his head. "No, it's fine, I should be the one who-"
"Save it loverboy. I still have my dignity. I'm sorry for earlier too, thanks for saving me. There." Tai said, crossing her arms.
Ari blinked, gawking at her. Tai simply giggled quietly, shaking her head. At that moment, Anna popped out of her hiding place, then sighed in relief.
"Whoa! You guys did a great job of killing those Faceless! Whoops, sorry, I meant 'krilling' of course." Anna said, winking at no one in particular. "You get a discount!"
"'Discount'?" Splin asked.
"Yep! Normally I wouldn't do this, but instead of a trip back home, you get a free one back home!" Anna announced.
Splin's mouth gaped open. "Wait, you were planning on charging us-"
"Alright, enter the Kraken's Gate before the free offer expires!" Anna said, making a shooing motion with her hands.
Splin blinked, sighing. "You ready to leave, everybody?"
Sharq, Ari, and Tai nodded, approaching the portal. Corrin and Felicia stood by, the brothers looking up to Corrin.
"Well...we can't thank you enough Corrin. If you want, we can repay you back somehow...maybe at home?" Splin offered, Corrin shaking his head.
"No, it's fine. I'm just glad we managed to get you here safely." Corrin said.
"Are you sure? We have food and stuff!" Sharq told him.
Corrin laughed. "As nice as that sounds, we already have that here. Thanks anyways."
Splin and Sharq sighed, then nodded, waving goodbye. Tai and Ari did the same, following the brothers as they walked into the swirling blue light.
"Feel free to visit if you have the time! I'll be sure to take care of you to the best of my ability!" Felicia called after them.
With that being said, unanimous "Thank you!"s and "Goodbye Felicia/Corrin!"s were shouted as they stepped through the portal, vanishing into the portal, off back to their own world.
Our four heroes reemerged above the Inkopolis Tower, where they fell on top of the Great Zapfish, and were charred by its electricity-
-Take Two-
And bounced harmlessly off the Great Zapfish, who shook itself in response, the four plummeting to the ground below with a splat-
-Take Three-
Smashing into the ground-
-Lunch Break, be right back-
Fine, landed HARMLESSLY on the ground, as the portal dissipated above them, blue light flickering out.
"Ah, back to where everything is nice and normal, right guys?" Sharq said, elbowing his brother.
Splin sighed, closing his eyes. "Sure, Sharq."
In actuality, they all stood in a light puddle of water. Getting a closer look around, they realized that half of the city was either on fire or encased in ice. Splin and Sharq didn't say much, only staring at the chaos. Tai on the other hand was making her way to the manhole, taking care not to let the dancing flames of the city bother her. Ari noticed, quickly running to catch up with her.
"Hey! Uh, I just wanted to um...congratulate you on your victory!" Ari said, jogging along with her.
Tai said nothing, walking along the flames.
"Err...are you still angry with me about earlier?" Ari asked.
Tai still remained silent.
"Okay, please! What did I doooooo?!" Ari cried out, begging on his knees. "Please Tai, I can't stand this silence! I'll do anything, just please don't use the silent treatm- Huh?"
Tai pecked Ari on the nose, then glared at him, severely confusing him. Tai grinned.
"Huh, that actually shut you up." Tai smiled. "There, now we're even."
That left Ari silent, only having him watch as Tai walked towards the manhole casually, switching into an octopus, giving a small wave as she went.
"Wait, what? That doesn't answer my question!" Ari cried out, following after her.
"Bye Ari." Sharq waved, the brothers watching Ari retreat down the manhole.
The brothers took a look around Inkopolis, watching a building smash down into the ground, fire lapping up the building as it shattered.
Man, I'm going to have to clean this up sooner or later.
"Voice, what happened here?" Splin asked.
"Splin! Sharq! There you are!"
Splin and Sharq turned around, then backed away in shock. Maria, her tentacles somewhat burnt, one literally on fire, her clothes scorched, but nonetheless, she stood tall and smiling, red and white Poké Balls attached to the outside of her shorts. Splin raised a finger as if to ask something related to them, but lowered them, sighing.
"Looks like we're not the only ones who've had a rough day." Splin said.
Maria sighed. "Tell me about it. I'm just glad you two are safe!"
Maria sat down, pulled the two brothers into a hug, Sharq gladly hugging back while Splin just sighed.
Maria broke the hug, standing up again. "Shall we go?"
Splin and Sharq were instantly reminded of a certain lord. The two glanced at each other, then nodded, walking off with Maria. The three Inklings switched to squids, then all three of them jetted off into the sky, falling towards the house on the hills. Inkopolis remained burning for a while, until a large dark cloud made its way over Inkopolis, dousing the city with rain, extinguishing the flames.
Welp, that's one problem to deal with gone.
AN: And so endeth the glorious Fates crossover. Oh well, Splatfest opportunities only come every so often. I'm going to have to finish up that Maria chapter later, bear with me on this one.
Alrighty ladies and gentlemen, let's get this review train rolling! Thanks Dread Angel and Ultrapyre for reviewing! The Tairi train also happens to be leaving the station, not too sure about the Sun and Moon departures on the other hand, I find myself having a difficult time getting hyped with the state of my 3DS affairs, but I'll see how it goes, maybe I'll post a Pokémon story around the time, who knows? Ultrapyre, glad you spotted Mei-Lin there, I knew my cameo wouldn't go unnoticed! Originally I was going to have Ari try and fail at flirting with every possible feminine unit in FE: Fates as possible as a joke, but I found that idea lacking in the creativity department considering Virion & Inigo from FE: Awakening already did that lots. Oh well, maybe next time.
Thanks for reading once more ladies and gentlemen, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, off to waste more money on Secret Saxtons!