Splatoon: The Brothers and the Others
Migration Relocation: The Second One
Sharq gulped, stood straight and tall, and leaned forward carefully. "Excuse me?"
Sharq tapped the jellyfish's head, then gave it an experimental push. The jellyfish bobbed back in forth in place as though it were rooted to the spot as if the wind pushed it. It reacted the same as if it was actually just wind, and simply scratched the spot on its head where Sharq pushed. Sharq frowned and tapped it again, and again, but to no avail.
"Uh...excuse me?" Sharq asked, "Could you move out of the way please?"
The jellyfish stared at Sharq for about five seconds, only to respond by flashing a camera in Sharq's face. Spots of green and pink clouded his vision. Immediately, Sharq turned around and rubbed his eyes. Shaking off the spots in his eyes, he nodded rapidly. Instantaneously, a bullet of pink ink burst from the side and blasted the jellyfish away into a enormous pile of other, knocked out jellyfish. Each one of the jellyfish in the pile were decorated with splotches of pink ink. The jellyfish twitched involuntarily from time to time.
Sharq smiled at Lalai, who sat perched nearby a streetlamp. Wielding a flashy Charger in hand, she took aim at the line of jellyfish in front of the Squid Sisters studio as Sharq walked up to the next jellyfish in line. A few more seconds passed, and the exact same thing happened again, prompting Lalai to take aim and fire. The jellyfish was launched to the side and into the pile, causing other ones to fall from the top down to the floor.
Dosio sighed, kicking his legs up in the air. "Can't we just shoot them all and be done with it?"
Lalai shrugged and fired another shot. "I think Sharq wants to try diplomacy first. Being merciful can pay off sometimes."
"What's merciful about shooting a bunch of unarmed jellyfish?" Dosio asked as he lounged on the floor.
"It's either that or try to barge in through the front," Lalai explained as she fired again knocked another jellyfish out cold, "And they don't look like they appreciate cutting in line."
Up ahead, one of the jellyfish glanced from side to side. Leaning out from the line, it eventually seemed to grow weary of the wait and began to walk out and towards the doors. As if a mental alarm was triggered, each and every jellyfish in the line turned and stared at the jellyfish. Sharq froze in place nearby. A mass of blue arms reached out from the jellyfish, picked up the one line defector, and then hurled him away into the sky. Sweat collected on Sharq's forehead. He swallowed, then made his way back to the line, trying to convince the jellyfish to leave.
"They don't seem to notice when I shoot them one by one," she explained
Dosio blew a raspberry and continued to watch the systematically slow slaughter. Minutes drawled on by, jellyfish by jellyfish piling up in an unconscious mass. Dosio yawned and rested his head on the asphalt as those minutes went by sluggishly.
Irritated, Dosio stood up and looked Lalai in the eyes. "This is boring."
Lalai sighed. "Alright, fine. You wanna take a shot at this?"
"Yeah," Dosio said with a nod, "Hand me that Charger."
Lalai rolled her eyes and handed him the Hero Charger. Grinning ear to ear, Dosio graciously took the gun from her, cocked one eye open, and aimed for the nearest jellyfish, only to drop the Charger and glower with a sour expression. Ahead, Sharq waved at the other two Inklings from the inside of the Squid Sisters' studio through the glass doors.
Dosio turned around slowly and disappointedly. Smiling devilishly, Lalai walked by, swaying side to side teasingly, and quickly pried the Charger from Dosio's frozen hands. Taking a second, he fumed and slapped his Splash Goggles on his face. He followed behind her, stuffing his hands into his pockets and grumbling all the way.
Sharq pulled open the doors with a grin and leaned on the glass. "After you!"
As Lalai was about to step inside, a blue blur stepped in front of her. From the floor, Dosio popped up and stepped inside in front of her, taking the Splash Goggles off of his face. She rolled her eyes again as she walked inside.
The lobby was practically abandoned. A wilting, potted plant stood in the corner of the room, to Lalai's dismay. A few scattered clumps of dust rolled around on the floor. In spite of the lobby's vividly painted walls and colors, the whole room seemed devoid of energy. Aside from the Inklings' footsteps, the only other noise in the lobby was the periodic ticking of the wall-mounted clock above the receptionist desk.
"You're already inside, Sharq," Dosio muttered as he passed by.
"You're welcome," Sharq told him as he beamed.
Lalai glanced around the lobby, setting her Charger on the floor. "So, what now?"
"Now, it's smooth sailing from here on out. All we have to do is broadcast to the rest of Inkopolis, convince the jellyfish to leave, and everything will go back to the way it was!" Sharq announced with a gleeful smile.
Lalai blinked. "Oh, I see."
Lalai leaned on the counter and pursed her lips. Dosio arched an eyebrow at her curiously. A bead of sweat dripped down her face as she stared at Sharq standing proud. Sharq glanced back at her, though his smile began to fail him.
"Is...is that it?" Lalai asked quietly.
Sharq frowned. "Why? Is there something wrong?"
Lalai stretched the collar of her jacket. "Well...do you have any back-up plans?"
Sharq made another small smile. Despite his smile, the rest of his face wore a pale complexion. "Well...I'm sure this will work."
"Really?" Lalai questioned.
Sharq nodded as he walked around the desk and started for the door in the back. "Positive," he mumbled as he opened the door and began to walk up a set of stairs.
Lalai and Dosio glanced at one another, uncertainty on their faces. Lalai folded her arms behind her back, sighed, and slowly made her way over to the door. Both she and Dosio began to follow behind Sharq, albeit slowly and silently.
"Open the door! Open the DOOOOOOOOOOR!"
The two of them snapped back around and stared through the glass panes. Lalai's eyes bulged in shock.
"Pela?" she squeaked.
On the other side of the glass doors, Pela was sprinting like her life depended on it. Although considering the humongous mob of jellyfish following after her, it was hardly a stretch to say that she was in danger.
"Danger?" Sharq asked as he poked his head out from the doorway.
Sweat drenched Pela's brow as she ran. From behind the mob, jellyfish lobbed object after object towards her. Pela ducked underneath a makeshift javelin made out of a signpost, dodged several blots of ink fired upon her, and braced as she was pelted from head to toe with marker caps. The caps proved to be the most effective, as they struck Pela, bruising her skin as they flew like bullets. Even in the hailstorm of caps and debris, Pela continued on, doing nothing more than covering her eyes and keeping her chef hat secure with her hand.
Lalai quickly ran to the doors and shoved them open. She waved to Pela urgently with both her hands. Pela smiled, and began to pick up speed, until she finally threw caution to the wind and broke into a full-on run. Lalai's eyes bugged out, and before she could respond, her sister threw herself through the doorway and knocked her down. Both hit the deck and slid to the back of the room, only to slam into the desk.
"Agh, ship!" Pela cursed as she held her head.
"Sis?" Lalai groaned, "What are you-"
Dosio quickly ran up to the doors, gripped each of their handles, and slammed them shut. The jellyfish army began flooding around the outside of the studio, drowning the ground and the debris still left on it. The front of the mob had donned eyebrows drawn in marker once again, except this time, they must have rushed it, as the jellyfish's faces were a combination of eyes and black scribbles. Not only were they pouring in from the front, but there were two other floods of jellyfish that came from the sides.
Dosio watched in horror as a few even dropped from the sky, only to redirect straight towards the studio. He felt his hearts pound in his chest as they squished against the window panes. A few armed jellyfish inexplicably fired at the doors with Splattershots from the back of the crowd. However, each ink shot fired only managed to make splotches on the window the size of a coin. As the jellies crowded around the entrance, Dosio braced himself behind the doors.
The resulting impact was astounding. Dosio was launched back and skidded across the floor. Blue tentacles stretched through and clawed at the frame, desperately trying to enter. One tentacle was trying its hardest to shove a camera between the doors' slots. Still standing, he dashed for the door and pressed himself to it again. The mob of jellyfish backed away from the door, only to run at it again and tackle the windows.
"They're breaking in!" Dosio shouted, "I mean, they're not very strong, but-"
The jellyfish shoved the doors again and launched Dosio to the floor. Holding onto the doors, he pulled himself up and shoved himself back against the door.
"They're very strong actually. Somebody give me a hand!" Dosio requested, pressing himself against the doors.
"You heard the badly dressed science student, go help him out!" Pela called out as she removed her toque.
Dosio scowled back at her, only to turn back to the door and hold it down as the jellyfish prepared for another tackle. Taking off her toque, Pela shook out two squids onto the floor.
"Ow," Willie muttered.
Zip said nothing, and continued to stare up at the ceiling as if in a trance. Frowning, Pela switched back into a squid and picked Zip up, only to throw her down. Specifically in front of the doors. Willie's eyes expanded in horror, but before he could react, he too was picked up off the floor and hurled at the entrance.
"Ow!" Willie repeated, "Pela!"
"Keep that door steady!" she commanded as she turned to Sharq, "What now?"
Sharq glanced towards the door. "We'll need to start a broadcast. Lalai?"
Lalai perked up. "Yeah? I know a thing or two about the setup."
"Alright!" Sharq cheered as he ran for the staircase, "C'mon, there's no time to waste!"
Lalai nodded and followed suit. The two fled up the flight of stairs and made their way into the studio. The other four Inklings refocused on the door, each one holding their bodies against it.
"Zip, you okay?" Pela asked as she shoved her shoulder against the frame.
Zip's eyelids fluttered. She turned to Pela and nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, just a little…"
She began to sink to the floor slowly. Jellyfish on the other side seemed to notice, and began to slam into the door. Everyone against the door flinched. Willie switched into a squid, bobbed under Zip's arm, and raised both himself and Zip up. With a weak smile, Zip graciously rested her head on his shoulder as they both repositioned themselves in front of the door.
"She's fading fast," Willie explained.
"No, no, I can keep going, I just need…" Zip's eyes began to close.
Dosio eyed the jellyfish on the other side irritably. "What's your problem, huh? We never did much to you besides...hit you...and shoot you."
Dosio glanced away for a split second. "Okay, so maybe we weren't the KINDEST-"
"So," Pela grunted as she shoved against the door again, "While we're here, mind telling me what Sharq's plan is?"
"Sharq's plan?" Dosio grunted, punching one of the invasive tentacles back. "You really wanna know?"
"Is something the matter?" Willie asked.
Dosio punched another jellyfish tentacle. A shock rippled through his body, but Dosio stood tall, and he shoved the tentacle back outside. He hunched over, hands still on the door.
"Aagh!" he screeched, shivering erratically.
"Hey, stay with me!" Pela snapped.
"Cod, Sharq BETTER convince those jellyfish to leave!" Dosio screamed as he clutched his hand.
Pela scowled. "'Convince'?"
"He's going to tell them to screw off! Live television? Squid Sisters?" Dosio explained and thrust his hand towards the studio, "Make sense?"
"Shadey can speak jellyfish? Who'd have thought?" Willie smiled.
Zip muttered something, but her words were muffled by Willie's sleeve. Dosio and Pela froze, and the two of them stared at Willie with the blankest of expressions.
"...What?" Willie inquired nervously.
Pela looked as though she would speak, but then glanced at the door, eyebrows furrowed. "Brace!" Pela called out as she dived away from the door.
Alarmed, Willie carried himself and the unconscious Zip away from the door. Dosio's eyes bugged out as another wave of jellyfish launched themselves at the door. He glanced back, only to catch a glimpse of Pela and her employees taking shelter behind the receptionist's desk. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to the door, and hollered as the wave crashed into the doors.
Lalai looked up from the cameras. "Did you hear that?"
Sharq stumbled, gripping a nearby chair. "I didn't just hear that. I felt it."
Lalai reached for the camera and readjusted it. All of a sudden, she noticed a large shadow encompass the studio. In front of her, Sharq was fixated and frozen in place, gazing in horror at the window panes. Lalai glanced up at Sharq, gulped, and turned her head to face the windows. She nearly knocked the camera down as she backed away.
Several jellyfish had gathered on the balcony of the Squid Sisters studio. Every single one stared at them eerily, watching. Waiting. Sharq began to sweat bullets under their gaze.
Lalai brushed off her uniform and turned back to the camera. "We need to go. Sharq?"
Sharq nodded. Despite his composure, he shook unsteadily as the door below could be heard being slammed into.
"Alright, um…" Lalai fidgeted with the camera, "We're rolling."
He took one deep breath, mustered a smile, and looked straight at the camera.
"C'mon! I know this thing has some juice in it."
The Bate household hummed with noise. On the floor laid a remote pointed towards the wall toward the television. The television was silent, but on the floor, the remote clicked and clattered around the floor in a racket.
On top of the remote, Ann-Gel laid on her stomach, a scowl on her face. Reaching for the power button, she pressed it down, then slammed her fist down on it. Sighing, she pushed herself up, hobbled over to the power button, and hopped up and down. Frustration was evident by the look on her face. She hopped, pressing several buttons, but to no avail.
She frowned and stared down at her pedestal. "This would be so much easier if you weren't here."
Ann-Gel stamped down on the middle of the remote. She glanced down at the remote, then up at the television, and swiveled in place. The remote pivoted slowly across the floor, eventually pointing directly towards the T.V. With a grunt, Ann-Gel hopped back onto the power button and eagerly stared at the television. It buzzed, and black and white static flashed across the screen briefly before the broadcast began.
Ann-Gel sighed. "Whew, finally, I was beginning to think I'd never-"
"HellOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Inkopolis!"
"Wah!" Ann-Gel cried out.
She dipped over the side of the remote and landed on the floor with a loud clank. She groaned and rubbed the back of her head sullenly, or at least tried to. Her eyes widened as she stared down at the stump that was her arm. Scowling, Ann-Gel reached back, picked her arm back up, and reattached it to her stump, then stared up at the screen in wonder.
Her eyes widened. "Sharq?"
Ann-Gel stared at the screen, mesmerized. She rubbed her eyes, rubbed them again, and rubbed them one last time until her pupils were unmistakably polished. There, onscreen, was Sharq.
Ann-Gel was locked in a trance with the television. "This can't be real. That's not-"
"This thing on?" Sharq wondered aloud as he tapped the screen, "Hiiiiiii? Inkopolis?"
Ann-Gel nodded slowly, "It's him."
"I think I might've broke it," Sharq stated in embarrassment.
Ann-Gel pursed her lips inquisitively. Flabbergasted, she resigned herself to the floor and sat on her pedestal, using one of the plastic orange ink splotches as an armrest.
"No, it's fine. See the light?" A female voice reassured him.
"Are you sure? I think that was on before." Sharq muttered. He moved closer to the camera and looked it over.
"I'm not...the best with these electronics," the voice replied sheepishly.
Ann-Gel hummed and stared down at the ground, lost in thought for a moment. She was dragged out of her thoughts by a scream. Alerted, she hopped up on her platform and spun to the right.
"Splin?" she called, "Splin!"
Just as she called, Splin sat upright in his bed, eyes wide open. Two bags stretched underneath his eyelids, giving him the impression of someone who had but an hour of sleep. Half of his body rested still underneath his sheets, and his tentacles were each draped over his shoulders, one of them stretched farther than the first. In spite of his ragged appearance, Splin was awake, eyes wide open.
"Hey!" Ann-Gel spoke up with a smile and a wave.
"Holy mackerel," Splin managed to say with a blink, "What just happened?"
"Splin?" Ann-Gel questioned.
Splin blinked again, then stared down at Ann-Gel from his bed. She stared back, just as confused as he was. He squinted suspiciously, switched into a squid, and hopped out of his bed, ditching his sheets. Switching back to an Inkling, he crouched down low and began to make his way to Ann-Gel slowly. She glanced from side to side nervously.
"Shh, stand still," Splin whispered.
She wasn't entirely sure, but Ann-Gel suddenly felt uneasy. As Splin's hand loomed over the trophy ominously, she reeled back her arm and launched it into the palm of his hand. The hit landed, but Splin was unfazed, little more than bewildered.
Splin blinked again and stared down at his hands, then gawked back at Ann-Gel. "Ouch."
"Whwha- What are you doing?" Ann-Gel asked.
Splin's face flushed blue. "I thought I was dreaming again," he sat back on the floor and exhaled in relief, "For a second I thought you were going to grow a second head."
Ann-Gel lowered her fist, placed her hands on her hips, and pursed her lips worriedly. "More bad dreams?"
"Weird ones," Splin admitted as he gazed around the house, "For one, there were a few people I've seen before were standing right over there."
Splin pointed at the empty kitchen.
Splin's hand fell slack as he turned back to his bed. "Then there was the one where I thought I saw Maria and my parents."
"Hmm…" Ann-Gel hummed.
Splin sighed and shook his head, "That's not even the half of it. There was one with Kaz, another one with-"
"Kaz?" Ann-Gel frowned.
Splin shook his head. "Long story, point is, I've been tumbling through dream after dream, and I'm not even sure how to feel anymore."
"Um...alright! I think it's working."
Splin frowned. Slowly, he turned his head towards the television and was greeted by Sharq's eyes staring directly towards him. Immediately, several drops of sweat dripped down his face upon fixating his gaze at the screen.
Ann-Gel frowned, then glanced at Splin. "I know what you're thinking, and no, you're awake."
Sharq cleared his throat. "So uh...I'm here to talk to you today about...um…"
The two Inklings in the house sat on the floor, eager and speechless.
"...Could you jellyfish take a vacation somewhere else?" Sharq asked hopefully.
"What?" Splin and Ann-Gel wondered aloud.
"Sharq…" the voice sighed.
Sharq began to blush. "I'm sorry! I was on television before, but I didn't have to speak, and I don't have something ready, and- Lalai, look behind you!"
The sound of glass shattering could be heard. Sharq was seen diving off-screen just as the feed seemed to shut off. In his place was a broadcasting error screen displaying the Squid Sisters' logos and a set of outdated concert dates. Ann-Gel and Splin stared at the television set with deadpan expressions.
"Alright, looks like I've got my hands full," Splin sighed as he briefly pulled on his shirt, ruffling the material, "Keep an eye on the house while I'm gone, Ann-Gel?"
Splin stretched his arms over his head. He yawned once, then made his way towards the door, strutting along like a reanimated zombie. Ann-Gel continued to stare at the static on the television.
"Um, yeah!" Ann-Gel stated as she snapped back into reality. "Splin?"
Splin straightened himself up, his hand on the doorknob. "Yeah?"
"Be careful, alright?" Ann-Gel smiled hopefully, "I don't want you falling asleep on the news."
Splin cracked a smile. "I think I'll manage. See ya."
He shut the door behind him. Ann-Gel sighed, shook her head, and turned her attention to the screen. She watched the screen hopefully as concert dates drawled on, worry evident on her face. Ann-Gel hobbled her way towards the kitchen, and spied the "Politics for Paralarvae" book.
She hopped next to it, then glanced back at the television. "Maybe I'm overreacting. If Sharq managed to make it on the news..."
Sharq was drowning. He knew he was drowning, and yet he hardly moved a muscle. The gelatinous blue mass surrounded him, encasing him in a motionless bubble.
He glanced to the side. The camera he had spoken to just seconds before was being tossed back and forth by several curious jellyfish. Just above the surface, Sharq saw Lalai's feet kicking. She was already extremely close to the ceiling. All the while, she stared down at Sharq, shouting something, only for it all to get muffled by the flood of jellyfish. Sharq opened his mouth to say something in turn, but found that his words muffled and lost in the jellies as soon as they escaped his mouth. He quickly quieted himself, covering his mouth and nose with his hands.
Sharq turned to his left. The windows were all shattered.. As if they were being sucked by a vacuum, shards of glass flew out from the jelly-filled room, being removed as more and more jellyfish entered. Floating nearby was Willie, who held onto Pela and Zip for dear life. Zip's eyes were shut, and Pela looked pale as she held her breath. Willie stared at Sharq worriedly and silently. Before Sharq could do anything, another swarm of jellyfish floated in, and obscured his view from the others.
From the corner of his eyes, Sharq noticed something that made him flinch. Dosio floated facedown, his goggles drifting nearby. His eyes were shut, and like a ragdoll, he was pulled to and fro by the curious jellyfish. Sharq grunted, and tried to reach for him. Nothing. Sharq's head fell back in defeat. He was stuck in place.
A tentacle reached out and tapped his arm. Sharq turned around and spotted a small jellyfish armed with a camera. The little jellyfish pointed its camera at Sharq. He shook his head, but to no avail. The jellyfish aimed, raised the camera up to its face, and lowered one tentacle to the button. Just as it was about to snap a picture, it stopped, and stared at Sharq. Teary-eyed, Sharq wiped his eyes with his arm as best as he could, and sighed.
Sharq quickly realized that jellyfish wasn't his taste, as his mouth was stung by a passing tentacle. He immediately clamped his hands back over his mouth. "Bad idea, bad idea."
Sharq glanced back at the little jellyfish. The little jellyfish stared at him, then tapped his shoulder. Sharq simply sighed and rested his head back on a bigger jellyfish underneath him as the smaller one tapped his shoulder calmly. Sharq resigned himself to lie down on the jellies, slowly but surely losing air. Woozy, Sharq felt his consciousness slip away from him.
"No, not yet!" Sharq thought, struggling to stay awake, "I still...need to...fix this…"
Exhausted, Sharq closed his eyes. He went under and began to float up toward the ceiling, though the tentacles fixed him to the floor level. Above him, still watching, Lalai's eyes went wide in a panic. She screamed something, but Sharq was predisposed to being unconscious at the moment.
"Sharq! Sharq!" Lalai called out, but to no avail, "No, no, no no no!"
She attempted to dig through the jellyfish, only to be stung. Lalai pulled her hand back quickly, shook it in back and forth in frustration and glared down at the jellies. Yelping, she reeled back and held her head. She glanced at the ceiling. There was nowhere left up to go. Taking a deep breath, she stared down at the jellyfish and dove into the mass.
Hazards flew by like undersea mines. Yellow and orange jellyfish buzzed, whipping their tentacles haphazardly through the gelatinous concentration. Switching to squid form, Lalai pushed against the jellyfish, fighting as hard as she could, narrowly ducking under the paralyzing whips. Swiveling through the jellyfish, she closed in on Sharq, floating helplessly and unconsciously, stuck in the clutches of the squishy jellyfish prison. Lalai grunted, and wriggled through, inching closer and closer to him.
"Hang in there, Sharq!" Lalai thought, her descent slowing to a sluggish crawl, "Help is on…"
Lalai froze in place. Squinting, she peered to the window. Although the frame was near impossible to look through, she could make out something shining on the other side. Confused but determined, she began to make her way towards Sharq again, when she heard something. There was a crackle, then an electronic buzz. Sets of blue lines pointed in a cone, as if like magic, appeared and pierced through the jellies. Lalai's eyes went wide, and with all her might, she propelled herself away from the sound and covered her ears with her tentacles.
"You're sure you're feeling alright, Jelonzo?" Splin asked.
Splin ducked. Over his head, two more jellyfish flew by. Carefully holding on to the guard railing with one hand, he aimed a ginormous gray megaphone with the other straight at the Squid Sisters' studio. In front of him, the studio's glass was shattered, and the insides were packed like a box full of jellyfish, who appeared as though they were on the verge of spilling out. Camera flashes, like lightning, flashed off within the cloud.
In front of him stood Jelonzo, cap tilted to the side. "The head is still aching, but my tentacles still are doing working!"
Jelonzo's tentacles were "working" extraordinarily well. All available tendrils the shopkeeper could muster were busy. As jellyfish approached from the side of the catwalk, Jelonzo would slap them down into piles in the plaza. Like a cyclone, Jelonzo's tentacles spun in a circle, ensuring that the catwalk they stood on was as clear as it could be.
"Ready?" Jelonzo asked as he turned to Splin.
Splin scowled. "...Yeah?"
He eyed the round bump on Jelonzo's head with discomfort. It wriggled as if it were trying to escape. Jelonzo suddenly noticed the odd stare, glanced up, then quickly readjusted his hat so that it covered the oversized bump.
Splin turned back to the studio. "Forget I said anything."
"Fire at away!" Jelonzo called out.
Splin took aim straight at the studio and flicked a switch on the ginormous megaphone. The speaker buzzed to life, humming a tune. The jellyfish in the studio suddenly began to writhe, disturbed by the sound. Then came the uproar.
Splin had to duck to avoid the dozens of jellyfish that flooded out of the studio. He glanced up for a split second, then ducked back down again, narrowly avoiding decapitation by a tentacle. Overhead, one of the jellyfish managed to snap a photo, just before spilling into the plaza with the rest of them. As the Killer Wail finished its destructive spree, it vanished into thin air.
"Quick! Through the window!" Jelonzo called, the pointed back at the floor of the plaza, "This is overflowing speedily!"
The plaza's levels of jellyfish began to take on new heights. A few of the jellyfish even attempted to jump to the catwalk in desperation, only to slip and fall back down and over themselves. Acting speedily, Splin and Jelonzo leaped through the empty window frame and into the studio.
"Splin!"
He perked up at the mention of his name. As he got up, Splin looked around the messy studio. A set of chairs and a table were overturned. Cameras and equipment laid on the floor, a few with damaged or shattered lenses. Phones littered the floor like playing cards, all with extremely blurry pictures displayed on the screens. In the middle of it all, there sat his brother, utterly unconscious.
"Sharq," Splin managed breathlessly.
Sitting beside him was Lalai, along with Pela and Willie. Sprawled out in Willie's arms was a resting Zip, who, despite the chaos, managed to look as presentable as possible. Her waitress attire was only mildly ruffled, and she breathed softly with surprise still in her eyes. On the other hand, Willie and Pela's chef uniforms they wore were dusted with dirt and ink stains. Lalai was trying her best, fanning Sharq's face.
Splin walked over, crouched down, and slowly reached his hand and touched the back of it to Sharq's forehead. "Hey."
"He's been out cold," Lalai explained, "A tentacle shocked him, and he ran out of breath a few minutes ago."
Splin furrowed his brow. He simply continued to stare at the knocked out Sharq, hand still on his brother's forehead.
"Hey, don't think you guys realized, but the jellyfish are coming back."
Everyone but Splin turned to the window. Sitting just behind the frame of it, Dosio looked on in displeasure at the horde of dizzy, angry, and outright confused jellyfish advancing back on the studio, phone cameras in their hand. Willie, Pela, and Lalai got up to their feet and stood defensively in front of the others with whatever they had their hands with.
Wielding a spoon and a pan respectively, Willie and Pela raised the weapons, ready to smack any of them that got too close. Lalai frowned, took one look back at the two brothers, and retrieved her Splat Charger and aimed.
"Sharq, come on," Splin murmured, gently shaking his brother back and forth, "We've gotta save the city again. Sharq."
Shots began to ring out. The Inklings jumped to the side, dodging messy Splattershot fire back and forth.
"Either you're getting up, or I'm going to make you!" Splin shouted, "Sharq. Sharq! Sharq- Oh, Cod's sake!"
With a prolonged sigh, Splin switched into squid form and pushed his tentacle inside the back of Sharq's White Anchor Tee. He leaped to the side and tugged himself and his brother out of the line of fire. Ink of all types of colors began to stain the floor of the studio. Splin dragged himself and his brother behind a table flipped on its side and ducked behind it as securely as he could.
"Sharq!" Splin shouted again as he dodged a cell phone, "Shaaaaaaaaaaarq!"
"Yes?" Sharq piped up.
Pirah adjusted her Black Arrowbands, crossed one leg over the other, and grinned sheepishly at him. "So, how have you been?"
Sharq glanced around the landscape. It was dark, foreboding, and extraordinarily empty. Besides him and his mother, Sharq could hardly make out anything else in the blackness. It was just that, dark. Despite that, when he turned to stare at Pirah, he could see her in complete clarity as if there were a miniature sun just floating above her.
"Splin and I have been good," Sharq nodded, only to adopt a worried expression, "How about you?"
Pirah lowered herself and sat down on the ground. "We've been fine, although I'm convinced your father's got us lost again."
"...Dad?" Sharq arched an eyebrow and glanced around.
"Don't listen to her, she's crazy."
Sharq turned around in clear confusion. He squinted, peering out at the flat black texture that the entire world had taken on. As if by magic, Phish suddenly popped into the picture, walking in slowly. Sharq could only blink in confusion as he walked by while he fiddled with his tie until he managed to take a seat right besides him.
"So, how's the house? Break anything?" Phish asked with a sigh.
Sharq stared in complete awestruck silence at his father, mouth agape.
"Phish," Pirah scolded as she reached Sharq's back and slapped Phish's back.
Phish literally shrugged the blow off. "I'm just curious...You've been checking the generators, haven't you?"
"We have generators?" Sharq blinked in confusion.
"And back to the journey at hand," Phish sighed and stood up hastily, "Hopefully we can get back before anything else goes wrong."
"Phiiiiish," Pirah whined, "Your son's happy to see you for the first time in years."
"...Hi, Sharq," Phish managed to say with a wave, "C'mon Pirah, we're wasting time."
As Phish moved, his visage flickered as though he were a reflection. Before he could walk away, Pirah scowled, leaped up, and jumped on his back. Gravity aiding her, she pulled herself and Phish back, landing directly in front of Sharq. She laughed, while Phish's distorted picture simply had an exhausted, trying-as-hard-as-possible-not-to-smile face.
"You're such a pain," Phish murmured as he shook his head, "Sharq, tell her to get off."
Pirah giggled, and Sharq could not help but laugh as well, "No, no, tell him-"
Suddenly, Sharq's vision flickered, and the entire world began to ripple back and forth. It was mostly all black though, so it was still only a small percentage of weird, like...0.00000305123781325921%, but even that-
"Voice? I- Okay, oh geez... That's dizzy." Sharq complained, "Wait…"
Pirah gasped, reached out for Sharq, and clasped his hand. "Oh no, no no no. Phish, how much time do we have?"
"Not much," Phish murmured as he managed to stand, "Listen, Sharq. We may not be home for a long time. ...Even longer than usual."
"But why?" Sharq slurred with a frown, "Why for so long?"
Even though his face was warped and distorted, Sharq could still notice a noticeable frown on Phish's face. "It's difficult to explain. I'm sorry, Sharq, but you're just gonna have to wait."
"But-"
"Your father's...right," Pirah struggled to say, "But we'll be home soon."
"But how soon? When?"
"Soonish," Phish muttered.
Sharq's ears dipped. "Oh...okay..."
As he asked, their visages flickered again, neither one of them happy with the interruption either. Sharq's hearts sank. He felt himself drift away. As his vision blurred and his parents began to fuse back with the black background, Pirah reached her hand out and caressed his face, her fingers soft to the touch, but cold as a stone.
"Wait," Sharq reached one hand out, fighting the exhaustion, "What am I going to say?"
The two of his parents gawked at him in surprise. For a brief moment, Sharq could spy them turned to each other.
Pirah simply turned, smiled, and replied, "You've got this."
Phish gave a silent nod. Sharq's eyes shut just after he managed to make a smile. As he faded away into the darkness, the two parents glanced at each other.
"He's got this," Pirah repeated and nudged him.
Phish scoffed, "Pirah, I wasn't doubting him at all."
Pirah grinned back, then evaporated into nothing.
"Ow!"
The first thing that Sharq was greeted by upon regaining consciousness was a headbutt. He reeled back, holding his forehead with his right hand sorely. As he rubbed the new mark on his face, he cocked one eye open dizzily, and was greeted with an audience of jellyfish, Inklings, and a similarly disturbed Splin.
"Splin!" Sharq perked up.
Sharq stood up and reached out to his brother, then stopped, uncertain. Splin, rubbing his forehead, glared back up at his brother peculiarly and irritated. Cautiously, Sharq reached forward and gave Splin a quick tap on the shoulder.
Splin took his hand and pulled him closer. "You couldn't have woken up in a less violent way?"
Sharq just sighed in relief and pulled his brother in for a hug. "I'm just glad you're- Why are there so many jellyfish outside?"
Splin and Sharq paused. Sharq let go of Splin and stared out the window, mixed between fear and surprise. Standing guard at the frame, Lalai and Pela held their weapons cautiously at the cube of jellyfish that had assembled just outside the window. On the floor, a concerned Willie kneeled by Zip's side, who laid on the wall, clearly exhausted but awake.
Dosio, unarmed, simply raised his fists at the jellyfish. "He's awake, thank Cod, get on with it!"
"Alright, let's finish this so that we can all go home," Splin told Sharq, spinning him around, "Jelonzo's been waiting for a minute."
"Wha?" Sharq blinked in confusion.
Sharq gasped in surprise. Standing up straight in the middle of the studio, Jelonzo was waiting, several cameras and other microphone equipment readjusted to face the center, where a spotlight shone down on the jellyfish shopkeeper. Splin let Sharq go, gave him a short push, and gestured to the spotlight.
"Well?" Splin asked aloud, "Are you going to do something, or are you just going to let those jellyfish come in and drown us all?"
"Okay, alright, you're right!" Sharq pumped up his fists, "I'll...wait…"
Sharq lowered his arms. "I can't speak to the jellyfish though."
Splin gave him another short push. "Gotcha covered. Jelonzo?"
"I will be doing the translating," Jelonzo bowed respectfully, one tentacle keeping his hat from falling, "You will be talking, yes?"
Sharq's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yes!" shouted everyone in the studio, "Go for it!"
"Okay...okay!" Sharq pumped his fist up, "I'll do it!"
As one approached, phone camera in hand, Lalai shot a jellyfish off the side of the catwalk, turned, and shot a smile. "That's the spirit!"
Speedily, Sharq ran up into the spotlight, straightened himself out, and stared into the camera. "Hey!"
"Bloop!" Jelonzo repeated and raised his tentacles in the air.
The jellyfish encroaching on the studio's boundaries stopped in place. Confused, they stared straight forward, fixated on Sharq and Jelonzo. One of Jelonzo's tentacles snaked away, flicked a switch, and drowned the studio in darkness, with nothing else but the spotlight and the sunlight to illuminate the room.
"...Was that really necessary to translate?" Splin muttered with a scowl as he watched.
Sharq took a deep breath, as did Jelonzo, whose body rippled. "Listen…"
"Bloop…" Jelonzo squeaked, lowering his tentacles gently.
"I understand it must be really cool. This is Inkopolis, home of the Turf Wars, and anyone would want to come and visit," Sharq murmured as he twiddled his fingers.
"Bloopity bloop," Jelonzo squeaked as he slapped his tentacles together loudly.
"But you guys have made it impossible for us to have fun here anymore," Sharq piped up, "There's a lot of people here who love playing in Turf Wars, cherish them even. A lot of people also depend on them."
Sharq glanced across the room. Standing rigidly still, Dosio stood nearby the jellyfish, almost as if he and the jellies were locked in a trance. Jelonzo continued to flap his tentacles around, then poked Sharq on the shoulder and pointed back to the camera. Sharq nodded, cleared his throat, and continued.
"I'm sorry, but it's just not working out for everyone. We all want to play, and we can't do that if all you jellyfish keep clogging the plaza, the stages, the streets, the restaurants, the-"
Jelonzo turned to Sharq and gave him an exasperated eye.
Sharq rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. My point is, we need space. We need a bit of...organization, you know? We want to play unhindered. We love Inkopolis, and its Turf Wars. Can you offer us that?"
Jelonzo nodded and daintily spun his tentacles in the air as if they were ribbons. He "blooped", and "blurrbled", each and every jellyfish holding onto his words as they were translated. The jellyfish with angry eyebrows (and angry smudges) wiped off the ink from their heads, retrieved markers, and redrew their eyebrows, all arched down sadly.
Sharq smiled hopefully. "Please?"
Jelonzo nodded. "Bloop?"
The jellyfish stared at the lot of Inklings and Jelonzo sadly. They stared, and stared...and…
"Um…" Sharq frowned and turned to Jelonzo, "Did I not-"
Before he could finish that sentence, Sharq dropped to his knees. Jelonzo jiggled violently. All of the others attempted to find something to hold onto. Surging away from the windows, the jellyfish stamped shook the earth. The cameras that had been re-positioned immediately fell back down on the floor. Crawling on his knees, Sharq made his way to the window, and gazed out at the plaza.
"...We did it," Sharq stated simply.
The other Inklings perked up. As the rumbling of the earth stopped, everyone stood (and sat) in place, still gazing outside at the plaza. Despite the several discarded phones, the shattered glass, and the ink left on the floor, the plaza was once again clear. There were hardly any jellyfish, aside from a few stragglers, but far from the ocean there once was. Sharq began to smile, while everyone else-
"What the ship?" Dosio piped up, "That worked?"
"Yep," Splin nodded as he leaned on the wall, "Sure did. Great job, Sharq."
"Hooraaaaaaaay!" Sharq cheered as he jumped in the air, "I...did it?"
Slowly, Sharq levitated back to the ground, a confused expression on his face. With a scowl, he glanced back to Jelonzo and squinted his eyes.
"Didn't think they'd actually get the message that fast, but okay?" Sharq questioned aloud and glanced to Jelonzo, "That really worked?"
"...You didn't think it would work either?" Lalia piped up.
Sharq laughed nervously. "I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but…"
Jelonzo tapped his tentacles together. "You have speech, and you deliver it okay, yes. Jellyfish stubborn. Needed extra of motivation."
"Motivation? You mean Sharq's speech didn't actually get through to them?" Dosio spoke up.
Everyone turned to Jelonzo in the studio, each one curious. The jellyfish shopkeeper raised one tentacle to his...mouth to cover his...cough.
"I may have added 'sweetness' to the deal," Jelonzo muttered under his breath.
Under the midday Inkopolis sun, one elderly crab brushed the sweat off of his eyestalks and leaned on top of a construction barricade in exhaustion, lightly tugging his overalls. He wrinkled his eyes, then turned and gazed out. One of his claws opened to drop a hammer onto the floor, where it fell with a dull clank.
"Finally," the crab wheezed, "We're finally done, Blorris."
A jellyfish wearing a hardhat walked up next to the crab and leaned on the same barricade, responding with, "Bloop."
In front of them laid Inkopolis Square, the newest, hottest spot for Turf Wars! The middle of the square was decked out with both asphalt and concrete, marked with white crosswalks. Large rectangular buildings decorated with statues, flyers, and ginormous television screens surrounded the square. To top it all off, not far ahead was a skyscraping tower, decked out with screens and billboards, stretching tall and proud.
The crab sneezed but kept on a proud smile. "Fine piece of work, ain't it?"
"Bloopity bleep," the jellyfish nodded, as it launched the contents of the cup into its own face.
The drink slid off the top of its dome and dripped to the floor.
"...I don't know why you keep bringing drinks to work if you just waste 'em," the crab shook his head as he began to scuttle away, "Welp, we're done for the day anyway, so you can-"
The crab froze in place, eyes bugged out. Behind him stood...several fences. And behind those several fences were thousands of jellyfish, most of which looked beyond sad with their downturned eyebrows.
"Eeh…?" the crab scratched its head as it turned back to Blorris, "Didya invite them?"
Before Blorris could reply, every single jellyfish rushed forward, knocked down the fences, and swarmed the new square. Both the crab and Blorris screamed and dashed for the tower, only to trip over the hammer that fell on the ground moments prior. The both of them were carried away in the current of jellyfish, yelling profanities hysterically.
"So then…" Dosio blinked and stared out at the plaza, "We're done. That was it?"
Splin nodded, "Seems like it..."
At the tone, the restaurant employees practically collapsed on top of each other, and each one of them let out a collective sigh. Alarmed, Lalai ran up to her sister and crouched down beside her.
"Pela," Lalai whispered, "You okay?"
"My back aches, my arms burn, and I'm pretty sure they nailed me in the side," Pela groaned, much to Lalai's worry, "But since I'm here, and we're finally done with all of this…"
"Yes?"
"Can we talk about that expedition?"
Lalai gave a curtsy and a smile then jumped out the window. As she cleared the gap, she shouted, "I'm glad you're fine, thanks!"
Sharq perked up and shouted at her, "Thanks for helping me Lalai!"
Lalai nodded as she landed on the catwalk. "Splin, we've gotta exchange stories again sometime!"
"Uh huh," Splin replied with a nod as he backed away from the pile.
Pela growled, "Oh you- Get back here!"
Poor Willie and Zip were thrust to the side like sacks of potatoes as Pela lifted herself up and leaped up out the window, following close behind her sister. The others dodged to the side. Willie grunted as he and Zip hit the back wall, and with a grunt, Willie picked himself and Zip up quickly, turned to the window, and sighed.
"We'll just...take the stairs," he suggested with a shake of his head, "What a day."
"Are you...was that really it?" Dosio repeated, then scanned the area, "Seriously?"
Zip gave a polite nod and wave. "Thanks, Sharq, we gotta go before Pela runs herself ragged."
Sharq beamed and waved to the two of them as they limped away. Dosio watched, flabbergasted, and Splin simply turned to Jelonzo and walked up to the jellyfish shopkeeper, who had readjusted his cap yet again. The large, round bump on his head was gone.
"Huh," Splin commented as he looked him over, "You feeling better?"
Jelonzo perked up, spun his cap on his head, and lit up. "Yes!"
Splin nodded. "Uh, thanks for helping us out, Jelonzo."
"Welcomes be to you!" Jelonzo tipped his hat.
"Aaaaugh!" The three Inkling boys yelped.
Jelonzo squinted, then stared up at his own head. Perched on top of Jelonzo's head was a tiny jellyfish, sitting lackadaisical and content. For a moment, the room was silent as everyone stared at the strange, small jellyfish.
The jellyfish then raised itself up, took Jelonzo's hat, and tipped it over its own small body. "Good morrow," it replied.
Jelonzo blinked, glanced at the rest of the three Inklings, then replaced his hat, covering the small jellyfish. "I will go home now."
Jelonzo then slinked off through the studio and jumped out the window. The three of them watched, grasping for words. After some deliberation, Dosio managed to find one.
"What?" Dosio asked aloud.
Splin sighed, stretched his arms, and nodded. "I think on that note, we should go home."
Sharq perked up. "What? Really? What about the Turf Wars?"
Splin shrugged and stated, "Inkopolis Square should open up soon, don't worry about it. Besides, I just realized I'm still exhausted."
Sharq pouted as he watched Splin wave and leave. "You didn't even do that much!"
As Sharq started to follow, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around quickly to face Dosio, who quickly removed his Splash Goggles and left them dangled around his neck.
"I uh…" Dosio rubbed his arm, "So, you're going?"
Sharq glanced over at Splin, then turned back and smiled. "I guess! See ya!"
"Ah," Dosio muttered as Sharq turned to leave, "Alright, uh, well...thanks."
Sharq perked up almost immediately and spun around again. "Uh-huh!"
Dosio frowned. "Even if it was mostly Jelonzo you uh...you did do it, Sharq. Thanks for that."
Sharq's face lit up, and Dosio turned towards the tower and readjusted his goggles around his face. Dosio took one step towards the window and was just about to jump outside, but was left in the dust as someone zoomed past him.
"Race you there!" Sharq called gleefully as he jumped.
"Oh, c'mon! I thought you were going home!" Dosio complained but leaped out after him regardless.
Sharq laughed as they both flew out the studio. Still standing inside, Splin watched as they dipped over the edge of the catwalk. He heard two consecutive thumps, then more raucous laughter, and watched as the two of them sprinted for the tower in the distance, becoming smaller and smaller as they went.
"Welp, there it is," Splin uttered, yawned and stretched his arms, "Another happy ending."
Pretty much.
Splin glanced up at the ceiling. "Can I get a break now?"
You've had a break for months now.
"It's only been a few days," Splin remarked, "I think?"
Eh.
Splin sighed and stared at the ceiling. "We're just going to go on another fantastical adventure sometime later, aren't we?"
Maybe.
Splin shook his head and turned to the stairs. "You're driving me insane, voice."
That's what they tend to do.
Splin shook his head and descended the stairs, placed his headphones over his ears and made his way out of the studio. He whistled as he stepped out into the disaster area that was Inkopolis' streets, filled with cellphones, markers, and puddles of ink that were already vanishing. Splin simply switched to a squid, pointed at the sky, and prepared to jump.
"I swear. If next week we have to jump dimensions…" Splin grumbled.
...No?
Splin shook his head and jumped up into the air with a burst of ink, scattering markers and cell phones away. All the way home, he spiraled through the air, shooting through the clouds.
AN: Eh.
Thanks R.C.D. for reviewing. I can't actually answer that question with good faith. What is romance?
I dunno lol
Thanks for reading, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, remember to always never not trust everyone and anyone. See ya.