Splatoon: The Brothers and the Others

Welcome to Minus World

"Hurry, they're right on our tentacles."

Mari wanted to groan. She wanted to say, "No shit, Sherlock". In spite of her overwhelming urge to say something snappy back at her guardian, she would just be wasting her breath. He was obviously already close behind, and she could hear him approach even through the pounding rain and the mushy noises of her Cream Hi-Tops pushing through the soaked grass and mud. At least, they used to be cream-colored.

And she really hoped that was just the beat of her heart that she heard approaching.

Mari shivered, glancing to her left. She really wanted that cloak. Her "steadfast" guardian ran alongside her, practically towering above her. The cloak that covered him from head to toe kept the rain out amazingly well. Even the large opening where his face partly poked out from barely let any rain in. She really wanted that cloak. Course, it was helping him more than it was her.

The deluge dripped off her head down her tentacles. It didn't hurt, but it certainly wasn't pleasant wading through the storm with icy water running down her White Tee down her back. Maybe she'd catch a cold. Maybe pneumonia? Either way, it sucked.

"There! On the horizon!"

Mari squinted, then scowled. "That's hardly the horizon."

The cloaked figure could be heard grunting. "So it's a bit of an embellishment."

The two stood upon a soaked knoll and looked out upon the flooded hills. Under the cover of the storm, the grassy hills, normally picturesque, looked bleak and gray. The wind and rain whipped the grass back and forth, and the downpour had practically created an ocean around the hills, creating little islands. In one of the great lakes sat an impressive dinghy, white with an orange outline that stuck out like a sore thumb. The initials "A.J." were painted on the side in an even brighter orange, the mighty image of a Dynamo Roller printed underneath the letters.

"Thank God for your stupid tastes," Mari muttered with a shake of her head.

The hooded guardian chuckled, morose evident by his tone. "Anyone ever tell you and Tai you're practically the same?"

"Gross."

"Where else could you have gotten that tongue, Miss Mari?" The guardian jested, "Surely I'm not to blame for your wit? I couldn't possibly take the credit."

"Can it, Ari. Let's go." Mari lightly punched him, shivering and smiling all the same.

"You're cold," Ari noted.

"Oh, you've noticed? The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can stop shivering," Mari told him, rubbing her arms.

Ari hesitated for a moment. Mari quickly made her way to the boat, freezing all the way there. She made her way toward the boat, only to stop before wading in the water. She shivered again. Carefully, she stepped into the water. She retracted her leg quickly, shivering even more than before. She puffed warm air out of her mouth three times before she turned back to the small boat, a deadly determination on her face.

Before she could even think about taking another step in the frigid water, she felt herself get scooped up. Instinctively, she reared her head and prepared to smash her noggin into her assailant's face.

"Chill," Ari's comforting, extraordinary masculine voice answered, "Or...don't do that. You're freezing."

"I'm g-going to be fine."

"What's that? Couldn't hear you through the chattering of your teeth."

Mari rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she felt something wrap around her. Warmth. Protection from the rain. Oh, it was so warm. Mari felt like she was pulled out of the storm and into a cozy bed just because of the cloak-

The cloak.

Mari turned around. Ari's handsome face was already being assaulted by the rain. Try as he might, he couldn't hide the pain. His orange tentacles dripped orange droplets as the rain fell. Each drop might as well have been a bullet, as Ari flinched every time the rain hit him.

"Ari, no."

"The way I see it, I'm going to melt soon, or you're going to die of a cold by the time you reach the house. I think I picked the right choice," Ari explained, dramatically raising his hand to the sky, "What a world."

Mari clenched her teeth and nearly capsized the dinghy as she leaned over the side. "We can still make it. Get. In. The-"

She stopped cold. Ari turned around too, facial features hardening. His muscular body was already deteriorating, but he still stood strong. Up on the hill they had just walked down, practically naked to the elements with nothing but a Black Anchor Tee, Orange Arrows, and nothing to shield his head but a pair of Designer Headphones-

Stood Splin. Tall, imposing, and glaring right at them, rain passing through him like he were a specter. Just like Mari had remembered him. Just like she remembered.

"Start paddling."

"There isn't any paddle!"

The next few events were a blur. Thunder was the referee's gunshot. Splin took off from the hill, his squid form a blue laser that passed through the rain like nothing. Ari, thinking just as quickly if not quicker, leaped into the boat. Mari's heart raced. A tarp on-board. The material being discarded. The sheen of a Golden Dynamo Roller, and the impact.

Mari hit the deck involuntarily hard. The boat had been smacked, and it was speeding through the water fast. She cried out, not as a result of the pain, but screamed Ari's name to the deaf sky. Ari clashed with the unknown, smashing his orange roller against nothing. Straight from the start, it was a losing fight. His leg dissolved, as did his arm. The roller collided with a blinding flash, and the head was missing. The only thing remaining of the roller was the handle.

And the handle was sticking out of Ari's chest.

Mari's scream fell on deaf ears yet again. Ari fell to the ground, life already gone from his eyes. Wide, bright green eyes stared in disbelief at his wound, which soon blended together with the rest of the orange puddle that became of him. Mari continued to speed along, frightened, angry, distraught, as Splin watched from the hill. Without another motion, he picked up Ari's handle, wiped off the orange residue, and disappeared almost instantly.

With nothing else to do but wait as the dinghy carried her between the hills, Mari dropped to her hands and knees and sobbed. Green tears, like precious gems, pearled onto her cheeks and fell down, staining the cloak.

The storm passed almost as quickly as it had come. The dinghy laid embedded in the hill, with a bright, horizontal splatter of orange dissolving on the stern. Ari Jabin's initials were crunched along with the rest of the small ship. In the grass and muck, a trail of footsteps led up the hill up to a small, wooden house on the top.

The wooden house looked abandoned. The left glass window in the front of the house was shattered. The roof was square and had a sizable hole in it. In spite of the condition of the home, it was warm to Mari. Even in spite of the holes, it was warm. Even in spite of the fact this wasn't her home, to Mari, it was warm.

And even in spite of the fact that she was sleeping on top of Splin's bed, she felt safe. Somehow, even with her friends dead, there was a sliver of hope she was clinging onto.

Just a sliver.

"She got away," Splin noted, lounging atop a grassy hilltop, admiring the sky.

"She what? Splin, you can't be serious. After all, we've done, even with your new abilities, she got away?"

Splin sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. "Yeah. Ari was much craftier than I ever gave him credit for. He saved her life."

"Great. That's one loose end we'll have to tie. You killed the dude protecting her, then?"

"Ari's gone, yeah. One step closer, two steps back," Splin hummed.

"You should have brought me along with you. I could've killed her for you."

"Or me!"

"Stay out of this."

"Hey Lalai," Splin waved, though where exactly he was waving to was a tad confusing.

"Hey Splin. So did I hear correctly? Did you kill Ari? How did it feel?"

"Easy," Splin sighed, resting his head on the moist grass, "Too easy."

"Awww. I'm sorry to hear. Doesn't this at least mean you've like...leveled up or something? Or was Prothe just lying again?"

"Shut up. Splin, look at the sky. What do you see?"

Splin scowled. "Clouds? H2O? Formations of water condensed into air? What do you want me to say?"

"Describe it."

Splin stared at the sky for a while. The sky was, for lack of a better term, dotted. Dotted with several clouds, with a pale gray tone bordering on blue. Any storm cloud from the previous night was absent. The sky was practically clear.

"Could be a bit sunnier, don't you think?"

Splin squinted his eyes. Yeah, the sky could have been clearer. The sky was clear, as a matter of fact. No clouds whatsoever. The sun was shining, and any proof there was a storm last night was practically gone, if not just a ridiculous notion at this point. As a matter of fact, it felt warm. The grass, still soft, was dry and felt cozy to rest in.

"Yes. Yes! What else do you see? Anything else?"

Splin looked at the sky. Hard. No, nothing. The sky was spotless. Well, aside from the few clouds that spelled out "No, nothing.". Other than that, the sky was spotless. No, wait. Actually, it had a bit of an orange tint to it. The sky was orange. Splin thought it reminded him of someone. Speaking of which, there was actually a cloud in the spotless sky. The cloud looked rugged, older, and had a hint of snark to it. Splin thought it looked exactly like Ari.

The cloud looked exactly like Ari.

"That's...kinda morbid."

"Too far?" Splin asked aloud.

"Yes," he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Kinda."

Splin glanced up. There were Lalai and Prothe. Lalai was dressed in her agent gear. She looked beautiful, flower-shaped spots in her tentacles. She looked especially beautiful standing there, with her five million different guns.

"Whoa!" Lalai gasped in surprise, falling to the floor. Even with all the guns weighing her down, she couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, maybe you're going a little overboard with this."

Splin thought so too. He did think five million different guns, all with specialized attachments and state of the art add-ons was a bit much, especially with how they were all in perfect condition, and all had some semblance of pink undertone to them.

Lalai switched to squid form and popped out of the pile, beaming as she reverted to Inkling form. "Aww...you really do care."

"You did it. You're unstoppable. You're...you're invincible!" Prothe cheered.

Splin grinned. Invincible! A music jingle played through his head. What a prospect.

"...You should be a little more careful about what you wish for," Prothe muttered, pulling on the collar of his GameShark uniform, "If I have to hear one more OST…"

A GameShark uniform really didn't suit Prothe, Splin thought. Surely his mentor to the rules of the universe could befit something a bit more suitable to him? Perhaps some armor of the highest caliber.

"Okay, this isn't bad," Prothe grinned, eying the large suit of metallic battle armor he wore, "Kinda heavy though."

No, it wasn't. Splin didn't think it was. If anything, Prothe was carrying it without a care in the world. He wondered how he did it.

Prothe stretched his arms and inspected himself from head to toe. "Dam, dude. That's better than I could've ever done."

"Well, all that's left is to kill Mari and be done with this, right?" Lalai suggested.

Splin nodded. "And then it'll all be over."

Prothe nodded as well, pulling Splin up off the ground. "And now you're free to do it. Free us, Splin."

Splin grinned. He, as well as Lalai and Prothe, began their stroll. The hills had dried up, leaving nothing but a leisurely walk to the house he had called home. Something told Splin that he was getting closer than they thought. Something also told him that with Lalai's skills, Prothe's mentorship, and his newfound powers…

As well as this conveniently deadly variation of a Splattershot that just came from nowhere…

He could finally end this.

AN: April Fools?

Thanks R.C.D. for reviewing. Yeah, sorry. Plot's still kinda happening. This story might go over one-hundred. Might not. Oh well!

Thanks for reading. This is The Pizza-Loving Turtle.

See you soon.