Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Three stretched, waking up. As they slowly got up, they realized that it had already been two days since their last trip down to Alterna. When they learned of the newly grown feature of their body: fur.

And when Callie and Marie learned of my birthday.

That meant it was October 13^th. They were 22 now, not that it really meant much to them. They haven't had any kind of birthday celebration in… eight years now?

Eight years minimum, at the very least.

At this point, it had just become any other day to them, beyond a brief acknowledgement of managing to survive yet another year.

That explains why they woke up in an unfamiliar apartment. Last night, everyone had traveled together in one of the other two agent's cars, their plan being a visit to Inkopolis just for celebrating Agent 3's birthday.

Must have fallen asleep in the car on the way.

On the topic of sleeping, the comfort of the bed Three was in was a very convincing argument to lay back down and get some more rest.

Certainly beats that worn down sleeping bag back home.

Unfortunately, their plans for laziness were quickly cut short by a knock on the door.

Good morning Agent 3~♫ said the sing-song voice from outside the room.

Well, not like it was very hard to tell who that was. Summoning every ounce of willpower in their body, Three forced themselves up out of bed, though they made sure to at least remake the bed out of politeness.

Three? You awake in there yet? The voice had a bit of concern in it this time.

Err, yeah, sorry! Was just making the bed, I'll be out in just a sec. Three quickly responded.

Getting the pillows back in place, they walked over to the door, and opened it. Lo and behold, Callie was there waiting for them, a smile on her face.

Happy birthday, Three! she cheered, her excitement visible plain as day. A smile found its way onto Three's face, Callie's energy being contagious.

Thanks, Callie, they responded, before a pang of curiosity hit them. 'Um, by the way…where are we exactly?

Our apartment here in Inkopolis, of course! Silly~

Callie was being her usual playful energetic self, until she dropped to a more matter-of-fact speaking style.

…but to be more precise, you're in Kaori's bedroom right now.

Wait, what?!

So that bed I woke up in… was the Captain's?

It is the Captain's bed, she corrected somewhat coyly.

Three's face quickly flushed with color—the hue being a royal blue—out of embarrassment.

Wh—why would you not just put me on the couch? Or a guest room, if you have one? Trust me, my standards for where I'll sleep are not high.

Well… when you're used to a trashed sleeping bag in the desert, just about anything is acceptable.

Because Kaori already took it as soon as we walked through the door, replied Callie. Besides, she had insisted. She'd probably sleep straight on the floor if the couch wasn't available for whatever reason. Even if it was because I laid you down there instead.

Hm. Well, the bed was incredibly comfy, but at the same time, I can handle the couch. I'm the guest here, so—

Callie cut them off. Exactly! You're our guest and the birthday squid! Of course we're gonna treat you well, silly.

Three opened their mouth to protest, before quickly realizing that it wasn't really worth the effort. They shrugged, You know what? Fair enough.

What followed was a moment of awkward silence.

Soooo, ready for a day of fun~? Callie asked, her tone of voice clearly indicating that she had something planned.

You can't have planned that much, you only learned about my birthday just two days ago.

Callie's grin only widened.

Oh, you'll see~♫

Once Agent 3 had finished getting ready, they walked out to the main room, backpack in hand. They dropped it off by the couch before looking around for the Captain.

They wanted to greet her with a ‘Good morning.’

But…

The Captain wasn't there. She wasn't anywhere to be found in the room at all.

Hey, where's the Capt—err, sorry,

Not used to using her actual name yet.

Where's Kaori?

Marie's voice piped up from the kitchen to answer Three, She'll be right back. Just went downstairs to the garage; said she had left something in the car last night.

Something left in the car? Interesting. Suppose I'll find out when she gets back. In the meantime… food would be fantastic right about now.

Making their way over to the kitchen, they opted for a simple sandwich, not feeling the energy yet for anything more complicated.

Bread was easy enough to find, now for the rest…

Three turned towards Marie, Hey, do we have any peanut butter and strawberry jelly?

Marie quickly nodded, pointing at a cupboard. Peanut butter is in that cupboard, jelly is on the second shelf from the top of the fridge.

Giving a nod and thumbs up of thanks, Three made their way over to the cupboard to grab the peanut butter. Opening the cupboard, they quickly grabbed it, though not before taking a glance at the rest of the cupboard's contents.

Wow. That is… a LOT of ramen packets and soup cans.

A chuckle from behind pulled Three out of their thoughts, before the voice of Marie chimed in from the same direction.

Yeah, it's quite a bit, but you should see the freezer.

Wait, did I say that out loud?

A third of it is dedicated just to the pre-prepared meals that Kaori usually eats. And I think at least half of them are all macaroni and cheese stuff. She really seems to love those baked ones.

Three gave a short whistle, impressed. Well, hopefully she won't mind if I end up stealing some of them if I get hungry. I… don't actually know how to use a stove. Microwaves are about all I really know how to use. They looked sheepish, embarrassed at this admission.

That was when Callie chimed in.

We'll totally teach you! Just let us know when you're ready to learn! We did manage to teach Kaori, even though she doesn't really use the kitchen much to begin with.

Three turned towards Callie, giving her a smile of thanks. Afterwards, they made their way over to the fridge, grabbing the jelly. Assembling everything on the counter, they went through the motions of making a sandwich.

Finishing their food preparation, Three went to sit down. Biting into the sandwich, they were interrupted halfway through their meal by the front door opening.

In the doorway was Kaori, wearing entirely different clothing than what Three had ever seen them wear. From head to toe, a bobble hat that certainly wasn't new (but quite well kept anyways), golden rimmed glasses, a black high-end coat over a white turtleneck sweater, a (barely visible) skirt over some black shorts, white socks with some insignia on the sides, and sleek black shoes with yellow highlights and… glowing blue dots?

Three gave a small smile. Is that the ever-so-famous bobble hat that was mentioned last night?

Kaori laughed a little before nodding.

Looking at her glasses for a second, Three realized something.

Wait, glasses? I've never seen you wear those. Are those fashion lenses? …Or have you been going without good vision this entire time?!

Marie spoke up before Kaori had a chance to respond to the question in some form.

They're prescription. She's just such a hard-head that she went on the mission without them.

As Marie tore her dignity to shreds, Kaori had let her head drop in embarrassment and shame. Or at least, Three thought it was such feelings.

In legal terms, she's blind without them, added Callie. Supposedly it's impossible for her to even see anything, even with glasses. Like, not even blurry. Completely blind.

But as I'm sure you've noticed, continued Marie, she seems perfectly able to function visually, provided she's wearing her glasses or it's close enough to her face to begin with.

…She managed to do everything she did in Alterna while being essentially blind?! Holy shit.

Kaori moved forward enough to close the door, inherently allowing Three to finally make out what the navy-colored insignia on her socks was.

Is that… the emblem of the splatoon? The New Squidbeak Splatoon? Do we have merchandise or something?

Oh, you're probably wondering about those shoes, remarked Callie, this time. No problem! Well, problem if you want some, because they aren't something for sale anywhere! Ever!

Callie pumped her fist into the air with that statement, excited for something…unusual to be excited about?

Oh, I wasn't actually looking at the shoes. I was more so curious about the socks with what seems to be the emblem of the splatoon?

Marie, once again, provided a proper answer.

To address your curiosity, consider your hero gear, although I'm sure you've already noticed the Ammo Knights branding on it by now…

Oh yeah, the logo on the front…

…and Agent 4's hero gear was made by… Well, it was made by my brother, before his fashion biz took off and…

…you have connections, Three said.

Correct.

Well that answers that question.

And since Callie brought it up, she continued, the shoes are Hero Runners, part of the original hero suits the three of us started with years ago.

...Well, that explains the similarity to the headset I've seen her wear all the time. Or at least until now.

Yeah. And we're lucky that we couldn't smell her as soon as she opened the door. Might be one of the best ever on the battlefield, but when it comes to a bathtu—

Suddenly an object flying across the room had smacked straight into Marie's face, hard enough to cause her to stumble and nearly fall over. She looked back up, confusion on her face, as well as what looked like the imprint of a shoe.

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!

Holy FUCK.

Looking back over at Kaori, Three could see that she was furious from her eyebrows alone. And she was pointing towards the ceilin—

Ah. That's not pointing at all.

As she ended the gesture and further entered the shared apartment, Three noticed that there was a gift-wrapped cylindrical object under one of Kaori's arms. Motioning towards it, Callie quickly grabbed Three's attention.

Hey, once you're done eating, feel free to open the present!

A present already? Wow. Although…

Wait, why now? Shouldn't we wait until tonight? Gifts are typically opened during the party.

Kaori stood next to Three, somewhat cheerfully thrusting the gift into their face. Three let out a laugh, before taking the mystery cylinder and setting it down next to the chair they were sitting in. Message received, then.

In response, Kaori's arms dropped and even her head sank down, suddenly devoid of the energy from seconds prior.

Marie chimed in, Well, looks like Kaori can't even wait for you to finish your food, let alone take the first bite.

Yeah Three, Callie added, I think you might have even hurt her feelings!

It was Three's turn to have their head sink, as they quickly grew upset with themselves for seemingly upsetting Kaori.

Damn it… why do I always upset others?

Putting their sandwich down, they curled in upon themselves on the chair. Sorry… they mumbled, dejected.

To Kaori's disappointment, they only sat there, neither opening the gift nor eating their food. She pushed Three's plate closer to them, urging them to just eat the sandwich.

Cleaning up their food, Three walked over to the gift, still sitting by the chair.

Well, time for the main event, yeah?

They picked it up and walked over to the couch, sitting down.

Just as a heads-up, I am absolutely going to make a mess opening this.

Kaori gave a small nod, stepping over and grabbing the garbage can and setting it next to Three, who looked at her and gave a thumbs up.

Ah, that'll solve that. Thank you.

Turning their gaze back towards the present, they looked for any sort of clear indicator as to where to start opening it, only to find none. Giving a shrug, they instead opted for just tearing the packaging away, throwing the wrapping into the garbage.

As the packaging was torn away, Three tried their hardest to identify just what was inside. As far as they could tell, it was just a tube. Looking at the end of the tube that had the bow and label on it, they quickly took those off, before noticing a lid.

Oh, that'd explain it. Some kind of container.

Taking off the lid, they noticed… a handle? Grabbing a hold of it, they quickly pulled up, and…

Oh. Oh…

It was a Tenta Brella, in brand new condition.

You might want to take it to the lobby today, said Marie.

Three's hand flew towards their mouth in disbelief.

They… really just went out and got one for me?

Three was utterly shocked.

But… they cost so much money? And I'm not even at a high enough level to buy one if I even had that kind of money…

Three looked up, tears in their eyes. F-F-For me…?

Kaori simply smiled and nodded.

Three sat there, dumbfounded. After a few seconds of not moving, they set the brella down. Shakily standing up, they walked over to Kaori, wrapping her in a hug.

Thank you… Their voice cracked, overwhelmed by emotion.

The hug lingered for a few seconds, before being interrupted by the sound of a camera shutter.

Three's head snapped up, looking for the source of the sound. It was Callie, her phone held high, and a warm smile on her face.

That is one for the scrapbook! she exclaimed, cheerfulness clear in her voice.

Three tilted their head the best they could, their arms still wrapped around Kaori.

We have a family scrapbook of sorts, mostly full of happy moments, like this very instant, Marie chimed in, answering Three's question before they even asked it. The pic from last month that we took? One of our copies is already in it.

Yeah! Callie cheered with a fist in the air, All of our end-of-op pics are in it! Like when the Captain rescued the Great Zapfish and our grandpa! Back when she first joined us as Agent 3!

Marie smirked for a moment before speaking, And after Agent 4 did the same, only a little more than two years later. Except it was Callie that needed to be rescued.

MARIE!

It wasn't just you, the Great Zapfish was taken again…

Three processed for a second, remembering their own rescue of the Great Zapfish.

…Wow, the Great Zapfish gets stolen a lot.

Practically a rite of passage for the best of us, Marie mumbled, earning herself a skeptical look from Kaori, and a snort from Three.

Realization quickly hit them however, as they let go of Kaori. Wait, what about you two?

Oh, well um, Callie stumbled over her words, we haven't done much more than guidance and moral support when the Captain and Agent 4 were fighting to free the Great Zapfish.

Speak for yourself, Callie. I've actually done something more than talking and singing in those battles.

SHOOTING ME IN THE FACE DOESN'T COUNT MARIE!

Three was startled by the sudden outburst, before quickly realizing what Callie had said.

Hold on, she did what?!

Marie quickly cut in, It was necessary to free her from Octarian brainwashing.

Three looked even more confused. That explains basically nothing, and I think I'm actually more confused now.

An awkward laugh escaped Callie. Don't worry about it, Three. Aaaaaanyway, if you'd like to play some turf war with that brella, Kaori can show you the way to the lobby!

Three nodded excitedly, wanting to use their new weapon.

Their excitement was soon met with a realization.

Oh, let me grab my backpack first. I imagine Sumi probably wouldn't mind the opportunity to stretch their legs a bit.

…err, not legs. Uh… You know what I mean anyways.

The aforementioned smallfry had finally ambled out into the living room of the apartment, perking up when they saw their best friend and chosen life-long companion. Their Big Buddy, if you will.

Three smiled, Sumi was full of energy like always.

While heading back towards the couch in order to grab their backpack, they turned back towards the three other inklings in the room.

Captain, do you need to do anything to get ready?

Kaori simply shook her head.

Fair enough, she was already outside today.

But then Marie spoke up.

Three, aren't you forgetting something? I can see that you're still wearing the same thing as yesterday.

Ah. Whoops.

Honestly? It had completely slipped my mind. Gimme a sec, I'll go and change.

Returning to the living room, and now wearing their old Tri-Squid Tee, shredded and faded as it was, they loved it just as much as the day it was given to them.

Okay, I'm ready.

But now Callie spoke up this time.

Shouldn't you put on a jacket or something? It's a bit on the cooler side today, as you can tell from how we're dressed in coats and hoodies.

I have my cloak, replied Three.

Don't you have anything warmer?

Like a jacket or a sweater?

Three's gaze shifted towards the floor.

...No. They admitted, voice quiet.

Callie, Marie, and Kaori looked towards each other.

After a moment, Kaori made a series of gestures towards the ‘sisters’. A thumb pointing at Three, then as if she was grabbing the sides of a coat or jacket, seemingly presenting something to Callie with open hands (probably because she was directly opposite of Kaori), pointing to herself, and finally waving towards the clock.

Is that sign language? Though a lot of that was simple gestures such as pointing and waving, the open hands she held towards Callie makes me unsure.

Marie tilted her head a little as her eyes widened with surprise. Callie's expression was similar, but involved much more movement, before she spoke.

Really?! You're gonna offer that?

Kaori rotated one hand back and forth before making what looked like a finger-walking motion.

Well that's a typical gesture for sure. So she's more or less going to offer something… but what is it? Not to mention, that last gesture… No clue what that meant at all.

Okay… Agent 3, said Marie, Kaori is offering to let you borrow one of hers, but she'll walk with you over to her closet, and probably let you pick something out and then give final approval or whatever?

Kaori gave a single nod as she crossed her arms. Though that didn't lead Three to think that she was without reservations over lending some of her own gear.

You sure? I'll be fine with just my cloak. It's what I'm used to.

Instead of responding with a gesture or expression or any sort of communication, Kaori began walking towards the bedroom, grabbing Three along the way and practically dragging them over.

Woah, okay, okay! Understood!

She gently shoved them ahead of her into the room, and stood at her doorway.

Turning around to look at Kaori, ...I'm not getting away from this without grabbing something, am I.

They were met only by the crossing of her arms and a vaguely stern-looking facial expression.

So… Anywhere in particular I should be looking? Don't want to accidentally stumble upon something I'd rather not.

Kaori failed to suppress her amusement, letting out a quiet snicker. She knew that Three was making reference to any underclothes: Something she does not keep in the closet.

Consequently, she tilted her head to the right (the wall that the closet was on) and jerked it back.

Walking over to the closet, Three looked through it as instructed, searching for anything that looked both warm and comfortable.

Let's see here… Since they probably think it's too breezy for just wearing a tee shirt… Maybe a hoodie? Yeah, then Sumi can ride along in the hood! Just like they've been wanting to with my cloak for ages now.

Glancing through the closet, Three easily found the section where Kaori kept her outerwear. Out of that section, there were three options that stood out: a comfortable looking green hoodie, a red and black checkered thing with a gray hood, and a lime-green jacket.

Yeah, that'll work!

They grabbed the green hoodie off of its hook, as they turned back, holding it up so that Kaori could see it clearly.

You fine with me borrowing this?

Her eyes opened wide as her brows dropped in an instant. Before Three's brain could even register the change, her arms were already unfolded and waving in a pattern that clearly meant one thing, and only that one thing.

Okay, clearly that's a no. Guess this is her favorite hoodie, then?

As they put it back, they quickly became interested in something that was stashed away against the wall, behind all of the hoodies and jackets.

Hold on, what's this…?

Putting the hoodie back up, they grabbed the interesting looking piece of clothing, and held it up for a closer look.

Woah, what's this…? It looks old, but it's fresh as hell!

Hanging now from their hand was a dark black coat, with a standing collar, brass buttons, and golden lining. While clearly worse for wear, with the tears, holes, and scuff marks littered about the outside and the bottom hem utterly tattered, there was some sort of insignia on the left-side end of the collar. Though Three didn't have any idea what it could represent.

Holding it towards Kaori, Hey, I know this isn't really a jacket, but would you be okay with me borrowing this? It's incredibly fresh!

There was no response. Only silence, aside from the sound of Three's own breathing.

Raising an eyebrow, Three turned to Kaori with a confused expression on their face. At least, until they saw how still she was, frozen stiff as a statue made from stone.

Uh… Kaori? You doin’ alright?

Nothing. Not a single muscle moved from what Three could tell. They weren't even sure if she was breathing.

They lowered their hand and the item otherwise in question as they slowly approached Kaori.

Should I… put it back, then?

They held it out towards her,

It stood out from the rest of the closet, they continued. It just screams ‘Splatlandian’ to me.

Unexpectedly, Kaori sprung to life again, grabbing the article of clothing off its hangar, throwing it over Three's shoulder, and bolting straight out of the room.

Okay… Guess she doesn't mind if I wear it, then? At least she closed the door behind her?

Giving a quick shrug to no one in particular, Three opted to just get started on putting on the coat.

Should be fine if I leave it unbuttoned, for now. If it gets cold enough then I'll bother closing it up. Though, speaking of cold, that gives me an idea…

Stepping over towards the bed, they set down their backpack and released the top clasp, opening it up so they could grab their trusty cloak.

Oh this is gonna look fantastic, I can already tell.

Bringing the cloak around their back and over their shoulders, they inspected themselves, a grin spreading across their face.

Holy shit, I look fresh! Shame that I'm only borrowing this coat, it kicks ass!

Clasping their backpack closed, they swung it around to their back and made their way out of Kaori's room.

Alrighty, I should be ready now! They announced, prompting their fellow agents (and smallfry companion) to look towards them. Callie and Marie both looked surprised.

However, Kaori looked…either conflicted or pleased. It was hard to tell with her from expressions alone, as Three already learned since meeting them back in Alterna.

Hey sis, started Callie, isn't that your old bo—

She was cut off as Kaori quickly grabbed her and pulled her back enough to be facing eye-to-eye while covering the older inkling's mouth.

Three thought they saw Marie smirk for a moment before forcing a faked expression of shock on her face.

Kaori simply stared with unnerving intensity, and shook her own head a single time. Then she released Callie, while looking to make sure that neither would fall over as the latter stood straight again.

Three raised an eyebrow, before dropping it.

The room was dead quiet, with the trio of inkfish operating a clandestine paramilitary organization being only able to hear each others' breaths.

…Okay, then. Is it something with the coat?

Callie was the first to break the uneasy silence.

Aaaaaaanyways… Are both of you ready to get going now? And you're looking pretty fresh Three!

Three flashed a thumbs up, Unless there's something I'm forgetting, I should be ready now!

Meanwhile, Kaori patted her torso down, before rushing off towards the bedrooms. Nobody else was sure why exactly, until she returned, visibly slipping her talking device from last night into the large pocket on the front of her current pull-over coat.

Sumi, being right in front of Three's left foot, began to hop up and down and make a noise that only they understood the meaning of.

Three held out a hand accordingly, down lower so that Sumi could easily jump on as they did, before the hand lifted them up to the shoulder. Sumi quickly nestled into its favorite perch right behind Three's head.

You comfy back there, Sumi?

A simple warble from the rather cute smallfry confirmed that Sumi was very comfortable where they were.

Kaori approached the door, while Callie and Marie stepped aside into the kitchen and began to discuss something quietly between themselves.

Following her lead, Three walked out the now open door, as senior and junior set off for a little fun in the inkfishes' favorite pastime: the sport of Turf War.

Three stretched, Sumi happily chirping behind them as the two followed Kaori. They had already been walking for a few minutes.

So, where are we heading, anyway? I figured the lobby for a city like Inkopolis would be a bit more of a landmark, or around one, but…

They looked around at their surroundings in more detail. Numerous luxurious looking homes of varying sizes, one or two low-rise apartment buildings, and a few nondescript commercial offices, but not a single place had the tell-tale crowd(s) of inkfish found around every Turf War lobby in existence. There was hardly even anything that seemed like it would even be a shop or a potential spot for gatherings.

…nothing here stands out as being one.

Kaori stopped momentarily as she punched her reply into that talking device of hers from yesterday.

Right there, it spoke as she pointed towards a somewhat plain and unassuming structure; one of the buildings that Three figured was like a small office or something similar.

It's an annex to the lobby in Inkopolis Square.

What, so it's like, a smaller sub-lobby, essentially? asked Three.

Basically, spoke the machine voice, As you likely already gathered, this is a rather more…affluent area of Inkopolis. One of its suburbs, in fact.

Um, okay… But why is that relevant?

She manipulated the device further, before placing a hand over its speaker as it began to speak for Kaori.

Some of the snobs around here think of themselves as being better than the regular folks kinda like us, more so people who aren't wealthy or even better off than that. They don't want to mix with the ‘bottom-feeders’ like us, as they might say.

Three grimaced. Bleh. Would love to see Deep Cut pay ‘em a… ‘visit’. See how they fare with that.

Kaori's face turned stern in an instant, and Three could really feel her gaze piercing them slowly.

They raised their hands defensively, Too far? Sorry. Just… Been thinking about their whole ‘stealing treasure and giving the money to the poor’ operation lately. Not a bandit myself, but I respect them for helping out the needy.

Not everyone here is like that.

I don't doubt that, it's just… Do the more snobbish really need all of that money?

I live here, since you seem to have forgotten whose bed you were enjoying. As do Callie and Marie.

Three quickly shrunk inwards, not really knowing how to respond. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Kaori went back to pushing buttons before once again muffling its sounds by holding a hand over the speaker.

Also, do not get yourself caught up in a criminal conspiracy. Unless if you want to ruin our whole group and spend the next decade or longer in prison.

This time, Three's eyes widened. I never planned to! My clan kept me out of their banditry entirely, and I plan to stay out of banditry.

Just suggesting the idea to them is a conspiracy if they then act on it. And you know what Deep Cut is like.

Letting out a sigh, Three did a quick shrug. Fair enough. They absolutely would.

They would be lucky enough to be deported. You, on the other hand, will likely be on the hook for something bogus like plotting a massacre or whatever story the cops will inevitably make up.

Three shuddered. Seriously? Ugh, now I'm glad Splatsville doesn't have cops.

Kaori simply snorted in response, before continuing towards the building she had pointed to.

Three followed behind, though at a slightly slower pace as they took in the sights and sounds of Inkopolis.

Or at least, this small part of it.

Chapter Text

Three walked into the lobby, a smile plainly visible on their face. In truth, while they usually rented out a Tenta Brella for use in matches, something about the one in their hands being completely their own made it feel entirely different.

Thankfully, while the layout of this lobby for Inkopolis was pretty different than the one Splatsville, it had many of the same amenities.

A counter with a sleeping inkling in uniform and sporting a slicked-back hairstyle on top was near the entrance. Along the wall on the right, there were two terminals just past the counter, a battle pot against the back wall, a pretty small alcove with a couple rows of lockers. Across from it all was a fancy looking waiting room, with couches and lounge chairs upholstered with a red fabric of some kind, and framed with a polished dark wood adorned by ornate carvings.

Wow. Fancy.

They heard a quiet snort behind them.

Three turned around, looking at Kaori. What? It's true. Especially compared to the lobby back in Splatsville.

Honestly, I think it's a bit too fancy. Makes me feel like I don't belong.

Kaori reached over and patted their shoulder as her head lightly bobbed up and down.

Wow. Harsh.

Jeez, you don't gotta tell me to my face that I'm right.

Her head tilted to the right but her face was completely expressionless. Unless if the subtle opening of her lips means something?

I mean, it's true. Especially considering my outfit. But damn.

Kaori still was standing there, unmoving as they stared directly at Three with seemingly no expression whatsoever.

You uh… You okay, Kaori? Did I do something wrong?

Three realized that her mouth had continued to open, now as her brows and cheeks became scrunched. And her head would jerk as it sporadically twisted towards her left, moving only a few millimeters each time.

Hello? Kaori? Three almost considered waving their hand in front of her face, though they decided against it at the last second.

I've never seen her like this. I hope it's nothing bad… Hm. I have an idea. It likely won't work, but it's better than nothing.

Three looked towards Sumi, smiling as they gently picked the smallfry up, before holding them in front of Kaori's face.

Do your thing, little buddy!

Sumi knew exactly what to do, and licked the right side of Kaori's face before nuzzling her.

Or well, Sumi would have nuzzled her, had it not been for the fit of coughing and sputtering that suddenly overtook the little salmonid. They were left shuddering once their reaction settled down.

Woah, what?! I've never seen Sumi react like this to… anything, really.

You okay, Sumi? Three asked, concern evident in their voice.

I'll have to get you some lemon bars later as an apology.

The smallfry took a second before glancing back towards them, letting out a chirp in response to Three's worry.

Three smiled, bringing Sumi in close to their face for the equivalent of a hug. Or atleast, the closest one can get to a hug when one of the participants is a tiny fish.

I meant that I know the feeling. It has always been the same for me. I was even kicked out of here once, when I was… closer to the usual starting age for Turf War.

Wait, seriously?

Kaori nodded. While Three was focused on Sumi, she must have…returned to normal and started responding.

Why? If you don't mind me asking, that is.

It took a bit of pondering, from what Three could tell, before Kaori thought of her answer and began typing away.

Existing and being myself in the same place of someone very prejudiced and arrogant.

Oh. Gross.

That lady even hit me several times. Left a few bruises and even broke some cartilage. Callie and Marie were furious once they found me and heard what happened.

The fuck? Why?!

Kaori shrugged before pressing a button on the device, causing it to continue speaking for her.

Imagine her surprise when she would have found herself being talked about on live TV, by the hosts of Inkopolis News back then. I remember the headline too: ‘Woman Attacks Shy, Mute Girl in Turf War Lobby’. Needless to say, none of the coverage was positive.

Three let out a bark of laughter at that. Hah! Serves 'em right.

Both inkfish suddenly heard a bang come from the direction of the doorway. There, the sleeping attendant was, in fact, no longer sleeping. Having been awoken by Three's outburst, the attendant looked around until noticing the very inkling that had awoken them.

Staring directly at Three, the attendant stood and spoke up.

Sorry sir, but this lobby is reserved for only the residents in the area and their guests. I'm going to have to ask both of you to leave, but you're free to go over to the main lobby in Inkopolis Square.

Three's eyes widened, and they quickly glanced over to Kaori, as if begging her to step in. But she wasn't there.

Shit, where did she go?!

That was then they realized; she was already standing right in front of the attendant, arms crossed and brows lowered.

Admittedly, it was a bit reminiscent of a pouting child looking up at an adult that earned their ire, especially with the height difference between the two, and Kaori's younger appearance.

Wait, when did she move?

Clearly intimidated by Kaori, the attendant sat back down and shrunk into their chair. They also raised both of their arms in front of their face and were shivering, clearly afraid that she was about to attack them.

Three could barely make out what they were sputtering.

Pleasepleaseplease don't hurt me I'm just trying to do my job please don't hurt me, please…

Instead, Kaori took out a card from her pocket and set it down on the counter firmly, before sliding it closer to the frightened inkling.

Bit of a strong reaction there, guy… Oh wait, now I think about it, Kaori isn't hiding her scar… I guess I've gotten used to seeing it already.

They stopped, and peeked out from their defensive stance for a bit before gingerly letting their guard down. It seemed the attendant was almost in disbelief that Kaori wasn't attacking at all. Just doing something totally normal.

Stern, but normal.

They picked up the card, looked at it, and then their eyes widened with a realization. Or maybe it was terror.

M-My apologies, Miss C-C-Cuttlefish. I'm n-new here.

Kaori held her hand out, and the attendant returned what presumably was her ID card. It was promptly placed back into the very pocket it had been retrieved from earlier.

Um… Is d-there anything I can do for you today?

She held out her right arm and beckoned Three towards the counter. As they approached, she was already entering something into her machine, about to communicate whatever it was that involved Three and the attendant's job.

My esteemed guest from afar wishes to participate in some turf war battles here in Inkopolis, using the new regulation weapon that they received today, for their birthday. I would like for them to be registered as a player here in Inkadia, such that they can jump in anytime they are visiting without any hassle.

Kaori briefly turned up the volume on her… talking device thingy, while it spoke out a pronoun that referred to Three.

Wow. She's certainly upset. I appreciate it, though.

Uh, yes. Right ah-away.

The attendant readjusted themselves in their chair, and turned to the computer at their side.

Is h—um… Have they already registered at a lobby associated with another center in the league?

Three spoke up to answer the question, as it was about themselves after all.

Yeah, in Splatsville.

What's your game name and discriminator?

Daybreaker, and my what, sorry? Don't know what a discriminator is.

The number that's used along with your name. Like with mine, um…

The attendant paused as he scratched the back of his neck, looking…embarrassed?

It's Cuttlefresh; forty-seven, ninety-five.

Kaori let out a slight gurgle of laughter, her attempt to suppress it having failed.

Wait, why is she laughing? Something funny about the guy's game name? What could be that funny about ‘Cuttlefresh’? It's just a play on—

It took a bit for the realization to have dawned upon them.

Oh, ouch. That's an awkward game name, considering the Captain's family name and… the current situation.

The poor guy must have been so embarrassed about the coincidence. Three decided that they probably should speak up quickly, for… the attendant's sake.

Ah, thank you. In that case, mine is two-eight, three-three.

Twenty-eight thirty-three? Alright… And how is your game name written out?

Just the word daybreak, but with an E-R at the end.

Okay, and… Should I just copy over all the details, or is there somewhere here in Inkopolis that you'd like any mail to go to for now?

Three glanced over at Kaori, unsure of what to do.

She simply looked back at them. Probably awaiting Three's answer, or maybe for them to ask her something? They weren't really sure.

I'm just visiting the city for my birthday, so… copy over?

Okay then, it'll take a moment, but you can go use one of the unreserved lockers to store your stuff, or wait in the lounge. The stuff on the counter is free to take, as long as you are actually eating it here.

Three flashed a thumbs up. Alright, thank you!

No problem man—er…sorry.

Three shook their head, chuckling as they held a hand up. All good. You didn't mean any harm.

There was a tap on their shoulder. They turned around, looking at Kaori.

Hm? What's up?

Follow me to the locker room, her device responded.

Three gave her a nod. After you, then.

She placed the metallic machine into her jacket's large pocket before walking off.

As the two made their way to the locker room, Three quickly spoke up once more.

Hm. You think I should get a pronoun pin?

Kaori seemed to think for a moment, before shrugging.

Should prevent having to correct anyone. Admittedly, I was too busy trying to think of an explanation and looking for you at the same time to really pay much attention to the use of wrong pronouns. And, obviously, the second time was clearly accidental.

Three realized that they were standing in the middle of the room while she was left holding a door next open for them, next to the lockers.

Inside, there were more. Many more lockers.

Ah. My bad, sorry. they said before walking in.

Kaori followed behind as they entered the locker room.

Walking over to the far corner of the room, Kaori stopped in front of a large dark blue locker that was at least twice as tall as their own back in Splatsville.

Taking out an object that Three couldn't see, she pushed the item into the bulky lock and twisted her wrist. Kaori then pulled the locker door open.

Wow. That is…

Inside the tall double-height locker was a myriad of weapons, gear, and other belongings more typical of a school locker than one meant for storing stuff related to a physical activity like Turf War. It was a lot to take in all at once, so Three scanned their eyes upwards from the bottom.

First they saw shoes of several varieties. Some were familiar, such as the pink Tentatek brand sneakers, while the pink hiking boots and tall brown boots with some kind of bracing were unknown to the Splatlandian scavenger beyond seeing others wear similar gear in Splatsville.

And then there were these weird white shoes—or maybe they were boots—with a round cerulean ring at the top and color-matched soles.

Three had never seen anything like it before.

Moving on, there were two weapons sitting on a shelf just above the shoes; both of them being chargers. The one looked very much like the E-liter, while the other must have been an earlier model of Splat Charger.

She uses chargers? Scary. Though I like the look of that Splat Charger, even if I'm not one for the weapon class myself. I like the look of the lime trim on its black body, and its glowing blue dots are pretty cool.

Something about the weapon's sleek appearance felt rather familiar to Three.

Now that I think about it, it kinda reminds me of… Kaori's headset, almost.

At the same level as the two chargers were clothes set on hangers. A couple of tee shirts, one which looked like a basic tee but with a different design, were hanging alongside what appeared to be a school uniform, a short-sleeved sweater, and a white dress with cerulean trim.

But their attention was moved up to the next part of the locker by the two matching bracelets around the top of the hanger with the dress.

They were not expecting what they saw next.

Above the clothing was a large stash of cans spanning the entire width of the locker, all with the exact same black and blue labeling on them. The shape and size reminded Three of the special cans they occasionally found in Alterna, but whatever was inside was probably something different, guessing by the unfamiliar wavy logo.

They couldn't really read any of the text that was on the label without grabbing one of the cans, and that would be a rather rude thing to do.

Immediately above Kaori's weird stash was a shelf holding very little. Only a small book atop a closed wooden case and a pair of glasses with a thick white plastic frame and a cerulean head strap of similar thickness.

Finally, taking up the top quarter of the entire locker was a variety of weapons, all being shooters. Splattershot Pro, Splash-O-Matic, Aerospray, an empty space with some white fabric hanging from it, and…

Wait. Is that… No, It can't be… right?

This was a shooter that Three very much recognised, not from Turf War, but the tests in Alterna.

It was unmistakable, the familiar rugged metal and plastic construction of the standard issue military grade weapon they faced down the business end a few too many times.

There, inside Kaori's locker, was an Octoshot.

Though to Three, they were ‘weird Splattershots’.

Why does she have one of those?! I get that the NSS is paramilitary, but…

It was at this very moment that Kaori leaned over to look Three in the face directly. They jumped backwards, not expecting the sudden closeness.

Ack! They exclaimed, clearly caught off guard.

Kaori took the speech device out of her pocket and typed something in.

Is something wrong?

Three pointed at the Octoshot, looking at Kaori.

Why do you…

Oh, she was already typing more.

My replica? It was a gift. I don't use it, so I keep it as a display piece. But it would also be in bad taste to put it up in the apartment like my original Splattershot currently is.

Bad taste? Three asked, giving their head a slight tilt.

Might be mistaken as a war trophy, and it would bother Callie and Marie anyways. They're a bit too used to finding themselves on the wrong end of the real thing.

Yeah, I can—uh… I can relate.

Kaori chuckled slightly before typing more on her…thing.

I am going to head over to the shop next door and get myself something to drink. Sumi can stay on the shelf with my other glasses. Store whatever else you need to in my locker too, there's plenty of room on the shelf beneath my clothes. And you will be needing this; do not lose it.

She held out the key for them to take.

The key was unusually long, with its numerous teeth cut at irregular angles. The blade of each of the key's three prongs formed a different pattern, and thus, a completely different combination.

Three took the key from her, inspecting it.

Well. That's certainly a… Three paused, struggling to find the right words. It sure is a lot more complicated than what I have back home. Though I can't imagine the pain of losing the key, though.

Kaori let out a slight snort before heading out of the room.

Turning their look back towards Sumi, Three smiled warmly as they picked up the tiny salmonid, putting them in the locker.

See you soon, buddy.

They gently patted Sumi's head before closing and securing the locker door.

Walking over to the lobby terminal, Three quickly checked the current and future rotations for turf war.

Let's see here… current rotation is… Wahoo World, and… Port Mackerel? Interesting. Makes sense that they have different stages here in Inkopolis. Guess I'll find out what it's like in short order.

Walking into the battle pot, Three joined the queue for regular battles. After a brief wait, the battle pot dinged as the grate access opened up beneath them.

Three eagerly went into swim form and passed through the grate, excited to turf with their new brella.

Popping out of their spawner, Three tried their best to survey the area before the match officially started.

Oh… I'm gonna like this stage a lot, I can tell.

They were on Port Mackerel, a stage utterly filled with choke points that were perfect for controlling with their weapon of choice.

Launching from the spawner into the stage, Three blitzed towards the middle of the stage as quickly as they could, their teammates opting for a slower advance as they inked base.

Just need to draw attention and get splats, my teammates can ink far better than I can.

Arriving at the central open area, Three found that they… were the first one there?

Wait a minute… is the entire enemy team inking their base?

Sure enough, peeking down the sightlines into the opposing side of the stage, Three could spot at least three other inkfish, all spreading their team's ink around the area.

Well… that's certainly one strategy. I can work with this.

Taking the free opportunity given, Three quickly worked on inking a sizable area and setting up squid beakons in hidden corners on their side of the stage. If the other team was going to let them get set up to take space in the middle of the stage for absolutely free, they certainly wouldn't waste the opportunity.

While all this setup took a decent amount of time, not a single opposing player had come out of the base.

They're still in their base…? Geez, it's probably been over a minute already. Inkopolis turf players are a lot different from the ones back home it seems. Far more timid, for starters.

The sounds of footfalls came from both behind and in front of them, punctuated by weapons fire.

A smug grin emerged on Three's face.

Sounds like everyone's finally caught up. Time to do what I do best!

Swimming towards the left entrance into the other team's base, they quickly got into a position where they could stall any enemies coming out of base with their brella. It didn't take long for someone to challenge them, an octoling boy wielding an N-ZAP coming around the corner. Upon seeing Three, they opened fire, going for what likely seemed to be an easy splat.

Three quickly fired off a return shot, which didn't quite splat, but still did some damage. Upon the opening of their canopy, the shooter wielding octoling quickly dived into the ink, trying to maneuver around the giant shield, only to get himself caught by a second blast of ink and splatted.

Three stood there and smirked as the boy's ghost fluttered back to their respawn machine.

Hah! Gotcha.

However, they were quickly pulled from their satisfaction. The clanking sound of a splat bomb landing next to them demanded their immediate attention.

Shit, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings!

Three swam away as fast as they could, but their weapons weight slowed them down enough that they weren't able to fully escape the blast, some ink splashing onto them. The ink stung a little, but they kept swimming, just in case the owner of that bomb was giving pursuit.

And sure enough, a large swath of ink hit the ground where they were not a second before, courtesy of a slosher.

Three made way to the closest escape route, which seemed relatively clear. Unfortunately, this was when a forklift closed off the route, blocking them at the worst possible moment. They were trapped in a corner, already damaged, and against a slosher.

Oh, why now?!

This was punctuated by yet another bomb landing by their feet, this time catching Three completely off guard. They hadn't kept their eye on the attacker, and they had paid the price for it. Their opponent decided to toy with them a little.

Well fu— The bomb exploded, sending Three right back to the respawn machine. They eventually emerged with an annoyed look on their face.

I really need to work on how often I get tunnel vision.

But they were quickly pulled out of their thoughts, the familiar opening of Now or Never! blaring through the speakers.

Opting for a risky move, Three decided to super jump to a teammate. Playing safe would take too long.

Surveying the area through the air, it seemed like their team was managing to push back the other team, though barely.

Shit, I gotta get in and help my team!

Taking a brief second to glance at their landing spot, they noticed something off.

That… was not that green a second ago. Ah hell, this should be fun.

They could see the opposing Dynamo Roller standing still, directly in front of their landing spot with the roller against the ground behind her back, waiting for an easy splat.

Three only had one chance to save themselves.

They raised their weapon, adjusted their aim for where they'd be upon landing, and fired.

Splat!

Unfortunately for Three, the opposing roller wielder had already started swinging for a flick before they had even landed. While Three had managed to get the clean oneshot, they were still too late, the wave of ink crashing into them before their canopy could open, splatting them once again.

Launching out of their spawner once more, Three quickly let out a growl as they opted to swim to the front line. Time was short, and risking another jump like that was not going to do them any favors. Besides, they had a score to settle.

Upon reaching the large open area in the center of the stage, they quickly scanned for any trace of the Dynamo Roller. Finding nothing on the left side, they quickly trained their glance to the right.

You.

Their target had been located, and by the looks of things, she was already occupied with one of Three's teammates, a younger-looking octoling with a Splattershot Jr. Seeing the roller user starting a flick aimed straight at their teammate, Three quickly swam straight towards them, motivated purely by a frustrated urge for revenge.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction their teammate provided, they opened and launched the canopy of their brella to make the final push of their advance. Seeing the approaching canopy, the dynamo girl quickly tried to launch ink over the canopy to some degree of success, as Three was showered in some of her ink.

Clenching their beak to work through the pain, they quickly swam underneath the launched canopy, before rising out of the ink with a blast of their brella.

The roller user was unable to get away in time, the weight of her weapon too cumbersome. One clean shot from Three was all it took to send her directly back to her spawner.

A deranged smile broke out on Three's face, their need for vengeance sated. However, their expression quickly snapped back with a realization.

Wait, I… usually don't get riled up that easily. Especially after a mistake as simple as a bad super jump.

Lost in their thoughts, Three failed to notice the rapidly approaching ripples in the other team's ink. An inkbrush suddenly burst out of the ink, splatting them in a flurry of swings that battered their body.

Shit… That's what I get for getting distracted. But—Argh…! Why does it feel harder to respawn?! Are they using punisher on brush?!

Finally managing to reform in their spawner after a brief bit of difficulty, the whistle of the match's end rang out as they launched onto the field.

Damn, this one's gonna be close… Time to head back.

Returning to the lobby, Three looked around for Kaori, but she was nowhere to be seen. Their search was quickly cut short by a voice calling out to them.

Three! Over here! They quickly turned around to the source of the voice.

Well, somebody certainly likes the color pink.

Taking a closer look at the inkling calling them over to the lounge, realization dawned on them.

Wait a minute, Callie? What's she doing here?

A slight pang of disappointment washed over Three, they were really hoping it was Kaori waiting for them.

Well are you gonna come talk with me, or just stand there gawking as if I'm like some mega-celebrity?

Three squinted at her, as if to say ‘Really?’ before walking over to the totally not an international pop sensation that was dressed in black and pink.

Uh… Where's Kaori? She walked me into the lobby, I'm surprised she left so fast.

Callie simply giggled, a hand held to her mouth.

Don't worry about it!~ Are you going to do another match? Not much time left on the terminal!

Oh, carp!

Three quickly rushed back towards the lobby terminal, reconfirming that yes, they wanted to keep going, as well as taking the time to glance at the results of their last match.

Twenty four points? Really? Ughhhh…

Pushing down their disappointment, they turned back towards the lounge where Callie was waiting. As they arrived and sat down in the luxuriously plush chair across the table from her, she spoke up.

Did ya get it in time?

Yeah… Thank you, that would have been really awkward once I realized I had forgotten to requeue.

Callie giggled before continuing.

It's alright. How'd your first match here in Inkopolis go? Aside from the loss; losing by less than a burst bomb's worth of inking sucks. Sorry about that.

Honestly? Confusing. Entire enemy team stayed in their base at first, I didn't know the map too well either, so I ended up getting caught in a dead end with a forklift. Definitely could've done better.

They let out an awkward chuckle, their eyes darting around as they searched for something other than their inattentiveness to possibly talk about. Three's eyes landed on the locker room, when they got an idea.

Oh! Callie, while you're here, would you mind looking after Sumi while I'm playing? I can imagine they'd probably like the opportunity to stretch their… Well, I'd say legs, but… you kno—

Three was cut off by a squeal coming from Callie.

Ohmygoshyesyespleaseyes, she blurted out in a rush before catching herself, I mean…Totally!

She took a moment to look around, before speaking again.

Uhm… Where is your little buddy anyways?

Letting out another awkward laugh, Three responded.

They're… Kind of just staying in the Captain's locker? I didn't know where else to leave them. If we were in Splatsville I'd let 'em do their own thing, but we don't know Inkopolis the same way we know the area around the lobby back home…

Checking their pockets, Three found the key for Kaori's locker, handing it off to Callie.

Here, go ahead and let Sumi out.

A smile broke out on Callie's face as she bounded over to Kaori's locker, followed shortly by a happy squeal.

Looking over, Three saw the reason why. Sumi had opted for napping, a hand towel their choice of bedding.

Ohh… they're just so adorable! She cooed, though her louder squeal had woken up Sumi slightly, the smallfry groggily getting up before warbling happily upon seeing Callie.

Three smiled at this, Seems like someone has a fan, eh?

She responded with a giggle before pointing something out that made Three's stomach drop ten feet. Or well, it felt like that.

Not sure how Kaori's gonna feel about the mess though.

Wait, what? Three quickly walked over to the locker room, unsure of what Callie meant by mess.

Sure enough, the hand towel was lightly covered in crumbs of some food. Pinching a few of the crumbs and bringing them up to their nose revealed a subtle scent of citrus.

Is that… lemon? Wait, how did Sumi get a hold of a lemon bar?

Three scratched their chin, trying to recall the contents of Kaori's locker originally.

I don't think she had any snacks stashed in her locker? None that I saw, anyway…

Examining the locker revealed a potential hint, however.

Wait. That box wasn't open before. Did Sumi open it somehow? Little rascal.

They smiled, turning back to look at Sumi, who was currently being held in Callie's arms.

You break into that box and steal the Captain's snacks, you lil' thief? Three joked, chuckling to themselves after.

Sumi let out a warble in response, somehow managing to look indignant, before looking up towards Callie, who giggled and gently patted the smallfry on the head.

Three smiled at the two, closing Kaori's locker and locking it back up with their borrowed key.

I should probably head back to the lounge, get ready for when it finds me a match. Thanks for looking after Sumi for me, Callie!

After a brief wait, the battle pot dinged, indicating it was ready.

Three glanced at it, before turning back towards Callie. Guess that's my cue. I'll be back! they stated, heading towards the battle pot.

Callie raised her fist into the air, cheering. Go on and get 'er Three!

Sumi also chimed in, letting out an encouraging chirp as if cheering Three on.

They grinned at her, I'll try!

Three popped out of their spawner, once again surveying the area. Seems that they were in Wahoo World this time, the ferris wheel plainly visible, with roller coasters going over the stage.

Wow. I've heard a lot of radio ads, but actually being here is something else.

They quickly took a side glance at their teammate's spawners, in order to get a rough idea of their strategy for the match.

Okay… Splat Roller, Heavy Splatling, and a Bloblobber… Hopefully that roller and splatling know how to play around a brella canopy.

Turning their glance over to the other side of the stage, they tried to get a read on what weapons they were up against this time.

Let's see… Aerospray, Inkbrush, Splattershot, and Dualie Squelchers. Shit, that's a lot of lethal bombs. Gonna have to be careful with my canopy.

Three quickly looked back, noticing something… off about one of their opponents.

Wait, is that one spawner…blue? And now that I look at it… is that even a Splattershot? Looks a lot more like a dualie with that bottom part. Don't think I've ever seen Sheldon selling any black dualies, it seems a bit too bulky for the class. It's also got an unusually sleek design…and are those…yellow accents?

Though it also kinda reminds me of the octolings that I faced in Alterna using weird Splattershots…

Three momentarily thought back to Kaori's locker, and the replica of one that she had on display for the occasional nosy inkfish. It was so accurately detailed that they had thought it was real, until the inktoling owner told them otherwise.

One of the chargers in the locker had a similar ink tank. Or…the exact same ink tank. They considered the possible connection, but not a single shooter in her locker was of any similarity to that design. Every single shooter in there was a model directly available on the market.

Must be some fancy custom job I've heard of rich kids getting.

Launching into the stage, they stuck to the right side of the stage, wanting to get entrenched in the thick of the battle with their brella.

Making their way across the glass bridge and onto the central raised area, Three launched their brella canopy. They swam a short distance behind it, as they loved catching people off guard by lagging behind the canopy, punishing anyone assuming they were right behind it. Sure enough, the fancy-dualies wielding inkling quickly swam to the right of the canopy, before throwing a burst bomb at the inside.

Hah! Love it when that works. Plus I know their sub weapon now, too.

Three leapt out of their ink, weapon already raised to fire. Taking the shot, the inkling opponent was caught dead center by the blast, hardly having the time to start letting out a shriek of surprise (or pain?) before being splatted nearly instantaneously.

A grin found its way to their face, as they let out a loud laugh. Splats like that are exactly why they liked this weapon.

Starting to advance forward, their attention was quickly grabbed by their roller-wielding teammate letting out a gasp.

Dude! You just splatted the Blue Dragon!

Three turned and gave them a blank stare, unsure what they were talking about.

The who?

Their teammate's mouth dropped in response.

You don't know who the Blue Dragon is?! They're only one of the best turf players of all time! They haven't been seen playing in years, but that was totally them!

Three rolled their eyes. My second match in Inkopolis and I go up against someone with a reputation? Lucky me. they said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Glancing over towards the opposite side of the field, Three saw that the central side of the other team's side of the map was clear.

Bingo. I'll go around and push them.

They advanced forward, making their way over the glass bridge that led to the other team's side of the stage.

As they made their way across the bridge, they could hear the rapid swishing of an inkbrush.

Sounds like it's coming from right below. Let's see what I can find.

Making their way towards the top of the ramp, they just barely managed to spot the ripple of the inkbrush wielder submerging into the ink, clearly planning to ambush any one that got too close.

I see you, you little sneak.

Three grinned, lunging forward as they shot in one sudden movement. The inkbrush went down just as cleanly as their last splat, their attempts at sharking foiled.

Turning to their right, they could see the opposing dualies slowly painting the spinning carousel, not paying much attention to what was going on around them.

Three grinned, seeing yet another opportunity for an easy splat.

And sure enough, when they fired at the dualies, their reaction was much too slow, their head turning just as the shot hit them, as they exploded in a burst of ink.

Advancing further towards the opposing team's spawn, Three laughed uproariously, lost in the moment. Come on! Engage me! They yelled, daring anyone to challenge them.

As if answering their challenge, a burst bomb suddenly pelted Three from above, smacking them directly out of their adrenaline high.

They hissed in pain, as the ink stung sharply on their skin.

Fuck, why does that sting so much more than usual?!

They retreated backwards, opting for the low route around the carousel. The path seemed clear, and it was much faster than going up and around, especially with the weight of the brella.

As they rounded the turn however, they were greeted by an unfortunate sight. The uninkable side of the blocking wall was facing them, slowly advancing towards them as it cut off their path.

Shit! Why now?

Making a u-turn, they swam back towards the ramp, hoping their assailant wasn't in pursuit.

However, they never managed to even make it past the underside of the bridge, as they were quickly caught off guard and splatted in a rather painful barrage of shots.

Grumbling in frustration as they respawned, Three shot out of the spawner. This time, they opted for the left, having seen the retracting bridge extend out as they launched into the stage.

Damn uninkable walls. Ugh. Let's try that again.

They advanced up the large ramp leading towards the high ground connecting to the bridge, being greeted by their splatling wielding teammate holding back the aerospray.

The aerospray didn't hold up very long against the barrage, bursting into orange ink.

Three in the meantime had opened up and launched their canopy, though it went woefully ignored as their splatling wielding teammate quickly rushed ahead, before three shots rang out as they were splatted by someone behind cover.

Three shook their head, annoyed at the recklessness of their teammate getting them splatted.

Come on dude, really? There was a giant moving wall that you can shoot through two feet to your left. Fucking use it!

But the annoyance of their teammate's foolishness took a backseat. They advanced towards the center platform, eager to avenge the fallen splatling regardless.

Sure enough, an opponent soon started to emerge from behind the wall to Three's left, though they didn't last very long after that. Three had reflexively shot the moment they saw movement, netting them a quick splat.

Their opponent never saw it coming, even if the poor inkfish's ear-piercing shriek was the only evidence.

Three winced at the harsh sound, not expecting the sudden noise.

Holy hell, they are not happy about getting splatted.

They pushed on forward, if slightly slower than they would have liked as they got their bearings back after being startled. No enemies were around to oppose their advance, as they made their way across the central platform and across the bridge on the opposing side, which retracted behind them soon after they crossed.

Looking down the ramp they saw the aerospray and the dualie squelchers on approach.

Opting for a cautious play since they were in ‘enemy territory’ with no retreat, Three decided to take a quick shot and launch their canopy.

Gotta take out those squelchers first. Longer range, lethal bomb. Not gonna be good if I let it stay alive for too long.

Luckily, of the two enemies, the dualies were closer. They ducked into a roll, sliding across the floor as they took potshots over the canopy at Three, only one of which managed to land.

That was when they made their fatal mistake, trying to roll inwards and around the canopy, which lead to them quickly getting splatted in two shots now that they were within range of Three's brella.

The aerospray panicked at the loss of their teammate, foregoing strategy for blindly charging in and hoping for luck to get them out, unsplatted.

Their so-called ‘strategy’ lasted them all of four seconds before it was promptly shut down by yet another clean blast of ink from Three.

They grinned, pushing up to the ramp that was connected to the raised platform with an inkrail, wanting to push into the opposing team's base and raise hell.

Seeing the narrow choke point with uninkable terrain leading in, they quickly launched their canopy across it.

This quickly proved to be a good idea, as Three could hear the sounds of an inkbrush approaching towards the shield. Anticipating an attempted flank, they looked up towards the higher platform next to them.

Sure enough, the inkbrush surged up from above, before quickly being shut down by a predictive shot from Three.

Hah! Got ya.

The sound of an impact off to the side quickly took them out of their internal gloating; they turned around only to be pelted in the face with two burst bombs.

An utterly vile taste filled Three's mouth as some of the ink had managed to splash into their mouth, and onto their tongue.

Oh, what the hell! That's vile!

They coughed, sputtering as they tried to rid their mouth of the foul chemical-like taste.

Retreating off the ledge, they turned around, reflexively trying to drop a bomb for cover… Only for a beakon to plop down on the ground instead.

Fuck, I really just made that mistake?! At least the Captain isn't here to judge me for it…

Feeling a sense of déjà vu overcoming them, Three quickly retreated, taking the most direct path to their destination.

Which, once again, happened to be heading underneath the nearest glass bridge.

Swimming underneath the glass bridge, they once again got caught by the uninkable side of the moving wall.

Oh, come on! Again?!

Turning around, Three decided that their only way out of this was to fight or get splatted trying, even despite their lack of ink due to their earlier mistake. The so-called ‘Blue Dragon’ was rapidly closing the distance between the two, giving them almost no time to think.

Three went to open their brella's canopy, planning to launch it to have at least something between them and their opponent.

However, the moment the canopy opened, the Blue Dragon rose up into the air, gathering energy directly into their fist. Seeing them rise above the canopy, Three was filled with panic, knowing exactly what was coming next.

Shit! A splashdown?!

The canopy instantly snapped upon their landing, unable to hold up against the sheer power of the splashdown attack. Momentarily stunned by the force of the impact, Three was left wide open.

The Blue Dragon raised their main weapon with very clear intent, their finger right on the trigger.

Game!

The whistle of the end of the round sounded, saving Three from their imminent fate. Exhausted, they collapsed to the ground, their adrenaline fading.

Holy fuck. You… are terrifying.

Three only got a giggle in response, followed by a very pale hand being lowered in front of them; an offer to help them get up onto their feet. Three took it, getting themselves back standing.

Looking up, they finally got a closer look at the opponent that gave them such a hard time in the finale of the match.

Wait, Captain?!

Chapter Text

Coming out of their spawner, Three once again surveyed the stage, though they were quickly interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. Glancing to their right, Kaori nodded at them, before starting to gesture with her left hand.

She pointed at herself, before pointing forward, curving her hand to the right. Then, she pointed at Three, before repeating the same motion, but this time curving to the left.

We'll go straight down to the middle, then I'll take left while you take the right?

Kaori nodded.

Divide and conquer, got it. Three said as they gave her a thumbs up, before jumping into their spawner to prepare for the initial launch.

Upon landing, Three quickly followed Kaori's trail of ink, letting her set the path forward with her faster weapon.

It was only upon hitting the halfway point to the center that the two diverged paths, Three firing off a blast from their brella to the left, before jumping down into the lowered side area.

Inking a fair portion of the enclosed area to ensure good movement in the event of having to retreat, they headed towards the raised block in the center. Their special was almost charged, and they wanted to be prepared to vacuum up any potential threats to their team.

They launched their canopy towards the other team's side of the stage, preparing to take space.

Then the whistle sounded. The match… was over?

Wait, what? What's going on? The match had barely even begun, why did the whistle sound?

Lowering their weapon and looking around, they spotted the other two players behind them, looking just as confused as they were.

Better meet up with the Captain. Err, Kaori. Figure out what to do from there.

They walked over towards the right of the stage, hopping down a short ledge that separated the center from the side.

That was when they saw exactly why the match just ended prematurely. A medic had already jumped into the stage, and they were squatting beside someone sprawled out on the ground. The match must've ended because one of the players had a medical problem.

Wait, I don't even see any ink from the other team. And if the other two on our team were just as confused as—Oh, fuck!

They rushed over to the scene. Sure enough, the person on the ground was none other than Kaori. Her unique looking splattershot was lying not far from her, likely dropped as whatever had happened brought her down.

Stay back kid!

Three froze, they had forgotten about the medic when they had laid their eyes upon the Captain's unmoving form, limbs uncomfortably sprawled about the ground.

Three swallowed, a lump in their throat.

Will she be okay? they asked, worry clear in their voice.

You with her? The medic asked while they rushed to look Kaori's body over, checking for any signs of what might be the cause of the issue.

Yeah, we queued together, answered Three. She's… They paused for a second, trying to find the right words. She's a close friend.

Well go ahead and grab her stuff, also call her parents if you can, we're probably going to have to take her down to the hospital.

Three's breath hitched, another wave of worry washing over them. They walked over, taking another worried glance at Kaori before picking up her unique Splattershot.

Don't worry, looks like she passed out from exhaustion, the medic said as they went to check her heart rate, It's just to be on the safe si—shit, she's got no pulse!

The medic scrambled to grab their handheld radio and nearly shouted into it.

Squad 84 to Base, we need an extraction from the Turf stage on Hammerhead. Patient looks to be a 15 to 16 year old female octoling, no pulse and not breathing. No visible trauma, but there's this weird patch of skin on the side of her face that looks to be stained by something green.

Inktoling. Three blurted out without thinking, in an attempt to correct the medic's description of Kaori. And she's 21, not a teen.

Unfortunately for the sake of correctness, the medic had already dropped the radio as they proceeded to perform some kind of maneuver that Three didn't quite understand.

Finally, another medic jumped in. And it didn't take very long for their confusion to become apparent.

John, that skin patch sure is weird looking, the new medic started, but, you said we had an octoling down. How could you have missed the obvious tentacles of an inkling?

Well excuse me your benevolence, o' right honorable Olivia Takowasa, for prioritizing the condition of the patient over a preliminary radio report.

The medic apparently named Olivia scoffed. I already told you to fuck off on that spiel, John. And put your all into it; our patient is somebody quite well known.

She leaned in further, I would sure hate for word to get out that she died because of your continued inadequacy.

Three froze at the mention of death, their breath growing unsteady.

I'll get the extraction request confirmed and give any necessary corrections to your lackluster comms to base.

She then turned to Three. Hey squid, are you with old greenie here?

Three took a second to respond, as they shook. Y-Yeah. We queued together as friends.

The medic—Olivia—looked them over from top to bottom, seemingly sizing Three up. She chuckled a little before speaking further.

Ah, new recruit. Was it just you two or is there another one of your… teammates back at the lobby waiting for you?

Three's eyes went wide, though they didn't say anything.

Wait, what?! Does she know about the splatoon?!

Oh, don't worry; the cousins and I…we have some history, you could say. I owe them for pretty much saving my life.

She winked when she finished speaking.

…Just how much has the splatoon done?

Anyway, get back to them stat and let them know. I'm sure all of you want to be ready for ol' Number Three here when we get her to the hospital.

Giving a quick nod, Three obliged as they went to regroup with their spawner, given how the match was very much over. But as they walked off, one more thing was shouted at them.

And don't forget her shot there in your hand, it's a real one-of-a-kind piece!

Having returned to the lobby, Three was caught off guard by someone grabbing them off to the side.

Three! What happened?!

It was Callie, and like Three, she was panicking about whatever it was that just happened to the Captain.

I… I don't know! She was fine when the match started! We split up shortly after that point as planned, so I didn't see what happened at first!

I saw it on the screen, said Callie as she pointed towards a large television hanging on the wall, she just froze up all of a sudden when she got near the edge, and then like a few moments later she just collapsed!

Her other arm shook a bit before she continued.

The live feed was cut right after, so I don't know what happened after that.

Three took a deep breath in an effort to calm themselves down.

She wasn't visibly hurt, they recalled, but the medic said something about her not breathing and… that she was lacking a pulse.

They decided to not mention the misidentification of the Captain's age and species, or the banter between the two medics that resulted from it.

Callie screamed in reply as she grasped Three by the shoulders, What?! Where are they taking her?

They said they'd be taking her to a hospital!

Which one?! Callie shook Three a little with each word she spoke, as some kind of extra emphasis.

T-they didn't say which! They just said ‘the hospital’!

Callie let go of Three and grabbed her phone, quickly starting a call to someone, though they didn't know who. But that made itself apparent quite quickly.

Marie! We've got an emergency!

It was pretty clear that Callie was panicking over the situation; perhaps she was looking for Marie to help keep things calm?

It's Kaori! She collapsed and they were saying she wasn't breathing and didn't have a heartbeat and she's being taken to a hospital but I don't know which one or how they're taking her or if she's gonna be okay or—

Okay, she's really panicking hard. She seems way more upset than when we found Mr. Cuttlefish all…dried up and dead?

Three did not expect to hear what they did next.

Shut up for a moment Callie!

Oh, that was… uh, loud. I could really hear Marie even with the phone right up to Callie's ear.

I… Um, we're at the little lobby annex in the neighborhood, she seemed to reply to Marie. Yeah, Three.

Sounds like Marie's trying to get an overview of the entire situation right now.

The interrogation by telephone continued, from what Three could tell.

U-Uh, um…

And it seems Callie is getting overwhelmed here. Should I step in and do something? But what can I even do to help?

Three decided to at least try something to help Callie, even if it was only a little bit. They slowly reached out towards her, and brought their hand around her back and towards the shoulder. Then Three gently rubbed the area, basically the same thing that the Captain—Kaori—had done for Three only a few days ago.

It worked. Callie visibly relaxed, as she started to get her responses in order.

It was just a regular turf war battle. On the Bridge. Yeah, the same one like old times. Wait, where? The same one from when she came back all messed up? Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can!

Callie put her phone away, before turning to Three.

Hey, did you happen to pick up her stuff?

Three held up Kaori's unique Splattershot in front of them. Yeah, I've got her weapon. I didn't see an ink tank though, and I don't know what happened to her spawner.

Okay, good enough. We gotta go now!

Three nearly fell over as Callie started dragging them out of the lobby, not even giving them a moment to understand what she had just said.

Three wriggled in her grasp, failing to free themselves. Ack! Callie! It's not like my legs are broken!

Sumi followed behind the two, scurrying as fast as a smallfry could.

Stopping by the road, Callie unceremoniously let go of Three, who fell on the ground and let out a sharp hiss of air.

Standing up and regaining their balance, they shot a glare at Callie.

Did you really have to drag me out here?! They complained as they dusted themselves off.

Instead of any response, Callie was fixated on looking down the road for something, and… flapping her hands around a bit while she was at it?

Oh. She's stressed out and panicking…

Three sat there, trying to think up a way to maybe help her calm down, even just a tiny bit.

They were beaten to the punch however, Sumi having started nudging against her leg to get her attention before hopping up and down in place, as if beckoning her to pick them up.

Callie didn't seem to notice, to both Sumi and Three's disappointment.

Three sat there for a second, before scooping the little salmonid up into their hands.

Hey, Callie? They gently called out.

Hey, she replied somewhat half-heartedly.

They quickly stepped in front of her, I think Sumi here wants some attention.

Three raised their bubbly companion up to face-level, but it took a moment before Callie replied in any form.

Ah—I need to kuh… keep watching f-for Marie.

Three gave a quick nod of understanding. I can keep watch for you while you spoil Sumi. I think it'd help your nerves. If you don't want to, that's fine. Just putting the offer out.

Callie didn't get a chance to respond before Sumi took matters into their own fins. Before Three could even realize, their tongue had extended out and made contact with the side of her face.

Gently, they brought their tongue upwards, before returning it to their tiny maw.

Three let out a small laugh, before turning Sumi around to look at them. They were rewarded with a face-licking of their own.

What is it with you and licking folks, huh?

Sumi let out a warble before bouncing back around and chirping a couple of times at Callie. And they were met by her characteristic giggle, albeit quieter than usual.

A tiny smile formed on Three's face as they heard the giggle.

Now we're getting somewhere. Thanks, Sumi. Best buddy I could've ever asked for.

It took what felt like an eternity for Marie to arrive.

Three was gently stroking Sumi's back while Callie stroked under Sumi's chin when a familiar looking car pulled up alongside them. Marie stepped out from the driver's seat before walking around the car and towards Three and Callie, greeting them with a weakly moving wave.

Marie's here, Three spoke out, punctuated with excited chirps from Sumi. They held a hand up and their best buddy bounced into their palm.

Marie made her way to the other side of her cousin, gently placing a hand on Callie's shoulder as she sat down on the curb beside her.

Hey Cal, she spoke softly.

Hey, replied Callie, followed by a sniffle.

The two shared a moment of silence before pulling each other into a soft hug.

For a moment, Three felt as if they were being watched. They thought they saw a momentary flash of green off to their side, but saw nothing as they turned around to look.

The street and the area around them were empty, save for Callie and Marie.

Speaking of…

Their hug having ended while Three wasn't looking, Marie gently guided her cousin to the rear door of the car and helped her into the back seat.

Three, she called out, take the front seat.

They promptly obliged, setting Sumi down as they opened the front door before climbing into the seat.

The bubbly smallfry followed suit, hopping into the car after Three had gotten seated.

Likewise, Marie sat down in the driver's seat and started the engine as Three finished securing their seatbelt.

As they sat there, Three could only hope.

Please be okay, Captain…please…