Chapter Text
Three years had passed since the Chaos vs. Order Splatfest. Inkopolis had stayed relatively the same as it was, though Splatsville had recently been gaining traction. The Deepsea Metro was undergoing developments, such as technology advancements that could have never been done while Tartar was in control. Octo Valley and Octo Canyon didn’t require as much overwatch as before, and life for Team Blue was going great.
At least, that’s what it seemed like at the time…
Inside Deca Tower, the Shadows were plotting a takeover. But not an average world domination plan that could easily be reversed in five seconds. No, they were plotting a takeover that involved their “real” counterparts. Shadow Goggles and Shadow Hat were currently going over the plans for said takeover. Shadow Goggles tapped his chin with a pencil, while Shadow Hat was revising the document given to them earlier by Shadow Skull. It wasn’t until then when she had an idea and wrote it down, catching the attention of Shadow Goggles.
“What’s going on?” He asked her, placing his pencil on the table and looking at his colleague curiously.
“Say, which of our counterparts is the most oblivious? Or at the very least, the most easily manipulated?”
Shadow Goggles almost immediately said his counterpart, but then stopped to think. To tell the truth, there were quite a few of the Reals that would fit. The X Blood and S4 were out of the question (except maybe Aloha and Double Egg), but any member of Team Blue seemed like a possible candidate. There would be some minor issues with the manipulation process, sure, but it was nothing that the Shadows couldn’t handle. After all, who knows you better than, well… Yourself? Just then Shadow Hat took a deep breath.
“I have a plan, but we’re going to need help.”
Inkopolis had never, in the entirety of its existence as a city, had ever experienced a blackout like this one. Not even when the Great Zapfish had gotten stolen twice by the Octarians, since power eggs distributed by Grizzco had helped with the energy used until it was retrieved. This time, however, power eggs did nothing. The Great Zapfish (and all the smaller Zapfish, for that matter) also did nothing. The panic that the blackout has caused Inkopolitans could only be described as “chaotic”, and even then it was a light term.
When Team Blue saw the first signs of trouble, they all immediately left the city for the Deepsea Metro. It was the only place that wasn’t affected by the blackout, yet close enough to civilization. Besides, they were more technologically advanced than the Octarians, which was saying something.
The S4, along with Rider, had decided to join in on Team Blue’s idea, completely ignoring the fact that sanitization still existed and was a severe threat. Aloha dismissed the warnings, almost scoffing at the idea of sanitization.
“Oh, please.” He said to Team Blue, stepping onto the train’s platform. “If it was a threat, like you say it is, then how come none of us are dead yet?”
Rider, having been sanitized before and still dealing with the aftereffects, rubbed his forehead in annoyance. “Do I seriously have to explain what I went through to you?!” Aloha just chuckled and gave him a smile, either completely oblivious to his anger or just ignoring it. Goggles, Bobble Hat, and Skull all looked at each other, their concern for Rider growing more and more. Sanitization was not something to be taken lightly, especially since it couldn’t fully be removed.
In an effort to redirect everyone’s attention, Specs pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat. “We’re not going to get anywhere just standing here. The train’s about to leave, and Aloha’s the only one on it!”
As much as Mask and Army would’ve liked to argue, they knew Specs had a point, and with minor hesitation from Headphones, the group went inside the train, leaving Central Station and Inkopolis behind.