Squidbeak Saviors 3

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/43558285.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: Splatoon
Characters: New Agent 3 (Splatoon 3), Original Characters, Smallfry | Little Buddy
(Splatoon), Callie (Splatoon), Marie (Splatoon), Deep Cut (Splatoon),
Inkling(s) (Splatoon), Octoling(s) (Splatoon), Mr. Grizz (Splatoon),
Gnarly Eddy (Splatoon), Jel La Fleur (Splatoon), Mr. Coco (Splatoon),
Sheldon (Splatoon), Agent 3 (Splatoon), O.R.C.A. (Splatoon), Harmony
(Splatoon)
Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Female New Agent 3 (Splatoon),
Splatoon 3 but with my character, Male Agent 3 (Splatoon), Smallfry is
not called Little Buddy sorry, Fish out of Water, Complete
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-12-11 Completed: 2024-03-01 Words: 95,991 Chapters:
60/60
 Squidbeak Saviors 3
by TranscriberRB

Summary

Experience the story of Risea, an Inkling hailing from the Splatlands who was left behind by
her biological parents and now has to reintegrate herself into society.
 Introductions

The sun blazed unforgivingly on the wastes of the Splatlands. Tumbleweeds traveled across
the area intermittently as insects scurried into their burrows. Roaming across this desolate
land was a young, 18-year old Inkling. Ever since she was a child, she had called this desert
her home. She had never known her parents; she was hatched in an oasis with no one to rely
on. Confused on what to do, the infantile squid squished aimlessly around the desert,
subsidizing entirely on the insects and cacti of the wilds. Eventually, a traveling band of
mudfish merchants happened upon the shriveled mollusk and quickly took her in, feeding her
vital fluids. It was a miracle that she was able to survive, and the kind travelers were more
than happy to care for their new companion. Seeing that she had no name, the group named
her Risea. For 11 years, Risea repaid her debt to the group for saving her life, helping out
with the member’s daily tasks. For instance, she was frequently sent out to gather resources
such as scrap metal to sell for a profit. In return, the mudfish did their part in preparing Risea
for life on her own, teaching her the Inkling language from a book that they acquired from
their travels and informing her about the basics of life.

At some point after Risea's 15th birthday, Risea and her friends had come across a small
Salmonoid wandering around a junkyard who appeared to be lost and confused. The creature
looked quite goofy, sporting large googly eyes, a single lower tooth, and a head fin in the
shape of a small bun. Risea took pity on the little guy, for she had felt just like it when she
was first brought into the world. She did not want such a poor soul to suffer as she had
before, so she convinced her superiors to adopt the smallfry, to which they agreed. She
eagerly named the fish “Blippy”. The smallfry and Risea soon formed a strong relationship
with each other despite their language gap. Risea found Blippy to be adorable and cool while
the smallfry, due to the nature of his species, was happy to be part of a “school”.

Over the course of 2 years, the two companions were shown to be great at working together
when completing their tasks. In their caravan, the mudfish wanderers began to consider a dire
situation. They were soon going to move on to pursue a career in selling their wares in the
ocean, but they had a problem: Inklings tended to dissolve when coming in contact with
water due to their ink-based biology and weak skin. It would be too dangerous to take Risea
on such a marine-based trip, but there was an alternative. The salesmen decided to leave
Risea and the smallfry to fend for themselves in the wastes. After all, whenever the duo were
together, nothing could stand in their way. The older fishes had a talk with Risea, and while
she was slightly disappointed to be left behind by her newfound family, but she was mature
enough to survive in the wilds. As long as she had her little buddy, then she felt confident in
her prowess. Thus, she said her honorable farewells to her fishy friends and set off with her
buddy into the Splatlands.
 Departing from the Splatlands
Chapter Summary

After recently obtaining a valuable piece of scrap metal from the desert, Risea and
Blippy take their find to the scrap yard to cash it in. There, they learn about a hotspot for
Inklings called Splatsville.

“Get em Blippy! You can do it!” Risea shouted this toward her partner in crime as he fought
his foe. In a remote area of the desert, Risea and her smallfry had come across a valuable
piece of metal among a pile of rocks. It would've been easy to just grab the loot and take off,
but a crab was currently at the scene to make things difficult. For whatever reason the crazy
crustacean was adamant about protecting this one scrap. Risea was not about to reason with
this crabby individual, so she and Blippy engaged it in battle. Risea was also fighting
alongside Blippy, launching punches and kicks along with using one of her homemade
weapons: a homemade bottle bomb that used her own ink as ammo. She flung words of
encouragement towards her ally, saying, “We’ve got him on the ropes now! Give it all you’ve
got!” Indeed he did, as Blippy unleashed a flurry of bites and flipper slaps on his enemy. The
armor of the crab was tough, but the team’s alliance was stronger. After a violent struggle, the
crab grew ever weaker, finally collapsing to the ground.

Risea and Blippy yelled in triumph, doing a high one as they received the spoils. This marked
yet another victory for the duo; confrontations like these were not uncommon in this arid
environment. When a creature faces harsh circumstances, they will often resort to reckless
actions in an attempt to survive. So far, Risea and her friend had managed to overpower any
threat that came their way. “Great work chum,” said Risea, “Now lets go to the dealership
and trade this in.”

As the two headed in the direction of the nearest pawn shop, Blippy was attracted by a shiny
object in the distance. He jumped in excitement as he flopped towards the point of interest,
making gurgling sounds to get Risea's attention. “Hmm,” Risea inquired, “What are you on
about, little buddy?” She followed Blippy’s lead until they came to a metal box. It looked like
another free score to be gained, so Risea congratulated Blippy. Curious as to what was inside
the crate, Risea unlatched the lock to uncover an interesting array of objects. The items
included some sort of white, small gun and a long, thin tube.

“Well would you look at that,” Risea remarked, “We've got a new weapon in our arsenal!
What would I do without you, Blippy?” The smallfry watched as Risea tried to figure out the
weapon, fiddling with the nozzle and trigger only to find that the gun needed ammo. An idea
popped into her head: what if she connected the ink in her water bottle to the ammo storage
area of the gun? Risea acted on this plan, filling her bottle with ink, attaching one end of the
tube that she found in the box to the opening of her bottle, and attached the other end of the
tube to the gun. As it turned out, her plan work, and the gun gained the ability to shoot ink.
She tested out her newfound power on the surrounding cacti, blasting off their branches with
high-velocity shots; she was pleased with the results. Blippy was startled by the sudden tool
that his friend while Risea chuckled with glee, “Oh yes, this will do quite nicely! This sure is
an upgrade from my bottle.” Happy with her new discovery, Risea continued with Blippy to
the junkyard.

When they arrived, they were greeted by the grouper George, who was the owner of the
Splatlandian junk yard.

“How you doing, Sheila,” George said, “What trinkets did you haul in today?” Risea hoisted
her find onto a counter, which Moe raked in greedily. “Oh yeah,” grunted George, “That’s the
stuff. You’re a real asset to me, you know that? Oh, uh, and your smallfry is fine too, I
guess.”

Taking notice of Risea’s new tool, George gasped, “Hold on just a minute…is that what I
think it is? Let me take a peek at that doodad.” Risea passed her gun to George, who closely
inspected the object. She watched as George fiddled with the item and it's components before
he finally said, “Crikey! Is this what I think it is? Risea, my mate, you’ve dug up a
Splattershot Jr! Usually you can only get these from the big city.”

Risea and Blippy looked at each other in shock after hearing this news; finding such a
modern firearm in the middle of nowhere was so ludicrous that it seemed impossible. “Wait,”
asked Risea, “What’s so important about that Splattershot Jr. to the point where you can only
find it in modern areas?”

George gave back the ink gun to Risea while explaining, “While that gun is small, it is the
foundation of success for Inklings just like you! Since I’m just a grouper, that firearm is just
rubbish to me. But you, with the ability to use your ink, can soar to great heights with this!”

Risea was intrigued by this proposition, as life in the desert, while engaging, grew to be
limiting for her. “Tell me more,” she prodded, “How exactly would this discovery help me?”
George reached under a nearby tire to fetch a magazine.

Being shown the booklet, Risea could make out people of her species having a blast dancing,
showing off their fashion, and partaking in friendly battles with ink guns. The words
“Inkopolis: the city of chaos” were proudly displayed on the front cover. Risea was shocked
to know that others of her kind existed; all her life she had only known various species of fish
that had intermittently traveled through the desert in their automobiles.

“Well now,” exclaimed George, “Looks downright bonzer, amirite? That place is the stuff of
dreams, mate. I hear that Inklings from all the way in Inkadia have flocked there all at once
after this major event. Because of that, it is the most popular spot around these parts!”

Inklings,” Risea thought, So that’s what I am…

George set aside the document and looked Risea straight in the eyes, stating, “Now listen
Risea: this rubbish bin is no place for an aspiring, young woman like yourself; I say this as a
friend, not your boss. What I want you to do is travel to Splatsville, get yourself acquainted
there, and show them all your mettle.
A devastated look fell on Risea’s face; two times so far has she been forced to leave her loved
ones, and this was about to be her breaking point. Although she had only worked under
George for a year, a bond that grew beyond work relations had grown between the two. “B-
But George,” she whimpered, “What will you do without me? How will your business grow
without my help? I don’t see any other workers around here that can match what I do!”

George raised his fin to silence Risea, assuring, “Don’t you give a seagull’s bottom about me;
I have other options for employees. What you need to worry about is your growth as a
person, because you can’t just muck around in the sand forever. Since you found so much
metal for me, I can use some of the cash to buy you a train ticket for Splatsville. So how
about it mate? Are you ready to make a splash?”

Risea pondered this offer. The idea of throwing her life away yet again did seem bad on
paper. Despite that fact, Risea had an innate desire to be among her own people, no matter
how much she valued her familiars. After thinking it over, she said, “Okay, fine, I’ll go to
Splatsville. Just promise me that your junk yard won’t break down!”

George chuckled, retorting, “I’m more worried that this place will crumble with you here!
Just look at your little friend over there.”

Risea turned to the right to find that Blippy was busy gnawing away at a pile of tires. The
smallfry had always had an insatiable appetite, so instances like this were common.

“See?" continued George as he retrieved some money, “These wastes aren’t the right place
for that little ankle biter. Here’s $10, it should be enough for a train ticket. Now go to the
nearby train station and make me proud, love!”

Holding back tears, Risea ran up to George with a sea bear hug, affirming, “I won’t let you
down, boss.”

George patted her head and the two said their tearful farewells. Risea then peeled Blippy
away from the tires as they headed towards the departure zone.
 Arriving in Splatsville
Chapter Summary

Risea boards a train and meets a new Inkling friend, Larel. When they arrive, Risea and
Blippy get themselves acquainted with the new landscape.

At the station half a mile away from the scrap yard, Risea requested a train ticket to
Splatsville from the jellyfish clerk. As a complimentary bonus, the worker handed Risea a
device labeled “Sea Cucumber Phone” which had an unknown function. Risea allowed
Blippy to play with the phone as she sat on a nearby bench, awaiting the train’s arrival. About
30 minutes later, a dull, brown train arrived on the horizon, tooting it’s horn loudly. Blippy’s
attention immediately shifted towards the vehicle, and he bounced around in excitement.
Risea quelled his clamor, grasping his small body in her hands as she traveled to the side of
the tracks.

When the train arrived, the two got in and sat beside a tall tuna guy. Afterwards, to Risea's
surprise, a young Inkling man with bumpy hair sat next to her, and the train pulled away from
the station. Scratchy pop music played over the train’s speakers as Risea sat quietly, breaking
out in a cold sweat. Oh my gosh, she thought, It’s another Inkling! What should I say? What
should I do?

As Risea was having a panic attack, the man stared at her with a confused look on his face.
Hoping to break the tension, the Inkling said, “Uh…what are you here for? Are you some
kind of hillbilly?”

Acting without a second thought, Risea blurted, “W-what did you say to me? I’ll have you
know that I could destroy you in a fight!”

The Inkling held his hands up in a defensive posture, saying, “Whoa, whoa, hold on! I didn’t
mean to say it like that! I was just curious as to why your clothes look so dirty.”

Feeling somewhat remorseful over what she said, Risea took a second to compare herself to
the boy, and she immediately saw his point. The squid had decent clothing: A red polo shirt,
black trousers and a brown fishing hat. On the other hand, Risea had a white T-shirt severely
shredded from her various battles in the desert, along with a dilapidated pair of shorts dusty
with sand. “What does it matter to you?” Risea inquired defensively, “Why don’t you mind
your own business?”

The man shook his head indifferently, saying, “Suit yourself, then. If you don’t want to talk
about yourself, that’s fine by me.”
Noticing how she had hurt her conspecific, Risea held her head in her hands as she groaned
silently. She didn’t mean to act the way she did; life in the desert was rough, and she couldn’t
afford to act nice while she was out there. As a result, being brash was second nature to her.

Five minutes passed as the two sat in silence. Finally, Risea spoke, “I'm sorry for saying the
things I said. It’s just that you’re the first Inkling I saw in my life, so I panicked. I sincerely
hope that this doesn’t affect you in a negative way.”

The person glanced at Risea with a wide-eyed expression, at a loss for words. “Whuh,” he
questioned, “Am I hearing this right? I’m the first Inkling that you’ve saw? Where were you
for all this time?”

Risea was reluctant to answer this question, for it was a sensitive subject. That being said, she
felt as though she might as well be honest with the man. “If you must know,” she explained,
“I was born and raised in the heart of the Splatlands. I’ve only known fish for all my life
since my actual parents were absent for my hatching. There, I said it, are you happy now?!”
With that, Risea buried her face into her arms, feeling embarrassed at having revealed such
shocking information.

The Inkling looked into a corner, dazed by the information he was given. “Oh,” he muttered,
“That’s a bummer, I guess. Was life…difficult being raised in the desert?”

Risea peeked at the young man and responded, "I wouldn't say that." Reinvigorated by
memories of her past life, Risea looked at the other squid and continued, "In fact, I loved it
there! The Splatlands are a great place to live. I’ve never had a dull moment while I was
searching for treasure there, and the troubles of the wastes were worth it for the thrill!”
Risea’s passion died down when she remembered her reason for being on the train, and she
said, “Although I enjoyed trucking along the dunes with my buddy Blippy here, I was told by
my older friends to travel to Splatsville to live a truly great life, or so they said. I know that
they mean well for me, but I already miss my danger-filled life…”

The man nodded understandingly, stating, “Mmm…I see. You sure have an interesting
backstory. But who is Bli-YEOWCH!!!” The Inkling yelped in pain as Blippy suddenly bit
his exposed ankle.

“Blippy no!” Risea scolded, “You don’t bite people’s ankles in public! Apologize right now.”
However, Blippy was in no mood to admit his fault, and he instead thrashed around on the
floor with an angry expression.

The man smirked, chuckling, “Ah, I see. Your fishy friend is just hungry. Let me see here…”
The Inkling reached inside his backpack, retrieving a can of worms. As soon as the can was
opened, Blippy immediately turned towards the food source and lunged at it. He messily
gobbled up the slimy grubs of goodness, gurgling happily as he gorged. In no time at all, the
smallfry leaped back onto the ground, laying content with his full stomach.

Risea stared at Blippy I disbelief, saying, “What in the world? Blippy has never been FULL
before. How did you do that, guy?”
The person tapped his noggin knowingly, saying, “I always come prepared. You should know
that Salmonids such as your little buddy are known to have an insatiable appetite whenever
they’re not with a large school. Did you forget to bring provisions?”

Risea looked down in embarrassment; usually she would just let Blippy eat whatever he
found in the desert, so securing packaged food for him was never a priority. “Ha-ha, well,”
laughed Risea, “I guess it slipped my mind. Say, what’s your name?”

The person zipped up his backpack as he said, “Larel. And you?”

Risea smiled at Larel, saying, “You can call me Risea. It’s nice to meet you!” She watched
Blippy roam around the train, the fish inspecting every passenger. “So,” she asked, “Why're
you here?”

Larel looked thoughtfully into the air, revealing, “I came here to look for a job. Currently, my
family over in Inkopolis Square is struggling financially, so I’m aiming to earn some money
to send to them. Almost every Inkling is migrating to Splatsville right now, so I figured that it
would be a good place to find a career.” Larel gazed toward Risea with a glint in his eye,
proposing, “You know, seeing as how we’re both headed toward the same place, and you
seem to be unfamiliar with Inkling society, I figured that I would show you the ropes. What
do you think?”

Risea considered Larel’s offer; if she passed up this chance, she may never get another
opportunity to meet someone as patient as him. It was clear what she must do. “I accept,”
agreed Risea, “Consider this a deal.”

Larel grinned as he held out his hand for a high five. As Risea slapped his hand, she was
filled with glee at having successfully made her first Inkling friend. Maybe this new life won’t
be so bad after all… she thought.

After 45 more minutes of Risea and Larel conversing, the train finally arrived at it’s
destination. Stretching her muscles, Risea took Blippy in her arms and followed Larel as they
traversed a concrete path lined with vegetation. At the end of the path, Risea and Blippy were
struck with awe at what awaited them. Scattered throughout a bustling city was a massive
group of Inklings doing their things. They chatted on their phones on wooden benches, had
dance battles on the street, and enjoyed hot dogs on metal crates. It was a overwhelming site
of interest for the newly-introduced Risea, and all she could say in response was “whoa.”

Larel stood behind her, saying, “Amazing, isn’t it? If I were you, I would get acquainted with
the place; this is your new home!”

Driven mad with excitement, Blippy leaped out of Risea’s arms, wiggling quickly through
the area while Risea gave chase, with Larel shouting after them to no avail.

On their tour, they loudly greeted various weirded-out Inklings, observed various points of
interest, and finally came across a shop labeled “Crush Station” in the back parts of
Splatsville. Intrigued, Blippy and Risea barged in.
Standing inside inspecting shoes was a large coconut crab with a white tank top. Sensing the
arrival of new customers, the crustacean greeted, “Come in, come in! What fresh kicks can I
get you today?” Realizing that he had never seen these two faces before, he gushed, “OH!
What’s this?! A brand new buyer? It’s GREAT to meet you? Since you’re new here, I’ll
introduce myself: I’m Mr. Coco, a bona fide sneaker head!”

Risea gave Mr. Coco a scrutinizing look; she and Blippy had recently beat up a particularly
nasty crab, but this one seemed vastly more friendly.

Upon closer inspection, Mr. Coco saw Risea’s atrociously tacky cactus shoes, exclaiming,
“HUH? I don’t mean to be rude, but what are those?”

Risea, looked down at her soles, answering, “They’re my homemade cactus sandals. I needed
something to protect my feet in the desert. What, is there something wrong with them?”

Mr. Coco shook his head sadly, admitting, “I'm SUPER sorry to be the one to tell you this,
but I just can’t serve customers unless they meet a certain level of freshness. Don't give up
hope though, friendo! I have a 3-step plan for you: 1. Go to the lobby. 2. CRUSH the
competition. 3. Come back here and get your shoe game on!” Mr. Coco then gently pushed
Risea and Blippy out of his store, saying, “You can do this, girl! I BELIEVE IN YOU!” With
a slam of the door, Risea and Blippy were left dumbfounded outside the shop.

Larel caught up to the duo, scolding, “What was that? Not one second after coming here and
you’re already acting like maniacs! You’ve got a lot to learn about etiquette…” Before he
could finish his thoughts, a fanfare played on a large TV stationed on a large tower in the
middle of the city. The words “Deep Cut” flashed on the screen followed by an upbeat mix of
three different types of foreign-sounding music. After the introduction, a trio of supposed
idols appeared on the monitor: A blue-haired Octoling with shark-like earrings, a yellow-
haired, dark-skinned Inkling with toga pants, and a large manta ray with a wooden hat
holding a small television. “Listen up,” said the Octoling, “It’s going down. Repping the
Splatlands, we are Deep Cut!” The Inkling spoke next, shouting, “Anarchy Splatcast! We are
live!” Finally, the manta ray uttered, “Ay ay ay.” This was spoken in a foreign tongue, so
subtitles reading “Here we go” were provided. With a wave of her paper fan, the Octoling
said, “You lip sync, we drip ink.” This was followed by the manta ray saying(translated),
“We’re Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, respectfully!” “Shiver, Frye, and Big Man,” Risea
repeated in her head, “Such cool names!” A flashy transition played as the feed cut back to
the group. “Alright, let’s go,” said Frye, “Here are the current battle stages!” Shiver caught
Frye’s attention with her fan, stating, “Hold on a minute, Frye. We can’t reveal that right
now; there’s a crisis going on right now. Tell us Big Man!”

Big Man pressed a button on his monitor, displaying a picture of a tower. “Here’s the deal,”
the subtitles read as he ayed, “The great Zapfish has gone missing!” “What the heck,” gasped
Frye with a bewildered expression, “How did this happen?” Shiver shrugged, saying,
“Hmm…no clue. I don’t think that the Zapfish being missing is that bad, anyway.” Big Man
nodded, agreeing, “Yeah, you’re right. Just in case, everyone be sure to conserve your energy,
everyone! Don’t leave necessary lights on.” Frye clasped her hands and extended a fist
outward in a pose, saying “You heard him everyone! Now let's hurry up and announce the
battle stages!” The members of Deep Cut proceeded to do this, and Risea and Blippy watched
with glittering eyes as Big Man’s monitor displayed an area called “Scorch Gorge” where an
activity called a “Turf War” would happen. “Don’t forget to stay hydrated in this place,”
commented Big Man, “The temperatures in Scorch Gorge can get pretty high!”

Risea noticed that the stage looked an awful lot like her place of birth, and she asked Larel,
“Why is that patch of desert so modernized now?” Larel turned towards Risea, answering,
“Development of the Splatlands have significantly increased recently, so even parts of the
wastes of the Splatlands are getting a makeover." Risea was conflicted on how to feel about
this information; on one hand, the Splatlands were her sacred home, so it seemed wrong to
alter it. Then again, she figured, changing something for the better, no matter how scary it
may seem, is ultimately beneficial. “And that’s it, for now,” Shiver concluded at the end of
the broadcast, “Until next time…” At this, all 3 members got up and said “Catch ya later,”
before the TV switched to a different program.
 Meeting the Gang
Chapter Summary

Risea prepares to enter her first Turf War, and she meets two new people: an irate
Inkling woman and a foreign, impressionable Octoling boy.

Risea remembered what Mr. Coco had told her about raising her freshness level, so she asked
Larel, “How do I participate in a Turf War battle?” He pointed towards a dome up a nearby
flight of stairs, explaining, “You can register for one over there at the Lobby. I can help you
with the process if you want.” Risea accepted his help, and the two ascended up the steps to
the area.

Inside the Lobby, Risea and Larel saw a young Inkling woman doing weird tricks on a group
of inflatable training dummies. She had some sort of long ink gun and was attempting to do
destroy the balloons with a charged ink blast while doing a backflip, but she was
unsuccessful nearly every time. “GOD DAMN,” the girl cried angrily, “Can these fata*ses
just get hit for once in their bit*h life?” Larel immediately turned his head towards the
woman, instructing, “Hey you, it’s not nice to curse.” The female dropped her weapon,
turned slowly towards the two of them, and said, “Who the hell are you?!” Risea was
provoked by the Inkling’s harsh tone, and returned, “We're Risea and Larel! Who do you
think you are, speaking to us like that?! The person scowled at Risea, answering, “I'm
Angela, f**er, and I can say whatever the hell I want!” Risea formed fists with her hands,
growling, “Well, Angela, I don’t think that I appreciate your attitude!” Angela did the same
action, replying, “Why don't you say it to my face, fat*ss?!” In a burst of speed, the two
charged at each other like wild lionfish, having a fierce glare in their eyes. They collided,
resulting in a fierce battle of strength; punches were swung, kicks were flung, and they even
bit each other with their sharp fangs. During the scuffle, Blippy was ejected from Risea’s
shirt, and he found himself slammed onto the floor. Startled by the sudden appearance of the
fish, Angela let her guard down enough to allow Risea to do a decisive uppercut. Knocked
briefly unconscious, Angela fell backwards onto the ground as Risea went over to ensure that
Blippy was okay.

During that time, Angela quickly regained composure to laugh, “E he he, I’ve never had so
much FUN before! Let’s be friends, Risea! Except you, Larel, f—k you.” Risea and Larel
stared quizzically at the strange woman; she was truly an anomaly. “What do you know,”
thought Larel, “I found a person weirder than Risea…” Risea, though confused, was happy to
add another friend to her list, and she made up with Angela. As the two were talking about
themselves, a juvenile Octoling boy came into the room. “What is not down Inklings,” the
octopus said in a foreign language, “I am Jereef!” Angela turned towards the rest of the
group, explaining, “Oh yeah, I don’t know why, but this fat-as Octoling individual just started
following me, and it’s pi-sing me off.” Jereef went to each person in the room and bowed, a
customary Octarian greeting. “Wow,” gasped Risea, “I’ve never heard of an ‘octoling’ before.
Nice to meet you, Jereef.” Jereef smiled at Risea, answering, “Awesome to meat you two,
b*tch!” Larel recoiled at the teen’s vulgarity, remarking, “What?! Not you too, Jereef! Can
this world grow any more corrupt?” Angela smirked cockily, revealing, “I’ve been teaching
him some sophisticated Inklish lately. He was only speaking Octarian when I met him, so I
decided to fix his damn brain.”

Larel sulked in defeat as Risea said, “This has been fun and all, but when are we gonna start a
Turf War?” Larel shuffled over to a computer screen in the middle of the room, saying, “You
have to register an account before you do anything, Risea. Just come over here and take a
look. Risea went over to the device, but was confused by what she was looking at. “Uh,” she
said, how do I work this thing?” Larel shook his head; he should’ve known that Risea, a
desert-dweller, had never worked a computer. Thankfully, this one was easy to maneuver.
“Okay Risea,” he guided, “Touch the part of the object that says ‘Splashtag’ and enter a
nickname.” Following his instructions, Risea tapped the corresponding button, causing a
keyboard to be ejected from the computer’s stand. “Hrm,” mused Risea, “What would I call
myself?” She thought back to a newspaper that her mudskippers guardians had shown her
when she was little. In said newspaper was a comic series called “The adventures of Monkey
Crab” that featured a jolly crab and his girlfriend, Shelly. Shelly had a catchphrase that she
would say from time to time, that being “Niko Niko Ne” which translated to “Smile every
day” in Inklish. Risea decided to put her own spin on the phrase, and she made her nickname
be “RikoRikone” as a tribute. “Alright then,” said Larel, “Now I’ll just let everyone else
register, and then I’ll enter us all in for a Turf War.” Risea waited as everyone else input their
information, with Angela helping Jereef with the controls. Larel then input commands into
the machine, allowing his party to be queued into a match. After about 30 seconds, an
elevator in the room chimed, and it’s doors opened for the group to enter.

As Risea headed for the elevator, Larel noticed that Blippy was still attached to her, so he
said, “I'm sorry, Risea, but you’re going to have to leave Blippy here. It’s against the rules for
anyone to bring Salmonids into a match.” Risea’s smile faded away after hearing the news.
“Oh,” she sighed dejectedly, “I see. Let me just…” She reached inside her shirt for Blippy,
and said gently to him, “Alright, buddy. I’m going to go play with my friends in the desert,
but you’re going to have to stay here, okay? Can you be good for me?” Blippy stared at his
older friend for a moment before nodding his head, raising a fin to his forehead. Risea smiled
at this, and concluded, “I knew I could rely on you, chum. Come on everyone, let’s go!”
Everyone readied their weapons: Larel had an ink-filled bucket, Angela her long gun, Jareef a
short, grey pistol, and Risea her Splattershot Jr. They then stepped into the elevator to head to
Scorch Gorge.
 An exciting Turf War
Chapter Summary

Risea and her new friends participate in their first Turf War together. There, Risea tests
her battle skills.

Upon stepping into the capsule, Risea and the gang were whisked away at a high speed. Risea
was flabbergasted as she experienced the feeling of traversing with this advanced technology,
which was something that she would’ve never been able to find in the desert. At some point
in the trip, the elevator flew into the air with two mini-rockets providing flight, and 4 small
drones revealed themselves from compartments in the elevator. “Everyone hop on a drone,”
Larel instructed, “It will bring you to Scorch Gorge.” They all did so, causing the elevator
door to open and send it’s drones to a section in the desert. Jareef laughed happily,
exclaiming, “This is some of the awe! I am having the excitement!” Risea was having a blast
as well. She opened her arms as she felt the wind flow past her long tentacle hair, enjoying
the rush of adrenaline as she soared through the air.

Eventually, the squad ended up at the desert of Scorch Gorge. Risea observed the landscape
with great detail. Where there had once been shriveled cactus was now concrete platforms
lined with grates. All around the area, bronze fish statues were placed on pedestals. Finally, in
the middle was a wide, concrete pillar adorned with various splotches of graffiti. “No way,”
Risea spoke out loud, “Look what they’ve done to my desert. It’s…AMAZING! I didn’t
think that the Splatlands could get any better, but this proves otherwise!” As the drones
descended, a flying speaker came in, and a male voice blared, “What up, contestants?! Are
you all ready to rock?! You know the deal: whichever team inks the most turf WINS! Get
your weapons primed!” Risea's tentacles turned orange with excitement, as did everyone else.
A countdown sounded on the speakers, and at 0, each of the drones activated a spring
mechanism that launched it’s riders off onto the ground.

Risea giggled with glee as her feet hit the pavement—the battle had begun! Blood pumped
through Risea’s body as the speakers played energizing rock music. Risea pulled out her
Splattershot Jr. and sprayed the area in front of her with great vigor. She was so lost in her
passion that she found herself separated from her teammates. On top of one of the concrete
platforms, Risea could spot a blue-haired Inkling boy on the opposing team who was
wielding a Splattershot Jr as well. Marking him as her first opponent, Risea opened fire on
the poor sap, who resorted to hiding behind a nearby wall. “Don’t think that you can hide
from me,” yelled Risea, “I’m coming to get ya!” She then inked a path to the Inkling, dove
into the ink in her squid form, and gave pursuit. The terrified boy ran away, garnering a
maniacal laugh from Risea. She quickly cornered her victim behind a wall as he fired back as
a last resort. Although Risea took some hits, she was ultimately able to outgun her foe,
causing him to explode in a burst of orange. “That’s one,” celebrated Risea, “Who’s next?!”
She painted the ground around her a bit more in order to secure the area before roaming
around. Before long, Risea’s next target appeared on top of the concrete platform in the
center of the stage. This one was not as lily-livered as the previous person, and he used a
round gun to shoot exploding blasts of ink at Risea from the high ground. Thankfully, Risea
was able to withstand the onslaught, and she covered the wall with her ink so that she could
swim up to the Inkling. Not giving a moment of peace, Risea decimated her adversary. She
gave a whoop of triumph, satisfied with having defeated two people in a row. Then, out of the
corner of her eye, Risea saw a high speed projectile going straight for her head! She
immediately felt a surge of pain ripple throughout her entire body, as if her very cells were
deconstructing, and she burst apart in a wave of blue. The only remnant of her left was a tiny,
orange specter that rose slowly into the sky. Still keeping her consciousness, Risea's ghost
caught a glimpse of who defiled her body: It was a glasses-wearing Octoling girl with the
same long gun as Angela. The Octoling pumped her fist in a celebratory manner, much to
Risea’s chagrin.

Quickly, Risea’s drone came flying in with a hatch in it’s center being opened to retrieve the
spirit of Risea. Once inside, Risea felt her drone covering her soul in orange ink, efficiently
restoring her original body and clothes. The drone then flew back to it’s original position near
Risea’s base and ejected her back onto the ground. Risea flailed her arms in utter shock,
exclaiming, “What in God’s dusty Earth was that?! Did I just die…and come back alive
again?!” She could not believe her reality right now; no other experience in the world could
compare to what she was doing right now. Just then, Angela came jetting in from her drone,
angrily saying “I hate this game! F—king Splat Roller users…” Risea turned towards her,
asking, “Did you feel the same thing I did? Exploding and then reviving? How is that even
possible?” Angela looked at Risea with a raised eyebrow, replying, “Yeah? It’s a completely
normal thing, bozo. Now come on, get to painting already, b*tch.” Risea realized that Angela
was right, and she shook her head to clear her mind. These news were actually liberating to
her; with no consequences of death, she could charge into battle with no fear! With this
mindset, she charged back into action, guns a-blazing.

As Risea was painting, she saw Jereef being chased by an Octoling boy wielding a Splat
Roller. Deciding to help the inexperienced Jereef, Risea made a beeline towards the roller.
Distracted by his running target, the Octoling could not see Risea running behind him, so
taking him out was no problem. Grateful for being saved by his new friend, Jereef cheered,
“Thanking, Risea!” She gave him a thumbs up in response, only to be shot by the same
Charger user again, garnering a cry of despair from Jereef.

Respawning again at her base, Risea was livid. “Splat me once,” she seethed, “Shame on you.
Splat me twice, shame on me. I won’t let it happen a 3rd time.” Not caring to paint her base,
Risea headed straight for the middle portion of the stage. She scanned the area for her repeat
offender as she ran with a determined look on her face. After a while, she found the sniper
standing atop a wooden pole, searching for her next victim. Filled with inklust, she inked a
path towards the Octoling, swimming with high energy. The charger user jumped off her high
perch when Risea drew near, frantically firing short blasts of ink at her. This proved
ineffective, as Risea quickly learned how to dodge such jets of ink. She easily side-stepped
the Octoling’s shots as she came in for the splat. With 5 shots from her Splattershot Jr., the
octopus was defeated.
Risea grinned gloriously, taunting, “Take that, camper! That’ll teach you, alright!” Larel
emerged from his ink, telling Risea, “Uh, I know that you’re having fun splatting people and
all, but we’ve got to paint more; we don’t have much time left. After saying that, the male
voice in the speakers yelled, “Listen up, painters, there’s one minute left on the clock! It’s
Now or Never, baby!” Fast-paced rock music replaced the relatively calm music that came
before, and everyone on the battlefield became invigorated. “Okay me,” Risea thought,
“You’ve got this. Just paint, paint, paint!” She then ran actively across the stage, overlaying
the enemy’s ink with her own. While on that mission, she came across the members of the
other team, who were also covering lots of ground. Thankfully, Angela was there to provide
her support, picking off the competition one by one. With that help, Risea was able to push
into the enemy territory, inking a solid path as she went. The Octoling sniper peered out from
behind a wall, aiming her reticle at Risea. Not wanting to get splatted at this point in the
match, Risea swiftly dodged from right to left, this time focused more on covering more of
the ground then eliminating enemies.

With 30 seconds left, the Splattershot Jr. user that Risea had met in the beginning was headed
straight for Risea, looking more confident than before. Being shot at by two different people,
Risea quickly formed a battle strategy. “I’ve got it,” she concluded in her head, “I’ll give
them the ol’ Splatlandian special!” Using her experience from her battles in the desert, Risea
dived towards the ground, barely dodging a blast from the sniper, before rolling to the side
and firing at the Inkling with the Splattershot Jr. Unprepared for such finesse, the boy was
forced to take the fall. With less than 20 seconds left, Risea decided to finish off the match in
style. She again performed a roll towards the sniper, but this time she sprung off the ground
at the end of the maneuver. The Octoling was prepared this time, though, and she pulled out a
Splat Bomb from a compartment in her charger to throw at Risea. The bomb exploded in a
blue blast near Risea’s feet, causing major damage. While she felt great pain, Risea’s
adrenaline allowed her to shoot at the sniper, who was dumbfounded to see someone survive
an explosion like that. The Octoling's body shattered once again, leaving a puddle of orange.
Risea was unable to celebrate, as there was only 10 seconds of play left. Risea rose to her
feet, attempting to shoot, but there was one issue: she was out of ink!

Frantically, she attempted to think up a solution. Then an idea flashed in her head: what if she
submerged in her ink again? It turns out her hypothesis was correct, and she felt her insides
fill up with ink as she waded in the sludge. Now fully refreshed, she sprayed the area,
shooting with no care for anything or anyone else. Only winning was on her mind.

Risea continued to spray her fluids fervently as the announcer counted down,
“5..4..3..2..1..That’s it! Contestants, hop in your drones and head back to the Lobby!” Each
Inkling and Octoling awaited their transportation machines, hopped inside the opened hatch
as squids/octopi, and were zoomed away to the Lobby.

After taking the trip back, the players found a black and white, fat cat named Judd standing
next to a smaller kitten of the same color, who was called Lil’ Judd. Behind the both of them
was an overhead view of the map were the Turf War was held. The screen showed part of
Risea’s base being colored blue, which looked to be a bad sign. But then in return, part of the
enemy team’s base was covered in orange, thanks to the work of Risea. Judd meowed, and a
telepathic voice filled the room, saying, “Okay kids, me and this fireball are going to evaluate
your performance; I’ll measurrre the orange team, and he’ll look at the blue team.” Weirded
out by the fascinating creature’s mouth not matching it’s words, Risea saw the two felines
study the screen before them, carefully. Judd then pulled out an orange flag, jutting it out
towards Lil’ Judd, who was groveling in defeat. “Congratulations,” he meowed, “The orange
team WINS! And by only a sliverrr too!”

Risea and the rest of her team cheered loudly, exchanging fist bumps and clapping each other
on the back. “It was all thanks to me,” boasted Angela, “I hit some insane clips, for real. Get
on my level, b*tches.” Larel took another look at the map, retorting, “Actually, Angela, I
think that Risea was one of the major reasons for victory. She bravely entered deep into
enemy territory and secured a huge chunk of land for us. You did good, Risea!” Jereef
clapped for her, adding, “Yes! Inkling did nice!” Risea smiled warmly at her two friends. She
did not expect to have such a good time away from her home, but now she knew that she
could find happiness in new, unfamiliar places. Lil’ Judd growled silently, causing another
psychic voice to emanate in the room, “Winners, head to the reward machine to collect your
prize money…” Risea and the others headed to the aforementioned contraption in the back of
the room, which ejected 4 large bags of coins. “Booyeah,” cheered Jereef, “Me got much
money!” Risea was amazed at her earning; in one match, she had gotten more money than
she would’ve got scavenging 10 pieces of metal! “Great work team,” Larel complimented,
“Who's up for round 2?” Everyone unanimously agreed, and they headed inside the elevator
to begin another match.
 Shopping in Splatsville
Chapter Summary

Risea decides to undergo a change in wardrobe to match her new surroundings.

Following a riveting battle, Risea reentered the Lobby to notice a shocking truth: her smallfry
was nowhere to be found! “Blippy?” she called while departing from the group, “Blippy?
Where’d you get off to?” She checked in the field of training balloons, behind the small
monitor, and even in an upstairs game room within the Lobby, but her search proved fruitless.
“Go on,” said Risea to her companions, “Leave without me. I’ve gotta go find my friend
before he gets into trouble!” Angela looked towards Risea and back at her peers before
shrugging and proceeding with them to the next match.

To ensure that she did not miss anything, Risea combed the room one last time to check for
any other potential hiding places while most of the room was flat and lacking of crevices,
Risea did find one intriguing spot in the form of a medium-sized gacha machine. “Hey,” she
said with narrowed eyes, “What’s this? Some sort of vending machine?” Looking closer at
the small hole at the bottom of the fixture, Risea murmured, “I don’t see how any sort of soda
bottle is supposed to come out of that tiny thing…” Gears clanked in Risea’s mind as she
formulated a thought. Then, after a brief period of pondering, Risea concluded, “Aha! Blippy
must’ve slipped into this hole! He must’ve thought that it had food or something sweet
inside. Not that I blame him.” Walking towards the gacha machine, Risea exclaimed, “Hang
on, little buddy, I’m coming!”

Altered by the sound of a wide hand trying to fit into a tiny gap, an aged, big-bodied goldfish
woman wearing a blue vest peeked out from her food stand in the wall next to Risea. “Excuse
me, dearie,” the fish inquired, “Do you need some help? I have a few extra coins if you want
to get something from the Shell-Out machine!” Risea ceased her struggling and looked at the
goldfish with sparkling eyes. “Really?” she asked, “Thanks, lady!” The older individual
smiled sweetly, responding, “Think nothing of it, child! So, what are you hoping for? A food
ticket? A nice little toy?” Risea shook her head and replied, “Nope! I’m trying to get my
smallfry, Blippy, out of there. I’m pretty sure that he found his way in there, somehow.” The
goldfish stopped reaching for the nickel in her blouse and gave Risea a look. “Oh,” she said
while patting herself with her fins, “I’m afraid that’s not possible, dear. That machine is too
complicated for a Salmonid to get stuck in there!” Risea’s mood immediately took a turn for
the worse upon hearing this statement. “Aw man,” she said with disappointment, “All that
work for nothing.” She sighed and walked towards the exit, stating, “Thanks anyway. I’ll go
look around the streets.”

Seeing that Risea was about to leave, the food vendor exclaimed, “Wait, did you say that you
lost a Smallfry? I was wondering what that butterball was doing here…” Risea turned around
hopefully as the goldfish went back to her workspace, where she rummaged around to locate
an engorged Blippy. “Here,” said the lady as she walked back to the counter, “Your friend
was busy eating my food off the floor for the past few minutes. He never seemed to want to
stop, the little scamp!” Risea gasped with joy as she ran over to her favored one, a bright
smile on her face. “Blippy!” she said while squeezing him tightly, “You’re okay!” Noticing
the situation she was in, Risea looked at the goldfish and asked, “Uh, he didn’t eat anything
important, did he? Anything I have to pay for?” The woman shook her head and answered,
“Not at all, dearie! He only ate the leftovers and waste that was littering the floor. He was
very helpful, that Smallfry!” Risea smiled at her diminutive ally, saying, “Is this true, you
little rebel? Ha! I guess I was cleaning up Inklings while you were cleaning up scraps!” The
heavy-set fish smiled kindly and stated, “Feel free to drop your friend anytime you like,
sweetie! I could use the extra help!” Risea grinned and gave the piscine a thumbs up,
responding, “I’ll be sure to! Blippy would also appreciate the cuisine.” The staff member
laughed and said, “I’m sure he does.” With a wave of her fin, the goldfish stated, “Have a
day, you two!” Risea returned the gesture, responding, “See ya!” With that, the Inkling and
her Salmonid left the premises.

“Glad to have you back, Blippy,” Risea said outside the Lobby, “Now how about we check
out that shoe shop again?” Risea carried Blippy to Crush Station again, where Mr. Coco was
counting his money in the cash register. “Awesome,” he exclaimed, “You’re back! And you
look more fresh than before! Glad to see that my advice worked! Now that you meet the
requirements, are you up for buying something from little ol me?” Risea browsed the
selection, admiring all of the kicks. The shoes she saw included brown boots, black sandals,
and blue slip-ons. After some consideration, Risea settled on a pair of orange shoes called
“Hunter Hi-Tops.” “Hey customer,” said Mr. Coco,” if you want, you can go in the changing
room to try out your kicks.” Risea went to a side room with a red curtain and removed her old
makeshift sandals. When she put on the Hi-Tops, she was delighted by how comfortable her
feet felt. They were a luxury compared to the stiff cactus that she was forced to don. “Okay
Mr. Coco,” she said as she came out of the room, “I’ll be buying these shoes, please.” Mr.
Coco’s eyes sparkled with glee, chortling, “Great news, great news! That’ll be 500 coins,
friendo!” Risea grabbed the required amount from her money bag, giving it to the crustacean.
“Thank you, thank you,” said the cheerful crustacean, “I hope that you enjoy your
freshalicious shoes! Be sure to come again, valued customer!” Risea grabbed Blippy off of
one of the shoe racks as Mr. Coco waved them off.

Not too far away from Crush Station was a shop called “Man-O-Wardrobe” that Risea headed
for. Inside the clothing place was a sophisticated-looking jellyfish with glasses and a black
trench coat, who was busy dusting off an array of shirts. Too absorbed in his work to notice
Risea’s arrival, he was caught off guard by a curious Blippy, who crawled out of Risea’s arms
toward the cniderian. Upon seeing the grotesque fish, the jellyfish recoiled in disgust,
sneering, “What do I see before me? I, Jel La Fleur, will not tolerate such an unkempt
specimen near my garments. LEAVE MY SIGHT AT ONCE.” The jellyfish grabbed a nearby
measuring stick and whacked Blippy away, causing the fish to land in a pile of boxes. “Hey,”
Risea said angrily, “Why did you smack my friend like that?!” Wiping his stick with a cloth,
Jel La Fleur answered, “Do not worry, for your unclean one is fine. I did not apply much
force to my strike, only enough to teach it a lesson. THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. No, what
you should be concerned about is the fashion CATASTROPHE that you are stuck in. Tell me,
can one enter my sight wearing such atrocious clothing as you?” The cnidarian hung up his
cleaned shirts on racks lined all around the wall, saying, “I insist that you replace that
shredded T-Shirt of yours in favor of a more modest nature. I REQUIRE IT.” Frowning at the
gentlemen’s snobbish demeanor, Risea explored the various shirts and jackets, evaluating the
quality of each blouse and sweater. She tried reached out for a shirt labeled “Barazushi Black
Tee” before Jel La Fleur slapped her hand, scolding, “I will not allow my items to be touched
without prior payment. I require 720 coins.” Growling quietly, Risea rummaged in her bag
for the required funds, which the jellyfish placed in his pocket. “Very well,” the jellyfish said,
“Take this gear and wear it with respect. There is a changing room nearby; go forth, and
observe how your quality of fashion has improved!” Risea took her new purchase and headed
to the room to swap her clothing. Fitting of the jellyfish’s strict attitude, even such a basic T-
Shirt was oozing with quality. The soft cloth held Risea’s skin in a warm embrace, and it
complimented her orange shoes in a great way. She walked out of the changing room to
display her new look. “Ah yes,” Jel La Fleur complimented, “You certainly look far better
than before. Consider this an improvement, young one. This is not the end of your journey on
fashion, to be clear. It is in my best desires for you to return to this place fervently to
constantly evolve your appearance. Only then will you become a distinguished woman.
Farewell for now, Inkling.” Risea picked up a dazed Blippy and left the store, feeling
conflicted over the jellyfish’s behavior.

“What was that all about?" commented Risea outside Man-O-Wardrobe, “That jellyfish was
so strange. I guess that he's kinda admirable, though.” Putting aside that matter for now,
Risea came across a flight of stairs near Man-O-Wardrobe. At the top of the structure was a
shop labeled “Naut Couture” which was built with bricks. Risea and Blippy headed inside to
find a nautilus man sleeping with his feet on a counter near the cash register. A small river
snail with sunglasses was sitting on a stool next to him, yelling, “Gnarly Eddy! You’ve got
customers! Wake Up!” Startled, the nautilus fell off his chair and crashed onto the ground.
Risea asked if the person was okay, and he responded, “Uh, yeah sure dudette, I’m alright.
No need to worry about me. Anyway I, uh…what was I supposed to say again, Nails?” The
snail jumped in place, exclaiming, “Tell her about our hats!” Gnarly Eddy yawned, drawling,
“Oh yeah, uh…so…we have hats. That’s pretty cool, right? Anyway, you can try out any hat
you want, I can’t really say that I care if you do or not. Wanna take a look?” Risea accepted
his offer, perusing the sets of racks containing baseball caps, sunglasses, and the like. Trying
out a cap called the “Fishfry Visor” Risea was glad to have something to cover her eyes. In
the Splatlands, the sun often got in the way of her sight, so this headgear provided a good
sense of protection. “Okay Eddy,” Risea said, “I’ll take this gear, please.” Eddy wiped his
eyes, replying, “Radical. I’m gonna need 1000 coins.” This prompted Nails to retort, “No,
Eddy, you've got it wrong! It’s 500 coins, not 1000!” Eddy shook his head in embarrassment,
coughing, “Oh YEAH! My bad, yo, I’m super bad at remembering this. Uh, you have to give
me 500 coins, or something.” Chuckling at Eddy’s incompetence, Risea granted him the
required coins. “Awesome,” said Eddy, “I, uh, hope that you enjoy your hat. Oh, uh, and also
be sure to come again…and stuff.” With that, Risea waved the store operators off as Gnarly
Eddy went back to sleep.
 Settling down for the night
Chapter Summary

Risea enjoys a savory meal after a day of fun, then heads home with her friend to sleep.

Inside Splatsville, Larel took Risea to a street kebab place owned by a jellyfish. Both Blippy's
and Risea’s mouths watered at the sight of the juicy meat sizzling on the grill, the mahi-mahi
flesh emanating a heavenly, smoky aroma. Risea eagerly grabbed the meat stick from the
vendor when he was done frying it, and she hungrily gobbled it down, savoring each bite.
Blippy did not even bother to chew his food, and he simply swallowed his meal in one gulp,
stick and all. Risea let out a small burp after she was done, garnering a look of disgust from
Larel. He ordered a vegetarian version of a kebab made of kelp, which he ate delicately.
Risea snickered at Larel’s fanciness, saying, “Dang, Larel, I didn’t know that you were this
stuck up! Do you seriously not eat meat?” Larel scoffed haughtily, saying, “You may laugh at
me, but I’m just trying to be healthy. Besides, this kelp substitute doesn’t even taste bad.
Don’t knock it till you try it.” Larel ripped off a piece of his kebab and handed it to Risea,
who hesitantly grabbed it from his hand. To her surprise, the plant matter did taste closely
similar to the meat on her kebab.

As the three of them enjoyed their food, Risea asked Larel, “So, Larel, now that we know
each other well, do you know anywhere that I can stay? I don’t think that the people here will
let me just sleep in the street.” Larel wiped his mouth with a napkin before replying, “Hmm,
normally anyone can just rent out a home near here, but it may be a little hard for someone
like you. In order for someone to qualify for buying a home, they would have to be a
registered citizen and, well, you just got here. I already claimed an apartment room near here,
so I’ll do you a favor and let you crash for the night.” Risea was glad to be able to have a
friend like Larel that would be considerate enough to look out for someone in need. “That’s
great,” said Risea, “I can’t wait to share a room with you! By the way, what’s an apartment?”
Larel facepalmed at Risea’s ignorance, explaining, “It’s like a set of identical living areas all
in one place. Come on, you’ll see when we get there. Risea waited for Blippy to finish
digesting his meat before the two followed Larel away from the kebab stand.

It was now Traveling on a sidewalk to the right of a nearby water fountain, the group reached
an apartment building with graffiti splotched all over it. Risea took her time admiring the art
displayed on the concrete walls before Larel retrieved his keys and directed her towards an
apartment labeled 3H. The three entered the apartment once the door was unlocked, and Larel
was disappointed to see that the room was far too small for what he planned to do with it.
Risea, however, was more than satisfied with what she saw before her. The temperature was
pleasantly cool compared to the frigidity of the desert at night. Noticing that there was only
one bed to sleep on, Larel said, “Okay Risea, we have a situation on our hands. Don’t worry,
though, I’m fine with sleeping in my spare-” Before Larel could finish his thought, Risea had
fallen dead asleep on the floor,Blippy using her hair as a blanket, wrapping her two side
tentacles around his torso like a seatbelt. Larel shook his head in disbelief. He had never
known a person who could sleep in such a cold room with no blanket whatsoever. “Yep,”
thought Larel, “This girl is truly weird.” Allowing himself to rest as well, Larel tucked
himself in for the night, counting power eggs in his sleep.
 Entering Octo Crater
Chapter Summary

Risea follows Craig Cuttlefish down a sewer into an Octarian-infested hole.

Risea awoke at 8 in the morning feeling refreshed. She allowed Blippy to fall out of her hair
before she stretched her muscles. She looked across the room to see that Larel was still
snoozing away with his mouth slightly open. She walked over to him, shaking his arm while
saying, “C’mon sleepyhead! Let’s go do some more Turf Wars!” Larel only mumbled, “No,
Mr. Grizz, I don’t want to fight that Big Shot...” Risea gave him a confused look before
deducing that Larel was talking in his sleep. “Okay Blippy,” she said, “Looks like we’re on
our own for today. Come on, let’s leave this room!” Risea scooped up her smallfry, opened
the door, and headed back to Splatsville.

Reentering the city, Risea set her sights on the Lobby with the intent to battle her heart out.
Before she could get to that, a balding, old Inkling with a Hawaiian shirt and a tentacle beard
peered out from under a manhole, scanning the area. The cephalopod eventually found Risea
in his gaze, and he waved both his arms at her before diving back down into the hole. Overly
trusting as always, Risea immediately ran over to the pothole and jumped inside in her squid
form, making sure that Blippy was able to follow her. Underneath the lid was a simple bucket
attached to a pulley that slowly traveled down a linen rope. “Oh, phooey,” groaned Risea,
“Can this thing go any faster?” Blippy then found it in himself to jump up and down in the
bucket, and his erratic movement caused the bucket to rapidly accelerate, and the two quickly
reached the bottom of the pulley system.

Above Risea was a metal hatch, which she promptly opened. When she emerged from the
trapdoor, she was met with an immense, rocky crater. The area was barren and empty save for
a giant metal tower halfway buried in the ground and a small shed nearby. Standing next to
the shack with a bamboo walking cane was the same squid that was peering out from the
manhole. Risea and the squid stared at each other in silence before the squid stammered, “Th-
th-the Oc-Oc-Oct... THE OCTARIANS ARE COMING...again!” Risea was slightly off put
by the odd behavior of this person, and she asked, “I’m sorry, who are you?” The cephalopod
quickly composed himself, stating, “Oho, hello there young squirt! I say, you sure came
down here quick. Not even my last recruit was this eager to follow me!”

While Risea stood there confused, the stranger continued, “Since you’re already down here,
I’m gonna tell you all about what’s happening. I’m Craig Cuttlefish, former captain of the
New Squidbeak Splatoon! Even though I’m technically retired, I’ve still been participating in
keeping back the Octarian menace. For 7 years, they have been attempting to exact revenge
on us Inklings after their defeat in the Great Turf War of yore. For reasons that I just can’t
place my tentacle on, those Octojerks have managed to squidnap the Great Zapfish, even with
my constant monitoring. I bet those slimy scallywags feel sooo cool after nabbing the Zapfish
for the 3rd time...but they have been stopped 2 times so far, and you’re going to be the 3rd
hero!” Risea looked around in shock, objecting, “Wait, what? Great Turf War? Octarians?
Zapfish? I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about!” Craig shook his head, claiming,
“Bah, the details don’t matter anyhow! All you’ve gotta worry about is getting it back. You
have just the strong, fierce look in your eyes that I want in all my agents, and now’s yer
chance to show me that ferocity! So, what do you say? Wanna save the world?!”

Risea shrugged indifferently; this Cuttlefish guy was strange, she thought, but what he was
saying did sound important. “Fine,” she conceded, “I guess that I’ll join you. Just tell me
what I have to do.” Craig smiled under his beard, saying, “Marvelous! I knew that I could
count on you to make the right decision. As of now, you are Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak
Splatoon! Get ready, I’m about to make your clothes match your rank.” The former captain
went inside his shack to retrieve a yellow jacket, black pants, white, triangular headphones,
and an advanced looking ink gun. “Go on,” said Craig as he handed the garments to Risea,
“Put this Hero Gear on and equip your Hero Shot. You’re going to need those if you want to
defeat the Octarian army.” To Craig’s surprise, Risea started changing right in front of him,
not having a sense of shame in terms of being partly nude. Keeping his dignity intact, Craig
quickly averted his gaze as Risea swapped her clothes. Risea sniffed her clothes after she was
done, enjoying the interesting smell that wafted from the suit. “Mmm,” she said, “This smells
nice. These are really well-made clothes.” Looking back at her, Craig said, “What the
devilfish? You actually like the smell of those rags? That’s weird, the last owner of that Hero
Gear was as clean as a catfish! Ah whatever, it’s time to get to work. C’mon, let’s go get
those Octoclowns! I’m counting on you, buck--OH!”

Suddenly, Blippy erupted from the steel trapdoor, heading straight for Craig. As Blippy ran in
circles around Craig, the startled Inkling said, “What’s this all of a sudden?! Is this scrappy
smallfry your pal?” Risea nodded, laughing, “Yep, that’s Blippy. He’s my best friend!”
Dodging Blippy’s various attempts at biting his legs, Craig responded, “Is that so? Well, I
don’t have any extra Hero Suits, but I can see that your Salmonid is raring to go, so I guess
that you can take it with you. Who knows, it might just do something great. Okay! If there’s
no other interruptions, go kick some Octarian butt!”
 Octo Crater: First Impressions
Chapter Summary

Risea undertakes her initial mission in the depths of Octo Crater.

Risea ran around the area, getting a feel of her surroundings. At some point, she came across
a steel walkway covered with some sort of pulsating, brown substance with purple splotches.
“Watch out there,” warned Craig, “That gunk doesn’t look safe. I would steer clear of it if I
were you.” Risea paid the old Inkling no mind, and she let her curiosity overtake her. She
cluelessly extended a hand toward the foreign substance to feel its texture, when suddenly—
SPLORTCH—the ooze engulfed her body! Terrified beyond measure, all Risea could do was
flail helplessly as the slime caused various changes in her biological structure. She could feel
her mental energy sapping as bristly hair grew in all the areas of her skin. It did not take long
before Risea was reduced from a decent-looking, smooth-skinned Inkling to an
indistinguishable fuzzball.

“Good heavens,” sputtered Craig, “What happened to you, my girl?! Speak to me!” The
incredibly hairy Risea rolled in Craig’s direction, absentmindedly murmuring, “Risea no feel
good...who be me?” Craig clutched his head, griping, “Oh, crabcakes, I can’t believe this.
Not even a minute in and my new agent is already over the deep end. What will I do?” Blippy
was a witness of the shocking event, and he went over to inspect his transformed friend. He
sniffed Risea, and a hungry expression appeared on his face. He extended his tongue toward a
strand of hair, initiating a taste test. “Eh,” groaned Risea, “What is fish doing?” Blippy
flopped all over Risea’s body, clipping away hair like a lawnmower. Risea could feel her
sense of self slowly growing back as her fur was devoured by her buddy. With a burp from
Blippy, all the wool of Risea was eaten away, and she was back to her old self.

Risea looked at her body in disbelief, saying, “Woah, that sure was a trip. What happened
there?” Craig stared at Risea with a bewildered face, exclaiming, “Great calamari! You’re
back!? Salmonids are truly strange creatures; yours just cleaned up all that fuzz like it was
nothing! I guess what they say about smallfry is true.” Risea turned towards Craig, asking,
“What’s so special about smallfries?” Craig scratched his head, responding, “I think I
remember reading this article about a strange phenomenon that happens with those fish.
Supposedly, if they become separated from their school during a migration, they gain an
insatiable appetite, eating anything edible. I guess that you’re lucky to have such a creature
by your side; you would’ve been a goner otherwise!” Risea looked at Blippy, wondering
where her companion was really from. Craig pointed his cane toward the steel walkway,
saying, “Okay, at least we know to avoid that junk. Come on, then, let’s continue!” Not
having much of a reason to refuse, Risea forged ahead.

Taking great care in avoiding the fuzzy ooze, Risea and Blippy eventually came across a
bronze tea kettle instilled into the metal ground. “Ahoy,” said Craig through Risea’s
headphones, “An Octarian kettle! You’ve gotta head in through the opening in your squid
form to head into your first mission.” Risea, though baffled by the fact that she was hearing
the squid’s voice through the foreign devices on her ears, still followed his orders, and she
transformed into her smaller shape to squeeze through the tiny gap. Not wanting to be left
behind, Blippy found a way to open a latch on the top of the pot, revealing a deep hole
leading hundreds of feet down, compared to the slim pipe that Risea was travelling down at
the moment. With no concern for his life, Blippy jumped straight into the kettle, descending
rapidly.

Risea reached the bottom of the pipe faster than Blippy, so she was able to see him
approaching the ground from above. She quickly ran over to catch him before he hit the
ground, and she tucked him in her jacket hoodie. Craig’s voice sounded through Risea’s
headphones, saying, “Okay, lass, looks like you’re in. Go ahead and search the area for a
Zapfish.” Risea ran around the concrete lair, noticing how many boxes were laid all around
the area. The place looked incredibly basic and uninteresting, and there was no sign of life
anywhere. Out of boredom, Risea shot at the boxes, revealing their contents: small orange
fish eggs. “Hey Craig,” asked Risea, “What are these things?” Cuttlefish’s voice beeped
through the headphones, “That’s a power egg, Agent 3! They come from mature Salmonids,
and Octarians use them for nefarious purposes. Try to get as many as you can, I’m sure that
they can be used for something better.” Risea stored the found power eggs inside her jacket
pocket and moved on.

After about 10 minutes of searching the area and finding power eggs, Risea finally came
across another creature. Standing atop a basic looking, metal contraption was some sort of
tentacle creature covered with brown fuzz. Its eyes looked unusual, like the inside of a
grapefruit. It piloted its machine, patrolling back and forth as the constructs’ nozzle spewed
purple ink. “Avast ye,” called Craig, “An Octotrooper! Prepare yourself for battle!”
Overjoyed at seeing an actual opponent, Risea charged straight toward the strange specimen.
Almost robotically, the Octotrooper aimed its nozzle at the incoming Risea and let loose a
blast of ink. Risea was easily able to dodge the shot, and she aimed her Hero Shot at the
octopus. She pressed the trigger of the gun, and, to her shock, a rapid stream of ink ejected
itself from the weapon. The power of this new firearm dwarfed the measly pitter-patter that
the Splattershot Jr. provided. Unsurprisingly, the Octotrooper was brought down in seconds.

Risea smiled in glee, saying, “That was awesome! What’s next for me to do?” Suddenly, the
ground started rumbling beneath Risea’s feet. She looked to the right of her to see a wooden
platform being extended from a nearby wall toward a small island 20 feet away. Curious, she
climbed aboard the plank and walked to the end of it, eventually coming across a yellow
catfish encased inside a spherical, electric barrier. “Thar, she blows,” informed Craig, “A
zapfish! Go ahead and shoot the shield, then grab the zapfish so we can get out of here.”
Disappointed that she had not been able to fight any more Octarians, Risea grudgingly
blasted the cover until the zapfish was freed with a loud shatter. She grabbed the wriggling
fish and held it to her side, saying, “Okay, zapfish, let’s get you back home. It sure was easy
to save you.”

Craig spoke through the headphones, “Great job, agent 3! Now just tap the area on your right
jacket sleeve. This will give you an automatic launch pad. Just submerge into the pad when
you’re ready. Risea did what he said, and an orange burst of ink ejected itself from Risea’s
shoulder. The ink pooled in a circular formation, resulting in a pulsating area of orange
liquid. Once Risea dipped into it as a squid, she was launched back to the place where she
had entered the lair. She absorbed the zapfish into her body as she traveled back up the pipe
to the surface. Not knowing that Risea had this ability, Blippy climbed up a rock wall leading
to the surface.
 More mundane missions
Chapter Summary

Risea initiates another Zapfish-retrieval mission, where she learns more about her
abilities.

“Great job, lass,” said Craig upon receiving the Zapfish, “That’s one Zapfish down, and who-
knows-how many left to go!” Risea groaned, “Ahh, really? I’ve gotta save more of these?”
Craig nodded, saying, “Correctamundo, Agent! It's the only way to stop those slimy
octoslobs from rising up against us. You’re not thinking of quitting, are ya?” Risea shook her
head, knowing that she couldn’t think of anything else better to do other than Turf Wars.
“Nah,” she said, “I’m staying. The sooner I get this done, the better.” Cuttlefish replied,
“Glad to hear it, matey! Now go forward and find another kettle.” As Risea did this, she
turned back at Craig, saying, “And I’m no ‘agent’ either. My name’s Risea.” Craig replied,
“Oh, okay, I see. Well then, Risea, let’s resume the mission, shall we?” Risea turned away
from Craig, sighing deeply. She was already starting to get bored. Still, she made her way to a
bronze kettle in the distance, making sure to stay well away from the intermittent Fuzzy Ooze
spots in her way. After a short walk, Risea dived into the kettle, with Blippy following her
close by.

Risea reached the bottom of the pipe to find a strange sight: most of the ground was covered
in orange ink! “Oho,” said Craig, “Look what we have here! There must’ve been a mistake at
the Octarian ink factory! You know what this means, don’t you Risea? Its time to dive as a
squid and swim!” Risea looked at the long, winding path ahead of her and smiled, thinking,
“Hey, maybe this mission could actually be fun! I’ve been meaning to figure out how this
ink-swimming works, anyway.” So she morphed into her squid form, swimming with all her
energy through the convenient path of ink. On her way, she happened to pick up some power
eggs, which she stored in her mantle. Risea barreled forward before sensing a bend in the
road, and she traveled along it until she reached a gap in the platform. Unprepared for such an
obstacle, Risea fell down the gap into a lower platform covered entirely in purple ink.

Waiting for her was a trio of fuzzy Octotroopers who immediately started firing at her. Risea
attempted to step out of the way of the Octotroopers’ ink blasts, but she found her feet stuck
in the purple goop. As a result, she was forced to take 3 shots straight to the chest, causing
immense pain. Instead of being splatted as Risea had imagined, the Hero Suit she was
wearing flashed briefly before tearing apart. Fortunately for her, the Hero Suit came equipped
with a built-in tank top to prevent her from becoming too exposed. That being said, her skin
was now vulnerable to getting tainted by purple ink. Knowing this, Risea quickly dispatched
the 3 Octarians, furiously holding the trigger as she blasted the octopi. Once they were dealt
with, Craig said, “Seems like yer Hero Suit is damaged, Risea. Don’t worry, though, it can be
fixed up in a jiffy. Just dive into yer ink and wait a second. Risea did as Craig said, sitting
around in her familiar ink. To her surprise, she could feel some sort of fiber rebuilding itself
outside of her field of vision. When she emerged, she discovered that her jacket had fully
repaired itself. Craig said again, “Isn’t that technology marvelous? The New Squidbeak
Splatoon sure has come far! Be sure to use that technique whenever you’re hurtin’.”

Hearing that information, Risea looked up at the wall behind her, an idea brewing in her
mind. “Hmm,” she thought, “I wonder if it’s possible to swim vertically…” Out of curiosity,
she shot the wall with her orange ink, creating a path upwards. To her delight, she discovered
that it was in fact possible to climb walls in her squid form, provided that there was a path of
ink to travel on. By doing this, she was able to get back on the orange path, and she came
across the gap again. This time, however, she made sure to peek out of the ink in order to
plan a jump over the hole. She swam backwards by convulsing her fins before jetting
forward. Once she reached the edge, she compressed her body to the ground and
uncompressed it, which allowed her to propel herself upwards. When she reached the other
side, she twirled around in triumph. She had not expected to already be so accustomed to
moving as an Inkling, but here she was mastering the act of swimming.

With her accomplishment acting as a motivator, Risea glided through the rest of the path,
collecting power eggs and traversing the ascending platforms all the way to the end. Before
she knew it, she was standing in front of another caged Zapfish, which she quickly rescued.
Although Risea had successfully retrieved this electric catfish, she had just realized that she
had lost sight of another fish. She frantically looked from the top platform, searching for any
sign of Blippy. She eventually found him attempting to flop his way up the set of platforms.
“Blippy,” she called, “What're you doing? Hurry up and come here before you fall off or
something! Hearing this, Blippy started using his tail fin to jump up and down, albeit only a
few inches upward. It looked like Risea was going to have to go down and grab her friend
before Blippy suddenly leaped several meters upward directly into Risea’s’ backpack, which
utterly shocked her. “Whoa,” she said, “How did you do that? Did that fish lady give you a
super food or something?” Craig popped in through the headphones, “I don’t think that’s the
case, Risea. I heard that Salmonids can jump pretty high. I don’t know the logic behind it,
though…” Risea smiled at her fishy pal, amused that such a tiny guy like him could perform
such a feat. Making sure that both the Zapfish and Blippy were intact, Risea activated her
launch pad and jumped back to the start, making her way back to the surface.

After handing the Zapfish to Craig, Risea attempted to head forward from the last kettle only
to be met with a long wall of Fuzzy Ooze. There was also a mysterious, purple, pulsating
glob on the top. She peered around the barrier, finding that there was no possible way to get
past without facing the horrible sensation of getting covered with fur. As Risea was
pondering over what she could possibly do, Blippy was busy looking at the power eggs that
Risea had stored in her backpack. He licked one of them in order to inspect it and took a
small nibble of it. His eyes widened and he gurgled happily; he immediately enjoyed the
taste. With his appetite heightened, Blippy started to quickly devour all of the stored power
eggs, his tail fin wagging all the while. Once he was done, he started to shake violently, and
his head began to buzz.

Feeling the commotion on her back, Risea turned her head behind her, wondering what was
going on. Then, in a burst of energy, Blippy jumped out of the backpack, moving around in
circles. Caught off guard by this performance, Risea exclaimed, “Blippy!? What in the world
has gotten into you?!” To prevent Blippy from accidentally running off the edge of the
platform, Risea chased him around, eventually catching him in her firm grasp. This grip did
not last long, however, and Blippy rocketed out of Risea’s’ hands directly onto the purple
glob. In his crazed state, Blippy ravenously devoured the throbbing mass, causing the
surrounding Fuzzy Ooze to dissipate. Both Risea and Craig stared with disbelief at the event
that just unfolded. Craig held his head, saying, “What in the name of Davy Jones was that?”
Risea shrugged, saying, “I don't know, but all my power eggs are gone.” Craig’s eyes lit up as
he replied, “Ah, I see what’s going on now. Y’see, Salmonids have quite the reaction to
power eggs. Just look at what it did here: that Fuzzy Ooze went down as fast as a swordfish
can swim! I guess that now we have a good reason to collect power eggs, now don’t we?”
Risea looked down in awe at the now-calm Blippy. He really was full of surprises. Placing
him back in her backpack, Risea continued forward, intent on conquering this new landscape.
 The eight-armed menace: DJ Octavio
Chapter Summary

Risea gets enough power eggs to challenge DJ Octavio, the leader of the Octarians.

The next few missions were basic as usual. Although Risea was learning more about how to
handle herself and her weapon, she couldn’t help but wonder where all of the Octarians were.
Other than the occasional Octotrooper or 3, there were simply no enemies for her to fight. At
the very least, she was able to nab a large haul of power eggs for Blippy to consume, which
was good for progressing throughout the Crater.

After some good eating from the smallfry and a bit of maneuvering from Risea, the duo
found themselves staring down at a large pit covered entirely in fuzzy ooze. “Hoo-wee,” said
Craig, “What a mess of ooze, that is. Ah, no matter, I’m sure that Blippy can handle it, no
problem!” Nodding, Risea allowed Blippy to eat the rest of her power eggs before he
launched himself at the final mass of ooze. Risea watches with satisfaction as miles upon
miles of ooze disintegrated all at once, shriveling into nothingness. Eager to see what was in
store for her down there, Risea recklessly leaped down hundreds of feet into the chasm.
Fortunately for her, she possessed no bones, so she didn’t suffer any major damage. Since
Craig was more frail than her, he opted to slide down a nearby rocky slope to the bottom.

Once they met up at the middle of the crater, they started to hear a faint thumping in the
distance accompanied with the roaring sounds of jets. Craig’s eyes grew wide as he uttered,
“Uh oh, I only know one Octo who would be making that sound. Prepare for trouble, Risea!”
Looking up at the sky, Risea could make out a flying robot of some sort, and the rhythmic
thumping sound got louder and louder. Very quickly, the machine flew straight downward
and hit the ground with a mighty thud, plaguing the very ground with a mighty quake. A
massive wave of dust billowed from the impact zone, causing Risea and Craig to cover their
eyes. Coughing, Risea waited for the dust to settle before looking at the pilot of the fist-
wielding mech, who was revealed to be an angry-looking, red octopus with a construction
helmet. “Gyahaha,” laughed the octopus, “I've finally found you, Cuttlefish! I see that you’ve
found another inkstain to do your dirty work for you, you pathetic mollusk.” Craig said to
Risea, "Listen here, agent, that there is the vile leader of the Octarians, DJ Octavio! He’s the
one responsible for stealing the Great Zapfish time and time again!” The DJ pointed one of
wasabi sticks threateningly at Craig, stating, “Oh, so I’m the thief here? You’re one to talk,
you army-stealer!” Craig donned a confused expression, saying, “Army-stealer? I did no such
thing! You must’ve left them at their base, or something.” DJ Octavio slammed his turntable
angrily, yelling, “Don’t play dumb with me, Cuttlefish! There’s no where else my army
could’ve gone except into your hands. You just can’t stop ruining my plans, can you?”
Starting up his mech, Octavio continued, “Well, if you’re not going to give me back my
troops then I'll just have to beat it out of you. I’m about to drop my latest hit straight on your
little FACES!”
With that, Octavio started playing some dramatic electronic music and activated one of the
robots’ rocket-powered fists, launching it straight towards Risea. Quickly, Craig yelled,
“Agent 3! Hurry up and shoot that fist!” However, Risea was already two steps ahead of
Craig, and she blasted the oncoming projectile with excitement. The repeated shots of ink
caused the fist to revert its course, flying directly into Octavio's cockpit. Shaking off the
blow, Octavio attempted to attack Risea with his other unbroken fist. As expected, the
outcome was the same as before. Feeling ever flustered, the DJ regrew his broken fists and
launched both of them at once, hoping to overwhelm Risea. In response, Risea simply rolled
backwards, allowing both of the fists to crash into the ground. As the two enemies were
scuffling, Blippy was rummaging around the arena, inspecting the area. Once again, Octavio
launched a double fist strike, except this time one fist accidently went careening off to the
side. Risea looked to the left and gasped in horror as she where the stray missile was going:
straight towards Blippy. Her adrenaline levels went above the roof as she quickly inked a
path forward, having every intent to prevent any harm done to her friend. With the most
intense speed, she dived into the ink, rushed forward, and leaped towards Blippy, grabbing
him with an outstretched tentacle.

The two made it out just in the nick of time, miraculously avoiding a grim fate by the
crushing force of metal. After placing Blippy securely in her backpack, Risea turned towards
DJ Octavio and growled angrily, filled with an intent to make him regret his decision.
Showing no fear under the gaze of Risea, Octavio launched 2 more fists straight at her. This
proved to be a mistake, as Risea’s heightened sense of anger prodded her to blast both of the
fists with extreme intensity, causing the two objects to be propelled back towards Octavio.
The sheer power of the metallic fists caused the DJ to fly out of his cockpit directly towards
Risea, who was staring at him with malicious intent. She then shot him with as much ink as
she could muster, causing him to jet straight back into his mech.

Holding a tentacle to his head, DJ Octavio muttered, “Okay, squirt, I see how it is. You think
that I SUCK, eh? Well, how about you suck on THIS?!” The octopus pressed a red button on
his mech, causing a long nozzle to form and extend from its chest. After doing this, Octavio
launched another fist at Risea, which she got straight to shooting. Alas, the nozzle started to
rev up, causing a vacuum to activate. All of Risea’s ink was sucked into the vortex, allowing
the fist to shoot forward uninterrupted. Thanks to Risea’s agile reflexes, she was able to
dodge the initial fist strike by sidestepping, but she was completely unprepared for the DJ’s
2nd attack, a large shot of purple ink that was hurtling straight towards her. The ink landed
beneath her feet, causing a big explosion to occur at that spot. Risea’s clothes were shredded
once again as she was knocked into the wall behind her. Craig, who had since sought out
shelter behind a rock, said to her, “Agent 3, hurry up and repair your armor before you get
splatted!” Hearing this, Risea got to laying out an area of ink for herself so that she could
bask in the healing fluid. DJ Octavio activated his thrusters, flying in the direction of Risea
while preparing another fist attack. Just as the fist was about to hit Risea, her armor repaired
itself and she was able to knock back the fist at the airborne machine.

Apparently, the mech could not withstand the force of the reflected fist while not having any
ground to support it, so the robot did a complete 180, leading to Octavio crashing onto the
ground below. Just as before, Risea applied orange ink directly to the octopus’s’ cranium,
causing him to launch up into the air. Sensing its master’s presence, the mech flew under the
DJ so that it could break his fall.
The machine returned to a safe spot in the crater as the extremely livid DJ Octavio shouted,
“GRAAH! Now you’ve made me angry! Looks like I have no choice now. It’s time to…D-D-
DROP THE SEA BASS!” The octopus directed his machine to slam the ground with great
power in an effort to scare Risea. He then ramped up the vacuum’s suction power to a far
greater intensity, attempting to draw Risea in closer. She gritted her teeth and dug her feet
into the ground in order to resist the drawing force, using her strong muscles to do so.
Unfortunately, Blippy, being legless, was not as secure, and he fell victim to the extreme
suction. Risea watched with despair as Blippy flew towards the nozzle, where he would
supposedly meet his end.

To her surprise, however, Blippy got his behind stuck in the hole of the vacuum, and was able
to avoid entering the machine itself. “GRAH,” exclaimed the DJ, “Nozzle…blocked. Can’t…
vacuum!” Craig gave a thumbs up, saying, “Great work, Agent 3! Now you can knock back
his fists with no problem!” However, Risea had no concern for whatever was going on with
Octavio’s nozzle, even if it was beneficial for her. The only thing that mattered right now was
the fact that Blippy’s life was in danger. The very thought of this enraged her to no end, and
she could barely contain herself. Filled with a primal rage, Risea could feel her very tentacles
flaring with energy DJ Octavio exerted a similar amount of energy as he executed yet another
double-fist attack, this time with one hand being uncurled while the other one moved in a
corkscrew motion. The outstretched hand hit the ground first, causing purple shockwaves to
emanate from the impact zone. Risea nimbly jumped over the recurring waves, showcasing
her capability in maneuvering the battlefield, before back flipping away from the corkscrew
hand. Quickly, she blasted the outstretched hand before it could get itself unstuck, causing it
to fly back towards the DJ.

The octopus tried again, this time launching two palm strikes onto the ground so as to create
overlapping shockwaves. This dip not perturb Risea in the slightest, and she simply timed her
jumps while watching the ground, allowing her to get through the attack. With the fiercest
ferocity, Risea blasted the two robot hands with her ink, causing the DJ to get struck twice.

Finally, as a last-ditch effort, DJ Octavio launched an extremely fast punch straight at Risea,
hoping to overwhelm her with speed. Risea, however, beat him to the punch at the end due to
her catfish-like reflexes, and she reflected the projectile with the sheer power of her Hero
Shot. The missile once again hit the DJ, causing him to fly out of his vehicle one last time.

At this moment, Risea was at the peak of Inkling performance. Deep within her chest, she
could feel her ink sac working itself to the max, causing orange ink to stream from a pore in
her palm. The ink began to coat her entire body, and her hearts started to beat faster and faster
with her intensifying emotions. Finally, after building all of that energy, she finished off DJ
Octavio with a mighty uppercut straight to his face. Once her fist connected, an intense
explosion of orange occurred, sending the DJ flying back to his cockpit. The octopus’s
impact also caused Blippy to fly out of the nozzle, and Risea quickly ran over to break his
fall.

The squid's breath grew shallow, her mind in disbelief over what had just happened. There
were no words to describe what was going on with her body, no words to explain the intense
rush she felt while her mysterious organ was in overproduction. With her brain abuzz with
amazement and the afterglow of success, all she could do was squeeze Blippy as hard as she
could with raw love. As she was doing this, Craig walked over to Octavio’s mech, which had
slid tirelessly to the center of the arena. “I say,” he started, “You’re getting easier and easier
to defeat. Why, we didn’t even need the Calamari Inkantation this time! It’s like you were not
even using the Great Zapfish’s power…” DJ Octavio looked up sullenly at Craig, mumbling,
“Mute it, fool! I didn’t even steal your stupid Zapfish this time. I was just looking for my
Octarians!” Recoiling in shock, Craig exclaimed, “Bwuh! Really? I guess that explains why
you were so easy. Well, if you didn’t nab the Great Zapfish, then who d--"

Suddenly, a deep rumbling could ve heard from the ground below. Tentacles composed of
Fuzzy Ooze emerged directly afterwards, making the ground beneath the group cave in. They
were all helpless as they fell into the deep, dark pit below. The still-incapacitated DJ Octavio
careened off into the distance with his mech while a slender tentacle got a hold of Craig’s
shoe. Frantically whacking the tendril with his cane, Craig yelled, “Risea! Save me!” Risea
attempted to reach towards Craig, but the tentacles proved to be faster, and Craig disappeared
into the darkness. Risea continued her descent, all alone with only Blippy there to comfort
her. As she accelerated, bits of debris came and buffeted her body and clothes, tearing away
at her Hero Suit. Crying out in pain, Risea clutched Blippy’s body in desperation, not wanting
to lose him again. A few minutes later, Risea could see a faint light in the distance. The light
grew larger and larger, and Risea soon crashed into the ground with a loud thud.
 Encountering the New Squidbeak Splatoon
Chapter Summary

Risea falls down into Alterna, where she meets Agent 1 and 2 along with the current
leader, Captain Martine.

Risea felt the sensation of a fin slapping her cheek as she laid belly-down on the ground. She
opened her eyes to find Blippy standing directly in front of her with his mouth closed in wait.
Risea raised her head and looked around to see that she was on a white island with clear
water surrounding her. Her eyes dilated in shock as she realized what this meant. Grasping
her smallfry in panic, she exclaimed, “Blippy, are you thinking what I'm thinking? We just
DIED! Stupid DJ Octavio, he caused us to go to heaven!” Looking around once more to
ensure that she was not hallucinating, Risea groaned in disdain when the white landscape did
not go away. Sighing with Blippy still in her hands, Risea said, “Well, little buddy, at least
we’re not surrounded by fire, if you know what I mean. Come on, we might as well see what
heaven has to offer while we’re here.” Cradling Blippy in her arms, Risea walked down a
trail of white to a set of houses that she spotted in the distance.

Standing near the settlement were a group of 3 Inklings, two females and one male, who were
playing chess. Risea approached them and waved, saying, “Hello, everyone! Does anyone
know what a spirit like me can do for fun around here?” One of the females, an Inkling with
yellow-tinted, black, long tentacle hair looked up from the chess board at Risea. “Oh hey,”
she said, “You’re not a piece of debris after all! What brings you down here?” The other
female, this one with yellow-tinted cyan, short tentacle hair looked up from her spectating of
the game with an inquisitive look. “Also,” she asked, “Why have you barely got any clothes
on? Come on, you’re barely even covering anything up!” Risea looked down at herself,
noticing that she was only covered by a scanty tank top covering her chest and shredded cloth
covering her bottom. Furthermore, she could see that the male Inkling with yellow, ponytail
hair and dark skin was looking intently at his chess board, trying desperately to hide his
blush. Risea shrugged her shoulders, saying, “Eh, what do clothes matter in heaven? Aren’t
you guys supposed to be flying around with wings or something? If you are, can you teach
me and Blippy how to do it? Come on, I want to soar!"

The two females looked at each other and laughed. “No, girl,” the black-haired one said,
“This isn’t heaven. This is the base of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.” The other girl followed
up with, “Though you could call it heaven due to how peaceful it is.” Risea felt a great deal
of relief after hearing this. Her life was not over yet. “Oh,” she said, “My bad. You said that
this is the place of the New Squidbeak Splatoon? I heard this guy named Craig talk about it.”
The black-haired squid gasped in realization. “Wait a minute,” she said, “Did you say Craig?
You must be the Agent 3 that he was talking to us about!” Risea looked at the Inkling, saying,
“Really? He must’ve been talking about me out of earshot, then.” The other Inkling butted in,
saying, “Um, excuse me, it’s nice that we’re having this revelation, but I would prefer it if we
were all clothed before continuing this conversation. You’re flustering the poor Captain.”
Risea once again looked at the male Inkling, who was twiddling his thumbs and looking off
into the distance. The cyan-haired one retrieved an oversized, pink sweater and brown, baggy
pants from a shed behind her, which Risea reluctantly got into.

Once she was finished, the two females directed her over to sit on an orange crate next to
them. “So,” said the black-haired Inkling, “Now that we’re all here, we can introduce
ourselves. I’m Agent 1, and this is my partner Agent 2. The Inkling wearing the important
cap is our leader, Captain Martine.” The captain, having gotten over himself, tipped his cap at
Risea in a welcoming gesture. Agent 1 continued, “Did you know that our captain used to
have the title of Agent 3 like you, but has gotten promoted since our old captain retired?
Cool, right?” Agent 2 interjected, “About our old captain, he’s actually Craig Cuttlefish, our
grandfather. Now that I think about it, Agent 3, were you able to find out where he went
while you came crashing down here?” Risea shrugged, answering, “Nope, I don’t have a clue
where he disappeared off to. Last time I saw him, he was getting carried off by some
tentacles made of Fuzzy Ooze.” Once she said this, Captain Martine perked up from his lax
position. “Hold on,” he said, “Did you say that Cuttlefish was stolen?” Risea nodded,
replying, “Yup. He was just ZIP! Pulled away into the darkness.” The 2 agents and the
captain groaned collectively. “Seriously,” complained Agent 2, “This always happens! I
swear, someone needs to keep him on a leash or something.” Agent 1 looked at Risea, saying,
“This is bad, Agent 3, who knows what sort of trouble gramps is getting himself into? We
need to band together and find him.” Agent 2 added, “Oh yeah, and we need to find the Great
Zapfish too; that’s pretty important.”

Agent 1 pointed at an area to the right that was riddled with Fuzzy Ooze, saying, “We’ve
been scouting this entire area, and we found writings calling this place ‘Alterna’, with this
specific section being called 'Future Utopia Island'. There seems to be kettle hideouts here
just like in Octarian areas, so why don’t you dive into those and see what you find? Who
knows, it might help! Oh yeah, and of course you have to avoid that ooze; it looks like bad
news.” Since she did not feel the most comfortable in her large clothes, Risea carried her
tattered suit with her to a bronze kettle with a layer of Fuzzy Ooze behind it, and Blippy
followed closely behind. Seeing that the kettle was locked by a latch, Risea did the 1st thing
that came to mind and shot the blocking object away with her barely-functioning Hero Shot.
This opened the bunker so that Risea could dive into the exposed grates. Blippy, as usual,
lifted the grate and hopped in.

Once the two reached the bottom, they found themselves in a chrome, technology-filled
room. Risea took the time to change out of her stuffy clothes and back into her more open
ones. As she was doing that, a chipper, electronic startup sound played in the room. After the
sound ended, Risea and Blippy were scanned by a green light, and the sound of an electric
motor turning filled the room. “Greetings, guests,” an AI voice said, “I am the Omniscient
Recording Computer of Alterna. If that name is too complicated for you, then you may refer
to me as O.R.C.A.” Blippy, who was standing on a patch of metal in front of Risea, was
elevated into the air by a rectangular device attached to a steel pole that arose from the
ground. “Before we are able to commence,” O.R.C.A said, “You must register yourself as a
participant in my tests. Please, make use of the provided control module.” Looking at the
device, Risea said, “Tests? Why do I gotta do those?” The AI responded, “12,000 years ago, I
was made to act as a reservoir for knowledge and physical prowess. As per my previous
masters’ orders, I must grant any worthy participants a determined amount of power eggs. I
assume that you would have a use for those power eggs, correct?” This was true, as Risea had
lost any power eggs that she had after falling down to Alterna. Knowing this, she said, “Okay
then, I'll do your registering thing.”

Risea looked at the tablet, trying to figure out the controls. O.R.C.A watched from a camera
at the top of the room as Risea struggled to navigate the various tabs and information boxes.
Seeing that Rise was struggling, the AI modified the tablet to become more user-friendly,
much to Risea’s satisfaction. She found that information like her height and weight were
already inputted, which she found slightly strange. Still, she proceeded to fill in the missing
information, including areas such as her age, gender, and, most importantly, her name. Once
she was done with the initiation, O.R.C.A said, “Nice to meet you, Risea. I notice that your
garments are not performing at their normal capacity. If you don’t mind, I shall make your
clothes more protective, free of charge.” Before Rise could object, a spray can extended from
a hatch in the ceiling, and she was blasted with a pink mist. She shut her eyes, trying not to
get any of the solution in her system. As she did this, her clothes started to miraculously
reform them, albeit to a minor degree. “My apologies,” the computer said, “It seems like the
components of your suit lie outside of the coverage of my restoring chemicals. To
compensate for this, I will apply another chemical compound to your garments. Please, bear
with me.” Knowing that she had no say in the matter, Risea once again shut her eyes as
another aerosol bottle emerged from a wall and sprayed an orange solution on Risea. Once
the liquid was absorbed, O.R.C.A continued, “Seeing as how you have an ink-based biology,
I have placed a chemical in your clothes that will act as a catalyst between your ink and my
restoring chemicals. All you must do is stimulate your ink sac and your gear will slowly
repair itself.” Although Risea did not fully understand the terms that the AI was using, she
was satisfied with the fact that there was such an easy solution to her suit problem.

“Attention,” O.R.C.A said as a notification sound played, “You have an incoming signal
approaching. Now allowing transmission.” After the AI said this, Agent 1’s voice popped in,
saying, “Agent 3! Finally, we were able to reach you. Your Hero Suit must've been too
damaged to even receive our communication signals. I wonder how you were able to repair
it?” Risea spoke into the air, “Some ‘computer’ called ‘Orca’ did something to my suit. It’s
pretty weird stuff.” At this, the computer introduced itself to the rest of the group. “Hello,
O.R.C.A,” said Agent 2, “It was pretty nice of you, fixing up Agent 3’s Hero Suit like that.
So, what does she have to do?” O.R.C.A explained, “First things first, your friend must
receive a weapon from the supply unit in front of her. Risea, this is where you step on the
circular platform in front of you.” Risea did just that, and a metal barrier arose from the
outside of said platform. It used robotic arms to automatically place a light, metal ink tank on
Risea’s' back to replace the shattered one that she had previously. It then supplied her with a
yellow variant of the Splattershot Jr. that she knew from Splatsville. The AI continued,
“Please enjoy this reproduced product that I synthesized from discarded blueprints.
Furthermore, allow me to present you with a power egg storage unit.” Another robotic arm
extended from a wall in the front of the room, which was holding a clear, empty, cylindrical
canister. “Once you are ready,” the computer said, “You may enter through the transparent
doors in front of you. Usually, there would be a fee in order to initiate these tests, but seeing
as how this is your first trial, this one will be free.”
Happy to hear this, Risea carried Blippy with her to the doors before O.R.C.A interjected,
“Excuse me, Risea, but I noticed how you’re carrying your fish around. Is it a burden to
transport your pet around?” Risea scowled, saying, “He’s not a pet, he’s a Salmonid. His
name is Blippy. But, to be honest, he can be a hassle to haul him around, especially since he
can’t swim in ink like I can.” The computer responded, “I see. Allow me to quickly modify
Blippy.” 4 tiny, mechanical arms arose from the ground carrying bits of metal approached the
unassuming Blippy. The metal was latched onto his skin, causing a worried cry to escape
from Risea’s lips. Blippy, however, was unaffected. “There,” said the AI, “Now Blippy
should be able to merge with your body whenever you transform into your swim form. For
your information, the technology that I just applied to your friend works to compress his
body mass and disperse it all throughout a liquid, which would be your ink. Do not worry,
this process is completely harmless. Now, it should be much easier to transport your
Salmonid throughout your travels.” Risea looked with suspicion at the metal attached to
Blippy’s chest and head fin, still not completely trusting of what O.R.C.A had done to her
smallfry. However, since the act was already done, she saw little reason to object. With all the
introductions out of the way, Risea placed Blippy in her reformed hoodie and stepped into her
first trial.
 Getting to know Alterna
Chapter Summary

Risea interacts with O.R.C.A, a supercomputer who informs Risea of her missions.

Past the clear doors, Risea looked around to see a world of chrome and technology. “Hey,
Agent 3,” said Agent 1, “How is it down there? Your camera still isn't working, so we can't
see what's around you.” Risea walked forward with Blippy, saying, “It's all just metal and
junk. There's also some pretty strange music playing; I don't know where it's coming from,
but it sounds pretty funky.” Risea continued on, finding a strange device. Out of curiosity, she
shot the metal object with her gun, causing it to suddenly roll forward straight into a stack of
boxes. They all cracked open, revealing a pile of power eggs. She held up one of them in her
hand, saying, “They've got power eggs down here, too!” She turned around to see Blippy
rushing towards a yellow bounce pad. She inked a path towards him and swam to join him in
bouncing up and down on the air-cushioned plastic. They were both enjoying themselves
when her hoodie started to glow. Afterwards, Callie’s voice popped in again, saying, “Wow,
look at this! Agent 3, your camera is suddenly working! Now we can finally see where you
are. How did you fix it?” Still bouncing, Risea answered, “All I did was shoot a bit with my
gun. That orca did mention that he changed my suit to react with my ink, or something.” “Oh
really,” Agent 1 responded, “That’s great news! Well, let's not waste any time. Shoot
everywhere, spread as much ink as you can! You need to repair your Hero Suit as much as
possible if you’re going to save the Great Zapfish.” Before Risea got to that, she got in a few
more bounces with Blippy on the trampoline. Finally, she grabbed Blippy and placed him in
her backpack as they moved forward.

Risea took every opportunity to cover the ground in her orange ink, and the constant action of
her ink sac promoted the acceleration of her suit healing. Although she found the idea of
doing this a bit tedious, she couldn’t deny that she was having fun spraying her bodily fluids
all over the place. Seeing a thin pillar in front of her, Risea shot at it with her Splattershot,
creating a vertical line of ink. She dove into it and swam upwards only to find that the path
did not reach the top of the tall tower. “Oh yeah,” said Agent 2, “I’ve heard talk of this
technique in Splatsville. Agent 3, try to swim upwards, but don’t actually go up, if that makes
sense.” Risea applied this information, moving her fins rapidly in an oscillating motion,
building up power in the ink. “Okay,” continued Agent 2, “Now release that power!” Risea
did just that, causing her to suddenly rocket through the ink onto the top of the pillar. As
Risea stood amazed at what she had done, Agent 2 said, “That’s called a Squid Surge, agent.
It’s pretty useful, right?” Risea checked her backpack to ensure that Blippy was still there,
and she was relieved to find that this was true. “Huh,” she thought, “Looks like I can trust
that orca after all.”

In front of her was a series of suspended, metal platforms with gaps in between. Seeing
another box at the end of it, Risea made sure that Blippy was secure before nimbly hopping
between all of the platforms using her experience she gained from her desert life. Once she
reached the end, she discovered that the box was too far away for her or her Hero Shot to
reach. As she was pondering how she was going to claim the contents of the box, Agent 2
said, “Agent 3, you look like you’re a strong thrower. Why don’t you try throwing your
smallfry at the box?” Risea pulled out Blippy, considering the option. She figured that Blippy
would be just fine with being hurled; he had proven to be quite durable, after all. “Okay,
Blippy,” she said as she held him over her head, “Go and get that box!” With that, she
launched Blippy at the crate, and he proceeded to assault the object with a flurry of fin slaps
and bites. Within a matter of seconds, the box was destroyed, revealing a pile of power eggs.
“Very nice, Blippy,” said Risea, “I knew that you could do it! Now throw me those power
eggs and back here before you fall.” Heeding Risea’s orders, Blippy resisted his hunger and
hurled the power eggs into Risea’s hands before jumping back into her backpack.

With that, Risea continued on through the area, discovering another series of platforms.
Unlike the previous set, however, these ones were vertical, and Risea could not simply swim
vertically to get to the top. “Ooh,” said Agent 1, “Agent 3, now’s your chance to do a Squid
Roll! Just swim upward and quickly push your body backwards.” Risea looked up at the
array of platforms and inked the front of the first one before diving onto it. She then did as
Agent 1 said, using her fins to propel her body backwards onto a horizontal platform below
the 2nd vertical platform. Grinning at her skills, Risea painted the side of her current platform
and Squid Rolled to the next platform, and she repeated the process for the next 3 platforms.
Once she was done, she saw a long, cylindrical object encased in an electric shield. “Nice,”
said Agent 1, “You’re a real natural, Agent 3. Now you should just be able to shoot the
barrier of that metal thing and grab it, just like you would for a Zapfish.” Risea advanced on
the protected cylinder, using her gun to blast away the covering. Once the metal object was
exposed, Risea went over to touch it, to which O.R.C.A replied, “Well done, Risea, you have
passed the test. Enjoy your power eggs.” After the AI said that, the cylinder opened up a
small hatch on its front and deposited a large load of power eggs onto Risea, who promptly
stored them in her backpack. “Now,” said the computer, “Allow me to transport you back to
the surface. Hold still, please.” The object then emitted a yellow ray of light onto Risea’s
body, disassembling her and Blippy’s matter back into its atomic components and transferring
the bits into a tube leading to the surface.

Risea awoke from her state of unconsciousness and looked around in a bewildered state. She
was suddenly standing in front of the kettle that she had gone into. Once she got a bearing of
where she was, she immediately checked her backpack to ensure that Blippy was with her,
which he was. Agent 1 had been standing my the kettle to ensure Risea’s safety, and she said,
“Wow, Agent 3! You just popped in out of thin air! The technology in here must be super
advanced!” Risea stood in silence for a second, her mind boggled over the absurdity of the
means by which she appeared here. That being said, she did not wish to confound her brain
with trying to make sense of this strange world, so she simply looked at the wall of Fuzzy
Ooze behind her, noticing another purple mass stationed on top of it. “Ya know,” she said, I
know the perfect way to get past this roadblock. Watch this.” She retrieved Blippy from her
backpack and allowed him to eat some of the stored power eggs that she acquired. Once this
happened, Agent 1 recoiled in shock as Blippy started convulsing rapidly, creating quite a
scene. Risea, who was prepared for such an act, directed Blippy’s trajectory towards the
purple mass and released him, causing him to rocket forward. As before, Blippy absolutely
demolished the glob, resulting in the fuzzy wall’s demolition.
“Oh my cod,” said Agent 1, “What’s gotten into that fish!?” Risea smiled at Agent 1,
replying, “That’s the power of those eggs! With them, Blippy can devour any Fuzzy Ooze
that gets in our way!” Agent 1 held her hand to her chin, saying, “Huh, interesting. Well, this
is good news. Now, we can actually progress through Alterna! Looks like you have to do
some more of these tests so that we can clear away more of this gunk!” Risea was going to do
as Agent 1 said, but then she remembered her life on the surface. “Yeah,” Risea said, “About
that. I have some friends up there who are probably wondering where I am. I wanted to go
back up there so that they won’t worry too much.” Agent 1 nodded, responding, “Ah, okay,
that’s fine. If you want to go back to Splatsville, you can just travel through that manhole that
we made near your landing spot. Just be sure to come back soon, okay? We can’t keep
gramps waiting forever. Oh yeah, and don't tell anyone about what you're doing down here;
stuff like this is best kept a secret.” “Yeah, alright,” Risea responded, “I’ll be back soon.” As
Risea headed towards the manhole, Agent 2 yelled after her, “Hold it, Agent 3! You’re going
to have to leave your Hero Suit with us. We can’t risk it getting even more damaged.” Agent
1 held up the discarded clothes that O.R.C.A had ejected through the kettle, causing Risea to
groan with exasperation. She unwillingly donned the tacky garments and took Blippy with
her into the manhole, where a spring mechanism launched the two up a pipe. As Risea and
Blippy traveled up to Splatsville, Captain Martine smirked.
 Hearing about Salmon Run
Chapter Summary

Risea returns to Splatsville to watch a VHS tape from Grizzo that reveals a horrifying
truth.

Risea emerged from the manhole, her skin itching due to the irritability of the sweater. She
carried Blippy through Splatsville, eventually coming across a worried Larel, who jumped
back in surprise. “Risea,” he exclaimed, “Where in the world have you been?! I've been
looking all over for you!” Risea scratched her arm, replying, “I would tell you about what I
was doin’, but I was told not to speak to anyone about it.” Larel looked at Risea for a second
before shaking his head and saying, “Ah, whatever, that's not the important part. I wanted you
to join me and the others for a shift at Grizzco. We wanted an…energetic person like you to
be the brawns of our team. Are you going to join us, or are you just going to disappear
again?” Risea looked at Larel with an indifferent expression, replying, “Sure, I’ve been
wondering what you guys were up to. Where do I start?” Larel looked towards the Grizzco
Industries building, saying, “Angela and Jereef are practicing in there. You go ahead and
catch up with them; I have to go and water my plant.” As Risea walked away, Larel noticed
something about her and said, “Also, why are you wearing those un-fresh clothes all of the
sudden? Did you lose the clothes that you bought, or something?” Risea stopped for a
moment, thinking, “He’s got a point. Why didn’t I just bring my old clothes? I could’ve just
remembered to get my clothes from the Crater. Dang it.” She smiled at Larel, saying, “Let’s
just say that they were borrowed. Anyway, I’m off.” Embarrassed by her inability to think
ahead, Risea retreated to Grizzco Industries, which was found to the right of the Lobby.

Just as Risea was about to enter the building, she started to feel Blippy making a fuss. She
pulled him out of her sweater hoodie, saying, “What’s wrong, little guy? Is something
bothering you?” Blippy looked towards the Grizzco building and made a sour face. He could
sense that something was unfriendly about the place. Risea looked the building and then back
at Blippy, saying, “What, do you not like this place? Believe me, I do not trust this business
one bit, but why shouldn’t we just head inside anyway and see what’s going on?” Risea
attempted to pick up Blippy, but he only wiggled his slick body out each time, determined to
not step anywhere near Grizzco Industries. Risea lowered her eyebrows, saying, “Okay, I
guess that I’ll leave you here, then. Don’t go to far away, alright?” Risea took one final look
at the stationary Blippy before heading into the doors of Grizzco.

Inside the building, Risea could see a group of Inklings and Octolings in a room to the left
filled with fish-shaped balloons. Among those people were Angela and Jereef, who were
shooting ink at the balloons with their weapons. In the center of the building was a wooden
carving of a bear standing on top of an orange box. Risea could hear the crackle of static as
the statue activated, revealing it to be a radio. “Hello,” said a gruff voice, “I see that you're a
new face. Welcome to Grizzco Industries! I’m Mr. Grizz, and I’ll be your CEO as long as you
work here. Before we can get you started, you’re gonna have to go through a little tutorial of
sorts. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take long; just head into the door to the right of that balloon-
filled room and watch the VHS tape that’s in there. It should teach you all you need to know
about your work expectations. I’ll see you when you’re ready!” Risea squinted her eyes, wary
of this sudden voice’s unwarranted politeness and enthusiasm. Then again, she had been
expecting to deal with oddities like this just by the look of the shady building, so she decided
to just play along with Mr. Grizz’s orders. Walking past the group of cephalopods who were
to invested in balloon-popping to pay any mind to her, Risea opened the bulky door to find a
dimly-lit room with an array of folding chairs positioned in front of a TV.

Placed on a stool next to the TV was a rectangular, black tape labeled “Grizzco Training
Video” with the subtitle “Place me into the VHS slot!” Not having a clue as to what in the
world a VHS was, Risea took the rectangular object and stuck it into whatever hole she could
find. She stuck it into a toaster, she stuck it into an empty spot on a bookcase, and she stuck it
under a lamp cover. Finally, she found a slot on the side of the TV that fit the VHS tape
perfectly, and she watched in wonder as the TV sucked in the tape automatically. Once that
happened, she saw the TV turn on and make a muffled, cheery tune. Risea walked to a chair
and sat down, watching as colorful bubble letters reading “Salmon Run” popped up on the
screen. “Hello, inkfish,” said Mr. Grizz's voice, “Are you ready to become part of something
bigger than yourself? I bet you are! Here at Grizzco, we pride ourselves on protecting the
Splatlands from vicious, unfeeling Salmonids that threaten our very way of life.” As he said
this, a grotesque-looking fish with green overalls and a large frying pan appeared on screen,
making a barbaric, gurgling scream. Risea watched with horror as an Inkling boy wearing an
orange suit and wielding a Splattershot gunned down the Salmonid, causing it to explode in a
burst of orange. Mr. Grizz continued, “That means splatting Salmonids like that disgusting
Chum you just saw. We also have another reasons for doing this duty, which are these!” The
dug around in the remains of the Chum, pulling out 5 power eggs. Risea felt sick to her
stomach as she said aloud, “Is that what Blippy has been eating?!”

She couldn’t keep her eyes off the screen as Mr. Grizz continued, “These power eggs are
what’s going to change the future of Splatsville, and maybe even the whole world! But you
know what’s even more valuable than those? That’s right, golden eggs! These beauties are
only held by the brutish Boss Salmonids. What’s this? Look out, Inkling, there’s a Steelhead
coming your way!” The boy looked to his right to see a larger, iron-clad Salmonid propelling
itself towards him. It grunted as it used some mouth accessories to inflate a green balloon on
its head. The Steelhead then launched said balloon at the Inkling, and the inflatable blew up
and took out the squid with one powerful blow. “Ooh,” said Mr. Grizz, “That’s no good. You
got splatted. Better wait for a teammate to revive you!” As the Inklings’ ghost dived into a
life preserver, a uniformed girl Inkling came running in with a Splattershot, shooting ink at
the life ring. This caused the boy’s boy to reform itself, warranting a “booyah” to come from
his lips. “Nice work crewmate,” said Mr. Grizz, “Now you can both take on this blockheaded
Steelhead! Aim for the weak spot on its head!” Risea watched with disgust as the girl goaded
an attack from the Steelhead, which allowed the boy to shoot ink at the exposed balloon. This
caused the balloon to burst, which also brought down the Steelhead, revealing 3 golden
Salmonid eggs.

Risea leaned in closer to the TV before widening her eyes and exclaiming, “Hold on, are
those baby Salmonids?!” She was indeed correct in this assumption, as there were
underdeveloped fish embryos swimming around in the yolks of the golden eggs. “Very nice,”
said Mr. Grizz, “You’ve just found some golden eggs! Hurry, go and put them into the egg
basket before another Salmonid comes to steal them.” The scene then faded away, revealing
another scene with the 2 Inklings standing in front of some kind of machine with a net
surrounding it. Smiling, the two Inklings placed their golden eggs into a chute at the front of
the basket, and the eggs were whooshed inside. Risea’s heart dropped as the egg basket
started to glow, indicating that the machine was heating up. Even worse was the fact that the
embryos inside had stopped moving. Risea stood in stunned silence as she watched the now
static golden eggs. She knew exactly what had just happened. Those eggs had just died. Her
breathing intensified as she thought, “How could they? No, seriously, how could they?!
There’s no way that a place like this is real. They can’t just kill Salmonids like that! And why
are so many people even helping this Mr. Grizz guy?”

She watched with an agitated face as Mr. Grizz continued, “Just look at that progress! You
too can join these cephalopods in the good fight today! I just have a fuzzy feeling that all of
you will contribute well to the advancement of society. Now, get to work!” With that, the tape
ended, leaving Risea with a bitter feeling.

She growled to herself and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her and
causing a reaction from Angela and Jereef. “Friend Risea,” said Jereef, “What being the
problem on you?” Risea ignored him, instead heading to Larel, who was sitting in a corner in
the balloon room and had noticed her unpleasant mood. “Hey, Risea,” he said hesitantly, “Are
you all right?” Risea glared at him with clenched fists for a few seconds before saying tersely,
“Ya know, you’re lucky that you’ve been nice to me so far, or you'd be dead where you stand.
What the heck were you thinking when you brought me here? Were you not thinking about
how I would feel about killing Salmonids? I mean, my best friend’s a Smallfry, for crying out
loud!” Larel winced, saying, “Ooh, yeah, I forgot about that. But I mean, what’s the problem
with doing this job, anyway? I heard that Grizzco has been around for some time, and the
Salmonid population doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller.” Risea stomped her foot down
in defiance, saying, “I don’t care if there’s 1,000 Salmonids or 10! The main problem here is
that Grizzco is killing unhatched Salmonids! Doesn’t that just sound cruel?” Larel shrugged
his shoulders, replying, “Oh come on, Risea, doing that isn’t so bad. You know the saying
about how you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet...maybe that wasn’t the right
phrase to use…”

Risea looked with disdain at Larel, many thoughts swirling through her head, none of them
being good ones. Eventually she threw her hands up, saying, “You know what, I’m just going
to let you dummies do this dirty work all by yourselves. You won’t catch me in this horrible
place, I’ll tell you that much!” Not letting Larel get another word in, Risea stormed off
through the Grizzco doors. Blippy, thankfully, had stayed in the same place as he was when
Risea left him. “Well, Blippy,” she said as she scooped him up, “You were onto something.
Grizzco is not a good place to be. Come on, let’s go and chill out. So Risea went into the
shop of Crush Station to vent her problems to a kind person.
 Reconciling with friends
Chapter Summary

After a talk with Mr. Coco, Risea finds it in herself to forgive Larel and the others for
killing and stealing from the Salmonids.

The agitated Risea barged into Mr. Coco's store, causing him to drop the shoe box that he was
carrying. “Whoa there,” he exclaimed, “What's this all of the sudden? Is everything OK?”
Risea made her way to the large, brown sofa in the room and took a seat, huffing, “No,
everything's not OK. My so-called 'friends’ just betrayed me. Everything's just…out of
whack for me right now.” Mr. Coco lowered his pincers in pity, saying, “Oh, um, I'm super
sorry to hear that. You know, I'm here to help you if you want.” Risea held her head in her
hand, replying, “Sure, crab, I accept.” Seeing as how he was too big to sit next to Risea, Mr.
Coco instead grabbed himself a small yet hardy wooden chair from behind the cash register
and placed it in front of Risea.

He sat down in it and clasped his claws together before saying, “So, what's up?” Risea looked
up at the crustacean with frustration on her face, saying, “Do you know that place called
Grizzco that’s near here? Well apparently the people over there get their kicks out of killing
and stealing babies from the Salmonids. And you know what's the real kicker? The people
who I thought that I could begin to trust invited me to join them in that horrible business! Do
you think that I, an Inkling that has a dear Salmonid friend, would enjoy that sort of thing?”
Mr. Coco shook his head, responding, “No, I don't think it would make any sense for that to
be true.” Risea looked at the door in disdain, replying, “Correctamundo, Mr. Coco! Those
other guys obviously don’t have as much sense as you. I mean, seriously, who in their right
mind would ask me to steal from Salmonids like that? And Larel’s all like, ‘Oh, sorry Risea, I
forgot about how you have a smallfry that literally follows you everywhere you go! Yeah,
sorry about that, hu-hu-hu!’ I swear, I don’t even know why I came to this place. If I had
known that people of my kind did stuff like this, I would’ve just stayed in the desert.”

Mr. Coco sat in silence for a second before saying, “Is that really what’s been going on?
Sounds like a simple case of misunderstanding to me. I’m sure that your friends mean well; I
hear that Salmon Running is a popular activity for Inklings and Octolings like you.” Risea
looked at the crab with the same expression as before, stating, “Well it sure isn’t for me.”
Pondering this, Mr. Coco replied, “Well um, Risea, right? Do you know what I think you
should do? You should go and have a talk with your pals so that they can know what you like
and don’t like. Believe me, a little communication can go a long way.” Risea looked at
Blippy, who was digging his snout into a pair of tan work boots. “Ah,” she said, “Whatever.
I’ll try it. Thanks for the help, crab.” Mr. Coco’s eyes sparkled with joy as he said, “No
problem, friendo! I’m always happy to help my customers, and not just with buying shoes.
Feel free to come back here if you’re feeling down, alright? And get those feelings of not
belonging here out of your head. Whether or not you do the same things as the others, you're
an Inkling and you deserve to enjoy life here in Splatsville.” Risea smiled at the crustacean as
she and Blippy were heading out, saying, “Thanks for that, Mr. Coco. I had a feeling that you
would cheer me up.” Mr. Coco clicked his pinchers together, responding, “Aw, I’m glad that
you think of me like that, Risea! I hope that you have an awesome rest of your day.” Risea
waved her hand as if she were about to leave, but then she remembered something. “Oh
yeah,” she said, “While I’m here, could I get some shoes? I lost my other pair.” Mr. Coco
granted Risea a cheap pair for 200 coins, and Risea went to the other shops to buy more low-
price clothes to replace her misplaced ones. After that, Risea decided to hastily leave Blippy
to his own devices while she blew off some steam in some Turf Wars.

After a copious amount of battling, it was now dusk in Splatsville. Risea exited from the
Lobby and retrieved Blippy from a stack of blue, grated crates, where he was resting. Risea
looked at her buddy’s mouth, seeing that there was a white feather sticking out of his mouth.”
She reeled back in surprise, exclaiming, “Blippy! What have you been doing while I was
gone? Is that a bird in your mouth!?” Blippy simply slurped in the protruding feather in
response, causing Risea's stomach to rumble. “Welp,” she said, “It looks like you’ve had your
fill. Let’s go and see if we can find a place for me to eat at.” So Risea, in the absence of a
hoodie, had Blippy follow her through Splatsville in search of food.

Travelling through the area, they eventually came across a crayfish-owned ramen stand.
Intrigued by the steamy smell of the sizzling ingredients, Risea headed straight to the food
stand. Reading the selection of items, she said, “I want the meaty bowl!” Not too far away
from her came a familiar male voice that said, “Can I have bowl of ramen with kelp, please?”
Risea turned around in surprise to see that the voice belonged to Larel, who also returned the
same expression. Risea squinted her eyes before turning away from the Inkling, spitting,
“Hello, Larel.” He twiddled his thumbs while staring at the counter, replying, “Uh, hi.” The
two spent a period wordlessly waiting for something to happen. Once the crayfish came with
their orders, Larel said, “Hey, Risea, do you want me to pay for us both. I got a lot of money
doing…things.” Still refusing to look at her associate, Risea gave a slight nod. So, Larel
pulled out a huge bag of coins and presented the crayfish with the necessary amount of
currency. The two Inklings then started eating their respective orders, with Risea feeding the
complimentary bamboo shoot to her still-hungry smallfry.

After a long moment of hesitation, Larel finally said, “Sooo, this afternoon, huh? Things
really got heated, didn’t they?” Risea angrily picked up a long noodle with her right hand and
slurped it before bitterly replying, “You could say that.” Larel picked up a bundle of noodles
chopsticks and placed it into his mouth, eating his food quietly. “You know,” he said as he
spun his chopsticks around another load of noodles, “I was doing a bit of reading earlier, and
I found out that this Salmon Run business isn’t so bad. The Salmonids, as I’ve discovered,
actually enjoy fighting to the death like that, especially if they’re going to get eaten. It's not
like we’re beating on a group of defenseless fish.” Risea clenched her fist in anger, saying
with a snap, “Oh yeah? So are you telling me that they just throw their eggs to you and say
‘Have a nice day’ or something? Even if they’re okay with risking their lives like that, it
doesn’t mean that you can just casually kill thousands of them!” Larel looked at Risea’s
bowl, retorting, “You're one to talk! Look at you, you’re eating food with fish in it right now!
I thought you were supposed to be their friends.” Risea looked at her dish and then back at
Larel with an annoyed expression, objecting, “This is not the same thing and you know it.
The fish in my bowl has been fairly caught and killed, and that’s that. I’m just doing my job
in the food chain. Meanwhile, here you are just going straight to the Salmonids and shooting
them in their faces. I bet that you’re not even eating them; you’re just stealing their eggs and
bolting.” Larel took another serving of ramen from his bowl before replying, “Hey, who’s to
say that Mr. Grizz is actually killing these Salmonid eggs? What if he’s just moving them to a
safer place to be raised properly? I’ve been to one of the Salmonid zones, and I can tell you
that it’s very unsanitary.” Shoveling another pile of ramen into her mouth, Risea snarled,
“Yeah, I bet the afterlife is very safe. I saw those golden eggs in the video, Larel. They were
not moving.” Larel, now almost finished with his meal, looked with regret at his shoes before
saying, “Okay, listen. I’m not sure how exactly I can explain this whole situation to you, but I
can assure you that I mean no harm to these Salmonids. I mean, I’m not hurting Blippy right
now, am I? I’m just doing my job.”

Although Risea really wanted to give Larel what for, Mr. Coco’s words flashed back to her.
“Okay, look,” she said, “I may not fully agree with the things that you and the others are
doing, but I don’t want to hold a grudge. I won’t join you guys, but I guess that you can
continue working at Grizzco. It’s not like any of the other Inklings and Octolings are stopping
anyways.” Larel’s expression lightened a little as he said, “Oh, are you serious? So you’re not
mad at me and the others for Salmon Running?” Risea glared at Larel, retorting, “Oh no, I’m
still livid as heck, but I don’t want to stop you from doing what you enjoy. Just leave me out
of it.” Now finished with his ramen, Larel replied, “Oh. Well, um, tell you what: I’ll talk with
the others about grabbing as little eggs as possible. That way, we can show a little mercy on
the Salmonids while still getting paid. Would that be okay?” Placing her now empty bowl out
of the way, Risea responded, “Sure, I can agree with that.” As the two got up, Larel said, “Oh
yeah, and you know that you can use a fork or chopstick to eat ramen, right?” Risea looked at
her dark brown hands that had been turned red by the scorching heat of the noodles. She
smiled at Larel, saying, “I was wondering why this food was so painful to eat!” Laughing at
this blunder, the two squids walked off to their house with a newfound sense of friendship.
 Nabbing a new weapon
Chapter Summary

Risea starts a new day in Splatsville, in which she visits Ammo Knights to get herself a
fresh tool: the Splatana Wiper.

After resting in Larel's abode, Risea awoke with a clear mind. Blippy was quick to rise after
Risea poked him with her finger, and he wiggled his caudal fin in excitement. She then
walked over to Larel, who was in a deep sleep, and gave him a firm shake. No matter how
much force Risea applied, her friend would not get up. Putting her hands on her hips, Risea
said, “Welp, looks like we're on our own again, huh Blippy? So, what do you feel like doing
today?” The smallfry flopped his way over to the door, gurgling with intent. Risea smiled,
saying, “Great idea, buddy. Let’s go and check out more of Splatsville.” Taking another look
at the slumbering Larel, Risea grabbed her Splattershot Jr. and headed out of the room with
Blippy in tow.

Walking through the bustling streets of the city, Risea noticed a building labeled as “Ammo
Knights” situated next to the stairs leading up to the Lobby. “Whoa,” she thought, “How have
I never noticed this place before? It seems pretty interesting.” Making sure that Blippy was
nearby, Risea made her way into the establishment. When she entered, her mouth gaped open
in amazement; adorning the walls were fascinating weapons of all shapes and sizes. The
design of each tool caused memories of scavenging to flare up in both Risea and Blippy.
Unable to contain themselves, they rushed over to get a closer look at the objects, not even
noticing the horseshoe crab man that was hanging up an ink bucket on a shelf. He turned
around and jumped in utter shock as he saw Risea and Blippy tampering with his possessions.
“AHH,” he yelled, “My babies!” He ran over and snatched a bow from Risea, holding it close
to him while saying, “There, there, Dendra, it’s okay…” Risea and Blippy stared at the
horseshoe crab as he rubbed the bow and put it back in its place.

He then turned towards the two and glared at them through his binocular glasses. “You,” he
said, “What in the name of Moses Shellendorf are you doing to my weapons?” Risea
squinted, answering, “What, can’t a girl take a look at treasures like these?” The weapon
owner shook his head, responding, “You can’t just barge in here and mess with them! They
don’t deserve that kind of treatment.” Risea crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, saying,
“Jeez, you sure care a lot about these things. It’s not like they’re alive or anything.” The
horseshoe crab gritted his teeth, feeling extremely offended. He sputtered, “How dare you?!
These weapons are my pride and joy, you can’t just call them ‘things’ like they don’t have a
soul! I should just kick you out of here right now.” Risea waved her hands in front of her,
saying, “Cool it, crabby, you don’t have to do that. I only came to buy something from you.”
She walked over to a serrated sword on the wall, asking, “How much would this one be
worth? I’ve got plenty of coins.” The shop owner gave Risea an unamused face, saying,
“First of all, you’re nowhere near ready enough to even come close to that weapon. 2nd of
all, I don’t accept coins; in this place, you’re going to have to earn Sheldon Licenses, named
after me, if you want to take one of my babies.” Risea scratched her hair, asking, “Sheldon
Licenses? How would I get those?” Sheldon answered, “It’s simple, really. All you have to do
is prove yourself in battle with any weapon. If you do well enough, the officials in charge of
Turf War and such should give you a blue ticket.”

Risea thought back to the series of bouts that she had participated in yesterday. Although the
memory was a bit hazy, she could’ve sworn that something of Sheldon’s description had been
slipped into one of her reward bags. She dug around in the bag that she had brought,
eventually finding a slip of shiny, blue paper with Sheldon’s face on it and showed it to its
maker. “Oh,” Sheldon said, “I see that you already have your hands on one of them.” Risea
smiled, saying, “So does that mean that I can have that cool-looking sword?” Sheldon held
his hand to his carapace, groaning, “No, were you even listening to what I said? You aren't
ready to wield my Splatana Stamper yet, and you won’t be for a while. But since you have a
Sheldon License, I’m willing to give you something similar.”

Heading to a compartment below the Splatana Stamper, Sheldon pulled out a thinner blade
that looked similar to a windshield wiper. He set it in a table in front of Risea, saying, “This
here is the Splatana Wiper. Believe it or not, it is actually the 1st weapon of its class, one that
focuses on slash-based techniques. Through the use of centrifugal force, you can fling ink
towards your foes by flicking the Splatana at them…” While Sheldon was talking up a storm,
Risea had picked up the Splatana Wiper and was swinging it around, getting a feel for it. She
enjoyed the feeling of using a melee-based weapon such as this; it reminded her of the blood
pumping battles in the wastelands. “…paired with the Ultra Stamp,” continued Sheldon, “The
Splatana Wiper is a force to be reckoned with in close quarters!” He smiled, proud of himself
for having the chance to nerd out over a weapon class. “So,” he said, “Do you want to make
the exchange?” Not even being fully aware of the situation, Risea responded, “Yep!” She
then handed Sheldon one of her tickets, granting her full access to the Splatana. “Thank you,
thank you,” said the arthropod, “Despite our first impressions, I don’t think that you’ll misuse
this weapon. After all, your eagerness to examine my dear possessions must count for
something, right?” Still admiring her new tool, Risea said, “Yeah, sure.” Sheldon went on,
“Since you’re using a new weapon class and all, why don’t you go and give it a whirl in my
testing range? It’s out through that door in the back.” Feeling intrigued by this proposition,
Risea removed Blippy from the top of a Splat Bomb before heading out with him to the firing
range.

Inside a medium-sized room with walls painted a pale green, Risea carried her Splatana and
walked around the area, finding a group of triangular balloons fixed to the ground. As she
held the sword in her hands, she said, “Okay, what did that geek say about this thing, again?
Something about slashing…Ultra Stamp…ah whatever, I can figure this out by myself.”
Blippy watched from a corner as Risea carried the blade unprofessionally to one of the
balloons. She grabbed the hilt of the Splatana and raised it above her head, bringing it down
with a powerful swing. Despite this, the balloon showed no signs of taking damage. Risea
wondered why this was the case before realizing that the ink-covered sponge part of the
Wiper had not made contact with the balloon; she had been attacking with the fuller. She
huffed in embarrassment before facing the correct side towards the balloon and whacking it,
causing the inflatable to get covered partially in ink. Risea then swung at the object
horizontally, causing to get even more wet. She then followed up with another hit from the
left, making the balloon burst. The loud sound of rubber tearing apart satisfied Risea’s
desires, and she grinned with joy. “All right,” she said, “I’m already starting to like this thing!
I wonder what else it can do…” She fiddled with the Wiper, eventually finding a
compartment in the hilt that dispensed a strange, small object shaped like a fish. When she
grabbed the object, it suddenly enlarged as it filled with ink from the weapon. Out of
curiosity, Risea hurled the fluid-engorged fish at another balloon. This caused the weapon to
stop in midair, rise up slightly, point to the balloon, and fly towards it, resulting in an orange
explosion.

Risea laughed, saying, “Wow! What a cool bomb; it just locked onto that thing like *ping*
*ping* *BOOM*!” Feeling excited, Risea performed her techniques on the other balloons,
whacking the targets with her sword, swimming in the ink to replenish her ammo, and
lobbing the peculiar fish bombs all over the place, having a blast all throughout. The constant
work exerted by her ink sac soon caused an intense feeling to well up in her body. Just like
the event that happened during her fight with DJ Octavio, Risea’s tentacle hair started to glow
brightly and her hearts beat faster and faster. This time, however, her weapon started to take
on a glimmering sheen. Risea was no longer fully in control of herself as she swung around
her Wiper in pure excitement. This caused a mechanism to activate in the sword, changing its
composition, size and density to form a giant hammer. With this massive mallet in her grip,
Risea did the first thing that came to her mind: running through the range while wildly
swinging her weapon. She felt as if she were floating on air as she slammed the hammer on
the ground over and over again, leaving multiple large, circular, orange marks on the ground.
Nothing could stop her as she crushed 4 balloons during her stampede. After doing that,
Risea’s ink sac returned to its normal efficiency, and Risea’s agitated state wore off.

She took shallow breaths in and out as she tried to comprehend the recent events. “Huh,” she
breathed, “That must’ve been the Ultra Stamp that Sheldon was talking about.” She turned
towards her smallfry, saying, “Were you watching me, Blippy? That might’ve been the most
fun that I had in my life!” Blippy flopped up and down in excitement over his friend’s
experiences. Risea beamed with joy, adding, “We’re going to be having lots of fun now.”

Leaving Sheldon to tend to his weapon business, Risea went with Blippy towards the Lobby,
where she would test out her skills with the Splatana Wiper. Along the way, she came across
Jereef and Angela, who were walking and talking while eating bagels. They stared at each
other for a few moments in anticipation before Risea said, “Mornin’” Jereef innocently
waved back with friendliness while Angela gave a half-hearted wave. “Yo,” she said, “I heard
about what went down yesterday.” Risea shook her hand in the air dismissively, responding,
“Oh, don’t worry about all that; I forgive you guys.” Jereef jumped happily, saying, “Booyah!
Friend Risea has rejoined us! Happy days.” As Risea smiled at the young Jereef’s
childishness, Angela replied, “Cool beans. Well, me and Jereef were going to hop into some
Turf Wars. Do you wanna join?” Risea gave a thumbs up, responding, “Sure thing! I just got
a Splatana Wiper from Ammo Knights that I wanted to get the hang of.” Angela nodded,
saying, “Alright, G, what’re we waiting for?” With that, the trio made their way to the lobby,
where they queued into a Turf War.
 Facing skilled competition
Chapter Summary

Risea learns what it means to be outmatched for the 1st time in her life as she faces
another more proficient Splatana user.

Risea, Jereef, Angela and another Octoling arrived at Eeltail Alley, a section of Splatsville
sectioned off for battle purposes. As each contestant stood on their repurposed coffee
machine, the same announcer said through the speakers, “WASSUP!? Here we are in the
streets! Let’s show the residents how we get our splat on! Get ready to start in
3...2...1...NOW!”

At that, each of the carrier devices launched the cephalopods onto the battlefield, energetic
rock music began to play, and the match started. Without a care in the world, Risea ran
forward through the stage, her Splatana Wiper in hand. She did not even bother with inking a
path forward; the only thing on her mind was finding an opponent to whack. Soon, she found
an Inkling girl who was wielding an ink gun with a fiery design. The girl, surprised by the
sudden appearance of Risea, shot an exploding shot towards her hastily. The projectile missed
Risea by a long shot, and Risea jumped onto the poor Inkling, assaulting her with repeated
swipes of her weapon. Once the girl was splatted, the ink-hungry Risea ran onto a ramp in
search of her next victim. Taking a left turn at the top of the ramp, Risea found herself on a
long, concrete platform that was placed over an empty space. There, she found an Octoling
boy with curled tentacles that was holding, to Risea’s surprise, a Splatana Wiper. “Hey,” she
said, “You think that you’re better than me? I’ll show you who’s better at using the
Splatana!” The Octoling looked at Risea with her battle-ready stance and grinned, saying,
“Oh, so you’re challenging me? Let’s see if your words match your actions!”

Risea immediately leapt towards the boy with her inky blade, to which the octopus replied by
stepping back and swiping his Splatana towards his foe. By doing this, he was able to launch
waves of orange ink at Risea. Unprepared for such a technique, Risea was splatted in 4 hits.
Her ghost rose into the air as the Octoling placed his sword on his back coolly before
painting the ground with his projectile attacks.

When Risea respawned, she glared in front of her with confusion, saying, “How did that guy
just do that? Hold on, let me try and see what’s up...” As a test, Risea wound up her sword
and swiped it in front of her, finding that some pink ink did in fact come out of it when she
did so. She grinned with satisfaction, saying, “Nice work, bozo, you just taught me a new
trick! Just wait until I find you, you’ll regret ever humiliating me like that again!” Using her
newly-learned technique, Risea laid out a path of ink so that she could swim back into the
action. Seeing a Splattershot-using Octoling girl in the distance, she tested out her range
attacks on her. Due to having just learned this move, Risea missed most of her attacks, and
the Octoling had caught notice of her. Risea stayed determined, however, and she swiped
with all her might, figuring that if she launched enough ink, at least some of it would hit her
opponent. Fortunately for her, this idea had some merit, and the girl ended up getting
eliminated.

As Risea dove into her ink to recover from that strenuous task, she gurgled, “Now that I’ve
learned how to attack both close and far away, I’m unstoppable! That octopus won’t know
what hit him!” Once her reserves were full, she advanced forward in the absence of her
teammates to find the same Octoling boy painting an alcove next to a tree. She pointed at him
before gripping the hilt of her weapon with determination, saying, “There you are! Your time
is up!” She pulled back her Splatana Wiper before swiping it at the boy repeatedly with
unrelenting energy. The Octoling, although slightly taken aback by this act, kept his
composure as he dove into his ink to become concealed. Risea stopped her movements,
looking around while feeling perplexed. “Hey,” she said she said as her grip tightened around
her weapon, “Where’d you disappear to all the sudden? Come on out and face me like a
man!” Suddenly, before Risea could even react, the Octoling jumped out of an orange puddle
behind her, wound up his Splatana, and performed a mighty slash straight onto her back.
Risea felt an immediate, stabbing pain travel all throughout her body, and she was splatted on
the spot. The Octoling simply shook off the excess ink from his blade before going forward
with his business.

Risea was once again sent back to her base, felling extremely peeved. “Oh my god,” she
exclaimed, “What does this guy know that I don’t? What was that thing he just did to me? I
can’t even mimic him either; he was behind me when he did it.” As Risea stomped the
ground in anger, the nearby Jereef said, “Friend Risea! Paint ground you must, or we will win
the feet!” Risea looked at her teammate with malice before lightening up, saying, “Good idea,
Jereef! If we do that, then I can get my Ultra Stamp to smash that guy’s head in! Come on,
let’s go!”

Risea travelled with Jereef who was using his silver gun and flung waves of pink ink all
around. The timer ticked down as Risea tirelessly worked her ink sac to the max, gaining
points for her team all the same. Eventually, after covering a good amount of the ground,
Risea felt the exquisite sensation of power welling up in her chest. “Oh yeah,” she said as her
tentacles started to shine, “It’s hammer time!” Wasting no time, Risea shook the Splatana
Wiper, causing it to morph into its mallet form. A wide smile grew on her face as she looked
around for any cephalopods to smash, particularly the sword-user. Once an enemy fell within
her wild eyes, she rushed at them with the vigor of a starving shark. Her target, an unwary,
paint roller-using Inkling boy, looked behind him and cried out in absolute terror as he saw
the maniacal Risea approach. Within seconds, he was nothing but a puddle of pink ink on the
floor. Invigorated by her 1st splat, Risea ran forward with abounding excitement and ferocity.
In this untamed state, she was able to crush the Splattershot user and severely injure the
flaming gun user. To her massive disappointment, however, she saw no sign of the sword-
wielding octopus. At this moment, her Ultra Stamp special wore off, and she was left wide
open for a blast from the girl that barely avoided her onslaught.

As Risea once again had her body reformed, the announcer came back on, saying, “One
minute left! Make it count!” This message was followed by more frenetic music replacing the
regular tune that was playing, increasing the urgency of the moment. As this was happening,
Angela, who had also respawned, ran over to Risea with an enraged expression, saying, “Hey
as*hole, why haven’t you taken care of that Splatana Wiper yet? He’s destroying us in our
own home f**king field!” Risea looked past Angela to see that she was speaking the truth;
painting most of the area near the pink team’s base was the same Octoling boy. Angela
continued, “He’s moving too fast for me to snipe, so I need one of you ba**ards to engage
him NOW.” Risea looked with pure malice at the skilled Octoling, replying, “Oh trust me, I
don’t need you to tell me to fight that idiot. Just watch me!” And so Risea jumped in without
thinking, only concerned with causing as much pain to the octopus as possible. As a result,
she was trounced again and again, never managing to put as much as a scratch on the skillful
swordsman. Each splat sent Risea closer and closer to the boiling point until she couldn’t take
it anymore. Screaming with pure rage, she threw her Splatana Wiper onto the ground as hard
as she could, jumping up and down and causing a scene. As she was doing her tantrum, the
host finally said, “That’s all, folks! Get back on your robots and fly back to the lobby!” Risea
snatched her fallen Splatana and stomped her way back to her coffee maker, muttering
obscene things under her breath as she returned with her allies back to the main city.

As revealed by Judd and Lil Judd, the orange team won by a long shot, especially with the
coverage near the pink team’s base. Although the rest of the team was very disappointed,
nothing could compare to the utter hatred that Risea had for what just unfolded. “Stupid
Octoling,” she said with silent rage, “Who does he think he is, besting me like that? I’ve
fought battle after dangerous battle out in the wilds, and I’ve won every one of them. Why
the frick is this one guy giving me so much trouble?” The Octoling boy on the other team,
seeing that Risea was feeling extremely bad, took a break from celebrating with his
teammates to head over to his rival. “Hello,” he said, “Are you doing okay? You took quite
the beating out there.” Risea looked up at him with intense disdain before taking a swing at
him with her fist, which the boy dodged. Afterwards, Risea yelled, “You’ve got some nerve,
coming up to me like that! Why don’t you go and stick that stick of yours up your butt and
leave me alone!?” The Octoling calmly replied, “Hey, I didn’t come to mess with you or
anything. I just want to help improve your Splatana Wiper skills. I can’t just let an energetic
Inkling such as yourself battle without knowing how to use this weapon, especially not when
I’m a Splatana main! So please, come with me. I’ll make it worth your while. Risea glared at
the boy for a minute before saying, “How do I know that I can trust you? I’ve dealt with
many crooks like you that would double-cross me at the drop of a hat!” The Octoling made
an innocent-looking face, saying, “Do I look like someone that would do that?” Risea
recoiled a bit incredulously. She considered the octopus’s words for a second before saying,
“Alright, fine, I give. Show me to wherever you’re going. But one wrong move and you’re
good as fried.” The Octoling smiled, saying, “Great! Okay then, let’s go to a more relaxing
place.” With that, Risea followed the weirdly nice Octoling out of the lobby, where the next
events would take place.
 Mentoring Mollusks
Chapter Summary

Risea gets taught how to use a Splatana Wiper by a very skilled Octoling boy.

Risea followed the Octoling outside of the Lobby to a section of Splatsville where a strangely
familiar goldfish was standing. “Hey,” said Risea, “Didn’t I see you in the Lobby’s
cafeteria?” The fish smiled, saying, “Now, what are you on about? You can’t just assume that
us goldfish are all the same, silly!” To the fish's merit, she was wearing a red vest rather than
a blue one. However, Risea still felt wary. "I dunno," she drawled, "You look like the spitting
image of that one that gives out food...” At this, the goldfish gave Risea a vaguely threatening
look, saying, “I wouldn’t discuss this any further if I were you, little miss.” Seeing this, the
Octoling stepped in, saying, “I’m sure that my friend here doesn’t mean to intrude, Marigold.
We’re just here so that we can go to Museum d’Alfonsino for some battle prep.” Marigold
returned to her kind expression, responding, “Of course, dearie! I’ll call a cart over there right
now.” She pulled out a flip phone from her suit and dialed a number, leaving Risea and the
octopus to wait. Soon enough, a golf cart piloted by a jellyfish came speeding over,
prompting Risea and her associate to get in. “Take care,” said Marigold, “And I hope that you
two have a fun time over there!” The Octoling did a friendly wave at the goldfish while Risea
gave her a suspicious look, and the two made off for their destination.

“Okay,” said the octopus, “Let’s get started, shall we? I trust that you brought your Splatana
Wiper, right?” Risea nodded, revealing her new weapon. The Octoling pulled out his own
Splatana, continuing, “Alright! Now, the first thing that we must get to is your swinging style.
When using the Splatana, you don’t want to do overhead strikes like some sort of cave-squid.
Use both hands to swipe horizontally, like this.” The Octoling demonstrated with his own
weapon, aiming for one of the lobster statues in the museum. “Just like that,” he said after
leaving blue stripes on the lithic crustacean, “Now you try. Cover my spots with your own
ink.” Risea glared at him, retorting, “Do you think I’m some sort of idiot? You saw me on the
battlefield swinging just like that! Of course I can do this!”

Risea hastily swung her sword at the statue, leaving smaller specks of orange on the statue.
The Octoling wagged his finger, saying, “No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong! You can’t just
swing the Splatana all hard and fast like that. You’ve got to exercise a bit more control, like
you’re cutting an onion. Here, let me show you again.” The octopus directed Risea’s attention
towards the movement he was making with his Splatana, putting emphasis on the subtle
sweeping motion he was making. “You see,” he said, “Instead of being sudden like a bolt of
lightning, you’ve gotta be smooth like a passing wave. Now, try again.” Risea huffed as she
winded up her Splatana. She closed her eyes before bringing her weapon across the area in
front of her. Alas, this effort resulted in yet another speck of ink emerging from her weapon.
“Dang,” she exclaimed, “Shut up, I’ve got this.” She shook her head, trying her best to mimic
the octopus’s movements, but nonetheless failing again and again. Her anger grew as she shot
small shot after small shot, making the lobster look like it had chickenpox. Just when she had
enough, she managed to make a singular, crescent-shaped projectile come out of her sword.

“Nice,” said the Octoling, “You did it! Try and do it 3 more times so I can make sure that this
isn’t a fluke.” Risea smiled with pride at having done this feat, and she prepared her mind to
execute the same action. After some experimentation, trial-and-error, and determination she
was able to unleash 3 more sword beams. “Woohoo,” she cheered, her arms raised
triumphantly in the air, “I won!” The Octoling laughed, replying, “Oh, we’re not even
through the half of it. Buckle up, because we’ve got more to learn.” Risea lowered her hands
in disappointment before letting out a sigh, and the two continued their course.

“Next,” the Octoling said, “We’re going to discuss the charge attack. To execute it, you must
hold your hilt with two hands just like before, but this time you’re going to wind it up behind
you. Watch.” He gripped his Splatana and moved it towards his backside, building up power
before bringing it up in a curving, vertical motion, making a line of blue along the ground in
front of him. “Just like that,” he said, “Now, I would recommend doing that same subtle
movement that you did earlier, but just try and do it faster, okay? Alright, let’s start!” Risea
set her feet to the ground, mirroring her associate’s actions to a satisfactory degree. She
formed a mental image in her head of the action she had done in the previous exercise and
flipped it roughly 90 degrees. Once she had done that, she executed her plan, allowing her to
release a powerful, vertical crescent attack. “Perfect,” said the Octoling, “You’ve got it on the
first try! I knew that I saw potential in you.” Risea grinned at this compliment, replying,
“What can I say, I guess that I’m just the best!” The Octoling continued, “Okay, I think we
don’t have to discuss this any further. Let’s move on!”

“Now,” said the Octoling as the two made their way over to a more open area, “The thing I’m
about to teach would be better experienced against a training dummy, but I’m sure that we
can improvise here. Okay, find the Torpedo in your Splatana.” Risea scratched her head,
unaware of what was meant by this. “Wait,” she said, “Torpedo? What would that...oh wait.”
She found the sub weapon in the hilt of her sword, saying, “You mean this thing?” The
Octoling nodded, saying, “Yep! Now, there’s a technique that I want to show you, but it may
hurt a bit, mainly for me. Throw the Torpedo at me, and when it explodes, immediately fire a
charged shot at me.” He braced himself, saying, “Okay, let it rip!” Risea smiled, satisfied at
being able to exact her revenge on this Octoling. She happily threw the Torpedo into the air,
watching as it flew towards her partner. Once it blew up, Risea quickly, but thoughtfully
unleashed a powerful crescent projectile towards the octopus. This combo resulted in him
being immediately splatted, and his ghost returned to a base in the back. After a delay, he
Super Jumped back to Risea’s location.

“Wow,” he said, “You sure are a fast learner. Just so you know, two regular shots from your
weapon after a Torpedo explosion are enough to finish the job, but I thought that I would just
teach you a cooler-looking technique. Oh, and if you unleash a charge attack onto someone
else and your blade touches them, they’ll instantly go down!” Risea thought about this then
gave a devious look towards the Octoling, saying, “How about I test it out on you? It’s about
time that I got you back for doing the same thing to me...” Panic entered the octopus’s eyes as
he exclaimed, “Oh, no, no, no, I’m sure that you can learn more about that on the actual
battlefield!” Risea threateningly raised her Splatana, adding, “Are you sure? Because I’m
sure it would be very interesting...” The Octoling gulped, responding, “Let’s just move on,
please.” Risea snickered at her associate’s discomfort before complying and following his
lead.

“Alright then,” said the Octoling, “This is the final part of my lesson. Go ahead and paint all
around to build up your special. Meanwhile, I’ll be setting out a path my that rotating pillar
over there.” Risea nodded, taking her Splatana Wiper and releasing ink to her heart’s content.
After a bit of that, she could feel power welling up in her ink sac, and her tentacles started
glowing with intense energy. Seeing this, the octopus shouted, “Hey, don’t use your Ultra
Stamp yet! Come over here first!” Fighting hard to control her wild urges, Risea ran over to
the Octoling, who had shot spots of blue in a line circling the spinning pillar. “Okay,” he said,
“Now it’s time to work on your hammer skills. Do you see the ink that I laid out on the
ground? Try to control your path so that you travel in a circle. Ready...go!” Risea just let all
her passion flow out in the form of her giant mallet, and she rushed forward with pure
savageness. Somehow, the reason in the very back of her mind won out over her carnal
desire, and she just barely managed to stamp out a path in the intended way. Once she was
finished, the craziness left her mind and the Ultra Stamp returned to being a normal sword.

The Octoling clapped, saying, “Great work, squid. You have now learned the basics of using
the Splatana Wiper. The art of being a sword wielder is not as simple as I have shown, but
I’m sure that you can develop your own understanding of the skill.” Risea grinned
confidently, replying, “You can bet your tentacles on that, octo boy! Pretty soon, you’re going
to be looking at the best Splatana user in the Splatlands!” The Octoling nodded, responding,
“We’ll have to wait and see now, won’t we? Oh, and before you leave, I may as well
introduce myself. I’m Chara, long-time resident of Splatsville! And who would you be?”
Risea pointed her thumb at her chest, saying, “You’re looking at Risea, the super squid from
the Splatlands!” She assumed a more friendly posture as she continued, “You know, I’m sorry
that I gave you such a cold welcome at first. Apparently, you’re not all that bad! Thanks to
you, I can kick other’s butt in battle!” Chara opened his arms, replying, “Hey, I’m glad that
we were able to reach this conclusion. Here’s hoping that you can use the knowledge gained
here to reach for the stars!” He held out his hand for a fist bump, which Risea gladly
returned. “Well,” said Chara, “This sure has been fruitful. I hope to see you around, Risea!”
She smiled, responding, “Same to you, buddy!” With that, the two cephalopods returned to
the golf cart, where they drove off to Splatsville.

After breaking away from Chara, Risea quickly went back to the Lobby, finding Blippy who
had been engorging himself on kitchen scraps. After reclaiming him, Risea remembered that
the New Squidbeak Splatoon was expecting her, so she made her way to the manhole in the
city and dove in.
 Face Painting
Chapter Summary

Risea engages in a test where she uses the Explosher to paint a giant Moai head. Also,
Deep Cut appears.

Risea jumped out of the manhole to find the New Squidbeak Splatoon continuing their game
of chess. Captain Martine looked quite disgruntled and was shaking his head while Agent 2
grinned with satisfaction. Agent 1 noticed Risea’s arrival, saying, “Oh, hello, Agent 3! Are
you ready to continue your work?” Risea replied, “Sure thing. Where’re those clothes I was
wearing?” Agent 1 reached behind her, finding the incomplete Hero Suit, which she gave to
Risea. “Here you go,” she said cheerfully, “Now don’t forget to ink, ink, ink as much as you
can! We want to get your gear back on the up-and-up as soon as possible!” Risea simply
responded, “Yeah, alright. Come on, Blippy, let’s--WOAH!” Eager to go, the smallfry leaped
out of Risea’s hoodie, darting towards the nearest kettle. “Okay,” she said, “I guess we’re
doing this!” She inked a path towards her friend so that she could catch up, and she removed
the latch from the kettle to enter.

As Risea landed into the testing area, she heard a chime as O.R.C.A turned on. “Greetings,
trial-goer,” it said, “I am aware that you are a new face here in Alterna, but this test should
not give you any trouble at all. In fact, I imagine that it will be quite fun. Here, you must use
what is called an Explosher to fully paint a replica of a popular statue head. This trial will test
your aim, patience, and attention to detail. Whenever you are ready, you may receive your
weapon from the dispersal unit and begin.” Risea proceeded to step into the circular area in
the room, and a hollow cylinder arose to give her what looked to be a combination of a jet
heater and a blue jerrycan. She looked with awe at the object, as it reminded her of the
various items that she and Blippy would find in the desert. Filled with a sense of nostalgia,
she exited the room and got right to completing the mission.

She was absolutely dumbfounded when she saw what awaited her a good distance away: a
giant Moai statue head. “Woah.” she said, “This thing is GIGANTIC! Who even had the time
to make this?” Callie responded, “I know, right? Well, as O.R.C.A said, you’re going to have
to paint ALL of it. Better get to it, then! You do know how to use the Explosher, right?”
Risea did, in fact, not know how to use the Explosher. She had never even heard of one. She
did not want to reveal this information, however, so she said, “Oh yeah, sure I do! I’ll be
done with this in no time!” She then spent some time looking over the Explosher once more,
trying to find any means to fire the weapon. "Let’s see, she thought, I don’t see any sort of
handle. And I don’t think this thing is meant to hit people with like the Splatana. All it has is
this hole...oh, hold on, I found something! Risea located the sub weapon hatch of the
Explosher, finding a water balloon-like bomb. She approached the Moai head and threw the
bomb at it, finding that the explosive instantly created a small splotch of ink on the statue.
“Ah,” she said, “There we go! I don’t know why they would give me such a weak tool, but
whatever. I can manage.” Risea then proceeded to launch many of the projectiles at the rocky
head, refilling her ink every now and then while Agent 1 watched in silence.

After Risea barely managed to paint the nose of the Moai head, Agent 2 came into the call,
saying, “Hey girls, what’s been going on so far? I just finished dominating Captain Martine
in another game of chess. For a leader, he sure doesn’t know about strategy all too much!”
Agent 1 replied, “I see that you’ve proved yourself the master strategist again! As for what
we’re doing, Agent 3 seems to be doing a weird challenge where she’s only using Burst
Bombs to paint this huge head. It’s a bit inefficient, but she seems to be diligent in her work!”
Agent 2 watched Risea as she continued lobbing the Burst Bombs at the lithic object, Blippy
having jumped out of the hoodie to watch his friend. “Oh, wow,” said Agent 2, “She’s really
going at it, huh? I'll be honest, though, I can’t see why she’s even doing this challenge when
the Explosher does exactly what the Burst Bombs do, except bigger...” Hearing this, Risea
stopped her movements mid-throw, responding, “...What did you just say? Why didn’t
anyone tell me? So, I’ve been throwing these things pointlessly?!” Agent 1 paused for a
second before second before replying, “Wait, so you haven’t been trying to do a challenge?”
Risea frowned, exclaiming, “Why would I?! I was just left with no other choice; I’ve got no
clue how to use this Explosher thing!” Agent 2 responded, “Wait, are you being serious? I
thought it was obvious!” She sighed before continuing, “Okay, so what you want to do is use
one hand to hold the metal bar on the top of the weapon and the other hand to support the
blue bottom. Once your hands are in that position, position the hole towards whatever you’re
aiming for and swing the Explosher in that direction, preferably in a U-shaped curve.” Risea
did as Agent 2 said, gripping the Explosher in the intended way and shaking the weapon
towards the Moai head. When she did so, a large ball of orange ink hurtled towards the
bottom of the statue, creating a massive ink splotch.

Risea blushed as she thought, "Dang, it really is that simple. Boy, do I feel like an idiot."
Unwilling to dwell on this topic any further, Risea continued hurling her bodily fluids at the
rocky head, finding that she had to refill her reserves quite often as she did so.

While she was busy with this task, the defeated Captain Martine arrived in the call, saying,
“Don’t get too cocky, Agent 2. You may have outsmarted me this time, but you won’t be
enjoying your winning streak forever.” Marie chuckled, replying, “Whatever you say,
captain. When you stop moving your important pieces into vulnerable positions, then maybe
you’ll be able to best me.” The captain then said, “Anyway, that’s a topic for another time.
What’s your progress on this mission so far, Agent 3?” Risea continued painting the statue,
answering, “It’s going pretty well. I think that I’m almost done...” Agent 1 added,
“Apparently Agent 3 did not know how to use an Explosher, so we helped her out.” Captain
Martine replied, “Oh, interesting. I’ll be honest, I can’t wrap my head around that weapon,
either. It just doesn’t fit my style, what with it being long-ranged and all; I’m more of a
Roller user.” Risea smiled a bit, as she felt better about herself for not understanding the
Explosher at first. Blippy yawned before jumping back into Risea’s hoodie; he had grown
bored of the repetitive ink-flinging.

After a bit more tedious painting, a crisp chime played through the area, and O.R.C.A said,
“Well done, participant. You have fully covered the head replica orange. If you desire it, you
may pursue a career in face painting. Whether or not you do, you can enjoy your prize. Please
use the platforms to head to the goal.” After the AI said that, 6 platforms arose from the
below the ground, creating a path for Risea to head to another one of those protected
cylindrical objects, which she freed and received power eggs from. After she claimed her
reward, she was suddenly teleported back to the surface.

“Gosh,” said Risea when she and Blippy reassembled, “Do they have to do that? Dang
machines with their alien tech...” As she was recovering, she heard the quick, rippling sound
of water being displaced. She looked around confused until she heard a familiar voice,
saying, “Hold it right there!” After this line was spoken, a large entity leaped out of the water
surrounding the land Risea was sitting on, and it landed with a mighty thud before her. Two
other figures then leaped off said entity, and they stood on both sides of the stranger. All 3
individuals were wearing tan, demon-like masks, but other than that, they were not donning
anything special. The blue-tentacled one continued, “What do you think you’re doing here?
We don’t take kindly to people intruding on our turf, you know.” The dark-skinned, yellow
tentacled one added, “Yeah! You better state your business here before we whoop you!”
Risea opened her mouth to speak before the same person interjected, “Haha, got you there!
We were going to trounce you, anyhow.” The large figure, which turned out to be a manta
ray, also added, “Ay!” The blue-tentacled individual then stated, “He says, ‘How did you
even get down here?’ To which I’m going to say, we don’t care how you got down here, all
that matters is that you’re obstructing our operation.”

Hearing this commotion, the rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon entered the scene. “Hey,”
said Agent 1, “What’s going on here? Who are you 3 supposed to be?” The blue-tentacled
person coolly replied, “We’re not supposed to be anything. But I’ll tell you who we really
are.” She removed her mask, revealing herself to be an Octoling before continuing, “Just like
a shark, I’m cold-blooded and vicious. When I’m done with you, you’ll be nothing but a dead
carcass in the ocean.: She then flashed a deadly glare towards the group, finishing, “Call me
Shiver, because you’ll be quivering in your boots!” The yellow-tentacled one then followed,
“When I’m on the dance floor, I slip and slide like a bowl of eels. Mess with my friends, and
I’ll busting it down like there’s no tomorrow!” She struck a dramatic pose, adding, “Call me
Frye, cause I bring the heat!” The manta ray then removed his mask, revealing a docile, yet
serious face. He uttered another “Ay” which was translated by Frye as “Mess with me, and
you’re in for BIG trouble. Big Man is in the house, and he’s bringing the hype!”

Agent 1 looked absolutely starstruck while Agent 2 asked, “Wait, Shiver, Frye and Big Man?
Don’t you 3 hold that new program in Splatsville, the Anarchy Splatcast?” Risea gasped in
absolute shock; never would she have thought that such characters would be down in Alterna.
Frye answered, “Uh, yeah, we do. That doesn’t mean that we can’t keep up our role as
bandits on the side! It’s our true passion.” Shiver added, “Yes, and what a perfect time to be
pillagers. Look at what we’ve been missing out on, you two! So many items to collect, so
many areas to explore! And that’s why we can’t allow you all to stay down here. We’ve faced
many people like you; all you do is interrupt our work and prevent us from making away
with the goods. So, unless you want to get grinded into a fine powder, you won’t advance any
further from this island. You’ve been warned...” With that, Big Man pulled out a smoke
bomb, and all 3 members struck a parting pose before disappearing.

Agent 1’s eyes glimmered as she exclaimed, “Did you see that?! Their lines were so flawless
and dramatic, you would think that they rehearsed it all!” Agent 2 responded, “It’s what I
expected from show hosts such as them. Anyway, we won’t let what they said discourage us
from continuing, right, Agent 3? We must go on for Gramps and the Great Zapfish!” Risea
nodded, as she was all too eager to face these interesting characters. With that, she looked for
the next kettle to acquire more power eggs.
 Stringing Together a Victory
Chapter Summary

Risea tries out the Tri-Stringer during a test in Alterna.

After having Blippy consume some obstructing Fuzzy Ooze, Risea was able to reach another
test entrance. There, she stepped into the weapon dispersal unit to find a strange new weapon:
some kind of bow. Risea inspected the weapon with wonder and curiosity, pulling at the thick
string to find that doing so also caused three other strings to tighten. Said strings were
attached to two smaller tubes that flanked a larger tube, which turned out to be a bicycle
pump. Ink flowed out of Risea’s hands and into the strings, causing the tubes to fill up with
orange liquid. Upon releasing the string, ink was forced out of the tubes by the strong string
force. “Woah,” she said, “What kind of weapon is this? I like it!” Agent 2 replied, “Oh, I
think that’s the Tri-Stringer. It’s one of the new weapons circulating in Splatsville.” Risea
smiled with joy, enchanted by the uniqueness of this tool. A small thought nagged at the back
of her head, wondering how O.R.C.A was able to scavenge blueprints for a new weapon, but
she quickly ignored it. Eager to test out this new bow, she paid the power egg fee of 20 before
stepping through the clear doors to begin her challenge.

Risea began pulling repeatedly at the string, essentially playing it like a bass. She and Blippy
hummed a tune as Risea played a single note with the Tri-Stringer. Although they were
fooling around, the stimulation to Risea’s ink sac was beneficial to the repair of her Hero
Suit. Before Risea and Blippy could get to the good part of their song, they came across a
Fuzzy Octotrooper. “Okay, Agent 3,” said Agent 1, “Now’s your chance to test out that Tri-
Stringer of yours!” Risea grinned, imagining what sort of damage she would be able to dish
out. She pulled back the strings, allowing her ink to flow through to the canisters, released
her grip and...missed completely. Now left wide open, Risea took a purple ink shot straight to
her chest. She winced in pain before saying, “Hold up, I got this!” She once again prepared
an attack while her enemy did the same. This time, she was able to make a shot...but the
Octotrooper was still standing. It had only been hit by a third of the orange ink being
launched. Risea once again took a hit, causing her Hero Suit to break even more. While Risea
was already wanting for coverage earlier, now her breasts and buttocks were extremely
exposed. Had it not been for the recent repair of her clothes, she would’ve been left
completely naked. While she did not care much about that fact, she was aware that she was
more susceptible to damage, so she quickly swam away behind cover.

As Risea was recovering, Agent 2 said, “Oh, what’s that? Ah...uh huh...alright. Uh, Agent 3,
for some reason Captain Martine grew quiet all the sudden. I think he said something about
using your smallfry to handle that incoming Octarian? Come on, captain, what’s up with
you?” Risea emerged from her ink and looked at Blippy, who was staring blankly at a wall.
She smiled, saying, “Hey, Blippy, could you do me a favor? Go and kick that Octarian’s butt!
Come, on, it’s right there!” Risea pointed towards the Octotrooper, but Blippy simply looked
in that direction; he did not seem to be in the mood to listen. To make things worse, the
Octotrooper had noticed Risea’s hand movements, and was quickly approaching to finish its
opponent off. Hearing mechanical sounds that were gradually increasing in volume, Risea
started to grow panicked. “Come on, Blippy,” she said to her friend tensely, “Now’s not the
time to goof around! Move!” Still, the salmonid would not budge. Feeling desperate, Risea
hesitated a moment before grabbing Blippy and chucking him at the approaching
Octotrooper, yelling, “Go get him!” Now startled to attention, Blippy noticed his foe, and his
mouth started to water; he had not eaten in quite a while. The Octotrooper was caught
completely off guard when the smallfry started tearing at its flesh, utilizing his few teeth to
great effect. Risea watched over the block she was hiding behind, a mix of terror and glee on
her face as her friend did his work. "W-wow,” she breathed, “Blippy! I had no idea that you
were able to do that!” Agent 1 added, “Same here, girl! That was like seeing a one-fish
feeding frenzy! Well, uh...no matter how gruesome that was, it got the job done!” At that
moment, Risea’s gear got back to its semi-healthy state, and she resumed her challenge.

As Risea tucked the still-chewing Blippy back in her hoodie, Captain Martine cleared his
throat, saying, “Sorry about my sudden, er, quietness. I was...distracted. Anyway, Agent 3,
you look to be having trouble using that Tri-Stringer. I know exactly what’s happening here:
you’re not pulling the string hard enough! You’ve got to draw the string far to allow the bow
to focus its shots better, or else you’re just going to do those weak spread shots. Plus, if you
charge fully, you’ll fire exploding shots!” Agent 2 responded, “So, he speaks! How did you
know about this information, anyway?” The captain answered, “I’ve been talking with Agent
8 recently, and he’s been informing me about the new weapons that have been released.”
Risea scratched her head, asking, “Wait, who’s Agent 8? I only count the 5 of us.” Captain
Martine replied, “Oh, that isn’t important right now. Just try and do what I mentioned, and
you’ll notice the difference.” Risea shrugged before putting her full muscle into pulling back
the thick string. She noticed that doing so allowed more of her ink to pool into the tubes, and
a cooling mechanism solidified the fluid into a semi-solid. Furthermore, as the captain said,
an automatic mechanism caused the end of each tube to travel towards the center of her
vision. Risea let go of the string, causing popsicle-shaped ink projectiles to fly out of the 3
tubes, and said projectiles each exploded in a small, orange burst. Risea smiled, satisfied at
having learned this new skill. “Thanks, Martine,” she said happily, “Now I can bring the hurt!
Look out, Octarians, here I come!” Unknown to Risea, Captain Martine was smiling with
contentment.

Risea continued playing her simple song as she walked on through the park-like landscape.
She eventually came across a trio of Fuzzy Octotroopers, and she started drawing her Tri-
Stringer in preparation. She took a deep breath before unleashing 3 solidified ink shots at one
Octotrooper, which caused it to get one-shot. Additionally, the explosions caused by the
projectiles did major damage to the other two enemies, making them easy pickings for a
weak spread shot by Risea. She raised her arms in triumph, exclaiming, “Now, that’s more
like it! This thing is almost as cool and powerful as my Splatana Wiper!” Risea then went
past a bridge to find a tall wall, which she used as an opportunity to practice her Squid Surge.
After excellently performing the maneuver, she was met with a new challenge: a flying
target. Moved along on an invisible track, a brown, linoleum block with 3 small, dimmed out
lights moved back and forth. “Ooh,” said Agent 2, “An aim test. Okay, Agent 3, you’ve got
the power, but do you have the skills? It looks like you have to activate all those ink switches
by shooting at them. As a charger girl, this doesn’t look that difficult to me, but I’m pretty
sure that you can pull it off.” Risea narrowed her eyes, feeling slightly peeved at Agent 2’s
superior-minded remarks. She then pulled back the Tri-Stringer's strings as far as she could,
letting go once her sights were on the moving block. Alas, she missed by quite a lot.

She sucked her teeth, shaking her head in annoyance before trying again. She missed again,
but this time she was a bit closer to hitting her mark. Inspired by her progress, she attempted
5 more times until she finally hit the center of the flying object. Unfortunately, once all
Risea’s projectiles hit and lit up the middle switch, said switch immediately turned off. Risea
stared in disbelief while Agent 1 said, “Aw, man! If I had to guess, you’re supposed to hit all
3 switches at once. Wow, so you have to be accurate AND have good timing! I sure hope that
you’re up for the task, Agent 3!” Risea took a moment to refill her ink tank before looking
with disdain at her target. As she was thinking, Captain Martine advised, “Here’s a tip for
you: the focus of the Tri-Stringer gets thinner the longer you hold back the string, so try and
use that to your advantage.” Risea looked once more at the flying block, taking note of the
spacing of each switch. Okay, she thought, When I pull back the string all weak-like, I shoot
ink in a spread that’s about as wide as, let’s say, my arm length. When I pull back the string
as far as I can, I shoot a spread that’s about as wide as my head. So, how far back do I have to
pull the string to hit these switches? Risea sat down to think as Blippy flopped about. After
some pondering, Risea said to herself, “Frick it, I’ll just experiment.”

So, she used the good old trial and error method, using each attempt at hitting her target to
find what worked. Although the task was arduous, it finally paid off when Risea managed to
hit all of the switches. She widened her eyes in shock before twirling around in excitement,
exclaiming, “Yes! I did it! Man, that was difficult...” As she was celebrating, a launch pad
formed a few feet away from her, which she dove into. She then leaped to a far away
platform, where a dispenser granted her a reward in the form of power eggs. Once she
received them, she was uncomfortably transported back to the surface.
 Zipping and Zapping
Chapter Summary

Risea undergoes a test involving the Zipcaster, which she enjoys immensely.

After her return to the top, Risea proceeded to do 7 more trials, having to do tasks involving
accuracy, awareness, and calmness. Using the many power eggs that she got from those tests,
she was able to have Blippy remove most of the Fuzzy Ooze from the area, which Agent 2
found was called “Future Utopia Island” after deciphering some text left behind by some
unknown civilization. The only gunk left was a very large one that blocked the way to a pipe.
Agent 1 walked to Risea’s side, saying, “Okay, Agent 3, we should just need a few more
power eggs, and then your little buddy can get to eating! There’s only 1 more kettle in this
section, so get in there and do your magic!” Risea groaned before making her way forward.
“Geez Louise,” she muttered to herself, “Do you have to be so cheerful all the time? You’re
probably just happy that you’re not the one doing all these tests...” Although Risea was
starting to get displeased again with the work she was doing, she dove into the last kettle with
Blippy.

Once Risea landed in a typical starting room, she walked over to the weapon-giving pad only
to be met with nothing. As she stood there confused, O.R.C.A. said to her, “Good day, miss.
As you can see, you will not be receiving a weapon for this test. This time, you will be
relying on your body alone. Do not worry, however, I will give you a ‘power-up’ if you will.
Please brace yourself; this may sting.” Risea looked around confused, asking, “What do you
—GAH!” Suddenly, a robotic arm carrying a syringe injected Risea’s forearm with a purple
solution. Risea leapt back in surprise before attempting to angrily swat at the appendage. This
bid failed, as the arm retracted far too quickly. As Risea soothed her skin by rubbing it, she
started to feel all strange. Her hearts began to beat faster, and her ink sac was stimulated to
the max. Orange ink gushed out of her palms like a geyser and said ink rapidly coagulated as
it covered her entire body, especially her arms, in her own bodily fluids. “Agh,” she said
through her ink, “What’s--ACK—happening to me?! Ptooie, ah, I got some in my mouth!
And why are my arms so wobbly?!” Captain Martine answered, “Oh, that’s just a new special
that’s been brought up: the Zipcaster. As far as I know, you’re supposed to use your arms as
grappling hooks to latch onto walls and platforms.” Agent 2 added, “What he said. And it
looks like you’ve just got a special version of that special. My guess is that the serum that
was injected in you is supposed to be long-lasting.” O.R.C.A. replied, “And you would be
right. The effects of this Zipcaster will be active as long as it takes Risea to reach the goal.
Until then, she can enjoy her new powers.” Agent 1 laughed, saying, “Hey, Agent 2, doesn’t
this remind you of Spider Crab Man? You know, the squid who was pinched by a radioactive
spider crab that gave him the ability to crawl on walls and launch bubbles out of his mouth?”
Agent 2 replied, “Haha, yes! Though I guess that O.R.C.A. would be the radioactive whale,
er, I mean dolphin.” Risea attempted to get used to walking around in her new slippery form,
before exclaiming, “Wait a second, Blippy! Where are you?! I swear, if this serum—oh, there
you are.” She noticed her friend peeking out from her chest like an alien, forgetting that he
had the ability to dive in ink. Now put at ease, she unsteadily walked out through the clear
doors to begin her trial.

“Okay,” said Risea, “So, I’m supposed to use my arms as a...grappling hook? What in the
world does that mean?” Although she had never even heard of a grappling hook, she figured
that it was used to grab onto things like the captain had said. She looked at a wall in the
distance, saying, “Hey, my arms are all stretchy and stuff, right? Can I touch that wall all the
way from here?” She reeled her right arm back and brought it forward as if she were
throwing a ball. By doing so, she was able to stretch her inky arm towards the wall, allowing
her hand to stick onto it. Once this happened, she was suddenly propelled forward, crashing
into the wall. “Ouch,” said Agent 1, “That looks like it hurt. Well, you know what they say:
with great power comes great responsibility, and it’s your job to figure out how to control
your abilities.” Agent 2 then said, “Hey, that just like what Spider Crab Man’s uncle said!”
As the two agents were laughing at this similarity, Risea shook her head before continuing
forward. She noticed a pair of Fuzzy Octotroopers standing on a block preceded by a large
gap filled with water. She then asked, “Hold on, I entered here with no weapon! How am I
supposed to take care of these chumps?” Captain Martine replied, “Users of the Zipcaster can
make their own weapons! Do you see how ink is constantly flowing out of your hands? Try
and cup as much as you can with your palms and then hold the ink as if you were holding a
gun. I know it sounds crazy, but just trust me.” Risea shrugged before doing as her leader
said, clasping her hands together so that no fluid escaped. Just like before, the ink coagulated,
prompting Risea to stretch out the semisolid into the shape of a firearm. By doing so, she was
able to form the orange substance into a makeshift Hero Shot. “Woah,” she said, “Look at
that! I just made my own weapon! Let’s see if it works...” She held what appeared to be the
trigger, causing the gun replica to fire orange ink. “Oh yeah,” said Agent 2, “And since that
gun you made is composed of ink, you can store it in your body to use later. Useful, amirite?”
Risea smiled, replying, “You betcha! Octarians, here I come!” She enthusiastically stretched
her arm over to a wall of the block that her enemies were standing on, this time using her legs
to soften her impact. Once she got there, she pulled out her weapon from her hip and blasted
the two octopi. She laughed in triumph, saying, “Haha, awesome! I think that I’m starting to
like this Zipcaster!” She stretched out her hand towards the next platform, enjoying the
sensation of the wind flowing in her tentacle hair. As she zipped from block to block, Agent 1
said, “Welcome, folks, to the hit show: The Amazing Agent 3! With her body mutated by a
mysterious serum, she has now gained the ability to extend her arm to extraordinary lengths!”
Agent 2 added, “So far, she still seems to be getting used to her new powers. However, she is
learning at an INKcredible pace!” As Risea bounced on the walls, Agent 1 said, “For sure!
Just look at that finesse, that energy! You wouldn’t think that she only just learned about her
new abilities.” Marie then commented, “But will her innate moves be able to get her through
this?” “This” happened to be a series of long pillars below which was a massive pool of
water. One wrong move, and the girl was done for. Despite knowing this, Risea smiled
confidently, saying, “No need to worry about me! I’ve got the skills. I’ve got the power!” She
passionately reached for the 1st platform before shimmying herself in position to reach
towards another pillar. “Holy carp,” said Agent 2, “Agent 3 is showing absolutely no fear!
Does she not know she will land in a watery grave if she were to ever fall?” As Risea zipped
all over the place with unwavering courage, Agent 1 stated, “That’s what makes a true hero!
They don’t care if their life is on the line when they have a mission to complete! Isn’t that
right, Agent 3?” In the middle of Zipcasting, Risea answered, “Huh? Oh yeah, sure.” In truth,
Risea hardly cared about the good deeds that she was doing; one of the only reasons she was
still here was that she was hoping for something exciting like this to happen. Not knowing
this, Callie said, “And there you have it, folks! Our hero truly has a heart of gold.” Brushing
off these cheesy words, Risea stretched her way to the goal. Once she reached her
destination, O.R.C.A. said, “Great job, miss. I will now administer an antidote.” Although
Risea knew what was coming, she was unable to react to the blinding speed with which
another robot arm stabbed her with a syringe. As she winced, she felt her body return to its
normal state, and the orange substance concealing her dark brown skin fell off like shedded
hide. Not given the chance to rest, Risea was forcibly teleported back to the surface.

Still rubbing her arm, Risea said, “Well, that was a rollercoaster of a test. Okay, Blippy,
where are you?” She looked to her side to see that her smallfry was buzzing with energy. She
smiled, saying, “So, you’ve already got your fins on the power eggs, huh? Well, let’s get to
work!” She grabbed her friend and headed towards the final Fuzzy Ooze patch, throwing
Blippy towards the gunk’s weak point. Although the path was now clear, Risea went back to
the New Squidbeak Splatoon and said, “I’m feeling just about pooped now. I’ll just go ahead
and head back to Splatsville.” Agent 2 replied, “Alright, that’s cool. Captain Martine and I
will just have that chess match while you’re away. I already know how it’ll play out,
though...” The captain looked at Agent 2 strictly, responding, “We’ll see about that. I’ve still
got some tricks left up my sleeve.” As the captain and Agent 2 looked at each other with a
competitive stare, Agent 1 said, “Alright, Agent 3, we’ll see you later, then. Stay fresh!”
Risea nodded before putting back on her regular clothes and taking Blippy up the pipe to the
city.
 Trimming the Hedges
Chapter Summary

Risea decides to pay a visit to the barber as per the request of Murch the urchin.

Risea emerged to see Jereef sitting on a nearby rail eating an ice cream cone. “Hallo, friend
Risea,” he said cheerfully, “How do you be doing? In addition to the doing, for why is Risea
having emerged from sewer?” Risea shook her head, responding, “Oh no, Jereef, I didn’t hop
out of a sewer! I just came back from...uh...swimming. It turns out that they have a nice pool
down there.” Jereef tapped his chin, replying, “Is not the truth that in water Inklings death?
Squids go splat!” Risea sighed in exasperation, answering, “Well, this pool is different. But
you can’t come in; it’s only for special people.” Jereef looked at his shoes in disappointment,
saying, “Oh, I have sadness. But Jereef has surprise for friend! New person I have met in city
Splatsville. Would like for you meet her!” Risea shrugged, saying, “Alright, buddy, lead the
way.” Jereef cheered before having his friend follow him to a deep section of the city.

Sitting near a water fountain was a tall, red shirt-wearing urchin man with one eye and yellow
skin. He looked up from a shiny shell he was inspecting at the two cephalopods approaching.
“Oi, chum,” he said cooly, “Who’s this chick?” Jereef dramatically showcased his guest,
replying, “The squid be Risea! She come from outside like Jereef.” The young guy smiled at
Risea, saying, “A pleasure to meet you, Risea. The name’s Murch; I make a good coin off
helping the locals with their fashion. I may not be a fancy shop owner, but I know my stuff
when it counts.” Murch took another look at Risea before wincing and continuing, “Speaking
of which, man, do you look ragged! I’m not trying to diss you or anything, but have you even
looked in the mirror lately? When I say your hair is raggedy, I really mean it. And that’s
coming from me, a guy with spikes on his head! Murch pulled out a small mirror from his
briefcase and handed it to Risea, saying, “Take a look for yourself.” Risea studied her own
image, noticing how the tentacles on her head had grown long and disheveled after 18 years
of absolutely no maintenance. She looked like some dreaded monster of the deep. However,
she could care less about her situation. She turned back towards Murch, saying, “So? I’m just
fine with the way that I am now. Sure, my tentacles can get in my eyes sometimes, but I’ve
gotten used to it.” Murch looked at the Inkling in disbelief, saying, “Seriously? Are you
telling me that your fiasco of a hair style has never gotten to you?” Risea shook her head,
answering, “Nope. Not a bit.” Murch held his hand to his face, responding, “I’m sorry to tell
you this, chum, but that’s just not acceptable in this place. Around here, people judge you.
Maybe no one has mentioned it, but I can guarantee you that people are making fun of you as
the wild girl from wherever you arrived from, and you will see the effects soon enough.
That’s part of the reason why I do the things I do: I want to make Inklings and Octolings feel
like they’re important. And the way you’re rolling right now...yeah, that isn’t gonna cut it.
Risea, for the sake of your reputation, please go and get a tentacle cut. Trust me, you’ll thank
me later.”
Risea considered the urchin’s words. While she still did not care much for people of her own
species, let alone what they thought of her, deep down she desired to have a more
distinguished appearance. She could not explain it; the feeling was like a primal desire.
Therefore, she responded, “Alright, Murch, I’ll try it out. Well, at least I would if I knew
where to go.” Murch smiled friendlily, saying, “I’ve got you covered, chum.” He tore off a
section from a piece of paper and drew something on it with a small pencil. “Here,” he said
while handing the scrap to Risea, just follow this mini-map and you’ll find the local barber.
I’m sure that old Aenor will be able to help you.” As Risea looked at the doodle, Jereef said,
“Thanking you, Murch! Now friend Risea can grab good head topping!” Murch gave a
thumbs up, replying, “Don’t mention it, chum. Just doin’ my business. See you both later.”
With that, Jereef happily followed Risea as she used the directions of the guiding paper.

After a bit of a walk, the two cephalopods found themselves in front of a standard barbershop
called “Aenor’s Crustaceous Cuts”. The friends stepped inside to find a female pistol shrimp
going to work on the head of an Octoling boy. A fierce snapping could be heard as a strong
claw pinched at the octopus's many tentacles, and Risea was convinced that the poor boy was
getting murdered right in front of her. However, there appeared to be nothing bad happening
to the Octoling. In fact, his pseudo-hair was gradually starting to look better as it was snipped
rapidly. Soon enough, the Octoling had wonderful tentacle curls, causing him to pull out a
mirror and smile with glee. He gave the shrimp some coins before whistling happily and
waltzing out of the shop. The pistol shrimp clacked her claws against each other, saying,
“Parfaite! A job well done, if I do say so myself.” She looked over at Jereef and Risea and
pinched the air invitingly, saying, “Oh? Do I have some new customers? Welcome, my little
enfants! I am Aenor, if you could not tell by ze sign. So, what haircuts can I provide you
with, today?” Risea stepped up, answering, “Hey, yeah, I’m here to get my tentacles trimmed.
Preferably just enough to get them out of my eyes.” The crustacean looked at Risea and
gasped in shock, saying “Zut alor! What a mess! My sweet, it is only fortunate that you came
across me; you are in dire need of a trimming! Let us not waste any more time.”

Aenor forcibly picked up Risea and placed her in the barber’s seat, causing Blippy to jump
out of his friend’s clothes. The pistol shrimp then handed Risea a pamphlet, saying, “You
may choose any of these styles. Be sure to pick ze one that resonates with you ze most!” Still
recovering from the shock of being forced into a sitting position, Risea nonetheless looked at
her options under the “Inkling” section. Hmm, she thought as she flipped the pages, what’s
this one with the weird bumps? Cornrows? No thank you, only Larel can pull off looking that
lame. Oh, what about the Pigtails? Nah, way too cute for me. Hold on, Spiky-Haired? How
do they even get my tentacles to look like that?!” Risea continued browsing the selection,
going through choices like “Bed Head”, “Double-Bun”, and a style like Captain Martine’s,
“Topknot”. Eventually, she came across a style that was an instant hit with her: “Banger”.
The way that the Inkling on the page had two strands of tentacle on the sides of her face
while just a bit of tentacle covered the top of her forehead exuded a mighty amount of
coolness and attitude. Risea pointed at the page, saying, “I want this one!” The shrimp looked
at the pictured hairstyle before responding, “Très bien. Hold still, Inkling, this should not take
long!” The pistol shrimp immediately got to work, humming a happy tune as she used her
claws to their max potential to hack away the forest that was the top of Risea’s head. Risea,
on the other hand, was less than happy. Never before had she experienced such loud noises
this close to her head. “Hey,” she exclaimed, “Why do you have to cut my tentacles this way?
Isn’t this a safety hazard or something?” Unfortunately, no one was able to hear her words.
Not even Blippy, who was busy poking at discarded Inkling tentacles. Fortunately for Risea,
the barber was indeed correct; the whole cutting process was over fairly quickly.

As Risea held a hand to one of her ringing ears, Aenor placed a mirror in front of her
customer, and all of Risea’s pain went away. She looked gorgeous! No longer was she a squid
with a tumbleweed for a head; she now looked slick and distinguished like a recently
polished trophy. As she admired herself, Aenor said, “With that, I have allowed another
young flower to blossom in beauty! I do hope that you enjoy your new look, mom ami. Oh
yes, and before I forget, my services will cost you 24000 coins.” Risea’s jaw dropped after
hearing this. “Excuse me,” she exclaimed, “24000?! All for cutting my tentacles? You must
be crazy!” Jereef then held up his hand, stating, “Do not worry, companion! I possess many
money because of job in Grizzco. I am gifting some of coins to Risea!” With that, the boy
bestowed upon Risea the required amount, causing a bittersweet reaction in her. Aenor
accepted the currency, saying, “Thank you, my dears! I hope to see you again some other
time. Au revoir!”

After traveling back to Splatsville, Jereef and Risea both went their separate ways, and Risea
headed over to her and Larel’s abode. She arrived to find the young man lounging around on
a couch and fiddling with his phone. Risea tapped her foot, saying, “Well, well, you’re finally
up. I hope that you had a fun time sitting at home all day while I was out having fun.” Larel
looked blankly at his friend, responding, “I sure did, Risea.” Ignoring Larel’s glum attitude,
Risea struck a flamboyant pose, saying confidently, “So, Larel, do you notice anything
different about me? Anything that catches your eye, maybe?” Larel looked Risea up and
down, saying nothing for a good period of time. Finally, he answered, “I don’t know, did you
take some moisturizer or something?” Risea stared incredulously at her friend as his
cluelessness. Wow, she thought, How oblivious can a guy get? She laughed to herself while
saying, “Never mind, Larel.” Larel shrugged, replying, “Okay, then. Well, I have some
leftover sushi over there on the table if you want it.” Risea perked up at this proposition,
immediately taking Blippy with her to enjoy the scraps. Afterwards, she began to tuck herself
in for bed, feeling satisfied with her transformation.
 Festivals and Freeroamers
Chapter Summary

After hearing of the Rock vs Paper vs Scissors Splatfest, Risea explores Splatsville to
find an Octoling far from home.

Risea woke up feeling better than usual; she was pleasantly surprised to find that she did not
have to part her hair to clear her vision when she arose from sleep. She looked at Larel who
was, as usual, knocked out cold. She shook her head, saying, “Geez, Louise, are you ever
going to be an early bird? Don’t you have a job or something? How do you even get to work
being this lazy?” She sighed and looked at her smallfry, asking, “Don’t you find this guy
annoying, Blippy? He’s such a useless blob of ink. He spends most of his day sleeping and
doesn’t notice when his friend has changed. Oh well, at least you appreciate my new look,
right?” The Salmonid looked at his ally and chirped in agreement, prompting Risea to
respond, “See, I knew I could count on your support! Anyway, let’s see what’s happening in
Splatsville, shall we?” She grabbed her friend and placed him in her shirt, and the two made
their way for the city. On their way there, the two passed by a small piranha wearing an
equally small, blue suit. “Hey,” said the fish, “Do you two know Larel Padberg?” However,
the small piranha’s tiny voice failed to reach Risea’s ears, and she ran off, much to the
piranha’s annoyance.

Blippy and Risea reached Splatsville to find a bunch of hard hat-wearing jellyfish operating
construction equipment. The two approached a peculiar object shaped like a dragon’s head
and inspected it with curiosity. “Wow,” said Risea, “Where did they get this? What kind of
creature died so that its head could be used?” As Risea and Blippy were messing with the
prop, it was suddenly lifted into the air by a crane, causing the other Inklings and Octolings
to look on in amusement. The jellyfish operating the crane burbled in warning before
swinging the dragon head around, shaking off the unwanted clingers. Risea hit the ground
before shaking her fist angrily at the jellyfish, exclaiming, “Hey! What was that for? Me and
Blippy were just trying to take a look at that severed head!”

As Risea was causing a riot, the giant TV in the city switched from its normal programs to
the Anarchy Splatcast. “Listen up,” said Shiver when she appeared on screen, “It’s going
down. Repping the Splatlands, we are Deep Cut!” The other two members said their
introductions as usual before Big Man said something in his language that got translated to,
“Breaking news, you two! I’ve just got word of a major event coming up.” Frye then
inquired, “What is it, Big Man? Is it a photoshoot? A big concert? Wait a minute! Shiver, are
you thinking what I’m thinking?” Shiver replied, “I believe I am, Frye. If we’re correct, then
we’re dealing with none other than...a Splatfest!” Big Man’s subtitles confirmed, “You’re
both right! It’s time for a Splatfest!” Frye smiled giddily, eagerly asking, “Ooh, I love these!
What’s the theme, what’s the theme?!” Big Man extended his left fin to reach for a stack of
papers, responding, “Hold on, let me just...hnngh...ahh...” Shiver walked over to her friend,
saying, “Let me get those for you, Big Man.” She then picked up the papers, continuing,
“Okay, let’s see what this has to say. Hmm...oh...well, this is interesting.” Frye ruffled her
tentacle hair in frustration, exclaiming, “Ugh! I can’t take the suspense anymore! Hurry up
and spill the beans!” Shiver calmly answered, “Chill. I’m getting to it. Okay, the topic of this
Splatfest is...” She tapped a button on the screen that Big Man was holding, continuing,
“Rock vs Paper vs Scissors!”

Frye looked at the screen in disappointment, saying, “Rock vs Paper vs Scissors? Seriously?
We’re basing an entire event around this simple game?” Shiver waved her fan, retorting, “I
wouldn’t belittle Rock Paper Scissors like that. The game actually has a very rich history; I
hear that ancient civilizations over a billion years old played it all the time! But anyway,
we’re not here to give a history lesson. We’re here to talk about which choice is the best. Big
Man stepped in, asking, “But wait, I thought that there was no correct answer to choose. Isn’t
the whole point of Rock Paper Scissors that you’re supposed to choose a random option and
hope that you beat your opponent.” Shiver gave the manta ray a look, retorting, “Well, yeah,
but think about it; who wouldn’t want to bring a rock to this sort of fight? Who’s going to win
with scissors, let alone paper?” Frye looked at Shiver, saying, “Hey, you can’t just diss paper
like that! Have you ever gotten a papercut before? That hurts like hell!” Big Man countered,
“Paper may be able to hurt your skin to some degree, but scissors are way sharper!” Shiver
shook her head, saying, “Oh please, all the things you guys say don’t matter to me in the
slightest. Do you really think that a sturdy rock would be affected by flimsy paper or some
brittle scissors?” Frye returned, “If water can flow through some stones and make a canyon,
who says that paper can’t eventually take down a rock? Same goes for breaking scissors!”
Big Man interjected, “Okay, you two, calm down. We can settle this in the Splatfest.” Shiver
nodded in agreement, saying, “Good point. As you all can see, the construction crew is
already getting things ready for the event, which will happen in a week. So think over your
choices, everyone, because voting starts soon! Anyways, let’s announce the battle stages.”
Deep Cut then proceeded with their regular business, discussing the details of the day’s
competitive matches before signing off.

Risea walked away with Blippy, saying, “Splatfest? I’ve never heard of that before. So, I’m
guessing it’s some sort of competition between 3 options, huh? Well, if I have to choose a
side, I’m going with Rock; Shiver made a pretty good point.” As Risea was thinking about
this, she came across a young Octoling woman with dark, brown skin wearing a metal tank
top along with black pants and gloves. She was sitting tensely on a bench near the outer area
of the city when Risea walked over to her, saying, “Hey, you! Where did you get those
clothes? I’ve never seen anyone else wearing what you’re wearing.” The Octoling looked
angrily at Risea, exclaiming, “Stay away from me, Inkling scum!” Risea widened her eyes in
surprise before looking back with a hostile expression, returning, “Who are you calling scum,
weirdo?” The woman crossed her arms, retorting, “Who is the weird one here? It is not wise
for one to talk to strangers.” Risea followed up with, “Well, it sure is hard to ignore you when
you’re the strangest one around here! What’re you doing out here all by yourself, anyway?”
The octopus looked unfriendlily at Risea, answering, “So, you really are that curious. Well,
you seem to be the only idiotic squid around here, so I suppose that I can reveal myself. I am
Emma Bayer, an Octoling soldier hailing from the land of Octo Canyon. I am currently on a
mission to locate and secure my lost comrade, Basstian Brine, for he has left as of 5 years
earlier on a mission and has not returned since. I have reasons to believe that he has migrated
to this place you Inklings call Splatsville, so I have spent the past week on a search mission.
Pests like you have made this task difficult, however; too many people are wary of my
presence, including Octolings such as myself!” Risea held her chin in thought, looking at
Emma with inquisitive eyes. “Alright,” said Risea, “I see what you’re talking about. Now that
I think about it, I know a certain Octoling that acts just as weird as you. If you want, I can
take you to meet him.” Emma widened her eyes slightly, replying, “Is that so? It appears that
you are not completely useless after all. Okay, then, lead the way, plebian!” Although Risea
was not pleased with being regarded this way, she nonetheless led Emma through the city
with the hopes of finding Jereef.

The two eventually found their target ordering a sea turtle egg sandwich from a jellyfish
vendor in a deep part of town. “Hey, Jereef,” said Risea, “I’ve got a gal I think you would
like to meet. Jereef, this is Emma, Emma, this is Jereef.” Emma looked at the young Octoling
with surprise, saying, “Jereef? Is this really you? I’ve heard Basstian talk about you quite a
lot.” Jereef looked back at Emma, saying, “You are knowing Basstian? Basstian be me
brother! Do Emma is Basstian girlfriend?” Emma’s face became somewhat flustered as she
answered, “Excuse me? What put it in your mind to ask that? Furthermore, what is the matter
with your language?” Jereef smiled, replying, “Friend Angela teaching me language! She be
Inkling.” Emma shook her head, responding, “I should have known. Anyway, Jereef, you are
Basstian’s sibling. Would you happen to know where he is?” Jereef nodded, answering, “Yep,
I doo! Basstian be located on Ammo Knights. Come, follow me!” So, the trio(plus Blippy)
headed over to the weapons shop.
 The Reunion of Octopi
Chapter Summary

Risea sees Emma and her long-lost friend Basstian reunite in Ammo Knights.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“Hallo, crab,” said Jereef as he entered Ammo Knights, “When is Basstian at now?” Sheldon
looked up from the sniper he was straightening, answering, “Oh, are you talking about your
brother? He’s downstairs right now, busy with testing out some of my weapons. You can go
and visit him if you want.” Jereef smiled, replying, “Thanking you! Friends, let us travel to
the down stairs!”

So, Emma and Risea followed the young octopus past Sheldon and down a flight of stairs,
where the area was significantly darker. The only visible entity was an individual wearing a
welding mask that was fusing metal parts together with a welding torch. The person was
completely unaware of the cephalopods that arrived until Emma said, “Basstian? Is that
you?” This caused the welder to remove their mask, revealing a young, dark-skinned,
Octoling man with a tentacle afro. He wiped his eyes in disbelief, stating, “Have my ears
deceived me? Has my dear friend returned to me at last?” He walked over to the left side of
the room and turned on the lights before looking back at the group, continuing, “She has!
Emma, we have finally reunited!” The octopus enthusiastically ran over to his companion
and hugged her tightly, saying, “Pardon my sudden display of affection, but I simply cannot
contain my feelings of joy! I have been waiting days, months, years to see your beautiful face
again! How did you find me?” Jereef put his hands on his hips proudly, saying, “The
thanking is for me! I have led the female friend of Basstian to his location!” Basstian let go of
Emma, who was blushing slightly, and turned towards his brother, saying, “Gut gemacht, my
brother! Once again, you have proven yourself to be useful.”

The 3 Octolings then had a conversation in their language, leaving Risea very confused.
“Hang on,” she interjected, “What exactly is going on here?” Basstian looked over at the
squid, responding, “Oh, my apologies, I realized that you must not know our tongue. Allow
me to introduce myself. I am Basstian Brine, and I come from deep underground. 5 years
ago, I was sent on a mission to survey a location on the surface as per the request of my
former militia, which Emma and I were a part of. There, I encountered a male Inkling agent,
and I decided to engage him in battle. Our fighting caused the floor beneath us to cave in, and
we ended up in a vast, underground world. Because I had hit my head on something on the
way down, I developed temporary amnesia that I was fortunately able to treat with pastries
called mem cakes that I received as rewards for completing tests made by an organization
called Kamabo. The reason why I agreed to withstanding those trials in the first place was
because I was told by a telephone that doing so would allow me to find objects called Thangs
that would allow me to return to the surface with the agent’s supervisor, who had fallen with
me. However, this was revealed to be a ruse, as the Thangs combined to create a machine
designed to destroy and convert me into a primal sludge. Thankfully, the agent whose name I
learned to be Agent 3 came to the rescue, and with his help we were able to make it above
ground where we managed to defeat the telephone who was revealed to be an AI bent on
resetting life on Earth to build a more perfected world. After destroying the rouge machine, I
found a home here in Splatsville, where I acquired a position as Sheldon’s apprentice.”

Basstian wiped his brow with a cloth, saying, “Heiliger strohsack, that was a lot to say! Does
that satisfy your curiosity, Ms...” As Blippy leapt out of his companion’s clothes, Risea said,
“Uhhh...sure. Also, the name’s Risea. So, you said that you met a person named Agent 3?”
Basstian nodded, replying, “Indeed I did. In fact, I joined him and the others in what they call
the New Squidbeak Splatoon. I have not received many missions as of late, but until then I
am content with honing my skills as a weapon expert here.” Risea rubbed her chin as she
thought over the octopus’s words. “Wait,” she said, “I think I know who you’re talking about.
Would the name of this ‘Agent 3’ person happen to be Martine?” Basstian’s face brightened
as he responded, “Why yes, it is! Agent 3 told me his full name when we met on friendlier
terms: Roenaldo Martine. He and I are great comrades.” Risea sat down on a nearby bench
alongside some bombs, stating, “Actually, that’s where you’re wrong. I was told that
Roenaldo recently became the captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.” Basstian raised his
eyebrows in intrigue, saying, “Is this true? What a fortunate set of circumstances! I hope that
he is doing a good job being a leader, wherever he is.”

Emma looked back and forth between Risea and Basstian, an angry expression forming on
her face. She glared at the Octoling, saying, “Basstian! What is all this about being comrades
with the Inklings, joining their little society, and whatnot? Did you forget your origins? What
has gotten into you, betraying me like this?” Basstian looked at his friend with a regretful
expression, answering, “Oh...I am realizing the situation here. Emma, my loyal partner, I am
sorry to have made you feel this way. I know that we made a pact all those years ago,
swearing to get back at the Inklings for the suffering that they made us endure, and I realize
how that promise was especially important to you. However, I have changed since then; no
longer do I hold resentment for these squids. Not after I heard the Calamari Inkantation. Once
I heard that heavenly melody, I knew that there is more to this world than holding up a
grudge against the Inklings. We’re not so different, the two of us, and we can learn to coexist
and live in harmony. Once again, I know that you were deeply hurt by those cephalopods in
the distant past, but now I am asking you to have some forgiveness in your heart and accept
reality for what it is. Can you do that for me?”

Emma looked at Basstian with a hint of softness before switching to a purely dark demeanor.
“Basstian,” she said with a silent rage, “I believed that I could trust you. I believed that
among all the people of this world, you would be the one to truly understand me. But no, you
decided to abandon me in my most vulnerable moments, leaving me to wallow in despair
while you defect to join these inkstains and their myriad of travesties!” She gave her
associate one final look of disdain before turning back to the stairs, stating, “I hope that you
enjoy yourself in this hellhole, Basstian, because I will not be joining you.” With that, Emma
marched out of the room, leaving the 3 cephalopods to sit in silence.
 “B-brother,” said Jereef, “For what reason was Emma being angry?” Basstian looked at his
shoes with a blank expression on his face. He then smiled and patted Jereef on the head,
answering, “Do not worry, mein bruder, this does not concern you. This is just a little
disagreement between friends, nothing to worry about!” Risea looked with concern at the
Octoling, asking, “Are you sure? Cause you look pretty down.” Basstian shook his head,
retorting, “As I said, I am fine! Such behavior is only typical between individuals like Emma
and I. Oh, and also...” He reached under his desk and retrieved Blippy, who was chewing on a
piece of metal. “Here,” he said while handing the fish to the squid, “This Salmonid must
belong to you. I am impressed by how you managed to train such a creature!” Risea took
Blippy and glared at Basstian, returning, “I did not ‘train’ him. He is my closest friend, and
as normal a person as anyone else.” Basstian responded, “My apologies, I did not mean to
belittle your Smallfry like that. Believe me, I give Salmonids the respect that they deserve.
Anyhow, is that all you visited me for?” Risea nodded, saying, “Yep. I think I’ll go and see
what’s up with Emma. She just stormed out of here.” Basstian’s expression became neutral as
he replied, “Oh, okay then. Well, I hope that you are successful with confronting her. Just
remember not to bother her too much...” He went back to his friendly face and waved, saying,
“Goodbye for now, Risea, and we hope to see you again at Ammo Knights!” Risea tucked
Blippy firmly in her clothes before walking up the stairs and into Splatsville.

Risea did not have to walk far to find Emma sitting on the stairs leading up to the Lobby with
her face in her hands. Risea walked over to the octopus and sat next to her, asking, “Hey,
what’s going on?” Emma gave the squid the side-eye before burying her face deeper into her
shoulders, mumbling, “You know exactly what is going on, you bumbling idiot.” Risea poked
at Blippy’s head fin, replying, “You know, I don’t get why you’re so mean to me. I’m only
trying to help.” Emma peeked out from her arms, revealing one fierce-looking eye. “Okay,”
she growled, “Do you want to know why I am acting this way towards you? Are you truly
one of those nosy busybodies that won’t let anyone suffer in peace?” Emma revealed her full
face that had grown hot with burning rage. “Inkling,” she said, “You have opened the
floodgates to a world of pain and suffering. You will experience the full force of my crushing
past, and it will be all your fault. This...is...” The woman stopped mid rant and looked at the
residents of Splatsville, who had gathered in a circle to watch the spectacle. She returned to a
neutral pose, saying, “On second thought, it is pointless to waste my energy making a fit like
this. I will not be staying here any longer. Farewell, all you useless stains!” Without another
word, Emma suddenly Super Jumped away, leaving Risea and the crowd disorientated.
Seeing that there was no more confrontation, the mob collectively shrugged and moved on
with their activities. Risea, however, seeked more information on the events that unfolded.
Having a sense on where to get enlightened, she made her way over to the manhole and dove
down into Alterna.

Chapter End Notes

Because I do not know how to type in Octarian, I had them say lines in German.
 Sizzlin' Serpents
Chapter Summary

Risea heard back to Alterna to mention Basstian before completing more missions and
facing off against the Eel Deal Frye.

Risea emerged on the other side of the pipe to find Captain Martine and Agent 2 having their
chess rematch. Apparently, she arrived just in time to see Martine face a crushing defeat at
the hands of his foe. The leader held the brim of his cap over his face as Agent 1 said, “And
that’s a new record for Marie, getting a win in only 8 moves!” Agent 2 snickered and added,
“I have what, 20 wins now? Hey captain, maybe next time we should play checkers; it’s
simpler to understand!” Captain Martine continued to ruminate until he saw Risea appear,
and his mood lifted quite a bit. Agent 1 also noticed Risea’s presence, and she cheerfully
said, “Hey, Agent 3! I like the new cut!” Agent 2 looked ahead and added, “Yeah, you look a
lot less like a cave squid now.” Risea smirked and responded, “Haha, nice comparison.
Thanks for the compliments, though. Anyway, I came down here to ask something. Captain
Martine, is it true that your first name is Roenaldo?” The captain switched from his enthralled
look to a more neutral one as he answered, “Indeed it is. Why do you ask?” Risea twirled one
of her strands of tentacle hair around her finger as she responded, I met this Octoling named
Basstian up in Splatsville and he was talking about knowing you or something.” Roenaldo
smiled, saying, “Oh yeah, my octo Agent 8! He’s a good man. He and I used to regularly
have friendly matches against each other.” He fiddled with his king piece as he said under his
breath, “I still never got back at him for beating me with an Octobrush of all things…” He
then looked back at Risea, continuing, “Anyway, how’s he doing? I know it’s been a long
time since we’ve talked.” Risea pointed at the sky, responding, “Like I said, he’s in
Splatsville right now working under Sheldon. You know, that weird weapon shop owner?
When I saw him, he was heating things up with this fire-making thing. Also, he had a break-
up with this other Octoling; I think she might’ve been his girlfriend.” The leader frowned a
bit as he said, “Oh, well that’s too bad. I think I’ll go and check up on him when I have the
time. Then again, well, I have this whole Alterna situation going on, so I don’t think I’ll be
available for a while…”

Agent 1 then said, “Aww, I hope that Agent 8 can get better. I’ve met him before . At least
you still have a good relationship with your boyfriend, right Agent 2?” Agent 2 twirled her
umbrella, responding, “I guess you could say that…so, Agent 3, did you only come down
here to talk about Agent 8?” Risea shrugged, replying, “Pretty much.” Agent 1 then said,
“Well, since you’re down here, why don’t you complete some more missions? It couldn’t
hurt!” Risea sighed; she did not foresee getting roped in like this. Although she was not so
willing to comply, she still said, “Fine, I’ll do it.” So, she took Blippy with her as she
changed into her Hero Gear (albeit out in the open; Roenaldo looked away in advance). The
captain looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he remained silent as he saw Risea
walk away.

The next few events involved Risea completing various tasks in an area discovered to be
called the 'Cozy and Safe Factory' with Blippy ranging from navigating a maze, activating
switches to reach a goal, and engorging sponges with ink. While Risea was indifferent about
the activities she was doing, Blippy was more than happy to indulge himself on the many
power eggs that were rewarded to the duo. After collecting a good amount of food, Risea was
able to give her friend enough energy to eliminate a large mass of Fuzzy Ooze that was
blocking a path up to the top of a tall, blue smokestack. Sitting on top of said smokestack was
a large, black kettle with a lock on it. “Hey,” said Agent 1 through the headsets, “I’m
detecting a powerful signal from this spot. I think it might be Gramps sending out a distress
signal!” Agent 2 added, “Here’s hoping. AThere’s usually something nasty waiting on the
other side of these things, though, so I would stay on guard.” Wondering what was meant by
this, Risea broke the lock with her ink as usual before slipping through the revealed entrance.

Risea landed in another starting zone and attempted to get a weapon from the metal ring in
the room only to be met with an error sound. “Sorry,” said O.R.C.A., “This area is off limits.
Please return to the surface.” Now, although Risea wasn’t fully into completing this mission,
she also did not like being told what she couldn’t do. “Oh yeah? Well,” she said defiantly, “I
don’t need your permission. I’ll just wing it without one of your weapons!” Thankfully, she
brought her Hero Shot with her, so she went past the clear doors and in front of a launch pad,
which had been deactivated. There was a circular platform set a good distance away, but now
there seemed to be no way for Risea to get there. She tapped her foot as she thought of a
solution. Then, an idea popped into her head: she would launch herself without the assistance
of a launch pad. She morphed into her squid form and crouched to the ground, building up
power for a jump. After holding for a few seconds, she released her stored energy and
rocketed towards the area ahead. She did make it, but not without hitting her head on the
ground.

As Agents 1 and 2 had a laugh, Risea heard a familiar voice exclaim, “Not so fast!” Risea
shook her head to snap out of her daze just in time to see Frye jumping down from the
ceiling. The bandit grinned, saying, “I’ve gotta tell you, you’re pretty tough. Even I had some
trouble getting past that gunk. I can’t even tell you how many times I needed to get a shave
on my way here!” Risea looked with confusion at Frye, asking, “Hold on, how did you even
get down here? Didn’t I just see you do the Anarchy Splatcast with the others?” Frye
answered, “I had a feeling that you were going to try and step on our turf, so I bolted down
here as fast as I could.” She flexed her fingers, continuing, “But enough talk! You’re here to
take our treasure, right? Don’t try to hide it from me! You better high-tail it out of here before
things get messy…unless you want to give up and join us? We could use a brave kid like
you!” Risea was about to happily agree until Agent 2 intervened, “You can’t join these
clowns, Agent 3!” At that, Risea sighed before responding, “No, I can’t join you…” Frye
punched her open palm and laughed, responding, “Fine by me! That just means that my eels
will get their dinner!” She then pulled out a flute and played a short tune, causing a giant
cube to fall down. Frye jumped onto the massive structure with little struggle and did a 3-
point landing. As she did that, the cube started shaking before multiple, yellow eels came out
of the eyes and mouth of the object. “Good god,” said the captain, “What has she done to the
Octostomp?” Frye danced on top of the large object while the eels used their churning motion
to spin the cube on one of its corners. “Alright,” said Frye, “Let’s break it down, Splatlands
style!”

Although Risea felt a twinge of fear at first, that feeling was quickly smothered by the sense
of awe she experienced looking at the modified Octostomp. “Woah,” she said, “How are you
able to dance like that? And you’re not thrown off by all the spinning? I’m jealous!” Agent 1
then stated, “I’m just as interested in this as you are, Agent 3, but we need to get our heads in
the game! Frye looks like she’s about to do something bad.” As was predicted, Frye played a
short song on her flute before yelling, “1st Dance, Eel Downpour!” Frye started spinning
around like a ballerina, prompting some of the eels to swim into the air and position
themselves above Risea. Once they had their target in sight, they crashed to the ground like
missiles. Still enamored by the sight in front of her, Risea took massive damage from the
onslaught, and her Hero Armor was shattered. Seeing this, Frye happily said, “Nice one, eels!
Now let’s rush in for the splat!” Frye jumped into the air while pushing forward with her feet,
causing the Octostomp to bounce forward and directly onto Risea, eliminating her instantly.

“Uhh,” said Agent 2 as Risea was getting revived, “I don’t want to alarm you, but it looks
like the respawn station here isn’t working as well as the others. Thankfully, the base has
enough charge for 1 more revive, but any splat after that means death! Be careful, Agent 3.”
While this fact perturbed Risea a bit, she shook away the fear; this just made things that much
more interesting. “Don’t worry,” she said confidently, “Those eels are nothing; I’ll make
them my dinner!” With that, she Super Jumped back onto the circular platform, where Frye
was laughing up a storm.

Seeing that her enemy returned, she said, “Wait, WHAT?! I thought you were done for!” She
smiled before resuming her dance and continuing, “Well, this just means that me and my
friends can have some more fun. Let’s go, same routine!” Frye again started spinning, and the
eels rose into the air above Risea. “Agent 3,” yelled Agent 1, “Hurry, get out of the way!”
Risea nodded, using her nimbleness to backflip to safety. Having missed their target, the eels
crashed on the ground, their faces stuck. Feeling a sense of vengeance for getting splatted
instantly, Risea aimed her Hero Shot at the eels and let loose. While some eels simply
slithered back to their cube, others retreated to their caretaker. Apparently, the eels were
traveling too fast, causing Frye to exclaim, “Woah, guys, calm down! You’re throwing me off
balance!” Unfortunately for her, the eels were too frantic to listen, and they both knocked
Frye into a daze with their large bodies and caused the Octostomp to stop spinning. “Hey,”
said Captain Martine, “Now’s your chance! Climb up to the top of that Octostomp! Trust me,
it works every time.” Hearing this, Risea rushed over to the cube and covered one of its sides
with orange ink. She then climbed to the top and showed no hesitation in splatting the
disabled squid.

Risea raised her arms in celebration, saying, “Woo-hoo! I defeated her! Wait...does this mean
that Frye is dead?” As Risea was thinking about this, the bandit revealed herself from a grate
at the top of the cube, saying, “Nuh-uh!” Risea widened her eyes before being kicked off the
Octostomp. As Risea picked herself up, Frye said, “That was a lucky shot. You’ve got
nothing against my next move, though! I’m switching it up!" She got herself into an energetic
position and exclaimed, "2nd dance: Moray Whirlpool!” With that, she started doing a dance
involving kicking her legs out and crossing her arms while many eels swirled around the
Octostomp. Risea did the first thing that came to mind and blasted the eels. When the
predators got close, she jumped into the air and ran on top of the morays, shooting them as
she did so. Like before, some of the eels swam back to Frye, but this time she stood her
ground. “Nope,” she said, “Not going down that easily! Here we go, 3rd dance: Hundred-Eel
Vision!” She did some shadowboxing as the eels positioned themselves into a wall formation.
They then vomited yellow ink balls towards their opponent, causing Risea to grin and say,
“Are you kidding me? You’re just using the attack of those Octotroopers!” She effortlessly
ducked and weaved past the projectiles, shooting the eels as she did so. By doing this, she
knocked Frye off balance, climbed the cube, and splatted her a 2nd time.

Anticipating her foe’s revival, Risea jumped off the Octostomp before Frye could launch a
counterattack. Risea stuck out her tongue, taunting, “Easy-peasy! Is that the best you can do,
Frye?” The bandit stomped the ground with power, retorting, “Not even close! If you think
you can make shrimp out of me and my eels, think again! It’s time for my final dance: Moray
Transformation!” Frye did a strange dance of foreign origin, causing the eels to gather into a
swirling mass. The mob straightened itself into the shape of a giant moray eel. Frye laughed,
exclaiming, “How do you like us now? Surf THIS wave, hotshot!” The moray monster swam
towards Risea, who cried out in genuine fear. She attempted to shoot at the fry only to barely
make a dent. In little time, she was caught by the eels, which surrounded Risea like piranhas.
After some thrashing and biting, the only thing left of the agent was a yellow puddle.

“Wow,” said Agent 1, “That was SCARY! Something tells me that you’re better off leaving
to regroup…” Risea thought for a second before shaking her head and responding, “No. I’m
not backing down.” With that, she boldly returned to the arena, not caring that her life was in
danger.

Frye looked down at the spunky Inkling, saying, “You want some more? Okay then, let give
you the final show of your life; Moray Transformation, let’s go!” Frye did the same technique
as before, bringing her eels out to execute their most powerful attack. Seeing that using her
Hero Shot didn’t work, Risea decided to stall for time by running away from the threat.
However, the eels did not let up, and Risea was getting winded. At that moment, Blippy
revealed himself, jumping out and moving alongside his companion. The many eels directed
their attention towards the Salmonid, causing Roenaldo to say, “Hold on, I have an idea.
Agent 3, throw your Small fry away from you. He’s going to have to be bait.” Risea’s face
grew enraged as she exclaimed, “Are you crazy?! I would rather die than kill Blippy!” The
captain retorted, “As captain, I know what’s best for my agents. So don’t be stupid; follow
my orders!” Caught off guard by the leader’s sudden strictness, Risea pondered a bit before
sighing and grabbing her fish. She then hurled him to the right, causing the eels to chase the
salmon. This was good for Risea’s safety, but it looked like Blippy was set to become moray
food.

Seeing this, a primal feeling arose in Risea. She huffed and puffed as her tentacles started
glowing and her ink sac went into maximum overdrive. With endless orange ink coming out
of her palms, she leapt towards the fry, letting out a fierce battle cry. Just before the eels
could consume Blippy, they were struck by a mighty, exploding punch. Most of them were
immediately sent packing to Frye, who was only able to utter a “What the f—” Before getting
knocked clean off the Octostomp. Still feeling extremely peeved, Risea dashed towards Frye
and unloaded her full cartridge on her, causing the bandit to get splatted one final time.
Risea continued to breathe heavily while she saw Frye respawning at the top of her cube.
“Dang,” said the bandit, “You’ve got some insane power, girl! It’s really a shame that we
can’t have you on our team. Oh well, it’s not like I can do anything about it.” She pulled out a
smoke bomb, continuing, “Go ahead and take the treasure; you’ve earned it! But don’t think
this is the last time you’ll see Deep Cut. Catch ya later!” With that, Frye detonated the bomb
and retreated alongside her eels. The left-behind Octostomp quivered a bit before finally
crumbling, revealing a strange-looking part. “Oh,” said Marie as Risea walked towards the
peculiar object, “Is this what the big fuss was over? A hunk of junk? Well, we may not have
found Gramps, but we can take this as a consolation prize.” What little calmness Risea had
was snuffed out when O.R.C.A. said, “Reward item detected. Now teleporting winner to the
surface.”
 Artful Artillery
Chapter Summary

Risea goes with Angela to Inkblot Art Academy to participate in a Turf War and
encounter a familiar squid.

Risea appeared back on the surface, the unusual object at her side. Although the item was
intriguing to her, that was not the main thing on her mind; she had a metaphorical bone to
pick with a certain squid. She hauled the piece over to the New Squidbeak Splatoon’s base
before looking directly at Captain Martine with fierce, piercing eyes. “Okay,” she growled,
“What was going through that tiny brain of yours when you told me to use Blippy as eel
bait?” The captain looked up at her from his chair, answering, “Calm down, Agent 3, it was
only necessary to—” Risea clapped her hands together once to silence the leader before
exclaiming, “Don’t you tell me to calm down! Blippy could’ve been killed!” Roenaldo stood
up straighter, retorting, “Are you implying that you would’ve rather died?” Risea raised a
finger and prepared to answer, but no words came out. For all her brave talk, she still was not
comfortable with the idea of death. As Risea struggled for words, Agent 2 said, “He has a
point, you know. I don’t mean to be rude, but your Small fry is pretty expendable.” Risea
glared at her and huffed violently. “What…” she snarled, “Did you say?” Agent 2 held up her
hands, saying, “Hey now, I didn’t mean it like that! All I’m saying is that we value your life
over a Salmonid’s, especially if they’re not fully grown.” Before Risea could make Agent 2
into calamari, Agent 1 chimed in and said, “You know, Salmonids are pretty hardy. I’m sure
that even if Blippy got caught by those eels, he would find a way to survive. Besides, I hear
that Salmonids actually enjoy being eaten; Blippy might not have been too worried about
dying that way.” Risea threw up her hands, exclaiming, “Damn it! That’s the 2nd time I’ve
been told this! I’m okay with other Salmonids doing that, but not my Blippy.” She took
Blippy with her and changed back into her normal clothes, saying, “I can’t handle all of this
right now. I wanted to do some Turf Wars when I woke up, so I’m going to do that right now.
Good-BYE!” With that, she exited Alterna alongside her smallfry. Captain Martine held his
face to his cheek and looked gloomily at the artificial sky. He did not mean to make Risea so
angry, but he had to do what was necessary to protect his new recruit. Additionally, there was
another reason why he was so keen on ensuring Risea’s safety, but he restrained himself from
revealing it. Although the recent encounter was rough, Roenaldo had a certain feeling in him
telling him that Risea would return…

Risea arrived back in Splatsville in a foul mood. “Man,” she grumbled, “Why’d I even stay
down there? All I came there for was to ask Roenaldo about Basstian, that’s it! If I had
known that those dummies didn’t value Blippy’s life, I would’ve…” As Risea was storming
around, she came across Angela who was texting on her phone. Because Risea was absorbed
in her own thoughts and Angela was distracted by her device, the two collided and fell to the
ground. “Hey,” exclaimed Angela, “Watch where you’re going, b*tch!” Noticing who
crashed into her, Angela rudely said, “Oh, it’s you. Do you have eyes?” Risea gave Angela an
unfriendly look, answering, “You’re one to talk, you device-glued punk! Who walks around a
busy city staring at a screen, anyway?” Angela got up and dusted off her dress, retorting,
“And who stomps around that same city looking down at their feet? What’s with that mood
you’re in, anyhow?” Risea got up with dust still on her clothes, responding, “Like you would
care! Someone like you wouldn’t give a damn about what I do!” She took a deep breath
before continuing, “But of you really want to know, I just had to see Blippy have a near-death
situation.” Angela raised an eyebrow, replying, “Is that it? Risea, that’s a stupid thing to be
mad about! I fight smallfries all the time and they’re bas*ards to take down. Believe it!”

Risea glared at Angela; she did not want to hear about her friends slaughtering of young
salmon right now. Seeing this, Angela put up her hands, saying, “Alright, alright, I see what’s
going on: we’re just stressed. Why don’t we go do a Turf War to blow off some steam?”
Risea relaxed her hands, responding, “Lucky for you, that’s just what I was going to do. Let
me go and get my Splatana.” So, Risea travelled to Larel’s house, taking a minute to look
with shame at the still-sleeping squid, and took her weapon with her back to Splatsville. As
the two Inklings headed towards the Lobby, Risea caught a glimpse of Deep Cut in their
studio, which was situated near the tower in the middle of the city. Wow, she thought, Look at
those 3. I still don’t know how nobody else knows about their 2nd life. Hold on, isn’t that
Frye?! I just trashed her! Geez, she’s quick. Setting that matter aside for the moment, Risea
got to registering for a match with Angela and 6 other Inklings. Once everyone was ready,
Risea left Blippy by himself before stepping into the elevator with a smile on her face.
Finally, she could enjoy herself.

Risea appeared on the green team alongside Angela and two others, and they were facing the
blue team on the stage Inkblot Art Academy. As Risea flew in on her drone, she heard Angela
groan, “Ugh, school. I’m not even enrolled and I already don’t want to be here. I’m going to
ink that boring text extra hard.” Although the concept of public education was foreign to
Risea as a home-schooled girl, the area still looked intriguing to her. The artfully placed
diagrams and the calming, brown landscape soothed her nerves. As Risea was admiring the
view, the announcer came on, saying, “It’s time for another Turf War, folks! Hey, but you
should be careful, you don’t want to disturb the students…PSYCHE! Those guys can cope
with a little noise! Anyway, let’s start!” With that, all the combatants launched off their pods,
and the battle commenced. Risea immediately headed towards the letter-riddled pillar in the
middle; she was interested by its size. Doing as she had learned from Chara, Risea wound up
her Splatana Wiper like a golf club before doing an underhand sweep, painting half of the
wall green in the process. She aimed upwards to paint the rest of the path before diving into
the ink and Squid Surging upwards, as she had learnt in Alterna. She pumped her fist, loudly
exclaiming, “Oh yeah! I bet I’m the fastest Inklings to get up here!” Risea’s boasting caught
the attention of a Splat Charger-using Inkling that positioned himself on a clam statue. He
wasted no time in picking off Risea at a long range, and the girl went down for the count.

“Hey,” said Angela as Risea returned to the base, “Let’s try not rushing into battle all of the
time? That would really help.” Risea brushed her off, saying, “Ah, that guy was just lucky.
One day I’ll master running forward and surprising the enemy, just you wait!” So, Risea went
back into the fray with a slightly less aggressive plan. Seeing that one of her Aerospray users
was getting chased by a Roller, Risea came to the rescue with some projectile attacks, and the
Octoling went down in 4 hits. Giving her own teammate a thumbs up, Risea went to the left
to seek out her next target. Covered by Angela’s Charger, Risea was able to locate an
Octoling who was painting an alleyway with her Splatling. Seeing that her back was turned,
Risea snuck up behind the octopus and prepared a close-range slash attack. Just as the
Octoling realized who was behind her, she was one-shot by Risea’s charged strike. Risea
laughed in triumph as she looked at the puddle of green ink before her.

“Ha-ha,” she said with a smile, “These people are weak! Is there anyone else who wants to
get splatted?” She looked around to see if there were any other cephalopods, and she found
her wish in the form of a slightly older Inkling male with round, grey glasses that walked out
of a door in the alley. He rubbed his eyes, saying, “Can you keep it down? I’m trying to
study.” Risea looked at the Inkling’s mush-cut hair, seeing that it was blue. Noticing this, she
grinned and said, “Study? The only thing you should be studying is how fast you’ll get
splatted by my sword!” She leapt forward with a fire in her eyes, causing the other squid to
glow brightly and cry out. He quickly pulled out an umbrella and unfurled it before pushing
the canopy towards his assaulter. As Risea tumbled backwards, the young adult said, “Hey,
what’s the matter with you?! I’m not even part of this match!” Risea got up and tapped her
foot, retorting, “Oh yeah? So why’s your hair blue, then? Also, what’s with the glowing?”
The squid noticed what was going on before taking a deep breath and shaking his head,
causing his body to return to normal. “First of all,” he explained, “Blue is my natural ink
color. Secondly, I get like that whenever I get startled, which you decided to do.” As the two
were conversing, Angela approached from a lane above the male, exclaiming, “Hey! Is that
you, Lumiose? How the f*ck are you?” The squid looked up with a tired face, responding,
“Yes it is, Angela. It’s…nice to see you.”

Angela looked back and forth at the two squids, saying, “Wait, you guys know each other?”
Lumiose looked at her, answering, “Yep. For better or worse, she’s my sister.” He looked
behind Risea, saying, “Um, I would look backwards, if I were you.” Risea did as he said,
noticing the same sniper from earlier looking directly at her. Risea quickly ducked to avoid
the incoming shot, causing Lumiose to get inked instead. As Lumiose stood there with a face
full of ink, Risea waved quickly before saying, “Sorry about that, Lumiose! I’ve got a game
to finish!” With that, Risea charged back into the fray, leaving Lumiose to groan, wipe his
glasses, and head back through his door. Angela laughed at her brother’s misfortune before
getting herself in a better position.

It did not surprise Risea at all that she won the Turf War match; she believed that the matches
were getting easier and easier. As she revealed in her victory, Risea said to Angela, “Wow, I
didn’t know you had a brother! Why doesn’t he join our matches every once in a while?”
Angela shrugged her shoulders, replying, “I would love to invite him to snipe with me, but
he’s decided to be a nerd and attend Inkblot Art Academy. Everytime I go to that map, I see
him studying some sort of painting or whatever. Before he left, he said something about
wanting to become an artist. Don’t know why, though, battling already involves painting!”
Risea nodded her head in understanding. Although she wanted to get to know Lumiose better,
she was mature enough to know that it would be rude to interrupt him. Instead, she decided to
head to the terminal to queue in for another match.
 Rampaging Rainmaker
Chapter Summary

Risea engages in her first Anarchy Battle, finding great joy in carrying the Rainmaker to
its goal.

As Risea was preparing to engage in another fight, she noticed an exclamation mark near her
username on the Lobby monitor. Curious to see what this meant, she tapped on the icon,
bringing up a message that read, “CONGRATULATIONS, RIKORIKONE. YOU HAVE
BATTLED ENOUGH TO UNLOCK ACCESS TO ANARCHY BATTLES.” There was a bit
of text that followed afterwards, but Risea could not be bothered to read all of it. There was
no need for her to, anyway; she was already roped in by the idea of anarchy. As Risea and
Angela were standing there, Larel suddenly arrived and said, “Hey, what are you two doing?”
Angela put her hands on her hips and crossed her arms, saying, “Well, look who we have
here. The bas*ard finally decided to wake up.” Larel frowned at Angela, saying, “I already
told you this before: stop cursing. Anyway, Risea, what are you girls up to?” Risea pointed at
the monitor and answered, “This thing is telling me that I can do Anarchy Battles now. I was
thinking of giving them a whirl.” Larel crossed his arms, saying, “Oh, you can do those, too?
I was wondering when you were going to reach my level; all Angela does is practice those
trick shots of hers and Jahmai does who knows what.” Angela glared at Larel and exclaimed,
“Shut it, b*tch! All my work is going to be worth it when I’m landing headshots on these
plebs.” Larel rolled his eyes, stating, “Yeah, alright. Anyway, Risea, do you want to enter a
match with me? I could use a, uh, energetic teammate like you.” Risea gave a thumbs up,
answering, “Sure thing. This should be fun!” So, the two registered for a match, and they
waited around for more cephalopods to join and travel with them using the elevator.

Everyone arrived in Wahoo World, an eye-catching amusement park. As Risea flew in, she
heard a syring female voice saying, “Welcome, one and all, to the arena! I expect to see all of
you give it your all in this match, no matter if you just started or not! Let the battle begin!” In
an abrupt fashion, everyone was launched off their drones and onto the ground. As usual,
Risea bolted forward, aiming for a rocket ride in the center of the area. She was very
disappointed to find that she could not take a seat in one of the cars due to the attraction
being encased in protective glass, but she did find solace in the fact that inkable, rotating
walls were attached to the glass. Upon reaching the top of one of the walls, Risea noticed a
shiny, golden object shaped like a dragon’s head. “Ooh,” she said with sparkling eyes,
“Shiiiny!” Due to her previous life as a metal scavenger, Risea was quick to pounce on the
glimmering item. In her fervor, she failed to notice that the treasure was encased in a
protective, green bubble that stung to touch. Risea was pushed backwards, her body tingling
from the shock. As she sat on the ground bewildered, she said, “What the heck? Where did
that force field come from?” She got up and punched her open palm, stating, “Don’t think
you’re safe, shiny thing. I will break through your shield!” So, she repeatedly flung herself at
the barrier, pushing past the pain in the hopes that she would be able to shatter or pop the
bubble. Alas, no progress was made. Soon, the blue enemy team arrived, looking with
confused faces at what was going on. They laughed to themselves before an Inkling flung
some ink from his Slosher at Risea, who was temporarily stunned from the electricity.

Respawning back at her base, Risea ran over to Larel, who was sitting in a corner with his
bucket. She shook him by his shoulders, saying frantically, “Larel! How do I get that golden
dragon head over there?! I need it!” Larel shook off his friend, answering, “Hey, calm down.
All you have to do is attack the shield with your ink and carry the object to the pedestal. That
‘golden dragon head’ is called the Rainmaker, by the way. I’m pretty sure that you should
already know this, unless you…you know what, I already know why you don’t know.” Risea
grinned happily, saying, “Okay! Thanks a lot!” She ran excitedly towards the Rainmaker’s
spot before turning around and yelling, “And get your lazy butt up! We’re in a battle!” Larel
sighed and shook his head; he was trying to survey the situation before making a move, not
going full berserk like his friend.

Risea swam up a wall to see that the same Inklings who splatted her was holding the
Rainmaker. This of course awakened a raging fury in Risea, who said, “Hey! Get your slimy
hands off of my Rainmaker!” Caught off guard by their opponent’s ferocity, the blue team
offered little resistance when Risea jumped in and whacked each member with her Splatana
Wiper. As Risea stood in a lake of orange, one of her teammates, a male Octoling with a
Splat Charger, said from a small pillar, “Dang, girl, you’re savage!” However, Risea had no
regards for her ally’s words; she was too occupied with claiming her prize. She quickly
slashed the forcefield with her Splatana, breaking it in seconds. Once she got the golden
object, jogged in place giddily and sung, “Hehehe, I’ve got it! The Rainmaker is all mine, all
mine…” As Risea danced around, an Inkling girl with a Splat Roller said to her, “Yeah, yeah,
we get it, you like the Rainmaker. How about you stop gushing over it and carry it to the
goal?” Risea shook her head and looked sadly at the golden object. She had a feeling that
doing so would strip her of her valued possession. She sighed, walking with less enthusiasm
than before towards a small, rounded cone. “Well,” she said sadly, “There goes the goal. We
had a good time together, Rainmaker, but it’s over…” So, she swam over to the pedestal and
placed the Rainmaker on it. To her surprise, however, this caused the treasure to regain its
forcefield. As she was wondering why this was the case, Risea was finally caught up to by
the enemy team, who was all too happy to splat her on sight.

“Marvelous work,” said the announcer over the speakers, “One daring squid has reached the
checkpoint in only 45 seconds! I wonder, though, if she’ll be able to stop the other team from
retaliating...” Risea scratched her head, saying to herself, “Checkpoint? So, this thing isn’t
over yet?” Her look of confusion turned to one of joy as she said, “Hohoho, that means that I
can stay with the Rainmaker for even longer! Just gotta get it away from those bozos...” With
that, she swam forward to the location of the opposition, finding them all walking up a ramp
and onto the top of the sealed-off rocket ride. This time, the other cephalopods were prepared
to encounter the maniacal Risea, and the Inkling holding the Rainmaker shook the metal
object, causing it to glow before launching a massive blue sphere of ink at the approaching
squid. Risea widened her eyes in shock before getting blown apart instantly, leaving a large
puddle of blue behind. She soon respawned back at her drone, saying, “Woah...the Rainmaker
is shiny...AND it shoots THAT?! Now I’ve got to have it!” Feeling no sense of dread for what
the dragon head was capable of, Risea surged back towards the rotating platforms. It’s not
like she had to worry anyway; she had both her Torpedoes and projectile attacks from her
sword to back her up. So, she went into battle, making full use of the aforementioned assets.
Fortunately for Risea, her Torpedo created multiple ink fragments upon hitting a target, and
this boon was especially apparent when Larel secured the splat on the Rainmaker holder after
said holder suffered collateral damage. Risea laughed, saying, “I was wondering when you
would show up! Finally ready to play?” Larel smiled and answered, “I was just waiting for
the perfect moment to strike.” Risea raised an eyebrow at her friend before shrugging and
proceeding to break the shield of the dropped Rainmaker. “Aha,” she laughed, “I got you!
Now it’s time to rain hell!” She took the Rainmaker with her on a path of destruction,
launching exploding balls all over the place like a madwoman. The Splat Charger user and
the Splat Roller wielder stayed ahead of her while Larel walked behind his ally while staring
with disbelief. The blue team was completely unable to do anything to stop the trigger-happy
Inkling, and Risea was able to reach the pedestal with no trouble at all. Giving the Rainmaker
one final, regretful look, Risea slammed the object on the final pedestal, prompting the
announcer to exclaim, “My god! The same Inkling has just got her team a knockout! You all
know what that means: This battle is over!” This prompted everyone to return to the elevator
and back to the Lobby.

As Risea and her team were receiving their prize money, one of the Inklings from the
opposing team came up to her, saying, “Hey, what’s the deal with you, anyway? I know we’re
doing Anarchy Battles and all, but you were crazier than a piranha out there!” Risea shrugged
and winked, responding, “What can I say? I’m just built different.” As the boy was left
speechless, Larel came over to his friend and stated, “Well, that was...something. You seem to
be having fun, though. Do you want to have another match?” Risea smiled, answering, “Do
you even have to ask?”
 Getting Decked Out
Chapter Summary

Risea engages in a Tableturf Battle with Larel, who proves to be quite good at the game.

To her pleasure, Risea enjoyed many more matches involving the Rainmaker. Her aggressive
playstyle proved to be too much for her opponents (and, at times, her teammates) to handle,
so most of her bouts were quick ones. Thanks to her performance, she was awarded both
large heaps of money as well as many points for her rank, earning Risea and Larel a
promotion from the C- tier to a C. “Aw yeah,” said Risea as she walked away from her 25th
win, “This is what I’m talking about! Bringing in the gold, getting the cash! Ah, this brings
me back…” Larel winced and rubbed his shoulders, retorting, “I’m glad you’re having fun
and all, Risea, but can we take a break? I mean, seriously, we’ve been at this for almost 2
hours! My arms are killing me…” Risea gave her friend a look and returned, “Come on, you
wuss, why’re you wimping out now? You didn’t even do anything, why’re you
complaining?” Larel swung his right arm around and responded, “I’ll have you know that
swinging this Tri-Slosher around takes a lot of work. Not to mention how hard it is to steer
the Inkjet…” Risea crossed her arms and replied, “Fine, whatever. I’ll just go without you,
then.” Larel watched as Risea walked towards the monitor, a slight look of hesitation on his
face. “Wait,” he said as Risea was preparing to register for a battle, “Before you go, I…
wanted to ask you something.” Risea turned around and raised an eyebrow, prodding, “What
do you want?” Larel switched his bucket between his hands as he stated, “Well, seeing as
how you’re new here, I thought I would introduce you to this new game I found…would you
like to see what it is?” Intrigued, Risea answered, “Ooh, a game? Sure, I’ll bite.” Nodding,
Larel responded, “Okay. Follow me.” Risea made her way over to the Lobby’s food stand to
retrieve Blippy before following her squid friend out of the building.

Risea proceeded to follow Larel on a path leading away from the tower in the center of the
city and into a courtyard behind Grizzco Industries. There, she found a goldfish woman
identical to the one found in both the Lobby and in the streets of Splatsville; this one was
wearing a green vest and was standing in front of a small table. “Hello, you two!” she
greeted, “What brings you over here?” Larel reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a
pack of cards before answering, “My friend and I were going to engage in a friendly match of
Tableturf.” The fish smiled and responded, “Oh, is that so? Well, I’ll be happy to arrange
everything so that you dears can go at it!” She then looked towards Risea and asked, “But
wait, do you not have a deck ready?” Trying not to mention her suspicions, Risea replied,
“Uhh…no?” The staff member moved towards the table as she said, “Don’t worry, sweetie, I
have just the thing for you.” Reaching for a box under the table that contained smaller boxes,
the goldfish retrieved one of the rectangles and granted it to Risea, stating, “Have one of
these starter decks. With that, you should be able to face off against this friend of yours.” As
Risea inspected the item she was given, the fish asked, “Seeing as how you had no cards
before now, you must be new to Tableturf. Are you willing to hear an explanation of the
basics?” Risea absentmindedly nodded, prompting the lady to begin her instruction.
However, the Inkling was too distracted by the oddity of the 3 indistinguishable goldfish she
had seen thus far to pay good enough attention to the words being spoken. “And that’s it!”
finished the staff member, “Are you ready to start, dear?” Risea blankly nodded and
answered, “Sure.” The goldfish smiled and responded, “I’m glad to hear that, sweetie! Okay,
then, just allow me to set everything up, and then you’ll be on your way!”

Following some preparations, the goldfish staff member had Larel and Risea sit at opposite
sides of the table, where each member was presented with a device that had a slot in at as
well as a blank screen on the top. The fish then explained, “Whenever you deploy a card, just
place it into your slot. That way, we can record your points. Now, hand me your cards,
please?” The two Inklings complied, handing over their possessions to the goldfish for
shuffling purposes. “Here you are,” said the staff member as she gave each participant back
their cards, “Now, is everyone ready? If you are, then it’s time to Turf!” Following that
announcement, the fish turned on a jukebox that was to the side of her, causing upbeat
chiptune music to play.

Risea looked at the three cards at the front of her lineup, each with a character icon on them
along with varying amounts of squares. “Ooh,” she thought, “Look at all of these things!
There’s a Splattershot…what is that, a Flooder? Is that some sort of robot? Never heard of
that. Oh, what’s this?” To Risea’s enjoyment, a Splatana Wiper, which was represented by a
stylized Inkling holding the weapon, was in her starting loadout. Smiling, Risea said, “My
first move is the Splatana Wiper!” After declaring that, she slammed the card on the table abd
exclaimed, “BAM! It’s a knockout! So, do I win now?” The goldfish stated at Risea for a
moment before answering, “…Not yet, Risea. Larel still has to draw his card.” Larel added,
“Also, uh, you have to put your card in the slot for it to count.” Risea looked down at the
machine on the table and slapped her forehead, stating, “Oh, my bad! Let me just pop this in
and…” Upon inserting the card, a screen turned on in the center of the device, bringing up a
rectangular grid with a flashing yellow line of blocks in the middle. “Uhh,” she said, “What’s
this?” The staff member replied, “Why, that’s your Splatana Wiper, silly! You must drag it
with your finger and place it down to get your points.” Feeling confused by the fact that a
column of squares could be classified as a Splatana Wiper, Risea nonetheless followed the
goldfish’s instructions, placing the squares smack-dab in the middle of the screen. Doing so,
to Risea’s surprise, yielded only an error sound. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, dearie,” said
the staff member, “You have to place your blocks so that they touch your starting block.”
Looking near the corner of the screen, Risea could spy the aforementioned starting block,
which she proceeded to place her Splatana Wiper next to. Upon doing so, a ping sound
played as both Risea’s and Larel’s blocks popped onto the former’s screen. “Okay,” said the
overseeing fish, “With Risea’s Splatana Wiper giving her 5 points and Larel’s Splash-O-
Matic giving him 7 points, Larel’s in the lead!”

Risea gave her opponent a look as she said, “How dare you get more points than me?! I’ll
show you…” Comparing her Flooder card to her Chum card to her Flooder one, Risea chose
the latter one, stating, “This one will do the trick!” before placing said card in the slot. After
doing this, a yellow row with 4 columns for legs appeared on screen, prompting Risea to drag
the object to the top of the Splatana she just laid down. Once she did that, she was satisfied to
see that her selection far eclipsed that of the speck Larel’ chose to deploy. With that being
said, she was feeling wary about the blue glow that appeared on his side of the board.
“Okay,” said the goldfish, “With Risea’s Flooder earning her 14 points and Larel’s Splat
Bomb earning him 3, Risea is now in the lead!” Risea stuck her tongue out at Larel, teasing,
“How’s that? Feeling scared?” Larel simply responded, “I’m not worried. I’ve got a plan.”
Risea grinned and responded, “Let’s see how good your plan is when…wait, what?” To
Risea’s shock, her attempt at deploying her Chum card was thwarted by Larel’s larger
collection of cubes. “Hey,” she said with hostility, “What gives?!” The goldfish answered,
“Since you both placed down your cards in the same place, your Chum collided with Larel’s
Carbon Roller. You still get 2 points, but it’s not the 5 points you would’ve gotten.” Risea
crossed her arms, saying, “Fine.” Seeing that she had no cards left to play, Risea drew 3 more
cards from her loadout on the table and continued playing.

After a few turns had passed, the Tableturf judge said, “You both have only 3 turns left. Make
them count!” Risea smiled at her foe confidently and said, “Why don’t you forfeit, Larel?
I’ve got 60 points and you’ve only got 40! Are you even trying?” Larel smirked, responding,
“This is what I’ve been building up to…” Dismissing her friend’s comment, Risea cluelessly
went back to her screen to claim what she thought would be a victory before facing a rude
awakening. Unbeknownst to the girl, Larel’ had accumulated many special points, leading to
him pressing a red button, drawing a card, and proudly inserting it into its slot. “Look at
this,” said the goldfish, “Larel is activating his special! With that Splatterscope, he took 10
points from Risea!” Risea clenched her hand into a fist and exclaimed, “What?! Since when
can you do that?! Ooh, just wait till I…” Unfortunately for Risea, she had no more cards that
could fit into the space available to her; everyplace else was either too small or covered in
blue. “Damn,” she cursed to herself, “I’m gonna have to pass…” Risea regretfully discarded
one card and drew another, allowing Larel to lay down a special Burst Bomb uninterrupted.
Seeing this, Risea gloated, “Ha! That Burst Bomb only took away 1 point! What’s the use of
that?” Larel’ shook his head, saying, “That’s not the end of it. Get a load of this!” As both
players initiated their final move, the goldfish declared, “Larel’s doing a final Super! This
time it’s the Ink Storm! That’s going to take 12 more points from Risea!” Risea clutched her
head in complete disappointment and disbelief. Not only had she been hut with a triple, but
she also had no viable cards to deal in retaliation. “That’s it,” announced the judge, “I’ve
calculated the results, and it’s 45-63. Larel’s the winner!” Larel beamed with pride as he was
granted a green sticker of approval, which he stored in a tin box. “A good match, that was,”
said the fish woman, “I hope that you two had fun! I hope to see you again!”
 Settling Down
Chapter Summary

Larel and Risea head back to their apartment, where they socialize as the former makes
funnel cakes.

Risea and Larel walked away from the Tableturf dojo, with the latter feeling very peeved at
the events that unfolded. “I don’t get it,” she complained, “How did you even do that?”
Giving her friend an angry look, Risea continued, “Oh, I know why. You must’ve cheated!
For frick’s sake, Larel, were you so afraid of losing that you had to use dirty tactics?” Larel’
shook his head and answered, “Who said I was cheating? I was just building up special
points, that’s all.” With a confused look, Risea asked, “I heard that goldfish lady mention
those earlier. What the hell are those, anyway?” Larel’ pulled out one of his cards, the Tri-
Slosher, and showed it to Risea, saying, “You see that darker square at the top right? That’s a
Special Space; by completely surrounding it with blocks of any color, you get a special point.
Once you have enough special points, you get to have one of your cards get powered up,
allowing it to replace the turf claimed by your opponent.” Larel gave his ally a look as he
stated, “Why am I telling you this, anyway? Weren’t you listening to a thing that staff
member said?” Risea looped one strand of tentacle hair around her finger as she replied, “I
was…distracted.” Larel’ sighed as he said, “Well…whatever. At the very least, I got to see
your skills in Tableturf, no matter how bad they were.” Risea glared at her companion and
barked, “Hey, don’t say that! I was winning at first!” Larel’ retorted, “Maybe you were, but
your placement was terrible. You were just deploying cards all willy-nilly, with no rhyme or
reason. It’s no wonder you didn’t have any cards left to deal in the last two turns.” Before
Risea could rip Larel a new one, the squid shrugged and stated, “But I can’t blame you.
You’re only a beginner, after all. You’ll most likely get better with practice.” Risea’s look
switched from one of livid anger to adamant determination as she said, “Damn straight!
When I learn this game, you better believe that I’ll be wiping the floor with you and everyone
else.” In response, Larel smirked and said, “Not without some training, you won’t. But
you’ve got the spirit, I’ll give you that.” The boy yawned and stretched his body, stating,
“Anyway, I’m pooped. Are you coming back to the house, or are you doing something else?”
Risea though for a minute before answering, “I think I’m done hanging around here for the
day. Besides…” she looked down at Blippy, who was hopping in place impatiently, “He
could use a snack.” Larel nodded and responded, “Sounds good. Speaking of food, I’m
thinking of making something at the apartment. Come along, and I’ll show you what it is.”
Intrigued, Risea followed Larel as the trio made their way to their abode.

Noticing that the apartment was now furnished with objects such as couches, lamps, and
rugs, Risea watched as Larel walked over to the counter to pick up a box of flour. “Today,” he
declared, “I’m going to be making funnel cakes. I figured that I would try making our own
food instead of just eating out.” Holding Blippy in one hand, Risea asked, “You know how to
cook?” Larel answered, “Yeah, but I hardly ever got a chance to do it. Back home, my dad
was usually the one who took care of my food needs.” Larel’ smiled slightly of continued,
“But hey, at least now I have a chance to show off my skills, right?” Turning back around to
the counter, Larel stated, “Anyway, this might take some time, so I hope you like waiting.”
Risea sighed. If there was one thing she didn’t like, it was waiting. Still, there seemed to be
no other choice, so she resolved to entertain Blippy until her squid friend was done with his
task.

“So,” said Larel’ as he prepared the ingredients, “I had a run-in with this piranha guy that
came to our house. He was grumbling about how rude you were being to him, how
inconsiderate you were being by ignoring him.” Risea scratched her head and replied, “I was?
I don’t remember acting like that towards anyone.” Larel’ arranged the oil as he stated, “Well,
you still hurt his feelings. Anyway, that’s not the main point. What that piranha was visiting
me to talk about the price of this apartment. Unfortunately, we can’t just live here for free; we
have to pay rent.” Looking lost, Risea inquired, “Rent? What’s that?” Larel responded with
disbelief, “Geez, how ignorant can you be? You’ve never even heard of rent? What, were you
homeless up until now, or something?” Risea shook her head and answered, “Nope. Me and
my foster parents did have a home, but it never stayed in one place. We lived off the land, no
money required.” Larel mixed around the flour and responded, “Well, I guess that makes
sense. To catch you up, rent is money that you have to pay every so often, which in this case
would be monthly, in order to live somewhere.” Rubbing Blippy’s belly, Risea replied,
“Sounds simple enough. So, how much do you have to pay? 5 dollars? 10?” Shaking his
head, Larel added more ingredients into the batter as he answered, “The price is 347,604
coins per month.”

Risea almost dropped her Salmonid. “Are you kidding me?!” She exclaimed, “That’s insane!
Just living here costs that much?!” Larel heated up the oil as he responded, “Yep, the inflation
is real. But I’m not too worried about payment. That…uh…job I have pays well, as I
probably already told you.” Risea’s aura became darker, her movements towards Blippy
becoming more restricted. Noticing this, Larel added, “But, uh, that’s not where all the
money is going to be coming from! Today, you and I earned a lot of money winning Ranked
Battles. If things keep on going this way, we should have no problem paying this rent.”
Feeling a little better, Risea replied, “You have a point. So, does that mean that we’re doing
the same thing tomorrow?” Larel arranged the batter and oil into their places as he answered,
“Ah, I don’t know about that. I’m not really much of a battler, in case you couldn’t tell. But
you can do good enough by yourself, right?” Nodding, Risea said, “Sure, I’ll be fine.” Larel
turned towards his friend and stated, “Glad you understand. By the way, the funnel cakes are
almost done. Just a bit longer and we’ll be able to eat.” Distracted somewhat by the prospect
of enjoying something tasty, Risea laid back on a beige couch and allowed Blippy to bounce
innocently on her stomach.

Following a sweet meal, Larel and Risea began to get themselves ready for bed; although the
evening was barely over, the two were feeling quite tired after the activities they partook in.
“Hey, Risea,” said Larel as he fluffed his pillow, “I forgot to say this earlier, but I just wanted
to thank you for agreeing to play Tableturf with me. Not many other Inklings nor Octolings
find the game very appealing. I’m glad that you, at least, are interested in it.” Risea rubbed
Blippy’s head fin as she replied, “Don’t mention it. Honestly, I can see why hardly anyone
else plays it; it’s boring as hell!” Larel laughed quietly and retorted, “Really? Then why were
you so passionate about it, then?” Risea shrugged and answered, “I wasn’t excited because I
like Tableturf. I just wanted to win!” Sighing with a smile, Larel replied, “Whatever you say,
Risea. By the way, if you didn’t already notice, I bought you a bed. Now you don’t have to
sleep on the floor, anymore.” Risea turned around to notice the aforementioned bed, with its
orange-colored comforter. In response, she tucked Blippy inside the sheets and placed herself
in her usual spot on the floor. With a very confused look on his face, Larel asked, “Seriously?
I buy a comfortable bed just for you, and you just give it away to your Smallfry?!” Risea
smiled and winked at her friend, responding, “Who says the little guy doesn’t deserve it?
Besides, I’m perfectly comfortable sleeping on the ground, why should I stop now?” Looking
at his roommate all curled up on the floor, Larel shook his head and stated, “I’ll never
understand you, Risea…” Finding slight amusement in the matter, Larel’ tucked himself into
his covers, and the trio drifted off into sleep.
 Insubordination among Agents
Chapter Summary

Risea heads back down to Alterna, but she doesn't particularly enjoy it.

Feeling very refreshed after enjoying the soft touch of cotton, Blippy woke up the following
morning and jumped out of his bed directly onto Risea. Shook awake, Risea said with slight
tiredness, “Wow, you sure are energetic. Did you enjoy your new bed?” Looking around,
Blippy noticed that Risea’s roommate was still fast asleep, prompting him to flop towards the
squid. “Oh,” said Risea as Blippy made his way along, “Are you going to try and wake him
up? Good luck with that; that guy sleeps like a rock.” Still feeling determined, Blippy took a
position at the top of a small desk, wiggled his tail fin, and prepared to make a leap. Flapping
his fins fervently, Blippy bounced onto Larel’s chest with a powerful plop. Unfortunately for
him, this effort failed; Larel was still snoozing. Frustrated, Blippy started gurgling with
annoyance as he repeatedly made short hops on the male Inkling. No matter what he did,
however, the squid remained inactive. “What’d I tell you?” stated Risea as she picked up the
Salmonid, “Larel’s not going to be awake for some time. Anyway, forget him. Let’s go
outside!” Giving Larel one final look of disdain, Blippy begrudgingly allowed himself to be
carried out of the apartment.

As the duo entered Splatsville, Blippy took notice of the manhole near the bottom of the
stairs leading up to the Lobby. As Risea headed upwards, Blippy jumped out of her hands and
wiggled over to the covered pothole. “Hey,” said Risea, “What gives? You can’t stay here,
Blippy. I’ve got to leave you with that goldfish while I do some Ranked Battles!” Risea
attempted to retrieve her friend, but the fish simply jumped away onto a curb. “Come on,”
said Risea with narrowed eyes, “Stop being so difficult. It’s just staying in a booth for a few
minutes. What’s so bad about that?” Again, Risea tried to nab her companion, but she met the
same results. Feeling peeved, the squid huffed, “Seriously, what’s up with you, Blippy? I
can’t just leave you alone, you’ll get hurt!” Looking adamantly at his friend, Blippy jumped
in place on the manhole cover. Realizing what this meant, Risea responded, “Wait, are you
saying that you want to go back to Alterna? But Blippy, why would you want to do that?
Don’t you know what happened yesterday?” The Smallfry, however, did not care, and he
boldly jumped on place once. “You heard Captain Martine,” said Risea in a rising tone, “He
doesn’t care about your life. He was willing to have you eaten by a ravenous eel! Do you
really want to go back to HIM?” Again, Blippy bounced in his spot. Risea stared at the fish
for a moment before sighing, “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Risea walked over to
the manhole and dived in with her little buddy, not even caring that an Octoling boy was
witnessing the whole event.

Risea arrived in Alterna to see the rest of the NSS having breakfast at a brown, round table.
Noticing Risea’s arrival, Agent 1 waved and greeted, “Hey there, Agent 3! Glad to see you
back here. Want an éclair?” Risea glumly went over to retrieve her Hero Suit as she
answered, “Not hungry.” Blippy, on the other hand, was all too eager to have a snack, so he
accepted Agent 1’s offer. “So,” started Agent 2, “Since you’re here, I assume that you’re
okay with continuing your work?” Risea put on her shirt and replied, “You could say that.
But just know that it was Blippy who wanted me down here, not me.” Agent 2 twirled her
umbrella and responded, “Okeydokey. In that case, I might as well let you know that we’ve
gathered information about the next area, ‘Cryogenic Hopetown’. We didn’t find any
significant signals over there, but hey, you can get more power eggs over there, you know?”
Grabbing her Hero Shot, Risea responded, “Sure.” With that, the squid made her way into the
field, with Roenaldo sitting in silence.

After traveling through two pipes, Risea ended up on an island that was covered in ice and
what looked to be snow. Such things were foreign to Risea, the girl from the desert, so she
found herself struggling to navigate the terrain. Furthermore, the Fuzzy Ooze was as
prevalent here as it was in the previous zone, so Blippy often had to give his friend a shave.
After some slipping and sliding, Risea eventually made it to a kettle located on a small pile of
fake snow. “Geez,” she said as she shot away the cover, “This stuff sucks! I’ve gotta get out
of here as soon as possible…” Following a session of rubbing her hands together for warmth,
Risea made sure that Blippy had not turned into a popsicle before diving into her first trial of
the day.

Thankfully for Risea, the room she landed in was much less cold than the surface. As the
Inkling stretched her limbs, O.R.C.A greeted, “Welcome back, Risea. I am glad to announce
that this test will be a fun one. Today, you will engage in a sport that the citizens of Alterna
have enjoyed for decades: curling. This activity will test your precision, sense of judgement,
and patience. I recognize that people of your kind possess curling stones of your own, so I
have manufactured a device that allows you to deploy as many of them as you wish. Please
enjoy.” By walking into the weapon dispersal unit, Risea was given not a firearm of any kind,
but rather a small, cubic container. By holding the object in her hand, Risea had her ink flow
into the box through a receiver, causing the device to manifest a small black cylinder with
orange lights on the sides. Picking up the object by its handle, Risea asked, “What’s this,
some sort of rock?” Agent 1 answered, “No, girl, that’s a Curling Bomb! Just slide it onto the
ground to activate it and watch it explode!” As a test, Risea wound up and sent the bomb
along the ground and towards the left wall, causing thw explosive to bounce off the divider
and behind Risea before blowing up. “Hm,” said the squid, “Interesting.” Wondering what
her main task was, Risea deposited some power eggs into the hole near the doors of the room
before exiting out into the testing grounds.

In front of Risea was a straightforward path that was lined with power eggs. Seeing these
important items, Risea attempted to walk towards them only to be shocked by a sudden
electric jolt. “Hey!” she exclaimed, “Where did that come from?” In response, O.R.C.A.’s
voice stated, “Denizens are forbidden from proceeding until they successfully throw their
curling stone into the target zone at the end of each path.” Risea looked to where the power
eggs led, which happened to be a red circle. “So,” she said, “I’ve gotta land my Curling
Bomb in that spot?” The AI responded, “Correct.” Hearing this, Agent 1 laughed, “Hey,
Agent 2, doesn’t this remind you of what Gramps used to do way back when?” Agent 2
replied, “How could I forget? He refused to let us enjoy the cruise until he landed his stone
directly in the center of the target. I also remember how I missed brunch all because Gramps
was being so stubborn…” As the two agents were reminiscing, Risea picked up a Curling
Bomb from her device and hurled it towards the circle with a great force. Unfortunately,
because of this, the bomb ended up overshooting the target. Slightly perturbed, Risea tried
again, this time launching the object at a weaker intensity. However, the explosive was
deployed at a bad angle, causing it to fall into the water below. “Grah,” grumbled Risea as
she refilled her ink reserves, “Why can’t I get this?” After getting moist, the Inkling made
two more attempts at hitting her target until succeeding on the 3rd try. “There,” huffed Risea,
“Was it that difficult?” As Risea proceeded onwards, Captain Martine stated, “Here’s a tip for
using Curling Bombs: you’ve got to use your legs more. That form you had earlier was
lacking; you have to keep your body straight and push one leg outwards whenever you throw
a bomb.” With an annoyed look on her face, Risea replied, “Yeah, okay.”

As Risea took on the rest of the curling challenges, Roenaldo said, “Listen, uh, Agent 3, I
wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday.” No response came from Risea; she
was too focused on sending a Curling Bomb along a zigzagging path. After a bit of
hesitation, the captain continued, “So, I know that we had a bit of a falling-out over your
Smallfry…” Risea uttered a sound of anger as her 17th bomb fell into the water. “Ugh,” she
growled, “I don’t want to talk about this. Bug off.” As his subordinate continued doing her
activity, Captain Martine said, “Well, if you aren’t going to talk, then you can at least listen to
me. I just wanted to say that I know why you got so mad at me for having you try to sacrifice
Blippy. What I did was wrong.” Winding up another shot, Risea retorted, “Still didn’t stop
you from saying it, though.” In response, Roenaldo stated, “I know that. That’s why I’m
apologizing.” After successfully hitting another target, Risea returned, “Oh yeah? Well, too
bad; I’m still angry at you. So, you can be sorry all you want.” In a slightly angry tone, the
leader responded, “Come on, Agent 3, what more do I have to do? I already said that I made
a mistake. Is there something else you want?” Looking at a stack of synthesized boxes, Risea
answered, “How about you start treating Blippy like a person instead of a dumb fish?”
Roenaldo returned, “Did I ever say that he was a dumb fish?” Having only destroyed 2 of the
10 boxes, Risea replied, “You sure showed it when you had Blippy act as a distraction for
Frye’s eels! Nothing says ‘fish bait’ more than that!” Groaning, the captain said, “I know I
already said that I’m sorry for offering to sacrifice your friend, but I still can’t wrap my head
around why you’re so bitter about surviving. Did you have a plan for getting away from those
eels that didn’t involve Blippy?” Risea watched as more boxes came to replace the ones that
she demolished before responding, “No, but I would rather die than let anyone place a finger
on my Smallfry.” At this, the leader stated in a disdained voice, “That’s what I don’t
understand. Do you seriously think that a Salmonid’s life is more important than yours?
That’s crazy!” Gritting her teeth, Risea retorted, “Am I the crazy one here? Cause you’re the
one who’s not making any sense! You just said that you’re sorry for trying to sacrifice Blippy,
and now you’re saying that he isn’t valuable! Tells me a lot about your sincerity…” At a loss
for words, Roenaldo said, “Come on, you know I didn’t—” Risea then suddenly interjected,
“You’ve said enough! We’re done talking. Just sit down, shut up, and let me finish this
mission!” Not wishing to escalate the situation any further, Roenaldo abided by his agent’s
wishes. Feeling off-put by the whole scenario, Blippy wiggled in his nook and gurgled softly
while his friend tried to resolve the task at hand.
 Slicin' and Dicin'
Chapter Summary

Risea gets a sneak peek of what the Splatana Stamper is like in Alterna.

Upon completing the mission, Risea was teleported along with Blippy back to the surface.
“Okay,” said Risea as she held her friend in her hands, “Hurry up and eat these stupid eggs so
that we can get rid of this stupid fuzz.” Although Blippy was disturbed by his companion’s
mood, he couldn’t find a reason to not eat the power eggs that Risea had earned. So, he
consumed the orange orbs, causing him to vibrate intensely. With this living weapon in hand,
Risea threw the Smallfry towards a purple mass to the left, causing the Fuzzy Ooze below to
disappear. With the way now forward now less dangerous, Risea took her friend and slid a
good distance forward, paying no mind to the rectangular, orange shelters, frozen rigging
stations, or pillars of ice. She instead focused her eyes on a metal pipe, which was blocked by
a large wall of Fuzzy Ooze. Scooping out the little power eggs that she had left, Risea said,
“Blippy, open up. I just need you to get rid of this last bit and then we can move on.” Blippy
did as was asked of him, swallowing the objects and becoming powered up as a result. Risea
picked up the Salmonid, hurled him at the ooze’s vulnerable blob, and waited for the tube to
become unclogged. To her dissatisfaction, however, nothing happened; Blippy simply
bounced off his target. To make matters worse, he spat out the fully chewed eggs onto Risea’s
torso, causing her to feel disgust. As Risea looked with disbelief, Agent 1 said through the
headphones, “Uh oh, I guess that Blippy wasn’t feeling amped enough, was he? Looks like
you’ll have to get some more power eggs, Agent 3.” Risea groaned, “Seriously? Ugh, I just
want to move on!” Sighing with a moderate amount of anger, Risea slid what remained of the
power eggs into her canister before sliding towards a pile of snow that was suspiciously
topped with a small patch of Fuzzy Ooze. “Okay, Blippy, open your mouth,” said Risea as
she held the canister above her partner’s mouth, “I’m going to feed you your own barf. You
didn’t chew it too much, so I’m pretty sure the nutrients are still there. You ready?” Happy to
accept any form of sustenance, Blippy happily made himself open to receive the egg remains.
To Risea’s satisfaction, her ludicrous plan worked, and Blippy had enough energy to remove
the sludge atop the snow, making another kettle known. Shooting away the top of the bronze
object, Risea begrudgingly morphed into her squid form and slipped through, knowing that
she had little choice but to keep on trucking.

The next 5 missions saw Risea avoiding octopus-based missiles, figuring out ink-activated,
rolling devices, running along a track while breaking boxes, and popping balloons under a
time limit. Although the Inkling was not very happy with having to do as much tasks as she
did, she found that such actions were necessary; the cycle of paying in power eggs to start a
test, receiving power eggs if the test was completed, and having to use more power eggs to
remove the splotches of Fuzzy Ooze littering the area forced Risea to work extra hard to keep
a steady supply of resources. Thankfully for her, the trials were not too taxing; most of them
were over in the span of a minute, not counting the costly mistakes that she went through.
Soon enough, there was but one more kettle to conquer, which was located under an icicle-
riddled bridge linking two shelters together. Getting some ink off her from the previous test,
Risea entered through the grates of the final kettle to continue her journey.

“Hello, Risea,” greeted O.R.C.A., “I hope that your mind and body are fully prepared,
because this next trial will be more challenging than the ones before it. Your goal here is to
ascend a tower while fending off whatever enemies await you. Please choose the weapon that
you feel will help you the most with this task.” Risea did as was suggested, stepping into the
weapon-dispersal unit and taking a look at her options. “Okay...” she said while panning her
view, “We have the Hero Shot, as always, the Hydra Splatling, whatever that is, and...wait,
WHAT?!” To Risea’s absolute shock, sitting directly in front of her was a shiny Splatana
Stamper, ripe for the taking. Her eyes widened with glee as she eagerly snatched the sword
from its place, feeling the drastic difference in weight in her new toy as compared to her
previous one. “Aw yeah,” she said with a big smile on her face, “This is awesome! Looks like
I’m getting early access. Suck on that, Sheldon!” As Risea was fawning over her large stick,
O.R.C.A asked, “You appear to have a great affection for the Splatana Stamper. Is that to be
your choice?” Risea swung the Stamper around, saying, “What sort of question is that? Of
course this is my choice!” In response, the computer said, “Very well then. Good luck,
Risea.” Feeling very confident, the squid used 30 of her power eggs at the entrance before
making her way to the other side of the clear doors.

Right off the bat, Risea was greeted by a fleet of 5 Fuzzy Octocopters that flew in from the
tower ahead. The girl did not appear to be perturbed by this at all, instead smiling and
holding her Splatana back in preparation. As she was doing this, the greater weight of the
weapon started to become apparent; it was more difficult for Risea to execute a projectile
attack. However, this trait did not disturb the squid too much, and she simply put a bit more
force into her motions. Using this strategy along with the one learnt from Chara allowed
Risea to release a crescent shot larger than any her Splatana Wiper could produce. This wave
of ink effortlessly neutralized one of the Octocopters, bringing Risea massive joy. “Woah-
hoh!” She said, “I am lovin’ this! Just one attack, and he’s dead? I can see why Sheldon was
keeping this away from me!” In her state of adoration, Risea almost forgot to dodge the
bullets from the four remaining Octocopters, who were dead-set on attacking as they always
were. “Hey!” exclaimed Risea as she evaded to the side, “Lemme have my moment!”
Looking to teach her enemies a lesson, Risea launched projectile after projectile, getting into
a good rhythm as she did so. By following a routine of holding back, releasing, and
repeating, Risea ended up wiping the introductory party off the map. “Woo!” cheered Agent
1, “Way to go, girl! You’re a real natural!” Agent 2 added, “Yeah, what she said. Compared
to every other weapon, you sure know your way around this one. Have you been practicing?”
Risea held her sword proudly and answered, “I guess you could say that. Truth is, this is my
first time using the Splatana Stamper. But, since I’m great with the Splatana Wiper, learning
the Stamper’s a cakewalk!” Agent 2 responded, “Ah, I see. Well, I guess this mission won’t
take very long, huh?” Risea laughed, “I don’t think it will! I feel unstoppable!” Filled with
this sensation of power, Risea ran energetically into the tower, fully ready and willing to
battle.

Risea’s ascent up and through the tower was like a knife through butter; she dashed towards
and sliced open Octotroopers, whacked away the explosives of airborne Octobombers, and
fired crescent shots at faraway Octopods before they had a chance to detonate. As she
emerged on the 5th floor, a sudden jet of purple ink whizzed by right in front of her. “Hey!”
she shouted, “Who did that?!” The Inkling followed the trail of ink to a wall in the far back
of the corridor, where some long, fuzzy tentacle with eyes and a long nozzle attached to its
mouth was sitting atop its smaller machine. “Oh yeah,” explained Agent 1, “That’s an
Octosniper. Or, at least, a furry version. Watch out, those guys have some nasty range.”
Giving the Octarian an angry look, Risea growled, “So you’re just another sniper, aren’t
you? Looks like I’ll have to teach you a lesson!” Holding her Splatana Stamper above her
head, Risea let out a fierce battle cry as she beelined towards the Octosniper. Surprising no
one, this tactic led to her getting blasted by a direct shot, causing her clothes to immediately
break. While Risea was in the middle of recovering from the shock, her exposed body was hit
by a follow-up shot, leading to her getting splatted.

“Hey, so, uh,” said Agent 2 in a slightly mocking tone as Risea appeared in a checkpoint,
“Maybe don’t run straight up to a sniper? That might help.” Breathing out through her nose,
Risea replied, “Shut up, I know. I was just messin around, that’s all.” Watching Risea run her
way back to where she was eliminated, Agent 2 said with an amused voice, “Whatever you
say, Agent 3...” Ignoring her superior’s condescending words, Risea returned to the 5th floor
with the Octosniper, which she made quick work out of after taking a zigzagging path to the
ranger. “There,” she said while looking down at the orange remains, “Done and done. Thank
god there’s only one of these guys...” Stepping through the hole that the Octosniper was
blocking, Risea made her way up another ramp, which would hopefully be the last.

Thankfully for Risea, her wish came true; the ramp led up to the top of the tower, where the
goal could be seen on the other side of a wide bridge. The girl, while partly relieved to be
done with the task at hand, also felt somewhat sorrowful at the idea of saying goodbye to her
Splatana Stamper. “Oh well,” she said as she walked forward, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll get my
Stamper for real at some point.”

As Risea headed to the long cylinder, Captain Martine, who had been quiet for the past few
missions, said, “Agent 3, I know that when you came down here today, we had a bit of
a...disagreement.” With her good mood ruined, Risea rolled her eyes and stated, “Geez, are
you still on this stuff? I already told you; we’re done talking.” Sighing, the captain
responded, “For Pete's sake, Agent 3, can’t you just give me a chance? I’m just trying to
reason with you, why do you have to be so--” Roenaldo cut himself off, took a deep breath,
and continued, “Okay, let’s all calm down. I said some things, you said some things, we’re
both at fault. Can’t we just forgive each other and move on?” Sucking her teeth, Risea said
under her breath, “Don’t tell me to calm down, you lousy little...”

Risea’s train of thought was interrupted when she caught notice of two jets of ink
approaching from both sides of the bridge. These jets followed an arching path as they
landed directly in fron of Risea, creating two puddles. From these splotches emerged two
female Octolings similar to Basstian and others, except these ones were different. Like the
other Octarians in Alterna, the Octolings were covered in reddish-brown, bristly fur,
particularly on their tentacle hair. Furthermore, they both had lightish brown skin, goggles
that appeared to be obscured with Fuzzy Ooze, and thin purple lips. Finally, their attire
consisted of a leopard-print crop top, grey sleeves cut off at the shoulders, tight black shorts
and matching, studded boots. “Shoot,” said Agent 1, “An ambush! Come on, Agent 3, teach
these girls not to use such cheap tactics!” Looking down at her sword, Risea grinned and
said, “Well, looks like we have one final fight together. Let’s make it count!” Reinvigorated
by this new challenge, Risea dived into battle, her muscles raring for action. The Octolings
responded by saying a word to each other in their language and splitting apart from one
another, their Splattershot-like guns at the ready.

The battle that ensued was a hectic one for both parties. Risea found her opponents to be
vastly more skilled than the ones she encountered in Splatsville; the Octolings here were
much more tactically minded than the usual Inkling/Octoling. Despite their numbers and
intelligence advantage, the Octolings still had to watch their step around Risea’s brute
strength. After a period of trying to figure out the enemy’s attack and run maneuvers, Risea
eventually decided to limit the movement of her adversaries by spreading her ink every which
way with her projectile shots. As she did this, she tried her best to avoid getting hit, which she
was admittingly not very good at. Still, with her toughness, she managed to pull through.
Eventually, after a while of offense and defense from both sides, Risea gained the advantage,
and she was able to eliminate one of the Octolings with two well-aimed crescent shots.
Gaining a confidence boost after this, Risea swam through her orange ink and towards the
remaining Octarian, finishing her off with a powerful slash to the back. With her opponents
now nothing more than ink-stained clothes, Risea wiped her forehead and breathed a sigh of
relief, satisfied with a job well done.

“Outstanding, Risea,” congratulated O.R.C.A as the Inkling approached the goal, “You have
cleared that trial with greater ease than most. For that, I believe that you deserve an extra
amount of power eggs. Please enjoy.” Along with the 500 eggs that came out of the front of
the cylinder, Risea received 300 more from the right side. Before Risea could properly enjoy
this gift, she was suddenly teleported back to the surface.
 Becoming an Errand Girl
Chapter Summary

Desperate for a Splatana Stamper of her own, Risea accepts a task assigned to her by
Angela to get a set of items.

After appearing back on the surface, Risea reached behind her back with her left hand to pull
out her friend, saying, “Okay, Blippy, that should be enough. Let’s...wait, WHAT?!” Rather
than her Salmonid friend being in her hand, there was...another one of her hands. “Wait,” she
said with a horrified expression on her face, “If my hand is there, then what’s...” She looked
at the place where her right hand would be and screamed; attached unnaturally to the end of
Risea’s arm was none other than Blippy, who was wriggling around in confusion. Before
Risea and the others could panic too much, the kettle next to her started to crackle with
electricity before administering a beam of energy to the squid and her Salmonid. This caused
the duo’s molecules to dissipate and reform in a quick fashion, returning the two to their
natural state of being. Looking between her arm and Blippy in utter disbelief, Risea
sputtered, “I--you—you were—my arm...” After a brief period of mania, Risea put her hands
at her side and said in the calmest tone that she could manage, “You know what, why should I
even question things at this point? Let’s just get rid of that wall so we can blow this place and
do something else.” With that goal in mind, Risea picked up her friend and slid her way over
to the massive glob of Fuzzy Ooze, which easily went down after Blippy ate a fittingly large
amount of power eggs. “There,” said Risea, “Finally. I think we deserve a break, don’t we,
Blippy?” Although the Salmonid was not truly ready to leave, he decided not to object; he
had had enough eggs for the day.

As the two were on their way out, Captain Martine said, “I still didn’t get any confirmation
on if you forgive me or not.” Groaning in annoyance, Risea turned around and said, “Ah, will
you just shut your trap? How stubborn can you be?” Roenaldo crossed his arms and
answered, “As stubborn as I need to be to get rid of this grudge between us.” Sighing, Risea
replied, “If I forgive you, will you leave me alone?” The captain nodded, causing Risea to
reply in a sarcastically sweet voice, “Okay, don’t worry, Captain Martine! I completely
forgive you for what you’ve done. Let’s be friends again! There, are you happy?” Roenaldo
nodded again and responded, “Happy enough.” With that, Risea turned around and stated,
“Okay. Be seein’ you all.” As the younger squid made her exit, Agent 1 asked, “Y’know, she
has a point. Why do you care so much about making amends with her? I mean, being friendly
is good and all, but this is pushing it a little too far, isn’t it?” Smiling slightly with his hand
under his chin, Captain Martine replied, “I have my reasons...”

Risea appeared in Splatsville and looked up at the sky with an angry expression. “Man, I
already wasted half of the day down there! I hope you’re happy, Blippy...” Looking towards
the Ammo Knight building, the squid continued, “Well, at the very least, I can try and talk up
Sheldon about that Splatana Stamper. I should’ve earned enough experience by now...” With
this hope in her heart, Risea walked inside of the weapon shop, leaving Blippy next to a
nearby set of traffic cones.

“No,” said Sheldon while shaking his head, “You’re still not ready for this weapon.” Risea
put her hands together and pleaded, “Come on, Sheldon, just give me a chance! I’ve already
used the Stamper before, why can’t you just give it to me now?” Giving his customer a
confused look, Sheldon inquired, “I beg your pardon?” Realizing what she just said, Risea
corrected, “Never mind. My point is that I’m already great at battling, so why shouldn’t you
sell me the big sword? You won’t regret it, I promise!” Sheldon received a license from
another shopper as he retorted, “No matter how good you supposedly are, I just can’t give
away any of my precious creations to those who are not worthy. They’re too good for that!”
Still remaining determined, Risea prodded, “Really? Not even for loads of coins? Cause I
have em’!” Sheldon answered, “You already know the type of currency that I accept. And
coins are not it.” Risea held her hand to her head and groaned, her foot tapping against the
ground with frustration. “Fine,” she sighed, “I get it. I’ll leave…” With that, the squid made
her exit, leaving Sheldon to tend to his business.

“Dang it,” said Risea as she picked up Blippy and walked through the decorations-filled city,
“What am I supposed to do now, battle until I get more experience? I mean, yeah, I like
fighting, but who knows how long it’ll take to get strong enough? It could take days, weeks,
months! Y’know what I mean, Blippy?” The fish simply warbled in response. “Exactly,”
replied Risea, “And I just don’t know if I can wait that long! But, well, it looks like we’re just
going to have to deal with that, huh, little buddy?”

As the squid was contemplating this, she came across Angela , who was sitting on a bench
looking at a parade float while fanning herself off with a shiny, golden slip. “Ooh,” said Risea
with sparkling eyes, “Where did you get that fancy fan?” Giving her friend a look, Angela
answered, “This ain’t no fan, girl. This is one of my Gold Sheldon Licenses.” Risea gasped,
her face filled with intrigue. “Wait,” she said in awe, “You said…Golden Sheldon License?”
Raising one eyebrow, Angela responded, “Yeah? What about it?” Risea’s mind began to race
with thoughts of what power a golden license could grant. She was not completely sure of
what privileges the slip would grant her, but she knew that they would be great. Getting down
on both knees, Risea held her hands together and begged, “Angela, you’ve gotta let me have
that license! I neeeed it!” Reeling back in disgust, Angela replied, “Are you crazy?! I can’t
just give this away for free! I got it as a gift for traveling here from Inkopolis Square, and I’m
gonna keep it as a souvenir.” Widening her eyes in disbelief, Risea exclaimed, “Seriously?
You won’t even give it away to one of your best friends?” Shaking her head, Angela replied,
“Who said I was one of your best friends?” Furrowing her eyebrows, Risea picked herself up
and said, “Okay, be that way. I’ll just find one myself.”

As the shorter squid made her exit, Angela called after her, “Aaactually, there is something
you could do to change my mind…” Turning around with a hopeful face, Risea asked, “What
is it? Tell me!” Smiling mischievously, Angela answered, “If you want my license, you’re
going to have to do some work for me.” She pulled out a small, green booklet with a
raincloud symbol on it from her purple purse and opened it, saying, “This right here is a
catalog. I’m gonna assume that your dumba** has not seen one of these, so I’ll tell you what
it is. Basically, the more you battle, the more rewards you get. Sort of like that whole level
system you already have.” Pointing at a set of grey headphones, a white T-shirt, and pink
shoes, Angela stated, “What I want you to do is get these clothes for me.” Looking at the
numbers attached to these items, Risea said, “But according to this, you get these things at
rank 5, 6, and 7! Can’t you do this yourself?” Giving her friend a fierce look, Angela retorted,
“Hey, do want this license, or not?!” Putting her hands up, Risea replied, “Okay, geez! So,
what am I doing, using your catalog, or…” Angela shook her head fervently and answered,
“Hell no! I’m not letting your dirty hands touch my stuff! Go and get your own catalog!”
Pointing at a building opposite of Ammo Knights, Angela explained, “You can find one in
Hotlantis. Hurry up and get one ‘fore I get mad.” Rolling her eyes, Risea turned back around
and responded, “Whatever you say…” With that, the Inkling and her Salmonid buddy made
their way through a set of clear, swinging doors into the mentioned, black building.

The inside of the establishment, which was much brighter than the outside, was filled shelf to
shelf with a colorful assortment of trinkets, toys, and treats, ranging from plush dolls to
comic books to even full-on statues. As Risea looked around in awe, she noticed a young,
skinny anemone girl with tendril hair that was pink with green tips, a black T-shirt with a
neon green and pink pattern on it, a short light-green skirt and black shorts, and black and
yellow striped hat. She appeared to have a vacant look on her face as she played with a
compressing and decompressing plastic toy, watching it go up and down endlessly. “Hey,”
asked Risea, “Are you the shop owner?” No answer. Risea stepped forward and asked more
adamantly, “I said, are you the shop owner?” This caused to girl to lazily look over at her
customer and say, “Oh. Didn’t see you there.” Crossing her arms, Risea replied, ”Clearly.
Are you gonna answer my question or not?” Getting up, the anemone answered, “You asked
if I was the shop owner? Well…not really. I’m sorta just a frequent customer here. The actual
owner, Barry, is hardly ever here, so I guess I’m kinda just running the store for him. Not like
I have much to do, anyway…” Watching as Blippy moved around in the anemone’s hair with
a tired-looking, black clownfish, Risea responded, “Riiight. Anyway, I’m here for one of those
catalog things. Do you have one you can give me?” The girl nodded, saying, “Sure. Just give
me a second.” She walked over to a small drawer under a cash register to retrieve a booklet
similar to Angela’s. “Here you go,” said the vacant girl, “Your catalog. Go wild with it. I
guess I should explain how this works. First of all, when you do things like battle or…” Risea
held up a hand to stop the anemone, stating, “Save it. I already know the rules.” In response,
the dazed individual said, “Oh. Cool. Well, have fun leveling up and stuff. When you’ve got a
good amount of tiers, just come back here and I’ll give you some rewards.” Risea replied,
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll be back soon.” After saying that, the squid reached out to retrieve
Blippy before feeling a jolt of pain as she touched the anemone’s tendrils. “Ow!” she
exclaimed, “What the heck?!” Drumming her beige fingers together, the sea anemone
apologized, “Oh yeah, guess I should’ve told you about that. Yeah, you don’t want to touch
my tentacles.” The girl then pulled the Smallfry off of her head and stated, “By the way, I
guess I should tell you my name. I’m Harmony. How about you?” Still rubbing her right
hand, Risea answered, “I’m Risea. Anyway, I’m gonna leave before this pain gets any worse.
See ya.” As the Inkling left, Harmony said, “Bye.” After saying this, the anemone went right
back to playing with her toy.
 A Clam-borous Experience!
Chapter Summary

Risea decides to engage in a match of Clam Blitz, which she ends up liking a good
amount.

Arriving in the Lobby, Risea left Blippy in the care of the cafeteria goldfish before moving
over to the terminal, her hand still tingling. “Okay,” she said while looking at the computer,
“Let’s see, what’s the Ranked mode for today? Hmm…Clam Blitz? I wonder what that is…”
Feeling curious, Risea registered for a battle and waited around for more people to join. Once
7 other players were ready, they all loaded into the elevator and zipped off to their
destination.

The Inklings and Octolings soon ended up in a busy location by the pier known as Hagglefish
Market, where there were all sorts of tents, shelves packed with goods for shipping, and
jellyfish advertising their products with waving flags. As Risea floated with her teammates
on her spawner, a different, male announcer voice filled the area, saying, “Here we are again
with another Ranked Battle! Your goal here is to put as many clams into the other team’s
basket as you can. Who will win? Who will lose? There’s only one way to find out! Get
yourselves ready, aaand…GO!” Following these words, every participant launched off of
their spawners and pop-rock music began to play.

After “accidently” crashing into a stack of empty cardboard boxes, Risea noticed a group of 3
orange and black striped clams at the bottom of a raised platform. “Oh,” she said, “Are these
what I need to collect?” As Risea reached forward to pick up the clams, the bivalves suddenly
sprang to action and leaped forward, clamping onto Risea’s shirt with their shells. “Hey!”
exclaimed Risea in surprise, “Didn’t expect that! Well, at least I’ve got some clams. Now,
where’s that basket?” Looking towards the enemy’s base, Risea could make out some
spherical object that was suspended in the air. Intrigued by this, Risea beelined towards the
other side of the stage, past all her teammates who were inking the ground. By taking this fast
track, Risea ended up in front of the object that she spied, finding it to be a green and black
beach ball-like object with the anchor-based Ranked Battle logo on it. Hey, thought Risea,
this must be the basket! Seems to be covered, though… Not wanting to waste time, Risea said
to herself, “Fine by me. I’ll just remove that cover myself!” With that, the Inkling made a
mad dash towards the sphere, jumping up and latching onto it before tearing at it with her
sharp teeth. However, despite her best efforts, the tarp did not appear to be taking any
meaningful damage. Frustrated by this, Risea growled loudly as she put more force in her
bite, attracting the attention of an enemy Octoling girl that was sticking behind in her base.
Confused beyond measure, the Octoling stared incredulously at Risea, who was still going
wild on the barrier. Shaking her head in disbelief, the octopus decided to put her enemy out
of her misery with a direct hit from her Tri-Stringer.
“Damn it,” muttered Risea, “I almost had it! What I need is some more firepower…”
Looking towards one of her teammates, an Inkling boy, who was searching around the area,
Risea ran up to him and said, “Hey, you. Get up there and help me remove that cover.” Still
looking around, the boy replied, “I’m getting to that. Just give me a minute.” In a peeved
tone, Risea retorted, “A minute?! I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re in the middle of a
freakin’ battle! What’re you doin’, anyway?” The squid simply responded, “Looking for
clams.” Risea then looked at the Inkling’s shirt and said, “But you already have 5! How much
more could you need?” As Risea was asking this, a group of 3 clams dropped down from
some unseen depositor in the sky. Seeing this, the boy walked over to the bed of clams and
allowed them to latch onto him. After this happened, all 8 of the clams detached from the
boy’s shirt and clustered together. Risea then watched in amazement as the clam on top
opened and secreted a white substance that wrapped around the whole cluster like a cocoon.
This substance quickly hardened, causing the clams to be encased in a football-like structure,
which the boy picked up. “There,” he said, “Now cover me. I’m going in.” Still in shock over
what just happened, Risea responded, “Uh, okay!” She then took a position in front of her
teammate, keeping her Splatana Wiper at the ready.

The two then made their way through the market, keeping an eye out for any enemies.
Suddenly, an Inkling with a Splattershot made herself known from behind a wall stacked with
items, her gun trained on Risea’s teammate. Before any casualties could occur, Risea jumped
at her adversary and slashed her repeatedly, splatting her in a matter of seconds. As Risea’s
opponent burst in a yellow explosion, the 4 clams that were latched onto her shirt came off,
instead clamping onto Risea’s torso. “Hurry up, you,” said the squid, “Do whatever it is
you’re doing before someone worse comes along.” The Inkling replied, “If you want me to
do that so much, I’m gonna need some ink.” Although she was slightly annoyed at being told
what to do, Risea nonetheless complied, using the residual ink from her ranged projectiles to
forge a path forward.

Thankfully for the two Inklings, two of the people on the opposing team were being engaged
by two of the individuals on Risea’s team, so Risea’s football-carrying partner was able to
throw the object at the barrier. Once the ball used its pointier end to pierce the tarp, the cover
split apart, revealing a metal cage with a hole in the middle. “There,” said the boy, “Now’s
your chance. Throw your clams into that hole.” Turning around and cupping his hands around
his mouth, the Inkling yelled, “This wa—” Suddenly, the squid was shot down by the same
Tri-Stringer-using Octoling, who had taken a position on the top of a tall tent. Thankfully,
one of his teammates, an Octoling heard his call, and he quickly Super Jumped over to the
spot where his associate was splatted. Picking clam after clam off of his shirt, the Octoling
threw the bivalves into the basket before getting eliminated by the opposing archer. Seeing
what her teammates were doing, Risea said, “Ohh, so that’s what we’re supposed to do! I get
it.” The Inkling then ran in front of the basket and threw in the 4 clams that she stole.
Immediately after doing so, Risea was reduced to a blue puddle by the defensive octo. The
girl smiled and propped herself up on her bow, amazed at how easy her opponents were.

“Great job, yellow team,” said the announcer, “You all put 9 clams into the enemy’s basket.
With the 20 extra points from the barrier breaking, that leaves you with 71 more points to
earn. But you all had better watch out for the blue team; their barrier is back up AND they’ve
got a pity ball! Good luck to both sides.” Hearing this information, Risea looked around for
wherever this so-called “pity ball” would be. In the midst of this, an enemy Inkling sneaked
his way past Risea’s watch, taking a path on the left side of the stage directly towards the
yellow team’s basket. Hearing the noise that the basket produced, Risea turned around and
exclaimed, “Hey! Where’d you come from?!” Seeing that his adversary was running towards
him, the boy stuck his tongue out and Super Jumped back to his base, leaving his pursuer in
the dust. “Damn,” grumbled Risea, “What a coward. I swear, the nerve of some people!”
Holding her sword up, the squid stared forward and said, “Well, I’m sure not gonna let that
happen again. Just TRY and get past me. You won’t get far.” So, the Inkling took a position I
the middle of her base, staying on guard for any unwelcome guests. Fortunately for her, no
one else showed up, and another tarp formed around her team’s basket to replace the one
that was destroyed. “Alright,” announced the host, “The blue team has successfully launched
a ball into the yellow team’s goal. However, since they didn’t put in any extra clams, their
score currently sits at 80, meaning that the yellow team is in the lead! Furthermore, they’ve
earned themselves a pity ball of their own.” After that declaration, a replica of a clam
football was ejected out of a hatch below the yellow team’s basket, which Risea swiftly picked
up. “Nice,” she said, smiling, “It’s time for revenge!”

The next 3 minutes that followed involved Risea’s team trying to get more clams and
footballs past the opposing team, the members of which has grown more wary after being the
first ones to have their base invaded. Although the whole process took longer than Risea
would’ve liked, she and her team ended up throwing enough bivalves into the goal to burn
away the rest of their 71 points, winning them the game. “Amazing job, yellow team,” said
the commentator, “You’ve knocked them out! Go ahead and go back to the Lobby to receive
your prizes.” Risea wiped her forehead free of sweat and blue ink, taking heavy breaths as
she did so. It was tiring work, running and swimming all over the place in search of clams.
Not to mention how much attention had to be out on defense to prevent any unwanted
Inklings/Octolings from scoring. Still, the whole experience was pleasantly exhilarating for
Risea, and she was hungry for more.
 The Evolution of a Splatana User
Chapter Summary

After fulfilling Angela's request, Risea receives a golden ticket, allowing her to buy a
Splatana Stamper.

Thus, Risea engaged in many more matches of Clam Blitz, showing a good amount of
enthusiasm as she did so. While the number of wins that she earned was less than what she
enjoyed during her Rainmaker session some time ago, she was by no means struggling. The
only negative feelings she was experiencing came because of her poor synergy with her
teammates; she often quarreled with them over who could carry the clams/football.
Thankfully, considering the low rank that Risea was in, this problem was not too
troublesome.

After walking away from another victory, Risea decided to take a break. Walking over to the
Lobby’s cafeteria, she picked up Blippy, saying, “Hey, little buddy. How do you feel about
seeing what rewards I’ve earned?” The smallfry raised his fins into the air, excited to see
what his friend had received. Risea smiled, “Great. Well, just let me get my things, and we
can get this unboxing party started!” So, the squid retrieved her loot bags from her storage
area in a corner of the Lobby and took them along with Blippy to a ramp in the training
dummy section of the room.

“Okay,” said Risea as she sat down, “Let’s see what we have here...” she dug through bag
after bag, “Coins...coins...aaand more coins. Heh, we’re really getting rich, aren’t we,
Blippy? Not even George paid me this much...” her hand graced the side of a slip of paper,
“Hang on, what’s this?” Pulling out the piece of paper, Risea discovered that it was some
kind of green bill with a raindrop symbol on it. Intrigued by this, she rummaged through the
other bags some more to see if there were any more tickets. Sure enough, there were, a whole
bunch of them, in fact. “Wow,” said Risea, “Look at all of these things! I wonder what
they’re for...” Looking around, Risea spotted an Octoling running around, shooting the
balloon dummies with his two small ink guns. “Hey, you,” shouted Risea, “Mind telling me
what these things do?” Looking over, the Octoling answered, “Oh, those? You’re supposed to
show those tickets to Harmony over in Hotlantis.” As the Octoling went back to their
training, Risea said to herself, “Hotlantis, huh? Alright...” she picked up her Salmonid,
“Come on, Blippy, let’s go see what the deal is with these tickets.” So, the two of them made
their way out of the Lobby and towards the miscellaneous store.

Walking through the clear doors of Hotlantis, Risea said, “Okay, Harmony, I’ve got some
tickets for you. What do they do?” Directing her attention away from a cool cockroach on the
ground, Harmony replied, “Oh, already? Didn’t expect you to get them so fast...” Handing
the sea anemone the wad of tickets, Risea responded, “Yeah, well I got them anyway. So,
what, do I trade these for more rewards, or...?” Harmony received the bundle, saying, “Pretty
much. Can I see your catalog really quick?” Shrugging, Risea obliged, granting Harmony her
booklet. Pulling out a pencil, Harmony muttered something quietly to herself as she
performed calculations in her head, using the tickets as a reference. Once she was done
estimating, she placed multiple checkmarks on Risea’s catalog and handed it back to her,
saying, “There. Right now, you’re level 8. Let me go and get your stuff...”

Heading to a wall in the back, Harmony retrieved multiple items, those being a fish-decorated
banner, a green and orange ticket, and most importantly the headphones, T-shirt, and shoes
that Angela was asking for. “Well,” said the anemone as she gave Risea her prizes, “Here’s
your rewards. Hope you enjoy ‘em.” Holding the object in her arms, Risea smiled,
“Awesome! Now I can get that Golden License!” she laughed, “Splatana Stamper, here I
come!” Looking back at Harmony, Risea quickly stated, “Oh yeah, thanks a lot and all that
jazz.” Harmony simply replied, “Don’t mention it. Just doin’ my job. Keep up the good work,
and I’ll give you more rewards.” Nodding Risea responded, “Okay, then.” After that, Risea
swiftly exited Hotlantis, an excited grin on her face. In the sudden absence of her customer,
Harmony looked back at the cockroach, which was now flipped onto its back.

Risea looked around the streets of Splatsville, keeping an eye out for Angela. Eventually,
after scouting the place, Risea found her friend scrolling through her phone on a balcony
overlooking the city. “Hey,” said Risea with a smile, “Guess what I’ve got?” She proudly
presented the clothes. Angela showed a hint of surprise before grinning and saying, “Finally!
What took you so long?” A confused look fell on Risea’s face as she retorted, “What took me
so long? I didn’t even—” Angela cut her off, “Chill out, b**ch, I was just joking.” She
reached into her pocket and retrieved the Golden Ticket, “Anyways, here you go.” Risea’s
eyes sparkled as she snatched the license, squealing with delight as she held the golden paper.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, “Thanks a lot, Angela! Bye-bye!” With that, the squid bolted away,
leaving Angela to stare after her in shocked silence.
Risea burst through the doors of Ammo Knights, causing Sheldon, who was in the middle of
measuring the dimensions of an ink tank, to lose his count. “Hey, Sheldon,” she declared,
“I’ve got something for you!” Sighing as he put away his ruler, Sheldon asked, “What is it?”
Risea happily presented her shiny slip, saying, “It’s a Golden Sheldon License!” Widening
his eyes in disbelief, Sheldon responded, “A Golden Sheldon License? Where did this come
from, all of the sudden?” Risea answered, “Who cares? Just tell me what it does!” Sheldon
narrowed his eyes and thought for a bit before replying, “Well, if you really want to know,
you can use a Golden Sheldon License to get any weapon you want, even if you don’t meet
the experience requirements.” Extremely intrigued by this statement, Risea said, “Really?
Does that mean…?” She grinned joyously, “Oh, yeah…” she pointed at a thick, serrated
sword on the wall, “I want to get the Splatana Stamper!” Looking at the weapon, Sheldon
asked, “And you’re sure about this?” Risea nodded passionately, leaving Sheldon to sigh,
“Okay, I’ll go get her…”

Returning with the sword, Sheldon stated, “Here she is. Before you take her, can you at least
promise me that you’ll use her right and treat her with respect?” Although Risea still found
Sheldon’s connection to be odd, she still answered, “I sure will! Trust me, “she’ll” never be
done dirty.” Feeling a bit relieved, Sheldon responded, “I hope that you’re being genuine.
Well, since you have her, I might as well tell you what she can do. The Splatana Stamper is a
great middleweight weapon…” Alas, Sheldon’s words did not reach Risea; her mind was too
occupied with the thought of owning a new, powerful sword.
“Overall,” Sheldon concluded, “The Splatana Stamper is great for those who want a little
more oomph in their Splatana. Did you get all of that?” Risea blinked before shaking her
head and answering, “Uh, yeah, I did!” Despite sensing some insincerity in Risea’s voice,
Sheldon nonetheless said, “Good. Have a good one, customer, and be sure to use my Splatana
Stamper to her full potential.” Giving a thumbs-up, Risea responded, “Don’t worry, I won’t
let you down!” Smiling and waving, Risea continued, “See ya!” With that, she left. Now left
alone, Sheldon pulled out his ruler and went back to what he was doing.
 Riding the Winds of Success
Chapter Summary

Risea takes her new Splatana Stamper to a Rank-Up Battle, hoping to get promoted to
the B- rank.

Itching to try out her new weapon, Risea made her way through the sliding doors of the
Lobby, an excited grin on her face. Once she reached her destination, she dropped Blippy off
in his usual spot before walking over to the monitor to initiate another battle. As Risea was
using the computer, an announcement popped up on screen, reading,
“CONGRATULATIONS, RIKORIKONE. YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
ADVANCE FROM RANK C+ TO B-. SELECT THE ‘Rank-Up Battle” OPTION AND
CLAIM 3 VICTORIES TO PROCEED.” Risea tapped her chin and said to herself, “A Rank-
Up Battle? Hm, I’ll try it. It could be fun!” So, the Inkling registered herself for a match,
seeing that the game mode of choice was something called “Tower Control”. Although she
had little idea what such a mode would entail, that had little effect on Risea’s excitement for
how things would go.

Soon, 7 other Inklings and Octolings joined Risea, and the 8 of them were transported to the
battle arena, which was the straightforward Hammerhead Bridge. As Risea stood on her
spawner alongside her teammates, she heard an energetic female voice through speakers on
the bridge’s towers, “Welcome, everyone, to part one of this Rank-Up Battle! Today, we have
an up-and-coming group of cephalopods hoping to make it to Rank B-! Heeere’s Jade,
Poopee, RikoRikone, aaand Skyler!” Stifling a laugh, Risea thought, Poopee? What kind of
name is that?!Risea looked to her left, seeing that one male Octoling was laughing proudly.
That must be him. Risea thought. “For this series,” declared the announcer, “They’ll have to
band together and ride the Tower safely to the goal. Can they do it? Will they get promoted?
We’ll just have to see!” She took a quick breather, “Okay, you know the rules, so let’s start!
Aaand…GO!” With that, a whistle sounded, blood-pumping rock music began to play, and
Risea’s team launched onto the field.

“Okay,” said Risea as she ran across white metal, “Where’s this Tower, anyway?” Hopping
down to a metal block and onto a small ramp, Risea spotted a rectangular object with a small
pole sticking out of its top in the center of the bridge. “Oh,” she said, “That must be it! Well,
I guess I’m just supposed to ride it, huh?” With that plan in mind, the squid fired waves of
orange ink with her Splatana Stamper, using the liquid to quickly swim her way to the Tower.
Launching some more horizontal crescents at the object, Risea climbed the stout pillar,
slipping through the grates on the sides to stand on top. Once she did so, Risea felt the Tower
shake before it began moving forward, emitting a cheerful tune as it did so. “Ha-Ha!”
laughed Risea, “Look at me go!” Seeing that 2 members of opposing blue team were making
their way forward, Risea held her sword at the ready, “You think you can stop me? Think
again!” She then swung her Splatana back and forth, aiming for the arriving cephalopods.
One of them, an Inkling boy, quickly dove into his ink and swam to the side. His female
Inkling teammate, on the other hand, stayed determined, taking 2 of Risea’s projectiles before
throwing a Splat Bomb from the sub-weapon compartment of her Splattershot Jr. and hurling
it towards her opponent. Paying no mind to this, Risea launched the third and final crescent
at her enemy and splatted her. “Ha!” she laughed, “That’s what you get for—” Just then, the
Splat Bomb blew up, causing Risea to explode in a burst of blue.

“Dang it,” grumbled Risea as her body reformed, “Should’ve moved…” As Risea launched
back into the bridge, she spotted one of her Octoling teammates firing shot after shot of
orange ink at her team’s section of the bridge with her sniper rifle-like Splat Charger. “Hey,”
said Risea, “What’re you doing?! The Tower’s over there!” Giving her teammate a look, the
octopus answered, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m farming for specials.” Risea
angrily replied, “Excuse me? ‘Farming for specials’? What does that even mean?” Sensing
that Risea was on the dumber side, the Octoling shook her head and responded, “Don’t
worry about it. Poopee is already on the tower with Skyler supporting him. I would advise
you to head over there instead of wasting time here.” Realizing this to be the truth, Risea ran
forward and exclaimed, “Oh yeah, that’s right!” Halfway through her run, Risea turned
around and added, “But seriously, you’ve gotta step up at some point. Stop being a coward!”
Sighing, Jada responded, “Whatever you say, RikoRikone.” Feeling somewhat satisfied by
this response, Risea continued forward along the bridge.

As Risea went on, she began to think back to one of her previous matches. Hmm… she mused,
that Inkling…when he was in trouble, he just jumped away. I wonder…could I do the same?
She clenched her fists, “Yeah, why shouldn’t I? I did it in Alterna, didn’t I? It should be easy
here, too!” So, in the hopes of reaching the Tower quickly, Risea went into her squid form
and compressed herself, allowing her to build up enough energy for a Super Jump. After
preparing herself, the Inkling launched herself into the air, letting out a passionate “yahoo”
as she traveled at an arc to Poopee, who was staring down 3 members of the blue team.

Unfortunately, her subpar aim led to her missing her target by a wide margin. On the bright
side, her reckless jump caused her to crash into one of the opponents, an Octoling, who was
preparing to shoot Poopee with his flame-decorated Range Blaster. Looking at her dazed
enemy, Risea took advantage of the distraction she created to whack and splat the Octoling
while his teammates looked back in utter disbelief. With the backs of the enemies turned,
Poopee and Skylar used their weapons, a black and purple Slosher and a drill gun-like Jet
Squelcher respectively, to eliminate the diverted cephalopods.

“Ayo,” said Poopee as he looked down at Risea, “You good?” Risea gave a thumbs-up,
“Yeah, never been better!” As Risea was saying this, the announcer stated, “Wow! Well, uh,
that was…unexpected. But good job, orange team, you’re now at the first checkpoint!”
Hearing this news, Poopee pumped his fist and cheered, “Booyah! Way to go, us! Okeydokey,
all I’ve gotta do is sit back, relax, and…” As the Octoling was saying this, a barrage of blue
pellets approached him at a rapid pace. He was only able to utter a quick “Oh, crap!” before
getting splatted.

Risea’s remaining Inkling teammate Skyler looked over to the left where the barrage had
come from to notice another Inkling charging up his machine gun on a raised platform. “Oh,
boy,” she said while rolling her eyes, “It’s a Heavy Splatling. RikoRikone, you get on the
Tower while I handle this punk.” Risea nodded, “Got it!” With that, she swam up to the top
of the Tower, which was in the middle of pausing at the checkpoint.

While her teammate was waiting out the timer, Skyler pulled out a highlight marker-like
object from her sub-weapons compartment in the base of her gun, jumped up, and threw the
marker at a high speed towards the Heavy Splatling user, causing him to start glowing a
bright orange. With her enemy’s position now exposed, Skyler had no trouble seeking higher
ground and landing some shots on the squid with her Jet Squelcher, causing her opponent to
get splatted.

“Great job, orange team!” cheered the announcer, “You got a Wipeout! Also, you’ve got past
the first checkpoint! Keep it up!” As Risea smiled, Poopee Super Jumped his way over to her,
saying, “Awesome! We’ve got this in the bag!” Walking over to the side of the tower, Skyler
retorted, “Don’t get too cocky. You already know what happens when you think that way.
Besides…” she pointed forward, “They’re coming back.” Risea looked in that direction,
noticing that the three enemies from before were indeed returning, looking quite peeved at the
humiliation that they endured. “Don’t worry,” said Risea with a grin, “I’ve got this!” She
proceeded to use the same projectile-based strategy as before, directing her crescent shots on
the general direction of the trio. Also deciding to use familiar tactics, the Splattershot Jr. girl
from before lobbed another Splat Bomb at the Tower, intending to splat one or both of her
opponents. This attempt fortunately failed, with Poopee hiding behind the Tower’s pole and
Risea jumping to the side. “Nuh-uh” the latter teased, “You’ll have to try harder than that!”
She landed on the ground and faced the bomb-thrower, “Have somma dis!” She then
performed her 3-hit combo towards the squid, splatting her in the process.

As Risea made her way back to the moving tower, she started to experience an intense feeling
in her ink sac. “Oh yeah,” she said, grinning with her tentacles glowing intensely, “I’ve got a
special! Time to activate it!” Wanting to show off her full might, Risea waited until she got to
the top of the Tower before shaking her Stamper vigorously. Upon doing so, orange ink began
to flow out of her palms and rapidly cover her whole body. “Oh, ho-ho,” laughed Risea as
she wobbled her now elastic arms, “The Zipcaster! This’ll be fun…”

Looking at the male Inkling to the right of her, Risea extended her hand to the wall behind
him, allowing her to zip over in that direction. Once she reached her target, Risea whacked
him into submission with her Splatana before launching her hand towards the Octoling from
before, who had taken his attention away from the tower to focus on the ink-covered threat.
Once he saw Risea approaching, the Octoling attempted to use his Range Blaster to blow his
enemy up. However, Risea proved too quick for him, and she was able to cling on to the wall
next to him. Before he could get eliminated, the boy dove into his ink and swam to the right
before attempting to shoot again. This time, the exploding nature of the Range Blaster’s bullet
managed to damage Risea, but the squid was undeterred. Before she could get hurt any more,
Risea zipped towards the Octoling, preparing to take him out. As she reeled back her
Splatana Stamper, with the many letter-engraved stamps clacking against each other like a
chainsaw, she started to feel a strange sensation in her legs, which were wobbling intensely.
Then, completely out of her control, Risea jumped backwards and onto the Tower, which was
stopped at the 2nd checkpoint.
As Risea landed on the Tower with a confused expression, she caught notice of the Heavy
Splatling user, who was preparing to unload his cartridge on her. Before Risea could take the
punishment, however, Jada came from behind, sporting a large backpack vacuum cleaner.
Using this machine, she sucked up the bullets from the enemy’s machine gun, protecting Risea
from harm. Once the opposing Inkling stopped firing, Jada flipped a switch on her
contraption and fired a large, orange ink ball in the direction of the Heavy Splatling wielder,
creating a huge explosion in the spot where he was standing. “Unbelievable!” exclaimed the
commentator, “Another Wipeout?! The orange team is makin’ it happen!” Risea looked
forward and back at Jada in absolute shock, saying, “Is that what you were farming for?!”
Jada smiled proudly, “That’s right.” Risea stayed silent for a bit before chuckling, “Well,
great! I take back what I said earlier.” Jada shook her head, “There is no need. Just focus on
winning the game.” Risea gave a thumbs-up, “Right.” So, the squid stood alongside Poopee
as the two rose the Tower.

Soon, Risea and Poopee escorted the tower to a glowing square near the enemy’s base.
“Aaand,” said the reporter, “It’s a knockout! Great job, orange team! But your work is not
done yet; you still have to win 2 more times. Blue team, you get to go, but as for the orange
team, go back to your base until more players arrive.” As Risea watched her allies celebrate,
she thought to herself, Wait here? That sure is new. Seeing that her allies were walking their
way back to their part of the bridge, Risea followed after them, Well, guess I’ll just go with
it…
 To the Victor goes the Spoils
Chapter Summary

Risea carries out the rest of her Rank-Up Battle, which ends in her victory.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

As Risea and the others stood in their base, a drone carrying a large box entered the scene and
flew over the bridge. The robot shook itself around, causing the box to open and release
many small robots reminiscent of suckerfish. “Just hang tight,” said the announcer, “Once
these Squee-Gs are done doing their business, another batch of opponents will be headed
right your way!”

Risea watched as the robots zipped across the bridge, sucking up orange and blue ink rapidly
as they did so. “Woah,” she said while looking back and forth, “Look at them go!” Jade
nodded, “Fascinating, isn’t it? I heard that the Octarians in Octo Canyon loaned their
technology to the competitive battling committee.” Poopee added, “Yeah, and the folks over
at the committee were even able to power up the Squee-Gs, too! Cool, right?” Risea smiled,
“Yeah, cool.”

A confused expression fell on her face, “Wait, what do you mean ‘the Octarians from Octo
Canyon’? Don’t you come from there, too?” Poopee raised an eyebrow, “Uh, no? We’re from
Splatsville, bro. What, did you think that we were from Octo Valley or Octo Canyon?” Risea
shrugged, “I mean…you’re Octarians, aren’t you? I thought you all came from those places.”
Jade shook her head, “It’s not that simple. Us Octolings here in Splatsville have no relation to
those Octarians.” Feeling somewhat ashamed, Risea replied, “Oh, I didn’t know that.” She
held her hands behind her back, “Well, uh, sorry for jumping to conclusions.” Jade
responded, “It’s okay, RikoRikone, it’s a common mistake.” Poopee grinned, “Yeah,
especially with how Jade acts. Who wouldn’t think that she was one of those types of
Octarians?”

As Jade gave Poopee a look, Skyler pointed forward and said, “The Squee-Gs are almost
done, you guys. If I were you, I would get ready to battle.” Risea nodded, stretching her body
to loosen her muscles before holding her Splatana Stamper at the ready. As she stood there,
she began to ponder her talk with the two octopuses. So, she mused, Some Octolings come
from underground while others come from Splatsville. You learn something new every day…

The next two matches, with Squee-G cleaning rounds in between, saw Risea and the others
prevailing against the cephalopods that opposed them, winning them the Rank-Up Battle.
“Nice work!” exclaimed the spectator as Risea’s team celebrated, “You all are now Rank B-!
You can head on back to the Lobby now. Enjoy your new title!” Feeling very proud of herself,
Risea walked with her teammates to where their spawn drones were, and they were all
transported back to the Lobby.

“Yeah, boi!” cheered Poopee as the group stood in the meeting place, “We did it! Great job,
team!” Risea added, “Yeah! We’re all B-rank! But, uh…what does that mean?” Skyler
explained, “Basically, the higher your rank, the better opponents you face.” Risea smiled,
“Sweet! I guess I’ll have to increase my rank even more, then! But that’ll have to wait till
later; I’m feeling pooped.” She fist bumped all of her teammates, “It was fun playing with all
of you. I had a blast.” Jade replied, “I can say the same, RikoRikone.” Skyler added, “Yeah,
girl. You battled like a champ.” Poopee grinned, “Nice to see that we all had fun!” Risea
responded, “Yep, definitely. By the way, I was wondering something…” she chuckled a bit,
“Why’d you name yourself ‘Poopee’ of all things?” The mentioned Octoling laughed, “Do I
even need to explain? It’s funny, that’s why!” Jade shook her head in disappointment,
“Childish would be a better descriptor.” Poopee looked at her, “Come on, bro, don’t be like
that! This is comedic perfection!”

As the octopi had their interaction, Risea stated, “Alright, then. Well, I’ll see all of you
people later, maybe.” She waved, “Have a good one!” With that, the Inkling left, being sure
to pick up Blippy along the way.

As Risea and Blippy exited the Lobby, they encountered Jereef, who was ambling around near
the battle building with his hands in his pockets. “Hey, Jereef,” greeted Risea, “How ya
doin’?” Jereef sighed, “No done fine. Very not fine…” Risea’s face became a bit concerned,
“Why’s that? What happened?” Jereef shook his head, “Brother Basstian still sad. Says him
are okay with angry of Emma, but I know he lies. And I not want him to being sad…” Risea
scratched her head, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that…” She patted Jereef reassuringly on the
shoulder, “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll recover eventually. He seems like a reasonable guy.”
Jereef looked down at his shoes, “Me hope you correct…”

Risea looked around Splatsville, saying, “Besides, the Splatfest is happening soon, isn’t it?
Yeah, it’s like, uh…” Jereef spoke up, “Is in days of 2.” Risea snapped her fingers, “Yeah,
that’s it. And the Splatfest is supposed to be this big festival, right? So, don’t worry too much
about what your brother and his friend are doing; just look forward to the party!” Jereef
thought for a moment before looking up at his friend, “Your right. I possess believe in
Basstian. Should just relax.” He nodded, “Thanking you, Risea.” Risea smiled, “No problem,
little guy! Glad I could help.”

Jereef smiled back before asking, “Bye the by, what team are you choose?” He lifted up his
blue polo shirt, revealing an orange-yellow T-shirt with a symbol of an open hand, “I have
choose Team Paper.” Looking intrigued, Risea responded, “I’m going with Team Rock. Also,
where’d you get that shirt?” Jereef pointed to the bottom of the stairs leading up to the
Lobby, answering, “There are voting machine there. Press button, get shirt.” Risea looked
where her friend was pointing and nodded, “Gotcha. Thanks for the info.” She started
walking away and waved, “Be seeing you, Jereef. Hope you and your brother get better
soon.” Jereef waved back, “Good buys, Risea. I hope so, too.” Giving Jereef a friendly smile,
Risea exited the scene, leaving the Octoling with his thoughts.
 Risea got a closer look at the rectangular machine that Jereef pointed out, noticing that it
was divided into 3 parts: a blue section represented by a balled up fist, an orange yellow
section represented by an open hand, and a red section represented by a hand with every
finger curled except its index and middle one. Noticing a button below the screen of the first
section, Risea pressed it, causing a red T-shirt with Team Rock’s design to eject itself out of a
slot in the machine’s bottom half. “Nice!” said Risea as she held up the garment, “I guess all
I have to do now is wait for the Splatfest to happen.”

She looked down, making sure that Blippy was still with her before saying, “We’ve sure done
a lot today, haven’t we, little buddy? Why don’t we go see what Larel’s up to?” With that, the
two made their way out of Splatsville and to their shared house.

Chapter End Notes

A shorter chapter than usual, mainly because I didn't feel like covering the two other
matches in the Rank-Up Battle.
 Back to the Underground
Chapter Summary

Risea decides to return to Alterna yet again, where she revisits the Tri-Stringer.

Inside the apartment, Risea and Blippy found Larel, who was busy cleaning the floor and
adding decorations. “Hey,” asked Risea, “Are you coming to the Splatfest?” Larel looked
over and shrugged, “I guess. Don’t expect me to be doing much, though; I’m just going to be
hanging around the city.” Risea laid down on the beige couch and replied, “Aw, really? Man,
do you have to be so boring?” Larel finished dusting off a lamp and answered, “That’s just
who I am.” Risea sighed before inquiring, “Can you at least tell me what team you picked?”
Larel answered, “I’m on Team Scissors.” He reached behind a stool and pulled out a red T-
shirt with a symbol of a hand doing a scissors symbol to emphasize his point. Seeing this,
Risea said, “Oh, well isn’t that something. Me, Angela, and you are all on different teams.”
Larel responded, “Mm. Interesting.” He placed his duster down, “Anyway, I’m making
sandwiches, do you want some?” Annoyed by her roommate’s lack of enthusiasm, Risea
responded, “Sure.”

So, after a quick dinner of tuna, lettuce, and vegetarian cheese sandwiches, the trio headed to
their sleeping quarters to settle down for the day. Once again, Risea gave up the bed that was
made for her to Blippy, and she rested along with her friends as she dreamed of returning to
the Splatlands.

Risea woke up in the morning and stretched, her face bright as she stretched. “Mornin’,
Blippy.” Risea said as she picked up the Salmonid, “Ready to start another day?” The
Smallfry raised his fins in the air with excitement. Risea smiled in response before noticing
that Blippy’s small stomach was rumbling. “Oh,” she said, “I bet you’re hungry, huh? I guess
all those sandwiches from yesterday weren’t enough…” She placed Blippy down and sat on
his bed as she tried to think of a solution. She had no clue how to cook, and the food vendors
in Splatsville likely wouldn’t have enough items to satiate her friend. This left only one
option. “Come on,” she said in a tired tone, “Let’s go back to Alterna. We can grab something
for you to eat down there.” Gurgling happily at the mention of that underground place,
Blippy eagerly jumped into his ally’s arms. Giving her companion a small smile, Risea made
her way out of the apartment, paying no mind to the fact that Larel was still dormant.

“Huh,” said Risea as she looked up, “That’s weird. Is it just me, or is the sky darker than it
usually is?” she looked above her for a few more seconds before shrugging, “Eh, it’s
probably just smog, or something. I’ve heard of stuff like this happening in cities.” Deciding
to set aside this matter for now, Risea instead headed to the manhole in Splatsville, taking a
second to admire the increased number of Splatfest decorations before somewhat reluctantly
diving in.
Risea reached the other side to find the NSS huddling around Agent 2, who was holding
some sort of tablet. “Hey,” asked Risea as she walked over, “What’re you guys up to?” Agent
1 looked up and answered, “Oh, hey, Agent 3! We’re just reading some electronic text that
Agent 2 found. Apparently, she was doing some snooping around the area and she found this
nifty device with all sorts of lore stored inside it.” Agent 2 added, “What this thing read used
to be typed in this foreign language, but it thankfully got translated into Inklish automatically.
Wanna hear an excerpt?” Risea shook her head, “I’ll pass.” Captain Martine prodded, “Are
you sure? This stuff is pretty interesting…” Risea gave him a look and retorted, “No means
no. I’m here to get eggs, not be told a story.” With that, Risea got herself into her Hero Suit
and stormed away, leaving the others alone to continue reading.

Using the pipes located on each of the landmasses, Risea ended up on the 4th island, a run-
down place filled with broken down contraptions and vehicles. As Risea looked around, she
heard Agent 1 say through her headphones, “Agent 3, we’re sensing another signal near here;
it seems like it’s coming from that platform up there. You know what to do!” Acknowledging
her superior’s words, Risea walked around the area with her Hero Shot at the ready, keeping
an eye out for any kettles. After some searching, she soon found one that was sitting atop a
dormant submarine. Taking care not to fall in the water surrounding the submersible, Risea
removed the cover from the kettle and dived in, ready to get to work.

Once Risea and Blippy dropped into the usual room, O.R.C.A. said, “Greetings, Risea. The
challenge that you must conquer today is simple: while riding along an ink-based grind rail,
you must shoot at and destroy cubic targets. While this may sound simple, previous trial-
goers have had some difficulty clearing this mission. I wish you the best of luck.” Heading
inside the weapon-dispersal unit, Risea was given three options: A Heavy Splatling, a Rapid
Blaster, and a Tri-Stringer. Remembering her experience from some missions ago, Risea
chose the 3rd option, saying, “Oh, it’s this thing again. Y’know, I think it’s time I gave this
another go! I should be ready enough.” Feeling confident in herself, the Inkling took her bow
with her, paying the fee of 30 power eggs before we exiting through the clear doors.

Placed in front of Risea was a basketball-sized, black sphere that Agent 2 instructed her to
shoot. Once she did that, Risea noticed an orange line extending outwards from the ball,
which she jumped onto. “Alright,” said Agent 1 as Risea rode along, “Let’s get this party
started!” Risea looked back and forth, ignoring the ocean that was beneath her as she slid on
the semisolid rail. Soon, she spotted a floating wall that had a single yellow block placed on
it. She released the strings of her weapon, causing three orange projectiles to shoot out from
it and towards the box, destroying it in one go. Not a moment afterwards, Risea saw another
platform, this one having 3 stacked crates. To handle this, Risea put her bow into a vertical
position and drew back the strings, releasing more projectiles to take out the column. Finally,
there was a suspended wall with two spaced out crates on it. Risea prepared her weapon and
fired at the left square, dismantling it as she had done with the others. However, as she was
preparing to take out the right box, she discovered that the object was getting out of her
range. “Hey,” she said while attempting to skate backwards, “Get back here! I’ve got to…
AIEE!” Turning around, the squid noticed that her line had ended, leading to her falling
straight into an vast expanse of water. Flailing for dear life, Risea soon dissolved into
nothing, and her soul floated up and away.
“Wow,” said Agent 1 as Risea’s body reformed near the starting area, “I guess that’s what
happens if you fail, huh?” Agent 2 added, “Looks like you’re going to have to bring out your
best aiming skills. Here's a reminder: those exploding shots of yours are great for taking care
of multiple targets. Taking these words to heart, Risea rubbed her hands together in
preparation before reactivating the line of ink and jumping back on.

The second time around, Risea performed exceptionally well. Utilizing her bow to its full
extent, the Inkling fired shot after shot, making sure to keep her ink supply at a reasonable
level. The practice from her player vs player matches was a major help, as it allowed her to
hit her targets quite reliably. Every so often, the squares that she demolished would cause
another line to materialize for her to jump on, allowing her to continue the ride. “Hey,” said
Captain Martine, “You’re doing great! Much better than from last time.” Staying focused on
her objective, Risea responded, “Thanks.” The captain followed up, “You don’t even want to
know what would happen if I were in your shoes. I can’t aim for the life of me…” Agent 2
said in a mocking tone, “Yeah, that’s why he uses Rollers all of the time; anything else would
be too advanced for him.” Smiling at this fact, Risea replied, “Oh yeah? It’s a good thing that
you found me, huh?” Energized by the edge she had on her leader, Risea proceeded through
the rest of the trial, breaking crate after crate until she made it to the end.

“Congratulations, Risea,” said O.R.C.A. as Risea stood in front of the goal cylinder, “You
have prevailed. Please take these 2000 power eggs.” After receiving the eggs, Risea asked,
“Now you’re going to warp me back up, right?” The AI responded, “That is correct.” Risea
sighed, “I figured. Just make it quick…” So, the squid was teleported along with her Smallfry
back to the surface.

Upon exiting the trial area, Risea checked her body for any abnormalities. Thankfully for her,
she noticed nothing out of the ordinary; the trip had gone swimmingly. “Okay, Blippy,” she
said while pulling out her power eggs container, “Let’s get you fed.” She gave a good amount
of the food to the fish, causing him to surge with power as per usual. She then took the
opportunity to grab the Salmonid, direct him towards a particularly large glob of Fuzzy Ooze
on a bridge near the submarine, and sic him on the purple mass atop the goop, leading to the
hazardous substance’s removal. With the obstacle now gone, Risea proceeded onwards, ready
to continue her trek.
 Pitiless Predators
Chapter Summary

Risea takes on Shiver, who has a powerful megalodon on her side.

The tests that followed were, to Risea’s relief, as short and sweet as the one she recently
completed. She was given tasks such as running through a power egg-filled maze, shooting
even more targets with a ranged weapon, and even fighting a giant robot with a mech of her
own: the mechanical Crab Tank. Although there was this one mission involving meticulously
carving out the shape of a whale using boxes, Risea overall had a fun time clearing the trials,
and her performance allowed her to accumulate many power eggs with which to purge the
area of Fuzzy Ooze. Along the way, the ink she used allowed Risea’s Hero Suit to further
recover, causing it to regain many of its former capabilities.

Soon, Risea removed enough goop to reveal a path to the top of the metallic platform that
Agent 1 mentioned, which had a large, black kettle on it. “Oh,” said Agent 2, “Another Boss
Kettle. Hopefully this one will actually have something useful…” Risea, on the other hand,
did not care if there was a reward waiting for her in the kettle; she was in it for the thrill. So,
she removed the lid from the object, dove into it, and proceeded to her next challenge.

When Risea landed, she was given the same message as from the last time she was in a
significant kettle; she was asked to leave. However, just like last time, she refused to listen,
instead opting to take her Hero Shot, exit through the clear doors without paying, and spy a
circular platform below her, which she Super Jumped to.

Upon landing on the white ground, a metal cage dropped down around the area, causing
Risea to jump in surprise. As she was wondering what the cause of this was, she heard a
familiar voice, “Stop where you are.” A pale-skinned figure in blue robes then dropped from
the ceiling, her devilish mask partially covering her cold face. It was none other than Shiver.
The Octoling removed her mask and gave Risea a piercing look, saying, “I never expected
you get past Frye. She’s the fiercest, most energetic person I know. “ She pointed at Risea
with her paper fan, “What does that make you, then? Are you a ruthless, undefeatable
champion? Or are you just a little girl that lucked her way here?” Risea glared at Shiver and
retorted, “I’m no little girl. I’m better than you could ever imagine!” Shiver grinned
deviously, “Your bark is admirable. But you’re a little too unprofessional for my tastes. Me
and my mentor will have to show you how it’s done…” She turned around and raised her
hand to the sky, “Master Mega! It’s time to teach this trespasser a lesson in cruelty.”

After this call, a large, concealed figure swam its way through the blue ink surrounding the
arena. Shiver did a graceful backflip into the sludge, causing her to disappear as well. After
some waiting, Shiver emerged on a large megalodon, which was staring at Risea with hungry
black eyes. Looking at Shiver, Risea noticed that her demeanor had completely shifted; she
looked to be incredibly enthused, sticking her tongue out while raising her paper fan to the
sky as if she were a thrill seeker. “Pedal to the megalodon!” she exclaimed.

Master Mega started swimming around in the ink, circling Risea as he looked for an opening
to attack. Risea kept a wary eye on the shark, watching his movements as Shiver smiled
maniacally. Suddenly, the shark dove into the ink and flipped out of it, sending a blue
crescent at his target. Jumping to the side, Risea said, “Hey, it’s just like the Splatana!”
Master Mega then proceeded to launch two more projectiles, which Risea handily avoided.

“Okay,” she said with narrowed eyes, “Now I’ve gotta win. I won’t be outmatched.” As Risea
was saying that, she failed to notice that Master Mega had completely disappeared. Confused
by this, Risea looked around with her Hero Shot at the ready, attempting to figure out where
her opponent went. Then, out of the blue, the shark emerged from the ground right beneath
Risea, ensnaring her in his jaws. Risea had but a moment to scream in shock before getting
chomped in half. “Ahahaha!” laughed Shiver as her master swallowed his prey, “Wonderful,
Master Mega!”

“Ooh,” said Agent 1 as Risea respawned near the entrance, “That looks like it hurt…”
Rolling her eyes, Risea responded, “You think?” Captain Martine then said, “This reminds
me of this thing I fought in Octo Valley, the Octomaw. According to my memory, I defeated
that thing by throwing some bombs in its mouth. Why don’t you try doing that?” Smiling at
this idea, Risea answered, “Ooh, I like that!” The captain added, “Oh, and try looking at the
ground. There should be a sign of when Shiver and her shark are about to attack.” Risea
nodded, “K, got it.” With that, the squid jumped her way back into the action, now having a
reliable plan.

Upon seeing that her enemy had returned, Shiver said from the ink, “Hungry for more
wisdom, I see. Well, Master Mega is never one to shy from after-school tutorials.” Shiver’s
crazy face returned as her shark began swimming in circles again, “Show her what we’re
made of, master!”

Risea once again watched the movements of Shiver and her fish, a confident smile on her
face. Like before, Master Mega started off with launching crescent shots at Risea, which she
avoided just like the last time. However, unlike the previous encounter, the shark decided to
suddenly jump out from the ink and lunge towards his prey with his mouth wide open.
However, Risea was undeterred, and she swiftly pulled out a Splat Bomb from her enhanced
Hero Shot to throw in Master Mega’s mouth. The shark, sensing something in his mouth,
chomped down hard, causing the explosive to detonate in his mouth. Discombobulated by
this, the shark flipped over on his side, causing the surprised Shiver to fall off. Seeing this,
Risea immediately took the opportunity to light her up.

“Yes!” cheered Risea as Master Mega flopped back to the blue ink, “I did it! She’s…” she
looked at a circular device on Master Mega’s back, “…not dead, is she?” To Risea’s
dissatisfaction, this was the truth; Shiver somehow respawned on her shark’s back. “Okay,”
said the Octoling, “That was clever, I must admit.” She looked down at her mentor, “Looks
like we have a worthy opponent on our hands, Master Mega. You know what to do.”

The large fish snarled viciously and jumped high into the air, prompting Risea to go back to
her defensive position. Once the shark landed, it began spinning rapidly in a circle, causing it
to reemerge from the ink in a swirling tornado. From this swirling mass, Master Mega built
up ink in his mouth and shot it towards Risea, who was stunned by the whole spectacle.
Although she was greatly amazed, Risea was able to pull herself together enough to jump
away from the concentrated laser.

“Woah!” she exclaimed, “That was insane!” Looking up at Master Mega, Risea saw that he
was gasping for air; his mouth was wide open as a result. Risea smirked, “But that’s not
going to be enough…” With no hesitation, Risea lobbed another Splat Bomb into the shark’s
maw, with the explosive’s force causing Master Mega to flip forward and launch Shiver
straight onto the platform, where Risea proceeded to annihilate her.

“Hey, Shiver,” taunted Risea as the bandit respawned, “Are you sure that I’m the one that
needs teaching? Cause it looks like you guys are the ones getting schooled!” Shiver glared at
Risea from her shark and retorted, “Excuse me?! How dare you disrespect my master?!
You’ll regret those words…” She smacked the shark’s head with both of her hands, “Master
Mega! Pull yourself together! We can’t let this appetizer get away with her insolence!”
Spurred by his apprentice’s actions, Master Mega jumped up in the air, crashed down on the
arena with a loud thud, and let out a mighty roar. “That’s more like it!” Shiver said. She
smiled knowingly at Risea, her eyes showing a mix of calmness and bloodlust, “I hope you’re
prepared, little squid; Master Mega and I aren’t holding back anymore.” Shiver’s ally jumped
into the air once more as the octopus declared, “Pedal, and I mean it this time, to the
megalodon!”

Risea watched as Master Mega again did his tornado technique, saying, “Ho-hum. It doesn’t
matter what they do; just one more bomb and they’re done.” Feeling confident in herself,
Risea waited for Master Mega to fire his beam, keeping one hand near her gun’s bomb
compartment. Once the time was right, Risea avoided the shark’s attack, waiting until the
fish’s laser dissipated before aiming at his mouth. However, instead of leaving himself open,
the shark instead flipped across the arena gracefully, causing Risea to miss her
counterattack. As the agent was baffled by this, she was suddenly bombarded with a barrage
of Tri-Stringer arrows, leading to her taking massive damage. “Hey!” she shouted, “What
the—” Before she could finish her sentence, Risea was hit directly by another laser from
Master Mega, who had formed another pillar of ink to fire from. With his enemy’s suit now
deteriorated, the shark immediately fired a third beam, thereby finishing off the Inkling.
“Wonderfully executed, master…” Shiver said as Risea’s ghost ascended.

“Hold on,” said Agent 2 as Risea respawned, “Since when could they use weapons? I would
say that’s against the rules, but this is Splatsville we’re talking about…” Agent 1 then stated,
“Looks like this respawner will only work one more time, Agent 3. Gotta plan?” As Risea
thought about this, Captain Martine suggested, “Do you know what sharks love to eat? Other
fish.” Risea raised an eyebrow, “What are you saying?” Martine explained, “In order to beat
this shark, using a certain Salmonid as bait might be a good idea…” Risea stomped her foot
down and barked, “I swear, Martine, if you try and off Blippy one more time—” The captain
interjected, “Ah-ah-ah, I wasn’t finished. If Master Mega ends up going for Blippy, you can
just throw a bomb in his mouth before he gets to him. You are quick, aren’t you?” Risea
considered this prospect. “I mean…” she started, “Yeah, but…” she crossed her arms, “Why
should I trust you? For all I know, this could be another one of your BS sacrifice plots.” The
leader responded, “Agent 3, if Blippy ends up dying, I will personally cut off all my tentacles,
jump into one of those kettles, and get splatted to near death. In a surprised tone, Agent 2
said, “Geez, captain, extreme much?” Although Risea was still reluctant to comply, she could
tell by Martine’s tone that he was being serious. “Okay,” she said, “I’ll try it…” Thus, she
made sure that Blippy was secure in her hoodie before jumping back into the fray for the final
time.

Once she saw that Risea had come back once again, Shiver gripped her paper fan tightly and
said, “For god’s sake, girl, how many times do I have to kill you to make you understand?”
Risea gave Shiver a defiant look and retorted, “I’ll never give up. Not in a million years.”
Slightly impressed by this display of determination, Shiver responded, “Oh, is that so? Well,
it’s your loss.” She patted her shark on his head, “Come, Master Mega, let’s FINish this!”

As Master Mega jumped back into the ink, Risea glanced at her own back and said, “Okay,
Blippy, you ready?” Slightly calmed by Blippy’s affirmative chirp, Risea focused her attention
on the shark, who was beginning to form another tornado. Risea kept her eyes narrowed as
Master Mega began to collect ink in his mouth before firing the liquid at Risea in his usual
way. After avoiding this initial attack, Risea looked upwards as the shark jumping across the
arena, allowing her to notice Shiver pulling out a custom-made, blue Tri-Stringer, which she
used to launch volleys of arrows at Risea. Thankfully, the Inkling was prepared for this, and
she swiftly somersaulted away while simultaneously reaching for her back. “Okay, little
buddy,” she shouted, “It’s your time to shine!” With that, she threw the Salmonid a good
distance away, where he jumped up and down energetically.

While Master Mega was preparing another laser, he took notice of the attention-grabbing
smallfry, which began to stimulate his senses. Seeing that her teacher had ceased his
charging, Shiver inquired, “Master Mega, what are you doing?” The larger fish continued to
look at the smaller one, his mouth starting to fill with saliva rather than ink. Unable to
control his urges, Master Mega lunged at Blippy, his hungry mouth open wide. “Oh no you
don’t!” Risea exclaimed as she dove forward. With her protective desires fueling her
movements, the Inkling quickly pulled out a Splat Bomb, aimed at the shark’s mouth, and
threw the projectile with full force, saving her friend just in the nick of time.

Snapped out of his trance by the resulting explosion, Master Mega noticed that he was stuck
on dry land, and he began crawling his way back to the ink. “Hey!” exclaimed Agent 1,
“They’re getting away! Stop them!” Aiming to end the battle, Risea summoned all of her
strength and jumped up to where Shiver was sitting, tackling her off her shark with full force
and pinning her to the ground. Feeling agitated by the idea of Blippy almost meeting his end,
Risea's ink sac began to get stimulated, causing her eyes to turn wild with rage. Her tentacles
started to glow intensely with power, and orange ink flowed out of her right palm, coating
that hand in a swirling mass of liquid. Filled with an increased sense of might, Risea looked
down at the terrified Shiver and shouted, "Say goodnight!" With that, the Inkling bring her
fist down with full force onto the Octoling's face, causing an orange shockwave to emanate
from the impact point. After taking that devastating attack, Shiver was splatted for the final
time, her body having been reduced to nothing but an inky puddle.

Unwilling to go on any further, Master Mega laid on the ground in defeat as the cage
surrounding the area lifted. A few seconds passed before Shiver respawned on her master, a
shocked expression on her face. She quickly recomposed herself and put on a neutral face,
saying, “Food-based deception. A clever strategy. I admit defeat.” She smiled at Risea, “It
appears that you may be as cold-blooded as I am, Inkling. I am glad to have faced such a
strong opponent.” She moved her fan around, “But this isn’t the last you’ll see of Deep Cut.
Go any further, and you’ll face our true wrath. You’ve been…” Then, out of the blue, a bomb
came rolling out of one of Shiver’s long sleeves, falling on the floor in front of her. The
octopus was only able to utter an “Oh, sh—” before her and Master Mega were launched
away.

Somewhat startled by this sudden disappearance, Risea looked ahead of her to notice a
levitating platform flying its way towards her. “Hey,” said Agent 1, “That’s what’s been
creating the signal! It could be Gramps!” Curious to see if this was the case, Risea waited for
the platform to get closer before jumping on, where she found…another miscellaneous object.
“Aw,” groaned Marie, “More junk. I guess we can just dump it with the other one…” As
Risea approached the object, this one having large serrated blades, O.R.C.A. stated,
“Reward detected. Now transporting citizen to surface.” Risea groaned as her body was
surrounded by light, and she was instantly teleported elsewhere.
 Out of the Zone
Chapter Summary

Risea attempts a round of Splat Zones, which doesn't care too well.

Now standing next to the kettle that she recently entered, Risea took the liberty of carrying
the item that she found back to the NSS’s camp, being careful not to cut herself as she did.
Once she got the cargo to its receivers, she was told by Agent 1, “You were amazing down
there, Agent 3! I can’t think of anyone else who would take on such strong opponents that
bravely! Well, other than the captain, but yeah.” Risea smiled, “Heh, thanks. Speaking of
which…” She looked at Roenaldo, “I don’t want to admit this, but…your plan was pretty
clever.” The leader smirked, “And?” Risea gave Martine a look and mumbled “And I should
trust you more…” Captain Martine nodded and responded, “Glad to hear it.”

Rolling her eyes, Risea said, “Anyway, I’m out; I’ve got some more battlin’ to do.” She
began to walk away, “See ya.” Callie waved and said, “Goodbye, Agent 3! Come back soon!”
Captain Martine added in quite a friendly tone, “Have fun with your battles, Risea!”

“Man,” said Risea as she walked around Splatsville with Blippy, “Can you believe that guy?
Can’t even let me thank him without making it all about him. What an egoist…” She shook
her head, “Anyway, we won, you’re okay, it’s all good. Now, it’s time for the actual fun part
of the day.” With that, Risea made a quick trip to her apartment to took Blippy to the Lobby,
where she left him in the care of the cafeteria fish.

As Risea walked towards the monitor in the room, she took notice of Jereef, who was playing
with an oversized paint roller. “Hey,” she said, “Wanna play a few matches with me?” Jereef
looked up and answered, “Yes, I can played. Got Splat Roller from Ammo Knights and I
wants test it out.” Risea replied, “Nice! You’re not against doing Ranked Battles, right?”
Jereef shook his head, “No. Am rank B-“ Risea widened her eyes and said, “Oh, seriously?
Didn’t expect that.” She smiled, “Well, looks like we’re at the same skill level, then! So, are
you ready to crush the competition?” Jereef did a goofy salute and answered, “Yeah!” Giving
a thumbs-up, Risea walked over to the computer, where she saw that the Ranked Mode of the
day was Splat Zones. “Splat Zones?” she asked, “What’s that? I guess I’ll have to see…” So,
she signed herself and Jereef up for a match, prompting the two to wait around until 6 other
players arrived, and they all piled into the elevator to be transported to the fighting ground.

Soon, the cephalopods ended up at Mahi-Mahi Resort, a stage located in the middle of a
swimming pool next to a hotel. As Risea and her teammates stood on their drones, a
somewhat relaxed, male announcer said, “Hello, all, and welcome to another Ranked Match!
The objective here is to paint the Zone in the middle and keep it your color for as long as
possible. Ready? Here we go. In 3…2…1…START!” Following that, everyone jumped off
their flying spawners, landing on the water-surrounded stage as riveting pop rock music
began to play.

“Okay,” said Risea as she ran forward, “Where is this ‘Zone’?” Thankfully, it did not take
long for her to find the answer; sitting in the middle of the stage was an area surrounded by
grey dashed lines. “Oh,” she said, “This must be it.” She got her Splatana Stamper ready,
“Well, time to paint!” So, she got to work, throwing out many green crescent shots that
worked to paint the Zone horizontally. In no time at all, the area was fully painted. “Alright,”
said the announcer, “The green team is now in control!” Risea smiled and put a hand on her
hip, feeling proud of her performance. Unfortunately, this feeling was not long-lived; a short
while after the Zone was taken, a Splat Bomb came flying towards Risea, forcing her to jump
out of the way. Because she was distracted by the sudden explosive, Risea failed to notice a
paintbrush-wielding Inkling sliding up to her, and the squid proceeded to slap Risea into
oblivion with a flurry of strikes. As Risea’s ghost rose into the air, she took notice of an
enemy Octoling using her Explosher to lob yellow exploding shots onto the Zone, creating
large splotches of ink.

“Well,” said the host as Risea respawned, “Looks like the yellow team is in control now.
Good luck trying to take the Zone back, green team, but you’ll be facing a 5 point penalty.”
Risea shook her head and complained, “Aw man, that quick? What even happened over
there? And why am I always the first one to jump into action, anyway?” she sighed,
“Anyway, this shouldn’t be too hard; if they can take control that easily, then so can I.” With
that, she jumped off her spawner and back into the fray, ignoring the commentator’s
declaration of the yellow team taking the lead.

Along the way, she saw Jereef attempting to survive the onslaught of the same Inkling that
slayed her. In the middle of the struggle, Risea came from behind and swiftly administered a
direct backslash to the brush user, taking him out in one hit. “Thanking!” said Jereef with a
smile, “Now, follow; I Curling Bomb, Risea paints.” Jereef then reached inside the handle of
his Splat Roller and pulled out a Curling Bomb, which he threw forward to create a line of
ink. Him and Risea then swam along the path, aiming to end up in the middle of the Zone to
reclaim it. However, the Explosher-holding Octoling, who was on a raised platform, saw right
through this strategy, and she threw out a single shot of ink to assault her opponents, forcing
them out of their octopus and squid forms as they cried out in pain. With his enemies now
revealed, an Octoling on the other side of the Zone used his twin red guns to attack Risea and
Jereef, who were both taken out quickly. “Wow,” said the reporter as the duo’s souls
ascended, “The yellow team is already at 50! Just a few more seconds and they’ll take the
game. Green team, can you stop them?”

“Dang it,” Risea said to Jereef as they both reappeared, “Did you hear that? They’re about to
win, and we haven’t made any progress!” Looking at the fully yellow Zone and her
underwhelming teammates, one of which was constantly falling in the water, Risea’s blood
began to boil. In this heightened state of aggression, Risea’s ink sac began to overwork itself,
and her eyes became wild. “Friend Risea,” said Jereef, “Your tentacles has glow!” Gripping
her Splatana tightly, Risea responded, “I know…and you know what that means…” she
leaped off her drone and shook her weapon up and down, shouting, “Time for a comeback!”
Her palms started to rapidly secrete ink, covering her body completely in green. With her
physique now changed Risea stretched her hand towards a wall near the Zone, looking for her
first target. She found one in the form of the Explosher user, who was in the same spot as she
was before. Seeing the rapidly approaching Inkling in front of her, the Octoling, whose curly
tentacles were also glowing, put their hands together to form an oval shaped mass of ink,
which they threw on the ground to release a small yellow cloud that quickly rose up into the
air. After zipping over to and eliminating the Octoling, Risea began to feel what felt like
droplets raining down on her skin. Looking up, Risea saw that the cloud from earlier had
grown massively in size and was sending a storm of green ink onto her body. Although she
was taking residual damage, Risea tried not to let this fact bother her, instead opting to jump
down to the Zone and begin painting. In objection to this, the same paintbrush wielder from
before, who also had a special ready waved his weapon around from a distance, sending out 8
small, cubic devices that surrounded him like a peacock’s feathers. Each one of these objects
shot a yellow laser towards Risea, each of them playing a pre-recorded sound of a male
Inkling yelling as they did so. Because of the damage that she already sustained, Risea was
splatted in no time by the beams, and the yellow remains of her body worked to further paint
the Zone against her favor.

By the time Risea returned to her spawner, the speaker announced, “Aaand it’s a knockout!
Great job yellow team! Green team, you tried. Anyway, everyone return to the Lobby,
please.” Risea clutched her head in frustration, letting out an angry groan. “Frick!” she said,
“How was I supposed to stop that? Ugh…” Since she was already on her drone, Risea simply
waited for her teammates to join her, and they all returned to the Lobby.
 The Big Run Approaches
Chapter Summary

After a losing session, Risea decides to relax at Larel's place before receiving horrible
news...

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Although Risea and Jereef tried their hardest, the next 10 battles simply did not work out in
their favor. Compared to the other game modes, the defensive nature of Splat Zones did not
resonate well with Risea’s mindset. As a result, she was unable to perform well with Blippy,
whose inexperience with the Splat Roller proved to be his downfall. Taking loss after loss,
Risea tried to stay positive, to keep her determination intact, but she felt her will crumbling
by the second. Truly, this was one of the worst experiences she ever had.

Following the 10th loss, Jereef went back with Risea, threw his Roller on the ground, and
kicked it at full force. “Verdamnt!” he cursed, “Too hard! Hate game! Hate it, hate it, hate it!”
Trying to not lose her own cool, Risea consoled, “We’ll get a win eventually. Let’s just keep
going at it.” Jereef shook his head fervently, “No! Not want do this any more!” his eyes
started to become moist, “Too bad, I am. Can’t win…” Risea raised an eyebrow and said,
“C’mon, Jereef, I know we’re on a losing streak, but that’s no excuse to cry…” At this, Jereef
glared at Risea and retorted, “I not cry! You are…” However, Jereef’s attempt at an angry
look quickly turned into a sorrowful one. With his mouth quivering, the Octoling covered his
face with his arm, dashing towards the exit and bumping into a wall before exiting the Lobby.

As the other people in the room looked after the fleeing octopus, Risea shook her head in
disappointment. Well, she thought, I guess he just couldn’t take the heat. she sighed, Now I’m
all alone… While she did want to continue, Risea was too drained from her previous
activities to engage in any more battles. So, with a heavy heart, she picked up Blippy and left
for her and Larel’s house.

Risea entered the apartment to find Larel laying lazily on the couch as he usually did. “Hey,
Risea,” he said, “You’re here early. Did something happen?” Risea plopped herself down
next to Larel and answered, “Everything happened. I’ve never done something as horrible as
Splat Zones. What genius even thought of that mode? I swear, if I ever get my hands on
him…” Giving his roommate an inquisitive look, Larel said, “Really? I don’t see any problem
with Splat Zones. In fact, it’s my favorite mode.” Risea gave her friend a look, “Yeah, I bet it
is. Only a wet blanket like you would have fun playing that way.” Larel admitted, “Fair.” He
then picked up a remote and pointed at a screen opposite of him, “Well, as you can see, I
bought a TV for us. Do you want to watch a show to wind down?” Sighing, Risea responded,
“Sure, whatever.”
So, Larel turned on the television, flipping through the channels until he came to a program
displaying a calm, underwater scene. Over the serene picture, a distinguished, male narrator
said, “Here we are in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where fish, mollusks, and other aquatic
organisms live their daily lives. For now, however, all is quiet…” Raising her head in
disbelief, Risea asked, “Larel, what kind of snoozefest is this?” Larel glanced at Risea and
returned, “This isn’t a ‘snoozefest’. It’s the National Ocean Broadcast. As an Inkling, I want
to know how our unevolved relatives live.” Scratching her head, Risea asked, “‘Unevolved’?
What do you mean?” Larel held a finger to his mouth, “Just be patient.” Shaking her head,
Risea complied to Larel’s wish, keeping Blippy on her belly as the two of them waited for
something to happen. Soon, their wish was fulfilled; darting in from across the screen was a
mass of white entities. “Oh!” said the narrator, “There they are. Let’s observe them more
closely, shall we?” The view zoomed in, allowing Risea and the others to notice thousands of
white, 10-tentacled organisms. “A shoal of Humboldt squids,” noted the speaker, “How
fortunate we are. One can only imagine what they’re up to.”

Looking closely at the cephalopods, Risea said, “Wait a minute…” she morphed into her
swim form, looked at the reflective surface of a nearby lamp, and compared herself to the
creatures shown on screen. While she did share many similarities with them, those including
a mantle, side fins, and streamlined appearance, her ten tentacles were not nearly as long
and spindly as her relatives, and she had much larger, black outline-surrounded eyes.
Furthermore, her body was far more vibrant than those of the Humboldt squids. She went
back to her humanoid form and stated, “Those things look so similar, yet so…different. And
they can swim in water, too? What is this craziness?!” Still paying attention to the show,
Larel answered, “Those are what we used to be, Risea; they’re our ancestors. We’ve changed
a lot over the years. Now be quiet, I’m trying to watch.” Her mind cluttered with questions,
Risea held Blippy close to her chest as she observed the squids moving gracefully through the
ocean. “Can you believe this, Blippy?” she asked her smallfry, “Those guys are related to
me! I wonder if you have any ancestors of your own…” Blippy simply sat in silence, looking
far less energetic than he usually was. This behavior brought Risea a bit of worry, but she
had no time to investigate this situation any further; the squids were too intriguing.

After a while of Risea watched the broadcast with great interest, the TV display suddenly
switched to a red, flashing screen, causing everyone to jump up in surprise. Black, bold
letters popped onto the screen, which a strong, female voice read, “ATTENTION,
ATTENTION. WE INTERRUPT YOUR BROADCAST TO BRING YOU A SPECIAL NEWS
BULLETIN. PLEASE STAND BY FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT BY DEEP CUT.” Not long
after this message, the display switched to one of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man sitting in their
studio. Shiver, looking quite distressed, said, “We have some bad news, everyone. I’m sure
that you’re all aware of the fact that the sky is redder than usual, yes? Well, this is no fluke.
Big Man, the image, please.” The manta ray pressed a button on the TV he was holding,
causing the object to show a dark orange sky with 7 white rings floating in it like stove
burners. “That’s right,” said Shiver, “It’s happening. Boys and girls, cephalopods all around
Splatsville, the dreaded Big Run is upon us.” Risea looked at Larel and asked, “What’s a Big
Run?” Shiver then said, “For those of you who are uneducated, Big Runs are events where
the Salmonids migrate to our territory for the purpose of stealing our land. We haven’t had to
deal with this threat for a few years, but it appears that these runs are starting to pop up
again. Big Man spoke in his “Ay” language, with subtitles reading, “Right now, they’re
invading Wahoo World. Just when I was about to ride the Tidal Twirler…”
 Frye narrowed her eyes and added, “I know, right? Of all places, why did the Salmonids
have to invade an amusement park?” she pointed at the camera and said in a more serious
tone, “You know what this means, right? We all need to band together and get these fish outta
here! Tomorrow, what I want you all to do is get over to Grizzco, get suited up, and fly to
Wahoo World to send those Salmonids packing!” Shiver followed up with, “As Frye said, it’s
imperative that we all participate in defending our home. For those of you who can’t or won’t
fight, please stay in Splatsville for a shelter in place until further notice. Stay away from any
pipes, canals, or other water sources, and please call this number if you see any Salmonids.
Again, because of the urgency of the situation, all citizens are prohibited from participating
in any battles.” Frye, in her sitting position, put her hands on her knees and said, “Yeah, it’s
a bummer, but we’re doing this to keep you all safe.” Big Man added, “Ay, ayayaya…”
(translated as “Especially with this thing roaming around…”) The ray then pressed another
button on the TV, causing an image of a giant, nightmarish Salmonid to appear, with its
appearance accompanied by a loud, monstrous roar. Witnessing this horrific sight, Risea’s
eyes became like saucers as she sunk into her seat. Now, there were not many things that
scared Risea, but this behemoth, with its pale white eyes, its jagged teeth, its primal scales,
and it’s rusty chains…it made her ink turn pale. Blippy, on the other hand, found the image
quite appealing, and he started bouncing up and down excitedly.

“So,” said Shiver, “I hope that you all take heed to this message. Remember, although this is
a dire situation, we all must keep our wits about us.” Frye put on, “Yeah! Besides, who says
that we can’t overcome this with the power of teamwork? Keep your heads up, fam, we’ll get
through this.” Shiver nodded, “Well said, Frye. Anyway, from the bottom of our hearts, stay
safe, everyone. From Splatsville, that’s a wrap.” Everyone assumed their farewell pose, albeit
in a subdued manner, “Catch you later.”

Chapter End Notes

I know that the first Big Run happened some time after the Rock Paper Scissors
Splatfest, but I'm doing things differently.
 Passing the Time
Chapter Summary

With battles no longer being an option for her because of the Big Run, Risea decides to
get her Hero Business out of the way.

After Deep Cut’s announcement, the TV switched back to the ocean broadcast, where the
Humboldt squids were now engaging in a feeding frenzy. Sensing the mood of the room,
Larel opted to mute the TV as he and Risea sat there in contemplation. After gathering her
thoughts, Risea said, “Excuse my language, but…what. The f**k. Was that?” Larel
answered, “Just as they said; Salmonids are invading our home and we have to stop them.”
Risea simply stared at her feet, her eyes glazed over as she took slow breaths. She never
fathomed the idea of Salmonids engaging in this sort of behavior. And that giant. It was
something straight out of a nightmare. She looked at Blippy, who was still excited over the
news, Is this what his kind gets up to…?”

Repositioning himself in his seat, Larel stated, “Well, I think you already know what I’m
doing.” Risea nodded absentmindedly. Larel continued, “You know, I know that you’re
against this whole thing, but…don’t you think you should join us? This is an apocalyptic
threat we’re dealing with here.” These words snapped Risea out of her stupor. She narrowed
her eyes at Larel, “Absolutely not. I don’t care if the Salmonids are going to blow up the city,
I’ll never work for that horrible company.” Larel gave Risea a look and retorted, “Come on,
Risea, can’t you see that this is bigger than your disagreement? If you don’t participate, what
will happen to us? Do you want to have our home destroyed?” Risea shook her head, “No, I
don’t, it’s just…” she hesitated, the truth conflicting with her ideals. She then crossed her
arms and said, “Anyway, what does it matter? You guys’ll do just fine without me.” Larel
returned, “But think about it, Risea. I’ve seen you battle; your skills would be great for
defending the city. With your help, we’ll—” Risea gave her friend a fierce look, saying, “No
means no, Larel. My answer is final.”

Although he wanted to object more, Larel refrained from doing so; he knew a lost cause when
he saw one. Instead, he laid back in his seat and stated, “Whatever floats your boat, Risea. If
we get our lives ruined by salmon, don’t come crying to me.” He sighed, “And another thing,
listen to what Deep Cut said. Don’t go doing anything stupid. And please, keep Blippy
hidden. I know he’s friendly, but you know how people jump to conclusions.” Risea twirled
her tentacles and responded, “I’ll keep that in mind.” Larel nodded before getting up and
saying, “Anyway, a lot is happening tomorrow, so I’ll just go ahead and get started with
dinner.” Acknowledging this fact, Risea laid belly-first on the couch and stroked her
Salmonid’s circular head fin. “Oh, Blippy,” she said in a sad tone, “Your friends are really
causing a ruckus, aren’t they? God knows why they’re even doing this. You wouldn’t do
something so horrible, would you?” Blippy simply stared at Risea with his bulging eyes, his
mouth closed as he laid there in silence. Sighing, Risea stroked her little buddy’s stomach
before putting her head down and taking a nap.

The next day, Risea awoke to find that Larel had already left the house. “Wow,” she said
while shaking her head, “The only time he’s up early. Of course…” she paced around the
room, “What to do, what to do. Battles are out of the question. I assume everyone is too
scared to play Tableturf. Not like I like that game, anyway. And I’m not going to that Grizzco
place.” As Risea walked back and forth, she noticed her fishy friend rise up from his bed.
Giving him a small smile, she said, “Mornin’ buddy. Got anything in mind to pass the time?”
Blippy looked around before flopping his way to the door and pointing at it. Risea wagged
her finger, “No, Blippy, we can’t do that. We’re supposed to stay inside, remember. However,
Blippy would not take no for an answer; he again pointed at the door with more intent.
“C’mon, Blippy,” said Risea, “What would you even do out there? I can’t just let you roam
around or hang out near that goldfish; you’ll get in trouble!” For the third time, Blippy
pointed at the door, hopping once to accentuate his point. Assessing the situation, Risea went
through all the possible places her Salmonid could go. Then, after some consideration, she
came up with an answer. “Okay,” she said, “I know where to go.” She opened the hem of her
black T-shirt, “Come on, hop in.” Heeding his friend’s order, Blippy flopped his way over,
waggled his tail, and jumped into Risea’s clothes. Risea shivered a bit as she felt the cold
touch of fish scales. After getting used to it, she made her way towards the exit and said,
“Okay, let’s see how this goes…”

Entering the streets of Splatsville, Risea noticed that mostly everyone was absent, either
being inside their homes or out fending off the Salmonids. The ones that were present took
notice of Risea’s bulging chest, but many of them chose to ignore the oddity in favor of ogling
at the sight of the blood-red sky. For the ones that did get nosy, Risea simply drive them away
with remarks such as, “Mind your own business” and “What do you mean ‘Did my padding
break?’”. By doing this, she was able to create enough of an opening to slide into the
manhole in the city without being detected (save for that same Octoling from before, but no
one believed him when he reported Risea’s strange behavior.)

Once she reached Alterna, Risea walked towards the NSS’s base and said, “Hey, you all.”
Agent 1 cheerfully responded, “Good morning, Agent 3, welcome back! Ready to clear some
more missions?” Risea answered, “Not like I have a choice. There’s a Big Run happening up
there, and I’ve got nothing else to do.” Captain Martine, who was staring into space, perked
up and said, “Wait a minute, did you say a Big Run? I’ve heard of those. So, I assume that
the whole city is under siege, right?” Risea shrugged, “Not really, but they told us not to
leave Splatsville. Because of that, I can’t do any battles, so here I am.” The captain replied,
“Oh, well at least the situation isn’t that bad.” He smiled, “And hey, since you’ve got little
else to do, you can make some progress on your agent work.” Risea responded, “Yeah, I
guess.” As Risea went to go change, Agent 2 held her own chin and stated, “It’s a wonder
that your Smallfry hasn’t joined this Big Run. You would think that such an activity would be
in his nature…” Hearing this, Risea quickly finished putting on her gear, darted out from
behind her cover, and retorted, “Shut your mouth! Me and Blippy have been together for
years, why would he abandon me now?!” She turned around and stormed off, grumbling,
“Effin’ idiot, doesn’t know what she’s talking about…” Following the interaction, the other
members of the Splatoon sat/stood in silence.
Traveling through the pipes of the 4 areas she has encountered, Risea ended up on the 5th
section of land, that being a relaxing-looking island filled with glass containers and storage
units that housed plants of all kinds. Taking in the sight of the somewhat simple place, Risea
walked to the side of a miniature terrarium to locate her first kettle of the day. “Okay,
Blippy,” she said as she stood over the opening, “Let’s make it happen. We’ll show them why
we’ll always be together.” With that, the Inkling took a deep breath before diving through the
grate and into her first trial.
 A Low-Viz Treasure Hunt
Chapter Summary

Risea and Blippy take another test in Alterna, where their navigation skills are put to the
test.

Landing in another metal room, Risea heard the whirr of motors as O.R.C.A. booted up.
“Good day, Risea.” Said the program, “Allow me to explain the task that you must complete.
Upon exiting through the doors, the whole entire area will be filled with a dense fog. To test
your innate sense of direction, you must locate the pieces of the broken goal cylinder;
assembling all of them will earn you your reward. Furthermore, hints will be provided to you
as you progress through the stage. When you are ready, please select a weapon.” After this
explanation, Risea stepped onto the weapon dispersal unit, where she was given a choice
between the wide-barreled 52. Gal, the self-explanatory Splat Brella, and the heavy Dynamo
Roller. “Hey,” said Captain Martine, “That Dynamo Roller is a pretty good weapon. Why
don’t you try it?” Inspecting the Roller, Risea evaluated her superior’s words. After some
consideration, she shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?” So, she retrieved the item, having to
bend over slightly in response to the object’s sheer weight. After getting accustomed to the
tool, she pulled out her power egg case and paid the fee of 20 eggs. “Okay,” she said as she
stepped forward, “Let’s do this.”

Immediately after exiting the starting room, the air all around Risea began to turn a sandy
yellow as unseen ejectors dispensed fog at a rapid rate. In a matter of seconds, the entire area
was obscured. “Woah,” said Callie, “I know O.R.C.A. said that things would get foggy, but
this is ridiculous! I can’t even see 5 feet ahead! This might be a little challenging…” Risea
smirked, “Are you kidding me? This is nothing! I know exactly how to handle this…” she
pulled her smallfry out and stroked his chin before placing him back in her hoodie, “It’s time
for a treasure hunt, Blippy!”

Risea took long strides through the low-visibility zone, a confident smile on her face as she
kept her eyes peeled for the first collectible. “Okay,” she said as she searched, “Goal piece,
goal piece, where could it be?” She continued to travel in a fairly straight line until her foot
met with a section of the floor that seemed more hollow than usual. Sensing something out of
the ordinary, Risea raised her right foot in the air and stomped down hard, causing a small
hole to appear. “Aha,” Risea said proudly, “Jackpot!” She proceeded to go into her squid
form to squeeze through the gap, where she found a long sheet of metal on a platform on the
other side. “Congratulations,” said O.R.C.A. through some unseen speakers as Risea picked
up the item, “You have found 1 out of 5 parts. Now transporting part to storage unit…”
Risea’s eyes widened, “Wait! Give me a few seconds.” Thankfully, the AI listened, allowing
Risea to grab Blippy and point him at the metal object. “Okay, little buddy,” she said, “Get a
good whiff!” The fish did as he was told, using his small snout to get the faint scent of the
hard item. After he was done, the object was teleported away. “Um, Agent 3?” asked Agent
2, “What was that for?” Risea grinned knowingly and answered, “Oh, you’ll see…”

Using a handy set of stairs, Risea walked back up to the elevation that she was at previously
and set her fish down. “Okay, Blippy,” she said, “Get to sniffing!” Blippy did just that,
moving his nose around as he inspected the air. After a few seconds of this, he started
hopping up and down excitedly before wiggling his way west. “Yes!” cheered Risea, “You’ve
got a scent! Lead the way, buddy!” As Risea followed the Salmonid, she heard O.R.C.A. say,
“The next fragment is found not too far from a tool used for catching fish; a certain part of
that object will lead you to your destination.” She waved her hand dismissively, saying, “Ah,
put a cork in it. I know where I’m going.” So, rather than listening to the computer’s vague
hints, Risea put her full trust in Blippy, and the two went in a seemingly random direction
through the thick fog. Soon, they came across a lone wooden box, which Blippy immediately
jumped onto. Sensing that her friend had found something, Risea raised her Dynamo Roller
up and slammed the hard sponge of it onto the crate, revealing the top half of a metal sphere.
“Well done.” O.R.C.A. said, “You have located the 2nd piece. Three are left.” As the half-
sphere was teleported away, Agent 2 said, “So that’s what you were doing. I have to admit,
that’s pretty clever.” Risea rubbed Blippy’s back and replied, “Yep, we used to do this all the
time back when we were scrap finders; we had a routine just like this for sandstorms!” With a
smirk, she added, “Just goes to show how close we are.” Taking Agent 2’s silence as
acceptance, Risea laughed to herself before saying, “Okay, Blippy, let’s keep going!”

Risea and Blippy proceeded to run/slither through the area, their movements energetic and
excited at the thought of engaging in this nostalgic collect-a-thon. While Blippy focused on
sniffing out the remaining items, Risea took care of any sudden threats, those including
concealed Octotroopers, Octobombers, and Octopods, with her Dynamo Roller. As she swung
at and smashed her enemies, she began to enjoy the feel of her weapon. While it was
certainly more unwieldy than her Splatana Stamper, the Roller was just as fun to swing
around; she felt like a powerhouse. The duo continued to operate, seeking and grabbing the
remaining objects in places such as under a heavy barrel, tied to a floating balloon, and even
inside the machine of a hopping Octarian. Soon, after Blippy and Risea located everything
they needed to find, the air rapidly became less clouded as unseen vacuums sucked up all the
obscuring gas. Once everything was clear, Risea noticed a reconstructed goal cylinder right
in front of her, which dispensed to her 1,700 power eggs. “Satisfactory job, Risea,” said
O.R.C.A., “You are truly a master navigator. Please stand by for teleportation…” As Risea
prepared to be transported, she picked up her friend and smiled, “That was fun, wasn’t it?
"
 Alone Time with the Captain
Chapter Summary

After completing some more missions, Risea takes a break with the rest of the New
Squidbeak Splatoon, eventually getting to know Captain Martine more.

Returning to the spot above the kettle, Risea heard Agent 1’s voice through her earpieces,
“That was amazing, Agent 3! I tell you, I would never have been able to get through all of
that in one go. I guess that Blippy’s sense of smell is very useful, huh?” Risea smiled and
said, “It’s not just Blippy who was putting in the work; we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we
did if I weren’t such a beast!” Captain Martine replied, “And what a beast you were. You did
better with the Dynamo Roller than I thought.” With a smirk, Risea responded, “Oh yeah?
Would you say that I’m better at using the Roller than you?” The captain chuckled before
answering in a half-serious tone, “Don’t push it.” Snickering, Risea said to herself,
“Whatever you say, captain…”

Risea then proceeded to complete 12 more missions, during which she had to fulfill
objectives such as navigating an enemy-filled maze, dealing with a new variant of shield-
generating Octarians, the Octodisco, and mastering the use of a fast-travelling sub weapon,
the Angle Shooter. Although these tasks took a bit longer to complete than usual, Risea’s will
never faltered. She had little else to do, after all. As she was doing this, Risea continued to
purge the area of Fuzzy Ooze, much to Blippy’s satisfaction. After Risea exited the 12th
kettle Agent 1 said, “Holy moly, Agent 3, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but don’t you think
that you should slow down? You’ve been at this for an hour!” Risea gasped, a surprised look
on her face. Damn, she thought, Have I really been here that long? I can’t believe it… Agent
2 added, “Yeah, you’ve already cleared all of the detectable kettles in this zone. I think that
you deserve a break.” While she didn’t exactly like to be babied, Risea couldn’t deny the fact
that her superiors had a point. So, she secured her power eggs in their container before
making her way back to the NSS’s base.

Seeing that Risea was sitting on the floor near the rest of the group, Agent 1 asked, “Hey,
isn’t this the part where you head back to Splatsville? What’re you still doing here?” Risea
gave her a look and answered, “Did ya forget about the Big Run? I couldn’t go back even if I
wanted to. Not that I’m fearin’ for my life or anything; I’m more worried about Blippy.”
Agent 1 responded in a less energetic voice, “Oh yeah, I forgot all about that…” Rolling her
eyes, Risea said, “Anyway, since I’m here, I might as well learn more about you guys. What
do you all get up to while I’m away?” Agent 1’s face brightened up, “Oh, I’m glad you
asked! Well, first of all,” she walked behind the base and rolled out a long blackboard with
convoluted drawings on it, “While you were traveling, we’ve been keeping track of where you
went and made a general map of each island. It’s tiring business, but who knows, this
information might be useful later.” Agent 2 motioned towards a black, ovular device with two
long antennae that was standing on a table in front of the captain, “We’ve also been trying to
contact our grandpa. Sadly, no matter how many times we tried, we just couldn’t get a
signal.” Captain Martine then said, “As for me, I’ve just been reading more of those logs that
that device has stored. I learned quite a lot of information…if you even care.” Risea shook
her head, “I do not.” Sighing, the leader replied, “Yeah, I thought so…”

At that moment, Agent 2’s phone started buzzing. Pulling the device out from her shirt pocket,
Agent 2 looked at it and gasped. She whispered something to Agent 1, whose eyes widened
upon hearing the news. “Um,” she said, “I’m sorry, but we have to go. We have some…
business to tend to.” Raising an eyebrow, Risea inquired, “Business? What kinda business?”
Agent 1 shook her head, “It’s best that you don’t know. Besides, you still have the captain,
right? He can keep you company till we get back.” Agent 1 then waved and hurried off with
Agent 2, saying, “See you soon, bye!” With that, the two greater agents left, leaving Risea,
Blippy, and Captain Martine all by themselves.

An awkward silence filled the air as the 3 individuals sat there…well, except for when Blippy
got bored and started flopping and wiggling all over the place. Excluding him, Risea and
Martine sat a good distance away from each other, neither of them speaking a word to one
another. After some time, Martine finally decided to break the ice, clearing his throat and
saying, “So…how’s life been treating you, recently?” Risea shrugged, “It’s been okay, I
guess. Other than this whole Big Run situation, everything’s going good enough.” She
scratched her cheek in silence before asking, “How bout you?” Roenaldo crossed his arms,
“It’s been so-so. But…” he smiled, “I would say I’m leaning towards the more positive side
of things.” Watching as Blippy dived into the water near the island, Risea responded,
“Cool.”

After some more pondering, Roenaldo turned in his seat to face his agent, saying, “Risea…I
want to ask you something.” Glancing at her fellow Inkling, Risea questioned, “Yeah,
whaddya want?” Roenaldo drummed his fingers together for a bit before saying, “Do you
think that I’m a good captain?” Risea’s eyebrows furrowed, “Why are you asking me that?”
Roenaldo leaned in closer, “Just answer the question.” Risea looked at her superior for a few
more seconds before groaning, “Okay, whatever. You do a good enough job at this captain
business, or at least it seems that way. Even if some of the things you tell me to do are
downright asinine.” Roenaldo nodded, “I see. Do you think that there’s anything that I’m
doing wrong other than what you already said?” Risea fiddled with her bangs, replying, “I
mean, not really. Like I said, from what I know about leaders, you seem a lot like one of ‘em.
If anything, I would say to just lighten up a little. You don’t have to be so serious all of the
time.”

Raising an eyebrow, Roenaldo asked, “I’m too serious, you say? What’s wrong with that?
Isn’t a captain supposed to be…” His voice trailed off as he looked at a spot near his foot.
His eyes widened and his yellow tentacles turned pale as he saw what entity was present;
standing on its six legs was a simple, green grasshopper. He immediately scrambled away,
saying in a panicked voice, “What the?! Where’d that thing come from?!” Wondering what
was going on, Risea looked with surprise in the direction that Roenaldo was staring. This
look of surprise turned into one of amusement when she caught notice of the troublemaker.
“Seriously?” she said with a smile, “A big guy like you is scared of a little bug?” Roenaldo
glanced at Risea with an angry expression, retorting, “Don’t underestimate those tiny devils,
Agent. Just one of those things can ruin your whole life, and I’m speaking from experience.
I’ll never forget what those monsters did to my pops’ farm…” The grasshopper imched
slightly towards Roenaldo, causing him to flinch. “Get away from me, you home-wrecking
freak!” he exclaimed, his bodu quivering with fear and anger.

Risea smiled and shook her head before walking over to the insect. “Come on, captain,” she
said as she reached towards the bug, “These guys are nothing! They’re smaller than your
hand!” She then started advancing towards Roenaldo, much to his dismay. “Hey,” he said
while backing away, “What do you think you’re doing Agent?” Risea kept walking forward,
“Tryin’ to teach you a lesson. Now, hold still…” Roenaldo shook his head fervently, “Oh no,
I won’t! You’re crazy, squid, CRAZY, I say!” Risea glared at the older Inkling, “If you don’t
stop backing away, I’ll mess you up more than you think this hopper can.” Although
Roenaldo knew that he was more than likely to win in any confrontation against Risea, or so
he thought, between the grasshopper’s presence and Risea’s adamant stare, he lost any and
all will to object. So, against his better judgement, he stood in place.

“Good,” said Risea with a smile, “Now, watch this…” Holding one hand over the
grasshopper so that it couldn’t escape, Risea moved the insect as close as she could to
Roenaldo’s face, which was twitching with discomfort. “See?” said Risea, “Nothing’s
happening to you, right?” Roenaldo nodded slightly, prompting Risea to respond, “Exactly.
This is just a tiny, 6-legged grass muncher.” She allowed the creature to rub its antennae
against Roenaldo, causing his heartbeat to increase. “Ya wanna know what the best part is?”
Risea asked with a grin. Then, out of the blue, she stuffed the grasshopper into her mouth and
began chewing, causing Roenaldo’s jaw to drop. Wiping her mouth, Risea gave a thumbs-up
and said, “They’re great snacks!”

Roenaldo stared in disbelief before smirking and saying, “You’re one strange girl, you know
that?” Risea laughed, “That’s just part of my charm!” she jabbed him in the shoulder
playfully, “And you’re one to talk about acting weird; you were acting like a total lunatic!”
As Roenaldo crossed his arms and looked down at his feet, Risea followed up, “But hey, at
least now I know that you aren’t this big, unshakeable guy; you have your soft spots.” She
smiled at him, “Makes you a lot more relatable.” Feeling his agent’s gaze, Roenaldo looked
back at her, his eyes looking softer than usual.

The two stared at each other for a few more seconds until Risea suddenly turned towards the
fake ocean, a slightly worried expression on her face. “Hey,” she said, “Where’d Blippy
go?” She started to walk away, “Hold on, I’ll be back. I’ve gotta make sure that Blippy didn’t
swim into the sea, or something.” As Risea made her exit, Roenaldo stared after her with a
wondrous expression, thinking over the events that transpired. Realizing that Risea had
gotten something to eat, he visited a cabinet inside the base and retrieved a bag of potato
chips. As he opened the bag and reached for his first chip, he looked up at the fake sky
thoughtfully, a content smile on his face.
 Approaching the "Final" Test
Chapter Summary

After her interaction with the captain, Risea heads to the Happiness Research Lab to
start one of her last missions.

After returning with Blippy, Risea decides to spend the next 15 minutes or so taking a break
to soothe her overworked muscles, making use of some more of the base’s food rations to
regain her energy. Once she felt that she was ready, she got up, saying, “Okay, I think I saw a
pipe or something in that green place. Think I’ll go check it out.” As Risea started to walk
away, Captain Martine stopped her, saying, “You don’t have to walk all the way over there,
you know. You can just Super Jump to the last island that you were on before.” He looked at
the blackboard from before and then pointed to the east, “It should be somewhere over there.”
Risea looked in that direction and said, “Ohh. Okay, got it.” Making sure that Blippy was
securely with her, Risea morphed into her squid form and pointed her body to the right,
compressing her body to build up potential energy before uncompressing and rocketing away.

Soaring through the air and over the vast, artificial ocean, Risea looked past the fuzz-covered
rocket to spot the aforementioned terrarium-based island. “Huh,” Risea said to herself,
“Guess he was right. Looks like I’ll be landing…wait a second.” Her eyes widened; based on
her trajectory, she wasn’t going to land on the island. She was heading straight for the water!
Knowing that she only had a few seconds to react, Risea quickly searched her mind for
answers. “Come on, come on!” she said as she shut her eyes tight, “What was it that Cody
said? Something about…Newton’s 3rd law?” She looked at the Her Shot that she was
carrying, “I think he said that pushing something causes whatever pushed it to…damn it,
what am I talking for?!” Fueled by adrenaline, Risea threw her weapon downward, giving her
just enough of a boost to propel herself towards the island, where she grabbed onto its edge
desperately. Using the last of her strength, Risea pulled herself up and hunched over, her
hearts beating at an insane rate. Through the earpieces, the captain exclaimed, “Oh, thank the
high heavens!” he cleared his throat and said in a calmer voice, “I mean, great job, Agent 3.
Your quick thinking is a blessing once again. Anyhow, you should be able to get to that other
island now. Best of luck.”

Wiping her forehead clean of sweat, Risea glanced behind her, pointed at the ocean, and
asked, “Hey Blippy, would you mind hopping in there and grabbing my gun?” The Salmonid
complied to his friend’s wishes, leaping into the water and searching for the firearm. After a
short while, the fish psuhed the weapon towards the island, head-butting it upwards for his
friend to catch before leaping up to her. With that matter settled, Risea took a deep breath to
prepare herself before making her way to the south end of the island and travelling through
the pipe that was located there.
On the other end of the tube, Risea looked up and around at the landscape in front of her.
Everywhere her eyes went, she could see towers of all shapes and sizes, each one jutting out
from the ocean below. Furthermore, this area appeared to be covered with more Fuzzy Ooze
than usual, which was now starting to move slightly, much to Risea’s disgust. “Yuck,” she
said while making a face, “I didn’t think it would be possible, but this gunk somehow got
even more disgusting.” She looked back at Blippy, “It’s a good thing we’ve got loads of
power eggs, huh? Hope you’re ready to chow down!” Captain Martine then said, “I’m
detecting a strong signal coming from that big tower in the middle. Do you think that you can
get there?” Risea nodded, “I’ll try my best.” With that, the Inkling turned away and towards
the edge of the platform, where the base of a Ride Rail was. Unbeknown to her, the ooze had
attempted to move after her, albeit at a very slow pace.

So, using the handy Ride Rails present, Risea travelled from tower to tower, trying to find the
most efficient route to the tower in the center. Although she had many eggs, she did not want
to spend an unnecessary amount on random clumps of Fuzzy Ooze to access random kettles.
With that thought in mind, she kept on exploring the area, using Blippy to remove ooze where
she saw fit until she discovered a Ride Rail leading to a square-shaped tower, which was
attached to the main attraction through a line of Fuzzy Ooze-covered scaffolding. Once Risea
reached the less dirty building, she looked towards the scaffolding and said, “Okay, Blippy,
here’s another…” she took a look at her empty egg container, a surprised expression on her
face. “Great,” she said while shaking her head, “Just my luck…” She looked over to her
right, noticing a sealed kettle near the edge of the tower’s roof. “Well,” she said, “I guess
we’re doing this.” With that, the Inkling shot away the covering of the kettle and jumped
inside, hoping to make this mission a quick one.

Landing in another starting room, Risea heard the familiar sound of technology booting up
as O.R.C.A. activated. “Risea,” said the program, “You have truly come far. Among the
Alternan citizens who came before you, you stand out as an exceptional specimen. Although I
am unable to express any emotions, know that I possess a form of proudness for you. With
that being said, because you have reached a majorly significant section of this underground
utopia, as per Alternan policy, I shall test you to evaluate your proficiency in our 3 greatest
strengths: intelligence, hardiness, and strength. You need no weapon for this 3-part trial;
only your natural body and mind are required. Now that you are aware of what you will be
experiencing, are you prepared?” Risea blinked before answering, “Uh, yeah, sure.”
O.R.C.A. responded, “Very well. Please exit this room to begin your ultimate test.” Although
Risea did not truly know what was in store for her, this did not stop her from feeling
invigorated and confident. Hmph, she thought, My “ultimate test”? This could be fun…
 The Alterna Triathlon: Part 1
Chapter Summary

Risea participates in the 1st part of her 3-part trial: the intelligence test.

Upon setting her Hero Shot down and exiting the introduction room and into a flat area,
Risea was told by O.R.C.A., “The first section of your test, the trial of intelligence, begins
now. Firstly, please advance a few steps.” With zero hesitation, Risea did just that, making
her way forward only to fall through an inconspicuous trap door. “Woah!” she cried as she
fell, traveling through a metal tunnel until she landed rear-first on a hard surface. “Agh…”
she groaned as she rubbed her behind, “Did he really hafta do that? Could’ve at least gave me
a heads-up…” As Risea was soothing herself, the area around her became illuminated by
many bright ceiling lights, revealing the entrance to a long corridor. “Now that you are
present,” said O.R.C.A., “Allow me to explain your objective. Your goal is to successfully
reach the end of this passage, to which there is only one correct path. This path will be
revealed to you by certain orca statues found in quartets at 5 points in the corridor. All 4 of
these statues will provide an answer to a multiple-choice question, and you must follow the
path of the correct one. If you listen to the wrong statue 3 times, you will be ejected back
onto the surface immediately. Do you understand?” Risea, who was only half-listening,
answered, “Uh, yeah, sure.” The computer responded, “Affirmative. Whenever you are ready,
you may begin.”

So, the squid proceeded forward, with the slight anxiety that she was feeling being quelled by
a calming, electric, echoing song that played in the area. Soon enough, she came across a 4-
way path, with each one having a grey killer whale statue in front of it. “Question 1:”
O.R.C.A. said, “What is the purpose of Alterna?” Spying a button on the first statue, Risea
pressed it, causing a voice to emanate from the object, “To act as a research center to
document marine life.” She then activated the 2nd statue, causing it to say, “To house the
world’s most important figures.” Next, she turned on the 3rd statue, which said, “To act as a
safe haven for our world’s scientists.” and then the final statue, which said, “To function as a
place of amusement for thrill-seekers.” After hearing these options, Captain Martine said,
“Hmm, considering what I read, I think the answer is—” Suddenly, the captain cut off,
leading to Risea gasping with surprise. “Roenaldo?” she asked, “What happened? Why’d you
leave?” O.R.C.A. responded, “No outside assistance will be permitted. You must rely on your
own knowledge.” Risea groaned; if there was one thing that she was not good at, it was being
smart. As a young squid, she was only given the most basic of education; tests such as this
one were alien to her. “Oh, frick my life,” she said while shaking her head, “This is not how I
wanted to spend my day.” She rolled her neck and looked straight ahead with a resigned
expression, saying, “Well, I guess I’ll just see how this goes…”

As Risea looked around at the 4 objects, she said to herself, “Okay, so this place is definitely
not for having fun; it’s too robotic for that. And I’m not seein’ any important people around
here.” her eyes squinted as she rubbed her chin, “That just leaves me with 2 options…”
Having no idea how to choose the correct answer, Risea instead reached for Blippy and set
him down, saying, “Okay, little buddy, it’s your time to shine. Which one should I go with?”
The Salmonid looked between the two objects for a few seconds before randomly hopping
towards the 3rd statue. Smiling, Risea said, “Great choice, Blippy! I was thinkin’ of going
with that one, anyway.” So, the Inkling confidently walked through the hallway next to that
statue, with Blippy walking right after her. Once they reached the other side, they were
presented with a celebratory fanfare. “You are correct.” O.R.C.A. said, “Congratulations.
Now, please proceed to the next section.” Giving Blippy a well-deserved pat, Risea continued
on with him, feeling a tad bit more hopeful about the events to come.

A few steps later, O.R.C.A. presented Risea with another question: “In what year did the
events that caused Alterna’s citizens to seek refuge occur, and what type of event was it?”
Just like before, Risea was presented with 4 options, those being, “1987, a wildfire.”, “2005,
an earthquake.”, “2023, an epidemic.”, and “2015, a mass flood.” Throwing up her hands,
Risea stated, “Man, I dunno!” she again deployed her ally, “It’s all you, Blippy. Do your
best!” The fish sat there absentmindedly for a bit before moving towards the 2nd statue.
“2005?” asked Risea, “If you say so…” This, she followed the smallfry’s lead, making her
way along that path before getting launched back out by an explosion of white ink.
“Incorrect,” said O.R.C.A. as Risea cried out in pain, “The answer was ‘2015, a mass flood.’
2 attempts remain.” Wiping the liquid off of her body, Risea said, “That’s a bummer.” she
looked down at Blippy, “Well, we’ve got the next one, right?” Holding on to that piece of
hope, Risea headed over to the path next to the 4th statue and went on ahead.

In the 3rd section, O.R.C.A. asked Risea, “As you may have observed, the sky that spans
across the top of Alterna is not natural; it is artificial. What is this ‘sky’ composed of?” The
choices Risea was presented with were “Crystals.”, “LED screens.”, “Smoke and mirrors.”,
and “Digital drawings.” Thinking over the situation, Risea said to herself, “Y’know, those
2nd and 4th options sound too obvious. And that 3rd option just doesn’t make sense.” she
turned to the left, “Looks like I’m going with the 1st one, then…” Nodding to herself, Risea
went towards the first orca, feeling a smidge of hesitation as she did so. Thankfully for her,
she chose correctly, and she received another fanfare as a reward. “Well done.” said
O.R.C.A., “That is correct. The 4th section awaits you.” Breathing a sigh of relief, Risea
smiled to herself before moving on.

In the next part, Risea was asked, “There are others who have attempted to escape the wrath
of the flood. Did they succeed? If so, where are they?” The answer choices were “Yes, they
migrated here.”, “Yes, they are situated in space stations.”, “”No, but they used to live in
underground areas other than Alterna.”, and “No, Alterna is the only safe haven
documented.” Risea shrugged, “I mean, why wouldn’t there be people in other places?
Whoever these people are, they would definitely do something weird like living in space.”
So, the squid went through the 2nd path. Alas, judging by the white explosion that happened,
she judged wrong. “Incorrect,” said O.R.C.A., “The answer was ‘No, but they used to live in
underground areas other than Alterna.’ One attempt remains.” Risea held her head, “Oh,
brother, are you serious? This sucks…” she sighed and clenched her fists, “Well, at least I’ve
only got one question left.” she looked up, “It’s all or nothing.”
Advancing to the last section, Risea was asked, “Final question: what does my name stand
for?” The choices were, “Overseeing Research and Creation of Alterna.”, “Observational
Recording Camera for Alterna.”, “Obedient Resourceful and Compassionate Assistant from
Alterna.”, and “Omniscient Recording Computer of Alterna.” Sucking her teeth, Risea
complained, “Dang it, they all end the same way.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her
temples, saying, “Come on, come on, think! What would that bot even be? Well, I know for a
fact that he isn’t compassionate, that much is obvious. And it’s not a camera, is it? I think I
would know if something was taking pictures of me.” she exhaled with annoyance, “Aaah, I
really want to just have Blippy choose for me, but…it’s just too risky.” She looked between
the 1st and 4th statues for a while before concluding, “You know what, my gut’s going with
the last one. I’ll just go with that.” With that, she took a deep breath and walked through the
4th hallway, hoping for the best. After passing through, a tense silence filled the air. After an
anxiety-filled few seconds, colorful confetti was shot out at Risea through cannons mounted
in the wall. “Fantastic.” said O.R.C.A., “That is correct. Very good, Risea, you have passed
the first part of the exam.” An elevator door in front of Risea opened, “Please step into this
lift to be transported to the next section.”

As Risea basked in her glory, Captain Martine’s voice said through her earpieces, “Agent 3?
Do you read me?” Smiling, Risea said, “Yeah, I can hear ya. And get this, I passed the test!
Can you believe it?!” The captain replied, “Oh, you did? Great job! I knew you could do it.”
Then, Agent 1’s high-pitched voice appeared, “Wait, you were doing a test, Agent 3? Geez,
how much did we miss?” At this, Risea said, “Oh, you’re back. What took you so long?”
Agent 1 answered, “Oh, we were just doing our usual things, you know…but we’re here, so
that’s all that matters, right? Right!” Agent 2 added, “Anyway, the captain said that you were
in the middle of a 3-part trial, so we’ll just be providing emotional support. Does that sound
okay to you?” Although Risea wanted to question the two agents further, she had a feeling
that she would just end up with more questions than answers. Instead, she said, “Sure.” This,
the young agent stepped into the elevator, ready to move on.
 The Alterna Triathlon: Part 2
Chapter Summary

Risea tackles the 2nd part of the exam: the endurance trial.

After being elevated to a higher platform, Risea looked ahead to see a long, winding path
covered with ink that was covered by a mix of orange, blue, and pink ink. As Risea gazed at
this sight, O.R.C.A. said, “Now begins the endurance section of the challenge. As you can
observe, there is a long stretch of ink-covered ahead of you. Your objective is to reach the
end while withstanding and/or avoiding the hazardous substances that are on the ground or
launched at you. If you happen to get eliminated 3 times, you will be sent back to the surface.
Do you understand?” Risea nodded and said with a smile, “Yeah, I get it.” The computer
responded, “Very well. You may begin.” Risea laughed to herself before saying, “Oh, this
sounds much more interesting…”

With that, Risea made her way forward, soon coming across the beginning of the trail. “Heh,”
she said as she looked down at the ink, “This is nothing.” she made a motion as if she were
reaching for her Hero Shot, “All I’ve gotta do is…” her voice trailed off as she realized that
she was, in fact, unarmed. “Oh yeah,” she muttered, “Forgot about that.” she sighed and
shook her head, “Welp, there’s no other way around this.”

Thus, the Inkling took a step into the harmful ink, grunting in pain as the hazardous substance
seeped through her shoes, bringing a burning sensation to her feet. “God, that stings.” Risea
complained, “But I can’t throw in the towel just yet.” She looked ahead, her eyes filled with a
fiery determination, “I will get through this!

So, she continued on, ignoring the icky, corrosive feeling that she was experiencing as she
stomped forward. “Okay,” She said with gritted teeth, “I can do this. I’ll be done in no time.”
As she was saying this, a Fuzzy Octotrooper wearing snorkels popped out of the ink, it’s
nozzle pointed straight at Risea. “Ah!” exclaimed Agent 1, “Octodiver at 12:00!” Narrowing
her eyes, Risea growled, “Dammit! I don’t have time for you!” In a burst of energy, Risea
leaped forward, picked up the Octotrooper from its machine, and chucked it off the platform
into the abyss, shouting, “Outta my way!” As the enemy octopus fell, Agent 2 commented
“Well, that’s one way to get rid of threats…” After this exertion, Risea huffed before
proceeding forward.
After some more progression, Risea heard the sound of ink being displaced nearby. “Agent
3!” shouted Captain Martine, “Behind you!” Risea turned around and gasped; standing there
were two more Octotroopers, both of which were ready and armed. “Ugh,” Risea groaned, “I
really don’t want to backtrack…” she turned back around and narrowed her eyes, “Looks like
I’ll just have to dodge.” So, she did just that, moving faster than usual while occasionally
looking back to see if she was being fired at. Although it was physically taxing to do so,
Risea did her best to avoid any shots that were sent her way, leaning from side to side and
ducking when necessary (although the latter strategy subjected her upper body to the ink,
causing her more discomfort). Eventually, Risea travelled far enough to escape the reach of
the Octotroopers, who were thankfully stationary. “Phew,” said Agent 1, “You made it. Great
job, Agent 3!” Wiping gunk off of her arms, Risea curtly replied “Thanks.” before moving
on.

As time went on, Risea’s mood continued to worsen; the sizzling sensation of the ink was
really starting to get to her. “Hrgh,” she griped, “How long have I been walking? This is
taking forever!” At this, Captain Martine said, “Don’t worry, Agent 3, you’re making good
progress. In fact, you’re almost halfway there!” Risea breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit
happier after hearing this news. “Okay,” she said to herself, “This is good! I’ve got this.”
Unfortunately, as if to ruin her mood, a group of 5 Fuzzy Octotroopers came flying up from
below the floating path, each one facing towards their enemy. “Oh boy,” said Agent 2, “Here
comes trouble. I hope you’re ready, Agent 3.” Risea exhaling with annoyance, Risea
lamented, “Oh boy, here we go again…”

Clapping her hands together to invigorate herself, Risea inhaled deeply and moved as fast as
she could manage through the ink, keeping the swarm of Fuzzy Octocopters in her peripheral
vision as she progressed. Every so often, one of the Octarians would fire a multicolored shot
at Risea, prompting her to dodge to the best of her ability. Alas, due to the nature and number
of her adversaries, Risea found herself taking more hits than she would have liked, bringing
her even more pain. Just when she thought that she couldn’t take any more punishment, the
Octocopters, as if directed by an external force, fled the scene. “Huh,” said Agent 1, “Would
ya look at that. What a save!” Panting with exhaustion, Risea breathed, “Thank god…” After
taking a quick break to recover, Risea resumed her trek, hoping for it to be over soon.

At some point, the captain stated, “Good news, Agent 3; you’re in the final stretch. Just a bit
longer and you’ll be home free!” Risea couldn’t be happier. Finally, after this tortuous
journey, she was nearing the glorious, well-deserved end. Of course, something just had to
come and make this last section difficult; flying into the scene on a chrome UFO was none
other than a Fuzzy Octosniper. Risea looked to the left and grumbled, “Crap, not now. I hate
these things!” She looked down at her chest, seeing that there was a red light being trained on
it. Knowing what would happen next, she clenched her fists, mustered up all her strength, and
leaped forward, narrowly avoiding the charged shot of ink that came her way. “Woah!”
exclaimed Agent 1, “Nice dodge!” Trying her best to ignore the grime covering her torso,
Risea got up and said, “Here’s hopin’ I can keep this up…”

With that, the Inkling continued on, now being tasked with performing evasive somersaults
as she progressed. Roll after roll, she felt her will to go on crumble by the second; during the
whole process, she felt like a hot dog getting flipped over and around in a vat of frying oil.
Still, she knew that it would be a major inconvenience for her to falter now. With that in
mind, she held on to her resolve and pushed forward, making progress in short bursts. Soon
enough, she saw a wide, inkless platform, and her eyes widened; the goal was in sight! Filled
with a sense of excitement and want, she used the last of her reserves to rush forward in a
wild manner, not even caring about the threat of the Fuzzy Octosniper. As a result, she did
end up taking a nasty hit, but this was irrelevant; her gear granted her a shield, anyway.
Furthermore, by the time she was struck, she had reached her goal. Finally, the torment was
over.

With her garments now reduced to shreds, Risea jumped for joy and cheered, “Yes!! In your
face, you stupid stage! You’re no match for me!” As Risea was celebrating, a torrent of
orange liquid suddenly dropped on her, causing her to cry out in surprise. “Hey!” she
exclaimed, “What’s…ohh, that feels good…” As Risea’s body was covered in the ink-like
substance, the stinging sensation from before quickly diminished, being replaced by a cool,
soothing feeling, and the painful gunk was washed away. Furthermore, her Hero Suit was
automatically repaired. “Congratulations,” said O.R.C.A., “You have passed this section with
no mistakes. For that, I applaud you.” A pause. “The final section now awaits you. When you
are prepared, please step forward.”

As Risea stood there, Captain Martine said, “Very good, Agent 3. You didn’t even get
splatted once! That’s impressive.” Agent 2 added, “Yeah, you were a beast. Hopefully, you’ll
do just as good in the next part.” Risea chuckled, “Oh, if I can get through that, I can do
anything.” She glanced at Blippy, who had been struggling to stay secure the whole time, and
stroked his head fin, asking, “How bout you? Are you ready?” With an affirmative chirp,
Blippy raised one of his fins as if doing a salute. Risea smiled, “I thought so. Well…” she
turned around and took a step forward, “Let’s gooOaugh!” Out of the blue, she was
surrounded by a clear, ovular structure. Before she could tell what was going on, she was
launched up and away to a new location.
 The Alterna Triathlon: Part 3
Chapter Summary

Risea faces the final section of her 3-part test: the trial of strength.

Following a quick flight, Risea landed inside a floating, metal box, with her clear barrier
cracking open as she tumbled across the floor like a released toy. As she sat there dazed,
Risea was told by O.R.C.A., “Now begins the final section of this trial: the strength test. Your
goal is simple: all you must do is get past a horde of enemies and reach the goal. While this
may seem somewhat intimidating, I get the feeling that you may find this challenge to be
quite enjoyable. I will allow you to figure out why for yourself. With that, when you are
ready, please start jumping in place.” At this, Agent 1 asked, “It wants you to jump in place?
What for?” Risea shrugged, “I dunno.” she looked down and squatted, “Guess I’ll just have
to find out!” With that, she jumped into the air and crashed down with full force. By doing
this, she caused the seemingly sturdy floor beneath her to shatter like glass, leading to her
falling a good distance.

After a short descent, Risea landed on a more solid surface, where she was immediately met
by 8 Fuzzy Twintacle Octotroopers. “Oh, carp!” exclaimed Agent 1, “You’re surrounded!”
As Risea reeled back in surprise, she noticed a lone can sitting on the ground in front of her.
It appeared to have a symbol of a shark-themed pool toy on it. “Hold on,” said Captain
Martine, “Agent 3! Grab that can!” Seeing that the Octarians were about to fire, Risea
replied, “Uh, o-okay!” So, she quickly dived towards the ground, simultaneously avoiding
the onslaught of the octopi and nabbing the canister. “Good.” said the captain, “Now take off
the cover and eat whatever’s inside!” Risea grinned, saying, “Okay! I was getting hungry,
anyway.”

With that, she used her teeth-like beak to tear off the top of the can, revealing 5 small tuna.
She immediately scarfed 4 of them down, making sure to give one to Blippy. As soon as she
did that, Risea felt an electric sensation surge throughout her whole body as her ink sac was
stimulated to its maximum capacity. With her tentacles glowing like a bonfire, Risea’s palms
started to excrete orange ink, which quickly solidified and formed into the shape of a
cartoony shark. “Oh, nice,” said Agent 2, “A Reefslider! Just hop on and let it burst!” Filled
with vigor, Risea did just that, causing the formed object to slide forward a few feet before
exploding in an orange burst, leading to all of the enemies being eliminated.

As Risea returned to normal, Agent 1 cheered, “That was awesome, Agent 3! It’s a good
thing that you were given a canned special, huh?” Risea chuckled, responding, “Yeah,
definitely! And I bet there’s more of those things around here!” Delighted by this thought,
Risea looked to a path nearby and travelled up it, ready for whatever was coming her way.
After traveling a bit up the winding path, Risea came across a flock of 3 Fuzzy Octobombers,
which all proceeded to launch their Splat Bombs on sight. Seeing this, Risea quickly jumped
back, shielding her face from the incoming wave of ink. Once the threat was gone, she looked
up at a nearby pole to notice another can. Without skipping a beat, she leaped up, grabbed
onto the rectangular top of the medium-sized pillar, and snatched the container, noticing that
it was labeled with a picture of a vacuum cleaner. Opening the canister, she found 2 remora,
of which she ate one while sharing the other with her friend. After doing that, her body went
through the same changes as before, with her ink now forming into a swirling funnel that she
was able to hold. “Ooh,” said Agent 2, “An Ink Vac! Or at least something like it. Why don’t
you try absorbing those bombs?” Although Risea’s makeshift Ink Vac lacked suction, she was
still able to collect the 3 bombs lobbed at her. Once she did that, she noticed that the
projectiles did not detonate; instead, they were absorbed into her own ink. After taking all of
the bombs, Risea’s mass formed into a large, orange sphere. “Okay,” said Martine, “Now
throw that at one of the Octobombers!” Risea listened to his advice, hurling the ball forward
to strike the flying foe in the middle. Once she did that, she watched as the sphere blew up,
taking out the opposition in a spectacular fashion.

“Woo!” exclaimed Agent 1, “That was great! Keep it up, Agent 3!” Her face bright with glee,
Risea laughed, “Haha, this is fun!”

After traveling some more along the upward slope, Risea encountered another container, this
one being labeled by 3 tornado symbols. “Huh,” she said as she picked up the object, “That’s
weird. There’s no enemies for me to use this on.” she shrugged, “Eh, whatever. Not like I
don’t enjoy a good snack, anyway.” With that, she removed the cover of the food holder,
revealing 3 sardines covered in a red sauce. Right after she did that, Risea heard the sound of
ink swirling all around her as 3 Fuzzy Octosnipers materialized, each one riding a spawner-
like machine. “Woah!” cried Agent 2, “Where’d they come from?!” Captain Martine then
said, “Ah, it’s nothing, especially with that Triple Splashdown you found. Use it, you’ll see
what I mean!” Wasting no time, Risea scarfed down two of the three fish, saving one for
Blippy. After having her fill, Risea’s face heated up as she felt a spicy sensation fill her
mouth. At the same time, she felt the same, powerful sensation from earlier affect her very
being as ink spilled out from her hands, coalescing into graspable spheres. Having an idea of
what do, Risea hurled two of the balls at two of the Octarians. Once the projectiles hit their
targets, they immediately transformed into spinning vortexes of ink that completely destroyed
their victims. Just before the remaining Octosniper could fire its shot, a 3rd sphere formed in
Risea’s palm, which she promptly launched at her opponent. Following a flashy display, the
surviving octopus was removed from the scene, being absolutely eviscerated by the raging
tornado.

“Gotta say,” Agent 2 stated, “You’re getting pretty good at this.” At this, Risea retorted,
“Pretty good? I think what you meant to say was ‘Oh wow, Agent 3, you were amazing!’”
Agent 2 responded, “Heh, whatever. But seriously, your progress is impressive.” Satisfied by
this compliment, Risea wiped her hands clean before proceeding forward.

As the path leveled out, Risea spied yet another enemy ink-covered road stretching out ahead
of her. While this sight was at first horrible to her, she quickly noticed another canned special
that was placed right before the stretch of land. Seeing the symbol of a toy hammer plastered
on the container’s side, she said to herself, “No way, is this what I think it is?” She opened
the can, revealing a singular, fat cod. After eating the piscine, Risea began to excrete even
more ink, which went on to form and solidify itself into a large mallet shape; the Ultra Stamp.
“Haha!” laughed Risea, “It is! Oh yeah, it's time to bring the pain!” With that, she began
going on a rampage, running across the dirty floor while smashing to her heart’s content.
Along the way, she ended up splatting Octarians of all types that were hiding in the ink,
which brought her even more joy; the whole experience was very cathartic for her. In no time
at all, she reached the end of the path, at which point her Ultra Stamp wore off.

Her brain buzzing with excitement, Risea panted heavily as she looked around, wondering
what else there was for her to do. As it turned out, she found the answer very quickly; laying
on its side to Risea’s right was a green bazooka that had 3 bottles of orange ink loaded into it.
Furthermore, situated in front of the Inkling was a giant set of metal doors with 3 circular,
foreign symbols etched into them in a triangle pattern. “Hm,” said Martine, “A Trizooka. And
it seems like it’s already loaded. You know what to do, right, Agent 3?” Risea nodded, “You
bet I do!” Following that, Risea picked up the firearm and hoisted it on her shoulder, aiming
the end of the tube at the leftmost circle. With a press of the trigger, Risea let loose a 3-part
clump of orange ink that flew towards its target, painting it wholly in one go. After
recovering from the recoil, Risea set her sights on the right circle, which she fired at after
preparing accordingly. Once she successfully hit and covered that section, Risea aimed at the
final circle, which was situated between above the other parts. Giving the trigger a firm,
decisive push, Risea ejected her final projectile onto the remaining panel, turning it a vibrant
orange just like its relatives.

With all 3 of its sections painted, the solid doors began to slowly and dramatically open, with
a triumphant fanfare playing as light seeped through the cracks. Once the doors fully opened,
O.R.C.A. said, “Congratulations, Risea, you have succeeded. Ever since you first registered
yourself as a citizen here in Alterna, I foresaw you reaching great heights; my predictive
software displayed as much. It is fortunate that you were able to prove my prediction
correct.” Smiling, Risea replied, “Aw, thanks!” The AI responded, “It is my pleasure. Now, if
you are willing, please step forward to receive your reward.” Risea did just that, her body
relaxed as she enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment. Once she reached the prize cylinder
that was located on the other side of the doors, she was given a hefty amount of 3000 power
eggs. “Nice!” she said, “This should be more than enough. Anyway…” she stood still and
closed her eyes, ready to get teleported away.

A few seconds passed before O.R.C.A. said, “Were you expecting to get transported the usual
way? I am sure that you will be glad to hear that you will be removed in a more pleasant
way.” A hatch opened in the floor, revealing an opaque, medium sized ball that was opened
across the middle for Risea to rest in. “Please enter this sphere, Risea. I will take care of
everything else.” Risea’s eyes widened in surprise before she grinned. “Huh,” she said,
“Alright. Guess you’re not so bad after all…” So, she got inside, leading to her getting
enclosed, lowered back into the floor and carried across an unseen track.
 The Ill-Willed Illusionist
Chapter Summary

Risea faces off against Big Man, whose battle eventually takes a turn for the worse

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

After a short trip, Risea was spat out through the ground near the kettle that she had
previously entered. Conveniently, her Hero Shot was already present, and she picked it up
before opening her power egg canister and showing it to Blippy. “Here you go, little buddy,”
she said, “Your final meal!” The smallfry salivated, feeling as ravenous as ever. Without
skipping a beat, he dove face-first into the container, indulging himself on the many tiny,
orange spheres. Once he had consumed everything, his body started to vibrate like a slab of
jelly during an earthquake as his eyes bulged out from their sockets. Following the same
procedure as before, Risea firmly grasped the fish before hurling him at the purple brain
controlling the fuzzy patch that was blocking her path. In no time at all, Blippy completely
and wholly demolished the jiggling mass atop the hairy ooze, causing the whole entity to
scatter into nothingness. With the way now clear, Risea skillfully climbed up the scaffolding
in order to reach a large, black kettle.

“Okay,” said Agent 2, “This is it. If Gramps isn’t here, then I don’t know where is.” Agent 1
added, “And even if Gramps isn’t here, we’ve gotta find something useful, right?” Risea
nodded and smiled, saying, “Yeah, most likely! Besides, even if there’s nothin’ good down
there, at least there’ll be some powerful enemy for me to clobber!” At this, Captain Martine
stated, “And I know you’ll do just that, Agent 3. Whatever’s down there, I’m sure that you
can handle it.” Feeling slightly warm on the inside, Risea paused for a moment before
responding, “Uh, thanks.” She thought to herself for a bit before shaking her head. She had
no time to be sappy; she had a mission to complete. With this thought in mind, she closed her
eyes and took a deep breath before shooting off the top of the kettle, morphing into her squid
form, and diving in.

Once she landed in the starting room, Risea did not even bother to listen to O.R.C.A.’s
message about her access being unauthorized; she simply walked through the clear doors and
Super Jumped to a circular platform below that was surrounded by water. Looking around,
she said, “Alright, where’s the bad guy at? It’s probably one of those Deep Cut members…”
She continued to search, looking high and low for any signs of life. However, all that she was
met with was dead silence. “C’mon,” she said with an annoyed expression, “Where is he? I
don’t got all day.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Hey! Come on out,
already! I’m growin’ a beard out here!” Still, nothing. “Huh.” Agent 2 said, “I guess no one’s
here. Well, at least now there’s nothing stopping you from—”
Then, out of the blue, Risea noticed a large figure swimming it’s way through the water and
towards her. Leaping out and landing a good distance away from Risea, the figure revealed
itself to be none other than Big Man. Looking at the manta ray’s unmasked face, Risea could
see that he was quite angry, looking much more agitated than he usually did. “Ay, ay!” he
said with disbelief, “Ay ayaya ay?!” Risea raised an eyebrow, saying, “I’ve got no clue what
you’re saying, big guy. Can’t you speak Inklish?” Looking offended, Big Man retorted, “Ay,
ay ay ay! Ay ay aya.” Risea rolled her eyes, “Whatever you say, dude.” she brandished her
gun, “Anyway, you gonna fight or what?” Big Man stiffened slightly before hunching over
and saying, “Ay…ay ay…” he curled his fins as if they were fists before spreading them apart
like a bird, “AY AY AY!” Following that exclamation, the ray’s body became covered in a
green substance as the creature flopped onto the ground. Then, to Risea’s surprise, the Deep
Cut member doubled in size, with his shape changing to become almost ghostly. “Ay…” he
burbled as he started moving towards Risea. With that, the battle had begun.

Risea looked ahead with confusion, asking, “What the hell am I looking at?” Seeing that the
strange manta ray was still advancing, she shrugged, stating, “Oh, whatever. When in
doubt…” she pointed at the ground with her gun, “Shoot it out!” So, she opened fire, using
her massively enhanced Hero Shot to cover the eerie ray in ink. By doing so, she caused the
entity to divide into two smaller rays, one of which slid away from her. “Hey,” said Callie,
“What the shell?! He just split in half!” Although Risea had tons of questions, she decided to
forget them in favor of resorting to her best tactic: violence. Caring not for the anomaly that
she just witnessed, Risea continued to shoot, splitting one of the manta rays multiple times
until only a tiny one remained. After shooting it, Risea watched as it disappeared into
nothingness, leaving behind a puddle of orange as it did so. Then, she heard Big Man’s voice
behind her, “Ayaya…” Then, Risea was knocked off her feet by one of the smaller manta
rays, bringing her an unexpected amount of pain. Before she could locate her assailant, the
ray quickly swam to join its brethren, leading to it disappearing in the crowd.

As Risea got up, Agent 2 observed, “Oh, I think I get it. You’ve gotta find which one is real.
Now, how you do that, I don’t know.” Gripping her firearm angrily, Risea responded, “Oh, I
know exactly how…”

Spurred by her annoyance at getting struck from behind, the squid ran around in a wild rage,
shooting every which way in an aggressive attempt to shoot every ray that she could find. As
the many wispy entities took turns charging at their opponent, Risea kept piling on the
pressure, continuously shooting at the rays to break them down into smaller and smaller
forms. Soon enough, she was left with a singular shape, which she fired at to reveal a
shocked Big Man. “Ay!” he cried, “Ay ay ay?” Furrowing her eyebrows, Risea pointed her
gun at Big Man and said, “Shut it, you! I’ve had enough of your ‘ays’!” With that, she
unloaded her cartridge on the chiaroscurist, causing him to get knocked back as he made a
pained noise.

Wiping ink off his chest, Big Man complained, “Ay, ay-ay! Ay ay aya?” As he was
lamenting, the manta ray felt his face, noticing that he was missing his mask. Gasping he
said, “Ay! Ay-ay, ay ay…” He then dived into the ground again and promptly swam away,
causing Risea to shout, “Hey! Where’re you going, coward?! I ain’t done with you, yet!” She
then ran after him only to stop at the edge of the arena, her path thwarted by the hazardous
water. “Damn it,” she cursed, “Stupid water weakness…” Sighing, she walked back to her
spot and sat down and sulked, crossing her arms as she waited for her adversary to return.

After a short delay, Big Man returned with his mask, a cocky smile on his face. “Ay, ay-ay,”
he said with a laugh, “Ay ayaya?” As Big Man moved the mask towards his face, Captain
Martine said, “Wait a minute, there’s something off about that mask…” Indeed, there was
something attached to the intimidating face covering: a thin outline of purple was lining the
rim of the object. It was Fuzzy Ooze! Unaware of this fact, Big Man proceeded to don the
mask, triumphantly stating, “Ay, ay-ay-AY! Ay ayy?” Not even a second later, the manta
ray’s face became as bristly as a hairbrush, causing Big Man’s eyes to widen in pure shock.
“Ay??” he said as he looked down at his shoulders, seeing that they, too, were becoming less
slick and more hairy. Suddenly, the ray clutched his head and groaned loudly, writhing in
pain as more and more fur covered his once smooth body. Risea watched with an unsettled
expression as Big Man fell backwards, with the bandit rocking back and forth as his fins
flapped frantically. After this flailing session, the now-fuzzy manta ray ceased all movement,
laying with his eyes closed on the floor like an animal skin rug.

Taking a few tentative steps forward, Risea asked, “Hey, man, you okay?” Silence. Then,
after a few seconds, Big Man’s eyes flew open, and he flipped himself up before turning his
furry face towards Risea. Losing all sense of reason, he flapped his fins in a threatening
manner as he let out a primal, brief, punctuated, scratchy, high-pitched series of screeches.
Following that display, he excreted more of his mysterious substance, with the liquid now
being tainted an unnatural purple, before diving into the ground once more and charging
towards Risea at a far greater speed than before. “Woah!” cried Risea as she jumped to the
side, “What’s this?!” Big Man’s silhouette then threw out 3 Torpedoes, all of which were
filled with his purplish -green fluid. Acting quickly, Risea shot all of the projectiles down
before noticing that Big Man was attempting another charge, which she jumped over.

“Holy sea cow!” exclaimed Agent 1, “He’s outta control! He’s like whole other person!”
Agent 2 then observed, “That mask must’ve been contaminated with some of that Fuzzy
Ooze. I wonder how that happened?” As Risea evaded another rush maneuver, Captain
Martine said, “Whatever the case may be, you have to take him down. Who knows, maybe
defeating him will turn him back to normal?” Risea nodded, “K, got it. This fuzzy freak’s no
match for me!” Martine responded, “Oh, by the way, can you be gentle with him? I know
he’s the enemy and all, but Big Man’s my favorite.” Raising an eyebrow, Risea said, “Really?
Okay, then.” Shaking off the shock from seeing Big Man in his altered form, Risea faced
towards the fish, getting herself ready for action.

After inspecting its target for a bit, Big Man’s shadow split itself into two, with both of them
throwing a Splat Bomb forward. In response, Risea inked a path to the side and swam away
before shooting at one of the figures, which was tougher than it usually was. Strangely,
instead of splitting into two weaker forms, the illusion burst, causing an eruption of orange
ink. In the middle of this commotion, the other manta ray rushed at Risea. Thankfully, the
squid was prepared for such a maneuver, and she jumped to the side before opening fire on
the ray. Similarly to the other image, the ray that Risea shot at did not divide. Instead, Big
Man came jumping out of it, after which he did a flip before diving back into the ground,
where he created an image of himself that almost covered the whole arena.
Risea stood there for a few seconds before Captain Martine shouted, “Agent 3! Get out of
there, NOW!” Heeding his order, Risea painted a path to the right, where there was some
clean ground. As soon as she got there, she noticed that the spot where Big Man’s silhouette
was had erupted into a giant, liquid tornado, causing her eyes to widen in shock. “WOW!”
Agent 1 said, “I didn’t expect an Inkstrike! Good call, captain!” Agent 2 then said, “Agent 3,
look! Big Man’s exposed!” Risea looked back, noticing that the hairy ray was laying on the
ground, seemingly exhausted from performing such a powerful attack. Without a second
thought, she blasted her opponent, causing him to cry out in pain before laying on his face.

As Risea looked down at her foe, Agent 1 asked, “Is it over? Did we win?” After a short
delay, Big Man started to stir before getting up, letting out another battle screech and lunging
at Risea, his body covered with fluid once more. “Nope!” said Agent 2, “Looks like he still
has some fight left in him!” Although Risea was able to avoid the initial strike, she was not
prepared for what Big Man did next; performing a Squid Roll-like move, the manta ray
flipped towards Risea, leading to her taking major damage. With her gear brought to its last
legs, Risea was knocked over on her side, making pained noises as she tumbled across the
floor.

In the midst of this, Blippy was dislodged from his crevice in Risea’s hoodie, leading to him
flying off to the side. Seeing this, the crazed Big Man directed his attention from Risea and
towards the Salmonid, jumping up towards him and smacking him with his fin. Watching as
her friend got knocked away, Risea yelled, “Blippy!” Hearing the Inkling’s cry of despair,
Big Man turned back towards her and began swimming forward, ready to finish her off.

Feeling nothing but worry for her smallfry, Risea felt her heartbeat increase tenfold as her
brain was filled with negative thoughts. This worry turned to anger as she contemplated the
situation further, clenching her fists as she started breathing heavily. As she stared down the
quickly approaching Big Man, Risea’s stimulated ink sac began to go into overdrive, causing
her palms become like fountains. Once her foe got close enough, she reared up her right fist,
shouting, “YOU’RE GONNA REGRET THAT!” With that, Risea fearlessly punched Big
Man straight in the face, causing an orange explosion at the impact point. With his attack
being greatly outdone, the manta ray was sent flying backwards, screaming as he flipped
multiple times in the air before plopping onto the ground, his mask now broken in half. With
her body exposed, Risea looked down at her defeated adversary, her body heaving as she
huffed and puffed. The battle was over.
Chapter End Notes

If you're wondering why Big Man screeches, it turns out that there was one report where
a manta rayade a similar sound before attacking a human, so there's that.
 Cutting Back to the Action
Chapter Summary

After defeating and dealing with Big Man, Risea and the others build something to help
with the fur-covered rocket problem.

Risea took a second to catch her breath before running over in the direction where Blippy
was sent, looking into the water for any sign of him. Minutes passed, and Risea was starting
to lose hope until she noticed a small splash in the water. Drawn to his friend’s scent, Blippy
swam up out of the water and towards Risea, looking no different than he usually did. Risea’s
face brightened up as she gladly opened her arms for the Salmonid to jump into, saying,
“Blippy! Thank god you’re okay!” Captain Martine replied, “I thought he would be. The little
guy’s hardy.” Stroking her companion’s dorsal fin, Risea responded, “Heh, yeah, I know that
for sure…”

As Risea was enjoying her reunion with Blippy, Agent 2 asked, “So, uh, what about Big
Man? He still has that fur problem.” Risea looked over at the manta ray, saying, “Oh yeah.”
She walked over and looked down, holding her chin as she tried to think of a solution. After
some pondering, she came up with an answer; pointing Blippy towards the unconscious ray,
she said, “Hey, little buddy, you up for a little snack?” Wiggling his tail excitedly, the salmon
hopped towards the bandit and jumped onto him, clipping away at his hair like a lawn mower.
In a matter of seconds, the ray was completely shaved.

Big Man’s eyes cracked open as he looked around with a dazed expression. “Ay…?” he
drawled as he rubbed his head. He then noticed Blippy resting on his chest while Risea
looked at the two of them with a small smile. Big Man’s eyes widened as he processed the
situation. “Ay?” he said in a wondrous tone as he looked into Risea’s eyes. Taking a guess at
what he meant, Risea responded, “That’s right, big guy, we saved you. You’re welcome.” Big
Man looked back at his feet, seeming to be somewhat embarrassed. After some thinking, he
gently set Blippy down, got up, pulled a circular bomb out of his mouth, and looked at Risea,
his eyes starting to become wet with tears. “Ay…” he said in a quivering voice, “Ay-ay-
aya…” Following that message, the manta ray set the explosive down on the ground and
kicked it, causing the object to detonate and send him flying away.

Risea stood there with a stupefied expression for a bit before saying, “Wow, okay, that was
something.” Agent 1 replied, “Yeah, it sure was…hey, what’s that up there?” Risea looked up
to spot a floating platform making its way towards her. “Oh wait,” said Agent 1, “That’s
where the signal is coming from! Maybe it’s Gramps!” Rolling her eyes, Risea muttered,
“Yeah, right…” So, Risea made her way to the platform, ready to be disappointed. As
expected, she did not find the former captain of the NSS; instead, there was another piece of
scrap, this one being shaped like an engine of some sort. “Yep,” said Risea, “Just as I thought.
Should I just pile this part with the others?” Sighing, Agent 2 answered, “Yeah, I guess you
should…” With that settled, Risea leaned against the engine as she waited for O.R.C.A. to
inevitably teleport her back to the surface, which it did.

Once Risea brought the object back to the NSS camp, Agent 2 stated, “Okay, we’ve chased
one signal, nothing. Another signal, zilch. And then this signal, zero. Where the shell could
that squid be?” Agent 1 looked around, eventually landing her eyes on the rocket in the center
of Alterna. “Well,” she said, “There is that place, but, well, y’know…” Captain Martine
added, “Yeah, there’s no way that we would even get close to that rocket with that much hair
on it. We would need an industrial size razor to even make a dent in it.” Risea sat down and
replied, “Too bad we don’t have one of those…”

The captain acknowledged her words as he put his hand on his cheek and sat in silence.
During his mulling, his vision panned over to the 3 items that Risea had gathered, and his
eyes lit up. “Hey,” he said while smiling at the group, “What if I told you that we did?”
Raising an eyebrow, Risea inquired, “That would be interesting, cause I sure don’t see any
around here.” Gesturing towards the objects, Martine said, “It’s right here! Think about it; we
have the blade, the handle, and the engine. Yeah, these parts are a little weird, but we can still
use them, am I right?” Agent 2 held her chin, “I see your point. But how exactly do you plan
on turning that into a functioning razor?” Martine answered, “That’s easy.” he stood up and
pointed out powerfully, “Agents, it’s time to build!”

As Risea’s mouth gaped open with surprise, Agent 1’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my
cod.” she said in a quiet voice. Quivering with joy, she pumped her fist in the air and
exclaimed, “I love it! This’ll be so much fun!” Risea smiled, saying, “Hehe, yeah, it should
be!” Agent 2, on the other hand, was not nearly as thrilled. She sighed, “Well, looks like
we’re doing this…”

With that, the quartet got to work. Agent 1 and Risea took some tools from the group’s
storage and enthusiastically arranged and assembled the components. Despite their vigor, the
girls were not very coordinated, and they ended up making many mistakes, especially when
trying to position the dangerously sharp blades of one of the objects. In order to prevent their
friends from becoming sliced squid, Agent 2 and Captain Martine frequently stepped in to
provide assistance. As his larger associates worked on their project, Blippy provided
emotional support, jumping up and down while gurgling energetically.

Eventually, with enough screwing, hammering, and grunting, the Inklings were finished.
Wiping her forehead clean of sweat, Agent 1 declared, “And there she is! Beautiful, isn’t
she?” Agent 2 cocked her head at the completed product, which could only be described as an
amalgamation of metal, rubber, and plastic. “Yeah,” she remarked, “If you’re a mad
scientist.” Agent 1 rolled her eyes, “Ah, whatever. Anyways, captain, what do we do now?”
Martine clapped his hands together and grinned, answering, “Just watch me.” He jogged in
place and flexed to invigorate himself before reaching for the contraption’s two handles and
raising the object into the air. He laughed proudly, saying, “Oh, yeah! It’s my time to shine!”

In a burst of energy, Martine leaped into the air with a super powered Super Jump, leaping
towards the fur-covered rocket with the speed of a sailfish. Risea watched in awe as the
leader masterfully slashed at the thick hair, cutting away pounds of bristles with each swing.
The squid was like a whirlwind, darting across the rocket and shaving it at unreasonable
speeds. Once there was only a line of hair left, Captain Martine slammed down on it, cutting
it across the middle like a knife through butter. With that, the rocket became completely
hairless.

Looking at the vehicle with shocked admiration, Agent 1 said, “OMC. Look at that rocket! I
wish I had such smooth skin…” Snickering, Agent 2 responded, “Well, you could always just
ask the captain to give you that treatment.” Agent 1 shuddered, “Oh cod no.” she looked at
Risea, “Anyway, we’re jumping over there. You coming with?” Risea nodded, “Sure, I’m
game.” This, the 3 squids plus Blippy Super Jumped to the spot where Martine landed.

Once she arrived, Agent 1 cheerfully said, “Great job, captain! You really proved yourself
as…hey, what happened?” She looked down at the leader, who was clutching his leg while
making a pained face. “Ahh…” he groaned, “I think I sprained something. I might’ve went a
little overboard with that last move…” Agent 2 responded, “Yeah, you sure did. What’d I tell
you about overexerting yourself?” Martine winced, “Yeah, okay. Would you mind giving me
a hand?” Sighing, Agent 2 answered, “Coming…”

As Agent 2 went to tend to the leader’s injuries, Agent 1 said to Risea, “Well, while we get
this sorted out, why don’t you go and explore this rocket? Hopefully, by the time we’re done,
you’ll have found Gramps.” Risea gave a thumbs-up, “K, I’m on it.” Just as Risea was about
to leave, she heard a loud, familiar voice behind her, “Hold it right there!”
 Making Up
Chapter Summary

After landing near the rocket, Risea and the others are confronted by Deep Cut, who are
feeling salty after having their treasure stolen.

Turning their heads, the group noticed none other than Deep Cut standing behind them, with
Frye being at the forefront. “I’ll tell you what,” she said in a hostile tone, “You’ve got a lotta
nerve trying to steal our treasure in the middle of a Big Run. Poor Big Man here had to rush
over just to stop you! Could you be any more annoying?!” Shiver added, “Even though that
event already ended, don’t you think that this was a tad bit uncalled for? I may be cold-
blooded, but I’m not that heartless.” Frye looked at the creation next to Captain Martine and
then back at Risea, saying, “And you even made a whole new thing out of our treasures! Now
it’s like a mega treasure! Now that’s pushing it too far, chump!” she crouched, an angry
expression on her face, “I think it’s about time we had our rematch. You’ve gotten in our way
for the last time.” With her fangs bared, she leaped at Risea, her eyes wild with bloodlust.
“Have at you!”

The yellow-haired Inkling tackled the orange-haired one to the ground, raising her fists as she
prepared to give her enemy a pummeling. Refusing to back down, Risea glared at Frye and
reared up her own fist, ready to put up a fight. Before the two girls could begin their brawl,
Big Man yelled, “AY AY AY!” Turning around, Frye asked, “What do you want, Big Man?
I’m in the middle of something, here.” The manta ray tapped his fins together and said,
“Ay…ay-ay. Ay ay ay.” Frye’s eyes widened, “Hold the phone, you sayin’ that this thief
helped you?” Big Man nodded, stating, “Ay. Ay ay-ay…” Frye squinted, “So you accidentally
touched some of that weird gunk, and this squid saved you…” she glared back at Risea, “Is
this true?!” Still looking agitated, Risea answered, “Yes! And you sure don’t seem very
grateful…”

Frye’s expression began to soften a bit as she said, “Hm. Maybe you’re not so bad after
all…” she started to get off Risea before shaking her head and pressing down harder on the
Inkling, “But you still have our treasure! And until you cough it up, we’re not letting you
go!” At this, Agent 1 said, “Oh, that thing? You can have it!” All 3 of the Deep Cut Members
gasped, giving each other dumbfounded looks. “Excuse me?” said Shiver, “You’re giving it
up, just like that?” Agent 1 nodded, “Yup! We’re done with it.” Frye shook her head, “Oh, no,
no, no, no one just becomes DONE with treasure. There’s gotta be some sort of catch…”
Agent 2 retorted, “No, you all can have it. I’m tired of looking at it, anyway.”

Frye looked at the NSS for a few seconds before getting off Risea and slowly walking
towards the amalgamation with her friends. “Holy sh*it,” she said, “I can’t believe it. This
has gotta be the biggest thing we’ve ever found…” Big Man then stated, “Ay, ay…” Frye’s
expression changed, looking more sad after hearing what Big Man had to say. She exchanged
glances with her friends before they all got on their knees. “We’re sorry,” said Frye, “We’ve
been real jerks. All this time, we thought you were just some no good treasure thieves, but
you’ve proved us wrong.” Shiver nodded, adding, “We had no idea that you could be so
generous. And to think that we’ve been trying to kill you all this time…” Big Man then
stated, “Ay…”, prompting Frye to say, “He’s asking if you’ll ever be willing to forgive us.”
At this, Agent 2 answered, “Uh, yeah, sure. As long as you promise not to get in our way
again, we’re all good.” Frye gasped, “Really?! Wow, you’re the best!” Overwhelmed with
joy, Big Man pushed Shiver forward and gathered everyone excluding Roenaldo in a large
tight group hug, saying, “Ay, ay!” in a cheerful tone as he did so.

“Urk!” Everyone grunted as they were squeezed tightly, struggling to breathe as they were
packed like sardines. After a few long seconds, Big Man finally let go, leaving Agent 2 to
gasp for air. “Okay,” she said after catching her breath, “Nice that we became friends and all,
but our agent here has a rocket to explore, don’t you, Agent 3?” Risea shook herself off and
replied, “Yeah, guess I do.” Frye looked up, saying, “You want to go inside that hunk of
junk? Not even I would be that crazy! But hey, you do you.” Shiver put on, “We would like to
help you, but you should be able to handle this by yourself. You have proven yourself to be
quite capable, after all.” Risea responded, “Okay, fine by me. I’ll be back.” As Risea turned
to leave, Captain Martine called after her, “Be careful, okay?” In response, Risea turned
around and gave a thumbs-up before departing from the group.
 Enter Mr. Grizz
Chapter Summary

After entering an elevator near the rocket, Risea gets contacted by Mr. Grizz, who
briefly reveals his plans before dropping her straight into danger.

Walking forward, Risea noticed the entrance to an elevator situated at the base of the launch
site. With the press of a button, the elevator opened, allowing Risea and Blippy to step inside.
Once the doors closed, the elevator carried the two on a slow-paced, calming ride along a
track, traveling up, down, and even sideways as they made their way to an unknown
destination. During this trip, Risea heard the familiar beeping of software starting up before
hearing O.R.C.A.’s voice, “It appears that you have reached our most prized landmark, the
Alterna Space Center. As is customary for all Alterna citizens, allow me inform you on the
history of this location.” Risea shook her head, saying, “Wait, what? No, don’t!” Alas,
O.R.C.A. was undeterred, and it began its speech.

“In the spring of 2025,” said the A.I. as cheesy, cheerful music started to play, “10 years after
the fall of humanity, the citizens of Alterna began to dream of returning to life on the surface.
Although they were not suffering by any means, the scientists, especially the younger ones,
felt as though they deserved to return to their normal, more pleasant lives. With this goal in
mind, the up-and-coming innovators began work on this space station, spurred by their
fervent desire to see the real sun once again. As it turned out, these builders worked quite
efficiently, and production was finished in a matter of months. Although their elders advised
them not to pursue such a risky venture, the adventurous researchers stayed adamant; they
had already come far, so they were not willing to back down.”

Less cheerful, more somber music began to play, “Sadly, this hubris would prove to be their
downfall. Upon performing a test launch, the crystals lining the walls of this underground
dome began to grow unstable, causing a chain reaction of events to occur. This eventually led
to a complete cave-in, with the crystals crashing down on the citizens of Alterna, bringing
death and destruction to everyone present. In just a matter of minutes, the last of humanity
was wiped clean off the face of the Earth. Now, only I remain to pass this story on to you,
valued citizen.” A pause. “With that being said, there is one other individual that has made
his way into this sanctuary. One that is certainly one of the most unique—”

Suddenly, the audio cut off, being replaced by a familiar, gruff voice, “Geez. I was wondering
when that bot would shut up.” Jostled awake, Risea looked up from her sitting position and
said, “Wait a minute, that voice…no, there’s no way…” she jumped into a standing position,
“Mr. Grizz?!” The voice replied, “Yes, it’s me. And I recognize you, too, you good-for-
nothing mollusk. I still haven’t forgotten how you turned down my job offer.” Risea
narrowed her eyes, saying, “Yeah, well too bad! I would never join your corrupt group in a
million years! What’re you doing down here, anyway?!” Mr. Grizz answered, “Why, this is
my base of operations, of course. I needed some place to use my Golden Eggs, after all…”
Risea’s eyes widened at the mention of those unborn Salmonids. Clenching her fists, she
demanded, “What’re you planning with those Golden Eggs?! You havin’ a big buffet down
here or somethin’?!” The CEO laughed, “Oh, no, don’t be ridiculous. I did something much
greater. I’ve been experimenting with the crystals down here, and I figured out that with
enough energy, I could merge the crystals with my own fur to create the Fuzzy Ooze that I’m
sure you saw all over the place. As it turns out, those eggs are exactly what I need! And
they’re not that difficult to get, either; suckers like you bring em in by the dozen!”

Risea shook her head again and retorted, “That’s where you’re wrong, pal. Unlike those
morons in Splatsville, I actually have a brain! I never fell for your stupid tricks.” Mr. Grizz
sighed, “Yeah, that’s a letdown. Buuut, I did get a lot of Golden Eggs from that recent Big
Run! That’s more than enough to make up for slackers like you.” Risea looked down, her
eyes filled with regretful realization. “Crap,” she said to herself, “That’s right.”

After a pause, Mr. Grizz stated, “Anyhow, I think I’ve told you enough. It’s time to—”
Suddenly, he was interrupted by a familiar, elderly voice, “Agent 3?!” it exclaimed, “It’s me,
Cuttlefish! You have to come over here, ASAP; this fuzzy freak’s about to—” A whacking
sound could be heard. “Quiet, you,” said Mr. Grizz, “As I was saying, it’s time for you to go;
I can’t have you interfering. Following that announcement, the lights began to flash on and
off as the elevator shook violently. Then, the elevator stopped completely before removing
itself from its railing, bringing Risea extreme shock. “Say goodbye, squid!” said Mr. Grizz as
Risea and Blippy plummeted.

After falling a good distance, the elevator crashed onto a hard platform, cracking open as it
released it’s two passengers. In the chaos of the event, Risea ended up dropping her Hero
Shot, which slid across the floor and into the abyss as Risea tumbled around. Once she came
to a stop, the Inkling held her head and groaned, “Ugh, what happened?” She suddenly
snapped to attention, looking around as she called, “Blippy?! Blippy! Where’d you…” she
then spotted him sitting among the rubble, looking as content as ever. “Oh, good!” she said
with a smile, “At least you’re okay.” She picked up the smallfry with her left hand and looked
at her empty right hand with disappointment. “Too bad I can’t say the same for my gun…oh
well.”

As Risea got her bearings, she heard a wet, oozing sound coming from behind her. Turning
around, she noticed a giant wall of Fuzzy Ooze making its way towards her, moving at a far
greater speed than she was used to. “Woah, woah, woah,” she said while backing away,
“What the hell?!” The mass appeared to stare at its prey before expanding in a threatening
manner and accelerating, intent on consuming the smaller squid. Deeply unsettled, Risea
turned around and made a run for it, gripping Blippy tightly as she made her escape.

Risea’s hearts beat at a great tempo as she was chased by the blob, running as fast as her legs
could carry her. Although her running speed was higher than most Inklings/Octolings, she
desperately wished that she had access to her weapon; laying down ink to swim in would’ve
been greatly appreciated. Alas, she was forced to go about escaping this way. So, she
continued to run like the wind, taking occasional glances behind her as she traversed along
the dark, metal path.
Eventually, the path turned into a winding road, which travelled up and around a cylindrical
tank that contained a large, black catfish with yellow whiskers. Although Risea was slightly
curious as to what this creature could be, she had no time to think about it; the mass was only
increasing in speed, and she was starting to get tired. “Damn it,” she said, her face wet with
sweat, “I can’t keep this up much longer! I’m gonna die…”

Just when all hope seemed lost, a miracle appeared; sitting in front of her was a canned
special! Risea’s face brightened up, and she swiftly snatched the can off the ground and tore
it open, not even caring to read the label. Inside the canister was an oversized sea spider,
which Risea consumed without a second thought. While the bland taste left much to be
desired, the sense of power that Risea felt more than made up for it. She smiled as he looked
down at her hands, which were overflowing with ink that soon covered her whole body,
turning her into an orange, elastic being. “Ohoho!” she laughed, “This is exactly what I
needed!” She placed Blippy on her back, where he was absorbed into her ink body. “Hold on
tight, we’re go to fly!”

Without skipping a beat, Risea extended a hand and latched onto the tank, allowing her to zip
over and stick on before reaching for a lone wall at the side of the path and grabbing onto it.
As she darted across, she looked down at the Fuzzy Ooze and stuck her tongue out, taunting,
“Suck a fat one, ooze! I’m aaall safe now!” She laughed to herself before jumping off the
wall and zipping to the top of the tank, where she could get a clear view of a vent at the top of
the room. Smiling, she extended her arm for the final time and stuck her hand straight into
the duct, allowing her to travel into the opening, where she climbed her way up with the help
of her sticky extremities. Just like that, she was in the clear.
 Getting Closer to the Truth
Chapter Summary

After escaping the fuzzy blob, Risea sets her sights on the top of the rocket, where she's
sure to find something of value.

A few moments later, Risea, whose Zipcaster wore off, emerged from a vent opening on the
surface. Looking up at the fake sky, she said, “Holy moly, what a rush! It’s a good thing that
there was that handy can, eh, Blippy?” As Risea sat down on the metal platform, she heard
Agent 2’s voice through her earpieces, “Hello, Agent 3? We decided to contact you to see
how you were doing. Did you find anything yet?” Sitting down with her smallfry, Risea
answered, “The only thing I found was a whole lotta trouble; that sick boss Mr. Grizz is down
here. I also heard that old guy’s voice, but not for long.

Agent 2 gasped and attempted to say something before Frye’s voice cut in, “Hold the phone,
you’re talking to and seeing her through this lil’ thing? This is unreal! Hey, Agent 3, can you
hear me?!” Raising an eyebrow, Risea responded, “Uh, yeah, I can hear you.” Frye replied,
“Alright, nice! So, you—HEY!”

Frye’s voice then cut off, being replaced by Agent 2’s, “Wait a minute, did you say that you
heard an old guy’s voice? Was it Cuttlefish, by any chance?” Risea nodded, “Yeah, that guy.
Apparently, he’s with Mr. Grizz.” Agent 2 responded, “Oh my cod, finally! What did you
hear from him?” Feeling annoyed at Agent 2’s disregard for the bigger issue, Risea answered,
“The only thing he asked was for me to help him; that damn Mr. Grizz knocked him out
afterwards.” Agent 2 replied in a stressed tone, “Oh shrimp, that can’t be good. Well, do you
at least know where they are?” Risea shook her head, “No, not exactly.” she looked up and to
the right, towards the top of the infrastructure-surrounded rocket, “But I might have a general
idea…” Agent 2 observed, “Oh, you’re talking about that area? That seems like a good place
to start. It might be a hassle to get there, though; you’ll probably have to go through multiple
chambers, pipes, and corridors to even get close…” Risea waved her hand dismissively,
“Pssh, eff that! I’ve got a way better idea…” she walked to the edge of the tall structure that
she was standing on and looked out, “I’ll just Super Jump my way there!”

Frye’s voice then reappeared, “Woah, for real?! You’re just as daring as I thought! You go,
girl!”

After that interruption, Agent 2 said, “Watch it, you. Anyway, Agent 3, you said that you
were going to try and jump to the top? Well, if you’re feeling confident, then go for it. While
you do that, I’ll be tending to the captain.” Shiver added, “I believe you mean we. And this
squid’s condition is greatly improving thanks to my help.” Agent 2 responded, “Uh, yeah,
that’s right…anyhow, good luck, Agent 3.” Risea gave an affirmative nod before surveying
the area ahead of her, judging the distance between each building with narrowed eyes. “Okay,
this doesn’t seem that bad. I’ve got this.”

As Risea jumped between various structures, she heard Agent 1 say in the background, “So,
Frye, I’ve been wondering; what do you and the others even want with that hunk of junk we
gave you?” Frye retorted, “It’s not junk! Can’t you see how valuable that treasure is? Even if
it isn’t exactly functional, I bet that someone out there would pay a lotta money to get their
hands on this thing. Even if we sell this as scrap metal, we could still get loads of coins!” In a
subdued voice, Captain Martine said, “So, you only care about money, is that it?” Shiver
responded, “Well, yes, but actually no. We’re not concerned about money simply for the sake
of greed like I’m sure you all believe. Rather, we seek to use the funds we gather to benefit
those who are less fortunate.” Big Man added, “Ay, ay…” which Frye translated as, “Not
everyone in Splatsville has the luxury to afford fresh clothes and weapons, let alone food or
housing. It’s our duty to help them with their struggles.”

A long silence followed. After some time, Agent 2 said, “Wow. I didn’t expect that. And here
we were thinking that you were some lowly crooks…” Agent 1 added, “Instead, you’re
heroes! You really proved us wrong.” Frye laughed, “Yeah, I bet we did. Looks like we both
surprised each other, huh?” Big Man then stated, “Ay.”, prompting Shiver to say, “He says
that he’s glad that we were all able to show our true colors. As am I, of course.” Now halfway
to her destination, Risea began to think over the conversation that she overheard. Huh, she
thought to herself as she jumped, They’re just like how I used to be!

Unfortunately, with all of the massive leaps that Risea performed, she was unable to jump to
the exact spot where she wanted to be. With that being said, she did manage to land at the
beginning of a long, upward-sloping, spiral ramp. As Risea stooped over to catch her breath,
Agent 2 said, “Good news, Agent 3: we’ve found a route. We’re on our way right now.”
Martine added, “I’m feeling better, too.” At this, Risea replied, “Okay, good. I’ll be waiting.”
With that, the Inkling looked up and sighed, lamenting the long walk ahead.
 The Big Reveal
Chapter Summary

Risea comes face to face with Mr. Grizz, the mastermind behind Grizzco Industries and
the executer of a despicable plan.

Thus, Risea began her ascent, moving at a moderate pace so as to allow her body to recover
from the stress that it had endured. As Risea walked up the slope, she thought to herself,
Man, I can’t believe this. I thought that Larel and the others were just fighting off the
Salmonids, not stealing even more Golden Eggs! I bet they worked extra hard to steal those
babies… She seethed, her hands curled into fists as she made an angry face. “Ooh,” she said
in a low voice, “When I get my hands on that Mr. Grizz…” Spurred by wrath, Risea hastened
her pace, with her boots pounding on the metal floor like drums as she stomped her way
forward, ready to make someone, anyone, pay.

Soon enough, Risea reached the end of the ramp, where there was a short corridor surrounded
by small, white rods. Looking ahead, Risea could spot a large, round, purplish-black shape,
exactly the same color as the Fuzzy Ooze. It appeared to be hunched over something. “Hey!”
shouted Risea, “Who’s there?!”

The entity appeared to perk up a bit before chuckling in a deep tone. “So,” it said with a
familiar voice, “You escaped from my trap. Impressive.” The figure slowly turned around and
unfurled its arms, which were longer and thicker than any Risea had ever seen. Standing up
on its relatively short, wide legs, the creature looked down at Risea and Blippy with blank,
pupil-lacking eyes, its small, round ears twitching slightly as it stood there menacingly.
“You’re pretty diligent for a slacker.”

Risea looked up at the foreign organism, her face contorting as she tried to make sense of its
design. This face of confusion turned to one of anger as she said, “So, you’re Mr. Grizz.”

A small smile formed on the CEO’s face as he spread out his arms, “The one and only. And
what are you acting so surprised for? Have you never seen a bear?” Risea opened her mouth
to answer, but Mr. Grizz interrupted, “Save it. I’m the last of my kind, of course you’ve never
seen a bear before.”
As Risea glared at the bear, she heard running footsteps coming from behind her. “Agent 3!”
Agent 1 said, “We’re finally here. What’s…” she looked up and gasped, her eyes widening
with shock, “Oh my cod! What ARE you?!”

An annoyed expression fell on Mr. Grizz’s simple face, “Geez Louise, again with the
surprise. Have none of you mollusks seen a bear before?”

Taking in the sight of the ursine anomaly, Agent 2 said, “Wait, you’re Mr. Grizz?! I always
thought that you were a sea bear.”

The boss scoffed, “Please. Those tardigrades are nowhere near as smart as me. They could
never run a business like I do.”

At this, Risea stepped forward and responded, “Yeah, and I’m glad they couldn’t! What sort
of heartless bastard makes a whole business just to swindle people into stealing and killing
baby Salmonids?!”

Mr. Grizz calmly retorted, “Call me heartless all you want, but my actions have a purpose.
Did you forget what I said to you earlier? The Golden Eggs are what I need to create my
marvelous Fuzzy Ooze. Now that I have a surplus of the stuff, I can finally restore the natural
order of things!”

Captain Martine walked forward and asked, “Natural order? What are you on about?”

The bear answered, “Over the past 12,000 years, the balance between marine life and
mammals has shifted, and not for the better.” His blank stare narrowed slightly as he
frowned, “I’ve seen all of you filthy squids and octopi roaming the Earth, making a mockery
out of humanity’s greatest creations and demolishing their cities to make way for your
ludicrous hideouts. It’s not just you mollusks that are making a mess of things; all the other
ocean-dwellers also started walking on land, taking and changing the places where us
mammals used to thrive. You can’t imagine how that felt for me, a bear. To think that 12,000
years ago, I could just walk over to my local stream and catch some simple, submissive
salmon. Now, those fishy freaks have evolved into barbaric savages! It’s just not right.”
He closed his eyes and sighed before returning to his smiling expression, “But that’ll all
change soon now that I’ve got all my components. I had a 3-part plan, you see; using that
oversized catfish you slimy squids care about so much, I’ve been able to power this Fuzzy
Ooze-filled rocket, the vessel. Of course, I needed something to help steer this vessel, so I
had to get a certain someone to give me their wisdom. Finally, spearheading this whole
operation is me, with my unyielding, fervent spirit.” He smiled some more, looking very
proud of himself, “Magnificent, isn’t it?”

Agent 1 returned, “More like maleficent! And who is this “certain someone”, anyway?”

The CEO laughed and answered, “I’m glad you asked.” He then turned around and reached
for the ground, picking up something small that he threw in front of the New Squidbeak
Splatoon.

The group took a look at what they were presented, and their jaws dropped; lying motionless
and lifeless on the floor was what appeared to be a bearded Inkling in its swim form,
although it looked extremely dried up. Taking a closer look at the squid, Martine said, “Wait
a minute…” his eyes widened, “No…no, it can’t be…CUTTLEFISH?!”

Mr. Grizz answered, “Correct. Annoying as that old loony was, his brain has exactly what I
needed to pilot this rocket. Sure, taking out his brain had some…unwanted side effects, but
you know the saying about eggs and omelets!”

The captain stared in disbelief at his fallen mentor before glaring at the bear with a dark
expression, his body shaking with rage. “You…” he snarled, “You…will…”

Suddenly, the floor began to shake as the rocket’s boosters activated. “Oh, would you look at
that,” said Mr. Grizz, “It seems like it’s time for me to go already.” He proceeded to take
heavy steps towards the rocket, latching onto it with his sticky fur as he waved at the
Inklings. “I hope that you all are patient; soon, everyone will be promoted to the role of
mammal, no matter their previous title.” As the vehicle continued to ascend, the bear added,
“Oh, and for those who don’t agree with this business decision and see it as some sort of
apocalypse, please don’t call it a Hairmageddon. Not only would HR not like it, but that
wouldn’t make you very good employees, would it?” Following that statement, the boss let
out an echoing laugh as he travelled further and further into the sky, with the rocket crashing
through the dome’s ceiling as it flew away.

As Risea gawked at the departing vessel, she caught Captain Martine in the corner of her eye,
seeing that he was on his knees holding the former captain with shaking hands. Unlike how
he usually was, Martine looked to be a complete wreck, his mouth quivering as he gazed at
his ruined predecessor. “No…” he murmured, “This can’t be real. This has to be a dream. No,
a nightmare…” He held back tears as he continued to stare at Cuttlefish, although his resolve
was fading by the second.

Walking up to her superior, Agent 1 consoled, “Don’t cry, captain. We tried our best, and…
and we…” her voice started to waver as her cheerful façade began to crumble, “We…we
found him, didn’t we? He’s just…dehydrated, that’s all! Yeah, that’s right, he’s fine! He's just
taking a…really long nap, that’s all. A long…unmoving…dead-silent nap.” she perked up a
tiny bit, “But don’t worry, he’ll be up soon! We just have to wait…” Filled with a false sense
of hope, she crouched down and observed her grandfather closely, watching for any signs of
movement. Unfortunately, her efforts proved to be fruitless. Realizing this, Agent 1’s eyes
started to water; for the 1st time in her life, she had lost all hope. “He’s…he’s not coming
back, is he? He’s just…just…” Fully acknowledging the situation for what it was, Agent 1,
overwhelmed with grief, put her hands over her face and sobbed her hearts out. Meanwhile,
Agent 2 went over to comfort her, although she was trying her best not to lose her own
composure.

Although the 3 other squids were lamenting, Risea did not particularly care about what was
happening; Cuttlefish was too distant of a person to her to be very significant. Dang, she
thought as she looked at the remorseful Inklings, I hope they’re able to get over this…
 Lifting Both Mind and Spirit
Chapter Summary

After an unexpected event involving the shriveled Cuttlefish, Deep Cut appears to assist
Risea in dealing with the threat of Mr. Grizz.

Captain Martine stayed staring at Cuttlefish’s corpse, his mind swirling with all sorts of
thoughts. “Cuttlefish,” he said in a wavering voice, “You were like a grandfather to me. You
taught me everything that I needed to know about how to be a strong, honorable Inkling. And
now you’re gone…” he squinted, trying his best to refrain from crying, “I’ll never forget the
day you gave me this hat. I felt so loved, so admired, so important. For the first time in my
life, I felt like more than a farm boy from Blackbelly Ridge; I was someone important. Now
you, the one who gave me this opportunity, have left this world.” The captain continued to
lament, unable to accept the reality that his mentor had perished. Wracked by grief, Captain
Martine, who had been struggling to maintain his strong, resilient image, broke down into
tears, his body shaking as sobs escaped his mouth. Witnessing this moment of weakness,
Risea couldn’t help but to feel sorry for the captain, crossing her arms as she looked down
and closed her eyes in deep thought.

As tears fell down from Roenaldo’s face and onto Cuttlefish’s corpse, the smaller squid’s
body began to get moisturized, causing the many wrinkles that had formed to slowly
disappear. Eventually, after receiving enough water, the shriveled Inkling opened his eyes and
looked around before floating up into the air, much to the surprise of everyone. “Boy,”he said
in a dry voice, “Is anyone else feelin’ patched?”

With eyes as wide as saucers, everyone said in unison, “You’re alive?!”

Cuttlefish gave the Splatoon a confused look and answered, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?
Though I do feel a bit lighter than usual…”

Agent 2 replied, “Just ‘a bit lighter’?! Gramps, you’re practically talking squid jerky!”
The elderly ex-leader took a look at his shriveled tentacles and remarked, “Oh yeah, guess
you’re right. But I’m still kicking, ain’t I?” he took a look at Roenaldo, whose face was still
wet with tears, “Ahoy, captain, were you crying?”

Realizing how pitiful he looked, Martine quickly wiper his face and answered, “N-no, I
wasn’t crying! I was just…doing some tactical eyeball moistening!”

The former captain did something like a smile and responded, “Oho! Learned from the best, I
see. I’ve trained you well.”

Wiping away her own tears, Agent 1 smiled, having now returned to her chipper self. “I just
knew that you would come back!” she said, “That monstrous Mr. Grizz couldn’t have gotten
rid of you that easily.” She nodded to herself before gasping in realization, “Wait, Mr. Grizz!
He’s still on that rocket!”

Cuttlefish replied, “Oh, that lunatic. I heard that he was trying to cover the world with that
vile junk. Who knows what’ll happen if he succeeds…”

Agent 2 answered, “I’ll tell you one thing: unless Agent 3 does something, we’ll all be
needing more than razors.”

Agent 1 held her head, making a distressed face as she said, “Oh, this isn’t good. What are
we going to do?”

As if on cue, Frye’s voice appeared behind the group, “Need some help?”

The NSS turned around to see the ebony Inkling standing proudly alongside her allies. “Deep
Cut?” inquired Captain Martine, “I thought you were staying behind?”

Shiver smiled, “Is it wrong for us to change our minds? We couldn’t have just sat back and
watched you hog all the fun; that’s not the Splatlandian way.”
Frye added, “Besides, we have to pay you back in some way, right? And it looks like now’s
the perfect opportunity!”

Agent 2 twirled her umbrella, “That’s nice and all, but unless you know how to teleport us
into space, there’s nothing much you can do.”

Frye clutched her shoulders and laughed, “Hah! Teleportation. That’s funny.” she unfurled
her arms and assumed a cool, half-crouching pose, “We’ve got a much better idea…”

Smiling confidently, Frye did a spinning dance of some sort as she called, “Swirl it up, eels!”
Suddenly, a large fry of yellow eels emerged from an unseen crevice below the group, flying
up into the air before biting onto each other’s tails. Once they each had a firm grip, they all
started spinning in unison, practically creating a violent, yellow tornado.”

As this was going on, Shiver raised her signature fan to the sky and called, “Your turn,
Master Mega! Get ready to ride!” As his disciple requested, Master Mega revealed himself
from a nearby storage crate, hopping over and presenting himself before the group.

Finally, Big Man reached into a pouch that was wrapped around his “neck” and pulled out a
set of large, triangular ear coverings, which he gave to Risea. “Ay!” he said, which Frye
translated as, “Put these on! They should help you breathe in space.”

Deciding not to question how exactly Big Man of all people got his hands on such advanced
technology, Risea accepted the gift, which she proceeded to put over her triangular ears. Once
she did that, a mostly transparent and fully permeable barrier covered her head and body,
causing her to slightly widen her eyes in surprise. “Woah,” she said, “That’s cool. But there’s
one problem…” she showcased her uncomfortably empty hand, “I’ve still got no weapon.”

Frye grinned, “I’ve got you covered, girl.” she reached behind her back and pulled out a
Splatana Stamper from under her top that was decorated with all sorts of striking stickers,
with the most prominent one being a cartoony design of Frye with her eels. She presented the
weapon to the awed Risea and said, “Here you go, you can borrow my trusty Stamper! I’m
willing to part with it if it means saving the world.”
Overjoyed beyond measure, Risea said, “Are you serious?!”

Frye nodded, “Yeah, I’m serious. And I’ve seen your matches; you’re a beast with this
weapon!” still smiling, she leaned in closer, “Just don’t break it, okay? Cause if you do…”
this friendly smile turned into a dead-serious glare, “You’ll be pushing up roses.”

Feeling threatened, Risea put up her hands and smiled somewhat nervously, “Okay, I’ll be
careful.”

Frye went back to her happy look and responded, “Good! Now get up there and kick some
ass, Agent 3!”

Risea gave a thumbs-up before making her way towards Master Mega and hopping on his
back with Blippy, prompting the shark to start moving towards the swirling eels. As Risea
prepared to leave, Agents 1 and 2 said, “Good luck, Agent 3! Stay fresh!”

Cuttlefish added, “I have faith in you, lass. Pull the plug on this fuzzy freak’s scheme!”

Following up, Captain Martine tipped his cap and said, “You’ve got this, Risea.”

Empowered by the support of her friends, Risea nodded in acknowledgement before gripping
onto the handlebars attached to Master Mega as the shark continued to move. Soon, the fish
jumped towards Frye’s eels, using the swirling motion of the creatures to be propelled
upwards. Risea felt the wind in her tentacles as she and Blippy got closer and closer to the
hole left behind by the rocket. Once his passengers were close enough to the opening, Master
Mega jumped off the eels and did multiple flips to build up centrifugal force before forcibly
launching Blippy and Risea forward, sending them flying away from Alterna at an
extraordinary speed.
 A Cosmic CEO
Chapter Summary

After landing on Mr. Grizz's rocket, Risea engaged him in battle, ready to put his plans
to an end.

After some time of rocketing through the atmosphere and its layers, Risea and Blippy
amazingly landed on the very rocket that Mr. Grizz had escaped on. Taking a minute to
recover from the blazing fast trip, Risea reached for her back to confirm that Blippy was still
with her before looking around at her surroundings. “Woah,” she said, “So, this is space,
huh…” Her feeling of awe turned to one of disgust as she looked at the surface of the rocket,
which was chock full of Fuzzy Ooze, that bulged out of the rocket like bulbous tumors.

As Risea took in the unsettling sight, she heard Mr. Grizz’s voice, “Well, well, such
dedication to your work. You’re pretty diligent for a slacker.”

Risea looked forward to notice the massive bear, who was standing up and staring at Risea
from the middle of the rocket. “Damn right, I am!” she replied while brandishing Frye’s
Splatana, “And I’m no slacker; I’ll work all day and night to stop you!”

The CEO chuckled, “Oh, so you’ve found employment in another company, I see. Well, this
may be none of my business, but I think that you’ve been working yourself to the
metaphorical bone with that job; you deserve a break.” Spreading his arms out and standing
up straighter in a threatening manner, Mr. Grizz boomed, “Now come here so I can BREAK
YOU.”

Spinning her weapon in response, Risea said with a scowl, “Oh, it’s on, a**hole.”

So, Risea ran forward, doing her best to avoid the globs of Fuzzy Ooze that littered the area
like warts. In objection, Mr. Grizz scratched his fur, causing many hidden bottle-like
torpedoes to come out of it and towards Risea. Noticing this, Risea swiftly slashed at the
incoming projectiles, destroying each and every one of them with orange crescent shots.
Once that minor threat was dealt with, the squid quickly ran forward, taking advantage of Mr.
Grizz’s sluggish speed to make good progress along the rocket.

Unfortunately, during said run, Risea encountered a roadblock: a massive, impermeable wall
of Fuzzy Ooze, which had a pulsating, plump controller at the top of it. Shaking her head at
the unfortunate sight, Risea complained, “C’mon, seriously?! There’s no way I can get over
this, at least not if I want to risk getting turned into a fuzzball by Super Jumping.” She
groaned in frustration, looking down at her feet as she tried to think of a solution.

Then, out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed the bright glimmer of a round object. Looking
to the left, she was surprised to see that a shiny Golden Egg was sitting there, laying with
others of its kind in a small cluster of 3. “Wait, what?” she asked, “What are these doing
here?”

As if things could not get any weirder, Risea watched as Blippy hopped off her back and
towards the cluster, his mouth salivating as he gazed at the sparkling eggs. Seeing this, Risea
gasped, “Blippy! You’re not thinking of eating those things, are you? Isn’t that
cannibalism?!” Noticing that Blippy was still his deeply interested in the eggs, Risea
thought, Then again, he WAS able to get rid of those other walls by eating power eggs, right?
And even though they’re a different color, the yolk of those eggs should have just as much, if
not more energy than the power eggs, which are just all yolk. With that, Risea came to a
conclusion, “Okay, Blippy, you can eat those, just don’t…HEY!”

In the middle of her sentence, Risea saw that her smallfry was already getting to work on the
group of eggs, eating away to his heart’s content. Despite his excitement, the Salmonid did
showcase some self-control; he left just enough yolk for the developing fry to survive off of,
leaving behind apple core-like remnants of each egg that he ate. Once he had gotten his fill,
Blippy started to quiver and shake as he usually did, except this time saw him behaving even
more energetically than usual, with his fins flapping as he burbled like a lunatic. Trying her
best not to worry about the fate of the unborn Salmonids, Risea said, “Okay, uh, that’s fine.”
She them picked up the hyperactive fish and threw him at the glob controlling the wall of
ooze, exclaiming, “Go get em!” As he did many times before, Blippy completely consumed
the bulbous mass, causing the whole entity to shrivel away into nothingness.

With the path now clear, Risea took Blippy and ran straight towards Mr. Grizz, who was
looking down at his adversary with contempt. Along the way, Risea came across 4 more
Golden Eggs, all of which were scattered all over the place. Having a feeling that they would
be useful later, Risea picked up the eggs and placed them into her empty canister before
running up to Mr. Grizz.
“So,” said the bear as he glared at Risea, “You really did come. You’ve got guts, I’ll give you
that.” He held out one of his paws, from which long, sword-like claws emerged, “But don’t
think that that’ll save you from getting terminated.” With that, the bear slashed at Risea, who
was thankfully quick enough to jump out of the way with her lightning-quick reflexes.

In the middle of her jump, Risea noticed 3 lighter patches of fur on Mr. Grizz’s torso. Hey,
she thought, Those spots look like weak spots! I should be able to attack them. With that idea
in mind, the Inkling readied her Splatana and let out more ink-based projectiles at the bottom
right patch, getting about 5 hits in before having to dodge another claw swipe, after which
she launched 5 more projectiles. Because of the damage that the spot sustained, one spot of
Mr. Grizz’s chest sprouted a jiggling mass similar to the one that Blippy had consumed
previously. Knowing what to do next, Risea took the opportunity granted by Mr. Grizz’s
attack delay to hurriedly offer the gathered Golden Eggs to her little buddy, who was quick to
indulge himself. As soon as Blippy was powered up, Risea picked him up and hurled him at
Mr. Grizz’s weak spot, allowing the smallfry to devour part of the boss’s fur, causing a huge
chunk of it to get cut off.

Letting out a short cry of pain, Mr. Grizz muttered, “Damn fish…” Recomposing himself, he
looked down at Risea, “This isn’t over, you little squid; you’re not clocking out that easily.”
Following that statement, the bear quickly dissolved into a semi-liquid mass of Fuzzy Ooze,
diving into the cracks of the rocket like a horrendous slime. After that, the vehicle rumbled as
Mr. Grizz slid through it, eventually emerging and reforming into his usual form a good
distance away. After getting himself situated, the CEO let out a fearsome roar before
assuming a hostile stance, his eyes showing deep annoyance.

Although she was very much creeped out by this series of events, Risea stayed determined,
saying, “Defy the laws of physics all you want, bear, but I’m still gonna pulverize ya!” With
that, the squid laid down a path of ink, swimming through it in preparation for resuming her
offense.

As Risea continued on, she noticed that there was more Fuzzy Ooze than she was
comfortable with covering the rocket. Although this was not the best of circumstances, Risea
adapted well to the situation, exhibiting superb evasive skills as she weaved through the
maze-like area. In the process of doing this, she also came across more Golden Eggs, which
she made sure to secure.
In an attempt to slow down his adversary, Mr. Grizz shook his body around, causing Fuzzy
Twintacle Octotroopers to jump out of his fur like fleas. Once they were released, the
Octarians placed themselves in ambush spots along Risea’s path, ready to eliminate her when
the opportunity arose. Risea, however, was undeterred; whenever she came across an enemy,
she simply rushed forward and dissected them with her sword.

With her vigor increasing with each splat, the squid soon made it to a relatively clear spot,
where she came across another fuzzy barricade. Without skipping a beat, Risea pulled out her
canister with haste and fed its contents to Blippy before launching the fish at the wall’s brain
once he was ready.

Seeing that yet another one of his obstacles was destroyed, Mr. Grizz growled, “Pesky
mollusk…” before curling up into a tight, black ball.

Noticing this, Risea smiled and asked in a mocking tone, “What’s wrong, big guy, you
scared?! Shouldn’t’ve fought me if you’re just gonna curl up like a baby!”

Ignoring Risea’s words, the bear proceeded to roll forward, causing the rocket itself to rotate.

Feeling the ground move, Risea waved her arms to keep her balance, saying, “Hey, what?!
The whole rocket’s moving!” Noticing that she was about to fall off the vehicle, Risea began
to run for her life, moving against the rotation with all the energy that she could muster. As
she ran, she inevitably had to deal with waves of the still-present Fuzzy Ooze, moving back
and forth between gaps in order to avoid becoming immobile.

After one more rotation, Mr. Grizz stopped rolling, sitting down on his rear as he recovered
from his exertion. Seeing this, Risea grinned and said, “Geez, what a slowpoke! You must
only work out like once a month if your stamina is that low!” After that mocking, Risea set
down some Golden Eggs for Blippy to eat while she slashed away at another one of Mr.
Grizz’s weak spots.

As Risea went on with her assault, Mr. Grizz used what vigor he had to shake his fur once
more, releasing a massive swarm of Fuzzy Octocopters, all of which immediately faced
towards their opponent.
Risea glanced at the new threats before laughing, “You think that’ll do anything? Those’re
just distractions, you big dummy!” Completely ignoring the fact that she was about to get
shot at, Risea continued to send crescent shot after crescent shot at the bear, eventually
causing another blob to appear on his chest. Before the first purplish bullet could hit Risea,
she grabbed the energized Blippy and hurled him at the CEO, where he immediately
decimated more of the bear’s fur.

Now visibly agitated, Mr. Grizz snarled, “Insolent invertebrate! Who gave you the right to
get on my rocket and interfere with my plan?! I oughta…” Noticing that he was getting
heated, Mr. Grizz took a deep breath before continuing, “Ah, no matter; this is but a setback.”
He once again dissolved into a liquid form, moving inside and through the vehicle until he
ended up on the other side. Once he emerged, he spread his bulky arms out and roared, “And
this is a GROWTH INDUSTRY!”

Unflinching in the face of this fearsome display, Risea retorted, “Oh yeah? Well, me and
Blippy are gonna put you out of business!”

So, the Inkling pressed on, sensing that her enemy was on his last legs. As she collected more
Golden Eggs, Risea noticed Mr. Grizz shaking his body yet again. “Geez,” she muttered,
“How much stuff does he have in there? Lemme guess, he’s just going to send out something
lame like an Octotrooper or something.”

On the contrary, from Mr. Grizz’s body came three circular, ooze-colored objects, which
surrounded Risea on all sides but her back.

Taking a look at the objects, Risea asked, “Hey, ain’t these…” She felt a sudden jolt as she
realized what situation she was in. In burst of speed, she performed a backflip to avoid the
liquid tornadoes that emerged in front of her.

Feeling some purple gunk splash onto her, Risea said, “Holy crap! He’s got a Triple
Inkstrike?! I didn’t see that coming!” she wiped some sludge off her face and looked forward,
“But knowing him, he’s probably going to take an entire year to…WOAH!”

Risea stared in shock as Mr. Grizz extended his claws once more, sliding them along the
rocket before launching 4 strikingly similar crescent shots of liquid towards her at the speed
of a falcon.
Risea swiftly stepped to the side, just barely avoiding the quartet of razor-sharp projectiles.
“Hey,” she said with a bewildered expression, “You’ve got the same—” she hastily hopped to
the right to avoid another barrage, “Same attack as me!” she smiled, “Hey, maybe you’re not
so bad after all…but don’t think that gets you off the hook!”

Shaking off the surprise brought by the recent events, Risea proceeded onwards, collecting
more Golden Eggs before feeding them to Blippy, once again taking advantage of Mr. Grizz’s
downtime. Once her friend was ready, Risea hurled him at the final barricade, behind which
was an octave of Fuzzy Twintacle Octotroopers.

As Risea picked off each of her enemies, she noticed that Mr. Grizz was starting to sit down,
his eyes narrowed as if he were in deep concentration. “Hey,” she said as she swung her
sword around, “What’re ya doin’, taking a break? We’re battling, here!”

Unfazed by Risea’s words, the bear growled as he clenched his hands, his whole body
trembling as he growled in a low voice. As this was happening, the remaining Octarians
moved out of the way, seemingly disinterested in engaging in any further combat.

“Wait,” Risea asked, “What’s going on? Why’s everyone…” Just then, she felt a cautious
feeling arise within her. Something in her subconscious urged her to follow the others, to get
out of the way. It was almost like…instinct. Although Risea didn’t fully understand this
sensation, she was never one to ignore her gut. So, she quickly dived out of the way, making
sure that Blippy was securely with her.

Thankfully for her, she had a reason to be careful; not a second after Risea performed her
evasive maneuvers, Mr. Grizz let out a large, wide, sound-powered laser from his mouth,
roaring loudly as he did so. Even just standing next to the beam of death, Risea could feel its
intense power, and her very body jiggled like a sumo’s belly during a dance. God knows what
would happen if she were standing just a little to the left…

Deeply shaken by this near-death experience, Risea stood there like a statue for a few
seconds before saying, “…Wow. I did not expect that.” As the squid stood there, she noticed
that Mr. Grizz was now fully immobile, being completely exhausted from his ultimate attack.
Knowing this, Risea quickly snapped out of her stupor, saying, “But you left yourself wide
open! Get ready to get trounced, bear!”
With that, she immediately got to work swiping at the CEO’s final weak spot, with her
adrenaline levels at an all time high. Thanks to her increased energy levels, she was easily
able to expose another glob, which she promptly launched Blippy at once the necessary
preparations were made. After having another large chunk of fur removed from his body, Mr.
Grizz let out a final cry of pain before falling flat on his back, seemingly defeated.
 Salvation Comes in Threes
Chapter Summary

After being seemingly thwarted by Mr. Grizz, Risea is suddenly met by DJ Octavio,
who works along with the NSS and Deep Cut to resume the fight.

Risea stood over Mr. Grizz with a proud smile on her face, one hand on her hip as she
supported herself against Frye’s Stamper. “That’s right,” she said, “You’re dunzo, pal. You
won’t be hurting any Salmonids while I’m around!”

As Risea beamed with joy, she heard a deep chuckling coming from Mr. Grizz.

“Hey,” she asked while raising an eyebrow, “What’s so funny?”

Leaning forward, Mr. Grizz, who had a knowing smile on his face, replied, “Quite the…
proactive worker, aren’t you?”

Still confused, Risea answered, “Yeah? Still don’t see why you’re smiling.”

The bear chuckled some more before stating, “I just feel sorry for you; you think that you can
actually stop me.”

Gripping her weapon tighter, Risea retorted, “What do you mean? In case you haven’t
noticed, you’re on the floor right now. You lose.”

The boss laughed some more, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I told you before, you know; Grizzco
is a growth industry. And now…” he raised his arms up high, “We’re about to experience a
BOOM!”
Before Risea could respond, Mr. Grizz brought his paws down hard, shattering the entire
rocket in a single strike. Because Risea and Blippy were the closest to the impact zone, they
were immediately launched away, with the former crying out in shock as she tumbled through
space. Clutching Blippy tightly to her chest, Risea continued to spin through the empty area,
completely unaware of where she was going. Things looked to be taking a turn for the worse
until suddenly…

SMACK

Risea crashed into something large and hard, which curled around her like a hand. After
being secured, she was moved up and onto a flat surface, her body sprawled out like a rug.
As she was wondering what was going on, she heard a familiar, loud voice, “GYAHAHA!
Surprised to see me, Inkling?”

Risea’s eyes and mouth widened, “DJ Octavio?!”

A holographic screen popped up in front of Risea, showing the Octarian leader himself. “The
one and only!” he boasted, “And it looks like I came just in time; you were getting your tapes
mixed!”

Risea pouted, “Hey, I’ll have you know that—”

Just then, Risea got an intermission from her earpieces; it was from Agent 1. “Is this
working?” she asked, “Oh, it is! Yes, finally! What’s up, Agent 3, is everything going okay?”

DJ Octavio interjected, “What’s up, hotness? I just saved one of your sorry friend.”

At this, Cuttlefish exclaimed, “Octavio?! What are you doing here, you crook?!”

Octavio groaned, “Um Gottes Willen, Cuttlefish, get some hearing aids already! I’m here to
help your agent, you old fart!” his eyes trained on Risea through the hologram, “Peep a look
at that fuzzball, squid. Doesn’t it look bigger?”
Risea turned her head towards where Mr. Grizz was and gasped; the bear had grown to twice
his size, and he was slowly moving towards Earth.

“Oh shrimp,” said Agent 1, “Mr. Grizz must’ve absorbed the Fuzzy Ooze from the rocket!
And it looks like he’s planning to deliver the ooze himself.”

Frye responded, “Oh no! How’re we gonna stop him?!” DJ Octavio laughed, “I’ll tell you
exactly how!” The octopus pressed a button inside his cockpit, causing the Octobot King
L3.Gs to sprout its Ink Vac-like extension, which the leader displayed proudly. “We’re gonna
suck the fur right off of that fool!”

“That’s a good plan,” said Shiver, “But how do you two plan to execute it? I doubt that Mr.
Grizz will take your assault sitting down.”

Octavio held one tentacle to his chin and answered, “Maybe I don’t have a plan. So what?!
I’ve got something much better…” he pulled out his signature wasabi sticks, “Agent 1! Agent
2! Drop that heavenly melody!”

In a shocked voice, Agent 1 replied, “Wait, are you serious? I thought you hated that song!”

The Octarian immediately retorted, “JUST DO IT!”

A moment of silence passed before Agent 1 answered, “…Okay, you’re the boss. Mar—I
mean Agent 2, let’s try out that remix we were cooking up.”

A few seconds later, the intro to an energetic electronic dance music composition came on.
Hearing this, DJ Octavio said, “Aw yeah, that’s the stuff…”

Frye then said, “No way! Is this the Calamari Inkantation?!”

Shiver answered, “It appears to be. But I can’t help but notice that it feels a bit…lacking.”
She paused for a moment before continuing, “I’ve got it. Why don’t we pitch in with our own
vocals?”

Frye gasped, “A collab? Sign me up! Are you up for it, you two?”

Agent 2 answered, “Sure, if you want. Just try and stay in tune.”

Frye laughed, “Oh, there’s no ‘trying’ here. We’re Deep Cut, and we give it our all, 100%!”
She took a breath before declaring, “Okay, everyone, you ready? On a one, two, one, two
three four!”

Following that countdown, the beat dropped, prompting Frye to sing a slightly altered version
of the opening verse. As she was singing, DJ Octavio said, “Gyahaha, nice! I’mma pitch in,
too! Watch my masterful mixing!” The leader then proceeded to use his equipment to add
extra instruments to the mix, those including a sitar, a trumpet, and of course a bass drum to
provide a sick beat. “Aw yeah,” he roared, “This is a real 3mix, baby!”

As Agent 2 and the others offered their input, Risea felt a warm, ecstatic feeling emanate
through her entire body. Hearing this passionate, melodious collaboration between the 3
parties, she felt as if her very soul was being fed the food of gods, bringing her a sense of
power and joy unlike any she had ever experienced before. The feeling was indescribable.

As Risea enjoyed this sensation, she looked down at Blippy, whose body was starting to shine
with a brilliant light. “Hey,” she asked, “What’s up with you?”

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the Salmonid began to float upwards, making spaced-out
gurgling noises as ghostly sea creatures materialized and flowed into his body.

“Oh my.” Said Shiver, taking a break from her singing, “Could it be?”
Frye clapped her hands together and answered, “Holy sh*t, it is! Look at those streams of
light...”

As Blippy’s body began to expand, Shiver added, “Three lights… united to consume
disaster…”

Now overflowing with spiritual energy, Blippy’s body began to undergo massive changes; his
body lengthened, his circular head fin began to unfurl into a mohawk-like style, and he
sprouted long, ravenous fangs. After the transformation, he ended up looking exactly like his
ancestors.

Seeing this, Frye exclaimed, “It is as it was foretold. Behold! HUGEFRY!”

Now a completely different Salmonid than before, Blippy turned his attention towards Mr.
Grizz, who was still inching towards Earth’s atmosphere. Deeply enraged by this, the fish let
out a mighty roar before darting towards the bear, causing Risea to cry out in surprise.

“Blippy!” she shouted, “What’s gotten into you?!”

Losing all sense of reason, Blippy crashed headfirst into Mr. Grizz before biting onto the
bear’s arm, prompting the boss to let out a pained noise. “Agh!” he boomed, “What are you
doing, you little fish?!”

As Blippy continued to harass Mr. Grizz, DJ Octavio said, “There’s our chance! Agent 3,
I’mma pilot this mech towards that thing. Your job is to man this Ink Vac and suck away
some fur!”

Risea then asked, “But how am I supposed to do that?”

In response, a hatch opened up before Risea, inside of which was a simple joystick along
with some buttons. “Hop in, girl,” said Octavio, “Even someone as slow as you should
understand how to work this thing. Don’t let us down, you got me?! We’re not gonna let this
fool mess with OUR turf, capische?!”

Although she was lost at first, Risea found herself motivated by the octopus’ words. Giving a
firm nod, she answered, “Okay. I’ll do it to it!” With that, she morphed into her swim form
and dived into the cockpit, allowing herself to get settled before wrapping her tentacles
around the controls.

As Risea prepared herself for action, Frye shouted, “This is what I’m talking about! Let’s
busy that bear, Agent 3! Make him regret even THINKING about messing with our planet!”

Captain Martine added, “The fate of the world rests in your hands, Agent 3. One single
mistake could mean the end of life as we know it. But hey, you’ll get through this, won’t
you?”

Risea nodded, “You bet I will!” she tightened her left tentacle around the joystick, “Look out,
you bastard bear. Risea and Blippy, the Dynamic Duo, are here to bring the pain!”
 Terminating the Company
Chapter Summary

Empowered by the mystical powers of the Calamari Inkantation, Risea and Blippy work
together to put an end to the delusional Mr. Grizz once and for all.

Without a moment of hesitation, DJ Octavio flew his Octobot King through the empty space,
using two of his tentacles to steer while using two others to continue his remixing. “Agent
3!” he called, “You see those globs? Suck em up!”

Using a handy set of binoculars, Risea looked out of the cockpit and spotted various bulbous
masses covering Mr. Grizz. “I see em!” she confirmed, “I’m ready when you are!”

So, Octavio moved his machine to Mr. Grizz’s right, where Risea prepared to move the Ink
Vac nozzle. Seeing this, Mr. Grizz growled, “Puny sea creatures! Get away from—” As he
was distracted by the Octobot’s appearance, Mr. Grizz suffered a nasty bite from Hugefry,
causing him to scream in pain.

Smiling at this, Risea proceeded to direct the nozzle towards a blob on the left side of Mr.
Grizz’s chest. Although she had some difficulty in figuring out the technology, she eventually
managed to latch the nozzle securely onto the mass. Once she had everything the way she
wanted, Risea pressed a large red button, causing the Ink Vac to activate and begin sucking
away the fur. After some time, a good chunk of Mr. Grizz’s body was removed from him as
he cried out in shock.

“Great job, you two!” cheered Agent 1, “I’m counting three more fuzz balls that you need to
handle. Get to it!”

DJ Octavio replied, “You know it, sister! Get ready, Agent 3!”
Noticing that his opponents were making their way to his right, Mr. Grizz snarled, “So, that’s
what they’re doing. I won’t let them make a panda out of me!” With that, he swiftly punched
Blippy away, giving him just enough time to shake his body and release a group of large fuzz
balls towards the Octobot.

Noticing these objects, Risea said, “Aw, he shouldn’t have! He’s just giving us a win!”

As Risea extended the Ink Vac towards one of the spheres, Agent 2 shouted, “Wait, no!”

However, it was too late; upon being touched, one of the balls detonated, sending the Octobot
flying back a good distance and becoming immobile.

“GRAH!” exclaimed Octavio, “A fake! Be careful, yo!”

Spinning in her seat, Risea waited for the shock from the attack to go away before
apologizing, “Yeah, my bad. Should’ve seen that coming…”

After a 5 second delay, the Octobot King repaired itself, prompting Octavio to say, “We’re
back in action! Don’t screw up this time, Inkling.”

Smiling nervously, Risea once again placed her tentacles on the controls and prepared for
action.

Using his superb navigational skills, DJ Octavio piloted his machine through the mess of
spheres that littered his path before ending up at another bulb on Mr. Grizz’s right. “Okay,
Agent 3,” said the octopus as Mr. Grizz and Hugefry bit at each other, “You’re up!”

Taking a breath to calm her nerves, Risea complied with Octavio’s request, moving the Ink
Vac towards her target with slightly greater ease.
In a vain attempt to defend himself, Mr. Grizz tried to shake his head, aiming to let loose
more fuzzy bombs. Alas, Risea was too quick for him, and he had yet another chunk of fur
stolen from him.

“Oho!” said Cuttlefish as DJ Octavio retreated, “You’re making good progress! You’re doing
better than I thought you would, Octavio!”

The Octarian laughed, “Why should you be surprised? I’m the raddest, sickest DJ this world
has ever seen! Bout time you learned that, Cuttlefish!” he then directed his vehicle to a spot
behind Mr. Grizz, “I’m counting two globs over there, Agent 3! Let’s go, double time!”

As Octavio moved his mech, Mr. Grizz, who was now attempting his sonic screech move on
Blippy, roared, “Not on my watch!” He then gripped onto Blippy tightly and performed a
rolling grab on the fish, tumbling over and over again as legions of Fuzzy Octarians jumped
out and towards their adversaries.

Looking up, Octavio shouted, “GAH! My men!” he thought for a second before saying,
“Agent 3, hop out, NOW! You won’t be able to suck if you’re getting rocked!”

Hearing this, Risea jumped out of the cockpit, holding Frye’s Splatana at the ready as she
waited for the arrival of her enemies.

Soon, the first wave appeared: a quartet of Octotroopers led by one of the Twintacle variety.
Risea, of course, had no trouble with them; every time one of them landed, she swiftly sliced
them in two with her sword.

Following that were 3 Octostamps, one of which was wearing a pair of headphones. Not
worried in the slightest, Risea simply waited for the cubic creeps to jump up and attempt their
slam attacks, which she countered by jumping out of the way and slashing at their backs,
jumping over the wave that the headphones-wearing one’s energy wave generated from its
impact in the process.

The next wave saw a flock of 10 Octocopters, all of which started flying around Risea in
preparation to fire. Despite being massively outnumbered, Risea stayed determined; allowing
the music to guide her movements, she launched projectile after projectile, quickly and
energetically getting rid of the crowd. While she did end up taking some hits, she remained
undeterred, with each but of damage taken increasing her vigor. Soon enough, the entire
consortium of Octarians was completely destroyed.

The final wave involved the appearance of two jumping Octarians, Octohoppers, two
Octobombers with rockets attached to them, and a single Twintacle Octotrooper with a shield.

“Uh oh,” said Agent 2, “These enemies look tough. I hope that you have a plan.”

Risea smiled and retorted, “A plan? Who needs a plan when you’ve got raw strength?!”

Reeling back her sword, Risea looked up and around at her enemies with a confident grin.
Once they got close enough, she released her potential energy and performed a savage jump
and spin attack, whirling around like a tornado with her Splatana extended outwards as she
diced her foes into carpaccio. Not even the shield-using Octarian wasn’t safe from Risea’s
onslaught; its barrier was reduced to shreds in an instant.

“Dang, girl,” Frye said in awe, “You’re on fire! I can see why you like that weapon so much.”

Risea laughed, “Yeah, I’m awesome, aren’t I? But I’m not done yet!”

Without skipping a beat, she dived right back into the cockpit and proceeded to suck up two
more fuzzballs, moving quickly and efficiently while Mr. Grizz continued to struggle with
Hugefry. “Haha!” she gloated as she watches the final glob disappear, “You’re done!”

Emerging from the cockpit, Risea said, “So, Grizz, you want to give up yet? Cause you…”
her voice drawled off as she looked at what had happened near Mr. Grizz, her eyes widened
in absolute shock.

Floating next to the bear was a disfigured Blippy, his back bent at an unnatural angle as he
drifted around unconscious with many bloody bite marks on his belly.
Wiping his mouth, Mr. Grizz said, “This is what happens when you don’t comply with policy,
squid; you face the consequences. And your fishy friend was the most unruly client I’ve ever
seen.”

The bear’s words had little effect on Risea. Filled with intense disbelief and anguish, the only
thing that she could hear was her own heartbeat as she stood there like a statue.

Mr. Grizz continued, “Anyhow, I believe it’s time to end this little charade.” Moving closer,
the boss spread out his hands before clasping them around the Octobot, compressing it tightly
in an attempt to crush it.

“GRAH!” cried Octavio, “Stuck! He’s got us!”

Seeing that Risea was still incapacitated, Mr. Grizz smiled, “What’s wrong, mollusk? Where
did all of your tough talk from earlier go?” he tightened his grip, “Maybe now you’ve
realized who you’re up against. I am Mr. Grizz, the sole remnant of humanity’s legacy, and
that of mammals, to be clear. I’ve had 12,000 years to think about my purpose in this world,
and 7 more years to craft up this masterful plot of mine. Did you honestly think that you, a
little squid, could stop me?” Tightening his hold even further, the bear leaned in close and
stared right at Risea. “Just think; if you had just stayed right down there and acted like a
normal Inkling, working for my wondrous company, we wouldn’t be in this situation. But it
seems like your uniqueness has been your downfall.” he smiled some more, “What a pity.”

Hearing these words, Risea felt her body stiffen as her eyes lit up with small embers.
Clenching her hands into fists, she said in a quiet voice, “No.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Grizz asked, “No? What do you mean, no?”

Risea glared at the bear, the embers in her eyes having now turned into brushfires. “My
uniqueness is not my downfall. My uniqueness is who I am, it’s what makes me, me. I don’t
have to be like everyone else.”
As she was doing her monologue, Risea noticed a cannon emerging from the top of the
Octobot. She immediately knew what she had to do.

With her tentacles glowing with the intensity of a supernova, Risea placed her hands, which
were spewing ink like a water spout, on either side of the cannon, where there were two
large, orange buttons.

With her eyes burning with the heat of an inferno, Risea declared, “I’m not the Inkling you
think I am, bear. In fact, I never really considered myself to be an Inkling at all. No, I’m
someone way different.” In a burst of energy, Risea repeatedly slammed the buttons like a
mad bongo player, screaming, “I! Am. RISEA!!!”

A massive, orange, inky laser powered by the absorbed fur from the Octobot King, then
emerged from the cannon, prompting the startled Mr. Grizz to hold his paws up in a vain
attempt to protect himself. Alas, he was completely powerless to intercept the beam attack; in
a matter of seconds, what little fur he had left was completely vaporized, being lost to the
void of space. With his shockingly thin true body now revealed, Mr. Grizz cried out in pain as
he forced to take the remainder of the laser, with everyone else continuing to sing their
inspirational song. Letting out one final roar of despair, Mr. Grizz became completely coated
in orange as Risea yelled her lungs out. Once the attack finally ended, Risea trained her wild
eyes on the bear, who floated limply in defeat.

After some time, Mr. Grizz awoke, coughing up ink. Looking up, he groaned, “Ha…ha…it
looks like I’ve lost. I suppose that I’ve underestimated you sea creatures; you’re much more
advanced than I made you out to be. I suppose I should’ve already know that with how hard
my employees work…” He looked up into space and sighed, “Maybe this is how things are
meant to be. I’m just a simple bear; I can’t get in the way of evolution. You sea creatures
surpassed is mammals a long time ago, and it’s about time I accepted that.” Giving one last
smile, the CEO concluded, “If these are my final moments…I regret to inform you all…that
you will not be receiving any severance pay…”

Following that, the bear’s body began to glow before suddenly blowing up in a burst of
orange. Finally, Mr. Grizz had been felled.
 The Adventure Comes to a Close
Chapter Summary

With Mr. Grizz now defeated, Risea and Blippy return to Earth to celebrate accordingly.

DJ Octavio dove deeper into his cockpit as he and Risea were launched backwards, trying his
best not to get hit by any of the residual ink. Once the explosion had ended, he peeked out
and boasted, “GYAHAHA! How do you like that beatdown, bear?! That’s mollusks 1,
mammals 0!”

Agent 1 then said, “Oh my cod, I can’t believe it! You saved the world!”

Despite her accomplishment, Risea showed no interest in receiving praise. Instead, she got
down on all fours and pushed herself off the Octobot King L3. Gs and into space, causing
Octavio to jump back in shock.

“Hey,” he called, “Where you goin’?”

Completely ignoring her frenemy’s words Risea dived at Blippy’s mutilated body, crashing
into his pale brown side. With tears forming in her blue eyes, she looked up at her friend’s
face, seeing that his eyes were cold and lifeless, his mouth agape and stationary.

Risea slammed her hands on Blippy’s body, her eyes shut tight as she mourned, “Oh, Blippy,
how could I let this happen? You were so young, so happy…” she raised her head to the
metaphorical sky and bawled, “IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ME! Why, why, just WHY did I let
you fight that bear all by yourself?!” Tears started to fill her clear space helmet, causing her
face to feel slight discomfort. Still, the minor dissolving that was occurring did nothing to
distract her from the utter anguish that she was experiencing. Still banging against her fallen
ally, the Inkling did nothing but let out loud, shuddering sobs, her face distorting with despair
and regret as she mourned over the Salmonid’s death.
In the middle of Risea’s lamenting, Blippy’s body began to glow as spirits leaked out of it.
Seeing that Risea was suffering, the wisps appeared to exchange glances before nodding.
They knew what they had to do. Without wasting a second, all the oceanic ghosts flowed in
and out of Blippy’s body like a rapid current, causing the fish’s wounds to rapidly heal. In the
process, the enlarged fish’s body began to shrink, and his ancestral features quickly
diminished. By the time that the wisps were finished, Blippy had returned to his usual form.
Satisfied by a job well done, the spirits spun around before dissipating into nothingness.

During this whole process, Risea continued to slam her fists against her smallfry, shouting,
“Blippy! Come back! I want you! I NEED you! Bli…” her movements slowed down as she
realized that her hands were striking nothing. Wondering why this was the case, she opened
her eyes, looked down, and gasped; to her utter surprise, her little buddy was all safe and
sound.

As Blippy cocked his head in confusion, Risea snatched him up and hugged him tighter than
she ever did before. “Blippy!” she exclaimed, twirling around like a ballerina, “You’re okay!
Oh, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!”

Witnessing this emotional moment, Shiver stated, “Well, isn’t that just splendid. That little
Salmonid actually survived. That’s a miracle if I ever saw one.”

Callie added in an overjoyed voice, “And what a great one it was. I just LOVE happy
endings!”

As Risea continued to hug her friend, a robotic hand wrapped around them both, grabbing
them and hurling them into the Octobot’s cockpit. Glaring at his associates, DJ Octavio
barked, “The hell was that, fool?! You could’ve flown into a black hole or something!”

At this, Agent 2 teased, “Aw, is old Octavio showing some heart?”

Cuttlefish laughed, “It’s about time he showed one of them!”

Shaking his tentacles with rage, Octavio yelled, “Shut it, squids!” he then gave Risea a
piercing look, “Listen up, inkstain, and listen good; the only reason why I’m helping you is
because you helped me. We are not friends. And I mean N-O-T. Got that?!”

Smiling slightly, Risea answered, “Okay, I got it…”

The leader made a “hmph” sound before grabbing the controls and saying, “Better hold onto
something, we’re heading back.”

As DJ Octavio piloted his mech, Risea got herself comfortable as she stroked Blippy’s fins, a
content smile on her face as she thought over the recent events. Heh, she mused, To think that
only a few days ago, I was just this weirdo in Splatsville. Oh, how far I’ve come…

Following a fairly quick descent, Octavio rudely dumped Risea and Blippy into the desert
next to Splatsville before hastily flying away, not even saying as much as “Your welcome”.

As Risea dusted herself clean of sand, she smiled and remarked, “Well, isn’t that something. I
started here, and now I’m ending here. Fitting.” Looking around, she spotted Splatsville in
the distance, looking the same as it did when she first laid eyes on it. “Well, I guess I should
meet up with the others. They’re probably wondering where I went.” So, the squid took
Blippy and walked happily back to the city, feeling more excited to visit Alterna than she
ever had been.

Soon, she reached Splatsville’s singular manhole, swiftly diving in and sliding into the
underground sanctuary on the other side. Once she got there, she noticed that the New
Squidbeak Splatoon was waiting for her.

“There she is!” said Agent 1, “Welcome back, Agent 3! We just wanna thank you again for
all for all that you’ve done for us.”

Agent 2 added, “If it weren’t for you, we would all be rolling around like tumbleweeds. You
really saved our skin in more ways than one.”

Risea smiled and gloated, “It was no problem. A chump like that was no match for Blippy
and I! Oh, and by the way…” she clasped her hands together and looked at everyone with
sparkling eyes, “Since I saved the world and all, can I have a reward? A gourmet meal would
be nice. I’ll even take a parade!”

Cuttlefish, whose body was still shriveled, shook his body and answered, “‘Fraid not, lass.
We gotta keep this whole situation private; we can’t have everyone panicking, you know?
And I don’t know if us humble four can give you a good enough prize…”

Smiling, Captain Martine stated, “Don’t worry, I have something very valuable to reward you
with.” Getting up from his wooden chair, the captain walked over to Risea and wrapped his
arms around her in a warm embrace. “My admiration.”

Feeling Roenaldo’s strong grip, Risea’s face began to heat up as her hearts beat at an
unusually fast pace. “Hey!” she objected, not liking the warm feeling welling up in her chest.
Despite her initial aversion, smelling Roenaldo’s natural, musky scent, Risea couldn’t help
but to enjoy the squid’s presence at least a little bit.

“Aww!” gushed Agent 1, her hands held to her cheeks in pure delight, “I’ve never seen the
captain hug anyone before!”

Agent 2 jabbed her side with her shoulder, “Looks like someone’s making a move…”

Risea’s face stiffened up. Making a move?! she thought, her eyes peering down at the leader’s
content face. Shaking her head, Risea pushed the Inkling off of her forcefully and said, “I
think I’ve had enough of your ‘gift’, buddy! I ain’t interested in none of this love business,
you got that?!” She crossed her arms and turned away before muttering, “But thanks.”

Sensing a bit of tsundere energy in Risea, Martine answered, “Okay, suit yourself.”

Risea rolled her eyes before asking, “Anyway, is that all you have for me? Cause if it is, I’m
out.”
Agent 1 thought for a bit before nodding, “Yeah, that’s it, really. You’ve saved both the Great
Zapfish and Gramps, so I would say that your mission is complete.”

Agent 2 then put on, “But don’t forget to come check on us every now and then, okay? You
never know when something will pop up.”

Risea replied, “Okay, I get it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Agent 2 nodded in acknowledgement before saying, “Oh, and another thing. I heard that
Deep Cut is giving out a special news bulletin up above. You should probably go check it
out.”

Risea responded, “Alright, thanks for the update. I’ll head up right now.”

As Risea turned to leave, Cuttlefish called out, “Stay safe now, y’hear? Have a good time up
there!”

Looking back, Risea gave a friendly thumbs-up before grabbing Blippy and taking the pipe
back to Splatsville.

Once she arrived back in the city, Risea heard a familiar jingle as the large television in the
area switched to a display showing a blue, yellow and red symbol. Following that
introduction, Deep Cut appeared on screen, with Shiver starting, “Listen up, it’s going
down…repping the Splatlands, we are Deep Cut.”

Frye enthusiastically raised her arms into the air and exclaimed, “And boy, do we have some
news for you! Big Man, hit em with the facts!”

The manta ray hit a button on the TV he was holding, causing a picture of the same long,
black fish that Risea spied some time ago. It was now wrapped around the tall spire in the
middle of the city, a content smile on its face.
“As you can see,” Shiver said, “The Great Zapfish has returned to power our city. Now, all of
you can live your lives without fear of wasting electricity.”

Frye added, “Yeah! To hell with energy conservation! We’re going all out, baby!”

Big Man retorted, “Ay!” which the subtitles translated as, “Just because the Great Zapfish is
back doesn’t mean that we can be reckless!” He then looked down at the set he was holding
and observed, “Ay ay?” or, “Also, doesn’t the Zapfish look smaller this time around?”

Shiver looked over and responded, “Now that you mention it, it does look slimmer than it
usually does. Perhaps it went on a diet.”

Frye shrugged, “Who knows? Anyway, it doesn’t look like it’s in pain or nothing, so why
should we worry?”

Shiver twirled her fan in a circle and replied, “I suppose you have a point. Still, we should be
wary.” She tapped her fan on her desk and pointed it on Big Man, prompting him to switch
the display to a familiar-looking duo of Inkling women, one black-haired and the other
greenish-white-haired. “Anyway, in other news, the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie, have
announced their reemergence in the musical world. They expect to get back to their usual
business in a few months.”

Frye frowned, “A few months? Why not now? It’s about time we faced some competition!”

Shiver returned, “Patience is a virtue, Frye. We’ll have some rivals to test our skills against
soon enough.”

Frye rolled her eyes and groaned, “Aah, fine. By the way, doesn’t Marie look a little like the
boss?”
Shiver gave Frye a scolding look while snapping her fan shut, “Frye! We’re not supposed to
talk about that here! But you do have a point.”

Risea scratched her head, “They have a boss now? Since when? And what was that about
Marie?” She held her chin, thinking about the visual similarities between Agent 2 and Marie
of the Squid Sisters. Could they be the same person? And if they were, what happened
between her and Deep Cut? Risea shook her head, for she did not know.

Shiver then pointed her fan at the camera and smiled, “Lucky for all you squids and octos,
we’ve got permission to play one of the Squid Sister’s latest songs: Wave Goodbye.”

Big Man added, “Ay! Ay-ay!” or, “But before we do that, we’re glad to announce that with
the Big Run over, the Rock vs Paper vs Scissors Splatfest is starting tomorrow! Get hype!”

Frye raised a fist to the sky and responded, “Yeah, I can’t wait! Team Paper for the win! Oh,
and another thing…” she lowered her arm and looked directly at the camera with a serious
expression, “To that one Inkling, drop off your weapon near the studio. You know who you
are.”

Knowing exactly who Frye was referring to, Risea patted her back, making sure that the
Splatana was still there.”

Shiver then concluded, “Uh, yes. Anyhow, please enjoy this song, everyone, and we’ll catch
you all later.”

With that, the screen transitioned to a trippy display showing colors of all sorts swirling and
warping around as relaxing pop music began to play. In the middle of this, Risea made her
way through the crowd of cephalopods that had gathered and towards Deep Cut’s studio near
the lobby.

Once she got there, Risea had the studio’s door opened to her by Frye, who promptly
retrieved her possession. She inspected the sword, saying, “Hmm…doesn’t look like there’s
anything wrong with this…” She smiled and placed the Splatana Stamper beside her before
extending her hand outwards and saying, “Kudos to you, uh…”
Risea accepted Frye’s handshake and stated, “It’s Risea.”

Frye nodded, “Risea! Yeah, it seems like you kept your promise. Consider me impressed!”

Risea grinned and responded, “I wouldn’t even think of breaking a Splatana Stamper,
especially not one as cool as yours!”

Frye laughed, “Looks like you have your values set straight, girl!” Smiling, she began to
close the door, “Hope you enjoy the song, Risea!”

Risea waved and replied, “Thanks, I will!”

Frye gave a quick thumbs-up before fully closing the door and returning to her usual spot
with her friends, where the trio managed their equipment. Satisfied with the feeling of being
honest, Risea happily walked her way back to the crowd in the main area to enjoy the
pleasant tunes.
 The Quartet Reunites
Chapter Summary

Risea meets up with her friends, who are happy to see her return.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

As she was walking around, Risea caught notice of Larel, Angela and Jereef standing
together, with the last member dancing with a cheerful expression on his face. Larel,
however, looked worried until his eyes fell on Risea, and his face lit up. “Risea!” he said,
“There you are!”

As Larel ran up to her, Risea said, “Woah, are you okay? You’re never this enthusiastic.”

Looking directly into Risea’s eyes, Larel answered, “That’s because you’ve been gone for an
entire day! I thought you had been eaten by a Cohock or something!”

Risea pushed her hands out and replied, “Chill out, Larel, nothing like that happened. I was
just busy doing…something.” she gave him a sly smile, “And what’s this all of the sudden? I
didn’t know that you cared about me that much…”

Larel’s eyes widened before he returned to his normal, serious self. “How was I supposed to
react? You’re my friend, of course I would be worried if you suddenly disappeared.”

Risea chuckled and responded, “Whatever you say, Larel…”

Angela, who didn’t look nearly as surprised as Larel, raised an eyebrow and said,
“‘Something’? That sounds just like what my brother would say…”
 Cocking her head, Risea asked, “What do you mean?”

Angela shook her head and answered, “It’s nothing.”

Noticing Risea’s presence, Jereef gasped and ran over, exclaiming, “Friend Risea! You no
dead!” he hugged Risea tightly, “So happy, am I!”

Smiling, Risea said, “Heh heh, glad to see you too, Jereef…”

As Jereef showed his affection, Larel cleared his throat and asked, “Anyway, now that we’re
all together again, I guess we get back to our usual business.”

Angela grinned, “You mean crushing noobs in battle?”

Larel shrugged, “Yeah, I guess.”

Risea smiled and said, “Count me in!”

Excited by the prospect of showing his skills, Jereef cheered, “Let us done it, bit**es!”

Reeling back in horror, Larel objected, “Jereef!”

The other Inklings and Octolings watched in confusion as Risea and Angela laughed up a
storm, with Blippy standing next to his friend’s feet in silence. Surrounded by her friends,
Risea felt a warm feeling fill her body. When she first entered Splatsville, she didn’t expect to
be accepted, being that she was a newcomer and all. Contrary to her initial beliefs, she ended
up finding many great people to connect with, an outcome that sounded like something
ripped straight out of a fantasy. Wow, she thought, her face bright with an illuminating smile,
I can’t believe my luck. I’ve truly found my calling.

Chapter End Notes

Must...end with...a multiple of 3...
 Conclusion...Or Is It?
Chapter Summary

A closing to the book...and a continuation.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

So, Risea enjoyed another good few weeks in Splatsville. She had a blast during the Splatfest
(her team, Team Rock, turned out to be the victor!), rose up the ranks in Anarchy Battles, and
even tried to learn more about how Tableturf worked. Furthermore, with all the money she
earned from battles, she decided to indulge herself more in clothes shopping. In a surprising
twist of fate, she ended up becoming quite the fashionista; as per the advice of Jel La Fleur,
she went from having a very basic wardrobe to buying clothes from all sorts od brands,
having a different outfit for each day. Although she wasn’t the best at figuring out which
clothes went with which, she had a great time trying out many different garments;
participating in this activity satisfied her feminine urge to appear presentable.

Blippy also enjoyed a pleasant life, frequently visiting the Lobby’s cafeteria to indulge in as
many scraps as he wished. Occasionally, the goldfish in charge would gift the Salmonid with
a full-course meal, which he gladly accepted every time. Indeed, while the smallfry’s life was
simple, it was heavenly.

Thus, the two lived pleasurable lives in the city, finding nothing but joy in doing the things
that they did. Time passed, and things looked to be hunky -dory…until they weren’t.

To be continued…

Chapter End Notes

That's right, I'm making a follow-up! Stay tuned.

Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!