Great Turf War

Day 11

Blackfin fell from the skies, detonating a bomb below his feet. The blast cushioned his fall a little and left behind a safe landing spot. The nearby inklings all paused to see who just landed, but then eased up as they saw Blackfin emerge.

"Hey Blackfin, what are you doing here?" an Inkling asked.

"I'm just helping my buddy. Move along." Blackfin responded with a heavy voice. The surrounding Inklings all thought the same thing.

The situation must be serious! all of them thought. Usually, Blackfin was a soft-spoken guy, making jokes and being laid-back. But when he breaks character, it must be something very, very vital.

They wisely made way for Blackfin, who sped past them and quickly jammed in the code to Wahoo's secret lair. He ignored the stacks of money on Wahoo's desk and gripped the spare inkjet. Blackfin nearly launched it into the wall before steadying himself and sprinting back to his landing site. He dived into the ink and superjumped back into the battlefield.

He transformed into human form mid-flight to survey the ensuing chaos. Blackfin scowled when he saw Coral and the others being herded like animals. With fury and passion burning within him, he threw two splat bombs below and turned into a squid again. The explosion was enough for his allies below to gain some space and start retaliating.

"Wahoo! Blackfin's back!" cheered Wahoo.

"Yeah, now put the inkjet on!" Blackfin ordered.

Wahoo frantically charged up the mounted cannon while simultaneously firing up the inkjet boosters. Blackfin recharged his ink levels before running into battle to assist Cuttlefish and Coral. Blackfin's fighting style was violent, but effective nonetheless. He grabbed a splat bomb in his hand and rammed it into the nearest Octoling's headgear, getting a free splat and damaging other foes at the same time. Cuttlefish was then able to effortlessly splat the damaged Octolings without using charged shots, saving both ink and time.

Meanwhile, Wahoo had successfully made it into the air, and was raining havoc upon the fools below. The Octoling forces were thinning, and the Inklings had a sense of victory. Still, they had to splat the general before he could escape. The inkjet boosters shot to full power, and Wahoo searched for the general in the sea of Octolings.

As the Octolings' defeat grew near, Blackfin superjumped into the air to seal the deal. Wahoo high-fived him before he dived back down and decimated every last Octoling below him.

Look at him go. Wahoo thought. In the corner of his eye, Wahoo spotted an Octoling with a different type of headgear. Upon closer inspection, he saw Octavio's insignia on the shoulder of this suspicious Octoling's coat.

I found the general! This clout is now mine. Wahoo thought. He then braced himself for impact, plunging at the Octoling at very high speeds. He used the last of the inkjet's juice to shoot the bewildered Octoling, finally getting the splat on the general. Wahoo used the inkjet's momentum to fly upward to safety. He would glide the rest of the way.

The Octoling soldiers looked at the blot of ink that used to be their general. Then, hordes of scowling faces turned to fix on Wahoo. Instead of dropping a bomb, Wahoo taunted them. In response, the Octolings started firing rapidly. But to their dismay, he was out of their range. Wahoo proceeded to keep taunting at the Octolings while landing on a nearby elevated spot.

He superjumped back to the Inkling HQ, with Blackfin, Coral, and Cuttlefish following closely behind. The enraged Octolings then retreated, as challenging the other Inkling forces nearby would incur greater losses than they could accept. One by one, they fled from the battle, and so did the remaining Inklings.

In the Inkling headquarters, Wahoo boasted about his newly acquired clout.

"Did you see that, guys?" Wahoo asked. "I was totally awesome."

"Yeah, epic. Totally awesome." Cuttlefish said in a sarcastic tone. "Anyways, when are you gonna do those weapon upgrades? And you owe us money too,"

"Tomorrow," Wahoo groaned. He quickly moved on from the subject of his debt.

"Ahem. I'm sure you're honored to be in my presence, so that's why I suggest we feast!" Wahoo exclaimed.

"Nah, I would rather go and relax," Cuttlefish responded.

"That could be fun," Coral approved.

"I wanna sleep," Blackfin said. Coral elbowed him.

"I'm fine with going somewhere, but where should we go?" Wahoo inquired.

"Somewhere relaxing," Coral answered.

"The beach sounds good enough," Cuttlefish suggested.

"Then, we shall commence forth to the beach," Wahoo proclaimed.

"I guess we can go," Blackfin relented.

"I always win," Wahoo responded.

The four headed to the beach, where they relaxed on the reclining chairs. The tide ebbed and flowed on the shoreline.

Why are there reclining chairs in wartime? Cuttlefish thought. Still, it was convenient for their maritime interlude. The four Inklings' gazes sweeped the beach to relish the scenery. Regrettably, the beach created tension in its wake, as no one wanted to talk. This didn't last for long though, as Wahoo always had something to say.

"So, guys? How do you like the vacation I planned for you all?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just let me relax a little," Cuttlefish complained.

"And let that horrid cloud of awkwardness show up again?" Wahoo argued.

"Alright, fine. This break is great," Cuttlefish said.

"Awesome!" Wahoo replied. He turned to Coral.

"Now then, I think now would be a good time to... y'know, name your child?"

"How in the world can you ruin a perfectly fine break like that?" Blackfin questioned.

"It's my specialty," Wahoo responded with childish delight. "Plus, there's so many things you can name him after! The rising tides, the enraged earth, the fishies..."

"Please stop," Cuttlefish pleaded.

"C'mon, let Coral make her kid's name."

Blackfin facepalmed, but Coral was deep in thought. A sparkle in her eyes indicated that she had come up with something, but she hid it with an obviously fake thinking face. But of course, nothing could hide from Wahoo.

"Something on your mind, Coral?"

"Eh," Coral replied. She turned away from Wahoo.

"It's alright, Coral. Share your ideas with us," Blackfin encouraged. She sighed, and hesitantly spoke.

"Well, uh, I was thinking... Shio?"

She said it as if it was a question, perhaps from shyness. Blackfin wanted her to be more confident in herself.

"How'd you think of it?"

"T-the waves," Coral stammered. Cuttlefish took pity on her and intervened.

"I think that's lovely."

"Oh... thanks?"

"Doesn't Shio mean salt?" Wahoo inquired.

"It can also mean tide. I think that's what Coral was going for," Blackfin added.

"Whatever the case, Shio would make a great name," Wahoo responded. "He'll carry on your legacy!"

Cuttlefish nodded in agreement. Unexpectedly, Coral frowned, and said, "I don't want him to have to deal with this war."

Blackfin tapped Coral on the shoulder.

"We'll end this war. It'll be over soon. Those Octolings don't have much time left."

It was all for naught, as Coral's mind was still enveloped in uncertainty. But she tried to be happy.

"Thank you, Blackfin."