Salmonling x Reader [Rewrite]

CHAPTER 1 - Something's Fishy -

Eli's POV

I spawned in as usual, loaded with the weapons provided to me from Mr. Grizz. A basic ordinary splatterscope, not bad but not the best. It was...okay. To some degree I knew what I was doing with a sniper, aiming for support and bosses. Most shots count, but all shots matter when you're a professional Salmon Runner. So I gotta make this count, I can't afford to fail my team especially on the first wave, my pay grade will drop for sure... As I worried about my thoughts in failing, the team had begun turfing walls, and the ground for easy access. You know what they say, "Ink The Most Turf to Win." It does help, seriously, especially when working in such a small number against over 100 Salmonids per wave... Did I leave the TV on before I left?

"Um...Eli? You're doing it again." I was snapped out of my thoughts by my good friend Y/n, she had that smug look on her always cheerful look. "C'mon, you can't stand by the basket forever!" She snickered as I blinked from my thoughts, quickly rushing off as the sound of the horn sounded. The wave has just started and she's immediately splatting chums and small fries, she accomplishes it with such a smile and cheery attitude. Color me jealous, she must have strong face muscles to be smiling all the time.

As salmonids began to swarm, I made quick work of the steelhead, the explosion splatted nearby salmon freaks and turfing a good amount of ground for my coworkers to work with. I splatted lines of salmonids with charges of ink, and made sure to down the fly fish while Y/n and everyone else took care of the steel eel, flipper-flopper, Big Shot. Just as I was focusing my next shot I had noticed something. Something swimming in the ink, I had swore it was a maw, or a confused Flipper-Flopper with a different pattern, but this enemy was much too small. Was it a Cohock? Too large. Perhaps a small fry, no no. Far too little...

I followed it with my scope before watching a rubber gloved arm reach out and drag one of my coworkers, quickly I began to focus on the arm with the intent of shooting it. Just as I got a clear shot, while watching my coworker lose his god damn weapon while calling for help I was met with a frying pan to the head.

[ONE PLAYER LEFT.]

(Y/n's POV)

"What? Wait WHAT?" Cringing at the sound of the emergency alarm, I used my rented out dynamo roller and splatted a good amount of salmonoids to give me grounding to get closer to my downed teammates. I made sure to roll over cohocks in order to splat them quickly.

"Help me!" One of my teammates called out, the nearest one! Sweet! Bombs went off, stingers shot, a fly fish spawned, scrappers swarmed and maws came swimming from within the crowd of salmonoids, the only thing on my mind was to save at least one of my coworkers. Desperation and panic filled my senses as a stinger was found circling around the egg basket.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon....!" I grunted as I formed a bomb in hand before- "WAH-"

[Crew Wipe.]

"Cod...damnit..." Eli grunted as they crossed their arms, their finger tapping at their arm in irritation. "Usually we don't have shifts end this quickly...this is gonna affect our pay grade...AND Y/N. How are you still smiling through this?" Eli, turned to me as I stared at my feet rocking them back and forth.

"Something was...different? I dunno. It felt different!" I answered, getting an eyebrow risen toward me as a response. One of my other coworkers, Jessie leaned forward to look past Eli to me.

"How'd you die? Joseph said he felt a maw drag him into enemy ink!" Jessie chimed in, before taking a peek at Joseph.

'I said it felt like a maw.' Joseph signed with his hands, Jessie blinked before turning back to me and apologized. "Sorry whoops! Mistranslation, I meant, it felt like a Maw that dragged him." I looked to Joseph who gave a nod to confirm my silent questions.

"Yeah, I saw through the scope. You were dragged in...but this Maw didn't have any...mark. I watched you disappear right before my very eyes." Eli added, keeping their arms crossed with a pissy attitude.

'Tough, I don't particularly enjoy my ankle being grabbed in battle. Especially on shift.' Joseph signed, before huffing and continued to stare out the door before shutting it.

"He said....Tough, I don't like my ankle being grabbed innnn battle?" Jessie translated for me and Eli who hummed in agreement.

"I was beat in the head with a frying pan...probably a cohock." Eli groaned, irritation written on their features.

"Dragged under..." I murmured, recalling how rather than being crushed by the jaws of a maws, I was grabbed by the ankle and pulled into the enemy ink. But there's no way a maws could do that, it had enough force to stop me in my tracks, but not enough to completely eat my leg.

"You think I should report this to Grizz? Maybe there's a new boss or form of salmonid that we've just discovered!" I proposed, I couldn't help but feel excited. A new form of Salmonid, a new challenge for more eggs, call me greedy but the higher the intelligence of a Salmonid the more challenging they are. Plus the sight was rare, maybe it'll a drop a ton of eggs? Perhaps 5 or 6!?

"UuuuuuGHHHHH yeah sure, fine okay. Yeah, probably best you do...but just note you're probably gonna be ignored even if ya send the top dog an email..." Eli groaned, I couldn't help but pout a bit at their bitter attitude, it wasn't THAT serious was it? It's just a normal everyday shift at Grizzco, Crew wipes happen all the time! Though knowing Eli, they absolutely hate risking their pay grade, the more cash they earn the more video games they'll buy...!

~~~

Later that night I had left a report for Mr. Grizz regarding the odd salminoid and my team's personal experiences. I then decided to take a small peek at the official Grizzco industry website. I was surprised reading the more recent reports, other inklings and octolings had reported similar encounters of a new type of salmonid. All employees were yet to hear from the top about the new discovery, so I decided to read a bit on what others had went through.

"Er- What...?" I squinted at the words on the screen they sounded quite dramatized with the aggression of this Salmonid, describing it as almost inklish due to the pointy ears. "Salmon...with pointed ears...?"

~~~

"Aye! And then oi grabbed em and yanked em into me ink, goin' in fer anotha' flawless kill!" A inkling with fins, demonstrated roughly with another chum before swimming in a circle. "Didn't see me comin' that's fer sure!" He snickered at the end as a ton of small fry swim to keep up with him, the group of other salmon let their cackled and heckles in.

"Yer bettah' than oi thought, Sy! And it be yer first week too!" A maws with a scar on her eyes grumbled a laugh as a chum struggled to swim next to the inkling like fish.

"Oi! Sylas, ye be careful. Yer too reckless out there, I don't want ye being splatted..."

"Pops, oi'll be fine! Salmon's honor!" Sylas held a green gloved hand up as the other was behind his back, "after all, oi got me hands on a good deal...~" He presents a splattershot. "With some fire power and the help of Aunt Dottie, me aim and assault will be unmatched! Ye just wait pa, oi'll make them dirty inklings pay..."

"Aye, oi bet son."