Salmon Run: Last Stand (A Splatoon 3 story)

Chapter 2: Induction Meeting

I woke up the next morning, still tired from yesterday. The sun peeked through my blinds. Small Fry was still asleep on my belly. I gently lifted him up and laid him back down on the bed. My clothes followed me out of my wardrobe and left the room.

I changed in the kitchen while I made breakfast for myself. Small Fry would run to me the moment his nose caught these smells. Sure enough, I saw him rush into the kitchen. His tiny head bobbled around as he arrived and waited for his meal. I filled his bowl for the day and, as usual; he devoured it. Small Fry was growing, so I can't blame him for building such an appetite.

When I was finished, I reached the door for my shoes. Small Fry came up to me with his puppy eyes. A sign he didn't want me to leave him. "I'm sorry. But I have to do this." He tried to bribe for my affection by rubbing on my legs. "Small Fry ... please. I wish I could stay. But this job is important to us. I'll be back in the evening, okay?"

Small Fry didn't seem pleased, but he understood me. I told him goodbye as I left the apartment. I wore my mask again when I went outside. Again, no one recognised me. At least I could manage.

"Excuse me?" a feminine voice spoke out from behind. An arrow pierced through my chest. I panicked. I didn't turn around and face her. She came up to me and asked, "You know where Sheldon is? I'm a bit lost."

She seemed young. Maybe nineteen to twenty inkling years. She had long hair with a braided on short ponytail on her right side. Orange eyes. And a bubbly personality. I try lowering my voice. "Yeah. Just walk straight ahead and he'll be on your right."

"Okay, thanks." I wanted her to walk away. She can't know who I am. "Say, you look familiar."

I shivered at those words. "Really? How so?"

"I don't know. But you definitely remind me of someone." She stared at my face. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, splat. You're-"

I covered her mouth with my sleeve before she said more. "Yes. Yes, I'm him. Follow me." She seemed annoyed that I did such an act. I led her to a quiet alleyway, ensuring we're alone.

"Hey now. What's the big idea?"

"I don't want people to know I'm here."

"Why not? You're the infamous Hook Line."

"Yeah, well, not anymore. I'm no one."

"Come on. I've seen all your games. All your SplatFests. You were amazing."

"Just forget it, please. I'm not that guy anymore."

"Well, what happened anyway?"

I was surprised by that question. "You mean you don't know what happened? How my last game went?"

She shook her head. I sat on the floor, my back resting on the wall. With a heavy sigh, I told her about that faithful day. It was a Rainmaker match. My team had one chance to enter the tournament. It all came to me to win the game. Only inches away from victory. I had the Rainmaker, and I was surrounded. They came in front of me. And then it happened. Somehow, I fired, and it flew over them. They wiped me out and we lost by four steps.

"Oh my," she finally said when I was finished. "That is embarrassing. I'm so sorry."

"I don't know what happened to me then. We had the advantage, and I blundered it."

"You can't blame yourself for it. The pressure can get to you at some point. Maybe it's good that you're stepping back from it. To clear your mind."

"Just don't tell anyone about me, okay?"

She knelt down to face me. "Anything for my hero." She got up and went on her way. Not going to lie, talking about it made me feel a lot better. Maybe she wasn't so bad. I got up and went on my way. Grizzco shouldn't be far.

I stood outside the doors of Grizzco Industries. I questioned if I made the right decision by coming here. It reminded me I was a broken squid and out of options. I had to swallow my pride and move forward.

I followed the stairway downstairs. It led me to the main lobby. A counter stood in front of me. Rows of lockers were nearby on the right. A training area could be found on the left. I call out for anyone to respond.

"Well, well. You showed up after all," a voice spoke as he descended the stairs. Him. The smug octopus who's got me where he wanted. "Thought you were just bluffing yesterday."

I played off his remarks. "Well, I'm here. Thought I was too scared to take this stupid job?"

"Oh, you innocent little boy. This is just the start." He asked me to follow him. He took me down to the training area. "Before we begin, show me what you got."

I looked at the weapons available to me. "I can start with anyone one?"

"You looking for a water pistol? Pick up anything and show me what you got." I picked the Splattershot. The classic weapon for a beginner. "See them targets? Follow the path and shoot them as quick as you can."

I stood there nervously. I couldn't aim if my life depended on it. Platypus Bait attempted to push me onwards. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was practice. How much worse could I get?

I run ahead, painting the ground with ink for me to swim through. The small targets on my left were shot down. I painted the box in front of me and swim up. I pop the target near me and then pop the giant targets below me as I walked along a metal net bridge. The target on the other side was taken care of as well. Finally, I pop the three targets on the hanging net on top. I swim back to the start as Platypus Bait timed my run.

"Well, well," he said. "Perhaps you haven't been washed away yet. Pick a different weapon and go again." I thought it was a joke, but he was right. Every weapon in the SplatLands served a different function. I chose a Stringer, and I went again. For the rest of the morning, Platypus Bait made me run again and again with every weapon they had. I got tired as I ran non-stop with different weapons. Platypus Bait told me that a Salmonoid Egg Collector had to be agile and restless to survive a shift. Otherwise, the Salmonoids would trap you and either drag you down to their underwater hole or they eat you alive. I got what he was trying to tell me, but my mind was so foggy, I couldn't process it.

After what felt like hours, I completed the last run with the only weapon left. I panted in exhaustion and fell to the ground. "Not bad, Small Fry. Perhaps you do have a chance here after all."

I got up and asked, "You'll take me with you now?"

"Not yet. You've proven yourself to be quick with the weapons. Now we shall see how you will fare out there. There's more to this job than just collecting Salmonoid Eggs all day. They also carry power eggs and their scales are worth a lot in the market."

"Oh, brother." I sighed.

"You can relax for today. You've done good. All you have to do now is read the manual."

"What manual?"

"We use print copies of the manual for our workers. They include every detail of our work policy and a description for the kinds of salmonoids you'll face."

"You mean ..."

"Welcome to Grizzco, Hook Line." He extends a hand to help me up. I accepted his offer and I'm back on my feet again. He hands me a copy of the manual. "Get some rest now. Tomorrow morning, we head out for a tutorial mission. To help you familiarise yourself with the new environment you're about to face. Don't be late."

"Thank you. This better be worth it."

"You worry about that later. But yes, if you can prove yourself, it will be worth it." I walked away with a sense of relief, knowing that I did it. Tomorrow, I will be a Salmonoid Egg Hunter.