Salmon Run: Last Stand (A Splatoon 3 story)

Chapter 6: The Second Hunt

I woke up the next morning feeling dizzy. My head hurt a lot and had to massage my temples extra hard to calm them down. Saunni came into the room as she saw my distress. She was worried about my health, but I assured everything was fine, even though I was worried.

I was instructed to stay on the sofa until she brought me breakfast. She ran into the kitchen to get started. I felt bad for having to lie to her about my stomach. But I knew what would happen if I didn't.

At that moment, I got a message from Platypus Bait telling me to meet them at Grizzco. They had uncovered some new information that I needed to hear.

Small Fry came up to me with a worried look. I picked him up and scratched under his chin. He let out a soft whine as he sensed my distress. Saunni just came back with a tray of food and orange juice.

"Oh, Saunni. You didn't to have to," I said.

"I have to, you goober," she said. "Someone has to take care of you."

"Well, thanks anyway." I looked down at my tray with a sad look. "But I have to go today."

She grunted in disapproval. "Absolutely not. There is no way you're going to Grizzco in your condition."

"Saunni. I need to do this."

"No, please. I want you to stay with me a bit longer. Please tell them you can't."

"I have. You have Small Fry too."

"But I don't want just Small Fry. I want you too."

I hug her close to me. "Saunni. What I'm doing now is for all of us. I need the money so we can live. If it makes you feel better, I'm glad that we got to spend those last few days together."

She took in my embrace immediately. She knew there was no way she could convince me otherwise. "Just don't forget our promise, okay?"

"Never." I kiss her forehead. "I'll never forget you." Small Fry squeezed himself into the middle to feel our warmth. He affectionately licked us, not wanting to lose us either. We took ourselves for a few minutes before I got ready for the day ahead. I ate my breakfast, changed my clothes and left the apartment.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairway, I arrived at Grizzco. I found everyone else waiting for me in the training area. I got into my gear and met with everyone.

"Glad you could join us on short notice," Platypus Bait said.

"Yeah, well, it's not like I had a choice," I said.

"We understand," Sting Ray said. "But this is really important for you, too."

"We believe we found more information regarding our salmonoid problem." Squid Surf said.

I nodded in agreement. "So, what happened?"

Platypus Bait directed my attention to a board behind him. "Over the past few days, we've been tracking salmonoid activity for any leads. We hoped that perhaps they could lead us to their main lair. Fortunately, one chum led the way without noticing us." He led my eyes to a group of photos. They showed a black dome deep underwater. "We captured these images of their lair from above. We estimate that their lair is about 1,000m below surface level. But this is the strangest part." He pointed to an enhanced photo in the centre. I couldn't figure out what I was looking for. Then I saw it. The red eyes returned as they pierced through my gaze. They were attached to a tiny fish that swam around. Another photo next to it showed the same creature entering a King Salmonoid's gills.

I was at a loss for words. This creature couldn't be the cause for all this madness. I stuttered, trying to form my words together. Finally, I asked the big question, "What ... what is that thing?"