SPLATOON: The Octarian Race

Chapter 4- Unknown businesses

It was currently 10:23am in the morning and some of the members of the race we're still either sleeping or training. Eliana woke up in her bed and she put on her black sweater.
...Maybe Flynn is still outside the base? I should go check...
She opened her room door quietly and stuck her head outside. Eliana saw the light blue octoling come out of the 7th room in fron tof her. Eliana put on her hood and exited her room as well. The light blue octoling saw her. "Number 8...I'm surprised to see you up this early." She said and looked away. Eliana was quiet but she opened up. "...Anything you need help with...?" The female inkling asked. The female octoling twitched as she heard Eliana talk. "Y-You talk?! I never knew that...anyways, about your stupid question, I am currently late for serveral matters. So get out of my way." She said as she started walking down the hall. The female octoling stopped. "By the way, I'm number 7, Kira. Bet you saw me last night, didn't ya? Besides, I think you deserve no place in this race." She chuckled meanly and walked away. Eliana was there staring at the ground as the light blue octoling left.
...I won't let that get to me...no matter how many times they push me down, I'll do my best and prove to them that I DO dervere a place in this race.
Eliana continued walking with her hood down the hallway. As she was about to exit down the stairs, she saw Yuka's room open. The female inkling saw the octoling doctor reading. Eliana knocked on her door.
Maybe she knows where Flynn is...I should ask her.
"...Yuka...?" She asked. Yuka turned her attention towards Eliana. "Ah! You're up early. At least you got some rest. Anything the matter?" She asked. Eliana shook her head and took off her hood. "...I was wondering if you saw Flynn." Yuka made an annoyed face. "Number 5? He's the last octoling I want to see. Anyways, since you're looking for him, he's out of the base. I don't know where he goes off to, though." She replied and focused her eyes onto the book again.
I wonder...does Yuka dislike Flynn? From the way she put it, she didn't seem happy talking about Flynn.
Eliana put her hood back on as she turned her back to leave. "Sorry to bother you, Yuka...but thank you." She said as she left. After the female inkling left the room, the beige octoling put her head up. "...No problem..." Yuka replied quietly.

Eliana exited through the gates of the Octarian base. The guards let her exit. She walked around the valley. There was nothing but the kettles and the view of Inkopolis from afar.
...It's so quiet...I never would've thought our valley has so many kettles.
The female inkling heard some footsteps behind her, but as soon as she turned around, she didn't see anyone.
...I heard someone...could it be Flynn? No, Flynn would defintely say something if he saw me...
Eliana had a serious face as she looked around the valley. Her dualies appeared in her hands. "W-Wha...?!" A figure attacked her with a roller. Eliana's dualies blocked the attack but her hood came out as well. The figure was very fast at moving around.
Fish...! They're fast...!
The figure stopped on top of a cliff in front of Eliana. "...Hmph. Never would've thought they'd use you." The figure said. It sounded like a male inkling. "..." Eliana backed away slowly and put her hood back on.
...I can't run back to the base...especially that he's an inkling who's the enemy...
The male inkling had a ragged cape and a roller. "...You're going back with me whether you like it or not." He said as he was about to swing his roller on her. A shot of an e-liter prevented the male inkling from attacking Eliana. Eliana looked on the right and saw Flynn. "Eliana! Get away from here!" Flynn said to her. The female inkling nodded as she retreated quickly. Flynn stared at the male inkling. "Who are you and what do you want with our number 8?!" Flynn asked as he pointed his e-liter at the male inkling. "...None of your concern. You of all people in that race know very well that 'number 8' has a very special role in your race." The male inkling said. Flynn put the e-liter on his shoulders. "You...how do you know about our group?" "...How, you say? Hmph. You all are assassins killing our species after the Great Turf War as revenge. I saw you and that girl killed my comrades last night." He said. Flynn had a frustrated face. His hands were shaking. The male inkling rushed up to him and kicked Flynn's e-liter off his shoulders. It fell off the valley. "H-Hey...! What are you-" The male inkling grabbed Flynn's hand and held it up to his face. "...Why are you trembling like this...? How pathetic to see that heartless assassins like you could feel anything. WHY are you trembling?" The male inkling asked. Flynn didn't say a word and he didn't look at the male inkling's eyes. The male inkling let go of his hand. "...I knew you couldn't answer. After all, you cannot be yourself." He said as he was about to leave with his roller. Flynn jumped and tried to attack the male inkling from behind, but the male inkling kicked his waist. "Damn...! What the shell do you know!?" Flynn shouted. The male inkling turned around and kneeled in front of the male octoling. "...How arrogant. You should show your feelings to the race. See what they think of your behaviour you've shown to me." Flynn stood up weakly. He put his arm on the right side of his waist. "You're...just making me show my weakness, aren't you? But who are you really and what do you want with Eliana?" He asked. The male inkling pulled his sweater up to his face. "...That's what I do. I know everybody's weaknesses. But knowing your weaknesses could also improve you. So...take note of that." He said and vanished quickly into a black shadow. "Wait!" Flynn said. But the male inkling already disappeared. "...I wonder what his name is...an inkling who knows an individual's weakness...this could be a threat to our race...also the fact that he's looking for Eliana...I gotta tell Master." He said to himself as he got up and walked slowly. The male inkling watched him from afar.

Flynn came back weakly to the base. Naoto saw him at the entrance. "Flynn! Are you okay? What the heck happened to you?" Naoto asked as he rushed over to his friend. "...I got urgent news...tell everyone including Master about an emergency meeting." Flynn replied. Naoto assisted Flynn's left shoulder and moved with him. "Alright. But first, you gotta take it easy." Naoto said back. The two of them told all octolings in the race to meet. Eliana was there too.
...Why did Flynn call a meeting? I wonder...could this be about that inkling we encountered earlier...?
Eliana's hood was still on and remained quiet. Flynn stood in front of Master. "You may speak, number 5." He said. Flynn nodded. "Sir, I encountered this male inkling in Octo Valley. He was going to harm number 8, but I saved her." Flynn said. Yuka looked at Eliana worriedly. Naoto had a surprised face. "He was going for number 8? What does he want with her?" Naoto asked. All the octolings looked at Eliana, but she didn't say a thing. They turned back to Flynn. "I don't know what she wants with her, but the worst part about this inkling is that he possesses weird powers to make someone show their weakness. Also, I gotta feeling he's been spying on us since the war ended." He finished. A male octoling with lime hair spoke up. "Is this guy gonna threaten our race? What's his job?" He asked. "I don't know, number 6. I am currently reporting important news for now." Flynn responded. Kira folded her arms. "This inkling must be tracked down or something! We can't have him run lose while he knows our resources...!" She said. Eliana looked at Flynn quietly.
...I must've caused this...but...I don't even know that inkling...what does he want with me?
Master looked down and then looked back up at all the octolings including Eliana. "...Enough. Thank you for informing us, Flynn. We'll keep an eye out for him. As soon as you find that inkling, bring him to me. Make sure he doesn't get his hands on our valuable number 8 too." He said to all of them. Yuka paused everyone. "...That's the end of the meeting. Please wait until the evening to receive instructions to go on your missions again." Yuka said as she left with Master. Yuka stopped and turned to Flynn. "Flynn, I'd like to take care of those wounds of yours. Come visit me after the meeting whenever." She said and continued walking back. Flynn nodded silently. Eliana and the other octolings exited the meeting. Flynn watched Eliana leave, but he stopped her. "Hey. Uh, it's not your fault for this. Just letting you know next time, don't go out by yourself, let some guards know or something." He said to her. "..." She didn't say a thing as she turned her back to leave. Flynn held out his hand. "Guess you still won't talk, huh." He said quietly as he turned his back to leave as well. Eliana stopped. "F-Flynn." She started. Flynn stopped and turned around and was surprised. "Y-Yeah?" "...Thanks...for saving me earlier...I guess." She said but she still didn't face him. "No problem..." Flynn said with a faint smile. Eliana continued walking back to her room.
...I can't believe that I actually said something to him...somehow, I felt like I needed to thank him. Especially that he saved me earlier and got those wounds...

Flynn started walking to Yuka's office. "...I can't believe Eliana actually started talking to me...don't believe it...well, that at least raised my mood." He said to himself. Yuka stared at Flynn while he was spacing out and walking towards her. "You seem...unusually like a space-case." She said to him. Flynn focused his attention towards the octoling doctor. "I'm n-not! Man, can you just give me the medicine?" He asked her. "...No. I'm giving you your treatment. I don't trust anyone with handling my medicine because they either use a lot of it, or they're rather clumsy and spill the whole bottle." She said to him with an annoyed look as she pulled him inside her room. "Argh! Hey! Plus, I don't know who you're talking about. I don't know some octoling who just spills the whole bottle of medicine." Flynn replied as he folded his arms. He realized what he just said. The beige octoling rolled her eyes. "...Should I suggest there's no octoling that spills my medicines in this entire race except for you? Oh, I'm sorry, three bottles?!" Yuka said as she pulled his arm and dabbed a piece of cloth on his wound. Flynn kept twitching. "H-Hey! That stings...!" He said. "Well, fuss all you like. From now on, I'm not giving you any of my meds for your wounds after you wasted them." She said as she continued dabbing. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" He said as she continued doing that for his other wounds for 15 minutes. Finally, she wrapped bandages around him. "...That's enough. Now get some rest. I shall inform Master to not send you on a mission tonight." She said as she went to her laptop and started typing. Flynn made a shocked face. "What!? You can't do that! Don't you dare-" "Sent. Get rest. I'm only telling this for your own good." Yuka said with a straight face. "...Damnit. Fine." He said as he got off from the bench and tried to exit the room. "Man...Yuka's so damn annoying sometimes...although, I did make her a little upset. Maybe that's why she's so cold." He said to himself as he went back to his room.