SPLATOON: The Octarian Race

Chapter 19- The Two Friends

As Flynn kept running down the stairs, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind as he got pulled into the lab doors. Flynn gasped as he turned around and saw Oliver. "Heyo Flynn. What's the rush? If you're in a hurry, I need help for a few minutes." Oliver said. "Wha-?! I got no time-" He cut off his answer as he saw Lenard sitting on the table behind. Lenard stared at him back silently in surprise. Oliver turned around. "I'm sure you got lots of time, bro. Can you just watch number 8 for a little while? I got to send a report to Master that we're ready to experiement him. Don't worry, he won't harm you now that I just fully extracted his powers." Oliver said. Flynn nodded. "Oh…okay." He replied. "Thanks. Don't go anywhere." Oliver said again as he left the room. Flynn walked over to Lenard who was just sitting on the table with the wires attatched to his arms. Lenard just sat there with a straught face as he looked at the green octoling. "I should get you out-" Flynn started as he touched the wires, but Lenard shook his head in response. "...No. Not only did that scientist extract my powers, but he injected a dose on my legs to keep me from standing up. I don't think I could swim in my squid form either, so…it's no use." The white inkling said back. "No, I'm not gonna leave you here, Len. I'm sorry. I'm such a coward. I should've never done this in the first place. But I want you, me and Eliana to be together! Just the three of us!" Flynn said shakily as he looked at his friend in the eyes. Lenard had a rolled his eyes. "...No time-" "Shut up!" Flynn yelled back at him. The white inkling's eyes widened as he heard him yell. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to." "...Hmm…this reminds me of the first time…we met." "What…do you mean?" Flynn asked. 

[Flynn and Lenard's flashback] The white inkling was escaping the facility in the black hooded sweater. As he turned to look behind, he bumped into a green octoling. "H-Hey! Watch it! Wait a minute…" The green octoling was staring at the hood inkling, but he started running again. "Come back here!" The octoling said as he got up. "Flynn, catch that figure." Master said to him from his communicator that the green octoling still had in his pocket. "Got it, sir." Flynn said back as he grabbed his e-liter and chased after the male inkling unknown to him. As Flynn started to catch up to the white inkling, he caught his attention by trying to shoot him. The white inkling turned into his squid form and tried jumping over the old abandoned house rooftops outside the facility. "...I can lose him…" Lenard told himself as he watched the octoling tried to stand on the old rooftop tiles. Flynn started to wobble as he couldn't stand on the roof tiles. "Damn…how's he so tricky to get…? What's more, who's he and what does Master want with him? Anyways, no matter what, if it's for Master, and me, as a member of the race, I'll follow my orders no matter what." The green octoling thought. [End of Flynn's and Lenard's flashback]

Flynn's eyes widened in horror as Lenard told him. "...That…day…that was you…!?" Flynn asked as he remembered clearly as he took back the figure under the hood back to the race. "...Yeah." Lenard responded as he had an unhappy expression. "How…could I have ever done this to you…?" The octoling said back shakily. The white inkling heard footsteps coming from the doors. "...Flynn, stand up. They're coming. Go back to Eliana and don't come back for me." Lenard said as he stared at the door. Flynn didn't look back at Lenard as he quickly stood up and walked towards the doors. As Master and Oliver came in, they saw Flynn directly in front of them. "Ah, Flynn. Thanks for watching number 8. You're dismissed." Master said as he walked in. Oliver nodded. "Yeah, thanks." Oliver said as well. Flynn didn't look them in the eyes, but he nodded silently and left the lab. "What's with him? He seems oddly quiet." Oliver said as he scratched his head. Master had a grin as he saw Flynn's reaction. "It appears that he has a problem with his fake friendship. Yuka already informed me that he betrayed us." The black octoling said. Oliver looked at him with shock. "But…I thought a member who betrayed us, has to suffer death…! Why'd you let him leave?!" Oliver said. Lenard saw Flynn's reaction as he left, but he didn't say a thing either as he sat there on the table with the wires connected to his arms. "...From the DJ of course. But for me, it's different. I let the members suffer so they have no option to leave the race and the octarians. I'll make sure Flynn does suffer along with Eliana. That's what I did to number 4, after all." Master said. Oliver had a scared face as he heard the black octoling say that. Lenard heard their conversation, but he put on a serious face. The two octolings then turned to the white inkling. "...Let's get started. You'll make them suffer." The black octoling said to the white inkling. "...Go ahead and try. You may use me and all the other members in your little squid party, but in the end, our warriors of justice will defeat you." Lenard said back with a smirk on his face. "...Confidence. How amusing." Master said back. 
Flynn exited the facility of the race and ran as fast as he could back to the Inkopolis hole cover. "Lenard…I can't believe I've done this to him…the second time! But I swear…with this weapon, I'll help Eliana defeat the race and get Lenard back. Maybe then the three of us could live in Inkopolis for good…" He said to himself as he panted in front of the hole cover. He didn't hesitate to enter it as he headed for Inkopolis as night went by. Jakob watched him quietly from behind. "..." 

By morning, Eliana got out of her bed. As she looked at the digital alarm clock beside her, it read, '9:32am.' She sat up, but she clenched onto the bed sheets tightly.
…That dream came to me again last night…why? I thought Flynn already betrayed me. Why did it happen again?
Later, the purple inkling heard a doorbell.
…I wonder who that could be…this early in the morning?
She just sighed and flopped onto the bed in her squid form for about 30 seconds until the doorbell rang again."...UGH-" She groaned as she got back up in her humanoid form and walked to the front door. As she opened it, she saw Flynn in front of the door. Eliana's eyes widened as she looked at him. "..." Tears started to form in her eyes. "Eliana, I'm sorry." Flynn said to her. Eliana turned her back against him and shut the front door. "Wait-" Before Eliana went back inside, she stayed behind the front door and listened to Flynn silently. "I'm sorry. I know I can't say any words of what I've done to you. I'm such a coward. When we first met at the race, I wanted to get to know you. When I did, I felt happy and I didn't think the rules from Master applied to me. Then later, I met Lenard. Then the three of us actually hung out in Inkopolis this past week. It had to be the best experience an octoling such as myself had. Then…I betrayed you and him by leaving you to suffer and by letting the race use him. It's a lot to ask but…" Eliana didn't listen to what he had to say any further, but she opened the door and hugged him. Flynn was surprised for a few seconds, but he put his arms around her as well. "...I want to help you get Len back…I won't go back to the race anymore. You, me and him are friends and it's going to be just the three of us." He finished. 
I wouldn't know what to say back to him, but Flynn seems sincere about all of this. And I know I probably wouldn't stand a chance against Master and all the others by myself just like last time.
"...Mm…hm…" She hummed with a small smile. Flynn put on a grin with his teeth. 
…The dream is wrong? I wonder…it occured again to me this morning. Flynn didn't disappear. Who could the other figure be then?