Splatoon Manga: CybeRun

Chapter 6: Wrong Button?!

⭐️Chapter 6: Wrong Button?!

The squidbeak stood back at the octolings' command. The two then opened up the door to the machine and peeped inside. It wasn't that bad actually, it was really only the exterior that had taken the most damage. Hachi and Nana have each other a nod before heading inside.

"Wait."

Hachi and Nana paused and turned around. Flip had stepped up to face them.

"What is it?" Nana asked.

"Are we doing anything else, or...?"

"No, why?" Hachi inquired.

Flip shrugged as Rider walked up to her.

"Is there...something else we're supposed to do?"

"Well, yes...but we do not want you involved here for your own safety," Hachi replied.

"Oh."

Well, the squidbeak were at a loss for what to do. Nothing in their hero lessons prepared them for technology like this. Their only hope was to wait for Hachi and Nana to do more, and get this right. Rider was about to set his hand on Flip's shoulder, but Flip batted his hand away. She then walked back to the rest of the group.

The thing was, her and Rider didn't exactly get along. Rider had highly opposed to her joining the team, even though 8 teammates were needed for the Hero Central exams. The two also had a bit of a story with each other, but that was for another time. Flip just didn't want to anger Rider since he was the leader of the team and he called the shots around here. He was an S+, and she was only A.

Flip just shook her head as she watched the two octolings resume their work. If this mission was about them, then so be it. She wouldn't interfere.

"I hope this goes well...we did what we could, right?" Prince said quietly, as he was standing in the back area of the group.

"Yeah, we did. I didn't think we needed to figure out how to manage technology to become heroes, though." Gloves replied.

"Me either. We might need to talk with the idol 4 after this," Rider grumbled. "Sometimes, I just don't think they have their heads on straight."

After a while, Hachi and Nana came out from the machine. Nana stepped back and looked at it, as if thinking deeply.

"Do you think...it is okay?" she asked quietly.

Hachi also stepped back and had a look with her. The squidbeak had done a pretty good job of patching up the machine like they'd asked. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt. The other squidbeak noticed them thinking.

"Well? Is it ready?" Emperor asked.

"I...guess it is safe to go in?" Hachi replied, though he was still unsure.

Naturally, Goggles leapt forward first. He ran straight towards the door, pulled it open a little wider, and went all the way inside the machine.

"It's pretty spacey in here! Come on in, guys!" Goggles said cheerfully.

The squidbeak hesitated. Was it really worth the risk? What if something happened and they all got hurt? Well, nonetheless it was part of the exam to make sure this thing didn't explode...

One by one they all filed in, with Hachi and Nana coming in last. Goggles was right, this machine was big enough to fit everyone if they squished in. It was actually kind of cozy, like the one time the group slept in a large tree hollow on their Skyling mission. They looked around, and saw the whole thing had buttons and levers on its insides. The squidbeak were careful with those.

Unfortunately, Goggles was too caught up in the moment to be careful. New things always excited him, he couldn't help himself.

"Hey, I wonder what these do!" Goggles said.

He began poking at the smaller buttons on the walls, and they emitted tiny beep noises. Nothing noticeable happened, but Hachi, Nana, and Prince were all on edge about what would happen. Flip looked up at Rider, who was against Goggles but not looking at him.

"Hey!" she hissed.

Rider looked up. Flip nodded her head at Goggles, and Rider turned to look at him. His eyes widened, and he slapped Goggles' hands away from the buttons.

"Goggles, stop it! we don't know what those could do!" Rider barked.

"Awww! Fiiiine...."

Goggles sighed as he turned around and leaned back against a red button on the machine's interior walls. Flip gasped in horror as soon as she saw it.

"Goggles wAIT, NO-"

But it was too late.

Goggles had pressed the button.

The machine started vibrating, and all of the squidbeak began panicking, at least internally anyway. Emperor tried the door, only to find it was locked. The squidbeak heard a series of noises, and tried to remain calm as the machine shook more and more, with them in it. Then everything went downhill as the machine began spinning, with the noises getting louder. The squidbeak shut their eyes and resisted the urge to scream as all of them were tossed and tumbled like rocks in a polisher. And then...

Silence.

The machine halted, and right side up at that. Not slanted or sideways or anything. The squidbeak were too scared to try and figure out what was next.

"Should we...try and open the door to get out of here?" Prince asked quietly.

"I-I mean...is there any other thing we can do now?" Hachi asked nervously.

"Guess we might as well..." Rider sighed.

"But who's gonna open the door?" Flip asked.

Everyone seemed to say "not me" at the same time, except for Gloves, who'd realized too late what they were doing.

"Gloves? Open the door..." Flip groaned.

Gloves gulped, and nervously put his hands on the door. Before he could even move it an inch however, he paused.

"I can't do it! You check!" Gloves exclaimed, backing away from the door.

Flip sighed.

"Fine, Mr. "Trait of Bravery". I WILL."

She slowly opened the door of the machine. The squidbeak shut their eyes as the light beyond the door entered the machine. When they re-adjusted, they slowly opened their eyes, only for their eyes to widen.

Everything looked so...mechanic.

Futuristic. Robotic.

They weren't in the underground metro anymore.