OctoSquids (Splatoon story)

Chapter 7 - New Target Aquired: Hybrid

The OctoSquids and The Inkling Brigade were at it again at Turf War, more specifically, a ranked match. Calder had so much fun with the last ones they played that he insisted they played more, so they were stuck in Clam Blitz for today. Plum did not really complain either way. He really wanted to expand his abilities a bit more than just Turf War, though he probably made a bit of a mistake by choosing Clam Blitz on the first game, especially on Manta Maria.

As he tried to keep Moray and Maria away from their basket, Plum noticed Calder running away from something in a panic. He hid behind a wall and panted a bit, then decided to peak out from his hiding spot, only to be forced back into hiding by a missed shot from Alex's E-liter 4k scope.
"Uh, can I get a bit of help!? Alex is angry!", he called out, and Plum could hear him from his earpiece.
"Why is he angry?", Plum asked him.
"I may or may not have addressed him with the wrong pronoun.", Calder admitted.
"Did you seriously call him a 'she'!?", Ridley exclaimed.
"Looks are confusing, okay!?", Calder retaliated but jumped in fear as he noticed Alex aiming at him with his weapon. His reaction was to roll and swim away.
"Come back here!!", Plum could hear Alex yell at Calder, even without the need for his earpiece.

"Do I really need to pick up after you, boys?", Rainey scoffed as Plum just splatted Douglas, who almost tossed a Power Clam in their basket.
"Ridley will take care of that. In the meantime, get some more clams.", Plum announced as he ran closer to the center of the stage and super jumped towards Rainey when he noticed that Maria was giving her a hard time. He decided to use his Splashdown on his way down to give Rainey a brake.

"How many clams do we have? I have three.", Plum announced.
"Four!", Rainey called out next to him.
"I have eight, give some to me!!", Calder yelled as he kept trying to keep Alex away, now with Ridley's help. Plum looked at Rainey.
"Head to the basket, I'll meet you over there.", Plum told Calder as he gestured for Rainey to follow him. On their way, Plum threw an Autobomb towards the basket to make sure nobody was hiding, and there was, forcing Moray out of hiding. Rainey wasted no time to unleash her Suction Bomb Launcher, successfully splatting Moray.

Plum noticed Calder getting closer, still being followed by Alex as he suddenly splatted Ridley. Plum charged up his Hydra Splatling and began firing, not only trying to keep Alex away, but also to try and splat him, and, eventually, he did. After that, Plum tossed two clams toward Calder, enough for him to complete a Power Clam. He tossed it towards The Inkling Brigade's basket, and as soon as it opened, Plum and Rainey finished the game with the rest of their clams, with Douglas being a bit too late to stop them.

Everyone began to walk out of Deca Tower, with the OctoSquids emerging victorious once again. However, Plum noticed that both teams were walking in separate directions, the OctoSquids towards the Crust Bucket and the Inkling Brigade off to...somewhere else. Plum decided to follow Moray and stop her.
"Hey! I was wondering...", he told her as Moray looked at him.
"Yes?", she asked, waiting on him.
"If you guys don't have anything else to do, you can always join us. We'll have a quick meal in the Crust Bucket if you want to spend more time with the teams.", he offered with a smile. Moray smiled too, though hers was a bit more reluctant. She breathed in through her teeth.
"I'd love to, but...we promised to keep Maria company for today.", she apologized, only making Plum frown a bit.
"K-Keeping her company?", he asked, wanting her to clarify a bit. Moray was unsure of how to answer.
"If they all know about Murdoch, they might as well come with us.", Maria called out as Moray looked at Plum awkwardly.
"Well, you heard her.", she babbled.

Both teams, along with a disguised Murdoch, ended up walking towards an area Plum was not entirely familiar with. The aesthetic of the area became a bit darker and more gloomy, almost sad. Plum did not utter a word and preferred to wait for an explanation instead of asking for it.
"I know where we're going...", Calder pointed out, catching the OctoSquids's attention, but Plum later realized that Maria and Alex were holding something each. Maria was holding a yellow cluster of flowers and Alex held a handmade bracelet with yellow and light blue fabric.