Shadow in the Glass: a Splatoon 2 Fanfiction

Chapter 12

Mona and Jake trailed Lyze as he dragged Calvin Irvel toward the Square. They got a few strange looks, but Lyze told them to ignore it, with a glint of evil in his eyes. "It'll be worth it," he promised, "It'll all be worth it."

"What will be worth it? Are you going to punch him or something!?" Jake questioned.

"Something like that, yeah."

Mona exchanged a worried look with Jake. Obviously, someone would get hurt. Badly. And as bad as Calvin was, Mona didn't think he deserved it.

They reached the center of the Square. Here, Lyze dropped Calvin with a thud. He looked at the defenseless mastermind before him.

"No funny business," he whispered maniacally, before his eyes started glowing again. Calvin tensed up again, stiffer than before.

Lyze looked at him one last time - in pity, it seemed to Mona - then raised his hands to his mouth and let loose a shrill bird call.

Everyone in the Square stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the trio of strangers in the middle, and... was that a body?

"People of Inkopolis!" Lyze spread his hands dramatically. "My name is Cheshire. I am the one behind the terrorist attacks on Kensa. You may think of me as the enemy, but I ask you, who took Turf Wars from you? Who stripped you of the biggest form of entertainment known to us? That's right - it's Kensa. My team and I have brought you Calvin Irvel, head of the Kensa Corporation and mastermind behind the Kensa Control. He is fully incapitated, so he will not be able to do anything to harm you. I turn him over to your hands, civilians. Do with him what you see fit."

With a bow, Lyze grabbed Jake and Mona and Super Jumped to the top of the Shella Fresh building.

Jake was as pale as a ghost, and Mona guessed it wasn't just because of the jump. "W-wow, Lyze," he stammered, "I would've never guessed you were such a good public speaker."

"Appreciate it, Jake." The dark-skinned Octoling sat down. "Now we sit back and watch the fireworks happen."

"Dude. Don't you think that this is a bit extreme?" Jake questioned.

"Not even remotely. Don't you think stealing the freedom of Turf War from you is a bit extreme?" Lyze rebounded.

Jake said nothing, and sat down. Mona sat too, and looked on as the crowd buzzed in confusion and disagreement. Then, an insult rang out. Something about the Kensa Company being snobs. Then another. Then another. Soon, everyone was hurling insults at the frozen president.

And then they began to hurl more than insults.

Stones, chunks of pavement, anything they could find. Even from this distance, Mona could see with alarming clarity the cuts, bruises and blood covering the body that was once recognizable as Calvin Irvel.

"He'll die slowly," a voice said next to Mona. She swivelled, and found Buia sitting by her, looking down at the gruesome scene with both disgust and delight. "Don't you see it, Mona? He can't die unless something overloads his ink or diminishes it entirely. If he's lucky, he'll bleed out quickly."

"Why are you here?" Mona hissed under her breath.

"Oh, Mona, I'm here to open your eyes. Can't you see it? The way we treat others? If we have things our way, we won't complain. But if it doesn't go how we want it to, we will insult, wound and abuse without a second thought. That's how selfish we are. And the best part is, we don't even know it."

Selfish. The word rang in Mona's head as she saw the scene, as if for the first time. The crowd throwing as much as they could at Calvin, who did one thing wrong. Lyze watching the spectacle with a wide grin on his face. Even Jake, watching with horror, did nothing to help the president.