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inklingleesquidly · 5 years

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Yo-Fest

Chapter 6

Lee Squidly gets a special call by the headpriestess of Knifefish Shrine to take part in special preparations for one of the biggest holidays celebrated by Inkopolis’ ghostly neighbors, Yokai. Yo-Fest is only a week away and it’s up to Lee to make sure the fesitivies go off without a hitch.

He’s not alone though; joining him is his pals Guist, Juddinyan, and his many Yokai friends who are just a dial away via his Yokai Smartwatch.

Featuring the characters of @askvincent

Chapter 5 available here

Word count: 6,208 words

Lee jolted up with a sharp gasp. From the sheets pooled around his lap, he recognized where he was. He wasn’t home but instead was in the common room of the main pavilion of Knifefish Shrine.

Through desperate pants for air he wondered if what happen to him really happen? Was it a dream? He touched his face and then his chest as a cold sweat rolling down his cheek. Did he really, truly go to the Yokai Realm? What happened after? By now he was desperate to collect his frantic, fragmented thoughts.

Clutching his Yokai Smartwatch, there was something amiss; there was an unshakable feeling that dominated his mind. Before he could give it a moment of thought, the room’s door slid open.

The startled Inkling screeched and squeezed his eyes shut from the light of the outside flooding into the solemn room. Standing there was Lyra, the shrine's head priestess who greeted him with a deep sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you’re finally awake.”

“Miss Lyra?” He groggily questioned? “Miss Lyra!” Suddenly remembered everything that had transpired, he darted up from his futon bed. Without sparing a thought he threw his arms around her waist, elated to see the shrine maiden unharmed. “Miss Lyra are you okay? What happened to us? I-- I—where is everyone? Guist? Juddinyan? A-and--.”

Stern and pragmatic as she always was, Lyra informed him of the grim news. “--They're all gone.” As she politely pushed him back, he got a look at her remorseful stare. “I can’t feel any sort of spiritual presence anywhere. I don’t think King Inkma was kidding around; I believe every Yokai on earth has been called back to the Yokai Realm.”

This feeling Lee had. Everything around him felt so—still, so lifeless, so strangely dismal. Was this a result of all the Yokai being gone? His thoughts raced a mile a minute so he could only babble out his words. “B-but they have to come back! Yo-fest! T-The-They can’t miss it, we--.”

The holy woman silenced him with a hand on his shoulder. “With or without them we'll continue with the ceremony and boffer—ahem, excuse me, offer the bamboo feast as we always have.”

“B-But—But--.”

“No buts.” Her hand fell from his shoulder to her side. “Everything else is out of our mortal hands now. We can only keep going as we always have.”

There were hundreds of things Lee wanted to say and questions he wanted to ask. There was so much he didn’t understand and so much more that troubled him.

In the end all that he could say was, “What do you need me to do today?” The brooding in her voice told him all they could do was accept the outcome fate had dealt to them.

Lyra said, “Today is the harvest. You've done the job I asked you to do so today I'd like you to dake the day off—I mean take the day off.”

“Are you sure?” Lee asked? “Can’t I help you with it at all?”

His offer was expediently declined. “The harvest and preparation of the bamboo is only to be done by the women of the cloth.”

“But--.”

“Lee,” she countered with that firm and strict voice, “You've done more than enough. You risked your life for this shrine, for your friends, and most definitely for me. It’s high time you did something for yourself so do whatever you want before the festival starts. You've earned it.”

As she spun around to leave, that signified she wanted the end of the conversation but Lee couldn’t just leave it at that. “But what about you though?”

The priestess stopped at the door's threshold. It took her a moment to analyze and reply to that question. “Returning to my duties will help me.”

Lee believed her, he really did; she had so much pride in the work she devoted her life to. He kept that in mind yet he couldn’t shake that there was a startling sadness in her voice.

Whatever I want? As much as Lyra suggested he relax, it just wasn’t in Lee to sit around doing nothing. To alleviate this, he resolved to take a stroll around the property.

Making his exit, the first sight he encountered was the normally empty plot of land across the street from the shrine. It was already filled by early rising vendors. The vacant lot belonged to the shrine and was used for events such as tonight's festival. Yo-Fest may have been the main event for him and Lyra but Olden Days, the celebration of Inkopolis's history was also to take place. From here he could see all manner of trucks, trailers, and currently bare stands readying to dispense food and fun.

Food, Lee thought.

He thought back to the first time he came to Knifefish Shrine. “Both fests going on at once is how I get double Tofu Takoyaki,” Juddinyan had said. His shoulders sank when he thought about that so he walked away.

He didn’t get far before coming upon a dry divot in the soil. Days earlier it had been filled with water, making it the sight of one of Leakina's tricks. He thought back to how she made him step into puddle with only his socks on. That moment had previously made him furious but now…

“Huff.” The troubled teen could only let out a sigh. The rest of the day was exactly like that. No matter where he went his mind was flooded with memories he had made during his week at the shrine.

There's the sunflowers the Moleymoreys really liked.

The shrine of the Misty Maiden. It looks so empty now.

That's where Leakina and I both talked.

Everything was so quiet, and so lonely. If not for the gentle lapping of water from the stream it would've been completely encompassing. He wanted to hear Guist cheerfully blather about how good the weather was, to see Juddinyan hop and bound through the tall grass, or even for Leakina to flick water in his face.

Anything...

Maybe some food would help clear his mind? A trip to the convenience store just a block away was in order. With a bag of sour cream & onion chips and a bottle of cola, the smallest of smiles found its way to his face as he returned to the shrine.

RRROOOOOM

A bus rolled by him, coming to a halt at the weathered wooden bench just below the stoop leading up to the shrine. That was the same stop where Kakkonyan and Wanderzan arrived.

Seeing that made Lee weakly toss his half-empty containers of food in the trash, his appetite gone. That pit in his stomach just couldn’t be filled by junk food.

Being so preoccupied with his thoughts, he failed to notice how the collection of the bamboo had been proceeding. At first he wondered how long ago were the morning prayers? No matter how much time had passed he was still impressed at how the entire field was almost completely cleared away by all of the shrine maidens.

There was one particular scene that caught his eye. It was two Inkling girls, the youngest of the priestesses in-training that he was familiar with. From his distance, Lee couldn’t tell what they were talking about but he could see one of them holding something out in her hand for the other to see. She then threw whatever it was up in the air with a hearty laugh.

Seeing that made him hang his head low; remembering Guist haphazardly throwing seeds everywhere when they first started. Heaving another heavy sigh, he solemnly brushed his tentacles out of his face. No matter where he went it was just impossible not to think about them, and miss them.

“Ohh Lee.”

ACCCK!

He failed to notice someone had approached him. “Wha--? Oh Kaitlyn,” he breathed with ease, “I'm sorry I was just kinda, umm, thinking.”

The quiet anemone aologized cordially. “I'm so sorry for scaring you.”

“Nah,” Lee interrupted with a wave of his hand, trying to play it off like she didn’t actually startle him.

“Sister Lyra has a special surprise for you.” She grabbed his hand and jerked his arm, hurrying him along to follow her. “Come on, we can't keep her waiting.”

They found the head priestess at the rear of the base of the shrine where she was giving directions to other maidens. “Fantastic, we have even more than we did last year.” She said, pointing to the harvest crop piled high in plastic buckets. Tapping at a tablet computer’s screen she then gave further instructions. “Okay, take them to be boiled and don’t forget which batch is for frying and which is for stewing.”

Turning around, Lyra jolted at the sight of her trainee with the high-strung Inkling. “Ohh! Oh it's you two. Kaitlyn what have I told you about sneaking up on people? It's rude!”

“Forgive me Sister Lyra.” Kaitlyn said in that hushed voice of hers, bowing her head, “But I found Lee just like you asked.”

With a modest wave, Lee asked, “You have a surprise for me, Miss Lyra?”

“Yes actually,” she confirmed, “And here it is.” He never would've expected her to slide an apparel box into his arms. The priestess exclaimed, “It's a token of thanks for everything you've done. Go ahead, open it.”

Lee was rather hesitant at first; due largely to how beautifully wrapped the rectangular package was. The paper was a smooth muted brown color that hadn’t a mark or blemish on it, and the whole thing was secured with a green ribbon tied in an ornate bow. When he looked up to see Lyra giving a hurrying gesture, he tore the packaging apart to unearth his gift inside.

It was some sort of cloth; colored black and gray with what he noticed were pieces of silver speckled material stuck to the gray portions. He removed it from the box to watch as it unfurled within his hands. He marveled at his gift with an awestruck “Oh my stars,” only to dumbly ask, “Is it some kind of bath robe?”

That managed to get Lyra to snicker. “What, that? Well you’re close, it's a yukata like they wear for festivals in the east. The girls all pitched in to help sew it for you.”

“I made the collar.” Kaitlyn declared.

Lyra clarified, “You helped with the collar.” She then revealed, “We each gave our own blessings when we were making it so keep that in mind. Every time you wear it you carry a little bit of all of us here at Knifefish Shrine with you.”

With an inquisitive smile and a twinkle in his eye, Lee breathed out. “I love it.” He did inquire after slipping it on, “Is there a special way that you're supposed to wear this?”

How he tried to cross the right side of the garment over the left got another little chuckle out of Lyra. “No,” she said, covering her mouth with her palm. “Kaitlyn, please take him and show him how to do it right.”

Kaitlyn quickly agreed, confirming with a submissive bow. “Yes ma'am.” She said, grabbing at Lee's wrist again in spite of protests he gave.

“W-wait, isn't there a guy who can show me how?” His modesty against the opposite sex fell on deaf ears as Lyra returned to her work. In that moment he really analyzed how she conducted herself with him and her subordinates. Maybe it was true what she said; returning to her normal life really did do the trick for her. She was back to normalcy despite such an unfathomable event. Or so he thought…

It did not take long for him to be fitted into his festival garb and he was quite relieved when Kaitlyn suggested he could wear his clothes underneath. With a feel-good spring in his step he rushed to meet Lyra again to show her only to be informed that she had retreated to the bathhouse. Sure enough he did find her there, alone and mysteriously crouched on the faux-stone floor.

“Miss Lyra?” Lee whispered.

Whipping her head around, Lyra gasped. “Ohh, Lee!” She stood up sharply, a handful of rubble from the statue clutched in her hands. “I was just,” she sputtered unsurely before clearing her throat, “I can’t believe I've been gone less than a day and nobba—ahem, not one girl here comes to clean up this mess. I'm going to have them all spit shine the entire shrine from top to bottom for this.”

Her shortness of breath, the somber look in her eyes, the way she so tightly held the statue’s broken pieces; despite her best attempts there was no hiding how troubled she was. The priestess was quick to realize he saw through her façade with the downtrodden stare he offered her in response.

Carefully approaching the subject, Lee inquired, “What's on your mind Miss Lyra?”

“We went to the Yokai Realm, Lee. No living mortal is ever meant to pass into that world.” He failed to comprehend the true weight of their experience as the grave look in her eyes shown. “We both saw things not meant for mortal eyes and yet here we both are. It makes me think. Who am I? Where am I even going? I know my purpose is my faith,” she clutched her chest, “I know that with all my heart but deep down I feel there's so much missing.”

Confused, uncertainty, utterly lost; we had felt those exact feelings before, himself. Due to very recent events in his life he was making greater strides to find himself on his own terms. As for Lyra had been marinating in those thoughts longer than he had so what could he hope to do to even attempt to help her? The only thought he had was to extend his hand, literally reaching out to her to signify their common ground.

Just as he tried, the bath water suddenly began to drain away. Lyra panicked but watching as the rising steam gathered together, Lee knew precisely what that meant.

The portal to the Yokai Realm was opening!

YA HA HA HA!

A laugh echoed from beyond; a mirthful, mischievous laugh one might mistake for malicious.

YA HA HA HA!

It sounded again, that ghastly laugh ringing louder in their ears as it drew closer. Whatever this mystery was it was solved in an instant as none other than Leakina herself came soaring through the open gate.

Both Inklings were utterly astonished to see her, so much that neither could follow her movements as she twirled her ghostly body around Lee.

“Heeeey Leeker!” She squealed with boundless joy.

His eyes spun with dizziness in trying to follow her, so much that he could only stammer out his response. “Wha-bhu-ahh, Leakina?”

“Lyra!” The watery specter fastly turned her attention to the priestess; uncoiling herself from Lee and circling her arms around the young woman's neck. Their eyes met, Leakina grinned from ear to ear as she hovered closer and closer within Lyra's space.

Her sudden proximity caused the maiden's cheek to become flushed. “Leakina,” she whispered. “Water you-- whudder—what are you doing here?” Her brow furrowed, remembering the damage she had done and how she was furious with her. “You're supposed to be ban—UMMF!”

Was it the spontaneous, unpredictable nature of Yokai? Perhaps it was the feelings Leakina held deep within her heart? Whatever it was, Lee lurched back in surprise as he watched Lyra be silenced with a kiss right on the lips. Was it as much a shock to her as it was to him? He was unsure because she didn’t appear to offer even a hint of resistance or displeasure from it.

Before he knew it someone else came barreling through the portal. “Cowabunga dude!”

“Guist!” Lee gave a joyful gasp as he watched the squid spirit soar toward him.

“Cus!” Guist cried through emotional, misty eyes.

Neither needed to exchange any more words; Lee held out his arms to the pint sized poltergeist as he flew straight into a squeezing hug.

That wasn’t all though; an excited MRROW sounded from the coolest cat in the Yokai Realm and the Mortal World as he came bounding into the bathhouse.

Lee called out breathlessly. “Juddinyan!” The agile feline jumped onto the teenager, climbing his way under his shirt, and up his body. Though those razor sharp claws painfully dug into his flesh again and again, Lee could only laugh to the point of tears from his happiness.

Popping his head out through Lee's collar, Juddinyan inquired, “Did you me'iss us?”

“Only a whole lot!” Lee answered straight away, shrugging Juddinyan off his back but catching him in his arms in order to embrace both him and Guist and never let go.

There was so much happiness and most especially love in the bathhouse as the Yokai and mortal Inklings were reunited. It didn’t last long as one more entity stepped out, the very aura that they emitted causing every eye to be upon them.

Lyra was the first to point them out. “Lord Inkma!” She threw herself to the ground, followed by everyone else in observance of the arrival of the Yokai sovereign.

As he made his approach he declared, “Arise. I have important matters to discuss, and they have to do with you.” He pointed an accusatory finger to Lee.

“Me?” Lee pointed to himself.

Inkma began to explain. “It is forbidden for mortals to enter the Yokai Realm.”

“But I--.” Lee tried to start.

“—I know you came to rescue your friend.” Inkma finished for him, “But good intentions do not excuse breaking the laws of our world.” Glancing around at the other occupants of the bathhouse, nobody had an argument to offer, especially not with what Inkma said next. “You are also guilty of multiple counts of a crime of harboring escaped criminals.”

With a snap of his fingers three clouds of black smoke appeared beside him, dissipating away to reveal all three of the Yokai criminals along with those attached to them.

Boss Moley spoke on behalf of himself and his assembly of Moleymoreys. “We had our fun but we got a bone to pick with that skunk.”

With a hand on Tropicanna’s shoulder, Dehydreaded said, “I just wanted my little flower back. I’m ready to serve out the rest of my time.”

“I’ll come visit you every day, Daddy.” Tropicanna added with a hug around her father’s waist.

Finally, Paranumbra complained, “There’s too much light here, even at night! I want to go back to my dark prison cell.”

King Inkma walked forward, speaking directly to Lee. “The law of the Yokai Realm is that fate should fit one’s character so this will be your punishment.” He stopped in front of him; despite their similar appearances, King Inkma’s firm, statuesque stance trounced Lee’s nervous and hunched demeanor. The Yokai King gave his judgement. “Because of your kindness and ease of friendship towards others you will become the Ambassador of Mortal and Yokai Affairs. Whenever there is trouble between worlds you will be the one to answer the call.”

The Ambassador of Mortal and Yokai Affairs? Lee could only stand there, dumbfounded as question after question arose in his mind. There was one in particular that King Inkma seemed to answer of his own accord, leading Lee to wonder if the monarch was psychic?

“If you refuse then look into the celestial mirror to see what will become of you.” He held up the mirror that hung around his neck. “What do you see?”

“Mm-Myself,” Lee answered. It was a mirror after all.

“What else?” Inkma replied.

He peered closer. Was there something he was missing? “I don’t see anything.”

“That’s right,” revealed Inkma. “If you refuse then you will spend eternity in purgatory. You will not receive judgement for your deeds in life, and you won’t even become a Yokai.”

This ultimatum brought about a stunned silence to everyone present. Even the Yokai criminals were at a loss for words.

The king asserted, “What’s it going to be?”

Now all eyes were on Lee. How was he possibly going to answer? The vague weight of such a responsibility placed upon him by the most intimidating Yokai of both worlds was unfathomably insurmountable

“That sounds fair, I’ll do it!”

Nobody had known the frustration this last week had brought him; how he felt so miserable that he contemplated dropping his smartwatch in the river. He wanted to be done with Yokai forevermore. In spite of that that though, the mere hours not knowing what would become of the friends he made felt so much worse. He didn’t want to go through again.

“Do I get a badge or something?” The eager boy queried while shaking his clenched fists.

Inkma answered with a stern, “No.” He folded his hands behind his back and lifted his head in contemplation. “Now that that’s settled there’s the matter of this new portal being opened. We’re going to need to find a guard to watch it.”

Straight away, Leakina pushed Lee aside, eagerly waving her hand. “Ooo, me! Me! Pick me! I’ll do it!”

“The job is yours,” Inkma decided without a second thought. “There’s also the problem that our new Ambassador needs a chronicler; someone to be in charge of receiving and recording all of your assignments.”

This time Guist was the one to rush in. He cried out excitedly, “Dude! I’ll do it!”

“Done, you’re the Ambassador’s Chronicler.” Inkma tapped his chin, puzzled by one last order of business. “Now you just need a savvy partner knowledgeable of both worlds to shadow you on each endeavor.”

“Meow?” Juddinyan raised a single paw.

That was well enough for King Inkma who said, “Excellent, glad we could make this easy.” It was all happening so fast, Lee could barely keep up. What’s worse was the Yokai monarch decided their business was finished. “Now then, I’m returning to the Yokai Realm with these criminals. We’ll be in touch for your first assignment, whenever that will be.” With that, he returned to the three convicts, all disappearing In the same puffs of smoke as they arrived.

He might have strong armed into the job but what did Lee really get himself into? That thought was shaken out of his head as he suddenly felt Leakina leaning all of her weight on his shoulder.

“YA HA HA HA, isn’t this great Leeker?” She laughed right into his ear. “We’re gonna see even more of each other than ever.”

Guist hovered in front of Lee, happily wiggling not only his tentacles but his whole body. “This is mondo cool Cus, we’re gonna be chillin’ so much too!”

Finally, Juddinyan hopped up excitedly, eager at what was to come. “We’ll be able to go to the Meowkai Realm whenever we want. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah,” Lee readily agreed, “That’s all great!” He meant that sincerely, he wouldn’t want it any other way. However, he had something to address with the Yokai. “If we’re going to do that though I think we need to set some ground rules first.”

Later that night...

The time had come at last; with the sun setting and the shroud of night rolling over the city, the celebrations were ready to begin. Creatures all throughout Inkopolis gathered at the humble Knifefish Shrine for Older Days Fest. Unknowingly, they rubbed shoulders with their invisible poltergeist neighbors who were assembling for their most beloved holiday of all, Yo-Fest.

Paper lanterns and fiery torches decorated the shrine, a clash of old-fashioned aesthetics against the modern trucks and carnival rides a mere walking distance away. Acting as a makeshift stage, everyone turned to the main pavilion as Lyra stepped forward to address the crowd.

“Welcome one and all.” She spoke into a microphone that amplified her voice into speakers arranged around the main hall. “Thank you for coming to Inkopolis’s annual Olden Days Festival. Now, Olden Days as we know it is a celebration of our city’s long and wonderful cultural heritage. From the very first settlers who came from the east, our history is rich with the stories of many different species but there is another side to today’s celebration.”

The head priestess extended her arms outward, elaborating further. “Today we honor the spirits that coexist in our world and impact our lives in ways we can’t possibly imagine. Whether they be the souls of the dearly departed or even the spirits of the smallest pebbles beneath our feet, tonight is the night to remember our connection to the world that neighbors our own.”

With that, her subordinates and even Lee filed in with the prepared bamboo. One by one they settled down plates, bowls, and baskets filled with prepared meals in front of main hall. As they did, Lyra continued with her address. “To guide and appease the spirits we offer this sacrifice of bamboo as a testament the longevity of our union to each other.”

Spirits? Neighboring world? Sacrifice offering? To many in the crowd she was speaking utter mumbo jumbo, old-age religious nonsense that they boredly awaited her to finish. Onlookers in the crowd thought the priestess to be crazy as they watched her look to her side and hold out an open hand to nothing.

Of course, those like Lee and Kaitlyn could see that she wasn’t reaching out to nothing. Leakina had been standing beside her the entire time and when Lyra stretched out her hand, the watery wraith silently but tenderly rested her hand in the young woman’s palm. Only they could see the two turn to each other as Lyra enthusiastically stated, “As head priestess of Knifefish Shrine I declare Olden Days started!”

The crowd dispersed and the festivities went into full swing with Lee joining the collection of hundreds of mortals and yokai with Guist and Juddinyan at his side. Over the music and merriment, they finally had a chance to inform their friend of what had happened after the battle with Goredinator.

“The king-dude was seriously cheesed off about the whole thing, he was totally about to blow his lid but then we reminded him that it was almost time for Yo-Fest.”

Juddinyan added, “He was meowly excited bout the bamboo feast.”

“But not nearly as hyped as getting to see his Pops like he said.” Guist let out a laugh as he bobbed in the air. “How d’ya like that Cus, Yo-Fest totally saved our bacon!”

Lee could help but join them in chuckling at such happenstance. “Heh-eh, you know what, I do like that.”

Even though he did laugh, Lee couldn’t help but dwell on that thought about King Inkma and his pops. He had wondered this entire time what was Yo-Fest all about and he was starting to figure out what.

Yokai as he knew them always caused trouble for mortal creatures. It was in their nature to cause mischief yet all around him he saw them calmly hovering over them. From families to single visitors, some had yokai that stuck to them like glue, even if they couldn’t be seen. Those visiting the nearby cemetery were a sight to see.

The young Inkling had a strong feeling he knew why and he suspected it had to do with what Lyra said about the unity and harmony between yokai and mortals. As joyous as it was to see all kinds mingling together, and for him to be back with his best pals there was a longing in Lee’s heart that he couldn’t shake. It was something that seeing all of this made him yearn for even harder.

“Lee! Lee! Oh Honey, there you are!”

Was his mind playing tricks on him? That voice he heard, it couldn’t have been who he thought it was? He focused forward, searching through the crowd. There was; waving her hand above the crowd, eyes twinkling with delight as they spotted each other.

“MOM!” Lee nearly screamed. He took off, dashing the short distance into a waiting hug.

Squeezing her son with all her strength, Janine happily greeted him. “Ohh Sweetie, even though it was only a week, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too Mom.” His grip around her did not loosen, even as hers did.

“Everything here looks great,” she said, finally managing to peel him away. “Of course it would be with you helping out.” He modestly shrugged his shoulders, unable to take the praise knowing all of the preparations weren’t his doing. His thoughts were shaken by her brushing his tentacles out of his face and dusting the front of his robe. “That yukata makes you look so handsome, is it really handmade?” She continued inquiring. “Did you have a good time while you were here? I bet you're itchin' to come home, huh?”

Honestly? “I had a great time!” That wasn’t untrue but he decided it would be best to omit all the details about his numerous brushes with death, and going to a parallel dimension. “Actually,” Lee added, “Could I stay one more day? Just to help clean up when the festival is over and hang out with my friends a little more?”

Janine's face gleamed with a shining smile as she replied, “Of course Honey. I'll swing by and pick you up tomorrow, but before that I brought a nice picnic dinner for us.” In his excitement, Lee didn’t notice the wicker basket cradled in the crook of her arm until she slid it into his grasp.

Gingerly opening the basket, he let out a dramatic gasp upon inspecting its contents. “Haa-- heh-- h'oh my stars,” he stuttered. “Salmon Bagel sandwiches, mom’s macaroni & cheese, and-- and--,” he was too taken in by one other thing to pay attention to the plastic container of steamed greens. “I-is that chocolate cake?”

Janine anticipated he would be fonnd of that as she clarified, “Baked it this afternoon. I even brought your favorite ice cream too.”

Hearing that couldn't stop his lips from quivering and his eyes from watering. After a week of delivered dinners and gas station ramen, one of his mom's home cooked meals was like a gift from heaven. “Ara ara,” she giggled, “I’ll be right back with it, I left it in a cooler in the car. We'll find a nice place to eat and you can tell me all about this week. Love you, Sweetie.”

“Hiff, love you too Mom.” Lee tried his best to control his sniffling, unable to believe he was so emotional over food.

As she walked out of sight, Leakina hovered over with a look of awe on her face. “Whoa, is that your Mom, Leeker? Good choice, you picked a real pretty one.”

Her inquisition made Lee chuckle. “Heh-eh, I didn’t choose my mom.”

“Really?” Leakina wondered. “I did. Yokai pick their own families and speaking of which, my sisters are coming right now.”

“Your what?” Lee repeated.

Right before their eyes, he watched as a bevy of yokai that looked just like Leakina rise out of drinking cups strewn about the festival area. His eyes darted all around as he watched them appear. There was a pink Leakina, then white, orange, and finally cola colored one that appeared before them.

“THERE'S MORE OF THEM?!” One was more than enough. And the prospect of several Leakinas made Lee scream. “AHHHHHHHH!” He ran in the opposite direction but not before reflexively hurling the picnic basket up in the air.

It was safely caught by Leakina who curiously asked Guist and Juddinyan. “What's wrong with him?” Their answer was an unknowing shrug of their shoulders.

The rest of the night went on without a hitch for mortals and yokai alike with fun, food, and frolics. It was soon time for the midnight fireworks. Janine had already gone home to Shee-Booyah for the night , leaving Lee to his devices at the shrine. He exited the main hall after setting his phone down to charge only to have Guist spiral in front of his face. “Sup Cus! Peep this, the whole crew is here to watch the fireworks tonight with us!” There on the stoop was Juddinyan laying on his back, Leakina, and surprisingly Kakkonyan and Wanderzan to.

“Hiiii-nyah,” Kakkonyan waved a candied apple he held in his paw.

Meanwhile, Wanderzan coolly greeted, “Sup Homie.”

Lee grinned, “Heh-eh, glad you guys could make it!”

As he sat down, Guist eagerly danced about in the air. “Woo-hoo, this is gonna be the raddest, most excellent thing ever! I never saw fireworks before.”

As the pint sized spirit babbled, Lee felt a nudging at his arm. Leakina offered a candied apple, whispering, “Psst. I snagged the last one of these for you Leeker. If I didn’t then the fur ball would have gotten them all.” Upon closer inspection, Juddinyan was soundly sleeping with a satisfied smile on his face, holding his swelled belly with four discarded sticks at his side.

“Hey thanks,” appreciating the gesture with a nibble on the sweet, crunchy treat, Lee took a seat on the wooden veranda. It felt so oddly quiet despite all of the activity going on at the festival grounds. To Lee, this silent stillness was a reprieve from the craziness he had endured the entire week. However what should have been relaxing was blanketed by a sudden strange feeling though.

The unnerved boy caught Leakina sitting beside him out of the corner of his vision, and she was oddly staring at him.

“What?” He asked curiously?

She swiftly answered, “Oh nothing, nothing.” After a momentary pause she added, “It's just pretty amazing how you came through for everybody and saved Yo-Fest.” Lee could only throw her an unsure look so she elaborated further. “You helped out Lyra, all those bad guys who gave us a hard time, and you kicked that big red jerk's butt!”

Ever modest, Lee replied with a shake of his head. “I didn’t really do a whole lot, you guys are the ones who did all the heavy lifting.”

That answer made Leakina tap her fists against her hips and grimace at him. "Well Mr. Modesty,” she snapped back, “If there’s one person you did a lot for its me.”

“What?” He muttered.

“Yeah, I mean look at me now; I’ve got my own home to haunt, I got a job, and I even got a girlfriend!” Leakina proudly proclaimed all of the things she had achieved.

“Girlfriend?” Lee repeated with keen interest.

There was a moment of backpedaling. “Well-- Lyra’s not quite there yet with the whole idea but she’ll come around. Why wouldn’t she? Who could say no to all this?” She made a gesture of presenting herself, the act of which made Lee unable to keep from eyeing her with a scoffing smirk.

Once she finished, she returned to the main topic. “Don’t even try to deny it.” The watery woman leaned toward him, her weight on one arm. “You did a lot for me, and it means a lot that you did, so thanks for everything Leeker.”

That genuine appreciative tone in her voice; it seemed as though she really meant what she said. All he had to do was give a simple “you’re welcome” but instead it came out as a nervous stutter. “W-well, it wasn’t anything really, ee—really I--,” he was then left at a complete loss for words. He felt a gentle, damp sensation on his skin as Leakina leaned in to give her hero a kiss of gratitude on his cheek.

Though he was stunned by that act, he was somehow able to find the words he was looking for. “Gosh Leakina, it was nothing, really, but uhh, watch where you're putting that water bottle.”

“What water bottle?” She asked with a sheepish grin, pulling her hand away and discreetly trying to hide a leaking bottle of water.

That battle ended before it began; segued by a series of explosions signifying the beginning of the long-awaited fireworks show. Guist gave a roar of a cheer as he pumped and wiggled his pale tentacles with so much excitement, almost stealing the show himself.

As Lee reclined back on one arm, he found his mind wandering as he really took in everything around him. To one side he could see Kakkonyan circling his arm around the shoulder of a glaring Wanderzan. On the other side was Juddinyan, wearing away the time in a peaceful, gluttonous slumber. Above him was Guist who served as a beacon of wonder and excitement as he fluttered about with so much earnest joy in his heart. Finally, right beside him was Leakina; someone he had endured variably endless, cruel bullying and humiliation from. Now, according to her he completely changed her afterlife around for the better.

He had heard a mantra once before; “When a Yokai enters your life, it will never be the same ever again.” For Lee he didn’t want to fathom what life would be like without the friends he had right here, the friends he was glad to stay with forever.

#splatoon #splatoon 2 #nintendo #yokai #fan fiction #lee squidly

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inklingleesquidly · 5 years

Text

YO-FEST

Chapter 5

He’s not alone though; joining him is his pals Guist, Juddinyan, and his many Yokai friends who are just a dial away via his Yokai Smartwatch.

Featuring the characters of @askvincent

Chapter 4 available here

Word Count: 5,438 words

With that beastly yokai having disappeared with Lyra in tow, Lee found himself completely at a loss. Leakina sat on the floor, motionless, staring into nothing while a frightened Guist and Juddinyan still shivering in fear. What were they going to do? What could they hope to do?

“Oh dear, Sister Lyra has been taken from us.”

A quiet, mysterious voice that shook the melancholic boy and the yokai. Lee spun around to find the source; an anemone girl standing in the entrance to the bathhouse. “Sister Kaitlyn?” She was one of Knifefish Shrine’s practicing priestesses.

Her hair tendrils bobbed as she nodded, silently confirming her identity. She brushed them out of her face as she stepped into the hot spring. Her voice was a rather quiet whisper, nearly deafened by the clacking of her wooden sandals on the stone floor. “That oni had such amazing power, and a scary face to match. Sister Lyra was scared for the rest of us but it seems she bit off more than she could chew trying to fight it on her own.” She exposited.

All Lee could think to reply was a stuttering, “Y-yeah,” as he was still dumbfounded by the situation. Suddenly, a realization dawned on him. “Wait a minute, could you actually see that yokai?”

That question raised the interest of the present poltergeists who, including Lee, all knew that the shrine maidens could feel the presence of spirits but not see them. She revealed, “Why yes I can. I don't have as much skill as Lyra but I can see and speak with them just fine.”

“That’s really great and all.” Lee began, knowing as interesting as that new development was there was a bigger problem at hand. “But we've got to figure out what that yokai did with Miss Lyra.”

Kaitlyn replied, “I'm not sure.” Her voice was rather peculiar to him. It was so reserved and monotone, it made him wonder if she felt any kind of emotion over Lyra's kidnapping? “I would think a yokai that powerful could go wherever they want but I'm gonna bet if they'd go anywhere it would be back to the Yokai Realm.”

Only in passing had he heard about the second world belonging to Yokai so Lee replied in bewilderment. “The Yokai Realm?”

Coming off of his fear, Guist chimed in with information. “You never heard of the Yokai Realm, Cus?” He zipped up into the air before Lee, thumbing at his tablet computer. “It’s like, this totally radical wonderland, y’know?” He continued to blather as he struggled to look for something. “It’s a happenin’ place where Yokai are born—and they live and—I never actually been there myself but--.” He groaned sadly, “Aww bummer dude my wireless went out and I was trying to find pictures of it.”

Juddinyan peaked out from between his paws, interrupting them to inform, “The only way to get to the Meowkai Realm is through a portal and I d’yon’t know where any are.”

“Ahh,” Kaitlyn interjected, “That’s a lot simpler than you think it is.”

They watched with earnest as she maneuvered through the bathhouse, stopping where the statue constructed by Lyra’s parents once stood. She moved behind one of the decorative rocks and appeared to pull some kind of lever that made an audible mechanical noise. Their attention then all shifted to the bath water; a bubble rose to the surface before the water began to spiral down into a drain. Eventually all of the spring was completely flushed away.

Why she did that was not clear at first but the steam that remained of the empty hot spring water mysteriously began to gravitate toward a rock formation that lined one of the walls of the bathhouse. Neither Lee nor the poltergeists had paid attention to the shape of the stones before but now they watched as the steam collected together within it. Soon, the vapor took the shape of a round disk, glowing with a mystical, ethereal light right before their eyes.

As captivating as it was to look at, Kaitlyn revealed, “There you go; one genuine portal between our Mortal World and the Yokai Realm.” Her gaze then shifted squarely upon Lee where she made a startling proclamation. “Well, whenever you're ready to save Sister Lyra just hop on through.”

“Wha'?! Buh-be-but-- M-Me?!” Lee returned with a stupefied stutter, questioningly pointing to himself.

Ever the energetic one, Guist spiraled through the air. “Well what are we waiting for? Let's boogey and save the shrine babe!” Hearing that made Juddinyan rise to his feet, and made Leakina clench her fists with a determined sneer on her face.

Before any of them could take another step toward the portal, Kaitlyn raised her hand to halt them. “I'm sorry but it takes a lot for a mortal to cross over; only one of you will be able to accompany him into the Yokai Realm.”

The question Lee should have asked was how did she know all of this? He was certain not even Lyra did but that wasn't what he said. “I-- mmm-- what makes you think I'm the one who can rescue Miss Lyra?”

The priestess exclained, “None of us have the training to fight an oni that powerful.” At first that didn't answer Lee's question since he didn’t have ANY of their training but she continued. “You however have your Yokai Watch so you won't have to face it alone. You'll have one of them.”

She gestured to Guist and Juddinyan, the furrier of the two indicating, “Mew should be the one to go with him.”

Guist replied, “Why do you think I should go. Juddin-dude?”

“N'your Y-pad has an app that can track me-ortals,” Juddinyan said.

“Wait? It does?” The pale squid spirit was baffled to hear that, and was left totally aghast once Juddinyan pawed at the screen of his handheld computer, finding the application in question for him. “Whoa-hoa, mondo cool!” He bellowed with genuine excitement over this discovery. “Check it Cus, I can totally see you!”

Kaitlyn continued. “Not to mention all the friends you have made who are just a dial away. If anyone can save Sister Lyra, it’s going to be you.” Lee hadn’t a word to say in response, he just stood there, prompting the maiden to say, “What's wrong? Are you scared?”

He questioned what gave that away? Was it how he clenched his teeth underneath his quivering lips? Was it how his knees jittered? Or was it how he tried to say something but all that came out in struggling whimpers? He still remained quiet but a rush of thoughts rocketed through his head, making him desperately wonder.

What do they want me to do?

What could he do? There wasn’t a Yokai he knew whom he believed had a chance to stand up against someone that menacing.

I don’t know what to do.

All he ever wanted was to see ghosts with his smartwatch, and here he was faced with yet another life or death situation. This seemed to be a common theme in his life, only this time he was to go to an entirely different dimension. How did this happen? What lead to this? Why did he have to go through this?

Don’t make me do this—there's nothing I can do. THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO!

In the blinding anxiety of the situation, he suddenly felt a peculiar tingling sensation encompassing around his hands. He came down from the heart racing tension to find Leakina standing before him, tightly clasping his hands in her own.

“Leeker,” she breathed, “I- I can't ask you for anything, I know that after everything I did.” Her voice was hushed as if she struggled to admit that to him. Nonetheless that did not stop her from lifting her head, looking the Inkling straight in the eye, and nearly pleading to him. “Just this once, please Leeker, save my Lyra.”

Save my Lyra. Those words echoed in his head again and again. The look on her face as he stared back at her said even more still. Desperation, helplessness, pleading, fear; she could be read like an open book.

Seeing it spurned something in Lee. His heart rate quickened, he straightened his back, and raised his head to show a furrowed brow and solemn stare. “I'll do it,” he said, standing tall, “I'll get her back.”

That sudden shift in bravado stupefied every occupant in the room until Guist congratulated, “Yah-hah, that’s the way to be, Cus!”

Equally disbelieving, Leakina babbled, “Y-You will?”

“I--I will, I p-promise I will!” There were still traces of uncertainty in Lee's voice but they were masked by an apparent overwhelming resolve.

That fiery energy gave an inspiring hope to Leakina. “Oh Leeker,” she whispered with a lighted smile, holding his hands even tighter than before. “Thank you.”

They had a common goal. For the first time since they met, their minds were in sync; Lee finally felt that he was beginning to understand Leakina and that there was much more to her that he wanted to know. It didn’t dawn on him until much later but she felt the same about him in that moment.

Suddenly, a blinding glow of light began to emit between their hands. Never did he think it would ever happen but once Leakina pulled her hands away, Lee stared in wide eyed disbelief at the treasure that was left in his flat open palms.

It was her Yokai card, the symbol of their friendship. Leakina instructed, “Once you find that guy that took Lyra call me and I'll come help.”

“Me too, meow.” Juddinyan added; showing his readiness by clenching his paws and hopping up and down.

That level of support brought a smile that wouldn’t leave Lee's face. Pocketing Leakina's Yokai card, he stepped toward the portal. “You ready to go, Guist?” He said.

Zipping right to his side, the squid spirit declared, “You know it Cousin! I got your back all the way!”

Just as they were moments from crossing the threshold between worlds, they were stopped by Kaitlyn. “Wait Lee,” she beckoned, her toneless voice as quiet as a whisper. “The Yokai Realm is unlike anything of this earth, you'll see things beyond your imagination that might be overwhelming for you.” The void of energy in her voice made that warning far more menacing than she probably intended.

Looking over his shoulder back at Juddinyan and Leakina, their encouraging smiles helped him retain his courage. “I'll be fine,” he replied.

Kaitlyn had one more thing for him. “Wait. You should know mortals might not be a common sight in the Yokai Realm. Wear this to keep from standing out.” She reached into the wide sleeve of her jacket and produced a dark colored blanket of some sort that she draped over him. He quietly accepted it, also accepting that there was still no clue of what he was getting into but alongside Guist, they made the cross over through the misty door.

His vision became momentarily impaired only to be returned shorter after where he would be greeted by the alien sights of the Yokai Realm. What came as a surprise most of all was finding a city, a metropolis even not so far removed from his home of Inkopolis.

Maybe it was his brain’s desire to associate something he knew with something new? It really did feel like home except for the oblong, seemingly impossible shapes of numerous buildings and structures. How were they able to stand without falling? He didn’t know, nor did he know how to process how some things, seemingly random things seemed to be—dismembered body parts? Eyes, Lips, Hands, Feet and more; they weren’t randomly placed without reason, they seemed to be integrated parts of the environment. Lee pinched his cheek, wondering if this whole thing was really a fabrication of his mind.

He was awake though, more awake now that he took in the colors of everything. From the sky above his head to the ground beneath his feet, everywhere he looked everything was so wild, vibrant, and actually quite garish. He had traveled with his mom to many faraway places but nothing could compare to this; even the smell and taste of the air was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He stopped contemplating when he realized Guist had left him and was absorbing the surroundings in his own way.

“Guist!” Lee shouted, interrupting a selfie with a pair of Yokai. “What are you doing, we’re supposed to be looking for Miss Lyra.”

The two locals disappeared in a spontaneous puff of smoke, spooked by the strange yelling entity draped in black. This made the squid spirit shake his head and groan. “Don’t have a cow Cus, I already found the shrine babe.”

“What, you have?”

Turning around his tablet, Guist showed the open mortal tracking app which displayed a map with one dot close to the center and another far off in the distance. The Yokai said, “Peep this, the mortal tracker really works. In the meantime, let’s kick it and enjoy our first time here.” Considering the weight of their mission, Lee wasn’t nearly as interested in sightseeing as his companion. He took him by the arm and began walking while the spirit waved his tablet around, cheerfully taking videos and pictures.

They continued along through the topsy-turvy city, directed by Guist's tracker. It was a blessing to have it as the street signs read in seemingly nonsensical gibberish. Soon, they managed to reach what appeared to be a normal office complex—or as normal as a building that wiggled from side to side could be. The two entered with no one paying any mind to them and rode the elevator to the floor the tracker surprisingly managed to point them to.

Upon exiting the lift, Lee vigorously wiped his hand with a tissue paper, mortified by having to touch the buttons made of eyeballs. Guist beckoned, “She's in this door right here, Cus,” indicating one that Lee grimaced at because its handle was an actual hand. Sucking in a breath and averting his eyes, he grasped it, jolting slightly when he felt the handle grip him back. He opened the door to find—a relatively plain looking empty office.

Nothing about it really stood out at all except for a folded card on the desk that shockingly read in perfect Inklish, Back in 5 minutes.

“Hey Cus, she's in here!” Guist waved, indicating a door labeled PRIVATE. That didn’t stop the ready Inkling from steeling his nerve and opening the door; even though his shaky hand spoke volumes of his hesitation. His partner was equally unsure as he reflexively ducked behind his shoulder. The duo stepped into a room much larger than the dimensions the outer office would suggest.

There, at the opposite end they saw him, Goredinator, the yokai who captured Lyra. He sat, reclining in an office chair, his bare feet up on his desk, hands behind his head, and a satisfied smirk spread across his face. That smile quickly vanished when he saw the cloaked Lee and Guist in the open doorway.

“What's the meaning of this?” He then gave a guttural snarl, “MROOO, Scaretary!” He slammed one fist down upon his desk then roughly smashed his finger down on a button. “Get these two out of here, I’m not taking any more appointments for the rest of the day!” They heard his voice scream from an intercom in the outer room.

Not sparing a moment, Guist zipped out from behind Lee's back, hovering up to be eye to eye with Goredinator. Bravely, the small squid spirit demanded, “Where’s the shrine babe? Tell us what you did with her before I totally burn ya!”

Goredinator’s only response was to blow a puff of air out of his nostrils, a move powerful enough to send the little ghost careening through the air out of his face. Lee caught him just in time to hear the bull horned oni laugh. “BRAH HAH HAH, you must be talking about the priestess. She’s right here,” he said, pressing a button on his desk that caused a nearby wall to spin around.

Lee and Guist gasped at finally finding Lyra, who held her hands over her mouth when her eyes locked with theirs. She was thankfully unharmed but trapped in some sort of cage made of tusks.

That fact made the Yokai gloat. “Like they say; if you want something done right you’ve got to do it yourself. Those convicts couldn’t stop Yo-Fest from happening but I could.”

“Wait,” Lee finally spoke, “You’re the one who sent those yokai that attacked the shrine?”

“That’s right.” Goredinator freely admitted. “I underestimated a humble shrine priestess but I should’ve known better since she’s the one initiating this blasted holiday.”

Perplexed, Lee continued to question. “Who are you? What have you got against Yo-Fest?”

Riding off of his joy, the big brute was willing to oblige. “My name is Goredinator and I just hate Yo-Fest! I hate the whole Yo-Fest season!”

“But why dude?” Guist weakly wondered?

“Why?” Goredinator slammed his fist down on his desk at that question. “WHY?” He repeated, bashing his other fist on it again. “WHY?!” He crashed both of his hands through the thick wooden desk, managing to break clean through it with his terrifying strength. His tantrum continued with him spinning around and ripping away a piece of the wall behind him. He snarled and huffed angrily as a mountain of papers toppled out of the open wall. “THIS IS WHY!”

The two intruders stepped back as the flood papers spread all over the floor, neither understanding until Goredinator finally unveiled his plot.

“I approve who goes from the Yokai Realm to the Mortal World and at this time of year requests come in by the truck load. For millennia I’ve had to deal with it and I can’t stand it anymore! I’m going to make sure this holiday is ruined and so no one will want to go the Mortal World.”

Absorbing the whole story, Lee sought clarification because he couldn’t believe what he heard. “Wait, are you serious? You attacked us and kidnapped Miss Lyra just because you don’t want to do paperwork?”

Straight away Goredinator replied with the utmost sincerity. “That's right.”

His snorting, huffing laugh was pure mockery to the mortal creature. In that moment he thought back to being dogpiled by Boss Moley and his Moleymoreys, to being dried out by Dehydreaded, getting scared to death by Paranumbra, and finally Lyra’s kidnapping. All of this trouble, all of this fighting, and all of this turmoil— it made Lee freeze in place.

Whispering over the laughter of their foe, Guist asked, “So uh—how do you plan on talking this guy into not being such a hosehead?”

“We’re not talking,” Lee answered, much to his partner’s surprise. He muttered his explanation. “My mom says you should always try to talk things out—but sometimes some people reach a point that they don’t deserve that. And he’s so far past that point that he’s on the moon.” With that conclusion in mind, Lee took the black cloak that had been concealing him and peeled it off.

This development intrigued the villainous yokai who commented, “Say I remember you, you were there at the shrine.”

From her cage, Lyra interjected with a plea. “Ahh! Pay no attention to him, he’s just a kid, nothing more—he just—he just,” she then realized she couldn’t fathom an explanation as to how he got here.

“Well whatever,” Goredinator said unphased, “What could you hope to do alone?”

“I’m not alone.” Lee informed, standing firm he held up his arm to display his watch to the big bad poltergeist.

In response he snarled, “What in the--? A Yokai Watch?”

He didn’t back down. “That’s right,” he said, instantly taking responsibility for foiling all of Goredinator’s plans that week. “And I’ve got some friends who have a bone to pick with you.” Lee drew all the calling cards he had out of his cargo pocket and slammed them down upon the face of his smartwatch. “Come on out my friends! Calling—everyone!”

“Juddinyan!”

“Meow, it’s go time!” Juddinyan punched one of his paws against his other paw.

“Moley Morey!”

The mole yokai readied his shovel like a polearm. “That’s the shmuck that promised us freedom! And This is what he’s doing?”

“Tropicanna!”

Appearing in a fine mist, the flowery yokai held up her fists. “That priestess helped me and Daddy, let go of her now!”

“Kakkonyan!”

The loving cat yokai was anything but as he sneered, “If Lee thinks you’re a bad guy than you’re a really bad guy! Nyah,” he pulled out his pair of Tentamissile launchers, looking for a fight.

“Wanderzan!”

“Any enemy of muh homey is an enemy o’ mine!” The jellyfish yokai clacked his baseball bat against the floor.

“And Leakina!”

Biting her teeth, the lovestruck yokai practically lead the charge herself. “Now you got nowhere to run, you’re gonna give Lyra back!”

Even Guist joined their ranks; donning a bandana, a bandolier of ink cartridges, and grasping a Splattershot as he did earlier that week. He declared, “Time to rock n’ roll, dudes!”

From her cage, Lyra stood in absolute awe of what she saw; the seven yokai standing alongside Lee. She listened as the youngster pointed a finger, challenging the powerful Oni. He said, “Now give us back Miss Lyra and stop this already!”

As much as he hoped it would be, Goredinator seemed anything but intimidated. He started to breathe heavily, grunting furiously and pumping his shoulders with each exhale. “I will not be denied! Especially not by the likes of you!” He then made Lee and his band jump by grasping the shirt and coat of his suit and ripping it to pieces. Before any of them could process why he did that, a jet-black miasma spontaneously began to surround him. It obscured the malevolent yokai as he emitted a mighty roar that rocked the entire room.

The dark cloud dissipated and, in that moment, Goredinator had transformed right before their eyes. Lee recognized the creature he had become, it was a bull; a giant bull that dwarfed all of them in size. He scrapped one cloven hoof on the ground, huffing through his nose with the same anger as before, and his eyes blazing like fiery embers.

Seeking direction, Guist floated down to near Lee’s shoulder. “Umm-- what do we do Cus?” He asked, his shooter shaking as he clutched it.

Lee looked all around at the members of his entourage who had fallen silent in awe of the unanticipated transformation. The mortal boy was equally speechless and was sure they could feel the sheer might that radiated off the altered Goredinator just as he could. “We can do it,” he answered with a heavy gulp, “There’s eight of us and only one of him!” Driving down his own nervousness, Lee bravely proclaimed, “ATTACK!”

Together, the seven collected yokai and their mortal friend rushed into battle. With them by his side, Lee felt they could take on a yokai as frighteningly mighty as this. We can do this! WE CAN BEAT HIM! He shouted in his head, absolutely sure as sure could be—.

A few moments later

“AHHHHHH! WAHHHHH! AHHHHHH!” A chorus of cries and screams rang throughout the office as the transformed Goredinator decimated Lee and his allies. Leakina, Tropicanna, and even Wanderzan had been trampled into puddles beneath the his hooves. The rest weren’t fairing much better.

After getting impaled on the razor-sharp horns, Guist tried to splutter out a question. “So, umm—this ain’t workin’ out Cus, you got a Plan B?”

“Uhhh.” He hadn’t a clue. “I don’t have one.” The mortal Inkling boy breathed anxiously.

The pale squid seemed to take it okay, in fact he reassured his friend. “Oh, well that’s okay, I mean we’re yokai it’s not as if we can die or something.”

‘N’yes we can!” Juddinyan howled while underneath Gotedinator's hoof, struggling with all his might to hold it ip. “If you die as a meowkai n’you’re just plain dead!” Just as he spoke those words, he was stomped flat.

That revelation caused Guist to start screaming again and soon be joined by the rest of the entourage as it seemed like there was no hope in sight to win this one-sided battle.

“Excuse me Mr. Goredinator?” Unknown to Lee and his friends, the big bad boss’s secretary, Scaretary came waltzing into the arena, studiously scanning a clipboard. “I need you to sign these forms okaying—uhh—ohh.” She looked up, only to be met with the scene of the battle. Goredinator turned to her; with his snarling teeth and burning red eyes he simply let out a huff of air through his nostrils. Seemingly understanding that, Scaretary took a step back. “I didn’t know you were in a meeting,” she reasoned, “I’ll come back later.”

Suddenly she stopped and did a doubletake at one of the room’s occupants. “Wait a minute, is your name Guist?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” the pint-sized spirit answered casually.

Scaretary hovered over right away where she laughed, “Chaha, we have a package for you, Sweetie. We’ve had trouble trying to get a courier to take it to the Mortal World but since you’re here I can just give it to you.”

Despite his predicament of being skewered, Guist smiled gleefully. “That’s the bomb diggity!” He said as he signed a piece of paper she materialized out of black smoke, then accepted a brown cardboard box that she seemed to pull out from behind her back.

Curious, Lee asked, “Urrk what’s that?” He struggled to say over being crushed by Goredinator's horns.

“It's the package I ordered from Yomazon.” Guist replied much to Lee's surprise as he had forgotten he ordered that days ago. He ripped open the packaging. “And it's totally the One Inch Hammer I ordered!” In his tentacles he held a short, colorful looking wooden mallet.

“It's like, magic, it solves any problem that you tap it on!” Guist explained.

Wondering, Lee asked. “How does it—WHOA!” Fed up with their conversing in the middle of his tantrum, Goredinator bucked wildly and tossed him, Guist, Kakkonyan, and the Moleymorey to the side. Before any of them could even collect their wits, Lee blinked through hazy vision to find the beastly boss charging at them. He screeched in terror. “AHHH!!! Use it! Whatever it does just use it!” In this moment of certain death, he put every ounce of his faith in Guist and his perplexing internet purchase.

“You got is Cus!”

Ever willing to oblige, and not knowing any of what he was getting into, Guist rushed head long into the fray. “Gnarly!!!” He gave the mightiest battle cry, smacking the head of the hammer between Goredinator's eyes.

The rushing behemoth stopped in his tracks but it seemed to have no effect other than the hammer collapsing into pieces.

Suddenly, a blinding shaft of light blasted out of Goredinator's brow. Lee and his crew shielded their eyes from the light, even the ones who had been trampled by Goredinator regained their form just so they could block their vision from the intense, mysterious beam. Barely able to see, Lee could make something out through a tiny sliver between his fingers. It appeared to be a figure shrouded in shadow emerging from the light.

Moments later the light faded away and Lee was finally able to see the figure in their entirety. They were—an Inkling? Their ears, their tentacles, and their eyes had that distinctive appearance unique to his species but everything else? Their skin was a powerfully ruddy color that matched the strikingly red mantle they wore. With the gold and silver accents adorning the robe, it looked like something worn by royalty. The royal visage was completed with a strange cube shaped crown, and a rosary of wooden beads securing what appeared to be a golden mirror around their neck?

Before Lee could attempt to exam them more, he heard a collective hiss of gasps from everyone in the room. He snapped to look back at his friends, only to find all of them kneeling on the floor with their foreheads pressed to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lyra in her prison had still did the same. Stranger still, Goredinator had reverted back to the oni form he had earlier, and he, along with the ghost lady that brought the package were kneeling as well.

The only one besides the baffled Lee who didn’t fall to the floor was Guist. He greeted the newcomer so casually. “Sup dude, are you the one who's gonna help us?”

In the blink of an eye both Leakina and Juddinyan shot up and grabbed Guist, shoving him down to the floor. “Acck. What the hey-hey dudes?” He cried out.

“What are you thinking?” Leakina barked.

Juddinyan gasped, “Don't you kn'yow who that is?”

The little ghost was clueless. “Am I supposed t'?”

“That's the big wave himself!”

“The top cat!”

“The judge AND jury.”

“The king of all meowkai!”

“Lord Inkma!” They both revealed in unison.

The king of all Yokai? Lee didn’t have time to contemplate this as the imposing monarch finally sounded off. “What is the meaning of this, where am I?” For someone with such a youthful looking visage they had such a thunderous, booming voice.

Goredinator was the first to rise and approach the yokai king. “Your highness! Your emminence!” In stark contrast to the poltergeist who tried to kill them, he suddenly shifted into nervously wringing his hands and mincing about as he hovered around the stoical monarch. “Welcome to our humble office, we grant yokai passage to and from the--”

“What the devil?” Inkma interrupted, bemusement filling him as he focused on Lee. “Is-- is that a mortal?” The youngster pointed to himself questioningly only to then hold up his hands in defense when the monarch practically roared. “THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! WHAT IS A MORTAL DOING IN MY--,” he then caught sight of Lyra and lost his breath. “--Another one?! What is the meaning of this?”

Guist didn’t spare a moment in placing the blame where blame was due. “That cow dude totally kidnapped the shrine babe and took her here so we came to rescue her and he totally tried to 86 us!”

“That’s a lie,” Goredinator defended, “Don’t believe anything this little welp or any of these mortal fraternizers say!”

“I don’t know what a ‘fraternizer’ is.” Guist shook his little white tentacle. “But it’s totally true! I got everything you said on video.” Unbeknownst to Goredinator and even Lee, Guist had captured the big bad yokai’s entire confession on his tablet. Despite vehement protests and threats from Goredinator, he was held back by the will of Lord Inkma who viewed the video in its entirety.

After its completion, the lord of the realm was left absolutely aghast. “There are even criminals running loose in the mortal world? This is absolutely insane, nothing like this has ever happened under the Inkma family reign.” He paced about for a moment before clenching his fist. “It is my decree that all yokai shall be immediately recalled back to the Yokai Realm and all portals to the Mortal World will be closed and sealed until further notice!”

Gasps filled the room and eventhough he was trying to help, Guist’s heart sank. He darted through the air in front of King Inkma and pleaded to him. “Whoa whoa whoa, there’s no need to do that, let’s just chill, dude.”

“SILENCE!” Inkma screeched harshly. “I will make a judgement for the crimes against the realm, but as for these two...” He first pointed his finger to Lee, then aimed at Lyra. A bolt of energy fired from the tip of his finger, blasting away the priestess’s prison and finally freeing her.

“Lyra!” Elated to see her, Leakina soared through the air toward her. Nothing had ever made her fly faster in her entire life or made her so short of joyous, relieved breath.

SNAP

“...You must leave at once.” With a snap of his fingers, both Lee and Lyra vanished in a puff of dark smoke. Leakina was left to slide to a halt, reaching out for the woman she came to rescue who was gone— gone back to her world.

#splatoon #nintendo #yokai #lee squidly #splatoon 2 #inkling oc

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