Chapter 35: The Aftermath

Roenaldo was woken up in the middle of the day by the sound of cameras flashing. He opened his eyes to see that a crowd of Inklings had gathered around him, taking pictures of the boy as he sat on the bench. Seeing that Roenaldo had risen from sleep, the crowd quickly bolted, giggling amongst themselves as they departed. Roenaldo stared after them, a confused look on his face. His confusion turned to annoyance as he said, "Hey! Those pictures better not be used to embarrass me!" Roenaldo thought about going to give the other kids a piece of his mind, but he put aside the idea; he was never given a phone, so he didn't care too much about how he was portrayed on social media. Instead, he looked around Inkopolis Plaza, noticing that there were now large trucks in the streets along with cranes. "Hm," he said to himself, "Is this what the Squid Sisters meant by their construction equipment? I guess this means that the Splatfest is soon, huh?" Roenaldo got up, stretched, and wiped some drool off of his shirt. Feeling curious about the state of Cap'n Cuttlefish, he made his way over to the manhole so that he could dive into Octo Valley. Apparently, to Roenaldo's slight irritation, most of the city's inhabitants were huddled in a corner, most likely laughing at Roenaldo's expense. However, this gave the squid the perfect chance to slip away unnoticed, and so he did.

Roenaldo entered Octo Valley to find the captain sitting on a stool eating crab cakes while watching TV. "Ahoy!" greeted Cuttlefish, "Nice to see you, Agent 3! I have some good news." He pointed at the set he was watching, stating, "My granddaughters have been very busy while you were gone. First of all, they got me this television so that I could watch their shows. Now, I can keep one eye on my dear family and another on the Octarians! Speaking of them…" He motioned towards a stand to the far right of the cabin, revealing an extremely peeved DJ Octavio that was trapped in a snow globe. The senior took another bite of his crab cake, saying, "Apparently old Octavio survived his fight with you. Agents 1 and 2 found him buried under some rubble; he shielded himself by hiding in an oversized soda bottle! He looked pretty cramped in there, so we decided to move him into a larger cell." The DJ shook one of his wasabi sticks angrily at the captain, shouting, "Damn you, Cuttlefish! Don't think you're safe munching on those cakes. I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" Cuttlefish waved his hand dismissively, responding, "Ah, shut yer trap, Takowasa. Why don't you munch on yer celery sticks to pass the time?" Before Octavio could correct the older squid, the captain continued, "They also found this in the ruins." He rummaged inside his pockets and handed Roenaldo a strange blueprint. Inspecting it closer, Roenaldo could see that it was reminiscent of his favorite class. "Hey," he said, "I think these are instructions for a Roller!" Cuttlefish raised his eyebrows, replying, "Oho, is that so? Hmm, now that I think about it, this reminds me of something that I saw during my days in the Squidbeak Splatoon!" He took the paper back, looking at it closely as he muttered, "Let's see, I swear I remember who made this. What was his name again?" He scratched his head, "Come on…Aman…Shelo….dang it! It's on the top of my tongue!" He handed the blueprint back to Roenaldo, saying, "Sorry, I've got nothing. But, considering how these might be instructions for a military-grade weapon, I wouldn't be against you taking it into missions should you find a way to build whatever these instructions describe. How does that sound?" Roenaldo, in fact, was very intrigued. Sure, the Hero Shot was great, but looking back at how well he performed with Callie's Hero Roller, Roenaldo was desperate for a similar weapon. "Actually," he said while rubbing his chin, "I know a guy who could probably use his blueprint. I think I'll go and visit him to see what he can do." The captain nodded and replied, "Oh, well, good for you, then. I'll be waiting here for updates. But wait, before you go…" Cuttlefish reached into a box to his left and handed Roenaldo a camo green walkie-talkie, stating, "Although your main mission of rescuing the Great Zapfish was a success, your job as an agent still hasn't ended. You'll be needing this walkie-talkie just in case more missions pop up. Remember, the Octarians are a crafty sort, and we need to be ready for anything. Am I clear?" Roenaldo tucked the communication device into his pocket, answering, "Yes, captain. I'll be sure to keep an ear out." Cuttlefish nodded, responding, "Good to hear. I'll be seeing you, Martine." Roenaldo smiled and did a farewell salute before heading back up to Inkopolis Plaza. Cap'n Cuttlefish laughed and sat with contentment, happy to have such a reliable agent.

Roenaldo emerged and headed straight to Ammo Knights, the blueprint held tightly in his hand. He entered the shop to find Sheldon fitting bombs and other sub weapons into their main weapons. "Hello, hello," greeted the horseshoe crab, "How may I help you today?" Roenaldo handed the weapon expert the blueprint, answering, "I found this paper in a…certain place recently. I was just wondering if you knew what to do with it?" Sheldon squinted his eyes and set the instructions down on his table. Reading over it carefully, the crab's eyes gradually widened in awe before he gasped in surprise. "Gadzooks!" he exclaimed, "These are my grandpappy's blueprints! I've been looking everywhere for these!" As Sheldon paced around excitedly, Roenaldo inquired, "Your grandpa made these? What are the instructions for?" Sheldon straightened his goggles, responding, "Why, this is one of the most powerful weapons in Inkling history: the Dynamo Roller! The ink output of this weapon was unrivaled back in the day. According to my grandpappy's notes, this Roller was reserved only for the strongest of fighters; the dynamo motor provided power in spades, but it made the whole weapon extremely difficult to carry." He shook Roenaldo's hand enthusiastically, continuing, "I can't thank you enough for this, friend! I thought that this marvel would be lost to the sands of time, but you were able to pull through!" He went back to pacing around and scheming, saying to himself, "I must get to work on this design right away! This will be the best thing I've ever created! He, he, he, yes, Turf Wars are about to get a lot more interesting…" Roenaldo tapped his foot, saying, "Wait, did you say that you were making the Dynamo Roller? That's exactly what I wanted to hear! Do you think that I could use it when you're done?" Sheldon stopped in place, giving Roenaldo a fierce glare. "Are you mad?" he asked in a harsh tone, "Not only are you nowhere near the level to own this weapon, but the Dynamo Roller has yet to be tested! There's no way that I can allow you to use it. Roenaldo smile turned to a frown as he looked down at his shoes, his hopes crushed. Sheldon sighed, putting the blueprints down as he said, "Okay, maybe that was a little too harsh, but my point still stands! I'm afraid that no one can use the Dynamo Roller until I get it past testing. But while you wait, how about I treat you to another one of my babies, instead?"

He headed over to a stand and retrieved a Splat Roller with an ovular sticker on it. "This," he explained, "Is the Krak-On Splat Roller! Created in collaboration with the Krak-On gear brand, this Roller…is not very different from its vanilla set. But don't worry! What differentiates this weapon is the fact that it comes with new sub and special weapons! Squid Beacons are included so that your teammates can Super Jump to you whenever needed. And what do you do when no one shows up and you're surrounded by enemies? Why, morph into a Kraken, of course! This weapon is perfect for those who like to be a team player, but aren't afraid to go it alone whenever it's necessary. Normally, this would cost you 3,000 coins, but I'm feeling generous. That's why I'm cutting the price in half to…1,500 coins. So, do we have a deal?" Of course, Roenaldo agreed, handing over the money and claiming his prize with glee. "Thank you, Sheldon," smiled Roenaldo, "I promise that you won't regret your decision. I'll get more experience so that I can be worthy enough to use that Dynamo Roller, I guarantee it!" Sheldon grinned and responded, "I admire your dedication, soldier! Hopefully, neither of us will be let down." Roenaldo nodded, replying, "Trust me, it won't happen." He walked out of the door, stating, "See you soon, Sheldon!" The horseshoe crab held his hand to his forehead before going back to his business.

Roenaldo held his Krak-On Splat Roller proudly, feeling very satisfied with himself. He was looking forward to seeing how it would fare in battle; it was certainly going to be better than the weak Carbon Roller. With a smile on his face, he walked over to the Lobby, set on testing his might.