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Chapter Twenty-Six, Part One

Odonto Cetacea gasped at the sight of his son attempting to interfere. He needed to buy time to prevent either of the kids from dying.

He took the N-ZAP in his hand- a weapon with high turf coverage, but low power per shot. This was all just a game- even if the silly gun broke in the three-second plan he improvised, there was time to buy a new one.

After ripping his helmet off his head just like his wife, he then proceeded to push Inia back. With the shooter, his next move was one with celerity- a smack of the E-Liter 3K as far away as he could muster, using the butt. It tumbled for a little bit and receded, but that didn't stop his wife from running towards it like a rabid dog to a new piece of flesh to bite.

In the next two seconds, he took the hand of the girl in front of him. Evidently traumatized. Mesonii was going to get seriously hurt if she was left behind with the deadly bayonet still at bay.

The two swam up the wall to Peppie, still standing there. After letting Mesonii go, he regarded his defiant son.

"Peps, listen. You've got to go, and you've got to go now. We're in serious danger."

Even with his father enforcing the new rule, Peppie retaliated. "No! I have to fight!"

"Peppie! I am telling you this for the sake of your LIFE! Leave now, and get help!"

"I'm not letting Mom get away with it!" The kid threw the hands on his shoulders off, and took a steady hold once again of his weapon.

Odonto sighed. "If you're going to stay, you're gonna stay behind me."

"Fine."

With his son willing to agree, he moved onto Mesonii.

"Misses. I am so sorry my wife has been acting this way around you. This bigotry towards you is the worst thing about her and it's the reason we're here. I'm sorry. Delpha's been reluctant to do this, too. Most everyone has. Even-"

The two turned their heads and saw the bayonet back in Inia's hands.

"Peps!" Inia exclaimed with a sort of undescribable glee. "Listen to your father. It's better to get out of here unless if you REALLY want to have a bad time."

Peppie, initially scared as he cowered behind his father, chose to follow his gut. He walked in front of his father and Mesonii, blocking them from getting any sort of injury.

"Mesonii's my friend! I'm not gonna let you kill her!"

The parents froze, but each with a different sort of anger- Inia's grasp on the E-Liter 3K grew tighter, and Odonto tried to push his son behind him so the situation would not fall apart.

The younger inkling continued his vent while pointing his gun at his mother. "She might not know what to do all the time, but she doesn't do anything out of wanting to HURT people!"

Inia didn't shake or fall back. Her hands still holding onto the newly dangerous E-Liter 3K, she stood firmly on the ground.

"You really don't know what you're doing."

Mesonii looked to her right. It was then she realized in the confrontation, she had left her Splash-O-Matic behind, and the weapon was still at the wall where she left it. Inia was on the other team- if she could just splat her, this could be over.

As Peppie and his mother tossed insults at each other, Odonto still stunned, Mesonii tapped his shoulder. "Act natural. I'm gonna try something."

Before Odonto could object, the mint inkling dipped into the ink as a squid, trying her best to cover her trails as she heard the verbal exchange progress.

"I know what I'm doing! Mesonii seems to be cool with who she is and that's the only thing that's important!"

"Peppie, don't you know what will happen if you associate yourself with that twit?!"

"MOM! She's not a serial killer, jeesh! She's just a person."

"You don't know why these people do these things to themselves! They hate their life, Peppie. So she's dysphoric. She's just going to meddle your own existence for the worse!"

Peppie didn't say any more. By this time, Mesonii had reached the Splash-O-Matic, and was ready to strike. She noticed Inia clutching onto the charger harder, though, the bayonet still hanging on. The situation only worsened as she pulled it behind herself like a javelin in a track-and-field match.

"You know what!? I've had it with you. If me ratting you out isn't going to teach you a lesson, then maybe THIS will!"

Mesonii couldn't catch sight of the E-Liter 3K flying in the air as she moved in for her final attack. The mint ink from the Splash-O-Matic took Inia off guard heavily, and it was only after she realized she didn't have her weapon that she accepted her fate.

Three seconds passed, and the dark-blue inkling exploded into dust, a tiny ghost squid looking solemn floating upwards. Splat.

She couldn't believe it. The fight was over.

No more words from either side.

Except a scream that erupted from Peppie's throat.