Spike the Squid Kid

by Darth Severus

The Salmo-Bot

Spike walked around Inkopolis Square. He decided to see what Sheldon had to offer him. Right as he was about to walk into Ammo Knights, his cell phone beeped. He took it out and read a message. It was from Mr. Grizz. It said, "Kid, come to Grizzco, ASAP. I finally found out what that thing was. The others are on their way, meet them there."

Spike sighed and said, "Looks like shopping will have to wait." he walked over to the Grizzco Building and was met by the other three crew members from the last time he did a Salmon Run shift. "Hey, where's Mr. Grizz? Normally he talks to us through that little radio, but it's not here."

One of the other Inklings said, "I know, weird isn't it?"

Suddenly, a coarse voice said, "I figured it's time to show you who I really am." A large brown animal walked out from a back door and said, "Yeah, this is the real me. Listen, I did some more research, and I got a lead from one of my agents. That thing you guys saw, the Salmonids call it a Salmo-Bot. It runs on 10 Golden Eggs, it needs that much power to keep it running."

Spike seemed surprised to see Mr. Grizz in the flesh, but not surprised he was a grizzly bear. He said, "That's all well and good boss, but how the hell are we suppose to beat that thing?"

Mr. Grizz nodded and said, "I got that covered. You familiar with Power Clams?"

Spike said, "Ugh, Power Clams, I absolutely hate Clam Blitz. But what's that got to do with the price of tea in Cuttla?"

Mr. Grizz said, "I found out that Power Clams can do some serious damage to those cursed Salmo-Bots. I've been collecting Power Clams ever since I got this intel. I can supply each employee with five Power Clams, and a direct hit on the green core in the center of a Salmo-Bot's chest will instantly get rid of it."

One of the crew members said, "That's some smart thinking. But still, that thing's not going to be alone. It'll have an army of other Salmonids. But... I'm not one to run away from a fight, no matter the odds!"

The second crew member said, "Yeah! No matter how bleak a situation is, it's not over until the fat lady sings!"

The third crew member quietly scoffed and said, "I'm in. I'm not going to be scared off by those freaks of nature."

Spike nodded and said, "I've fought enough close ink battles to know you can always make a comeback. Alright, let's do this!"

Mr. Grizz gave a toothy grin and said, "You guys are up for it then. Catch the boat and head out."

The four inklings got changed and headed to the boat. When they got to the Spawning Grounds, things went a lot differently than their last time here. Salmonids and Boss Salmonids came out of the water and they collected the Golden Eggs.

When the shift was coming close to ending, Spike noticed the waves were getting bigger and said, "Guys, I think it's a Salmo-Bot!" And sure enough, he was right.

One of his co-workers said, "Get high up!"

While two of his co-workers were distracting the Salmo-Bot to give Spike and the third co-worker a chance to get to a high point, Spike charged his Splat Charger and stored the charge while he got up to the highest point. He put a Power Clam at the end of the charger's barrel, and focused on getting a clear shot. When he saw his opening, he yelled, "Smile, you son of a bitch!" before releasing the shot, sending the Power Clam right into the Salmo-Bot's core, causing it to fall apart and drop ten Golden Eggs.

While the crew collected them, they noticed a strange looking Salmonid walking out of the water, waving a white flag. The Salmonid looked a lot like an Inkling, but it wasn't possible for Inklings to go in the water, so it had to be a Salmonid. The Salmonid said, "Don't shoot, don't shoot! I don't want this life! I never wanted to be a warrior! Please... get me out of here!"

Before Spike's co-workers could attack, he said, "Wait, first thing's first. What are you? We've never seen a Salmonid like you before."

The Salmonid said, "I'm what's known as a Salmoning. I'm not that different than Inklings, but I never wanted to be part of this stupid war."

Mr. Grizz contacted them and said, "I can see what's going on. He's telling the truth. This kid's the guy who gave me the intel on the Salmo-Bots. Bring him back to the boat, and we'll talk about it later."

Spike held the Salmoning and super jumped to the boat, followed by his co-workers. On the boat ride back, the others were giving the Salmoning cold glares, until Spike stood up and said, "Why are you guys so harsh!? We were enemies with the Octarians, and now look at this, Marina is one of the most popular musicians in Inkopolis!"

One of the co-workers sighed and said, "He's got a point. Alright, I'll give the kid a chance."

The other two co-workers soon agreed to giving the Salmoning a chance. One of them asked, "So, what's your name kid?"

The Salmoning looked down and said, "I was never given one. All the Salmonids are identified by registration numbers."

Spike patted the Salmoning's back and said, "What do you think about Finn?"

The Salmoning looked up at Spike smiling and said, "Finn... I like it!"

As the boat arrived back at Grizzco, Mr. Grizz's radio met them and said, "Good job team, you cleaned house out there. And Finn... you're a brave kid taking a risk like that. I'll find you a place where you can be safe."

Finn smiled and said, "Thank you Mr. Grizz. And thank you too Spike, you were the first one to give me a chance."

Spike smiled back and said, "No problem Finn!"

Mr. Grizz said, "Well, the work day's over for you guys, so why don't you head on home?"

Spike nodded and after giving Finn his number, went back home. He thought to himself, "I never thought I'd make friends with a Salmonid."