What If...?: A Splat Force Story; Chapter 7

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W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! I hope you're having/had a great Sunday! Today, as per usual, I'm back with a new Chapter of What If...?: A Splat Force Story!

Last week's Chapter really helped cool me down after the madness I've put myself through with the previous Chapters. So, naturally, my next move is to immediately go back into the madness with an intense story! (yay...)

This story will take place during Chapter 18 of last year's Splat Force III: Bolton's Reign (my favourite SF story) as we find out about a possible dark ending to the story that I could've gone with. (believe me, I was tempted to go with it at one point for a laugh, but I decided to stick with the main continuity lmfao)

So without further ado, let's get into this!

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(Previous Chapter)(Chapter Hub)

("Time... Space... Reality... Destiny...")

("Every born hero... Every fallen villain ... Every life shaped all come from these four concepts...")

("However, no fate is set in stone... Every destiny is counted on by the very beings who control it...")

("Your destiny isn't a singular path... It is a prism of infinite possibilities where a singular choice can shape the lives of everyone around you...")

("I'm The Beholder... It is my sworn duty to watch over the multiverse and learn of every new reality that is born...")

("Every reality is unique in their own way, with each of their differences being caused by something as big as a historic event, down to the actions of singular being...")

(" me on this journey through the multiverse as you and I ponder the big question... What If...?")

C H A P T E R  7 : W H A T I F . . . B O L T O N ' S R E I G N C O N T I N U E D ?

("After a long, stressful year of hiding and fearing for their own lives, the Splat Force fought back against Bolton Vulcan, taking back their home and ending his reign of terror once and for all. Though many lives were lost on that day, it was their bravery, and their heroism that brought peace back to the world. At least, that's how it was back in Earth 20...")

(" me now as we travel through this universe to see how things could've been if their rebellion had failed...")

E A R T H 3 7 6 8

Most of the Splat Force landed at the crossroads upon super jumping away from a falling building. On each of the four different paths, a large army charged at them. Bobby Tundra was up in the air on an ice trail, freezing the path before each of the armies, giving the team some time to plan their next move effectively.

Back in the ally way, both of the Stewart Sisters evacuated the ally way as the building collapsed, taking down the brute Octoling man. As they reached the car park, both Sisters leaned against the wall of the other building and panted heavily, already feeling overwhelmed.

After Bobby had formed the final ice barrier, he ed the team down below and informed them of the bad news.

"They're too many of them coming from all sides, we won't stand a chance!"

"I-Is this how we die?!"

Blue Watson whimpered.

Peter Watson quickly comforted his adoptive daughter by wrapping his left arm around her, holding her close, not wanting to say anything. Both Magnus and Emily inched closer to each other, ending with the latter's head on the former's shoulder as she shivered in fear.

"Rex, Alyssa, are you there?"

Samantha asked through the coms.

"Things aren't looking good, sweetheart!"

Alyssa Frida replied as the cracks on the walls grew wider.

"Where are you and Ami? Are you both safe?"

"A building collapsed next to us but we're fine!"

She replied, looking down next to her, seeing Ami cuddle the small sea urchin child.

"What's happening?"

"We're surrounded, all of us! I'm not sure if we're able to stop them all..."

Alyssa coldly responded.

Samantha began to panic, it was just like the start of the reign all over again.

"Where are you? I'll come!"

"No, stay with Ami, make sure she's safe."

Alyssa ordered as she teared up.

"A-Always stay positive, my little cosmos!"

Before Samantha had the chance to respond, Alyssa disconnected herself from the coms. Devastated over history repeating itself, Samantha sat down on the ground and leaned her head against the wall. Both sisters looked at each other and held hands.

Back with the team, Alyssa slowly walked to Rex Allen, accepting her fate. The two Commanders stood side by side, holding hands. They embraced each other one final time, holding their heads against the others and the walls began to break.

Rex, Alyssa, Magnus, Emily, Bobby, Peter, and Blue all stood by each other. They felt cramped. At last, the ice finally broke and the walls came crumbling down and from every direction stromed the gifted, overwhelming and destroying the Splat Force almost instantly.

1 H O U R L A T E R . . .

After returning a Sea Urchin child back to her mother, and being met with large praise and applause, both sisters returned back into the city to try and find the others.

It quickly became clear to them that nothing had changed. Most of the city stayed as it was at the start of the day. The Gifted hadn't fallen, Inkopolis hadn't been liberated, and Bolton's reign hadn't ended.

"Alyssa?"

Samantha tried to reach out to Alyssa through the coms but unfortunately gained no response. She tried again.

"A-Alyssa... are you there?"

The city had gone quiet. No more gunfire, or gifts were heard. It was almost as if the city was abandoned. At last, the duo reached the sight of the Crossroads where their friends took their final stand.

"Over there!"

Ami shouted as she noticed the shattered ice on the ground up ahead. Both sisters ran towards the Crossroads, but before they could reach it and see what remained of them, Bruce landed on the ground before them with Led Levin and Melissa Sabrina climbing off of his back.

"You need to get to safety, now!"

Led demanded.

"No! We need to find our friends! O-Our colleges!"

Ami exclaimed. She knew how cynical Led could get, though she was upset at him for trying to stop her from potentially saving everyone.

After Ami had finished, it was then that Melissa, with a heavy heart, had to break the news to them.

"They're all gone!"

Both Sister's went stiff. They felt their hearts racing like marathon runners as they both went pale.

"What?!"

They both asked in unison.

The three surviving former of the Syndicate all looked defeated. Melissa struggled to hold back tears, Led crossed his arms and faced the ground, and Bruce frowned as he hung his fins. That was it, that was their last hope, and it was all gone just like that.

Ami fell onto her hands and knees, bawling her eyes out loudly. Samantha kneeled next to her, spooning her whilst also crying. It was just them now. Any hope of a bright future had just vanished right before their very eyes.

Knowing that it wouldn't be long until Bolton arrived, Led turned to Bruce and gave him an order.

"Take them back to the base, then meet us back here. It's not safe, especially for them."

Bruce slowly moved his chin up and down before walking to the girls and picking them up.

"LET GO! LET GO OF ME!"

Ami cried as she struggled to get out of Bruce's tough grip. Once the sisters were tightly secured in his arms, Bruce leaped into the air towards the Splat Force base.

3 0 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

Bolton Vulcan walked through the carnage, walking past the bodies of the team. All were dead. Rex and Alyssa? Died holding hands with cuts and bruises all over their bodies. Magnus? Right arm and left leg completely gone. Emily? Ripped in half. Bobby? Burnt alive. Peter? Decapitated.

Bolton now stood over the body of his biological daughter, Blue Watson, or as he knew her, Sasha Vulcan. The young girl had large wounds all over her body. Her lifeless eyes stared up into the grey, foggy sky.

Bolton's entire family was now gone. His wife, his son, and now his daughter. It was just him... yet he felt nothing. In his mind, his daughter died the moment she sided against him. He blamed her, refusing to blame himself.

Looking away from his daughter, Bolton walked off, taking his blade out and creating a flame ring back to the Once Great Symbol. It was there that he resumed his role as Emperor.

("With our heroes defeated, and his daughter killed, Bolton now had nothing left to lose. He resumed his post and contuined to spread terror around the world. All hope was lost... or was it?")

1 M O N T H L A T E R . . .

By now, The Legion Of Fire has risen once again. All of them wore the same black armour with bright red stripes and all of them had Bolton's initials written on the stomach of their armours. Each held a different weapon, for some it was a dagger, for another it was a staff, and others had a duel-wielded blade. The leader of the guards weirded a double-edged sword. All of the weapons were pitch black with the tip of each of them on fire.

Two of the guards carried a man in black robes who had his head covered in a black bag. They took him into the throne room and into Emperor Bolton's presence. Slowly, Bolton got up from his throne, walked to the man, and unmasked him, revealing him to be Vincent Fisk, the creator of the gifted cure.

As Vincent breathed for fresh air, Bolton took out his blade, preparing himself for the finishing blow.

"You're the one who's been making the cure, am I correct?"

"That's right, you son of a bitch!"

Vincent spat out aggressively. He tried to fight his way out of the guards' grasp, but it proved to be too tough for him.

"I'm the guy putting the end to your cancerous disease! To many lives have been lost because I didn't step up sooner!"

A disease. Those words angered Bolton.

"We are NOT a disease! We do NOT need to be cured!"

Bolton exclaimed. He tried going in for the kill but stopped after going into a coughing fit. The fit was so strong that it made Bolton drop his blade and fall onto one knee. After the coughing had ended, Bolton was quick to notice blood on the hand that covered his mouth.

"You're dying, aren't you?"

Vincent asked him. He too saw the blood.

"All the battles you've fought, all the damage you've taken and dealt to yourself... it's all coming back to you, isn't it?"

S L A M ! ! !

Bolton lunged his blade into Vincent Fisk's stomach, destroying his insides completely from the strength and heat of his blade. He pulled his blade out and watched the blood pour from his stomach. Vincent was growing weaker as he kept losing more and more blood. Bolton then decided to finish him off.

S L I C E ! ! !

Off with his head. The guards dropped Vincent's body to the ground as another guard rushed to grab his head. Whilst all of it was going on, Bolton went into another coughing fit, though this one wasn't as violent nor as long as the previous.

Though nobody noticed, the throne room doors slowly opened and closed. Someone was with them. sensing that the hallways were clear, Melissa Sabrina dropped her invisibility.

For the past month, Melissa had been spying on Bolton using her telepathic abilities to make her invisible to the naked eye, though that could only be done with a couple of fingers on her head and full concentration. In that time, she witnessed many brutal executions of brave heroes. From the great General William Swannack, to brave soldiers like Sargent Jacob Gunn, and now Vincent Fisk.

She watched Bolton's physical health deteriorate with every ing kill. She knew something was up with him, even at the start of his reign, though she never thought too hard about it. It was only with Fisk's death and final words that she really considered what was going on.

Quickly, she reached out into Bolton using her mind to try and find something. Fortunately, she got results. Fisk was right, it was his gifts. They were killing him, and have been since the very start of Bolton's reign. Now, it was only a matter of time until it all ended, and she realized that Bolton must've been aware of it too as he hadn't been out fighting since the failed liberation of Inkopolis a month prior.

She had no more time to stand around as she sensed guards walking to the throne room door. Very quickly, she headed out the front door and escaped the Once Great Symbol. Once completely out of sight, she reached out to the survivors she knew by tapping her head.

"Meet me outside Infantry Forest in half an hour, it's important!"

She thought. Once the message was sent out, she continued to run down the pathway, not looking back.

L A T E R T H A T N I G H T . . .

Melissa arrived at the outskirts. She stood in the middle of an empty parking space that rested between the great forest and a long row of abandoned houses. She waited for a moment before her company arrived. Down came Bruce who landed a few feet before her. He was ed by the Stewart Sisters who both super jumped into the scene.

Z A P ! ! !

Emerging from a bolt of lightning that hit the ground before her was Led Levin. Now, the whole team was here.

"Thank you for coming."

Melissa told them. Before she got into the brief, she wanted an update on their wellbeing.

"How have you all been?"

"Been better, I will it."

Samantha answered.

"I'm just really missing my friends..."

Ami frowned. She was facing the ground, still not over the loss of her found family. Seeing the sadness in her sister, Samantha wrapped an arm around her.

"What are we here for, Mel?"

Led asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"I've got an update regarding Bolton... he's dying."

"What?!"

Led asked, unable to believe what she was saying.

"No way!"

Samantha gasped.

"He killed Vincent Fisk today. Before he killed him, he went into a coughing fit and Vincent called him out on it and claimed he was dying. After Bolton killed him, he went into another coughing fit. I looked into him, and I saw it."

"Saw what?"

Ami asked.

"It's his gifts, they're killing him. The more he uses them, the more damage he takes."

Melissa answered.

The survivors each took in what Melissa was telling them. It all began to click in their minds, especially for Led.

"Everytime he used his gifts, he'd grow weaker, and the burn marks would grow. They went from his lower arms to his face. No wonder he's not as active nowadays."

"Last time he was really active was when he fought Damian, and he used all of his strength to take him down... I wish Damian was still here..."

Melissa said with a frown.

"He want us to keep going"

Bruce assured the young woman, who nodded and sighed.

"What we do now?"

"We lay low until the basterd finally dies."

Led suggested.

"More people can die in time. There has to be some way we could drain him so his body can give out."

Ami replied.

"And how do you propose we do that, sweetheart? The last time I checked, he's still a force to be reckoned with."

Led replied, shutting Ami down.

"We can't just go up to him and dick around for a few minutes to make him go into cardiac arrest, no, Bolton dies hard."

"B-But the people..."

"Sorry missy, but he's too strong. You'd be stupid to do something like that."

Led said, giving Ami the harsh truth. He then noticed that Melissa was focused on something.

"Mel? Are you-"

Led then turned around to see gifted Inklings, Octolings, and other species approach them.

"Squit..."

Samantha whispered under her breath as she prepared her Splattershot.

No words were said between the two factions. Ami finished preparing her duellies, Led's hands began to sparkle with electricity, Bruce licked his sharp teeth, and Melissa walked in front of her comrades. The fight was now on.

W H O O S H ! ! !

One of the gifted Octolings blasted a fireball at the team, only for Melissa to catch it with her telekinesis. She threw the ball to the back of her, hitting the tree, starting a small fire.

Z A P ! ! !

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

Led, Samantha, and Ami all charged forward at the gifted army, all making their move and not holding back. Though the sisters held themselves back from killing, limiting themselves to knocking them back and stunning them with gunfire, Led and Bruce were more lethal, making sure that their opponents wouldn't get back up.

The battle was beginning to do damage to the area as houses began getting damaged and ruined. Thankfully, there were no lives on the inside of the houses, meaning no innocent lives were caught in the crossfire.

Running out of ammo, Samantha grabbed a Splat Bomb from her utility belt, activated it, and unleashed its power.

B O O M ! ! !

The blasted took down anyone who was near it and damaged them badly, though they were able to tank most of the damage and not die.

Meanwhile, a few of the gifted tried to go after Melissa by firing fireballs, electricity, acid, and glassshards. Melissa held them back using her telekinesis, though the heavy amount proved to be a challenge for her. She struggled to even hold them tightly, but managed to push through by using all of her strength to fire them back at them.

Melissa was overwhelmed and exhausted. She fell to her hands and knees, letting out a gasp. Seeing her fall, Led rushed over.

"Mel!"

Led yelled as he reached her. He picked her up and began to carry her.

"WE HAVE TO LEAVE! NOW!"

Hearing Led, the rest of the survivors all gathered at the forest outskirts and climbed onto Bruce's back. Bruce spat out the arm of one of the gifted men that he consumed before leaping into the air, leaving the road decimated.

3 0 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

Bolton had arrived at the aftermath of the fight. A few of the abandoned houses had been ruined, and the area was covered in fog. Thankfully, the fire caught to the trees weren't strong enough to cause a powerful forest fire.

The new leader of the Legion Of Fire approached him with the breakdown, holding up a piece of shrapnel from a Splat Bomb.

"What are you holding in your hand, Lucius?"

"A Splat Bomb shrapnel.

Lucius answered.

"They were here, my lord."

"Who?"

"The Splat Force."

Bolton was taken aback by his answer, he straightened his posture.

"Impossible, the Splat Force are dead. I saw them all."

"Are you sure they're all gone?"

He asked.

"Did you really get all of them?"

That last comment stroked Bolton's pride. He tilted his head, and his lips trembled upon hearing Lucius' comment.

"Are you judging me?"

Lucius began trembling nervously as Bolton took out his blade.

"N-No! My lord! I could ne-"

S L A M ! ! !

Before Lucius could even finish his sentence, Bolton took him down with a strong stab to his chest, with the blade piercing through his red stripped black armour. Everyone around the park all stopped what they were doing to see Lucius' body drop to the ground.

"My lord!"

One of the troops bravely called out. All attention went to him now.

"There is something you must see!"

The troop took Bolton to the mark that Led's entrance had made to the ground. He knew it was Led, not just from knowing him too well, but also from the marks themselves, no fire ball could do that to them.

"He was here..."

Bolton whispered, emphasising strongly on the first word.

T H E N E X T D A Y . . .

It was the middle of the afternoon, and the team were all up and ready for the day ahead. As per usual, Ami and Samantha were in the bunker training. Bruce, unable to fit inside the bunker, was in the main warehouse loathing around, and Led was looking out into the sea with his arms crossed.

It wasn't long until Led was ed by Melissa. He could tell from the look on her face that she had something important to say.

"I've been thinking about what Ami said last night."

"Okay...?"

Led replied, unsure as to why Melissa would come to him about it.

"I think it can work. Think about it, we attack Bolton, he attacks back, we hold him back, making him retaliate using more of his power-"

"Like you holding back all those attacks last night?"

Led asked, piecing together Melissa's plan.

"Yes! Exactly like that! Afterwards, we wait until he grows weaker and more ill, that's when we take him down."

Melissa explained.

Led thought about it. He saw where Melissa was coming from, but he still had his doubts.

"For it to work, we'd need to lure him out. He can't be the one finding us. Any ideas?"

"I do have one, but it's risky."

Melissa said before sending a telepathic message to the sisters. She then began to walk towards the warehouse.

"Come with me, Led."

As she and Led walked inside, they were met by Bruce and the sisters who were all focused on Melissa.

"Is everything alright?"

Samantha asked.

"I've thought about what Ami said last night about draining Bolton's will power. I think it can work, but we have to lure him out or, better yet, go into one of his old domains."

Melissa told the team, sparking their interest.

"Deep within Infantry Forest, Bolton had a small base that he went to. It's underneath a small cottage. Assuming he still goes there, we could go and wait for his arrival, that way we could get the jump on him."

The team didn't know what to think of Melissa's plan, Samantha especially.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, what if he comes to us first? Or what if he's down there when we arrive."

"If that's the case, then we strike at him all the same."

Melissa explained before going into a group vote.

"So... who's in?"

"I'm definitely in!"

Ami answered. She turned to Bruce, who was nodding in agreement. All eyes turned to Samantha, who was still skeptical.

"What about you, Samantha? Are you in?"

Samantha sighed.

"I'm worried about whether or not we make it out, but if this means Bolton dies and this nightmare will finally end, then I'm all for it!"

"That's good!"

Melissa said before looking to the Hammerhead Shark.

"Bruce, do you think you can take us there?"

"Yeah! I jump there!"

Bruce said in agreement. The team all climbed onto Bruce's back. The Shark took them out of the warehouse before leaping into the air.

He leapt ed Inkopolis and briefly jumped by the outskirts of the village, catching the attention of two of the Legion Of Fire, who were still clearing out the area. They both turned to each other.

After minutes of leaping, the survivors all arrived outside of Bolton's old base. On the outside, it looked like a normal, small wooden house. However, As soon as they were inside, they saw that the table had been moved aside and that the dust-collecting carpet had been moved, revealing a metal hatch. Melissa opened up the hatch, revealing a stone staircase.

The team walked down the staircase and entered a grey rectangular room. There were no windows, only being lit up by the pale white lights attached to the roof. In the middle of the room was a wide table that held various sheets of paper, each with something different on them. To the left-hand wall of the staircase were doors, each leading into either a chambers room, bathroom or storage room. However, the second to last door on the end of the wall was locked.

"This is where Bolton was hiding out all this time?"

Ami asked as she began to looked around the place in awe.

"Year, for most of the time anyway."

Led answered.

"He took me here after the first fight at the Once Great Symbol. It was here that he tortured that kid... I don't know if he's even still alive."

"What?"

Ami asked. Of course, she was there at the Once Great Symbol that day, she knew what happened.

"What did you say?"

The room went quiet for a long moment. Ami looked back and fourth between Led and Samantha. Melissa came fourth and walked to the second door.

"He's still alive..."

Melissa said as she placed her hand over the metal circle lock on the door and began to turn it with telekinesis. Once unlocked, she pushed the door open.

"Who's still alive?!"

Ami asked. Out of all the group, she was the most confused. Melissa had walked into the room to help up whoever was inside. Anxious and wanting answers, Ami began to walk to the door before suddenly stopping upon seeing who was walking out. She had frozen completely.

Coming out was an Inkling boy with long grey hair. He wore clothing that matched his hair colour but from the front, it looked incomplete, as if something was taken from him. He was dirty, ragged, and thin, but Ami still recognised him.

"Z-Zane?!"

"A-A-Ami?!"

Zane Miller asked. It was really him in the flesh, alive again before her eyes.

Tears rushed down Ami's cheeks as she ran forward and embraced Zane, hugging him tightly and sobbing loudly. Overwhelmed upon seeing her girlfriend for the first time in over three years, Zane too began to cry as he hugged her back.

Samantha watched from afar in disbelief. It was as if she had seen a ghost.

"Is that the real reason you've brought us here?"

Samantha asked, not getting an answer back.

The young couple pulled out of the hug and shared one kiss. After all those years, the magic was still there. The moment the kiss ended, the complements began.

"I forgot how beautiful you looked!"

Zane told her, making Ami giggle as she wiped the tears from her face.

"How've you been?!"

"I-I'll tell you later... we're kinda in the middle of a mission here, haha!"

Ami giggled.

Zane nodded. He was looking forward for their great catch up.

"Yeah, of course!"

Melissa shut her eyes and began to twitch, letting out tiny gasps as she felt a familiar presence.

"Focus up! I think he's here!"

All eyes faced the staircase. Most of them looked determined, Zane looked terrified. Seeing his worries, Ami stood by him, holding his hand.

"He'll pay for what he did to you!"

She whispered.

W H O O S H ! ! !

A large flamethrower flew down the stairs and greeted the team. Before it can reach them, Melissa managed to hold back the powerful attack. Led was right, Bolton was still a force to be reckoned with. The flamethrower lasted a whole minute, and that minute was enough to completely tire out Melissa, who fell to her hands and knees. Led and Bruce dashed up the stairs to greet Bolton.

Z A P ! ! !

Led shot a powerful zap of lightning at Bolton, only for him to deflect it with his blade. The lightning then hit Bruce, knocking him back down.

S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

S L A M ! ! !

Led went in for a couple of lightning charged punches, though they did nothing, and were countered by a powerful right hook from Bolton, sending him flying through the wall of the house.

S L A M ! ! !

Bruce, alongside the three normal Inklings, all rushed up the stairs with Bruce slamming his body into Bolton, knocking him back against the wall.

"You three go!"

Bruce told them. Knowing that Zane's safety was now a top priority, Ami and Samantha walked out carrying Zane and was now waiting for Bruce to come take them back home.

Picking his blade back up, Bolton formed a flame ring to the underground base to by Bruce. Once there he grabbed Melissa.

"You failed, young one..."

He whispered before creating another flame ring back to the Once Great Symbol just as Bruce ran back down.

"NO!"

Bruce yelled as Bolton disappeared.

Led ran downstairs to see what had happened. The defeated look on his face said it all.

"DAMN IT!"

He exclaimed before punching a desk. Their plan had failed, and now Melissa was in Bolton's hands.

I N T H E E A R L Y M O R N I N G . . .

Locked up, cold, and beaten, Melissa laid on the floor in her cell. She was waiting for her demise. Just then, two guards walked into the dungeons, walking to the very last cell, opening it, and grabbing Melissa.

Too weak to try and resist, Melissa was carried out of the dungeons and taken to the throne room. It was there that she was face to face with Bolton.

"Leave the room."

"Yes, my lord."

The guards replied as they threw Melissa to the ground and left.

It was now just her and Bolton.

"You look tired, young one."

"Why do you think that is?!"

Melissa exclaimed weakly.

Bolton moved closer to his former ally, squinting his face and tilting his head upwards before helping her onto her knees.

"You betrayed me, young one, just like Damian did, and you know what happened with him."

"Are you gonna kill me too?"

Melissa asked. By now, she had accepted her fate and was ready to feel the blade go into her chest.

"If so, just get it over with already!"

Bolton started going into another coughing fit. After the fight from earlier that day, Bolton had grown even weaker. His fingers and his face had gone thinner. He had dark circles underneath his eyes. His skin had gone paler. One might confuse him for a Zombie.

He spoke again after the coughing had ended.

"Not yet, there is still one more thing I could use from you, young one."

"W-What is it?"

Melissa asked in alarm. She had been waiting to die all night, yet she never suspected that Bolton had one more thing up his sleeve.

"Where are they?"

Bolton asked.

"You tell me now, I might give you a painless death."

"F-Feeling generous?"

Melissa asked. Frustrated, Bolton put the tip of his blade against Melissa's stomach and began to slowly cut it.

Melissa let out agonising screams as the sharp, warm pain began to knock her off guard. He couldn't relax her mind anymore. Her mind began to go all over the place, thinking about everything. Bolton grabbed the sides of her head and began seeing visions of Led, Bruce, Samantha, Ami, and Zane all at the Splat Force warehouse. He knew where they were now.

As Melissa calmed down, Bolton finally let go of her head, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, young one..."

Bolton whispered. Melissa's eyes widened with fear as she realized what she had just done.

"Unfortunately, you serve no use to me now..."

S L A M ! ! !

He had done it. Melissa's body went into shock as Bolton sank his blade through her chest. Upon pulling it out, Melissa fell forward, slowly dying. Bolton looked down at her with a frown on his face. He disliked what he had just done, but in his mind, a betrayal is a betrayal, period. Bolton stepped ed her and created a flame ring and disappeared.

With the little life that she had left, Melissa reached out one final time with her mind.

"H-He's c-coming... d-don't hold back!"

She thought. Melissa ed her final message over to her friends, her new family before her heart finally stopped beating, leaving her lifeless on the ground.

B A C K W I T H T H E S P L A T F O R C E . . .

They were back at the base. Led, Bruce, and Samantha were inside, both anxious and worried for their friend. Meanwhile, Zane and Ami were in the bunker. Ami had finished cleaning him and had given him new Splat Force gear.

"Drift's really gone... and Uncle Oscar... and Emily..."

Zane whimpered. He was broken from the news of their deaths.

"I'm so sorry, Zane... they all went out heroes, all of them!"

Ami assured.

Tears fell down Zane's face as he thought about his last memories with each of them. They were all gone, and there was nothing he could do.

"We have to kill Bolton! Y-You have no idea what he's done to me!"

"We will! I promise we'll stop him once and for all!"

Ami said before holding Zane's hands, looking deep into his eyes. Zane lifted up Ami's hand and gave it a kiss.

All of a sudden, everyone at the base felt their head buzz. Seconds later, they heard a weak voice.

"H-He's c-coming... d-don't hold back!"

"Melissa..."

Ami whispered. Immediately, she and Zane exited the bunker and saw that the others had gone outside. They ran out to see Bolton standing before the team.

"I had my suspicions of this place. I always knew there was more to what met the eye."

Bolton said.

"Where's Mel?!"

Led exclaimed. Both of his fists were charged with violent electricity.

"She told me everything that I needed to know."

Bolton answered, giving a vague response.

"That's the reason I'm here."

"ASSHOLE, STOP GIVING VAGUE ANSWERS! WHERE IS MEL?!"

Led roared.

"She served no more use to me."

Bolton answered.

Though the answer was vague, it was enough to tell Led what had happened.

"No... y-you didn't! Y-Y-You couldn't have!"

"I'm sorry, Led, but a betrayal is still a betrayal."

He replied.

"I did what I had to do."

"No..."

Led whispered. He fought hard against the tears. His best friend was gone. His only source of comfort was gone. That was it, that was the last straw.

"NOO!"

Z A P ! ! !

Immediately blasting Bolton with electricity, Led started the fight. Bolton fought back by defecting the electricity using his blade. The team moved out. Seeing Ami coming at him from his left, he redirected the electricity towards her. Ami managed to jump out of the way before she and Zane began to open fire.

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

Rasing his open left hand, Bolton covered himself with his hot flames and blocked the shots, though it kept him open from the right.

S L A M ! ! !

Bruce charged it him from the right, sending him flying to the left. Bolton flipped in the air and landed on is feet, digging his blade into the ground to slow him down. The team all ran at him. Samantha now ran alongside her sister and Zane.

Z A P , Z A P , Z A P ! ! !

Led dished out lightning shocks at Bolton, not holding back his power. The first two were aimed at the charging Shark, who got pushed onto his back from the shots. Before the third shot, he glanced at Ami before aiming the shot directly at her.

"WATCH OUT!"

Samantha yelled before jumping into her sister, pushing Ami out of the way of the shock, but being hit directly in the chest, sending her flying back into the farthest wall at intense speed, banging her head against the wall.

"SAMANTHA!"

Ami cried out as she and Zane super jumped to her.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Even after being helped onto her back and leaned against the wall, she struggled to speak. She was paralysed.

"Stay with me! Stay with me, please!"

Ami cried out. But the damage had been done. Samantha's head hung forward as her life came to an unfortunate close.

"N-No... No... It sh-should've been me..."

Ami broke into tears and hugged her sister tightly. Zane wrapped her arm around her, crying for her and her huge loss. Seeing what had happened to Samantha, both Led and Bruce turned back to Bolton, now more hostile towards him.

Z A P ! ! !

Led shot at Bolton's right hand, forcing the blade out of his grasp, leaving him open for Bruce to charge at him.

S L A M ! ! !

Bruce grabbed ahold of Bolton and smashed him through the wall, now on the streets. Bruce ran him through many buildings, causing a large amount of damage to the local area. Streets were in ruins, building's began to go down. It was chaos. Civilians could only watch in horror as buildings started to fall down on them, claiming their lives in the process.

At last, Bruce arrived at the Watchtower, a large security building built by the gifted to look out for any rebellion activities in the streets. Bruce stopped his rampage there and slammed Bolton to the ground of the entrance. The entrance was quickly cleared out as they saw who was fighting.

S L A M ! ! !

Bruce kicked Bolton into the back of a desk, causing immense damage to his back, making him scream from the pain.

Z A P ! ! !

After following them here, Led blasted lightning at Bolton, stunning him completely. Bolton was forced onto his knees by the electricity. Led slowly walked closer, keeping the lightning going. Bruce too began to move closer, preparing his teeth for a delicious treat, that being the head of Bolton.

Barely able to move his fingers, he opened up his left hand. Just as Bruce was opening his mouth, ready to chow down on his former master, Bolton's blade came flying through the building.

S L I C E ! ! !

The blade cut through Bruce's back and straight through his stomach before landing into Bolton's grasp.

"BRUCE!"

Led cried out, losing his focus and dropping the electricity, giving Bolton time to blast him with a fireball.

Bruce fell forward and started breathing weakly. Bolton's arms began ignited with flames just like how they did back at Pulpo City over a year ago. Bolton stepped over Bruce's head, letting out a powerful roar before finishing him off.

S L A M ! ! !

B O O M ! ! !

Just like Pulpo City, everywhere around Bolton exploded into flames, destroying everything around him. Led barely managed to get up an electric barrier in time, though he had bigger problems.

The Watchtower began to fall. Bolton's heat melted any part of the building that fell on him, though Led struggled. He was forced to the ground and lost his barrier. He was crushed under the rubble.

After a couple of minutes, the fire had dimmed. The Watchtower was gone. Everyone inside at that time was no more. All that remained was Bolton standing over the bones of Bruce.

Bolton's arms had gone black. They were scorched by the flames. His face was completely burnt, and his eyes had gone white. He was barely managing to stand up properly went a fist punched it's way out of the rubble. Bolton looked ahead to see who it was that was emerging.

It was a damaged Led. His clothes and hair were dirty from the rubble. Sharps bits of metal had been stabbed through his stomach, arms, and legs. Bolton could see that Led didn't have much left in him, yet he wanted the finishing blow. Using his now broken blade, Bolton tried to lung it into Led's chest, but before he could throw it, his body stopped.

Bolton fell onto his back, now paralysed completely. He began coughing up blood. This was it. After all the years of fighting, it all came back to him. Bolton tried reaching his hand out to Led, begging him for help, but Led wasn't feeling merciful. He charged up lightning one final time.

Z A P ! ! !

B O O M ! ! !

The lightning strike hit him, making his frail, fragile body blow up, causing a small explosion. Once the dust had settled, Bolton was gone. Nothing remained of him. Finally, the nightmare was over. Led fell to his knees as the damage taken had began to take it's toll. Led took in one final breath before falling to the ground.

Back at the base, Ami and Zane looked out into the city, hearing Led go out. Everything had gone quiet. That was when they knew that it was over. Bolton was no more. Ami looked back to her late sister, who now had her eyes closed, and gave her a somber kiss on the forehead.

Holding hands, the young couple walked to the morning sea and watched the sun rise. Zane leaned his head onto Ami's left shoulder and let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they could live in peace once again. Now, all of their friends can rest peacefully knowing that the job has been done.

5 Y E A R S L A T E R . . .

("With the death of Bolton Vulcan, and the end of his reign of terror, peace was returned to Inkopolis. Due to the selfless act of our heroes, many were inspired to continue the fight. But, you might be wondering what our survivors are up to now. Well, behold...")

In the small village of Calamari County, a young girl was coming out of kindergarten with a friend, a young Octoling boy.

"Did you say your Mommy and Daddy were at the pond?"

The boy's mother asked.

"Yeah."

The young girl replied. The girl was a young pale pink Inkling.

"Okay, that's good! I didn't want to drop you off at the wrong location, that's all!"

The mother replied as she opened her car doors. The girl and the boy climbed in through the back doors and sat next to each other.

Driving out of the premise, the three of them drove down the road and towards a small forest next to a pond. The ground was covered in orange leaves. The cold water was tinted from the red skies. Finally, the soft, soothing breeze flowed around the area, making its peaceful mark on anyone walking by.

Once the car was parked, the young girl climbed out of the car and ran towards her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

She cried out joyfully as she jumped into the arms of Ami Stewart.

After the life changing events of Bolton's reign, Ami and Zane laid low and restarted their life together, leading to the birth of their first child.

"Hello, Alyssa!"

Ami greeted, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead before ing her on to Zane.

Ami's hair was now back to being long and wavy, though it had gone a darker pink like her late older sister. Even after all those years, she still wore her signature sporty bobble hat, though she now wore a red sweater and long leggings.

Zane now had side burns on his face, leaving only the area around his mouth shaved. He wore a new twisty handband on his head, this time being one that Ami made herself. He had his hair back in a top knot and wore a white bomber jacket and grey tros.

Young Alyssa Stewart-Miller wore a green jumper over a white shirt and grey tros to match the kindergartens uniform. She had her father's black eyes and her mother's young, carefree personality.

Zane picked up young Alyssa, who wrapped her arms around his head and rubbed her head against his left shoulder.

"Thank you for doing this, Angelica, we owe you!""

Zane told her.

Angelica smiled and shook her head.

"You don't owe me anything, don't worry! I was just doing a favour for a couple of friends."

"But still, thank you so much!"

Ami told her before giving her a warm hug.

After the hug, the young boy gave Alyssa a hug goodbye before being called over by his mother, who was already walking back to the car.

"Stephen, come on, honey!"

Young Stephen ran over to his mother, waving goodbye to his best friend before hopping in the front seat of the car. The Stewart-Miller family waved them goodbye as they drove into the distance. Once gone, Ami immediately turned to her daughter.

"So, what did you do at school today?"

She asked as the three of them walked to the pond, staring out into the water.

"Me and Stephen did lots of things today!"

Alyssa exclaimed in excitement.

"Well, kiddo, we have all the time in the world!"

Zane said before glancing at his girlfriend. The two traded smiles. Even after everything the pair had gone through, they still managed to find their happy ending, which was all they ever wanted.

T O  B E  C O N T I N U E D . . .

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T H X  F O R  R E A D I N G ! ! !

Thx for reading the seventh Chapter of What If...?: A Splat Force Story! This was originally supposed to be the ninth Chapter of the story, but the final Chapter has something similar to this one in the sense that our heroes and the world have fallen, except it'll be explored differently then this one, so I decided to mix up the order a little bit. Next week will be going back to Splat Force II: Allegiance, and the focus will be purely on the main villain as we ponder if this monster really does have any good in him left, so stay tuned for that! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

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