Splat Force: The Gifted; Chapter 20

(Thx for the feature, I'm glad ya'll have enjoyed this series! ^^)

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W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! Welcome to the series finale of Splat Force: The Gifted!

Everything has led up to this. After all these Chapters of build-up, the climax is now ready to begin. It's time for the big showdown against Bolton and his forces to begin.

Fair warning: make sure that you bring tissues into this. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Now, without further ado, The show must go on!

(This Chapter has been Remastered)

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(Previous Chapter)(Chapter Hub)

C H A P T E R  2 0 :  T H E  N I G H T  C O M E S D O W N

"Hello...?"

Ami answered again, unnerved by the different voice on the other side of the phone. Both she and Zane were now fully awake and sat up.

"Who is this?"

"You've met me before. that right at the mall?"

Led asked. It immediately clicked in Ami and Zane's mind.

"Where is Drift? What did you do to him?!"

Ami exclaimed desperately. She was now sitting on the edge of her bed with Zane still by her side.

"He's alive, held in our custody for tonight."

Led threatened.

Zane leaned into Ami's phone.

"If you lay one finger on him..."

He whispered aggressively. Suddenly, the call ended. Both Zane and Ami looked at each other, both of them were terrified.

A few minutes later, Zane walked out of the bedroom, his face full of concern and stress, Ami followed behind him. Zane had his shirt and jacket back on as well as his footwear.

"They have him... how did they get him?!"

Zane asked himself out loud, trying to make it make sense.

"Wait, what's going on?"

Samantha asked, pausing the TV and turning to them.

"Bolton has Drift. Drift somehow found them, or they found him!"

Zane answered. He then paused to catch his breath.

"Oh my..."

Samantha gasped.

"How do you know this?"

Ami stepped forward, speaking for the stressed-out Zane.

"One of Bolton's goons called us on Drift's phone! He said he's in their custody! I-I think they're gonna k-kill him!"

Ami said, going into a fit of panic as she teared up.

Zane held both of Ami's shoulders before a single tear could fall out of her eyes.

"Hey, we'll find him, okay?"

He assured her, repeating what he said quietly until she was calm. He walked to the front door and opened it. Before exiting, he looked back at Ami.

"Call Alyssa! She'll help us! I need to get my gear!"

With that being said, Zane left Ami with Samantha. Ami dialled up Alyssa's number and started a call. It took a few seconds but eventually, she picked up.

"Ami?"

She called out.

"It's Bolton, he has Drift!"

Ami told her, sounding increasingly panicky.

"What?!"

Alyssa exclaimed in alarm.

"H-How did he find him?!"

"I don't know!"

Ami replied, sounding like she was gonna break down at any second.

"One of his goons just c-called us and said he's i-in their custody! I-I don't know what to do!"

"Okay, okay, don't panic! I'll just go over to his house and find some evidence of where he could be, okay?"

She said to her, hoping that she could find anything. Alyssa noticed Ami's lack of response.

"Is that okay?

"O-Okay... please call me if you find something!"

Ami begged, her fears about Drift had reached an all-time high.

"I will do. Stay safe, okay sweetheart?"

"I will do!"

Ami whispered before hanging up.

"Ami... I'm so sorry about Drift..."

Samantha whispered, she had a gut feeling that it was already too late.

"I'm not giving up, I have to save him!"

Ami said to herself before running into the bedroom and taking out a box from under her bed. Inside the box was her Splat Force gear. She quickly began to put it on.

"Ami, what are you doing?"

Samantha asked, concerned for her.

"I have to go after him. I can't just sit here and let him die!'

Ami exclaimed to her as she finished putting her gear on.

It became clear to Samantha that nothing that she could say could convince Ami not to approach.

"Look Ami, I know I can't stop you,  but I can't not tell you about how dangerous this is. From what I've heard, this Bolton guy doesn't hold back. He'll kill you, Ami!"

Samatha pleaded to her, knowing that what she was saying wouldn't work.

"I know!"

She yelled back at her. She knew what she was getting herself into by now, but she didn't care, all she cared about in that moment was finding and saving Drift.

"Please, just stay safe out there!"

She said to her, tearing up. Samantha hugged her sister, knowing that there was a chance it could be their last.

M E A N W H I L E  W I T H  D R I F T . . .

Drift's eyes slowly started to open up. He took in many small breaths. He was feeling incredibly dizzy after the attack, everything was blurry to him. After almost thirty seconds, he finally managed to make out an image of an Octoling leaning against the wall on the other side of his cell door, he knew just who this Octoling was.

Drift rubbed his eyes as everything became more clear and less blurry.

"Y-You!"

He shouted out, trying to get up but ultimately falling back to the ground. He still needed time.

"You're finally awake..."

Bolton said to him, he wasn't making eye with the boy. He had his eyes closed as his head still faced forward.

"You killed my father!"

Drift spat out as he clenched his fist.

"Yes, I did, I completed my sixteen-year goal."

Bolton whispered before finally looking at Drift.

"But the work is not done, it's far from done."

"Seriously?! You killed me Dad and yet the work is STILL not done?!"

"You're correct."

Drift was angered by this.

"You son of a..."

Drift growled as he tried to stand, only to fall back down.

"Argh! Just kill me and get this over with!"

"I'm not going to kill you."

He informed him.

"Why not?!"

Drift demanded him to answer, his voice breaking mid-sentence.

"I'm right here! Not to mention that I'm the son of your late arch-nemesis! You might as well just destroy his bloodline right here!"

"You were caught in the middle of a conflict that had been going on for nearly two decades."

Bolton said to him, confusing Drift.

"Who you are has nothing to do with what your father did to me..."

"Then what did Dad do, huh? Why did you hate him so much?!"

Drift asked him, his voice was filled with anger every second.

Bolton remained quiet as he looked at Drift. He was inspecting him from head to foot. After a small moment of silence, he spoke.

"You remind me of my son."

"Your... son?"

Drift asked. Now, his head was filled with a large number of questions, most of which being how someone like Bolton ended up with a family.

"I did. I had a son, and I had a daughter. Their names were Credence and Sasha. Of course, I had a wife too... my Hela. I had a family. I lost them sixteen years ago..."

Bolton said. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, inhaling and then exhaling. He opened them back up, ready to explain everything.

"I doubt your father ever told you about the battle in Baxter Village."

"He did."

Drift told him.

Bolton squinted his eyes. He was surprised to hear that.

"Really?"

He asked to which Drift nodded.

"I wasn't expecting him to tell anyone. I thought he was too busy trying to keep up his public image."

"He told me he was hesitant because he didn't want me to view him differently."

Drift expanded.

"I didn't know what to think at first, but I forgave him in the end, I just never told him..."

"You should be glad about that. You don't know the full extent of the story!"

Bolton said before going into further detail.

"We were at peace at that village. Many made friends, others started families. I was one of those people. I was different back then, I was a good man. Everything changed when the Splat Force attacked... friends, families, all lost."

Drift listened to Bolton talk with a frown on his face. Not just from hearing more about what happened, but also from seeing the sombre look on Bolton's face as he told the story. Bolton faced away from Drift, now looking straight forward again.

"My family was the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. For the first time in my life, I felt at peace... until your father came in and murdered my Hela where she stood! He tried to fight him, but he bested me in combat. When I awoke, Helena was dead and my kids were gone..."

"I-I-I didn't know..."

Drift whispered. He couldn't believe it, but he was beginning to feel sorry for him.

"It was from that day on that I devoted my life to my mission."

Bolton said before getting into the details of his mission.

"I desire a perfect world, a world where the gifted can roam freely, free from the oppression that they face daily. Killing your father was the first step."

"A-An-An-And you did just that..."

Drift stuttered, at a clear loss for words.

"I did... your father may have become a changed man, but that doesn't mean that every single pain he had given me had gone away, even after his death..."

Bolton said before turning back to Drift.

"No matter if he changed or not, nothing could ever change what he did to me!"

Drift had no way of responding, so he looked to the ground as a small tear escaped his eyes. Bolton got up from the wall and walked out of the dungeons, leaving Drift all alone with all the thoughts that had just been planted into his head.

M E A N W H I L E  W I T H  Z A N E . . .

Zane approached his house and walked inside, not bothering to take off his shoes due to him only being there for what he planned was a short minute. He ran up the stairs and entered his bedroom. He pulled out a box from under his bed and opened it, the box containing his Splat Force gear. He took off the current clothes he was wearing and put on his gear. He slowly sneaked downstairs and was about to exit through the door.

"Zane..."

Selina called out from the living room, Zane slowly entered the room and saw her standing in front of the fireplace, looking straight into it.

"Mom, I-I..."

Zane tried to explain what he was doing but couldn't find the strength to say what he wanted to say.

"You came to find your gear, didn't you..."

She whispered to him, still staring at the calm fires.

Zane found it puzzling to respond to her, she sounded upset, almost as if she knew what was going to happen.

"Mom... please listen to me, I-"

Zane was about to explain but was cut off mid-sentence.

"I know... you have to go on another adventure where you risk your own life..."

She answered for him.

"I know things haven't been well since the divorce, but my friend is in danger, I have to help him. I don't know if I'll live to tell the tale, but if I don't make it back then-"

"I never spent time much with you, the times I did I was bossy and and neglectful... I just wish I was a better mother to you, Zane, I'm sorry..."

Selina whispered, her voice cracking near the end of the sentence.

Zane was troubled. He didn't know what to say to any of it.

"Mom... in the event that I don't return, please move on with your be happy for me, don't feel as if it's your fault..."

Zane said to her. Before leaving, Zane approached his mother. She finally looked at him. She had tears in her eyes. Wanting to comfort her, Zane hugged her tightly. They embraced each other for what could end up being the last time.

B A C K  A T  T H E  O N C E  G R E A T  S Y M B O L . . .

Bolton was at the top of the ruined castle, staring out into the open field ahead of the great castle. The breeze got colder and colder as the night progressed.

Led approached Bolton from behind, now standing behind him to his left

"They're coming, aren't they?"

He asked, suspecting that Bolton was sensing a confrontation.

"I suspect so..."

He whispered, his voice blended in smoothly with the crisp wind.

"No matter what, you just can't seem to catch a break, huh?"

"No matter what happens, there will always be someone aching for a fight. When the night comes down, that ends. You have my word."

Bolton assured. He knew that a face-off was coming between him and the Splat Force. He wasn't planning to lose.

L A T E R  T H A T  N I G H T . . .

Zane was at the outskirts, he looked around to try and find them. It was different to the Infantry Forest entrance in the sense that there was a drivable pathway going straight forward this time. The parking lot was the same, though. Although there weren't any houses.

"Hey Zane, over here!"

Alyssa called out to him.

Zane saw them and ran over.

"So, do we have an idea of where he is at?"

"I went over to his house to investigate. His computer was still on. It was on a news article from a few months ago. It was Henry Spence's first sighting of Bolton. The article mentioned a ruins close to here known as the Once Great Symbol. I think that's where Drift ended up."

She explained. Alyssa had the Rainmaker on her. She was ready to finally put five weeks of travelling to good use.

"I just hope that you're right."

Zane said to her before turning his attention to Ami.

"How did things turn out between you and Samantha?"

"She knew she couldn't stop me going, but she told me to stay safe."

She answered before asking the question back to him.

"How did things go with your mother?"

"She hasn't been feeling great since the divorce happened. I managed to speak with her for a little bit. She seemed sad about me going out, but she's okay as long as I come home safe."

He explained to her, feeling somewhat guilty on the inside.

"We should probably get going. The sooner we find him, the sooner it's over..."

Alyssa said. Without any more words, the three of them headed forward.

1  H O U R  L A T E R . . .

After nearly an hour into their journey, the group stopped to relax themselves. Alyssa checked her GPS.

"We aren't that far from The Once Great Symbol. We should be there in the next ten to twenty minutes."

Cosmo announced, this made the young couple behind her feel more pressured.

Ami tapped Zane's left arm.

"Zane, are you nervous at all?"

She asked him, her voice sounding more frightened than usual.

It took Zane quite some time to give a confident reply, something seemed off about him.

"Oh, not really..."

He lied, trying to look confident, but failing.

"Zane, you aren't fine, what's wrong?"

Ami asked him, not buying his masking.

"Nothing, it's just... I'm scared I won't make it out here. I'm scared that I could lose you or Drift. I just don't want to lose you two."

He confessed, he sounded nervous about tonight.

"This is different to the Rainmaker search. Back then, we were running away from him and our goal was to find a weapon but now we are rushing headlong into battle straight into their territory. This is different, and I don't like it one bit!"

Ami looked straight into Zane's eyes as she held his hands.

"If we stick together, we might just get through this. And besides, we've got Alyssa with us. I'm pretty sure we are in good hands."

She assured him, right before giving him a small kiss.

Alyssa was watching them interact from afar and smiled at them.

"I don't want to interrupt, but we should get moving. We don't want to waste any time."

Alyssa told them. Ami gave Zane a reassuring smile before the pair of them began to walk again, this time holding hands.

After a long walk, the three of them finally approached the end of the forest pathway. There it was, to the left of them, the Once Great Symbol. Alyssa put down the Rainmaker and turned to her little companions, holding them each by one shoulder.

"Okay, stay close to me. Don't run off unless I say so!"

She told them. The pair gave her a determined look, with Zane now picking up the Rainmaker. It was heavy, and he had to use both hands.

The three of them entered the courtyard, not knowing that they were being watched from the roof, Bolton stared down at them with Led standing next to him. He slowly turned to Led and nodded to him before stepping back, giving Led the silent signal.

Led jumped from the top of the castle and landed at the end of the courtyard, electricity sparked out of him. He glared at the three fighters ahead of him. Alyssa held out her glowing arms in front of Zane and Ami. She glanced at them.

"I'll take care of him, you two-"

Z A P ! ! !

Led blasted a bolt of lightning at Alyssa, hitting her in the chest and sending her flying back. Both Zane and Ami looked at each other as they now stood before Led. Suddenly, Ami dashed forward, grabbing Led's attention. As Led shot another bolt of lightning, Zane charged the Rainmaker.

Z A P ! ! !

Ami dodged the bolt, jumping forward and barely escaping the rubble from the wall. Zane was now ready, he fired the weapon. Unfortunately, he wasn't skilled with it, and he missed entirely.

B O O M ! ! !

The blast hit the top of the door. Led trembled forward from the mini shock wave. Seeing the chance, Ami dashed to the doors of the castle and hurried inside.

"Yes!"

Zane cheered. Led's attention was now drawn to him. Zane tried his hardest to fire the Rainmaker again, but it needed to recharge.

"Damn it! Why do you have to be one of those weapons!"

Led walked to Zane, face filled with anger and his hands sparkled with electricity. Before he could fire, however, he was blasted away by one of Alyssa's energy beams.

"Go and help Ami! I'll stay on him!"

She commanded.

"Okay!"

Zane shouted back before running after Ami in the castle.

"I've heard a lot about you, you're that traitor, aren't you?!"

Led snarled at her as he charged up a lightning strike and fired it. Alyssa jumped out of the way of the bolt.

"You fought against your own kind?!"

"I didn't have a choice!"

Alyssa shouted back as she rose again.

Meanwhile, after searching around the place, Ami finally found the door to the dungeons. The problem was that the door was locked and she couldn't get in.

"Damn it!"

She grumbled to herself. She attempted to kick down the door but failed.

"Ami!"

Zane called out, running over to her with the Rainmaker.

"Zane!"

She called back.

"By any chance can this Rainmaker bust down locked iron doors?"

"Most likely, I just need to try!"

He answered. Now that its fatigue had come to an end, he was able to use it again. Without wasting any more time, he fired at the door.

B O O M ! ! !

The iron door was blasted away by the Rainmaker's attack. The two Inklings ran down the stairs and entered the dungeons. A confused Drift woke up from his cell and rushed to the bars, trying to see what was happening.

"Hello? What's going on?"

He called out from the end of the room.

Ami immediately recognised that voice. She dashed over to the last cell and saw Drift, she unlocked the cell's doors from the outside. The moment the door was open, Ami rushed in to hug Drift. She then pulled out and punched his shoulder.

"Why did you do this, you idiot?!"

She shouted at him, before Drift could explain himself, she pulled him back into another hug as she started to get emotional.

"I'm so glad you're safe..."

"Great, you've found him!"

A voice called out from the other side of the room. It was... Alyssa?

"I'm glad you're alright, Zane!"

Though Drift greeted her with a smile, both Zane and Ami were confused. Zane stepped forward.

"I thought you were-"

"Nah, I beat him!, He's gone! I even decided to take his clothes!"

She said to him, assuring him that the threat had been taken care of. Zane looked at the other two, both of whom looked puzzled.

"Go, I'm right behind you!"

The reunited trio didn't know how to react to this sudden news but decided to go with it. They were halfway up the stairs when Zane came to a realization.

"Guys, those black robes she had on... that cape... those were Bolton's clothes! She was fighting that electric guy, not him!"

He said in alarm, turning back to see not Alyssa, but instead Jason lunging forward at him.

The trio ran away up the stairs. Zane tried to fire the Rainmaker, but it slowed him down. Taking one for the team, Drift ran toward Jason and stood in his way.

"What are going to do, punch me-"

He taunted but got cut off by Drift kneeing him in the groin.

Jason fell onto the ground groaning, crossing his legs together. Drift stood over him, looking down at the Shape-Shifter with a smirk.

"Dad always told me to be unpredictable!"

He said proudly before turning around to see Ami almost laughing with Zane giving him a thumbs up of approval. Drift ran past them.

"Come on!"

Meanwhile, the real Alyssa was still fighting Led. Alyssa managed to avoid a couple of lightning bolts before finally getting hit and falling, though she was quick to rise and fire an energy beam, which didn't hit its target.

By now, Alyssa had been scorched on her right cheek after a close encounter with lightning. Although it couldn't be seen behind his red bandana, Led had gotten a nosebleed from the fight. The pair ran at each other once again. Led's clenched fist sparkled as he struck her.

S L A M ! ! !

He hit her right in the mouth. Alyssa stumbled back, turning her head to the side, and spitting out blood before turning back to Led. She then blasted at him with two energy beams, sending him flying back. However, Led managed to land on his feet.

Opening the front door, the young trio rushed out and saw the fight up ahead. Ami looked at the boys.

"We need to help her!"

Drift quickly nodded.

"Follow my lead!"

Drift said as he went into his swim form.

Both Alyssa and Led stared each other down. At the same time, the two of them blasted at each other. The two gifts collided with each other, both seeming to be getting stronger by the second. It looked as if either of them could get the upper hand at any second, well, it did look that way, until...

S L A M ! ! !

Drift and Ami charged straight into Led from a super jump from Led's left and right respectively, knocking him off balance, depowering him for a moment, making him vulnerable to Alyssa's bean.

Led flew back and hit the ground on his back. He groaned, sounding exhausted as he struggled to keep himself on his feet. As he finally stood, he glanced to his left to see Zane standing still, charging up the Rainmaker and finally firing it when ready. Led panicked, unable to move out of the way in time. The best that he could do was to shield himself with his gifts.

B O O M ! ! !

Though the mini shield took in most of the damage, protecting Led from death, the impact still sent him flying back against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

With Led now out of the picture, Alyssa ran over to the three of them, making sure to give Drift a long, warm hug.

"I was so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry for making you go through this!"

Drift replied as he pulled out of the hug.

"It's okay!"

Alyssa said as she held his shoulders.

"It's over! We can go home now!"

The four of them began to walk to the front entrance, all tired and ready to go home. However, a flame gateway opened behind them. They each turned around upon hearing it and saw Bolton emerging. They each got into their battle stances.

Bolton looked at Drift, staring him down.

"Your father died making sure you'd stay out of all of this."

He reminded him before looking at the rest of the team.

"What you all did tonight went against his wishes, and now, his death is in vain."

As Bolton monologued, Zane began charging the Rainmaker. Once ready, he fired it at Bolton. Using his blade, Bolton deflected the attack, sending it flying to the wall on his right.

B O O M ! ! !

As the explosion went off, staring a fire on the right wall. Bolton shot a quick, but strong fireball at Zane, knocking him back, and forcing the Rainmaker out of his grasp. Alyssa ran forward and leapt at Bolton, but he was also ready for that attack.

S L A M ! ! !

Bolton right-hooked Alyssa in the chest, knocking her back and making her fall onto Drift and Ami like a bowling ball. In just a matter of seconds, everyone was down.

"You're all out of your league now that precious Commander is gone."

He told them.

"This is your final chance to stay out of my way."

Feeling merciful, and wanting the team to wake up to what Frederick tried doing for them, Bolton turned and walked away.

"If I were you four, I'd recommend going home."

Bolton told the four defeated fighters as he headed to the castle ruins, entering through the front door. Zane watched through the open front doors as Bolton entered the throne room.

Alyssa came to each of the three kids, helping them up one by one!

"Well done, I'm proud of you all!"

She told each of them. As she helped Zane up, she noticed his fixation on the throne room doors.

"Come on, Zane, we have to go!"

Zane reached down and grabbed the Rainmaker.

"He's in there! He's got nowhere to run, I have to end this!"

He said before running toward the castle without a second thought.

"ZANE!"

Alyssa called out as she, Drift, and Ami chased after him.

Zane busted down the throne doors. There Bolton was, stood in the middle of the room in front of a flame gateway. He turned around and his eyes immediately widened upon seeing the charging Rainmaker. He didn't have his blade in his hand, nor did he have its scabbard. He was completely exposed. Without wasting any time, Zane fired at him.

B O O M ! ! !

The Rainmaker exploded in Bolton's face, knocking him to the ground, he wasn't moving.

"You did it!"

Drift cheered out from outside. The three outside began to celebrate with each other, however, something didn't feel quite right.

As Zane walked steadily towards the body, something started to change. The body's appearance started to change into that of an Inkling, the long red hair changed back into slit-back black hair. Zane turned over the body and discovered it wasn't Bolton... it was Jason Renner.

A flame gateway appeared behind Zane.

"A foolish move that was..."

Bolton said, emerging from the gateway and standing on the other side of the entrance. Zane fired another shot from the Rainmaker, Bolton deflected the attack, sending it to the roof above them. Zane had just made a grave mistake...

B O O M ! ! !

The roof crumbled down, blocking the way out. Zane was now trapped in the throne room.

"ZANE!!!"

Ami screamed out loud, she tried to run toward the blocked entrance, but Alyssa held her back.

She wasn't able to stop Drift. He ran forward trying to attack Bolton, trying to sucker punch him from behind. Instead, Bolton punched him in the chest, sending him flying back outside toward Alyssa and Ami.

S L A M ! ! !

Thankfully, Alyssa managed to catch Drift just as he reached them. Bolton formed another flame portal and went through it, this time, entering the collapsed throne room. He was at the back of the room in front of the throne, opposite Zane, who was trying to get through the thick blockage.

Bolton looked down at Jason's body frowning at it. Jason's eyes were shut and he wasn't breathing. Zane saw that Bolton was distracted and attempted to charge up one more attack from the Rainmaker, taking small steps forward.

Whilst charging, Bolton saw what Zane was doing and threw his blade into the Rainmaker. Zane dropped it and attempted to run away, but there was little room left to run...

B O O M ! ! !

The Rainmaker exploded and Zane was just caught in the mix. He was sent flying back into the rubble. He let out a sharp gasp as his body ached. Bolton formed another flame gateway, this time to what looked like a dark jungle environment.

He picked up Jason's body and took it with him. Before walking through, he looked back at the weak Inkling.

"What happens next is on you. You only have yourself to blame..."

He told Zane as he disappeared through the gateway just before it closed behind him.

The fire outside was getting worse and worse by the second. Combined with the fires from the throne room, it wasn't long until the Once Great Symbol completely went up in flames.

"We need to get out, now!"

Alyssa said to Drift and Ami as she tried to run them out of the castle grounds.

Ami was resisting, trying to go back for her boyfriend.

"WE CAN'T LEAVE ZANE!!!"

Drift grabbed ahold of her, holding her shoulders as he tried to talk sense into her.

"Ami, Zane is already gone! There is nothing we can do... we have to get out of here or else we're next!"

He yelled at her. Ami looked back at the flaming ruins, wiped her eyes with her sleeves, and ran for it along with Alyssa and Drift.

They ran over to a nearby hill and watched the ruins go up into flames. Ami, still holding on to hope, decided to try and call Zane. After a long half-minute...

"A-Am... A-Ami..."

He whispered, his voice sounding quieter than usual. The fire was growing bigger and bigger causing the castle to start collapsing.

"Zane!"

Ami exclaimed, feeling relieved that Zane was still holding on.

"A-Are you okay?!"

"Ami... I-I... I'm sorry..."

Ami's face dropped instantly upon hearing those words.

"No, No, Zane, don't be sorry. W-We're gonna get you out, o-oka!"

"Ami... it's t-too late... even if you run back, y-you wouldn't make it!"

Zane muttered, his voice getting weaker by the second.

"No! Zane, please!"

Ami cried, her begging wasn't enough to change anything.

Zane was too hurt to move. He laid still and watched as the roof of the ruins began to collapse. This was it for him, and he knew it.

"Ami... I-I... l-lo-"

Ami, Drift, and Alyssa watched from afar as the roof of the Once Great Symbol fell. The sound of the collapse echoed through the night, sounding almost like a thunder strike. Ami didn't notice her losing signal with Zane. She was stood in pure shock.

"Zane?"

Ami called out through the phone, but she got no response.

"Z-Z-Zane...?"

Ami checked her phone and saw that the call had been disconnected. It was at this moment that she knew that Zane was gone. Ami's legs quaked as she fell onto her knees, breaking down into tears.

Drift's hand covered his mouth, tears going down his face as well, although not at the same rate as Ami's. Alyssa turned around, covering her face with her right hand and holding her stomach with her left hand. She felt sick.

Zane was gone. There was nothing they could do now. He had just found his place in the world, but now he was gone. As the night went down, their worlds went dark again...

T H E  N E X T  D A Y . . .

Police were all over the Once Great Symbol. They dashed in and out of the building to try and find anything in there, anything that could've started the fire, but there was nothing. In addition, Zane wasn't found in the rubble. It appeared that Bolton had disposed of his dirty work.

Bolton stood alone, watching the burnt ruins from afar, his cape flowing in the wind. He looked away and saw Led approach him.

"What now?"

He asked him, unsure of what they were going to do next.

"This was your base. Where are you gonna go now?"

To answer Led's question, Bolton opened a flame gateway in front of him. He stepped through. Led followed him to the other side. The gateway closed, leaving them in the middle of Infantry Forest.

"Why did you take me out here?"

"I want to show you something."

Bolton said before walking further into the forest.

"Okay..."

Led whispered before reluctantly following. After a small walk, Bolton arrived at a wooden cabin. Led didn't know what to think.

"What is this?"

"You asked where I was going to go now that the Once Great Symbol has burned down. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but I assure you that the inside is just what we need."

Bolton told him.

"What happened last night with the kid could've been avoided. Now, they're all paying the price for it, the kid especially."

"Yeah, you're right there. But, can I just ask why we're now camping in a cabin of all places? I know you said there's more on the inside, but a random cabin in the middle of the woods is bound to raise questions."

Led asked him.

"No one is brave enough to come this far out into the forest, and those who are brave usually set their eyes on the cliffside. No one would think to come here."

Bolton explained as he walked to the front door. He opened the door and turned to Led.

"Our work, Led, is far from done. We need to find others like us to help in this fight."

Led slowly nodded.

"Where do we start?"

He asked as he walked to the front door before ing Bolton inside of the cabin.

2  W E E K S  L A T E R . . .

It was a cloudy, miserable day. Zane's family and closest friends stood in front of a tombstone and an empty casket.

'Here Lies:

Zane Grant Miller

Beloved Son, Nephew, Cousin, and Friend

December 19 2005 - July 22 2022'

Selina stood away from the crowd, crying silent tears. Samantha saw Selina on how own and approached her.

"I'm so sorry about your son, he was such a great boy."

She said to Selina, wanting to give her some company.

"T-Thank you... I'm sorry, but who you are?"

"I'm Samantha, I'm Ami's sister."

She answered.

"Ami's not been doing well. Zane was her first ever boyfriend, and she adored him too."

Alyssa noticed the conversation going on. She took a deep breath before ing them.

"Hey..."

"Mrs Frida, hi."

Selina greeted.

Alyssa had to take another deep breath as she felt herself struggle to keep it together.

"I-I am so sorry I couldn't save him... it's all my fault, I-I should never have-"

Selina interrupted Alyssa with a hug. She hugged her back, allowing a couple of tears to fall.

"It's okay... it wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself.

She said, deciding to choose forgiveness and love over hate.

As the hug ended, Alyssa smiled at Selina, wiping another tear from her right cheek.

"After it happened, I went back to the ruins to find a body... I couldn't find anything, even under all that rubble, my husband tried as well but got nothing. I don't know if Bolton took him or... I just don't know..."

"Hey, y-you did your best, okay?"

Samantha assured her.

"Thank you."

Alyssa said, smiling at Samantha.

The crowd started to come together, each of them picked up a small handful of Soil and placed it into the grave. After they all each had a hand putting in soil. Once everyone had their turn, everyone started walking to the wake as the grave was quickly filled up, burying the empty coffin in the ground.

However, not everyone went to wake, two of them stayed behind at the grave, kneeling in front of the grave, with her best friend standing behind her.

"Well... what now?"

Drift asked, starting the conversation.

Ami got up and turned around, looking away from Drift. Her face was dry now, she had cried every tear that she could cry at that moment.

"I-I don't know Drift...These past few months have been both the best and the worst..."

She whispered.

"I know what I'm going to do, I just want to know if you're in or out. If you're out, then that's okay..."

He said to her. Drift understood Ami's viewpoint completely if she wanted out.

"I'm not going back to the Splat Force... I'm too scared. First my Dad, then Frederick... now Zane. I don't think I can go through any of that again."

She replied coldly, gone was the innocent and cheery Ami, now she was a shell of her former self. She stepped closer to her best friend and held on to him for dear life.

"Please don't go back... I don't want to lose you too..."

Drift sighed and shook his head, knowing that he was about to give his best friend the biggest heartache that she could experience at that moment.

"I'm going back to fulfil my father's last wish. Bolton is still out there somewhere, getting more stronger by the second... I'm returning to right my father's wrongs, to make both him and Zane proud..."

He explained to her, knowing that his choice would affect Ami.

"Drift... please!"

Ami begged. As it turned out, she still had more tears left to cry as her face quickly became drenched.

"I'm sorry..."

Drift said. As Ami cried, Drift approached and hugged her, she cried into his shoulders.

"Goodbye Ami..."

Drift whispered to her. After a long hug, they both pulled away from each other and went their separate ways.

3  W E E K S  L A T E R . . .

Drift walked down the streets of west Inkopolis, he was looking for something, or somewhere. His phone buzzed, it was a photo from Alyssa, the photo showed an abandoned warehouse. Drift put his phone away and looked around. After turning to his right, he discovered that exact warehouse.

Drift walked over to the warehouse and walked inside of it. Upon entering, he was greeted with a massive square room, with stationary on the sides of it, and Splat Force Gear hanging up on the wall. It looked mostly a mess, there was still a lot of work to do before the base would properly be read.

"Hello Drift, glad you've made it!"

Alyssa greeted, dressed in her full gear.

"I know it's not that impressive, but hey, it's a work in progress, this baby will grow haha."

"Yeah, it'll work, eventually."

He replied jokingly, trying to blend his comment with hers.

"I just want to say that both your father and Zane would be proud."

She said to him, looking over to a wall with portraits of the fallen on it.

"They would. Now I'm going to say something that is going to make you proud... I'm ready!"

Drift announced to her, smiling that his father's legacy would live on through him.

"Great!"

She called out, ing him his gear. Drift started to change into his gear, after putting it on, he stood in the centre of the room.

"Drift, your training begins now!"

T H E  E N D . . . O R  I S  I T ?

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T H X  F O R  R E A D I N G ! ! !

Thx for reading Splat Force: The Gifted. That is that folks! I just want to say thank you to everyone who ed this series, whether you were here since Chapter 1 or picked up on the way, it's been quite the experience of myself bringing my characters to life. Splat Force: The Gifted may be over but the saga is not over. It's only just started. I have some announcements to make next week for some projects. That's all for now, thank you all again for ing this series. Stay Fresh! ^^

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