Dez

Leading a team turned out to be a whole lot different than Dez had initially thought. Even just logistically, having to keep on top of tourneys and scrims and practices and everything- it was a load of almost administrative work that she wasn't ready for. But Jax and Tami helped her through it- Canton moreso just snarked at her from the sidelines- and she was able to slowly gain her footing in it.

Things really got rocky for the team though when, just a few months into it, Canton seemed to decide he just really had it out for Jax. He'd been standoffish to the other three as it was, but it seemed like he just never got on the right foot with their Roller. They just kept disagreeing on almost everything, and at one point a comment Canton made set Jax off and the two really got into it verbally, until finally Canton full punched the other in the face. Jax immediately ran off in a hurry, covering himself with his hand.

Dez tried to speak with Canton right after, and he had none of it, insisting that Jax was an Octarian and needed to be booted off the team at the least. Apparently the round ears that Jax had claimed were a birth defect were an Octarian trait that Canton knew of, and when Canton had punched him, black makeup had come off onto his hand. Canton declared that he'd been faking having a bridge between his eyes and hiding his true identity, and that he was a threat.

Well. After that, the team took a bit of a break while Dez tried to communicate with Jax. She passed along what Canton had said about him and asked if it was true, but didn't get any response for several days. Really, Dez didn't care what he was- she didn't even know Octarians still existed- but she was just shocked that he'd hidden himself like that. Eventually, he reached back out, and met up with her and Tami and explained everything. Explained how alienated he'd felt when he first got up here and saw nobody like him, how he'd heard histories of the conflict between the two races presented, and how he felt like he wouldn't have been accepted- or even possibly safe- as himself.

Dez and Tami both assured him on the spot that he'd be safe on their team, and that they would be careful to not let anyone know what he was unless he was ok with it, and Jax broke down in tears. This meant confronting Canton about what had happened- which nobody was looking forward to- but they got it arranged anyway and had a talk with him, too, and gave him the ultimatum of either accepting that Jax was who he was and wasn't a threat, or leaving the team.

Canton stayed on the team, but really pulled into himself for a while, barely talking to any of the three at all and jetting as soon as practices or games were over. The other three weren't sure what to make of it, but at least he was leaving Jax alone now.

It took a few weeks, but eventually, Canton started thawing, and started talking again, and the team slowly healed.

Time passed, more Octolings appeared on the surface and Jax was able to relax, and Splat St grew incredibly close to each other- what had almost torn the team apart a year prior had turned into something that gave them an opportunity to build a solid foundation of trust between them, trust that was heavily called on one night by Canton.

Jax sent out a text to the girls late, saying Canton had called him and desperately needed help. His sister had been squidnapped by the Octarian Army, and he was trying to rescue her. Jax tried to reassure the girls that they didn't have to come, though they'd be greatly appreciated, and both of them jumped to help. They met up with Jax, and he led them to the spot that Canton had last called him from: right outside a kettle embedded in the ground.

As Jax was trying to brief them on what they might find inside and quickly prep the girls for rushing in, a whole other team showed up in fancy armor and rearing to help- it was the famed Squidbeak Splatoon. Canton's sister was apparently Agent 4, and he'd used a device she had to signal an SOS for them to come, too. The two teams joined up and raided the whole place together.

Nothing could have prepared her for what was inside, and the reality of just what they were doing. It was easier to deal with when she just had to follow Squidbeak's lead, but- this was actually fighting. She couldn't tell in the moment if the Octolings they were splatting had respawns. She didn't hardly know where they were going. She didn't want to know what would happen if she got splatted. There was a spawn right by the entrance they'd synced up to, but she'd be spawning in alone- would all the Octolings splatted so far be there waiting? Would the spawn properly work for her, or was it only meant to work for the scientists here in what was evidently some big lab?

Dez didn't even really properly process what all they saw inside- afterwards, one of the Agents told her that she did good and that Canton was lucky to have a team leader like her, but really all she could focus on was how much her hearts were pounding, how many people they had to go through, and... Canton. His sister, Charity. The both of them... were so changed afterwards. She'd met Charity a few times prior- would have even said they were good acquaintances, with how many times her team had met at their apartment or how many times Charity had swung by practices or games to cheer her brother on, and now? Now Charity was just... a near mindless shell that didn't seem to react to anything, and Canton understandably ten different ways of out of sorts, dead-quiet aside from the sobs that occasionally escaped as he clung to his sister for dear life.

Canton and Charity stayed at one of the Agent's apartments that night after recieving much-needed medical attention, and none of the team wanted to leave Canton alone. The Agent that rented the apartment, who introduced herself as Agent 8, pulled the three aside to talk to them. She told them a little of what had happened to Charity in that lab, and what "sanitization" would mean for her future, and for Canton's. She encouraged them to be as supportive as they could, and- she apologized. For the fact that this had ever happened, and for the difficulty they had and would have to deal with because of it. She also invited them to stay the night in her living room, as long as they promised to give Canton and Charity space. The trio took her up on that.

None of them got any rest that night.

Splat St was out of the league for the rest of that season. They all needed time to recover- and Canton especially. Dez tried to come to terms with things in her own ways- doing quieter activities for a bit, spending time with her parents, spending time with her friends. She, Tami, and Jax all made sure to visit Canton and Charity often as they recuperated for a few weeks at Agent 8's apartment, and then helped them move into their new apartment that they had to get since their old one was now considered compromised.

It took a long time for them to reach any semblance of a new 'normal', and in all honesty, it's something they're still working towards. But it's been almost a year since, and lots of progress has been made for everybody. Splat St rejoined the league the following season, and occasionally met up with some of Squidbeak's members. Agent 8 in particular wanted to check up on the team from time to time and make sure they were ok, and whenever Charity showed signs of improvement both teams would get together to celebrate. Eventually, they all talked enough that they started meeting up out of uniform, and Splat St was able to meet the members of Squidbeak as their civilian selves, with friendships being established across the teams.

It's a long road, but Dez knows that whatever it looks like, they'll get through it together.