Fun splatfest was fun...


"Ughhhh are we here just to suffer?" Azule groaned with impatience as he slouched with his chin on the table-half asleep. Sitting next to him was Sky, who was playing games on her phone with such concentration that her thumbs were moving fast like a lightning bolt. "Hey Sky, why are we here again? I don't think I heard you well with my head still in dreamland." Azule yawned with an adorable tone like a cat as he tugged on his sister's sleeve.

"Hm?" Sky went as she kept her gaze locked on her phone while her brother continued to tug on the white sleeve. "Verde's coming to have breakfast with us." she said plainly as the brim of her mesh cap hid her eyes, showing that she was going back into deep focus on the game and no longer entertaining her sleepyhead of a brother.

"E-eh?" Azule's mouth and eyes widen in surprise. "EHHHHHHHHHHH!?" he yelled as he put his hands to his head, clenching the side of his cap; His elbow bumped Sky's arm and knocked the focus Sky out of concentration as her hand accidentally closed out the game.

"You…" Without any warning Sky landed a karate chop square on Azule's head, steaming mad that he ruined her flow of concentration.

Azule held his head in pain with tears, "I'm sorry…" he said in muffled tone while rubbing his head.

"The overreaction wasn't needed. Thanks to you, I didn't beat the boss level. Man, you know how hard it was to get there while being under leveled!?"

Azule's head dropped, "Sorry Sis, the news about big bro caught me off guard."

"Why? He's our big brother. I don't see anything alarming about it."

Azule fidgeted in his seat as he looked away with embarrassment, "You wouldn't understand since you're too cool to feel this way."

Sky narrowed her eyes and gave a slow nod; What Azule was hinting at was shyness. Whenever Azule was around his eldest of siblings, he found himself to act too childlike and sometimes shy-opposite of his relationship with Sky. Observing her brother's band aid under his eye, Sky knew about what happened in Osuma and had been very harsh on him for what happened, but figured it was best that she spend time with him as soon as possible. Looking down at him, he looks up at her with a clueless face in response to her sudden smile. Wrapping her arm around him to bring him in close for an embrace, she wanted to let him know that regardless of what he does, he'll always be her special little brother; thankful to have him back safe and sound, Sky wouldn't loosen her vise grip of a hug.

Azule struggles to squirm his way out, "Y-you're suffocating me!" Azule gasped in search of air, his face red from both the lack of oxygen and embarrassment.

Sky looks down at him with a sinister glint in her eyes as her face darkened, "If you ever hurt yourself again, I'll make you regret it." She said in an intimidating tone with her thumb pressed against his band aid, letting him know she wasn't pleased with his new scar.

"Yes big sis." he responded sheepishly as she let him go. "So, why is Verde coming? We don't usually go to diners…"

Sky nodded, "He messaged me last night letting me know that he'd be in town for a quite a while and wanted to spend his first free day with us."

"Really? How long will he be staying?" Azule asked with enthusiasm as his eyes turned star shaped.

Sky shrugged her shoulders with a smirk, "Until the summer." She said with a feeling of superiority in knowing more about Verde than her brother.

Azule blinked twice without a reaction and then quickly went into a thinking position. Sky raised an eyebrow filled with question as her brother propped his head on his chin with a serious face; he was doing the math in his head of how long Verde would be staying. While the siblings were waiting at the table, the door opens with the bell chiming; a tan figure dressed in a green unzipped bomber jacket, white tee, grey joggers, black sneakers, and wearing aviator shades entered the establishment. His dog tag hangs around his neck like the bling the MC Princess would wear in her younger days. As he approaches the two siblings, the forest green hair made him all too recognizable as he took off his shades and opened his arms to greet his younger siblings, giving them both a hearty group hug before sitting down across from them.

Verde was the second oldest child of the four children of Maya and Julian, otherwise known as Agent 3 and 4. Sitting as the second in command to the head general of the Inkopolis army, Verde had been given his vacation and decided to spend it in the capital of Inkopolis where his kid siblings reside. He was a man of discipline, yet he had this loose persona about him that hadn't been revealed while he was in uniform. Taking up a menu, he cracked a cool smile at them. "Know what you're getting?" he asked in a smooth tone; he had a similar style to Azule's hairstyle with one side shaved and the other combed over with a bang that extended over on the combed side, except he had notably thicker eyebrows and longer hair than Azule with his ponytail being long enough to rival his father's.

"It really is great to see the both of you." he said with satisfaction as he gave an unusually warm smile. "Hm, what do you guys think about an omurice? I haven't had one in a long time."

"Yeah, I'm getting an omurice and Azule was looking at getting a croissant sandwich with hash browns and a blueberry muffin. Not sure why, but he's been craving blueberry muffins lately."

Azule nodded with a cheeky smile, "The sweet aroma of the muffin with its succulent fruity extract of blueberry complements the texture of the soft pastry to the point that it's so... haaaa~!" Azule salivates at the mouth at the thought of a blueberry muffin he was describing.

Verde looked to Azule with a hearty grin that sent shivers down Azule's spine since it resembled a sinister smile, "Blueberry, huh? Banana Nut is better."

Azule's face turned pale as timed slowed down with his brother's jab sinking in slowly as he forced a twitchy smile, "Banana...Nut?" Azule's condescending sneer echoed throughout the diner, "I know I heard wrong, big bro. Did you just assume that Banana Nut is better than Blueberry?"

Verde smirked, seeing Azule was a man of culture in muffins as well. "I respect your choice in the deliciousness that is a Blueberry muffin, but it doesn't compare to the solid and consistent flavor of Banana Nut."

Sky's face shrinked with confusion and mild irritation, are these two about to have a philosophical discussion about muffins?

Swirly Glasses suddenly appear on Azule's face as his teeth turn buck-toothed, a luminescent sparkle in the lens of the glasses as he pushes the frame closer to his face. "That's where you're wrong, Aniki!" he said in a geeky tone.

ANIKI!? Sky screamed in her head with laughter, wanting to fall over; even Verde was surprised by that comment, since that was an Ikayuman dialect.

"While the Banana Nut is a solid choice, it lacks the excitement! It's a boring muffin!" Azule declared with a yell, catching the attention of everyone in the restaurant as he stood up from his seat.

A twitching vein spurts on Verde's forehead as he guffawed with crossing arms-his eyes closed with a wide grin, surprised that his little brother would go this far for Blueberry muffins, "That's where you're wrong, my little brother! Banana Nut's consistency is why it's the best! Boring!? Why, that's just because you lack the appreciation for thee wholesomeness that is THE NUT!"

Sky chuckled furiously in her head at her big brother's comment, The Nut!?

Azule laughed for a second, "Wait, I don't think you said it properly. That term has multiple meanings you know?"

Verde was lost for a second, "What do you mean? The Nut has always referred to Banana Nut because it is the supreme muffin with nuts."

"WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP!?" Sky yelled with a slight chuckle still apparent, unable to handle their meaningless argument any longer. "You guys do know we're in public, right? Stop talking about muffins!" she said as she guided her hand to the many eyes watching them and their meaningless squabble.

Verde's caught off guard for a moment before solemnly bowing his head to his younger sister, "I see you've got the same side as Lime, pretty reassuring to see there are obvious indicators that we're siblings despite not seeming to be all that close." laughing so widely that his eyes shut.

"W-what's up with saying that all of a sudden?" Sky blushed at the comparison to her elder sister, Lime. Lime sat as the head general of the Inkopolis army and was Verde's boss.

Some moments pass by as the trio stare at their menus looking for items to call for, a moment comes where a waiter comes by and serves them their drinks. Azule got an orange juice with no pulp, Sky got lemon tea, and Verde got orange juice with pulp. After a few more minutes pass by, Azule decided to break the silence.

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do while in Inkopolis?" Azule asked, looking to learn more about his brother.

Verde smiled and happily answered his question. Verde was staying in the neighboring prefecture of Albacore, specifically in the city of New Albacore at the prestigious New Albacore Hotel. He took the subway to Inkopolis just to see his siblings and his plans for his vacation were to do some sightseeing around the country, visit many bakeries, shops, and restaurants, attend live sporting events, and of course, spend time with his siblings. Hearing this, Azule and Sky had even more interest in what he was planning to do and thus asked that he send them pictures of everything.

Verde's face went serious as he leaned over the table and stared at them, "I also wanted to talk about a pressing matter." Verde said with folding his arms.

"About what?" they said together after briefly glancing at one another.

Verde cleared his throat and averted his eyes-pain and shame written on his face, "We know everything." Azule and Sky are blank in thought for a moment as they tried to figure out what he meant, but after seeing how serious he was, Sky figured it out and immediately covered her mouth. She was shaken. Azule still hadn't caught on, but the next words would tell him why she was reacting that way.

"We know it was you, Azule." Verde said with a feeling of regret; Azule's blood went cold and his face turned pale. He could feel his stomach turning inside out and his heart getting heavy.

"How many people know?" Azule gulped.

Verde sighs as he looks up to the ceiling-unsure himself, "Enough. The government is suspicious of you after your recent involvement in many questionable activities…" he said while narrowing his eyes, letting Azule know that he was aware of his little brother's transporter runs for Spyke as well as his involvement in the fall of Teitsu; not even Sky knew about the transporter runs or else her relationship with Azule might've taken a turn for the worst.

Azule crossed his arms and shrugged, "Well, I have no regrets."

Sky couldn't face Verde anymore with fear of what else he might say next, but her ears were still open to the conversation. While she feared for what the future entailed, she was mostly ashamed that she allowed her brother to dirty his hands with the blood of a very important figure-one she could've killed herself and taken the burden for. Verde kept watch of Sky out the corner of his eye and gave another sigh, "While there are people who are suspicious of you, it doesn't mean you're in any danger...yet. There's still some investigations that are ongoing, so you won't get arrested and put on trial as far as I know. But still, be careful." he said in a whisper as he kept his gaze on Azule.

Azule nodded, "I will."

Relaxing into his seat he looks at Azule with concern, "How's your body feeling? Your chest didn't get dinged up too much?" Like any sibling, Verde was worried about Azule's health after learning of his involvement in the Osuma incident. Already worried about his brother because of his poor health, Verde wanted to come and have breakfast with him before he had to return to his camp and resume his work, a busy squid he was.

"I'm feeling better, thank you. I still have this scar right here, but it's what I get for messing around with stuff I'm not ready for." Azule said with a shaken laugh as he presses two fingers on the band aid right under his left eye and on his cheek.

Verde and Sky keep silent for a moment in response to the strained laughter from Azule, aware that he was putting on a face. On the inside, he was broken. He felt responsible for ruining everything from getting involved in the selection and putting everyone's life at risk and subjecting his team to traumatizing moments, costing Tangie her left arm, and ultimately failing to bring Tangie and Cobalt back home. Though Verde didn't know too much about Azule's personal life with Squidcom, he was aware of Cobalt and that situation. Sky didn't want to pry in her brother's business. She knew he was going to get involved, but she didn't imagine the consequences. So, while she did scold him with a powerful karate chop on the head, she had to give a hug afterwards and console him.

"Don't worry, Verde. I already gave him a good scolding for everything…" Sky said as she scratched her cheek with a laugh.

"Scary." Verde laughed while closing his eyes.

"Uh-m... Verde, why isn't Big Sister Lime here?" Azule asked as he leaned over the table a little; though Sky was indisputably his favorite sibling, he'd grown a fondness for his oldest sister since reminded him plenty of his mother. Her lime hair was the best indicator of the resemblance.

"Oh, well..."

"Military stuff?" Azule blinked.

"I mean, she is the head general of the army. But if you're worried you might not see her again, fear not, she'll soon be here."

"Isn't she busy? She's the head general." Sky said.

"Knowing Lime, she'll be on vacation after learning that I spent time with you. I'm sure you already know that she adores the two of you."

"Yeah…" they said together knowingly.

Their food came, and before Sky and Verde could give their thanks for the meal, Azule immediately went to wolfing his breakfast before even giving thanks for his meal, to which Sky whacked him on the back of the head. "Say your thanks!" she yelled.

"T-thanks for the meal!" he said with his hands together as if in prayer and drop of sweat down his face.

The siblings dine on their breakfast and avoid any forms of conversation until everyone is done with their dish. After some ten minutes pass by, Azule gives a huge yawn and stretch while praising the food, making a cat face with a smile as he looks over at his two older siblings. Sky smiles at her little brother, grabbing his cheek much to his dismay.

Verde laughs on the inside as he watches the two of them, thankful to see that they turned out fine. "The relationship the two of you have is pretty envious. I don't think Lime and I could ever top it."

"Hm?" they both went as they looked at him with Sky stopping her teasing.

"You...don't do this kind of stuff with Lime?" Sky asked.

Verde shook his head, "Lime is like the doting sister who loves to tease and pick on those she loves and cares for, but I... I'm not wired that way. I like my own personal space. That being said, seeing how you act with Azule has me feeling...jealous of some sort."

"Ehhhhhh?" Sky sounded smugly with a smirk, sensing what Verde means. "You're jealous that you don't have a close relationship with your lil bro, huh?"

Verde rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, "I-it's not like I don't want to have a bond with Azule, but I'm no good at this type of stuff."

Azule laughed, "Well for starters, be honest with yourself big bro."

Verde's eyebrows twitched as his closed, struggling to say something off his chest. Crossing his arms and going into deep thought, he finally worked up his courage. "Azule, would you...like to hangout today?"

"Hell no." Azule said with an innocent smile.

Sky and Verde's mouth dropped like anchors with Verde feeling the rejection pierce him like an arrow. "He's...brutally honest..." he said while trying to recover from the shock with an empty laugh.

Sky guffawed to tears in reaction to her big brother's rejection and couldn't help herself, contradicting her attitude a few moments ago when she yelled at them for their food conversation.

Later that morning, elsewhere...

"Hey, you ok?" Reice asked with concern for Sally as they walk off the subway together, heading up the escalators; Sally looked drained and exhausted and kept to herself for the entire trip, not even entertaining any conversations with her brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired…" she gives a big yawn strong enough to close her eyes.

"Are you sure? You never usually look so drained that you can't even hold a conversation. I don't even see any bags under your eyes or anything like that."

"Hatsunika dropped by my job yesterday, and we went to dinner."

Reice grinned, "Oho? My oh my, aren't you getting adventurous with a celebrity!"

"N-no Reice, it isn't like that."

Reice smiled with a bobbing head and hum, "I know. You two do music and stuff together, right?"

Sally nodded, "I help her out with some beats and lyrics on the side while doing my own work. She usually isn't so crazy about me, but lately when we communicate, she always seems interested in my personal life than just my music and…"

"Heh-heh, you were never good with this type of stuff. I learned that the hard way."

Sally quickly became alert, "Yeah, because trying to make moves on your adopted sister is totally going to work out, dummy."

"Ugh, I'm sorry I stole your first kiss."

"That apology is unnecessary and so was bringing it up. What I do care about is you focusing on not shooting your feelings onto every girl you see. Man, I wonder what goes through your head sometimes."

Reice smirked, "Don't think you can change the subject to me so quickly. I asked you about Mika, so what's up with her?"

Sally blushed as she recalled her dinner with the idol. They grabbed dinner after Sally's shift, opting a fancy restaurant somewhere in the heart of the metropolis. Driving in one of the state of the art SUV's driven by Mika's chauffeur and guarded by her security, they ended up reserving a private room for only the two of them to enjoy dinner together under a peaceful setting. They hadn't dressed up since Mika dragged Sally right after work with enthusiasm to spend time with her. Sitting a dimly lit room with a peaceful ambience accompanied by a gentle melody of the piano that played throughout the building, played live out in the public. Sally sits politely in her seat-blushing furiously as she averts her gaze from Hatsunika, who gazes at her with warmth, a smile so bright it'd blind her if she looks directly at her.

"So, what was up that you needed to have dinner?" Sally asked, fortifying her mind to be strong against the charms of Mika.

Hatsunika nodded, "I have some news to share with you. For starters, I'm going to be the next host of the Inkopolis news."

"Huh!?" Sally's eyes popped wide open. "You!? The new host!?"

Hatsunika nodded with a smile while closing her eyes for a moment, saving that reaction of Sally's into her memory forever. "I'm glad you reacted that way, and yes. I'm that person who'll be hosting with one of my colleagues from the same label as me."

"...Then that means you'll also-"

"Host the splatfests." they said in sync; Sally blushed at how well they sounded together. Hatsunika's smile only brightened.

"I don't know if you remember when we first met, but I had a hard time saying goodbye to you when I had to return to recording. I missed being around you so much that, it triggered something within me. I guess you could say I had a moment that changed my outlook forever."

Sally leaned back in her chair with slight confusion, "And that was?"

"While I have wrapped up on my current studio album, I'm working on two more albums. I'm aiming to do the funky electronic style that you mastered in your works, and maybe mellow album focusing more on live instruments."

"W-wow! Are you sure you don't want to take a break? Pumping out albums could diminish your quality if the focus is for sales. You want to keep your style as fresh as possible." Sally said with a hint of concern, but mostly objective.

Hatsunika nodded, "I know, and don't worry about the sales. I'm in good stead. The album I'm dropping in the summer will be my third studio album and the music industry and critics believe it'll be my biggest one yet."

Hatsunika Mika was one of the biggest idols in the music industry despite only producing two albums, surpassing the fame and influence of her predecessors like the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook before they went into their solo careers, doing everything as a solo artist who had enough talent to play any instrument, write her own lyrics, and help produce her own melodies and at the same time contribute to features with the biggest names in music. However, while she sat at the top as one of the biggest young artists in the industry, there was a sense of worry among her fanbase and some critics that she'd be in doom of falling behind fellow acts. Idols had always shared the power along with DJ's and MC's as the royalty of the music industry with music groups and bands taking to the increasing influence of hip hop and rap and electronic dance music. Mika's first album was heavily influenced on the pop idol culture seen with the Squid Sisters and was what gave to her fame with most of her songs being upbeat and happy song hardcore dance songs that'd make anyone want to bop their head to the lively beats. Her second album still had some of the same flows of positivity but incorporated a larger amount of different electronic music that crossed over from their niche and could create its own patent style-replacing her usual happy hardcore as she went for mainly a future bass and trap while keeping a faster tempo in her songs, as well as her experimenting in collaborations with fellow artists in her genre and some from even opposite genres. Her third album however, was thought to change everything with many critics and experts thinking that she would evolve her image on this album.

"They think this album is going define my career!" Mika said while ruffling her hair, stressed out from the pressure. "It's a solid work done by me and the others, and like my other albums will have tons of attention the moment it gets released, but my worry lies beyond that…"

Hatsunika takes out a phone and begins to play some songs that Sally heard familiarity in, which turned out to be the unofficial track list of her songs. Most of the songs still had the rhythmic melodies that made it clear it was a Mika song, but Sally noticed a theme with most of the songs. They seemed too safe and repetitive with somewhat similar sounds and beats, and though the lyrics were solid, they felt a bit flat and meaningless-ah, generic is the best way to describe them. After listening to five three-minute songs, Sally knew where Mika was coming from, giving her a nod of understanding.

"So that's it." Sally said under her breath.

"I feel like I've done everything I can as an idol. I want to change my style. Try a different genre together."

Sally's eyebrows narrowed for a moment as her gaze becomes serious, "Are you sure? It's a hefty move to make."

"I know. I just can't help but feel like I've reached a ceiling on my potential with this type of music. It isn't the music I want to produce, but it's what my fans want, and what my label and bosses expect. I've only made a total of three albums and some separate singles, but this is all I can do."

A drop of sweat came down Sally's face. She knew this was risky to be sharing out in the public, especially with someone like Sally, who wasn't a proven artist yet and was only doing music as a hobby. Though Sally was incredibly talented as an upcoming music producer with the gift of creating music whether with professional studio equipment or with live instruments, the DNA in Sally was true to an inkling that had the passion for music, and in nearly everything around her, Sally found a way to make a rhythmic beat from the beating of her heart, to her footsteps, to the daily sounds of the city, she was a genius on the rise, and a fellow artist like Hatsunika recognized that and instantly fell in love.

"Well, what do you have in mind to do? How do you think you'll break the ceiling of your potential?" Sally asked with wonder at what her famous friend was going to do.

Hatsunika's eyes lifted to Sally, filled with hope and affection, she knew what her next words were going to be as Mika's lips curled upward in a smile as she tilted her head. "Do I have to spell it?"

"Y-O-U?" Sally smirked with a laugh with a finger pointed at herself, knowing Hatsunika was going to say that next.

"This is why we're friends." Hatsunika laughed.

As the girls laughed for a moment, their food came out. They decided to return to the conversation later after they eat. As time passed and their food was devoured, Hatsunika returned to the conversation at hand. "I want to collaborate with you on the next album I'm doing."

Sally's eyes widen in surprise, "M-me!?"

"Mhm. I want your help in making my next album. We can spend hours collaborating in the studio working on beats for each track, we could even help each other on lyrics late into the night like we did over the video messaging. Although this time I'd try my best to stay up instead of falling asleep on you."

"Mika…"

"And then-"

"Hatsunika, what kind of album are you aiming for?"

"Huh? Oh, uh...I guess something heavily on live instruments this time. Kind of an alternative funky rock album with some hints of my edm style instead of my usual happy hardcore and reliance on samples. Although, I'd like to add some relaxing lo fi that I can rap to since I know that'd catch my listener's attention. Then again, it's been ages since I shot out some bars..."

Sally laughed with a fruitful smirk, "Rapping? You're going all-out…"

"Oh no, that's not all!"

"Hm?"

"I was hoping to invite your friends to the studio, so they can be part of it."

"E-eh?"

"I'm not sure if any of them play instruments, but I'd like them to be in it. In an album collab I mean. I had this idea of going into garage band rock, we could have you on vocals, your friends could play the drums and guitars and occasionally I can join in on keyboard!"

"M-me!? On lead vocals? I-I couldn't possibly..."

Hatsunika's heart shaped irises filled with endearment as she watched a shy Sally try to deny the talent she had, "You have a beautiful voice Sally. I've heard the times when you're on the piano when we video chat. Their a unique tone about it that I can't describe: polished yet rough. A soothing tone that goes with any melody yet has enough emotion that the core of the voice appears to sound as though it's pushed to its upper limits in delivery and still strongly echo in a pleasant sound to a point that it makes my heart flutter just thinking about it. It's one of the qualities that I love about you!"

And I love you, too! Though, I couldn't say it out loud...not yet at least.

Sally blinks furiously with a shake of her head trying to comprehend what Mika said, "W-well, I can ask…" she said with a blush as she rubbed her neck, unsure how to really respond to the compliment other than accepting her offer.

"Really!?"

"Yeah…"

"Awesome! Let me know as soon as you can!"

Returning from her memory of last night, Sally slouched with a drag in her walk. Reice had no clue what was up with his sister, deciding to leave her alone as they arrived at the galleria. Seeing the rest of the team chilling at a table over by a gate, they join them. The Square was booming thanks to the news that the splatfests would be returning consistently along with new hosts that'd surely bring a fresh atmosphere. While Sally seemed drained, her comrades were brimming with energy in anticipation of today. Squidcom were going to do solo queue in ranked mode, with today's modes being Clam Blitz and the maps for use were Goby Arena and The Reef. It didn't take too long before everyone went at different intervals into separate lobbies, hoping to NOT run into each other.

The captain Azule was the most focused for this campaign, feeling fresh after the events of Osuma and the new trump card of Midnight, Azule had been itching to get to competitive action and splat some scrubs. With the second rank war approaching quickly, Azule knew he needed to refine his skills, and reform some of the formations Squidcom had previously. Though he was out of commission for most of the competition, Azule had watched over the film and dissected everything from how his teammates played, to how the opponents played. He read weaknesses, strengths, studied the body language of every single participant, drew stats of each weapon and calculated his own tier of how to rate an opponent. Though none of this came to light, Azule was scheming a grandiose plan in the dark-ready to show the world what he and his team were made of. The same way a new wave of understanding hit him, so did the motivation and the pressure. Azule knew this was the perfect chance to strike.

"If I can get myself to X rank, I'll definitely turn some heads…" he said to himself as he entered a full lobby with others at his level rank.

Many matches later, he found himself at Goby Arena playing in a crucial final match that decided whether he'd be promoted or sent back to the beginning after securing the "OK" mark; he had three cracks in his rank meter and one more loss meant he was done so after a couple of defeats earlier forced him to try and win out. After just being on the receiving end of a team wipeout by the enemy, Azule took a disappointed look around at his team. This match had been tougher than the previous ones he'd done thus far since he got thrown into a new lobby after the previous server failed. In this new server, he was plagued with a team not quite as communicative as his previous one. Their failure to capture the objective, keep on the same page in their attacks, and overall pathetic performance.

No worries...we're down by about twenty, with only a minute left in the match. But there's no need to panic! All that needs to be done is to take down their defense and pile up our clams and force them to have a bonus added on for allowing us to score, and then given that it'll be late in the game, they'll be in the unlikely spot. Azule thought as he collects enough clams to form a power clam before returning to his side of the turf and taking the high ground; the match was in crunch time with the lead being 77-100 in favor of the enemy team.

The opposing team in navy blue ink continue to paint their surroundings while aggressively protecting their lead, making sure the yellow team can't rally back. But Azule had other plans for them, determined to get to S rank and join his teammates at the in the big league. Azule read the map with a broad outlook, spotting a flank to his left of three blue enemies; he was on the top pathway to the right and spotted their unguarded goal. In Azule scanned for a second and watched his teammates rush over to defend their goal from being open, giving Azule the chance he needed to sneak behind and take out their defenses. He spots a set of clams scattered in the blue ink nearby the goal and makes his dart for the enemy post; catching one of his enemies alerted.

"This Way!" Screamed the enemy calling back one of his teammates to stop Azule's rally; Azule quickly collects the four clams and makes a rush for the goal; if he could at least open up the goal, their lead would get shortened.

Azule panicked as he shoots and swims through the ink in a repetitive fashion, avoiding the enemy ink at all costs. Just a little further and he could change the entire outcome of the match! "Almooost theeeerreeeee!" He yelled as he does a quick sidestep jump and throws the football.

The power clam connects, shattering the enemy defenses! The ticker begins to count down and a bonus gets added on for the enemy, but the game wasn't over just yet with just 20 seconds left in the match. Azule became the catalyst in changing the tide of the match, but it meant nothing if nobody capitalized. Breaking the barrier, the score became 77(+10)-80 with time working against the blue team. The next thing Azule knows, his vision becomes blurred as a massive blue cloud rains ink on him, to make the matter worse he was trapped in a pincer attack with a newly spawned member coming at him from the front and the rain cloud and couple of players chasing him from behind, to top it off, he had no clams in possession; his teammates would have to be clutch.

"BOOYAH!" a teammate of his shouted as he appeared with a clear path to the enemy goal; the blue team gasped as the squidbagging yellow woomy neared the goal.

"Oh no, we forgot about the others!" one of the blue team members went as the clock counted down to 10.

"I got it." a player with shades said as he did a quick-fire of his squiffer, splatting the tracking woomy in time to stop the rally; the timer ran out, and a second later the match was over.

"NO NO NO NO NO!" Azule shouted as he marched out of the battle station, banging his head against the wall; he received his fourth crack in the meter and had to start fresh; many inklings nearby were disturbed by the comically raging inkling who began voicing his salty frustration on his teammates, yelling about to stick to the objective instead of trying to get the splats.

Meanwhile on Sally's end, she inks up her surroundings from atop the block that sat in the middle of the bridge-getting a double splat as pair of poor souls try to flank on her left from the one side pathway. Sally had gotten so well adapted at using the Heavy Splatling that she'd been rotating with the other splatlings guns, finding the hydra splatling to be her preferred weapon since it gave her better mobility and still offered a deadly range of accuracy. While Sally kept herself busy in splatting her opponents, her teammates kept piling clams into the basket and growing their lead; lucky for Sally, she was on a 12 game win streak and was just one win away from getting a promotion, probably one that'd send her into S+ ranks after working from scratch. While the two members of Squidcom were having quite the polarizing of successes, life in Inkopolis continued onwards as inklings went about their daily routine of living.

Doing some grocery shopping over at a nearby supermarket, Pastelle fills up her cart with plenty of the essentials as she goes down the aisle, humming to the catchy tune that plays on the speaker. Weighing heavy in her thoughts was the conversation she had with Sky previously, learning a multitude of information from her and the encounter she had with Agent 8.

"She's unique..." Sky said as she overlooked the city of Inkopolis from the cliff of a hilly roadway, leaning over the guardrail to take a picture of the distant skyline that sat below.

Pastelle frowned, her hands at her hips as she tried to paint an image of the octo agent with the information given. "That's all?"

"Aside from reciting most of her vivid memories, she told me about the trials she had to overcome to come and live on the surface, and she also spoke the truth..." Sky added.

"The truth?"

"You know, the actual story that our society hides. Turns out the relationship between the inklings and octarians go much deeper than we knew."

Pastelle shook her head-slightly behind, "I'm afraid I don't follow."

Sky turns around, "The history of the great wars, Pastelle. It's all a lie-well, partly."

"W-what?"

"The reasons for the war, the treatment, the addition of octolings. Everything isn't what it seems to be."

"E-eh!?"

"Actually, that history is linked to the reason Cap'n is putting everything on Operation Rebirth."

"Wait, Agent 8 told you?"

"Yeah…"

Going back to the night of the rendezvous many weeks ago, Sky sat patiently on the rooftop of the building staring up at the dusk sky above her. The stars shined brightly like lanterns in a cave from where she was sitting. Having been given the orders by her Cap'n Cuttlefish to make this rendezvous, Sky sat patiently as she waited for the next party. At her side was her signature sniper, and dressed in her Agent attire, she was ready for business. Looking at her watch, she feels a cool breeze blow with her jacket rustling. With sleepy eyes, she brings her legs up and buries her head in her knees-dozing off for a few minutes.

A shadow appears behind her with angled amber iris eyes and a confident walk, with the figure resembling a well-proportioned octoling that had body in peak physical condition. Coming into the light, she was revealed. With Magenta colored hair that had two thin shoulder length tentacles that parted in the front and curl at the tip and two larger tentacles yet shorter tentacles in the rear that also curl upwards. Looking at the sleeping Agent 5, she gives a confused but warm smile as her eyebrows raise. Dressed in a leather black crop top similar to the one she wore when she was younger-except with longer sleeves on both arms, she now donned long tight leather pants instead of the skirt and also had on black low top sneakers; and much like her the black outfit she wore, the black markings under her eyes help bring out the amber hue even better as her tanned skin glistened under the moonlight.

"Sincerest apologies to disturb you while you slumber, but might you be Agent 5?" the octoling said in a politeful tone as she smiled at the waking Sky; a chibi Sky sits asleep with a bubble coming from her nose as she hunched over-snoring. "Seems like you have a lot on your mind if you're snoring like that. Must be tired." she added as she approached Sky.

Sky's bubble popped, and she woke up before the octoling could tap her on the shoulder. "hrrm!?" Sky sounded as she instinctively looked behind her to see an octoling behind her.

"Ah, you're awake."

Sky stared at the woman for a moment with her gaze fixated on her abdomen before looking up to her, "Agent 8...?"

Agent 8 nodded, "Yes, please do call me that."

"O-ok…"

The air between them is chilly as the octo agent continues to stare at Sky as if she was writing a poem in her head about the young agent's appearance. Sky held her arms together and looked away, feeling the strange intensity from the concentrated stare. Something was ominous about the octoling agent, though at the same time present was a familiarity that indicated to Sky some sort of nostalgia. Agent 8 had to have seen a lot, that much she could tell from powerful the air around her was. A bit of time passes by before their conversation could get rolling, but once it did, Sky learned more than she ever could imagine about the history of Inkopolis. The events of the second war aren't what the government portrayed them to be, and in fact, everything she thought she knew was just a crude lie. Starting back to the second great turf war that occured between the inklings and octarians that brought multiple nations into the skirmish wasn't originally supposed to happen. The reason the war started-from the inkling's point of view-was that DJ Octavio was still fed up with his failures of saving his dying octo civilization that in a desperate attempt, he declared a second war, sending all octolings to the surface for an super battle that saw a gigantic number of casualties. However, there was more to the origin of the war, among other things.

"Octolings...lived on the surface before the war?" Sky asked as she continued to listen to Agent 8's explanation.

Agent 8 nodded, "We who were changed by the Calamari Inkantation wanted to abandon our oppressed lives underground and live above on the surface. To those on the surface-inklings I mean, they don't know how terrible life is underground. A struggle in and of itself, it feels like we're brainwashed to hate-to fight. To make the point on that, while the inkling government ravaged us post second great turf war, it was already a mess before. The banishment of octoling men and boys to stay underground and the assimilation of the octoling women to conform to inkling society surely strained the cause but...nonetheless, I wouldn't trade my life here on the surface."

Sky thought for a second as she tried to piece everything together, "The octolings lived in secret, even participating in turf wars and splatfests. Inklings didn't suspect anything because they assumed it was just a new hairstyle until Pearl brought up the idea of a splatfest; this occurred many years ago…"

"Once the splatfest results came in, soon followed the second great turf war with two tense sides that'd already had bad blood. Octavio declared war and lost, and for those who'd struggled to make it to the surface after being saved by that wonderful song, they were sent back underground."

"So, that means octolings are still being brainwashed?"

Agent 8 nodded reluctantly as she thought back to her comrades from a life prior, "Indeed they are. I still keep connections to them and gather as much data as I can along with Marina and Pearl but...given how the times are, it's impossible to take action."

"I'd heard that DJ Octavio escaped from Death Row Island, but never did I imagine that he'd been doing this."

Agent 8 crossed her arms, "Don't dwell too much on it. We've got plenty of other problems to deal with."

Sky's shoulders propped up, "You mean Operation Rapture?"

"Yes…" Agent 8 smiled as she took a seat next to Sky, keeping her warm gaze on the sleepy agent next to her.

Operation Rebirth was the secret project done by Cap'n Cuttlefish and his Squidbeak Splatoon in an attempt to cause a coup and overthrow the current government reigning in Inkopolis. Serving as the last major mission for Cap'n Cuttlefish, Operation Rebirth would serve as his Magnum Opus, one that'd free the masses from the imprisonment of lies being forced into their realm of thought. The operation was elaborate to the point that only a few members of the Squidbeak Splatoon know the complete details of the project, those members being Agent 3, Agent 4, Agent 5, and Agent 8.

"Cap'n confirmed the date for when he wants to begin the operation." Sky said with a hush, keeping her awareness up in the case that someone could be eavesdropping.

"At the conference…?" Agent 8 nodded with question.

"Yes, we'll link up with my people and stage Rebirth on the biggest stage possible. I heard that Cap'n is still looking to recruit a few more members?"

Agent 8 nodded, "He's working on recruiting a few people that have no relation to Inkopolis. If we can pull this off, the corruption overseeing this nation will be exposed to the masses."

Sky smirked, "Seems like everything is going according to plan…"

Returning from the story Sky told her about Agent 8, Pastelle continued with her shopping but with less of a spring in her step as her mind came heavy with the news that she'd buried and nearly forgotten. The truth of the relationship with octolings and inklings, the weight of the coup about to be pulled, in just a few months, she'd become an enemy of the state. Was she ready to pull off the biggest coup d'état ever orchestrated in inkling history? Was she prepared for the stresses of exerting her true strength in the shadows of greatness that were her seniors on the Squidbeak Splatoon? With this on her mind, her resolve on the matter strengthened as she kept moving to the next aisle, the cereal aisle.