Summary: Giovanni goes to visit Marina.

Giovanni's PoV

The green-haired octoling walked towards the studio, curiosity brimming on his face. Why would one of the Octarians' most elite engineers get reduced to a disc jockey? He didn't get it. Marina Ida had so much potential, but she decided to waste it. But then again… They worked in the same unit, despite never interacting due to differing ranks. He recalled seeing her at the grand concert, where DJ Octavio fought against the dreaded Agent 3. She was free from their old oppressive society now—but why not take advantage of her skills?

As he walked past the glass window displaying the inside of the studio, he saw Marina and the other member of Off the Hook, an inkling with short cream hair tipped with pink and pale skin, chatting. He glared at the inkling briefly before moving on to the entrance. Even if the physical pain brought on by the fight against the intruders had faded, he'll never forget the humiliation he felt as a result. I'll bet she'll backstab her one day, he thought as his training crept into his mind.

Giovanni shook his head, stepping inside the building. No. He clenched a gloved fist. I'm here now. As much as he wanted to fight another inkling, he couldn't. He was in Inkopolis, surrounded by their kind and culture. The purple-haired boy's statement about fun echoed in his head. He snorted. They just thought of battles like a game. After hearing that, how could anyone take them seriously?

Two inkling guards stood in front of the entrance into the recording room, meeting eyes with the octoling. "Show me your pass," demanded one of them.

"What do you mean by a pass?" Giovanni proceeded to ask.

"Yeah, a pass, Y'know…" The other one pulled a golden card out of his pocket depicting a logo. "This. You do know you need one to see Pearl and Marina, right?" The boy shook his head.

"He must be new to Inkopolis," whispered the first guard to the other. "He doesn't seem very fresh."

"I can be 'the fresh'," the octoling protested. Despite snooping on the New Squidbeak Splatoon for over a year, he never grasped the concept of the term.

"You might want to start by getting new clothes," recommended the second guard, putting a brown finger on the silver chestplate Giovanni wore. "Octoleet gear has been out of style for at least a year now."

"Anyways," started the first inkling. The second one had straightened. "You can't get in without a pass."

"Why can I not get in without a pass?" the green-haired boy then prodded.

"Against the rules, bud," the second guard replied. "Sorry."

"But-"

"The rules are rules," said the first guard. "I'll have to escort you out if you don't leave."

The door suddenly unlocked behind them, and the three of them were now focused on it. The pale-skinned idol with starry eyes opened it up and now stood in the doorway, arms crossed. "What's going on out here?" she demanded.

"Sorry, Pearl," apologized the first guard, a nervous smile dancing along her face. "This guy won't leave. We were about to lead him outside," she explained, gesturing to Giovanni.

"Wait…" piped in a new voice. Marina Ida towered over her coworker, so it was not difficult for her at all to join the conversation. Though, he could have sworn she was taller. Did she shrink? Or did I grow? "He looks familiar," she commented.

"I am familiar. I know you." The octoling boy couldn't help but smile. On the inside, he was ecstatic. She noticed me! She knows who I am!

The dark-skinned octoling adjusted her headphones. "You do, now?" she asked gingerly. "Then…" Her teal eyes darted around for a few moments before returning her attention to Giovanni. "Let's talk… elsewhere." Pearl whispered something to her, but Marina responded back in the same volume. Nodding, she walked past the line of inklings behind the fair-skinned octoling. "Follow me," she uttered softly in the Octarian language, looking over her shoulder to face him. Giovanni nodded and trailed behind her.

They arrived in an empty recording booth, the controls thoroughly polished. Marina pulled up chairs for the two of them, and she sat down in one, crossing her legs and fidgeting with her thumbs. The boy with the mohawk sat down in the other chair, confident.

"So, um…" The disc jockey looked off to the side. "Hi."

"Hi," he greeted back. "…Do you remember me?"

"No…?" She adjusted her headphones again. "I mean, you must have been at the show. I can tell your soul's been touched by the Calamari Inkantation."

"I was." He pounded a fist into his hand. "It's something I'll never forget. But that's not all."

"Oh?"

"I was placed into the same unit as you a month before. We were different ranks, but I'm certain that we saw each other from time to time."

"Hmm…" She paused briefly, making the boy a little nervous. "Actually… I do remember seeing a guy with a notch in his ear." Marina sighed. "I'm sorry. We all look so similar with goggles on."

It's a start. "Do you know my name?" The idol shook her head. His lips puckered at the answer. Marina Ida was the one person he thought he could talk to, but as it turns out, she had little-to-no recollection of him. But who was he kidding? Back when they served DJ Octavio, Giovanni had occupied one of the lowest ranks an octoling could possibly have, while Marina occupied one of the highest. The reality that they did not really know each other was inevitable.

"I'm sorry… um… you can tell me your name, if you want," Marina offered, extending a hand.

He took the hand and shook it. "Giovanni," he replied, smirking. "Giovanni Briareus." When they let go, the green-haired octoling was quick to ask more questions. "Why did you become a DJ? You could have used your skills elsewhere."

"Well… I have to owe it to Pearlie."

"The other girl? What does she have to do with anything?"

"She's the one who inspired me to go into music. I wouldn't be here in Inkopolis if it wasn't for her, and I can't imagine my life without her."

He snorted. "You really care about her, huh."

"Yeah…" she said, smiling. "Well… do you want to try out a turf war?"

"A turf war? Like, with the inklings?" Marina nodded. "Heck yeah I do!" He stood up from his seat, boasting a confident pose. His stance relaxed when he then remembered, "…But I only have bombs."

"I'm sure Sheldon could give you an Octo Shot Replica. He probably has some laying around."

"I guess that works." He walked towards the door and opened it. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

"R-right." The idol rose from her chair and followed Giovanni out of the recording booth. When they arrived at the entrance, some fans talking to the pale-haired inkling noticed her partner and started cheering Marina's name. The dark-skinned octoling simply smiled and waved.

"Hey, Pearl," she started in Inkling. "Do you want to do a turf war in a bit?"

"Yeah," the other idol responded. "Lemme get my dualies."

"We're going to Ammo Knights first," Marina noted. Pointing to the green-haired octoling, she explained, "He needs a weapon. So… do you wanna come?"

"Ugh, I don't wanna listen to Sheldon talk about weapons all day..." she whined. "Sorry Marina; I'll wait for you at the tower."

"OK." The tall idol started walking out of the studio, gesturing for Giovanni to follow. He promptly followed, keeping a good posture. "It's just across the street," she told him in Octarian.

"Convenient." As they walked into Ammo Knights, the green-haired boy marveled at the weapons in the display case. They all seemed so polished and clean... Since he wasn't qualified to become an elite soldier, capable of guarding the domes in Octo Valley, he received minimal weapon training. He particularly took a liking to splat bombs for their versatility, even having several cans of Bomb Rush on hand at all time. Since he defected, however, he had to keep his use of specials to a minimum.

Inside the shop was a horseshoe crab, polishing some weapons. "Sheldon!" Marina called in Inkling.

The crab turned around, the size of his eyes amplified by the goggles he wore. "Marina?" He ran up to the two octolings and bowed. "Fancy seeing you here! What do you need today?"

"Does he normally act like this?" Giovanni whispered to her in their native tongue. The idol nodded.

"Do you have any Octo Shot Replicas, by any chance?" she asked.

"I do!" he cheerfully replied. "Not many, but I do!" Sheldon ran to the back of the shop, and a minute later, he came out with the requested weapon, its empty tank glistening in the light. "It's a little odd you're coming to me for one; Judd is usually the one who has them." The fair-skinned octoling leaned in for a better listen, curious. "But anyways—the Octo Shot Replica, as its name suggests, was modelled after the weapons octolings use! It's a lot like the Tentatek Splattershot, with splat bombs and the Inkjet special. It's perfect for pushing towards the front lines and expanding your team's turf! It's a definite recommend from me!"

"Well." Marina pulled some coins out of her pocket and gave to the horseshoe crab, who in return gave the shooter to her. "Here you go. Have a nice day!"

"You too, Marina."

Once the octolings left Ammo Knights, the idol gave the shooter to Giovanni. "He wouldn't be too happy if I let him know it was for you."

"Why?" the green-haired boy asked.

"The shopkeepers at the Galleria have pretty high standards. They won't sell anything to you if you're not fresh enough," she explained. "And obviously, you're not very fresh right now."

"I can be plenty fresh," he protested, crossing his arms. "I just need experience."

"And you'll get it through turf wars. C'mon, let's go."

He huffed and followed Marina into the tower. There were a few benches outside the entrance into the lobby, where some inklings sat. At the sight of the dark-skinned octoling, they began calling her name and begging for autographs. She simply waved at them, denying any autographs. Once inside, she pulled out a brella and searched for Pearl. They were quick to find the short idol, who was spinning some dualies.

"Well, that didn't take as long as I thought," remarked Pearl.

"Same," she agreed.

"Anyways, ya ready?" Marina nodded. "Aight! Let's go!"

As expected, fans followed them wherever Off the Hook went. As a result, many inklings tried to crowd in the elevator they entered. Giovanni caught a few angry glares directed towards him, their eyes like needles. He dismissed it as jealously, but it did not quell the discomfort he felt. A voice at the back of his head nagged him, reminding him that he was an octoling, the enemy of the inkling. But he had to ignore it. Nothing was going to ruin his first turf war with the inklings!

The lucky few that did manage to join the same room as Off the Hook enthused about their freshness, with one even begging for an autograph. They happily complied, both idols signing the inkling girl's shooter. She squealed with glee and proceeded to talk about it with the other inklings. Suddenly, the elevator stopped moving, and a grate opened underneath them with a hiss.

This is it! he thought, expectant. Despite his uneasiness, he couldn't help but feel giddy. Transforming into an octopus, he slipped through the grate to his next destination. A few moments later, he appeared on a bright green spawn point with the two idols, plus an additional squid. They transformed into their kid forms, and Giovanni got a chance to scan the battlefield. It was a large, open area—likely a plaza—with a bridge in the center of it.

Suddenly, everyone on his team began firing their weapons, spreading the green ink all across the pavement. At first, he stared at them, dumbfounded, but soon, he began to do the same. He held down the trigger of the Octo Shot Replica, and ink began squirting from the barrel. Slowly he paced around the upper area, making sure each and every spot was covered. When there was no more turf to cover, he transformed and swam through the ink to catch up with the others at the bridge.

"Where is this?" he asked in Inkling.

"Yo, you don't know the Reef?!" Pearl exclaimed, surprised. She dodge-rolled out of the way of a girl's incoming roller and promptly splatted her. "Guess ya really did just move here."

"Yes," he confirmed.

"No wonder he's not fresh," muttered a voice behind him.

He looked over his shoulder to see the girl who had her weapon signed before the battle. "I hear you," he snapped.

She gave a nervous chuckle. "...But you'll get fresher with each passing day."

The boy eyed her shooter, which she used to quickly take down another approaching enemy. "What is that weapon?" Giovanni asked.

"A .52 Gal," the girl replied. "It's nothing special, really."

Before he could question more about it, he was quickly smushed by something behind him, splatting him. Even after he respawned, he was still dazed. He rubbed his head and started swimming back to the bridge. It seemed abandoned for the most part, so he decided to explore the other side. As he walked there, he fired the Octo Shot Replica. A smile spread across his face as the turf progressively became greener with his team's ink. This is so much fun!

Cocky, he walked up a ramp leading to the enemy base. There appeared to be no one there... until he was pierced with a beam of pink ink. Respawning once more, he decided to take a side route that had yet to be covered in ink. He took his time as he strolled down the lane, admiring the scenery. The warm rays beamed against his fair skin, the soft breeze rustled the trees' leaves, the shadows of skyscrapers stretched over the plaza. If you forgo the chaos of battle, it was actually rather peaceful.

He had to admit—Inkopolis looked so much better than the rocky valley or the underground domes he once lived in. Yet, he was already feeling homesick for Octo Valley. Technology gave him a sense of familiarity, and inkling tech was nothing like the Octarians'. And life was definitely more carefree in the city. Octarian society was strict and rigid, never-changing. Even after he abandoned the army, he remained alert and on-edge. With the new-and-improved Octonozzle being destroyed, he thought that maybe he could finally relax in Inkopolis.

Giovanni arrived at an open space to witness Marina and another inkling battle. The enemy fired her blaster, which had a sticker on it, at the dark-skinned octoling, who quickly revealed the canopy of her brella to block it. The opponent simply dodged the blasts from the brella. It appeared that the two were in a stalemate in their battle.

"I help!" he shouted, jumping down to the battlefield. Marina gasped in surprise, and with the loss in focus, her canopy fired, and she was left without a shield. The enemy inkling raised an eyebrow, perplexed. Taking advantage of her confusion, Giovanni aimed at her chest, and he fired. Before he could splat her, she fired a shot of her blaster back. The direct hit instantly splatted him, pain blooming in his abdomen. As his ghost floated back to the spawn point, he watched the canopy ram into the inkling, splatting her as well.

Once he respawned, the octoling boy began running back to the battlefield. A match is three minutes, right? He had watched countless practice sessions the octolings conducted, even participating in a few himself, which included mock turf wars. How much longer do I have? He might as well make the best of it. He noticed the grassy lot underneath the bridge and headed down towards it. Like he expected, it was covered in ink. Pink ink. He scoffed and started covering it back up with his weapon. Once he finished, he turned around just to see a girl pushing her roller forward, creating a path of ink behind her. He had the idea to cower in hopes it would spark some kind of pity. She still steamrolled him.

Why do I keep dying? he asked himself, annoyed. This wasn't his first turf war ever, but true to their reputation as monsters, the inklings had remarkable skill. Especially the roller girl.

Marina spawned next to him, and she asked in Octarian, "Hey! How it's goin'?"

"Great... kind of," he replied. "The inklings are just too good." He crossed his arms and stepped off the spawn point.

"Have you tried using your sub? Or your special?"

"No... Am I supposed to?"

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure you have splat bombs and an Inkjet. You know how to use them, right?"

"Yeah." A pink marker suddenly appeared around the two octolings, and Marina grabbed the back of Giovanni's undershirt and pulled him back onto the spawn point. He yelped and turned around to scowl at her.

"Hey, we gotta have each other's backs, right?" she defended.

Missiles rained down on them, exploding on contact with the barrier that surrounded them. Pink splatters of ink surrounded the circle. "...I'll be seeing you." He gestured goodbye, covered the splatters back up, and headed back down to the central area.

He tried summoning his Inkjet, to no avail. I can't use my Bomb Rush cans, he reminded himself. And I don't have any for Inkjet. How does this work...? After covering up a decent amount of turf, his hair started to glow green.

"Dude, use your special!" the girl who wielded the .52 Gal recommended from somewhere.

He tried activating the Inkjet once more, and this time, it succeeded. Suddenly he was propelled into the air with a gun in his hands. Now at eye level with the bridge, he flew around, shooting aimlessly. His green eyes continuously scanned the arena, looking for any enemy inklings. He saw a pink-haired inkling boy place down a radar of some sort before continuing on to ink the ground with his shooter. Giovanni aimed at him and fired. With one perfect shot, the boy splatted, causing the octoling to pump a fist. The Inkjet started beeping, and soon he was flying back to the spot where he activated it.

When he landed, he found himself stepping in enemy ink. He threw a splat bomb behind him and trudged through the ink with heavy steps. The moment his team's ink was in reach, he jumped towards it and swam away. Once he thought he was far away from his landing spot, he scanned the area to find nothing significant. He let out a sigh of relief. At last, he was safe. But for how much longer? He threw a bomb out in front of him, and it exploded, covering no turf whatsoever. Hesitantly, he took a few steps back out into the opening. Towards the enemy base, Giovanni noticed Pearl dancing around a shaky beam, shooting at an unknown aggressor. Maybe I can help.

He swam towards the pale-skinned idol, shooting at whatever turf needs covering up. As soon as he got in range, he popped out of the ink and began shooting... at nothing. He stopped, looking around for Pearl's opponent. Soon, he noticed an inkling boy with bangs, smirking as he aimed his charger at Giovanni.

"Oh." The boy fired, and the octoling exploded into a pile of pink ink. He scolded himself for not reacting. When he respawned, he simply stood there, thinking. It appeared that their team was winning, but it was still possible for the opposing team to win. Out of habit, Giovanni ran a hand through his mohawk. He did a little bounce and charged back towards the bridge, aiming his Octo Shot Replica. When he set foot on it, the same girl with the roller suddenly jumped from the ink and slammed her roller down on him.

He respawned once more, and as soon as he took a step off the spawn point, a whistle blew, and everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Green eyes searched the battlefield. Is it over? He felt his heart pumping in his chest. Despite his disappointing performance, the battle was invigorating in some way. Suddenly, he was beaming. He loved it. He wanted to keep battling, all day long. Suddenly, it didn't matter if he in Inkopolis. Suddenly, it didn't matter that he was with the enemy. All he wanted to do was to keep battling, and nothing would stop him.

On the bridge, two cats, one bigger than the other, appeared from somewhere. They did a little dance before the smaller one struck out a pink flag, while the bigger one fell over.

"Man, I thought we had that one," he heard Pearl complain.

He wiped the dumb smile off of his face and walked up to the two idols, who were standing next to reach other. "Win?" Giovanni asked them.

Marina shook her head. "I'm sorry... but we lost."

"What?!" he cried out.

"I know, that's what I was thinkin'," the short girl noted. "Gotta admit, it was really close. Hey, at least we weren't toast!"

Giovanni crossed his arms and frowned. "I think I am the reason you had lost."

"What? No! Ya did great out there!" she tried to assure him.

"I was splatting too much. Disappointing."

"Believe it or not, you actually helped us in a way," Marina tried comforting him.

"Help you?"

"You distracted the girl with the Blaster long enough for me to splat her," the dark-skinned idol explained.

"And runnin' in there distracted the guy with the Splat Charger, so I could splat him, just like that," Pearl added.

"I had splatted," he protested.

The idols looked at each other and shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat," the idol with short hair commented.

"Pardon?"

Before any more answers could be given, they all transformed into cephalopods and super-jumped somewhere. Suddenly, he was in the dimly-lit lobby with the other people in the battle, a green squid pattern scrolling across the walls. A screen displaying the map was right in front of them. It appeared to be pretty even. He drifted down to the percentages to learn that his team had lost by 0.1%.

"Wow, that really was close," remarked the girl wielding the .52 Gal.

As the screen displayed further statistics, Marina started whispering to Giovanni in Octarian. "What did you think?"

"Aside from losing..." he whispered back, "it was great! I loved every bit of it." He pumped a fist. "I'll get good enough to beat the inklings one day, I just know it."

Marina simply smiled and straightened. "Well, it looks we have to make our leave, now," she said in Inkling.

"Gotta get back to the studio, y'know!" Pearl added.

"And remember..." added the octoling girl.

"Don't get cooked... Stay off the hook!" they concluded, striking some poses. The duo waved as they left the room.

Later, more inklings entered the room, ready for battle. Giovanni twirled his Octo Shot Replica around before getting a solid grip on it. I won't lose this time.

About an hour later, Giovanni finally emerged from the elevator, victorious. "Woo!" he cheered. After Off the Hook had left, he actually managed to get a pretty good winning streak. Now, he was feeling pretty fresh. The girl with the .52 Gal, whose name was Audrey, even commented on how fresh was becoming before she left the room. It was a fact he was glad to hear. Now for some better clothes.

He walked out of the tower, looking around for some shops. He noticed Ammo Knights, and next to it were some other stores. But then, he had a thought.

I've seen Agent 3 wear casual clothes before, he recalled. The last time he saw her was over a month ago, wearing the clothes she wore whenever she traversed the Octarian domes. It was also then that she dropped her cellphone—and Giovanni took it. He pulled a green squid-shaped phone out of his pocket at that thought. A picture depicting a tower in Inkopolis, the Great Zapfish curled around it, appeared when he turned it on, alongside a multitude of messages. Maybe she left her clothes in that shack.

He turned around, seeing another tower, behind the one in the square, far off in the distance. Turning into an octopus, he super-jumped over there, a green streak of ink following him. He had a rough landing, scraping himself against the pavement. He recognized this place as the one the two intruders arrived in when they climbed out of the grate leading to Octo Valley. He rose to his feet and looked at the tower in front of him. He pulled out Agent 3's phone again and glanced between it and the actual structure. It was the same tower... yet there was no Great Zapfish.

How odd. Now was not the time for pondering. He walked over to the grate and climbed into it. Moments later, he was back in the familiar valley, the stone walls surrounding him as he stepped onto grass. With a better look at the entrance from Inkopolis, he noticed that the snow globe once containing DJ Octavio had shattered. The giant octopus was nowhere to be found.

He stole the Great Zapfish again, didn't he, he grumbled silently. But whatever; not my problem. I bet there's someone doing something about it. Like the dreaded Agent 3 or the Squid Sisters. Giovanni approached the shack and walked into it. Inside was nothing spectacular—books, zapfish dolls, a makeshift bed, et cetera. A few pictures were hung up on the walls. He spotted tattered garments on top of one pile of books, and some fresh clothes on another. It was clear that one belonged to the old inkling DJ Octavio had once captured—he appeared to be named Cap'n Cuttlefish—and one belonged to Agent 3.

Giovanni put on Agent 3's beanie and smirked. He tried putting on her shirt and shoes as well, only to find that they were too small for him. It was no bother—he would just have to buy clothes his size back in Inkopolis. Turf wars gave him quite a bit of money...

With the situation in Octo Valley sorted out, he returned to Inkopolis Square and proceeded to buy said clothes. When he walked out of the fitting room in Shella Fresh, he brushed his hair aside and put a hand on his hip. Quietly, he muttered to himself in Octarian.

"Ha. The inklings won't know what's coming to them."

A/N: I'm back! ...With a bonus story. I originally didn't plan a bonus story, but then I got the idea of having a chapter from Gio's perspective. I also wanted to explain a few things in the first chapter of Season 2, mainly one thing that you'll find out soon. (It shouldn't be that hard to guess what.) I hope you guys like this chapter - it serves as a nice tie-in with the last chapter and the next. Speaking of the next chapter, I am happy to announce the FIRST THREE CHAPTERS of Season 2 will premiere this weekend! They're all part of an arc, that's why. In case you're confused, Chapter 30 comes out January 3rd, Chapter 31 comes out January 4th, and Chapter 32 comes out January 5th! How about it! With the exception of Friday's chapter, they'll come out at the usual time. Have a great 2020, and Branchwing, out!