Roy's PoV
Everywhere Roy walked, it seems he could not escape people talking about the freshest squid on the block today—the Vigilante. Unfortunately, this extended to the Rainbow Squids themselves, beginning at lunch that day.
"Hey, squids," started Octavia, "have you heard about the Vigilante?"
"Of course," Roy replied. "You'd have to be living under a rock not hear about him."
"I'm jealous of him," remarked Perry. "All the ladies are falling for him. I'm worried he'll catch Pearl's eye, and she'll go off with him."
"I'm just interested in that roller of his," Yuri commented. "It's so fresh! Where'd he get it?"
"I dunno." The red-haired inkling shrugged and leaned back in the cafeteria chair. "Somewhere."
"I have a theory of where he got it from," Perry spoke up.
"Which is...?" the spiky-haired inkling asked.
"A few days ago, when I went to the shooting range with Lori and Deadeye, Sheldon was panicking over losing a new weapon. A new version of the Hero Roller, apparently," he explained. He pulled a piece of paper out of his backpack, which depicted a strange Carbon Roller with lime-green-and-black accents, and showed it to the group. It read, 'MISSING! If found, please return to Ammo Knights!'.
"Well..." Via pulled up the most well-known picture of the Vigilante thus far on her phone and showed it to the group in return. The mysterious squid donned a hero costume, tinted sunglasses, and a roller matching the one on the flier. He appeared to be about the Rainbow Squids' age, with fair skin and red hair tied up in a ponytail. "Whatcha think?"
"That has to be it," Bonnie concluded.
"So you think he stole it?" Yuri asked the pale-skinned inkling.
Perry nodded. "Yep. That has to be the only explanation behind his fresh roller."
"What do ya think, Inigo?" the tan-skinned boy then asked the boy with the ponytail. He had remained silent the entire time they were in the cafeteria.
"Umm... hey, squids! Have you heard about the new thing the school's doin'?" Inigo instead inquired.
"What?" the wavy-haired girl asked, curious.
"Ahead of White Day, they're doing this little secret admirer thing. Where you write an anonymous message, give it to the student council people, and then on White Day, they'll give your message to whoever you wrote it to," he explained.
"So... basically the same thing they did for Valentine's Day," she concluded.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"I swear some people are gonna try to write to the Vigilante," Bonnie mused. "I don't think he even goes to school."
"Yeah, and it isn't like anyone knows who he is," Octavia added.
"I still wonder who the Vigilante could be..." the beige-skinned girl murmured. "He could be anyone."
"Yeah," Yuri agreed.
"So, who are you squids writing to?" Inigo asked, changing the subject once more.
"I don't know," Perry admitted. "Ever since Lori rejected me, I've been a little down in the dumps."
"Still? It's been a week!" the bronze-skinned inkling exclaimed.
"I mean, he did write a song for her," the blue-haired inkling pointed out.
"Yeah, that's dedication right there," the dark-skinned inkling added.
"Anyways, I'll just write to my crush," Via decided. "That's easy."
"Easy for you to say..." Bonnie muttered. "Maybe I'll just write to a friend. Or friends."
"And I'll write to mine, too," Yuri agreed. "Perfect!"
My crush... The thought made Roy blush. He lowered his head to hide behind his lunch box. So embarrassing!
"You OK there, Roy?" Perry asked.
"Don't ask," he requested. "Please."
Later that day, when the Rainbow Squids had met up in Inkopolis Square, they still talked about the Vigilante. Strangely enough, Inigo was not there. The only clue any of them had on his whereabouts was a text saying that he was busy. Some time passed, and Inigo still did not arrive. However, Octa Prisma did walk up to them, complete with a new member.
"I thought you inklings would be liking to know," Giovanni started, "that we have a new member."
"Hello," greeted a familiar blue-haired boy. "My name is Brayden."
"He used to be spying on the Octarians for the us," elaborated Iris. "Now that DJ Octavio is the captured again, he has no need to spy."
"Right," Brayden confirmed. "It did not take long before I convinced Giovanni to let me join the group."
"I am hoping we find a member of six soon!" Yvonne bubbled. "We no do want Brayden alone in battle!"
"The criteria is being purple and having a slosher, or is being red and having a charger," Oscar added.
"You could call us if you know someone with that criteria," Gio offered.
"We don't have your numbers," Bonnie pointed out.
"Will you-" the octoling with the afro began.
"You can call us from where you sit," the green-haired boy interrupted. "We sit over there." He pointed to a table with a purple squid-shaped pillow in the middle of it.
Yvonne ran over to the table and grabbed the pillow. "This is me!" she exclaimed. "Uh, mine!" she corrected herself. "No purple, or a squid!" she assured them, shaking her head.
"She won it from a claw machine at the arcade," Brayden commented. "After she won it, she asked me why I was not in Octa Prisma. That led to me asking if I could join Octa Prisma."
"I see," Roy muttered. His red eyes drifted over to Oscar. He was fidgeting with his fingers, a nervous smile framing his face. Too bad we didn't get their numbers. Truth be told, he would have liked that. If only the rivalry between the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma didn't get in the way...
"Oh, did you guys hear about the Vigilante?" Via then asked.
"Of course." Giovanni crossed his arms and smirked. "How can I not hear about the Vigilante?"
"There is something off about the Vigilante," the blue-haired octoling admitted.
"Yes, I do not be trust him," Yvonne agreed.
"Me neither," Alexis spoke up. "That roller doesn't belong to him. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve?"
"What?" the yellow-haired girl asked. "'Tricks he has up his sleeve?'"
"It's an expression," explained the wavy-haired inkling. "Basically, he might try something other than woo girls."
"Ah, I be getting the it." She grinned. "Thank you!"
"No problem." She winked.
"Anyways, the Vigilante," Gio directed. "I will be looking into him."
"Wait, you're gonna help us?!" Perry exclaimed, eyes widening. "Knowin' you, I thought you wouldn't care about him!"
"I have seen the flier of Sheldon," he informed. "I know the Hero Roller is the missing." A giddy smile came across his face as he adjusted his short beanie a little bit. "If I find the roller, perhaps the Squid Sisters will be noticing me!"
"What... do the Squid Sisters have to do with anything?" Via questioned.
"Oh, right." He slouched. "I forget that you do not know about the Calamari Inkantation..."
"Y'know, this is the one time your stalking is kinda useful," started Alexis once more, leaning back in her chair. "So, yeah. Find out more about this Vigilante guy."
He blinked. "You implying my 'stalking' is never useful." He sighed. "We should be going." He turned around and started walking away from them. "Goodbye." The other Rainbow Squids said goodbye back, leaving the group alone once more.
As the heat receded from his cheeks, Roy stood up and put his hands on the table. "I'm taking a walk," he announced. It's not like I can talk to Inigo, anyways.
"...Alright," said Bonnie.
"Have fun!" cheered Yuri.
The red-haired boy smiled and started walking towards the direction of Grizzco's. Though, he wasn't going to do a Salmon Run—there was no way he was doing that again. Instead, he wanted to walk elsewhere. Really, he just wanted to clear his head of whatever thoughts were invading his mind. He put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and started walking.
The cool air blew at him, and he smiled as he felt the breeze. After everything that had happened today, it was like a hug, someone coming to smother him in relief. And then he smiled. So relaxing... But then he started to think about his crush again, who could hug him so lovingly. He grumbled and kicked a pebble off the sidewalk.
Soon, he found himself at Blackbelly Skatepark. When it wasn't being used for turf wars, it was actually quite active. He entered the premises and sat down on a bench near a wall. His red eyes watched some preteens mess around, trying to skateboard to the best of his ability. A memory from when he was twelve began to resurface.
A red inkling boy sat on the bench, holding up his violin. The music stand was set up, but regardless, he had spent days practicing this song, in hopes his crush, who happened to be skateboarding, would notice. Red eyes glanced over at the other inkling briefly, and then he began to play the serenade.
Admittedly, it wasn't his best work, but he was just so eager. The notes flew off the strings, creating a lovely, if out-of-tune, melody. A few skaters gave him a few looks, but they mostly ignored him. Roy smiled. Everything was going, just as he hoped. The only thing that hadn't happened yet was his crush noticing him.
The one person he hoped wouldn't notice it noticed it, however. School bully Hunter strolled up to him, alongside his friends. The green inkling crossed his arms, a malicious grin on his face.
"Hey, fishface," he spat. "Who's that song for?"
At the sight of him, the violin bow slid out of his hand, bringing the song to a halt with a screeching note. "No one!" he snapped, hugging the instrument. His cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"C'mon," he jeered. "That's not true."
"It's for no one!" Roy persisted.
Hunter snatched the sheet music out of the stand and read it. "'Lovefish'? Seriously?" He let out a bellowing laugh. "Ha! Pathetic! Trying to win over someone with music? When will you ever learn?"
"Hey!" he shouted, unable to find any other words to defend himself.
"Stupid fishface." The green inkling picked up the bow and pressed it against his leg, the pressure eventually breaking it in two. Roy's jaw dropped as the two pieces of wood fell to the floor.
"No!" the red inkling cried. He threw his violin aside and tackled him. The two boys started rolling down the hill, fighting. Roy punched him, and with his other hand, he grabbed the other boy's ponytail and pulled on it.
"Ow! Freak!" he hissed. He clenched one of Roy's loose tentacles and pulled on it, causing a surge of pain to go through it. While he was distracted, the two flipped positions, allowing Hunter to kick him in the side. The red boy fell to the floor, and the green boy put a foot on his belly. Roy grabbed his shin and pried the leg off of him, allowing another attempt to attack Hunter, only for him to crash into the wall. He grabbed Roy's arm and pulled it towards him. "And weak, too," he whispered.
"I'M NOT WEAK!" the red inkling roared, punching Hunter in the jaw with his free hand. Some blood trickled out of the green inkling's mouth, but he simply glanced over at his friends, and the other boys promptly began smashing the violin into the ground. "NO! STOP IT, NO!" Roy started to cry. "NO, NO, NO!" He screamed until his voice began to become hoarse. Hunter let go of his arm, and he dropped to the floor.
"'Not weak,' you say?" Hunter snarled. He looked over at his friends. "C'mon, boys. Let's get out of here."
The other inklings tossed the remains over at Roy. At the sight of the destroyed violin, Roy began to cry some more.
"No, no..."
Since that incident, Roy had been careful not to show any romantic feelings. Any time it tried to wriggle its way out of his body, he always suppressed it. It had been haunting him for years, and yet here he was, contemplating sending an anonymous letter to his crush. I should just forget it. It's not like...
His thoughts trailed off when he saw someone familiar. An inkling about a year older than him, with olive skin and green hair tied up into a ponytail. He chatted with some friends, whipping a phone out of his hoodie. A long-buried hatred fired up in him again. Hunter... He found himself approaching him, shoulders tense. I'm not backing down this time.
"Hey!" he yelled. Hunter and his friends looked over at him, confused. "Remember me?!"
"Uh... no?" the green-haired inkling responded. He squinted at him for a few moments, and then he followed up with, "OK, you look a little familiar, but I still don't know you."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Is this a joke?! You seriously don't remember?!"
"Remember what?"
"The violin!"
"Ohh, Roy!" Hunter rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, it's just that you look really different now."
He's not calling me 'fishface'. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he snarled.
He blinked. "You're still mad?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
He snickered. "Look, that was a long time ago. I've changed since then."
"I don't believe it."
"Then I'll prove it. I'm sorry."
"You... wait, what?"
Hunter stepped past his friends and approached Roy. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for calling you names, beating you up, and breaking your violin." His expression was impossible to read, but something in those green eyes suggested that he was truly remorseful.
The red-haired boy's anger started to fade, but he still did not believe him. "Sure you are," he simply muttered.
"I am. I can give you help, if you really want it."
"No."
"You-"
"I said no." He turned his back on him and started to walk towards the exit of Blackbelly Skatepark. "That's final." I can't stand to look at him any longer.
"Whatever. You know where to find me if you come running back, though."
Days past, and soon, it was the middle of March, on the day known as White Day. Roy came to school holding several boxes of chocolates, meant for all the girls that gave him chocolate back on Valentine's Day, but to him, it was a simple act of courtesy. It was tradition that boys gave chocolate back to the girls who had given them chocolate previously, so he felt it was necessary to uphold that tradition.
On the other hand, after some encouragement from his friends, he did end up writing a letter to his crush. Since it was an anonymous letter, no one would know who wrote what, but he still hoped his crush liked it, anyways. The chances were slim, but he had to hope for the best.
After he delivered all the chocolates, Roy arrived at his first class of the day, right before the bell rang for the first time. People poured into the classroom, and quickly did the lesson began. While the teacher was teaching, someone knocked on the door. Iris got up from her seat and opened it, only to find Alexis and another inkling girl, holding a basket.
"Hello," greeted Roy's math teacher.
"We've come with a delivery," the girl accompanying Alexis announced, striking a pose.
"The White Day letters," the short-haired inkling followed up. "We'll say your names, and when your name is called, raise your hand, and we'll give the letter to you."
The list appeared to be alphabetical, as Roy was the second person to be called. Before he could raise his hand, Alexis was already making her way over to the tan-skinned boy, holding a few letters. She placed them on his desk, and as they gave out the rest of letters, he began reading them.
'Happy White Day!' read one letter. It was signed by Bonnie. Guess she went through with her idea after all, he thought with a chuckle. Most of the other letters were not very interesting, but the last letter in his pile caught his eye.
'Dear Roy,' it started. 'You are like a fire. You burn brightly, sparking life into everyone. But you can also be destructive, stopping at nothing to achieve your goal. Yet, by your heat I become undone. I hope you can be mine someday, the boy I admire.' The poem was unsigned, but it was clear that whoever wrote it put a lot of time into it.
A strange warm tingled inside of Roy. Who wrote this? Soon, though, a thought crawled into his head. It was a silly thought, but one not too far out there.
Could it be him?
A/N: Don't be homophobic, kids. You could ruin someone's life. Anyways, sorry for beating up another Rainbow Squid. Inigo, Alexis, Yuri (kind of), Bonnie, and now Roy. Geneva's going to get beat up later on, too, which doesn't help. But... I like drama. So, how do you feel about the Vigilante. I don't think it's that hard to guess his identity. Same goes for just where Geneva went for vacation, actually - there's plenty of hints on what she's doing throughout the story. Stay tuned for more, and Branchwing, out!