Roy's PoV
In the days since the Rainbow Squids' trip down into the subway, not much had happened.
The day after they explored the place, March 28th, was Perry's birthday. He didn't ask for anything for his birthday, but the Rainbow Squids had to get him something, as per tradition. Respecting his wishes, everyone pitched in their extra cash and bought him a better microphone. He happily accepted the gift, immediately making a new rap song with the new microphone. To no one's surprise, it was about his birthday.
However, the Vigilante had returned the same day, and he was back to his usual ways, making girls fall for him. Though Inigo started to disappear again, he still showed up to the Rainbow Squids' table every other day, chatting. He still remained silent on just where he was going, but on the flipside, the Vigilante had not appeared as much as he used to. People on Squidsagram began to theorize on just what the mysterious inkling had been doing on his off days, but there was not much trouble stirring up about him other than that. Unlike last time, the roller he used did not appear to be stolen from Sheldon.
Now, it was April 2nd, almost a week after they ventured into the subway. And still, everything was calm.
"So, what do you think about the Vigilante?" Inigo asked, smiling. "He's pretty fresh, right?"
"Uh..." Octavia started. She and Yuri glanced at each other, nervous. "Y-Yeah, he's pretty fresh, all right." The other inklings gave nods of agreement.
"Did you hear about the huge sale at the Galleria?" Bonnie asked. "It's a few weeks from now, but they just announced it today!"
"I know," Roy said. "Everyone's heard about it."
"It's all over Squidsagram," Alexis added. "I can't wait to get my hands on some fresh new shoes!" She stood up and pointed at her feet, highlighting the sandals she wore. "These don't really fit me anymore. Literally and metaphorically."
"I'm gonna buy a ton of clothes!" Via enthused. "Even if I go broke, I gotta have new clothes!"
"...I'm sticking with these clothes," the red-haired boy muttered. "I like them." He rolled his eyes. "Plus, I don't think I'm getting any taller. Or bigger."
"I dunno, ya could gain weight," Perry pointed out. "Just eat a lot."
"That's unhealthy," the blue-haired girl countered.
"Not unless it's vegetables." The purple-haired inkling winked.
"Ew, vegetables..." The tan-skinned inkling grimaced before recomposing himself. "Anyways, I have a stupid night shift today."
"A night shift?" Inigo questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Why a night shift?" Yuri asked.
"'Cause my boss said it'll be 'experience.'" He accented the last word with air quotes. "I could be doing much better things, but no, it has to be a night shift."
"We could do some turf wars, if that'll cheer ya up," the dark-skinned boy suggested.
"Turf wars..." He smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"
"Great! Let's go!"
Later, the red-haired boy was well into his night shift.
As the clock neared midnight, Roy only got more and more jumpy. His night shift was almost over, and finally, he could go home and go to sleep. He only had to wait a little longer. The cashier handed him a slip containing the next order—some bread rolls, along with coffee filled with cream. He thought the drink was peculiar, but he simply shrugged it off and began brewing the drink. He opened a few packets of cream and poured them into the cup before mixing it. Once it was done, he glanced at the slip again for the name.
Hmm... He blinked lazily, struggling to read the name clearly. Roy rubbed his eyes and scribbled the word onto the cup and setting it down. He then grabbed some freshly-baked rolls and stuffed them into the bag. Finally, he grabbed the coffee again and walked over to the pick-up counter. He called the name on the order slip, and a green-haired inkling girl walked up to claim it.
The girl jumped when their eyes met. "Roy!" she exclaimed. The tan-skinned boy scanned her for a moment. She wore a hero suit and a cape, which meant there was only one person she could possibly be—Agent 3.
"That's me." Suppressing a yawn, he pushed her order towards her. "Enjoy."
Agent 3 hesitated for a little bit before nodding. "Thank you." She took her food and sat down at a table.
About ten minutes later, the clock struck midnight, ending Roy's shift. He did an unenthusiastic cheer and went to the back room to take off the employee's apron. He grabbed his varsity jacket, replacing it with the apron on the rack. Not bothering to button it, he walked out and started heading out the door. Coincidentally, it was then the green-haired girl started to leave, too. The two started walking side-by-side each other, remaining silent initially.
"So..." Roy started to finally break the awkward silence. "You come to Starfish Drinks, huh?"
"Yeah," she replied bluntly. "I don't see why that's important."
"I see..." I wish I had more to talk about, he scolded himself.
The two continued walking, with Agent 3 drinking her coffee. Street lights hung above them, flickering every-so-often. Some of the late-time dwellers stared at them with hostile eyes. A shark leaned against the side of a building, tossing a Tentacola can in his hand, while next to him was a sea urchin, hands in her pockets. It was unsettling, but since the inklings were together, Roy doubted that they would dare try to attack them.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from the alleyway, jumping out in front of them. Agent 3 almost dropped her drink, but she regained her composure and pulled out her Hero Shot, aiming it at the newcomer. The figure also wore a hero suit...or rather, a hero costume. Tinted shades obscured his eyes. The lights on the headset glowed red, and while he was hunched over at first, he stood up straight and threw a roller over his shoulder, smirking.
"Who are you?!" the long-haired inkling demanded.
"The Vigilante..." Roy growled.
"Correct," the Vigilante confirmed. "I'm glad squids know me."
"Well, I don't," Agent 3 protested. "Explain yourself. Why are ya dressed like that? What's with the roller?"
"Like a... friend said, 'You're asking the wrong questions.'" The boy with a ponytail approached them, the barrel of the Hero Shot now pressing against his chest. "I mean, I could answer them, but you gotta have the mystery-" He wiggled the fingers on his free hand, interrupting his sentence. "-Y'know."
"Then I'll explain," the boy with hair swept to the side interjected. "He basically tries to get girls to fall in love with him because he's 'mysterious.' And it works, for some reason. Though he has some ulterior motives, I just know it."
"That's... Ew," she commented, glancing over at Roy momentarily. She returned her attention to the Vigilante and asked, "What do ya want?"
"You see, I'm looking for someone. And you just happen to fit the description," he replied.
"You could be looking for anyone. Why me specifically?"
"I have a hunch it's you."
"That doesn't prove anything."
"Then why don't we settle it in battle?" He stepped out of the way and bowed. "If I win, you'll have to come with me. If not, then you can leave."
"A battle?" Agent 3 blinked. "Like, a turf war?"
"I dunno, you pick the mode."
"No, you pick. I can handle whatever you throw at me."
"Then how about..." The Vigilante smirked. "Clam Blitz."
"Wha...?" The green-haired girl lowered her Hero Shot and put a hand on her head. "What's Clam Blitz?"
"It's a new ranked mode," Roy interjected to give an explanation. "Basically, you have to collect clams to make a power clam, and then you have to get to the other team's basket and throw the power clam at it, which will let you throw normal clams in."
"Whoever gets the most points wins," the inkling with the ponytail finished.
"Huh. Seems easy enough." She looked down at herself, then back at the Vigilante. "I'll have to change, though. This is a little too OP for a normal match."
"So will I." He turned to face Roy. "Will you join in?"
"No, I'm tired," he responded. "Besides, it wouldn't be fair."
"Then why don't you watch?" he offered. "You can be the referee."
"Alright, I'll be the referee."
"Good." The Vigilante turned around and started walking towards the Deca Tower. "Follow me."
The three inklings walked into Inkopolis Square, which was practically empty right now, save for a few jellyfish. Judd and L'il Judd were sleeping on the bench nearby the tower. No one would dare wake them up. They entered the tower and started traveling towards the changing rooms. Both Agent 3 and the Vigilante placed their hands on two separate interfaces, allowing two separate doors to open before them. They walked inside, leaving Roy alone.
The Vigilante was the first to emerge a few minutes later, wearing the gear he was known to wear in ink battles. Of course, he wore his tinted shades, but he also wore a black anchor tee and the N-Pacer Ag. He still wielded the peculiar roller, widely-believed to be a recolored Carbon Roller following the return of the new Hero Roller to Sheldon. He kept his ink color red—it was a deeper red than Roy's, but both inklings had unmistakably red hair. Agent 3 emerged a little later, donning studio headphones like Yuri, a black Squideye tee, and punk whites. She kept her green ink color and the Hero Shot, though this particular weapon appeared to be a replica.
"I'm not wearing my normal gear," the inkling girl warned. "They're...elsewhere."
"Neither am I," the Vigilante admitted. "Except for the shoes. I always wear them."
"Huh, I used to wear these shoes all the time," she mused, looking down at her feet. "Then the punk blacks came out."
"Can we stop yapping 'bout gear and get to the match?" Roy snapped. "I need to sleep."
"Oh, yeah." Agent 3 walked past them towards the elevators. "Let's go."
The three of them entered a private lobby, where the Vigilante proceeded to set the mode to Clam Blitz. "You pick the stage," he told the fair-skinned girl.
"Arowana Mall," she requested.
"Arowana Mall? OK." He proceeded to set up all the other details, including making Roy a spectator in the match. A couple minutes later, the elevator door closed, and they began descending into the tower. It did not take long before the elevator stopped, allowing the floor beneath their feet to slide open, revealing a grate. The inklings slipped through them, and they were all taken to their next destination.
Roy emerged from a grate, where he then super-jumped to the sidelines of Arowana Mall. Pulling up a chair, he sat down on it, allowing him to observe the battlefield from above. On one side, Agent 3 rested on the spawn point as a green squid, while on the other side rested the Vigilante in the form of a red squid.
"OK," the tan-skinned boy started, grabbing a megaphone and speaking into it. Both inklings transformed into their kid form. "Ready? Three, two, one... GO!"
The Vigilante did a vertical flick with his roller, creating a path, while on the other hand, Agent 3 started inking the area around her with her Hero Shot Replica. The boy immediately started to collect clams, while the girl simply stared at the clams that were resting on the ground. She glanced up at where Roy was sitting and pointed at it.
"Pick it up!" he directed with the megaphone. "You need ten to make a power clam!"
Her lips formed an 'oh' and she picked up the cluster of clams, which were now trailing behind her as she continued to ink the area. The red-eyed boy returned his attention to the Vigilante, who had just created a power clam. He ran up to the top of the ramp and started heading towards the basket. Agent 3 was quick to notice his arrival, inking the steel ramp next to her and swimming up it. Before he could throw it, she pelted him with two burst bombs, splatting him. The power clam fell from his grasp, into the water below. With confidence, she smirked and submerged back into the ink. The long-haired girl emerged a few seconds later and started advancing into the enemy base.
Impressive, he marveled. Though, he supposed he shouldn't be too surprised—Agent 3 was responsible for the successful defeat of the boss down in the subway, after all. Without her, the Rainbow Squids would have been calamari. Roy shook his head, focusing his attention on the match once more. The long-haired inkling had progressed further into the Vigilante's side of the map, though not for long. With one vertical swing, she was immediately splatted from the recolored Carbon Roller. Four of the clams she carried fell to the pavement, while the other clams shattered upon impact. The boy with the ponytail quickly picked them up and started inking the map back up. Gradually, red ink dominated Arowana Mall. Eventually, he started picking up more clams and formed a power clam, allowing him to start swimming towards the other team's basket.
However, Agent 3 was lurking right around the corner. Just as the Vigilante crossed the bridge, she emerged from a puddle of green ink and splatted him on the spot. Sighing, Roy leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs. The match was not very exciting, and on top of that, he was already tired. About halfway through the battle, however, Agent 3's clam basket finally broke as the Vigilante punted the power clam towards it. The rubber protecting it popped, allowing him to throw a few more clams into the basket. He then jumped down to the area below to gather more clams, but his luck ran out when the green-haired girl climbed over the ramp. She glanced up at the basket before charging towards the fair-skinned boy, splatting him with a burst bomb and a few shots from her Hero Shot Replica.
"Yes!" the tan-skinned inkling cheered, grinning under his skull bandana. Maybe Agent 3 can make a comeback!
The long-haired inkling started inking the surrounding area once more, when the barrier surrounding her basket regenerated. A green power clam fell from the top, landing in front of the pole holding the basket up. She swam up the ramp and grabbed it. She proceeded to shoot ink at the sponge, inflating it and allowing her to take a back route. She popped out at the middle, where the Vigilante was advancing. She launched herself from the ramp and prepared a Splashdown. She rocketed towards the ground, catching the boy with the ponytail off-guard and splatting him. Her advance showed no signs of slowing down as she climbed up to the enemy's basket, throwing the power clam she obtained at it and destroying the barrier. She grabbed the surrounding clams and tossed them into the basket, the point count now rivaling her opponent's. Just as Agent 3 was about to throw in the clam that would let her take the lead, the Vigilante leaped from the top of the wall, slamming his roller down on her and splatting her. A green ghost floated away as he lifted his roller, throwing it over his shoulder. The barrier regenerated, creating a power clam for the Vigilante to take.
"C'mon, Agent 3, you can do it!" Roy continued to cheer, yelling into the megaphone.
The fair-skinned boy had stopped in the middle of the map, looking over at the sidelines where the other boy was. "What?! Why aren't you supporting me?"
"Well, Agent 3's a hero, apparently," he explained.
"And I'm the Vigilante! I bring justice to the streets of Inkopolis!"
"No, you don't. Unless hitting on girls is your way of bringing justice."
"I bring justice to my boss, too. If I can bring Agent 3 to her, then she can finally have what she wants!"
Roy blinked. "You have a boss? Since when?"
"Since forever! Why else would I have this roller?"
"Alright, but I have more important questions. What does your boss want?"
"I... don't know, actually," he admitted. "But I'm sure it's worthwhile." He shook his head. "I'm getting distracted. I'm in the lead, and I need to win."
"Well, if you want to win, fight!"
"OK, I know that." The Vigilante grimaced and started walking across the bridge, towards Agent 3's clam basket. However, she pulled the same move she did earlier to stop him—she emerged from the ink and immediately shot him down. She grabbed the power clam he had dropped and tossed it into the water below, destroying it. Roy thought about calling her out before remembering that the other inkling wouldn't be able to grab it before it disappeared anyways.
Once again, the match turned repetitive. Back-and-forth were the two inklings exchanging splats, none of them able to throw another power clam in. Things were looking grim for Agent 3—if she couldn't get another power clam into the Vigilante's basket, she would lose. And then she would have to follow along with the mysterious inkling's plan.
With only twenty seconds left on the clock, the green-haired girl attempted one final push to throw in a power clam. She grabbed the tenth clam she needed, creating the giant clam-filled ball. Instead of crossing the bridge over to the basket, she took an alternate route. She dove right into enemy territory, creating a trail of ink for her to swim in. She approached the ramp leading straight up to the basket and swam up it. She emerged at the top, throwing the power clam at the basket. Roy shot out of his seat, eager to see her take the lead.
...Only for her to miss.
The tan-skinned boy's face fell. It landed only a few inches away from the clam basket, much to his dismay. Agent 3 picked it right back up, but as she aimed it, something crashed down on her back. The Vigilante's Carbon Roller. She exploded into red ink, leaving a puddle behind where she stood. Her gear sunk into the ground, and now the Vigilante maintained a firm stance on her grave. He kicked the green power clam aside, causing it to roll into the water. A whistle blew, ending the match.
As soon as the inkling girl respawned, Roy began to yell the results into his megaphone. "The winner is the Vigilante! 38 points to Agent 3's 35 points!"
The long-haired inkling frowned upon hearing the announcement. "I... lost."
"Well, don't cry about it. Let's get back to the Deca Tower," the boy with the ponytail declared.
All three inklings proceeded to super-jump back to their original location. As the match was not officially judged by Judd, no results showed up on the screen. It wasn't like it would count, anyways—it was a private battle, after all. They exited the private lobby and headed towards the changing rooms, where the fair-skinned inklings changed back to their original gear.
"Ah, cape," Agent 3 mused, looking at her sides. "How I've missed you." She returned her attention to the boys. "Good game," she complimented the Vigilante. "You were tougher than I thought."
"Thanks." He smiled. "I could say the same about you, but you were a little easier than I thought you would be. Actually, the way you fight reminds me of someone..."
"I-I remind you of someone?" she stuttered, an uneasy smile crossing her lips.
He nodded. "My first girlfriend. She got to S+ before anyone else on my team. She was an absolute monster in combat with that Splattershot. And the way you act, too. Her shell was tough to crack, but once you get through it, you'll see a squid that cares the world about you."
Like Geneva, Roy realized. His description of his ex matched up with his missing teammate. Even more worrying was how Alexis was starting to mirror her. She had climbed the ranks rapidly, having just achieved A+ in Rainmaker the other day. She had grown to become more closed off following Geneva's departure, but she was still like her old self underneath her grumpiness.
Agent 3 blinked and frowned, looking at the ground. "She ended your relationship, didn't she?"
"Huh? How do you know that?"
"I have a hunch. Just like you had a hunch about me being the squid you're looking for."
"Oh, yeah. I nearly forgot." He offered his hand to the hero. "You lost, so you have to follow up on your promise."
Her tired eyes blinked, and she reached out her hand towards his. Instead of taking it, however, she retracted it and gave him a swift kick in the crotch. He howled in pain and crumpled to the ground, covering himself. Roy flinched, taking a few steps back as a result of the sudden event. With the Vigilante left vulnerable, Agent 3 dashed towards the subway entrance outside of the tower.
"Sorry!" she yelled as she darted away.
The tan-skinned boy returned his red eyes to the Vigilante, who still lied on the ground. "Roy..." he groaned. He took off his tinted shades to reveal indigo eyes. "Help me..."
"Inigo?!" Roy gasped. "You're the Vigilante?!"
"I know, I know," he confirmed. "Keep quiet; it's supposed to be a secret." Sighing, he helped Inigo to his feet. Roy stared at him for a few moments before slapping him across the face. A red mark glowed where he had been hit. "Ow! You do know what just happened, right?"
"What the shell were you thinking?" he scolded. "Stealing that Hero Roller-"
"I didn't steal it," he interrupted with a counter. "It was a gift."
"OK, knowing you, I'll believe you. But still, that doesn't top the list of things you've done as the Vigilante. Like, you're treating girls like trash."
"I'm just having fun with this secret identity. And it's working a lot better than the old way."
"And, is your boss Tiffany? Your 'love expert.' She encouraged this!"
"Yeah; I don't see the problem with that."
Roy let out a sigh of exasperation. He didn't hear Asher's warning, he remembered. "Well, Tiffany is Asher's crazy ex. She's passing down her methods to you!"
"What? That's not true!" he protested, his eyes widening. "She would never do that! She wouldn't!"
"It is! She's manipulating you!" He put his tanned hands on Inigo's shoulders. "Please, Inigo. This isn't like you!"
"I-I..."
"Inigo, please! You have to trust me."
He stared up at him with indigo eyes before freeing himself from Roy's grasp. "I'm going home," he announced, putting his tinted shades back on. The Vigilante started to walk away, leaving the red-haired boy alone.
"I..." The inkling with hair swept to the side trailed off. What despair he had was now being replaced by anger. Anger at Inigo's stubbornness. Anger at how he's changed for the worse. Anger at...
"Tiffany," he muttered. "She's the reason why I'm losing my friend." Clenching a fist, he raised it and punched the metal wall. Though it didn't even leave a dent in it, his knuckles now stung.
"Splat you, Tiffany Teuthis! I'll make sure you'll never hurt anyone ever again!"
A/N: Woo! Season 3! What do you guys think? Sorry this is a little late; I don't exactly feel the best at the moment. Now, the next two chapters go together, so they'll be released side-by-side. The next chapter, "A Shadow of a Friend," will be released Saturday, while "Hold Your Seahorses" will be released next Sunday. Isn't that neat? See you then, and Branchwing, out!