Yuri's PoV
Yuri proceeded to dig his face into the pompous cotton candy, indulging in the pink sugary sweet. Next to him was a jellyfish who also held some cotton candy, except it was blue. They were now exiting Wahoo World after spending a few hours at the amusement park. They hopped into the car, where they proceeded to finish the snack.
"Y'know, Jellette, I really had fun today," he noted, looking down at the blue creature. She remained silent, eating the cotton candy despite not having a mouth. However, the yellow-haired inkling did notice something else—a faint glow emitted from the jellyfish's body. "I bet we could be great friends!" At his statement, Jellette looked over at him with sad eyes, enough to make him frown.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, and he proceeded to finish his cotton candy. In reality, Jellette more or less wanted to go out with him. Though jellyfish were not his type, he felt bad rejecting her. So, he accepted it. Actually, several people had asked him, ever since White Day rolled around. And he said yes to every single one of them, for the same reason. The attention was a little overwhelming, but he could handle it. Interestingly, when he brought up it to his friends, they didn't care. Not even Inigo seemed bothered.
After the treat was finished, he threw the cone in the back seat of the car and started driving. He would dispose of it later. He drove Jellette back home, where she waved goodbye and headed back inside the townhouse. Yuri then proceeded to park in front of his own home. He grabbed the cone and tossed it into a trash bin, striking a pose while doing so. Afterwards, he started to walk to Inkopolis Square. It was about 6:00 PM now, but unsurprisingly, the sun had still not set.
He arrived about a half hour later, where he spotted a green-haired girl talking to the Rainbow Squids. For a moment, he thought it was Geneva, and his heart skipped a beat. Of course, as he got closer to the table back near the Crust Bucket, he found himself wrong. This girl's hair was longer in the back, and the ends of it were cut off. She also wore gear that seemed to mark her as a newbie—a white headband, a basic tee, and cream basics.
"Hey," Yuri greeted, speaking up. "Did I miss something?"
The newcomer turned around to face Yuri. "Oh, hi," she greeted. "You need somethin'?"
"That's Yuri," Perry interrupted. "He's one of us."
"He's the 'yellow' member of your group?" she asked. His friends nodded in confirmation. Smiling, the dark-skinned boy walked over to his chair and took a seat next to the purple-haired inkling. The young girl returned her attention to the Rainbow Squids, turning to face them again. Her eyes scanned the table and added, "Still no 'green' member..."
"She's on vacation," informed Yuri.
"Unfortunately," Inigo muttered quietly.
"That's too bad," she sighed. "But hey, seven of ya is already a pretty big group."
"What?" he questioned, sitting up in his chair. "Seriously, what's goin' on?"
"Tess invited us to her seahorse race," Via explained.
"Tess...?" Yuri tilted his head, confused.
"Me," the green-haired inkling spoke up, waving her hand. "I'm Tess."
"Ah, I see! I'll be honest, I thought you were someone else for a second."
"Who?"
"The green member of our group. You look a lot like her."
"I do?" She blinked. "Wow."
"So... When's the seahorse race?" Yuri asked.
"Tomorrow," she replied. "I leave tonight."
"Tomorrow?" he blinked. "We have school tomorrow though." He looked down at the table as a thought came into his mind. "Though I guess I wouldn't mind missing it." Anything was better than boring old school.
"You squids still go to school?" Tess perplexed. "Wow."
"I mean, it's good to have plans," Bonnie pointed out. "I can't do turf wars forever..."
"As nice as that would be, I'll be old eventually," Octavia added. "I think I'm gonna be a teacher like my mom. Maybe not first graders though."
"I'm gonna be a pro baskfishball player," Roy boasted with a smirk. "Just you wait. You'll see the name 'Roy Blacktip' all over TV."
"Better hope you don't see 'Wyatt Requiem' instead," Perry teased.
"Perry..." he groaned.
"In all seriousness, I wanna be a rapper, up there with Pearl," the purple-haired boy said. "My dad wants me to become the next CEO of our company, but I don't want that. I'd be doin' paperwork all day."
"Well, I have to inherit the family farm," Tess noted. "There's no choice in it. My brother gave up all claims to inheritance right before he moved to Inkopolis, and my sister was never interested." She sighed. "So it all comes down to me."
"That's..." Yuri frowned. "...Horrible. I'd hate that."
"Well, it's my duty to carry on the family name," the green-haired girl stated, eyebrows furrowing. "Me, and only me." She shook her head. "Anyways... You squids wanna come to my race?" she asked in a more cheerful tone.
"Sure," Inigo replied. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Great!" She handed Inigo a piece of paper. "This is where I live. You can drive there."
"'K, thanks," he thanked, sounding rather uninterested.
"No prob!" she chirped. She started walking away from the group. "See y'all tomorrow!" she exclaimed with a wave.
After Tess was gone, Inigo handed the paper to Yuri. "You're driving," he announced.
"What? Why me?" he puzzled, surprised.
"You have the biggest car," Bonnie pointed out.
"It's technically my mom's..." he noted. "She'll have to super-jump to work tomorrow if we take it."
"You have a big car, don't ya Perry?" Alexis asked for confirmation, turning towards him. "I mean, you're rich and all; I'm sure you have a limo or somethin'."
"I don't," the pale-skinned inkling pointed out, shaking his head. "But... The big car's bigger than Gio's and Brayden's egos." He smirked. "And that's sayin' somethin'. Has the special baby seats 'n everything."
"I don't think we can fit in the baby seats," Inigo argued.
"Not unless ya turn into a squid," he countered. "A little big, sure, but there's just enough seats to fit the seven of us."
"Counting the baby seats?" Yuri asked.
"Countin' the baby seats," Perry confirmed.
"Aight, it's set then," Roy announced, slamming his tan-skinned hand on the table. "We're taking Perry's big car, and he's also driving."
"On second thought..." the yellow-haired boy reconsidered. "I think it's best if I drive. Perry drives like a squid who doesn't know how to use a charger."
"I-" The purple-haired inkling stopped himself before laughing. "Ha, you're right, I'm bad at drivin' and I can't use a charger!"
The Rainbow Squids burst out in laughter. Regardless of the circumstances, the plan was in place. All they needed to do now was execute it.
Yuri's sleep was brought to an abrupt stop when he heard his brother call his name.
"Yurii!" York called. "There's a car outside!"
He shot up from his bed, a sock falling off his face. "What?" He peeked out the window to see a black SUV running outside of the townhouse. "Oh!" He quickly put on his normal clothes, grabbed his headphones and cellphone, and ran down the steps. I didn't expect him to come this early!
"Yuri?" his mom asked, confused. "What's going on?"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you," he replied, a little embarrassed. He put on his studio headphones and rubbed the back of his head. "We're going to a seahorse race."
She blinked. "Today?"
He nodded. "Today."
"Don't you have school today?" she countered.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry..." He pouted. "I'll make it up when I get back."
His mother simply shrugged and gave a smile. "Well, tell me next time, OK?"
"OK."
"Have fun!"
"I will!" Yuri called as he stepped out the front door. The sun was only peaking over the horizon, casting Inkopolis in a golden light. In the front seat was Perry. Upon sight of him, he unbuckled his seat belt and crawled over to the passenger's seat. He gestured towards the driver's seat. The yellow-haired boy simply nodded and got inside the car. "Woah," he breathed, looking at the control panel. "Fancy."
"It's the newest model," the purple-haired boy informed. "I thought you'd like it."
"I mean, I'm not a car person, but I do like it," he noted. He looked behind him to see who else was in the car. Bonnie sat behind him, while Roy was on the other side, sleeping. The baby seats—the compartment had been lowered already, separating the two inklings—were empty.
"Hi," Bon-Bon greeted.
"Hi," he greeted back.
"'K, we just need Inigo, Via, and Alexis now," Perry announced. "Let's get to it."
The townhouse Inigo lived in was rather close to Yuri's own house, only being a block away. A quick drive down the street brought them there. The dark-skinned inkling got out of the car and rang the doorbell. The person who answered was his father—a fair-skinned man who was the splitting image of his son, though his narrower eyes were noticeably purple.
"Oh! Mr. Sable!" Yuri gasped. "We're just here to pick up Inigo."
"You're driving out to see some seahorse race, right?" he asked. "I remember him telling me about that last night."
"Yeah, yeah, that's the one," he confirmed.
"Well, keep an eye on him," he requested. "He's been a lot more...snappy, lately. I feel like he's hiding something."
Not even his parents know Inigo's the Vigilante? he pondered, amused. This is worse than I thought... I hope he's alright.
"Inigo!" Mr. Sable called. A few moments later, the indigo-haired inkling arrived, though his hair was down. He spotted the hairband he tied his tentacles with around his wrist. "Your friend's here."
"Oh, hey Yuri," he greeted. "Let's go."
They walked back to the car, with the dark-skinned inkling opening the back door for his friend. On sight of them, Bonnie waved.
Inigo waved back at the girl, and then looked past her to find Roy, who was still sound asleep. Some drool trailed down his chin. He sighed and turned into a squid, leaping on Bonnie's lap. He crawled over to the baby seat next to the red-haired inkling and plopped himself inside. It was a little small and did not account for the two larger tentacles adult inklings had in their squid form, but it still worked. The blue-haired inkling unbuckled herself and leaned over to buckle Inigo in. He squinted at her, but said nothing as she did her work. She positioned herself back on her own seat and gave Yuri a thumbs-up. The yellow-haired boy shut the door and climbed back into the driver's seat. It was then they started to drive to Via and Alexis's place, which was the closest to Inkopolis Square.
While they drove, Perry spoke up. "We should go to Inkopolis Café," he suggested. "Get some coffee in your system."
"Oh, yeah, Inkopolis Café!" Bonnie perked up. "They have the best milkshakes!"
"And it's cheap, too," Inigo pointed out. "I mean, I like Starfish Drinks, but it's on the expensive side..."
"I'm sold," Yuri declared. "After we pick up the others, we'll go there."
"Yes!" Perry cheered, pumping a fist.
They then arrived at Octavia and Alexis's house, where they were waiting outside, typing away on their phones. Alexis was the first to notice them, tapping her sister on the shoulder. They sat up from the benches and walked up to the car. Yuri rolled down the window, smiling.
"You're finally here," Octavia said.
"Sorry it took a bit," Perry apologized. "Ya know how far Bonnie lives from the rest of us."
"It's fine." She smiled.
"Well, let's go!" Alexis exclaimed. She opened the back door. Through the mirror, Yuri saw her face fall. "...And the only seats left are the baby seats."
"I mean, we could wake Roy up and put him in there," Perry suggested jokingly.
"It's not a bad idea," Inigo commented.
"Wha? Really?" he blurted.
"I know Alexis doesn't like being treated like a baby, so maybe if we put her in a normal seat, she'll feel more powerful," he elaborated.
"No, don't do that," the short-haired girl protested. "I can't compare to you guys. So, I'll..." She lowered her head, disappointed. "...Go in the baby seat."
"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked.
Alexis nodded and turned into a squid, crawling into the middle seat. Octavia followed, occupying the seat next to Bonnie. She buckled them in, and finally, they were ready to depart.
"Alright," Inigo started, pumping a tentacle as if it were a fist. "We're going to Inkopolis Café first."
"Why?" Via questioned.
"Because why not?" Perry responded.
"Well, if you say so."
The group turned around in the parking space and started driving out of Inkopolis. Before the exit that led to the highway, however, they stopped at the nearest café. Even in the early morning, it was still a little crowded.
Yuri turned towards the back seat. "Perry and I'll go inside. What do you squids want?"
Inigo reached over to Roy and placed a tentacle on his arm, causing him to snap awake. He looked around and wiped the drool off of his face. "Where are we?"
"Around where Bon-Bon lives," the purple-haired boy explained.
"Inkopolis Café, specifically," she interjected.
"Fresh." He crossed his arms and smiled. "Get me some doughnuts. I didn't eat breakfast."
"Yeesh, that's a lot of sugar," Alexis noted.
"Don't complain if you feel like carp later," Octavia sneered.
"We already ate, by the way," the younger inkling added. "We had plenty of time to do so..."
"You can get me some fruit," Bonnie requested. "Ooh! What about a strawberry smoothie? I'd love that."
"So... Fruit, or a smoothie?" Yuri puzzled.
"Smoothie," she clarified. "Though if they don't have it, you can get me the fruit."
"Alright, just wanted to make sure."
"I'm not hungry," Inigo said. "I don't think I can eat in this baby seat, anyways."
"Yeah, it's a little tight," Via agreed.
Yuri nodded, and the two friends crawled out of the car and entered the café. The wait was not as long as they thought it would be, and they were surprisingly efficient, too. The cashier gave Yuri and Perry two cups of sweetened coffee, a strawberry smoothie, half a dozen doughnuts, and a bag of star candy. They exited the shop and opened the back door. Yuri handed Bonnie her smoothie, which she promptly started to drink. Perry slid the box of doughnuts down towards Roy, who immediately opened it up and started to eat a chocolate-covered one. He also opened the bag of candy up and popped a few of them into his mouth. He tied it back up and placed it in front of Alexis.
"Why'd you place it in front of us?" Inigo questioned. "We can barely move in these seats."
"Well, what if Bonnie or Roy want some?" he challenged.
"What?! They can't hoard it to themselves!" Alexis whined.
"We can share," Bonnie suggested.
"Yeah, we'll find some way to eat them," Via added.
"...Eh, true." Yuri and Perry climbed back into the front seats and started the car up. "Let's go." The former took a big sip of his coffee and set it in the cupholder, wiping his mouth before driving out of Inkopolis.
The road trip was rather uneventful, seeing as they would arrive at the town Tess lived in before noon. Yuri didn't find it too hard to focus on the road, though he supposed the coffee helped with that. Roy quickly fell asleep again after eating half of the doughnuts, so Yuri, Perry, and Bonnie stole the remaining doughnuts from his lap when they stopped for a bathroom break.
At long last, they arrived in front of a small house with pale blue paneling, with a huge red barn right next to it. A squid with long tentacles wrapping around in a circle was plastered above the doorway on the barn, most likely being the family emblem. The area behind it was fenced, with some seahorses grazing on the grass. Yuri pulled into the driveway of the home. A green-haired inkling man walked out of the house, squinting at the car.
"What? Who is this?" he asked. Yuri rolled down the window. The man walked up to him and glared at him. "I don't know you."
"Umm... We're your daughter's new friends from Inkopolis," he explained.
"City folk..." he grumbled. "Well, why are ya here?"
"Well, she invited us to come watch the seahorse race here, so we came here."
"I see..." He sighed. "Tess's in the barn if you want to see her. The race starts at two o'clock, so you have plenty of time before it starts."
"Alright, thanks!" Yuri climbed out of the car, followed by the rest of the Rainbow Squids.
The man's eyes widened. "Holy mackerel, you squids multiplied!"
"Eh... We used the baby seats to our advantage," Perry said with a shrug.
"Baby seats?!"
"Don't worry 'bout it," Octavia assured him.
The man was too stunned to say anything more, so the group promptly walked over to the barn. Some seahorses were poking out of the stables, looking towards Tess, who wore riding gear accented with a green the same shade her ink was. She was tending to a yellow-and-green seahorse, petting its snout.
"Hey, Tess," Perry greeted.
The green-haired girl looked over at the Rainbow Squids. "Oh! You came!"
"Yeah, why wouldn't we?" the wavy-haired inkling affirmed.
"Thank you!" She jumped up in the air and pumped her fist. "It means the world to me!"
"No problem." Yuri smiled. He walked over to the seahorse she stood in front of and looked at it. "Who's this?"
"Oh, that's Greenie," she introduced the seahorse to him. "Because she's kinda green. Get it?"
"Ya like green, huh?" Perry noted, rubbing the back of his head. "Some variety wouldn't hurt."
"Well, my ink is naturally green, and green is sorta my family's trademark color, so..." Tess trailed off. "Yeah."
"Anyways, when's the race?" Roy asked. "I'm getting impatient."
"In a few hours," she replied. "Sorry..."
He blinked. "A few-" He cut himself off and looked at the dirt floor, crossing his arms. "...Darn it."
"Why don't we go sightseeing?" Inigo suggested. "It'd be a great way to pass the time."
"Yeah, we could check out the local cuisine or get some souvenirs!" Yuri agreed.
"Eh..." The purple-haired boy sighed. "I kinda wanna just sit here at Tess's house."
Bonnie looked at the younger inkling. "Ooh, do you have any video games?"
"Oh, yeah!" Alexis exclaimed, pumping a fist. "Maybe we can play InkKart!"
"I have a Squii," the green-haired girl informed, "and InkKart."
"Booyah!" she cheered. "I can't wait!"
"Yeah, you squids can just stay here and play InkKart," Tess added. "There's not much to see here anyways."
"Fresh." Perry walked up to her and grabbed her hand with both of his, shaking it. "Thanks."
Blushing, she pulled her hand back. "No problem."
"See ya at the race," Yuri called as they exited the barn. They walked up the steps to the house next to it. Tess's father was sitting on a swinging bench, ogling at the phone screen he held in his hands. The spiky-haired boy waved a hand in front of him, and he looked up from his cellphone.
"Eh?" he questioned, putting it away.
"Can we go inside?" Roy asked, a little irritated.
"Tess said yes," Via added.
"Sure." He rose from his chair and opened the door, then bowing.
"Thank you!" The Rainbow Squids entered an old-fashioned living room of sorts, the walls being painted a pale orange. To the right side was a television, though from the angle they entered it was hard to see what was on it. To the left were some shelves containing a variety of items, including framed photographs, followed by some stairs leading up. Past the living room was a dining room, though a kitchen was also visible. A female inkling, presumably Tess's mother, was sitting in one chair, focused on a laptop she had in front of her.
Perry started heading towards the TV, but Roy grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt and pulled him back before he could go any further. "Not yet," he hissed.
Bonnie took a few steps forwards and called out, "Excuse me!"
The woman looked towards them, pushing spectacles up the bridge of her nose. "Yes? You don't look familiar..."
"We're your daughter's friends," Yuri started.
She interrupted him before he could say anything further. "Which one? I have two."
"Uh, Tess," he replied. "She invited us to the seahorse race, and we want to play the Squii to pass time."
"I see." She narrowed her glare. "You lot look a little old to be her friend. I thought you were my other daughter's friends at first—I think she'd be about your age by now."
"Huh?" Inigo put a hand on his head. "'I think?'"
"I haven't seen her in over a year," the woman explained. "She was supposed to come last Squidmas, but my eldest son said she was too busy." She snickered. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was with her boyfriend."
"She has a boyfriend?" Alexis blinked, surprised. "That she would take over family?"
"It has been a year since I last heard from her," she pointed out. "I doubt they're still together, but I still think about the thought."
"So, anyways..." Perry interjected, bowing. "We just want to play the Squii."
She nodded and returned her attention to her computer. "Go ahead."
"Booyah!" he cheered. "Let's go!"
"Not so fast."
A familiar voice brought the group out of their excitement. Yuri turned around to see Tiffany standing in the doorway. She entered the room, and behind her was another red-haired inkling boy who appeared to be about their age. Judging by the small tentacles visible around his neck, Yuri assumed he kept his hair in a ponytail. Like Tess, he wore riding gear, though it was accented with red, and a family crest—a squid with tentacles positioned so that they outlined wings—was embedded on the side of his helmet.
"I didn't think the Rainbow Squids would be here, out of all places," Tiffany sneered. "And especially in this specific house."
"Cut to the chase," Roy growled. "Why are you here?"
"You met them in Inkopolis?" the boy behind her inquired. Tiffany looked behind her and nodded at him. He chuckled. "City folk. What a joke!"
Yuri flinched. "Yeesh, lighten up."
"Answer his question," Alexis demanded, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Well, I'm from here," the red-haired lady responded, smiling. "And, I like seeing my brother race. Why else would I be here?"
"Brother...?" Octavia muttered.
"Gary Teuthis," the boy introduced himself. "I don't want to be in the house of an enemy, but here I am."
"He speaks his mind a lot," Tiffany commented. "Ignore him." Gary grumbled in response, crossing his arms.
Inigo went to the front of the group and smiled. "Well, it's nice seeing someone else I know here."
"I'm sure it is, boy," she said. "Being in a new place is tough. But I know you can handle it."
He laughed. "Y'know, Tess reminds me of someone."
"I mean, you're from Inkopolis. If you know-"
"Stop it!" she snapped at Gary, interrupted him. Tiffany regained her composure and cleared her throat. "Anyways, who does she remind you of?"
Yuri's yellow eyes widened, his gaze moving towards the indigo-haired inkling. If he revealed that he once dated Geneva, he couldn't even imagine what would happen. He had to do something, and quick. Something to preserve the identity of his first girlfriend for now.
"My ex, G-"
"Agent 3!" Yuri suddenly blurted out, catching everyone off-guard.
"...Agent 3?" the lady questioned.
"Sounds like a bad attempt at being fresh," Gary sneered.
"No," Inigo declared. "She's one of the freshest squids in Inkopolis."
It's not too far from the truth, he silently noted. Geneva was fresh, but there were fresher squids out there, like the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook. But he had to admit, Agent 3 seemed pretty fresh herself, though the fact that she lived in the subway muddied that image.
"No one knows her real name," Alexis continued with a smile. "Not even Inigo!"
"Despite dating her for who-knows-how-long?" Tiffany marveled.
"Six months," the indigo-haired boy interjected. "...It was six months."
"Sounds like she's hiding something big," Gary scoffed. "Other than her identity and crap."
The lady shrugged. "What is done is done." She smiled. "I need to go talk to Tess."
"...Tess is in the barn," Bonnie pointed out with a frown. "She's not in here."
"What do ya want with her, anyways?" Roy butted in with a snarl.
Tiffany stepped back in surprise. "Why the hostility? You barely know me."
"Because I've heard about what you did," he said, his voice low. "And if you touch another person I know, then you're gonna get it."
She blinked. "Well, those 'things' you've heard about me aren't true."
The boy with his hair swept to the side growled. "Not true?!"
"We're done here," she declared coldly. "C'mon, Gary," she then muttered, walking out of the house. "Let's go to the barn."
Roy clenched his shaking fist, tense. Perry put a hand on his shoulder, telling him to calm down. The red-eyed boy took a few deep breaths and marched over to the living room couch, sitting down on it with his legs spread. He clasped his hands between them and glanced over at the rest of the group. Alexis proceeded to turn on the TV, followed by the Squii. She grabbed enough remotes for four players and distributed them to Octavia, Yuri, and Perry. They proceeded to play InkKart together while Roy, Bonnie, and Inigo watched.
Time passed, and everyone took turns with the game. Except Alexis, who kept the Squii remote attached to her hand at all times. She did not even bother for a lunch break at first—at about one o'clock, Tess's mother called everyone to the dining room, having prepared a traditional noodle dish for everyone. It took Via dragging her sister to the table for her to eat it.
"This is really good!" Yuri complimented as he slurped on the noodles. "You do this every day?"
Tess's mother shook her head. "Only on special occasions," she replied. "It's much easier to get take-out these days. Or just make a sandwich or something."
"Huh." He was one of the first to finish his lunch, and now he stared into the empty bowl. "That's too bad."
She gave a small smile. "You're a nice squid, you know that?"
"Nothing like those Teuthis hagfish," her husband added.
The dark-skinned inkling simply blinked and started to consume his drink. After they finished eating, Tess had to leave to get ready for the race. The rest of the Rainbow Squids left soon after her, wishing to find a good seat to watch it from. Tess's parents guided them to the field. It was relatively simple. A long set of bleachers stood facing the track, its back facing the road. A dirt track formed a large loop, not unlike one found at a high school stadium. Towards the right end of the bleachers was another track, where stables container seahorses and their jockeys were currently positioned.
The group of inklings were situated towards the starting line, where the majority of the town's residents had gathered. In the front row was Tiffany, leaning back in her seat. She took a sip from a water bottle every now and then, her expression unknown. Unlike the first encounter Yuri ever had with her, she was wearing a t-shirt and a Special Forces beret.
Directly below Inigo's feet was a familiar-looking inkling, but at the same time, Yuri couldn't tell who it is. With leaf-green hair styled into a side cut, fair skin, and the custom painted F-3, he almost looked like...
"Asher." The name escaped his lips. Almost immediately afterwards, he covered his mouth. I didn't mean to say it out loud!
The man looked over at him, the 18K Aviators obscuring his eyes. On his chin was a small goatee. He looked behind him, then around him. The other Rainbow Squids had also turned their attention towards Yuri.
"...Asher?" Inigo questioned. "What about him?"
"Yeah, he's in Inkopolis," Perry agreed.
"Nothing!" he assured them. "It's just that-"
"It's fine," Asher's voice spoke, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't expect to see you squids here."
The yellow-haired boy's eyes widened. "Is it seriously you?!"
He nodded before looking away. "...I was hoping no one recognized me."
"Why not?" asked the indigo-haired inkling.
"Really, Inigo?" Via sighed. "I was really hopin' you got some sense drilled into ya."
"But-"
"Forget it," Roy grumbled, causing Inigo to go silent. "I already tried." He looked away, arms crossed.
Asher frowned and shook his head. "Since we have time before the race starts... Could I tell you a story?"
"A story?" Bonnie leaned towards him, interested. "What's it about?"
"Yeah, I'm always down for a story!" Yuri exclaimed, crawling over Bonnie to hear the young adult better. Octavia and Alexis proceeded to turn into squids, creeping up the boy's back, much to his discomfort, and plopping onto Inigo's lap. Inigo looked at Roy, who had his back turned to them, and called out his name. He did not respond.
With that, he turned back to Asher. "We're ready."
"OK." He clapped his hands together, but he quickly lowered them as frown fell upon his lips. "So... I used to live here. And so did Tiffany. We're the same age, so we've known each other for our entire lives. But the thing is, our families hate each other. They have for generations. Everyone expected it to continue... Until one day..."
"You started dating," Alexis interjected. "Right?"
Asher nodded. "Despite everything..." He smiled. "I still remember that day fondly." He looked out in the distance. "It was in another field not far from here. We were trash-talking each other at school, so I challenged Tiffany to a seahorse race. It was quite the commotion. Almost everyone from school was there, plus my sisters."
"Sisters?" Bonnie puzzled. "I thought you only had Geneva."
"No, I have an even younger sister," he noted. "She stayed here when we went to Inkopolis."
Kinda like Tess, Yuri realized. I wonder... Asher, Geneva, and Tess all have green ink. It would be alright to assume that they are related, but he didn't want to hold on to the thought, in case he was wrong.
"Anyways, they were off to the sidelines, watching. We raced, and it ended in a tie. But..." The green-haired inkling trailed off, frowning.
"But what?" Perry continued. "Ya can't just leave it."
"...I realized she was actually really pretty. Something I wish I hadn't thought of. Tiffany seemed to realize the same thing, and bam, we started dating. Everything was happy at first. Nothing seemed wrong on the surface, but things turned sour quickly.
"The first sign something was wrong was a few months after we started dating. Tiffany's brother's birthday was coming up, so I wanted to draw something for him. I decided to ask her for advice, to see if she thought her brother liked it. The first time I showed her the sketch, she hated it. She said it was horrible, that I should do better. I made another sketch. She hated that one, too. I made so many more sketches, and she hated every single one of them. So, I gave up and ditched the drawing. I thought she was just being tough, but... I don't think that's the case anymore.
"My confidence continued to get destroyed. I was this close to giving up. But then Geneva walked in and asked what was wrong. She tried to make sure I was OK." He smiled. "She wouldn't let me go, and I'm glad."
Yuri blinked. "Wow... That's...depressing." He looked off to the side. "I'd never imagine it got that bad."
He put a hand over his forearm. "Ever since Geneva went on her vacation, it's started to get bad again. Especially bad now that Tiffany's in Inkopolis." His eyes met the Rainbow Squids at last. "But thanks to you, I know I have to keep going on. Even if I never see her again, I can always count on you squids."
"Aw, thanks." Perry put his arms behind his head, smiling.
"I'm still confused," Bonnie muttered. "Why didn't you just...leave?"
"It's more complicated than that," Asher admitted. "I knew I should leave, but I just...couldn't. Tiffany was always clinging on to me, begging for me not to leave. I felt like I owed something to her. But, when I turned 18, I realized that I could just move out and never think about her again. I asked my sisters if they wanted to come with me to Inkopolis. Geneva said yes. So, as soon as I graduated high school, we went to Inkopolis, never to be seen again. We were starting a new life."
"But then Tiffany came to Inkopolis," Alexis concluded. "That's the suckiest of sucks."
"She never left my mind, even before then. I always worried she would come back to haunt me, and then I would really be gone. When I first saw her that Splatfest, I panicked. I didn't know what to do. The day after the Splatfest I got this haircut, and a few days afterwards I started to grow a beard. My thought was that if I looked different, she wouldn't recognize me at all. And it worked, kinda. You didn't recognize me at first. ...But now I'm wondering if I should of done more. If my sister's friends recognized me, then my ex is bound to." He let out a groan, digging his face into his hands. "I don't know. I don't know..."
"Hey, calm down," Yuri comforted. "We won't let her hurt you."
He laughed and wiped a tear from his eye. "T-Thanks."
Inigo, who had remained silent the entire time, only gave a simple nod and said, "You're welcome."
"Hey, squids?" Roy called, turning everyone's attention to him. "I think it's gonna start soon."
Everyone returned to their seat and focused on the starting line. Seven seahorses were lined up, with Tess and her seahorse, Greenie, being positioned towards the middle. Next to her was Gary on an orange-and-yellow seahorse, and on the other side of her was a sea anemone that rode a blue one. An older inkling woman was closest to the bleachers, riding a red seahorse with white stripes. The seahorse farthest from the bleachers was yellow with darker spots, being ridden by a prawn not unlike Crusty Sean back Inkopolis. Between him and the sea anemone was a pinkish seahorse being ridden by a grouper, followed by a plain yellow seahorse ridden by a hammerhead shark.
Tess in particular was visibly shaken, the reins trembling as her hands shook. The seahorses remained in place, and after a few minutes, a male voice began to speak.
"Welcome to Kitano's 90th annual seahorse race!" exclaimed the announcer. "My name is Ludwig Umi, and as I have been for the past forty years, I will be commentating on the race today. Now, let's get to the contestants."
"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Octavia cheered.
"Representing the Chiro family is..." Yuri started to ignore the announcer, closing his eyes and beginning to daydream. Though he couldn't wait for the race to start, he had to admit the formalities were quite boring.
"...Gonati family is..."
Upon hearing his friend's last name, the dark-skinned inkling sat up straight, even leaning towards the edge of his seat. He turned to Asher, surprised.
"Your family's being represented?" he perplexed.
The green-haired inkling nodded. "Why wouldn't my family be represented?"
"...You have a point," the yellow-haired inkling admitted. The young adult said nothing more, returning his attention to the track. Unfortunately for Yuri, however, he missed hearing the representative's name.
The announcer finished speaking and turned the microphone over to an old woman, who was apparently the winner of the first ever race held in the town. She gave a story from her time and some encouragement before handing it back over to the announcer. Seven emblems, one resembling each racer, flashed on the jumbotron on the other side of the track.
"Now, ready those seahorses, and three... Two... One..." An inkling woman standing next to the track fired a Blaster into the air, creating a popping sound. "GO!"
The seahorses immediately darted off in a gallop, running around the track. Asher held up a sign depicting Tess's face on it and began to cheer her name. Down in the front row, Tiffany was doing the same thing, except she was holding a cut-out of Gary's head instead. Gary himself constantly tried to push Tess aside in an attempt to take the lead, but the girl did not once falter. She continued to storm ahead, eventually taking the lead. The race was over relatively quickly, with the green-haired girl taking first place. Her rival ended up taking second place.
The announcer—who turned out to be a sea urchin with his hair tied up—walked over to Tess, pointing a microphone towards her. "What do you have to say about your win, miss?"
"I..." She started before giving a huge grin. "I'm so happy! This is the first race I've ever won!"
"That's not fair!" Gary snapped. "She cheated!"
"I think you're the cheater here," the grouper pointed out.
"We all saw ya bump into her," added the shark.
"What? No, that's perfectly fair," he defended himself.
"Regardless of these allegations," the announcer continued, "the Gonati family last won in the 2012 race six years ago, the title being taken by Asher Gonati, who was aged 16 at the time. As you all know, he retired from seahorse racing two years later, Tess taking his place the following year at the young age of 12."
Bonnie blinked and looked down at the green-haired inkling. "You used to do seahorse races?" she realized, the remark directed towards Asher.
He nodded. "I started dating Tiffany after that race. And I did worse in the years to come because of her..." He lowered his sign and smiled. "I'm glad Tess could finally win."
"Wait," Via said. "I finally realized. Tess is your sister."
"And that means..." Bonnie started.
"Geneva gave Tess her Splattershot Pro!" Alexis finished. "How 'bout that?"
Asher's eyes widened. "How did you know...?"
"We met her in Inkopolis," the wavy-haired girl explained. "We helped her win a turf war against Octa Prisma."
"Anyways, Tess's the one who invited us here in the first place," Inigo continued. "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."
"Huh." He turned his attention back towards the starting line, where the contestants were positioned.
The green-haired girl looked towards the Rainbow Squids and waved. "Yo! Can you come down here?"
"Wanna come?" the boy with the ponytail asked the young adult inkling.
He smiled. "Sure."
The inklings walked down the steps until their feet touched the grass and stood near the girl with the ends of her hair cut off. Tiffany had joined Gary as well, as well as another red-haired inkling with a bowl cut. He seemed to be the same age as Alexis and Tess.
"Where did these friends come from?" questioned the new boy. "I thought you didn't have a lot of them."
Tess turned to him and stuck out a tongue. "Well, ha! I do now!"
"Who's that?" Yuri questioned with a whisper.
"That's Aaron," she replied. "He's also mean."
"So..." Inigo started. "Whatcha gonna do now?"
"I don't know..." she admitted. "Maybe we can go out for ice cream?"
"Ice cream?" Roy perked up. "Where?"
"It's on the other side of town," Tess explained, "but on the other hand, the town is small. So it isn't too far from here! There's a nice hill we can sit at, too."
"Then it's decided," the indigo-haired boy declared. "We're going out for ice cream."
The group cheered and started to walk to the ice cream shop, leaving Tiffany and her siblings behind at the race track. On the trip there, they proceeded to talk about whatever came to mind, though the majority of them congratulated Tess on her win. Asher remained silent the entire time, and eventually, Tess asked why he was with them. Inigo explained that he was a friend from Inkopolis who was from the town. Yuri added that he didn't talk much. She took the explanation and spoke no further on him.
After about an hour of walking, they reached a parking lot with several benches set up. A small building was situated at the end of the lot, the sign denoting it as the ice cream shop. They ordered their ice cream, which Tess paid for. Perry offered to pay it for her, but she declined. She then led them to a small hill with a single tree at the top of it. They sat down in the shade, with Tess having her back to the tree trunk.
"You can see all of Kitano from here," informed the green-haired girl. "It's neat, isn't it?"
"Mhm," Asher spoke, catching her off-guard. "Reminds me of when we were kids."
"Huh? 'We?' Wait..."
He took off his sunglasses, revealing his green eyes. "Hi, Tess."
"Asher?!" she blurted out. "But I thought you weren't coming!"
"I wanted it to be a surprise," he told her. "...Plus Tiffany's in Inkopolis now, so I think that helped."
Her eyes widened. "Did she find you?"
"No!" he replied immediately. "But it's why I look like this now."
She scanned his face and smiled. "I like it."
"...You do?"
"Yeah! You're my brother, no matter what!" She gave Inigo her ice cream cone to hold and hugged Asher. "I'm so happy you came!"
"And I'm happy to see my sister win." The inkling with the side cut wrapped his free arm around his sister, his smile growing. "Congratulations."
She let go of him and took her cone back. "Where's Geneva?"
"Busy," he responded. "Like last time."
"Aw..." She pouted. "She would be ecstatic."
"Even if she isn't here..." He took out his phone and pulled up a picture of Geneva. "At least we have our memories." He placed the phone next to Tess, leaning it against the tree. The screen eventually faded to black.
The green-haired girl looked to the Rainbow Squids. "Shall we eat?"
"Yeah!" Yuri responded, pumping a fist. "It's the perfect way to end such a great day!"
The group laughed and continued to eat their ice cream, the afternoon sun beating down on them, bringing an end to this eventful day.
A/N: And here's another 7,000-word chapter. I didn't realize it would become so long, it just...happened. Anyways, I was saving the reveal at the end of the chapter until Season 4, but I figured, "Hey, why not do it now?". So, yeah, you got that. The schedule should be pretty normal from here on out, but of course, I'll make sure to mention any changes as we go on. Branchwing, out!