Roy's PoV
Dribbling with the ball, Roy dashed through the other players, running towards the goal. A basking shark dummy was set up at the end of the court, ready for anyone to practice on it. He jumped up into the air and slammed down the ball into the mouth, scoring a goal. The ball rolled around in the dummy's gape before coming to a still. The red-eyed boy picked up the ball and turned towards the rest of the team.
"Wow," Liam complimented, clapping his hands as he walked up to him. "That was fresh."
"Yeah, you could easily take my spot next year," Seb added, wearing his streetstyle cap despite being in practice at the moment.
"I think that spot should be mine," Wyatt gloated. "I'm clearly the better player."
"What? No, I am!" Roy protested. "Stop saying you're better!"
The cousins started to argue again, causing Seb to step in between in. "Hey, stop," he requested, crossing his arms. "We're gonna get nowhere if you keep this up."
The boy with red eyes threw his hands down. "Sorry, man."
The inkling with a side cut walked in front of the basking shark dummy and turned to face all of them. "Now, as I'm sure y'all know, Carter twisted his ankle during a ranked battle yesterday. So we're down a player for the semifinals." A crustacean next to Liam raised his hand. "Yes?"
"Can't we get another inkling to replace him?" he asked. "Until he recovers, that is."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea, but we already have people to take his position," Seb rejected.
"Why not get one of those boys from Octa Prisma?" a herring suggested. He looked over at Roy with pleading eyes. "You know them, don't you?"
"Yeah..." he admitted. "I've seen one of them play basketball, but I don't know if he knows anything about baskfishball."
"What about the other squid?" Liam pointed out. "His name's Oscar, isn't it?"
Oscar? A smile tugged at his lips, but he then dismissed the thought. "He's too lazy," Roy countered. "He won't do anything except eat and do ink battles." It wasn't entirely true, seeing as Oscar was more than willing to work at Starfish Drinks, but otherwise, he was right.
"That's a shame," the boy with spiky hair muttered, hunching forwards.
"What about Griffin Kirkii?" another herring—the older brother of the first herring—suggested.
"He plays basketball," Wyatt remarked. "No way we're getting him."
"Exactly," Seb agreed. "We just can't get anyone else." Everyone sighed, including the senior baskfishball player. "We'll just have to try our best without him."
The next day, Roy wandered around West Inkopolis High School in-uniform, bored with nothing to do before warm-ups. Banners depicting the school's colors—red and cyan—were hung up on the walls, alongside pictures of various sports teams. The baskfishball team was one of them, being located near the main entrance. He walked up to the poster and smiled. He spotted himself at the end of the back row, where all the taller members of the team were located. Beside all the crustaceans, he seemed tiny. Yet, he still remained taller than his fellow inklings.
Spectators started to pour into the building. The people entering were mostly middle-aged, likely being parents of people on the teams. A few teenagers walked in as well, though he didn't recognize them.
"Roy!"
He cocked his head to the side to see the Vigilante and Naomi running up to him. "Didn't expect to see you out here," the latter noted.
The red-eyed inkling turned his body to face them. "I had free time. But, why are you here?"
"I mean, I usually came to see Wyatt play," she replied.
"But you date me now," the Vigilante said with a smirk. Through his shades, Roy felt his eyes land on him next. "And I wanted to watch this, so we came here."
Of course. Inigo and the rest of the Rainbow Squids usually came to watch his baskfishball games unless they were busy. Since Inigo and the Vigilante were the same person, it was only logical to assume he would come to this game as well. But what Roy didn't understand is why he came to watch as the Vigilante and not as Inigo.
Speaking of the Rainbow Squids, he spotted Octavia, followed by the other members of the group, coming in the entrance. They called his name and ran up to him. The boy with the ponytail tensed and stepped a few inches closer to his girlfriend.
"Hey, it's the Vigilante," Via commented.
"Why's he talking to you?" Alexis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Naomi started it," Roy pointed out. "He just happened to be with her."
"...They're dating," the short-haired inkling added, annoyed.
"We know," the wavy-haired inkling scolded.
"Well, anyways, too bad Inigo couldn't come," Yuri interjected.
"Again," Octavia sighed. "Ya think he would come to this one, but no."
"Whatever he's doing, don't forget the classic excuse," Perry tried to lighten the mood. "He's showing his Carbon Roller to some girl." Everyone just simply stared at him. "...What? I wouldn't be surprised."
Roy sighed. "I'm going to the locker room." He turned around and started walking down the hall. "See ya," he said, raising a hand slightly as a goodbye, then letting it settle again.
"Good luck!" Bonnie called after him.
"Yeah, good luck!" Yuri followed.
The tan-skinned inkling arrived in the locker room and sat down on the bench. Hunched over, he scrolled through his phone and looked through Squidsagram while he waited for the other members of the team to arrive. Soon, it was almost thirty minutes before the game started, and warm-ups would begin soon.
Liam walked in and presented a wallet to Roy. "Hey, could you give this to Inigo?" he asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you have his wallet?"
"It was on the ground near the gym," he explained. "Guess he dropped it earlier."
Roy took the wallet and opened it up. Indeed, it belonged to Inigo, his driver's license being most prevalent. His eyes widened as he remembered Inigo was present in the building as the Vigilante. He can't get home, he realized. Not unless Naomi can drive, too.
"...What?" the spiky-haired boy questioned.
"Nothing." He opened his locker and set it inside. "I'll give it to him later."
"Attention!" the baskfishball coach called. "It's time for warm-ups!"
"Let's go," the red-haired boy declared.
The warm-ups were relatively brief, consisting of basic exercises. After they were over, the coach instructed all inklings to change their ink color to a bright red. He then proceeded to hand out small cups of cyan ink to them. Roy forced the acidic drink down his throat and waited. The small dose of ink was meant to change the tips of his tentacles to cyan, but thankfully, it was only temporary, fading after a few hours. A few minutes later, he saw his teammates' hair become frosted with the cyan color. He glanced at the mirror to see that he, too, had been affected.
A few minutes later, the team walked into the gym, followed by the opposing team, East Inkopolis High School. Wearing blue-and-yellow uniforms, they seemed imposing. But West Inkpolis High School was stronger. A blackbelly skate then walked up to the microphone and tapped on it. She cleared her throat and began.
"Welcome to the 2018 Youth Baskfishball Semifinals!" she announced. "My name is Bianca, and I'm reporting to you from West Inkopolis High School. Over on my left is the home team, the West Reefers. On my right is the away team, the East Oceaners. Now, a little fishy told me we have a special squid attending the game today."
The cameraman turned the camera towards the bleachers. "The Vigilante, a social media sensation!" Roy's eyes widened upon hearing the announcer's words. He saw the boy with the ponytail rise in the stands. "Come on down, won't you?" The Vigilante seemed equally surprised himself, but he walked down to the floor. The camera followed him until he reached the announcer. "Tell a few words, won't ya?" she requested, holding out the microphone.
The fair-skinned inkling took it and gulped. "Hey, it's me, the Vigilante."
Roy glanced over at him. I wish I had his calmness with these kinds of things.
"Yeah, I'm attending this game. My girlfriend wanted to watch, so I came with her." He smirked. "Aren't I such a gentleman?" The crowd cheered in response. "Well, good luck to the West Reefers!" He dropped the microphone and walked back to the bleachers.
The announcer picked it back up. "Where, there you have it! The Vigilante supports the West Reefers! Will this discourage the East Oceaners? Well, find out today! Everyone, get to your places!"
Roy was part of the starting lineup for today, and here, he would go on the offense. It was what he usually did. He didn't know the people on the other team too well, but the center was another inkling. Fair, he noted. He walked up to the center of the arena and met the other inkling, eye-to-eye. His eyes narrowed, and he smirked.
The referee dropped the ball, and it started flying as both inklings hit it. It flew towards his team's side of the court, much to his alarm. The younger herring reached up and caught the ball, protecting it from landing in the basking shark's mouth. He thrusted it towards Seb, who started dribbling it towards the other side of the court. The other team started to chase after him.
"All up to you now!" Seb stopped and tossed Roy the ball, who began to dribble it towards the basking shark. They blinked, mouth widening as the food ball neared. He stopped and launched it towards the goal, only for some people on the other team to knock it aside. An urchin grabbed it and threw to an inkling with a buzz-cut, who then threw it to the center. He slammed it down and started dribbling towards the other side of the goal. He stopped right in front of the basking shark on Roy's team, holding the ball. The defensive players of the team tried to block him, but he simply jumped up, the ball going past the hands, into the basking shark's mouth.
East Inkopolis High School's baskfishball team had scored a goal.
Time passed. The team upped their defense after the ease of which the rival team had scored a goal. Yet, the others were just as strong in their defense, deflecting nearly every shot. Even into the next few quarters, not much progress was made between the two teams. Just before the second quarter ended, while Roy was benched, he watched as the new center tossed a ball into his team's basking shark's mouth. More points had been earned.
The third quarter came, and the home team finally scored a goal, quickly followed by another goal. Wyatt was dancing between the other players, making his way to the rival team's basking shark and tossing the ball in with style. Eventually, the teams had even scores, making the winner uncertain once more.
Come the fourth quarter, Roy was back on the field. He did some stretches before returning to the basketball court, where a new center was waiting for him. Like the one he had faced earlier, he was an inkling, though his hair was slicked back. The referee dropped the ball, and this time, it flew towards the other team's side of the court. He ran after it, hoping to catch the ball. Unfortunately, someone on the defense caught it and threw it to the center.
The center dribbled towards the goal, where the two herring brothers were waiting. He tried launching it, but the brothers simply jumped in the way, deflecting the ball. It bounced off, towards the middle of the baskfishball court. The crustacean on Roy's team ran up to it and began dribbling, using his height to his advantage. A running sea anemone bumped into him, causing both of them to trip and fall to the ground, the ball bouncing off, closer to the defense of the other team. Another inkling picked it up, and before he could throw it, a whistle blew.
Both the sea anemone and the crustacean were pulled off the field, being replaced by a goby and Seb, respectively. Off by the bench, the red-eyed inkling noticed the crustacean picking at his claws. His shell had been chipped. Roy didn't have much time to ponder on it, however, as he was called to the middle of the court. The ball was dropped, and this time, it flew towards his team's side of the court.
Dangit! he thought in alarm. The center rushed past him, running to the ball. Seb had caught it. As he threw it, the center leaped up and knocked it down, allowing him to dribble to the goal. Leaping up as high as he could, he slammed the ball down into the basking shark's mouth, scoring another goal for the East Oceaners.
Dangit, dangit, dangit! Roy swore silently. Before he knew it, the game was over, with not another point scored for either team.
"The winner is... The East Oceaners!" the blackbelly skate announced.
"Fudge!" he shouted, throwing the ball he held to the floor.
The center from the fourth quarter walked up to him, holding out a fist. "Good game?"
Grudgingly, he accepted the fist-bump. "Good game," he grumbled.
He walked back to the locker room, where he changed out of the basketball uniform, into his normal clothes. He wiped some sweat off his forehead with a towel and tossed it aside. Before he closed his locker, he noticed the wallet sitting in it. Inigo's wallet. He remembered what Liam had told him before the game and grabbed it.
Inigo's wallet resting in his hand, Roy walked out to the parking lot, his eyes scanning for his disguised friend. A light breeze blew through the area, and the cyan ink had left his body almost completely by now. The only trace of its presence was the very ends of his tentacles, which had a smidge of cyan on it. Regardless, he had to find the Vigilante before he left.
It didn't take long. The boy with the ponytail and Naomi were right outside their car. The Vigilante was frantically searching his pockets, murmuring something Roy couldn't hear.
"Hey, Vigilante!" the tan-skinned boy called. He ran up to them.
The Vigilante relaxed and looked up at him. "What?"
"You dropped your wallet." He held it out.
The fair-skinned inkling simply stared at it before huffing and crossing his arms. "You don't know that it's mine."
"Stop playing dumb. I know it's yours," he warned, his voice hardening.
"To be fair, it would be weird if you knew," Naomi interjected.
He lowered his arms. "How do you know it's me? Tell me something only I would know."
"I have your baby pictures," Roy quickly replied.
The Vigilante blushed, seemingly in embarrassment, and shook his head. "They could be anyone's. Besides, I didn't have red ink when I was born."
"You're right," he confirmed. "Your ink was indigo."
"Lots of squids have indigo ink," the other boy pointed out. "Point is, those baby pictures could be of anyone."
"Then..." An idea popped into Roy's head, but it was risky. It was a secret, one that Inigo swore to keep. And it was a story they swore never to retell. He didn't want to mention it, but he had to. Or else Inigo would not get his wallet back until tomorrow. "...The Rose Story."
Silence hung in the air. The Vigilante's mouth fell open slightly, shocked.
"...What's the 'Rose Story?'" Naomi asked, breaking it.
No one answered her question. "Give me that." The fair-skinned inkling snatched the wallet out of Roy's hand and opened it. He nodded and stuffed it back into his pocket. "Let's go," he demanded, opening the door to his car.
"Wait." The olive-skinned girl stopped him. "Is that seriously your wallet?"
"Yeah," he replied.
She looked between the Vigilante and Roy. "...Roy knows who the Vigilante? Roy Blacktip?"
"Yeah, and why is that a problem?" the tan-skinned boy challenged.
"Well, you're Roy Blacktip. Super mean and all, destroying everything." He winced at her words. That can't be what everyone thinks of me. It can't. "It's just so weird a squid as nice as the Vigilante shared his identity with him."
"It wasn't by choice," the Vigilante growled. "Naomi, we need to go."
"Alright, alright," she assured her. "I know how grumpy you get about 'wasted time.'"
Frowning, the boy with the ponytail climbed into the car, followed by the long-haired girl. He lowered his tinted shades briefly, revealing sad, indigo eyes. He mouthed 'sorry' and started the car, pushing his shades back up. Roy stepped out of the way, and they pulled out of the parking spot, driving away.
Red hair blowing in the wind, he sighed and leaned against the car next to the one the other two inklings had driven away in. He looked out in the direction they had disappeared, eyes heavy.
I hope he's OK.
A/N: What is the Rose Story? We'll save that for a later season. Here's a relatively lax chapter again for today. Hope you don't mind. Sometimes we need the chill chapters to balance out the more action-packed ones. See you next week, and Branchwing, out!