Notice: This chapter contains content related to Octo Expansion.

Octavia's PoV

"It's June now," Bonnie muttered as she and Octavia walked through the courtyard. "The last month of school."

"I know! It's been June!" Via exclaimed. "And do you also know what comes out in June?"

"What?"

"Off the Hook's new album! Exactly one week from today!"

"Oh my cod, I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me, Via!" The blue-haired inkling pulled out her phone. "I'm gonna write it down..."

"I'm so excited! I already love Nasty Majesty and Shark Bytes! I can't wait for the other songs they're gonna put out. Ooh, do you think they'll do a pure rap song? Or a super electronic one! Ooh, so many possibilites!"

"I like their current style. It's superfresh already, why change it?"

"Think of all the possibilities! They'll smash the charts and go above and beyond, higher than any super jump can be!"

"They've been smashing the charts, though. Nasty Majesty only got surpassed on Bubblify because Shark Bytes came out."

"And when's the last time someone's stayed in the top spot for so long?"

"Uh...I think it was when the Squid Sisters came out with Fresh Start? They were number one for two months, until Nasty Majesty came out, that is."

"Yeah, I guess you're-" Octavia paused when she felt something drop on her. She looked up at the sky. They had darkened since they exited the school, and now... "Ngh!" A raindrop fell into her eye. She flinched downwards, squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing it. "Rain! Get inside!"

The two inkling girls ran back inside the school, just before the brunt of the rain hit the area. A steady beat battered the pavement, growing louder as the rain fell harder. They slammed the door shut, though some water had already managed to leak in, dampening the tiled floors. A few people gave them some odd looks before walking past them. A jellyfish walked up to them, but said nothing as they extended their arm towards the puddle, soaking it up. Via and Bonnie stepped away, bumping against the wall.

"Now I'm cold..." Bon-Bon complained, looking at the sleeves of her sweater.

"What? Even in this weather?" Octavia perplexed.

"Says the person wearing a jacket," she deadpanned.

"Hey, it's fresh!" she protested. "And I wanted to try something new!"

The beige-skinned girl smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You look good in it."

"Thanks." Octavia had bought the matcha down jacket during the sale at the Galleria back in April, though she didn't start wearing it regularly until the beginning of the week. She even changed it up today by putting on a pair of traditional sandals she had lying around. As they were no longer sold in stores, it was a nice memento from their days in Inkopolis Plaza, when the Squid Sisters still hosted the news. She even paid Murch a few super sea snails to change the main ability on it. Her friends liked the new outfit overall, though she missed wearing her sweater and orca hi-tops.

There was no use pondering on it, though. Class was going to start soon. The bell rang throughout the halls, and the students began scrambling to class.

"Already?!" Bonnie gasped. "I thought we had more time!"

The bronze-skinned girl giggled. "Time flies when you're having fun, am I right?"

"Yeah. Well, see you later."

"You, too!"

The two friends went their separate ways, Octavia heading to her next class. Time flew by as she worked. Considering that it was near the end of the school year, things were winding down. However, she wasn't done yet—finals were fast approaching. She was studying as much as she could, but she quickly fell to the desire to do ink battles.

Lunch arrived, though it was a relatively peaceful one. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. The Rainbow Squids merely talked among themselves about the school day. After lunch ended, Octavia headed to her next class—gym, where Iris and Yvonne would be waiting. She walked into the humid locker room, stuffy with sweat and perfume. At the closest set of lockers, Iris stood with her back turned, taking off her t-shirt.

"Hey, Iris," Via greeted.

Iris crumpled her tee up into a ball and turned around to face the wavy-haired inkling. "Hello," she greeted back, her words unexcited.

"You get here pretty fast, huh?" she remarked.

The octoling crossed her arms. "I do not waste time like you."

"Wha? Don't you have friends?"

"Yes," she replied, "but talking to friends...no necessary."

"Then you'll have a pretty lonely life..."

Her indigo eyes narrowed. "You are distracting the me," she growled. "Go."

Via flinched and ran off to her own locker, where she instead talked to Yvonne about her day. Gym passed, and so did the rest of her classes. It was now the end of the day, where she could finally go home and relax. Or, she could go to Inkopolis Square and do some turf wars. Either one could work.

As she left the school with Alexis, however, something caught her eye. Someone, wearing an Annaki beret, sat on the railing of the steps, two purple tentacles poking out from beneath the beret. In her pale hands was not a phone, but something else...

"Isn't that Peyton?" Via asked her sister, causing both to stop.

The short-haired inkling squinted, looking over at the figure. "Yeah," she confirmed. "I bet she's up to no good."

"Don't say that!" the older inkling scolded. "She's done nothing to us!"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "We barely know her, Via. Who knows what's plotting?"

"Well, if you want to know what she's doing, why not ask?"

"Yeah, but what if she's actually planning a bad thing and she won't tell us straight out?"

"Alexis, I think you're just paranoid at this point."

"What?! No I'm not!"

"I'm asking her, straight-out." Octavia smirked. "Watch and learn."

Dropping the smugness, the wavy-haired inkling walked up to the octoling and stood next to her, looking over her shoulder. "Hey, Peyton."

"Ah!" Peyton jumped, nearly falling off of the railing. She turned into an octopus and slid into the grass, one tentacle wrapping around a walkie-talkie. When she reformed into a kid, it was in her hand. "H-Hi."

"Whatcha doin'?" She felt someone else standing by her now. She glanced over to see that Alexis had joined her.

"...Nothing," she replied, messing with a button on the walkie-talkie. The design was unfamiliar, but it clearly still had the same function. "I just be do things with this..." She motioned to the radio, saying the word in Octarian.

"A walkie-talkie?" Alexis corrected. "What, did Octa Prisma smuggle a bunch of them into the school?"

"No!" she snapped. "Well, yes, this 'walkie-talkie.' It only me. No one else."

"Who's on the other end?" a new voice joined in. Octavia turned around to see Inigo approaching them.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Via asked him.

"Hey, I only heard that part," he defended. "I just wanted to see what you were up to."

"I'm tellin' you, Inigo," Alexis stated, pointing a finger at him. "Peyton's doing somethin' bad with that!"

"No," Peyton corrected. "I telled you once." She messed with the buttons once more, and suddenly, static crackled from the walkie-talkie. "You hear?"

Inigo's eyes widened. "Yeah, I do."

"It's just static," Alexis pointed out. "What's so special about it?"

"It no do that since I hear from sister!" the purple-haired octoling enthused. "She must be the other end!" She began messing with the buttons some more, speaking in Octarian to the walkie-talkie. Only any name she spoke was intelligible. "Peony! ...Peyton!"

"Should we get someone else?" Via asked her friends. "Like another octoling?"

Inigo nodded. "One of them could translate. ...But the only octolings we know are Octa Prisma. They probably went home already."

"School just let out," Alexis noted. "You can probably still catch them."

"Oh, now you're a fan of this idea," Octavia deadpanned, crossing her arms.

"I'm...just curious!" she defended. "C'mon! Let's go!" The younger inkling grabbed Inigo's hand, much to his surprise, and dashed off into the parking lot with him.

While they were gone, Via turned her attention back to Peyton. She was mumbling to herself, panic trembling in her purple eyes. She messed with the buttons some more, the static growing louder or quieter as the settings on it changed. Still, no words were emitting from the radio.

Inigo and Alexis returned with the other members of Octa Prisma. "What is going on?" Giovanni asked. His green eyes drifted over to the pale-skinned girl. "...Peyton? I thought she did not go to the school."

"I not," Peyton corrected, glancing over at him. "I wait for Octa Prisma."

"Anyways, I heard something about a...walkie-talkie?" Brayden spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" She showed the octolings the radio. "I hear static!"

"Think it is your sister?" Yvonne asked, her hands held close to her chest.

"I think there a way to confirm," Oscar spoke up. "Connect to a computer."

"We don't have a computer with us, though," Inigo remarked.

"I do," the blue-haired octoling revealed. "I got Peyton's text about it before I started driving here."

"You brought a whole computer here?" Alexis asked, surprised. "Monitor and all?"

"No, a laptop," he corrected. "Desktops are lame. You cannot bring them anywhere."

"Oh." Alexis looked off to the side, frowning. "Now I feel like a fish-brain."

"We try it in Inkopolis Square," Oscar continued with his explanation. "School reception, it bad."

"Yeah," Iris agreed, scoffing. "You are right."

"No," Giovanni disagreed. "We need somewhere with as little interference as possible."

"Octo Valley?" Brayden suggested. "That place is abandoned now."

"I change my mind," the indigo-haired girl said, looking at the blue-haired boy next to her. "That is a better place."

"Then Octo Valley it is," Inigo concluded. "...Where is that?"

"You can get to it through Inkopolis Plaza," Alexis instructed. There's a manhole there you can slip through."

"The same one that old man poked his head out of?" Via asked. She had seen an elderly inkling poke his head out from time-to-time when everyone used to battle in the plaza, his eyes wide and bulging. She always thought of him as weird. And disgusting. He seriously needed a better skin care routine.

"Yeah," her sister confirmed. "I can show you."

"We know Octo Valley better than you do," Brayden pointed out. "We will be the guides."

"Thank you," Peyton said, standing up. Static still crackled from the radio. "I am happy to be your friend."

Iris shrugged. "You are welcome...I guess."

"Bring the rest of the Rainbow Squids," Gio instructed the inklings.

"What?!" Brayden cried out in confusion. "Really? This is not their problem!"

"Who knows?" the green-haired octoling shrugged. "They might know something we do not."

"Hm." The tan-skinned boy closed his eye and smiled. "True. Is that not right..." He opened his blue eyes, his expression going into a sneer. "...Alexis?"

"Hey, why do ya think I know something!" she protested.

"Ah, so you are hiding something," Gio remarked, putting a hand on his chin.

"You two are the worst!" Alexis started running away from them. "I'm beating you to Octo Valley!" She super-jumped away, an orange streak trailing through the blue sky.

Yvonne laughed. "Silly inkling!"

Oscar chuckled as well. "I guess we will return to there."

"Let us leave school," Peyton said, standing next to her teammates now.

"We will meet you in Inkopolis Plaza," Giovanni announced. The group of octolings started to head towards the parking lot, and now, it was only Octavia and Inigo, standing side-by-side. They pulled out their phones and both texted in the Rainbow Squids group chat to meet them in the plaza. Inigo added that Octa Prisma wanted to see them. After they were done, they headed to their cars and drove as close as they could to the plaza. They got out, and headed towards the area itself. Still, it was abandoned, the fox and tanuki statues overlooking the area growing dull.

Octa Prisma stood outside of Inkopolis Tower, leaning against the fencing. Yvonne sat on the crate Judd always slept on, playing a phone game. Upon Octavia and Inigo's arrival, Oscar met their eyes and waved. Alexis was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Alexis?" asked Octavia, worried.

"She went in," Iris replied, pointing at the grate beneath her feet. "When we arrive."

Octavia let out a sigh of relief. "At least she's safe."

Later, the rest of the Rainbow Squids arrived, confusion on their faces. "What's going on?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah, I'm surprised Octa Prisma of all people wants us here," Bonnie added.

"What harm could it do?" Perry questioned with a shrug. "They talk to us all the time. This isn't any different."

"Well..." Giovanni explained the situation, with Peyton interjecting sometimes. After they finished, the Rainbow Squids nodded, eyes wide.

"We gotta help you!" Yuri exclaimed. "Especially since it's your sister we're talking about!"

"Let go," Iris said, kicking the manhole open. Holding a laptop under his arm, Brayden jumped in it, followed by everyone else. They emerged in a small grassy area, canyon walls surrounding them. In the distance, she could see a huge octopus status, though for all she could know, it could be just a natural formation. Alexis sat on a bench in front of a small shack, reading through a photo album that obviously did not belong to her.

"What's that?" Perry asked, his purple eyes looking over at the short-haired inkling. "Didn't see it the first time we came here."

"Oh." Alexis closed the book. "You're here."

"Answer his question," Roy demanded, stepping in front of her.

"It's just something I found!" she replied, eyebrows furrowing. "I got bored, so I wanted to see what else was in here! OK? That's it! Now lemme put this back!"

The red-haired inkling sighed. "If you say so." He stepped out of the way to let Alexis inside. She set the book down next to a pile of other books and returned outside.

"So, we're ready?" Via asked.

Brayden nodded. "Yes." He set the laptop down on the bench and opened it. He logged into it and stepped out of the way, gesturing towards Giovanni and Oscar. Peyton handed Oscar the walkie-talkie, and he kneeled down in front of the empty space on the bench, setting it down. He turned it on, static sounding from the speakers. However, briefly, Via could hear...music?

"What...? That tune..." Peyton mumbled, eyes wide. "I heared it before."

"Mess around with it more," Giovanni demanded of the bronze-skinned boy. "Until the music is clear!"

"I was planning to do of the thing," Oscar scoffed.

Once the music was steady, Peyton kneeled down next to Oscar, her shades sliding down the bridge of the nose. "Hello?" she called. "Peony?"

"...Hello..."

Oscar jumped at the voice, the walkie-talkie nearly falling out of his hand. Peyton swiped it from him and looked at the radio, frowning. "...You no Peony."

"...Sorry..." replied the voice. The voice was a little garbled from the static, making their gender unclear.

"Why you have that?" the purple-haired octoling demanded, her voice sharp.

"...Find...it..." they replied. "...Do...you...speak...Octarian...?"

Peyton blinked. "Are you...Octarian?"

"...Yes... I...no do...speak Inkling...good..."

"Where are you?" Gio suddenly asked to the voice.

"...Ah...! ...Another...person...!"

"Sorry!" Oscar apologized.

"...How...many...of...you...?"

Giovanni counted everyone. "Thirteen."

"...That...a crowd... Why...so...many...?"

"Hold on," Alexis interjected, looking over at Peyton. "Get a better signal. I can barely hear them."

"Will try," she replied, messing with the buttons on the walkie-talkie once more. Soon, the static had lessened. "You hear me good now?"

"Yes," replied the Octarian. Though there was still some garble, the voice sounded female. It was soft, almost like Bonnie's. Yet, there was a rasp to it. And an accent, though everyone in Octa Prisma had an accent. She assumed the same was true for all Octarians.

"Now..." Brayden started, putting his arms behind his head. "How did you find that walkie-talkie?"

"In Central Station," she replied.

"Central Station?" Yuri cocked his head to the side.

"Eep!" the voice gasped. "...Sorry," she said after a few moments. "So many of you."

"So, where's Central Station?" Perry asked.

"Ehe..." she breathed. "Deepsea Metro. That is what this called."

"I...have no idea where that is," the purple-haired inkling concluded, shrugging. "Sounds far away, considerin' we had to go out here to even hear you."

"My goal is the promised land," the Octarian continued to explain. "Collect four 'thangs' is what I need. I not want to get the final thang yet. I am not feeling the ready. I almost am."

"Peony talk about the promised land a lot," Peyton mused, her eyes looking up towards the sky. "The surface. She excited to meet inklings. And take culture. I not hear from her since she reach the promised land."

"Since this girl found your sister's walkie-talkie down there," Brayden theorized, crossing his arms, "I think she left it there on purpose."

"What?!" Peyton gasped. "Brayden, why you say?"

"It's a solid theory," Inigo remarked. "And it would make sense."

Octavia nodded. "I bet the first thing she did was get a phone!"

"No one I talk to have see Peony," the pale-skinned girl said with a frown. "Why? No understand."

"Maybe she moved?" Yuri suggested. "It happens. I bet she's still out there!"

"No understand even more," Peyton dismissed, shaking her head. "Do you...uh..."

"Eight," the voice responded. "Pearl and Marina call me Eight. I like the name."

"Pearl and Marina?!" Perry exclaimed, surprised. "Like, Off the Hook Pearl and Marina?"

"Yes," Eight confirmed. "There another Pearl and Marina?"

"No!" he affirmed. "Still, it's crazy fresh you know Off the Hook personally!"

"'Crazy fresh?' You inkling? You sound fluent."

"Err... Yeah."

"Inklings and octolings, working together... It impossible two years ago. Now, it possible. I see it myself."

"May I connect the radio now?" Oscar asked Peyton, turning to face her.

"Yes," she replied. "I not think there to be special."

The boy with the afro took the walkie-talkie from her hand. Giovanni then handed him a cord. Oscar plugged the cord in on both ends, allowing a program to pop up. He clicked yes, and not much time later, a window popped up, depicting a girl with pink, curly hair and light brown skin, looking down on the walkie-talkie. Her tentacles were curled up tight, and she had a frown on her face.

"What you doing?" the voice then asked, the girl's mouth moving as Eight spoke. Her tentacles relaxed slightly, but they still seemed tense.

Wait... Via thought. I've seen her before. Down in the subway.

"What's that look on your face?" Bonnie asked, blue eyes focused on her friend.

"Um..." She and the other members of the Rainbow Squids promised they wouldn't talk about her presence in that subway near Inkopolis Square. But would it extend to Eight, too? "...Nothing. Just thinking."

"Oh, OK." She shrugged and turned her attention back to the laptop screen.

"There a camera on the walkie-talkie," Peyton explained, seemingly forgetting her previous question. "Connect it let us see you. Like a phone."

"Oh," Eight muttered, looking down. "I look the fine, yes?"

"Yes," Brayden said. "You look good." Iris pouted and put her hands on her hips at the comment.

"Again..." She put a hand on her shoulder. A yellow bracelet circled her wrist. "I am the sorry. Hope you find Peony."

"Me too," Yuri interjected. The other inklings murmured in agreement.

"If you find her, tell me," the purple-haired octoling finished. "I miss her much."

Eight's tentacles relaxed some more. "You not mad?"

"Disappoint. But no mad," she explained. "I think you nice. In personality."

The pink-haired octoling—Octavia was sure she was an octoling now—smiled. "Thank you for the forgiving." The camera shuddered, and Eight stood up. "I at the next destination. Matchmaster Station." She started walking to the door, angling the radio so that both she and it were visible. "Goodbye, new friend."

"Bye!" everyone exclaimed. The screen went black, and Oscar unplugged the cord from the laptop.

"Well, that's too bad," Alexis chirped. "Better luck next time, am I right?"

"Yes..." Peyton looked off to the side. She took the walkie-talkie and started walking to the manhole leading back to Inkopolis Plaza. "I go back. Bye." She turned into an octopus and slipped through the grate.

"I'm leaving," Roy announced, going to the grate as well. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Wait for me!" Inigo called. "I have a date!"

"Inigo has a date?" Octavia perplexed. "Since when?"

"Never thought I'd see the day," Perry remarked.

Roy seemed equally perplexed. "Huh?! When did this happen?"

"Recently," the boy with the ponytail replied. "I just never talked about it." He turned into a squid and slipped through the grate, too. Roy followed him not long after.

"Wait! You have to tell me more!" Octavia called, running over to the manhole. Alas, he was already gone. "Gah! Dang it."

"We're forgetting something important, aren't we?" Yuri spoke up. "There's probably a ton of octolings coming to Inkopolis, like Eight. Which means Inkopolis is going to get bigger and bigger!"

"Inkopolis is always growing," Giovanni pointed out. "Why is that important?"

"Because that means more people playing turf war!" he cheered. "And we can make a bunch of new friends."

"That just means less inklings to fight for me," Gio groaned.

"That is the stupid," Iris chastised the yellow-haired boy. "You are blinded to the past."

"So?" Yuri cocked his head to the side. "The past's the past. We just gotta live in the present."

"Octolings and inklings are enemies," the indigo-haired octoling pointed out, gripping her sides. "There never be peace."

"As long as DJ Octavio lives, he will not allow peace," Brayden mumbled.

"Who cares about DJ Octavio? I'm surprised he's still even alive!" Octavia snapped. "You're in Inkopolis now! He can't hurt any of you."

"Huh?" Octa Prisma looked over at the Rainbow Squids, curious.

"It's 2018, not 1915," Perry exasperated, narrowing his eyes. "The Great Turf War was over a hundred years ago. Get over it."

"E-Even you are the b-bother!" Oscar stuttered. "Not all octolings think this."

"We all did at one point," Gio grumbled, clenching a fist. "Did you forget?"

"Yeah, but that still under Octarian oppression," Yvonne brushed off the remark. "We in inkling freedom now, thank Calamari Inkantation."

"Yvonne's right," Yuri commented. He reached a hand out, palm facing the ground. "So, let's be friends."

The Rainbow Squids, Alexis included, put their hands on top of Yuri's, followed by Oscar and Yvonne. All of them looked over at the remaining three octolings. Giovanni hesitated, but he put his hand down next. Brayden followed, and now, everyone was looking at Iris, expectant.

"...Fine," she groaned, putting her hand on top of Brayden's.

"On the count of three, we say, 'Booyah,'" Yuri instructed. "One, two, three..."

"Booyah!"

Everyone lifted their hands, pointing it towards the sky, laughing. When was the last time Octavia had seen anyone in Octa Prisma laugh?

Nonetheless, she was happy. Happy they could finally get over their differences for now.

A/N: So, how was it? I think it was better than the last chapter for sure. Still not the best, though. Agent 8 finally appeared with a major role, though! That's a positive. I also hope you all learned more about Peyton today, too. And the other members of Octa Prisma, too. Still held down by Octarian propaganda. It's sad, but it can take a while before it can be undone. I don't think Marina's fully over it, either - she does seem anxious a lot. But, this story's about the Rainbow Squids! I think if I do explore Marina's perspective, it will be in a separate story. I am interested in writing more stuff from Octa Prisma's perspective, though. Octolings are quite interesting, if you ask me. Enough of my rambles, hopefully next week's chapter will be good, too! Branchwing, out!