Inigo's PoV
A week after the incident at Inkopolis Bay, the Rainbow Squids were back at their usual table in Inkopolis Square. However, the air had changed between the group. Now that they knew about the existence of the New Squidbeak Splatoon—Octavia caught Alexis up on everything that had happened that fateful day, nothing seemed to be the same anymore.
"It's still so crazy to think about," Perry muttered. "There's been a super-secret octo-fighting team, right under our noses."
"I know, right?" Octavia agreed. "Too bad we can't tell anyone about it."
"Yeah, we don't want to betray the old guy's trust," Bonnie added.
Alexis had her elbows up on the table, frowning. Distraught, she scrolled through her phone, studying whatever text may be on it. Inigo opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but she simply glanced over at him and shook her head.
"Could you ask what's up later?" the boy with the ponytail whispered to her sister, leaning over to the wavy-haired inkling. "I wish I could help, but if I don't know what's wrong, then I can't."
Via shrugged. "Leave her be. If she doesn't want to talk, fine."
Inigo sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. The events of the past month still stormed within his mind. One of the Vigilante's admirers had caught him without the mask, a giant statue almost blew Inkopolis to smithereens, and now the revelation of the New Squidbeak Splatoon to the Rainbow Squids. It was just so much to take in. He put his hands on his head, frustrated. Maybe I should stay away for a few days, he considered. Just lock myself in my house... Think this all through.
An exasperated sigh hissed through his teeth, garnering some odd looks from his friends.
"Geez, Inigo, maybe I should be asking you what's wrong," the wavy-haired inkling sighed, shaking her head.
"It's just a lot to take in," he stated.
"With the whole New Squidbeak Splatoon thing?" Bonnie asked. "Yeah, I get it. I still can't wrap my head around it."
"Me neither," Yuri admitted. "But hey! At least we got some crime-fighters keeping us safe!"
"Yeah, that's the good part," Roy remarked. "And we're friends with them now, so that works to our advantage."
Inigo simply nodded, lowering his hands. But then, he noticed something.
Or rather, someone.
The indigo-haired boy looked up at the newcomers. A long-haired inkling girl approached up to them, wearing a sneaky beanie, a lime easy-stripe shirt, and punk blacks. The mask that came with the sneaky beanie covered her right eye, leaving one green eye to stare down at the Rainbow Squids. A small smile was on her lips. Another girl, who Inigo recognized as Agent 8, stood a little behind the other girl, her hands clasped in front of her. She now donned an Annaki Red Cuff and wore piranha moccasins on her feet. However, Inigo focused on the long-haired girl more. There was no mistaking who was now standing in front of them.
Geneva Gonati.
"GENEVA!" Roy immediately cried out. He launched himself from his seat and immediately hugged her. "You've been gone for so long!"
"Geneva!" Octavia exclaimed. "You're finally back!"
"I knew you'd come back, Geneva!" Yuri chirped. "I just didn't know when!"
"Huh?" Alexis lifted her head. "Oh, hey Geneva. Welcome back."
"Yeah, welcome back, Geneva," Bonnie said quietly with a smile.
"Geneva..." Inigo dipped his head and smiled. "Welcome back. I missed you."
"Hey! I missed ya too!" Perry piped up. "C'mon, how 'bout a hug?"
"Don't forget me!" Octavia turned into a squid and jumped from her chair, wrapping her arms around the long-haired inkling. The rest of the Rainbow Squids, minus Alexis, proceeded to hug her as well, eventually knocking her down from their combined weight. As Inigo squeezed his arms around her, his mind drifted back to when they dated. They hugged a lot.
This one was just platonic. Nothing deeper.
They got off of Geneva and stood up, circled around the green-haired girl. Eight simply watched the scene, frowning. She had her hand up to her mouth. She opened it to say something, but she quickly closed it.
"Hey, Eight," Octavia greeted. "Glad to see you're doing OK."
"Yes." The curly-haired octoling nodded. "Agent 3 is OK now. But her eye is still blind."
"Hey, she's recoverin'," Perry mused.
Seems like the blindness is permanent, Inigo thought with a frown. She's a squidkid like the rest of us. Can she still play turf wars?
"Seems like you know Geneva," Yuri remarked as he stretched his arms. "When did you two meet?"
"In..." Eight started.
"The Galleria," the long-haired girl interjected. "I helped her shop."
"Yes," the octoling confirmed. "She has the freshness."
"Well, you do look fresh in that!" Via complimented. "You're on your way to becoming one of the freshest squids on the block. ...Or octo. Since, y'know."
"Hm?" someone called. Inigo turned around to see that Octa Prisma were observing them. Giovanni stood up from his chair and gestured for his teammates to come with him. They approached them, much to Geneva's confusion.
"Who are you?" Yvonne asked the green-haired inkling, raising an eyebrow.
"That's what I should be asking you," she countered, shaking her head.
"Octa Prisma, this is Geneva," Inigo introduced. "Geneva, this is Octa Prisma."
"Ohhh, you are Geneva!" the yellow-haired octoling exclaimed. "You did look familiar!"
"We are your team's rivals, Geneva," Brayden greeted, bowing. "Octa Prisma. It is nice to meet you."
"They're octolings," Yuri whispered, "in case you haven't noticed."
"I see," she simply stated.
"We...do not have red," Oscar pointed out.
"We only need a red member to complete Octa Prisma at last," Giovanni elaborated. "Unfortunately, red is a rare ink color, from my observations."
"What about pink?" Inigo suggested. "It's close enough to red, and it's way more common."
"Pink..." The green-haired octoling crossed his arms and closed his eyes, smirking. "Yes... That might work."
"Wow, I am disappointed," Brayden sighed, shaking his head.
"Um..." Eight started to speak, turning everyone's attention to her. "My ink is the pink. So is my eyes."
"Oh, Eight!" Peyton exclaimed. "You here!"
"Huh?" She looked over at the purple-haired octoling. The pale-skinned girl adjusted her glasses, smiling. "Ah, you are Peyton," the curly-haired girl recalled. "I remember."
"You know what Eight did?" Yuri asked Octa Prisma.
"No, what?" Iris replied, intrigued.
"She saved Inkopolis!" he cheered. "Isn't that superfresh?"
Eight blushed, embarrassed. "Yes, I did," she confirmed. "No longer do I have to be down there."
"That is fresh," Oscar remarked, clapping. "Wishing I can do saving..."
"Alright, so your ink is pink," Giovanni continued. "However, there is one more thing I need to ask you."
"What is it?" she asked.
"Are you good with a charger?" he inquired.
"Yes, but-"
"Then you can join us," he interrupted the curly-haired octoling.
"Let me finish!" she protested. "I saying, that I have not used it for the very long. My aim good, but that all."
"I could teach you advanced techniques," Bonnie offered. "I'm good with a charger."
"Even this?" Eight pulled out an E-liter 4K, much to Inigo's surprise. It wasn't every day someone pulled out a weapon in the middle of Inkopolis Square. Especially a weapon as heavy as an E-liter.
"Um... I'm better with Squiffers, but that works," she concurred.
"Huh?" the girl with light brown skin blinked, then frowned. "But... You will not being as good."
"I have a few friends I could recommend ya," Perry suggested, pulling out his phone. "Want me to call 'em up?"
"I thought Lori rejected you," Yuri puzzled.
"Yeah, but we're still friends," he brushed it off. "Plus, I'm over it now."
"No, thank you," she muttered. "...Blue girl enough."
"My name's Bonnie," the blue-haired inkling pointed out.
"I am sorry, Bonnie," Eight apologized. "I will be remembering."
"It's fine," she assured her. "I never told you it."
"Anyways," Inigo spoke up, smiling. "Now that Geneva's back, we gotta have a proper welcome back party."
"Inigo, please." Geneva put her hand up, keeping a straight face. "I'm fine without a party. I'm just happy to finally see you guys again."
"But this is a big deal!" Roy exclaimed. "We haven't seen you in almost a year! Heck yeah we're throwing a party!"
"What about a battle?" Yuri suggested. "That'll get us pumped up for the party!"
"A battle?" The green-haired inkling blinked. "Yeah, that sounds good." She pulled out her Splattershot and twirled it her hand. "I even brought this. Was gonna do some turf wars anyways to get me back into the swing of things."
"Woo!" the yellow-haired inkling cheered. "This is gonna be fresh!"
"You'll be blown away, Geneva," Alexis commented. "I've gotten a lot better since you left."
She smirked. "We'll see about that."
"May we watch?" Eight asked, stepping next to Peyton.
"I may learn by the watch," the purple-haired octoling added. "Everyone say you good."
"I not want to," Iris snapped. "It will waste time."
"You don't have to," Inigo pointed out. "If you're the only one who doesn't want to watch, so be it."
"Ya gonna go with her?" Perry asked Brayden, cheekily smiling as he gazed at him.
"My choices are my choices," he deflected, crossing his arms.
"I am not forcing him to go with me," Iris added. "I be the bad girlfriend then." Inigo gave a small nod in agreement. It would be terrible if she forced Brayden to leave with her. Though, the blue-haired octoling seemed to follow her anywhere, no matter what it is.
"I will go," Brayden announced at last. He eyed the indigo-haired girl and murmured, "Sorry."
Iris simply sighed, dipping her head and turning around, now walking towards the Deca Tower, presumably to battle by herself. Not long after she left, the rest of the group proceeded to head towards the tower, going towards one of the elevators. They stepped inside, the small room becoming cramped. The doors closed, and the elevator began to descend.
"Hey, how are we gonna split the teams?" Octavia questioned.
"Well, the last battle we did with Geneva, it was boys versus girls," Bonnie mused. "So... We could do it again?"
"Nah, that's a little repetitive," Perry argued. "Gotta try somethin' different."
"Leave it up to fate?" Alexis proposed.
"I don't think I want the teams to be random..." Roy protested.
"Oh, what about warm colors versus cool colors?" Inigo suggested. "Like the tournament."
"You squids went into a tournament?" Geneva perplexed, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, back in December," Yuri confirmed. "We lost."
"Octa Prisma was the winner," the boy with the ponytail explained. "Or, rather, what was Octa Prisma at the time."
"Just me, Oscar, Giovanni, and Iris!" Yvonne interjected. "That feels long ago, right?"
"Indeed," Oscar agreed. "It weird to think how much the team grew."
"We only got three members," Brayden pointed out. "That is not a lot."
"One which enter the team today," Peyton added.
"Sad about that loss," Geneva murmured. "But hey, at least you got that far."
"Oh yeah," Octavia spoke up. "We should probably tell ya about the Vigilante."
"I've heard of him," the green-haired inkling commented. "What about him?"
Inigo gulped. He really had gotten famous. Even Geneva, wherever she was, heard about him on her vacation. Though, it wasn't for being himself. It was for being someone he wasn't. But, he had to remind himself from time to time again that the Vigilante was a part of him, no matter how much he tried to deny it over the past few weeks. It was Inigo that was cheating on girls left and right. If one thing remained constant, though, it was his loyalty to Tiffany. Yet even that was being tested, as the Rainbow Squids continue to bring up reminders that she was supposedly a bad person.
He didn't know what to think anymore. Now that Geneva was back, he could technically achieve his goal and see what Tiffany wanted from her. Though...he didn't want to. It felt wrong. After the Rainbow Squids explained the Vigilante, there was no way she would willingly go with him. Meaning the only way to bring her to Tiffany was by force. And he didn't dare try to hurt her outside of ink battles.
"You probably know that he cheats on a bunch of girls-" Via started.
"Just cut to the chase," Roy interrupted her. "He's working for Tiffany, your brother's ex. And we think she's looking for you."
Geneva flinched at Tiffany's name, but she still kept a straight face. "I hope Asher already explained what she's done," she remarked. "Whatever she wants with me, it can't be good."
"Be careful," Perry warned. "Don't want you to go missin'... Again."
"Knowing Geneva, she'll be fine," Yuri remarked. "I'm sure of it."
"I'm not gonna think about it now," she said. "Let's just focus on the battle for now."
"Right!" the yellow-haired inkling exclaimed. "Let's not let that get us down!"
"Yeah, I'm pumped for this battle," the red-haired inkling agreed.
"Good luck," Eight stated. "That is what they say, yes?"
The elevator slowed to a stop, and the floor opened beneath them to reveal a grate. Everyone turned into their cephalopod forms and fell through it, swimming to their next destination. Inigo emerged on a spawn point, where he immediately noticed a ferris wheel out in the distance. They were in Wahoo World, he was sure of it. He glanced over at Geneva, who had spawned next to him.
"We went here once," he told her. "Remember?"
"Yeah," she confirmed, "but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Nothing," he replied. "I'm just glad you remember."
The match started, and everyone started firing their weapons. ...Though, Geneva and Bonnie were the only ones with a weapon that fired ink. Inigo slammed his roller down on the ground, while Perry was hurling ink from his slosher. The long-haired inkling strafed around the area, spreading green ink everywhere. The boy with the ponytail rolled past her, towards the middle of the stage. He turned, going up the smooth incline, running out of ink as soon as he got to the glass bridge. He lifted his roller up and jumped back into the ink puddle, waiting for his ink tank to refill. Octavia had arrived, spreading pink ink everywhere. Inigo inched towards the bridge, debating on whenever to surprise her or attack her now.
Via headed towards Inigo, where he proceeded to pop out and slam his Carbon Roller down on her, resulting in her splatting. He kicked her jacket out of the way and ran towards the middle, where he proceeded to cover it back up. Just before he started heading down the path towards the enemy base, he heard ink flying towards him. He whipped his head towards the source to find Yuri, firing his Heavy Splatling Deco. He stuck his tongue out, inching a little closer to the center. Unfortunately, when the platform below his feet started to retract into the central pillar. He stopped firing and turned into a squid, leaping towards the ramp. He barely made it, pink tentacles poking out before disappearing into the ink once more.
Inigo used this opportunity to summon his special weapon, Ink Storm. He took it out and slammed it into the ground, breaking it and sending a green cloud into the sky. It drifted towards the other team's spawn, though he didn't take much time to watch it. He was on the move once more, taking the path down towards the open area that led to the middle of the stage. Geneva was already there, inking the area around him.
Perfect. He dove into the ink and lurked around, waiting for someone to arrive. Slowly he swam, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. However, he started to panic when a splat bomb dropped down right next to him. He emerged and scrambled to get away, only for it to blow him up. A pink puddle of ink remained where he splatted, and he then returned to the spawn point, ready to try again.
He decided to super-jump to Bonnie. She was in the middle, their team still keeping control of the map. Alexis was approaching from the right. She snapped her Classic Squiffer towards her, splatting her in a single hit. Inigo simply nodded in approval and continued on. The glass bridge started to retract while he was trying to cross it, causing him to stumble and fall to the lower level. Some jellyfish inside the ride glanced over at him, but they quickly took their gazes off of him, like nothing had ever happened. He jumped to his feet and started looking around. He threw an auto bomb in front of him. It merely blew up. He sighed and turned into a squid, hiding in the ink. He swam up to Geneva and popped out next to her, only for them to be both splatted by Roy. He noticed the tan-skinned inkling looking at his blaster, surprised, as he flew away.
When they respawned, Geneva was glaring at him.
"Why did you follow me?" she asked.
"I..." He scratched his head, thinking. What was the reason? It seemed like it was out of impulse, but there was probably a deeper meaning to it. "...I guess I got excited."
"About what?"
"That you were back. I haven't seen you in almost a year, so it just feels surreal." He sighed. "I thought I was over you, but I guess not."
"...Hm." She simply nodded, walking off of the spawn point. "If I'm being honest myself, it feels surreal to me, too."
He blinked. "What is?"
"That I'm finally back in Inkopolis. I thought all my efforts...while I was on my vacation, would come to naught." She looked over her shoulder. "But they didn't. To think..." She shook her head. "I'm rambling again. Let's focus on the battle."
Inigo nodded. "Right. If you want to, you can tell me later."
The two inklings submerged in the ink, swimming towards the middle of the map. They stopped upon sight of several ink bullets, raining down on them. Yuri stood on the wall of the center pillar, slowly moving his splatling from right to left. His spiky hair started to glow, and he jumped down, pulling out a bubble wand.
"Bubble Blower!" Inigo gasped, emerging. "Splat him before he can spawn all the bubbles!"
Yuri chuckled. "Well, now I just know your strategy!" He started backing up, swinging the Bubble Blower once, a bubble containing pink ink floating out from it. Inigo did a vertical swing to the side, trying a different approach. He swam to the end of the trail and did another vertical swing, green ink landing a few inches from the dark-skinned boy. He swung the wand again, causing a bubble to bump into Inigo. He fell on his back, pink ink dripping off of his shirt. He swatted the bubble with his Carbon Roller, shrinking it. He jumped to his feet and tried going around the bubble. Panicking, Yuri swung the last of his bubbles, causing the bubble wand to disappear and reequipping himself with the Heavy Splatling Deco. He threw out a Splash Wall at Inigo, splatting him on contact. At the same time, however, Geneva popped out from the ink behind Yuri and splatted him herself.
I'm slacking off, he thought as he respawned. I have to focus now. He super-jumped to Geneva again, who had now arrived in the middle. She was fighting Alexis, the bronze-skinned inkling dancing around her with her Hero Dualies. She switched targets to Inigo as soon as he landed, splatting him again. Thankfully, the distraction provided the long-haired inkling the opportunity she needed to splat Alexis. Inigo respawned again with a groan and started swimming towards the center of the stage once more. He climbed up the wall this time in order to get to the middle. Geneva had moved on after she splatted Alexis. He jumped down with his Carbon Roller and started covering the circular area once more. A green mist suddenly surrounded him, and soon, hardened ink formed on his body.
"Thanks, Bonnie," he said, though he doubted that she could hear him. With one minute left, he was confident his team could win. He slammed his roller down on the ground and started running down the ramp. He spotted Octavia, running towards him with her Octobrush Nouveau. She stopped and pulled out some Tenta Missiles. He smirked, and just as she fired them, he swung his roller at her, splatting her. However, there was now a pink ring circling his feet. Pink markers then appeared on the ground, and he jumped out of the way, missiles blowing up behind him and breaking his Ink Armor. He jumped up to his feet and continued to roll the Carbon Roller.
His hair began to glow, and he threw out another Ink Storm. More bullets started to brush by him, and he started to zig-zag across the stage in attempt to avoid them. He spotted Yuri on one of the walls, next to the ink rail. He turned around and started swimming towards him, still using his strategy of zig-zagging. Yuri ran out of bullets, and he took a few steps back, the barrels of his splatling spinning as he recharged. He jumped off of the platform, much to Inigo's dismay. He emerged and started running to Yuri, alarming the spiky-haired boy. He whipped the splatling around and started to fire at the same time the boy with the ponytail slammed his Carbon Roller down on him. They both splatted, their gear disappearing into the ink.
Inigo respawned, his body aching. Just how many times had he splatted in this single match? It was beginning to rival the number of times he usually splatted in a ranked match. Besides, he had received a nasty hit from Yuri's Heavy Splatling Deco. It was bound to hurt afterwards. But, the only thing he could do was press on. He didn't have much longer now. He super-jumped to Perry, curious to see what he was doing. From the ramp leading down to the enemy's base, he was firing a Sting Ray at the moment, aiming at the opponent's spawn. It finished a few seconds later, and the pale-skinned boy began swinging his Sloshing Machine once more.
"Haven't seen you much," Inigo remarked.
"Yeah, I know," he admitted. "Just doin' my own thing. Inking things."
"At least you're helping," he mused.
"I splatted Roy a few times," Perry noted. He looked up at a higher level. The boy with hair swept to the side was running towards them. "And there he comes now."
"Let's splat him, together," Inigo declared.
"Aight." He continued swinging the Sloshing Machine, blobs of green ink barreling towards the tan-skinned inkling. He jumped out of the way and started running up to them. However, he had one weakness—he had to ink the surrounding turf. Inigo swam up to him and emerged behind him. Roy looked over his shoulder and gasped, eyes widening. He activated Baller, sending Inigo back a few feet. He crashed into the wall, pain shooting up through his back.
"Agh!" he cried, trembling. He got up, his feet wobbly. Only thirty seconds left, he thought. I can make it. He submerged into the ink an attempt to heal his pain, watching Roy. Perry, eyes wide, started backing up, swinging his Sloshing Machine wildly. He managed to remove some of the packaging on the Baller, but he ended up getting run over. After Perry splatted, Roy turned his attention to Inigo, eyes scanning the area.
"I know you're still there," the tan-skinned inkling stated, scanning the area with his red eyes. "Where are you?"
The Baller started to expand, stopping Roy not far from Inigo. He swam away, just barely missing it. Unfortunately, it tipped off Roy to his whereabouts, thanks to the ripples in the ink moving with him. He turned around, backing up against another wall. He started swinging the Carbon Roller wildly, hoping to hit Roy before he hit him. He thought he was finished, when a green beam of ink suddenly pierced through him, splatting him.
Inigo looked up at the source of the beam. Bonnie was standing on the platform above him, spinning her Classic Squiffer.
"Bonnie!" he exclaimed. "Thanks!"
She gave a small smile. "Any time."
They continued inking what turf was left, and soon, the whistle blew, ending the match. It was over.
"I believe the Cool Rainbow Squids win!" Yvonne chirped from above them. She was leaning over some railing, waving.
"Yes," Brayden agreed. "The stage is quite green."
"A complete loss," Oscar mused. "I hoped the Warm Rainbow Squids win..."
"Wait for Judd," Giovanni instructed. "He will determine the winner."
Indeed, the two cats arrived, standing on one of the walls in the middle pillar. Judd and Li'l Judd did a little dance before the former struck out a green flag, marking the Cool Rainbow Squids' victory.
"Booyah!" Perry cheered, running up to the rest of the group. "We won!"
"Of course we won," Geneva remarked, stepping next to Perry. "Can't you see how much turf we inked?"
"Either way, we won," Inigo said. "And that's that."
"It was a good match!" Octavia exclaimed, walking up to them. "Your skills are still sharp, Geneva."
The long-haired inkling scratched her head. "Well... I wouldn't say that."
"But it's true," Roy agreed, joining them. "Even with that eyepatch, you're as good as ever."
"Maybe we should hold that welcome back party after all," Perry teased.
"Guys... I already said you don't need to," Geneva sighed. "Just being here is enough."
"C'mon, Geneva," Yuri encouraged, popping in. "You know how big of a deal this is!"
"You said it yourself," Inigo added. "This feels surreal to you. And to me. And I guess to all of us as well."
The fair-skinned girl blinked at his remark, and then she laughed. "Ha. You're right." She crossed her arms, closing her eyes and smiling. "I guess that welcome back party wouldn't be so bad."
"I knew you'd come through!" the dark-skinned inkling cheered. "C'mon, let's hold it at your favorite place. Pirahna Pit, wasn't it?"
"Might be difficult to rent," Perry pointed out. "Why not Arowana Mall? Just a store there. Like Pacific Party."
"Pacific Party? That works," Geneva agreed. She looked up at the group of octolings watching them. "Can Octa Prisma come?"
"Huh? But they're our rivals," Inigo marveled. "Why'd you want them to come?"
"Um... You're kind of friends with them, aren't you?" she defended.
"Can't we enjoy something without Octa Prisma getting in the way?" Alexis groaned. "This is Geneva's moment, not theirs!"
"But-"
"It is fine," Eight spoke up, turning everyone's attention to her. "I understand the importance."
"You go ahead," Oscar agreed. "I not mind."
Geneva blinked, and simply nodded. "I see." She turned to the group. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the mall."
The Rainbow Squids looked at each other and nodded. "Right!" they all cheered.
They super-jumped out of Wahoo World, to the Deca Tower once more. And now, they could give Geneva a proper welcome for her return to Inkopolis, and to the Rainbow Squids. One that had been long awaited.
A/N: Geneva has returned at long last! Now the summary isn't entirely accurate... Ha. Anyways, really hope you like this chapter! I was excited for Geneva's return (and I don't have to keep her post-vacation outfit much of a secret anymore). She still has her secrets, though. What could they be? Hmm... Can you figure them out? Regardless, Octa Prisma's finally filled out, with the last member being our very own Agent 8. Now there's two agents between both teams. If you were waiting until this chapter to read the Halloween special, now you can! If you're waiting until Season 3 is finished, then you only have eight more chapters. Two more months. How exciting! Hope you have a great 2021, and Branchwing, out!