Alexis's PoV
Agent 4 leaned against the railing of Arowana Mall, watching as Agent 3 and the Vigilante battled it out in broad daylight. Green and indigo ink flew between them, with each inkling equally likely to win. Around her stood the other agents, all cheering Agent 3 on. Agent 8 especially.
"Go!" Eight called, waving a flag with a green squid on it. "Win, win!"
In the middle of the map, the Vigilante proceeded to slam his roller down on Three, splatting her, and he looked up at the group, scowling. "And none of you are cheering for me," he growled, voice edged with bitterness.
"Why would we?" Agent 2 questioned, bringing a hand up towards her mouth. Even though she was wearing a mask, Four could just imagine her doing her signature smirk. "We don't really know you."
Instead of snapping back, the Vigilante frowned. "I see." He returned his attention to the match, grabbing the clams Agent 3 had dropped to form a power clam. He crossed the grate bridge and arrived at the clam basket, where he launched the ball at it. Indigo ink swirled around it as it collided with the barrier, and soon, it broke. He grabbed a few clams that had spawned near the sponge and started throwing them in. Before he could throw the last one in, Three arrived once more and splatted him in a few shots. The basket raised once more, dropping a green power clam at its base.
"The Vigilante's in the lead," Marie remarked.
"But Three's strong," Callie pointed out. "She can beat him! I know she can!"
"She lost to him before," the grey-haired inkling argued. "He's strong in his own right."
"If they've fought before," the black-haired inkling started, "then the Vigilante knows Three's tricks, and Three knows the Vigilante's tricks." She gave a quick nod. "It's a battle of wits!"
Agent 3 had taken the power clam, advancing over to her opponent's side of the stage. She did not cross the grate bridge, instead opting to go over and down the slope, and up another one, to reach the basket. She tossed the power clam in, only for a roller to immediately slam down on her, splatting her.
However, what was important was that Agent 3 was in the lead now. By one point.
"There's only fifteen seconds left!" Callie notified.
"Go go go!" Agent 4 cheered.
"If Three splats Vigilante before he put in power clam, she does winning," Agent 8 observed. "Good!"
"Let's hope she respawns in time, then," Marie commented.
"She should," Callie added. "Just a race against time now!"
Once the basket on the Vigilante's side of the map retreated, it dropped an indigo power clam at its feet. He grabbed it and started rolling over to the other side of Arowana Mall.
"Ten! Nine!" Callie started to count down. Agent 3 had respawned by now, and she started making her way over to her own clam basket.
"Eight! Seven!" Agent 8 continued. The two inklings were approaching closer and closer to their destinations.
"Six! Five!" called Marie. Hearing the countdown, the Vigilante started to opt for vertical swings instead. By this point, he had made it to the grate bridge. Agent 3, however, had not made it to the clam basket yet.
"Four! Three!" Agent 4 exclaimed. The Vigilante raised his hand, angling the direction of which he would throw his power clam in. Agent 3 arrived at the top of the wall, looking down on the boy with the ponytail with narrowed eyes.
"Two! One!" Callie finished. Taking a few steps forward, he threw the ball. Agent 3 dropped down on him and splatted him with a combination of a burst bomb and her Splattershot. Unfortunately, the tip of the power clam rammed straight into the barrier, spinning around as it attempted to break it. The basket burst, allowing the Vigilante to take the lead and ending the game.
"Game!" Eight called. She opened her eyes and looked over at Agent 3. "Wait! No!"
Alexis blinked. "Three...lost." She could hardly believe her eyes. Agent 3, one of the strongest squids she knew, lost to the Vigilante—Inigo, who could barely keep himself in S+0.
"She did," Marie stated bluntly.
"Well, you can't win them all," Callie comforted them.
The Vigilante proceeded to super-jump over to Agent 3 after he respawned, resting his chin on the handle of his roller. "I won," he announced.
"Yeah," she said. "I know."
"You know what that means now?" he snickered. Alexis raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"You're...coming to the beach party with us," she replied, defeated.
"What?!" the short-haired inkling gasped. The two inklings on the stage looked up at her. "No way!"
Marie shrugged. "A bet's a bet. Nothing we can do about it."
"Hope you have a swimsuit," Callie commented, still as jovial as ever.
"Don't worry," the Vigilante assured her, pushing his tinted shades up the bridge of his nose. "I made sure to bring a pair."
"Guess we gotta get Gramps now," the grey-haired inkling announced. "Who's gonna stay with this squid?" she then asked, pointing to the boy with the ponytail.
"Um..." Eight started fiddling with her fingers. "I can."
"You don't have to," Three interjected. "I can stay."
"What about me?" Four suggested. "I'm good at keeping watch!" And I don't want to separate you and Eight, she thought to herself. From spending time with Agents 3 and 8 separately, she learned that they have a crush on each other. Though, they seem to be too oblivious to notice that the other likes them back.
"Oh, that is a good idea," the long-haired inkling agreed immediately. "C'mon, let's get back." She turned into a green squid, immediately super-jumping into the sky, back towards the tower. Eight was quick to follow, a pink trail of ink soaring through the sky. The remaining inklings super-jumped after them, and now, they were back in the tower. They left the private battle lobby and stepped into the main lobby.
"Keep an eye on the Vigilante," Marie whispered to Four. "We'll be right back."
Alexis nodded. "I won't let you down!"
The grey-haired inkling nodded, and her, Callie, Agent 3, and Agent 8 walked out of the Deca Tower, leaving Agent 4 alone with the Vigilante. She followed him to the changing rooms, where he entered it. She leaned up against the wall, facing the door, as she waited for him to come out. He came out a few seconds later, wearing indigo swimming trunks, an aloha shirt, wooden sandals, and of course, his signature tinted shades. He had changed his ink color to red as well, reflected in the color of the shades.
"What do you think?" he asked, posing.
"It's...OK," she remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"OK?!" he gasped, throwing his hands down. "Looks like my charm doesn't work on you."
"Yeah, it never has," she deadpanned.
The Vigilante scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess you already know who I am." He paused, lowering his hand. "Wait, do you go to my school?"
"Wha- Where did ya get that from?!"
"I'm taking that as a yes."
"I never implied that!"
"You're arguing against it, so that has to be the case."
"I- Ugh." She shook her head. "Forget this ever happened."
"Alright, alright." He leaned against the wall as well, opposite from Agent 4. Alexis deduced that she might as well believe that he wouldn't tell anyone—it wasn't in his nature to go back on his word. Then again, it wasn't in his nature to become the Vigilante, either. She still wondered, just what had changed when he decided to become his infamous persona? She might never know.
Some more time passed, and Alexis's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out to see that she had gotten a new text message. She opened it up to see Octavia asking her if she was going to the beach with the rest of the Rainbow Squids. The whole situation was a coincidence—somehow, the Rainbow Squids had scheduled a beach trip the same day the New Squidbeak Splatoon planned their beach party. There were few beaches in Inkopolis, the most popular being in Inkopolis Bay. And she knew that was where both groups were going today.
She replied no, using the excuse that she doing league battles with her friends. She put her phone away and sighed. The rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon should have come back by now. What was taking them so long?
"We're back," she heard Three's voice announce.
She turned around to examine the group. Indeed, Cap'n Cuttlefish was now with them, wearing a ragged shirt and swimming trunks, alongside his signature hat. However, another person was with the New Squidbeak Splatoon, standing next to Agent 8.
...Elyse.
After they arrived back in Inkopolis from the camping trip, they headed to Octo Canyon, where the Squid Sisters proceeded to imprison Elyse in a snow globe, much like DJ Octavio. They learned from Marina the possible cause of her resistance to Calamari Inkantation—the hypnoshades she wore. Thus, the hypnoshades were removed from her, and Callie and Marie proceeded to perform Calamari Inkantation. Though she now no longer wanted to attack them, Cap'n Cuttlefish still kept her imprisoned for 'observation.' Apparently, he had changed his mind.
"Hello," she greeted. "I go...to you."
Alexis examined her outfit. "Do you need something?" She was wearing the octoling armor that all enemy octolings wore, though obviously she lacked the hypnoshades, which revealed her blue eyes. She creeped her out somewhat. She had a habit of staring at people, watching what they do. She rarely spoke, if at all. Eight brushed it off, saying that she needed time to adjust to the fact that she was freed from the Octarian oppression. But Four suspected that there was another reason for her behavior.
"Beach suit," Elyse replied. "New suit."
"...A bathing suit?" she questioned. "I mean, we can't swim, so you don't need one. Just new clothes."
"Yes!" The tan-skinned octoling grabbed the bronze-skinned inkling's hand and shook it. "That!"
"She's pretty small," Agent 3 remarked. "I bet your clothes could fit her, Four."
"You...want me to give her my clothes?" Agent 4 puzzled. "Can't I buy some for her? I have money!"
"We don't have time," Marie rejected. "It's almost noon, and we want to be there as long as possible."
"Oh, fine..." she grumbled. Alexis walked into the changing room, examining the clothes she had. She pulled out some of her starting gear—a white headband and a basic tee. She grabbed some wooden sandals Octavia had given her too. She opened the door and tossed them to Elyse. "Put these on."
"OK." Elyse opened the door to another changing room and entered it. Callie then handed Four an orange bag containing a swimming suit. The short-haired girl walked back into the changing room, changing into the bikini. She put a firewave tee and sports shorts over it before finally putting on black flip-flops. To complete her look, she put on some double egg shades over her eyes. She walked out of the changing room, the orange bag slung over her shoulder.
Cap'n Cuttlefish and the Vigilante were the only ones outside, indicating to Four that everyone else was still changing. Not long after she had exited the changing room, Elyse walked out, wearing the gear Alexis had given her. Eight appeared next, wearing a hula punk shirt and shorts over her bathing suit. She wore neon delta straps as well. She was followed by Three, wearing a navy King tank and a large sun hat, complete with sunglasses. She also wore wooden sandals.
Coincidentally, Callie and Marie came out of their changing rooms at the same time. The former once again wore sunglasses to obscure her identity, but over her bathing suit, she wore a simple white shirt and sports shorts. She also wore a baseball cap and black flip-flops. Marie, on the other hand, had decided on her outfit lazily, simply putting on an oversized white t-shirt and black flip-flops. Of course, she needed a way to obscure her identity, putting on sunglasses and a sun hat.
"Are we ready?" Cap'n Cuttlefish asked. Everyone nodded. The old inkling waved his cane in the air and declared, "New Squidbeak Splatoon and others, let's go!"
The group arrived at Inkopolis Bay, the mantis shrimp Alexis encountered on her first visit here giving each of them a golden pin. After they put the pin on their shirts, they exited the train station, entering the main plaza. They walked past the shops, going right and walking down the steps. At the bottom of the stairs was an inkling, holding some wristbands. She examined the pins each of them wore and proceeded to wrap a color-changing band around each of their wrists. She stepped out of the way after putting on the last wristband, allowing the group to past.
"Woo!" Alexis cheered, jumping onto the sand. "We're here!" She pumped a fist and spun around. "Finally, we can have that beach party!"
"I brought a stereo!" Callie announced. She started running down the beach, kicking up the golden sand. "C'mon, let's go! We gotta find a place to set up!"
"Wait for me!" Cap'n Cuttlefish called. "These cuttlebones aren't as a good as they used to be!"
They eventually arrived at a spot near the ocean, though not too close that one of them would accidentally drown if the tide rose. The smell of salt in the air, Alexis looked out at the ocean. It was as beautiful as she remembered. The waves crashed gently against the shore, some jellyfish playing in the sea. A toddler-aged inkling started waddling over to the shore, only for their parent to pull them back before they could fall in and dissolve. On both sides of her, citizens, no matter what species they were, relaxed on the shore, doing a variety of activities.
The day was sure to be promising.
She took off her shirt and shorts, revealing the bikini she was wearing. Callie, Marie, and Agent 3 took off their shirts as well, also revealing bikinis. Each of their swimming suits coordinated with their ink color—Callie had a hot pink bikini, Marie had a lime green bikini, and Agent 3 just had a green bikini. Agent 8 had a different swimming suit, hers being a one-piece that was colored black.
The Vigilante took off his shirt, posing once more. "What do you think, Elyse?" he asked the blue-haired octoling. "I'm hot, right? These abs are rock solid, trust me."
Elyse examined him and shook her head. "You no have...'abs.'"
"Shoot," he muttered.
Suddenly, a volleyball landed in Cap'n Cuttlefish's lap, surprising him. "Begone!" He hit the ball with his cane, sending it flying once more. It landed in the water, hitting a jellyfish in the head and knocking them over. Their legs flailed in the air briefly before the inflatable tube they were in turned around to reposition them.
"Dang it!" someone called. Much to Alexis's surprise, Roy, wearing only swimming trunks, ran in front of her, looking around. "It's in the water!"
"Huh?" Eight muttered, looking over at the red-haired inkling. "You here, too?"
Hearing the octoling's voice, he looked over his shoulder before turning around completely. "Well, I didn't expect you, either." He looked past Eight, over at the inkling boy. "And certainly not the Vigilante to be with you..." He paused to count the members of the group. "...six."
"We brought Elyse, too," Agent 3 added. "So, seven."
"Elyse...?" He looked over at the Vigilante once more. "Oh, her."
"Roy!" an even more familiar voice then called. Alexis turned her head to see Octavia, walking up to the red-haired inkling. She wore the same swimming suit as her—an orange bikini, though in a bigger size. "What's going..." She stopped, looking at the New Squidbeak Splatoon "...on."
"What?" another voice started. Giovanni then appeared, just wearing green swimming trunks. "What is taking you long?" Upon noticing Agent 3, he jumped. "Woah! You are here, too!"
"Giovanni?" the green-haired inkling puzzled. "Is something going on?"
"Huh?" Elyse looked over at the newcomers, and upon seeing the fair-skinned octoling, she blushed. "Woah." She walked over to Gio and grabbed his hand, much to his surprise, proceeding to speak in rapid-fire Octarian.
"Uh..." Gio pulled his hand out of Elyse's and spoke in a blunt tone, once again in Octarian. The blue-haired girl frowned, defeated.
"What did they say?" Via then asked, looking over at Eight. "Love the swimsuit, by the way. It fits you perfectly."
"T-Thanks," Eight stuttered, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Oh, the question. Elyse say something...'You handsome. Marry me.' Giovanni say, 'I do not know you.'"
"They just met, and Elyse's already asking for marriage," Marie sneered. "Wow."
"Is that normal?" Callie asked.
"No," both Eight and Giovanni replied.
"I read story," Elyse pointed out. "Brave princess save boy. Propose, and they marry."
"That is a story," the green-haired octoling explained. "It is not reality." Elyse blinked. Sighing, he repeated what he said in Octarian.
"Would be nice though," the Vigilante commented as he stretched. "Meet someone and marry them immediately."
Roy groaned. "We gotta get back to the game."
"How can we play without a volleyball?" Octavia argued. "It literally went into the water!" As she said that, a jellyfish poked the red-haired inkling's leg, holding up the wet volleyball. "...Never mind."
"Finally!" Gio proclaimed. "Now Octa Prisma can defeat you not only in turf war, but in volleyball as well!"
Roy dried the ball with one of the towels near him and held it under his shoulder. "Let's go."
"Can we play?" Alexis then asked them. "I haven't played volleyball in forever!"
"I wanna play, too," Agent 3 agreed.
"I will come, also!" Eight proclaimed.
"So will I," the Vigilante added. "Maybe Octa Prisma will fall to my charm."
"'Volleyball?'" Elyse puzzled, tilting her head. Her long braid now brushed the sand. "That for kids."
"Not here," the boy with the ponytail countered. "Squids of all ages play volleyball."
"Yeah, Inkopolis has its own profreshional volleyball team, too," Octavia agreed. "Why don't you play? It'll be fun!"
"We'll show you what Inkopolis is really all about," Three concluded. "Fun."
"'Fun,'" the blue-haired octoling repeated. "...Alright."
"Yes!" Agent 4 exclaimed, pumping a fist. "Let's go!"
The group walked over to the area next to them, which had been set up into a makeshift volleyball court. The remaining members of the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma were present, all on standby. A net separated the two teams. Brayden was the only person not playing—he sat in a beach chair, fruit punch in his hand. Around his neck was a lei of white flowers. Alexis guessed he was the referee.
"Hey," Brayden greeted. "You got the...ball." He examined the group, raising an eyebrow. "Another team?"
"Yep," Octavia confirmed. "The...New Squidbeak Splatoon team."
"You do realize that one of them is part of Octa Prisma, correct?" he pointed out.
"And I do not recall the Vigilante nor this new octoling being part of the New Squidbeak Splatoon," Giovanni jested.
"Hey, three out of five!" Four argued. "That counts, right?"
"Not really," the Vigilante sighed.
"We'll just call you...the B-Team then," Perry deduced, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Sounds good enough."
"Alright, then we will adjust accordingly," Brayden announced. "First, it will be the Rainbow Squids versus the B-Team."
"We no play?" Peyton asked, frowning.
"Unfortunately," Oscar confirmed.
Octa Prisma stepped off to the sidelines, while the B-Team took their place. The Rainbow Squids were facing opposite of them, getting into formation. Roy and Octavia were in the front, Yuri was in the middle, while Bonnie and Perry were in the back. Alexis was surprised to learn that Bonnie also wore a two-piece swimming suit, though it was not a straight-out bikini like the other girls. The top piece was akin to a halter top, wrapping around her neck.
The B-Team positioned themselves so that the Vigilante and Agent 3 were in the front, Agent 4 was in the middle, and Agent 8 and Elyse were in the back. Eight was the first one with the volleyball, serving it so that it flew over the net. The Rainbow Squids struggled to hit it, but it simply landed in the sand next to Bonnie, who flinched as soon as it neared her.
"One point to the B-Team!" Brayden announced.
"Aw man..." Perry groaned.
"Don't worry," Yuri comforted him. "The game just started!"
Eight got the ball again, though this time, she got a bad serve, the ball bouncing off of the net and landing in the sand. She tried again, only for it to fly to the side instead, hitting the stone wall and bouncing a few feet towards the court. As a result, the ball switched over to the Rainbow Squids' side. Perry was now the server, tossing the volleyball into the air and slamming it with the palm of his hand. It barely made it over the net, giving Three and the Vigilante little time to react to it. It ended up landing in the sand, in front of the two inklings.
"One point to the Rainbow Squids!" Brayden called.
"Booyah!" the purple-haired inkling cheered. "Time to go again!"
He served the ball once more, this time going farther. Agent 4 jumped up and hit the ball, sending it flying towards the other side.
"I'll get it!" Bonnie called, running towards the ball. She held up her hands and pressed up on the ball, but it was a bad hit, only going a few feet in the air.
"Lemme try!" Via declared, running up to the beige-skinned girl. She hit the ball, sending it back over the net. The Vigilante reached up and spiked the ball, causing it to plummet into the sand. The B-Team had gotten another point, as Brayden then declared not long after it landed.
Now that it was the B-Team's turn to serve, their positions shifted. Eight walked up to the front row, next to Three, while Four was sent back to the back row. The Vigilante now occupied the middle position, and Elyse was the one serving.
"It be years," she noted. "I sorry if bad."
She tried serving the ball, only to miss it entirely. She tried again, only to get a bad hit. As a result, the ball went back over to the Rainbow Squids, where Bonnie was the one serving. She also failed both attempts at serving. The ball went back to the B-Team, and the game continued on.
When the B-Team scored their tenth point, Brayden rose from his chair and announced, "Game!" He pulled out two flags—one pink and one green—and pointed the pink one towards the odd group of people. "The B-Team wins!"
"Booyah!" Agent 4 cheered. "We won!"
"'Booyah,'" Elyse muttered. "You say it a lot."
"Yeah," Agent 3 confirmed. "What about it?"
"Do not understand," the tan-skinned girl admitted, "why."
"It's just a fun thing you say," the Vigilante explained. "Like something good happened? You say booyah. That's all to it."
"Oh," she simply said. "...Booyah."
"Ya gotta say it with more spirit!" Alexis egged.
"...Booyah!" she exclaimed, louder.
"That is it!" Eight cheered. "Booyah!"
"Now, for the next match," Brayden started. "It is Octa Prisma versus the B-Team."
The Rainbow Squids walked off their side of the court and were replaced with Octa Prisma. Again, the positions they took were related to their color. Oscar and Yvonne stood in the front row, Giovanni stood in the middle row, and Iris and Peyton stood in the back row. Because the B-Team won the last round, Octa Prisma were serving first. Peyton threw the ball up in the air and hit it, the object now barreling towards the Vigilante. He ran back and hit the ball with the palms of his hand, sending the volleyball back over the net. Giovanni jumped up to the ball next, turning into an octopus and slamming himself into it. The ball was sent back over the net, and Alexis ran to hit it.
However, she miscalculated where it would go.
"Ow!" the Vigilante cried. The volleyball collided directly with his face, knocking his shades off. A little blood trickled from his nose. He knelt down, searching for the shades.
"Shoot," Giovanni cursed.
"Oh no!" Eight cried, running up to the boy with the ponytail. "Are you OK?!"
"Yes," he replied. He grabbed a hold of his shades and shook the sand off of them before putting them back on. He looked over at the curly-haired octoling, who winced. "I'm fine."
Alexis looked over at him and grimaced at the bloody nose. "No, you're not."
"Yeah, you need a doctor," Three agreed.
"What? It's not even that bad," he brushed it off.
"At least go to the bathroom," Octavia suggested.
"Fine, fine." The Vigilante walked off. The group waited. And waited. Thirty minutes passed, and he still had not returned. The group merely talked among themselves while they awaited his arrival, but, getting tired of waiting, Agent 4 decided to speak up.
"I don't think he's coming back," she proclaimed.
"Yeah..." Bonnie agreed.
"Maybe he did see doctor?" Oscar mused.
"If it hasn't stopped," Roy added.
"We should get another member if we wanna keep playing," Agent 3 pointed out. "Or just do the Rainbow Squids versus Octa Prisma again."
"Ask Agent 1 or Agent 2?" Eight suggested.
Agent 4 looked over at where the New Squidbeak Splatoon had set up. Callie and Marie were not present. Not even Cap'n Cuttlefish was there.
"Doesn't look like an option," she remarked.
"Wait, you hear?" Peyton spoke up, cupping a hand around her ear. "A song."
The group went silent, listening to their surroundings. Among seagulls and ocean waves, Alexis heard someone...singing. A high-pitched voice, singing a familiar, cheerful song. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Soon, she realized.
"Callie!" the short-haired inkling gasped. "It's coming from over there!" She pointed past the volleyball court.
"What are we waiting for?" Roy questioned. "Let's go!"
The group of inklings and octolings ran further down the beach, where the song got louder and louder. Soon, they found the black-haired idol, wearing the clothes she wore when they first arrived at the beach, sans the hat and sunglasses. A crowd gathered around the platform she stood on, waving glowsticks around. She just finished singing Bomb Rush Blush, and she was now moving on to another one of her solo songs. Alexis quickly spotted Marie and Cap'n Cuttlefish in the crowd and directed the group towards them.
"Hey," Agent 3 whispered to the grey-haired idol, "what's going on?"
"Oh, hey Three," she greeted. "Callie decided to hold a concert for some reason. I guess she was bored? I dunno."
"Well, now we can jam!" Yuri exclaimed, starting to dance to the song.
"Hey, Yuri," Perry spoke up. "Isn't that Asher over there?"
"What?" The yellow-haired boy stopped dancing. "Where?" He pointed to a green-haired inkling with a side cut, who stood towards the front of the crowd, tapping his foot to the rhythm. The other boy nodded. "Maybe," he deduced. "Let's go see."
The two inkling boys pushed through the crowd, making their way to the inkling that was supposedly Asher. They talked to him for a few moments before returning to the others, Asher following them. He still donned a disguise of some sort, wearing sunglasses. He also wore a t-shirt and khaki shorts, along with a shark tooth necklace. He was barefoot.
"Huh, you really are all here," he remarked. "Octa Prisma, too."
"Hey," Roy greeted. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Yeah, it's been a few months," Octavia added.
Asher scanned the group. "Where's Inigo?"
"Said he's busy," Perry replied. "Dunno with what."
"Oh yeah, the Vigilante was with us, too," Alexis spoke up. "He may or may not of broken his nose."
"It a nosebleed," Eight corrected.
"The Vigilante?!" the man panicked. "Why was he with you?!"
"I lost a bet," Agent 3 explained. Asher scowled at her, causing her to respond with a shrug.
"Please tell me Tiffany isn't here, either," he added, placing his hands on the long-haired girl's shoulders.
"I don't know," she admitted, frowning. "I hope she isn't."
He sighed, lifting his hands. "Just...be careful."
"I will," Three promised. "Don't worry."
They continued to listen to the impromptu concert, and when Callie finished, she simply bowed and waved. "Thanks for coming!" she exclaimed. "Stay fresh!" She did her signature pose, garnering cheers from the crowd. She walked off the stage, behind the curtain. As everyone walked away from the stage, Asher said his goodbyes and walked down the beach. After the crowd dispersed, she walked back out into the open, wearing the hat and sunglasses she wore before.
"I knew my grandsquid would be great!" Cap'n Cuttlefish complimented. "Well done, bucko!"
"Thanks, Gramps," Callie stated. She examined the group with him. "You squids came, too?" she marveled, looking at the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma.
"Yeah," Roy confirmed. "I wouldn't pass up a chance to see my favorite Squid Sister sing."
"Really? In front of me?" Marie chastised.
"W-Well, you're great too," he then added.
"I love to hear the Squid Sisters sing," Gio remarked. "No matter who it is."
Eight turned to look at Elyse. "You have fun?" She gave a quick nod. "Good."
"Let's get back to the court," Brayden announced. "Perhaps the Vigilante is back as well."
They walked up the beach, towards the volleyball court. The beach had largely settled after the concert, but there was something peculiar back where they had set up. The Vigilante had indeed returned, a bandage over his nose. But he was also talking to someone else...
Tiffany. Even on the beach, she still wore her normal outfit.
Agent 3 jumped. "Out of all people..." she growled.
The Vigilante noticed their return and waved. "Hi," he greeted. "I'm back. And so are you."
Tiffany turned around and snickered. "Look who it is."
"We were at-" Callie paused and then dropped into an offensive stance. "Hey! I know you! You-"
"Shhh," Marie quickly shushed her cousin. "We don't want any secret identity slips."
"Why are you so mad?" the red-haired lady questioned. "I never did anything."
"You know we don't trust you, Tiffany," Octavia pointed out. "Stop trying to convince us that carp."
"I trust her," the Vigilante objected.
"Yes, but you work for her," Iris rebutted. "Obviously, you do."
"I don't get paid for this," he noted.
"I know." The poufy-haired octoling gave a sly smile.
"Well, I've talked about what I need to talk about," Tiffany announced. "I'm out of here." She walked past the group and waved. "Goodbye." With that, the lady was gone.
"What was she even talking about?" Alexis asked the Vigilante.
"She suggested trying a new method," he replied. "But then I said, 'I think I found who you're looking for.'"
Everyone gasped. If the Vigilante was finally acting on bringing Geneva to Tiffany, then things would not end well, without a doubt.
"And by saying that..." The boy with the ponytail gave a sad smile. "I have no choice now. I have to take Geneva to her."
"You admit you search for Geneva," Yvonne remarked, laughing. "Finally!"
"But she's not going with you that easily," Roy argued. "We both know her. She's smart enough to notice when something's wrong."
"I have a plan," he defended. "I wish I didn't have to, but I must."
"Wait!" Agent 3 interrupted. She stepped up to the Vigilante, long hair blowing in the breeze. Four raised an eyebrow. Just what was she doing?
"What?" he asked.
"I'll go with you," Three revealed.
The Vigilante's mouth fell open a little, surprised. "You will?"
She nodded. "I look similar enough to her that Tiffany might I think I am her. It's the only way to protect her."
Eight gasped, covering her mouth. "Three..."
"Three, don't you dare!" Marie warned.
"Yeah, there's a million things that could go wrong!" Callie commented.
"Trust me," she comforted them, her voice low. "I have a plan." She turned back to look at the Vigilante. "We'll meet in front of Grizzco's tomorrow," she said, louder. "At four."
He nodded and held out his hand. "You have a deal."
She took it, and they shook hands. Agent 3 nodded and walked back to the group.
"Three, you're as crazy as a crayfish!" Four whispered to her. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because," she started, "I'm the only one that can stop her." She looked down at her hand and clenched a fist. "It has to be me. It has to be."
A/N: Hey, it's the actual beach chapter! I'm not too thrilled with how it turned out, but it was fun to write. Anyways, the confrontation with Tiffany will be in the next chapter. "Wait, Tiffany's confrontation is not the finale?" I don't know if anyone thought that, but I have something else in mind for the finale... I'm still deciding on some things, mostly the ending of the next chapter and the one after it, but I hope it will be a good chapter regardless. I definitely need that break after I post the finale; I've been struggling to meet the deadline as of late. But, I managed to finish it before the deadline this time! Yay to me! Hopefully by season 4 we can get back onto a routine. See you next week on Valentine's Day, and Branchwing, out!