NOTICE: This chapter contains content from Octo Expansion.
Perry's PoV
Sitting at a table in Inkopolis Square, Perry scrolled through Squidsagram, his cheek squished up against his hand. Admittedly, he was bored. Without a Splatfest and school, there wasn't much to do. He could do some ranked battles to entertain him, but the thought of losing his S rank in Tower Control scared him—if he lost one more match, he would be back in A+.
However, his phone vibrated, piquing his interest. He checked the notification, and much to both his excitement and confusion, it was a text message from Inigo—the boy with the ponytail had not spoken to anyone since he went on his break earlier in the week. Yet, it hadn't been a week since he left, like he promised. Did he change his mind?
To Perry's disappointment, Inigo was merely asking him which movie he should watch. The three choices presented were wildly different. The first movie was 'Mean Squids,' a movie centered around high school bullies. He recognized the actress on the cover—Alyssa Cabezon, his father's favorite actress, though he had never watched the movie himself. The second movie was the latest entry in the 'Swim and Serious' franchise, having come out the previous year. It was one of Roy's favorite movies, though Perry never saw the appeal. He always did prefer comedy movies. The third movie was the first 'Space Turf Wars' movie ever released, though it was the fourth chronologically. He watched it with his cousins a lot, to the point where he grew sick of it after a few years.
Perry replied to the text, telling Inigo to watch 'Space Turf Wars.' He put his phone away and started to listen to what Roy had to say. However, the red-haired inkling's voice suddenly trailed off as he leaned to the side, looking past the purple-haired boy.
"Uh... Roy?" Octavia asked, raising an eyebrow. "What're you looking at?"
"Them." He raised a finger and pointed past the inklings. Perry turned around to see that Octa Prisma were all gathered together, leaving their table. An uncommon occurrence indeed, considering that they left in groups.
"Octa Prisma," Bonnie mouthed. She turned to look at Roy again. "Yeah, what about them?"
"They're gonna do something," he proposed. "I can feel it."
"Why don't we go ask them?" Geneva asked, standing up from her seat. "Doesn't hurt to."
"Yeah," Alexis agreed. "Don't want them doin' anything fishy."
"C'mon, Alexis, they probably won't," Octavia scolded. "But yeah, let's go see what they're doing."
The Rainbow Squids rose from their seats, walking over to the group of octolings. Perry stepped out in front of them, startling Eight.
"Ah!" she gasped. "Perry!"
"What?" Iris asked, crossing her arms.
"We just want to know what you're doing," Roy interjected. "Simple as that."
Octa Prisma looked around them, and then Yvonne smiled. "Wow! All of you comed!"
"Came, Yvonne, came," Brayden corrected.
"Oh," the dark-skinned octoling realized. "Sorry. All of you came. Except Inigo."
"Anyways..." Giovanni started. "We are going down to the Deepsea Metro."
"Why?" Geneva inquired, putting a hand on her chin. "That place is dangerous."
"I know, but," Eight started, shuffling her feet, "I think I miss something. You know I am not remembering my name."
"Why does your name matter?" Via puzzled. "We all call you 'Eight.'"
"Yes, but I want be knowing truth," the curly-haired octoling continued. "I need the closure."
"Can we go down with ya?" Yuri asked. "Seems like a fun adventure!"
"Yeah, I wanna see what happens!" Perry agreed.
The girl with light brown skin sighed and nodded with a smile. "Sure."
"Yay!" the purple-haired inkling cheered.
Roy pumped a fist. "Alright. Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma, let's go!"
"Yeah!" everyone cheered.
They entered the alleyway containing the subway entrance. They pushed past the gate and descended down to the dark tunnel. Gio pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight on it. Perry did the same, swinging his phone to see if he could spot anything new. Some of the posters had graffiti plastered over it, but otherwise, it seemed the same. The tunnel opened up, revealing railroad tracks. Eight pulled out a white device and pressed a button on it. A few minutes later, the roar of a train sounded, and in the distance, Perry spotted a metallic train approaching them. It stopped in front of where they stood, and the door opened, revealing a small, blue sea cucumber in the entrance.
The sea cucumber lifted its head and began to speak in a language the purple-haired inkling didn't understand. It examined the group and then began to speak in Inkling.
"I see you brought friends," commented the sea cucumber, notably having a slight accent. Judging from the voice, he was male. "My name is C.Q. Cumber. I am the conductor of this train." He beckoned the group inside the train. "Welcome aboard. Kamabo Co. is in disarray, as previously stated. Deepsea Metro service will continue without interruption, for the satisfaction of our customers. Remember, leave nothing behind."
C.Q. Cumber crawled away, leaving the group alone once more. Perry grabbed a silver pole and examined the rest of the passengers. Interestingly, he noticed no inklings nor octolings—just a variety of deep-sea creatures. Octavia was reading through a magazine, sitting on one of the seats.
"Which one is that?" Bonnie asked the wavy-haired girl.
"HaikaraWalker," she replied. She flipped through the pages, and her eyes widened. "Ooh! There's an interview with Off the Hook in here!"
Bon-Bon kneeled down to see the cover of the magazine. "It's from September. Geez, that's old."
"Yeah, some of these things aren't as fresh anymore," Via agreed. "This interview's still cool, though!" She turned the magazine around to show the blue-haired inkling the contents. "See? It's Pearl's mansion!"
"Wha-?" Perry gasped. "I wanna read it!"
"After I'm done reading it," the bronze-skinned girl promised.
"Oh, alright..." the purple-haired boy sighed, disappointed.
He never did get to read the interview, though—the train then stopped, and the door opened. Eight bounded over to the exit and beckoned for the group to follow.
"Come!" she called. "We are here!"
"Aw..." Perry groaned. "I didn't get to read the interview."
"You can read it on the way back," Via remarked. "I just got done with it."
"Aight, aight," he said. "I know ya keep yer promises."
The curly-haired octoling was the first to leave the train, and she examined the area. A broken blender stood in the middle of it, glass shards everywhere. Geneva walked over to it and picked up a piece of parchment on the ground. Alexis joined her and looked over her shoulder.
"That's Agent 3," the short-haired inkling noted. "Right?"
"Yeah," she simply responded. She folded up the piece of paper and put it in her pocket.
"There is weirdness..." Eight remarked, looking around. "I think it is being here."
Perry searched the area. It was then he spotted something glow at the end of the platform. Eight noticed it too, her pink eyes lighting up.
"There!" she exclaimed, running past the broken blender, to a set of lockers. The rest of the group followed her, now hovering over her. The lockers were numbered one to ten, with the locker numbered 'eight' open. Next to the lockers was a vending machine.
Eight kneeled down to look at the open locker, a soft glow coming from within. "What...?" She reached out towards the source, only for the glow to become brighter and brighter. "Ah!" She covered her eyes as the glow became blinding, and Perry did the same, unable to look at it any longer.
Suddenly, he was standing on...a beach? The beach at Inkopolis Bay, to be specific. He looked towards Agent 3, who wore a swimsuit, and laughed a laugh that did not belong to him. It sounded higher...more feminine. Just what was going on? He didn't seem to be in control of his actions, continuing to play volleyball with Octa Prisma.
When he blinked, he found himself in one of the stores in the Galleria, examining clothing. He picked up a white sweater and compared it to a black one. He heard someone walk up to him, and he turned around to find Geneva. She was holding an Annaki Red Cuff—the same shirt Eight wore as a civilian.
Next, he found himself in Octo Canyon, watching Agent 3, donning her hero suit, as she scrolled through her phone. He snapped his head towards the sound of squids popping out of a grate. He saw the Rainbow Squids and Giovanni turn into their kid forms, Perry himself included. He was weirded out, but it told him one thing—the memories he was experiencing belonged to Eight, not him.
He blinked once more to find himself circling around a marble statue, holding an Octo Shot. He fired at giant suction bombs with Marina's face on them. The bombs blew up in a massive explosion of pink ink, covering the statue, inch by inch, while Commander Tartar chastised Eight in the background. Marina was giving him instructions on where to go, with additional commentary from Pearl and Cap'n Cuttlefish.
Before he could blow up the last bomb, he was suddenly inside some kind of glass building with white walls, the elevator he was on suddenly stopping. He looked up to find what appeared to be Agent 3, though she had some kind of glowing thing on the side of her head. Every word she spoke carried no inflection, and Cap'n Cuttlefish informed him that she was being controlled by...a telephone? Nonetheless, the hijacked Agent 3 jumped down from the UFO she was on and proceeded to use Splashdown.
They proceeded to fight, and before he could deal the final blow, he was transported to another memory. A black gate opened, a much less garbled version of Commander Tartar's voice inviting him to go inside. He indeed went inside, only for the door to close, and for him and Cap'n Cuttlefish to rise up, so that he could see outside the glass. A blade started to whir above him, and for the first time, Eight's emotions bled through. Terror. Helplessness. Betrayed. As light brown hands pressed against the glass, suddenly, he heard the ceiling above him break, accompanied by Agent 3's voice. The top of the blender was knocked off, and the machine itself knocked over, shattering the glass. He saw Agent 3 hit her head on the ground and roll towards the train tracks before coming to a stop, unconscious.
He proceeded to super-jump ahead, sneaking past guards, obtaining a weapon, traveling through what could be described as a giant, watery bath, dodging turquoise lasers, using an Ink Jet to collect a power core, and then protecting the power core so it could give power to the elevator leading to the service. However, the scene quickly changed as the power core flew off, and now, he was elsewhere, dodging the fire of several green octolings. An orb blew up, and a high-pitched voice—C.Q. Cumber's—informed him that he had failed a test. He felt something blow up behind him, and he instantly splatted. He went through different scenarios, each of them ending with something blowing up against his back.
Following the last of the scenarios, he was suddenly staring into Cap'n Cuttlefish's bulging amber eyes. His tone was aggressive at first, but he quickly calmed down, claiming that there was no honor in defeating an unarmed opponent. They came to a truce, and he introduced himself. In broken Inkling, Eight explained that she couldn't remember anything, much to the old inkling's surprise. However, there was one thing she did remember—Calamari Inkantation, and the lasting impact it had on her.
The next memory occurred just before Eight arrived in the Deepsea Metro. He was walking around a mountain range, looking for a way to Inkopolis. He then spotted two inklings—Agent 3 and Cap'n Cuttlefish. He revealed himself from the bushes, an Octo Shot hiding behind his back. He tried to introduce himself, but the old inkling was alarmed, demanding that Agent 3 go after him. The two were then engaged in an intense battle, magenta and green ink flying between them. Agent 3 pinned him to the ground, and now he stared into her eyes. She pointed the Hero Shot at his chest, but before she could make the final blow, the earth suddenly shook, knocking Agent 3 off of him. He looked around frantically when suddenly, a dark figure covered him, and he was knocked unconscious.
When he regained consciousness, he was yet again in another memory. He was outside, and his surroundings were tinted red, a drilling voice pounding in his mind. An octoling boy wearing the same outfit the green octolings were wearing earlier was talking to him.
"Listen to me," the octoling demanded. Judging by the voice and hairstyle, the other octoling appeared to be Brayden. "There's a life out there, waiting to be discovered." He spoke much more casually than Perry remembered, much to his own confusion. "DJ Octavio, he's wrong. We don't have to fight the inklings. We can have peace."
"But," Eight started, the drilling voice in his head growing louder, "DJ Octavio is always right." He is a traitor. He is a traitor. "Are you suggesting that he isn't?"
"I thought you would understand," Brayden argued. "You've been touched by the Calamari Inkantation. I can tell."
The voice in his head dictated Eight's next words. "Calamari Inkantation was part of DJ Octavio's concert," she countered. "However, as always, DJ Octavio's music is superior."
"Agh, it's those cursed hypnoshades, isn't it?" the octoling with the side cut theorized. He reached his hand for Eight's face, causing her to recoil.
"No!" she screeched. Do not take it off. DO NOT TAKE IT OFF. "They must never be taken off!" Brayden didn't listen. He quickly swiped the hypnoshades off of Eight, and he threw them onto the ground, stomping on them to destroy them. The drilling voice ceased to exist. Instead, a new song echoed in her mind. Calamari Inkantation. The red tint faded. Now, he could think clearly.
"Do you see now?" he asked her, taking off his own shades. "You're free. Run, before they notice."
"Run..." she breathed. "I am free." She blinked. "I am free. The Octarian oppression isn't holding me down any longer."
"What did I say?" Brayden hissed. "Go!"
She nodded and ran off into the distance, far away from the place she was once. But Perry didn't get to see what happened afterwards. The scene transitioned into some kind of building with metallic walls. He was looking into the eyes of a female octoling, who held a pair of black shades. He struggled to get free, only to find that his arms and feet were bound to a chair.
"-I am honored to announce that you are one of the first people to wear our new hypnoshades, approved by the interim leader of the Octarians, while DJ Octavio is out-of-commission." The first word was simply gibberish, as if Eight couldn't remember what went there. "The hypnoshades are our latest development in Octarian technology and our finest work. Anyone who wears it is insured loyalty, with a 99.9% success rate."
He didn't say anything in response, only struggling to get out of the seat. However, he calmed down as the shades were placed on him, the drilling voice now pounding into his head once more.
"I am honored, ma'am," Eight said. "I had forgotten my devotion to DJ Octavio. I will never forget it again."
When Eight finished, he was no longer in the metallic building, instead being in an area with a dark, starry sky. Chaos swirled around him, but he simply cowered under some debris, watching as octolings desperately tried to leave the area he was in. Time passed, and some octolings came by, finding him. They apprehended him and carried him away, along with other octolings the group had found.
Finally, Perry's vision turned white, and now, he was no longer seeing through Eight's eyes. Rather, he was off towards the side, riding a platform with the rest of the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma. They were spectating a small, white arena, with posters of the Squid Sisters plastered on the walls. Agent 8 stood in the far end, holding an Octo Shot and wearing the outfit she donned in the Deepsea Metro. Calamari Inkantation began to play, and she looked up at a UFO. A fair-skinned inkling with long, orange hair stood on top of it, and she turned around, revealing a younger Agent 3, though she wore a cape like the present-day Agent 3 did. Both of her eyes were intact, and she lacked the turquoise mark located on the back of her head.
"Ready?" the younger Agent 3 asked.
"I..." Eight nodded. "Yes."
Agent 3 did a flip and started barreling down towards the stage. An orange circle, marking a Splashdown, appeared in front of Agent 8, and she retreated before the Splashdown could complete itself, allowing her to avoid being hit. Agent 3 then threw out an auto bomb, approaching her as she fired her Hero Shot. Eight jumped out of the way and started to fire her Octo Shot, spreading deep blue ink. She tried attacking Three, but the inkling simply rolled out of the way.
Three then lifted into the air, orange ink trailing beneath her. She fired the gun she was holding, lobbing an orange blob of ink straight at the octoling. Her armor shattered, revealing a padded undershirt underneath her crop top. She struggled to get away, only for the auto bomb to blow up next to her, splatting her.
However, when Perry blinked, it was as it nothing ever happened. Eight once again stood in the corner of the arena, unscathed. Agent 3 stood on the UFO once more, jumping down to perform a Splashdown.
"Maybe dodge her attacks this time!" Brayden suggested.
"Yes, do not stare at her all day," Giovanni agreed.
Eight started to run away this time, hiding behind a box as Agent 3 threw out an auto bomb and activated Inkjet. She lifted up into the air, firing the gun as fast as she could. Blobs of ink sped past the curly-haired octoling, with her narrowly avoiding each shot. However, the damage started to add up. Eventually, the Inkjet expired, and Three was spent flying towards the spot where she activated it. Eight immediately started running towards her, only for the long-haired inkling to immediately fire her weapon at her, splatting the octoling once again.
A moment or two later, Eight stood in the corner of the arena once again, watching as Three crashed down on the tile once more, orange ink swirling around her. She threw another auto bomb and chased the curly-haired girl around for a few seconds. She then activated Inkjet once more, shooting towards Agent 8. The girl hid behind a translucent crate containing wasabi, her back up against the glass. The auto bomb waddled over to her, forcing her to come out of hiding. It blew up, ink landing on her boots, and then an orange blob flew past her, splashing on her back. She let out a hiss of pain and rubbed it, and it was then Perry understood—her midriff was exposed, showing off the green scar on her back. He didn't know how she got it, but it must hurt.
"Do not give up now!" Giovanni encouraged. "Your back is not the thing stopping you from victory!"
Agent 8 stood back up, the orange ink dissipating. She turned back towards the long-haired inkling, who had just landed. The octoling pulled out a blue splat bomb and threw it at Agent 3, causing some ink to splatter on the inkling's clothes. She tried retaliating, throwing out an auto bomb, but Eight dodged her shots, approaching her and pressing down the trigger on the Octo Shot. Blue ink squirted from the barrel, covering Three in enemy ink and causing her to kneel down in defeat.
"Booyah!" Yuri cheered. "She did it!"
"Wait!" Yvonne noticed, throwing out a dark-skinned hand and pointing at the inkling on the battlefield. "She not done!"
Agent 3 turned into a squid and super-jumped back up to the UFO, hiding in a puddle on the top of it. A few seconds later, she chuckled. Eight looked up at her, curious.
"Not bad," the younger Agent 3 remarked. "But can you beat this?"
"Huh?" the curly-haired octoling muttered, raising an eyebrow.
Three super-jumped back into the air, ink gathering around her fist. A glowing circle appeared where she was going to land, and Eight jumped back, watching as a vortex swirled around her fellow agent. As soon as she landed, Agent 3 began firing her Hero Shot again, causing Agent 8 to back up against the wall. She started shooting her Octo Shot, covering her surroundings with blue ink. It was then the long-haired inkling pulled out a Bubble Blower, swinging it to create three large bubbles. Eight stopped shooting, stunned.
"Don't just stand there!" Roy chastised her. "Do something!"
Eight flinched at his harsh voice, now trying to flee from the bubbles. Agent 3 threw an auto bomb at the bubbles, popping them and shattering her armor. She was sent back a few feet, where Three rolled up to her and splatted her. The arena was reset a moment later, and the battle progressed. The long-haired inkling was back to using the Inkjet, rising up into the air and shooting at Eight. However, she quickly defeated her, breaking Agent 3's armor as soon as she landed. She super-jumped back the UFO, healed, and then proceeded to do another Splashdown. She threw out an auto bomb before activating Bubble Blower this time.
"Hmm..." Bonnie put her hand on her chin, blue eyes scanning the area. "The arena's so small...and the bubbles have a huge range."
"Bubble Blower," Oscar spoke up. "E-liter have that, yes?"
"The Custom E-liter does," the girl with the double bun corrected, "but not the standard E-liter."
"Oh..." The orange-haired boy's face became flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry." He returned his attention to the battle.
The auto bomb had come in contact with one of the orange bubbles, setting off a chain reaction that popped the other bubbles. However, this time, Eight managed to evade them, even if she got some ink on her. The curly-haired girl hid in a blue ink puddle to recover, causing Agent 3 to look around in confusion. She then shrugged and started firing her Hero Shot, covering the arena up. Agent 8 was forced to emerge, allowing Three to target her again. The octoling's armor shattered, revealing her undershirt once more. Instead of dealing the final blow, Three pulled out a Bubble Blower once more, swinging it thrice. Eight tried escaping the bubbles, only for one to blow up behind her, splatting her.
With another blink, Perry was staring down on Agent 8 once more, watching as Agent 3 performed a Splashdown once more. One armor break and Splashdown later, the long-haired inkling was back to using Bubble Blower, throwing out an auto bomb beforehand. Soon, orange bubbles loomed around the arena, floating towards Eight. She ran straight into Agent 3, knocking the two of them to the floor. Blushing, the octoling turned into an octopus and jumped into a blue puddle of ink, watching as the auto bomb exploded at Three's feet. Agent 3 stood up, ink sliding off her jacket. She aimed at Agent 8 with a blank expression, and pressed the trigger on her shooter.
"Eight! Go!" Peyton then exclaimed. "Go Eight! You better than Agent 3, right?"
Agent 8 submerged in an ink puddle again, effectively avoiding the orange bullets Three had shot out of her weapon. She then emerged once more, strafing towards the inkling as she fired her Octo Shot. Agent 3 tried to dodge-roll out of the way, only for her to land in some blue ink. From there, Eight was able to land a few more shots on her, causing her to collapse once more. Three lifted her head and looked up at the curly-haired octoling. Perry caught her puckering before she turned into a squid, super-jumping back up to the UFO. The bubbles disappeared, and once again, Eight stared up at where Agent 3 rested.
The long-haired inkling emerged, spinning her Hero Shot before catching it. "You got past that?" she marveled. "I'm impressed. But the battle's not over yet."
She leaped up into the air, crashing down to the ground with a Splashdown once more. Eight started inking the arena this time, hoping to trap Agent 3 in her ink. However, the inkling quickly countered her, covering turf back up with her superior range. She swam up to Eight and popped out of the ink, shooting her and breaking her armor. Surprised, the curly-haired octoling limped away, her bewilderment quickly turning into an expression of pain.
"Take this!" Three declared. A bomb launcher appeared on her shoulders, and Agent 3 started to throw auto bombs at Agent 8. The octoling screamed as she tried to flee the bombs, only for her to be surrounded by them. They started to expand, and she splatted when they exploded. One reset later, Eight was back to fending off Three, using her Inkjet, and then her Bubble Blower. Soon, the inkling was back to using Auto Bomb Launcher, surrounding Eight once more with them. She splatted again, and again, and again.
Perry had been counting the times she had been splatted by the Auto Bomb Launcher—five. "Sixth time's the charm?" he remarked, looking at the rest of the Rainbow Squids.
"She's panicking," Geneva observed. "She'll have to try to fight back instead of fleeing."
Agent 3 activated Auto Bomb Launcher once more, and she threw out several of the titular bomb to chase Agent 8. The curly-haired octoling managed to evade the initial swarm this time, allowing to land a few shots on Three. However, the inkling quickly retaliated, covering Eight in orange ink, to the point where it looked like her armor was about to shatter once more. The octoling made a throwing motion, but no bomb appeared. She looked at her hand, brow furrowed, before diving into a puddle of ink she had already made. A few seconds later, Agent 3 was back to throwing out Auto Bombs, swarming the arena with them.
"Attack her!" Iris yelled. "While she use the Auto Bomb Launcher!"
Agent 8 emerged from the puddle, clean of orange ink. She swung around the box Agent 3 was hiding behind and shot blue ink at her, causing her to dodge-roll out of the way. The bomb launcher expired, much to Three's disdain. She went back to shooting at Eight, quickly breaking the curly-haired girl's armor. She stumbled, gripping the box with one hand and holding the Octo Shot in the other.
"Now is your chance!" Brayden announced. "Before she can throw another Auto Bomb! Finish her!"
Agent 8 lifted her weapon and pressed down on the trigger. Blue ink flew towards Agent 3, covering her and causing her to stumble. The inkling took a few steps back, gripping her gut. She then turned into a squid and super-jumped back to the UFO, hiding in the puddle of ink on top. However, instead of super-jumping back down, the UFO started to hover over the arena, the shine of the giant disco ball reflecting off of the metal. Agent 3 emerged from the puddle, more lights shining down on her orange hair.
"Well fought," Three complimented. "Better than most octolings I've fought."
Eight blinked. "Is it over?"
"Of course not!" The inkling pulled out some Tenta Missiles and proceeded to fire them. "I'm fighting until I can't no more!"
The octoling stared at Agent 3, eyes wide as orange markers started to circle her feet.
"Eight!" Yuri shouted. "Get out of the way!"
Agent 8 looked at her feet and dashed off to the other end of the arena, just before the missiles landed. From there, Agent 3 threw out another auto bomb and started to rain ink down on the arena with her Hero Shot. Eight continued to dance around the missiles and bombs, her footwork slowly becoming sloppier as more orange ink covered the arena.
"How is she gonna beat her?" Perry puzzled. "She can't reach her!"
"She will figure out a way," Giovanni replied.
"Yeah, she smart!" Yvonne agreed. "And clever! You must be clever to main charger, right?"
The purple-haired inkling thought back to Lori and Deadeye, the two other squids he knew used E-liter 4Ks. They were both similar in that they were focused when using their main weapons. And patient. And calculating. He hadn't battled against Eight much, but from the words of Octa Prisma, it seemed she had that, too.
Soon, when Agent 3 tried to fire another set of Tenta Missiles, Agent 8 threw a splat bomb up at her, splattering blue ink on Three's clothes. She nearly dropped the launchers, but the inkling regained a grip on them and fired them. Eight inked a small puddle and jumped in it, presumably refilling her ink tank. The missiles landed near her, and she emerged with some orange ink dripping off her hair.
"Eight!" Alexis called, standing up. "Keep doing what you're doing! You got this!"
The curly-haired octoling looked up at the spectators and nodded. She threw another splat bomb at the UFO, exploding at Three's feet. The long-haired girl cried out in pain, faltering. She hid in the orange ink puddle created from her armor break, and a few seconds later, she emerged, fully healed. Eight had covered up some of the arena in blue ink, giving herself more mobility.
"Almost there, Eight," Agent 3 remarked. "You're almost there."
Eight's eyes narrowed as she tightened her grip on her Octo Shot. "Bring it."
Three leaped into the air, flying towards where Agent 8 was standing. She swam away, watching as the orange glowing circle appeared to mark the inkling's Splashdown. As soon as the vortex of ink cleared, Agent 3 super-jumped into the air again, towards Eight. The octoling swam away from this Splashdown, hiding behind a cylindrical crate. The inkling super-jumped one final time, performing Splashdown behind the crate. Some orange ink splattered onto Agent 8's clothes as she fled the special weapon.
Agent 3 threw out an auto bomb before she began to shoot her Hero Shot again. Eight inked a path around in the arena in an attempt to escape her shots, all while the bomb chased her. The bomb exploded, leaving only the two agents dueling. Ink flew past each girl, orange and blue now marking the floor of the arena.
"I'm gonna splat if this keeps up," Bonnie remarked, hugging her knees. "It's so tense!"
"Yeah," Yuri agreed, tapping on the platform the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma sat on. "I think everyone's feelin' the anxiety."
Perry nodded. "Yeah, for sure."
Agent 3 super-jumped into the air again, flying towards Agent 8 once more. She used Splashdown again, though Eight was able to flee. She repeated her actions twice more, covering Eight in more orange ink. After the third Splashdown, Three threw out another auto bomb and began to shoot at her again. The octoling fired at the inkling, ink dripping off of each other's bodies. Agent 3 dodge-rolled out of the way and leaped up into the air, an orange circle marking the area of impact. Eight cried out something in Octarian and scrambled away, watching as the familiar vortex swirled around the agent. The auto bomb exploded next to the octoling, breaking her armor.
Instead of backing down, however, Agent 8 continued to fight back. She fired her Octo Shot, shooting Agent 3 until she dodge-rolled...into a puddle of enemy ink. Perry leaned forward, excited. This was it!
"Now!" Geneva yelled.
Eight ran up to Agent 3, who struggled to get out of the ink. She threw out an auto bomb in an attempt to distract the octoling, but Eight ignored it. With one final shot, Agent 3 was sent flying into the air, blue ink dripping off of her body. The bomb waddling up to Agent 8 stopped and fell over on its side, deactivated. Three skidded across the stage, bumping against the wall and coming to a stop. She lied on the ground, unmoving.
"Three...?" The octoling walked up to her, kneeling over her. "...Geneva?"
"Wait, what did she say?" Roy whispered to the group. He looked between them, his eyes wide. "Please tell me I heard that correctly."
Perry looked over at the green-haired inkling. She remained silent, staring down at the arena.
They super-jumped down to the white platform and approached Eight. After gaining no response from Agent 3, she stood up, but then, she suddenly grabbed her hand. She looked back at her. She had lifted her head, her eyes closed with a smile.
"Good job, Eight," she muttered, opening her eyes to reveal green ones. "I'm proud of you."
A blush started to spread across the octoling's face, flustered. "I-I..."
"Tell her how you feel," Agent 3 said. "You beat your inner hero. That makes you the freshest octoling on the block, doesn't it?"
"Will...?" Eight's voice trailed off. She gave a slight nod in response before pulling her down to her level, hugging her.
"Just trust me," she whispered.
Perry's vision went white again, and once more, he found himself standing outside of the lockers in the Deepsea Metro, exactly in the position he was when Eight first reached out for the glow. His legs wobbled, fatigued. Just how long had he been standing?
Eight grabbed the object inside the locker. It was a golden toothpick, gleaming in the fluorescent light.
"Rose," she muttered. "My name...is Rose."
She rested the toothpick on her ear and turned around to face Geneva, who was blushing herself.
"Rose..." the green-haired inkling muttered, her blush growing. "It's...pretty. And beautiful. And-"
She cut herself off when the curly-haired octoling launched herself at her, wrapping her in a hug. "Thank you, Three. For everything." Geneva was too stunned to speak. "When we meet at first, I see you as the enemy. But then you save me. Then I save you. Now, you do much for me. As time passed, I am not seeing you as the Dreaded. Rather, I am seeing you for who you being." One of Eight's hands reached down for Geneva's hand. "I like you. Are you liking me?"
All the inkling could muster was, "Yes." She took Eight's hand, interlocking fingers, and she used her other arm to wrap it around the octoling.
Perry was happy for the two, but that wasn't what he was focused on.
It was that Geneva was actually Agent 3. Or rather, Agent 3 was actually Geneva.
The Rainbow Squids were all equally surprised, looking between each other at a loss for words. The purple-haired inkling glanced over at Octa Prisma. Oddly enough, they didn't seem surprised at all.
Perry recalled Giovanni saying that he knew something about Geneva the Rainbow Squids didn't. If that fact was that she was Agent 3, then he could've told the other members of Octa Prisma about it. It also explained why Iris was so tense around Geneva.
"Your vacation..." Alexis was the first to speak. "It was actually you going on a research trip with Cap'n, wasn't it?"
"Huh?" Geneva broke her hug with Eight and looked over at the short-haired inkling. "How do you know that?"
"If we're all coming clean," she started, "then I'm Agent 4."
The revelation garnered more of a reaction, even from Octa Prisma. Though Perry was less surprised—he had guessed this fact a month ago, even if there was no confirmation until now. Still, he still found himself with wide eyes. Geneva had broken her composure once more, her mouth agape. Only Giovanni and Brayden weren't surprised, keeping their calm expressions.
"Y-You're...!" The green-haired inkling shook her head and looked to the side. "No wonder you had that weapon..."
"Yeah..." Alexis rubbed her shoulder. "I was so excited to meet you, but I didn't want to make you worry about what was going on in Inkopolis." She laughed. "Who knew I knew Agent 3 the entire time?"
"And who knew I knew Agent 4 the entire time?" Geneva echoed. Still, she frowned.
"Alexis..." Via muttered, covering her mouth with one hand. She then shook her head and hugged the short-haired inkling. "I wish I knew sooner."
"Don't blame yourself," Alexis told her. "It's my fault. I swore to Marie to keep it a secret."
"I know, but I still feel bad," Octavia countered. "If I knew, then I could've helped you with your nightmares."
The two sisters remained silent, still hugging each other. After a few more moments, they let go.
"I swore to Cap'n Cuttlefish that I would keep this whole thing a secret, too," Geneva added. "And look where we are now."
"You could not hide it ever the for," Eight commented. "Only time before everyone found out."
"Wait, Inigo doesn't know!" Yuri then realized. "What're we gonna do when he gets back?"
The green-haired girl's eyes narrowed. "He already knows," she remarked coldly. "He found out when we fought Tiffany."
"Makes sense," Roy remarked. "He did pick up your phone."
Perry turned to Gio, who had a confident smirk on his face, crossing his arms. "So," the purple-haired inkling started. The boy with the mohawk's smirk fell as soon as they locked eyes. "This was Geneva's secret you were teasing us 'bout, huh?"
He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "It took a while, but now you know the truth."
Eight simply nodded and tugged on Geneva's hand. "Let's go home."
The new couple started heading back to the train, when Giovanni then spoke up. "Wait, Rose."
Flinching, the curly-haired octoling stopped and turned around, looking at the group. "Huh?"
"You are satisfied now, right?" he asked her. "You found your name."
"Yes, but..." She looked down at the ground for a few moments before looking back at the green-haired boy. "Can you be calling me Eight? I am more used to it now."
A smile tugged at Gio's lips, and he closed his eyes. "Heh. If that is what you want, then I will call you Eight."
She smiled back. "Thank you."
The Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma boarded the train and left, the underground growing still once more.
What happens in the Deepsea Metro, stays in the Deepsea Metro.
A/N: IT'S HERE! At long last, Season 3 comes to a close, and many secrets have been revealed. Thank you all for reading this far, and I'm glad I finally don't have to hide Agent 3's identity to the general public anymore. Here's a little game you could play - how many times is the truth about Geneva foreshadowed in this fanfiction? I can name at least five off the top of my head.
If you're wondering how the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma were able to spectate the Inner Agent 3 fight, well, I suppose it's a little supernatural in nature. Because they were with Eight when she reached out for the Golden Toothpick, they were able to see impactful memories, from now until when Agent 3 fought DJ Octavio back during Splatoon 1's events. The Inner Agent 3 fight was occurring in Eight's head, so as a result, the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma were also able to see it. She was able to progress through the fight thanks to the motivation of five people that had an impact on Agent 8 - Giovanni, Peyton, Brayden, Alexis, and Geneva. Giovanni was the one that let her be part of the team, Peyton is her closest friend from Octa Prisma, Brayden is the one that allowed her to escape after she had the hypnoshades forced on her, Alexis, as Agent 4, had become a close friend of Eight's, even if she wasn't aware of it, and Geneva... I think that's self-explanatory. To expand on this a little bit - Geneva was able to influence what Inner Agent 3 said, though she wasn't aware of it. That's why most of Inner Agent 3's comments were congratulatory and encouraging - Geneva wanted Eight to win.
Anyways, Bonus Story 4 will come out next week. It'll be from Eight's perspective. I'll share more info on Season 4 then. I really hope you all liked this chapter, and Branchwing, out!