Anonymous reviews:
ika tako gamer: Weird to think it's been over a year since I wrote the chapter where Alexis saves the Great Zapfish... And now we're approaching the halfway point in Season 4. Time flies, I guess! Anyways, to answer your question, it's definitely Alexis. Via and Bonnie live more ordinary lives, while Alexis is going out fighting things. It's fun to write people fighting things! I also like exploring the ramifications Alexis's adventure has had on her. I plan to expand more on it soon.
Back to the story, now.
Bonnie's PoV
"Glad you're here Bon-Bon," Perry commented as the two inklings walked through the park. "With your help, I'm sure this next rap of mine is gonna be a huge hit!"
"Sure it will..." she muttered under her breath.
"OK, OK, inspiration..." They stopped in front of a tree, where someone's pet sea slug hung off of a branch, terrified as an orange inkling who couldn't be older than eight whacked the tree's trunk with a bat. Perry closed his eyes and brought his hands to his temples, thinking. "Hmm..." He opened his eyes again and focused on the scene. "That's not inspiration."
Bonnie looked over at the purple-haired inkling, alarmed. "Shouldn't we stop him?"
"...How?" He rubbed his head. "He's gonna whack us with the bat if we try."
"We can't do nothing..."
"Well, then you stop him. I'll just sit back here and watch."
She glared at him. "Will I get something if I do it myself?"
"Easy. I'll write a song about this. A squid girl, chasing after a naughty boy who hit her with a stick."
"I'm not taking that!"
"Then I guess we do nothing." Perry sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Maybe I can write a song 'bout this."
Bonnie started to search the area for someone she could ask to stop the kid. She couldn't just do nothing! That poor sea slug looked like it was going to fall any moment now, and that mean squid might squash it! At first, it looked like there was no one she could ask, but just before she gave up, she saw a familiar figure enter the park, like a messenger sent from the heavens.
...Giovanni. The green-haired octoling had some headphones over his short beanie, which were connected to something in his pocket. Knowing her luck, he was probably blasting some music. So, it looked like she was going to have to draw some attention to herself in order for him to help.
She sprinted over to him, catching Perry off-guard. Gio stumbled, nearly tripping as soon as she stopped in front of him, letting out a startled gasp. His expression turned into one of anger as he took his phone out of his pocket, pressing a button and then lowering his headphones off of his ears.
"What?" he demanded. "This is not normal for you."
"Please help me!" she begged, shaking her hands together. "There's a sea slug in a tree, and some squid's trying to knock it out."
"A...sea slug?" he puzzled. "There is a person stuck in a tree?"
"No, a pet sea slug!" she corrected. "I dunno what kind of pets you had in Octo Valley, but a pet sea slug and a person sea slug are two different things!"
"Now, I am understanding, but why not do it yourself?"
Bonnie groaned. "Just do it."
"Fine."
The blue-haired girl directed him to the tree, where the inkling kid continued to hit the tree, the sea slug looking like it was going to fall off at any point in time now. Gio merely watched for a few moments before Bon-Bon pushed him towards the kid, causing them to bump into each other.
"Hey!" the kid complained, lowering his bat. "What was that for?"
Giovanni cleared his throat and replied, "Do stop hitting the tree."
"Whatcha gonna do about it?"
He held up his phone. "I will call the police."
"Wha-?!" The kid dropped his bat, eyes wide as he stared up at the octoling. "Please don't! I don't wanna go to jail!"
"Then stop hitting the tree," Bonnie interjected, stepping up next to Gio. "That sea slug could get hurt."
"He's a spotted sea hare," the kid corrected. "Not just a sea slug!"
"That is specific," the octoling boy noted.
"Yeah, because it's my sister's sea hare! Snufkins climbed up into a tree, so I was trying to get him down!"
With Gio unable to find an answer, Bon-Bon spoke up once again. "Why don't you just ask someone for help?"
"Because I can do it myself!" The kid puffed his chest, his arms as straight as they can be as he clenched his fists.
She bit her tongue. This was one stubborn squid! "How about..." She trailed off, trying to think of what to say. "...We can get him down for you."
"Why?"
"Because you can't do it yourself," she replied, harsher this time. She looked away from the kid, not wanting to see his reaction, and proceeded to call Perry's name. He walked over to them, puzzled.
"Huh? What do ya need me for?" the purple-haired boy questioned.
"Someone needs to climb up there and get the sea hare," Bonnie explained. "So, if the three of us stack on top of each other, one of us could jump up there and get him down safely."
"I will get it," Gio interjected.
"You're getting it?" the blue-haired girl blurted, surprised. It still felt weird to see the octoling actually helping them... Though she supposed it was nothing new. Octa Prisma has helped them before, starting all the way back when the Vigilante first became prevalent. But this was much more mundane.
"Y-Yes," he confirmed, rubbing the back of his head. "I...have the most nimble arms." He turned into an octopus and lifted his tentacles, displaying how they tapered towards the end, unlike squids. He transformed back and continued, "Therefore, it is preferable for me to grab the sea hare."
Something's up, she noted silently. Instead of saying anything, however, she turned to face Perry again. "Get on me."
"Why not me? I'm stronger," the inkling argued. She didn't answer to his complaint, immediately grabbing him and lifting him off the ground, much to his surprise. "Woah!" She set him down, and he conceded. "Alright, alright, you can be the base."
She smiled, content with herself. Perry jumped onto her back, the sudden weight catching her off guard. She inserted her arms under his knees and held him up, doing her best not to topple over. Giovanni then turned into an octopus and climbed up the two inklings, stopping on top of Perry's head. He leaped up and changed back into his kid form in order to grab the branch, shaking it and causing the sea hare to squirm further towards the edge. The purple-haired inkling got off of Bonnie so that the two of them could observe the octoling. He once again turned into his octopus form, inching towards the sea hare.
The sea hare backed further and further away, eyes wide with fear. Soon enough, it reached the tip of the branch, scaring it. However, all it could do was stand there in terror as Giovanni climbed towards it, wobbling with every movement he made. At last, he managed to grab the creature, pulling it closer towards him. From there, he transformed back into a kid, sitting on the branch, his weight pulling it downwards. He moved his leg so that the branch was no longer between them, and he hopped down, landing on his feet. He set the sea hare down, and it started to slither away.
"Huh? Snufkins?" the boy called. He proceeded to run after the sea hare. "Come back!" Bonnie watched as he caught the sea hare and walked away. She huffed. He didn't even say thank you!
"Well, that's done," Perry concluded. He sighed. "But that won't make a good song."
"Huh?" Gio perked up, turning towards the pale-skinned inkling. "You are writing a song?"
"Yeah, ya didn't know about my rap career?" he confirmed.
"I think it's more like a hobby," Bonnie added. "He just puts it on SplatCloud."
"Even though it's on SplatCloud and I don't get any money from it, it's still a career," Perry argued.
"I see," the octoling merely muttered. "Well..." He gulped and then asked, "May I come along?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Three heads are better than two, I guess."
"Indeed they are," Gio echoed.
The trio started to walk through the park again, taking in the scenery. Soon enough, they reached the edge of the park, a road separating it and several buildings. Perry spotted a Starfish Drinks across the street and pulled his companions along, traveling towards it. They entered to find it rather empty today. Aside from the workers, there was only a single jellyfish, typing on their laptop as they had some headphones around the sides of their head. Thankfully, there was no line, so they could place their orders pretty quickly.
"Welcome to Starfish Drinks," the sea urchin at the counter said plainly, opening a packet of gum and popping some into his mouth. "What do you want to order?"
"Iced tea," Bonnie requested.
"I want that berry juice," followed Perry. "The one where you can see the fruit in it?"
"I will...have what he is having," Giovanni finished, pointing to the purple-haired boy.
"OK." The sea urchin wrote down their order and extended his hand, beckoning for money. "2,100G."
"2,100G for three drinks?" the green-haired octoling marveled.
"It's Starfish Drinks," Bonnie whispered to him. "That's normal."
Perry pulled out his wallet and took some coins out of it, placing it in the urchin's hands. He retreated his hand and dumped it into the cash register. "What's your name?" the urchin asked.
"Perry," he replied.
He wrote it down and handed it off to an inkling. "We will call you when your order is ready." He then shooed them away, and the three inklings stepped off to the side, now staring at some of the deserts on display at Starfish Drinks.
"Didn't know you liked berry juice, Gio," the purple-haired boy remarked.
"I have never been here," he deadpanned.
"Why order the same thing I ordered, though?" he teased. "You had to have seen the menu. So, therefore, I think you like berry juice."
The octoling grunted, a light blush dusting his face. "...Drop this topic," he demanded, looking away from the inkling.
Perry turned around and shook his head. "What's gotten into him..."
Eventually, Perry's name was called, and the three walked over to the pick-up counter to collect their drinks. In typical Starfish Drinks fashion, the name on the cups read 'Parry.' Gio opened his mouth to complain, but Bonnie quickly hushed them. They took their seats on a table near the window, where they could relax and enjoyed their drinks.
The octoling took one sip of his drink and spat it out almost immediately. "Eugh! This drink is terrible!" he barked. "It is too sweet!"
"Then why'd you order it?" Bonnie snapped.
"It is like I said, I have never been here," he defended, enunciating the second part of his sentence.
"You didn't read the menu?" she exasperated.
Gio groaned, digging his face into his hands as he muttered something in Octarian. She couldn't help but feel that he was acting oddly. Usually, he had things sorted out pretty easily, but now, he didn't have the sense to even read the menu! She was sure he could read Inkling quite well, so that couldn't be it.
But then she recalled how he seemed flustered earlier while they were waiting for their drinks, and even before that, when he initially asked to join them. And last week, when Gio sang that inappropriate song for the dance contest in an effort to impress someone. Could it be...?
She would have to ask him, but she was certain that he would not answer in front of Perry. She would have to isolate the two somehow. It shouldn't be hard, but she didn't know if she could even do it.
"Well, thanks to you, Gio," Perry started, with the octoling lifted his head, eyes wide, "I got an idea."
"Y-You did?" he perplexed.
"A song 'bout thinkin' you're with the perfect girl...but then bam, she's not who you thought she was," he revealed. "Pretty fresh, right?"
"...What about a boy?" he then asked. "It can be the same situation."
Maybe I don't have to ask him after all, Bonnie thought to herself. ...Does Perry even like boys?
"True, true," Perry replied with a shrug. "I'll just make it gender-neutral, then." He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and started writing down on it. "Now, lyrics." He tapped his pen on the paper, thinking. "OK, OK, I got it." He continued, the words flowing from his hand. If only Bonnie could make out what he was writing... He didn't have the best writing in general.
After he finished drinking, he turned around and tossed his cup into the trash. He hopped off the chair, taking his pen and paper, looking at Giovanni and Bonnie one more time.
"Thanks for the help, you two," he said. "I'll be sure to make you guys are the first to hear my next song."
"Huh?" the octoling puzzled. "You are leaving already?"
"I got my inspiration, and now I gotta write my song in peace," the pale-skinned boy explained. "Easy."
"W-What about a turf war?" he offered. "In that way...we can 'hang out' longer."
"Hm... Maybe later," he considered. "I'll text you if I wanna do one."
"I see..."
"Bye Perry," Bonnie spoke up, raising her hand to wave.
"Bye bye." He walked out of Starfish Drinks, leaving the two at the table. The blue-haired girl looked over at the green-haired boy, curious as to what he would do next. He ended up resting his head on the table, letting out a long groan and complaining in Octarian.
"...I'm still here," she pointed out.
"I know," he grumbled. "I am just...having regrets. That is all."
"Let me guess, they're related to Perry."
He shot up, blushing. "Is it that obvious?!"
"I mean... Yeah." She shrugged. "I don't think Perry noticed. He's pretty thick whenever anyone that's not his own crush has a crush on him."
"I suppose I am not surprised. Then, please keep it a secret," he requested. "I do not want him to know." He crossed his arms and shook his head. "Why am I even attracted to him..."
"I wasn't planning to tell him," she pointed out.
"Good." The octoling grabbed the drink he ordered and threw it into the trash can. Thankfully, it landed in the right spot, else things were going to be messy. "I was not planning to either."
"You sang that song for him, didn't you?"
He paused. "...I thought that maybe if he had a reaction, I would tell him. However, he did not."
"I see."
Giovanni got up from his seat and started walking towards the exit. "Perhaps if I ignore it, it will go away," he mused. He looked over his shoulder, towards the blue-haired inkling. "Goodbye, Bonnie. I will be seeing you in the square."
"Bye."
He left Starfish Drinks, leaving Bonnie alone to finish her drink.
Well, if he didn't want to pursue anything, then so be it. She wouldn't intrude any further.
A/N: Another chapter done. We got to see more of Bonnie's ruder side today... I don't think I've touched on that since chapter 12. Well, character development is character development. She's more willing to show it now. Well, if I don't post next Sunday, it will be on Monday, like I explained in the notes of the last chapter. The next chapter will touch upon the consequences of the events of late Season 3, but not go too in depth with them. The consequences should really start to show themselves towards the latter half of Season 4. Branchwing, out.