Anonymous reviews:

ika tako gamer: Ah, I see now. That was written over two years ago... Season 1 Rainbow Squids was something. Anyways, it's like she said - she drank too much coffee. You know how you feel kind of sick if you just drink a lot of water? It's kind of like that. And being scared of Roy is valid - his anger can get out of hand sometimes, but he is a kind squid deep down, past all his insecurities. Perhaps if he gets things sorted out, he'll be less prone to losing his temper (getting together with Oscar being one of them c;).

For Geneva: Basically, she acts calm and collected most of the time, trying to hide her emotions so she can have a good grip on the situation, lending to her seriousness. She lets loose around her friends, becoming more of a show-off. This is most notable in "Light Show," when she poses with the new apparel she gets for her birthday in the flashback, and "Leave Now," where she (as Agent 3) does most of the legwork in defeating the sanitized Octo Oven. Perhaps I should add a "spoilers in the reviews" thing in the description now... And yes, Geneva has PTSD :(. So does Eight, and Alexis to a lesser extent. Hopefully I portray it well enough.

And yes, octolings are quite interesting! I love writing the bonus stories as a result, since we don't usually get a look into our octoling friends' heads. Also, happy belated birthday to your OC. I really should celebrate my OCs' in-universe birthdays more (I even forgot that Roy's in-universe birthday was last week! And I've been writing about him for two and a half years! I even have it written down! I guess that's on me. (He'd be 21 now, since the year in Mollusc Era equals the current year in real life. In the story, he's currently 18 and will be until the end)). Finally, don't worry - your reviews are showing up.

Now, for the story.

Octavia's PoV

"Hey hey hey, it's Via," Yuri's voice called, his footsteps growing near as he ran up to her. "I found something you might like."

"Oh?" Via stopped in her tracks, looking over at the dark-skinned inkling. The two now stood in the middle of the hallway, forcing her fellow students to go around them. "What?"

"Y'know my sister, Yasmin? Well, one of her friends turned fourteen the other day, and she found this really fresh place near Inkopolis Bay when she went out to dinner there."

"Inkopolis Bay? Why there? And what's there?"

"Basically..." He stepped closer to her, now whispering in her ear. "It's illegal battling ring. You can use some old special weapons there!"

Octavia flinched. "Illegal?!"

"Not so loud!" he hushed her. "Point is, I thought it'd be fresh if we could go check it out."

"Why're you asking me? Why not take Perry or something?"

"Perry has a dentist appointment today. So he can't go."

"Why not go tomorrow?"

"Well, there's a Chirpy Chips concert tomorrow. I'm not missing that."

The wavy-haired inkling sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. "Fine, fine. I'll go."

"Booyah!" the spiky-haired inkling exclaimed in a whisper. "We'll go right after school."

"Right after school? But I drove here! And Alexis can't drive, so she won't be able to get home."

"We can take Alexis with us. I think she'd like it, too."

Via smirked. "So, if we include her in this, she might feel more grown up?"

"Not what I was thinking, but that's one way to put it."

"Fresh, fresh." She pulled out her phone and went to her messaging app, pulling up the conversation between her and Alexis. "I'll go text her."

"Great!" With a smile on his face, Yuri started walking away, waving as he disappeared down the hall. "See ya later!"

She raised a hand and waved back. "Later."

Following school's end, three inklings stood around a red car, climbing inside. Via obviously took the driver's seat, while Yuri sat in the passenger's seat, and Alexis sat in the back of the car. She crossed her arms as they drove out of the parking lot, the wavy-haired inkling looking back at her sister through the front mirror.

"How come I'm back here today?" she asked, pouting.

"Well, I gotta navigate," Yuri explained, "and it's much easier if I'm next to Via."

She sighed. "Fine, that's fair."

Later, while the car stopped in front of a traffic light, Octavia looked over her shoulder and asked Alexis for her backpack. She handed it over to her, and immediately she started to rummage through it, looking for her wallet. A minute or two later, Yuri tapped on her shoulder, and she looked up to see the light was green. A car honked behind her, and she tossed the backpack to Yuri as she drove off.

"What were you looking for?" he asked her.

"My wallet," she replied. "Since, y'know, we'd have to pay money to go into Inkopolis Bay."

"Hey, I didn't say it was in Inkopolis Bay," he pointed out. "I said it was near Inkopolis Bay."

"He's got a point," Alexis agreed from behind her.

"So... I don't have to pay anything?" she inquired, a smile forming on her lips.

"Probably. I think the battling ring has free entry."

"Booyah!" she cheered. Though I did pull out the backpack for nothing, she thought soon afterwards.

They drove down the street for another few blocks until Yuri told Octavia to turn left. She caught a faint scent of sea salt in the air as they neared Inkopolis Bay, signaling to her that they were close to the ocean. And thus, they were close to their destination. The spiky-haired boy directed her to park on the side of the street, and she followed, the group soon hopping out of the car.

"It should be around here," he mused as he gestured for them to go into the alleyway.

As they entered the corridor, Octavia found herself marveled by the quality. Even the alleys look better than Inkopolis Square! Though, they were close to Inkopolis Bay, so she supposed she shouldn't be surprised.

"Hm..." he puzzled. "That's weird. I don't see anything." He looked down at his phone. "And the GPS says we're in the right place, too."

"Hey, you said it's illegal," Via reminded. "Whoever runs the place probably has it so well-hidden that even the police wouldn't be able to find it."

"Try checking the walls," Alexis suggested. "Maybe it's like in the movies where there's a secret base when you pull a book from a bookshelf or something."

"The walls?" She turned towards the wall behind her and felt it. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"I'll check the back wall," Yuri decided. A few seconds later, he let out a startled cry, causing the wavy-haired girl to whip around to see him falling to the ground. He caught himself before he could land face-first into the stone path. A raised tile stuck out behind his foot. He got up with a groan and turned around. "Never mind..."

"Oh!" Alexis jumped over to the tile and grabbed it. "This must be it!" She pulled on it, revealing the outline of a trapdoor, though she couldn't open it up completely. "Can you two help?"

The older inklings joined the short-haired girl as they grabbed a hold of the hand, pulling the trapdoor open and revealing a stairway. They stood up and looked at each other, giving determined nods before descending into the darkness. Yuri turned the flashlight on his phone on, illuminating the path ahead. After trekking through the seemingly endless hallway, they stumbled upon a door. Via grabbed the doorknob, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Now what?" Alexis sighed.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes gleamed through a window on the door. "Whaddya want?" a deep, rough voice questioned.

Octavia opened her mouth to speak, but Yuri shushed her and told the man, "Shark bait."

The door opened, revealing a broad-shouldered shark wearing an unzipped leather jacket. "C'mon in."

The wavy-haired girl looked over at Yuri, eyes wide with surprise. Her friend smirked, whispering, "Directions weren't the only thing she sent me."

They entered the room, which turned out to be a club of some sort. Neon signs flashed on the drab walls, reminding her of the Deepsea Metro, though the two areas didn't seem connected in any way. To her left was a small restaurant that served fast-food items, a few tables surrounding the booth. Music echoed throughout the room, some inklings dancing to it on a dance floor to the right of the room. Between it all, several inklings conversed with each other in the underground club. She even spotted some people who weren't squidkids in the mix, too. No matter what it was, it seemed that everyone was enjoying their time here.

"I see you lot are inklings," the shark that let them in commented. "I'm assuming you wanna take part in a battle down there?"

"What do you mean 'down there?'" Alexis questioned, expression growing nervous.

"Don't you see the railing?" he barked, pointing behind them. "There's an arena down there."

"Sorry, sorry," Yuri apologized. "We're new here."

"I can tell," the shark grumbled, and then he crossed his arms. "Ever since that Mako brat came here, this place's been super popular for some reason. Don't know what he's doin', but we're making money."

"Do we have to pay to battle?" Octavia spoke up.

"Nah." He grabbed a can of soda from the top of a trash can, opened it, and took a mouthful of it, swallowing it. "It's free, per Mako's suggestion. You gotta pay if you wanna eat, though."

"So, where can we sign up?" the spiky-haired inkling asked, clasping his hands together as a grin appeared on his face.

"Over there," he replied, pointing past the restaurant. "Be quick, though. The match is bound to start soon."

"Thanks, Mister..."

"Sandbar. Just call me Sandbar. No 'misters' here."

"Right! Thanks Sandbar." Yuri waved goodbye as Octavia dragged him off to the area Sandbar denotated, Alexis trailing behind them. They walked down yet another staircase to find another shark, this one less intimidating than the last one with the more casual wear they wore.

"You here to sign up?" the shark inquired, the voice feminine.

"Yep," Alexis confirmed.

"Well, you're in luck, since there's exactly three spots left for the next match," she remarked. "Now, gimme your names. In full."

"W-Why do you need our names?" Via puzzled, adjusting her hat.

"Rules are rules," she replied. "Once you battle, you can't battle for the next two matches. We don't want any squids trying to sneak 'round that."

"Ah," the wavy-haired girl murmured. With that, the three inklings proceeded to give their names, with the shark writing it down. She then pulled out a cellphone and typed on it for a few brief moments.

Afterwards, she nodded towards them. "You're clear." She opened the door and gestured for them to enter.

"Booyah!" Alexis exclaimed. "Can't wait to try these out!"

"Me too!" Yuri enthused. "I wonder what weapons there'll be!"

"Well, let's find out," she told him.

The three entered the small room, which contained several weapons lined up on shelves, their sub and special weapons labeled on a tag sitting in front of each one. There were three exits, not counting the door they just entered in. One led to one side of the battlefield, and another exit led to the other side. The third exit was marked for employees only.

"Well, this is a surprise."

Via looked towards the source of the voice. To her surprise, none other than Brayden of Octa Prisma walked up to him, a Rapid Blaster Pro at his side. He wore the same outfit as always—she did wish the octolings would have some variety in their clothes from time to time.

"Brayden?!" Alexis cried out. "What, is this another shady plan of yours?"

"No, I do not work here," he informed her. "I come here for fun." He placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head. "You still have that impression of me from the Splatfest, I see..."

Octavia looked over at her. "Did something happen?"

"It was several months ago," the short-haired inkling pointed out. "Don't worry 'bout it."

Maybe it has something to do with her being Agent 4? the wavy-haired inkling pondered. She could ask now, but they were in a public space, and she wouldn't risk exposing her secret. She would have to ask her when they got home, then.

"So..." Yuri walked over to the shelves and turned around to face the blue-haired octoling. "We can just take one of these, right?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "But, you may only have them for the battle."

"Makes sense," the spiky-haired inkling remarked. He walked over to the Heavy Splatling Deco and examined it before picking up and letting out a whoop. "Booyah! I've missed Kraken!"

Alexis turned around to face him, and any tension she may have had was gone. "Are those dualies?" she gasped, eyes wide. She skipped over to them and picked up some Splat Dualies. "Now, these have...burst bombs and Inkzooka, I think that is."

"The Octobrush Nouveau should have Inkzooka, too," Octavia remarked. "So instead of Double Tenta Missiles, we can have Double Inkzookas! How fresh is that?"

"Booyah!" Alexis cheered. "I'm lovin' this already!" She dropped her cheery expression and glared over at the octoling. "...Except for Brayden, of course."

The wavy-haired inkling walked over to the brushes and picked up her preferred weapon, having splat bombs and Inkzooka like she predicted. "Geez, are you this mean to Eight?"

The short-haired girl's eyes widened, taken aback. "N-No. She's different!"

Something's up, she thought, raising an eyebrow. As soon as she picked up a weapon, the shark lady from earlier walked in, holding her phone in her hand.

"The teams have been chosen," she announced. She cleared her throat and began to read them. "Team Alpha: Octavia, Yuri, Alexis, Brayden. Team Bravo: Adrian, Margot, Xavier, Becca."

"Huh?!" Alexis perplexed. "I'm on a team with Brayden?!"

"At least you got me and Yuri," Via whispered to her sister.

She shook her head. "Is there really no way to change them?" she asked the shark.

"No, we do a randomizer for them," she replied. "Once it's randomized, it's set in stone. You're lucky to even be with your friends."

"Dang it..." she groaned, throwing down her hands.

"Oh, suck it up," a girl from the other team scoffed. Octavia turned around to see a cuttlefish with forest green hair, golden eyes, and pale skin leaning against the wall. By her side was a Krak-On Splat Roller. "You squids aren't fresh at all. Fricking losers." She leaned forward and stuck out a tongue.

"Margot, they're oozing freshness," an olive-skinned inkling boy with a side cut and a Kelp Splat Charger argued. "Can't ya see that?"

"I'm fresher," the cuttlefish, Margot, countered. She stood up straight and threw the roller over her shoulder. "Whatevs. C'mon, we gotta go."

"Yeah, I'm going," the boy grumbled. He, Margot, and the other two inklings disappeared into the hallway, leaving just Octavia, Yuri, Alexis, Brayden, and the shark.

"You'd best head over," the shark suggested. "The battle will start any minute now." She flashed her teeth. "Else I'll have to force ya."

Alexis jumped and pushed her friends along. "We're goin', we're goin'."

They entered the short hallway leading to the closer side of the battlefield. Instead of just stepping out, however, there was a manhole at the end of the hallway. They turned into squids—Brayden an octopus—and slipped inside the grate, traveling outside. Octavia found herself sitting on a respawn point, staring up into the metal ceiling. A few moments later, she turned into her kid form, getting a good look at the battlefield. Plastic walls were set up, making her unable to discern the middle of the map. There were raised metal platforms off to the side, and it seemed like she descended from where the spawn point was, too.

"Hey, this is Urchin Underpass!" Yuri realized. "Except not."

"Good eye," Via muttered.

"Welcome, everyone," a husky voice then began to reverberate through the arena. "Another match is starting. Orange versus blue. Isn't that a classic color combo? Anyways... Any music suggestions?"

Brayden looked up to the wall, away from the club area. "Can you play one of Pearl and Marina's songs?"

"Huh? DJ Octavio? OK," the announcer said.

"Wait, that's not what I-"

"Now, three, two, one, GO!"

A sinister theme began to play, interrupting the octoling. It didn't matter now; the battle had started. Octavia swiped her brush and began running towards the center of the Urchin Underpass replica, taking a left when applicable. Orange ink trailed behind her as she weaved through the walls, skidding across metal platforms and glass surfaces. She arrived at a grate, looking out over the area. Even the pit was replicated quite well! At this point, an electronic theme was playing.

"Octavio has some sweet beats," she muttered as she jumped down into the area. She spotted a short-haired girl with golden skin and an Aerospray RG approaching the ramp that would allow her to jump over to the other side. Her brown eyes noticed the wavy-haired girl, and she proceeded to pull out a control pad, crouching down as an Inkstrike missile appeared on her back. She tapped a spot on the control pad, covering her ears as the missile launched in the air. Her orange eyes followed the missile as it rose, quickly turning around as soon as it reached its peak. A dark marker began to swirl around her feet. The Inkstrike was going to land here! She put her brush to the ground and ran away, stopping to look at the resulting deep blue vortex. After the vortex subsided, she turned her attention back onto the girl with the Aerospray RG. She had jumped down to the pit, inking the area around where the Inkstrike had landed. Smirking, she ran up to her and ambushed her, striking her back and causing her to splat. She pumped a fist and was about to ink up the area when a charger shot pierced her body, splatting her.

She respawned to see Brayden inking the area around spawn, making her curious. "You're not going out to the middle of the stage?" she asked him as she jumped down to join him.

He looked over his shoulder to meet her eyes and shook his head. "I have my reasons," he replied.

"You're not gonna tell me what they are?"

"I have no reason to." The octoling fired a shot at Octavia's face, getting some orange ink on her. She wiped it off as he requested, "Shouldn't you be at the middle, Via? You'll be more useful there."

She groaned. "Fine, fine, I'm going." She placed the bristles of the Octobrush Nouveau down to the ground and started running back to the center of the false Urchin Underpass. In the pit, Alexis and the cuttlefish from earlier battled, her sister dodge-rolling out of the way of her vertical swings.

"Stay still!" Margot chided. "Stop dodge-rolling!"

"No way I'm doing that," Alexis denied, rolling towards her and splatting her while she was distracted. The crowd watching above them cheered as a ghost flew away from where the cuttlefish splatted. She rolled a dualie around in her hand, hair starting to glow. She noticed Via and dipped her head towards her. "Ready?"

She inked the area around her first before jumping down to join her sister. "Ready!" They activated their special weapons, both having an Inkzooka appear in their hands.

"DOUBLE INKZOOKA!" they shouted.

They fired the Inkzookas simultaneously, two tornadoes of ink firing towards the other team's side of the arena. She spotted the inkling boy who was talking to Margot earlier don a look of surprise as one tornado tore through him, splatting him. She smiled and inked the wall of the pit with the Inkzooka, allowing her to climb up to a higher platform and see where she was firing more efficiently. She fired the Inkzooka again, leaving a line of orange ink where she shot it. A few shots later, the Inkzooka disappeared, allowing her to use her main weapon again. She started inking the area around her, inviting Alexis to join her.

An almond-skinned inkling boy holding a Dual Squelcher—she was certain it was one, judging by the red color and the two barrels—appeared from behind a wall, throwing a splat bomb towards the two sisters. They jumped out of the way, and Via retaliated by throwing her own splat bomb, causing the inkling to let out a yelp and hide. Behind the wall, she noticed black arrow-shaped markers fly out, soon racing over to Alexis and Octavia and swirling around them, marking them.

"Echolocator!" Via warned her sister. "They can see where we are now."

"Isn't that just a point sensor?" Alexis puzzled.

"Back when I was your age-" The wavy-haired inkling was interrupted when a spot beneath her feet began to light up, causing her to tackle the short-haired inkling and push her out of the way of the ink mine as it exploded. "As I was saying, there used to be a special that marked everyone without having to throw a point sensor." The olive-skinned boy with the Kelp Splat Charger climbed up a small hill, aiming it towards them. They turned into squids and swam down the ramp, allowing them to avoid his charged shot. "And that's called the Echolocator."

Alexis looked down at herself and waved a hand through the marker. "How long does it last?"

"Longer than a point sensor," she replied. The boy with the Kelp Splat Charger walked down, charging up his weapon once more "Now, run!"

The two sisters scattered as he fired the charger once more, swimming back into the pit. To her dismay, the girl with the Aerospray RG appeared on the other side of the pit, spreading blue ink as she strafed towards them, firing her weapon.

"Carp...!" she swore, emerging from the orange ink.

"Two minutes left!" the announcer declared.

Via bit her lip, looking around. The boy with the charger approached them again, charging up his weapon. If she super-jumped now, she would be splatted for sure! And while she could just run around the girl with the Aerospray, Alexis wouldn't be able to, and she wasn't going to leave her sister behind. She glanced down at the marker circling around her. It still hadn't disappeared, much to her dismay.

"Hey, one of you boys help!" the short-haired girl called, backing up into Octavia.

Seemingly answering her call, the boy with the charger was suddenly pelted with ink bullets, causing him to explode, leaving an orange puddle behind as he splatted. Yuri! But when she looked over at the source of the bullets, she didn't see anyone. Then, a few seconds later, she heard a special weapon activate, and she turned her head to see a deep orange kraken with golden accents leaping from the ink, swirling as they crashed down on the girl with the Aerospray RG, splatting her. The Kraken then swam over to the girls, circling around them and proceeding to reform into Yuri as the special's duration expired.

"Woo!" the spiky-haired inkling cheered as he set down his splatling and stretched his arms. "I haven't felt that rush in forever!"

"And you saved us!" Alexis exclaimed. "Thanks!"

"Hey, I was nearby," he downplayed it. "It was no problem."

"We still got a battle, though," Via reminded them. "And we got two minutes left." She readied her brush. "Now, let's get to it!"

The three inklings dispersed, pushing deeper into enemy turf. Octavia spotted Margot again as she rolled her Krak-On Splat Roller along, hair glowing a few moments later. She submerged in the ink to hide. If she noticed her, she would activate the Kraken, and there was no escaping it within such a small area. Unfortunately, another Inkstrike marker appeared, forcing her out of her hiding spot and making ripples in the ink, marking her presence and piquing Margot's interest. She started rolling towards her, and in response, Via super-jumped away, flying into the air just in time as Margot activated the Kraken.

She landed next to Brayden, who remained on their team's side of the stage. He seemed to ignore her, focusing on inking back up the turf the boy with the charger had claimed.

"Hey, Brayden," she asked again, standing in front of the octoling, much to his annoyance. "You sure you're OK?"

"Yes," he answered, eyes narrowing. "I am fine. Stop asking me that."

"Well...if you say so." She bent her knees in preparation to jump into the pit again when she detected someone entering their kid form. She tilted her head to see someone wearing the panda kung-fu zip-up. She quickly realized that Margot was approaching—only she wore that particular piece of clothing. "Watch out!" she warned the octoling.

He turned around and immediately activated the Inkzooka, firing an orange tornado at her. As soon as the cuttlefish's eyes laid on the special weapon, she did a vertical swing and narrowly avoided the tornado, which brushed the side of her head. She gripped her headphones and raced towards Brayden, only to be splatted with a second shot from the Inkzooka. Via stared at him with horror.

Something's up, she deduced. But any requests for answers fell on deaf ears, it seemed.

She went with her original plan and jumped into the pit, searching for anyone on the other team. She went to a corner and attempted to place a squid beakon, only for her to throw a splat bomb instead. She sighed. She missed having squid beakons. They were quite a useful feature! Though, they went unused sometimes, especially in ranked matches with a bunch of people she didn't know. For splatting, a splat bomb was much more useful. In the chaos of this illegal match, perhaps it was better that she had a splat bomb as her sub weapon. She submerged into the ink to refill her ink tank before emerging again and throwing another splat bomb, this time at the platform above the pit. An orange puddle formed where it had exploded. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

She met up with Yuri again, who hid behind a wall as he charged up his Heavy Splatling Deco. He took a step out to reveal himself, though he ended up bumping into Via and releasing the charge, aim unsteady as ink flew all over the place. The boy with the Dual Squelcher danced around the bullets, not getting a single spot of orange ink on him. He tightened his ponytail and gave a smile after the fire ceased, proceeding to toss a splat bomb over at them. The two inklings scattered, allowing him to swoop in and splat Yuri before he could regain his footing.

"Kinda underhanded, don't ya think?" Via commented as she pointed her brush at the boy. "Waiting until we're open to swoop in and take the splat?"

The boy jumped at her voice, looking over at her. "H-Hey, you gotta do whatever you can to win!" he protested. "Besides, who cares? This whole place isn't legal in the first place!"

"Don't you care about having a fair battle?" she argued.

"I can have fair battles in the square," he countered. He scanned her for a few moments, and blinked. "Hey, weren't you in the Deca Tournament last year?"

Via lowered her weapon. "Uh, yeah, why?"

"Sike!" The boy with the Dual Squelcher leaped into the air, catching the wavy-haired girl off-guard as he fired his weapon, splatting her.

Of course he would do that, she lamented as she returned to the spawn point. After she respawned, she super-jumped over to Alexis, joining her as she dueled with the girl with the Aerospray RG. The golden-skinned girl left an ink mine behind her as she dashed off, with her sister stepping on it as she chased after her.

"Watch out!" she called, reaching out a hand for her. But she was too late as the mine exploded, splatting her sister immediately. Via growled and put the bristles of the Octobrush Nouveau down, chasing after her opponent.

"One minute left!" the announcer called. To her surprise, they didn't start playing Now or Never. Instead, DJ Octavio's song continued to play, his electronic beats continuing to reverberate throughout the arena. "Who will win?"

The girl with the Aerospray RG stopped and crouched down, launching another Inkstrike. Octavia ran faster, splatting her quickly. However, the Inkstrike had already been launched, a marker surrounding the area of impact as it grew near. Via ran away, watching as the missile landed, creating an expanding vortex of blue ink before dissipating a few seconds later. She let out a sigh of relief. She didn't get splatted. That was good.

Looking up at the ramps extending over the pit, she spotted Brayden, standing tall on the ramp leading to her team's side of the stage. He fired his Rapid Blaster Pro towards the pit, inking a small amount of turf. She stared at him, confused. What is he doing?

Margot appeared again, rolling along as a blue trail of ink appeared behind her. She stopped and lifted the wheel of the roller on the edge of the ramp leading to the enemy's side of the stage, a hand on her hip.

"Hey, weird squid," she called. Brayden didn't look up. "You just gonna stand there?" He looked up this time, but he didn't respond. He fired a shot from his blaster at her, causing her to jump back. "Woah! You mad?" She stuck out a tongue. "Maybe you're mad 'cause you're less fresh than me."

"I don't care," he responded at last. He didn't sound as expressive as normal... Octavia took another look at him to see that he donned a straight face as well, eyes tired. "I just have to splat you."

OK, now something's definitely wrong! she realized.

Margot brushed off his retorts. "Now, don't get ahead of yourself, weirdo. Surely you must realize that a roller outdoes a silly Rapid Blaster Pro. Besides, it's a turf war. Did ya forget that?"

"Hey, snap out of it!" Via interjected. "This isn't like you!"

Brayden didn't respond, firing his blaster again and splatting the cuttlefish. Afterwards, he turned his attention towards Via, staring into her orange eyes. She looked away, thinning her lips.

"This is awkward..." she remarked.

Eventually, Brayden turned into an octopus and jumped to the other side, reforming so that he could fire his weapon. Guess I should follow him, Octavia deduced. She inked the wall and swam up it, swinging her brush to ink the area around her as she treaded behind him.

They entered the other team's base, Brayden destroying a sprinkler on the way in. She spotted the boy with the Kelp Splat Charger, peeking out from behind a wall. More alarmingly, his hair was glowing. As soon as he noticed them, his eyes widened, and he was pushed back as he pulled out his special weapon: the Killer Wail. A guitar rift sounded as blue circles began to form. Brayden and Via jumped in opposite directions, successfully avoiding the attack. She watched, pressed up against the wall, as the chord continued, the sound ringing in her ears as a giant laser that pierced through walls formed. Eventually, it subsided, allowing her to rejoin the octoling. However, by dodging it, he instead decided to go closer to the enemy base, jumping down to the area just before the enemy spawn.

"Thirty seconds!" announced the announcer.

Octavia and Brayden stood in the middle of the lower area, weapons prepared. Upon their arrival, Margot backed up into her spawn point, now protected by the shield generated around it.

"How persistent!" she sneered. "Chasing me all the way here!" However, her expression slackened, and she laughed. "Don't cha know this is my team's base? You'd best be better off protecting your side of the stage?" She laughed again. "Becca and Adrian are probably over there by now. Sure, you got that splatling dude, and that dualies girl, but I'm sure they combined can cover up much more turf than your teammates can!"

"Don't get too hasty," the boy with the charger remarked. Via turned her head to see him standing on top of a hill. "I dunno what the map looks like right now. We could be losing."

"Oh, we can't be losing." Margot crossed her arms. "Besides, neither of them have respawned yet. So, I bet they're winning."

"Are you just gonna stand there and chat?" Via asked them. "We're still in a battle, y'know!"

"Right, right." She glanced over at the olive-skinned boy. "Xavier, splat them." She smirked. "We'll show these square chums what Inkopolis Bay squids are made out of."

"But...you're a cuttlefish," he pointed out. "Not a squid."

"I know! Just splat them!" she snapped.

"Fine, fine." He charged up the Kelp Splat Charger while Margot sat on the spawn point, watching them. Just before he fired, the duo ran out of the way, causing him to miss. He bit his lip, eyes narrowing as he fired again. Again, he missed.

"C'mon! Are there glowflies in your brain?" the cuttlefish egged.

Xavier groaned. "I can't focus when you're yelling at me."

"Fine, then I'll stay quiet." She huffed, only to be surprised when the girl with the Aerospray RG respawned right next to her. "Wah! You splatted!"

"Ten seconds!" the announcer proclaimed, proceeding to count down.

"It's now or never!" Margot declared, jumping down into the battlefield. She engaged with Brayden, who still kept that blank look on his face as he fired his blaster and dodged the swings of the cuttlefish's roller. Via, meanwhile, danced around Xavier's charged shots, getting disorientated as his light blue eyes tracked the wavy-haired inkling.

"Three! Two! One! Game!" the announcer declared, a whistle blowing. "Put down your weapons."

The music stopped, and Xavier lowered his charger. Looking behind her, Brayden had stopped too, though it looked like Margot had torn his weapon out of his hands, the cuttlefish girl holding it up in the air, preventing him from grabbing it. A few moments later, Brayden blinked a few times, observing his surroundings with wide eyes.

"Ah..." he muttered, gripping his head. "That fog's gone."

"Huh?" Via looked over at the octoling. "Fog?"

Brayden turned to face her. "Oh, Via. It is you. I was wondering who was following me."

"You didn't notice?!" she cried.

"It is not that I did not notice," he began, "but rather, I did not recognize you."

She blinked. "How can that be? You've known me for months! You're literally on my rival team!"

"I will not explain now." He folded his arms. "For...reasons. You will have to ask someone else for an answer."

Elusive as always, she said to herself.

"The results are in," the announcer spoke once more. "The winner is...Team Alpha! Comprised of Octavia, Yuri, Alexis, and Brayden. Congratulations! This has been your host, Mako, and I'll see you for the next match in seven minutes."

The intercom went silent, and the crowd cheered, bringing a smile to Via's face. However, Margot didn't seem as happy.

"Dang it!" she cried, stomping a foot on the ground. "We lost!" She ran over to Xavier and grabbed his hand, leading him to a door located to the right of the spawn point. "C'mon, let's go eat. We'll find better teammates next match."

"Alright, alright," he muttered. "At least be a good sport 'bout it..."

They opened the door and disappeared. The girl with the Aerospray RG gave a nervous smile and ran to the door. "Bye! And good game!" She opened it and entered the hallway as well.

"Yuri and Alexis will probably be waiting for me," she told Brayden. "I'm gonna go meet up with them." She walked towards the door herself, tiptoeing around the spawn point so that she didn't get hit by the barrier surrounding it. "Bye."

Brayden raised a hand and waved it as well. "Goodbye."

She opened the door and entered the hallway, slamming it shut behind her. She looked towards her left, where she spotted the squids on the other team, walking down the hall. She followed them, returning to the weapon equipment room she had been in earlier. She placed her weapon back where she had got it, setting it down not to damage the Octobrush Nouveau. The Splat Dualies and the Heavy Splatling Deco were already set back in place, which meant that Yuri and Alexis had already returned them. Yet, she didn't see them in the room. She knew they wouldn't leave without her, so she exited the room, greeting the shark lady from before the match started and walking up the staircase. Alexis and Yuri leaned against the railing, talking to one another.

"Via! You're back!" the spiky-haired inkling chirped. He had already changed his ink color back to yellow. "So, what did I say? Pretty fresh, right?"

"Yeah!" she agreed. "I wanna do this again!"

"Me too!" Alexis chimed in.

"I gotta play more with the Kraken," he said, pumping a fist. "It's so good, isn't it, Alexis?"

"Well, now you're making me want to try it," she remarked.

"You heard the rules though," Via pointed out. "We can't play for the next two matches."

"We can get something to eat," Yuri suggested. "At that restaurant. I have my wallet. I'll pay."

She opened her mouth to agree, but instead, she faltered, noticing a peculiar figure past her. A tall, funny-looking inkling with a hairstyle similar to Giovanni's was talking to two relatively normal-looking inklings. And judging by what she knew, most squids with weird hairstyles were actually octolings. So, that funny-looking inkling...he had to be an octoling! But the trio looked older than her... Would they be nice to her?

Eh, it was worth a try. Maybe he knew something about why Brayden had brain fog during the battle.

"I'm gonna look around," she told him instead. "I'm not hungry."

Alexis shrugged. "Well, your call." She started walking away. "Besides, it's a fast-food place. You'll say it's too greasy anyways." She winked, sticking out a tongue.

"Huh? Alexis!"

Yuri chuckled. "Hey, you do say that a lot about the Crust Bucket."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right..." she muttered, admitting defeat.

The dark-skinned boy joined her sister as they walked towards the restaurant. "Well, see you in a bit."

With Octavia at her lonesome, she eyed the octoling and his inkling friends again. She crept towards them, waiting for an opening to insert herself into the conversation. As she grew near, she could get a better look at them. The octoling specifically was lanky, having pale skin and purple hair. He faced away from her, so she couldn't get a look at his face, but she did notice a strawberry smoothie in his hand. Must've got it from the restaurant.

Instead of speaking herself, one of his friends noticed her. "Uh, there's a...girl behind you," a man with copper skin and yellow eyes informed him, pointing behind him.

The octoling turned around, looking down at her with wide red eyes. "Oh! You...are looking like you are in high school."

"Yeah..." Octavia confirmed, rubbing her head. "And you three look like college students."

"He's not in college," the man that had spoken earlier corrected, pointing to the octoling. "We are though," he then added, pointing to himself and the green-haired woman next to him.

"We're in our second year," she added.

"I see..." Via trailed off. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you a question."

The octoling's eyebrows furrowed with worry. "A question?"

"Yeah. So, uh, did you notice how weird the boy with the blaster was acting in the last battle?" she started.

"Yes, and not just him," the woman replied. "Dude here was spaced out the entire time." She pointed to the octoling.

So, this 'fog' was not limited to just Brayden. "Do you know why?"

"DJ Octavio's music," the octoling answered immediately. "That must be the answer."

"DJ Octavio's music?" she repeated. "Why?"

"I no can answer," he replied, rubbing his arm with his free hand.

"Yes you can," she pressed. "You're an octoling, right?" She pointed to the octoling, causing him to shrink back in horror. His friends watched with similarly horrified expressions, though they didn't seem surprised. They already know, she deduced.

"...Yes," he confirmed, frowning. He regained his posture and rubbed his arm again. "I am surprised you know. Did you eavesdrop?"

"No, I know a guy with the same hairstyle as you," she corrected. "So, since you look similar, that's how I figured it out." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes with a smile, proud of herself.

"So, now you are wanting answer," he deduced.

"Yep. And I'm not leaving until you get one."

"Persistent..." he commented. He sighed and started to explain. "You must know about the Calamari Inkantation, yes? About how it free our souls from oppression." She nodded in confirmation. "Well, we talk about it before you arrive."

"My hypothesis is that it activates that brainwashing stuff the octolings had when they were younger when that song is played," the man with copper skin explained. "Since we don't listen to his music on a regular basis, us inklings aren't affected by it. But since the octolings listened to his music every day until they were freed, they are."

"So if an octoling listened to one of DJ Octavio's songs long enough...they would start attacking us?" Via perplexed.

"I don't know. I would have to test it," he admitted. "And I don't think any octoling would willingly partake in that."

"Sounds...nasty," she remarked.

"Hopefully it doesn't happen," the woman spoke up. "There would be a lot of chaos if that happened."

"Mhm," the octoling agreed. "All of our hopes and dreams...would be crush."

"That's sad..." Octavia frowned. She looked up at the college students. "Well, thanks for answering."

"You are welcome," the octoling said, bowing.

"We come here often," the copper-skinned inkling added. "If you come here again, you can talk to us any time."

"Aight, thanks," the wavy-haired girl remarked. "Bye."

"Bye!" The trio waved as she walked over to the restaurant, where Yuri and Alexis stood, waiting.

"Hey, Via," Yuri greeted. "We ordered a strawberry smoothie for you."

"Not so greasy now, ain't it?" Alexis teased.

She smiled. "Thanks."

"No prob," the spiky-haired inkling said. "Anything for my friend."

Soon enough, Yuri's name was called, and he and Alexis walked over to get the food they ordered. They walked over to an empty table. Via checked the bench before sitting down, making sure it wasn't dirty. Afterwards, she grabbed her smoothie from the cupholder and started drinking it.

"That was fast," the short-haired girl remarked. "You get bored, or?"

"Nah," she replied. "I just wanted to join you guys again."

"I knew you couldn't stay away forever," Yuri commented.

Alexis laughed and grabbed her food from the tray. "Now, let's eat!"

They proceeded to eat their food, looking out towards the arena as the next match started. The song Chopscrewey echoed throughout the club as the match begun, Mako once again taking the role of the announcer. As Via drank her smoothie, she smiled.

She actually quite liked it down here, despite everything about it. Maybe she could meet some new friends, too!

All in all, she was definitely going back some time.

A/N: Late chapter :') I thought it would be over after the battle, but then I thought of things to add... This is the actual 100th chapter of "The Rainbow Squids," if you don't count the bonus stories. So, I decided to give some OCs not related to the Rainbow Squids cameos here. Kai (last name Mako) is the announcer, while Ace (purple-haired octoling), Chase (copper-skinned inkling), and Lacey (green-haired inkling) are the group Octavia talks to at the end. Neat, right? Though, all of my Splatoon OCs exist in the same universe, so I guess it's inevitable they would encounter the Rainbow Squids sooner or later. Regarding real life... I'm kind of hoping a Nintendo Direct surprise drops at some point and we get Splatoon 3 news, much like how Deltarune Chapter 2 decided to surprise drop this past week. One's about due, don't you think? Well, that's all. Branchwing, out!