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Agent 4: Yes I am! Here's to a new season! And don't worry, Skylar will figure it out someday. Whenever that will be.

Now, onto the story.

Roy's PoV

March 2017

Towards the edge of Inkopolis Plaza, Yuri struck some poses, the Rainbow Squids eyeing his brand-new haircut—the sides of his head were shaved off, and he had a spiky mohawk running down the middle instead. For his final pose, he placed a foot on the bench and rested an arm on his thigh, striking a peace sign with his other hand. A toothy smile donned his face as his mohawk swayed just slightly in the cool breeze.

Unlike the other squids, Roy couldn't help but feel jealous. Why couldn't he get a cool hairdo like that? Instead, he was stuck with this lame shoulder-length hair because he refused to put it up into a ponytail.

Well, whatever. He just needed to convince his mom to get him a new haircut, anyways. Shouldn't be too hard.

"Wish Via was here," Perry remarked, pushing his bangs out of the way. "She'd love to see the freshest new cut on the block."

"Where is she, anyways?" Inigo asked afterwards.

"Dunno," Bonnie admitted, shrugging, "but she said she was coming."

"She's sure taking her time, huh," Roy grumbled.

"Maybe you should get a haircut," Yuri teased the pale-skinned inkling. "Those bangs are getting pretty long..."

"They're not that long," he fired back. "I can still see."

"Maybe I'll get you a coupon to the hair salon for your birthday," Geneva offered. Her arms were crossed as she leaned against the stone wall, a sly smile on her face. "Then you can get a haircut."

"Nah, I can buy one myself," Perry declined. "Doesn't matter when I get a haircut."

"Huh?" The green-haired girl blinked, surprised. "But your birthday's in two weeks!"

"I know, but you don't have to. Seriously. I'm fine with anything."

She sighed. "If you say so..."

They continued talking among themselves when Roy heard footsteps approaching from behind him. He turned around to see Octavia in the distance, holding the hand of a shorter inkling with bronze skin and short orange hair, her ink nearly the same color as Via's. While the taller inkling wore her usual gear—a classic straw boater, her brand new positive longcuff sweater, and orca hi-tops—the shorter inkling wore gear synonymous with an inkling just starting to play turf wars—a white headband, a basic tee, and cream basics.

"Via!" Yuri called, waving his hand to grab her attention. "Come check out my new hairdo!"

"You're just gonna ignore the squid with her?" Inigo marveled, looking over at the dark-skinned boy.

"It's not just any squid, though," Bonnie spoke up, turning everyone's attention to her. "It's her sister!" She smiled. "Alexis. You've met her before...right?"

"Eh..." He frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe once or twice."

Roy searched his memory, trying to remember the last time he saw Octavia's little sister. Other than Bonnie and maybe Geneva, the Rainbow Squids didn't go over to her house very often. But, from what Roy could remember, she had yet to gain the ability to change forms.

If what Bonnie was saying was true, then she had gained it.

He returned his attention to Octavia and the newcomer. They strolled over to the group, the shorter inkling squeezing Via's hand. He never took Alexis as someone to be nervous. But, unsurprisingly, the taller inkling immediately began talking.

"Hey squids," she greeted, a smile on her face. "Guess who I have with me today!"

"Alexis!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Yep." She removed her hand from her sister's and patted her on the head, Alexis's orange eyes narrowing at the action. "She got a Splattershot Jr. and everything."

"Hi," the younger inkling said, frowning. She pulled out the starter weapon, colored orange with her ink.

"Don't pull that out here!" Inigo fretted. "You can't fire it in the plaza!"

"I wasn't," she insisted. "I swear!"

Roy looked past the two sisters, directing his attention towards Inkopolis Tower. Judd had woken up, though he hadn't bothered to move off of the crate he slept on, instead lying on his belly. He turned his head to face the Rainbow Squids, sharp yellow eyes piercing through them. With a sudden uneasiness, he gulped and returned his attention to Alexis, who proceeded to put her weapon away.

"That aside..." Via resumed. "We should take her out for a turf war, shouldn't we?"

"You sure?" Geneva questioned. "We'd crush her."

"Yeah, she should play with some other newbies," Bonnie agreed.

"But wouldn't her first match be more memorable if we played with her?" Yuri argued.

"It's memorable either way," Inigo noted. He sighed, returning his attention to Octavia. "I don't know... Geneva and Bon-Bon have a point."

"I don't mind if you're all stronger than me," Alexis pointed up, lifting her chin. "I'll try my best!"

Roy chuckled, crossing his arms. "Dang, she's got guts."

"See?" Via's eyes laid on the three that had opposed her idea and smirked. "She's fine with it."

"Then what are waiting for?" Yuri announced, pointing up towards the sky. "To Inkopolis Tower!"

In an instant, the Rainbow Squids and Alexis turned towards the tower and ran through the plaza, up the stairs and into the lobby. It was bigger than it looked, green squid arrows flashing along the sides of the room. Roy walked over to one of the elevators, gesturing the group to follow him. Everyone pulling out their weapons, they stepped inside, and the door closed behind them, allowing them to descend deeper into the building.

"Wow..." Alexis muttered, eyes wide with awe. "Everyone has such fresh weapons!" She looked down at her own weapon, a Splattershot Jr. filled with orange ink. "I wish my weapon was fresher."

"Nah, the Splattershot Jr. is plenty fresh," Perry noted. "Just because it's a newbie weapon doesn't mean it's lame."

"That has the new set, right?" Yuri chimed in. "Splat Bomb and Ink Armor, right?"

"Yeah," the younger inkling confirmed. "That's what they said, at least."

"You squids update your weapons yet?" Geneva inquired.

"Update?" Perry perplexed.

"Did you forget?" Roy growled. "We're supposed to update our weapons to the new kits by the end of May. Since, y'know, they banned the old specials."

The purple-haired boy hugged his Sloshing Machine, eyes wide. "What if I like my Bomb Rush?"

"Too bad," he said. "You'll get banned if you don't."

"Did you seriously not know?" Via puzzled.

"I may have glossed over that thing," Perry admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But, hey, least I know now. Didn't think they'd ever force us to change them, though."

The elevator suddenly stopped, throwing Alexis off-balance. Roy looked down at his feet to see a grate opening up beneath them. It was nearly time for the match, and they should leave no time wasted.

"Just turn into a squid, and let the currents take you to the stage," Octavia instructed. "Pretty simple, right?"

Alexis nodded. She turned into a squid, and eyes wide with surprise, she fell through the grate, and moments later, she was gone. Perry let out a snicker before turning into a squid himself, soon followed by the rest of the Rainbow Squids. For a few moments, Roy's world became dark, only hitting light again when he reached his destination. Clouds dotted the blue sky above him, and in the corner of his eye, he could spot the leaves of palm trees, swaying gently in the wind. When he transformed into a kid, he immediately realized where they happened to spawn at—Blackbelly Skatepark. He never did like this stage. It was cramped, there was barely any room to run, not to mention the bad memories he associated with this place.

There was no use pondering over the past, though. The match had begun, and Roy fired a shot from his Luna Blaster, the bullet traveling a few feet before exploding, splattering orange ink everywhere. His eyes followed Octavia as she sped ahead with her Octobrush Nouveau, her newly-cut wavy hair flowing with the wind. Following behind her was Alexis, who simply shot at whatever she saw.

"Hey, Alexis!" Yuri called. She stopped and turned around. Roy looked over his shoulder to see the dark-haired boy approaching her, charging up his Heavy Splatling Deco. "Don't ink the walls!"

She lowered her weapon. "Why?" she puzzled. "Aren't you supposed to ink everything in a turf war?"

"The thing is, walls don't count," he explained. "Though, you could ink them just to climb up them. It's great for getting the high ground!"

The short-haired girl turned around, steadying her gaze at the tower in the middle of the map. "That's pretty high up."

"Maybe it's not best for a Splattershot Jr. to climb all the way up there," Roy interjected, stepping up to join them. "It would be better if you stayed on the ground."

"Wait until you start doing ranked matches here," Yuri noted, still speaking to Alexis. "You could spread ink everywhere!"

But the young inkling simply stared at them with an absent-minded gaze, frowning.

Roy put a few fingers on his forehead, sighing. "Don't worry about that now. Just keep inking."

"OK," she simply said. Alexis ran off, pressing down on the trigger of her weapon and running towards the middle of Blackbelly Skatepark, where her sister had gone. Yuri patted Roy on the back and gave a thumbs-up, walking down to a series of ramps and firing his splatling, spreading orange ink everywhere.

With everyone concentrated on one side of the stage, Roy decided to take the other path to the center of the stage, firing his Luna Blaster. Soon, his hair began to glow, his special weapon ready. He climbed up to a perch towards the side of the stage and peered down on the main area, looking for an opening. He spotted some newbie gear fall to the ground, a squid-shaped ghost floating away from it. Where Alexis once stood, Geneva now did, twirling her new Splattershot in her hand. She pressed on towards Roy's team's side of the map when orange bullets suddenly tore through her body, eyes flashing with shock as she splatted. Looking towards the right side of the tower, Octavia and Inigo fought, the latter swinging his Carbon Roller at the former, only for her to dodge nearly every wave of blue ink that crashed towards her. Soon enough, she managed to get behind him and struck his back, causing him to stumble and fall off the platform, allowing Via to finish him off.

Roy climbed down from the perch and emerged from the alternate pathway, staring up at the tower in the middle of Blackbelly Skatepark. Orange ink dripped from its center, a sign that his team had taken control of it. In a stage like this, control of that tower was essential. His thoughts were quickly interrupted, however, as ink pierced through his head, splatting him upon contact.

He respawned with a terrible headache, groaning. Being shot in the head was one of the worst ways someone could splat. While it was certainly not humiliating like being splatted by a sprinkler was, it often brought about some of the worst pain upon respawning. But, the battle had just only begun. He had to keep fighting, no matter what his body told him. He dove into the ink, trying to distract himself from the headache, and swam towards the tower once more, still covered in orange. Two figures fought on top of the tower, but he was too far away to make out who they were.

Roy climbed up to the top of the tower, wishing to intervene now that his headache had started to fade. But his feet became sticky with blue ink, each step becoming heavy. Standing on the other end of the tower was Perry, slinging down ink below. A noise he made caught the pale-skinned boy's attention, causing him to swing around to face him. He pushed his bangs out of the way and swung the Sloshing Machine at him, getting directly in his face. His eyes squeezed shut, Roy aimed his Luna Blaster out in front of him and hoped for the best. He fired it, and he heard Perry cry out in pain, his weapon dropping to the ground with a thud. He lowered his weapon and rubbed the ink off his face, opening his eyes to see Perry's gear sinking away.

"Booyah!" he cheered, pumping a fist. He inked the top of the tower and began surveying the area around him. Right now, the two teams seemed pretty even, the winner of the match still unclear. Even with Alexis's inexperience, she proved to be a valuable asset to his team. He spotted her on his side of the map, covering up some blue spots with her ink. When she finished, she submerged into the ink, her position marked by faint ripples, steadily getting closer and closer to the center of the stage.

On the other side, he saw Perry respawn, but other than that, he could not spot anyone from the other team. Suspecting they may be elsewhere, he turned towards the alleyway connected to the other team's base. Spotting ripples approaching him, he readied his weapon, focusing on the newcomer. Geneva popped out of the enemy ink, covering the ground around her before attempting to climb up the tower. But Roy jumped down and fired his weapon, hoping it would hit her. She let out a gasp and dodged the shot, the blast hitting her side. Her green eyes narrowing, she suddenly leaped up into the air, blue ink gathering around her body. Circular markers began to form on the ground around her, alarming Roy to what exactly she using—Splashdown. He quickly inked a path and swam away, barely escaping the vortex that formed when Geneva hit the ground. He emerged, blue ink dripping from his clothes. He aimed his Luna Blaster at her, pressing down on the trigger. The blaster's shot landed on Geneva, and she splatted once more. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he climbed back up to the top of the tower, only for a roller to crush him upon arrival.

Roy respawned, body throbbing with pain. His headache only seemed to intensify, and he stumbled off the spawn point, groaning. Beneath his aches lied a fire that only grew stronger, determined to win. Clenching the handle of the Luna Blaster, he swam back towards the center of the map. He couldn't lose. Not when there was a newbie on his team. He had to beat the others, no matter what. The corners of his vision glowing red, he arrived at the base of the tower and stared up at the top, eyebrows furrowed. Inigo was swinging his Carbon Roller around, spreading ink.

"Hey, Roy!" he heard Via called. He whipped around to see her running up to him, the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau down on the ground. She jumped over the railing and lifted her brush, putting a hand on her hip. "Wanna-"

"Go away," he grumbled, shoving her back. She cut herself off, a gasp escaping her lips. He inked the tower and climbed up it, popping out at the top to meet Inigo's eyes. He fired his blaster, and with one shot, he exploded into orange ink, covering the top of the tower. Roy landed on the top of it, scanning Blackbelly Skatepark once more. The stage was too blue for his liking...

He jumped down the tower, running towards the other team's base. Bonnie jumped out at him, but he simply fired his blaster, splatting her. The shot she was about to fire flew up into the air with her Classic Squiffer, falling onto Roy's head. He shook the ink off of him and continued onwards, slowly approaching the enemy's spawn point. Perry stood at the edge of the uppermost platform, swinging his Sloshing Machine. In response, Roy tossed a splat bomb at him, and he scrambled away, inking a path for himself and fleeing.

With his hair glowing now, he called out the name of his special. "Baller!"

A compact plastic ball surrounded him, orange ink sloshing around at his feet. Roy ran around the area, trying to gain speed. Inigo was the next inkling to jump out at him, slamming his roller into his Baller. He flew back, hitting the wall, the plastic softening the impact. He bounced down to the pit, the slopes suddenly becoming much steeper as he struggled to regain speed. Before he could reach the top of the hill, the Baller began to fill with orange ink, soon exploding, and before he knew it, he was once again holding his Luna Blaster. He cursed under his breath, but he couldn't afford to stop here. Not when they were in danger of losing.

Inigo stood a few feet away from him, his Carbon Roller over his shoulders. "What's gotten into you?" he perplexed, eyebrows knitted with worry. "You're a lot...angrier than usual."

"Of course you're calm about this," Roy snapped. "You're not on Alexis's team. You don't want her to lose, do you?"

"Everyone wins sometimes, and everyone loses sometimes," he reminded him. "It doesn't matter if she loses her first match. It's the fact that she had fun that counts." He chuckled. "And besides...I think your team is winning right now."

"Well, that could quickly turn around," he argued. "It isn't over until it's over."

"Then I'll have to knock some sense into you."

Inigo lifted his roller, blue ink dripping off of it. He leaped up into the air, preparing to swing it vertically. Roy jumped out of the way, watching as a wave of ink crashed by him. He swam up the slope and fired at the boy with the ponytail, but he merely dodged the shot, too. He swung his roller again, this time horizontally, but Roy merely stepped back, the blue ink spraying onto his legs. He dove into the ink and started swimming around Inigo, searching for an opening. His opponent turned around, smashing his roller onto the ground like he was trying to swat a fly away.

When his back was turned, Roy emerged from the ink, firing his Luna Blaster. Inigo screamed as he dropped his roller, stumbling forwards just before he splatted, leaving a puddle of orange ink where he once stood. But the battle wasn't over yet. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around to see Geneva, firing her Splattershot. She paused briefly to throw a burst bomb at him, splashing enemy ink on his chest. With a grunt, he dove into the ink again, swimming down to the bottom of the hill. Geneva stopped where Roy once stood, lowering her shooter and looking around. With this opening, he swam up to the top of the hill and splatted her as well. He turned his attention to the spawn point.

He figured Bonnie had respawned by now, but not counting her, there was only one person left. Perry. For all he knew, he could've escaped to his own team's side of the stage by now. But his teammates could handle him, right? Octavia and Yuri were both very competent fighters, and perhaps Alexis could serve as a distraction. Instead, he submerged into the ink, his gaze focused on the enemy spawn point.

Inigo had just respawned, stepping down to the series of slopes just below. He looked around before putting the wheel of his Carbon Roller down, running around and covering up the area. Roy wouldn't let him get far, though. He swam up to him to ambush him once more. He emerged and fired his Luna Blaster, Inigo turning around just in time to get a shot to the face, splatting him. As he reveled in his victory, though, a charged shot suddenly pierced him, sending him back to spawn.

As soon as he respawned, he shook his head, teeth bared. "Dang it!" he roared, stomping a foot on the ground. Immediately, he barreled towards the enemy base, determined not to let them leave their base.

But just before he reached it, a whistle blew, forcing him to emerge from the ink. The match had ended. Hopefully, they had won, but Judd would have to come prove it. While he awaited his arrival, he climbed on top of the tower, scanning the area. He placed a hand on his chest, taking a deep breath. Now, he could calm down.

"Roy, what the heck!" he heard a voice scold him. Looking down at the base, he spotted Octavia, hands on her hips. From the expression her face, it was clear she was upset. "Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?" he called back.

"Push me!" she replied. "That's super rude, y'know."

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized. He lowered his head. "Guess I wasn't thinking straight."

Via groaned. "That temper of yours really needs to be tamed."

"But hey," he started, "it helped us win, didn't it?"

"Oh, whatever," she huffed. "I know you better than that. But seriously, you should think about it."

He shrugged. So what if he got angry easily? Sometimes, he just needed a little push to help his team win. And that benefited them in the long run, didn't it? But he did have to admit that he went too far sometimes. Perhaps if he learned to calm himself down, he could have more fun overall. That day was not today, though.

Judd arrived next to Octavia, trying to balance himself on the railing before ultimately giving up and falling flat on his belly. He stood up and licked the ink off of him before surveying the area around him. After a few tense moments, he struck out an orange flag, marking the Warm Rainbow Squids the winner of the match.

"Booyah!" Yuri cheered, walking up to Judd with Alexis. He lifted his head, looking into Roy's red eyes. "We won!"

Alexis kneeled down to meet the cat's yellow eyes. "He really is that good, huh?"

"Yep," said the dark-skinned inkling. "No matter how close the match is, Judd can tell who won, just like that."

"So, Alexis," Via spoke up. "What did ya think?"

"Was it fun?" added Yuri.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed. "It feels so good to finally play with the big squids!"

"Oh yeah, it did take you a few months before you could change forms, didn't it?" Roy mused, climbing down the tower. "Just like Perry did back in the day."

Alexis blushed, embarrassed. "W-Well... I'm just a late bloomer then, OK?" Clearing her throat, she smiled. "We should go to Inkopolis Square some time. That's where all the fresh squids are hanging out these days."

"Yeah, but I like it here," Perry chimed in. The rest of the Rainbow Squids walked up to the group, joining them. "I've been to the square before. It feels kind of small."

"Of course it feels small," Roy snapped. "The plaza is practically a ghost town at this point."

"Well, you do you," Alexis said. "I'm gonna go to the square more. All my friends are there!"

"The student council people, right?" Bonnie muttered. "I did hear you were on it."

"Well, I have other friends, too," she pointed out, "but yeah, them."

"We should get going," Via announced. "We don't want to hog this space up for too long."

"Yeah," Inigo agreed. The other Rainbow Squids murmured in agreement as well.

"Back to Inkopolis Tower, then," Yuri remarked. He turned towards the direction of the tower, turning into a squid and preparing to super-jump. "Let's go!"

Within an instant, everyone was flying through the air in the form of a squid, on their way back to Inkopolis Tower to prepare for their next match. Wherever it may be, Roy was sure that this match would also be fun.

Present Day

Roy woke up to the sound of his alarm clock blaring, the noise pounding in his head. He rolled over and slammed the snooze button in an attempt to silence it.

"Just let me sleep," he mumbled, his head still groggy. After Alexis's stunt yesterday, he hadn't been able to sleep very well. In his head, he kept yelling at himself, blaming himself for allowing him to neglect the young inkling for so long. And he did so until he finally fell asleep, too tired to keep blasting himself. In the end, though, he knew it wasn't his fault. It was her choice to leave the Rainbow Squids, whatever the reason may be.

But it was dangerous out there in Octo Canyon. Despite the Squid Sisters' reassurance, he couldn't help but worry for her. Would she really be alright? What about her family? Wouldn't they worry about her?

Trying to ignore those thoughts, he pulled the blanket over himself, trying to ignore the dim light shining through his window right now. Eyes squeezed shut, he tried to relax. A few minutes later, though, the alarm sounded once more.

"Fine, fine." He tossed the blanket off his body and rubbed his eyes, hitting the sleep button on the clock. He rubbed his eyes, rose to his feet, and walked downstairs in order to eat breakfast.

His mom was nowhere in sight, but his dad was at the counter, standing by the toaster. Bread sprung from the top of it, and he snatched them out of the air, placing them on the plate. Slathering them with jelly, he then returned to the dining table with his dish and sat down, opening up the newspaper. Before he could take a bite out of his toast, he noticed Roy's arrival and lifted his head.

"Ah, Roy," he greeted. "You're awake."

"I am," he confirmed. "Where's Mom?"

"She's taking a shower," his dad replied.

The boy paused, trying to listen to his surroundings. In the distance, he could hear water—or ink, he supposed—running. Assuming what his dad said was true, he said, "OK." He walked over to the cupboards and pulled out the bag of bread, then walking over to the toaster and putting two slices of it inside. While the toaster ran, he put the bag away and pulled a container of butter out of the refrigerator. Once the bread slices popped up from the device, he took them and put them on a plate, slathering the toast with butter. He put both the jelly and the butter away before taking his plate and walking over to the dining table to join his father.

"You seemed down yesterday," the older man commented. Compared to Roy, he was almost finished with his toast. "Did something happen?"

Should I tell the truth? he pondered. He decided against it and shook his head. "I...just went down a rank, that's all."

His dad raised an eyebrow, suspicious, but he didn't try to refute Roy's response. "You know, I was pretty good at turf war back in my day."

"You were?"

"Yep. I was known as 'King Kraken.'" With a smile, he continued, "That's how I met your mother, actually. We battled each other in a turf war in my senior year of high school, and I was so impressed by her skills that she became my rival. The fact that we went to the same college only added to it!"

"So eventually you fell in love," Roy concluded. The story reminded him of his situation with Oscar—they were initially rivals, and soon enough, they fell in love with each other, and now they were dating. Even if no one knew it yet.

"Exactly. And you can guess what happened from there. Who knows, Roy? Maybe the same will happen to you."

He shrugged and finished eating his toast. "I'm done," he announced. He got up from his chair and threw the paper plate away.

"Already?" his father marveled. He chuckled. "Man, time does fly by fast!"

Roy merely rolled his eyes. He hasn't enjoyed his dad's jokes since he was a kid. But, no matter what, he always did it, in an attempt to stay jovial. He was the life of the party, as many of his parents' friends said. Saying nothing more, he walked up the stairs, back to his bedroom, where he changed into his everyday clothes. He was putting on his varsity jacket when the shower turned off down the hall, signifying that his mother had finished showering. He exited his room and stood outside the door leading to the bathroom, waiting for his mother to exit.

About ten minutes later, his mom finally walked out in a fresh set of clothes. Make-up dusted her face, hiding any flaws that may have apparent without it. Her eyes briefly widened with surprise at the sight of him.

"Oh! Roy!" she gasped. "I'll get out of your way."

"Took you long enough," he grumbled.

She frowned. "Lighten up, would you?"

"Sorry." Saying nothing more, the red-haired boy stepped off to the side, allowing his mother to pass. When she was gone, he entered the bathroom, brushing his teeth and fixing his hair. Once he ready, he returned to his room to grab his backpack, and then he walked downstairs, telling his parents goodbye before exiting the house. He got into his car, started it up, and drove off to school.

West Inkopolis High School stood tall, the light of dawn glistening off the windows. He entered the student parking lot and parked his car, climbing out of it and walking to the entrance. The inside of the school was the same as it always was, the dreary lobby leading out into a series of hallways. Roy started to scan the area, searching for his friends. And soon enough, he found Inigo, standing next to the water fountain with his arms crossed. The dark expression on his face lightened up as he saw his friend approaching, lifting his head.

"Hey," Inigo greeted.

"Hey." They bumped fists before Roy turned around, leaning against the wall as he imitated his friend's pose. "What's up?" he then asked.

"Look." He gently turned the other boy's head towards the hallway leading to the auditorium, located across from them. An olive-skinned inkling girl with yellow-green hair thrown behind her shoulders was talking to an inkling boy with orange hair styled into a side cut, hands intertwined with one another. He recognized the girl as Naomi, but when he tried to recall who the boy was, his memory failed him. They proceeded to wrap their arms around each other in an embrace, becoming clear to Roy that they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

"You see it now?" Inigo then whispered in his ear. "Naomi's dating someone else now."

"That was quick," he commented.

"Exactly," the fair-skinned inkling agreed, eyes narrowing. "Who's to say she only broke up with me because she fell in love with some other guy and didn't want to cheat on me? Or worse?"

"Dude, I think you're overreacting. What if she just moved on faster than you?"

"Maybe, but I still can't help but get upset."

Roy placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, grabbing his attention. "Let's just go somewhere else. Like, we could find the other Rainbow Squids."

"I..." Inigo paused for a few moments before letting out a sigh. "I guess standing around won't change anything," he conceded.

"Alright!" he exclaimed, pumping a fist. "C'mon, let's find the others. I'm sure they're here by now."

"Yeah, yeah."

The two boys walked away from the water fountain, traversing the halls of the school in search of their friends. And once they found them, they would just simply hang out until the first bell rang—that's what they usually did, after all. Even Alexis stopped by to talk to them sometimes instead of hanging out with people her age.

But after yesterday, Roy began to doubt whether she'd ever come to talk to them again at all.

Coincidentally, Roy ended up with the boys of Octa Prisma—Oscar and Giovanni—in his gym class again this year. And today was yet another four-way turf war, ink flying throughout the middle. However, not everyone participated in the action. Though Roy usually hung out with his baskfishball friends during that time, he sometimes hung out with the two octolings instead, especially ever since he started to date Oscar.

Unfortunately, Gio seemed to have caught on to this.

"You know, Roy," he started, twirling a finger around the tentacle that made up the majority of his mohawk, "you have been with us a lot these past few weeks." He released his fair hand from the green tentacle, instead holding it out at his side. "It has been a while since the last time you opted to be with the baskfishball people instead."

"Well, uh..." He scratched the back of his head. "I...just wanna be with you guys right now." He gave a nervous smile. "Besides, um, all they talk about is sports."

Gio didn't seem to buy his excuse. "Uh huh. And what do you talk about with us?"

"...Turf wars, and other stuff." He shook his head, feeling his palms get sweaty. "More than sports, alright!"

"Roy..." Oscar frowned. "You can tell him."

"Why?" he whispered into his ear, voice edged with panic. "He's not exactly the nicest person!"

"Roy, I am knowing him better than you are," the boy with the afro argued. "He take it good." He grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "Trust me."

He gulped. "Alright." He released his hand from Oscar's and returned his attention to Giovanni, who clearly watched with interest.

He smirked, crossing his arms. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

Defeated, Roy let out a sigh. "I think you guessed it by now, but..." He met his green eyes, donning a stern expression. "I'm dating Oscar."

"That is all?"

"That is all."

Fearing the worst, the inkling closed his eyes, bracing for the impact of a fist. But nothing came. He peered his eyes opened to see a rare smile on Giovanni's face. Roy blinked a few times, surprised. He was...happy. Not mad.

For some reason, Roy felt happy, too.

"Congratulations," Gio simply said. He let out a small laugh. "You know, I have been guessing you liked Oscar for quite some time now."

Roy pulled his shirt over his face, blushing with shame. "Y-You have?"

"It was kind of obvious," he admitted. "...Why are you embarrassed?"

He dropped his shirt, blinking. "Wouldn't you be embarrassed too?"

The boy with mohawk groaned, digging his face into his hand. "Roy, I am certain that having a crush is normal. Whatever your reason for being embarrassed is, it is not normal."

Not normal? If trying to deny and hide his crush on Oscar wasn't normal, then what about when Hunter broke his violin, all those years ago? Would that not be considered normal, too? Even if he had apologized for what had happened in the past, he still couldn't quite trust him not to repeat it. He couldn't trust anyone with knowledge of his love life, really. Not even his closest friends.

"Roy?" Oscar asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you OK?"

He looked over at his boyfriend, the corners of his lips turning downwards. Gently, he placed his hand on his again, squeezing it. Roy closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. But he could trust people now, couldn't he? He actually confessed to Oscar, and now Giovanni knew of their relationship, too.

Perhaps it was time for the rest of the Rainbow Squids to know now, too. Even if he wasn't ready to reveal it to the world yet, they, at least, deserve to know.

Roy opened his eyes again, meeting his orange gaze. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm OK." He turned his attention towards Gio. "Thanks," he told him. "I think I understand now."

"You're welcome," said the fair-skinned octoling.

"Now, what do you say? Let's have a race," the inkling prompted. He examined the arena, quickly finding a path of green ink for them to swim through. "Last one to the end is a rotten egg."

"It is on," Giovanni agreed. "Now, let us begin!" Before anyone could react, he submerged into the ink and sped through it, ripples marking his presence.

"Hey, wait up!" Oscar called, turning into an octopus as well.

"Yeah, that's cheating!" Roy scolded him, following the other two.

Well, whatever. It was just a race, anyways. He had more important things to attend to later.

Following school's end, the Rainbow Squids met up once again in Inkopolis Square, dreary from the grey clouds hanging over them once more. The tables and chairs were a little wet, slick with melted snow from yesterday's flurries. Whether it would snow again today or not, it was clear the clouds were not clearing up any time soon.

With the weather, the group's moods had dampened as well. Everyone sat in silence, their heads low. Even Yuri seemed defeated—Roy could not recall a time where he had ever seen the yellow-haired boy more despaired than he was now. Despite everyone seeming fine when they were at school, here they could not escape reality. Alexis was gone, and the chances of her coming back to Inkopolis were slim.

Octavia was especially hit with her disappearance, not bothering to fix herself up today. Her hair seemed duller than usual, and she merely wore a t-shirt and shorts, wearing her usual wooden sandals for shoes. She still wore her classic straw boater, of course, but it was tipped downwards, shading her face and hiding her expression. She slumped over in her chair, arms thrown down.

Despite everything, Geneva continued to be chipper, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "We can't keep moping around like this," she stated. "We'll never get anything done."

"That's what you say," Bonnie muttered. "You can still go out with her on missions."

"But the rest of us?" Inigo turned his head away from her, scowling. "We can't do that. All we can do is sit here."

"Via...?" Perry nudged her in the shoulder, trying to grab her attention. "You still there?"

"Imagine yourself in her position," the blue-haired girl started. "Your sister went missing, and now she doesn't want anything to do with you."

"I bet her family's worried sick about her," Yuri added. "We swore not to tell anyone about you-know-what, so she can't even tell them that she's out in Octo Canyon."

Inigo glared over at the table Octa Prisma sat at, and Roy followed his gaze, watching them happily chat away. "And look at them. They're talking like nothing ever happened."

"I don't know," the spiky-haired boy confessed, "Alexis never did like them."

"So you think they just don't care for her?" Geneva perplexed. "That's a little harsh."

Roy gulped, placing his hands on his lap, fingers digging into his thighs. Despite his resolution earlier, his doubts sprung up once again, but this time, it had nothing to do with his sexuality. It was the fact that he was even dating a member of Octa Prisma. How would the Rainbow Squids react? He figured Geneva would take it well, given that she was dating an octoling herself, but the others? He had no clue.

"Roy?" Bonnie addressed. Eyes wide, he looked over at her. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Yeah, dude, somethin' up?" Perry agreed.

"Well..." He let out a sigh. "Yeah."

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Bon-Bon. Really. It's just..." He lowered his head again, trembling. Once again, his fears had returned. What would happen if they reacted it badly? Would they ditch him? Or worse? So many questions raced through his mind, his heart pounding with anxiety.

The sun peeked through the clouds, beaming down on his skin, his red hair shining. He had to trust them with this. They're the only people he felt safe telling this to at the moment.

"OK, here it goes," he whispered to himself. He met their gazes, cheeks flushed with red, and revealed, "I'm dating Oscar." He snapped his head away, closing his eyes. "OK, that's it. Please don't get mad."

"Why would we be mad?" Yuri puzzled. "That's great!"

He peered an eye open. "Promise you're not mad?"

"Promise," assured Inigo.

He opened his eyes and returned his gaze to the group. Smiles were on their faces, and Perry was doing a soft clap. Even Octavia had lifted her head, a small smile tugging at her lips.

But he couldn't shake the sinking feeling that their stares pierced into his heart, judging him silently, all while acting like nothing was wrong. More thoughts began to race through his head. Was it a mistake? Were they really telling the truth? Even Inigo, his closest friend, had that soul-boring gaze. Inigo, who he dared give a single rose to, mere months after they first started to participate in turf wars.

Get a grip on yourself, he scolded. They're your best friends. They wouldn't lie to you.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he reopened them, the terrifying stares were gone. Instead, they were replaced with ones of joy, happy that the boy who had hidden his true feelings from the rest of the world finally reveal himself. Now, he had a boyfriend, and the Rainbow Squids knew it. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

He could trust them, and they would always remain friends with him, no matter what happened.

More rays of sunshine started to beam down on the group. Looking up at the sky, the clouds began to clear, revealing the blue sky underneath them. Some birds were chirping, and a gentle breeze blew through the area. His ears picked up on some footsteps in the background, and looking past the group, he noticed a familiar figure in the distance. A bronze-skinned inkling girl wearing a bobble hat, a pirate-stripe tee, and white seahorses.

Alexis.

"She's back," Roy muttered, eyes wide. He stood up from his chair, slamming his hands down on the metal table. "Alexis's back!"

"Huh?" Octavia looked behind her, she stood out of her chair, too. "Alexis!" She started running over to her sister and wrapped her in a hug, much to her surprise. "You're finally back!"

The other Rainbow Squids got up from their seats and walked over to join the reunited sisters. Alexis examined the group with wide orange eyes, still shocked by Via's warm reception. Geneva and Bonnie held their arms out, offering to hug her as well. But she refused, only patting the back of her sister before they let go.

"Don't get your hopes up," she calmed them down. "I'm not rejoining the Rainbow Squids."

"I figured you wouldn't," Geneva admitted. "Especially after all of that."

"But can't ya at least consider it?" Perry begged. "It would be nice to have ya on the team again."

"Nope," she insisted, crossing her arms. "I've made up your mind." She glanced over at Via. "You look like a mess."

"I know, I know," Octavia acknowledged. "It's just with all of that, I couldn't think straight." She wiped a tear from her eye, adjusting her hat. "Oh, who cares? I'm just so glad to have you back."

"Don't you dare pull that off again," Roy scolded her. "Why couldn't you tell us straight-out?"

"I thought you squids wouldn't care," Alexis replied, averting their gazes. "Guess I was wrong."

"Of course we care," Bonnie assured her. "But...we didn't really realize it until you went missing."

With the younger girl going silent, Via placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "C'mon, let's go home. Mom and Dad have been panicking for the last day or so." Alexis simply nodded at her request, and, saying goodbye, they walked, leaving the Rainbow Squids a smaller group than they were just a few moments ago.

"So, what now?" Inigo asked the group. "We could do some turf wars."

"I'm going to meet with Eight," Geneva interjected. She saluted goodbye and started to walk towards the Deca Tower. "See ya."

Roy turned to the boy with the ponytail. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"

"Probably not," he admitted, "but she never wants to be involved with me nowadays."

"Well, whatever," Yuri piped up. "Let's just do some turf wars!"

"But it'll be uneven," Bonnie pointed out. "There's five of us."

Inigo shrugged. "Does it really matter if we fight on the same team?"

"...I guess not," she acknowledged. "But I like battling with you all, and I don't want to be left out a match."

"At least we'll be the majority," Perry remarked.

"That's right," the dark-skinned boy confirmed. "Now, onward, to Deca Tower!"

A/N: At last, Season 5 is here! This chapter is more chill compared to the other season openers, but with what happened in the finale - I guess it was three chapters ago, now - I thought it was fitting. Well, I don't have much else to say. The next chapter was a fun one to write! It's not finished yet, but I would say it's pretty close to being finished. With that, see you next week, and Branchwing, out!