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Agent 4: Interesting. And to answer your question, no, not really. While Octavia is sad Eden just wants to be friends, she does come to the conclusion at the end of the last chapter that she doesn't necessarily need to date anyone right now - right now, having fun is more important. And you can have plenty of fun with your friends! That being said, there's still more to this story that you've yet to see. Eden's going to be appearing quite a few times this season. You'll have to wait and see how everything plays out.

With everything out of the way, let's get to the story.

Yuri's PoV

"Yuri!"

The dark-skinned inkling sat up from his bed, rubbing his eyes at the sound of his mother's voice. What could she want so early in the morning? Regardless, he found himself curious to know the answer. He slipped on some slippers and walked out of his room, descending the stairs to the living room. There, sitting at the couch, was his mom, her hands on her stomach as she watched the news.

"There you are," she said once she noticed him. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"But why this early?" he puzzled.

She giggled. "It'd be better to ask you when the others aren't awake yet. Now, for my question—did you buy presents for your siblings?"

Carp. He had been so caught up with schoolwork that he had forgotten all about Squidmas. His siblings definitely would not be happy to learn they had less presents than usual this year. York and Yana especially. In the end, he had no excuse. He threw his hands down, frowning.

"Sorry, Mom," he apologized. "I forgot."

"That's what I thought," she remarked. "Thankfully, some stores should still be open. One moment." Yuri's mom rose from the couch and shuffled over to the kitchen, where she grabbed a few pieces of paper from the counter. When she returned, she handed the papers over to Yuri. "These are their Squidmas lists. Most of the stuff has been taken care of, but there's still a few things left you could definitely buy."

He gave a quick nod. "Will do." He figured that was his cue to get ready and leave. But as he walked up the stairs and changed out of his pajamas, he started to reconsider leaving so early. His siblings would be suspicious as to why he left to go to the store so early in the day, and they would also be rather curious on what he bought. On the other hand, this may be his best chance to do so, and he could always come up with an excuse.

When he was mostly dressed, only needing to put on shoes, he sat down on his bed, grabbing his phone and starting to scroll through his contacts. Shopping by himself would be quite boring, so perhaps he could call some friends to accompany him. For a few moments, his finger hovered over Perry's name, but he decided against it. He was probably busy today, anyways. He instead tapped on the name above the purple-haired boy's, Patch. From what he knew about Patch's Squidmas plans, he should be available. And so should his other friends from East Inkopolis. With a smile, he opened up the group chat for Patch and the others, asking them if they would like to go Squidmas shopping with him. With the text sent, he put the phone into his pocket and slipped on some yellow-mesh sneakers before grabbing his wallet and walking downstairs.

Yuri's mom was surprised to see him plop down on the couch, eyes focusing on the TV. "Shouldn't you be leaving soon?"

He glanced over at her. "You wanted me to leave now?"

"Yes... It's better later than never, right?"

He sighed. He supposed he would have to leave now, no matter what. "Can I eat breakfast first?"

"Of course."

"Phew. I'm glad." Yuri rose from the couch and walked over to the kitchen, preparing some cereal. Once he finished, he carried the bowl over to the dining table, sat down, and pulled out his phone, first checking his texts before opening up a mobile game. As he expected, none of his friends from East Inkopolis had yet to respond. He shrugged. Maybe they weren't awake yet.

It wasn't until he finished his cereal that he got a response back from someone—Zip. 'Sure,' he replied.

Yuri smiled. At least someone would be coming with him. Now, he had to wait for everyone else to respond.

'Meet me at the Deca Tower,' he texted back. Before an answer came, he put his phone away and said goodbye to his mom, leaving home for now. As he stepped out into the sunlight, he stretched his arms, ready for a new day. Then, he pulled out his phone briefly to open Bubblify, and with the touch of a button, an Off the Hook song began to blast through his headphones, pounding into his ears. He turned down the volume a little bit before beginning his trek to Inkopolis Square, humming to himself.

From time-to-time, he pulled out his phone to check the group chat. Soon enough, both Patch and Tackle had responded to his text. Smiling, he put his phone away. They would be at the Square in no time, he knew. Patch super-jumped there a lot, despite the risks it posed, and Tackle lived closest to Inkopolis Square. Soon, the day could really begin!

Suddenly, Yuri stopped straight in his tracks as he collided with someone, letting out a gasp as the victim stumbled a few steps backwards. Regaining his balance, he found himself staring at Inigo, who was rubbing his forehead. A jacket was thrown around his blue sailor suit.

"Sorry, Inigo," he apologized. "I didn't see you there."

"No, it's my fault," he insisted. "I should've been more careful."

Yuri chuckled. "Heh, then we both should be more careful." Putting his hands on his hips, he quickly changed the subject. "So, what brings you out here?"

"Just taking a walk. What about you?"

"I'm going shopping. Meetin' up with some friends."

Inigo raised an eyebrow. "The ones from East Inkopolis?"

"Yep, that's them."

"Yeah, about what I expected. Have fun."

Yuri gave a thumbs-up. "Will do."

"Well, see ya. Don't want to keep them waiting, do you?"

The yellow-haired boy saluted goodbye, and then they went their separate ways. Traveling down the streets on Inkopolis, he kept his chin up, the Deca Tower stretching high into the sky. He eventually found the streets opening up into the place known as Inkopolis Square. It was livelier than he thought it would be, jellyfish roaming around without a care in the world. There were less inklings than usual, but he could still spot a few of them. Turning off the music he had playing, he studied his surroundings.

It didn't take him long to spot Patch, his dark hand stroking Judd as he slept. Normally, Yuri would've called out his name, but he didn't want to disturb the cat during his slumber. Instead, he announced his presence by stepping in front of his friend and clearing his throat. Judd's ear twitched, and his golden eyes peered open briefly before squeezing them shut again.

Red eyes focused on Yuri. "Hey, Studio," he greeted, his voice low. He rubbed Judd's head. "Cat fur is soft, isn't it?" In agreement, the yellow-haired boy nodded, and then Patch gave a soft laugh. "Almost makes me feel bad for the suckers who don't live in Inkopolis."

Yuri shrugged. "Hey, there's a reason why all the squids want to come here. Maybe not solely because of Judd, but that's one of them!"

His loud voice startled Judd, and he immediately snapped his head up, eyes wide. Once he calmed down, however, he glared at Yuri, his tail lashing. Feeling guilty, he apologized to the cat and patted his head again. Quieter, Yuri and Patch conversed among themselves, talking about whatever came to mind.

Tackle and Zip arrived together, carrying a few cans of soda. Two cans were handed over to Yuri and Patch, and while Tackle still had a hand grasped around his can, Zip immediately popped it open and started chugging down the drink. After one mouthful, he lowered his head and wiped his lips on his hand.

"Ah, that feels good," he remarked. Unlike most days, he wore his green zip hoodie the way it was intended instead of tying it around his waist, though it was still unzipped. "Now, about this shopping trip..."

"Yeah, where are we going?" Tackle inquired.

"Well..." Yuri pulled the list of his pocket, gesturing for the group to come over to him. They hovered over him, eyes focused on the paper. "What do you think?"

After taking a few moments to read the list, Patch spoke up, saying, "For the clothes, we could just to Arowana Mall. Or the Reef."

"The Reef isn't far from here," Zip suggested. "We could go there first."

"What about the toys?" Yuri pointed out. "I don't think they sell any at the Reef. Or Arowana Mall."

"I know just the place for that," Tackle interjected. "Bobblesquid."

"Oh yeah, Bobblesquid," the boy with the bowl cut recalled. "I used to love that place when I was a kid."

Zip sighed. "Let's just get going."

Yuri stuffed the list back into his pocket. "Well, you heard him!" He pointed a finger up towards the air before swinging it down, pointing it out in front of him. "Let's go!"

Together, the boys traveled away from Inkopolis Square, in the direction of the Reef. It didn't take very long to reach it, seeing as it was only a block away. Yuri spotted not a single bit of ink as they traveled along the upper level, the area down below undisturbed. He stopped to observe the area, finishing up the can of soda. Some jellyfish played with a jump rope on the bridge, but that was it. It was as if an inkling had never stepped foot in there. A tug at his hand brought him out of his thoughts, and before he knew it, Patch was dragging him into a Krak-On store.

"Here's our first stop," the boy with the bowl cut announced, running a hand through his pink hair. "Now, let's get shoppin'."

Tackle picked up a pair of cream hi-tops. "Hey, do you know what size Yasmin wears?"

Yuri tossed the empty can into a nearby garbage bin and pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket again. "I think she said on her list." Reading over it, he nodded. "Yeah, she did."

"Your mom didn't buy shoes for her already?" Zip commented after he announced her shoe size. "Surprising."

"She has a lot of them," he explained. "I guess my mom didn't want to add more to her closet."

"Yet she still put it on her list," the almond-skinned boy remarked. "I guess your mom still wants you to buy some, seeing as she didn't cross it out."

Yuri joined Tackle and took the hi-tops out of his hands. "Maybe one pair would do." He examined the shoes for a few moments before shaking his head. "Maybe not this pair, though."

"You don't think cream hi-tops is fitting?" Tackle puzzled. "Isn't she turning 14 in a few months?"

"Yeah, but perhaps she should be a more fashionable newbie," he argued.

"Dude, everyone gets the same outfit when they register," he pointed out. "I don't think she has a choice."

"Fair, fair. But since the cream hi-tops are so similar to the cream basics, I think we should get something else."

Patch walked over to some slip-on shoes he had never seen before and picked them up. "What about these?" he suggested. He glanced at the tag and added, "They're sponsored by Off the Hook."

"Really?" Yuri pushed past Tackle to join the boy with the bowl cut. Studying the tag, he learned that the name of the shoes he had picked up were the 'midnight slip-ons.' The logo representing Marina was on the box, some of which were located below the tag. He grabbed a box in Yasmin's size and checked inside to make sure they were the correct shoes. "Alright, we got some shoes!"

The person working as the cashier today was a jellyfish, staring absent-mindedly at the group of inklings. Nonetheless, they took the box and scanned it, then pointing to the total that was now being displayed. Yuri reached into his pocket and handed some cash over to the jellyfish, who took it and put it into the cash register. With a nod, they bagged the box and handed it over to the spiky-haired boy before waving goodbye. Yuri gave his regards, and together, the group exited the shop.

"Well, we bought some shoes," Patch remarked, putting his hands behind his head. "Where to next?"

They stopped outside of another shop, this one donning the Enperry logo. "We could go here," Zip suggested.

"Yasmin doesn't like Enperry," Yuri declined. "I know that."

"What?" Tackle's eyes widened with shock. "Why?"

"I dunno," he admitted. "She just doesn't."

"Well, what other brands does she like?" the almond-skinned inkling then questioned.

"Splash Mob," he replied. "She came home wearing a pilot hat a few days ago—according to her, her friend gave it to her as a Squidmas gift." He paused, laughing. "She even wore it to sleep!"

Patch smiled. "Well, ya can't be a pilot in your sleep, now can you?"

"Yeah! A sleeping pilot would be disastrous!" Yuri agreed.

Zip sighed. "So, we gonna find a Splash Mob store or what?"

"Oh, yeah," the yellow-haired boy said. "Let's keep looking."

After passing a few more stores, they eventually spotted a store with the Splash Mob logo plastered above the entrance. Various advertisements were displayed on the glass wall, displaying the various gear that the brand sold. Entering the store, the walls were a dark blue, the floor made of white tile. Instrumental techno music played in the background, which Yuri felt fitting.

Zip grabbed a pilot hat and put it on his head, hiding his ponytail. He stared at himself in the mirror for a few moments before shaking his head and taking it off. Rejoining the group, they started to search for clothes Yasmin could wear. They were eventually met with an abundance of shirts, taking up an entire section of the wall. Some mannequins wearing said shirts were placed around the display, modeling the various shirts Splash Mob sold. Tackle reached up and grabbed a navy college sweat, showing it to Yuri.

"What about this?" he suggested. "I know she's usually yellow like you, but I think navy blue works really well with yellow."

Yuri stared at the sweatshirt, thinking. "I don't know..."

Zip grabbed a white shirt off of the wall. "What about this?"

"Maybe?"

Patch grabbed a Baby-Jelly shirt. "I bet she'd like this."

"Eh..." He shook his head. "You know what? Let's just get all three. It's Splash Mob, surely she'll like it."

Tackle handed the sweatshirt over to Yuri. "Aight, it's your call." After the other boys had handed the shirts they chose over to him, they walked over to the cashier—a sea urchin girl wearing a crop top and glasses.

"Hey, welcome," she greeted. "This all you're buying today?"

"Yep," Yuri replied.

She took the shirts off of their hangers and scanned them. "9,650G." The cashier reached out a hand, beckoning for some cash. Yuri pulled out his wallet and placed them in her hands, and she placed them inside the cash register, printing out a receipt. Yuri held up the bag with the shoe box in it, and she placed the shirts inside it, followed by the receipt.

"Have a nice day," the sea urchin declared.

"You too," Yuri called as they exited the Splash Mob shop. Next stop: Bobblesquid. Unfortunately for them, it was not in the Reef, though he had no idea where the closest would be.

"We could go to the one in East Inkopolis," Tackle suggested as they discussed their plans. "I definitely know where that one is."

"But it's so far," Zip complained. "It'll take forever to walk there."

"And that's why we have the power of public transportation," Patch rebutted.

"Oh, yeah. Guess I forgot."

"Well, to the train station, then," Yuri announced. "We have no time to waste!"

They returned back to Inkopolis Square and started walking towards the train station. Once they entered, Tackle did most of the talking, asking for tickets for the East Inkopolis station and even paying for them. A few minutes later, they stepped on the bus, opting to sit towards the middle of the bus. Yuri rested his head, pulling out his phone and playing some more music on Bubblify as they sped towards their next destination. He only got through a few songs by the time they arrived, and once again, he found himself on the streets, carrying his bag towards a series of stores near the train station.

From the moment he entered the shopping district, Yuri could immediately spot Bobblesquid. The sign hanging above the entrance consisted of a myriad of colors, and the font it was written in was bold, yet simple. Even the walls were colored blue! Nonetheless, Yuri remembered going here with his dad when he was younger, begging him to buy almost every action figure he saw. Something that made him nostalgic for his elementary school days. A small smile crossing his lips, he entered the store with his friends from East Inkopolis.

Bobblesquid was rather empty—from what he could see right now, they were the only inklings in the entire store. And to top it off, most of the people inside seemed to be adults. Yuri found himself frowning. Sure, it was Squidmas Eve, and most parents wouldn't dare bring their children out shopping on this day, but he was sure Bobblesquid should be much more lively.

"So," Patch started, putting a hand on his hip. "Where can we buy clam bucks?"

"Considering that they're for Keeplier, they should be near the video game section," Tackle mused. "That's where I see gift cards for games."

"There's more than just clam bucks," Yuri reminded them, beginning to pace around. "Yana wants Princess Seapony merch, York wants more action figures, Yasmin wants...stuff for her phone. You know, that thing you attach to the back of it."

Zip rubbed his head. "A phone grip? I don't think you can buy one of those here."

"I've seen eight-year-olds with phones, sure you can!" he argued.

Patch shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to look."

"Well, let's just do this one thing at a time, then," the honey-skinned inkling suggested. "The video game section, along with other tech, should be towards the back of the store. The toys should be closer to the entrance. So, we deal with that first, and then we go find the phone grip and clam bucks."

Yuri chuckled. "Sounds like a plan to me!" He grabbed a shopping cart and pushed it towards one of the aisles. "C'mon, let's go!"

The aisle they entered consisted of mostly dolls and other similar toys, something that made Zip uncomfortable, Yuri noticed. Patch whispered something to him, and he gulped, nodding. They made their way down the aisle, stopping when Yuri noticed a section devoted to Princess Seapony. Some toys depicting the character were on the lower shelves, while the upper section consisted of t-shirts and light-up tiaras. Yuri opted for the light-up tiara, taking one off the shelf. Pressing a button, the jewels on the tiara began to flash between pink and green. While he didn't find it very amusing, he figured Yana would like it. He turned the lights off and tossed it into the cart. He also grabbed one of the shirts, seeing as Yana might like that, too. They exited the aisle, walking towards a section where they would find action figures.

"My little sister loves Princess Seapony," Tackle remarked. "I bet she and your sister would be good friends, Studio."

Yuri blinked, surprised. "Since when did you have a sister?"

"Since seventh grade," he replied. "My parents adopted her when she was two. A little older than I was, but still pretty young." He then let out a sigh, crossing his arms. "Sometimes I wonder what happened to her birth parents—and mine as well."

"We babysat her once a few years ago," Patch elaborated. "I put on the Squid Sisters, but she just cried."

"But then we put on Princess Seapony, and bam, she loved it," the honey-skinned boy continued, though his expression remained solemn. "She's loved it ever since."

"I see," Yuri merely said. Kind of like my sister. One day, Princess Seapony was playing on TV, and Yana just happened to tune in. Since then, she became the biggest fan of Princess Seapony he ever knew.

They entered the aisle filled with action figures. Yuri picked up a Flying Squid action figure, different from the one York had received for his birthday. He put it into the shopping cart, and he, along with the other boys, started to examine the aisle for more action figures. Soon enough, four different action figures, all depicting different superheroes, filled the cart. Deciding it was enough for now, they moved on, heading towards the video game section of the store.

Just as his friends had said, there were indeed phone grips towards this section, accompanying different phone cases. Yuri grabbed one with Wet Floor's logo on it and placed it in the cart. While he had been choosing a phone grip out, his other friends had started searching for a gift card for clam bucks. They arrived not long after he had chosen one, Patch holding a blue gift card in his hand.

"2,000G," he noted. "Quite a bit for some in-game currency."

Zip scowled. "You literally bought gems for Kingdom Clash last week."

"It was only 500G," he defended, crossing his arms. "That's barely anything!"

"Still." He put his hands on his hips. "If you can pay 500G for gems, then we can pay 2,000G for clam bucks."

"Aight, aight." He handed the gift card over to Yuri. "You sure you can pay for all of this?"

"I've been saving up money," he assured him. "Don't worry."

Tackle shrugged. "If you say so."

"Well, we got everything," Zip announced. "All we have to do is pay for it."

Yuri nodded enthusiastically. "Right! Let's go!"

They entered the aisles once more, making their way to the check-out center. Yuri moved slower than the rest of the group, keeping his eyes peeled for anything else he might want to buy for his younger siblings. In one aisle, they stopped, looking behind their shoulders to check in on their friend. The spiky-haired boy gave a thumbs-up in response. Catching up to them, they continued on as well. Though, it was short-lived, as Tackle ran right into an inkling old enough to be someone's mother moments later, forcing everyone to freeze in place.

"Ah!" Tackle stumbled backwards, rubbing his helmet. "Sorry, I..." He trailed off as he met the lady's eyes.

They were a deep blue, just like his own.

"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow, perplexed. While her skin was darker than Tackle's, Yuri could see the similarities between them beside their eye color. Her expression greatly reminded him of Tackle's whenever he was confused. "Is something wrong?"

"Look, this may seem really random, but..." He took off his helmet, revealing a buzzcut. "Did you ever have a son named Eli?"

The woman's eyes widened, but she did not voice any suspicions she may have had. "Yes, but...I don't see what that has to do with anything." She frowned. "I gave him up a long time ago. I can hardly be considered his mom."

Now, Tackle himself was frowning. "I believe I'm your son," he revealed. "Do you think that, too?"

Flustered, she placed a hand on her cheek. "I-I'll admit, you do look a lot like me. And I can see that man in you, too."

"'That man?'" he repeated. He blinked, clearing a few tears from his eyes. "You mean my father. What do you mean by that?"

"What I'm saying is, I barely know him. It was just a fling." Her frown only seemed to go deeper. "You came to me as a surprise. I wasn't ready, so I put you up for adoption. I didn't want to doom you to dealing with my messes."

Tackle simply stood there, trembling. His helmet fell to the ground, rolling around for a few moments before settling. Patch placed a hand on his shoulder, whispering something to him, but he didn't respond. All Yuri could hear was his shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, Eli," the woman apologized, clasping her hands together. "I really am." She looked away from them now, sniffling. "Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I didn't give you up. Maybe it would be better, maybe it wouldn't."

At last, Tackle spoke. "...Does my dad even know I exist?"

"No," she responded. "We never spoke again after everything was over."

"Then, do you at least know his name?"

"It's..." She paused, thinking. Finally, she responded, "Again, I'm sorry. It's been years since then."

Eyes avoiding her gaze, Tackle looked down at the ground, still taking deep breaths. "Dang it..." Patch reached out to comfort him again, but before he could do anything, the boy with the buzzcut whipped around, crying, "Dang it!" His fist swift, he punched the shelf, unsettling the toys that rested on top. He shook his hand moments later, his knuckles starting to tint red. Then, he started to sob, resting his forehead against the shelf.

The woman who claimed to be Tackle's mother sighed. "Look, if you want me to help, I can...though I'm not sure how."

"...I don't need your help," he muttered, not bothering to look over at her.

Zip glared at her. "I don't think you're helping, ma'am. So like, can you just go?"

She gasped, taking a step back. Then, she took a deep breath, clenching a fist. "Fine," she declared. "I see you want nothing to do with me anyways..."

Noticing she was leaving, Tackle lifted his head and reached out a hand. "Hey, wait!"

But she was already gone. Looking around, Yuri couldn't even see where she had gone. It was as if she was never there.

He lowered his hand, frowning. He picked up his helmet and put it on, his head now drooping. Without any more words said, he continued on to the check-out, and thus, so did the rest of the group. The atmosphere had grown tense as they entered the line, not a single word spoken between them. The cashier at the line they entered was yet another jellyfish, scanning everything in silence before displaying the total to the group.

"17,500G?!" Yuri exclaimed. "That's so much!"

"That's what we get for buying four action figures," Zip pointed out.

He sighed. "Guess I can't get out of this now." He pulled out his wallet and paid the cashier, who proceeded to bag everything. The action figures were put into two separate bags, while everything else was in one bag, including the receipt. Combined with the bag containing the shoes and shirts, each inkling in the group now carried one bag. They stepped outside, and Yuri looked up at the sky. From how high the sun was, it was getting close to noon. Just in time for lunch!

"We should take these your house first," Patch suggested. "It's gonna be exhausting carrying them everywhere."

"Exactly my plan," Yuri remarked. "You thinkin' about getting lunch?"

"Yep," Zip replied. "And it's about time, too—I'm starving."

His stomach growled, and he rubbed his belly. "Me too," he agreed.

The boy with the bowl cut looked over at Tackle. "You OK?"

He flexed his hand, frowning. "Yeah, I'm OK. It's just a lot to take in." He gave a half-hearted laughed. "Squidmas Eve was the worst time to find out about this stuff. Be careful what you wish for, I guess."

"You can go home if you want," Yuri pointed out.

"No, I'm staying," he insisted. "I'd much rather be with my friends, anyways."

He smiled. "Well, if you say so."

The group of inklings left the parking lot, towards the nearest train station. There was no reason to linger anymore; they had to get moving, looking towards the future instead of the past.

A/N: How was that? Sorry this chapter is a little late again. Perhaps one day, I'll actually post a chapter at 12:15 PM EST again. But hey, it's out of the way, and I have the entire week to write the next chapter. Though I do feel like my chapters have been on the shorter side lately. Hopefully I'll put out a longer chapter soon. We can also hope it'll be on time next week. And with that, Branchwing, out.