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Agent 4: Victor is an octoling. Considering the people he hangs out around, I decided it would make sense if he spoke more casually than the other octolings we have met (minus Marina, of course). And yeah, time does fly in this story! Generally, if you want to know the current time frame the story is in, just look up the dates of Splatfests - this story follows real time. For example, the Splatfest this chapter covers, Fam vs. Friend, occurred in January 2019 in Splatoon 2. So, that's the date it is in "The Rainbow Squids" right now. On the other hand, the first Splatfest covered in "The Rainbow Squids" was Mayo vs. Ketchup, which occurred all the way back in August 2017. A lot of time has passed!

Now, onto the story.

Inigo's PoV

During the FrostyFest, the decorations in Inkopolis Square were unlike any Inigo had even seen before.

The white goop that hung from the top of buildings almost looked like icing, but no matter what it was, it was clearly artificial, staying perfectly still. Silver and gold snowflake decorations were hung from building to building, and a plastic Squidmas tree had been situated just outside the Shoal. Neon signs and graffiti decorated the area like usual, and jellyfish dotted the area, wearing party hats alongside their Splatfest tees. Snow falling across the land only helped with the atmosphere, golden clouds hanging above them as fireworks shot up into the sky, exploding to make colorful displays with the lights.

The theme for this Splatfest was not quite what Inigo expected—that being Fam vs. Friend. He supposed it was fitting, though. Many people spent the holidays with their family, while others spent it with their friends instead, like Octa Prisma. In fact, all of them donned silver t-shirts marking them as a part of Team Friend—a first for the team, he was pretty sure.

Inigo had also opted to choose Team Friend. Though his family was nice and all, nothing beat hanging out with his friends. He couldn't imagine life without them—it almost came to that while he was the Vigilante, after all. But now that everyone has moved on, Inigo felt stronger than ever.

...Everyone except Geneva. She still was not over it. At this point, it seemed like the grudge would last forever. He really hoped it didn't come to that. At least she wasn't on the same team as him this Splatfest. He could avoid it for another day or two.

"Hey, Bon-Bon, you OK?" Yuri asked, hovering over the beige-skinned girl. "You seem sadder than usual."

"It's nothing," she replied, looking up at him. "I was just thinking about something, that's all."

Roy cleared his throat, directing everyone's attention to him. "Now that the Splatfest is here... Let's battle!"

"Hey, wait a moment," Geneva spoke up, pointing a finger up at the sky. "Octa Prisma wanted to meet with us first, remember?"

"Yeah, to bring us snacks," Octavia added. "Oh, I hope it's good!"

"Oh, yeah." A smile tugged at his lips. "Candy would be nice."

"I want some chips, personally," Inigo commented. "They're nice and crispy."

"And also junk food," Via groaned. "Wouldn't it be better to eat something healthy?"

Perry snickered. "I don't think they're bringing healthy food."

Of course, their answers as to what Octa Prisma would bring were answered moments later, with Giovanni calling out the Rainbow Squids as his team approached them. He was the only octoling not to carry anything, instead leading them to the table the team of inklings sat at. Everyone else carried one box each, with each of them containing different kinds of snacks.

Octavia rose from her seat and walked over to the box Peyton was carrying. "Ooh..." She picked a bag up. "'Dried apple chips.'"

"I buy them this morning," she explained. "Is it to the liking of your?"

She tore the bag open and popped a chip into her mouth. "How much did that whole thing cost?"

Peyton shrugged. "I do not remember."

"Still might've cost quite a bit." The wavy-haired girl marched back over to her seat and sat down, continuing to eat her chips.

Inigo's eyes focused on the other members of Octa Prisma. "What do you all have?"

Oscar dropped his box on the Rainbow Squids' table. "Star candies," he announced. "Enjoy."

Roy took a bag and opened it up, popping some into his mouth. "Can't say I'm surprised."

He shrugged. "You know me well now. Of course you are not surprised."

"Everyone knows you like eating," Geneva commented. "I don't think anyone is."

"You both like candy!" Yvonne chimed in. The box she carried contained packets of fortune cookies. "Even less surprising!"

When Inigo noticed Yvonne's box, he rose from his chair. "Hold on, can I see that?"

The girl with pigtails looked up at him and nodded. "Yes! Many fortune cookies for all!"

"I think it'd be better if everyone got one each for now." He took one and returned to the table, ripping the package open. Breaking the cookie in half, a slip of paper fell from inside. Once he got a hold of it, he started to read it out loud. "'Be careful, or else calamity will befall you.'"

"That's not depressing at all," Octavia remarked with sarcasm. "Hold on, what does mine say?" She grabbed a fortune cookie and opened it, revealing her own fortune. "'Now is the time to try something new.' Hm, I don't think it means anything, but neat."

"It usually doesn't," Geneva murmured.

"C'mon, G, why don't you crack one open?" Perry suggested, leaning back in his chair as he ate some star candies.

"Fine." She took a fortune cookie from the box and ripped it open, revealing another slip of paper. She ate the cookie first before reading it. "'You already know the answers to the questions lingering inside your head.'"

"Ominous..." Yvonne commented. "All of these, actually."

Iris frowned, joining the group around the table. "Then why buy them?"

She huffed. "It is still fun!"

Bonnie peered inside the box Iris was holding. "...Fruit snacks?"

"I like them," she defended.

Inigo looked over at Giovanni, frowning. He highly doubted they were going to be able to eat everything. "I don't think this was a good idea."

"Well, is it not good to have options?" he countered. "Even if we do not eat everything, everyone can still pick what they want to eat."

He sighed, defeated. "I guess. What will you do with the extras?"

"Store them away," Eight replied. She had already taken a seat next to Geneva, a box of popcorn bags on the ground next to her. "Distribute them evenly."

"Eight agreed to give me her box afterwards," Gio continued. "Because she already lives with Geneva and her brother, she does not need them."

"Guess that's one way to solve it," he muttered.

Now that everyone had settled down, they continued taking bags of snacks from the boxes, continuing their conversation and eating some food at the same time. About ten minutes later, when they had finished their meal for the most part, a new group approached them, and their chatter died off, eyes gazing upon the newcomers. It was a team of funny-looking inklings—likely octolings, if Inigo's prior experiences had taught him anything. Their leader was a girl with light-brown skin, silver hair tied up into a ponytail. Behind her were a brown-skinned boy with hair styled into a mohawk, a honey-skinned boy with hair styled into an afro, and a fair-skinned girl with curly hair much like Eight's. Similar to Inigo, everyone on the team was on Team Friend.

"Oh, Eden!" Yvonne exclaimed. "I did not expect you to visit us!" At her words, Brayden and Peyton went rigid, turning into octopi and plopping down to the ground, hiding underneath the table.

The girl with the ponytail giggled. "When I saw you and Octavia, I decided to pay you a visit." She scanned the group, and for a moment, Inigo could've sworn he spotted a twinge of disgust in her face. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. He started to wonder if he imagined it. "You have a big team."

"Well, we all fit the colors of the rainbow," Giovanni interjected, placing a hand on his chest. "There are seven colors in it. So, it makes sense."

Iris reached under the table and picked up Brayden. He scurried onto the back of her neck, his tentacles draped around her shoulders. "What is with that look?" she muttered.

Peyton emerged from underneath the table, transforming back into a kid and gesturing for the group to huddle around her. Octavia told the new team to wait for a few moments before everyone, inklings and octolings alike, listened in on what she had to say.

It took some encouragement from her teammates, but soon enough, she gulped, finally revealing: "Brayden and I recognize them."

Inigo blinked, surprised. "You know them? From where?"

"It is a long story..." Brayden admitted, crawling down to the ground and reforming.

"To summarize, they were scouts when we in Octarian army," Peyton continued. "I am knowing Victor—afro boy—personally."

"Hold on," Bonnie interrupted. "Did you say Victor?"

"Yes..." She raised an eyebrow. "Why speak up?"

"Yeah, you usually don't," Roy added.

She seemed to immediately regret it, lowering her head. "...It's not important. Just forget I ever said that."

Inigo smirked. Whatever she was thinking, he had a feeling she would tell Octavia about it. They were the closest of friends, after all.

"Continue," he declared.

"There is one thing they all share in common," Brayden proceeded. "They all served directly under an elite octoling named Takko." Blue eyes fell on Geneva. "You must know who he is, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. I've never met him, but given my position, I'm supposed to know important Octarians in their society. The fact that he and his sister are the Squid Sisters' age makes them more of a priority. In the words of the Cap'n, they're 'more volatile.'"

Eight nodded. "Takko and Yaki are like the Squid Sisters for the Octarians. Except no singing. And much more serious."

"So, basically, he's part of the government down there," Perry deduced. "Well, whatever. They're on the surface now, so who gives?"

"It suspicious," Peyton argued. "All four showed up in the short of times. No coincidence."

"Thus, we need to be careful," Brayden concluded. "I do not know what they are planning. But whatever it is, it cannot be good."

Yvonne frowned. "Eden is my friend, though. She seems nice right now."

He sighed, muttering under his breath, "I swear, you trust people too easily." It was quiet, but it was just barely audible enough for Inigo to hear.

The girl with pigtails tilted her head. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, raising his hands slightly. "Just be careful around her. It would be a shame to lose you to the Octarians."

"What if they're innocent, though?" Octavia pointed out. "I hung out with Eden for a bit. She doesn't seem like she has any ulterior motives."

Peyton groaned, placing her fingers on her forehead. "Many are trained to not be suspicious. They served Takko, so they are some of the best. Unless you are having the instinct of good or many skills, it near impossible to tell."

Roy groaned. "I think your training is making you question everything."

"Yeah, can't an octoling not be planning something?" Yuri agreed.

Brayden sighed. "I am not surprised in the slightest you even said that."

"I think we talk enough for now," Oscar interjected, frowning. "The others must be getting impatient."

"Probably." Peyton gave one last look at the Rainbow Squids. "You better remember this." Before anyone could answer, she turned around, facing the group of newcomers once more. Everyone else followed her lead, now staring into the eyes of the leader.

Eden raised a hand to her mouth and chuckled. "There are many eyes watching me, it seems."

With nervous laughter, Oscar remarked, "You do not seem nervous at all!"

She ignored him. "I suppose I should introduce you to the rest of my team." She tapped her foot on the ground, and the three octolings behind her stepped up, remaining silent. "Trace, Victor, and Valerie."

"Hey." The boy with the afro, Victor, waved his hand. "I see some familiar faces here."

"Even you?" The girl with curly hair, Valerie, shook her head. "I think I'm the only person none of you know."

"I think otherwise," Brayden retorted under his breath.

Victor smirked. "I get around." Purple eyes fell on Bonnie. "And I will be honest, I did not expect you to be here."

"Me neither," she admitted. "But...how did you survive all that?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "I thought you died, for cod's sake!"

He winced at her words, and so did some of the other people surrounding Inigo. "Died? I think you greatly underestimate my skills."

Via looked over at her. "Is this related to last night?"

"What?" Perry blinked, surprised. "Somethin' happened last night?"

"It's nothing," she insisted. "Really."

Victor took a few steps forward, and the beige-skinned girl stiffened at his advances. "'Nothing?' It's far from nothing!"

Peyton snorted. "You overexaggerate everything."

"Huh?" The boy's eyes widened with surprise as his eyes drifted over to the speaker. "Peyton? Is that you?"

"Unfortunately."

"Care to explain?" Roy asked.

"Gladly," Victor replied. "She was in the unit I was initially assigned to. Both she and her twin sister, actually."

"He flirt with Peony," she snapped. "So rude, too."

"H-Hey, I have changed since then," he defended.

"And my guess is you were flirting with Bonnie last night," Octavia interjected.

"Well...I think she liked the adventure I took her on."

Inigo looked over at Bonnie, awaiting her response, but she simply frowned, averting the octoling boy's gaze.

"I think that is enough," Trace declared, stepping in between them. "We should start introducing ourselves formerly." With a bow, he continued, "Trace Bathyal. It is nice to meet..." He paused, his eyes scanning the group. "...Most of you."

"Eh." Victor put his hands behind his head. "I am not too keen on sharing my last name to every inkling I meet."

"But there are octolings here as well," Trace pointed out. "Should they not know?"

"I mean, some of them probably already know who we are," he admitted. "There is no need, really."

"Formalities or not, we really should get battling," Eden suggested. "The Splatfest will only last so long."

"Finally!" Yuri exclaimed. "I've been waiting for so long!"

"Well, what about it?" Geneva put a hand on her hip. "You wanna fight one of us or something?"

The tips of Valerie's hair started to waver. "I would like to be fighting inklings," she commented. Inigo could hear Peyton let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, there's seven of us," the long-haired girl continued. "Which one of us will you fight?"

"Not you," Eden immediately responded.

Though surprised, she let out a sigh. "Well...then I guess you're fighting the squids on Team Friend."

"There's only three of us on Team Friend, though," Perry argued. "Roy, Bon-Bon, and Inigo."

"Alexis's on Team Friend," Via revealed. "I could call her."

"That would be preferable," Trace agreed.

Octavia excused herself, disappearing behind the Crust Bucket. A few minutes later, she returned, giving a thumbs-up. "I told her to meet us inside the Deca Tower."

"So what are we waiting for?" Roy remarked. "Let's go!"

The group proceeded to push past the inklings crowding around the stage Off the Hook performed on, making their way inside the Deca Tower. Octa Prisma said their goodbyes and entered one of the elevators, while the Rainbow Squids and the other team of octolings kept to one corner of the lobby, seeing as the area was already crowded enough. That way, Alexis would have an easier time finding them. A few minutes later, Inigo spotted the short-haired girl enter the Deca Tower, and he started waving his hand around, trying to grab her attention. Octavia soon followed, and she snapped her head over to them, running over to them with Hero Dualies in hand.

Valerie paled upon seeing her. "Oh... This is Alexis."

"No introductions are necessary, then?" Geneva inquired.

Alexis nodded. "I got a briefing of them from Via. There's no need to."

Trace frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah," she insisted. "I'm just battling you, anyways."

"We need to get our weapons," Inigo announced. "It's in a storage room, so we don't have to carry them everywhere."

Eden blinked. "May we see?"

"We'll only be in there for a few moments," Roy replied.

"Yeah, and there's no use delaying the match further," Yuri agreed.

Geneva was already a few steps ahead of them, walking towards the direction of the panel that granted access to their storage. "Then let's go."

Indeed, their trip to the storage room proved to be brief, each member of the Rainbow Squids grabbing their respective weapons. Once the last of them stepped out of it, the floor paneling slid back to cover up the stairs, growing still like nothing had ever been there. Geneva immediately started dragging the squids on Team Fam towards one of the elevators, giving little chance for the other half to say goodbye. Inigo reached a hand out towards her, but his voice faltered. So, she was ignoring him now. At least it would be better than a full-blown argument.

They entered an empty elevator in silence, crowding inside it. Once everyone got in, the door shut behind them, and they started to descend deeper into the Deca Tower. The air was especially tense around Victor and Bonnie, who merely stared at each other in silence. It quickly dissipated as the floor beneath them opened up to reveal a grate. Now, excitement buzzed in the air as they transformed and slipped through it, traveling towards their next destination.

When Inigo emerged from the spawn point, he found himself staring out into a starry sky, strange formations hanging from the ceiling. Lights were strung from object to object, illuminating the area alongside neon signs. Confetti littered the ground, and more only continued to fall from the sky. A Shifty Station. But perhaps most peculiar about the stage were the machines patrolling the area, yellow ink falling from its underside. On top of some of them were giant candles, flames flickering the darkness.

"Flooders," Alexis informed. She spun her dualies in her hand, narrowing her gaze. "They can splat you in an instant if you're not careful."

"But these ones have the same ink color as us," Bonnie pointed out. "So they shouldn't hurt us, right?"

"I guess," she acknowledged, "but I still don't like them."

"There's probably ones with enemy ink on the other side," Inigo added. Moments later, he slammed his roller down on the wooden platform, running off the spawn point. "Now, let's go!"

Ink trailed behind him as he ran towards the center of the stage, though he was quickly stopped as he reached a ledge, looking down on one of the flooders. There were some boxes stacked on top of it, allowing anyone who happened to climb onto the flooder to hide behind it. He was playing a Carbon Roller, though—he had no reason to hide. He threw an autobomb at the top before continuing on, jumping down into the pit. He winced as a flooder passed by him, drenching him with his own color of ink. It felt nice, though, despite how much ink there was. It was just like taking a shower! But once it passed, he shook the ink off, continuing his journey to the stage's center.

It wasn't long before he met any opponents, the opponent in question being Trace. He had charged right ahead, shooting ink out in front of him with his Octo Shot. Yellow-green eyes snapped over towards Inigo the moment he noticed him, and his eyebrows now furrowed, he charged towards them, pressing down on the trigger. Pink ink splattered onto Inigo, and he jumped down to the platform below, eyes wide with surprise. Trace followed him, but before he could finish him off, his ink tank ran empty, submerging into the ink to refill it. Inigo took that chance to slam his roller down onto him, splatting him and leaving only a puddle of yellow ink behind.

Inigo climbed up to the center of the stage, looking towards the other team's side of the map. Despite it being rather flat, there were still plenty of walls to hide behind, making it much harder to find anyone. Additionally, if there were any chargers or splatlings on the opposing team, they could easily snipe him from their vantage points. Flooders continued to patrol the area, these ones spilling pink ink instead of yellow. He threw an autobomb down towards the lower flooder, but the bomb merely blew up, and the machine quickly covered the mark it left behind.

Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Eden rushing towards him, firing her Octo Shot. In a panic, he jumped down to the pit below, the soles of his shoes now sticky with pink ink. Then, a red laser pointed at him, a machine sounding an alarm. His indigo eyes followed the source of the laser, and soon, he was staring into the beady eyes of a flooder. It rushed towards him, and all Inigo could do was stare up at it until he was drenched in a shower of ink, instantly splatting him.

Inigo respawned, though the residual pain from splatting was less than he expected—it was almost like being splatted by a Griller. A dull pain ached throughout his body, but he quickly pushed it to the side, swimming back towards the middle of the Shifty Station. Though, he wasn't able to get very far, as the other team was already pushing towards his side of the map. The octolings were able to work around the flooders, swiftly avoiding them even as they sounded off alarms. Victor and Valerie weaved around the lower flooder's path, running up the ramp. Victor let out a cry as a charger shot through him, splatting him. Valerie squeaked and tripped, landing on her face. With another swing of his Carbon Roller, he splatted her, and now two octopus-shaped ghosts flew away into the night sky.

Following the attack, Alexis charged past him, firing from her Hero Dualies and inking whatever she saw. She ran up to the bounce pad and leaped onto it, soaring into the sky with an open smile. She barreled towards the center of the stage, just barely landing on a thin platform. She nearly lost her footing, but she quickly realigned herself, her hair glowing as she pulled out a set of Tenta Missiles. Pressing the launcher, yellow missiles shot into the air, flying towards their target. In the distance, Inigo could see them explode, covering up more turf with his team's yellow ink. He soon joined her on top of the platform, staring out into the distance. His own hair started to glow, and he pulled out an Ink Storm container. He bust it against the ground, and a yellow cloud shot up into the air, drops of ink raining onto the ground. Satisfied, he continued on ahead, Alexis closely following behind him.

But, as he charged up ahead, he felt someone grab the back of his shirt collar, and he was pulled back, smacking right into the person behind him as they hit the wall. He looked over his shoulder to see Alexis, and his eyes narrowed, annoyed.

"Why'd ya do that?" he snapped.

"You were about to run right into a flooder," she defended. "You should be thanking me."

"...Thank you."

Satisfied, she smiled. "You're welcome." Twirling her dualies, she stepped past him. "Now, let's get right to it!"

A dodge-roll later, she was back to inking the turf laid out in front of her. Soon, pink was replaced with yellow, and Inigo was satisfied. However, Alexis fell from a splat bomb, letting out a scream as she exploded into a puddle of pink ink. Inigo was so stunned that he didn't even notice another set of attacks directed towards him. He let out a cry of pain as he splatted, his gear falling to ground as a squid-shaped ghost floated away from where he once stood.

When he respawned, he super-jumped to Bonnie. She stood on top of the lower flooder, hiding behind the candle and sniping the other team from where she stood. He heard someone whistle, and the two of them looked down to see Victor standing a perch not far from the flooder.

"You're a good sniper!" he complimented. "Maybe you should teach me how to use a charger some time."

"No." She rose her Classic Squiffer and fired another shot merely a second later, splatting him.

"Cold," Inigo muttered.

She looked over at him, puzzled. "What?"

"Never mind." He jumped down to the ground, slamming his roller down on the ground and continuing on ahead. Still, there were two minutes left in the match, and so much has happened already! Even when this was only friendly fire, it was clear it would still be intense. Trace jumped out at him again, but with another swing of the Carbon Roller, the octoling splatted. He was soon followed by Eden, who proved to be much better at dodging his swings. Using the block in the center of the stage to his advantage, he managed to avoid her shots, yet he still couldn't land a hit on her. Now, the two were engaged in an intense battle.

"Eden!" Victor called as he started running up to them. "Do you need help?"

"No!" she insisted, rolling away from yet another wave of yellow ink. "This is my fight, and my fight only."

He threw up his hands, purple eyes wide. "Fine, fine." After a few moments, he snuck right past them.

Ink flew between the two, the winner of the duel still unclear. But the tide seemed to glow when Eden's hair began to glow, and she then ascended into the sky, wielding an Ink Jet. Under his breath, he cursed. It would hard to hit her from the ground. Thankfully, Ink Jet bullets were rather slow, and he merely danced around them, making his way to the activation point. Eventually, Eden's Ink Jet started to flash red, and it exploded, the octoling flying back to where she stood just seconds earlier. Inigo swung his Carbon Roller down just as she landed, and she splatted, finally bringing an end to the duel.

"Booyah!" he cheered, pumping a fist. He turned his attention towards the enemy team's side of the map. Pink ink encroached the center of the stage, and just barely, he could make out ripples in the ink, steadily making their way towards him. He readied his roller, prepared to swing at whatever jumped out at him.

But it failed to reach him in time, as a giant blob of ink smacked into his back, splatting him almost instantly. When he respawned, he did some stretches to relieve himself of the pain that followed. He rubbed his eyes, only to find the Shifty Station had become covered in pink ink. There was only a little bit of turf left that his team could call their own. ...At least the flooders were painting everything on their tracks yellow.

I have to keep going, he concluded. He dove into the ink and swam up to the higher flooder, jumping on it and observing the pit below. Roy tried to keep a distance from Valerie, throwing splat bombs and using the flooder to his advantage. Soon, a mist started to surround his body, and Inigo noticed the mist swirling around his hands as well. When the ink hardened into armor, Roy pumped a fist and charged towards Valerie. Though she managed to break his Ink Armor, he managed to land a direct hit on her, splatting her. Inigo jumped down to join him, and together, they covered the pit back up with yellow ink.

Once they finished, Roy activated his Baller and charged up ahead, while Inigo pulled out yet another Ink Storm to accompany him. The Baller lasted shorter than he thought, however, as his friend ran straight into a flooder, popping it and sending him flying back. He crashed into the wall with a thud, rubbing the back of his head. Hearing a snicker, the boys lifted his head to find Eden standing on top of the flooder, a hand on her hip.

"You should watch where you are going," she jested. "Or else you will break your back!"

"We don't have bones," Roy shouted, rising to his feet. "How can we even do that?"

"Well, you could pull a muscle, or you could damage an internal organ," Eden mused. "...Of course, the latter is much less likely."

"I guess, but from slamming into a wall?" Roy shrugged. "That's not gonna happen."

"Never say never." Eden jumped down to meet his red eyes, pointing her Octo Shot at him. "Now, I think you have let your guard down."

He stared at her with bewilderment before she fired her weapon, splatting him. Inigo leaped down, yellow ink flying off the wheel of his roller. She lifted her head, and just before he could land a hit, she jumped out of the way, landing on her side. Swiftly, she got up and threw a bomb before retreating deeper into her base. Inigo kicked the splat bomb away before it could explode, falling off the edge of the stage and into the abyss. Eyebrows furrowed, he turned into a squid and started to chase after her.

"Come back here!" he yelled a few seconds later, shifting back into his kid form to ink the path ahead.

Eden emerged from the ink and pulled at her eyelid, sticking a tongue out at him. "Nyeh! What, did that rile you up finally? It seems to me you have not been taking this battle seriously at all."

"Of course I have," he argued, "if only because you're taking it seriously as well."

"Well, then who fights harder?" she challenged. "You, or us? I think the answer is obvious."

"If we keep talking like this, then maybe Bonnie will take you out first. Or even Alexis."

"I do not see either of them here. Therefore, your point is null."

"Fine. Do you want a proper duel or something?"

"Another one? I do not think there is enough time for another one."

"We still have over a minute left. That's plenty of time to duel."

Sighing, Eden raised her weapon, pointing it at Inigo. "Let us begin." Then, she pressed down on the trigger, pink ink shooting out of the barrel of the Octo Shot. The sudden maneuver caught Inigo off-guard, and even as he shuffled out of the way, some ink landed on his arm, creating a burning sensation. He gritted his teeth, trying to distract himself from the pain. He swung his roller vertically, but Eden merely rolled away, restraining from shooting at him further more. Inigo kept swinging at him, but the moment he tried to reposition himself, she shot at his stomach, splatting him once more.

Oh, she's good, he thought. When he respawned, he super-jumped to Bonnie again, not wanting to re-engage with Eden. This time, his beige-skinned friend hid behind a wall on one of the perches, her focus unwavering as she held her charge. The moment Trace walked into view, she fired, and he splatted in one hit.

Once the coast was clear, Inigo crept out from behind the wall and threw out an autobomb. It hopped in place before waddling over to the edge of the platform, falling off into the pit. Meanwhile, an octoling jumped onto their level, emerging to reveal none other than Eden.

"Again?!" he chided quietly. She's not gonna leave me alone, is she?

Eden spared no time attacking him, throwing out a splat bomb before ascending into the sky with an Ink Jet. She fired at him, giant blobs splattering the ground and staining the yellow turf with pink ink. Bonnie emerged from her hiding spot, lifting her charger. She released the charge the moment Eden fired another shot at her, and the two proceeded to splat in the span of a few moments. Inigo wiped his forehead free of sweat, relieved. He wouldn't have to deal with the octoling girl for a while longer, thankfully.

For the remainder of the match, Inigo lurked in the ink, jumping out at any octoling that attempted to cross over to his team's territory. It proved to be an effective strategy, allowing his other teammates to push further into the opposing team's territory. He only splatted because he failed to notice a splat bomb coming his way, exploding into a puddle of pink ink while he was still in the form of a squid.

By the time he respawned, the match had ended, and the flooders had gone still. He super-jumped to Roy, surveying their surroundings. He had to admit, the match was pretty close. Though, if he had to guess, his team won. They had control of the center of the stage, and some yellow ink encroached into the enemy's side of the map as well. He muttered a booyah under his breath and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. Now, all he had to do was wait for Judd and Li'l Judd.

The two cats arrived faster than he expecting, standing on the block in the very center of the Shifty Station. They examined the area for a few moments before doing their dance. Li'l Judd proceeded to strike out a pink flag, marking the team of octolings the winner. Inigo's mouth started to gape open, shocked. How could they have possibly lost?

Alexis shared his sentiment. "What?!" she exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

Judd nodded. If he said so, then it must be true. The Rainbow Squids had really lost this match.

The team of octolings approached them, their smug smiles only making matters worse. "Look behind you," Valerie said.

Inigo turned around, and his shock only deepened. Several spots of his team's side of the map were covered in pink ink instead of yellow. He couldn't believe it. How could any of them had possibly snuck by them?

"So that's how," Bonnie muttered. "You got over there without anyone noticing."

"We kept super-jumping to Inigo that we kept ignoring our own turf," Roy concluded. "Clever."

"Of course," Eden boasted. "We are octolings."

"Hey, we can be clever, too," the fair-skinned inkling argued.

Alexis took out her phone. "Guess we should tell the others we lost." Before opening up a group chat, orange eyes fell on the octolings. "...Unless you want to fight again."

"Nah, we're good," Victor replied. Alexis merely nodded at his response and started texting away.

"After all, we need to score points for Team Friend," Trace added. "This match does not count."

"Well, then we'll just keep battling," Inigo declared. "May we battle again."

"Indeed," Eden agreed. "Who knows, maybe we will be on opposite sides next Splatfest." She relaxed, looking between her teammates. "Well, it is decided. Let us return to the Deca Tower."

The octolings nodded in agreement and turned into their octopus forms, preparing to super-jump. Moments later, trails of pink ink soared through the air, growing smaller and smaller as they went out-of-sight. The Rainbow Squids present super-jumped after them moments later, and when they arrived back at the Deca Tower, they were already gone. A new group of inklings entered the elevator, all wearing Splatfest tees marking them as part of Team Fam.

Now, it was time to get serious!

?'s PoV

As the moon rose high into the sky, an octoling darted into an alleyway, specks of light catching on silver hair. Cold breaths escaped the octoling's lips as a tablet was revealed, the scout navigating to the contacts list. With a press of a button, Takko's name appeared on the screen as the call was sent. Now, all that was left for him to do was pick up and speak.

Seconds later, the young man's face appeared on the screen. It didn't appear to be his main office, instead being his resting quarters. A bed covered in soft blankets and pillows was in the background, the golden wallpaper printed with pale tentacle designs. Several pictures covered the walls, and the octoling caught a glimpse of a weapons rack towards one side of the room. Takko himself was not wearing his usual kimono, instead wearing a black tank top and presumably shorts. Clearly, he had been planning to go to sleep before answering the call.

"Hello?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Hello, Lord Takko," the octoling greeted, performing a salute. "I'm sorry to call you at this hour, but I have some very important information for you regarding the octolings you asked me to search for."

He paused, but then, he nodded. "Please, continue."

"All seven have been located." With those words, Takko's eyebrows raised, intrigued. "I also learned the first names of everyone not named previously. In order: Brayden, Iris, and Peyton."

He muttered something under his breath, though the tablet did not pick it up. "I see. With your information, we should be able to further identify them. Have you learned anything else?"

With a shake of the head, the octoling replied, "No. I need more time to learn more about them before we proceed with capture. The most important being where they live, and sights they frequent. So, please, Lord Takko, I request that you send more scouts to Inkopolis. I cannot figure everything out on my own, after all."

Takko dipped his head. "I'll see it done. Keep up the good work." He smiled. "Of course, I will keep you updated. Is there anything else?"

"That is all, Lord Takko."

"Then that's that. Good night."

"Good night."

With a beep, the call ended, and the octoling put the tablet away, disappearing into the night to return home.

A/N: The end is ominous, isn't it? Anyways, sorry this chapter is a day late. Headaches continue to be the bane of my existence. I'm better now, but I am considering bringing it up to my doctor next appointment. Which is this week. I think I do know where they stem from, but it would be nice to get a professional's opinion. Well, anyways, that's all. May is almost over, which is weird to think about. Soon, we'll be in June, and I'm sure a Direct will happen then. Branchwing, out!