Perry's PoV
Normally, Perry would be excited for Splatfests, as it gave him a chance to see Off the Hook perform live. He was more interested in watching Pearl, admittedly, but either way, he always loved listening to their music. For the longest time, he thought nothing would deter him from enjoying their music.
That was, until Perry found out Alyssa was his mom, however. Ever since the revelation, he found himself questioning...everything. Though he tried his best to stay his light-hearted self, in private, Yuri and his dad could see the news was really wearing him down.
As he entered the Square, he found himself with less enthusiasm than normal. Though Pearl and Marina continued to dance away on top of the stage, colored gold and blue-purple respectively, a smile failed to cross his features. Instead, he tucked his hands into his pockets, watching them with melancholy.
"You OK?" Yuri's voice asked. He nearly jumped at the sound, and he looked over his shoulder to see the dark-skinned boy approaching him.
"I dunno," he admitted, glancing back over at the idols. "Just doesn't feel right."
Yuri merely dipped his head, and with a pat on his back, he said, "Y'know, I brought some pancakes I made over. And some butter and syrup, too. Want some?"
He gave a small laugh. "You bring a microwave too?"
"Um, no," he admitted. "I texted Octa Prisma to see if they could bring one over. As long as one of them owns a portable microwave, we'll be fine!"
"Not the Rainbow Squids?"
"They're already all here. No use going back when you can just sit back and listen to Off the Hook's melodic sound."
"Well, I can't say no to free food." Perry smiled. "Thanks, dude."
"No problem. Let's go see the others."
As they walked over to the Rainbow Squids' table, the team of octolings began to worm his way into his mind. Giovanni stood at the forefront of those thoughts, and not just because he was their leader. Gio said he liked him a few months ago, hadn't he? Perhaps he didn't like him now, but his words back then were still clear in his mind.
I will be waiting for you if you do.
Though he hadn't developed a crush on him at all, the idea of just having someone to spend his time with started to appeal to him. He hadn't considered it since he had a crush on Lori, and while he has had a few smaller crushes since then, he never saw himself going out of his way to confess to them like he had for her.
Perhaps now was the time to let Giovanni know. Even if he rejected him, at least he would get it over with.
Just as Yuri had said, everyone from the Rainbow Squids sat at the table currently. Octavia drank a drink from the Crust Bucket, though Perry couldn't make out what drink it was specifically from where he was standing. For the first time in a while, Alexis accompanied her, her drink in the same flavor as her sister's. Upon Perry's arrival, the group's attention turned to him and gave their greetings.
"You're on-board with the pancake thing too?" Geneva muttered, glancing over at the box of pancakes sitting in the middle of the table. As indicated by the tee she wore, she was part of Team Waffle this Splatfest.
"Yeah," he confirmed. "Why?"
"I don't think it's healthy," she replied.
"Yeah, you'll just feel like carp running around after eating a whole meal," Octavia agreed.
"Yet you're still here," Roy sneered.
"Well, I don't want the food to go to waste," Geneva countered. "That's a lot of pancakes, y'know. Yuri must've spent hours making them."
"Dunno about Geneva, but I'm not eating them," Via declared.
"I kinda wish they were waffles," Alexis remarked, leaning back in her chair. "They have more texture."
"As if pancakes can't have texture, too," Yuri argued. "You can put all kinds of things in them. These are just plain old pancakes, but you can get really creative with them."
"Yeah," Bonnie agreed, nodding. "I like strawberry pancakes. They're so sweet."
"Me too," Perry agreed, "but nothing beats the flavor of buttermilk pancakes. It's enough to make your mouth water. I get hungry just thinking about it!"
"Is there even a difference?" Octavia pondered.
"Buttermilk is more rich," he explained. "Normal pancakes are good, but buttermilk pancakes are just heavenly. They'll make you feel like the freshest squid alive!"
"You can't really tell the difference, though," Inigo added. He peered at the box. "I'm guessing these aren't buttermilk though."
"Right," Yuri confirmed. "You can't go wrong with normal pancakes, though."
"We are here!" a familiar voice announced. They turned around to see Iris and Brayden standing next to each other, with the former carrying a microwave and the latter carrying a portable battery pack. Iris set the microwave down on the table, which shuddered at its weight. "You should be thankful Brayden owns a battery to power this," Iris continued, taking the cord and plugging it into the battery pack.
"It is technically Giovanni's," Brayden corrected. "I borrowed it a few months ago and never gave it back."
A small gasp escaped Perry's lips at the sound of his name. "Do you know when he's coming?" he quickly asked.
"Why are you asking me?" he questioned with a scowl. "Giovanni comes at his own time."
"H-He's still our friend," he defended himself, crossing his arms. "What, I can't ask about him now?"
"Well, we do not know, either way," Iris interjected. "You will have to be having the patience."
"They should not be too long now," Brayden mused.
"If you say that, let's get cookin'," Roy announced. He opened the box of pancakes and placed one on a ceramic plate before placing it inside the microwave, heating it up for thirty seconds. Once it finished, he took the plate out of the microwave and poured some syrup on it before taking a huge bite out of the pancake. "So good! Never knew you could cook, Yuri."
"Well, my mom and Yasmin helped me," he confessed, rubbing the back of his head. "If I made them without anyone else's help, I reckon some will be burnt or misshapen."
"Yasmin helped, eh?" Perry remarked. "With how much she's on her phone, I didn't think she'd be good at cooking."
"She wanted to learn how to," he continued. "I spotted her watching cooking videos on SplatTube the other day, so maybe that's why."
"She's almost 14, isn't she?" Inigo inquired. "I feel like her plans are going to go haywire once she's able to change forms."
"Yeah, having actual fingers takes a bit to get used to," Octavia agreed. "At least she's getting a head-start."
"Well, none of the signs are there yet, so she's good for now," Yuri declared. "I'm sure they'll start showing sooner or later, though."
As the group continued to make pancakes, the next group to arrive were Oscar and Yvonne, followed by Eight. Yvonne immediately got in line for the pancakes while Oscar and Eight joined their respective partners, chatting away. Oscar stole Roy's fork for a few moments and ate a piece of his pancake, much to the tan-skinned inkling's chagrin. The octoling with the afro merely laughed before getting up to grab his own pancake. Meanwhile, Eight showed something to Geneva on her phone, who simply nodded as she read through it.
A few minutes later, Peyton arrived, dark bags under her eyes. With a yawn, she entered the line for pancakes. Once Perry got his pancake, he sat down, facing the Deca Tower, and of course, everyone's eyes were on the girl with the ponytail as she got her pancake and sat down next to Yvonne.
"I've never seen you this tired," Bonnie marveled.
"Correct," she simply affirmed. "I have the reasoning of why."
"...Insomnia?" Perry guessed.
"It not hard to fall asleep," she noted.
"So you've been pulling all-nighters," Inigo reasoned. When she gave no response, he elaborated, "Like when you stay up all night without falling asleep."
She nodded. "Yes, that," she confirmed. "I know you will be asking, so I will say you are not needing to know my reason of 'all-nighters.'"
"I guess she found the interest of thing," Eight whispered. "She get very invested in them."
Perry frowned. "This doesn't seem normal." He had to admit, out of everyone in Octa Prisma, he knew the least about Peyton. He figured that was true for all of the Rainbow Squids—she stood in the background most of the time, complying with Giovanni's directions and wielding her Tri-Slosher in silence. Though she proved to be a nice person, she did feel like an enigma at times.
"Correct, so this must really get her interest," the curly-haired octoling admitted, taking another bite of her pancake. "I do not know what it is either. Speculate, yes, but no know."
Octavia looked over at Peyton. "Just take care of yourself, OK? No one wants a teammate to fall asleep on them, especially in the middle of a match."
She snorted. "OK." She looked down at her meal, her eyes drooping. "I suppose...sleep is good." Before she could finish the pancake, her head dropped onto the table, drool leaking out of her mouth as syrup stuck to her face. Everyone else stared at her, shocked by how quickly she had fallen asleep.
"Should we be waking her?" Oscar questioned.
"Let her sleep," Yvonne said, patting her head. "She deserve it."
Some more time passed, and soon enough, everyone who wanted a pancake had gotten one. Which turned out to be everyone but Octavia. Giovanni had still yet to arrive, only making Perry anxious. Where could he possibly be? He could see the worry on the octolings' faces, Oscar especially. Oscar was Gio's closest friend, right? If Yuri took a long time to show up without warning him first, Perry would be worried, too. Roy tried to cheer him up, but all the boy with the afro managed to do was crack a small smile.
Though, before anyone could ask, the leader of Octa Prisma made his presence known. He strutted up to the table, his footsteps loud as he marched through Inkopolis Square. All attention turned towards him, and once he stopped in front of the table, he put his hands on his hips, smirking.
"I have arrived," he announced. Like Perry, he was on Team Pancake, the graphic on his Splatfest tee bold.
"Hello," Oscar greeted. "Do you want a pancake?"
"They are very good," Iris added. "The skills of cooking Yuri has are impressive."
"I will pass," he declined. "I just ate."
Octavia glared at him. "That's what took you so long?"
"It was not supposed to be very long," Gio argued, "but the vendor just kept talking to me. By the time he was done, I had long since finished my meal."
"What did you eat?" Bonnie then asked.
"A submarine sandwich," he replied. "The ingredients with unusual, but they had a very good flavor."
"Hope you did not get poison," Yvonne chirped.
"That's pretty morbid..." Geneva murmured.
But Giovanni merely shrugged at her comment. "We will find out in a few hours."
"Well, that's all said and done," Perry announced, suddenly jumping up from his seat and slamming his hands down on the table, a strained smile on his face.
"Perry?" Yuri gasped.
Purple eyes fell on Gio. "Can I talk to you? Privately?"
He could see the slightest blush on the octoling's face. "Y-You may," he agreed with a nod.
"Fresh." He glanced at the rest of the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma before saluting goodbye and leaving the table. He started to walk ahead, gesturing for Giovanni to follow him. They walked towards Grizzco Industries, slipping into an alleyway. Sure that no one would listen in on their conversation, Perry crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.
"I think I know what this is about, but you may go ahead," Gio acquiesced.
"Sure, sure. Remember when you said you would be waiting for me if I ever decided I want to date you?"
"Yes. Does this mean-"
"Yeah, Gio. I'm asking you to be my boyfriend." The words came out smoothly, much to Perry's liking. Now, he only had to wait for a response.
The octoling boy went silent, his mouth gaping as he stared at him in shock. For once, he had managed to catch him off-guard, and now, his tongue was tied up in knots. Perry's foot began to tap on the ground impatiently. They couldn't sit here all day, after all!
"So?" he asked again. "What will it be."
Giovanni gulped, and with a bow, he declared, "I accept." Straightening, he cleared his throat and added, "I will admit, my crush for you has waned ever since my confession, and I was beginning to think you would never change your mind. However, I will try my best to be a good boyfriend."
"Great, great." Perry grabbed his hand and started to drag him away. "Since we're on the same team, how about we do some turf wars?"
"You are not going to tell everyone else?" he puzzled.
"Hehe, that can be a surprise. Now c'mon, let's go." Besides, if things didn't work out, then there would be no point in telling everyone. Things could go awry in a matter of hours.
They entered the Deca Tower, and as always, inklings crowded into the lobby. Perry first stopped at the storage area. Tapping a few buttons on the panel, the floor slid open to reveal a few stairs. Climbing down into it, he quickly spotted his Sloshing Machine and picked it up before leaving the room. Another tap of a button closed the room, and Perry's eyes fell on Giovanni, expectant. He pulled out his Octo Shot Replica, confirming that he was ready to battle. With a nod, he grabbed the octoling's hand again and dragged him to one of the lobbies.
Inside the lobby were two inklings he didn't recognize, both part of Team Pancake. One had olive skin and dark green eyes, his hair merely tied up into a ponytail. A bandana similar to the one Oscar wore was wrapped around his head, and in his hands was a Hydra Splatling. The other had almond-colored skin and icy blue eyes, her hair long. A mountie hat sat on her head, and she wielded some Dualie Squelchers. From how quiet they were, Perry figured that they didn't know each other, either.
As they waited for members of Team Waffle to arrive, Gio cleared his throat and proposed, "Partners tend to talk to each other, so I propose that we do so, too. Not every couple will make out immediately."
"Well, then sure, we can talk. About what, though?"
"I don't know. Anything will work."
"Uh..." He shook his head. "How about...school. How was school this week?"
"Fine."
"'Fine?' That's it?"
"Nothing particularly eventful happened."
"...Actually, you got a point, school was pretty boring. There were just so many tests this week."
"You should be glad you were not raised in the Octarian domes. Schools there were brutal. Inkling schools, on the other hand, are easier to handle. Though I will admit that before going to your school, I had not been in a school for three years."
"Three years?! You're joking, right?"
"Shhh. Quiet! Look, the other inklings are staring."
Indeed, two pairs of eyes had laid their gazes on them. "...Are we interrupting something?" the girl asked.
"No, no! Just having a nice chat, that's all," Perry deflected them. Lowering his voice, he told Gio, "Now what were you saying?"
"About school, right?" The octoling's voice became a whisper as he explained, "Well, Octarian society is quite different from yours. What may seem odd to you is normal to us."
Before he could continue, some inklings wearing Team Waffle shirts came into the elevator, their fingers intertwined. Perry recognized them almost immediately—Lori and Deadeye. While Lori's gaze remained stern, Deadeye waved at him with a small smile.
"Long time no see," she remarked. She pulled out a Custom E-liter 4K Scope, holding it at her side. "I wonder how much you've improved since we've last met."
Lori nodded. "And your friend there, he looks strong. A little strange too, but strong nonetheless."
With a smirk, Giovanni crossed his arms. "Then I will prove my strength to you."
"Gio, you have less range than me," Perry reminded him. "You gotta get close to them first. And they're really good snipers."
He scoffed. "I have plenty of practice against Eight. Her skills are impeccable, and if I can beat her, I can beat them."
Though it had been months since Giovanni last complained about the nickname the Rainbow Squids had given him, it still remained refreshing not to hear him protest.
Yet, he still remained prideful, refusing to back down. At that, Perry could only shrug. "Well, don't say I didn't warn ya."
Two more inklings on Team Waffle filtered into the room, and quickly, the door shut behind them. "May the best win," Deadeye said.
The elevator descended deeper into the Deca Tower, and while they waited for the paneling to slide open, Giovanni grabbed Perry's hand. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he had the time to think about it, he noticed how rough it was. Now, he could only imagine Octavia scolding him and throwing a bottle of lotion at him. He chuckled at the thought. He could think of a few other people who needed it, too.
Soon enough, it stopped, and they transformed into their cephalopod forms, slipping through the grate. Giovanni still held on him, but soon enough, he was forced to let go, and Perry proceeded to drift through the currents, his next destination uncertain. Thankfully, it would not be long before he would find out just where he would end up.
That place ended up being Camp Triggerfish. The totem poles rose high into the sky, images of squids carved into them. A lake separated the two sides of the stage, though they could easily get to the other side by using an ink rail. Though it was a rather unpopular stage among his friends, it did have its fans.
Giovanni visibly grimaced on sight of the stage, muttered something in Octarian. Nonetheless, the match started, and everyone flew off the spawn point, jumping down onto the walkway and inking a path towards the center of the stage. Perry quickly reached the end of the path, and soon enough, he was face-to-face with a pale-skinned girl with the Foil Flingza Roller. She jumped up and swung the roller vertically, though thanks to its long wind-up time, Perry swiftly dodged it. The girl with the Dualie Squelchers on his team followed up by shooting directly at her, quickly splatting her.
"You stay here," she commanded him. "I'll go on ahead."
Perry blinked. "But-"
"No buts." She winked and inked a path for herself, disappearing from sight.
Frustrated, he let out a groan, walking up to a grated platform and swinging his Sloshing Machine at the ground across from him. It didn't take very long for a laser to fall on him, but before one of the snipers could splat him, he was forcibly dragged off of the platform, tumbling down the ramp, back towards the nadir. After he came to a stop, he turned his head to see Giovanni on the ground, rising to his feet and wiping some golden ink off of him.
"Thanks," Perry said, standing up.
"You are welcome," he replied. "Protecting one another is what partners do, after all."
Protecting, he repeated silently. He now knew Gio would protect him, but he could he do the same when the time came? For now, he dismissed the thought. He had to focus on the match!
"You go to the other side," the pale-skinned boy directed. "I'll stay around here."
With a nod, Giovanni activated the ink rail and swam off. Perry made his way back up towards the central area, where his eyes were set on a wooden wall, Lori perching on top of it. Failing to notice Perry, she fired the E-liter 4K again, blue-violet ink now sticking to the soles of his shoes. Her hair began to glow, and almost immediately, she pulled out an Ink Storm container and thrusted it towards the ground, sending a thick cloud into the air. Perry winced as enemy ink began to rain down on him, and before Lori could splat him, he threw an auto bomb at the other side and swam back down the ramp, retreating behind the walls and into the small plaza. Catching his breath, he snuck up the stairs and climbed up the walls to take a peek over at the other side of the stage again. Lori still remained, and Deadeye stood on another perch. The one-eyed sniper spotted him, and Perry had to duck to avoid being splatted.
A new strategy to avoid the snipers popped into his head. He activated the ink rail and rode it around the wooden walls, towards the entrance to an open area. Upon reaching the end of the rail, he jumped out in and plopped into the ink in the form of a squid, swimming below the net bridge. The girl with the Dualie Squelchers battled an inkling boy wielding a Kensa Splattershot Pro. Suddenly, he started to rise up into the air, blue-violet ink gathering around the palm of his hand. The girl's eyes went wide, and she proceeded to flee, running back towards the narrow walkway. Though she managed to escape the Booyah Bomb, Perry did not—he tried to catch up with her, yet he got caught in the blast and splatted.
Once he respawned, he began running towards the center of the stage again. He came just in time to witness the dualie wielder on his team splat, her gear clattering to the ground as Lori lifted her charger. However, she didn't have enough time to charge her next shot as gold bullets pelted her body. Surprise flashing on her face, she stumbled and splatted as she began to fall to the ground. The boy with the Hydra Splatling walked up to where she had splatted, charging it up once more. Perry whipped his head around to see Deadeye on the grated platform, her red eye narrowed as she aimed at him. While she was distracted, he took this moment to swim closer to her and swing ink from his Sloshing Machine at her. She whipped around to face him, and she fired the moment she splatted, the force of the ink pushing Perry up against the wall. Thankfully, it wasn't strong enough to pierce through him and splat him, but his body still screamed in pain as blue-violet ink covered him.
After recovering from his initial shock, he submerged into his team's ink, his injuries healing as a soothing sensation overcame him. Surveying the area, he noticed Giovanni running down the walkway, green eyes surveying the area. Snickering, Perry popped out of the ink, sitting on his Sloshing Machine and throwing his hands out at his sides.
Giovanni jumped, crying out what he could only assume to be an Octarian curse. "Perry!"
Perry hopped off of his slosher and picked it up. "Mission accomplished!" he exclaimed with a fist pump.
"No, that is not 'mission accomplished,'" he scolded, eyebrows furrowing. "Perry, I am your boyfriend now. Would you scare any other partner, too?"
He chuckled nervously. "Well, some people like being scared. ...Guess you don't."
Giovanni started to walk away, frowning. "I hope you learned your lesson."
The pale-skinned boy ran up to join him. "Sorry."
"It is fine." He pointed his Octo Shot Replica out in front of him. "Now, we must keep fighting."
"Right!" he agreed.
Together, they began to ink the open area with golden ink, covering the stain the enemy's Booyah Bomb had left behind. In the midst of it, the girl with the Foil Flingza Roller leaped from an ink rail, slamming it down on the net and raining ink down below. Giovanni turned her attention to her and fired, his hair still glowing. She backed up, and with a grimace, she activated her special weapon, Tenta Missiles, and locked them onto the two boys. Perry managed to splat her, but not before she could fire the launcher. Blue-violet circles appeared around their feet, and they were forced to scatter as missiles crashed down on them. While Perry hid under the net, Giovanni ran out in the open, exposed. It didn't take long for a charger's shot to hit and splat him. Despite his dismay, he was less upset than he thought he would be.
Deadeye arrived on the net bridge, scanning the area. Despite her other eye being covered with an eyepatch, her vision proved sharp, as she quickly spotted Perry underneath her feet. She did not attack him immediately, instead inking the area around her. He could only stare at her, perplexed as what her next move would be. However, the moment her hair began to glow, he realized her plan—she planned to use Bubble Blower to splat him. He swung his Sloshing Machine at her, forcing her to create an escape path and flee. She swam up the ramp, and as Perry chased after her, she activated her special weapon at last, creating a wall of ink-filled bubbles to block his path. He tried firing over them, but with one shot of her charger, they all blew up, splatting him instantly.
The force from the bubbles' explosion was so powerful that it took Perry a few moments to readjust himself upon respawning. His entire body ached, but it quickly became bearable. He super-jumped to the boy with the Hydra Splatling, just in time to witness him perform a Splashdown on the boy with the Kensa Splattershot Pro. His opponent managed to slip away, splatting him once he landed. However, he quickly ran out of ink, and while he tried to swim away, Perry charged at him and swung his slosher once again, splatting him with a single direct hit. He exploded into a puddle of golden ink, a squid-shaped ghost flying away from where he once stood.
"Booyah!" Perry cheered. Now that he had a path into Team Waffle's side of the path, he charged forward, eventually inking enough turf to use Sting Ray. Pressing the side of his body against the wall, he activated it and fired a large beam down the walkway. The sponge in its path shrank in size upon contact, and anyone who respawned was forced into the plaza. Once his special weapon expired, he swam down the path it created and stormed into the circular area, throwing an auto bomb at them before slinging ink from his Sloshing Machine at the ground.
He didn't know how long he spent in the arena when a horn sounded, signifying that the gates had lowered. With only one minute left in the match, it was now or never!
He briefly considered super-jumping back to the spawn point, but he figured it would be very easy for Team Waffle to retake turf right in their base. Instead, he swam out of the plaza, inking the gates and climbing up them. Upon reaching the top, he turned around to see if anyone had followed him. His judgement proved correct, as he spotted Lori aiming her E-liter 4K at him. He scurried away as she fired, the ink simply disappearing as it landed on the stretch of glass. As she began to recharge it, he threw an auto bomb down at the ground, smirking as it began to waddle up to her. However, letting his guard down for those brief moments cost him his life. The moment she completed her charge, she dove into the ink, swimming away from the auto bomb before popping out and firing her charger, splatting him at the very edge of her weapon's range.
He respawned to see the girl with the Foil Flingza Roller running down the walkway, blue-violet ink trailing behind her. On the wooden wall above her, Giovanni activated Ink Jet, rising into the air and firing giant blobs of ink down at her. However, he missed every shot, as she simply danced around them without a care in the world. Once he landed, a wave of ink crashed down on him, splatting him. The spawn point lit up beneath Perry's feet as his ghost entered it, and before anyone could pop out of it, he launched himself off of the platform, going on the offensive once more. Yet, he was not the one to splat her, as bullets pelted her back, and after she splatted, the boy with the Hydra Splatling stood in her place.
"You go on ahead," he commanded. "I'll defend the base."
Perry gave a thumbs-up. "Can do." He looked back at the spawn point, where Giovanni had just respawned. "Gio! Let's go!"
The octoling jumped down and pointed to the walls leading towards the right side of the stage. "This way." Turning into an octopus, he climbed up it, and Perry soon followed. Together, they ran down the net bridge, covering up as much enemy ink as they could. It didn't take long for them to face their next opponent—Lori.
"You're both here?" she mused. "That isn't fair..."
"You have a weapon that can splat us in one hit from super far away," Perry argued. "That's very fair."
Gio grabbed his hand and pointed his weapon at her. "You will be going down."
Lori groaned and called, "Deadeye!"
"What?" the other sniper called back from a place Perry couldn't see.
"Perry and his friend are here. Wanna face them together?"
"What?"
"I said, Perry and his friend are here. Wanna face them together?"
"Oh! Sure." Deadeye proceeded to super-jump over to Lori, arriving just a second later. Together, the couple held each other's hands and pointed their chargers at the two boys. "Let us begin!" she proclaimed.
"May the best squid win," Gio proclaimed.
The two snipers split up. Deadeye backed up onto the top of the ramp leading to the walkway, while Lori hid behind a wall. On the other hand, Perry and Giovanni stuck together, inking as much turf as possible to gain the advantage. Deadeye set her sights on the octoling, and before she could fire, Perry dragged him out of the way, allowing him to narrowly miss her attack. Gio thanked him before charging forward, jumping over Lori's shot and shooting at Deadeye. In response, she created a path and swam away, giving her time to recuperate.
Giovanni proceeded to retreat, and now it was Perry's turn to attack. He swam up the ramp and threw out an auto bomb at Lori. When she tried to fire at him, he retreated, diving back into the pit. Perhaps if they lingered here long enough, they could lure Deadeye back here. Still, Lori fired at them, protected by the wall she hid behind. The other sniper did eventually return, resuming her assault on the boys.
Running as far as they could from them, Giovanni whispered to him, "This is not working."
"You're right," he acknowledged, "but I can't see an opening."
"Then we will have to make one." The octoling stepped out from underneath the net, his hair glowing. "Ink Jet!" Upon his words, he rose into the air, his Octo Shot Replica replaced with a rather large gun. He fired at the snipers, forcing them to scatter.
Using the chaos to his advantage, Perry charged ahead, throwing another auto bomb at them and swinging his Sloshing Machine, ink flying out with every swing. A few indirect hits later, he managed to splat Deadeye, leaving only Lori left. Golden ink dripped off of her body from Giovanni's assault, and she backed away from Perry, charging up her E-liter 4K.
"I see you really have improved," she complimented. "Your teamwork is excellent."
He smirked. "Then looks like I'm winning today."
With one last swing, Lori splatted, her gear dropping to the ground as golden ink splattered everywhere. The whistle blew, and at last, this stressful match was brought to an end. Lowering his weapon, Perry decided to search for Giovanni. He quickly found him sitting on the net bridge closest to Team Pancake's side of the stage. Shrugging, he walked up to him and sat down next to him, their feet dangling off the edge. It would be weirder if they weren't with each other following the match. After all, they were dating now.
From here, they could see parts of the battlefield, though it was impossible to tell who won from this angle. All they could do now was wait for Judd and Li'l Judd to arrive to give their final judgement. In the meantime, he could spend time with him in silence, the water rippling beneath them.
"So, Gio," Perry started, trying to diffuse the growing awkwardness between them. At the sound of his voice, the octoling looked over at him. "That was a good match, wasn't it?"
He nodded. "Indeed." He paused, and once again, a silence settled between them. Eventually, he asked, "Do you like me, Perry?"
"Huh?" His eyes widened, surprised that he would even ask that. He already asked him out, so why was he questioning their relationship this soon?
"Romantically," he clarified, though Perry didn't need it. "I know we are both friends and rivals, and now we are dating. Yet, in the battle, I could not help but feel like something was missing."
The inkling boy rubbed his head, frowning. "Um..."
Before he could complete his sentence, Gio sighed in resignation, his body slumping over. "I suppose I should have known it was too good to be true. Though, I still have one question: why did you ask me out in the first place?"
"Yeah, you're right, I never did have a crush on you," he admitted. "But...I dunno. I just wanted someone to spend time with, and you were the first person that came to mind, with that love confession of yours you did a few months back."
After he finished his explanation, the octoling burst out into laughter, keeling over as a wide smile came across his face. "What?" Perry puzzled. "What's so funny?"
"P-Perry." Giovanni wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Are your friends not important to you? Cod, you really are pathetic if that is the case."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? I care my friends a lot, thank you very much! Besides, I meant it in the romantic sense."
Still, Giovanni laughed, but once he calmed himself down, he began to explain. "Have you ever heard of the saying, 'the blood of the splatoon is thicker than the water of the womb?'"
"Uh, I think so." He rubbed his head, only growing more perplexed. "Why?"
"Perhaps it is not as common in Inkling society nowadays, as you live in peacetime, but it is a common saying in Octarian society, adapted from ancient human texts. As the words imply, your bonds with your unit are stronger than partners or family. They are the people you would be with for the rest of your life, and building a strong bond with them is extremely important to function correctly. ...You can substitute 'unit' with 'friends.' They are just as important."
"OK, I can see family, but partners? You can't choose your family, but you can choose who you date. I don't think that saying ever included partners."
"...Perhaps it is not an exact comparison. But, I have gotten my point across. You should really spend more times with your friends. They would be happy to have you around, and you would be happy, too."
"Then guess we're not dating anymore, are we?"
"It was never meant to be."
Perry lifted his head towards the sky. A few birds dotted the clouds, illuminated by moonlight. Stars faintly twinkled in the distance, and among the chaos, crickets began to chirp, what would normally be a cacophony only adding to the scenery. He felt as if he could sit here forever, watching the clouds roll by as the moon shone down on him.
And he would love to do it with a friend, too. No matter who it was, he would always have someone by his side. Though the thought seemed mundane, perhaps mundanity was just what he needed in this moment.
Even after Judd and Li'l Judd announced the winner of the match, Perry and Giovanni remained at Camp Triggerfish, watching the stars together as they grew ever brighter.
?'s PoV
Staring down at the stage was an octoling, donning a poker face as watchful eyes studied the battlefield. Judd and Li'l Judd jumped towards the middle of the stage, dancing before declaring the winner. While Giovanni's team had managed to win, the octoling had more important things to care about. The tablet started to vibrate in the soldier's pocket. The octoling took it out and hurried under a wooden tower to see the notification.
As it turns out, one of the back-up spies Lord Takko sent into Inkopolis last month wanted everyone to meet together to discuss further plans. Accepting her request, the octoling directed everyone to meet up in Urchin Underpass, where no one would come to eavesdrop on them. Putting the tablet away, the octoling ran off, disappearing into the darkness.
About a half hour later, the soldier arrived at the underpass, where three comrades gathered around two vending machines. Physically, the back-up soldiers were nearly identical, all having poufy hair and wearing sleek black uniforms, their only differentiating feature being their skin tones. Out here in Inkopolis, the octoling was their leader for this specific mission, receiving all reports. Every few days, they met up to discuss their plans, though the octoling had forgotten it in the midst of participating in the turf wars of Inkopolis, admittedly.
"Anything new?" their leader started.
"I have located Oscar and Yvonne's living quarters," the first octoling, this one having beige skin, informed. "They live in an apartment complex, though I've yet to find out their specific apartment number."
"That's great!" the second octoling, who had dark skin, exclaimed. Her eyes fell on the leader. "Apologies, Commander, but I have nothing to report."
"Neither do I," the third octoling, her skin light in color, admitted. "I hope something interesting happens soon."
The leader smiled. "I think something will, Trem. We just need to wait a little longer."
"How long?" she complained. "I wanna go home already."
"Please, be patient," the first octoling scolded. "I know you're the youngest out of all of us, but you were chosen for this mission for a reason. Don't forget that."
"I know." Trem clasped her hands together and shook them in a pleading motion. "Sorry, Commander. So sorry."
The leader patted her head. "Hopefully, it should be in the next month. I promise." Who wouldn't want to leave this place? Though, the leader had grown fond of the team of traitors that battled against Octa Prisma and their rival group of inklings. Memories made in this place cannot be denied. Unfortunately, Inkopolis was not made for Octarians. It never would be.
Thankfully, as the mission neared completion, life here would soon get very, very interesting.
A/N: So this chapter turned out longer than I thought. Sorry it's a little late again, but it's here now! That mini "Giovanni's crush on Perry" plotline has come to an end, and soon, the final plotline of Season 5 will be coming in full force. It's weird to think we're almost at the end of Season 5, but time flies! Though, there's still quite a few chapters before then, and plus, after the Season 5 finale, you'll get another bonus story! I know it's still a little far away, but I have been working on the bonus story. Anyways, see you next week, and Branchwing, out!