Anonymous reviews:

Agent 4: None of the Rainbow Squids will be kidnapped - the spy's mission is to bring Octa Prisma back to Octo Canyon so they can reassume their previous positions before defecting. You can see the set-up for this back at the end of Chapter 119/Bonus Story 7. As for the rest, I cannot say for now.

Anyways, onwards to the story!

Yuri's PoV

As the remaining Rainbow Squids, Victor, and Trace sat at their usual table near the Crust Bucket, their heads low, their attention immediately snapped up towards Alexis, Geneva, and Eight as they returned from Octo Canyon, frowns on their face.

"So it's true," Inigo muttered. "Giovanni really was kidnapped."

"But how?" Perry sputtered out, bewildered. "It hasn't even been an hour!"

Roy glared at Victor. "You and Trace were with him! Did you do something?"

"No!" he immediately snapped. "We just went to the bathroom, and when we came back, he was gone!"

Trace groaned. "I knew we should not have left him alone. Yet Victor here kept insisting that he would be fine by himself."

"Well, I did not expect anything to happen within the three minutes we were gone," he defended. "And nothing as severe as that!"

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Sure... Is that what really happened?"

"She's not very fond of any octoling," Yuri whispered to the two boys. "I still don't know why she's like that with them. Even Geneva's fine with them!"

Victor blinked, surprised. "Even Eight?"

"Eh, not really. She's nice to her, at least. Probably because they work together."

He huffed. "I'm jealous."

"There is no point in arguing," Trace added with a sigh. Yellow-green eyes fell on Alexis. Louder, he asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Um..." She took out her phone. "I'm just going to tell the others." A text later, she slid it back into her pocket. "Now, we wait."

"I will tell Octa Prisma," Eight announced, pulling out her own phone. After sending her text, she showed her phone to her fellow agents, a smile on her face. Seeing the boys' perplexed expressions, she displayed her screen to them, which currently depicted her with Judd. "Is this not cute?"

Roy crossed his arms, scowling. "What's the point? We need to focus on what's important."

"C'mon, Roy, can't you take a break every once in a while?" Perry commented. "We can't sulk around all day."

"Yeah, we can't really do anything else at the moment," Geneva agreed. "Besides, I'd rather take my mind off it for now."

Inigo shook his head, eyes narrowing. "What happens when it grows so big that we can't ignore it anymore? We should be snuffing it out as soon as possible."

"You heard the old man," the purple-haired boy then snapped. "All we can do is wait."

"There must be something, though," Roy muttered. "I can't just sit by idly while they're doing who-knows-what to Oscar."

Eight frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. "Please stop arguing. I only want to show you a picture."

"Oh." Inigo met her pink eyes, frowning as his expression grew softer. "Sorry."

However, the red-haired boy still refused to stand down. "I'm leaving." Rising from his chair, he left the table, his hands curled up into fists. The others tried calling after him to no avail. Yuri's eyes followed him, and for a moment, he thought he would try going back to Octo Canyon. But instead, he went into the Deca Tower, disappearing into the lobby. At least their message got through to him in some way, even if he was too upset to admit it right now.

A few minutes later, Octavia, Bonnie, Valerie, and Eden arrived, their eyes wide.

"We're here!" Bonnie announced.

"Yeah—hey, wait." Via scanned the table once more before inquiring, "Where's Roy?"

"He just left," Yuri replied. "He got too mad we weren't doing anything, so he left."

Eden frowned. "Where did he go?"

"The Deca Tower," Eight answered. "That is all."

"And don't think you two are getting away just this moment," Alexis interjected, stepping in front of the two octoling girls. "You could've played a role in Giovanni's disappearance."

Both of them looked mortified. "How?!" Valerie blurted out. "We were with your friends!"

"I dunno, maybe there was some kind of spy camera you had on him," she speculated, pacing around. "And then..." She stopped, clapping. "BAM! Once he was alone, you called some Octarians to take him away."

Eden put her hands on her hips. "That is both ridiculous and highly unrealistic. Why would we even do that?"

"If one of you worked for the Octarians, that is!" she declared. "We know they're trying to bring octolings in Inkopolis back to the army. That's the perfect motive to swoop in and take him!"

"Calm down," Trace demanded, rising from his seat and slamming his hands down on the table. "You are complicating things even further. None of us were involved in Octa Prisma's disappearance, and that is final."

"I am this team's leader," Eden argued, placing a hand on her chest. "I have the final say in everything."

"Perhaps you should listen to your teammates, then," he snapped. "If they are just going to keep accusing us, then we should just leave."

"It's not all of us," Octavia defended. "Can't we just talk this out?" Bonnie nodded her head in agreement.

Hearing her plea, Victor looked over at Eden, clasping his hands together. "Please?"

She shook her head. "I was planning to leave soon, anyways." She snapped her fingers, gesturing for her teammates to follow her. "Let us go, everyone."

The boy with the afro sighed. "If you say so."

Together, the group of octolings left, heading towards the Deca Tower, just like Roy had a few minutes earlier. Now that they were gone, the rest of the Rainbow Squids, Alexis, and Eight sat down at the table, discussing their next course of action.

"We should be able to hold a meeting tomorrow," Geneva announced. "The New Squidbeak Splatoon, that is."

"Why can we not get along?" Eight pondered, her tentacles drooping. "Perhaps we are too harsh on the team of Eden."

"You're just gonna let your guard down, just like that?" Alexis challenged. "What if they try to kidnap you, Eight? Then what are we going to do?"

"From what we hear, no members of her team involve," she explained. "I think the Octarians kidnapping Octa Prisma are weaker. I can take them on."

"And if they surprise you?" Inigo inquired.

"If they surprise me..." She shook her head. "I hope that not happen."

"They can use the tranquilizer darts too," Yuri mused. "If they try to sedate you, then there's not much we can do."

"Yeah, and they're not shy to attack when their target isn't alone," Geneva added, "if Roy and Oscar are any indication."

"Then..." Eight frowned, rising from her seat. "I apologize. I need to think."

The green-haired girl's eyes widened. "But what if-"

"I will be the fine," she insisted. "I will not be going of the far."

True to her word, Eight disappeared into the Shoal, a place where it would be nearly impossible for her to get kidnapped. Dismayed, Geneva returned her attention to the group, where she and Alexis continued their discussion. Eventually, a plan was set: when any updates came, they would text the rest of the Rainbow Squids what would happen.

That way, Yuri was sure they would get their octoling friends back in no time. They just had to wait.

Upon coming home from school, Yuri immediately began to check his phone, anticipating any updates about the missing octolings. Yet, nothing came. He supposed it made sense—school did just end, after all. If anyone else had gone missing, they would not find out just yet. However, his anxiety over the matter still remained. Iris didn't come to school today, and for a moment, they thought she had gotten kidnapped as well, up until she sent them a text ensuring she was fine.

As he scrolled through Squidsagram, the sound of a doorbell ringing pushed him out of his thoughts. He sat up from the couch and opened the door to find himself staring at Yasmin and an inkling who had gained the ability to change forms. His sister's friend looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place who it was.

"Hi, Yasmin," he greeted. "Who's with you today?"

His sister frowned. "Aleah! Don't you remember?"

So that's why she looks so familiar, he realized. The last time he had saw her, she looked more like Yasmin, except she typically donned blue ink instead of yellow. Now, Aleah looked more like him, except much younger, and her skin was colored light brown. Yet, she still had those same blue eyes, the color as rich as her ink.

"Ohh, I remember now," Yuri finally said, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Aleah assured him, though she still frowned. "A lot of people didn't recognize me after I first changed."

"I knew, though," Yasmin added, "since we're best friends, after all." To see her stubborn pride now made Yuri give out a small chuckle.

"We're just going to play in the backyard," her friend continued. "We won't cause any trouble, I promise."

He put his hands on his hips, smirking. "Promise?"

"We promise!" his sister replied. Grabbing her friend's hand, she pulled her inside the house and started to dash towards the door leading out to the yard. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Woah! You're going too fast!" she complained.

"Well, there's no time to waste!"

The two girls disappeared into the backyard, and once again, Yuri sank into the couch, watching his phone like a hawk. As the long minutes passed on, he still received no updates. Trying to distract himself from the issue, he turned on the TV and flipped to the turf war channel. A match had just started, and to his surprise, Eden's team was participating in it. At the sight of them, he only frowned. Their possible association with Octa Prisma's disappearance made him appalled that they would simply laugh it off and continue battling like normal. Yet, he didn't want to change the channel, so he tried his best to tune it out, scrolling through Squidsagram to pass the time.

A few televised turf war matches later, his phone finally lit up with a notification. The moment he saw it, he opened it up, though the news wasn't anything particularly exciting. It only confirmed that Peyton, Iris, and Brayden were still in Inkopolis. That, at least, was a relief. Yet, the New Squidbeak Splatoon had nothing else to share with the Rainbow Squids.

He had to admit, he wished there was something more he could do. Even if the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma were rivals, they were still friends. If he could, he would do everything he can to try to get them back. Yet, going in Octo Canyon alone would be a death wish. Truly, the only squids suitable to find them were the New Squidbeak Splatoon. An organization he would likely never be part of.

He shook his head. Why was he being so negative, now? His dad's words rang in his head: he couldn't let even the darkest of times get to him. He had to move on, whether they found the missing octolings or not. He thought about calling one of his friends, but they would probably just continue to drone about the missing octolings again. He wasn't in the mood to deal with that right now.

It began to rain outside, and before the downpour could start, Yasmin and Aleah came rushing inside, their hats already dripping wet. Aleah stumbled inside and tripped, unused to her more humanoid body, but before she could hit the ground, Yasmin grabbed her and helped her rise to her feet. As the latest turf war match continued on in the background, he began to eavesdrop on their conversation, the girls unaware he was watching them.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah," the blue-haired girl replied. "These shoes feel too small..."

"We can go to Arowana Mall," she suggested. "I'm sure they have better shoes there!"

"Not when it's raining! We'll splat if we go now."

"I meant later. When it's not raining."

"Oh, OK." Aleah scratched her head. "So...what now?"

"Hm... Oh! Can I try putting make-up on you? I've been wanting to try it, but I haven't changed yet, so I can't do it on myself."

"Not even on Yuri?"

"Nah, he won't take it. None of his friends will. ...Maybe Perry, but I don't want to ask."

"Perry? Who is he again?"

"Yuri's best friend! He's a rich squid with purple hair, remember?"

"No."

"Never mind. Let's just go!"

"Oh, alright."

Grabbing Aleah's hand, Yasmin dragged her up the stairs, presumably going to the bathroom. He thought about letting his mom know when she got, but he figured she would find out very quickly. Speaking of his family, York and Yana had yet to come home.

...York and Yana! Out in the rain!

As the thought came to him, he sprang off the couch without turning off the TV, rushing to the front door. Putting on a coat and grabbing an umbrella, he stepped outside, the rain roaring as it poured down the streets. Thunder boomed as lightning flashed in the sky, striking a nearby building. He scanned the streets, searching for any sign of the yellow inklings. Yet, he could see not a hint of yellow. It looked like he would have to take matters into his own hands.

He ran down the street, splashing through the puddles with every step he took. He winced at every drop of rain that had managed to touch his body, though he was largely able to ignore it. As long as the umbrella shielded him, he was safe.

When he failed to find them on his street, his next thought was to check their bus stop. He turned a bend and darted through crowds of jellyfish, yellow eyes scanning the horizon for the familiar signs marking it. Lo and behold, there they were, huddling under a tree across the street from the bus stop. York and Yana had tears in their eyes, shaking as yellow ink dripped from their body. Upon sight of him, they began to call his name, and once the road was safe, he crossed it and immediately came to their aid.

Rain bounced off of his umbrella as Yuri kneeled down to meet their eyes, tears started to dot his own. "Thank cod you're safe! I was starting to worry you splatted in this weather."

Yana sniffed. "We had a sub for the bus driver today. He didn't care that it was raining—he made us get off anyways."

"What?" He blinked, surprised that anyone would do such a thing. "He should know squids your age can't connect to spawn points. Did he really do that?"

York nodded. "It's true! He was so mean... He kept telling us to shut up, even if we weren't talking."

Someone's getting fired, Yuri remarked silently. His voice low, he asked, "What was his name?"

"I don't know!" Yana cried. "I don't even know the normal bus driver's name!"

"We were going to walk home after the rain stopped," York added. "But my body feels so heavy..."

"That's what happens when you're caught out in the rain," he said. "Our bodies can't handle water very well. Too much, and splat! You're gone!"

"Gah!" Yana jumped, covering her eyes. "I don't want that to happen!"

"It won't!" he assured her. "Not as long as you're careful!"

"You're gonna do something about that mean bus driver," his younger brother asked. "Right?"

He gave a small smile. "Sure... But what's important now is that you two are safe." He looked back out at the sky. "It'd be better if we wait until the storm stops. Until then, let's just hang out here."

They sat down on the grass, his younger siblings' bodies sticky against Yuri's. He pulled out his phone, again, checking for any more texts from the Rainbow Squids' group chat. Nothing. He couldn't blame them—in this weather, it was hard to get anything done. But in that case, he would have to wait even longer for updates.

He figured it would be inappropriate to pull up Squidsagram while York and Yana were watching, so instead, he pulled up a livestream of some ranked battles, the twins' intrigued as they watched a wavy-haired girl dart across the map with her dualies, cocky as she dared tried to take the Rainmaker for herself. She managed to grab it, but she splatted from an enemy sniper not even a second later, in which the camera proceeded to focus on him.

A few matches later, the rain eventually cleared up to the point where they could go home safely, the sun peeking through the grey clouds. Yuri put his phone away and grabbed his siblings' hands, and together, they walked through the streets, the light warm against his dark skin.

When they got home, Yuri immediately forced Aleah and Yasmin out of the bathroom, York and Yana taking their place. Yellow ink trailed through the house, though it would disappear in no time. The twins had taken their shoes and coats off, only wearing matching t-shirts and shorts now. Yuri left the bathroom to grab a Splattershot out of his closet, and when he returned, he began firing at them, their bodies growing more stable as they began more ink than water. Yuri felt dried out by the time they were no longer at risk of falling apart, but his siblings' safety was what mattered most.

"There," he panted, leaning against the wall. Barely any ink was in the Splattershot's tank, and it soon slipped out of his fingers, clattering to the ground, the remaining ink disappearing along with it. "You good now?"

"I feel great!" York exclaimed. "Thanks!"

"Yeah, thank you!" Yana agreed.

He smiled. "No problem." He shooed them out of the bathroom and turned on the bathtub faucet, preparing to bathe and rehydrate himself. As the ink filled the tub, he changed his ink color to match the color of the ink flowing out of the faucet. Though it took some effort, he was soon set. Before he stepped into the bathtub, he checked his phone for any updates. Nothing.

Perhaps he had nothing to worry about after all. The New Squidbeak Splatoon would take care of it.

A/N: Sorry for another late chapter. More suspicious things happening, and more of just Yuri bonding with his siblings. I wonder what everyone can glean from this chapter. Anyways, there are now 33 days left until Splatoon 3 comes out! Isn't that exciting? It's hard to believe it's this close, now. I can't wait! Well, that's all I have for you today. Branchwing, out.