Alexis's PoV

As Alexis stepped into health class, the day she had been dreading had finally arrived. Egg-sitting.

Next to her teacher were a few cartons of bird eggs, all opened up to showcase its contents, the shells hard and dull in comparison to nearly every other egg she had ever seen. She never understood why bird eggs were used, but if that was what the curriculum laid out for them.

Alexis never was a fan of health class, anyways. The topics always grossed her out, and sometimes she badly wished they could talk about something else. Especially when the rest of her class either snickered at their discussions or took everything with a straight face. It was times like these that Alexis felt alone. She knew there were other people out there who felt similarly to her, but in this situation, the thought did not help.

Once the bell rang, the teacher rose from his seat, clearing his throat. "As you can see, we will finally begin our next project. Take care of an egg." One of the inkling boys in the class raised his hand, and the stonefish's eyes fell on him. "Yes?"

"Why are we using bird eggs?" he asked. "They're like, the only hard-shelled eggs in the world. Every other egg is squishy."

"It is fragile all the same," he replied. "Babies are also fragile. You must exercise the upmost caution with them."

"Yeah, but at least they won't die the moment you drop them," a sea anemone commented.

"They have a high chance of getting injured, though," the teacher shot down. "All the more reason why bird eggs are the perfect substitute for babies."

"Aren't there dolls that stimulate babies?" a girl with huge glasses remarked.

"Ahem. That's enough," he declared. "Those dolls cannot accommodate for all species. A baby inkling is raised very differently from a baby sea anemone, for example." He clapped his hands together, smiling. "Anyways, I believe I've made my point clear. Now, everyone, let me go over the assignment."

As the teacher continued to drone on about the egg-sitting assignment, Alexis slouched over, placing her elbows on the desk as one hand rested on her cheek. As always, she quickly became bored. Egg-sitting seemed simple enough, why would he possibly need to explain it in detail? He grabbed a remote and pressed a button, displaying a rubric on the screen attached to the whiteboard. It was hard to read from where she was sitting, but he began to go over it, making sure every part factoring into their grade was clear.

Once he finished, he began calling everyone one at a time to grab their eggs, going in alphabetical order. Alexis was the second person to go up, cupping her hands together and holding them out for the teacher. Carefully, he placed an egg in her hands, and bronze fingers began to curl around it. To break this would result in her failing the assignment, and possibly the entire class. Though she had good enough grades that it was unlikely she would fail, it wasn't a risk she was willing to take. Slowly, she began to walk to her desk, still holding the egg. As she sat down, she started at it. Just where was she supposed to put this?

Well, whatever. She had lunch next period; perhaps one of her friends would know what to do.

After everyone had received their eggs, the rest of the class was spent in silence, the teacher diligently watching over the class. He became mortified as a shark proceeded to pop her egg into her mouth, the shell crunching as she bit down on it. Alexis wasn't sure if she was even surprised—out of everyone, she expressed her disdain for health class the most openly. Nonetheless, he gave her a new egg, continuing to stand by her side for the rest of the period.

Soon, the bell rang, and Alexis kept the bird egg close to her chest as she rose from her seat, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder before heading towards the cafeteria. The table she normally sat at was rather close to the entrance, and typically, she was the first to arrive. The Rainbow Squids sat more towards the middle, but she rarely went over to them, anyways. Lunch was one of the few times she could hang out with squids her own age.

Not long after Alexis arrived, another friend of hers came—a tan-skinned inkling girl named Misty. The base of her wavy hair was grey, but it faded into a light blue color. Much like Alexis, she was on the student council, and many believed she was to become the student council president in her senior year. Resourceful and clever, she was someone many looked up to, Alexis included. She was just fortunate enough to be friends with her.

Misty sat down and opened her lunch box. "Hi," she greeted.

"Hi." Alexis held out the bird egg. "You had health last semester, right? So you gotta know how to take care of this."

Nervously, she chuckled, rubbing the back of her forehead. "Alexis... I didn't get a good grade on it."

"What?" she blurted out in surprise. "Why?"

"Well... I may have dropped it on the way home. I just tripped, I swear!"

Alexis frowned. "Well... You made it through the school day, right?"

"Yeah. I guess I can at least give you that advice."

Before Misty could continue, another inkling proceeded to join them, sitting down next to the wavy-haired girl. Much like Bonnie, her green hair was tied up into a double bun. A squid facemask covered her mouth, but she pulled it down to eat the lunch she had bought. Chelsea, another member of the student council.

"Hey..." She trailed off as her eyes laid on the bird egg. "Oh, you got that assignment."

Alexis blinked. "You had it last semester too?"

"Yeah," Chelsea confirmed. "Did you forget?"

"I, uh..." She pouted. "Alright, yeah, I forgot."

Giggling, she continued, "Well, unlike Misty over here..."

"Hey!" the wavy-haired girl interjected.

"...I didn't break the egg." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, crossing her arms with confidence. "It was pretty easy, actually."

"Everything's easy for you," Alexis remarked. "But anyways, how do I not fail this?"

"It's simple. Don't take it into anything stupid, like a fight or something. That includes ink battles. At school, do not leave it out of your sight. Bad things could happen if so. When at you're at home, though, you could just put it in a safe place and call it a day. Make sure it's safe, though. You can't just put the egg on your desk; it could roll off. You have to put it in a bowl or something."

Misty nodded in agreement. "What she said. I wouldn't put it in your backpack. You could forget it's there and crush it by accident. You're lucky your sister can drive you home. I had to walk home, and it's kind of far from here!"

"Oh, I can't hold it all the time!" the orange-haired girl lamented. "What if I knock it off by accident?"

"I think the teachers are aware of the egg assignment," Misty said. "I hope they are, at least."

"Let's face it, they probably aren't," she rebutted. The table fell into silence, and she took this moment to place the bird egg in the middle of the table, waiting until it completely settled before opening up her lunch box. "I'll just leave it there for now. Nothing can't happen to it there!"

Chelsea now donned a smirk. "Are you sure?"

"H-Hey!"

"I'm kidding," she assured her. "Unless some jerk comes over and knocks it off, I don't think anything will happen to it."

"If you say so."

Alexis proceeded to eat her lunch, and after she was done, she closed her lunch box and grabbed the bird egg, holding it close to her chest once again. She didn't want to take any chances. Nonetheless, at least Misty and Chelsea tried their best to lighten the mood. They usually played a card game or did homework together after everyone finished eating, but the possibility of that happening today was extremely slim, thanks to the egg-sitting assignment. If only she didn't have to do it...

When lunch ended, she told her friends goodbye and headed to her next class, which just happened to be her language class. They were just working on an essay today, though. They headed to the computer lab, and once she sat down at one of the desktops, she placed the bird egg next to the keyboard and typed away at her essay. She managed to finish a rough draft before the bell rang, sending her away to her next class.

Next, she had chemistry with Mr. Nema, a teacher Bonnie had when she was her age. Despite his eccentricities, he let her store the bird egg at his desk so that they could do their lab. She took off her striped beanie and left it on her desk, replacing it with safety goggles. As today's assignment involved a container of water, her lab partner, who was a betta fish and not an inkling, did most of the work. All Alexis did was fetch supplies and record data, something she felt was a good compromise. Recording data was a lot of work, after all!

At the end of the class, she got her bird egg back from Mr. Nema, and the rest of the school day proceeded to go smoothly. It was uneventful, sure, but at least she didn't have to encounter any close calls. She did witness someone drop their egg, though. She wished she could've helped them, but that would risk her breaking her own egg. And she was certainly not ready to fail the assignment.

Upon exiting the school building, she immediately spotted her sister standing at the bottom of the stairs, scrolling through something on her phone. She called out her name, and she turned around, putting her phone back into her pocket.

Upon sight of Alexis, Octavia bit her lip and shook her head, eyebrows knitting together. "Oof... The egg-sitting assignment."

"I don't remember you ever doing it," she pointed out.

"Well, I stayed over at Bonnie's house that night," she countered. "That's was when Anya was last here, remember?"

Anya, their younger cousin who lived overseas. She and her family rarely made trips back over to Inkopolis, but whenever they came, they tended to leave destruction in their wake. Which proved to be a pain for her parents to deal with. Alexis didn't really like Anya, either—she was a spoiled brat. Her parents just couldn't say no to her demands, and she tried to place the blame on Alexis multiple time as well. And Alexis almost always got the punishment. At least Octavia tried her best to alleviate it whenever she did get punished.

"Oh," Alexis finally said. "Could you take me to Inkopolis Square first?"

"Why there? Don't you want to drop off your stuff first?"

"Well... You know! The whole situation with Octa Prisma."

"Ohh, I see. What if you drop the egg though?"

"Well, it's like babysitting, isn't it? Except it's an egg."

"I guess... Eggs don't cry if you leave them alone, though."

"H-Hey! I just wanna show it to the others, OK?"

Via smiled. "So that's your reason."

"Just one of them!"

"OK, OK, I'll bring you to the Square. I'll even help you get to you-know-where and drop off your stuff when I get home. But whenever you decide to go home, you have to walk there. Alright? It's not like it's far from there or anything."

Alexis nodded. "I understand." She started to march down the stairs, walking into the parking lot. "Now, c'mon! I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Coming, coming."

Octavia opened the door to the passenger's side of the car for Alexis, and she climbed inside, dropping her backpack down into the empty space below. She sank into the cushions of the car as her sister placed herself on the driver's seat and started up the car, the engine roaring before calming down to a hum. Once it was safe, she pulled out of the parking spot and drove away towards the streets of Inkopolis.

It didn't take very long for them to reach Inkopolis Square, but once they entered the nearby parking lot, Octavia found a spot close to the exit and parked, allowing the two girls to crawl out of the car. Together, they walked over to the Deca Tower, several groups of inklings already crowding outside of it. To them, this was just another ordinary day, with only battling on their minds. Unfortunately, the Rainbow Squids and the New Squidbeak Splatoon could not have that luxury.

Ensuring no one was watching them, Octavia lifted the manhole, allowing Alexis to descend inside. She climbed down into the hole, and moments later, Via slammed the cover shut, with only a little light peeking through the grate above her head. Sighing, Alexis set her sights on the path ahead.

Eventually, she arrived at the end of the tunnel, birds chirping as she approached Tentakeel Outpost. Still donning her civilian outfit, she took one hand and pushed the cover open, allowing her to climb out. Everyone's attention fell on her as she arrived, bewilderment crossing their features as they noticed her lack of a hero suit.

But it didn't seem important in the long run. "You're finally here," Marie announced, dressed in her kimono. "We just found out something. Come here."

She walked over to the group, and more eyes fell on the egg Alexis held. "...A bird egg?" Eight puzzled.

"It's for school," she explained. "I have to take care of an egg for a day."

"Man, I don't think I ever had to do that when I was in school," the grey-haired inkling sighed.

"We were pretty busy when we were Four's age, Marie," Callie reminded her. "There wasn't much time for school."

"We're still busy," she corrected. "But yeah, I guess you're right."

"I just left at home the entire day," Agent 3 commented. "I had health last period, so it was pretty easy to do. The main challenge was bringing it back to school."

"I wonder what the teacher does after you give it back," the black-haired idol pondered.

"Cook it?" Cap'n Cuttlefish suggested. "I can make an omelette so good, even Octavio would want to eat it!"

"Is that healthy?" Eight frowned. "Bird eggs are refrigerated. You take an egg out for a day."

"Maybe he just throws them away," Three remarked. After she finished, she shook her head. "We're getting distracted. Agent 4, look at this."

She turned the laptop to face Alexis, and on the screen was the Octarian database, a picture of a younger Peyton featured prominently in the middle. From her limited Octarian, she could make out the location she was listed to be in: Octo Canyon. At the sight, her face immediately fell.

Somehow, Peyton had managed to get kidnapped, too. She was sure she was being careful, too!

"You get it now?" Marie asked. "This is only getting worse."

She did have a point, but... "I think we should really start worrying if Agent 8 gets kidnapped," Alexis declared. "She isn't just any octoling... She's an agent, just like us!"

Eight winced. "Octa Prisma are my friends." Her eyebrows furrowed. "The Rainbow Squids care for them, too. So why do you not?"

"I-I..." Ever since she became Agent 4, her main enemies had been the Octarians. She spent months here, splatting anyone she came across, to the point where she became notorious among the Octarians, giving her the nickname the Dauntless. Just like Agent 3 had nearly four years ago.

But, some Octarians had also defected from the army, like Agent 8, Octa Prisma, and all those octolings she helped save ever since she learned of Agent 3's identity. Though many held disdain for inklings at first, they quickly adapted and began to live among them in Inkopolis. She could argue that some of them still disliked inklings, even now. Heck, she even has an octoling friend!

So why did she still dislike them? She wasn't sure of the answer herself.

"L-Let's just move on," Alexis continued. "Do we know where anyone else is yet?"

"We did find Yvonne," Callie revealed. "We got a location last night, so Three scouted it out—it's one of the agricultural domes."

"I didn't see her, but it actually looks to be in good shape," the green-haired girl added. "Considering their power crisis, it makes sense they'd want to devote the most of their resources to maintaining their food source."

"So I guess we didn't find the others," she concluded.

"We did get general locations, but no specific domes," Marie informed, twirling her umbrella around. "I'm not sure why they haven't updated them yet."

"We haven't checked yet today," Callie revealed. "Maybe we'll get one this time!"

"True," she acknowledged. "Wanna do the honors, Agent 3?"

"Sure thing." Three leaned over the laptop and typed in Oscar's name first. Sure enough, a location had been given for him—Cephalon HQ. It even named a dome, too! She pumped a fist, triumphant.

"Aye, there he is!" Cap'n Cuttlefish exclaimed. "Ye think we can find that Giovanni kid, too?"

"Yep." She typed in his name, and sure enough, a specific location was listed in his entry, too.

"That is strange," Eight interjected, directing the group's attention to her. "They are in different locations."

"You thought they would be in the same place?" Alexis questioned.

"They work together before Calamari Inkantation," she answered. "So it weird they separate now."

"The Octarians work in mysterious ways, bucko," the old man supplied. "Not even Octavio's sure what's going on down there right now."

"If I had to guess, they don't want octolings who have been freed by the Calamari Inkantation in such close proximity to one another," Marie speculated. "Only time will tell, though."

"You are probably correct," Eight admitted. "Anyways...shall we scout?"

Cap'n Cuttlefish nodded. "Aye. Agent 3, you go to Oscar's dome. Agent 8, you go to Giovanni's dome."

"What about me?" Alexis asked. "Can't I help?"

"Ye be quite busy right now, with that bird egg," he replied. "You should focus on that!"

"If you break it, you'll never hear the end of it!" Callie added.

"Oh, and you can also tell the others to let them know about Peyton's disappearance," appended Marie. "Knowledge is power!"

Though disappointed, Alexis nodded. "Alright."

"Now that that's settled..." Cap'n Cuttlefish struck out his cane, pointing it in the air. "New Squidbeak Splatoon, let's go!"

"Yeah!" everyone exclaimed.

Agent 3 and Agent 8 saluted goodbye and super-jumped to Cephalon HQ, while the others opened up a program on the laptop, allowing them to watch over the two agents. Cap'n Cuttlefish retreated into the cabin, returning with walkie talkies. Alexis didn't stay for much longer, though, as she quickly said her goodbyes and headed back to Inkopolis Square.

Upon her return, she headed over to the Rainbow Squids' table past the Crust Bucket. It was completely empty, save for a single jellyfish resting their head. She sat down at a seat across from them and set the bird egg down, pulling out her phone and texting the rest of the Rainbow Squids about Peyton's disappearance. She then texted the same message to the group chat for Octa Prisma—she had to get their phone numbers in order to keep them updated on the rescue mission. Though, only Brayden and Iris would see it now.

When she finished, she noticed that the egg was not where had put it. Panicking, her heart started racing as her eyes scanned the area, searching for the egg. If it was gone, then she would fail for sure!

She soon spotted it closer to the jellyfish, a long tentacle pushing the egg towards their head.

"What?!" Alexis snatched the egg out of their hand before it could enter their head. "Were you trying to eat it? Raw, mind you!"

The jellyfish lifted their head, blinking as they roused from their slumber. They stared at her for a few moments before hopping off the chair, waddling over towards the Shoal. Similarly, Alexis stared at them in disbelief. But, she quickly got over her shock and held the egg closer to her. At least this egg wasn't alive.

Seeing as none of the Rainbow Squids were coming over, she decided to head back home. She rang the doorbell, in which her mom proceeded to answer.

"Hi, Alexis." Her eyes fell on the bird egg. "So this is the assignment Via was talking about."

She nodded. "Did you do it?"

"Yeah." Her mom rubbed the back of her head. "It's been a really long time, though. I don't think I can help you very much with this."

She nodded. "I understand."

Her mom stepped out of the way, and immediately, Alexis walked up to her room. Just as Octavia had promised, she found her backpack on top of her bed, its contents spilling out. She placed the egg on the desk and cleaned up the mess, getting out her homework before setting the backpack aside. She placed the papers on top of her laptop before heading down to the kitchen to grab a bowl. When she returned to her room, she placed the egg inside the bowl and got to work on her homework.

...But she couldn't focus. Her latest meeting with the New Squidbeak Splatoon still burned in her mind. She tried to assure herself that it was just because she had school to deal with, but what if she didn't bring the egg to Octo Canyon? What if she went home first like Octavia suggested? Then maybe, she could've played a larger role in all of this. Instead, she was just being relegated to the sidelines.

She wasn't going to run away, though. She learned her lesson when she did it the first time. The New Squidbeak Splatoon cared about her greatly, and she knew it. Besides, if something went wrong with Agent 3 and Agent 8, then perhaps she could step in. She didn't hope it would have to come to that, though. They were some of the strongest people she knew—they couldn't possibly be defeated, right?

In an attempt to regain her focus, she plugged some earbuds into her ears and turned on some music. As Off the Hook's latest song blasted into her ears, drowning out her worries, she got straight to work.

The next morning, she found herself standing outside of West Inkopolis High School once again. Except this time, she was entering with a bird egg in her hands. She entered the school, and instead of lingering in the halls like she usually did, she headed straight to her first period class, where she sat down and waited for the first bell to ring, feeling stiff as she stared at the bird egg in her hands. She knew the hallways to be rowdy—she didn't want to risk anyone bumping into her, causing her to drop it. At least finally, she would soon be done with this.

The next few periods weren't very eventful, and when she entered the health classroom, she could just imagine herself cheering 'booyah,' her leg bouncing with excitement as she sat down. The rest of her classmates filtered into the room, and when the bell rang, the teacher cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention.

"I hope this past day has been eventful for you." He slapped a ruler on the palm of his hand. "I'll be inspected each and every one of your eggs! Now, if you don't have them out, please take them out."

Once everyone had done so, he began to weave his way through the classroom, stern eyes looking down at his students as he studied their bird eggs. When he came to Alexis, he studied for a long while, to the point where she started to get nervous, before giving a small nod and moving on to the next person. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had managed to pass the assignment.

Afterwards, the stonefish returned to his desk, many pairs of eyes falling on him. "Alright! Everyone who still has an egg, please bring them up here! One at a time, please. I'll be calling your names in alphabetical order."

Once again, Alexis was the second person to be called up. She nearly tripped over a stray backpack, but thankfully, she managed to catch herself in time and prevent the egg from falling. She glared at the backpack's owner before continuing on her way. Upon reaching the teacher's desk, she placed it in his hands before sitting back down. Surprisingly, more classmates lacked eggs than she thought. Were they really that reckless?

Regardless, she was just happy to finally be free.

When school ended, she stopped by home first, dropping her stuff off before heading over to Inkopolis Square. Perhaps the New Squidbeak Splatoon could finally carry out their rescue mission. And if not, maybe they would let her scout out a new location today.

Ensuring no one was watching, she turned into a squid and slipped through the grate, traveling towards Octo Canyon. She popped out in her hero suit, adjusting her headphones before walking over to the Cuttlefish Cabin. Only Callie and Marie were present, talking among themselves. When they spotted Agent 4, they waved hello.

"Heya!" Callie greeted. "You done egg-sitting?"

"Looks like it, if she doesn't have an egg on her," Marie commented.

"Yep," she confirmed, placing her hands on her hips. "Where're the others?"

"Gramps went to see Off the Hook," the grey-haired idol explained. "You just missed him. He said he wanted to show Pearl his latest rap."

"I'm sure she'll like it," the black-haired idol added.

"As for Agent 3 and Agent 8..." Marie frowned, pensive. "I don't know. I haven't seen them since they came back from scouting last night."

Alexis's own face fell, lowering her hands. "Huh. I thought Eight would at least be here by now." Out of everyone, she was the most determined to rescue Octa Prisma.

"Three's usually here before you, too," Callie commented. "How odd!"

As if on cue, another inkling arrived in Octo Canyon, plopping out of the manhole and transforming. Alexis turned around to see Agent 3 alone and sullen. Even DJ Octavio noticed her mood, and he seemed to shrink back in his snow globe, holding his wasabi sticks close to him.

"Geneva...?" Callie blinked, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Eight," she immediately replied. "Have you seen her?"

The three looked at each other before shaking their heads. "No, why do you ask?" Marie inquired.

"She didn't come home last night. She hasn't been home since. No one has seen her," Agent 3 explained. Her voice grew softer as she treaded closer to the group. "Not even you."

Alexis's eyes grew wide. "Then..."

"There's only one other possibility," Marie declared. "Agent 8 is missing."

A/N: So, how about that direct! There were many surprises to be had, and I'm super happy with the direct. I can't wait to get my hands on Splatoon 3! Only a few weeks left now! I'll be going for Team Rock for the Splatfest. Not because I like Shiver the best (not that I don't like them! I like them all, in fact!), but it feels like I tend to go for rock the most often whenever I play Rock Paper Scissors. I wonder which team will win. It'll be two weeks before we find out the answer, though. Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter, and Branchwing, out!