Perry's PoV
"So, uh, we might have come across a slight issue," Agent 1 revealed.
Octavia frowned, cupping a walkie talkie around her hands. "What do you mean? That doesn't sound like you have a 'slight issue' at all!"
"Peyton isn't here," Agent 2 said bluntly. "We don't know why—everyone else in the unit listed in her page is here."
"Maybe she's busy?" Perry suggested.
Roy growled. "We don't have time for this! If she isn't there, we'll just have to come back for her later."
Over the walkie talkie, Perry could hear Marie sigh. "One of us will have to stay here."
"Huh?!" Callie exclaimed. "But Agent 2! What if you get hurt? Or even worse, captured?"
"I could say the same to you. I can't risk you getting captured again. But at the same time, if Peyton comes back, we'll need someone to get her as soon as possible."
Agent 4 cleared her throat. "What if you both stay there?"
"But the mission!" the black-haired inkling argued.
"Yeah, what if someone attacked you? Then we won't be able to help you," her cousin agreed.
"I know, I know," she acknowledged. "But we all can fight. If anything goes wrong, we'll just splat anyone in our way. Besides, you already made it this far. If Peyton comes back, then you can just whisk her away."
"Oh, that's pretty solid logic!" Agent 1 complimented. "What do you think?"
Silence. Eventually, Agent 2 said, "...Alright. Just call us if you get into trouble."
Alexis nodded. "Of course. See ya later." The walkie talkie cut off, and she put it back into her pocket. "Anyways..." She pointed towards one of the rocks in the distance, her mouth open in a wide smile. "Onwards, to Cephalon HQ!"
Everyone transformed into squids and super-jumped into the cavern, darkness befalling them. They landed on the central platform, several lights flashing on its perimeter. When a platform with purple lights passed by, Agent 4 gestured for the group to follow her on it. A few moments after everyone got on it, it began to fly away. Perry forced himself not to look down—he didn't want to get sick now of all times. After all, this was a very, very important mission.
They entered one of the pockets of the cavern, located near the ceiling. The floating platform reached a terminal and stopped, allowing everyone to hop out of it. Perry turned around to stare out at the sea of magenta ink for a few moments, neon lights shining in various places in the distance. He heard a creak, and he turned around to see a kettle, orange ink lying at its base.
"I don't like the vibes in there," Agent 4 admitted. "It's like a laboratory of some sort. Complete with the giant test tubes and everything!"
"This is where Brayden is at, right?" Via inquired. "Why put him in there?"
"Yeah, I don't think he's a scientist," Perry agreed.
"Let's just get going," Roy insisted. "I don't want to waste more time."
Coming to an agreement, they slipped into the kettle, and a few seconds later, they dropped into an empty hallway. Neon magenta lights lined the room, heading deeper inside the facility. Several doors lined the area, with only mechanical beeping accompanying them. Perry gulped, trying to calm his nerves as they traversed the hallway.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Surprisingly, there were no guards, though he spotted some Octarians in some of the rooms, overseeing some octolings lying in hospital beds. He felt like they would notice them at any second, yet they continued to focus on their work, their gaze unwavering. That, at least, gave him some relief in this nightmare hospital.
Eventually, they reached a large room, featuring a series of large test tubes filled with a dark liquid, several tubes connected to the nude octolings inside. Smaller test tubes surrounded them, containing Octarians and cut tentacles that weren't sentient. A Twintacle Octotrooper and an Octobomber oversaw them, dressed in white cloth that reminded Perry of a labcoat. They stopped to study the octolings inside the larger test tubes, hoping the scientists would not notice them. Most of the octolings were female, though he spotted a few male octolings as well, none of which matched Brayden's physical description. Some octolings had the roots of their hair darkened, while other octolings had their hair almost completely darkened, save for the tips of their hair. Confident Brayden was in none of those test tubes, they moved deeper into the facility.
Agent 4 eventually stopped in front of one of the rooms, peering inside. Nodding, she took out a card and slid it through the card reader, opening it. The Octotrooper inside swung its head towards the newcomers, quickly becoming alarmed as it realized just who had arrived. It scrambled for a remote, and before it could grab it, Alexis fired her dualies at it and splatted it, covering the walls with orange ink.
"There," she declared. "It's gone." She turned towards the bed, frowning. "And look who's here."
The trio's attention was drawn towards the other side of the room, where a tan-skinned octoling boy rested. "Brayden!" Roy exclaimed.
"That's him alright," Octavia commented, standing over him. "He looks unconscious, though."
Perry stepped up to join her, looking down at him. Like the octolings in the test tubes, he wasn't wearing anything, yet there were no signs of his hair darkening anywhere. It was the same magenta color the Octarians donned, tentacles curling around his chin. He looked over towards the other side of the room, where a pile of clothes rested, including some hypnoshades. On the desk was a computer, opened up to display a file, alongside stacks of paperwork and a wooden stamper.
Roy lifted Brayden off the bed and threw him over his shoulders. "Let's get him out of here."
"Do you think if we slap him, he'll wake up?" Perry suggested.
"No, he's probably on some anesthetic," Via countered. "Slapping him won't wake him up."
"Be quiet!" Agent 4 scolded. "We don't want the entire facility to start running towards us!"
"Right, right," Perry acknowledged.
"Shouldn't we dress him?" the wavy-haired girl suggested. "I don't think the others would appreciate it if we brought him home naked."
"Iris would," he snickered.
"Oh, no," Alexis groaned, shaking her head. "Just put his underwear on at the very least."
"Fine." He walked over to the pile of clothes, digging through them until he found Brayden's underwear. With Roy's help, he put it on him before he picked the octoling up again. Together, they walked out of the room, Four closing the door behind her as they treaded down the hallway. Upon reaching the entrance, she super-jumped ahead, flipping the lid of the kettle up and signifying the others to come on up. Turning into squids, they traveled out of the dome, entering the cavern once more.
Once Brayden was completely out of the kettle, Via slammed the lid shut. "There," she declared. "We got him. Now let's get him out of here."
A purple platform flew by again, and just as they stepped on it, magenta blobs of ink began to swirl around them, spawning a few Octotroopers onto the platform. They gurgled with alarm as they focused their guns at them, firing. Perry swung the Hero Slosher as fast as he could, splatting the Octarian in front of him in less than a second. Octavia slapped two Octotroopers off the platform with her brush, while Roy fired the Hero Blaster at the Octarians attacking him, their machines crashing down into the sea below as they splatted.
Once the Octarians were gone, they reached the central platform, where a few more Octarians were standing, including some octolings. Upon the Rainbow Squids' arrival, their attention turned towards them, expectant.
"There you are," one octoling jeered, black hair curling around his chin. Unlike the other octolings he had seen, he was wearing a black kimono that was accented with gold.
Agent 4's lip curled into a sneer. "Takko."
"Correct," he confirmed, crossing his arms. "I was heading elsewhere with my entourage, but since you are here now... I can take this chance to splat you."
Roy stepped up, dropping Brayden to the ground and clenching a fist. "Oscar!" he called. Looking past Takko, he recognized the bronze-skinned boy, donning a poker face as his attention drifted towards his boyfriend.
A familiar octoling whose name Perry could not remember threw out a hand in front of him. "Do not," he warned, his accent heavy.
"That's bullfish, Angel, and you know it," he argued. "You're trying so hard to keep Oscar in Octarian society, yet you fail every time."
"If I...try hard...enough, I can...succeed," Angel declared, his grip on the Inkling language still shaky. "This is my...'final straw.'"
Takko's eyes fell on Brayden. "I see you have Pallidus, too," he stated, shaking his head. "He was just about to become an elite octoling, too. It is rare you find someone with his talent."
"You were forcing him to do that against his own will," Octavia argued. "I don't know him very well, but I know he'd rather be free then stay in one of those creepy test tubes for who-knows-how-long."
"Is that what you think?" he questioned. "I simply asked him, and he accepted. You make it sound like there was a struggle."
"Yeah, because he was wearing the hypnoshades," Perry countered.
Takko huffed, putting his feet together and throwing his hand out. "Guards! Attack!"
Several magenta blobs started to swirl around the platform, spawning several Octocopters and Octobombers. As the former shot magenta blobs of ink at them, the latter spat out bombs, exploding to cover the platform with magenta ink. In the chaos, Takko, Angel, and Oscar escaped on an incoming platform with cyan lights, only for Roy to follow him, dropping Brayden on the ground and super-jumping over to them.
"Agent R!" Alexis shouted, eyes wide. Yet, he didn't listen. Takko tried to push him off the platform, but his feet remained firmly planted on the ground, trying to push Takko off, too.
However, there was no time to pay attention to Roy. They had to focus on the battle here, on the central platform.
Some Octocopters tried to move in, but Perry merely swung the Hero Slosher at them, splatting out of the air. They left Brayden at the edge of the platform and tried to close in around the attacking Octarians, but seeing as they could fly, their strategy ultimately failed. While Perry and Octavia took care of the Octocopters, Agent 4 took care of the Octobombers, splatting them out of the sky and knocking their bombs into the lake when possible.
A cry of pain snapped their attention over towards Alexis. Her hero suit had broken, and now she was limping around, grimacing as magenta ink dripped from her body. An Octobomber spat out another grenade, and Via proceeded to tackle her, sending them flying away from the bomb before it could blow up. Before it could shoot out another bomb, Perry ran up to it and swung the slosher, splatting it once and for all.
Just when they thought the Octarians would attack them no more, another wave of magenta blobs began to form in midair, only spawning more Octocopters and Octobombers. An Octosniper spawned in the central of the platform, scanning the area before shooting towards the sisters. They jumped in separate directions, and in that moment, Agent 4's hero suit repaired. She rolled up to the Octosniper and splatted it before it could cause any more damage. Once again, they focused on splatting the flying Octarians, and once they were gone, no more Octarians spawned. They were safe at last.
Or so they thought.
Suddenly, Roy started to scream, and they snapped their heads towards the direction of the sound. The tan-skinned inkling had fallen from the platform, and now, he was plummeting towards the lake. Immediately, Alexis changed her ink color to magenta and dove into the lake in the form of a squid, swimming towards him as fast as she could. Yet, she failed to reach him in time, as he plunged into the lake, splashing ink everywhere on contact.
"Roy!" Octavia and Perry cried out in anguish. The former covered her mouth, while the latter merely stared in shock. Agent 4 took on her kid form again and dove deeper inside the lake, searching.
Just when he thought neither of them would come up, Roy's head broke the surface, coughing. There, Perry could see magenta on his head, not orange. He had managed to change his ink color in time. Four emerged a few seconds later, and together, they swam back to the central platform, covered with orange ink, save for the spot they were keeping Brayden at. Breathing heavily, they changed their ink colors back to orange.
"I have...to go back," Roy declared.
"Are you crazy?" Via snapped, hugging him. "I thought you died, for cod's sake!"
The walkie talkie crackled to life, and to Perry's surprise, Bonnie was the one speaking. "You need to conserve your energy. You can't go chasing after Oscar immediately."
"Someone needs to follow him, though," Giovanni agreed. Hearing him brought a smile to his face—he had been saved! But what about everyone else?
"Agent 1 and Agent 2 told me ye haven't found Peyton yet," Cap'n Cuttlefish interjected. "I see you got Brayden, though!"
"Brayden!" Iris exclaimed. "Is he okay?" So Iris had been saved, too. What about Yvonne?
"He's unconscious, but he's still alive, if that's what you're asking," Perry replied.
"I can come take him back," Agent 3 offered. "You need to go after Oscar. Who knows where they're taking him?"
If Geneva's there, then... Perry nodded with a smile. Yvonne must've been rescued, too. They really got them all.
Agent 4 shared the same thought, though she appeared to be less enthusiastic. "You've saved everyone assigned to you," she lamented. "But we've only managed to save one. And one of them isn't even there!"
"Do not be sad!" Agent 8 comforted her. "You are doing good. Less talk, though. More doing."
"I'll watch over him," Via announced, kneeling down next to Brayden's body. "You three go on ahead."
Her sister nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Right."
At that moment, they heard something land on the platform, something heavy enough to make such a sound. Turning around, they were met with an elite octoling with light brown skin. She wore the same uniform as every other octoling soldier, and the kelp trailing behind her marked her status. Her dark hair was tied up into a ponytail, and Perry could just barely see a bruise on her inner elbow. In her hands, she clutched an Octo Shot that she now pointed at the group.
Octavia's eyes widened, and she stood up. "Eden!" she exclaimed.
The expression on Roy's face grew dark. "So, now you show your face, instead of running away like a coward." Sneering, he aimed the Hero Blaster at her. "Prepare to pay for your crimes!"
"Coward? I am not cowardly," Eden jested, placing a hand on her chest. "I am only following orders." Lowering it, her eyebrows furrowed. "Orders that include splatting you."
Agent 4 glanced between an incoming platform with cyan lights and Eden. "I'll go on ahead!" she declared. "You squids deal with Eden!" Before anyone could argue, she jumped over her and scrambled onto the platform just as it flew away. She waved goodbye, and now, everyone laid their focus on the elite octoling.
Octavia sighed, lowering her brush. "Part of me wants to be mad at you for betraying us, but...you're still my friend. Or was that fake, too?"
"That was the past," Eden growled, taking out a splat bomb. "I have no interest in maintaining that friendship."
She frowned. "It's the hypnoshades, right? Maybe if I take that off, we can reason with you."
"There's no point, Via," Perry said. "Even without the hypnoshades, she'll still fight you."
Roy nodded. "All her niceties were just a ruse. Now, charge!"
"Wait!" she yelled. "Don't splat her, at least!"
If he had heard that, he didn't make it apparent. He fired the Hero Blaster at her, but the elite octoling merely stepped back, tossing the bomb at his chest and jumping over him to knock him to his feet. Octavia grabbed Eden and pulled her backwards while Perry grabbed Roy, dragging him away from the bomb. He felt the heels of his shoes hit something, and he looked down to see that Brayden's arm had moved in slightly. Had it been a harder hit... Well, Brayden would've just fallen into the lake.
Octavia tossed Eden aside, sending her flying to the other edge of the platform. She got up, baring her teeth as she charged towards them once more, spreading magenta ink everywhere and impeding their movement. Perry started to swing his slosher some more, providing more turf for the group to traverse through, while Via and Roy continued to be on the offense.
Quickly, they had Eden cornered, where her only option was to either surrender or fall into the lake. Considering how loyal octolings were, Perry figured she would rather fall into the lake. Yet, she still hesitated, looking between the two inklings.
As if she spotted something, she lifted her head, expectant. "What are you waiting for?" she called, still speaking Inkling. "Come down here!"
The newcomer was a blur, spinning in the air a few times before landing on the entrance to DJ Octavio's lair. This octoling was much more familiar to Perry. With fingertips that faded into a magenta color and hair tied up into a ponytail, there was no mistaking who this girl was.
Peyton.
"I waiting for the Dauntless," she remarked, "but I cannot ignore your orders. Come down I shall."
She started swinging her black-and-red slosher at Octavia and Roy, forcing them to scatter. Via grabbed Eden and pinned her to the ground, the inkling's eyelids heavy. Roy put away his blaster and attempted to grab Peyton's hypnoshades, but she merely dodged every attempt, nearing Via with every step. Unable to standby any further, Perry ran towards Peyton, slamming his slosher into her face and breaking her hypnoshades. She stumbled backwards, rubbing her flushed face as the cracked shades fell to the floor, useless.
"Ow..." she moaned, wiping her bloody nose.
"Sorry," he apologized. "It was the only way."
Quickly regaining her composure, Peyton walked over to Via and Eden and kneeled down to meet the elite octoling's face. "So you are the spy."
"That is my job," she confirmed.
"Throw her in the lake," she suggested. "Someone that dangerous should not run free."
Via's face became stricken with horror. "So you're just going to let her drown?"
"You could also imprison her. You did with Octavio."
"Octavio's literally leads the Octarians," Perry pointed out. "If you don't want to kill him, that's the only other option."
"W-We can also free her!" she suggested. "With the Calamari Inkantation!"
"Just forget it," Roy growled. "Why are you so desperate to save her, anyways?"
Via fell silent, looking down at Eden once more. Though she looked understandably annoyed, she wasn't attacking. A few moments later, she took off the hypnoshades, and while she tried to get them back, she ultimately tossed them into the lake.
"Now, will you listen?" she asked. "Please, Eden, just go home. I don't want to splat you."
"You took my shades," she protested, eyebrows furrowing. "I still have my order to complete, too."
"Forget it, just say we got away," Octavia requested. "I don't think your superiors will be angry."
Sighing, she conceded. "Get off of me." The wavy-haired inkling complied, and she rose to her feet, wiping some orange ink off of her. "Now, goodbye." Turning into an octopus, she immediately super-jumped away to a location unknown.
At the same time, Agent 3 arrived, dropping onto the boss kettle, her eyes widening upon seeing the Rainbow Squids. "Sorry," she apologized, trying to hide her surprise. "Got caught up in a conversation."
"We got Peyton, too!" Perry announced, holding his arms out to direct her attention towards the octoling.
"They send me to spy on you," she explained. "Obviously, it not my choice."
"I know," Three acknowledged. She walked over to Brayden and picked him up. "Let's get back, now. Iris's only growing more anxious by the minute."
Peyton nodded. "I can get back to what I am doing, too."
"In Inkopolis? Not now," she denied. "You need to be there until everyone in Octa Prisma has been rescued."
"Which is just Oscar, now," Octavia concluded. "Speaking of Peyton, we should probably tell the Squid Sisters we found her, huh?"
"I'm sure Cap'n noticed by now," Geneva remarked. "As for if they'll come here or go back to Tentakeel Outpost, I have no idea. Well, see ya." Saluting goodbye, she took Brayden and super-jumped away with his body, Peyton not far behind. Everyone else waited goodbye, and now, they awaited a cyan platform so they could catch up with Agent 4.
It soon arrived, and it started to float away from the central platform, heading up towards the top of the cavern. It stopped at a metal platform, traces of sunlight beaming down on it. The kettle had already been revealed, orange ink surrounding its base. At their arrival, Octavia took out her walkie talkie and contacted Four again.
"We're here," she announced. "Can we come in?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Can't explain much right now, but I left an ink trail for you to follow. Just swim through it, and you should meet me soon."
"Alright. See you then." She put away the walkie talkie and tapped at the kettle with her foot. "Everyone, let's go!"
The trio dove into the kettle, traveling inside the dome. The dome they landed in was a typical city, several buildings stretching towards the ceiling. The streets winded through the city, without any guards patrolling them. But just as Agent 4 described, there was a trail of orange ink on the sidewalk, and other puddles of orange splattered onto the street. Perry assumed she splatted them while she was following Takko, Angel, and Oscar. Nonetheless, Roy was the first of them to submerge in the trail, ripples marking his position. Octavia and Perry proceeded to follow him, heading deeper and deeper into the city.
The trail stopped at a big puddle, located across the street from a metal building reminiscent of a warehouse. A rock held one of the doors open, and after everyone emerged from the ink puddle, so did another person. Quickly, they took the shape of an inkling girl with bronze skin and short hair, someone Perry immediately recognized as Agent 4.
"They're in there," she explained. "It's just one big, empty room. They couldn't have gotten far."
"C'mon!" Roy egged, running towards the building. "Let's hurry!"
They swung the door open to be met with several rows of shelves full of boxes, presumably filled with various parts and machines the Octarians used. Immediately, they started to scan each and every row, searching for Oscar and the octolings with him. Each empty row they came across, Perry could just see Roy grow more and more nervous. Even as Via tried to calm him down, his anxiety still remained.
Just when he was about to give up, Agent 4 stopped in front of one of the rows, looking down it. Joining her, he found himself looking at Takko, Angel, and Oscar, accompanied by a female octoling with olive skin and curly hair and an odd-looking Octarian, one eye larger than the other. They all chatted with each other in Octarian, and a few seconds later, Takko waved goodbye and started to head towards the inklings, his eyes closed. As he opened them slightly, he stopped, jumping on the sight of the Rainbow Squids.
"H-How?!" he gasped. "I thought we got rid of you!"
"Huh?" Oscar lifted his head, bewildered. "Who is there?"
Angel took out his Octo Shot, eyebrows furrowing. "The New Squidbeak Splatoon," he revealed.
"The gig's up," Alexis declared, stomping a foot on the ground. "You have nowhere left to run. Hand Oscar over, now."
The boy with the afro stumbled, eyebrows knitting with worry. "Why do you want me?" he puzzled. "What did I do?"
"You didn't do anything," Roy said. "They're the ones to blame."
The octoling with curly hair pointed towards the other exit. "That way!" she called. Upon hearing her command, Perry and Octavia super-jumped to the other end of the row, blocking them off. The Octarian scrambled to a stop as they now blocked the way, face stretched into a frown as it wiggled its smaller arm around.
Takko sighed. "You really do not want us to leave, do you?"
"L-Lord Takko!" Angel exclaimed. "Attack!"
"You handle it," he suggested. "I do not want to get my hands dirty right now."
He looked over his shoulder. "Mila! Help me!"
The other octoling nodded, revealing an Octo Shot. She began firing it at Octavia and Perry, forcing them to duck. Roy, on the other hand, moved towards Oscar, and while Takko attempted to make an escape, Alexis tackled him to the ground, pinning him. Angel attempted to stop the tan-skinned boy's advance, but he merely shoved him out of the way, stunning him for a few moments. Oscar covered his face, but Roy moved his arms out of the way and pulled the hypnoshades off his face, tossing them to the next row over.
However, Angel had other plans, readying his Octo Shot once more and pointing it towards Roy's head, his face contorted with anger.
"Watch out!" Alexis warned.
Roy turned around just as Angel started to fire, but Oscar proved to be quick, immediately blocking the shot with his body.
"O-Oscar?!" the Octarian blurted out, surprised.
Oscar turned towards it, frowning. "Sorry, Emery." He kneeled down to meet the Octarian's eyes, patting their head, comforting them in Octarian. After he finished, they tackled him, wrapping him in a hug as they sobbed.
Meanwhile, Angel stared at them, flabbergasted before turning around and digging his hands into his head, groaning. "This did not work either?!"
"Angel, calm down," Mila stated, running over to him and grabbing his hand. "If this not work... Maybe give up."
Takko turned into an octopus and slipped out of Alexis's grasp, transforming back after reaching the two octolings. "I had a feeling it would come to this, he admitted. "While it was initially successful, it did not last."
Angel scowled. "You knew? What about..." Perry could not understand the new few words he spoke.
Takko shook his head. "I never lifted the execution off of you. I was hoping I would have to, if the New Squidbeak Splatoon failed to take your brother, but alas, that did not happen."
"I still don't understand why you're so obsessed with getting Oscar back, even with that honor thing you mentioned once," Roy admitted, crossing his arms. "He's happy in Inkopolis. But you keep concocting plans to get him back, only for them to fail every time."
Mila nodded. "He is right," she agreed.
Perry could see the whites of his eyes from behind Angel's shades. "You agree with an inkling? Listen to you right now, you speak nonsense."
"Angel Margina, you still have many years ahead of you," Takko started, putting his hands together. "There is still a lot you can contribute to the Octarian army. Even if you never get promoted, each and every octoling is still a valuable asset to us."
"And my proposal?" Mila added. "Remember? When Emery got kidnapped?"
Angel nodded. "I remember." He paused, looking away from her for a few moments before meeting her eyes again. "Do you have the ring?"
"He rejected a wedding proposal?" Octavia whispered to Perry. "Geez, I hope this whole thing brought him back to his senses."
"Not here," the octoling woman replied. "Back at home, I give you it. OK?"
A small smile crossing his features, Angel nodded. "OK." He leaned forward for a kiss, and Perry spotted Alexis pretending to gag in the background, looking away.
Oscar tapped Roy's shoulder, grabbing his attention. "Let's go home," he requested. "I am done here."
The octoling with the curtain cut broke away from Mila and looked over at Oscar. "Leaving now?"
"I am 18, Angel," he reminded him. "I can make my own choices now. Which includes leaving."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure." Grabbing Roy's hand, they began to walk away together. He stopped at the end of the row, turning back to look at his brother. "Do you promise not to look for me anymore?"
Angel nodded. "I promise."
"Good."
Quietly, the rest of the Rainbow Squids joined up with Roy and Oscar, and as soon as they exited the building, they super-jumped out of the dome, back into Cephalon HQ. From there, they super-jumped out of the cavern, traveling back to Tentakeel Outpost. All eyes were drawn to them upon their arrival, and everyone began to cheer.
"You're back!" Callie exclaimed.
"We were watching the entire time," Marie added. "That whole thing was tense."
"How's Brayden?" Agent 4 asked. "Has he woken up yet?"
"No," Iris replied, looking down at the bench he was lying on. "Either way, did you beat Eden?"
"Uh..." Via rubbed her head. "We let her go free."
Yvonne's mouth fell open. "What? But she is the reason we got kidnapped!"
"It was Takko's orders, technically," Geneva corrected.
"Well, who cares?" Roy interrupted. "Everyone's back now; let's party!"
"Let me get the snacks!" Cap'n Cuttlefish declared. He stepped inside the Cuttlefish Cabin, later returning with a box of a variety of chips. "Pirate's booty for ye. Enjoy!"
"Woo!" Perry exclaimed, grabbing some cheese puffs out of the box. "I'm starving!"
The Squid Sisters pulled out some more benches and chairs for everyone to sit down on, and Cap'n Cuttlefish even let DJ Octavio free for the party, too, even if he didn't want anything. Regardless, He sat on one of the benches with the old man, chatting with him as the rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, the Rainbow Squids, and Octa Prisma celebrated.
By the time the sun had started to set, Brayden finally rose from his slumber, moaning. Iris rushed to his side, kneeling by him as he opened his sky-blue eyes.
"What...?" He sat up, groggy. "I am...not in a dome?"
"You were, but then we rescued you," Alexis explained. "Just in time, too."
"That Takko guy said something 'bout turning you into an elite octoling," Perry added. "Dunno why, but it happened to Eden."
"Speaking of Eden, what'll happen to her team?" Octavia pondered. "Is it just going to dissolve now? Are they going to find a new leader?"
Inigo shrugged. "We'll just have to wait and see."
A/N: A little late, but at last, it's here! Season 5 is over, and Octa Prisma is back! Congratulations to Team Rock for winning - I did manage to play the Splatfest last night, and it sure was fun! I'm just even more excited for Splatoon 3 now - less than two weeks now! Anyways, about "The Rainbow Squids." The next bonus story will come out next Sunday, September 4th. There's only two members of Octa Prisma who haven't gotten a bonus story yet; I wonder if you'll be able to guess which one. And after that, it's hiatus time. Season 6 will premiere in January 2023. More details will come next week. Well, that's that. Branchwing, out!