Narrator's POV:

Off the Hook took their alive friend and her companion through the city of Inkopolis towards the manhole, which leads to the squidbeak hideout. While Pearl took a look around, Mikel noticed that Skarlet started to fidget around with her tentacles.

"You're ok Skarlet?", he asked.

Her gaze was fixed on the manhole they were going to enter: "I'm just a bit nervous at how they might react when I come back...... especially Leon.", she murmured the last part silently but Mikel's sharp ears sadly caught her words with ease.

Just as he slightly clenched his fists Marina spoke up: "Ah, don't worry. Everyone will be so glad to see you again!"

"What are ya all standing around?", Pearl hopped towards them. "The coast is clear, so get a move on!"

Marina and Pearl jumped inside, but Skarlet still hesitated a bit. The tall inkling next to her gave her a pat on her back that nearly knocked her over: "Jeez, get yourself together. I don't know you like this."

"Whoa, HEY!", the Octoling shook her head and her signature grin appeared on her face: "Pah, you don't know! I was just planning on how to surprise them with my entrance~." Then before she jumped in, she let out one more line: "Of course I wonder what they will say when I bring a salmon-loving-buckethead with me?"

"By the freaking Flyfish, gimme a break.", but the Octoling was already gone. Mikel then looked up into the sky: "Just what by the Goldie am I doing?", and jumped after the others.

Leon's POV:

After the tough events with Vulkan, Leon was working out again together with Liz, while being supervised by Marie. Ava was drawing some pictures and Callie who should watch over Agent 8 was just ogling over towards the hard-working Agent 4. As for Captain Cuttlefish, he took a sunbath in a chair next to the shack.

"One and two, one and two........ Hey c'mon you can do better than that!", Marie scolded them as they were doing push-ups.

"Huff, Huff, need to keep going!", Leon was clenching his fangs as sweat ran down his body. Next to him was Liz, who was also covered in sweat.

"Hey Leon, you want to take a break with me afterwards? I can help you to cool down a bit~.", Callie said with a smirk.

"CALLIE!", Marie rose her umbrella ready to strike again.

"Never mind."

While everyone was minding their own business suddenly the voice of Pearl could be heard from the entrance: "Everyone come over here, someone is here for a visit!", waking up even the old Captain.

"A visitor? Hm, maybe it's Sheldon? Haven't heard of him in a while." Leon stood up along with Liz. "Well then shall we get over and greet our visitor?", he said to the others and went towards the manhole.

As they were approaching the entrance, am unknown tall Inkling towered next to Pearl and Marina, which made him feel a bit anxious. He waved over to Off the Hook: "Hey, there. Who is this new guy you brought with you?"

"Ah, let me introduce him. This is Mikel Squidedge an Inkling that lives at the Outskirts of Inkopolis and he brought a surprise for everyone.", Marina said with a cheerful voice.

"A surprise?"

The whole squidbeak team looked at them revealing someone behind them.

.

,,

,,,

If the jaw of a Squid or an Octoling could bend down towards the floor, theirs would definitely hit it in a split second as they realized who was standing there in front of them.

Before anyone could bring out a single word, Leon's vision went black as he was nearly run over.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeey there Hotshot, did ya miss me~?", an all too familiar voice came from above him.

Everyone: "SKARLET?!"

Leon: " *muffled* Skarlet?!"

-----Timeskip with a squid and octo party at the Octo canyon-----

Skarlet's POV:

Skarlet got bombarded by everyone with questions after she had a heartful greeting with the guy who seemed like the leader. "Heck, this girl even knows the squid sisters!"

"It's sooooo awesome to have you back! Now I finally got someone to help me again with taking turns on Leon --- OUCH!", Callie got hit by Marie with an umbrella.

"Leon will be always mine and nothing will ever change that you hear?", she said with a serious voice and looked towards the busty Octoling: "I'm really glad you're ok, but keep ya hands off from my Hotshot!"

"Hah, if you would know...... Grandma~.", Skarlet snapped back at her.

"What did you say?"

Then the till now silent Inkling girl spoke up: "I always knew you weren't one to go down so easy."

"Ah, but weren't you crying a lot when we thought Skarlet was dead?", Callie mischievously asked.

"N....n......no I didn't!", the Inkling girl got all flustered.

"Hahahahahaha, still being a tsundere Liz?", Skarlet laughted.

Then the cute Octoling that had been jumping around her tall partner the whole time came to a word: "Skarlet, Skarlet, Skarlet! I drew so many pictures of you, I want you to see them all!"

Skarlet bend down and went through the small Octoling's tentacles: "My, my you are such a sweet girl as always Ava."

Mikel's POV:

While Skarlet was together with Callie, Ava and Liz, Mikel went over to the guy called Leon who got nearly suffocated: "Hello, my name is Mikel Squidedge, I'm working the nightshift at Grizzco and you are?"

"My name is Leon Spletzer, I'm Agent 4 of the squidbeak splatoon-", both of them shook hands.

"So, he is the guy that killed that asshole Vulkan? He seems like a nice guy, no wonder Skarlet has....."

"-I'm also a turf war pro, especially when it comes to chargers."

Mikel's movement completely froze as he heard that. "So, he's one of those......" His mood dropped into an endless abyss and he barely managed to keep himself calm.

Leon noticed the change a little: "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, it's nothing.", Mikel's mind was currently being bombarded with flashbacks from Lena, who discarded him for a Turf war pro back in the day.

"Okay?", Leon was not sure if he did something wrong, but then he spotted Marie and Capt'n Cuttlefish coming into their direction. Trying to solve this awkward situation Leon called them out: "Hey! We're over here." As both of them got closer Leon could see Marie giving him a wink: "Let me introduce you Marie from the squidsisters."

Mikel quickly pulled himself together and greeted her: "Hello, I'm Mikel Squidedge. It's an honor to meet one of the famous idols."

Marie: "Oh my, it's nice to meet a fan of us out here. I'm Marie, also called Agent 2!"

"And that's Capt'n Cuttlefish, the one and only!", Leon gestured to the old Inkling standing next to Marie.

"Thanks, young one! I've heard you brought Skarlet back to us.", the old Capt'n shook Mikel's hand eagerly.

"Yeah thank you for bringing her back.", Marie's answer had a displeased tone in it, but only Mikel seemed to notice it.

"What's wrong with her?", Mikel wondered. Then he remembered something about his boss Grizzlo and what happened a bunch of weeks ago. "Please excuse this question, but might it be possible that the two of you have imposters?"

All three of them: "HUH?"

Marie then spoke up first: "Imposters wouldn't be that much of a surprise, but why only gramps and me?"

"That's the first time I've heard of this, normally kiddos only play together as Callie and Marie." Capt'n Cuttlefish stroke his beard.

"Sorry for the question, but you see, quite some time ago two people showed up at Grizzco and wanted information about the workers from Mr. Grizz.", Mikel explained to them.

Marie and the old Inkling looked at each other as Mikel continued.

"As he didn't want to give them the information, since he values the privacy of his workers, those two started a ruckus and destroyed a huge part from one of his most important catches of the month."

Leon looked at Marie knowing what was going on, while she and the Capt'n had quite a few sweat drops on their faces.

"Since they wanted personal information about one of his worst workers, Mr. Grizz would've probably helped them, if they just explained their reason much better to him. So sorry for the question, but if you heard anything can you please tell me?", as Mikel finished his explanation everyone fell silent.

A few moments later Capt'n Cuttlefish spoke up: "Weeeeell, I think those two imposters would be us."

"WHAT?!", Mikel's voice went quite loud.

"No need to shout like that!", Marie tried to tell him. "And besides he did this to himself, instead of caring so much for those eggs, he should've told us the information we needed and nothing would've happened."

"WTF?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????", now Mikel was completely furious. "Do you have any idea what trouble you've caused?", he blasted out. "You come into the shop of someone else and start wrecking the goods, because you don't immediately get what you want?!"

"What's wrong with you?", Marie got quite angry as well as Leon, since his girlfriend had been insulted. "Those were just a few of those eggs, while Mr. Grizz was hoarding tons of them. I don't understand why someone gives a damn about this egg loving freak, except for the payment."

"THAT'S IT!", Mikel temper finally exploded: "Shut up you fcking Chum!" All three of them couldn't believe what he just said. "I for my case don't give a damn about a bitch and an old fart, that come into the company of a normal business man and do what they want!"

Leon's POV:

Leon has heard a lot of insults, but these were the worst. Especially since they were directed at his girlfriend and his Capt'n: "YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THOSE WORDS BACK AND APOLOGIZE NOW!"

"Or what? I don't know what a small Stinger like you wants from a person with such a shitty personality."

Hearing that Leon's patience snapped. He charged at the tall Inkling, jumped and went for a kick right into his face. "SHUT UP!"

But Leon's attack was simply blocked with a crippled hand from Mikel "What the?", as if it was nothing. Then he was thrown back at Marie and Capt'n Cuttlefish.

"Leon, watch out!", Marie and the Capt'n yelled as they prepared them for the impact.

All three of them landed on the ground, looking at the tall Inkling called Mikel. Their eyes were filled with anger and disbelief.

Mikel just stared at them with a disgusted face and turned around. "I expected nothing else from a Turf-War-Pro", he said and stormed off in the direction of the entrance.

But just as the tall Inkling had turned his face away Leon could've sworn he saw tears in the corner of his eyes.

Skarlet's POV:

Skarlet was chatting with the other girls, as she heard some shouting coming over from Leon.

"Oh my, are they already fighting over me~?", she thought with a huge smile on her face. But as she got closer to where Leon was, she could hear someone leaving the Octo-Canyon through the pipe.

When Skarlet found Leon only Marie and the Capt'n were with him. "Heeeey Hotshot! Have you seen Mikel?", she yelled while jogging towards the group.

As she came near them Skarlet could feel that something was definitely wrong.

"Don't you ever say the name of this piece of trash again!", Marie blasted out with a furious voice.

Capt'n Cuttlefish stretched his back while complaining: "In my whole life, I've never been insulted out of the blue like that."

Skarlet couldn't comprehend what was going on. "Just what happened, while I wasn't here?". She then looked to her Hotshot: "Leon, what happened?"

Leon was trembling with his fangs showing up. He was obviously angry about something: "WHAT HAPPENED, you ask? He insulted Marie and the Capt'n, then he threw me into their direction. I'm glad this guy left and I hope he never comes back!", Leon snapped into her direction. "How did you even get to know this guy?"

Skarlet was shocked from Leon's response. "You're joking right?" She took a deep breath and asked once more: "Leon please tell me what has happened. Mikel could never be this bad, he's normally a really gentle soul."

Finally calming down, Leon looked into her eyes and started to recap their meeting: "Well we were introducing ourselves, with me saying........................................-"

Skarlet's face grew paler after each of Leon's sentences.

"-and then he said *I expected nothing else from a Turf-War-Pro* and left.", he finished with an unpleased look on his face.

Skarlet stood there silently with her face turned completely white. "Oh no! What have I done?"

"Uhm Skarlet, are you sick?", Leon asked due to her state.

Skarlet quickly shook her head and pulled herself together: "Hey, Hotshot! Listen to me, there is something very important I didn't want to tell you before he meets you."

"Huh? What didn't you tell us?", Marie and Capt'n Cuttlefish also looked into her direction.

"He has a grudge against Pro's like you Leon, due to a terrible event in his past. - "

Leon: "What?"

"-As for Marie and the Capt'n, you two destroyed a whole week of his personal haul, while also threatening his boss. - "

Marie: "Do you really think we would belie..........- "

"-And the last reason to let you guys meet him without prejudice was. He had been working together with Vulkan at Grizzco until his old group had been attacked 10 years ago."

"SERIOUSLY?", all three of them shouted in their surprise.

"Yes, and I'm really sorry for not telling you beforehand, but I would've never imagined how bad things would turn out.", Skarlet bowed quickly a few times letting her breasts bounce around. "I can assure you he would've never insulted you like this otherwise. Anyway, I need to get him back, to clear things up." "There was also something else, he wanted to tell me after we would be finished with the meeting, but how the things stand at the moment, I have the feeling that I need to ask him now if I ever want to know it."

"Wait, I'm coming with y..", Leon wanted to say, but was quickly interrupted by Skarlet.

"No! It won't end well as far as I know him. I need to get him, you would just make him mad again. Still, I assure you, that he's going to apologize when we get back." Skarlet then turned around and ran towards the manhole for Inkopolis.

Leon's POV:

"Skarlet!", Leon shouted, but it was too late, she was already gone again.

Then Marina and Pearl came over from the side.

Pearl: "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on her."

Marina: "Yes, Mikel has already seen us before, so it should be no problem."

Then both of them went after Skarlet, leaving Leon, Marie and the Capt'n behind.

"Do you really believe that story Skarlet told us?", Marie asked Leon with a questionable voice.

"I honestly don't know.", Leon answered and looked over to the disappearing Pearl and Marina. "So, that's why was he crying before he left......"