It was Sunday. Inklings and Octolings were talking all around Inkopolis square, chatting about the match that'll happen tomorrow.

Inkling girl: I'm positive Calvin will win.

Octoling girl: N-No! Isabella will! She's already taken down 2 Inktastic ten members.

Octoling boy: yeah, but Amira was holding back and that's what costed her the game.

Inkling boy: yup. Isabella doesn't stand a chance. If she wins, then the match was totally rigged.

Octoling boy: I mean....at least the Squid Sisters are hyped up about this.

Inkling girl: if I'm lucky, do you think they'll give me an autograph?

Octoling boy: definitely not.

Inkling girl:...dammit!

While everyone in the square was chatting, Bella was standing in front of her bathroom mirror, looking at herself, then giving herself a smile.

Bella: we can do it....

Bella grabbed her classic straw boater, then walked out the bathroom while humming to herself a little. Bella pulled out her phone and began texting to her friends in their group chat.

B: hey guys, did you all see the news?

M: nope, why?

C: me neither, what's up?

Y: I'm sorry, I was busy yesterday.

B: hm...actually.

Y: what?

M: ?

B: you guys wanna meet up in the Eel Arcade in Moray City? It would make more sense for me to tell you guys in person.

C: I'm free rn, so kk.

M: I'm down. I'll have Amira babysit Lola.

Y: alright.

Bella smiled to herself and put her phone away, then she reached into her pocket and pulled out 4 badges that said "Phantoms".

Bella:.......

*Flashback

After leaving the bathhouse and saying her goodbyes to Obsidian and Aryll, Bella walked along the street near Urchin Underpass. She continued to walk down the street until she saw a building with a squid and Octopus logo that said "Squad Registration station".

Bella smiled and pushed open the door, walking inside and seeing a bit of cephalopods sitting down in separated chairs in the waiting room.

Octoling girl: t-thank you for letting me join your squad, guys.

Inkling boy: no prob....hm...now we just have to think of a fresh name.

Inkling girl: ooh! How about the shredders? That sounds neat.

Inkling boy: too edgy. How about team sunshine?

Inkling boy 2: nah, that sounds lame. How about the Super Novas?

Octoling girl: I like that one!

Inkling boy:...*shrugs* eh, not bad.

Inkling girl: I like it.

The second a Inkling boy let out a triumphant "hmph" while smiling at his friends. Bella couldn't help but let out a tiny smile too, but she soon began to walk over to the 5th assistant counter.

There were a total of 7 assistant counters, with each of them being occupied by other Inklings and Octolings that were choosing their squad names. Bella looked at the assistant woman and touched the bell on the woman's desk, causing her to look up and notice her.

Aw: hello, Welcome to the "Squad Registration station". How may I help you today?

Bella: hi, I'd like to register a name and a new member to my squad please.

Aw: alrighty then, you're Isabella, correct?

Bella: yes ma'am.

Aw: are you the leader of the squad you're in?

Bella: Mhm.

Aw: *scribble* excellent.

The Assistant woman turned the piece of paper and slid it across the desk towards Bella, then she placed down a pen alongside it.

Aw: I just need you to sign this piece of paper in order to verify that you were the one who created and made the squad name.

Bella grabbed the pen and signed her name down, then the Assistant grabbed the paper and nodded.

Aw: good. Alright, have you thought of a squad name yet?

Bella: yes. I want to name my squad "The Phantoms"

Aw: The Phantoms...*scribble* are you 100% sure about this name? You are only allowed to change your name once a year, so make sure you pick something you really like.

Bella: I'm sure of it.

Aw: good choice.

The Assistant placed down another piece of paper, then pointed to 4 lines along with 2 check boxes.

Aw: now please rewrite your name in the first line, then I want you to write the names of your squadmates. In the boxes below, I want you to check off if you'd want an emblem to represent your team.

Bella: an emblem?

Aw: yes, a logo; a badge that represents your team. That will cost you extra though.

Bella: uh...how much?

Aw: about 130,000 to be exact.

Bella:....jeez......that's a lot of cash...

Aw: you don't have to.

Bella:...I...uh......um.....*sigh* sure, sure.

Aw: alright, do you want your badges to be Gold? Silver? Or Copper? Or you can choose a normal color.

Bella: ooh! Gold please!

Aw: understood. Please sign the paper to confirm all of this.

Bella signed the paper along with Miles, Coraline, and Yumi's names. She checked off the box of approval, then gave the paper back to the woman.

Aw: alright, your badges will be out soon. Please take a seat in the waiting room.

Bella walked away, but the second she did, she heard an Inkling girl next to her let out a very teasing whimper while standing at the 6th assistant counter across from an Assistant Man.

Am: ma'am, I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to turf at this time.

???: Oh poo...that's a shame~ do you mind telling me when I can get my privileges back?~

Am: you've been restricted from Turf and ranked battles for a month, so please come back in a month's time.

???: Mmmm, it's not my fault they couldn't keep up with me~

The Inkling girl shrugged and smirked, letting out a tiny giggle.

???: Oh well~

Bella decided to just walk away and sit down in a chair by herself. Bella let out a tiny sigh and looked down at the table in front of her, seeing a tiny stack of magazines that she could read to occupy herself. Bella grabbed a magazine and opened it up, flipping to a random page and seeing a blue smoothie standing out from the page.

Bella: (come down to Moray City to try our new Whale Wash Smoothie?....huh)

Bella flipped to another page and saw two Inklings posing on a page while wearing gear that she's never seen before, rocking a black and yellow concept.

Bella: ( wanna be the freshest squid in the square?....the Forge-Fusion gear collection is now available in stores near you...)

Bella looked down at her hoodie and questioned herself, tilting her head a little.

Bella: maybe I should try out some new gear someday....

???: Nah...I think you look juuuust fine~ *giggles*

Bella froze for a second...realizing she just said that out loud. She turned her head, and her eyes instantly connected with an Inkling girl's eyes...the same girl that was just at the 6th assistant counter.

Bella:....uh....

???: Izzy boo.......I've been watching you for a while now. I never thought we'd meet here~

Bella:....c-can I....help you?

The Inkling girl couldn't help but give Bella a nice....toothy smile. Bella noticed how the Inkling's teeth were completely sharp....razor sharp...as if she had the teeth of a shark. The Inkling girl had green tentacles that covered one of her red eyes, and she wasn't even wearing any gear......but rather, a maid dress.

The Inkling wore stockings under her dress, that went all the way down to her pretty black shoes. The Inkling slouched in her chair and let out a puff, confusing Bella, but also making her uncomfortable.

???: Oh...you just caught my eye, that's all.

Bella:....alright?

???: hmph I can't believe you've never heard of me, Izzy boo.

Bella:...sorry, I uh....never have.

Angelica:......my name......is Angelica~ I'm your number 1 fan of course.

Bella:....um..

Angelica: *toothy smile* you've always held a special place in my heart~ ever since I saw you for the first time.

Bella couldn't help but feel her chest tighten a little....it was if her heart was wrapped up in chains...captive chains that this Inkling tied her up with...she tried to shake the feeling away, but no matter how much she tried, she continued to feel like this Inkling would forever be with her.....but definitely not in a good way.

Bella: uh...hi...Angelica...

Angelica: hmhm! Finally you said it! Now I feel so funny and fluffy~

Bella:.....

Angelica: most cephalopods are oblivious....but I can see right through yooooou~

Bella: e-excuse me?

Angelica: are you truly trying to become the best Turfer so people will notice you?....or is it because of a much...more personal reason?

Bella:.......why do you want to know?

Angelica: I've been down to the metro multiple times~ I know your little...secret.

Angelica pointed at Bella's wrist, and Bella instantly knew what Angelica was talking about, shocking her a little. Bella covered up her wrist completely, hiding her code number and symbol from her. Angelica leaned over to Bella's ear, then began to seductively whisper into it.

Angelica: what would the public think if they found out you were just an illegal experiment?~

Bella:.....

Angelica: you're deeply afraid of many things.....do you truly believe that your friends will be there for you forever?~

Bella:...they....they will. Now leave me alone.

Angelica: would if they abandon you?~ leave you to rot?~

Bella:....

Angelica: *giggles* sorry, Izzy boo.
I'm just simply messing with ya~ I would never blackmail you~ your secret is safe with me~

Bella: *tsk*....shut up.

Angelica licked Bella's neck, causing her to quickly jolt her head back and wipe her saliva off, glaring at the Inkling.

Bella: what the hell?!

Angelica: your skin is so soft and squishy. I love you so much~

Bella: please leave me alone.....please...

Angelica: but I can't~ I'm a very loyal number 1 fan~

Bella:....where's your squad?

Angelica: my squad?

Bella: yeah, the cephalopods that are by your side in Turf wars?

Angelica: oh....most squids I play with can't...."keep up" with me~

Bella: is that why you're restricted from Turfing for a month?

Angelica: maaaaybe.

Just then, the Assistant worker came out into the waiting room with a little baggie, walking over to Bella and handing it to her, then giving her a little nod.

Aw: we'll extract the 130,000 from your account. Thank you and have a nice day.

Bella sighed and stood up, then walked out of the waiting room. Bella walked out of the building and smiled a little when she saw cephalopods living their daily lives, enjoying themselves.

Bella couldn't help but feel something uneasy creeping up on her, so she looked to her side and saw Angelica walking along with her while humming and swaying her arms back and forth as if she was in a fairy tale.

Bella: why are you still....following me?

Angelica: oh, no official reason~

Bella:........

Angelica: awe, why so silent?~

Bella couldn't help but shake her head and look away from Angelica, but just from looking away...she felt uneasy...so she looked back at Angelica, only to find her gone.

Bella:....w-where did she?-

Angelica: boo!

Bella jumped a little and looked over to her other side to see Angelica letting out a giggle while walking alongside her. While Bella was walking normally like anyone else, Angelica was taking huge steps in a playful, childish way, but still managing to keep up with Bella.

Angelica: I gotcha!! *Snickers*

Bella:.....*rolls her eyes*

Angelica: bwahahah! You should've seen yourself! I was like "boo!" And you were like "bwah!" Hmhmhm!

Bella: *sigh*......shut up and answer this question I'm about to ask.

Angelica: *tilts her head* mm?

Bella: how did you know about my......me.....t-the metro......

Angelica: *spins* four letters~

Bella:.....

Angelica: F........O........S.......E~

Bella:........

Angelica: I already told ya I went into the metro multiple times, silly~

Angelica leaned closer to Bella, smirking at her and giving off a menacing aura.

Angelica: do you believe I'm gonna hurt ya?~.....crush ya~......grind you up into little pieces?~........

Bella:......

While Angelica was staring down Bella, an Inkling boy walked past them while minding his business. Angelica quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet without him noticing. Angelica showed Bella the wallet and let out a seductive giggle.

Angelica: I'm a very sneaky Inkling~..... wherever you are....I'll always be watching you~

Angelica walked in front of Bella and stood in front of her, causing Bella to stop as well. The two stared at each other for a second, and Bella saw Angelica's tongue poke out of her mouth at her in a teasing way.

Angelica: I'm just going to say one thing....if you fight Calvin......you'll die~

Bella:......

Angelica quickly dashed behind Bella, then slid her hands under Bella's hoodie and shirt, feeling on her bare skin. Bella felt Angelica's hands slowly rub over her deep scar that went across her back. Angelica began to....slowly rub her hands over it in a seductive way...making Bella extremely uncomfortable.

Angelica: because my little Izzy boo...got in a little accident when she was a wee baby~

Bella:.....

Angelica: I might as well call you my half tank hero~

Bella quickly turned around and swiped Angelica away from her, glaring at her in a serious way.

Bella: just shut up, ok?! Who the hell even are you, really?!

Angelica: I told you~.....

Angelica walked past Bella, then slid her finger under Bella's chin, leaning closer to her ear.

Angelica: your number 1 fan~

Bella:......w-wait!

Angelica super jumped up to the top of a building, then gave Bella an adorable wave while tossing the wallet she stole from the Inkling boy up and catching it with her other hand.

Angelica: see ya, Izzy baby~

Angelica walked away and left Bella stunned a little. She looked down at her team badges...and couldn't help but sigh.

*flashback end*

Bella shook her head and slid the badges in her pocket, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. Instead of walking out of her front door, Bella instead opened the door to her balcony, then stepped out onto it, closing the door behind her, then super jumping away from Splat Tower.

Bella soared through the sky while thinking to herself a little, but her thoughts were interrupted by the giant screen of Inkopolis, showcasing Off The Hook. Bella landed on a nearby building and watched the news from a distance to see if anything peaked her interest.

Pearl: Y'all know what time it is!

Marina: it's Off The Hook coming at you Live from Inkopolis square!

Pearl: fall is rolling around, little squids and Octos.

Marina: Mhm, so make sure to start wearing your warm and cozy gear so you don't catch a cold from your nonstop splatting.

Pearl: geez...I could really go for a nice hot coco right about now....

Marina: same here, Pearlie, but let's showcase the news first.

Pearl: oh, yeah. Um...here are the current Normal Battle stages!

Bella raised her eyebrow slightly as the stages shifted across the screen, but she couldn't help but smile and cross her arms at it.

Bella: Turf war on Sturgeon Shipyard and Kelp Dome?....wow....maybe if I play some Turf war, I'll run into a Dry newbie...hmhm! That'll be fun.

The stages shifted again to show the current Ranked Battle stages, which Bella tilted her head at a little, but she couldn't help but giggle at.

Bella: Clam Blitz on The Reef and Camp Triggerfish.....man...maybe I should ask Yumi if she'd be down to play some Clam Blitz with me one day.....

The Stages shifted one last time, and Bella, along with a lot of Inklings and Octolings in the square let out an "oooh" at.

Bella: Splat Zones on Goby Arena and Humpback?....now I know league lobbies are gonna be packed today!

Bella pulled out her phone and looked through the Leaderboards, but instead of looking at her team ranking at the moment, she decided to scroll down and look at her, and her squadmates accounts.

//Name: Isabella//

//Most used Weapon: Kensa .52 Gal//

//Ranks//

//Clam Blitz: S+6//

//Splat Zones: S+8//

//Tower Control: S+8//

//Rainmaker: S+7//

--
//Name: Miles//

//Most used Weapon: Custom Hydra Splatling//

//Ranks//

//Clam Blitz: S+4//

//Splat Zones: S+6//

//Tower Control: S+5//

//Rainmaker: S+6//

--

//Name: Coraline//

//Most used Weapon: Bloblobber Deco//

//Ranks//

//Clam Blitz: S+4//

//Splat Zones: S+8//

//Tower Control: S//

//Rainmaker: S+6//

--

//Name: Yumi//

//Most used Weapon: Custom Dualie Squelchers//

//Ranks//

//Clam Blitz: X//

//Splat Zones: X//

//Tower Control: X//

//Rainmaker: X//

--

Bella couldn't help but stare at Yumi's rankings in complete shock, her jaw dropping just a little.

Bella: holy shit......Yumi is rank X in all modes?.....oh my cod.....

Bella just stood there and began to think about the Octoling for a second.....remembering back to her match with Amira, and how Yumi swiftly defeated Amira's squadmates: Lilith, twice in a row....even though she was a skilled Inkling.

Bella: now that I think about it.....Yumi did seem to adapt fast to her opponents movements and play style that day....but still....

Bella looked back at Yumi's rankings, then pressed on her name to see more info about her.

//Secondary weapons: Glooga Dualies, Forge Splattershot Pro, Kensa Octobrush, Squeezer, Luna Blaster, Kensa .52 Gal, Clear Dapple Dualies, Ballpoint Splatling Nouveau//

//Splats with specials//

//Splashdown: 138//

//Ink Storm: 107//

//Bomb rush: 327//

//Tenta missiles: 723//

//Ink Jet: 1,102//

//Baller: 641//

//Bubble blower: 1,212//

//Booyah Bomb: 431//

//Ultra Stamp 964//

//Sting Ray: 2,125//

//Most played map: Goby Arena//

//Most frequently played modes//

//Clam Blitz: 25%//

//Splat Zones: 25%//

//Tower Control: 25%//

//Rainmaker: 25%//

//Last match played: 20 hours ago//

//Splats: 14,752//

//Splatted: 1,003 times//

--

Bella couldn't help but just....stare at her phone dumbfounded....she knew Yumi was good...but she didn't know she was THIS good....Bella began to imagine Yumi just slaying through Inklings and Octolings with ease, destroying one after another.

Bella: woah......her stats are way better than mine....I never knew she played Ranked so frequently....she probably does every day.....and I never wanna challenge her with a Sting Ray...2,125 splats with that thing? I fucking suck with it.

Bella put her phone in her pocket, then super jumped through the sky while thinking more about the Octoling, remembering back to when she first met her...and how....mysterious she actually was.

Bella: she was watching a Top Level match when she was in my apartment for the first time.....so maybe she learned from that type of experience.

Bella couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself.....thinking back to the Inkopolis Ball...and what Yumi said to her that night.

*Flashback*

Bella rubbed her arm and sighed a little, trying her hardest to calm herself after that kiss.

Bella: let's just say........we're.....a little closer than....just friends.

Yumi smiled at Bella, then slowly lifted her hand up to the cute Butterfly hair clip that Bella bought her, causing her to blush a little more.

Yumi: Bella.....

Bella:....

Yumi: I.....want to get to know you more....so.....please open up to me when you can.....

*End*

Bella: now that I think about it.....I barely know anything about Yumi...

Bella couldn't help but think of more and more opportunities she had in the past to get to learn more about the Octoling, making her a little upset that she never noticed them when she had the chance.

*Flashback*

Yumi:....every Octoling was given a sea cucumber...and they had one goal....to protect their owners at all costs....

Bella:.....I'm....guessing yours....

Yumi: *nods*...when moving to the surface...some Octolings kept their cucumbers but...most of them died in battle.

Bella looked over at Lola again and saw her eating some snacks while snuggling into Miles' chest in the hospital bed, making her tilt her head a little, but she saw Yumi point towards Lola and keep her emotionless face while opening her mouth to speak again.

Yumi: that's why I was thinking....

Bella:.....

Yumi:.....does his pet protect him because she's forced to?......or is she protecting him out of her own free will?

Bella:....sheesh, Yumi.....

Yumi: I.....I apologize....I think about things like this a lot.....

Yumi looked at her Octoling hand, staring at her sharp fingers. Unlike Inklings, who had very flat and soft fingers, Octolings had very rough and sharp fingers, specifically made for combat and killing their foes. an Octolings fingers is one of the main reasons why Inklings are so scared of them and hate them, they could just slit an Inklings throat with ease, without the aid of a knife.

Yumi:.....do I have my own free will?....or am I still a pawn in Octavio's....big scheme?....

Bella:...

Yumi:......what is......my purpose?....

*End*

Bella shook her head a little while soaring through the sky. She landed right in front of Moray City, then walked into the City casually, pulling out her phone again and texting the group chat.

B: I'm in Moray City, guys. Are you here yet?

M: yeah, You'll find us in the arcade like u said.

Bella put her phone away and walked down the street until she reached the arcade that was completely flashing with the screens of many video games. Bella walked inside and began to hear the sounds of gunshots and music playing in the arcade.

An Inkling and Octoling walked past Bella while holding some snacks they got from the snack booth, while some little squids ran around the Arcade while playing tag. Bella saw her two friends playing a crane game in the back, making her smile and walk over to them.

Miles: *moves the joystick*...mmmm....

Coraline: c'mon Miles!

Miles: shut it! Crane games take a lot of precision and patience

Coraline: these things are always rigged though? You're still gonna lose.

Miles: pssssh! I was the crane game king when I was a kid! I believe I still have some talent.

Miles pressed on the button, then the crane slowly went downwards and grabbed onto a stuffed Zapfish plushie.

Miles: c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!

The crane hooked onto the Zapfish plushie, then Miles jumped in joy while the claw pulled the plushie up.

Miles: told you I was the-

Crane: *drops the plushie*

Miles: W-WHAT?! ARE YOU SQUIDDING ME?!

Coraline: told ya.

Miles: uuuuugh!

Bella: hey guys.

Coraline and Miles turned around to see Bella standing and smiling at them, then they both walked over to her and gave her separate high fives.

Coraline: hey Bella!

Miles: sup.

Bella: where's Yumi?

Miles: she said she's gonna be a little late. She is cleaning up her apartment.

Bella: oh. *Shrugs* well, that's fine.

Coraline: so, what did you wanna call us here for?

Bella: I'll explain after we grab some grub....I'm starving.

Miles: makes sense. I'm kinda hungry myself.

The three walked down the arcade until they reached a snack booth where they saw an Octoling cashier greeting them with a smile.

OC: welcome to the Eel Arcade! What can I get ya?

Miles: could I get some urchin fries along with a Barracuda burger?

OC: alrighty. *Points at Coraline* And for you?

Coraline: I'll just have a bag of gummy squids from the shelf.

OC: can do. *Points at Bella* you?

Bella: can I get some squid rings? Also an urchin eclipse.

OC: gotcha. Just go take a seat and your orders will be out shortly.

Bella, Miles, and Coraline walked away from the snack booth and sat down at a table together. Miles pulled out his phone and instantly just froze, and an awkward expression came from his face, catching the attention of Bella and Coraline.

Bella: what are you looking at?

Miles:.....Amira just texted me....

Coraline: your girlfriend?

Miles: shut it. She asked me if she could give Lola a bath.

Bella: alright? What's so weird about that?

Miles: Lola is very strict on her baths.

Coraline: how so?

Miles: she won't get in the bath without her little floaty and captain squid.

Bella: wow, for eel?

Coraline: wait...captain squid? *Snickers* isn't that the baby show that plays early in the morning or something?

Miles: Mhm. Lola loves that show, so I bought her a bath toy of captain squid, and I bought her the little floaty so she could stay above the water.

Coraline: why don't you just wash her in the sink or something? She's a small cucumber, so why does she need a whole bathtub?

Miles: because she likes to paddle around in the water and play with captain squid. A sink is too cramped for her.

Bella: wow...

Miles: she usually likes warm water, and she likes bath bombs, along with bubbles.

Miles' phone went off again, then he looked at it to see Amira's text.

Miles: she's struggling....

Bella: how?

Miles: Lola is most likely doing her stupid squealing thing again.

Coraline: her what?

Miles: when Lola gets super duper upset and whiney, she starts squealing and swinging her nubs around like whips.

Coraline: that sounds like it would hurt if you got hit...

Miles: trust me, it does. I got whipped right on the cheek once.

Coraline: wait! Is that why you had that stupid mark on your face when we played Splat Zones together that one day?!!

Miles: yes!! You don't understand how hard it is to get Lola to eat vegetables!!

Coraline: *giggles* you were so embarrassed that day.

Miles: obviously! I had a giant mark on my face.

Miles sighed and held his phone with two hands, then shook his head.

Miles: hold on...now I have to text Amira a whole paragraph on how to properly give Lola a bath. *Text, Text, Text, Text*

While Miles started to text, Bella felt a tiny tap on her shoulder, then she turned around in her seat to see Yumi standing over her and looking down at her.

Bella: Yumi!

Yumi: I apologize for being late...Dayna had a friend over last night....

Bella: it's cool, just take a seat.

Yumi grabbed a chair next to Bella and sat down in it, and the second she did, the Octoling cashier walked over to the 4, then placed down a tray of their food.

OC: Urchin Fries, a Barracuda Burger, gummy squids, and some squid rings with an Urchin eclipse. I hope you all enjoy!

Coraline: thank you!

Bella: thanks. *Sip*

Miles: *text, text, text, text* uh-huh.

The girl walked away, then Bella grabbed onto a squid ring and casually took a bite of it. Bella's attention shifted over to Yumi for a second, to see her looking down at the table a little, most likely in deep thought once again.

Ever since the Inkopolis Ball, Yumi has started to act more like her normal self again, which made Bella smile a little. Bella picked up another squid ring, then poked Yumi on the cheek with it, catching her attention.

Bella: we can share. You weren't here when we ordered our food, so here.

Yumi:.....*takes it* thank you.

Bella: *giggles* no prob.

Coraline: *nom* you really are going all out on that paragraph, huh, Miles?

Miles: hush....I don't want Amira to get whipped....*type, type*.......*send* ok, I'm done. Oh, hey Yumi. When did you get here?

Yumi: *nibbles* recently.

Miles: *looks down* awe yeah! My food!

Bella: you didn't notice? You said "uh-huh" when the lady gave it to you.

Miles: I barely pay attention when I'm on my phone...

Coraline: *nom* alright Bella, we got our food, so what did you wanna call us for?

Bella: hmph! Check this out.

Bella reached in her pocket and pulled out the four emblem badges from yesterday. She placed them down in the middle of the table, leaving everyone shocked.

Miles: woah...

Coraline: that's so cool!!

Bella: it was worth every bit of cash.

Yumi: *picks one up*.....Phantoms.

Bella: hell yeah! And the name fades away with a ghostly effect! Isn't that fresh!

Miles: *nom* I'm surprised. Where did you get those?

Bella: the Squad Registration Station. Ever since Yumi became our forth member, she technically wasn't our official fourth member until yesterday. I had to add her to the squad.

Coraline: ooooh! Makes sense.

Bella: I bought the emblem badges because I had some spare cash left over. They're fresh as hell, huh?

Miles and Coraline grabbed their badges, then took a nice look at them, smiling at them as Bella spun her emblem badge on her finger.

Bella: from this day forward, we are officially known as the phantoms.

Yumi:...*tiny smile*...

Coraline/Miles: yeah!

Bella: our first goal is defeating Calvin as a team!

Coraline: oh yeah, the Tuxedo boy.

Miles: can't wait for him to get a taste of our combined strength.

Yumi: indeed. We must prepare for the upcoming battle.

Bella: well doesn't that mean we should work out and make a game plan for tomorrow?

Miles: for tomorrow?

Bella: yeah.

Coraline: what do you mean?

Bella: I called you guys here today because Calvin came to me yesterday and told me his father scheduled us to fight him tomorrow!

Coraline:....wait... tomorrow is....Monday, right?

Bella: yeah, isn't this awesome?! If we can take down Calvin tomorrow, we'll definitely be showing the public that we're not pushovers!

Miles/Coraline/Yumi:.......

The three sat in their chairs, completely silent as Bella stood up from her chair and placed one of her shoes on top of the table, holding up her phantoms emblem badge with pride.

Bella: we'll totally whoop his ass together! I've been practicing a whole lot, and I've developed a new technique with my booyah bomb that'll completely destroy him!

Coraline: uh......Bella?

Bella: I still don't officially know what ranked mode we'll be playing against him with, but maybe it's something spicy! *Gasp* maybe it's a surprise!

Yumi: Bella......

Bella: we'll totally show the public that the phantoms are strong! We'll prove everyone wrong! We're rank 110 right now, and I know if we beat Calvin, we'll be right on the edge of being in the Inktastic ten!!!! I'm so excit-

Miles: Bella!!

Bella froze for a second, then looked at her friends to see them all giving her very concerned looks...as if they had something on their minds.

Bella: *giggles* my bad, I got a little carried away.

Bella sat down on her chair and began spinning her emblem badge on her finger once again while giving her friends a smirk.

Bella: what's up with the faces? You guys should be excited! Pumped up! *Snickers* you guys aren't scared, are ya?

Miles: uh......Bella I......

Bella: mm?

Miles:....*looks away* look...um....I...

Bella: spit it out!

Miles:...I........*sigh*.....I won't be available on Monday actually.....I'm gonna be going on a date with Amira.......

Bella: awwwwe. well, this isn't the first time we fought without you, but can't you reschedule?

Miles: sadly I can't......we got tickets to the Gallop Grub House and they're reservations for Monday.

Bella: huh.......well that's ok. We got Gabby to take your place last time, so we'll just do it again.

Bella stopped spinning her emblem badge, then crossed her arms while smirking.

Bella: we can still fig-

Coraline: actually.......Bella?

Bella: hm?

Coraline: I'm uh......I'm......not....gonna be available on Monday either........

Coraline, Miles, and Yumi could all see Bella freeze up for a second, but Bella quickly came back to her senses and gave them all a fake smile.

Bella: uh...why?

Coraline: I'm taking Leon to my hometown so he can officially meet my parents.......Since we started dating, they said they wanted to meet him.....

Bella:...........oh...........

Yumi:....Bel-

Bella: w-well that's cool, that's cool! I understand. I'll just get uh......Cynthia to take your place! Boom, problem solved.

Bella looked over at Yumi and rested her hand on her shoulder, letting out a little giggle.

Bella: at least I still got you, Yumi. I guess we're gonna be the only phantoms this time.

Yumi:.............

Bella:............Yumi?

Yumi:......*looks away*.....

Bella: no....n-no...I uh.....um....*fake laugh* wow....this is uh....awkward.

Yumi: I deeply apologize, Bella....I'd love to.....but....I'm going to the Octagon with Gabriella and Cynthia tomorrow so I can lend assistance in a very important task.

Bella: wait, Gabby and Cynthia aren't gonna be available either?

Yumi:...sadly no.

Miles: sorry Bella, but we're all just busy tomorrow.

Bella just......sat there in silence, making all of her friends worried a little bit. It was as if all of the joy and happiness just got stripped from her body in an instant.

Bella could feel her eyes water up just a little, but she tried to ignore it by rocking back and forth in her chair, looking away from all of her friends as well.

Coraline: Bella..........are you alright?

Bella: m-me? Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fresh, I'm okay. I just uh......I um....yeah! You guys have lives to live so.....I know I uh....can't strip you guys away from that.....

Bella began to rock a little faster in her chair, feeling her eyes get a little more watery, signaling to herself that she was about to literally cry....right in front of her friends.

Bella: *sniff*.........it's cool.....

Yumi: Bella-

Bella: y-yeah yeah.....you guys...your lives and stuff....you're.....uh....I can't force you guys to fight and stuff......

Miles/Coraline/Yumi:........

Bella: I-Is it uh......getting......hot in here? *Snickers* it's fall, yet I'm still a little hot.

Miles: Bella....it's not hot at all.....what are you talking about?

Bella: o-oh...sorry....

Bella clenched her fists while rocking back and forth even more, and her friends could obviously tell that something was up with her.

Bella: I guess....I'll just.....fight Calvin on my own then......

Coraline: I-uh....W-What?!

Miles: Bella, are you making a death wish?! Calvin is way too strong, he'll destroy you if you fought him alone.

Yumi: *nods*

Bella: *wipes her tears* no, no, no!......I know I can handle him alone, no biggie. Doing this will make it more fair anyway, since it'll be a 1v1 instead of a 1v4.

Miles: why don't you just reschedule the fight?!

Bella: his....father wouldn't allow it....

Coraline:....no matter how much you think it, Bella, you can't beat Calvin alone.

Bella: oh I....no I can...*sniffle* I can...I know I can!

Miles/Coraline/Yumi:........

Bella: pssssh! Did you guys forget who I am? I'm Isabella: the girl that'll make it to the top and show the world that she's not useless after all.

Yumi: useless?........what?

Bella: u-uh......it's.....n-nothin'

Miles: Bella, it's not even that big of a deal, it's just a simple game of ranked.

Bella: IT IS TO ME!!

All of her friends sat there in shock from her raised tone, and Bella knew that all she did was just embarrass herself.

Bella: S-Sorry........it's just......they're all counting on me......that's all....

Bella began to get overwhelmed with emotions....her heart began to beat a little fast, causing her to clench her fists a little.

Yumi: Bella......I....know this is important to you......it's important to me as well, but.....you can't defeat Calvin on your own.

Bella: yes....I can.

Miles: no you can't.

Bella: y-yes I can.....

Coraline: Bella, you can't-

Bella: YES I CAN!!!!!!!!

Bella stood up and slammed her fist down on the table, causing her urchin eclipse drink to tumble over and spill onto the table. There was a long pause of awkward silence, and Bella just....looked at her friends, watching them all give her looks of fear.

Bella realized what she'd done, then slowly backed away from the table, feeling her tears flow down her face.

Bella:........

Yumi: Bella.....you.....shouldn't fight him...you-

Bella: no....

Bella looked down and clenched her teeth a little, shaking a bit and feeling her heart pump even faster.

Bella: I'll prove I'm not useless.....I'll prove it......I..........I....

Bella ran off from her friends, shocking all of them when they saw that she dropped her phantoms emblem badge on the ground.

Yumi: Bella!

Miles:......

Coraline: oh no....

Yumi: w-we should go after her....

Miles: sadly there's no point......

Coraline: *nods* ever since Camp Triggerfish....Bella has always been very persistent.

Miles: even if we try to talk her out of this....she'll ignore us and go anyway.

Yumi stood up from the table and walked over to Bella's emblem badge that was on the floor. She picked it up and looked at it, and couldn't help but feel her heart drop.....

Yumi:....Bella.

——