A/N: As usual, Splatoon belongs to nintendo. Since this story happens after Splatoon 2, its take place two years after Splatoon 1 and one year after my previous fic Old Hatreds. If you haven't read Old Hatreds that's fine, I'm making sure to re-introduce the characters and places created in that story.

I hope you enjoy this fic as much as the last.

Chapter 1: Hunting the Past

There was so much ink left over from countless splashdowns.

No sign of any enemies anywhere.

Agent 8 couldn't believe it.

It felt like a dream…. No, this entire battle must have been a dream.

She had just bested a former enemy, a role model, a hero, but most importantly, a friend.

It didn't feel real.

Agent 3 had just suddenly manifested in front of Eight and attacked.

What happened before that? Eight could only remember the sound of a door opening somewhere in the metro…

Whether or not this Agent 3 was real, he was still a strong opponent.

To say it was a tough battle would have been an understatement, but Eight managed to pull through once again.

All that was left was a golden toothpick, curious, Eight picked it up, then suddenly felt herself being whisked away…

Deepsea Metro

"Where am I?" Eight asked out of instinct.

"Sorry, were you saying something?"

For a moment she saw no one, then she looked slightly downwards and noticed she was standing in a subway car of the Deepsea Metro.

CQ Cumber was lying just in front of her.

Maybe she interrupted him, because he had just asked if she said something and was waiting for a reply.

As if just waking up from a dream, Eight wasn't sure what had just happened, but she immediately regained her senses and said "No, nothing.."

She couldn't tell what expression CQ Cumber was making, he just tilted his head a bit and continued talking.

"Well as I was saying, it seems that despite multiple failures, you have completed every test available. Congratulations."

Eight then remembered why she was here.

She had been enjoying life in the Promised land… No, it was called Inkopolis…

A city of bright colours and wonderful people, she had made many friends, ranging from Off the Hook to Agent 3's acquaintances.

Life in Inkopolis was nothing but joy for her, yet it felt like it was lacking something.

Eight thought that maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was still missing bits of her memory.

So she returned to the Metro every now and then to take some tests.

At first, Off the Hook had been offering help, but for some reason, Eight would not recover any memories if she had help, therefore she believed and insisted to Off the Hook, that these 'tests' were something she had to face alone.

So every now and then, she had returned and completed each test and finding every Mem Cake on her own.

Now, two months after Tartar's defeat, it was finished.

Eight stared at the Golden toothpick in her hand.

If that battle with Agent 3 was a dream, things would make more sense, she did look up to him and did have dreams of becoming like him; a fresh and skilled Agent, who's purpose was to defend Inkopolis from the shadows…

Eight rolled the Golden toothpick inbetween her fingers as if to confirm its existance

That sudden battle with Agent 3 couldn't have been some strange daydream.

Unsure what to do with this toothpick, she just clipped it in her hair for the time being.

Then, Eight's cell phone rang.

"Ayo! It's Pearl! A.K.A MC Princess A.K.A Baroness of bars and you know the rest! Just callin to say congrats!"

"Huh? Wait how did you know?" Eight began, but she didn't need to finish her question.

"Did you forget Marina hacked into your CQ-80? You know, she'd always raise a fuss every time you went back to that subway!"

Another voice took over the phone.

"Of course! I was worried! Well I guess everything is fine now. Congratulations Agent 8! Now will you finally feel at home in Inkopolis?"

"What do you mean? Inkopolis already feels like home, it's all thanks to you and Pearl, Oh and Agent 3 and Cuttlefish…"

The list went on.

As Eight celebrated over the phone, CQ Cumber's blank face twisted in a strange expression.

"Well then… That concludes the task I was given, No matter what happened I remained loyal to my employer." he muttered.

Eight took note of this.

She wondered if CQ Cumber felt empty now that all the tests had been concluded.

Eight crouched next to him and said "Even if the tests are done, you'll always be conductor of the Deepsea Metro, and if you like, I could show you around the Promised Land."

CQ Cumber gently shook his head.

"Regrettably the Promised Land is not for me. You are right however, my place is here and I will always be conductor of this subway, that is my reason for being. Should you ever wish to retake a test I will be here waiting. But be warned, I will not make it any easier for you."

"When have you ever?"

"Correct… Well then, I believe your future lies in Inkopolis. Farewell Subje- I mean.. Agent 8."

"Hold on, before I go…"

Eight swtiched on her phone's camera.

"Smile!" She said, crouching next to CQ Cumber for a selfie.

CQ Cumber's face was expressionless as always, he glanced at Eight then at the camera.

Then he sprouted legs to get at least somewhat closer to EIght's height.

After that, Eight bid farewell to CQ Cumber, she left the metro, possibly for the last time ever.

She had gotten all the mem cakes, all the gear Iso Padre offered and completed every test available.

Doing so felt good, but more importantly it restored her memory…

Did it?

Eight tried hard, drawing an image of every Mem Cake in her mind, the shapes, the colours, the words aligning into rhymes…

Did she really recall her past life?

…

The answer was no.

She recalled serving in Octavio's army.

She recalled being chased by Agent 3, fighting him and getting knocked out.

But she still couldn't recall her name, or her life prior to serving in the army...

Her friends in Inkopolis kept calling her 'Eight' but according to the Octolings she had met, 'Eight' was not a common Octoling name.

The names of Octolings she had met did differ from Inkling names, but they were all names like: Victoria, Marina, Lynn and Eliza.

Nothing close to the name 'Eight' which had been a nickname derived from her number as a test subject.

As Eight walked through Inkopolis, the urge to return to the Metro was gone, she felt like the freshest Octoling ever, but the shroud around her memory had not been parted.

Not only that, but there was now a void in her mind, one which had previously been filled by the Deepsea Metro and it's tests.

Something that CQ Cumber had just said echoed in her mind.

'My place is here and I will always be conductor of this subway, that is my reason for being.'

He had already found his place and was content with it.

But what was there for Eight?

She did enjoy life in Inkopolis, but now that all the tests were gone, what was to be her reason to get up in the morning?… What was her purpose now?…

Inkopolis

Eight found herself awake early the next day.

It was normal for an Octoling to wake up earlier than an Inkling after all.

She had her own place in Inkopolis, as the city itself was so prosperous one didn't need to work much to earn a living.

In fact, many Inklings could live by themselves off Turf War earnings at the age of fourteen.

Eight did play turf wars, and sometimes would work for Grizzco as well, so she had enough income.

What she was still missing was purpose.

Eight wasn't sure how she could find one, though maybe a start could be finding the last bits of her memory?

Was that even possible? She had already collected every mem cake there was.

Unsure what to do, Eight silently lay in her bed, trying hard to recall anything she could about her past.

From what the mem cakes had revealed, she could remember serving in the Octarian army, she could remember the different types of Octarian.

She could remember that last mission she had; to steal technology for Octavio, she was intercepted by Agent 3 and Cap'n Cuttlefish and forced to hop into an abandoned subway station for cover.

What else was there?

Strangely she could not remember anything from before her time in the army.

'No that can't be right, there has to be something…' Eight thought

She pondered hard, trying her best to recall anything from before.

For a moment nothing came up.

But then she recalled the Octoling mem cake:

Though parted by the ocean deep,

My oldest friend, we meet again.

I touch your face; you rouse from sleep

There was something more to that specific mem cake.

There were tanks of green liquid…

A song, that heavenly song from the Squid Sisters...

And… someone arguing with someone else? Over the promised land?

What was that?

Eight couldn't make much sense of it, but that was as far as her memory could go…

No wait, there was one more thing she could remember.

A friend.

She had a friend, an Octoling she was close to.

What happened to her?

She was a good friend, she was smart and she served in the Octarian army in Octo Canyon.

Realizing that time had passed and that the Inklings should be getting up by now, Eight got dressed and left for Inkopolis Square.

The memory of that friend still lingered.

Maybe if she could find her, it could reveal more about her past and maybe even her purpose.

'Yes that's it, that will be my new goal!' Eight decided.

Eight glanced around Inkopolis Square.

Agent 3, or at least his friends should pass the time here.

If anyone would be willing to help her find this 'friend' from the past, it would be Agent 3.

Maybe Marina too.

And that would mean Pearl would join in.

What great new friends to have!

Being able to live on the surface world with them really made her struggles in the metro worthwhile.

'Well, back to the task at hand, first off, find Agent 3.'

Agent 3 had been spending a lot of time in the Deepsea Metro, apparently he had taken an interest in exploring the depths.

However he did come back to Inkopolis pretty often.

Looking around, Eight saw no sign of Agent 3.

She did see some familiar Inklings.

There was a bright green Inkling girl, as well as two Inkling boys, one red another cyan.

As she drew closer, the bright green Inkling noticed Eight and with a smile, she shouted and waved her over.

"Hiya Eight!"

Her name was Neon, a friend of Agent 3.

From what Eight had seen, she was always full of energy and seemed like a simple person, doing whatever she felt was fun. Usually, her definition of 'fun' involved some kind of battling and from what Eight had experienced, she was good at it too.

"Are you here for a rematch!? Or just passing by?"

"Just passing by, I think I've had enough duels with you for a lifetime."

"Awwwww… But you are actually better than Inker! It's so much more fun fighting you!"

"Gee thanks, but I really don't think Inker is that far behind, speaking of Inker, have you seen him?" Eight asked

Inker was Agent 3's real name.

It was a strange one by Octarian standards, as was the names of every other Inkling she met, but that was normal for two different races.

"Ehh, I dunno." Neon shrugged.

Then the red Inkling spoke up.

"Oh Inker, he said something about the Squid SIsters and went to Octo Canyon."

This Inkling was named Kalus, or Kal as everyone called him.

He had known Inker since they were kids, so the two were good friends. Kal was not like Agent 3, he did not like getting involved in dangerous things so he normally stayed in Inkopolis. However he was at least kind enough to step in if someone he knew well was involved and things got really bad.

Hearing Kal mention Octo Canyon, Neon was intrigued.

"Octo Canyon! Hey that's where the Octarian army is right!? Didn't the Great Zapfish go missing a while ago? Is that why he's there! Do you think there's gonna be a fight!?"

"Calm down you troublesome girl, Inker is just meeting the Squid sisters for something. Besides the Great Zapfish was already returned." The cyan Inkling said.

His name was Sky, unlike his friends he didn't play turf wars as much as them and was a relatively low level. Apparently he had the chance to meet with some Octarians before and was the first Inkling since the Great Turf Wars to learn the Octarian language.

Of course Octolings could speak universal, but other species like Octotroopers could only speak Octarian.

"So he is in Octo Canyon? But isn't that far from here?" Eight asked

"Not really, there's a shortcut to the canyon through a manhole over there." Kal said, pointed at the aforementioned manhole, just as two Inklings popped out.

"Oh, looks like they are back."

Eight could see Inker and another Inkling by the manhole.

This was a new Inkling she hadn't met before.

"Yoohooo! Inker over here!" Neon called out to the Agent.

Taking note of them, Inker and the second Inkling made their way over to the group.

The second Inkling looked younger than Inker, he wore a bright yellow vest that seemed to match the colour of his hair. He had a slick hairstyle and a headset that Eight had never seen before.

"Hey guys! You're all here? Don't tell me you were all waiting for me." Inker said.

"Nah, it's just Eight who was looking for ya! Well then Eight, there he is! Now i'm off to Ranked battles!" Wasting no time, Neon hurried towards the Deca Tower with a huge smile on her face.

"Perky as always…" Inker muttered "Well anyways, since you are all here I might as well introduce you all."

Inker gesture towards the yellow Inkling accompanying him

"This is Bough Humboldt, he's now Agent 4 o-"

"HOLD UP!" A voice interrupted Inker from across the square.

With a bolt of green, Neon came surging back, she grabbed Inker by the collar and pointed at Bough.

"He's Agent 4!? What about me! I told you and Cuttlefish that I wanted to be Agent 4! WhyWhyWhyWHY!?" Neon complained as she furiously shook Inker.

She had been trying to join the New Squidbeak Splatoon ever since she found out about it, since to her, fighting the Octarian army seemed like a lot of fun.

"Gurk.. Ask Marie not me! It wasn't my choice! I was busy with the telephone and the metro!"

Bough laughed at the scene before him

"You two seem close." He said

"Yeah exactly! Aren't we good friends!? What? are you secretly jealous that I fell for Sky so you didn't even consider me for the role of Agent 4!?" Neon added

"Who's jealous?! I already said it was Marie's choice! not mine!"

"Hmph fine, I guess I'll let you off this once, but I want in on any other fun stuff you guys are up to!"

"I can't begin to understand your definition of fun."

As Neon was complaining to Inker, Kal and Sky introduced themselves.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kalus but you can call me Kal, everyone else does."

"And I'm Sky Belhaim, that troublesome girl over there is Neon. Don't worry, you'll get used to her antics after a while."

Finally Bough turned to Eight.

"And you are?"

"Eight."

"Just Eight?"

"Well I think so… it's a bit complicated, but I can't remember my actual name."

"Huh, well that's… interesting."

"She's the Agent 8 I was telling you about." Inker interjected

"Oh! I heard about what happened in the metro! So it's thanks to you we still have an Inkopolis to call home!" Bough said.

"Heh, I mean it wasn't all me, I couldn't have done it without Inker and Off the Hook." Eight replied, flattered.

"Don't belittle yourself, I was out for the most important bit."

"But it was because of you that the Cap'n and I didn't get blended."

"Yeah, but it's thanks to you I'm here and not part of Tartar's hordes."

As Inker and Eight pushed the credit onto each other, Neon whispered to Sky.

"Look at that, Agent 'left on the shelf' took a page from Kal's book and set his sights on an Octoling!"

After eventually pushing the credit towards Pearl and Marina, Eight returned to her original topic.

"I have something to ask of you. See, I still can't remember much about my past. I can't even remember my name and I'm sure it isn't 'Eight'."

"If you don't like being called Eight you can always make a new name for yourself! You don't need Inker for that! It's actually much easier than you think!" Neon suggested

"Why does it sound like you're talking from experience?" Sky remarked.

Eight declined the idea.

"No thanks, it's not just about my name, rather I want to know more about myself, what did I do before I ended up in that metro? Who did I know from Octo Valley? What is my reason for being? Who am I really?"

"Well one thing I can say for sure, you're someone who could beat Inker in a fight! Trust me I'm an expert at that!" Neon said

"Oh I know that… I mean I kind of already…" Eight began

"No! Th-that one time in the metro doesn't count. I was losing my mind so it wasn't fair." Inker insisted. "Anyways, Eight, I understand you want to find out more about yourself, but where should we start?"

Neon whispered something to Sky, about Inker being a sore loser, while Eight considered Inker's question.

"Actually remember someone, a friend, another Octoling from before, maybe if we can find her she'll know more about me."

"An Octoling huh… Well I have no reason to head back to the deep so soon, I guess I should help. That's why you were looking for me right?"

Eight's eyes lit up.

"Yes of course! Thank you! I knew I could count on you!"

"Heh, no problem!" Inker said, feeling a bit flattered.

If they were going to search for an Octarian, why not start from the friender ones?

"Kal do me a favor, call Victoria and let her know Eight and I will be dropping by."

"Wait you are going to New Octopolis? If that's the case I want to come too!" Kal said.

"Umm actually, I was thinking the Octarian Army of Octo Canyon would be the best place to look." Eight suggested.

"The Octarian army? That means you guys are gonna fight them right?! They still hate Inklings so you gotta fight! So that means you'll need me to come!" Neon exclaimed

"We're not going to fight, I just want to ask if anyone can remember me." Eight explained

"Yes that's right, no need for unnecessary conflict… Hey you look worried. What's wrong Bough?"

At the mention of Octo Canyon, Bough was worried.

"I'm fine.. It's just that, well… Eight, if your friend really was part of the Octarian army, you should prepare yourself for the worst…"

"It's fine, I'm sure they won't hate me for leaving." Eight insisted

"Not that, just be prepared for bad news… Just in case."

What Bough said was pretty ominous.

He didn't want to say he might have splatted her friend while he was on a quest to rescue Callie and the Great Zapfish.

"So what's the plan? Are we just waltzing in to Octo Canyon and hoping nothing goes wrong?"

"Even if something does, we still have our hero suits, we can just respawn."

"Well, then there's no reason not to go. Bough you should be the most familiar with Octo Canyon, how about you lead the way."

"Yeah sure, I got it."

Octo Canyon

With no Zapfish and power eggs not producing enough electricity, Octo Canyon was starting to look like what Octo Valley was two years ago.

A place battered and falling into disrepair.

Whatever remained of the Octarian army should still be around here.

Inker, Bough and Eight went from lair to lair, but so far each one was abandoned and unpowered.

"Man, you really cleaned this place out." Inker noted.

"I can't say it was easy." Bough replied.

Since all the lairs appeared to be abandoned, Inker wondered if there was a city hidden somewhere further into Octo Canyon, just like with Octo Valley.

"Eight, does any of this look familiar to you? Do you think maybe you can recall a place the Octarians might have run to after their defeat?" Inker asked.

Eight thought hard, trying to recall her time in the Octarian army.

It was much easier than recalling anything before that.

She remembered holding an Octoshot, wearing standard issued gear.

Two different types of music in her head, one felt welcoming the other felt forceful.

At the time she was at a place known as…

"I got it, follow me." Eight said.

Just barely able to recall where she had been before abandoning the Octarian army, Eight led her two new Inkling companions to an elevated part of Octo canyon.

There was one more kettle up there, it was surrounded by walls with dirty water running down them, it almost resembled a medieval fortress.

Eight pointed towards the fortress.

"That is the appropriately named Last Bastion. The Octarians who are not part of the army reside in the kettle lying within those walls."

From what they could see, many Octarian soldiers patrolled both the walls and the area around the fortress.

Since Eight, Inker and Bough could see the Octarians, it was obvious that the Octarians could also see them.

They could see their numbers increasing as more Octarians came rushing out of the kettle.

The sight of any Agent would have been a cause for alert, all three of them together was a top level emergency.

After all, both Agent 3 and Agent 4 had been able to beat them in the past, who knows what destruction both could bring if they worked together?

Eight had no reason to fear these Octarians, but she was worried about her friends.

Bough looked nervously at the mass of Octarians gathering before them, Inker was not nervous at all and was much more composed.

Knowing that a fight might ensue, Inker shed his more friendly demeanor and readiled himself.

Just like in the Deepsea metro, he would look stern and focused.

Eight thought it was pretty cool how quickly he would go into 'Agent mode' but now wasn't the time to watch in awe.

With Agent 3 on her right and Agent 4 on her left, Eight approached the Last Bastion.

As they got closer they could see the nervous expressions of the Octarian army.

They had no power, no Great Octoweapons and no DJ Octavio.

One brave Elite Octoling stepped forward and raised her Octoshot.

"That's far enough! Inklings and traitor!" She shouted

Following her lead, the surrounding Octarians readied their weapons.

Octosnipers turned their turrets towards the three, Octotroopers placed them in their sights, Octolings held up various weapons and Octobombers hovered, ready for an attack run.

Bough recoiled in fear for a moment, but he composed himself quickly.

With an unwavering voice he said, "Unless you are looking for a fight, you should lay down your weapons, we are here for something else."

"Hey isn't that a bit too pushy Agent 4? But he's right, we aren't here to fight." Inker added

The tension between them and the Octarian army didn't subside in the slightest.

Eight even moved her hand towards the Octoshot on her back, just in case someone opened fire.

"What else do you want then? We have no Zapfish, no prisoners, and barely anything else. Or do you intend to squeeze us dry?" the lead Octoling asked.

"No! Not at all! We want nothing of the sort, right guys?" Eight quickly explained

Inker and Bough nodded in agreement.

"Then what do you want?!" The Elite Octoling demanded

"I just want to know if anyone here recognises me."

"Recognises you?"

"Yes, umm actually I don't remember much about my life before I left the army, but I remember I had a friend and I want to meet them again."

"If someone like that exists, I doubt they'd be willing to step forward now." the Elite replied

"Hey, if you don't want to help, we have other ways of finding what we want to know!" Bough threatened.

"Easy there Agent 4! What is the matter with you?" Inker said, he could already see the Octarians tense up.

He had only met Agent 4 a while ago, but he seemed really friendly in Inkopolis, while he was a bit nervous on the topic of Octo Canyon, why was he suddenly like this?

The Elite Octoling sighed

"As much as I hate to admit it, the Octarian army is in no condition to fight… We'll comply, but just this once." She turned towards the fortress behind her, facing all the Octarians who had gathered. "Well?! Does this Octoling look familiar to any of you?!"

There were some muttering among the Octarians.

A few stepped up for a closer look at Eight but they shook their heads and turned back.

Others even muttered names

"Alicia?" one Octoling said,

For some reason, Eight could recall that name, it wasn't hers but maybe she heard someone say it once before.

She looked at the Octoling hopefully, but the Octoling took a closer look and said "Nevermind."

In the end, nobody recognised Eight.

"Well then, that settles it." the Elite Octoling said.

"What about the Octarians in the kettle?" Bough asked

"No way we are letting any of you inside the Last Bastion."

"Yeah you're right, it's fine, we're good. Right Eight?" Inker asked

Eight wasn't sure, she still hadn't found her missing friend, but he knew that there wasn't any possibility of them entering the Last Bastion.

Besides, only civilians lived there.

Bough did say to prepare for bad news…

"... Yes, we are good." Eight said

Eight, Inker and Bough left Octo Canyon shortly after that.

"You know, we could check Octo Valley. The Octarians not loyal to Octavio anymore have set up their own city there called New Octopolis." Inker suggested

Eight shook her head, "I remember seeing her in Octo Canyon before our fight in Octo Valley. If she isn't there, then I don't think I'll be able to find her."

There goes her best shot at finding her friend, past and purpose.

Eight looked down,

She wanted to find that friend.

What more did she know about her?

Eight thought hard.

What about that name 'Alicia' which seemed familiar?

Was that her name? Or maybe her friend's?

...

No, it wasn't.

Her friend had said the name before, but she was sure it wasn't either of theirs.

She hit a dead end already.

With no other leads, Eight, Inker and Bough returned to Inkopolis.

Sighing, Eight found a seat in Inkopolis Square and sat down, resting her cheeks on her hands.

Inker gave her a pat on the back and took a seat beside her. "Hey Eight, don't feel down, sure we couldn't find your friend, but that doesn't necessarily mean you won't see her again."

'... You're right I guess... But what now? What am I supposed to do?" Eight asked

"Well, this is Inkopolis, what do you want to do?"

"I want to find my friend."

Inker realized he probably could have said something better.

"Well sorry, but until something else pops up, why not just enjoy Inkopolis? How about we attend an Off the Hook concert, or maybe a Squid Sister one! Callie is back after all and I know you love the Calamari Inkantation!"

"That… would be nice."

Bough overheard Inker's suggestion and had another idea.

"I didn't know you were a fan of the Squid Sisters, but if you want to see them why wait for a concert? I'll call Callie and Marie over right now!"

"You can do that?"

"Of course! Did you forget Marie is the one who made me Agent 4 in the first place. Give me a sec, i'll be right back!" Bough said

Eight was starting to feel a bit better.

The Inkantation was such a wonderful song, now she had the chance to meet the pop duo behind it!

"We're meeting the Squid Sisters huh? Well I'd bet Kal and the others would love to see them again. I'll bring em over too."

This was quickly becoming quite a gathering.

Eight stopped worrying over her past friend and now thought about Pearl and Marina.

"Is it fine if Off the Hook shows up as well?" she asked

"Of course! The more the merrier right?" Inker replied.

All three agents were now calling different groups over.

It was soon turning into a party.

Bough returned from Octo Canyon with Callie and Marie in tow.

Inker brought Kal, Neon and Sky over from the Deca Tower.

Finally Marina and Pearl arrived.

First there was the greetings.

Marie seemed somewhat on guard around Eight a first, but Callie was much more open.

Marie should have been looking out for Neon, because as soon as she saw her, Neon did the same thing she did to Inker earlier.

"I thought we were charger buddies! Why didn't you make me Agent 4!? I've already proven that I could take on the Octarians before haven't I!?"

Marie struggled to speak while being shook by Neon.

"Gurk… I did try to get your attention, but you always ran right by into the Deca tower."

"What?! Try harder next time! Shout my name!"

"That's way too conspicuous… urf… Hey Sky! Would you kindly reign in your rabid hound of a girlfriend!?"

After that Sky managed to get Neon off Marie.

Then, Neon, Kal and Sky had their first time meeting Off the Hook in person.

Later they moved on.

Since they were already in the Square, Neon suggested they all play a few rounds of turf and they did.

After some Ink Battles, Cap'n Cuttlefish got wind of this surprise gathering but Neon, Pearl and Callie decided to leave him in the dust.

Soon the group went to a place called the Sushi den, where they all had some catching up to do over dinner.

Marie and Bough told their story of rescuing Callie from Octavio.

Neon had a tale about some old champion of Turf Wars making a brief return.

As for Eight, Inker and Off the Hook, they of course had their adventure through the metro to talk about.

Finally, by Inker's suggestion, the group celebrated Eight's completion of all the Deepsea Metro's tests with a toast to a brighter future.

After that, there was the night scene of Inkopolis, bright lights of all colours lined the skies.

It wasn't called the city of colour for nothing.

Since Eight followed an Octoling sleep schedule she often misses these sights.

Everyone had their own favorite spot to bask in the sight of an Inkopolis night.

Neon showed Eight a calming place on a hill overlooking the ocean and the sunset.

Pearl had a mansion ordonned with lights to show off.

Callie showed them an arcade district with flashy lights and loud noises.

Inker and Kal then brought the group to Inkopolis Plaza, where alot had happened before.

By the end of the day, Eight was tired but happy.

Instead of worrying over an old friend, she could enjoy her new ones.

They were all such interesting cephalopods.

The kind Marina

The boastful Pearl

The energetic Callie

The snarky Marie

The hesitant Kalus

The wild Neon

The quiet Sky

The energetic Bough

Finally the compassionate Inker.

They were all there for her.

After a wild and rowdy day, Eight fell asleep easily.

She would forget all about searching for her old friend.

Until a few days later…

Octo Canyon

A cloaked figure bolted through the manhole and into Octo Canyon.

A single zapfish glowed and squirmed in it's arms.

Under her cloak, one could see the shine of Octoling armor and the glow of Octoling goggles.

There was no doubt this intruder was a thief for the Octarians.

It wasn't long before Cap'n Cuttlefish caught wind of what had happened and alerted Inker and Eight, who were in Inkopolis Square just as the thief entered the manhole.

Callie, Marie and Bough noticed the thief bolt by them in Octo Canyon too.

Worried that this might be an attempt to restore power to the great octoweapons, Cuttlefish had Agent 3 and 8 chasing after the thief, while Marie had 4 going with them.

Inker and Bough each had their Hero Suits on, Hero shots in hand and running after the thief.

They were keeping up with them, but having trouble keeping up.

Luckily EIght was faster than both of them.

She bolted ahead, having stolen things in a similar manner back when she worked for the army she could guess when the thief would try to make a turn to shake her off her tail.

Inker and Bough watched as Eight tackled the cloaked intruder to the ground.

"Wow she's fast! How can she move so fast wearing heels?" Bough said in awe.

"It's a mystery for sure."

Inker and Bough approached Eight, who was struggling with the zapfish thief.

Even though she was pinned down, the thief did not want to let go of the zapfish.

"Wou…. you just! Let go!" Eight said as she struggled with the thief.

"No! I won't! Wait a second...that voice…. Could you be Alicia?"

With one arm firmly around the stolen zapfish, the thief removed her cloak and Octoling goggles, getting a good look at Eight.

"It is! It really is you!" she exclaimed.

Eight was shocked.

Not because this Octoling claimed to know her, but because this Octoling matched the face of that friend in her memories.

"You're! Uhhhh…" Eight tried hard to recall her name.

"Did you forget? Can you not remember my face?" the Octoling asked

Eight tried, but just like before she couldn't recall it.

"... I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten."

"Did you hit your head or something?"

"Actually I did."

"Oh, well.. At least you remember me... don't you?" the Octoling asked

Eight stared deep into this Octoling's eyes.

She was indeed a very familiar face.

"Oph… something." Eight muttered.

It was coming back, she could remember another name.

"Ophelia." the Octoling corrected for her.

That was all Eight needed.

She remembered this Octoling.

Ophelia, a combat medic from her time in the Octarian army.

But most importantly, the friend from her memories.

"I… I remember!" Eight exclaimed, full of joy.

Dropping her Octoshot, EIght embraced her long lost friend.

But as she did, she felt the stolen zapfish squirming between them, and soon recalled what she was doing here in the first place.

In a panic, she backed away from Ophelia, then remembered Inker and Bough were there with her.

"It seems like you know Eight. As a friend of a friend I'd like to ask you to return that zapfish." Inker said.

Recognising Agent 3 and 4, Ophelia had a look of fear in her eyes, she glanced down at the zapfish and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I need this zapfish, I promise I'll return it later, for now could you please let me go?" she asked

"No way, I'm not risking you powering up any of the great Octoweapons again!" Bough said

"This isn't for the Great Octoweapons! It's not even for the army."

"Who is it for then?" Bough asked

"That… I can't really tell you, but I assure you it's not for the Octarian army." Ophelia said.

"If you can't tell us, that just makes it more suspicious!"

"Calm down Bough, well he's right though, we can't just let this go if you aren't willing to tell us why you need this zapfish." Inker said

"I can't! I just can't."

"If you don't hand it over we'll have to take it back by force!"

"Bough what the heck is wrong with you?!"

Eight watched as Ophelia stepped back in fear of Inker and Bough.

What should she do here?

Ophelia might reveal things about her past, but Inker and Bough was right, they couldn't let her go without knowing what that zapfish was needed for.

"Eep!… B-but I don't have a spawn point nearby." Ophelia squeaked

"Then you better hand over that zapfish." Bough insisted.

"Forget him, listen nobody needs to get hurt." Inker said.

However both he and Bough had their hero shots in their hands.

Ophelia looked terrified.

She glanced at Eight, as if calling for help.

That was too much for Eight to take.

The moment Inker and Bough stepped towards Ophelia, Eight muttered "Sorry Agent 3."

"Huh?"

Before any of them could react, Eight raised her Octoshot and shot the two agents in their backs.

Finding out about her past meant too much too her.

Ophelia was startled by the sudden sound of shooter fire, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw only Eight standing in front of her.

"... Thank you." she said, collapsing to her knees

Eight didn't reply.

She acted on instinct and immediately regretted her actions.

She looked down at her hands.

What had she done?

Would they hate her for this?

She felt someone's arm around her, giving her a pat on the back.

It reminded her of Inker's kindness, but this time it was Ophelia comforting her.

"I know that was tough on you. But you did the right thing. You can't let friends splat innocent Octolings."

Eight stood up.

Maybe she could finish this mission alone.

"I still can't let you take the zapfish without knowing what it's for." she said.

"Ahh, that's fine. Did you forget? We've known each other for years! I trust you, forget just telling, I'll show you what I need it for myself. Please, come with me."

Taking her hand, Ophelia led Eight deeper into Octo Canyon.

Meanwhile back at the manhole in Octo Canyon, Inker and Bough respawned.

Noticing they had no Zapfish with them, Callie and Marie hurried over.

"4! What happened?"

"You failed didn't you?"

Bough wasted no time in explaining.

"It's not our fault! Eight double crossed us! Tell everyone Agent 8 has gone rogue!"