AN: A few things to note before we get started, given the nature of Splatoon/Splatoon 2, particularly the fact that half of the main characters can wind up as either male or female, I felt like it would be a good idea to clarify upfront that Agent 3 and Agent 8 are girls, and Agent 4 is a guy.

Also for the sake of clarity, Battle Games is used a few times to describe the games young Inklings like to play. This term is to encompass both Turf War and Ranked and League Battles. Saying just Turf War kind of excludes all the others, but saying "Ranked Battles" doesn't really imply Turf War, which is more casual. As far as found, there really isn't an in-universe name for both of these together, so Battle Games it is.

Also ALSO, for the sake of clarity and it will become relevant later, this is how splatting is handled in this story:
When an Inkling or an Octoling gets splatted, their main body, which is comprised mostly of ink, is destroyed and they enter a compact form that's sort of like a defense mechanism. It's a smaller target and its also heartier. This smaller form is essentially the tiny floating "soul" that pops out of an Inkling/Octoling when they get splatted in the game. This story works under the assumption that that's not their "soul" but rather a tangible form that they take on when in mortal danger. The job of the respawners is to automatically target, lock-on to, and retrieve this form, hence why they float away right back to the respawners during matches. Outside of these matches and other places where there are respawners, like Octo Valley and the Deepsea Metro, when an Inkling/Octoling is splatted, this small form is left on the ground and must fend for itself. This form will regenerate if exposed to enough ink, which is why Salmon Run life preservers are effective. They protect this smaller form and allow teammates to regenerate fallen comrades.

This explanation is internally consistent with everything we see in the game, and also allows a sense of real peril or danger knowing that, if Inkling/Octoling characters are not specifically in an area with a designated respawner, they will be in mortal danger. I didn't want to bog the story proper down with this explanation and it won't really become relevant until much later, but since I mention it a few times in these early chapters I figured I'd clarify that here before the story begins to avoid confusion and ambiguity.

Either way, with that out of the way, let's begin!

Chapter One - The First Meeting

Behind me stands my journey's trail

Ahead of me, a path more free

I peer ahead to no avail

Agent 8 looked around nervously as she was escorted by Cap'n Cuttlefish. He was guiding her through the streets of Inkopolis Square, apparently to take her to the New Squidbeak Splatoon's base of operations. Inklings swarmed around her, wearing bright, colorful outfits unlike anything she'd seen before. The Octarians weren't really known for their fashion. Even her current outfit now was mostly black and skintight. Boring, but practical. No loose ends to get snagged on anything while running through a death course.

There was also a giant TV in the center of the square, broadcasting what looked like a recording of one of Pearl and Marina's past performances. She could tell it wasn't live because the video was recorded at night, while right now it was midday and the sun was shining bright.

The sun. It was one of the things Agent 8 loved the most about finally making it to the surface. Down in her old home, she lived in underground domes with artificial skies projected onto large monitors not unlike the one in the square. However, they couldn't have ever properly reproduced the light or warmth given off by the real sun. She always thought it was absolutely ridiculous that Inklings had trouble waking up in the mornings, but a part of her understood when she felt the morning sunlight for the first time. The warm glow radiating over her skin and filling her with a serene sense of calm and relaxation. She'd be tempted to fall back asleep herself.

"Alright, here we are, we just have to go down this grate and we'll be there in no time!" Cap'n Cuttlefish announced, pointing to a small drainage grate near one of the many storefronts lining the square.

"A… grate?" Agent 8 asked, arching an eyebrow at the old Inkling.

"Yes, this grate leads to the outskirts of the city. That's where we've set up the Tentakeel Outpost. It overlooks Octo Canyon, so it's a perfect base of operations."

"Oh, it's outside the city?"

When Cap'n Cuttlefish had said he was taking her to the "Headquarters of the New Squidbeak Splatoon", Agent 8 pictured a large building in the center of Inkopolis, filled with highly trained military personnel. Maybe a windowless building with reinforced walls, filled with testing tracks and training areas and arenas for their agents to spar against one another. She imagined being ushered to the higher floors where Cap'n Cuttlefish worked, a large central control station where they could monitor any potential threats and communicate with the various agents.

Then again, according to the captain himself, the Octarians did live in a very militaristic society compared to the Inklings. Her expectations were heavily skewed from the start.

"I'll lead the way. There are multiple bends in the pipe, but just follow the yellow ink trail, it'll take you straight to the outpost."

Agent 8 watched Cap'n Cuttlefish lift the grate up and jump down into the pipes below. She followed suit, but slipped into her octopus form to run along the ink. Cap'n Cuttlefish had apparently pulled way ahead, something that surprised the Octoling. She figured his age would slow him down, and she hadn't actually seen him transform into a squid, so for all intents and purposes she figured she'd be faster than him.

Agent 8 swam through the ink trail for quite some time before finally reaching the end, which opened out into another grate. She jumped through it and emerged, transforming back into her Octoling form. She shielded her eyes from the bright light, but as soon as it adjusted, she looked around.

"Welcome to Tentakeel Outpost!" Cap'n Cuttlefish exclaimed, holding out his hands and motioning to a rather humble looking shack. It overlooked Octo Canyon, which was where most of the Octarians moved after Agent 8 defected.

She looked around, and to her surprise, in addition to Cap'n Cuttlefish, there was Agent 3 sitting on the roof of the shack, one knee raised to her chest with an arm resting against it as her cape billowed in the wind. She looked down at Agent 8 and gave a silent nod of approval, a small smile gracing her lips/ Agent 8 smiled back. After all, Agent 3 saved her life right when she was about to be blended into genetic goo by Commander Tartar. And Agent 8 saved her life back when Agent 3 had been brainwashed by that same crazy AI telephone. She would definitely consider Agent 3 an ally and a rival, possibly even a friend.

But if she so much as thinks about throwing another autobomb at me…

"Yo, Agent 8! How's it hangin'?"

Agent 8 turned around to see Pearl and Marina waving at her. They had helped her along her entire journey escaping the Deepsea Metro, and later helped her save Inkopolis and the entire world from the NILS statue and Commander Tartar. Naturally, Eight considered the two good friends.

"Be sure to ask us for any help if you need it," Marina encouraged her, "It's a little tough adjusting to things at first, but we've got your back all the way."

That was the sentiment everyone in the Splatoon had, but there was something special about it coming from a fellow Octoling. It did a lot to put Agent 8 at ease. She offered Marina a warm smile.

"Will do, thank you!"

"Ah, she speaks!" Cap'n Cuttlefish teased, "You've been really quiet the whole time, so I wasn't sure what to say to you while escorting you here. Say, where's Agents 1, 2, and Four?"

Cap'n Cuttlefish turned to Marina, who was holding the communications device.

"Agent 1's already here, she's inside admiring herself in the mirror. She brought me a pair of mind control shades and asked me to do something about the whole mind-control thing because she thinks they look fresh. I fixed them pretty easily and she's been staring at herself wearing them ever since."

"And Agent 2?"

"She was supposed to bring Agent 4 back, but he's in the middle of a Rainmaker match. She said she's coming back without him."

"Hey, sorry I'm late. I was gonna wait for Agent 4 to finish his match, but then of course it went into overtime," a female voice called out behind Agent 8. She turned around and her eyes widened. It was Marie from the Squid Sisters, the very singers of the song that had touched her heart and made her rethink her life as part of the Octarian military. She knew that the Squid Sisters were involved with the New Squidbeak Splatoon from both what happened 2 years ago in Octo Valley, and also from Cap'n Cuttlefish's doting and gushing about his granddaughters, but she never expected they were actual agents in the Splatoon. Suddenly her being dubbed Agent 8 was a lot more meaningful, putting her on the same level as her legendary heroes.

Also, if Marie was Agent 2, then there was little doubt now in Eight's mind who Agent 1 was.

"Hey, we've never met before, but I'm Agent 2," Marie replied, bowing politely.

Agent 8 merely stared back at her silently.

She wasn't trying to be rude, but her mind completely fizzled out the moment Marie turned to her. 8 often thought about what it'd be like to meet the very heroes that freed both herself and many other Octolings from the propaganda and control of DJ Octavio. She always wondered what she'd say to them. She still hadn't come up with a suitable response.

I mean, what am I gonna say? "Hey, you probably get this a lot, but I'm a big fan you ever since you hijacked the Octarian's radio waves 2 years ago and sang Calamari Inkantation. It made me rethink being an officer in the Octarian military and also all the anti-Inkling propaganda I'd been fed my whole life, which is why I'm here now."

Still, Eight had to say something.

"H-h-h-h-heya…!" She sputtered out, "I uh… I like your umbrella!"

"Oh, uh, it's actually a parasol, but thanks."

Agent 8 wanted to bury her face in her hands. She was probably blushing bright magenta right about now.

I like your umbrella? Really? I can't believe I just said that!

While Agent 8 was dying of embarrassment, Marie turned to look up at Agent 3.

"Is Callie still looking at herself in the mirror?"

Agent 3 nodded, and Marie rolled her eyes.

"I'll go get her."

Marie didn't take long to return with Callie. She was wearing a casual outfit consisting of a pink beanie, with a pink jacket and a white t-shirt underneath, as well as black shorts and a pair of shades with a colorful LED pattern flashing across them. Agent 8 caught herself staring, just like with Marie, and decided not to introduce herself directly if she could at all help it to avoid another "umbrella" comment.

with everyone sans Agent 4 present, Cap'n Cuttlefish cleared his throat.

"Now, it's time for the first ever strategy meeting of the New Squidbeak Splatoon!"

"Strategy Meeting?" Callie echoed, "Did something happen?"

"No, it's nothing too serious this time around," Cap'n Cuttlefish shook his head, "But you see, Agent 8 has recently arrived in Inkopolis, and does not yet have a place to live. I figured the best thing for her would be to have her stay with one of you, so she can get used to life in the city, and have a guide to all things Inkling so she feels more comfortable."

"Yo, gramps, if she needed a room, why didn't ya call me, I'm loaded with cash," Pearl grinned.

"I figured, since you and Marina are so busy with everything, I wouldn't want to burden you more than we have already," the Cap'n replied.

"Stop worrying so much, yo! Eight can crash with us, she won't be a burden at all! Right 'Rina?"

"A-actually, have you forgotten?" Marina asked, "We're supposed to be going on tour in a few days. I mean, she can stay at our place, but we won't be around to help her out after that."

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot!"

"I'm really sorry, Eight," Marina shot the fellow Octoling an apologetic look, "Under any other circumstance, we would."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I understand!" Agent 8 smiled.

"Well, what about you two?" Cuttlefish turned to his two granddaughters, "Can either of you two take her in?"

Agent 8's heart slammed into her throat at the thought of staying with either Callie or Marie. They were her heroes. Her idols. There was no way, absolutely NO WAY she could live with them. She imagined painfully sputtering through a conversation every morning when waking up, trying nervously not to say anything stupid and failing miserably.

"Unfortunately, my apartment's too small," Marie shook her head, "There's no way both me and Eight could live there comfortably. What about you, Callie?"

"Ugh, no can do. I'm moving in a few weeks. Some crazed fan found out where I lived, so she's been mailing me these creepy letters. I'm trying to stay low-key for now, so having to show Agent 8 around would be a bad idea. Sorry, I know that's not really fresh of me."

"No, we totally understand," Marina chimed in, "Fans can be a bit overwhelming at times."

"I'm sure you'll be very low-key with those stupid sunglasses of yours." Marie commented.

"Hey, these are totally sick, you're just throwing shade at my shades!"

"... where did I put my charger again?"

"Well, if you two can't, what about Agent 3?" the Cap'n asked.

Agent 3, who was still up on the roof, looking all aloof and cool, was caught completely off-guard by the question. She slipped in surprise and nearly fell off the roof, waving her arms frantically to try to regain her balance.

"I… uh… I mean, I guess-"

Marie chimed in, "Grandpa, have you ever been in Agent 3's apartment?"

"No," Cap'n Cuttlefish answered.

"I didn't think so, for you to suggest that."

"It's that bad?" Cuttlefish asked, looking up at Agent 3. Agent 3 looked away without responding.

"Wait, Marie, does that mean you've been to Agent 3's apartment before? When? How?"

"It's… a long story, Callie, I'll tell you later. In private."

Callie arched an eyebrow and glanced back and forth between Agent 3, who was making a point of looking anywhere but at her, and Marie, who looked as calm and composed as ever.

"I actually have an idea," Marie replied, "It's why I went to go get Agent 4 in the first place."

"Wait, you think having Agent 8 stay with Agent 4 is a good idea?" Callie asked.

"Sure, why not?" Marie replied, "I mean, he's easily the least busy out of all of us. He's been playing a bunch of Battle Games, but outside of that, he's not really doing anything lately. He can even show Eight the ropes of Turf War and the other game modes."

"Well, as long as Agent 8 is okay with that. I mean, I know you haven't met him yet, so that might be awkward."

"It's fine, as long as he agrees to it, I have no problems," Eight answered, "Besides, it seems like I'm out of options anyway."

"Besides, if it doesn't work out, we got your back, Eight," Pearl grinned, "Feel free to move to our place while we're away. I'm sure the rest of the Splatoon would be happy to help you integrate into society while we're gone."

"Thanks, Pearl!" Eight smiled, nodding.

"Alright, that settles it," Cap'n Cuttlefish nodded, "As long as Agent 4 agrees, Eight, you'll be staying with him for now."

"I'll go get him, he should be done with his match now," Marie sighed, "He was putting up a good fight, but it wasn't going well. Surely he's lost by now."

"Lost?" a voice called from the entrance to the outpost, "As a matter of fact, we won!"

Agent 8 whirled around to see a young Inkling, likely around the same age as her and Agent 3, walking confidently from the direction of the storm grate. His tentacles were tied back into a short ponytail, but one short one hung down the side of his face instead. His eyes were a bright red, and he was sporting a pair of bulky black headphones, a white faux leather coat with three buttons pinned on it's right breast, black pants, and a pair of white boots with white gold straps that ended in arrows-shapes.

"Congratulations, Agent 4," Marie replied, "But I do hope next time you'll refrain from entering yourself into a match right before a strategy meeting. I did warn you about it."

"R-right, sorry about that," Agent 4 scratched the back of his head, "Say, what's this meeting about anyway, what are we-"

Agent 4 stopped and looked at Agent 8.

"Oh hey, you must be Agent 8," Agent 4 grinned, "I heard a lot about you from the others. How you apparently saved the world from some crazy AI statue or something!"

"Actually, the AI was just driving the statue," Agent 8 pointed out.

"Whatever," Agent 4 grinned, "Details, details, am I right! Anyway, I'm Agent 4."

"So I've gathered," Agent 8 nodded. She reached out her hand for a handshake, but Agent 4 grinned and slapped it away.

Agent 8 looked down at her hand in confusion.

Why'd he slap my hand away like that, I was only trying to be polite.

She frowned slightly, but didn't say anything else.

"Actually, Agent 4, it's a good thing you showed up when you did," Cap'n Cuttlefish began, "We wanted to know if you'd be willing to let Agent 8 stay at your place. At least until she's comfortable with Inkling society enough to go out on her own."

"Ah, do I have to? That sounds like a huge pain, and see, I've got this big match coming up, and-"

Marie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Agent 4, you've been playing ranked matches nonstop since you defeated DJ Octavio. You could at least pull your weight around here a little."

"No no, it's fine," Agent 8 spoke up, holding her hands up, "If he doesn't want to, I'll just chill at Pearl and Marina's like they suggested!"

"Nonsense," Marie smiled, "You've got absolutely no problems helping Agent 8 out, right Four?"

"Uh… yeah, of course not, I'll do it! Sorry for saying it was a pain earlier!"

Something about the way Agent 4 said that seemed a little forced, and Agent 8 could tell he really didn't want to volunteer.

"Really, you don't have to force him if he doesn't want to!" Eight urged.

"No, it's cool," Agent 4 replied, completely changing his tune from earlier, "'sides, you'll want the freshest squid to show you the ropes, right? Well, there's no one fresher than me!"

"Marie, look, you totally forgot Agent 4's got a bit of an ego!" Callie pointed out.

"I'm sure Agent 8 can handle him. After all, Four's saved the Great Zapfish and won some ranked battles. Agent 8's pretty much saved the whole world, so she's way cooler."

"H-hey, I saved Inkopolis and Callie, remember?" Agent 4 protested, "Besides, didn't Agent 8 have a bunch of other help defeating that dumb statue thing?"

"Yes, but if I recall, you had me and Callie's help, and the Rainmaker, remember?" Marie pointed out.

Agent 4 grumbled, crossing his arms in a comical pout.

What's his issue? It's not like saving the world was supposed to be some kind of contest.

Agent 8 shook her head. She should at least try to get along with Agent 4. Even if he was being childish. And petty. And didn't seem to like her very much.

"Well, that settles it, so Agent 8, you're gonna be staying with Agent 4 from now on," Cap'n Cuttlefish finalized, "I uh, I don't think you have many belongings, so moving in should be simple. With that issue taken care of, this concludes the strategy meeting!"

Everyone gave a nod of agreement and the group started to break. Agent 8 could hear Cap'n Cuttlefish asking Agent 3 to investigate something or other, Callie was pestering Marie about the story behind Agent 3, and Pearl and Marina were already heading back to the Square, with Pearl asking Marina if she wanted to pick up some food from a crustacean or something.

"H-hey, so, I guess you're coming back with me, then," Agent 4 replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, "Here, I'll show you the way."

Agent 8 nodded, watching as Agent 4 dropped down the storm grate into the pipe system. Eight followed, but got the strange sensation that someone was watching her. She turned to the source of the uneasy feeling and her eyes widened.

There, stuck inside what looked to be a giant snowglobe, was DJ Octavio. He wasn't speaking, but he was glaring at her with his main tentacles crossed. Seeing him here filled Agent 8 with a lot of conflicting feelings. To be honest, he knew Octavio had been captured, but he expected him to be locked away in some high-security prison. Though, given what she had seen of the New Squidbeak Splatoon thus far, she admitted to herself that this was much more like them than that would have been.

"Hey, you coming or…" Agent 4 popped back out from the grate and saw Agent 8 and Octavio's stare-down.

"A-ah, yeah," she turned her attention away from her former leader, "Let's go."

Agent 4 had been strangely silent while leading her to his apartment. They had popped out back into the Square and she expected some kind of tour, but instead he breezed past all the unfamiliar shops and made his way down one other joining streets. After walking about five blocks, he stopped in front of a tall, modern-looking building with an external staircase and multiple doors wrapping around it.

"Here we are, 9180 Shoal Street," Agent 4 pointed up, "My apartment's on the 4th floor, Apartment 4-E."

"Should be easy to remember," Eight replied.

Agent 4 led her up to the 4th floor. He quickly unlocked the door and kicked off his fancy boots. Eight followed suit and stacked her high heels neatly next to the doorway. She hadn't realized how sore her feet were until she took them off. She'd only just escaped from the Metro yesterday, so she was honestly feeling pretty exhausted.

"Here we are, my humble abode," Agent 4 grinned, "It's pretty big, but you get some perks being a total pro in ranked matches."

"Ranked matches?" Agent 8 asked, puzzled.

"Oh, wow, you're really not familiar with our society yet, huh?" Agent 4 asked, scratching the back of his head. Something about the way he said that seemed pretty condescending to Agent 8, and she narrowed her eyes.

"I just got to the surface yesterday," Agent 8 pointed out, placing a hand on her him, "Oh yeah, and then I fought a giant statue with a death laser. And that was right after nearly being blended into green goo by a crazy AI, escaping a laboratory, and fighting a brainwashed Agent 3!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean anything by it, okay! I just, I'm not used to dealing with your kind, so-" Agent 8 glared at Four and he held up his hands defensively, "Wait, that's not what I meant, that sounded bad, sorry! I mean…"

Agent 4 took a deep breath and shook his head, "Listen, I'm not used to someone who doesn't know about our society, is all I meant! Honest!"

"Well, you're the one who was supposed to explain it to me, but you just breezed past Inkopolis Square without saying anything to me!" Agent 8 crossed her arms.

"Oh, sorry, did you want a tour? We could go now if you want-"

"No, not now. I'm exhausted," Eight replied, "Where am I supposed to sleep, anyway?"

"Oh, uh," Agent 4 looked around before pointing to a door, "there's a spare room over there. I mean, I'm currently using it as a place to store my weapons, but-"

Agent 8 headed over and placed a hand on the doorknob.

"Wait, don't!"

Before Eight could react to Four's frantic yell, she opened the door and a pile of weapons came raining down on the poor Octoling. By the end of it, Agent 8 was buried in a various assortments of guns, gals, chargers, dualies, a roller which had nearly smacked her on it's way down, and a slosher which had firmly planted itself over her head.

She turned her head in the general direction where Agent 4 had been. Agent 4, who was wincing at the loud clamor the avalanche of gear had caused, slowly opened one eye to spy the Octoling's current predicament.

"S-sorry, I tried to warn you."

Agent 8 let out an aggravated groan from within the slosher before ripping it off her head unceremoniously.

"Let's just get this room cleared out so I can sleep!"

"R-right!"

The two worked quickly, clearing out the vast array of weapons Agent 4 stored in the room that was supposed to become her new bedroom. They both worked silently, sorting the weapons by type and stacking them neatly.

"Honestly I've been meaning to go through and get rid of some of the ones I never use anyway. Or at least put them in a storage locker somewhere else or something," Agent 4 replied, "Though, I guess if you see any weapons you like that I don't use, you're welcome to keep them."

"Why do you have all these weapons anyway?" Agent 8 asked, "Is it all for your work in the Splatoon? This seems a bit excessive, even for me, and I was told the Inklings aren't as militaristic as the Octarians typically are."

"Oh, no, these are for things like Turf War," Agent 4 began, "Wait, I never did tell you about that, huh? Well, basically all the fresh Inklings participate in various Battle Games. Turf War is the basic one. You gotta spread your team's ink over more ground than your opponents to win, but the game gets intense because you can also splat your enemies. I know that probably sounds violent, but we've got respawn pads and it's highly regulated for safety, so it's all good. There are some other types of games too, they're called Ranked Battles because you get a rank depending on how good your performance is over time."

"Wait, so it's true, then?" Agent 8 asked, "Inkling kids really do splat each other for fun in violent spectator sports?"

"W-well, okay, when you put it like that, it sounds pretty bad," Agent 4 admitted, "But it's really not like that!"

"But you do use all these weapons for it, right?" Agent 8 picked up one of the Splattershots from the pile and inspected it, "These are basically military grade weapons. And you literally named the sport after the Great Turf War, you know, the one that forced the Octarians to live underground for a century?"

"Hey, I'm sure everyone would be fresh with the Octarians living up here now! We're not exactly the kind of people to hold a grudge, unlike-"

"What, unlike the Octarians?" Agent 8 asked, crossing her arms.

"Wait, no, I didn't mean-"

"You have no idea what life is like for us down there!" Eight yelled, "Living in stupid domes underground with a fake sky and failing power. Meanwhile all the Inklings up here are making a mockery and sport of the very war that put us in that situation."

"I knew it, you sound like Octavio! I had my suspicions you had ulterior motives when you stopped to talk to Octavio before following me back here!" Agent 4 accused.

"Hold on! I didn't say a word to him!" Eight shot back.

"Oh yeah, then why were you two staring at each other when I came back?"

"It's... " Eight grasped, "It's complicated. You forget, he was our leader. I respected him a lot before I deserted."

"How could you respect someone like that? He mind controlled all of you!" Agent 4 pointed out.

"Not all of us were mind-controlled!" Agent 8 retorted, "Sure, a lot of us bought the propaganda, but a lot of us were just doing what we thought was best!"

"So, you weren't even mind-controlled?" Agent 4 frowned, "Then you were on Octavio's side!"

"No! I mean, it's more complicated than that!" Agent 8 tugged at her hair tentacles in frustration, "Listen, there's ways to manipulate people into doing what you want without resorting to straight-up mind control! We were taught things about the Inklings from a very young age! It was drilled into our minds that the Inklings were evil. We were taught they selfishly drove us underground and hogged viable power sources, depriving us of the very power we desperately needed, meanwhile they make a spectacle out of violent sports and waste away their carefree lives! And apparently some of that isn't even that far off!"

"Okay, maybe things are a bit more complicated or whatever, but I'm not letting you dis the battle games we play! No one participates who doesn't want to. You're not forced to do it or anything! It's fun!"

"Ugh, that's the part you're focused on?" Agent 8 rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "I was right about you, you know. You're childish and petty to the max! I'm gonna try to get in touch with Pearl or Marina and see if it's not too late for me to stay with them!"

"Fine! I didn't want you staying here anyway," Agent 4 yelled back, "I just did it because Marie- actually nevermind!"

Agent 8 stormed over to the door, put her boots back on, and walked out of the apartment without looking back.

Agent 8 was lost.

She had told Pearl what happened and, with quite a few expletives directed Agent 4's way, she instructed Agent 8 to meet them in front of their studio in Inkopolis Square. Agent 8 was vaguely familiar with where it was. She had passed by it once the day she arrived at Inkopolis. As long as she could make it back to the Square, she was sure she could find her way back.

The problem, then, was making it back to the Square.

However, despite it not being that far from Agent 4's apartment, somehow Eight had made a wrong turn somewhere, and now she was completely lost and had no idea where she was. As if that wasn't bad enough, the only communications device she had, her CQ-80, had died some time ago while she was walking. On top of that she was getting some strange looks from the Inklings she was passing by. Many of them were older. Marina had told Eight that she had blended in well with Inkling society, but most of her contacts were with the younger generations. It wasn't out of the question in Eight's mind that maybe some of these older Inklings recognized what she was. And if she asked any of them that she, supposedly a young Inkling, didn't know where the freshest locale for Inklings her age was, it would pretty much give her up right away.

To make matters worse, it had been quite a while since she left, and now the sun was setting. It was gonna get dark soon, and that would make it even harder for Eight to figure out where she was. Plus, she wasn't sure how dangerous Inkopolis could get during the night.

Grrrrrrrumbleeeeeee

Agent 8 grabbed her growling stomach and let out a sigh.

I'm starving. I don't know where I am. I'm exhausted from everything that happened in the Metro and with that dumb statue. I just want to eat and sleep, but I don't have any money on me and I don't have a place to stay.

As Agent 8 was lamenting her current situation, she suddenly felt the cold touch of metal against her back. It was the barrel of some sort of weapon. She instinctively tried to turn around, but a rough hand grabbed her arm, and someone whispered in her ear.

"Don't turn around, Octoling."

The venom in the voice as the guy behind her said "Octoling" sent chills down Eight's spine. Her fingers itched for her Octoshot, but there was no way she could reach for it in this situation without him noticing and shooting her on the spot.

"Listen, girlie, if you don't want to make this a scene, do exactly as I tell you," he instructed, "See that alleyway up ahead there? We're gonna head down it, got it?"

"And what if I don't want to?" Agent 8 asked.

"A feisty one, are we? Well, if you don't want to be splatted in a sad spray of magenta, I suggest you do as I say, got it?"

"You wouldn't do that out in the open!" Agent 8 pointed out.

"No? Look around you, girlie."

There weren't any other Inklings or anyone else around. The whole block was completely empty.

"There ain't no witnesses, hun, it's just you and me."

Agent 8 cursed under her breath and complied, turning down the alleyway. She wasn't surprised when she saw two other thugs. One was a shrimp wearing a leather jacket and was holding numerous sets of brass knuckles at the end of his legs. The other was a sea urchin with a denim jacket, tank top, and torn jeans. He was squatting on the ground with a large wooden sword slung over his shoulder. They were both standing at the other end of the alley, next to a white van with numerous dents and ink splotches covering it.

"Lookie what I caught, boys!" The man behind her called out.

"Hoho, and here I thought we were gonna return to the boss empty handed," the shrimp smiled.

The sea urchin glared at her with lecherous eyes, "Gotta say, she's a looker. I think the boss will be pleased."

"Alright, sweet cheeks," the man behind her twisted her arm painfully, "Get in the van."

Agent 8 looked down far enough to spy the foot of her would-be kidnapper. She stomped down hard with her heeled boot and he cried out in pain. Before her captor could react, she whirled around and grabbed the arm with his gun in it. She was surprised to see he was an older Inkling with spiky blue hair.

She grabbed her Octoshot and started firing. However, instead of her usual magenta ink, the ink she fired was the same dark blue as his hair. It coated him harmlessly and he shook it off, laughing.

"Heh, I was behind you. I filled your weapon and ink tank with my own ink."

He knocked her gun away and reached out to grab her wrist again. She stepped backward, only to realize that she was getting closer to the two other thugs. She glanced back just in time to see the urchin's wooden sword flying at her. She ducked, but then was knocked to the ground by the shrimp. He immediately began kicking her, so she rolled out of the way, only to run smack dab into the older Inkling's legs. He smirked and pointed his gun down at her.

"Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Suddenly, however, a shadow blotted out the evening sun, and both Agent 8 and the thugs looked up. Yellow ink rained down and the older Inkling exploded, leaving him stuck in a diminished squid form on the ground. The source of the ink landed on the ground and rolled forwards before covering both the shrimp and the urchin in ink, immobilizing both of them. They then kicked the shrimp over and smacked the urchin with the but of one of their guns, and they both collapsed.

Agent 8 looked up and took in the form of her hero. Conical headphones pulsed with LED lights. Clad in a bright yellow hoodie, black shorts, and a pair of thick black snowboots with orange accents, the figure stepped forwards, sheathing their dualies.

Agent 4 extended his hand towards Agent 8, an apologetic look adorning his face. His cheek was bruised with a suspiciously Pearl-sized handprint, and his outfit was covered with some of Agent 3's orange ink.

"Hey, sorry about earlier. I didn't really mean what I said," Agent 4 apologized, then chuckled, "And I promise I'm not just saying that because I got my butt kicked by both Pearl and Agent 3."

Agent 8 looked down at his hand, and reached out like she was going to grab it. Then she slapped it away and got up on her own. As she dusted herself off, though, she flashed Agent 4 a small smile.

"Apology accepted… as long as we can get something to eat first."

Her stomach growled loudly in that moment, and she had to glare at Agent 4 as he snickered.

"Alright, I know just the place," Agent 4 offered.

As they walked out of the alleyway, Agent 8 looked at the back of Agent 4's head. His short, tied-back tentacles bobbed as he took each step.

"Thank you," she spoke softly. It was almost a whisper. She wasn't even sure if he heard it. Actually, she was pretty sure he hadn't. If he had, he would've probably smirked at her and said something cocky.

He was childish, petty, he had an ego she really couldn't stand. He had, either intentionally or accidentally, said a lot of insensitive stuff earlier. And she figured as much as he'd have to teach her about Inkling culture, she'd have to teach him about the Octarians and Octolings.

He's insufferable… but he really did save me back there…

She guessed part of him was pretty alright.

To be continued...