On another side of Deepsea Metro, an inkling boy in a beanie is walking inside the station after attempting to call Marie through the speaker.
"Hotaru? Hotaru, are you there? Respond…" Agent 3.4 grunts before changing his ink from white to magenta as he's prepared.
Then he stops.
What he can see is a waiting room that has abandoned toys left on the ground and a vending machine full of drinks.
As he picks up a starfish plushie, Agent 3.4 remains silent as he's rubbing said plush toy and then lifts himself up with it.
Then a charging noise is behind him as it alerts him to point his Hero Charger at the one with a charger.
"Put it down." The octoling girl's voice called behind a hooded cloak with an old model Agent 3.4 recognised, 'Octo Charger ZER0.'
"You're that octoling's niece from before. You look different. What happened to the seaweed you got?" Agent 3.4 asks as he's also charging his Hero Charger at the cloaked one.
"I had them removed. Now I'm a vigilante that goes around Inkopolis and other places." The octoling answers calmly as her dull brown eyes are focused on an inkling boy. "Now put the starfish down."
"And what if I don't?" Agent 3.4 responds with a question as both chargers are about to fire at each other despite both being magenta ink.
"Tch… Ya making this easier for me to splat you." The octoling growled.
"Then tell me. Who does this starfish belong to?"
"My sister. And why are ya here in a world of fate worse than death?" The octoling asks back.
"I'm looking for the one as I was told by those freaks." Agent 3.4 answers nonchalantly. "She's an octoling and a close friend since childhood."
"Oh? What a coincidence? I'm lookin' for an octoling."
Afterwards, both Agent 3.4 and the octoling lower their chargers and then face each other with Marie and Agent 4 is also those he's looking for.
"Hm. Ya seem to be another one of those subjects that's survivin'."
"Yeah. But your ID says it all, Serika."
[ Subject 10003: Serika, Age: 16 years old, Occupation: octarians and independent, Activity: Unknown, Status: Alive]
Serika gasps as she's been caught by an inkling boy who she encountered a minute ago, then lowers her head as there's some warnings to be told.
"The promised land is a lie… We're only survivin' here just to suffer fate worse than death. I saw it all…" Serika grunts.
"Tell me."
As Serika went closer to Agent 3.4's ear, this frozen Agent 3.4 to the point that the girl he's looking for will suffer something horrific.
"No…"
"If we don't hurry, then it'll be all over." Serika warned.
This causes Agent 3.4 to clench his fists and his teeth as he realises what's going to happen soon.
"Where is she?" Agent 3.4 growls.
"I don't know, but we'll catch up to her once we go through most of the stations." Said Serika. "Oh, there's an inkling girl ya know. She's there as well and we're bettin' to see who's the strongest."
"You mean the survivor?"
"Yeah. She's always out all alone while fightin' to catch her targets that are called Deep Cut. As far as I can tell, you're not the only one followin' some octoling. I have an octoling to find as well." Serika turns around and looks at an empty train.
"And the Great Zapfish?" Agent 3.4 asks.
"What about it? The only thing we're focusin' on is survivin'." Serika points out.
Agent 3.4 can tell why she's been roaming around for years as Agent 3.4 himself did the same, but with a side of normal life at Inkopolis.
What caught his attention is that Serika doesn't care about the Great Zapfish anymore after 2 years ago.
"Are ya comin' or what?" Serika calls as Agent 3.4 puts the plushie in his pocket.
"Alright! Honestly…" Agent 3.4 replies and leaves the area he's been standing in.
5 minutes later while travelling through different trains that are abandoned as well as skeletons on the seats, Agent 3.4 looks around as a skeleton is actually taller than the tallest agent like him, meaning his own kind as well as Serika's are shorter than ancient species.
"So if a train fits you guys, so why are there other ones taller than your train?" Agent 3.4 asked out of curiosity.
"Dunno. I was told by my leader that those species are called… Hoomans… And they used to own stuff that we hoard." Serika answers.
"And why hoard them?"
"For weaponry and technology. Do ya not learn history and technology?" Serika asks.
"Partly, but in an inkling's perspective." Agent 3.4 answers.
"Of course ya would. I bet there's some inkling propaganda taught there." Serika mutters.
"I'm well aware of that."
"Then why attack us if you're aware of such thin's!?"
"To get paid."
This stops Serika as an inkling is also in debt as well, leading Serika to know more about Agent 3.4.
"Speakin' of paid, do ya have a job?" Serika asks.
"Well… A part-time one at Grizzco Industries. It's a painful one, but I do get better payments than turf wars and my current job."
"So why do ya have multiple jobs to get paid?"
"My mother passed away." Agent 3.4 sighs and walks past.
Serika halts as she hears what he's saying about his mother.
"Your mom?"
"She was ill and I was trying to get the medicine. She was suffering from a mixture of ink in her blood. She was a kind and caring mother and she defended the octoling and I from the bullies. After my friend left, my mother and I fell into debt, leading her to work at Grizzco Industries." Agent 3.4 pauses and halts the walk.
Serika turns her head as it reminds her of a certain friend she knows who was in debt.
"We had to pay those thugs or my mother will become their toy and leave me all alone. Luckily, she paid them. Years have passed and my mother collapsed as I called the hospital to get my mother."
"Did she make it?" Serika asks out of curiosity.
Agent 3.4 shook his head and lowered not only his head but his dull black eyes as well.
"Her last words to me are 'cherish those you love, even if they are new and old. No matter who you are, you're still my little boy.' I think that's what she said before her passing."
"Oh… That's why you're so serious. And your mysterious actin'?"
"I don't want to get involved with other people's affairs. I never credited myself and let others take the spotlight. You could say I was moody, lazy and ignorant." Agent 3
4 admitted his own behaviour.
Serika chuckles as she remembers why this inkling is so bent on finding his purpose.
"As for your aunt. Yes, I killed her, but she also requested for us to spare you. She made that decision." Agent 3.4 points out.
"I know… My aunt always risked her life for me and my little sister. Ya could say the same to my father." Serika chuckles bitterly and then raises her head towards Agent 3.4. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Your mother is just like my father. My sister and I lived with our loving father and aunt, considerin' they're siblings."
"And your mother?" Agent 3.4 asks out of curiosity.
"I don't know… My mother left when my sister was born, so we're left with our aunt and our father." Serika answers.
Who knew inklings and octolings are able to talk about their past and family lives as Agent 3 isn't the only one with a harsher life before working and fighting.
Before Serika tells Agent 3.4 more about her father, an inkling boy and an octoling girl stop as they witness a horde of sanitised octarians with 2 sanitised octoling as one is a boy and the other is a girl.
"Huh!? Why are they here!?" Serika exclaims.
"Tch… Run!" Agent 3.4 dashes forward as he's also followed by Serika.
"Wait! Don't leave us…" The sanitised octoling girl cries as she's twitching and moving forward from slowest to faster.
The sanitised octoling boy yells as he's in pain and then runs on his hand and feet like a wild animal.
The octarian army appears to be Octotroopers as they're all growling and the Twintacle Octotroopers are roaring as they're chasing down 2 magenta ink teens.
Agent 3.4 morphs into a squid whereas Serika morphs into an octopus as they're hastily swimming away from the sanitised horde and then morphs back to their humanoid forms by running through empty trains.
"What kind of ink are they shooting from!? Their skin!?" Agent 3.4 asks while shocked to see the state of those poor octarians.
"I don't know, but whatever they are, it's unpleasant!" Serika holds her mouth as if something horrible is coming to her mind.
Afterwards, the duo encounters a telephone as Serika grabs Agent 3.4's arm.
"That telephone… Why the shell are you here!?"
Before the sanitised horde arrives, the telephone makes a loud ring not on himself, but the station, leading the sanitised horde to stop and hold their heads as they're yelling in pain.
"The sanitised… They're slowing down?" Agent 3.4 gasped.
"The telephone alerted himself to rin' if the sanitised are nearby." Serika answers.
"I see…"
As the sanitised horde melts themselves, they vanish and never come back which means an inkling and an octoling are safe as they sigh.
[OH? SORRY ABOUT THAT. BUT WELCOME BACK, SUBJECT 10003… AND I SEE YOU BROUGHT IN A NEW GUEST THAT'S HERE TO PARTICIPATING IN TESTS.]
"What in the…" Agent 3.4 halts in shock after seeing that a phone doesn't shout but it has that shouty attitude.
"I know. I don't like that thin' either." Serika grunts.
[WELL, WELL, WELL… YOU'RE NOW PREPARED TO COME OVER AND SEEK THE PROMISED LAND, SUBJECT 10025!]
"10025?" Agent 3.4 halts as his ID shows itself.
[ Subject 10025: Ryu (Agent 3.4), Age: 17 years old, Occupation: New Squidbeak Splatoon and Grizzco employee, Activity: searching, Status: Alive]
Agent 3.4 gasps as he witnesses what's in front of him, causing him to charge his Hero Charger while glaring straight at the telephone.
"You identity leaking piece of-"
"Wait! It happened to everybody… Privacy be damned…" Serika understands Agent 3.4's fear of his identity being shown.
Agent 3.4 lowers his charger and then walks past the telephone towards a train that's waiting.
"If my ID was found, I'll smash you to pieces like the clam you are!" Agent 3.4 growls.
[DON'T WORRY, SUBJECT 10025, JUST PROTECT YOUR ID AND NO ONE WILL FIND OUT!]
"Betcha don't know 10013's ID, huh?" Serika chuckles while pulling a smug smile.
[I HAVE NO DAMN IDEA WHO SUBJECT 10013 IS! SHE'S TOO SNEAKY AND SECRETIVE TO GET HER IDENTITY SHOWN TO ACCESS THE VIP!]
"Good for her." Said Agent 3.4 as he can tell that the survivor isn't fooling around.
After that, both Agent 3.4 (Ryu) and Serika arrive after Agent 3.4 received a CQ-80 and a CQ Card.
Then the train moves.
Inside the train, both Ryu and Serika sigh and then look at the train filled with grown adults who are different types of sea creatures.
"Are you squidding me?" Ryu groans.
"Welp… Welcome back, creepy train." Serika sighs.
"Wait, you've been there before!?" Ryu exclaims quietly.
"Yeah. And it was unpleasant too." Serika then lies down as Ryu places his Hero Charger next to Serika's Octo Charger 0 and then pulls out his phone to play a game.
Ryu can tell that things are going to end badly between him, Mirai, Marie and Sheldon as they're the only few left from Octo Canyon to this Deepsea hellhole.
What's their next stop going to be?