ATTENTION: This chapter contains content from Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion.
Alexis's PoV
Surrounding Alexis were several dozen copies of the Octobot King II, all being piloted by several dozen copies of DJ Octavio, who were all glaring down at her. The stadium was shrouded in darkness, the machines only being outlines against bold magenta lights. The brainwashed Callie stood directly in front of her, singing Bomb Rush Blush as if nothing was happening. A spotlight shone down on the two of them.
"Stop it!" she screamed at the black-haired idol. "Stop it! I don't want to listen to your annoying voice!"
Callie continued singing, yet the Octobot King II clones were advancing. They prepared their golden fists, spinning with a light the same color as the Octarians' ink.
"I said stop it!" Alexis fell to her knees, covering her ears. "Make it stop! Please!"
The idol stopped singing, lowering her arms. "You can't do anything," she jeered. "You're worthless to us!" She opened her mouth, yet nothing came out. "Worthless, worthless Agent 4! Worthless, worthless Alexis!" she sang.
"Stop..." she begged. "Just...stop..."
"Worthless, worthless, worthless!"
A thousand fists were sent flying towards her, and she splatted with a sickening crush. Instead of respawning, however, she was back in her room, sitting up also immediately while taking rapid breaths. She looked around, then at herself. The morning sun shined in through the window, casting a gentle golden light on her bronze skin.
I fell asleep, she thought. She had been staying up in an effort to avoid nightmares such as the one she just had, but ultimately, they failed, over and over again. She cursed and jumped off her bed. When she opened the door, she saw her sister walking by. The wavy-haired girl paused, and she turned to look at the younger inkling.
"Alexis?" she asked. "You OK?"
She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm fine," she insisted, and then she walked past her. She ate and got ready for the day. Before she picked up her backpack, she hesitated. ...I don't wanna go to school today. The events of last night had left her too rattled.
"Alexis!" Octavia called. "You comin'?"
"I... I'm walking there!" she shouted a reply, her voice shaky.
"Oh, OK." She heard Via walk away, leaving her to her lonesome. She picked up her backpack and started walking towards Inkopolis Square. There were some inklings in the square in the morning, mostly squids who attended Central Inkopolis High School or squids that did not go to school at all. However, the number was nothing compared to how many inklings filled the square in the afternoon.
She wasn't aiming to play a turf war or two before she went to school, however. In fact, she wasn't going to go to school at all. Instead, she dove into the manhole that led to Octo Canyon, away from the city.
She popped out of the grate in her hero suit, but Callie and Marie were absent. Only DJ Octavio remained, sleeping in the snow globe he was imprisoned in. Alexis walked over to him and tapped the glass. He woke up, blinking lazily.
"...The Dauntless?" He raised an eyebrow. "What's a hipster like you doin' here?"
"I'm not answering that," she stated. "Do you know where the Squid Sisters are?"
"Them? They're sleepin' in their fancy houses." He crossed his tentacles. "Meanwhile, I'm sleepin' here, while my soldiers don't get to listen to ma spicy wasabi beats every day."
"Doesn't that get boring?"
"Nah, they love it!" He slammed his tentacles into the bottom of the snow globe, unsettling some of the shells lying on the floor. "They always love ma beats."
Alexis rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She walked over to the bench outside the Cuttlefish Cabin and began scrolling through her phone.
"Hey, get back here! Agent 4! Agent Fourrrr!"
She continued to ignore DJ Octavio, rubbing her eyes. She let out a yawn. She wanted to sleep, but she couldn't risk the nightmares again. Not now, anyways. Eventually, she saw Marie pop out of the grate, wearing her kimono. Her golden eyes widened upon seeing the short-haired inkling. She closed her umbrella and ran as fast as she could to Alexis.
"Agent 4! Don't you have school?" she asked, bewildered.
"I'm skipping it today," she replied. "I already have my nightmares to deal with." She looked past Marie to see if her cousin had arrived. Still, no one new had arrived since Marie. "Where's Callie?"
"Callie? She's filming a commercial in-" The grey-haired inkling paused. "Wait, did you say nightmares?"
"Yeah..." She rubbed her shoulder. "Nothing important."
"What do you mean? It is important!"
"I can deal with them on my own," she insisted.
"Not if you're losing sleep," she argued. "Look, I may be a night owl, too, but at least I try to balance my sleep schedule."
Alexis sighed. "You're right." She looked up at her with orange eyes. "Could you help me with them?"
"I can't," Marie admitted. "...But Agent 3 probably could."
"Agent 3?"
"Yeah, she gets lots of nightmares. If only she wasn't down in the subway, or whatever it is."
"Oh yeah, she's in the subway!" Alexis shot up to her feet, pumping a fist. "Thanks, Marie!" She grabbed the new Hero Shot and ran off.
"What?! Four!"
The bronze-skinned girl ignored the idol's calls, as minutes later, she had popped out in the square with her normal gear. She ran over to the subway on the other side of Inkopolis Square, though she gained a few strange looks from passing jellyfish. She jumped over the silver gate and ran into the darkness. In one hand, she had the fully-upgraded shooter, and in the other, she had her phone, using it as a flashlight.
Recalling the path the Rainbow Squids took when they walked down here the first time, she soon arrived at the place where Agent 3 had first dropped the note on them. Maybe if I wait here, Agent 3 will see me, and then she'll come down to talk to me!
She put away her Hero Shot and waited, and waited. "Agent 3!" There was no response. Some neon lights in the corner of her vision flickered. "Agent 3! It's me, Alexis!"
Suddenly, she heard something bang overhead. She looked up, and a vent bust open. Dropping down was an inkling girl, blue lights trailing behind her. She used a hand to break her fall, and she stood up, throwing her head back and looking down at her with confused eyes. A cape trailed behind her. A smile came across the orange-haired girl's face, giddy.
"Why are you down here again?" Agent 3 questioned, crossing her arms. "I already told you, it's too dangerous."
"Well... I heard you have nightmares," she started, her smile falling.
She raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"
"Uh... Someone." Alexis scratched the back of her head. "Look, can you help me with mine?"
She took a step back, surprised. "You have nightmares?"
"Yeah... I've been having them for like, two or three months now."
"...When did you come down here the first time?"
"The end of March. It's the middle of May now. There's a Splatfest this weekend."
"It's...May?" Agent 3 took a step back, frowning. "And it was March back then?" She looked down at her feet.
"Agent 3?" Alexis tried reaching out for the fair-skinned girl, but she pulled her hand back.
"It was August when I left," she started. "I was supposed to play in the Mayo vs. Ketchup Splatfest with my friends, but Cap'n came for me last minute."
"That sucks. What did he want?"
"He wanted to research what happened to the Octarians after..." She paused. "...the Great Turf War. I was the only squid available. I just had to help him. Old men and hostile environments don't exactly mix. So, I told my friends I was going to be gone for a while and left.
"September came, and then October. I asked Cap'n one day when we would go home. He promised we would come back by the end of the year."
"Why didn't you come back?"
"I saw someone. An octoling. Armed. At first, I was confused why she was on the surface. I didn't have time to react when Cap'n suddenly ordered me to attack her. I did as I was told and started running towards her. She noticed me and managed to dodge the attack. We had a good fight. But before I could finish her off, something came."
"What?! What was it?"
"I don't remember what it was. Before I knew it, I was knocked out. I woke up in a strange, white hall, being carted off by these strange, green octolings. I sat up, and they pulled out their weapons. I pulled out mine as well. I splatted them and ran off. And before I knew it, I realized that Cap'n wasn't with me. I started searching the rooms. Nothing. It was then I realized...I was lost. And if I was lost, then Cap'n was in danger. I started looking for him, scoring every single corner of this place.
"I started to get hungry. And thirsty. But there was no food or water around here. I started looking for a way after here. Just as I thought I would collapse, I saw sunlight. I heard music. I poked my head through, and I found myself in an alleyway that led directly to Inkopolis Square. I ran outside, to Starfish Drinks. I ordered some food, and ate it. But people started giving me strange looks. I decided then that I would only go during the night, so no one could notice me. I didn't want to start any rumors." She sighed. "But then more and more squids started coming down here. Including you and your friends."
Alexis blinked. "Wow...that's quite the tale. I guess we're the only ones to make it this far," she concluded.
Agent 3 nodded. "Most of them ran away after I told them to leave. But no, you squids stayed. So, I had to come down myself. But you still wouldn't leave. I guess battling something was the only thing that would convince them to leave."
"Hey, it was fun," she noted.
She shrugged. "I guess it is when Inkopolis isn't in danger."
"So, can you help me with my nightmares?"
The two started walking down the tunnel, lights passing by them. "Sure. What are they about?"
"It's like..." The bronze-skinned inkling looked up at the ceiling. She heard something groan from up above her. It was almost like the sounds she heard from time-to-time in the Octarian domes, too. "...T-There's a lot of robots surrounding me." Her voice was shaky as she recalled the terrors. "Sometimes, someone's using a Bomb Rush against me. Other times, they just try to smash me. But a lot of times, Callie's there. Singing."
Agent 3 raised an eyebrow. "Callie? Like, from the Squid Sisters?"
Alexis nodded. "Singing about how I don't belong in the Rainbow Squids, or how I'm weak." Her orange eyes started to droop. "I'm sorry, Agent 3. I'll just drag you down while I'm here."
"No, you won't," she insisted, grabbing her hand, much to her surprise. "You can help me. Just don't get splatted. Via would splat me if you did."
"Help you? With what?" she asked.
"After the battle with Octo Oven, I've been looking around the other stations to see if Cap'n happened to be there. I've only searched the ones closer to here, but there's a lot of them."
"So, we're going to see what's in one of them today?"
Agent 3 nodded, stopping to pull out a blue, card-like device. "I've been marking the ones I've been to in here." She pressed a button, pulling up a screen mapping each and every station. "Toastmaster Station is the name of the one we were in. It's the intersection between Lines I and G."
Alexis examined the map, only to see that it was written in another language. "You can read that?"
"Not much," she admitted. "But I know enough." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, anything with a red dot means I've checked it."
"What's with the circle ones?" the bronze-skinned girl asked. Two of the aforementioned spots—one on a magenta line, one on a sky blue line—were marked.
"Those? I don't what they're for. When I looked in them, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing except some chanting from the speakers."
"Oh. So..." Her finger rested on the magenta station next to its intersection with a black line. "Could we go here?"
"That's..." Agent 3 put her thumb on the joystick, causing the map to zoom in. She directed it to the station Alexis requested. "'Bodacious Rotation Station.'"
"So, can we go? Please?"
"Yeah." She closed the map and grabbed Alexis's hand again. They started running, until they reached the intersection of rails. The short-haired girl recognized the station above, but that was not where they were going. Agent 3 looked up at the sign marking the station they were at, and instead of going towards it, the two inklings started going east of it. They followed the contour of the trail until another intersection was reached. They made a sharp turn once more and started heading down that line.
They reached another intersection, only to find a train blocking their way. It was metallic, with a window on the back door, which would allow them to peer inside. It was covered in stickers, posters, and other graffiti, though the company's logo was plastered right on the door. The two inklings super-jumped up to the ledge to get a closer look at the station they were at.
Standing on a raised platform was the octoling Alexis saw when they originally came here. Glass surrounded her, and when it lowered, she did not appear to have a weapon. She walked over to the glowing sea cucumber near the gate, and she kneeled to talk to it. An arm extended from the sea cucumber, pointing to the gates. Alexis saw her sigh, curling a pink tentacle around her finger. She took out a white version of the device Agent 3 had and walked to the gate, where she slid it and launched into the station.
"That's..." the green-haired inkling muttered, her eyes widening.
"Who? Who is it?" the orange-haired inkling whispered.
"The octoling I fought," she revealed. "I thought she either got splatted in the attack or got turned into one of those green ones."
"Well, she's not green, is she?" Alexis teased.
Agent 3 shook her head. "No. But... A small part of me was hoping she was alive. And not green. And turns out she is."
"Well, what now? We gonna follow her?"
"No. We need to keep moving. I already checked that station; nothing inside it."
"Can't we stay a little longer? I'm tired from all that running!"
Her expression softened. "Hmm...I guess we can sit here until she finishes. Once she's done, then we're gonna start running again. Neither of us know where this train is going afterwards."
She listened to me! Alexis exclaimed silently. She listened to me!
The two inklings sat on the ledge on the edge of the train, waiting. Every now-and-then, Agent 3 turned her head, checking the gates. Alexis, meanwhile, focused on the side. Neon signs flashed on the wall, and she could see some strange jellyfish walking on the sidewalk below. People live here? She stood up and looked into the subway cart. A gulper eel was making his way to one of the seats, bumping into a tree sponge along the way. He blew a raspberry at her and sat down across from her, much to her annoyance. Woah... She had seen a few gulper eels, but the tree sponge? She had only seen old pictures of them in her history books. And her grandma's house. She often made trips to the deep in her youth.
"Hey, Agent 3," Alexis whispered. "You ever seen other people living down here?"
"Other than the green Octarians? No," the green-haired girl replied.
"You said you've scored every single corner of this place aside from the subway tracks. You sure?"
"Well, only the important parts."
"Well, there's people in here," she pointed out. "Look!" She gestured for Agent 3 to rise, and together, they peeked through the window. Since she had last looked inside, nothing had changed.
"...Good find," she said after a few moments. "I wonder how they live."
"Maybe there's a restaurant," she theorized. "And they gotta get water from somewhere."
"Maybe."
A few more minutes passed, and suddenly, Alexis heard something land nearby. She whipped her head over to the source to find that the curly-haired octoling had landed on the platform, holding something in her hand. The glass barrier surrounded her briefly before retracting once more. She smiled and walked back inside the train. The sea cucumber followed her inside, and soon, the train rumbled.
"That's our cue," Agent 3 announced. "One, two, three!"
The two inklings jumped off of the train, back onto the rails. The train backed up a few feet and turned left, disappearing into the darkness, with only the rear lights marking its position, but even then, the lights grew further and further away. After ducking, they rose to their feet and started walking straight down the path once more. Alexis's adrenaline had faded, and exhaustion started to set in once more. Her head throbbed as she struggled to walk straight, but she tried her best to ignore it. She couldn't just faint in front of Agent 3!
Eventually, she tripped on the track. Before she could fall completely on the ground, the other inkling caught her hand and pulled her back to her feet.
"Hey!" she gasped. "Are you OK?" Her voice was relatively calm, but her eyes betrayed a different emotion. Worry?
The short-haired inkling rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Right, and let's just forget the nightmares." She shook her head. "You can't just ignore them."
"But they're terrifying," she protested. "I don't wanna sleep." She shivered. "Every time I sleep, he comes back to haunt me with everything he's done."
Agent 3 flinched. "He?"
Shoot. Alexis fidgeted, trying to find the right words. "He's..." I can't just tell her I'm Agent 4. Then she'll start wondering why. And she doesn't know about the Great Zapfish going missing, if she's really been gone for that long. "A bad man," she continued. "A really, really bad man."
"He didn't try-"
"No!" she interrupted. "He tried to kill me!"
"Well, that's still bad."
"Then how do I stop?!" Alexis stomped her foot on their ground, stopping their continued trek to the station they were looking for. "How do I stop having these nightmares!"
"Calm down." Agent 3 placed a hand on her shoulder. "For starters, you could actually get some sleep. Like, at the time you usually go to bed."
"Will that really make them go away?"
"They...never stop," she admitted. "I still have them. Being only down here has only made them worse."
"Then what do you dream about, Agent 3?" she asked. "What haunts your nightmares?"
"My archnemeses. One of my ordinary life, one of this secret life. A lot of times, I can't save my friends and family. I try, but I fail. So then I see things much worse. My brother and sister dying. My family name being ruined. Cap'n being trapped forever. One and Two—you met them when we battled Octo Oven—being captured. My friends leaving forever."
"A lot of things. Just like me."
She laughed. "C'mon. Let's keep moving."
Without another word spoken, they continued to traverse the railway, neon lights flashing by as they walked. Hot pink markers lined the trails, with numbers dictating each station by each gate. Eventually, Agent 3 threw her arm out, stopping Alexis from continuing on any further. She pointed to the platform above them and turned into a squid, preparing to super-jump. The green-haired inkling launched upwards, and the orange-haired inkling quickly followed.
Once they arrived on the platform, Alexis felt...wind? A light breeze was going through the area, debris flying in the open space up ahead, where a giant block rotated. Red lasers shot from all sides of it.
"Kinda fresh," she commented. She pulled out her Hero Shot, much to Agent 3's surprise. "I'm ready."
The agent blinked as she pulled out her own Hero Shot. "Is that the same weapon from last time?"
"Yeah," she confirmed, "but it's even better now."
"Huh. The neon yellow suits it better, I think."
"Alright." The bronze-skinned girl smirked. "Let's get goin'."
She transformed into a squid and jumped into Agent 3's arms. The long-haired girl then pulled out the blue device from earlier and swiped it across the arm of the gate. It opened and launched them forward, landing on a checkpoint. Before them was a ride rail.
Turning her ink color to pink, Alexis shot the ride rail. "I got this." A long rail winded around the rotating platform, and she hopped on, with Agent 3 quick to follow. They circled around it, surveying the area. Indeed, the Octarians down here were like she remembered—strange and green. They wandered around with empty, glowing eyes. They hopped off at a thin wooden platform, where another checkpoint activated.
"We'll stick together for a bit," instructed the elder inkling. "Then, when it's safe, we split up." The box rotated once more before settling again. "Ready... Go!"
They hopped down to the concrete platform, where a few Octotroopers were waiting for them. Alexis charged towards one and shot her Hero Shot at it, splatting it. Unfortunately, she had ran straight into some of the turquoise gunk it had shot, splattering all over her shirt. A burning sensation spread through her chest, and she fell, clutching her gut.
"Ow..." she moaned. Why does it hurt so bad...?
"Alexis!" Agent 3 ran in front of her and started covering the surrounding area in ink. "Don't be reckless!"
"I'm sorry..." Her legs shaking, she got up. Her grip on her Hero Shot tightened as memories of her adventure in Octo Canyon came back to her. She was able to defeat Octotroopers singlehandedly. She could definitely take these ones down with such a powerful ally by her side. Alexis then let out a sigh. "You're just so much better than me." She looked down at her gut. "A lot smarter, too."
Before Agent 3 could reply, a beep sounded, and the platform began to rotate once more. "Over here!" she demanded, breaking some boxes past the pillar that obscured their view. Together, they inked a path, arriving on another tower as squids when the stage settled. A silver post sat on the top, crackling with electricity as a red beam shot from its peak. They reformed and shot it, and the barrier broke. Alexis touched it, and it retracted into the ground. Something ringed in Agent 3's device.
"Booyah!" the short-haired girl cheered.
"Booyah," the long-haired girl muttered. "There's seven more. Best get to it."
Some Octocopters flew down to them, their fat bodies wiggling around. They prepared to shoot, and out of reflex, Alexis pointed her shooter at them and shot them down, pink ink falling where they once stood. Another beep sounded, and once again, they were thrown off balance. They climbed over to the next area of solid ground. The only problem was that Octarians swarmed the area. Their backs were turned, and the inklings' view was obscured by a few orange crates, which Alexis hoped would give them an advantage.
She pulled out a curling bomb and charged it, dropping a few feet in front of her and destroying the crates. A canned special revealed itself to be hidden in the crates, floating down in front of the bronze-skinned inkling's feet.
"Take it," Agent 3 instructed. "I don't need it."
Alexis picked up the can and examined the packaging. Baller. She stashed it away and approached the Octotroopers that were sitting on their pedestals. By now, they had grabbed their attention, and now turquoise blobs were barreling towards them. The inklings went on opposite sides of the wall, with Alexis taking the left path. She shot down the Octotrooper quickly and dodged the shot. Past it was another post. She eyed the other side to see that there was one there as well. Agent 3 jumped over the Octotrooper and threw a splat bomb at the post, destroying its barrier. She ran into it, causing it to retract into the ground. The younger inkling copied her movements, throwing another curling bomb at the post, which allowed her to grab it.
The stage started to rotate once more, and meanwhile, the Octotroopers resumed shooting at them. Agent 3 shot something, causing the wall between them to open. She gestured for Alexis to follow, and they swam to a ledge, where they found solid ground once more. In the pink ink, she huddled closer to the agent, comforted by her presence. The Octotrooper closest to them stopped firing, instead looking around in confusion. They remained submerged, waiting for the stage to rotate once more before continuing one. At the next rotation, Agent 3 emerged and inked the wall, and Alexis quickly followed. They returned to the platform they started on, where another Octotrooper was waiting.
The bronze-skinned girl charged towards it and quickly splatted it, but not before taking another hit. She crumpled once more, the pain worse than before. A sharp inhale sounded from Agent 3, who walked over and helped her to her feet. She tossed a bomb behind her, destroying the barrier on the post behind her. Her strength returning, Alexis ran past her and slapped the post, causing it to retreat.
"That's four," Agent 3 informed. "Halfway done."
They walked up to the pillar, where a red beam was shooting up into the sky. However, part of it was blocked off by a transparent wall, making it seem impossible to get up one way. They hopped over to the other side to it, but before they could do anything, the ground beneath their feet began to shift again. They balanced themselves on the pillar, where another post came into view, this one much easier to reach. Agent 3 ran ahead, swooping down to the goal and collecting it. Alexis followed her, but before she dropped down to the wooden platform it rested on, the stage shifted again. Once again, they arrived up at the side with clear walls, where two Octotroopers were waiting. Agent 3 threw a splat bomb over the wall, splatting one of them, while Alexis dealt with the other. A few seconds later, they were thrown off their feet again, regrouping at the base of yet another tower.
"I think we've-" The long-haired girl was interrupted when a red laser pointed at her. She jumped back against the wall, a trail of turquoise ink falling at her feet. "...Never mind." Alexis looked past her to see the source of the attack—an Octosniper. It was flying around on an UFO, shooting at them.
They proceeded to ink the wall, climbing up to the top of the pillar to collect the post. Another Octosniper spawned, flying in to target them. In an instant, Agent 3 pulled out a Sting Ray and fired at them, the force of the laser pushing her back.
"Find the last two," she commanded. "I'll deal with these guys."
"Will do!" Alexis piped up. "Take out those octoslobs!"
The stage shifted once more, causing them to return where they started. Agent 3 started up her special weapon again while the short-haired girl started to run towards the tower, where a red light still shined. She slid to the side, turquoise ink brushing her shoulder. She inked the wall and climbed it, using a curling bomb to break the barrier. The post retracted, and at last, they only had one more goal to collect before they could finally leave the dungeon. More Octocopters flew in, distracting her as the platform rotated once more. She fell to the wall, more grunts surrounding her. She aimed her Hero Shot and fired, pink ink flying onto the concrete in her wake. She swam up to solid ground, surveying the area.
Where's Agent 3? she wondered. I hope she didn't fall. It was a thought that shocked her, causing her to flinch. Would she even think that? She was with Agent 3. If she fell, Alexis was doomed. Pushing the thought aside, she found herself unable to spot the last post. It has to be on the bottom of this thing, she concluded. It has to be.
The stage rotated once more, and she found herself sectioned off by the walls once more. She ran across it and looked around once more. She spotted a red laser shooting from the side. There it is! She ran up to it, only to find that there was no way to safely grab it at her current position. Thankfully, another beep sounded. Now's my chance! Alexis took out the can she had picked up early and bust it open with her fist, surrounding her in a protective barrier.
"Baller!" she proclaimed. As the ground became a wall, she swam upwards and balanced on the new ground. She took a few steps forward, dropping on the silver post and shattering the barrier. She let the Baller explode, and once she was free, she reached out a hand to touch the metal. It retracted, and the stage came to a stop. It was over.
She climbed back up to see Agent 3, dropping down from the tower. "You did it!" she exclaimed. "You actually did it."
"See?" She smirked. "I'm stronger than I look."
"I know," she admitted. "I'm impressed."
Her smirk grew into a huge smile. "You really think that?!" Agent 3 thinks I'm good! Agent 3 thinks I'm good!
The long-haired inkling nodded. "When I saw those Octocopters surround you, I thought you would splat. But you took them down. Without any help at all. I think that deserves a medal."
"Thank you!" Alexis pulled Agent 3 into a hug, much to the older inkling's surprise. "Thank you very much!"
"No." She hugged her back. "Thank you." After a few seconds, they let go, and the fair-skinned girl adjusted her headset. "Let's get back."
They prepared to super-jump, and a few seconds later, they were flying through the sky, trails of pink ink following them. They landed in front of the raised platform, where a wave of dizziness washed over Alexis. She gripped her head. She found herself back in DJ Octavio's arena, magenta ink surrounding her fragile body. The enemy ink rose, growing taller and taller, as if it was a wave preparing to crash down on her. Someone called her name, but she couldn't make out who. The ink surrounded her in a magenta vortex, and she collapsed.
"Alexis!"
The short-haired inkling groaned, sensing light beneath her eyelids. She tried to open them, catching a glimpse of a fair-skinned girl with green, long hair standing over her. She opened them some more, her vision blurred.
"Alexis!"
The image grew sharper, and she realized that the inkling was Agent 3, her hands resting firmly on her shoulders. The ceiling seemed to glow blue, and light revealed part of the older inkling's face from the darkness. Panic filled her tired eyes. Alexis's eyes focused on hers, and her expression became a smile.
"You're awake!" she exclaimed, relieved. "Finally! I wouldn't forgive myself if that ended up killing you."
The bronze-skinned inkling put a hand on her forehead. "...How long have I been out?"
"A few hours, if I had to guess." The agent released her grip and sat down in front of her. "It's definitely after school now, though. There's a ton of squids in the square."
"After...school..." Alexis got up. "Then..."
"Alexis!" someone called from outside. "Where are you?!"
That sounds like... "Via!" She began running towards the exit of the tunnel. She heard footsteps behind her, and a quick glance over her shoulder confirmed it to be Agent 3. The young inkling ran out to the surface, sunlight hitting her skin. Octavia was standing outside of Inkopolis Studio, her hands near her mouth. "Via! I'm over here!"
The wavy-haired girl looked down the alleyway. "Alexis!" She ran up to her and hugged her. "Where have you been?"
"Down in the subway," she replied. She looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry I lied to you."
"It's fine." Octavia patted her sister's head. "I used to skip school a lot when I was 14. Though, not to go down in scary subways..."
"I remember," she said. "Mom was so mad when she found out you skipped school to play turf wars."
"Well, I'm better now." She put her hands on her hips, smirking. "And you better not skip school again. Don't want to get on Mom's bad side."
"You sounded worried," Agent 3 interjected.
Via looked past Alexis, her orange eyes blinking. "Oh, Agent 3." She waved. "Didn't expect to see you, too."
The green-haired inkling scoffed. "She would've been lost if it wasn't for me."
"But yeah, I was worried," she admitted. "When I didn't see you at school, I started worrying that you got squidnapped or something. But hey! It's fine now!"
Alexis smiled. "Thanks, Via. Sometimes I'm glad to have a sister like you."
She blinked, caught off-guard by the comment. "Sometimes?!" Alexis giggled. "Alexis!"
Agent 3 sighed. "I guess I'm done here."
"Why don't you come up to Inkopolis Square often?" Via asked. "It's fun! You don't have to be stuck down there."
"I chose to be stuck down there," she replied. "And I'm not coming back until I find who I'm looking for."
The wavy-haired inkling frowned, defeated. "Whateves. Your call."
The sisters turned around to leave, but standing in their way was the Vigilante. Alexis jumped at the sight of him. He donned the hero costume today, his arms crossed. Still, a smile danced along his lips as he struggled to hide it.
"What...?" Agent 3 stopped her travel back into the subway and turned around. "...Oh. It's you."
Alexis blinked. "You've met the Vigilante?"
"Unfortunately." She took her place beside the short-haired girl and glared at him. "What do you want?"
"I thought I saw you," the boy with the ponytail confessed. "Now, let's say we do another battle again?"
"Are you gonna try to take me to your boss again this time?" she deadpanned. "I'm still not goin'."
"Hit the zapfish on the head, Agent 3," he confirmed. "Besides, why don't you come? I could give you anything you want in exchange. Money, gear, love..." His voice lowered. "My name."
The long-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Your...name?"
"Yeah, my real name." He smirked. "It's a prized possession of mine, y'know. I just don't give it out willy-nilly."
"I don't really care what your name is."
"Just please, come with me," he begged. "My boss has been asking more and more about this girl she wants me to find. You're the closest thing I have. What would convince you to come with me?"
"Well, if you found Cap'n, maybe I'll come. Like that'll ever happen."
"I don't know who that is," he pointed out.
"Face it, Vigilante." Octavia stepped up and looked him straight in the eye. "I know who your boss is really after."
"Who?" He laughed. "I doubt you know her."
"Geneva Gonati," she said. Both the Vigilante and Agent 3 flinched at the absent squid's name. "I know you know who she is."
"Right," he muttered. "You knocked my shades off of me that one battle."
Agent 3 looked at Via, eyes wide. "You know who the Vigilante is?"
She nodded before returning her attention to the fair-skinned boy. "I saw you talking to your boss after that battle." She glanced over at the long-haired girl. "You know who his boss is? A squid named Tiffany Teuthis."
Upon hearing the name, Agent 3 tensed. "Tiffany...Teuthis?"
"You see, Geneva's my friend. Her brother used to date Tiffany. But then, she just destroyed his self-esteem. She and her brother ended up moving here to escape her."
"But now she's back in Inkopolis," Alexis finished. "And she wants to find Geneva. But jokes on her, Geneva's on vacation!"
"I know Geneva's on vacation," the Vigilante snapped. "I know she wants her, but to hurt her? No, Tiffany wouldn't do such a thing." He clenched a fist. "She wouldn't."
"She would," Via continued. "You're just ignoring everything we tell you just because she treated you nicely." The Vigilante turned around and prepared to run, but before he could launch off the ground, the wavy-haired inkling grabbed his hand. "She's gonna hurt you when she's done with you, Vigilante. I just know it."
He pulled his hand from Octavia. "G-Get away!" he demanded. "She's not going to hurt me, and she's not going to hurt Geneva! She's done nothing but be nice to me! She gave me my roller, both ones! Would a bad person do that?"
"She's tricking you!"
"No..." The Vigilante took even more steps back. "No! That's not true!"
Agent 3 let out a deep sigh, causing everyone's attention to shift to her. "If you're associating with that witch," she started, her eyes narrowing to a death stare, "then I'd rather burn then go with you."
"No!" He reached a hand out for her, but Agent 3 was gone—she had bolted back into the subway, disappearing into the darkness again. "Agent 3!" A few seconds later, he lowered his hand, clenching a fist. "Dang it."
Octavia reached a hand out for the Vigilante. "Inigo..."
"I don't want it," he growled, his voice cold. "Thank you for taking away this chance." He walked away, his back turned to them. After he was out of sight, it was simply just the two sisters, standing alone in the alleyway.
"Geez," Alexis muttered. "What happened to the old Inigo?"
"He grew too desperate," Via replied. "That's what I think." She looked down at her sister. "C'mon, Alexis," she started, her voice more cheerful. "Let's go do some ranked battles."
Alexis nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I can get to S today."
"It's Clam Blitz right now," she pointed out. "Isn't that your lowest rank?"
"You and me both!" The sisters laughed. "Alright, Clam Blitz, here we come!"
A/N: At last, this chapter's here. And what do you know, Octavia does something useful! Good job, Via, telling the Vigilante off like that. How do you like Agent 3 reappearing? Now you know a little more about her. A little trivia on the chapter's name: it was intended to be a reference to the song "Finders Keepers" by R.I.P, but once I finished it, I thought it didn't really fit anymore. However, no matter what I tried, I couldn't find anything that fit. So, then I pondered on the original title a bit, and realized it can apply to this chapter. Alexis wants to find Agent 3, Agent 3 wants to find Cap'n Cuttlefish, and the Vigilante also wants to find Agent 3. While 'keepers' only really applies to the Vigilante, it's still a nice way to think about it. Branchwing, out!