Splatsville was the newest place for Inklings and Octolings to gather for battle. About a year ago, Team Chaos was quick to modify things after their victory. Because of that, nearly all of the cephalopods had no choice but to escape somewhere else. The new city was bleak and faded, but it was the only thing they had.
Most of them had their hearts so set on Turf Wars and the like that they forgot about the freezing depths below, Alterna. Long-forgotten human creations had been covered in snow despite the heat of the Splatlands. A lone squid decided to venture there one day, finding a captain and his comrades. They, and some others, made up the New Squidbeak Splatoon.
Since vacating Inkopolis, many changes were put in place. 'Gramps', as he was called, had retired. Marie and Callie were still agents One and Two. Agent Three had become the Captain, and a new Agent Three took his place. Agent Eight was happily working at Ammo Knights. Agent Four was missing. No one could contact her following the previous Three's promotion. Gramps, Callie, Eight, and the Captain were worried because it wasn't like her. Marie was worried because she'd lost another person she cared about. The new Agent Three stood in front of the trio, ready to help them solve their dilemma.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."
"You will?!" Marie held a hand over her mouth. "...Thank you. I mean it."
Callie went to say something as well, but the Captain cleared his throat. While he wasn't entirely mute, he almost never spoke. Agents One and Two went silent as he began to talk.
"I've got coordinates where she last was. It's somewhere above this place." He handed Three a small device. "This calculates the exact point of the user wearing it. I've already entered your goal. Good luck, Three."
She nodded and left with the Smallfry she had in tow. Callie and the Captain let out a sigh of relief, but Marie was on edge.
"What do you think happened to her?"
"We don't know," said Callie. "That's the worst part. We're oblivious to anything bad that may be happening right now."
"Will the new agent be able to find her? She's promising, but I can't be sure."
"She'll save her like Four saved me. Progress can be made if you give it time, okay?"
Marie wiped at her eyes. "You're right. We just have to wait."
Up on the surface, Three compared her location to where Four allegedly resided. It would take some trekking to arrive there, but she knew a shortcut. A corridor was nearby that would get her relatively close to her destination. She'd used it a few times, making sure to memorize the path so she wouldn't get lost.
Before leaving, she equipped the shoes and jacket that were a part of her alternate outfit. Walking barefoot during a cold night was a recipe for disaster. She headed towards the direction of the entrance, drawing in a deep breath. The passage was known to be near various factories, which was why most people avoided it. Her friend squeaked while tagging along with her.
"I know you're nervous," said Three, "but we have a mission to—"
A foul odor polluted the air as Three suppressed a gag. It was the smell of smoke, signifying that she'd entered. Commercial establishments produced echoing creaks and groans. The machinery's sounds lingered through the air. They never worked this hard the days she came. Black smog covered ivory clouds, making the place look darker than it actually was.
Even in the shade, silhouettes of trees were visible in the distance. She sprinted straight towards them, Little Buddy safe in the bag she carried. Her distance from Four decreased significantly. The agent burst through the greenery, anticipating the end of the alley. Through the leaves, she could see a yellow storage unit. Her contraption buzzed, alerting her that she'd found her target. Upon escaping the foliage, Three paused and unfastened her sack.
She was in front of a giant garage, scratching her head. The Captain gave her specific instructions that led to a dead end. Two gates that were five times her size blocked off the location. Nobody was communicating through the radio at the time, so she thought of trying the next day. Leaving Four unsaved was something she hated to do, but there was no way to reach her.
A sudden, deafening bang caught her by surprise. Three shushed her fish and leaned against the structure. While doing so, she heard the sounds of scratching and growling. Pieces of amber metal were spread out across the dirt. An individual managed to create a hole just inches from where she was. The average cephalopod could infiltrate through it, which was exactly what she did.
By now, the noises had stopped while the glow brightened. There was no way to know what it was attached to unless she got closer. Agent Three made sure her gun was drawn before treading forward. Small beeps seemed to be emitting from it, so she outstretched her arm. Instead of feeling anything else, she felt greasy fur.
Unexpected and vivid lights nearly blinded her. In spite of Three's sneaky personality, she'd been caught in a trap. The radiance annoyed didn't annoy only her, either. Someone snarled behind her, and she saw that the 'blue glow' was coming from the shock collar of a heavily transmuted squid. Their entire body was trembling. Brown fur covered their hair, ears, and feet. They even sprouted a tail. Claws tore through the turquoise gloves they wore, with their orange suit just as shredded. On their back was a bear-shaped container storing a strange fluid inside. Three used her device to notify anyone that could help. The nauseating sight creeped forwards, which made her more frantic.
Evidenced by the static in her ear, one of the agents would be picking up soon. Three used the extra time to toss her bag aside and protect her small companion. A voice was near-inaudible through the link to her headset.
"Agent Three!" he called. "Agent Three, is something wrong?"
"I found somebody, but they aren't in good shape. They're being controlled!"
The Captain didn't say anything, only connecting to a camera hidden somewhere on Three's Hero Suit. His shock was apparent on the other end.
"This is worse than I thought."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You didn't find 'somebody'. That's Agent Four!"
The fight had officially started. Four hissed and withdrew a weapon of her own, a pair of Splat Dualies. They went to fire at each other, but Four dodged most of Three's shots. A bomb was also thrown right by her feet, leaving the girl to scramble away. There weren't any spaces she could use to hide, meaning she had to get close to Four in order to defeat her.
It was clear that she wouldn't be letting up. Her hostility grew each second. Judging by her expression, she was ready to pounce at any time. Even with her quick attacks, she always seemed to have a full tank. The Captain saw that her eyes began to shine.
"Incoming special!"
Just as he said, Four raised into the air by activating a jet. The launcher she used had its cooldown notably reduced. Multicolored solution was sprayed anywhere it could reach. Three swam around in her own ink to avoid any damage. In the corner of her eye, she saw a marker of where Four would land when the special ended.
"Try going for one of the pouches on that hat," directed the Captain. "That's how she used her weapon."
After Four's Inkjet ran out of power, she ejected from it and landed in the predicted spot. Three struck with a flurry of ink, knocking her down. For whatever reason, she didn't dodge. She was identical to the position Three found her in, lying still enough for her pouch to be confiscated. Three discarded the pocket and thought everything was done, but she felt warmth on her cheek. It trickled down onto an irate, growling Four. The feral mutant swiped again, getting her to the ground.
They wrestled for some time, one pointlessly attacking the other at certain intervals. A clawed hand swung at Three's headset, breaking it in the process.
Without the Captain, Three had to end this on her own. Straining her muscles, she pushed the heel of her shoe into Four's face. The latter shrieked in disgust before grabbing the Hero Shot. Three scowled at the theft and kicked wildly, striking her several times. Four stumbled back and caught her breath. Yellow dripped from her fur as she struggled to stay up. She was desperately warned to stop, but all she could think about was violence. Four used the last of her strength to run towards Three, receiving a blast of ink in return. It knocked her into the air, and she slid across the floor.
Because of the rough landing, her tank shattered and her collar was thrown from her neck. Viscous chemicals began to ooze onto the cold metal from both her tank and her figure. The entire room felt as if it was spinning, and the brightness of it did little to ease her dizziness. This was a body she didn't recognize in a place she never saw. How did she end up here? Four held a hand in front of her eyes and blinked slowly. Three rushed to her side, frantically pushing a button on an unknown object.
"The battle's over! Please," she panted. "Please don't try to hit me anymore."
"Who are you? Where am I?"
"I'm the new Agent Three. I've got no idea where we are, but this was your most recent location."
"What happened?"
"You were brainwashed. I had to fight you because you were trying to kill me. It wasn't fun, but it's over now."
"You're bleeding. We're bleeding."
"...That too. I've called for the team, so they should be coming soon."
Both stared at the other, examining what they did. Three sported a small cut on her cheek and a couple scuffs. Four had those as well, but the end of her tail had completely burst open. They regretted what they'd done. Neither of them wanted to, yet there were no other options. Callie, Marie, Eight, and Gramps were sure to panic at the sight of them hurt. Four yawned and tilted her head to the side.
"What's going to happen now?" she inquired.
"The worst has come to pass. I'll stay with you until the NSS arrives."
"That sounds good. At least I'll see my friends again."
In a strange turn of events, the end of the duel had brought peace instead of grief. A vicious monster had turned into someone much nicer. It wouldn't be long until the assist they needed came around. Three stood, holding up a half-asleep Four with an arm. Since she could barely keep her balance, Three was the one to do it. Her bag went back on her shoulder, and her buddy was happy to be with his familiar. Everyone was silent when moving outside. Three, Four, and the Salmonid had to squeeze through the tiny hole in the building. Piles of leaves surrounded the front. Regardless of the tranquility, it was difficult to properly walk. There were scrapes all over Three's legs and Four was weakened from the enemy ink. Resting in the warehouse would've been the best option, but they wanted to fix the fact that they'd gotten off on the wrong foot.
"Are you tired?" asked Three.
"It's been a long day. I wish I spent this whole time in bed."
"You'll be sleeping a lot more when everything is said and done. I think you should be their priority."
"What about you? You're not exactly in good shape."
"We'll both be taken care of at the end of the day."
The trio sat down on the soil, still making small talk. They were happy that things had been resolved. Four didn't have to be left behind and her unit could take solace in the fact that she was safe. Three was excited to show Four around the plaza, even thinking of having her move in. Both chatted into the night, thinking of all the things they could do once this was over.