Chapter 11: Remember #5

The sickly-sweet aroma spreads.

Its stagnant arms bring only harm,

Along with sluggish, looming dread.

Owen is lying down on the subway seat with Cap'n Cuttlefish; next to her. She's now in her memory sleeping.

"Yo! This is M. C. Princess and DJ_Hyperfish in da house! How's Owen Eight doing," said Pearl from the walkie-talkie.

"She's memory-sleep now. She did a lot of hard work to get past those tests," said Cap'n Cuttlefish.

"I don't get it. What does Owen got that I don't get," said Marina from the walkie-talkie.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, what does Prince Octavius sees in her?"

"Girl, move on," said Pearl.

"You're turning into Marie. Owen is remembering. Let's be quiet," said Cap'n Cuttlefish.

In Owen's mind, she flashes back to… one of her days with Elliot on the battlefield. Elliot is making bow-staff moves while Owen watches him.

"Two years and no notice a boy made it into the army. Don't you think, Elliot," said Owen.

"I need. You training me helped me to get stronger," said Elliot.

"Why do you want to join the army?"

"I want to prove to everyone that male Octolings are capable of defending themselves. I wish the king could understand."

"DJ Octavio? I heard got trapped in a snow globe after that battle concert."

"I'm glad he's not around. I finally free to be in the army."

Then Owen's red octopus-shaped phone buzzed.

When she checked it, she said, "great, sushi! I just got the news that DJ Octavio has escaped!"

"What?! That can't be good. The peace was wonderful while it lasted," said Elliot.

"In other news, the combat engineer Marina Ida has disappeared."

"Well, that's not good either."

"The reports say she went missing on Mount Nantai."

"I heard about that place. A lot of creatures disappeared from there. It's very dangerous. And rumor has it that the Mount is the gateway to a place called Inkopolis. That makes her the 1st Octoling to go missing there. That Mount is such mystery that must remain unsolved…."

When the memory ends, Owen wakes up.

"A new record. You only slept for 2 minutes," said Cap'n Cuttlefish.

"What did you remember? And please no Octavius happy memories," said Marina from the walkie-talkie.

"It just a memory about Elliot and me. We were happy that Octavio hasn't returned, and Elliot manages to sneak into the army. But then we got knew that he escaped the snow globe and Marina went missing on Mount Nantai," said Owen.

"What?! I'll try and call my granddaughters," said Cap'n Cuttlefish.

"Wow! The peace was nice while it lasted," said Pearl from the walkie-talkie.

"I know. Do you think Elliot is looking for me?"

"I think so, girl. I think so."