Chapter 3: Inkopolis and a new Ally

I remember that dream, and yet… I still don't understand it…

Was I at war? Someone obviously knew me but the real question is who? How? And why?

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't overthinking all this, after all, it was just a dream. I think all of this hype is getting to me…

mmh…

Oh well, anyways, let's not hold up on a stupid dream like that anyways!

Common! We got turf to claim!

30 minutes, the amount of time it had been since Aster departed from his mother and his home, it only took that long for his emotions had been toying with him for every step he took. Though it was hard to believe he knew turning back now would hurt him more in the long run then it may seem right now.

As he continued to make his way to his next destination he started to enter the highly populated part of his town, where shops, apartments and an arcade or two where located, teens and squid kids alike where scattered all around the city either hanging with their own or being brought around with their parents, it was one of the most lively parts of the town even after the run had set.

Aster stared up at the sky "Mom said that the train was leaving at 11:45…" he murmured lowly to himself. He dug his hand into his pocket pulling out his Aquadroid and with the press of a button the time appeared: '11:23' "Awesome! I'm running earlier than I thought!" he said gleefully "I can't wait to see the place, I still can't believe I'm on my way!" He cried out into the crowds of people who walked around him.

Putting his phone away Aster continued on, he saw some familiar faces from his school but not anyone that he knew himself, he sighed at the thought, even if someone knew who he was or he knew them how would they know now? He was in his Inkling form after all, brushing it aside he made his way through and a bit ways past his town in a couple of minutes as he continued onward to his destination.

"Wooh~ Good thing is not boiling out here, I doubt I would be able to take it!" Aster said starring up into the sky "I know right?" Aster stopped after hearing the voice, he turned left and right searching for the voice until it lead him to spin all the way around "I'm right in front of you bud!" Aster turned around lost and funny enough there was an Inkling "Hiiya! I'm Kiiioooonniixx!~ (Kyounix)" Aster stared at the Inkling in front of him with a completely lost look "Um… hello? " Aster replied in an utterly confused tone.

Aster studied the inkling while they readjusted their stance to start a conversation, putting both hands behind its back. it was a yellow-ish like orange inkling with hair that fell in quite a strange fashion, it covered the back, side and frontal parts of his head, they had neon blue eyes which matched the shirt that was being worn but the thing that Aster couldn't figure out was the two dome like shapes on the squids head, they seemed to lay there as if they didn't belong.

"Heya! You gonna keep staring at me like that?" Aster snapped out of his observation and greeted the Inkling with another shocked and confused look, it was rude to just stare at the Inkling after all "…H-huh? Oh sorry, I'm just trying to grasp some straws of reality for a second… who are you again?" the Inkling grew unamused at the remark, showing a pouty face to disapprove it from happening again

"Huff~… Let's try this again…Hiya! My name is Kyounix! An Inkling just like you!" the Inkling took a pause for breath "I'm on my way to Inkopolis and since this is a route that leads to it I was looking for someone to perhaps walk with and by my luck I happened to find you!" Aster had now taken in everything, or at least what the Inkling claimed to be.

"…So you just jumped out at a random stranger who you have no recollection with at all… just to ask them to join you?" the Inkling thought it over then scratched the back of their head "Welllllll… when you say it like that…" The Inkling face flushed slightly in embarrassment as a couple of chuckles appeared along with it "…You need, and I can't stress, Need to think things through more, you never know how someone will react if you do something like that!" Aster said with a sigh.

The Inkling now twiddling their fingers around looked up to Aster "Hehe… um… sorry about the entrance… but do you wanna head to Inkopolis together? Just in this small time of interacting I can feel some form of connection between you and me, I know it!" Aster looked at the Inkling in shock wha-WHAT?! Just giving you all of that info… and… I don't even know… especially with a reply like that! Who even KNOWS what could be up with this Inkling!?

Now scratching his own head and staring away he gave his pure and honest reply "… Well after all that I think my answer is definitely leaning towards-" "WAIT! Don't let that choose for you! Please just give us chance! Please!" Aster, now on the rope of which side to choose scratched his head more vigorously in thought …This could be a trap! But… she doesn't seem that harmful… more of a klutz if you look at it right Aster now looked up straight and confident as a smile came across his face, laughing came right after "You know… you sure know how to make someone question the situation there in!" he stuck his hand out to the Inkling "Nice to meet you Kyounix, my name is Aster" with a hop Kyounix's face lit up into a large tooth wide smile, snaggletooth for all to see. Grabbing onto the hand with both of the Inklings own the twos bonds connected "Nyees! I promise with every bit of Ink in my body that this is gonna be something- *Beep* *Beep*" Kyounix was cut off by his phone "-huh? Oh sorry! Let me just fix the time on this…" Aster's smiled stayed put as he watched Kyounix fix his phone until the words flowed through his head, Time "wait- … THE TRAIN!" Aster broke the moment, he looked back at his own phone, 11:40 "Welp…" Grabbing Kyounix's arm he started to lunge off two the station, lucky he Kyounix had a proper grip on it unless it would have gone flying to the ground "H-hold on! Wai- wait up a second" but to no halt, Aster kept on his way to the station in a rampaging fury.

On arrival there was no time to be spared, Aster jumped straight into the train doors with Kyounix following nearly a step behind him "Now departing, location: Inkopolis city." The loudspeaker announced as the door shut behind them. The two slid down the door catching their breath "You- *Huff* you know that was- *Huff* almost-"Aster interrupted "1 second too late?... yeah…" he got up and stuck his hand out to help Kyounix up as well "I'm not even gonna act like I'm even surprised we made it!" Kyounix grabbed on and got up "Same here!"

The two made their way to a seat in a semi empty cart, while sitting down Aster took the window seat, the landscape of his hometown flew by "Hmm…" after a bit he noticed his own house, up on a bit of a hill along with his neighbors, he saw his mom outside talking to a neighbor but for the seconds the house was in his view, for the slightest moment of time, he could have sworn his mom stared straight at him and smiled. Ink like watery tears fell from his eyes "M-…Mom…" Asters voice was crackly as he spoke, Kyounix, hand in lap looked over to him and lightly nudged his arm, Aster shook violently but didn't turn "Hey… you okay bud?" no reply was heard "Aster?" "I'm fine…" the two grew quite once again, an awkward, disruptive quietness.

Lifting the mood Aster looked over to Kyounix, he had thought of something a bit unique about the inkling "Hey… can I ask you a question?" Kyounix turned "Sure!~ Whatz up?" Aster pointed to the side of his own head "How is your hair like that? Don't female inklings have hair that fall from the side?" the mood grew bitter as no moves were made to reply for quite some time

"Um… w…well… uh…" Kyounix's face was full blown red as he brushed a heavy bit of his hair away from his eyes "I'm… I'm male…" the words slithered out "Just like you…" Aster kept staring at Kyounix as he heard the words "Eh? Wait… your joking Right? … ri-Right?" Kyounix sighed as his eyes closed and he went into a depression like state "hehe, far from it… It's a common mix up for me… almost my whole life to be exact…" Kyounix looked down to the floor "The voice, slight difference in appearance, the attitude…everything, that's just what they say and how the- …well, now how you also look at me…"

Kyounix opened his eyes and shook off the felling of depression "But you know… I'm not gonna let some stupid appearance to others take me down! This is who I am, and this is who I will be!" Kyounix looked back over to Aster, his face was still flushed and due to the awkward manner of the situation Kyounix shied away from eye contact "I can understand if you feel a bit different about me now… but I can assure you that this won't change a single thing between me and you! Unless you want it to or something…"

The small but sweet background story made Aster feel the guilt of his own unintentional doings, Kyounix had been through this for his whole life, and he just added another time on top of it all Life must be hard on he- him. Great, now I got it stuck in my mind that he's a female! Ugh… Aster bumped Kyounix on the shoulder "Well then… Um… you put me in quite a hard place here!" Aster said with a sarcastic laugh following right after. Kyounix was surprised at Asters reply, he had given the speech to some of his other new friends before and after that some of them hated him, they despised him for appearing the way he did even if it was out of his own control

"Don't worry about it! There's no reason to stress a small little mess up like that!" he said with his voice picking back up again "Still it wouldn't fell right if I just got away scot free for something like that, calling a guy a girl? Anybody else would have decked me straight in the face!" the two laughed at each other, Kyounix smiled and replied "I guess not!"

The two friends continued to laugh on and on, people who were scattered around didn't bother them but they did stare every once and a while which they grew accustom to, how many times do you find a crazy new friends out of nowhere on the street? But… as Kyounix kept talking and talking for a while Aster felt strange, as if this wasn't the first time he had encountered something like this…

Chapter 3 remake/rewrite is donezo!

A new Inkling has joined the fray, Kyounix!

But how will he and Aster bond? Time tells that story.

And if you want to know it yourselves…

Then make sure to stay turned for the next episode of-

Ashco has left the building.

P.S. I'm just going to call the Inklings tentecal hair, hair for now on. I might describe it but other than that it's just going to be called hair.