Nibs' POV
Although I only started running from the angry Octoling army for a few minutes, to me, it actually felt like I was running for hours. I tried my hardest to pick up the pace, but, I was too tired to even try. This painful back of mine wasn't helping either.
C'mon Nibs. You can do this! You can't stop now!
I finally came to a stop on the Spawn Point once I wasn't able to hear voices anymore. All I heard now was my breathing and coughing as well as the Zapfishes squeaking nervously in my ears.
"I know, you guys, I know. I'm just as tired and nervous as you two are. I just hope I was able to escape that Octoling army without landing into more trouble." I sighed nervously, before gasping loudly as I eyed the area surrounding me.
No way...the tutorial area?! In Octo Valley?!
Suddenly, I heard a PEW! go off in the distance.
What was that? I asked myself nervously. I then mysteriously looked up- only to be completely terrified.
I glanced up only to notice a random Inkstrike coming to crash down on me! I wanted to run and hide in a panic, but then-
"There she is!"
"Quickly, we must eliminate her!"
"We mustn't fail our Chief."
Oh no. They've found me. What do I do? What do I do?!
I was ready to defend myself against the Octolings, but I wasn't able to do so when-
"WATCH OUT!" an unknown voice sounded.
I was suddenly pulled away ruthlessly before the mysterious Inkstrike crashed down on me and the Octoling army fired their attacks. We trampled down the ramp in front of me causing a couple Splat Bombs to be accidentally dropped amongst being pulled.
*SPLAAAASSSSH!*
"Kyaa!" an Octoling screamed as she got covered in fuchsia ink from the Inkstrike.
*BEEP BOOP!*
*BOOM!*
*BEEP BOOP!*
*BOOM!*
"AHHH! She's fighting back!"
"Not the "Infinite Tears of Heaven" technique!"
"She didn't even have a special read-"
"That doesn't matter now!"
"Retreat! Retreat! Head back to the base- NOW!"
The Octoling army immediately ran away as soon as the Splat Bombs began to cover them in my ink.
*BEEP BOOP!*
*BOOM!*
*BEEP BOOP!*
*BOOM!*
I nervously held my hand over my beating heart, taking in long deep breaths. I was relieved that I wasn't getting chased anymore- or that I didn't get hit by a random Inkstrike.
"Thank octos you're ok. The Octostriker didn't have a chance to get ya. It seriously needs to work more on its aim." the unknown voice sounded again.
The Zapfishes and I squeaked in surprise as the mysterious voice suddenly echoed out of nowhere. I looked around frantically, trying to determine where the voice came from.
Wh-who said that?! A-and…Octostriker? What is that?!
"Hey, calm down. No need to be so afraid. I know who you are. Besides, the Captain can't afford to have another agent in a life-or-death situation."
I slowly turned around and then noticed a figure standing behind a tree. I nervously got up as the figure started walking towards me. The Zapfishes and I started to shake in fear.
Who in the name of squid paste is that?!
Once I was able to get a good sight of the mysterious person, I gasped at sight of the person's identity.
"Hey, Agent 5- I mean, Nibs Coraline Watermark. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
No way! Is that a…a…
Haru's POV
Wow, she shakes a lot. Ms. Chief was right- she doesn't look like a hero at all. But, I don't want to say that right to her face though. Besides, she's still new to all of this.
Oh! Hi there, reader- or readers. Sorry about that- I was spacing off. The name's OCTO-75812. But, you can call me Haruna or Haru for short. Just Haru by the way- Octolings don't really have last names. I-I think.
…
What? You'd think you'd expect my name to have Oct- in front of it?! Pffft, no way, Jose. Ms. Chief's real name doesn't have an Oct- in it, so why can't mine? Ahem, anyways, I'm going off topic. Back to this situation…
"Yup, I'm an Octoling. But, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to he-"
"S-stay back. Don't come any closer! I won't let you get your hands on these Zapfishes!" Nibs nervously screamed, pointing her weapon at me with a trembling hand.
"Hey, hey. Relax. It's ok. I just want to help you out with- INKSTRIKE!"
The Octostriker fired off another Inkstrike that was about to head in our direction. We quickly jumped out of the way at the same time before it hit any of us.
*SPLAAAASSSSH!*
"C'mon, follow me, Nibs. I know this place inside n' out." I kindly indicated, pointing to the 1st checkpoint.
"What makes you think I should listen to you? I'm not going to fall for one your tricks." she stubbornly refused with a cold glare as she used a Seeker and followed behind it in squid form.
Shoot! She's not going to listen to me! I need to think of something in order to gain her trust! But what? I'll think about it later. For now, I have to make sure she doesn't land into trouble, I sighed in dissatisfaction as I discreetly followed behind her.
Nibs' POV
Who does this Octoling think she is? Pretending to be nice and friendly just so she can backstab me later?! Well, I'm not as naïve as she thinks I am. I'm not going to fall for that juvenile game of hers. But, what really bugs me is that this Octoling looks really...different. In the good sense, I guess.
She wore the exact same armor, boots, and Goggles just like the average Octoling. But, her goggles and armor were lightly sprayed hot pink- just not too much to overpower the silver. The chestplate sported a small glittery salmon pink ink splotch sticker in the shape of a heart. The dull brown belt and shoulder straps attached to the chestplate were plastered with glittery happy face stickers. Underneath her belt was a lavender tutu-like tulle skirt with long strands of razzmatazz colored tulle that flowed from her waist to under her knees. The boots had cute, tiny hot pink bows on the toe caps and the laces were painted bright rainbow colors. Her tentacles weren't in the average bouffant hairstyle the Octolings usually wear either. They were much longer and tied into a ponytail held together with a purple bead scrunchie. A very familiar looking purple bead scrunchie. Her curled bangs were held together with a fuchsia peace sign shaped hairclip that had tiny strings of rainbow-colored beads and charms hanging down from it.
She has to be the strangest Octoling I've ever seen in my life, I nervously told myself as I shot the Squee-Gs to get the Power Eggs on top of them. I then quickly turned into a squid to get to the other side of the wall, heading towards the second checkpoint. Of course, that annoying Octoling followed me, for some reason. Seriously, she's acting like she's some sort of creepy stalking fangirl or something! What's her deal anyways?
"Hey, Octodivers. Leave Agent 5 alone, will ya? Chief's orders! "C'mon, can't you guys let her celebrate for ONCE without attacking her for ONCE?! Sheesh!" the Octoling rudely hollered to her comrades, preventing them from shooting me. Because of her, the mission became much easier than the other ones.
Hmm, I suppose this Octoling isn't really trying to back stab me. She did say that she wasn't going to hurt me- and as of now, she hasn't. Maybe I was a little too quick to judge- I blame my stubbornness. I just really wanted to finish the rest of the missions in Area 2 and then head on home. I really owe her an apology and a thank you. Speaking of which, perhaps I should call Cap'n right now and-, I calmly thought to myself as I managed to reach the 3rd and 4th checkpoints easily without getting hurt. While I was blasting Octodivers, I thought it would be best to turn my intercom back on and call Cap'n Cuttlefish- he's probably worried sick about me. However, as I was about to turn my intercom back on-
"AGENT 5!"
"STEP AWAY FROM THAT OCTOLING!"
The Octoling and I immediately gasped loudly as soon as we noticed two anonymous figures standing on a platform right below the walls I was going to climb up. They then suddenly Super Jumped down- heading straight towards the Octoling!
Among closer inspection, I noticed the familiar blue glow- like the ones on my Hero Suit. I suddenly realized that there were Agents! The two agents both sported their tentacles tied in the back to keep them out of their faces. One agent had long "hair", dark sunglasses, and a hot pink beanie with a star-shaped pin. The other Agent had much shorter tentacles with a green hat worn backwards and a white face mask. They each changed their original ink colors- whatever they were before- to match my natural turquoise ink. That only applied to the tips of her tentacles, however. I wonder how...
"FREEZE, YOU ROTTEN 8-LIMBED STALKER!" the Roller Agent hollered as she swung her roller, causing ink to fly at the Octoling. At the same time, the charger girl quickly fired a line of ink going in the same direction.
"No wait! STOP!" I hollered, running in front of the shaking Octoling.
"Agent 5- NO! What are you-"
*BLAM!*
*SCREECH*
"AHHH!" I screamed as I got hit with their attacks. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt, but, the strikes hit me so hard that I ended up getting pushed back.
Once the two Agents touched the ground, they immediately ran towards me, as I managed to get up easily.
"Agent 5, why did you prevent us from attacking that Octoling?!" the charger girl sternly yet kindly questioned me, a disappointed look in her golden irises.
"Because…she's a good person; she doesn't want to hurt me. But enough about me! What I want to know is- who are you guys?!" I nervously hollered staring at the much taller Inklings.
"Well, we're glad you asked. Forgive us for being rude, Agent 5. Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Agent 1 and the charger girl over here is Agent 2. Cap'n Cuttlefish sent us here because a certain someone turned off their intercom and boy, did he go bananas. Hee hee. He had us track you down to see how you were doing. Overall, the good news is that you're ok." Agent 1 cheered, putting an arm around my shoulder.
"However, the bad news is that you could've been attacked by this Octoling. What's your deal anyways? How do we know you aren't really trying to harm Agent 5, huh?", Agent 2 gazed into the Octoling's eyes- well mask- and pointed her charger at her.
"Please, I beg of you. Don't hurt me! I know this is going against Octoling protocol- and Ms. Chief will most likely pound me into nothing but ink splatters- but, I really don't have any intentions to kill Agent 5! I swear- you have to believe me!"
"Oh really? So, you expect us to believe that following Agent 5 around means that you had no intentions to attack her?"
"Ni- um, A-Agent 5 is telling the truth. I was only trying to protect her- honest! I don't want to fight the Inklings; I only want to bring peace between my species and yours. I don't appreciate the fact that two different species that act so similarly would want to get into a conflict. Why can't we all just get along? Sure, we don't have any power because the Inklings basically won the Great Turf War, but, the Octarians should at least be grateful that we have someplace to live. If only there was something I could do to stop all these hatred and violence. But, judging by the looks of things, I guess not…"
Agents 1 and 2 then exchanged nervous looks, wondering what they should do with this Octoling. After a couple of whispers, gazes, and sighs, they finally reached their verdict.
"Alright, Ms. Octoling. Agent 1 and I have decided to let you go. No need to worry about your Chief- your secret is safe with us. We, however, do appreciate your bold act of pacifism and keeping your eye out for Agent 5.", Agent 2 calmly nodded her head as she lifted her charger above her shoulders.
"We just hope she wasn't too much trouble- we know she can't help being so cold and stubborn. Um, n-no offense, Agent 5. Hee hee.", Agent 1 walked over to me and rubbed my back.
I actually am offended, Agent 1. But I don't care. I feel like I deserved that. It's the truth anyways...
"Thank you, thank you both for sparing me! I honestly believe that this is a big step to accomplishing my goal for peace between our races. Speaking of which, I'd like to offer Agent 5 something as proof of my gratitude.", the Octoling gratefully got her knees and bowed before getting back up and running behind a wall.
"What is she up to?", Agent 2, nervously questioned, pushing one of her bangs out of her face.
"Maybe she has some chips on her or something? I could really go for some chips right now! Ooh, or maybe some peanut butter crackers!", Agent 1 guessed, happily giggling as struck a silly pose with her roller.
After a few minutes, the Octoling walked towards us…without her armor. She only had on a black shirt that had a single purple stripe going down the side, similar to that of her pants. She also took of her Goggles and wore it around her neck, exposing her bright teal eyes and dripping purple marks- that had tiny colorful jewels underneath them.
"GAH!", Agent 1 and 2 gasped as they took a couple steps back.
"Agents, I know this looks very odd to you, but, please listen to me. I noticed Agent 5's uniform was tattered, so, I decided to offer her mine in exchange for hers. I'll be honest, I'm not the best at repairing a Hero Suit- since I've never actually repaired one before. H-However, at least let me do something to hopefully help you accomplish your goal- and mine."
I nervously gazed at the Octoling's armor, uncertain about whether I should accept her generous offer or not. Sure, it was very generous of her, but, what will Cap'n Cuttlefish say?
Looks like you don't have any other choice, Nibs. It's either wear this or continue the mission in my underwear, I nervously told myself, sighing as I took of my vest, removed the slightly smelly black jacket, and handed them to the Octoling- who in exchange handed me her armor. I took in a large gulp as I quickly put on the extremely adorned armor.
"Wow, how convenient. That armor fits you like a glove.", the Octoling giggled as she and the Agents stared at me, sporting my new "suit." The Octoling wore the vest around her shoulders like a shawl and wrapped the jacket around her waist. My face started to burn as I attempted to pull down my black shirt, hoping it could stretch a little. It kind of exposed a bit of my belly- which I didn't really appreciate- but overall, I guess wearing the armor didn't feel that bad. It could really do without the silly adornments though. It's kind of…blinding. How can she even fight in this thing without tripping on the tulle?!
"Heh, ya know. It's kinda funny. Ms. Chief will have my head if I'm caught wearing this and not my uniform. But, you know what? I don't care. I won't really need that old thing anymore- not where I'm going. *Sigh*, anyways, I better get going. I'd rather not take up more of your time. See ya later, Agents!", the Octoling then sighed as she waved goodbye and walked off.
"WAIT! I-I don't even know your name. At least tell me your name.", I immediately stopped her after realizing I haven't gotten her name- or the chance to apologize about earlier.
"Heh heh. Oops, how rude of me. It's Haruna, but Haru will work just fine too. Just Haru. Us Octolings don't really have last names.", Haru walked back to us and smiled, offering her hand for me to shake.
"O-oh. Well, i-it's nice to meet you, H-Haru. Oh, a-and thanks, for your help…a-and s-sorry for, uh, you know…me and my stupidity.", I stuttered, as I shook her hand politely.
"You're not stupid, Ni- I-I mean, A-Agent 5. The storm is responsible for making you do those things, no matter how hard you try to resist them. It can be hard to not lose faith when you're trying to find that happiness at the end of the storm, huh?"
I suddenly gasped as our family motto clicked in my head.
"There is happiness at the end of each storm. No matter what the storm brings, don't lose faith, trust your allies, use your skills, -and together- you'll shine like a rainbow."
Oh my squid! What's wrong with me?! How could I forget the family motto? Oh, if Inkaletta were here, she's definitely wouldn't appreciate that. She's been devoted to following that motto ever since Day 1. Oooh, how could I have been so…stupid?, I thought in a panic as I started to get sweaty and tiny tears filled up my eyes.
"She makes a convincing point. You honestly can't blame yourself for doing whatever you did, Agent 5. Doing all of these missions in Octo Valley put a lot of pressure on you and you were afraid of what would become of yourself in the future. Just…don't beat yourself up, ok? Things will get better later on, I promise. Oh, and stop being such a grumpy grumps all the time and try to relax!", Agent 1 agreed with Haru, giving me the peace sign while wearing a large positive grin on her face. Although I couldn't see most of her face, Agent 2 looked like she wanted to cheer me up as well, giving me the peace sign as well.
"I…I guess you're right.", I wiped away those tiny trickles of tears, calmly corresponding with Agent 1, doing the peace sign salute with a slightly awkward grin on my face.
After a few minutes of making peace signs and a couple giggles, Haru politely cleared her throat.
"Well, like I said, I'd rather not waste anymore of your precious time- it's almost nighttime. I should probably get going, but, before I do that, there's one more thing I need to tell you- it's more of a message I should say."
"A message you say? From who?", Agent 2 asked, adjusting her face mask.
"From a friend that Nibs- um Agent 5- most likely knows very, very well. He just wanted to say that he misses you Nibs- a lot- and he hopes that he can see you again soon. Anyways, that's all I have to say. I hope we can see each other again soon.", Haru replied with a considerate look on her face- a very familiar considerate look.
C-could that message be from I-Ikameshi? I hope he's doing okay. Oh, I miss him so much too!, I nervously thought as Haru said her farewells to Agents 1 and 2 before turning into an octopus and swimming away.
"Alright, now that we got that Octoling situation out of the way, let's get back on track on this current situation.", Agent 1 finally spoke, walking towards me, dragging her roller behind her.
"Listen, Agent 5. Cap'n wants you to return back to the hut- just like he said earlier, but you refused to follow orders. Don't worry about the mission- Agent 1 and I will take care of finishing it as well as the Boss Mission. Just head back to the hut immediately before-", Agent 2 instructed me before Agent 1 suddenly interrupted her.
"Wait! Are you really sure this is a good idea? I-I mean, just think about it. What if Nibs is on her way back and an Octarian mysteriously attacks her out of nowhere? To be honest, I-I don't think this is a good idea. Before you get mad at me, just let me-"
"Stop right there. Do you even realize that you're disobeying Captain's orders as well? You heard how frantic and scared he sounded when he asked us to find Agent 5. I honestly think it would be better for us if we caused less drama and tension- Agent 5 is only going to get more stressed, nonetheless colder and more stubborn. We can't have Nibs end up getting more injuries or worse, getting killed, can we? Now, c'mon, this is for the best, Agent 1. We have to let Agent 5 get to safety- NOW."
What are you guys doing? We're wasting time. We shouldn't be fighting.
"Agent 2, I get it. You don't Nibs to get hurt- I don't either. But, she did come all this way though. To be honest, I think Nibs should stay here with us- where she's safe.", Agent 1 said in her defense, an uncompromising look on her face.
Why are you guys arguing over something so…just stop.
"Do I need to remind you that Nibs came all of this way by herself? I'm pretty sure she's capable of doing things on her own now. Nibs isn't a little baby anymore. She'll be fine on her way back- now stop your fretting."
Stop. Please, stop…
"Excuse me, but I'm not fretting, thank you very much. I'm simply disagreeing with you-"
"Guys, guys, STOP! I can't take this fighting anymore! You guys are reminding me of that pointless fight I had with my friends! The pointless fight that keeps making me doubt myself and my choices!", I suddenly screamed just to stop the Agents from arguing, as I tossed my Hero Shot down on the ground and dropped to my knees, covering my ears.
The Agents gasped as they eyed me looking face down on the ground, my panicked wheezing getting louder and louder.
"A-Agent 5, you're with us now. There's nothing to be afraid of, alright? You're going to be okay.", Agent 1 nervously attempted to condolence me as she lifted me off the ground and rubbed my back.
Agent 2's POV
I was afraid this was going to happen. A panic attack- a strong sign that could possibly lead to depression. Inkaletta's told me a story once about her mother having a panic attack many times. I was hoping that Agent 5 wouldn't have one herself, but, turns out I was wrong.
"AAAHHH! I wanna get out of here! I wanna go home!", poor Agent 5 screamed, holding her head as she continued to wheeze.
"Alright, Agent 2. I guess you were right- Nibs can't be here. I'll just get her back to the hut and then we'll-", Agent 1 turned to speak to me as she attempted to lift Agent 5 off of the floor, but she continued to drop on her knees.
"I think you mean I'll get her back to the hut. I can get her there much faster without causing a scheme.", I cut her off as I walked towards the trembling Agent 5.
"I-I want to go h-home. I want to be with my sister. I-I-I want to see my friends again… A-And, I-Ikameshi…I miss him. I miss him so m-much!", Agent 5 whispered, tears immediately falling from her eyes and plopping onto the ground.
"I know you do, Agent 5. But, your sister's in the hospital right now and she needs a lot of care and attention. As for your friends, I'm pretty sure they want to see you too. And, whoever this Ikameshi guy is, he probably misses you as much as you miss him. But, don't worry. Everything's going to be ok. Now, c'mon. Let's get you back to the hut, where you're safe.", I calmly spoke to her, as she wiped her tears and slowly got off the ground, limping towards me. At the same time, I picked up her Hero Shot from the ground.
Looks like the impact from Agent 5 throwing it must have caused it to crack. It should still be of use though- all it needs is some patching and it's good to go., I thought to myself, as I noticed cracks on the Hero Shot.
"WAIT! You're just going to make me retrieve the Zapfish by myself? Why?! Are you seriously punishing me for not agreeing with your plan?! I'm starting to get sck of this you know!", Agent 1 hollered, crossing her arms and shaking her head in disgust.
"Hey, quit overreacting- it's not like I'm going to abandon you or anything. I want you to complete the mission because we'll be able to save some time in order to complete the Boss Mission together. Once I'm done getting Agent 5 back to the hut, I'll come back and hopefully you'll already have finished the Mission and got the Zapfish. Sheesh, do I have to explain every single plan to you every time?!", I grumbled in disgust as I carried the now slightly sleepy Agent 5 bridal style and gently placed her weapon in her hands. Holy squid, Agent 1 can be so annoying at times like this. She's done missions by herself before, so, why can't she do it now?!
"UGH, fine! But don't come crying to me asking for help if Nibs goes missing or whatever!", Agent 1 scoffed, as she turned into a squid and Super-Jumped to the Final Checkpoint. I rolled my eyes, disagreeing with that last comment, and raced my way back to the hut.
Octivia's POV
Phew. Man it took me forever to get this thingy-doo set up. So much wires to connect here and there- but, it's not like I'm complaining or anything. I think I honestly prefer this more than spying on Watermark's annoying friends or dealing with my fake boyfriend. Man I really need to make up my mind.
"Sis, the setup is complete. I should be on my way back in a couple of minutes- I'm afraid I'm going to have a little trouble trying to escape unnoticed though.", I quietly whispered to "the Chief" through my headset, turning into an octopus and quietly peeked through a tiny crack between the manhole and the cover. I was able to overhear "Cap'n Crabbycake" angrily hollering on the phone as he paced up and down frantically.
"Take your time, sister. I honestly hope this plan will succeed. After you failed the whole spy game and I had no choice but to toss that plan down the drain, we can't afford to screw up again."
"Hey, no need to worry about me. I'll be back at HQ ASAP. Laters!", I assured "the Chief" as she hung up and got back to whatever she was doing.
Well, little Ms. Watermark. I can just smell the victory for us Octarians already. I bet you're pretty feeling homesick now, aren't ya? I just hope that last glance of your beloved Inkopolis you just had earlier was really worth it.
Hey, everyone. DiamondPencilsZ. I really just wanted to take this chance to apologize for my absence. 1) I had finals coming up and I really wanted to use my time wisely to study for them. Of course, I was working on this while I was studying- which honestly increased my stress. I ended up going to bed very late and I haven't gotten much sleep. *sigh* Luckily, I got them out of the way so I can focus more on my writing. 2) Before you guys starting yelling at me in the reviews, yes, I KNOW! This chapter is LONG! Chapter 5 is coming in at 2nd place for being the 2nd longest. Like I said before, I was working on this chapter during my study time- at home and at school. Not to mention, writing happens to be my passion- it's one of my gifts. Can you honestly blame me?! I'll try to make Chapter 13 shorter without going overboard. Anyways, it's time for me to shut up. I need my sleep- it's after 12! *yawn*
Thanks for reading and remember- STAAAY FRESH!