Subject N/A

Koroko Neku

Agent 3.5

Hey! The name's Koroko Neku, the eldest brother of the Koroko siblings and I'm 21 today.

I was known to be an agent that left his friends earlier than expected, but it was due to stress I had.

My life changed when I was 12, I was closest to my younger siblings and was looking up to the caretaker of this orphanage named Elsa.

Well… I was a bully in my school days, even my friend's are dogfish piling on a certain inkling boy. Who knows where he went, but he vanished to this day. Despite getting into a lot of trouble, Elsa taught me one thing: "Nobody's perfect. Every creature that exists is just as rotten as we are. You're better than this, so learn from your own sins."

I get what she means, we're all spoiled and dirty all over, even our ink is stained by dirt and trash.

When I was assigned to work at the New Squidbeak Splatoon, I met a couple of famous idols, the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie.

How long was I ordered to do something dumb?

Agent 3, the octarians are attacking again.

Agent 3, we need you to escort a political figure.

Agent 3, we need you to deliver.

It feels as if I was their errand boy, so I quit.

After I quit, I can still hear Elsa's advice.

Finally, I met the next Agent 3 a few years later and that was after I heard about what happened to Daigo, my little brother.

Her name is Rei and she's the quickest inkling girl I met and befriended.

You could say, she's a strange one but also interesting.

What brought me back to this organisation is a determination to save my little sister, Mirai, and Rei inspired me with her 2 years of experience.

What's even strange is Rei is never romantic, even her relationship with everybody, including me, is just friendly.

Marie scares me the most as if she's a completely different person. I heard it's coming from her hatred towards the octolings, Deepsea Metro and her inner demon, Empress, which I find it hard to believe.

As for Callie, whoever created a different persona for her needs to be punished!

I will find them all, especially my sister.

Mirai…

Hold on, big brother's here to find you and get you out of this mess!

Click!

14017 August 1st

Inkadia, Inkopolis Square

Inkopolis, a place where the freshest inklings are populating and some octolings were invited not long ago.

With the city of Inkopolis in peace, a LED billboard turns on to report.

[What's up, Inkopolis!? This is Off the Hook! With today's news, the Great Zapfish is coming back tonight as we celebrate the return!] A short pale inkling, Pearl, calls with a grin.

[That's right, senpai, that means Inkopolis is back again.] A dark skinned octoling girl, Marina, calls and then scratches her disks as the screen changes.

[Before we celebrate, another news story shows that a lady from another country is coming for a visit and making a deal with our political official from Inkadia. Gee… That's going to be tiring…]

[I'm sure inklings and octolings are this respectful.] Marina giggles.

This had Pearl gulping, knowing how inklings and octolings function in this city.

[Y- Yeah… Shit…] Pearl mutters under her breath and then clears her throat. [Well… That's it for today. I'm sure this news isn't wasting your time, but it sure as hell did to me!]

With both Pearl and Marina standing, they raise their arms by making a pose together.

[Don't get cooked, stay off the hook!]

The news ended.

With many inklings and octolings cheerfully doing their own things such as chatting, playing with their technologies, shopping and other things, an amber inkling boy is carrying a bag while leaving the Ammo Knights store.

"Neku! Before you go back, take this box to Elsa and tell Sora about more information I gathered." A horseshoe crab, Sheldon calls while handing over a box to an inkling boy, Neku, and waves.

"Gotcha. Later, Sheldon!" Neku pulls a grin and then runs off from Inkopolis Square.

Sheldon stops and then sighs after remembering what happened to his friends.

Falling into the very hole they escaped from which had Sheldon sighing with displeasure, knowing that Callie and Marie are separated once again.

If only Deepsea Metro stops screwing them over.

At the orphanage where inklings and octolings lived, Neku came back with the things he got from Sheldon while trying to go upstairs.

"Hm? Oh! Big brother Neku! Welcome back!" An inkling girl with thick twintails called cheerfully.

"Ah, Maya! Sorry, I got something important to do with Sora." Neku nervously laughs before a lower twin tailed octoling girl arrives by Maya's side.

"Eeh? Probably something lewd you're doing." An octoling girl laughs while pulling a teasing smirk.

"It's not. Honestly, Aoba, you always think that way…" Neku groans.

"Anyway, what's with the box?" The octoling girl, Aoba asks while stopping a purple octoling toddler from running around.

"Probably be a present for Sora from someone else?" Maya assumed.

"Yeah… Sounds about right." Neku then avoids eye contact and then rushes upstairs by leaving 2 girls alone.

A few moments later, Neku arrives and drops the bag that makes a lot of noise and places a box on the table.

"Sora, I'm back." Neku sighed.

"Hm? Oh. Welcome back, Neku. Looks like Sheldon got the equipment ready for us." A yellow inkling woman, Sora yawns while stretching herself and then takes the box.

"Yeah. I wanted to know where they went after they fell into the Deepsea Metro. You told me that they lost contact which means something is wrong there." Neku takes a seat with a desperate need of help.

"Deeper than Deepsea Metro. But I need some time to get your location ready and then I'll navigate you to Rei and others." Sora types on her keyboard and then sips her coffee before doing a newer headset for the agents of NSS.

"Sorry I made you do all this." Neku apologises.

"Hm? Why're you sorry? As a matter of fact, I'm glad."

"Eh?" Neku halts after witnessing Sora's genuine smile.

"I was kinda bored and got nothing to do and I'll be a liability in turf war. So I thought working with you guys is the easiest way to have a good time."

This had Neku laughing as Sora giggled.

"You're the best, Sora." Neku said.

"Indeed she is." A different inkling woman's voice called from behind.

"Woah!? Elsa!?" Neku exclaims.

"Hmph. You talk too much, Agent 3.5. We're almost done. Sora will get you the location of its dark secrets and you'll eventually catch up to your friend and your sister." A white inkling woman, Elsa chuckles, even spotting with a bandage on her arm and her neck after the incident with a certain octoling.

Neku stops as he's given a uniform that resembles Agent 4 that is similar to Ryu and Mirai's but in the colour black.

"A place of no return. You know you chose your own fate. Now you must face your challenge. Be careful and good luck, Neku." Elsa nods before Sora hands out a newest hero headset.

Now he's in a black hero hoodie, headphones and snow boots with magenta glows.

This gives Neku his old mojo back after years of cowardice, making him realise what he should do to this day.

Then he grins.

"Thanks, Elsa, Sora, I guess both different models function similarly. Alright! Let's go!" Neku laughs while putting on his black hooded coat.

With both Elsa and Sora nod, they too will assist, leading Sora to boot up the New Squidbeak Splatoon system for Neku and Elsa to turn on her laptop and use her headphones with a microphone to speak.

This time is the new beginning.

Before it was Mirai and now it was Neku. Like a little sister, like a big brother.

Looks like he's gonna miss 3 splatfests from the 4th to the 9th of August.

Deepsea Metro

The underground train track…

It's empty.

Quiet and eerie.

Walking forward, Neku, Agent 3.5, is carrying a body that contains many important things for those who survived, leading him to turn on his own headphones.

"It's me, Agent 3.5. I'm back there and I think I need some help finding the secret entrance."

[Let me see. Hm… Straight forward. Go to the central station and you might find a hidden door.] Sora orders.

This leads to Agent 3.5 to march forward while holding up his Hero Shot by keeping himself cautiously on guard.

Let's hope the sanitised aren't nearby.

While walking, Agent 3.5 has finally caught up to the central station, only to see 3 large parts left on the floor.

"Hm? Uh, Sora, is it me or did I just witness the things I've been searching for?" Agent 3.5 asked.

[Three of the four thangs? Strange? But they were taken by your enemies.]

"I thought so too."

[It's a trap.] Elsa's voice called.

[Eh? What do you mean?] Sora asks.

[Deep Cut is setting it there just for us to take these. It's for the best to leave them once we deal with them.]

"You could be right. Where's the secret door?" Agent 3.5 asks.

[Your new headphones can analyse your location there and once you find it, we'll always assist in the darkest of times.] Sora explains.

"Thanks, Sora. I guess you and Elsa are what I needed. I owe you guys."

Beep.

As he thought, the return of the older days, except the roles mirrored. Elsa being Callie except more cool headed, Sora as Marie but more lazier and technical, and Neku plays the role of Agent 3 as a veteran rather than a recruit despite being rusty.

In his vision, the UI seems far more advanced as it gives out hints of what he needs.

The arrow points at a different station which leads to Agent 3.5 needing a vehicle.

"Hmm… What if I could run this train?" Agent 3.5 thought to himself while asking that question.

With the help of NSS' new tech, he'll be able to make it out alive.

Roll Out Station

Also known as Pearutsu Area Station.

A large hallway with boomboxes, cassettes and pencils floating around as the hole is showing light at the end, leading Agent 3.5 to stop and gasp with awe.

"What is this place?"

[The hole of the ancients. It might lead us to where we need to go.] Elsa answers.

Agent 3.5 drops the box and opens it which releases most of the drones with headsets as they're all heading to the same direction.

"They must be through there."

[Looks like you're right about them disappearing. But the hole? It doesn't make any sense.] Sora sighs.

[It's Deepsea Metro. Of course it doesn't. Keep going, 3.5.] Said Elsa.

As Agent 3.5 managed to reach the end, he super jumps down to a floor that is so far that it causes his head to crash first.

"Ow… Damn it!" Agent 3.5 grunts.

[Are you okay, 3.5?] Sora calls out of worry.

"Yeah… who designed this place?"

[The one responsible for creating this hellhole. Keep going to the light. You're almost there.] Elsa answers as Agent 3.5 dashes forward and holds his Hero Shot out of preparation.

"Mirai! Wait for me!" Agent 3.5 shouted.

As Agent 3.5, Neku, disappears into the light, behind him is the Deep Cut trio, Big Man, Shiver and 'Frye.'

"So this is where the final thang was, huh." Shiver asks.

"Yes. Once you collect it, the treasure is all yours." 'Frye' answered.

"Ay! Ay! (Sweet! Let's go, Shiver!)" Big Man cheers.

"Yes, Big Man, let's." Shiver pulls a slasher smile while moving forward with Big Man as they too have vanished into the light.

Unknown…

Unknown day, month and year, Neku stops as he catches himself in a familiar location.

It looks like Inkopolis, but it's too big for inklings to inhabit.

"This is… Different?" Neku turns his head left and right while walking backwards.

[H̶e̶l̶l̶o̶,̶ ̶i̶n̶h̶a̶b̶i̶t̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶A̶b̶y̶s̶s̶,̶ ̶t̶o̶d̶a̶y̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶b̶j̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶.̶ ̶C̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶5̶0̶%̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶.̶ ̶H̶o̶p̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶e̶n̶j̶o̶y̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶.]

"The shell? What are they saying?" Neku grunts with no understanding of ancient languages, even his device couldn't translate it.

But the city is deserted.

"Elsa, Sora, where am I?"

[As far as I can tell, you're in the oldest world known to squid. In other words, Abyss, home to humanity's oldest enemies.] Sora answered.

"Humanity?" Neku raises his eyebrow.

[Indeed, less than twelve thousand years ago, humanity inhabited the earth before us. Unlike us, they have bones, flesh, and thicker skin as well as natural fur.] Elsa points out after reading some history books.

[Even worse, I can't translate their voice, but the character text is the only way for me to decipher so many ancient languages.] Sora is prepared for this.

"So the ancient enemies' world is like ours. The colouring, the culture and the air, it seems fresher." Neku turns towards the tower that reads 'Tower 401,' opposite to the ancient number order.

Finally, Neku is moving forward through a deserted city.

[Be careful, 3.5. From what I analyse, there's something far worse than a sanitised octarian.] Sora warns.

"Like what?"

[I don't know, maybe a dragon or something?]

[You played too many video games, Sora. Maybe you should take a break from them.] Elsa sighed.

[Mmn…] Sora moans.

After their call, Neku can track down some ink that is left in this deserted city which leads him to the underground which reminded him of Deepsea Metro.

"Dang it. Where am I going?" Neku mutters under his breath.

Until he encountered an orange inkling girl with a hippie haircut.

"What the? Rei?" Neku gasps after meeting a familiar inkling girl right in front of him.

Before Neku opens his mouth, the inkling girl morphs into a squid and super jumps by pushing Neku behind the pillar.

"Shh! Don't move." The inkling girl hissed.

"Huh?" Neku stops and turns around.

Then he witnessed the unspeakable…

"Oh my cod… What is that?" Neku gasped in shock.

"Something we should avoid going near." The inkling girl answers.

In front of them is a creature that looks like one of Sora's video games.

[A dragon! I knew it!] Sora called it.

[What in the world is going on?] Elsa couldn't comprehend what was going on in the world Neku entered in.

This dragon is made out of magenta ink, with black crystals as its horns and was on its right side of the long face and a few large ones on its back and floating crystals that makes a shape of wings, even its head has squid tentacles like a hair and its tail has a single one.

"Ghh… Grr… Werrr… Itzz…"

"It talked!?" Neku grunts quietly.

"Be quiet!" The inkling girl hissed.

With the dragon walking away, Neku and the inkling glanced behind a pillar and then stood in the middle of an underground station.

"You can't splat that thing without any gimmick to slow it down. Also, those crystals are from something that is hidden." Said the inkling girl.

"Excuse me, but who are you? I mean you looked like Rei." Neku is curious, knowing that Rei acts differently to this inkling in comparison.

"That's because I am Rei. I'm her inner demon."

Neku stops, remembering a few things about inner demons from Rei, Serika, Marie and Pearl, even though it's implied that Ryu, Mirai and Callie had one.

And he knows Rei after her battle with Serika.

"Zero?"

"Huh? So you know. Seems like she has more friends than before. And you're Neku, huh." Zero chuckles.

"Y- Yeah… So you know me."

"Indeed. I know her friend is coming to save them all. How's Milady?"

"Milady?" Neku raises his eyebrow out of confusion.

[Zero… So she knows who I am.] Elsa sighs.

"Wait, Elsa, you know her too?" Neku asked.

[Elsa, explain.] Sora wanted to know the relationship between Elsa and Zero.

"Elsa? You thought Elsa was still alive?" Zero tilts her head, thinking that Neku and those outside are dense.

"What!?" Neku exclaimed.

[Huh!?] Sora also exclaimed.

[It's true. Just like Zero, I too am an inner demon that challenges an inkling and an octoling to overcome their weaknesses. As for Elsa, she's nothing but a husk of an empty shell.]

This had both Neku and Sora gasping in shock after hearing the truth behind Elsa, or Milady.

[Don't take this the wrong way. We're not like Empress who's bent on trying to take over Hotaru's life. I wanted Elsa to succeed.] Elsa then clears her throat before Sora asks.

[Tell us.]

[Elsa was an average inkling that was afraid of fighting. When I arrived, I was challenging her to overcome her fear of fighting. But what makes it an unfortunate turn of event is something to do with the both of us. Elsa was fully consumed by the inner demon such as I and now I was taking her life as a carer. As for Rei, I'm actually surprised that she managed to overcome her task.] Elsa explained.

"And why didn't she overcome her fear?" Neku's tone becomes more bitter after hearing the truth behind Elsa's past.

[It wasn't her fear of fighting, but her cowardice and low self esteem had gotten the best of her, making her one of the victims to have her soul eaten alive.] Elsa concluded.

With Zero waiting for Neku to respond, Neku couldn't comprehend the fact that Rei was friends with a monster that takes the form of an inkling girl.

Is he doomed to lose his friends?