?? Timelines Ago
Haikara, Inkopolis City
In the past, Inkopolis was similar with its aesthetics, its civilians and the idols.
With the inklings having different styles as well as having popular hairstyles and different fashion with technology that are modern.
Despite being similar, the difference is that both idols, Callie and Marie, are dressing up as roller skating cheerleaders, with Callie in white and magenta and Marie in black and green, as the turf war plays out.
Approximately 70% of inklings are girls which is why they're interested in the concept of Inkopolis City.
Octo Valley
Similar as is.
But the difference is that Agent 3 is an inkling boy who spots a topknot hair with a few bangs on him as a mixture of an inkling boy and girl as well as having a single tentacle upwards from his head.
His name is Zero, the boy who is struggling to face the elite octoling army that is bombing at the car.
"Damn it! Captain, I'm kinda in a situation where I'm cooked!" Agent 3, Zero, exclaims while avoiding the bombs.
[Don't worry, Agent 3, I'll send some backup for you! Now where's the crabby cakes?] Cap'n Cuttlefish's voice mumbles.
"Forget the crabby cakes! Just send One or Two or Four!" Agent 3 snapped.
[Oh, alright! Pushy little one, aren't you?]
As Agent 3 fires his Hero Shot, splatting one of the octolings, he's now left with the other 3 that are trying to bomb him with magenta ink.
SPLAT!
"Hm?"
"Geez, and you're supposed to be the legendary Agent 3, but you seem to be a stubborn one." Sighing, Agent 4, an inkling girl, appears with a bob cut tentacle hair and was in a similar green colour.
"Tch. Whatever… I'm glad you arrived, Four." Agent 3 smiles as he's being picked up by Agent 4, a girl 2 years younger than Agent 3 himself.
With Agent 3 and 4 being positive towards each other, their relationship acts as a big brother and a little sister.
"How about we rest for today." Agent 4 suggested as cheerful as she is.
"Alright. I was in the middle of my mission. Hey, Captain, we're heading back." Agent 3 turned on his headset speakers.
[Oh really? Oof! Then why not return then.] Cap'n Cuttlefish said.
"Sure."
Finally, both inklings morph into squids as they super jump away from the field as they're heading towards the building that is tall.
Zero knew that he's been doing this for nothing and that's not the first time it happened.
At the main roof, appearing in front of Cap'n Cuttlefish is Agent 3 who is Zero and Agent 4 who is actually Mirai.
"Ugh… This is the tenth time that has happened to me… I was about to be promoted to being a Captain as well." Zero groaned.
"Hey, cheer up, big bro, I'm sure you can still do it." Mirai pats Zero's back while cheering him up.
"This is embarrassing…" Zero lowers his head as he still groans.
"Calm down there, sonny. Here, have a crabby cake." Cap'n Cuttlefish offers one for Zero as Zero accepts it.
"Thanks."
As Zero, Mirai and Cap'n Cuttlefish relax together and watch Off the Hook's latest music video, appearing behind are Callie and Marie.
"Heya!" Callie cheers as she waves.
"Yo." Marie also waves with a cool expression.
"Callie? Marie? Boy am I glad to see you girls." Zero is relieved to see the Squid Sisters arriving.
"Hey, Callie! Marie!" Mirai cheered.
With Callie and Marie laughing, the group are sitting down together.
"So how's the mission, soon to be Captain?" Marie asks.
"It's tough… I just wanted to show how strong I was after saving Eight. She might not see me as the same Three who beat her and her boss." Zero sighs.
"It's okay, Zero. You can keep trying if you want. Just take some time if you want to go out with a bang." Callie says as she pat Zero's head, leading Zero to blush.
"Callie… We're adults. I mean you can pat me whatever you want, but I'm not a kid anymore." Zero half-complained.
"Hehe, sorry about that." Callie giggles.
"Anyway, how about you kids go out and have dinner. Eight did say there's a restaurant she wanted to see." Cap'n Cuttlefish suggested.
"Sure thing, Gramps!" Callie quickly agreed.
Zero is around a group of girls, minus Cap'n Cuttlefish, making him realise that is he attracting the girls or did Cap'n Cuttlefish found more girls with him as an exception, or is Inkopolis City filled mostly with inkling girls.
Sighing, Zero is starting to realise that Cap'n Cuttlefish is trying to get him to hang around with as many girls as possible.
"Old man, why did you invite only girls? Considering I'm the only boy working here." Zero asked.
"Hm? Well, it's not really my intention to hire them, but I think a man always has it well with the ladies." Cap'n Cuttlefish said with a peppy tone.
"Seriously!? I only see Mirai as a little sister and I already have a crush!" Zero snaps.
"Really!? Who is it!?" Callie asked with curiosity.
"W- Well… She's loud, cheerful and not the brightest of the group. But she's actually cute." Zero described.
"Huh. I know who that is." Marie moves her eyes towards Callie with a smug smile.
"Ooh! I get who you had a crush on!" Callie clicks her fingers and yanks Marie towards her. "You have hots for my cousin!"
"Huh!?" Marie exclaimed.
"What!?" Zero spits out his soda in shock.
"Oof! You've been friend zoned so hard, big bro." Mirai laughed.
"S- Shut up!" Zero quickly shouts.
"N- No, It's not…" Before Marie protests, she ends up getting pushed by Callie towards Zero.
"It's alright! Don't be shy! Hey, Gramps, do you think Marie fits well with Zero!?" Callie cheerfully asks.
"Ooh! Zero, you lucky dog. Make sure you take responsibility for my granddaughter, okay." Cap'n Cuttlefish said.
"Ugh… Okay, old man…" Zero groaned.
"I guess Callie played you unintentionally." Marie sighed.
"Yeah…"
Afterwards, a group laughs together as Zero and Marie see this as a mistake.
How long did Zero remember those smiles?
Click!
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Present
Abyss
Gasping in the office where no one has shown up, an inkling girl, or rather, a former inkling boy, Zero, has woken up as after witnessing the forgotten past she had.
"Yo, Zero. You okay?" A voice asks as it appears to be Neku.
"Neku… I think I know who I am."
"Really!?" Neku went to his knees while looking into Zero's eyes.
"Yeah. I'm an inkling boy."
Silence…
Neku stops himself, standing up and then leaning himself on the wall.
"Neku?"
"Of all the times, I saved a boy who looks and feels like a girl… I bet Rei's a boy as well."
"No. Rei is definitely a girl. I was supposed to be reincarnated into her. Unfortunately I was stuck like this before I first met her." Said Zero.
"So why're you now separated from her?" Neku asks.
"I don't know. But I woke up after something happened to her. I guessed that Deep Cut is involved with this mess."
"All this for a treasure? These guys are messed up." Neku grunts.
Zero agreed and disagreed with Neku as she picked herself up and searched for humanity's old technology and history.
The answer is none of them as humanity has created them and weaponised them to save their homes.
"Humanity's greatest sin."
"What?" Neku stops himself.
"For centuries, God not only has abandoned them, but humans are so sinful that the gods are willing to create judgement which is half true. Gods don't exist to some, but fate has been sealed and what's worse is the very thing that we saw on the dragon."
"What do you mean?"
As Zero points at her own pace and her back, this leads Neku to visualise what these black crystals are coming out of.
"What!?"
"The Abyssal Virus. Fatal to man and machine and we're no exception. In a span of time, we'll become husks of our former selves, worse than the sanitised. That's why I'm here to change the past." Zero explained.
"Change the past?"
"Yeah. Not only was I looking for the root of the virus, but I need your help to get me out of this place towards the next world."
Neku can tell that Zero wants to save everyone after learning the truth behind every bit of events that humanity has created. Then he sighs.
"Zero."
"Hm?" Zero stops herself and turns towards Neku.
"You've been whispering Mirai for a few minutes. Why?"
"Mirai… She reincarnated as your sister, especially when she's in fact a demon like me. That unborn child known as Mirai was eaten while she was born. In other words, Mirai is actually my adopted sister." Zero answered.
"What? My little sister's an…"
"Yeah. It's hard to believe, but not all demons are evil. Think of Elsa who wanted to protect her other self, but losing her host friend has affected her. Empress is an interesting one. She's not actually a chaotic one that's trying to kill those she remembers, but there's a reason why she waited for Callie to block her charged ink."
Neku lowers his head as he actually heard what Zero had said earlier.
"But regardless, Mirai is still your little sister. And Empress wanted to live a peaceful life. Deep Cut is trying their best to make a living." Zero concluded.
As Neku and Zero stand up and walk together out of the office, Zero turns towards Neku with a calm expression.
"The 'Tree of Order' has grown. Once we get there, the surface awaits and the next timeline is a ticket to change everything that Tartar had tarnished."
"Let's hope it works… But what about Mirai and others?"
"They'll catch up to us. Don't worry, Neku, I was once the Captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon Unit, I'll make sure Rei follows my line." Said Zero.
Neku raises his head and then pulls a calm smile. Finally he grinned.
"Heh. I guess young men like you are able to help everyone, especially the ladies!"
"I already got a lady once. She's an idol." Zero chuckles.
"HUH!? Damn it, now I'm jealous! Who is it?"
"Simple, it's Callie."
"Eh? Now I'm super jealous! What!? Callie's got a boyfriend!?" Neku screams after realising Zero and Callie's relationship in the previous timeline.
"Heh. I know you're jealous." Zero laughs.
"Argh! No fair!"
In the end, the duo sighs as Zero is relieved to see parts of her past are coming back. Neku is glad to see Zero smiling as he knows Zero is the most serious inkling and was usually calm for a long time.
It took them hours to find something, but here they are at the beach, the red water that is untouchable as Zero and Neku gulps.
"We're here. But we need a boat or a plane to get through." Neku had a feeling that getting to a very very very large tree is difficult to get through.
Even the tree's height is above the white sky which is assumed to be clouds.
"Hold it. Something's coming." Zero blocks Neku as the duo are watching a water splashing as it forms a body of a strange creature that is spiked all over the virus as it takes the form of an organic monster.
"That's not a sanitised creature?" Neku gasps.
"No. It's far worse. We're gonna have to fight it." Said Zero.
"What!?"
"I've been fighting for hundreds of years, so I'll be able to manage that fight." Zero said with a smile that is full on preparation and suicide.
Neku grunts, having no choice but to do what Zero does and it's fighting.
Both Hero Shots with different models are being held as Zero and Neku are watching the monster squirm.
"I can't get a reading out of it." Neku said as his UI is making a weird sound with a bunch of errors.
"That's because this thing is no ordinary creature. We're facing a virus that causes nothing but suffering." Zero closes her eyes and then glares forward.
As the crystals shattered, the monster sets itself free and swims in the red water by morphing itself to become a humanoid shape with both arms and legs; it's now a creature of mass destruction.
[What is that!?] Elsa exclaimed.
[I- I don't know, but it's far worse than what I expected!] Sora too is freaked out about this thing coming out of its prison.
[As far as I can tell, I guess we'll call it the 'Abyssal Animal'. Not only is this terrifying monster animalistic, but it's about to devour you two if you don't splat that thing!] Sheldon warned.
"Then we'll eat it instead!" Neku yelled.
"Hmph. I think we need to kill it with fire, but our inks will do." Said Zero.
"Then let's go!"
Finally, both Neku and Zero are rushing towards the Abyssal Animal while raising their guns.
The first battle against the virus and it's about to end badly for the inkling duo.