Unknown
Sitting alone on a river that reflects the blue and pink sky is a young amber inkling boy in a baseball cap, seeing as he's a humanoid 14 year old.
"Yo." Appearing is a 14 year old silver inkling boy that wears a hero uniform.
"Huh? The hell are you?" The amber boy asks bitterly.
"Rude… I'm Zero, the Member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon Unit. What about you?" Zero introduces himself and asks.
"I'm Neku, I'm also a member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon Unit." Neku sighs as he answers.
"Huh. So I guess we're the same team, huh?"
Neku said no word as Zero sits back to back with him.
It's like Agent 3 and 4 are visiting, past meets future as their uniforms differ.
"You know. I'm just like you: stubborn, trying to succeed and even trying to impress those you love." Zero speaks out while watching the stars sparkle in the sky.
"Huh? What kind of crap are you saying!? We're nothing alike!" Neku snaps.
"Heh. Whatever you say, idiot." Zero chuckles.
"You're the idiot. I just don't give a rat's ass about the fate of us inklings."
Zero can tell that he and Neku are similar as the duo are lowering their heads as Zero sighs.
"You know, Neku, there's a difference between us."
"Really? And what is it, number boy?" Neku asked.
"Our actions. You're more of a fighter whereas I'm just a coward. Your future self would be saving me, even stopping me from hurting myself, especially after I let my friends die."
Neku stops and then turns towards Zero.
Even Neku sees himself as a coward and that leads him to look at Zero with concern.
"Me? I ran away from my work, even struggling to face a monster that was wearing my sister's skin. But I'm surprised she has no memory of being a demon." Said Neku.
As Neku leans back as it pushes Zero forward, Neku moves his eyes.
But little did they know that the glass is floating everywhere as it shows both of their past and future.
"Hey, Zero, do you ever love someone? I don't have any, but I can tell that you do."
"Nice catch, Neku. Yeah. Even Marie, Mirai and old man support it. I… I loved her. I loved Callie ever since I helped her with Mirai and Marie. When Callie and I were alone, I did a lot that could give us the signal and Callie's flirting had won me over, despite being oblivious to it." Zero answers as he smiles.
"Eh? Man, I'm jealous. I hope you don't get torn apart by Callie's fans." Neku chuckled.
Zero then turns towards Neku and hands him a gun that is a Tokyo Marui Glock 13-AA.
"When you visit me as a girl or my reincarnation, tell her that Zero is still here."
"Sure." Neku took the gun and stood up.
Finally, the duo are marching together as they're heading towards the blinding light.
"Let's go to the surface, partner." Zero raises his arm as he's holding up his fist.
"Sure. Let's go, partner." Neku then did the same as both inkling boys bumping each other's fists.
Both their shapes change as Neku has gone taller and Zero becomes a girl.
Their escape has begun.
Present
Abyss
Tree of Order
The tree inside is so massive that it looks like a temple, or worse, a tower as the walls are covered in black metallic crystals which has those arriving there cautious.
Zero is the first to take a few steps forward while preparing her Hero Shot 0.
"The coast is clear."
"Seriously? I was expecting it to be swarming with monsters." Neku said.
"I thought so too. Sheldon, status report."
[Bzzzzzzzzz…] No response.
It looks as if their connections are cut off when setting foot inside a tree.
"Tch… We're on our own." Zero sighs.
"I don't think we are." Neku points at an individual that is leaking ink as it appears to be an octoling girl with gills on her neck.
"You." Zero points her Hero Shot 0 at her target as she pierces a glare.
"Go ahead." The octoling girl, Shiver, coughs.
"What?" Both Neku and Zero lower their weapons.
"Heh. I guess you're alone as well… Right, Zero? Reaper's big brother?" Shiver's trembling voice is still as sinister as a snake which puts Neku to a point of raising his Hero Shot.
"Don't you dare call my sister Reaper! Her name is Mirai!" Neku snaps.
"Hahaha! Ahahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA- !?" Abrupt from laughing, Shiver coughs while continuously laughing like a mad woman.
"What's so funny, demon?" Zero asks.
"Isn't it wonderful… I lost everything… Beaten to a pulp by your 'friends,' Mantaro betrayed me and I have no partner… I have nothing… I'm infected…" As Shiver reveals her abdomen, it's covered by crystals as she's the victim to the abyssal virus. "I'm about to pay a visit to Frye… My old friend… And when I do… I'll kill her."
Even when her tone turns bitter, Shiver and Fuuka have the same idea which leads to Zero approaching Shiver.
"I wouldn't go near me if I were you. You got a past to change, I got an inkling to splat."
With Shiver disappearing, Zero and Neku are watching this pitiful octoling trying to not break a smile.
It's as if they're almost feeling sorry for her.
"Let's get moving on." Zero orders.
"Right." Neku follows.
The duo are marching upstairs through this lifeless world which had Zero holding her chest.
Then a flash happened.
"Ngh!" Grunting, Zero can feel a migraine that is slowing her down. "Just keep moving… My head…"
What is that flashing image that Zero has? It's like it's showing her an inkling boy with Callie and Marie.
As the duo are going that far as they encountered nothing.
They're on a higher floor as they appear in the floor that is full of chairs and large ones which look like thrones.
"A throne room?" Neku gasps.
"How is that in that room when it's a lot higher than that?" Zero asked with surprise.
"Maybe they're too tired to go higher I guess, or maybe there's more thrones that are higher." Neku assumed.
"Maybe… You could be r- Gh!?"
Stopping, Zero falls to her knees as she holds her head as more migraines are kicking in.
"A- Agh!"
"Zero!? Oi, Zero!" Neku slides in front of Zero as he worryingly shakes her.
Another flash has happened, but this time there's 2 memories.
One shows Zero with Mirai and Agent 8 as they're eating at a ramen store together.
The second shows Zero teaching New Agent 3 from Bankara Splatlands how to play stealth against her enemies.
This causes Zero to roll and scream.
"Ag- AAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"ZERO!" Neku yelled.
"His memories are coming back." A familiar voice called as it caused Neku to point his Hero Shot and change his ink to blue.
"What!?" Neku gasps.
"You heard me, unknown subject, Zero's memories are coming back after being 10013's amnesiac demon." Frye, Commander Tartar, said as she too was just like Shiver in terms of injury.
"Y- You! I've been searching for you!" Zero growls while picking herself up and glares straight at Frye.
"We meet at last, Agent 3, my former soldier." Frye giggles.
"I was never your soldier! I'm not your sanitised puppet!" Zero's tone has gotten unusually aggressive as Neku can tell why Zero is up against a body snatcher like Tartar.
"Oh would you look at that, you and Rei are no longer using your speed demon since you're both separated and I deactivated it from you. Face it, Zero, you'll never stop me from going into the past since my plan on ending all of you failed once again!" Now Frye's expression and tone has gotten from mockery to disgust, realising that time and time again, she won't bring back humanity at this rate.
"So you and I have the same goal. You know, for an AI telephone like you, I'm impressed that you can do whatever crazy stuff you're pulling." Zero chuckles.
"You better stop laughing, you goddamn cephalopod!" Frye growled as anger fueled between 2 inklings.
"Neku… I can't regenerate like this…" Zero pants out of exhaustion.
"I know. Leave it to me."
As Neku prepares himself, a silhouette dashes past both inklings while carrying a crystal shard.
"No. You leave it to me."
Then…
Stab. Dripping yellow ink, Frye has witnessed a black metallic crystal piercing through her abdomen which causes Frye to gasp.
"Ah… Sh- Shiver? Why?"
"This is for our friend!" Shiver and Fuuka at the same time growled.
As she let go, Frye forcibly removed the crystal as more were slowly coming out, only for Frye to feel the dreaded infection going inside of her.
"No… You traitor!"
"Traitor? Hehehe… I never joined forces with you in the first place, Tartar. You're the great evil that must be purged from existence." Shiver chuckles as her eyes change pitch black, releasing black sharks out of the ground until they fade crimson red, showing the demon's true colours. "If I die, I'm taking you with me."
"SHIVER!" Frye roared as she used a demon's power that turned her ink full on yellow as eels were bursting out of the ground.
"Shiver…" Neku gasps while picking up Zero by the arms.
"Go. Change the future. Give us a happy ending. Face the order." 'Fuuka' nods as she's willing to sacrifice herself to get Zero and Neku moving.
"Thank you… Fuuka." Neku nods as he moves forward.
With Zero and Neku vanishing, Fuuka closes her eyes as tears are dropping, one black from the virus and one clear as she's normal.
"Fuuka…"
"I know, Shiver. But let me face her. I want to save Utsuho and give Zero the chance to spare her from her fate." Fuuka said calmly.
"After all I did and this is what you want? You're a fool, Fuuka… But I'm glad you finally made that decision." Shiver chuckles as Fuuka did the same.
"Yeah… This is our final battle. Sharks! Attack!" Fuuka shouts as the sharks roar and dash towards Frye.
"SHIVER!" Frye screamed while letting all the eels rocket themselves towards Fuuka.
SPLAT!
On a very high floor…
Zero's memories are flashing again and again which reveals more and more of her memories.
"NGHAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Damn it! Hold on, Zero!" Neku grunts.
"Wh- Why!? Why are my memories coming back to me!?" Zero is hyperventilating which causes her to squeeze her head as hard as she could.
As the memories are flashing again and again, Zero's past is coming back, even voices are calling which gives off a static.
Atarime Yoshio, Captain Craig Cuttlefish…
[Starting today, you are Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon! This is your brand new uniform that'll help you fight off the octarians!]
"Really? Eeh… Thanks… Is there anyone other than me?"
[Of course! But you'll be working on your own today, young man!]
"Wait! At least give me training!"
[Let's go take down those octo jerks!]
"Are you even listening to me? Ugh, forget it…"
Atarime Aori, Callie…
[Ooh! Is that for me!?]
"Well… You did a lot for me and I'm grateful. I was thinking if a pretty necklace would look good on you."
[Zero… Hnngh! I love you, Zero!]
"L- Like a friend? It's understandable."
[What do you mean? I mean it, I actually love you.]
"Huh? HUH!? Th- Then… I love you, Callie!"
[Heh. How about we can go to a hotel together? Splatlands is full of dirty thing!~]
"EH!?"
[C'mon! We're both adults! Although, love isn't my thing, but you and I, we can have our first time together! I even learnt it from watching porn!]
"WHAT!? HAWAWAWA!"
[Let's go!]
"Wait! Callie!"
Atarime Hotaru, Marie…
"I want to know, Marie, why're you okay with me dating Callie? I mean normally, family members are overprotective towards them whenever they have dates."
[Well, Zero, Callie is single and a virgin.]
"Ain't we all? Except for old man."
[And you could possibly be the least abusive one to stay with my cousin. Even I saw you fall in love with her.]
"I can't help it. She's cute."
[Well, then let the date doctor help you.]
"When are you ever a date doctor?"
[Do you want to kiss my cousin or not?]
"S- Sure. Hey, Marie."
[Hm?]
"Thank you."
[Heh. Anything for a friend.]
Mirai, Agent 4
[Hey, big bro.]
"What is it, Mirai?"
[Does reincarnation exist?]
"No. Why?"
[Because I heard that when you die without a spawn point, you reincarnate into another life like a future or a different universe.]
"Nice theory, but I have to dismiss it."
[Eh!? Why!?]
"Because you've been reading too many mangas that Callie gave you!"
[You read them too! Even the lewd ones that you've been hiding under your bed!]
"What the!? Why you… Haah, forget it. But they're still not real."
[Hmph. Someday, you'll be proven wrong when you die.]
Zero…
"I… I remember. How many timelines did I travel through?"
Appearing in front of Zero, a human man in a business suit is looking down after seeing Zero's memories coming back to her.
[Zero, it seems that you finally have your memories returned. The things you see, the things you lost, the things you love are still coming back to you. Will you keep that female form in the next timeline?] The man asks.
"Apparently, I would like to make a request." Zero stands up as she looks into the man's eyes.
[Oh?]
"Let me keep this form for this world, and the next world I want to be a boy again. I want to face Rei as my true self." Zero concludes her answer.
[A wise choice you made, young man. Very well. If you survive, then I'll arrange that.]
"Thank you, Order-03." Zero bows and then turns away from the man himself.
As the world finally disappears, Zero and the man vanishes as well.
Waking up, Zero is breathing for air after the pains she felt.
"Zero! Are you okay!?" Neku asks desperately.
"Yeah… Neku, I remembered… My memories. It's like I can actually see them again."
"That means you're you again? Sweet!" Neku cheers.
"Yeah… Mirai's right. Reincarnation does exist. I need to tell her something before I go to the past."
"Okay. Zero, I'm glad that you're okay."
"What are you, gay? Well I'm currently a girl, so…" Zero asks.
"Hah! Oh, Zero, you're a strange one, but maybe we can be bros someday."
Zero smiles back as she and Neku grab each other's hands and shake it.
"Sure thing, bro." Zero laughs.
For the first time, Zero is more emotional than before.
Both inklings are grinning together and then look behind themselves.
"I hope Fuuka's okay. That telephone's better be dead already." Said Zero.
"I agree." Said Neku.
"Let's go."
"Sure." Neku nods.
In the end, both inklings are charging together as they're reaching to the top.
Let the past change the future.