Chapter 9: Is The New Life All That Bad?

"Could be worse."

The two-day ride was agonizing for Akikta. Why? There were a few reasons.

Until recently, Akikta never had to deal with sleeping in uncomfortable places, like on the hot sand or on subway train seats.

The jostling of the train kept waking him up whenever he drifted to sleep. And once up, the slight shaking of the train would give him an uncomfortable reminder that his muscles were still painfully sore from what Coral did to him.

Akikta would also experience fits of violent coughing, accompanied by a swelling tightness in his chest. So much so, his throat would've become hoarse had it not been for the food and drinks provided to him.

The assistant conductor was kind enough to check on Akikta periodically. And every time, he would offer the masked teen a drink and food. It was nothing big, mainly small bags filled with fried prawns or some other type of shellfish paired with a simple bottle of water.

The food was alright. Oddly enough, it tasted like the fried products back in Alterna. The same could not be said for the water. He wasn't sure how they screwed up bottled water, but it was excessively filtered to the point where it had a weird taste.

Water products aside, Akikta quickly grew to like Astro. He was the friendliest sea creature he'd met, aside from Nakji. He learned the inkling's full name was Astro Mahi Mahi.

Akikta also learned why Astro's smile faltered earlier when he mentioned being an octarian. According to the conductor, C.Q. Cumber, one octarian octoling put a company known as Kamabo Corporation out of business.

Since the conductor was an employee of said company, Astro figured C.Q. Cumber would resent or even hate octarians. Luckily, the blue slug was indifferent to his company's downfall.

Astro went on to ask why Akikta and Nakji wanted to go to Inkopolis. Akikta didn't give him a straight answer, which didn't bother the assistant. Though, it bothered Akikta that he asked at all. His skepticism quickly faded when Astro explained his reasoning behind the question.

Apparently, octarians and inklings have been on less-than-ideal terms for quite a while. Something about a war that happened between the two species, long before Akikta woke up. Long story short, the inklings were victorious, and the octarians got the very short end of a shitty stick.

Some years ago, Inkopolis started unknowingly accepting octarian octolings back into society. That information became known to the public a few years later; it received mixed emotions.

As it stands, Inkopolis is not necessarily a 'kind' environment to octarians. Completely opposite from how Splatsville seemed.

It was strange how similar inklings and octarians were to humans. Though they evolved from cephalopods, they all took on a humanoid appearance, built human-like structures, used vehicles, and even waged war. It was like they were his kind's successors.

"Here." Someone said blankly, interrupting his train of thought. It was Nakji, handing him a bag filled with those delicious prawns.

Right, Astro wasn't the only one bringing him food. Nakji had been scavenging around the train and sharing whatever she found.

Akikta would always selfishly scarf down whatever he could. His appetite demanded to be satiated, and he didn't want to disappoint it. Though the way he ate was ravenous, akin to a wild animal. Nakji saw this as him being starved, so she sometimes gave him her snacks.

He graciously took the bag, but she quickly turned and left before he could thank her. Nakji had been growing more distant ever since they boarded the train. It was no mystery why. Akikta got on her when she was just a tiny bit skeptical about Sal. Perhaps he was too harsh?

Whenever she got close to him, the look in her eye seemed nervous. It was like she didn't want to avoid him, but was too scared to stick around him for long. He didn't want her to avoid him, but whenever she scurried off like a scared rat, the situation seemed too awkward to say anything in.

Akikta sighed and removed his cylinder mouthpiece before opening the bag full of fried prawns. He'd greedily devour the prawns, handfuls at a time, through the mouth hole in his mask. As he did, he'd closely watch the passengers that came and went with each train stop.

The denizens of the deep were fairly complex. Moreso than the people of Splatsville. He didn't trust them, given their appearance.

They all made him uneasy—all but one. "Pardon me, young squire." A polite yet deep voice said. Akikta turned to see a sizeable isopod-type creature sitting in front of him. They were pale blue, and would probably be seven feet tall if they weren't sitting down.

Akikta swiftly put the cylinder translator back on his mouth before speaking. "Hey... you're..." he tried to remember the passenger's name.

During the two days he rode the train, he'd occasionally see the isopod. They were the one who never appeared to get off the train, or if they did, they never stayed off. It wasn't hard to miss the isopod, given their size and that large suitcase they carried around, which happened to be filled with toys... for some reason.

"We've never been properly introduced." The suit-wearing isopod clarified before adjusting their sunglasses, which covered their black beady eyes that Akikta had only seen once. "They call me Iso Padre. That's not my real name, mind you. But it's the only one I can recall now." The crustacean greeted.

Strange. Akikta was sure they had talked to each other before, but he guessed he was mistaken. Maybe it was because of Iso Padre's constant presence that Akikta subconsciously grew comfortable around him.

"Forgive my intrusion, but I've noticed... you seem tense." Iso Padre pointed out.

Akikta chuckled. "That obvious, huh?" He looked down at the bag of prawns. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Akikta assured before breaking into a coughing fit.

Iso Padre waited for Akikta to finish wheezing out his lungs before responding. "It doesn't seem like you are, young squire." The isopod's long whiskers wiggled in a wavy motion as Akikta cleared his throat. "What ails you, my friend?"

Akikta looked at Iso Padre, debating if he should answer the question truthfully or not. Considering he had gone this long without speaking to anyone besides the conductors, he decided he could use the change of pace. "I'm just not used to this place." He admitted.

"Ah, not from around here, are you?"

"You could say that..." Akikta put his hands together, clasping the bag gently around his fingers. "Truth is, everything is so different from how I imagined it. But at the same time, so similar... It's confusing." He looked away from Iso Padre. "I guess you could say I'm a little lost."

A moment of silence filled the train cart. Akikta turned back to Iso Padre, who had one of his six arms gently caressing his chin, as if he were in thought.

Then, Iso Padre leaned forward, put all his hands together, and looked Akikta straight in the eyes. "You remind me of another lost one." He started. "Back in the day, when Kamabo Co. was still around, a young squire dropped in, much like you and your friend. She was bright and bold for one so young. She's the only test subject I know that collected a complete set of mem cakes."

"Mem cakes?" Akikta interrupted.

"Memories." Iso Padre clarified. "When test subjects are admitted, they gradually lose their memories. I don't quite know the exact details, but Kamabo Co. somehow compressed those memories into these things called mem cakes." He elaborated, nodding in confirmation to himself. "They awarded us subjects with them for completing their tests. Yes, I too was once a test subject, but I washed out far too early... I only ever got two." He explained, reminiscing about his failed past.

"Where was I? Oh, yes. The young squire. I believe her name was Eight. At least, that's the only name I've ever heard her go by. Such a talented and ambitious one, that." Iso Padre's whiskers wiggled again, this time in a vibrating manner. "She changed this old subway for the better, I dare say. Truly, she was something special."

Akikta gave in to his curiosity. "What happened to her?"

"Well, I heard she moved on to shallower waters. It's been years since I've last seen Eight."

"You must miss her."

"I do. It's a shame she left. But I'm not worried about her. Given her ambition, I know she's out there doing great things...wherever she is."

Akikta raised a brow under his mask. If Iso Padre wasn't worried about this Eight person, then why mention her? "...So I get I remind you of her and all, but why tell me this all of a sudden?"

"Because you should learn from her tale." The isopod answered. "Like you, she was lost, but her ambitions led her to the promised land. Just like your ambitions will do the same for you." Iso Padre declared.

Akikta looked down at the bag in his hands. "I don't think I have ambitions beyond surviving."

"Nonsense, young squire. Everyone has an ambition. You have a dream, don't you?"

A dream? Sure, maybe when he was in high school. But what good were those now with the people he knew gone? "I had a dream. But then reality broke my alarm and woke me up itself." He said, unintentionally responding in a harsh tone. Iso Padre didn't seem to mind.

"Then find a new dream." Said the isopod.

Akikta fumbled with the bag of prawns momentarily, gathering his words. "A...a new dream? What do you mean?" He asked, looking up at Padre.

"Your first dream didn't pan out how you would've liked. But who said you had to stop at one? As long as you've got life, you've got dreams. So find one that lights your way."

For an isopod, Padre was very inspirational. And philosophical.

Still, Akikta didn't know where to begin in that regard. His only drive was to reunite with Sal and the other humans, wherever they were, and save his brother. And to do all that, he needed to navigate through a world different from the one he was told about. "You say that as if it's easy. But I don't even know where to begin. This worl- I mean, this place... It's all so strange."

"Does that include your friend?"

Akikta perked up. "You mean Nakji?" Iso Padre nodded. "I mean... kind of? I only met her a few days ago."

"Really? Then I guess your bond truly is something special."

"What do you mean?"

"I've watched her scavenge around this train for food left behind by passengers. And every time she turned up with something, she gave it to you. Poor girl, she must be famished."

Wait...has she not been eating? Akikta clutched the bag Nakji had given him. He assumed she was eating whatever she found and then gave him any extra bags she turned up with. Was she really starving herself so his stomach could be full?

"It's not every day someone starves themselves for another they've just met. Goes to show she really cares." Iso Padre commented.

Akikta felt his heartbeat rise again. A pain swelled in his chest, but it wasn't physical.

He felt terrible before, but now he downright hated himself for not considering Nakji's well-being. She had been helping him to the best of her abilities all this time, even when he initially didn't want her help.

And what has he done to repay her? Gotten her beaten to a pulp, nearly killed, put on the watchlist of some secret group of agents, and now he was starving her.

For all he knew, she was giving him these bags as a form of apology. "I... see what you mean..." He said, completely embarrassed that he hadn't noticed all her good deeds before or casually brushed them aside.

Akikta should've known Nakji meant nothing negative when she was skeptical about Sal. She was only looking out for him, like she always had been. And he got angry at her for it. "I might've overdone it earlier...before we boarded the train. She probably hates me now..." Akikta clutched the bag even tighter.

He wasn't confident in doing this whole abduction thing alone. And honestly, she was much better company than Sal. Unlike him, she was physically and actively here. If Akikta lost that now? "...I'm afraid to find out."

Iso Padre shook his head. "If she hated you, she would've gotten off at the closest station when she had the chance." He said, making a valid point. "Besides, the only thing that should give you a fright is that beast inside you called your appetite." There it was, another curveball for Akikta.

"I don't..." Akikta started but was cut off by Iso Padre raising a hand.

"I've only seen one creature eat as wildly as you, those pink fish. You should try toning down a bit, lest your hunger consume your ambition... and those around you."

The teen wasn't sure if he should take those words to heart or if they were a metaphor for something else. Surely, Iso Padre didn't actually mean his hunger.

Whatever the case, Akikta thinks he got what Padre was trying to say. Don't be afraid to work things out with Nakji. "You know what, I think I'll go talk to her right now." He said confidently before standing up. "Thank you, sir Padre. You've really opened my eyes."

"Glad to have inspired the youth."

With that response, Akikta smiled and turned, about to exit carts.

"Young squire." Iso Padre called out, making Akikta stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder at the large isopod. "May I have your name, please?"

Akikta fully turned towards Iso Padre. "It's Akikta. Akikta Akule Miles." He rarely gave out his full name, but he figured Iso Padre deserved to know.

"Hmm, a rather unique name." The isopod turned his body a little to face Akikta more. "Heed my advice, Akikta. Don't ever give up on your dreams, or they might give up on you, too." Finally, something that made sense without Akikta needing to decrypt it.

The teen nodded and gave Iso Padre a slight bow to show respect.

"Safe travels, young squire." He ended, allowing Akikta to exit the train cart to find Nakji, which didn't take long. All he had to do was follow the strange sounds of growling. They brought him to the source, a purple octoling holding her stomach in pain.

Nakji had yet to notice Akikta, so he approached her. Once next to her, he held out the bag of prawns and spoke. "Here."

Nakji jolted at the sight of him, startled that he was suddenly there. She looked at the bag and then back at him. "Y-you don't want it?" She asked hesitantly.

Akikta shook his head. "I'm full. I want you to have the rest."

Nakji continued to stare at him and the bag, uncertainty present in her eyes. "But-"

"Just take the bag." He said, stopping her from protesting. "Please..." He softly pleaded.

Still hesitant, she took the bag, and Akikta sat beside her. She'd take her time with the food, eating one prawn at a time at a snail's pace. He wouldn't rush her. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her more than he already had.

He looked around, noting their cart was empty. She must've come here to be alone. While he would respect her wishes on any day, today was not one of them.

"Listen..." He started, causing Nakji to stop eating. "I'm sorry about...what I said a few days ago. I didn't mean to snap at you like that..." Akikta folded his hands together. "It's just..." His words trailed off as Nakji turned to him.

What should he say? Where should he start? Would she even understand? There was only one way to find out.

"You asked me earlier who that...ink creature was. His name is Subject 7, and he's my brother." Nakji's eyes widened in response to the revelation; Akikta continued. "Yeah, that's right. I'm related to that thing that almost killed us in the Splatlands. And you wanna know what's funny? He's been trying to kill me ever since I woke up. It sucked running from him, especially since I was alone back then. My friends were supposed to be there with me, but they...didn't make it." He rambled.

From her facial expression, Akikta could tell Nakji was a little confused, so he elaborated. "I was frozen. Twelve thousand years ago. And I only woke up recently." He looked back to Nakji. "My home, the one I knew, is gone. The people I knew... my family... they're dead. All of them... Except for him." He said, referring to his brother. It was painful recounting everything. But Nakji needed to know.

"My people changed my brother. I don't really know how, but it's how he's survived all this time. They...turned him into a monster. You've seen it for yourself." Nakji nodded gently in confirmation.

"Sal said he would help me reverse what they did to my brother. All I have to do is bring that criminal to his doorstep..." He leaned back in his seat. "I'll admit. I don't know the severity of her crimes, but I also don't really care. It's her fault for committing them in the first place. Bringing her to justice will help bring my brother back, so that's more than enough reason for me to witchhunt her." Akikta lowered his head. "I'd do anything for him..." He sighed before looking at Nakji, who had put the bag down to give him her full attention.

"As for Sal... well, I haven't known him very long. But when I was trapped, he comforted me occasionally. He even gave me these translators, which is the only reason I can speak with and understand you." He explained, showing off the translators in his ears before hiding them again with his hood. "Without him, I wouldn't have been able to survive out here. Shoot, I probably would've tapped out back in the desert." Akikta finished, hoping this would help Nakji understand why he snapped at her earlier, even though he really shouldn't have.

Nakji looked down at the floor nervously. "Are you c-certain Sal will help?" She asked with a slight stutter.

"It's fine. I won't get mad at you." He assured her before looking forward. "And to answer your question, yes. If he had no intention of helping, he would've left me for dead a long time ago instead of wasting time and resources on me." Akikta was confident Sal was trustworthy, even if he had kept some details from him before. "I know his character came into question earlier with what he did, or rather, with what he didn't do. But we humans aren't perfect. We make mistakes... my people certainly did."

He turned to Nakji. "I did." He said, apologetically. Nakji gave him a weird face in response, making him unsure if she was happy or unhappy about what he said.

Akikta faced forward again. "Sal probably assumed I'd get scared if he told me the full details. I don't blame him." That made the most logical sense.

"Are you even sure he can help?" Nakji questioned. Something Akikta also wondered in the beginning.

"The translators are evidence he can. My people were all scientists, so I recognize advanced tech when I see it. If these translation devices are the bare minimum he has to work with, then I'm certain he can revert what my people did to Chaska." Nakji tilted her head. "Sorry, that's my brother's real name. Subject 7 is just what they turned him into..." He clarified.

Silence filled their cart again. Akikta felt a little better now that Nakji knew everything. Still, he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Then something occurred to him. "Sorry I'm asking this so late, but why?"

"Why what?" Nakji looked at him.

"From the moment we met, you've been helping me with almost everything. You're even concerned about me and my safety, but you gain nothing from sticking with me. I get it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to interact with a prehistoric creature, but eventually, I'd imagine you'd call it quits. So, why haven't you?" He asked, wondering what he has that warrants Nakji risking her skin.

At first, she didn't respond. Instead, she turned away, looking at the empty row of seats.

She put her hands together and deeply exhaled. "Earlier, I mentioned the man who gave me my blade was one of the few people who's been nice to me. He was actually the only one." Akikta's eyebrows raised, but he kept his comments to himself. "He taught me how to fight, how to negotiate, and how to survive." She said with a soft smile.

"He showed genuine care towards me." Her smile slowly disappeared. "And then he... vanished. I woke up one day, and he was just... gone." Nakji leaned back in her seat. Akikta could tell she was in pain just from remembering.

"To this day, I still don't know what happened to him. His stuff was gone, so maybe he left me? I don't know... why would he leave without saying goodbye? Was I that much of a burden?" Her slick eyes gradually swelled with water.

Akikta put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not a burden." He assured her, which brought some comfort to the octoling.

"Thank you." She wiped away her tears as Akikta let go of her, then continued. "Ever since he disappeared from my life, I've been nomadic. I've only lived for so long because the many bandits I came across could use my skills. Needed something done? I could do it. And I did it well." She remarked. "But beyond that, I never had any friends. Allies, maybe. But if I did something they didn't like, they were quick to drop me."

"What about the Wild Claws?" He questioned, believing they had some good history.

"The Wild Claws only kept me because I was the best combatant they ever had." She responded in a sour tone.

They could've fooled Akikta. With how they acted, he assumed they'd care about their fellow mates.

"They swiped me from my last group. After butchering them, of course. I don't know how Claw heard about my exploits, but he did, and he gave me a choice. Join his crew, or join the dead."

"Not really much of a choice..." Akikta commented.

"Mhm." Nakji agreed. "And then you came along." She shifted in her seat, looking at Akikta.

"At first, I thought you were just some random weird-looking unlucky bandit, caught by the Wild Claws and about to be wrung dry for all you were worth. But then the captain said you were human, and I didn't know what to think." She looked away. "I never expected you to take out the whole crew, and I still don't know how you took out Claw. His shell was extremely tough. Even I couldn't crack it! But you took his whole claw off!"

Akikta rubbed the back of his head, taking her words as a compliment.

Nakji looked out the window behind them, watching the tunnel wall blur as they zoomed by. "When I woke up and saw the captain's flesh spilled out of his claw, I thought you would eat me next." Looking back on it now, Akikta could see why Nakji reacted the way she did when she woke. Having her tied up didn't help his case either.

"But you didn't. You didn't hurt me either, even when I was unconscious." She placed a finger on her chin. "I thought you had some ulterior motive for keeping me alive. But then... you were just going to let me leave." Nakji turned, locking eyes with Akikta. "No one else has ever done that before. No one..."

She unfolded her hands, brought her feet onto the seat, and wrapped her arms around her legs. "You already proved to be different from the past people I've encountered. That alone made me want to stick with you."

Akikta didn't know she was this deprived of positive attention. Her life was rough. Rougher than his, he'd say.

"I'll admit, part of me wanted to tag along because you were human. But the other part of me figured you were lonely, too." She looked at her knees, a heavy frown on her face. "I... thought you were the last of your kind, so I wanted to do for you what that man did for me..." She sighed. "I wanted... a friend."

Silence filled their cart once again, the only noise being the soft rumbling of the train.

Akikta stopped looking at her and took his mask off. "Sorry." He said with a frown.

Nakji caught his sad look; her eyebrows curled worriedly.

"Back at the ship, if that crab's claw hadn't been there... I would've seriously considered eating you." Ashamed, Akikta turned his face from Nakji, expecting her to be revolted once she knew he once saw her as food.

Instead, she spoke up. "I'm sorry too."

Akikta shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. You didn't know and-"

"Not about that." She interrupted, which made Akikta look back at her. "What you're going through right now, it must be tough. You're putting yourself in harm's way to save your brother. That's admirable. I'm sorry I can't fully understand why you do it..." Akikta stared at Nakji, confused. "I'm ashamed to say it, but I'm envious of you...I wish I had a brother."

Suddenly, it clicked in his head. Ah, so it's not that my name was too long for her... When they first met, she claimed the length of his name bothered her. Why would it if she could say it properly with no problems? She did so once before, though he was too emotionally shaken to question it at the time.

But now, after listening to her story, it made sense why his name bothered her. Rather, his last name. She didn't have anyone to call family. Hell, she probably didn't know her own last name. She was just Nakji, the nomadic bandit.

She believed because of that, she couldn't relate to what Akikta was doing or understand why he risked his life for the sake of someone else. Ironically, she was already doing that herself.

"Well, I wouldn't say that." He smiled. "You may not be a human, but you've got the heart of one. Or is it hearts?" He shook his head. "Anyway, the point is... what you've done for me... that's more than what friends would do for each other. Especially friends who've only met a few days ago." He placed a hand on her shoulder, this time letting it stay. "You're more like a sister to me at this point."

Her eyes lit up like a child on Christmas. "A-a sister? You see me as a sister?" she asked giddily, her tone a higher pitch than usual.

"Well, yeah. I've never had one before, but I really enjoy your company. Besides, I think Nakji Miles suits you."

Before he could say anything else, Nakji jumped on him and gave him a boa constrictor tight hug. Instead of complaining about his oxygen supply being cut off, he returned the hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She repeatedly said with a creaking voice. Was she crying? He heard her sniffling, so she must've been. Akikta had no clue just how much this meant to her. You were right, sir Padre. Our bond really is special.

After a moment, Akikta began to worry about how he'd get out of Nakji's grasp. It became hard to breathe, and it was even harder to pry her arms from around him. He feared she'd suffocate him in her excitement.

"We have arrived at Inkopolis station 0. I repeat, we have arrived at Inkopolis station 0," said Astro over the train's intercoms.

Nakji's hug loosened, though she didn't fully let go until Akikta moved her arms himself. She was filled with utter joy at the prospect of being family. "Calm down, Nakji. I'm not going anywhere without you."

He chuckled before putting his mask back on. Shortly after, Akikta broke out into another fit of coughing. "Guess the prawns bite back, huh?" He joked in a coarse tone before clearing his throat.

Astro walked into their cart a few minutes later with C.Q Cumber on his shoulder. "I take it you heard the announcement?" Asked the assistant.

Akikta responded with a nod. "Yep, we were just on our way out."

"Before you go, I wanted to give you something." Astro dug into his chest pocket and took out a cyan blue handkerchief.

He'd hand it to Akikta, who took it awkwardly. "Uh, thanks?"

"Turn it around." Astro Instructed.

Akikta flipped the handkerchief around and found symbols written in black. They were words, but he didn't understand them. "What's this?"

"An address." He answered. "I remember you saying you've never been to Inkopolis. It's a big city, so you'll need a place to stay if you plan on living there. That's my friend's address." Akikta was taken aback. He didn't know Astro trusted them enough to share a friend's address like that. However, he was grateful, especially since he nor Nakji had any money to pay for a place.

He thought about the state of Inkopolis and how they treat octarians. "You sure your friend will help us settle in?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. She's very friendly. She'd be absolutely delighted to help you until you can stand on your own two tentacles." That was a strange expression, but not one Akikta would question.

He'd nod before sticking the handkerchief into his pants pocket.

"Oh!" Astro exclaimed, as if he had forgotten something. "One last thing. To prevent denizens of the deep from sneaking to the surface, we stopped at a station that isn't connected to the city. Once you exit the train, just go down that tunnel. You'll eventually be at Inkopolis Station 1. From there, you should be able to enter the city."

Akikta nodded. "Thanks for the directions. And thanks for helping us out."

"No, no. Thank you for boarding with us today!" Astro smiled.

Akikta thought to ask why the assistant went to such lengths to ensure he and Nakji would be ok. After all, he already did his part by providing them with snacks on the train. But from their interactions, he could tell Astro was simply a nice guy who liked to help people.

Again, Akikta nodded to Astro and C.Q. Cumber. "Come on, sis." He said to Nakji before turning and walking towards the train doors. She followed close behind, bouncing happily with each step.

"Safe travels, friends." C.Q. Cumber called out as they left.