Chapter 11: City of Inkadia

"The City of Freshness."

After walking through the tunnel, Akikta and Nakji eventually arrived at Inkopolis Station 1, just like Astro said they would.

It was packed with people, mainly inklings and jellyfish. "Over here!" Nakji said, taking Akikta's hand and dragging him through the dense crowd. She tugged him up a flight of stairs toward a bright light. The brightness made Akikta close his eyes.

"Whoa..." Nakji gasped.

Once they reached the top, Akikta slowly opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the oncoming brightness. When he could finally see, he joined Nakji in her wowed state. "Whoa..."

All around them were the streets of a metropolis—cars whizzed by them, all varying in color, shape, size, and design.

There was constant chatter everywhere as sea creatures of all kinds passed by, entering and exiting the various shops on the sidewalk. As some passed Akikta, he got a whiff of the strong heavy-duty cologne they wore, making his nose recoil instinctively.

He backed away and looked up at the towering buildings and flashy billboards that slightly obscured his view of the daytime sky. Even then, he could still feel the warmth of the sun's rays.

This was it. Inkopolis. "This place reminds me of home," Akikta commented, noting how similar Inkopolis looked to Alterna before its collapse. It was nothing like Splatsville, with its chaotic layout. It looked more orderly and compact, what he expected from a bustling city.

Without wasting another moment, Akikta unhooked his radio. "Sal?" He spoke, only to hear lip smacks in response.

"Oh, hey, A. You there yet?" Sal asked, swallowing whatever was in his mouth.

"Yeah, we're here. This place is a lot bigger than I thought it'd be."

"I know, right?"

"You've been here before?"

"Eh, once or twice," Sal stated. "We're in the home stretch now, A. I don't think I need to tell you what'll happen if you mess up," he said, sounding a little on edge.

"Don't worry. I won't mess up." Akikta said confidently.

"Right. Once you do your part, let me know immediately, and I'll give you new coordinates. We'll meet there."

Akikta couldn't help but smile at the idea of meeting Sal. He had wondered what the man looked like for so long. Was he tall? Short? Black? White? What color were his eyes? Was he bald? Akikta's imagination ran wild.

"Also, be careful. I'd prefer it if you didn't run into any more of those agents. If they catch you on their home turf, things could get really bad." Sal warned, snapping Akikta back into focus mode.

"Right. Don't worry. They won't be seeing me. I'll be like a thief in the night."

"...Right..." Sal creaked. "Just remember to-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know, keep it discreet."

"Heh, glad to know you've got a good memory." Sal finished, then the radio crackled off.

Akikta rehooked the radio to his belt and turned to Nakji, whose face was pressed up against a store's display window. "Come on, Nakji. Let's roll." He waved her over; she quickly joined him at his side.

They walked down the streets for a few minutes, admiring the sights and flashing lights. Occasionally, they'd pass by posters and electronic billboards with a humanoid duo posing on them. They only stuck out to Akikta because it was always the same two people.

Both appeared to be female inklings wearing matching black dresses, earrings, and white gloves. However, one's dress had a magenta hue to it, while the other had a green tint.

Even from the billboard, he could see how different the two were compared to the common inkling. For one, the magenta inkling's eye mask was more angular than the common inkling's. Her tentacle hair was black with pinkish tips, and she had a beauty mark under her left eye. On the opposite end, the green inkling's eye mask was droopy, her hair color was white, and she had a beauty mark under her right eye. Both their ears were slightly longer than the average inkling's, with the magenta's being upturned and the green's being more downturned.

Akikta guessed the two were sisters, as they looked closely related with minor differences between one another.

They had to be celebrities. Their posters were everywhere. Speaking of posters, he noticed a big one plastered over a nearby wall with graffiti surrounding it.

The poster gave Akikta a better look at the two sisters. Their golden-colored eyes and plus-shaped pupils stood out amongst everything else.

Their pupils reminded him of that one inkling back in Splatsville. The one with the enormous forehead. She also had plus-shaped pupils. And... wait a minute.

Something in Akikta's brain told him to jot down every visible detail on the sisters. The longer he stared, the more familiar they looked. And then it hit him. "No way." He's seen these two before on the security footage back at Alterna. They were standing near Metta. They had slightly different hair colors and clothing back then, but he still recognized them.

"What?" said Nakji, confused.

"These people, I think...no. I've definitely seen them before." Akikta answered, wondering what these two inklings were doing in Alterna.

Wait, could they also be agents? They were with Metta, after all. No, no. Maybe not. They couldn't be if they were celebrities. They'd have too much on their plate. Plus, they didn't look like fighters.

Perhaps they got dragged into Alterna somehow and ended up stuck with Metta and the others? That seemed more reasonable than them being secret agents and famous.

"Are they important, Aki?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so though." Akikta shook his head, refocusing on the mission. "Anyway, let's keep moving."

"To where exactly?"

Akikta stopped, realizing a big issue with his plan. He had no plan.

He assumed if they aimlessly walked around, they'd eventually find Marie. And aside from the immobilizer, he didn't have a way to capture her.

Not to mention, he still didn't know what she looked like. Sal said she'd be hard to miss, but he hadn't seen or heard any sign of her thus far.

"Uh..." Akikta pondered on what to do, knowing they couldn't walk forever. That uncomfortable two-day train ride and fight with the agent took a lot out of him. They needed a place to stay.

"Oh!" Akikta remembered the little handkerchief Astro gave him and pulled it out of his pocket. "Hey, what does this address say?" He held it out for Nakji to read.

"Flounder Heights, apartment building four-o-eight, room two-ten." She said, Akikta making a mental note of the address.

Now all they needed to do was find it. "...Do you-"

"It's my first time here."

"Right." Akikta sighed, realizing they both had no clue where the address was. "Guess we'll have to ask around." And ask around, they did.

Asking for directions was the easiest part after Akikta learned to treat the citizens as if they were human. Most seemed kind and polite when they answered back. Others didn't want to be bothered with him.

Some inklings he asked gave Nakji a weird look. Some even refused to speak so long as she was there with him. But thanks to Astro's heads-up, it was expected, so he refrained from causing a scene.

The two followed the directions given to them by the friendlier inhabitants, and finally, they found their destination. At least, he hoped they did.

"This does have the number two-ten on it, right?" Akikta asked, surprised that even the numerical system was incomprehensible to him.

"Yeah, it does," Nakji responded assuredly.

Akikta stuck the handkerchief back into his pocket and approached the door. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, preparing himself for whoever was behind this door, and on the off-chance Nakji read the address wrong, a very awkward situation.

After composing himself, he knocked on the door seven times in a rhythmic jingle, then backed up.

Nakji stared at him. "What was that?"

"What was what?" He turned to meet her stare.

"What you just did."

"A knock?"

"You knocked seven times."

"I know."

"No one knocks that many times!"

"If you're trying to do the jingle, you do."

Nakji's face scrunched up in confusion. "The jingle?"

Akikta shook his head. "It's a human thing. You wouldn't get it."

She pouted, unpleased with his answer. Before she could continue the conversation, the apartment door suddenly unlocked and opened slightly.

An inkling girl's head poked out from the opening, her black headband being the only visible clothing. "Hello...?" She said quietly. Akikta couldn't tell what emotion her tone held, and he couldn't decipher the expression on her face.

Her cold gray eyes darted between Akikta and Nakji. She was waiting for one of them to state their business. "Yes, hi. Uh..." Akikta's mind went blank as he thought of what to say.

The inkling's eyes lowered as she stared at him. Since her dark blue hair covered her forehead and eyebrows, he couldn't tell if her brows curled in concern for whatever he was about to say or furrowed in annoyance at him for not knowing what to say.

"Sorry, we're new here in Inkopolis. We heard from a friend of yours that you could help us?"

The inkling tilted her head. "Which friend would that be exactly...?"

"Uh, Astro Mahi?" The second the name left Akikta's lips, the inking's demeanor instantly changed.

She smiled widely before standing straight and fully opening the door for them, revealing her full figure. "Astro sent you? Then you must be good people! Come in, please!" She said cheerily, waving the both of them in.

Akikta was disturbed by the sudden shift in mood, looking over at Nakji, who seemed to feel the same. But it was too late to back out now, at least not without seeming rude. He stood on guard as he followed behind the inkling, Nakji shutting the door behind them.

Upon entering, a lovely coconut smell filled their noses as they walked through a short hall.

On the left side of the hall was an open door, showing a dimly lit bathroom interior. On the sink was a single lit candle, where the coconut smell came from.

Across from the bathroom to the right was another opened door, allowing Akikta to peer into the inside of a dark laundry room.

Once they passed both rooms of interest, Akikta focused on the fair-skinned inkling herself. She wore a black jacket with long black cloth pants that stuck to her form. Below her knees were long white socks; her feet were covered by black loafer shoes with a white rim and underside.

"Sorry about the place. If I had known I was getting company, I would've cleaned up." The inkling apologized, causing Akikta's gaze to drift off her to the large room they entered.

It was a living room with a big black sofa in the middle facing a large screened TV mounted to the wall. On either side of the wall were glass sliding doors leading out to a wide balcony. In front of the sofa was a round table with a bunch of magazines and empty cups and boxes on it. And on the right wall of the living room were two doors spaced apart from each other. Akikta assumed those were the bedrooms.

The inkling suddenly twirled to face Akikta; He noticed her jacket was unzipped. Luckily, her chest was covered by a short black crop top. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Inka!"

"I'm Akikta." He introduced, then pointed to the female octoling, who was feeling up the couch. "And this is Nakji."

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you!" She said with a warm smile, showing her teeth.

Inka's teeth were sharp. She had three large canines instead of four. Two were on the upper sides of her mouth, and one was in the center at the bottom. Were inklings' teeth always like that, or was it just her? The more he looked, the more it resembled a beak.

"So, uh. Sorry if this is a sensitive question, but what's with the mask?" Inka politely questioned, breaking Akikta out of his concentrated examination of her teeth.

He wanted to tell her it was classified, but he didn't want to come off as shady. "Sorry, I got into a pretty bad accident in the past. Trust me. You don't want to see under here."

"Oh, alright. Well, um, I know your friend is an octarian, but what are you? An urchin?" She asked curiously.

"Actually, I'm also an octarian. She's my sister." He answered.

Inka's face turned into one of awe. "Wow, I've never seen one so tall before!" She stared up at Akikta, which brought an awkward silence.

She cleared her throat after catching herself staring. "Are you guys hungry? I can make you something to eat if you'd like."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to impose-" Nakji unexpectedly jumped on Akikta's back, causing him to stagger. He barely kept his balance.

"I'm hungry!" She announced.

Inka couldn't help but giggle. "Don't worry. You're not imposing anything. You're my guests! What do you guys want?"

Akikta stood up straight, now giving Nakji a piggyback ride. "Well, if you insist, I don't really mind whatever you cook. I'll eat anything."

"I'll eat anything as well." Nakji seconded.

Inka nodded with a smile before walking off to the left corner of the room, where a small kitchen was situated. It was separated from the rest of the living room via a counter, but regardless of where anyone stood in the living room, they could see into the kitchen and vice versa.

"So, what brings you to Inkopolis?" Inka asked as she rummaged around for pans and ingredients, making a ruckus in the process.

"Oh, we're just visiting to take care of some...business," Akikta responded. "We won't be here long."

"Aw, that's a shame. I was hoping you'd be living here." She said, sounding a little down. "But you are at least staying for the Splatfest tomorrow night, right?"

Akikta perked up. "Splatfest? What's that?"

Inka suddenly dropped a pan. The loud clanging noise it made upon impact spooked Akikta enough to make him drop Nakji, who landed on the carpeted floor with an audible "oof."

The inkling turned towards him, her face in disbelief. "You don't know what a Splatfest is? For eel?!"

Akikta awkwardly shrugged. "Is it something important?"

"Uh, YEAH! Only the most important thing in all of Greater Inkopolis!" She picked up the pan that fell, quickly setting it aside before rushing to Akikta. "Come here!" She said excitedly and grabbed him by the hand, her's being softer than he expected. She then grabbed Nakji before dragging them both out to the balcony.

As she did, Akikta made a mental note that neither Inka nor Nakji had fingernails.

Once outside, Inka pointed down to the streets. "Look!" Akikta and Nakji both looked to see a bunch of jellyfish prepping large trucks.

"Every few months, the city holds a special event called a Splatfest." She said giddily. "During the festivities, all sorts of cool things happen. But for me, the highlight is when popular idols and bands perform for the masses live! It's like a free concert!" She explained, clapping her hands excitedly while lightly bouncing on her feet, making her four tentacles swing.

"Usually, the performances are held at either the plaza or square, but I hear this time the Squid Sisters are gonna sing on the coastal shore, right next to the Manta Maria!" Akikta and Nakji simply nodded their heads in response to Inka. "I can't wait to see Callie and Marie perform again!"

Both Akikta and Nakji jumped at the mention of the latter name. They gave each other a quick stare before Akikta spoke. "You know Marie?"

"Who doesn't know Marie? She's one of the most popular idols in the entire city! Maybe in the entire region!" Inka claimed.

"Do you happen to know what she looks like?" Akikta asked, earning a weird look from Inka. That look morphed into a cheeky grin before she pointed to one of the many billboards.

Her finger landed on the green inkling he had seen earlier. She's Marie? He thought, not believing how right Sal was. She really was hard to miss. He had been seeing posters, newspaper clippings, and small ads of her everywhere. "Wow..." He muttered loudly, baffled that she's been in front of him the whole time.

"Caught your interest, huh?" Inka asked as she leaned on the balcony's railing, resting her head on her hand.

"I guess you could say that." He answered awkwardly.

Inka's smile faltered slightly, then she looked at the billboard. "Well, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I'd go for someone more in your league. No offense, but she won't even bat an eyelash at nobodies like us." The more Inka spoke, the more Akikta's face grew red as he realized what she meant.

He never thought about things like that unless his brother teased him about them. Though all the girls Akikta was interested in were gone, he didn't want to consider the evolved sea life as an alternative, not even the humanoid ones. He just hoped he could find a romantic interest in Sal's clan.

"So, about you fixing us something to eat?" He redirected the conversation, unwilling to discuss the previous topic further.

"Oh, right! I was thinking about a clam chowder soup. How does that sound to you guys?"

"Clam soup sounds delicious." Akikta agreed.

"What's that?" Nakji asked.

"You've never had clam soup before?!" Akikta and Inka said simultaneously, to which Nakji responded by shaking her head.

"It's delicious. Trust me, you'll love it. Actually, do you want to help me make it?" Inka offered.

Nakji looked to Akikta, as if asking for permission. Although she didn't need his say-so, he gave her a thumbs up. She then looked back at Inka and nodded.

After she accepted, Inka grabbed her hand. "Let's go then!" She raced with Nakji back into the apartment, leaving Akikta alone on the balcony.

He leaned forward on the railing, staring at the billboard with Marie posing next to who he assumed was Callie. Akikta still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he had seen Marie back in his home. Even if it wasn't face-to-face, it was a colossal coincidence that his journey would lead him right to her. It almost seemed like fate.

Admittedly, his resolve was challenged. He was about to steal Callie's sister to save his brother. As poetic as it was, the thought of how it would affect Callie made him feel terrible; After all, he'd be devastated if his brother was abducted. But at the end of the day, he had to remind himself that if it were between Marie and Chaska, he'd pick Chaska any day of the week.

"Enjoy your time here while you can, Marie," Akikta grumbled, not feeling good about what had to be done.

To get his mind off the mission, he admired Inkopolis's flashy scenery. The view vaguely reminded him of when he and his grandfather looked over Alterna exactly like this, minutes before he was frozen.

Akikta's admiration for the city was cut short, interrupted by the sudden sensation of a buzzing headache.

Suddenly, he got weak in the knees and had to use the railing to balance himself. "Whoa..." He muttered, nearly falling over. "I'm gonna go lie down."

After some strength returned to his legs, Akikta lumbered to the sofa and lazily threw himself onto the comfortable leathery furniture.