Chapter 8: The Elusive Bounder/ The Intensifying Harmony

Back with Owen and the Pearl Drone, they quickly ran back into the elevator, looking exhausted.

"I sure hope my Prince finds a way to get them to come here, too, so they can help us," Owen said.

"At least we aren't starting over from the beginning. You were flawless back then, Eight," said Pearl.

Owen smiled while saying, "That is true."

"This is Captain Terry calling for intel providing," Captain Terry continued. "Team Octavious is on the hunt for the Palette-owning victims. They are Murch, Sheldon, and DJ Octavio."

"Not Highness and Sheldon. But who's Murch?" Owen confused.

"Who knows?"

"Eight…odds are good that we're coming up on a boss. You'll need to be smart at the core and careful on top," said Marina.

"Don't worry, Marina. Brains is my specialty," Owen answered.

"Marina, you worry too much! Owen Eight's gonna be just fine. The two of us got this!" said Pearl.

"R-right…of course," Marina replied worriedly.

"There's that unsolicited advice I'm so familiar with," said Acht.

"I can't help it! Pearl's just too precious. She's fearless at the core and adorable on top of that."

"Huh. This side of you is less familiar."

Taylor smiled and thought, "She moves from Prince Octavius to Pearl…Or did she have it all along?"

When the elevator reaches the 2nd boss floor, Owen and the Pearl Drone go right in.

As Owen takes the lift, Pearl says, "What's the giant ball thing? Watch yourself, Eight!"

Soon, the Pinging Marciale begins its take as Owen starts to fire.

"It's so adorable," she commented.

"Woah. It looks just like the Octowhirl. Sammy, can you get some information on the enemy?" Terry asks.

"(I'm already on it.)," Sammy answered and typing.

"I'll prepare the info," Tyler continued. "This Big Ball of Jelleton is the Pinging Marciale. It's only vulnerable on its exposed faces. So, Agent 8, go for the faces. But look out for its bomb attacks, waves, and killer wails. It will get smaller five times."

Back with Prince Octavius's group, they find Murch, Sheldon, and DJ Octavio's prisons.

"FATHER! Sheldon and the other guy, we're here to rescue you," said Prince Octavius.

"Son?! You ended up here, too?!" DJ Octavio was surprised.

"Thank goodness we're found because I think I discovered the mastermind's code somewhere in the hard drive cells, just north of here," said Sheldon.

"Just get us out here," Murch yelled.

"Alright, but we need to fight the firewall's security measures," said Marie.

"At least we'll vent my anger on Order," said Frye.

The Intensifying Harmony, Parallel Canon, emerges from the firewall when the firewall surrounds the three cages.

"A weird version of me and Chris?!" Corey surprised.

"It's too late to be in shock. Let's take them down. The pieces of our souls might be in them," said Chris, ready to fight.

"But they got a drone as well. But it's scary looking," said Callie.

"Fear is for failures. Let's do it," said Shiver.

"Ay ay!" said Big Man.

"Two big fights happening in different places but in the same world," Squid Cuttlefish commented.

"(I think I know a hack that might help our friends in comeback)," said Sammy, who remained typing.

Suddenly, two Hugefry-like viruses appeared before both bosses and began to devour them quickly. Everyone, inside and outside the Memverse and in the real world, looked in shock to see the viruses. But Sammy seemed so proud of his work that he bounced up and down before snuggling up to Tyler.

"I think we need to keep an eye on Sammy. His hacking skills seem too dangerous for the world to witness," said Taylor.

"Wait?! Sammy made this virus to help us?!" Prince Octavius overheard.

"I'm amazed as well, but terrified too," Owen added.

"I need to learn about this."

"Me too," Marina agreed.

After both bosses were defeated, a basket of Palettes was dropped for Owen, and the firewalls were extinguished.

"Hey, I have a Palette too. Now I have more space to place my Color Chips. I put every Range and Mobility Color Chip in Chris's Palette. It's full," said Owen.

"Father," Prince Octavius exclaimed while going to DJ Octavio.

"Oh, Octavius. Thank the mackle. You're safe," his father said, hugging him.

"Ay ay ay ay ay. (Again, I love family reunions)," said, Big Man.

"Hey, you people know what's going on, so please get me out of here," said Murch.

But soon, Chris's palette-filled Range and Mobility began to float and glow with her colors. Everyone from the real world, cyberspace, and the virtual world watched it happen. Chris and Corey began to disappear.

"Huh? What's happening?" Chris shouted.

"Help! Someone help!" Corey yelled before he and Chris disappeared.

"What happened?!" Owen shouted.

"Chris and Corey are gone!" Callie worried.

"How knows where they ended up?" Marie added.

But then Chris and Corey, now their usual selves in their agent outfits, appeared before Owen and the Pearl Drone.

"WOW! Agents 4 and exited cyberspace," Pearl commented.

"Yeah…We're free from cyberspace!" Chris cheered.

"What?! That's not fair!" Frye yelled.

"How is this possible?" Shiver questioned.

Prince Octavius answered, "I think, after Chris and Corey defeated their evil Order counterparts and Owen filled up Chris's Palette with the preferable Color Chips, they could manifest into the Memverse."

"So, what you're saying is if we fight the Order doubles and Owen puts the right Color Chips on our Palettes, we'll be able to get out of cyberspace into the virtual reality?" Sheldon asks.

"Correct. With Chris and Corey now on Owen's side, let's keep moving to find our doubles and the keys to returning everyone else to their bodies."

Owen, Chris, Corey, and the Pearl Drone entered the elevator, and Pearl said, "Good going, Eight. And we got Chris and Corey out of cyberspace from the deal!"

"No problem," Owen answered.

"Yeah, thanks for getting my boyfriend and me out of there. Let's hope the others will make it out of there, too," Chris said.

"That boss, though, huh? This Order creep ain't pulling its punches anymore," Pearl commented.

"It must've made these to stop anyone from ruining its plan. It said it wants to turn the Memverse into a "colorless world of order." Said Marina.

"A colorless world?! How evil," Corey commented.

"(We can't live in a world without colors! It will be all black, white, and gray)," said Sammy.

"A world of mindless puppets, huh? Sounds exactly like where I was before I came here," said Acht.

"Acht…you weren't in the Deepsea Metro, weren't you?" Marina asked.

"Thinking back at that adventure, I recall seeing her in a DJ Booth while trying to find Cuttlefish," said Terry.

"Hold up-the Deepsea Metro?! That's where we pulled Eight out from!" said Pearl.

"That's the place. Someone or something there to my will away. I was forced to DJ for it," said Acht.

"I was right," said Terry.

"Your will was taken, Acht?! How awful," said Taylor.

"Ughhh…I still have bad memories of it," Owen said. "How about you, Acht?"

She answered, "I don't remember much about my time there. Except…I heard this voice…. The point is, it's better left in the past."

Marina said, "I can't believe you went through something so awful! I developed the Memverse in the first place to restore the minds of "sanitized" Octarians like you. And since we're having this conversation, it must've worked!"

"Huh. So that was you. I'm racking up quite the debt."

"Oh, yes. I remember Octavious recommending Marina's idea, so we funded it," said DJ Octavio.

Pearl said, "All this is more reason to reclaim the Memverse from Order. Those other Octolings need help too!"

"The flying machine in white is right! We must continue onward! Go Squidbeak Splatoon!" said Squid Cuttlefish.

"Aye aye, Cuttlefish," said the Agents respond.

"Yeah, Gramps," said the Squid Sisters.

"You got it, Craig. I'm ready to fight this Order," said DJ Octavio.

"I don't know what's going on, but if it means getting back home, I'm in," said Murch.