Octoling's cave complex                                                                                                                                                                             five years ago

Inside the cave, many sounds could be heard. The hums of the many hovering platforms in the complex underground cave system being used to move around, the whispers of socializing Octolings, the clanking of weapons being forged, and the faint yelling of a deep voice. The yelling voice belonged to a skinny young male Octoling, who was being dragged along by two adult females, despite his constant thrashing. They were wearing goggles that covered up their eyes, and had two red pieces of plastic over their eyes, allowing them to see with thermal imaging and other benefits. The male was wearing a white tee and black gym shorts. His eyes were piercingly blue.

"Let me go!" He shouted. He kicked his legs, flailing like a fish out of water, then quit, letting himself be dragged. He was thrown to the floor in front of the female Octolings, but looked up to see another one just like them, but with white skin instead of brown. She was quite smaller and younger, she looked about seventeen. She drew a metal weapon from her belt, and pointed it at him. Wait a minute... He thought. That isn't the usual form of an ink-gun. It looks like an N-zap... but thinner and smaller.

"Don't move." She snarled. "Lift him up." She said to the adults, who lifted the male Octoling to his feet. He was limp, so it was easy to do. He was looking at the ground. "Make him look at me!" One of the adults lifted his chin to look at her, and the male opened his eyes. He looked sleepy: His eyes were not open all the way, only halfway. "Better. How're ya doin', Oct? Wish that you had come along peacefully?" He snarled in an animal-like way, and looked sideways. "Yeah? Me too." She grabbed his chin with her free hand and forced him to look at her. "Why'd ya runaway, Oct? We needed you, and you just... ran away."

"Gee. I wonder." He said weakly. Then, with a surge of strength, he said: "Maybe it's because your mom was the worst ruler of this place. Oh no, wait! She didn't rule this place, she caused us to come here." He narrowed his eyes. "She was the world's WORST military stagiest and she got what she deserved! We're in this place of hell because of her, and you want me to do HTO?" Maybe THAT'S WHY." His face darkened after he said this. "See? That's w-"

Before he could finish, the female released her grip on his chin, and smashed her free fist into his face. "DON'T SPEAK OF MY MOTHER LIKE THAT!!!" She yelled to his face. "Let him go, he can stand on his own." This last command was instructed to the adults who quickly obeyed. She put her gun away in her belt, and advanced to the male, fists clenched. He stumbled forward a step, clutching his face broken nose. She punched him in his stomach, causing him to fall backwards. She walked over to him, smiling at the male who was clearly frightened. He tried to sit up, but she punched his face back down. She then stepped on it, over and over, the paused. "Ready now, Oct?" She asked.

"Perhaps you should ask yourself that. If you continue to do this..." He paused, and looked skeptical. "... I got no other half to that insult, J. But you're no better than your Inkling mom if you continue to do this, you filthy, cheating, cruel half-breed."

"BWAAP! WRONG ANSWER!" She yelled. She grabbed him by his neck, and forcefully shoved him into a wall. She pressed his face into the wall with two hands. "Now, Oct..." She growled. "Let's hear the RIGHT one." She flipped him around, and started choking his neck with her left hand.

"Gr-uh!" He groaned, and he closed his eyes tight. His neck muscles tightened. "Will... n-n-never... do it..."

"DO IT!!! She yelled at his face. She pulled a small pocket knife from her belt, pointing it at his face. "For the good of the Octolings. For us."

"No... results are unpredictable... never been done before..." He gasped.

"Really? Never been done before, huh?" She released her grip, and stepped back. The male gasped for air, clutching his neck, and slouched down as she took off her goggles. "How did I, a teenage girl, beat you, a powerful male up?" She threw her goggles on the floor. Her deep purple irises glowed softly. "Really. Check this out." She took a few steps back, with each one she turned translucent, each step turning her more so than the one before. By her fifth step, she had completely vanished from view. The male widened his eyes, and stood up, pressing his back into the wall. "Camouflage." Her voice said out of the air, "Is just the start. Giving us our superior abilities is just the beginning. The power you could have!" She faded visible again, threw her hand into the air, and then looked at him. "Wanna try it?" She held out her hand to him. He hesitated. Closed his eyes. What choice did he have? He held out his shaking hand, messed up as bad as his face with his green Inkblood and bruises.

And took it.