Chasing Chaos - An Order Up Sequel

Part 1 - "A New Day"

It was a very peaceful morning in Inkopolis Square.
Since it was springtime, everyone loved to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather, and Agent 8 was no exception!
They woke up early as they often do - meanwhile their roommate, Agent 4, always sleeps in a for few hours. The apartment's silence in the morning is sometimes boring, but can also be quite peaceful on days like today.
The octoling headed to the kitchen to make their favorite breakfast - and while cooking sometimes took a while, the result was always worth it!
...Even if they did have to clean up immediately after.
Oh, well.

Along with their breakfast, they poured a nice cup of orange juice - pulp? No pulp? They almost couldn't believe that was important enough to be a Splatfest theme, but it was at least better than Front Roll VS Back Roll.

Regardless, they sat down to eat while listening to the Inkopolis News on the TV...with the volume quiet, of course. It would be rude to wake their friend up!
The stage rotations and modes for the day looked interesting enough. They considered maybe playing Tower Control later today - no use in wasting it inside!

But,
The day had other plans.

"Huh?" Agent 8 looked down at their phone, which got a few notifications from Pearl in a group text named Team Eight.
Surprisingly, that was Pearl's idea.
Anyway, they opened their phone and read the messages - causing their eyes to widen in surprise!

MC.Princess: "Yo, Eight! Get ready for another blast to the past, 'cuz Smollusk's causing BIG trouble for Marina again. Be at the Memverse ASAP! I'll fill you in on the deetz when you get here!"

...They sighed.
Here we go again...

Just as they were about to rush out of the apartment, they quickly stopped themself. It was a possibility that they'd be gone for a while and they didn't want Agent 4 to worry...
They grabbed a sticky-note and a pen from a drawer, and left a quick note on the table. Just in case.

With that loose end tied up, they ran out the door.

'Hey,
There are problems in the Memverse again. I'm going to help Pearl, Marina, and possibly Acht fix them up. I'll probably be home late, so don't wait for me to have dinner together. See you soon.
- Eight'

Agent 4 read the note over twice before putting it back down on the table.
The Memverse is in trouble?
And nobody invited THEM?!
The audacity! Last time the Memverse was in danger, they and their friend stopped it together! Besides, as stated before, Agent 4 was placed in charge of the Memverse back when Marina first created it. Had they seriously lost her trust...?

...They chose to believe it was because Callie and Marie wouldn't be happy if they went back. Agents 1 and 2 were actually very concerned for them - Marie even gave them a lecture on 'The Rules of the Battlefield' again!
...The Agent 4 Factopedia nearly doubled that day.

Still - they wanted to prove themself! This was their job, too!
So, they suited up into their Hero Gear - and wow, they missed it. The headphones, the comfortable sweatshirt, even the huge snow boots...it was SO much better than the boring, monotone armor in the Memverse!
And oh, they weren't done with their preparations yet, either. Unlike Team Eight, who never bothered to invite them, Agent 4 would absolutely invite a certain friend who helped them defeat "Order Mk.4" and return the rest of their soul two months ago...
They shot a quick text.

4_The_Win: "The Memverse is in trouble and I'm going to help fix it again. Want to come with me?"

They waited a few seconds. He was usually quick to reply, so it wasn't a surprise when not even a minute later...

H4CKER: "What? You seriously wanna go back to that place? You remember how it stole your soul and nearly killed us all, right?"

Agent 4 sighed.

4_The_Win: "Yeah, but it's to save lives of the sanitized octarians. It's my duty as an Agent to help!"

H4CKER: "...Youre serious about this, huh?"

4_The_Win: "Yup!"

H4CKER: "..."

H4CKER: "Alright. If you say so. And who am I to leave a teammate hanging? I can't let you go without ME, of course..."

Agent 4 didn't reply to that.

H4CKER: "K, I'll meet you there. Do me a favor and show up first though? You know Pearl and Marina hate me for threatening them and stealing money from Pearl's bank account. And I'm pretty sure Agent 8 hates me by association. And as funny as it'd be to get there before you, they'd probably kick me if I don't have an advocate."

...Well, he was completely right, but the inkling wasn't about to admit that. That would feel incredibly awkward. So instead, they just sent the most vague reply they could.

4_The_Win: 👍

And with that, they shut their phone off, grabbed a breakfast bar - can't beat enemies on an empty stomach, after all - and swiftly ran out the door.

It was time to prove themself as a skilled Agent of the 'New Squidbeak Splatoon' again!