"I have to do this next trial before we proceed," D1 explained.

"I can help!" Albert exclaimed, grabbing his broken Inkbrush, which had only the tip, meaning he could only slap enemies with ink and couldn't roll it along the ground.

"No it's too dangerous without a proper weapon," D1 retorted, "Look, you wanna get out right?"

Albert nodded, "Yeah."

"Well the surface is amazing for someone like you," D1 continued, "But if you die here you'll never see it. So wait on the train car, if you don't wanna risk it."

"What's it like up there anyways?" Albert inquired.

"There's these little lights in the sky at night called stars," D1 explained, "Like... little eyes. They dazzle in the black sky."

"I wanna see!" Albert exclaimed eagerly.

"Then wait here," D1 replied, "Just a few more trials and we'll get you up there..."

D1 entered the fray, the trial pitting her against several sanitized Octolings in a timed deathmatch. D1 opened strong, charging down an enemy sniper with a curling bomb to cut through the enemy ink before she blasted them to kingdom come. She turned around to dodge fire from two enemies with Dualies strafing until they ran out of ink and blasting them both with another bomb.

However she had forgotten one enemy who took aim from beneath their green ink and prepared their Splat Roller.

There was a scream, as they were suddenly sprayed with ink. The Octoling turned around to see a trembling Albert, the fear of death in his eyes. The Octoling attempted to splat him, but Albert ducked to the side of their blow, sliding on the ink to got to an opening on their right and finish them off.

The rest was completed. Albert's hands shook, he felt his heart race like it was going to explode.

But that didn't matter to him as he rushed over to check on D1. He asked her, urgency in his voice, "A- are you OK? It's O- OK. We w- won."

"I'm fine," D1 assured, "I'm OK. Thanks. Got in a little over my head."

"D- don't leave me," Albert begged, "W- we have to g- get to the surface. Y- you wanna s- see the stars a- again. Right?"

"Hey hey," D1 assured Albert, but also dodged the question, "Easy. Easy. Look at me. I'm here. I'm OK. Take slow, deep breaths. OK?"

Albert listened, slowly calming down as D1 continued, "Do you always have a panic attack when you fight?"

Albert nodded, "I don't wanna die. Not before I see the stars."

"OK," D1 replied, "Look, if you're really insistent on helping me fight you need to like, find a way to not have a panic attack every time. Lemme try something."

She placed some earbuds in Albert's ears and put on some music and smiled at him, playing some music, "When we get into trouble, just, focus on the music, focus on my voice singing. OK?"

Albert nodded, "OK."

"You're not alone anymore Albert," she assured, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "I'm here now. It's going to be OK..."

Meanwhile in the present, after another two weeks of pushing towards the radio tower, Albert prepares to lead an assault on a gang using orange ink who had taken control of an old clothing store. It was slightly out of the way of their main goal, a detour, but a necessary one. As he explained to Terry, "...and yeah I don't trust the masses at all, but I want them to be safe. It's not malice, it's lack of faith in them to do right by themselves. The refugees need clothes to stay warm with the nights getting colder until we get them out of the city, so we need to take this store for them."

Terry nodded, "Yeah that makes sense. So you don't like, hate people?"

"No I just think they can't choose right," Albert elaborated, "So I'm not gonna let them choose anymore. I'll, we'll, choose for them. It's what's best for em."

"I'm not gonna argue that right now but we are gonna have to discuss that at some point," Terry sighed. "I'll move in and make a diversion, you head around their back entrance with your Splattershot and take them by surprise."

"Just as planned," Albert confirmed with a smile and a nod.

Terry rushed in, Albert got out his new headphones and took a deep breath. He muttered to himself, picking the track #13, an angry sounding song with rap singing in it. "Focus on your voice," He muttered to himself, "Right?"

He blasted the music and began to slip around back. Two grunts stood at the back entrance, Albert threw two burst bombs, catching them off guard before he splatted them with the last bits of ink in his tank. He dove into the ink to recharge before kicking the door in to see four more goons.

Albert threw a bomb in the center of the room to ink it before they could react, which splatted one of them. Another fired off their dualies, missing Albert who dove out of the way but knocking his headphones off.

The music stopped ringing in his ears. He began to realize just how outmanned he was, his hands began to shake as the walls closed in around him. He couldn't breathe. He tried to fire on the free remaining grunts, but he couldn't steady his hands to aim.

He turned to his bombs to defend himself, avoiding a sling from a goon wielding a Splatroller, he dove into ink. His hands shook as he emerged from the side of the third remaining goon and blasted them with two bombs. The gunner with Dualies landed some shots, causing Albert to panic and activate his Splatdown, which the room was to small to escape from.

Albert struggled to catch his breath, "God... I..."

Terry entered the back room declaring, "Hey good work man it was easy without the backup from back here interfering, how stuff go-" He saw Albert vomit from stress.

He rushed over to Albert, "Hey! Dude? You good?"

Albert wiped the vomit from his mouth, catching his breath, "I... I'm alright. I'm..."

Terry handed Albert his headphones, knowing music would help calm him down and unsure what else to do.

"Thanks," Albert sighed, "Sorry I... yeah remember that anxiety thing I mentioned?"

"Man maybe you shouldn't like," Terry explained, "Go back to Rainmaker after all this is over? If it's hurting you-"

"No no!" Albert assured, "I love Rainmaker matches! I just... I grew up in like, the Deep Metro, so when I hear gunfire I associate it with the prospect of me being potentially killed. But I love the games themselves. I just need a way to handle the noise. It's a trigger for me. Buddy of mine told me to use music so..."

"Wait, you grew up down there?" Terry demanded.

Albert nodded, "Yeah. It's why I'm not good with the whole... social thing. It's why I hate this chaos stuff. I just... I just wanna have fun and feel safe. I had that. For once in my life and then Pearl and her cronies took that away from me!"

Terry looked at Albert, thinking for a moment, and then asked, "So that's why you're so obsessed with security? Because you didn't have it for so long?"

Albert snapped his fingers, "Eyyyy! You get me!"

Terry shook his head, "Albert, I'm gonna be honest. We should leave. You, me, we should just go, man. You don't need to do this."

"Leave and do what?" Albert demanded, "Rainmaker and the sense of peace of this city was all I had, man. Pearl... cost me everything."

"What about your buddy?" Terry demanded, "The one who told you to use music? Would they want this?"

Albert shrugged, "I don't know... she just... I don't wanna talk about it."

Albert began to walk away, but Terry kept pace with him, "Look, dude, listen to me just, for a second. You're not a good leader. OK? I think we can agree on that and... I'm worried about you, man. This is ripping you apart. You're like a brother to me man I love you like family. Please... at least consider leaving. I'll stand by you, but... think about it. OK?"

Albert nodded, "OK. OK. Fine. But for now let's get these clothes to the refugees."

Terry nodded in agreement, "OK."

After supplying the refugees with clothes to stave off the coming cold of Winter, Albert once more returned to the roof of the train station.

And just like many times before his phone rang.

"Hey D1," he greeted, "It's, Albert again.

...

Things have been going great! A month already since we started trying to take the city.

Terry says I should leave but, what if you answer and I'm not in the city?

Besides there's nothing for me outside of it.

Rainmaker and feeling safe after so long was all I had.

After you left...

...

We should reach the radio tower in a month with our current pace.

That'll be two months in total.

...

I had a panic attack today.

My headphones got knocked off in the fighting.

Turns out that the sound of gunfire? Still a massive trigger for me.

But soon I'll take the radio tower from pearl. She challenged me to a duel, then it'll be a lot easier.

...

I wanna hug you again.

...

I miss you.

...

You haven't released any music for a while.

...

If you were gonna release something do so.

...

At least that'll tell me you're alive.

...

I'll cya later D1."

...

Albert got a text.

"What?" Albert inquired.

It was from D1! He snapped upright as he opened it, finding only an attached audio file.

"#20 Torrent (PLAY WHEN YOU FIGHT PEARL.)"

Albert smiled, "You're still alive..."

He began to cry, "You're alive..."

But he wondered why she would randomly send a song meant to be played when he faced Pearl. However that didn't matter right now

D1 was alive. That's what he cared about...