This arc will be Third Gen's equivalent to Operation: DUTCHMAN! And unlike that story, this story should be good! This plot was mostly inspired by the Aquaman movies, except it will feature several oceanic-themed crossovers.
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Kids Next Door mission…
Operation:
O.C.E.A.N.A.
Oceanic
Crisis
Envelops
Angeles
'Nitiating
Adventure
"I just wanna point out that it's cheating to use a contraction in the acronym." Mack stated. "Yeah, the crisis initiates an adventure, but writing it like that makes us sound like gangsters, which I for one don't want to be accused of being."
"Just play the flashback, Mack!" Nora shouted.
Two years ago
Los Angeles had become a town of legends. It wasn't only the home of movies and stars: it was the town that raised the descendants of the Ocean King. This became a known legend about 50 years ago. Eva Roberts, the first Ocean Princess, was brought up in this town, and then her daughter Melody would follow. Now Melody was a grown woman, tall, strong, and beautiful. The waves washed her legs on Los Angeles Beach as she watched the next legend in the making.
Nora Asahina was a talented 9-year-old; she was fluent with the waves and could maneuver underwater like a dolphin. She could shoot high into the air and perform flips and kicks, the water bending with her motions. She returned to shore surfing on a wave of her making, sliding on the sand without stumbling and raising her arms successfully. "Solid performance, Nora!" Melody told the tan-skinned prodigy.
"Thanks, Mrs. Jackson!" she replied peppily. "But don't you mean a liquid performance?"
"Ha ha ha! Alright, Erin, it's your turn. …Erin?" She looked around. "Oh, there you are." Her daughter was standing behind her, her head bowed as she shuffled the sand nervously. "Erin, were you even watching?"
"I, uh…" The newest girl to carry the Ocean Princess title, Erin wore large blue glasses on her bucktoothed face. She was short, thin, and frail next to her proud mother and talented classmate, her bent knees and turned ankles twitching in anxiety. Her brown, ponytailed hair almost hid her nervous eyes from her mother's gaze.
"Well, go on. It's your turn. Don't just let Nora show you up."
Erin nodded meekly. She walked around Melody and shivered going to the water. Nora politely stepped aside, sporting a bubbly and supportive smile. The deeper she sank in the water, the greater the pressure in Erin's heart. She should feel comfort in the water, her own natural element, but almost every time she entered, it came with expectations. Expectations she couldn't deliver.
She took a breath and dove, but the water didn't work in her favor. She tried to swim and flip around like Nora, but she had to kick and flex a lot more to match Nora's posture, except in a more disjointed manner. When she surfaced, she would be flapping about like a fish biting a hook, trying to uplift herself with waves, only for the waves to either wash away or come back to submerge her. She eventually stabled herself on the surface and tried to spin a tall cyclone, but her wound up flipping herself upside-down and expanding a whirlpool. "Wow, cool!" Nora beamed. "You could suck in a lot of baddies with that technique!"
"Yeah, she could… if she wasn't sucking herself in." Melody could see her daughter was stuck in motion, unable to stop her own element. So, with a wave of her arm, she brought her daughter back to shore. Erin was still upside-down with her legs hanging limp. Melody picked her up and set her upright. "Erin, I'm sorry, but… what was that?"
"I was, um…trying to do like Nora did."
"Well, there's one problem with that: you weren't watching Nora."
"Sh-she just does the same she normally does. And I try to…"
"For goodness sake, Erin, you just passed CND Training, didn't you? Don't tell me you faked it?"
"N-No! I-I'm good at healing. And I, uh…erm…"
"It's true!" Nora beamed. "I scraped my knees a lot and Mack got serious bruises from the big kids, but Erin made it all better!"
"That's good, but what about the physical courses?"
"Sh-she did good on those, too! She just, um…"
"N-Nora… carried me through some parts." Erin whimpered. "But, um, I did good on the stealth part. I was… able to hide 'til the end."
"Erin, it sounds like you barely passed with technicalities. But you won't be able to get by as an operative with just luck."
"I-I'm trying."
"Then let's keep trying. It's time to practice combat now. You ready?"
"Gulp…"
Erin could barely hold a Water Ship, let alone one that wouldn't harmlessly splash apart against her mother, who restrained her own chi to test her daughter's strength. When Melody began to throw light attacks at her daughter, Erin couldn't even stop or repel most of the water, winding up soaked and coughing. When it was Nora's turn, Erin didn't even wanna look. She could already hear them both moving swifter and stronger.
Nora walked Erin home after class was finished. "For what it's worth, I thought that whirlpool trick was really cool! Maybe you could develop that first!"
"I dunno…"
"Hey, guys." Mack Strongarm, their fellow operative and neighbor, was waiting on Erin's doorstep. He had a plastic bin full of bubble soap. "Training go well?"
"It went great!" Nora chirped. "Um…what's with the soap, Mack?"
"I was, uh…wondering if you'd like it. My mom, uh…she made me swim in these today…f-for some 'training'… I just never wanna see these again."
"Oh…okay." Erin read between the lines and took the bin. "I could use a bath right now."
"I'll set it up for you, Erin!" Nora offered.
"I-I can do it myself. Thanks…"
The only time Erin felt comfortable was in her bath. Soaking up to her head in warm, soothing water, filled with oceanic bath salts, a salt lamp to provide a pleasant light, and now a variety of foamy bubble soap to choose from. A cloud of bubbles enveloped Erin, lifting her to daydream land. A part of her felt bad that she found the bath more pleasant than the ocean, her own ancestral home, but it's not like she was pressured to do anything here. All she needed to do was rest and let her mind wander.
The bubbles were mesmerizing. They took all kinds of sizes and formations, and the wavy neon reflections were easy to get lost in. She let out a puff of breath, releasing several bubbles into the air. She raised her right hand and wiggled her fingers around. The bubbles followed their motion. "Hehe…" She made them stack up, stretched them like an accordion, and even merged them together before carefully breaking them into small bubbles.
Erin placed them back amongst the pile and waved both hands over the foam. The bubbles bent with ease as she shaped them like herself. She then molded them into Nora's shape, then did Mack's. Afterwards, she released them into the air. She whirled her index fingers and made the bubbles orbit like planets in a galaxy. They were all so pretty… and they were safe under the guidance of a kindhearted creator.
Present; Bubble Park
Elevated above part of Los Angeles, Bubble Park was usually frequented by families with young children. Bubbles fluttered everywhere, children excitedly chasing, popping, or trying to catch them. There were small pools full of foam where kids gave their selves fake beards, hats, or in one girl's case, her own foamy cat with yarn and a food bowl.
Erin pulled a bubble to her fingertip like gravity. The bubble reflected her bubbly smile as she pinched the bubble, squishing her reflected face in and out. "Are you sure you wanna train here?" asked Mack. "Just sayin' the customers might not be fine with it."
"Oh, the robots are harmless, anyway." Nora brushed off. "Besides, these kids get to watch Erin in live action! I bet they've never seen a bubblebending Sea Princess! Have you, Madeleine?"
Madeleine smiled and shook 'no.' She was a young girl level with Erin's waist, with black hair and wearing only a white dress. Madeleine was a mermaid they rescued on a mission, but not only was she made into a human, a magic curse robbed her of her voice. She found Sector L to be a nice home and was pleasant company to the hard-working operatives.
"Well, it's only experimental after all." Erin said sheepishly.
"You've been 'experimenting' with it the past two years." Mack remarked. "Honestly, if you're already good at keeping normal bubbles together, I bet you'd be pretty good with Sabaody bubbles."
"Say, maybe Erin's a Bubble Dreamer!" Nora gasped. "They're good at blowing real-life bubbles, right? Then no wonder she's in my dreams every night!"
"I'm, uh, pretty sure that's not me."
Nora was still notably taller than her friends, wearing a white top with a blue, open jacket, blue jean-shorts, short blue socks, and grayish-blue sneakers. Her light-tan skin came from her Adabatian heritage, an island tribe who worshipped the Sea God. Erin had always believed Nora's strong admiration and support for her stemmed from Erin's relation to the Sea God, but Nora assured that her love was genuine. She had no reason to doubt her best friend, but Nora's constant praise made Erin feel worse about her lackluster waterbending. She still felt pathetic next to Nora's stronger, prettier physique.
In fact, what made Nora even more special was her Fanalis heritage, which came with strong legs that made her fast on land and a powerful kicker. Combining that with her Adabatian swimming prowess, she was a body of talent.
"That's better than having Chris or Laruta in your dream every night…" Mack muttered.
"Awe, he's stuck between two girls." Nora cooed.
"N-No I'm not, I hate them!"
"But don't they support you with everyone else now?"
"Doesn't mean I forgive them for torturing me…"
Mack had short black hair in standing spikes, black glasses, a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes with metal soles. He was the team's scientist and a metalbender, but he had an arrogant demeanor to show for it sometimes. Mack spent his whole childhood as his mother's guinea pig, a situation Erin felt sick just thinking about. This was the cause of Mack's attitude, which in turn caused several other ops to dislike him. Fortunately, they began to respect and sympathize with Mack after he told the truth, but the road there left a bitter taste in his heart.
"Look, can't we just get started now?" Mack asked.
"Y-Yes!" Erin fist-pumped, drawing a bubble wand. "I can't wait to show off my new tricks!"
"Alright, Mackbots! Do your thing."
Stage 0: Bubble Park
Mission: Become a Bubble Mage!
"Alright, Erin, let's start easy." Mack said as two Mackbots took position ahead. They were short robots with single wheels, yellow grins, and depicted Mack's head. "Hit those mechs with basic bubble attacks." Erin waved the wand, transmitting her bending through it as several bubbles massed. She blew forceful juts of air that fired the bubbles like bullets, popping, denting, and disabling the robots with good force. Recent missions taught her to solidify her water with the intent to hurt enemies, so she applied the same technique to bubbles. The act drew a couple kids' attention to her.
"Even Erin's breath is too mighty for foes to handle!" Nora cheered.
"Yeah, but let's try a close-quarters situation." Mack instructed two robots to approach Erin and thrust fists. Erin bundled many bubbles around her hands to make large, foamy gauntlets. She punched the Mackbots enough to knock them back, afterwards grabbing one in one hand. She maintained her bubbles as it tried to shake free, lifting and throwing it at the retreating Mackbot. "Looks like that one's retreating to the air!" Mack said as a robot took flight with a propeller. "How are you gonna chase it?"
"Like this!" Erin jumped, directed several bubbles beneath her right foot, and used them as a prop to step higher. She made another step under her left foot and one more on the right before reaching the Mackbot and knocking it down with a Bubble Fist.
"She can even walk across the air with ease!" Nora beamed, Madeleine clapping in excitement. "So magical!"
"Whoa!" Erin slipped and hit the ground, the watching kids jumping and pointing in worry. "Hehe. Don't have the hang of it just yet."
"Then how about a little more practice? I had my Mackbots hide five gold coins around the park. Wanna try to find them?"
"Well, that sounds fun. Sure!" Erin first crossed over a trampoline floor and saw a floating Mackbot with a coin high above. She gathered surrounding bubbles, merged them, and stacked a winding staircase. Erin bounced the bubble stairs and grabbed the coin! She then made her way to a sequence of three, bubble-made swing-sets of escalating height. She stood on the first one, bent it to swing her back and forth before jumping to the next. From the last swing, she quickly did the triple Bubble Steps to grab the coin. Erin saw another Mackbot floating off the park's edge. She shaped some bubbles into a surfboard. She jumped on and kept the board afloat as she glid forward. The Mackbot flew along a snaky path that Erin followed, wobbling for balance. She made it back to the park just in time before tumbling off the board, but luckily caught the coin in the process.
There was a coin at the base of a rectangular, glass cage. Erin Bubble Stepped her way up platforms around the cage and reached the top, the barred hatch looking unstable. Erin coated her feet with large, sneaker-shaped bubbles, jumped, and smashed through the grate, hitting the bottom! Not only did she get the coin, but a door opened to let her out. "Not even a Fanalis can match Erin's mighty feet!" Nora jumped.
"Then we're about to find out." Mack smirked. "Because… you're guarding the last coin!"
"What?!" Nora whipped the coin out of her jacket pocket. "How did this get here? Hey, Erin, I have the-"
"Ahem. When I said you're guarding it, I meant you have to stop Erin from getting it. Get it?"
"Why… wouldn't I let her have it?"
"I think Mack's saying he wants us to fight." Erin said.
"HUH?! I wouldn't dare fight my precious Erin!"
"She can only gauge the strength of her bubblebending against a real opponent. I hate to admit it, but my Mackbots don't compare to your crazy strength."
"Just fight me, Nora." Erin smiled. "I'll never know if this is good enough without a good sparring partner."
"Ooooohh…it hurts me, but I must!" Nora lashed at Erin with whirling kicks, Erin molding a foamy shield to block them. Nora's strong leg was able to puncture the bubbles, but Erin used this to her advantage by trapping Nora's leg within the thick foam. Erin ran around front to punch Nora with the Foam Fists, but slamming it to the ground enough times would finally pop the shield. Nora threw her next kick at Erin's stomach, but even the small amount of force she output made Erin stumble quite a ways back. Nora bent a Water Whip with her swift, flexible legs, the stream soaring around her flipping frame before sending it at Erin. Her Bubble Barrier popped from the strong whip, so when Nora flipped up another one, Erin spun a wave-like cluster of bubbles of her own. Nora's whip was negated by the bubbles, which in turn popped.
Erin tried to make multiple Bubble Clouds to block Nora's next onslaught of whips, but she couldn't keep up with the Adabatian's speed. The whips ripped through her hastily-made clouds and struck Erin herself. "Owwwwch!"
"Oh gosh, are you okay, Erin?!" Nora panicked. "I didn't mean to hit that hard!"
Erin knew it would do no good to sob and moan from the stinging pain. Instead, she took a big gulp, grit her buckteeth, and stood. Amassing all nearby bubbles on her wand, she blew with intense velocity, bombarding and surrounding Nora with suds until she could barely see. When Nora uncovered, Erin seemed to have vanished… until she noticed the kids pointing above her. Erin got above Nora with Bubble Steps and used the Ground Pop to smash Nora. Though the impact was sudden, Nora pushed herself up and flung Erin off.
"Well, Erin, you ready for the heavy artillery?" Mack asked, drawing a bulky gun with a bubble wand turret.
Kids Next Door: B.U.B.B.L.E.R.
Bubble Utility Blasts Bumbling Losers Erin Reviles
"That's kind of a mean acronym, but I'm ready!" Erin held out a hand to catch the gun, along with a Sabaody Soap bottle. She inserted the bottle into the ammo hatch. Sabaody bubbles were more resilient than normal ones, so with her chi to give it extra hardening, she fired them at Nora. Her friend winced from the improved force of the barrage, but Erin would take it a step further: she held the trigger to puff a larger bubble. It would launch and burst at Nora like a bomb, knocking her down. When Erin fired more bombs, Nora threw Water Balls to intercept them. She ran and rolled her way behind Erin for a kick, which the princess caught in a stronger Foam Shield. Erin ejected and bundled Nora in all the Sabaody bubbles she could, raising the struggling Adabatian to the air. She willed the bubbles to crunch in and out until Nora was able to kick herself free. But Erin surprised her with a Bubble Fist to the jaw, followed by a bubble chain to whip Nora off her stance.
"Oh, I can't take anymore, Erin!" Nora cried, sitting up on her knees. "Feeling your power like this is too great an honor to deserve! Here." She held out the coin. "You more than deserve this."
"Mommy, I wanna blow bubbles like dat!" a little girl exclaimed.
"That's cooler than the gun in your closet, Dad!" a boy cheered.
"Well, someone's got a fan club." Mack said. Madeleine did jumping jacks and mouthed Erin's name in cheers!
"No duh!" Nora stood. "That bending was great! It still kind of aches! Wait'll the bad guys get a taste of that!"
"It's kind of odd that you have a better handle on suds than normal water. After all, soap is better suited for poisonbenders in its base form. You can only bend them as bubbles because of the water mixed with the soap."
"Are you saying Erin might be a poisonbender, too?" Nora asked.
"If she is, she smells a lot better than those brats in Sector V." Mack shrugged. "Or maybe it's something like me. Metal is a sub-element to earth, but it's hard for most earthbenders to master. For me, it comes naturally!"
"Whereas normal earthbending doesn't."
"Only 'cause I like to keep my feet clean."
"It still needs a lot of work if you ask me." Melody stated.
"I know, but…GYUH?!" Erin wasn't prepared for her mother's critical tone. Or to see her materialize out of thin air. "M-M-Mom?! Where'd you come from?!"
"You were late for training. I heard a rumor saying that you come to this park often, so I decided to see what you were up to. I didn't wanna interrupt, so I bent the water particles to camouflage myself."
"Really?!" Nora gasped. "I didn't know that was a thing! Wait… we had training today?!"
"Oh, I totally forgot!" Erin clasped her head in panic. "I…"
"So, on your free time, you play with bubbles instead of mastering real waterbending?"
"It's not playing! It was…well, it started a hobby, but after a while, I got kind of good at it. I learned how to make them harder from my waterbending training. I can do a lot of cool things with it… but, I didn't wanna show you 'til I was really sure."
"I won't refute that there's helpful potential with bubblebending, but some of those tricks can also be done with normal water. The difference is that bubbles are fragile and short-lived." Melody flicked her wrist and willed all the bubbles in the park to pop at once. The children moaned in sadness, though the mechanisms would steadily fill the place with more. "Water is strong and flexible in the arms of a bender, able to quickly reshape and reform even if it's splashed into a mess. It just won't help against a real threat. And Nora, holding back on Erin like that wouldn't have taught her anything."
"I-I was only giving Erin a chance to…"
"Forget it, Nora." Erin dropped the B.U.B.B.L.E.R.. "I knew she wouldn't like it…"
"You still made a great effort." Melody said. "I just hope you can apply those skills to real waterbending. Training is still on, so let's head to the beach. I'll buy us snacks when we're there."
Madeleine patted Erin's arm in comfort, the latter solemnly following her mom. Nora reached, wanting to say something to comfort her friend, but no words came out. Mack ran to pick up the B.U.B.B.L.E.R. before jogging after Erin. "Did I mention those coins are actually chocolate?"
"I thought so. …You guys can have them." Erin gave the coins back.
Los Angeles Beach
Hundreds of people swam, played, or relaxed under the scorching sun. Teenagers flirted with each other, kids were building and kicking sandcastles. There was nothing but joy and fun on the beach. …Twenty miles away, several meters beneath the surface, predators swam with monstrous speed and vigor. Dozens of man-shaped fish ripped the currents, scaring away all other fish, their sights set on the beach of carefree humans atop the distant mountain.
"Hm hm hm hmmmm~" Nora wiggled her toes in the warm sand with a merry hum. "You know what I just realized, Erin? The Adabatians love the sea and Fanalis love the desert… which means I love the beach twice as much! …?"
Erin hugged her own knees and hung her chin between them. She had denied herself of warm sand with her sandals, fluffy socks, and brown khakis. "Come on, Erin, let's go change. Give your body time to air out."
"I don't even feel like swimming."
"You know the longer you hold it off, the longer you're stuck here." Mack remarked. "Believe me, I know."
"You know, didn't Grandma renounce the Oceana throne?" Erin asked. "It feels like Mom is trying to raise me to a standard that doesn't even matter. So, what's the problem if I wanna learn with bubbles instead of normal water?"
"It isn't about being a princess or bending bubbles or whatever." Nora said. "I'm sure your Mom just wants you to be ready and flexible, no matter what danger comes washing ashore!"
"Mmmmm…"
Nora's expression fell. Her pep talks weren't enough to raise Erin's spirits. Her eyes wandered for anything to change subjects… and she found, "Oooo, a conch shell!" She picked it up. "I heard merpeople use these as telephones. But I don't see a keypad."
"Then it's likely an abandoned crab's shell." Mack said.
Nora held the shell by her ear and cupped her hand over the other. "…Hey! You really CAN hear the ocean in here!"
"Pretty sure the real ocean is making it to your eardrum."
"It… sounds like a wave is coming."
"Yeah, one is. Surfers are getting on it."
"Oooooo, it's coming closer, guys!"
"Yeah, it…" Mack's eyes widened.
"Man, I can almost feel the rumbling."
"G-G-Guys?!"
"…!" Erin glanced up and gasped. "AAAAAAHHH!" She and Mack ran, the latter grabbing and dragging Nora, who turned in shock and horror at the incoming wave. The water brushed over the beach with extreme force, Nora using her bending to rip a gap for her friends to be safe. The beachgoers were down, dazed and hacking out water. All their equipment and snacks were ruined.
Everyone was dumbstruck as dozens of men seemed to rise from the sea, marching the submerged shore. "Are those… Fishmen?" Nora asked. They were all grown, muscular, and thuggish Fishmen of various species and colors. Alongside mermen, Fishmen were the main species of Oceana, descended from humans who went to live and became adapted under the sea. It was rare for the Los Angeles people to see Fishmen… but it was clear this was an unfriendly visit.
Among the horde, four particular Fishmen marched upfront. Their leader was a blue-skinned sawshark with a black and yellow open jacket. He greeted the humans with sharp, grinning teeth. "Let's get down to business. I'm Arlong the Saw and this here's my crew. I'm raisin' money for an important cause… and you're all going to fork it over. I want $10,000 from every adult… and $5,000 from every child. And if you can't pay…" He cracked his knuckles, "YOU'LL PAY."
"T-Ten thousand?!" a man gasped.
"Who do you think you are?!" a lady yelled.
"I ain't forkin' over the lunch money I stole!" a bully yelled. "Go away, fish freaks!" He kicked a beachball at Arlong's sharp nose. It stuck perfectly before quickly deflating. The humans all cringed back in terror and the Fishmen glared in spite… as the ball hung from Arlong's nose like a big, colorful booger.
The sawshark grabbed and ripped it off. "Pappagu?"
An orange starfish with sunglasses and a rastacap splashed out. "Yeah, boss?"
"Play our national anthem."
"Comin' right up." He pulled up a set of clam drums and bonged them. (Play "Under the Sea" from Little Mermaid!)
Arlong cracked his neck and fingers. He glanced at his henchmen; Hatchan the pink octopus, Chew the light-blue smelt-whiting, and Kuroobi the gray ray. They nodded and led their troops against the humans.
"De seaweed is always greener," Kuroobi swiftly bashed fleeing men down with his sharp elbows, "in somebody else's lake." He grabbed the bully and slam-dunked him in the ground. "You dream about going up dere," Chew spat Water Bullets into peoples' legs, "but dat is a big mistake." He tackled a woman, who screamed as his lips stretched to kiss her. "Just look at the world around you," Hatchan stretched out his six arms holding swords, spinning and slashing muscular guys, "right here on the ocean floor." He made an acrobatic pose with the swords. "Such wonderful things around you!" One of the guys tried to crawl away. "What more is you lookin' for?" Hatchan saw him and threw a sword.
"Under the sea!" Mack whacked it away with his own sword. Hatchan gasped. "Under the sea!" Mack wore a backpack with six sword-ended tentacles. Hatchan glared and charged, Mack controlling his swords with bending and swiftly countering Hatchan's. "Darling, it's better down where it's better, take it from me!" He tried to bend Hatchan's swords away, but it seemed to be made of a different kind of material. "Up on the shore they work all day," Nora threw swift kicks that Kuroobi blocked with his elbows, but her Water Whips flipped around to bash his face, "out in the sun they slave away!" She kicked him off his feet, followed by one to the jaw. "While we devoting," Chew searched around for helpless kids, "full-time to floating," and spotted Erin, "under the sea!"
The smelt-whiting spat bullets at her. "Uh-uh-oh-ah-ah," Erin's yelps were in tune with the music, "uh-uh-oh, ah-ah, oh-ah-ah, oh!" She dodged with flinching grace. Chew decided to charge at her directly, but Nora's Erin Senses began tingling! The Adabatian dashed, leapt, and KICKED in the cheek! The kissy-fish went flying 30 yards!
"Hnn?" Arlong saw the act and grit his teeth. That tanned girl was pretty strong, and her waterbending was superb. She formed a Water Octopus with human arms and legs, slapping or kicking several of their grunts away. "Could she be…" The Sea Princess that was said to live in this town. "Right on time." The captain charged at them, easily smacking away Nora's water. The girls tensed up in horror at the sawshark's fangs.
A great wave washed all the Fishmen back to the sea. "WHAT?!" Arlong splashed up in a rage. The only woman standing firm was the only one who could've done this: "Princess Melody… how LOVELY to meet you!"
"If you know who I am, you know you can't challenge me."
"Like I would back down to a puman!" Arlong dropped down and shot toward Melody with a Torpedo Spin—Melody raised her right leg, a huge gush of water rising in its shape. "BOSS, LOOK OUT!" Kuroobi screamed, Arlong quickly dodging as the foot chopped down. Arlong kicked toward Melody with teeth bared, but the princess surprised him with a Water Fist to the jaw. Arlong's strong teeth, which could munch cannonballs, shattered into pieces. "Wreshed woman!" Arlong ripped the jaws out and swiped his saw nose, Melody dodging back with ease. He heard his Fishmen screaming and was dumbstruck to see the ocean rising and transforming into a cannon (resembling F.L.U.D.D.). The cannon spat bundles of his Fishmen at him, Arlong dodging most.
Madeleine, who had been getting food with Melody, rejoined Sector L as Erin hastened to heal injured people. "This is starting to make me realize our sector needs more members." Mack said.
"At least your mom was here to turn things around!" Nora cheered.
"She sure was…" Erin sighed.
"But she wouldn't be able to heal all these injured without you, Erin!"
Kuroobi, Hatchan, and Chew were among the Fishmen fired, the henchmen achingly pushing their selves up. "Well, boys, we all expected this would happen." Arlong said, growing a new pair of teeth. "So, I think it's time we power up."
"Arlong, I still don't think they're safe to use." Hatchan said.
"Just two should be safe! Swallow them now!"
"Mw-yes." Chew kissed. He, Arlong, and Kuroobi grabbed two black and red pills from their pockets and swallowed. The Fishmen seemed to flare up with auras and reddened eyes. Kuroobi used Fishman Karate to shoot juts of water from the sea at Melody, who was able to bend them in her favor along with Chew's high-speed bullets, but Arlong surprised her with a sudden drill attack, grazing her hip. Arlong ripped out his sharp jaws, threw them, quickly grew more teeth, and repeated. Melody Water Whipped them away just as fast, but Chew managed to snipe her in the back. She still tried to dodge Arlong's teeth aimed at her left knee, but Hatchan had stretched his arms underground and grabbed her ankles from beneath, causing Melody to suffer the hit.
"What do they got? A lot of sand!" Arlong's thrown jaws attained life as they suddenly gnashed Melody all around. "We got a HOT crustacean band!" Kuroobi grabbed the surprised woman from behind and flipped her on her head. "Each little clam here know how to jam here, under the sea!" But she was able to pull a Water Whip from the sea and smack him away.
"MOM!" Erin and co. ran to her aid.
"Erin!" Melody shouted reprovingly.
"'Mom'?" Arlong cocked a brow. "You mean that little puman is the princess?! Shahaha! This is just proof Oceana has devolved!"
"Each little slug here cutting a rug here, under the sea!"
The Fishmen horde surrounded the children ravenously. Melody kicked on her Oceanic Fury, causing the ocean to rise up as a colossal figure of herself. It stretched an arm to grab and raise the four kids to safety, and its sarong would become a cyclone as it moved ashore to trap the Fishmen. "Each little snail here know how to wail here," Arlong fought the current and shot his way up the colossus, "that's why it's hotter under the water," Melody tried to break the giant's arm up, but Arlong still shot his way across the floating masses of water, "Yeah, we in luck here down in the muck here, under the sea!"
Erin desperately blew a wave of Sabaody bubbles just as Arlong lunged to their hand. "SHAAAAH!" The bubbles burned his eyes and caused him to fall back to the beach. (End song.)
"Hm." Melody smirked. "Something in your eye?"
"I'll stick something in YOUR eye!"
"FISHMAN KARATE!" The sawshark was blown away by a fierce shockwave of water. Melody and the kids looked agape, the four being returned to the ground.
There was another Fishman; a whale-shark with blue skin, wearing a yellow kimono with flower designs, and black hair in a fluffy bun. "Jinbe…" Arlong glared, pulling out his broken jaws.
"H-He's huge!" Mack stuttered.
The whale-shark approached the children. Erin stepped back in fear as he seemed to focus on her, squatting down. His 9'10" frame cast a shadow over the comparatively impish children. "Are you alright, Princess Erin?"
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, JINBE!" Kuroobi charged him from behind—Jinbe grabbed and pinned him to the sand.
"Dang! The drugs really got to you good." Jinbe grunted as Kuroobi squirmed in his hold. "Settle down already!"
"Um…I might have an idea." Erin bent out a cloud of suds and covered Kuroobi with them.
"Hm?" Jinbe cocked a brow.
"Erin…?" Nora spoke curiously.
Erin channeled her healing through the bubbles. Kuroobi's Fury died down, the ray moaning in fatigue. "Um…when I was bathing one time, I tried to test Bubble Healing on myself. It made me really sleepy… I almost drowned, hehe."
Arlong willed a new set of teeth to grow; except they were human-like with buckteeth. "What?!"
"He grew Erin teeth?!" Nora gasped.
"At my limit already? Boyths," Arlong had a lisp, "retreat! We're sending a message to the captain!" He, Hatchan, and Chew charged back to the ocean, fighting the force of Melody's cyclone and escaping to open waters.
Her Fury still active, she bundled all the other Fishmen in a giant bubble and froze them. "This was an unexpected visit, Jinbe."
"I heard that Arlong's crew was coming to invade this town. No doubt because it was your home."
"I'm confused!" Erin yelled. "How do you know each other, and who were those guys?! And how do you know me?!"
"Who WOULDN'T know the amazing Princess Erin?!" Nora questioned.
"Jinbe is an acquaintance." Melody answered. "A knight of Oceana. We only meet during my occasional visits there. I told him about you."
"And those pirates are but some of many who have staged a revolution against the Ocean King… throwing Oceana into disarray. A strange drug began to go around; a drug that empowers their chi and forces them into Fury Mode. With this new power, they've overrun the Seven Cities of Oceana, including the capital. Fortunately, God Manaphy has scattered the Seven Talismans to seal his palace, thus protecting the Sea Crown."
"Ooo, ooo, I know this story!" Nora perked up. "The Sea Crown is, like, the thing that balances the ocean, right?"
"And that which enables waterbending for all those on Earth. As we speak, the Oceanic KND and my fellow knights are working to stop the pirates. But it's a grueling battle… and their influence slowly poisons the citizens. Princess Melody… and Princess Erin. Although I came to stop Arlong, I would also like to ask your help."
"H…Help with what?" Erin didn't like where this was going.
"There is a hatred that runs through my people. Ever since Davy Jones and his crew of cursed Fishmen became terrors of the sea, humans and even Nimbi have detested Fishmen. Outcasted and mistreated them as monsters. Though most of that prejudice has gone, that hatred still runs through many Fishmen. They're angry at former King Kyogre for birthing human descendants. They're angry at your family for choosing to live with the humans. And they're out for revenge against all humans and merfolk who support them."
"Y-y…yeah?"
"Simply put, I believe we need you to restore order to our kingdom. I'm not saying that you come and reclaim the throne… but that you show our people the princesses have not abandoned us. You must help us retake the Seven Cities from the Fishmen Pirates."
"You mean you want us to go on an adventure in Oceana?!" Nora exclaimed.
"Well…yes, that is a large part of it."
"Sounds like my kids would be glad to go." Melody smiled. "We certainly can't let these pirates run amuck. And I hoped to introduce them to Manaphy eventually."
"I-I don't wanna go!"
"I know, Erin, but…wait, what?"
"I just wanted to practice bubblebending today! I wouldn't have minded if a small mission came up, but I just wanted to go home and take a nap when I was done! I don't know how to stop a revolution! I'm not even a Sea Princess!"
"Erin, this would be a good learning experience." Melody said. "Not just in training, but Oceana's our herit-"
"NO! You're the one who wants me to be the perfect princess! You're always disappointed in me, you think bubblebending is dumb, and now you want me to go on this big quest or whatever just so I'll be good enough?!"
"That's not what I…"
"Just call the rest of the KND to deal with it! I don't need to prove anything to a bunch of… stupid people I don't even know!" Erin turned and made a mad dash to the treehouse.
"Erin, wait!"
"Erin!" Nora called.
"I once had a dream where some alien sovereign came down and asked me to help save their galaxy." Mack said with a light grin. "I… guess the dream isn't shared."
"Perhaps… I should've approached the topic with more ease." Jinbe frowned. "I did not mean to…"
"…" A guilt heavier than the ocean weighed Melody's heart.
Fishman District
Above the captain's throne splayed a symbol of a fiery circle, encompassing a headless human with a slash line through it. The white shellphone at his table began ringing, so the 10-foot great white shark Fishman answered it. "Captain. It's Arlong. I encountered the princesses. They…"
"Hmmm…yes, I see. Interesting. Heh…it won't be long before they dive right into our den. Return to base for now, Arlong. My guest is here." The captain hung up. "You may enter."
"A king hardly needs permission." A large, obese crocodile with a golden belly, crown, and red cape marched in, five Fishmen at his back. "But it's only courteous."
The white shark rose and approached him. The croc was two feet shorter. "A pleasure to meet you, King K. Rool." He extended a hand.
"And you, Captain Hordy." K. Rool shook it.
"It's Hody. Hody Jones."
"Most intriguing. For you to carry that name means that you claim the seas as your own."
"Indeed. I've amassed hundreds of Fishmen and creatures of the sea alike. We control all of Oceana. Many of the Kids Next Door and Neptune Knights have submitted to us. And once we locate the Seven Talismans… we will show everyone how King Manaphy has fallen, as we destroy him and take the Sea Crown. I believe that… makes us more than qualified for the Kremling Krew."
"A feat which you have yet to achieve? Don't make me laugh. It's true that your men seem strong… yet, I feel a whiff of something unnatural in your blood."
"Hnnn…" Hody's grit teeth curved into a frown.
"Still, this is more than any of my Krewmen made an effort to put on their résumé. I'll be delighted to welcome you to the Kremling Krew. But one must finish what they started." K. Rool turned and stepped toward the exit. "Secure your rule over Oceana. Take the palace, the Sea Crown, and Manaphy in the name of the Kremlings. I shall not interfere in your quest. Show me what power you possess." And the king took his leave.
"So be it. We will drown this world and condemn humanity to the Locker… just as he has. But then… there will be a new Emperor to take your throne. Jahahahaha!"
Erin's House
Erin lay in her bed through the next morning. She didn't even relax in a warm bath with bubbles… she almost didn't want to lay in this waterbed. She didn't want to think about water or bending at all.
There was a knock. "Erin, it's me." Her mother spoke. "Can I come in?"
Erin made no response, laying sideways with her back toward the door. After a moment, Melody creaked the door open herself. "Um…that trick you did with the bubbles was really good. I didn't think healing could be used like that."
"…"
"Erin, you don't have to go to Oceana. Your friends called Moonbase and they're gonna see about finding volunteers to help the Oceana KND. I didn't… realize you felt this way."
"Yeah you did. You just think I'm a whiner."
"I was never disappointed and I never wanted you to be a princess. You're stronger than you think you are and I only wanted to help you realize that. I'll admit I didn't think bubblebending is a good substitute for water, but… maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you just have your own style going that can work for you. You just need to believe in yourself to make it work, but I…I guess I haven't made that easy."
"No."
"Erin, I'm sorry." Melody bent down with one knee on the bed, holding her daughter's shoulder. "Just… what about the KND? Did you only join because you thought I'd be disappointed if you didn't?"
"I 'unno. It was sorta so I could spend more time with my friends… and not here."
"Do you not like it at all?"
"I-I do. I'm glad I got to save Madeleine. I like helping people, stopping villains, and… if I wasn't at the playground, no one would've stood up for Mack. But I'm not the princess Oceana wants."
"You're right. I'm not either. I'm sure Grandma would say the same. Neither of us grew up in Oceana, so it's not our problem how they feel about us. So, if this is how you feel… could you at least come and tell Jinbe?"
"Jinbe?"
"He felt bad about yesterday, so he wanted to check on you. And… your dad really wants him to leave."
The massive whale-shark was munching through every bag of Torrfisk Chips, North Sea Fishnacks, and Fish & Chips in the cabinets. He encompassed a whole corner bench of the round kitchen table, Eric Horvitz barely fitting on the edge of it. "This is what land-dwellers pass for food?"
"Well, most of the people in this house have small stomachs…"
They looked as Melody walked out. With her, the men were surprised to see Erin, her hair a mess and her glasses sloppily fastened. "Prince-…Erin." Jinbe stopped himself. "I did not mean to cause you such distress yesterday. I won't force this burden upon you. And I'll leave once I've had at least one more bag. ("No, you really don't have-" Eric said) But the last time I met with your mother was only a year and a half ago." Jinbe stood and reached up into the cabinets. "And she said, ooo, fish crackers." He pulled down a box of crackers. Jinbe ripped it open and poured them in his mouth. "She said her daughter could melt every heart in Oceana, nom-nom. That she had a pure soul and a kind voice." He spat crumbs on the table. "And now that I look at you… I can see why she treasures you so dearly."
"Mmm?" Erin sheepishly glanced at her mom, who shared an honest smile.
"But the truth is Oceana is not the place you were born. You have no obligation to help it. And I would not want a pure heart like yours to be tainted by such a burden. So, if you made your choice…" He tossed the empty cracker box on the floor, "I shall take my leave." The giant Fishman shoved the table askew in trying to scoot out.
"Wait." Jinbe turned to the child once more, her hands crossed as she scratched her left wrist. "Um…I guess I can go… help with the pirates and…stuff."
"You will?" Eric asked.
"Erin, don't feel you have to just because we said all that." Melody said.
"But other sectors might go help Oceana, right? So, we might as well go to. I just… don't want anyone to think I'm some special princess."
"I understand." Jinbe said. "But are you familiar with the layout? If not, I would like to escort you."
"Y-Yeah, you can. We only ever went to one treehouse one time… for a thing."
"Then it shall be my honor."
"And I hope it will be your honor to clean all this up." Eric said.
"I'm proud of you, Erin." Melody ruffled her hair. "But go take a bath first. It's not fun to set out on a voyage when you're all smelly. You don't have to prove anything to them… but I hope you learn how strong you really are."
"Okay…" Erin put her arms around Melody's thick legs. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too…"
Beach
"Ooooo, a road trip to Oceana!" Nora won the race to the beach neither of her teammates competed in. "I'm so excited!"
"Can't wait to check out more of their tech!" Mack said, walking with Madeleine. "And see whose is better."
Erin, all packed with soap and food, bravely walked to the coast. "My ship is parked underwater just beyond here." Jinbe said. "Shall we swim?"
"No, let's part the sea!" Nora clapped. "Just like in the old legends!"
"I… got a different idea." Erin pulled out her wand and dipped it in some bubble soap. She blew a giant bubble to envelope her friends and used her bending to maintain it.
"Ha ha ha! How magical!" Jinbe grinned.
They gently passed through the surface and walked the sandy slope, awed by the sea stars, shells, and seaweed that fell limp within the bubble. Madeleine felt nostalgic in the doorstep of her homeland after so long… but as she felt her human feet drenched in the wet sand, she longed for more.
Jinbe's ship had the "face" of a blue fish with engines around the neck, the body painted a cyan shape. There was a green lookout room on top, designed like a green fish, and one in the back resembling a pink fish. "This is my Snapper Head. I hope it's too your liking."
"I've seen better." Mack said.
"Oh, he's just teasing." Nora smacked him. "Come on, Erin, let's go look inside!"
Erin smiled and led them into the craft. Fighting pirates or not, a voyage through Oceana sounded fun and promising. She only hoped she could find the strength and confidence she needed.