After parting ways with their teammates at the sunken ship, Hal and Ben followed the pointer Vulko had provided and headed toward the Fisherman Kingdom.
Before Superman and Wonder Woman left for the Brine Kingdom, they ran interference for Hal and Ben—so when the two of them slipped out of Atlantis's capital, they encountered little resistance.
To test how the Omnitrix actually handled transformations, Ben deliberately didn't touch the symbol to cancel it. Instead, he let Hal wrap him in Green Lantern energy and carry him along.
As Ripjaws, the Piscciss Volann, Ben's legs naturally fused into a fish tail in water, giving him excellent underwater mobility and speed.
But even so, to Hal, this form was still… slow.
Compared to some of Ben's other transformations—XLR8 from Kinet, Heatblast from Pyros during the Darkseid fight, the clever little Greymatter, and Upgrade who could merge with any machine—Ripjaws looked "all-purpose," but seemed to offer only one real advantage:
He could breathe underwater.
More importantly, Ripjaws was ugly.
Hal felt like his childhood mermaid fantasies had been shattered on the spot.
"Could you not ruin my mermaid fantasies?" Hal complained.
Ben was speechless. For someone who'd gone through rigorous training to become a Green Lantern, Hal Jordan was astonishingly unserious.
"Ripjaws is an alien," Ben said. "Not your storybook mermaid. Besides—once we reach the Fisherman Kingdom, you'll see real Earth merfolk, won't you?"
"Right!" Hal's eyes lit up. "Let's hope they're the classic kind—beautiful woman on top, fish tail on the bottom!"
He started getting excited.
By Vulko's description, the Fisherman Kingdom had preserved Atlantis's philosophy, art, and historical records.
Which meant it had to be a place full of beautiful music and people who sang and danced—maybe even the origin of those "siren" myths. Maybe sailors on the surface once caught glimpses of them breaking the waterline.
"I recommend you open a fairy tale book," Ben deadpanned.
He remembered the movie version: the Fisherman Kingdom appeared only briefly, and it definitely didn't match Hal's imagination. Ben advised lowering expectations.
Honestly, the merfolk there didn't look much better than Ripjaws.
And then—
They arrived.
Following the pointer and looking into the dark, deep blue—so thick it almost felt solid—a massive castle appeared, as though it had grown straight out of an ancient dream.
It was built from enormous transparent ocean crystals and pearl-like materials.
Spires rose in elegant, unnatural lines. Under a dim, source-less glow, the structure emitted its own soft, mysterious radiance—like a huge star resting on the seabed.
Around it stretched a riot of silent color:
Deep purple and dark red seaweed swayed like a forest of towering trees. Bright corals bloomed between them like lamps that never went out.
Light filtered through the water into something hazy and sacred. It slid along the crystal surfaces, refracting blue-violet tones that draped everything in a dreamy veil.
Schools of fish and sea turtles drifted through the city.
Unlike the Atlantean capital—with its air pockets indoors and underwater vehicles on its roads—the Fisherman Kingdom's people seemed to have fully integrated into underwater life after transforming into merfolk.
They looked more fishlike now—scales of various colors not just on their tails, but across their bodies and faces.
And yet, despite becoming merfolk, they retained a highly evolved sense of modesty.
They wore beautiful clothing instead of running around in nothing but seashell bras like a Disney cartoon.
"Same magic transformation," Hal muttered. "So why do the different kingdoms end up so… wildly different?"
Hal still didn't get his "beautiful mermaid encounter."
Ben, meanwhile, tried again—using the Omnitrix to scan a merperson's DNA sample.
Same result as with Atlantis.
No reaction.
"Even though they barely look human anymore," Ben said, "the Omnitrix still classifies them as mutated humans—not a separate sapient species."
Unfortunately, Ripjaws still looked different enough that Ben's sudden "scan attempt" came off as invasive.
The offended merperson shrieked and darted away.
Then more and more merfolk gathered.
They circled Ripjaws and Hal Jordan, watching.
And some sharp-eyed onlookers spotted the Green Lantern insignia on Hal's chest.
"That's… the Green Lantern from legend!"
The startled cry came from an elderly figure—and the crowd's attention shifted sharply toward Hal.
"I thought I'd be more popular!" Hal whispered. "Why couldn't a few young, pretty ones show up?"
He sounded genuinely disappointed. He'd been hoping for a fated romantic encounter with a beautiful mermaid.
Ben sighed.
"Atlantis sank ages ago. You saw how it is in the capital—most people don't recognize Green Lanterns anymore. Even if the Fisherman Kingdom preserved ancient records, it's probably only the most scholarly few who'd know you."
Ben honestly didn't expect Hal's taste to be this broad. Even merfolk who looked closer to fish were apparently still within Hal's "maybe I'll try the local specialty snacks" range.
As the crowd thickened and things threatened to turn into a commotion, Hal moved before it escalated—floating toward the old merfolk who'd identified him.
"Greetings, honored elder," Hal began. "I'm the Green Lantern currently assigned to Sector 2814. On behalf of Earth's surface world, I offer my respects to you all…"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 90)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 95)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter70)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter70)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter60)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 20
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 20
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