The Caribbean sea looked beautiful at the break of dawn. Mina took a deep breath as she sat on the Tortuga's shell.
"Ah, the sea… such peace and quiet..."
"Wow… you never woke up so early before. Except for that day on the prairie," MATI said via Creaturepod.
"Well, we ARE seeing some friends today," the nymph giggled. "I couldn't be more excited."
"Who are these friends, I may ask?"
"Who else?" Chris popped up from behind Mina, startling her. "The dolphin duo, Whistle and Click, and our siren friend Serena!"
"A-a-a siren?" the AI stuttered. "Like those from the Odyssey?"
"Let's just say the Odyssey lied to many people about sirens," Chris explained in an annoyed tone.
"You always get excited to see Serena," Mina chuckled. "Doesn't Tania ever get jealous?" Chris narrowed his eyes.
"Very funny, little sister."
"I was joking with you, silly."
"Hey, are you guys coming?" Martin called, as he prepared to dive.
"Oh right, we're also seeing the reef today. Serena will like that."
"Speaking of Serena, I never really met her yet," Ven commented, wearing his white diving gear.
"Long story." Chris rushed to follow Martin. "For a short explanation, read the Song of the Siren chapter in the Wild Kratts Diary. Ciao!" He jumped to his manta rider and Mina followed him, floating.
"Wait for us!" Clarissa called, her and Ven following after them.
"Wow, the Caribbean Sea adventures are very interesting. You mean there are creatures inside coral?" Ven read the diary, while seated on a manta rider.
"Beautiful, but in danger," Koki said through the Creaturepod.
Martin heard a familiar sound. "Hey… are those..." He saw something coming in their direction.
"Whistle and Click!" Martin greeted. "And... a little dolphin!"
"Awww…" Clarissa and Mina said.
"It must be Whistle and Click's son or daughter," Aviva pointed out.
"Hey, congratulations, you two!" Chris said.
"What's your name, little buddy?" Martin asked.
The baby dolphin made a sound similar to… Martin's dolphin name?
"Your name's… Martin?"
"Oh, boy, we have a lion cub named Martin, a blue hyacinth macaw chick called Martin, and now a baby dolphin that's a Martin," Koki counted. "Too many Martins to count."
"Still an honor if you ask me," Martin greeted, as he caressed the baby dolphin. Then, the dolphins made the "Let's play" sound.
"Okay! Me first!" Mina cheerfully climbed on Click's back. With that, the parent took off. "Wheeeee!"
Whistle went underneath Clarissa. "Whoa! Hello," she said a split before Whistle sprinted forward. "WHOOOAA!"
Dolphin Martin started gnawing on Martin's arm, making the "Let's play" sound.
"Okay, okay. I'm going, Martin," the Kratt in blue chuckled. "*giggle* So funny calling for my own name."
'What's so funny?' the baby thought. Martin could hear that.
"I'll explain later." Dolphin Martin gave him a squeak of surprise, but pushed it to the side as he started nudging him in the back.
Martin began swimming forward. He looked to his side, seeing the baby right next to him.
"Martin, turn around! Look out!" Ven called.
Too late. Martin crashed into a submerged rock. The eldest and youngest brothers went "oooooo".
"That's gotta hurt," Chris commented.
"Martin? Are you okay?" Ventus asked.
"Ugh... I think so... who put that rock here?" Martin complained as he rubbed his head.
"At least you didn't get amnesia from it. That'd be really bad," Ventus observed.
"Ow! That's gonna surely leave a mark," they heard a feminine voice. The three turned around, seeing a very familiar face. Well, to Martin and Chris anyway.
"Serena!" Chris called, as he rushed to embrace her.
"Hey Chris! Great to see you!" Then, she noticed the black stripe. "Hey... what's with your hair?"
"Long story, but anyway… any news?"
"Come on. We sure have a lot to catch up."
"You have a lot of ketchup? I'm there!" Jimmy called, as he and the girls called on the Creaturepod. The young siren laughed.
"Not "ketchup", silly. Plus, is this a thing? Oh, hey, girls."
"Hey, Serena. Hey, how about we do that hair thing today, huh?" Koki asked.
"Huh?" Chris questioned.
"It's a girl thing, and Mina and Clarissa are also included," Aviva said.
"Whoo-hoo!" Mina's voice was heard. Click stopped nearby the bros. "Wow! Best ride ever!"
"Ugh… my poor stomach..." Clarissa, dizzy, moaned, as she rubbed her belly. The bros chuckled a little. "I rather return to the HQ and help the girls setting things for our girls' reunion."
"Fine. But first, I'll stay here with the guys to see the reef."
"You'll get used to dolphin riding, don't worry," Martin assured his princess-for-a-sister. Clarissa left to the Tortuga, and the bros signaled Mina to follow them. What Martin didn't notice is that the Kratt in blue left behind his Creaturepod.
They dove deep into another spot on the reef.
"This is the best part of the reef," Serena said. "I really love passing by this particular place. There's just so much life here."
"The most amazing reef is in Australia, but the Caribbean Reef is awesome too," Martin informed.
"Is there a difference?" Ven questioned.
"You mean like types of reefs?" Chris asked. "Well, it's kinda complicated..."
"Oooh!" Mina pointed out to something swaying on a rock. "That looks really pretty."
"Careful. It may look pretty, but you shouldn't touch it," Chris said to his siblings and close friend.
"Why not?" Ven asked.
"It's an anemone. Those tentacles there can shock their prey and eat them by grabbing them and placing it right down there in the center."
"Well, this little guy here doesn't seem worried about that," Mina pointed out. There was a little white and orange fish swimming right through the predator.
"That's because it's a clownfish. Clownfish have evolved an ingenious though slimy way to use stinging anemones for their own protection. It works out for both of them. Interesting, don't you think?"
"Nemo here sure agrees."
"Nemo? Really?" Martin asked.
"Have a better name? Accepting suggestions." The brothers and the siren chuckled at her comment.
"Hey bros, what's that colorful fish over there?" Ven asked, pointing to a big, frilly, orange striped fish. Chris and Martin gasped in fright.
"LIONFISH!" they panicked.
"What? Fish that are lions? Now I've seen everything."
"No!" Martin yelled. "Lionfish! Scientific name, pterois! They're venomous, invasive reef fish! Their venom is rarely fatal to healthy humans, but some species have enough venom to produce extreme discomfort for a period of several days."
"Uh-oh! I don't think we have an antivenom for this fish with us," Chris pointed out, checking their portable first aid kit.
"Neither here!" Aviva warned. "I don't have a sample of it, so I don't know how an antivenom for it can be made."
"They're usually from the Indo-Pacific on the other side of North and South America, but they somehow made it here in the Caribbean Sea and other places in the Atlantic Ocean!" Chris added.
"So they're not supposed to be here?" Ven asked.
"Yeah! It's a huge alien invasion problem!" Martin gulped. "Even worse than those Asian longhorn beetles!"
"And there were animals that could eat the beetles. But for lionfish, there's no known predator of them! So they just keep multiplying!"
"Lion fish lay so many eggs at once. And they just keep coming!"
"And just why exactly are you yelling about this?!" Ventus asked, loudly. Martin flinched at the sound of his loud voice.
"Ouch..."
"Sorry. With everyone yelling, I got carried away. But seriously, is it that big of a problem?"
"Um, yeah! We really should get out of here," Serena pointed out. "And just to point out, sea creatures are still poisonous to sirens since we usually dwell on land. And their poison is more effective. One touch and I'm dead!"
"Dead?!" the boys exclaimed in horror.
"Chris! Behind you!" Martin warned. Before Chris could react, Ven quickly shoved him away and ended up the one stung on the arm by the approaching predator, which quickly swam away.
"Bro! Are you okay?" Chris asked.
"I-I'm okay. Just feel a bit numb where I got stung."
"We should take you back to the Tortuga NOW! You need immediate treatment!" Martin pointed out.
"Uh, Martin..." Chris said worriedly. There were lion fish everywhere.
"Uh-oh," Martin gulped. "I know!" He activated his marine telepathy, trying to hear what they're thinking. But, something was wrong. He couldn't hear any of the lionfish's thoughts.
"Something's blocking my telepathy! I can't hear a word they're thinking!"
"Martin! Your earring! It's gone!" Ventus gasped.
"What?!" The blond touched his ear. The pearl earring was indeed missing.
"Uh-oh. Maybe it's Chaos' spell that's preventing your powers from working because you no longer have the earring."
"Oh no! This really bad! I'm freaking out! And it's not false alarm! I'm freaking even worse than Jimmy!" Martin started to panic. "Game over, man!"
"Calm down. Take deep breaths, bro. We're calling for help. Aviva! We have two problems," Ventus called on Chris's Creaturepod.
"Lemme guess: first, Martin's earring is gone, second, you're surrounded by venomous lion fish."
"Yeah… but how...?"
"A dolphin told me." She showed them Martin's Creaturepod. "But the good news is that we found the earring nearby that rock Martin bumped his head on. And we'll try sending a fishcam with it to you. In this circumstance, guess only Martin's telepathy can save you." Aviva pressed a button, sending a fishcam with the earring. "You'll be soon with your earring, MK. Promise."
"Well then, hurry! Ven had been stung!"
"What?! Why didn't you say that earlier?!" Aviva scolded. "Bring him here, ahora!"
"Uh... you forgot we're surrounded, right?" Chris pointed out. "Unless… Guys, dive down! It's your only chance to escape!" he told Ventus and Serena.
"What?"
"I'll stay here with Martin to get the earring. Take Ventus to the Tortuga, hurry!"
"Okay." Serena nodded. "Hang on, big guy." She held Ventus closely, and started diving as fast as she could.
She looked around, a little confused.
"Uh… but how will I find the Tortuga HQ?" Then, she saw Dolphin Martin arriving. "You know where it is? Well, then lead the way, quick! We have a lionfish victim!"
"Any sign of the fishcam yet?" Martin asked.
"There! Here it comes!" Chris pointed out. The fishcam rushed to reach them, "Quick, Martin. Grab it!"
"Uh… there's a little pointy problem there," Martin said. There were still some of those venomous fish in the way. "Pointy as a cactus in the desert."
"Seeing it this way, being wounded by a cactus isn't that bad. At least they're not venomous," Chris pointed out.
"Or right next to a spotted skunk."
"Whew, don't remind about the Skunked adventure."
"Ouch!" Martin felt something bumping on his head. "The fishcam!" he cheered, picking up his earring.
"Martin, incoming!" A lion fish came swimming fast. They dove down quickly to escape. Dolphin Martin, Whistle and Click arrived just in time, to give them a ride.
"Quick! Let's get out of here!" Martin said, grabbing ahold of Click's dorsal fin. The three dolphins immediately escaped the crowd of lionfish. Suddenly, they hear something cracking. "What is that?" Chris looked up and gasped.
"That's not possible!"
"What?"
"Look up!" Martin looked towards the surface. It was starting to freeze over with ice!
"What?! That's impossible! What's ice doing in a warm place like the Caribbean?!" Then, Chris looked down, and saw Martin's hand glowing blue.
"Dude! What are you doing?"
Martin gasped, as he saw he couldn't stop the freeze. "I can't control it!"
"Guess this must be Chaos' fault. Without the earring, your powers get out of control," Chris theorized.
"This is bad! Very bad! I'm freaking out again!" Chris noticed the ice thickening as Martin got desperate.
"Martin, stop it! Freaking out is making it worse!"
Whistle and Click dove up, and the bros followed them.
"The Tortuga! We made it," Martin sighed in relief, and so did Chris as the ice his brother made appear disappeared as he placed his earring back on. "That was too close."
"There you go. It will take a while, but you'll be fine." Aviva gave Ventus some medicine, and started to take care of his wound. Koki was making a braid in Serena's hair.
"Well, treatment for a lionfish sting is really long, but depending of how healthy the person is, your recovery will come soon," Chris pointed out.
"That's good, but we still have a problem," Martin pointed out in worry, looking down at the water. "The lionfish invasion."
"But the good news is that at least we found your earring," Mina pointed out to her brother's ear. "Now your telepathy might be useful."
"MARTIN! They're here!" Chris's scream startled Martin, making his hand slip on the wet flipper and dip his arm into the water. A lion fish swam by and brushed him. Chris quickly pulled Martin out, making them both fall backwards onto the flipper.
"Close one. I do like you guys, but… maybe not that into petting lion fish." Chris quickly checked his brother's arm, relieved to see no stings or swells.
'Relax, you two. We can't poison Guardians,' Martin heard one of them chuckle. His powers were working again. One of the lionfish had their head above the surface and looking right at them. This one had pinkish stripes with some burgundy spots. Chris activated the Animal Comprehension.
"Poseidon would be really mad at us for that. Besides, Guardian powers act like a protective barrier to you all. So even if you were stung, it wouldn't affect any of you. Well, maybe a few minutes or so depending on the element," the lionfish pointed out.
"Really?" Martin asked in surprise.
"Yeah. Sorry for us stinging your brother, by the way. We thought he was an intruder."
"Well, if you say so... Bruiser," Martin named the lionfish.
"That explains why I feel better already," Ventus pointed out, coming over to them. "I didn't know we could become immune. Not even an ex-Guardian."
"We really want to go home. We got swept up into a current, and got carried to this place," Bruiser lamented.
"That can explain the lionfish invasion in the Atlantic," David thought.
"Why's that?" Elsa asked.
"Ocean currents carry things like plankton, baby fish, and, sadly, pieces of litter all over the world for thousands of miles."
"Don't worry. We'll get you guys to your home," Mina said.
"As Water Guardian, I'll do it!" Martin stated.
"Hold it!" Aviva stopped him. "You're not going back out there without this." She held up a power disk with a lionfish symbol. "Ven's wound had a small stinger in it, and I made good use of it. Plus, I made sure to replace the venom with a sleeping serum that will knock them out for a couple of minutes."
"Got the plan, Viva. Let's do this!" The Water Guardian placed in the disk. Martin brushed a finger against Bruiser's fin, no longer needing to worry about being stung. "Activate lionfish powers!" As he glowed blue, he leapt into the water.
"Lead the way, Bruiser!" Martin said. He followed his lion fish companion into the crowd of the invasive reef fish. "Okay everyone! You're all gonna feel a little drowsy!"
"I trust you, Water Guardian," Bruiser said. "As you humans say... bring it on."
Martin immediately started the operation, using his sleeping serum on every lionfish he stung.
"Sorry, it hurts me more than you," he said, as he worked.
"Phew!" Martin fainted in his hammock, after deactivating. "So many lionfish..." Chris chuckled at his bit of misery.
"There, there, big bro." Mina caressed his hair. Her own hair was full of braids.
"At least you did it. All we need now is to set the coordinates to the lionfish' home," Aviva said, her ponytail turned into a braid.
"All hail the Guardians!" Bruiser chanted in the tank. "We're going home!" More lion fish started to join in.
"Aw, shucks. It was nothing, really," Martin replied sleepily.
"Get some rest, bro," Ven told him. "You've been through a lot today." In a millisecond, there was the sound of snoring. The team chuckled.
The Tortuga started to take off, ready to take the lionfish back where they rightfully belonged.