Three giant squid, each well over twice as large as him. For the boy it was as if time had frozen until all three creatures blasted ink in his face at the same time. Obviously, he was caught in the darkness as a result.
Despite not being able to see where he was going, Baljeet swam blindly upwards. He was swimming as fast as he could but somehow never feeling like he was fast enough.
As he eventually reached the surface, Baljeet felt his hands on something. By then he was on auto-pilot, so he instinctively grabbed onto whatever it was and hauled himself out of the water.
As it turned out, that was a huge mistake. After several gasps, Baljeet realized in shock what he was grabbing on- it was one of Buford's feet. The next thing he knew, Buford's enormous body came falling back on him, effectively pushing him underwater. However, Baljeet could tell it wasn't intentional from the little yelp Buford accidentally let out.
Buford swiftly turned around to stare at him in utter disbelief. Baljeet smiled and nodded his head. Buford took a couple deep breaths before enunciating the name, "Baljeet?"
"Yes, I am Baljeet. I just escaped from the shark's stomach. Sorry for tipping you over, I did not mean to do that."
Buford could feel tears streaming down, but he didn't care. Instead he pulled his friend into his chest and told him, "I'm so glad you're back. We have been searching for you for so long, Isabella even said you probably didn't survive. Honestly we were on the verge of giving up when you showed up." Baljeet wiped off the tear on Buford's face once he finished speaking.
By then all their friends are gathering around them, expressing their happiness for seeing Baljeet back. Phineas gave him a big hug as Aussie snuggled onto his shoulder. "You're too precious of a friend for us to lose," said the redhead.
"Thanks, guys," Baljeet said as the platypus rubbed his tail on his back. Baljeet met his his eyes with Buford's, and he immediately noticed the gentle and caring expression that Buford had on his face. It's really rare for Buford to show that face to anybody, but being his nerd, Baljeet had no chance of seeing this type of expression from Buford since day one.
Baljeet grinned at him, and Buford reacted with a masculine but warm smile. Somehow Baljeet drifted out of his own mind and put his hand upon Buford's. Buford noticed but decided to savor the moment as it was not common that Baljeet would do that, and he'd noticed in a few seconds anyway.
Sure enough, after 20 seconds or so, Baljeet realized in horror what he was doing. He didn't know it was the embarrassment, the shock, or any other feeling he was feeling at that very millisecond, but he felt something zapping him like a taser, causing him to lose control of his own body and slip into the ocean. The way he did, it looks like someone else was dunking him headfirst into the water like an inanimate object.
The boy instinctively held his breath as he entered the water, but he did nothing other than that. He didn't try to swim up but just let himself sink deeper and deeper. His mind was completely blank, or perhaps it was occupied with the thought of what he had done.
Then he started to remember he was underwater, and he started to kick his legs, but his mind wasn't processing where he's heading, and as a result he was actually swimming toward the bottom instead of the surface. His mind gradually cleared as he began to feel pressure on his chest. He knew now he needed to get out as soon as possible, however, he realized that his arms and his legs were as heavy as rocks. Regardless, he managed to, with immense effort, resurface. As he took a huge gasp, he felt a strong hand pull him out.
Baljeet found himself hanging over Buford shoulder, but he was too breathless to even think any more about it. Eventually he was able to slide off Buford's back, and he landed on another dolphin- Luke, who brought him to Phineas and Ferb.
"Oh hi Phineas and Ferb."
"Hey Baljeet, are you alright?"
"Of course. It looks like this dolphin wants to give us a ride."
Phineas hopped onto the dolphin with a grin, while Ferb swam slightly behind them, riding the waves.
Luke would occasionally make dives and take Baljeet and Phineas under like a sinking ship, but never for too long before coming back up. In fact, Baljeet found himself kind of enjoying this, even though he definitely wouldn't like being taken under on an actual sinking ship. Ferb would join in the fun by flipping over and swimming directly underneath, making his entire body touch the dolphin's, his hands resting beneath the dolphin's fin and his legs crossing over the tail. The boy and the dolphin wiggled perfectly in sync to move forward. Swimming underwater with something several times one's own weight while holding breath sounds like an impossibly gruesome task, and it was initially for Ferb as well; however, with practice he managed to build the capability of reliably doing this for at least 5 minutes now. It's not exactly comfortable for him, but he definite enjoys interacting with his animal buddies in this way by now.
In the meantime, Isabella and Buford were doing high dives. Marsh the dolphin would launch them into the air, and Isabella would swan dive into the water, while Buford would either do a bellyflop or a cannonball. Sometimes they'd hit the water simultaneously, creating a gigantic splash. Then, out of nowhere, Aussie appeared right underneath them, gently paddling across the water and keeping the mindless blank stare on. Buford and Isabella followed him when the platypus took a dive, and when they saw Ferb, they decided to head over.
As they got closer, they saw Ferb breaking surface and then swimming in backstroke, and right beside him was Phineas and Baljeet riding a dolphin."Hey Isabella. And Buford," said Phineas. "Hey, Phineas, whatcha' doing?"
"Just having some fun with Ferb, Baljeet, and the dolphin. Hey where's Pe- I mean, where's that platypus who's not Perry?"
"Is he not with you?" asked Buford, swimming on his back so he could talk.
"Nope, and I suppose he's not with you as well?" said the redhead.
"Yup. I wonder where that little guy- oh, there you are." Buford was slightly caught by surprise when the platypus showed up out of seemingly nowhere.
Aussie leapt onto Baljeet's back as Buford dove underneath the dolphin in an attempt to do what Ferb was doing. However, only less than a minute later, Buford scambled to the surface, gasping and choking. Ferb gave him a helping hand so he could catch his breath. You were doing it all wrong.
A few moments later, Ferb and Buford got under again, and Ferb showed his friend how it's done: You gotta be locked in with the groove. Perfectly locked in. Ferb didn't spoke a word, but his expressions and actions made it as clear as the sky. After a bit of trying, Buford quickly got it and could stay underneath for around 3 minutes before having to come to the top and take a rest; he was also not as breathless as he was the first time. Ferb, swimming beside him, gave him a smile of approval.
Ferb surfaced beside Phineas, who turned to him with a huge grin. The redhead let his brother lie on him as he swam with others, and when he ran out of breath, they'd change positions. After a few switches, they began to do what the dolphin and Buford are doing. They've actually never done this before, but being best friends and stepbrothers, it was a piece of cake for them. They were able to coordinate themselves in sync with each other so perfectly that it seems like they're actually one entity. They could dive or rise at will, they could turn in any direction they please, they could even do underwater tricks that would have been challenging for one person only! Moreover, their movements are so seamless that it looks like both of them didn't have to breathe, even though the fact is that they both snuck in some breaths then and now.
Buford decided to take a break from swimming, so he got onto the dolphin and sat on him, while Baljeet and Aussie got into the water. Aussie kept swimming here and there from underneath Baljeet without ever blocking his way to surface or to breathe. This actually gave Baljeet a great feeling, which made him go a little faster, though he himself didn't realize.
Phineas and Ferb approached Baljeet and Aussie to greet them. Ferb went underneath Aussie and rubbed his stomach gently. The platypus let out a satisfied purr as he sunk into the comfort and the pleasure- or rather, just water. Phineas and Baljeet chatted a little as they swam on their backs. But then, out of nowhere, Baljeet felt a pair of strong hands grab both of his ankles, and before his brain could register anything, he found himself flying toward Phineas. The redhead tried to grab his wailing arms to stop him, but instead it just brought them both underwater. As soon as his face hit the water once again, it clicked inside Baljeet's mind that it was another prank from Buford. The impact was so strong that their faces quickly came closer to closer to each others' until they eventually kiss- well, not really. Their lips did get dangerously close, though.
Buford was laughing so hard he couldn't keep himself afloat; on top of that, Luke said in dolphin a really naughty joke about gay people kissing. So naughty that one deserves to be sent to hell just for that joke, if hell actually exists. The other dolphin couldn't help but laugh. "Goddammit Luke, it wasn't supposed to be that funny!" said Marsh bewteen fits of giggles. With a smug little smile, Ferb teased his eyebrows at Phineas and Baljeet as they broke the surface. "No Ferb! It's not gonna happen! That one was an accident!" Phineas exclaimed, appalled at his stepbrother's implications. "Actually, it's not even an accident. Buford tossed me."
"Speaking of which, where's Buford?" said Phineas.
Turns out, Buford was frantically trying to escape Isabella's relentless pursuit. She thought Buford had made the two boys kiss because the refraction of the sunlight deceived her eyes, and she was furious at the thought of someone causing her Phineas to kiss anyone before kissing her. She has to be his first kiss. And Buford just had to ruin it, no?
Buford swam deeper and deeper, attempting desperately to escape the girl's menacing glare, but as he went more and more out of breath he had to slow down, and eventually Isabella caught up to him to give him a bad time. Her kicks and punches released every little bit of air in him and made him feel even more breathless. And he couldn't swim to the surface, as there's no way Isabella would let him go- until she got out of breath herself, which seemed quite a bit longer than soon. Buford's body couldn't have taken it.
Buford was just about to give up and accept his end when Phineas showed up out of nowhere, looking as if he was having trouble holding his breath. Apparently, Phineas noticed the commotion and rushed over to see. He stared at Isabella for a few seconds, appalled, and gestured Isabella to let go of Buford. Without a doubt, Isabella did what she was told and swam toward the surface.
Once he was released, Buford grabbed onto Phineas chaotically, putting his entire weight onto the redhead. This caused them both to tumble around and sink even deeper. Phineas, however, barely seemed to mind- and he actually wouldn't, if not for the fact that he too was feeling somewhat breathless. Regardless, he strived to bring them both to the surface, despite how Buford kept dragging him down and despite how he had to also keep blowing air into his mouth so he wouldn't breathe water into his lungs. Phineas felt his limbs getting increasingly heavier with every movement, yet in the end, he succeeded- but only partially.
When Ferb pulled Buford out of the water, Phineas was still fully submerged and right beneath him. Unfortunately, the boy had used up too much of his oxygen that all of his limbs stopped working at the very last moment. He felt his own body seized him firmly and pulled him back down. He couldn't breathe nor do anything about it. And somehow, none of his friends noticed, not even Ferb. Not even Isabella. Phineas's helpless eyes resonated with the cold blue all around him. He didn't even know how in the world he was still holding his breath, but this is not the time for overthinking. Besides, it's not like he could keep doing this much longer.
The time finally came. Phineas felt a strong, urgent desire to open his mouth. But he pushed against all his instinct with all the will he had, focusing so much on it he made himself sink even quicker; after what seems like forever, he achieved a peaceful and calm state. He felt his body as relaxed as ever, and he could move his arms and legs freely again. He swam toward the sunlight, thinking, how surreal it is... it's almost like a dream, or a fantasy I've once heard of.
"Thank you, Phi- wait, where's Phineas?" Buford had just managed to spit out those words after almost drowning when he realized the redhead was not at the surface. And he didn't recall Phineas surfacing when he did either. Oh no, Ferb thought. But just then, Phineas came- eyes closed, mouth curled up into a smile. Isabella pulled him into her arms and called his name repeatedly, along with others. Even Aussie was chattering in concern.
But no one got a response from their beloved redhead. The boy felt unfathomably lightheaded. He didn't hear anything, not the sound of the waves crashing down, not the terrified chatter of the teal little platypus, nor the cries of his friends around. Ferb checked his pulse. Nothing. He grabbed his wrist again in disbelief, and this time there was one somewhat weak pulse. "His heart's still beating, although rather slowly." He announced calmly. "However, he's not breathing as he had stopped breathing for too long his respiratory system shut down. We might need to restart-" Before the Brit could finish, Isabella put her mouth to Phineas's and began frantically blowing into his mouth. As the boy's lungs filled up with air, he felt more and more real. This is no fantasy anymore, huh?
Gradually, the boy's body started working again, and his eyes shot open as he took a gasp. He found himself lying on Luke's back. Everyone's looking at him with concerned eyes. "Wha-what?"
"You nearly drowned; well, maybe not exactly. Ferb told us that you held your breath for too long that not only you fell unconscious, but you turned off your own respiratory system entirely," said Isabella.
"Measures were taken to restart it." Ferb added, winking at Isabella. The girl was not amused.
Buford sincerely apologized to Phineas for causing such trouble, to which Phineas just replied, "It's not your fault, Buford. You were drowning; all you did were what anyone would have done in the same situation. And don't forget it was me who voluntarily swam over to you. I wasn't just happening to be passing by or anything,that was a conscious choice."
"For real? But I almost killed you!"
"Well, you didn't. I'm still here, aren't I? Really, it's nothing now. And even if it's something, it's not on you. At least not all of it." The redhead turned to Isabella, "by the way, what were you and Buford doing back then?"
"When Buford tossed Baljeet toward you, I thought he m-made you k-kiss, so I got furious and basically, in retrospect, tried to drown him," confessed Isabella.
Phineas and Baljeet stared at each other in disbelief. Baljeet exclaimed, "I would never be okay with accidentally kissing Phineas! In fact, if I did, I would have been vomiting so hard that I would be practically drowning in my own vomit!"
"I guess it was all unnecessary then. Sorry, Buford."
"Normally I would conceive a nasty response, but since Phineas just forgave me for almost drowning him, I'm gonna pass on the favor to you. It's no problem."
"Phineas, I'm really sorry about all this." Isabella said regretfully.
The redhead told the girl, "it's nothing to worry about; I'm perfectly fine after all. Funny how a little misunderstanding took us here, huh? Well, perhaps try not to take extreme measures too soon next time, especially when you haven't figured out the whole picture; as you can see, extreme actions may lead to extreme chain reaction. Heh."
Phineas suddenly became confused gain as he remembered something. "Wait, if I was unconscious when I was pulled out of the water, who brought me to the surface?"
"None of us did. Unless there was some kind of sea creature who saved you, you probably got there on your own somehow," said Baljeet.
"I only remember trying to hold my breath for way longer than I could and eventually I- I could not remember what happened after that. I think I must have fallen unconscious, which is odd; if I was unconscious underwater, how did I swim to the surface?"
Buford said, "That is pretty odd. I don't think I've seen anyone do that before."
"Ferb, how did you-" Before Phineas could even get to the point, Ferb took a glance at Isabella, who was still savoring the taste of her dream's lips. "Thank you. You're the best." Phineas said with an uncharacteristically calm voice. Ferb grasped his hand; his heart rate had barely increased at all, but at least he was awake.
Baljeet spoke. "I have heard that some people can push through what is often referred to as 'the last stage of drowning' merely with will. Those come in one in a million, and no one knows how they come about. For obvious reasons, it is unlikely that anyone would practice this skill, if it could be acquired from practice at all, which means it may be genetical."
"Well, it should come as no surprise that Phineas could do it. Phineas and Ferb could do anything." Buford remarked.
"I've never seen Ferb do that, though. Not that I find it desirable that he be put in a situation where he has to do so." He went down with Marsh and Aussie immediately after, followed by Isabella and Ferb. Baljeet was contemplating when Luke brought him and Buford underwater, turning them upside down in an overly excited manner.
They were amazed when a moment later, they found themselves in front of a majestic underwater house. Even Ferb was taken by surprise. As everyone swam into the house, they noticed some deliberately positioned air pockets. Phineas and Isabella floated on their backs with Aussie sitting on the girl's stomach, while Baljeet sat on top of a tall piece of furniture with his upper torso above the surface.