Whew, a lotta stuff has eaten my time in finishing this. I'm hoping that I'll get back into the groove quickly :D Anyways, lotsa sadness and gore in this chapter, so just be warned.

Regis hovered in the centre of the boxing gym, looking quite insignificant against his much larger companion and the heavy-bag he was pummelling.

"What the hell do ya think ya'doing?" the tatty puffer fish floated in front of the shark, interrupting his mental concentration.

"I'm…I'm hitting the punch-bag, l-like you tol' me to, Mr. Roma," the shark stuttered, withdrawing his fins to his chest.

"Yeah, but you're doing it ALL WRONG," Regis looked the youth straight in the eye. "Listen Tommy, you keep doing that and you're out of the boxing biz. You gotta hit it like this," and the puffer fish demonstrated, jabbing his fins in the water.

"Okay, Mr. Roma," Tommy watched with rapt attention, mimicking him.

"And for the last time - you can call me Regis," the puffer fish replied. He lifted the little bobble hat that was frequently nested on his head, and scratched at the flaking scales beneath in exasperation.

"Sorry Mr. Roma," Tommy repeated, Regis' words having just floated right past him.

"Ugh, it's been a long day, kid. Go on get outta here. Get some rest," Regis replied, exhausted.

It was 11pm - well past the gym's closing hours, and Regis was determined to get this kid a good start on the rocky road to boxing stardom. But he'd had enough for one day, and would be glad to see the back of Tommy tonight. He watched the young shark pack up, and then escorted him to the doors, clicking them shut as Tommy's form disappeared into the murky blue of an October night.

Regis turned slowly back into the gym. It very much resembled this old trainer – ageing beige walls covered in cracks and crumbling at the corners, posters of the historic boxers barely still upright, the salvaged driftwood floor that had once been shiny and clean with varnish was now mouldy and dull. A little bit of moonlight filtered in through the tiny and high-placed windows, casting long shadows. He swam around the gym, picking up the discarded gloves, speed-bags and sweat-towels that the janitor had forgotten. Regis didn't have the energy to put them away properly, and just threw them into the supply cupboard.

The elderly puffer fish swam up into a small office right next to the main one. It was mainly a 'Wall-of-Fame' setup, the walls littered with victory photos set in stylish frames, and the odd trophy belt mounted onto the wall. He flopped onto the patchy leather recliner, shifting the handle until he was almost horizontal. His weary eyes moved from dusty frame to dusty frame, remembering every one of his champion fighters perfectly. Then his eyes fell on his latest victory. Regis sighed heavily. Vincenzio would probably be his last champion. He was getting too old to keep training ambitious young sharks. He laid his head back and let his heavy eyelids close shut, the vivid memories of past fights flooding into his sleep.

He wouldn't wake up the next day.

Vincenzio held onto Bambi's fin tightly. Although her attention was quite focused on her fish-pop, she was still very likely to wander off. She'd already done that twice during the course of the morning, giving her father some premature heart attacks in the process. With her fins quite occupied, Vincenzio was left to carry Shiny in his other fin, which was a humorous sight to behold – the ocean's boxing champion cradling a white sea-unicorn plushie. They'd been travelling through Gilami reef, running errands and visiting pre-schools for Bambi. Vincenzio also wanted to see Regis.

As Vincenzio rounded the corner to the gym, he was greeted by the dull glow of alternating blue and red light. Patrol-Whales were swarming all over the wreckage of the gym, some larger beaked whales blocking the other streets at the intersection. Vincenzio looked in horror at the debris. Nothing was left of his home-away-from-home except for one supporting wall, and part of another. Everything had been reduced to rubble. The heavy-bags were ripped and torn underneath the fragments, the practise ring had been flattened beneath a large section of roof, and Vincenzio could just pick out the odd picture frame amidst the rubble. It was one huge pile of crumbled memories, jagged pieces of wall and glass sticking out like some kind of deterrent.

His heart sank. He knew the place was old, but he never would have expected it to collapse. As he slowly swam towards the incident, the Patrol-Whales became more alert, ready to divert him away from the scene. But Murray, the elderly leopard shark who owned the gym, reached Vincenzio first.

"W-What happened, Murray?" Vincenzio asked, his voice muted in disbelief.

The old leopard shark chewed his tobacco idly, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. He seemed distant, and was still just trying to come to terms with it all.

"They won't say anyfing yet," Murray replied in a toneless droll. "But there is bad news…"

"More bad news? What could…possibly…be…worse…" Vincenzio began to trail off as he spotted Ambulance-Fish. He watched them as they shook their heads over the covered body of a fish.

Vincenzio looked to Murray, and the old shark's eyes said everything. Not a word had to be spoken for Vincenzio to know that something had happened to Regis. It felt like his gills closed up and he couldn't breathe. Without a second thought, he dashed over, releasing Bambi's fin and her plushie to just float downwards in the water. Murray tried to stop him, but was no match for the shark steam-train and moved aside. Vincenzio streamed towards the Ambulance-Fish, but he was held back by three Patrol-Whales just as he got to them.

"Sir, we're gonna have to ask you to move away," one Patrol-Whale instructed.

If he had wanted to get past them, he would have charged straight through them by now. But he didn't need to see the body. He knew it was Regis. He knew he hadn't survived. He knew he'd never see him again. Why hadn't he come to see him sooner? He never had a chance to say goodbye. The great white could just watch solemnly as the Ambulance-Fish took Regis away.

"I am sorry, Vinnie. Everyone will miss him, but I know he meant a lot to you," Murray laid a fin on one immense shoulder. The Patrol-Whales returned to their investigation as Vincenzio began to calm down.

The old leopard shark hovered at Vincenzio's side, coaxing the fighter away from the edge of destruction. But he wouldn't move. He just stared down at the rubble, as if searching for anything he could cling on to emotionally. Nothing had really survived the accident. Decades of history and memories just laid there in a heap of shattered pieces. Then Vincenzio felt something grasp his left fin. He looked down to see Bambi huddled close to him, her eyes fixed on the debris. She couldn't understand why this big mess had made her daddy unhappy. He didn't have to clean it up, did he? Her big pink eyes looked up to her giant father, searching for answers.

"Ahem…May I speak with you in private, sir?" a Patrol-Whale coughed behind Murray. The elderly shark was taken to one side, and two officers approached Vincenzio.

"Sir, did you regularly attend this gym?" the black and white whale asked.

"Yeah…well, I did. I haven't been back here in about a month," Vincenzio replied wearily. Bambi had ducked behind her father instantly when the two officers had approached.

And she had good reason to distrust these two whales.

"So, can you think of anyone that might want to destroy the gym?" one officer asked slowly, the tone in his voice changing. His comrade glanced back to check that his chief was still busy.

Vincenzio looked blank, scratching his smooth head idly for a few moments. "Well, no. Why? Do you suspect this was done on purpose?"

"Well, it's highly unlikely, considering the age of the building. But we do have to explore all avenues. Thank you for your time, sir," one of the Patrol-Whales finished very quickly, his comrade following closely as they returned to the crime scene.

Vincenzio thought no more of that brief interview. The atmosphere was stale – all of the dust lingering in the water, it would be a while before any kind of clean up crew could arrive. If it hadn't been for the pup sheltering behind his great mass, Vincenzio would have spent the day grieving for his fallen friend. But he didn't want Bambi to stay in this kind of bleak environment, who knows what kind of effect it could have an innocent pup.

Bambi rushed inside the apartment as soon as the gap in the doorway was big enough, leaving her father to obscure much of the outside with his bulky shape. He moved at a turtle's pace, weighed down by the day's sadness. He had barely spent a minute inside his home when the phone rang. Vincenzio was tempted to just let it ring off; he wasn't exactly in the mood for talking. But it could be important. It could be the police with some new information.

"Hello…" he greeted, rather flatly.

"Vinnie! I've been trying to get you all day! Where have you been?" It was Saffron.

"I've been out, with Bambi…What's wrong?" he asked, sensing the panic in his sister-in-law.

"There's been an 'incident' at the salon. Some wacko dolphins trashed the whole front windows!" Saffron screeched.

Vincenzio's face dropped. "What! What happened? Did they get away?"

"Yeah. The blow-holes…Thank god for Carla. One flash of her spines and they scattered," Saffron sounded relieved. She thanked her lucky fins that they hadn't done more damage.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Saffron," Vincenzio sighed down the phone. This was turning into the day from hell.

And was about to get worse.

The occupants of the old submarine had been restless for days after the disappearance of their leader. Rumours were passed from dolphin to dolphin, some growing outlandishly ridiculous, and some bordering on the insane. Many of Tooti's followers wouldn't believe the words of his strongest supporters, and wanted proof that he was still alive. This is where Kori failed. He couldn't prove anything, and had simply taken the role of leader in Tooti's absence. Even with several other high-ranking dolphins and whales on his side, they lost great numbers of followers who thought Kori too incompetent to lead.

But Kori would prove to be just as ruthless as Tooti.

In the control room, Kori hovered behind Tooti's chair. He may have seized his power, but he still held great respect for the dolphin he believed was still alive. Two porpoises guarded the doorway. A light was cast on the young bottlenose, his two guests completely engulfed in shadow.

"He doesn't suspect a thing," said one of the dark masses.

"And we made sure the attack on the spa wasn't followed any further," chimed a voice from the other mass.

Kori nodded in approval. "Good. You know what to do next?" Kori's voice was a little more sultry and smooth.

Although barely visible in the murk and dim lighting, Kori saw the two forms nod in understanding, and then he dismissed them. They left, almost swimming in unison, passing the porpoise guards quietly. Kori played with the back of Tooti's chair nervously as one of the higher pilot whales entered, his bulk and confident aura almost filling the room to a stifling degree.

"You do know that Vincenzio will probably tear them to shreds?" the pilot whale said calmly. He had as much love for his followers as Tooti did – none.

"I know. After tonight, Vincenzio will be a wanted shark. He can swim…but he can't hide," Kori smirked cruelly, the light casting deep evil shadows across his smooth head and snout.

Vincenzio laid Bambi down into her ever shrinking crib. Or maybe she was ever-expanding. Bambi was right in the middle of a growth spurt, and as such, was terribly restless. She squirmed around in her father's grasp, and didn't want to be put to sleep yet. She still had to scale Mount Sofa, and explore the Caves of the Saucepans. But Vincenzio had other plans, and had to cut short her expeditions this night. He gently closed her door and then heard a quiet cry.

Vincenzio rolled his eyes and sighed, his immense shoulders sinking a little. He opened the door again, and left it slightly ajar for some light to filter in. Bambi hadn't been able to sleep with the door closed since Mona's death, and Vincenzio could still hear her through the walls when she was having nightmares. He shook his head sadly.

Just as he was about to sail into the kitchen, there was a knock on the door. It was fairly late; he wondered who it could have been. He slowly craned the door open and was greeted by the black and white forms of two Patrol-Whales.

"May we come in?" one officer said very quickly, before even Vincenzio could greet them. He was nervous.

"Of course officer," the great shark widened the doorway and sucked himself in a little to let the two mammals pass. One officer glared at the other as they swam into the sitting room. Vincenzio clicked the door shut and followed, settling himself in his favourite armchair.

"Is this about what happened today?" Vincenzio asked honestly, his icy blue eyes making the dolphins nervous, despite his friendly demeanour.

"Errm…yes…I'm afraid we have no further leads on our investigation…and it will be treated as an accident," the first officer stumbled over his words, letting them dribble from his snout quickly. He kept wringing his flippers, much to his companion's annoyance.

"Okay," Vincenzio replied shortly, a little disappointed. But had he really expected it to be anything else? He couldn't think of anyone who would want to topple the gym, except maybe for competitors.

"Err…do you have a drink, or something for my friend here?" the second officer asked, trying to calm his accomplice.

Vincenzio nodded, and hauled himself from his chair. As soon as he was out of sight, the second officer hit the other one over the head.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. "You're going to give us away."

"I don't think I can do it…I mean lookit him! What if he fights back?" the first officer stammered.

"If we strike fast and hard, he won't have a chance to. Remember what they told us to do. Aim for the gills. It'll be over quicker than you know," the second officer said in a hushed whisper. He could just hear Vincenzio closing the fridge. "We strike now."

"I'm sorry, all we have is - " Vincenzio began. But the second officer lunged at him, wrapping his flippers over his gills.

Vincenzio started to choke. He gritted his sharp teeth together in a fierce growl. All he could feel was the increasing pressure on his delicate gills as the dolphin squeezed more and more. And then Vincenzio smirked. He hurled the dolphin away from him, throwing the mammal across the room and crashing into another armchair.

Vincenzio took deep breaths, his gills moving fast to regain some composure. He glared at the other officer, who was trembling on the sofa. He lurched toward him, but the second officer surged from behind the armchair, hitting him squarely in the chest with his pointed nose. The nervous officer grabbed a pillow from the sofa and wrapped it around Vincenzio's gills in panic, holding it tightly in place while his comrade repeatedly took blow after blow at the shark.

Then it happened. Something inside Vincenzio just snapped. Everything fit into place. The gym - his second-home, and the place where they could get to Regis. The Spa - Saffron was close family to him and it would have only been a matter of time before they found his parents and the rest of Mona's family. And now these two – officers of the law, working for Tooti. He must have survived, who else would have launched such a callous attack.

Vincenzio went primal. He threw the dolphin from his back, and caught the other squarely on the snout with a lightning fast left hook. Without a second thought, he sunk his teeth into the officer. He shook his head violently from side to side. The awful screams of pain fell on deaf ears as Vincenzio just ripped the chunks of flesh from this dolphin. Blood spurted from the huge gash and hung in the water like some kind of poisonous vapour.

The other officer watched in horror, but wasn't spared. Vincenzio whirled about quickly, grabbing the dolphin's flipper in his gaping mouth. In a clean cleave, he tore the flipper away. And then he went in again, clamping his jaws on the dolphin's neck. He ripped away blubber, flesh, and arteries in one sweep.

Vincenzio panted. His nostrils were alight with the sickeningly addictive smell of dolphin blood in the water. It swirled about the room in mini currents, gently staining the furniture and walls. As he surveyed the carnage, Vincenzio's rage ebbed away, leaving just a huge empty space inside. His mouth was bright red with blood, and it was smeared all over his snout and chin. He hung his head in shame, then he heard a small meep from the doorway.

Bambi hovered with her head just peeked around the door. She'd escaped from her crib the moment she had heard the dolphin scream, and had seen her father rip into these mammals like they were toys. She looked around at the mangled bodies, and crinkled her nose, this her first smell of real, fresh blood.

Vincenzio hated himself.

His only child and daughter had just seen her father turn into some kind of monster. He wiped the blood away from his mouth, making awful smudges on his fins. He scooped her up gently, half-expecting her to flinch at his touch. But she didn't. In fact, she cuddled her father, closing her eyes and nuzzling softly into him. Vincenzio gently stroked her, his eyes glancing back over his shoulder at the dismembered body parts.

There was only one thing he could now.