Flounder was desperately swimming for dear life as the raging squid chased him. The little guppy tried to shake it off by going through circular rock formations and reefs, but the squid was too giant and strong and crashed straight through them.
Eventually, the squid was close enough to reach with one of its tentacles and grab Flounder. Then, happy and hungry for revenge after catching its prey, the squid opened its mouth, moving Flounder to it, about to eat the fish when suddenly a voice cried out.
"Hey, you big bully! Why don't you pick on someone your own size, or even one-fourth your size, like me?!"
The squid stopped, turned around, and saw Ariel swimming to the rescue, much to Flounder's relief. Now, focusing on Ariel, the squid tried to grab Ariel, but the little mermaid swam back and forth around the squid using her smaller size and speed. The squid tried hard, using its multiple tentacles, but Ariel was too quick, and as it tried to catch her, it kept getting its tentacles tangled or tied up in knots.
Eventually, the squid became a heap of knots, unable to use its tentacles anymore, and seizing her chance, Ariel quickly swam over to Flounder and pulled him free from its clutches.
"Thanks for saving me, Ariel," Flounder spoke thankfully. "For a minute, I thought I was a goner."
"No one's eating my best friend as long as I'm around," said Ariel. "Now, let's get back to the others. Hopefully, nothing else has happened."
Back with Garret and Sebastian, the two were still trapped in their bubbles, trying to get free, but to no avail.
"Geez! How the heck are these bubbles so hard to pop?!" complained Garret as he rammed with his shoulder. "Crabby, can't you pop these things with your claws?!"
"You don't tink I've been trying?!" Sebastian barked as he jabbed at his bubble with his claw. "Dat Lobster Mobster's used a bubble gun, and the bubbles dat come out of dat are almost impossible to pop! And stop calling me Crabby!"
Then, Sebastion gave another hard poke on his bubble using all of his crab strength, but it repelled him, the force of it making Sebastion bounce back. This action caused him to move toward Garret Wheen it made contact, the bigger one absorbed the little one, forcing Sebastian inside. Now, Sebastian and Garret were inside the same bubble.
"Oh, great. Now, we're even more stuck," sighed Garret. "Now what?"
Then came more trouble. A large and moving shadow cast over the two, causing the boys to look up, and their eyes go wide with horror and terror.
A giant shark was gliding by, and unfortunately, it had seen them. Believing that it had found two helpless prey, it turned around, its eyes gleaming in hunger as it swam towards them.
Sebastian couldn't help but scream. "IT'S A SHARK!"
"OBVIOUSLY!" Garret screamed back.
The boy quickly pushed the bubble along like a ball and got it moving like a hamster with a ball with the shark right on the duo's tailfins, snapping its jaws while growling menacingly.
For the first few feet, as they tried to get away, Garret and Sebastian managed to avoid the shark, but it got closer to the two with every chomp until finally, the shark bit down hard on the bubble, causing it to pop and explode. Its force sent Garret and Sebastian flying until they crashed into a narrow cave.
"Whew. That was a close one," Garret sighed as he shook the dizziness from his head. "You OK, Crabby?"
"I tink so," groaned Sebastian. "If by OK, you mean dat I haven't been turned into lunch. And for de last time, don't call me-!"
But before the crab could finish, the shark suddenly lunged through the cave's opening, snapping its jaws furiously, causing the two to scream and jump with terror. But, lucky, it was too small for the shark to pass through, which made it stuck, unable to get to them.
Sebastian then glared sternly at the shark while laughing. "Dat'll teach you ta stick your nose where it doesn't belong!" he taunted.
"Don't tease the thing!" chided Garret. "You'll just make it even angrier!"
Then, they heard a familiar voice call out to them from above.
"Garret! Sebastian!"
Through another opening in the cave, the two looked up and saw Ariel and Flounder waving to them. Not wanting to stick around, the two quickly made their way to them, leaving the shark behind.
Ariel was quick to notice that two members of their group were missing. "Hey! Where are the twins?!" she asked.
"Dis time, it wasn't my fault!" Sebastian quickly objected.
"He's right, Ariel! The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp are back!" explained Garret. "They used some weird bubble gun to trap us and then made off with the twins!"
"But why would that guy want to take a couple of babies?" asked Flounder. "I mean, they're not treasure or anything."
Garret then had a thought. "Hold on. Just before they left, we heard The Lobster Mobster mention something about pearls," he said. "And if I remember correctly, the Countess was wearing a pearl necklace. What if they intend to use the twins as a ransom for that necklace?"
"If that's what they're up to, we've got to find them!" cried Ariel. "Did you guys hear anything about where they went?"
"Yes! We did!" realized Sebastian. "De Lobster Mobster also told De Shrimp dat dey were heading for de hills!"
"But that could be anywhere!" said Garret. "I mean, there are hills everywhere you look!"
"I know what hills they're talking about!" said Ariel. "Come on! I'll show you the way!"
And with Ariel leading the way, the group set off once again to save the twins.
Meanwhile, The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp, now in the hills, were almost to their secret hideaway. Da Shrimp was still baiting the twins with the lollipops, while The Lobster Mobster was starting to grow tired from all the walking and had to pause for a moment.
"As soon as I catch my breath," the exhausted lobster gasped. "I'm taking over this hill, see?"
"Forgive me for the asking, Boss," said Da Shrimp. "But what do we need this hill for?"
The Lobster Mobster scowled crossly. "So's I can throw you down it!" he snapped.
After a few more minutes of walking, they soon came to their hideaway. It was a sunken ship resting just beside the ledge of a large rock, where a large whirlpool raged about next to it. The Lobster Mobster, Da Shrimp, and the twins quickly went inside. Now
"Now's listen, you two," The Lobster Mobster spoke to the babies. "I took over this shack from an old hermit crab, see?"
"And that was great!" Da Shrimp chirped. "He didn't want it anymore! I can't imagine why though."
"Quit your yapping and put those kids to bed!" snapped the Lobster Mobster. He then let out a yawn. "Heading for the hills tired me out, so youse watch the little tadpoles while I catch some z's."
"Oh, great! Catch some for me, will you, Boss?" Da Shrimp spoke, obliviously eager.
The Lobster Mobster replied with a grunt as he went over to his bed, lying down, and tried to sleep. But as he tried, Oliver and Olivia both began enjoying their lollipops, sucking on them loudly while cooing and babbling, making him quick to snap at Da Shrimp.
"Will you keep those kids quiet?!" he snarled.
"Sure thing, Boss!" Da Shrimp replied. "You can count on me, Boss! I can be as quiet as a clam, Boss. You want quiet? You got quiet. Why I was so quiet once, nobody heard about it."
The Lobster Mobster then took off his hat and smacked Da Shrimp smack on the head, sending him flying and stopping his rambling. Then, he lay back down, closed his eyes, and was soon fast asleep.
However, as Da Shrimp looked back to where he left the twins, he was surprised to see that they had suddenly disappeared. He looked around, wondering where they had gone, but then he looked up, and his eyes nearly popped out. Oliver and Olivia had climbed on some shelves filled with numerous dishes and bottles and were playing with them.
Then, Olivia knocked over a large glass kettle. Reacting quickly while not wanting to wake up The Lobster Mobster, Da Shrimp promptly dashed forward and caught it.
After that, Oliver knocked down a few plates, a bottle, and a gravy cup as he hopped over to the next shelf next to his sister. Da Shrimp quickly dashed around, catching one after the other until he had a long, precarious stack of dishes.
Da Shrimp felt relieved, believing that he was safe, but then Olivia tried reaching for a tiny teacup which caused her to knock it over. And as Da Shrimp's eyes went wide with horror, the tiny teacup landed right on top of the stack, which caused everything to topple over and fall to the floor with a mighty crash.
The noise caused The Lobster Mobster to wake up, and he was angry. "I thought I told youse to be quiet!" he growled loudly.
"But it's not my fault, Boss!" Da Shrimp protested. "The little sea monkeys won't sit still!"
"I guess I gotta do everything around here," huffed The Lobster Mobster. He then went over to the twins, got them off the shelves, and set them down on the bed. "All right, youse little mugs! Uncle Lobster is gonna sing youse a lullaby, see? And you're gonna love it!"
The Lobster Mobster cleared his throat, and this is what he sang, with Da Shrimp joining in a jazzy and soothing tune as they danced.
Lobster Mobster
Muzzle up your mugs
Or I'll fill 'em full of slugs
That's an offer that you can't refuse
Forget your troubles and dream
Up a bubble-brained scheme
Da Shrimp
That's telling 'em, Boss
Lobster Mobster
Shut your snappers and snooze
Da Shrimp
Shut your snappers and snooze
Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp:
To the beddie-bye blues
At some point, Oliver happened to catch a slug swimming by and saw it while putting it in his mouth. But The Lobster Mobster was quick to pull it out and throw it at Da Shrimp.
Lobster Mobster
Snuff out your cigars
And thank your lucky stars
You ain't swimming in some cement shoes
Think of something that's nice
Da Shrimp
Like what, Boss?
Lobster Mobster
Like a holdup or a heist
Da Shrimp
That's nice
Lobster Mobster
And take your getaway cruise
Da Shrimp
Take your getaway cruise
Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp
With the beddie-bye blues
The Lobster Mobster wrapped the twins in a kelp blanket, while both their eyes began to grow a bit heavy, their song working its magic. Thinking quickly, the Lobster Mobster held Da Shrimp like a baby cradling him while the little shrimp pretended to snore. After that, The Lobster Mobster tossed him aside.
Lobster Mobster
Slip into slumber
Saw a little lumber and snore
Let 'em hear you onshore
Just count a couple of kippers
Relax your weary flippers
And don't forget to zip
Your little lips with zippers
Da Shrimp
That's beautiful, Boss
Lobster Mobster
And don't go crying for your mother
'Cause now we've only got each other
So sleep, little chowderheads, please
Shut your snappers and snooze
To the beddie-bye blues
Oliver and Olivia were now fast asleep, and even Da Shrimp was sleeping too. So, feeling happy that he could now get some shuteye, The Lobster Mobster went back to his bed.
"Aw, those kids are sweeter than a pardon from prison," The Lobster Mobster mused. "Too bad I gotta use them for ransom."
He then let out a yawn and was about to go to sleep when he accidentally laid on top of the bubble gun, thinking it was a pillow, causing it to shoot out a bubble. Before The Lobster Mobster could react, it scooped up both of the twins and carried them away outside. The Lobster Mobster let out a scream in surprise, which caused Da Shrimp to wake up and see them.
The two then raced outside, and to their horror, they saw the bubble with the twins inside heading straight towards the whirlpool.
"After them!" The Lobster Mobster yelled.
And the two swam after them in hot pursuit.
At that time, Ariel and her group arrived on the scene and saw the twins.
"There they are!" yelled Ariel. "And they're heading straight for that whirlpool!"
The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp desperately swam after the twins trying to catch them before they got pulled into the whirlpool, but its currents were so strong that it pulled the babies inside and them in, too, spinning and swirling them around.
Ariel then took hold of Sebastian and Flounder under each of their arms. "Hold on, everyone!" she warned.
"A-Ariel! Surely, you're not going to - !" began Sebastian.
But Ariel pumped her fins and charged forward straight into the whirlpool. At first, Garret hesitated but followed close behind them.
Inside, the powerful currents spun everyone around while trying to reach the twins. The Lobster Mobster Da Shrimp desperately swam as hard, but they couldn't get to them due to a current pushing against them.
Ariel, riding another current, overtook them and tried to catch the twins while Sebastian and Flounder held onto her tail fin. At first, she missed a few times, but then Garret came in from another direction and was able to grab hold of the bubble, which helped Ariel grab it too.
However, the bubble was too slippery, shooting out of their hands, and started ricocheting around like a pinball. It blew past The Lobster Mobster and then Ariel and the others, knocking every one of them out of the whirlpool and sending them flying in different directions.
The twins shot off in the distance, along with The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp, Flounder and Sebastian flew towards a reef, and Ariel and Garret landed in a kelp bush.
While feeling dizzy and a bit frazzled, Ariel and Garret pulled themselves out from the bush.
"Garret, are you okay?" Ariel asked while shaking her head.
"If by okay, you mean dizzy and bruised, then yeah. I'm good," Garret groggily replied.
Ariel then looked around, looking for her other two friends. "Sebastian! Flounder!" she called. "Where are you?!"
They then heard a familiar voice just a few feet away.
"Over here!"
Ariel and Garret quickly went over to where the voice came from, close to the reef. They saw Flounder beside Sebastian, lying on a rock, dazed and confused.
"Sebastian, this isn't the time to rest!" urged Ariel.
"Easy for you ta say!" Sebastian gasped. "We'll never catch dose twins with de way dey keep escaping us! And when de king finds out about it, he's never going ta trust you again, and my job - huh!"
"Come on, Crabby! Could you not be so negative?!" Garret snapped indignantly. "Besides, it's not Ariel's fault the twins got out!"
"Yeah, but it was my responsibility, Garret," Ariel spoke sadly. "Daddy tried to warn me, but I didn't listen, thinking it would be no problem as a babysitter. I'm a big flop."
Garret, Flounder, and Sebastian looked at Ariel, surprised about admitting something like that. However, Ariel grew determined.
"But this isn't the time to be feeling sorry for myself!" she spoke firmly. "The important thing right now is saving those babies!"
The little mermaid then took off, and Garret, Flounder, and Sebastian followed close behind.
Meanwhile, both of the twins had been enjoying themselves immensely as the bubble carried them in the current. They floated past beautiful coral reefs, colorful schools of fish, and even some other animals close by.
The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp stayed on their fins as fast as theirs could carry them as they floated along.
The twins started floating close to a trench where lots of branches of coral were growing. The bubble happened to get snagged by one of the branches, and it popped.
The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp gasped and gaped in horror as Oliver and Olivia plummeted into the darkness of the trench, vanishing from view. At first, the two fear the worst, believing that the twins were done for as they looked into it.
But then, a giant whale floated out of the trench with the twins riding its back and heading west towards the outskirts of Atlantica.
"Don't let that whale make a getaway!" cried The Lobster Mobster. "Those little sea slugs could get hurt!"
Da Shrimp looked at the lobster in surprise, not expecting him to say such words. However, realizing what he had just said, The Lobster Mobster quickly corrected himself.
"Well, uh, um, nobody's gonna pay for damaged goods, you know," he told Da Shrimp while glaring. "Yeah, damaged goods. Right, Shrimp?"
Da Shrimp wasn't sure, but he answered with a nod agreeing as the two set off after the twins again. However, the two couldn't catch up due to the whale's rate of speed no matter how hard they swam, and they quickly started to grow tired.
"You know, this would be easier if we could grab a ride on a fish, too," panted The Lobster Mobster. "Something fast enough to catch that whale."
Da Shrimp then saw something behind The Lobster Mobster that made his eyes wide with fear. "H-How about that shark, Boss?" he asked nervously while pointing.
At first, The Lobster Mobster was puzzled, but as he turned around, he let out a scream, for coming towards them was the same shark that Ariel and the others ran into before, and it was hangry.
The shark zoomed towards them, opening its jaws, but luckily, The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp quickly swam out of the way, causing the shark to slam straight into a rock. Stunned from the impact, the shark slowly sank to the bottom while the two gangsters swam away with new vigor after the whale.
The whale soon made its way close to some abandoned ruins, and The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp stopped just outside, unsure whether to proceed.
Da Shrimp was trembling nervously. "B-Boss, we ain't going in there, are we?" he stuttered nervously.
The Lobster Mobster was also worried, but he was quick to pluck up confidence. "Well, yeah! Them mertwins are worth a fortune to us! Come on!"
The two of them then went inside.
Ariel and her crew had also caught up, having to have seen the gangsters enter the ruins. But they also noticed that they were close to Atlantica.
"Oh, man! I just remembered!" said Garret. "We've been at this for how long, and it's almost time for the ceremony! King Triton and the others must be at the palace by now!"
"Sebastian! Go back to the palace and stall!" ordered Ariel. "We'll save the twins!"
The red crab answered with a nod and started back to Atlantica while Ariel, Flounder, and Garret resumed their chase. But they didn't realize that the shark had managed to recover and was even more hangry as it followed silently behind.
As the whale continued through the ruins, the twins enjoyed the ride having fun until they saw something piqued their curiosity.
Just ahead was an archway with a statue of two angels holding an eight-shaped figure. Believing that it was a playground, Olivia and Olivia got off the whale's back and fell right on top of the archway. But when they did, the stone they were on began to crumble and buckle from their weight.
The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp happened to be close by, and when they saw the twins, they immediately rushed over to them, hoping to save them as the stone broke off with them on it plummeting toward the floor below.
"It's okay, kids! We've got youse! We've got youse!" called The Lobster Mobster.
Luckily, both twins landed on top of a pillar before hitting the ground. But unfortunately, for The Lobster Mobster, the stone fell right on top of him with a thunderous thud.
"Don't worry, Boss! The kids are perfectly safe," Da Shrimp spoke in relief. "Nobody's gonna get hurt."
The Lobster Mobster then pulled himself out from under the stone as Oliver and Olivia slid down the pillar and crawled up to him.
At that time, Ariel, Garret, and Flounder swam in from above and saw the gangsters and the babies below, but they weren't the only ones they saw. The shark from before was gliding silently along the floor, heading straight for them.
Knowing they had to take action, Ariel and the gang quickly dove to the rescue and scooped up the twins out of the way in the nick of time as the shark targeted the mobsters.
The Lobster Mobster, oblivious to what was happening, chuckled in relief. "I don't know what was worse, taking care of these little mud guppies or dealing with that shark."
Da Shrimp then saw the impending danger and gulped fearfully. "Th-Th-The shark!" he squeaked.
"Nah, I say the twins were worse," insisted The Lobster Mobster.
"N-No, Boss! The shark! The shark!" Da Shrimp cried as he darted away.
"What's the matter with you?" The Lobster Mobster gruffed. "Those twins were much worse than-."
It was then that he finally turned around and saw what was coming.
"THE SHARK!"
And with the shark snapped its jaws at them, giving chase, The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp swam away as fast as their flippers and claws could carry them until they were out of sight. Ariel and the others were pleased to see them go as they made their way back to the palace.
Back at the palace, King Triton, the Count, and the Countess had just returned from their tour.
"Well, it's time to dress the children for the ceremony," said the Countess.
"Yes, I'll summon Ariel," said King Triton. "Ariel?"
At first, no one came, but then Sebastian came zipping in, holding up a tray of appetizers and having a towel draped over his other claw like a waiter.
"Do not worry, your majesty! I'll fetch Ariel and de children," he panted. "But first, I must offer you some plankton pate."
But King Triton was not amused. "Sebastian, where are Ariel and the babies?" the merman asked the crab privately.
"And what adorable babies they are, sir !" Sebastian spoke, pretending to be oblivious as he went over to the count and countess. "But first, did you know dat dere are one-hundred ways to prepare plankton? First, you-"
"Sebastian," King Triton interrupted, now growing stern.
Sebastian was now getting nervous, but he knew he had to keep stalling.
"You look like you could use a good rumba, mon!" he spoke to the countess while taking her hands. "Come on! I learned dis step from a cute little crayfish who had a ting for me!"
The tiny red crustacean then started dancing with the countess, leading her around the room while spinning, much to her bewilderment. King Triton and the count were also bewildered, but the Count lost patience.
King Triton then came over and scooped up Sebastian into his hand. "Sebastian, where are they?!" he demanded in a harsh whisper.
Knowing that he couldn't stall anymore, Sebastian was about to speak when Ariel, Garret, and the others swam, carrying Olivier and Olivia, the two babies now wearing fancy bonnets with feathers on top.
"Here we are, Father!" said Ariel. "We got them all dressed up for their ceremony."
The Count and Countess were happy to see their babies, while King Triton and Sebastian were relieved.
After a bit, the ceremony began as King Triton, the Count and Countess, Ariel, and her group floated on the stage before a large audience. While holding Oliver in his right hand and Olivia to his left, King Triton held them up high as he swam up while radiating in a powerful glow while several tendrils of energy swirled around them.
"I offer these merchildren to the four currents! And soon, they will speak the words of the merpeople!"
"When they do learn to speak, I hope they won't talk about what happened today," Ariel whispered to her friends.
"You and me both," Garret whispered back.
Then, something miraculous happened.
Both Oliver and Olivia swam off King Triton's hands and started swimming around the stage, much to the surprise of everyone. Eventually, they swam around King Triton, and then Olivia went over to Ariel in her arms and Oliver to Garret.
"Oh my gosh!" Ariel gasped in excitement. "You just took your first swim!"
"I don't believe it!" Garret also cried. "Way to go, kiddos!"
Everyone in the audience applauded in celebration as King Triton smiled with pride. But neither was prouder than the Count and Countess.
"Ariel, you've done a wonderful job!" praised the Countess. "I do hope you babysit for us every time we visit."
"No way, she gonna do dat," Sebastian spoke to Flounder and Garret.
"Babysitting was..." began Ariel choosing her words carefully.
"Exhausting," said Sebastian.
"Scary," added Flounder.
Garret gave them a gentle nudge, silently telling them to keep quiet.
Ariel then smiled at the Countess. "I would love to do it again sometime," she said.
Immediately, Sebastian's eyes went wide and, with a feeble whimper, fainted while Flounder caught him by the claws.
Garret then sighed while chuckling wryly. "Well, as the saying goes, sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart, although I'm not sure that quote fits here."