Happy Anniversary fellow "Luca" fans!
In honor of this special date, I decided to upload the last part of this fic:
The kids had flown over the bully; when they landed, it was with a big blow that made them jump from their seats, and they nearly crashed into a wall, luckily, Luca was able to turn the handlebars in time, and they lightly collided with Ercole's bike, pushing him a little. The bully snorted and turned to see them; his eyes widened at the boys' transformation. Ercole stifled a scream and was about to lose control but held on tightly to the grips, then examined Luca and Alberto from top to bottom.
The boys opened their eyes in terror.
Ercole stopped his gaze at the height of their heads and seemed to take it all in because his eyes lit up.
"Oh, I should have known," he said, menacing.
Alberto swallowed hard while Giulia's skin prickled; she had never seen Ercole like this, he was smiling, but not arrogantly as usual, but like a lunatic, his grin from ear to ear, showing his teeth. While his eyebrows were clenched, he looked like a maniac; he seemed serious about killing the boys. Luca was also scared, he had always felt intimidated by Ercole, but something was different this time, it was as if... he was really going to kill them; this wasn't just to scare them anymore, he wanted them dead.
Wasting no time, Luca pedaled harder; Ercole had been distracted enough to leave his right flank unprotected, they passed so fast that Ercole barely noticed them.
"Hey! Come back here!" Ercole yelled, turning his attention to the front, he pedaled in pursuit while screaming sideways: "Ciccio! Ciccio!"
But the blond was nowhere to be found, he had stayed at the top of the hill; Ercole growled.
"A harpoon! Someone!" he yelled, but the only ones present were simple spectators, who looked amazed, terrified, and surprised at the boys in their sea monster forms.
Ercole grunted again and turned all his attention to following the trio.
Lorenzo and Daniela were coming up the slope, both protected under the tablecloth of the improvised table, and they kept looking for Luca, now more concerned with the rain, the only shred of hope they had left was to believe that their son had managed to get to safety before it got wet.
The Underdogs passed right beside them.
"Oh no!" Daniela exclaimed with a small voice when she noticed that Luca had transformed; Ercole appeared chasing the boys, and she didn't need much to know what it meant: "Luca!"
"Son!" Lorenzo screamed, and the two ran after the young.
The trio was gaining ground, almost reaching the plaza.
"Passing the finish line, there's no barrier!" Giulia said to Luca, pointing forward, "If you don't stop, we'll fall straight into the water, and the two can escape!"
"But what about you?" Luca asked, worried.
"Don't worry about me! You two are the ones who need to get to safety!"
Luca was going to protest, but he just narrowed his eyes. He would listen to her, and maybe later… they could come back when things were calmer.
Giulia felt more relaxed when she saw that he wasn't going to question her, then she remembered that Alberto's tail was still wrapped around her waist; Giulia looked at it, and she felt-
Odd.
It was heavy and scaly, and something told her that, if she wasn't already wet from the rain, it would feel slimy too; but it was also strong and made her feel safe. Because due to the speed they were riding and the ground Luca decided to pass, they were shaking to all sides, and it seemed that they could fall from the bike at any time.
Alberto's tail was like a powerful hug she wanted to cling to.
Alberto looked over his shoulder, noticing Giulia's strange look; the boy bit his lip.
"Sorry," he apologized.
He was about to uncoil his tail, but Giulia quickly shook her head.
"No, no," and she clung tighter to Alberto, "is fine."
Alberto opened his eyes in surprise, he was sure Giulia would find it disgusting; but it seemed that it made her feel better, so he just nodded.
The square was getting closer, and even though there were spectators everywhere, none was on the road, they could get there without problems until they felt an impact in the back that threw them forward.
The three stifled a scream, after recovering from the hit they turned to see what had happened; behind them was Ercole.
"You're not going anywhere!" the bully yelled.
Luca gritted his teeth and tried to pedal harder, but Ercole took advantage placing himself beside them, then hit them by crashing into them with the bike, the kids screamed as their vehicle lurched, but Luca managed to hold it steady.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Giulia screamed furiously at him, she already knew that Ercole was an abuser, but she couldn't understand why he was so determined to hurt her friends.
What had Luca and Alberto done to make him hate them so much?!
Ercole ignored her, moving to the left, ready to launch another attack, but Giulia narrowed her eyes; she had had enough. Before Ercole could hit them, she kicked him in the leg, Ercole screamed and almost lost control, but he managed to stabilize himself and looked at the redhead growling.
"I should have known only monsters would want to be your friends!" he insulted her.
"Stop! They are not monsters!" Giulia responded by throwing another kick at him, but Ercole dodged, pausing to stay behind as they advanced.
"Oops," he sneered, pedaling up to their side again, kicking the back tire, causing another jolt.
"Guys!" Luca cried after regaining control, "I don't know if I can take another hit!"
And it was true, he had to concentrate on the road, and Ercole's multiple attacks distracted him; if they suffered another, he could lose control of the handlebars.
Giulia looked towards their enemy; Ercole was hot on their heels, and it didn't seem like Luca could lose him, not only because he was already tired, but also because the street wasn't big enough, they had nowhere to hide, she wasn't sure they could escape.
"Hold on a little longer!" Alberto tried to encourage him, "we're almost there!"
Another hit, another jolt, the kids surged forward, bumping into each other. Luca gasped but managed to hold his ground; Ercole laughed, realizing the trio wouldn't last much longer. He slowed down to let the Underdogs get ahead, then pedaled harder, ready to hit them. Alberto looked at him and realized what he was planning.
"Luca, turn left!" he shouted him.
Having no time to think, Luca obeyed, they moved in time to evade the attack; Ercole only managed to get to their side, confused that his raid had no effect. Giulia smiled and punched him in the head, causing his helmet to move forward, covering his eyes.
"Maledetta Giulia!" Ercole barked, unable to see the road, he began to move the handlebars in all directions, it seemed that at any moment, he would crash.
The Underdogs laughed, and Luca took the opportunity to take the lead, entering the tunnel he passed the day before to escape his parents; Giulia smiled at the boy's ingenuity.
"The shortcut! Brilliant Luca!"
Despite the pressure of the moment, Luca smiled.
After the passageway, there would be a few streets and then the square, then they would be free and could take refuge on the island or in his parents' house...
His parents!
Luca remembered with fright the last time he had seen them uphill, and he was terrified to think they could be in danger.
"No! Silenzio Bruno!" he said to himself, his parents were clever, and they wouldn't let themselves get wet by the rain, the most likely thing is that they had found a place to take refuge or something to cover themselves with, right now he had to put himself and Alberto safe, that's what that his parents would want.
Unfortunately, the catfish did not give up, Ercole managed to maintain control with one hand, and with the other, he adjusted his helmet, narrowing his eyes to better focus on the fools, they were near to reaching the water.
"Oh no, they won't!" He thought and sped up.
The sound of its wheels splashing through the water alerted Giulia and Alberto; both looked back to see Ercole approaching at full speed.
"This fool never gives up?!" Albert asked angrily.
Giulia passed her worried gaze from Ercole and then back to the road, they were so close, but Ercole could ruin everything at any moment, if they stopped, even for an instant, the boys would be doomed; she needed to get rid of that catfish or her friends couldn't escape.
"Alberto, let me go," she said, looking him in the face.
"What?!" The stunned boy asked.
"I have a plan! Trust me!"
Alberto bit his lip, and that was just because he couldn't scratch the back of his head, it wasn't that he didn't trust Giulia, it was just that… it was the circumstances Alberto didn't rely on, but the girl looked at him pleadingly, and Alberto didn't felt like fighting her, besides, Alberto had betrayed her trust yesterday, so this is how he would make amends for his mistake, start trusting her.
"Fine," he said, releasing Giulia.
Luca couldn't see what was happening, but he was glad his friends weren't arguing; Ercole was getting closer and closer to them, it seemed that he wanted to use himself as a human torpedo since he was heading toward them at full speed, and with no intention of stopping.
"Alright, what's your plan?" Albert asked her.
Before Giulia could respond, Ercole crept forward enough to bump into them.
"Luca, to the right!"
Luca obeyed without having to hear her again, avoiding Ercole by just a centimeter; the thug stayed by their side, just like at the beginning.
"Stay still and die!" he barked at them.
"I really want to hear that plan, Giulia!" Alberto repeated, turning to see her; to his surprise, she only looked at him with love and gratitude, then she peeked at Luca and smiled.
"Guys," she said, and even Luca took time to turn around and look at her, "thanks for everything."
Having said that, she stopped hugging Alberto.
"Giulia, what are you doing?!" Luca yelled.
"I'm going to give you time to escape!" She bent her knees and looked at Ercole, her brows tightening before adding: "So long, evil empire of injustice!"
And before any of the two could yell her not to do it, Giulia jumped.
It was as if time stopped; rain drops ceased falling, the thunder froze in the middle, and Giulia was suspended in the air. Luca and Alberto saw with eyes wide open as their friend headed toward the enemy. They didn't know how long it took until everything returned to normal, and Giulia fell on top of Ercole.
The impact was such that the bicycle went to the left, hitting the wall, the screw of the wheels did not resist and came loose, and the front tire flew off, overturning the entire bicycle. Ercole and Giulia fell to the ground and rolled to a stop; Luca could have sworn he heard something break, something human.
Just as they entered the plaza.
Screams of terror were heard as well as exclamations, Ercole rolled to a wall that stopped him, but Giulia kept rolling until she reached the esplanade, when she finally lost momentum, the girl lay on the ground, tried to get up but made a face, something wasn't right, her arm hurt and… it didn't respond.
"No!" Luca screamed; with her sacrifice, the girl had allowed them to flee; they were approaching the beach.
However, the only thing the two boys had their attention on was their friend, who lay defeated, letting out cries of pain as she put her good hand to her injured arm.
"Giulia!" Alberto exclaimed, worried; everything happened so fast; if he knew this was what she had in mind, he would have never let her.
Luca looked ahead, and his eyes widened as he saw they were close to the finish line; there was no wall as Giulia had said, they could shoot straight into the ocean and be safe, but it wouldn't be right.
He had already betrayed a friend he wouldn't do it again.
So with a determined look, he slammed on the brakes, and the bike stopped.
Giulia turned on her back; if she didn't move, it wouldn't hurt so much, besides, knowing that Luca and Alberto were safe, any physical pain would be bearable; she had put her friends out of danger; that was the only thing that mattered.
But then she noticed that she hadn't heard a splash, but a pair of footsteps heading towards her.
Luca and Alberto ran to help her, despite the people's looks of disgust; and the cry of surprise and hatred from...
" Mostro Marino ?!" Massimo asked, stunned to see the creatures, "give me that!"
He took the harpoon from the person next to him and went to confront them.
Luca and Alberto ignored everyone, the only thing that mattered to them was to see that Giulia was okay; they came up to her and crouched down to get a better look at her.
"Giulia! Are you alright?" Luca asked, worried; he had his face on top of hers.
A part of the girl wanted to scream at them, to tell them that she had done it so they could escape, but the arm bothered her so much that she couldn't say anything; she just clenched her teeth as she tried not to scream. That worried Luca; he looked at his friend's arm, and he was not reassured by what he saw, there was no blood, but her joint was on the ground, not as if it were resting, but as if it had no bone to support it.
Luca looked up at Alberto, who had also been looking at Giulia's wound, he wasn't an expert on health issues, but even he knew that wasn't good.
"Giulietta?" Massimo's voice brought them out of their thoughts; even the girl was relieved to hear her father's voice.
The boys looked ahead, the fisherman was coming towards them, harpoon in hand, which startled them a bit, but they refused to back down. Any hostility Massimo could bring vanished as soon as he saw Giulia lying there.
"Giulietta!" he yelled, throwing away the harpoon, and ran towards them.
Luca and Alberto stepped back a bit, just enough for Massimo to get close to his daughter, crouched down next to her, and inspected her arm.
"Giuletta! What happened?!"
Giulia was going to answer, but she closed her eyes again and made a face.
"We're so sorry, Mr. Marcovaldo," Luca apologized, extending a hand, "she was trying to save us."
Alberto just nodded, feeling nervous about what would happen now, they were transformed, he knew what it meant, Massimo would stop seeing them as kids, and now they would be monsters in his eyes; he knew why he had brought the harpoon, he was going to hunt them down.
Massimo recognized Luca's voice, he looked up and met the creature, he opened his eyes as he saw the tone of the boy who had befriended his daughter come out of that thing; but the more Massimo inspected it, the more he saw the monster's resemblance to Luca, the shape of its head, its size, its complexion, and its clothing.
The fisherman glanced at the other creature and saw that (except for the tail, scales, and fins) he was like Alberto. The boy looked away in embarrassment, surely Massimo thought he was horrible, but the truth was that the fisherman felt-
Sad.
Sad to see that the boy he had grown fond of couldn't even see him because he believed he hated him. Massimo couldn't bear that Alberto thought that; how could he despise him after everything he and Luca had done for his daughter?
Another moan brought Massimo out of his thoughts; he returned his gaze to Giulia and took a look at her arm, a fracture, no doubt.
He began to remember everything he knew about first aid to help her.
Meanwhile, the other competitors had stopped, seeing the fallen girl and the transformed boys; nobody knew what to say, they just stopped and watched the scene, barely believing their eyes.
Luca and Alberto didn't pay much attention to them; the only thing they had in mind was to help Giulia.
"Mr. Marcovaldo," Luca began, "is there anything we can do?"
The fisherman looked at them again, not believing what he was hearing. Alberto nodded as the two got closer, a little more confident that Massimo wouldn't hurt them.
...
Meanwhile, Guido had left the bathroom; as soon as he regained his mobility, the first thing he did was vomit the excess food, it was painful and disgusting, his throat felt irritated by the force of the vomit, but his stomach weighed less, and had a clearer mind, he really needed to talk to Ciccio to determine what would happen now with their "friendship" with Ercole.
But nothing could prepare him for what he saw next; all the people in the square had gathered near the downhill; feeling curious, he approached, then he noticed the creatures and knew who they were.
"I should have known," he thought, and in retrospect, it made a lot of sense; the smell of fish, the strange clothes, the boys' fear of water, all the pieces fell into place.
He felt guilty when he saw the purple creature wearing the same clothes as Alberto, the same creature he, Ercole, and Ciccio had attacked yesterday on the beach. The one they almost harpooned.
Guido felt himself turn pale at the thought of almost killing a boy, vomit rose up against his neck again, and he nearly fell over, barely able to stand.
"Oh God, I… I…" he couldn't take it anymore and run back to the bathroom.
...
Hearing Luca's voice, Massimo looked up, the boys had gotten closer to them; a part of him was suspicious, but the other... when he looked at their faces, he only saw the boys who had been living in his house, having dinner with them, and that they had given Giulia the best summer ever, Massimo had no time to hesitate, he had to accept their help.
"Dad," Giulia whispered, "They didn't do anything; it was my choice."
Massimo looked at his daughter; despite the pain, she sounded relieved, it must be because the boys hadn't been injured, or at least that's what Massimo thought.
Before the fisherman could make up his mind, a person in the crowd behind him shouted:
"Injured child! We have an injured child!"
Panic cries were heard.
"It was them!" shouted one of the fishermen who had been patrolling the coast, he had a harpoon in his hands which he pointed at the boys, which made them both alert.
It seemed that the accusation made the town go from confusion to aggression because several people shouted affirmatively, and the guard began to advance toward the boys.
Luca and Alberto began to back away, scared; the people had their harpoons pointed at them and the nets ready.
Giulia raised her head slightly to see that the fishermen were approaching, ignoring the pain, she wanted to stand up to stand between them and her friends; but another pang forced her to lie down again.
" Papá," she begged, "please don't let them hurt them; they are...
"I know, Giulietta, I know," he said firmly, which made Giulia calm down; she knew what was coming: "Leave them alone!"
His imposing voice was heard throughout the streets, causing others to freeze. Massimo looked over his shoulder to confront them.
"They haven't hurt anyone!"
Luca and Alberto widened their eyes, then looked at each other, surprised that Massimo was defending them now that he knew the truth.
"But they are monsters!" someone yelled, to which Massimo shot him a dirty look; the man swallowed hard and lowered the harpoon.
It'll take a while before the town understand what happened. But for now, Massimo's threat had at least served so no one would think of hurting the boys, or they would face the wrath of the greatest fisherman in Portorosso.
Giulia smiled, one worry less.
Massimo turned to the boys, who were still surprised that Massimo had decided to protect them, but they weren't about to complain.
"We need something to rest Giulietta's arm on," he told them; at least there was no blood, that was a good sign, "something like a cushion or sheets."
The boys began to search the surroundings; while Massimo returned to see the other fishermen.
"Put those things down and find the doctor! Be helpful!"
They didn't have to hear it again all dropped their nets and harpoons and went to look for the doctor; they still didn't trust the boys, but the last thing they wanted was to deal with Massimo's anger.
The search had not yielded results, so Luca and Alberto returned empty-handed.
"We're sorry, Mr. Marcovaldo, but there's nothing..."
"Luca!" Daniela's voice was heard above everyone.
Luca felt his heart stop; he didn't expect his parents to reach them so fast, he and Alberto looked up and noticed that Daniela and Lorenzo were running towards them, without transforming.
"Well, at least they managed to cover themselves," Luca thought with relief.
Or at least that was until his mom ran at him with all her might, causing her to drop the tablecloth (also exposing Lorenzo) There were more exclamations of surprise at that, but no one seemed aggressive.
Daniela reached Luca and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him slightly.
"You have us worried half to death, and you must never do that again!"
"I'm sorry," was all Luca could say.
Daniela was going to add more, but then she noticed Giulia and her father; she looked back at Luca.
"Mom," Luca continued, "I'm really sorry, but now we need to help my friend, please."
The little boy pointed to Giulia, who was being examined by Massimo; Daniela looked confused from her son to the girl, then to Alberto. The boy smiled uncomfortably, showing his teeth, and shrugging his shoulders. Truth to be told that he never expected to meet his friend's parents, and since he had been the one who convinced Luca to escape...
Something told him that Daniela would be a little angry.
Daniela didn't know what was happening, nor why Luca asked her to help a land monster.
"Please, she saved us," Luca begged; they needed all the help they could get.
Lorenzo had remained behind, not knowing what to do. Daniela looked at her son again, who was looking at her with pleading eyes.
"Dolphins," she thought, it was hard for her to resist those eyes, and besides, the little girl looked hurt.
She slowly approached Giulia, her husband saw her, but he made no attempt to stop her.
When she reached, she sat down next to the girl.
"What happened?" she asked.
Massimo looked up; he was surprised to see another creature of the sea, but he quickly thought that she must be a relative of Luca, because of the colors of her fins and scales, besides, he had already been distracted enough; he had to attend to his daughter.
"She broke her arm."
Daniela and the boys grimaced upon hearing that.
"We need something to rest her arm on," Luca told his mother, remembering Massimo's orders.
Daniela nodded and turned to her husband.
"Lorenzo, pass me that tablecloth."
Although surprised at first, Lorenzo did not take long to react.
He went for the tablecloth they had covered and returned with the rest, handing it to Daniela, who passed it to Massimo.
"Thank you," said the fisherman, still feeling strange about receiving help from sea monsters.
Daniela just nodded and smiled.
Massimo folded the tablecloth and placed it gently under his daughter's arm.
"Is there anything else we can do?" Lucas asked.
More footsteps were heard; the doctor, accompanied by other people, was approaching.
"No, the doctor is coming."
Luca and Alberto sighed in relief; while Daniela got up and walked back to join her son, putting her hands on his shoulders.
Meanwhile, next to the statue, the priest turned to see Mrs. Marsigliese; many of the towns were still wondering if they could trust the monsters, the only reason they didn't attack was because of Massimo's threat.
"Should we do something? " Asked the father, "about… those things?"
Marsigliese opened her mouth to reply, but someone cut her off.
"Oh please, you've lived with sea monsters for almost forty years, and now it seems strange to you?" It was Concetta, next to her was her sister.
Before anyone could ask what they meant, the sisters looked at each other, nodded, and dropped their umbrellas, thus revealing that they were also sea monsters.
They had been living in Portorosso for four decades, conscious of the anti-sea monster culture of the town, but they had tricks of their own, so no one ever found out. It was almost funny how easy it was to fool humans. But seeing that Luca and Alberto also came from the ocean and that they had revealed themselves to everyone, they knew the boys needed their help, if everyone saw that sea monsters had lived among them for years, without any incident, people could understand they were not a danger for anyone.
The people around them cried out in surprise, and the priest fainted when he saw the sisters turning blue and purple.
"It's almost funny how clueless you humans are," Pinuccia added.
The two sisters laughed, the police officer saw that the two sisters she knew so well, who enjoyed gelato as much as she did, and were known by almost the entire community, were part of those "demons" they feared. She saw the drawing on the reward paper and then at the sisters; the truth is that they were nothing alike.
"Give me that!" said the woman next to her, embarrassed to see that there was a bounty on the ladies she sometimes played cards with; she tore the paper in half and then threw it on the floor.
The other spectators watched in disbelief at the revelation but seeing that they were the sisters, people everyone knew and trusted, decided to leave the boys alone.
That and that no one wanted to mess with Massimo.
With the tension relaxed, Marsigliese allowed herself to look towards the finish line, noticing that the boys had crossed it before returning for Giulia.
"Well, well," she thought, despite everything, that year there would be winners; now, she could only pray for Giulia's recovery.
Luckily, the girl was already receiving care from the doctor. While one of the other competing girls was checking on Ercole, who hadn't moved since his impact.
"I think this one needs help too."
...
Giulia and Ercole were taken to the town's hospital, their injuries were somewhat ugly, but apparently, not that serious. While the boys and the Paguro marriage waited outside, Luca took the opportunity to apologize and assure them that he would never swim away from home again.
"What matters is that you're safe," said Daniela hugging him.
She was still somewhat upset by his escape, but at the same time, relieved that Luca was secure and that, strangely, the town seemed to be at peace with their presence.
"Son," Lorenzo said, joining in the hug, happy to see his boy again.
Alberto only took a step away, still feeling guilty for being the one with the idea of escape in the first place. But when the family separated and turned to see him, Daniela smiled.
"Thank you for looking after him," was all she said.
Alberto scratched the back of his head.
"Actually, we look after each other," he turned towards the consulting room, the door was closed; Massimo was inside waiting for Giulia, "the three of us."
Daniela looked at the door.
"That girl- she's very kind to you, isn't she?"
The two nodded.
"Yes, she got hurt saving us," Luca went on to summarize the persecution they had against Ercole and Giulia's courageous sacrifice.
"Oh wow," Daniela put a hand to her chest, "what a brave girl."
She didn't think she could ever repay Giulia for all she had done for his son, and for Alberto, Daniela wouldn't like to think he could have been hurt too.
"She is; we wouldn't have gotten this far without her."
...
Guido watched the family talk, he still felt guilty for what he almost did yesterday, killing Alberto- only imagining it made him shiver again.
He didn't like the boy, and although he helped Ercole to bully him and Luca, he didn't want to hurt them, if that harpoon had gone a little more to the right... he didn't even want to know.
Ciccio approached him, also looking at the sea monsters.
"So- those two are-"
Guido nodded; Ciccio gulped, he had always been more submissive to Ercole, but even so, he couldn't imagine hurting anyone so seriously. He had intimidated people by Ercole's orders, but he would never cross the line to kill! And Ercole almost makes him cross it.
The two friends looked at each other while sighing.
"People say Giulia jumped on Ercole so they could escape," Guido told him.
"So?" Ciccio continued, not understanding what Guido was trying to tell him.
"Do you think Ercole would have done it for us?"
Ciccio was about to answer yes, but soon realized it was a lie, they were always sacrificing themselves for Ercole, whether to save his precious Vespa or endure bites of an entire shoal.
Ciccio rubbed his chest, the bites still itching.
"You saw how he treated us in the race, but those three worked as a team, encouraging each other, looking after each other," Guido continued; feeling jealous of the Underdogs. "I heard Marsigliese say that Giulia and Alberto climbed the downhill just to give Luca an umbrella when it started to rain."
"Wow," Ciccio said, upon hearing such an act of camaraderie, "Ercole would never have done that for us."
Guido just crossed his arms and looked at the ground, he didn't need to answer; both kept silent, knowing what they had to do, but neither wanted to say it out loud.
"Are you sure we can?" Ciccio asked at last.
"We have to," answered Guido, "we can't keep putting up with Ercole's abuse, especially now that we know how far he can go, you saw him, he was hell-bent on killing them. Who knows what will happen to us if we don't get away from him."
Ciccio was going to argue, a part of him was afraid of the retaliation Ercole might lash out at them.
"Don't forget that we're always the ones doing the dirty work," continued Guido, "he didn't even dare to face them on his own, we had to hold him while he punched him; it's kind of pathetic if you think about it."
Ciccio did, and he was actually right; Ercole always used them to intimidate others, the only reason he felt so confident was that he knew they would be there to back him up.
But that was over, it was time for Ercole to fend for himself.
"So we'll do it now?" Ciccio continued.
"Let him wake up," Guido determined; as far as he knew, Ercole had hit his head badly and had been left unconscious.
...
Back with the boys, they were chatting at ease when they saw a group of children, big and small, approaching them. Luca looked worried at Alberto; they were still in their sea monsters' forms and unsure how the children would react.
After all, it was thanks to Massimo that no one attacked them, but now that he was gone, they weren't as trusting.
The group looked worried; among them were those who encouraged Luca in his training along with the youngest ones. The blonde girl whispered something in the ear of the girl who saw them on the boat the day they arrived, she seemed injured in one leg because she had a strange device on it.
The girl in question took a step forward, and the friends exchanged a quick glance, not knowing the intentions of that human.
"You're Luca...right?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Then you must be Alberto," the girl continued while pointing at him.
Outside, the hospital was protected with a tarp, so the boys shook off the water, transforming into humans again. The crowd gave an exclamation of surprise.
"Hi," Luca greeted sheepishly with one hand.
"Wow," the blonde girl exclaimed.
While the little ones jumped excitedly.
"So you're boys, but you're also sea monsters?" said the brown-haired girl, whose hair reached the nape of her neck.
"The prefer term is sea folk," Alberto explained gently.
"Sea folk, right, sorry," replied the same girl, somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh, my God!" The girl injured in the leg exclaimed, "I saw you two! That day on my dad's boat! It was you!"
The two nodded their heads, and Daniela almost fainted upon hearing that, luckily Lorenzo was able to grab her.
"It was the day we came into town," Luca added, "even though our house isn't really far from here, it's past Isola del Mare, although it's a bit deep, heh, heh."
"I actually live on the island," Alberto said.
"Incredible," added the blonde girl, and the others nodded with exclamations like Wow .
Luca smiled, everyone seemed calmer and more relaxed, it even seemed that they enjoyed the stories they were being told.
Maybe this was a way for them to trust them more, to tell them things about themselves so they could get to know them.
"So if you get wet, you change?" another boy asked.
Luca and Alberto jumped out of the canvas and the water fell on them, transforming their bodies; the group exclaimed again in surprise.
"That's pretty cool," said one of the smaller ones.
Alberto smiled at the compliment.
Another kid raised his hand, and Alberto pointed at him. The little boy rubbed his hands together, somewhat nervous about the question he had.
"Have any of you ever fought a shark?"
Luca was about to answer when Alberto beat him to it.
"Yes! And it was enormous and-" but his friend interrupted him with a slight nudge, "Ouch!
Luca sent him a skeptical look; by now, he knew Alberto liked exaggerating reality to make himself look cooler.
"No, we've never fought a shark," he admitted.
Although the boys were a little disappointed, there were quickly more questions. It was not until the door opened and the doctor came out that the two friends turned to see him, the doctor was surprised by their looks and those of the Paguro, but he quickly calmed down.
"Good news, Giulia will be fine."
Luca sighed in relief while Alberto whistled with joy.
"She broke her arm, but luckily the bone didn't shatter through the skin, a few weeks cast, physical therapy, and she'll be as good as new. I'll also send her some medicine for the pain and antibiotics to prevent any kind of infection."
Then he stared at the boys.
"She wants to see you, just be careful guys, her cast can't get wet."
The friends energetically nodded their heads, happy to see her, and of course, they would take care not to get her wet; Alberto turned to the group that had formed.
"Sorry, but we'll continue with this another time," Alberto said.
Although clearly disappointed, no one objected and they said their goodbyes, everyone wanting to know more about them and their world under the sea.
...
Giulia was lying on a bed, her arm in a cast, and next to her father, at least she looked better than a few moments ago. Her eyes lit up when she saw the boys, she tried to stand up, but Massimo put a hand on her shoulder.
"Easy, Giulietta, remember what the doctor said, you need to rest."
Giulia sighed in frustration, but she didn't try to get up anymore, instead, the boys came closer.
"We're so sorry," was the first thing Luca said.
To which Giulia shook her head.
"I told you, it was my decision; I knew the risk."
"You shouldn't have done it; it was too dangerous," said Alberto, with concern nailed in his voice.
Giulia narrowed an eyebrow at him.
"Oh, now you're going to tell me what's dangerous."
Any other time Alberto would have taken it as a joke, but not today.
"You were injured, and-"
"You saw how Ercole was! If I didn't do something, the three of us would have ended up like this, or worse," she continued, pointing to her injured arm.
"We know, but- we would have preferred that you didn't have to," Luca admitted.
Giulia smiled sympathetically at him.
"I told you two the day we met, we Underdogs look out for each other, even if sometimes that means making sacrifices."
Those last words echoed in Alberto's head, for some reason, they made him think.
Luca smiled; her friend was about to put her good hand in front so they could do their greeting when a female scream was heard, and steps heading towards their room, as well as things falling. Ercole appeared in the doorway, a bandage on his head, still wearing his murderous gaze.
"You!" He growled, pointing at the boys.
Quickly, Luca and Alberto went on the defensive, protecting Giulia. Massimo stood behind them; something told him that the boys could handle him, but he would be ready to intervene if things got ugly.
"We're not afraid of you!" Luca exclaimed, feeling braver than ever.
"No, but everyone will be afraid of you when they see you! Everyone will be horrified and disgusted by you!" Despite Ercole's insults, Luca didn't flinch, "because you are monsters!"
Giulia was about to go to their aid when someone spoke from behind the thug.
"Don't speak for everyone, Ercole!"
Surprised, the bully turned around, revealing that the group that had previously interviewed Luca and Alberto was gathered, and they all looked angry at the bully.
"What is this?" Ercole scoffed. "Your little league of losers?"
"We will never be afraid of you again!" the blonde girl yelled at him, her classmates shouting in support.
"You are nothing but a coward!"
"Leave Luca and Alberto alone!"
"Yes, they haven't hurt anyone!"
With more and more shouts of support, the boys lowered their guard, seeing that they had cavalry; even Giulia felt moved, it was finally happening, the reign of terror was falling!
"Really?" Ercole mocked, "are you going to side with these monsters?"
"They are not monsters!" shouted one of the little ones.
"Yeah!"
Ercole narrowed his eyes and turned red with anger.
"Then who are they?"
"They are the winners of this year's Portorosso Cup."
After that comment, everyone turned to look back, revealing that Mrs. Marsigliese was approaching; and had the trophy cup with her.
"What!?" Ercole shouted incredulously. "They can't be the winners, they're not even people!"
"Technically, legally, they did win," she continued undeterred, walking into the room ready to hand the cup to the Underdogs, "we've got pictures if you want to check."
"Really?" Luca asked.
"We won?" Alberto continued.
In their rush to help Giulia, they didn't realize they went through the finish line before anyone else.
"But that's impossible!" Ercole yelled, "and who cares if they won?! They are monsters!"
But the only thing he received was boos from the group. Ercole growled at them, but they would never fear him again, in that he noticed that, behind them, Ciccio and Guido were standing, they had entered the hospital upon hearing the commotion.
"Ciccio, Guido, bring me a harpoon!" He ordered them while snapping his fingers, but neither of them reacted. " Idioti! make yourselves useful for once in your pathetic lives!"
Guido stood with his arms crossed, while Ciccio only looked at Ercole angrily.
"Guido," Ciccio said.
"Ciccio," he answered with a nod.
After that, the two went towards Ercole, and the children stepped aside to let them pass.
Guido had intended to talk to Ercole, maybe clarify how things needed to be. But after seeing Ercole's reaction, there was only one thing clear to him, Ercole would only understand one way.
"What are you doing?! No!" The two picked up the bully and carried him out of the room.
If it weren't for the wound on Ercole's head, they would have thrown him out of the hospital and into the rain. But since they didn't want to be so cruel, they had to be better than him, they simply returned him to his room, throwing him on the bed.
Guido gave a raspberry before he left, making it clear that he never wanted to see him again in his life. Ciccio took things a little more personal, grabbed Ercole's scarf, and threw it on a glass of water on one of the tables.
"Oops," and with that last taunt, he left, ready to start fresh with his true friend.
"No!" The catfish shouted and ran to recover his cloth, he took it out of the water, but it was already soaked. " Piccolino, " he screeched while caressing it with his face.
Seeing it from outside, Guido rolled his eyes.
"Incredible, he always loved that scarf more than us," Guido thought; he just wished he had known much earlier.
But looking at the past was no use anymore; from now on, Ciccio and he had to correct all the wrong they did for Ercole, it was time to do the right thing.
Back in Giulia's room, the girl widened her eyes, realizing what this meant.
"Is over. The reign of terror is finally over!" She exclaimed with joy; finally, after so many years, she had achieved it. No one would ever fear Ercole again; they were free!
She just wished she didn't have a cast on her arm, so she could jump everywhere. The boys laughed, happy that Giulia had finally fulfilled her dream. Marsigliese smiled and walked over to them, trophy at the ready.
"I think this is yours," she told them, handing the trophy to Luca.
Luca took the award and carried it to Giulia's bed so she could see it, and Alberto joined them.
"Wow," the three exclaimed as they examined their trophy, it was better than they imagined.
"And," Mrs. Marsigliese went on, handing them an envelope, "the prize money."
Even more excited, the boys took the wrapper and whooped with delight to see their hard work paid off. Ercole was defeated, the money for the Vespa was theirs, and they even got the town to tolerate their presence.
And who he knew, seeing how the younger ones had accepted them, maybe it was a sign that in time, all the others would or at least the majority, everything was in its place.
The children and Marsigliese applaud them. Happy that Ercole had lost everything, and that the new champions were kind and honorable, and would never use their status to take advantage of others.
"If my arm wasn't broken, I'd hug you guys," Giulia commented. But she was so happy that any discomfort would be bearable.
"We can still celebrate," said Massimo as he stood up.
Happiness had infected him, after many years of defeats, Giulia was finally victorious, he knew that sooner or later she would triumph, and he was so proud of her. And he was also grateful to the boys; thanks to them, his daughter fulfilled her dream, sea monsters or not, they would always be welcome in his home.
"I'll prepare dinner for everyone," she continued while looking at Luca, "please, invite your parents, Luca, today we all celebrate."
Luca nodded energetically.
"Let's go tell them, Alberto! And then we can go for our Vespa!"
Alberto's eyes lit up.
"That's a great idea!"
Giulia rolled her eyes as she smiled; she would let them have their fun, after all they went through, they deserved it.
"Go, we'll see you at the house."
The boys jumped with excitement, and ran away, with the group of children following behind, cheering in their honor; Marsigliese laughed while Massimo looked at his daughter.
"What peculiar friends of yours."
Giulia laughed.
"I think I won the lottery with them," and it was true because she would always treasure the day they met. The day they became...
Underdogs.
Whoo! Alright!
Oh yeah!
Look out down below, Alberto is on the go
Can't stop this party 'til we win the cup
This time, not alone; we've got some friends along
And as a team, we can become even stronger
Together, we can overcome all the odds
It's never as hard as it seems
If everyone can do something special
The secret is sharing our dreams
Yeah!
We can make it if we all stick together
We won't give up, not ever
And everything's going to be alright
We all bring out the best things in each other
Together, we are stronger than anyone else could be on their own
So much better than alone!
Alberto's in the lead, giving us greater courage
Luca keeps us riding high to stay above trouble
And Giulia by our side, makes this a safer ride
We'll win this cup and teach that Ercole a lesson!
Together, we can overcome all the odds
It's never as hard as it seems
If everyone can do something special
The secret is sharing our dreams
Oh ho!
Yeah!
We can make it if we all stick together
We won't split up, not ever
It's easier with my friends by my side
We all bring out the best things in each other
Together, we are stronger than anyone else could be on their own
So much better than alone!
Better than alone!
And together, we can overcome all the odds
It's never as hard as it seems
Yeah, yeah!
We can make it if we all stick together
We won't give up, not ever
And everything's going to be alright
We all bring out the best things in each other
Together, we are stronger than anyone else could be on their own
Can't stop us 'cause together, we are strong!
So that concludes this story, the song at the end is "We Can" from the "Sonic Heroes" soundtrack, composed by Ted Poley and Tony Harnell, I just rewrote some parts to put the context of the race, and the name of Luca's characters since I always wanted to use this song for the Underdogs.
Well, that's all for now, happy anniversary to "Luca" and a big thanks to Enrico and all the Pixar team for creating such a wonderful movie.
Until next time!