Hey guys and gals! Here's another chapter to Seven Seas Alchemy!

And WOW, it's been a long time since I've updated this! Yikes! Sorry for the wait, but I have been trying to think how most of the explanation to the last chapters ending.

So, in this, Ed and Luchia start their first day at school and Luchia encounters one of her first friends that will aide her in the future.

So anyway, let's get this chapter rolling!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Explanations and New School

"Do I really need to wear this? I feel like this shirt's cutting off my wind pipe!"

Luchia turned back to see Edward walking a few meters behind her while he fiddled with the collar of his new, white shirt with an irritated look. Since he was attending Mizu High, he was forced to wear the school uniform which for boys was a white shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes.

She smiled as she walked up to him and loosened it for him, making him sigh with relief. "You know, it's not all that bad. They at least let you keep your coat." She pointed out. She was dressed in her own uniform which was a pink sailor uniform with a large red bow, red collar and handcuffs. Down her shirt, there were six pink buttons. Her skirt was a red pleated dress.

It was true, Ed still had his signature red coat on his person as he gave an indignant pout, crossing his arms. "Yeah, well I still think the whole uniform thing is stupid. They only let me keep my coat because of my status in the military."

"Yeah." Luchia nodded slowly before looking down, a look of sadness on her face before facing her friend again. "Was it really that horrible? Being a 'Dog of the Military'? ...and Aunty Trisha?" She asked with her eyes welling up.

Edward was silent for a moment before he nodded slowly. He knew last night's explanation would affect her too, considering that while when they spent their vacation the first time with their mother, Trisha absolutely adored Luchia and she also loved to tease both her and Ed about their crush for each other. Her time spent with the Elrics made her feel like she was apart of the family and soon, Trisha actually told her to all her 'auntie'!

"It was… rough." Edward sighed as he remembered what he and Al had told her, Nikora and Hippo last night.

Last Night… The Pearl Piari…

"Is this true!?" Nikora demanded to know as she glared at the two teenagers seated at the table, both looking nervous as hell.

Luchia looked down as she poked her fingers together, her fear of her 'sister's' anger already reaching maximum heights!

Ed wasn't fairing much better. He couldn't look away from the woman's angry gaze as his hands clutched the sides of the chair he was currently sitting on, sweating in fear of her! 'She could be best friends with Teacher!'

"Well?" Nikora asked again, her anger only slightly subsiding.

The two looked at each other before sighing, nodding and turned to her. "Yes." They both answered guiltily.

They were worried when Nikora didn't make any movement… before she sighed.

"How long?" She asked simply.

Luchia was surprised. This was not the reaction she was expecting.

Edward decided to answer for her. "When we were kids. I was eight years old and she was seven. I saw her near one of the piers and-" He winced when a screeching voice interrupted him.

"YOU WENT TO THE HUMAN WORLD WHEN YOU WERE SEVEN!?" Hippo yelled at Luchia, making the girl sweatdrop and sending the Alchemist a glare, who raised his hands in defence. He wasn't meant to know that. "How could you do something so impulsive!? So reckless and-"

He was silenced when Nikora clamped a hand down on his beak, making him mumble as she turned back to Ed. "Continue."

Ed nodded with silent thanks as he sat up straight. "When she showed me her tail, I was amazed… she was the first mermaid I ever saw… and probably would have been the last if not for her."

"Last?" Nikora questioned.

Luchia decided to take over. "When we were introducing ourselves, a huge wave struck the pier, knocking him into the water and he almost drowned. I dived down and brought him back up to the beach. No one else was around, so don't worry about anyone else seeing me." She explained.

Nikora nodded, reassured. It was better that it was only a child rather than an adult spotting her.

"Anyways, when I brought him up, he wasn't breathing and I tried everything, (except mouth-to-mouth) and then I remembered that my pearl could help, given that it has minor healing powers. So, I took it out, placed it on his chest and then in a flash, he was breathing again!"

"And again, I repeat, worst swim of my life." Ed added in before he smiled and placed his gloved, automail hand on Luchia's. "But, it was because of that, I met my guardian angel... Or better yet, my guardian mermaid." He teased her, making her giggle.

"Oh stop it, you geek!" She playfully nudged him as he laughed.

"Ahem."

The two were brought back to reality when they saw Nikora with her arms folded and with a bemused look, making them blush and look away. The older mermaid soon returned back to her interrogation. "And let me guess, his brother met you too?"

"I did." Alphonse's voice echoed as he entered the room with a guilty look. He had heard everything... Considering Hippo wouldn't stop screeching about the whole thing. "Brother introduced her to me and I saw her mermaid form. My reaction was a lot more excited than brothers and I couldn't stop jumping up and down about it." He laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Nikora smiled slightly before giving all of the a seriously look. "Anyone else?"

"Well, there were only three of us who know she's a mermaid. Me, Al... And our mother, Trisha Elric." Ed sighed as both he and Al looked down. They knew what was coming next.

"Speaking of which, where is Aunty Trisha? Is she sick or something?" Luchia asked when she noticed the sad looks on the siblings faces, holding both grief and sorrow.

"She... She was sick Luchia..." Ed trailed off before Al finished for him.

"But she never got better." He revealed, making both women gasp, with Nikora placing her hands over her mouth and Luchia's eyes widen in realisation at what they were implying.

"You mean... A-Aunty Trisha... She's... Dead?" She choked out as tears started to trail down her eyes.

At Ed's single nod, she immediately buried her head into his chest and started to cry, holding onto him for support. Edward wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, doing his best to comfort her as Al walked over and rubbed her head in an attempt to support her too. "Sshh. It's okay, Luchia. It's okay." He said in a soothing tone before both the brothers and Nikora comforted the crying princess.

It took fifteen minutes later for Luchia to calm down as the Elric's continued their side of the story.

"Our dad left us when we were young and when our mother passed away, we had no one else besides Granny Pinako and our friend Winry." Al explained while Ed folded his arms and looked down angrily as soon as their father was mentioned, muttering something along the lines of 'That bastard.'.

"Then, one day, after an accident, I lost both my right arm and left leg. It was during the time of the Ishvalan Civil War." Ed continued, making Nikora nod.

"I heard of that from the surface one day. It was horrible for what happened to them." She said with a solemn expression as the two nodded.

"Wait, you lost your arm and leg?!" Luchia screamed in fear. "How awful! That should never have happened to you!"

"Well… it was because of a mistake we made… and we have to live with it." Ed stated ominously, making Nikora and raise an eyebrow and Luchia blink in confusion.

"A mistake?" The former questioned as the two brothers looked at one another.

"Um, actually Miss. Nikora, if it's alright with you… can we talk about this another time?" Alphonse requested politely before he gestured to him and Edward. "This next topic is hard on the both of us so, would it be okay if-"

Nikora raised a hand up, signalling him to stop. "I understand Alphonse. You boys can turn in." She smiled and turned to Luchia with a stern look. "But trust me, we WILL have a long discussion about this matter another time. And you can pay it back by doing twice the amount of work!"

Luchia's eyes widened in fear and she nodded with sweat dripping down her face.

Nikora then rounded on the boys, or to be more specific, Edward. "And YOU are going to escort Luchia tomorrow like a gentleman, help her settle in AND when the need calls for it, HELP her do the extra work!" She then gained a dangerous look in her eyes before a wet towel materialized out of nowhere in her hands and she started whipping it. "Am. I. Clear?"

Edward felt his blood stop and his skin turn white as a sheet, nodding fearfully and his teeth chattering in fear. 'Yep, it's official!' He thought to himself. 'She and Teacher would get along great!'

Elsewhere in Dublith, Izumi Curtis couldn't help but smile, feeling as though her idiot students were being kept in line for a stupid mistake they made. 'Most likely Ed.' She thought as she continued her work on slashing the cow meat with a sharp, butchers knife.

Back to the present...

"I'm really sorry we had to tell you that." He sighed with a downcast look as he looked at his automail arm.

"No, you don't need to be. I'm sorry that I didn't realise that Hippo was peeking on us." Luchia muttered with her arms folded. "That penguin is so nosey, he'll do anything to make sure I obey the rules while I'm here!"

"Well, it's a good thing I bopped him on the head this morning before we left." Ed snickered evilly as he rubbed his hands together, getting a laugh out of his friend.

"Your so mean!" She giggled as they resumed their walk and entered the courtyard leading to the entrance of the school. "By the way, why is Al not coming with us? Isn't he supposed to be attending here with you as well?"

Ed sighed before he held up a letter. "He is. But first, I have to deliver this envelope that states that he must be allowed to wear the armor at all times under military orders. The best excuse we can come up so far is that it helps with his alchemy training." He sweat dropped in embarrassment.

"Oh!" Luchia nodded before she grew confused again. "Wait... Why does he have to wear that armor anyway?" She asked but immediately regretted it when Ed looked downcast again. "W-wait, Never mind! You don't have to-"

"No, no, it's alright. It's just... I'll tell you with Al and Miss. Nikora." He explained with a sigh before he rose an eyebrow. "Speaking of Al, what's your sister got him doing back at the hotel?"

"I think she's going to give him some chores to do while I'm at school and to make up for him not attending." She guessed, since it was the most likely thing Nikora would do to him. "Sorry about that in advance. She can be a slave driver sometimes."

Ed confused her when he started laughing. "Don't worry about it! Knowing Al, he would love to lend a helping hand. He's more interested in doing chores than me, he actually gets a little kick out of it." He smiled as they entered the school building. "In fact, I'm sure he's fine with whatever he's doing."

With Alphonse... The Pearl Piari...

"Do, de, do, doo, det, det, de dee, do."

Alphonse hummed a merry tune as he swept the front entrance of the hotel, enjoying the peace with a sound of the beach and birds chirping. It was certainly more quiet without Ed, not that he minded. He felt like he could most of the work done without Ed anyway, who would complain about after the first half hour.

He heard the door open and turned to see Nikora walking out with a pleased look. "Nice job! I only sent you out here for six minutes and you've already swept the path clean!" She praised the armored boy who looked very shy.

"It's no problem Miss. Nikora." He replied humbly as he held the broom up. "I'm just happy to help out while brother and Luchia are away. It's the least I could I do."

"No need to be so modest Al." She waved off and patted his shoulder. "But really, thank you for the extra hand. Madame Taki does help around, but she has her 'fortunes' to do." She rolled her eyes when she stressed fortunes. "Luchia is still new and she needs practice. And Hippo-" She suddenly stopped in mid-sentence when she realised something. "Wait... Have you've seen Hippo?"

"You mean the penguin in the sailor suit?" Alphonse asked as Nikora nodded in confirmation. "No, I thought he was with you." He grew worried when the woman groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is something wrong?"

"That sneak." She sighed before looking back to him. "He's most likely gone to keep an eye on Luchia. Last night's discussion really rattled his cage." She explained.

Al nodded. "I understand. But, if that's true, then I don't know who I should feel sorry for."

Nikora raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Who? Why?"

"Luchia for having such an overprotective assistant... Or Hippo having ticked off my brother."

The two sweat dropped at the thought.

It was most likely Hippo who needed the sympathy.

Back with Luchia and Edward... School hallway...

As the two reached the attendance board, they found it completely crowded with students who were looking for their own class.

Luchia looked panicked as she tried to peek out from behind their shoulders to see any of their names. "Um... Let's see... Our class is... Um..." She mumbled before she let out a groan of frustration. "It's no use! I can't see!"

"Relax Luch. Let me handle this." Edward smirked with reassurance and walked up to one of the students and tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me, could you move over please. My friend and I need to take a look for a quick sec-"

"Not likely pal!" The boy waved rudely before turning back. "You and your wimpy friend can wait in line! So get lost shorty!"

'Snap'

"...What was that?" Edward hissed dangerously.

"I said get lost sho-"

That was all he got out before he slumped to the ground with swirly eyes and a bump on his head, courtesy of Ed's automail fist. "WHOSE SHORT!?" The Alchemist screamed and shook the unconscious jerk. "I'LL RIP OFF YOUR LEGS AND SWAP THEM OUT FOR SOME CRUTCHES YOU ASSHOLE!"

Luchia sweat dropped at the sight while the other students watched the comical scene with slight fascination and fear. 'Well... That hasn't changed a bit.' She thought to herself as she remembered him having those kind of tantrums when they were little.

A few seconds later and Ed finally stopped ranting, dusting his hands as he looked at the board. "Well, our homeroom class is 2-D. Let's get movin Luchia." He said in a relaxed way with a wave of his arm, making her sweat drop even further.

"Alright Ed." She sighed and followed him while shaking her head. She didn't know wether to be thankful or embarrassed by his temper tantrum. In the end she settled on the former.

The two didn't notice the blue haired girl with brown eyes in the crowd watching them, with a calculating look on her face. "That girl. It has to be her... But why is she with him?" She asked herself.

Later... Homeroom...

The two settled down in their seats as some of the other students preferred to stand and chat with their friends, seeing as how their teacher wasn't here yet. As Ed looked over the room, he noticed Luchia looking down at her desk with a nervous look. "We'll be fine. Trust me." He said simply with a smile, making her do so as well.

"Right." She nodded, her mood lifting quickly.

'DING!'

"Edward Elric, could you please report to the principal's office for the urgent enrollment of your brother."

Ed sighed as soon as the intercom shut off. "Great. I was hoping to have that done at the end of the day. Well, I guess it's better to have it done now and get it out of the way." He stood up as he turned to Luchia. "Think you can handle the first class without me?" He joked with a smile.

Luchia shook her head with a laugh. "Get out of here will ya." She giggled with a small blush.

"Alright, alright. With any luck, I might be able to find something we can do in this town." Ed waved off as he walked out of the room, leaving the mermaid princess to herself.

Luchia fidgeted in her seat as her nervousness returned to her. She wasn't really all that confident when she was alone which was why she always liked to keep herself company and with Edward back, it gave her a real boost. But without him or anyone else to help her, how was she going to fit in when she was a stranger to everyone in this room?

"Hi there Nanami-San!"

Luchia blinked in surprise and turned her head around to see a girl with Aqua blue hair, brown eyes and wearing the same girls uniform as her. "My name is Hanon Hosho. But you can call me Hanon, okay?" She smiled at the startled girl.

"Um, okay. Thanks." Luchia nodded, her tone both sincere and confused. She wasn't expecting anyone to introduce themselves to her already on the first day here at Mizu High and yet this girl just appeared and said hello to her.

"Is it okay if I call you Luchia?" The newly introduced Hanon asked with a smile and a cheery tone. Luchia just nodded again making Hanon smile a little wider. "Thanks! Also, I saw that boy you were with earlier... Are you two close?" She asked with a sly look, making the girl blush madly.

"Uh… um… I would say we are, yes." She said with a blush, pushing her fingers together nervously. She didn't notice the look of surprise on the girl's face as she fidgeted in her seat once more.

Hanon quickly wiped the look of surprise off her face and gave her a look of curiosity. "Say, I also heard that you two were looking for something to do together. Why not try the surfing competition tomorrow?" She suggested.

Luchia blinked. "Surfing competition?" She then made a thinking pose as she thought over the idea of it. "That… actually sounds like a good plan!" She smiled before she thought over it some more. "Although… I don't think Ed would be interested in that sort of thing."

"Couldn't hurt to try, right?" Hanon insisted before she gained another sly look. "Or are you scared that there will any beach babes ready steal your boyfriend?"

Luchia's entire face flushed red at that and she waved her arms frantically. "No! That's not true! No way!" She denied, her tone not holding any sincere words which Hanon quickly caught onto. Her attention was soon drawn to a couple of girls whispering to each other.

"Did you see that cute boy just now?"

"Yeah! He looked so handsome!"

"Yeah, but that girl there was talking with him like they knew each other for a long time."

"I'm so jealous!"

'Geez, not one hour in this place and already Ed's the dream boy of every girl in school.' Luchia groaned within her mind as she sweat dropped with a small blush. She was brought out of her thoughts when Hanon spoke to her again.

"You better be careful then. If you're really aiming for him, your gonna have a ton of rivals on your back waiting to snatch him right under your nose." She advised, both joking and seriously to her, making her blush madly again.

"I just said I WASN'T!" She yelled indignantly as she started to sweat from both embarrassment and the weight of pressure on her shoulders.

"Okay! In that case, I'll just have to teach you on how to get a guy to like you!" Hanon declared proudly with a wink, making Luchia's eyes widen in shock.

"WHEN DID I AGREE TO ANY OF THIS!?"

Later...

As soon as they finished their first day, Hanon quickly dragged Luchia out of school before she could meet up with Ed and towards the town to the nearest clothing store, getting her to try on various outfits to, as Hanon put it, 'get a real mans attention'. The two spent the first good hour of trying on various dresses, well, mostly Luchia such as:

A pink flower dress. "Too stuffy."

A sporty fashion green outfit. "Hm, we could use that later on."

A western inspired dress complete with hat. "Unless he's a Clint Eastwood fan, I don't think that will work out."

As they continued window shopping, Hanon decided to take her first ever 'selfie' with Luchia, who looked honestly confused when Hanon snapped the picture with her phone. But she smiled when she got a good look at it.

Later as they browsed around one of the stores, Hanon spotted one stylish outfit she really liked in the window and posed beside it with a cute wink while Luchia laughed a little embarrassed.

Soon, the two took a break and stopped for some ice cream, feeling it would be the right thing to cool them down a little from the sun's heat. They had to slow down a little when Luchia suffered a tiny case of 'brain freeze'.

It was a fun day to say the least, and to Luchia, it was also one of her most memorable in her life. Besides... She may have just found a best friend.

Finally, the two decided to finish up things by looking at a nearby jewellery store.

"You know Luchia, you need to be more fashion conscious if you want a guy to like you." Hanon advised before she pointed at a necklace. "Say, that one looks cute! We could try that!"

"Yep!" Luchia nodded in agreement before she continued to inspect the rest of the merchandise. "Hm… what should I really get? I don't think I'll have enough to get something really nice though." She said to herself.

"Really? I thought for a second you were loaded because of the nice looking pendant you're wearing." Hanon said curiously while also complimenting it, making Luchia hold onto it self-consciously with a small smile.

"Oh, this old thing?" She asked with a nonchalant tone. "It's kind of like a family heirloom or something. It's really important a little and-"

"Luchia!"

The sudden whisper surprised the two girls before Hanon looked around. "Huh? Did someone just call for you?" She asked as she peeked around the corner of the building.

Luchia looked around as well before she found the person responsible… or rather animal. 'Oh you've got to be kidding me!'

It was Hippo right in front of her, standing on top of a stuffed toy sale box, waving his little blue flippers… and speaking! "Luchia, it's me!" He called out again.

"I can see that!" Luchia whispered harshly as she was about to pick him up and hide him when-

"Hey, that's a cute stuffed toy penguin!"

'Crap!' Luchia screamed within her mind as Hanon walked up beside her and took a closer look. thinking fast, she blocked Hippo from her line of sight and pointed back at the window. "Nah, it's not really that cute! But you know what really is? That pendant over there! See, the green one?"

Hanon quickly accepted her bluff and looked back. "Ooh! Your right it is!"

Luchia sighed in relief as the girl turned her back around and browsed once more, leaving her and Hippo to themselves.

"Luchia, how long are you going to play around with this girl?!" Hippo scolded with a whisper, getting her attention. "If you don't get home right now and help Nikora, she'll be really pissed off!"

Luchia turned back and glared at the penguin. "First off, I'm hanging out with a friend and second, that was YOUR job along with Alphonse's!" She whispered before she suddenly realised something. "Wait a second... Have you've been tailing me around all day!?"

Hippo suddenly started to sweat. "Um, of course not!" He lied nervously. "I've just been... Surveying the area! That's right! Just making sure that there weren't any dangerous places where you may end up!"

Luchia glared, obviously seeing through her friends cheap attempts at lying. "You mean like the school, the clothes store or in this specific area all morning?" She asked quickly.

"Exactly-...oops." He squeaked when he realised his slip up and looked to see Luchia starting to crack her knuckles.

"Um, Luchia, who are you talking too?"

Luchia gulped when she noticed Hanon staring at her with a quizzical look on her face. "Um, nothing! Nothing! I'm just, talking to myself! It's a force of habit!" She giggled nervously, hoping she would buy it and thankfully she did. "Well, I think it's about time I head home now!"

"Aw! Already?" Hanon asked with a whine. "But I was going to look around a little longer."

"Go on without me!" Luchia said with a smile as she adjusted her bag. "I need to go help my sister out with some housework!" She then slowly stepped back and began to run down the street. "I'll see you tomorrow Hanon!" She called back. Hippo meanwhile jumped down to the ground and ran/waddled after her.

Hanon just looked at the window... Before she turned her head back to where Luchia was and noticed her AND Hippo running. She just smiled however and placed her arms behind her back. "A little energetic for a stuffed toy." She stated to herself, almost knowingly.

With Luchia and Hippo...

The two continued to run down the sidewalk as Hippo continued his triad. "I can't believe you took this long all because of some pointless clothing!"

"Hey! You don't get any say in this you spy! I swear, when I see Ed again, I oughta let him-"

"You'll let me, what?"

Luchia let out a quick 'meep' when she stooped suddenly and found Edward fit in front of her with his arms folded. "Ed! There you are!" She smiled with a quick hug.

"That's funny. I should be the one saying that." He stated with chuckle as he hugged her back before they let go of each other. "I managed to get Al enrolled into Mizu High now, sorted things out with the armor and for myself, so we're in the clear." He smiled before he folded his arms again. "Now, what was it you wanted me to do-" He stopped himself when he spotted Hippo and narrowed his eyes. "YOU!" He growled.

"Who? Me!?" Hippo squeaked in fear before he was picked up by the back of his shirt.

"I went back to the hotel and heard from both Al and Nikora that you left them to do all the work while you SPIED on Luchia!" He snarled before he lifted and clenched his automail fist. "Apparently, hitting you on the head with my flesh arm wasn't enough! How about I hit you with my right arm, lunchmeat!?" He grinned savagely with a demonic look, like he was the devil himself, making Hippo scream in fear.

"Um Ed, you think you can hold off on that for now?" Luchia interrupted his little spat and smiled. "There's something I want to talk to you about tonight."

"Hm? Like what?" He asked, generally curious as he still held the penguin in his grasp.

Luchia still smiled as the trio left for the hotel. "Well, remember when you said if there was anything you wanted to do tomorrow?"

Later that night... The Pearl Piari…

"A SURFING COMPETITION!?" Hippo squawked out in fury and disbelief as Luchia made a 'sh' motion with a finger close to her mouth while Ed made a thinking pose. The three of them, along with Al, were in Luchia's room, talking about what Hanon had told Luchia at school.

"Huh… I dunno Luchia." He started off. "I'm not into all of that sport nonsense."

"It's true." Al nodded. "We went to a soccer match one time and brother conked out in under five minutes into the match." He then let out a chuckle. "He snored so loudly one time, it interrupted the players and they stopped playing!"

"Hey! Can you blame me!?" The older brother shouted before he folded his arms with a huff. "It wouldn't be so boring if they actually got their act together and scored a few instead of getting just ONE in an hours worth!"

"Aw, but please Ed!" Luchia begged with her hands together in a praying motion. "You wanted to do something together, right? And I want to show you around the place? And what better place than to spend time at the beach?" She listed off before she smiled. "Please? For me?"

Ed winced when she looked at him with those puppy dog eyes of hers, sparkles shining off of them like they were diamonds. 'Oh come on! She's gotten even better than when we were kids!'

About half a minute in and he gave up. "Alright! Fine! We'll go." He grumbled with his arms folded. But he smiled when Luchia lunged and hugged him.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She repeated with a skip in her step, as she held the Alchemist, who laughed a little at her reaction.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

The three all looked down to see Hippo with an angry expression on his face as he continued yelling. "What are you three thinking?! You realise that if she sets one foot in the water, she'll transform into a mermaid and everyone will panic!"

"Hey, lunchmeat, she's not going INTO the water. She's just staying on the beach with us and watching the surfers." Edward reminded him with a glare. "Or were you too busy screaming like an idiot to hear that part!"

"And besides, I'm getting better in controlling the transformation!" Luchia pointed out with a smile. "In about a few months time, I'll be able to transform from a human to a mermaid willingly without the need for water!"

"It's too risky!" Hippo continued as he shook his head. "There is absolutely no way, I'm going to let this happen! Besides, we need to continue the search for your pearl!" He reminded her.

At the word 'Pearl' the three winced a little before they looked to each other as slow smiles appeared on their faces. Luchia turned to Hippo and smirked. "Well… why not come along with us Hippo?"

Alphonse nodded in agreement. "Yeah! If you do, you'll be able to do some work on finding the pearl and keep an eye on Luchia. Problems solved!"

Hippo just turned around and folded his flippers. "I'm sorry, but no! I am not going to allow you to endanger our mission up here just so you can goof off- YIPE!"

He was interrupted when Ed held him by the back of his shirt again and grinned evilly again. "You know, I'm not as polite as my brother or as merciful as Luchia. So as soon as I'm finished offering my proposal, you better make the right choice: You are going to let us go to the competition, you are going to search for that pearl, we're gonna have fun and you WON'T tattle on us to Nikora! We are practically killing three birds with one stone here… or would you prefer I maim a single penguin instead?" He growled with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "So, what's it gonna be, Lunchmeat?"

Never in all his life had Hippo been so scared of a human before. He knew that if he told Nikora about this, he would never be able to see the light of day again!

Against his better judgement, he just sighed.

"...Can I at least not be called Lunchmeat?"

Well, I hope you all enjoyed that! Again, sorry for not updating!

I hope I did well on this chapter and you all enjoyed it! I also hope I did well on the interaction between Ed and Luchia, The explanation and the friendship between Luchia and Hanon starting out.

Please remember to read and review!

This is Wielder of the Blue Flames, signing off!