The first thing the driver of the Endless Summer Resort's bus noticed about Alex when he got on the bus was his change of outfit. Instead of simply wearing his red shell, backpack and Cappy, the young Koopa had pulled on a pair of red swim trunks with yellow stars and a Kung Fu Panda shirt he had bought in Land of Awesomeness. "I take it you guys are going to Volcano Bay, correct?" the driver asked.
"Yes!" Alex beamed, shaking excitedly in his seat. "That's one place I've also been very excited to visit! My mom and dad used to bring me to water parks all the time during summer, when I was a kid, and it was always so much fun! Hopefully Volcano Bay'll be just as fun!"
As usual, Cappy was plunged into a tourist guide that gave plenty of information about their destination. "This water park's pretty recent, compared to the other locations of the Epic Universe. It opened in 2017, about six years ago. Apparently, most of the park is based on various Polynesian islands. Guess it'll be a good opportunity to learn about their culture."
"Polynesian? What's that?" Alex asked.
"You don't know about Polynesia? Have you ever studied the sub-region of Oceania at school?" Alex remained silent and stared at Cappy with a blank face. "Have you ever traveled with your family to New Zealand?" Still a blank face. Cappy sighed in annoyance. "Have you watched Moana?"
"Oh, yes! I remember Moana! My mom loved that film!" Alex replied.
"Well, Moana's a movie based on Polynesian culture, though it's not exactly specified which one. So you can expect to see totems and tropical trees at Volcano Bay," Cappy continued to explain. He read a little more of his tourist map. "The name of the park's volcano is 'Krakatau'. It has the particularity of producing water during the day and lava at night."
"Really? Isn't it a bit dangerous?" Alex inquired.
"Don't worry; this lava is controlled by the Epic Universe's staff to flow safely without injuring anyone. It's mostly for show." Cappy pulled away his tourist map and transformed into his resort hat form. "I think we're in for a fun day, Alex."
After getting off the bus and walking for a while, Alex and Cappy crossed the Volcano Bay entrance and then admired the sight. The Krakatau volcano proudly stood in the middle of the park, water flows ascending from its very top and ending either in pools or rivers, though most of it went down into Waturi Beach, the park's main wave pool, where plenty of guests and characters were swimming. Besides the rivers and pools, the volcano was surrounded by palm trees and Polynesian huts.
"I'm not sure if I can remember the last time my parents took me to a water park! Probably because I'm an adult... Anyway, let's go have fun!" After finding a lounge chair to put his belongings onto, Alex wasted no time removing his shirt and running into the water. He swam all around, submerging himself in the pool's fresh water and laughing like a kid visiting his favorite water park at the start of a summer vacation. In fact, he swam with so much enthusiasm that he accidentally bumped into someone, causing him to bounce back. "Oh, my apologies, I didn't see you there!"
The person he bumped into turned to look at him. She was a female anthropomorphic hippopotamus with a round tummy and brown eyes. "Don't worry, it takes more than that to trip me. You're not hurt, little guy?"
"Hey, I know you! You're Gloria, from Madagascar!" Alex beamed.
"Herself!" she confirmed, striking a pose and giving him a wink.
"Huh? What's happening down there?" asked a tall giraffe that stepped up to them. He lowered his head down to the two's level.
"It's nothing, Melman; this little Koopa just accidentally bumped into me," Gloria assured her boyfriend.
"I wasn't expecting to meet the Madagascar gang here, today!" Alex exclaimed as he started jumping on the spot again. "Are Alex and Marty here, too?"
In response, Gloria pointed at the lounge chairs section, where a certain lion and zebra were lying down and apparently napping side by side. "They sure are, but don't expect them to join us. Alex hates getting wet, and Marty mostly came to relax and enjoy the sun." She then smiled. "Anyway, what's your name, little guy?"
"Believe it or not, but my name's also Alex. Alex Russo." He pointed at his hat. "And this is my friend, Cappy."
Melman blinked his eyes and leaned over to his girlfriend. "Gloria, I think something's wrong with this guy. He gave a name to his hat."
"Hey! Nothing's wrong with him; I deserve to have a name just as much as you!" Cappy suddenly exclaimed, revealing his eyes and limbs.
A piercing (almost girl-like) shriek escaped Melman's throat as he stumbled back and accidentally tripped over his own feet, crashing with a big splash in the pool. Gloria helped him back up, but he still backed away from Alex. "His hat is alive! His hat is alive! It's haunted!" he panicked.
Cappy annoyingly rubbed his eyes with his little limbs. "Why's everyone always reacting like this whenever they meet me? Am I really that scary?"
"I guess that's because hats aren't usually alive around the Epic Universe," Alex mused. He turned back to Gloria and Melman. "Don't be afraid; Cappy's a nice guy. He's one of Super Mario's friends!"
"Oh, that's why I thought I saw him before," Gloria nodded her head. She smiled. "Nice to meet you both, Alex and Cappy. Do you come here often?"
"Actually, that's our first time; I've only been in the Epic Universe for about a week," Alex explained. "I'm still discovering the place one day at a time."
"Why don't you hang out with us, today, in that case?" Gloria suggested. "We could show you the place and the best things to do in this water park."
"Oh, yes! That would be amazing!" Alex immediately accepted, once again jumping on the spot like a kid receiving a candy.
With the presentations done, the four friends kept playing around in the Waturi Beach's pool. Alex and Gloria went to the deepest section and swam underwater together, playing tag like they were floating in space. The two of them alongside Melman even played a game of throwing Cappy at each other as if he was a ball, the floating hat laughing as they did so. After about one hour of games, the four walked out of the pool and dried themselves up with towels. Safe for Gloria, who shook the water off her body, causing ever passing men to stare at her. At the same time, Alex (the lion) and Marty awoke from their little nap and approached their friends.
"Finally up, boys?" Gloria asked them.
"Up and ready to roll!" Marty beamed, doing a few stretches. He noticed the Koopa and floating hat accompanying his friends. "Hey, who're the new guys?"
The lady hippopotamus placed a hand on his shoulder. "They're going to hang with us today; it's their first time in Volcano Bay."
Alex (the lion) approached him with a smile. "Hi, I'm Alex!"
"Hi, I'm Alex!"
The lion blinked his eyes in confusion. "Huh, did you just repeat what I said?"
"No; Alex's my name, too," the Koopa clarified. "Alex Russo, to be precise."
"Okay, I think we've got a problem here," Marty pointed out. "If two members of the group got the same name, it'll be super confusing!"
"I know; we just got to add a little something to their names!" Melman said with a smile. "Let's see... We'll call you... Alex 1 for the lion and Alex 2 for the Koopa. Sound good?"
"Hey, I want to be Alex 1!" Koopa Alex complained.
"But I'm Alex 1; I was part of this group first," Lion Alex defended.
"So what? That doesn't mean you deserve it more than me!"
"Do so."
"Do not!"
"Do so!"
"DO NOT!"
It's at this moment that Gloria interfered, getting between the two. "Why are you guys even fighting? There's no problem being called Alex 1 or 2! If it's going to be this way, then you're going to be Alex L and Alex K! Understood?"
Not wanting to get on the hippo lady's bad side, the two Alexes gulped and nodded their head simultaneously. "Understood!"
Gloria nodded with a smile. "Alright, now that we're done with this, let's get over to River Village and keep the party goin'!"
The group traveled north of the water park and entered the River Village section. Since they were full of energy, they opted to do the Ika Moana, a multi-passenger raft slide, first. Melman could not get into the slide because of his long neck, and neither could Gloria because of her... Let's say, shape. So it was just Alex K, Cappy, Alex L and Marty taking place on the raft. The four of them all cheered as they went down the slide, passing through the tube that was half-closed, half-open. They eventually reached the bottom with a huge splash as they laughed and got back to their other friends.
"That was fun!" Cappy beamed, shaking the water off of him. "I wasn't sure about going down that slide, but it's actually very fun, once you get used to it."
"Yeah, I forgot how fun these slides were!" Alex K nodded. "Let's do it again!"
"Actually, little guy, I think we should go find another attraction that Gloria and Melman can also take part in," Marty pointed out, not wanting to leave his friends out of the action.
"What do you suggest we do, then?" Alex L asked.
The zebra looked all around the place before seeing something. "I think that might just do the trick!" he said, pointing at the Kopiko Wai Winding River.
"Oh, a lazy river! That's more my style," Melman smiled.
Since the attraction was taking place in open air, the giraffe could participate. They even had tubes fit for Gloria! The friends all grabbed a tube (safe for Cappy, who simply sat on Alex's head) and allowed themselves to be carried with the flow, the sun shining down and statues occasionally spilling water over them. At one point, they entered a cave, forcing Melman to bend his long neck horizontally.
After coming out of the cave, Alex K pulled himself closer to Alex L. "Say, are the penguins and King Julien also here?"
"Unfortunately, no. The penguins must be gone on another mission or some crazy shenanigans. You know them. As for Julien, he's ruling - and by 'ruling', I mean 'partying' - over his island on Madagascar. He decided to go back there rather than stay with us and the rest of the circus gang."
"Yeah, that's totally him," Alex K chuckled. "Changing subjects, are you and Gia still... You know, together?"
At the mention of the jaguar, Alex L couldn't hold back a blush. "Yes, Gia and I started dating at the end of our third film, and we're still in that relationship as of now. The guys and I are still traveling with the circus gang across the Epic Universe to put on shows." He then chuckled and mumbled to the Koopa. "You know, with Gloria and Melman being together and me having Gia, Marty's the only one who has yet to find his soul mate. I kinda pity him for it."
"I heard that!" the zebra called from his own tube.
The lazy river took the friends all over River Village and even through the Krakatau volcano, allowing them to admire the inside. Despite being full of energy, Alex had to admit it felt nice to just relax and go with the flow of the river. When they reached the end of the river, Alex K insisted on them going to the Runamukka Reef, a three stories tall water fortress for older kids. There, they played a game of 'defend the fortress', where Alex K, Gloria and Cappy defended the fortress whilst Alex L, Marty and Melman tried to invade it. They shot water at each other using the water pistols installed all over the place. This game was so much fun that they even got other guests and characters to join in! The invaders inevitably started conquering the fortress, so Alex, Cappy and Gloria 'escaped' by one of the waterslides. Alex K went last and bumped into the hippo's belly, making him bounce off. The Koopa and hippo laughed together at this.
With their game over, the six friends had done everything there was to do in River Village, so moved on to the final and largest section of the park: Rainforest Village. Alex K excitedly ran around, admiring the tribal jungle landscape, before he and his friends went to the section's first attraction. TeAwa The Fearless River was another lazy river, but this one swapped tubes for life jackets, and unlike its predecessor, had rocky waves, turning rapids and even some falls. Gloria didn't need any life jacket as she was an aquatic animal. On the other hand, Melman being Melman, he decided to put on a life jacket around his body and three around his neck for safety.
"Wow, I didn't see time pass by," Alex L remarked as he shook the water off of his fur after the shaky attraction. The sun was indeed starting to set on the horizon, turning the sky auburn in color. "We have time for one last attraction, guys. Then, we'll have to go back to the circus."
"Aww, but there's still so much I wanted to do and see here...," Alex K whined, not wanting the day of fun to end already.
Marty put his hoof on the Koopa's shoulder. "Then why don't you come back tomorrow? The guys and I will be free; we could even bring some of our friends from the circus so that you can meet them! What do you say?"
Alex K's smile instantly returned as he jumped on the spot. "Oh, yes! That would be awesome!"
"What should we do now?" Melman asked, looking all around. "Oh, how about this one?" He pointed at an attraction that had four raft slides going in two different pools.
"The Taniwha Tubes, good idea!" Alex L beamed. He gave a little grin. "Feeling like ending things with a little competition, guys?"
"What do you suggest?" Cappy asked.
"You, me, Marty and Alex K all go up there and get down one slide at the same time. The first one to get to the end wins!" Alex L explained.
The four friends waited in line to get to the top of the Taniwha Tubes, whilst Gloria and Melman cheered them on from the ground. They each took a rift, exchanged nods, and then counted up to three before going down at the same time. A few seconds later, the results were in from first to last: Alex L, Marty, Alex K and Cappy. The latter complained on the unfairness of the situation as, being a hat, he wasn't as heavy as the others.
Since the little competition was relatively short, the group still had time to eat a little something before leaving. As such, they all headed to the Bambu restaurant in Rainforest Village, where Alex K got himself a gluten-free Bacon Cheeseburger Combo and Cappy went for a Bambu Burger Combo. Meanwhile, Alex L opted for a Chicken Tenders Platter, Marty got a Cobb Salad, Gloria a Tropical Fruit Salad and Melman, a Caesar Salad.
Whilst eating, Marty couldn't help but give a confused stare at Cappy. "I don't understand, how can you eat when you don't have a mouth?"
Cappy swallowed a piece of his Bambu Burger before staring down at it. "... I have no idea." He simply took another bite with his nonexistent mouth.
"So, how 'bout you give us your thoughts on our franchise, Alex K?" Alex L suggested after swallowing a bite. "Is it one of your favorite movie franchises? Which movie do you like the most?"
The Koopa rubbed the back of his head. "Well... I wouldn't call it one of my favorite animated franchises... I mean, yes, I did see all three movies - four, if we count the penguins' spin-off - and have fond memories of them. But... It's hard to explain. Your movies just never connected with me the same way Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon did. They're good for the jokes and music scenes, but the stories, not that much. I can barely remember anything that happened in the second movie." He then gave a positive smile. "That being said, I still think the third movie was pretty good, mostly because the jokes were the best, the circus scene with Katy Perry's song was amazing, and we got two official couples in Alex and Gia, and also you two, Gloria and Melman. I found you guys cute together."
At his, the hippo lady kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, causing him to blush adorably. "I'd feel insulted, if we didn't hear that all the time," Marty pointed out, not looking bothered in the slightest. "Our movies may not be as popular as other DreamWorks franchises, but we still have some fans, and we're thankful for it. There are guests who are still asking Julien to sing 'I Like To Move It' and for me to dance with my afro circus on."
"Please, don't bring that back up," Alex L sighed in annoyance.
"Say, are you guys gonna make a fourth movie?" Alex K then asked. "There's a fourth Kung Fu Panda coming next year, so I was wondering if we could expect the same thing from Madagascar?"
The gang of four exchanged unhappy looks. "I'm afraid that's not in the plans, little guy," Gloria said. "As Marty just said, we're not popular enough to be one of the studio's priorities at the moment. There was a fourth movie supposed to come out a few years ago, but they cancelled it and never brought the idea back. Maybe if the fan demand gets strong enough, the studio'll do it. But for now, we just have to make do with streaming series on Hulu and Peacock."
"They didn't even bother pulling us in the studio's new intro that started with Puss In Boots: The Last Wish," Alex L almost growled. "Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and HTTYD, I understand, but why did they put The Bad Guys, who didn't even came out for a year, Trolls and Boss Baby instead of us?! I mean, they put stupid TROLLS and talking BABIES over us, who've been here almost from the start! How insulting is that?!" His friends all nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that's not a very nice thing to do," Alex K nodded and took the final bite of his bacon cheeseburger. He then pushed a long yawn and stretched. "Okay, I think it's time Cappy and I hit the road and return to our hotel. Hanging out with you guys was really fun."
"Same here," Alex L said with a smile, patting the Koopa on the head. "Let's meet here again at noon, okay?"
"That's a plan! See you guys tomorrow!" Alex K cheered and waved at his new friends as he started walking away with his belongings in his arms and Cappy on his head. While on their way back to the hotel, Alex (no need for the K anymore) and Cappy told everything they did that day to the driver with enthusiasm.
Author's note: A fun chapter spent playing in the water! I already like water parks from places like Disney and Universal in general, but it's so cool that the Epic Universe has one based on Polynesian culture! My interest for this culture started when I watched Samoan wrestlers like The Usos, Umaga and The Rock in action during my youth, reaching its peak after I saw Moana with my mom.
Alex and Cappy once again made new friends, this time, with the Madagascar gang! While not my favorite animated franchise, I still have some love for Madagascar, especially for the third movie. Sure, it doesn't have the same level of story quality as KFP and HTTYD, but it's still pretty funny and has really good songs, like 'I Like To Move It'. I find it sad that they didn't put them in the new DreamWorks intro. Personally, I would've put Madagascar and Rise of the Guardians over Baby Boss and Trolls. But, hey, that's just my opinion. Do you like the new intro as it is?
I'd like to address AvalorianJaquin and his new AO3 story, 'Magical World: What If'. My suggestion for a chapter's story is this: what if Logan never cheated at his exam and actually graduated with Drake and his other friends? Thus never meeting Gabriel and becoming part of the Dream Defenders?
Next time: Alex finally makes his decision about taking Kung Fu lessons.