The day before Shantae fell down in Triton's cave, she felt really excited. She was on her way to a place called Paradise Island, the same island Triton lives on. And not only was she arriving herself, so were her friends Sky, Bolo, and her uncle, Mimic. The mayor of Paradise Island recently invited them over to participate in the Half Genie Festival.

Back on the island, the mayor was getting things ready. "They'll be here shortly," he said. "Yes, Mr Mayor," replied one of the villagers. Just then, as the seagull flew away with its clam, a flying looking pirate ship arrived at the docks. The mayor smiled, knowing who it was that had arrived.

The first to step out of the ship was a young woman, with a hood attached to her cape. Her hair is blonde and shines like the sun, but is covered in a headwrap. Only a few streaks were let loose. Her eyes are a clear shade of purple. Her attire consists of a blue, pink, and purple girdle, and her chest covering having the same designs as her earrings. Her lower attire consists of white khaki pants and brown boots. She is Shantae's best friend, Sky.

Sky removes her hood, to let the sun shine down on her head. "This is the place," she sighted. "Time to kick back and relax."

Then, out of the ship, Shantae comes running out. Knocking down Sky in the process. "Eeee!" she shrieked. "Hey!" cried and annoyed Sky, picking herself up from the ground.

"This place is a paradise," said Shantae as she looked over the island. The sky was blue, the waters were calm, and the tropical flora flourished. "We get to stay here for a whole week! Can you believe it?"

She turns to the ship seeing two male figures exit the ship with mounds of luggage. The first young male has navy blue hair, a yellow headband, and a white bandage wrapped around his right upper arm. He wears a white tank top underneath a short blue vest and has dark blue shorts. He also wears tan gloves with metal rings around the cuffs. The young man's name is Bolo.

The second male figure was tan skinned with thinning white hair coming from his sides. He also has a large white beard that goes down to his belt. His eyesight consists of light orange glasses and a pair of welding goggles on his head. His attire is a green jacket with gold buttons, covering a brown shirt, blue jeans, and dark green boots. This man is Shantae's uncle, Mimic.

Bolo frequently wears a determined expression. But today, he was more annoyed. "A-A week?!" He struggles carrying a couple of suitcases, following Shantae. "You packed enough for a month!"

"Hey," said Shantae, leading her friends to the resort. "I need all that stuff for the festival." "And I brought some unfinished projects from my lab," said Mimic following behind them. "Ugh," groaned Sky. "Come on." She picks her luggage and starts walking with her friends. "The sooner we check in, the sooner we can relax."

"We're finally here!" cheered Shantae. "Paradise Island! I think this might be my first real vacation, Uncle."

"Indeed," said Mimic. "And it's sure to be a memorable one!" A few more steps, Mimic continued to speak. "This island has a rich history. It sits atop an ancient sunken city. Much of which is still intact today."

"Really?" asked Shantae. "Don't get too excited," groaned Sky. "Places like this are all tourist traps. They find a spot with historical significance, build a fancy hotel, and laugh all the way to the bank."

"Hpmh, say what you like," said Mimic. "I've always wanted to see the old ruins. Now that Shantae's a big celebrity, I'll finally have my chance!"

Shantae's face was heating up with potential embarrassment. "Uncle! You promised not to embarrass me!" Bolo just groaned, "Can we just keep going? My foot's asleep from carrying these bags!"

"You're both such whiners!" Sky complained. "Ugh!" She takes a deep breath and turns to her friends. "I'll take Bolo to secure our lodging. Catch up when you're finished gawking at the scenery." Sky takes the lead and Bolo follows quickly after, leaving Shantae and Mimic to themselves.

"Phooey!" Shantae wouldn't let Sky or Bolo's attitudes get in her way. "What a grump. I won't let anything ruin my first vacation!" She takes her bags and quickly follows after them.

Her quick pacing leads her to a place called Arena Town. There, she was greeted by the bellhop. "Welcome to Arena Town, home of the Half-Genie Festival! All half-genies must check in with the Mayor upon arrival!"

"Go ahead," said Mimic as he took Shantae's bags. "I'll catch up with you as soon as you meet the Mayor." Shantae nodded and went straight into town. "Thank you and have a festive stay!" said the Bellhop.

Shantae steps into town, and already she is greeted by some of the villagers. Some tell interesting facts about the island. Some even tell her how amazing half-genies are. Hearing all the villagers talk made Shantae smile. She climbs stairways and ropes to explore more of the arena, eventually meeting the mayor himself.

"Hello and Welcome," he greeted. "To Paradise Island!" Shantae smiled with glee. "You must be Shantae," said the mayor. "All the way from Scuttle Town."

"Hello," she replied. "You can call me the Mayor," he said. "Thank you for coming. It is my greatest pleasure to host this event, the inaugural Half-Genie Festival! I created the festival to demonstrate my appreciation of rare magical beings like yourself."

He shows Shantae the main stage in the center of Arena Town. "I want people from all over the world to witness the magic first hand! That way they can better understand their half-human, half-genie neighbors."

He takes a deep breath and smiles at his stage, "Ahhh, this beautiful island makes a dandy backdrop for the event!" Shantae was most impressed when she looked at the stage. "Don't you agree?" asked the Mayor.

Then, Mimic walks up next to them. "Certainly seems good for business," he laughed. "The place is packed." The mayor smiles with delight, "Hello! And you must be Shantae's Uncle! And yes, we have managed to muster quite a crowd! Of course most of the ticket money goes to support local businesses, and provides a free flight and hotel stay for each of our Half-Genie super stars!"

Shantae couldn't stop smiling, she really wanted to enjoy her week's worth of vacation. "But not just them," continued the mayor. "Their families too! All expenses paid!" Shantae knew what he was going to say next, for not all vacation spots are free. "If they agree to be stars in my grand performance, the HALF-GENIE SUPERSTAR SPECTACULAR!" As he waved his arms in the air a couple fireworks were shot into the sky.

Shantae was so thrilled she cheered and clapped in response. "Excuse me!" the mayor said to the villagers. "I said hold off the fireworks until the start of the show!" "Sorry Mr Mayor," said the villager.

"Aside from that, I like the enthusiasm," said the mayor. He points to the stage where Shantae will perform. "That's why I want you up on that stage for the sneak-peek preview event- tonight!"

That statement made Shantae freeze. "T-Tonight? But, uhh…" She was so confused with the sudden schedule of events. "I don't even know the routine yet," she replied.

"No worries," said the mayor. "It's just a dry run after all. You know, a practice performance in front of a live audience! Something to work the kinks out. Trust me you'll be fine." Shantae took a deep breath and nodded in confidence.

Then, the mayor just remembered something, "Oh! That reminds me, I've invited five other half-genies to perform with you! They're here on the island now. Could you find them and remind them about tonight's big show?"

Shantae smiled, "Woah, other half-genies, like me? I'd be glad to." She goes off exploring the whole island to find the other five half-genies. "Oh boy," she cheered. "I can't wait to meet them!"

While exploring the rest of Arena Town, Shantae comes across the manager of the bath house, and the squidsmith, who can conjure up extra health in exchange for critters called heart squids. She also meets an old man who can keep track of people's progress should they wish him to do so.

Shortly after, she enters the resort room she's staying in along with her uncle and friends. She finds Sky and Bolo there unpacking their things. Even Sky's pet bird, Wrench, was there to accompany them.

"Wow," said Sky. "Check out our room! It's got a poolside view!" "Wow! A pool?" asked Shantae. Both the girls were excited for this vacation. But for Bolo, he was still grumpy even after unpacking all his things."I gotta share a room with your uncle," he groaned.

"Quit complaining, Bolo!" said Sky. "Thanks to Shantae, we get an all-expenses paid vacation!" Shantae smirked at her benefits of being a half genie. Sky then turns her attention to Shantae, "And you…" She gulped at her firm tone. "Remember, when you get on stage,you'd better do whatever it takes to pacify those genie-crazed throngs!"

Sky wasn't kidding. A crowd that big would pay top notch to see mythical genies dance before their very eyes. "Make a good impression so we get a free trip again next year," said Sky. "Got it?" Shantae agrees by nodding her head, "Uh..okay."

"Now hurry up and meet your fellow performers," said Sky. "Let them know that the show is starting soon." Shantae nods again and exits the resort room.

While exploring Arena town, Shantae comes across another female figure that looks like one of the half-genies the mayor was talking about. This half-genie has fair skin, green eyes, and long red hair which she wears in a high ponytail similar to Shantae's. She wears a short white tank top exposing her midriff, separate white sleeves, light purple cuffs, white pants with cut-outs at the hips, and light purple boots.

"Shantae, It's so nice to finally meet you," she said. Shantae was surprised, "You know my name?" "Of course," she replied. "I'm Harmony, the oldest of the half-genies."

"What? Like of All half-genies?" asked Shantae. "Yes," replied Harmony. "I was the very first to be born of a human father and a genie mother. Does that surprise you?"

"Well yeah," replied Shantae. "You look too young to be the oldest anything!" "Listen," said Harmony. "Half-genies haven't been around all that long. We exist as a generation of one. So unless the genies return someday, there won't be anymore Half-Genies to follow after us, will there?"

"Gosh," said Shantae. "I never thought of that." "So, we must do our very best to make a difference in this world," said Harmony. "Don't you think?"

Shantae smiled and said, "You're right!" staring at her magnificent wonder and hearing her wisdom, made her more gleeful. 'Oh, she is so cool!' she thought.

"We can talk more after the show," said Harmony. She starts to walk back to the main stage. But not before she asks Shantae a question"Just remember to always give it your best, okay?" Shantae smiled at her new friend, and continued to look for the other half-genies.

As Shantae journeyed across the island, fighting off crustacean creatures, she finds another half-genie standing by a strange hatch door that leads to the ground. She is shown to be dressed in floral attire. Pink flowers and light blue leaves to be specific. "Yo!" the half-genie greeted. "Hello," said Shantae.

"Are you one of the half-genies here to perform for the festival?" "Yes," replied the half-genie. "My name is Vera."

"My town is right here on the island," she said. "With all the tourists around, my people tend to keep hidden away. But I wanted to support my fellow half-genies and put my refresh magic to good use."

"Wow," said Shantae. "Who knew there were so many different forms of magic?" Vera nodded, "You'll get to see them all in tonight's big show!"

"Oh, speaking of which," said Vera. "It's time I head back. It was very nice to meet you." She starts making her way back, waving goodbye to Shantae. "Toodles!" Shantae smiled and waved back to the floral half genie and continued to find the others for the performance.

But before she could go further, "What's this?" she asked herself. She investigated the hatch leading to the ground. "What a weird-looking hatch. Is there no way to open it?"

"Wait a minute," interrupted Triton. "So there were hatches that appeared to be sealed shut?!" Shantae nodded. "That's right. I couldn't figure out how to open them. You didn't know there were hatches on the island?" Triton shook his head. "We'll discuss that later. So after you found Vera, what happened next?"

Shantae continued her story, back to fending off more creatures and exploring the island to find the other half-genies. Eventually, she comes across another half-genie wearing large purple and aqua sleeves and baggy leggings. Her hairstyle is spikey, kept together by two eyed-like barretts. Only a batch of hair is shown to be covering one of her eyes.

"Hmm," hummed the half-genie. "I definitely sense something odd in this place." Shantae stood right behind her, "Hello! Am I interrupting?"

The half-genie turned, startled. "Oh, I thought you were Vera. My name is Plink!" Shantae smiled at the half-genie's name. "You know," said Plink. "I came to this island to perform for the festival. But since meeting Vera, my half-genie senses keep going nuts."

"Senses?" Shantae asked, "I'm a seer," replied Plink. "That's my power. The invisible world around us, it's visible to me." "Wow," said Shantae. "That's kinda awesome!"

"Well I'd better head back to Arena Town," said Plink. "Cya!" And with that, Plink takes off to Arena Town, leaving Shantae to find the rest of the half-genies.

Shantae's quest to find the rest of the half-genies takes her down the path to the sunken city. Apparently, there were some parts of the city that allow tourists to explore the island's ancient history. She passed the tour guide and went down the hole leading to the ancient city.

As she climbed down the city, she fought a few more spiders, crabs, and bats down the pipes. Eventually she comes to a dead end, where she finds another half-genie. This half-genie was shown wearing warm red armor gauntlets, shoulder pads, and boots that reach up to her legs. Her chest is covered with a breastplate with the same warm red colors as the rest of her attire. Her hair was raven-black with white end tips. Some gold barrettes kept her hair back from her eyes.

"Oh hey," she said blandly. She walks up to Shantae and circles around her like a vulture. "Look at you, another half-genie." Shantae introduced herself, "I'm Shantae, I flew in all the way from Scuttle Town."

The half-genie smiled and said, "I'm Zapple. So what do you think of this island?" "It sure is different," replied Shantae. "You got that right," said Zapple. "This sunken city tour, think it's real?"

"Sure, why wouldn't it be?" asked Shantae. "Dunno," replied Zapple. "I'm half tempted to plug into one of those terminals. See if the power lines run back to some rich guy's mansion or something."

Shantae was most surprised. "Plug in?" "Oh sorry," said Zapple. "My magic is electricity-based." She gives off an electrical aura, making Shantae uncomfortable. "It's Cuuuuurrrrsed!" Shantae screamed in response.

Then, Zapple chuckled, "Just kidding. I said that for shock value." "I don't get it," said Shantae. "Whatever," said Zapple. "So what's your power?"

"When I dance, I can Traaaaans-Forrrrrm!" replied Shantae. "You can turn into anything?" Zapple asked. "Like a key to a locked door?" Shantae places a finger on her cheek. "Gosh, I never even thought of that."

"Then what?" asked. Zapple. "Like a muscly superhero or a fire breathing dragon or something?" "Um, I usually turn into a monkey and climb around," replied Shantae. "That's not what I would choose," said Zapple.

"Does the monkey wear pants?" "No," replied Shantae. "I'm gonna go." "Okay," said Zapple. "Well don't be late for the performance." Zapple takes her leave, Shantae watches her with a puzzled look.

Not far from where Shantae found Zapple, she journeys to the other end of the tunnel to find the last half-genie still missing. The last half-genie looked much different from the other ones. She is shown with green colored skin with darker green hair. Her formal wear consists of long purple sleeves, leggings, and shoes with gold linings.

"Yikes!" cried the half-genie. "What the buns?!" Apparently, Shantae accidentally startled her. "I'm so sorry," she said. "Did I startle you?"

"Wait," said Shantae. "Are you a zombie half-genie?" The half genie smiled as if she's saying yes. "It's not suspicious," she replied. "I didn't say it was," said Shantae. "I'm just asking."

"Why?" asked the half-genie. "Is there such a thing?" "I don't know," replied Shantae, annoyed. "I'm asking you!" "Then yes!" she said.

Shantae takes a deep breath, wanting to get on her good side. "We should start over," she said. "My name is Shantae. What's yours?"

"Oh, it's…uh.. Fillin," the half-genie replied. "Fillin the…Blank." She started getting nervous, like she was hiding something. "Look I-uh…I gotta go! It's almost showtime!" And Fillin dashes off to Arena Town to meet up with the other half-genies.

Shantae was most excited. Now she gets to perform with the other half-genies for the festival. "That's all five," she said. "I'd better report back to the mayor!" And with that, Shantae makes her way back to Arena Town posthaste.

Back in the present, Triton leads Shantae across a beam over a large gap. "Watch your step as you cross," he said. He makes his way to the other side with ease, but Shantae struggles to take the first step.

"Not used to it huh?" he asked. "Not like this, no," replied Shantae. She tried to maintain her balance on the beam, but the beam was too slippery. "Didn't you say you told this Zapple genie that you could turn into a monkey?" Triton asked. Shantae's common sense hit her like a brick wall. "Yeah, I kinda forgot that."

Triton puffed in annoyance. Then, he got to watch Shantae do her belly dancing magic. With a few shimmies and a figure eight, she poofed into a monkey. This made Triton surprised, 'Wow, I didn't think she could do that.'

Monkey Shantae held tight on to the beam and quickly paced across. As she reaches the end, she poofs back into her old self. "Well," she said. "Shall we continue?" Triton shook his head, coming to his senses. "Yeah, let's go." He took a few steps and then said, "So, back to the story…" "Oh yeah," said Shantae. "I returned to Arena Town and met with the Mayor…"

Shantae continues her story when she meets with the Mayor at sundown, nearly ending Shantae's first day of vacation. "Hey! Perfect timing!" he said. "The show's about to start! The others are already backstage. You might want to hurry!"

Shantae shrieked and bolted backstage as fast as she could. She entered the room where the other half-genies were waiting for her. "I'm here!" she cried. "Please don't start without me!"

"Cuttin' it close, aren't ya?" asked Plink. "This is supposed to be a practice show!" said Vera. "Why are the stands so packed?!" "What'll we do?" asked Zapple. "Punish the new girl!" said Fillin. "I'm sorry!" said Shantae.

"Everyone, relax," said Harmony. The half-genies turned to her since she had the tone of an older sister. "Take a big deep breath. Half-genie magic is what you're best at. It's what these people came to see. Right?" The group remained silent. Harmony shook her head smiling. "Keep smiling, you'll do just fine. Let's go!" Harmony leads the group to the main stage, with Shantae lagging behind them.

Vera wasn't kidding, the audience was packed to see them perform. There wasn't a spot that wasn't filled to be seen for miles. Sky, Mimic, and Bolo sat together to watch the special preview. "Best seats in the house," said Mimic.

Then, the announcer came on, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Welcome to the first ever, HALF-GENIE FESTIVAL!" All eyes were on the curtains as the spotlights shone silhouettes of the half-genies. Shantae moved quickly to her spotlight just as it shone on her position. Sky took notice, 'Ugh, clumsy as always,' she thought.

"Now taking the stage, from parts beyond. Part human, part magic, the shimmering stars of the evening. They are your spectacular Half-Genie SUPERSTARS!" Harmony creates a solar flare from the palm of her hand and creates fireworks for the cheering crowd.

The half-genies took to the stage to begin their performance. But then, the spotlights suddenly turned off. The entire auditorium was covered in darkness. Then, five sparks of light popped on the stage. As the lights turned back on, Shantae stood on stage, all alone. She and the entire crowd were shocked. Harmony, Plink, Vera, Zapple, and Fillin, mysteriously disappeared.

"Sounds to me like they got scared," shrugged Triton. "They were not scared!" said Shantae. "Nervous, maybe, but they wouldn't just leave me on stage all alone." "But that doesn't make sense," said Triton. "If all the half-genies disappeared, why didn't you too?" "I wish I knew," replied Shantae.

Triton decided to lighten the mood. "So, those bright lights I saw last night. You say they're called 'fireworks'?" Shantae nodded, "Yes, they give off beautiful colors and patterns in the sky. People get mesmerized by them." Triton hid a small smile from Shantae, because he learned something new from his underground home.

"You know," said Triton. "If I recall, before I went to sleep. I did hear a faint scream from one of the tunnels." "You did?" asked Shantae. "Yeah," replied Triton. "If the half-genies disappeared, they were probably transported by something powerful down here."

"Are you still sure it was those pirates?" asked Triton. "I'm not so sure now," replied Shantae. She then continued her story, "After the festival ended that night. I was at my resort with my friends and uncle…"

"Shantae!" scolded Sky. "For the last time, let the authorities handle this!" Shantae was edging to find out what happened last night. But Sky insisted they enjoy their vacation, and not have to worry. Shantae paced in frustration, huffing and puffing.

"You're worried I'll disappear too, is that it?" she asked. "It's for your own safety," replied Sky. "Can you imagine what it's like being the only one left behind? I can't hide indoors and do nothing!"

"Be reasonable," said Mimic. "Leave this to the mayor!" "Those girls are not coming back," said Shantae. "Something weird is happening on this island! And I'm going to find out what it is!"

Sky decided to give up trying to protect her friend. "You do what you want," she said as she turned around to face the sun. "I was promised a vacation, and I'm going to get one!"

"Fine! Be that way!" yelled Shantae. She turned away and slammed the door behind her. She took a few seconds to calm down. "Last night was a disaster," she said. "And don't get me started on Uncle and Sky! Even Bolo is on their side!"

She paced around her door, "How can I just lie low while the mayor looks into this? I may not be a guardian genie of this island, but I'm the only one left!" She stops pacing and looks out to the horizon. "Hmph, I don't care what anyone says. Girls don't just vanish in full view of an entire audience. This island is hiding a secret, and I'm going to get to the very bottom of it!"

Then, Triton started laughing, "Hahahaha! That's a good one." "What's so funny?" asked Shantae. "You said you wanted to get to the very bottom of this," replied Triton. "And it looks like you granted your own wish, genie!"

"Hey," said Shantae. "You wouldn't find it so funny if your friends disappeared out of thin air." That statement made Triton stop. "Lucky for me, I don't have any friends." Shantae took notice of his change of tone. "Oh, I-I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be," said Triton. "I'm better off alone." The next few minutes the journey was quiet between the two. Then, Triton breaks the silence again. "So what happened after you left your resort?" Shantae perked up, "I went over to see the mayor…"

"The Half-Genie Spectacular is ruined!" cried the Mayor. He kept pacing back and forth out of stress. "And If I refund all the people's money, I'll be ruined!" Shantae takes notice of his behavior and speaks to him.

"Mayor?" The mayor takes notice of Shantae's arrival. "Oh I beg you to remain in town!" he pleaded. "You must stay safe while I figure this out!" He keeps pacing while Shantae slowly walks away. 'Sounds like the mayor is in over his head!' she thought.

After clearing her head, she returns to her resort where she finds Sky sunbathing outside. She looks to see Shantae return, "Shantae, the island officials told you to stay safe. For the last time, stay out of this!" "But Sky…" Shantae pleaded. But Sky was too relaxed to even fight back. Shantae knew she wouldn't help her, so she was on her own.

She makes her way to the east side of the island in hopes of either finding the missing half-genies, or to discover the mystery of their seaside island resort. She comes across an old looking windmill, "Huh, looks like this doo-hickey is out of power. It's all worn out, totally busted."

Then, she comes across someone she thought she wouldn't face on her vacation. A female figure with light purple skin, purple hair, usually pulled up into her hat and wears purple lipstick. She wears a red and purple pirate hat with a pale beige skull and crossbones on the front and red ribbon trails down the back as well as golden hoop earrings. She wears the top half of a skull as a bra with a purple bra top underneath that also fills out the eye holes of the skull. She has purple and red striped cuffs around her wrists with gold circular cufflinks and wears purple harem pants with the bottom jaw of a skull as a belt. She wears a thick belt angled around her waist with a gold buckle. That female is none other than her enemy; a pirate captain named Risky Boots.

Shantae quickly hides behind a bush and watches from a distance. "What in the world is Risky Boots doing on this island?" she asked herself quietly.

Risky Boots announces to her crew of creatures called Tinkerbats. "Men! Place the explosives! If those Arena Town fools won't open this hatch willingly, I'll simply blast my way in!"

The tinkerbats do what they are told and place explosives all around the hatch door. "Move it you luberbs!" ordered Risky Boots. Soon the tinkerbats place a lot of explosives and clocks across the hatch.

"No one defies Risky Boots! Queen of the Seven Seas!" said Risky. She laughs as she makes distance between her and the explosives. Her tinkerbats do nothing, but wait for her next order. "Ugh, move it before it blows you fools!" The tinkerbats ran as fast as they could, then the explosives went off.

Risky Boots takes her men down the blown up hatch. "That did the trick," she said. "It won't be long before the Absolute Power belongs to me!" She jumps in the hatch laughing like a pirate.

Shantae gets out of her hiding spot and looks to the destroyed hatch door. "Risky Boots is behind this!" she exclaimed. "I should have known! I better follow her and see what she's up to." She jumps into the hatch, hoping to catch the evil pirate captain.

Her leap into the sunken city leads her to the service tunnels of the tour site. Along the way, she fights off against spiders and crabs, climbing through glass tubes and jumping over ledges. Until she comes across a familiar face in the tunnels, her uncle Mimic.

"Uncle, what are you doing down here?" she asked. "I might ask you the same question," replied Mimic. "You're staying out of trouble I hope?" "Pretty much," said Shantae.

"Well I figured since we're stuck here for a while," said Mimic. "Why not enjoy the sunken city tour? Yessir I'd sure like to see the rest of this place. It's a shame that so much of it is sealed off! But I suppose safety must come first after all. The tour guide said that removing even a single stone block could be enough to cause a cave in."

Shantae was shocked. "Could you imagine that?" Mimic asked. "A cave in, with the entire town, right above us." Shantae, knowing that with Risky around, started to feel terrified. "Removing even one block." Mimic was not making her feel better. "Uncle, I-"

Just then, the ground started to shake, making the two tremble with the tremors. "Now what's all this now?!" Mimic asked.

Just before any of them could react, the ground below Shantae started to give away and fall down below. "AAAAHHHHHH!" she screamed.

"And that pretty much brings us up to this point," said Shantae. Triton was relieved that her story ended. "Okay then," he said. "From what I can put together. I think you have two problems, and we both share one."

"What's that?" asked Shantae. "I don't think your pirate captain is responsible for your half-genie friends' disappearance," replied Triton. "But whatever she's searching for on this island is disrupting my home. And the last thing I need is for a pirate to disrupt my life!"

His blood starts to boil over his lack of isolation, but takes a deep breath when he realizes he isn't alone. "If something else took the half-genies, then I need to look for clues," said Shantae. "Hold on," said Triton. "I agreed I would escort you topside, not to investigate a missing persons case."

"Look here, you hermit!" said Shantae. "Whether you like it or not, I'm stuck with you until I can figure out what's going on! You want to go back and wait for me to return? Fine, but I'm not leaving without finding my friends!"

Triton was stunned. He didn't have the words to argue against Shantae. "Wha- but- I, you-" He wanted to get away from her, and get back to his life. But that was going to be difficult because of the mystery going on, and with pirates running around.

"Ugh!" groaned Triton. "Fine! You want to go running around, solving mysteries, fighting off pirates? Be my guest. But without me, you're just going to get lost. So, I'll go with you until I get you topside, and get your pirate scum out of my home."

He offers his hand to shake on the deal. "Okay then," said Shantae. She shakes his hand. "You've got a deal." "But I have to warn you," said Triton. "There are certain tunnels down here that I have not explored, so whatever I don't recognize, it's all uncharted territory to me. Understand?"

"Yeah," said Shantae. "So, Ret-2-go?" "Huh?" Triton asked. "That's my catchphrase," replied Shantae. "You do know what a catchphrase is, right?" "Nope," said Triton. "But maybe I'll come up with one along the way."

The two come to a dead end with a hole leading down further in the ancient sunken city. "Down this way, tailwhip," said Triton. "Sometimes a step backwards is a step in the right direction." Shantae smirked, "You don't have to tell me twice, hermit." She jumps in with Triton following behind her.

What a chapter! Having Shantae explain everything to Triton during his usual day scavenging for food. Sounds like the topside is much more interesting than whatever goes on down in the bottom of the ancient sunken city.