Shantae and Triton leave the Coral Siren's lair victorious. They find Vera waiting for them outside. Shantae happily greeted her floral friend, Triton nodded and let them speak to each other.

"Boy, you were spot on about that drill magic," she said.

As the two were talking, Triton thought to himself about what the siren said to him. 'You're the key,' he thought. 'Key to what?' Then, he looks down at his hands to find a faint glowing orb. Swirling around the orb looked like a magical aura. Triton was curious what kind of magic that was.

As he turns around, he spots a cactus creature sneaking up to the half genies. He prepares to shoot its prickles at them. Triton catches him in the act and darts at Shantae and Vera. "Shantae! Vera! Watch out!" he shouted.

As the half genies turned around, the cactus creature shot its darts at them. They close their eyes, waiting to be hurt. But nothing happened. They opened their eyes to see Triton took the hit for them. His arms were crossed, but in place of his arms was coral armor. Both half genies were shocked. Even Triton himself was shocked.

He flicks the prickles off his newly tough skin and bashes the cactus creature into the wall behind it. He looks back to his hands to see the coral armor disappearing, turning back into his human hands.

"Triton, that was amazing!" said Shantae.

"How did you do that?" asked Vera.

Triton didn't know what to say. He realized he may have just exposed himself to Vera. "Uh- I uh… I don't know," he replied. "Perhaps I kept a batch of coral in my pocket?"

Vera smirked, "Yeah right. It doesn't take a magical being like myself to know that this isn't a normal mortal thing."

Triton groaned in defeat. "Okay, okay, but please. You can not tell anyone about this." He marches up to Vera in a firm tone. "I mean it."

Shantae went up to calm him down, "Easy Triton, easy. We can trust her." She then turns her attention to Vera. "Vera, can you please not tell anyone else about this? He wants to find out who and what he is in the meantime."

"Okay," said Vera. "As long as we're on the same side, and Plink's okay with it." She starts thinking about Plink and starts growing very nervous. "I sure hope she's okay."

Triton smiled and said, "Plink is fine. She's actually back in Arena Town, safe and sound."

"Whew," said Vera. "That's a relief. But what about Harmony and the others?"

"Um… well," said Shantae, trying to find the right words to say.

"We're still working on that," said Triton. "But I promise you, we will find the other half genies."

"Okay then," said Vera. "I only wish I had the help of my lucky amulet."

"You're what?" asked Shantae. "A lucky amulet?"

"I used to wear it around my neck," said Vera. "But once while I was swimming, a big wave came and that was the end of that."

"Hsss," hissed Triton. "Sounds to me that your amulet needs a different name."

"I think we can help you find it," said Shantae.

"If you do, that would be fantastic," said Vera. "Once you find it, bring it back to me in Tree Town."

"Your father is going to be so happy to see you return," said Triton. "And so will his people."

Vera got into a stance and said, "It's all up to you now. Good luck!" And with that, she dances and magically teleports herself out of here.

"Come on Shantae," said Triton. "Let's go find ourselves a way out of here."

"I'm Rect-2-Go!" cheered Shantae.

"I can do this all day," said Triton. "How's that? My catchphrase?"

Shantae smiled, "It's not bad. I kinda like it." Triton smiled and led their way out of the tunnels.

As the two venture through the tunnels, they find a scientist rummaging in the sands. The scientist was wearing glasses, a red bowtie, a smart collared shirt, and brown pants with matching suspenders. He turns and looks at Triton and Shantae. He jumps, feeling startled as they approach.

"Woah!" he said. "I didn't expect to see other people down here."

"Sorry about that," said Triton. "Who are you?"

"I am a scientist from the Metal Fish," said the scientist. "And I am testing a theory." He looks at the algae on the walls. "You see, when a mermaid's days come to an end, its shells fall to the ocean floor. Over time, the shells sink into the sea bed to become fossils. Do mermaids wear shells taken from other creatures? Or are the shells part of a mermaid exoskeleton, there from birth?"

Triton and Shantae looked at each other and started wondering the same thing. "That is quite a theory," said Shantae. "What do you believe, Triton?"

"I believe that the shells were taken from the other creatures," replied Triton. His voice started to get more dark as he delved deep into his thoughts. "Representing their dominance over the ocean waters. They take them as a sign, a sense of fear over the creatures that can't fight back." Shantae watched in horror as he talked about his theory. But it was more than his theory, it was his experiences fighting for his life.

"I for one believe in the latter," said the scientist. "If you could find me six mermaid shells, I will have the data I need to prove my important theory."

"That depends," said Triton. "What's in it for us if we find them?"

The scientist pulls out an amulet from his pocket. "Will this be enough?" he asked. Triton gazed at the blue sapphire amulet with a gold band keeping the gem in place. He had a feeling what that was, and who it belonged to.

"Where did you find that?" he asked.

"I found it on the ocean floor," he replied.

"Then I promise you," said Shantae. "We will find your sea shells. Any ideas on where we should look?"

The scientist points them in the direction behind him. "You'll find the mermaid shells in the deepest parts of the ocean sands. I'll mark the locations on your map." Triton gives him the map and he marks the locations a few feet below them. They walk past the scientist and start climbing down to the ocean sands.

Along the way, Triton breaks the silence. "So, Shantae," he started. "Do you know what your parents are like?"

Shantae was surprised to hear him say that. He never asked about her parents before. "Uh, not exactly," she replied. "I don't know my parents very well." She turns her head, looking sad. "I never got a chance to meet them. You see, my mother was a guardian genie, and my father was a human. The only family member that's been with me my whole life was my Uncle Mimic. He believes that my mom was sealed in the genie realm, but there's hardly anything to back up his theory. What about you? Why do you ask me that?"

Triton looked down in sadness and said, "I don't know my parents either." Shantae gasped and turned to the poor hybrid. "I don't know anything about them. I know I said I looked after myself my whole life, but that wasn't the case. There was a time when I was cared for. I don't remember anything about that time. But when I got old enough, the ones who cared for me, casted me aside. They treated me like a weakling. Calling me an outcast, an abomination, whatever insulted me the most. I ran away, leaving only the clothes on my back. I have remained alone ever since."

Shantae felt ashamed that Triton had to go through all his hardships as a kid. She took his hand, and he looked back into her eyes. Her eyes started to produce small tears and drip down from her cheeks. "I'm so sorry you went through all that," she said. "But if there's one thing I'd like to think about, it's that your parents would love you no matter what."

"But if they loved me," said Triton. "Would they have found me?"

"If they are alive, yes," said Shantae. "But until then, if you want, you still have me and my friends. And remember, you can always come to me if you have any problems. Because I know what it's like to miss someone."

Triton smiled at her kindness and understanding. His stone heart starts to soften up and pumps proudly. He gently grips her hand, accepting her nature, and seeing the kind hearted soul of a hybrid she is. "Thanks Shantae," he said. "What goes on in your head, I may not understand. But what goes on in your heart, you never let others down. Including myself."

The two reach the ocean floor, in the catacombs that are in the Deep Sea Domain. What stands below them are mounds of dry sand. They could see sand dunes as high as the tunnels themselves. Even tunnel passageways were blocked, with only one solution to get by.

Shantae stretches her fingers, cracking her knuckles. "You ready?" she asked.

Triton rotated his head and his shoulders. He smiles getting into a starting position. "Let's do this," he said. "But let's make it interesting; The one who collects the most shells wins the honor of giving Vera's amulet back to her."

Shantae smiled, "You're on!" She does a quick dance and turns into a gastro drill. "Go!"

The two started digging in the sands, looking for the sea shells. Shantae used her gastro drill abilities to dig a path right through the sand. As for Triton, he tried to do a small dance of his own. Then, he jumps into the sand and digs with his bare hands. He was very slow at first, but then Triton thought about his coral armor. A simple thought turned his arms back into hard coral. Thanks to his newfound powers, his digging was much faster than the average human.

He kept digging, finding only two sea shells for the scientist. Sometimes, he would find treasure, monsters, or just Shantae as the two bop noses when they meet. As he dug deeper into the sands, he found something incredibly unique.

It was a human skeleton dressed as a marine captain. Triton took a closer look, studying the anatomy. Then, he finds a small drawing in its coat pocket. The drawing depicts one of the sirens from the mural he saw earlier. He takes the drawing and stuffs it in his pocket.

Triton digs back to the entrance, waiting for Shantae to arrive. "Here I am!" She called. "And I found four sea shells." She shows them to Triton, which made him grin.

"I guess that means you have the honor of giving Vera her amulet," he said. He shows Shantae the two sea shells making a total of six. "Great job using the Gastro Drill. You know, it actually makes me want to dance too."

Along the way back, Shantae taught him the first lesson of dancing. "The first rule of dancing is footwork and rhythm," she said. "Try clapping your hands, try stomping at the same time." She claps her hands and stomps her feet in a gentle rhythm. Triton follows her lead, slowly but surely. "There you go. That's good."

The two return to the scientist and give him the sea shells. "Splendid," he said. "Thank you so much for your help. Now I can use this to test my theory."

He takes the shells, and using his handheld equipment, he begins processing the shells. After what felt like seconds, the results came back inconclusive. "Drat!" he shouted. "As it turns out, these shells came from a sea cow. And by the look of it, they all came from the same cow."

"I'm sorry your theory was inconclusive," said Triton. "But keep holding on to that theory. Perhaps one day, you'll find your answers."

"Don't worry," said the scientist. "I won't. Thank you both anyway for helping me out."

"It was our pleasure," said Shantae.

"Here," the scientist pulls out Vera's amulet and gives it to them. "For your troubles."

Triton takes the amulet from the scientist and gives it to Shantae. "You won the bet," he said. "The honor is yours." Shantae smiled and accepted the amulet. Then, the two hybrids climbed out with their special abilities.

Back topside, Triton checked himself to make sure his skin was dry from the moisture from below. Then, the two proceeded to Tree Town. Shantae goes ahead to give the amulet back to Vera. Triton stays behind and sees the town more cheerful than before. 'Guess the appearance of Vera has brought back the hope that lingered in their hearts,' he thought.

He looks up to find an old friend standing over a balcony. It was Bolo. Triton was happy to see him, so he climbed up and greeted him. "Hey Bolo!" he cheered. "How's it going?"

"Triton! Good to see you," he said. He offered a handshake to Triton, which he accepted and the two started talking.

"So how are things going with your mission with Shantae?" he asked.

"It's actually the other way around," replied Triton. "Shantae's finding the other half genies is her mission. I'm just with her for support, and to make sure she doesn't get hurt."

"I gotta say," said Bolo. "You two are quite the team down in those tunnels."

"Yeah," said Triton. "We are…" Triton smiled as he looked up to the trees blocking the sun rays in his eyes. Bolo smirked at him.

"Don't tell me you're starting to like Shantae," he said.

"Of course I am," replied Triton. "She's my first real friend."

"Not like that," said Bolo. "You 'Like' like her."

Triton was confused, "I don't understand what you mean. What's 'like' like her?"

Bolo was most surprised, "Wait. You've never been in love before?"

Triton shook his head and asked, "What's love?"

"You don't get out much do you?" asked Bolo. "Let me show you something."

The two reach the highest part of the village and find a pair of villagers holding hands and blushing at each other. That's when Bolo asked. "Remember what you told me about the crab mating routine?"

"Yeah," said Triton. "It was all about the movements, the dominance, and the appearance of the crab."

"Well, this isn't crab behavior down there," said Bolo. "This is human behavior. The two start off greeting each other, enjoy their company, have a few smiles, eventually it leads to something more. That's called love. It's a great feeling that can happen to anyone."

Triton watched carefully, seeing the two villagers get close with one another. That made Triton smile naturally, and his chest all warm inside. He thinks back to all the times he and Shantae spent when they weren't looking for the half genies. Some were bitter, but the other times they spent, he never felt so happy in his life.

"You know Bolo," said Triton. "I'm not sure if I feel that kind of love for Shantae like those villagers there. But thanks to her, I feel happy. And I'm glad to be her friend."

"You know I'm your friend too," said Bolo. "I told you, any friend of Shantae is a friend of mine. And besides, you helped me get my flail back." He takes out a small bag, grabs a handful of what's inside and chomps down on it. "Ugh, these corn cob nuts snacks are really tough. The snack options in my guest room are the worst."

Triton chuckled at Bolo's misfortune as Shantae came up to meet them. "Bolo, what are you doing here?"

"I came here looking for a seaside vending beast," replied Bolo. "But instead, Triton found me and we've been catching up on what's going on. Looks to me like you and Triton are having quite the adventure."

"Well we are the best team," said Shantae.

"So, did Vera appreciate you giving her amulet back?" Triton asked.

"She sure did," said Shantae. "And in return, she gave me her genie powers. Now whenever I dance, I can rejuvenate life. Watch this." Shantae does her healing dance and makes the flowers surrounding Bolo and Triton bloom out of nowhere. At the same time, Triton feels some of his bruises from his last fight go away.

"Hey, my arm feels better," he said. "Thank you Shantae."

"You're welcome, Triton," she said.

"I wish your dancing could rejuvenate my hunger," said Bolo. "I'd do anything for a slice of Melba toast."

"I'll tell you what," said Triton. "If I come across Melba toast on our journey, I'll give you some."

"Thanks Triton," said Bolo.

"Come on," said Shantae. "We've got more half genies to find." The two leave Tree Town, waving goodbye to Bolo.

Meanwhile, back in the dark caverns, the shadowed creature loomed over the remaining three creatures beneath her. The shadowed creature was still not happy at their failures. "The more time those hybrids are running around, the more time our plan is delayed," she said. "We need to keep those two underground if we are to catch them."

She points to the creature in the middle. "Go and call in your friend," she said. "It's time to require his services." The shadow figure bows in acceptance and leaves the dark caverns. The leader of the caverns scratches the mural, cutting out one of the sirens and taking it back to her throne. The glow from the creature's eyes reveals the stone to be the same siren as the drawing in the skeleton's coat. "He will be mine."

Back topside, Shantae and Triton later find an elderly scientist sleeping by a winch. Shantae performs her healing dance and wakes up the scientist. Her dance made him all hopped up on energy.

"Oh, uh. What was that just now my good sir and madam?" The scientist was still half asleep from waking up, but he shook his head to get himself focused again. "I feel like water skiing on a baby's bicycle straight to the stars!"

Triton murmured to Shantae, "Dreams can be weird," Shantae giggled in response.

"Oh my, how long have the lads and lass been down there!?" The scientist activates the winch, bringing up something from the ocean. "I've got to pull them up. Now!"

The winch brings up what reveals to be a submarine. Triton opens up the hatch and Shantae follows him in the underwater vehicle. Inside the submarine, Triton and Shantae meet the female scientist from Arena Town, and the male scientist from the moss tunnels.

"Never thought I'd see you again," said Triton.

"So glad you two could join us," said the male scientist. "We were just about to take the metal fish even deeper."

"Metal fish?" Shantae asked.

"It's the name of the sub," replied the female scientist. "Welcome aboard you two. As I mentioned before, our mission is to learn everything we can about the Sunken City."

"Guess there are more tunnels that are sealed off from the other parts of the underground city," said Triton.

"Everyone thinks we're crazy," said the female scientist. "They say that the lower levels are cursed. Evil monsters and blah blah blah."

Triton looks away in shame, hearing the word monsters and mentioning underground. "But we say no to conventional wisdom," said the female scientist. Triton perked up hearing the scientist say that. And so did Shantae, seeing her friend feeling a bit better.

"We're about to journey to the very bottom of the food chain," said the female scientist. "Would you two like to see what's down there?"

"Sure," replied Shantae. "What do you think, Triton?"

Triton was a little shaky, thinking about going down further than he'd ever been before. But he took a deep breath and said, "We've come this far to back out." Shantae smiled and the two were ready.

"Metal fish going down!" The scientists get the submarine ready and close the hatches. The scientist outside turns on the winch and sends the team down. As they descend, Shantae starts having second thoughts about the submarine.

"Are you sure this thing is safe?" she asked.

"Of course," said the female scientist. "Relax, there's nothing to worry about." And so she gives a long lecture about the ship's proximity dangers in case of pressure droppings, leaks, and strange creatures.

Shantae gets bored, then looks to Triton with concern. He had that serious look on his face, and his fingers kept twitching like he was getting ready for something.

"Are you okay Triton?" Shantae asked.

Triton just stares at the descending waters. He takes a deep breath and stops twitching his fingers. Without looking at Shantae, he says, "It's said that for centuries, the bottom of the deepest seas have been shrouded with mystery and superstition. Some of the villagers say it's a hostile place inhabited by the strangest creatures."

A fish with giant eyes goes swimming by, making Shantae cringe at the appearance. "Others say that it's a prison for the most dangerous outcasts," continued Triton. Then, a humanoid sea serpent comes swimming by, showing its scowled sharp teeth.

Shantae looked at Triton and took his hand. Triton felt her grip and looked at her too. "It'll be okay," she said. "You're not a monster."

Triton nods and looks back at the dark waters. "But if you look at it from a different perspective…" Then out of nowhere, the nocturnal creatures start producing beautiful colorful lights. Shantae now looked with splendor and happiness.

Triton looks back at her and takes both her hands. "You know," he said. "Bolo and I talked earlier and he asked me what I thought about love."

Shantae blushed, "Um, I uh…Love really? Oh that Bolo. Such ridiculous nonsense."

"I don't think love is ridiculous," said Triton "I think love is such a wonderful thing. Whether it's friends, family, or with someone you really care about. And if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have known this feeling. You truly are my friend Shantae. My first real friend. Thank you."

The two locked eyes with each other as a fish produced pink light surrounding them. The two smile warmly at each other. "You're welcome, Triton. You're welcome with all my heart," said Shantae.

Then out of nowhere the proximity alarm goes off. Shantae and Triton snapped out of their moment and started to worry. But the scientists weren't as scared as the two were. "There's nothing to worry about," said the female scientist. "Sit back and relax."

Then, the submarine started to shake and rumble. The sound of groaning metal was all around them. Shantae gripped tightly to Triton. "I'm not relaxed anymore!" she shouted. Then, water started to fill up the submarine. That started to make Triton freak out. His skin started to show his fish scales, but luckily no one could see under the warning light.

"Take it easy you two," said the scientist. "This is just water. It's the sailor's best friend." Then the scientist started to worry. "Stopping by to say hello, that's all."

The water started to reach up to Shantae and Triton's waists. "Are you sure about that?!" Triton asked. "Because it sounds like a large sea beast is slamming into the hull!" The scientist couldn't provide a relaxing answer. Triton knew they were taking water, and it wasn't natural.

"AHH! THIS IS THE WORST VACATION EVER!" Shantae shouted.

Triton hugged Shantae as tight as he could. Then he thought of an idea. "Shantae, if the glass breaks, we can use that opening to swim back to the surface. Take a deep breath when I say. Kick for the surface and keep kicking. Do not let go of me. Do you trust me?"

"I trust you!" cried Shantae.

"Oh wait," said the scientist. "We could electrify the outer hull. That should scare the beast off!"

As the water rises to their necks, Triton holds Shantae up higher to keep her from drowning. "If you think that'll work, do it now!" Triton ordered.

The scientist turns on the electric shield, causing the whole sub to shoot out electricity outside the surrounding area. The electric shield works, causing the shaking to stop and the warning lights to stop flashing. The water started to pump out of the sub, leaving everyone feeling safe.

"I had a feeling that did the trick," said the female scientist.

"Phew," said Shantae. "That was-" She stops talking the moment she sees Triton's skin.

"What?" Triton asked. Shantae points below him, he looks down and is terrified. His hybrid half is exposed to the scientists. The scientists were shocked to see this discovery.

"What is that, a sea serpent?" asked one of the scientists.

"What a remarkable discovery," said the female scientist. "How did you do that?"

"It's none of your business!" Triton shouted. The scientists were horrified by his shout. Triton looks around to see security cameras in the sub. He jumps around and slashes them with his fish claws. "No one can know! You got that!? NO ONE!"

"Triton, stop," said Shantae. Triton glared down at the scientists looking scared. But after hearing Shantae's voice, his skin reverted back to human and looked at his hands. He took a deep breath and calmed down.

"I'm so sorry about that," he said. "Just let us out of here."

The submarine enters the secret tunnels in the underground city and the two hybrids leave the sub in sadness. The scientists were feeling both scared and fascinated with Triton's mysterious second half. And without camera footage, they're back to square one with discovering this secret.

As they left the sub, a giant red squid appeared in front of them. "Oh, there you are," he said.

"Who are you?" Triton asked.

"Squid Baron," said Shantae.

Triton was surprised, "You know this creature?" Shantae nodded in embarrassment.

"For a minute there I thought you couldn't hear me knocking."

"Knocking?" Triton asked. "That was you!? You nearly got us all killed!"

Squid Baron just shrugged it off. "Whatevs, listen. This is important, which is why I needed to talk to you."

Triton was not in the mood. What he felt inside the sub, was now doubled outside the sub. He clenched his fists and stepped up to Squid Barron. "Now is not a great time. You're making me really angry!"

"But I have a-" Squid Barron's sentence was interrupted when Triton punched him square in the face. Squid Barron fell backwards until Triton grabbed his tentacles and swung him around and around. He throws Squid Barron in the wall, scaring Shantae. His human form suddenly transformed back into his sea creature form, without even coming into contact with water.

Squid Barron got up as quick as he could, but it wasn't quick enough for Triton to lift him up and throw him across the room. He jumps on the wall, climbs up a few feet, and leaps to pile drive on the squid. Then, He throws him up, uses his super sonic sound waves and the sudden force throws him into the water. He turns back to Shantae, with the fearful look in her eyes. Realizing what he just did, Triton reverts back to his human form and shows fear in his eyes too.

He runs down into the tunnels, leaving Shantae and the scientists behind. "Triton, wait!" Shantae cried. But he was long gone. She frowned with sadness as she watched him disappear in the darkness. The scientists were shocked and scared at the hybrid's abilities.