Garret carefully made his way, searching around the marketplace for anything that would make a good gift for his dad. But everywhere he looked, he could see numerous merfolk and sea creatures selling various strange objects that were perfect for merfolk but not likely for his dad.
"Geez. I guess everyone's doing some Father's Day shopping."
Then, he came across a large crowd gathered around a stand where a merman with a large bushy and gray beard showed off a cage filled with different colored fish, each with sharp and jagged teeth.
"Step right up, folks!" the old merman spoke enthusiastically as he held up one of the fish in his hand. "This is the perfect Father's Day gift, especially if your father has a beard! I give you the handy-dandy, triple-toothed beard trimmer! Make short work of every beard!"
He then gave the fish in his hand a nod, and with a rapid chatter of its teeth, the fish that was the beard trimmer set to work, using them to buzz away the merman's beard. But the fish was a bit too eager, and before the merman could stop him, the beard trimmer completely shaved away his entire beard, mustache and all, leaving nothing but spotless skin. The fish was pleased with its handiwork, but the merman wasn't as much.
"Something tells me that Dad won't exactly like a pirana knawing away at his beard," Garret commented.
He then swam away from the booth. He hadn't gone far when he happened to bump into someone who swam in her path. It was Ariel and her group.
"Oh, Garret! So this is where you've been," said Ariel.
"Are you looking for a Father's Day gift, too?" asked Flounder.
"Oh, hey, guys. Yes, I am," said Garret. "I take it the same goes for the rest of you?"
Everyone nodded. Garret then remembered something as he looked across to Urchin.
"That reminds me. How are things going with your family, Urchin?" asked Garret.
"Great!" smiled Urchin. "Mom's super nice, and my dad's the coolest! They treat me like I'm their son. But I owe it all to the king. If he hadn't introduced me to them, I'd still be an orphan."
"You know, Urchin, Daddy thinks of you as a son, too," said Ariel. "So why don't you also get him a Father's Day present?"
"Hey, that's a great idea!" smiled Urchin. "It'll be my way of saying thanks to him!"
He looked around at the different stands until he saw a particular stand with utensils on display. Among them were some pens, half appearing like regular pens while others looked like paintbrushes.
"Hey, how about a squid pen?" he suggested as he picked it up. "King Triton can use it to sign all his important papers and other stuff."
"A squid pen, huh?" hummed Harusuke. "I can see the pen, but... where's the squid?"
Urchin then started writing with the squid pen on a piece of parchment to test it, but nothing came out. The merboy tried again, but still nothing came out. Feeling puzzled, Urchin squinted while shaking the pen, wondering if it was defective, only for it to suddenly squirt him right in the face, staining his face with black ink.
"So that's where the squid comes from," chuckled Garret.
Ariel and Flounder couldn't help but snicker as Urchin wiped away the ink with a cloth.
Then, Moray, lurking nearby, swam up to them with his cart of products, whipping out a large, tall pink seashell.
"Heya, cutie," he spoke to Ariel with a wink. "How would you like to be the only kid on your sandbar with this one-of-a-kind shell?"
"Thanks, but Daddy already has a hundred of those in his collection," Ariel turned down.
"He's the sea king, you know," added Urchin.
But Moray wasn't giving up as he tossed the shell back into his wheelbarrow. "Oh, so you kids are looking for a gift for the sea king, are you?" he said with interest. "Then perhaps I can interest you in the legendary glow-shells of Shark Canyon."
"Glow-shells?" repeated Garret skeptically.
"Sh-Shark Canyon?!" Flounder gulped nervously.
"That's right," Moray continued, turning up the salesman charm. "These are special shells that glow in the dark like the moon on the ocean's surface. Something that will put on the shine in any collection."
Ariel's eyes lit up with wonder. "Daddy doesn't have anything like that," she said.
"Neither do I," said Muray. "But I can make you a great deal on a map to Shark Canyon for a limited-time offer of one sand dollar."
"Sound good to me," said Ariel.
She dug into her bag and was about to pay Moray a sand dollar when Garret cut in.
"Hold on a second. Something seems a bit fishy about this. No pun intended," he said as he leered suspiciously at Moray. "How do we know you ain't trying to rip us off and are giving us a phony map?"
"Come on, kid. Do I look like the kind of guy that would lie to you?" Moray spoke innocently. "I'm just a sales-fish making an honest living here."
Garret looked at Moray and then at his wheelbarrow. "Well, sorry to judge a book by its cover, but define honest," he said.
"Come on, Garret. Must you always be so suspicious?" chided Ariel. "You could be a little more trusting, you know."
"And you're a bit too trusting," countered Garret. "I just don't want you wasting your money getting scammed."
"I'm sure it's fine," said Ariel. "Besides, this could be our chance to get a seashell not even daddy has yet. I can't pass that up."
She then handed Moray her sand dollar, and he gave her the map.
"B-But didn't you hear him?!" Flounder squeaked fearfully. "That eel said, "Shark Canyon." You know, a canyon with sharks?!"
"Listen here, little kid. You don't need to worry," reassured Moray. "There ain't no sharks in Shark Canyon."
"Hey, I may be little, but I'm not stupid," Flounder said huffily.
"Well, technically, he could be right, Flounder," said Garret. "For all we know, it could be a canyon shaped like a shark, that is to assume that map is legit. Besides, you've dealt with sharks before. Along with octopuses, a giant crab, a lobster gangster, an evil manta, and even humans. What else is there to be afraid of?"
"That doesn't make those things any less scary!" squeaked Flounder.
"It's OK, Flounder. I'll come along to protect you guys," Urchin spoke confidently. "My bravery always impresses the king."
"Well, let's just hope that kind of bravery doesn't get us into more trouble," sighed Garret. "Then again, trouble has a nasty habit of finding us."
The four friends departed the marketplace, ready to start their journey to Shark Canyon, while Muray watched them leave. As he did, he couldn't help but stare particularly at Garret as he remembered seeing him before.
"So the kid's not only popping out of mirrors but also pretty smart. Too smart," he muttered. "I better watch out for that guy. He could be trouble later on, but he could be my best friend if I play my cards right."
Ariel and the others followed the map, leading them outside the kingdom to an area filled with rocks, anemones, and tunnels.
As they swam along, Flounder was still complaining.
"Why couldn't it be called Seaweed Canyon? Or Guppy Canyon? If there aren't any sharks there, then why isn't called Shark Canyon?"
His answer came sooner than expected, for soon, they could see the very canyon in sight. Just as you would expect, it was large, and as the name suggested, it was in the shape of a shark.
"I guess that's why," said Urchin.
"See Flounder? Exactly what I said before," said Garret. "Although, I didn't expect to be right."
Urchin then raced ahead of the group as he called out everyone. "Last one in is a rotten turtle egg!"
Ariel followed suit. "Oh, yeah? Well, the first one's gotta eat it!"
Garret and Flounder followed suit.
"Hey, you guys! Don't go charging in without being careful!" he warned. "Someone's gotta be responsible since Crabby's not here!"
The four friends then entered the canyon. There were various colorful reefs, rock formations, and some caves. Ariel navigated the area, leading her team while following the map until they reached several caves. Every one of them was glowing brightly in various colors.
"The glow-shells must be in those caves!" Ariel pointed excitedly. "This'll be the best Father's Day gift ever!"
The group then swam over to inspect.
"I like the color of this one," Urchin said while looking into a yellow one.
"Whoa. This is just like something you'd see in a dream," Garret murmured as he looked into a blue cave.
"And best of all, no sharks," Flounder spoke gratefully.
But while Flounder's observation was correct, he was also wrong.
The kids then split up by twos to search for the shells, Ariel and Flounder going into a green cave and Urchin and Garret into a red one. As they did, a giant purple octopus was eyeing them from afar, and it wasn't happy to see them in its territory.
Figuring that Ariel and Flounder would make easy prey, it followed close behind them inside. It crept up behind the unsuspecting adventurers until its shadow loomed over them, causing them to turn around. When they did, the octopus let out a menacing roar, making them jump and scream with fright. They swam away further into the cave, but the octopus was right on their fins.
"I knew we should have gotten the king those fin-warmers!" cried Flounder.
Urchin and Garret heard the commotion, swam over, and saw the ensuing chase.
"Ariel! Flounder!" Urchin cried in alarm.
"Why the heck of all things did it have to be an octopus?!" Garret yelled out in panic. "Seriously, who in the heck writes these kinds of scenarios?!"
The boys then raced to the rescue, following the octopus.
The octopus continued to pursue Ariel and Flounder as they went deeper and deeper inside until Ariel spotted a little inlet on the side.
"Quick! In there!"
The two swam inside it without wasting time until they reached a dead end. The octopus was too giant to fit inside, but that didn't stop it from reaching out with its tentacle to get its prey. However, despite its limbs being pretty long, it wasn't long enough to reach them, albeit just missing them by a couple of feet. Ariel and Flounder were safe but were trapped as the octopus frustratingly tried reaching at them with its tentacle.
Urchin and Garret soon caught up, and when they saw the octopus, they knew their friends were cornered, and they had to help.
"Don't worry, guys! We'll save you!" called out Urchin.
"No, Urchin! You and Garret get Daddy!" Ariel cried out.
"And hurry!" Flounder also cried.
"But we can't leave you!" Garret yelled out.
"Just go!" Ariel cried out. "We'll be all right! Just hurry!"
Garret and Urchin looked at each other and gave each other a nod, knowing their only option.
"We'll be back as soon as we can! Just hang in there until then!" shouted Garret.
"This calls for emergency speed!" said Urchin. "Let's go, Garret!"
And the two merboys took off as fast as their fins could pump.
Meanwhile, at the palace, King Triton had been busy signing documents for quite some time and was now finishing the last one. He felt tired but satisfied that his work was completed.
"That's it for today," he said, handing Sebastian the document.
As he sat up from his desk, King Triton couldn't help but groan as he stretched, feeling his aching bones creak.
"If I may, Your Majesty, but t'ink you've been kinging too hard," said Sebastian. "You could use a nice dip in de hot spring at the spa."
"Excellent idea, Sebastian," said the king. "I think I'll do just that."
King Triton then got up, placing his trident at its resting place beside his throne, and started to swim off to the spa when Sebastian called out worriedly.
"Um, Your Majesty, are you sure about leaving your trident dere?" he asked.
"No need to worry, Sebastian," reassured King Triton. "As long as the trident remains at its resting place by the throne, no one but the Royal Family can remove it. But I appreciate your concern. Now come. The hot springs await us."
The king then swam off, eager to get to the springs.
Sebastian was still a bit worried, being the worrywart he was, but eventually decided to take the king's words to heart as he followed suit.
Not long after the two left, Garret and Urchin came racing into the palace only to find it empty.
"King Triton! Sebastian!" called out Urchin. "Where are you?!"
"Hey! Crabby! King Triton! Hello!" Garret also shouted. "Is anyone here?!"
No one replied.
"Well, that figures," Garret complained. "The moment we need him something, he's nowhere to be found. Talk about lousy timing."
"What do we do now?" Urchin asked worriedly.
"I'm not sure," Garret spoke while thinking. "I know time is of the essence. But also, I'm not sure if we can do this without the king."
Then, Urchin noticed the trident,
"Maybe we won't have to," he said while pointing. "Look!"
Garret saw it, too, and immediately caught on to Urchin's idea, which made him quick to refuse. "Wait a minute, Urchin. I know this is an emergency, but we can't just steal the trident!" he objected. "We're trying to save our friends, not get ourselves into trouble!"
"But it's what the king would want us to do, right?" insisted Urchin. "Besides, this isn't the time to be so picky!"
He swam over to the trident, grabbed its handle, and tried pulling it out of its resting place. However, he didn't know about the spell keeping it there, so as he pulled, it refused to move.
"Hey! It's stuck!" Urchin grunted as he tried pulling harder. "Come on! Come out! Garret, give me a hand!"
Garret sighed. "I think we're about to receive some bad karma," he said warily.
But despite his worries, he came over and helped Urchin pull. However, the trident still didn't budge, even with the two working together.
Then, the trident began to hum as it shone brightly with energy.
Garret immediately sensed danger. "Urchin! Get back!" he shouted as he shoved Urchin out of the way.
Just as he did, the trident released a powerful shockwave that blasted Garret backward, blowing him back and knocking him to the floor.
"Garret! Are you OK?!" Urchin cried.
But as Urchin rushed over to help his friend, he stopped seeing something that made his eyes widen.
Garret sat up, appearing unharmed, albeit a bit dizzy. "Ow. We must have triggered a defense mechanism of some kind," he mumbled. "Don't think we should try that again." He then saw Urchin looking at him. "Hey, Urchin? What's up?"
Urchin then pointed. "G-Garret! Your tail!"
Garret looked down, and his eyes widened, too. His tail, usually red fading into black, had now changed colors, red fading into a glowing bright yellow.
"Uh, OK. That's new," the boy spoke with a dubious look.
"I didn't know that merpeople's tails could change color like that," said Urchin. "Are you sure you're OK?"
Garret got up, rubbing his head. "I'm a bit frazzled, but I think so," he replied. "Although, I feel kind of funny."
At that moment, his tail began to spark and crackle with electricity, causing the boy to spasm. Then, from his hands, a powerful blast shot out from each of them, the force launching him upward. But just before he hit, Garret managed to curve himself, avoiding the ceiling and changing his path, but was sent flying outside before slowing down and stopping himself before he crashed into anything.
As Urchin caught up with him, Garret looked at his hands in surprise. "OK, what the heck was that?!" he exclaimed.
"You shot out a blast just like the king's trident!" Urchin spoke in amazement. "It must have given you superpowers when it blasted you!"
"I'm not so sure if the trident has such powers," said Garret. "And yet, it's the only thing that makes sense."
Then, Urchin had an idea. "Hey! Maybe we won't need the king and his trident after all!" he said. "Maybe we can use your new powers to save Ariel and Flounder!"
"Now, hold on, Urchin," injected Garret. "First of all, I don't even know how I did that in the first place. Secondly, I'm unsure if me shooting out beams is good. What if there's something wrong with me? Not only that, but I still think we should find the king."
"Well, do you have any better ideas?" urged Urchin. "Ariel and Flounder could be octopus chow by now, and we can't use the trident, so we got to settle for the next best thing! You might be the only one who can help them!"
Garret frowned. "When you put it that way, I guess we don't have many options," he said. "But how am I supposed to shoot out beams anyway?" He held out his hand. "I mean, it's not like when I hold my hand out and say "shoot" I'm gonna-."
At that moment, a powerful beam again erupted from his hand, shooting straight out the window and into the water above before dissipating.
Garret blinked while Urchin gave him a knowing look.
"See? That was simple enough," said Urchin. "Now come on! Let's get back to Ariel and Flounder before it's too late!"
Before Garret could even object, Urchin started hastily pushing him out of the throne room. However, no sooner than he touched Garret, Urchin felt a jolt of electricity shock him, making help yelp in surprise.
"S-Sorry about that," apologized Garret.
The two boys continued on their way. But Moray happened to be lurking close by. He had seen and heard everything.
"Well, what do you know? That kid can shoot blasts like the king's trident now?" the eel murmured. "I'll say this much, he's turning out to be something special." A malicious glint then flashed in his eye. "Special enough to make a pretty decent profit."
