Chapter 15 - Back to School, Adults
Near Dreary Dream University
Shark tried to focus on the cool breeze and the garbled chatter around him as he and Piranha traveled through the narrow streets. No tram in sight, but the people crowding over the sideways filled in the noise. The constant noise became a sound Shark was willing to hear to drown out his thoughts of his father. Everyone is safe. No one is going to hurt them.
The unsaid, quiet order of the city was preferable to knowing Oscar's slaughter.
The slightly unaltered Piranha waddled by, his mind relapsing back into having a walk without care. At the moment, he took the opportunity to hide underneath Shark's drooping hand to get a small pat and hat. The little fish's bright grin could give away his enthusiasm for the next location to raid. Quick, small heists were often his favorite since they were simple. And the rush as well with needing to finish the job in minimal time.
It was easy since it took small, uninterested objects rather than waving around suspicious dollar notes.
Their trackers were beeping louder and louder. They should be close to where the university should be. Strangely, they couldn't see a taller building towering over the repetitive houses aligned straightly. Neighbors in their young adults marched around, backpacks with loose zips and falling diaries. But a school faculty was missing from this suburbia.
The two Bad Guys already investigated a few houses previously, taking any Eden Apples that weren't watched over. Here, it felt strange that they first entered the camping ground rather than the main attendance hall.
The main university buildings were yet to be seen amongst the similar houses.
As they walked through the streets where the university students rule, they noticed the lack of attention from those passing by. Piranha might be a different case since he wouldn't look like a sharp-toothed piranha at first, but Shark would really cause a lot of big attention for being a…well, walking shark.
Fortunately, no one minded their presence. A group of people did, but they just moved to the side without a hint of a hysterical response. A bit casually as well when one's purse slapped Piranha in the face. The little fish whipped his head behind, but the oblivious person walked away.
Shrugging, Piranha smiled to himself. Despite being a newbie, this new city didn't need much from him to be a true equal. His smile brightened when he spotted a couple of animals on the opposite side of the road. One or two of them appeared to be bears. They kind of looked bored as they joined along with their friends. One cat, on the other end, was bouncing around them with unashamed glee.
Piranha couldn't help grinning, revealing some of his sharp teeth.
One human nearby saw his sharp grin, but he didn't stop to inspect it properly. Piranha noticed this, realizing that he and Shark could fit in.
The clothes probably helped. They activated their disguises with Shark's outfit fully in purple, removing the yellow and white. Meanwhile, Piranha just made his outfit replicate his casual blue hoodie. The little fish briefly snuggled his chin against the soft hood. Man, the disguise even reflected the feel of the 'fabric'.
He turned to Shark. He was still quiet. Piranha didn't chat the whole time, however. But Shark was somber, alert, his eyes darting around to see if the peace of this area was maintained. His slight smile wasn't the same as the bubbly smile Shark was known for. This kind of smile would normally be for whenever Shark meditates.
"Hey, Shark?" he asked, feeling concerned. "Are you alright?"
Realizing how long he was in his own distant world, Shark turned towards the curious Piranha. "Oh! I'm…good. I'm all good." The giant shark rubbed his head, a tired chuckle escaping his closed mouth. "What a hectic morning."
Hectic sounded about right. Piranha pieced together what might be the case. He frowned, awkwardly kicking a pebble he spotted.
"I'm sorry for telling you about what your father did…I just thought that-"
"No, no, no. Let's not talk about this now. It's not the case." Shark paused. He refused to talk further about it with Wolf and Snake. Now, he should be focused on something else. But it was quiet out here. He rubbed his sweating forehead, acknowledging how long he was standing under the unforgiving sun. "I'm…sorry. I know that this is bad to try ignoring. Selfish since I'm forgetting Hornet and…I cannot believe my father nearly got too close to him."
Piranha's hum nearly sounded like a whimper, sharing his concern. "It's not easy for me, hermano. I nearly thought of calling Hornet again in the morning if it weren't for us being busy. I thought about your father-." He cut himself off, not wanting to say the wrong words. "I'm worried about Hornet's safety back home."
"If my dad's around in those places," stated Shark. "Then…he's not playing around. It should be a coincidence that he's involved in whatever Hornet was doing." He paused again, shaking his head. "Who am I kidding? I shouldn't be thinking like this. It'll only jinx it!"
Piranha immediately stepped in front of Shark. He felt awful for telling him the news earlier with no way to sugarcoat things. He didn't mean to get Shark upset, but it was also worrying since Hornet was near Oscar at that time as well.
"Is…this something we need to talk about?" asked the little fish. "T-This is serious."
"I-It's not that serious," bluffed Shark, seemingly caught up in his own delirium. "I mean, the whole thing with fathers. Being strong, being violent, being…I don't know! He's everywhere! You can't prove that achievement unless you crack skulls together, right?"
"Going into a mental asylum doesn't prove you're the man," remarked Piranha. "Maybe in the 80s. And now, he's still wanted."
Shark snorted. "Easier said than done. Police couldn't catch him. But…the thing that bothers me the most…" He trailed off, struggling to form words together. "My father tried to call me, offering a place in this new empire he joined. And was he THAT serious in calling in the last one he joined? Was that why he went out there to hurt more people if that's part of his job or just an excuse because he was bored?"
Piranha thought about it. It was hard for him to think about Oscar's outrageous activities on a daily basis. From his own time, he didn't know much about how criminal empires and crimelords work. His father might have acted like a mafia boss when surviving school, but Piranha couldn't hold himself still when learning about tight work schedules.
Unless it was small mob gangs easy to join. How the Bad Guys work was easier for him to remember and adapt.
"Hornet told me Oscar looked like a robot," said Piranha, already sweaty. Should he be feeding this information to the debate? "But if this empire is doing…erm, whatever it is, then would they even allow him to make a public appearance in that look when on a rampage?"
Shark would have the answer, but now, he wasn't sure anymore. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this. What if this involves us?"
Piranha scoffed. "No, no. It's OK, chico. If Hornet wasn't chased, then Oscar put him out of the picture."
"Y-You're sure about this?" said Shark, rubbing the back of his head. "My father doesn't really like you guys at all."
This was news to Piranha. "Wait, he doesn't?"
"He often shot down Webs whenever the two talked," said the fuming Shark without hesitation. "He is really open about it. Thinks you make me soft and too merciful to dangerous people. Says the guy who never tried making friends for once. Ha!"
The giant shark didn't notice the dumbfounded look on Piranha's face. The little fish didn't know Shark's father would hate him and the others. Despite the short instances of heard animosity, he knew Shark was still close to his father. He could have ignored it, but the fact that his friend's father spat those words to describe them as naive hit him like a truck.
Webs never liked Oscar, so what did he say that made her more tense around him?
Piranha's eye twitched at the revelation of how he was seen, but his forced thoughts covered up that sign of craziness before it was seen.
"Feudal pirates," he growled randomly.
"I know, right?" agreed Shark. "And whenever he believes in that, he'll have an excuse to hurt you."
The little fish immediately hopped onto Shark's shoulder, grabbing the jacket collar. Piranha realized his mistake and tried to lessen his grip. He didn't want to come off as too intimidating. At the same time, however, he wanted to make the message clear to the worrying Shark.
"Listen here, chico," he said, tone levelled and calm. "We don't have evidence yet if the Great White Shark will come after us. Hornet came at the wrong time. Oscar might not like us, but he doesn't even know or meet us."
He paused for a moment, unsure if that was true. He forced logic to run his argument despite his uncertainty. The Great White Shark never dared to appreciate or visit them for once.
"I doubt his empire would approve him attacking us since we don't have business with them. I really REALLY hope Hornet is safe as well." He briefly looked down at his engagement ring, catching its shine. "I really hope so. And whatever might come, we'll still get there in the end. Oscar isn't exactly the worst thing we've ever come across."
Shark could have said he was blown away by Piranha suddenly taking this situation seriously. Summing up the facts and pros of why the Great White Shark couldn't touch them. And the fact that he and the rest of the Bad Guys had never seen Oscar in real life spoke volume. His father wouldn't like them, but he left them alone since Shark stood by them.
Shark's demeanor remained moody, but he calmed down from his worry. "I hope so as well."
"Same," said Piranha, nodding. "We can return to asking him what he's doing, but for now, we have to focus on what we must do today. And knowing that Diane called the International League of Heroes, I'm hopeful they'll stop him before he kills more innocent people."
The relief allowed Shark to smile. One that was more genuine and happy.
"Say, buddy," he cooed, his bubbliness returning. "You…you know what to say about this. Thank you."
Piranha shared the same smile of relief. He could feel his fins wagging on the feeling of pride and doing good for his friend. He still felt sore from the revelation that Shark's father hated him, but he would get over it soon. He is an adult: they always get over hate.
[Do What You Want - Daphne Willis]
[Repeat 0:00 - 0:13]
The repetitive lines of the houses soon faded away when they turned around the corner. They were greeted by a more metropolis-looking area with higher buildings, flashy billboards and a bigger tram station. And as the two Bad Guys hid in an alley to conceal, they were in awe at the monstrous university in the heart of this street.
The campus grounds were much bigger than they expected. A blend of multiple buildings, seemingly assorted in different aesthetics. Old and modern architecture with connected bridges and tunnels for people to walk through buildings easily. The building with the main front entrance was shaped like a hexagon, a stark contrast to the ordinary square houses.
Thousands of students were coming in and out of the university buildings, either carrying a weekload of homework or catching up to resume their conversations with others.
"Whoa!" said Piranha, his eyes sparkling. "This is actually cool!"
"And such an expensive building," added Shark, grinning. "Hopefully, they got enough money if it gets damaged."
"Not like we're gonna harm it," snarked Piranha. "OK, so what's the game plan?"
"OK…" Shark said, taking Diane's stapled notes from his jacket. "I say that we split up."
"Fine by me!" said Piranha, cracking his knuckles. In response, his outfit dropped the disguise, revealing the black leathered armor with neon colors. "I'm thinking of going on stealth for this!"
"Hold on, Piranha," said Shark. "We need to be careful not to be seen. There might be a bazillion guards at every corner of that university. Now, put on your hood."
Piranha rolled his hood over his head and his scales immediately turned hot pink again. Shark was surprised that Piranha's now-holographic hair fins popped through the hood. A waving mohawk reflecting pink glass beautifully blowing in the air.
The dark hood seemed to make a new mood for Piranha's small frown.
Shark found himself smiling sweetly, placing his hands over his mouth like he witnessed a rabbit.
"What?" asked Piranha.
"Sorry," chuckled Shark. "You just look cute like this."
"Seriously?" whined Piranha. "Let's just concentrate, alright?"
"OK, OK. I think you look great like this." The giant shark passed his notes to Piranha. "Now, I read through this, but I'm giving it to you just in case."
"Wait, don't you need it?"
"I'll be fine. I am familiar with the strategies Diane made. I did them before. It's more important for you to have them since you will be traveling alone in an unfamiliar environment."
"What about you? What will you be doing?"
"See that tour group right there?" asked Shark, pointing near the university's main entrance. "I'm joining them."
True to his word, a group of families and young adults were waiting at the entrance. In front of them appeared to be their tour guide: a pug dog in his 40s with white fur and large eyes. Despite his friendly nature to the newcomers, Piranha found him looking TOO similar to Marmalade.
Hell, the tour guide wore a black and white, three-piece suit, looking like a flight agent rather than a teacher. For a tour around this university, he seemed to flaunt his wealth a lot.
Piranha gasped dramatically, pointing at the tour guide. "That guy…bulging eyes!"
Shark squinted his eyes. "What? Weird…his eyes look normal."
"Those eyes are bulging at the sides of his head. Staring menacingly…"
"Piranha, his eyes aren't bulging from the sides."
"What? Don't pugs have eyes bulging from the sides of their heads?"
"Not this babe," said Shark. "Anyway, this group has clear access through many rooms with different levels of security. I'm gonna go incognito."
He proceeded to press a few buttons from the inside of his jacket. His whole clothes began changing, slowly materializing into a new form for him to wear.
As expected, he put himself into a white dress with pink frills on the collar. For extra measure, the disguise puffed up his chest for a bustier look. His jacket took the appearance of black denim and his boots looked like black high-heeled shoes.
And then, a blonde wig materialized over his head, styled as pigtails.
"Chico, I barely recognize you!" said Piranha, grinning. "Your disguises have been improving recently!"
"I know, babe," said Shark with a smirk. "Never underestimate my disguises."
"I know so," chirped Piranha, storing the notes in his hammerspace. "Now, let's get this party started, hermano!"
"You said it!"
And before they started, they finished it off with a hyped fist bump.
[0:14]
Thelma sighed as she reached the main entrance, close to feeling the more natural breeze than the ridiculously cold air-con inside. She didn't need to, but she wanted to accompany her father for today's tour. She heard that it might go on until night time. She could see him now, the pug dog, an affable and calm composure in front of strangers they wouldn't usually trust.
At least not yet until they asked more questions.
Her mouth twitched in an ironic smirk when she saw this. She knew she and he could be too blunt with what they saw. But faking it was the best way to let others prove themselves first.
She looked down to see what she was wearing. Similar to her casual clothes, she was wearing all black and white. A black and white striped blazer, a white shirt with a black tie, a short black skirt with matching leggings and white high heels. Should be professional enough, she hoped. Hopefully, this would make a good impression.
Taking a deep breath, she walked through the automatic doors.
"Enjoy yourself for today, Miss," said the pug tour guide, shaking one of the guests' hands. "For I, Spalding Dreary, will ensure that Dreary Dream University will change your lives forever!"
"Wait, isn't your name 'Pig'?" asked a child.
"I don't want to talk about it," said Spalding with a strained smile.
"Just only one time you hogged up all the food in the food court," said Thelma playfully. "Nearly broke a world record and the whole town was there to watch! The nickname still sticks today."
Spalding guffawed, amused by his daughter's witty sarcasm. "Oh, thank goodness you're here, sweetie. Your work done?"
"I'm fine, Dad," said Thelma, affectionately kissing him on the cheek quickly. "It was swell."
"Last night, you went out drinking. I couldn't tell if you were dozing off or having an epiphany of the world at your desk."
Thelma scoffed, cocky. "Oh please, I already battled through hangovers. Otherwise, I might end up being material for a mop."
This elicited a laugh from their guests still listening.
"We're joking about drinking last night," informed Spalding. "We are responsible adults. Are there any questions before we can go?"
Thelma sighed when she saw the lack of hands raised up. Too many people were overconfident in understanding this. They would fall flat if they didn't learn things they didn't know.
"Now, let's get this show on the road!" said Spalding. "Be amazed by what you're-"
[Pause at 0:32]
"YAHOO~!" yodelled a high-pitched voice. "Hope that I'm not late, ladies!"
Everyone turned around to see the disguised Shark. He lifted his right leg with a kick in a ladylike way, hoping they were buying this.
Spalding narrowed his eyes, already suspicious.
Even Thelma was suspicious of Shark, leaning forward.
"You…" said the dachshund dog, putting her hands on her hips. "You look so…"
Shark's grin tightened, trying his best not to look sheepish.
Thelma and Spalding continued staring at him until…
"...GORGEOUS!" said Thelma, suddenly fond. "Am I right?"
[Resume at 0:32]
Spalding, on the other hand, staggered. "What? No! She looks like-"
"I'm gonna let her join along," said Thelma, pulling Shark in. "What's your name?"
"I'm Sandy Griffiths!" said Shark, keeping up with his high-pitched voice. "Transferred from LA to AU! Supreme ace in cooking, acting and most importantly, politics!"
Thelma scoffed at the sound of 'politics'. "I need to stop thinking about politics…"
"My grades were enough to get me a good spot here," continued Shark. "But seriously, I needed to get out of home due to some fatties driving me out, but I cannot explain due to family matters."
"That explains a lot," said Spalding.
"OK, don't overshare," said Thelma. "But you're more than welcome to join us."
"Okey dokey, babe!" chirped Shark.
Thelma was too overjoyed to remain professional. "...um, anyway, be amazed at what you'll see here! Follow us!"
The rest of the guests weren't perturbed by the disguised Shark joining them. Despite towering over them, he looked more like a drama queen. Even now, Shark was waving his hand at the curious children in a flamboyant way. Spalding turned to Thelma with a disapproving look as the guests followed the two canines who led the university.
"Thelma," hissed Spalding. "Don't you know we're inviting an 8-foot-tall shark into the university?!"
Thelma frowned, suddenly nervous. "Now, hold on a second. If her grades got her here, she's one of the wiser ones. Not many can enroll in our university. Wouldn't that mean she is civil?"
Spalding didn't want to create a scene, but he was close to freaking out. "F-Fine. Be careful. Please! She might be feral!"
"I don't think so. She dresses nicely, she seems social and she appears kind of cute." Thelma blushed, realizing what she said. "I-I mean, she looks 'cute' logically…obviously."
"Sure," grunted Spalding.
Thelma sighed in return, a mixture of annoyance and shame.
[0:59]
They didn't know Piranha was hiding in Shark's jacket. Once they entered the automatic doors, Piranha curled himself into a black ball and rolled out from Shark's back with no one noticing.
Choosing to hide underneath a table, Piranha pressed his back against the wall, looking around to see where he should go next. Conveniently, there was a vent next to him. He unlocked the grill effortlessly and entered through the open hole.
Oh, this will be so much fun.
Shark used his tracking device to detect if his targets were near, making sure the device was up close to his face so the rest wouldn't see. He was too close to the tour group, not to mention its tendency to beep loudly. Fortunately, nobody seemed to pay attention to the sounds of a 'tablet', more focused on what Spalding and Thelma showed them.
He had to admit the university campus was quite impressive. It reminded him of the neat order of the suburbs. However, it felt…eerie. He could feel it in his gut, bored and repulsed. Everything was mostly coated in white. Splatters of colors did nothing to overcome the strictly white paint glaring at him. Especially when travelling through hallways with brick walls. It felt as if the place was too perfect.
It reminded him of when he and the Bad Guys were 'taught' how to be good by Marmalade in his mansion. A clean place that was too heavenly. Too high for their comfort. Marmalade's designated fantasy of the 'good ones'. Too perfect. And let's not forget that it did not stop him from swallowing Snake.
This faux 'holiness' of the white walls felt ridiculous.
"And this here is the job search room!" said Spalding, lifting his arms in pride.
Case in point, Shark could see the panicking and squashed students trying to get to the front of the counter desks. The staff struggled as well, trying to take down all their applications. People pushing, staff sweaty and fingers sore. Papers were discarded to the side in hopelessness. It was chaos.
"This really puts finding a job in a hard spot," muttered one of the guests.
"Oh, well, we have online websites and you can walk into workplaces whenever there's an advertisement," said Thelma matter-of-factly.
"There's been a huge number of more people wanting to find a job while studying," said Spalding, sharing the same tone. However, the poetic listener would notice the condescension in his voice, matching his apathetic frown. "Remember, if you want to get a good job that's meant for you, you'll need to love to learn and gain in this university. Being unemployed early is no joke…cause jokes about it never work."
This caused a chuckle amongst the guests. However, it had the opposite effect on Shark. He winced, knowing how this cut deep for those broke. It didn't help that he never had a job of normalcy before joining the Bad Guys.
[1:21]
Before Spalding and Thelma could continue the tour, one of the university's teachers came by. The second Shark saw him, his jaw nearly detached from his mouth.
"You got to be kidding me," he muttered.
This was the same scientist he fooled at Sunnyside Labs. The same human with a clean bald head and a large mustache. Strangely, he was wearing the same clothes as last time. The white lab coat looked too obvious to inform Shark that he used to work at that laboratory.
"Hello there!" said the former Sunnyside scientist. "How is the tour going?"
"Doctor Dennis," said Spalding politely. "Good to see you. Now, Dennis is one of the new teachers and head organizers of the science branch."
"Why yes!" said Dennis with a chipper tone. "And thanks to that, me and my colleagues will provide all the equipment you need to kickstart your science career. Whether it's building robots, testing machines or just blowing things up with chemistry for fireworks."
"I'll say your work here improved the number of times holes were discovered in the labs," joked Thelma.
Dennis laughed. "And the next thing that will be discovered is how many holes are safely created to look attractive. But fear not as you're in good hands. And to continue my admiration, we'll ensure that you will have a safe time learning from us."
Shark tried psychoanalyzing anything off from this former researcher, but there wasn't a hint of malice or forced kindness. But he knew that Dennis and some of his previous colleagues were now teachers at this university.
"Oh, this is great!" said Shark, feigning interest. "Looks like we'll be having fun in your classes!"
"Oh yes, I bet you will!" said Dennis, not recognizing the shark. "Guess that you're considering getting a Science degree?"
"Maybe a double degree," said Shark, wrapping his arm around Dennis. He internally cringed at the feeling. This felt weird. "A lot can happen and gain from here!"
Dennis was flustered by how strong this lady was. She even looked pretty as well! He chuckled nervously, trying to continue holding up his professional demeanor.
"I thought that you were stronger in politics," said Thelma, looking jealous.
"Oh, but can a girl dream?" sassed Shark.
Spalding had a thought about this and nodded in agreement. For once, he agreed with this beast.
As Shark let go, the rest of the guests came close to Dennis to ask questions. He happily answered all of them. It seemed that his chipper attitude was enhanced by Shark's charm. Unfortunately, this moment of weakness led to Shark managing to pickpocket him just before letting him go. Wolf made sure to teach everyone this trick before.
The giant shark chuckled, rolling the objects in his hand before hiding them in his jacket. He could feel one Eden Apple AND Dennis' ID card.
After a while, Spalding seemed impatient. "Anyway, we should keep the tour moving. Sorry, Dennis. Don't want to miss out on the other spots."
"Sure thing!" reassured Dennis.
The tour group resumed their walk with Shark being the last to follow them. He glanced back at Dennis and he winked. Shark pretended to appear bashful, laughing while waving his hand before his face. Once Shark wasn't looking at him, Dennis held onto his red cheeks and hearts were in his eyes.
"She likes me," he cooed.
[Pause at 1:45]
Small vent passageways were often quick ways for Piranha to get around. Helpful for all the Bad Guys, excluding Wolf and Shark since they couldn't fit in properly. Piranha never minded the narrowness or the smell of the cold, metallic vents. The neon colors emitting from his outfit provided the illumination he needed. Helped that the pink glow lightened him up in contrast to the cold and alienating…well…cold.
It didn't take long for his tracking device to beep louder. That would mean his next target was nearby.
He opened the nearby vent grill, mindful not to shift it too much to create less noise. He was grateful it led to underneath another table. It was a lecture hall he ended up in, where a class was taking place. The complete set of one teacher and at least thirty students watching. The massive presentation on the digital monitor was about taking care of the environment.
Oh, Webs and Diane might like this one, thought Piranha.
He tried searching around for where the Eden Apple might be hidden. The teacher looked like someone else since his tracking device didn't point at her. She wasn't even wearing a white lab coat. Instead, the tracking device was pointed towards…one of the students at the tables.
This one wore a white jacket similar to the other former researchers, but she appeared too young to be a full-time employee at Sunnyside Labs. If anything, this young adult looked more like an intern. She patiently tapped her fingers on her desk, close to a light blue box with dark blue stripes.
This must be where she had the Eden Apple, but why bring it to class?
"Now, let's see here," he said, taking out Diane's notes. "What strategy should I use?"
The second he read the first page, his mind paused upon being sent to another place.
How much did Diane write last night?! So many words cluttered together in large paragraphs. And even when he found dot points, there were nearly too many steps to pulling off a foolproof plan. Some of them were even the most simple ones he could remember. Was Diane THIS worried about him?
It took Piranha a while to find the right section for the environment he was in. But finding out that there were at least 20 different strategies for making a robbery on university grounds was enough to overwhelm him. It felt like reading through the entire textbook without the specific key points. His brain was growing numb from the boring information.
"Oh, c'mon," he whined, a doglike whimper escaping his lips. "Why does she have to be so sophisticated?" He shut his eyes to concentrate, trying to put himself into an empty mind. "OK, Pepe. This should be a piece of cake. You can do this. You told your papa that you'll learn. No more screw-ups. It's just study tips. You're a top academic student."
When he opened his eyes, he proceeded to find the right strategy for this environment. With a clear mind. After flipping through two pages, his eyes landed on one strategy that seemed to fit this situation and environment. He smiled, darting his eyes through the dot points. A few terms were hard for him to understand, but he recognized some terms that described parts of his suit and gadgets.
"OK, time to crack down 'Operation Shut-Down'," he said to himself. "First thing to do is to shut down the power. Now, where would I be if I'm a power generator?"
It wasn't long until he remembered that he could break a fuse easily. He checked back at his notes just in case and to his delight, liquid was the best ordeal to mess with the electrical circuitry as long as the projectile bullets were small enough not to be seen.
Piranha wasn't a good marksman, but that didn't mean he couldn't aim properly.
Taking out his guns attached to his jacket, he spun them around in his thumbs and collected some ammo strapped to his arms. These were color texture projectiles, so they should be wet enough to cause a power outage. And these weren't ordinary texture ink, after all. Ready, the little fish checked for all available power outlets.
There were two empty ones by the teacher's table, turned on. A couple of power outlets for charging were at every corner of the room. There was even one nearby him, currently off.
With a giggle, Piranha shot right at the closest power outlets. The one next to him and the ones near the teacher's table. Two shots just in case he missed accidentally. The projectiles all splashed into the tiny holes of the outlets, allowing the textured ink to seep right through them. Once enough, he mischievously flicked the outlet near him on.
As a result, all the power outlets began to spark, spewing out smoke.
"What the-?" said the teacher, noticing her table sparking out electrical bolts. "What's going on?"
There was a loud crackle and the lights went out. Don't ask how since the wires to the power outlets would take longer to reach the ceiling lights. But this was no ordinary texture ink after all.
Even the main monitor shut down, leaving all the students in the dark.
Piranha giggled to himself, somewhat enjoying the shocked clamor amongst the confused students. The teacher called everyone to remain calm, fumbling to take out her phone.
The young former researcher looked close to running away, her eyes darting in alarm.
"Step two," narrated Piranha. "Stick close to the shadows and head towards your target without that much noise."
This was easy enough for him. The little fish crawled through the room, making sure to keep the glow of his suit to a minimum. He was fast enough, only a blur for those who see him on accident. Crossing through tables, he rolled across the floor before hiding an empty chair. In no less than ten seconds, he was already underneath his target's chair, waiting to strike.
"Step three," thought Piranha to himself. "Be quick on your feet and replace the targetted collectable in your sight. Always make sure to distract all nearby parties first."
He took out a small bomb from his jacket. This one would release chalk powder gas. Not dangerous to inhale, but surely enough to frighten some people. He rolled it on the floor like a bowling ball and watched it bump into another chair.
On contact, it hissed and released a small trail of pink smoke.
The former researched sniffed and her eyes widened. "Wait, is that…gas?!"
"Oh my gosh!" screamed one student. "Is it toxic?!"
Several students began to scream in terror, trying to back away from the chalk smoke flying upwards. The teacher was already making her way to the door, wanting everyone to evacuate. It was nearly time since Piranha could use the chaos to distract them for long. He could grab that Eden Apple and get out of this-
"Piranha!" called Shark's voice through the earpiece. "Is everything OK?"
The little fish growled. Of all the times when he should be interrupted.
"What? I'm nearly about to get the Eden Apple!" he hissed.
"Well…is there anything else you should keep track of?" asked Shark.
"What?"
"Fuchsia is outside near the room you're in."
The pink color drained from Piranha's face. "W-What?"
He slowly allowed his eyes to peek out from his hiding spot, looking to the right. That was where the window was, providing the only current light source.
And just outside, hiding behind a statue on the balcony, was Fuchsia.
Watching him like a hawk.
Piranha gasped, quickly hiding back in his spot.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no," he sputtered, his face flustered in a mix of fear and shame. "This shouldn't be happening. This shouldn't be happening…"
It only escalated when a security guard appeared to Fuchsia.
"Hi there!" said the security guard outside, trying to be friendly. "Uh, ma'am? Hi?"
"My friend is at this university," hissed Fuchsia. "Now shoo-shoo!"
"Why don't you come to the front office?" asked the guard, reaching out a hand towards her. "Perhaps we can-"
"Keep your hands off me, mister," growled Fuchsia, slapping his hand away. "Don't you see I'm busy here?"
"You might disturb the students inside-"
"Is this my task or not?!" growled Fuchsia, poking the guard in the chest. "How much are you paid enough?!"
"Ma'am. I don't want to-"
In response, the red-eyed piranha kicked the guard in the shin.
"Ow!"
"I swear, I left you humans alone to hold onto your jobs until they become redundant to you!"
"Whoa!" said one student. "What was that?"
"What's going on out there?" said another.
"Are you seeing this?"
Piranha couldn't describe how much of an embarrassing scene Fuchsia was making as this got everyone's attention. They all seemed to forget about the chalk smoke and crowded around the window to watch Fuchsia running around the statue to lose the agitated guard.
"Pepe!" yelled Fuchsia desperately. "Pepe! Help!"
"Pepe?" said one of the students.
"Who is the 'Pepe' right here?" asked another.
"Looks like 'Pee-Pee' has an admirer!"
"Ooooohhh!" teased all the students.
Piranha growled under his breath. "No, no. What's really up with her?!"
Fuchsia tried running forward but was overpowered by the oversized guard who picked her up. She tried beating his head with her fists, but it wasn't enough to deter him.
"I'm reporting you for trespassing!" said the guard.
"Let her come in!" joked one of the students. "She wants her crush!"
"Tell them it's me!" yelled Fuchsia.
"Oh yeah! Pepe! Your girlfriend is here!"
"What's going on now?" asked the teacher. "Why are you all so jolly for…" She gasped when she saw the red-eyed piranha trying to fight back against the guard. "Whoa!"
Piranha was five seconds from aborting the mission when his eyes glowed in realization.
Fuchsia was drawing everyone's attention away, including the now-chirping former researcher.
The Eden Apple box was still right there for him to take.
And who knows how long Fuchsia was going to be out there for? There was no 'Pepe' in the room, right?
"That will work," he said nonchalantly.
Leaping onto the table, he opened the box. There was the Eden Apple. Quickly replacing it with a chalk projectile, he kept the small weapon in his pocket and ran to the nearest exit.
"PEPE!" shrieked Fuchsia, already pressing her face against the window. "PEPE! PEPE, YOU SON OF A GUN! PEPE!"
But Piranha didn't turn to help her. And nobody knew who she was calling for, allowing the little fish to escape quickly.
[Repeat 0:00 - 0:13]
Back with Shark, things were looking good already. With three Eden Apples already collected from three researchers he fooled, he could crush this one! The problem was how long he would need to ask for toilet breaks since the tour group might get suspicious of him. The three times he disappeared and quickly showed up again, it got Spalding staring at him more.
At that moment, the tour group stopped by the lounge hall to try samples from the cupcake club. Shark decided not to take any despite his tummy growling. It was because Spalding kept glaring at him.
Maybe the disguise wasn't fooling him since Spalding was also an animal.
The pug dog's eyes narrowed with a growl through his gritted teeth.
Shark gulped a little, puffing his chest up to keep up the act.
Piranha was right. Spalding's bulging eyes DO look menacing!
Thankfully, Spalding's attention diverted when the more jaunty Thelma spoke up again.
"Let's give the Cupcake Club a round of applause for their delicious cupcakes!" she said. "With their insightful recipes and a healthy yet tempting look for these quick snakes to grab and go!
The people of the Cupcake Club bowed down as the guests cheered. Before they could leave, a new guy took one of the leftovers on the tray.
"Hopefully, there's enough for me," he said. "Am I permitted to have this?"
"Go ahead," said one of the members of the Cupcake Club, looking a little mournful.
The new person who dropped in was a human with fair skin and brown hair hidden underneath a black cap. He wore a lot of black, from the denim jacket to the shirt to his shoes. Standing out from this dark look was a rainbow-striped flag pinned to his jacket.
"Ah, just in time!" said Thelma. "This here is Truman, the head of the LGBTQ+ club."
"Oooh, what is 'LGBTQ+'?" asked a child.
"Shall I explain?" asked Truman. "Or is it a…?"
Thelma nodded welcomingly. Truman shared a kind smile and so did she. Spalding's eyes widened, feeling awkward about this. However, he relented, mentally stuck.
"It's a huge place for those who can express themselves, to be themselves," he said gently to the guests. "As a part of the LGBTQ+ community, we help and guide people in being prideful of how they identify themselves."
Shark felt his dorsal fin wiggling at the sound of this.
Spalding was already shaking. Glancing at Truman got his nerves shot on what he would think. The less-stressed Thelma elbowed her father to stay still, not wanting to make a big scene.
"What…would qualify to be part of the club?" asked the same child. "Like, what does the term 'LGBTQ+' include?"
His father was about to grab his shoulder but refrained at the last second, preferring not to intervene with his son's curiosity.
Truman chuckled. A little sheepish, but curious as well with sharing. "I just came out as gay at the start of this year. It took a while for me to decide, but after discussing it with my family, I feel free to see who I want to be with. Even understanding others who feel they are too 'different'."
"You look like you're in love," said the child.
"Not with you," snarked Truman.
The child chuckled. "With a girl?"
Truman shook his head. "Not really."
One of the guests raised his hand, uncertain. "Is…having no sexual or romantic feelings…count for this?"
"Why not?" said Truman sincerely. "We even support aromantic and asexual people. Sometimes, it could take time to decide, but we can guide you through how you want to feel. Only if you want to. And this does not exclude other people. We have noticed some fears and are working to make the club inclusive."
Some of the guests appeared unsure by this, trying to understand what the club was about.
"Oh!" piped up Shark, unable to hide his excitement. "If it helps, I'm thinking of coming out as non-binary soon!"
"You do?" asked Thelma, intrigued.
"That's one good example," said Truman, grinning.
"What does that mean?" asked a child.
Binary, thought Spalding. He heard it a lot in his maths classes before, but he didn't wrap his head around this term. Kind of confusing for him or not for him. But he didn't need to ask again when the disguised Shark explained.
[End of Song]
"Um, it's like not needing to be definitely masculine or feminine or, i-it's like how you feel as a person," explained Shark giddily. "Though I consider keeping my ma-I mean, female pronouns to refer to myself. It has been a long journey to find what I should call myself since I feel different to both boys and girls. I'm still proud of my body. Just feels to be in constant flux. And goes the same with my pronouns and…"
Shark trailed off when he noticed the stunned silence. The guests looked surprised by his explanation of deciding to use non-binary terms.
However, the giant shark felt embarrassed that he confessed.
A lot.
"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, nearly dropping the high-pitched voice. "I…I have to go for a while."
"Hold on," said Truman in understanding. "Is anything alright?"
"Just…need to think. I'll be OK! Continue without me!"
Truman frowned as the disguised Shark waddled away with his head down. But there was even understanding. This was huge of a share. Maybe not the right time to explain it in public. That would, unfortunately, get to him.
Spalding and Thelma were left speechless for a while. This time, the former wasn't suspicious of what Shark might be doing. The guests just shrugged before turning back to Truman for more questions. They decided to give Shark some time off until he could return.
Spalding was still trying to grasp onto the familiar yet foreign words.
"Is she having an epiphany?" he whispered to his daughter.
Thelma shifted away, uncomfortable. It felt messy talking about this topic. "I don't know. Just let her have some breathing space. She must have realized she said too much at the wrong time."
"Right. Yeah." A baffled Spalding shook his head, trying to shake built-up tension from his confusion. "This is very confusing!"
"Yeah, I know, right?" said Thelma, faking a laugh. "I mean, guessing that this is a 'norm' other people find 'normal'."
"Indeed it is," said Spalding with no hesitation. And then, another nerve popped. "Wait, what? I-I didn't mean it like…are you trying to agree with me?"
"What? No. I do agree with you!"
Spalding was about to question before backing off. "I'll…I'll come back to this another time. It's something else…I'm not really good at."
Thelma nodded owlishly. She hoped that her father didn't see through the cracks.
When finally hidden in an empty hallway, Shark slammed his back against a brick wall. It shook and his body did as well. Groaning in embarrassment and exasperation, he covered his watery eyes. No one was around to see him.
"Why did I say that? Why did I say that?! Why did I say that?!" he whimpered. "I shouldn't have said too much! I'm just overexaggerating…Dad's right. This is a dumb…"
He paused, trying to think clearly. He hadn't thought like this for a long time.
He hadn't really explained to anyone about coming out as non-binary. Webs only knew a little, but Shark reassured her he would have time to consider it. But he never thought that it turned out to be quite challenging to do. Saying out loud in front of strangers was the number one thing to avoid since it wasn't ideal. He could already hear his father's words in his head.
Not only was he wearing a golden earring. But not being the man enough.
And his father wouldn't be happy hearing this.
Switching back to feeling aware of his surroundings, the giant shark punched himself in the chest, forcing himself to think positive.
"Calm down, Lou," muttered Shark. "This is a different place. This is different. Your father is not around. He never comes to these kinds of places. No one will be disgusted at you. Right? Right?!"
The lack of answers from the void only made him feel worse. Even Piranha's words that Oscar wouldn't come to attack the Bad Guys didn't settle in. The feeling of going against his father made him hesitate to accept the more positive outcome.
It led to disgust in himself.
"I'm wasting time," scolded Shark, scowling. "I shouldn't be like this. Don't make it too personal. Just get the Eden Apples and get out of here!"
Despite being on edge, he activated his outfit's disguise ability and it changed to the clothes he saw Dennis wore earlier. With the hair wig replaced by a fake large mustache and the ID card slapped to his jacket pocket, Shark took a deep breath before using the tracking device to detect where the Eden Apple might be.
Fortunately, it was close by in another lab room.
Smile on the outside and inside.
And that was the motivation needed before he went into act, stepping into the laboratory. To his luck, there was another Sunnyside researcher inside the room.
"What's up y'all!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Ah! Dennis!" said the researcher. "Good to see you again! I had been trying to see how I should present the Eden Apple because I can't afford it to accidentally explode. If it moves to much, kapow! Kaboom! Boomy."
Shark noticed the Eden Apple behind her as the quirky researcher mimicked explosion motions. These former researchers must be dumb enough to think they could casually bring them onto school grounds.
"Unfortunately," said Shark, keeping his voice assertive. "You'll have to switch today's lecture to the next one for this week."
"What?" said the researcher confused.
"I got a call from the boss that I'm in charge of locking up all the Eden Apples today. There was word about a few students trying to take them for themselves at this university. Do you know how many nosy kids here?"
The researcher didn't get it. "But that brings more students to my class!"
"Which is why we cannot risk it! If they take them, then it could bring certain doom!" He clapped his hands together, causing the room to shake. "BOOMY! You hear me?"
The researcher crossed her arms, skeptical. "Hmm, I don't know. And what do I get in return for handing over MY Eden Apple?"
"I can pay you!" said Shark in a singalong tone.
"Pay you what?"
"Money!" said Shark in the same tone.
"Sold!" said the researcher, grinning. "Now, I'd like to have one thousand dollars, please!"
Shark gasped. "A thousand?! That's too much!"
"But you have a lot of money in your wallet, right?"
Shark quickly checked and at least 20 notes of 100 dollars poured out. "Oooh, I forgot."
The researcher blinked. That was the first sign this might not be Dennis. She leaned closer, wanting to take a step towards the disguised Shark. "You forgot? You never forget how many money notes you bring every day."
The giant shark quickly improvised to throw off any suspicion. "Oh, I just met a beautiful lad-I mean, a woman who gave me a kiss. It was all a blur and my mind melted under the hot sun before it could be solid again."
That wasn't exactly the truth, but it counted to Dennis' possibly messed-up mind. If the researcher quickly fell for his 'dad' impression two years ago, then there were a lot of things Shark would unfortunately need to use when acting as him.
The researcher wasn't letting up yet. "And you expect me to believe that you have short-term memory when you remembered the name of every guinea pig subject from our previous job after being distracted by a baseball?"
"...yes?" said Shark.
The researcher narrowed her eyes for a while…but then she cooled down within seconds.
"Alright," she said, all sunshine and lollipops. "Hand me the money."
Shark didn't mind taking the money out of Dennis' wallet. He didn't count correctly when he placed them in the researcher's hands. Eventually, he gave up and emptied the entire wallet. The researcher was satisfied with how much money she had.
"Thank you!" she said. "Now, here's your Eden Apple!"
Shark grinned tightly, gently grabbing the Eden Apple. As the researcher counted her money happily, he felt rubbish for giving away Dennis' money. It added to his growing discomfort from the previous episode.
At least he could feel proud of doing the necessary thing with collecting his orbs.
AN: Hollywood disguises at its finest. Some of the close suspicions made by Thelma and everybody else are inspired by Episode 2 of Murder Drones. It feels funny to lampshade this since no one saw it through that it was Mr. Shark all along! Well…sort of. Spalding knows something, but he hasn't figured out it was the criminal, not the animal species.
Piranha's entire scene being interrupted by Fuchsia references Turning Red. This time, he exploits it. While he didn't plan, Fuchsia brought in the perfect distraction and the perfect consequence for her to face. I had a lot of fun writing Piranha here from his struggles, emotions, and wit in his robberies. He's still a fun goofball, but he's still growing and learning.
The concept of Shark considering himself as non-binary is a new subject I'm covering in my Bad Guys AU. I'll be trying to touch more on it throughout the story. I know it will be a considerable risk, but for those worried, I'll have him add 'they/them' to his current pronouns. It would be due to Shark liking to dress up in many ways and connecting to LGBTQ+ genders given more spotlight in the entertainment industry. I believe this would be a good layer of Shark to explore and meaningful his personality. And with Oscar disliking earrings, it goes much deeper on Shark's mindset of what is considered 'masculine'.
We're introducing a new character to the scene! Spalding 'Pig' Dreary and, yes, I based him on Pig the Pug. Admittedly, it was hard imagining a pug character who could be taken seriously, as I had Pig in mind for this character! Despite being a snobby, professional businessman, he has a loving father-daughter relationship with Thelma, even if communication seems shaky. I would imagine him to be voiced by Edwyn Tiong, a fellow Aussie.
What do you think of the exploration through Dreary Dream University? What do you think of today's robberies? And what are your thoughts on Shark's and Piranha's conversation at the start? Let me know in the reviews. Thank you for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story so far, be sure to favorite or follow. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but if any flames, then it's down the drain.
Until next time, keep on rocking!