Super Science
Ch 107: Under Sea City
Meanwhile, in another part of the facility, Egon was standing in a room where a warp pad was being recalibrated. Inside the the professor himself, Hankoyo, and an abnormally large slug named Katsuyu. She was currently being sent off to Pacifica due to her rapid growth rate. By now, she was almost filling the whole room! Finally, Hankoyo got the Warp Pad recalibrated since whenever Katsuyu tried to, it would segment her body into thousands of pieces all over and not send off a single one. Luckily, she could merge these pieces back so there would be no harm.
Egon turned to the giant slug and told her, "Well, Katsuyu, it's time for you to head off. Shikkotsu Forest awaits."
"It was a pleasure to be in your company, Egon-sama. I'm saddened that our time has to be cut so short. Interacting with everyone here has been a wonderful experience.", Katsuyu replied in a soft yet sad tone.
Egon waved her off and said, "Please, just Professor is fine. We're also saddened that you have to go. Despite being here for less than a week, you've grabbed everyone's hearts. And we'll be sure to come visit from time to time; you've even got the Pachyderm as your neighbor. Perhaps they can island hop to visit and trade with you. Shikkotsu Forest will have many natural resources that I'm sure will be valuable to them.", he assured her.
Katsuyu made something akin to a smile and said back, "I'm glad to hear it. Still, I wish I could stay smaller."
"I'm just hoping your growth isn't eternal and you eventually stop at some point.", Egon stressed while rubbing the back of his head.
"Sorry to interrupt your goodbyes, but we have to get you through now, Katsyuy, before you become too big for the teleporter.", Hankoyo interjects.
"I'm afraid we've already come to that point," Egon replied, seeing how Katsuyu was already squishing her body in so it wouldn't spread out even more.
"Not a problem. I can simply divide.", Katsuyu assured them.
Initially confused, Egon wanted to ask what that meant until the slug showed him. Unlike what he had heard, Katsuyu didn't just shred off sections of her body that could meld back together; she could separate her very consciousness into separate and smaller bodies! They looked just like Katsuyu right down to her voice, but smaller. Now, she had divided it into several smaller parts, and each one slinked onto the pad before being beamed up.
"Wow! I didn't know you could do that! Impressive.", Egon said with a whistle.
As he walked away to let her continue the process, Egon bumped into Honey Lemon, who looked sadly at the vanishing Katsuyu, lamenting, "I'm gonna miss her. I wouldn't have minded if she stayed the size of a horse."
"I know how you feel, but it's what's best for her," Egon assured the woman with a pat on the shoulder.
"Sir, a moment of your time.", the voice of Megan interjects.
"Yes? What is it, Megan?", Egon replied and turned to the woman.
She quickly tells him, "There's a man in your office who wants to meet with you."
Egon was confused, to say the least. Did he have a meeting he forgot? It wouldn't be the first time. But with who and about what? He'd have to find that out himself since Megan had left while he was stewing in his mind.
Going to his office, he was surprised to see the person already inside and waiting for him. He sat across from his desk at first but quickly stood up and went to greet him. He was a man of around 40 years of age and…a fish. More specifically, he looked like the creature from the Black Lagoon in a three-piece suit wearing reverse scuba gear on his head in a fishbowl.
"You must be Professor Egon Crystalo?", said the fish man shaking his hand.
"Indeed, and you are?", Egon asked.
"My name is Aquarius. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to see me," Aquarius said.
Egon sat at his desk across from the fish man, placing Peet on his desk and petting the bird as he said, "Of course. My secretary didn't give me any details about this meeting you wanted. Could you explain?"
This is when Aquarius began to look and act extremely uncomfortable as he explained, "I have a rather…incredibly selfish request of you and your facility."
"Go on.", Egon prompted him, leaning forward while stopping his petting of Pete.
Aquarius took a deep breath and then explained to the scientist, "As I'm sure you're well aware, us mutant-type quirks are easily discriminated against frequently. The general public and the government overlook our needs and wants. Especially those of us with aquatic-based needs."
Egon nods his head and replies, "I'm aware. I get many mutant types coming in to have their quirks removed."
"So that's why I ask you-no-beg you to help me achieve a dream I have!", Aquarius proclaims while getting up from his seat so fast he tips over the chair. He then falls to his hands and knees, placing his head on the ground and begging, "Please help me build an ocean city!"
"What?!", Egon exclaimed in surprise.
Aquarius flopped onto the ground, and in a disappointed gurgle, he said, "I knew you'd never accept."
"Woah woah woah, I never said I didn't accept; I'm just surprised! You are right in saying that's an incredibly selfish request. But…what do you have to offer in actually helping with this dream of yours?", Egon assured and questioned the man.
"That…I could act as its representative.", Aquarius said with an uneasy tone, making Egon stare at him critically. Only for him to slam his bowl onto the ground and gripe in a pitiful way, "I know it sounds crazy, and I sound crazy, but I just want to help those who can't themselves. I have no money, no connections, no ideas, no nothing! Just a dream and this picture my 3-year-old nephew drew for me.", he said while getting up and handing a roller up paper from his coat.
Egon took it, opened it up, and, looking with Pete, found a surprisingly well-made drawing of a water-style city with the words Atlantis printed above. Egon gave a surprised yet impressed expression while saying, "That's a pretty good drawing.", putting the picture down, he told the sulking fish man, "Anyhow, under normal circumstances, I would just kindly tell you to leave.", this made Aquarius regress even further until Egon followed up saying, "But these aren't normal circumstances and I'm not a normal person. I was once like you, and this place was my dream. The aim of this facility is not only to discover but also to help the less fortunate. And I'm glad you brought this problem up."
"So…you'll help?", Aquarius asked hopefully.
Egon nods as he tells him, "We have no money troubles, and under the sea is the one place we haven't looked to go or research. So I think it'll be mutually beneficial for all parties. Plus, we're putting a country at the bottom of the ocean, so invasion is unlikely as you're getting started."
Without warning, the fish man threw himself across the table and hugged Egon in a surprisingly tight hug! Egon was so taken off guard by this that Pete freaked out and began to attack the man by pecking his fish bowl!
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I won't let you down!" Aquarius exclaimed before realizing what he was doing. He quickly let go while recomposing himself and saying, "Oh! And I do have one thing that could help in this endeavor."
"I thought you said you had nothing?" Egon said, raising his eyebrow and pulling Pete off his helmet.
"I did, but I didn't think you'd think of her as useful," Aquarius replied while texting on his phone.
"Her?", Egon questions.
Just then, a new person entered the room: a woman. She was tall and slender, wearing a business casual suit with a pencil skirt, heels, and lab coat. She was a reverse mermaid—yep, she had the upper body of a large-mouth bass and the lower body of a woman.
Motioning to the woman, Aquarius said, "This is my twin sister, Pisces. She is a professor of aquatic research."
"Greetings, sir; I look forward to helping in any way I can.", Pisces greeted him while reaching out her hand, uh, fin.
Egon shook her…appendage and held back Pete from trying to pick at her before wiping his hand off from how wet and slimy hers was. After that, he had no idea what to say, so he just asked, "You got a resume?"
Taking a paper from her briefcase, she handed it off to him. Egon adjusted his glasses and then adjusted them again as he couldn't believe his eyes! Her resume was astounding! And not just because it smelled like fish. Her portfolio was filled with so much stuff! Aquatic engineering, aquatic transport, aquatic agriculture, and that was just the beginning!
Egon was so flabbergasted that he could only say, "Well, I'll be damned! You're overqualified for what we'll be needing to make an underwater civilization. You're hired! Welcome aboard!", he exclaimed while holding out his hand to shake hers again.
Both Pisces and Aquarius had the biggest smiles on their face as the woman took his hand and happily shook it! After welcoming her aboard and wiping his hand again, Egon went back to business mode and told them, "Though before we do anything, we'll have to clean the area first. And by area, I mean the whole dang ocean."
The two fish people looked at one another before looking at Egon in confusion as Aquarius asked, "How are we gonna do that?"
Egon tapped his glasses and said with a knowing look, "I have a guy crazy enough to take it, but he's a little busy right now. So I'll tell him later. For now, let's just get our plans in order."
Before their conversation could go any further, the office door opened, and Goto walked in and rudely pushed between the two fish people while saying, "Hey, Egon."
Egon looked at his brother in disapproval before saying, "I'm a bit busy right now, Goto. Can it wait?"
But Goto didn't leave or reply, only telling him, "You've got a situation on the roof and by the entrance, so no."
Egon makes a face that seems like he wants to slap something. Still, he only ended up slapping his own whole saying in exasperation, "I'll take whatever is happening on the roof. I'm sure Izuku can handle whatever is happening by the entrance.", after excusing himself from the two people present, he left his office, told Megan to take care of them, and walked with Goto while pulling on his own face in stress, groaning, "Gods, for once I'd like a mundane week. Is that too much to ask?", he said as he hoped it would be something simple.