Operation: OCEANA, Part 4: The Trench

Every story has at least one chapter with a change in heroship! Time to let another character be protagonist for a day! 

"Mr. Jinbe's so nice to let us use his bath!" Lulu cheered, jovially hopping into hers and Erin's shared bed. "So big and spacious!"

"Well, he is a big fella." Erin said, climbing in with her. "He says he only uses it when he really needs to. Otherwise, he spends more time in the ocean, anyway."

"Yeah, no one's gonna notice your odor when everything smells like saltwater." Nora said, sharing a bed with Madeleine.

"I'm just glad he has a normal bath, too." Mack kicked back relaxedly on his bed. "So, I don't have to wait for you gals to finish."

"It must stink being the only boy in a team of girls, huh?" Lulu teased.

"Yeah, but at least I'm not the only one. Sector V is mostly girls and Joto's the only girl in Sector JP."

"If you say so. So, what's your Quirk, Mack? Since you got that techy backpack, you must be super smart!"

"Very smart! I'm also a metalbender." He demonstrated by tossing the Shock Bowl forward and back from his hand using bending. "Works well with my inventions."

"Cool! Are your parents super smart, too?"

"Wasn't Erin telling you not to judge people based on their families?"

"I'm just curious…"

"Mack doesn't like to talk about his family." Nora said.

"Yeah, it's complicated." Mack frowned. "Let's just say not all families get along."

"Oh…okay…" Lulu frowned neutrally. She lit up and tried to change the topic, "But you having metalbending reminds me. Ever heard of Magneto?"

"Magneto?"

"He's a legendary supervillain from, like, a long time ago on our planet. He was a super powerful metalbender and he led his own league of villains. I heard he could pick up a whole bridge or stadium and fly them across the air!"

"Sounds pretty awesome. Maybe I haven't been training hard enough."

"We're getting our practice on this trip though!" Erin said. "So, we better get a good night's sleep."

"Yeah! Gotta be ready to kick more pirate booty!" Nora punched the air.

"At least one of us will." Mack remarked. "Well, good night, girls."

"'Night!"

The five slept blissfully on waterbed mattresses. In the company of good friends, they felt safe and comfortable. "Mmmmmhhh…" At least that's how it should be, but Mack's sleeps were rarely peaceful. He felt cold… unsafe… afraid…

"Huh?" It was pitch-dark. He could only make out the giant blades of grass and dense soil in his immediate surroundings. "H-How did I get here? Erin? Nora? Huff!" He heard a loud crunch and turned with a start. A giant, insectoid shape crept up on him. "Nnnnn…" Mack bolted forward blinding through the dark garden. "I-I thought it was over! I don't wanna do this, anymore!"

BOOM. The earth shook violently. Mack could clearly see a tremendous figure collide nearby. "RIBBIT…RIBBIT…" The great titan loomed over him. Lulu's eyes pulsated with hunger… and her mouth swelled as her tongue began to emerge.

"LULU! NO, LULU, IT'S ME, LU-"

"-LU!!" Mack shot awake. He was still in the Snapper Head's bedroom. The girls stirred, probably reacting to his shout, but they would settle and resume slumber in a minute. "…huff…huff…" Mack settled his heart. They hadn't even known Lulu for a day and she was already part of his nightmares. Why? Lulu never did anything wrong. He would usually dream about Christina or the strong boys pounding his tiny frame into less than paste, or Laruta coddling him like her own pet, or all of them snickering humorously as he dug his way through an ant farm.

"Ugh…" Mack had to keep telling himself they were his friends now. They learned his plight, he paid for his wrongdoings, and they were going to stand up for him, in spite of his mom fleeing the scene. And if he told Lulu the story, she would understand, too. So, was a good night of sleep too much to ask for?

Mack would drag himself out of bed and scrape his socks along the way to the kitchen. Should it be surprising to find Zoidberg asleep under the table with the residue of leftover sushi around his mouth? The boy took a bottle of water and casually walked to the window before taking a big drink. Perhaps the view of the ocean would strengthen the flavor of his-

An eye peered into the window. "AAAH!" He stumbled backward and spilled some water. The eye passed as he could make out its massive source passing by.

"We are near the Mariana Trench." Jinbe said.

"EEEK!" Mack spun, scared stiff by another large sea beast.

"The trench is full of massive creatures of the deep and is home to the nocturnal Trench Clan. They are blind Fishmen who sense their surroundings via wave motions and fear light. It's rare that the beasts leave their den, but we'll be safe inside this ship. The Snapper's material isn't considered 'tasty.'"

"Aha…Good to know that we don't taste good. And the trench is the next Great City, I guess?"

"There are towns at the tips of the trench, but the Trench Clan's city spans along the bottom cliffs. We'll be stopping at one of the towns and asking for info. The pirates will likely have gotten to the Trench Clan, and more-so the Talisman, so we'll have to prepare for a venture down there."

"Yeah… figured that…"

"I can see this venture hasn't been the best on your conscience. Your bravery is admirable, as is your loyalty to your comrades."

"You make me sound more awesome than I am." Mack blushed. "It's like… I'm not even scared of supervillains, fish pirates, or these kinds of monsters for the reasons I should be. There's just a bunch of little things that scare me. I have a lot of dumb phobias… and every time I think of them, I just feel pathetic."

"Many people have their own 'trivial' fears. It's not easy to get over them, but so long as you don't let them affect your performance or judgment, you'll do fine."

"Well, of course I know that." Mack reassumed his arrogant nature to chin up. "…Wait, were you up because of a nightmare, too?"

"Not quite. I get up every hour or so to keep steering the ship. It's not wise to stay in one place for long, and we can get to our destination quicker."

"No wonder you always look so grouchy if you barely sleep."

"I guess you could say that."

"Not that I'm any different." Mack took another drink. "By the way, what kind of metal's this ship made of?" He brushed a foot on the floor. "I can't really bend it. I couldn't bend that octo guy's swords either."

"We use a kind of steel called Poseidonite. It's used for most of our weapons and ships. Technically speaking, it's probably no stronger than the ships the humans, Nimbi, or aliens use. But Poseidonite contains bits of Water Chi as well, so perhaps that's why your Metal Chi doesn't register with it as strongly."

"Meanwhile, Erin can bend a substance made of Poison and Water Chi just fine."

"All benders are built different in how they adapt with nature. It could also just be that you haven't spent enough time with Poseidonite."

"That's true. DWAH!!" The ship suddenly rumbled from an impact, throwing both into shock. "The heck was that?!"

"Nothing good…" They rushed out to the bridge. They could see the glows of other craft beyond the window, blasting lasers at them. The ships were shaped like mantas. "Pirates!"

"Hey, what's going on?!" Nora asked, the girls running out with tired eyes.

"Jinbe got us into a mess, that's what!" Mack shouted. "Couldn't we have parked the ship somewhere more hidden?!"

"The fault is mine, you are right. Could I still ask you to man the combat stations?!"

"Right on it!" Erin bounced into a seat. "These shoot the right cannons, right?" She fired their own energy lasers at the manta ships, which began maneuvering in evasion. Lulu took the port cannons' seat.

"There's some non-piloting Fishmen incoming!" Mack reported, manning the front cannons. "I think they're going for the hatches!"

"Those physiques… They're Trench Clan!" Jinbe exclaimed. "They're wearing helmets to block out light sources! Nora, could you come outside with me and help fight them? Kids, after we knock their helmets off, activate the ship's glowing function, it'll scare them off!"

"That's the glowy fish button, right? Got it."

"What's with all the shaking?" Zoidberg asked, walking in. "Are you throwing a party without me? Oooo, fireworks! How delight-" A laser blasted their window directly, sending Zoidberg into a panicking, "B-L-L-L-L-L-R-R-R-R-R!"

"Quit gurgling and help us fight outside, Zoid!" Nora pushed him along.

Nora was swift in the water as she kicked the helmets off the Fishmen, exposing their slit-eyed faces. Zoidberg dodged the stabs of their spears and clipped the heads off, crunching their helmets just the same when given the chance. The Snapper Head would light up to scare the exposed Fishmen away. The shockwaves from Jinbe's punches would knock large groups of Trenchmen dizzy and he would also spare some power destroying the manta crafts. "AGH!" A red laser blasted the whale-shark away.

"Jinbe the Sea Knight." A man in an armor black suit with glowing red eyes swam toward him. "I've been dying to challenge you."

"You're… the supervillain, Black Manta! (from Aquaman) Don't tell me YOU'RE working with the pirates?!"

"It seemed like a promising deal." Manta extracted a blade from his left arm and slashed at Jinbe. He swam back in evasion and struck shockwaves at Manta, but the villain endured as he shot a harpoon at Jinbe, pulled himself over, and kicked the side of his head.

"That guy's keeping up with Jinbe-san pretty well." Lulu said. "And I can't get a lock on him."

"My Scouter can't read his Power Level because of that armor." Mack said. "But just leave it to him, we don't wanna accidentally shoot him. He can't be that tough, right?"

Jinbe grabbed and slammed Black Manta to the ground, pounding the villain with shockwaves that rattled him inside and out. He threatened Jinbe by charging an eye laser, but the knight was ready to tank it. So, at the last second, Manta spun his vision toward the Snapper and shot the left engine. The ship dropped and banged against the earth.

"Crud! One of the engines just went kapoot!" Mack exclaimed.

"That means the ship's gonna be bobbing from here on, ribbit!" Lulu said.

"There're two spares down in the supply room, but I'll have to swim out there and install it. Nora, can you cover me while I do that?"

The Adabatian saluted outside the window! "Be careful, Mack." Erin said worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm not fond of doing this either." Mack equipped himself with a helmet and underwater booster along with his Mackpack. He removed his socks, deeming them unnecessary for good swimming movement. With a courageous breath, he hauled the backup engine out into the water. Nora kicked incoming Trenchmen away as Mack used his gear to unscrew and detach the broken engine. "Good a time as any to start working with Poseidonite." As he began installing it, Jinbe punched and dragged Manta further away from the ship, ensuring he wouldn't disrupt their work.

"At least their numbers are going down." Nora smiled, unaware of the earth being uprooted beneath them.

"Yeah, so the sooner this is up and running, the sooner we can get away and get more beauty slee—AAAAAHH!"

An enormous beak drilled from the ground, the side of it pushing the Snapper, Nora, and Mack away and apart with an intense current. "One of the trench beasts?!" Jinbe exclaimed.

"Must have felt the ship's impact with the ground." Manta said. "Well, we'd better steer clear of it!" He harpooned Jinbe's leg and pulled over to stab the shark's waist.

The force sent Mack spinning, but when he could slow to a halt, he gazed up at the titan in utmost terror. He actually recognized the beast from one of his mom's micro-managed training sessions, but to think there could be one this big: a serpentine beast with a long beak and fluffy white balls along its body. "It's a B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BURROWING SNAGRET!! AAAAAHH!"

As if Mack carried a scent of familiarity, the Snagret dove and snapped Mack perfectly in its beak. "AAAHH! LET ME OUT! GUYS, HEL-" The small prey would be slurped down its throat.

"MACK!!" Nora screamed. "LET MY FRIEND OUT!" She threw forceful Water Kicks at its body, but the Snagret shook it off before burrowing back underground.

"M…Mack…" Erin shuddered, mortified by her friend's fate. If she hadn't been pressured into this adventure… if they just stayed home… this wouldn't have… "MAAAAAACK!"

Dennis watched the battle from a safe distance. "Black Manta puts up a good fight… but Jinbe's bound to win in the end. It's too risky to take the princess now. But maybe she'd be willing to trade herself… for that boy. All I need to do is find the monster that took him. Provided he doesn't get out on his own…"

Inside the Snagret

Mack was scared stiff inside a tunnel of green fluid. "Aaaaahh…I'm in a Snagret's stomach… I'm gonna die…I'm gonna die… just like I always…"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He could see Christina on the outside, laughing in cynical delight. "Mack's about to turn into bird-snake doo-doo!"

"Serves him right for always being a poopyhead!" Laruta shouted.

"Wish I could've done it myself!" Spike smirked.

The thoughts triggered him, blood boiling as he clawed at his own skin. Oh, he wanted to kill them. He wished they could suffer just he… No… it wasn't like that, anymore.

"HEY! Nobody makes a meal outta Mack except me, you giant turkey!" Christina fist-palmed.

"Maybe I can get it to vomit!" Laruta said.

"Hang on, buddy, we'll get ya out of there!" Perry declared.

"Sigh…I can get out of this." Mack told himself. Unbeknownst to him, something crept up from the lower tunnel. "Might not be safe to use my Shock Bowl in here, unless I just roll it around without exploding it. But it feels like we're back under—GROUAH!" Something grabbed his ankle. He spun and shone his light on a bright-green-eyed monster with waving red hair and cyan skin. "HEY!" Mack used bending to thrust his gauntlet at the monster and make distance. "Get back! Just because this thing ate me doesn't mean you can!"

"Whoa, what's this?" the "monster" asked in an Italian voice, rubbing the gauntlet. "How're you making it move?"

"What?" When Mack looked at him closely, he was actually a Fishman. A foot taller than himself, just about. He wore a red-patterned vest with orange shorts and had gaps in his teeth. He carried a wood spear with a cone conch head and what looked like bike wheels on his back. "Uh…my metalbending?"

"Oh, OK!" He raised his night-vision goggles, exposing orange-brown eyes. "But man, I thought I was the only one crazy enough to get eaten by a Submerging Snagret. A human too, even." He pinched Mack's pinky toe, the human kicking him off. "What's your name? I'm Massimo Scorfano."

"M-Mack. Mack Strongarm."

"Really? You could almost combine our names! Macksimo! Maximo! Haha, I like it!" He punched Mack's hip.

"W-What're you even doing here?"

"I'm a KND operative. Expedition Expert, actually." He grinned proudly. "I don't have a team or anything, I fly solo. Or, swim. What about you?"

"I'm a human operative. My team and I came down to help fight the pirates. Which we were doing before I got eaten by this thing!"

"Relax, pal, this thing takes forever to digest prey. I've been here since yesterday, so I know."

"YESTERDAY?!"

"Yeah, this thing has a stubborn stomach."

"Well, I ain't staying here that long! I'm tickling us free!" Mack extracted his Shock Bowl and had it roll loops along the stomach's sides.

"That ain't somethin' you hear every day."

Electric currents coursed through the beast's flesh, and they could feel vibration as the stomach contracted. "WHOOOOAAA!" They went blowing up the front as the Snagret spewed them into a chasm. "UGH—GOO!" They splashed through a Bubble Dome and landed on a surface with an overhead light that looked like one from an anglerfish. "An air bubble?"

"We must be near the Trench Clan's city." Massimo said. "I heard the Anglerfishmen set these lights up, in case visitors traveled down here. But you'll have a hard time getting through without night-vision goggles."

"Any self-respecting scientist has their own." Mack revealed his own. "I just hope none of these lights are real…?" Massimo's skin turned a peach color with reddish-brown, curled hair done upward. His tail retracted along with his scales and his webbed hands and feet turned human. "W-What the…YOU WERE HUMAN?!"

"Eh? No no no, this is natural." He smiled assuredly. "I'm a Morphishman. From Italy's waters."

"Really? Wow…"

"I know, right? But really, thanks for getting me outta there. Now I can get back to my mission."

"Mission?"

"The Fishman Pirates are turning the Trenchmen to their side, but not all of them. Some sent messengers to the KND, asking us to come and take their kids to safety. Away from this crud. They can't do it themselves because they're afraid of standing against the pirates and the Trenchmen that wanna follow them. Plus their fear of light would be used against them."

"But the Trenchmen upstairs had light-blocking helmets."

"Yeah, the really bad ones."

"Okay, but I really should get back up to my teammates."

"No worries, we'll pick kids up on the climb. C'mon, Macaroni! Muoviamoci!" Massimo marched onward determinedly!

"Don't call me that after I just got eaten!" (Play "Now That We're Men" from SpongeBob Movie Game!)

Stage 3: Mariana Trench

Mission: Make your way out of the trench.

Mack and Massimo jumped ledges that escalated the trail slightly. Green monsters with large snail shells popped out of the ground and shot green rocks from attached blowers. "I call those things Snailiens! They're fast, so we can't get close."

"Don't need to!" Mack said as he threw his Shock Bowl to K.O. the first one. The second Snailien zipped and changed position, the boys jumping its rocks as Massimo threw his spear at it. However, Mack saw only the top half of the spear flew, attached via a spring-like cord to the bottom half in Massimo's hand. He could easily retract it. "At least you know how to fight smart."

"Yeah, it's not always easy to grab it back. I can do this, too!" The next ledge was across a chasm, highlighted by an angler light, but Massimo could throw his spear, stick a rock, and grab Mack before pulling over.

"At least you won't need to rely on my G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H.. But where do we go from here?"

"Up there, it looks like." Massimo looked up a cliff with several grapple points next to holes with water bubbles.

"Uh, what're those holes?"

"Probably python holes. They only stick their heads outta water for a second, so if we move fast, we can dodge them."

"Y-You sure that's safe?"

"It will be if you think fast!" Massimo grabbed Mack's arm. "Here we go!" He shot his spear at the first point.

"AAAH!" Mack quickly grappled to the next, both boys alternating on their way up the cliff and dodging the pythons that lunged out. However, they were given no time to rest at the top of the cliff: three Trenchmen ambushed them. Mack dodged their spears and flashed his headlight to scare them back, his Shock Bowl giving the left one a bright shock. He thrusted his Mech Gloves at the other two, one Fishman trying to hold it down, but was thwacked by Massimo's spear. Mack flipped the other fist over to bash him unconscious and Massimo flipped to K.O. the first Fishman, who was barely recovering. They then focused on beating the last one-

"HAHKT!" The Trenchman gestured the boys to halt. "(You're Kids Next Door, aren't you?)" he asked in a growly voice.

"(Yeah, we are.)" Massimo answered.

"(Take my twins outta here. Don't let the pirates corrupt them, too. HURAGYAK!)" Wincing from his holler, the boys saw two Trenchlings run out of a nearby cave. Despite their vicious faces, they looked kind of cute, Mack thought. "(Hurry, before more come. I'll try to trick them.)" With that, the father fainted and played dead.

"Alright, come along, kids." Massimo said, walking the trail up the next cliffside. Mack spared a glance with the twins and led them along.

"So, are you the only op they sent on this job?"

"There were supposed to be others, but the pirates ambushed them before they could get far in. We don't know where they have them imprisoned."

"What made you think you could do this by yourself then?!"

"'Cause I read about the trench's monsters, for one thing, and I stabbed a few in my time. Like that one!" He shot his spear over Mack's head.

"AAAH!" Mack panicked at the blue, four-legged spider-like beast, which cried and crawled back from the conch in its eye.

"Man, you scream a lot." Massimo shook in disbelief, wiping the monster's gunk off his spear. "Hmmm…" They reached a water zone that spanned over a chasm. The cliff pathway made a very wide curve on their left. "Hey…" There were several long, but spread-apart footholds within the water zone. "There's an idea!" Massimo grabbed the bike wheels on his back, pushing buttons that would connect them with a full bike. "If you guys can fit on my bike, I can pedal us across here in a jiffy! The monsters'll never get us!"

"M-Monsters?!" Mack looked into the chasm. There were several pairs of eyes and moving forces. "Can't we just follow the trail?"

"Don't you wanna get outta here as fast as possible?"

"I wanna get out as ALIVE as possible!"

"Well, if you're metalbending's as good as my pedaling, we'll get out just fine."

"I don't know about this…"

"Alright, I know what the problem is." Massimo turned to him with an eye roll. "You got a Bruno in your head."

"A what?"

"Bruno. It's a voice in your head that holds you back and saps your courage. It runs in my family sometimes, so I know. All you gotta do is say, 'Silenzio, Bruno!'"

"You're not making any sense!"

"Hey, who's the expedition expert here?"

"W-We can't all fit on that thing! Er, I guess they could stay in my Infi-Cube, but-"

"Then do it!" Massimo sat on the bike. "Now, you got my back or don't you?"

"I, uh…ugh! Kids, get in this." Mack held his cube out to them. "The air is tight in here, so stay still until we let you out." The Trenchlings nodded and jumped in. "Sigh…" He sat behind Massimo and put his legs around his stomach.

"Now say it, Mack! Silenzio, Bruno!"

"S-Silenzio, Bruno!"

"LOUDER! You gotta mean it before we do this!"

"SILENZIO, BRUNO!"

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Massimo kicked them off into the water zone. He pedaled the bike rapidly as its back motor boosted them. They could jump and ride along the footholds for extra speed and make the long jumps thanks to the water's floatation. All the while, sea beasts that looked like a giant centipede, a zebra-striped eel, and a cobra with a mosquito nose emerged trying to eat them, but Mack quickly threw his Shock Bowl and called back the pieces. He also saw a dark-purple jellyfish, so he quickly netted it. Massimo bounced the bike up some small, bumpy pillars before they went tumbling out of the water zone and onto safe land. "Ha ha ha! Man, nothin' gets the blood pumping like that!"

"That was… WAY too intense!" Mack panted, freeing the Trenchlings from the cube.

"Haha, it only gets better from here! Up and at 'em, affrettarsi!" Massimo retracted his bike and proceeded with a spring in his step. Going up a flight of wide stairs, one-eyed Fogger monsters bobbed down the path, spewing clouds of gas. The boys KO'ed them with basic melee skills, but even the Trenchlings helped out by gnashing them up. From the top of the stairs, parallel walls would close in and out above a chasm. The kids Wall Jumped them while they were close. They landed in a camp of four Trenchmen, leading to another beatdown in the dark. One Trenchman seemed to keep a safer distance from his comrades, so the kids only prioritized beating the other three.

"(Since you have those kids with you, you must be KND. Can you take my four with you?)"

"(Four, huh? Sure, the more the merrier!)" Massimo responded.

The Trenchman called his kids out of. They were stunned by the arrival of a rotund Fishboy larger than his father, carrying three smaller siblings on his head. "Whoa! I mean, the bigger the better, right? He can help beat some of the small fry!"

"True…" Mack replied meekly. "Not sure he can fit in the cube though."

"Well, I hope he's good at jumping, 'cause I see our next route!" Massimo pointed to monster tentacles that would rise from a nearby abyss.

"You're not serious." Mack said.

"What did I tell you, friend? Silenzio, Bruno!" Massimo jumped on the nearest tentacle as it rose from the pit. It would swing forward every second and rotate, so Massimo released when it would swing toward another tentacle.

"Maaaan…" Mack moaned in dismay.

"(I do this all the time!)" the big Trenchman said as he jumped on the tentacle. "Yeeeeaaaaaaaa!" Sighing, Mack had the other kids get in the cube before undergoing the masochistic ordeal. By some luck, he was able to jump each tentacle all the way- "Hey! Mack! A little help here!" -to the tentacle that was holding and swinging Massimo around.

"Dang it, dude!" Mack grappled himself to a post on the nearby ledge, where the large Trenchman was already swung to. Mack threw his Shock Bowl and electrified the tentacle, with Massimo feeling part of the shock. The beast released him as Mack grappled Massimo up. "Seriously, how'd you even survive this long without a team?" Mack asked as they proceeded up a street with dotted white lines. "How would you have escaped that Snagret if I wasn't around?"

"It would've let its excrements out eventually. It's not how I would like to get out… and luckily, I didn't need to! You might not get it, but most people I've met just slow me down."

"No, I get it. I'm the smartest kid in the KND. So, believe me when I say having friends on your side can save your li-"

"Shh!" Massimo stopped them. "Don't move. (You kids, too, stay still.)"

"W-Why?"

"See that stoplight?" He pointed at an ordinary hanging traffic light. "It's red."

"So, what? Do any cars even-"

"Don't! It's a Stopclops. It's laying in camouflage with the road. If we don't obey the lights, it'll get us."

"Uh…" Mack questioned the credibility of such a monster existing, but was too afraid to take the risk.

"…Alright, green, GO!" The kids bolted. Massimo looked back, "Okay, yellow, go slower!" They stumbled into a slower speed. "Stop again."

"Aiiieeee!" A large lizard-like monster with bioluminescent bones fell onto the road behind them. As it crawled about confusedly, an eye opened on the road. The Stopclops, its body the same texture as the road, awoke and grabbed the lizard to make a meal.

"Alright, time to split!" The kids ran and ducked for cover in a safe gap in the wall.

"Phew. Thanks for warning us."

"I may be reckless, but I'm smart when I need to be."

The gap led to an uphill trail over an abyss along a cliffside. "Duck!" Mack ushered them against the wall. He could see a Trenchman patrolling down the path. "There's probably more of 'em up ahead. If he senses us, he might alert them. This might be a good time to try out a new gadget." Massimo raised a brow as Mack extracted a small glass ball with metal plates from his Mackpack. Electric currents coursed within it. "It can't explode like my Shock Bowl, but I can control this Shockpin remotely and hit enemies with lighter zaps. He won't know what it is 'til it's too late." He grabbed a remote and directed the smaller ball up the trail, having to maneuver it around gaps or tall bumps.

"That's a nice bag of tricks you got, Mack."

"And how." They could see the Trenchman confused as he heard the ball rolling. When he reached down to touch it, Mack tapped the zap button repeatedly. The kids hurried up the path to K.O. him properly. They reached the end of the road, overlooking a larger town of Trenchmen. "Good golly…"

"See those flags they're waving?" Massimo pointed at the flags depicting a beheaded human drawing. "That's the Fishman Pirates' symbol."

"So, have these guys always had it out for humans or is that what the pirates got 'em to believe?"

"Beats me. All I know is some of them don't want their kids sucked into it."

"What's all this seaweed netting going over part of the town?"

"They have that up to protect from falling debris."

"Hmm…I have an idea how we can save more kids. If we stay low and crawl over that netting, you think they might not sense us?"

"I mean, we're not exactly in water. They can still hear and feel movement in the ground, but the net should be safe. Now look who's bein' reckless." Massimo smirked.

"More like strategic. But you might need to come with me, 'case I need a translator." With that, both boys crawled their way toward the edge of the net and carefully crawled across. The net was a good several meters above the surface of town, so the Fishmen didn't seem to notice their gentle movement.

"(Ya know, them pirates 'ave a point, Corkscrew. Why do we need a stupid Bubble Dome when humans never come down here?)"

"(Some humans do. Remember those human pirates a few years back, what came hunting for monsters?)"

"(Those vermin? Bah. We need to just tear the dome down and bask in the fresh, salty water we were meant to!)"

"(It's keepin' the beasts out, too, you know. You wouldn't want beasts always chewin' through your kids' school.)"

"(If the king hadn't let us all go soft, we needn't worry about those beasts.)"

"(Aye, but…)"

The only major hazard in Macksimo's job were the falling rocks, so the Fishboy kept his chin up to warn Mack of danger. The rocks would bounce and wave the seaweed net like a trampoline, but it remained steady to support them. Mack skimmed the town below in search of kids. He found one in a back road and waited for some guards to walk by. He then shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to latch and pull him up. "(Ciao, ragazzo! You feel like getting away from this pirate business?)" Massimo asked.

"Ah-hah?" The kid nodded.

"(Cool! Just climb the net over in that direction.)" Massimo tapped a foot on the net. "(You'll meet with other kids.)" He nodded and climbed the underside of the net.

They crawled toward a small open area where three kids were kicking around a monster's skull. "(If I join the pirates, I'm gonna kill 200 humans!)"

"(I'm gonna kill 201! And then eat their eyeballs!)"

"(Haha! How many humans you gonna kill, Slackjaw?)"

"Errr…" The third kid was hesitant to answer. "(Mom says killing is wrong.)"

"(What?! Oh, you wanna keep them as slaves, huh?)"

"(Then I want 201 human slaves!)"

Slackjaw sent the skull flying over some roofs with a good kick. "(Hey, you kicked it too hard! I'll go get it.)"

"(I'll get it first!)" Both Trenchlings raced off.

Mack took that as his chance to grapple Slackjaw up to them. "(Ciao, we're KND operatives. Wanna get away from this place?)" Slackjaw nodded. "(Then crawl that way.)" He did so.

"What about those others?"

"I think we should leave them. They didn't sound like they were up for it."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Whoa, Mack, watch out!" Massimo climbed over the human, stood with his legs arched, and grabbed a falling rock. The weight pushed him down a bit, but he was able to haul it to the side.

"Gulp! Well, thanks for saving my spine…"

"No prob!" Massimo sat himself to where his legs spread to Mack's sides. "You humans are pretty squishy."

"Okay," Mack cringed, "but if you're gonna put your feet by my face, at least wear socks." He crawled forward on that note.

"Yeah, and what's your excuse?" Massimo remarked, poking Mack's sole.

"I was only gonna swim for a minute before… never mind, let's just find one more and be done with this."

They found a small, ovular racetrack around some jagged rocks. Seven Trenchlings were running laps around it. "(Faster, faster! Humans are fast 'cause they always run! But we're FASTER!)" yelled one of the lead racers.

"YAH!" cheered most of the others.

"(I don't wanna chase humans…)" moaned the girl in the far back.

"Catch that one." Massimo pointed. Mack waited for that girl to make the curve around before hooking her. "(Hey ragazza! We're KND! We can take you someplace safe until this pirate stuff is over.)" She nodded happily! "Cool. Let's get outta here before they catch on."

They returned to the side pathway and followed an uphill route. Mack put his helmet on as they exited the Bubble Dome. "Wanna go for another ride?" Massimo asked, setting up his bike. Complying, Mack had the Trenchlings get in the cube, while the large one would have to swim on his own to catch up. As they biked up the trail, giant green eyeballs would emerge from the sides and threaten to Flash Stun them, so Mack quickly threw his Shock Bowl to blind them first. Massimo steered them into bubble updrafts to ascend tall ledges and finally get them into an entrenched path, safe from the eye monster's gaze.

"Hey, I think my comm's getting reception back." Mack said. "It's been staticky ever since I got down here. Hey, Erin, Nora! Do you read me?"

"M-ack?" Erin's voice buzzed. "I—that—ou?"

"Yeah, it's me! I'm on my way back up to the top. How's the situation?"

"It—ood. Mo—o-the—nemies—one."

"Most of the enemies are… gone? That's good. Just give me a few minutes, I'll try to call again later. Sigh…since we're in water, what're the odds we can swim straight up without monsters chasing us?"

"Well, it depends. Are you kids good at fighting sea monsters?"

"(Sometimes, we let 'em chase us for practice!)"

"(I ripped a python's uvula out once!)" the big Trenchling declared.

"Sigh…alright, let's make a straight swim for the top." Mack said. "If any monsters come, you guys can split up and try to confuse them while we go for weak points."

"I'm up for it if you are!" Massimo punched his shoulder. "Let's-a go!"

"You aren't going anywhere." (End song.)

He had parked under an angler lamp to ensure they would see him. His sunshades did little to hinder his sight, seated firmly on his motorcycle. "Hey, Signore Motorcycle." Massimo greeted. "I think you took a wrong turn. The Gulf Desert is… up there."

"Name's Dennis." His voice spoke stern through his neckerchief. "And you, human… are a friend of the Sea Princess."

"S…Sea Princess?" Massimo looked to Mack in slight awe.

"And you're a pirate, right?" Mack returned affirmably.

"Just a mercenary. I don't really care what the pirates are doing. I just do whatever they're paying for. So, let's make this simple." Dennis flipped open a belt satchel. "You can either stay still and let me knock you unconscious… or I could dice you up like a cat scratcher," he withdrew shurikens, "before I knock you unconscious. The princess is the sort that would trade her life for a friend's, right?"

"I think there's a mistake, pal. We aren't with any princesses."

"You can't fool me. Whether she's a princess or not, Captain Hody wants this girl." Dennis pulled out a crude drawing of Erin, with rhombus glasses, a rectangular nose, and buckteeth that enveloped the whole lower half of her face.

"Uhhh…I'm literally not acquainted with anyone who looks like that."

"This is your last warning! Surrender or suffer."

"Alright, alright!" Mack put his hands up defensively. "Just give me a second to-" He bent out his torpedo gun and fired multiple shots, Dennis swerving his motorbike evasively. The kids ducked down when he threw shurikens, then Mack threw his Shock Bowl. Dennis anticipated the act and tossed one last shuriken to explode it preemptively. He lunged himself over and firmly kicked Mack in the helmet, knocking him against the cliff and shattering it.

"(Pick on someone your own size, surface dweller!)" The large Trenchling picked up and squeezed Dennis, but the cowboy stomped him off with a gut kick. Dennis grabbed his motorbike and stretched its back wheel as he swung it against the other Trenchlings. He sensed Massimo incoming and swiftly dodged the thrusts of his spears, swimming to sock the Morphish in the gut. It was then Mack's open Mech Gloves came spinning like a propeller, Dennis raising his right hand to block one, but the other glove flipped around and chopped the back of his head. He then shocked Dennis with a reformed Shock Bowl to his back, controlling these gadgets from his distance with bending and still holding his breath.

"(Kids, swim toward the surface!)" Massimo ordered. "(Watch out for monsters and look for Mack's friends!)"

"(You heard him, squirts, get moving!)" the giant ordered, leading the small Trenchlings skyward.

"Go ahead." Dennis sneered, approaching Massimo. "Once they bring the princess, I'll have you both ready to trade."

Mack suddenly latched Massimo over onto his bike with his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H.. He reacted quickly and sat down, Mack holding on as he began pedaling. Mack had already willed his gloves and ball pieces back over. Mack also grabbed a replacement helmet to refill his lungs. "Heh. I like it when they run." Dennis mounted his bike and zoomed after them. (Play "Name's Dennis" from SpongeBob Movie Game!)

Boss fight: Dennis

On its own, Massimo's bike could never outrun Dennis', but the propulsion of Mack's jetpack helped it just barely stay ahead. He took it off himself and attached it to the side of the bike, so he could face Dennis. The hunter threw shurikens that Mack would catch with his gauntlets and throw back. Dennis sensed his actions with Observation Haki and would grab the shurikens back. However, amidst one throw, the boys dodged an incoming rock in the road, but threw a shuriken at an angle where Dennis would try to catch it, but wind up crashing through the rock. His cycle faltered a bit, but Mack seized the chance by bending his gauntlets in a Propeller Chop! Dennis tumbled off his bike, allowing the boys to make distance ahead as they saw a convenient cave on their right. "Massimo, I have an idea!"

Dennis fixed his bike and managed to catch up, stopping when near the cave. "You kids don't hide your auras very well. Anyone could sense you… in that gap beside the cave."

"He's onto us, Mack."

"Not, yet." Mack had actually rolled his Shockpin into the cave. When he thought it was deep enough in, and when Dennis was creeping past the cave, he flashed the ball's electricity.

"!" Dennis had already sensed the giant python in there, but didn't expect it to lunge out so suddenly, its attention drawn by the pinball. The hunter wound up wrestling with the sea beast, grabbing his necklace knife to stab its frail neck, while the boys made off on their bike.

"Uh-oh." They reached the end of the road, viewing a flight of jagged rocks up a chasm. "I'm pretty sure some of these are Squid Rocks. See how some of them have a shade of pink?"

"We can use them to our advantage." Mack smirked. They grappled along the tips of the normal peaks fast enough to evade the Squid Rocks' tentacles. Afterwards, Mack threw and bounced his gauntlets around the squids, stirring them awake in anger. When Dennis finally caught up, the squids emerged and blocked his way. "Alright, that should hold him for-"

"HRUH!" Dennis stamped both boots into a squid and toppled it down. When they saw him jump out, they noted the large, steel spikes jutting out of his soles. "EYUH!" He stamped and kicked off another. Massimo hurriedly reconnected his bike and pedaled them up an uphill trail, Dennis chasing on his motorcycle. He smoothly jumped and dodged Mack's spinning gauntlets and withdrew a large shuriken. They would jump when he threw it, but had to jump more times as it swerved around the sides and from the front before returning to Dennis. He threw an array of normal shurikens to stick in the road ahead of them, slightly slowing their bike as Massimo maneuvered around them, then would have to jump the Boomerang Shuriken again.

Mack grabbed Massimo's spear and jabbed it to grab the shuriken by the middle hole. He threw it at the wheels of Dennis' cycle, the hunter dodging it along with Mack's gauntlets. Dennis jumped when Mack threw his Shock Bowl, shooting the front wheel out to ram Massimo's and send them tumbling. However, Dennis' shuriken stabbed into his back wheel, causing him to crash. "Mack, go slow!" Massimo retracted his bike and led his friend in a slow run.

"Why?! …Oh, wait a minute." Mack noticed the road was paved black with dotted lines. There was also a stoplight, now on yellow.

"What's wrong, kids? Out of steam?" Dennis smirked, following them calmly. "Huh?" He sensed a presence beneath his boots. Noticing the stoplight turn red, he stopped, as did the boys. "I see. Well, I guess we'll take a break before I catch you."

"You won't get the chance." Mack wriggled his fingers and bent out his Shock Pinball. He rolled it to Dennis with just his bending, the hunter glaring at the small gadget. Dennis was forced to tank its shocks, but still remained firmly in place. As soon as the light turned green, Mack threw his gauntlets to grab and bind Dennis' legs in place, then Massimo ran to shoot and wrap his spear spring around him. Leaving the hunter with little motion, the Stopclops raised its hand out and grabbed Dennis, the boys calling their equipment back just in time. They ran as the Stopclops emerged, but could hear Dennis pushing free and bashing the monster senseless.

The boys swam their way up a vertical passage, dodging around steam geysers with Dennis hot on their tail. The pain was no hindrance to the hunter, swimming through the burning steam to grab Mack's ankle. He grabbed Massimo's spear with his other hand and slammed Mack back-first against the wall, breaking his jetpack. Massimo bit him in the arm, but Dennis kicked him into the wall. Mack socked him in the gut with both Mech Gloves, clutching and trying to hold him in place. He used his foot to bend out the Shock Bowl and burst Dennis with electricity. Dennis remained firm and shook free of the gloves, lunging to grab both boys and slam them repeatedly against the wall. Mack

"You kids put up a good fight, I like that. But I've taken a few shocks in my time. Now, it's time for your-"

"Boss Baby?" Mack said.

"What?!"

"Yeah, it is! You're the voice of Boss Baby!"

"Whoa, dude, I can hear it now!" Massimo gasped. "You're just Boss Baby! Hahahaha!"

"SILENCE!" Dennis slammed them. "I said, it's time for your," the earth rumbled, "…nap?"

The wall they were being shoved against was crumbling. Mack panicked as the tip of a giant beak emerged. Dennis gasped and swam away as the Submerging Snagret unearthed its entire head. It opened its beak wide and lunged, Dennis swimming downward. "Annoying seabird. OOG!"

Mack grabbed his gauntlets with bending, swung them down and back up to punch Dennis back up to the Snagret's beak. He let go of Mack, but kept hold of Massimo as the Snagret snapped them between the tip of its beak. "OOOOOWW!" Massimo was painfully pressed to the upper beak via Dennis' arms, using his boots to push the lower beak open.

"Well, at least I got one brat to trade for! Better run and get your princess, boy, this stupid bird ain't gonna hold me!"

"I ain't running from you!" Mack pounded his gauntlets against Dennis determinedly.

"If I go down, he goes with me!"

"I don't THINK SO!" Mack bent the pieces of his broken Shock Bowl to spin and slice Dennis' arms like shurikens. The hunter struggled to maintain his grip against the pain, especially as Massimo whipped his tail over his face. Mack spun his gauntlets for one last Propeller Chop, not only pushing Dennis into the Snagret's gullet, but grabbing Massimo's tail with them to yank him away. The beak snapped shut on Dennis while Massimo was safe outside. They sighed in relief as the bird burrowed underground. (End song.)

"Hahaha! That was AWESOME!" Massimo cheered.

"Haha…I guess so…" Mack panted.

"Whoa, your helmet's cracked. You got any more spares?"

"I left the other spares on the ship for the girls. But this'll hold up for a bit."

"(AHA! THERE THEY ARE!)" a growly voice called. The boys about-faced, seeing the Trenchlings returning with Erin and Nora.

"Mack, you're okay! I'm so glad!"

"Heheh! Hey, Erin!"

"There's your friends, huh?" Massimo smiled. "But… that guy said you were traveling with the princess, didn't he? Is it that pigtailed girl?!"

"No, dummy. It's the girl with glasses."

"Really?"

"Hurry, let's get back to the ship!" Erin ushered. "Jinbe's just finishing up!"

Black Manta's helmet and the armor of his left arm was broken, exposing his panting, black and white manta face. "Funny… my sources said you were a human." Jinbe said.

"I ate the Fish-Fish Fruit, Manta Model. Helps me fit in."

"Is that the condition the pirates set for you?"

"They promised revenge against you Sea Knights, and that's fine by me. I'll let you go this time, Jinbe, but this ain't over." Black Manta turned and took his leave.

"Sigh…" Jinbe heard a crowd of swimmers behind him and saw the kids returning. "Mack! Thank goodness… I hope you can forgive my foolishness."

"I'll keep you on hold for that, big guy. On the bright side, I picked up some new friends."

"Ciao! Name's Massimo Scorfano! Ooooo, wait a sec, you're Jinbe?! Dude, you never said you were friends with the top Sea Knight!"

"Kind of slipped my mind after nearly getting killed more than twice today."

"Come on, tell me you didn't have fun." Massimo put his left arm around Mack and twisted his right knuckles over his head.

"I can't say that I did, but… if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have got out of there on my own. So, thanks."

"Ah, don't mention it! It… actually got me thinking though. Maybe having a team wouldn't be so bad. I mean, you sure kept up with me better than anyone else. You think I could, I dunno… tag along with you guys for a bit?"

"I don't see why not." Erin smiled.

"What do you think, Mack?" Nora asked.

"Yeah… I think he'd fit in great!"

"Nice!" Massimo grinned. "But first, I should try to call H.Q.. It's one of the only safe places against the pirates we have."

"(Thanks for helping us.)" the girl Trenchling said. "(My parents kept yelling how the pirates were trying to… 'wash our brains' or something. I was so scared.)"

"(Thanks for gettin' me and my little bros OUTTA THERE!)" The big one flexed his muscles. "(To show you my gratitude, I beseech to you this tasty golden octopus I swallowed two days ago! UUUUAAAAAACK…)" He began trying to throw up.

"Um, that's really not-" Massimo replied.

"COUGH! COUGH! KUUUOOOO-" He spewed out an octopus figurine.

"A Talisman!" Jinbe exclaimed. "I don't believe it! You had it!"

"I knew there was something special about you, big guy!" Massimo poked his belly.

"Heh, I guess so!" Mack grinned. "…Hey, where's Zoidberg?"

"Uh-oh!" Erin gasped. "He swam down the trench to look for you!"

"Are you kidding?!"

"Sigh…I shall retrieve him." Jinbe swam down.

…

"So, I said '40 shells for one fishcake? Do I look like a bank to you?'" Zoidberg was laying belly up on a giant plate while a giant lobster beast poured salt on him. "'I didn't see you charge that much for those kids!' Wow, these bath salts smell great!" The lobster picked him up to place in a cooking pot. "You're such a nice person, no one's ever given me a free spa treatment. Can you turn the heat up? Sleeping on the floor really hurts a guy's neck."

 Snapper Head 

Sector L caught up on some well-deserved sleep. The stressful awakening made the beds even more welcoming… even Mack, who had to share his with Massimo. The Fishboy slept inverted from him.

"C'mere, little Macky~" The diminutive boy quivered in the grass under his mother's looming, wriggling fingers. "Don't be shy~ Mommy's got ice cream for yooooouuu. A whole mountain of it."

Mack knew this game. He would be forced to clamber his way up an ice cream mountain and avoid her giant spoon. He turned and ran, not wanting to end up in his mother's inescapable grasp. But where could he run? He was small and defenseless. His only hope of getting out of here was…

The surface beneath him was warm. Without realizing, he had run onto a giant hand. "Hey, amico." He looked up, awestruck by Massimo's enormous face. "What're you doing down there? Someone could squish ya. Here." He lifted Mack and dropped him in his dense forest of fluffy hair. "Stay up there for a bit."

Mack didn't know where Massimo came from, or why he was treating this so casually… but his hand was welcoming. His voice was friendly. His hair was warm. Mack was still small and powerless… but he felt nicer. It was much safer up here than in the grass… He'd never felt warmer in this state. Mack curled up in the curly red hair… and slept.

Curling up in the warm blanket, Mack lightly kicked Massimo's hip. Massimo lightly kicked the back of Mack's head.