I Want To Lay the Very Best!

264 – An Actual Nightmare

"Okay, Calcine up high and Morgan down low."

By the side of the pool, Sparky flailed about with her new arms, trying to double high-five both her teammates. She was getting Calcine every time, but Morgan was swooping her arms out of the way with little teasing cries of 'Ooooh, so close' and the like. Eventually, Sparky gave a crackling huff and put all four hands on her hip to glare at the bird.

"This should be easy, especially with Agility! Morgan! Stop moving about so much."

"You're just too slow," Morgan grinned. "You want some slaps. You got to put in the sweat."

Brandy shook her head and relaxed into the pile of shark ladies she'd accumulated. The group had piled them up for her and let her rest back on them like a throne, all happily snoring as she took a few pictures of her incredible team with her Pokédex. Soaked with water and high off a win, they looked like a bunch of real heartbreakers. Blahaj wouldn't know what hit her.

Though while she had the Pokédex out, she might as well test her new settings. She'd not really taken her new setup for a spin yet, and Sparky was the perfect first victim.

Shaking her head at the awful puns, Brandy was happy that Sparky's Moves hadn't changed too much. Thunder Wave had become the more targetable and stronger Electroball, which was great. Brandy would get to teach Sparky some volleyball moves to let her spike that thing into battle. A four-armed overhead smash could drop it on someone like a meteor. She was going to be a terror if they ignored her.

Infestation getting replaced with Bug Buzz was a mixed bag. It was an excellent move, but Scoria frequently picked it up when Fenny wasn't around. The screams it'd caused from family friends had haunted Brandy's sleep almost as badly as Struggle Bug when Fenny was there. She didn't really know how much use it'd be in a battle, but if she could get over the trauma of her sleepless nights, she knew it would be a really effective move once Sparky had them all tied up. Combined with Bug Bite, anyone at her mercy would quickly become a sopping mess.

Brandy bit her bottom lip and clutched her Pokédex to her chest. Maybe she should try for the honors of going first. The after-party with Maple, Saffira, Branwen, and a mysterious fourth would be wild. Still, a vibrating bug could surely only make it even better. She could pass Sparky around if she started to get tired and really get her to put those new limbs to good use.

The slap of eight hands colliding snapped Brandy out of her daydream.

"Yes! Finally!" Sparky cheered. "I am the high-five queen!"

"Nice work," Calcine said with a smile. "I can't wait to see what else you can do with four hands."

"Haaaaa-" Sparky wheezed, Morgan sarcastically patting her back. "Yeah, can't wait for that."

"Much as I want to hear if Coalossal cock needs four hands," Morgan said and looked meaningfully over the pool to Brandy. "We do have an issue."

"We do?" Brandy said, "I'm not feeling worried."

"Fun as it was to roll over Ziggy and her sisters like a Rhyhorn who'd just drunk a full bottle of sherry, Ziggy was meant to show us how to leave this room and, well-"

Morgan gestured to the snoring Sharpedo Brandy was using as a sofa. Her tail swished around slowly as she dreamed the dreams of the thoroughly exhausted.

"Oh," Brandy said, "Oops?"

"We can wait until she wakes up," Sparky said. "She's earned the rest, and it gives you all time to admire how cool I am."

"Ah," Morgan said, turning her head back to Sparky with a smile. "You want us to compliment you, do you?"

"Wait, no-"

"Calcine, you go first," Morgan said, cutting off Sparky's protests by speaking faster and more confidently. "You spend some time telling her how much you really love her. Then Brandy can explain how proud she is of her not-so-little bug, and I'll wrap it up by singing a whole ballad of the bug who bit the Shark."

"Oh," Calcine said, a sly look crossing her face as she leaned over and wrapped a big arm around Sparky. “I always knew you'd become something great. Your enthusiasm is relentless, and you pour it into making sure we smile."

"Oh no, no, no." Sparky groaned and slammed her hands together. Yellow lightning crackled between her fingers, forming a fizzling yellow ball that roared angrily under pressure. "Brandy, catch!"

Sparky pitched the ball at Brandy, and Brandy did the only sensible thing in reaction. She dived into the pool to get out of the splash zone.

The roaring explosion when the Electroball landed caused a lot of gnashing and flailing from the Shark Women, who were suddenly broken from their sleep by skin so sensitive that even breathing was shockingly intense.

"It's down the blue slide," Ziggy groaned. "Just go! We can't handle you! It's too much, it's too much!"

"Sure, you don't want us to kiss it better before we go?" Morgan said, "Brandy's got soft lips."

"... okay," Ziggy said in a small voice, scooping up Zag and Zoom in her arms. "But be gentle."

They absolutely smothered them in kisses. It was so much fun hearing their tails slap back and forth against the wet pool tile the more furious and hungry the kisses got. Shark Ladies weren't what Brandy had expected, but she adored what she'd got to sink her teeth into anyway.

---

The blue slide was high up, and they'd opted for the lazy option of Morgan ferrying them all up instead of climbing the massive ladder. Brandy was last up, and being carried in those strong, warm wings was nice. Brandy couldn't stop herself from rubbing her cheek against the bird and smiling with delight as Morgan went on tiptoes and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"Ready?" Morgan asked.

"For anything."

Then she pushed Brandy, the evil witch, through the slide entrance backward. It was a fast slide too! Brandy tumbled around it, sliding off walls with manic laughter as she tried to right herself. She got a mouthful of the crystal clear water halfway down and ended up sliding out of the end a spluttering mess at Calcine and Sparky's feet.

"Uh, is she alright?" Sparky asked.

"Fine!" Brandy gasped, wiping the water from her face and smiling brightly at her two teammates. "I'll get Morgan back for it. That's twice she's dropped me now."

"That's our butter-feathers," Calcine nodded and held out her hand for a high five from Sparky for the pun. It was given with an enthusiastic slap. "Heads up, this place is a little weird."

Brandy took a breath and looked up into inky blackness. The room they'd landed in was pitch black, all apart from a single flickering lantern suspended on a stick off the front of their platform. The place was so big she couldn't see the walls or ceiling; it was so dark, and all there was out there were gently rolling black waves. They were on a slatted wooden raft, tied off to the blue slide by a thin rope. The raft rocked gently when Morgan emerged in a flurry of wet feathers from the slide and was only stopped from going over the edge by Calcine's well-placed foot.

"Great catch from the muscle. So what did I miss?" Morgan asked.

"Punishment," Brandy replied and began tickling her, making her squawk and curl up into a defensive ball the more furiously Brandy went at her. "But this is a little creepy. Do we have to find Blahaj? Is that the challenge?"

As if by answer, a voice sang out from the darkness. A beautifully held high-toned note that was like honey on the ears. It came from all around them, giving them no obvious direction to follow it.

"We got to find her!" Morgan said in a rushed breath, probably to stop Brandy from tickling her. "Undo the rope, cast off, and work out how."

"That seems a bit easy," Calcine said as she grabbed the mooring rope and broke it in two with a sharp pull. The raft didn't move much, even when freed, drifting just a tiny bit away from the slide entrance. They were going to have to row.

Singing out from the darkness, the mysterious voice settled into a more sing-song tone, like she was telling a fairytale.

"Once upon a time, a young woman named Ginny lived in the idyllic coastal village of Briny Bay."

Brandy's blood ran cold.

"Ginny was known for her love of the ocean, spending every waking moment by the shore, collecting seashells and singing songs to the waves. Little did she know, her life would take a fin-tastic turn."

"Love a pun," Sparky said, "But what the heck is this?"

"One moonlit night, as Ginny sat on the beach, the waves whispered a secret. She followed their call and dove into the cool, sparkling water. As she swam deeper, she felt an otherworldly presence. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the depths—a beautiful shark woman with shimmering scales and eyes that glowed like the moon on the sea. Her name was Sharkina."

"Okay, Sparky, make us a sail? I can use some wind to push us." Morgan said, "I don't know what this challenge is, but it sounds like bad fanfiction."

Brandy gulped and nodded. "Haha, yeah. Really awful."

"'Ginny,' Sharkina spoke, her voice like a gentle current, 'I have watched you from afar, admiring your courage and kindness. I am Sharkina, the legend of these waters. And I must confess, my heart beats for you.'"

Calcine stared at Brandy as Sparky and Morgan set up their makeshift sail. Brandy could tell from the glow in her eyes she'd already worked it out. She knew, she knew!

"You okay, Ginny?" Calcine said.

"Brandy." Brandy corrected. "Haha."

"My mistake," Calcine smirked. "The story confused me. Do you think it means anything?"

"Ginny, taken aback but captivated, replied, 'Sharkina, I've always felt a connection to the sea, and now I understand why. Your beauty and strength are unmatched. I... I think I've fallen for you too.'"

Brandy cringed so hard she felt like she could have turned inside out.

How the FUCK had Blahaj found her old fanfiction? And why was she READING IT OUT LOUD!?!

"From that moment on, Ginny and Sharkina spent every night together, exploring the ocean's wonders. They danced with Staryu, played hide-and-seek with schools of Wishiwashi, and even had moonlit picnics on coral reefs."

This couldn't get worse. This was hell. Brandy was in hell.

"One perfect night, they fell into each other's arms, and Sharkina grinned a big, toothy grin. 'You're the greatest Ginny,' Sharkina said. 'The best a Shark Lady could ask for. So I've something to show you. Something a woman like you will love.'"

OH NO. IT GOT WORSE.

THIS ONE HAD A SEX SCENE.