#x!papyrus

As the newly appointed chief biologist at a prestigious marine life research facility, there were high expectations for Dr. XGaster, none greater than the monster's own on itself.

Having assumed the position of his mentor, the biologist wanted not only to prove himself worthy of his mission, but to surpass it. But reality was a little different from expectations and he had no idea what he had to do to achieve them.

Oh of course, he was absolutely convinced that he would be able to fulfill to the letter everything that his new position demanded... No, it was his own ambition that was the problem, more precisely in how to achieve it.

XGaster wanted to be recognized and not only by his peers, but by the world!

He wanted to be the best and he knew he had the ability and talent for it, but the problem was how to show it. All the ideas that emerged seemed to him already explored, without creativity or an easy path.

He had several projects, both in his work and personal, that could yield him good results, including the possibility of discovering something new or unraveling a dark detail that his fellow researchers left unanswered, but that was not what he wanted.

He wanted something unique, something grand! Something that would not only get the attention of his peers, but of the world. Something new and unique to him and not something already done, whose results could be the same as those found by his colleagues or so that his discoveries were just another piece of data to be repeated in lectures to a select group of science.

It was by chance that the answer to his problems came to him, or more precisely that he came to the answer.

He'd borrowed Gerson's little dinghy (of course he had speedboats full of fancy equipment ready at his disposal, but he'd have to sign documents, give explanations, check the equipment, sign more documents... an endless hassle to just walk around the bay) that afternoon with the intention of collecting some shellfish samples from the cove.

(And if some ended up on his plate, what's the problem? He was just testing their nutritional level!)

Honestly he didn't know what went wrong. One minute he was hauling in the net and the next the sea was hauling him.

Somehow the net got caught in his hands and summoning more only ended up wrapping him more in it. He began to sink as he struggled to free himself, increasingly desperate as he watched the shape of the boat's hull shrink and its surroundings darken.

He cursed himself for his carelessness, for not warning anyone he would be there.

As he sank, he couldn't believe that his end would be that. That he would die at the bottom of the bay, out of an idiotic desire for shellfish and petty not to go to the market to buy them. Alone, without any great deeds and completely unknown to the world.

He woke up a while later, still tangled up in the net, at the bottom of the stall.

As he blinked to adjust his lights to dim lighting, he was glad he hadn't informed anyone that he was going out to sea that afternoon. How pathetic it would be if anyone found out that the cold, serious biologist had fainted from panic at the thought that he was going to drown when he was a skeleton and therefore had no lungs for it.

He realized how cold the water was as his cheeks burned with embarrassment.

A move to his left made him alert and completely forget about his embarrassing feelings and reminding him that he was still at the bottom of the sea, trapped by a stupid fishing net.

He looked at the marine flora that surrounded him carefully, trying to catch any movement that wasn't caused by the sea currents themselves.

There were no big predators in the bay, so it was probably just some fish or a crustacean among the seaweed (he told himself, trying to control the fear instinct. He'd made a fool of himself enough for his entire life).

A pair of white lights glared at him, half hidden by the aquatic plants.

It was only because he was actively telling himself not to freak out and not act like a teenager in a horror movie that he didn't scream. His entire body froze in shock and either from his total paralysis, or the creature's curiosity, the owner of the lights moved a little closer, revealing a small, round skull.

This time he couldn't contain the shock of surprise and a column of bubbles came out of his mouth. Immediately the skull disappeared. Mentally cursing himself, he started fighting the net again.

By the Angel! If that was what he thought it was, he couldn't lose sight of it! Such a discovery could be his long-awaited find in life!

He almost thanked, distracted as he was, when a small pair of hands joined his and pulled away an annoying section of the net. He paused, staring at a hand that was equal to his in constitution but on a much smaller scale. Slowly he shifted his vision and faced the owner of the tiny hand. Holding his breath (metaphorically, he hadn't been breathing in quite some time) he stared at the mermaid cub.

Its skull was almost like his, but its eye sockets were small, narrow, and devoid of any light (was he too young to manifest them, or did he not need them?). At first glance, despite their smallness, the bones looked strong and immaculate. His spine disappeared into a long, slender tail. A Alopias Vulpinus, or more popularly called thresher shark, according to that long and tapered caudal fin.

As he studied him (and was studied back) the little one smiled with tiny pointed fangs (was it a smile or a threat?)

A flutter in the seaweed beyond the baby (or is puppy a better term?) caught her attention. Another merskeleton was farther back, one hand resting on the end of the baby tail, as if ready to tug at it if XGaster showed any violent reaction.

The second's skull was larger and more rounded, with large eye sockets and simple white lights that studied him with caution and curiosity. His bones looked as robust as the first one, but the plants around him hid his tail.

(but he would bet his collection of marine fossils that it was also a fox shark)

Surprising!

Not only had he found one, but two merskeletons!

Stars! If his colleagues saw him now they would death be jealous of him!

Merskeleton were a species shrouded in mystery. Despite having known these beings for thousands of years, there was very little information (that were not wrapped in legends and fantasies) about them.

They were shady beings who actively avoided surface beings and very, very difficult to find much less studied.

Despite all the technology, until today there were only small glimpses of these creatures. Legends and tales of fishermen, blurred photos and videos from a distance. Sometimes just the image of a colored fin or a face that quickly sank, disappearing into the depths of the ocean without a trace.

(it was ridiculous, but the best images of these creatures were paintings, statues or ancient mosaics, many exaggerated by the creative mind of ancient peoples)

Finding a merskeleton was only possible by luck!

For that very reason, this was the chance of a lifetime! It was like a sign! He had to study a species with virtually no data in its own habitat!

XGaster could feel his bones vibrating with excitement at the realization.

Emboldened by its immobility and lack of reaction, the second puppy moved closer, letting go of the tail of the first one who was now patting his shirt, curious about the unfamiliar material.

After a minute of exploration, the clothes lost interest of the little one who looked at something amid the seaweed and turned to leave.

The biologist screamed and a new jet of bubbles appeared. The little cub turned in surprise and the second bared its teeth, sharp as the first (definitely a threat), backing away with a brisk flick of its tail. He grabbed the first cub, and tried to tow it away.

Without thinking about what he was doing XGaster used blue magic to keep them both still. Immediately the pups began to struggle. Still instinctively XGaster flipped them onto their backs and immediately the fight died.

(So tonic mobility also worked for “half” sharks. Fascinating!)

With his "heart" in his throat, XGaster quickly thought of what he could do. He couldn't let them go. It would be letting the chance of his life slip through his fingers. He would have to abandon the initial idea of studying them in their habitat and taking them to his laboratory.

Yes, that was the best course of action, he thought as he went back to working the net with new conjured hands.

After all, it would be a very big risk, not only could he lose them (they could be migratory!) but they could be killed (were merskeleton at the top of the food chain or would they be prey to other creatures?).

With one last tug he managed to free himself from the net and began to swim to the surface towing the pups with him.

As he watched the world around him clear, his mind filled with shadows.

If he took those babies out of the ocean he would be breaking many moral laws (and certainly some legal ones).

Merskeletons were not an protected species. There were no laws against capturing these beings (at least not that he knew of, or at least not in his country).

Maybe because they were simply so rare to find them, that no one stopped to worry about it, or maybe it was because they were considered magical beings (at least the legends let it be understood that they were. And taking into account their ability to stay hidden, the chances were high that they really were magicical, or at least possessed some kind of magic) and could fend for themselves.

(the truth was that many didn't even believe in their existence, so why create laws for creatures that couldn't even exist?)

For a moment he wondered if he would even do that. If he was really going to get them out of the sea.

There could be a family waiting for them (mermaids took care of their young? There were many sea creatures that raised their offspring, but others didn't. Sharks included), or they didn't adapt to captivity...there were so many species simply died when confined. ..

On the other hand, they could be alone, or orphans. The chances of small cubs surviving on their own in the immense blue were slim. They were more likely to survive in captivity. And if they didn't adapt, XGaster could always return them to the sea.

(and just to think what he might learn! What he would discover could be of immense importance, not only to science, but to the merskeleton themselves. It would be worth the sacrifice!)

Convinced by her logic, he pushed away his fears and pushed himself more vigorously to the surface. He now only had to climb into the raft and haul the pups inside (or drag them alongside the raft with blue magic if they couldn't be pulled out of the water) and then head back to the lab.

Taking them inside the research center would be more complicated, but he would manage (thankfully, it was a day off from the team). He already had the perfect tank in mind for the two of them.