Mermaid Mischief

The seas were rough that day. Strong waves slammed against the sailboat, rocking it so hard it was impossible to stay upright without slipping and tumbling all over the place. Yet there were no storms that day; the sun was shining brightly, and even in the early spring it was hard not to break a sweat just from being outside.

Of course, it’s not every day that Lily and Mira get to visit Alola, so they might as well make the most of it. But this was a bit of a special occasion for the two lovers, as it had already been three years since they first hooked up! Time flies! What better way to celebrate than with a long, deep dive together? They wanted to indulge each other plenty, too, their heads already full of ideas for them to play with and tease each other about until sunset…

Also, Mira was wearing a mermaid tail.

The Braixen was more than a little confused when she got her gift from Lily. “Whuh…? What’s the occasion, hun?” She asked, clueless and sizing up the big, wide box. “It’s not even my birthday yet, haha…”

“Pffft, c’mon darling, it’s for our anniversary~!” Lily cooed, hugging her girlfriend tight as she sat next to her.

“I-I know! But gosh, you really pamper me, first the trip to Alola next week and now this…” Mira put a handpaw on her own cheek, mind full of possibilities, yet also trying not to get ahead of herself. “I mean, these might just be socks, so—”

“Oh, you got plenty of those,” Lily interrupted, rubbing the Braixen’s fluffy thighs. “This one’s a little more special. I’ll make sure ya put it to good use when we get to Melemele, heeheehee— Not gonna spoil it or anything! Just, y’know, I know you’ll love it~”

Mira wasn’t sure what Lily meant by that, but that already narrowed it down a lot. Whatever it was, they were bound to use it plenty while in the water. And sure enough… As the Braixen unwrapped the box and slowly lifted the lid, she was greeted with a gorgeous sight.

A mermaid tail laid inside the box, in perfect condition and vibrant colors. It was styled after a Milotic’s tail, with gentle blue and pink diamond-shaped scales that glistened so beautifully even under the low, warm light of the living room. Carefully bundled to fit inside the box, it seemed small at first, but its actual size was truly something to behold…

Mira barely knew how to react. She collected a few mermaid tails as a hobby here and there, but they were so hard to find (and so expensive to import from Alola) that such a collection had to be modest, small, mostly secondhand. But this… This looked brand-new, handmade, and super-high quality. Lily must’ve been saving up for so long to get it! The Braixen was silent, but her bushy tail wagged fiercely and her arms began to shake as she held the tail out; she placed it back down to avoid jostling it too much from the excitement.

“L-L-Lily????” She stammered out, trying too hard just to squeeze out something audible. “Wh— Ghbwuh— Where did— Hbuehw—”

“Aw, don’t you worry ‘bout a thing, my foxie~!” Lily assured her, bringing her close for a tender hug and plenty of headpats. “Let’s just say a few friends were kind enough to chip in, heehee. Just make sure you bring it with you at the airport on Monday, alright? Be super sure!”

Mira went back to silence. She instead nodded eagerly and was careful to put the box aside without breaking anything. As soon as she did, she slumped onto Lily’s lap and covered her face, shielding it by tugging down her ears. She kicked her feetpaws in the air and took hurried breaths, as if trying not to cry…

And now, a week later, here she was.

The foxie slipped into her new tail without any serious issues — it even accounted for her big ol’ tail! It was, she’d admit, a bit of a snug fit, but she blamed all the huge Malasadas she ate for that more than anything. The important part was that it stayed on, and it hugged her figure well enough without making it obvious that her legs were snuggled up inside it. Even before getting into the water, she couldn’t help but sway it and stare at it, her eyes glimmering like shiny gems every time she looked at it closely.

The thought of being a mermaid had stuck with her even since she was a little Fennekin, watching her favorite cartoons with silly little Primarinas and Milotics having their whimsical misadventures in the depths, and wondering what it’d feel like to live down there, be part of that aquatic world, mingle with its denizens and have a great bubbly time… And now she was really about to do it! In a way, at least.

“You ready, darling?” Lily suddenly asked right behind her.

“Eep—!” Mira jumped so suddenly she almost fell off the boat right there, bumping onto its side. “U-Uh… Ready as ever!!”

“Oh, you’re real eager, huh~?” A tease, as usual. Lily noticed, though, that Mira’s fit wasn’t complete quite yet. “Well, you go ahead and take that shirt off first. I got something better for ya right here, hehe!”

“H-Huh…?” Mira wouldn’t say no, obviously, and she did just that, but it wasn’t clear what Lily had in mind until she presented her with a pretty little shell bra. “Now you’re a real mermaid, heehee~”

The Braixen didn’t hesitate. She hurried to put it on and keep it firmly in place; years of HRT had blessed her with a decent pair of boobs, and the size happened to be perfect for them, which makes sense considering Lily knew them all too well.

The complete look only made Mira more flustered, giggling to herself and whacking her tail against the boat’s floor. As soon as she was prettied up and ready, though, Lily scooped her up and carried her like a proper aquatic princess.

The indulgent Floatzel happened to be wearing her lifeguard uniform, a red one-piece swimsuit with a white cross. The reason for this, of course, was something the two had been endlessly yapping about as soon as plans for the Alola trip began.

There was roleplay to be had.

Oh, the scenarios these two had made up together in the three wonderful years they’d been together. Such intricate stories of daring rescues and dangerous tests of endurance, crafted and played out just to indulge each other even more than usual. And poor Mira was almost always playing the more submissive role — it was preferred for her, after all, to play the meek and inexperienced diver in need of a brave, strong and smooth-talking lady to pry her loose from her tangles or guide her out of a complex cave maze.

This time, though, would be different. The roleplay had already been planned out ahead of time: Lily and Mira would find a good spot in the deep, near an air pocket close and big enough for easy access. Once they did, Lily would tangle herself in some seaweed and mimic being in serious peril! Ah, what an occasion for a waterbreathing mermaid to save the day! Unless… this mermaid happens to be ditzy and naive, someone who’s never even seen an airbreather before and doesn’t know why this funny-looking lady’s having so much trouble with the seaweed. Imagine wanting to escape and be taken to safety and merely just breathe already while a cute mermaid is just asking you a bunch of questions. How silly! Even sillier if said mermaid is constantly poking and prodding you and encouraging you to calm down and take deep breaths! Oh my!

…These were the sorts of things that made Mira turn into a muttering, blushy mess. She wanted to do this so bad, and now she’d finally get her wish. The caveat here, of course, is that she barely even knows how to use this dang thing, so she would rely on Lily to help her figure it out on the spot. What could go wrong…?

“Alright, now you’re ready, my dear?” Lily asked softly.

“Y-Yeah! Ready as ever~!” Mira’s excitement was contagious, pure, very precious... And cute.

“Okay. Deeeep breaths…”

The two lovers breathed slowly, syncing up their inhales and exhales as they nuzzled together. Mira’s arms wrapped tightly around the Floatzel’s body, awaiting the jump down into the bright blue sea. Eventually, they drew in an extended gasp together, puffing up their chests as much as they could with pleased smiles…

And with a loud splash, they slipped out of view. They would not come back up to the sailboat for a long, long while.

As rough and punishing as the waves were above the surface, the world below it seemed anything but. The water was unusually clear, and even without goggles — the two chose not to bring any equipment, other than a small satchel full of Reviver Seeds, just in case — they could tell it was a stunning sight. With the sun so bright and right above them, they had no problem gauging how far down was the seafloor, either. They picked a decently deep spot, even if their lungs wouldn’t be too pleased about it, because they wanted to feel the depths as hard as they feasibly could.

As soon as Lily let go of Mira, the Braixen wobbled and struggled to keep herself steady while trying to dive down. She looked more like a drunk Vaporeon than a mermaid, but Lily was happy to help! Her girlfriend showed off how to do it properly, keeping her own legs stuck together and swaying and gliding with a smooth rhythm along the warm waters.

It would take some time for Mira to really get the hang of it, but the Braixen at least figured it out enough to swim in one direction, albeit slowly and with more effort than she’d like.

By the time the two had touched the seafloor, Mira’s ribs were quite visible, and her chest pumped slightly, pushing a few tiny bubbles through her nostrils with every squeaky grunt. She gave an “OK” signal, but that didn’t stop Lily from pulling her in and lending some of her air with a tender kiss. “M-Mmph~” Mira would never, ever complain about such treatment, obviously, and Lily signaled “OK” right back in her own playful way.

The Floatzel’s ribs were the ones showing prominently now, but she was doing a much better job keeping her heaves in check. More importantly, she had a knack for finding air pockets tucked away in the aquatic jungle of reefs and holes and caves that decorated the seas of Alola. Before Mira had even known where to look, Lily had already spotted the telltale signs: the gentle shimmer and the subtle background noise of water meeting air, just far enough that Mira had started to heave and whine again by the time they approached the cave.

Sure enough, there was plenty of sandy floor and long, wavy weeds well within reach of this isolated cave entrance. Not even a wild Pokemon in sight from here, and it was far enough from the shores that even the most daredevil tourists wouldn’t bother scuba diving here. Mira swam carefully to avoid letting her tail even touch the stiff, rocky walls, and the importance of this task at least helped distract from her uncomfortable, burning lungs. Her body had begun to complain and ask for air, but her mind was, thankfully, elsewhere.

“Pbbt!” “Pwah—!” The two girls surfaced in the air pocket soon enough, big enough for both of them to fit comfortably, though it was a little dark, so out of the way from the sun.

“Doin’ good so far?” Lily couldn’t stop herself from asking, the doting side of her coming out real fast.

“A-All good! Haha—!” Mira said back, a little too loud. It was pretty obvious that the experience was making her really, really, REALLY flustered already, and they hadn’t even done anything yet. Even just swimming with that thing on was making her rowdy, shaky, happy in ways she couldn’t describe even if she tried…

“Hmmm~? Well, good, ‘cause we’re about to start…” Lily darted her eyes towards the thick patch of seaweed close from here, right where the sunlight casts an ethereal, light-blue shine. “Hey… Remember, dear. As long as you’re down here? You’re a mermaid. A real one. And real mermaids can talk underwater just fine. I’ll pretend the bubbles aren’t here, and so should you. You won’t go back for air until you absolutely 100% need it. Got it? Hmmm?”

Mira fidgeted and let out a shivering chuckle as she heard all this. She was supposed to be the dominant one in this scenario, yet here she was wiggling like jelly and turning so red in the face that, even in the dark, Lily could see it.

“Y… Yes, ma’am…!”

“Awww…” Lily kissed her softly and ruffled her hair. “You haven’t called me ma’am in a while, hehehe. You’re really loving this that much, eh?”

“Bwuh—” The foxie let out a cute noise, gripping her lover’s handpaws tight and rubbing them. “Love you.”

“Love you too. Let’s go have fun, sweetie…”

Lily didn’t say anything more after that. She simply took a deep breath and rushed off to go be pretend-stuck in seaweed. Mira was left to take those deep, slow breaths; she’d need every bit of oxygen she could fit in those strong lungs of hers, no matter how much the depth would hamper that or how much of that air would be lost with what was about to happen. Had she stayed in here for just a little longer, she might’ve realized why Lily brought such an excessively large supply of Reviver Seeds for such an occasion…

Instead, the foxie simply took a slow, long breath, kept a close eye on her tail, and made her way out of the air pocket and back into the open waters.

Lily awaited, already real tangled up and wagging her eyebrows, holding back a giggle as she got herself into character, turning her expression from real joy to fake fear...

And Mira, the precious half-Braixen mermaid who happened to pass by, lurched ever closer. Oh my, what a sight! Her floofy, light blue ear tufts almost the same shade as the clean, crisp seawater that went ever upwards for dozens and dozens of feet! She approached the flailing Floatzel with a smile and waved, then spoke in her distinctly mermaidy dialect.

“Hblellobl thblerebl~!” Mira blurted out, unaware of her new friend’s inability to breathe, let alone speak. “Yblou mblust blbe nblewbl arbloundbl hblerebl, cblutiebl! Wblant sblomebl hblblelp withbl thblat~?”

...

Lily rushed her handpaws to her mouth, not to keep the water away, but to hold back her laughter with all her might. “SNRK.” A bubbly snort slipped past her nostrils; she looked like she was about to blow.

“Whbl— H-HBLEYBL!” Poor Mira, using up so much air just to have her girlfriend not be able to take her acting seriously. Maybe she should’ve practiced more. Still, it was all in good fun, and it only fueled her wish to keep going, despite the half-empty lungs making their discomfort known early.

Lily needed a moment to get back into character. She soon went back to fending off the seaweed, to no avail. But, aha, silly mermaid to the rescue! Never mind that Lily’s the one with webbed paws; Mira was adapted just for this sort of thing! With her adept paws and sharp little claws, she quickly untangled the mess of aqua-fauna that had clung to the Floatzel’s legs. As Lily wriggled free and began a long, long ascent, Mira swam right alongside her, with such ease that even the most skilled swimmer would be impressed!

“Ohbl? Where ybla hbleadbledbl~?” Mira asked curiously, staring right at her new friend even as Lily stayed solely focused on ascending and fending off the harsh contractions. Her body shivered, and panicked grunts barely held back and muffled, and her snout crumpled up harder and harder even as the pressure eased up…

(It was some astonishing acting.)

“Ablha~! Iblt’s a— ghh… r-rblace tblo thblebl… s-sblurfblacebl!” Mira was really going through it now. The constant bubbletalking left her chest caved in, and her lungs felt like shriveled, deflated balloons, just tiny pockets of air leaving her running on fumes. Holding it in was hard enough; squeezing it past her throat to speak was a brutal task. She tried hard to shrug it off and keep up her bubbly act, but her wincing and groaning really gave away the game here. Still, she bravely let out one last playful bit of dialogue before rushing ahead to the surface…

“Sbleebl yblou th— hrgh— th-thrrgh…!” The Braixen was emptied out entirely, not even a morsel of air left to say “there”. She curled up and clasped her snout shut, then clumsily thrashed and swayed her tail to speed up her ascent. As she righted herself and clawed at the water in desperation, Lily caught a glance of her lover’s heaving, empty chest, ribs flaring hard… and contrasted so beautifully with her pretty shell bra and gorgeous shiny tail! My gosh…

From below, Lily also saw Mira’s chest pumping fiercely once she had surfaced, puffing all the way back up with shaky, relieving gasps. The Braixen wagged her mermaid tail back and forth, barely able to stay afloat since she was still getting used to her new mermaid life... Judging by her fidgeting, though, Lily could tell Mira was having an absolute blast.

The Floatzel surfaced soon after, and even despite her inspired acting she barely needed to catch her breath. Mira, on the other hand, was still left a panting mess. A bit out of character, sure, but Lily could let it slide — at least until they both sank back down…

They didn’t even say anything to each other; there was way more fun to be had, after all. Lily simply got the air she needed, took a deep breath and slipped back under the surface. Still short of breath but unwilling to delay this any longer, Mira pulled herself together as well as she could. “Guh…” A nervous, overstimulated, yet totally pleased noise. She soon drew in a long gasp and went under too, her tail swishing in the air before slapping onto the surface above.

“Rblacebl ybla tobl thble sbleaflblbloorbl nowbl! I’llbl gblo eablsy obln yblou thblisbl tblime, hbleehblblee~ Ghh…” Even as the strain of her excessive bubbletalking continued… Mira couldn’t hold back her excitement. She was doing it! Real mermaid stuff!! Her deep blush really gave it away, as did her big, strong tail swishies, slowly getting more used to the movement while she swam circles around the diving Floatzel. She even blew her a bubbly kiss, an attempt to fluster Lily that didn’t seem to do much other than waste more precious air. That flustered Mira, and it amused Lily enough that she had to hold back a sudden chuckle.

The two lovers reached the seafloor again eventually, though it was Lily who came in first this time, as Mira was too busy frolicking and enjoying herself to swim ahead. She even caught herself humming a little muffled tune as she swam alongside Lily, something that unexpectedly got the Floatzel blushing…

“Gbloodbl jblob, frbliendbl!!” Mira spoke again, a torrent of bubbles constantly streaming from her mouth as she blabbered on. “Gblosh, Ibl wblanna tblakebl youbl hblome sblooooblbl blbad~ Yblou w-wblanna cblome wblith m-m-mh… mble~? Wble cblould hhhh… ghbrlb… hrgh!”

Oh, she was really hitting her limit now. The poor foxie shook hard and her eyes went wide when a sudden jolt pushed her chest in, tossing out whatever air still lingered in her pained lungs. She looked all over in a hurry, trying to figure out where the air pocket was, but it only took a few seconds of sheer panic before a pair of soft lips met her own. “M— Mmmmph~….”

Lily brought her in real close and gave her a deep air-sharing kiss. She held Mira’s handpaws tenderly, tracing circles slowly against her pawpads, and she exhaled with great expertise right down the Braixen’s throat. Almost like they’ve done this a million times or something.

The relief came fast for Mira, washing over her so suddenly that she might’ve fallen asleep on the spot. Instead, she felt Lily pull away from the kiss, her ribs showing so clearly against her swimsuit’s fabric, yet the Floatzel stayed real calm. Lily pointed to the air pocket, but signaled to Mira asking her to stay put, like a good mermaid, no doubt. And as much as Mira would prefer fresh air, well… She sure didn’t mind having warm girlfriend air in her system.

And so Lily hurried along, leaving Mira to float in place, and take a quiet moment to admire the serene sights of the Alolan sea…

The slightest of sea currents tickling her fur. The quiet hum of the ocean, a peaceful background noise so familiar she often played it at home to fall asleep to. The seawater itself just barely pushing inside her nostrils, constantly kept at bay. The massive pair of fins suddenly covering her eyes— wait, huh?

Who the hell—

“Guess who~!” A high-pitched voice chirped from behind the foxie, and as much as she swirled and turned she couldn’t reach out to it.

“Mmphbl?!” A nervous squeak slipped past her pursed lips, with a few tiny bubbles too.

“What, you don’t recognize this cutesy li’l voice?! Eeheehee!” The stranger went on. The silence lingered long enough, though, that she began to think something was amiss. “U-Um… you do remember me, right? Oh gosh, maybe you’re more of a visual learning gal, eeheehee.”

“Mm, hmph!” Mira tapped gently on the creature’s fins, and she relented soon enough. As Mira turned around, though, the sight alone almost made her blurt out a shocked gasp, held back by sheer will.

A rather large Primarina floated in place, probably the most pastel pink-tinted one you’ll ever see, decorated from head to toe in precious, shiny jewelry and assorted trinkets, shells, pearls and beads. Bedazzled beyond comprehension, yet it was her pretty blue eyes that glimmered most brightly. An embarrassed smile soon covered her face. “O-Oh! Um, this is awkward, haha, sorry sorry!! I thought you were someone else! You looked so much like a friend from the next town over so I just— Ahaha— EMMIE!!” She squealed and covered her face.

A Dewgong soon approached the two, swaying her smooth white body along the seawater. She showed a goofy expression as soon as she came into view, wearing a handmade necklace of coral and shells. “I’m right here, Tina!” She then waved hi to Mira as soon as she noticed her. “Oh! Who’s this cutie I sea~? She new around town or somefin’? Hey, she looks like that one friend you got, ahaha!”

A third aquatic denizen appeared, though this one wasted no time getting right up in Mira’s personal space. The Braixen shuddered as she felt a huge, thick tail slide up against her own, firmly squeezing her thighs, hips and tummy. “Oh my goodness…” A deep, sultry voice rumbled from behind Mira. It came from a Milotic, adorned with a silky dress-like attire and small glittery beads, impossibly beautiful and slender, moving along the water so effortlessly it seemed like she was flying. “Who might you be? Hey, you two should tell me when a new mermaid’s in town, this one’s got a real pretty tail, just like mine, mmhmm~? Look, her patterns are almost as elegant as mine! Darling, whatcha putting in there? Any lotions or routines you wanna share with the class, hm~?”

Mira stayed quiet. She didn’t wanna think what kinds of chaos would ensue if this VERY normal-looking mermaid suddenly spilled out a huge mess of bubbles— “Hblgblbglgblblbl!!”

The Milotic had suddenly squeezed her hard and pulled her in closer. It was clear that she was smitten by this innocent merfoxie with the lovely long tail, and she coiled around her to pull her in for nuzzles.

“Pffft, Jackie, c’mon girl!” Tina lightly nagged at her, wagging a fin. “Give the girl some wiggle room here, we haven’t even introduced ourselves yet!”

Emmie seemed to agree. “Yeag, you even squeezed a burp outta her!”

“Alright, alright… She’s so cute, though.” Jackie got ahold of herself soon enough, and she rubbed Mira’s aching chest gently with the side of her tail. “What’s your name, hottie~?”

“Hblottblie?! Mmph…” That must’ve been half of Mira’s air that got squeezed out in an instant, and she was already feeling the strain. An uncomfortable warm feeling swirled inside her lungs, and she flinched once she noticed she was still bubbletalking. Bad time for that!

“Yeah, don’t mind Jackie,” Tina assured her. “She’s the most sapphic out of all of us, haha. Go on, tell us your name! We don’t bite~!”

“I do!” Emmie countered.

“Mrmph, ghh…” As much as she needed this air, something else took priority here. These ladies had taken an immediate interest in her, and all the attention was making her so pleased with herself, so excited to play along, so… woozy. Maybe the lack of oxygen was affecting her too, actually. “M… Mblirabl.”

“Blirab!” Emmie clapped right away.

“No no, I heard Mira,” Tina interrupted. “What a cute name, even when you’re burping it out!”

“Yeah, girl, you got a lot of air stuck in there!” Jackie chirped from behind the foxie. “Hold on, allow me to help with that~”

This was the opposite of helping. Mira felt herself getting squeezed again, but this time she wouldn’t have much more air to give. In fact, she was coiled with impressive force, though also delicately enough that it didn’t actually hurt. What did hurt were her now-empty and exhausted lungs, this time with no way of reaching the air pocket, let alone surfacing. She was once again left tapping out; she could feel the smooth scales on Jackie’s soft yet powerful body.

“Wowie, you got her all burped out! Nice, Jackie!” Emmie cheered and spun around happily.

“Hope that helped, cutie~.” Jackie purred in a low tone and nestled her face below Mira’s, who was a little busy trying not to breathe. There were no words or thoughts that could accurately describe what her mind and body were going through right now…

And as Lily finally emerged from the air pocket, all she could see was a large Milotic wrapped around her squirming girlfriend. “Mi— Mmph!!” She almost blurted out her name, but instead scurried behind some rocks nearby before the others could notice her. My god! My god! A roaming squad of aquatic ne’er-do-wells, all teaming up on poor Mira like this! How could she leave her alone like this, even just for a little bit?! The Floatzel wanted to kick herself for that one, but there was no time to mope about this. Mira needed her help, and even though she was hopelessly outnumbered and overpowered, she’d try her best for her, as always…

Mira, thankfully, took notice of her girlfriend sneaking around in the corner of her eye. Although she tried to wave at her, she was a little too coiled up to move much. Instead, the Braixen squirmed and let out a strained grunt, staring hard at the satchel on Lily’s side, full of Reviver Seeds. Phew, they came in handy after all! Well, the hard part is getting them to Mira, and that’d soon prove to be an immense task…

“Since we’re all here, Mira,” Tina suddenly interrupted, “you wanna come with us downtown? We could show ya around and help you get used to the sights and stuff!! We’ll go watch a movie or something even~!”

“YAAAY!” Emmie clapped right away. “We’ll go sea Starfish Wars a seventh time! And stream some at home too!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t mind taking this cutie back to our home,” Jackie added. The Milotic let go of her squeezable merfox and brushed her chest with the end of her tail. “I’ll give her a little tour of my room, hm hm~!”

Mira had a feeling that they weren’t exactly talking about a city on the surface here. No doubt the mermaids were willing to bring her to some unseen depths even she hadn’t experienced before. Sure, it’d be an amazing sight, but she’d also be drowned and limp for most of that ride, and Starfish Wars isn’t exactly short.

There was no room for any more misunderstandings here. Mira gave up on this lofty idea of a mermaid hangout and signaled for air. She pointed at her mouth and let out needy grunts, though she stopped short of removing her tail; it was delicate and she refused to even risk ripping it, even at a time like this!

Jackie blushed.

“Ahaha~ I think our new gal pal’s a little impatient, Jackie!” Tina teased her Milotic friend. “You get what she’s asking for, hmmm?”

“Aww, she likes you that much? So cuuute~” Emmie squeaked happily and rubbed her cheeks.

Jackie curled up against Mira and locked her gaze. “Mhm, so… So forward! I guess my charm worked this time, eh? C’mere, Mira, I’ll give you what you need, and you just relax and enjoy~”

So much for avoiding misunderstandings. Jackie leaned forward suddenly and planted a long, deep kiss on the foxie’s mouth, tugging her closer and tickling her chin.

“Mrmph—?! G… Ghhhmph~…” One thing was obvious from the get-go, though: Jackie was a great kisser. She tasted and indulged Mira so thoroughly that the need for air totally dissipated from her mind. Even as her body convulsed and shook, the Braixen melted and moaned as she rubbed Jackie’s smooth body.

Luckily, Lily was not the kind of girl to get jealous over something like this; they have an open relationship, after all. If anything, she was jealous that she couldn’t get in on the action too, left to wait for a chance to sneak in and slip the satchel onto Mira’s hands.

Nothing seemed amiss from Jackie’s point of view. When she was done furiously making out with this sudden new crush, she left her panting and shaking quite a lot. Must’ve been a longer kiss than she thought! The Milotic nuzzled Mira’s chest and brushed the soft fur on her head with her tail. “There ya go, sorry to borrow ya for so long, cutie! Deep breaths, in and out, mm-hmm.”

“Mm-hmm indeed~! Don’t ya love it when love is in the water? You two make such a cute couple already, heehee~” Tina wiggled and giggled to no end, her chipper demeanor endlessly contagious. She held her fins together and smiled warmly towards Mira. “C’mon, we got lots of stuff to do today!”

“Jackie reeled in a pretty one! We’re celebratin’!” Emmie was real pumped too, waving her fins all over as she swam ahead. The other two girls followed her.

Mira, understandably, needed a moment to pull herself together. In the rush of emotions from the deep kiss, she had started breathing water, and her body very much objected to it. She whined and curled up, and her tail wagged hard against the soft sand of the seafloor. She looked back, trying to find where Lily had snuck off to, only to find her staring back from behind a rock.

The look Lily gave her… It was quite something. A little worried, sure, but mostly curious, maybe even non-verbally insisting on keeping this charade going as long as it could. Even Mira’s waterlogged whines weren’t enough to change her mind. The Floatzel simply waved her away and encouraged her to stick with the silly girls for a little longer; there was no chance she’d miss out on any of it, regardless.

“Mira, c’mon girl~! We’ll treat ya nice!” The Primarina cheered up ahead, and Lily sneaked around elsewhere ahead too, out of the other girls’ view, while watching for more air pockets down the road.

Woozy but willing to self-indulge for juuuust a little more, the foxie decided to play along. She swam, albeit clumsily, back to the girls as they gossiped about whatever random thing crossed their minds that day.

On occasion, Mira would be prompted to reply or chip in to the conversation, but the most she could muster without straining her throat was a nod, a shake, or maybe even a muffled “Mhm!” or “Hmph…” Getting used to the mermaid tail was one thing — trying to actually speak underwater was a task utterly beyond her right now.

“Aww, ya think she got a bit shy, Jackie?” Emmie cooed, poking Mira’s quivering tummy.

“It’s cute when she’s shy about it,” Jackie said, resting her head against the Braixen’s shoulder. “As long as you’re having fun, right darling~?”

Mira nodded — and hiccuped with a shiver, shaking her tail.

“First the burping and now hiccups too?!” Emmie squealed, though she soon joined the other two aquagirls in letting out hearty laughs over Mira’s funny quirks, giggling to each other and barely paying attention to anything else.

Aha, the chance Lily needed!

The Floatzel sped through the water as fast as she could and tossed the satchel onto Mira’s hands. When she noticed that Mira wasn’t holding it at all, though, already too waterlogged to move much, she instead wrapped it around her shoulder and burst through the water out of sight again. Even such a brief effort left Lily whimpering and heaving; her lungs experienced such intense pressure down here that they had shrunk to the size of peanuts. She only needed a moment to find nearby air pockets, though she couldn’t spend too long recovering, lest she lose track of Mira’s whereabouts…

The foxie knew she had to act fast. Her tunnel vision set in hard, and needing so much brainpower and dexterity to swim like a mermaid left her exhausted. Wanting to take advantage of this moment before tensing up and going limp, Mira waved to her friends and used all her might to push out… A few words.

“M… Me-di-cine… If I… p-pass. Out…” She gurgled out into the water. The effort needed to make noise was hard enough, but making it intelligible was quite impressive!

“Oh, right right!” Tina gently tapped Mira’s cheeks before turning to her friends. “Okay, y’all keep a close eye on our darling, okay? Gosh, she must be super sleepy or something if she needs to lug around her meds like this!”

“For what it’s worth, dear,” Jackie added her thoughts, “you look very cute when you’re sleepy. Don’t fight it, okay? We’ll handle this part for you~.”

“Ope, down for the count already.” Emmie pointed out that Mira’s head slumped down, and she stopped moving, floating down onto the sand. Her eyes rolled back, and she hyperventilated water, though her breaths slowed steadily. Her fingers curled and stretched, and her tail shivered hard. Soon enough, the Braixen had fully drowned, resting so comfortably on the seafloor like a real, sleepy mermaid…

At least, until Emmie shoved a Reviver Seed down her gullet.

“I got this!” She chirred. “I feed pills to my pets like this, easy peasy!”

Sure enough, with a sprinkle of glowing green particles and a warm glow, Mira opened her eyes and jolted awake. She was revived! …Still completely waterlogged, disoriented and letting out cutesy whines, but revived! Even this far down, the effect was potent enough that Mira could last a good while longer. In theory, she could straight up exist underwater for much, much longer than any airbreather ever could… But Lily doesn’t usually let her.

“Ah, there you are!” Tina patted her head and helped her back up, swimming right alongside her with a pleasant smile. “So anyway, there’s this super cool new show I wanted to yap about—”

There was no end to the yapping. Mira simply kept herself as steady as she could, swimming further, deeper, into dimmer corners of the ocean she never thought she’d see with her own eyes… And Lily kept up the chase, despite every signal in her body urging her to back out and let those poor lungs go back to normal size again. But why would she?! Not only is her lover in A Situation, it’s also a really, really hot one! No way she’s missing out on this! That is, unless they go so deep that even Lily can’t follow her…

Both Mira and Lily had completely lost track of time.

The waterlogged merfoxie must’ve been on her tenth or eleventh Reviver Seed by now. This was beyond running on fumes — she was running on vibes alone. She constantly felt like her head was spinning, and her swimming motions were on autopilot since she first passed out. Mira was so out of it that a delirious smile stayed plastered on her face despite the weak liquid breaths and frequent shudders. Most importantly, she was barely paying attention to whatever Tina, Jackie and Emmie were going on about, though it must’ve been pretty fun since they were always giggling and teasing each other (and Mira) about it.

Lily was in worse shape, since she was the one who actually had to stick to air. A delicate balance had to be found between breaths and approaches, staying close enough to Mira without being seen while also looking out for air pockets the moment she needed them. There was almost no time to rest; if there was ever a time where her rigorous lifeguard and diving training came in handy, it was right here. “Mmmrmph…!” But it was clearly taking a toll. The Floatzel was tired, and her limbs and propelling tails ached. Her options were to keep at it or leave Mira to fend for herself, and there couldn’t have been that many Reviver Seeds left by now. She steeled herself and pushed on, but…

“Hrmph—?!”

The scenery ahead appeared to change drastically. Far beyond the reaches of the Alolan shores, and deeper than any scuba diver would dare to approach, loomed a glimmering, aquatic town. Lily could barely believe her eyes as she peered from behind a steep drop. Tall buildings carved from smooth rocks and coral reefs decorated the landscape, and a rather lively crowd of Water-types and aquatic denizens went on with their daily lives with no issue.

The girls came to a stop, and lugged Mira in front of them to let her admire the stunning view. That being said, the foxie wasn’t able to do much other than swish her tail and let out a woozy grunt.

“There ya go~! Here’s our town, girlie!” Tina said to her, ruffling her head. “You made it to Marama!”

“Girl town! Girl town!” Chanted Emmie.

“You think we might catch a ride on the ferris wheel, still?” Asked Jackie, rubbing her tail up against Mira’s. “Wouldn’t mind a little privacy, mm-hmm~…”

Pretty as it was, though, something about this town rang serious alarm bells in Lily’s head. Maybe it was the huge downhill dive that Mira would have to be subjected to in order to reach it. Or maybe it was a glancing peek into her satchel, showing just a few seeds remaining, as she feared. It was such a brutal dive for mere air-breathers that, if either of them was taken even just a few lengths further down, they might hit a point of no return.

Lily didn’t hesitate. She burst through the water, fighting her stinging heaves and pea-sized lungs, and grabbed ahold of Mira.

“Ghh… Wuh…?” The foxie was barely conscious enough to move, so she didn’t even know who was dragging her around this time. It was so sudden, in fact, that the other girls had failed to notice this entirely.

At least, for a few seconds.

“…Hm? Where’d Mira go— H-HEY, LOOK!” Emmie flailed and pointed to the Floatzel, with a merfoxie in her arms.

“My goodness!! She’s nabbing poor Mira!!!” Tina was shocked, yelling so high and loud it could’ve broken glass.

Just then, a smooth, swift figure flew across the water and caught up to Lily with ease. “Gotcha! You stay right here, airbreather!” Jackie coiled around Lily right away, rows and rows of scales and muscle trapping the Floatzel immediately. Any attempt to wriggle free was met with more force, and her already strained lungs were caved in, pushing out precious air in intense bursts.

Tina and Emmie carefully pulled Mira away from this airbreather and comforted her, though she was hardly bothered by the scene considering she had been passed out for a good minute or so now. Tina wisely dug out another Reviver Seed and slipped it into her open mouth; the satchel was quite light now…

“You two go on ahead,” Jackie spoke calmly, though her tone changed to something meaner once she made eye contact with Lily. “I’ll just be here for a bit… teaching this lady some manners.”

Tina and Emmie turned Mira around, awake but so out of it after so much time with no oxygen in her system. She had almost started to swim away on her own, headed straight down into the super-deep depths, until a familiar sound rang through her flooded ears.

“MBLIRABLBL!!”

Lily had called out to her, desperate, no longer caring about how much air she spent just to scream out her name. She tossed and turned and shook her head, and clouds of tiny bubbles seeped through her teeth. There had to be something she could do—

“M-Mira, she said?!” Emmie put a fin on her cheek, mouth agape.

“Wait wait, you know this girlie?” Tina asked. She pulled Mira close with a bear hug and dragged her flooded ass back here. “This Mira??”

Jackie stayed real quiet, but she didn’t let go of Lily just yet.

The Floatzel had to choose her words carefully; she could only afford to bubblespeak a few of them, and every moment spent being squeezed like this worsened the heaves and invited the sea to rush down her throat already.

She chose to get right to the point. Make it very clear why she was here, and do it fast.

“Shble’s mbly… gblirlblfrbliendblbl—!!”

“Gasp!” Tina jumped and her hair frizzled up.

“H-Hey, but— But she’s… And you’re…” Jackie was struggling to put her words together. “Mira’s been… dating an airbreather this whole time?”

Tina raised an eyebrow and chuckled awkwardly. “Haha, I mean, you’ve only known her for a couple of hours, Jackie—”

“She’s TAKEN???” The Milotic was aghast. She covered her mouth with her tail dramatically, and her voice cracked. Her regret and frustration were audible at almost comical degrees. “Uuuugh, I knew I should’ve asked first! Now I feel real dumb! Classic Jackie!”

Lily had to admit: even though she almost squeezedrowned her just a minute ago, seeing the Milotic in such a sad mood affected her, too. She had zero reason to add to the conversation — all that was left was to take Mira home and let her breathe air again — but against her own sense of self-preservation she bubbletalked again.

“Iblt’s… anbl o-oblpblen rble… relblationblshblip… Ghh…” The Floatzel emptied herself out. Welp, she’s this far down anyway, she might as well trust the girls to handle the rest.

“OOOOOH~!” Emmie clapped and rushed to Jackie’s side. “You hear that, Jackie?! The foxie’s assailable, I mean available!”

“Wait…” Tina tilted her head, then raised her voice. “We can date airbreathers?? That’s allowed?! Since when?!”

“I thought it was alwaves allowed!” Emmie said. “Y’know, this one time I met a real cute Luxray at the pier who swam with me alllll the way to where all the shipwrecks are, and he even brought a few Reviver Seeds to stay under longer! I fed them to him myself even, hahaha…”

“…”

“…”

…Emmie dug through Mira’s satchel, still a couple of seeds laying in there. With the power of multiple braincells, she slowly began to piece it all together. Soon enough, she tilted her head back, and with a quiet tone…

“Ohhhhh. Oh yeah, that makes sense actually.” Emmie deduced that Mira’s an—

“Mira’s an airbreather?!” Tina and Jackie screamed out in unison. The surprise was so sudden that Lily inhaled some water through her nostrils and finally began to choke. Emmie rubbed her back and tapped it, as if Lily had simply choked on her own spit for a moment. Instead, she was accidentally helping the water pump in and out of the Floatzel’s throat, though she stayed as calm as she could despite her feral instinct to flail and claw at the distant surface for a few seconds.

The three girls soon all took turns inspecting and ogling the drowny foxie. Through gurgled whines and groans, too weak to shake off the curious fins tugging and rubbing her all around, they saw that she had no gills, not even any webbed paws. What’s more…

The fancy colorful tail she was wearing was a decoy. A fake! But a very convincing one. Tina and Emmie laughed it off, as if they had simply been on the receiving end of a lighthearted prank.

Jackie, though… Jackie was blushing. Hard.

“Mm?” Emmie approached her. “What’s on yer mind, gal?”

“Y-Y’think Mira, like… Um…” The Milotic’s long, massive tail thumped and swished wildly. “Like, you think Mira likes tail-having girls like us this much? That she… w-went and got one for herself? Am I, like, reading too much into it or—”

“AWWW!” Emmie mewled. “She must’ve picked out her faaaavorite, and it’s a tail just like yours!! You two were sooooo destined for each other, like fish and chips!”

“Ghbouwh?!?!” Jackie was incomprehensible. She wrapped her tail around Mira, tired and groggy, and pulled her close for an even deeper, more affectionate kiss than any before that…

Though by this point there were more pressing issues to deal with.

“Ghh, mhm, mhmph!” Lily pushed out whatever noises she could through her flooded throat. Her chest heaved hard, and her lungs had filled up like water balloons. She grasped at her neck and pointed to the surface, a signal that Tina, it seemed, was a little more familiar with.

“Oh, right right! Well, if these two are airbreathers then we’ve delayed them long enough! Here, Emmie, you grab this one and I’ll take Mira!” The Primarina lifted Lily up and held her tight against her bosom. It was… impossibly soft and pillowy. Though Lily was unfortunately too busy drowning to enjoy it all that much. A shame!

Emmie had begun to lift up Mira when she noticed the merfoxie had willed herself a little more awake. Enough to swim on her own, at least, even if it was by pure instinct. It would be a rough and slow ascent, most likely taking at least a few minutes, but…

Something about it felt rather peaceful for Mira.

She swayed and wagged her mermaid tail with a slow, steady rhythm. Her mouth stayed open, and she took shaky, weak breaths that cycled water through her lungs to no effect. Her vision was blurry and grew dark, but not enough to stop her from looking at Mira, so relieved and tired after what must’ve been an enormous effort.

Most of all, though, Mira could feel a warmth in her chest. She saw her friends swimming right alongside her, and kept up the pace just fine, and even if it was just for a few fleeting minutes… She felt like a real mermaid here. She wished this could last forever.

“She’s quite a natural, eh~?” Tina quipped to the girls as she gently massaged Lily’s back; the Floatzel barely nodded.

“Almost as good as the real deal, yippee!” Emmie rubbed Mira’s chest, causing a cute little shudder.

Jackie admired the Braixen from up close. There was no mistaking it: she was completely smitten. So much so that she couldn’t even come up with any fun or silly things to say about it. Just staring... And swooning.

The surface was breached faster than expected.

“Ghrgh, pbbt! Hghurgh!” The Floatzel took those much-needed breaths first, and purged all that water out of her lungs on her own, careful not to aim at Tina, obviously.

Mira needed a little more help. Although there was still a Reviver Seed or two to spare, Lily asked to save those. Instead, they helped the gurgling merfoxie back to the boat, and the Floatzel revived her the old-fashioned way, with CPR.

…Mira’s not the type to admit it, but she kinda prefers it like this. She was half-awake for it, and by the fourth air-sharing kiss her body had finally reacted as it should. The Braixen sprung to her feet — or rather, her tail — and coughed out bursts of water and wet air into the sea.

Tina, Emmie and Jackie still lingered nearby. In any other situation, they might’ve slipped out of sight and swam back home to avoid being spotted… But c’mon, they couldn’t just wander off without a proper goodbye.

Mira wasn’t even done catching her breath when the three girls lunged out of the sea and landed with wet smacks onto the boat, rocking it pretty hard.

“It was sooooo nice meeting you and your girlfriend, Mira girlie~! Stop by again sometime, heehee!” Tina blurted out, spraying seawater from her mouth as she spoke (seems waterbreathers were a little easier to understand above water). She hugged them both real tight, her wet fins wrapped around them and rubbing them all over.

“We still gotta sea Starfish Wars! I promise it’s good, yaya!!” Emmie followed up with big hugs, though she also flopped around and twirled plenty from the rush of dopamine. She was so not used to having airbreather friends, but she was pumped for it.

The mood became quieter once those two said their catch-ya-laters and hopped back into the water. Only Jackie was left, and she had an anxious, bittersweet expression, so different from her playful flirty demeanor just a little while ago.

“You’ll drop by again, right…?” She asked Mira, fending off her own urge to water-breathe just to be with her a little longer.

Mira kissed her right on the lips, and held her head softly. Her foxie tail wasn’t big enough to wrap around Jackie or anything, but she sure tried it. She pulled away eventually. “Promise…! You take care, Jackie! And um… Still up for that ferris wheel date, of course…”

Jackie coiled around her and gave her a few more kisses for good measure. “Oh, we’ll do more than that~.”

Without another word, the Milotic let her go and slinked back into the sea, making the boat swing to and fro again.

…

There was little more than the sound of waves and Wingulls now.

“Gosh.” Lily interrupted, though, clearing her sore throat and wiping wet tufts of fur off the Braixen’s face. “Guess you two… hooked up, huh?”

“T-That’s barely a pun!” Mira chuckled and lightly shoved her.

Lily snorted. “She really reeled you in—”

“Alright alright, I get it!” The Braixen giggled more this time.

Lily hugged her tight. “…Okay, that’s all I got.”

“Pfft.”

“Anyway…” The Floatzel smiled warmly and rested her head on Mira’s shoulder. “I’m glad those girls treated you well after all. I guess I had nothing to worry about. Aside from the drowning.”

Mira’s face scrunched up. “Er… yeah, aside from that.”

“Maybe, we could, ehhh, y’know… Extend this Alola trip a little?” Lily’s eyes twinkled, and she wiggled in place.

“Wh—”

The Floatzel whispered: “Plus, I know a friend who can hook us up with more Reviver Seeds.”

That made Mira’s fur fluff up, even while wet. She stammered: “L… L-Lily, we, haha, already used so many—”

Lily, undeterred, delivered the critical hit. “Might see if she can mail us three or four satchels this time.”

Mira blushed deeply. Words seemed like a daunting task all of a sudden; she instead nodded and gripped Lily’s hand.

Even through all the peaceful nights at the hotel, the huge plates of local delicacies, the boisterous events and meetups with non-aquatic friends… She couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt.

Her tail waving and swishing through the sea, the unbelievable amount of time spent underwater, the almost high-like stupor it put her into by the time she had taken her tenth seed. She had gotten so used to her mermaid tail on that bright Alolan day that it really felt like the real thing…

So much that she forgot how legs work for a couple of days.