Turning to Stone (Rewritten)

Chapter 8: Bap's Predicament

Bap would've never imagined himself to be in the situation he was in now.

Back at school, maybe a week ago, he had first "stepped" onto the ship full of strangers. Of course, he managed to keep a tight grip on his trusty typewriter. He'd never let go of that.

The Water Island ship was one of the first to set sail across the sky. It had taken quite a while to even get close to the island, but before they got there, one of the other students noticed something following them.

Bap carefully made his way to the back of the ship, trying to see exactly what it was. His eyes weren't visible, but that didn't mean he couldn't see. He supposed it might have been his celestial, Blasoom, looking out for his species.

The "boat-stalker" was pink, he could see that, but just barely. It had the shape of a Wubbox, with flames coming from its feet. Most Wubboxes could fly using technology similar to a jetpack, and they used this to meet up and communicate with each other on other islands, but this one was using it to get to their ship.

Zyphur must've been waiting in the school, and now they were following him. Bap stole a glance at the water below, shuddering in fear as he hugged his typewriter close. "Remain calm!" The driver, a Shellbeat, shouted above the noise of panicking passengers.

The ship rocked as Zyphur grabbed it, dragging themself on board with an evil grin on their mechanical face. Bap felt like he was going to be sick. The Rare Wubbox strode towards the front, shoving and kicking their way through. Most monsters were thrown off. Bap didn't want to think about if they survived or not.

The Shellbeat and Zyphur fought, but the wubbox had already poked a hole in the blimp, causing it to rapidly fall. The driver landed a good punch on the wubbox, sending them away, but that didn't mean they would get a smoother landing.

Bap screamed. What else was he supposed to do? The water below looked less and less inviting the closer he got, and he was hit with a sudden cold shock the moment he hit the waves.

He could only see a few monsters around. A scups was attempting to swim, but it wasn't easy with a lack of arms. A reedling was having much better luck, and was helping a rare dandidoo, who's two heads were arguing rather loudly, forming bubbles around them.

Suddenly, it hit him. He was breathing. Despite being completely submerged, he was breathing. Think, think! Didn't you read about an island that allowed monsters to breathe underwater?

In hindsight, the answer should have been a lot more obvious. "Is anyone here from Water Island?" He asked. "We are!" One of the rare dandidoo's heads piped up, and the other one squawked at them. "It's that way. Follow me." The second head spoke. "No, follow me!" The first one interrupted. The two continued to bicker as they swam towards the island.

Eventually, the island came into view. When they stepped on the surface, the feeling of being underwater faded. It wasn't restricting them anymore, so they were all having an easier time moving around.

There weren't many monsters left on the island. "Most of the younger ones came to school, and most of those decided to find other islands. As for the older ones, they volunteered as helpers and other staff, like the bus driver back there, and they either fell off the ship or went somewhere else. Not to mention that Water Island's population has been declining lately." The dandidoo said sadly, and the other head was silent for once.

They walked inside, finding only a few adult monsters left. Ephex, the wubbox of this island, must've stayed at school instead. There weren't more than twenty monsters inside the castle, including Bap and the others from the skyship, so there were plenty of empty rooms for them to choose from. It didn't stop Bap from feeling guilty though.