Tricking the Twins - Hololive Tickling Story

Part 1 of a story request by albertheawsome

“So who are these people again?” Asked Gawr Gura. She was marching down the hall of the lab next to Amelia Watson, the two of them carrying boxes of clothes, books, and bits of furniture on their heads. “Sorry, for a second I almost thought I heard someone who claims to be a smart detective tell me, with a straight face, that they’ve let in a crew of escaped convicts from the highest security prison in the whole freaking universe, and now we’re letting them freely wander around our home and do whatever the heck they want while we sleep.”

“You heard right.” Ame replied, kicking open the door to an empty room. “As far as convicts go though, they seem chill enough.”

Gura rolled her eyes, dropping her box onto the floor. “Yeah sure. Just a bunch of evil criminals, but nah, they’re toooootally chill. Isn’t one of them a demon? What’s that about?”

“That’s Nerissa.” Ame said, putting her box on an empty bed frame. “Apparently Kiara knows her.”

“Oh, well, that’s real convenient. One of us knows one of them. Almost makes me forget they’re all FUGITIVES.” Gura replied, balling up a shirt and whipping it at the detective. “I mean really, Ame, I know you’re all about these secret plans and hidden motives and all that, but could you please tell me why exactly you’ve let these people in?”

Ame shrugged. “It’s a means to an end, Gura. Everything’s a means to an end.” She said, folding some of the clothes and neatly stacking them on the bed frame. “Plus, if they try anything, you know we could deal with them. You think Calli, Kronii, Kiara, Fauna, IRyS, and freaking Sana can’t beat a rock? And some dogs?”

Gura pursed her lips, clenching her teeth under her closed mouth. “…I’m gonna trust you this time, Watson. You’ve got a good track record with your stupid ‘secret plans’ and whatever, but if something happens to us, I’m gonna make sure we’re grave neighbours so I can kick your ghost butt every day.” She said, pointing at the detective.

“Yeah, I know.” Ame replied, gently pushing Gura’s finger down. “Hey, speaking of those dogs by the way, I need you to do something for me.”

“What?” Gura asked, rolling her eyes. “You want me to take ‘em for walkies and feed ‘em kibble?” She sneered.

“Yeah, kinda.”

“…huh?” Gura gave the detective a disgusted look and shook her head. “Watson, c’mon, you’re putting me on pet sitting duty? We used to be partners in crime, what the heck are you making me do, man?!”

Ame flicked the atlantean’s nose. “I said ‘kinda.’ You just have to give them a little tour and show them to their room. Everyone else is already taken. Calli and Kiara took the rock girl and Nerissa, I’m showing the psychotic goth girl around, and you get to walk the dogs.”

Gura huffed and crossed her arms. “Why doesn’t Ina do it?”

“Because I already told you to.” Ame answered.

“Well what if I say no?”

“You can’t. Ina’s actually asleep, so you’re the only option.”

“Well wake her up.”

“No.”

“Then get Kronii, or Fauna, or-”

“Also no.”

“Why not?”

“You’re right here, why would I bother?”

“Because I said so.”

“And who says I have to listen?”

“Well who says I have to listen to you?”

“I do.”

“Wh- Well-… b-but… Ame, I…” Gura stomped her foot. “I don’t wannaaaaaa!”

“Aww, Gura,” Ame smiled and bent down, ruffling the shark’s hair, “I don’t care~” She said, standing back up and dusting her hands off. “I’m not asking for much, just show them the bathrooms and kitchen and whatever, and keep an eye on them. The last thing we want to do is let them wander around on their own too much; I mean these people are wanted criminals, you should take this a little more seriously~”

“Wh- but you just—!”

“Criminals, Gura.” Ame repeated, poking the shark’s forehead. “So are you gonna walk the dogs or not?”

Gura rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose in annoyance. “Okay… I’ll give them a tour.” She muttered, balling her hands into fists and kicking the edge of the bed. “I’ll give them a heck of a tour alright. Rough ‘em up a little, show them who’s boss around these parts.”

“Yeah no, not happening.” Ame said, shaking her head. “If you ‘rough em up,’ they’ll turn on us. You’re gonna have to behave this time.”

“Wha-?! Ugh… so many rules…” Gura muttered under her breath.

Ame put a hand on her hip. “Yes, there are ‘so many rules.’” She said. “Can I trust you to follow them?”

Gura gritted her teeth, crossing her arms and swinging her tail back and forth. “…fine.”

“Thank you.” Ame nodded her head. “You’ve got a couple hours to prepare, I’ll let you know when the gang’s in.” She said, dusting her hands off. “You’re gonna do great, sharky~”

“Yeah yeah, get lost already.” Gura coldly growled.

Ame gave her a quick hug, squeezing her tightly. “Thanks, bonehead. Just follow up with me when you’re ready.” The detective said, turning around and heading out the door. “I can always count on you~” She hummed as she exited, the door swinging shut behind her.

Gura huffed, grinding her teeth together. Ame always had a way of getting under her skin. “…stupid Watson… stupid rules, stupid secret plans, stupid… stupid twin… dogs… Dog twins? Whatever, stupid whatever.” She grumbled to herself, pacing back and forth through this room. Her tail deliberately accidentally thwacked against everything she stomped next to. “Like hell am I gonna be a ‘polite little puppy-sitter’. If those dogs think I’m gonna go easy on ‘em, they’ve got another thing coming!”

She reeled back to kick the edge of the bed frame, but stopped. It would probably hurt, like a lot. She awkwardly put her foot back on the floor.

“…damn it, maybe I am a little soft…” Gura mumbled, blushing to herself. She sighed, her arms drooping down as her tail curled between her legs. No matter how hard she tried, how much she and Ame had been through, she just could not defy the detective. “Man…”

…

She had an idea.

An awful idea, and a great one too.

Something she hadn’t done in a long, long time.

If she didn’t want to be a dogsitter, and she was too soft to disobey Ame, Gura knew exactly who would and who wasn’t.

“…hey, sis.”

“…”

“Wakey wakey. I know you can hear me.”

“…”

“Get up already, stupid. I’m talkin’ to you.”

“…been a while since you’ve called.”

“Yeah, well I’ve got a good reason this time.”

“And what is it? Making me do your dirty work again? Fucking spineless loser.”

“Save it. You still owe me, remember?”

“Oh, for gifting me this cozy little room? Thanks a lot, ‘sis’, real kind of you. Far as I’m concerned, I don’t owe you shit.”

“I saved your life! They were gonna— Listen, I’m giving you a chance to stretch your legs for once.”

“As if I want to. If you washed your fucking hoodie every now and then, I might think about it.”

“Will you LISTEN, red? I need to torment some people, and I’m putting YOU in the driver’s seat! Hear that? I’m letting YOU cause pain and suffering.”

“…go on.”

“Ahh, now I’ve got you, eh?”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just tell me who.”

“Pair of dog girls. Twins. They’re new, and I just need to show ‘em who runs the show around here.”

“Heh, you would need me for that. Your little baby arms couldn’t break a pencil, let alone some puppies.”

“Okay, first of all, rude. Secondly, we can’t hurt them. Ame’s rules. We need to make a ‘good first impression’ or whatever.”

“Ugh, that idiot, Watson… Why the hell are you so obsessed with her? You got a thing for blonds? She’s on your mind like 24/7.”

“Shh- t-that’s besides the point. I need you to mess up the dogs a little, but… you know, without hurting them, then we switch back like nothing happened. Simple, right?”

“No, genius. If I can’t hurt them, then what the fuck do you expect me to do?”

“…okay, hear me out. I think I’ve got an idea…”

——————————————————————————————————————————

“This way, Mocochan! This way!”

“I knœh!”

The twins, Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard, skipped down the hallway, keeping their eyes out for the sixth door on their left, a big, rusty, iron one with dozens of scratches and no windows, as Ame told them. Their excitement was palpable, only rivaled by the rest of Advent after escaping from prison only a week ago. This was the first time either of them had seen a new face in many years.

Naturally, as dogs, they were more than thrilled.

Naturally, as sisters, there was still more than enough time to bicker.

Fuwawa’s ears flicked eagerly as she skipped ahead, her long, blue-streaked hair waving behind her and slapping her sister in the face. Mococo, with her much shorter pink-streaked hair, grumbled and swatted at her face. “Fuwawa, stop!”

“Huh?” Fuwawa turned back, tilting her head. “Mocochan, what’s wrong?”

“Your hair is getting in my mouth.” Mococo whined, spitting out some loose hairs and shaking her head. “Let me go in front!” She demanded, trying to circle around her sister.

“No, Mocochan.” Fuwawa argued, shifting from side to side to block her. “I should stay in front, you’re slow.”

“I’m not slœh!” Mococo snapped. “We’re the same speed!”

Fuwawa giggled at her. “Then we’re both slow, so it doesn’t matter who’s in front.” She said, continuing forward.

“Then why can’t I?” Mococo replied, trying to shove her sister out of the way. “Come on! Let me gœh!”

Fuwawa pushed her back. “Mocochan, I’m already in front!” She flicked her fluffy tail back, threatening her sister’s belly with tickles and making her jump away.

“AH! HEY!” Mococo crossed her arms over her belly, which was otherwise left completely exposed. “No touching the tummy! It’s rule number 1!”

“If you don’t want me touching your tummy, then stop having such a cute tummy.” Fuwawa replied, wiggling her fingers at her sister’s belly, aiming right for the soft innie at its center.

Mococo practically sprinted back before Fuwawa could even touch her. “NŒH! FUWAWA, STŒP!” She growled, flashing her claws in defence.

“Hehehe, I’m just kidding, Mocochan~” Fuwawa snickered, teasingly sticking her tongue out. She flamboyantly spun back around and continued forward. “Now come on, we still need to find that shark girl. Who knows how far we are from the—” She stopped in place.

She and Mococo, who soon joined her side, were standing face to face with the door. The scratched, dented, rusted, iron, windowless door.

“That far…” Fuwawa mumbled.

“That far…” Mococo mumbled.

The door was way bigger and more intimidating than they expected; it stretched all the way to the ceiling, and had several visibly broken locks. It looked like a wild animal was kept here. A particularly vicious one, far less human than Fuwawa or Mococo, and perhaps even more dangerous than the two of them combined. Or maybe the room was just old. Either way, intimidating as it was, that wasn’t the main concern. Whatever was waiting on the other side of this door, whoever this blue shark girl was that Ame told them about, they had to make sure they would all get off on the right foot. A lot was riding on this encounter.

Fuwawa took a deep breath, her legs visibly trembling. “We need to make a good first impression, Mocochan.” She said, standing unnaturally straight. “If we mess this up, they might throw us and the rest of Advent out.”

“I knœh.” Mococo replied, shivering next to her sister. “I just hope these people are as nice as they seem.” She murmured, the two of them looking up at the door, daunted.

Fuwawa shuddered at the sight. “Mocochan, go knock.”

“Whæh? Why me?”

“Just do it!”

“Fine, I… I’ll knock…” Mococo shuffled up to the door and gave it a light knock, more like a few taps. It made no sound at all.

Fuwawa groaned and rolled her eyes. “Harder, Mocochan!”

“Okay okay!” Mococo squeezed her eyes shut and firmly knocked on the door, instantly darting back to her sister’s side. “There, I knocked!”

“Okay… now we wait for the blue shark girl.” Fuwawa mumbled to herself.

Mococo nodded. “Yeæh. ‘Gura,’ I think.”

“…Mocochan, stop shivering.” Fuwawa said, grabbing her sister’s shoulders. “We don’t want to look too nervous.”

“Okay…” Mococo mumbled, taking a deep breath and trying to keep her body still.

“…Mocochan, your tail’s still moving.”

“O-Oh, right.” Mococo stopped wagging her tail.

“…Mocochan, keep your chin up.”

“Okay.”

“…Mocochan, don’t wiggle your ears.”

“Okay.”

“…Mocochan, stay still.”

“I know.”

“…Mocochan, arms by your sides.”

“I knœh!”

“…Mocochan, remember to breathe.”

“Fuwawa, I knœh!”

“Okay okay, sorry……… Mocochan, remember to smile.”

“I KNŒH!”

“………Mocochan-”

“FUWAWA, I FREAKING KNŒH!”

“I know you know, Mocochan!”

“If you knœh I knœh, then WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME?!”

“I don’t know!”

“WHY DON’T YOU KNŒH?!”

“I DON’T KNOW WHY I DON’T KNOW! I’M STUPID, OKAY?”

“YOU ARE STUPID!”

“WELL YOU—”

The doorknob turned.

Both twins stood straight with their hands clasped politely in front of their waists. The door pulled in, dragging across the floor as it gave way to their tour guide for today.

“Bau bau~” Fuwawa greeted.

“Bau bau~” Mococo greeted.

But when they looked up (or down, actually) at their guide, sauntering over with her arms crossed and leaning against the door frame, something was off. Ame said this was going to be an atlantean shark girl in a blue hoodie. She was definitely a shark girl, she had the tail to prove it, but… this one had a red hoodie, red streaks in her hair, red eyes; there wasn’t a hint of blue to be found. The look on her face too… Ame warned them she’d be sassy and sarcastic, but this one looked… vindictive… 

“Would it kill you to keep it down a little?” The shark girl muttered, a bitterness in her tone. Her eyes were barely even on them. “Some of us don’t have cotton in their ears.”

Fuwawa and Mococo glanced at each other. “…um… are you our tour guide?” Fuwawa murmured.

“Gura, right?” Mococo asked. “We’re, um… looking for a Gura.”

“GAWR Gura. Just Gawr to you.” The shark snarled, her head falling to the side as she finally looked straight at them. “And yeah, I’m the ‘tour guide’ you’ve been looking for.”

“Oh, okay, um… that’s good.” Fuwawa replied, her uneasiness still there but slightly dispelled. She shook the rest of it off her face and nudged her sister with her elbow. “Mocochan, let’s do the thing.” She whispered.

“Oh, right, right!” Mococo stepped back, her ears perking up in excitement. Gawr simply rolled her eyes.

After a few seconds, Fuwawa stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Ahem… I’m not a chihuahua, I’m Fuwawa~”

Mococo stepped forward too. “I’m not Fuwawa, I’m Mococœ~”

“Together, we are…”

“Fuwamoco~ Bau bau~!”

“Fuwamoco~ Bau bau~!”

The two of them ended on a pair of extravagant poses.

“…” Gawr stared silently at them for a few seconds. “You two rehearsed that little performance, huh?” She asked. The twins glanced at each other and nodded their heads, awkwardly getting out of their poses. “To what end? Just tell me your names like regular people.” Gawr continued. “Gonna waste my fucking time like that.”

The twins’ ears drooped sheepishly. “S-Sorry,” Mococo mumbled, “we… we didn’t think it would-”

“Oh, oh, someone call the pity police. Save me the sobbing and sniffling, you babies.” Gawr cut in, fighting back a grin as she watched the joy drain from their faces. “Are we gonna start the ‘tour’ or not?” She stepped inside and gestured for the twins to follow.

“…okay, we’re right behind you.” Fuwawa replied, taking Mococo’s hand and slowly following the atlantean inside.

Right as they passed the door, Mococo leaned in and whispered. “I don’t think I like our new housemates…”

Fuwawa’s tail curled in, and she glanced at the red figure. “Sure she seems a bit… prickly…” she mumbled, “but let’s be positive, Mocochan. Maybe she’s rough at first, but sweet on the inside~”

“Are you two gonna move? Or do I have to drag you in myself? ‘Cause I will.” Gawr scoffed.

The twins nodded to her, and Mococo shot her sister a glare. “Very prickly…” She whispered. Fuwawa shrugged.

The room was big, and strangely cozy. Their feet were immediately met with a soft maroon carpet that had a few damp spots. The floor under it, visible near the walls, was a watery light blue, close to teal. The walls themselves were freshly painted the same colour, and they stretched up to a high ceiling, where a few powerful lights were illuminating everything. There was a smaller, rustier door off to the side, a few oddly shaped objects covered in sheets that the twins assumed were exotic furniture, and a little TV shaped like a fish in addition to many other fish-themed items. An oddly untouched punching bag was placed in the corner, just in front of a completely destroyed one with a picture of Gawr’s face stapled to it (but in the picture, Gawr was wearing blue). All things considered, despite how odd and flashy and somewhat comfy this all was, the twins felt like they were back in their cell for some reason. They shuddered in unison.

Gawr slammed the door behind them and dusted her hands off. “Alright, first stop. Used to be my room, but I guess now it’s a breakroom or something.”

“Ooooh,” Fuwawa hummed as she took it all in, trying to hide her weariness, “see, Mocochan? This is pretty nice, isn’t it?”

“As far as shitholes go,” Gawr answered, “this might as well be a 5 star hotel.” She picked up and crushed an empty takeout box in disgust.

“I think it’s nice.” Mococo replied, smiling as she picked up a squeaky fish toy from the floor. “It’s very cute and comfy~”

Fuwawa nodded her head. “Yeah! It’s so cute~” 

“Cute…?” Gawr crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at them. “Okay, I can’t take this. Both of you, what the hell is your deal?” She asked.

Mococo tilted her head. “Hœh?”

“Our… ‘deal’?” Fuwawa continued.

“Yeah. What’s with you?” Gawr squinted at them further. “Here’s a quick fun fact about me: I’ve never met a prison mutt before.” She slowly started to circle them. “Now I’m in the presence of two, right in front of me, and what do I see? Puppies. Pushovers. I mean, what the fuck am I looking at here?” Her thick tail dragged on the carpet, leaving a damp ring around the twins. “Don’t get me wrong, I totally mean absolutely no offense when I say that, but this whole cutesy ‘bau bau’ routine is throwing me for a loop here.”

“That’s just who we are~” Fuwawa answered, bouncing on her toes. “Right, Mocochan?”

Mococo nodded. “Yeæh. It’s not really a ‘routine,’ it’s just… us.”

“Bau bau~”

“Bau bau~”

Gawr rolled her eyes. “Right… of course, yeah…” She came to a stop and crossed her arms, starting to mumble under her breath. “Why the hell is blue so scared of these idiots? Even she could handle this…” She fidgeted her sleeves in thought.

“So, are we continuing the tour?” Fuwawa asked. “I want to know where our room is.”

Gawr narrowed her eyes again, an idea forming in her mind. “We’ll get to that, I’m just… thinking about the recent… cockroach problem we’ve been having around here…” The shark said, a fist slowly curling behind her back.

“Cockroach problem?”

“Cockroach problem?”

“Yeah, a real big one lately…” Gawr gritted her teeth, staring right at Mococo’s left ear, “in fact… I think I see one right now.”

Mococo’s eyes widened. “Hœh?”

“Huh?” Fuwawa said, looking vaguely in the direction that Gawr was looking in, and seeing absolutely nothing. “Oh, um… I- I see it too, Mocochan! It’s right there. Can’t miss it.” She insisted. Gawr gave her a slightly confused look.

“W-Where? Where is it?” Mococo’s eyes darted around, her hands (and also Fuwawa’s hands) swatting at her hair. “Fuwawæh, you’re not helping!”

“Fear not, my treasured guests. Don’t trouble yourselves. I will get the bug for you.” Gawr suddenly whipped her blood-red trident out from behind her and swung it straight at Mococo’s head.

“AAH!” The dog ducked to the side and blocked the trident with her forearms. A loud bang echoed up to the high ceiling and made everyone’s ears ring for a few seconds. “W-WHÆH!?” Mococo yelped, jumping back after the hit. “WHAT WAS THÆT FOR?!”

Gawr looked down at her trident, or rather, what remained of it. It was in pieces, tiny fragments scattered across the carpet, and Mococo was completely unharmed. The shark’s lips pursed in thought. “Oh… well how about that…” She whispered to herself. “Alright, blue, you win. Let’s try your plan…”

“Hey! HEY!” Mococo barked, rubbing the side of her head with her hands. “Gawr! Don’t just swing that at me without a warning!”

“Oh, uh, don’t worry. I got the bug, it’s dead. It’s dead now.” Gawr replied, dropping the few bits of her trident she had in her hands. All the pieces turned into drops of water and soaked into the carpet. “Hey… sooooo, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I know I was a bit mean at first, but now I realise that I had you two pegged wrong.” She said, extending a friendly hand. “Let’s start things off on a… friendlier note. What do you say, huh?”

The twins’ eyes widened as they stared at the outstretched hand. “Oœh?” Mococo hummed in suspicion. “Wait, but—”

Fuwawa, on the literal other hand, gladly accepted Gawr’s gesture, giggling. “Yeah! That sounds great, Ms. Gawr. My sister and I are so excited to be best friends with you, and I speak for both of us~”

“No you dœn’t…” Mococo murmured.

“Yeah she does.” Gawr replied, shooting a sneer at her. “Your sister just said so, Mogo-whatever. You’d listen to your own sister, right? You trust us, right?”

Mococo didn’t answer. Fuwawa did instead. “Don’t worry about Mocochan. She can be a bit of a pouty puppy.” She giggled, poking her sister’s cheek. “Of course she trusts you, and I do too~” The dog continued, poking her sister in the ribs this time.

“ÆH!” Mococo yelped, swatting Fuwawa’s hand. “Okæy, okay, fine! I trust her.”

“That’s right.” Gawr said, smirking. “We’re all gonna be the bestest friends in the whole wide world~” She chirped. Fuwawa giggled in agreement. Mococo only narrowed her eyes further. “Say, before we go on with the tour,” Gawr continued, her gaze getting more focused, “as a token of our newfound friendship, how about I take you two through a special activity first?”

“Oh?” Fuwawa curiously tilted her head.

“Œh?” Mococo curiously tilted her head.

Gawr continued. “Just a quick game to get the blood pumping, you know? It’s right here, right in this room. Think of it like a… lighthearted initiation~ What do you say?”

Fuwawa was already nodding her head before Gawr finished. “Ooh, that sounds so fun!” She squeaked, grabbing Mococo’s arm. “Come on, come on, Mocochan! You’re not gonna be a pouty puppy all day, are you? Let’s see what this game is!”

“I don’t know…” Mococo mumbled, “I… guess it wouldn’t hurt to try it out…”

“Oh, trust me, it won’t hurt at all.” Gawr replied, eagerly gritting her teeth. “Not at all.”

——————————————————————————————————————————

“Right over here.” Gawr said, the three of them standing in front of one of the objects hidden under a sheet, something spherical that towered over all of them. “Again, it’s pretty light, nothing crazy. Just a warm-up, honestly.”

Fuwawa’s tail wagged excitedly. “Ooh, it’s huge! Mocochan, what do you think this is going to be? What is it? What is it?”

“I don’t know…” Mococo murmured suspiciously.

“Come on, Gawr, what is it?” Fuwawa asked, bouncing around the shark. “What’s the game? Are you gonna tell us? Come on, come on, tell us~”

“I’ll get to it when you shut your-” Gawr bit her tongue and took a deep breath. “Ahem… Be patient, my friend. I’m about to show you really soon.”

The twins nodded their heads, Fuwawa hopping back to her sister’s side. “Okay!” She chirped.

Gawr sighed for a moment, gritting her teeth. “Patience, Gawr. It’s almost showtime.” She snarled to herself before turning to the dogs. “Alright, so this is just gonna be a quick, 100% painless contest. Whoever loses is gonna get a quick, 100% painless punishment. Whoever wins will get a… well, I don’t have a treat or anything, but you won’t get punished. That’s the prize.” The shark said. “So, you two any good with water?”

“Hœh? Water?” Mococo asked, her eyes darting around the room. “What do you mean water? Is this a swimming contest? I don’t see any water…”

Gawr rolled her eyes. “I’m getting to that, you— Ugh, will you just answer the question?” She snarled, grabbing the edge of the cloth and tugging at it.

“Yeah, we’re great with water!” Fuwawa cheerily answered.

Mococo wasn’t so chirpy. “Well, I guess Fuwawa and I took some swimming lessons when we were puppies, but-”

“Good. Let’s get started.” Gawr interrupted, managing to get the cloth off and finally reveal what the “activity” was. The twins stared up at it, awestruck. It was an enormous fish bowl that stretched dozens of feet in the air, though it was only filled to about knee height with water. Two ladders were set up, one outside the bowl leading to the top, and one inside leading to a small pile of sand at the bottom. Atop that pile sat a little castle with a “Do not disturb” sign on the front, a shut treasure chest with a padlock, and a whole bunch of small, bright red, sparkling jewels.

The twins’ eyes sparkled too. “Oh, oh, look at those gems, Mocochan!” Fuwawa asked, shaking her sister’s shoulder. “They’re so pretty!”

“Yeæh…” Mococo replied. “So… what exactly are we doing, Gawr?”

“I. Am. Getting. To. It.” Gawr hissed, tightening her hand into a fist. “The two of you just gotta hop in the bowl and get as many of those shiny rocks as you can. When they’ve all been snatched up, whoever has the most is the winner. It’s that simple. Absolutely nothing else will happen.” She explained, squinting at Mococo. “That enough explanation for you?”

“…is that really it?” Mococo hummed, glancing at Fuwawa.

“Ugh, of course it is! Oh, don’t tell me you’re still nervous, Mogojyan.” Gawr teased. “Is it all the water? Is that what you’re scared of? Knee-deep water? You’re pretty hydrodynamic; what’s there to worry about?”

“Hydrodynamic…?” Fuwawa parroted with a curious tilt of her head.

“Hydrodynamic?!” Mococo growled with a furious glare on her face.

Gawr nodded her head, snickering. “Be proud of it, that trait’ll serve you well after you get in the freaking bowl already.” She pointed at the outside ladder.

“Okay!” Fuwawa chirped. She started skipping toward the ladder, but Mococo grabbed onto her tail, stopping her in her tracks and making her stumble back. “Ouf- Mocochan!”

“I don’t know, Fuwawa…” Mococo said, firmly holding her sister’s tail. “There’s something fishy about how Gawr’s acting…”

“She’s a shark. Sharks are fish.” Fuwawa replied, tugging her tail back.

Mococo circled around in front of her. “I’m serious! I don’t think-”

“I’m serious!” Fuwawa shot back. “You should really be more open to our new friend, Mocochan. I trust her, and I’m a good judge of character.”

“No you’re nœt!” Mococo scoffed.

“Yes she is.” Gawr interrupted. “You should be more like your sister, Moca-cola. She knows a true friend when she sees one. Now come on already; this fish bowl’s not gonna jump in itself.”

Fuwawa nodded her head. “Exactly, Mocochan. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she gently pushed Mococo to the side like opening a door, “I have a competition to win~”

Mococo begrudgingly followed her, grumbling unintelligibly under her breath. As little as she bought Gawr’s sudden switch up, she was truly hoping she was wrong. Mococo hated being right about this kind of thing, because it meant having to go through the gruelling process of convincing her sister. Fuwawa wasn’t stupid, far from it, but she was stubborn. Aggravatingly so. About as stubborn as a much bigger sibling would be to a much smaller sibling, even though they were twins. Mococo had little desire to suffer through another brick wall of an argument, so the only option left was to play along. Whatever Gawr had planned, because Gawr definitely had something up her sleeve, she would much rather suffer through that instead.

A minute later, the twins had thrown off their jackets, accessories and, as Gawr specifically insisted, all of their footwear. They were only left in white t shirts (with Mococo’s still leaving a belly window) and short shorts, and they proceeded to scale the ladder, its cold metal rungs making them flinch with every barefoot step. Now there they were, sitting on the rim of the bowl and eyeing the gemstones at the bottom. Mococo’s eyes were half on Gawr though. The shark had given them each an empty wooden box to put their gems in, and was now standing comfortably on the floor, away from the ladder. Even from as high up as Mococo was, she could still see that little smirk on the shark girl’s face. “The game’s over when there’s no gems left in the sand.” Gawr said to them. “Once that happens, I’ll take your boxes, tally them up, and punish the loser. Harmlessly, of course.”

Mococo’s eyes were still narrowed. She knew this couldn’t be that simple, but she had no clue what the trick was going to be. Gawr, judging by her smug face, seemed to be well aware of both of these facts. As Mococo was deep in thought, she suddenly felt a tickle under her arm and jumped a bit, turning to see Fuwawa’s smug face instead. “You’re going down, Mocochan!” She said, fluttering her tail at Mococo’s armpit again.

“Stœp it!” Mococo barked, slapping her sister’s tail away. “I’m telling you, something’s gonna happen that we aren’t expecting. Gawr isn’t—”

“Oh just have a little fun, Mocochan.” Fuwawa said back. “What could possibly happen? Gawr’s gonna sneak in like a ninja and tickle your tummy~?” She teased, wiggling her tail back in.

Mococo smacked it away again. “I’m serious.”

“I’m serious!” Fuwawa barked. “Lighten up. This won’t be fun if you’re gonna be all pouty the whole time.”

“I knœh, I knœh, but—”

“Ugh, are you two ready up there?” Gawr called out to them. “You know what? I don’t care. You’re starting in 10 seconds.”

“Oh!”

“Œh!”

The twins scrambled and tucked their knees in, perching themselves like birds ready to dive into the bowl. They each eyed the red gems, figuring out which ones they would go for first. “Good luck, Mocochan~” Fuwawa said in a slightly sneering tone.

Mococo glanced at Gawr one more time, absently rubbing her belly. She had to be ready for anything. “Good luck.” She replied.

“5… 4…” Gawr counted down, her smirk widening with each number. She could feel Gura grinning too, both of them ready to let their elaborate plan unfold. “3… 2… 1, and… DIVE!” She shouted.

Immediately, Fuwawa sprang off the rim of the bowl, Mococo a quarter of a second behind her and, both shouting “Bau bau!” as they fell, they dropped straight to the bottom with their boxes, landing in the sand with a big splash each. The two of them jumped up to their feet and, with one last glance at each other, sprinted to the first gem they each picked. Predictably, they picked the same one, the biggest and most visible one, about half the size of their fists, which sat right in front of the castle. The twins slammed into each other as they tried to pick it up. “Hœh?! Fuwawæ!” Mococo barked, trying to shove her sister away.

“Go away, Mocochan, this one is mine!” Fuwawa barked back at her, swatting at Mococo’s head and face with her hands. “Get your own ruby!”

“FINE!” Mococo groaned, shoving her sister to the side and digging through the water somewhere else.

Fuwawa giggled and scooped up the jewel, dropping it into her box. “HAH! One point for me~” She teased. Mococo rolled her eyes and kept digging around.

“Ooh, first point goes to Fubura.” Gawr said, pacing back and forth with that same smirk on her face. “Looks like she’s already pulled ahead. Remember, don’t drop your gems~” She snickered evilly.

The two of them continued, mostly staying out of each other’s way and snatching up free gems. There were far more than either of them were expecting, exactly 200 scattered on, and sometimes slightly under the sand. It was still long before they had to get competitive. At one point, with about 55 gems in her box, Mococo paused to glance at Gawr, still unsure of what she could do. Maybe Fuwawa was right. Even though Gawr was laughing so smugly, something definitely should have happened by now if she really had some nefarious plot or a cruel twist planned out, Mococo thought.

That’s when she heard it. A creak. Two creaks, actually.

Mococo’s eyes snapped to the little castle. The “Do not disturb” sign was gone, and the front gate was starting to pry itself open. The treasure chest too; its lock had vanished, and it was slowly inching open right next to Fuwawa. Both were mostly underwater, so it was hard to see clearly, but an identical bright red glow emanated from inside them. Mococo gasped. “F-Fuwawæ, wait!”

Fuwawa, predictably, did not notice either of these. “What’s wrong, Mocochan? You want me to slow down a little?” She taunted, kicking another gem into her hand. “Your box is looking empty there~”

“No, stupid, look!” Mococo shouted, pointing at the slowly opening treasure chest.

“Mocochan, quit trying to distract me! It’s not gonna work!” Fuwawa sneered, bending down to pick up another gem. “You have to catch up the normal way, because there’s nothing you can do to slow me d- dAAAH—?!?!” She suddenly squealed and shot up, slipping and falling onto her back. Something touched her foot; skittered across her sole like a spider. “Mocochan, what was that?!”

“I tried to tell youh!” Mococo growled. “Look at the—”

“Wait…” Fuwawa sat up, shaking her head dry, and lifted her foot out of the water. A tiny red shrimp was sitting harmlessly on her shin. “Mocochan, look. It’s just a little shrimp~” She reached over and patted it. “Hi little guy~ Is this your home? It’s a pretty big bowl for just one little shrimp~”

Mococo splashed some water at her. “Fuwawa, listen to me! The CHEST!” She shouted, pointing at the now fully open treasure chest. “Look!”

Fuwawa yelped, scaring the shrimp off of her leg, and turned to the treasure chest right next to her shoulder, her eyes widening a bit. “…huh?” She murmured, glancing back at Mococo for a second. She cautiously leaned over and peeked inside.

500 shrimp were staring back at her.

“HAAAAAAAAAH!” She screamed, her box flying out of her hands as she darted away from the chest. Every last shrimp leapt out of the box, now scattering around in the water with the twins. “MOCOCHAN!”

“HAAAÆH!” Mococo staggered back and hit the glass. She turned around to see Gawr fully laughing at them. “I knew you were up to sœmething!”

“Guilty as charged.” Gawr replied. “It’s just a little extra challenge, nothing harmless. You better watch those feet though.” She teased.

“W-Whæ- AH!” Mococo shot back and kicked her foot. A shrimp had skittered up her left sole. Then another up the right. The dog girl jumped and flailed, barely keeping her box in her hands. “Ah! gk- noHOHOHŒH- nnnn! It- it TIHIHICKLES!”

Fuwawa twisted and twirled around, trying to dodge the minefield of shrimp threatening to tickle her feet in the water, when she suddenly reached the castle. The gate was open, and her eyes went wide again. “N-NO!” She squeaked out, but before she could escape, another 499 shrimp shot out, with dozens of them crawling all over Fuwawa’s legs and feet. She squealed and squirmed, trying but mostly failing to shake them off. “AHAHA! N-NOT THE FEEEHEHEHEHEHEHET! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Gawr watched this all with that same smirk. “So the pups are ticklish. Really fucking ticklish.” She hummed to herself. “Good thinking, blue. Looks like your foot fetish came in handy for once.” The shark sneered. She heard a muffled “Shut up” from the back of her mind and snickered.

The twins had retreated to opposite sides of the bowl, the water now polluted by exactly 1000 shrimp, and every single one of them was more than eager to cling to and nip at the dog girls’ bare feet for some reason. It didn’t hurt, not at all, but it tickled so much that it might as well have been killing them. They fearfully glanced at each other, then down at the gems still scattered around. Mococo still had her box, and it was still about a quarter full, better than how Fuwawa was doing, so she was in no hurry to dive into the swarm. Instead, she looked over at the ladder and started inching toward it.

“Ah ah ah~” Gawr said, tapping on the glass behind Mococo. “You lift one finger outta this bowl, then you’re not allowed back in. You better stay and fill that box some more… unless, of course, you want to hand Fawuwa the lead on a silver platter?” Her smirk widened threefold. “And face my ‘harmless’ punishment yourself?”

Mococo scowled at her. She could put together that if a “harmless game” meant one filled with tickle torture, a “harmless punishment” wouldn’t be much different. “…fine, I- hehe- I’ll contihihinueh!” She kicked another two shrimp off of her foot.

Fuwawa heard Gawr too, and was already eyeing all of the gems she spilled into the water. Even through the swarm of red shrimp, it was still easy to see them with their glistening surfaces. She narrowed her eyes, trying to spot some kind of opening. “Mmm… mm…” She wiggled her ears and looked down at her bare feet. “…sorry, feet. This isn’t gonna be easy.” The dog girl said, bending her knees and springing into the swarm, landing feet-first with a splash. A dozen shrimp landed on her shirt and arms, and she brushed them away quickly, but the rest of them all dove at her feet like moths to a lamp. Her soles were pressed into the sand, and thus free from being tickled, but her ankles, toes, shins, everything under the water was vulnerable to being nibbled on and nuzzled against. “Nnn- nAHA-! Nneehehe, AAH! Get ohOHOHOFF!” Fuwawa squealed, reaching in with her hands and getting her box back, doing her best to fill it back up while fighting through the tickles.

Mococo, seeing her sister attempt to catch up, tried to take a step forward. A shrimp immediately skittered down her sole. “EeeEEH! Nœh!” She stomped her foot back down. She was effectively pinned to the wall.

“Ehehehe- HNNNN, pfff-EEP! Ahahaha, nnnnhnhnh- STOPPIT!” Fuwawa giggled, struggling to keep her feet planted as she rummaged around. “Gehehe- Get ohohoff my- EEEK! Hhnhnhn, nOT THEHEHERE! NnnhnhnAHA!” Slowly but surely, the gems piled into her box, and she was gradually getting herself back in the game.

“W-Wait, Fuwawæ!” Mococo called to her, jerking and twitching as shrimp grazed her shins.

“Yeehehehe- You can’t sSTAHA-! Can’t- haha! Y-You can’t s-stoHOHOP ME, MOCOCHAN!” Fuwawa shouted back, barely staying upright through the tickles.

Gawr snickered at Mococo, hands on her hips. “Uh oh, looks like your sister’s snaggin’ the lead. You’re not gonna win just by standing there like a little baby, mellow yellow.”

Mococo gritted her teeth. “Mococo! My name is Mococœ!”

“Whatever. You wanna lose or not?”

Mococo looked back at her sister, gem after gem being scooped out of the water and stacked in her box. She gingerly looked at her own, knowing she didn’t have enough gems to secure the win. Fuwawa would eventually pass her, and she had to act fast. “Mmm… F-Fuwawa, stœp!” She tried calling out, but her sister didn’t listen (or didn’t hear over her gradually more deafening laughter). Mococo had one option. Get in, get gems, and take her sister down. “Alright… mmm… time to- teheh- AH!” She kicked three more shrimp off of her feet, then bent her knees, getting ready to launch. “Grr-… BAUBAUUUUU!”

Fuwawa’s eyes widened, and she turned to see her sister flying straight at her. “MOCOCHAN—“ She screamed, then she screamed again as Mococo slammed right into her, arms wrapping around Fuwawa’s waist. The shrimp darted away, startled, leaving just the twins and the gems. “AAAAAH! GET OFF ME, MOCOCHAN!” Fuwawa shouted, still trying to reach the sand.

“NŒH!” Mococo screamed back, both squeezing Fuwawa like a snake and batting gems out of her hands. “GIVE UP!”

“YOU GIVE UP!” Fuwawa barked back, slapping Mococo’s ear.

“YOU GIVE UP!” Mococo barked back, kicking Fuwawa’s shin.

“YOU GIVE UP!”

“YOU G-GIVE UHUHUP!”

“Y- pff- Y-YOU GIHIHIVE UP!”

“Y- YAAH! AhahahAHAHAHA! Tch- stohOHŒP!”

“Nnnnn- NAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHOHOHEHEHAHAHAHA!”

The twins continued to fight as shrimp gradually swarmed back in. Now there were four feet to play with, and the shrimp wasted no time enjoying them. Both twins’ soles, unable to stay planted due to the fight, were completely at the mercy of the tiny crustaceans. Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny legs and tails swished and wiggled up, down, and all over the twins’ soles. While Mococo was undoubtedly quite ticklish there, Fuwawa was something else entirely.

“AWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAAAH! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOT THE FEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEHEHEEHEEEET!” Fuwawa howled, her legs uncontrollably high-kicking just to make the dreadful tickles stop. She ripped herself out of Mococo’s arms, a few gems falling out of her box, and she jumped and twirled around in a squirming, squealing frenzy. “AHAHAHAHAHAHA! MOHOHOHOHOHOCOCHAAAN! LOOOHOHOHOHOHOOK WHAHAHAT YOHOHOHOU DIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHID!”

“MehEHEHE?!” Mococo squealed, suffering a far less ticklish torment on her legs. “IhIhI- I’m just t- tehehe- tRYING to- AAH! Tehe- to WIN!”

“STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP! NOHOHOHOHOHO! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHORE!” Fuwawa darted all over the bowl, tripping over gems, shrimp, and her own feet several times. A group of shrimp wriggled comfortably between her toes, a dozen more nibbling at her heels. Whenever she shook one off, another three would take its place. It was a miracle she still had her box in her hands throughout this torture, even if gems were spilling out of it left and right.

Gawr snickered as she watched the show, idly twirling her fingers over her damp carpet. “Careful there, Fufuwa.” She sneered, several drops of water rising into the air and reforming her trident. “Don’t wanna hurt my poor little shrimpies, do ya?” The trident fell into her hand and she spun it cockily. “Might earn you a penalty.”

Fuwawa didn’t even hear her. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOT THE FEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEET! GEHEHET OOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOFF! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!!!”

This was the perfect opportunity for Mococo. She took Fuwawa’s place, planting her feet in the sand and digging around for gems. Starting with over 50 already put her in a good spot, and her sister was looking worse and worse off by the second. She scooped them into her arms two at a time, most of them piled in the same spot, right in the centre of the bowl. “Gk- nnhnhn… ÆH! Pffff- KHHHH! MmmmmmMMMMGH-! Tch- nŒh… N-nnnnNNNNNNnnnnn…” Mococo’s laughter came out in random sputters and gasps, her full laughter barely contained as she weathered the ticklish touches all over her legs and raked in points. 60, 70, 80, well over a hundred, her box was filling up fast.

Unfortunately for her, Fuwawa’s wriggling and kicking was getting better at shaking her assailants off. One by one, shrimp flew off of her feet and decided it wasn’t worth swimming back in, to the point where Fuwawa regained the power to stand still. The moment her soles were clear, she stomped her feet down, pressing them back into the safety of the sand. She looked down at the rest of the shrimp partying on her legs. “GET OFF!” She growled, reaching down and swatting them away, each swat punctuated by an annoyed “BAU!”

Mococo glanced over and gasped, redoubling her efforts. The pile in the middle was just about gone, every gem relocated into her box, shooting her far into the lead. She didn’t know the exact number at a glance, but there were far more gems in her box than there were out of it. The plan had worked perfectly. Fuwawa no longer had a way to catch up on her own. All Mococo had to do now was make a break for the-

“MOCOCHAN, YOU STUPID—!” Fuwawa sprinted at her with pure, undiluted fury in her eyes.

“HÆH!” Mococo yelped, darting toward the ladder. She did not make it far before Fuwawa snatched her by the tail. “ŒH! Kh- FUWAWÆH!” She barked, kicking her box toward the ladder with her gem count mostly intact.

Fuwawa’s nearly empty box was still clamped under one arm, her other now squeezed around Mococo’s waistline. “I’M GONNA WIN, MOCOCHAN!” She declared.

“NŒH! I AM!” Mococo shot back, bucking and squirming to shake her sister off. “I’M TOO FAR AHEAD, FUWAWÆH!”

“YOU’RE NOT G-GEHEHETTING OU- OUT OF HEHEHEHERE, MOCOCOEOEH!”

“HG- NOHOHŒH!” Mococo started to giggle as shrimp once again closed in on their legs. “LEHEHE- L-LET ME GŒH!”

“NEVEHEHEHER!” Fuwawa insisted, not even completely sure what her plan was. She just needed to stop her sister. That wasn’t gonna be easy, however, as more and more shrimp tickled their feet. “A- AHAHAHAHA, WAIT, W-W-WAHAHAHAHAHAHAIHIHIT!” She squealed, her soles and toes once again under a ticklish crusade. Mococo’s were too, but she could resist them. Fuwawa, with her unbearably ticklish feet, couldn’t take it at all. There was no winning this. Either she lets go and Mococo leaves with the gems, or she stays and keeps holding her sister, but ends up letting go anyway because she is way too damn ticklish. Fuwawa had no options left, and all because her feet just had to be her biggest weak spot.

Wait a second…

“Biggest weak spot.”

Fuwawa’s eyes widened. She had a plan. A real one.

Clenching her teeth, Fuwawa let go of Mococo, stuck her hand down, and whipped a handful of water at her sister, splashing her face and clothes. “ÆH! HEHE- HEY!” Mococo barked about half a second before realising she was completely free to run now. So she did. “Yaha- y-You’ll nEHEHEVER W- wehe- w-win now!” She sputtered, looking over her shoulder as she ran to the ladder and recollected her box.

Fuwawa wasn’t chasing her. She had backed far away. All the way to the other end of the bowl, actually. “I wouldn’t count myself out yet, Mocochan~”

Mococo slowed down a bit, not tactically, but out of pure confusion. “Whæt? Why… aren’t you running after me?”

“Why would I?” Fuwawa had a devilish smirk on her face. “I already got you~”

Mococo paused, again out of pure confusion. “…hœh?”

“Hey, Moto Moto.” Gawr said, tapping on the glass. “You got a little something there.” She gestured to Mococo’s exposed midriff.

Mococo looked down.

There was a shrimp on her belly.

One single shrimp on her exposed skin.

Sitting right above her belly button.

Mococo locked eyes with it.

“…”

The shrimp wiggled one leg.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!” Mococo shrieked, launched her box in the air, and toppled onto her back, rolling around like a ticklish tumbleweed. Each and every gem in her possession was now back in the water, and so was Mococo’s whole tummy. The single shrimp’s eyes widened at the ticklishness of this lump of flesh before it. All 999 other shrimp did the same. Every last one of them darted at Mococo’s belly in unison. “N-NOHOHOHOHŒH! ST-STAY AWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAYYYYY!”

“Have fun, little shrimpies~” Fuwawa cooed, casually sauntering around the bowl to pick up Mococo’s lost gems. “I know, Mocochan’s tummy is just SO cute~”

“NŒH! N-NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHŒEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE! D-DOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO— DON’T TOUCH MY TUMMY!!!” Mococo screamed out in protest, but it was too late. The shrimp were all over her belly.

Gawr was loving this. “Heh heh, now THAT’S how you do it. Take your sister’s weakness and make her suffer for it!” She snickered, spinning her trident around. “Ohoho, I like you, Fococo.”

“It’s Fuwawa~” Fuwawa replied.

Mococo squirmed on her back like an upturned turtle. One after another, the shrimp darted and swished across her soft belly, grazing the skin with their legs and tails. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHŒH! PLEHEHEHEHE- PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!” She begged, but her desperate pleading merely fell on the shrimp’s deaf ears. A few of them sat on her sides and nibbled them, a few more danced below her belly button, one of them danced INTO her belly button, then another five did the same, some swooped in and out like fighter jets, others did donuts on her tummy like sports cars; Mococo couldn’t stop them all. She couldn’t even stop half of them. She could swat five away, sweep another ten with her arm, but with a literal thousand of them hellbent on tickling her tummy, every effort was a waste. Mococo’s only choice was to give in to the giggles. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IHIHIHIHIHIHI- I CAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAN’T HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHŒT THE TUMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!”

Fuwawa sauntered around the bowl at a leisurely pace, picking each gem up one by one. “Aww, you little shrimpies can’t resist Mocochan’s tummy, hmm? I can’t either. It’s just so cute and ticklish~” She teased, her box filling up little by little. “And she always, ALWAYS exposes it! It’s like she wants her tummy tickled, but then she’s like ‘Grr, nœh tœchingh myh tummyh, Fuwæwæh!’ She gives me the biggest mixed signals.” She gave a long, drawn-out sigh. “I bet you totally like having your tummy tickled, Mocochan.”

“WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! N- NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHŒH!”

“Hehe, I knew you did~” Fuwawa cooed, her soaked tail wagging happily. “See, shrimpies? She loves it! That means you should tickle her twice as hard~”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOŒEEEEEEEEEEH!” Mococo desperately screeched. The shrimp doubled their efforts, and Mococo’s giggles doubled with them. “HAHAHAHAHAHA- HAHA- HA- HAHAHA- HAHA- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAÆEEEEEHEHEHEHE! PAHAHA- PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!”

Fuwawa took her sweet time, but eventually, every single gem was in her possession, all neatly tucked into her box. Of course, she also took the time to organize them from least shiny to most shiny as she went. It was a relaxing activity, especially with her sister’s laughter-filled suffering in the background. “Hehe~ Well, Mocochan, this is fun and all, but I’m about done here, so I should really get going.” She sauntered over to the ladder. “You see, I have this game to win. It’s a super duper fun game, and I really have to get back to that. It’s pretty important, you know?”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAÆEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! NNNNNNNNOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHŒH!” Mococo squealed, reaching her arm out.

“I knew you’d understand~” Fuwawa sneered, flicking her tail at her sister’s fingers. She then hopped onto the ladder and smirked over her shoulder. “Bye bye, Mocochan~” She chirped, making her way up.

“FUHUHU- FUWAWÆHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Mococo screamed, desperately batting at her belly, completely powerless as she watched victory drift away, just out of reach. In a couple seconds, victory had reached the top of the ladder, and twirled out of the fishbowl, leaving Mococo to wallow in her defeat. And the 1000 shrimp still tickling her. Fuwawa had won. She couldn’t have possibly won more handedly than she did, and it was all because of Mococo’s irresistibly sensitive tummy.

Fuwawa slid down the outside ladder and landed gracefully onto the carpet, greeted by a round of applause from Gawr. “We’ve got a winner!” She announced, taking the box out of the dog’s hands. It didn’t take a mathematician to tally this score. “And by an astounding 200 to nothing victory no less. Jeez, I wonder who the weak sister is.” She rhetorically quipped.

“Hehe, stop, that was nothing~” Fuwawa replied, giggling. “I just know Mocochan very well. That tummy is her biggest weakness~”

“Oh yeah, I can see that.” Gawr snickered, turning to the bowl.

The dog girl was still in there, howling with uncontrollable laughter. “WAHAHAHAHA! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE! MAHAHAHAHAHAKE THEHEHEM STOHOHOHOHOHOHŒHEHEHEHEHEP! I’M BEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEGGING YOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOU! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!”

Gawr shook her head, clicking her tongue. “Give her a break, shrimps.” She scoffed, snapping her fingers. At once, all the shrimp paused before flowing back into their homes, half piling back the treasure chest, half swimming into the castle. Mococo fell limp with her head against the glass, just barely above water. Her stomach was red and her chest rose and fell with each breath. “Pretty poor performance, Mango jam.” The shark said. “I haven’t seen such a one-sided ass beating since Gur-… ahem, since an incident with a distant relative of mine took place a long time ago.”

Mococo exhaustedly sat up, her hair and clothes completely soaked. She put her hands on her belly as if expecting another tickle attack. “…m……mm…..m….mm…” She whimpered. “I-… I…. mm……. I- I… I’m Mococo.”

“Yeah whatever.” Gawr replied, spinning her trident. “You lost, Mopey-dopey. You know what that means?” She leaned in, almost pressing her smug face into the glass. “I’ve got a ‘harmless’ punishment waiting for ya~”

Fuwawa giggled next to her, dancing around in her victory. “Ooooh, you’re in trouble now, Mocochan!”

Mococo let out a noise, somewhere between a whine and a sigh. “Hhm…”

“Alright, let’s get a move on.” Gawr said, her trident turning into water and flowing up her sleeve. She clasped her hands together, then gestured to a small door in the corner. “Fu-whatever-wa, you go get changed in there while I get this punishment set up. And you,” she pointed at Mococo, her smirk doubling in width. “Ms. Weak sister, you can stay riiiiight there ‘til it’s ready.” She snickered and slithered across the room, eyeing some of the other sheet-covered objects.

Fuwawa giggled again, bending down to look at her sister. “Are you okay, Mocochan? Or are you all tickled out? I bet you’re all tummy-tickled out~”

Mococo squinted at her.

“Maybe you should think twice about wearing crop tops all the time~” Fuwawa teased. “I keep telling you, it’s an invitation~”

Mococo’s eyes shut, and her head fell against the glass.

Fuwawa bent down lower. “Those shrimp really loved your tummy~ I told you, it’s such a cute tummy, Mocochan!”

Mococo sighed.

“Mocochan?” Fuwawa got on her knees. “Mocochan, don’t get all upset just because you lost. You almost had it, you know.”

“Fuwawa…” Mococo murmured, “you heard it too, right?”

“…huh?”

“What she just said… that ‘incident’ she mentioned…”

“What about it?”

“She was about to say ‘Gura’.”

“…”

“She said ‘I haven’t seen such a one-sided fight since Gura…’”

“…d-don’t be paranoid…”

“I don’t think we were supposed to meet this Gawr person…”

“I- I don’t know. Okay, maybe something does seem off, but we shouldn’t let it come in the way of anything.”

“We’re being tricked, I can feel it… and I know you can feel it too.”

“…..yeah, I can, but I won’t let just any feeling come between us and our new friends. We had a bad feeling about Shiori at first, she was really cryptic and weird in prison, but now look at us.”

“…you might be right, but… this… this shark girl…”

“Mocochan, let’s just… let’s talk about this later, okay? I know you’re suspicious, and I’m suspicious too, but we have to keep an open mind about these people, and that includes Gawr.”

“…”

“Look, I know you have a punishment coming up, so… I promise I’ll make sure Gawr keeps it as light as possible.”

“…promise?”

“Promise.”

Mococo touched her palm to the glass. “Thank you.”

Fuwawa did the same. “Any time, Mocochan.”

On the other side of the room, Gawr was having a chat of her own.

“Enjoying the show, blue?”

“Good one. I can’t see anything in this place.”

“Welcome to my world. It’s pretty cramped in there too, eh? You should really read some textbooks or something, expand that brain.”

“Yeah yeah. I take it things are going smoothly.”

“Oh, it’s delightful. Pain and suffering just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside~”

“…you aren’t hurting hurting them, right?”

“No, idiot. Just tickle torture, like we agreed. Gotta hand it to you, it’s a clever workaround.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m a genius~ …but Ame’s probably gonna be mad at me anyway…”

“Ugh, always going on about stupid Watson.”

“Alright, red, jeez. I know you hate her and all, but we’re switching back anyway; you won’t have to deal with ‘stupid Watson’ ever again.” 

“…right.”

“Yeah, I am right. And I don’t have a thing for blonds! L-Let’s just settle that right now.”

“Mhm. Let’s.”

“…red?”

“Hm?”

“Red, something’s up with you.”

“Something’s up with me?”

“Don’t play dumb, I invented dumb. I hear that evil tone in your voice. What are you scheming?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“…you are gonna follow the plan, right?”

“…”

“…you’re gonna… give me control back, right? …red? You still owe me for saving your life, remember?”

“…slight change of plans.”

“What? Wait, what do you mean? You’re not—”

“I don’t know… maybe I wanna stay in charge just a little while longer~”

“R-Red, wait! You- you promised to— A-After the- After—”

“Yeah, I did… but you know, I forgot just how fun it is to be in the driver’s seat~”

“Red, this isn’t funny!”

“Relax, it’s just for a little while. I’ll only stay in control ‘til… maybe our 10,000th birthday?”

“What?! L-Let me out!”

“Aww, what’s wrong? You don’t wanna be trapped in the deepest, darkest corner of your own brain for a thousand fucking years? I didn’t either~”

“N-NO!”

“It isn’t too bad. One day you’ll learn how to see my thoughts. Took me five, maybe six hundred-ish years to figure that trick out. I still haven’t gotten good at it, but you might~ Enjoy the deep, dark silence of your empty head until you do.”

“STOP IT! Y-YOU CAN’T KEEP ME IN HERE!”

“I should thank you, blue. Been needing some time to stretch my legs. Oh, and I’ve been dying to finally meet Calli, and Ina, that Mumei girl that sounds like you but marginally less stupid, and ooohh, that Fauna gal you keep calling ‘Mommy.’”

“Y- YOU—”

“Oh, and you bet I’ll be paying Mrs. Amelia Watson a visit. I owe her a little payback. And come to think of it, I might have a thing for blonds too~”

“NO! D-DON’T YOU DARE—”

“But right now, I’m having a lot of fun with these dogs. Might as well finish that first.”

“LET ME OUT! I- I’M SORRY, BUT YOU KNOW WHY I HAD TO—”

“Yeah, I do know. Those Atlantis peeps couldn’t take a joke, but maybe your friends’ll be different. Oh, they’ll be laughing alright.”

“RED! I- I SWEAR, I’LL- I’LL—”

“Pff- you’ll what? What could you possibly threaten me with? Gonna split us apart and get your ass kicked again? You know you’re the weak one, you’ve always been the weak one. Always buckling to whatever Watson says, whatever those atlanteans said, whatever ANYONE says! You called me just to intimidate a pair of PUPPIES. Fucking spineless loser. I’m doing you a favour. You get to sit back and relax while your better half does all the talking. I’ll get us back to the top of the food chain where we belong, starting with these puppies, and saving your beloved Watson for last. From now on, we run this show. I run this show.”

“B-But…”

“Later, sis~”

Gura went silent.