Chapter Text
School’s out, summer’s here! Where else to spend it except at the beach? Golden sand, warm sun, and of course, gnarly waves!
People gathered on the beach, watching with awe and joy as surfers showed off their skills on the waves. “Well, it’s another beautiful day down here on Sage’s Island!” An announcer spoke, overseeing the surfing competition that was going on. “These guys are really throwing it down out here today!”
Everyone cheered on the guy who was surfing as he pulled off a few spins and flips before ending his run. “That was awesome!” The announcer spoke, turning his attention to the next contestant. “Now it’s time for the RSA team to show off!”
Out of the waves, a purple cat beastman quickly stood up his board, making it look easy. “Whoa, look at that bottom turn! Setting it up!” The announcer stated as the beastman volleyed back and forth on the wave. “Down the line, speed drive. Carves it off the top, as he lays down the rail!”
There was a lot happening as the beastman leapt off the top of the wave, doing a cool spin before landing safely back on the water. “There’s that air reverse! Big air!” The announcer cheered as the beastman leapt over the top of the wave as it was coming to a close. “Whoa! That ripped! A solid 8.5!”
Out on the water, a boy with blond hair sat on his board, watching the competition unfold. “Now let’s see if team NRC can answer! We have a real treat coming up next!” The announcer spoke, causing the boy to straighten his back a bit before turning to look at the shoreline full of people. “Our very own queen of the waves, Vil Schoenheit!” Waving to the crowd, Vil turned his attention back to the waters ahead.
Over on the beach, two of his friends stood, one of them pressing a button on his watch to call up Vil on a video call. “With just a minute left to go, will he find the wave he’s been waiting for?”
Feeling his watch buzz, Vil looked down, answering the call. “Hey, Jamil, Kalim.”
“So, what do you think? Will he?” Jamil asked in response to the announcer’s little statement.
Looking back up, Vil watched as a massive wave slowly crept towards him. “He will.” Vil chuckled, watching as Jamil and Kalim’s faces contorted with worry.
“No way,” Jamil stated, shaking his head. “Are you crazy? That thing’s gonna slam you.”
Without letting Jamil get him down, Vil paddled his way out, chasing the wave like it owed him money. “Whoa! Vil Schoenheit is totally charging that crazy, redonkulous wave!” The announcer cheered, looking down at the DJ set in his booth.
Turning the speakers up, a familiar tune started playing. “You’re the Queen of the Waves!” Kalim cheered, pumping his fists in the air as the music started up.
“Go, surfer boy.” Jamil chimed in, though to a much less enthusiastic degree.
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(AN: Song time, since this is the only song in the movie that matters, “Italized Quotes” for singing, (Bolded Parentheses) for what’s happening during it.)
“He’s ready~ He’s steady~ He’s up on his feet~! Dancing on the water to his own kind of beat~!”
(Standing up on his board, Vil wore the biggest smile as he started carving into the wave)
“He’s in it~ He’s on it~ He’s rockin’ his skills~! Tearing up the current~ Like the guy’s got gills~!”
(Leaping off the top of the crest, Vil pulls off an impressive rodeo flip before landing safely down on the water)
“Pop up~ Lean in~ Side to side~! Lay back~ Hang ten~ Go for a ride~”
(Back on the beach, Jamil watched Vil’s performance as Kalim danced along with the song)
“Catch that curl~ Get into the tube~! Do the mahi mahi~ Make your tail fin move~!”
(Landing back on the water, Vil carves the wave, surfing the bottom line as he readies his next trick)
“He’s the Queen of the Wa~ a~ a~ aves~! Check him out~ He’s spinning that board around~!”
(Leaping off the lip, Vil pulls off a quick jump before landing, only to immediately lead into a sick backflip off the top)
“Queen of the Wa~ a~ a~ aves~! No one’s gonna take away his crown~! (His majesty is dropping in)”
(Back on the beach, Kalim continues vibing to the song, eventually getting Jamil to at least bop his head along)
“Ohhhh~ Surfs up~! Bow down~!”
(Carving back down the wave, water splashes up and past Vil’s face, hitting the ends of his hair and turning them… purple?)
“He’s the Queen of the Wa~ a~ a~ aves~! Check him out~ He’s spinning that board around~!”
(Coming out of an aerial barrel roll, Vil rolls up to ride the lip of the wave for a little bit)
“Queen of the Wa~ a~ a~ aves~! No one’s gonna take away his crown~!”
(Cutting back in, Vil splashes more water up towards his hair, turning even more of the ends purple)
“Queen of the Wa~ a~ a~ aves~! Check him out~ He’s spinning that board around~!”
(Leaping off the top, Vil is having the time of his life as he flies through the air)
“Queen of the Wa~ a~ a~ aves~! No one’s gonna take away his crown~!”
(Pulling off a sick kickflip, even more water comes up to splash his hair, turning the ends of his hair fully purple)
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“Whoa! Freak scene on the waves!” The announcer calls out, turning the music down. “Vil’s hair… has turned purple!”
Looking to the side, sure enough, Vil was able to catch a quick glance at his hair, and it was indeed purple. Everyone on the beach was shocked and a little confused by this sudden change.
“Mondo bazzaro dudes, check it out.” The announcer said, his usual bravado toning down a bit. “What’s up with Vil Schoenheit?”
Carving back down the wave, Vil ducked into the tube of the wave, letting it obscure him as he pulled some hair in front of him. “What?”
“I’ve gotta get another look at that crazy purple hair!” The announcer chimed, causing Vil to panic. He could either exit the tube and let himself be the clown of this circus… or he could take a dive. “Whoa! Gnarly wipeout!” The announcer shouted as Vil’s board sprang up into the air.
Swimming over, Vil hid behind his board, signaling that he was alive and well. “Looks like he’s ok! But that run ends this heat, and the meet! Surfers, come on in!” The announcer called, only… Vil couldn’t bring himself to go back just yet.
Diving down under the water, Vil swam further out and away from the beach. “Let’s go get Vil.” Jamil said, grabbing his own board from the sand, with Kalim doing the same.
Under the water, Vil tried to examine his hair. How did this even happen? The purple was pretty… but still. “Vil?” A voice called out. Turning around, Vil gasped when he found himself face to face with… a dolphin? “Yeah, ’m talkin’ ta ya.”
“Uh…” Vil started, before closing his mouth once more to try and save breath.
“Relax. Ya can breathe underwater.” The dolphin explained. Opening his mouth, even though it filled with water, it didn’t seem to clog his airways. “Come on. Yer friends are worried about ya.”
Looking up, Vil hesitated. What if they just wanted to belittle him, or worse? Rolling his eyes, the dolphin swam over, hooking his fin under Vil’s hand to pull him along. Stopping right below the silhouette of surfboards, the dolphin swam away. “Wait!”
“Talk later. See ya’!” The dolphin spoke, swimming away from the boy.
Looking up once more, Vil took a deep breath before swimming up. Popping his head up, Kalim’s bright smile nearly blinded him when they made eye contact. “Vil! You’re alright!”
“Whoa,” Jamil spoke, examining the new purple highlights in Vil’s hair. “Freaky.”
“Jamil…” Kalim spoke, not wanting Vil to feel worse than he already does.
“What? It’s weird.” Jamil answered, looking back at Vil. “Pretty, but weird.”
“What happened exactly?” Kalim asked, referring to Vil’s earlier wipeout. “You’re not hurt, right?”
Grabbing his board, Vil rested his arm on it, unsure of what to make of all this. “I don’t know… but, it gets weirder.” Shaking his head, Vil glanced down at the water below him. “When I was under the water, I was breathing… and a dolphin spoke to me!?” Vil exclaimed, not even believing himself as he said it outloud. “We actually… had a small conversation.”
“Wow… a talking dolphin, breathing underwater, and mysterious purple hair?” Kalim repeated, his smile never faltering. “There’s something deep and intense going on here!”
“Yes, like a deep, intense concussion,” Jamil replied, shaking his head as Vil pulled himself onto his board.
“I’m fine, really,” Vil said, sitting up on his board. “I just wanna go home.” Lying down, Vil started paddling his way towards shore. “I’ll call you later, alright?”
“Alright…” Jamil said, watching Vil’s retreating form. “But if you get blurry vision, have your dad take you to the doctor!”
“Or the zoo!” Kalim added, gaining a confused look from the boy next to him.
“The zoo?” Jamil asked, even though he wasn’t expecting much in the first place.
“I love the zoo.”
.
.
.
Back at his beach house, Vil sat on his bed, fiddling with his strange purple ends. Looking out his window, the ocean he loved so dearly now felt like some kind of trap ready to gobble him up.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock at his door. “Come in…” Vil called out, pulling his hood over his head to hide the mess.
“Hey…” The familiar voice of his father, Eric, spoke as the door opened. “Heard you ate it today… Everything alright?”
“Dad…” Vil started, turning his head to look at the man. “When you used to surf out here, did anything… I don’t know, weird, happen to you?”
“Well, that depends.” Eric started, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you mean weird like ‘Whoa.’? Or weird like ‘Whoa!’? Or weird like ‘...whoa.’?”
Laughing at his dad’s little antics, Vil sat up, pulling off his hood. “Weird like this?”
“Whoa! You dyed your hair.” Eric exclaimed, admiring the color.
“No, I didn’t, this just happened in the middle of the meet,” Vil explained, lying back on his bed. “Then I dove underwater, and I could breathe… and, a dolphin spoke to me!” Despite this being the second time he’s told this little story, he still didn’t believe it.
“Whoa…” Eric said, his voice soft instead of his usual bravado.
“What’s happening to me?” Vil questioned, wondering if Jamil had a point with the concussion thing. “Am I going crazy?”
“...No, you’re not crazy. You just…” Eric started, sitting down on Vil’s bed. “Didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what?” Vil asked, sitting up to better look his dad in the eye.
“Well, I… might’ve not been completely honest regarding… how you ended up with me,” Eric spoke, confusing Vil even more than he already was.
“Dad, I took health class, I know how it works.” Vil responded, but he could tell there was more to this.
“Well… for you, it’s more complicated than that,” Eric spoke, trying to keep the smile on his face. “You see, your mom and I, we were always close friends, but she was always one for telling stories… So when she told me she had fallen in love and married a merman… I thought it was just another tale.”
Hearing this, Vil was shocked, but also in disbelief since… merfolk aren’t real… right?
“But, roughly a year after the accident…” Eric said, standing up from the bed and walking over to the window to look at the waves. “I was on the sand, working on my balance…”
Eric was standing on the beach, surfboard balancing on an exercise ball as he held stacks of rocks in his hands and on his head. Eyes closed, he nearly missed the sound of the water splashing in front of him.
“Eric Venue?” A voice called out, but the blond still didn’t open his eyes.
“That’s me.” He replied, trying his damndest not to fall off his board.
“I’m Divus Crewel. I believe Eleonor told you about me.”
Hearing this, the man finally opened his eyes, only to be met with not a human man, but a merman. His tail was white with a few gorgeous black spots scattered throughout, and his hair was half-white, half-black, but what caught the man’s attention the most was the elegant crown on his head.
Panicking, Eric quickly lost his balance, falling onto the sand and dropping his rocks, one of which landed on his head.
“It was all real,” Eric explained to Vil. “Everything Eleonor had said… only she hadn’t mentioned that, well, you had been born.”
Swimming partially out of the water, Crewel held a small child in his arms; Vil.
“And there you were,” Eric said, walking back over to sit on Vil’s bed. “The sweetest, cutest little kid I’d ever seen.”
Wading into the water, Eric looked down at the baby in Crewel’s arms. “His name is Vil,” Crewel spoke, smiling down at the boy.
That was when Eric noticed something off. “Hey, no fins.”
“No… he looks quite human,” Crewel stated, his smile falling. “Which makes it dangerous for him down in Oceana.” Taking a breath, Crewel placed a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “I need to ask… Would you raise him? He’ll fit in better here… and he’ll be safe.”
“And of course, I said yes,” Eric said, his smile growing softer. “Well, I loved you the moment I saw you.”
Draping the seaweed sling around Eric’s neck, Crewel pulled out a shell necklace, securing it around baby Vil’s neck.
“Your dad did too; he hated to leave. But, before he did…” Turning around, Eric pointed down at the necklace Vil still wore around his neck. “He gave you that necklace. Said it would always keep you safe.”
Reaching up, Vil clutched the necklace around his neck. He had worn this thing for years, thinking it was a gift from his deceased mom.
“You know, I guess I should’ve told you before…” Eric spoke, shrugging his shoulder. “I just thought it would’ve been too much for you to take in… You okay?”
Vil was silent, right before he started laughing. “Oh, I’m fine, but you? You’ve clearly had too many wipeouts over the years.”
“Vil…” Eric started, only to be cut off by his son.
“Do you actually expect me to believe that? That you’re not my birth father, and my real one is a merman?” Vil accused, holding back more laughter. “What, was my mother the Loch Ness Monster?”
“I’m telling you the truth, Vil,” Eric confirmed, but it was clear Vil wasn’t believing him. With Vil standing up, the boy approached the balcony. “Vil!”
“I gotta go,” Vil stated, hopping over the side to slide down the nearby tree. Landing on the ground, Vil called up Jamil. “Hey, you and Kalim still up for the cove? I need a major reality check.”