Ruby Gillman Kraken vs. Dragoon

A Rough Day with a Hopeful Ending

Ruby Gillman was walking home through the murky streets of Oceanside. Her mind was clearly elsewhere, ears hanging low under her hooded jacket staring down somberly with sad tired baggy eyes. Poor Ruby was walking home with a poor final mark on her mid-term math paper. To score a less than favorable mark in her favorite subject was indeed big blow for the young kraken child. So much so that she didn't even noticed Captain Lighthouse in his ludicrous tour bus come from around the corner. "LOOK OUT!!" The old sea dog yelled as Ruby yelped and quickly ducked out of the way in time.

The kooky captain rushed down to help Ruby up, and her friends Margot, Bliss, and Trevin all climb out of the bus to their shell shocked friend. "Very sorry about that young Gillman." Gordon replied as he helped literally pulled Ruby off the pavement. "Ruby! My sweat squishy kraken baby!" Margot replied as she gave the kraken child and enormous hug that would've snapped Ruby in half had she had a spine "Are you ok?!!!" Ruby pulled herself away from her hyper energetic friend "Yeah... Yeah I'm ok." She muttered. "Really?!" Margot said exasperated "Cause you walked right out of class right by us, AND CONNOR, without a word." "Yeah, that's really unlike you Rubs." Trevin said while holding his game. "You looked like you were staring into an abyss of darkness as it swallowed your soul." Bliss dramatically chimed until Margot shot her with a 'Shut up you're not helping' glare from her eyes.

Ruby breathed a deep sigh of frustrating exhaustion "Ok ok no I'm not OK! OK?! I thought things would be better now I didn't have to keep my family kraken thing a secret. But they're NOT!!! For months I have to keep fighting sea monsters that threatened both my homes on land and sea combine with endless amounts of training controlling my crazy giant kraken powers with my warrior queen Grandmamma every week, all the while trying to keep up with my semi normal life on land... barley passing my own math class." She broke down holding out her midterm D – paper with the phrase 'Needs of Improvement' written on top.

Ruby's eyes became a little more watery until Margot quickly chimed in sitting down next the desponded kraken "Hold on girl now hold on." She blurted out starting one of her "Margot Pep Talks' "We get it.  This was a huge change to your life. Every teenager has to deal with the stress of changes once in awhile. New baby bros and/or sisters, changing homes and/or schools, getting one minor bad mark every once in awhile. I mean yeah nothing compares like learning how to be a giant kraken guardian of the seven seas, but the point is that eventually... life goes on and eventually you'll bounce back BIGGER and BETTER than ever!"

Ruby, while greatly appreciating her friend's wise yet overly expressive words, she still couldn't shake off her feeling of somber exhaustion. Margot turned to Trevin and Bliss, all three staring in agreement. Ruby perked up suspiciously noticing her friends' glances. "Wh...What's going on guys." She asked nervously. Margot quickly grabbed her blue friend's hand and pointed to the tour bus with Lighthouse smiling his best, yet cringe inducing, salty smile "Let's just say we have surprise for you." The pinked haired girl said all too eagerly. Ruby's nerves kicked in. Margot's infamous surprises combined with a lift on Wacky Gordon's absurd tour bus was enough to get her noodle legs quivering. "Uh... Thanksbutnothanks." Ruby quickly replies trying to speed walk away, but her arm could only stretch for so far. Ruby grip on the ground eventually gave out and she slingshot right backwards, collided right into her three friends and ramming into the bus. Gordon quickly shuts the doors and drives off.

Ruby is forced to sit awkwardly in the front row next to Margot, staying uncomfortably silent until the bus came to stop. The window was too murky to see through so Ruby had no idea too where her friends dragged her. Ruby's eyes remain tightly shut when she steps off. But after a deep breath she opened them to see... the front door to her own house. Ruby's nerves were quickly tempered with confusion. "Margot... What are you...?" Margot quickly interjected "Trust me Ruby. Trust me." Ruby opened the door to see her family coming to great her in their own special way. Arthur and Agatha sweetly hugged Ruby and kissed her, Grandmamma on the screen time tablet waved and sent virtual hugs, Sam giving a friendly surprise noogie with Ruby tossing him off, Nessie jumping on top and drowns her loving doggie licking, and uncle Brill finished off with his signature bear hug.

"Hi sweetie fins. Heard you had rough day but good'ol Uncle Brills here to help wash all those woes away." Brill exclaimed as Ruby pried herself from his overly affectionate grasp. "Huh?" Ruby exclaimed "How'd you all know?" "Because I... kind of told them." An all too familiar smooth voice said from behind Ruby and made her heart skip thirty beats. She turned and saw her boyfriend Connor "Connor... In my house. Connor's in my house." Ruby thought love struck to herself. She knew she would eventually have her partner in math and relationship over at some point, but she somehow still always got jelly legs when he was in her breathing radius.

"Hi.. Alga Bae." Ruby finally mustard, regaining her footing. "Wait... You told them...?" "Yeah ... Sorry." Connor confessed sheepishly "But I was really worried about you Rubs. When I saw you walked out of the school... all... you know..." "Melancholic?" Ruby finished embarrassingly while looping her legs around. "Yeah... I had to do something... So I asked your friends for help. Though to be honest I wasn't expecting the bus ride bit." Connor said scratching his neck in embarrassment. "But Ruby..." Agatha interjected "You study harder and push yourself harder than I ever have. You learned to build control great kraken powers and destroy the Trident in one week. It took me years to get to your level. You pour your mind and heart and soul into everything you do and I, we, all of us, are very proud of you for it." Arthur also joined "And even if you get you get a bad mark once in awhile. It's just water under the bridge. It doesn't change what know about you. You are our talented little gem from the sea Ruby. Never forget that." Ruby looked around at her family, breathed a smile and almost shed a tear of joy down her cheek.

"Wow... Thanks guys." Ruby sniffed "I really don't know what I do without you." Agatha smiled sweetly "Anyway." She said as she pulled out an envelope "This came in the mail today." Ruby's ears perked back up, she instantly knew what it was. Connor walked over "Yeah and that's why Mrs. Gillman invited us over for it." Shortly after their junior prom night, Ruby and Connor sent an application to Oceanside council to start an official 'Oceanside Mathletes Team' at Oceanside and Agatha was holding the council's reply. "Strange they're still using paper mail though." Connor brought up as he then urged Ruby to open the envelop. They both pulled out the paper and started reading, they're looks of excitement slowly turned to downer frowns...a moment of silent disappointment filled the room...

"THEY SAID YES!!!!" Ruby and Connor shouted in joy at the same time. Everyone jumped in laughter as Ruby and Connor jumped for joy, Nessie and Sam bounced off the walls, Agatha and Arthur danced gleefully with Grandmamma joining in (even though she didn't care for land activities but loved seeing her granddaughter so happy), Trevin and Bliss shared their own couple shuffle while Margot pulled out her confetti canon "NO!!!!!!!" Everyone quickly shouted as Ruby quickly threw the cannon out the window, exploding in the background.

"MY CAR!" came a non-canoe background voice.

"Right. Sorry." Margot exclaimed "...How about we all just go out for an ice cream run." Everyone chimed in. "Yes indeed." Grandmamma bellowed from the tablet. "And why not come to docks. I think I can spare some time to meet you all there." Agatha huffed in annoyance, knowing that was just her mother's high and mighty way of wanting to spend time with her family. Gordon honked the horn from outside "Hop aboard everyone!" He exclaimed "Davey's holding down the fort tonight." (A quick scene shows Davey the pet crab guarding Chelsea/Nerissa in her cage in Gordon's cabin). "So I can take you all there free of charge." Ruby and her whole family glanced back and forth nervously at each other. While Gordon was putting his best good foot forward for the Gillman's to make up for his past actions, everyone still felt a little wary of his slightly off state of mind. Still, they couldn't really say no to him either as he was trying to be better. They agreed, so long as he wouldn't take anymore sharp turns and drove the speed limit.

Everyone climbed aboard the bus, and Gordon took off down the road to the ice cream parlor. Ruby sat on the open roof and looked at the sunset on the ocean. She breathed a sigh relief, thinking that things were going to be alright... unaware that she was being watched.

On top the roof a neighboring building, the cloaked figured stared down at the leaky bus, with the blue kraken girl onboard. "There..." the haunting voice echoed "There is the one you seek." The cloaked fiend growled in disgust "How can one so young and impudent pull off such a remarkable feet? No matter... Prepare yourself little one. I am coming." The figure leapt to skies and soared towards his unsuspecting prey.