Narwhal here, narwhal there

Narwhal in Kai's room, and one in Jays.

Eight narwhal filled rooms.

Narwhals free from the evil clutches of trash.

Trash which was piling up in the sea

" Mia, this is bad." Jay commented as he watched his sister run around the house with her vet tools.

" It's all in the life of a veterinarian!" She called, entering Lloyd's room.

Jay watched as Mia darted from room to room, her small figure a blur of motion as she tended to the narwhals with the utmost care. "Mia, you can’t keep bringing every sea creature home," Jay said, trying to keep his voice gentle. "We’re running out of space. And, um, narwhals don’t belong in the house."

Mia popped her head out of Lloyd’s room, where she had just finished checking on one of the narwhals. "But they needed help!" she insisted, her eyes wide with determination. "The ocean is full of trash, and it’s hurting them. What else was I supposed to do?"

Jay sighed, knowing there was no arguing with Mia when she was in one of her protective moods. "Okay, okay," he conceded, "but we need a plan. We can’t keep them here forever."

Mia nodded, understanding but still reluctant. "I know," she admitted. "I’ll figure something out. But for now, they need rest and care." She disappeared back into Lloyd’s room, where the narwhal made a gentle, contented sound as she adjusted its makeshift bed.

Jay watched her for a moment longer, then went to find Kai. "We’ve got a narwhal situation," he said as soon as he found his brother.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "A narwhal situation?"

Jay nodded. "Eight of them. In the house. Mia’s playing veterinarian, and I’m pretty sure the bathroom is now a temporary ocean."

Kai groaned. "Of course it is."

The two brothers exchanged a glance, both of them aware that this was going to be a long day. They had faced villains, monsters, and world-ending threats, but nothing quite like a house full of narwhals.

"Let’s just hope she doesn’t try to keep them," Kai muttered as they headed towards Lloyd’s room to check on the situation themselves.

Mia knelt beside one of the five narwhals in Lloyd’s room, gently patting its side. "It’s okay, buddy," she murmured soothingly, her voice filled with compassion. The narwhal made a soft noise, as if in response, and Mia smiled, giving it one last reassuring pat before standing up.

Without missing a beat, she zoomed past her brothers, who barely had time to react before she disappeared into Jay’s room. Jay and Kai exchanged a look of mild concern and followed her quickly.

As soon as they entered Jay’s room, they were hit with a pungent smell—like a mix of seawater and fish. Jay grimaced, pinching his nose. "Ugh, Mia! My room smells like a fish market!"

Mia was already by the side of another narwhal, completely unfazed by the smell. She checked its flipper and nodded to herself. "Sorry, Jay. I think this one needed some extra attention. But don’t worry, I’ll get rid of the smell... eventually."

Jay sighed, knowing that 'eventually' could mean anything from an hour to several days. "I don’t know what’s worse," he muttered to Kai, "the smell or the fact that we have narwhals in the house."

Kai shrugged, trying to be supportive. "Well, at least she’s doing something good. And hey, it’s not every day you can say you’ve had narwhals in your room, right?"

Jay shot him a look. "I could’ve lived without that on my list of life experiences."

Mia, oblivious to their conversation, looked up at them with a determined expression. "I’ll take care of them," she promised. "And I’ll clean up, too. I just need to make sure they’re okay first."

Jay nodded, trying to be understanding. "Alright, but let’s make sure they get back to the ocean soon, okay?"

Mia smiled gratefully. "Deal. Thanks, Jay."

As she continued her work, Jay and Kai exchanged another glance, silently agreeing that they’d have to find a way to help her return the narwhals to the ocean—before their house became a permanent marine rescue center.

******

At dinner, Lloyd strolled over to the fridge, hoping to find something to whip up for everyone. But when he opened the door, his heart sank. The fridge was completely empty. Not even a leftover slice of pizza or a stray carrot remained.

Lloyd sighed deeply, closing the fridge with a sense of foreboding. He turned around to face the others, who were already seated at the table, waiting expectantly. "Guys," he began, his voice laced with frustration, "we have no food."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, no food? We just stocked up a couple of days ago."

Lloyd crossed his arms, giving Jay a pointed look. "I mean, the fridge is empty. As in, completely empty. And I think I know who’s responsible."

Mia, who had been busy jotting down notes about her narwhal patients, paused and looked up, her eyes widening. "The narwhals?"

Lloyd nodded, his expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "Yeah. It looks like our aquatic friends raided the fridge. They must’ve been snacking on everything while we were dealing with their rescue."

Kai let out a groan, slumping back in his chair. "Great. So not only do we have narwhals in the house, but they’ve eaten all our food, too?"

Jay chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, I guess they were hungry after being stuck in all that trash."

Mia bit her lip, feeling a bit guilty. "I’ll make sure they don’t get into the kitchen again. But, um… what do we do for dinner?"

Lloyd shook his head, trying to think. "We’ll have to order something in. But next time, we need to make sure the narwhals stick to fish, not our entire food supply."
*****

As night fell, the group had decided to make the best of their situation by crashing on the couch in the living room. The narwhals were safely tucked away in their makeshift pens, but the couch proved to be an uncomfortable bed for everyone.

Jay shifted uncomfortably, trying to find a more suitable position. “This is so uncomfortable,” he groaned, trying to adjust his blanket.

Kai, who was squished under Jay, replied, “Tell me about it. We’re like stacked blocks here.”

Mia, who was trying to stay cozy with the others, chimed in, “It’s not that bad. We’re all together.”

Suddenly, a high-pitched cry pierced the night, causing everyone to sit up in alarm.

Mia’s eyes widened in panic. “Oh no! What’s that?”

They all scrambled to their feet and rushed to the source of the noise, which was coming from the narwhal pen. One of the narwhals, a small one with a particularly bright horn, was bleeding from a gash on its side.

Mia knelt down beside it, her face pale with worry. “Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! This isn’t good.”

She quickly assessed the injury, her hands shaking as she tried to apply a makeshift bandage. “We need to get this narwhal treated immediately. It’s losing too much blood.”

Jay, Kai, and Lloyd gathered around, trying to help as best they could. Kai offered a flashlight to provide better light, while Jay and Lloyd helped keep the narwhal calm.

Mia worked swiftly, her vet training kicking in. She cleaned the wound and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. “Okay, we need to get this narwhal to a vet, like, right now. We can’t handle this ourselves.”

Lloyd nodded, already pulling out his phone to find a nearby animal hospital. “I’ll call and see if they can help us with an emergency visit.”

As the team worked together to stabilize the injured narwhal and arrange for its treatment, they put aside their own discomfort. Their priority was clear: helping their new friends in their time of need.

When the specialists arrived five minutes later, they were greeted by a chaotic scene. The living room was now a makeshift narwhal sanctuary, with narwhals of all sizes and colors scattered around, each one looked concerned and confused.

The lead specialist, Dr. Kelly, stepped into the room, her eyes widening as she took in the sheer number of narwhals. "Wow, how many narwhals are here?" she asked, her voice a mix of astonishment and disbelief.

Mia, who had been busy applying a fresh bandage to the injured narwhal, looked up, her eyes wide with a mix of pride and exasperation. "47237394739374748 narwhals!" she declared, her voice brimming with exaggerated confidence.

Jay, Kai, Lloyd, and Cole exchanged bewildered glances. Jay's mouth dropped open as he tried to process the number. "What?! How is that even possible?" he exclaimed, looking around at the narwhals that seemed to be multiplying by the second in his room.

"Yeah, and how did they all fit in here?" Kai asked, scratching his head. "This place was barely big enough for the ones we had before."

Lloyd's eyes darted around the room, trying to count them all. "I’m not even sure if that number fits in this room," he said, sounding slightly panicked.

Cole was pacing back and forth. "This is insane! I can’t believe how many narwhals there are."

Dr. Kelly, trying to keep her composure, took a deep breath. "Okay, let’s take a step back. Mia, how many narwhals are we really dealing with?"

Mia, realizing the specialists needed a more realistic number, took a deep breath and tried again. "No, actually, it’s more like 46293738447844783394747484838383990338849338474848484849474838."

The room fell silent. Jay and the others stared at Mia, their expressions a mix of shock and incredulity.

"Are you serious?" Jay asked, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and frustration. "How are we supposed to handle that many narwhals?"

Mia shrugged, clearly overwhelmed by the number she had just blurted out. "Well, it’s not exact, but there are a lot of them."

The specialists exchanged worried glances. Dr. Kelly pulled out her clipboard and started making notes. "Alright, let’s start with the ones that are injured or in immediate need of care. We’ll need to organize them and figure out a plan."

As the specialists began to work, Jay, Kai, Lloyd, and Cole tried to help as best as they could. They carefully moved the narwhals into more manageable groups, making sure each one was attended to. The chaos was palpable, with narwhals making gentle cries and flapping their fins as they were handled.

Mia stayed close to the injured narwhal, continuing to administer first aid while the specialists took over the more complicated tasks. The room was filled with the sounds of rustling fins and the specialists' voices, punctuated by the occasional chirp of a narwhal.

"Alright, let’s get these guys to safety and then we’ll start working on a proper count," Dr. Kelly said, trying to keep everyone focused. "We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we’ll manage."

The team nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. They worked tirelessly through the night, taking care of each narwhal and ensuring they were all safe and well-cared-for.

Two hours later, the specialists finished their exhaustive work. The room was still a bit chaotic, but it was much more organized. Each narwhal had been checked, treated, and given a temporary resting place. The team of specialists looked relieved but also tired, their faces reflecting the weight of the night’s work.

"Well, that was a lot," Dr. Kelly said, rubbing her eyes and wiping sweat from her brow. "We managed to get everyone sorted and treated, but this is definitely going to make headlines."

"Yeah," another specialist agreed, "we’ll have to notify the press. This is a big deal."

Mia, who had been quietly observing the process, now stepped forward with a look of desperation on her face. "Please, don’t tell the press!" she pleaded, her voice wavering. "It’s... it’s not necessary. We handled it. Let’s just keep it between us."

Dr. Kelly gave her a sympathetic look but shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mia, but this is too big to keep quiet. It’s important for the public to know."

Mia’s eyes widened in horror as the specialists began taking photos of the narwhals and their setup. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched them snap pictures and make notes. "Please, you don’t understand!" Mia’s voice rose in pitch. "This will cause a frenzy!"

Despite Mia’s frantic pleas, the specialists continued their work, seemingly unmoved. Mia’s frustration reached a boiling point. She took a deep breath, and with a forceful scream, let out a blood-curdling yell. The sound echoed through the monestary, sharp and piercing.

The narwhals, reacting instinctively to Mia’s distress, began to thrash and kick. The specialists, taken by surprise, were suddenly bombarded by a flurry of narwhal activity. The room erupted into chaos as narwhals flailed their fins and tails, creating a whirlwind of movement.

The specialists, struggling to keep their balance and avoid the flailing narwhals, tried to shield themselves as best as they could. “What’s happening?” one of them shouted, trying to regain control.

“Good, my children!” Mia shouted over the commotion, a fierce look of satisfaction on her face. “Protect yourselves!”

The narwhals, seemingly understanding Mia’s intentions, continued to create a chaotic scene. The specialists, now drenched and disheveled, had no choice but to retreat from the room.

Nya, who had been watching the scene unfold with a mix of confusion and awe, finally spoke up. “I forgot,” she said, her voice filled with realization. “Mia can talk to sea critters because of her water powers.”

Mia, catching her breath, nodded. “That’s right. I can communicate with them and they respond to my emotions.”

The narwhals eventually calmed down, sensing that the immediate threat was gone. The specialists, soaked and bedraggled, regrouped outside the room, shaking their heads in disbelief. They exchanged glances, knowing that the story of the narwhals—and Mia’s unique connection to them—would be one for the books.

“Well,” Dr. Kelly said, looking back at the monestary, “we may have to rethink our approach. But we’re not going to make this public, at least for now.”

Mia, relieved, gave a small smile. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

As the specialists packed up and prepared to leave, the narwhals settled down, their earlier agitation fading away. The lighthouse returned to a semblance of normalcy, with Mia and her friends reflecting on the unusual but unforgettable night.

“Guess we’ll be hearing about this from the specialists later,” Lloyd said, looking at the lighthouse with a sigh.

“Yeah,” Jay agreed, “but for now, let’s focus on making sure the narwhals are okay.”

*****

The next morning, as the sun rose over the Monastery, the Ninja scrambled to keep a secret from Mia. They had tried their best to hide the newspaper, but Mia’s curiosity and determination got the better of them.

In the kitchen, Jay and Lloyd stood side by side, carefully folding the newspaper and trying to hide it behind their backs as Mia walked in.

“Guys, what’s going on?” Mia asked, noticing their unusual behavior. She reached for the paper, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“No, Mia, it’s—” Jay began, but Mia snatched the newspaper from their hands before he could finish.

Mia’s gaze fell on the headline, and her face turned a deep shade of crimson. The front page was dominated by a large photo of the lighthouse, with a smaller, dramatic shot of the narwhals. The headline read: Narwhal Mayhem at the monestary: An Exclusive Look!

Her eyes widened as she read the article detailing the chaos caused by the narwhals and the specialists’ eventual retreat. The description of her blood-curdling yell and the narwhals’ response was printed in bold, sensational terms.

“This is ridiculous!” Mia shouted, her voice filled with anger and hurt. “They made me look like a fool!”

Without warning, she threw the newspaper onto the kitchen table. It landed on a pile of papers, catching fire immediately.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Lloyd exclaimed, noticing the flames. “Everyone, get water! Quick!”

Panic spread through the Monastery. The small flames quickly grew, licking at the edges of the nearby curtains and spreading to a few scattered papers. Kai, seeing the smoke and flames, dashed to Mia’s side.

“Mia! Calm down!” Kai urged, trying to grab her shoulders. “We need to get you outside before this gets worse.”

But Mia, her anger blinding her to everything else, was unable to focus on anything but the newspaper’s disrespect. She grabbed a nearby stack of towels and started to use them to fan the flames, only making the situation worse. The fire spread rapidly, now threatening the entire kitchen.

“Stop it!” Nya yelled, rushing in with a bucket of water. She threw it at the fire, but the flames had already caught onto some wooden shelves and were spreading fast.

“Get the fire extinguisher!” Jay shouted, his voice filled with urgency. “It’s in the storage closet!”

As Jay and Lloyd scrambled to retrieve the fire extinguisher, Kai grabbed Mia’s arm, trying to lead her outside. “Mia, you need to get out now!”

Mia resisted, pulling away from Kai’s grasp. “No! They ruined everything! They made me look like a joke!”

“Mia, this isn’t helping!” Kai shouted, struggling to keep her calm. “Please, let us handle this!”

Meanwhile, Nya and Lloyd were working together to put out the fire. Nya used a combination of water and a fire extinguisher to douse the flames, while Lloyd used a wet cloth to smother any remaining embers.

Despite their efforts, the fire had caused some damage, leaving blackened scorch marks and a lingering smoke smell. The room was now filled with a haze of burnt paper and charred wood.

Finally, with Mia’s resistance giving way to exhaustion, Kai managed to guide her out of the kitchen and onto the Monastery’s tranquil grounds. The fresh air and the sight of the surrounding peaceful landscape began to soothe her.

“Let’s sit here for a moment,” Kai said, his voice gentle as he guided her to a bench. “I know you’re upset, but we need to stay calm.”

Mia took deep breaths, trying to steady herself. The anger that had consumed her began to fade, replaced by a deep sense of embarrassment and regret.

“I’m sorry,” Mia said quietly, looking down at her hands. “I didn’t mean for everything to get out of control.”

“It’s okay,” Kai said softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We all get upset sometimes. We just need to handle things better.”

Back inside, Jay and Nya finished cleaning up the remnants of the fire. The specialists had been contacted and reassured that the damage was minor, but the incident had certainly made an impression.

Later, when Mia returned inside, she found the others waiting for her. Jay approached her, holding the remains of the newspaper.

“We’re sorry,” Jay said. “We should have handled it better. But we’re a team, and we’ll get through this together.”

Mia nodded, a small, grateful smile forming on her face. “Thank you. I’ll try to control my temper better next time.”

*****

Two weeks later, the day arrived for the release of the narwhals. The Ninja, determined to ensure the process went smoothly and discreetly, decided to conduct the release at night to avoid drawing attention. They arrived at the secluded beach just as the sun began to set, the sky painted in hues of orange and purple.

The air was filled with a sense of quiet anticipation. The narwhals, now healthy and much less frantic, were gently guided to the edge of the water. Mia, Jay, Lloyd, Kai, and Nya worked together to ensure the narwhals were ready to be set free.

“Alright, everyone,” Mia said, her voice firm but soothing. “This is it. The narwhals are going home.”

As they prepared to release the narwhals, a sudden flash of light illuminated the area. The sound of camera shutters clicking rapidly pierced the serene night.

“What’s that?” Lloyd asked, looking around in alarm.

Before anyone could react, the press had arrived, drawn by the flash of the camera and the disturbance they had made. Reporters and photographers began to swarm the area, their cameras flashing incessantly.

Mia’s eyes narrowed in anger. She clenched her fists, her anger bubbling over. “Not again,” she muttered. “They’re not ruining this.”

Mia stepped forward, her presence commanding attention. She stormed towards the journalists, her face a mask of fierce determination.

“Hey!” Mia shouted, her voice cutting through the clamor. “This is a private event. You’re not supposed to be here!”

The reporters, momentarily stunned by her outburst, tried to gather their composure. One of them, holding a microphone, asked, “Can you tell us what’s happening here?”

Mia’s eyes flashed with irritation. “I’ll tell you what’s happening. We are releasing these narwhals back into their natural habitat where they belong. And if you don’t leave right now, you’ll regret it.”

The reporters exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to push back or retreat. One of them, trying to remain calm, said, “We’re just doing our job. We have a right to cover events like this.”

Mia’s demeanor grew more intense. “Your job is not more important than the well-being of these animals. If you don’t leave, I’ll make sure you never get another story out of this place.”

The reporters’ faces turned pale. They had heard of Mia’s fiery temper and were now witnessing it firsthand. They quickly realized that Mia was not someone to be trifled with.

“Alright, alright,” one of the reporters said, raising his hands in surrender. “We’re leaving. We don’t want any trouble.”

Mia watched as the press packed up their equipment and hurriedly departed. She kept her gaze on them until they were out of sight.

Once they were gone, Mia took a deep breath, her anger subsiding. She turned back to the narwhals, who were now eagerly making their way into the ocean. The sight was heartwarming, and Mia’s fierce expression softened.

“Okay,” she said, her voice much calmer now. “Let’s get these narwhals back to where they belong.”

With the press gone and the narwhals safely in the water, the Ninja could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The operation was a success, and the narwhals swam away into the darkening sea, free and happy.

Back on the shore, the team gathered around Mia, their faces showing relief and gratitude.

“Thanks, Mia,” Jay said, his voice filled with appreciation. “You really stood up for the narwhals.”

Mia nodded, her expression softening. “I just didn’t want them to ruin something that mattered. We did good tonight.”

Lloyd sighed as he lowered his camera. " Well, now that's done, how do we get the fish smell out of the house?