It is time.

I finally have the energy needed to evolve. Or at least, I will when I do a fusion dance with Beatrixes 3c-5c and 7c.

What about Beatrix 6c you ask? She…sadly passed away when a fish with a really big mouth suddenly appeared from the ground and swallowed her whole.

A moment of silence for her, if you will.

Anyway, all that remains now is for me to acquire the proper ‘sample’ of the fish I wish to evolve into. Yes, it appears that I do get a choice in what I evolve into next, as I can feel multiple doors to subsequent evolutions open to me, although to which fish or animal each door belongs to I’m afraid I do not know. What I do know, is that the evolution I desire is not currently available to me.

And which one is that? Why, it’s none other than the same fish that had eaten Beatrix 2c.

Large, sleek, fast, and with resplendent scales. As much as I may despite the bastard that tried to eat me, that did not mean I did not appreciate and envy its power and appearance. If I had to evolve into any fish, then I wanted to evolve into that one. To be the kind of fish that could swim around in the coral reefs without always needing to watch their back. The kind of fish that could recklessly chase after its prey, knowing perfectly well that few fish would be willing to expend the kind of energy necessary to chase after it thanks to its speed,

But of course, the kind of fish that isn’t normally hunted is also the kind of fish that doesn’t often find itself as scraps on the ocean floor. Which is why despite having used the Beatrixes to help me scavenge around ‘the rock’, I have yet to get a single sample of it. Nor have I managed to find where the baby fishes of that type of fish swim around.

So that means I’ll have to do this ye ole fashioned way. By taking a chunk of the big guy myself.

Which is why I’m now floating before Beatrixes 3-5c and 7c, wearing my general cap—wait, shouldn’t it be an admiral’s cap since I’m in the ocean? But it’s not like I’m on a ship or anything so…

I don’t know, I’m not a military expert. And I’m not even wearing a cap, just some piece of seaweed I found.

Anyway…let me unveil to you my master plan that I will soon carry out to acquire a piece of one of those big and fast fish. And not to toot my own fin or anything, but I think it’s a rather ingenious and fool-proof plan if I say so myself.

See, the thing is that I don’t actually have to kill or even defeat the bigger fish. So long as I can take a bite out of it, I’ll be able to evolve into it, which is why I can be so confident in this plan’s success despite the power difference between me and the other fish. All that needs to happen is for me to take a bite and I win. Simple, right? And that’s what my plan is based around.

So what is this master plan that would earn even Napoleon’s approval? Why, it is for me to lead the fish into a perfectly laid out ambush. This will be done by using Beatrix 7c as bait to draw one of those big and fast fish’s attention. Then, once I have it, I’ll lead them to a predetermined location where Beatrixes 3c-5c will be lying in wait, patiently awaiting for the perfect moment where they will all jump out at once and take a bite at the fish. Considering how fixated those bastards can be on their prey, I doubt it’ll even try to dodge my surprise attack. But even if it does, it won’t matter anyway, because I’ll have all of its sides covered.

Genius, isn’t it? What can I say, I’m a natural born strategist.

Now, with that said, Beatrix army, move out!

****

Have I said how much I hate suspense and how anxiety makes my stomach hurt?

I have? Well, I just wanted to say that I feel terrible right now.

And why am I feeling this way? Why it's because I’m swimming around acting like a clueless fish in order to act as bait for potential predators—

That sort of came out wrong, I don’t mean those sorts of predators. Although those deserve to be attacked just as much as any bad fish does.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Anyway, I’m trying my best to swim around and catch the attention of one of the fast fish. Problem is, I can’t find one, and acting like bait attracts a lot of other fish that I want nothing to do with. So it’s been a real—excuse my language—fucking pain to get this plan started.

What? Did you think I would force a poor clone to be chased? I’m not that heartless. Even if it’s technically Beatrix 7c’s body that’s being used as bait, I at least have the decency to be the one taking control of it while this whole situation is going on. I know damn well how terrifying being hunted is after all, so I don’t want to force someone else to go through it, even if they're just a dumb clone.

As for my body, it’s safely swimming back at home. No point in putting all Beatrixes at risk after all. Not that this plan has much in the way of risk anyway. But you know what they say, it never hurts to play it safe.

But still, I really hate having to wait arou—

There it is! That alarm and feeling of impending doom!

Looking up, I could finally see the fish that I had been waiting for this entire time, and—gotta blast!

Bastards really don’t play around, as soon as it spotted me it immediately beelined towards me. But that’s fine, over the past twenty-one days I’ve spent as a fish, I’ve become a master at weaving and bobbing myself around the coral reefs. So to the guy chasing after me, catch me if you can! I have a lot of experience at playing hard to get, and I’m damn good at it!

So good that I haven’t had a boyfriend since college…

Let’s not think about that right now, okay? There’s more pressing concerns at fin to deal with.

With the fish hot on my tail, I swam as close to the seafloor as I could, moving between the corals as I used them for cover. At the same time, my actions forced the fish to lower its altitude, leaving it at a closer distance from the seafloor and therefore easier for my clones to reach and bite it when the time came.

With everything playing out according to plan, I shifted my course into a direct beeline towards the ambush point, prepared to become fish food for the success of the plan. Now, all that was left was to send the signal and have the Beatrixes attack.

And that time was coming in 3, 2, 1, and…

…

…….

What the fuck just happened?

****

I was back in my little home, absolutely stunned at the unexpected turn of events. Now, it wasn’t as if I didn’t know what had happened during that moment. No, I knew what happened. Saw what happened. It was just, I couldn’t believe what had happened.

After all, it had all ended in an instant.

It had seemed that the plan would have worked out perfectly, I had guided the fish to the correct point, and had sent the mental signal for the other Beatrixes to attack. But as soon as they moved, and despite the fish already having me, or Beatrix 7c, in its grasp, it still somehow managed to react in a moment to my surprise ambush.

In just the blink of an eye the fish opened its mouth, letting Beatrix 7c go as it suddenly jerked sideways. As it did so, it managed to hit Beatrix 4c with its tail, knocking it out before charging straight and biting into Beatrix 3c.

As I had expected Beatrix 7c to die, I had switched away from it and back into my original body, although I had allowed one of the other Beatrixes, Beatrix 4c to be precise, to share their senses with me so that I could keep track of what was going on.

But since that Beatrix got knocked out, I was forced to switch to another Beatrix. Which was Beatrix 3c, and…well, that too was a rather short lived connection.

And because of all the chaos and moving of senses from one fish to another, I failed to properly give orders to the two remaining conscious Beatrixes who soon became fish food for other predators.

And so I was left back at my house and by myself.

So yeah…I guess I somehow managed to lose my entire Beatrix army…and all the ‘xp’ that each single one of them carried. Like…I’m not sure what I'm supposed to say or do right now really. You know that feeling when you’re playing Dark Souls and lose all of your souls with no way of getting them back? Think of that but a fish times worse and that’s basically how I was feeling right now.

Lost, disoriented, and with all my motivation gone.

Actually, now that I think about it, didn’t Napoleon lose his whole army in some sort of stupid invasion as well? Maybe I should have picked a better general to make proud of, like Alexander the Great. He didn’t lose a single battle, right? At least that’s what I remember from that movie with Angelina Jolie.

Yeah, let’s just blame Napoleon for this and leave it at that, okay? This entire fiasco was definitely not my fault, and I’m still a brilliant strategist. Okay?

Okay.

Anyway,that's all for now and… please forget all about this day. Please. As for me, I’m going to go swim around in circles for no reason until I get my motivation back.

Bye…