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[Ray grins, and grabs Egon by the waist to drag him into the water. He's giggling like a maniac as he does so.

Annie watches Sigourney stick the knife into the sand with interest, and grabs a nearby stick to shove into the sandcastle as well. She hears this is called symmetry!]

Wh--

[Before Egon realizes what's happening, he gets pulled down into the water. By some miracle, his glasses manage to stay on even as Egon tries to go back towards the surface, sputtering and coughing. He shakes his head to try and shake off some of the water in vain. His suit completely soaked, Egon stares down at his partners.]

Very funny.

[It's hard to tell if he means it...sarcastically or not, based on his stoic expression? He's not getting out of the water, at least. After another moment or two, he submerges himself a little deeper in the water and just. Sits there.

Cucumis lets out a series of angry squeaks as she's poked and prodded at. The nerve of this creature to treat something like her so poorly! She's a trainer's Pokémon and she deserves respect!

Her face suddenly cringes in on itself, and her eyes completely disappear. A few seconds later, copious amounts of slime begins oozing out of her skin to try and discourage MJ.]

[Venkman laughs as Egon gets dragged in, and leans over to kiss him once he settles down.]

Now we're all soaked. It's equality.

[Sigourney looks approvingly at the stick. Yes, she thinks this sand castle is nearly finished. All it needs now is-

Kildarby lands nearby with a plastic toy shovel in her beak. The final piece. She offers it to Annie- here, kid. You do the honors. Stick it in the top of the castle.

The Wingull rolls Cucumis around a bit more, covering her with sand. Taste is never something that really bothers her- she's eaten all kinds of garbage over the years. But eventually, MJ loses interest and just sort of. Hops away. Leaving Cucumis on the ground while MJ goes in search of food she can actually eat.]

[Ray grins and clings to Egon in almost an attempt to apologize (although he's definitely not sorry).]

Besides, what's the point of going to the beach if we don't go into the water?

[Annie starts tearing up at the realization that she gets to put on the final touch! She hugs Kildarby and gratefully takes the shovel.

She's honestly nervous about screwing it up, but gently she places the shovel on top of the sand castle...

And it's perfect! Their dads will love it!!!]

[Egon can't be mad if any of his partners kiss him and Venkman knows it. Infuriating. After a few minutes of sitting, he gets up, dripping wet.]

Well, this was rather informative, but I should be getting back to collecting samples and writing down my observations. Have either of you found anything out here?

[Cucumis is just going to bake in the sun for a little bit while she waits for Egon to notice her. Meanwhile, on the other end of the beach, a Shuckle pokes his head out of his shell, squinting up at the sky and a Wingull flying overhead.]

Yeah, Egon. Why don't you take a closer look at the water over here? seems pretty interesting to me.

[Is he coming up with an excuse to keep Egon over here, or is he planning to dunk Egon's head in the water as soon as he leans close enough? No one knows. Probably both.

As soon as the shovel is placed, the air itself seems to change. The beach feels colder, somehow, at least around the sand castle crew. Kildarby croaks softly, fluffing out her feathers and leaning in a little closer. Sigourney just waits.

The sand castle appears to shift. No- it's definitely shifting, grains falling as the turrents and towers move, and- is that a hole opening up in the middle? Are those eyes?

Like the world's worst knockoff of Frosty the Snowman, that shovel appears to have brought some life to this mound of sand. The new eyes blink as they take in the world around them for the first time. The Sandygast holds its knife up curiously, watching the sun's rays glint off the blade.

Kildarby speaks up first- she's glad to see that her fellow Murkrow weren't lying about this. How does it feel to have created life?

Sigourney thinks it over. Good. Very good, she blinks.

... Anyway, MJ is absolutely gonna fuck with the Shuck, circling overhead and slowly spiralling down towards him. She lands on top of him and starts to peck at the shell, before realizing that won't work. She pokes her beak into the openings.]

[Ray starts giggling, practically giving himself away already.]

Yeah Spengs! I'm sure there's some fascinating microorganisms here!

[Annie, meanwhile, is instantly terrified of the sandcastle moving as soon as she puts the shovel on. She scurries to hide behind Sigourney for protection since she's cool and strong.

H... hi sandcastle? Please say you're friendly.]

I'm not an idiot, Venkman. I know which specimens are of value and which ones to ignore.

[Said while sloshing through the water to go look anyways.

The Shuckle sort of blinks lazily at MJ before slowly slorping itself back into its shell--not that it's particularly bothered by being pecked at, but it would rather not have to deal with this. Score. Now the holes are handholds.

Delphi lets out a loud, sudden squawk, nearly falling off Alfred's back. Doom! It has arrived! It's closer than they think!

...All the while, apparently not seeing the Sandyghast on the shore.]

Never said you were, Egon.

[He makes eye contact with Ray. He slowly approaches Egon from behind, and gestures for Ray to follow his lead. It's dunking time.

Sigourney just... pats Annie on the head, once. She's not really good at comforting. She barely understands what that is. She explains- Kildarby mentioned this ritual to her, and they both wanted to try it out. It should be friendly.

Kildarby preens her wing feathers. Possibly friendly, she adds. We did just create a ghost out of thin air. No telling the personality.

The Sandygast appears too invested with taking in the world around it to even realize they're talking about it. It shuffles forward, granules of sand falling from its body as it moves. It notices Cucumis, and begins to slowly shuffle closer. It's still brandishing the knife.

MJ picks up the Shuckle with ease, chirping to herself. She flies off with the Shuckle- not far, just bringing it closer to the rest of the Pokemon. As for Alfred, he's finally gotten Axle back to the shore, and he looks alarmed by Delphi's reactions. What's wrong, little one? What do you see?]

[It takes a moment for Ray to realize what Venkman's hinting at, but when he does, he nods and gently follows.]

Yeah, you know you're a genius and we love you.

[>:) He will never suspect a thing.

Annie is slightly comforted by this. She doesn't mind ghosts! Her best friend is a ghost herself after all, so surely a lot of them have to be nice.

Oh wait a minute! Her club is still on the sand castle! She scurries out from behind Sig and nervously confronts the Sandyghast.

Hello sir, the club was from her mother, can she please have it back?

Axle idly looks up from the water. If doom has arrived, it's a beautiful day for it. That's nice.]

[Egon stands in the water for a few moments, staring straight into the water. When Ray and Venkman are just about to creep up on him, however, he dives down, disappearing below the waves. Sand gets kicked up and clouds the water where he was.

If Ray or Venkman try to peer into the water where Egon disappeared, they'll hear something splash behind them as Egon tries to push them both into the water. Revenge Time, Boys.

Delphi waves frantically, her arms pinwheeling as she tries to maintain her balance. Doom! A new presence coalesces, formed by fools pursuing a higher knowledge. Tampering with forces unknown to them, they see not the consequences lain before them--!

And then she falls into the water with a loud QUACK!

Cucumis sees the Sandygast coming towards her with a knife, and she squeaks in alarm, trying to scoot out of the way. She came to the beach to have a relaxing time, and what has happened so far? She's been disturbed in her nap, nearly eaten by a blasted Wingull, and now she's being accosted by newborns with knives. She splurts out her guts, raising a fist in warning. Step back, or she'll punch ya!]

[Well. He didn't expect that. Venkman is successfully dunked into the water, and comes back up spluttering.]

You do learn from your mistakes! I can't believe it!

[He's laughing as he tries to drag Egon down again.

The Sandygast pauses at Annie's plea. It has no idea what a mother is. But it will listen to its creators. It allows her to pry the club free, before continuing its slow approach to Cucumis. The fist doesn't bother it- it doesn't even know that's a threat.

Alfred dives underwater after the fallen Delphi, asking if she's alright. Once he's got her on his back, he'll gently deposit her back in the sand.

MJ is poking around at her prize when Kildarby notices. She croaks irritably, and flies over to shoo MJ away. Come now, you're owned by someone, you can't go around preying on the wildlife. The Wingull shrieks in anger- she wasn't gonna eat it, just, you know, maybe take a bite outta it.

Kildarby takes the Shuckle, and is about to fly it back over to where MJ found it, when she notices Egon in the water.

An idea comes to mind.

Ever heard of Aeschylus? How about the way that he died?]

[Ray certainly didn't expect it either and goes down, but he quickly recovers and goes after Egon.]

That's no fair! You can't sneak up on us!

[He doesn't seem at all bothered by this.

Oh! Thank you so much! Annie is now no longer afraid of this scary living sandcastle and is now curiously following him. That's Aunt Cucumis! She's mean sometimes but Annie just knows that she's a good person deep down. c:

Axle gently lays on the shore as well, and pats Delphi on the head. There there. At least we're at water .

... And maybe their dads brought snacks. Do you want a snack?]

[Egon gets dragged down again, but he's not going to take it quietly. Egon immediately goes to try and drag both Ray and Venkman down into the water with him. He's not doing this for fun--this is war.

He's always serious.

Speaking of fun, Cucumis doesn't seem to be having any sort of fun right now. For the love of Arceus, get rid of that knife before she takes it from you!

Delphi sort of flops down onto the sand, quacking in a slightly panicked manner. The mental load of predicting the future is too much for her--she's just gonna lie here for a bit. Snacks would be nice.

The Shuckle remains firmly in his shell while Kildarby does whatever she wants with it. He just hopes that eventually they'll give up and leave him alone.]

[Venkman gets yanked into the water again.

The Sandygast approaches Cucumis. Closer. Closer.

Kildarby picks up the Shuckle in her talons and flies over the trio of Ghostbusters, circling them once or twice. She aims.

The Shuckle is deployed.

Delphi is probably about to have a heart attack.]

[A lot of things can happen in the span of three seconds.

One. Egon resurfaces, trying (again) to shake off as much water as possible before he's inevitably pushed down into the sea again.

Two. A Pyukumuku by the name of Cucumis Sativus punches at the Sandygast approaching her, trying to take the knife from its base. Simultaneously, closer to the edge of the water, Delphi sees the Shuckle flying through the air and starts quacking and clutching her head.

Three. Everyone in the vicinity hears a distinct CRACK as the Shuckle makes contact with Egon's head.

Egon jolts forward, his glasses falling into the water as the Shuckle splashes down and sinks like a stone. The Ghostbuster glares up at the source of the attack, Kildarby, and is about to sternly lecture her when he does a double take and looks more closely at what she dropped.

And he audibly gasps.]

Oh, my God.

[He dives down to retrieve the red shell and comes back up, holding it above his head like some grand prize. He looks utterly ridiculous, sopping wet and without glasses, but his face is lit up with excitement. The Shuckle peers its little face out tentatively.]

Look at this!

[Annie was just about to call out in chock at Cucumis for hitting her new friend when she's distracted by the Shuckle falling on weird science dad. Should... they be worried about this?

Meanwhile, Axle hands Delphi some peanut butter crackers.]

Egon!!!

[Ray scrambles to his feet and tries to get Egon to assess the damages when Egon suddenly springs up with excitement.

He is frankly stunned by this sudden change.]

Egon...

I love them! What Pokemon is that? I've never seen this little guy before!

[Venkman save these two idiots.]

[Venkman can barely comprehend what the fuck just happened. Before he can really even register the fact that Egon just got smacked in the head, Egon's already up and going into scientific hyperfocus overdrive.]

... I'd ask if you're ok, but I think you just answered that question for me.

[Kildarby's job here is done- she lands on the shore and begins to preen. MJ bristles as the Shuckle is lovingly brandished by Egon. Alfred pokes his head out of the water, Egon's glasses held in his mouth by the frames- Venkman takes the glasses and proceeds to put them back on Egon's face.

Sigourney appears wildly unphased by everything.

As for the Sandygast, it recoils in surprise at the hit. The knife doesn't drop, but it manipulates the sand particles to hide the blade. It looks confused and a little sad- why hit?]

[Egon practically shoves the Shuckle in both of their faces. The Shuckle seems relatively unfazed by this as it slowly begins to extend its limbs, wrapping them around Egon's arm.]

This is a Shuckle. I've read extensively on their species--did you know that they're known as the mold Pokémon? This creature stores berries in its shell and digests them to become edible, like many other decomposers. What makes this berry juice unique is that it can also be consumed by other Pokémon and human beings. It looks incredibly similar to the apple rust fungi--

[He still can't see shit even with his glasses on, but he doesn't care. He's like a kid in a candy store that was struck over the head with a jar of Twinkies.

Cucumis chitters, a little annoyed. She hit because the Sandygast was approaching her with a sharp object! She thought it was going to stab her, and she's had enough physical harm for today. Maybe if they want to avoid getting hit, they shouldn't run at people with sharp objects!]

--help me think of names of mycologists, please. A glorious specimen such as this one deserves a good name.

[Ray gently boops the Shuckle.]

You should name them after Beatrix Potter! I think it fits this cute little guy well.

-And if humans can drink the juice Shuckles can produce, then we could do a new experiment on berries to determine the effects of humans on berries with alterations done to them!

[Finally they won't hecking pass out again.

Annie nods in agreement. It's important to be nice to strangers! And she's pretty sure a lot of people don't like knives.]

Hey, I already named a rabbit after her. Spengs can't take that name.

[She's one of the only mycologists Venkman knows off the top of his head, though.

The Sandygast considers Cucumis' words. What's wrong with sharp objects?]

Oh, God. My bird gave you guys more experiment ideas.

[The Pyukumuku slams a fist against the sand, annoyed. She's hardly a good mentor, and small children asking their questions frustrates her easily. People get hurt with sharp objects! Sure, she can heal herself, but that doesn't mean that you should go charging at people with them!

With that, she squelches deeper into herself and seemingly closes off the conversation. She just wants to rest in the sand for a while, thank you very much.

Egon thinks for a moment, staring into the Shuckle's shell, as if it may offer some sort of answer. The Shuckle stares back, blinking.

Slowly, Egon lifts the Shuckle above his head in an almost triumphant fashion. His face and voice absolutely deadpan, he recalls the following name:]

Karl Wilhelm Gottlieb Leopold Fuckel.

[Annie nods, gently holding the Sandygast's... well... she wants to hold their hand but they're a sand castle so she guesses she's just... gonna hold some sand.

Anyway sharp things hurt! Some people are fine with it, but it's always important to ask if someone likes knives before waving one around them!

Ray stares at Egon once he hears that name.

Then at Venkman.

Then back at Egon.

Did he just imagine that or...]

Spengs, what name did you just give Shuckle?

[The Sandygast doesn't understand hand holding, particularly because it has no hands, but it accepts it anyway. It appears somewhat sad that it upset Cucumis, but it also doesn't quite know why she was upset in the first place. The knife doesn't hurt it, so why would it hurt someone else?

Venkman blinks, bemused, looking from Ray to Egon.]

... Was that multiple name suggestions or is that the actual, full name you wanna give this thing? [A beat. Slowly, he seems to actually register the last part of that name.] Can you- can you spell the last part?

I said, Karl Wilhelm Gottlieb Leopold Fuckel. As in the fungus biologist?

[He glances back and forth between his partners for some sort of recognition, and sighs, rubbing his forehead in apparent frustration.]

That's F-U-C-K-E-L. He was the taxonomic authority of the mycological genera Aleuria, Phyllachora, Plectania and Sclerotinia.

[Cucumis isn't answering this one. Annie can deal with this on her own--this sea cucumber is done interacting with anyone. Next person who bothers her is going to get punched.]

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