Aquatic Petpets: Pets or Pests?

Or is there?

Those adorable eyes in the distant waves may seem friendly, but new evidence may suggest otherwise.

There have been a rash of recent, well, incidents surrounding our most beloved creatures, Petpets. While a Petpet can be a great addition to your neofamily (what better way to teach a stubborn pet some responsibility?!), many people may be unaware that some aquatic species may be more trouble than their worth.

"Pesky things are always interrupting my musings, chirping and flipping about!" says the Island Mystic, who could be seen shooing an engorged Bowla away before mumbling there would be luck in Terror Mountain.

Jhuidah just shook her head when asked her opinion on this troublesome topic. "Poor dears are always trying to make themselves into ingredients by jumping into my pot! It got so bad I had to create the Gulpfir, I couldn't keep the Gulpers away!"

While some Petpets may just want to be included, others are downright viscous.

The Spirkle is known for gathering in groups in the shallows in the hopes that unsuspecting Neopians will step on them and shout.

Pfish may seem easy going, but are constantly moving things about in hopes of getting you to play a quick game with them. Too bad that game never ends.

While adorable, the Hippalop can be quite an obstacle to those searching for treasure, for as soon as it finds it, it likes to hide it in its nest.

"Those hippalops are always stealing my finds! Who can find a lost civilization when you keep barging in on hippalop nests bulging with treasure?" says Harry the Techo, a known adventurer of Mystery Island.

Then there's the Crabula, which is quickly rising as the worst of the worst aquatic mates. Chances are if you've been to one of the many beaches on Mystery Island, you've encountered one of these nasty creatures.

And they don't just hassle the tourists.

"Crabulas have become a HUGE problem. Since they have gained such a reputation people haven't been buying as many, so the beaches have been overrun," explains Tawnia, a lovely Uni, who makes her living combing the beach. Due to the Crabula her work has been cut in half.

The local commerce has been affected as well.

"I used to give 200 tours a day, now I get lucky to do 50!" the Tiki Tour Man tells our reporter.

While the rise in price of certain Tombola items brought in a brief influx of new people, that has stabilized.

"Between the Petpets and the Coincidence, I can't even give things away at the rate I used to," the Tiki Tack Man tells us, showing us his depleted shelves with teeth marks at the bottom.

Most of the stalls around the island seem to be heavy with oddly shaped teeth marks. There have been several accidents involving falling shelves and free souvenirs for the silence of the affected.

These strange marks are thought to be the work of the Tanizard. So little is known about this mysterious Petpet, but what we do know seems to link it to trouble. Its the only Petpet with such a fine, thin shape capable of squeezing through the tightest of cracks for some snacks. It's also thought to be able to live hours out of the water, according to one witness.

Deep in the jungle lives Menalie, an Acara who just wants to be alone with her flowers.

"I have seen things, Petpets out of water in the heart of the jungle! They want my flowers, I won't let 'em have them!" She shows us her array of Sturdy Petpet Traps while muttering about Deep Blossoms. We thought it was best not to stress her any further.

When we asked the resident poet what she thought, she looked at us intently then said:

"Solitude contains
spins, unthinkable forest
stares if 0 building."

While beautiful, did her haiku hide a deeper meaning?

Could there be a link between the deep forest and the Petpets?

It seems the only area of the island safe from the invasion of Petpets is the dense forest surrounding the Mystery Island Training School.

"Petpets? Haven't seen one in ages," Bloomby the Kacheek tells us while he does push-ups for strength training.

"A Petpet? Certainly not. The Master won't allow them, says they rot the mind," Iskha Lightbringer tells us. Once thought to be the next Wocky Champion, she has since gone back to her training after an unforgettable loss.

"I hear The Master is in with Mumbo Pango; they keep the Petpets out of the center of the island together," the Underwater Chef, who was delivering lunch to the school, tells us in hushed tones.

When asked for his source, an eerie rumbling shook the ground beneath us and the chef left quickly, muttering about getting back to his pots.

Many natives share the belief that the only answer to the lack of Petpets on the inner island is an unsaid alliance between The Techo Master and either Mumbo Pango, or the Petpets themselves. It is rumored that as long as they leave him and his trainees to their studies in silence, he will NOT sacrifice them to Pango Pango, and they may frolic in peace.

"I've never heard of such a contract. The Master has far better things to do than make deals over vermin. We are the masters of our own destiny." Ryshu gives our reporter a disapproving look before practicing his balance with a bamboo beam and two rocks.

After waiting around for hours (and catching up on a little agility training) we were finally able to ask the Master what he thought of these accusations against him.

He simply smiled at us and said:

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

While it's not a resounding yes, it certainly isn't a no.

After all our research we are no closer to knowing an answer.

So the question remains;

Are aquatic Petpets safe for you and your neofamily?

Only you and your pets can decide that.

But if I were you, I would maybe think twice the next time you see a beautiful Peo and feel its strange allure.