Polt announced, making a grand, sweeping gesture, "And here are the pools! There's something here for every aquatic species!" I could hear Mero's gasp of awe, and I couldn't blame her; the immense space was filled with a large pool similar to the one they'd raced through the canon, but also a huge wave pool, a whirlpool, long tubes filled with speeding currents, and even a waterfall. Rings and hoops dangled above the main pool, and I was blown away.

It was clear from the stunned silence that everyone else was equally amazed. I mean, I knew Polt was rich, but this room alone would have cost a fortune! And we hadn't even gone past the first floor yet!

"Mero's eyes lit up with awe, and her fishtail trembled in anticipation. She gasped in delight.

"Polt-dono, this is unbelievable!" Mero exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. "Nothing like this exists back home!"

"I wanted to provide the best space for my fellow liminals to stay fit," Polt replied, standing tall with her hands on her hips. "This was the most expensive part of Sports Club Kobold, but I was determined to make it happen. I'm so thankful to Smith-san for donating a significant amount of money and a few liminal advisors that provided me with great ideas."

"You didn't just make it happen, Polt," I said, still in awe of the new facilities. "You've gone above and beyond. If you advertise this well, you'll attract liminals worldwide."

"Such enthusiasm and dedication for such a noble cause are truly commendable," Cerea added with admiration, "Polt-sama, I sincerely wish that your dream comes to fruition. It would be a tragedy to see your hard work go to naught."

"Thank you, thank you," Polt replied with a shaky but elated laugh. There was even a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "I just wanted to create a place where everyone can come to exercise and enjoy themselves!"

"Polt-dono, if I may be so bold," Mero began, his gaze eagerly fixed on the main pool, "May I...?"

"Of course! Please, help yourself to the pool! That goes for everyone here! The locker rooms are over there, fully stocked with swimsuits in all sizes!"

"Oooh, I wanna go swimming too!" Miia exclaimed, clinging to Kurusu's arm. "Darling, why don't we swim together?"

"Eh, sure," he replied nervously, "Just don't expect a lot of activity out of me..."

"Oh, don't worry, Darling!" Miia assured him, her expression turning seductive. "Just let me take care of things..."

"I'll be sure to join in, as well!" Cerea declared, stepping closer to Kurusu and gently squeezing his shoulder. "To ensure Master doesn't push himself too hard in his weakened state."

Kurusu was starting to look a bit flustered.

"Sounds great to me!" Polt gave them a thumbs-up. "By the way, Miia, I have some lamia-designed swimming equipment you might be interested in. What about the rest of you?"

"I think I'll pass on swimming," Rachnera said with a shake of her head

"Unless it's a bath, I probably shouldn't..." Papi whined, clearly downcast.

"And Suu really shouldn't go into large bodies of water," I informed Polt while Suu grabbed my hand. "But, I'd like to check out the rest of the facility before swimming, if that's okay with you."

"Sure thing!" Polt answered, a smile on her face. "I have a little something for slimes as well! Would you like to take a look?"

I was surprised to hear that Polt had something to offer slimes. After all, their shapeshifting abilities, while not as impressive as actual shapeshifters, could easily handle most obstacles they might encounter. Nevertheless, it was nice to know that there was something for Suu, too, in this impressive facility.

Suu nodded eagerly, clearly excited to see what Polt had in store.

"Great, then follow me!" Polt exclaimed, turning and beginning to walk in the opposite direction of the locker rooms.

"Hang on a sec," I called after her, causing Polt to pause. "Hey, Miia, could you take Mero to the locker room for me, please? I'm gonna go with Suu."

"Of course," Miia responded, stepping away from Kurusu to take the wheelchair from me. Mero looked up at me with a worried expression.

"Aki, will you not be joining us at the pool?" she asked.

"I will be there in a bit," I assured her, "I just wanna see what Polt has for slimes. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"I look forward to your return," Mero said, a small smile on her face. "What about you, Rachnee-san? Will you be joining us?"

"Hm..." Rachnera hummed, rubbing her chin as she looked up at the intricate maze of tubes above them. "I think I'll stay behind and try some experiments. After climbing that wall, I'm more curious about my limits."

"That's incredible!" Polt cheered, pumping a fist in the air, "What kind of experiments do you have in mind?"

"We'll see," Rachnera responded cryptically, "Can those tubes hold my weight?"

"Huh?" Polt seemed surprised at the question, ears dipping slightly, "I believe so... but are you sure that's safe?"

"I'm willing to find out," Rachnera replied with a determined glint in her eyes and started to climb up the wall, shooting strands of webbing upward as she went.

"I suppose I'll be cleaning all those webs up later, won't I?" Polt asked rhetorically, laughing nervously.

"Are you seriously the only one working here?" I asked incredulously. "This place is way too huge to be run by just one person!"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" Polt replied with a shrug. "Maintaining the gym is a workout all on its own! Though Smith-san did mention that some help was available around here, that's a problem for tomorrow. For now, let's go check out the slime section!"

Polt, Papi, Suu, and I made our way to the far side of the pool room while Kurusu, Mero, Miia, and Cerea got changed, and Rachnera did whatever she was up to. We were led to a small, walled-off section roughly the size of our living room.

"When Smith-san requested that I include something for slimes, I was a bit taken aback!" Polt admitted as I took in the room. There were three small pools, each about as wide as an average hot tub and with varying degrees of shallowness. Along the wall, there was a rack of seemingly random objects, ranging from rubber balls to metal rods. "Since slimes don't have muscles or bones, it took a bit to figure out how they might exercise!"

"But then it clicked!" Polt declared, bonking her head for emphasis. "Why not challenge them in ways that require them to maintain a solid form while under certain pressure? That's where these all come in!" She gestured to the pools and item rack. "Here, slimes can try to carry things underwater while also trying to stay solid! And since the pools are so shallow, there's minimal risk!"

"So it's a bit of a combo between mental and physical exercise?" I asked, squeezing Suu's hand as she peered into the closest pool with anxious emerald eyes.

Polt laughed good-naturedly, "But that's true! Slimes have difficulty staying cohesive in water, right? That's why I thought this would be the best way to not only learn more about them but also help them become better at something! What do you think, Suu?" she asked, directing the question at her.

Suu hummed, glancing between the pools, Polt and me. I wasn't sure how to feel about this, but I was intrigued to learn more about slimes. At the very least, it'd help me better care for Suu. I gave her a reassuring nod and gently squeezed her hand, letting her know I supported her decision.

She then nodded, though she still seemed a bit uncertain. Polt must not have noticed as she cheered and picked items from the rack.

"You don't need to do this if you don't want to," I told her kindly.

"I know," she said, smiling up at me, "But the others have gotten to try stuff, so now I want to, too."

"That's understandable. Do you want me to accompany you through the water? I'm not sure if it'll help, but..."

Yeah, maybe I was being overprotective, but I was allowed that much, right?

"Yes, please," Suu answered warmly, "And Papi...?"

"Will do!" she chirped, hopping to Suu's side and taking her free hand. "Me and big brother will be with you the whole time!"

Polt returned, offering Suu a flat piece of cardboard while her tail wagged excitedly. "Let's start whenever you're ready!"

Suu tentatively took the cardboard with her feelers and slowly walked to the pool's edge, hand in hand with Papi and me. She faltered, nervously fidgeting where she stood. Considering how slimes usually fared in any body of water larger than themselves, I couldn't blame her. I gave her a reassuring squeeze.

That must have been all it took because it was then that Suu slipped off her rainboots and took a cautious step into the pool. Papi and I followed, though I belatedly realized I never took off my shoes and socks. Oh well, too late now.

Suu looked uncomfortable, and I saw her legs below the knee slowly start to melt away.

"Take it slow, sweetie," I comforted her.

"You can do it, Suu!" Papi encouraged.

She then lowered her feelers and the cardboard beneath the still water. Her feelers were typically more solid than the rest of her body, so it took a little longer for them to lose cohesion. Suu started to look visibly strained after ten seconds passed, her face contorting to a grimace and the rest of her body trembling slightly. Papi was also looking worried for her friend now. After a few more moments, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, that's enough," I decided, sweeping her off her feet with little resistance and carrying her back to dry land. Her legs were almost nonexistent then, and anger surged in my chest at the sight. If Suu had been hurt just for a little experiment...

"I'm so sorry if I went too far!" Polt apologized, bowing repeatedly. "I didn't think it would affect you like that!"

"I'm alright," Suu said, smiling tiredly. "It wasn't too bad."

"But it looked like it hurt!" Papi protested, flapping her wings in distress. "Papi was so worried!"

"It was just a bit strange. I think I can handle it better with practice," Suu said, beaming up at us.

"Let's call it a day for now," I said, feeling like a mother hen.

"Once again, I apologize," Polt added. "But, Suu-san, do you think it worked?"

Suu thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"It was a bit scary, but I think it's worth trying again," she said. Polt cheered.

"Yes! My idea worked! We'll have to make some adjustments and figure out how to clean up after all the different subspecies if they show up... but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. Shall we join the others now?"

We departed when Suu's legs regenerated, with me holding her hand as Papi flew ahead. When we arrived at the main pool area, the sight that greeted us was one to behold.

Up along the tubes, Rachnera was doing something resembling what she'd done when scaling the wall earlier, only this time, she was moving at odd angles and shooting webs in different directions to find her footing. Meanwhile, in the pool, Kurusu was lounging in the shallow end, Cerea was treading water in the deeper part, and Miia was weaving her serpentine body between plastic buoys as she swam.

But what truly captivated my attention was the pink blur that moved through the water like a bolt of lightning. I could only glimpse Mero's form in the wake she created as she leaped and dove, twisted and spun, showcasing her full swimming prowess. At one point, she soared to such a great height that she nearly reached Rachnera's position. As she reached the peak of her ascent, I could make out the expression of joy on her beautiful face, her pink curls flowing around her. Our eyes locked, her sapphire meeting my dull brown before she gracefully dived back down to the water.

This must have been the first time she experienced true freedom since leaving her home. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for her, confined to a wheelchair and reliant on others to move around after leaving the one place where she had full control of her body.

After telling Polt that the next stage of the tour could wait a bit, I plopped down and tried to dry out my socks and shoes. Suu joined me, and together, we watched as the rest of the family enjoyed their time in the pool.

To be continued!