B4 — 19. A Kingdom In Peril

3:08 p.m. October 22nd, Thursday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event).  Day 135. Events:  Rhea and the girls are on a Badge Hunt, trying to get all the Kanto Encrusted Badges before time runs out!  Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (43 days away).

The biting powder fell around Nova as she was pulled into the drama; with the props, Pokemon, and developing scene, it wasn’t hard to get lost in her role.

Her bulky cloak dragged along the snow as she slipped behind the cooking staff, with Julia hugging herself while shuffling along.  Her lady-in-waiting looked nervous as they followed behind, following Rhea’s plotline.

Nova peeked out from under her hood at Captain Argenti on their way past the officer, yet Princess Stella’s Trainer had his own plans cooking.  Isoroku’s strong voice came from above the white veil blanketing them.

“Having felt the chill coming on due to her low Ice tolerance, Princess Stella had her new lady-in-waiting prepare the fire.  Standing beside her closed window, bundled in her peasant’s cloak, she gazed upon her kingdom.  She didn’t like to go out during this season since it could weaken her constitution, yet tonight was an exception… Tonight was when everything came together.

“She noticed the cooking staff exiting, done with tomorrow’s breakfast preparations.  Among them, she knew her older sister would be hiding, and it was laughable how easy it was to spot her former serving lady and the bulky shape of a Vaporeon.

“Lady Julia’s failure to report her sister’s illegal activities solidified Stella’s suspicions and anger.  Not because the lesser noble Raticate girl had failed to report her sister.  No, it was her loyalty that angered Stella because, once again, her older sister stole something that had been hers.  This further cemented what Lord Ruby had told her—everyone was trying to sabotage her life.

“She smiled when Lieutenant Shiva exited the guard house to kick Captain Argenti in the rear and make him do his job.  Chuckling to herself at how lax and degraded her kingdom had become under her depressed parents’ rule, Princess Stella left for her underground meeting.  With her sister’s escape pulling attention, it was time to act.  Finally, she’d get her chance.”

Nova suppressed a growl as she saw the slim Alolan Sandshrew open the door and stomp out with a cute scowl on her face while stomping over to them.  Argenti cracked open an eye when they walked up to the gate, absently waving one of his lance-like arms for them to continue without checking them.

“No!  What are you doing, Captain?”  Shiva growled, icy spikes bristling at her back and making the cooking staff quake a little, pulling their cloaks around them.  “You have to do a check on the staff!  It is a part of our job.  What if they stole something or the princess is sneaking out—wait, did the Head Cook hire new staff?”

“Ugh…”  Argenti’s exhausted and dull voice made the Sandslash pause, and the two soldiers beside the captain had a look on their faces as if Mom and Dad were fighting; Nova had seen shows like this on the Pokemon series Rhea let them watch every so often.  “Lieutenant, why would any staff endanger their own family like that?  And the Flareon I know if there are new staff?  Look, they’ve done a hard day’s work; let the staff be, Shiva.  Go on!  And Blake, get me another dream of Honey Brew.”

“Captain!  No, Blake, don’t…”

“Lieutenant…  Eh-hehe.  It’s the captain’s orders…”

“Haaa.  Captain…”

Nova hustled after the cooking staff with Julia, leaving a trail in the snow behind her as the staff looked back at them.  This made both of them lock up; nothing was said about the staff realizing there were more people behind them.

“What do we do, Princess?  They’ll notice if we’re stopped outside the gate,” Julia gulped, glancing back at Shiva and Argenti, still pulling the other guards’ attention in their heated fight; well, ironically, the Ice Pokemon was the heated one, and the Knight Pokemon was unenthusiastic, further flaring Shiva’s temper.

Showing a pleading expression, Nova didn’t have to wait long as Argenti’s Trainer went into the next scene, smoothly solving the issue.

“Princess Nova, knowing that their cover would be blown the instant further scrutiny came, visually pleaded with the cooking staff, asking them to just keep going.  Luckily, Argenti saw the trouble, fending off Shiva’s nagging and gesturing to the cooks to keep going; this wasn’t a show for their entertainment, further aggravating his 2nd-in-command.”

Nova puffed out the stress she’d genuinely felt as the Frillish strained a smile and waved his arm for the others to follow him, and they entered the sidewalk of the main street, moving further away from the argument.  Sir Something-Or-Other wasn’t done with adding his Pokemon further into the scene.

“In the bitter cold, Argenti’s heart remained cold while he watched the excited princess go, passively responding to Shiva’s concern.  He knew she truly cared for him, and her true fear was what might happen to him if the king or queen grew tired of his laziness.  She was a sweet woman who had done her best to be a friend after he’d lost his wife in the war.

“Unknown to her, Argenti did find this particular event interesting.  Figures crept within the shadows of his kingdom; he hardly cared at this point.  Would he give his life for the kingdom?  He hoped to, and soon, because living in this icy world was torture at this point.

“Rising out of his chair, he lifted a hand and floated away from Shiva, making the Sandslash’s blue cheeks turn red with embarrassment and anger.  With a few dismissive words, leaving her in charge of the shift if she felt that strongly about it, he was going to find a drink at the local tavern.

“Shiva watched him go, shaking with rage, but that was soon replaced with pain that ripped at her chest while watching the dynasty’s war hero leave her—like he always did.  Why was he running away?  The man she knew never ran from an argument or fight but faced it and proudly declared his own perspective.  Now, she was fighting with a shell.

“Sitting in his warm seat, silence fell over the uncomfortable guards, trying not to look at her as she fought back tears.  She’d tried everything to thaw his frozen heart back into the kind, warm, and loving man she’d trained under—that she’d grown to love—and he’d started to show signs of loving her back before Valier’s death.  Yet, her attempts to coax him out of the isolating box he’d closed himself into were as fruitless as her ice-cold body’s ability to comfort him.

“Where had the man who had welcomed her into this kingdom while she was a foreigner—a threat—gone?  He’d taken her under his wing, protected her, and taught her to love the people of this dynasty.  She couldn’t stand seeing Argenti tear himself apart, believing he’d failed his best friend by not protecting her.

“Why wouldn’t he let her in—just as a friend—when she’d knocked at his door every night?  Maybe she was naive or too dense to realize they’d never been friends.  No, she couldn’t deny her own feelings.  Yet, when Valier died, her only friend and mentor did, as well, and she didn’t know how to fix it—she didn’t know how to bring him back to life because she obviously wasn’t enough.”

Nova was crying inside as she ducked into an alleyway, trying to remain in character.  She made an internal plea for Rhea to save Shiva from her heartache—she deserved justice!  She wasn’t able to focus on it for long as it returned to Kate’s spotlight, allowing Julia’s Trainer to further add to their progress through the snowy alleyways.

Kate’s voice bled through the snowfall, directing them.

“Oblivious to the pain and history behind her, Princess Nova prowled through the snowy streets, breaking away from the cooks to enter the alleyways where her friend would be waiting.  Little did Princess Nova know, their cloaks left an easy trail for Captain Argenti to follow; Lady Julia Sinister knew, though, but she refrained from mentioning it to the princess.

“Lady Julia scanned the shadows for dangers, waiting for a dagger’s glint and half-hoping her fears would not come true; it was no accident that she’d been selected to replace the princess’ lady-in-waiting.  Yet, a clump of snow in a corner made her jump as it quivered, revealing a rather ugly fish.”

Nova giggled inside when Serenity shook off the power covering her, giving her that dead-eyed stare she was so good at as Kate kept the story going.

“Oh, Nova,” the Feebas chimed; her voice was upbeat, despite her expression.  “I was just pretending to be underwater.  Umm.  Who is this girl with you?  Where are we going tonight?”

Julia’s eyes went big as she glanced between them.  “Wait, wait, wait!  This is who has been helping you sneak out, Princess?”

Nova cringed inside.  “Julia!  She didn’t know…  Ugh…”

“Princess?!”  Serenity gasped, floating back into the wall.  “You’re Princess Nova?!  I thought you were a myth the nobility told people about.”

Julia stared incredulously at Nova, gesturing at her as she shifted uncomfortably and slid back her hood.  “Hold up, you thought… a black-skinned, shiny Vaporeon was just… some random citizen?!  You can’t be that dense?  What are we even doing here, Princess?!  You could, ack—you could be kidnapped!”  she choked, sounding nervous.

Serenity tilted to the side.  “Hmm.  I don’t look at people like that.  I just judge them based on how they treat me, and Nova was kind to me.  I guess I’m friends with a princess.  Huh.  Cool.  So… do you want to check out the bakery’s trash?  The old goods should be thrown out now, and it won’t be as crowded due to the—”

“Trash?!”  Julia gasped, looking mortified.  “Princess, please—please, let’s go back to the castle before you’re spotted—”

“Oh, too late for that, love.”

The sound of sharpening claws and snickering came from above them, pulling their gaze skyward.  Half-obscured in the veil of snow, a black-furred figure sat on one of the prop buildings, sharpening his fingers—a Sneasel.

“Well, well, well…  What do we have here, boys?  A princess and her lady.  We were comin’ to squeeze out some Coral from the ugly fish, but instead, we’ve hit the jackpot.”

Nova backed into Serenity’s corner, her gut tightening.  She cursed that she couldn’t defend herself in the current narrative when they’d actually fought one of these Pokemon before.

Julia put herself between them, quaking as the Sneasel dropped down.  A Mankey and Croagunk joined from the neighboring building, cutting off their escape.

“You cannot think that attacking the princess will lead to anything but a swift execution!  It is not too late to back down.”

Serenity sighed and floated down to dig through a pile of goods beneath her snow clump.  “Okay, okay, Roger.  I’ve got my alley tax.  No need to cause trouble for my friend…  Twenty pieces?”

The Mankey whistled, using the walls to jump between them and snatching the tossed items out of the air to count them.  “Been holdin’ out on us, Ugly!  Wow.  5x the typical rate for the whole week, Boss.”

The Croagunk snickered, holding up a poison-coated arm and licking it.  “Obviously, she’s trying to bribe us.  It’s gotta be her life savings.  What do you think, Roger?”

The Sneasel accepted the coral, holding one up to inspect in the darkness.  Nova wanted to act, but apparently, she was too petrified to speak; Rhea’s turn was coming up, though.

“Hmm.  I think…”  He dropped it on the snow-covered floor and stamped on it.  “A princess is worth a Muk of a lot more than twenty coral.”

“Is that right?”

All of them froze as a tired, familiar voice came from behind them.  The thieves spun around to see shimmering red in the lamplight that made it into the alley.

“Argenti!”  Nova cried, actually happy to see the captain with the story that was being spun around his character.  “These guys are trying to kidnap me and steal all of my friend’s coral; arrest them!”

The man yawned and scratched his head with his left lance-like arm.  “You know, I think I’ll be arresting everyone here—all twelve of you…  Wait, that’s not right.”  

Roger flexed his claws as he cautiously spread out with his boys.  “The disgraced war hero drunk, eh?  Heh.  I hear you’re all washed up.  I’d be very careful where you stick your nose, Catapin,” he mocked.  “You don’t seem all that sober, and I don’t like your odds—one drunk, and three killers in an alley?”

Nova’s insides twisted.  She could own these losers, but she had to act weak and timid.  Even Rhea was playing a bit into it now.  The reason soon appeared, making her heart melt.

“Correction.  A drunk and his babysitter against three fools…”  Shiva materialized behind the captain, half transparent in the falling powder and leaving no footprints in the snow as she walked forward to stand beside the Escavalier.  “I figured you weren’t just out bumming around taverns, Captain.”

Argenti sighed, his vision narrowing and not moving off the tense thieves.  “You never could shake that habit of creeping through the snow, Shiva, could you?  I’ll leave the toad to you, try not to kill everyone.”

“Where’s the trust?”  Shiva chuckled, scraping her long claws together and making the thieves step back.  “You’re the one who trained me.”

“Which is why I know you have a nasty habit of ending a battle with barbs everywhere when you’re rolling around.”

“But I have faith in you to protect them,” Shiva countered, looking more excited than afraid.  “Looks like I’m up!”

Roger darted between Julia and her to put his claws against her throat.  “You have no idea how fast I!  I still have your—what?!  What is that—Ugly?!”

Argenti slammed his lances together, creating a burst of red light before jabbing one pointed arm toward the corner they were in.  A crimson honeycomb barrier formed up its length, separating them from the fight.  Roger slammed into it, grunting as he lost all momentum; worse for him, a burst of draconic energy erupted behind Nova, Amira ordering her Feebas to display her hidden power!

Dark-violet energy illuminated the dark alleyway, the aura Serenity emitted collecting into the roaring head of a dragon that phased through the red barrier to lock its jaws around Roger’s body, carrying him through the wall.

Shiva jumped into the air, illuminating a bright white and ripping up the stone ground; she launched forward, gaining speed as Icicle Spears jetted out of her spiny combination attack—the woman was definitely Gold-tier with that attack.

Time slowed in Nova’s thumping heart, finding a new perspective being on the ’protected’ side of a fight behind the Quick Guard.  Roger was carried through the wall by Serenity’s Dragon Pulse, crashes coming from inside with shrieks from the actors inside.

Argenti blurred, energy outlining him while sliding under Shiva’s icicles to bat the Mankey out of the air as he tried to escape.  Ice peppered the Croagunk before Shiva bounced off the wall to tackle the Poison Pokemon, carrying him into the building Nova and Juila huddled against.

In a matter of seconds, the whole fight was over.  The barrier fell, and Argenti sighed, rubbing the side of his head while using one arm to lift up the gurgling Mankey, seeing stars.  “Well, I think it’s about time we get everyone back to the castle for a thorough investigation.”

“I’ll handle the cleanup,” Shiva chortled, throwing the unconscious Croagunk out of the hole she’d made while apologizing to the residents inside.  “Sorry, sorry!  I’ll come back with some guards and help patch things up later—again, sorry!”

Nova’s tail wagged as Serenity floated next to her.

“You okay, Princess?”

“I am.  Thank you, Serenity!”  Nova hugged the fish.  “You’re so strong!  Where did you learn to fight like that?  I just froze, and you just—blam!  Out of nowhere, you blasted him!”

“Yeah…”  Serenity mumbled.  “I probably shouldn’t have done that…  Now I’m going to be asked questions that I really don’t want to answer.  Still, I’m glad you’re okay.  What about you, rat tail?”

Nova grew anxious as Amira’s turn was about to end, but they still had some time left.

Julia put a hand against her chest and forced a smile.  “I’m fine!  We should really get off the streets.  I, umm, Princess, there’s… something I should tell you…”

Frowning, Nova pulled away from Serenity to stare at the nervous Raticate.  “What is it, Julia?  Oh!  I’ll take full responsibility—I made you do it—I threatened you!”  she swiftly said, connecting the dots that her family was in trouble of being dissolved as nobility.  “You had no choice!”

“No!”  Julia pleaded.  “We need to get off the—”

“Right,” Argenti groaned, glancing around at the devastated alley; icicles stuck throughout its full length, providing a look inside the interior.  “What did I tell you, Shiva?  This is why I hate bringing you on patrols.  No restraint.”

“Eh-hehehe.  I’ve gotten better, Captain!”  she said, cheeks turning pink as the Alolan Sandslash moved to the hole to get Roger.  “I’ll go collect their leader—Captain!”

Nova blinked as what looked like black balls soundlessly fell out of the sky.  A dark, silent shape emerged through the veil.  An explosion of smoke engulfed them, making Nova cough and hold her throat as she pretended that the world went hazy before falling to her side.

The curtains fell, giving them two minutes to reach the next scene location.  The crowd leaned in to whisper to one another, and the judges commented on the drama’s midpoint and what had transpired.  Nova was too focused on her next part, though, and jumped up with Serenity.

“Great performance so far, guys!”  Shiva chimed, pushing herself up and staying put since she would be staying in the alley.  “I’m enjoying this role.”

Only Argenti, Julia, and her jogged away, leaving Serenity, the thieves, and Shiva to their own part, waking up with powder blanketing them.

“I can’t believe he sleep-gassed us,” Argenti snickered, saluting her as they zipped down the streets, Ice Pokemon brushing their footprints away.  “Things are getting exciting, girls.  Nice work so far for being Super Rookies.”

“Super Rookies?”  Serenity asked.

Argenti waved his lance as a pair of Mankey opened the door for them to enter the house, designed like a basement; the drones flew after them, and Adam, the Noctowl that had gassed them, flew through an open window, shutting it behind him.

“Just a name we give new actors that haven’t done any performances, and on this big stage, you’re killing it!”

“Aww.  Thanks,” Nova grinned.  “You’re so much nicer than the girls I went up against in my only Battle Contest.  Thanks for being so supportive.  Oh, we’re about to start—play dead in the cages?”  she asked, slipping inside a straw-lined cage that one of the stage crew Mankey shut and placed a lock on.

“Asleep,” Adam said, tilting the light to a more sinister angle while checking himself in a mirror one of the Mankey held.  Others shifted things around in the environment to suit the scene.  “Wonderful performance so far, Julia—that’s it, just sit in that cage—unlocked, and I love the guilty face, girl!”

“To be honest, I do kind of feel bad about how things are turning out,” Julia chuckled.  “Oh, shift your kimono a bit, Nova, to look like you’ve been moved.”

“Okay!”  she complied, careful in how she shifted it around.  “Like this?”

“Uh-huh!  I’ll fix it in a bit—probably—if I have leeway.”

“Got it!”

“Here we go, people!”  Adam shouted, slapping his wings together.

The Mankey and other stage crew disappeared into trapped doors or inside closets as the red light on the drone turned yellow, indicating they had five seconds before going live.  Nova settled into her straw bed, her cloak half pulled off to show her partly messed up kimono.  The light flipped green.

Nova cracked open an eye, acting dizzy as she shifted a little, hearing Julia speak first.

“This… isn’t what we bargained for when—”

“Shhh.  They’re waking up,” Adam growled.  “It looks like someone had a few too many drinks, Captain.”

“Ugh.  Sleep Powder-filled gas bombs?  Mmgm.  What a night…  Princess, are you hurt?”

“Hmm?”  Nova stumbled to her feet, shaking her head.  “Umm.  A little rattled,” she choked, “and my throat is dry.  Julia?”

“I’m… okay,” she rasped, fake coughing.  “Umm.  Who are you?”

“That’s my question,” Argenti grunted, squinting in the faint candlelight.  “Wait…  I’ll be a Jinx’s mother—Adam Becker.  Scum of the underworld.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you face to face finally, War Hero,” Adam hooted, reaching up to tip a big hat he was wearing.  “To be frank, this is better than I originally planned!”

“Is that so?”  Argenti tapped the bars.  “Pure red coral… practically indestructible.  Pricy, too.  Why do I get the ‘I’d win’ treatment?  I’m just a washed-up officer.”

“Ho-ho-ho.  I think we both know that isn’t true, Captain,” Adam mused, his face sly.   “Dense as Steel, you may be, but I can chalk that up to your loss… Who else knew that Valier was your long-lost mother?”

Argenti slammed against the cage, tipping it over.  “Careful, assassin!  The lock isn’t red coral.  Where did you get that information?”

“No, it is not,” Adam laughed, “but blue coral is hard enough… for as long as I need it to be.  And I make it my business to know everything happening inside this kingdom, Captain, which is how I know that precious little student of yours is infatuated with you.  It’s sad, really, seeing how hard she tries to make your life easier, yet you just wallow at the bottom of your cup… but that doesn’t bother me.”

His voice turned poisonous.  “No, what bothers me is how all these secrets in this kingdom have affected me.  And do you know what affects me?  Its collapse into civil war!”

“Civil war?”  Nova choked, hopping up to put her paws against the bars.  “What are you talking about?  I know things are bad, but are they really that bad—Julia?”

“Worse…”  the Raticate whispered, reaching up to remove the lock and pushing open her cage so she could step out.  “I’m sorry, Princess Nova, but… I can’t follow Princess Stella anymore.  She was so kind, and—and then the duke poisoned her mind.  She learned the truth that your parents hid…”

“Hahaha.”  Everyone turned to Argenti, who glared at them as he sat against the bars.  “So, a runaway princess, a disgraced noble girl—whose family is on the verge of collapse—and the most vile assassin in the kingdom walk into a pub… and talk about revolution?  This has to be a joke.”

“Rich, coming from you,” Julia shouted, fire lighting in her voice as she stormed over to his cage.  “You have let all of this happen out of this suicidal feeling of guilt!  You could stop all of it—you had the power to save the king and queen, but now they’re dead!”

“What?!”  Argenti floated up, voice sobering.  “Don’t play with me, girl…  You’re accusing Princess Stella of murdering her—”

Adam tossed a paper through the bars, and bells rang throughout the stadium, shouts coming from the street.

“The king and queen are dead!  The duke’s men are sieging the castle!  To arms!  To arms!  It’s a coup!”

“What?”  Argenti looked stunned as the paper landed on the floor close enough for Nova to read it.  “How can that—no!  What is this garbage?!”  he shouted, poking the letter and lifting it up to fling at the Noctowl.  “Let me out, or I will let myself out; I need to get to my men!”

Adam laughed and ruffled his feathers, a few falling to the floor around him.  “It may not be my place to say, but would Valier really want this for you or for you to pick up your lance, fight what she died protecting, and find a nice girl—maybe Shiva; she seems willing to put up with your Muk, bless her—and settle down, maybe fill a cup for her at the bar instead of using her as an excuse to fester in guilt?”

Nova’s body felt exhilarated at what she read; Rhea had written it.  Finally, it was her time to shine.  “I’m… half-Flareon?  My mom was a princess of Flareon?!  That’s Duke Tessar’s seal…  My sister killed our parents?”

Argenti snarled, pointed arm jabbing into the lock and snapping it like a flimsy piece of wood.  “You expect me to believe this garbage?  You have two seconds to show me the proof before I run you through!”

Julia walked over to a drawer and pulled out a Fire Stone from a drawer, lined with various Evolution Stone props.  Shuffling back as Argenti flung open the cage, “The truth is… my family was chosen to care for Queen Flareon in secret while she was pregnant with you… your real mother.  The duke used his power to devastate my family for our loyalty, forcing us away from your side, but not all the nobility are aligned with the duke and your little sister…  This is proof.”

She held out the stone through the bars, and when it touched her forehead.  A blast of draconic energy ripped through the door, and Shiva rolled through, landing beside Argenti.

“Captain!  We followed the feather trail that—huh?!”

Serenity zipped forward to spin around her cage.  “Princess?!”

Nova drew in Rhea’s Fortitude, causing rainbow light to flood the room, and her smooth, dark skin sprouted obsidian fur that bloomed out of her tail and neck.  Fire flared around her as she activated Flame Boost, causing her white fluff to weave with red whisps of energy.

Ears twitching, fire embraced her, making Flame Charge shatter the iron bars holding her in as she stepped out of her cage.  A little stunned, she lifted her paw and flicked her tail to the left, leaving a trail of fire.

“I am… a Flareon… and a Vaporeon?”

Serenity tilted to the side again.  “I’m… lost.  Umm.  I think we have problems outside, though.”

“Captain?”  Shiva whispered.  “The king and queen—they may still be alive—the duke’s men are spreading the news that they’re dead.  It may not be true, but we need to get to the castle!”

Argenti stared at her in disbelief, backing away as if seeing a monster and bumping into the wall.  “No…  No, that can’t be…”

“Captain!”  Shiva shouted, jumping forward to clasp him on both sides.  “We need you!  I need you to be the hero I know you can be!  Lead us into battle; the castle is under assault!”

Nova set her ground.  “I’m coming, too!  I’ll get through to Stella.  She’s my sister!  It’s the duke’s fault.  I have to save her!”

Serenity floated higher.  “I’d rather not lose the only friend I’ve ever been able to make, so… I guess I’m coming, too.  I can fight; you’ve seen it.”

“Mhm!  We can do—”

“No!”  Argenti shouted, silencing them and making Julia cower a little bit as she moved to stand between him and her, thinking he might attack her now that she was a Flareon.  Yet, he placed a hand on Shiva’s shoulder and floated toward the door.  “You will remain here, Princess.  I’m going to the front.  Lieutenant… Scum,” he growled at Adam, “keep Princess Nova safe.  If the king and queen are dead… she’s the next in line for the throne.  I’ll deal with the traitorous duke…”

“Captain, wait…  Captain…”

Shiva’s shoulders slumped, and she stepped aside as she saw the bloodlust in Argenti’s eyes.  He blurred, shooting through the broken doorway and into the night at an incredible speed.

Serenity floated over to the drawer that Julia had used, pulling out various stones with her small flippers to smack Nova, hitting her on the forehead and making her wince.

“Hey!  What are you doing?”

“This is how she turned you into a Flareon, right?  Well, then it makes sense that—figured.”  She gasped, huddling in as she, once again, pulled from Rhea’s Fortitude, and returned to her Vaporeon form.  “Cool.  So, we’re totally not listening to the drunk knight, right?  Don’t you have to follow the princess’ orders first, knight lady?”

Shiva blinked, still in shock, it seemed.  “Uh… I… guess so?”

Nova grinned.  “Good!  Put those two stones in a bag, Julia.  We’re going to save the kingdom!  Are you with us, Adam?!”

Adam’s feathers ruffled slightly, leaving more to litter the ground.  “I hate it when I molt…  No.”

“Excuse me?”  Nova mumbled.  “No?”

“No.”  He jumped to the window.  “I work alone.  I have my own agenda.  Have fun, Princess.  Our business is concluded, Lady Julia.  My debt is paid.”

With that, he took off into the night, leaving a whirlwind of feathers.  Nova only paused for a second before smiling at the unsure knight, her first friend, and her loyal lady-in-waiting.

“Muk him!  Let’s go save our kingdom!  Charge!”

“Time.”  Nova froze with everyone around her as Sabrina spoke through the speakers, and boos were heard throughout the stadium, making Erika giggle.

“Unfortunately, you have hit your performance limit, contestants.  I am happy to say that I managed to remain engaged throughout the entire impromptu script!  I am enthralled by this development.  It could be a movie.”

“Indeed, indeed!”  Mr. Raoul Contesta added, nodding vigorously as they exited the building to look up at the screens; the veil of snow cleared up, and Sunny Day quickly warmed the stadium.  “In fact, I believe we may be able to have this picked up as a movie deal!  We’ll have to discuss it later.  In any case, let’s give a round of applause to our contestants!  Please, take the stage!  Once we have recognized our wonderful talent, we will deliver our verdict!”

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