Previously on Hakuna, the boy finally went on a date. Shocking. Anyway, we saw some new guys, definitely not sure if they are of any importance or anything, but good news, I can finally tell you guys the name of the next arc. Welcome to The Citadel of Crowns arc…
Fade in...
A Royal Summons
Hakuna walks back home after spending the day with Nolitha, the afterglow of their date still lingering. He pulls out his phone and gets a call from Max. "What's up, big bro?" Hakuna says, answering his phone, a casual tone in his voice.
Max begins to speak through the phone, a hint of excitement in his tone. "Hakuna, I'm sure you have been wondering why we've been busy. Well, we will be hosting the next Citadel of Crowns in a few weeks, at the palace…"
"I hate crowded spaces…" the boy says flatly, the thought of a social event filled with strangers making him sigh.
Max then reprimands him through the phone, "Don't be like that, more especially now that you'll be alongside your Bigger Bro. He'll be showing you the ropes for when you host the Citadel of Crowns…"
"Did he just… oh my goodness…" the demon Psycha comments, her voice a dry, amused whisper in his mind.
"Fine, I'll go…" the prince says reluctantly, the weight of his duties settling on his shoulders.
Max then concludes, "Great, get yourself ready to go in three weeks. You'll have to fit your outfit, oh, and get a lot of training done by then. I have a feeling you're going to have to stop egos from clashing…"
"People are really boring, alright, see you in three weeks then…" Hakuna sighs, already dreading the formalities.
"Alright, see you then…" Max says before ending the call.
The call ends, and a profound silence settles over Hakuna. "The Citadel of Crowns, the last time I was there, the War on Kings started…" Psycha says, her voice reminiscent, carrying the weight of ancient memories.
"War on Kings?" Hakuna questions, intrigued.
Psycha then continues, "Yep, twenty odd years ago, egos were clashing, and your father was trying to keep the peace, but they never listened. Your father had to fight them. Weirdly enough, one of the kings who withdrew from the war after seeing your father fight came to the palace a few months before you were born and wanted you to marry one of his daughters. Your dad said no, and he tried to start another war, but then, knowing your dad, he beat the stuffing out of them but never killed them. He kept the peace for a while, but no one knows how long it will last now that he's no more…"
"So now that I'm the one with the power of Psycha, they may need me to keep the peace. I guess it's fine…" the prince denotes, the responsibility already a heavy burden.
Hakuna makes it home and gets a text from Enzo. "Hakuna, in the next 3 days, there will be performance tests at school, so get ready to run and fight some dudes…"
"You'd swear that the writer is doing this on purpose…" the boy voices, breaking the fourth wall with a hint of irony.
"What?" Psycha questions.
"Nothing…" Hakuna flinches, snapping back to reality. Seriously, is this guy crazy or something? Oh, right…
Hakuna went back home and slept.
The Tests of Might
Day 1 begins…
Hakuna gets to school, and the atmosphere is electric. Students are bustling around, getting ready for the performance tests. There are a lot of devices used to measure strength, agility, speed, and mental capacity. First was the test of mental capacity. They were given an aptitude test, which all the BBC scored highest in the school. Then there was the test of strength, a large, reinforced machine designed to measure the force of a punch.
Hakuna was behind Super by two people, then it was his turn. "It looks like the strength tester from Dragon Ball Z. How high will he score?" Hakuna voices, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Enzo scored the highest in school. I shouldn't hold back…" Super says to himself, a determined look on his face.
In an attempt to not raise suspicion, Enzo's score was 185, a high number for a human. Let's see what happens with Super. He prepares his attack stance and prepares his most powerful punch. He leaps forward and delivers an immense punch, a blinding flash of energy and sound. The machine immediately shatters, its various components flying in every direction.
"Well, that was excessive…" the prince comments, his eyes wide.
Talk about subtle…
Luckily, Mr. Lupuwana thought of getting extras. Super was let through because testing him again would be dangerous. The next two challengers were tested; one scored 87, the other scored 91.
Then it was Hakuna's turn. He prepares an adequate punch, aiming for a result that would not destroy the machine. He launches his attack, and the machine cracks but is still functional. Hakuna's score is 981, the highest so far, a staggering number that dwarfs all the others. This is when people started comparing him to Super, and with that, the rivalry begins…
The rest of the BBC score reasonably high scores, and they all go to the next test.
The Race of Equals
The second test is a speed test, a 100m sprint across the field. First was Bodega and four other guys. He won, obviously, a blur of motion leaving the others in his dust.
Then there was Enzo and MXO and three other guys, one of which was Jacob. I wonder where he's been, anyway… Both Enzo and MXO draw, leaving everyone else behind.
Then there was Hakuna, Super, Freddie and Rems, along with Niguel. "So, it seems, it's you and me…" Hakuna says confidently, a glint in his eye.
"And me, HELLOO…" Freddie chimes in, annoyed at being overlooked.
"And me…" Rems says flatly.
"All of which doesn't matter, as long as I'm faster than you…" Super voices, his eyes fixed on Hakuna.
"Here comes another one-sided rivalry…" the prince voices his sarcasm, a playful smirk on his face.
"You scored the highest in the strength test, I was categorized as AAE, Above All Else, so you're right it is one-sided, but not what you think…" Super declares, the challenge in his voice clear.
They prepare to sprint.
On Your Marks…
All get ready. Hakuna's eyes begin to glow, a familiar golden-brown light.
Get Set…
The atmosphere tenses, and everyone focuses on the race, a palpable energy in the air.
GOOO!
In the blink of an eye, a sonic boom echoes through the field. Hakuna and Super cross at the same time, a blur of motion that no one could possibly track with their naked eyes, while Freddie is a 10th of a second behind them and Rems being two 10ths of a second behind him.
Huh? You wanna know about Niguel?
Uh, he's uh, he's still running…
Anyway, the race was done, for most people. Well, good thing we have motion-sensing fast track cameras. And as it was seen, sort of, Super and Hakuna went draw… With Freddie and Rems behind them respectively…
With all of the day one activities complete, day 1 concludes…
Fade out…
End of Episode 19…