Previously on Hakuna, we met the protagonist, an aspiring young man, and his family. The writer now must do some "World Building" to introduce new characters and set the stage for the next phase of Hakuna's journey.
The Morning of a Prince
The scene faded in, and Hakuna's room was in a state of utter disarray. It was a whirlwind of scattered clothes, overturned cushions, and half-open drawers. He was frantically searching for his shoes before heading to school. He ran from one side of the room to the other, his frantic movements a stark contrast to his usual collected demeanour. He threw pillows and blankets to the floor, rummaged through the closet, and even lifted the bed, convinced that his footwear had somehow vanished into thin air. He checked the bathroom, the hallway, and even looked under a piece of furniture, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.
He paused for a moment, out of breath and thoroughly defeated. The silence that followed his chaotic search was deafening. He looked around at the mess, his mind a blank slate. And then, he remembered. A wave of realization, so powerful it almost knocked him over, crashed into his mind.
"Oh..." he said with a deadpan expression, the single word hanging in the air like a final surrender. He had put them outside the night before, a simple act to let them air out because they were dirty.
With a newfound focus, he retrieved his shoes, cleaning them quickly to remove the last bits of dirt. As he walked out of his yard, his bag slung over his shoulder, he noticed a boy from his school walking by. The boy's posture was confident, and a quiet power seemed to radiate from him. Hakuna could sense it, a familiar energy signature that reminded him of the aura he had felt from Enzo.
He thought to himself, "He seems to be a powerful Milnerian." This thought, a simple observation, was also a silent invitation to introduce himself.
He spoke up, his voice clear and confident. "Hey, my name is Hakuna, what's yours?"
The boy stopped, his gaze direct and unwavering. "My name's Super. You must be the new kid in our squad."
Hakuna's brows furrowed in confusion. "Squad?"
Super continued, a hint of nonchalant arrogance in his tone. "Yeah. Welcome to The BBC. You have been recruited by our most powerful fighter, Enzo. Remember him?"
A spark of recognition lit up in Hakuna's eyes. "Enzo, that guy. I'm gonna be stronger than him one day." He declared, his voice filled with anticipation and a competitive spirit.
Super's reaction was one of pure dismissal. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep dreaming. Now, you will be joining his regular spars every day, and you will be with us most of the day. We defeat monstrous demons and stupid fools who think they're stronger than us. You know the drill. I expect you to be at your first meeting behind the tuck shop at break, understood?"
"Yeah, got it," Hakuna agreed, his mind already racing with the possibilities of joining this "squad."
"Now, let's go, New Kid," Super commanded, his voice filled with an authority that Hakuna found both annoying and intriguing.
"When will you stop calling me that?" Hakuna asked, a slight impatience in his voice.
Super turned to him, his face a mask of seriousness. "When you beat me in a fight."
Hakuna stood in shock. Was Super joking? There was no way of telling. Super's expression was unreadable, his words holding a weight that suggested he was completely serious.
They both walked to school, their journey a silent agreement of their newly formed rivalry. As they reached the school gates, Hakuna noticed a peculiar-looking guy standing by himself. He had a quiet, thoughtful demeanour, and his presence was unassuming. Hakuna paid him no mind and walked to the school office building.
The office was a typical school reception, a chaotic mix of papers, a constant hum from the machines, and a group of receptionists who seemed to have no idea what they were doing.
The prince beckoned quietly, his voice a respectful murmur. "Excuse me, morning, ma'am. My name is Hakuna. The principal informed my mother that I should be at his office first thing in the morning."
The receptionist, Miss Benjamin, stammered, shuffling through papers. "Hakuna? Oh, right, Hakuna. Walk this way; I'll be right there."
He walked into a foyer with a massive gate. Miss Benjamin opened it for him and pointed him to the principal's office. "He isn't here, but you can wait in there," she said, before walking away.
Hakuna found a seat and waited for the principal to arrive. He waited, waited, and waited. The minutes stretched into an hour, and then another. The bell for the first class rang, but still, he waited, his patience wearing thin.
A Chaotic First Day
Meanwhile, in the school court, the BBC squad was gathering. "Uh, guys, where's Hakuna?" Enzo asked, looking around.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, then quickly at Super, whose unbothered expression only grew more intense under their scrutiny.
"What are you looking at me for? He was right behind me the last time I saw him. Plus, he's a fully grown fool; he can take care of himself, right?" Super said, his words filled with dismissal.
Enzo reprimanded, "He's new here, you oaf; obviously he'll get lost..."
Bodega chimed in, "Guys, look! The principal's coming..."
The principal carried out the assembly ceremony, and as it concluded, a sudden memory jolted him. He remembered the new student waiting in his office and rushed back as soon as he could.
He opened the office door and found Hakuna juggling every pen he could find, his boredom having reached its peak.
Principal Lupuwana cleared his throat, his voice apologetic. "Uhh, sorry, my boy. I seem to have forgotten that you were here."
Hakuna immediately dropped the pens. The entire room shook, the light fixtures rattling and the papers on the desk fluttering. Hakuna, agitated by the principal's long absence, had lost control of his emotions, and his hidden power had reacted. He quickly calmed himself, and the room returned to normal.
The principal thought to himself, "What was that?!"
Hakuna, his voice agitated, mostly by the interruption, spoke. "Just get it over with. I have to go to class. Better yet, never mind. Your only obligation to me, other than being a principal, is the prospect of benefiting from my brother owing you one. And I get that even though I'm a prince, I still have to call you 'sir' and all that to keep my identity a secret, so don't worry. I'll leave you to it. Clean your office properly. Oh, right, sir."
He walked out and almost got lost, but he found his way to the class for Grade 10M. Everyone in the class looked at him, recognizing him as the new kid. He recognized Rico, the son of a business associate of Sehloho's. He then looked far back and saw an empty seat. Slowly, he walked to the seat and sat down, looking through his schedule as everyone wondered who this guy was.
Rico, on the other hand, could sense his presence and wasn't surprised at his arrival.
The bell rang, signalling the end of the class. Just as Hakuna was about to step out, he was stopped by Jacob, a boy who challenged anyone to a fight.
Jacob, puffing his chest in a failing attempt at showing dominance, spoke. "So... what do we have here? A new kid. The only thing that's left to do is find out if he's a worthy punching bag."
Jacob attempted to throw a punch at Hakuna.
Hakuna, irritated at the very existence of Jacob, clasped his punch and began to crush Jacob's hand slowly. A small crack was heard before Hakuna suddenly stopped, and Jacob fell to the ground, whimpering in pain.
Hakuna, standing upright, fixed his shirt and before leaving, looked down at Jacob, his face displaying pure disdain.
"First day you see me, and you already want to fight me. Do you seek validation from your peers that much? Stop embarrassing yourself; you're way beneath me to come at me with that kind of audacity."
Hakuna walked away to his next class, leaving Jacob on the ground, his ego crushed.
A Plan Unveiled
At break time, Hakuna was sitting alone on the roof of the pavilion stands, enjoying the silence and the cool breeze. Enzo spotted him and, with a mischievous grin, gestured for the BBC to sneak up on him. Super and Bodega jumped from behind, Enzo popped up from below, and Freddie came flying from above. From his front, MXO and Rems attacked, but in a split second, Hakuna stood up and vanished. As they crashed into one another, he appeared above their heads. Super, bewildered, silently acknowledged his speed. They all stood up, a collective look of awe on their faces.
Enzo, panting, voiced his thoughts. "Oh man, I thought I figured out your speed. Anyway, where did you disappear off to? We couldn't find you the entire assembly."
Hakuna answered flatly, "I got stuck waiting at the principal's office..."
They looked at him in confusion.
Hakuna said to himself, "Almost said too much..."
He then said out loud, "It's nothing important. What's up?"
Super tapped Hakuna's head from behind in frustration. "You idiot! We were supposed to have our meeting way over there!" he said, pointing to the tuck shop on the other side of the field.
He settled down and said, "Ugh, whatever. The meeting takes place here for now."
They all sat, and Enzo began the meeting. "Alright, demon activity has decreased in the last few days, along with an increase in challenges from other squads of Milner. Many think we're getting soft due to us withdrawing from Fight Club a while ago."
"Bullshit! Why don't we just make an appearance, beat everyone up, and leave just to show these fools they're beneath us?" Super exclaimed.
Freddie, with a calm voice, deliberated, "Super, we're putting more of our focus into our training to defeat demons. These hooligans don't see it, but the demons come back stronger every time, almost as if they're planning something big."
Bodega, who seemed to have thought it through, shared his opinion. "Look, I personally think that fighting is stupid, but this has gone on for long enough. I agree with Super."
Rems, laid back, said, "Come on, guys. Just let them talk. They're just trying to get us to fight since they haven't seen us in a long time. Enzo, don't pay them any mind. Why has demon activity decreased, though? That's an important issue to tackle."
Hakuna listened in silence, almost as if he were invisible. They continued speaking and trying to come up with a solution for both issues. But wait, MXO hadn't said a thing.
Enzo, noticing that Hakuna was zoning out, called to him. "Hakuna, what do you think? Hakuna!"
Hakuna, returning to Earth, began to speak. "Uh, huh? Oh. In order to stop the rumours, I think we should defeat a demon that they can't. But also, this issue of demons going into hiding is suspicious. Maybe they're afraid of something, or just as Freddie said, they might be planning something big. So, in general, I suggest that we don't attend any big, all-out battles. Just small fights that only one or two of us can finish easily, just so we don't exert ourselves. And then when the big plan that the demons are making unfolds, only then can we show people that the BBC never lost their touch."
Everyone was shocked, but they all agreed.
"There's still one problem. We don't know how strong you really are compared to everyone else, New Kid," Super questioned, with the intent to taunt.
Everyone looked at Hakuna with curiosity. Super, in particular, wanted to see Hakuna's capabilities.
Fade out...
END OF EPISODE 2...