Previously on "Spoilt Brat TV," the protagonist took a nice little trip back to his home country, and it seems we're about to see an interesting part of this story. Everyone is still gathering, making their ridiculously powerful entrances with the usual chaotic stuff going on, so in the meantime, the prince is going to do his intense training. So let's go…
Homecoming Chaos
Hakuna is seen walking outside the imposing structure of the Letebele Palace, the ancestral home; a massive, ancient fortress carved into the mountainside. Everyone who sees him is visibly glad to see that he's back, a wave of warmth and relief following his every step.
"It feels like I haven't been here in so long, oh, I almost forgot," he says, taking a deep, satisfying breath of the familiar mountain air.
He looks over to the distant, jagged mountains, the perfect place for a full-power training session. He then thinks to himself, "Not yet… I need to ease into this new power first."
Suddenly, someone attacks Hakuna. It's a blur of movement from above, a small, highly focused punch aimed directly at his forehead. "Neo, get off my head," he says, completely unfazed, not even bothering to raise his hands in defense.
"Ah ha! I managed to attack you on my first try, Uncle, haha!" the small boy declares triumphantly, bouncing off Hakuna's surprisingly solid skull.
Hakuna then deliberates, his tone that of a seasoned master correcting a novice. "Actually, there was no killing intent to that, nor did my body see you as a threat, so it doesn't count as an attack. Try again, but this time mean it."
Neo is Hakuna's nephew, and Bernice's son. He is currently visiting the palace, usually living with his mom and her fiancé in Gauteng, a province in South Africa. Neo is a ball of youthful energy, already showing flashes of his royal power, mixed with the typical Letebele overconfidence.
Hakuna grabs Neo's arm mid-bounce. "This is what it really means to attack someone," he says, his eyes beginning to glow with a faint, disciplined yellow light.
He throws Neo gently but quickly away from him and begins an assault, his body blitzing across the courtyard toward his nephew at supersonic speed. Neo's eyes widen in terror.
"Fist of Inferno!" Hakuna yells, the sound barrier cracking around the words.
Hakuna throws a punch, a devastating blow of focused energy, and immediately stops before Neo's terrified face, the force contained just at the point of impact.
But… Hakuna is really powerful, remember? He just effortlessly used a technique that shakes arenas. The residual force of the blow, the mere wind pressure from the compressed air, acts like an invisible hammer.
So, Neo gets blown into a solid, reinforced marble wall, leaving a cartoonish, child-sized indentation.
"Eh…" Hakuna mutters, scratching the back of his head. "Guess I still can't calibrate for 'non-lethal to small nephews.'"
Bernice, popping out of nowhere with the speed of an angry parent, reprimands, "Hakuna! What kind of an Uncle are you, injuring your nephew like that? Did you not see him? He's only ten!" She immediately pulls his ear, twisting it with surprising strength.
"Ow, ow, ow! He's a tough kid, plus, I had no idea he would fly away like that. And also, as a matter of fact, I grew up the exact same way, remember? Getting thrown into walls was my Tuesday!" the prince argues, wincing from the pain.
"He's my son, not you and your barbaric brothers," the princess fires back, her anger overriding her family loyalty.
"Uh, barbaric…?" The prince murmurs, slightly hurt by the harsh descriptor.
Bernice carries the boy inside, who, surprisingly, is already recovering and looks back to stick his tongue out and mock Hakuna.
"What the…?! Your own son is the barbaric one! Look, he's completely fine! He's already making faces! Ugh!" Hakuna relents, the injustice of the situation overwhelming him.
Hakuna flies up to his room window, taking the vertical route to avoid any more family confrontations. There's someone inside, rummaging through his things. "Hey, who are you?" He beckons, his eyes narrowing. The person jumps back, startled, and then runs away through the interior of the palace. "Hmm, I won't bother myself with all that. Probably just another cousin looking for my games," he says, dismissing the brief intrusion with a shrug.
As Hakuna opens the window, ready to step inside… a mysterious, muscular figure appears instantly behind him, completely eclipsing the sunlight.
"How did I not notice her? She gave off absolutely no energy signature!" Hakuna thinks to himself frantically, his newly refined senses failing him utterly.
"I see you've gotten stronger since my last visit, little prince," the figure states, her voice a deep, resonant contralto.
This is Mina, Bernice's fiancé, a warrior of incredible physical prowess who exists in a state of baffling sensory isolation. She also can't really see when a person is weaker than her, completely oblivious to everyone else's power, or maybe just Hakuna's. She treats him like a strong puppy, unaware he's a potential world-ender.
"I had to. Who's gonna keep the peace around here if I don't, especially with the Citadel coming up?" Hakuna replies, trying to gauge her power, which he still can't sense.
Mina slaps Hakuna playfully on his back, a simple, friendly gesture. The force, however, is akin to a truck collision. He immediately gets thrown through the wall he was standing against, disappearing entirely into the palace stone.
"Haha, that's what I expect from a Letebele boy. Always bouncing back!" She chuckles heartily, dusting her hands off.
Hakuna climbs out of the wall, his clothes covered in plaster and stone dust. For a moment, in the darkness behind the fragmented wall, he appears as an ominous figure with his eyes glowing brightly in the dark. Then he steps out and appears not to be harmed at all, his titanium skeleton having absorbed the blow without a scratch.
"Yup, still oblivious to the fact that she just threw me through a wall," he says, blowing a puff of dust from his face. He dusts himself off and walks to the training room in the palace. This one is much bigger than his training room back home, built to withstand a small earthquake; it even has attack dummies made of enchanted meteorite. "Let's do this…" he declares, his focus absolute.
The Gathering of Kings
Hakuna subsides his energy, making his aura nearly invisible as he moves with unparalleled precision, training his body to utilize his power without leaking raw energy.
As he trains, the first clan to arrive is the Mokoena Clan. Their current king is Lerumo Mokoena, a man known for his extreme apathy and laid-back attitude toward conflict.
"Ahh, King Lerumo, it's a pleasure to host you on the 20th Citadel of Crowns," Sehloho says, welcoming the clan leader with traditional royal formality.
"Wait, I'm the first one here? Ugh, that's boring. I thought it started yesterday, which is why I rushed my departure," the king yawns, visibly disappointed.
"Eh… well, it didn't start yesterday, Your Majesty. It starts tomorrow. We are merely preparing the grounds," Sehloho corrects, masking his annoyance.
Immediately, the whole palace shakes violently, a localized tremor originating from the direction of the training room. "What the hell is that?" King Lerumo yelps, momentarily losing his cool.
Sehloho sighs, a deep, weary sound. "That, is my brother."
"I'll be right back, Your Majesty. Please make yourself at home and try not to get hit by any flying debris," Sehloho says, vanishing in a flash of speed.
King Lerumo thinks to himself, "Hmm, Lesole's boys are something else, huh? That sheer, unfocused power… it's a terrifying thing."
Sehloho opens the training room doors just as Hakuna unleashes a sudden, powerful uncontained burst of energy. "Is this Déjà vu or something?" He says to himself, having a premonition. He immediately gets thrown back, propelled violently by the shockwave, and lands hard against the wall in the hallway. "Yup, this has happened before. I should just learn to expect it," he confirms, rubbing his head.
Hakuna sees Sehloho fallen on the floor. "Huh? Again? You have really bad luck, huh? You should really check for shockwaves before walking in," he says.
Sehloho grabs Hakuna's chin, pulling his face close. "Idiot! None of these guys know you're alive, so stop showing off your abilities yet! You're going to give away the game before the feast even starts!" he reprimands in a harsh whisper.
"Talk about overkill," King Lerumo says, appearing calmly beside them, having followed Sehloho's path of destruction.
Hakuna and Sehloho both freeze, the blood draining from Sehloho's face.
"Ahh, the last-born son lives. I heard your mother had a miscarriage the last time I saw your father," the king mentions, his tone completely neutral, as if discussing the weather.
Sehloho stammers, "Uh, King Lerumo, I—I can explain the necessity of the deception."
King Lerumo interjects, holding up a lazy hand. "No need to explain yourself, young Letebele. Every clan has done something out of the ordinary to ensure their future's safety. Lies, secrecy, manipulation… it's all the same, and I don't bother myself with such drama, so I'll keep my mouth shut, for now."
Hakuna thinks to himself, "Young? This guy is literally forty-three years old! Old people are weird, and this one is the strangest of the bunch."
The king then explains, "Your father's story was weak, but your existence is interesting. Now, I have my entertainment for the week."
Sehloho then speaks, recovering his composure. "Thank you, Your Majesty, but you won't have to keep silent for long. My brother will officially attend The Citadel of Crowns with me."
"While I don't normally mix myself with drama, I will enjoy this entertainment immensely. So carry on with your plan," King Lerumo says, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips. King Lerumo walks away to the receiving parlor.
"That guy is seriously weird," Hakuna comments.
"He just cares less about everything than anything, to an extreme degree, so he can be a little… weird," Sehloho says, dusting himself off.
Psycha chimes in, "All old people are weird. It's an unavoidable side effect of aging."
Hakuna laughs. "Huh?" Sehloho turns to the boy, confusion written on his face. "Nothing," Hakuna flinches.
The Looming Shadow
Suddenly, lightning strikes outside with intense ferocity, a massive bolt hitting the ground near the palace entrance, ripping up the stone. "What the…?!" Sehloho yelps.
Hakuna's eyes immediately turn yellow as he flies outside through the shattered roof panels. He lands on the ground, only to see that it's Max, having arrived in his typically over-the-top, energy-fueled manner. "Eh…" Hakuna mutters, unimpressed.
"What?" Max asks, his energy crackling around him.
"Ehem…" Sehloho voices, pointing towards the smoking, cracked debris.
"Oh, right. Must be static," Max says dismissively, completely unconcerned about the damage.
"Oh, goodness," Hakuna palms his face, the casual destruction by his family being too much to handle.
Hakuna relaxes his power and turns towards the palace. Immediately there is an ominous, choking presence around the area, a cold wave of oppressive power that makes the air feel thick and heavy.
"What the heck is that? That power feels… suffocating," Hakuna yelps, his body automatically tensing.
"Run inside, now," Sehloho says, his voice losing all its casual tone, becoming more stern and urgent than usual.
"And don't flare your energy at all. Not even a glimmer," Max instructs the boy, his own face pale.
"Huh? Why?" Hakuna recoils.
"Just go! Now!" The brothers yell in unison, the shared panic making them completely synchronize.
He runs towards the palace, disappearing from sight. "Good, I can't sense him anymore," Sehloho sighs, running a hand over his face.
"Is it because he's in the palace, or, that he's here?" Max questions, his stance instantly defensive.
"I don't know, but this is the one person that I don't want to see Hakuna right now," Sehloho states, looking toward the main road.
The Lewotla Clan has arrived. A clan ruled by violence, these people live for battle, thriving on conflict. As soon as they sense a strong opponent, they will stop at nothing to fight them.
Sehloho ushers a strained welcome to their king. "King Kutlwano, it's a pleasure to host you this year. I hope your journey was uneventful."
"Hmm, so you are the replacement. I wonder if you can match up to your father. I still need a rematch," the king says flatly, pointing to a vicious scar above his eye that bisects his eyebrow. The scar is a testament to the power of Hakuna's father.
The King and his guards walk in, exuding an aura of hostility, while the two brothers stay behind, their faces etched with fear.
"Dad fought that guy? That King is terrifying," Max questions in terrified awe.
"He said rematch. Max, we better hope Hakuna is strong enough to fight this guy," Sehloho says, his eyes filled with grim determination.
"Why? He's stronger than us combined," Max asks, confused.
"Hakuna is the only one who can come close to Dad's power at his age. And if Kutlwano targets him, we can't stop it," Sehloho states, the weight of their father's legacy—and Hakuna's power—crushing them.
Fade out…
End of Episode 23…