"Damn, she really did do a number on me, didn't she? I should get some immediate rest before I collapse again…" Hakuna mutters, settling into the large, canopied bed in his personal quarters, the exhaustion of the past day finally claiming him.
In the room directly below his, the princesses of the different clans—Matshidiso, Keneue, Mphohadi, and Lerato—are huddled together, their voices low and conspiratorial. They are plotting, what exactly are they plotting? I don't know, but given the circumstances, it can only mean trouble for our young prince.
In the meantime, the host of the Citadel is engaged in a far more wholesome activity.
Sehloho says to himself, a soft, fond smile on his face, "Malehlohonolo needs something to eat, and it has to be perfect. Pregnancy is quite the work, for both mother and father…" sighing gleefully as he ties on an apron.
Wait, he can cook?! The King of the Letebele can whip up a meal?
He expertly prepares a lavish, nutrient-rich meal for his wife and suddenly the whole palace shakes violently, a distinct, deep rumble. Sehloho thinks to himself, "Hakuna? No, I can't sense any power output from him; he's far too drained. Hmm, I'll ignore it. It's probably just a small tectonic shift. My wife needs me more."
What a Simp. Ignoring a potential earthquake for a romantic gesture. A true professional.
Anyway, let's get to why the palace is actually shaking. The princesses have snuck out of their plotting room and have somehow snatched Hakuna from his room, not through the door, but by digging through the bottom of his room. They used a variety of energy weapons and possibly a few magical spells to excavate a precise hole right under his bed.
Typical. You just can't keep a determined group of bored princesses from their goal.
"How did you do that, again?! And how did I not sense you tunneling under the palace?" Hakuna yelps, blinking in confusion as he is dragged through the newly formed, gaping hole in his floor.
Princess Koketso then speaks, her smile victorious. "You should know better than to underestimate women, Prince. Our determination knows no bounds when we want something."
"Trust me, I don't underestimate women, given that one of them just knocked me out cold. The question is, how come I couldn't dodge your attack just now, Koketso? My reflexes were utterly useless," Hakuna questions, dusting himself off, thoroughly annoyed.
Psycha chimes in from inside his mind, a calm, analytical voice. "Relax, my young vessel. The only reason you couldn't dodge them is because your body doesn't register them as a threat. You know, on a subconscious level, that they could never defeat you, ever. Your automated defense system is prioritizing resources. Think of it as an anti-threat bias."
Sheesh, talk about confidence building. His own body thinks they're just harmless background noise.
Hakuna then snaps back to the princesses, understanding dawning on his face. "Oh, right. Okay, playtime is over."
ATMOSPHERIC BURST!
He sends all the girls—who were closing in with mischievous grins—flying towards the wall with a catastrophic blast of localized, invisible pressure. They hit the stone with dull thuds, their formations instantly shattered.
"He's just so powerful… I can barely breathe!" princess Keneue strains, struggling to push herself away from the wall.
Princess Mphohadi then speaks, her eyes narrowing strategically. "He's too confident, and he won't hurt us badly on purpose. We should use our numbers against him! Overwhelm him with a constant stream of attacks!"
"Now, ladies, don't let me get serious, okay? I genuinely don't want to break any bones," Hakuna warns, his voice cold.
Princess Lerato scoffs, standing defiant despite the shockwave. "You're so full of yourself, little prince. Maybe I should put you in your place, brat. Let's see how your 'power' holds up against five furious women!"
"Just run, Hakuna. Get out of the immediate area. You'll probably end up hurting them badly if you stay here and fight, even if you try to hold back," Psycha advises, recognizing the dangerous combination of his power and his current fatigue.
Hakuna vanishes. The sheer speed of his movement leaves behind a purple distortion in the air.
"Where did he go? I can't track him!" Princess Mphohadi stammers, bewildered by the disappearance.
"He's running! The coward is fleeing! Let's go, follow his energy signature!" Princess Keneue shouts, leading the charge out of the room.
The princesses follow him through the palace corridors. "I need to find a way to get them off me without resorting to the level of force I used on King Thlomamo," Hakuna says to himself, running faster than a bullet train.
Wait, why are they chasing you? What was the actual plot? We still don't know!
Psycha then speaks, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Alright, now stop running and fight back, but be gentle. Use minimal force."
"How the hell do I—?" Hakuna starts to argue, but Princess Lerato, having finally caught up, lands a solid punch on Hakuna's face, catching him completely off guard.
Hakuna then thinks to himself, "Woah, that actually hurt. A localized, physical punch shouldn't have penetrated my residual shield!"
"Good thing Titanus Skeleta is back on attack mode. That little knock-out Nolitha gave you must have reset your internal framework. Your true defensive power is back online," Psycha says with satisfaction.
Hakuna flares his energy, the purple aura snapping back with renewed vigor. "Alright, let's get serious. I'll make this quick." He gets into a precise fighting stance as the girls rush him from all directions.
One by one, the five princesses approach. Hakuna meets them with blurring speed. He knocks them out with a single, perfectly aimed, non-lethal blow each, moving so fast that their own bodies haven't even registered the attacks before they fall.
He stops behind them, breathing calmly, and as they fall unconscious in a scattered heap, he says, "Sorry, but I had to do something about the chaos. That was getting exhausting."
Then, incredibly, Princess Koketso stands up, almost as if she was never attacked at all, dusting herself off with uncanny resilience.
"What are you doing? I hit you with enough force to put a king down!" Hakuna questions reluctantly, his eyes widening in surprise.
"You may have knocked the other girls out, but I'm not going down that easily, Prince. My physical durability is much higher than theirs," she says, her speed accelerating to a terrifying level.
She launches towards Hakuna with blazing speed, easily matching the highest level of output he'd shown so far. "Woah, she's faster than the others. I didn't see that coming," he comments, only just managing to brace himself.
She lands a powerful punch on Hakuna's face, catching him cleanly this time.
Hakuna thinks to himself, "I thought you said my true defensive power was up and running, Psycha!"
"Still trying to fix the residual damage from Nolitha's forced energy displacement. Bear with me here; it's complicated," Psycha says, sounding slightly strained.
Hakuna's eyes glow yellow as he gets ready to fight the super-fast princess. "I really, genuinely don't want to hurt you, but I need you to stop." He vanishes.
"Not again. He's still faster than I am," the princess murmurs, her confidence momentarily shaken.
Hakuna appears directly in front of her, preparing to land a punch. "I cannot let you guys play around like this. This is dangerous for you. Fist of Inferno!"
He throws a punch at the princess but stops the devastating blow three inches away from her face. Despite physically halting the attack, Princess Koketso is violently flung back, knocked unconscious by the concentrated, displaced kinetic energy of the aborted strike.
"I should tell the helpers to take them back to their rooms while I try to deal with the fact that I attacked women—again," Hakuna says, rubbing his jaw.
Psycha chimes in, "Let me handle that. Don't get too upset, they're truly not hurt. Just sleeping." The five girls instantly vanish in a silent ripple of energy.
"I had no idea you could do that. That's some high-level power," Hakuna says, staring at the empty space.
"Of course, you don't. My power is much more potent when I'm here, inside your vessel, so I can do certain things that you, in your human form, cannot. I can manipulate space and energy to a degree," Psycha says, pleased with herself.
"Interesting. Now, back to sleep we go. I am exhausted," the prince concludes, heading towards his room.
"You forgot about the gaping hole in the bedroom floor, didn't you? You can't sleep there now," Psycha asks dryly.
He turns in the opposite direction. "Right. In the guest quarters we go."
Psycha interjects, "Kinda occupied by various clan dignitaries who arrived late."
"Say what now? You mean we have no place to sleep?" Hakuna mutters, the comedic horror dawning on him.
"Yeah, we have no secure, private place to sleep tonight," she says.
"Damn," Hakuna voices, thoroughly defeated.
Fade Out…
Hakuna ended up sleeping, curled up and alone, in the massive, cold, and uncomfortable throne room. A fitting end to a very strange day.
End of Episode 28…