The Race to Tuliza

The Race to Tuliza is the sixty-third episode of The Lion Guard, and the eighth episode of Season 3.
==Synopsis==
Fuli gets lost in the territory of a male cheetah, Azaad, who refuses to show her the way out until she races him; Kion's patience is tested by a group of raucous flamingos. 
==Plot==
On the outskirts of the desert, the Lion Guard is shown struggling against the sun. Pained by his scar and blinded by the intense heat, Kion soon falls down a little hill. As Makini rushes over to help him, Kion coldly brushes her off, claiming to be fine as Fuli starts to wonder if Kion needs some tuliza. Noticing the Guard staring at him, Kion once again lashes in anger. Her fears confirmed, Fuli asks Makini for the Tuliza, who realizes that her stash has run out. Realizing this, Anga flies ahead to scout as Fuli hopes that Kion doesn't decide to use the Roar of the Elders before getting tuliza.
Ono notes the journey through the desert has been hard on everyone, while Beshte's glad that nobody has gotten thirsty. Hearing this, Bunga begins acting overdramatically, collapsing as he compares the thirst to have a desert in his mouth. Running ahead, Bunga shows his tongue to a disgusted Fuli, claiming it's dry as a sand dune. He then runs ahead to show Kion, who suddenly snaps at Bunga in his anger, scaring him. Fuli then runs up to Kion and calms him down, saying that Bunga was just fooling around. Kion apologizes to Bunga, who forgives him, admitting he is good at being annoying.
After the close call, Fuli looks to the skies, hoping that Anga finds some tuliza soon. Above the skies, Anga spots some tuliza and reports her findings back to the Guard, noting that the tuliza is very far away, far beyond a sea up ahead. Realizing that the sea has water, Bunga rushes ahead, coming across a small beach as the rest of the Guard catches up with him. Bunga jumps into the waters despite Ono's objections, only to find out too late that the water is salty, much to Bunga's disgust. Unable to drink the water, Kion suggests moving on to the tuliza, though Anga doubts he could make the trip.
Bunga laments that the "Bunga Sea" turned out to be so salty, explaining to Ono that he named the sea after himself since he was the first one in it. Makini then recalls Rafiki once teaching her that saltwater has very relaxing qualities, telling Kion to soak in the water. Ono agrees with Makini, believing it should soothe Kion's scar. Willing to give it a try, Kion enters the sea as the Guard watches in anticipation. Soon enough, Kion starts feeling better and relaxes, much to everyone's relief. As Kion wades deeper into the sea, Bunga praises the "Great Bunga Sea" again, with Fuli noticing the longer name change.
At that moment, Kion beings floating in the water, with Ono explaining how easy it is to float in salty water. Seeing Kion enjoy himself, the rest of the Guard but Fuli and Anga jump in as well. Bunga asks Fuli to join them, though she refuses, claiming that someone has to get the tuliza for Kion. As Anga prepares to leave, however, Fuli stops her, needing Anga to keep a lookout for danger while she goes to get the tuliza herself. While Bunga laughs off the idea of danger at the Great Bunga Sea, Fuli tells Bunga that Kion is starting to float away in his bliss, causing Bunga to go and get him back.
Fuli then turns to Anga, asking her how to find the tuliza, who says it's below a tree on top of the mesa just beyond the rock formations. As a result of lacking Anga's strong eyesight, Fuli is unable to find the tree before Anga tells her its the only tree around.  Fuli then runs ahead to explore the canyons. However, she ends up getting lost, running into a series of dead-ends before suddenly hearing a strange voice. Back at the beach, the Guard is still relaxing in the waters. Soon after, Anga notices a huge flamboyance of flamingos nearby, which then lands on the beach and starts squawking up a storm. 
Back at the canyons, Fuli meets a male cheetah named Azaad, who tells Fuli she is invading his territory. Fuli brushes off Azaad, only wanting to get tuliza for her friend, though Azaad claims that, being cheetahs, they don't have friends. Fuli then begs Azaad for help in finding the tuliza. Noting she has the "flame of a cheetah" in heart, Azaad agrees to help Fuli if she beats him in a race, prompting her to accept the challenge. At the beach, Anga tells Makini to keep Kion away from the flamingos, who cover his eyes with a leaf, telling him everything is fine before dragging him away. 
Hoping to keep Kion calm until Fuli's return, Ono tries talking to the pink birds. After getting two female flamingos to notice him, the girls explain how they're on migration, making their yearly stop at Flamingo Beach (though Bunga tries to correct them with his own name). When asked to lower the noise, the girls refuse since it would ruin the Flamingo Dance Party. As the flamingos start to party, Bunga joins in the fun while the rest of the Guard keeps a resting Kion away from the flamingos. Meanwhile, at the top of the mesa, Fuli and Azaad prepare for their race, the winner being the first to reach the rock up ahead.
Soon after starting the race, Fuli overtakes Azaad and passes him. Before reaching the rock, however, the trail suddenly falls, dropping Fuli and allowing Azaad to win the race. Angered, Fuli accuses Azaad of knowing about the ditch drop​​​​​, who doesn't deny the accusation, pointing out they are on his territory. As Azaad begins to leave, Fuli stops him, challenging him to a rematch which he accepts. Back at the beach, the Lion Guard continues to protect Kion from the flamingos, with the two flamingo girls at one point mimicking Anga after mistaking her cawing for a cool dance, frustrating her.
At the top of the mesa, Fuli impatiently stops Azaad's gloating speech, now in a hurry to get the Tuliza. Soon after, the two started racing again,  Fuli will win. Unwilling to lose in his own territory, Azaad tries to take a shortcut by jumping across the canyons, barely reaching the edge. Seeing this, Fuli returns and pulls Azaad back up. Surprised, Azaad asks Fuli why she came back for him, pointing out that she could have won the race, leading Fuli to answer that friends help friends. Delighted to have Fuli as a friend, Azaad calls her a remarkable cheetah, agreeing to help her find the tuliza for Kion.
At the beach, the Lion Guard still hasn't broken up the Flamingo Dance Party. Hearing  Bunga scream, they rush over to him, accidentally leaving Kion behind, only to find Bunga partying with the birds. Reminding him they're trying to keep Kion calm, Bunga joins them before noticing Kion's absence. Nearby, the flamingo girls find Kion asleep and start fawning over him with other birds. Waking to find himself surrounded by pink birds, Kion freaks out and yells at the flamingos as dark storm clouds form in the sky in preparation of the Roar of the Elders, alerting the Guard who runs towards him.
Barely in control of himself, Kion threatens the birds to leave before he sends them flying, though they don't take him seriously. The Guard manages to reach Kion before he loses his cool, telling him the Tuliza is coming. Anga spots Fuli and Azaad nearby, telling the others that Fuli's brought a friend, much to Bunga's amusement. Arriving at the beach, Fuli briefly hesitates near the sea, though she swallows her hatred of water at Anga's urging, with a surprised Azaad following shortly. Both cheetahs then reach Makini, who quickly grabs the Tuliza and gives it to Kion, instantly calming him down.
Fuli begins asking about the pink birds as Bunga asks about Azaad, who calls himself a friend of Fuli's. Kion apologizes to the flamingos for scaring them, while Makini notes that they have enough Tuliza to last them for days. Kion then deciding to head on the road to the Tree of Life to leave the flamingos in peace. As the Guard leaves, Fuli and Azaad bid each other farewell, with Azaad glad to be Fuli's friend and voicing the hope that they may meet again. The two then have a small race before parting ways, with Azaad heading back to his territory while Fuli returns to the Lion Guard.
==Appearances==
===Characters===
						
						
===Groups===
The Lion Guard	Flamingo Girls' Flamboyance(debut)
===Locations===
Flamingo Beach(debut)	Azaad's Canyon(debut)	Desert				
Tree of Life(mention)	 	 				
Pride Lands(Mention) 	 	 				
===Animals===
Lions	Honey Badgers	Cheetahs 	Hippos 	Egrets 	Eagles 	Mandrills
 	 	Flamingos(final appearance)	Shrimps(debut)	Elephants(mention)	Snakes(mention)	
== References ==
Category:Episodes
Category:Season Three Episodes
Category:Media