A Great King, Part II

**A Great King, Part II** is the twelfth episode of the third season of TFAWPS. It is the sixty-fourth episode overall.

## Plot

With the life of King Salamence on the line, Ted and Zack try to cope with the situation in ways that threaten to dig up their old conflict. Buster turns to S.E.C.R.E.T. for help while King Kai and his loyalists attempt to retreat from the Third Quadrant but their growing list of enemies my prevent an escape in any direction.

## Synopsis

On Planet Popstar, a group of extremists hide in somebody's basement. They quietly wait for the owners of the house to return, though it's taking longer than they expected. The group quietly waits as some screaming and yelling is heard from outside. One of the extremists sits in the corner of the room with a small antennae peaking out into the streets. They Popstar scans communications hoping to find a coded message from King Kai's sect of loyalists to give them a way out. Just outside the streets again, more screaming and gunfire is heard and then things go really quiet. One extremist turns to the decoder and shrugs as if to ask if he's gotten anything yet. The decoder watches the scan quickly as a bead of sweat rolls down his head. After a few seconds, they get a ping from a lone planet in the Third Quadrant close to the Land of Ooo, prompting a thumbs up from the decoder. As the Popstars all take a very quiet deep breath and the decoder starts typing a response, one of the homeowners rushes into the basement as screaming is heard upstairs. The homeowner turns around and is shot in the face in front of all the extremists. A group of rebels storm downstairs as the extremists close their eyes. A jump cut to a stage in front of the old capitol building as a guillotine is set into place by the rebels. The upward shot reveals the sun reflecting off of the blade of the guillotine as it frames the circular window of the office that once housed King Kai's council. As we watch the window, screaming is heard from a man being dragged onto the stage amidst a group of rebels calling for blood. Through the window we notice the blade of the guillotine swing down as the screaming stops.

In the infirmary located within the Fin-Land palace, King Salamence is rushed inside and placed on a table by Team Chaotix and Hercule as the doctors all rush to stabilize his condition. The four all take a step back and stand in shock as King Salamence is tended to by the doctors. Several more Fin-Land soldiers huddle around the door and observe, but one of the doctors turns around and asks for them all to give him some space. The doctor frustratedly and nervously ushers everybody out of the room and closes the door as the others attend to the king. Hercule places his hands over his eyes and walks away from the group while Charmy begins to cry and Vector takes a seat on the floor beside Charmy as he also begins to cry. Espio still stands stoically in front of the now closed door as even he sheds a tear, but quickly wipes it away. Queen Lucy then rushes down the hallway to the infirmary when Team Chaotix all compose themselves as they approach her. Without any words, Queen Lucy begins to shed a few tears and heads into the operating room. Inside the room, Queen Lucy slowly approaches her husband as the doctors all rush around trying to stabilize him. She makes his way next to him and grabs his hand crouching down next to him. The doctors work around her, not saying anything. She grabs his hand and kisses it, holding him closely. As she holds his hand, she can feel him squeezing it in return which gives her a glimmer of hope, though she still tries to remain very stoic. One of the doctors approaches her and asks her politely to leave the room, which she respectfully obliges. She takes a deep breath and exits the room and is once again met by Team Chaotix and a few other soldiers. She addresses them and says that the King will be fine and there's no need to linger. Vector attempts to say something, but Queen Lucy sternly insists that they all leave. She walks back down the hallway as Team Chaotix watches her walk away.

Queen Lucy enters the room where she and King Salamence would read their correspondence and sits in his chair as opposed to her own. She rests her head on the headrest and takes another shaky deep breath. From the doorway, Zack peaks inside and observes his mother's sadness. He prepares to walk away when she looks up and notices him. Zack reluctantly enters the room and approaches is mother and the two share a hug, witch Zack offering up an apology. Queen Lucy assures him that it wasn't his fault and he should have left the situation for Zack to deal with alone, as she knew King Salamence was too old to be going out in the field and herself believing that Zack was more than equipped to handle it on his own. Zack still believes that it was his fault and expresses his desire to have seen King Kai personally transported to prison himself. Queen Lucy tells Zack that he should stop with the "I shoulds and what ifs" and says that she needs to address their people. Zack intercepts her and asks her what she would say to them that could be considered comforting, but Queen Lucy admits that she doesn't know, but will think of something. She leaves the room as Zack begins to follow her only for something to catch his eye in the wastebasket. He picks it up and opens it, revealing the official IMPA rejection letter. Zack reads it over briefly and puts it in his pocket, following his mother out of the room.

Queen Lucy walks outside, silencing the murmurs of the worried crowd with her presence. As the crowd awaits word on their King, Zack watches nervously as Queen Lucy raises her hands in the air and begins to speak, though her voice trembles. Zack clutches the letter in his pockets as he listens to Queen Lucy's speech. She begins by saying that their mission was a rare failure for Fin-Land and informs the crowd that King Salamence was critically injured by gunfire. The crowd begins to worry and become unsure as Queen Lucy begins to cry. Adjacent to the crowd, Ted sits with his back to the podium listening to the speech, turning around when Queen Lucy stops speaking. Zack rushes to the podium and gently moves his mother aside. Zack takes the microphone and delivers a passionate and powerful speech to the people of Fin-Land promising justice for King Salamence and retribution for the people of Fin-Land, especially Queen Lucy and Zack himself, that they will not take this attack lightly. He promises that they will find King Kai and bring him to justice for his crimes against Fin-Land. Ted watches the speech in awe and looks over towards the people who begin cheering as Zack looks over as a sly smile crosses his face. Queen Lucy wipes her eyes from the tears and joins her son at the podium, clapping her hands, which urges the people to cheer some more. Queen Lucy grabs the microphone and, though her voice still trembling, urges everyone to return to their homes and promises that the Fin-Land Military will watch over them and keep them safe. The people begin to disperse as Ted escorts Zack and Queen Lucy back inside the palace.

Once inside, Queen Lucy takes out a handkerchief and begins to cry into it while Zack and Ted both attempt to comfort her. Queen Lucy thanks them for trying to help her, but she says she needs to be down in the infirmary. Zack urges her to get some sleep and the two share a hug before Queen Lucy heads off. Ted tells her to be well. Once she's out of sight, Ted asks Zack what they do now, but all Zack says is that they find King Kai as fast as they can, with Ted promising to take the lead on this mission or second in command if Zack wants to lead, vowing to hunt him to the edge of the Fourth Quadrant if he must, but Zack, somewhat annoyed, tells Ted that it won't come to that, but assures him that he'll play a role. Zack heads into the palace while Ted remains by the door and observes the portrait of King Salamence in his battle armor.

In his apartment, Buster sleeps on the couch with the TV on a low volume in the background. He wakes up, shocked that he was able to get any sleep at all. He walks over to his window and observes the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning still raging on even hours later. He walks over to the couch and takes a seat and begins looking at his phone. He scrolls through his messages, but nobody has sent him anything. He prepares to send a message to Mofo, but finds that he is offline. As he scrolls through his contacts, he notices that, besides Mofo, several of his other contacts have no service namely Sonic, Pink Panther, Paco, Roy, and G. Biv. Beginning to think something is going on, he closes his shades and turns off his lights and TV. Buster then calls Wally and after waiting a few seconds, Wally answers. Buster invites Wally over and quickly. Buster's demeanor worries Wally and he says that he'll be over as soon as he can, despite the storm.

Some time later, Wally arrives at Buster's apartment and the two hang up their phones. Buster grabs him and brings him inside and asks if he was followed. Wally is visibly uncomfortable and confirms that he was not followed as there's nobody else on the streets and begins questioning Buster about his behavior. Wally asks if Buster's apartment is bugged and Buster admits that he's not sure, but figures it would be less suspicious if he stayed. Buster explains that he thinks someone is systematically picking off the members of TFAWPS, explaining that Pink Panther, Paco, and the Twins all disappeared within minutes of each other and Sonic and Mofo have recently gone offline as well. Wally is skeptical, but Buster explains that he found an article detailing a ship crashed into a post office, the same ship that Sonic and Lupina left on several days prior, hinting that they were possible run off the road. Wally admits to Buster that he doesn't believe him because as soon as TFAWPS was disbanded, he up and left them all without a word and then returned and didn't help with Paco and even abandoned Mofo on the outreach mission. Buster says that he knows what it looks like, but says he's sick of sitting everything out, especially when his friends are at risk. Wally then skeptically asks Buster what his theories are and Buster explains that he believes either the Dark Order has reformed and is trying to preemptively take them out or President Space is trying to quietly make them all disappear. Wally is surprised that it could go all the way to the top and Buster explains that Paco and the Twins have already been discredited in the media and Sonic and President Space have been very vocal about their disdain for each other. As for the Dark Order, he says that Pig King could have led Pink Panther and Roy to the outskirts with an escape plan for himself in place, as well as Mofo's documented problems with the Wasters in the Second Quadrant. Wally is still unsure, but Buster admits that he and Agent Yellow were talking and he claims the Dark Order is over, which he seems to believe. Wally, upon hearing these theories, seems more inclined to believe that something may be wrong, but doubts Buster's trust in Agent Yellow, but Buster reinforces this belief by saying that if the Dark Order were truly behind it, then Ted would most likely have been the first to go. Wally agrees to attempt to get into contact with Pink Panther and Roy, as he isn't as high profile, while Buster tries to find some more allies.

In the Cosmic Tunnel later that evening, Agent Yellow leans on the railing soaking wet from the rain and smoking a cigarette. As he anxiously waits, Zack finally arrives from the Fin-Land side and joins Agent Yellow, who greets him, but Zack cuts to the chase and informs Agent Yellow about King Salamence's injuries. Agent Yellow is taken aback to to learn that the King is in critical condition and apologizes to Zack for this terrible turn of events. Agent Yellow asks if he's going to be okay and Zack, very bluntly, says that it's unclear and the doctors have yet to say anything as the incident only occurred a few hours ago, but speculates that, at the very least, he'll lose a wing. Agent Yellow is speechless and genuinely feels bad for Zack, who is clearly disturbed by the event. After some silence, Agent Yellow asks him how the plan went, aside from his father's injuries, and Zack says bitterly that King Kai escaped. He says that this was never part of the plan, explaining that King Kai was meant to take back Planet Popstar and Zack will retake it back himself with the Fin-Land Military and be hailed as a hero. Agent Yellow says that it's not too late to do that and suggests that if he could find King Kai now and bring him back to Fin-Land it would mean more than had he just done it before. Zack disagrees and says that now any action taken by him or Fin-Land will be purely retaliatory and will make him seen as a passive and reactive leader. Agent Yellow says that whatever Zack decides he'll have his back. Zack says that he needs to return to Fin-Land and Agent Yellow says that he understands and the two part ways.

On the desert planet within the Third Quadrant, a group of Waster ships land at a truck stop type of establishment. The Wasters start to emerge from their ships and fuel up. From the lead ship, Captain Jeice steps out and takes a deep breath of the cool nighttime desert air. From behind him, he hears a group of his Wasters arguing and a group of three storm towards him and begin yelling at him, angry for transporting Popstars. Jeice defends himself by saying they defied orders by looking in the brig. The leader of the three Wasters gets even more angry and says that they had an agreement to avoid anything from the most wanted list and to stay out of politics, but Jeice reminds his crew that he's the captain and he makes the decisions. Jeice goes on to explain how much money they'll receive if they continue to drive the Popstars around. The three Wasters are not interested in getting themselves put on any sort of list and quit the crew. As they start to leave, Jeice yells at them to remind them that they can't say anything about their deal. Jeice turns to his remaining crew and says that if anyone else doesn't like it they're also more than welcome to leave, but if they want to keep up with Captain Poliwhirl and Captain Cowboy, then this is the way to go. Most of the Wasters stick by him, much to his pleasure, though it's clear he only wants to prove himself better than his rivals.

Back inside the ship, King Kai sits in the cargo hold with the highest profile members of his former war council. Most members of the war council, along with King Kai himself, are nervous about doing business with the Wasters. King Kai is very adamant that they can't be trusted and explains that Captain Poliwhirl has joined up with them and is responsible for kidnapping him from their home in the first place, but another council member argues the he most likely saved his life by getting him out before the rest of the council was able to, though it seems the council members may not have intended to get him out at all. One of the council members points out that the Wasters will never be able to get them home without attracting unwanted attention, but King Kai says he has a contact on this planet that they could call. A few moments later, Jeice enters the cargo hold and informs the Popstars that this is about as far as he can get them for now. Jeice promises that his services will be available to them again in the future, but for now this is the quietest place in the Third Quadrant and they should be safe here for the time being. He tells them that he's going to be late for a meeting and says to give them a call when they're ready to move again. King Kai is annoyed with him for not escorting them further, but Jeice says that he's done as asked and got them to this planet safely and quietly and orders them all off of his ship. King Kai is disgusted with this treatment and demands to be treated like a monarch, but Jeice says that he isn't royalty anymore otherwise he wouldn't be in business with people like him. The council gets King Kai to reluctantly agree and the council exits the ship as the Wasters take off with their payment. Outside, one of the council members says that they need to get in contact with the others and set off to find secure communication. King Kai laments about his lowly stature and how it isn't right for him to be forced to settle for help from a bunch of thugs, but the council all explain that it's something they'll have to get used to for the time being, as unpleasant as it is for them.

On Fin-Land, the airport becomes extremely clogged. With the Land of Ooo dealing with the storm, Fin-Land finds that it too is having trouble dealing with the massive influx of new residents and guests. The employees of the airport attempt to help people direct flights out of Fin-Land, but due to Fin-Land's small size, the wait times are incredibly long. Not helping the situation is the military who have cordoned off an area of the airport as a response to the attack on King Salamence. Outside the infirmary, Queen Lucy, Zack, Ted, and Team Chaotix wait for word on the King. The infirmary has been mostly cleared out. Queen Lucy's eyes are incredibly red from the tears as she continues to cry while Vector and Charmy nervously drink coffee. Ted and Espio sit in silence on the bench across from Queen Lucy and Zack. Though starting to appear visibly annoyed, especially when glancing over at Ted, Zack grabs his mother's hand in an attempt to calm her down, telling her that everything is going to be okay. The surgeon soon emerges from the room as everyone stands up and approaches him. The surgeon takes a deep breath before asking Queen Lucy if she'd like to receive the information in private or if it's okay to share with the others in the room. Zack begins to speak up, presumably to say he'd like to keep things between family, but Queen Lucy says that whatever they can tell her he can tell everyone else in the room, much to Zack's annoyance. The surgeon takes another deep breath and explains that King Salamence's injuries were very severe and he lost a lot of blood. He explains that some of the bullets entered his body and need to be found quickly, as well as the fact that he will lose the wing and never fly again. Queen Lucy is devastated to hear this and asks what's going to happen next and the surgeon explains that they've placed him in a medically induced coma in order to locate the bullets and fix his injuries, but it'd likely take a while to complete the operation. Everyone is devastated by the news. The surgeon tells Queen Lucy that if she likes she can stay with him, but the surgeon himself has to return to the operating room. Queen Lucy is accosted by Ted and Team Chaotix who ask what she would like to do. Annoyed, Zack tells his mother that King Salamence will be fine with Fin-Land's top surgeons taking care of him and says that she has a nation to lead, but Queen Lucy ignores this advice and decides that she should stick by King Salamence during this time. Ted nods and says that he understands, but Zack remains silently angry with this turn of events. Queen Lucy enters the operating room to be with her husband. Ted asks Zack how he feels, but Zack just leaves the room.

In the S.E.C.R.E.T. outpost on the Land of Ooo, Buster arrives through the front doors with an umbrella and places it down in the front. The outpost is mostly empty save for the few S.E.C.R.E.T. agents left over from the group sent to arrest the former TFAWPS members. As Buster walks through the doors, he confidently asks to meet with whoever is in charge here. Waluigi steps out and says that there's no need for the aggressive approach and invites him into a small office for them to talk. Once inside the office, Buster makes small talk by mentioning how different the outpost looks now and Waluigi explains that Eggman Robotnik ordered the agents on the Land of Ooo to downsize the outpost in response to the new mandates initiated by President Space. Buster asks what it's like working for Eggman and Waluigi says that it's not bad for anyone else except Mario who has been downgraded to what is essentially a middle manager. Buster denies any responsibility for what happened between Mario and President Space, with a newfound confidence that seems to have allured him for some time.

Waluigi cuts the small talk short and asks what he's doing here in violation of the accord, but Buster points out that by talking to him, Waluigi is also in violation. Waluigi asks again what he's doing here and Buster reminds Waluigi of their history fighting on the same side in the Cell and Genesect conflict and how he knows that himself and the rest of TFAWPS are good guys and that Waluigi is a good S.E.C.R.E.T. agent. He reveals his theory about the TFAWPS members being picked off one at a time and asks Waluigi if S.E.C.R.E.T. had anything to do with that. Waluigi says that he doesn't, but even if he did, he wouldn't tell him about it. Waluigi takes out a notepad and a pen and asks Buster what he thinks is happening to his friends. Buster says that he believes Paco and the Twins are being framed and how Pink Panther, Mofo, and Sonic have all dropped off the map. Waluigi asks how long it's been since he's heard from them and, rather guiltily, Buster says that it's been some time since he's talked to them. Waluigi asks if he has any other leads and Buster explains that he believes the Dark Order could be behind it all. Waluigi asks Buster what he knows about the Dark Order and Buster says that he has a history with them and he'd like to leave it at that, if that's okay. Waluigi asks how he expects an investigation to be conducted if he withholds information. Buster replies that it shouldn't matter because if he's right, he'll find out soon enough, but does divulge that Pig King is involved. Waluigi thinks about it for a moment before agreeing to do something about it, which Buster is grateful for. However before Buster can leave, Waluigi stops him and says that he's putting a lot on the line for this so if he calls Buster for help, he helps no questions asked. Buster agrees and Waluigi tells him that he'll be in touch.

After Buster leaves the office, Waluigi asks if he caught all that as Agent Yellow steps out of a small closet, muscles cramping. Waluigi apologizes for forcing him in there, but Agent Yellow says that it's fine and it's a good thing Waluigi was paying attention. Agent Yellow asks what he's going to do and Waluigi asks if they're going after TFAWPS, but Agent Yellow says that they're not. Waluigi explains that they actually are and explains the situation with the members of TFAWPS. Agent Yellow asks why nobody told him about this and Waluigi explains that's because it's all a massive coincidence. Waluigi explains that if Pig King can complete his mission in the outskirts then he should be able to handle Pink Panther and Roy, while S.E.C.R.E.T. and the Space Corps wipe out Paco and G. Biv while Captain Cowboy handles Sonic and Mofo. Agent Yellow is pleased with this turn of events. He continues to explain that if they can convince Zack to get rid of Ted, TFAWPS' strongest member, they'll be in the clear to conduct their business without fear of repercussions. Agent Yellow says that he needs to let Zack know immediately and sets out for Fin-Land. Waluigi says that he'll continue to handle Buster from now on and keep him from investigating the matter on his own.

On the desert planet, the council manages to set up a communication device and begin sending out a pinging location to Planet Popstar in order to make contact with the extremists located there. As King Kai does nothing but observe as his men work on getting into contact, one of the council members says that they've been at it for far too long and could be compromised. King Kai, now visibly sweaty, complains of the heat despite it being in the dead of night. The council members ignore him and continue to discuss the possibility of their location being discovered. The council decides that they've been sending their location out for far too long and should turn it off and try again another time. King Kai vetoes this decision and orders them to continue reaching out so they can be found. A few council members argue against this, saying that by this point they're more likely to be found by Fin-Land, Planet Simpson, the Galactic Federation or worst of all, the rebels back on Planet Popstar. As they argue, they get a message back from Planet Popstar from the extremists still located on their home planet. The extremists give them the address of an industrial shipping complex located on the same planet where they are currently located. King Kai arrogantly asks them if they're glad he said to keep talking. The council is now visibly annoyed and mostly ignores everything King Kai says. The group takes down the address and begins moving towards their location. The council member in charge of communications gives the Popstar sign off, but as they receive the response, the communication is cut off. The council members begin to panic and King Kai obliviously asks what's going on. The council immediately turns off the device and explains that their comrades back home have been compromised and need to leave before they're found. King Kai attempts to apologize to his men for attacking King Salamence and bringing all of this misery down on them, but the council members all say that they don't have time to discuss this and need to get moving.

On Fin-Land, Zack sits in his parents' office behind a desk on the phone with the Mayor. While he waits for a response from the Mayor, he combs through several of his parents' documents. Zack reluctantly shares the news of King Salamence to the Mayor, which greatly upsets him. As Zack is on the phone, Ted enters the room, but Zack holds up a finger, indicating for Ted to hold on a moment. Zack completely ignores him as he continues to search through the paperwork and has a conversation with the Mayor. Zack tells the Mayor to let everybody know what happened. After the conclusion of their conversation, Zack hangs up the phone and continues reading through the paperwork. Zack attempts to ignore Ted in the hopes that he'll leave, but Ted remains in the doorway. Zack eventually looks up and frustratedly asks what Ted wants and upon entering the room, Ted says that he just wanted to check in and make sure he was doing okay, but Zack insists that it isn't a good time. Ted says that he's just offering a helping hand, seeing as everything that's happened they've been through together, but Zack looks at Ted as if he doesn't recognize him. Zack says that he'd like to be left alone for this evening and Ted says that's quite alright. After Ted leaves, Zack angrily begins going through military files and eventually stumbles across the file on Ted. He finds his history before Fin-Land suspiciously lacking and decides to cross reference it with several other files and databases. Zack eventually learns that Ted was listed as 4F in several foreign nations' militaries, though suspiciously his official paperwork for Fin-Land lists him as 1A. Zack becomes angry with Ted for lying and for his parents seemingly keeping this a secret from him and the people of Fin-Land. Before Zack can do anything else, he gets a call on his private phone from Agent Yellow, which he answers.

Later that evening in the infirmary, Queen Lucy waits outside of the surgery room where the surgeons are working on King Salamence. As she nervously sits, Zack approaches her and asks her what she plans to do about the situation at the airport because it's getting out of control, but Queen Lucy begins offering half-hearted solutions, clearly not having any energy to discuss such things. Zack also begins talking about military action against Planet Popstar for the situation at hand, but Queen Lucy snaps at him and says that neither she nor King Salamence have the energy to devote to this right now and tells him to make the decisions himself if he wants to be King so badly. She says that he hopes that will make him happy and numb the pain from the likely chance that his father will not survive the night. Zack doesn't say anything at first, but eventually tries to convince his mother that this isn't what he wanted, but Queen Lucy apologizes, saying that she knows and for now, Zack is the one who knows what's best for Fin-Land and she trusts him to do what's right for their nation. Zack is honored that Queen Lucy chose him and she reiterates that she trusts him to be a great king. Zack's smile briefly drops from his face and he thanks his mother and gives her a hug.

At 8383 R. Salza St., King Kai and his council attempt to bargain with the man behind the counter. King Kai argues that the two go way back and he should do him a favor, but the smuggler insists that without proper documentation he can't help him. King Kai is baffled and says that he did all kinds of work for him during the war and that King Kai took great care of him and owes him a solid. The smuggler says that he doesn't recall anything of the sort, but for a large fee he may be willing to expedite things for him and the council. King Kai begins to protest once again, but a council member speaks up and asks for a price. The smuggler says that since this visit is impromptu and is for an expanded number of customers, it'll cost at least five times their normal ratee. After some arguments, King Kai authorizes a transfer from the Popstar bank account, which is seen as too risky of a move from the council who are fast beginning to doubt King Kai's leadership. The smuggler says that, if it comes down to either protect them or his business, he will protect his business which means giving anyone their location and asks if that's clear. King Kai begins to argue and says that's not fair as he didn't agree to that before payment, but the smuggler reiterates asking if it's clear. King Kai reluctantly agrees and the smuggler calls for his driver to take them to the back for processing. King Kai threatens the smuggler and says that they'd better be going to the right place and the smuggler assures him that if he's unhappy with it, he's more than welcome to come back with the proper documents and he'll send him anywhere he wants to go. King Kai and the council head into the back as the smuggler returns to his work while a camper pulls up to the front of his store.

The next morning on Fin-Land, a crowd gathers eat the steps of the palace where a Fin-Land official welcomes everyone to the meeting and begins by assuring them that King Salamence is still alive and is still undergoing surgery. Team Chaotix stands guard in front of the stairs as Hercule listens from the crowd. The official says that the extent of King Salamence's injuries are too great for him to continue ruling Fin-Land and Queen Lucy has seen fit to abdicate the throne to their son, Prince Zack. The official then welcomes for the first time King Zack and the two shake hands. The official places the crown on a smiling Zack's head as Team Chaotix nervously shifts in their positions but remains strong for the people of Fin-Land, but somewhat unsure about this decision. Zack addresses the crowd and says that he promises to move Fin-Land in the proper direction and honor the visions and duties of his parents while also looking towards the future. Most of the populace claps for him while some remain worried about King Salamence and Queen Lucy. Zack says that he has a lot of work to do, but says that he will provide an answer to everybody's questions later on and keep them vigorously updated on King Salamence's condition. Ted then enters the crowd and is surprised to hear this, having not been made aware that this was going to happen.

Later on, Zack meets with a group of advisors including Team Chaotix where he explains that his first order of business to prevent another incident like before and out of an overabundance of caution will be to close the Cosmic Tunnel between Fin-Land and the Land of Ooo for the foreseeable future. The advisors, angry about what happened to King Salamence, are on board with this decision. Zack then proposes a few personnel changes and he notices Ted across the room, stands up and prepares the documents that expose Ted's previous dealings with other foreign militaries. The advisors are shocked to hear this while Team Chaotix look caught off guard, but not entirely surprised. Ted defends himself and proclaims his loyalty to Fin-Land and Zack says that he scammed his way into the Fin-Land Military behind not only his back, but his parents' backs as well. The advisors ask Ted if this is true, but Zack continues to answer that he's also gotten himself the role as prince's guard, which has him worried that Ted might be a spy for a foreign government, possibly even a mercenary at the employ of King Kai, pointing out Ted's role in letting the refugees into Fin-Land as well as his close involvement with Planet Popstar while working with TFAWPS. Ted now furiously denies these allegations, but Zack says that for all he knows he could have set up the ambush on King Salamence the previous evening. Ted stands up and argues vocally with Zack saying that he'd give his life for King Salamence and the people of Fin-Land if he had to and Zack says that he had to last night and he didn't. Zack orders that Ted be stripped of his rank and, in lieu of undergoing a series of trials for treason, he instead orders Ted's exile as a mercy. Ted protests once again and says that these are all lies, but Zack says that his mind is made up, flashing Ted an arrogant smile and Ted shoots daggers back at him. Ted has a flash of understanding in his eyes and calmly accepts his punishment and is escorted out of the meeting hall by the Fin-Land Military after turning in his badge.

While Ted is being escorted out of Fin-Land and placed on a plane in the Fin-Land airport in handcuffs within full view of the public, Ted appears betrayed and angry and sits silently watching Fin-Land disappear behind him as the ship he's on passes through the nearest jump point.

## Characters

* Ted
* Buster
* Zack
* Agent Yellow
* Wally
* Waluigi
* King Salamence
* Queen Lucy
* King Kai
* Vector
* Espio
* Charmy Bee
* Hercule
* Captain Jeice
* Mayor
* Smuggler