By animeninjaNIPPON

"How do I know?" Hao reiterated. "It's not possible! I was there, but – " he stopped short, glancing around. I'd never seen him spaz out like that before, and for a moment I thought all that time at 4Kids had finally cracked him.

"You didn't know?" Pirika asked. "I thought you were in charge of 4Kids. That's what my brother told me, anyway."

"I really don't see what this has to do with why you two were stealing mail from Viz." Hao folded his arms across his chest. "I know this because 4Kids has a huge influence on Viz, courtesy of me."

"You're taking over Viz – " I began, then realized that I wasn't really getting to the point. "Wait, so this is about the mail, not the – " I was cut off by Pirika's elbow jabbed into my side.

"I can explain the mail," Pirika said, giving me a look that said, "Don't expose the refugees!"

"So this was your doing?" Hao turned to Pirika. She nodded slowly. "Fine. HoroHoro, you can go."

"But – " I protested, not wanting to leave my sister with the alleged leader of 4Kids Entertainment.

"She stays with me."

"If you hurt her – "

"Leave now, before I change my mind!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Pirika assured me. I left the room as Pirika and Hao turned away.

I had trouble concentrating on my lines, so the director told me to improvise – the more ridiculous the ad-libbing, the more I'd be paid. "But no obscenities," he added.

So I rambled on about Hao (referring to him as "Zeke" for the director) because I was furious at him. I said things about wanting to do an ollie off his face with my snowboard and some other bizarre things I'd later regret saying. The others in my group were shocked by what I said, but the director loved it and doubled my salary for the day.

"What was that all about?" Yoh asked as we left.

"It's what I was trying to say earlier," I explained. "Hao's taken control of 4Kids. He claims they've killed some of us off, but those people are actually imprisoned in back room at Viz." I paused. "Well, they were. Pirika and I helped them escape."

"What?" Yoh exclaimed. "That's crazy!"

"But it's true!"

"I believe you." He smiled serenely. "Don't worry. We'll figure out how to get out of this mess. If I can wear that itchy 4Kids underwear, then I can stop Hao's reign of madness."

I let out a little laugh. "You're right."

Suddenly Manta popped in. "What! How can you be so CALM about this?"

"Because," Yoh replied, "I have a plan."

End of part seventeen