The next day soon came and where Kion began to make his way to talk with Mufasa. "Grandfather Mufasa?" The growing lion soon asked.
Thunder rumbled before the clouds cleared and a bright light shined through the clouds to show the former Lion King of the Pridelands.
"I am here, Kion." Mufasa greeted his youngest grandcub.
"Grandfather, for the first time since I got my scar, I finally feel like myself again." Kion said.
"Does that mean you are healed?" Mufasa then asked.
"Maybe. I know now that my scar doesn't make me me and maybe the Roar doesn't either," Kion explained as he thought about what had happened to him lately. "Queen Janna said that Roar was supposed to return to the Tree of Life. Maybe she meant I needed to give it back. You were a great leader and you didn't have the Roar. I think I can be a great leader without it too. I'm ready to give it back."
"I understand, but you can not return the Roar to me," Mufasa smiled. "I never led the Lion Guard, the Roar was never mine, the Roar came from there."
Kion soon looked over to where Mufasa faced as he showed him where the Roar had come from.
"Cikha Escarpment," Mufasa informed. "That is where you must go."
The young lion soon went over to the sloping cliff to see why he had to go where his grandfather told him to go. "Uh, hello?" he then called.
The thunder rumbled and the clouds glowed like they did with Mufasa before a new adult lion was shown. "Greetings, Kion. I am Askari." he then said to the young lion.
"Askari," Kion's eyes widened. "You were leader of the first Lion Guard."
"Yes, and I know you are the leader of the new Lion Guard." Askari nodded.
"I am and I always thought the Roar was what made me leader of the Lion Guard." Kion said to Askari.
"And now what have you learned?" Askari asked the young lion.
"I've always been a leader even before the Roar, it's who I am," Kion smiled before looking softly at Askari. "But I'm not sure if I can control the Roar anymore so I've come to give it back, I don't need it."
"Good, that means you are ready." Askari smiled at Kion.
Kion smiled back as he knew that this was going to be the start of a wonderful new experience. Kopa still thought long and hard about what he should do before he decided to get some rest since today's adventure was a bit of an exhausting one, especially since Akata was gone and he thought about where to stay for the rest of his life.
The next day soon came. Some goats were heard bleating out of fear before they were seen running for their lives away from the predators.
"Now we gotcha!" Chuluun laughed as she ran with Ora and Makucha.
Mama Binturong watched from afar as the other predators chased away the goats as the Night Pride came to see what was going on.
"How did they get here without us knowing?" Rani wondered before seeing their owl friend. "Ullu, what happened?"
"I dozed off, sorry." Ullu apologized as she flew in front of the Night Pride.
Baliyo soon yawned with a small smile. "Dozing sounds nice."
"Not while there are intruders around." Kopa told him.
"It's the fourth day in a row they've attacked at sunrise." Surak commented.
"That's why we're here!" Kion said as he and his friends soon came over.
"One side, Night Pride," Bunga smirked. "The Lion Guard will handle them."
"Beshte, you take Ora." Kion ordered.
"You got it, Kion." Behste nodded as he went for the Komodo Dragon.
"Fuli, you take Chuluun." Kion then said.
"You got it," Fuli nodded as she went for the female leopard. "Huwezi!
"And Mama's all mine!" Bunga grinned as he soon took his turn. "Zuka Zama!"
"Anga, Ono, you know what to do." Kion told his two flying friends.
"Yep." Anga replied.
"Affirmative." Ono said as he and Anga flew up ahead.
"That leaves just you and me, Makucha." Kion then smirked as he rushed for his target.
"Anga Lenga!" Anga called out as she flew in the air.
Ora looked at her, distracted, only to get charged by Behste when he wasn't looking.
"Hey Mama, I've got something for ya!" Bunga called out as he found Mama Binturong and chased her in her tree.
"Oh, no!" Mama Binturong panicked.
Then suddenly, Bunga let out a big fart in the tree to gross her out and scare her out of the tree. Makucha was running towards Kion only to be charged against by the younger lion, knocking him down to the ground strongly. Rani and Nirmala shared a smile with each other, both very impressed with Kion's strength.
"Retreat!" Mama Binturong cried out as she got out of the tree while coughing. "Retreat!"
Mama Binturong and the predators soon started to flee away.
"Nice moves, Kion." Rani approved.
"That's right," Bunga grinned. "The Lion Guard's fiercest is back."
"Actually, I think Bunga's right," Nirmala agreed. "This battle proved that you can be calm and focused. Your healing has been completed."
"Poa!" Behste exclaimed happily.
"Well, it's about time." Fuli smiled.
"It feels great being healed, doesn't it?" Ono asked Kion.
"Yep." Kion nodded.
"And now that you're healed, we can go home." Fuli smiled.
"Back to the Pridelands." Beshte added.
"Does this mean you're leaving right now?" Rani asked, sounding a little concerned.
"No. We agreed to help patrol the Tree of Life during the day," Kion replied. "So right now, that's what we'll do."
"Thank you Kion, Lion Guard," Rani smiled before looking at her family. "Night Pride, it's time for us to rest."
And with that, the Night Pride went to get some sleep, leaving the Lion Guard alone.
"So then when we do go back to the Pridelands, does that mean Kopa gets to return to the Pridelands with us too?" Bunga asked.
After hearing Bunga's question, there was only silence.
"First thing's first, I'm not using the roar yet." Kion began.
"Oh, right so now we-" Bunga then said until he realized what Kion just said. "Say what now?"
"Fuli, I need you to take charge today," Kion suggested. "There's something I gotta do."
"Not yet? What do you mean not yet?!" Bunga called out as Kion began to leave. "You're healed. Nirmala said so!"
"Bunga, we're on patrol, remember?" Fuli reminded the young honey badger as she decided they should move out. "Now let's go."
"Oh yeah, okay." Bunga shrugged and walked off with her and the others.
Kion soon walked over before seeing Kopa. "You need some alone time?" he then asked his estranged older brother.
"No, I'm good, just still thinking," Kopa replied. "I can tell you have a lot on your mind though."
"Yeah, I'm going to be learning more about The Roar." Kion said.
"From the first leader of the Lion Guard, right?" Kopa guessed.
"You've heard of him?" Kion asked.
"I know the stories, sure," Kopa smiled. "Of course, I wasn't born for the roar like you were, but I know my way around."
"Well, anyway, I better get going," Kion said as he started to make his way to where Askari was going to teach him. "And Kopa, whichever you decide I'll support you no matter what."
"Thank you, Kion, that means a lot to me." Kopa smiled.
Kion smiled back as he kept on going.
Eventually, the young lion made it back to where he was before from his grandfather's instructions. "Askari, I'm back." he then said.
"Greetings, Kion." Askari greeted from the clouds.
"I'd like to continue my training." Kion told the older lion.
"Of course," Askari smiled. "You've already made great progress, but remember, only one who's willing to let go of the Roar entirely can really master it."
"I understand and I'm willing to let the Roar go," Kion told Askari. "I know I don't need it to lead the Lion Guard."
"Very well," Askari replied. "One day, Kion, you will learn everything that the Roar can do."
Kion smiled hopefully about getting started.
Meanwhile, Kopa wandered a bit on his own, wondering what to do while still thinking about where he should live in the end. "Hmm... Maybe I should get to know the Lion Guard better," he said to himself. "They're good friends with Kion after all." He soon saw the Lion Guard with a camel, but it seemed Bunga was a little too focused on what Kion meant while trying to dig the camel's feet out.
"I don't get it," Bunga complained as he dug around the sand that had the camel who seemed to be stuck inside the sand. "What's up with Kion? Why doesn't he want to use the Roar yet, and where did he go?"
"I don't know, Bunga," Fuli rolled her eyes. "Maybe to the Valley of None of our Business, or to the Field of Be Quiet."
"Those sound like nice places." Behste remarked.
"Indeed." Ono added.
"Yep." Anga nodded.
"Hello, there," Kopa greeted. "Erm... Lion Guard."
"Hi, Kopa," Fuli replied. "...Or is it Orum?"
"You can call me Kopa now, thank you." Kopa said.
"Hey, Kopa," Bunga said before the camel threw up on him as he glared at the camel. "Hey! Why'd you spit on me?"
"Actually camels don't spit; they kinda throw up a little, but only when they're worried." Kopa told him.
"It's true." Ono nodded.
"You okay now camel?" Bunga asked the camel.
The camel soon smiled and stood up before walking away.
"See ya later camelly-amel!" Bunga called out and waved before looking back at his friends. "And what did Kion say he's not ready to use the Roar? What's that about?" he then asked.
"Bunga, I don't know, but I trust Kion to know when he's ready," Fuli sighed. "Now would you please keep your mind on our patrol?"
"I think Fuli makes a good point," Kopa agreed. "It's best not to worry about your friends when they want to be alone and you should only worry about yourself unless they ask for your help." he then advised.
"But what if Kion's in trouble? And he's afraid to tell us." Bunga said.
"I'm sure Kion would tell us if he was in trouble." Beshte told Bunga.
"He would," Kopa nodded. "You're his friends and he seems to tell you everything."
"You're right, he does." Fuli agreed.
"Maybe, maybe not," Bunga shrugged, refusing to let this go. "You know what though? I want answers. I'll go ask Rani, maybe she knows." he then said hopefully as he split up from the group to finally settle this.
"Is it normal for him to do that?" Kopa asked.
"For Bunga, yes." Fuli said.
"Someone should keep an eye on him." Kopa suggested.
"Yes, someone should." Fuli smirked.
There was then a beat of silence.
"Uh, you want me to bring him back?" Anga asked Fuli.
"No," Fuli replied. "Let's just continue our patrol and enjoy some peace and quiet."
"Sounds good." Kopa said.
"You doing okay?" Fuli asked Kopa.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Kopa replied. "I'm just thinking to myself a little and I thought I'd get to know you guys better. After all, you're my brother's best friends, so I feel like I should know you." he then said with a smile.
"That makes sense." Ono nodded.
"Sure does." Beshte smiled.
Meanwhile, the predators regrouped after their latest visit with the Lion Guard and the Night Pride.
"That last attack was a disaster." Chuluun glared.
"Is it just me or is the Lion Guard getting better?" Ora rolled his eyes.
"It's Kion. He's even tougher than he used to be," Makucha sneered. "Nothing gets past him now."
"Yes, and the others follow his every order." Ora said.
"I don't know about you two, but I'm almost ready to give up." Chuluun replied.
"Give up?" Mama Binturong glared as she came to her fellow predators. "Mama Binturong never gives up, and neither do you."
"We don't?" Makucha asked.
"I do, sometimes." Ora shrugged.
"Don't you worry," Mama Binturong reassured them. "Things are going to be different from now on."
"Oh, yeah?" Makucha asked again. "How come?"
"Because we've got reinforcements." Mama Binturong smirked as she introduced a porcupine.
"Mama!" The porcupine smiled as he made his way over to Mama Binturong.
"A porcupine?" Makucha asked, unimpressed.
"Yeah, that shouldn't be the odds." Chuluun rolled her eyes.
"Smun, you did find the others like I asked?" Mama Binturong asked the porcupine.
"Oh, yes, Mama." Smun nodded.
"Still not impressed." Ora rolled his eyes.
"Wait for it..." Mama Binturong cued with a smirk.
"Hello, Makucha." A leopard smirked as it and another leopard arrived with two Komodo Dragons.
"Long time no see." The other leopard added.
"Oh, yeah, now we're talking!" Makucha grinned as he, Chuluun, and Ora looked very excited to see the other predators.
"Yes. Soon, you'll be dining on rare animals," Mama Binturong grinned at the others. "I'll have my revenge and the Tree of Life will be ours!"
Abrafo was shown to be wandering alone.
"And what is wrong with you?" Chuluun asked. "You look like you just lost your best friend."
"...I kinda did actually." Abrafo said softly.
"So then Dakarai's plan worked?" Mama Binturong smirked.
"I don't know, he hasn't left the Tree of Life." Abrafo frowned.
"He's in the Tree of Life?" Mama Binturong asked.
"I haven't seen much of him since Akata and I did the plan... Then Akata... Decided to sacrifice himself..." Abrafo said as he sounded a little sad, sounding like a young cub now. "I really miss Akata."
"You actually sound like you actually cared about him." Chuluun said to Abrafo.
"Well, yeah... We were friends..." Abrafo said softly.
"Oh, stop acting like an immature cub!" Makucha rolled his eyes. "This is the real world and it's a bit cold and cruel most of the time, so get used to it!"
"Sorry." Abrafo then said.
Meanwhile at the Tree of Life...
"Hello, Rani," Bunga called out as he came into the tree. "You down there? Anybody home?"
"Bunga, shh. Be quiet!" Makini shushed the young honey badger. "Queen Rani is resting, and she needs her rest. If you keep talking, you might wake her up."
"Makini?" Rani's voice called.
Makini gasped and covered her mouth, feeling scared and worried that she might have woken up Rani.
"It's okay," Rani said with a yawn. "I'm awake."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Majesty." Makini frowned.
"Hey Rani, you haven't seen Kion have you?" Bunga asked.
"Not since we split up at the mountain pass," Rani said. "Why?"
"Well, just between us, Your Queenliness, I'm suspicious." Bunga replied.
"Suspicious of what?" Rani asked.
"Oh, you know... Different things," Bunga said with a sigh before asking various questions. "Like... Where'd he go? And why does he say he's not ready to use the Roar yet? Nirmala said that Kion was healed."
"Yes, she did." Rani nodded as that was true.
"Maybe he's still working on the Roar." Makini guessed.
"Still working on it?" Bunga asked out of confusion.
"What do you mean, Makini?" Rani added.
"Queen Janna showed me a painting from a long time ago," Makini said before showing a cave painting. "That's Askari; legend has it that Askari would go to Cikha Escarpment to practice the Roar," She soon made the painting come to life as the painting showed Askari using the Roar as lightning happened and a rock floated in the air before it was destroyed. "Until he learned everything." she then concluded.
"If Kion were to learn everything the Roar can do, and the Roar were to stay here..." Rani said, slowly thinking while she was talking before looking hopeful. "I need to talk to Kion. In private."
"Great, let's go." Bunga smiled back.
"Bunga, you don't understand. I need to go alone." Rani explained.
"Right, and I'll go alone with you." Bunga nodded.
Rani rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine. Come on."
The two soon ran off together to go and find Kion.
"Bye, Your Majesty!" Makini called out with a smile. "Hope you find Kion. Sorry I woke you up!"
Meanwhile with Kion and Askari...
"The Roar has great power and if you control your emotions it can be precise as well," Askari told Kion. "Now stay calm, focus, and roar."
Kion soon stayed calm, focused, and roared at a rock on top of a pillar as the rock began to float in the air before it shattered. "Wow..." he then said, very much amazed with himself.
"Well done, Kion," Askari approved. "You've mastered that skill quickly."
"Thank you," Kion smiled hopefully. "I've had some help learning to stay calm, and I want to learn more."
"Very well." Askari nodded.
Kion smiled, waiting to hear more from the wise older lion spirit.
"Here you stand on the edge of earth and sky, You can command them both, if you try, Look within, you may find even more~," Askari began to sing. "As you learn the power of the Roar~"
Kion soon began to roar during the song, learning more about his special gift.
"The power of the Roar, The power of the Roar~," Askarai continued. "It dwells inside you, And all around you, In ways, you've never seen before~"
Kion soon began to make his way down to the lower ground and began to try and use the Roar to lift up a big rock up and out of the gorge only to fail.
"The power of the Roar, The power of the Roar, Once you think you've found it all, you'll find there's still much more~" Askari sang.
Kion soon came in front of the rock and decided to try again with a stronger roar.
"Free yourself from anger and from fear, The control that you seek will be clear~," Askari continued to sing. "Though the Roar goes far beyond wind and sound, It can impact everything all around~"
Kion soon saw that he was able to move the rock that time and grinned as he went to try again on more giant rocks.
"The power of the Roar, The power of the Roar, It dwells inside you and all around you, in ways you've never seen before~" Askari sang as Kion was successful in sending more giant rocks flying in the air while also making rock pillars rise from under his paws. "The power of the Roar, The power of the Roar, Once you've think you've found it all, You'll find there's still much more, The power of the Roar!~"
Kion smiled as he was learning so much of the Roar from Askari.
At the Outlands...
"Well, Prince Kopa didn't come here," Zira glared at Dakarai. "Care to explain yourself?"
"I was sure he'd run away from the Night Pride!" Dakarai replied. "He ran away from the Pridelands before, I'm just not sure why he didn't run away from the Night Pride after Akata sacrificed himself!"
"But how? It would take someone days to get to Tree of Life with of how weak he was back then he would never make it there alone." Zira said.
"Hmph..." Dakarai paused thoughtfully. "You do make pretty good points, Zira... I suppose this won't be as easy as when Prince Kopa was a scared little cub when sent away from the Pridelands once upon a time ago."
"But the only question is how did he arrive there without dying?" Zira asked.
"Hmm... I'll have to find out." Dakarai said.
"Then I suggest you do," Zira replied. "I'm doing what I can over here, especially for Vitani's destiny."
"And as for Kopa's destiny, I think he's forgotten what that might be." Dakarai smirked as he made his way back to the Tree of Life.
"You could be right," Zira replied. "Who knows what goes through that feeble little cub's mind sometimes?"
"Especially with of how long he's stayed there." Dakarai smirked as he began to run towards the Tree of Life.
"Farewell, Dakarai, until the next time." Zira replied.
"Why do you bother with him?" Naanda rolled her eyes. "He's a pain in the neck most of the time."
"That may be so, but he and I share a dark heart and wishes against others who are not us," Zira replied. "You of all people should understand that, especially since you turned your back on your own sister."
"Of course." Naanda nodded.