Several months later…

...

Fantasio now appeared before a live audience. He was seated on a cushioned chair across from a desk where Kordi de Rousseau, an enthusiastic television host, was leaning forward on, smiling. She wanted to get another scoop, or update.

"…and that was the story on how Spirou and I managed to resolve the mystery behind the electromagnetic radiation that was draining out the town's power," Fantasio concluded, sharing the most daring ending to one of his best mysteries yet. "Believe it or not, that Zorgub sure had a hard time trying to absorb all electricity via his Z-Satellite."

"Ooh, a story like that is sure to give me nothin' but the creeps!" Kordi exclaimed. "And what other new updates might ya have for us today, Mr. Fantasio?"

"Hmm, well I don't know," Fantasio remarked, "But I'm sure there's bound to be a new scoop opening up on the issue of finding any known menace to society." He gazed toward the camera, smiling. "And when I do find that scoop, I'll be the first to report on it!"

"Ah, should be interesting!" Kordi said, smirking a little. "I'd like to be the first to hear such a report on that, am I right, everyone?" She then gestured grandly to the audience, who then began to applaud amidst indistinct chatter and laughter. "Another riveting mystery, as told by our very own Fantasio!" The audience then erupted into applause. "Heh, heh," Fantasio chuckled, giving the studio audience a slight wave of joy. "Pleasure's all mine, Kordi."

"Now then, on to the real, personal, scoop," Kordi smirked. "Tell me Fantasio, how has your own life and career been for the past few months now?" "Well…funny you should ask, Kordi," Fantasio answered, feeling much more calmer this time. "You know, the real reason why I decided to go solo in my career as a reporter was because it felt like much of our adventures were the same thing every time. Arrest a menace to society? Check. Topple a charismatic dictator? Same. Neutralize mad scientists? Already been there. "

Kordi gave him a smug look. "Got a little boring, huh?" she asked. "Yea, you could say that," Fantasio answered, shrugging. "It basically became a routine for Spirou and me." "But to tell you the truth," he added, "I kinda miss those times. Sometimes I just wish I could get the gang back together. Spirou, Seccotine, the Count, and me. For another adventure."

"Aww, well if that ain't a true sob story, then I don't know what is," Kordi said. "And for that, I'd be thankful." "Thanks, Kordi," Fantasio said. "Well folks, you heard it here first!" Kordi exclaimed to the audience. "Thanks for watching, and catch more eye-popping news next time, here on the de Rousseau Show! I'm your host, Kordi de Rousseau, and I'll catch you all next week!" An eruption of applause and cheers flooded the studio as the segment ended.

…

"…'and I'll catch you all next week!'" the television blared from atop a high shelf inside a polished café. After hearing those last few words, followed by a brief applause and cheers, Spirou gazed at the image of Fantasio waving to the audience, along with Kordi van de Rousseau.

"Hmm…I miss those days too, Fanta," Spirou whispered under his breath. Helping himself to another cup of coffee, he buried his face into a newspaper, searching for new headlines. But they were all the same: "Dynamic Duo Resolves City Power Drainage!", "Zorglub Charged With Use of Electromagnetic Radiation Satellites", "Champignac's Power Outage Saved By Spirou and Fantasio!"

"Hmm, nothing new yet," Spirou sighed. "No wonder things have been so slow here." He then paused to reach for a chocolate biscuit. "And I still haven't thought of another new scoop to catch up on, not even a snippet." Meanwhile, as he was not noticing, his ever so loyal pet squirrel Spip was dangling precariously from the edge of the table to snag a biscuit or two. Losing his balance, Spip toppled off the table with a loud "SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"

"Huh?" Spirou asked, turning around. He then noticed Spip on the floor. "Spip, maybe you need a third eye on the back of your head so you don't fall off," he chuckled. Helping the pesky squirrel up, Spirou offered Spip a tiny peanut in exchange for his gratitude.

"Hey Spirou," the café owner asked as he was wiping down the counter, "anything new to report?" "Nope, sorry," Spirou replied. "Still the same. To tell you the truth, it feels kinda empty inside." "Want something to eat before we close up for the day?" the owner asked. "No, not that kind of feeling," Spirou said. "I mean that, there's nothing going on yet. I still feel like there should be bound for something to occur."

"Waiting for a new case, I see," the café owner told him. "Well, sittin' around and waiting for a new mystery isn't getting you nowhere." "It's not?" Spirou asked. "No. Jus' sitting around and waiting will get you nowhere," the owner boasted. "You gotta get your head straight. Put some effort into thinking." "You know what?" Spirou pondered, standing up. "You've made a pretty good point there. Thanks!" He then reached for his satchel and grabbed Spip by the body. "Let's go, Spip," Spirou said as he made for the exit. "Let's seek out a new scoop!"

…

Spirou was soon walking through the streets, with Spip and his bag in tow. "Good afternoon!" he called to a passing woman nearby. "Hello Spirou!" a local fruit salesman exclaimed as Spirou passed by. "Nice day today, ain't it?" "Sure is!" Spirou called out in reply. "Don't work too hard!" "Will do, sir!" the salesman replied, then went back to arranging the artichokes back on top of the oranges.

"Spirou!" a high voice called out. Spirou whirled around and smiled. "Ninon?" he asked as he saw the energetic, ponytail-wearing brunette girl eagerly running up to him. "Hi Ninon," Spirou told Ninon as they quickly exchanged hugs. "What's up?" "Just wanted to see if you were still in town," Ninon replied. "Anything new yet?" "No, not yet. Months have gone by and there's still no new scoop to report," Spirou told Ninon. "Sometimes I feel like it's been a real drag." He then pulled out his cell phone.

"Who are you callin'?" Ninon asked curiously. "Just wanted to see if Fantasio wanted to come to lunch today," Spirou told her. "You should've seen him this morning, all frazzled and stressed. He had his big television interview with Kordi de Rousseau at twelve. Heck, he didn't even know if he had breakfast to eat!" "Well, I hope his interview turned out great," Ninon chimed in. "Because goodness knows what sorts of crazy stuff run around in Fantasio's head."

…

"Aaaaaand…we're clear! That's a wrap, everybody!"

"Yes! Finally!" Fantasio exclaimed, rising from his seat. "Yes, great show, everybody!" a crew member exclaimed. "Another day, another excellent show we've put on today," Kordi said. "And I owe it all to you, Mr. Fantasio." "Hmm?" Fantasio asked. "Oh, right. Thanks." "Great performance out there, Fantasio," a set producer told him, handing him a glass of water. "The audience was practically eating up every moment of it." "Just doing my job here, sir," Fantasio replied. His gaze then shifted toward a table that held fruits, sliced carrots, bagels, muffins, chocolate candies, and bottled water. "Umm…can you excuse me a minute?" Fantasio asked. Then, he quickly slipped away.

At last, Fantasio was able to reach the craft service table. And before he had the chance to snack on a muffin, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he answered it, asking, "Hello?"

"You doing all right there, bub?" a voice answered. "Spirou?" Fantasio asked. "Hi! Anything new to report?" "Nope, still the same here. Nothing new has turned up," Spirou said. "And you? How'd the interview go? Was it great?" "Was it great? I killed it out there!" Fantasio said. "The audience was practically eating up every word of it! Even Kordi herself was absorbing it all up!" "That's great! I'm glad your interview went great!" Spirou said. "Speaking of which, me and Ninon were just heading downtown to eat. Want to come?"

"Of course. Sure, I'll come!" Fantasio replied. "I know you skipped out on your breakfast, so I decided to treat you to lunch, especially since you had such a sucessful interview," Spirou told him. "How'd you know?" Fantasio asked. "I just guessed," Spirou replied. "Well, you were right on that," Fantasio said. "Turns out it's pretty nerve-wracking to sit through a televised interview on an empty stomach." "Ah," Spirou had told him. "Well, I'll leave you to come now. Bye!" Spirou said, then he quickly hung up the phone.

As soon as the phone had clicked off, Fantasio grinned. "That Spirou, always wanting to treat me," he muttered. "I oughta give him props for that. He's such a great guy." Fantasio bent over a bit, feeling his stomach pinch. "Really regret skipping breakfast this morning," he mumbled as he exited the film studio.

…

"Fantasio! Over here!"

"Ah, hey! Hey, Spirou!"

Spirou waved Fantasio over as he was heading toward a small restaurant at the corner downtown. "Hi Fantasio!" Ninon exclaimed, waving her hand. "Ninon! Funny seeing you here," Fantasio said, sitting down. "Hey, Spirou. Why is there an extra chair? I thought we agreed it'd be just us." "Yea, about that," Spirou fumbled around, "actually, um…"

"Hello Spirou!" a voice called out. Fantasio turned around and shot off a smug grin. "Just what we needed for our lovely lunch date together!" Fantasio smirked. "Seccotine!" Spirou said, waving to their somewhat prim blond-haired friend. "Good thing you showed up!" "Hey, I didn't want to miss out, all right?" Seccotine had told Spirou as she sat beside Ninon.

A waiter came up to Spirou and asked him, "What'll it be today?" "Hmm, let's see. I'll have a ham and cheese sandwich, no mustard," Spirou said. "Ninon here will have the macaroni pasta with broccoli…" "Oh! Get me a spaghetti Bolognese!" Seccotine said. "Yes, and a spaghetti Bolognese for her," Spirou said. "And my friend Fantasio here will have the regular; he'll have chicken with lettuce and grilled potato slices." "Anything to drink?" the waiter asked. "We'll all take lemon-lime sodas," Spirou said.

As the waiter had left, the talk turned to the friends. "So Fantasio, tell us all about it!" Seccotine said. "I'm eager to hear how your interview turned out!" "It was actually great!" Fantasio said. "The audience loved every bit of it!" "And to this day, I still can't believe you actually scored an interview with the famed television host Kordi de Rousseau," Seccotine said. "She's probably the most sought-after television host for reporters!" "Yea, she's a big name in the reporting business. Give her an inch, and she'll swim all over you," Spirou said.

A few minutes later, the friends were now enjoying their meals. "And Seccotine, what's new with you?" Spirou asked as he dug into his sandwich. "Oh nothing," Seccotine answered. "A little this, little that. We're already on the hot trail of a new story." "Really?" Fantasio asked. "Yep, this mid-evening, we're deliberating on a story involving renown archeological scientist Alexandre Dufresne." Fantasio nearly spit out his drink. "You don't mean THE Alexandre Dufresne?!" he exclaimed. "I've heard he's the youngest person to ever unearth the remains of the tomb of Ahemnhotep!" "So, he's a thing now, this Alexandre Dufresne?" Spirou asked. "Yes," Seccotine said. "Now, he's important and crucial to my developing story because he…"

As Fantasio listened, he suddenly paused, for he heard the soft, sweet sound of piano music. He then began to drift away from the conversation as he heard the melody singing to him. "…and he's the reason why Dufresne is the latest subject in our developing story airing tonight," Seccotine told Spirou. "That's great!" Spirou said. "Looks like we're hot on the trail, am I right, Fantasio? Fantasio…?"

Fantasio was now grinning with intrigue as he heard the song grow louder in tone. Now the notes were stronger and majestic with each new beat. Fantasio then could not help but open his mouth and start humming the notes, eventually becoming more in sync to the tune's rhythm. It was such a sweet melody. That tune alone was probably the best thing that Fantasio had ever heard before in his life.

Spirou snapped his fingers. "I'm awake!" Fantasio exclaimed. "You say anything?" "What happened there?" Spirou asked. "You sort of fell asleep back there." "Sorry," Fantasio said. "I was just thinking about this song I was hearing on the radio…Really nice tune, if I say so."

"Unbelievable," Seccotine muttered. "I was here just now, talking about the biggest scoop in my lifetime as a reporter, and you lose focus. I thought reporters like you had to stay focused on big topics?" "Watch your mouth!" Fantasio said, pointing his finger.

"Hey hey, there's no need to bash anyone," Spirou said. Some few minutes later, the waiter appeared with the receipt. "Your bill, sir," the waiter told Spirou. "Okay, now who's paying?" Seccotine first looked at Fantasio, then Fantasio looked at Spirou. "Okay, fine. Fantasio, pitch in a few bucks." "Easy to please," Fantasio said as he dug out a handful of dollars and handed them over to Spirou. "You are such a nerd," Spirou told Fantaso as he began counting the amount due.

...

From afar, while the friends were busy paying off the tab, a mysterious man wearing a long black coat and sunglasses stared at the friends. He then pulled out a walkie talkie. "Black shark, come in Black shark," he spoke into the receiver. "No activity so far. All is going well. The subjects should be apprehended in no time." "Excellent, Agent Ramses," a voice said over the receiver. "Now we proceed, according to plan. Make sure you don't lose them."

…

Some few hours later, Spirou and Fantasio were heading back home when they decided to stop by the Count's stately country home for a visit. "You still think the Count is available for just a short spell?" Fantasio asked. "I'm sure he'd want to see us for a change," Spirou told him. "After all, I just want to get the fame of that last story out of my head." "Squeak squeak squeak?" Spip looked at Spirou questioningly. "Don't worry, Spip. We can go home soon," Spirou said.

"Ah, Spirou! Fantasio! What a nice surprise," the Count said as Spirou and Fantasio entered from the garage and into his laboratory. "And what brings you two here?" "We just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing," Spirou said. "Can you believe people are still talking about our last story?" Fantasio asked. "Oh yes, you also talked about it in that talk show this afternoon, with that Kordi lady, is it?" The Count asked. "Yep, I was so nervous during that," Fantasio said. "Yea, he even missed his breakfast this morning," Spirou said, eyeing the test tubes on the desk.

"And what have you been doing lately?" Spirou asked. "Ah, I was figuring out a new formula that works as a healing solvent. But I'm still short on a few ingredients," the Count had said. "What's this healing solvent for?" Fantasio asked. "Ah. It's for treating infections on trees, but with a few more ingredients, it can easily benefit humans as well," the Count said, smiling. "No kidding," Spirou said, lifting the test tube and admiring the slimy purple liquid inside of it. "Did you use mushrooms in this too?" Fantasio asked. "Because I think that's what's missing." "You know what, Fantasio? You're absolutely right!" The Count told him. "I may just need a few more mushrooms to complete the formula."

Fantasio's cell phone began to ring. "Who's calling?" Spirou asked. Fantasio pulled out his phone and sighed in disgust. "Ugh, it's my cousin again," he grumbled. "Zantafio?" Spirou asked. "Now what does that little booger want?" "He probably just wants to bug me again, but I'm not letting that happen," Fantasio replied. "Goin' to voicemail now!" He then hung up the call.

"Well Count, I wish we could stay a little longer," Spirou said, "but it's getting a little late now. I think Fantasio and I will head back home for the night. Maybe we can come back another day!" "Will do! Always a pleasure to have you come swing by!" The Count said as he waved goodbye to Spirou and Fantasio as they headed back to their car. Soon enough, they drove off, towards home.

From within the woods, another agent in a black coat was muttering incoherently in his walkie talkie. "That is very good information, Agent Blackwell," a voice answered. "Soon, our plan will fall perfectly into place. Soon, we'll have them right before they have a chance to say anythin'. Proceed as planned."

"Yes, sir."