"Sunny, I'm fine. Really," said Hitch.
"I'm just being cautious," responded the girl.
After the duel with Roll, Sunny brought Hitch to his room and was currently checking up on her. Despite his pleas to his best friend that he was fine, she was still worried about his health. The girl had a damp cloth in her hand as she poured something on it.
"Alright, now this might sting a bit, so..."
"Ow!" shouted Hitch as he felt intense pain when Sunny placed the cloth on his wrist.
"Sorry, sorry!" said Sunny as she quickly leaned over him to grab some dry cloths and wipe them from Hitch's wrist. "My bad. I'll just..."
"Got ya!" exclaimed Hitch.
He began to chuckle as Sunny, still leaning over his lap, turned her head to look at him. Her face went from concerned to shock before she began feeling angry at her childhood friend for messing with her. Hitch was still laughing as Sunny grabbed one of the pillows and lifted it. The boy saw it at the last moment as Sunny brought it down and began to wail at her friend, who put his arm up to protect himself from Sunny's pillow assault.
"And you call me childish!" shouted Sunny as she continued to assault her friend with the pillow.
"It was a harmless joke, Sunny!" said Hitch as he held back her pillow attacks.
She soon dived onto him and caused the pair to tumble off the bed. Eventually, Hitch grabbed his own pillow, and the pair were now engaged in a pillow fight; the two teens were laughing and smiling as they were experiencing something they used to do when they were little during their sleepovers.
The short, fun time soon ended with Sunny tackling Hitch onto his bed as she jumped on him. She pushed the pillow into his face to get her friend to submit to her.
"Call it!" demanded Sunny.
Hitch's hand waved about before he tapped it against Sunny's thigh to signal he gave up. The girl removed the pillow from her friend to allow him to breathe and got off his chest. Hitch sat up as Sunny sat next to him, with her hair all messy from their playtime. The boy smiled before blowing a loose strand of Sunny's hair, to which the girl responded by rubbing his hair and playfully pushing his shoulder, causing the pair to chuckle in unison.
"I haven't experienced that in a long time," said Sunny as she hugged her knees.
"Just like when we had our sleepovers at my grandma's house," responded Hitch as he put his arm around Sunny and held her close.
The girl looked at her friend and smiled, which caused the boy to do the same.
"Glad you're back, Sunny. I missed having you around."
"Yeah, it was nice to meet the World Champion. I only wish I could've brought you guys to make it even better," said the girl to her friend. "So tell me... why were you battling against Roll? You two were trading stiff blows from what I could tell."
Hitch sighed as he looked at his childhood friend and the soft expression on her face.
"I was trying to get some answers from her."
"What?" said Sunny as she tilted her head.
"You find it weird that we don't know anything about Roll and Mario's parents."
"Hitch..."
"I'm serious. When have they ever mentioned anything about them? I feel like they're hiding something." said the boy.
"Or... maybe they just don't want to talk about it. Not everyone is comfortable talking about their parents. You ever see me talking about my mother." stated Sunny.
"Y-Yeah, I... see your point," confessed Hitch as he knew about Sunny's mother and how she never really talked about it.
"If they don't want to talk about their parents, we respect their decision. I know that's tough for you, given you want the truth. But just trust them."
"Alright," said the boy.
Sunny raised her right hand as she waved it a bit. Hitch knew what she meant as he lifted his left hand.
"Up high, down low, hitch it to a post. Flip it sunny side up and on a piece of toast!"
The two did their thing as they chuckled, but they kept their hands together instead of letting go. The teens looked at each other while staring into each other's eyes. Hitch's grip around Sunny's shoulder seemed to tighten as he stared at his childhood friend. Eventually, they broke from their gaze.
"Well, I think I should get back to my room," said Sunny as she removed Hitch's arm around her shoulders and got off his bed.
"Thanks again, Sunny. Nice to see you're back," said Hitch as he saw his friend slipping her shoes on.
"Glad you're okay, Hitch."
Sunny smiled before exiting the boy's room and closing the door. Hitch smiled as he was glad to have his best friend back. Though, inside of him, a small beating started when he and Sunny looked at each other during their small moment.
After the duel ended, Roll made her way back to her dorm. She entered and tossed her Duel Disk onto the couch in the living room. The girl approached the fridge, pulled out a juice bottle, and poured herself a glass. The teen brought it to her lips and downed it in one gulp before placing the cup on the counter. She let out a sigh before walking up the stairs.
Roll approached the door of her older brother's and knocked on it. A few seconds later, it opened, and there stood her elder sibling.
"What is it, hermana?" asked Mario.
"There's something I need to tell you," confessed the girl. "Hitch challenged me to a duel, and he was trying to ask about our parents."
"Did you lose?" asked Mario, getting concerned.
"No," responded Roll confidently.
"Good," nodded the boy as he put his hand on his sister's shoulder before pulling her in for an embrace.
Roll buried her face into Mario's shirt as the boy kissed his sister's forehead before placing his head on hers as he hugged her.
The students of CHS were filling their classes. Sunny immediately received huge attention the moment she stepped into the hallway. Everyone wanted to hear from the girl about her time with the World Champion and what it was like attending such a huge event. Eventually, the girl was having trouble and was overwhelmed as the saving grace was the school bell signaling the students to head to class.
Sunny sighed and wiped her forehead as she headed to her class. She entered her Band class and saw Roll, who was busy writing something on her music stand. The girl approached her friend as she sensed Sunny standing there.
"Hey," greeted Roll as she looked at her friend.
"Hey," responded Sunny.
"Is Hitch okay?"
"Oh, yeah, he's totally fine. He's taken much worst than what you did to him yesterday," said Sunny, as she knew Hitch was a tough person.
"That's good to hear," responded Roll.
"So... about what happened yesterday? Look, I'm sorry for what he tried to do..."
"It's fine. Water under the bridge."
"Oh, well, that's a relief," said Sunny, glad that Roll wasn't holding onto the issue of Hitch trying to get some answers. "Just know, if you're uncomfortable talking about something, we respect your decision."
"I appreciate that. So... did you have a fun time?" asked Roll with a smile.
"Oh, my gosh, Yes!" exclaimed Sunny as she sat in her chair and recalled her fun experience. "That was the most fun I've had since I was a kid with my dad."
"Tell me about it," said Roll, holding her smile as Sunny told her friend about her journey. Once she was done with her story, Roll began to tell Sunny all about what she'd missed while she was gone.
In the basketball court of CHS, Zipp was doing some one-on-one practice with Hitch. The girl's elbow was repaired enough to do some normal stuff without putting too much pressure on it. Sitting on the bleachers was Pipp as the girl was reading the school newspaper with a bored expression, hoping to keep up with the latest gossip.
Zipp was dribbling the ball up and down as she slipped past Hitch, delivering a layup and dunking the ball into the basket.
"It's like I never left!" said Zipp as she was glad to see her skills at sports didn't rust while she was on the shelf.
"Is there any sport you're not good at?" asked Hitch as he retrieved the ball and tossed it to the girl.
"Maybe lacrosse. But I haven't tried it yet," stated Zipp.
The two went back to playing as Zipp outsmarted Hitch again and scored another basket.
"Uhg, this is soooooooo boring," stated Pipp.
"Boring? I just made a left-hand reverse layup," Zipp told her younger sister.
"Haven't you been paying attention?" asked Hitch.
"I have no clue. Honestly, that's what every sport looks like to me," confessed Pipp, showing how much she didn't care. "I was talking about the school newspaper. Look at some of these headlines. New paint in the girls' room. Library staff purchases scanners. Chocolate milk cartons redesigned. Ugh, no wonder nobody reads this."
"We have a school newspaper?" said Hitch, unaware.
"See," gestured Pipp to what Hitch just said. "#Boring."
"Pipp, remember what Mom says: If you can't do a better job yourself, then you shouldn't criticize," said Zipp as she spun the ball on her fingers.
"Zipp, that is it!" said Pipp as a smile came on her face, causing the older sister to drop her ball.
"I take it back! I take it back! I take it back!" shouted Zipp, knowing what she just did.
"I'm going to do a better job myself," stated the social media girl as she tossed away the newspaper who actually made a basket into the trashbin as Zipp had her jaw drop. "Besides, who reads newspapers anyway. Blogging is so much better."
"I'm not going to get involved. I'm not going to get involved," repeated Zipp to herself as Pipp left to talk to the newspaper staff.
"We should get going if we're gonna meet up with Mario," said Hitch as the duo was going to meet with their friend to go on a run.
Meanwhile, Pipp had made her way to Principal Celestia's office to talk and pitch her idea.
"Improving the school news would help to up this school on the latest trends and be in style," the social media girl expressed. "Plus, a boost to school spirit."
"Mmm," said Celestia as she leaned back in her chair and thought about the words that Pipp was saying to her.
"You're correct about one thing, Ms. Petals. Many students sadly don't know that we have a school newspaper."
"Hello. Newsprint is so your generation," said Pipp as Celestia raised her eyebrow and glared at her student for saying she was old. "Uh, that's not to say you're old; you look great for someone your age."
Celestia's eyebrow went up even more. Pipp smiled nervously as she sweated a bit.
"I could be a reporter. An interviewer. Or a reviewer." expressed Pipp.
"Hmm," said Celestia as Pipp's nervous smile grew. "Very well, Ms. Petals. I'll give you a chance."
"Thank you, Principal Celestia!" said Pipp as she shook Celestia's hand that she stuck out. However, she knocked all the papers on her desk as the woman glared. The girl held her nervous smile as she began to pick up all the papers.
"Nice shortcut, rich girl!" shouted Mario.
"Sorry," responded Zipp.
The trio was in the forest as they had decided to run near the backwoods. However, Zipp had decided to take a shortcut, so they were lost.
"It's official, we're lost!" said Hitch.
"It's getting late. We'd better find our way soon. I'm not trying to get in trouble again. And If I do, I'm blaming you, Zipp!" said Mario.
"Chill out! I know the way. Follow me!" said the girl as Hitch and Mario began to follow her.
As the teens traveled through the dense woods, the clouds above them began to roll in. They rumbled before small droplets began to fall. Zipp felt her hair getting wet as she looked up just as the rain began to pour. The trio then began to book it as they were looking to find some shelter from the downpour. Lightning flashed as thunder boomed.
The teens were running in the direction of a huge rock.
"First one to the rock wins!" said Zipp as she was at the front.
"Which rock?!" asked Hitch as he and Mario had their hands over their heads to cover themselves from the rain and didn't see what Zipp was referring to.
"This one!" exclaimed Zipp as she touched the rock first and laughed.
Hitch groaned as he and Mario arrived at the rock to see Zipp mocking them. The pair then noticed something that caught their eyes as they looked past the rock they were under. Zipp noticed the pair staring as she was confused.
"What's with you guys?" asked the girl.
"What's that?" said Mario.
Zipp turned to see what the boy was referring to. There in the distance, was a building, as the lightning went off. It gave a scare from the teens as they dashed under the rock.
"Alright, who's gonna peek out first to see what that was?" asked Zipp.
"Are you crazy?!" said Hitch.
Mario peeked his head out as the rain stopped. However, the building they once saw was now glowing.
"Uh, guys. Look!" said the boy.
Zipp and Mario all peeked over his shoulder as the building turned out to be an old rundown house. However, there was a strange green glow emitting from it and on the area around it. The glow gave a creepy aura as the teens began to book it down the trail quickly. The trio managed to make it out of the woods as they were back on campus ground,
They all ran to Mario's dorm and quickly entered and shut the door. Zipp sat down and slumped against the couch as Hitch dropped to his knees.
"Civilization!" said the boy as he began to kiss the floor, glad he was safe.
"That was creepy... in a kind of what was that sort of way," said Zipp, as that was why she was scared.
"I never need to know what that was. I'm fine if I never see that house again," said Hitch, as he wasn't a fan of scary and creepy stuff.
"Those lights were really weird," said Mario.
"They were probably Christmas lights," stated Hitch.
"But it's not Christmas," responded Mario.
"You're right. So it was probably a ghost or an alien," said Zipp as she began making spooky noises to get Hitch all riled up.
"Or maybe it was just some other garden lights," responded the boy with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah... the spooky kind," said Zipp as she continued to make Hitch uneasy.
"I can't figure out what we saw," said Mario as he stood up. "What say tomorrow we go back there and try to figure out what we saw?"
"Yes," said Zipp with a smile as she was looking forward to another investigation.
"Right... What?! Go back!" exclaimed Hitch as he realized what Mario suggested. "T-T-T-T-To the-"
"The haunted house. Oooh," said Zipp as she got up and began to head out to her dorm.
"There has to be a logical explanation for what we saw," stated Mario as he began to head upstairs to his room.
"Are you two serious!" shouted Hitch.
"Lock the door when you leave!" responded Mario.
"I need something!" said Pipp as she was curled up on her bed as her toenails were shown with a fresh new coat of nail polish. "People are counting on me to develop a lively blog."
The girl groaned as she fell back onto some pillows and looked at the ceiling.
"Sis, I need to borrow some of your spooky stuff," said Zipp as she peeked into her sister's room.
"Over there," said Pipp as she pointed, and Zipp began to put the stuff in her backpack. "Why do you need that?"
"Oh, me, Mario, and Hitch got lost in the woods yesterday. Then we saw this glowing light from this abandoned house, and we want to know what it is," said Zipp as she didn't look at her sister while putting the stuff in her bag.
"Did you say mysterious glow?" asked Pipp before she let out a squeal. "This is just what I needed. That's the story I've been waiting for."
"Where is she?" asked Mario as Zipp had asked them to meet at his place before heading out.
"Maybe she decided to call it off. I mean, it's not our business to get involved, right?" said Hitch, still uneasy about all this.
"If you're a coward, sheriff. Just say so!" exclaimed Zipp as she made her presence known.
"Who's a coward?" responded Hitch as the girl bumped his shoulder with a smirk.
"You're late, rich girl."
"Had to pick up some stuff. By the way, this is from my sister," smiled Zipp as she handed the slip of paper to the boy.
Mario grabbed the paper as he unfolded it. Pipp had written a message for her sister to deliver to her crush. She was informing the boy about when they solved their little mystery, to give her all the details to write down for her blog for the school to read. She added hearts and kisses to her letter as Mario rolled his eyes.
"Alright, let's just get this over with," said Mario as he began to walk.
"You're not gonna say our thing?" asked Zipp.
"What thing?" said the boy as he stopped and turned to look at the athletic girl.
"You know. That phrase you said last time when we solved the mystery of the flutes," said Zipp, rolling her hand and smiling.
"Seriously? We're not solving a mystery. We're just trying to figure out what we saw." stated Mario.
"Come on, Inspector. Just for the one time," said Zipp with an eager smile creeping on her face, almost begging for her friend to say it.
Mario sighed before rolling his eyes once more.
"This is serious mysterious," said Mario with a dull tone.
"That's what I'm talking about. Alright, boys, follow my lead!" said Zipp as she headed toward the backwoods with Hitch and Mario following her.
The trio was heading back to the old abandoned place on the hill. They were cautious, zigging and zagging from place to place while keeping a sharp eye out. They soon peeked out from the rock they had taken shelter from during the rain and looked at the old building from afar.
"Do you think anyone actually lives there?" asked Hitch, as he never knew anyone who would live in the backwoods of CHS.
"Doesn't look like it. It looks pretty deserted," stated Mario.
"I like the sound of that," responded the boy, feeling slightly better as they moved closer.
Zipp stopped momentarily as she took a photo of the house from where they were before hitting record.
"This is officially our second case..."
"No, it's not!" shouted Mario as Zipp ignored him.
"Our second case has Detective Zipp, Sheriff Hitch, and Inspector Mario trying to solve the mystery of the glowing light from this old abandoned house in the backwoods. We're currently rolling up to the place to begin our investigation. Will update as we go." said the girl as she finished her recording and hurried up to join the boys.
As the three approached the house, Hitch inadvertently stepped on a twig as it snapped. The boy made a noise as it got the others to hold still before they turned to look at him.
"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
"Shhh!" said Zipp and Mario as they stood over him and told him to shush.
"Just try to be quieter," said Zipp as Mario walked away. "You don't want to wake the zombies and ghosts, do you, sheriff?"
"Z-Zombies and g-g-ghosts," repeated Hitch with a terrified tone.
"There are no zombies or ghosts! There's nothing!" said Mario as he turned to look back at the pair.
"That's right, Mario. Nothing. There are no clues." said Hitch as he got up and began to walk away. "I can't see anything that would explain the scary glowing. So... let's go."
Before he could book it, Zipp grabbed Hitch by the back of his shirt and dragged him back.
"There are no lights or chords anywhere," stated Mario as Zipp approached him and let go of Hitch's shirt.
"So that means the lights we saw last night couldn't have been electrical," responded the girl as that theory was out the window.
"So now that we've figured that out. The next question is: What could be causing that glow we saw?" said Mario.
"Do we really have to stick around to find out?" asked Hitch as he sat on the ground.
The boy was still in jitters as he turned his head. He looked at one of the upper windows as he noticed something. It seemed like some weird object or shape was in the window as he got up and hid behind Zipp.
"Maybe this is clue number one. The glow we saw wasn't electrical," said Mario as Hitch took cover behind the girl.
"It could be some kind of magic," responded the girl.
That response got both boys to look at her with a weird look.
"I'm just spitballing ideas," said the girl.
"Magic, really?" said Hitch, who found that hard to believe.
"There's got to be something else," said Mario.
Hitch turned back to look at the window as it seemed that there was a shadow moving. The boy shouted as he took off.
"Ghost!" shouted the teen as he was looking to leave the property.
However, he didn't get far; he seemed to fall into some old cellar as his upper body stuck out. Mario and Zipp quickly rushed to his aid, grabbed hold of him, and pulled him out.
"Are you okay, sheriff?" asked Zipp.
"Thanks, guys," said Hitch as he was relieved.
"It must be an old root cellar," said Mario as he approached where Hitch almost fell in. The boy put his hand on the cellar as he felt something on his fingers. He turned to look at them and rubbed the substance in between them. "Wow! That door is really rotted through. Just like all the wood on this house."
"Maybe the rotting wood is our second clue," suggested Zipp as she looked over Mario's shoulder when he bent down to examine the wood before standing upright.
"I think it might be, Detective Zipp," stated Mario as the girl flashed a wink at him before taking a photo of the rotten cellar.
"Excellent. Can we leave now?" asked Hitch.
"Why would we leave? It's just getting good," said Zipp with a smile as she playfully punched the boy's shoulder before walking with Mario to the steps of the house.
Hitch groaned as he followed his friends. Zipp lifted a branch as she let it go and smacked Hitch in the face as he made a sound.
"Shh!" said Mario and Zipp to him for making noise.
"I hate being quiet. I want to leave. There's nothing here but a bunch of mushrooms." said Hitch as he sat down at the bottom of the stairs. "Some weeds and a whole lot of things."
"Hey... do you... smell that?" said Mario as he began to sniff and noticed something.
"Mm-hmm," said Zipp as she leaned against the railing and sniffed the air. "It smells kind of fruity."
"Reminds me of berries," said Hitch as he began to sniff. "Grandma Figgy's fruit salad. With strawberry ice cream. And apple pie. Anybody else getting hungry?" said the boy, as that sweet smell was making his taste buds go off.
"It is kind of delicious," confessed Mario.
"But strange," said Zipp as she checked both sides of the railing for anything resembling a bush shrubbery. "I can't see any fruit trees. Not even a blackberry bush."
"Odd smell, odd glow. It can't be a coincidence. I think the smell is our third clue." said Mario.
"Delicious, now that's my kind of clue," responded Hitch as his stomach soon let out a growl; Zipp couldn't help but laugh.
"See. What'd I tell you? There's nothing to be afraid of."
Just as Mario said that, the door behind him slowly creaked open; the boy turned to look at the door as Zipp and Hitch were now cowering behind him. The three teens were now shaking as there was a shadow slowly moving. Soon a loud crash was heard as the three decided to turn tail and run.
"Ms. Petals!"
"Yes, Principal Celestia," said Pipp as the woman entered the computer room.
"I hope your story is going well."
"Oh, yes, it is. Just... putting the finishing touches on it," responded Pipp nervously.
"Vey well. Then I expect it to be up by tomorrow morning."
"Guarantee," smiled Pipp as she lied through her teeth.
Celestia smiled as she left. Pipp then slammed her face on the desk as her laptop jumped slightly.
"Where am I gonna get a story by tomorrow morning?!" expressed the girl.
She then noticed Zipp and the boys running by the hallway as they were still running.
"Zipp! Oh, my saving grace!" said Pipp as she packed her laptop and went after the trio.
The three teens all arrived in the computer room as they sat down.
"What did I tell you? Ghosts!" said Hitch.
"There is no such thing as ghosts!" said Mario.
"You guys saw a ghost!"
The three turned as Zipp's younger sister stood in the doorway with a smile on her face.
"Oh my god! Why didn't you all invite me? Tell me what it's like!" said Pipp as she got in her sister's face and fished for some juicy details.
"Well, there was a loud crash..."
"A loud crash?!" Pipp squealed with delight as she couldn't contain her inner excitement.
"Didn't know your sister was a fan of scary stuff?" said Mario, surprised that a girl like Pipp was smiling about the idea of ghosts.
"Well, Pipp has always had a love of spooky things. She once convinced our mom that ghosts haunted an entire section of her company. Mom still walks the long way around it." said Zipp.
"So, tell me, did you solve that mystery?" asked the social media girl.
"We were just about to. Let's review our clues," said Mario.
Zipp plugged in her phone to the computer cable as the screen came on. The teens all gathered around the screen as three icons came on the screen.
"Okay, first clue," said Zipp as an icon of a lightbulb crossed out came on screen. "The green glow but with no electricity."
"So the question now is: What creates a green light but doesn't need a power source?" said Mario.
"Some animals glow like deep sea fish. It's called bioluminescence," said Hitch.
"Great idea, sheriff. Maybe it was something from the animal kingdom," stated Mario.
"Hold on. What about the smell?" asked Zipp as she pointed to their third clue as it was an icon of some scent waves.
"Could there be a sweet-smelling glowing fish?" said Mario as he rolled over to another computer and began researching.
"That lives in rotting wood, Inspector," responded Zipp, not believing the statement proposed by the boy.
"Hmm. Good point, Detective," said Mario as he began to sift through his research. "So we need something that glows, smells sweet, and likes the rotting habitat."
Hitch was seated nearby, going through some books on the shelves and searching for any animal that matched that description. Zipp was back at the main computer as she swiped the screen, and the photo she initially took of the house was shown.
"Oh, love the creepy-old vibe. Very aesthetic with the greenery. Though it could use a fresh coat of paint." said Pipp as she saw the photo.
"What photo?" said Mario.
"She's talking about the one I initially took. I'll send it to you," said Zipp as she typed on the keyboard and sent the photo to Mario's computer.
"There's nothing in here that depicts an animal that matches our description," Hitch said as he flipped through the books before him.
Meanwhile, Mario was examining the photo that Zipp sent him. He was trying to see if there was anything significant. The teen saw something when he zoomed in on a part of the photo.
"Hold it! We might be looking on the wrong side of nature. How about this? Instead of looking for an animal that's sweet-smelling and glowing, living in rotting places. It could be a plant that fits the same description."
"There are plants that glow?" asked Pipp, finding that hard to believe.
"Not that I know of," said Hitch, as he knew much about nature facts.
"Hey, I got it!" said Mario as he found something from his research.
"What is it?" asked Zipp.
"I think our glowing thing is neither plant nor animal," answered the boy.
"Huh?!" said all three.
"I'll show you what I mean. But first, we're going to need some flashlights."
It was nighttime. Mario, Hitch, Zipp, and Pipp were walking in the backwoods. They were returning to the old abandoned place to see what the boy was referring to.
"So, why are we out here at this time?" asked Pipp.
"The glowing only happens at night. Because that's when jack-o'-lantern mushrooms glow."
"Huh?" said the girls.
"Hitch, you remember when you said there was nothing at the house but a pile of weeds and mushrooms."
"Yeah," answered the boy.
Mario then shut off his flashlight as there was a faint glow in front of him.
"The mushrooms are causing the glow. Jack-o'-lantern mushrooms. Neither plant nor animal, but fungi. They have gills that glow green, a fruity scent, and can grow on rotten wood."
"Wow. This is so cool. I can see their little gills are glowing." said Pipp as she bent down to see the mushrooms and looked to touch them.
"Hold it, chica! Those mushrooms will make you sick. Don't touch them, " said Mario, warning the girl.
"Thanks for the heads up," said Pipp with a smile as she stood up.
Zipp turned her head to look about the mass field of fungi.
"So the mushrooms have been spreading?" said the athletic teen.
"Yup," confirmed Mario.
"So I guess, mystery solved," said Hitch.
"And I got a story to write up!" said Pipp as she began to head back to school.
The next day was full of students on their phones as they were reading Pipp's blog. The girl had spent all night putting together her blog as she depicted how her sister and friends managed to find out about the mysterious glow. So much so that Celestia had assembled a team to do garden work on the house to avoid any kids being scared.
Hitch, Mario, and Zipp were in the hallways as the boys had their hands in their pockets, with Mario leaning against a locker and Zipp crossing her arms.
"Looks like everyone is talking about us," said the girl.
"Check it out. Almost everyone in schools has expressed their thoughts," said Hitch as he showed them his phone and the school website with Pipp's blog.
"Yeah, especially about the strong, handsome, Inspector that cracked the case," said Zipp, playfully elbowing Mario as Pipp let her crush on the boy affect her writing.
"Great," groaned Mario with an eye roll.
"Hey, everyone!" said Pipp as she made her presence known. "So, did you check out the blog? Everyone who is everyone is tots talking about it. I even tweeted it. The school website broke down in the first five minutes because of how many people clicked on it."
"That many?" said Hitch.
"Yup. So... I think we should start a mystery column. One where you guys solve mysteries, and I write about them to share with everyone."
"Pass," said Zipp and Hitch as they walked away.
"But I had cool ideas for merch!" said Pipp, trying to convince the pair. She then turned back to Mario but found he was gone. She let stomp her foot.
Mario was walking in the hallway as he met up with Roll and Sunny, discussing Pipp's blog. The pair waved at him when the screen hanging above them came on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this just in. Principal Celestia has some news to announce," said the student onscreen.
"Greetings, everyone. As you know, Friends and Family Day is just two days away. And everyone is hard at work getting the festivities ready. And so a special exhibition duel will be held. I made the final decision from the list of participants given to me by the dueling instructors. The first participant will be... Ms. Sunny Starscout!"
The students about the building all murmured when they heard Sunny's name and photo appear.
"I'm in? Wow," said Sunny, shocked to see she was being selected.
"And the second person is... Ms. Izzy Moonbow."
Author's Note: With Sunny now being back, she's gained some popularity with her trip. And has been selected to partake in the exhibition duel for Friends and Family Day as she takes on Izzy. And the trio of Hitch, Zipp, and Mario seemed to have found themselves another mystery to solve. However, the duel that Hitch had with Roll is something that still lingers on both his and Zipp's mind.