Stars…

Stars are a symbol of hope…

They bring smiles to peoples faces…

Leaflands, Cropdale…

Within the peaceful Leafland country town, there lives a young girl who's got one big dream. Her name is Agnea Bristarni, and her dream is to become a Star on the big stage. She got this dream from idolizing her late mother, Cuani Bristarni, a famous entertainer who sang and danced everywhere she performed with her family supporting her, until she was struck with a fatal illness brought from overworking herself.

Despite her passing, Agnea never gave up on her dream to become just like her mother. Despite her father's protests, she aimed to save up 10,000 leaves, so she could one day depart from Cropdale and go on a journey of her own to achieve stardom, and bring smiles to the faces of people who watched her perform.

To that end, she's been performing continuously at her friend Gus's tavern to earn money. And it is on the eve of her departure, the day of an annual festival, that Team Chronicle appears…

"Alright, I don't think I need to remind you all how important it is that we be subtle about this." Mark said to the rest of the team as they entered the town.

"Yeah yeah, we get it Marky. I just have one question." Rainbow Dash-2 said. "Why did we get stuck with the boring story?"

"I'll admit that this isn't our usual speed, but that doesn't mean it's going to be boring." Mark chided. "Who knows, maybe you'll have fun."

"I know somebody that'll have fun: your girlfriend over here." Eddy chuckled, gesturing to Bernadetta. "I've seen her sing when she thinks nobody's looking."

"Wait, you heard me?!" Bernadetta asked in shock.

"Eddy, she's not my girlfriend! I've told all of you this a dozen times!" Mark said aggravatedly, before he turned to the archer. "On the subject, I didn't know you sang, Bern."

"Yeah, she's actually really good. No joke." Eddy said, his earlier teasing gone. "She could make a killing off that voice, I tell ya."

"Ah…ah…" Bernadetta stammered, pulling up her hood to hide her face.

"Eddy, I think you've made Bernadetta uncomfortable enough." Pearl said. "We all know how she acts."

"Pearl's right. Not the best play to complement a pessimist." Krillin said.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Eddy apologized. "Anyway, where're we gonna find our dancer?"

"Well, the village is pretty small, so it shouldn't be too hard…" Mark guessed.

"Hmm… the town seems to be preparing for a local festival. I suspect our dancer might be overseeing the preparations. Might I suggest we look around the festival grounds and the town itself? That should give us a good chance to locate her." Double D said.

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Gohan nodded. "And Eddy? Save your manager's proposals until after the festival, alright? Don't wanna rush things with her."

"Oh, c'mon! Stop acting like I need supervision!" Eddy complained.

"You do." the group responded without missing a beat.

"Mark, if it's alright, we'll stay outside the town." Princess Twilight said, referring to herself and the rest of the Main Six. "I'm worried the locals might get spooked if they see us, or hear us speak."

"Yeah, good idea." Mark agreed. "You girls just stay safe, and we'll be back as soon as we can."

With that, the remaining group members spread out through the village in search of the dancer known as Agnea.

"Okay, we should probably find the festival grounds first, that's more than likely where she is…" Mark said to himself as he walked through the village. "The question then is where the festival is. Maybe it's in the back…?"

"'scuse me?" A girl's voice asked from behind the half-angel.

Mark turned around, seeing a young girl with long brown hair that had most of it braided at neck length with a rose placed on the left side. She was wearing a simple white and brown dress with a yellow skirt. Her expression and the way she carried herself gave her away as a cheerful, optimistic person.

"Oh, hello." Mark greeted the girl. "Sorry if I seem like a stranger, I just arrived here with some friends of mine. Can I help you?"

"Aw, there's no need to apologize! I'm happy to welcome you and your friends to our town!" the girl smiled. "I was wonderin' if maybe you could help us prepare a stage? See, we're havin' a festival, and we're settin' things up for tonight, but we need some extra hands."

"Funny that, I was just looking for that festival." Mark said. "If you can lead me there, then I'd be happy to help."

"Of course! Here, I'll lead you-" the girl started as she reached out to take Mark's hand, the boy flinching away on instinct.

"Oh, uh…sorry." Mark coughed, regaining his composure. "I don't…I mean…can I just follow you?"

"Sure thing! Come on, now!" the girl said as she motioned for Mark to follow her, the confusion at the boy's actions being shaken off. "My name's Agnea, by the way. What's yours?"

"Mark. Agnea, huh…nice name." the half-angel said. "(Yeah, she's our dancer alright.)"

After a while, the rest of the group found their way to the festival, seeing Mark helping set up the stage.

"Hey, Mark! Looks like you beat us here!" Scarlet said.

"Hey everybody." Mark said, hopping down from the stage and approaching them. "Good news. I met Agnea. She's the one who led me here."

"Oh, you met her all by yourself?" ZS said in a teasing manner. "Should Bern be jealous?"

"Why would she? We're not dating, despite you all teasing us about it." Mark said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, are these your friends, Mark?" Agnea asked, as she walked up to join the conversation.

"Yep. Everyone, this is Agnea. She's a dancer. Agnea, this is everyone." the half-angel introduced.

"So you're the future star everyone in Cropdale's been talking about, huh?" Bismuth asked.

"That's me. Didn't know people from out of town knew about me." Agnea said.

"Well, that's actually a funny story, we-" Eddy started, before Bardock glared at him. "…heard from a friend of a friend. Yeah…"

"Anyways…you're going to be dancing tonight, right?" Shirou asked Agnea.

"Yep! It'll be the last performance I'll be doing in my hometown for a while…so I'll be sure to put everything I have into it!" Agena promised.

"Well, then I guess we'll have to make sure we catch it." Connie said.

"Before we get to that, though… I know we just got acquainted, but do you all think you could do me a favor and help the townsfolk set up the festival grounds and the stage?" Agnea asked. "I was asked to gather up a few extra pairs of hands to help, but since you're all here, well…"

"Say no more!" Peridot said. "We'll assist your fellow townsfolk in preparing the festival for your big send off!"

"Honestly, you couldn't've looked for a better group. Bismuth's great when it comes to building things." Krillin said, motioning to Bismuth herself.

"Never built a stage before…but I'm more than willing to give it a try!" Bismuth agreed. "Let's do this!"

As the sun soon set over Cropdale, the festival was all prepared, thanks to the assistance from Team Chronicle.

"Wow! We appreciate all the help! Especially yours, Agena!" a villager thanked the group.

"Hehe. Happy to be of service!" Agena giggled.

"A-Agnea!" a voice called as a young man suddenly ran up.

"Gus! Is something the matter?" Agena asked.

"Have you seen Pala? She went raspberry pickin' in the woods, but she aint come back yet." Gus explained.

"Wh-what…?" Agnea asked.

"And that's not even the worst of it… in the forest… I found a Dourdour's hoofprints." Gus said.

"Dourdour? What?" Connie asked.

"It's a giant boar that lives around our neck of the woods." Gus explained. "Some years ago, one of 'em ravaged our village. It took the whole lot of us to drive 'im away. He might've caught the scent of the festival foods and scurried over, but…"

"Pala… I have to find her." Agnea said in worry.

"Don't worry, Agnea. We'll help you find her." Mark assured the dancer.

"Yeah, we happen to be…experienced in the whole hero thing. We'll find this Pala kid no problem!" Eddy agreed.

"Thank you, everyone." Agnea said in gratitude, before she turned to Gus. "Would you come with us, Gus? The more help we have, the better."

Gus was hesitant for a moment before he shook his head in agreement. "C-course I will! You can count on me, Agnea!"

"Thank you Gus." Agnea said, before she motioned for the group to follow. "Come on now! I know where the raspberries grow in the forest. I'll lead the way!"

And so, the party marched into the forest to find Pala (Agnea's sister, the group would learn). Opponents in the form of Birdians, Spud Bugs, Marmots, and Mossy Meeps stood in their way, but were quickly dealt with.

"Pala! Paaala!" Agnea cried into the night covered forest. "...Where are you, Pala?"

"Hey! Pala, where you hiding?!" Eddy yelled. Ed, in the meantime, dived into a nearby patch of bushes, rustling around for a moment before popping his head out.

"No baby sister in here." Ed said, with a noticeable hint of worry in his voice.

"Are you sure this is where the raspberries are? I don't see any." Scarlet asked Agnea.

"I swear this is the place. But if she's not here, then-" Agnea started, before the sound of stomping caught the group's attention. "Wh-What was that noise? C-Could it be…?"

Just then, stomping out of the shadows was a giant boar monster with incredibly large tucks.

"I take it that's a Duorduor?!" Lancer asked.

"Yep, and he doesn't look too happy! I bet he's mighty hungry…" Gus said, before the large boar advanced, causing him to stumble over.

"Gus!" Agnea cried in worry.

"Let's get outta here, everybody…!" Gus replied in fear.

"No, you two get out of here! We'll take care of this!" Mark said as Team Chronicle put themselves between the Duorduor and the two villagers.

"Mark, I appreciate what you're all doing for me… but I'm not going anywhere." Agnea said.

"Wh-what?!" Gus was surprised at what his friend said.

"He's following the scent of the festival towards town…if these people can't keep him to the forest while they fight him off, he'll charge straight into the crowd. But I won't let that happen." Agnea said before stepping up together with Team Chronicle. "I won't let him ruin everyone's fun." she insisted.

"C-come on Agnea… be reasonable!" Gus pleaded.

"..I'm not going anywhere." Agnea definitively said, taking up a combat stance. "Don't you or your friends try to talk me out of this, Mark. Gus and I will help you all out!"

"Wait, me too?!" Gus asked in disbelief.

"Are you ready, Gus? We can do anything we set our minds to." Agnea said.

"I can't believe this!" Gus groaned as he readied himself for battle.

"If you're serious about this, then don't expect us to do all the work for you. You'll be fighting with us, got it?" Bardock asked.

"Right!" Agnea replied with determination. "Let's go!"

The group charged as the Duorduor bellowed with rage.

Hungry Boar

Duorduor

"Leave the analyzing to me! The rest of you focus on attacking!" Peridot said, scanning the wild boar monster. "Clobber this thing with Axes, Daggers and Wind Magic!"

"Daggers? That's good!" Agnea said as she slashed at the boar with a dagger she was holding.

"What is even better is that we have all three! Bismuth, Emo, to arms!" Sir Saiyan declared.

"I'm on it!" Bismuth said, transforming her hand into an axe and slicing into the Duorduor's hide.

"Cover me, guys, gotta chant this one!" Emo said, a green book floating in front of him and opening up.

"Gus, here!" Agnea said as she performed a quick dance that caused Gus to feel stronger. "Lion Dance!"

"Leave the choppin' to me!" Gus said, cutting into the Duorduor 3 times with his axe.

"Become solid, and draw the blood of the wicked! Wind Blade!" Emo chanted, an invisible blade made of roaring winds forming and launching straight into the Duorduor's hide.

The Duorduor became agitated, stomping its hooves as it bellowed.

"That doesn't look good." Moltar said.

"That thing can charge up too! What's with this place?" Eddy asked.

The Duorduor then charged towards the group, putting all its might into the attack.

"Garnet…!" Bardock called with a sense of urgency in his voice.

The fusion leaped in front of the group and summoned her gauntlets, catching the Duorduor with both her hands and stopping its charge as she held both of its tucks in her hands.

"I can't hold it for long…take it down, quickly!" Garnet said.

"Okay, uh…let's see…" Emo said, the book flipping through its pages.

"Don't worry Emo." Agnea said, winds blowing around her. "I'll handle it. Sweeping Gale!"

The spell was launched, Garnet moving out of the way as it hit the wild animal head on, staggering it. That wasn't the end, however, as the Duorduor then let out a more desperate sounding roar, causing two Forest Marmots to appear alongside it.

"Oh look, it has friends. That's nice." Emo said sarcastically.

"This is getting old!" Mark said. "We need to finish this now!"

"Hold on, Mark, I have one last dance to help!" Agnea proclaimed as her body surged with latent power. "All Together Now…!"

The group then found themselves surrounded in a strong aura.

"Whoa…this feels great! It's like we're all connected! Like music notes or something!" ZS exclaimed.

"Hm, I wonder…" Mark said. "Gus, Agnea, with me! I think I have an idea!"

"If you say so…!" Gus said as he and Mark charged the Duorduor.

"All right…let's do it. Lion Dance!!" Agnea said as she, Mark and Gus glowed. "I know you're upset because of your empty belly. So I'm sorry, but we can't let you through here. I'll give you some nuts to eat later, so be a good boy until then! Ruinous Kick!"

"Get outta here!" Mark yelled as he coated his arm in Varja metal and threw out a punch.

Coupled with a swing of Gus's axe and a powerful kick from Agnea, the Duorduor was finally down for the count, unconscious, but very much still alive, as the others finished off the Duorduor's backup.

"W-we did it…" Gus said in shock and surprise.

"I couldn't have done it without all of you." Agnea thanked. "We managed to protect the festival, and everyone's smiles…"

"No need to thank us. It's all part of the job." Gohan replied. "Now that's taken care of, we should get back to looking for…"

"Agnie? That you?" a young voice asked as the group turned around to see a girl with twin pigtails standing there, looking confused.

"Pala!" Agnea said in relief as the group approached her.

"Hi there, are you okay?" Mark asked.

"Huh? I'm fine, why…?" Pala started before she saw the unconscious animal behind them. "D-did you do that, Agnie…? This li'l village really is too small for you…"

"Wait a minute…you mean this is the first time you saw this guy?" Scarlet asked. "But…you should've seen him since you were picking the…"

"Well, there weren't any berries 'round here, so I had to go deeper into the woods… I'm sorry." Pala said sheepishly.

"..Don't be. I'm just glad you're alright." Agnea said in assurance. "So what say we all get back to the village? We've got a festival to attend."

"Uh… you sure you want to perform now? That fight kind of dirted your dress up." Connie mentioned.

"W-Well… I'm sure it'll be fine!" Agnea assured.

With that, the group headed back to Cropdale. Before they headed into town for the festival, they were stopped by Agnea and Pala's father, Garud. Having been told her story, Team Chronicle expected Garud to stop Agnea from performing onstage… However, Garud had something else in mind. Something to give to his daughter, which Agnea took a closer look at, and couldn't believe it.

"This is…mama's dress.." Agnea breathed, as Garud held in his hands the same dress Cuani wore in the past, tailor fit for her.

"I altered it for you." Garud said.

"Papa…" Agnea said, at a loss for words.

"...I'm sure you ruined those clothes helpin' somebody out…Just like your mother used to." Garud said.

"Papa…You're right." Agnea confirmed. "A star's supposed to put a smile on people's faces!"

Garud was silent for a moment before he steeled himself. "Go, Agnea. Everybody's waitin' for you."

"Thanks, Papa." Agnea smiled.

With that, Agnea rushed to the festival stage. With Team Chronicle in attendance, and in front of her whole village, Agnea performed a song for them, with all her heart.

I must be on my way,

But goodbye I shall not say.

For you and I will meet again someday.

No matter how far away…

my song will forever be with you

So think of me whenever you feel blue.

I await the day when we are reunited with glee.

Let's sing together now, you and me.

La la la la la la.

I must be on my way,

But goodbye I shall not say.

For you and I will meet again someday.

No matter how far away…

my song will forever be with you

So think of me whenever you feel blue.

The festival continued until sunrise, and then on that next day….

Agnea, dressed in her mother's dress, set out to leave Cropdale, but not without being sent off by all the townspeople, including her family and friends.

"I got everything I need from my earnings…So it's time for me to set out on my journey." Agnea said as she faced the small crowd of villagers.

"Still can't believe you're leavin', Agnea…" One villager said.

"But were happy for her, ain't we?" another asked.

"That's right! You brought happiness to everyone in this village." A third said.

"So it's only right that we send you off with a smile!" another chuckled.

"Thank you everyone." Agnea thanked.

"Agnea…" Gus said. "You'd better not come back here 'til you're a star. You got that?"

"When I do, I hope you'll still let me dance at your tavern." Agnea replied.

"Agnie! I'll take care o' the house for you! You don't have to worry 'bout a thing!" Pala assured.

"I know I can count on you, Pala." Agnea smiled to her sister.

Finally, Garud stood on the bridge, working hard to keep his composure.

"Papa…" Agnea breathed.

"...You dance just like your mother." her father simply said.

"...Thank you. That was mama's song." Agnea replied. "But someday… I'll have a song of my own. One that'll make the whole world smile!"

"...Take care of yourself." Garud told his daughter.

"You too, Papa." Agnea said. "I'd best be on my way now."

"Not without us, you're not!"

Agnea then looked past her father and saw Team Chronicle at the end of the bridge leading out of town.

"We thought you could use some company while you're traveling the big open world out there." Krillin said before he smirked. "And even though you might not need it, Eddy-"

"Uh uh! Let me handle this." Eddy said as he zoomed up to Agnea. "Hello there! Eddy Skipper McGee, experienced manager, at your service!"

"Uh…" Agnea said.

"Just go with it, Ms. Bristarni." Double D sighed. "Hopefully, he's learned from the past…"

"Look, you got a dream, and we wanna help you accomplish that." Eddy said matter-of-factly. "It takes more than fancy footwork to be a star, and we got the rest of that covered. Stick with us, and we'll be goin' places!"

"Y'know, I feel like I can really trust all of you." Agnea smiled. "I'll be sure to become a star with you all watching my back."

"Then what're we waiting for? C'mon!" Eddy said as he ran ahead. "The world's waiting for us!"

"Onward, to the stars!" Ed declared, following behind.

Agnea smiled, turning back to the citizens of Cropdale as Team Chronicle departed one by one. "Thank you, everyone! Thank you!" she waved.

"Good luck, Agnea!" all of Cropdale wished as Agnea left with the rest of her new travel mates, Garud finally letting his tears out.

And so, Agnea leaves her hometown behind. With sparkling eyes and a heart full of hope, she embarks on her journey to make her dream come true.

Her dream of becoming a star - a shining beacon who lights up faces wherever she goes.

But there's no telling where the road will lead her…