Disclaimer: As excited as I was to start writing Jasiri, we agreed it would be best to have at least one chapter dedicated to the Guard itself before introducing her. And there's no better chapter to start with than The Rise of Makuu! I think you'll notice some edited or cut out stuff, but it should hopefully be a non-issue.

Also, none of us own Lion Guard. This is just a rewrite.

The Lion Guard: Unity

New Lion Guard arc Episode One: The Rise of Makuu

One day in the Pride Lands, a cry from a distressed whine was heard in the distance. Ono was flying above when he alerted the guard. "It's coming from Ukuni Woods!"

Kion looked confident as he called up to Ono for a follow up. "What do we got, Ono? Hyenas?"

"Jackals?" Fuli asked, looking excited as she did.

"Vultures?" Beshte asked, looking more concerned.

"Hyenas, jackals, vultures, whatever it is," Bunga began, confidently. "The Lion Guard can take it!"

"Hold on. I'm getting it in sight!" Ono said, locking onto the source of the sound. It wasn't the sign of an Out Lands predator in the Pride Lands. Instead, it was a hyrax stuck inside of a thornbush. Ono gave a deadpan expression as he responded to this. "Typical." Ono flew down to the others, who stopped briefly to listen in. "You're not gonna like this, Kion; Fuli. It's just a hyrax stuck in a thornbush."

Fuli groaned in annoyance. "Seriously?"

"That's not so bad!" Beshte exclaimed, being glad that no one was in danger.

Kion sighed before putting on a smile. He was clearly bummed out by this, but he knew it was his duty. "Fine. Till the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend, whatever; let's go."

When the Lion Guard reached the hyrax, Bunga expressed how baffled he was about this. "We rushed all the way across the Pride Lands for this?"

"Believe me, Bunga. I'm as disappointed as you." Kion admitted before looking at the hyrax in question. "No offense." The hyrax smiled and waved his paw in a way that showed he wasn't offended. Kion continued talking to Bunga. "Even so, the Lion Guard's duty is to defend the Circle of Life." Kion smirked at the end of his finishing sentence. "Even if it means we don't always get to see Janja's butthurt expression."

Bunga laughed a bit at that description before heading over to the thornbush. "Alright. I got this one!" Without thinking, Bunga grabbed the hyrax to pull him out. "Cmon, hyraxy. Let's get you out of there!" Bunga got poked by one of the thorns after the hyrax ran away. While it didn't hurt, it DID remind him that the hyrax was vulnerable. "Oh, right. Sorry, little guy." Bunga ran up to Kion with an idea. "Kion! Use the roar! You can flatten those thorn bushes!"

"And kill the hyrax!" Fuli exclaimed snarkily. "At least one of those thorns is bound to stab the hyrax hard enough to take it out."

"Ohhh." Bunga responded while rubbing his head. "Hadn't thought about that."

"As undoubtedly awesome as the roar is, Fuli's right." Kion admitted. He'd already found a better solution anyway. "You can handle their poking. Just pull them aside."

"Oh yeah. Zuka Zama!" Bunga shouted before running back to the thorn bushes. He jumped into them and held them up so the hyrax could move. "Let's go, hyraxy! Move it!"

"I got it!" Fuli dashed ahead and grabbed the hyrax, before speeding off to safety. She stopped and turned around with a skid.

After Fuli set the hyrax down, Kion commended the both of them. "Thanks, Fuli. Nice work, Bunga."

The hyrax started rubbing itself in the snake skin it was holding. That, and rolling around in it like crazy. Fuli saw this and responded quickly. "Whoa. Weird. It must really like that snake skin."

"No no no." Ono said, correcting Fuli's assumption. "It's using the scent FROM the snake skin to mask his own smell. That way, snakes won't detect it. Snakes don't fight their own kind inside the same species, so in this instance, a cobra would be incapable of sensing a hyrax to eat if it smells like one." During Ono's rambling, a cobra appeared behind the hyrax to eat it. "This will allow the hyrax to eat in peace, and the snake will steer clear of-" Ono's rambling was cut off when the cobra ate the hyrax without hesitation.

Bunga was not happy about the Lion Guard's rescue being made pointless so quickly. "Hey! We just saved that guy!"

Kion stopped Bunga when he was about to walk over to the snake. "Let him eat, Bunga. He's obviously desperate."

Bunga slipped past Kion to save the hyrax. "Not a chance, Kion!" Bunga grabbed the snake and rolled the hyrax out of him before it could be digested.

The cobra got in Bunga's face. Bunga was unfazed. "Sssay. That was my lunch!"

Bunga effortlessly grabbed the cobra by the neck and made his comeback. "Yeah? Looks like it was to go!" He wrapped the snake up before getting ready to throw him. "So long!"

Bunga threw the cobra, but he accidentally did so towards Beshte. "Whoa!" Beshte jumped out of the way in time, but landed in some messy looking water.

The cobra hit a tree thanks to Bunga's throw and got untangled. He was quite upset about having his lunch taken. "That Bunga."

The hyrax jumped onto Bunga and hugged him. But as soon as he did, he got a whiff of his horrible odor. He ran off while whining constantly. He clearly didn't like the smell of butts, farts, and whatever Bunga played around in that morning. Fuli couldn't resist jabbing at Bunga's odor. "Bunga, your smell must be even scarier than a snake."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Bunga said when proudly walking over to his friends.

Out of curiosity, Ono gave a sniff to Bunga. The smell made him cough before shaking his head. "Then I guess presentable would be an insult."

Beshte was shaking off the flowers that got stuck to him as Kion and the others walked over. Except for Ono, who flew and landed on Beshte's back. "Everything okay, Beshte?"

"Poa. The flowers just got me a little sticky is all." Beshte explained.

"A little sticky?" Ono asked as he tried to take a few steps off the hippo. When that didn't work, he started to panic. "Oh, Oh no! I'd say a LOT sticky!" He tried flying off his friend. "Hapana!" He got free, but accidentally fell on Beshte's snout before flying off. He clearly didn't like being dirty.

In the struggle, Beshte ended up hitting his back against the tree. He soon realized his butt was stuck, and tried to move forward. Once he got free, he looked back at his butt, which had a bit of tree bark stuck to it. "Whoa. I just might need a bath."

Despite clearly detesting his latest predicament, Ono gained a thought from the event. "How long has it been since YOU'VE had a bath, Bunga?"

"Does the last time I fell off a waterfall count?" Bunga asked happily. Ono shook his head no with a baffled smirk. "In that case, it's been... I don't know how long!"

"No wonder the hyrax ran away from you!" Fuli said with a chuckle. The cause was beyond obvious.

"Fuli's right, Bunga. I'm afraid you really DO stink." Ono informed Bunga bluntly.

"Oh come on. That's just how Bunga smells." Kion chimed in. "He's always been a bit..." He struggled to think of the right word to describe Bunga's stink. "fragrant."

"Try taking a dip in Big Springs, Little B." Beshte suggested. "I'm sure the fish there'll getcha clean."

"Fish?" Kion, Bunga, Fuli, and Ono all asked in sync. They've clearly never seen a hippo bathe before.

The fish in Big Springs were more than happy to help Beshte out. They immediately got to swarming him, much to his delight. "The fish in Big Springs love eating the muck and dirt off us hippos! They even go for the food stuck in my teeth. Check it." Beshte dipped his head underwater and opened his mouth to demonstrate. Surely enough, the fish went for his teeth. His teeth were all clean after a few seconds. Beshte lifted his head back up to show his friends. "See?"

Nearby, Beshte's father, Basi, walked up to the Guard to share another fine detail. "And when there's too many fish in the lake, the crocodiles come and eat the fish. It's the circle of life at its finest."

"You said it, dad." Beshte said when walking out of the water and back to his friends. "Now I'm feelin' clean as a whistle." Someone whistled as soon as Beshte said that. When he turned around, two female hippos were eyeing him lovingly. Being the friendly guy he was, he smiled in response. "Hel-lo to you too!"

"Willing to give it a try?" Ono asked Bunga, feeling it was worth a shot at least.

"Why not? I'll try anything once." Bunga responded nonchalantly. "Zuka zama!" He shouted as he jumped in, accidentally splashing Kion and Fuli. However, at first, he was oblivious to the water turning green when he hopped in. "Here, fishy fishy fish!" Sure enough, the fish were so grossed out by his odor that they swam away. This confused Bunga quite a bit. "Hey, fish; whereya goin? I thought ya liked this stuff!"

The others couldn't help but laugh. As they did, another voice was heard nearby. "Basi!" A crocodile and his float were approaching the lake. "It's been many weeks. How are the fish today?"

"More than last time, Pua." Basi said in a friendly manner. "But not enough for your float of crocs. Swing by next week?"

"If that's how it must be." Pua replied, knowing it would be foolish to disregard Basi's words. He faced his float to explain the situation. "Move on, my friends. We'll eat somewhere else today."

"Wait!" However, one croc who approached wasn't particularly happy about this. "Pua, you said we were gonna eat fish."

"Makuu, there aren't enough fish yet." Pua reminded Makuu in an attempt to calm him down. "You heard Basi."

"I heard him. But why should we crocodiles listen to a hippo?" Makuu asked in an arrogant manner.

"I've told you before, Makuu." Pua said as he stepped forward. "It's the circle of life."

"So YOU say." Makuu walked past Pua as he insulted him. "But I think you listen to the hippos, because you're weak. You're afraid of em! But I'M not afraid of anyone." His next call intrigued the Guard. "And that's why, I call... for a mashindano!"

"Dad. What's a mashindano?" Beshte asked curiously.

"The mashindano is a physical challenge. It's how the crocodiles determine their leader." Basi explained.

"Hevi Kabisa." Kion said, amazed that this incident could go that far so fast.

Pua questioned if Makuu knew what he was doing. "A mashindano?"

"Ya heard me!" Makuu said before giving Pua an ultimatum. "Accept, or surrender your leadership, immediately."

Pua was disappointed by Makuu's immaturity, but knew this was important to all crocodiles. So, he accepted the challenge. "I accept your challenge, Makuu. In accordance to tradition, the mashindano will take place near Lake Matope at sunset." Pua walked off with the rest of the float, but Makuu stayed behind. His grin made it clear how confident he was at a victory.

At Pride Rock, Kion was expressing his thoughts about the mashindano to Simba, Nala, and Kiara. "I don't like this 'mashindano' thing. Why should some dumb fight determine who leads the crocodiles?"

"Don't forget, Kion. Your father had to fight Scar to regain leadership of the Pridelands." Nala reminded Kion.

"Yeah, but that was FOR the Pridelands. This is over some fish." Kion said, explaining where he was coming from more clearly. "I think Makuu's just looking to pick a fight."

"Can't you do something about it, dad?" Kiara asked, seeing Kion's point of view. "You're King over ALL animals in the Pridelands. They have to listen to you."

"That may be true..." Simba started to explain.

"Buuuuut, there's gonna be a but." Kion deadpanned, already picking up where this was going.

"You're correct, Kion." Simba responded before continuing. "All animals in the Pridelands have their own customs. And as King, I must respect them."

"I guess." Kion said, still being skeptical about the whole thing.

Kiara felt it would help to give some advice to her brother. "Look at it this way, Kion. Whoever wins the mashindano will prove that they're the strongest crocodile." Kion looked at Kiara as he considered what she was saying. "If Makuu wins, he'll prove he's the best croc to protect his float."

"That's assuming he's not planning to abuse his power." Kion pointed out, knowing that Makuu winning could also lead to disaster. "I mean, I think we all know I'm awesome enough to stop him if he goes that far, but I don't want this to come down to my friends and I trading blows with those who are supposed to be part of our community."

Simba stepped forward in an attempt to help Kion out. "Kion, if Makuu ever steps out of line, you shouldn't feel bad about showing him you're..." Simba chuckled a bit as he referenced Kion's choice of words. "'awesome' enough, to stop him."

Kion raised an eyebrow as he gave his response. "I think you're missing the point, dad."

Meanwhile, Ono was explaining Bunha's poor hygiene to Timon and Pumbaa at Hakuna Matata Falls. "Bunga's on the Lion Guard now. We can't have animals running in terror from his scent."

"If you ask me, I say Bunga smells fine, just the way he is." Pumbaa said with sincerity.

Timon jumped down as he added to this. "Yeah. And in Bunga's case, he's a stinky little honey badger."

"Thanks, Uncle Timon." Bunga said, being quite proud of his odor.

Ono sighed, realizing this would take more effort than he initially thought. "Of course you two would say that. You raised him." Ono flew over to Timon and Pumbaa in an attempt to further explain how this could cause problems. "I know you're used to Bunga's odor, but other animals in the Pridelands aren't. This could cause trouble in cases where we have to get really close when saving someone."

"Eh, Hakuna Matata." Timon replied nonchalantly. "Some animals will run away from him; so what? He has you guys, and us, to keep him company."

Ono sighed before snarking about Timon's choice of words. "Right. You're both allergic to confronting problems."

"It is part of our motto." Pumbaa reminded Ono, but he did recall one major exception. "Well, except for when we helped Simba take back Pride Rock. That felt really good!"

"Then think about how good Bunga feels helping the animals in the Pridelands." Ono replied. "At least let me try something."

Pumbaa, being the more empathetic of the two, was quick to agree with this. "Okay! If it helps Bunga!"

Bunga did love his odor, but he also liked the idea of seeing what Ono could do. "Like I said; I'll try anything at least once. Give me your best shot, Ono!" Ono smiled, glad he was able to convince Timon and Pumbaa.

Ono was shaking a branch to put a bunch of pollen on Bunga. "A pollen dusting should do wonders for your scent, Bunga. Just wait and see."

When enough pollen fell on Bunga, several bugs and flies flew towards him. He laughed a bit at the unintended effect. "This is great, Ono! We should do this more often!"

Ono sighed over his idea not working. Timon and Pumbaa on the other hand were quite happy with the result. "Look, Pumbaa! Dinner is served!"

"Oh boy! Bunga's a grub magnet!" Pumba exclaimed as he and Timon ran over.

Ono flew down to Bunga to address this flawed execution. "Making your face an insect landing pad is NOT my idea of clean, fresh, and odor free."

"It's okay, Ono. As long as I get to eat!" Bunga replied, grabbing some of the bugs off of him and chowing down.

Ono started thinking of another idea to help with Bunga's odor. "Don't worry, Bunga. I know I can find," Ono started to get distracted by a good looking bug. "a solution..." He went for the bug, surprising Bunga. He swallowed, glad he went for it, before he noticed Bunga staring at him. "Eventually."

Later, everyone in the Pridelands had gathered near Lake Matope at sunset. "Mashindano! Mashindano!" The other crocodiles chanted in sync as Poa and Makuu got ready. Kion, the rest of the lions, and the Lion Guard, were all watching in suspense.

When Poa and Makuu stepped forward, Poa spoke first. "Your confidence is admirable, Makuu. Your oversized ego is not."

"Ha! You're old, and weak, Poa." Makuu taunted. "Today is the end of your reign." And with that, the Mashindano began.

Makuu started by lunging at Poa, who evaded just in time. He counterattacked with his tail and sent Makuu back. He fell down, but got back up as Bunga cheered. "Ooh yeah; first point to Poa!"

"No points in Mashindano, Bunga." Beshte explained. "My dad told me everything. They have to keep going until one of them surrenders."

Makuu smacked Poa in the face with his tail, and followed it with an uppercut. When Poa knocked Makuu back, Kion, feeling Poa would win, gave a cocky smile when looking at the others. "Not to insult the fight, but I could make them BOTH surrender in one move."

Poa charged at Makuu fiercely and rammed right into him. After tumbling back a bit, Fuli winced upon seeing the blow. "Ouch. He's gonna feel THAT in the morning."

"Why are crocodiles always so violent?" Ono asked, not understanding what the point of this was.

"Good question, Ono." Kion chimed in, having his own thoughts about this. "I know what I said a few seconds ago, but I still don't like the idea of a leader being chosen through a fight."

"Ssh, guys; look!" Bunga said to get everyone's attention back onto the fight. It looked as if Poa was winning with Makuu on the ground. However, Makuu got him with a sneak attack. He jumped him and pinned him down, holding one of his legs over his head. Everyone else winced with Bunga commenting on the move. "Good thing crocs are tough, or we'd be hearing cracks!" Poa managed to escape and put Makuu into the same position. "Poa always could fight smarter than me."

"I think that goes without saying." Fuli chimed in, making Bunga laugh a bit at the roast.

Kion hoped this would mean Poa was going to win. "Cmon, Poa. Get him." However, Makuu mustered up just enough strength to throw Poa off of him. After some tumbling, he threw Poa, who regained his balance.

Poa was losing his breath, leaving Makuu to taunt him again. "Run outta tricks, ol timer?" Makuu landed a brutal tackle on Poa, pinning him to the ground.

Poa tried with all his might, but he couldn't escape Makuu's grasp. Basi could see his struggle from a mile away. "Uh-oh. That might be it."

"But that's a simple hold!" Bunga pointed out, knowing crocs were better than that. "Why can't Poa escape?"

"Easy. He's tired." Basi explained, knowing what age could do to someone. "Poa may have better technique, but Makuu is too strong and fit for him."

Makuu used his free claw to pin Poa's face down and keep him there. "Where're you goin, Poa? Retirement?" The Pridelanders were all shocked by this turn of events. When his strength diminished, Poa tapped Makuu's shoulder.

Bunga called out the move as Simba walked over to the crocodiles. "Poa's tapping out! He gives up!"

Kion was not happy about this. "What? You mean that arrogant loser wins?"

"I'm afraid so, son." Nala answered, and Kion was worried about what would come of this.

"Congratulations, Makuu. You have won the Mashindano. You are now the leader of the crocodiles." Simba declared, giving Makuu a reminder for his role. "You have very thick skin to fill." He stepped over to Poa next to wish him well. "Poa. You were a strong and wise leader for many years. And for that, you have my thanks."

"Thank YOU, your majesty." Poa responded, feeling Simba was just as deserving of gratitude.

Makuu laughed as Poa walked away from the float. "Don't let the weeds hit ya on the way out, Poa."

Knowing the others would be confused, Basi explained Poa's departure. "As defeated leader, Poa's banished from the crocodile float."

The other crocodiles started chanting for Makuu, who was more than ready to embrace his new role as he walked in between them. "That's right! Makuu! Leader of the crocodiles!"

The crocodiles joined Makuu as he went into the water. Kion didn't like the vibe this was giving off. "I just hope Makuu's big win isn't a big loss for the Pridelands." Kion walked off with the others as Makuu's float followed into Lake Matope.

The next day, the Guard were in their lair with Ono making another attempt at fixing Bunga's scent situation. "Let me try one last thing."

"One last thing?" Fuli asked before pointing out the flaw in that wording. "Isn't that what you said, last time?"

"Nah, that was three last times ago." Bunga pointed out while holding up three fingers and moonwalking. "Not that I'm counting." He turned around and walked normally after that. "Whatya got, Ono?"

"Pumice! It always works for me." Ono explained as he landed in his nest where a pile of dust lay. "Just flap around in the dust..." He did a bit of flapping to demonstrate. "And you'll be odor free!"

"Okay." Bunga said, allowing Ono to fly up before he got into the nest. However, when he hopped in, he started sneezing uncontrollably.

Fuli couldn't resist wisecracking about this failure. "Are you trying to stop him from smelling, or being ABLE to smell?"

Just then, Kiara came in and got the Guard's attention. "Kion?"

Beshte rose up from the water to greet her. "Hey Kiara. What's the kerbubble?"

Kiara looked very worried when she explained. "Zazu just received word that a herd of giraffe just moved into the baboon's forest. And Dad's out hunting with Mom."

"We'll go check it out. Maybe they're fans of screeching." Kion said, joking with the second part. "Lion Guard, let's go!" Kion and the Guard, along with Kiara, made their way to the edge of Pride Rock. When they got there, Kion called up to Ono. "Ono! Whatya see!?"

"It's crazy, Kion." Ono answered, using his sight to look in on the situation. It was worse than what Kiara told them. "Not only have the giraffes taken over the monkeys' forest, the acacia savannah where the giraffe live is full of zebras and antelope, the zebra and antelope grazing ground is overrun with elephants, and the elephants' watering hole is filled with hippos!"

"Hevi Kebisa!" Kion exclaimed, being hit with more chaos than he expected. He shook his head before calling up to Ono, trying to keep himself from getting overwhelmed. "Isn't ANYONE in the Pridelands in their usual habitat?"

Ono spotted one more problem and informed Kion immediately. "Wait, there's more! Looks like Makuu and the crocodiles have taken over Big Springs!"

"So when the crocs pushed out the hippos, they ended up making everyone else move too." Kiara said, having put together how this started.

The others did as well, leaving Kion to take action. "Lion Guard! Let's go talk with Makuu and get this sorted out."

Makuu and his float were resting in Big Springs. When the Lion Guard arrived, Kion got straight to the point. "Makuu, we have a problem! Your float taking over Big Springs has messed things up all over the Pridelands. I need you and the crocs to leave."

Makuu laughed as he swam over to Kion. He put his front legs up on a nearby rock when grinning smugly. "Why, should we leave? The fish in this lake taste great." He jumped up and ate one before expressing his refusal to comply. "I think we're here to stay! That is... unless you wanna fight."

"Listen, Makuu. I'm not saying you can't enjoy the fish here. Especially since I can see the appeal. These little guys are awesome." Kion started, hoping to give Makuu a compromise. "But you can't LIVE in Big Springs. And even though I could easily take you out of this lake..." Makuu raised an eyebrow before Kion finished. "Unlike you, I don't solve all of my problems by picking fights."

Makuu let out a quick laugh before taunting Kion. "Only weak and cowardly leaders are afraid to fight."

In a split millisecond, Kion's eyes widened. It was as if this jab at Kion's alleged fear nudged a crack in Kion's self esteem. It wasn't that he was afraid to fight Makuu. He was confident he would win. What he was afraid of, was letting the Pridelanders down. And Makuu challenging his bravery brought that fear to light for only one millisecond. Instantly, changing to anger, the clouds started forming behind Kion, catching Makuu's attention. "You think I'm afraid?" Kion glared at Makuu, bracing himself for the roar. The clouds were almost ready as Makuu challenged him. "Test me and find out!"

Just in time, Kion realized what he was about to do. He was barely able to keep himself from roaring at Makuu. He smacked the rock he was on, trying to calm down and regain control of his emotions. He made sure to let Makuu know he'd be back. "I'm getting you out of this lake. I know I can. But I'm not going to match your disrespect to do it."

As Kion turned around, Bunga questioned why he didn't roar at Makuu. "But why?"

"If I start using the roar when I'm angry, I could risk becoming as bad as Scar." Kion explained. "And the fish in Big Springs wouldn't survive if I used it there." Kion started leaving before sharing his intentions. "I'm gonna think of another way to get the crocs to leave."

"That's right, Kion. Go!" Makuu shouted in Kion's direction. "The new leader of the crocodiles, takes orders from nobody!" The wording Makuu used gave Kion an idea. One that returned a confident smile to its rightful place on his face.

Kion sought out Pua, but the croc wasn't sure what He could do to stop Makuu's reign. "I don't see how I can help."

"It's simple. The crocs love that Mashindano thing, right?" Kion asked, and Pua nodded his head yes to confirm it. "So if you called for another one, Makuu would have to accept. And if you won this time, you'd be leader of the crocs again!"

Pua appreciated Kion's confidence in him, but he had to face the facts. "You were there, Kion. Makuu is stronger than me." Pua walked over to Kion to help him understand. "While it hurts, this is one loss I must accept. And even though you might not like it, Makuu has most certainly won."

"Can't be more important than the safety of the Pridelands." Kion responded stubbornly. "You have to have seen what's been going on. You're a much better leader than Makuu."

"True. But he's young. He can learn." Pua pointed out. "Take my advice. If you really want to avoid a fight with Makuu, the best thing to do is just back down." After that, Pua walked away, leaving Kion to do the same.

As Kion rejoined the Guard, Bunga spoke up. "You're not really gonna give up, are you, Kion?"

"Of course not! I'd never let my home fall apart." Kion said tenaciously. His priority truly was the Pridelands.

"So what're we gonna do?" Beshte asked, knowing they were short on options.

"I'm not sure yet. My dad might have some ideas." Kion suggested, hoping Simba could come through. "Let's hope he's back by now."

The Lion Guard made their way back home. Kion called to the worried Kiara on the way up. "Hey Kiara!" Kiara looked at Kion, as he closed the distance between them. "Is dad back?"

"No; and it's a good thing he isn't!" Kiara exclaimed. The Guard instantly saw why.

"Oh crap!" Kion exclaimed Baboons had managed to take over Pride Rock! "I was wondering where the baboons went!"

"Mom and dad are NOT gonna be happy to find Pride Rock full of baboons." Kiara said with exhaustion, showing how much she tried to scare off the baboons before the guard arrived. "You guys better do something- quit it!" One baboon tried to play with Kiara's tail. "The animals in the Pridelands need to get back where they belong!"

One baboon jumped off of Kiara's head as Kion responded. "We're working on it, Kiara." Another one jumped on Kion. "But Makuu won't listen to reason." Kion shook the baboon off of him before kicking it aside. The pressure was clearly getting to him.

Just then, Ono came down with glee, and some minty plants. "I got it; I got it! I've found the solution. Mintha pepperina. Also known as peppermint!"

Kion sniffed the leaves before questioning this solution. "I doubt Makuu's gonna trade fish for mint leaves. Maybe if he were a giraffe?"

"Oh, sorry. Not the Makuu issue." Ono clarified, stopping Bunga as he chased a baboon. "This one."

Ono flapped Bunga's scent to prove his point. It hit Kiara, who was instantly grossed out. "Ugh! Ono, stop that!"

"Of course, your royal Highness!" Ono said worriedly. He then spread the leaves out for Bunga. "Um, Bunga, do us all a favor, and roll around in these mint leaves."

"Sure!" Bunga instantly got to rolling in the leaves after jumping on them.

Fuli pointed out how similar this was to yesterday's rescue. "Oh. Just like the hyrax!"

"Now eat this one..." Ono said as he handed Bunga the leaf. "and you're set!"

"Okay." Bunga ate the leaf, being quite fond of the taste. "Oooh, spicy! My tongue's tingly from it!"

UUURRRP

Bunga ended up burping on Ono, who wafted the green cloud away. "Scuze me."

Ono was about to yell at Bunga for burping in his face, but as he sniffed the air, he discovered the honey badger's signature scent was gone. "Haha! Yes! It worked!" Ono cheered, glad his latest solution was the one. "Congratulations, Bunga! You are stink free! For now anyway."

Kion groaned before expressing his annoyance over Ono prioritizing this over the real issue. "Ono, I know you're trying to help, but we have bigger issues to worry about." He pointed to the baboons when reminding him of the current crisis. "If there's one thing I DON'T want dad to know about today, it's this."

Ono gave a nervous chuckle in response. "Oh, right. Sorry. I guess this could've waited."

Kion sighed. He had one more idea in mind on how to fix this. "You guys head back to the lair. I have one last lead, and he'd better not be useless."

Kion walked off, with Kiara vocalizingher concern to no one in particular. "I hope he comes up with something."

Beshte was also annoyed, since several baboons were playing on him. "You're tellin me."

Fuli groaned over the scenario. "Baboons!" She wasn't very fond of baboons, as one could tell.

Kion made his way to where he last spoke to Mufasa. This was a long shot, but he had to give it a try. "Grandfather? I don't know if you can hear me, but I could use your help."

As Kion sat in the clearing, Mufasa appeared in the clouds once more. "I'm always here for you, Kion."

"Makuu recently took over as the crocodile leader." Kion explained. "He's messed things up for animals all over the Pridelands. All he wants to do is eat fish in Big Springs, take over Big Springs, and fight."

"Fighting is the crocodile way." Mufasa reminded Kion.

"I got that. But I think Makuu's a bully." Kion admitted. "Pua, the old crocodile leader, wasn't any help. He said I should just back down. How is that an option?"

"There are times to back down, Kion." Mufasa began. "But a true leader, has to know when to stand his ground. Even if it seems difficult."

"I'm sure I could take Makuu in a fight." Kion said, however, his smile faltered. "But fighting can't be the solution to every problem."

Mufasa continued to counsel Kion. "Standing your ground doesn't mean you have to fight. It means you're not afraid to stand up to someone, who you know is wrong, and show them, you're not willing to back down."

Kion felt he understood what Mufasa meant. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head. One that involved a more creative way of using the roar. Actually, using it this way kind of excited him. "I think I have an idea now." And with that, Mufasa vanished, knowing his job was done.

Kion was explaining his plan to the rest of the Guard. "So I've given it a lot of thought. If Makuu wants a fight, he needs to know the Lion Guard won't back down from one."

"Yeah! Now we're talkin!" Bunga shouted as he jumped up into the air.

"If I had to guess, you're going to try and AVOID the fight, but still show him what we can do?" Ono suggested, revealing how much he knew Koon's attitude.

"Something like that." Kion said with his usual cocky smile. "I was thinking a demonstration of the roar could help Makuu see who he's up against. The only thing I'll be hurting is his fragile ego."

"Can we do that?" Fuli asked, liking where Kion was going with this.

"Maybe you could use the roar, on the grove of trees near the Springs!" Beshte suggested, knowing that would be the perfect way to utilize their skills. "Far as I know, nobody lives there. And I know just about everybody." His ears wiggled happily.

"Perfect!" Kion was even more confident than he was before now that the plan was coming together. "Bunga, Fuli, Ono! Go make sure the grove is clear of animals. We don't want any scattered animals in the roar's path. Beshte, you're with me." He ran off with the Guard, starting their callout. "Till the Pridelands end..."

And the rest of the Lion Guard finished it. "Lion Guard defend!"

"I knew we'd get the hang of that quickly!" Kion stated, glad his callout idea was going as well as he'd hoped.

In the grove near Big Springs, Fuli was racing around to spot any animals that might be nearby. After zipping around the trees, she reported her status. "Looks clear to me."

With that, Bunga called up to Ono. "Ono!? See anything!?"

"Nope! I think we're good to give Kion the high sign!" Ono called down, just before spotting something detrimental. "Wait!" His sight caught a hyrax eating a leaf in one of the trees. If Kion roared at it, it would get seriously hurt! "Oh no no, not again!"

At the same time, Kion and Beshte were arriving at Big Springs. Kion was more than ready to set his plan in motion. "Makuu, you and your crocs need to leave Big Springs now! Unless you still want to be forced out."

"Tough talk, Kion." Makuu said with clear disrespect. "Can ya back it up?" Makuu's float rose as he finished. "With action?"

Kion's confident smile said it all. "I'm as willing as you are."

Ono dove down to Bunga and Fuli after seeing this. "Hapana! Kion's about to use the roar!" He flew over to the hyrax to convince it to go down. "Little hyrax. You need to leave this tree. Something quite dangerous will be occurring soon."

The hyrax ignored Ono's warning and kept eating. Fuli wishes she could get up there. "If I could climb trees, I KNOW I could get the hyrax to move."

"Wait. I know how to scare him off." Bunga said before running over to the tree. He climbed up quickly and got the hyrax's attention. "Hey hyraxy." He started moving when the hyrax looked at him. "Remember me? And my stink?" The hyrax sniffed Bunga before going back to eating. It seemed Ono's plan to remove Bunga's scent was both a blessing, and a curse. In this case, more of the latter. "Zuka Zama. I forgot I smelled like mint now!"

Ono's look of realization spoke volumes. "Okay, maybe Bunga's odor can help after all."

"Guys, we gotta get moving." Fuli reminded Bunga and Ono.

"I know, but I can't scare him off without my stink!" Bunga said. He then got a crazy idea. "Do you think I should eat him?"

Fuli and Ono were instantly against that. "No!"

"Bunga, just grab the hyrax and bring it down here." Fuli advised. "We'll worry about your stink later."

"Oh yeah!" Bunga grabbed the hyrax and ran over to a nearby branch. He grabbed onto it and swung to land on Fuli's back.

Once Bunga landed on Fuli, she gave Ono the go ahead. "Ono! Give the high sign!"

Ono did just that, flying up and giving Kion the sign that he needed. Beshte saw it and informed Kion. "All clear, Kion."

Kion looked at Makuu, giving him one last warning as the confident grin grew on his face. "Last chance, Makuu. You sure you don't wanna back down?"

"I never back down from a fight, Kion. You of all cubs should know that." Makuu assured Kion boldly.

Kion turned around, confusing Makuu, even with Kion's warning. "Okay. Just pay attention to what you're in for." Kion unleashed the roar in front of Makuu's very eyes. It blew away every leaf on the trees in the grove. When Kion turned back around, Makuu's face was deeply stunned. Kion gave a smug grin, knowing his plan was working.

Makuu, for once in his life, decided that backing down was a good idea. "Uh... perhaps, it's time we moved on. Big Springs is running out of fish anyway." Kion loved the sound of that. And not just because his plan worked. He was cocky before, but the way the roar intimidated Makuu boosted Kion's ego a lot. It made him feel so much more powerful than before; like no one invading the Pridelands could touch him. It made him feel... unstoppable.

Ono was flying down to the rest of the Guard after making sure they had gotten all of the animals back in their proper habitats. Kion was expressing his feelings to the others about how the roar made him feel. "I didn't even have to use it on him! He just left!" Kion laughed a bit before finishing what he had to say. "And if anyone's dumb enough to attack the Pridelands, one roar is all it'll take! I'm unstoppable!"

"I prefer the word, powerful." Ono responded from above. "Your plan worked, Kion. Everyone's back where they belong!"

"Just what I wanted to hear." Kion said, holding his cocky smile.

Next, Ono turned to Bunga so he could apologize. His mistake almost cost a Hyrax's life. "Sorry about changing your smell, Bunga. It clearly has its uses."

"Hakuna Matata, Ono." Bung assured Ono. "I'm sure my minty smell will wear off." The hyrax was revealed to be holding onto Bunga's back. He rolled his eyes while smiling as Ono gave a deadpan grin. "The sooner, the better." The Guard all laughed together as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.