Any Sport in a Storm

In the Emperor's Castle, Hunter sat in his room sewing a sigil onto his cloak. His Palisman, Flapjack, sat on his shoulder as he chirped at him.

"Yeah! It does look good as new!" Hunter said happily as he held up his cloak. The sigil looked wonky as it was poorly sewn on being held by tape and a bandaid.

"…And I have no idea what I'm doing."

Suddenly he heard a knock at his door. Flapjack quickly hid as Hunter went to open the door.

When he opened the door, two Coven Guards stood at the entrance before handing him a letter. He saw it was a letter from Belos before opening it.

"My duties are keeping me busy. I entrust you to lead the Coven Heads today. Consider this a test," Hunter read before smirking as he headed toward the throne room.

As he was reaching the room, the doors opened and most of the Coven Heads exited.

"Good, you're all here. We can get started," Hunter said before the Coven Heads began to push past him.

"Hey! Ugh! Wha- Where are you- Ugh! I said wait! Come back here!" Rained looked back at Hunter for a moment before Tera put a hand on their shoulder and led them away.

Hunter pushed the doors to the throne room open and saw Darius and Eberwolf looking over multiple scrolls.

"Darius! Eberwolf! Why is everyone leaving? We are scheduled to have a recruitment meeting," Hunter said as Darius sighed.

"Good morning to you too, little prince," Darius said as he put away the scroll. "We've decided to reschedule the meeting, so go play arts and crafts or... whatever it is you do."

Darius then noticed Hunter's cloak. "Oh. Looks like you've already started."

Darius used the abomination goo in his hair to grab Hunter's cloak as he brought it up to him.

"Hey!"

"This is impressively bad," Darius said while chuckling. He then noticed the familiar sigil on it.

"Wait, is this the old Golden Guard sigil?"

"Of course it is!" Hunter said angrily. "And this is no way to treat the Emperor's-"

"Nephew?" Darius shot back as Hunter glared at him. "I knew your predecessor. He was my mentor. One of the strongest witches I've ever known. But you... Hmm."

As Darius looked at Hunter with judgment, he began to look down nervously.

"But Belos says I don't need magic to serve the coven," Hunter argued

"And I say you don't deserve to wear that patch," Darius said as he and Eberwolf began to walk out of the throne room.

As they were leaving, Hunter quickly turned to them. "Wait. What should I do? How do I… earn it?"

"Ugh, sweet mother of Titans," Darius said in exasperation. "I- I don't know. Find new recruits for the Emperor's Coven? The best and the brightest witches in all the land. Then maybe, you can get this back."

"I'll do it," Hunter said with determination

"Of course you will," Darius said as he continued to walk away. "You're very good at doing exactly what you're told."

Hunter looked down as the doors slammed shut.

In a forest, Willow was working out as Clover helped her out. "After years of thinking I wasn't good enough, I finally found something I can be good at."

Willow summoned a pair of large vines as she began to swing them up and down like ropes. "Something I wanna be good at. Switching to the Plant Track was just the beginning."

Willow began to jump the vines like jump ropes as Clover swung the vines around for her. "I'm on my way to becoming the witch I wanna be."

Willow looked at herself in the mirror in her room. "I can do this. Right?" Willow said as she looked unsure before grabbing a newspaper clipping hanging on her mirror.

She saw the winning Flyer Derby team with her dads in the center. She smiled down at the photo.

"Eye of the liger, girl. Knock 'em dead!"

Willow walked into Hexside as a banner for the Club Fair hung in the center. She suddenly heard a crashing noise. When she turned towards it, she saw Luz, Cruz, and Gus running from something as Luz threw multiple icicles at it.

As one of the lockers came running towards them, Cruz threw a fireball at it but the locker continued like nothing happened.

Luz and Gus hid behind Willow as she smiled while creating a spell circle. A pair of vines grabbed the locker by the legs as it struggled against them before falling on its face.

"And Willow for the save," Cruz said with a smile

"Thanks, Willow," Luz said as she hugged her.

"And that's why we try not to keep our lunches in the lockers," Gus said as he sat on the locker.

"Why'd you even think that would be a good idea?" Cruz asked as he facepalmed

"It was the only place I could think of to put it. Not like I can eat the food from the cafeteria," Luz said as she turned to look at Willow.

"So… ready for the Club Fair Willow? Mayhaps you'll join me and Amity in the... Azura book club," Luz said as she held up the five Azura books before dropping them on the ground.

"Owie." Luz looked over at her hand after getting a small paper cut.

"Here," Cruz said as he placed a bit of the healing potion on Luz's finger.

"Thanks. But… I'm interested in something with a little more... drama, flare, and face paint," Willow said as she grinned fiercely.

"I'm so excited to hear the next words out of your mouth," Luz whispered in anticipation

"Flyer Derby!" Willow said as she took out her scroll.

She played a video for the three from Penstagram.

"Only Stabitha Jenkins and Old Gory are left," the announcer said as the two flew at each other.

"Who will win?" The one in green, Stabitha, flew past Old Gory as they took their flag and hung it at the goal.

"And it's Stabitha Jenkins with the winning flag!"

"Ever since our Grudgby match, I've been playing it at home. Today… I'm starting Hexside's first Flyer Derby team!" Willow announced as she summoned her staff.

Gus and Luz cheered as they threw confetti behind her.

"Whoo-hoo!"

"Yeah!"

"Good luck with your clubs," Cruz said as he chuckled at Luz and Gus' enthusiasm.

"Are you planning to join anything?" Luz wondered

"Don't think so. I've got lots of potion orders to make. Besides, the potions club asked me to make some batches for their presentation. I should still be able to look around."

Everyone had gone outside to set up their booths for the Club Fair. Willow was setting up her booth using magic while her Palisman helped her out.

Cruz stood by the potions booth as he placed the bag of finished potions on the ground.

"That should do it. All the potions you requested are there and accounted for."

"Thanks for the help, Cruz," a potions student with green hair with fangs at the ends said. "You sure you don't want to join us? We could use your help in the club."

"Sorry, Roland. I've got a lot of orders to fill for people all over town. Although, I can still help out when you need potions made. Just let me know and I'll make them."

"Appreciate it, Cruz," Roland said as Cruz walked away from the booth. As he was leaving, Cruz felt someone hug him from behind.

He turned around with a surprised look before smiling widely when he saw it was Skara.

"Skara! I'm so glad to see you!" Cruz said happily

"Hi, Cruz! Did you just finish up what you were doing?" Skara asked as she faced Cruz

"Yep! Just finished making a delivery. Want to go around and see the booths?"

"I'd love to!" Skara said before looking over towards Luz's booth. "Hold on. Isn't that Boscha by Luz's stand?"

Cruz looked over to see Luz and Amity run off while holding hands as Boscha called out to them.

"Yeah, it is. Why did she leave the booth? Someone might steal her books," Cruz said as they walked towards the booth.

"Where'd Luz and Amity go?" Cruz asked

Boscha turned to look at them as her scowl slightly softened.

"Oh, it's you two. They went off to go meet some author," Boscha explained

"Huh, can't imagine any author being so important that Luz would leave her books behind. Well, other than Mildred Featherwhyle."

"Yeah, that's who they said it was. I don't get the big deal. Especially with books like these," Boscha said as she grabbed book 3 of the Azura series.

"These books are special to Luz," Cruz said as he grabbed the books that were still on the booth. "Trust me, this series is one of her greatest treasures." Cruz looked down at the book with a sad smile before putting them into his bag.

"I don't think she'll be coming back. I'll keep them in my bag and just let her know I've got them when I see her later," Cruz said as he extended his hand out to Boscha.

She sighed before handing the book to Cruz. "She should take better care of them if they're so important to her," Boscha said as she walked away.

"She's mellowed out, hasn't she?" Skara asked

"Yeah. It does seem like she's trying to be a better person. All things that are worth doing take time," Cruz said as he put the last book into his bag.

"How about we go look around the booths, hermosa?" Cruz asked as he took Skara's hand

"I'd love that, mi amor," Skara said as Cruz's eyes widened before his face blushed

"You've been learning Spanish?"

"Got a dictionary from Eda. Found a bunch of words I liked," Skara said as they walked away.

Near the booth, Hunter peeked around as he watched all of the students while wearing a potions track uniform.

"Look at all these potential recruits," Hunter said as Flapjack landed on his shoulder and chirped.

"Sure, I've never actually spoken to witches my age. Teens are probably into the same things as me! Like authority and rules!"

Hunter spotted a student before walking up to them.

"Classmate! Ignore the fact that we've never met," Hunter said to the little gremlin student. "What if I told you all your dreams could come true? And you'd just have to leave your home, friends, and family forever?"

The student looked at Hunter hesitantly as they sweated before walking away.

At the oracle stand, Barcus, Boscha's friend, and the moon girl Celine were playing Hexes Hold'em.

They were cheering as the cards destroyed each other in the match when Hunter approached them.

"You think these are cool? Not as cool as the Emperor's Coven. I hear you get to sleep in till 6 a.m."

Barcus started coughing before spitting out a Banishment Card on Hunter's face.

As Jerbo was walking by holding multiple pamphlets, Hunter stopped him. "You! How would you like to rise to the top by joining the Emperor's Coven?"

"Eh. Not interested," Jerbo said as he walked away

"You aren't?!" Hunter asked in shock

"I mean, do I wanna study different kinds of magic? Heck yes! But why is joining the Emperor's Coven my only option? When I get older, I'm gonna give this system a long-overdue update."

"What are you talking about?" Hunter asked as he began to back away from Jerbo.

What he didn't notice was that he was backing up, he ended up backing directly to Puddles and stepped on her tail.

Puddles turned to look at Hunter as she screeched at him in anger.

"It's okay, Puddles," Viney said as she tried to restrain her. "No, he didn't mean it. No, no, no, no! No, Puddles, no!"

Hunter looked on in fear as Puddles began to loom over him.

Back at her stand, Willow tried to get the attention of the students around her.

"Let out your inner flying freak! Once the Flyer Derby club is approved, we'll travel all across the Isles in rocking outfits and working as a team!" Willow said as she and Gus handed out flyers.

"Good luck with that," someone said.

Willow and Gus turned to see the Abomination teacher Hermonculus.

"Profesor Hermonculus?" Willow hadn't interacted with the Abomination professor since dropping his class.

"I'm overseeing club approvals this year, and I just don't think Flyer Derby is worth investing in," Hermonculus said as his abomination gave him a clipboard.

"Just because it's not as well known as Grudgby doesn't mean—"

"You misunderstand me. I'm shutting it down unless you step down as captain. I just don't think quitters make good leaders."

"You're just mad that she dropped your class," Gus argued. "Give her a chance!"

"Okay. Put together a team for a friendly game of Flyer Derby after school," Hermonculus said as he held up a photo of himself and Bump. "If you can lead your team to victory, maybe I'll approve your club." Hermonculus left as Willow and Gus stared at him angrily.

Willow sighed in disappointment. "You can do this, Willow. Don't let him beat you down," Gus encouraged

"What's going on?" Cruz asked as he and Skara walked up to the booth each holding a cupcake.

"Oh hey, you two. Where'd you get the cupcakes?" Gus asked

"Someone had a booth and they were giving out free samples," Skara said. "So what's going on?"

"Profesor Hermonculus is giving us a hard time with making our Flyer Derby team," Willow said

"He's got a problem with Willow being the captain because she dropped his class."

"Well that's just dumb," Skara said. "Who cares if she dropped his class? She's doing a lot better in the plants track."

"Some teachers just can't accept the fact that they suck at their job and would rather take it out on the students," Cruz said

"He said if we beat him at a Flyer Derby match then he'll consider approving the team," Willow said

"Well, there you go. Just have to beat him and you'll be good to go," Cruz said with a smile

"The only problem is I don't have enough players. Amity and Luz are busy so I can't ask them," Willow pointed out.

"I can help out," Skara said. "Flyer Derby sounds like a lot of fun. And to be honest, I'd rather play this than Grudgby. Since I'm not playing anymore I've had a lot of time to study different strategies."

"You been enjoying that haven't you?" Cruz said with a smile

"Yeah! It's so much fun!"

"Well there you go, Willow! You've got another player for the team," Gus said happily. "What about you, Cruz?"

"I can back you up with some healing potions but I don't have too much time to join a team with the potion orders I've been getting lately."

"Calm down, flea magnet!" Hunter shouted from above.

The four turned to look up to see Hunter flying away on Flapjack while being chased by Puddles. He looked back as Puddles managed to catch up and managed to grab one of his shoes.

"Hey!" Hunter shouted before staring down at Puddles and flying quickly towards her. As he quickly flew past Puddles, Hunter grabbed his boot back as he flew past Willow's stand and she looked at him in awe.

Cruz and Skara looked at each other in surprise before looking back up at Hunter. As Puddles was about to fly back towards him, Willow summoned vines to grab her.

"Hey, you!" Willow called out to Hunter. As he tried to fly away, Willow grabbed him out of the air before pulling him towards her dragging him into to the ground in front of her.

Hunter stared at Willow with slight fear as she approached him silently her glasses looked foggy.

"Wanna join my Flyer Derby team?" Willow said with a grin as she held up the pamphlet.

Hunter had begun to rip off the vines from himself before he began to dust himself off.

Gus looked at him in suspicion as Willow approached him. "This is Gus Porter, Cruz Noceda, Skara Crane, and I'm Willow Park, future captain of Hexside's first Flyer Derby team," Willow said as she shook Hunter's hand vigorously.

"Nice- to- uh- meet- you!" Hunter said with a struggle as he was being shaken.

"Your flying was... amazing. You're a new student, right?" Willow asked

"Yeah, weird we've never seen you around. What's your name?" Gus asked suspiciously

"Uh…"

Flapjack landed on Hunter's shoulder before chirping to him. "Caleb? Uh, Caleb! Uh, Jasper… Bloodwilliams," Hunter said quickly as Cruz and Skara looked at him suspiciously.

"I just transferred from… uh…" Hunter looked over and saw Puddles licking her foot. "The… Toes? But! I'm not here to play Fly Dooby or... whatever that is. I have my own mission."

As Hunter began to walk away, Willow looked down dejectedly. "Okay… At least take a pamphlet?"

Hunter looked at the pamphlet before snatching it from her. As he began to walk away, Hunter looked at the pamphlet and read about Flyer Derby being a sport for the best and the brightest before immediately turning to look at Willow.

"Wait! Do you really think your club will attract the best and the brightest?" Hunter asked as Willow perked up.

"Absolutely! Flyer Derby's not for the faint witch."

"Then maybe I will give it a try," Hunter said as he approached her again.

"Really?" Willow asked happily

"But, okay. How do we evaluate others? A Witches duel? A maze full of traps? Oh! Leave everyone at the top of the mountain and see who makes it back to the bottom alive!"

Willow, Gus, Skara, and Cruz looked at him with a disturbed look as Hunter simply chuckled. "Classic."

"Jeez, this child soldier," Cruz in a whisper.

"Um... we... might not have time for all that. But... you can help by attracting people with your sick sky skills," Willow said as she walked off with her staff.

"Hmm. I don't… feel sick," Hunter said as he touched his forehead.

"Hey, I don't know what kinda mission you're on, but it's been a tough year for Willow. And she's really looking forward to making this team a thing," Gus said angrily as he began to walk away. "Don't mess this up for her."

Hunter watched as Gus left with a confused look on his face. As Hunter was about to walk away, he heard Cruz clear his throat from behind him.

When Hunter turned around he looked at Cruz and Skara with a shocked look in his eyes.

"Surprised you didn't notice us until just now," Cruz said. "How about you tell us what you're doing here."

"Well… uh. I've got a mission to take care of here."

"Wanna tell us what it is?" Skara asked.

"It's a secret. It doesn't concern you two," Hunter said

"If you're here at Hexside then it concerns us. Especially when you're involving our friends," Cruz said as he charged up his gauntlets.

"Alright, alright!" Hunter said as he held up his hands in surrender. "I'm trying to get some more recruits. I'm looking for the best and the brightest."

"And you think you'll find them here at Hexside? Most of the students here aren't ready to be committed to a Coven yet," Skara pointed out.

"There's no age limit for joining the Coven. They could always start as scouts and work their way up. I have a feeling that those two might make some good scouts too," Hunter said before he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

When he looked over at Cruz, he saw that his eyes had a low glow to them as he scowled at him.

"Listen to me very carefully. There is no way I will ever let you drag Willow and Gus into joining the Emperor's Coven."

"But why not? It's the best Coven that anyone can get into," Hunter argued

"Hunter. You might think what the Coven does is normal, but if what you said earlier is what the scouts have to go through then there is no way I will ever let my friends go through that. Do you understand? Give up on recruiting any of my friends. I won't interfere if you decide to recruit anyone else. But they're off-limits. Understood?"

Hunter gulped nervously before nodding. "Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to them," Hunter said as he walked towards the school.

"Shouldn't we warn Willow and Gus?" Skara asked. "What if he tries something with them?"

"Don't worry. If it comes down to a fight, I can take him no problem. I've gotten a lot better since the last time we fought. I've been training some more since the parade too. I can take him and a few scouts at the same time no issues," Cruz said as he looked at Skara with a smile.

Skara looked over at Cruz as she smiled at him back. "Then let's go meet up with Willow and Gus. I don't want my spot to be taken by anyone!" Skara said as she and Cruz ran off towards the school entrance.

At the entrance of Hexside, Willow stood on the stairs as she gathered the attention of the students.

"Students of Hexside! Got a palisman? Got a need for thrills, chills, and theatrics? Well, this could be you!" Willow said as Hunter burst through the doors flying on Flapjack.

He flew past all of the students as they looked up in awe. Hunter flew upwards while standing on the staff before letting go. As he fell through the air, Flapjack flew underneath him as he caught onto the staff.

The students all cheered at his demonstration.

"Man, this Caleb guy is great. With him, I think we can really get our Derby team approved," Willow said as she and Gus were passing around the pamphlets.

"This girl will be a perfect candidate for the Emperor's Coven. I never really promised to not recruit her, I only said that she'd be fine. If there are more witches like her, we're set!" Hunter said as he heard Willow call out to him.

"Hey! Come on down!" Hunter quickly landed in front of her.

"Allow me to introduce you to... the best and the brightest of Hexside." Hunter looked over to see Gus, Viney, Skara, and Cruz sitting at the stairs.

"Look, Puddles, it's the friend you made before!" Viney said as she struggled to hold Puddles back. "No, no, no! Do not claw Mommy's face!"

He saw Skara lying on the stairs as she was scrolling through her scroll before sliding down the stairs. As she was about to hit her head on the floor, Cruz stuck out his leg to act as a cushion for her.

Gus was getting on his staff as took a deep breath. "Let's try this one more time!" Gus flew backward for a bit before quickly dragging himself and his staff onto the ground before crashing.

"Just a few months ago, I'd be considered the weak link on any team. But now I'm leading one!" Willow said happily. "Ooh! Okay, girl, don't let the power get to your head just yet. Hmm?" She then noticed Hunter walking away. "Caleb?"

Cruz looked over and saw Hunter away with confusion as Puddles was licking Gus' head.

"Where are you going? The field is this-a-way," Willow said as she grabbed Hunter's shoulder.

"You said you'd find the best witches for this team. But them? They're pathetic," Hunter said in frustration. Willow looked at him in shock before getting angry.

"You just met them! Give them a chance!"

"Well, where I come from, even chances have to be earned. Especially if you're considered half-a-witch like me," Hunter said looking solemnly. Willow looked at him in surprise, baffled by the familiar term he'd used.

"Sorry, Captain. Good luck with your match." As Hunter began to walk away, Willow smirked before drawing a spell circle.

Hunter stopped when he felt something grab his feet.

"Huh?" He looked down and saw that his feet were tied down by the grass. Hunter began to struggle as he was pulled down into the ground before being swallowed up by it.

He then popped back up at the Grudgby field as he looked around defensively while holding his staff getting ready for a fight, but found no one.

Skara walked up to him. "Sorry I was distracted earlier. Been playing Grudgby for so long, I needed to catch up on the latest Flyer Derby strats," Skara said as she showed him her scroll with different strategies for Flyer Derby.

"Those look… complicated," Hunter said

"They are," Skara said smugly with a smirk

"Whew! Okay, finally," Viney said as Hunter turned to look at her. "Got Puddles down for her nap."

She drew a large spell circle above her head as she healed all of her injuries. "Now I'm only scarred emotionally."

Hunter blinked in surprise as Gus flew past him in a blur. Hunter looked up and saw that Gus was flying while standing on his staff. He used his feet to guide the staff before landing in front of Hunter.

"I thought you couldn't fly?"

"So I can't fly like everyone else, but my way's more fun," Gus said as his Palisman chirped at him.

"Oh. That's, uh… cool I guess," Hunter said in a mumble

"Oh, what was that?" Gus asked with a smirk

"I said it was cool!"

Willow and Cruz popped up next to Hunter from the ground.

"Gus is a natural speed demon, Skara's a strategic wizard. Viney's the best healer in school, and Cruz helps out with all of his potions to support us," Willow said as she and Cruz joined the rest of the team while holding their staffs. "And at one point or another, we've all been misjudged. So, still think we're pathetic?"

Hunter looked away for a second before shaking his head in shame.

"Good. Let's get our game faces on," Willow said as she painted her face with three green stripes.

After getting their uniform on, Hunter was holding a crow phone as he called Darius.

"Call Darius," Hunter said as the crow phone landed at Darius' window.

Darius was relaxing in his room when the crow landed at his window startling him.

"Darius, it's me!"

"What the- How did you get this number?" Darius questioned

"Doesn't matter. I've found some incredible recruits at Hexside. I'm earning my place, just like you told me!"

"Of course you are," Darius said in exasperation. "I just wanted you to leave me alone."

"What was that?"

"Caleb!" Willow called out. "Just waiting on you, buddy!"

"I gotta go, but you'll meet them soon," Hunter said as he hung up the crow phone before running towards the team.

From the stands, Cruz stood up as he thought about what Hunter had said. "So the abomination head is involved in this. Looks like this is going to get difficult," Cruz said as he put his gloves on.

Across from Willow's team, Hermonculus' team had arrived when Jerbo ran up to join them.

"Thanks for asking me to join, guys! I think we're gonna have a—" Jerbo gasped when he saw Viney on the opposite team.

"Jerbo?" Viney asked in shock before sliding her thumb across her throat. "Traitor," she said in a low hiss.

"…Fun… afternoon," Jerbo said nervously knowing he'd have to earn back her trust.

"Double crosser!" Cruz yelled out from the stands

Willow and her team flew to Hermonculus' team on their staffs.

"All you got to do is fly high and snag some flags," Willow said as her team nodded.

"Let's see what you can do, Captain," Hermonculus said mockingly

Hermonculus' abomination acted as the referee as it blew its whistle as the teams launched into action.

Hermonculus shot off a ball of abomination goo toward Willow, but Viney managed to block it using a shield. As all the players rushed at each other, Hunter teleported behind the player from the baby class before taking her flag.

Hunter passed the flag to Gus who flew towards the goal and placed the flag on it.

"Gus, that was amazing!" Hunter cheered as Gus grinned at him happily.

The abomination student with small horns, Mary, shot abomination goo at Gus who managed to dodge it. The goo exploded hitting Skara and pinning her to the wall. Cruz ran up to her and pulled her off the wall before giving her a healing tonic. The referee blew its whistle as the enemy team gained a point.

Viney and Jerbo rushed at each other before crashing into each other and plummeted towards the ground.

Cruz quickly drew a spell circle as he caught the two in a small tornado before they landed on the ground.

Willow and Gus rushed toward the enemy team. Mary and the spiky-headed student, Nolan, shot abomination goo at them but they dodged all of the shots.

"She's right there! Can't you see?" Hermonculus said in frustration as Hunter teleported behind him.

"Boo!" Hunter grabbed his flag and flew off.

Willow flew towards Mary and Nolan, she summoned a pair of vines and aimed it at them. Mary gasped before blocking her face as Willow flew past the two grabbing their flags.

Suddenly, abomination goo hit the bottom of her staff knocking her off. Hunter looked at her in shock.

"Oops. My hand slipped," Hermonculus said as all the players from both teams glared at him.

Willow managed to pass the flags to Hunter before she fell. Willow summoned a giant flower to catch her.

"Go, go, go!" Gus said as he pushed Hunter from behind before Mary crashed into him, knocking him off his staff.

Hunter flew towards the goal as he placed the last three flags earning the victory.

As he landed on the ground, Viney poured a bucket of red liquid over his head. Everyone on the team started to cheer.

"May I please have your team name?" Hermonculus asked begrudgingly

"Shoot. We never thought of a name," Willow realized

"The... Emerald Entrails!" Hunter suddenly said as everyone stared at him.

"You know, because... we're green, and there's... more to us... than you think." Hunter gave them an awkward smile.

"Entrails! Entrails! Entrails! Entrails!" Everyone cheered at the name as Hunter smiled.

"Entrails team photo! We're number one!" Willow said as she took out her scroll. Everyone in the photo was smiling, including Hunter.

"I can't believe I almost bailed on you guys. Today was amazing! Thanks for giving me another shot," Hunter said

"Always nice making a new friend. I had an opening for one," Viney said as she shot a glare at Jerbo who gasped as he walked away.

"Cut him some slack. Doubt he knew who he was playing against," Cruz said as he joined the team before handing them some healing tonics for any injuries that they might've had.

"We wouldn't have gotten here without you," Willow said

"Yeah, I shouldn't have been so suspicious," Gus said with a smile

Hunter scoffed. "We can forget all about that when we play next time... as a part of the Emperor's Coven!" Hunter said as the rest of the team all gave a strange look.

"The what?!" Gus shouted

"My name isn't Caleb. It's Hunter! And I'm the Emperor's right-hand man. The Golden Guard!" Hunter said as Willow began to giggle nervously.

"Y-you can't be serious? You're not the one Luz and Cruz… told us about, right?" Willow said as she began to back away.

"Yes, I am!" Hunter nodded to Flapjack as he turned into his staff. Hunter grabbed it and waved it in front of himself as his team uniform was changed into his Golden Guard uniform before putting on his mask.

"Yeah, this would usually look cooler with the cloak, but... I don't have it at the moment. Long story."

Gus and Willow turned to Cruz and Skara. "Wait. You guys have seen his face before. Why didn't you tell us?" Gus asked

"We thought he wasn't going to try anything," Skara said as Cruz got his gauntlets ready.

"I warned you," Cruz said with a growl. Suddenly, multiple Coven Scouts showed up and surrounded them.

"Whoa there, scouts. I didn't give you orders to come here," Hunter said

"Darius sent us to collect your recruits," Steve said as he approached the team.

"Ah, okay. Very good. Then there won't be any delay in branding you with coven sigils and taking you away from your friends and family forever. Hooray!"

Viney, Gus, Willow, and Cruz stared at the scouts angrily as Skara started bawling.

"That's it!" Cruz yelled as he rushed at the nearest scout. As he shoulder tackled the scout onto the ground, the rest of the scouts all got a spell circle ready.

"Wait!" Hunter shouted but it was too late. The rest of the scouts all blasted Cruz with multiple bolts of magic as he was knocked unconscious.

"Cruz!" Skara yelled as she ran over to check on him. As she turned him over, Cruz let out a groan as he tried to stand back up.

Skara held onto him defensively as Steve approached the two.

"Don't worry, no one is going to hurt him again," Steve said as he handed her a healing patch for Cruz while the rest of the scouts all led the team towards the nearest precinct.

At precinct 128, the team was all locked up in a cell as Hunter put their staffs on the wall outside of the cell.

"Okay, listen, I'm sorry about this whole cell thing, but did you really have to punch Steve, Skara? He gave you a healing patch."

Steve was sitting on a stool near them as he held up an ice pack next to his head with his helmet being dented at the front.

"I get it. Emotions are running high," Steve said as he gave them a thumbs up. "Ice pack for Steve."

"Well, I don't get it. You're joining the best coven there is. You can keep all your magic, you get free room and board, you can even play Flyer Derby on your day off!" Hunter said happily as he shook his head. "Well, this year's day has already passed, but next year's only 52 weeks away!"

"We don't care! None of us want this!" Skara yelled angrily.

"You will eventually. Trust me, I'm your friend now," Hunter said

"Friends don't stab each other in the back," Gus said

"Sure they do. The Coven Heads do it all the time back at the castle."

"Why is Cruz in a different cell!" Skara yelled at him

Hunter looked over to see Cruz glaring at him from a cell next to them as he slammed against the bars trying to break it down.

"I'm not too sure. They just said he had to be separated from you guys," Hunter said as he looked over at Willow

"Captain, you're on my side, right?"

Willow had her back towards everyone as she looked down at the ground. "I... thought I... could be good at this."

Hunter's smile vanished as he heard her. "But we're here because... I made a bad call," Willow said on the verge of tears. "I'm just... half-a-witch Willow."

Hunter looked back at Cruz when he heard him slam into his cell again. "I swear, Hunter. I'm going to break out of here and get them out. You'll regret going after my friends!" Cruz yelled

Before Hunter could say anything, abomination goo surrounded the team and Cruz as they all vanished into the ground.

The goo had teleported them all up to Darius' ship. The Palisman were all sent up in a cage by a scout.

Hunter flung the door open as he ran outside.

"Darius, I did it! I found recruits!"

"Yep, and you're making me work on my day off. Take this and quit bugging me," Darius said as he summoned Hunter's cloak before flinging it at him.

"I can... wear this proudly now," Hunter said as he looked up at Darius. "Right?"

"Can you?" Darius asked as Hunter looked at him with uncertainty.

"See you at the castle… Golden Guard." Darius flew off on his ship as Steve walked out from behind Hunter.

"I do not envy those kids, man," Steve said

"They just have to go through basic training before becoming scouts. It's not too bad," Hunter said

"Dude, do you even remember what we had to do? The duels. The mazes with the traps. That time we were left alone on a mountain?"

"Classic," Hunter said with a small laugh

"And of course, Belos likes to collect everyone's palismen."

Hunter remembered how Belos grabbed a Palisman from Hunter before breaking it and absorbing its essence. Hunter looked down nervously.

Steve grunted as he started to walk down the stairs. "Steve is starting to regret his choices."

Hunter looked up at Darius' ship as it flew away. "I think Hunter is, too."

Hunter quickly hopped onto his staff before flying after Darius' ship. He began to teleport to try and get to it faster.

On the ship, Darius was scrolling through Penstagram when he came across Alador's post with his Abomatons.

"Ugh. Mute."

Darius had an abomination controlling the ship as he had the cage with the Palisman near him.

Skara tried to reach for it but Darius summoned abomination goo pushing her back.

"Nope."

As Willow tried to grab it using a vine, Darius summoned a large hand that pushed them back before slapping the top of Willow's head.

"Nuh-uh."

"I'll jump him," Cruz said as he got his gauntlet ready.

"With those injuries?" Darius asked as he set his scroll aside. "You're gonna need to be a little more clever than that."

"Darius!" Hunter said startling Darius as he teleported next to him.

"Now!" Willow shouted as all of the team members and Cruz jumped off the airship.

Darius and Hunter rush over to the side and see them all disappear in a puff of blue smoke.

"An illusion," Darius said as he looked over towards the front of the ship.

"Land the ship!" Willow said as they all jumped down from the ship's front beam before landing on the abomination and squashing it.

"Wait!"

Viney pulled down the lever as the ship crashed into the water.

They all jump off the ship after grabbing their staffs. As they tried to run off, Darius blocked their path using a large abomination. They all turned to face the burning ship.

"Did you really think you could get away with endangering a Coven Head?" Darius said angrily as he clenched his fist.

"Do you have any idea what I'm capable of?!" Darius transformed his right arm into a scythe.

Willow tried to attack him using vines but he sliced through them easily.

Willow raised a shield of vines but Darius sliced through that as well. Cruz slammed his hand onto the ground as ice spikes shot toward Darius. He sliced through them before the abomination next to Cruz smacked him back into the team.

He quickly stood back up and placed himself in front of the team before taking out a smile vial.

Before he could drink the liquid in the vial, Hunter rushed in between them.

"Wait!" Hunter shouted as he stretched his arms out

"Out of my way, little prince," Darius said sternly with a growl.

"No! I was mistaken. These five are insolent agitators who aren't fit for the Emperor's Coven," Hunter said before looking down. "And I'm unfit to wear the sigil of the Golden Guard."

Hunter took off his cloak before dropping it onto the ground before turning to look at Willow.

"You can go."

Willow raised her staff while on the verge of tears.

"Please… Captain."

Willow lowered her staff before turning back towards the team.

"Let's move, team. We need to find a replacement," Willow said as she began to walk away. "After all, it'll be 52 weeks before Caleb's next day off." She walked away with a small smile as Hunter looked at her in surprise with a slight blush dusting his cheeks.

"You... befriended them? And then you disobeyed me to protect them?!" Darius questioned as he raised his scythe arm.

Hunter and Flapjack braced themselves for an attack when he felt Darius' hand return to normal and pat his head instead.

"I'm impressed. I had you all wrong."

"Huh?"

"You're what? Sixteen? It's about time you made connections outside the castle," Darius said as he summoned a scroll and dropped it into Hunter's hand. He opened it and saw the signup page for Penstagram.

"I was just gonna drop them off at Hexside. We have more than enough recruits, in my opinion."

"Are you... gonna tell Belos about this?" Hunter asked hesitantly.

Darius smiled down to him. "Are you going to tell him about your secret palisman?"

Hunter gasped as he reached for Flapjack while the Palisman chirped.

"Magic or not, I think you'll make your predecessors proud," Darius said as he threw the cloak back at Hunter. He used his magic to fix the stitching.

"But you could still use a sewing lesson."

At the beach, the Emerald Entrails were walking back to Hexside when Willow got a friend request on Penstagram.

She opened it up and saw it was a picture of Hunter.

"Did he just make an account?" Viney asked

"Wow. He is a slow typer," Willow said, trying not to laugh.

"He's worse than my dad," Gus said

"Should I teach him how to type faster?" Cruz wondered

"Don't, it's way funnier this way," Skara said with a giggle when they noticed Luz and Amity.

"Oh. Hey, guys," Willow said

"I am really digging those outfits. So, how was the rest of school? Did we... miss anything?" Luz asked

"Just had our first team win as… the Emerald Entrails," Willow said as they all struck their respective cool pose.

"Ooh! Let me see! Let me see!" Luz said as she and Amity looked at the photo on Willow's Penstagram.

They both gasped when they noticed Hunter in the center.

"What?!" Luz and Amity shouted. Luz quickly turned to Cruz as she began to shake his shoulders.

"Tell me everything!" Luz shouted

"Stop- shaking- me!" Cruz said