Dimitri Chronicles: Flames of Courage/Before the Storm

The episode summaries for Before the Storm, the first story-arc in Dimitri Chronicles: Flames of Courage. Following three weeks after the formation of Team Prinus, this arc follows the main characters in their more-than-ordinary routines in Station Square while preparing themselves for their grand adventure!

Content © to Chamesthehero/Lolcraft98/ProLuxray. In order of the usernames on Sonic Fanon Wiki, deviantART, and Youtube, respectively.

Episode One: Before the Storm
The episode commences in a familiar setting...

The winds blow in the sunny, humid metropolitan location in Soumerca.

It has been months after fifteen-year old Dimitri Prinus the Echidna 's grandfather passed away due to a fatal wound caused by his arch-nemesis in their climatic battle in Mount Aurora. Although the Prinus echidna's mood has improved, his nightmares of that event and memories of the bereavement of those he believes to have failed to save, particularly his former best friend and family, still haunt him to this very day...

Alternatively for the echidna, it has been months after Dimitri first met one of his closest friends and weeks after they had former their own little treasure-hunting group, Team Prinus, with him as their leader. After discovering the existence of the Chaos Emeralds, legendary gems, the group strives to find all seven to stop Rikai the Hedgehog from establishing his reign of darkness by eradicating all life in Mobius!

Luckily for them, they have a place to start their hunt. Upon receiving the cyan-colored Chaos Emerald from a mysterious child, strangely, Dimitri had immersive, unnerving visions of a disaster tied to Rikai that would occur in the future somewhere in the world. The team has since decided to take the hint, and are preparing themselves for whatever they might encounter. The clock is ticking for Team Prinus... _____________________________________________________________________________________

Within Station Square, a certain teenage figure marches home. Although the average temperature is warm, the individual wears heavy clothing, shades, and cap which make it difficult to identify themselves. In addition, they hold many groceries bags— so many, in fact, that person must be super strong to carry them!

When they finally reach their humble household, they sigh and take off their shades, revealing themselves to be the current champion of Station Square's fighting tournament all along: seventeen-year old Ramonna the Hedgehog!

The groceries the voluptuous hedgehog included many ingredients for future meals she would prepare. Despite being a continental-class athlete and tomboy, cooking is her secret hobby in which she triumphantly excels and prides herself in. However, she keeps it a secret from the public because she believes this might be a weakness and no one would take her seriously otherwise. ''A champion that cooks meals? Pfft...''

Currently, only the people she trusts know about this special attribute. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Ramonna hears strange noises coming from behind her house. She goes there, and watches her two friends in a training session: Dimitri had recently taken nine-year old Maxwell the Fox as his apprentice!

Knowing that strong enemies will oppose them, Maxwell took an interest in fighting after watching Dimitri and Ramonna use their powers for good. He found them to look so cool that he is very diligent to learn!

Speedy Maxwell tries to get close to Dimitri and surrounds him by circling around him, creating afterimages. However, being more experienced, the echidna does not fall for the illusions. The echidna's eyes glow turquoise as he releases a telekinetic shock-wave in all directions, sending Maxwell flying.

On the ground, Maxwell claims that he wants another chance even though he cannot even stand. Dimitri, sighs and helps him up, pointing out that the fox still needs to use his speed more appropriately for battles if he ever wants to become stronger, like never letting his opponent be at long-range or come up with a counter.

"You have great potential, but never let it get to your head. Hard-work always trumps talent."

"...Hmmm... Ah, you're right! I have to work harder. Please teach me some more!"

Ramonna really holds her urge to spar with them herself and snickers before returning her kitchen. Everyone was hungry, and she is the only one in the household that knows how to do more than frying an egg; she regularly teased them about it, too. Dimitri and Maxwell's experience with legitimate cooking is laughable at best and disastrous at worst, though the latter is very interested in learning more.

The episode concludes itself when Ramonna looks at the shiny Chaos Emerald laid on her table, curiously... _____________________________________________________________________________________

Episode Two: Before the Storm II
The episode commences sometime after the previous one.

Team Prinus is settled in preventing the bloodshed Dimitri envisioned happening and search for the second Chaos Emerald in the way. While both Ramonna and Maxwell have little idea on where to start, Dimitri mentions how he has a hunch on where and when it such tragedy would happen.

Within the vision, Dimitri remembers stopping and gazing at the sky. By reading the constellations, he could accurately pinpoint his location in the world and what time it is; one of the many passive, though non-offensive skills taught by his grandfather in order to survive in Cinnabar Forest as a child. He tells them that disaster will occur in about two weeks in a little village he once visited in the northwestern part of Soumerca.

Maxwell is amazed and Ramonna is very pumped up, but Dimitri is visibly tense. The monster he saw causing destruction was not unfamiliar to him... so he knows how much damage it could cause. As the leader, Dimitri tells his team to prepare themselves because, in five days, they would begin travelling.

Upon hearing such date, Ramonna and Maxwell both glance at each other. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Nonetheless, the episode features the team heading out to one of the hottest Yurashian restaurants in Station Square which Ramonna recommended: Neko-Neko Menrui. Both Dimitri and Maxwell love the exotic aesthetic of the location, but Ramonna is just in it for the cheap, but delicious food; namely ramen. With some hesitation on the guest's part, they also invited Dimitri's co-worker, Jasmine the Bat.

Jasmine has been continuously working with Dimitri in the House of Lilies, her father's flower shop. Ever since the echidna had arrived, things became much more pleasant in the aspect of the business and customers are becoming a daily sight. Perhaps accepting the invitation is her way to show appreciation.

Alas, not everything is flowers... Jasmine briefly explains that the owner of the restaurant was an immigrant from Chun-Nan, hence its traditional aesthetic. However, she quickly points out that the maid-cafes, in which have inspired some locations from her visual novels, look more interesting. Instead of wearing a traditional Yurashian wardrobe, they would wear maid outfits akin to centuries-old Eurish, another continent.

Despite her remarks, Team Prinus knows Jasmine is not used to going out and having fun with others, and so her passive aggressive bother them little. Particularly, Ramonna and the bat are not so close, given they sense hostility from each other due to a familiar crush, but this was one of the few times the hedgehog was able to get to know her more. The same goes with Maxwell, who is amazed by her gadgets. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Neko-Neko Menrui is famous for its time-based ramen-eating competitions. People would have to eat more than ten dishes under three minutes in order to win its grand prize: a coupon with a year-long discount of about ninety percent on every meal of the restaurant. Many have tried to succeed... Determined to win, Ramonna eagerly signs up the entire team without asking questions. Jasmine rolls her eyes, but is amused.

Many contestants, including Team Prinus, can be seen in different tables. Dimitri is notably the most voracious eater out of the three, though his gluttony is compensated by his willingness to train. That said, Ramonna and Maxwell also bear incredible metabolism. The fox believes this will be a battle for the ages!

The samurai-looking waiter waves his sword around and the competition begins. Naturally, the focused green echidna is seen devouring the ramen from his plates at much faster rates than his team, despite their sheer determination. Jasmine records everything on her phone so she can post it on social-media later. Things are looking amazing for Dimitri as he finishes his fifth plate... or so it seemed!

At another table, a stranger can be seen devouring his food at much greater speeds, though with much less sophistication. A black-and-white panda with a Yurashian wardrobe storms through the competition. Like a sudden tsunami during times of peace, without a warning, he obliterates everyone's chances. One minute and thirty seconds passes and he is the winner. Everyone around cheers and claps.

Ramonna and Maxwell are stuffed, tired, and sweaty. Their bodies just could not handle that much food like they naively believed... but that is not the case for Dimitri Harmonia Prinus. Brimming with determination, he forces himself to complete his goal of eating fifteen plates despite Jasmine's pleas for him to stop since he would get incredibly nauseous. Everyone, including the panda, gathers around the echidna...

Pushing his limits, Dimitri manages to reach his goal and takes a deep breath, full. Ramonna accidentally break her chopsticks in excitement as the crowd roars and cheers for the Prinus echidna.

Much later, as Team Prinus and Jasmine are seeing leaving the establishment after paying, the winner of the competition approaches and greets Dimitri. With a heavy Yurashian accent and wacky tone, Shiso of the East is introduced. Shiso tells the echidna that he is worthy of his respect and is deserving of a fight with the greatest disciple of the East later. Dimitri snorts in response and agrees to the challenge.

Shiso then snaps the discount coupon and gives one half to Dimitri, claiming that it was only fair since both ate exceptionally well. Except for Maxwell and the echidna, everyone present in the restaurant hears the snapping sound echoing as their eyes widen in distraught.

"D-Did... DID HE JUST SNAP THE COUPON IN HALF?"

"...What?"

The episode concludes itself after that.

Episode Three: Before the Storm III
The episode commences in a normal morning in Station Square. This particular episode is centered around the main protagonist, Dimitri Harmonia Prinus. In just four days, under his leadership, his team would be heading towards a village he once visited in his childhood called Radiant Hills. While working on House of Lilies with his co-worker, he tries to reminiscence about one of the brightest times of his life.

Numerous flashbacks occur. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Within them, it shows child Dimitri and Concordia Prinus the Echidna playing together in the different village their parents brought them to spend the weekend. The latter echidna keeps gripping on her best friend, scared of the unknown setting they are. The former chuckles and pats her head, telling her that they should go exploring and make new friends. Concordia shudders, but trusts her friend's words.

Walking around, they spot a panther their size and age holding a menacing spear, looking over the other groups of jolly children playing in the distance. The expression on his face is serious, enough to make others intimidated, though Concordia truly felt the melancholy and loneliness from the panther's eyes.

Dimitri initially wants to play with the others, but Concordia feels the opposite way. Mustering all the courage she has acquired from spending her times with her friend, she has compassion and does not want for the panther to feel lonely. She tries to approach him, but instead trips and falls flatly on the ground. Dimitri helps her up with his telekinesis, but the panther does not even bat an eye; he is focused and indifferent.

Young Dimitri looks somewhat irritated by the panther's lack of sensibility and confronts him. The panther glances over to him and mentions how he must keep guard for genuine threats and outsiders should not distract him, for he was the next in line for the village's leadership and was extensively trained.

"Yeah, well, with that silly attitude, I wouldn't want you to be my clan's leader!"

"...You take that back, you mutt!"

Both the echidna and the panther seem belligerent, but Concordia closes her eyes and tells them to stop in the loudest tone of voice she ever did in her life. Dimitri and the panther look surprised and, on instinct, freeze immediately. Concordia scolds them both for fighting over such a silly ordeal and should get along. As she pants, she instantly blushes after realizing what she had done so out-of-character.

Dimitri sighs and reaches out a hand to the panther, apologizing for being hot-headed and introducing himself. The panther, a little suspicious and reluctant, shakes his hand and introduces himself as Teno the Panther, future leader of Radiant Hills. Concordia then goes to talk to him happily, making him unexpectedly blush a little. Teno is not so used to talking to girls, but he would never admit it!

After some conversation, Teno notices wild, aggressive Mobini surround the children he is supposed to look after. When they cry out for help, both Dimitri and Teno immediately into rush the scene. Concordia gazes at them with gleaming eyes even though she would not want the animals nor the children getting hurt...

Dimitri stands back-to-back with Teno, pulling the children closer to them. Dimitri uses his telekinesis to create little barriers over the others to keep them safe while the panther grips on his spear.

The latter's markings begin to glow white. Teno begins to engulf himself in a white aura that makes both his body and spear shine considerably. This technique, passed on by the descendants of the village's founder, Primal Mode, increases the panther's strengths considerably and grants him the ability to talk to Mobinis.

"Grrrr... He who brings harm to anyone from my village shall face my wrath!"

Teno's mere glance is able to intimidate the wild creatures. By communicating with him, the Mobini creatures mention that it is not within their intention to harm; they come from far away and are starving. The panther throws a nearby sack filled with raw meat and tells them to leave, and never to return.

Needless to say, everyone was a little confused but cheered for Teno after he solved the problem. He tells Dimitri that he might have misjudged him, considering he also went there to help the children. As Dimitri asks what kind of superpower he exhibited, Teno says that it is something his parents taught him to use as a last-resort. Its full power is still dormant, but violence is never the only option people should always seek.

Dimitri took those words to the heart.

He, Teno, and Concordia later hung out together and became genuine buddies. _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode concludes itself as Dimitri tells himself that Teno will need his help to face the monster.

Episode Four: Before the Storm IV
The episode commences simultaneously with the previous one. This particular sequence is centered around the main female protagonist, Ramonna the Hedgehog. Working out as usual, the female athlete decides jog around Station Square to prepare for the dangers that would befall upon Team Prinus in a couple of days. She excitedly fantasizes about the thrill of fighting strong people and challenging her limits.

The last time Ramonna sparred with Dimitri, both of them seemed to be on similar ground, arrogantly giving her good expectations about how her strength has improved over the years and continues to rise. Still, Dimitri is patiently mentoring Maxwell and doing his own personal training, so she must not slack off!

Emerald School falling down granted Ramonna a lot of freedom to do what she wants, granted the local government is still pondering on where to transfer the unfortunate students. Perhaps it will take months for students to return to their daily, monotonous routines of countless boring homework. The Battle of Solstice... Useless terminology... All things considered, some of the hedgehog's textbooks did prove to be handy.

At the same time, former students could frequently be seen around the city. Ramonna would regularly chat with them while she jogged around the city, though often they could not keep up with her.

Before Mira arrived and put an indefinite end with their sovereignty, the delinquents from Emerald School were once feared throughout the establishment. Teachers would not dare to truffle with them and nor did most of the students, except for a select few. They would often skip classes and thrash around people.

Their leader was known to be incredibly strong and violent. In fact, numerous rumors surrounded Arna the Ravager, from varying degrees of vulgarity that only strengthened her infamy. The illegitimate daughter of a mafia boss from Eurishian roots, the jackal was one of Ramonna's true rivals in school. She loved to fight just as much as Ramonna but insisted on using her strength indiscriminately for the sake of entertainment.

Back in the day before Mira arrived, Ramonna was the first and only student to stand up against Arna. After a clash of ideals and how to best utilize their absurd power, Arna was successfully beaten into submission. Soon after, they created a bond only rivals have: a mixture of respect and dislike towards each other...

Ramonna did not get to truffle with her while facing the entirety of Emerald School when they were mind-controlled by Mira the Fennec because she skipped classes that day. The hedgehog was fairly disappointed since she would appreciate any excuse to spar with her rival. She wonders what she is up to nowadays...

The episode concludes itself soon after.

Episode Five: Before the Storm V
The episode commences chronologically simultaneously with the previous ones. It is centered around one of the main protagonists, Maxwell the Fox. Pumped for the adventures Team Prinus will have, the little canid is visibly more energetic than usual. He, who was formally trapped between concrete walls and tyrannies, would discover more of the world he long craved of exploring. There is no greater happiness!

Maxwell is positively benefiting from Dimitri's mentoring, and has learned a lot of new things. The echidna once even mentioned that the fox would be fighting like a master in no time if he dedicates himself. The little canid really admires him and practices everyday. Maxwell's management of his speed sure is improving.

He often fantasizes about what his team might encounter in their travels. The staff in his orphanage, when they were not too scared to oppose the violence of Genesis, would sometimes read him fantastic stories such as medieval fantasies involving talking swords, secret rings, and apocalyptic futures. By inserting himself in those fictional scenarios, Maxwell's heart races and his expectations become more unrealistic!

Sometimes, Maxwell ponders about the transformation he underwent while facing Fantasmo back in Wingstrong Orphanage. He has no clue about its origins and how to willingly bring forth such strength. The power he obtained while enraged was overwhelming even for him and, inexplicably, familiar. Perhaps by transforming he would earn both Dimitri and Ramonna's heartfelt compliments!

Speaking of the orphanage, Maxwell also wonders what his friends from the disbanded Dreamcasters are doing, but his feelings of home-sickness are slowly fading due to spending time with Ramonna and Dimitri...

The episode concludes itself soon after.

Episode Six: Before the Storm VI
The episode commences simultaneously with the previous one. It is centered around the main supporting character, Jasmine the Bat. Having heard of Dimitri's plans of adventure to search for legendary gems, Jasmine finds the idea far-fetched, but the gleam of determination from the echidna's eyes makes the bat unable to tell how his plans are unrealistic. The only thing she managed was a sly remark.

In actuality, Jasmine felt rather down upon hearing the news, despite not admitting it to herself.

Socially awkward and aloof, she virtually had no real friends before because no one would accept her hobbies. Due to her co-workers efforts, she was able to meet other people like Ramonna and Maxwell. Deep down, she is grateful for making the real world a little more interesting; the virtual world is a lot better, however.

Little did everyone know around her know, just as Ramonna is famous around Station Square and the entire continent, the bat is an utterly popular internet sensation... Jasmine's status as a virtual celebrity is introduced!

Due to her impressive prowess in games, Jasmine runs a blog all about them, providing insight that thoroughly affects the industry as a whole. Besides, it goes without saying that her looks also boosted her popularity, though she is not too confident about that aspect. Regardless, online is where Jasmine feels more alive than ever; even her vexatious personality alters to a more enthusiastic one.

With all these things to do, it seems Jasmine will not have the time to feel lonesome. She will have to manage her father's slow-progressing flower by herself once more, though she is more savvy than before...

The episode concludes itself soon after.

Episode Seven: Before the Storm VII
The episode commences one particular morning after the events of the previous ones. It is the time when adults and teenagers are slowly getting up from a good night's sleep and going to work. However, the whole population eventually becomes shocked as they find out that the local train station, the SS Central Station, was almost entirely destroyed overnight. The whole building is on the verge of collapsing!

While the Guardian Units of Nations, a global military organization also known as GUN, is trying to inspect the building with caution, the entirety of Team Prinus looks puzzled on what they came across. Maxwell becomes excited at the idea of being a detective, but Dimitri mentions they should not be careless; the culprit is still out there, and Station Square shall be uneasy until someone does something about it.

The entirety of Team Prinus then go in separate ways to investigate further. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Dimitri tries to interrogate people around him for more information. He overhears that apparently the culprit was caught on security cameras. She wore a black clothing and had vivid crimson-colored hair. After trying to match the clues with someone he might know, he stumbles across a familiar face: Shiso of the East!

The self-proclaimed "greatest disciple of the East", Shiso is also investigating such dishonorable tragedy and claims to find the one behind all of this. Upon meeting Dimitri, he greets him formally and, in a friendly tone, rambles about his mission to represent his dojo by stopping evil around the world.

Dimitri finds that a noble cause worthy of respect, considering his goal is more or less the same. The panda tells the echidna their fight shall have to be postponed due to this new threat. Dimitri nods and continues to investigate with the panda, finding some important clues on where the culprit might be located...

The Chaos Emerald on his hand begins to glow, as if it was trying to tell him something... _____________________________________________________________________________________

Ramonna ventures through the city alone, albeit energetically. Her rush from adrenaline stems from her excited demeanor. She would gladly take on any challenger at this point, considering Dimitri is busy training Maxwell and the latter is still too weak to fight her. Besides, clashing with Jasmine would be overkill.

The local fighting arena, the Treasure Chest Arena, used to be an effective way of Ramonna relaxing by facing numerous challengers all at once. Now, without false modesty, though with a little bit of arrogance, the hedgehog believes she has become too strong for that place and must seek greater challengers.

For that reason, hot-blooded Ramonna is impatient about her eventual trip and is dying to test her skills once more. The hedgehog has a hunch on who the culprit is; and she is very glad to face an old rival! _____________________________________________________________________________________

Maxwell uses his super-speed to become barely visible to the eyes of the GUN officers and briefly trespasses to view the building from inside out. Upon closer inspection, the little canid discovers an abnormal amount of crystals scattered within the area. He takes one to gaze at for a few moments, too!

Suddenly, the little arctic fox notices a faint trail of crystals on the ground. Proud of himself as a great detective, he excitedly follows it in order to find the culprit behind it all. Perhaps he could become into an agreement with them and reform them into a good-hearted peace-loving individual!

The episode concludes itself as Maxwell gets increasing closer to a dark alley. From within, some loud whimpering could be heard in the distance...

Episode Eight: Before the Storm VIII
The episode commences following the cliffhanger from the previous one. As the brave white fox approaches a certain dark alley in Station Square, determined to find who is the culprit behind the wreckage of SS Central Station, Maxwell hears strange noises in the distance and smells an uncanny scent of iron...

The strange noises, in actuality shrieks of horror, completely vanish as Maxwell reaches his destination. The nine-year old canid sees multiple soldiers from the Guardian Units of Nations piled unconscious on the ground, indicating they were brutally pummeled down, but not mortally wounded.

He also notices the dark alley was filled with numerous crystals struck on the ground and the walls.

However, what stands out to the child the most is something else: there is a large pile of metallic trashcans mashed on each other in the other side of the alley with someone else on top, sitting on like a queen. The female individual, blowing blue bubblegum, notably has bloodied fists. Maxwell steps forward...

"...Um, miss? Excuse me, but have you seen the one who did all of this?"

"Mmm... Jeez, this is not who I wanted at all!"

"What do you--"

By flicking her fingers, a small, crystal-clear sharp projectile is rapidly shot at Maxwell from the female. The white fox, even though taken by surprise, dodges the attack using his supernatural speed and reflexes. Maxwell knows that such attack could have dangerous wounded him if he did not evade.

"Yeah... sounds about right. You'll serve as a fine warm-up! Prepare yourself, brat!" _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition to few minutes later.

Maxwell and the individual arduously fight, though the battle seems rather one-sided. The child, even though being trained by Dimitri and following some of his advice, does not have the same amount of experience. Nine-year old Max is simply not used to the adrenaline he gets from fighting.

The individual, someone who manipulates and generates crystals at will, is very keen on not letting him get close due to his speed. The constant sharp crystal pillars sprouting from the ground do not hit Maxwell even once since one of them could possibly mortally wound the canid through impalement. The female claims that evading will never lead him to victory due to the stalemate. Maxwell grows a little impatient.

Maxwell finds an opening and, using his speed's momentum to increase his strength, hits the female and hears a crack. At first, he thinks he might have either fractured his wrist or his opponent accidentally. The white canid then notices that his opponent has a thin layer of transparent crystals, shielding her all along! This is the main reason she looked more sluggish and immobile. He sees her regenerate the layer.

Maxwell finds out her weakness, but it is too late. His opponent quickly defeats Maxwell by trapping him with crystals pillars that rise from the ground and personally pummeling him down. The fox, on the ground, defeated, asks whether she is the culprit behind the wreckage or not. She merely grins and shrugs.

"And what if I am? The wreckage was just to spice things up! This is the fastest way to grab the attention and summon every strong fighter in Station Square all at once. The perfect plan!"

The episode concludes itself as someone familiar reaches the dark alley and cracks her knuckles.

And then, suddenly, someone familiar reaches the dark alley and, with a confidently questions:

'"You called, Arna?" _____________________________________________________________________________________'

Episode Nine: Before the Storm IX
The episode commences following the previous one.

As the female individual, supposedly known as Arna the Ravager, and Maxwell look to see who said it, both their eyes widen in excitement, for Ramonna the Hedgehog has arrived. The champion of Station Square's fighting tournament and star-athlete enters the alley with a rather serious expression as she notices the white canid wounded on the cold floor. Anger slowly builds within her...

"Yo, beast-woman! You finally came; I was getting bored with all this child's play."

"...Don't you mess with ME."

Ramonna affirms that one beating was not enough for the notion of having responsibility with her strength and abilities to get through Arna's thick skull. She also mentions how the jackal attacked her precious friend and is going to pay the price accordingly, despite how much she does not want to do it.

"Heheh... Is that right? If that last bit were true, then why are you grinning?"

...After a moment of silence, the two teenagers begin to laugh wholeheartedly as they suddenly enter their battle-stance and obtain a very serious expression. The battle they both had been waiting for has begun! _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition to few minutes later.

Ramonna and Arna both seem evenly matched. The latter's mystical crystal powers effectively put pressure on the hedgehog as the she either dodges them using some parkour techniques or crushes them with her bare hands. While the jackal is aware that receiving direct strikes from Ramonna would hurt like hell and tries to maintain a distance, she finds her defenses slowly becoming less effective as time goes on.

After finding an opening, Ramonna approaches Arna and delivers a powerful punch, cracking the latter's defensive layer of crystals. The jackal, undamaged herself, quickly takes advantage of their distance and momentum to cover her own fists in crystals and strike the hedgehog on her face to send her flying.

As Ramonna crashes against the wall and has her lips bleeding, Maxwell is shocked to see someone that actually managed to damage his friend. Arna slowly regenerates her defensive layer as the hedgehog gets up and acknowledges that she has not been punched like that in a long time and trembles in excitement.

The fight drags on until Ramonna begins taking the advantage. The hedgehog crushes through all projectiles thrown at her and tackles Arna down, delivering several strikes to break her layer and defeat her. Bleeding on her lips as well, the jackal looks up as Rammona, however, and grins maliciously.

"Ramonna, look out!"

Maxwell warns Ramonna to look around her. They see thousands upon thousands of small crystal projectiles, all summoned by a pinned Arna, aimed towards the hedgehog. Upon seeing that many, there was no way she could block everything from that distance. The jackal below her grins and mentions that Ramonna is stronger than she had imagined, but she still has an ace in the hole: Mineral Shower!

The episode concludes itself as Arna snaps her fingers and the projectiles descend...

Episode Ten: Before the Storm X
The episode commences following the cliffhanger of the previous one.

The malicious jackal uses her signature technique, Mineral Shower, against Ramonna. At her command, the countless crystal pillars floating around in air descend to impale her opponent from all directions. Maxwell screams as Ramonna looks at Arna dead in the eye and grins, acknowledging that she was got...

Suddenly, the crystals start glowing turquoise and remain in mid-air. Outside of Arna's control, all of the transparent projectiles begin to crack, shattering from the inside out into little pieces!

Standing within the entrance to the dark alley lies two familiar individuals. Beside the main protagonist is the Yurashian warrior, who, like everyone else present, stares in awe at the green telekinetic Prinus echidna at his left, who has his palm raised and glowing, effectively having neutralized Arna's strongest attack.

Arna takes the opportunity to free herself from Ramonna and slowly stands up.

"Who... the hell are you? What did you do, echidna?"

The echidna, with a serious expression, responds.

"My name is Dimitri Prinus... I am but the living will of all of those who have perished by my side. I'll gladly show you what I am capable of, but you have some explaining to do first." _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition to few minutes later.

Dimitri Prinus interrogates Arna the Ravager and tries to make reason with her. Arna, with incredible reluctance but respecting him for looking super strong, confesses her desire to bring all of the strong people from the city to fight her and that causing terror around Station Square was not really within her intentions. Pondering about what he should do, Dimitri treats his friends and the GUN agents red herbs.

Bursting through Dimitri's train of thought, Shiso immediately invites Arna to become his training partner so she could never dishonorable acts of terrorism ever again. At first glance, the jackal is not so impressed...

And so, the panda, seemingly from thin air, pulls something from his pocket which suddenly bursts into smoke. From the smoke, a loud clank is heard in the ground as a heavy machine gun plants itself on the ground. Shiso of the East shoots it beside Arna, greatly damaging the wall behind her.

Maxwell curiously inquires the panda how he did that, but Shiso merely chuckles and mentions that his dojo made him quite knowledgeable about both the mystic arts and firearms. He does not truly answer him...

Grinning widely with her sharp teeth, Arna accepts his proposal, but only on the grounds that she also could fight Dimitri and his strong friends on a regular basis. The others look at each other for a moment, laugh, and wholeheartedly agree to the challenge. Everyone is excited for a change of pace!

There are three days left before Team Prinus' adventure.

The episode concludes itself soon after.

Episode Eleven: Before the Storm XI
The episode commences the morning after the previous one.

The commotion behind the terrorist has conveniently begun to fade around town. Displeased with their effort to successfully find the culprit behind the great wreckage of the SS Central Station, the Guardian Units of Nations lied assured the population that they would capture them in no time. With this, although understandably uneasy, Station Square's residents have continued through their daily routines!

Dimitri continues to have frequent nightmares about his past. Without being able to sleep that night, he holds the Chaos Emerald on his hand as it starts to faintly glow. He could not explain it even to Shiso, but it seems as if it was the crystal itself that told him about Arna's whereabouts. That, coupled with his visions of disaster, placed him under a large amount of stress as he does not understand what is going on anymore.

However, despite this, the echidna remains determined; he concludes that what everyone needs is rest. He has the brilliant idea of inviting his friends to Emerald Coast and have a break... _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition.

Dimitri and his friends head to Emerald Coast in the bright, sunny weekend. Arna and Shiso, who were walking together, gladly accepted the invitation while Jasmine needs a good deal of effort to be convinced. She came up with the silliest excuses to not to go since she never heads the beach, but everyone, including her parents, managed to persuade her. The bat is not so pleased with the outcome.

Emerald Coast has beautiful, transparent blue ocean water. Not only is it supposedly among the most beautiful attractions of the continent, but many inhabitants of Station Square find it the perfect location to be after a stressful morning at school or work. There are rumors of killer whales being around, however.

The cast changes themselves to swimwear. The boys had little problems. While Dimitri and Maxwell both wear shorts, the large Shiso refuses to take out his dojo's uniform under the bright sun. Perhaps this is merely to honor his masters, but it could also be that he had never seen so many women in little clothing!

On the other hand, the girls all rocked their bikinis. While Ramonna confidently sports her outfit and attracts the unwanted attention of the male crowd, the other two are rather self-conscious. Jasmine is visibly timid due to wearing such little clothing, but also attracted a lot of attention. Arna laughs it off, but is incredibly irritated inside since both her rival and new comrade have so much better assets than her... _____________________________________________________________________________________

Maxwell attempts to create a frail sand castle on the ground, but it remains collapsing. Arna notices this and, becoming rather frustrated, assists him spontaneously. She uses her powers to manipulate the crystals on the sand to hold them up while Maxwell uses his speed to delicately refine the now-enormous castle. The child is amazed and gleefully thanks the jackal, saying she is awesome. Arna looks away, but secretly grins.

Shiso, trying his hardest to remain composed among the women in the beach glancing over him, attempts to strike a conversation with Jasmine under the sun umbrella. The aloof bat, seeing that the honorable martial artist would not leave her alone, introduces him to anime since he was from Yurashia. The panda, surprised to see such cartoons, becomes fascinated. They start to watch it together on her phone...

Ramonna and Dimitri enjoy themselves on the sea. The echidna seems somewhat aloof at first but, after seeing the hedgehog smiling at him, he feels a warmth within his heart he cannot explain... and then cold on his cheeks when seventeen-year old throws water at his face! Dimitri responds in kind and uses his telekinetic powers to splash Ramonna, resulting in a fun water war in which they both have a good laugh.

The entire cast reunites themselves to play beach volleyball: boys against girls. Everything, however, is incredibly one-sided as Ramonna and Arna stay on the offensive as Jasmine, who does not know how to play any sports at all, remained in the defense for support. Dimitri, Maxwell, and Shiso have a hard time...

As punishment, the guys paid the women ice-cream, only to gain the same treatment. All is well. _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode then makes a transition.

After a fun, relaxing day, everyone is tired but impressed at how fun things were. For instance, Arna feels things needed more action, but acknowledges everything was cool. Jasmine does not admit it was fun, though she clearly feels otherwise. Shiso thinks it was a valuable experience for a warrior like him.

Ramonna and Maxwell secretly wink at them, and they all wave accordingly, grinning...

For Dimitri, someone who experienced many things in his fifteen-year old life, Emerald Coast is one of the few places where he feels most content. Without realizing, he wears a smile since everyone had fun...

The last day before Team Prinus' adventure would start approaches...

Episode Twelve: Before the Storm (FINALE)
The episode commences after the events of the previous one.

In the sunny, lazy morning in Station Square, the recently-made Team Prinus begins the day by performing their usual routines. Ramonna stretches and starts preparing breakfast with the help of Maxwell, who recently had decided to assist her in the kitchen for fun. Dimitri, using his powers, holds his watering can telekinetically and treats for the herb plantations located in vases beside the living room's window.

After breakfast, Ramonna receives a call from Jasmine about important, secretive business. The hedgehog tells the echidna that Arna and Shiso are planning to fight and the panda, with the reluctance of the jackal, mentions that a third-party is needed for such clashes (probably for safety measures against Arna).

Ramonna winks at Maxwell and the fox encourages Dimitri to go there. The echidna sighs and leaves the house to the location the two trouble-makers would go all-out.

Dimitri finds Arna and Shiso in the same dark alley... While they both greet Dimitri, the jackal begins to scoff at Shiso's title of strongest disciple to provoke him. The large panda, in a louder tone of voice than usual, claims he bears little mind to her dishonorable remarks and shall make her feel the wrath of his people. Dimitri would have to look after the fight for these two goofs' sake so they would not destroy themselves... _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode then makes a transition.

Dimitri Prinus the Echidna is thoroughly impressed by their brawl. While Arna clearly has more offensive presence in the battle-field with her crystals, Shiso reveals to her his ultimate trump card: from small paper talismans called "o-fudas" he pulls from his pockets and from beneath his clothes, the large panda can make them transform into full-fledged weapons. His weapon-summoning skills are introduced!

Shiso pulls out his signature light machine gun and attempts to aim at the jackal, but its recoil is too much for him. He shoots bullets erratically everywhere but on his target that is shielded with crystals. Among the weapons he later chooses are twin katanas, hand grenades, and pistols. He uses so many deadly instruments that his general inexperience with them ultimately becomes apparent...

Arna and Shiso are locked in a stalemate as it becomes a battle of attrition, but even then it remains a stalemate between two people that cannot hold themselves back. They both become exhausted before dealing themselves the finishing blow and merely fall to the ground simultaneously.

The echidna considers the battle a tie, and instantaneously heals them both with a small supply of the red herb paste he tends to bring whenever outside his house for precaution. They appreciate the assistance. Arna claims that Shiso's power was rather underwhelming, while the latter laughs back and mentions how the jackal's movements are typical of an amateur. Before the duo clashes again, Dimitri intervenes...

Before leaving together, Arna and Shiso wave at Dimitri and tells him they would see him later. _____________________________________________________________________________________

The episode then makes another transition to many hours later.

Dimitri walks back towards his house and notices Jasmine standing close to the House of Lilies, blasting music in her headphones like usual. When their eyes meet, strangely, Jasmine seems immediately takes off her gear and greets him. The echidna was rather surprised at the reaction; the bat is never this friendly.

Or perhaps, she currently looks at him in a more positive light?

Dimitri does not waste time speculating and merely appreciates the time to chat with his friend. Their non-romantic relationship has improved a lot since they had first met. At first, Jasmine had found Dimitri a nuisance. Suffering almost the same daily hardships in the House of Lilies, however, they both created a bond. Now, the bat continues to believe Dimitri is a nuisance, but... she does not hate it one bit.

It is evening already as Jasmine receives a sudden call. Dimitri offers to accompany Jasmine to her house, but the bat refuses. She says no one is home, anyway, and she is starving. She desires to go to his place.

"...Wait, so was this the reason you are acting so friendly?"

'"Pfft, naturally... Don't get the wrong idea." _____________________________________________________________________________________'

After a while, Dimitri and Jasmine are walking together in the chilly evening in Station Square, heading towards Ramonna's house after a long day. The Prinus echidna is visibly tense about his voyage tomorrow as he feels the necessity to shoulder responsibility for anything that would happen with his friends.

Noticing the gentle, but calm, Dimitri being somewhat out-of-character, Jasmine merely tries to reinforce his determination by asking if he was truly serious about his trip tomorrow. After a pause, Dimitri nods responds with eyes gleaming from determination. The bat merely rolls her eyes and sighs, hiding a small smile.

Upon reaching Ramonna's house and open the door, everything is incredibly dark. When Dimitri was about to light the location with the glow of his telekinetic abilities, the light-switch is flipped...

"SURPRIIIISE!!!"

Ramonna, Maxwell, Shiso, and Arna all scream as Dimitri is astonished and Jasmine puts on her headphones. The living room was filled with birthday-decorations. A vast amount of snacks, confetti, balloons, and a cake are among the things that stand out the most for the Prinus echidna.

It is Dimitri's sixteenth birthday, and he had forgotten about it completely due to him worrying over his trip. It was Maxwell's great idea to hold a surprise party for one of his best friends, and a seventeen-year old Ramonna prepared everything many days prior using the ingredients she had bought for the party. Arna grins and claims to be only there for the snacks and Shiso feels the necessity to honor his opponent.

Jasmine, using her experience taken from dating-sims, effectively created the plan to stall Dimitri until Ramonna and the others to prepare the household for him. Arna and Shiso's battle was meant to buy some time, but everything about the clash was genuine as the two suddenly got heated.

It had been so many years since Dimitri celebrated one of his birthdays, the echidna could genuinely cry. However, he maintained his composure and thanked everyone present... The party itself had no alcoholic drinks, but supposedly soft beverages made by Maxwell. Using his super-speed, the child fox happily serves everyone present as he is really proud of the drink he made without the assistance of Ramonna!

Dimitri glances over the glowing cyan-colored Chaos Emerald on the table and then looks at his reflection on Maxwell's drink... After a rather long pause, he raises his cup and exclaims:

"You guys... This is so unexpected... Nevertheless, I thank you sincerely for everything. The world currently seems darker than ever, but people like you are the true reason hope will never wither. And now, a toast to the extraordinary people I'm honored to call my 'companions'!"

All that said, Dimitri and the others loudly cheer and drink.

Little did they know, Maxwell accidentally managed to create a mixture that was way too strong for everyone's tolerance even though it was not alcohol. Many wild, lively, and heated events in the party ensue, but no one would remember anything in the morning that would follow... The night is young...

At least, one thing was certain. Everyone has fun.

''It was the start of Team Prinus' adventure... The episode concludes itself soon after and the credits roll. _____________________________________________________________________________________''

END OF BEFORE THE STORM

TO BE CONTINUED IN RED ROSES, BLACK HEARTS!

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