The sudden presence of Prince Tweetums arriving back at his own Palace had completely silenced the area as everyone looked over at him and waited for his next words.
Of course, while the prince loves to make an entrance for himself, his old enemy Sylth Vester, decides to speak up first about his arrival, with a sour look of unamusement.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up out of the blue. Pretty bird." Sylth Vester mocked loudly as he crossed his arms in a distasteful manner.
"Nice to see you too, puddy cat. How's the family business going?" Prince Tweetums said, referring to his other old enemy, Queen Grannicus, with a teasing smile.
"Oh, please. I've left that old hag a long time now and I've already given up the old grouse chasing. Now, I am retired and living the dream all by myself. That witch just wanted to use me so that she could rule this palace for herself and wasn't even going to share." Sylth Vester pouted in a childish way.
"Aww, that's just an excuse for you to say that you missed me." Prince Tweetums said while perking up his face in a innocent way.
"Don't get cutesy with me, furball. Just because I quit doesn't mean we're friends." Sylth Vester grumbled in a grouchy-like tone
"Ah but you see that's where you're wrong, we are friends. Admit it, you can't succeed without me." Prince Tweetums insisted at me.
"Ha! In your dreams, small fry." Syth Vester said as the two continue to age on each other in their annoying bragging contest, until Lexi couldn't take it anymore.
She was running out of patience fast.
"Ugh" Lexi groaned in annoyance as she walked over to the prince so that he could stop stalling and rubbed her head from the annoying headache.
"Okay, enough! Save the small talk for later. Right now, we need to know how far those guys took you and where is the jewel so that we can keep it safe. You only gave us riddles and we still don't have a single clue as to where you have taken it. Please, no more interruptions. You have to tell us now before it's too late." Lexi begged as the prince looked over at her for a moment and slowly changed to a serious expression.
When he was kidnapped by Deuce and his minions a couple of hours ago, he knew then that the situation was getting to be more dire than he had presumed to be and not just because of their nearing plan to take over Planet Blanc.
But also, because his own friend and right-handed royal guard was in a deeper hole than he can imagine.
He then looked over at Ace and spoke to him directly.
"Ace, open up your weapon." Prince Tweetums instructed.
"What?" Ace asked him, confused and had no idea what this was leading up to.
"Just trust me" Prince Tweetums said as Ace took out his Guardian Strike Sword from his pocket, which was a powerful weapon that can be carried on the go in a tiny foldable compartment until its ready to be utilized and pushed its retractable button that allowed it to open up to its natural true form.
Ace begin to immediately jolt in surprise.
Unlike the last time that he had used it, which had only looked like a simple silver hook that glowed orange when in full use, the jewel inside it had allow for it to be exotically glowing in bright ruby red that shone like a sun.
This made even the villains drop their jaw in shock over its shiny beauty.
"Woah! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Ace asked, in a mixture of concern and puzzlement.
He had never expected this to be there out of all places and wondered why Duck was even keeping it a secret for so long.
"Before you guys left this place to go on back home to your old town, he told me that if anything were to happen to him, he would want me to personally reveal to you the jewel's location when needed." Prince Tweetums explained.
"I don't understand. How was this even possible? It's a retractable sword. It's too small for a large jewel to be stuffed inside this thing." Ace asked, curiously.
"No, Ace. He didn't stuff it inside. I had a royal blacksmith fuse the jewel into your weapon for you when you guys had your last dinner here." Prince Tweetums explained.
"But...I still don't get it. Why would he try so hard to make sure that it was given to me instead, when you specifically entrusted to him last time to hold onto when Deuce first came for the jewel. So....what changed?" Ace asked, worried.
Right now, everything became nothing but a blur, and he needed know what could have possibly caused Duck to make such a drastic decision like that.
"It was your growing friendship with him, and he believed that it was best to have it bestowed to you, personally. After all, you are the leader in the group, so he thought that it was only fair for you to have it instead. He felt like he was never good enough for anything and only saw the worst in himself. I offered to let him stay here on the planet if he so wishes, but he turned it claiming that the team needed him. But I don't think that was the only reason. He cared about you, and I think that he had been in love with you for a very long time now." Prince Tweetums said with a small grin.
"H... how, would you know any of that?!" Ace flipped out in a panic after hearing that last sentence with his face burning bright in blush.
"Haha. I could sense it on his face. It's a friends' initiation and from what I can see here that it's written all over your face too. I'm sure everyone knew." Prince Tweetums said as he looked over at the other Loonatics who nodded their head in agreement.
Except for Slam, who was too busy stuffing his face with food and form a questionable facial expression when the prince gazed at him and his friends before he resumed back to Ace.
"But it seems that neither of you have given it any thought. I think you should talk to him when you get a chance to." Prince Tweetums suggested.
"I tried. But he wouldn't listen to me." Ace said, dejectedly.
"I don't mean out of desperation when he's already under manipulation. I'm talking about from your heart. Be honest with him this time and tell him how you're really feeling." Prince Tweetums advised.
Even though Lexi gave him the same message a couple of days, it wasn't until he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest that he realized he didn't put in enough effort to show that it counts.
He has to make it work this time.
For him.
"*Sigh. I try." Ace said while rubbing his arm, sadly as the prince turned to Lexi to answer her second question.
"The guys took me to a secret base in Death Valley which is about 3000 miles off towards the border of this planet." Prince Tweetums informed with surprisingly geographical knowledge.
"And are you sure that's the place?" Lexi asked.
"Yes. Their camp site is a large lair-structure. You won't miss it from afar" Prince Tweetums confirmed, confidently.
"Okay, then. Lead the way, prince" Lexi said as she turns around to the others and gave out her next instructions.
"Alright everyone, make sure you have every single supply needed. That includes any weapons, shields or carry ons that is necessary to take with you. Get them all packed and ready to go. Our team spaceship should hold enough room for all of us to bunker in. Let's move out." Lexi announced as the old villains and The Loonatics start to gather up everything.
When they were done, 30 minutes later, they fly off and zoomed in towards using the ship's extra boost fuel made by Tech himself.
As the gang ride on through the miles that it takes to get there, Ace walks over to a window and leaned on it in worry.
If you can hear me Duck. Just know that we're almost there. Hang on for me buddy, we're coming. Ace thought, anxiously.
With faith, the ship shouldn't take them but only a couple of hours long.
He just hopes that it's not too late.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, the team never realized either that Deuce had a surprise of his own.
When Prince Tweetums had unknowingly escape from his captors that time ago, Deuce and Sypher at the time were talking and had walked into the next-door room, only to be seeing Rupes and Ophiuchus Sam busying themselves with cards.
This made Deuce very mad.
"*Ahem! Where's the bird?" Deuce asked in a booming voice that made his two minions jolt in fear and drop their cards in the process.
"Oh um, about that..." Rupes said skittishly as he pointed the empty cage over yonder.
"He said that his feet were hurting and need to stretch them out." Rupes explained.
"But then he disappeared quick!" Ophiuchus finished as Deuce shook his head in dismay and pitched his nose in annoyance.
"Ugh. I knew I couldn't count on you two idiots for one second to do anything." Deuce groaned.
"Well, what can we do then sir?" Rupes asked as Deuce lifted his face a little and thought about it.
"Hmmm...." Deuce said as he looked around and then at Duck and smiled.
"I think I have an idea." Deuce said with a devilish smile.
What better way to make your opponent weak than to bring out the one person that they care about most in the middle of the battlegrounds.
It was checkmate to Deuce's strategic game of chess.
And if the 'king' is taken from the board, he wins.