Watch Out, Summer!
Lancelot and Vane arrive in Auguste for some time off. Changing into their swimwear, they dive into the ocean and laugh their cares away under the sun.
The dazzling sun. The white sand.
And stretching out into the horizon is the glittering, blue...
Lancelot: Look, Vane. It's the ocean.
Vane: It sure is, Lancey.
The two knights exchange solemn looks and nod.
Lancelot: Are you ready for this?
Vane: You bet I am!
Lancelot: All right, let's go!
Lancelot: Whoa! The water stretches on as far as the eye can see! This is amazing, Vane!
Vane: Hahahaha! Do you even remember the last time we got to relax together?
Lancelot: I definitely don't, which is why we're going until we drop today. Watch out, summer!
Lancelot: Here we co—
Vane: Stop right there, Lancey!
Lancelot: Hm? Something wrong, Vane?
Vane: First, we gotta slap on some sunscreen and do our warm-up stretches!
Lancelot: Sunscreen? Do we really need that? Don't tell me you're scared of a little tan.
Vane: Well, I guess it's okay since we're goin' in the water...
Vane: The thing is, when I said I was going to Auguste, this old fishmonger...
Vane: He kept going on about how we really need to take the sun seriously at sea, so I figure we should listen to the pro.
Lancelot: You have a point. I suppose we don't get to bathe in the sun like this back home.
Vane: Exactly, glad you agree. So, turn around, Lancey!
Lancelot: Wait a second, Vane. How about we slather some on you first?
Vane: Me? Why?
Lancelot: Back when we were kids, didn't you used to get sunburned every now and then and cry about it?
Vane: When we were kids! I've toughened up, you know.
Lancelot: Haha, I guess you're right.
Vane: Now that I think about it though, you never really get sunburned, do you, Lancey?
Lancelot: Not really. I must be lucky in that regard.
Lancelot: Anyway, let's get this over with. I'm ready to swim some laps!
Lancelot: Wow! The water's colder than I thought!
Vane: Hahaha! This feels great!
Lancelot: Hey, look! There are fish swimming over there!
Vane: Ooh! Those are some pretty fish.
Lancelot: Do you think they're edible?
Vane: Ehhh, I dunno. They're such lookers that I doubt they'd be too tasty.
Vane: Are you hungry already, Lancey?
Lancelot: No, no yet.
Lancelot: Wait, Vane! There's a starfish by your foot! Don't step on it!
Vane: Huh, where?
Lancelot: Hah!
Vane: Urgh! I swallowed a mouthful of water!
Lancelot: Hahaha! Didn't see that coming, did you?
Vane: Having some fun, are we? Guess you're still just a kid!
Lancelot: Always a kid at heart. That's important, you know.
Vane: If you say so...
Then take this!
Lancelot: Argh!
Vane: Hahaha! Gotcha!
Lancelot: Ergh... You want a fight, you've got one! Bring it!
Lancelot: Sigh. This is heaven.
Lancelot gazes up at the sky as he floats lazily in the water.
Lancelot: I definitely feel a lot lighter without armor. Physically, and emotionally.
Lancelot: Not that I'm saying it's stifling when I'm in my armor or anything.
Vane: Haha, but even in your armor, you're light on your feet...
Vane: Aren't ya!
Lancelot: Wha—Hey, that's cold!
Lancelot: All right, you asked for it, Vane!
Vane: Hahahaha!
The two knights continue enjoying their day at the beach, their laughter spreading like ripples on the glassy surface of the water.
In the Years to Come
As they swim, Lancelot and Vane reminisce about their childhood. Back on shore they encounter Percival, who tells them about the fishermen's recent struggles with an overwhelming crab outbreak. The three work together to exterminate the crabs.
The two knights bathe in the summer sun as they savor their time off at the beach.
Vane: All right! One point for me!
Lancelot: Huff... Huff...
Lancelot: When it comes to long distances, I'm no match for you and your endless stamina.
Vane: You won for the short-distance, so now we're even.
Lancelot: Then next one's the tiebreaker. What should we do?
Vane: How about some beach volleyball? I think I saw a ball lying around somewhere.
Lancelot: Sounds good to me. We might have to change the rules a bit though, since we only have two people.
Vane: Whenever one of us misses the ball, the other gets a point. What do you think?
Lancelot: Let's go with that and give it a try.
Vane: Okay, let's get back to shore then.
Lancelot: Are we racing?
Vane: Hmm. Since we just swam a ton, how about we relax for now and slowly head back?
Lancelot: Haha. Yeah, you're right.
They make their way to the shore in slow but steady strokes.
Vane: Hey, Lancey. Do you remember...
Lancelot: Hm? What?
Vane: Back when we were little, we read this picture book, and inside of it we saw an ocean for the first time...
Lancelot: Oh! And then we pretended we were in the ocean, right?
Vane: Yeah! Back then, we'd obviously never seen the real thing before.
Lancelot: Heh heh. And that tiny river we had outside just wouldn't cut it.
Vane: Nope, so we pretended to swim in our bed sheets instead.
Lancelot: Then we dove into the haystacks at the stables and pretended to hunt for seashells. That was fun.
Vane: And I remember we wanted to hide all the shiny stuff we could find, so we grabbed the newly polished silverware and buried them in the hay.
Lancelot: Yep. We took expensive silverware, messed up the haystacks, got grass stuck on our clothes...
Lancelot: We got into so much trouble, didn't we?
Vane: That we did!
Vane: Oh!
Lancelot: What's the matter, Vane?
Vane: Whew!
Vane: Look, Lancey. I found a pretty shell!
Vane holds up the shell that he found under the water.
Lancelot: Hahaha! You found a seashell in the ocean, for real this time!
Vane: But this one's still alive, isn't it?
Lancelot: Ooh, you're right.
Vane: Back then, the only seashells we knew were the ones in that picture book.
Lancelot: Yeah. Now that I think about it, those seashells in the book were empty, weren't they? I saw a lot of those along the shore.
Vane: Living seashells still have all their meat, so you wouldn't be able to hear the sound of the ocean like you would with the empty ones.
Before they know it, they arrive back at the shore.
Lancelot: All right! Well, let's get the ball and—
Vane: Wait, Lancey. Look over there, isn't that...
Percival: Oh? I didn't know you two were coming here.
Vane: What's up, Percy?
Lancelot: We're planning to play some beach volleyball. Care to join, Percival?
Percival: Now's not the time for that. I have something I need to talk to you two about.
Vane: A crab outbreak?
Lancelot: And all the fishermen are in trouble, you say?
Percival: Yeah. Whenever a particular species gets out of control, the whole ecosystem goes out of order. In this case, it's the crabs that are the issue.
Percival: Thanks to them, the amount of fish that's usually harvested this season has decreased, and it's affecting the haul this year.
Lancelot: That doesn't sound good. This doesn't just affect Auguste.
Percival: From what I've heard from the Fisherman's Guild, not only is there an overpopulation of crabs, but a lot of crabs have been abnormally large in size as well.
Percival: It's become so bad that it's dangerous just going out to fish.
Vane: That definitely sounds like a problem for the fishermen. Something needs to be done about this before someone gets hurt.
Percival: That's where you two come in. I'd like your help in culling the crab population.
Lancelot: You can count on us. The more people, the better, right?
Vane: Okay! Time to go exterminate some crabs!
In the Years to Come: Scene 2
Lancelot, Vane, and Percival finish clearing out the crabs and decide to have a barbecue with the seafood they receive from a member of the Fisherman's Guild. As they're enjoying their barbecue on the beach, someone sees them and approaches hesitantly.
Fisherman Rep: You really helped us out. Thank you so much.
Percival: Don't worry about it. Hopefully the ecosystem can start recovering from here.
Fisherman Rep: Yeah. It'll probably take a while, but we'll take care of the rest on our end.
Fisherman Rep: I knew you were strong, Percival, but your two friends here were quite impressive as well.
Fisherman Rep: I'd bet my best fishing net that you fellows aren't just regular tourists.
Lancelot: Well...
Vane: We're...
Glancing at each other, the two of them exchange a smile.
Lancelot: Sorry to disappoint, but right now we're just regular tourists.
Percival: ...
Fisherman Rep: Hm, I see.
I don't have much, but I'd like to give you something as a token of our appreciation. Take these with you.
Vane: Wow! All this delicious-looking seafood... You sure you're okay with giving them to us?
Lancelot: We're grateful for your genorosity, but we really can't accept these. And with all the trouble you've been going through from the crabs...
Fisherman Rep: Really, don't worry about it. I'd like you to have them.
Fisherman Rep: And I hope you'll continue enjoying your time here in Auguste and visit us again in the future. We'd be more than happy to have you.
Lancelot: Very well. Thank you very much.
Vane: Thanks, old man!
Vane: Okay, this fish is all seasoned and ready to go!
Lancelot: I see the clams are ready too. Everything looks so good!
Vane: The fish over there is probably about ready to—
Vane: Hey, Percy! Can't you watch the fire more closely?
Percival: Shut up! Don't tell me what to do! Be grateful I'm even here.
Vane: Aren't you supposed to be good with fire, Percy?
Lancelot: Come on, Percival. You wouldn't want all of Vane's super-special seafood barbecue to go to waste, would you?
Percival: Hey, Lancelot. You keep lecturing me, but you haven't been doing a thing yourself!
Lancelot: I have the very important job of being the taste tester.
Percival: Why, you... You've got to be joking.
Vane: But you know, Lancey, all you ever say about food is that it's delicious!
Lancelot: I can't help it. Anything you make is delicious, Vane.
Percival: Sigh... I don't have time for this.
Vane: You say that, Percy, but you're really watching that fire for us, aren't you? Such a nice guy!
Percival: Shut it, mongrel! I just thought if the food got burnt, it'd be a waste of some fresh ingredients!
Lancelot: Don't be so grumpy. Here, doesn't this crab look delicious?
Percival: Hmph!
Percival gives a snort, but takes the crab offered to him. He jabs his fork into the crab shell.
Lancelot: Ahhh, it's hot! It hurts! Please don't eat me!
Percival: Wha—!
Lancelot: Aaargh! Help me! I'm gonna get eaten by the Lord of Flames!
Percival: Lancelot! Cut it out!
Lancelot: Hahahaha!
Vane: Lancey's at it again... He did the same thing to me when we were kids, you know.
Percival: I can't believe you're treating me the same as this idiot... And like a child, no less.
Vane: Now hold on a minute. Just what do you mean by that, Percy!
Lancelot: Ah! Percival! Don't move!
Percival: ...!
Lancelot: That... Right beside your foot...
Lancelot: It's the ghost of that clam you just ate!
Percival: Lancelot!
Lancelot: Hahahahaha!
???: Huh? Is that Vice-Captain Vane and... Captain Lancelot?
In the Years to Come: Scene 3
A knight of the White Dragons comes across Lancelot and the others and joins them for the barbecue. Afterward, Lancelot talks to Vane about his heavy sense of responsibility as captain. Vane offers some encouragement and suggests they let loose every now and then. The two knights continue envisioning their future under the starry night sky.
While Lancelot, Vane, and Percival are preoccupied with their barbecue, a knight of the White Dragons slowly approaches them.
Knight: Excuse me, Vice-Captain Vane? Captain Lancelot?
Vane: Oh, Marcel! What are you doing here? Are you on vacation too?
Knight: Yes. I didn't expect that you would be in Auguste as well.
The young knight glances nervously at Lancelot.
Lancelot: Heh...
Lancelot notices the glance. He shrugs and gives the knight a wry smile.
Knight: Um, I'm really sorry! Please pardon my intrusion on your holiday.
Vane: You don't have to worry about that at all! Right, Lancey?
Lancelot: That's right. Bumping into each other on vacation is quite the rare occasion. Why don't you come join us?
Vane: Great idea! We've still got a ton of food.
Knight: Oh, no, but I'm just...
Lancelot: Well, you are on vacation. If you've got other plans, then I wouldn't want to stop you...
Lancelot: But you know Vane's cooking skills are top-notch, right?
Knight: You are too kind. Then I'll take you up on your offer...
Vane: Awesome!
Vane: Oh, the guy with the sour face over there is Percy. Don't worry, he's really not that scary.
Percival: Quit calling me that! It's Percival.
Knight: Whoa! Percival, as in... Percival, Vice-Captain of the Order of the Black Dragons?
Vane: Yep, that's the one! I see you know your history!
Lancelot: Isn't that nice, Percival? He knows you.
Vane: Oh, these clams are done. Eat up!
Percival: Hey... This crab here is just about ready too.
Welcoming the young knight into their company, they continue their feast along the shore.
Time flies, and before they know it, the sun has disappeared into the horizon.
The two knights stand on the beach, looking out toward the ocean and taking in the pleasant sound of the waves.
Lancelot: Oof... I'm so full, I'm about to burst.
Vane: Being able to feast on all that heavenly seafood was an awesome surprise.
Lancelot: It was extremely good. Speaking of surprises though...
Lancelot: I didn't expect to see anyone from the Order all the way out here.
Vane: You panicked for a second there, didn't you, Lancey?
Lancelot: Yeah.
Vane: And?
Lancelot: Well, he was probably more surprised than me, though.
Vane: Teasing Percy and laughing loudly—He's probably never seen that side of you before.
Lancelot: I wonder if he's disappointed in me.
Vane: Why? I'm sure he isn't.
Lancelot: Hmm, if you say so.
They stand in silence, lost in the sound of the waves. Lancelot lets out a small sigh, his hair blowing in the wind.
Lancelot: I said the armor wasn't stifling, but maybe it is a little.
Vane: Hm?
Lancelot: It's not like it's something that bothers me all the time, but...
Lancelot: The pressure I feel from becoming the captain at a young age and having to set a good example for the others...
Lancelot: Before I knew it, that sense of responsibility started to show in my attitude too.
Vane: I get it.
Vane: But you know, you're always facing that responsibility of yours head-on and with everything you've got. I really respect that about you.
Lancelot: Thanks, Vane.
Lancelot looks over at Vane, his gaze soft.
Lancelot: You never change, do you, Vane?
Vane: Huh? I have my own pressures and responsibilities too, you know!
Lancelot: I know.
Lancelot: You never waver, no matter what you're faced with or what responsibilities you bear.
Lancelot: That's your strength, and I'm extremely fortunate to have you by my side.
Vane: Lancey...
Vane: I'm happy to hear you feel that way about me.
Somewhat embarrassed, Vane swishes the sand around with his foot and smiles.
Vane: You know, if you're ever in trouble, Lancey, I'll be the one to lift you up, armor and all.
Lancelot: Hahaha! You are pretty strong.
Vane: Leave it to me!
Vane: And while we're at it, let's strip off that armor and relax every now and then.
Vane: You deserve to have some fun, and I'm always happy if you're happy. Plus if you're ever worried about something, (Captain) and the crew have our backs too.
Lancelot: You make some good points, Vane.
Lancelot: It would be great if we could come here again, together with (Captain) and Siegfried.
Vane: For sure! Today was a lot of fun, and there's still a ton we haven't had a chance to do yet!
Vane: Fireworks, watermelon smashing... I want to go to a festival too.
Lancelot: There's also the beach volleyball we put on hold today.
Vane: Oh yeah! We could grab a few more people and have my team against yours, Lancey. Let's do it!
Lancelot: I want Siegfried on my team.
Vane: Then I'll have (Captain) on mine!
Lancelot: Oh, maybe we should invite Percival too.
Vane: Fine, but Percy would be scary no matter what team he's on, so he can be the referee.
Lancelot: Referee? But he'll definitely be mad and say, "Why do I have to be the referee!"
Vane: Hahahaha! I can totally see that! He'll snap and yell at me like, "Take my place now, mongrel!"
Lancelot: Hahahaha! I can just picture it. But then he'll actually teach you how to referee the right way.
Vane: Yep! But if I'm too slow, Siegfried will show up and start saying, "Percival, I'll be the referee", and then—
The two laugh as they continue imagining how their next vacation will be.
The twinkling night sky stretches out above them.
A multitude of stars shines down on the two knights as they hope to make many more wonderful memories in the years to come.
