Assembling the Lion Guard
In the Pride Lands, Kion had just ran off ahead after being informed that his special roar is the Roar of the Elders and that he is now the new Lion Guard of the leader as well as Scar’s past as leader of the Lion Guard.
Kion deep down is excited about this up also at the same time finds it scary as he personally vowed to himself and his father that he will never be like Scar ever.
“Hey, Kion... Kion!” Bunga, a honey badger with blue fur and white hair called out to him as he was contemplating his new responsibilities as he looked at his reflection in the nearby pond while sliding into the pond leading to Kion getting splashed on.
“Huh? Ergh! Bunga!” Kion said annoyed.
“Ready to start assembling the Lion Guard? Huh? Now? Yeah? Huh?” Bunga eagerly asked as he continued to splash water onto him.
“Yes! Augh! Just stop splashing me!” Kion kindly replied and requested of him.
“Splashing?” He asked sounding confused until he looked down at what he was standing in and then nervously and apologetically chuckled upon realizing his mistake. “Oh. Sorry, Kion.”
“Hakuna matata, Bunga.” Kion nonchalantly shrugged it off. “Now c'mon! Time to assemble the Lion Guard!”
As the two friends ran off their conversation was observed by a vulture named Mzingo with two shades of dark and light blue feathers, a red beak, and gray tail feathers.
“Lion Guard? Hmm...” Mzingo wondered as he secretly followed after them as Kion speaks his mind.
“Dad said the Lion Guard needs the Pride Lands' bravest, strongest, fastest, and keenest of sight. So I think I'll go ask the bravest animal in the Pride Lands first.”
“Kion, wait!” Bunga immediately stopped his lion friend in his tracks. ”Before you go asking whoever you think is the bravest, think about this... I might not be the biggest honey badger. But I know what's in my heart. And I'm not afraid of anything, or anyone!”
“I know, Bunga. That's why...” He acknowledged before being cut off by his friend grabbing him on his fur.
“I'll help the Lion Guard fight hyenas. Or jackals! Or crocodiles! Or vultures!” He further pleaded much to Mzingo’s offended response.
“Or great big rock slides or wild fires or floods! I will stand with the Lion Guard! I'll never give up! I'll, I'll...”
“Why don't you stop talking so I can ask you to join the Lion Guard?” Kion offered as he cut him off.
“Say what...” Bunga responded taken aback by this.
“Come on, Bunga! You're the bravest animal I know! I want you to be the first to join the new Lion Guard.” Kion insisted with his offer.
“Zuka Zama!” The honey badger exclaimed in excitement.
“Zuka Zama, indeed.” Mzingo voiced with intrigue at these new news as he flies off. “I wonder if Janja knows about the Lion Guard...”
“You couldn't have made a better choice.” Bunga continued as he clinged onto Kion. “We're gonna make a great team. I can't wait to tell Uncle Timon and Uncle Pumbaa.
At that moment they heard a pained scream from a distance.
“Kion! Do you hear that?” Bunga asked as they head over to the direction of the voice.
“...little help?”
“Sounds like Kiara's friend, Zuri...” Kion voiced his annoyance with rolled eyes to match.
“And she needs help. Our help! It's our first adventure!” Bunga immediately voiced his excitement unaware that Kion hasn’t voiced his thoughts on the matter. “Lion Guard to the rescue!”
“Lion Guard to the rescue?” Kion said in confusion with his friend calling the shots so soon as he followed after him. “Hey! Bunga, wait up!”
Even Kion keeping up with Bunga wasn’t enough to stop him from jumping into a situation that was already taken care of… or least was until he showed up.
“Stand back, Pride Landers! Bunga of the Lion Guard is here!” The honey badger proudly announced causing Pumbaa a red furred warthog to get distracted leaving the young female lion with cream fur and blue eyes Zuri he was helping to chip one of her claws that was stuck in a log.
“Ow! My claw! Whoa...” She screamed as she slipped and fell face first into another log down below leaving her panicking and screaming
“Creepy crawly bugs! Ew!” She cried in disgust as she shakes them off of her fur as she gets back up.
“Zuri! You hit the jackpot!” Timon a meerkatsaid as he jumped into the log of bugs as Pumbaa followed after him
“It's smorgasbord!” Pumbaa voiced his delight as he munched on the bugs.
“Hang on, Zuri! I'll save you!” Bunga immediately called out to her again until to be stopped by a paw from her friend Kion’s sister, Kiara who like her friend also had cream fur albeit a little more brighter in tone with red-brown eyes similar to her father's.
“Okay, Bunga. You've done enough saving for one day.” She politely insisted him from taking further action before he can continue making things worse as Kion arrived on the scene.
“Bunga, I...“ Kion started before witnessing the aftermath of his friend’s actions. “Whoa. What's going on?”
“Oh! I broke a claw! It hurts!” Zuri cried as Kion approached his sister.
“There, there, Zuri. You're gonna be just fine.” Her friend Tifu another creamed furred female lion with a brighter coat than both her friends and with green eyes comforted her.
“Oh, hey, Kiara. How'd the gazelle tracking go?” Kion asked Kiara as she sighed in annoyance at her friend.
“We never got to the gazelles. Zuri got her claws stuck in a tree.”
“And then she fell face first into a log full of bugs! Mmm, mmm, mmm!” Pumbaa laughed as he continued munching with a mouth full of bugs.
“Bugs are so gross!” Zuri voiced her disgust as everyone silently expressed the same thought as they all looked disturbed by their bizarre taste in food.
“Mmm... And so delicious!” Timon paid no attention to the others as he spotted another bug from behind Zuri’s ear. “Ooh, look. Another one.”
“Get it, get it away!” She screamed before her cries of disgust turned to pain. “Ow, my paw!”
“Hey, everyone. Everyone! Listen to this! Simba just put Kion in charge of the new Lion Guard!” Bunga told everyone as Kion proudly smiles.
“Lion Guard? What's a Lion Guard?” Kiara asked in surprise of hearing this.
“Dad just told me about it.” Kion explained to his sister. “The Lion Guard is the team that protects the Pride Lands and defends the Circle of Life! And I'm it's new leader!”
“I'm gonna be on the Lion Guard, too! It's un-Bunga-lievable!” Bunga voiced his excitement as he flipped forward in front of Kiara’s friends.
“Really?” Kiara asked still surprised at this decision as she doesn’t entirely agree with it. “You and Bunga? Protecting the Pride Lands? Does Dad know about this?”
“Dad told me to assemble the Pride Lands' best.” Kion answered.
“And I'm the best. Just ask me!” Bunga smugly added.
“Well, if you ask me, it sounds like it might be dangerous.” Pumbaa voiced his input on the matter.
“It's worse than that, Pumbaa. It sounds like work.” Timon added in agreement.
“Yeah! It's both!” Bunga replied unfazed to their overly concerned thoughts.
“Eek... Work!” Timon shuddered as he averted his gaze away with closed eye
“Gee, Bunga. I dunno...” The warthog voiced his uncertainity.
“Uncle Pumbaa, Uncle Timon, please?” The honey badger pleaded with them.
“Work? Danger? Definitely not.” The meerkat immediately refused as he placed a hand on his warthog friend. “Have you forgotten our problem-free philosophy? It means no worries...”
“I know it's not Hakuna matata, Uncle Timon.” Bunga acknowledged. “It's, it's... Zuka Zama!”
“Zuka Zama?” Kiara asked as Timon immediately stepped forward.
“Don't ask!” He quickly said not wanting to hear the answer.
“What's Zuka Zama?” Tifu felt the need to ask much to Timon’s dismay.
“What's Zuka Zama?” Bunga expressed his excitement as he briefly picked Timon up before dropping him back on the ground. “What's Zuka Zama? I'll tell you all about Zuka Zama!”
“You had to ask!” Timon voiced his annoyance as Bunga bursts into a musical number as he performs multiple acts of brave and daring things such as walking across a wooden log over a deep ravine and leaping from a high distance into a pool of water as various animals sing to the tune before riding on a rhino while holding onto his horn while leading a conga line before high-fiving Kion.
But even still it wasn’t enough to convince Timon to change his mind.
“Meh. Zuka palooka. I still don't think Bunga should be signing up for some jungle patrol.”
“Lion Guard!” Bunga corrected him very annoyed.
“Whatever you call it.” Timon still paid no mind with crossed arms and back turned.
“Timon, Pumbaa, please.” Kion insisted of them. “I really do need Bunga on the Lion Guard. He's the bravest animal I know.”
“Bravest animal you know?” Timon voiced his now impressed tone.
“He's brave, all right. Even if he is bordering on stupid at times.” Kiara silently remarked to her friends.
“Well, when you put it that way...” Pumbaa said now having a change of mind about his stance as Timon shakes Bunga’s hand.
“Congratulations, Bunga! We always knew you had it in you!” Timon commended his adopted relative as Kiara silently has doubts about her brother’s choice.
“Oh, Bunga. I'm so proud, I could…” Pumbaa voiced until he accidentally broke wind causing nearby grass to fall down and die because of his flatulence. “Oops. Sorry.”
“Zuri, let's get you back to Pride Rock.” Kiara offered while trying her best to hide her disgust as her friends were ready and quick to leave as well.
“We're outta here!”
“I better go assemble the rest of my team...” Kion politely excused himself as he ran off to do what he said.
“Wait, Kion! The Lion Guard needs to stick together!” Bunga called out as he followed after him leaving the confused warthog with only his best friend by his side.
Shortly afterwards Kion and Bunga met up with Ono a small white bird with orange feathers was busy eyeing a small rare pink snail before nearly crashing into Bunga before meeting up with Beshte a young gray hippo with blue eyes who was currently using his great strength to move a heavy boulder out of the way blocking a stream of water to create a water slide as they all help Fuli a yellow-furred cheetah with black spots and green eyes stop a group of angry baboons from pursing her just for saying they looked funny for the way they scratched their heads.
“Hey, guys. Thanks for meeting with me. I wanted to talk to you because... Well, I need your help.” Kion began the subject in mind to the rest of his friends,
“What's the kerbubble, Kion?” Beshte asked.
“The five of us are the Pride Lands' fiercest, bravest, strongest, fastest and keenest of sight. And that's why I want you all to join the new Lion Guard.” Kion explained to his friends. “Together, we'll protect the Pride Lands and defend the Circle of Life.”
Ono whistled sounding impressed and intrigued as Beshte shares the same interest as Bunga while Fuli looks on very skeptical of the idea.
“Well, lick my tail and call me a meerkat!”
“Hey! My uncle's a meerkat!” Bunga turned to the hippo sounding very offended by that comment.
“No offense, Bunga...” Beshte quickly apologized for remembering something. “Wait! Aren't you a honey badger?”
“A Lion Guard? Figures.” The cheetah replied in a condescending tone. “Always the lions lording over the Pride Lands.I suppose Simba put you in charge of this little team, Kion?”
“You bet your spots he did!” Bunga immediately said in his defense.
“Fuli, the Lion Guard needs you. You're the Pride Lands' fastest.” Kion tried to reason with her in response to her attitude.
“You got that right.” Fuli smugly remarked. “And you're supposed to be the fiercest?”
“Well, he is a lion...” Beshte replied in support.
“And lions are fierce. It's kinda common knowledge, really...” Ono replied sounding as it was very obvious.
“Show 'em the Roar, Kion. Show 'em the Roar!” Bunga encouraged his friend as he leaped in between them.
“What's Bunga talking about? The Roar?” The cheetah wanted to know what he is talking about as she rolled her eyes unimpressed before getting in his face. “You think you're somethin' special just 'cause you can roar?” She further voices as she continues to look down on the lion.
“Wait 'till you hear it.” Bunga insisted it is a sight to behold before turning to encourage Kion to do so. “C'mon, Kion. Show 'em the Roar!”
“So what is the deal with your roar?” Beshte questioned.
“Oh, you totally have to show us, Kion.” Fuli wanted to see it for herself sounding amused and this special power of his.
“Seeing is believing! Though with a roar, it's more about hearing...” Ono replied sounding interested as well.
“Okay, fine. I'll show you the Roar.” Kion reluctantly replied as he turned away from his friends. “Just, uh, stay behind me. I don't want anybody to get hurt.”
His friends immediately got up right behind him so they can all see it in full glory
“'Scuse me.” Beshte apologetically said as he got in between Fuli and Bunga
“Watch it!” Fuli irritably replied not taking kindly to it.
“Pfft. Groundlings...” Ono stoically remarked to their compliants.
“Ready?” Kion asked his eager friends sans an unimpressed Fuli who nod that they are all ready to hear and see it in full glory. “Okay. This is the Roar... “ Kion bares his claws and musters his breath as he tries to use the roar… only for a simple squeak to come out instead. “What in the Pride Lands...” Kion could only say in surprise when nothing happened like he expected.
“That was... Different.” Ono could only say as Fuli could not resist laughing at the young lion.
“Kion! You call that a roar?” Fuli laughed as she found it very entertaining.
“Didn't sound like a roar.” Beshte said in confusion as Bunga voiced his objections and confusion of why the Roar didn’t come out too.
“That wasn't the Roar! That was a squeak!”
At that moment, Zazu a blue hornbill with a orange-red beak flew over the five friends as Simba approached his son with his daughter and one of her friends standing beside him.
“I've found him, Your Highness! Kion is over here!” The hornbill reported to the king as he looked on very sternly at his son.
“See, Dad? Just like I said.” Kiara told her father sounding very concerned of Kion’s team herself.
“Thank you, Kiara.” Simba kindly replied to his daughter. “You and Tiifu go ahead and track the gazelle. I need to talk with Kion. Alone.”
“Yes, Dad.” Kiara said as she turned away sounding a little worried of what her father is going to say to her brother.
“Thank you, princess.” The lion king again thanked his daughter as he turned his stern gaze upon his son.
“Dad! Am I glad to see you! I'm not sure why, but when I tried to...” Kion began to explain his recent troubles with the roar only to be cut off by his father.
“Kion, Kiara tells me you've asked Bunga to join the Lion Guard.” Simba explained in a tone that he is taking issue to this as he turns to said honey badger who can only smile and wave in response out of awkwardness.
“Hey...”
“Is this true?”
“Well, yeah.” Kion honestly replied as he doesn’t understand his father’s disapproving tone. “I was just talking to all my friends about it.”
“Your friends? Kion, I asked you to assemble the new Lion Guard. Instead you're just playing with your friends?” He somewhat sharply scolded his son.
”I'm not playing, Dad.” Kion asserted that he is serious about his choice. “My friends are the new Lion Guard. Fuli is the fastest. Beshte is the strongest. Ono is the keenest of sight. And the bravest, it's Bunga.”
“Kion, the Lion Guard has always been made of lions.” Simba frankly and further reprimanded him. “Do you really think a Lion Guard with only one lion can protect the Pride Lands?”
“Well, actually...” Kion tried to speak in his defense as his father cut him off again before he could finish.
“Son, listen. The Lion Guard isn't a game you play with your friends. It's real. The Circle of Life, and your life,will depend on who's on your team.” Simba further lectured him to get him to grasp of how big of a responsibility it is as opposed to an every day adventure with his companions leaving his son feeling a little dejected by the lack of trust he seems to have for him. “Please, Kion. There are plenty of good lions for the Guard. I need you to take your new responsibility seriously. Just as seriously as Kiara takes hers.” He finished before walking off in disappointment with Zazu who was watching the scene on a nearby rock follows after him.
“But I do take it seriously...” Kion said to himself feeling down as he walks off on his own.
“Kion...” Bunga tried to call out to him to no avail.
“Lil' B, I think Kion needs some time to himself.” Beshte urged the honey badger to leave him be as he and the others look on in concern as Kion walks off feeling down and put out by his father’s words.
“Dad wanted the best for the Lion Guard. And I found them. But now, maybe the best isn't good enough? I just don't understand.” Kion said to himself feeling downcast before sitting at the nearby ledge with a nearby stream in sight.
Pause at 0:51
Just as Kion laments to himself he sings to a somber tune as he walks around to his surroundings before being drawn to his attention to strange appearance of what appears to be a rip of space.
"Heyvi kabisa..." Kion could only say in surprise as he peeks a look inside only to find himself sucked inside.
"Kion! Kion!" Bunga called out to his friend just as he was following after him while finding himself sucking through the portal too to parts of the unknown universe.