Akito and Estelle in Simba's Pride

chapter 20

"Oh, Ryan, I wish you could've seen this..." Kopa said as he looked up to the skies. "You too, Samson... Especially the others back at the zoo... I really hope you all are happy where you are... But none of this would be possible if it wasn't for Grandpa Mufasa and Grandma Sarabi."

"I'm sure that they are happy." Mo said.

Kopa looked over. "Oh, hi, Aunt Mo."

"Aunt Mo, I love the sound of that..." Mo chuckled. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, I just wish Ryan and the others could be here." Kopa said.

"Ya really miss 'em, huh?" Mo asked.

"I was very homesick, but I guess I'm a little zoosick too..." Kopa shrugged. "Ryan was really my best friend."

"And I bet they are missing you too." Atticus said.

"I wish I knew how they were..." Kopa sighed. "It sure has been a while since that adventure."

"Is it just me or do I see a group of animals that look just like them?" Estelle asked.

"What...?" Kopa stood up.

"Weren't they a koala bear, a snake, a giraffe, and a squirrel?" Atticus tried to remember as that adventure was mostly for the kids and their Pokemon while they stayed at the Plaza Hotel until they would come back.

"Yeah, along with Samson and Ryan who were a lion and a lion cub." Vincent said.

Kopa ran in the distance and came to see it was the group he knew back in the Central Park Zoo. "Is it really you guys...?"

"In the fur, little buddy." Nigel chuckled.

"Oh, look at how much you've grown," Bridget smiled. "You look fit to be the next Lion King of the Pridelands."

Kopa smiled bashfully before looking curious. "How'd you guys get here... Why are you guys here?"

"Well, we missed you so much that our life in the zoo was no longer worth staying there." Larry said.

"Really?" Kopa asked.

"I didn't live there anyway..." Benny shrugged. "But it's great to see ya again, kid."

"Plus now, Dad can become Samson of the Wild like he's always wanted." Ryan chuckled.

Kopa smiled and hugged them all, feeling very glad to see them all after so long.

"This has got to be the best day ever." Vincent smiled.

The others smiled to that in agreement.

"So, you got a girlfriend?" Ryan smirked teasingly to Kopa.

"Yeah, her name's Lukio and she's the daughter of the Jungle Emperor," Kopa replied shamelessly. "What about you?"

"No such luck." Ryan said.

"Oh..." Kopa frowned.

"I keep tellin' ya, kid," Benny said to Ryan. "There's someone out there for everybody, ya just gotta look for her!"

"Oh, come on, Benny; it's not like I'll just bump right into her." Ryan said.

"Ya never know," Benny shrugged before climbing up on the female giraffe's neck. "That's how I met Bridget."

"It's true." Bridget smiled.

Ryan hid an eye roll for them.

"It was for me and your mother..." Samson told his son about true love.

"Oh, yeah, right, as if I'm gonna waltz over and run right into--" Ryan rolled his eyes as he walked along before bumping into someone.

The one he bumped into was Vitani.