Crowns of Highcastle

11

EXT. GAUNTLET FIELD - DAY

Mulan enters the field where the team is warming up. Coach Yao looks up from his clipboard.

COACH YAO

Can I help you?

MULAN

I'm here to try out for the team.

COACH YAO

Tryouts were yesterday.

MULAN

I wasn't here yesterday. I missed the trolley.

COACH YAO

Whatever. Let's see what you've got. You can't be any worse than that.

He looks over at the team. Many of them can barely use their weapons.

Mulan rushes over to join Kronk, Kuzko, and Li.

KUZKO

Hey, look. It's Uh. Up top.

He holds up his hand and Mulan goes for a high-five, but he psyches her out.

KUZKO

Too slow. Ha! I've been waiting to do that forever. I can't breathe!

He cracks up on Li's shoulder. Li shrugs him off. Coach Yao approaches them.

COACH YAO

All right. It's showtime.

He blows his whistle.

SERIES OF SHOTS:

-Li fights against Chien Po and Ling effortlessly taking them out again.

-Kuzko takes his stance against Chien Po and Ling. They get into position. He runs away screaming. Coach drags his hand over his face.

-Philip does a decent job until his sword gets knocked out of his hand and he's shoved to the ground, defenseless.

-Mulan holds her own against Ling taking him out. She smiles, pleased with herself until Chien Po swipes her legs from beneath her. She looks up at him. He smiles gently and helps her up.

-Hunter stands beside a towering goal pole. A red flag sits on top of it. He takes the two weights hanging around his waist, swings them around the trunk of the pole until they lock and, attempts to climb. It's harder than it looks. He struggles to climb halfway up the pole but slides back down.

-Kuzko tries his hardest to climb the pole, but his feet keep slipping. He tries to release himself from the pole, but he's stuck. Panicking, he pulls and tugs to unlock the weights but ends up banging his head and knocking himself out.

-Kronk swings his weights over his head aiming for the flag. He releases the weights and they swing out into the distance striking Ling. His damage meter instantly goes from blue to red and his suit shuts down.

-Mulan tries her hardest to climb. But its no use. She doesn't have the arm strength to hold herself up.

-The team is split into two groups. Mulan studies her teammate Li as he slices through their opponents. She mimics his moves, a quick learner. He notices. Impressed. He sees an opening and runs for the tower. As the others continue to battle, he locks his weights in place and climbs the goal pole. Mulan takes out an opponent and Coach Yao blows the whistle. Everyone looks up at the goal pole. Li sits on top of it smiling. Waving the flag.

END OF SERIES

Coach Yao stands before his team.

COACH

That was...not terrible. But we still have a lot of work to do. Rest up. We do it all over again tomorrow. Oh, and Uh...Welcome to the team.

MULAN

(breaking character) Yes! Thank you!

Coach Yao looks at her funny.

MULAN (CONT'D)

(back to husky voice) I mean, cool. Thanks.

LI

Good job, Uh.

MULAN

Thanks. You too. Broski.

She punches him in the shoulder. As she heads off the field she tries to contain her celebratory dance.