Nightshade Academy | Episode 19 | Guessing Game (Audio)

I vow to keep classified royal family information veiled in secrecy for as long as I live well turned 16 they were refitted for new uniforms their delivered sets came with an additional item winter coats lined with fur Yoshi couldn't help but Smile as he tried his on for the first time as there is something rewarding about lasting at the Academy long enough to witness a change in season it was also nice to have Pinto back in good spirits after getting some much needed rest he had stopped obsessing over the unsolved Bayon case and had even thanked Salen for knocking some sense back into him on the first day of their eighth month at the Academy the trainees encountered their coldest day yet Pinto struggled to button his coat with his trembling fingers as they walked down the staircase together worthless flimsy thing ah I hate this coat if it's worthless get rid of it I'll gladly take another layer Enzo gave up leaving his coat half buttoned at least with your codon Professor Emperor won't point out don't say it at least she won't point out how tight your shirt is yeah she laughed and Val looked away to conceal her grin that was one time okay I have larger shirts now I'm surprised you didn't get smarter ones to show off now that you finally put on some muscle don't be gross come on Pinto show us your arms do you have abs now just shut it all of you why don't you pick on Yoshi for a change he's finally taller than Belle how embarrassing what a loser I don't even know why I'm friends with him what you three are bullies you know that I really hope I get filtered soon I could use the peace and quiet as they stepped into the bone numbing dining hall Yoshi's eyes narrowed at the vast window blaming it for the room's poor insulation from the weather despite his trembling discomfort a warm smile spread across his face as he realized that all four seats of their table were filled on his first day in the program he never would have expected to make so many close friends he felt like he reclaimed a piece of himself he had lost after the incident a piece that he missed after clearing their plates they drank their beet juice together it had become a recent tradition of theirs to chug the nasty drink in unison Yoshi set his glossed down with a scrunched nose The Taste never gets any better so what's your assessment in those reactions to the serum had improved but he still suffered from a mock Sunburn and shaky arms when exposed to a new dose he sat sideways in his chair and crossed his arms ensuring Yoshi couldn't cheat by watching him Salen smacked his lips together silently composing his own answer there's Belladonna is that a statement or a question statement wrong really Pinto turned in his chair revealing his red face because there's definitely a dose in mind he held his hands up to demonstrate their shakiness are you sure you're not cold but of course I'm cold but I'm definitely poisoned too you know how Dr blim feels about it I'm definitely intoxicated is that better I have a feeling there's serum in mind too but I can't tell for sure heyville hey you called her from across the room is there Belladonna or not everyone seems to think so I I don't know a befuddled look crossed Ko's face but you always know there's Belladonna today I'm sure of it when Quark set his Empty Glass down Pinto's eye widened oh no what what is it it's a filtration and as though it were on cue the door opened and Dr blimery wheeled a cart into the room congrats on seven months in the program kids even if you get filtered today I bet you'll always have the coolest stories to tell over supper all right here's the deal half of you had serum in your drinks and half of you didn't if you think yours had no Belladonna move to the left and if you think yours did move to the right though was the first trainee to stand she peered down at Yoshi and Salen willing them to make the right choice before walking to the left side of the room and planting herself by the window Pinto stood next and made his way to the opposite side of the room claiming that his juice did contain Belladonna Yoshi and sailing made eye contact equally panicked we're shaking now where symptoms never show up as quickly anymore it must be the nervousness and the cold unless we were giving a higher dose than usual yeah she rubbed his forehead make your choice left or right Sana joined Val on the left his symptoms usually mirrored pintos but sana's face wasn't red okay let's think this through there's seven of us but Dr blimery said half so three drinks had Belladonna and four didn't or four drinks had Belladonna and three didn't though and Sana are definitely correct left is solid black Strode to the right with KO lingering in his shadow salin's gaze followed them as they walked toward the wall we know Pinto's correct too I also trust quacks he seemed confident earlier KO though he's a wild card it doesn't make a difference if Kale's wrong the room would still be split with three on one side and two on the other only flipped it doesn't affect our odds so what now yeah she stared at the table envisioning the different possibilities there's four potential combinations I go left and you go right you go left and I go right you both go left we both go right and two of those options I'm on the left and in two I'm on the right so there's the 50 chance that one of us wins and a 25 chance that both of us do is that really all we have to work with at this point it's a guessing game he regretted not putting more effort into honing his detection skills now he was betting his spot in the program on the flip of a coin and I go right you go left deal for sale in muster to smile make your choice now please as Yoshi approached the glass the paralyzing fear gripped him causing his steps to falter he eventually came to a halt next to valve and closed his eyes bracing himself for the worst case scenario is incorrect the blood rushed to Yoshi's head leaving him faint he couldn't move couldn't breathe couldn't think and for a moment he thought he was falling because he could no longer feel the floor beneath his boots Vel took his hand into hers and squeezed it before Letting Go grounding him back in reality but the warmth lingered in his fingers for only a moment before Dr blimery's returning voice extinguished it Salen I'm sorry kid but you're out no Yoshi opened his eyes sailing was frozen on the opposite side of the room his face Ghostly and pale Pinto gave him a pat on the shoulder and whispered what must have been a goodbye it was game over a guardian is waiting in the common room to escort you home guilt clawed at Yoshi's chest as sail and trudged his way to the door they had both made a guess and Yoshi knew that the only way for this outcome to be fair would be if he stepped forward and filtered himself too but instead he wallowed in the knowledge that luck had favored him and his own selfishness left him repulsed as Salen shut the door behind him Yoshi leaned forward his hands gripping his knees relief washed over him which was immediately countered by The Rocky Horror of having lost a friend these emotions Drew arms against each other leaving him torn struggling to choose a side once more the final filtration will take place two months from today there will be five spots and six of you left so expect this to be your most competitive test yet we're removing afternoon field classes to extend your Recreation time use it wisely uh I'm sorry everyone yeah she slowly straightened his spine as Dr blimery left the trainees alone in the dining hall he faced Belle and she shook her head before wrapping her arms around him I need a guess I know Yoshi thought of sailing often well at first But as time passed the guilds faded he realized that he was quite literally lucky to have made it this far into the program and he was not set on taking that luck for granted he needed to make the final five not just for his own sake but also to ensure that salen's filtration would not have been for nothing in research classes Professor Ember shared the schematic diagrams of the most important Guardian buildings in the koi City Yoshi studied them until he could draw each floor by memory you finally did it it only took me three weeks longer than you Professor Ember then moved on to reviewing the lives of every emperor in the vikoi lineage Yoshi's speed read their biographies nightly and he began to understand the previous rulers as well as he understood himself in medical class they moved on from their Belladonna unit to a unit on tool development crafting and lacing on the first day of their unit transition they walked into the lab to find arrows resting on their tables each one with a unique structure KO chuckled as he examined the arrow in front of him what's so amusing to you KO the zero it's stupid how so it's too long too heavy too flimsy KO bent the arrow demonstrating its lack of sturdiness Dr blimery raised a brow and gestured for him to continue speaking I'd shortened it for sure maybe down to about two-thirds of its current length why it'll wobble Less in the air obviously meaning it'll fly farther and faster more precise too hmm Dr blimery puckered his lips with a nod okay oh kale looked around to find the other five trainees staring him down how the hell did you know that it's only Common Sense Ko's natural talent for tools was undeniable and his fellow trainees began to flock to the lab during Recreation time competing to match his level while Pinto Vel and quacks eventually diverted their energy to improving their other deficits Yoshi and Sana continued over the course of one month Yoshi crafted 12 daggers with progressively smoother and straighter blades Sana on the other hand crafted 16 daggers all sharper and stronger than Yoshi's with intricate designs carved into their handles that grew more refined and beautiful with each piece iyashi please stop wasting your time with Sana I doubt the final filtration will test our crafting skills how can you be sure it's the crucial skill in the medical division hey can you still draw those schematic diagrams from memory Yoshi leaned over with a hand on his forehead oh for the glory of it was a balancing act improving one's skill meant getting rustier with another together they walked the same tripwire waiting for one trainee to slip and leave the other five Victorious during their defense lessons each trainee worked individually with Commander Roz who led them through fast-paced drills using their primary tools it was about three weeks before the final filtration when Sana accidentally swung his sword into Ko's shoulder KO fell to his knees blood spilling across the black floor the trainees had seen their fair share of injuries during their time in the program but this was by far the most gruesome as Sena fell into a state of hysterical Panic Commander Ross calmly insisted on transferring KO to the City Hospital which KO physically resisted no I'm saying you can't take me there you're injured you need help oh shut it Pinto you want me gone but I won't go that easily they all knew that getting transferred to the hospital meant getting filtered and KO was in the program to win they were all in the program to win the night before the final filtration Yoshi found himself tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep giving up on rest he stepped out onto the balcony dressed in his golden pajamas as he gazed up at the full moon he thought of Salen for the first time in weeks Yoshi groped the icy railing shivering at the thought of losing another friend but what terrified him most was the possibility of being the one who had to leave if he were to return to Citra he would lose not just one friend but all of them close to graduation and close to each other that's a recipe for disaster isn't it hey Yoshi Yoshi looked to his right then is left Val and Pinto were standing on the balconies of their own quarters really both of you can't sleep tomorrow feels like a death day don't be dramatic we worked hard for this so have they Vel hoisted herself onto the balcony railing and stood tall her gaze fixed on the Stars the wind picked up sending tendrils of hair whipping around her face but she held her balance with ease knowing this could be their last night together Yoshi pushed his dread of Tomorrow aside and followed vel's lead climbing onto his own railing when he looked to his left Pinto was already perched on his and together they walked the Academy's tightrope admiring the glittering sky above them and making it their own the past two months have been tough the worst if only Sana brought that sword just a little bit to the left binzo swung an imaginary sword in the air right through Ko's head you're horrible the Stars twinkled a little brighter that night I'm really glad we went through this together there's no one else I would have rather suffered with I love you too final five right final five [Music] Belladonna book one Nightshade Academy written and narrated by Mel Tori Franca by Mel Tori Franca and Wilson Hensley edited and Mastered by Juan Pablo Diaz something went wrong we worked hard for this life that we don't want it all cover art by mad Studio score by G depita azri theme song composed and produced by James Sinclair Stott starring Jason Brown Anthony Andreas echeveri Philip kryonoff Melissa white Alex Bowie Patrick verzbach Julia risto David John bores Connor Blanc Cody keel Ellie Chua Ben Autry Walter Mack [Music] with us if it's really true was living stories during the voices of Gwyneth Evans Jeff Rosenau Lucas Hensley Levi Titus Angie Eggers Willem dagar Allison Prophet Maria palmo Knight shield Academy is produced in association with Lost Island press