It took about two days for everyone to arrive. Haoyu was the first to make it on his aircraft while everyone else had to take a long car ride or by plane. Everyone kept in touch with the screen chat app on their phones, constantly sending DMs to each other. Everyone was announcing their arrival and were currently waiting for the two teens.

"You think they got our message that we arrived?" Iben asked. "They should've." Added Eis. "They must be on their way now as we speak. After all, we don't know what those kids do in their lives." As the man finished his sentence, he saw that Leo and Emma were rushing towards them. "There they are! Right on time." Jose said with glee. "Sorry for the wait. We had to get some things prepared." Leo huffed. "I had to print out the sheet music. There should be one for everyone." Emma said, carrying a large folder. She handed everyone the sheet music of the song they all agreed on.

Lucy flipped through the pages of the music sheets. She heard this song a few times, but she never memorized the lyrics. She also didn't consider herself a good singer when she looked at the notes. "So, Emma," She called. "What if we're not good singers? I don't think the performance would be good if someone sang like a goat." Emma held her arm in a comforting manner. "There's no need to worry. I've had vocal lessons for years, and I've had the best teacher teach me all the ins and outs of one's voice. I'm sure I can help with that. It may not be perfect, but I'll help the best I can."

"And what about dancing?" Haoyu asked. "I've been told by everyone, even my own family, that I'm a clumsy nut." Leo put his hand on Haoyu's shoulder. "I've taught the rest of my friends how to dance. I can do the same for you. I'll try my best to keep it simple." He explained.

Leo and Emma stood in the middle of the yard when all was said and done, announcing their plan. "Alright, everyone!" Emma exclaimed. "We've only got three weeks to make this the most fantastic show Balan has ever seen. We're doing this to save him. Not for the glory of the stage. We want you to throw your whole heart into it, project all of your positive emotions. We're going to keep a big smile on our face and save our maestro!" The crowd cheered.

"Me and Emma will take the lead roles. She'll be the foreground singer, and I'll be the choreographer. Any questions you have, just ask us. We'll help you the best we can." Leo announced. Emma clapped her hands, calling everyone for practice.

The days passed by as everyone practiced their show. Emma did her best to teach the others how to sing without sounding like a perfectionist director, and Leo taught the others how to dance without acting like a snappy jerkwad. They admit teaching wasn't easy. But it was all worth it in the end. Some even helped with the teaching. Iben surprisingly had a beautiful voice and Attilio had some fancy feet. Eventually, people started becoming more confident in their abilities and kept their eyes on the ball.

Yuri copied Leo's dance moves step by step, finding it a lot more fun than she had anticipated. "Was I good?" She asked. Leo patted her on the back before they both saw Haoyu trip again. Leo rushed over to pick him back up. "Take it easy, buddy. You almost got it." He reassured. "I almost got it. I just need to keep practicing." Haoyu said. Leo smiled with his sentiment. "That's right. You got this! I'll be there to help you through it. Just keep the beat." He danced the same way Haoyu was dancing before. The green-haired boy nodded and tried again.

"How did that sound?" Sana asked. Emma clapped her hands and smiled widely. "You sounded great! I knew you had it in you." She cheered. Lucy suddenly pulled a vocal chord that did not match up with the melody. "Hold on a minute, Lucy." Said Emma, rushing over to help. "The piece goes like this." She started singing the chorus as Lucy listened. She then pulled up her phone and sent her the song they were singing. "This will help you memorize it. Listen to it as many times as you need. Keep practicing. You can do this!" She cheered. Lucy nodded, reassured that she could sing the song.

In those three short weeks, which felt like forever, the group agreed they have finally perfected their performance. "I think we've just about got it." Cal said. Fiona nodded with glee. "Yes! This will surely turn the tables for Balan and Lance." Leo looked at the time on his phone. "We better hurry. If we think our show is good enough, we should head that way. Who knows how worse he's got." "The theater should still be around here someplace. It popped up quite often for us. The tims like to wander the streets too, which should make it a bit easier." Emma added. The two gestured to everyone to follow them to where they expected the theater.

Low and behold, it was in the same place they found it. Cass gazed at it in wonder. "Oh my... It's been so long." She said. "Yep. This brings back memories." Jose added, tipping his hat. Emma was hesitant to knock, unsure of what she would find inside. When she finally knocked on the door, Floaty Flower answered. Her face looked worried or frightened.

"H-hello? I'm sorry, I'm afraid the theater is closed." She told. "Wait, it's us. We're the previous inhabitants of Wonderworld. We've come to help Balan." Leo explained. Her face lit up with relief. "Oh, Leo! Emma! It's you! Thank goodness! I'm so glad you came! Things have gotten so much worse!" Everyone's faces showed a shocked or worried expression. "How much worse?" Leo asked. The flower girl lead them inside, revealing an army of negati.

The shadowy creatures swarmed the hallways of the theater. They looked bigger and more threatening due to the negative corruption throughout the building. One approached Leo, and on instinct, he kicked it halfway across the hall. "What is with all these shadowy creatures? Did Lance take over the place?" He wondered. "The negati can sense the negativity from Balan. They've been multiplying at a breakneck pace. And with that, they've gotten stronger!" Explained Floaty Flower. One of the tims came up, weak and tiny. Cal picked one up and held it in the palm of one hand. "What's happened to the tims?" He asked. "The tims haven't had drops to eat in a while. The negati keep scarfing them up. They're weak and hungry." She whined. The tim in Cal's hand rubbed its tummy, indicating how hungry it was.

"The poor little things." Emma mourned. "We're running out of time. We have to get this show on the road now! Come with us! We'll take you to the stage." Both teens rushed through the hallways as the others followed behind. Leo halted end turned back to the flower girl. "Floaty, I want you to fetch Balan right now. Tell him there's a new act he needs to see. No matter how much he struggles, no matter how much he refuses, bring him to the stage. Got it?" He commanded. The flower girl saluted as if it were a battle plan. "Yes sir!" She claimed as she rushed to get Balan.

Balan looked at himself in the mirror. The nega has spread all the way from his chest to his torso. His hair was darker, and he started getting the same markings that Lance had. There were no signs of tentacles... Yet. But he knew it would soon change. He could barely hold himself together as the negative power grew more and more painful. He thought about letting it go until there was a knock at the door.

"Maestro Balan!" Called the voice. "Leo and Emma have returned with some friends. They want to help you." He rubbed his eyes that were red from the tears. "I'll be right there." He called back. He put his suit back on and grabbed his hat. "I don't know if this is going to work, but I have to pull it together. Leo and Emma are desperate to help me, so I must give them a chance." With that, he put his hat on and walked out the door.

Negati swarmed the area like a beehive, snarfing every drop they could find. The tims chirped with desperation, looking to find some positive droplets somewhere. This worried Balan. He didn't think it would've gotten this serious in the span of only three weeks. He hoped his friends had a good plan to get him back into shape. When he walked into the auditorium, Leo had pulled out a chair for him and gestured him to sit down. With a deep breath, he sat down in front of the stage. Leo rushed back behind the scenes as Emma came out from behind the curtains.

"Ladies and gentle maestros of Wonderworld! We come together to perform for our one and only, Balan. This is a performance to show how much we care and how grateful we are to him. Although it may not be the best act in the world, we're doing this at the bottom of our hearts. So we hope you enjoy it." She said as she turned to the side, giving a thumbs up. With that, the music started.

Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Don't be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
'Cause I've seen the dark side too

When the night falls on you
You don't know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less
I'll stand by you

I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you

So if you're mad, get mad
Don't hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too
Well I'm a lot like you

When you're standing at the crossroads
And don't know which path to choose
Let me come along
'Cause even if you're wrong
I'll stand by you

I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you

And when
When the night falls on you, baby
You're feeling all alone
You won't be on your own
I'll stand by you

I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you

I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you

When the song was over, everyone stood in a finishing position. The spotlights shined on both Emma and Leo, who stood in front of the stage. Balan stood up and clapped his hands. Smiling the biggest grin he ever had in a long time. "BRAVO! BRAVO! That was beautiful! That was the most magnificent performance I've ever seen! And all of this was for me?" The teens stood down from the stage, approaching him.

"Of course it was." Emma told. "You've helped us all so much. Now it was our turn to help you. So we gathered everyone and put on the best show we could to cheer you up. We would hate to see you succumb to negativity... Not our maestro." Leo preached. Balan dabbed at his eyes with his ascot. "I... I don't know what to say." He stopped suddenly as he felt something in his chest. Everyone got worried as they thought the show didn't work to bring him back to positivity. But when he pulled down the neck of his suit, the negative corruption had stopped... In fact, it started to disappear.

What started at his heart had begun to change for the better. The purple shading had disappeared along with the markings. The pain that he once felt was quickly melting away as if it was never there in the first place. And in less than a minute, it was gone. "It worked!" Leo cheered! "He's back!" Emma jumped for joy. The rest of the crew cheered too for Balan's recovery. It pleased them that they didn't have to lose their maestro friend. Balan, his eyes still filled with tears of joy, knelt down to the two. "I am so proud. You've done so much to help me make amends. I am forever grateful for your efforts to help me... Thank you, my friends." "Balan! You're rhyming again!" Leo cheered as both he and Emma felt the tears swell up in their eyes. They both hugged the maestro, letting the tears spill from their cheeks and onto the floor, turning into drops.

Even some of the inhabitants on stage began to get tearful and let the tears fall. Tims immediately swarmed the area, eating the drops that fell to the floor. They grew larger in size and fought off what was left of the negative atmosphere. The negati began to disappear as they no longer had any more drops to eat. The theater itself finally started to feel warm and vibrant again, bringing back its whimsical charm. And low and behold, guess who was watching the entire thing... Lance.

He stood behind a wall, watching as the whole crew crowded around Balan, hugging him. At that moment, he too, almost felt something... He almost felt... Positive.

Once the tears had finally stopped, Leo and Emma held both of Balan's hands. "I don't suppose you'd want to join us for our grand finale?" Emma offered. Balan beamed in response. "Would I? Why would I say no? I'd be most honored if I was part of the show!" He stood up from his chair as the teens dragged him to the stage for one more musical number.