[humming]
I say, my collection of antique vases is the most impressive in New Mouse City.
[voices laughing nearby]
Not too shabby, huh?
I'll bet I'm the best bubble-blower in New Mouse City.
[ringing]
Geronimo Stilton Media Group, Thea speaking, may I help you?
It's for you. The King of Whiskiri-something
The King of Whiskiristan?
Hello, King Mew.
What an honor. What can I do for you, Your Majesty?
With pleasure, it will be an honor. Then I shall see you tomorrow.
Great news. The King--
[gasps]
Oh, sorry. Here, let me get that.
Don't touch. In fact, don't even look at it.
You gonna to tell us what the king wanted?
Oh, yes. The King has granted us the exclusive rights
to cover the 1000th anniversary of the Kingdom of Whiskiristan.
It says here Whiskiristan has been cut off from the outside world for generations.
That's right. We'll be the first outsiders to go there in 1000 years.
-[Thea & Benjamin] Cool. -I'm gonna go get the Meta Mouse ready.
I'm gonna go pack.
I'm gonna go buy a bunch of gum for the trip.
No! [grunts]
♪ Who's the mouse who's fun and witty Scoops the news for New Mouse City ♪
♪ Geronimo ♪
♪ He's amazing, he's terrific Watch out, world, he's cheddarific ♪
♪ He's out of sight and in the know ♪
♪ Go! ♪
♪ He's the one we call Geronimo ♪
[chewing sounds]
[Trap] Mm.
-[gum bubble inflates, then pops] -[shouts]
Whiskiristan is famous for its hand-painted pottery.
The most extraordinary pieces can be found here.
[Thea] We're just about there.
-Hmm. I don't see an airport. -What?
Here we go.
Here we go? What do you mean, here we go?
[Geronimo screams]
You can open your eyes now.
[groans]
Welcome to Whiskiristan. I'm King Liu Shi Mew.
I've never seen a king on skates before.
This is ZhangZhi.
-He thinks he's my babysitter. -I'm his Royal Highness's bodyguard.
Please. It's not cool that a mouse should bow before another mouse.
-Good to see you again, Your Highness. -I'm Benjamin.
Ah.
Trap's the name, awesomeness is my game.
[electricity buzzing]
-Got you. -Your Highness.
The good old joy buzzer, an oldie but a goodie.
[chuckles]
You got me. Good one, Trap.
I love a practical joke. I shall play one on you some time.
And who is this beautiful and groovy skilled pilot?
-Time 'Ea-- I mean, I'm-- I'm Thea. -What a pleasure.
[laughing]
Uh, Thea, the king want his hand back if you're done with it. [chuckles]
Oh. [chuckles]
ZhangZhi.
The Royal Palace is large.
The skates make it easier to get from place to place.
Unfortunately, I only have one pair with me.
-It seems you'll have to walk. -Oh, that's too bad.
Geronimo, as an admirer of antiquities, you'll enjoy the royal collection.
Each piece is unique, and thousands of years old.
Come, let's hang together.
Oh, my, look at these ancient pieces.
Absolutely stunning.
[grunts]
Ah. Oops.
-[gasps] Trap, you didn't! -Don't worry.
We'll take care of this the Trap way.
Absolutely not.
-We have to tell the king and apologize. -Your hands.
Thousands of years old?
That must be some slow drying paint.
It doesn't make any sense. Check the others.
What's going on?
-Hurry up. The king is waiting. -These antiquities are all fakes.
They were made recently, some are no older than a few days.
-Maybe even newer. -What does it mean?
I'm not sure, but it could mean someone is stealing the vases
-and replacing them. -Should we tell the king?
No, not yet. Not until we have more proof.
Come on, I have something I'd like to show you.
This is the Emerald Chest, my Kingdom's oldest and most valuable heirloom.
It's never been opened,
but its rumored to contain ancient Churantan cheese,
-the rarest in the world. -Magnificent.
-Today, I give it away. -Give it away? To whom?
To the winner of the balloon race. That's the reason I invited you.
I want you to cover the race live
-and broadcast it. -I'd be delighted.
We'll set up a camera on the palace roof, and one at the finish line.
Hey, Geronimo, the only way to cover a balloon race is from the air.
[chuckles] Oh.
This is Counselor Quoc Trung, my trusted advisor.
I am the young king's faithful servant as I was his father's before him.
Trung, please. I keep telling you.
We don't bow anymore. That's old-school.
I beg your pardon, Your Majesty.
It's hard to teach an old mouse new tricks.
Your Majesty, your balloon is ready.
-You are competing in the race? -Of course, I dig flying.
-Don't you? -Oh, uh, well, it depends.
Of course, if I win the race,
I won't keep the Emerald Chest. It will go to the people.
What a great king.
From one aviator to another,
-would you like to see my balloon? -I'd love to.
I'd like to see your ball--
[mumbling]
You run along, we'll get the equipment ready.
[Thea] It's lovely.
Watch out!
Phew.
What was that?
Come on, I smell a rat.
Locked.
Another bit of good luck.
Good luck? You could have been hurt.
True, but I wasn't.
You pushed me in time and I count that as luck.
Earlier, a ceiling tile fell just moments after I left.
Who could be so lucky?
Now, I'm afraid I must go. Catch you after the race.
Wait. I think someone may be trying to hurt you.
[chuckles] That's ridiculous. Why should anyone want to hurt me?
On three.
One, two, three.
[shrieks]
-I'm glad to see you guys, but seriously. -The door was locked.
-What happened? -A can of paint almost fell on the king.
-Someone may be trying to hurt him. -Hmm. I saw ZhangZhi on the scaffolding.
I wonder if he locked us up here, too.
ZhangZhi is the bodyguard. He's supposed to protect him.
-It doesn't make sense. -Maybe it does.
What if he's stealing the antiquities?
He'd get rid of the king so he could take what he wanted.
It's circumstantial, but the evidence suggests it.
We have to warn the king.
Show him this and tell him about ZhangZhi.
We can't let him race. He'll be a sitting duck.
[Geronimo grunts]
Probably a dead battery. I bet Thea left the lights on.
The wires have been cut.
ZhangZhi!
[coughing]
Swallowed my gum.
What is he up to?
[gasps]
Who's there?
[sighs]
[chattering]
-Good of you to invite me. -Glad you came.
-I'm driving the balloon. -No way, I am.
I'm gonna beat the pants off all of you.
Are the competitors ready?
[cheering]
May the best racer win.
Geronimo, the race has started.
-I missed the king. -Where's ZhangZhi?
I saw him opening the safe, but I lost him.
Come get me in the Meta Mouse and we'll go after him.
-I'm afraid that's going to be difficult. -Why?
We're not in the Meta Mouse.
Come on, Trap, hold this thing still.
-I'm trying to shoot the race. -Oh, sure thing, kid.
Show me where the hold still button is.
We're in a balloon. The Meta Mouse was sabotaged.
Someone wants to stop us from witnessing the race.
That means King Mew is in danger.
Don't worry. We'll get to him.
The king's in danger. We've got to go faster.
[all yelling]
Then again, maybe you should worry.
Great Gouda.
[all sigh]
I think I'm getting the hang of this. This rope makes the flame hotter.
This one turns it down. [laughs] It's like flying a barbecue grill.
Great. How do you make it go faster? We've got to catch up to the king.
Trap.
Oh, sorry.
The higher up we go, the stronger the winds.
[Geronimo] Then take her up, carefully.
Here we go.
[all yelling]
Bubble gum?
Great.
[spectators cheering]
-Good news. ZhangZhi isn't with the king. -Good. Where is he then?
The royal helicopter.
Whoa!
[all shriek]
[gasping]
[gasps]
[Geronimo grunting]
Can I get some help?
Thank you so much. That was close, dude.
Again, I'm lucky.
-That's the third time today. -We're not safe yet, look.
-Trap, your bubble gum. -Sorry. Last piece.
-No, the piece you're chewing. -Yuck.
I'm not going to chew it. I'm going to patch the balloon.
Oh.
Give me a leg up.
[grunting]
[whimpering]
[all cheer]
[sighs]
[all yelling]
What now?
-[Thea over speaker] Hang on. -[Geronimo] Thea.
[Thea] I've got you.
[all cheer]
Pretty cool. Thank you for your heroism.
I shall reward you with Whiskiristan's highest honor.
I'm just glad everyone's okay.
Sir, I'm afraid I have bad news.
I believe that someone close to you has betrayed you.
Yeah, ZhangZhi.
ZhangZhi? Impossible. I have known him forever.
-Why would he do such a thing? -For the money.
He's stealing antiquities and replacing them with forgeries.
We don't know for sure it's ZhangZhi, but the evidence points to him.
The Emerald Chest!
-Call the guards! -I don't have guards.
All I've ever needed is ZhangZhi.
Then we've gotta stop him. Come on.
[gasps]
It's gone.
[grunting nearby]
[all] ZhangZhi!
What happened?
Someone hit me, but I didn't see who it was.
I'm sorry, Your Highness. I have failed you.
I knew it couldn't have been you.
What were you doing on the scaffolding?
I saw someone try to drop the can on the king.
I chased him but he got away.
-But I saw you open the safe. -Of course.
How else could I make sure it was securely locked?
There have been thefts lately.
I've been investigating them, but I have not cracked the case yet.
ZhangZhi, we owe you an apology. We jumped to a conclusion,
-and we were wrong. -Wait a minute.
If ZhangZhi isn't the thief, then who is?
Hey, look what I found.
Later, Trap.
Here's another, it's like an Easter egg hunt.
but the eggs are really hard.
Ow! [whines]
And not very tasty.
-Hmm. -Your Majesty, are you all right?
-I heard a noise and-- -I'm fine, Trung.
But there's a thief in our midst.
-A thief and a traitor. -That's horrible.
-Are there any leads? -[Geronimo] Maybe.
Have you been in this throne hall this afternoon?
Of course not. The only reason to come is to attend the king.
Why? Surely you don't suspect me.
Trap, may I see those beads?
[chuckles]
Uh, I was out of gum.
I believe these belong to you.
[gasps]
So, it was you in the helicopter. You're the traitor.
I've devoted my life to serving,
only to see you ruin it with your modern ways.
I deserve to be repaid.
[all yelling]
[grunting]
Got you.
[groans]
I bet we'll find the Emerald Chest here. And some of the stolen antiquities, too.
[citizens cheering]
Look.
The Emerald Chest was awarded to the winner
of Whiskiristan's Millennium Celebration Balloon Race.
The chest is about to be opened for the first time and its contents revealed.
[coughing]
It appears the smell of Churantan cheese may be too potent for modern noses.
As for Counselor Trung,
King Mew decided since he liked new pottery,
he should have plenty of time to make it himself in jail.
And Thea Stilton,
who saved the life of King Mew, was given Whiskiristan's highest honor.
For many generations, the queen
has worn this traditional robe and headdress.
Did you say queen?
But I am a modern king and I say out with the traditional.
In with the modern.
Check this out.
Uh, yeah, thank you so much, but I think I'll pass.
I wish you all the best but good luck and bye-bye.
From Whiskiristan, this is Geronimo Stilton reporting.
-Thanks for bringing that up. -Wow. I can't believe King Mew
gave you his most precious relic. What a great guy.
I can't believe he didn't give me anything.
-After all I did for him. -Like what, Trap?
Uh...
Oh. I almost forgot. He asked me to give this to you.
Oh. [chuckles] The cheese brittle, yum. I love this stuff.
[shrieks]
Thanks.
"Got you. I told you I'd get you back bigtime.
Signed, King Mew."
[all laughing]