Mia sat cross-legged on the living room floor, the chessboard spread out before her. Across from her, Blackie sat with a regal air, wearing a tiny pair of glasses perched on his nose and sipping from a tiny cup of coffee.

"Your move, Blackie," Mia said, tapping the board.

Blackie adjusted his glasses and took a dainty sip of coffee before swatting a pawn with his paw, knocking it over. "Really, Mia, this game is beneath my intellectual prowess," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mia giggled. "That's not how you play, silly."

Blackie gave her a look that clearly said, "I don't care about your human games," but Mia was determined.

"Okay, I'll move for you," she said, carefully sliding a knight into position. "See? Now you're winning."

Blackie yawned and stretched. "Winning? Against you? That's hardly an achievement."

Mia made her next move, then looked expectantly at her feline opponent. "Come on, Blackie, show me what you've got!"

Blackie stared at the board for a moment, then, in a dramatic flourish, leaped onto the chessboard, sending pieces flying in all directions.

"Hey!" Mia exclaimed, laughing. "That's cheating!"

Blackie sauntered off the board, clearly satisfied with his destruction, and began grooming himself nonchalantly. "I prefer to think of it as innovative strategy."

Just then, Jay walked in, saw the chaos, and chuckled. "What's going on here?"

Mia pointed at Blackie. "He cheated!"

Jay raised an eyebrow at Blackie, who paused his grooming just long enough to give an innocent, wide-eyed look. "Did he now?" Jay said, trying to keep a straight face. "Well, you know, Mia, cats aren't exactly known for their chess etiquette."

Mia crossed her arms, pouting. "I just wanted to play a game with him."

Jay ruffled Mia's hair affectionately. "Tell you what, how about we play a game together? And maybe Blackie can be our referee."

Mia brightened at the idea. "Okay!"

They set the chessboard back up, and Jay took a seat next to Mia. Blackie, now perched on the windowsill, watched them with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "If you must know, the only game worth my time is one where I am the undeniable victor," he declared, sipping his coffee.

As they played, Mia couldn't help but keep an eye on Blackie, who occasionally flicked his tail or yawned dramatically, as if to remind them that he was still the star of the show.

Jay moved his queen, trapping Mia's king. "Checkmate," he said with a grin.

Mia sighed, then looked over at Blackie. "You see, Blackie? That's how you play!"

Blackie responded by turning his back on them and curling up for a nap. "Please, wake me when you decide to play something less pedestrian."

Jay laughed. "I think he's had enough chess for one day."

Mia giggled. "Yeah, but I bet he'd be great at checkers."

Blackie, eyes half-closed, muttered, "I would decimate you at checkers."

Jay shook his head. "I wouldn't count on it."

They both laughed and started cleaning up the chess pieces, while Blackie snoozed peacefully, content in his victory of chaos.

A few minutes later, Mia stood up from her game with Jay and Blackie, her curiosity piqued. "I'm going to find Kai," she announced, skipping off to the kitchen.

When she entered, she was met with the delicious aroma of something sweet baking. Cole was at the counter, busy mixing ingredients in a large bowl.

"Hi, Cole!" Mia greeted cheerfully. "What are you baking?"

"Hey, Mia! I'm making a cake," Cole replied, giving her a warm smile. "What’s up?"

"Have you seen Kai? I need to talk to him," Mia asked, glancing around the kitchen.

"Oh, he's hiking at Mount Vernon," Cole said casually, focusing on his batter.

Mia nodded, about to turn away, but then stopped in her tracks. "Wait, Mount Vernon?!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.

Cole continued stirring, not catching her alarm at first. "Yeah, Mount Vernon. Why—" He paused, realization dawning on him as he looked up at Mia's shocked expression. "Oh, no... Mount Vernon? That's not good, is it?"

Mia shook her head vigorously. "No, it’s not good at all! That's where the last mission went wrong, and it’s dangerous!"

Cole's face paled. "Oh, man. We need to get him back. Right now."

Mia nodded, determination etched on her face. "We need to hurry! Jay! Come on, we have to find Kai!" she called out, running back to the living room.

Jay looked up, surprised. "What’s going on?"

"Kai's at Mount Vernon! We have to go get him!" Mia explained breathlessly.

Jay jumped up immediately. "Alright, let's move. Cole, keep an eye on the cake!"

Cole nodded, quickly removing his apron. "Be careful, you two!"

As they sprinted out of the house, Blackie hopped into Mia's bag, peeking his head out and making himself comfortable. "You know, Mia," Blackie began, filing his nails with a tiny emery board he had somehow acquired, "I had quite the conversation with Kai earlier."

Mia, already panting from the run, glanced down at him. "Oh? What did you two talk about?"

Blackie smirked. "Your brother-in-law has serious sass. He was talking about how to properly wrap presents and made it sound like a life-or-death situation. Honestly, he's so hot."

Mia nearly tripped over her own feet. "Blackie! That's... that's not appropriate!"

Blackie shrugged nonchalantly. "Why don't you marry him then? If he's not your brother-in-law yet, he could be."

Mia's face turned bright red as she hurried on. "Blackie, focus! We need to get to Kai, not discuss my love life!"

Blackie rolled his eyes, still filing his nails. "Just saying. But alright, I'll save the matchmaking for later. Let’s focus on saving your future husband from Mount Vernon."

"Blackie!" Mia exclaimed, half exasperated and half amused. Despite the situation, she couldn't help but laugh a little at her sassy, ever-irreverent cat.

Just then, Nelson came biking up to them. His expression turned concerned as he caught Mia's attention.

"Hey, Mia," Nelson greeted breathlessly, glancing between Mia and Blackie. "I have to give Wu this newspaper. But where are you and Jay off to in such a hurry?"

Mia paused, momentarily thrown off by Nelson's unexpected appearance. She quickly composed herself, a mix of relief and excitement flooding her face. "Nelson! We're heading to Mount Vernon. Kai's there and we think he might be in trouble."

Nelson's brow furrowed with worry. "Mount Vernon? That's not good. I'll come with you."

Mia nodded eagerly, grateful for his support. "Thanks, Nelson. Let's go!"

Together, Mia, Nelson, and the ever-sassy Blackie continued their journey, now with Nelson joining them to help find Kai and ensure everything was alright at Mount Vernon.

As they hurried towards Mount Vernon, Mia, Nelson, and Blackie continued to move swiftly, but Jay was lagging behind, struggling to keep up with their pace. Mia glanced back and noticed Jay falling behind.

"Come on, Jay, keep up! We need you here," Mia called out, urging him to move faster.

Suddenly, Nelson pointed ahead and exclaimed, "Mia?! Is that your car?"

Mia followed Nelson's gaze, only to see Cole's car speeding off in the distance. Her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, that's not my car. That's Cole's car!"

Nelson frowned, a mix of confusion and concern on his face. "So, that means... Kai took Cole's car?"

Mia nodded quickly. "Yes, exactly! Cole's car, not mine."

Nelson shook his head with a small chuckle. "Well, that clears that up. Let's keep going. We need to find Kai."

Mia reached her arm out and grasped Jay's.

" We have to hurry," she said as she looked up at the peak. " The wind's telling me it's gonna pick up."

" How can you tell?" Nelson asked.

Mia gave him a look as she levitated something . " Really?"

" Oh yeah."

As they ascended further towards Mount Vernon, Mia's prediction about the wind proved accurate. Soon, it began to pick up, whipping around them with increasing intensity. Jay held onto Mia's arm tightly, trying to keep pace with her and Nelson.

"We have to hurry," Mia urged, her voice barely audible over the growing roar of the wind. She looked up at the peak of Mount Vernon, where dark clouds were gathering ominously.

"How can you tell?" Nelson shouted over the gusts of wind, struggling to maintain his balance.

Mia shot him a pointed look as she levitated a small rock beside her. "Really?"

Nelson nodded sheepishly, realizing the foolishness of his question amidst Mia's elemental prowess. "Oh, yeah. Point taken."

The wind intensified further, becoming bitterly cold. Nelson quickly assessed the situation and decided to use his deception powers. With a deep breath, he concentrated, transforming himself into a large polar bear. The transformation was swift and effective, the polar bear's thick fur providing insulation against the biting wind.

"There," Nelson's voice now deeper and gruffer, resonated from the bear form. "This should keep us warm. Let's keep moving."

Mia nodded appreciatively, her respect for Nelson's abilities growing ( not thaf there was a time where she didn't like it).
Then, a muffled voice came from her pack.

" Go straight ten steps." It commanded. " Then turn right. Kai should be there."

" Thank you, your highness." Mia said, conveying the message to the others.

With Nelson leading the way as a polar bear, Mia followed the instructions from Blackie's voice coming from her pack. She counted out ten steps straight ahead, then turned right as instructed. As they rounded the corner, they found Kai, not in distress, but busy picking berries along the trail.

"Kai!" Mia called out, relieved to see him safe. "What are you doing here?"

Kai looked up, surprised to see Mia, Nelson, and Jay (with Nelson still in polar bear form). "Oh, hey guys! I'm just picking berries for Cole. He wanted some for his baking later."

Nelson reverted to his human form, chuckling softly. "You had us worried there, Kai. Mia thought something happened to you."

Kai grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. I should have left a note or something. But hey, at least I found some great berries!"

Mia sighed in relief, smiling at her brother. "Well, next time, leave a note. We were all rushing to find you."

Jay nodded, adding with a hint of annoyance, "Yeah, we were all concerned. You can't just disappear like that, Kai."

Kai nodded apologetically. "I know, I know. I'll be more careful next time. Thanks for coming to find me, though. And thanks for the berries, Mia."

Mia chuckled, glad to see everything was okay. "You're welcome, Kai. Let's head back now. Cole's probably wondering where his berries are."