At the derby. There was a gold ring that shown the arena. At the ring, there was a lot of people who came to watch the event. There was a total of eight teams that were competing. Anne and Sprig teamed up for this event as well as Priscilla and her daughter Pearl.
"A tail injury?" said Sprig surprised.
"Yep. Don't know how that's gonna help us yet but even when I ran it by Charlie. Not gonna lie, he told me not to hurt Priscilla mostly because she's got a daughter and that I shouldn't use her tail injury to take advantage of anything." explained Anne.
"Speaking of which. How's Charlie? Priscilla kind of scares him, especially how she tongued him, gross." said Sprig shaking a little.
The two turned to see Charlie nearby and he stood outside the ring where he could see them and where they could see him.
"Anne." called Charlie. "Anata o shinrai shite imasu!"
"Nạ̀n pĕn dĕk k̄hxng c̄hạn!" Anne spoke.
Just as Anne was about to move the cart forwards, she stopped and both her and Sprig saw Polly in her bucket but now it had wheels and a small snail was pulling her along. It was just like how when Hop Pop would stir Bessie when they were headed to Newtopia.
"Whoa! Polly." said Anne.
"Guys, meet MicroAngelo, my private chauffeur." said Polly.
The small snail shown a big blue eyed expression towards them and let out a cute chirping sound that almost sounded like a cat's meow. It was adorable from the looks of the little snail.
"Whoa." said Anne and Sprig.
"Well, nice chatting with ya, but I've got more haggling to do." said Polly.
As Polly's snail pulled her away. Both Anne and Sprig took a minute to process what they just saw. They knew Polly might've been too good at haggling but they knew she was just being her usual self which was no harm done.
"Okay, focus. Let's scope out the competish." said Anne looking around.
They turned to see a large male reptilian like male who had glowing red eyes with orange scleras wore some armor while his team mate was a slim male newt who looked a bit scary who had a greenish blue like skin and yellow eyes. The slim male had a mace with spikes in his hands. Anne and Sprig sweated from fear a little while they looked on in dread.
"It's okay, dude. We've got this. Look, even Hop Pop believes in us." said Anne.
The two looked to see Hop Pop was laying down in a massage chair in a nearby shop. He was moaning a bit from relaxation which made the two feel a little grossed out from the sight of it.
"That's weird." said Anne and Sprig.
They heard someone call to them and it was Priscilla and her daughter Pearl. She walked over to stand next to them with a scary grin.
"Ready to lose?" teased Priscilla. "I see boy toy over there is here. He's probably staring at big mama."
Priscilla let out an evil laugh like cackle that almost matched Charlie's madman like cackling laugh. All of the players got ready to go head to head in the derby. Some of them revved up on their carts.
"Players, on your marks...Get ready...Alright, you crazy animals, smash and mash!" the announcer spoke over the microphone.
The players ran straight for each other and while some crashed into each other, many of them didn't fall over yet. Anne was going really fast on her feet as if she was almost as fast as Charlie. She crashed right into two teams like a drag race car and Sprig used his staff to knock them over and sent them flying. Leaving six teams left as she spun around to hit the next team.
Priscilla knocked over three teams. The first she used the powerfully strong arm of hers to toss one over, than she used the cart to knock over another team and Pearl got out her mace to knock down a third team. It was now down to three teams. Anne and Sprig faced the large male green reptilian with armor and the huge male reptilian let out a deep rumbling from his throat and charged at Anne and Sprig with a loud roar.
The slim male reptilian in the cart used his mace to hit their cart but Sprig countered their attack by using his staff to spin around and hit the opposing team which to their surprise, red lightning like electricity hit them, sending them flying away and a gold light flashed afterwards which they saw them land somewhere nearby. Now it looked like there was only two opposing teams left. It was Anne and Sprig against Priscilla and Pearl.
"He's fine." said Anne brushing it off.
"Show em what your made of, Anne!" cheered Charlie.
"This is it, ladies and gentle-newts. Only two carts left." the announcer spoke.
"Sock it to em!" cheered Charlie.
"Sock it to em!" cheered the crowd.
Charlie was surprised he could command even this crowd which he decided to have some fun with it.
"Stick it to the man! What?" said Charlie all fired up.
"Stick it to the man! What?" cheered the crowd.
"Come on, Sprig. We can do this." said Anne feeling confident.
Their confident feeling was short lived when Priscilla crashed into them, sending the two skidding off into the opposite direction. They almost fell over but Anne managed to keep the cart from tipping over. Anne nearly lost control as she crashed a hole through the ring. Priscilla ran right after them. Charlie ran towards them to make sure nothing bad happened to them or to keep an eye on them.
"Looks like this battle is too big for the ring." the announcer said sounding surprised.
Anne and Priscilla were having their carts touching the other, trying to knock the other over but they looked in front of them and saw Polly was reading a manual while still in the bucket she bought. They were wide eyed with panic at the thought of about to run someone over. Polly looked up and saw them coming, screaming in terror while the snail pulling her hid inside it's shell.
"Not the baby!" screamed the four.
Anne used her foot to press on one of the wheels and it the brakes squealed loudly till Anne stomped on the wheels to make the cart popped up into the air, flying over Polly as they made a safe landing. But the danger wasn't over as Priscilla was trying to find a way to slow her cart down so they wouldn't hit Polly but she knew there was only one way to do it.
"Ah! I gotta use my tail. It's the only way to not murder that pollywog!" cried Priscilla.
"But, Mom, your injury!" Pearl reminded.
"Hush. I have no choice." Priscilla argued.
Just as she was wrapping her tail around a nearby pole. A shockwave of pain erupted inside her tail, making her groan in pain but what she saw next was something she only heard about what others talked about. She saw Charlie run passed her at lightning speed and the human male teenager scooped up Polly and MicroAngelo in his big and strong arms but when he turned around, he saw that Priscilla's cart spun around a few times but eventually skidded to a stop while Charlie bowed his head and made a prayer.
"Omo wa watashitachi zen'in o sukutte kudasai." whispered Charlie.
The cart Priscilla used eventually stopped and missed both Charlie, Polly and her snail by a few inches. They opened their eyes and saw they were alive and well.
"I wasn't worried." lied Polly.
"Thank you lord." Charlie uttered.
Charlie placed both Polly and her snail back down and patted Polly on her head. Polly looked on at Charlie and blushed from how heroic his actions looked. Charlie looked to see a panting Priscilla who knelt down on one knee, sweating from the maneuver she pulled. The male human was initially terrified of Priscilla from how sexual her advances were on him but seeing her in this light had him feeling a sense of emotional pain towards her.
"She's not a bad lady. Just a big old softy who can get a little competitive. I got to do something." Charlie thought to himself.
Charlie still had the bag with the golden apple and he was attempting to reach for it.
"Hey, you guys okay?" called Anne.
"Yeah, we're fine." panted Priscilla.
"Okay, good. Now, Sprig!" cried Anne.
Charlie turned to see Anne charge at Priscilla and Sprig swung his staff at them and sent Priscilla, Pearl and their cart flying. Priscilla was caught off guard by this. Sprig's staff snapped in two and both Priscilla and Pearl landed on the ground in the ring but the large female newt held her daughter in her arms to shield her from any hard or painful impact. Anne rolled her cart back into the ring.
"Mop Top wins. Mop Top wins!" cried the announcer.
"Her name is Anne!" cried Charlie.
Everyone started to cheer for Anne and called her by her name thanks to Charlie. Charlie ran over towards Anne's side as the announcer picked up the teapot and the announcer turned out to be the male newt wearing the cowboy hat. He gave Anne the teapot while Charlie was now feeling a mix of emotions. He was glad that Anne won, and that he didn't have to be kissed by Priscilla, but he also felt remorseful towards Priscilla and Pearl. He didn't know which to feel. Anne let out a squeal of excitement.
"My mom is gonna love this." said Anne gladly.
When she turned to see Sprig was disappointed that the staff broke in two pieces. She knew that Sprig wanted to get that for Ivy but the idea was no longer an option.
"Sorry about your staff, dude." Anne apologized.
"It's okay. If it broke this easy, it wasn't good enough for Ivy. At least, that's what I'm telling myself." said Sprig feeling his disappointment fade a little.
"Hey, Mop Top." came Priscilla's voice.
The three turned to face Priscilla who stood in front of them. She looked like she had an intimidating and fearsome look Anne expected some conflicted as she used herself to shield Charlie from her. But Priscilla held her hand out to Anne to shake hands with her. Their expressions changed.
"Congratulations. You won fair and square." said Priscilla softly.
Anne was caught off guard by her reaction but she smiled and took hold of her large and beefy hand to shake.
"Oh, uh, thanks." said Anne relieved.
After they released their hands from each other. Priscilla knew she had to say more and apologize for her actions from earlier.
"Just make sure you take care of that thing, okay? The newt who made it was special. One-of-a-kind." said Priscilla kindly.
Anne and Charlie looked at the teapot and they looked back at the large female newt. They were confused at first but than a light went off in their heads as if they caught onto something.
"One-of-a-kind?" said Anne and Charlie in unison.
A smile formed on Priscilla's face but the smile seemed as though it was a mix of fondness but a hint of sadness.
"Yeah, the kind who encouraged you to follow your dreams, even if they were wacky and dangerous." said Priscilla letting out a brief chuckle. The kind who cut the crust off your sandwiches 'cause she knew you didn't like 'em. That teapot was the last piece of art she ever made. So like I said, take care of it."
There was a silence between them and judging from what Priscilla told them. The teapot being one-of-a-kind, they remembered that the poster they saw at the antique shop said something about the teapot was made by a newt who was a really famous artist. What Priscilla told them about the newt who made that meant that she knew this artist and the the hint of heartache on her face meant something.
"Priscilla, is your last name Paddock?" asked Charlie curiously.
"Yes." answered Priscilla.
"Was the artist your mom by any chance?" asked Anne curiously.
"Penny Paddock?" said Charlie.
"Yeah." answered Priscilla.
They saw that the large female newt looked as though she might shed a tear by the very mentioning of her own mother. The two humans knew that they couldn't take away something that has sentimental value to someone. They knew what they had to do but Charlie also had an idea. He whispered something into Anne's ear and what he whispered left Anne wide eyed with a grin.
"You have one of them on you?" Anne whispered.
Charlie pulled out the bag that he held out and he looked up at Priscilla.
"Priscilla, we got something to say." said Charlie.
Priscilla looked at Charlie with a surprised expression. She saw that Charlie had no fear of her on his face and she saw he had a bag held out.
"I'm sorry your mother is no longer around. I wish I was able to relate somehow but I'm afraid I can't relate. The only way I can relate is the other way around." Charlie spoke to her.
"What you mean by that?" asked Priscilla looking confused.
Charlie sighed before he continued.
"My own father was never there for me. He was a constant no show during my life and I ended up being raised in a house full of eight adult women. My mother, my aunt and six of their closest friends. Not very comforting for you to hear, I know. I never knew what it was like to grow up with a father around but someone here has shown to be more of a dad to me than my real dad ever was. It was a personal issue I struggled with for so long till Anne and the Plantars shown more support to me than my dad ever did. It's thanks to them I got over my daddy issues and Anne ended up being the girl of my dreams, my girl friend in other words." Charlie continued. "But I do know others have different forms of emotional pain, some worse, some minor. But I do know there's something I can do for you and Pearl."
Priscilla was confused and didn't understand what Charlie meant by "doing something for them" but she knew that Charlie was attempting to console her of the sad passing of her loving mother. Charlie reached inside the bag and what Priscilla and Pearl saw made their mouths fall open. They saw Charlie was holding a golden apple.
"Where did you get that?" asked Priscilla.
Charlie managed to toss it up into the air and used his hand to slice it in two but caught it once it made it down to him. He held the golden apple now cut in half. He held out the sliced apple to them.
"Sore o toru." Charlie told them. "It'll do something about your tail and both the scars you both have. I know you're a good newt woman. Good women do anything to make sure their kids live a happy life and they put their kids first, always. You need this more than anyone."
To the large female newt. This was like seeing God come down to earth to heal her and her daughter of any afflictions they might be suffering from. Pearl nodded to her mother and Priscilla took the sliced apple and gave the other half to her daughter. The two popped the apple slices into their mouths, chewing on it a little bit which was a very juicy apple. Once they swallowed the bites down was when they felt their bodies tingling and growing warmth all over.
They felt no pain but only bliss, it was like they felt weightless. Their scars all over their bodies were disappearing like they were non permanent ink that could be easily washed off with soap and warm water. Priscilla's tail suddenly shown that the injury was rapidly disappearing and any part of her tail that appeared to be missing was regenerated instantly. Their scars glowed a gold light and when they stopped glowing, their scars shown to have disappeared completely as if their scars never happened. Priscilla lifted her tail up and unwrapped the bandages around her tail and she saw there was no signs of injury to her tail, it was as if the injury was never there. The two of them felt no pain, their scars completely gone, any injuries or wounds they had were completely gone. The two looked at Charlie as if too stunned to speak.
"Soshite sore wa kami to tomoni iku." said Charlie softly.
A big smile formed on Priscilla's face and she grabbed hold of Charlie to pull him in for a hug. Priscilla let out a squeal as she hugged Charlie, jumping for joy.
"You have no idea how happy this has made us." said Priscilla happily.
Charlie chuckled and smiled as he knew he did the right thing for them. Priscilla started to kiss him on his cheeks over and over which her lips were soft but her lips were also really massive for their size. But when the large female newt stopped and realized she was kissing him, and that Pearl was right about Anne and Charlie being boyfriend and girl friend, not cousins or siblings. She gave a nervous grin and set Charlie back on his feet.
"I have to say something. About how I acted earlier. I know competition brings out the worst in people and I came off as intimidating, fearsome, scary if you will. Pearl told me that I shouldn't be entering in the derby not just because of the injury to my tail but she did tell me that I frightened you boy to death and I shouldn't have tongued him. I know I look big, tall, and scary from how muscular and buff I look and that I look like I could put five guys in a headlock with one arm. But how I acted before was wrong and how I was towards your boy was worse. I wouldn't have made that bet if I'd known you two were boyfriend and girl friend. My mom taught me never to steal from people, including never steal another woman's man. I actually thought you two were siblings or cousins at first but seeing that you two are boyfriend and girl friend, I'd like to say I'm sorry for how I was earlier towards you two. If I had known, I would've never made that bet at all. I don't steal another woman's man." Priscilla apologized. "Which is why I'm calling off the bet."
The look on Priscilla's face proved to Anne, Charlie and Sprig that she really was remorseful of her actions, especially for her inappropriately sexual behavior towards Charlie. What she told them not only was a relief, Charlie was afraid of getting possibly raped by her but seeing she's just a big old softy and that she's been taught never to steal a man from another woman or to never steal period, proved she is a good newt woman.
"I will admit. I do like smaller males, well, ones who are shorter than me that is. But I don't go after them if they're already in a relationship. I only go for them if they're single and looking. But I do know that I'll find the right guy someday. After all, I have been in the dating game before." Priscilla admitted.
"I believe it. I've known a few guys who like women like you. Tall, well built, strong enough to possibly punch a hole in the wall who are really big softies. Well, there's at least one person I know whose like that." Charlie reassured.
As Priscilla felt better in hearing how forgiving the two are after she apologized to them for her behavior from earlier. Charlie looked at Anne and whispered something in her ear once more, he whispered two things to her and once he stopped. Anne looked at him and nodded with a grin.
"Priscilla, I know me and Anne are together, but I do know that maybe your curious about something and I believe that you should know if what your wanting to know would mean anything." said Charlie.
Before Priscilla could say another word to ask what he meant. She saw Charlie come over to her and jump up. She caught him in her arms and she was met with a kiss to her lips. She wide eyed at this and suddenly knew what he meant. She saw Anne nod and she smiled as the large female newt kissed Charlie back, both of them held the kiss there for a while and eventually pulled each other's lips off in a pop. She set him down on his feet and blushed with a grin.
"I'll admit, the kiss was enjoyable. But don't take this the wrong way or anything but there was no fireworks. Maybe that means I should still keep looking for the right guy." said Priscilla chuckling. "But I'm glad I know that I should still keep looking for the right guy and I'm glad you two will be together."
"Never give up. Also, we know there's something else we should do for you and it's something we believe your mother would want." said Charlie.
"You know, I was gonna give this to my mom when I got home, but I think she'd want you to have it." said Anne.
Priscilla was showing an expression that was not just surprised but the two human teenagers saw she was showing emotions that shown she really is a woman of many emotions. She was wide eyed at this and didn't know if what she was doing was right at first.
"No, I couldn't." Priscilla denied at first.
"Please, we insist." said Anne holding out the teapot for them.
Priscilla was at first in denial. She knew that this was her mother's last piece of art she made. She couldn't believe that the winner of the derby was giving it to her. She smiled and reached out to take it, took hold of it and carried it in her hands. She looked like she could cry out of joy.
"Thank you. This means so much to us. You're not half bad, Mop Top and little man." Priscilla told them.
"Anne. My name's Anne. And this is Charlie." said Anne.
Pearl popped out from behind her mother's head and almost startled Anne a little.
"Thank you for being so generous. And sorry I startled you." said Pearl feeling grateful.
Pearl reached to take off what looked like a blue butterfly trinket that she had on her shirt. She held it out to Anne.
"Here. I'd be honored if you gave it to your mom. I'm no famous artist, but I made it myself and it's one-of-a-kind." said Pearl giving her the trinket.
Anne took the butterfly trinket and she was feeling tears welling up in her eyes and Charlie fought really hard not to get emotional but he shed a tear as well.
"Thank you. It's perfect." said Anne shakily.
Anne, Charlie, Pearl and Priscilla gathered around to hug each other in a group hug. They hugged it out while Pearl patted Anne on her head. Charlie finally broke down and let out a heavy sigh, shedding a few tears which the three girl saw he was getting emotional and they encouraged him to let it out.
"Let it out, little man. Let it out." Priscilla encouraged.
Charlie shed a few more tears and managed to let out what he could. He didn't go straight out bawling but he shed a few tears while breathing in and out to let it out. He managed to stop afterwards as he felt better doing so. After they felt better and released their arms from each other. Priscilla planted a kiss to both Anne and Charlie's foreheads and cheeks but only to show affection to prove that she really is a good newt woman like Charlie said she is.
"Don't be a stranger, kids." said Priscilla.
"Bye guys, and thanks for everything." said Pearl.
They waved good bye to each other as both Priscilla and Pearl walked off with the teapot that Anne gave to them. The two humans looked behind them and saw both Sprig, Polly and the snail that she had with her.
"Well, now that that's over, you guys seen Hop Pop?" asked Polly curiously.
"Wasn't he with you?" asked Charlie.
"Oh, heya, kids. Yoo-hoo!" called Hop Pop.
The kids turned to see the old male frog was standing near the shop they saw him in while two male adult newts carried the seat he was sitting on into a box with the words "Ship to Wartwood" on the box in red paint. The kids walked over to him and were surprised to see that he bought a massage chair.
"Eh, just packing a small souvenir, uh, then we can head out." Hop Pop told them.
"Whoa. You got that for two coppers?" said Anne wide eyed.
"I sure did." chuckled Hop Pop with a nervous expression. "Amazing what you can get for two coppers these days."
The kids were looking at him as if they could tell he was lying and he broke down and confessed the whole thing.
"Okay, fine. I used the credit card! I'm so ashamed." said Hop Pop admitting the truth.
"I kind of had a feeling." said Charlie with a sympathetic face.
"But if you could just feel this thing, kids. It's heaven on your rump. Nirvana on your tush. Bliss on your buttocks." Hop Pop explained.
"We got it." said the kids in unison.
They all suddenly heard a loud audible flatulence sound and it was a loud one. They all blushed and suddenly laughed.
"Was that you, Hop Pop?" laughed Sprig.
"That wasn't Hop Pop." laughed Charlie.
Later That Night
They were back at the hotel and it was dark outside. Everyone but Charlie and Anne were asleep. Anne and Charlie were sitting outside on the balcony of their hotel room.
"So what was kissing Priscilla like?" asked Anne hesitantly.
"It was like being smooched by a girl who was fifty foot tall because her lips were so big. But as she said, sure, a kiss is enjoyable but with her, there was no fireworks. But everytime we kiss, I feel the fireworks going off like the fourth of July." Charlie explained. "But the only girl that keeps my world spinning, the only girl I want is you."
Anne hugged Charlie and kissed his cheek, making him smile and blush.
"I'm glad you given them that golden apple to heal them. That was really sweet." said Anne.
"I'm glad you gave them that teapot. That probably out did my good deed though." said Charlie. "Do you miss your mom since we've both got transported here?"
"I do. So much." Anne told him with her smile fading. "Do you miss your mom?"
"I miss my mom, my aunt and the ladies of the house. Despite my past failures, they've been quite the impact on me. The thing about my family back at home is that no matter what sort of bad thing I went through or that has happened to me. They never gave up on me and they've always been there for me, just like you, Sprig, Polly and Hop Pop." said Charlie feeling sentimental.
The two fell silent and Anne was looking at the butterfly trinket Pearl has given her. She knew her mother will love it when she gets home.
"Hey guys, got a minute?" came Sprig's voice.
The two turned to see Sprig standing at the entrance of the balcony. Charlie motioned his head for him to come over and he did. Sprig stood next to them as he looked at Anne.
"It's so pretty. I'm sure your mom's gonna love it." said Sprig.
"Hmm. Yeah." said Anne not paying attention.
Sprig started to look as though he was feeling depressed and needed to get his mind off what ever was bothering him and he only knew one thing that could work. Talking.
"What's she like?" asked Sprig curiously. "Your mom, I mean. From both of you really."
"My mom, she's a sweet woman, kind, she's quite a strong woman. She loved rock and roll music, had a thing for watching stand up comedians perform on television, but if anything bad happened to me or was about to happen to me, she'd freak out or nearly kick the offender's hineys, and when ever the rest of the ladies found out, they're all in mama bear mode. She always loves to laugh, she always said how the world loves to laugh. The one thing she's known for is no matter what the situation that comes up, she manages to say something funny about it like quoting some funny line from a movie." Charlie explained. "What about you, Anne?"
"My mom?" said Anne at first. "Um, kind... in her own way. But strict too. She wanted me to study more. Thought I goofed off too much. We didn't always see eye to eye. She annoyed me sometimes too. Like, in the kitchen, she'd always sing these goofy Thai love songs, and, man, was her singing bad. Woof! That woman was beyond tone-deaf."
Anne started to tear up at the mentioning of her mother and Charlie and Sprig both could see that. Charlie shed a tear as well as if he could feel or sense her pain.
"You know, the funny thing is, right now I would give anything just to hear her singing." said Anne with a sniffle.
Anne had seen she was getting teary eyed and wiped the tears away. She tried to appear less emotional.
"Whoa! Sorry, sorry. I just, uh, need a moment." said Anne.
"Want me to give you a minute alone?" asked Charlie.
"Actually, no, I want you to stay with us. Especially after the day we've all had." Anne advised.
She went to sit down on the nearby patio seat. Charlie sat next to her and Sprig sat on a nearby cushion like seat as he tried to show his support like Charlie.
"It's cool you two know your moms, though. Mine passed away when me and Polly were really young." Sprig said sadly.
The two humans looked at Sprig, feeling some sorrow. They had no idea that Sprig and Polly's mother had been deceased for a while. How long Mrs. Plantar had been dead, they had no idea but they could guess from what Sprig said, when they were really little. Possibly toddler age or when they were babies.
"Nanite kotoda." said Charlie shedding a tear.
Sprig was playing with the furry ball end of his night cap as he continued.
"I don't even remember what she looked like really. Much less the sound of her voice." Sprig continued looking depressed. "You know, I've always wondered...can you miss someone you never actually knew? That's silly. I mean, of course you can't."
Without warning, Anne rushed over to Sprig and hugged him and so did Charlie. Anne hugged him from the right side while Charlie hugged him from the left side. The three felt their emotions welling up to the point of tears. The three silently began to cry from talking about their mothers. Anne may not have seen eye to eye with her mother but she loves her mother regardless. Charlie loves his mother since she's always been there for him, just like his aunt and the other women of the house. But hearing that Sprig had a mother who passed on when him and Polly were so young and he didn't know if you can miss someone you never met or were not old enough to remember or to remember anything about his own mother was probably the saddest thing the three of them ever knew.