AN: A good start so far! Thank you to MasterClass60, Mover18, TheWriterOnTheMoon21, xjesterkingx and Gogotomago99 for following this story! Now let's explore TrollsTopia a little! And thanks to Mover18 and I. M. Rally for reviewing the first part.
Here, we have a little bit of a tour around TrollsTopia. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Songs Included
[1] Smile (Instrumental) - Katy Perry
[2] Uma Thurman - Fall Out Boy (0:13 - 1:17)
[3] Funk (Instrumental) - Meghan Trainor (0:09 - 1:11)
[4] Just A Cloud - Lusine
[5] Good Doggie, No Bone (Fox and the Hound 2 Cover) - Grace Taylor (1:04 - 2:00)
'Birds of a Feather' Part 2 - I Can Show You The World
After Branch offered to keep Jazzy's and Finn's belongings in a safe spot for the time being, the two Trolls followed Poppy as they walked through the bright and lively town of TrollsTopia. Charleston joined along them so that Jazzy wouldn't feel uncomfortable on her own. [1]
Poppy was humming a cheerful melody to herself, enjoying the different mixture of Trolls around her. It was still a messy sea of colors and sparkles since there were different types of Trolls, but she loved seeing how everyone found a way to settle in this place. It was still a little tense since some of the tribes were wary of the Pop Trolls, but so far, nothing too drastic.
Jazzy took the chance to look around at the new place. It was weird to see all six tribes living in harmony, but she had to admit that Poppy (kind of) did a good job bringing them together. It wasn't so stable and fancy, but it was real and good enough. To be honest, Jazzy felt a little lightheaded seeing so many Trolls. 'Organized chaos' was one thing she cannot handle all the time.
On the other hand, Finn didn't appear to like being in TrollsTopia. Too loud, too flashy, too energetic, too…much. Every time Poppy stopped to show them an attraction, Finn only saw it as a dull disgrace. He grumbled the whole time, covering his face with his bandanna whenever he felt embarrassed.
"OK," said Branch to Poppy. "Just to let you know that they appear to be very critical Trolls, so with what you want to show them, please be careful."
"Don't worry, Brancifier," said Poppy. "I'll just show them some slight goodness of 'cupcakes and rainbows' around here. Besides, we are going to look through all six locations."
"You got to please them a little," pointed out Charleston. "Jazzy would want to see how this place accepts all music. And that Electro Ray gentleman is pretty…edgy."
"Whatever he wants to be called," said Branch. "If you're going to try to give them the cupcake like last time, this time, I'm not going to back you up."
Poppy chuckled nervously. "Don't worry. I got it handled."
"I'm getting bored already," complained Jazzy.
"Calm down, Miss Patience," said Charleston. "Let the Queen think for a while."
"I know the first place to show you how Pop Village is like," said Poppy.
So, the first place they decided to go to is an ice cream store. This was where Poppy held the ice cream banquet for the ambassadors months ago. Finn found himself in front of a large sundae piled with blue moon ice cream, fish decorations, white chocolate drizzles and a cherry on top.
"Bon appetite!" said Poppy.
Finn felt his stomach grumbling. He wanted to eat, but…the sundae didn't look like his thing.
"Really?" he said. "You think you can just bribe me to this without asking me what flavors I want?"
"You got to try something new! Now enjoy! If you don't like it, then you can have a jar of gummy bears just next to you."
The Trap Troll eyed the jar of rainbow-colored gummies just next to him. He huffed and crossed his arms.
"Whatever," he grumbled.
Poppy was a little disappointed by this response, but decided to focus on Jazzy. The Chess Master was staring at something that was covered by a silver cover.
"So what am I having?" asked Jazzy.
Poppy smiled. "Well, for you, Miss Jazzy, I present you…the Red Velvet!"
Lifting the silver cover, there lied a red sundae. Red velvet ice cream tipped with white chocolate sauce, red sprinkles and several cherries. There was even a fancy decoration on top which contained many swirly arcs connecting to each other.
Jazzy blinks. "Uh…yawn."
"What?!" said Poppy.
Branch nodded to himself. "Sounds about right."
"Sorry, but it's doesn't look that much fun," said Jazzy.
"But don't you like the fancy toppings to this dessert?"
"Yeah…but if you want to impress me, try knowing what really excites me. But…if the taste…"
She scooped a tiny part of the sundae and placed the spoon inside her mouth…only to spit it out.
"ARGH!" she screamed. "This is so sweet! So sweet!"
Poppy giggled sheepishly. "Oh. Forgot to tell you that we use a LOT of sugar for food."
Branch gave her a look. "And you forgotten to balance the Pop Trolls' diet."
"I can taste SUGAR CUBES in my tongue," groaned Jazzy, taking a sip of water. "Remind me again, why do you Pop Trolls like to eat a LOT of sugar?"
"Number one," said Branch. "Pop Trolls are sugar-resilient; they can take massive amounts of sugar. And number two, we've grown to eat it for all meals of the day."
"That sounds like a lot. But it can lead to a sugar rush. Not to mention that eating too much sugar can cause excessive energy and lead to unnecessary obesity and morbidity."
"Yeah," said Poppy. "Sorry about that."
"I-It's cool," said Jazzy hastily. "Hear me on this. It's not bad, but maybe please don't add in too much sugar. I'm not talking about becoming a stonker, but excessive consumption of sugar can be unhealthy for the other tribes."
"OK then. I'll keep that in mind."
There was a loud burp from the other side of the table. The three turned their heads to see Finn. The Trap Troll just got back to his seat, quickly wiping his mouth with a napkin. Strangely, the gummy bear jar was…empty. And the sundae was replaced with a dark chocolate and vanilla sundae, but yet the same cup.
"Eh…what happened to the gummy bears?" asked Poppy.
"And how come your sundae looks different?" asked Branch.
Finn tried to play dumb. "Uh…magic?"
Poppy shrugged. "OK then."
Jazzy rubbed her face. Of course, Finn would raid the entire gummy bear jar and the sundae. Most Pop treats are so irresistible, so that Troll would start craving for those candies and sweets. And he probably took himself a second. Confirming her suspicion, Finn let out a burp, covering his mouth.
"This can't get that bad," thought the Chess Master. "Can it?"
Within moments, she found herself right in front of a flower…that spat out glitter all over her face. Turned out, Poppy decided to take them over to the glitter runes to experiment if Jazzy and Finn can be sweet and bubbly. It would have been a good idea if they were willing to go messy. Jazzy placed on a very unimpressed look.
Poppy chuckled. "You see, us Pop Trolls love glitter and what is Pop Village without all the glitter we need?"
"To waste such precious material?" said Jazzy, wiping her face in disgust.
"If it's shiny, then we can play with it. We use it for clothes, jobs hairspray and even scientific research. It is the most important resource in our lives."
Charleston was stupefied. "But…glitter is just glitter. I mean, shouldn't it be saved for more special occasions than just lifestyle activities?"
"Like what?" said Branch.
"Hear me on this," said Jazzy. "We more like to use glitter on dresses and outfits. For glamor events or parties. We don't use it on a daily occasion since it can get messy all around. We Swing Trolls don't use them 24/7."
Poppy raised an eyebrow. She didn't know that since she has seen glitter all around the Troll Kingdom. However, she never asked about how they use glitter and other resources. It just seemed to her that they use them a lot since it is a tradition known. Mostly for her tribe.
"Wait a minute," said Branch, looking around. "Where is Electro Ray?"
"I'm right here," said a muffled voice.
The ground looked behind to see that Finn had already been beaten by a falling dump of glitter. It covered his entire body that it nearly make him look like a snowman. He blinks a few times to reveal his electric turquoise eyes, glowing as a sign of wanting to get out.
"Oh crud," said Branch.
"Almost forgot!" said Poppy.
As the two Pop leaders ran off to Finn, Jazzy sighed as she brushes some glitter off her shoulder. It was a surprise of how freely glitter was used. She might have to get used to it, but she couldn't bear the thought of wearing glittery clothes that lose particles of glitter every 5 minutes.
"A place filled with scrapbook things, huh?" muttered Jazzy.
Charleston nodded before feeling her stomach growl. "Urgh. What time is it now? I didn't eat anything so far."
"I thought you were going to take the ice cream."
"I chose not." And that was when Charleston spotted a hard ball made from glitter. "Ooh! What's this?"
Jazzy's eyes widened as she realized what that means.
"Oh, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!" shouted Jazzy.
But Charleston already placed the glitter ball right inside her mouth…and expectedly, she started choking on it.
Meanwhile, Poppy and Branch finally pull Finn out of the glitter dune. The Trap Troll groaned as he shook his body, getting rid of all the glitter off. He rubbed his vest too many times as he spun around to check if every speck of glitter is gone.
"Not much of a glitter fan I'm guessing?" said Branch.
"Just why do you have to live like this? Crikey. This isn't some kind of walk to a kiddy park."
"But glitter is awesome!" said Poppy. "Don't you think?"
"No. It's still messy, too much. Supposed to be in one color, but there are too many particles that I cannot see a clear and smooth texture to them. Like a fried computer screen."
"Then what do you prefer?" asked Branch.
Finn shrugged. "Like, eh, neon stripes?"
He stroke his tail fins to show the neon stripes that decorated the fins. Playing a little, he let his neon stripes flash.
"Ohh," said Poppy. "I see. Like the other Techno Trolls."
Finn nodded, rubbing his forehead. "Fair dinkum. Yeah…"
"You like pixels?"
"It depends on the size of the pattern. I-I don't like small pixels."
"We see there," said Branch.
"And do you like rainbow colors?" asked Poppy.
"What?" said Finn, raising an eyebrow. "No. I just like neon colors. I just…think neon colors are nice. The ones that are on my tail fins. It's…not that much, right?"
CLONK! [1s]
A stray glitter ball went crashing into his head and he tipped over like a statue. He hadn't registered the bump as it just happened too unexpected. The glitter ball landed right in front of his eyes, losing some of its clumps. He could only move his eyes to see who threw that ball at his head.
Jazzy rubbed Charleston on her back as the brown Trolls wheezed and coughed out glitter.
Finn growled, narrowing his eyes.
"Let's not come back to here anymore," said Jazzy. "Can we go somewhere else?"
"Oh! That reminds me!" said Poppy. "Let me show you the rest of TrollsTopia!"
Jazzy had to hold onto her cane as she nervously watched the chaos unfolding in front of her. [2]
The Chess Master should have been braver, but she was nervous when near the Rock Trolls. The rowdiest of all the Trolls. Despite the polite manners towards others going on in Rock Hallow, it was really loud and destructive. There was a lot of guitar smashing and food being thrown everywhere in an impromptu food fight.
No wonder why Charleston didn't want to go near the Rock Trolls. Poor girl quietly snuck away while Poppy and Branch decided to chase after her. Charleston wasn't acting silly; she just didn't like being around the Rock Trolls.
Finn wasn't taking this as well as Jazzy. He held onto his ears, wincing at the noises happening all around him. The loud screaming of other Rock Trolls, the smashing of several objects and the SCREECHING of guitar strings that didn't sound harmonious in any way. Nearly like nails being scratched on metal. He wondered where that was coming from, but he chose not to say anything.
Val smirked as she showed the two Trolls around. She had others things to do if Poppy didn't budge in, but she was always glad to help new Trolls look around the Rock Village. Pride could be a temptation at times. This was a good opportunity to show those two newcomers what Hard Rock Music is.
"You see here, kids," said Val, spreading her arm around the energized town. "We Rockers love to rock. We don't take crap that is boring. You see, nothing gets boring around here. This is where you can let it all out."
"Let it all out," said Finn, quickly ducking from an incoming guitar. "Bloody smashing."
Jazzy nodded, blowing out a breath. She tried to distract herself by thinking about work. But her thought bubble got blown when she heard a nearby literal explosion. Good thing that it was from cupcakes in which she would never know how they managed to make it explode and still edible to eat. But dear lord. How could she live in a town that never freaking sleeps?
Both Jazzy and Finn exchanged a glance with each other. While they still felt tension between them, they could only agree that they didn't really like Rock Hollow that much. When Val took them to the main stage, they felt relieved that at least they can be away from the loud society.
They were led to an underground cave-like area which has a large stage. There was a gigantic rock sculpture of a hand doing the Metal hand gesture. Several speakers lied around the area. The whole stage was covered in red and purple spotlights. On the stage, there was a large pile of speakers already set up with a single microphone and an electric guitar nearby.
"So is this where the main show occurs?" asked Jazzy.
"Yep!" said Val as she jumped onto the stage. "Let me show you how it's done!"
The Rock Ambassador wasted no time as she hopped onto the stage.
Finn got a little worried, turning to Jazzy. "You don't think this will bad, do you?"
"S-Shut it," said Jazzy, adjusting her hat. "Just watch and listen." [2s]
Val rolled her shoulders and lifted her guitar.
"1-2-3-4!"
It was nearly without warning, but Val rapidly shredded like a guitar like it was on fire. The loud ear-piercing guitar riffs went blasting through her speakers, blowing a sound wave all across the arena. Anything that wasn't tied down to the ground went flying all over and nearly through the entrance. The loud music was enough to shake the ground and believe me, it alerted the whole of Rock Hallow.
Jazzy gasped when she felt the music blasting into her face. She had to hold onto her hat as the Rock-created wind blow around her. Hot air swarm around her and she could feel the energy of the guitar. The passion. The energetic sensation. The FURY. The thing that made Rock music rock! She wasn't one for Rock Music, but she was impressed again of how effective Val's speakers worked.
Finn wasn't lucky. He got thrown back by the force of the speakers. At first, he tried to defend himself by crossing his arms over his face, only for his whole body to slam against the wall. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get out of this, he held onto the wall for his dear life, shouting at Val to stop.
He never felt THIS horrified before. He thought he had become numb, but…it brought back bad memories of the World Tour.
Seeing the Rock Trolls invading his home.
Taking everybody, including him.
Being one of the victims to be pushed around like a toy in the cage.
Worse, he had to watch Trollex – his king and while unwittingly his friend – get shot at and nearly lost the identity of the Techno King.
It became too much for Finn as he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
Finally, Val stopped and smashed the guitar to the ground. That left a high-pitched ringing through the speakers.
With Finn not pressed against the wall anymore, he held onto his twitching ear fins, hissing at the sound. It hurt his ear drums.
Jazzy was unaffected, albeit a little roughed up. Her hair had gone all messy as all the strings were poking everywhere from her braid ponytail. Her vest was wrinkled, but she would fix that later. The Chess Master nearly looked like she just jumped out of an airplane. However, her attention drew to Finn whimpering in pain as he tried to block out the ringing noise.
For a moment, she thought of brushing it off. But when the ringing faded away, Finn was still holding onto his ears. The Trap Troll nearly curled himself up in a ball. Now, that was a little concerning.
Jazzy frowned, wondering if she should ask or not.
"So?" said Val. "Do you like it? Isn't it great?"
Jazzy made a flat grin. "Why sure. You nearly caved in the whole stage."
"Oh," said Val, grabbing another electric guitar. "I am more than ready to make this stage rumble. Are you ready for another song, everyone?"
The mood was ruined when Finn went dashing out of the stage, nearly sounding like a motor car as he left smoke in his tracks. It was only the two of the girls alone in the empty stage room. Neither of them made a single word or play a single note at this sudden awkwardness.
"Fish boy?" said Val dumbly.
Jazzy had been to the weirdest places and Finn had known every kind of town and city in Techno Reef, but they weren't actually prepared for this. [3]
The Vibe Town – the home of the Funk Trolls – was an actual ship, being the only part of TrollsTopia that wasn't stationary. Once arrival, they found out that the ship ignored gravity, time and reality. And it was much larger inside than outside the ship.
Poppy and a finally calmed Charleston took them inside the ship. Deciding to show them the main highlight of the ship, they led them to Rhythm's and Blues' lab. Branch decided to check on Lownote Jones since there was a report that Cloud Guy caused chaos in one of the restaurants.
"Now you see here," said Rhythm, showing them around. "This is where we test out our own experiments. The whole room is large enough for us to test without getting anyone hurt and do experiments that require long distances."
"The different functions around this place including the anti-gravity mode, temperature changer and reality shifter even provides for more variables to be tested on," said Blues.
"And have you made any useful machinery to promote population health in TrollsTopia?" asked Jazzy, looking around.
"Nope. We just like to make fun inventions for daily living."
"Like the time you spilt marshmallow goo everywhere after trying to enlarge one," said Poppy, twirling one of her bangs. "And nearly sucked everybody in a wormhole."
"Where's the fun in that?"
Finn's eyes were already sparkling. As a neon-loving Techno Troll, he found himself attracted to…well, everything! While the lab didn't have that much, it still had decorations on the platform and on the walls. Everything was in a cool purple and violet color, glowing brightly. He spot some furniture and chairs that are futuristic technology, suiting to his interests.
He let himself wander around the place, floating upwards. He spotted something on the ceiling that appears to be a fan, but in the shape of a retro space gun. There were neon pink rings around the antenna with a large glowing orange ball at the tip. Like a fly attracted to the light, Finn's head bumped into the ball, feeling the warmth.
Jazzy noticed the Trap Troll's investment in the shiny equipment. She found the place alright, but she was still new with modern technology. But she was surprised that Finn changed from meathead to marshmallow.
"Our genre is nearly like Funk," commented Charleston. "We could have been close."
"Don't worry about it," said Poppy. "Jazz, Swing and Funk are nearly the same! It is only because you have different styles, clothing and traditions."
"Make yourself at home here," said Rhythm. "Don't treat this as a teen party."
"Oh yeah," said Jazzy, before realizing what she meant. "Wait, what?"
"We worked on something new," said Blues. "Since the anti-gravity system is out of order for today, we created these."
Pointing to a nearby tray, they saw a row of purple laser guns. With yellow accent, yellow star stickers and a shine to show how new they were.
"Ooh!" said Charleston, rushing to the guns. "What are those?"
"These are anti-gravity guns," said Rhythm, picking one up. "Allows you to fly through the air without any restrictions, thus breaking all dimensions."
"We recommend doing it inside," said Blues. "If you do it outside, then you might float away like a balloon and get deep-fried in the sun."
"Looks like fun!" said Poppy. "Well, except floating into the sun and getting deep-fried. Do the effects wear off?"
Both Funk twins inhaled sharply as they looked up. Several pigs owned by Country Corral, fireflies that were usually kept by Pop Village and even ANVILS were right at the ceiling as if nearly glued to it. What made it weird was that the pigs and fireflies were flattened as if they were sticking off the ceiling like play dough.
"So far," said Rhythm nervously. "No. No they don't."
"They only require a serum we make," said Blues.
Poppy's smile faded. "Oh."
Charleston shrugged as she grabs one. "Oh well. Can't hurt to try one."
"Oh no, you don't," said Jazzy, stepping in. "I don't think you should."
"What? I barely hurt a fly."
"I don't trust you wielding a gun. Remember? The last time I ever let you borrow one of my swords, you destroyed all the dummies in my training room and nearly split a Troll in half vertically!"
Charleston groaned. "C'mon! I was just showing you that I am strong and swords are my strength. I only accidentally cut his pants and underpants off."
"I haven't told you if it is safe to go," said Jazzy, her skin turning red.
"You told me to go wild and I can start at anytime. I didn't know you invited Newari over."
Poppy thought for a while. "Maybe they can be useful for pranks. I'll show Branch this time I'll be the greatest prankster this year."
Rhythm looked up to see Finn observing a robotic arm hanging from the ceiling. The curious Trap Troll was very interested in it, but he was too close for comfort. While it was turn off, the arm might hurt him by accident.
"Dude!" she called. "Careful of that thing."
Finn immediately snapped out of his curiosity once he realized that there were still Trolls around. He switched right back to his broody and grumpy demeanor, looking away from the robotic arm.
"R-Right," he said, coughing a little as he descended. "I know that."
As Rhythm and Blues ran over to him, Jazzy stared at Finn. Weird. Just a minute ago, he was all googly over the lab, but he switched back to being himself. Was he hiding his admiration or was he just annoyed of being interrupted?
Again, she felt the same feeling. That boy was really interesting.
Meanwhile, Charleston spun the gun around her finger. She threw it up and tried to catch it…only for it to drop onto her feet. Groaning in disappointment, she bent down to pick it up, but lazily touched it.
"How do think it will go if I fire it?" she said.
"Let's find out!" said Poppy.
Charleston licks her lips, pressing the trigger.
Unfortunately, its muzzle was facing upwards and right under an oblivious Jazzy's dress.
SKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTT!
The Chess Master froze when she felt something going right up her dress. Her skin turned red as she felt a rather cold and bubbly feeling in her stomach.
Finn finally touched down and the two Funk twins were face to face with him.
"Hey, Finn!" said Rhythm.
The Trap Troll growled. "It's Electro Ray."
"I mean, Electro Ray, sorry!" said Rhythm quickly. "Look at what we made."
Finn's eyes drifted to the gun the girls were holding. A purple toy gun that looked like the one he saw kids play with in a paint fight. It didn't look like much as he thought it would be more interesting if it looked like a real pistol.
"What's that?" he asked.
"It's an anti-gravity gun," said Blues proudly. "Want to try it?"
Finn rolled his eyes. "Eh, no."
"C'mon!" said the twins in unison. "It's for fun."
"Have you forgot, shrimps?" said Finn, floating upwards. "I'm a Techno Troll. I can fly around wherever I want. I don't need anti-gravity to take me anyway. I doubt that thing is going to affect me that much."
"It might though," said Blues.
"Like how?"
"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Finn's eyes widened as he heard someone screaming as if they were imitating an alarm. Appearing in sight behind the Funk twins, he saw a screaming Jazzy floating upwards in rapid speed. With her butt being the one taking her up like it was the main engine. The effects of the anti-gravity on it were indeed very effective.
The Chess Master starts swearing once she hits the ceiling, her butt glued to it.
Poppy oohed at the success of the anti-gravity gun.
Charleston dropped her gun, her eyes went wide as pie plates. She knew that Jazzy was going to strangle the hell out of her!
Finn sighed, shaking his head. He found it amusing to see Jazzy stuck to the ceiling, but felt a need to help her get down. She could be stuck there for days, months or years. In a lab of quirky scientists, there was no way she would get down easily, right?
Besides, Finn thought he was starting to take a liking to the red Swing Troll. [3s]
The amusement that sparked in Finn's moody life was already taken away when their next stop was Techno Lagoon. The last place he wanted to be at. Sure it was underwater which meant he got to live longer and it was where he feels comfortable in – a dark place with neon lights shining all around him – but he couldn't bear to think of going near the Techno Trolls who had lived in TrollsTopia longer than his tribe had.
Especially with Synth. Too bad Trollex chose him as the ambassador which made Finn inferior to stopping his antics. Synth is good in preparing assignments for his tribe, but Finn didn't like to hang around him for his peppy personality.
Since Poppy, Branch, Jazzy and Charleston can't breathe underwater, they had to grab helmets first. Jazzy hadn't swam in a while, so Synth had to help her pull through the water.
"You'll love it there!" proclaimed Synth. "It got everything you can think of for a Techno life! Raves all day and night, dancing, good times and glow sticks!"
Jazzy wasn't sure what to say as he squeezed her hand. Part of her wanted to tell him to back off, but she wasn't feeling the urge to be all cranky after Charleston stupidly shot her in the place she hated the most. And speaking of which, Synth reminded her of Charleston a lot. Both of them are chipper, passionate and really bright. While she couldn't put a finger on it, Jazzy felt that Charleston was more street-smart and headstrong while Synth was just…out there.
The Red Swing Troll just placed on her average bored-looking face, muttering 'uh-huh' and 'mmm'. She was half listening, nearly wanting to get the tour over. But that was when she spotted the glowing city below them. The glowing rainbow lights flashing to a rhythm. Coral shaped in interesting structure with holes in them, representing the Techno Trolls' houses.
The main event was a large dance floor where there are several Techno Trolls dancing around. [4]
"So what are your rave names?" asked Synth.
Finn opened his mouth, but the Techno Ambassador finished the answer.
"Electro Ray. All Techno Trolls know that."
"They do," said Finn, crossing his arms. "Too bad they are stupid to not remember to call me by that name when they should."
"Don't be so surly, Finn. Your sharp FIN can cut into someone's spine!"
Both Poppy and Charleston burst into laughter when they heard this. Jazzy snickered and placed a hand over her mouth. She had to admit, Synth did a good job with that.
And as expected, Finn was ticked off and started to growl like a dog.
Noticing this, Branch immediately grabbed Finn by his arms and held him back.
"What are you doing?!" hissed Finn, not bothering to use his robotic voice. "I wasn't going to do anything, mate!"
"You look like you are going to strangle him right here," said Branch, his tone icy.
Synth seemed to ignore Finn and turned over to Jazzy.
"I…uh…" she stuttered. "I don't have a 'rave name', but I got myself a title for being a bounty hunter. I'm known as the 'Chess Master' at the outer region of the main land."
"Ooh!" said Synth. "That is actually the name of one of our songs! That must fit you well! You get it from somewhere?"
Jazzy snorted. "It's not like it's important. The Chess Master is just a saying that I win every time I fight in a battle and I come out being the victorious one. People say that I have elaborate strategic plans. I only kept it because it makes it easier for people to recognize me."
"But it sounds very cool!" said Synth. "I like your nickname a lot! It can be your rave name!"
"I'm telling you it's not important!" insisted Jazzy, her skin turning red.
Finn sighed a little as Branch let him go. He watched as Jazzy squabbled at Synth to knock off the admiration of her nickname. Wow. Just when she showed herself to be proud and righteous of being the fierce bounty hunter, here, she denied that her nickname wasn't much. Ironic, isn't it? But then again, she had to use it to warn people who she is.
Poppy and Branch exchanged glances with each other. They were surprised of Jazzy's insistence of her nickname. A far cry to her pride and ego. And it was weird to see a Troll trying to act as if they didn't care if they have a compliment.
"She is sending a mix of different signs," said Poppy, turning to Charleston.
The brown troll shrugs. "Give her time. She sometimes gets a little sensitive about her nickname. I mean, not her status as a bounty hunter, but she gets edgy about the topic of her nickname."
They finally arrived at the dance floor, surrounded by several Techno Trolls as they danced around. Unlike Techno Reef, they weren't assigned in groups of colors and instead dancing freely. They jumped around, moving to the beat of the song playing in the background. At the moment, it was Laguna who was at the DJ stand, playing a calming yet upbeat and cool song.
The purple Techno Troll looked up and saw the mismatched group from the crowd. She waved her hand in hopes of getting their attention. It was only Branch and Poppy who returned the gesture.
Jazzy blinked as she watched all the Techno Trolls danced around in this chill song. By Jove, she didn't know where to start with. This felt like a much cooler and futuristic version of Pop Village, but the happiness and energy were still there. She hadn't been in a crowd for a while or in a group musical. She usually tried to keep to herself or act as a host of the party, but never she dared being amongst the crowd.
The lack of attention made her feel jealous. If only she could dance properly in the water and take over the DJ, she would. But the feeling of good times and carelessness got to her that she realized that she was actually enjoying herself.
Finn wasn't happy to be with his fellow Techno Troll. It should be normal for one to hang around with their best buddies when there was an awesome rave going on. However, he felt indifferent. He felt lonely. He felt rather detached. He stuck out from the happy-go-lucky Techno Trolls who loved their life. He felt different. He didn't belong there.
The Trap Techno Troll found his own rope cut away from theirs. Something didn't feel right with him. Even though he mixed with the crowd, it was more of a cover-up to replace being lonely. But being alone in the crowd is the most quietest hell there ever is in the world.
He shrunk a little, hiding his mouth with his bandanna.
"Anyway," said Synth. "I was planning on having you enjoy a rave, but there are some activities we do here that might excite you and rise up your hype levels! I got some prepared, but I have a few highlights since we don't have that much time here."
"Like what?" said Branch.
"Whirlpool surfing!"
Charleston's eyes lit up as if she first tasted ice cream. "Whirlpool? Did somebody say 'whirlpool'?"
"I want to do that!" said Poppy, raising her eyes. "I like surfing!"
"Hold on, guys," said Branch. "Ladies, whirlpool surfing can be a dangerous activity. I mean, it is including a WHIRLPOOL, am I right?"
Synth nodded in agreement. "But Finn-"
"Electro Ray," corrected Finn quietly.
"Has done whirlpool surfing before! He's as chill as ice when he does so. I never seen him fall off his board before."
Finn rolled his eyes. "But once, Trollex wasn't looking where he was swinging his fins and that shrimp knock my bloody board away."
Jazzy raises an eyebrow. "Whirlpool? Is that a thing Techno Trolls like to be around?"
Charleston suddenly squealed, turning Jazzy around to point at what she spotted.
"LOOK!" she said, jumpy. "It's a whirlpool!"
Not too far from them, they could see a large tornado that is rippling through the water. While it wasn't close to the Techno Lagoon town, it was big enough for anyone to see the huge swirling vortex of rotating water. It was glowing in neon colors on different spots regardless of the dark blue water that took up most of the lagoon.
"Wait a minute," said Synth. "That's new."
"Why is it underwater?" said Poppy. "That can't be possible."
"It is possible," said Branch. "Probably due to the activity going on underwater and the changing weathers recently."
"Do you also surf in this kind of whirlpool?"
Finn slowly backed away when he saw the whirlpool. Synth noticed this, shaking his head in response.
"Not really," said the Techno Ambassador. "We say that for best experience, we do on top of the water."
Jazzy observed the tornado, rubbing her cane. The tornado was going so fast, so it was hard to spot any dangerous or sharp objects in it. There were just soft colors of blue, pink, orange and lime green. The water rotating around the whirlpool appeared soft and round. There didn't appear to be anything dangerous about it. She had been near whirlpools in her life, but she knew what a dangerous one looks like.
Besides, she had been in dangerous activities and she recalled the excited feeling. The tingling sensation that made her heart goes racing. She never went close to a whirlpool from the surface, but in the water?
"Why don't we do it here?" said Jazzy. "Why waste the moment when we can do it now?"
"Uh, no," said Branch. "That is just hasty."
"Oh, c'mon. It shouldn't be that bad. I mean, it's not my fault you have been sheltered in one spot for too long."
"Sheltered in what?!"
"Right," said Poppy. "You're an expert bounty hunter, but don't you think this is a little too dangerous to go into a storm like this one?"
Jazzy rolled her eyes. "When the Chess Master was born, I had to go around getting into danger. Right now, I'd welcome trouble and laugh in the face of it."
Before anyone could stop her, Jazzy has already started swimming towards the whirlpool. There was a crazed grin on her face as if she wanted this. Charleston decided to follow her, interested in trying out surfing in the whirlpool. The two Swing Trolls got close to it, but the tornado barely came close to them. It was as if it was tied down to the ground.
"Wait a minute," said Charleston. "We don't have a surfboard or anything solid to ride on."
Jazzy smirked, spreading her arms out. "Don't worry! I know what I am going to-!"
Unfortunately, her hand touched the whirlpool and it immediately threw her in.
SSSSZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPP!
The Chess Master – one of the notorious and strongest bounty hunters out there – was thrown around, nearly screaming in high-pitched. Her body was barely seeable and reduced to a red blur as she was sent flying around the rotating whirlpool. And thanks to no safety regulations or a clear plan, she was forced to go in the craziest merry-go-round in her life.
"Here!" yelled Charleston, lifting her cane towards the tornado. "Grab onto my-!"
SLIP!
Jazzy's cane caught it, but it pulled Charleston's cane away. So she didn't have any more ideas to pull her out safely.
"Cane…" groaned Charleston.
Branch face palmed as Jazzy has the 'ride of her life'. It also brought back bad memories of him falling into the whirlpool as well. He didn't really want to remember that. He felt Poppy's hand touching his, wrapping his fingers around hers. Poppy was dumbfounded with what Jazzy got into, but like Branch, she was miffed that Jazzy decided not to take precautions. She did enjoy the whiff of adventure, but Poppy wanted to make everyone in TrollsTopia safe and happy. Not like this!
Finn glanced over at Synth to see his deadpanned face. There was something funny about the Techno Ambassador taking out his camera and recording Jazzy's humiliating moment. Maybe Synth wasn't that much of a follower of the Chess Master. The rest of the Techno Trolls watched along with mixed reactions.
Finally, after 3 minutes, the whirlpool spat out Jazzy…and Charleston's cane.
Right at Finn.
The two collided as soon after Jazzy was sent flying towards him. The two Trolls spun around in the water for a while with many Techno Trolls needing to move out of the way. Finn managed to regain control by swinging his tail fins around to stop them from spinning.
Jazzy was still hanging onto him, dizzy from the ride.
It didn't take long for the two to realize how long they were holding onto each other.
"Get off me!" snarled Finn.
"You get off!" hissed Jazzy.
Slapping each other for a while, they finally separated. Synth decided to use this opportunity to check on any possible injuries.
"Are you alright Jazzy?" he asked. "Did your helmet break?"
"I'm fine!" said Jazzy, rubbing her vest. "I am all good!"
Finn smirked a little. "That whirlpool kicked your arse so quick!"
Jazzy could only say this in angrish as her skin turns red.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" [4s]
Even though the weather didn't change for each area of TrollsTopia, Jazzy thought the air was really humid. She felt a little hot and she nearly thought of changing clothes. But maybe it was just standing in the sun for too long again. She was welcomed by Holly as she led her, Charleston and Finn to one of the barn farms of Country Corral. [5]
The place was decorated in the likes of olive yellow, orange and pale green as a makeshift Western desert. The barn building was crafted by fine wood and painted smoothly; Country Trolls never leave work untidy. It looked like the farm was built a day ago and hadn't fallen to pieces yet. Of course, it had been a few months, but Jazzy always seen old-fashioned barns, so this one looked impressive.
There were so many animals at Holly's barn. Jazzy was able to spot most of them. Adorabulls, buffalos, chickens, goats. Oh my. There were some wild animals that would live around the Country border, but Jazzy didn't expect to see the Country Trolls migrating nearly HALF of all the Country critters here.
"This is where we usually reproduce and take food resources for Country Corral," explained Holly as she led Jazzy and Finn into the barn field. "We share most of them over to the other tribes in TrollsTopia to provide every Troll with food, clothing and liquid."
"Are they good though?" asked Jazzy. "Some Trolls around here don't usually eat meat."
"Don't worry. We try to come up with ways to serve them and use some milk and grains for cooking other types of food."
Charleston bent down to spot one chicken, clucking away. She reached her hand out to pet it, but the chicken whipped around and poked her in the eye.
"Ergh!" she shouted. "Country critters are probably the strongest of all!"
"The farm workers are away today," said Holly, picking up buckets of breadcrumbs. "They got a few injuries and despite their protests, they need to rest. So, I think probably for a while, you three can help out with the farm."
Finn wasn't happy about the idea. "What?"
"Is that a good idea?" asked Jazzy. "We have our ways of working in a farm. And both Charleston and Finn won't know how to work in one."
"It's Electro Ray!" shouted Finn.
"Hey!" said Charleston, pouting. "I am good with handling animals!"
"Just be careful of how you handle the animals," advised Holly. "They can be fussy at times! You will soon learn how to take responsibility of some tasks."
She turned over to Finn. The Trap Techno Troll slowly lost concentration when he started to stare at two chickens looking up at him. They clucked and jerked their heads side to side like robots. He raised an eyebrow, wiggling his tail fins a little.
"Ahem, Electro Ray," called Holly. "I have a task that Synth thinks you will be great in."
Finn frowned. "What task?"
"Come with me. I'll show you."
The Country Ambassador took Finn's hand and pulled him over, out of the barn field. The latter tried to catch up half-heartedly, but he didn't feel motivated to do a job for the time being, so he just let himself get dragged. Good thing he didn't turn off his floating ability or his face would have to feel the rough ground for all he knew!
Charleston and Jazzy were left to feed the barn animals. Deciding to take the time slowly, Charleston picked up a bucket full of breadcrumbs and threw some at the animals. She chuckled as they started to eat, giving more to those who hadn't. In fact, she nearly decided to dance by tapping her feet together, but that would mean spilling the entire bucket over.
Jazzy sighed, leaning against one of the fence posts. While she had a bucket in her hand, she was doing nothing to help out. To be honest, she was already feeling a little worn off by the whole tour.
Charleston slid over to the Red Swing Troll. "So? How do you find the experience?"
"Interesting," Jazzy could only mutter. "Very interesting."
"So, you think this is a good place to stay around, right?"
"I haven't even decided where I want to stay at."
Charleston thought. "Hmm…Pop Village might be too poppy not to mention how they like to bathe you all in too much cuteness. Techno Lagoon is too hard to live in due to being underwater. Rock Hallow is a little too loud, including the fact that you won't be able to focus on your own work. Vibe City might be a good place! I mean, it's really high soaring!"
"I don't like being on ships for too long," said Jazzy. "I get airsick."
"Or maybe here where it is hardworking like our home, but it's probably a little too hot and not your style of place. Maybe stay in Classical Crest, but the fanciness might not be for your style."
"I can handle living in a golden palace," said Jazzy flatly. "You know what our home says; a golden palace means good luck because you will be living luxurious."
Charleston chuckled, tapping her companion's nose. "You might look good in a golden dress. Don't you think?"
Now that is something Jazzy really disgust. Being touched on her face freely. Her eye twitched as she gripped her bucket hardly.
"Maybe," said Jazzy. "But you won't look pretty when you get dumped in this!"
With just one swing – as if swaying around – Jazzy emptied the contents of her bucket and they covered all over Charleston's body. She stumbled back a little before falling onto the ground.
That was what got all the animals attention. Almost every chicken's head whipped up and spotted all the breadcrumbs on Charleston like a deep fried onion ring.
Without missing a beat, all the chickens squabbled as they fly onto Charleston, pecking on her body. It only took one second for her to realize that she was bait. Covered with pecks, soft and prickly feathers, and clucking ringing in her ears, she started to panic and flail her arms around. She started shouting at them to get off. While it might look a little terrifying, the way of how the chicken curiously try to peck the breadcrumbs and Charleston screaming like an awkward male teenager made it funnier.
"ARGH!" she garbled. "GET OFF! GET THEM OFF! GET THE HELL OFF ME! NOT THE BUTTONS! NOT THE BUTTONS! NOT THE BUTTONS!"
That was when Holly and Finn – whose hands and mouth covered in sticky milk – came back.
"Sorry for hogging up all the milk," mumbled Finn, still a little shaken when Holly found him drinking too much. "Crikey, it's so delicious."
"It's alright," said Holly coolly. "Some of the cow's milk here are irresistible, so it's really likely that a lot of people would get the milk here for their-" [5s]
Holly trailed off when she caught the sight of the chickens flying all around. Several white feathers were flying in every directions. At first, she thought there was just a play fight between them, but almost every chicken was flying towards one certain spot of the field. As if they were fighting over to take a single item that caught the eyes of the critters.
And Charleston was the one being picked on. The Swing Troll, trying to get rid of all the breadcrumbs, attracts every single critter as they keep trying to take a taste of her.
Holly blinks, surprised to see how the brown Swing Troll gets herself in such a bird attack. Normally, a few Country Trolls would be chased by several chickens, but this was nearly the first time they would succeed in tackling a Troll down.
She looked at Jazzy who was watching the mayhem with a smirk. The Chess Master then noticed the look on Holly's face, crossing her arms.
"What?" she said, making a ridiculous pouting face.
AN: That's not really going to buff Charleston out that much, don't you think?
I struggled a little with writing this one. I had to think of some ways to show TrollsTopia on each tribe. I talked to my friends about this one.
The ice cream shop in Pop Village is based from the Ice Cream buffet at the very first episode of TrollsTopia. We get to see Finn's greedy side, don't you think?
And the infamous scene where Charleston chokes on a random ball returns all because she hasn't ate! Please write in the review 'Damn it, Charleston!' if you think this is the wrong thing for her to eat.
I think I got Val shredding her guitar that it caused a sound earthquake from a reference to Dennis the Menace. I don't remember, but I like the part where you rock so loud that everything around you starts to shake!
The anti-gravity guns are based on the Anti-Gravity Serum from Despicable Me. And the flat pigs on the ceiling are also a reference to 'The Trampoline' from Piggy Toons.
As for the Classical Trolls, don't worry. I have something planned for them in the next chapter.
Let me know in the reviews what you think of this chapter? Which part do you like of Jazzy and Finn meeting the other tribes? Which hilarious part do you love? Do you notice what is going on with Finn when he arrives at the Techno dance floor? Do you think Jazzy would give TrollsTopia a chance?
Thanks for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story, be sure to follow or favorite this story, so you can get updates about this story. Make sure to review this chapter on what you think about this chapter. I'm OK of hearing improvements from you (please no flames).
Until next time, keep on rocking!