What's up guys? Got a lot of things going on in upcoming month. I'll be heading to Mexico with my family for my mother's friends wedding for over three days until I come home and then after three more days, my siblings and I are going back to Mexico again just to hang out with my dad at Rocky Point. Crazy, huh? Anyway, this chapter will be based off of "Hop Luck" with extra characters as long as I gave credits to my friends. Thank you and enjoy reading!
Amphibia: Living In A Frog World
Hop Luck
It was another beautiful day in the magical, froggy world. The sun in the slightly greenish-blue sky. The trees, grass, and lilypads of the marshlands were green and healthy. And a random frog was being carried away by a flock of dragonflies.
"Aah! Help! Somebody help me!" He cried.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Frank was sitting with Anne, Sasha, Marcy, and KJ as the Thai girl showed Sprig and Polly her phone. The two kids were wondering why she was always on it, so she decided that it was time to show that it could do. Now she was showing the kids a video of her cat, Domino.
"And this bad boy is my kitty Domino." said Anne, showing a video Domino clearing herself, before looking at the camera and meowing. "You guys would like her. She's got fire."
"Ooh!" Sprig awed as he took the phone from Anne and brought it closer to Polly..
"Aw, she's so tiny! I feel huge!" Polly cooed.
"Do you have any pets, Frank?" Sprig asked.
"Sure do." said Frank, pulling out his phone. He turned the phone to them and showed a picture of him holding a Lemon Beagle. "His name's Roger. He's a real Curious George."
"I never had any pets, but I'm more of a dog person than cats." said Sasha.
"I had a pet goldfish." KJ added.
"I wanted one, but my parents wouldn't let me have one. Said I was too irresponsible." Marcy replied, and looked down while drawing in her book.
"Hmm. I see" said Sprig, after looking at Anne's cat phone for a moment. He then reached behind his back. "I will set them free!"
When he pull the hammer out, Anne quickly swiped her phone away before Sprig could bring his hammer down on to the ground instead.
"Please stop doing that." said Anne, sternly while her partner chuckles a little.
"(giggles) It's just a phone, Sprig." Marcy giggles.
"Heh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sasha chuckles.
"Very funny, guys." Anne rolled her eyes.
Sprig and Polly looked over and saw Marcy was drawing.
"What are you drawing?" Sprig asked.
"Are you asking me about my newtsona?!" Marcy gasped with huge big eyes.
Everyone frozen in silence with blank stares of confusion, until Polly spoke up.
"Your what?!" Polly puzzled.
Marcy smiled when opening her journal and showing them a picture of herself as a newt wearing gear the made her look like ranger.
"Say hello to Newt Marcy!" said Marcy. "Yeah, I know lame name."
"Wow!" Polly grabbed the journal. "She has a crossbow arm! Cool!"
"I know right? She's ready for battle!" Marcy spoke cheerfully and got more excitedly the more she talked about it. "She lives in Wartwood, but she travels all around Amphibia! Seeking knowledge about it's history!"
"But why a Newt?" Sasha raised an eyebrow.
"Because I thought it would awesome for her to go adventures with her friends!" replied Marcy.
"Really?" KJ smiles.
"Yep." She flipped through the journal to a page of Sasha as a toad, wearing battle armor and a cape, holding a sword.
"Seriously?! Do I look like I'm fat?!" Sasha exclaims while Frank chuckles before she gives him a glare. "What's so funny?!"
"Nothing." replied Frank when tried to hold his laugh.
"Here, Anne." Marcy flipped her journal to a page of Anne as a frog.
"Aww, is that me?" Anne smiled, while looking through the pictures of Marcy's journal.
"Yep, that's you! I kinda thought that you looked cute since you've grown fond of Sprig when you quickly became friends." replied Marcy.
"Thanks, Mar-Mar."
"Anytime, Anna-Banana."
"Anna-Banana?" Sprig looked puzzled.
"It's a nickname. We like to call each other's name sometimes." Anne explains.
Then suddenly, Frank smelt something in the air. He sniffed the air, and after a few second, cringed when a very foul smell entered into his nostrils. Causing him to cry out in disgust.
"BLAUG! What is that horrible stench?!" Frank yells.
"AUGH! What the hell was that smell?!" Sasha felt disgusted while Marcy and KJ covered their noses.
"Gross!" KJ added.
"Ugh!" Anne cried in pain, as she covered her eyes. When she removed her hands, she revealed them to be a little bloodshot. "It's burning my eyes! Did something crawl under the house and die?"
Sprig sniffed the air and the horrible truth hit him.
"Worse, guys. Much worse. Hop Pop is cooking!"
Then the kids walked back to the house, where the smell was coming from. Sprig walked ahead of them and grabbed the handle of the door.
"Brace yourselves." Sprig warned them.
"Brace ourselves for what?" Anne asked as Sprig opened the door.
The moment he did, the horrible smell that had built up inside the house was immediately released into the world like a flood. Knocking the human teens to the ground while Anne held onto Polly in the bucket. Sprig was sent flying after he was unable to hold onto the door any longer.
"I'm calling it: Hop Pop's cooking is capable of killing more people than cyanide." Frank said with a deadpan expression.
The kids have entered the house and walked into the kitchen, where the smell was definitely coming from. Hop Pop peered into a cookbook and was preparing something unholy with only the foulest of ingredients. All while humming to himself. He chopped up some grubs and poured them into a pot of boiling grossness. He steered it up with a wooden spoon, and then took a sip of it to check the flavor.
"What's the plan this year, Hop Pop? Poison the competition?" Sprig asked, but that just earned him a bop on the head by Hop Pop's spoon.
"The plan is to win." Hop Pop answered.
"Win?" Anne asked, while carrying Polly as she and her friends walked over to the old frog.
"Win what?" Frank asked as they all pinched their noses.
"The annual village potluck. Every year we frogs gather for a great contest." With his spoon, he pointed at a set of pictures that show the potluck winners of the past. "The family who brings the best-tasting dish is showered with love and copper coins. The family with the worst-tasting dish spends the night in the shame cage!"
He pointed at an open window. Outside there was a masked toad pulling up a wooden cage that had the word SHAME on it. Thunder clapped in the sky as the cage was pulled up the tree.
"Brutal." Anne commented.
"That's the stupidest thing that I ever heard of." Sasha crosses her arms.
"I agree." Frank agrees.
"And guess which family ends up there every year." said Sprig sadly, before he, Polly and Hop Pop were all collectively sighed.
"Oh, that's terrible." said KJ when concerned.
"Now I know how my dad feels." Marcy rubbed her arms in shame.
Frank looked at the frog family and frown. It upset him whenever they were sad and miserable, especially after they took him and the others in when no one else was willing to give them a chance. He'll be damned if he was going to let them spend another year being shamed.
"Well, not this year!" said Frank with determination. "This year's going to be different."
"It's okay, Frank. We've accepted that Hop Pop will never win the competition" Polly is pointing her flippers at her grandpa.
"Hey!" Hop Pop yelled.
"Besides, what's going to make this year any different?" Sprig asked.
"We will!" Anne answered, pointing to herself with her friends standing next to her.
"That's right! All five of us!" said Sasha as she smirks next to Anne and Marcy.
"What?" Exclaimed the Plantars.
"If you think we're gonna let our favorite froggy family end up in a cage, you've got another thing coming. I know we're not technically Plantars, but maybe we can help." said Anne.
"And we're gonna help you win!" Marcy added.
"That's right!" said Frank with a nod.
The Plantars looked at one another before turning back to the two humans.
"Guys, we'd sure appreciate it." said Sprig.
"So, what you making over there, Hop Pop?" asked Anne when walked over to the pot and looked down into it before she raised her eyebrow, confused at what she was looking at. "Sock gumbo?"
"No, silly," Hop Pop said, closing his cookbook and showed it to the teenagers. "It's a traditional recipe from my family's cookbook. We've been using this baby since I was a pollywog."
Frank placed a hand under his chin before pointing to the book.
"Can I look at that?"
Hop Pop handed him the book and Frank a moment to flip through the pages. Looking at recipes after recipes. Each one led him to one grim answer. He closed the book and looked at the Plantars.
"Yeah, no. Hop Pop, has it ever accord to you that maybe the reason you keep losing is because you keep using these old recipes that never worked in the first place?" He tossed it behind himself, and it would have fallen into the pot if Hop Pop hadn't shriek in shock and rushed over to catch it.
"He's right, gramps. Your recipe has a very bad taste." said Sasha.
"Oh, that makes sense." Sprig agrees
"Old things are dumb!" said Anne in realization.
"It's all so clear now," Sprig nodded.
"But we Plantars have always cooked these recipes." Hop Pop returned, dusting off his cookbook with a frown.
"And have any of them won the potluck?" Frank asked when raised his left eyebrow.
"W-Well...no." Hop Pop reluctantly admitted. "But what would my great-gam-gam say?"
He pointed to a picture of a really old female frog that was kitting a blanket that said 'TRADITION IS EVERYTHING' on it.
"She'd say 'Move on.'" said Anne with a stern look.
"She was a fierce woman." Hop Pop sighed in defeat.
"Well, I'm not living with losers and even though your cooking suck eggs. Not even you deserve to be humiliated like that! We're going to win!" said Sasha, putting her hands on her hips.
"Look, if we're gonna win this thing, we need something new." said Anne, pacing around the room while trying to think of something. "Something revolutionary, something no one in the swamp has ever seen before."
Frank's eyes widened when he thought of something.
"I've got it!" He exclaimed with a giant smile on his face. "We'll do pizza!"
Anne gasped in awe. Rushing over to Frank's face, she grabbed him by his cheeks and squished them together.
"Frank, that's brilliant!" Anne smiles.
"You're a genius!" KJ added.
"Let go of my face" said Frank, before Anne's hands let him go.
"What's pizza?" Sprig asked.
Anne pulled out her phone and pulled up a photo of a pizza and showed it to the family. Sprig and Polly both gazed in awe at the delicious food.
"Whoa." Sprig looked interested.
"I don't know what it is, but I love it." said Polly in amazement.
"You should. Pizza is delicious." Marcy grinned.
"Pizza is the ultimate dish." said Anne with a confident smile. "You haven't lived until you've shared one with your friends at the mall."
"Now, now, hold on. Before we get carried away, what about this tried-and-true recipe? Swamp mold pot pie!" Hop Pop quickly interjected trying to convince the kids to keep with tradition. However, Frank just yanked it and closed the book in his hands.
"More like tried and failed miserably." said Frank.
"Pizza! Pizza!" Sprig and Polly chanted.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh." Hop Pop sighed begrudgingly.
"We'll win for sure with this, Hop Pop. Now all we gotta do is-" Sprig said encouragingly before he pulled out the hammer again before Anne quickly took the phone away and cleared her throat.
"All we gotta do is get four ingredients, dough, cheese, basil, and tomatoes. Are you guys ready to make our pizza dreams a pizza reality?" Anne asked so eagerly.
"Pizza dreams!" Sprig and Polly screamed.
"Oh! Oh! Maybe we should put pineapple on it." said Sprig.
Frank's eyes widened with fear and started shaking his head and waving his hands back and forth. KJ mouthing 'No!' repeatedly when looking frantic. Sasha and Marcy grew their eyes wide with shock while the boys trying to get him to stop talking.
"Seems like a natural fit-"
Anne suddenly grabbed Sprig by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Glaring at him and nearly choking him.
"Don't you dare talk about pineapple on my pizza. Ever." Anne whispered threateningly.
Hop Pop and Polly stared at Anne with wide eyes, shocked by her sudden aggressive reaction. Sasha, Marcy, and KJ were also shocked from her behavior. Frank himself was a little surprised too. He remembered that Anne hated pineapple, but not that much. He always assumed it was because she was allergic. So, he walked over, grabbed Anne's hand, and had her let Sprig go.
"Okay. Let's go get those ingredients." said Frank before changing the subjects.
"Pizza dreams." said Sprig, weakly.
"Pizza dreams!" The kids cheers, rushing out the door with the Plantars following behind them.
Meanwhile, they have first arrived at Flour and Daughter's Bakery to get their first ingredients. They walked into the bakery until Marcy smiling as Maddie is stocking bake goods, along with her sisters.
"Hi, Maddie!" Marcy greeted before she turns around and smiles.
"Hey, Marcy." Maddie waved before her sisters were shock and awe.
"Woah! Who's that?" Rosemary shocked.
"Are you a weirdo?" Lavender asked.
"Who's the old lady?" Ginger points her flipper.
"Um, I'm thirteen you know." said Marcy when felt unease about being called names.
"Ignore them." Maddie brushed the tadpoles off as they bounced away.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Hop Pop asked.
"Yeah, about that..." Marcy reached her arm in the back when nervous.
Before he could ask, but then Aldor's approached to the group with basket of insects.
"Why hello, Hopediah. How's your weekend going?" Aldor asked kindly.
"Oh, it was nothing Aldor. You see, we were in the neighborhood, but um..." Hop Pop pause for a moment.
Then Aldor shift his glance at the human teens while Marcy waved her hand.
"Hello. You must be Maddie's dad. I'm Marcy, and these are my friends, Anne, Sasha, KJ, and Frank." Marcy introduced herself and her friends to him.
"Why, hello... Marcy? I see you met my daughter." said Aldor.
"Yep, I'm her apprentice!"
"Apprentice?" Sprig puzzled.
"Wait, since when did you became her apprentice?" Hop Pop asked, skeptically.
"Well, for over few days while our basement was flooded." Marcy nervously smiles.
It was silent for a moment before Hop Pop spokes up.
"We'll discuss this later."
"(chuckled) Typical, Plantar." Aldor chuckled. "What can I do for you?"
"We're looking for some dough for the Hop Luck competition." Marcy explained, "Do you have any made yet?"
Aldor threw a wad of fresh dough onto the table, before jumping up and started kneading it with his own two feet. Frank was not sure how sanitary that was when the baker was working until he jumped off the table, grabbed the dough, and threw it into the oven, before closing it. He then turned towards the Plantars and teenagers before pointed at Sprig.
"If you want the dough, the boy has to marry my daughter." He stated, pointing off to his left.
Maddie turned around to stare at them besides Marcy, and Frank could almost feel his soul leaving his body. In one hand she held a voodoo doll that looked a lot like Sprig and a mini wooden stake aimed down at it in her other hand.
"Hiiiii, Spriiiiiiig." said Maddie in a very creepy voice with a smile to match. Slowly stabbing the stake through the doll's heart.
"Ain't she adorable?" Aldor asked, while Sprig looked at her in fear.
"Yeah, whatever you say, man." said Frank, feeling a shiver go up his spine.
"Done!" said Anne.
"What?!" Frank exclaimed, coming to Sprig's defense. "Anne, you can't be serious!"
"Come on, Frank." Anne waved. "We get the dough and Sprig finds a wife. That's two wins in my book."
While he was standing aside at first, Hop Pop interjected.
"You know, if we used a traditional recipe, we wouldn't have to sell Sprig," said Hop Pop, holding up his cookbook.
"No! That old book is old. Sprig's eternal happiness is a small price to pay for pizza." Anne argued.
"Agreed." Polly agrees.
"Um, don't you think that it's illegal to have them getting married when they're still kids?" KJ looks concerned.
"Tomato tomahto. Who cares?" Sasha disagrees.
"Now hold on!" Frank held up his hands and walked up to the table to talk with Aldor. "Can't we just buy the dough with money? Do we really have to get these two in an arranged marriage?"
"The price is final. Either the kids agree, or no dough for you." said Aldor when crossing his arms.
"Aw, it's not so bad, Frank." said Sprig with his fists on his hips. Frank looked down at him, only for his eyes to widen when he saw Maddie right behind the little red frog. "Maybe we'll learn to love each other. Aah!"
He screamed and jumped into Frank's arms Scooby-Doo style when he turned around and saw the creepy girl.
"I've seen your death in my mind." said Maddie.
"I was kinda hoping it'd be a surprise." Sprig nervously chuckled.
"It will be..." She whispered.
Because Frank was holding Sprig, he was tried to do the sounds of sinister chuckle slowing down in his head too.
"Um, creepy much?" Sasha felt uneased about Maddie.
"Nah. She's my best friend, like Anne and Sprig." Marcy brushed off.
"Congratulations on your new son. Now cough up the dough." said Anne, not noticing just how creeped out Frank and Sprig were.
"Yay!" Aldor cheered in a monotone voice, before throwing her a ball of dough that Anne easily caught.
"Pleasure doing business with ya." said Anne before turning around and leaving with Hop Pop, Sasha, and KJ following behind her.
Marcy, Frank, and Sprig remained in the shop, as Sprig wouldn't let go of the human boy while Frank reached down and picked up Polly in her bucket.
"Well, looks like we gotta go." said Sprig nervously, before Frank booked it out of there as fast as he could. "See ya."
"I wanna be the maid of honor!" Polly yelled as they left.
"See you soon, hubby." Maddie watched them leave and waved her little doll's arm at them next to Marcy who's the only ones left.
"Better get going. Don't want to let keep my friends waiting." said Marcy, but went halt by Maddie.
"Oh, wait a second." She went to get the book from the kitchen and offered her back. "Here, you can have it back. Do you have any others? My sisters love it. I actually enjoy reading to them."
"Sorry, I only have the one. But I'm glad you liked it." Marcy grabbed her book, and placed it in her bag.
"That's alright." Maddie smiled. "I'm looking forward to married Sprig one day."
"Well, if that's what you want. I'll see you later." Marcy waved before she left the bakery store.
"Bye, Marcy!" Maddie waved while watching her new best friend go.
"That's my girl." Aldor sighed happily.
Later on, the next ingredient on their list was cheese. Now, even though there were no cows in this world, cheese still existed. Only it came from caterpillars or cowapillars as they like to call. Weird and unpleasant? Maybe, but right now, Frank was running for his life.
"AAAAHHHH! RRRUUUUNNNN!" Frank screamed as he, Anne, Sasha, and the Plantars were running away from a giant bull cowapillar.
Roaring as it chased after them while running pass by Marcy, KJ, and Sadie Croaker, the old lady frog that owned the cowapillar. They have just met her like a minute ago, but she already knew who they were and at least that they weren't so harm to her. KJ was standing there with shock and awe while Marcy was writing down her journal about those cowapillar.
"Woah! That is one angry bull!" KJ commented.
"I know, right?!" replied Marcy when looking astonished at the cowapillar.
"Thanks again for helping me out! I know Brutus can be a handful." Sadie hollered from where she stood from the sideline.
The bull bellowed as it chased after its targets. She had asked them to give the giant caterpillar a good walk, before moving him to the pen. It seemed like an easy task five minutes along. But all notations of that went out the window when Brutus started trying to kill them.
"What are we here for again?" Sprig asked as he ran and hopped beside Anne and Frank.
"Cheese!" Anne yelled.
Polly laughed as Hop Pop ran behind them. He opened the cookbook again and tried to convince them again.
"You know, there's a recipe in here that doesn't need cheese." Hop Pop suggested.
"Not now!" Frank yelled at the old frog, before looking around.
"Less arguing, more running!" Sasha yells at them to save their conversations when they're trying to avoid from getting hurt.
Trying to find a way to get Brutus back into his pen. Then Frank laid his eyes landed on a plant that had large, bright red leaves. He gasped with a big smile as an idea popped into this head.
"Anne! Get to the pen and open the gate!" Frank hollers.
Anne nodded and two broke off from the group. Leaving Sasha and the Plantars to run away from the caterpillar.
Frank rushed over to the plant and ripped off a red leaf. He then turned to Brutus and whistled.
"Hey, Brutus!" Brutus stopped and looked at him. Frank stood tall and proud and wave the leaf. "¡Toro! ¡Toro!"
If Brutus had eyes, they would be seeing red. Red hot steam shot out of his nostrils before he roared and charged at Frank at full speed. Frank waved the leaf as the caterpillar charged at him, before stepping out of the wave at the last moment. Letting the bull rush past him.
Brutus turned around in a wide circle and rushed at Frank again. And again, the Hispanic boy dodged the bull like a professional bullfighter. Sasha and the Plantars stops running as they turned their heads at Frank doing a bull fight. Marcy and KJ were amazed at his talent.
"Frank! I'm ready!" Anne yelled and waved from the gate of the pen.
Frank nodded and ran towards the pen, while waving the leaf behind him. The caterpillar released a roar and rushed after him. Anne got out of the way as Frank ran past her into the pen. Baiting Brutus in as well.
Anne immediately closed the gate, before Frank ran over and jumped over the fence. The two friends panted from exhaustion and adrenaline of being chased. Then they looked at one another before laughing together.
Suddenly Brutus roared angrily as he slammed against the wooden fence behind them, making the two friends yell and crawl away from the pen. Then Sadie walked over and held out a generously-sized cheese wheel towards them.
"Here you go, dearies," said Sadie as Anne grabbed the cheese. "A hunk of cheese made fresh from the milk of those ca-"
"Please don't tell me where it comes from." Frank interrupted.
About an hour later, Frank was walking back to the group with Anne while holding his mantis scythe. Dragging its blade on the ground as he was covered in insect blood from a hard-fought battle against giant aphids.
When they caught up with Sasha, Marcy, KJ, and the Plantars, Anne sat down on the ground and placed down the basils that they were able to get. Frank just collapsed on the ground, exhausted from the fight. Sprig took basils and started stuffing them into the backpack.
"Hey, careful with that basil, dude," Anne told him. "We had to fight off like ten giant aphids to get it."
"I-I had to fight off ten giant aphids." said Frank with a frown.
"I helped." said Sasha
"Yeah, well, I then killed them, so I get the glory." replied Frank with a joking smirk.
"Who knew ultimate flavor could be so painful?" Sprig replied, looking beaten up from the fight.
"Almost lost my behind to those things." Hop Pop added, showing had the insects had bitten off the bottom of his pants.
"This is the price of progress, Hop Pop." Sprig exclaimed, slamming his fist on the ground.
"Exactly. And we've only got one ingredient left. Tomatoes." said Anne.
Frank sat up and pulled out a map from his pocket.
"According to this, they should be up ahead." Frank pointing in the direction the map led them.
"Still can't believe I traded my favorite dentures for that map." said Hop Pop, pulling the side of his mouth to show that he was without teeth. He then pulled out another pair and slapped them into his mouth.
"You know, I've never actually tasted a tomato." Sprig said.
"Really?" asked Frank, rolling up the map.
"No one in town really sells them."
"There's a reason for that." said Hop Pop, opening his cookbook again and started flipping the pages. "They're in the 'dangerous vegetables' section. It suggests we go for prunes instead. Can't go wrong with prunes!"
"We're NOT going with PRUNES!" Sasha pointed at his face, and turned to the kids, pumping her fist in the air "Pizza train? Right Pizza train!"
"PIZZA TRAIN!" Both Sprig and Polly cheered together, running after her.
"Kids... It's dangerous..." Hop Pop sighed in defeat.
"Whoa-whoa. 'Dangerous vegetables'?" Anne scoffed lightly. "Come on! How bad can a bunch of tomatoes be?"
Meanwhile, their eyes were widened as they stared at the roaring creature in front of them. It was a giant, sentient, carnivorous tomato plant that resembled a Venus-Flytrap like plant with three heads atop long red stems joined at the base of the plant, where bunches of tomato were located. Each head possessed a large mouth and rows of sharp, white teeth and a green flower-like stalk.
A dragonfly flew close to it, and was immediately was chomped on by one of the plant's jaws. The sound of its exoskeleton being crushed and slapped as it was eaten was heard by the humans and frog, making their stomachs turn as they cringed. Some pieces of the dragonfly's wings and a leg landed in front of them.
"Ho-"
"-Ly-"
"-Tomato."
Anne, Sprig, and Polly exclaimed in sequence, frozen in fear. Sasha and Marcy cling on with each other's arms while KJ and Frank dropped their jaws with shock
"I hate really hate this." said KJ.
"I hate it more." Frank added.
He looked at the tomatoes of that base of the plant. One of the heads lowered down to their level and roared at them. He held his scythe in both hands then.
"You know, this baby's got some great substitutes, all of which are delightfully harmless." Hop Pop whispered while patted his book under his armpit and nervously smiled.
They're all simultaneously stepped back slowly from the plant.
"Couldn't hurt to hear a few options." Sprig whispered back.
"Yeah, screw this." Frank said. However, Anne ran behind them and blocked their attempts from leaving.
"Hold on!" She exclaimed before lowering her voice. "Guys, the shame cage isn't just in the town square. It's up here. You're not gonna change the world without taking a few risks. We need to be bold, groundbreaking, brave!"
"Anne, there's a big difference between courage and stupidity!" Hop Pop yelled angrily, having had enough of Anne's stubbornness.
"No, there isn't!" Sasha yelled, pointing at Hop Pop.
"You maybe a stuck-up boomer in your ways! But you're dragging your kids down with you!"
"Don't you back talk me, girl!" Hop Pop threated, waving a finger. He turned to the kids and back at Sasha. "We're leaving now!"
"I'll show you old man!" She turn to the tomatoes and glared, she push herself forward and ran towards the monster.
The kids left slack-jaw as Hop Pop ran straight towards Sasha. Feeling a fear only a parent could feel. Jumping in front of her arms straight out, he had a glared of anger and fear.
"Get out of my way!" Sasha snapped.
"I said no!" Hop Pop argues.
"You're not my dad! I'm trying to help you!"
"And like I say, you can help, but this... this is reckless!"
"I'm not a kid!"
"Yes you are!"
Marcy cringed when the argue continues, she really hates seeing her friends fighting. Frank shift his glance at her when he looks concerned about her emotions. However, as the argue continues, Frank turned around and looked at the plant.
"LOOK OUT!" He screamed, moving behind the family and with a swing of his scythe, cuts an elongated red tendril that tried to grab the old frog. "I'll grab the tomatoes!"
With scythe in hand, he ran straight for the fresh tomatoes. The tomato monster's heads roared as it shot its tendrils at him. Frank saw one coming at him, but he ducked and sliced it with his scythe. Another one swung at his feet, but he jumped over it, before cutting the tendril two times.
A few more came at him, but Frank baseball slide across the ground. Having been a member of his school's baseball team, he was one of the fastest kids on the team, and used that speed to his advantage.
As he got closer, one of the heads lunged forward to kill him. Frank stopped when he saw it and jumped back, making the head crash into the ground. He took the moment to swing his scythe in a wide arc, cutting deep across its head. Killing the head.
Frank looked up and his eyes widened. He ducked behind the dead head as another head came down to bite at him. However, this one didn't crash into the ground, and followed him as Frank ran for the tomatoes. Finally, he had reached the fresh tomatoes at the base of the monster.
"FRANK, LOOK OUT!" Anne screamed from afar.
Frank looked back and saw the head coming closer. Jaws open to eat him. Grabbing some of the tomatoes and pulling them out from the base, Frank jumped and rolled out of the way. Causing the head to slam into its own stem. The sheer force of the impact caused the stem to snap off and fall down onto the ground lifelessly.
Taking the moment, Frank ran back to the others with one arm having the tomatoes in it. The Plantars and the human teens were all in awe by what Frank did, before they started cheering loud. Anne ran over to him and hugged him, which to Frank by surprise.
"Way to go, Frank!" Marcy cheers.
"Dude, that was totally awesome!" Anne yelled with a big beaming smile.
"Yeah, it was!" Sprig yelled, hopping all around Franks as he smiled and turned his body right to left to just look at the excited frog. "That was so cool!"
"Wicked cool!" KJ gave Sprig a high fives.
"THAT WAS THE GREAT THING I'VE EVER SEE!" Polly cheered louder than anyone else.
Hop Pop and Sasha were staring at him with a slacked jaw. Too shocked to form a sentence. Frank looked a little embarrassed as he smiled.
"Thanks. It was nothing really," he said as he placed the tomatoes into the backpack they were using. When he was done, he handed it back to Sprig. "Now let's get out of here before-"
Suddenly, his ankle was grabbed by one of the tendrils. He was suddenly and violently pulled into the air as the last and largest head of the tomato monster roared in anger.
"FRANK!" Everyone screamed.
With a violent swing, the tendril slammed Frank into a tree. He screamed as he felt pain exploding from where his body collared with the tree. Then the monster slammed him into another tree. This time his head got hit on the impact, making him drop his scythe. They can only watch in horror as the head roared and slammed Frank's body onto the ground, before swinging him into another tree, and then the ground again.
The boy groaned in agony as he struggled to stay conscious. His bruised body was dragged across the ground, before the head finally stopped by throwing him into its mouth. Swallowing Frank with one gulp before letting out a roar. Anne's fists clenched with rage as she ran over and picked up Frank's scythe.
"You give him back, you monster!" She yelled with anger as she charged at the monster.
"ANNE, NO! COME BACK" Sasha yells out at her.
Hopping on to the head of the first head that died, she jumped into the air at the stem. Yelling a battle cry as she was about to slice it. But then her body was grabbed by one of the tendrils. Anne screamed and dropped the scythe as she was thrown into the mouth of the monster.
"ANNE!" Sasha, Marcy, and KJ screams.
"Run, kids!" Hop Pop yelled as the remaining tendrils came at them.
Sprig, Sasha, Marcy, and KJ ran in front, held Polly over his head, and Hop Pop ran behind them. He was the first one to be grabbed. Then Polly was snatched from Sprig's hands. The little pink frog looked back and screamed as the last tendril came at him. It grabbed his tongue and pulled towards the monster.
Hop Pop clawed at the ground to stop himself, but the tendril was too strong. He and Polly were pulled up and dropped into the mouth. Then Sprig was lifted up by the grinning monster as it held him over its open mouth. Its grasp on his tongue was released, and Sprig fell in screaming.
"MY FIANCÉE WAS RIGHT!"
Then the monster grabbed both Marcy and KJ as they both screamed before Sasha stops and turns around and shocked that the tomato monster is helding them over its mouth with its tendril and drops them into its jaw. Sasha's eyes were widen before she let out her shrieks.
"NOOO!"
Meanwhile, when Frank was eaten, his body fell down the throat of the tomato head. As he fell down, he pulled out his knife and stabbed it into the walls of the throat and then stomped his legs on the wall. Frank slowly braked to a stop halfway down the throat. His back was against the slimy wall, his legs braced against the other side, his right hand holding onto the knife, and his left hand pushing against the wall.
He sighed in relief. Suddenly Anne came falling down and the teens were sent falling down the throat again, until they were able to stop themselves.
"Anne?"
She had landed on his lap and was holding onto the walls with her hands and feet.
"Frank? I thought we lost you!" said Anne with a big smile.
Frank blushed slightly at the awkward position they were both in before smiled. Sprig's scream could be heard slightly above them.
"Y-Yeah-"
The two of them were forced down again when Marcy, KJ, and the Plantars landed on them. Causing the two teenagers to lose their grip entirely. Everyone screamed as they fell deeper into the tomato. Frank tried to push himself against the wall. However, instead of the wall, he pushed against Anne's back, forcing her to put her legs on the wall.
Getting an idea, the two of them linked their arms together and pulled out all the breaks. Pushing against each other with all their might, they stopped just before the end of the throat. The frog family landed on them, but the backpack of ingredients slipped off Sprig's shoulder.
"AH! THE INGREDRIENTS!" KJ yells.
Seeing it falling past her, Anne quickly one of her arms and shot it out, grabbing one of the shoulder straps.
Saving it from falling into a familiar bright and bubbly pool of stomach acid.
"Holy smokes! Acid!" Hop Pop yelled, looking down at the acid.
"Man, talk about Deja view." said Frank in no one in particular.
"Well, at least the ingredients are safe." Anne tried to pull the backpack back up, but with it not closed properly, it flew open.
Every ingredient that they had worked hard to get dropped down into the acid.
Burning away with the backpack.
"NNNOOOOOOOOO!" Anne screamed in despair, before linking her arm back around Frank's. "The ingredients! Everything we've worked for!"
"OUR PIZZA DREAMS!" Marcy cried with agony.
"Goodbye paparazzi's" said KJ when feeling sad.
"At least it'll be a quick, painless death." Sprig said.
"Why would this be painless?" Polly asked.
"Just let me have this lie!"
"Will you guys calm down?" Frank looked around for a way to get out of the monster. "Anne, help me figure a way out of this mess."
But when he didn't a response, he looked over his shoulder at her. He couldn't see it, but Anne had quite a grim expression.
"What's wrong?" Frank asked.
"(sighed sadly) How can you not be upset, Frank?" She asked her friend before looking at her friends. "Our revolutionary ideas were supposed to save you guys, not get you killed. I shouldn't have been so stubborn. I just really wanted to share a pizza with you guys. And...And you too, Frank. To make up for old times."
Frank was a little surprised to hear her say that. But he smiled.
"Hey, if we get out of here, how about we try again to make a pizza." said Frank to cheer her up. "It may not be for the potluck, but just to have fun. That's what pizzas with friends are for, right?"
Anne's expression turned from surprised to happy. KJ and Marcy gave them their small smiles. With or without the ingredients.
"Kids, I've got to be honest. I didn't care about that pizza stuff anyway. I'm sorry I wasn't supportive of you two. You were really trying to help this family out, and that's worth something in my book." said Hop Pop.
As the teens smiled at him before an idea popped into Marcy as she realized something.
"Your book? That's it! Does the book of your elders have anything that could get us out of here?" asked Marcy.
"Well, I don't know." replied Hop Pop, pulling out the book and opening to the page that had information on tomatoes. "Nothing especially useful. Just that the throat of this giant tomato plant is absolutely delicious eaten raw."
That made all of their eyes widened, before they glanced at one another and grin. All having the same idea.
On the outside, the main head of the giant tomato monster plant let out a satisfied burp. It had finally eaten those pesky frogs and weird-looking creatures. Sasha remain frozen, she dropped and sat on the ground, starring at the ground feeling like fool. Feeling like this was all her fault, punching the ground feeling like fool. Once again getting her friends hurt. The tomato plant roared, licking its lips.
Sasha glared at the monsters, as it attempted to grabbed her, she dodge one of the vines. She trying to think of anything to help. The plant was able to trip her, and grabbed her. She wasn't going down without a fight. She struggle to break free, as suddenly the creature let her go. She raised an eyebrow, the monster look as though it was having stomach pain.
Suddenly, there was a gurgling sound that came from its throat. A moment later, Frank's knife blade pierced through its body from inside. Frank then sliced the knife down, before his, Anne's, and the Plantars' heads popped out of the incision and started biting into the flesh of the tomato monster. Creating an even bigger hole caused them to spill out.
Sasha watched in shock as all seven of them bounced off the fresh tomatoes, before landing on the ground. Completely cover in the juices from inside. The tomato monster let out one last roar before falling down and dying. Polly spat on the head.
"Know your place, plant!" She yelled at it, before Anne picked her up.
Frank got his scythe and stood up with Sprig and Hop Pop. KJ lift Marcy up on their feet.
"Guys?" Sasha blinked, as she walked over to them, pulling Anne and Marcy into a hug. "Oh, thank god!"
"Sorry, Sash." Marcy starred at the ground, rubbing her arm. "We lost the ingredients."
"Yeah, sorry Sash." said Anne.
"What? Never mind the ingredient, you guys could've been killed because me." Sasha looks down in shame.
"Sasha, don't feel bad..." KJ tries to comfort her, but she raises her hand.
"It was selfish of me. I was too blind to help you win by making our own pizza, but now that you mentioned it that the ingredient is gone and it's all my fault." said Sasha.
"Hey, we've all made a big mistakes. Right, guys?" Anne asked her friends.
"Right." replied Marcy and KJ with unison.
Then suddenly, they all heard the sound of a bell tolling in the distance.
"(gasp) There isn't much time. Let's go home and make one of your old recipes, Hop Pop." said Anne.
"It wouldn't get us out of last place. But at least we'll have something." replied Hop Pop.
Sasha and Marcy quickly gathered some tomatoes of what's left incase she owes them for dragging them here. Frank looked down and picked up a fresh tomato. Biting into it, he moaned with delight when it tasted just like the monster.
"Maybe it can." Frank said to the others, holding up the tomato. "We just have to spruce it up with something a little dangerous."
The sun was setting in Wartwood, and the dragonflies that caught that one frog flew across the sky.
"Yup. Still up here. Still need help." he said.
Down on the ground, the annual potluck was about to begin. Frogs from all over the town had come out to participate with their dishes and recipes. All with the hope of winning chopper and praises from everyone else, or be placed in the shame cage. On the long table, each contestant placed their food on the table to be presented. And at the very end of the table were our heroes.
Hop Pop baked a gross looking pie, and now they placed the final ingredient. Together, Frank and Anne placed a slice of tomato on it.
"Perfect." They said simultaneously, except for Sasha.
"This is a really bad idea." Sasha grossed out.
"Well, it can't be that bad. How hard can it be?" KJ shrugged.
Just then, Toadie played a little trumpet to signal the beginning of the competition. Mayor Toadstool then slides in, pushing the frog to the ground.
"All right! Let the annual potluck begin! Let's get to tastin' those dishes."
Anne and her friends waited together as Toadstool took advantage of the competition so that he could eat the various dishes for free. Beginning from the other end of the table and started working his way down.
"And last, but not least-" He said when he reached the final contestants. But when he opened his eyes, he let out a sigh when unamused to see them. "The Plantars with the monsters. What filth have you cooked up this ti-Hmm?"
He stopped talking when he saw the tomato slice on the pie.
"Tomato? That's awfully dangerous." He chuckled, before dipping his finger into the pie and scooping out a chunk.
He then placed the chunk into his mouth and took the moment to taste it. All while Toadie stood next to him, playing a drumroll. The teenagers and Plantar family stared nervously at the mayor.
"Why, I do declare! This is the best dish the Plantar family has ever brought to a potluck!" Toadstool praised with sincerity.
"What?" Hop Pop gasped, as the other frogs gasped all around them.
"What? Did we do it?" Sprig asked, not believe his ears.
"Really?!" Sasha asked hopefully when smiling.
"We won!" Frank cheered, throwing his fists up with a big grin.
They all started cheering together, happy to have finally won. But...
"Win?" Toadstool asked, before waving his hands. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, it's better than usual, but it's still terrible. Last place, as usual."
With more sympathy, Toadstool pulled out and slammed a ribbon on the pie that said 'Good Grief' on it. Toadie played a sad "wah-wah" theme on his trumpet.
"You folks should know the way to the shame cage by now.
With sighs and expression of their disappointment, the Plantars, and the teens walked towards the shame cage except Sasha that was standing here with her shocking look.
"Hurry along. All right, boys, light it up," said Toadstool.
A frog with a torch came over and burnt the pie. As they walked towards the cage with long faces, Sprig was the only one whose mood wasn't dampened at all with their lose.
"Cheer up, guys." said Sprig with a smile, hoping up. "Sure we came in last. Again. But thanks to Frank and Anne's new ideas and Hop Pop's old ones, we've done the best we've ever done."
"You know, he's right." Hop Pop agreed.
"Yeah!" Polly agrees as they reached the cage. The masked frog held open the cage's door for them, and the Plantars turned to face Anne and her friends after Sasha approach with her arms crossed.
"We did, didn't we?" Anne asked with a smile.
But as she and Frank watched them climb into the cage and get cozy, they both glanced at one another before shifting their glance at Sasha, Marcy, and KJ.
"Hey, pal, can that thing hold two more?" Frank asked the masked toad with a smile.
"How 'bout it, Carl?" Hop Pop turned to the toad.
"The more the merrier." said Carl in a gruff voice.
"Hear that?" Hop Pop chuckled.
"Get in here, you crazy kids!" Sprig exclaimed.
"Whoo-hoo!" All four of them cheers except for Sasha.
Frank stabbed his scythe into the ground before walking over to join Anne, KJ, and the Plantars. Taking a seat next to his returning best friend. Before Marcy goes in, but Sasha just grabbed her hoodie and dragged her out of the scene.
"I'm out." said Sasha dryly.
"G'ah!" Marcy yelps.
"Hey, where are you two going?" KJ asked.
"Come on, Sash!" Marcy smiled while being dragged. "There still plenty of room."
"We're not climbing in a cage like monkeys. We are leaving and that's that!" replied Sasha, scoffing.
"Aw, man." Marcy crosses her arms with defeated looks.
So Carl closed the door to the cage, letting their legs dangle between the bars, before using his surprising strength to pull the rope. Hoisting the cage up with its inhabitants.
"Well, if we can't share a pizza, at least we can share this." said Anne.
"That's what friends do, Anne. Share the experience," Frank said with a smile. Placing a hand on her shoulder. "And you know, this isn't so bad-"
Suddenly he was hit in the face with a piece of gunk. He quickly wiped it off.
"What the hell?! What was that for?!" Frank exclaimed.
"Ooh, I forgot to mention the shame nuggets." said Sprig with a wince.
"What? AW!" Anne yelled when she too was hit with a shame nugget.
Down below, the frogs of Wartwood surrounded underneath the shame cage. They jeered at those in the cage and threw more shame nuggets, slime, and other grossness in their general direction while yelling how they should be ashamed. Some for those who were friends with the Plantars like Mrs. Croaker shaking her head, looking disappointed.
"Hey! That's my son-in-law!" Stumpy Flour cheered as Maddie stood next to him, smiling and waving in her usual creepy way.
"Hi..." Sprig nervously waved back was said through his teeth.
"Is that the best you got?!" Polly yelled down at the frogs down below.
Hop Pop, however, looked as satisfied he could be in the shame cage with a sigh.
"Tradition is such a beautiful-" He got hit in the face with a shame nugget. "AH! WHAT THE-"
Sasha and Marcy were both standing there and watching their friends getting slimed by some frogs. She felt really remorse about not keeping them safe from the plant monster, all because she wanted to help them win. Then again, whenever they go somewhere is always some dangerous creatures. Now she was staring at them, feeling disgusted.
"This is why Hop Pop's suck at cooking. This tradition stinks!" Sasha gritted her teeth.
"Well, it can't be that bad." said Marcy.
"Don't over do it. When this is over, I'm gonna cut the rope after night falls and YOU are gonna be on the lookout. Got it?"
"Wait, should we consider this if we could just lowered them down without making a sound?"
Sasha was about to argue, but Marcy has a point. She doesn't want to get anyone's attentions if they made a single loud sound.
"You know, you have a point. We'll wait until night falls." Sasha walks back to the farm to get something, leaving Marcy looking concerned about all this if it's illegal or not.
Later that night, Sasha's plan has worked out so well after rescuing her friends from the shame cage without having anyone around to interfere and then they rushed all the way back to the farm. Later on, Sasha was in the Plantar's kitchen seeing a dim light coming from Hop Pop's study. She watched as the old frog made his way out to get some water.
"Hey... Old man?" Sasha paused as Hop Pop turned to her. She was rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "Look, about what happened..."
But Hop Pop raised a hand to hush her before he can speak.
"Part of that was on me. You and the kids were trying to help. And...and I wasn't being that helpful to you. I been taking care of this place since my father past, and it's hard to do things differently. So I'm sorry if this old frog doesn't appreciate you." Hop Pop apologized.
Sasha felt surprised, she wasn't excepting this type of reaction for him. Even well she was proven right about her innocents back home her parents wouldn't apologies. She sighed, apologizing was hurt for her before tighten her fists.
"I just want to win, so badly. Winning mean something in my world! Its means your somebody! (sighed) But it shouldn't be worth getting killed over."
Then she felt something wrapped around her, she looks down and saw Hop Pop hug her. The blond was completely caught off guard not daring to move as she was completely wrapped in Hop Pop's arms, unsure what to do. Sure she was hugged before by her friends, and even her parents before on rare occasions.
But there was definitely something different about this hug- the strength of the embrace. More importantly, how warm and comforting. She smiled a little before letting go, shaking away her smiled.
"You, know. I'll probably be back to driving you crazy again by tomorrow." She smirked.
"I'm sure you will." He said teasingly.
And that's a wrap! It took me three days to get this done and boy, do I ever need to keep up? Yes! The reason why I made an extra ending because to me, they really would've won by making their first pizza in Wartwood, but no! Hop Pop really needs to stop doing bad cooking and start with the good cook other wise Anne's parents would be all ticked off.
In the meantime, I'll see if I can make the next chapter before I'm heading to Mexico with my family, but if I don't make the next chapter in time, that's okay. There's still plenty of time for me to catch up. Hope you enjoyed reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!
Amphibia (c) Disney
Frank Ramirez (c) Cowboy-Alchemist
KJ Loud (c) KevinToons915