A/N: Okay everyone, update time.
So, as you may or may not know, I am currently the caretaker of my grandfather.
Thankfully I have been writing like a man possessed and managed to get a head start on both this and Witch.
My profile will have the dates for when each of the episodes/chaps will be posted.
After that, well, not sure.
Once things have settled down and a bit, and a we get a schedule going, I'll get back to it.
Until then, I thank you for your understanding during this trying time in my family.
A storm raged across the city, pouring down rain as lightning crashed and thunder roared in the sky. The city had been the site of a fierce battle with one of the ones responsible being the domineering, powerful Kaijin, the beast known as Prime, the One Who Is Above All. The creature's body was made up of exoskeletal armor plates that sparkled as if the night sky had pieces broken off of it and fashioned into his armor. His hands had jagged claws, while his feet had three talons that cut small grooves into the concrete. His broad muscles were visible in the few gaps of his armor. Prime's dragon-like tail wagged back and forth, patiently waiting. His head had a full helmet-like casing with two horns curving upwards, and a dark slit that allowed for his burning yellow eyes to shine through.
On the opposite side was the hero who had fought valiantly to thwart Prime, he was an Asian man of Japanese descent, and was battered and bruised, with some blood trickling down his forehead. His eyes were shifting back and forth between dark brown and bright blue, and with each shift, he groaned and shook his head, as if something was trying to control him.
"Why do you continue to fight my influence, Eclipse?" Prime asked.
"And let myself be enslaved? Like you've done to other Kaijin? No thanks," Eclipse retorted.
"Humanity will never accept the Kaijin, they will never accept you. These…creatures are unworthy of salvation, of pity or empathy. If it's not Kaijin, then it's religion, if not religion, then political ideology, if not ideology, then skin color. All they know is hate, and when they're done, they move onto the next thing to hate. An endless cycle of bigotry and ignorance. That is why I am here, I, the One Who Is Above All, shall purify this world of their kind, and pave the way for the Kaijin to truly flourish."
"Under your control you mean!"
Prime raised his hand and said, "To keep order, we must be of a unified mind. That is the downfall of humanity. Even if their very survival requires them to adapt and change, they refuse it with all their might to cling onto the irrelevancy of the past. I see the future, and the future is prosperous. You can join your brethren in that future, Eclipse. All you need do, is submit. Tell me, what has this world done for you?"
Eclipse was about to say something, but the words stopped in his mouth.
Prime took a step forward as he continued. "They only accepted you because they believed you to be a human. Because they believe one under the mask is a human being, and not a Kaijin. When the mask is gone, and the façade dropped. Do you believe they will accept you? Despite the numerous times you've put yourself in danger? Despite the many times you've come close to death? No, but all your sins against your brothers and sisters will be forgiven, for you did not know better child."
Eclipse's resolve was starting to die out little by little. It was hard to argue with Prime's words. For years he has had to keep his identity as a Kaijin secret, and while the relations between humans and Kaijin have gotten better, there was still those who pushed back. Was there even any real reason behind fighting? The more Eclipse thought on this, the more his eyes started to shift to blue.
"Yes, Eclipse, that's it. You don't need to raise your fists for them, not anymore. Raise them now in defense of your people!" Prime declared.
Eclipse eyes were about to shift completely blue, but right before they did, the hero remembered. The images and faces of those who knew his secret, the people he had saved, who changed their ways after meeting him and being saved. His friends and those he called family, a mixture of humans and Kaijin, those who formed harmonious bonds, they would suffer in Prime's world. And he would not allow it. Eclipse's eyes suddenly went from blue to bright red as he raised his right hand and released a wave of kinetic energy that pushed Prime back a couple of feet.
"Heh…yeah, you may be right. Humans can be a-holes. And yeah, they'll always look for something to hate. But you know what, Prime? For all their hate, they have love!"
A kinetic wave was released from Eclipse, pushing Prime back again.
"I've seen their ability to change!"
A third wave was released, forcing Prime to dig his talons into the concrete.
"I've witnessed their compassion firsthand!"
Eclipse brought his arms together into an "X" formation, and then broke it, releasing a powerful burst wave of that same energy. When the wave hit Prime's body, the powerful Kaijin had sparks go off from his armor.
"And whether its humans or Kaijin, anything that threatens the lives of the innocent, will see my glow and know that justice is coming for them! Just like YOU! PRIME!"
Eclipse widened his stance as he made a "+" formation with his arms, having both of his hands' fingers curled in a claw formation. When he did this, an orange-red light shined around his waist, creating a Driver. The Driver had three panels that were open, revealing the circuitry beneath, and had a round orange-red crystal at the center of it. The hero broke the formation, making his arms draw a circle in the air as he slowly spoke, "HEEEEN…" once they reached a certain position in the circle, Eclipse thrust his right arm into the air with his hand open as if reaching for something, while his left hand was balled into a fist resting at his left hip. "…SHIN!"
The Driver activated, the three panels came together and formed a seal around the central crystal as an intense blast of light surrounded him. The man before Prime shifted into a monster form that had a black exoskeleton, with a single curved horn coming out of its forehead, and orange-red eyes that matched its crystal. But the transformation was not over yet. The energy surrounding him released a powerful burst of light of even greater intensity. And when the light final faded, he was standing there. His exoskeleton had become more armor-like and sleek. With orange-red lines that cut grooves into the armor and shined brilliantly. On his back was a medium sized pack of some kind that resembled the closed shell of a beetle's wings. The helmet-like head had a horn protruding from the forehead, his mouth was covered with silver armored plating, and the compound eyes glowed orange red. Upon his left chest plate was a symbol that consisted of a silver ring with lines that represented the sun's rays, and inside of that circle was a silver moon.
"I am the Millennium Emperor, the Spark of Genesis! I am the light in the darkness!" Eclipse took a stance as his body radiated with orange red light. "I am Kamen Rider Eclipse! And the sun has set on your demise, Prime!"
Prime growled angrily as navy-blue light erupted all around him. "If that is what you want, then you can die with the rest of these parasites!"
Eclipse widened his stance as he gathered his energy. With each passing second, it grew bigger and bigger until it looked as if a raging inferno had shrouded his body.
"RIDER…KICK!"
Once he had built up enough energy, Eclipse jumped straight into the air and funneled all that power into this right foot as he descended towards Prime. The One Who Is Above All, channeled all his gathered power into his right fist and met Eclipse's kick with a punch. The two attacks made contact, and upon doing so, a powerful explosion erupted from the top of the building they were on. The two dueling energies continued to push against each other as Prime and Eclipse struggled to gain the upper hand. For a moment, Eclipse thought he was about to be stopped when Prime took a step forward and extended his arm up, pushing Eclipse back a bit.
"YOU CAN DO IT, ECLIPSE!"
"TAKE HIM DOWN!"
"WE BELIEVE IN YOU!"
"KAMEN RIDER ECLIPSE!"
The words of the people, of human and Kaijin alike, all of them were crying out for his victory. Inspired by their words, Eclipse poured every ounce of power he had, and then some, into this kick. The light of the Driver shined with a greater brilliance as energy surrounding Eclipse's right foot doubled in intensity. But it didn't stop there, it continued to double, more, and more, and more, until the orange-red light of Eclipse began to overwhelm the navy-blue light of Prime. And after an epic struggle, Eclipse's kick broke through, striking Prime right in the chest. The two of them were sent flying off the roof, streaking across the sky like a shooting star before they landed in the middle of the street a few blocks away from where they started. Upon hitting the street, a pillar of orange red light erupted and shot up in the form of a pillar that punched a hole through the darkened skies.
After a few seconds the pillar of light faded, leaving a ten-foot wide, and five-foot-deep crater. At the center of this crater, Eclipse stood above the One Who Is Above All, his foot firmly planted on Prime's chest. The supreme Kaijin's body started to break down and crumble into dust before Eclipse, signaling that the fight was over.
"You will…never be…loved…"
With those parting words, Prime died, and Eclipse was the one left standing, victorious. Eclipse sighed and dragged himself out of the crater, completely exhausted from the battle, when he did, his Rider form released and showed his true kaijin form. Unfortunately, a crowd of civilians had gathered around the crater, and all of them gasped when they saw that their savior was none other than a Kaijin.
"Eclipse is a Kaijin?!"
"He's been one this whole time?!"
Eclipse sighed, he knew this was coming, but he didn't care. He meant what he said to Prime. So, he stood up, but quickly went back down to one knee, his body was not cooperating after that battle. However, as he looked down at the pavement, he saw the feet of a child. When Eclipse looked up, he saw a young girl standing before him. With gentle hands, the young girl reached out and placed them on either side of Eclipse's face.
"I don't care what you are. To me, you're a hero," said the girl.
Eclipse was touched by the girl's words, but then he started to hear his name.
"Eclipse!"
"Eclipse the hero!"
"Eclipse!"
"Eclipse!"
"Eclipse!"
"Eclipse!"
Eclipse looked up into the sky, at the bright sun that shined its light down upon them all. Mother, Father, I don't know what the future holds, but now, I feel like that future might just be brighter than ever before.
~THE END~
The Plantars, Anne, and Bee were in the living room, having finished watching the movie. Bee was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, and Sprig was sitting on the floor as well between Bee's legs. Both were crying, emotional messes as the credits rolled, a stark contrast compared to Anne, Polly, and Hop Pop.
After sniffling a bit, Bee finally spoke, "And that was 'Kamen Rider Eclipse: The Brightest Future'. Quite possibly the finest film ever made."
"I-I've never seen anything like that!" Sprig exclaimed. "I mean, Anne's shown me Atlas, but this?! This is on a whole other level! So, moving! So inspiring!"
Anne chuckled a bit. "Yeah, they usually go all out with the special effects when it comes to these Rider movies. But after living it, watching this kinda loses the flare. But man, Dad, you always become a mess after watching this movie."
"Eclipse is my favorite Showa Rider, Anne! Cut your old man some slack," said Bee as he blew his nose.
Sprig got up and went to the newly repaired window and looked outside as he sighed. "I wish I could be lovingly embraced by all of humanity."
As soon as Anne saw Sprig looking out the window without his disguise on, she zipped straight to him and closed the blinds before anyone could see. "No can do, dude. Low profile, remember?"
"I know, I know, but it's not fair." Sprig moved away from the window and went back to the couch as he said, "You got to make your mark in Amphibia!"
"That's because in Amphibia, we only had the Fallen to worry about, and since they came out of nowhere, we just had to react to them. And in Amphibia, the others accepted me after a lengthy period of borderline extreme paranoia, and after Marcy, Luz, and I saved Amphibia from an undead monster. Unlike here, where we have Foundation X and the FBI sniffing around for us," Anne argued.
"Ugh, fine," Sprig relented.
Polly peeked over the armrest and looked down at her brother as she said, "I still can't believe you actually liked that movie! It was stuffed with predictable tropes and lazy writing."
"We have got to cut back on your internet use," Hop Pop commented.
"All I'm sayin' is that you'd have to be pretty dense to think any of that would be possible," Polly argued. "First of all, the idea that a vigilante would be given free reign is totally implausible, I mean just look at Anne."
"Point taken, but it's a movie, suspend your belief a little bit, Polly," said Anne.
"And on top of that, what villain just stands there and lets the hero build up power for their final attack?"
Anne deadpanned. "Have you met half the monster's I've fought?"
"Point taken, but still, I think–!"
At this point, the eleven-year-old frog boy tuned out his little sister and walked out of the room as his thoughts began to form a plan.
Later that night, Sprig was in the attic. Everyone was asleep as he set up his "training course". It was no secret that Sprig admired his adopted big sister Anne, to the point of idolizing her. She was a real-life superhero and opened his eyes up to a whole new world. And he wanted to be like her, he wanted to be a hero just like her. Yes, he knew he lacked the powers and transformation built, but that didn't mean he was without skills and ability.
He was just a mild-mannered frog boy who never made a fuss. Be he was destined to be something more.
Sprig looked at his hands and after a moment they began to secrete a sticky substance. The pink frog child walked over to the wall and used that substance to aid in his wall crawling. He scaled the wall all the way to the top, and once there, Sprig began lashing out with this tongue, sticking it to different surfaces as he used it to swing off one beam after the other. Unfortunately, one of those beams broke and sent him straight to the floor, falling flat on his face as the broken off part of the beam hit him in the back of his head.
"Ow."
But Sprig didn't let that deter him as he sprang to his feet and got into a fighting stance. "Who knows how long he's got left on Earth?"
Sprig stared down the three set up "enemies" and attacked. He lashed out with his tongue, smashing through one and then the other. For the third he jumped straight into the air, flipped once, and dove down with a flying kick. His attack struck the top of the wooden enemy, breaking off its head as he landed on the other side.
It's time to put his mark on the world and be adored by all!
After his training, Sprig went to work on his costume. He went through several ideas, each one worse than the last. That is until he decided to take inspiration from his hero, Anne, or rather her alter ego, Amp. Sprig drew the design, a blue suit, with goggles, a yellow scarf wrapped around his mouth, green shorts, and tights. Once it was settled upon, Sprig stealthily moved to gather the materials he needed. The sewing machine, fabric, a sock, and a few other miscellaneous items. It took most of the night, but it was done. And come morning, when Anne and the rest of his family were out of Anne's room, Sprig quickly donned his new attire.
"Alright, Earth. Get ready to meet…" Sprig struck a dramatic pose. "Frog-Man!"
"Hey, Sprig, did you see…" Polly went silent as she stood there in the doorway and looked at her brother, who was wearing a costume. "What are you doing?"
"I'm fulfilling my destiny as Frog-Man, your neighborhood superhero!" Sprig stated as he puffed out his chest.
"You mean neighborhood attention-seeker." Polly deadpanned. "You know Anne's going to throw a fit, right?"
"The only thing I seek is justice, Polly! And Anne will see that I'm following in her footsteps," said Sprig as he hung from the ceiling on his tongue. "Hop, hop and away!"
Polly watched as her older brother swung out of the room through the open window. The young pollywog ran up to said window and shouted, "You're never going to solve systemic societal problems with a sock on your head!"
"WATCH MEEEEEEEE!"
Polly just shook her head. "Whelp, countdown to when this goes south starts…" she glanced at the clock, "now."
Sprig found himself perched atop a gargoyle head, overlooking the city below.
"Here I am. Guardian of the city. No evil shall escape my gaze," said Sprig in a serious tone.
His watchful gaze did not somehow notice that he was standing on a flock of pigeons that, for some reason, were clustered together in the shape of a gargoyle head. The pigeons seemed to have had enough of Sprig standing on them and dispersed. However, before he fell, Sprig managed to lash out with his tongue, sticking to a nearby roof. Sprig reeled himself back up, landing on the edge of the roof, and very nearly lost his balance before coming down into a kneeling position.
"Totally meant to do that," said Sprig as he pulled up the scarf. "And now to search for crime."
His search didn't last long, for when he looked down below, he saw an elderly man with rollerblades, kneepads, elbow pads, and a helmet. He had gray pants, a brown vest, and a light gray, long sleeved shirt. The elderly man was writing something down on a notepad, standing next to a lemonade stand ran by a young boy and young girl.
"Alright, I'm writing you kids up. You need a permit to sell goods on the street," said the older man as he handed the "ticket" to the young boy.
"Oh…Mom's gonna hate this," said the boy.
"Dude, we're eight," the girl complained.
Sprig jumped off the roof and landed a couple feet next to the lemonade stand, and stood heroically as he asked, "What seems to be the problem here?"
The older man scoffed upon seeing Sprig. "Oh great, first we got that Amp character, then that half blue and pink one, and now you. You another masked vigilante?"
"Exactly! I am…" Sprig pulled down his scarf and released his tongue, and in an impressive display of flexibility, spelled out his moniker. "Frog-Man! Ribbiter of Justice!"
"Well, these streets don't need you, 'cause they've got me! Robert Otto, Neighborhood Safety Supervisor!" Robert proclaimed proudly.
"More like Neighborhood Butt Cheek," the girl snidely remarked.
Ignoring said remark, Robert crouched low and rolled up to "Frog-Man" as he said, "Listen, this neighborhood ain't big enough for the both of us. And I was here first, so get lost!"
Sprig raised his hands up in a placating motion as he replied, "Hey, I don't want to fight you. I only want to fight injustice!"
Right as he said that Sprig and Robert heard a lot of screams coming from down the street.
"Someone's in trouble!" they both said at the same time.
Robert and Sprig sprang into action as the older man swiftly rolled along on his skates, while Sprig lashed out his tongue and swung away.
"This neighborhood's finally hit rock bottom."
Sprig kept swinging along the buildings, and as he did, that's when he saw a school bus speeding dangerously down the street and dodging cars left and right as quickly as possible. The bus was heading down the hill, and on its current course would crash right into a busy intersection. Sprig was already trying to think of a way to stop the bus, but as he did, that's when he saw Robert Otto roll into the middle of the street, right in the path of the bus.
"It's okay! Your Neighborhood Safety Supervisor is here to–!"
The bus hit Robert head on. Sprig had no idea why that man thought that would work. Thankfully, the older man was now hanging onto the hood of the bus like an ornament, which unfortunately blocked the driver's field of vision and now the bus was jerking back and forth in a panicked fashion. Sprig quickly swung down to the intersection where he landed on a traffic light. His plan was about as crazy as Robert Otto's, but his options were limited, and he had to work with what he had. That being his tongue.
"Not so fast! Tongue web!" Sprig shouted.
"Frog-Man" shot his tongue and began leaping and darting around the intersection, creating tightly woven net out of his tongue. By all accounts, the incoming bus should've shredded his tongue to pieces, and squashed him into roadkill. But miraculously, that's not what happened. Somehow Sprig's tongue was strong enough to capture the bus, making it slow down and repel it a couple of feet back and brought it to a complete stop. The young hero undid his tongue web, just as the citizens he saved got out of their cars to see their hero.
"Oh, my gosh! That kid did it!" a lady exclaimed.
"What a hero!" another citizen shouted.
Robert managed to peel himself off the bus, and turned to the people now praising "Frog-Man" and said, "Hey, what about me? I mean, I slowed the bus down first."
Sprig stood there, hearing the praises of the earthling people. Thankfully his mask kept his blush from showing. "Please. Citizens, please. It was nothing."
Robert dusted himself off, scowling a bit from the whole ordeal. That's when the school bus door opened, and a young girl ran out from it. She wore a pleated green skirt, black boots, a brown sweater vest, a leather bracelet with metal spike studs on it, and a white t-shirt. Her hair was blonde, but one part of her bangs was a neon pink color, while the back end of it was colored neon green. When Robert saw the young girl, he was shocked.
"Molly Jo?! You were on that bus?! Oh, thank goodness you're safe!" Robert exclaimed happily as he crouched down and opened his arms to hug the girl.
But Molly Jo just ran straight towards "Frog-Man". Once she was standing next to him, she reached out with her right hand and happily stated, "Thank you, Frog-Man, for saving me and my Grandpa Robert!"
Sprig shook Molly Jo's hand and replied, "Oh, no problem."
But as they went to let go, both Sprig and Molly Jo seemed to be stuck together. The two kids pulled at their arms for a few seconds before finally managing to dislodge themselves. Afterwards, they shared a good laugh about it.
"Ugh. Stupid Frog-Man," Robert muttered.
"Hey, Dipper. Hey, Mabel."
{What's up, Anne!} Mabel greeted.
{Hi, Anne,} Dipper replied.
Anne decided to give her new Rider friends a call via video on her cellphone, it was still a bit weird knowing that there were other Kamen Riders in her world, but at the same time, it was comforting to know that there were others who at least knew what was like to be one.
{How're things with your folks?} Dipper asked.
"Heh, great, actually. My Dad's a super Rider nerd, and Mom's come around bit more since talking with you guys. She and Dad are pumped for helping me out with my hero stuff," said Anne.
{That's awesome! I knew I liked your folks! You're super lucky to have them,} said Mabel.
Anne smiled and nodded. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you guys have made any headway with your Grunkle Ford?"
{So far, we haven't heard back from him. He and Grunkle Stan are out exploring, again. They're still trying to cram and make up for lost time when he was away in another dimension for all those years.}
Anne sighed. "Dang, you mentioned last time that he knew how to create interdimensional portals, so I thought if anyone, he might be able to make one."
{Don't worry, as soon as he gets back, we'll ask him to get on it,} Dipper assured.
"Cool…and, um, have you guys ever had any trouble with the FBI?" Anne asked.
{What?} Dipper and Mabel asked.
Anne explained to them what happened the other day with Mr. X and the FBI. "So, now we have the feds to worry about too."
{Well, I'd like to say we don't have experience in dealing with the federal government, but…}
{We totally have experience in dealing with the feds. They tried to take Grunkle Stan away. I mean, he did steal some stuff from them, but it was to power the portal that allowed him to bring back Grunkle Ford, so…chaotic good?} Mabel shrugged.
{All I can say is, for now, keep doing what you're doing about keeping a low profile. If they're looking for the Plantars then it won't be long before they connect the dots and figure out you're Amp,} Dipper warned.
Anne nodded her head and put on a serious expression. "Don't worry. We've managed to keep things on the downlow so far. But honestly, I'm getting more anxious about what's happening back in Amphibia. Andrias hasn't sent any other robots after us. I want to take that as a sign that his resources are so thin that he's having to focus more on Amphibia than us. Or it could just mean that he's built up enough of an army of Fallen and robots that he doesn't care what I do here."
{If that lizard king even tries to invade Earth, he'll have to deal with you, and us!} Mabel assured.
"Oh, BT dubs, what's the 'sitch on Luz Noceda?" Anne asked, feeling a bit hopeful that she was from their world.
{Funny you should mention her.} Dipper moved the phone so Anne could see his computer screen. {I've done a bit of research on her, both online and via the Gaia Library. She's a fourteen-year-old girl of Dominican descent. Mother is Camilla Noceda, father is Manny Noceda who died not too long ago, about two years or so.}
Oh, Luz…
{She has an AberrantArt, and a Viewtube account. She's posted a lotta Anime Music Videos. Pretty good ones, too. Anyway, I'm starting to think that she might actually be from our world.}
Anne sat up in her bed and looked at her phone with wide eyes. "Wait! You're serious?!"
{It's definitely a possibility. You see, the Gaia Library has information on everybody, even you, Anne.}
Anne blinked. "Wait? I'm in there? Everything about me?!"
{Don't worry, Dipper's not a perve or anything, so it's not like he specifically looked up any personal, private stuff,} Mabel assured.
{Seriously! Mabel, don't make me sound like a creep!} Dipper took a moment to compose himself before continuing. {Anyway, the Gaia Library has one drawback. It only has information on people and objects that are on Earth. Up to a certain point, the information about Luz Noceda just stops. Like, full on, stops.}
Anne began to worry. "Does that mean…she's dead?"
Dipper shook his head. {No, if someone dies then that information is recorded. Date, time, how, and why. But when I looked up Luz's information, it ends right around the time summer vacation started. Funny thing is, when I looked up you, Sasha, and Marcy, you're books were the same as Luz's, blank for a period of time, and then when you reappeared, the information started coming in and filling up the blank spots again.}
Anne started to understand what Dipper was saying. If Luz's book was blank for a lengthy period of time, the same as her own, then that meant that the Luz she met was from this Earth. "This is amazing! It means Luz and I are from the same Earth!"
{Eh, not necessarily. This is the multiverse we're talking about. It could be that the Luz you met is from another Earth, but that also means we have a Luz on this Earth that was also sent to the Demon Realm but is not a Kamen Rider.}
Anne's brain was starting to hurt the longer she thought about this. "Ugh, this multiverse stuff gives me a headache."
{Sister, you haven't had a headache until you've dealt with time travel,} said Mabel. {Anyway, we're going to keep looking into Luz, we managed to find out where she lives, and we might need to go there anyway. Just to make sure about something. But we'll probably wait to do that, we don't want to leave you alone with Foundation X still around.}
"Thanks, you two. Maybe once I manage to get back to Amphibia, you two can go and look into that. At least then you won't have to worry about me until I get back," said Anne.
{We'll see what we need to do. Until then, keep in touch, and we'll do the same.}
{Bye Anne! When all of this is over, we should all hangout together! A Rider's only party!} Mabel suggested.
Anne chuckled at the idea. "Sounds like fun, I'd like that. Anyway, bye you guys." Anne ended the call and sighed a little.
It was great knowing that Luz might be from this world, at least the one she and Marcy met, but there was no guarantee. Still, they hit it off really well back in Amphibia, there was no reason to think that she couldn't do the same with the Luz of this world. Anne went downstairs and into the kitchen. She saw that her parents brought in some takeout, so she took one of the drinks to quench her thirst. That's when Anne saw Polly in the living room with her laptop. The Thai teen walked over to see what it was that her adopted little sister was looking up this time. That's when Anne saw Polly scrolling down and stopped on a picture that read, "Trending: Frog-Man!" with Sprig in a costume.
"PPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTT!" Anne spat out her drink all over the back of Polly's head right before yelling at the top of her lungs, "SPRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGG!"
Later that night, in Otto's Auto Junk, the owner and Neighborhood Safety Supervisor, Robert Otto, was standing in the middle of his junkyard. Fuming at the news on his phone, which was all about Frog-Man.
Frog Man: Greatest Neighborhood Hero of All Time?
Los Angeles is agog man, for Frog Man! We already have a super powered hero in Kamen Rider Amp. And yeah, he may not be as flashy and super powerful as Amp, but c'mon, you can't help but love 'em. He's pink as a pig, built like an eight-year-old, has a tongue that makes us SICK, and yet this amphibious dynamo has captured the hearts of every Angeleno with his slimy charms.
Every social media and news post was about Frog-Man. Ever since the appearance of Kamen Rider Amp, masked vigilantes were becoming super popular now. And with the arrival of a second, it just got worse, in Robert's opinion anyway. One of the posts he saw was from his own granddaughter that read in all caps, "I LOVE FROGMAN!", with the hashtag beneath it that read, "#FROGMAN4LIFE". And the straw that broke the camel's back was a meme with Robert's face pasted over a woman's body, with a man turning to look at another woman that had Frog-Man's face pasted over it.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Robert roared into the air. "I've been taking care of this neighborhood for years, and what do I get?! Nothing!" The older man calmed down and began to think. "Hmm. If only I could prove Frog-Man is a joke. Expose him. But how?"
Just then, something shiny reflected light into Robert's eyes. After moving out of the way of the light, Robert saw what was reflecting it and rolled over to it.
"What's this?" Robert bent over, picked it up, and began inspecting it. "It's some kind of high-tech mechanical arm."
The arm in question was the severed arm of Cloak Bot. The inside was hollowed out just enough to allow for something to fit inside. Robert took a chance and put his own right arm into it, with the broken off half of the arm stopping just halfway up his bicep. The moment he did, the arm seemed to respond to his mental commands as it extended out for a moment before retracting.
"Surprisingly light." Robert turned around and faced a beaten-up old car. He cocked back his right fist and punched. The metal arm's claws balled into a fist and shot forward, striking the side of the car and making it bend before it smashed into a junk pile behind it. "Yet so powerful. And a perfect fit. This must be fate! And it looks like fate wants me to squash that frog boy."
"I agree with you, it is fate, but it is not your fate to have that."
Robert turned around when he heard a voice. And that's when he saw an Asian man in a white suit walking towards him. "Hey! What are you doing in here?! It's past business hours and we're closed!"
"Robert Otto, you are in possession of a piece of technology that you should not have. And it's a piece of technology that I and my organization would very much like to purchase from you," said Keisuke.
Robert scoffed at the man. "I don't need your money. I own a successful junkyard, and I need this arm if I'm going to take down that vigilante. Too many of 'em runnin' around here."
Keisuke smirked. "Well, that we can both agree on. And you misunderstand, Mr. Otto, I'm not going to pay you in money, but with power."
The older man raised an eyebrow of curiosity. "Power?"
Keisuke walked closer to Robert and produced a black USB device. On it was a picture of an "O" made of squiggly tentacles. "This device has the power to transform you into a being of great strength. With it, you'll be able to go toe-to-toe with Frog-Man. And depending on your aptitude, you may be able to face off against Amp."
Robert looked at the USB device and then back to Keisuke and asked, "Can I use it to protect the neighborhood?"
"Do with it what you want, Mr. Otto. I only provide the means, what you do with it is completely within your discretion. But I will say, with this, you'll be able to protect anyone you wish, and take down anyone who threatens the safety of your neighborhood and loved ones," said Keisuke.
Molly Jo…
Robert looked at the mechanical arm, he felt a bit reluctant to give it up, but if this man was offering him something far better, then it was worth the pay off. Anything to take down Frog-Man and defend the neighborhood. Robert removed the arm and placed it on the ground between himself and Keisuke.
"You made a wise choice tonight, Mr. Otto. Now then, let us begin."
"Sprig, what the heck dude! You went out in a costume and pretended to be a superhero?!"
"I am a superhero now, Anne. Just like you!"
"Nuh-uh, no way. You do remember that we have the honkin' FBI on our case! And Foundation X who know who we are! Just, please, promise me you'll stop being Frog-Man."
"Okay, I promise…"
Obviously, he was lying. Sprig swung through the air on his tongue, allowing everyone to catch a glimpse of him as he struck poses between each swing. While Amp was known for taking down monsters and defending the city from that kind of destruction, Frog-Man handled the day-to-day kind of stuff. And that was fine, each hero had their specialty, and Sprig's was more locally based. Which was good for him as the crowd adored him. He even said as much when he perched himself atop a lamppost.
"Yes, yes. Adore me!" he said.
After soaking it up, Sprig hopped off the lamppost and went down to the people below.
"Please, please. No thanks necessary," said Sprig. Keep it up! Please!
And that's when a few people presented him with gifts, a Game Pyramid, a cat, and a diamond ring.
"Okay, maybe a few thanks necessary."
A pizza shop owner came out to greet Sprig, a man who looked suspiciously similar to a certain plumber from a popular franchise and presented Frog-Man with a pizza. "Please, Frog-Man, have a novelty pizza on the house!" The pizza maker opened the box and showed off a pizza with sushi, sprinkles, candy, and a swan at the center.
"Ooh, thanks!"
"FROG-MAN!"
Sprig grabbed a slice just as he heard his name being called out. When he turned around, he saw Robert Otto standing in the middle of the street, face contorted with anger.
"Who's that?!" the pizza maker asked.
As Frog-Man munched on his single slice of pizza, he answered, "Huh. It's Robert Otto. He said he hated me and was gonna get his revenge." Sprig took another bite of his pizza. "What's he doing here?"
"I've watched you and your vigilante kind have free reign long enough! You're no hero! I've been protecting this neighborhood for years! And no one's appreciated my efforts!" Robert shouted.
"Um, well, you did get called a 'butt cheek' by some kids the other day," Sprig pointed out.
"UGH! Okay, if they don't want Robert Otto to be their protector, then maybe they'll want me when I show them that I have the power to stand up to people like you!"
As Robert said that, Sprig watched as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a black USB device with a ribcage design. Upon seeing it, Sprig spat out his pizza in shock.
"ROBERT! STOP! DON'T USE THAT THING!" Frog-Man warned.
Robert smirked when he heard the panicked tone in Frog-Man's voice. "What's the matter? Scared?"
"You don't understand that thing will turn you into a monster! And not one of the good kind either! Just put it down, before you hurt yourself or someone!" Frog-Man pleaded.
"Ha! You're begging for mercy won't do you any good, Frog-Man. Today we do battle for the soul of the city! And it's a battle I intend to win!"
OCTOPUS!
A Connector tattoo appeared on Robert's neck, and once it did, he took the Octopus Memory and pressed it against the tattoo. The Gaia Memory seeped into his body, and within seconds he was engulfed with swirling purple light. His body began to undergo a transformation as his back sprouted eight octo arms. Otto's head became oblong shaped, and had two round eyes that were yellow, with a vertical black slit that acted as the pupil. Where his mouth would be were a mess of smaller tentacles that made it look as if he had a beard. His body became muscular, and his hands now sported four long claws that were black in color. Both of his feet featured three long talons, two in the front and one on the back heel. His body was colored a bright yellow, with blue rings speckled across his body. When the light faded, Robert Otto had transformed completely into the Octopus Dopant.
"Oh no…" Sprig gasped.
The Octopus Dopant flexed his clawed fingers and flexed his muscles. "Oh my! This is – wow! So much power, I feel incredibly strong! That man was right, that robot arm was nothing compared to this!"
Man? Wait, does he mean that Keisuke guy Dipper and Mabel warned us about!? Why did he give Robert a Gaia Memory?! Sprig thought.
"Now, Frog-Man, it's time to show you who's the real hero!"
The Octopus Dopant lashed out with its two upper arms. The arms extended towards Sprig, but the little frog child was quick and nimble, allowing him jump straight up and out of the way of the initial strike. The two octo arms he dodged struck the spot where he was standing a moment ago and broke the concrete with ease. Sprig gulped when he saw the damage, knowing that he could not allow himself to get hit by those arms at all costs. Two more arms extended towards him, but Sprig used his tongue to stick onto a lamppost a few feet away just in time to redirect himself away from the second pair. He flipped around and landed on the lamppost on the opposite side of the street and took a moment to assess the situation.
Okay, Robert Otto is a monster now. There's no way I can beat him without Anne or the Pines! Oh crud, and I didn't bring the burner phone!
"FROG-MAN! COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!" the Octopus Dopant roared.
Okay, okay think Sprig! What would Anne do at this point? Sprig went silent for a moment as he looked around at the people down below who were scared and frightened by what was happening, and that's when the answer came to him. Get him away from the people!
"Robert! Let's take this fight somewhere else!" Sprig shouted before using his tongue to swing away.
"Oh no! You're not getting away that easily!"
The Octopus Dopant used two of his eight arms by extending them towards a rooftop ledge and grabbing onto it. Once he had, the Octopus Dopant hoisted himself into the air and began mimicking Frog-Man's swinging motions. Although, with the additional eight arms, it made catching up to him much easier, and unfortunately, Sprig was aware of this and tried to move as quickly as he could. The Octopus Dopant attacked with one of his octo arms, and as it stretched out to attack him, the arm glistened with a blue substance.
Sprig narrowly dodged the attack as the octo arm struck the side of a brick wall. But when Sprig looked back, he saw that a groove had been burned into the side of the wall where the octo arm had struck. That wasn't the only time it happened, every time Robert attacked with his octo arms, the places that it hit began to melt upon contact. Whatever it was, it was corrosive, and Sprig could not afford to let any of the Octopus Dopant's arms touch him even once.
I just need to keep him busy! I'm sure Anne's phone is probably blowing up with alerts about this! Just gotta keep my distance until–!
Suddenly, some of the blue rings on the Octopus Dopant's body began to glow. Within seconds, the rings projected blue circlets of energy that hovered in the air around the Dopant. Via unspoken command, multiple glowing rings of blue light shot towards Sprig at high speeds.
You've got to be kidding me!
Sprig had to twist, bob, and weave as the circlets of blue light came at him. Some of the circlets cut through different objects, while others exploded upon contact with a solid surface. Unfortunately, one of the circlets struck the spot were Sprig was about to land, causing an explosion that threw the frog child down towards the ground. Sprig groaned as he managed to get himself back to his feet, that's when the Octopus Dopant landed about five feet away from him, cracking the concrete sidewalk upon landing, and scaring the people in the vicinity. Sprig clicked his tongue in anger as he realized that he hadn't led Robert far enough away.
"No more runnin', Frog-Man!" the Octopus Dopant attacked with one of his arms and managing to strike Sprig in his right side and against a wall. Robert grabbed Frog-Man's leg and dragged him over so that he was now face to face with his foe. "I'm the one who's going to protect this neighborhood from people like you!"
"Robert, listen! That Gaia Memory is messing with your head! The people who gave it to you are bad! They only want to hurt people! They'll hurt everyone!" Sprig warned.
"Tch, that guy was shady looking. I'm not surprised. Even so, I'll take what he gave me and make it a force for good! But you, you're days are numbered!" The Octopus Dopant dropped Sprig onto the ground and readied his eight octo arms to strike down the froggy crusader. "Any last words?"
"I GOT A FEW!"
Sprig scrunched his eyes shut, preparing for the end.
"Huh? OOOUMPH!"
Lightning flashed by Sprig as Kamen Rider Amp appeared before the Octopus Dopant and struck him in the stomach with her right fist. A surge of electricity ran through her arm, and within a second, released into Robert and sent him flying down the sidewalk where he smashed into the trailer of an eighteen-wheeler.
Sprig opened his eyes and beheld the heroic visage of Amp. The hero of lightning turned to glance at Sprig over her left shoulder, making Sprig smile under his own scarf.
"You and I are gonna have a long talk after this is over," said Amp.
Sprig lowered his gaze in shame. He could tell in the tone of her voice that she was angry at him for lying to her, and he couldn't blame her for it. But Sprig shook that off, but he had to tell her who that Dopant was. "I know you're mad at me, but right now you have to listen! That Dopant is Robert Otto, Foundation X must've tricked him into using that Gaia Memory! I think he secretes some kind of poison; you need to be careful!"
"Poison, huh? Then I guess I'm the right Rider for this fight," said Amp as she pressed down on her left hip device. After a couple of seconds, Amp's armor shifted to a bright pink color as she took her fighting stance, now in Poison Form. "Okay, you Cthulhu wannabe, let's see who's better at the poison game!"
The Octopus Dopant managed to tear himself out of the trailer as he used his lower two octo arms to elevate himself and walk towards Amp. "Amp! Don't get in my way! I'll deal with you after I've settled things with Frog-Man!"
"Dude, you're a grown man picking a fight with a kid in a sewn together costume, while in monster form. How exactly is that fair?"
"He knew what he was getting into! Just like you!" Robert retorted as he lashed out with two of his octo arms.
Sprig jumped out of the way to allow Amp room to fight. The hero of lightning easily swayed her body out of the way. The Octopus Dopant attacked with its arms, like a boxer jabbing at his opponent. However, thanks to Poison Form's fluid movements, Robert was finding it difficult to land a blow on her. That's when the tentacles around the Octopus Dopant's mouth parted and showed off a beak. When he opened it, a stream of black ink was shot towards Amp's feet. Amp was not prepared for that as she slipped and fell onto her back. Two of the octo arms came down to slam atop her, but Amp coated her hands in her poison plasma energy just in time to catch, holding one arm in each hand. That's when Amp could see the glistening substance on the arms that was already combatting her plasma.
While she was pinned down, the Octopus Dopant summoned his energy rings and readied to fire them. However, before they could be launched, green and pink beams of light shot the rings and made them explode in midair. Smoke covered the area for a moment, but when it cleared, the Octopus Dopant was able to see someone standing on the roof.
"Who the heck are you?!"
"We're the two-in-one Rider," said Dipper.
"Here to serve up some justice," said Mabel.
"We're Kamen Rider Gemini! Solving mysteries on the double! Now, get ready for twice the trouble!"
"We're Kamen Rider Gemini! Solving mysteries on the double! Now, get ready for twice the trouble!"
"ANOTHER ONE?!"
"You really didn't think I wasn't going to call for backup. Did you?" Amp asked as she concentrated on the poison plasma in her hands and shot a beam of it straight up.
The Octopus Dopant cried out in pain as he stumbled back and retracted his two octo arms that were now missing a good chunk of themselves. From the rooftop, Gemini jumped down, while still in their Gunslinger-ShootingStar Form, and began firing multiple shots Robert again and again, forcing the Dopant to fall back as they landed next to Amp.
"Thanks for the backup, guys," said Amp.
"No problem, so, what are we dealing with?" Mabel asked.
"An octopus that's highly poisonous and can apparently shoot out rings of blue light. Try not to touch it if you can help it," the azure Rider explained.
"Then sticking with the Gunslinger Memory will be our best bet. But how come you weren't affected? You were in direct contact with him," Dipper asked.
"Oh, my Poison Form allows me to counter another creature's poisons, so I'm kinda immune."
"Alright, then you can take him on hand-to-hand, and we'll give you covering fire," said Mabel.
Amp nodded and dashed straight towards the Octopus Dopant. Gemini spun the barrel on the Gunvolver and fired six more shots at the Dopant. Robert used his arms as shields to protect himself against the beams, but in doing so, he was not able to properly defend himself when Amp got in close and struck him in the chest with a right straight punch. Sparks flew from the Dopant's body upon contact, as Amp spun on her right heel and drove her left elbow into his tentacled face. The Octopus Dopant howled in pain as he grabbed at it and began attacking with his arms again, but Amp jumped back in order to avoid them, and when she did, Gemini opened fire causing small explosions to erupt over his body as more sparks filled the air.
"Let's switch things up, bro," said Mabel.
"Go right ahead," said Dipper.
Gemini took out the ShootingStar Memory and replaced it with the Fantasy Memory.
GUNSLINGER-FANTASY!
The left half of Gemini transformed into Fantasy, and now with this power, the gemstones on Gemini's left half began to glow. With a snap of their fingers, both Gemini, Amp, and Sprig disappeared from view. When the Octopus Dopant managed to open his eyes after getting struck in the face, he frantically turned his head this way and that, trying to find where they had one. Suddenly, his body was assaulted by several energy blasts out of nowhere. Some came from behind, making him lash out with this octo arms, only to hit air. Then he felt something strike him upside his head, before receiving a harsh blow to the stomach region. Followed up by something stinging and causing more sparks to come off his body. Unbeknownst to the Octopus Dopant, Gemini and Amp were moving around the area, switching up their attacks between Gemini's long-distance shooting, and Amp's close-range combat. The combination attack was not only effectively disorienting, but also allowing them to continuously damage him without the Dopant seeing them.
"RAAAAAAAAUGGGGH!"
The Octopus Dopant decided it didn't need to see them in order to hit them, not if it just attacked everywhere at once. The severed parts of the octo arms regenerated back to their original state, and once they had, the Octopus Dopant released its blue light rings and launched them in a death blossom style attack. The rings flew in every direction, hitting different parts of the surrounding buildings, cars, and various other objects as they exploded upon hitting them. But he wasn't done there, the Octopus Dopant began lashing out with his arms in every direction, smashing through shops, crushing nearby vehicles, lampposts, and traffic lights in a frenzied melee.
Gemini cancelled the illusion, as they and Amp stopped their attack and began jumping around to avoid getting hit with any of his attacks. Sprig was doing the same, but that's when he noticed someone running out of one of the buildings, someone that he recognized. Sprig barely had time to process this as one of the Octopus Dopant's energy rings hit the building that person was coming from, and exploded, sending debris cascading down towards that person's position.
"MOLLY JO!" Sprig called out.
Molly Jo looked up and watched as the debris was about to crush her, but Sprig acted quickly and shot out his tongue towards her. He managed to wrap it around her waist and reeled her away just before the debris fell on the spot she had been standing on. Sprig released Molly Jo once she was next to him and pulled his scarf back up.
"Thanks, Frog-Man," said Molly Jo.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think so," she replied.
"Good." Sprig turned towards the still rampaging Octopus Dopant and yelled, "ROBERT! STOP! MOLLY JO'S HERE! YOU'RE GRANDDAUGHTER!"
Molly Jo's eyes widened with shock as she looked towards the Octopus Dopant and cried out, "Grandpa?!"
The Octopus Dopant finally stopped his rampage and turned towards the familiar voice. "Molly Jo?!"
Molly Jo shook her head in disbelief, that really couldn't be her grandfather. Could it? "Grandpa Robert?! Is that you?!"
"Yes, it's me, don't worry! I'll clean up this mess once I've taken care of these vigilantes!" Robert declared.
Molly Jo, with tears in her eyes, cried out, "Grandpa Robert! You have to stop! All you're doing is destroying things and putting people in danger! That's not what you do!"
"I'm doing this for the good of the neighborhood, and for the good of the people!"
"Robert, please listen to her! The longer you use that thing, the worse you'll get!" Sprig warned, again.
The Octopus Dopant glared at Sprig as his octo arms rose and readied themselves to strike. "Now you've turned my granddaughter against me! You won't get away with this Frog-Man!"
Robert attacked with one of his octo arms, making it shoot straight towards Molly Jo and Sprig in a blind rage. Sprig pushed Molly Jo to the right and jumped to his left to allow the arm to go down the middle and miss them completely as it pierced through the brick wall behind them. When the Octopus Dopant pulled it out, he whipped the arm back, but in so doing, some of his poisonous secretions came off and splashed onto Molly Jo's exposed left arm.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Molly Jo screamed as she fell to ground. "IT BURNS! IT BURNS!"
"MOLLY JO!" Sprig yelled.
Hearing his granddaughter's screams of pain seemed to snap Robert out of his rage as he now saw Molly Jo on the sidewalk, thrashing about in agony. "NO…NO!" The Octopus Dopant ran towards Molly Jo and fell to his knees before her. He reached out with his clawed hands but paused as he knew his body was toxic to the touch and would only end up causing her more suffering. "Molly Jo! I'm so sorry! Grandpa's sorry, honey!"
Molly Jo kept writhing on the ground. The spot where the poison hit was turning purple and irritating the skin. But what was worse was that the veins were starting to turn purple in her arm, and the color was quickly spreading up that arm and towards her small body.
Amp and Gemini saw what happened and rushed over to them, coming to a stop next to the young child.
"What happened?!" Mabel asked.
"M-M-My poison! It got onto her! You have to help her! Please! Get her to a doctor!" The Octopus Dopant begged.
"A doctor can't fix this, and I doubt even if the hospital did have the correct antivenom, there's no telling if it would be strong enough to save her since it's Dopant produced," said Dipper.
"But we can't just do nothing!" Sprig argued. "There's has to be something!"
Amp looked at her hands and then back at the Octopus Dopant. "I think I might be able to help. My Poison Form can create any kind of poison. Maybe I can create the antivenom?"
"That's a big if maybe," said Dipper.
"Not like we have much of choice! If we do nothing, she'll die either way!" Mabel retorted.
The Octopus Dopant looked up at Amp with pleading eyes and said, "Please! Save her!"
Amp knelt next to Molly Jo and then looked at the Octopus Dopant. "Give me our hand dude, and make it have the poison on it."
The Octopus Dopant showed his right hand to her and coated it in the poison. Amp coated her own hand in her plasma and touched it. In a few seconds, Amp managed to get a feel for the poison that was inside Molly Jo. Okay, now I just need to alter it so that it can fight it. Amp opened her left hand and began creating a swirling sphere of plasma energy. The sphere shrunk down and coated her entire hand and was now glowing bright pink.
"Okay, I think I'm ready…please let this work." Amp pressed her hand against the area where the poison hit Molly Jo. The young girl cried out in pain again, but Amp held firm to her arm. "I know it hurts, and I'm sorry! But just hang in there a bit longer!"
Everyone waited and watched, worried for the fate of the young girl. Some bystanders who had taken cover had come out and were now gathering around them, waiting to see if Amp could save the girl. More and more of Molly Jo's veins were starting to turn purple, some of which started to reach her neck. But then, something happened. Pink light started to seep into the infected area, and then just as quickly spread through her blood, changing the veins from purple to pink. Within a minute, the pink had overtaken the purple, and after about ten seconds the light faded, and the purple mark and veins were gone. Everyone held their breath as they waited to see if she was alright.
Molly Jo's eyes fluttered open, suddenly finding herself surrounded by two Kamen Riders, Frog-Man, her grandfather in monster form, and some random people. "What happened…?"
Gemini knelt next to Molly Jo and Mabel answered, "You were accidentally poisoned, sweetie. But our friend, Amp, used her powers to get rid of the poison in your body. Do you feel okay?"
Molly Jo slowly sat up, with Sprig supporting her. "I…I think so. I feel sore, but nothing else feels bad."
The Octopus Dopant began to shed tears, making everyone look in his direction. "Molly Jo…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I-I didn't mean to hurt you! I…I was just so…so angry…Please, forgive me…"
Molly Jo gave her grandfather a sad look as she reached out to touch him, but Sprig caught her hand before she could do that and start the process all over again. "Grandpa Robert, please, turn back. This isn't the way to protect people. All you've done is destroy things and made people afraid of you."
The Octopus Dopant glanced at the people around him, all of whom were now looking at him with fear, wondering if he was going to attack again. This was not what he wanted, none of this was. "You tried to warn me…Frog-Man…but I didn't listen." A purple light enveloped the Dopant, and once it dispersed, Robert Otto was revealed, and was now holding the Octopus Memory. "I'm sorry, everyone…"
Gemini held out their left hand, silently asking for the Octopus Memory. Robert looked at the masked hero and slowly reached out his hand to drop it into there's. But his own hand shook, as if his body was trying to force him into keeping it. However, one look at his granddaughter, and Robert steeled himself into releasing the Octopus Memory into Gemini's hand. Once they had received it, Gemini stood up and tossed it high in the air. Gemini twirled the Gunvolver around, pointed it into the air, and fired one shot. The beam bullet struck the Octopus Memory and made it explode ten feet in the air. As this was done, police sirens could be heard wailing in the distance.
"We should go," said Dipper.
"Yeah," said Amp. "Let's go, Frog-Man."
Sprig nodded and was about to hop onto Amp's back, but Molly Jo reached out and gently wrapped her hand around his right wrist.
"Thank you. I know I can't see the Riders' faces, but do you think you could show me yours?" Molly Jo asked.
Sprig turned away from the young girl and replied, "Sorry, but if you saw my face, you'd have nightmares. And then those nightmares would puke."
With those parting words, Sprig hopped onto Amp's back as Gemini used their Fantasy power to make them all disappear.
After the incident, Robert Otto was arrested. Anne followed up with Dipper and Mabel regarding his situation and found out he was displaying symptoms of withdrawal from using the Octopus Memory. According to the twins, those who use the Gaia Memory by inserting it into their bodies instead of using a Driver, will sometimes experience symptoms similar to withdrawal, like a drug addict. The twins had some connections and managed to get Robert into a clinic to help with the symptoms, and it was most likely that the courts might be lenient since there were several eyewitnesses that saw him willingly surrender and give up the Gaia Memory.
Anne inquired on the other two Dopants she fought before and wondered if they were in the same boat. Dipper and Mabel confirmed that the reporter who used the Camera Memory, as well as the teenager who used the Vulcanodon Memory, were experiencing stronger withdrawal symptoms and were currently locked up in a psychiatric clinic.
Once Anne was done talking to the Pines, she went upstairs to her room where she found Sprig staring out through her window. His Frog-Man suit was thrown in the waste basket next to her dresser, along with the knee and elbow pads, and goggles. Anne walked over to her adopted little brother and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You okay, dude?" Anne asked.
"I wanted to be a hero, like you, and be accepted as one…but…I let the adoration and praise go to my head and…then all that happened. I remembered what you said to Hop Pop when he stood up the Hassleback Family. 'Being a hero isn't about getting songs or glory, it's about doing the right thing'."
Anne nodded her head.
"I forgot that when I let all the praise go to my head. And because of me, Robert Otto, Molly Jo's grandfather, is in a lot of trouble," said Sprig.
Anne sighed as she said, "Sprig, listen. This kind of thing is typical for superheroes. Villains appear due to many reasons, and sometimes, a classic trope of a hero's story, is that the hero usually ends up creating their own villain. Whether indirectly through some inaction or action on the hero's part, or because the villain grew jealous of the hero. You just experienced that firsthand. And I don't want to sound cynical, but in the end, it was Mr. Otto's choice whether or not to take that Gaia Memory, and it was his choice to use it."
"Well, I learned my lesson, no more superheroing. I'm gonna leave that to you, Mabel, and Dipper," said Sprig.
Anne smiled as she reached over and gave her froggy friend a little hug. "Maybe one day, dude. But you're already pretty amazing without a costume. By the way, I loved that costume you made."
"Really? Thanks! I cut up some of your clothes to make it," Sprig confessed.
"You did what?!"
"Oops…"
"SPRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGG!"