Hey everyone!

Reposting this because it would not post last week for some reason. A little bit of a shorter chapter, but I'm basically planning some more filler chapter before I do the 'Frog of the Year/Reunion' episodes.

Enjoy!

Harsh Lessons

Ethan caught the horizontal bar with both hands, pulling himself up and flipping around a few times before letting go, flipping 180 degrees and catching it again, now facing the opposite direction.

Now that he had a high bar to practice on, the teen spent just about every morning practicing his gymnastics, catching up on the month of training he had missed. He was far from being Olympic material, but he liked to think that he was a damn good gymnast. Besides, he had missed the feeling of twisting and turning at break-neck speeds, the force blowing his hair back.

He did a few more twists and jumps, finally dismounting and landing on a small mat beneath him, tripping a little; not a perfect dismount, but not bad for someone who had spent a month as a malnourished prisoner.

"Are you done yet," someone asked, and Ethan turned to find Bog standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a bored expression on his face. "Can we get to real training now?"

"Gymnastics is real training," the human informed him, taking off the hand grips the leatherworker had made him. "It's physically demanding and-"

"Spare me the speech, human," the toad interrupted. "C'mon; I gotta surprise for ya."

"I'm not sure I want it," Ethan said, knowing that it could be anything from a surprise ambush to spider stable duty [despite reassurances that the spiders would not eat him, they still gave him the creeps].

The soldier grinned evilly. "Aww, scared of going near a harmless spider," he asked mockingly. He laughed at the teen's frightened expression. "Just kidding! You're not cleaning the stables there, but we have to stop by there first."

The human sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope! Part of your training."

"...Fine."

Bog had kept his promise, no longer fighting the teen every day. He now taught him how to block various attacks, how to put all his power behind a punch or kick, and even told him about common weaknesses toads and other amphibians had so he stood a chance in a fight. Ethan was still unable to beat Bog whenever they did spar, but it was no longer frustrating because he was actually becoming a better fighter. In return, the teen kept his complaints to a minimum, and did his best to not let whatever training exercise the toad gave him knock him down. Of course, Bog was still a bad person, but at least Ethan was now learning something.

As they walked through the tower, a lot of soldiers said hi to Bog and Ethan, the two returning the greetings in kind. Ever since he had saved Trak from choking to death, every toad had stopped treating him like a monster, and started treating him like one of them. He no longer sat with Percy and Braddock at meals, but with an ever-changing group of toads who were interested to learn what the human world was like. They were amazed at all the technology the human world had, though most of them were scared of his phone, calling it a 'magic box.'

"We missed the mess hall," Ethan noted as they walked into the courtyard. The walls of Toad Tower had all been rebuilt, and some toads were working on smaller breaches of the tower itself.

"Your powers of perception are incredible," the toad soldier said in a dead-pan voice, walking towards the stables. Shuddering a little, the teen hesitated outside the door. "We're getting our food somewhere else today."

"What do you mean," the teen asked.

Bog walked out of the stable, leading a giant spider by the reigns [Ethan backed away several feet] with a small cart behind it. "Today, we're going out into the swamp. We will do our best to find food, not die, and come back here at sundown."

"Oh, so it's like Suspicion Island," the teen said, looking in the back of the cart to see a few packs of supplies. "Try to survive in an unfamiliar environment; I guess it makes sense. But what's with the extra packs?"

Something grabbed Ethan's foot, making him scream and leap into the air. At first, he thought that the spider had finally come for him, but when he heard laughter, he frowned, watching another toad crawl out from underneath the cart, laughing her head off. She was buffer than Bog, her green skin warty yet muscular. Her dark green hair was tied in a single braid behind her, and she grinned mischievously at the teen; a viscous-looking spiked club hung from her belt.

"Wow! I wasn't expectin' much, but that was probably the highest-pitched scream I've ever heard," she said, snickering a little. "Bog must have his work cut out for him, trainin' you!" The human got his nerves under control, now frowning at her.

"I take it you're coming with us," he asked. "And that you're friends with Bog?"

"This is Fens," the red toad said from behind him. "She and Mire are coming with us. First lesson of travelling in a swamp: never travel alone. Groups are better and safer."

"If something bad happens, there's a higher chance of at least one survivor to tell everyone else what happened," Fens said darkly, grinning at the teen's startled expression.

"Okay… but where's Mire," Ethan asked. "Don't tell me he's underneath the cart too."

"Of course not," Bog said. "He's right behind you."

"What?" The teen turned around, yelping when he saw a third toad standing there. This one was wearing armor all over, including a helmet with a grate face plate. He could not see what the soldier looked liked, and he did not say anything in greeting, only breathing heavily and creepily.

"Uh… hello," the human said nervously. "You must be Mire… I'm Ethan." The toad growled a little, and the teen took a nervous step back, unsure if the toad soldier was friend or foe. "Okay… so the four of us are going into the swamp for the day. What about group training and rebuilding the tower?"

"Captain Grime has excused us for today," Bog explained. "This is technically part of your training; all soldiers need to be able to survive with few supplies in a dangerous environment."

"And don't tell us ya really want to spend a day rebuildin' the Tower," Fens asked.

"Well, not really," Ethan started to say.

"Then it's settled," Bog said, climbing into the front seat of the cart. "Get in you three; we gotta long trip ahead of us."

[][][]

Amphibia, Ethan quickly learned, was a fantastically beautiful world.

The human could not help but marvel at the setting around him, his sci-fi fanboy excited to be in another world. Towering trees with twisting roots were on either side, glowing mushrooms and fauna growing on the trunks. Several bugs, both large and small, were buzzing around, their exotic colors instantly catching one's eye. The three toads seemed unfazed by the natural beauty around them, but the teen was captivated, wishing he had his notebook so he could write down everything he saw.

"Ya act like you've never seen plants before," Fens noted, smirking at Ethan as he goggled at the leaves overhead. They had been travelling for half an hour now, and were deep in the swampy marshland.

"Not like this," he answered, flinching as he watched a Venus Fly Trap-like plant eat a giant beetle. "Kind of hard to believe it's all real."

"It's just a swamp," Bog said. "Nothing special."

"You three would be acting the same way if you ended up in my world," Ethan said. "We have towering buildings of iron and steel, cars and planes and trains-"

"I still don't believe that you have self-driving carts in your world," Bog said, shaking his head. "It's impossible!"

"If I hadn't left my phone in my room, I would show you," the teen muttered, slightly annoyed that, despite having more advance technology than Amphibia, no one believed him or cared. "So how does this training exercise work? Any rules I have to follow?"

"Stay alive and don't do stupid shit," Fens said seriously. Mire muttered something intelligible, clapping his hands together and killing a bug mid-air.

"That doesn't sound so hard," the teen said.

The three toads looked at one another, all of them trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, you're gonna be dead or extremely maimed by noon," Fens said.

"Why, because none of you are going to help me," Ethan asked. "I kind of guessed that's how it's going to go." He picked up one of the packs, deciding to see what he had to work with. It held a blanket, some rope, a canteen of water, and a dagger. "And I see we're going with the minimalist approach."

"You're actually lucky to get that much," the red toad informed him. "Most soldiers-in-training get just the dagger."

Another fifteen minutes passed, and Bog stopped the cart in a small clearing. A small stream was nearby, and the leaves above them was sufficient protection from the sun. If he was not about to have to tough it out for the next ten hours, Ethan would have considered the place perfect for an afternoon snooze.

The four soldiers each took their packs and got to work. Bog showed Ethan how to choose a comfortable place on the ground to sleep, making sure there were not any branches above him that could fall in the middle of the night. The blanket could be used either to keep one warm on cold nights or used for shad on hot days. The rope could be used for anything, from climbing to trapping, and Fens even showed him how to make a basic trap to catch something to eat [which would be necessary; Ethan was expected to catch something to eat]. Mire, meanwhile, made a fire for them, collecting the kindling and using his armor to help light it, knocking the metal plates together to create sparks.

"Now what," Ethan said, looking around the makeshift camp. "Do we look for something to eat?"

"We have time," Fens said, leaning against a nearby tree as Mire sat nearby, sharpening a stick with his dagger.

"But not you," Bog said, tying the giant spider to another tree. "You're gonna drop and give me twenty."

"Seriously," the teen asked. "You're just gonna order me around an- Wait a minute! Was this all an elaborate scheme so that you three don't have to go to training or help rebuilt the tower today, but I still have to sweat it out and work hard?" Bog grinned, sitting underneath the tree and putting his hands behind his head.

"Perhaps," he said evenly, "but the way I see it, we're your only way back to the Tower, so… better make it forty." The human glared at him, but did not argue, setting his backpack aside before he started his push-ups. He was fit enough to do at least eighty, so it wasn't that bad.

Later on, after many push-ups and other physical exercises, Fens was curious to see how well of a fighter Ethan was, and the two sparred a few rounds. The green toad was as fierce a fighter, and the teen was literally fighting for his life at first, playing defensive while she was offensive. He couldn't beat her, but she begrudgingly admitted that he 'wasn't that bad' at fighting. Bog gave him occasional tips, sometimes stopping their fighting to show him how to block a certain punch or telling him what attack would have worked better.

Afterwards, the toads took turns sparring one another, and Ethan was blown away at how evenly matched they were, each fight ending in a draw. The human was always amazed at how quickly toads moved when they fought; he had thought, despite their bulky build, that they would be a lot slower with their attacks. They moved so fast that they were sometimes blurs, hopping around and using their tongues like punching gloves. Mire was the only one who moved slowly, probably because of his armor. And, while he did not say it out loud for fear of one of the toads attacking him, Ethan found himself having fun.

[][][]

Later that afternoon, Ethan was smearing mud on his arms in an effort to ward off unwanted mosquitoes.

The teen just wanted to leave, the novelty of having a day away from the Tower having worn off after several hours in the swamp. He was hungry, since he had failed to catch and kill anything for lunch, and there was nothing to do besides sit there or spar, and everyone was too tired to fight.

Bog and his friends had fallen asleep, the three toads snoring as they lay on their blankets nearby. Ethan would be asleep too if he was not on guard duty [since someone should always keep watch for danger in a swamp]. He sighed, wishing he had his phone with him so he could watch Suspicion Island. According to the sun, they still had several hours left until they would be heading back to Toad Tower, and there was nothing remotely interesting to do.

Suddenly, as if hearing his wish for something to happen, the bushes rustled nearby. The human sat up, grabbing the hilt of his sword in case it attacked. He did not want to wake the others up yet; if it ended up being nothing, they would be mad at him for waking them. Slowly drawing his sword, the teen stood up, getting in the defensive stance Captain Grime had showed him. The bushes rustled again, and out came a small green lizard with frilly skin around its neck.

"...Oh," Ethan said, lowering his sword a little. After everything he had heard about Amphibia monsters, he had expected this to be a whole lot bigger; this looked like a regular lizard to him. Still, common sense told him that this was not a lizard from home, and he should therefore be careful and wary of it.

The small creature crawled into the clearing, looking around with big, innocent eyes. Its tongue darted into the air a few times, the frills around its neck opening and shutting like an umbrella. Ethan sheathed his sword, silently watching it [since there was nothing else to do], still standing in the same spot. Eventually, the lizard spotted him, looking at him with its big eyes, almost curious. It took a few cautions steps forward, as if wanting to see how the teen would react. It really did look harmless, so Ethan crouched down, holding out his hand to it.

"It's okay," he said kindly. "I won't hurt you, little dude." The green lizard came a little bit closer, still looking at him curiously. Its scales were spotted in some areas, reminding Ethan of a Dalmatian or a cheetah. The teen waved his hand a little, ushering it closer. "You look pretty cool. Promise not to eat me?" Taking a few more steps forward, the lizard stopped at the human's feet, looking up at him.

"Aww, you're not gonna eat me," the teen said sweetly, reaching out his hand to touch it.

"NO!"

The sudden yell made Ethan jump, and he fell away from the creature. The lizard jumped too, leaping forward as razor-sharp teeth suddenly appeared in its mouth, presumably to bite his face off. Before it could reach him, there was a flash of metal, and the green lizard was knocked aside. It landed on the ground nearby, not moving and a small dagger piercing its body. The teen stared at it for a few seconds, in a momentary state of shock.

"What was-" Ethan started to say, turning back towards the toads when he was grabbed roughly by the collar and slammed into the nearest tree. He found himself staring at a very angry Bog, the toad's eyes glowing red. The teen froze, knowing that a toad's eyes only glowed if they were really pissed, and it only scared him more.

"What were you thinking," the red toad demanded, his two friends sitting up and looking at the killed lizard. "How could you let a Flesh Skinner get that close to us?! It would've eaten us alive in seconds!"

"I-I didn't m-m-mean," the human tried to say.

"What have I said about how dangerous the creatures in these swamps are," the toad interrupted. "Never trust an unfamiliar creature! Why do you think that we have a damn guard to keep us safe?! If I hadn't woken up, we would've all been killed!"

"I'm s-sorry-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it! We put our lives in your hands and you nearly got us all killed!" Bog slammed his free fist on the tree trunk by Ethan's head, making him flinch. "Soldiers need to be able to trust one another with their lives on the battlefield; how can we do that when you can't even keep us safe when we're sleeping?!"

"I'm sorry," Ethan yelled before the toad could say anything, feeling stupid and trying his best not to cry [Fens and Mire would never let him hear the end of it]. "I th-thought it was f-friendly-"

"FRIENDY?!" The red toad pushed him to the ground, and for a second, the teen thought he was about to be turned into a pill bug pancake. However, he was shocked when the soldier took off his boot, leaning against the tree for support. He had to lean, because instead of a foot, there was a crude wood and metal prosthetic in its place.

"Nothing in this world is friendly," Bog informed him angrily, his shout echoing through the clearing. "Most amphibians die because they think that the cute little creatures are as harmless as they look! I was lucky to survive; losing my foot was a small price to pay."

The human stared at the prosthetic with surprise, too shocked to say anything. After a few moments, the toad put his boot back on, turning to his friends.

"Grab Tilly and pack everything up; we're leaving."

Ethan was dumbfounded, but that didn't stop him from trying to apologize. "I said I was sor-"

"SHUT UP," the toad yelled, turning back to him, red eyes blazing. In that moment, he looked like he was going to kill the human, and Ethan fell back, reaching for his sword. However, the toad did not attack, instead going to his pack and angrily shoving his blanket and supplies into it. Fens and Mire looked shaken, but quickly went about packing their packs, stony expressions on their faces.

The teen wiped a few stray tears from his face, too scared to say anything. Eventually, he slowly got up, going over to pack up his supplies before wordlessly climbing into the back of the cart. Bog got in the driver's seat, whipping the reigns a little too hardly as the spider scuttle away.