A/N: I kinda added my own rule to Bugball kuhksc-
"So…Flossie. When exactly were you gonna tell us about that water bending thing?" Anne asked, pushing a cart of vegetables through Wartwood. It was only Anne and Flossie at the moment, since the Plantar's, Jean and Pebbs had gone ahead to prepare their stands.
Flossie scratched the back of her head. "Oh, yeah, that. Aha, uh…well, I don't know. There wasn't really a need to tell anyone, I guess." She replied. Anne hummed in response. "Eh, I guess it's understandable. If bad people found out, then we would be in BIG trouble. Good thing that there aren't bad people here, am I right?" She laughed.
Flossie nervously chuckled, realising what Anne said was true.
They approached Sprig, who was surveying the town of Wartwood. "Ah, Harvest Day. My favourite holiday." Sprig sighed. Polly bounced toward her brother. "I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!" She said. Anne glanced around with a grin, leaning on the cart. "I get it. Frog Thanksgiving."
Jean walked up beside them, pointing at a giant bird-like insect. "You even have a turkey."
The "turkey" turned to them, letting out a horrifying shriek. Jean shuddered at the sight. "I'll never get used to that." She muttered. Anne chuckled, elbowing the older girl. "Eh, who are you kidding, shorty. You'll eat it." She laughed. Jean crossed her arms. "I'm not THAT short, Anne." She replied bluntly.
Anne only laughed again, pumping her arms in the air. "Harvest Day! I'm all in!"
Hop Pop walked up to them, motioning to the cart. "Alright, Anne. How 'bout you put these turnips "all in" our display? Jean you can help too. After all you're here to help, not just laze around and watch." He finished. Jean stared after him in silent disbelief, as the Plantar children, Anne and Flossie all burst into laughter. "Alright, alright. Let's get this over with."
Hearing hammering behind them, Anne glances over her shoulder to see a sign saying "Go Farmers" being hung over a stand. "Go Farmers? What's that all about?" She asked, gesturing back to the sign. Flossie gasped. "It's the big Bugball game, of course!" She stated, climbing up Jean's back to sit on her shoulders. "Every year, Wartwood plays a friendly game of Bugball." Hop Pop explained, pointing at a sign that read "Farmers vs Townies". "Farmers-that's us-versus the Townies!"
Polly crossed her arms angrily. "And every year, the Townies destroy us! It's humiliating." She groaned. "And to top it off, the losers have to wear these ridiculous costumes for a whole week." Sprig included, holding up an image of a sad frog wearing a turkey outfit. "Those outfits are so itchy." Hop Pop complained.
Anne walked by them with the cart, bouncing a turnip in one hand. "Whew, tough break you guys. Hey, do you think I can make this?" She asked, tossing a turnip into basket. She did this with two more turnips, as the Plantar's, Flossie, and even a few Farmers stopped to watch in amazement.
"Ha! Three-for-three, baby." Anne dabbed.
"Anne, where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Hop Pop marvelled. Anne scoffed at his question. "Learn? I don't know if you've noticed, but I have natural athletic ability." Anne stated, showing off one last shoot. The crowd cheered, but Jean scoffed, placing Flossie back down on the ground. "C'mon, admit it, you learned most of that stuff from me. Remember our special move?" She asked, picking up a turnip from the cart. Anne prepared herself, standing a distance away from Jean. Jean drop-kicked the turnip, sending it flying toward Anne. The younger human jumped, catching the ball mid-air and tossing it backwards into the basket. More cheering went up.
"You two would be perfect for Bugball!" Hop Pop cried. "If you guys join our team, we might actually win!" Sprig piped up.
"Win? Ha! Not in a million years!" Laughter erupted from a certain amphibian, and the group turned to see Mayor Toadstool, standing in front of a group of amphibians consisting of six players, Toadstool included. "Hello, Farmers. Allow me to introduce this year's Townie team. First, we got Lydia, four time frog-lympian-"
Jean zoned out in the introduction, crossing her arms in boredom as she leaned against Anne's cart.
"-And last but not least, Toadie, who is surprisingly good at this."
Toadie showed off his skills, bouncing the bugball and doing fancy tricks. "Mm-hmm, yes. Scary stuff, huh? Be careful you Farmers don't SOIL yourselves on the field. Haha! Did you hear that? Soil? Cause they're farmers!"
The rest of the Townies laughed at Mayor Toadstool's joke. The Farmers all groaned. Anne and Jean glanced around in pity, before nodding at each other, huge smirks on their face as they had the same thought. "Sorry, Mayor. Farmers are gonna win this year." Jean stated, crossing her arms once again. Anne wrapped an arm around Jean's shoulders. "Because they've got us. Our worlds best footy player, and the best tennis player around." She declared.
The Farmer's all looked up to them with hope-filled expressions. "We're gonna beat you and your fancy Townie team." Anne continued. Toadstool scoffed with a huge smirk. "Well, I'll certainly enjoy watching you try." He said. "Townies, move out." With that, they all backed up, standing under the shade of a stand.
"We can still see you!" Flossie pointed out. Toadstool started scooching out of sight, the rest of his gang following. "No you can't!"
"Huh, guess we should probably learn how to play Bugball." Anne said. The farmers agreed.
The turkey from before burst free from its pen, sending the Farmers into a panic as they scattered.
The Plantar's, another frog, Mrs. Croaker, Anne and Jean were out on the Bugball field. Flossie and Polly watched them, Mrs. Croaker's pet sitting between them. "What's up?" Polly asked the pet, Archie. Archie stopped panting for a minute, staring at the Pollywog before returning back to the game. Flossie shrugged. "So how've you been?" She asked casually. Polly shrugged. "Eh, not too bad, how about yourself?"
"Good, good."
On the field, Hop Pop, another frog and Mrs. Croaker were stretching, preparing for the practise ahead. Sprig stood in front of Jean and Anne, arms outstretched. "Welcome to Team Farmers! This is the playing field!" Sprig announced. Jean glanced around, arms crossed as she surveyed the area. "Those skulls are the goals." Sadie said, gesturing to the large skulls placed on poles. "And this is the bugball." Hop Pop included, placing a ball in Anne's hand. Anne took it, complimenting how cute it looked. "Aw, how cute. It's shaped like a real- AH!" Anne screeched, letting go of the ball as it extended its wings, hovering in the air for a moment. "Real bug. It's a real bug. Got it." Anne said, grabbing the bug again.
"So we just put the bug in the goal, right?" Jean asked, gesturing to the skulls. "Seems pretty simple." Hop Pop shook his head, reaching into a stump. "Oh, there's more to it than that." He said, pulling out a large book in effort.
Dropping it to the ground, a loud gasp could be heard from the sidelines, and Flossie rushed over to stare down at the book, eyes sparkling in curiosity. "Hop Pop can I borrow it when you're finished?" She asked. Hop Pop chuckled. "It'll be all yours. As long as you return it." Flossie squealed, sitting down as she clasped her hands over her cheeks and waited patiently for Hop Pop to finish.
"Now, see here. You got your shooters-that's you and Croaker, Anne-and you got your passers, that'll be me and Chuck-that's Chuck by the way." He said, pointing to the unknown frog. Anne and Jean said their greetings, as they returned their attention back to Hop Pop. "You have your kicker-That'll be Jean- they start each lap, racing the opposite team to the ball. And lastly, on defence, there's Sprig." Hop Pop explained. Sprig puffed out his chest, showing off his "muscles".
"-Cause he's not real great at the shooting part. Never scored a point in his life." Hop Pop continued. Sprig deflated, pointing accusingly at Hop Pop. "That's cause you never give me a chance!" He objected. Hop Pop only nodded in response, before turning to Anne and Jean. "Mm-hmm. Anyway, girls, it says here the most important thing about Bugball is teamwork." He stated. Anne silenced the elderly frog, holding the ball in one hand. "Toss that playbook away, 'cause all we need is the "Pass it to Anne and Jean" play." She said, tossing the ball up. Jean caught it, drop-kicking it towards Anne who'd rushed over to the goal, tossing it in. The ball entered the goal, and Mrs. Croaker caught it with her tongue. "I don't know, Anne. You girls are good, but the Townies are hard-core." She said, as Flossie giggled hysterically behind her, straining to carry the book back to the sidelines.
"Yeah, Anne, I think the team should really-" Sprig started nervously, before Anne held her hand up. "Look, I don't usually do "team sports". I do "me sports", like tennis. The only team sports I've played is with Jean and Jean only. Me sports, I win. You guys wanna win, right?" She started doing tricks with the ball. The rest of the team nodded in agreement, as Anne tossed the ball to Jean. "Well, then, trust us. We got this." Jean stated, walking around. She bumped into someone, sending her falling hard into the mud. Letting out a yelp, Jean glared up at who dared stand in her way. "Whoopsie daisy, didn't see ya there, Shorty." Toadstool said.
Anne stepped forward, helping a silent Jean to her feet. "Hey! Only I can call her that!" She yelled. Toadstool only crossed his arms, staring at the teens with a smirk. "Uh huh. Now beat it, Farmers. We're here to practise."
Polly bounced over, holding a clipboard up. "Hey! Farmer's have the field for another hour!" She protested. "Oh yeah? Well, our schedule says different." With that, he snapped his fingers. Toadie walked up to Polly, ripping the paper to shreds. Polly gasped, striking the small frog across the face with her tail. Archie bit him, and a small water bubble emerged from the ground, surrounding Toadie and tossing him at a nearby goal. Looking up, Polly turned to Flossie. The axolotl grinned, giving the pollywog a thumbs up, returning back to the book in her lap.
Toadstool rubbed his chin in thought. "Unless… you'd like to scrimmage against us." He stated. Hop Pop glanced around nervously, not wanting to take on the Townies yet. "Eh, I think we need a little more practise before-"
"YOU'RE ON!" Anne yelled, leaving Hop Pop to stare up at her in horror. "What?!"
—
The two teams faced each other, as Polly blew a whistle. "Game on!"
Jean beat the other teams player to the ball, kicking it into the air. Hop Pop caught it. "Hop Pop, gimme!" Anne yelled. Hop Pop passed her the ball. As Anne was about to shoot, Toadie zoomed over her, grabbing the ball out of her hands and shooting at a goal, winning a point.
"Okay. Let's try that again."
—
Jean reached the ball first once again, but just as she was about to kick it, another player ran in front of her, blocking her from the ball. "Hey!"
The other team kicked, leaving a trail of dust. Jean coughed, waving her hand around her face to get rid of the dust cloud. The whistle sounded again, signifying that the other team had got the ball.
"Alright, again. Jean, a bit faster next time."
—
Hop Pop raced alongside Anne, who had the ball. "Anne! Pass!" He shouted. Anne waved him off. "It's all good. I've got this!"
She's then tackled by a Townie, who took the ball and got another point.
"Ugh! Again!"
—
Jean had the ball. "Anne! Catch!" She yelled, drop-kicking the ball in her direction. Before Anne could catch it, Toadie caught it midair, scoring another point.
"Again!"
—
Anne was surrounded by Townies, everyone was shouting for her to toss them the ball. Under the pressure, Anne threw it at the goal. "I'm taking the shot!"
The ball bounced off the goal, zooming over her in the air. One of the Townies caught the ball, gently tossing it in their goal.
"UGH!"
—
Townie's scored point after point, each time, Anne yelling for a rematch.
—
"AGAIN!" Anne screamed. The Farmers all stood behind her. "Yeah, no, that's the end of the game." Polly stated. Anne gasped. "What!?"
Toadstool chuckled. "Fields all yours, Farmers. Looks like we don't even need to practise. Oh, and by the way, Shorty. You'll need to practise your kick-off more. You looked a little rusty on the field there." The Townies laughed, walking off.
"ONLY I CAN CALL HER THAT!" Anne shrieked after them, but the shout fell on deaf ears. Holding up the ball, Anne threw it on the ground. "What the heck happened out there?!" She sighed, sitting on the ground. "This is why I hate team sports. I'm always outnumbered." She muttered.
While Hop Pop and Sprig cheered Anne up, Flossie glanced over to Jean, who had her back turned to everyone. Putting the heavy book on the seat beside her, she walked over to the human. "Hey Jean, are you ok?" She asked. Jean turned to her, a fake smile on her face, yet her wide and enraged eyes gave her away. "Of course I'm ok! Why wouldn't I be? I just gotta train harder-yeah, yeah, that's it! It's gotta be perfect! Then that'll teach Toadstool-" Jean marched over to the other team, startling them. "We gotta get to practising! Let's go, we haven't got all night!" She yelled. Sprig glanced up to the older teen, not used to her behaviour. "Uh, Jean? Are you-"
"LESS TALKING MORE PRACTISING!" With that, she grabbed the ball, drop kicking it. It went high into the air, returning to earth slowly as the beetle flapped its wings.
—
Flossie opened the book for the Farmers, explaining the gameplay. Hop Pop sniffed proudly at the young axolotl.
—
On the field, Anne was about to shoot the ball, when the whistle went off. Croaker was jumping up and down, wanting Anne to pass the ball. With a lot of effort, she tossed the ball to her. Everyone cheered her on.
—
Jean kicked the ball, as Chuck caught it midair. He gave Jean a thumbs up, who only shook her head angrily. "Gotta work harder…" she muttered, turning away from the frog. Chuck gave a weird look to Flossie, who only shrugged at the humans behaviour.
—
Sprig defended the goal, preventing any ball to score a point.
—
Polly gave Anne a drink, and the human began chugging it down. When she realised there were caterpillars in her drink, she gagged, spitting it out while facing the direction of Sprig and Jean, who were sitting beside her. "Ah, refreshing." Sprig sighed. Jean freaked out, standing up and away from the two. "EW! ANNE!"
—
Anne was about to score a point, when she glanced over to Hop Pop. Hop Pop motioned for her to give him the ball. With a sigh, she tossed the ball to him, allowing him to score the point. Everyone cheered her on, all except Jean, whose eyes narrowed, tapping her foot impatiently.
—
Flossie read the book, memorising all the rules. Glancing up, she watched Jean score perfect points, drop-kicking each ball that was tossed to her. When each ball scored a point, Jean cheered. "Ha! In your face, Toadstool!" She yelled.
She frowned at the sight. "This isn't like her…" she muttered.
—
Now came the final exercise. Hop Pop was tying a piece of cloth over each teens eyes, preventing them from seeing anything. "Alright, girls, we got one final exercise for you. True teamwork is all about trust. Just listen to your team, and we'll guide you." Hop Pop said, placing a ball in Anne's hand. "Anne will go first. You ready?"
Anne shrugged. "Uh, yeah, okay."
Anne began running. Sprig popped up from behind a cardboard cutout. "Dodge left!" He yelled. Anne did so, running away from the cutout. Croaker and Chuck stood in her way next. "Jump!" Mrs Croaker shouted. Anne jumped over the two, missing the sharp objects they held.
"Now stop!" Hop Pop yelled. He sat on top of the goal. "Turn slowly. Can ya hear me, Anne? Can you hear your dear old Hop Poppy?"
"Yes, I hear you Hop Pop!"
"Do you trust me, Anne?"
"I trust you!"
"Now shoot!"
Anne tossed the ball, landing it in the goal. Everyone cheered. "You know what, guys? This teamwork stuff is actually pretty cool!" Anne stated. She turned to Jean, who was waiting patiently on the side lines. "Alright, you ready Jean?"
Jean mumbled something under her breath, but Anne didn't hear. She placed the ball into Jean's hands. "Alright, let the team guide you, girl!" She said, pushing Jean into the field.
Holding the ball, Jean felt unsure about everything. "This way, Jean!" Hop Pop yelled. Jean started running where she thought the voice was coming from. "Dodge right!" Sprig yelled. In her panic, Jean ran left, tripping over the cardboard cutout. "Ah! I'm sorry!" She yelled, backing up. Anne gasped. "Jean! Look out!" She screamed, but it was too late. With a yelp, Jean tripped over a tree stump, falling to the ground.
"Jean! Are you ok?!" Anne asked, as everyone rushed to her side. Taking off the bandanna from her eyes, Jean looked around in annoyance. "I'm fine. I just need more practise is all-"
Hop Pop piped up. "Well, we gotta go. Better get some rest before the match tonight."
Jean perked up, jogging on the spot. "Rest? Who needs rest? I can keep playing! We gotta get this right! Who else can keep playing?" She said aggressively, as she looked around. Each member of the team was panting and sweating, all needing a rest before the game.
She let out a sigh. "Alright, you guys go ahead. I'll catch up in a bit." She said. Everyone mumbled their farewells, walking off.
Now there was only Flossie, Jean and Anne left. Anne turned to the older human, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you ok?" She asked. Jean shook her hand off, turning back to the teen as she picked up the bugball. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just-pumped for the match, is all." She grumbled.
Flossie walked over, standing next to Anne. "Is…there something you're not telling us?" Anne asked.
Jean kept her back to the two, but Flossie could tell she was shaking from holding herself together. "I just…can't go out there without knowing it's perfect. Otherwise Toadstool won't stop picking on me." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.
Anne stared at her, concerned. "Well, why don't you just stand up to him? You always stood up to people for me back home-"
"Because I can't stand up to adults, okay!?" Jean shouted, glaring at the two in anger. Anne went silent, waiting for her to continue. Jean sighed. "Adults are different. Kids like us, you KNOW they are wrong, they don't know anything. But adults…they make you feel inferior. They make up stupid arguments that to you feel like they're right, and you're the dumb one."
Flossie crept toward the human, wrapping her in a hug. Anne joined in. "Hey, it'll be fine. You're just having one of your moments. When we get out there, we're just gonna have fun. We'll beat those Townies and they won't EVER bother you again, alright?" Anne said.
Jean chuckled lightly. "Alright."
"Now let's get back home before Hop Pop wonders where we are."
"Ladies and Gentle frogs, welcome to the annual big bugball game!" Wally narrated. The crowd cheered. "Give it up for Team Townies!"
The Townies rushed onto the field.
"And the farmers!"
The Farmers rushed onto the field, Anne pumping her arms excitedly. Flossie cheered from the sidelines, Pebbs sitting beside her.
"Alright, frogs, listen up. I want a good, clean game, right? Now let's play bugball!" Wally announced. Anne turned to her team. "Farmers, are we ready?" She asked excitedly. Everyone nodded their head in agreement.
Toadstool turned to his group. "Everybody cover Anne and Shorty. They're not gonna pass it." He chuckled.
Jean turned to Chuck, giving him a nod. Chuck returned the gesture, tipping his hat as a sly grin covered his face. "I like Tulips."
With that, Wally blew a whistle. One of the Townies rushed toward the ball at the same time as Jean. Another Townie jumped in front of her charge. "Now Chuck!" She yelled.
Chuck ran toward the ball, leaving the two Townies in bewilderment as he kicked the ball to Anne. She caught it. Immediately, she was surrounded. She chuckled knowingly, passing the ball Hop Pop. The Townies all watched in disbelief as the Farmers scored a point.
Toadstool smiled with effort. "Well, looks like we got ourselves a challenge." He muttered.
The rest of the game went on, with the Townies and the Farmers tying.
"This is it, folks." Wally announced. "With only one minute left in the game, whoever scores the next point wins!" He laughed, throwing his mic aside.
The two teams panted as they faced each other. "Come on, gang! We can win this thing!" Hop Pop encouraged.
Toadstool glared at the opposite team, turning to face his group. "Townies, huddle up." He ordered. "Now their teamwork may have improved, but Anne and Shorty are still the only reason those yokels have gotten this far! Looks like we may need to resort to drastic measures to win this game, know what I mean?" Toadstool muttered.
"By drastic measures, do you mean switching our focus from the outcome to just having fun?" One of the Townies asked. Toadstool glared at him. "No, Frog Gorden. I mean cheat! Cheat! Initiate plan "Last Resort"."
"Alright, let's keep it clean now." Wally repeated, blowing the whistle. Jean rushed to the ball kicking it up. Anne caught it, and the two ran side by side, dodging Townies. Anne tossed the ball to Sprig, just as Toadie jumped in front of the two, throwing powder into their eyes.
"AH! MY PEEPERS!" Anne shrieked, reaching out in front of her blindly. Jean rubbed her eyes, making matters worse for herself.
The crowd gasped. "Blinding powder, eh? Well, that's a foul, as in foul play. Toadie, you're disqualified!" Wally yelled.
Toadie walked proudly off the field, giving Toadstool a high-five while no one was looking. "Thanks for taking one for the team, Toadie. By the time that powder wears off, we'll have won this game."
"Oh no!"
"Our star players!"
Jean started freaking out, stepping forward in a blind frenzy. "Wait! No no no no no! Ugh, i can't see!" she said angrily. She felt someone wrap their arms around her torso. By their height and messy hair, she realised it was Flossie. "It'll be ok, Jean. Here, come sit down. Anne has a plan." She said softly, guiding Jean to her seat.
Fiddling with her fingers, she heard the Farmers guiding blind Anne through the field. "They're doing okay, right?" She asked, to which Flossie hummed in response. "Yep, they're doing great!"
"You did great out there tonight, Jean." Pebbs comforted. Jean relaxed slightly, and she could feel the tension growing in the crowd as she listened to the rest of the game.
"Anne, go!"
"Jump!"
"Dodge right! Dodge left!"
"Do a cartwheel!"
"Stop! Shoot!"
"Stop her!"
"Did I do it?"
"Nooooo!"
The buzzer went off. Jean rubbed her eyes once more, and was able to peek at the field. Sprig stood among the wreckage of the goal, panting as he turned back to everyone with a savage expression.
Wally blew the horn. "That's the game. Farmers win!" Wally announced. The Farmers fans cheered wildly, as the Townies fans all groaned in disappointment. Toadstool fell to the ground screaming, knowing what was coming next.
As the Mayor ran away from the giant turkey, Anne rushed over to Sprig. "Dude! You did it! Your first goal! How's it feel?"
"Amazing. I feel like a living GOD!"
Jean watched them for a minute, sighing as she got up, walking away from the cheering newt mother and axolotl daughter. Anne noticed her walking away, and ran to her. "Hey! Jean, we did it!" She cheered. Jean glanced over her shoulder, a large grin on her face. "Heck yeah we did!" She yelled.
Anne's smile softened. "So…you feeling better now?" She asked. Jean shrugged. "Eh, just anger problems." She replied.
Sprig rushed over, climbing onto Anne's shoulders. "You did it, Anne. You did it!" He stated. Anne shook her head, grinning at Jean. "No, we did it. This wouldn't have happened without my teammates." She said proudly. "Know what else wouldn't happen without teammates?" Sprig asked slyly.
Mrs. Croaker rushed over, dumping a barrel of "Bug-a-rade" onto the two humans.
The Farmers laughed, while Anne and Jean screamed. "Get them off me! Get them off me!" Anne yelped, as Jean rapidly wiped at her hair and clothes in terror.
"Sorry." With that, the frogs used their tongues to collect them from Anne, and occasionally did it to Jean when they found some.
"Oh, this is worse!"
Jean and Anne shivered after the whole ordeal with the bugs. "Man, that was gross." Anne said, Jean agreeing with a simple nod of her head.
"Ehem."
Glancing behind them, Anne frowned at Mayor Toadstool in the ridiculous turkey costume, Flossie standing behind him. "Shor-OW! I mean, Jean. I'm sorry I said those things to ya. I shouldn't have messed with your self-esteem in such a way. Happy now?" Toadstool grumbled to the axolotl. Flossie bowed down. "You are free to go." She said with a grin.
Jean watched the Mayor go, a look of pure disbelief on her face. "How…did you manage that?" She asked. Flossie shrugged. "It turns out, that adults aren't always right. They can be children too. Also I may or may not have threatened to put itchy bugs in his suit." She giggled. Anne ruffled her hair. "Why you little genius you." She chuckled. Jean smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Floss. I owe you one." She chuckled.
A/N: 1. I forgot to kinda give Jean a flaw. So I (kinda) went back a few chapters to Toads and Magic, where I wrote Jean feeling like a failure to Flossie. She has anger issues, and doesn't believe in herself that much, plus has problems with standing up to adults for…a certain reason that I'll touch on later. She's just hidden it all away. Sorry for the confusion of this chapter.
2. There was an extra Townie on the team btw.
