So, a few things happened that were just a bit stressful within the last week. There hadn't been any attacks by the assassin robot, so that was a good thing. She was thankful that it apparently did not know where she lived, but for how long was up in the air. But now her parents were finally okay with her leaving the house on her own, as well as the Plantars. Anne had gotten around to modifying Sprig and Polly's individual outfits, which helped them to move around more independently like Hop Pop.
And, oh boy, Anne wasn't sure if that was good thing. Anne was constantly on her toes, and not just for the assassin robot, but because the Plantars had kept getting into things that nearly got them killed, scammed, or into a fight. Sprig was an being ADHD about everything, touching and grabbing everything that was new to him, which, since he was in a different world, was everything in sight. Polly's temper almost got her into fights with the neighborhood kids on one or more occasions, and Hop Pop, Frog help her, Hop Pop kept nearly getting scammed by shady salesmen.
She eventually "threw them in the deep end" and forced them to adapt or never go outside again. But as luck would have it, that did not end well. But they did come to understanding, and the Plantars promised to be more mindful of their actions while they were on Earth. Meanwhile, Anne was dealing with another problem, aside from trying to figure out a way to get back to Amphibia. Anne ran into one of her friends from school, Gabby.
Even now, as Anne lied on her bed, she could remember their conversation from before the fiasco at the mall took place.
"ANNE! I heard they found you, but I can't believe it! You're back!"
"W-Whoa, y-yeah, I'm back, Gabs."
"Seriously, everyone thought you were kidnapped, or ran away, or died!"
"Yeah…uh…I'm, still unsure of what happened myself. I can't really remember much about that day. Doctors think it's something psychological, and that I might remember someday."
"Wow – but wait! What about Sasha and Marcy! You guys disappeared at the same time! Do you remember what happened to them?!"
Anne remembered feeling a pain in her heart when she heard their names. Those two names triggered a lot of emotions within her, sadness, anger, betrayal, love, and frustration. Anne remembered she had to keep her composure when speaking about them. The Thai girl couldn't help but let those emotions show on her face when she talked to Detective Drew.
"Yeah…I…I don't remember either. I know I was with them, that we were together, but it's in bits and pieces honestly. I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's alright, girl. I'm just glad one of you is safe! We were looking for you guys all over the place. OMG, I so need to get you caught up on all the hot goss going on school! Wait, are you coming back soon?"
"Not yet…I don't really feel up to being in school right now…and my parents aren't keen on it either."
"Totally understand, so anyway…"
It was a moment like that that drove home how much their disappearances made everyone worry about them. She saw it in her parents, but to see that from someone else just made it a lot more apparent.
Then there was another issue that she needed to deal with, and it happened earlier today.
(5 Hours Ago: 1:33 p.m.)
Anne was at Thai Go, helping out her parents with the restaurant. It felt good to be back in the kitchen and serving the customers. Some were newcomers and didn't make a big deal about her being back, while their regulars were saying constantly how they were happy that she had returned and was okay. It wasn't too awkward, but it was a bit frustrating. Only because not everyone came back, and because right now Andrias was building up his forces. Preparing to launch an attack on the Earth.
That was constantly on her mind as each day went by. Every day that goes by is another day that Andrias is building up his army. And since he's working with The Night, there's no telling what else he could do with that kind of power. He managed to turn a robot into a Fallen, if a whole army of Fallen robots invades…I don't know if I could fight all of that…
Anne shook her head, she had to push out those thoughts for now. She went back into the kitchen and began chopping up vegetables for some of the meals they were preparing. Cooking was relaxing for her; it allowed her mind to focus on something other than what was going on around her. However, it seemed the outside world was not about to leave her alone.
"Welcome to Thai Go, please, take a seat wherever you like."
Anne could hear her father greet the customers and decided to take off her apron to go and wait on them. However, before she could do that, Bee entered the archway and stopped her from doing so.
"Dad, what's up? I need to go and take their order," said Anne.
"No, you don't. Oum, I need your help in the dining room, please," said Bee as he shot a look at his wife.
It seemed that Oum understood his gaze and took off her apron as she said, "Anne, stay in the kitchen."
Anne was a little surprised by the seriousness of her mother's voice, so she nodded and said, "Yeah, sure. I'll just keep cooking."
"Yes, please do," she replied.
Of course, she didn't. Anne waited until her parents were out and stealthily crept close to the archway and peeked round the corner. That was when she saw her parents, and a woman with brunette hair and a nice suit on standing on the other side of the counter. Next to that person was a guy with what looked like a camera.
What's going on?
"Mrs. Boonchuy, Mr. Boonchuy, please, just one interview," the brunette begged.
"Rita Spinner? Right? We told you over the phone, just like the others, we aren't doing any interviews," said Bee, sternly.
"You can't expect the media to not keep asking. Especially when two other girls, who are her friends, disappeared at the same time. And are still missing. People want to know what happened."
Oum sighed in frustration. "Well, you gonna have to keep wondering what happened. We're not letting our daughter talk on camera to be paraded through one news network after the other. She already been through enough."
Rita's demeanor shifted a bit. Anne recognized it, having seen it hundreds of times from Sasha. This woman was about to do or say something that was either going to be a threat or a warning.
"Honestly, Mrs. Boonchuy, the longer you don't say anything, the worse it'll be for you and your family," she said.
"Excuse me?" Oum questioned. "What do you mean by that?"
Rita looked at her nails in a nonchalant manner and remarked, "I mean, it's suspicious. Three girls go missing at the same time, not a trace can be found anywhere, not even forensically, and yet, five months later, only one of those three girls returns, and physically unscathed, at least according to the medical reports."
Bee furrowed his brow as he cried out, "Wait a minute, how did you see our daughter's–?!"
"No signs of abuse, in both the bad and worse sense of the word. No markings of any kind on her body, and no drugs in her system. So, it raises a lot of question, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy. It seems…suspicious. Three thirteen-year-old girls go missing, one comes back unharmed, and the other two are gone. People talk, you know. Some say that maybe your daughter tricked her friends into going with some shady people."
WHAT?! Anne yelled in mind as she clenched her fists.
Oum slammed her hands on the counter and yelled, "I WILL NOT HAVE YOU SLANDER OUR DAUGHTER LIKE THAT!"
Raised raised her hands up in a placating fashion as she said, "Mrs. Boonchuy, I'm not reporting that, nor am I saying that's our stations stance on this issue. I'm just telling you how things can get out of hand if you don't control the narrative. All kinds of things can and will be said about her and you two if you don't get out there and say something about it. Even if it's just a something small."
Bee's brow furrowed more as he said, "I think it's time for you to leave. Unless you want some food, please go, NOW! Or do I need to call the police?"
"Alright, alright. We're going. But I'm not going to be the last. There will be other reporters, and I'm not the worst you have to worry about. The internet is even worse."
With that warning given, Rita and her cameraman left the restaurant. The other patrons, the regulars, came up to the counter and asked if they were alright and if they needed to call the police on their behalf. The Boonchuys assured them that they were alright and that they should go back and enjoy their meals.
Anne, decided to spare her parents the need to explain what happened by putting in some earbuds and pretending to be listening to music as she worked on the food. When they came into the kitchen, they just saw her cooking, pretending to dance in place as she listened to nothing.
(Present…)
Anne took out her cellphone and checked up on herself. She looked at her social media accounts and saw that there were some messages that were greeting her and wishing her well. But as the days went on, it was becoming apparent that some of the well wishes were becoming more accusatory. She was happy to say that not all of them were from Saint James Middle School, but some were.
[Why haven't you told anyone about Sasha and Marcy?!]
[Yeah, where are they?!]
[How come you were the only one who came back?]
[Why won't you say anything?]
[I bet you lured them to some place and had them kidnapped!]
[Yeah, probably faked being missing so no one would suspect her!]
[You're so fake!]
[You were always jealous of Sasha!]
[Marcy's super smart, and you're, like, super dumb. Sasha's superhot and cool, and you're not. She probably offed them and buried them in a ditch somewhere.]
Anne would've crushed her phone right then and there if it didn't contain all the pictures from her time in Amphibia. And the last pictures she had of her (ex?)girlfriends from before all hell broke loose on that day of the Toad Rebellion. Anne decided to look at a few. She saw one of herself and Marcy in the latter's room, it was a picture of Marcy posing with the new emerald butterfly burette that Anne had gifted her. Another one was of her and in the ballroom where Anne officially decided to go out with Marcy. It was taken by Sprig, and it showed her and Marcy, with the two of them awkwardly looking at the camera while still holding each other.
There was one of her and Sasha when they were at the lake together. They posed for a selfie and Sasha leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before snapping the picture. There were a few more of the blonde girl posing for her girlfriend, Anne remembered even posing for Sasha as the blonde took some pics of her.
"You better not do anything weird with those pics, Boonchuy."
"I could say the same to you, Waybright."
"Me? Why Anne, I'm insulted!"
"If the shoe fits, Sash."
"…Eh, touché."
There was another pic of the three of them together, with Sasha on the right, Marcy on the left, and Anne in the middle, all three smiling and garbed in their Amphibia attire. Then there was the one that almost made her break down into tears. It was the one taken the day before everything went wrong. The group photo of all of Wartwood, and the three of them at the center, happy and in love.
A knock came at her door and Anne quickly wiped her eyes and exited out of her gallery as she responded, "Yeah, come in!"
It was Sprig who entered. "Hey, Mrs. B said dinner's ready."
"Cool, I'm starving," said Anne as she swung her legs off her bed.
"Hey, Anne, are you…are you alright?" Sprig asked.
Anne raised an eyebrow. "What? Yeah, dude. Why?"
Sprig rubbed the back of his head as he said, "I don't know. Your mom and dad seem a little…edgy. Did something happen today at the restaurant?"
The Thai teen put her hands on her hips as she replied, "Pfft, nah, nothing to get excited about."
Sprig walked up to Anne and put his hand on her hand. "Okay, but you know Hop Pop, Polly, and me are here if you need us. Right? I know you can't talk about what really happened with your folks, so, if you ever need to, we'll listen."
Anne sighed. "Sprig, I'm fine. Really. I'm just getting readjusted, and you know, I'm just a little stressed with the whole assassin robot and soon-to-be invasion. But I got it. Seriously."
Sprig shrugged his shoulders, he tried at least.
It wasn't that Anne didn't know what he was trying to do, or any of the others, but she just didn't feel like talking about it. Not when she herself hadn't figured the feelings swirling around in her after everything that happened.
Anne and Sprig made it downstairs, and the Thai teen immediately picked up on the delicious smell of her mother's home cooking. Not to say that she disliked Hop Pop's cooking, but after five months of eating bug-based meals, the smell of food from home was heavenly to her. Hop Pop and Polly were already seated, while her mother and father were getting the table set with food. Anne decided to go and give them a hand, but before she could make it that far, a knock came at the front door, making everyone in the room turn their heads in that direction.
"Bee, you expecting a package?" Oum asked.
Anne's father took out his cellphone and opened an app. "My limited addition controller isn't supposed to be here for another few days. And I'm not expecting anyone. Are you?"
"No," Oum replied.
"Guys, hurry upstairs!" Anne hissed.
Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly leaped out of their seats and rushed up the stairs and into Anne's room. Once they heard the door close, Bee walked towards the door and muttered, "I swear, if it's that reporter I'm gonna–!"
"Honey!"
"Sorry, I'm just–"
"Let me answer, that way, I can punch her and it's not as bad," said Oum as she walked ahead of her husband.
"Uh, right. Anne, you should head up to your room just in case," said Bee.
"Dad, it's okay," Anne replied. "I've faced crazier things in Amphibia. Whoever's behind that door, is nothing compared to–"
"TED?!"
Anne was about halfway to the stairs when she heard that name. She quickly turned around and saw none other than Sasha's father. Theodore "Ted" Waybright. He had short blonde hair and was wearing a gray business suit with the jacket unbuttoned, and a red tie. He had a mustache and beard, but it was cut short. Something was different about him, he looked…defeated? Anne didn't know the right word for it, but she could tell that something was wrong.
Of course, something's wrong. His daughter is still missing, Anne thought.
"Ted, what are you doing here?" Oum asked.
"Oum, I…I just had to come and see if it was true. Is Anne really back?" Ted asked.
"She is, Ted," said Bee as he joined his wife. "And Detective Drew said she told you, Amanda, Ling, and Xia, not to talk to Anne until she's ready."
Ted sighed as he asked, "Please, I just want to know if Anne remembers if Sasha was alright at all? I'm happy that you got your daughter back, I really am, but I just want to know if she was okay."
Oum and Bee hated to do this, as far as Anne has told them, Marcy and Sasha were alright when she last saw them. But it wasn't as if they could just tell him that those two were still trapped in another world filled with talking frogs. Heck, there's no way he'd believe them if they did say that. Double heck, they wouldn't have believed it if Anne didn't have the Plantars with her.
"Anne?" Ted whispered.
Oum and Bee turned around and saw Anne walking towards them.
Anne had walked from around the corner; she had her left hand wrapped around her right arm as her gaze slowly drifted upwards to meet Ted Waybright's blue eyes. "Hi, Mr. Waybright…"
Ted looked like he was ready to question her, but now that he looked at Anne, his resolve waivered a bit. "Um…hey, kiddo. You doing okay?"
"Y-Yeah…Mom and Dad have helped me a lot since I came back…" Anne answered.
"I…I see." Ted rubbed the back of his head and bit his bottom lip. "Anne, I'm sorry, but please, please tell me anything you remember about Sasha. It doesn't matter what it is, just something," he begged.
"Ted," Bee spoke with an edge of warning in his voice.
"Dad…it's…it's okay." Anne walked a little closer, but Oum intercepted her and stood next to Anne, placing her hands on her shoulders for support. "I…I really don't remember much. Most of what happened was a blur. But I do remember Sasha."
Anne wasn't sure if she could do this. Just uttering Sasha's name brought back memories, both the good and the bad. But at the same time, she couldn't just let Sasha's father worry himself like this.
"Was she okay? Just tell me that much, Anne," said Anne.
"She…"
"Ted?!"
Anne, Oum, Bee, and Ted turned their gaze back out the front door, and that's when they saw a woman in a red dress standing on the sidewalk with a cross look on her face. She had long brown hair, green eyes, and was quite a beauty. The moment Ted saw her, however, his demeanor changed drastically.
"Amanda, what in the hell are you doing here?" Ted asked.
"Ugh, what other reason would I come here? I wanted to ask Anne something." Amanda turned her attention to the Boonchuys and said, "Hey, Bee! Hey Oum! Anne, I'm so glad you're back."
"Oh, uh, y-yeah, thanks Mrs. Waybright," Anne greeted.
"Oh please, hon, call me Amanda," she replied.
Ted scoffed.
"Seriously, you too?" Oum questioned.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know the Detective told us not to come, but, c'mon, Oum, you understand how worried we are," said Amanda.
Oum certainly could not fault them, not that much. Not too long ago she was desperate for any information on her daughter's whereabouts. And if the shoe was on the other foot, she couldn't say that wouldn't be doing the exact same thing these two were. Although, she might have done so with a little more tact.
Amanda walked up the stairs of their stoop and, lightly, moved Ted aside as she looked at Anne. "Now, Anne, you can tell me. I promise I won't get angry. Did Sasha put you up to this?"
"What?!" Anne exclaimed.
"Anne, hon, it's okay. I'm sure Sasha came up with this to stir up some drama. And she roped you and Marcy into it. I get the whole teenage girl clique thing, believe me. But five months is way too long for something like this. So, like I said, you can tell us if that's what happened. I'll make sure to talk to Sasha about this," Amanda assured.
Oum, Anne, and Bee weren't sure how to respond to that. They knew the truth, well, Anne's parents only knew half the truth. So, they knew what Amanda was suggesting was way ludicrous. And it seemed Ted was of the same mind; however, he was not as subtle in his reaction.
"ARE YOU–" Ted glanced at Anne briefly and then back to his ex-wife, "OUT OF YOUR EFFING MIND, AMANDA?!"
Amanda scoffed at his outburst and crossed her arms as she glared at him. "Look, I don't blame you for not coming to that conclusion. But it does feel like something Sasha would do. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense."
"IN WHAT WORLD?! Our daughter is gone! Vanished! Possibly abducted! It's a miracle Anne's back without a scratch!" Ted argued.
Amanda raised her left index finger and retorted, "And that's the clue. Without a scratch. If they were abducted, I doubt kidnappers would've not done anything to Anne. So, the only conclusion is that they've been hiding out somewhere in the city, far enough away to remain out of sight, but not too far away that they can't 'miraculously' reappear. Anne coming back is probably part of her plan to soften the blow of their return and let us know that they're alright."
Anne wasn't sure if Amanda was in denial, she must've been. Even if Anne did know the truth, hearing Sasha's mom suggest that she would do something like that was…well. Oh, who am I kidding, if push came to shove, Sasha would totally do something like that.
"You've gotta be kidding me! To what end?!" Ted argued.
"You heard the Wus, they were going to move. Sasha cares a lot about Anne and Marcy, BFFs and all that. She was probably devastated that they were going to be separated, just as much as Marcy was, so Sasha must've come up with this plan," Amanda explained.
"You! I can't even with – ugh!"
"It makes perfect sense, like I keep telling you. I mean, she's had a crush on Anne and Marcy for the longest time, so I'm not surprised – oops!" Amanda covered her, looking genuinely ashamed to have just said that out loud.
Anne's eyes widened upon hearing that, not because it was of any shock to her, but because it just reignited some memories and feelings she was trying to keep bottled up.
However, for Bee and Oum, this was shocking news to them.
"Whoa, hold on, wait a second. You telling us that Sasha had a crush on Anne and Marcy?" Bee asked.
Well, the cat was out of the bag, so no need to try and put it back in. "No, has, present tense. Look don't tell her, but I found her diary, and I thumbed through it. I'm sorry, Anne, I don't know if you did or didn't know, but it's true. Sasha has feelings for you. Heck, I didn't even know she was bisexual…my own kid…Why wouldn't she come out to me? I told her she could talk to me about anything."
Ted chuckled sardonically. "Oh, gee, I wonder why? Maybe if you acted more like a mother instead of trying to be her big sister/best friend, she might've felt more comfortable about coming out to you!"
"Oh, and you're 'Father of the Year'?! How many times have you cancelled your scheduled times to have her over?! You filed for joint custody because you said, and I quote, 'I want to remain in her life'! Well, bravo!" Amanda mocked.
"Anne…?" Oum saw her daughter and was getting worried.
Anne was shaking, even her right hand was trembling. The Thai teen was gritting her teeth, and before she knew it, Anne broke out of her mother's grasp and ran up the stairs. The adults in the room watched all of this in surprise, but for Bee and Oum, the surprise wore off quickly.
Oum turned to the two bickering Waybrights, glaring at them as she yelled, "GET OFF OUR PROPERTY!"
"O-Oum, we-we're sorry–" Amanda began.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Oum cut her off. "You two come to our house, and then you start fighting in front of my daughter! Who is still trying to recover! No! You leave right now, or I'll call the police and have you arrested for trespassing! You shouldn't even be here right now!"
In their defense, Ted and Amanda did at least have the decency to look contrite over their actions.
"Ted, Amanda, please leave. Now," Bee insisted.
"We…We're sorry, Bee," said Ted.
Amanda nodded silently as both she and Ted turned and went to their cars. Bee watched as the Waybrights got into their cars and left the residence. There were some people who watched and heard the display, but Bee assured them that everything was alright. Once he had, Bee closed the door and looked to his wife who was leaning against the wall with her face in her right hand.
"Oum, you alright?" Bee asked.
"I don't know, Bee. I don't know. Did you see the way Anne reacted when she said that Sasha had a crush on her?" Oum asked.
"It is a little much. Perhaps she didn't know? I mean, it is quite a shock, I never got that vibe from her," Bee remarked.
"She's probably not sure how to handle it…I should go and talk to her."
Oum was about to go upstairs but Bee placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let's just give her a minute to absorb it. Then we can talk to her later."
Meanwhile, a teenage boy walking the streets of LA, wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans, and a black hoody. He was downtrodden, and angry. He had been told so many times that he was a nobody, that he would never amount to anything. He was picked on by everyone in his school, and just a moment ago, he had been beaten up and robbed by a bunch of street punks. The world was unfair, what did he ever do to deserve such treatment? Nothing, that's what.
So many times, he wished he had the power to make everyone pay, but he wasn't interested in something like guns or bombs. All of that was superficial, he wanted the kind of power that allowed him to make others bow down before him, the kind of power that would make others fear and respect him. Power that no gun or bomb could ever give you. But he knew such things only existed in TV shows, movies, and comics.
The boy turned the corner and entered an alleyway, at this point, he didn't care who it was who was waiting for him down there. Could be a crazed homeless person, or another street gang looking to just beat someone up. It didn't matter either way, this world was rotten, and it could all burn as far as he was concerned.
"The world can burn because it is rotten, that is what you are thinking."
The teenage boy raised his head, and that's when he spotted a woman. She had to be in her mid-twenties at most. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and behind her no frame glasses were a pair of sharp violet eyes that were locked onto him. She wore a white blouse, and a black skirt, simple, and plain, nothing too identifiable. But despite that, the teenage boy could not deny that this woman was quite beautiful.
"Who…Who are you?" he asked.
"Who I am is of little importance, Deacon. What is important is what we can give you," she said.
"How do you know my name? And wait, 'we'?"
"Yes, we."
Deacon turned around and jumped when he saw an Asian man in a white suit now standing behind him with his arms behind his back.
"Forgive me for the sudden appearance," said Keisuke.
"W-Who are you?! What do you want?! If you're going to rob me then don't bother! Some a-holes already beat you to it! If you're going to kill me then just get it over with!" Deacon stated.
Keisuke shook his head back and forth. "Dear boy, that is not why we are here. If we wanted you dead, you would already be dead before you even laid eyes on me or even my assistant. Now then, we're here to make you an offer."
"I don't need drugs or anything like that, I ain't no junkie!" Deacon remarked.
"Oh no, nothing so cheap." Keisuke snapped his fingers.
The woman, his assistant, walked down the alley, her high heels clacking against the pavement and announcing her approach. Deacon turned around and watched as the woman reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out an orange-colored USB memory stick. But this device looked different from the ones he's used and seen at stores. This USB device looked a bit bigger than the average one and had a ribcage design around it that gave it a kind of goth look. In the center of the device was the image of a stylized "V" but it almost took on the appearance of a dinosaur.
"That device has the power to level this city, and make anyone fear and respect you," she said. "It is the kind of power that neither a bomb nor a gun can ever hope to match."
How…How the hell did she–?
"'Know what I was thinking?'" the woman spoke.
Deacon gasped.
"My associate is unique. She sensed the thoughts in your mind, and we thought you'd be perfect for our mission," said Keisuke.
"What mission?" Deacon asked.
"There's an individual that we want to draw out. But as of right now our efforts to locate them are turning up zero results. So, we decided to cause a little mayhem to try and do so," he explained. "You might say this person fancies themselves a superhero. And heroes are always drawn to acts of destruction."
Deacon glanced between Keisuke and the woman, and then to the device in her hands. The teenage boy reached out and grasped the device, holding it gingerly in his hands as if he were afraid of setting it off.
"So, what's the catch? Why don't you just do it yourself?" Deacon asked.
"We need to keep our involvement lowkey, you see. But I promise you. If you manage to defeat this person, we will gift you something even more powerful. What do you say, my boy? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Deacon gently tightened his grip on the device and looked up at Keisuke. "So, all you need me to do is cause some mayhem, right? I can do whatever I want?"
"Whatever you want. Collateral damage be damned, just have fun. However, if at all possible, try to incapacitate the 'hero'. We'd like to take this person back for some testing, if you manage that, then we'll give something even better than if you just outright killed them. Consider it incentive."
Keisuke unfolded his arms from behind his back and revealed a Connector Gun.
"Where would you like?" the woman asked.
"Huh?"
"That device won't work unless we brand you with a kind of tattoo that will act as the connection point. It can be on your arms, legs, head, chest, anywhere on your body. So long as its somewhere you can easily access it, and keep hidden," she explained.
Deacon rolled up his right sleeve and said, "On my wrist! Put it on my wrist!"
Keisuke chuckled. "As you wish."
Keisuke pressed the barrel of the Connector Gun against Deacon's wrist, and with the pull of a trigger he was instantly branded with the Connector tattoo. It had a kind of circuit board pattern, with a single rectangular shape in the middle. But then it disappeared.
"Now listen carefully, we'll explain to you how to use it. Press the button, and make the Connector reappear. Once you have, press the red part against it. The rest will happen."
Deacon looked at the device, smiled and pressed the button.
VULCANODON!
"Hey, Anne, what's up?"
Anne opened her eyes and found herself lying on her bed back in Amphibia. Although, she wasn't alone, and she wasn't exactly lying on the bed directly. She was lying on Sasha, with her back against her girlfriend, and the back of her head resting against Sasha's chest. The blonde teen had her left-hand stroking Anne's thick head of hair, while the other was interlocked with Anne's right.
"Sasha…?"
"That's my name, Anna-banana. You okay? You looked like you had a bad dream."
Anne sighed. "I…I dreamt that I made it back home…but…a lot of bad things happened…"
"Shh, shh, it's okay, babe. It was a bad dream," Sasha assured.
Anne went silent for a minute, just enjoying this feeling of closeness with her girlfriend. But then she asked, "Sasha…do you love me?"
"Wow, that's a strong word to use, Boonchuy," Sasha remarked.
"I mean it. I…I just want to know that you care about me," Anne insisted.
Sasha raised an eyebrow and asked, "You know I do. I care about you and Marcy more than anything. I'd die for you girls."
Anne tightened her grip on Sasha's hand.
"Sorry, that was probably not the best analogy to make considering…"
Anne turned her head to look up at Sasha's face. "Please tell me you won't do anything to make me sad or hate you."
"I wouldn't."
Sasha leaned forward and kissed Anne on the lips. It wasn't an overly passionate kiss, just a kiss to help comfort the girl in her arms. The two girls ended the kiss, with Anne looking dreamily into the eyes of the strong girl before her.
"It's time to wake up, Anne."
"Just a bit longer…Please?"
"I don't make the rules, babe. Plus, you can't stay in a dream forever."
Anne's eyes shot open as she slowly rose to a seated position in her bed. The Thai teen looked around and saw the Plantars in sleeping bags around her room. Anne checked her phone and saw that it was seven-thirty, thirty minutes before her alarm was to go off. The Thai teen sighed. Why was she dreaming of Sasha now? Well, she knew why, but why was it romantic? She said she hated her to the girl's face. She broke her heart, and yet…did she still love her like that?
What was it they talked about in health class? An abusive relationship? Am I one of those kinds of people? The kind that no matter what their partner does to them, they'll just keep making excuses and keep going back to them?
Anne hoped that was not the case. She really didn't. Her dinner was taken in her room that night, and thankfully her parents didn't seem to press the issues of why she ran off like she did. However, Anne had no doubts that they were probably going to try and talk to her about it today. So, she decided to get it over with and rip off the band-aid, at least before the Plantars woke up. Plus, this would give her an opportunity to see how they felt about such things.
With that in mind, Anne carefully got out of bed and exited her room. She headed downstairs and found her parents already in the kitchen, with her mother making breakfast alongside her father.
"Hey, Mom, Dad," Anne greeted.
"Morning, Dear. Breakfast is almost ready, but if you don't mind, we'd like to talk to you before your friends wake up," said Oum.
"Sure." There was no point in fighting what was coming, she already decided to hear what they were going to say, or at least ask.
Once Anne was seated, Oum and Bee turned off the burners and slid the food onto plates so that it wouldn't burn. They joined Anne at the table and took a calming breath before speaking.
"Anne, we know you were upset by what happened last night, but we'd like to know, what exactly made you upset," said Oum.
"Was it Mr. and Mrs. Waybright fighting? Or was it what Mrs. Waybright said about Sasha?" Bee asked.
The easiest route would be to say it was the fighting, but even in her own mind that didn't sound believable. "The second one. And, it didn't make me 'upset', I guess I was just…surprised?…shocked? It's hard to describe."
"Did you have any idea that Sasha was…like that?" Oum asked.
Anne raised an eyebrow, here's where she was going to gauge their response. "No. Honestly, I didn't. I mean, is it big revelation that I wish she had told me herself instead of finding out that way? Yeah. But I can't say that I'm angry or grossed out, I mean, it's kinda flattering when you think about. The most popular girl in school has a crush on a goof like me. But that aside, I guess my question to you guys is, do you have a problem with that?"
Oum and Bee glanced at each other for a moment, Anne thought that they might've had a discussion about it last night on how to talk about this if it turned out that the crush revelation was the cause of her running up to her room. After about a minute of silence, they answered her.
"I don't see it as a problem," said Bee. "Sasha's never done anything to you, at least not that you've told us anyway."
"No, she hasn't," Anne quickly remarked.
"Then, yeah, I don't see an issue with your friend swinging that way. Just so long as you tell her when she's doing something you're not comfortable with," Bee finished.
Anne was relieved to hear that at least her father was okay with Sasha's perceived orientation. Right now, they probably thought Sasha was a lesbian and not bisexual, but it was still comforting on a level to hear that much. Now, for her mother.
"Mom?" Anne questioned.
"I kind of suspected that might be the case. I felt that she paid more attention to you and Marcy, despite being so well liked. And yes, I know you three have been friends since you were little, but often times such relationships change when you enter middle and high school. But you three were always close, and this information makes more sense as to why now," said Oum.
Anne was a little on edge. "But you're not against people like her or anything right? You guys always told me to respect and care about people who are different, considering the stuff you said you two have gone through. You told me it was not fair of me or anyone to judge someone based on their beliefs or even orientation."
Oum nodded. "That is true, and I'm glad you've taken that to heart. So, no, I don't dislike Sasha because of her orientation, or perceived since she's not here to confirm or deny it. All we know is what Amanda saw written in her diary. That could've been a joke, or she could have been serious. Until they can find a way to come back, I'm not going to say one way or the other."
Anne felt a bit disappointed by that answer. It wasn't exactly a no, but it wasn't a yes either.
"Okay, but, what if she was? Would you dislike her?" Anne pressed.
"Well, it's like your father said. It is not as if she did anything untoward you. And while I had that feeling about her, I knew – call it mother's intuition – that Sasha wasn't about to do something that could ruin what she had with you and Marcy," said Oum.
I guess that's a good thing. But then again, we're talking about someone else. It's easy to say these things because Sasha isn't their daughter. But I am, and I…I…UGH! I don't even know if I still have feelings for her or not! Why is this so damn hard?!
Anne sighed in the end and said, "Okay, well, I guess that's good at least. BT dubs, I'm going to take ride around town for a bit. That cool with you guys?"
"Sure, go and clear your head for a bit," said Bee.
"Just be sure to give us a call or text us every so often," said Oum.
"No problem."
Deacon was in the middle of the city, his hood up covering his features. He was smiling, itching to use this supposed power stronger than a gun or a bomb.
"Let's do this…"
Deacon took out the Gaia Memory and pressed the button.
VULCANODON!
The Connector appeared, and then Deacon pressed it against his wrist. The moment he did, the people around him backed away as the teenage boy's eyes glowed bright orange. Within seconds his body turned to into lava, but it didn't end there. Many people and cars hurriedly moved away as he staggered into the street, the boy's body growing bigger and bigger.
When the transformation was over, Deacon was no longer human, he was the Vulcanodon Dopant. The Dopant had a long tail that whipped back and forth, with two thick legs and arms, muscular chest, and a long neck. Overall, the Dopant was at least twenty-one feet tall. From the lower jaw, down the neck, to the front of the chest, under the arms, to the palms of the Dopants hands, and to the soles of his feet were covered in ashen black scales. While everything else was covered in molten lava that clung to the Dopant's body. The head of this Dopant had yellow glowing eyes, and two long fiery saber tooth fangs.
Screams echoed around the Vulcanodon Dopant as he looked down upon everything around him. He was so much taller, and he felt strong, so strong. And then there was something else inside of him that was boiling up and wanting to come out. The Vulcanodon Dopant looked at a building, inhaled, and then opened his mouth. A huge column of flames roared out from his maw and struck the side of the building, exploding that section and causing the people on the ground to scatter in mass panic.
"This…This is great! They really weren't jerking me around! This is incredible! AHAHAHAHAHA! SO COOL!" the Vulcanodon Dopant exclaimed in joy. "What else can I do?!"
The Vulcanodon Dopant slammed his foot upon the ground, and instantly started to create a pool of molten lava from the impact point.
"I'm a walking natural disaster! And they're going to give me something even stronger than this?! That 'hero' better show up soon so I can take them down! C'MON! BRING IT ON!"
Anne was trying to clear her head, between last night and the dream she had, Anne was even more confused about how she felt about Sasha. Heck, the conversation about Sasha's orientation was still worrying Anne a bit about how they'd take it when they found out about their relationship. It's one thing when it's someone else, but when it's your own kid, then opinions start to change.
She went to a shop and picked up a boba drink, and thankfully it was one that was not filled with spider eggs. As Anne drank her boba, she texted her mom where she was and went to look through her notifications. But she stopped when she saw a news alert. Curious, Anne tapped on it and was connected to a live stream of the news.
{–THERE'S A GIANT, FIRE BREATHING DINOSAUR ATTACKING DOWNTOWN LA!}
"PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTT!"
Anne spat out her boba the moment she heard that.
{A moment ago, a giant dinosaur appeared and started to attack the city! Police and the National Guard are being mobilized to attack the monster – OH CRAP! Now this thing is making lava appear! This is ridiculous!}
Anne threw out the boba and peddled her way into an alley. It was going to suck to leave her bike here in some alley, but it was not as if she could just not go and do anything. Anne summoned her MetamorphRing Driver, while still seated on her bike, and cried out, "Henshin!" as she pressed on the hip devices.
A dome of lightning formed around, not only her, but also the bike. Within a minute Anne had transformed herself into Kamen Rider Amp, but that was not the only thing that changed. The bike had transformed as well, becoming a full-fledged motorcycle. The back had two tailpipes that were zigzagged shaped like lightning bolts, with a blue windshield that had the symbol of Amp faintly painted in white on it. The headlight was shaped in a wide "V", and both tires were made of lightning.
"What the…Did…Did my bike turn into another Machine Stormer?!" Amp said aloud.
Frobo had Machine Stormer's parts within his body, but then Andrias smashed him into pieces, and with him, her Rider Machine. But somehow, it seems as if her powers had transmuted her bike into a new one.
"Okay, wow, well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. You're Machine Stormer 2 now!" Amp twisted the throttle, revving the engine a few times. "Let's ride!"
Amp sped out of the alleyway, surprising several people as they yelped and screamed. The lightning Rider got onto the streets and hurriedly sped past and weaved through the cars that were in her way. They might as well have been standing still as she got around the traffic. There was a traffic jam up ahead, but Amp remembered her bike's ability to static cling to objects. So, right before she hit the traffic, Amp used an electrical discharge to launch Machine Stormer 2 into the air and towards a skyscraper.
Many of the citizens watched and thought that she was going to crash right into the brick building. But as soon as she got close, the lightning tires released strands of lightning, as if reaching out and anchoring themselves to the building as they began riding along the building. The citizens whipped out their phones and snapped pictures and recorded video of Amp riding on the buildings.
Amp had to admit, she kind of missed driving Machine Stormer, and now she had a fast way to get around that didn't involve her using Super Form. Her destination was fast approaching as she saw some police officers firing their assault rifles, shotguns, and pistols at the molten lava dinosaur that was attacking the city, while others were helping to evacuate the innocent bystanders that were caught in the middle.
"Yep, uh-huh, that's a fire breathing-lava-dinosaur. Well, at least the night's getting more creative," said Amp. "Let's give that thing something else to focus its attention on."
The wheels of Machine Stormer 2 crackled as she went full speed down the side of the building and just before she nosedived into the pavement, she jumped off the building and onto the street. She aimed herself for the Vulcanodon Dopant and charged straight ahead, popping a wheelie as she did so. The officers heard the crackling of electricity and stopped when they saw a bike and a woman clad in blue armor speed past them. Amp used one of the cop cars as a ramp to launch herself into the air just as the Vulcanodon Dopant turned in her direction.
Amp smirked as she spun Machine Stormer 2 in the air and struck him in the side of his face with a rear lightning tire. The giant dino monster was not prepared for that and was sent crashing against the side of a building just as Amp came to a skidding halt in the iconic "Akira" pose. Amp dismounted Machine Stormer 2 and signaled for the bike to make itself scarce. The bike took the hint and drove away to an unknown hiding spot, leaving Amp alone to face the monster.
The Vulcanodon Dopant tore itself out of the building and glared angrily at the one who hit him. "Who the hell are you?!"
So, it can talk? Did Andrias and The Night turn someone on this side of the portal into a Fallen? Or did they make it in Amphibia first and then sent it through the portal? But if that's the case, why doesn't it recognize me? They usually say "Calamity of Heart" or something.
"You know who I am! I'm Kamen Rider Amp, the one who the king sent you to kill!" Amp stated.
The Vulcanodon Dopant looked confused when he heard the name of the hero in front of him. "What kind of name is that? There ain't nothing 'common' about you. And who's this 'king' you're talking about?"
Now Amp was confused. "Uh, it's not 'common', it's 'kamen'. K-A-M-E-N! It's the Japanese word for 'masked'! Whatever, and what do you mean 'who's this king you're talking about'?! You're a Fallen sent by Andrias!"
The Vulcanodon Dopant growled as he stated, "I don't know no 'Andrias' or a king or whatever! I was given a job, and the guys who gave it to me promised they'd give me an even more powerful device than this if I could take you down, 'Amp'!"
The Dopant opened its mouth and shot a stream of flames at her. Amp used her superspeed to dash out of the way of the flames as several cars behind her exploded at once.
Amp used her electrical energy to cling to the side of the building as she got into a frog leap stance. He's not working with Andrias? But how? Only The Night has the power to create Fallen…unless…he's not a Fallen! No way. Is there something here that can turn people into monsters, too?!
The Vulcanodon Dopant saw Amp and fired another stream of flames. Amp quickly jumped off her spot, mimicking the frogs with whom she lived with and landed on top of car. First thing's first, take this guy down before he causes anymore damage!
Amp jumped off the roof of the car she was on, causing it cave in on itself. The lightning hero came in with a knee strike just below the chin of the Vulcanodon Dopant. The dino monster was forced to snap his jaw shut and grunted in pain from the impact. While the monster was stunned, Amp performed a spinning roundhouse in the air, striking it across the left side of his face and sent the monster falling to the ground.
The Vulcanodon Dopant growled in anger and used his tail to strike Amp. But Amp was much faster than the big oaf, and easily managed to jump over the attack. The Vulcanodon Dopant got up and began throwing a punch at her, but as before, the lumbering Dopant was too slow to keep up with Amp's speed. She easily maneuvered around the punch and threw a kick to his gut, sending sparks flying from his body.
"Heh, wow, you may be big and strong, but you're kinda slow. So, why don't I mix things up!"
Amp pressed down on her left hip device and immediately changed her armor into the Spike Form. Amp pressed her right hand against the crystal filament of her MetamorphRing and drew out her Sting Striker. Now with her offensive and defensive power increased, Amp charged at the Vulcanodon Dopant once again. Now armed with her weapon, she slashed the monster across the chest, causing even more sparks to fly as he was thrown into a building. The dino monster tore himself from the building and threw another punch at her, but this time Amp raised her left hand and blocked the punch. The asphalt broke under her feet, but she did not budge, not for a lack of trying on the Dopant's side. The fiery dino monster grunted and growled as he pushed forward, trying to flatten her with his fist, but it was becoming apparent that Amp was not even fazed by this.
All her time fighting Fallen back in Amphibia, narrowly escaping one life or death situation after the other, had honed her fighting skills and strength. Whereas this person, probably some average joe, had not gone through the same trials and hardships as she did. Did not work every day to hone her fighting skills to protect her adopted frog family. So, compared to her, this guy was a complete novice.
"Dude, this is kinda sad now. Just give up," said Amp. "You clearly don't know how to use your powers. And I've been doing this for a while now, and you don't have anywhere near the same level of combat experience as I do."
The Vulcanodon Dopant glared angrily at her. The molten parts of his body started to glow brighter and brighter in response to his anger. And with a great roar, the Vulcanodon Dopant released an intense burst of heat that knocked Amp away. The hero of lightning stabbed the Sting Striker into the street, utilizing it as an anchor as she came to a halt. When she did, the Vulcanodon Dopant brought both his hands up, and in between something formed. Some lava gathered and began turning into a ball. Once it had, the Vulcanodon Dopant tossed it like a baseball right in Amp's direction.
Thankfully, even while in this form, she was still fast enough to dodge the lava bomb. The moment it hit, the sphere exploded, splashing out molten lava on everything in the area. Amp managed to avoid getting hit by it, but everything else wasn't so lucky. Cars were turning into molten slag, while fire hydrants burst open, but the water that came out was smothered by the lava. Some buildings had lava running down the sides, eating away at it as it got further into the building. Amp hoped the people in the surrounding buildings were evacuated in time, but still, she had to take this guy down before he reduced the city to a river of lava.
The Vulcanodon Dopant roared loudly as he punched the ground and made a geyser of lava erupt from the ground, surging down the road until it crashed against the pile of cars that she was nearby that exploded due to the heat igniting the gas inside. The Vulcanodon Dopant seemed to like that and formed another lava bomb, lobbing it at another street filled with abandoned cars.
"What the heck? He's just destroying stuff now, he doesn't even care about me," Amp said to herself.
"HAAHAHAHA! WOW! THIS IS GETTING FUN NOW! HOLY CRAP I CAN TURN THIS WHOLE PLACE INTO A LAVA LAKE!" The Vulcanodon Dopant felt something like pebbles hitting his back. That's when he turned around and saw the police resuming fire. "Tch, you cops are so damn stupid! I'm a giant fire breathing dinosaur monster! If your guns weren't working before, then why would they work now?! You know what, you deserve to die for being so stupid!"
The Vulcanodon Dopant formed huge lava bomb and was preparing to throw it at the cops.
"NO!" Amp quickly pressed down on both of her hip devices, shifting her into Trinity Form: Poison Dart.
Using her superspeed, Amp dashed to the location of the cops and got right in front of them. The Vulcanodon Dopant hurled its lava bomb at them, but Amp concentrated her poison power into her hands, waving them around as she gathered more and more power. Her horn crest flared as she thrust both of her hands out and fired a huge poison plasma blast at the incoming lava bomb. The two attacks waged war in the air, but thanks to the added power of Trinity Form, Anne's plasma poison stream managed to overpower the lava bomb, dissolving it into nothing.
"HEY! You can shoot lava at me all you want! But leave everyone else out of it!" Amp warned.
"SHUT UP! I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM A CHICK IN STUPID LOOKING ARMOR!"
Did he just call me stupid? "Oh, that's it!"
Amp widened her stance as the crests flared out once again. Lightning arced off her body as she gathered her power and jumped straight up into the air. The cops, some of the onlookers, and the Vulcanodon Dopant followed her with their heads as she rose higher and higher. The Dopant didn't know what this meant, but something inside told him he needed to stop it, otherwise he could lose his chance at even greater power.
The Vulcanodon Dopant body glowed bright as he channeled all his power and released a huge stream of flames that roared into the sky. Amp was not deterred as she extended her right leg, focusing all the power she had gathered into her foot, and shot down like a bolt of lightning.
"TRINITY FORCE KICK!"
The three colors of her trinity form coalesced at her right foot as the flames struck against it. The symbol of Amp appeared as the flames tried to overpower her. But Amp pierced through the flames, undaunted as she struck the Vulcanodon Dopant right in the chest. The Dopant let out a painful cough as he was sent flying down the street before he exploded. Amp flipped in the air once before landing on the ground, once she had, she ran to where the Dopant exploded to see what was left. What she saw shocked her a bit. It was a teenage boy. About a foot away from him was a USB device that looked strange.
"What the hell?! You're human!"
Deacon groaned as he got up and tried to reach for it. "I…I need it…I can't be powerless again…!"
"Dude, what is wrong with you?" Amp asked in confusion.
Amp looked at the device that he was reaching for and was about to grab it, but before either one of them could, the Vulcanodon Memory shattered into pieces.
"NOOOOOO!" Deacon whined.
"Okay, what?"
"FREEZE!"
Amp shifted out of her Trinity Form and slowly turned around, and that's when she noticed some cops now pointing their guns at her. "Oh…uh…hey guys. Good work out there!"
"You're coming with us, put your hands up!" one of the cops ordered.
"Oooh, jeez, yeah, I'd like to do that. But, uh, I really need to be somewhere sooooooo…"
The sound of a motorcycle caught their attention, and before they knew it, the police were ducking out of the way as Machine Stormer 2 came up behind them and stopped in front of Amp.
"Whelp, been real fun everyone! But, uh, I'm going to head on home now! See ya thanks byeeeeee!"
Amp hopped onto Machine Stormer 2 and took off up the building, bypassed all the cars, and got back onto the street, moving too fast for any cop car or helicopter to keep track of. Once she was far enough away, Amp ducked into an alley and released the transformation, returning her and her bike to civilian form. She peddled out of the alley with not a care in the world as the cop cars and helicopters searched in vain for her.
"Whew…"
On top of a nearby skyscraper, Keisuke and Cassandra were busy collecting the data from the battle between Amp and the Vulcanodon Dopant.
"That was mildly entertaining, but that's what you get when you send an amateur," said Keisuke.
Cassandra was busy typing away on her tablet as multiple drones appeared out of nowhere and landed into a suitcase set out in front of her.
"Deacon wasn't the best candidate for the use of the Vulcanodon Memory, but at least he posed a big enough threat for the Rider to use her powers more," said Cassandra.
"Indeed, a sacrificial pawn. So, what did we gather this time?" he asked.
"It's just as we thought, Sir. That Rider's energy signature matches one third the signature of the energy readings you gathered at the park."
Keisuke hummed. "Only one third? Interesting. Could it be that this Rider is not displaying her full power? Or is it that she has yet to tap into it?"
"What do you wish to do next, Director?"
Keisuke looked down at the damage and the cops scrambling about.
"We'll let the heat die down for a bit. Don't want to pique the interest of those two annoying twins. Plus, I want to see how our robotic friend responds. Foundation X needs to keep its options open. "
Anne thankfully managed to get away from the cops, and thanks to her parents trusting her a little more since their trip to the grocery store, Anne texting or calling every so often to assure her parents she was still on Earth and okay, she managed to not have her secret identity revealed. Still, even after she returned home, the thoughts on the fight were still plaguing her mind. Mainly, what that USB device was, and how that boy got it. Plus, there was the other thing he said about someone being after her.
Does Andrias have some kind of agents here on Earth? Human agents? No way, that wouldn't make sense. Amphibia's been isolated since the Calamity Box was "stolen" from them. So, until now, they haven't been able to cross over into our world. There's no way Andrias or The Night could've made humans side with them this quickly.
However, there was another issue that Anne couldn't overlook when she fought that monster.
But if it was a Fallen, that was the first I've ever fought one and have it return to what it once was. And I didn't get the same feeling whenever I normally fought one.
Needless to say, Anne told the Plantars about her battle with the Vulcanodon Dopant, and of course Sprig fanboyed over the fact that Anne took down a mysterious monster. But Hop Pop was a little more concerned.
"Anne, I thought you said your world doesn't have monsters?" he asked.
"We don't, at least, not ones that aren't urban legends or from myth. But that thing was on a whole other level! It was like dinosaur that was part volcano! None of the Fallen I've fought were like that," said Anne.
"Well, you managed to take him down pretty easily. So, he couldn't have been that tough," said Polly.
"Well, yeah. Compared to the monsters I fought in Amphibia, this guy had zero fighting ability. At least the ones back there had some kind of ferocity and instinct, this guy was just like some bully throwing his weight around. But I don't think he was a Fallen since he changed back as soon as I beat him," said Anne.
"You don't think there's someone else making monsters, right? Like another bad guy here in your world?" Sprig suggested.
Anne scoffed at the idea. "Sprig, I know this Kamen Rider stuff has been crazy, but my world has nothing like that. Evil organizations bent on world domination, that stuff's mostly on TV and in comics."
"OH MY GOSH! ANNE! YOU GOT TO SEE THIS!"
"Dad?!"
Anne and the Plantars ran downstairs and entered the living room, that's when they saw Bee standing up and watching the news.
"Dad, what's up?!" Anne asked.
"There's a real-life Kamen Rider in Los Angeles!" Bee announced excitedly.
Oum entered the room too, and when she did, the news replayed the footage of said Kamen Rider's battle against the Dopant, Anne's fight with the Dopant. Anne gulped as she watched the fight play out on the report, even though her face was obscured by the helmet, and despite the fact that her transformation ages up her body, she still felt nervous that her parents would somehow recognize her. Plus, this was the first time she had seen herself fight that was not on her cellphone.
Which reminds me, I need to password protect those photos and videos.
"Oh, oh, look she about to do her Rider Kick!" Bee stated.
"And how can you tell?" Oum asked.
"Please, look how she's widening her stance, and how her aura is shining, she's about to finish that thing off!"
True to his predictions, the Rider, Anne, jumped into the air and came down with her Rider Kick right into the Dopants chest where it then exploded.
Bee fist pumped into the air as he shouted, "Oh yeah! What'd I tell ya! This is so cool! This is amazing! I knew Riders were real! Ever since I was kid, I loved watching them!"
Sprig hopped onto the couch so he could be closer to Anne's height and asked, "You're dad knows about Kamen Riders?"
Anne crossed her arms as she smiled and answered, "Yeah, dude. My Dad's a huge fan. Not as big as Marcy, but pretty close. Of course, he's more knowledgeable about the Showa and early Heisei Riders. Whereas I'm a bit more familiar with the Heisei Riders. But I do know some of the classics."
"Shh, shh, they're commenting on it!"
{Police have yet to identify the strange woman in armor seen in the footage fighting the monster that appeared in downtown LA. But from what was heard during the battle by police and other eyewitnesses, the mysterious woman called herself "Kamen Rider Amp". We did some research and confirmed that this mysterious woman is in fact using the Japanese word "kamen", spelt as you see it on screen, which translates into "masked". }
{That's right Tom. Further investigation has linked it to a popular Japanese live action TV series that has had various iterations over the past few years. A TV series that was originally started back in the early seventies in Japan by famous comic writer, Hotaru Ichinose who wrote the very first "Kamen Rider" comic in Japan, now colloquially known as "Kamen Rider Alpha".}
{Japan has issued a statement about the appearance of this "Kamen Rider Amp", and it reads as follows: "The people of Japan do not have any affiliation with this person who is using the moniker of one of our longstanding entertainment programs. Nor does she have any affiliation with the Japanese SDF. That being said, based on their actions, we are proud to see that this individual is taking the moniker seriously, as Kamen Riders in our media are defenders of justice, and protect the innocent. While we don't condone vigilantism, we do recognize the selfless act heroism this person has done. And for that, thank you for protecting the innocent lives of the people."}
Anne couldn't help but have tears form in her eyes, thankfully her father was also crying a bit so she could just pass it off as being moved as a fan.
{Following that statement from the Prime Minister of Japan, social media is being flooded with the hashtag "#KamenRidersarereal!". Here are just some of the comments made across the various social media platforms.}
Anne and her family watched as posts ranged from "Thank you Amp!" to "It's fake, gotta be a promotional thing!". It was surreal to see, back in Amphibia, she was used to the frogs of Wartwood cheering for her and praising her, and even some of the newts of Newtopia. But this, this was international. However, Anne watched her mother closely, noticing that she was not as elated as the both of them.
"So, Mom, what do you think? Pretty cool we have a superhero in our own backyard, right?" Anne asked.
"I honestly don't know. I feel like you just got back from a dangerous world – no offense."
"None taken," said Hop Pop.
"No offense taken," said Polly.
"It's true," Sprig replied.
"And now there's something even more dangerous here," said Oum.
Anne rubbed the back of her head and said, "Well, yeah, I mean, monsters are dangerous. But you saw Amp, she beat that monster and saved those cops. She'll keep us safe."
"We'll see. I may not be as big a fan of 'Kamen Riders' as you and your dad, but I just feel as if such things shouldn't be handled by random people, especially if that kind of power can put others in danger."
Anne grimaced a bit.
Just then a knock came at the Boonchuy's door.
"I'll get it," said Anne as she walked over to the door. When she opened it, she was a bit shocked to see who it was. "Oh, uh, Mrs. Way – I mean – Amanda."
Indeed, it was Sasha's mother, Amanda, standing at the front door. She still looked sad and contrite from last night, as she seemed to have a hard time looking Anne in the eyes. "Hey, sweetie…Um…wow this is awkward, I was hoping to speak to your folks first before you…"
"Anne who is–" Oum stopped when she noticed Amanda and shot her a glare. "I thought I told you–!"
"I'm sorry!" Amanda quickly blurted.
"Huh?" Anne and Oum uttered.
"I'm sorry. I came here to apologize for what happened last night. I acted like a fool, a complete idiot, and fought with my ex-husband in front of you. Worst of all, I revealed something about my daughter that you weren't aware of and I'm sure it was a shock to you, Anne. I never meant to do that to you…and for that…I'm sorry."
Anne's right hand shook again, but she quickly got it under control as she reached up and placed her left hand on the older woman's shoulder. "It's alright, Amanda. Yeah, it was a shock," she lied, "but I'm okay with it."
Amanda smiled and teared up a little. "Do you mind if we talk for a sec? Just outside, I promise."
Anne glanced over her shoulder at her mother. The Thai woman crossed her arms and sighed as she said, "You two stay on the porch. And you watch yourself, Amanda."
"I will, thank you Oum."
Anne walked onto the porch and closed the door behind her. Amanda leaned against one rail while Anne leaned against the other.
"So…Sasha has a crush on me and Marcy, huh?" Anne asked.
"I didn't know until I read her diary, again, I'm sorry if that startled you," she apologized.
"…What did it say about me?"
"Hmm?"
"I mean…what did she say she liked about me? If you remember. It's cool if you don't," said Anne.
Amanda smiled and said, "She likes how thoughtful you can be sometimes, Anne. How compassionate you are to people. And while she wrote that you can be a little self-centered…"
Anne rolled her eyes.
"She says she likes to know that you can think of yourself and not be wrapped up in others too much." Amanda placed her right hand against her cheek as she sighed. "Honestly, I never knew my own daughter had feelings like this about you or Marcy. I have to say, you two have changed her."
Anne averted her gaze. "Sorry…"
"I didn't mean it in a bad way, sweetie."
Anne slowly looked back at Amanda.
"…I hate to say this, but I think Ted might've been right about me. I know Sasha's a queen bee, it's obvious in the way the other kids act around her, and how you and Marcy act. I know she can be a bit of a control freak and I think that's mostly our fault. The divorce wasn't bad, but I don't think we really noticed how much it affected Sasha in the end. She actually told us that she blamed herself for not being able to keep us together."
Anne was honestly shocked to hear that. "Wait…She blamed herself for not being able to keep you two together?"
"Can you imagine that? A ten-year-old little girl thinking she was the sole reason for making us divorce? Or even thinking it was her responsibility to keep us together?" Amanda chuckled dryly. "God, we should've noticed back then…it was so obvious now…"
Anne went silent, it kind of made sense now. The reason why Sasha was so obsessed with controlling everything, the reason why she sought to control her and Marcy. It was because she was afraid of losing them. The fight she had with Sasha at Toad Tower, that must've devastated Sasha, it made her realize that the one thing she thought she had control over was no longer in her control. And it scared her, it scared Sasha because she felt that if she didn't so something, that they'd all drift apart, that they'd separate just like Amanda and Ted. It was probably why Sasha also kept her feelings secret from them, she was afraid of losing them if she came out.
Sasha…you idiot…
Amanda saw that Anne was crying and panicked. "Ahh! Anne, no, no, I'm sorry, none of this is your fault! I didn't mean to, I–!"
"No, no," Anne assured, "it's okay."
Anne wiped her eyes and took a calming breath.
"It's just, I guess I finally found a missing piece of a puzzle that I didn't know I was trying to solve. So many things she's done and said over the years finally make some sense," she explained.
Amanda breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gently at Anne. "I honestly don't know if Ted and I can undo the damage we've done. But I'd like the opportunity to try. If you do remember anything, Anne, please tell us."
Anne nodded and replied, "I will."
"Thank you, we won't drop in like this again. I promise." Amanda walked off the porch, stopped, and then turned to face Anne again. "Anne, I know this is probably a stupid question to ask given everything that's happened to you. But…do you like my daughter the same way she does? I won't be offended either way."
Anne opened her mouth as if to give a response, but it stalled before it could get past her throat. The Thai teen reached over with her left hand and gripped her right arm. "I don't know…I have some mixed feelings about Sasha right now. And I feel like I can't say if I do or don't until I see her again."
"Does your mother know you have those kinds of feelings?" Amanda asked.
Anne shook her head in the negative.
"I see. Don't make the same mistake Sasha and I made. Talk to your mother about those feelings, Anne. I didn't get the chance to, but you have that chance right now. It doesn't have to be now, or tomorrow, but make it soon. If there's anything Sasha's disappearance has taught me, it's that time is short, and you never know when you'll have another chance to talk with someone you care about."
With those parting words, Anne watched as Amanda got into her corvette and drove away.
Anne looked up into the sky, she knew Amanda was right. The longer she put off talking to her parents about her feelings towards her friends, the harder it was going to be when she finally told them about what really happened in Amphibia. But how was she supposed to tell her parents when not even she knew how she truly felt?
"Sasha…wherever you are, I hope you're safe at least."
A/N: Special thanks to Dr. Expostion for the name of the reporter.