Power Anne

"Huh, Marcy? Do you really have to look at me with that thing?" Anne scoffed, the super-magnifying glass lens currently peeking into her sclera. "I'm not some kind of weird experiment!"

"Sorry, Anna-Banana. The fact is…I've never had a chance before to study real anime powers! This is sooooo cool!"

"How did you get those?!" Amelia grabbed Anne, her enthusiasm second only to Marcy's, "Did you eat a strange fruit? Did you receive a magical trinket from a talking animal? Did you perhaps meet a white magical cat and make a contract with them?"

"What? No!" Anne retorted, pushing Amelia out of her, "Seriously, I don't know!"

"Anne, you were glowing!" Jacob said, showing off a photo from his phone, depicting Anne with blue eyes and an angry expression. "Not only that, but you also had both super-speed and super-strength!"

"Ok, I know I should be scared, but that look is awesome!"

"Awesome?" Jacob retorted, a strange glint in his eyes. "This is way beyond awesome, Anne: you have superpowers! Real superpowers! You could punch as strong as the Hulk, and be fast as the Flash! Does that mean you have Superman's powers? No, wait, you were more glowing so…maybe they're more like Nova?"

"Jacob?" The boy turned to see Anne, Amelia, and Marcy looking at him, each girl with a different expression: Marcy was gleaming, positively impressed by the boy's knowledge of superpowers; Amelia looked aside with a scoff, clearly unhappy of the competition and Anne…

Frog, now there are three of them, the brown-hair girl thought with a repressed sigh.

"Yes, I'm a big fan of superhero comics," the boy admitted, scratching the back of his head. "That means I'm the most equipped for-"

"No way!" Amelia jumped between him and Anne, almost to "shield" her, "Those are anime powers, so I'm the expert obviously!"

"Guys!" Marcy recalled them to order, "Let's not quarrel. We all want to understand the nature of Anne's new powers and help her. Right, Anna-Banana?"

"Well, yeah…" The titular test subject replied, still feeling weirded out by the whole situation. Ever since Sprig ended up revealing that her knocking down two dinosaur-sized herons was not a dream of hers, she felt like her life in Amphibia had suddenly taken a weird(er) turn. And her shock rose higher once Marcy, Amelia, and Jacob showed her the photos and videos they took during the event, and she saw herself, her hair glowing blue, branches in her hair, attacking the herons with powerful blows.

Did that mean the leaves and branches in her hair didn't just happen to stuck by accident? Anne pondered in her mind, Were they tied to her supposed powers?

She thought back to yesterday, before the herons, as she decided to skip her watchtower duties to face Sasha. Not only her long-suppressed emotions almost led her to hurt Sasha (she reminded in horror, shocked by her own actions), but the decision to skip her duties ended up causing the worst kind of consequence, leaving the villagers unaware of the herons until it was almost too late. No one had been eaten, thank frog, and yet…the mere fact that Sprig and Polly had come this close-

"Anne, you're doing it again!"

"What?" The girl raised her eyes, only to meet Marcy's disappointed glaze.

"It's gone again! For a second, your eyes were glowing. Glowing blue!"

So, it wasn't a one-time thing? Anne understood, sweating cold. Had she somehow really developed superpowers?

(…)

Far from the room in the Militia's building where Marcy and the others were examining Anne, at Felicia's teashop, Sasha was working her shift alongside Ivy and her mom. The blonde girl, however, far from her usual self, was strangely quiet and during service, barely talked to anyone. Even Felicia had noticed this and realized that something was wrong with the blonde human.

"Sasha," the shop owner said, once the morning shift was over, "Do you…have a minute?"

"What is it?" Sasha replied, the tone of her voice showing all of her inner sadness. Was this the aggressive, self-confident girl that had personally trained under her in the past months?

"What's going on? You are…different today. Quieter than usual, more focused on your duties and you don't have any remarks. You look like a mosquito has drained you of all your usual energy."

"Felicia-"

"Sasha, please. Don't try to downplay it; what's eating you from the inside? You're making me feel worried for you."

"And us, too." Sasha turned around to see Ivy and Sylvia, looking at her with big eyes. "Sasha, why do you look so sad?"

"Sash, what's going on?" Ivy grabbed her leg. "I'm feeling bad for you too!"

"It's nothing." Sasha replied, trying to minimize. "It's just-just…"

"Are you thinking about what happened yesterday between you and Anne?" Sylvia summarized, earning a surprised look from the human. "My glasses are not for decoration, you know."

Sasha looked down, still feeling the weight of her guilt. "It's…it's a long story. I don't even know how to say it."

"How about you simply start?" Felicia offered her a chair, "I'll go prepare some matcha right away; it will help you."

"Fine," Sasha smiled, feeling the warmth of the moment. "You see, yesterday before the herons attacked, Anne and I were…quarreling."

"Quarrelling?" Ivy almost jumped back in surprise. From what the little frog knew, she and Anne were best friends, always had been together with Marcy. Yet…what kind of quarrel could wound her adoptive older sister in such a visible way?

"Yes. Anne came to me and asked me one thing. I laughed at her, and then-"

"You laughed?" Sylvia looked at her with a puzzled look "Why?"

Sasha sighed, as Felicia returned with her tea. She knew they would be hurt by what she was going to tell them, and yet…it was the right thing to do. "Because I was not a good friend with her. Rather, I was toxic, and controlling! And now I'm not sure what to do anymore…"

Sylvia, Felicia, and Ivy exchanged a glance. "I guess we really need to do this."

"Huh-huh!"

"Indeed."

"Huh, girls?" Sasha asked, suddenly feeling estranged, "What are you-"

"Ivy, go change the sign at the entrance. Today the teashop will be closed for the rest of the day."

"Wait, are you taking a break?" Sasha replied in surprise, "But we have the early afternoon rush-"

"My customers can survive a day without tea and sweets." Felicia nodded, "Right now, my priority is my daughter."

Sasha blushed, as Felicia looked at her, realizing that she and not Ivy was the one she was referring to. "B-but why? I mean-"

"Sasha," now it was Ivy to look at her, "Why do you think you're a bad person? Do you have such a low self-esteem?"

"No, Ivy, It's not a self-esteem situation. I really am a bad person!"

"Young lady," Sylvia interjected, "Before giving such a harsh judgment on yourself, why don't you think a bit more about it? The Sundew Family Outing is for this as well."

"The Sundew Family Outing?"

"That's an old tradition of our family." Felicia nodded, "Whenever a member of our family is in dire need, we decide to take some time for ourselves to think and have a fun time together, to clean up our minds and give each other suggestions. We didn't do it for a long time, and yet, it looks like you could use it."

"We're going to have a picnic together!" Ivy nodded with a smiling expression, "And while we're there, you're going to tell us why you think you're a bad person."

"W-wait, a picnic? But that's-"

"Like I said earlier kid: have a fun time together, clean up our minds, and give each other suggestions. From your expression, I can tell you really need some help. Plus, you've never had a proper family time with us, before, right? I suppose it's time for you to become a full Sundew."

A full Sundew, Sasha thought as heart started beating faster, her lips twitching in a smile…

(…)

"Come on, Hop Pop." Sprig grumbled, he and Polly having grown bored in coloring the children's book he had given to them. "We are not asking much, we just want to go outside for a bit."

"Absolutely not!" The old frog replied from the kitchen "Listen, kids, I know that you want to go and see Anne, but it's still not safe outside. Have you forgotten that half of Wartwood is still in ruins?"

"We haven't forgotten, Hop Pop." James nodded, adding new points to his map of Amphibia's stars, "but, aren't you being a little too paranoid? I mean, the herons are defeated, how big are the chances of something-"

Someone (or something?) knocked loudly on the farm's main door. Immediately, Hop Pop jumped out of the kitchen holding a rake in his hands, Sprig and Polly jumping behind him with a scared expression.

"They're back! Quickly, kids: hide in the basement! I'll hold them off!"

"Hopediah Plantar, you inside?"

James shrugged, as he recognized the voice. "It's Toadstool," he commented, the frogs behind him breathing in relief.

"Hello, Mr. Mayor." The boy spoke as he opened the door, "What brings you here?"

"I'm…I'm here for business," Toadstool replied, appearing as his usual self. "I need to talk with your friend. Is she here?"

"Which one?" James replied, even already guessing who the toad was referring to.

"T-the blue one? The one who fought the herons yesterday."

"You mean Anne? Sorry, she's not here currently. Why do you need to talk with her?"

"Well, the fact is…"

"Is this related to the fact that yesterday, she fought the herons that attacked Wartwood, and she managed to defeat them?" James smirked, as his question pierced through Toadstool's façade. "I was right again."

"Toadstool, what do you want?"

"Hopediah Plantar, the Hero of Wartwood! Just the frog I was hoping to speak with," Toadstool smiled as Hop Pop appeared at the door, Sprig, and Polly just behind him.

"Toadstool, I know that smile of yours," The old frog replied with a nonplussed expression, "You want something from us, right? So please, just be done with it instead of wasting our time."

"If you insist," the toad said, his mouth grimacing into a weird smile. "As you may remember, what you friend, Anna-"

"Anne!" Sprig retorted, "Her name is Anne Plantar!"

"Our adoptive older sister!" Polly nodded.

"Fine, Anne," Toadstool replied. "The point is, before yesterday, no one ever thought it could be possible for someone to fright the herons barehanded, let alone win! It's common knowledge that whenever the herons pass, they leave death and destruction in their path; you above anyone else should know this, Hopediah Plantar."

James looked at Hop Pop: the old frog was now looking at the mayor with eyes filled with rage. He had seen Hop Pop angry before, but never this angry. Either the mayor's words were ruder than he believed, or there was some subtext that he didn't pick up.

"You want to use Anne as your political tool, don't you?" The British boy said, glaring at the toad. He wasn't expecting Toadstool to go back to his old vices, but apparently, his true nature didn't take too long to resurface.

"Well, not exactly as a tool." Toadstool looked aside, trying to come up with a better explanation, "More like…an asset? I mean, if Wartwood's citizens know that now they have someone to protect them from any heron attack in the future and that Toadstool gave them clearance-"

Before the fat toad could continue his talk, however, James took a couple of steps forward, right in Toadstool's personal space, and glared him in the eyes, the mayor stopping as he could feel those eyes see through his soul.

"Toadstool," James said in a neutral voice. "You were doing so well. Why are you letting everything you've done so far go to waste?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Don't pretend not to know, I already had a chat with Mrs. Croaker earlier. She told me where you were when the herons attacked. You were at the old school, trying to rebuild it, and many frogs were there to help you; the fact they were with you is the reason why they were far from the plaza, and thus, safe from the herons."

Sprig and Polly looked at James in surprise, as the boy described Toadstool doing something good and useful to everyone. Even Hop Pop raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

"You changed so much since we arrived, Mr. Mayor." James now sounded less judgmental and sadder. "You are on the path to becoming a proper leader for Wartwood, why are you relapsing back on your old habits? Are you that scared of losing the election?"

"Well, the fact is…" Toadstool began to mutter, "Actually, it's not the elections I'm worried about, but Wartwood."

James blinked, as Toastool continued to speak. "I know I'm not in the position to ask for such a thing, but after living your whole life believing nothing and no one can stop a heron's rampage, find one day that there is something that can withstand and even defeat such monsters…what your friend did yesterday was a miracle. And the fact that no one was devoured…I have some difficulties believing it was real."

"Toadstool," Hop Pop said, "I-I didn't know you cared so much for your people."

"Of course, I care for them!" Toadstool replied, almost looking offended. "If they all die, who would I embezzle money from?"

"Oh, now it's all clear." Polly looked aside dejected. James and Hop Pop, however, didn't buy it even for a second: there was something, in the mayor's words, that made that last sentence of his look contradictory.

"Maybe, it would be better to talk inside?" James proposed, summoning all of his British over-politeness. "There may be something I wish I could discuss with you as well. How about discuss it over a nice cup of tea?"

"Ok people, brainstorm time." Marcy looked at her research collaborators, "What is your hypothesis on the origin of Anne's power?"

"It's obvious!"

"Jacob, it's not her being bitten by some kind of radioactive Amphibian spider again, right?"

"Nope," The boy replied, showing some drawings he had done on the chalkboard. "Maybe it was something related to her metabolism? Maybe her powers are activated by puberty?"

"Hey!" Anne replied, her face blushing as he heard the boy use the p-word. Having the three of them throw theories about her new powers while she was within earshot was awkward enough, but Jacob talking freely about her going through puberty? That was a line she refused to let anyone cross.

"I'm just making a hypothesis. So far we have endless possibilities, and no idea which one could be the right one."

"Maybe, I have one?" Amelia raised her hand.

"Please tell me it's not another of your anime cliché concepts," Anne grumbled.

"Actually, I was thinking…what if those powers are somehow connected to the Box?"

The other three teens gasped silently, blinking, as Amelia's hands moved to the small bag Hop Pop gave her, and brought out the object of their transferal.

"Amelia!" Anne called out as the would-be samurai placed the shiny music box on the table. "You brought it here? What if you lose it?"

"I'm being careful, Boonchuy." The cone-hatted girl replied with a cold gaze, turning to face Marcy. "Marbles, do you remember how the box's gems were colored before we ended up in Amphibia? How you hypothesized their colorlessness was connected to the fact it was no longer working?"

"Huh, yeah?" The dark-haired girl replied, her right hand touching the phone in her pocket. She still had the photo she took of the box at the Thrift Stop, and before that, the photo she took of the book where she learned of the Box first.

"Do you remember the color of the original three gems at the playground? When Jacob and I met you?"

"They were green, pink, and…"

"Blue!" Jacob slammed his fist on the table, sending a shockwave that caused a short moment of panic. "It was blue! Are you suggesting-"

"Why the box is not working?" Amelia smiled smugly, looking around as if she just solved the world's most complex puzzle. "If we believe it is related to the fact that the gems are no longer glowing, it could mean that the box's batteries are dead, the gems are now empty of whatever energy and power powered them before. And that could also mean-"

"That the gem's power was imbued inside Anne's body!" Marcy nodded in realization, as Amelia's reasoning connected with the various research she did secretly with Maddie, "Or at least, the blue one was!"

"Wait, are you saying that the power we were looking for…was inside me all this time?" Anne looked worried at her own chest, before shrugging. "Wow, now that I say that out loud, it does sound like a classic movie revelation cliché."

"Of course, we have no proof to verify this affirmation." Marcy continued, "It could be simply a coincidence, totally unrelated to each other, and yet it does sound logical. That would explain where the gems' energy went after we ended up here."

"Quick, gimme the Box!" Anne shouted, grabbing and holding it in her hands, focusing on the gems. "Come on, come on! Recharge!"

"It's useless, Boonchuy." Amelia retorted while her friend tried to hold the box in various ways, hoping to recharge the gem and allow the Box to bring them back home, "We have no idea how to move that energy back into the gem, or even if that's possible. I suppose we have no other solution but to keep looking-"

Marcy grimaced, hearing Amelia's words, once again feeling divided between her desire to stay in this world and the desire to help her friends. Even if the blue gem's power was inside Anne's body-

She stopped, as her mind made a connection that no one had done yet. The Box had three gems originally, but now, there were six. She and her friends, counting James and Amelia, were six. Six humans, for six gems.

Could it mean…

"Mars, everything ok?" Jacob looked at her, suddenly worried.

"I'm…fine, Jacob. I was just…thinking."

"About what?"

A part of her brain shouted at Marcy to lie, to keep the secret to herself. She had reasons to do so if she wanted her friends to stay with her, for them to never have to return home-

No, the dark-haired girl replied in determination, no additional secrets. At least, they do deserve to know this.

"I was thinking…that maybe Anne might not be the only one to be in this position."

"Mar-Mar, what are you saying?" The Thai-American girl replied.

"Count the gems," She replied dryly, pointing at the Box. "There are six gems, and there are six of us. What if…it's not only you? What if…you're just the first to have activated your powers?"

Jacob's eyes widened, Amelia's mouth opened agape, and Anne shuttered as the meaning of Marcy's words sank into them.

"You mean…

"…that we could have been infused with the same energy…"

"…and thus we could develop similar powers…"

"… as well?"

The three of them stood in silence, looking at each other with stunned expressions, unable to say a single word, for a couple of minutes. Then:

"I'm getting cool anime powers too?!" Amelia gleamed, her eyes filled with excitation as she started to jump around the room. "Are you serious? This is a dream come true! Ahhh!"

"Amelia, calm down!" Anne moved to grab her, while still feeling disoriented by the whole thing. She instinctively looked for Jacob, hoping for him to help her contain his cousin, but-

"I-I may have superpowers?" The boy kept looking at his hands, as he was hoping to see sparkles or unusual light burst out of them. "That energy is inside me? I can become a superhero?!"

"Guys, guys!" Anne shouted again, trying to gain everyone's attention, "We have no way to know if that's true. Marcy said earlier, there is no proof that this is true!"

"But you have superpowers, Anne!" Amelia gasped, as the realization of such words hit her again. "Oh frog! My friend has superpowers! I have superpowers! We are going to be a team! That's going to be so incredible! We are going to be like the Power Rangers!"

Frog, Anne thought as Amelia kept going on her hyper-enthusiastic talk, please if I do have superpowers, activate now, so I can fly somewhere where I do not have to listen to her…

(…)

"What do you think, Sash?" Ivy asked, spreading her arms to indicate the nature around them, "It's an amazing place, don't you think?"

"I have to admit, this is quite nice." The human replied, as she carefully placed the tablecloth on the ground. The two girls, alongside Felicia and Sylvia, were now standing in a small clearing, just a bit outside Wartwood, Liptea happily munching the grass around while the two oldest frogs prepared a campfire to cook a small meal and boil a small teapot of water.

"It's just some place we Sundews have known for a long time," Sylvia smiled at her. "We don't come here very often, but it's always a pleasure when we do. It's well-protected, peaceful and so full of life!"

"Did you ever bring Hop Pop here in the ol' days?"

"Oh, no." Sylvia waved her hand, chuckling at Sasha'a suggestion. "Hoppy and I are…very close, ever since we were young, but the Sundew Family Outing is for Sundew family members only. Either by blood…or by adoption."

While the old frog looked at her, Sasha blushed, genuinely happy to hear that. It didn't matter how much time had passed, every time Felicia or her family members remarked their desire for her to be part of their family, Sasha couldn't help but feel moved. Maybe, because this was what it meant to feel desired.

As Sasha spent the rest of the day with her new adoptive family, Sasha found herself having more fun as they spent the afternoon relaxing in the warm sunlight, drinking Felicia's handmade traveling selection of tea, and discussing whatever new rumors were the most popular in Wartwood today. Gossip was one thing that Sasha understood, and she blended in like a fish (or rather, a frog) in the water.

"…so it later turned out that Mrs. Peedles never had any issue with that leg of hers, and she was faking only to take advantage of everyone's sympathy and act as a freeloader. Luckily her daughter come up the day after to settle her debt."

"Frog, I never believed she would play such a cheap trick!" Sylvia murmured at her daughter's story. "Actually, yes, I can believe that. Even when she was young, she went through several bachelors before settling on her future husband. I never considered her the kind of frog to marry for love."

"What an awful old frog!" Ivy stuck out her tongue. "And she even tried to mooch over her daughter's friends? How could she do that to her own daughter?"

"Meh, it's no surprise actually."

"Sasha, what do you mean?" Felicia asked, her focus suddenly shifting to the human.

"I'm just-" Sasha continued to speak, her mind concentrating on what to say next, "-just saying, not all parents are necessarily good people. Some parents can be quite awful to grow under, especially if there is no longer any love between them …"

As Sasha looked down at the remains of the cricket biscuits Felicia and Sylvia had brought, the three frogs of the Sundew family noticed a sad note in her voice. They knew that Sasha wasn't happy at home after she told them how her mother preferred her older sister over her, and yet…it looked like they had barely scratched over the surface of what that poor girl was forced to endure.

"Sasha…how were your parents?"

"Yeah, Sash!" Ivy moved to her side, the frog's hand gently touching the blonde human's, "Were they bad with you?"

"Ivy…"

"Actually, I think this would be a good occasion to talk." Sylvia nodded as well, "I know only what my daughter and granddaughter told me, of what happened on the day a small little frog decided to run away from home because her mother gave her the impression she was too harsh on her daily duties, and because she didn't know what such duties were actually."

Ivy and Felicia looked at each other, before sighing in remorse, both frogs feeling shame for their own part in the whole mess: Ivy for jumping to the conclusions and trying to run away, and Felicia for keeping the secret for so long and inadvertently stressing the relation with her daughter up to the point she thought Sasha was replacing her.

"Moreover, you said earlier that the reason you and Anne…quarreled, the other day, was because you were toxic and controlling. How is that possible? You're certainly not a shrub of poisonous berries, are you?"

"No," Sasha replied, her mind drifting back to the battle in the middle of their headquarters, Anne fighting her for desperation more than for hate. "To tell the truth, I may have been worse."

"How?!" Ivy asked, her eyes now widening in shock. "Why do you think you were such a bad friend?"

"Because I am, Ivy!" Sasha yelled, no longer able to control her emotions, "Before I ended up in Amphibia, I wasn't a good friend with Anne and Marcy! Rather, I was more like a bully!"

"Now Sasha," Felicia tried to interject "I'm sure it wasn't-"

"Yes it was," Sasha admitted, a lonely tear running down from her check. "I always forced them to do only what I wanted! And whenever they dared to not go along with my plan, I use our friendship to extort their obedience! I forced them to do my homework in my place, to lend me things that were theirs, but that I wanted! I was treating them more like a boss, and not as the friend I was supposed to be."

"B-but you weren't that bad, right?" Ivy asked, maybe hoping to lighten the mood. "I mean, you didn't do anything too serious…"

"I used to force them to go shoplifting with me, Ivy. Not for any need, but just for the kick of it. I was stealing because I felt like it!"

"Stealing?" Felicia jerked up, clearly not expecting that. Even Sylvia raised an eyebrow, suddenly worried.

"And that's not all," Sasha continued, relentlessly, as more and more of the past was left open for the Sundew to see. "The day we ended up in this world, it wasn't a day like any other. Rather, it was Anne's birthday."

"Her birthday?" Ivy repeated.

"Yes, her parents were preparing a party for her, and she wanted to go so bad… And I stopped her. First, I forced her to ditch school for the day, as I usually did, because I wanted her to have fun. Then, when the time for the party came and she really wanted to go, I threatened her to go and see Marcy instead. And after that…we ended up in a forest filled with giant bugs, and we had to find a cave to hide, that would become our first hideout in this world. Not only had I stopped my best friend from going home and seeing her parents, but she had to spend her birthday in a cave filled with hideous critters, water leaking from above, all due to the fact I couldn't tolerate not being able to control her, just because I felt the need to control something in my life!"

Sasha stopped, taking a deep breath as she looked around: Ivy looked heartbroken, Felicia was shocked, and Sylvia…

"Something?" the oldest frog said, quickly noticing the hidden meaning in that word. "Sasha, is that something…related to your family?"

Sasha didn't reply, but looked aside, unable to face her glaze, seconds after second of dramatic silence making the realization sink even further into the minds of those present, the shock and horror of their thoughts manifesting into wide eyes and hanging jaws.

"It is related to your family!" Felicia gasped.

"Huh, maybe?" Sasha replied, unsure of what to say. "Yet, maybe it's just me being such a control freak-"

Sasha stopped, as Felicia moved forward, grabbing both of her hands and forcing the human girl to look at her right in her eyes.

"Sasha!" Felicia replied with anger, yet somehow looking protectively at her. "I know you're feeling guilty over what you did to your friend, and I understand it. I won't lie to you, you messed up big time with her. Yet, you did promise her that you would change, didn't you? Were you lying when you were saying that you wanted to be the best version of yourself?"

"No!" Sasha replied, feeling offended at the idea of lying about her intentions. "I do want to change, I really do! But…I don't know how to do it! All I've ever done was intimidate, and look threatening and…act like my actions never had consequences."

Felicia stood silent for a minute, as Sasha looked down again, the weight of her guilt and the memories of her past almost crushing her. Then, she spoke up again:

"I think you have plenty of things you should atone for and apologize for, young lady. Yet, as long as you're willing to change, whatever goal you aim for, either to stay true to your promise to be the best version of yourself or at least move on from your past, is within reach. Especially if you're not alone!"

Sasha looked around and saw Ivy holding onto her arm, smiling, and Sylvia nodding with a pleased expression. All looking at her as if they were actually proud that she was admitting her shortcomings.

All, looking at her as if she was family.

(…)

"So, this is how dead herons look up close," James said, looking all over the lifeless bodies of the creatures who threatened Wartwood just yesterday, Maddie and Marcy's freeze magic still conserving their bodies. "I have to admit Anne was quite brutal with them – Hop Pop, what are you doing?"

The old frog looked up, stopping checking the herons' bodies. "I just…wanted to make sure they were dead," he lied, trying to keep the real reason why he was inspecting their bodies hidden from the boy. The old frog grumbled as his eyes looked once again at the giant, scars-devoid bodies of the frog-eating birds.

"What are we even supposed to do?" Toadstool lamented, waving his hands while Toadie took notes behind him. "We can't simply let them rot in here: not only are they slowing our rebuilding attempts, but the smell would devalue our city and attract many dangerous bugs wishing to feast on them. And while I don't doubt your friends' skills and combat abilities, I don't think provoking the local wildlife would be a good idea."

"Indeed, it wouldn't." The British boy replied, as his gaze drifted from the heron's damaged beak to the still damaged Stumpy's diner the bird's body was still leaning against; He could feel an idea forming in his mind.

"What if there is an alternative, Toadstool?" The boy though pondered about it with a smirk, "One that not only would allow you to remove their bodies from the plaza but would also benefit your popularity with your citizen in the immediate future?"

"How?" Toadstool asked, suddenly interested.

"Do you have some suggestion?" Toadie added.

Rather than reply to them, James looked at the Plantar family's householder "Hey Hop Pop, do you remember the time we fought those Love Doves?"

"Of course, I remember, James." The old frog replied, another grumble forming under his breath. "It's not every day you lose such a potential-gain business agreement."

"Do you remember how Anne cooked them after? And how good they tasted?"

"Wait, tasted?" Toadstool replied, weirded and yet somehow also impressed at the idea of frogs eating such creatures, realizing what James was suggesting to them "You aren't suggesting that we should-"

"Why not?" The boy turned to him, an opportunistic smile on his lips. "Look at them and how much meat there is on them, all preserved by our magic duo. You could cook them, and serve them to your citizens, to celebrate the herons' defeat and the rebuilding of their city. Even if you count people coming up from nearby farms, there will be enough for everyone to get seconds."

"B-but where are we supposed to find someone willing to cook such creatures?" Toadie replied while his boss stood silent, still attempting to grasp the idea.

"You can ask Stumpy. His diner is among the buildings most damaged by the heron's attack, and the person who defeated those works for him on a regular basis. Plus, something tells me that if you do ask him, he'll accept just for revenge."

The mayor thought about it seriously. Yes, that could be done, and sharing such a large quantity of food among his citizens could be another useful point to gain new popularity vote numbers. Plus, there was something ironic and poetic about having two large predators, creatures who were used to eating frogs by dozens, cooked and served. He for one would have surely taken seconds if given a chance, more out of spite rather than for genuine hunger.

Yet, there was one small issue that worried him.

"The idea is good, but…what if there is still too much meat in the end?" Toadstool pointed out how big the heron's bodies were. They could have everyone living in Wartwood go for thirds, and still be left with enough meat to fill their largest warehouse.

"You could store it!" James snapped his fingers. "There are several ways to preserve meat and avoid for it to go bad and rot; for example, you could salt it-"

"Salt?" Toadstool, Toadie and Hop Pop jumped back a couple of feet, looking at James like he said something shocking.

"Huh, something's wrong?"

"James," Hop Pop reacted first, realizing he had to explain to him, "Salt is a powerful poison for frogs. An Amphibian in salt water would get burns at worst, but pure salt is mortal!"

Wait, salt is poisonous? James wondered before realizing it. Right, they are amphibians. Salt being exposed to their bodies dehydratases them and make their skin burn. Even in our world, to keep frogs away from their own yards, people used to pour salt around nearby pools of stagnant water.

"Well, there are other options: you could still smoke it, or take some ice from the nearby mountain range all around the Valley. I don't know if you guys even heard of ice boxes before, but surely Marcy and I could come up with something if needed."

"Plus, there isn't only their meat." Hop Pop commented, "What about all their feathers? We can't eat them, but surely there are many businesses in our beautiful city which could come up with many solutions for them, or in the alternative, we could gather and sell them. I don't know how much a heron feather is valued, but I'm sure we could make some good money if we send them at Newtopia or someplace else."

"And their skulls." Toadstool grinned as well. "We could place them at the town's entrance so anyone coming to Wartwood would see them and know that our city managed to defeat the Herons!"

Ok, this looks a bit gloomy, James thought as he imagined the large skulls of the herons placed at the entrance of the town like some weird souvenir, though that might not be such a bad idea after all. At least it would scare those Toads and anyone daring to come and try to attack the city.

"I'm not sure it would be a good idea," the British human continued, "Building defense around Wartwood for self-defense is one thing, but using heron's skull as a menace to anyone is another! What if other frogs and people in the valley get the idea Wartwood has gone bad? From where we came from, only evil people showcase skulls and bones as an intimidation measure."

"Actually, sir there may be another problem I feel like I have to warn you about."

"What is it, Toadie?" The mayor turned to his assistant.

"I was simply doing some considerations…if words get out that Wartwood successfully managed to defeat herons, the consequences could be catastrophic. From what we know, the Toads are already preparing plans to march over Wartwood and raze it to the ground, if they find out about this they could feel an incentive to speed up their plans, or even to use an even larger force than planned. So far, the Valley is still isolated due to the late melting of the snow blocking the mountain pass, but soon, Toad Tower might be able to contact the other towers…and ask for reinforcements."

As Toadie spoke those words, James gulped, Toadstool grimaced while Hop Pop looked at him with a worried expression. Yet, Toadie had not finished:

"Plus sir, if we do end up sending the heron's feather to Newtopia to try and sell them, would we risk the King finding out what's happening in here…and send someone of his own trusted officers to investigate?"

Toadstool looked at Hop Pop, a single word escaping from their lips at the same time.

"Yunan."

"Who is this Yunan?" James asked, a puzzled look on his face. He had a gut feeling that he wasn't going to like the response at all.

"General Yunan," Hop Pop hurried to explain "She's actually in command of the Newtopia Army-"

Yup, not liking this at all.

"So, I guess it is time for you to know my story. My whole story" Sasha spoke solemnly, looking at her adoptive frog family around her. "My parents' names are Amanda and Jeff, and they were both lawyers-"

"What is a lawyer?" Ivy asked with genuine curiosity. Right, Sasha thought as she realized the issue, this is a job non-existent in a feudal society like Amphibia.

"A lawyer is, well…tell me, do you know what a courthouse is?"

"Isn't that where criminals are tried for their crimes and receive punishments?"

"That's right. You see, in our world, there are courthouses, just like here, and among the various people working on courthouses there are people that we call lawyers: their job is to use hard facts, charisma, and eloquence to convince the judge that the defendant is guilty, if they're accusing them, or not guilty if they're defending them."

"Sounds like one of those shady people selling dubious goods at the market," Sylvia commented with an aside glance. "The only difference is that they're selling cheap justice rather than cheap vegetables."

That's quite a remarkable way to describe it, Sasha mused how the old frog came close to the truth.

"Anyway," the human girl continued, "Due to their jobs, they were always away from home; and one day, they started to clash. And…they ended up getting a divorce."

"What's a divorce?" Felicia raised her hand. From the way Sasha's face grimaced, she realized that it wasn't supposed to be a good thing.

"A divorce is…basically, the reverse of a marriage: two married people, who no longer want to be with each other, decide to dissolve their union and split their belongings."

"Say what?" Felicia gasped, imitated by her mother and daughter. All three of them had a reason to be shocked: Ivy couldn't fathom that some kids had to experience their parents splitting up; Felicia wasn't able to assimilate that a marriage could be dissolved; and Sylvia…

"Do their parents…split up because they didn't love each other anymore?"

Sasha looked down, and once again, Sylvia realized the hidden truth. Whatever this "divorce" involved, it surely didn't look like a positive experience.

"You know what's the thing that hurt me the most?" Sasha kept going, new tears forming up in her eyes, "When my parents split, they argued upon everything: the house, the money, the car, everything that was worth anything, but never, never did they argue…for me or my sister!"

"What?" Ivy gasped again, while Felicia and Sylvia stood silently, the shock in their minds quickly turning into anger.

"Yes, when they were discussing the division of the assets, my father looked at my mother and said that she could keep both of us, Esther and me. I for one wanted to go with him, but he said, he said…that he didn't even want us in his life, ever again!"

This new revelation caused shock among the Sundew frogs, Ivy was genuinely horrified that a father could say such ugly things about their daughters. Felicia was fuming, and so was Sylvia, at the prospect that a father could wash their hands on their own children: Felicia in particularknewwhat it felt like, to be abandoned by the frog who was the father to your daughter…

"After father was…gone, Esther and I grew up with our mother and her new boyfriend, Steven. However, by then Esther had already grown up and started to move out of the house, and Steven already had kids on his own, so I was left alone. You already know how I was always compared to my sister, how proud Amanda was of everything that Esther did while ignoring me. I couldn't stand how I couldn't do anything to stop it, how I couldn't do anything to change my situation, how I couldn't…control it."

Sylvia moved forward, a strange gleam of fury in her eyes. Fury aimed not at Sasha nor her sister, but rather, to her parents.

"So, this is why you started to become controlling over your friends." The old frog quickly summarized, "You felt the need to control something in your life after you couldn't stop it from going downhill after your parents…separated."

"Yeah," Sasha admitted in shame. "After everything I did to gain their attention failed, after realizing no matter how hard I tried, they'd always ignore me at best…I decided, if I was going to be ignored and hated regardless, why not take advantage of the situation and have fun with my life?"

"Sasha, I didn't-I didn't know you had such a hard life-" Ivy began to speak, only for Sasha to cut her off.

"Hey, don't be sad for me. I am quite tough, I can manage this."

"Don't you say that, young lady!" Felicia suddenly scoffed, "No matter how tough you think you are: regardless of the situation, no one should ever live such a harsh experience with their own parents! I may have been harsh with Ivy, but I wouldn't have ever ignored her in such an abusive manner! Plus, the fact that your father dared to abandon you, uncaring about you and your sister-"

"It's ok Felicia," Sasha replied, impressed by the anger Felicia was showing on her behalf. "Even still, now you know my story. It's crappy, I know-"

"Sasha," Ivy looked at her, "Would you want to stay with us forever?"

"What?" The Human girl said, looking at the small young frog with widened eyes.

"You told us that your father abandoned you, and your mother didn't care about it. So, even when you find the way back home…would you consider staying with us? I'd love to keep being with my old cool sister!"

Sasha grimaced, stunned at the request. On one side, there were so many things she missed from Earth, largely its food, its showers, the hygiene, and all the small comforts she missed every day; on the other… she had never felt such a family love before.

"Ivy Hibiscus Matcha Sundew!" Felicia interjected, "You can't ask such a thing. I know you like Sasha, but she's still got a life in her world, and this is her decision to make."

"I…I understand, Mom." Ivy puffed, while still looking unhappy.

"That of course doesn't mean you'll have to say goodbye to her." The shop owner now turned to face the blonde human, "Sasha Waybright Sundew, I know that I can't promise you much, but I can promise you this: as long as you'll be here, you'll be treated just as a part of our family. Whatever we can do to help you, we will do it. And, if you ever would need us ever again…remember that you have a family in Amphibia who does care for you."

A family who does care for you, Felicia's words passed through Sasha's heart, warming it up and making her feel a strange feeling of joy. So, this is what it felt to be appreciated and desired.

"I think it's time for…that thing, Felicia." Sylvia spoke up, gaining a nod from her daughter, "Can you excuse us for a moment?"

The two frogs walked away for a minute, going to get back something from Liptea's back, leaving Sasha and Ivy alone for a couple of minutes.

"I'm sorry for what you had to go through Sasha," Ivy said, "And I'm sorry your father abandoned you. I…I never got to know mine."

Sasha suddenly looked at her, a shocked expression in her eyes, as a saddened expression fell over Ivy.

"Mom never wants to talk about him, and I know that it hurts her so…I never ask her whenever she's around. I have never known how he looked like, what he sounded like, or even what kind of frog he was. Can you believe that what Mom told me about him the day I tried to run away was the most info I ever got about him in my whole life? I wonder…have you ever wanted to know someone you have never met? Someone that you have never seen, and yet, you know it may be out there, having his life? Someone who you wish was beside you as you grew up? I know it sounds silly, and yet-"

Sasha suddenly rushed over and embraced Ivy in her arms. "It's not silly, Ivy; It's not silly at all. Earlier, your mother made me a promise, and now I'm making you one as well: as long as I'm here, I'll be the best sister you could have ever dreamed of. No matter what, I'll always be there for you!"

Ivy and Sasha embraced each other, the little frog not noticing the spark of pink light that glowed in the human's eyes for several seconds, before disappearing. When Felicia and Sylvia returned, bringing a small sweet cake for Sasha (completely bug-free) they found the two girls hugging each other, and smiled…

(…)

"Hello guys, I'm- what the frog is happening in here?" James said in shock, as his eyes laid all over the interior of the Militia's headquarter: Marcy was writing and drawing on a blackboard with fervent enthusiasm in her eyes, while Amelia and Jacob were busy hitting each other with slaps on their wrist, pinching their cheeks and punching on the shoulder. Only Anne, leaning alone on a chair, was behaving as if she was still sane.

"Anne, I suppose you can't tell me what's going on?"

"Oh, Marcy is coming up with many theories about my powers, while Jacob and Amelia are trying to activate theirs."

"Theirs?" James gasped, realizing the implication, the girl smiling at him.

"Yup. You see, Marcy came up with a theory that my powers may be connected to the gems of the Box, and since there are six of those and six of us, that could mean that every one of us could have powers inside of them. As you can see, Jacob and Amelia took the idea with so much enthusiasm that they are trying to activate them with every system they came up with. Currently, they're trying to shock their nervous system."

"Really?" James asked with a dumbfounded expression, "To me, it looks like they're exchanging slaps and pinches."

"It's the same thing," Anne shrugged. "You should have seen Amelia earlier, as she tried to "channel" the power of the gem and crashed on top of Marcy."

"-no visible change in the body even as the eyes started to glow. Further analysis suggests-"

"Is that "the Zone" you talked me about?"

"Yup, at least now she's now walking as she's writing. So, what were you doing? You come from the farm, are Sprig and Polly ok?"

"They are, even if Hop Pop is still feeling unsafe about letting them outside. But that not why I'm here, Toadstool come and wanted to speak with you?"

"Me? What's this about?"

"I think you already know the answer."

Anne grumbled, realizing the obvious issue. "It's about my powers, right? The powers that I used yesterday, that everyone is freaking about, and yet I have not understood how-"

"Anne please, calm down," James said, putting a hand over her shoulder. "I know this is raw for you, the whole power thing and all, but getting angry is not going to help. Rather, if you do end up activating those powers of yours, you could hurt yourself, and everyone around you."

"Good to see that at least someone isn't going hero-fan crazy about my powers."

"Better safe than sorry!" James replied with a chuckle.

"Do you know what the most irritating thing is?" Anne said in a rhetorical voice, "Earlier I tried to focus and see if I could activate or control these powers, and yet…I couldn't. What's even the point of having superpowers, if I can't use them at will?"

"Maybe you are simply using the wrong method?"

"What are you saying?"

"Let's start with the basics: when you activated your powers for the first time…how were you feeling?"

Anne thought back to that moment, as the images of the herons attacking Wartwood flashed back into her eyes. When she saw Sprig's hat dangling off the heron's beak, how she thought he and Polly had been devoured…

"Huh, Anne?" James gasped, his voice now filled with shock.

Anne opened back her eyes, looking at him for a second before realizing that something was different. Marcy, Jacob, and Amelia had stopped what they were doing and were now once again looking at her with worried expressions.

Oh, Anne thought as she felt a strange energy bash all over her body, and realized they were back. A couple of seconds later, James grabbed a mirror and showed it to her, her image reflexed in the glass looking at her with worried eyes, as the strange blue energy enveloped her whole figure.

"You-you activated them?" Jacob said, his eyes trying to discern the truth. "Anne, how do you feel?"

"Anna-Banana, are you ok?" Marcy rushed to her side, her hands frenetically adding new notes and sketches "Can you-control them?"

"Anne is going super Sayan! No, super Say-Anne!"

Anne didn't reply at first, merely looking at her own image as she tried to elaborate. Then it struck her.

The reason why her powers activated in the first place. The memories of her clash with Sasha, and the horror when she believed Sprig was dead.

The many emotions she felt in just one day.

"Guys," Anne said, her light power now starting to grow dimmer before finally shutting off again, the girl falling as Jacob and James rushed to support her. "I think we may have made a breakthrough today…"

Meanwhile very, very far away from Wartwood and the six human teens:

"Something's wrong, Braddock. Something's very wrong with the captain!"

"Percy, please, keep your voice down!" The female toad soldier replied, looking around to check if someone was listening to them, "If the captain hears you, or someone ends up reporting you to him, you're going to be in trouble. Big troubles!"

"That's the point, Braddock! The captain has never been very tolerant, but since that…creature arrived, he became even nastier. Yesterday, Grump couldn't find his helmet, and those two brutes beat him up! Have you seen his body? Those two broke him like a toy!"

Braddock could not help but nod, sighing. Life as a soldier of the Toad Army had never been easy, but ever since Grime accepted that unknown creature (calling himself "human") as his collaborator, things had taken an even worse turn for them. Gone was the shared spirit of comradeship and brotherhood that unified them, now the toads spent their days being subjected to terrible training exercises that drained their bodies and spirits, leaving them as empty shells, moved by the most primal of all emotions.

Fear.

"You're not the only one to be scared, Percy." Braddock finally said, looking back at her closest friend. "To tell the truth, I'm quite scared myself."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" The soldier who wanted to be a comedian replied. "You know how much I wanted to leave this place, but if I ever dared to ask now, they'd kill me as well!"

"How about trying to talking to Grime when he is alone?"

"That's the issue: he's never alone!" Percy groaned. "That creature…no matter what time is it; he's always at the Captain's side, filling his head with lies! Have you seen his eyes? He is looking at us like he hates us!"

Suddenly, a strong hand knocked on the door, scaring the two toads. Slowly, but still with circumspect, Braddock walked up to the door and opened it.

"Percy, Braddock," another toad soldier in uniform, a short spear in his hand, said. "The Captain is summoning everyone in the Great Hall. You know what happens to anyone late!"

The two toads nodded, checking their own uniforms as they rushed downstairs. In the hall, Grime was standing silently, the human a couple of steps behind him in his dark armor, his "bodyguard" standing motionless at his sides. Braddock knew already that, at the human's order, they would move and trample anyone who dared to displease him: at least a dozen toad soldiers had learned it the hard way.

The toads rallied together, Grime smiling to the show. Before that creature arrived, discipline was almost non-existent among his troops; now, his toads acted like the soldiers they were supposed to be.

All thanks to your new lieutenant, he smirked looking at the boy behind him.

"Soldiers of Toad Tower!" Aiden announced at full lungs, almost scaring the closest toads to him, "You esteemed Captain Grime, will now speak."

"My soldiers," Grim started, "The moment you have been waiting for is now near. What until recently was a bunch of buffoons is now an army of fierce and ruthless warriors, capable of crushing any opponent that stands before them!"

The toads shivered as the word "crushing" reached their ears. Maybe because they still had fresh memories associated with that word.

"The frogs of the Valley are getting unruly. Questioning toads' authority, refusing to pay their taxes, rebelling against the rightful authority of Toads…and Newtopia."

Hidden behind a couple of rows, Braddock couldn't help but roll her eyes. Nor Grime nor any other Toad commander had ever cared for Newtopia's authority and support. They sent orders, and Toads executed them.

"However, their attempt to defy our rule will soon be vanquished. Soon, we will march over Wartwood, where the rebellion started, and burn it to the ground! We will capture the rebel's leader, Hopediah Plantar, and execute him for high treason!"

Grime moved to continue, but suddenly, Aiden moved to his side and whispered something to him, making the toad's face twist for a second. The soldier seeing it shivered, as they knew this was not a good sign.

"In addition," Grime said with an evil smirk, "the training regime will change from eight to twelve hours every day."

"What? That's ridiculous, sir!" One of the toads on the front row contested, "We are already exhausted, if you raise the training regime again-"

Before any of the other toads could grab him and cover his mouth, maybe attempt to beg the Captain to spare him, the new "Lieutenant" snapped his finger, and one of his giant soldiers moved forward, grabbing the poor toad by his neck before throwing him into the ground, a sound of broken bones accompanying his scream. The unfortunate soldier breathed heavily, hurt but still alive.

"Anyone else?" Grime commented, glaring over the rest of his soldiers "Bring that weakling to the sick bay. Patch him up, spare the painkiller."

The Toads nodded, a couple of soldiers moving to grab their unfortunate comrade before dispersing as quickly as their legs allowed them.

Only after they were alone once again, Grime dared to sigh.

"Everything ok?"

"I'm fine," he lied, "It's just…was that necessary? I could have sent him to the pain room, or given him toilet cleanup for a week. Why it was necessary to do it in front of everyone?"

"I told you already, Captain. Your soldiers need to know that whoever breaks discipline will be punished. They are soldiers; they should be used to even worse punishments. Such an act of disobedience toward authority can very well be punished by death!"

"I know; it's just…" Grime attempted to speak, feeling disgusted by his own actions before Aiden resumed his sweet talk.

"No military leader needs his soldier to love him, as long as they fear him; plus, if you do allow them to break free, how long it will before they revert to the useless bunch of buffoons that they were before? What will you do then to stop the rebellion? How will you explain this…to Newtopia?"

Grime gritted his teeth, as once again Aiden pushed the truth right in front of him. "I…trust your judgment, Lieutenant. I'll be in my office, take care of the rest."

"Absolutely, Captain" The human replied, his face hiding his real thoughts.

You amphibian imbecile, Aiden said in his mind as Grime turned his back on him, his hands twitching as he concentrated not to stab the toad in his back, do you really think you're the one in command?

Sooner or later, the Toads would depart for Wartwood, attempting to quell the rebellion, and then Grime would have realized what he really did. How he destroyed whatever was left of his reputation among the troops by enabling his most cruelty on them; how he made sure the toads would be too tired and unfocused to fight efficiently; how the pieces would fall on line to make sure both frogs and toads killed each other.

And once both sides will be done destroying each other…

The human's mind drifted away, to the images of his brethren currently trapped in Wartwood, waiting for someone to rescue them. To the three fair maidens, waiting for their savior.

…I will claim my just reward.