Another day at the Plantar family farm. Anne, Sprig and Polly were in the garden, pulling weeds while Hop Pop sat on his front porch seat, drinking Passione Della Rana absinthe. Anne had to do another pose for the label of Johan's absinthe, this time without the zits. It was time consuming, but worth it. And the best part was that Anne got a cut of the profits for being the mascot. To say she was happy was an understatement. And then she was unhappy when Hop Pop took it from her.

While he pulled the weeds, he noticed the cowapillars grazing and got an idea. He ran to Hop Pop and said, "Hop Pop, great idea! What if we trained the cowapillars to eat these weeds? Then we wouldn't have t-"

The old frog raised his hand and said, "Hup bup bup. Suggestion barrel's over there."

Sprig took out a pen and paper and wrote down his suggestion before putting it in the suggestion barrel's slot.

"Hey, think he actually reads these?" Anne asked.

"Doubt it," said Polly. "I suggested a swimming pool months ago and that never happened."

"Oh, come on, guys. Have a little more faith in Hop Pop," said Sprig. He realized his hand was still stuck in the slot. "Oops. Sorry. Let me just..." He gave it a good hard jerk and his hand popped out of the barrel. However, it also removed the barrel to reveal what was under it.

"A fire pit?" asked Polly. "That's the opposite of a swimming pool."

It was at that moment Sprig realized what had happened to all the suggestions he and Polly made over the years. Outraged, he approached the old frog and asked, "Why, Hop Pop? Why?"

"Because your suggestions were ridiculous! You can't just dig swimming pools anywhere. It attracts pests. Running a farm ain't easy, kids."

"Maybe. But if I were in charge, I'd listen to other people's suggestions, not burn them."

"You? Run the farm? Ha! Run it into the ground, maybe."

Hop Pop slapped Sprig with his throat sack. In response, Sprig slapped Hop Pop with his own throat sack. Polly gasped. "Is that an official challenge?" Sprig ran to a bell and dinged it with a stick as he made a whooping war cry. "Sprig Plantar, you have rung the Plantar Family Challenge bell! What is your challenge?"

"I want to replace Hop Pop and run the farm my way."

"Very well. Hop Pop, do you accept this challenge?"

"I do formally accept this challenge."

"I'm sure this will make sense in a moment," said Anne.

"Never mind. What the heck's going on?"

Hop Pop and Sprig stood on a lily pad in a muddy bog, covered in mud and wearing nothing but white loin cloths. "The Plantar family challenge!" said Hop Pop.

"An artful test of skill where the winner takes all!" shouted Sprig.

"They push each other until someone falls off a lily pad," Polly explained to Anne in a snarky tone. "It's dumb, but fun to watch. Oh, and they are allowed to use Ripple."

"Has Sprig ever won?" asked Anne.

"I've won in spirit!"

"So, no."

"Enough chit chat," said Polly. "Let the challenge begin!" She struck the bell.

Both Hop Pop and Sprig took a deep breath and activated their Ripples. Hop Pop snapped his fingers and bubbles of mud burst out of the ground. "RIPPLE BULLETS! GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO!" Sprig dodged them all save for one that hit him in the back and sent him flying to the edge of the lily pad. Hop Pop pinned his arms. "Give it up, boy. I've got the experience and the upper body strength."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I've got the moral high ground! KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO!" He jumped into the air and the Ripple Effect created a wave of mud that sent Hop Pop flying off the lily pad and into the mud. As for Sprig, he landed on the lily pad with the grace of a ballerina...then landed on his butt.

Anne and Polly were stunned. "Sprig won?!" they exclaimed.

Sprig couldn't believe it either. "I won?!"

Anne held Sprig up by the leg. "Nice work, dude."

Sprig couldn't have been more happier. "I don't believe it. I'm head of the farm!"

"Sprig's head of the farm! Sprig's head of the farm!" chanted the girls. "Sprig! Sprig! Sprig!"

"All right, all right, that's enough. Okay, maybe a few more."

"Sprig! Sprig! Sprig!"

"Love it!"

Meanwhile, Hop Pop picked himself up from the mud and watched the scene with sadness. "Looks like my time is over," he said as he walked away.

When the kids returned to the farmhouse, Sprig declared, "First order of business. As long as I'm in charge, no suggestions are bad."

"Swimming pools?" asked Polly.

"You betcha."

"Dance parties?" asked Anne.

"Let's have one right now, baby."

Anne pressed a button on her phone and played the "Montage Mix Magic!" playlist.

Polly raised a flag that read "A Farm That Listens" and saluted to it as did Sprig and Anne.

Anne and Polly wrote down their suggestions: Clowns and a party patio.

The kids dug a hole in the ground and filled it with water to make their new swimming pool.

Anne and Sprig nailed a banner that read "Party Patio Coming Soon!" And then the wall crumbled. Polly brought refreshments.

Sprig brought the cowapillars out and trained them to eat the weeds.

The clown arrived and did his mime routine. Sprig and Anne laughed. Polly watched him in horror then she screamed and began slapping the poor guy. "I! HATE! CLOWNS!"

It took all of Anne and Sprig's might to pull her off him.

"Whoa, whoa! Polly!"

"Whoa! We paid him for this."

They had a dance party with the clown, who at this point wanted to go home after the beating he received from the pollywog.

Sprig smiled at the house, which now included a water slide. "Soak it in, gang. This is what good leadership looks like," he said.

"Uh, anybody worried about Hop Pop?" asked Anne. "I haven't seen him since we got back."

"Eh, he's probably off licking his wounds."

Not really. Where Hop Pop was going was the Wartwood cemetery. "Might as well get comfortable here with all the other frogs nobody needs anymore." He paused when he saw a large blue beetle on its back. "Need some help little fella? There you go." He flipped the beetle on the right position. "Where was I? Oh, right...Crippling sadness." He trudged forward only to stop when he heard a clicking sound and realized the beetle was following him. "Hey, you're more loyal than my own family. I'm gonna call you Jeremy." He allowed the newly christened Jeremy to crawl on his head.

Meanwhile, the kids were having the time of their lives. Sprig was playing on the water slide while Polly dove in the pool and Anne relaxed on the side, getting a tan. But, all good things have to come to an end and in this case, it took the form of Anne's stomach growling for food. "Is anyone else, like, starving?" she asked.

"Dinner," said Sprig. "Great suggestion."

But when they entered the kitchen, they found it completely bare. "Nothing in here either," said Anne after she checked the cupboard.

"Guess today's the day Hop Pop goes to the grocery store," said Sprig.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Anne. "I am getting hangry!"

Sprig thought it over, then got an idea and ran into the garden. A second later, he came back with turnips. "Fresh from mother nature's garden of delights. Dig in, everyone." When a centipede burst out of one of the turnips, the kids screamed and ran with it chasing them. Anne grabbed a bucket and trapped the centipede under it. "Whoops, didn't check for pests," said Sprig sheepishly.

"I'm beginning to think there's a few things we don't know about running a farm," said Anne.

"We've got some kinks to work out, sure," said Sprig with confidence. "But isn't it better to live in a place where you're listened to?"

The girls agreed. Suddenly, the centipede broke free and chased after them again. "DON'T LET IT TOUCH ME! DON'T LET IT TOUCH ME!"

Sprig took over Hop Pop's master bedroom as head of the farm and was sleeping peacefully until Anne and Polly barged in the next morning. "Sprig, we have a situation," Anne shouted.

"Huh? Situation?"

The farm was a mess. Mosquitoes turned the swimming pool into a breeding ground, the cowapillars chased the clown up a tree and all the crops were eaten by pests. This was bad.

Sprig gathered the kids into the living room. "I've called this meeting today for obvious reasons," he said.

"The farm is ruined," said Anne.

"We have no food and we'll die!" shouted Polly.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Luckily for us, we have the power of great suggestions and management that listens. So have at it, guys. What should we do? Remember, there are no bad suggestions."

The girls took one look at each other and they agreed on one thing. "Let's find Hop Pop and put him back in charge."

Sprig had a crazed look in his eyes when he heard that. "Hopediah Plantar was a tyrant!"

"A tyrant who knew how to run a farm," pointed out Anne.

"And more importantly, cook," Polly agreed with her.

"I will not go back to that life," snapped Sprig. "Don't you like being listened to?"

"I don't exactly feel listened to right now."

"Ditto. You're kinda freakin' me out, bro."

Sprig inhaled, then exhaled to recompose himself. "Let's take 15 minutes and start this meeting over. And next time, bring a good suggestion."

Anne and Polly snuck out and were about to leave the property when they bumped into Johan. "JoJo? What are you doing here?" asked Anne.

Johan stared at the ruin that was once the farm in confusion. "Well, I was gonna ask Hopediah why my request for more anise, fennel and wormwood was delayed. But I think a better question would be...um...why does the farm look like it's gone through Hell?"

"It's Sprig," said Anne. "He got fed up with Hop Pop not listening to his suggestions, so he banished him and took over the farm."

"And now we have no food, we have pests in the garden, AND A CLOWN IN A TREE!" screamed Polly.

Johan blinked twice before asking, "So, you thought it was a good idea to let a boy take over a man's job?"

"In hindsight, most of the suggestions Sprig made were disastrous," said Anne. "Maybe Hop Pop had a good reason not to listen to them."

Johan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, so where is he now?"

Hop Pop, garbed in a furry loincloth, sat on a tombstone and shared mushrooms with the beetles. "Jeremy, I can't thank you enough for letting me into your community. I feel like I'm really part of something now."

"There he is! Hop Pop!" called out Anne as she, Johan and Polly ran up to him.

"Dude, we've been looking all over for you," said Polly.

"The only reason we even found you was that Ram Bamboo told a report of a hermit living with the cemetery's burying beetles," said Johan.

"Hello, kids," said Hop Pop. "You here to help us scavenge? It's gonna be a long, cold winter. More bodies means more warmth for everyone."

"Now's not the time to lose your mind and be a graveyard ghoul. Your grandson has turned your farm into a wasteland."

"You've gotta come back," said Anne.

"We've been eating nothing but raw potatoes," said Polly. "I'm having digestive strife, Hop Pop. DIGESTIVE STRIFE!"

"Give me a minute, boys," Hop Pop said as he ushered away the beetles. "I've grown since the last time you saw me. How long's it been now?"

"A day and a half," said Polly dryly.

"I've got me a new life among the beetles. They've taught me about community, equality, listening..."

"This is the part where Anne says, 'Sprig sleeps in your bed now.'"

"Sprig sleeps in your bed now." Anne's eyes widened. "AAH! GET OUT OF MY HEAD, JOJO!"

"Wait. What did you two say?!" exclaimed Hop Pop.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Sprig clearly lost his mind. "Now where did those ungrateful kids get off to? Huh?"

Hop Pop, charged with Ripple, flew up into the sky and crash landed in front of Sprig. "I HAVE RETURNED!" Anne, Johan and Polly caught up with him by running.

"I don't believe it," Sprig shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Anne and Polly. "Backstabbers! Conspirators!"

"Santo cielo. This is what happens when a boy is in charge of a man's job," groaned Johan.

"I AM a man!" shouted Sprig.

"Rametto, you clearly have no idea what you're doing. Look around you! This place has gone to Hell! And more importantly, it's costing Passione money!"

"We had a beautiful dream, but I guess I'm the only one willing to fight for it."

Johan sighed. "Okay." He summoned DARE. "Maybe a little punch that will send your pain receptors into overdrive oughta knock some sense into you."

"No!" Hop Pop shouted. "This is MY challenge." He rang the bell and said, "Sprig Plantar, I challenge you to a rematch. Winner gets control of the farm...forever!"

"Sprig, do you accept this challenge?" asked Polly.

"Please, say yes!" begged Anne.

"I accept."

They returned to the swamp where Sprig and Hop Pop once again donned the loin cloths. "So, this is like sumo wrestling, right?" asked Johan, who had Jeremy the beetle sitting on his head.

"Yep," said Anne.

"What's sumo?" asked Polly.

"It's like this," Johan gestured to the scene before him. "Only with fat guys. It's very popular in Japan."

"I don't know what Japan is and humans are strange."

Sprig and Hop Pop glared at each other. "I beat you once, I can do it again," said Sprig. "I'll prove my way is right."

"We'll see," said Hop Pop.

"Let the final challenge begin!" shouted Polly.

Both Hop Pop and Sprig charged at each other and slapped each other's faces with their Ripple-charged tongues.

"KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO!"

"GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO, GERO!"

Both challengers fell flat on their backs, down but not out. Hop Pop was the first to get up and said, "The girls and JoJo told me everything, Sprig!"

"What?"

Hop Pop pushed the boy back down with his tongue. "You're destroying the farm! Don't you see? Even if you win, you lose."

Sprig, his anger reignited, got back up and pushed Hop Pop down. "So I'm just supposed to go back to the way things were? You never listened to us!"

Hop Pop got back up and caught Sprig in a headlock. "And I was wrong! I know now that you can't work together unless everyone has a say. Jeremy taught me that."

Sprig stopped struggling and looked at his grandfather. "You... You mean it? I have to admit, most of my ideas were pretty terrible. I think we even caused permanent damage to the ecosystem."

"Yeah, but some of your ideas could work. We'll never know unless we try. I promise from now on to actually read your suggestions."

Anne and Polly gasped. Jeremy chirped with excitement. Johan smiled. "A proposito di tempo."

"Promise?" Sprig asked hopefully.

"Promise," said Hop Pop from the bottom of his heart.

Sprig smiled and threw himself into the mud, forfeiting the match. "And the winner is Hop Pop!" declared Polly.

Johan exhaled. "Well, better call the renovators. You Plantars owe me a lot of money after this is done."

"No," said Sprig. "I'll undo all the damage I've done for free. I alone must bear the sorrow."

"Hey, we'll help," said Anne. "We helped destroy the farm too. It's only fair we share the burden as well."

"Not me!" said Polly. "I just want real food in my belly!" Anne glared at her. "Oh, fine. I'll help out too."

Hop Pop smiled as he stepped outside. It took a long while, but things managed to return to normal. "Phew. Think we could set up some shade out here, Hop Pop?" asked Anne as she dug in the garden.

Hop Pop placed a giant mushroom, giving her some shade. "Great suggestion, Anne."

"Thanks, Hop Pop."

"And over there, I kept a small version of your swimming hole." Hop Pop pointed to the bird bath that Polly was enjoying herself in. "Oh, and best of all, no more pit of fire."

Sprig hugged him tight. "Thank you, Hop Pop."

"Ahem," Johan said. "Where's my herbs, Hopediah?"

"Don't worry, I got it covered," said the old frog. "It's all here in this cart," he said, giving it a pat. "I'll bring it to the tea shoppe on Bessie."

Johan nodded. He turned to Sprig and said, "Someday, I think you will be ready to take on a man's job."

"I will, JoJo. Just not right now. I have a lot to learn."

"You have all the time in the world, Rametto. Just don't grow up too fast."

That night, Hop Pop sat by the fire, warming his feet. He heard a chittering sound and looked down to see Jeremy with a stack of suggestions on his back. "Thank you, Jeremy." As he promised, he read the suggestions thoroughly. "Hmm. Nope. Hmm. Nope. Hmm." Those ones he threw in the fire. What? At least this fire pit wasn't a secret like the last one. "This one's a maybe," he said as he held one up.

To Be Continued...