"...so, after we escaped and freed the snails," Johan said as he finished recounting his and Anne and the Plantars' incident with the cannibal frogs. "Anne blew them up! The end."

The Sundews had finished their grocery shopping and they were horrified by what they heard from him. "Oh, you poor thing," said Sylvia. "How are the others?"

"They are fine. Physically anyway."

Ivy looked in her grocery bag at the cookies she bought. "For some odd reason, I want to put these back."

The sound of Anne screaming grabbed Johan's attention. "What the-?" He saw Anne in front of the Grub & Go parking lot, shouting and ranting about something. "What's going on here?"

"I am NOT done talking about it!" Anne shouted.

"Still?" groaned Sprig.

"What's going on over here?" asked Johan as he and the Sundews approached.

"It's nothing," said Hop Pop. "Anne here thinks she saw the Moss Man. Heh, heh. Crazy!"

Johan raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Oh, it's just a myth," said Felicia. "Supposedly, a creature with moss growing all over his body instead of fur, branches for horns, glowing white eyes and a fondness for butterflies lives in the forest."

"But it's all nonsense," said Sylvia. "A scary story to tell gullible tadpoles to go to sleep at night."

"So, it's like Sasquatch," said Johan. The frogs gave him a confused look. "A big, ugly, hairy beast that lives in the woods. He also goes by the name Bigfoot."

"So this...Sassy Squash," said Ivy. "Looks like you, only hairier."

"Yes, it... HEY!"

"But I'm telling you," said Anne. "I saw it!"

Johan chuckled. "Now you know how I felt when I told you about DIO Brando."

"This is NOTHING like your vampire grandfather! All you have for proof is a grainy photo you keep in your wallet! I saw something that was flesh and blood and leaves!" Anne stamped her feet as she insisted, "I'm tellin' you guys, I saw it, I saw it, I saw it!"

"Careful, Anne," Hop Pop teased. "You keep rantin' and ravin', you'll put One-Eyed Wally out of a job."

"Ha!" laughed Ivy. "She really does sound like Wally!"

"Girl, you better take that back," snapped Anne with indignation. "I am not a weirdo like Wally. I'm a strong, sane woman who saw the Moss Man!"

Suddenly, Wally popped out of a barrel and said, "So! You've seen the Moss Man too, eh? Hee-hee! I seen it once. Deep in the moors where it makes its home and feeds on mist. Skin of moss, it had." He held up his hands. "Took me hand clean off, it did."

"You have both hands, stupid," said Johan.

Wally looked at his hands. "Lefty! When'd you get back?"

The Sundews and the Plantars giggled at Wally's antics before Anne said, "Stop it. I know it sounds crazy when he says it. But I saw what I saw."

"Whatever you say..." Polly said with a snicker. "Big-Head Anne!"

"Huh?" Sprig asked, confused. Then he chuckled. "Oh, I get it. Like One-Eyed Wally. Sharp as ever, sis." The siblings then high-fived.

Hop Pop laughed at Anne again. "You might as well start learnin' the accordion and sleepin' under bridges!"

"Wouldn't want to be that guy," said Wally as he left with his accordion.

"Leave her alone," Ivy said. "Just because she's a lunatic, doesn't mean you should make fun of her!"

"You're right," said Sprig. "Anne, actually, I believe you."

Anne replied with exasperation. "Thank you! Jeez."

"Wait. You didn't let me finish. Dreamt it. I believe you dreamt it."

Anne turned to Johan. "JoJo! You believe me, right?"

"Why should I believe you?" he replied.

That hurt Anne more than any teasing. "What?"

"I mean, you always make stuff up just to get out of work! You once faked being sick so you wouldn't have to go help the Plantars on a rainy day!"

"He's got a point," said Hop Pop.

Anne was about to reply when she stopped. "Forget it," she said. "None of you would believe me anyway." And she stormed off.

"Poor Big-Head Anne," Polly said, shaking her head.

"It's always the crazy ones that are the most pitiable," said Sylvia.

"Okay, enough is enough," said Hop Pop. Then he said, "Wait, JoJo, did you say your grandfather was a vampire?"

Johan exhaled. "Okay. Recap time. It all began when Dio Brando, the son of a drunk, abusive thief was adopted into the Joestar family." Then he said quickly, "He tried to claim Joestar fortune for himself by making Jonathan Joestar look weak, blah blah blah. That failed and he turned into a vampire and tried to take over the world, etcetera, etcetera. Jonathan destroyed his body, but not his head. Dio cut off Jonathan's head and replaced it with his own, blah blah blah. He sunk to the bottom of the ocean, rose from the depths a hundred years later to take over the world again, yada yada yada. Jotaro Kujo killed him but not before he conceived my father, who later conceived me. The end!"

The Plantar family gave him weird looks. Then Hop Pop said, "Wait, wouldn't that make you Jonathan's grandson? It was DIO's head on Jonathan's body."

Johan shrugged his shoulders. "Eh. Kinda bit of both. I mean," he pointed to his golden hair. "Dad and I obviously didn't get these locks from Jonathan."

Suddenly, Wally returned, popping his head out of the ground. "Boy, now THAT'S the craziest story I ever heard."

"I know right," said Ivy. "He's as crazy as Anne."

"Non costringermi a ucciderti," said Johan.

That night, Anne was tossing and turning in her bed, having a terrible dream. She kept hearing the mocking words of the Plantars.

"She does sounds like Wally! Ha-ha-ha!"

"Rantin' and ravin'."

"Big-Head Anne. Big-Head Anne."

Then, she saw a figure in a hazy fog. At first, she thought it was Wally, but to her horror, she realized it was herself wearing Wally's clothes and playing his accordion. She made a deranged laugh and...

Anne awoke with a start.

Johan was sound asleep when he suddenly felt a presence. He turned over and yelped when he saw a stranger looming over his bed. Then he looked again. "Anne? What are you doing here and what's with that crazy look in your eyes? And why are you wearing your black hoodie?"

"You have been selected for a mission." Anne slipped a bag over his head as he let out a scream.

Meanwhile, Wally was in the town square, singing, "I lost me true love by the old willow tree..." Suddenly, a hooded figure grabbed him and pulled him behind the statue. "Angel of death! You've come for me at last!"

"What?" Anne lowered her hood. "No, Wally, it's me. Anne. And I brought JoJo."

"Brought?!" snapped Johan. "You kidnapped me! I'm still in my pajamas and I'm cold!"

"Get over it, you baby," Anne said before turning to Wally. "Listen, you said you know where the Moss Man lives. Take me there so I can snap a pic of it, prove I'm normal, and never be associated with you ever again. No offense."

"Nothing about this is normal at all, Anne," snapped Johan.

"I'll do it!" said Wally cheerfully.

"Wait, seriously?"

Anne dropped to her knees and pleaded desperately, "Please! I just got people to stop calling me the town monster. I can't become the town weirdo."

"I said I'll do it."

"Oh... Thanks."

"BUT!" Wally said dramatically. "The journey will be fraught with peril." He began to play his accordion as he walked on. "Ohh, the Misty Moors are dark and gray... "

"Hope he doesn't play that thing the whole way," said Anne with a chuckle.

Eight hours. Wally played the accordion for eight hours. By this point, Anne and Johan were sleep-deprived while Wally played with not a care in the world. As they crossed through the forest and made their way across the mountains that bordered the town and the Misty Moors, Wally suddenly stopped. "Okay, that's enough."

"Oh, thank God," Johan and Anne said in unison.

"Or is it?" Wally played again...only to be stopped by Johan.

"You play one more note from that squeezebox and I'll STICK IT IN YOUR MOUTH!"

Wally whimpered.

"Dude, just let him play," said Anne in a daze. "As much as I hate it, a happy Wally is better than a sad Wally."

"Thank you Anne," said Wally as he played again.

Later, the trio were shimmying across a mountain path. Wally still played his guitar and kept telling stories. "...and with his dying words he told me, 'Wallace, take this accordion, find my killer and defeat him with the power of song.' Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about yourselves."

"T-T-T-Too...c-c-c-c-cold..." shivered Johan. "N-N-Need...my...jacket...and s-s-s-socks..."

"Hard pass. That's kind of personal, and you're kinda basically an unstable stranger," Anne told Wally.

Anne took another step and suddenly fell off the ledge by a loose footing. Johan jumped down to catch her on the cliff edge, upside-down while Wally caught him. Anne noticed her phone fall out her backpack but was too late to catch it in time, as it plummeted down the edge below. "NOOOO!" Wally caught it with his long tongue and pulled it back onto his face, launching the three of them back onto the ledge safely.

Anne took it from him and she said, "Wally, you saved my phone!"

"Ahem!" coughed Johan.

"Oh, yeah, and our lives."

Despite the bruised eye, Wally smiled. "Don't mention it, love. I know how much this thing means to you."

"Oh... Thanks. Now, let's hurry up and get that photo!"

Johan looked out and saw Wartwood in the distance. "I wonder how Ivy's doing?"

In the Sundew's house, Ivy was in her room, dancing and singing a new song she was listening to on Johan's phone.

"All the old paintings on the tombs
They do the sand dance don't you know?
If they move too quick (oh whey oh)
They're falling down like a domino

"All the bazaar men by the Nile
They got the money on a bet
Gold crocodiles (oh whey oh)
They snap their teeth on your cigarette

"Foreign types with the hookah pipes say
(Whey oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh)
Walk like an Egyptian"

"Ahem." Ivy turned to see Felicia giving her a strange look. She turned the phone off and said, "You realize I'm going to have to kill you."

"Nice try," said Felicia. "Where's JoJo?"

"Dunno. I found his bed empty."

"Oh dear, I hope nothing bad happened to him."

Nighttime fell and Johan, wrapped in a blanket and sitting next to a campfire, watched Anne and Wally do a complex handshake. "Clap, pull it back, fist bump, flip it up, lock it in, twist it, twainst it, not against it, spank the baby, where's the baby? There's the baby, shake hands with the baby."

"You came that up all by yourself?" asked Johan.

"Yep. Does Passione have their own secret handshake?"

"No. Too inconspicuous."

"Oh. Well, I gotta teach it to you."

Wally looked at his hand with amazement. "Wow, that was incredible. I'll never shake hands the normal way again."

Anne chuckled. "Thanks. My friends used to think my elaborate handshakes were silly."

"Oh, there's your first mistake, love. I never care what other people think of me."

"Lucky you," said Johan. "Where Anne and I come from, reputation means everything to people. It could be a bad photo, or a slice of pizza before sleeping, and then all of a sudden, your life immediately turns upside-down!"

"Exactly," said Anne. "People judge you before they even get to know you."

"Lucky for you, you're not back home," said Wally. Anne made a confused sound. "Anne, the way I see it, you've got a great opportunity in front of you. Whole new world, new people, free to be whatever you want. Look at JoJo! He was once viewed as a monster like you, now he's the boss of a gang now!"

Hearing this touched Anne's heart. "That's... kinda genius, Wally."

Wally had already fallen asleep and was muttering, "Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup."

"I don't think he heard you," said Johan.

"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup."

Anne smiled and placed a blanket over Wally. "Weirdo," she said.

"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup."

"Maybe we should get some rest too," said Johan. "Only, you didn't exactly pack another blanket."

"Damn. Guess this means we gotta share."

"Yep."

Anne scooted next to Johan and placed herself under the blanket. The two of them stared at the fire for several seconds before Anne said, "Sorry about dragging you into this. I just wanted you to believe so bad, especially after what you said about me making stuff up all the time."

"Well, I can understand that you want someone to believe. I mean, no one outside the Joestar family and their allies believes in the story about Jonathan and DIO. I would like someone to believe in that story, but it's not something we like to talk about."

"You know, you never did say how DIO became a vampire." Johan did not reply. "JoJo?"

"That's a story for another time." He paused to yawn. "I wanna go to sleep now. And I better not hear an accordion when I wake up." Anne nodded before she began to doze off. Johan stayed awake a little while longer to smile as he watched her snore. "We've really come a long way, haven't we?" he asked as he closed his eyes as well.

The next day, the trio continued on their journey until they finally reached their destination. The Misty Moors were exactly like their name said: Misty. There was so much misty, it was almost impossible to see more than a yard in front of yourself. As they walked, they passed a few broken sculptures of frogs and some yellow flowers that were growing there.

Wally, carrying a lantern as they walked, said, "We've finally made it. The Misty Moors." He set the lantern down and said, "Time for the Moss Man summoning ritual."

"Summoning ritual?" asked Anne.

Wally played his accordion and began dancing and singing in gibberish.

"Uh... Are you sure this is gonna work?" asked Johan. Suddenly, something flew past him. It was a butterfly, glowing with a strange blue light.

Anne saw it and gasped. "Butterfly!" She chased after it.

"Anne, come back," shouted Johan.

"Oi! Where are you going?" shouted Wally. "I'm only halfway done."

Johan chased after Anne, who continued to follow the butterflies. Then suddenly, she bumped into a large bush. "Anne, are you...o...kay..." Johan said before he realized what he was looking at. It looked like a giant sloth with green grass-like fur, glowing blue eyes and a pair of branch-like horns. On one of its fingers was a blue butterfly.

Anne fumbled for her camera, but Johan, reacting out of instinct, punched it in the face.

"MUDA!"

POW!

The Moss Man let out a moan of pain as it ran off. "No, no, no! Come back," shouted Anne. She tried to chase after it, but it vanished into the mist. She glared at Johan and shouted. "What the hell, dude?! You scared it away!"

"Sorry! I thought it was going to attack!"

Wally ran up the two kids and said, "Did you see it?! I can't believe it!"

"Oh, you better believe it," said Johan. "I actually touched it!"

"Seriously?! I just can't believe it's actually real."

"I know, right?" Johan asked. It took him a while for him to realize what Wally said. "Aspetta, cosa vuoi dire che non puoi crederci?"

"I don't know what you said."

"I said, what do you mean you can't believe it?" Johan asked, becoming impatient with the kooky frog.

Wally defended himself, saying, "I thought it was a myth. I mean, it's preposterous."

Anne couldn't believe it. Even the local kook of Wartwood didn't believe her at all?! "So you took us all the way out here based on a lie?"

"Yeah. I mean, we had fun, though, didn't we?"

"That's not the point. I could've easily gone back with no proof. And then everyone would think I was like you."

Wally made a hurt look. "What's so bad about being like me?" He put down his lantern and began to walk away.

"Wally," Anne said, but he just kept walking. "Oh, woof. We screwed up bad, didn't I?"

"Yep," said Johan. "Go apologize to him."

Anne caught up with Wally, but the kooky frog refused to look at her. "Wally. I didn't..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "That's not what I meant. I'm sorry. It's cool you don't care what people think about you." She sat down next to him. "And I'm glad we came out here together."

Wally turned around and looked at her with hope. "You mean it?"

"Totally."

They tried to do their handshake, only for it to fall apart as they completely forget how it went. "Sasha was right," said Johan. "It is too complicated." Then he saw something off in the distance. "Moss Man ahoy!"

The trio took off after the Moss Man. Wally repeatedly said "yup" as they followed the creature's footprints deeper into the moors. Then they cornered it at the wall of a cliff. "Now we got you!" said Anne. What happened next stunned her and Wally. The Moss Man floated all the way up to the clifftop and walked away. "It can fly?!" she exclaimed.

"No," said Johan, just as shocked as she was. "It used the mist to float itself up to the top! It's a Stand user!"

"Maybe that explains why it always disappears into the mist," said Wally. "Its Stand hides it!"

Anne stared then let out a scream. "RAAAAAHHH! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! IS EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD A STAND USER?! IS THAT BUTTERFLY A STAND USER?! OR ARE THOSE ANTS STAND USERS?! HELL, MAYBE EVEN THAT TREE OVER THERE IS A STAND USER!" Johan splashed water in her face. "Thank you, I needed that," she said through gritted teeth.

"Don't mention it. We can still catch it," said Johan. "We just gotta climb up this cliff wall. Now, if only we brought rock climbing gear."

"No need," said Anne. She inhaled, activated her Ripple and began to walk up the vertical cliff wall.

"Uh, Anne? You know Wally and I aren't Ripple users, right?"

"Come on, boys! It's easy! One hand in front of the other!"

The two boys looked at each other before nodding. Johan climbed up first with Wally following behind him. However, Wally was struggling as he tried to keep up with Johan and Anne. Suddenly, a pebble came loose and hit him on the head, making his hat fly off and revealing his shoulder-length and surprisingly well kept turquoise hair. "Oh! My iconic hat."

Anne and Johan reached the top first and saw the Moss Man playing with the butterflies. "Perfect. Yo, Wally, you almost up here?"

"Yep. And I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this." You had to jinx it, didn't you? The instant he said that, the rock he was on cracked and broke away from the cliff. He screamed as he fell but managed to grab a branch sticking out of the cliff and held on for dear life.

"Wally!" Anne screamed. "Hold on, we're coming!"

"No. I'll be fine! Just take the picture!"

Johan looked at the creature, then at Anne and Wally. "Anne, give me your phone!"

"What?!"

"I'll take the picture! Just go save Wally!"

Anne nodded and ran down the cliff.

Wally's grip on the branch started to slip. Then it snapped off due to his weight and he fell. Anne saw this and jumped off the cliff, flew down toward Wally and grabbed him. Then she used her Ripple again to land on thin air, just a foot away from the ground. She looked down before deactivating her Ripple, making the two land with a thump. They collapsed onto the ground, panting. "I can't believe that worked," she said.

"I think my heart stopped," Wally said.

Up above, they heard Johan laughing and cheering. "I GOT IT! I GOT THE PICTURE!"

Anne could not have been happier. "Hold on Wally, I'll be right back."

She brought Johan down and set him down on the ground. "It disappeared when it heard the camera flash," he explained. "But I got the picture!"

"Well, let us see, let us see," insisted Wally.

"Certainly." Johan showed the image, but to their disappointment, the image was all blurry, making the Moss Man look more like a bush.

"NO!" screamed Anne. "My phone's lens got all smudged up!" She fell onto her buttocks in defeat. "No one's going to believe me if I showed them this."

"We really blew it," said Johan as he sat next to her.

Wally sat next to them and said, "You lost your one chance to get proof and it's all my fault. Now everyone's gonna think you're as loony as I am."

But instead of feeling dread, Anne said with a smile, "You know what? I'm good with that."

"Wait, really? What a turnaround," said Wally.

"We know what we saw," said Johan. "And I know what I felt when I punched it."

"And a good friend once told me," said Anne. "It doesn't matter what other people think of you."

"That's a good line," said Wally. "Would your friend mind if I used it?"

"You're the one who said it, weirdo," said Johan.

"Yeah, I know," Wally said with a laugh. "Or did I?"

Anne giggled. "You goofball."

"Hey, look," Johan pointed to a tree. "There's your hat!"

"Thanks, JoJo!" Wally hopped up and grabbed it. "I am complete!"

Suddenly, Johan sneezed. He sniffed and muttered, "Oh, damn. I think I got a cold."

"Ooh," said Anne, feeling regret again. "Sorry about that."

"You know what?" Johan said as he wiped his nose with his pajama shirt sleeve. "It was worth it."

When they returned to Wartwood, Anne and Wally recounted their tale to the people with Wally narrating and Anne playing the accordion. "So there we were, our bodies ravaged. Hanging on the edge of the cliff, the beastie staring down at us, lickin' its mossy chops."

"Any proof?" a female villager asked.

Anne showed them the blurry picture of the Moss Man.

"That's a tree," said a second female villager.

"No, that's a bush," said a male villager.

"A TREE!"

"A BUSH!"

What followed next was a free-for-all brawl. Anne and Wally silently walked away, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. "Well, they still don't believe," said Anne. "Not that it bothers me."

"The same goes for me," said Wally. "Well, best be heading off," he said as he took the accordion back from Anne and walked away. He began to sing, "Oh, there once was a lass named Anne the Fair. She put up a front and played her part. But soon enough touched this loon's heart..."

Anne just smiled. Just then, the Plantars approached her and Polly said, "Anne! We heard people at Stumpy's saying you're as weird as Wally."

"You must be pretty upset," said Sprig.

Anne just scoffed. "Honestly, guys, I don't mind."

Hop Pop took her hand and patted it in sympathy. "You don't have to be strong for us. Let it out, girl."

"No, seriously. I'm fine."

"Shh. Poor thing."

Now Anne was getting annoyed. But she decided to have a little fun with them. She let out a scream and began chasing after them, frothing at the mouth like a rabid animal. "I'M BIG-HEAD ANNE!"

"SHE'S DERRANGED!" screamed Polly.

If you're wondering what happened to Johan, he was in the Sundews' house, sitting on a couch with his feet in a bucket of warm water and a blanket wrapped around him. He sipped his tea, enjoying the silence when he sensed a presence. He looked up to see Ivy holding his phone. "I was wondering where that was."

"So, I heard from the grapevine that you, Wally and Anne saw the Moss Man and that you actually touched it."

"Actually, I punched it."

"What did it feel like?"

Johan thought for a moment. "Like wet grass, it was so sweaty. Oh, and it was a Stand user. That's why it's so hard to find."

Ivy stared then laughed. "You don't get much crazier than that."

Johan grabbed her by the head and flung her out the window. "FLY!"

To Be Continued...

Stand: Guerilla in tha Mist

User: Moss Man

Power: E

Speed: C

Range: E

Durability: C

Precision: A

Potential: D

Ability: Takes the form of a mist that renders its user invisible. While invisible, the user is completely silent as well. The mist can also be used to levitate the user like a leaf on the breeze.