Toad Tower North. In a chamber were toads of all kinds were sitting on raised bleachers and facing a central stage. Captain Bufo, Captain Beatrix, and Captain Aldo all sat together on one side of the room. The room was filled with quiet chatter as everyone waited for something to happen.

"So, the disgraced Captain Grime called this council meeting? Does anyone have any idea why?" asked Captain Bufo, ruler of Toad Tower East. He was a large bufo toad with green skin, yellow eyes, black hair tied in a ponytail and wearing gray samurai armor. Oh, and if anyone asks, he's not related to Mr. Bufo from Blue Oyster Cult, something he's said multiple times.

"Maybe he wants to be surrounded by friends when he gets arrested," said Captain Beatrix, ruler of Toad Tower West. She was a large toad with dark green skin, black hair with a white streak, blind in the left eye and wearing purple armor. "What do you think, Aldo?"

Captain Aldo was the ruler of Toad Tower North. He was a very, very, VERY old gray toad wearing armor Mongolian armor and a brown cape with a spider clasp. He did not respond. In fact, it was hard to tell if he was even breathing. A beetle crawled in one empty eye socket and out the other.

"Uh, is he asleep or dead?" asked Bufo.

"Definitely smells dead," said Beatrix, making herself and Bufo laugh.

On the stage, Braddock poked her head out the curtain to look at the audience before coming back in. "Not exactly a welcoming crowd," she said to Percy and Sasha. Sasha had gone through some changes. She now wore new red armor like Percy and Braddock, her ponytail had grown back and her eyes and hair had become dark pink, the result of her endless training using her powers.

"Especially that Captain Beatrix," said Percy nervously. "What's her problem?"

"Her problem is that she's my sister," said Grime, wearing the same new red armor as everyone else. "And I may have teased her quite a bit when we were tadpoles."

Percy and Braddock's reactions were predictable.

"WHAT?!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"That's it, stick a fork in us," said Braddock. "We're done."

Percy grabbed a paper bag and hyperventilated into it.

"Enough loser talk," said Sasha, putting a reassuring hand on the two of them. "We can do this. Just remember what we practiced and keep your eye on the prize."

"Ooh! That reminds me." Percy ran off and came back with a white paint bucket and brush and four capes, one for each of them. "I have one last touch for our outfits." Everyone put on the capes and Percy drew an eye symbol on all of them. "Now we really are a team."

"One eye. I see what you did there," said Grime, referring to his blind eye.

"Nice one, Perce!" complimented Sasha. Everyone put their hands in the middle. "Now, come on everyone. Let's get out there and impress some toads... or we die!" They raised their hands up and cheered.

Back in the council chamber, the toads were getting impatient. "Dang it, Beatrix! What's your brother waiting for?" snapped Bufo.

He looked up as the curtains over the window close and the stage curtains opened to reveal Percy and Sasha, a spotlight flicking on. A drumroll echoed through the room, then as Sasha set down an easel, the music switched to pop. Percy started to dance. The toads gasped in awe. Braddock shifted the spotlight to rest on Grime, standing above the stage with a rope in hand. He swung onto the stage and lands on a loose floorboard, catapulting Percy into the air. Percy used a t-shirt cannon to shoot t-shirts reading 'Toadz Rule!' into the crowd.

Grime stepped on stage and cleared his throat. "My fellow toads." Sasha began to flip pages on the easel as he spoke, showing pictures that illustrated his speech. "For years, we have kept the kingdom's servants in line. But are we not just servants ourselves? I propose a future where toads overthrow King Andrias, and take our rightful place as rulers of all Amphibia!"

"Psst," whispered Sasha. "Drop the mike!"

"Oh! Uh, right!" Grime did so, causing a feedback.

There was nothing but silence. Then Bufo said, "You all took a huge risk coming here to gain support for your rebellion."

"And it paid off," said Beatrix. "We frogging loved it!" Every toad cheered. Sasha and Grime could not believe their luck. "Nicely done, Grimothy," Beatrix teased Grime.

Braddock and Percy made teasing smiles while Sasha almost laughed. "No way! Is your real name..."

"You're not talking about this!" Grime said, red in the cheeks.

"So tell us, tell us, who's leading this revolution?" Bufo asked.

"I was thinking... us?" Grime asked invitingly.

Bufo and Beatrix frowned and whispered among each other before the former said, "Yeah, I don't think so. We love your vision, but no toad is going to follow the command of a fugitive and his hummus."

"Humans," corrected Sasha. "We're called 'humans'."

"Bufo's right," said Beatrix. "Just because King Andrias is working with a couple of hummuses doesn't mean us toads will go for it."

Sasha said, "Wait, other humans? They must be talking about JoJo, Anne and Marcy." Her hair and eyes glowed brighter in response to her anger. "I don't believe it. They're working together? Without me?" Her teeth gritted.

"And apparently, aiding the crown," said Grime.

"Speaking of which, this whole thing is beginning to sound too risky," said Bufo. "Guards! Arrest them!"

Armored toads began to march toward the stage, spears at the ready. Sasha let out a furious scream and charged at the toads with her Stand, Slash at the ready. "Sasha, no!" shouted Grime, but she didn't listen. She plowed her way through the armored toads with her powers combined with Slash.

Then she walked up to Bufo and had Slash point her sword at him. "Listen here, you buffoon! What's it gonna take to prove that you should follow us?"

Then suddenly, Captain Aldo stirred, causing the vines growing on his body to break. He said in a deep voice that sounded more like a death rattle, "Barrel's Warhammer."

Bufo and Beatrix turned to face him, shocked by his suggestion and the fact that he was actually alive. "Barrel's Hammer? You've finally gone senile, Aldo," said Bufo.

"Yeah, that's a suicide mission," said Beatrix.

Aldo held his hand up for silence. "It is said that the one who wields this hammer is the true leader of all toads. It is the one thing, the only thing, that will prove we should follow you."

"Great! Done! You'll have it in your Crypt-keeper hands by morning," said Sasha, ignoring the looks of trepidation on Grime, Braddock and Percy's faces.

Bufo and Beatrix gasped, then laughed. "No toad has ever gone after the hammer and made it back alive," said the former. "This I've gotta see."

Later, Sasha and her toads rented a boat and went down the river, following a map that would lead them to the hammer. "So, what's this hammer, and why are y'all so scared of it?" asked Sasha.

"A little late to be asking, don't you think?" asked Grime.

"It's the weapon of the legendary toad warrior, Barrel the Brave!" exclaimed Percy.

"Barrel gave his life defending a helpless village from a terrifying beast!" said Braddock.

"Legend has it that this same beast guards his hammer to this very day," whimpered Percy.

"Enough whimpering!" shouted Grime as he pushed his way between the two of them. "We don't even know if this tadpole tale is real."

Sasha noticed Percy whimpering and looking like he was on the verge of wetting himself. "Listen, if things get too wild out here, just give me a signal and I'll call the whole thing off."

"A signal?" asked Percy. "What kind of signal?"

"Hmm. How about this? Do your best kawaii pose. It's something we do for photos in my world. Like this." She made the peace hand sign and made the cutest smile she could muster.

"What's a photo?" asked Braddock.

"Just try it," said Sasha. The two frogs copied her and she laughed.

"No giggling! We're here," Grime called out from the boat's crow's nest.

They landed on an island in the middle of a swamp, where the only inhabitants they saw so far were flying leeches. Percy tugged on Sasha's cape and said, "Hey, Sash. Thanks for that. I feel better already."

She smiled and said, "Hey, my pleasure. And don't forget, just strike a pose and we'll leave."

A few minutes of walking later...

"According to the map Aldo gave us, we should be close to where the hammer was last seen," said Sasha.

"This is insane!" shouted Grime. "Even if it exists, we'll never find it."

Percy said, "Found it!"

Everyone looked to where he was pointing at. Sticking out of the ground was a two-handed claw hammer with runes carved on the head. Grime was ecstatic. "I don't believe it. It's real! Ha, ha! Our ticket to revolution!"

"And no beast in sight," said Percy. "Could life actually be this easy for a change?"

"Quick, Grimesy! Yank that thing out already," said Sasha.

Grime rubbed his hands together and pulled on the hammer's handle, but it did not budge. "A little help here."

"Okay, gang. On three," said Sasha as everyone gathered around. "One, two, three!"

"Drop the hammer," said an unfamiliar female voice. Everyone turned around and saw a pink newt with pink hair standing behind them. She was wearing a baggy striped suit further covered with a long blouse decorated with metallic flowers and leaves decorations, lined with fur and having a second layer of cloth covering her chest, a fur deerstalker hat decorated with a single spike at its top, furred elbow pads, assorted leg warmers, and a belt bearing the letters "HP". "And step away from the girl."

"If you think we're going to stop you from getting the hammer, you've got another thing coming," said Sasha.

"I told you, I don't want that old relic. I want you, Sasha Waybright."

"Relic?!" exclaimed Grime, offended. "This is an ancient toad weapon - how do you know Sasha's name?" he asked in realization.

"My employer's been keeping an eye on you and your friends for some time now," said the newt. "And now, you're coming with me."

Sasha's heart nearly jumped when she heard her friends' names and her hair and eyes shimmered in reaction. Then she got angry. "Listen here, you..."

"Hot Pants. Call me Hot Pants," said the newt.

Percy laughed. "Hot Pants? What kind of a name is Hot Pants?"

"You know what? I don't have time for this," said Hot Pants as she took out what looked like an aerosol hairspray can from a gun revolver. "You're coming with me, Sasha."

"And if I say no?" In response, Hot Pants sprayed a flesh colored foam at her, but she ducked. "Ha! You missed!"

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"

"Huh?" Sasha turned around to see Percy struggling to get the foam off his mouth, but it fused his lips shut. "What is that stuff, get it off him!"

Braddock tried, but she couldn't. "It's like whatever that foam was became part of his skin!"

"Wait, that's not foam," said Grime. "It's flesh!"

"Yes," said Hot Pants. "My Cream Starter's flesh spray can be used for almost anything."

"Cream Starter?" asked Sasha before realizing, "Oh, shit, she's a Stand user!"

"It's still four against one," said Grime. "We can take her."

"No," said Sasha. "Our number one priority is that hammer. You get it, I'll fend her off." She summoned Slash, who pointed its sword at Hot Pants. She charged at Hot Pants, but she quickly dodged her and her Stand's swords. She then sprayed the flesh foam at Sasha, but she quickly dodged it and thrusted her sword forward. Hot Pants sprayed a wall of flesh, trapping the sword in it. She struggled to get it out, but it was stuck. Slash cut the sword free, only to get its hands sprayed and fused together by Cream Starter. The effect also happened to Sasha and her hands were stuck together.

"If I wanted to," said Hot Pants. "I can spray your face with more flesh, smothering you until you lose consciousness. Or you will come quietly and I will take you to your friends. Though from the sound of it, they seem to be doing fine without you. In fact, I don't think they even need you anymore."

Sasha's eyes widened when she heard that and her hair and eyes glowed brighter. With a roar, she freed her hands from the flesh, ripping parts of the skin of her hands off in the process. She winced as she looked at her bleeding hands then glared at Hot Pants. "My friends...WILL ALWAYS NEED ME! MUUURIIIII!" She roared and charged at the newt at light speed, surprising her.

Then, forgetting about her swords and Stand, she began to pummel Hot Pants into the ground, until the newt countered by grabbing Cream Starter and spraying her in the eyes, fusing her eyelids shut. As Sasha tried to yank the flesh off, Hot Pants grabbed her by the head and slammed her into the ground. "Stay down," she said as she removed the flesh from Sasha's face without ripping her eyelids off in the process. Sasha just glared at her.

Meanwhile, Grime managed to free Braddock and Percy from the flesh, albeit painfully, using his Toxic Avenger. Seeing Sasha in trouble, the toads doubled their efforts in removing the hammer. They moved it by just an inch when suddenly, the ground began to shake. Something moving was moving toward them. "The b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-beast!" stammered Percy.

"Look alive! Who knows where it'll come from..." Grime was interrupted when the ground shook, knocking everyone off the island and into the water. They climbed into the boat and watched the island move on its own. Only, it wasn't an island. It was a giant armored worm with a horn.

"Oh, shit," said Hot Pants. "That's a narwhal worm!"

Grime let out a laugh as he took out his sword and summoned Toxic Avenger. "What a great way to go!"

"Stand back, everyone," said Sasha. "I'm gonna...gonna..." Her hair and eyes reverted back to their normal state and she collapsed. "No! Not now!"

"You used up your energy while fighting Hot Pants," said Grime. "You burned yourself out!"

Sasha looked behind her and saw Percy and Braddock desperately making kawaii poses, telling her they wanted to go now. She turned back to the narwhal worm and saw the hammer lodged in the scales on top of its head. "Sorry, guys, but we're way too close to bail. I am not going back empty-handed."

Percy and Braddock were stunned.

"But..."

"You said..."

"Steer us closer," Sasha told Grime. "We need to get it to attack us. Use Toxic Avenger's acid on it."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Percy and Braddock.

"Trust me!"

"No," said Hot Pants. "We're turning this boat around!"

"Who died and made you captain?" snapped Sasha. "I'm not taking orders from someone who tried to kidnap me!"

"Focus, Lieutenant!" shouted Grime. He used his Stand to melt through the worm's armor, allowing Sasha to poke its soft part with her sword. The worm let out a roar of pain and anger as it coiled up and aimed its horn at the ones who provoked it.

"All right, now we've got its attention," said Sasha. "Get ready. Three, two, one, now!" Right as the worm struck the boat, the five of them leaped out, landing on its scales, and Sasha lodged her sword in. The beast straightens up, and they all began to slide. Sasha caught Grime and clutched onto her sword. Grime caught Braddock, who caught Percy's jester hat. Hot Pants used her Cream Starter to fuse her flesh onto the worm's armor.

Percy caught sight of the boat and said, "Aw man, that was my mom's boat."

"Was it insured?" called out Hot Pants.

Percy's eyes widened a little. "Uh-oh."

The worm flattened out, and they use the opportunity to run to its head. Sasha yanked on the hammer still stuck in its head, Grime, Percy, and Braddock following suit. Hot Pants just watched on. "This thing's never coming loose!" shouted Sasha. She let go of the hammer and ran to the narwhal worm's horn. She threw her cape aside and pulled out a lasso. She swung the lasso around and threw it up at the horn. She yanked on the rope, and the beast was forced to lean back, sending a terrified Percy and Braddock tumbling down its side, just barely managing to hold on. Sasha managed to turn the beast around and sent it barreling straight for the North Tower.

When Hot Pants saw this, her eyes widened, "Oh, crap! What are you doing, Sasha?!"

"What does it look like, Hot Pants? I'm getting the Warhammer back to the tower!"

Grime let out a laugh. "You're insane and I love it!"

Back inside the tower, a small toad scientist was showing a demonstration of new armor. "Last Toad Summit was all about improvements to Toad armor durability. This year, the R & D team gives you... armor customization!" The model turned around, displaying armor with a picture of a duck and the words 'Toad Up'. The room erupted with cheers.

"Ooh, the ducky looks nice," said Bufo.

Then suddenly a roar was heard, attracting the attention of one of the audience members. "Hey, Greg, what do you think that is?"

Greg looked out the window with his binoculars. "Hmm, that's clearly a narwhal-worm being ridden by a hummus. Heading straight for us."

Oh, crap.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Percy and Braddock felt the opposite as they screamed and held on for dear life. "Sasha... please... stop this!" Percy cried out.

"But we're almost there!"

Hot Pants looked ahead and gasped. "You're coming in too fast! You're going to crash us into the tower!"

"She's right," said Grime. "Turn left! Turn left!"

Sasha gasped, then grunted as she tried to steer the worm to the side. The narwhal worm growled and a blew a column of air out of its blow hole, then it rushed forward even faster. "I can't! I've lost control of it!"

Grime and Hot Pants ran forward and tugged on the rope. "There must be another way to stop it!" the former shouted. "Hot Pants! Can't you use your Cream Starter's flesh spray to stop it? Blind it, stick its coils together, anything!"

"At this point, anything I do now would cause it to go into a death roll and squash us all! What about your Toxic Avenger?"

"I already made it angry when I used my Stand on it! It'll just come after us again!"

Then Hot Pants had an idea. "The hammer. It's the only weapon big enough to dent this thing's armor. What if that's the reason it's out of control? It's like a thorn!"

"So if we pull it out," said Grime as he, Hot Pants and Sasha ran up to it. "It'll calm down?"

"Theoretically speaking, yes!"

"Why are you helping us," asked Sasha. "You want to kidnap me!"

"At this point, it's not about the job and more about living!"

All three of them grabbed onto the hammer and pulled, but it did not budge. "It's no use," said Grime. "Sasha, we've got to get out of here or we'll all die."

Sasha's eyes and hair flickered pink as she summoned a tiny spark of her powers. "No! I can do this! I am not gonna fail! Not while Anne and Marcy are getting by without me! Not until I settle the score with JoJo!"

Sasha adjusted her stance and gritted her teeth, pulling with everything she had. All the while shouting, "MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI, MURI!" Finally, she managed to pull the hammer out from the beast's head, and she hefted it above her head, much to Hot Pants and Grime's amazement. She nearly fell over, but Grime and Hot Pants rushed in and helped her out. The hammer lit up with pink runes, and electricity sparked on its head before jet flames activated in the back, pushing Sasha, Grime and Hot Pants forward. They used the extra momentum to slam the Warhammer into the head of the narwhal-worm, knocking it unconscious.

Unfortunately, its momentum did not stop and it continued to slide forward. Greg and the female toad screamed as the worm drew nearer. It slid forward, its horn smashing into the window just above the Toad Council's table. The room filled with gasps, and Bufo and Beatrix turned to look at the interruption, shocked.

"One Warhammer, as promised," said Sasha as she tossed the Warhammer down, and it landed with a thud in the center of the room. Grime and Sasha hopped down from the narwhal-worm, and Grime rushed forward to pick up the hammer. The room erupted with cheers.

Aldo raised his hand for silence and said, "We hereby grant you the support of all three towers for your rebellion."

Sasha's face lit up and she did a victory dance. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

"Well, Lieutenant," said Grime, giving her a nudge. "I had my doubts, but we did it."

"Of course, we did. After all, we're the best team in this or any other world. Right, Braddock? Percy?" She glanced behind her in time to see Braddock and Percy scream and topple to the ground. "Woah, you guys okay?"

They were covered in bruises, cuts, dirt and frankly, they did not look like they wanted to be there anymore. "'Okay'? Sasha, we almost died back there," Percy exclaimed.

"We trusted you, and you didn't care one bit about what happened to us as long as you got what you wanted," said an equally disappointed and angry Braddock.

"That's not true," said Sasha. "Besides, we did it."

No, Sasha, you did it. And I think me and Braddock are done with this. With all of it," said Percy as he and Braddock began to walk toward the exit.

Sasha looked more shocked than hut as she tried to stop them. "What? Where are you going? Guys, come back. You're not actually gonna throw this all away, are you? We are so close. I can feel it."

Percy gave her one last sad smile. "Goodbye, Sash. We hope you pull it off. We really do."

Sasha tried to follow them, but Grime stopped her. "That's enough, Lieutenant."

"Get out of my way, Grime."

"Just let them go, Sasha. We all have our limits. It looks like they finally hit theirs."

A look of sadness started to form on her face. "But..."

"I know it hurts. But remember, every dream has its price, and not everyone's willing to pay it. Now come on, soldier. We've got a world to conquer."

Sasha took a look at her friends one last time and said, "Goodbye, Percy. Goodbye, Braddock." Somewhere in her heart, she prayed this won't be what happens when she meets Anne, Marcy, and JoJo.

The sound of a can hissing caused her to turn around and she saw Hot Pants pointing Cream Starter at her. "You're coming with me, Sasha Waybright."

Sasha's eyes turned pink as a look of anger started to form. "I do NOT want to deal with you right now!"

"Well, that is what I want to do, but..." Hot Pants glanced around the room, taking note of the toads who were glaring at her, especially Grime and Beatrix, both of whom were Stand users. "I think that's not going to happen now." She put Cream Starter into holster. "Let's see." She reached into her pocket and took out a note. "'If the subject fails to cooperate, use the leverage to get her to comply.' Right. Should have done that from the beginning."

"What leverage?" asked Grime.

"What were your friends' names again? Anne Boonchuy, Marcy Wu, and JoJo?" Sasha's breath hitched. "My employer has been keeping a close eye on them for some time now."

Sasha summoned Slash, who pointed its sword at her. "What did you do to them?"

"Nothing. He's going to let them come to him."

Sasha realized, "They're walking into a trap. Grime! We gotta get back to Wartwood and warn them!"

"Uh, that's a no go," he said. "They won't believe us, not after we, you know, tried to kill them."

"I have no choice! I already lost Percy and Braddock, I won't lose them either! And you!" Sasha pointed to Hot Pants. "You're coming with us! You're going to tell me everything about this employer of yours!"

Hot Pants stared at the girl for a few seconds. That poor girl, she thought. She's going down the same road she did. Maybe I can stop her before she does something she really regrets? "Okay," she finally said.

To be continued ➟

Stand: Cream Starter

User: Hot Pants

Power: D

Speed: C

Range: C

Durability: A

Precision: E

Potential: B

Ability: The signature ability of Cream Starter is to spray flesh as a cream-like substance that then retakes its original consistency. Hot Pants can spray a certain amount of flesh to act as a projectile, using her own flesh, or absorbing the flesh of an individual by directly touching them, to use as fuel for her spray. It seems that for small uses, no flesh is needed. The flesh can fly tens of meters in the air if need be, but Hot Pants typically uses the spray within proximity of herself.