In the forest, just behind the Plantar's farmhouse, Anne and Marcy sat in the lotus position, while Valeriana sat on a stump nearby. The Plantars poked their heads out from behind a tree.

"What are they doing?" asked Polly, who was riding in her little gold bucket being pulled by MicroAngelo. "They're just sitting."

"Shh," said Hop Pop. "They're meditating with Valeriana."

"Well, I wish they would stop! We should be going after Funny Valentine and getting the box back, but instead we're doing nothing!"

"Not true," said Sprig. "JoJo and Joan Jett have gone to Swamp Shiro to scope out City Hollow and he asked Maddie to remove the curse keeping Valeriana from telling us about Valentine's Stand."

"That's boring! We should be going in, guns a-blazing!"

"Ahem." Everyone turned to see Valeriana and the humans giving them the stink eye. "It's not a meditation session if there are interruptions," the newt growled at them.

"Oops. Sorry," said Hop Pop. "Come on, kids. Let's leave them be," he said as he dragged them away.

"Now. Where was I?" asked Valeriana. "Oh, yes. The reason you're feeling drained every time you use your powers is because you use them all at once. I want you to try to use the smallest fraction of your powers." Anne and Marcy breathed in and their hair and eyes glowed blue and green respectively. "There. Now try to maintain that position for as long as you can."

The sound of Joe Sparrow chirping made them open their eyes. "Ooh, they responded!" said Marcy, who took note of the message in the bird's beak.

"Who responded?" asked Anne.

"The armorer I called for," said Marcy. "We need to get ready for when we go after Valentine, right?"

"Right."

"And can we also agree that you need some new gear already?" Marcy gestured to Anne's school uniform and shoes, which by now had been worn out and had holes. "I mean, JoJo has gone through three different changes in style already."

"Fair enough."

"So, I called the armorer and asked him to come over and give you a whole new look! Come on!" Marcy ran out of the woods towards the Plantars' house.

"Wait! You're not done with your training," Valeriana called out, but she was already gone. "Ugh! Teenagers! They think they know everything. You give them an inch, they walk all over you." She then noticed Anne was still there, but with a look of trepidation on her face. "What is wrong, Anne?"

"Oh, no. Not again. I cannot tell you how many times Sasha and Marcy have tried to give me a makeover," Anne shuddered, recalling the time Marcy tried to give her a new haircut, only to shave her head completely bald! Her parents threw a fit and she had to wear a hat until her hair grew back. "This is not gonna go well."

"Why not tell friend Marcy that you don't want new look?" asked Valeriana.

"How can I say no to those eyes?"

"Simple. You say no."

"But what if I hurt her feelings? She's gone through so much trouble."

"It'll hurt her even more if you wait too long."

"That sounds like something JoJo would say." Anne exhaled, accepting, "You're right. I have to tell her now."

Meanwhile, at the barn, Hop Pop was giving Bessie a good hose down. "Bessie, ol' gal, this may be the biggest challenge we've ever faced, and I have a big job for ya." Bessie chirped only to make an angry squawk when Hop Pop sprayed her. Polly and Micro-Angelo rode up. "Speak of the frog devil," said Hop Pop. "Polly, leave Micro-Angelo here with us and get back to preparin'."

Polly made a happy smile. "Want me to grab a weapon or two from the hidden armory under the house?"

Hop Pop chuckled. "Go grab a weapon or three, dear. This Valentine sounds like a nasty customer, and I wanna be ready for anything."

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Polly hopped off back to the farmhouse.

Hop Pop said to the old snail, "Now then, Bessie, you remember MicroAngelo? The cute little snail we bought in Newtopia?" Bessie chirped and nodded. "Well, I'm sure you've noticed that he is young and cute and needs to be protected at all costs." MicroAngelo chirped as Hop Pop held him close. "By contrast," he said as he put the smaller snail down. "You are an older snail. Much older. I mean, you've seen your share of winters, that's for sure." He chuckled, but Bessie didn't find his joke funny. "The point is, while we're busy packing today, I'm gonna need you to take this little cutie under your shell, all right? He's your responsibility. Can I trust you with this very important job?" Bessie saluted with her eye stalks. "That's my good girl. Don't let me down. 'Kay. Thanks. Bye."

MicroAngelo chased his tail, got dizzy and fell on his side. Bessie helped him up. A growling sound was heard from his stomach. Bessie knew what to do. She grabbed some snail feed and poured it in a bowl. But when she looked up, he was gone. She looked around, then saw the small snail playing in the well's bucket. When she saw that the rope was fraying, she gasped with horror and quickly crawled over to the well and grabbed the bucket just as the rope snapped.

Bessie sighed in relief and was about to scold MicroAngelo for putting himself in danger, only to stop when she saw him cuddle up to her, climb onto her shell and go to sleep. How could she stay mad at that? She decided now was the best time to nap as well.

Back at the farmhouse, Hop Pop and Polly were still packing. "Can't have too many maps," said the former. "Or can you?"

Polly dragged in a box full of boom shrooms. "Definitely gonna need these bad boys. And now to get more deadly weapons. Ha-ha!"

Meanwhile, Anne sat on a stump, tapping her foot nervously. Sprig said, "Hey, so, I heard Marcy's giving you a makeup but you don't want one, yet you're afraid to say no."

"What?! Did Valeriana tell you that?"

"I kinda slipped away from Hop Pop to watch you and Marcy meditate and I overheard everything."

Anne sighed. "I don't know what to do, Sprig. I don't want to go through with it, but I don't want to hurt Marcy's feelings."

"Just tell her no. What's the worst that could happen?" Anne stared off into space, thinking about the horrible, over-the-top reactions Marcy might say. "Anne?"

"You know what? I'm just gonna play through the pain."

Bessie awoke after her nap, only to discover MicroAngelo was gone. She heard his chirp and to her horror, she saw him crawl on the log pile...while Frobo was nearby, chopping wood for the fire! Frobo grabbed the log he was on and Bessie quickly snatched him before the robot could chop him in half and rolled down the hill. Frobo gave her a friendly wave.

Bessie turned her attention to MicroAngelo, only to see him playing in the streets just as a crab-drawn carriage was heading his way! Quickly, she sped toward him and tackled him out of the way. That was it. She put her foot down and began scolding the little snail, only to stop when she saw him start to cry. No, no! She had to be firm! But the sight of him slink away sadly softened her a little. She gave him a forgiving tap with her eyestalk and let him slither close to her. Then they both whistled a tune as they made their way to the barn.

The crab-drawn carriage came to a stop and a magenta newt stepped out. He had dark gray hair standing upright and combed forward with a ponytail in the back, and wore a white coat with golden shoulder pads with two pearls on top, round double cuffs at the end of the sleeves, with a dark gray undershirt from which part of his sleeve protrudes below the cuffs of the coat, a light green scarf, light gray pants, white shoes, and a light green bowtie in his ponytail.

"My name is Bernardo," he said in a flamboyant voice. "Who is in need of my services? Never mind. It is clearly you," he said to Anne.

She looked down at her clothes and asked, "Is it really that bad?"

"It's worse," Bernardo whispered as he dramatically took off his rose-colored glasses.

Later, he had his products and equipment brought into the Plantars' house, ready to give Anne the proper makeover she desperately needed. Or at least, he thought she needed.

"I don't know, Mar-Mar. These old duds have been good to me, you know?"

"Anne, we're probably going home soon. Don't you want to live the fantasy a little? Try a new identity? Role-play?"

No. I don't want to do this. She has to know, thought Anne. "Marcy, I really don't want..."

"Enough chitty chatty," said Bernardo as he used a footstool to get up to eye level with Anne. "Anne, who do you want to be?"

"Uh..."

Marcy held up a brown armor and a blue robe. "A melee-focused warrior? Maybe a staff-wielding mage. Well, I'm excited to see what you pick. Have fun, you two. I'm gonna go mix a bunch of potions for when we go after Valentine." Marcy dropped the garments and went out the door.

"But..." Anne tried to say.

Bernardo said, "In Newtopia this season, it is all about... barbarian. Furs. Metal studs. Mallets. Everyone looks good in barbarian. Trust me."

Anne didn't look so sure. She turned to Sprig for help. He said, "Barbarian sounds pretty cool. Why don't you just wear a few and see how you feel? It won't hurt to try."

One of Bernardo's assistants wheeled in a black, blue and purple spiky armor. "First up, this lovely little number covered with painful poison barbs."

"Never mind. That looks like it'll hurt."

"SPRIG!" snapped Anne.

Bessie woke up from her nap and found MicroAngelo gone again. She saw him chasing a small beetle, heading toward the Plantars' farmhouse, where Polly was bringing out dangerous sharp weapons and Marcy was brewing her potion. She chased after the little snail through the vegetable patch, knocked over crates, slithered past Pollly which caused her to fling her weapons into the air, made Frobo fall into Marcy's cauldron, spilling the potion everywhere and making the ground slippery.

This chain reaction caused Bessie to lose control and she crashed into Hop Pop, who was still looking at his maps. "Holy hornets! My maps! Bessie, what's gotten into you? You're supposed to be looking after MicroAngelo, not causing a frog-dang ruckus!" Hop Pop said as he gestured at the mess in anger.

Bessie gave him a sad look.

"What the heck happened? I thought you were my good girl. This was obviously just too much responsibility for ya. Come on, Bessie." Hop Pop led Bessie into the barn, while MicroAngelo watched, confused as to what just happened. Weren't they having fun?

Bessie was led back into her stall and Hop Pop shackled her. "Sorry, old girl. Today's preparations are just too important."

Hop Pop left the old snail and she looked out her stall's window at the farmhouse sadly. She heard MicroAngelo's chirp and she glared at him. This was his fault she was in this mess! So she hid in her shell and refused to come out. MicroAngelo felt his heart drop in sadness.

Meanwhile, Anne was being fitted, and clearly not liking it. She was wearing a barbarian outfit consisting of a fur bikini and loin cloth, leather boots and a skull hat. "Uh, guys? Not really sure this is my style."

"I think you look neat," said Sprig. "Loving that loincloth."

Bernardo said, "Hmm, it is a bit loud. Let's try a few options. Eggwellems!" he called out for his assistant, who swapped the barbarian outfit for a witch's black cloak and skull staff. "Perhaps a sorceress supreme?" Bernardo asked.

"Eh, too magical."

Next outfit. A soldier's uniform that reminded Anne of the palace guards from England. "An elite commando?"

"Too formal."

"Crane style! Mantis style! Moth style."

"NO MORE BUGS!" Anne shouted as she tore off the moth costume.

Bernardo said to Sprig, "Your friend is, um, how to say? Hard to please."

"Tell me about it," said Sprig with a nod.

"Guys, this stuff is cool and all, but it's too much," said Anne, who was now wearing a pair of brass gauntlets with matching boots. "I mean, who even needs these giant metal hands?"

"Technically speaking, those are siege gauntlets with built-in fire launchers," said Bernardo.

Anne looked at the device on her right arm and Sprig, unable to contain himself, gasped. "Is that a tiny trebuchet? I'm gonna touch it."

"No, Sprig, no!"

Too late. The little frog launched the fireball and it flew out the window. "Oops."

"SPRIG!"

Outside, MicroAngelo saw the fireball roll along the ground, heading toward the maps still on the ground. But that wasn't the worst of it. The maps formed a trail that led to the box of boom shrooms...which was placed right next to the fwagon, with Hop Pop and Polly still packing inside. Quickly, MicroAngelo cried out and clawed at the stable. Bessie poked her eyestalks out and was about to tell him to go away, until she saw what he was trying to warn her about.

The old snail tried to break herself free from the chain, but it was too strong. With no other options, she called MicroAngelo and gave him a bucket of water, telling him to put out the fire quick. The little snail did a salute and ran out the stable to put out the fire. But it seemed fate hated him as a bird swooped down and grabbed him.

Bessie screamed. She didn't know what to do. But then she saw the picture of herself, Anne, JoJo and the Plantars hanging on her wall and knew she had to save everyone, even MicroAngelo. With her vigor restored, she pulled and pulled on the chain with all her might. She pulled...pulled...pulled! Until the chain snapped and she burst down the barn's door.

Everyone came outside, alerted by the sound. "What in the world?!" exclaimed Hop Pop.

Anne, now wearing a full suit of armor, stumbled around, unable to see where she was going. "What's happening?"

Bessie used the barn door as a ramp to launch herself into the air. Everyone was in awe. "SOMEBODY PLEASE NARRATE WHAT'S HAPPENING!" Anne shouted.

Bessie slammed into the bird, saving MicroAngelo. They landed safely on the ground, rolled over to the fire and put it out before it could reach the boom shrooms. As for the bird, it went down and crashed into the ground, creating an explosion that awed everyone even more. Bessie set MicroAngelo down and they high fived with their eye stalks.

Hop Pop ran up to them and exclaimed, "Oh, my frog, Bessie! Not only did you save Micro-Angelo, you saved us from being nearly obliterated." He asked sternly, "Who put these boom shrooms here?"

Polly raised her little flipper. "Uh, guilty."

"Ahem," said a voice. It was Valeriana. "I was coming here to tell Anne and Marcy to stop playing dress up and get back to training, and instead I find you almost blown up!"

"Well, technically, we did go through the whole day without draining our powers," said Marcy. "Look! My hair and eyes have stayed green the whole time!"

Valeriana looked at her and said, "Yes. That is impressive. Where is Anne?"

"Right here. A little help?"

Valeriana helped her up and said, "Anne, don't you have something to say to Marcy?"

Time to face the music, Anne decided. "Marcy, I don't want a makeover. I never did."

"Huh? Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Are you crazy now?"

"Listen, I think the reason I don't want a new look because I'm finally happy with who I see in the mirror right now. So no matter what I put on, I just wanna see the same person smiling back," said Anne as Valeriana helped take off the armor. She was about to remove the breastplate when Anne said, "Wait. Leave that."

Valeriana asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Anne looked at her reflection in Frobo's chest and smiled. "It's good enough for me. What do you guys think?"

Marcy and Sprig smiled. If it's good enough for Anne, it's good enough for them. "Minimalist. Bernardo like," said the stylist.

"You're right," said Marcy. "It is perfect."

"Whoo!" cheered Sprig.

"But a summer cut might be cute," said Marcy as she made a scissors gesture only for an annoyed Anne to slap her hand away.

Hop Pop said to Bessie "Looks like I owe you an apology. I knew you were my good girl." The old snail made a forgiving purr. "And you know? Maybe it was all too much to put on your shoulders. Tell you what. After today, you'll never have to look after MicroAngelo again. How's that... sound?" He trailed off as he saw Bessie and MircoAngelo slither back to the barn, whistling their tune. "Okay. Whatever you guys want. I mean, you'd know better," Hop Pop said before pausing, then saying with a hint of envy, "Wish I was a cute, little snail."

That night, Bessie and MicroAngelo would sleep together in the stall. A recent addition had been made to the family photo hanging on the wall: a hand drawn picture of MicroAngelo.

With the shenanigans out of the way, the girls resumed their training with Valeriana. So far, they learned how to use their powers without draining themselves and also learned to create constructs with them, much like Green Lantern. Still, it was quite taxing as it almost drained them on their first try.

"Now, you girls have each learned ancient Amphibian techniques, Ripple and Spin, correct?" They both nodded. "And you say your friend Sasha combines her Stand with her powers. I want you to do the same, but with your techniques. Again, without overexerting yourselves."

Anne inhaled and activated her Ripple, causing a blue ripple effect that spread beneath her. Marcy held out her hand and used her Spin to produce a ball of spinning green energy that transformed into a die.

"Good. Now attack me!"

"Huh?" both girls asked.

"Uh, these powers are kinda..."

"What?" Valeriana interrupted Marcy. "Are you afraid of hurting a helpless, defenseless old woman?" she asked sarcastically.

"Heck no," said Anne. "I've kinda wanted to get my revenge on you back at the temple. This is gonna be fun!" She charged at Valeriana, but the one-armed newt leaped up, dodging her punch. "What the?" Anne suddenly felt Valeriana's cane slam into her back and she was sent flying into a tree. She groaned and rubbed her head. She looked up and saw Valeriana floating in the air, standing on her cane. "No way, you can use Ripple, too?"

"No. It's magic."

Anne got back up and activated her Ripple. She grabbed onto some fallen leaves and made them as sharp as knifes and flung them at Valeriana, who quickly dodged them. "Ripple Cutter!" Anne spat a glob of saliva that took off like a bullet. Valeriana swatted it aside with her cane, only to get shocked when Anne shouted "Zoom Punch!" and collided her fist into her stomach.

Valeriana pulled out her Stand. "Back In Time! Re-do!"

Anne got back up and activated her Ripple. She grabbed onto some fallen leaves and made them as sharp as knifes and flung them at Valeriana, who quickly dodged them. "Ripple Cutter!" Anne spat a glob of saliva that took off like a bullet. Valeriana swatted it aside with her cane. Anne shouted "Zoom Punch!" but Valeriana grabbed her by the hand and slammed her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her. With her breathing cut short, her Ripple deactivated.

"No fair," she wheezed. "You used your Stand."

"I never said I played fair. You must learn to change your strategies as I do with my Stand. Now, let's see what your friend can do. Hmm?" She looked around, but Marcy was gone. "Where'd she go?"

Up in the tree, Marcy muttered some calculations, activated her Spin and flicked four energy dice at Valeriana. But instead of striking her, they bounced around her, distracting her and allowing Marcy to get close enough to fire an energy arrow from her hand, making a direct hit.

"Back In Time! Re-Do!"

"Oh, no, not again!"

Up in the tree, Marcy muttered some calculations, activated her Spin and flicked four energy dice at Valeriana. But instead of striking her, they bounced around her, distracting her and allowing Marcy to get close enough to fire an energy arrow from her hand, making a direct hit. Well, that's what she wanted to do, but instead, Valeriana spun around and slammed her tail into the girl, sending her flying into Anne.

"Had enough?" the old newt teased.

"Not yet," said Marcy as she and Anne got back up. "Anne, I got an idea."

She whispered her plan to her, who asked, "You sure it will work?"

"Nope. But it can't hurt to try."

Anne and Marcy nodded then brought their hands together, creating a blue and green whirlwind. Valeriana's eyes widened. "They're combining their energy?" Both girls fired the whirlwind at the newt, and this time, she didn't have the chance to activate her Stand and she was sent flying into the top of a tree. She laughed and got back down, applauding. "Well done, my apprentices."

"Did we win?" asked Anne. "Does that mean we have what it takes to go after Valentine?"

"No." Anne and Marcy were crestfallen. "Only a Stand can defeat another Stand. Even the power of stones alone are no match for a Stand. But if your friend Sasha, a fellow Stand user, were here, we might have a chance. Her Stand is imbued with the stones' power just like your Ripple and Spin are."

"We're not really on speaking terms," said Anne. She and Marcy's hair and eyes returned to normal. "Besides, I don't know where to find her even if I wanted to."

"Well, we have to try," said Marcy. "We can't go home unless all three powers are together. Only then can the four of us go back home. You, me, Sasha, and JoJo. Who knows? Maybe she'll be wanting to apologize?"

Anne looked unsure. "I don't know if I am ready to forgive her yet. I'm not sure if JoJo is either."

Before Valeriana could respond, Sprig appeared, shouting, "Anne, Anne, Anne, Anne!"

"What is it Sprig?"

"JoJo and Joan Jett are back! They say they have a plan to get the box back from Valentine!"

Anne and Marcy looked at Valeriana, who exhaled. "You may join them. But, I have a feeling this will end badly."

"Stop being such a doubter," said Anne. "We're finally going to get our revenge on Valentine and get the box back! We're ready for anything!"

"Not really," said Marcy. "We're not ready at all. We're just out of time."

"Works good enough for me!"

Marcy exhaled. "This would be the part JoJo would say 'Santo cielo'."

To be continued ➟