Anne wanted to take the Plantars on a bus tour to the land of make believe one day. Otherwise known as... "Welcome to Hollywood," she said as the bus came to a stop in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. They had seen it before at night with Giorgio, but in the daylight, it was a sight to behold. Especially for Hop Pop. "Impressive, right, HP?" Anne asked him.
"Why, it's almost as if your world actually respects actors," the old frog said.
"Respects them? Ha! Around here people worship actor as gods," Anne finished her sentence in that scary voice.
Hop Pop looked at a celebrity being admired and worshiped on the red carpet. "If only that were me. I know my acting career didn't really pan out but maybe I'd have a shot in this world."
"Possibly. But Mr. X is after us and he's seen you, so we need to keep a low profile," pointed out Anne.
"He's gone," the Plantar kids said in unison.
"HE'S WHAT?!"
"HOLLYWOOD, HERE I COME!" shouted Hop Pop with glee.
Anne was about to chase after him, but then decided, "You know what? I do not have the energy for this."
The old frog ran down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, interrupting a photoshoot. He jumped on the stomach of a masked dancer in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater. He ran down further until he bumped into someone. "OH! I am so sorry," he said.
The man, who was a human mirror image of Hop Pop, picked himself up and said, "Ah, don't worry about it. Happens a lot at these old fogy auditions."
"WHAAT? AUDITIONS?" exclaimed Hop Pop as he looked at the line of senior citizens. "Are you all actors?"
"Guilty as charged. Still waiting for my big break, though," said the old man. He shook hands with Hop Pop and introduced himself, "Humphrey Westwood. Nice to meet ya. You an actor too?"
"Oooh, it's only my singular passion. I'm Hopediah Plantar," greeted Hop Pop.
"Say, I thought I knew all the seniors male actors around here," said Humphrey. "You from out of town?"
"Yep. Way out of town," Hop Pop said with a smirk.
Humphrey was confused. "What, like... Sacramento or..."
A representative poked her head out a door and called out, "OK. Are you Humphrey Westwood?"
Hop Pop realized she was talking to him. "Me? No. Why? Do we look alike?"
Humphrey gasped and said, "Hopediah, you should audition. Go ahead. Take my spot in line."
"Oooh no no no. I couldn't."
Humphrey pushed Hop Pop to the door, insisting, "Nonsense. This town can be harsh on newcomers. So consider this a welcome to Hollywood from me to you."
"Well. If you insist..." Hop Pop followed the representative into a room with a green screen. A spotlight shined on him and the director woman said, "All right. I'll set the scene for ya. You got this elbow cream, right? You put it on. You feel like brand new. You're so surprised, you say..."
Hop Pop paused, then made his best surprised expression as he slapped himself on the head and said, "Ooh! Wow! Great!"
"Hmmm... nooo. Not feeling it. Such a shame too because everything else about you is literally perfect."
"SAY WHAAAAT?!" Hop Pop's scream echoed around the sound studio, nearly knocking the film crew off their feet and even breaking one of their glasses.
The director immediately changed her mind and said, "That is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. Everyone, we've got a new catchphrase."
Everyone approached Hop Pop and gave him a standing ovation. The old frog blushed from all the flattery.
Meanwhile, Anne, Sprig, and Plantar were at a Hollywood gift shop, looking for some souvenirs to buy. Sprig tried on a pair of cool shades. "Yep. Can't see a thing," he said.
Polly showed off some bling with her name on them. "Hollywood? More like...Pollywood!"
Anne looked across the street and thought she saw the old frog. "Hmm? There's Hop Pop. And it looks like he didn't even cause any trouble." She and the Plantar kids ran across the street to confront him. "Hop Pop!" But the person turned around, revealing himself to be Humphrey. "Whoa. Sorry. You look just like someone I know."
The executive exited the room with a very happy Hop Pop and said, "All right, this guy got the part. Everyone else can go home." All the others who came for the audition left, complaining under their breaths. Sprig and Polly were excited to hear the good news while Anne exclaimed in disbelief, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Humphrey shook Hop Pop's hand, saying, "Hey, congratulations, Hopediah."
Hop Pop snapped out of his stupor and said, "Humphrey, wait. I just realized, I took your spot. Heck, I might've just stolen your opportunity."
"Aah. pishposh. It was one in a mil either way. I'm just happy it went to a nice guy. Plus, I've already waited 45 years for a break," Humphrey said as he waved goodbye. "What's a few more?"
Hop Pop felt bad. "45 years? I know the feeling, Humphrey."
Anne exhaled. "I still don't think this is a good idea, but as long as it's for something small that no one sees, maybe it'll be harmless."
She was wrong.
The next day, Giorgio was sitting in the dark hotel room, watching TV when a commercial came on. And when he saw that a certain frog was on TV, he spat out the blood he was drinking.
"Do your elbows crack when you bend them?"
"Try Cracka-Lackin' elbow cream. But wait! There's more!"
"SAY WHAT?"
Giorgio switched off the TV before he could see anymore and immediately dialed Anne's number. "Anne! Is this your idea of laying low?! All the world can see Hop Pop's face! His disguised face, but still!"
"It's not," insisted Anne. "Hop Pop thought he auditioned for a play, but it was a TV commercial instead!"
Giorgio face palmed. "Alright, just stay right there. I'll have Dad come over and help you guys get the commercial pulled before a certain FBI agent who's got a bone to pick with us sees it."
"Why can't you do it?" Giorgio made a frown as if to say, "Really?" As if reading his mind, Anne said, "Oh. Right. You're a vampire."
"I hope we can stop this before the wrong person sees that commercial."
In his penthouse suite, Funny Valentine was watching the commercial. He raised an eyebrow. "I wonder how long it will take for that flamboyant agent to see this?"
Said flamboyant agent, Mr. X, was in his apartment, eating some breakfast cereal and watching his favorite show on his iPad. "Just because I'm a federal employee, doesn't mean I can't enjoy the odd episode of 'Judge Julie'." The show then cut to a commercial break, and unfortunately, it was Hop Pop's commercial that came on first. Astonished, Mr. X spat out the cereal, took a screenshot of the commercial, and traced its origin on his computer.
An image of the film studio in Burbank popped up on the screen and Mr. X smiled. "And they said I was a fool to not pay for ad-free streaming." He dialed a number on his phone and said, "Hello, Latin Simone? I have a job for you."
Once again, Anne and the Plantars were on the bus tour, but they weren't there for the tour now. They were on a mission. "I still think this is overkill," said Hop Pop.
"Sorry, but we need to meet up with Mr. Giovanna and get the commercials pulled before this gets out of contr- HOLY CRUD!" What made Anne scream? The sight of a billboard with Hop Pop's face on it. And that wasn't all. There were ads EVERYWHERE. On trains, on top of cab roofs, on the side of buildings... Hop Pop had become a celebrity in just one day.
The Plantars were happy to see these ads, but Anne was not. As they got off the bus, Hop Pop said, "I can't believe all it look was getting trapped in another world to get my big break. But am I deserving? Am I living a dream and should've gone to Humphrey? Am I...ON A T-SHIRT?" He ran to a gift shop selling merchandise with his face on it and grabbed said shirt.
Polly grabbed a hat and Sprig grabbed a coffee mug. "Whoa! They have mugs too!"
Anne couldn't believe it. "You have a catchphrase?" She face palmed and said, "This would actually be pretty neat if it weren't so-" Her phone rang. The caller ID was unknown. She answered it and said, "Hello?"
"Hi. This is Mitch Harbor, calling for Hopediah Plantar."
Anne's eyes widened. "Wait. Mitch Harbor? The Mitch Harbor? Director of-"
"Fumagator I, II and IV? Yep." Anne couldn't believe it! How did he even get her phone number?! Mitch continued, "Now could I please speak to-"
Hop Pop snatched the phone out of her hand. "Hopediah Plantar. It's me. I'm Hopediah. Not anyone else. Only me."
"HP, I love your work! I want you to audition for a role in my latest film."
"SAY-MMPH!" A hand covered Hop Pop's mouth before he could say the catchphrase. The hand belonged to Giorno Giovanna. With his other hand, he grabbed Anne's phone and said, "Hopediah Plantar can't make it."
"GIVE ME THAT!" Hop Pop snatched the phone back. "No, no! I'm still interested, Mitch! Meet you at 10:00 a.m. at your office in the studio water tower? JUST SHOW UP AND I GET THE PART?"
Giorno grabbed it and hung it up before handing it back to Anne before he said to Hop Pop, "What the hell were you thinking, you vain old man?"
"Vain," Hop Pop exclaimed. "Is it vain to follow your dreams when your opportunity is just in front of your fingertips?"
"It is, if it means putting your family at risk," Anne snapped. "We're trying not to stand out! You're going to get your family dissected by some mad scientist because of your quest for fame!"
"This is why Italian Mafia gangs like Passione do not like to show off," said Giorno. "It puts a target on our backs if we did." He then said grimly, "Were you officially in the familia, you would be executed for putting us in danger, Hopediah Plantar." Hop Pop gulped.
"And besides," said Anne. "Didn't you say you felt bad for taking that Humphrey guy's chance to shine?" Hop Pop felt a pang of guilt over that.
Giorno said sternly, "If that's what happened, let me ask you something: Do you really think you deserve all this?" He looked around at all the posters and merchandise displayed around the city. "I must admit, even if we get the commercial pulled, it's going to be a challenge to get rid of these other forms of advertisements. You really dug yourself deep this time, Hopediah." He got no response.
"Hop Pop," called out Anne.
The old frog was walking away. "I'm sorry, Anne! This is too big to pass up!"
"NO! HOP POP! GET BACK HERE!" Before she and the Plantar kids could go after him, Giorno suddenly grabbed them and pulled them behind a garbage bin. "What are you-"
"Shh!" Giorno whispered. He gestured with his head to take a look. They peeked around the corner and saw, to their horror, Mr. X. "Jenny, he's headed for the studio lot. Meet me with reinforcements. We got him for real this time. Oh, and don't forget to call Latin Simone, tell her to have Victoria's Secret at the ready." He started chasing after the old frog.
"We've got to get Hop Pop before Mr. X does," said Anne.
"I'll stall him with these," Giorno said as he picked up shards of a broken bottle. He summoned Gold Experience Requiem, who then transformed them into a swarm of bees.
Mr. X was hot on Hop Pop's trail when he heard a loud buzzing. He turned around and his eyes widened when a swarm of bees flew toward him. Quickly, he grabbed a bottle of Raid and sprayed them. Unfortunately, he didn't see Giorno's fist coming until it punched him square in the face, knocking him out cold.
"Come on," said Sprig as he, Polly, Anne, and Giorno ran. "We gotta hurry! Whoever this Latin Simone is, she's probably at the studio already, waiting for Hop Pop!"
"From the sound of it," said Giorno. "She's most definitely a Stand user."
Anne spluttered then said, "Oh, come on! There are Stand users in the FBI, too?! It's not fair. I want a Stand so bad!"
At the studio, a guard let Hop Pop past the gates and he headed straight for the water tower. It was just about to enter his vision when suddenly, a woman's voice said, "Are you Hopediah Plantar?" Hop Pop turned around to see a dark-haired, tan-skinned woman in a silver suit with a red strap around her waist standing next to one of the studio golf carts.
"Uh, who wants to know," Hop Pop asked.
"Latin Simone. I'm a producer here at the studio. Mitch Harbor works for me."
"Oh. Well you tell him I'm on my way to the water tower."
"Actually, I need you to close your eyes and stand still for a moment," she insisted. "It's for a photo shoot."
"Uh...don't know why I have to do this out in the open, but okay!" Hop Pop struck a pose and shut his eyes. "How's this?"
"Perfect! Now stand still..." She summoned her Stand. It took the form of black thorny branches that snaked their way down her hand and toward Hop Pop. "Now, let's see if you're what Mr. X said you are."
Hop Pop's eyes opened instantly. "Mr. X?!" He tried to escape, but something invisible bound his hands and legs together. Well, it was invisible to him because he wasn't a Stand user. "Oh, frog, you're a Stand user," he realized.
"That's right," said Latin Simone. "My Victoria's Secret binds its pray in place and allows me to read all their secrets. Now... we will see-" POW! Something slammed into her and sent her flying into a wall.
"What the- Kids?! Mr. Giovanna?!" Yep. After making their way to the studio, Giorno and the kids saw what was going on, so they did the most logical thing to do: hijack one of the studio's golf carts and run her over.
"Get in, now," shouted Anne, who was behind the wheel.
Someone blew on a whistle. Everyone turned to see it was Jenny, with a squad of SWAT officers with her. She pointed in their direction. "Uh oh," said Polly.
"Do I have to repeat myself," said Anne. "GET IN!" Hop Pop hopped in the cart and they took off with Jenny and the SWAT officers not far behind. They chased the Passione group into one of the sound stages.
The Passione group drove into a sound set where the next Tarantulad movie was being filmed. "Hey, this is actually pretty realistic," said Hop Pop, impressed with the set. But then he changed his mind when the pyrotechnics activated, scaring the daylights out of him. "Holy smokes!"
"Anne, get us out of here before we end up getting burned," shouted Sprig.
"Alright! HARD RIGHT!" Anne made a sharp turn and roared into another sound stage. Jenny and the SWAT officers tried to follow her, but they spun out of control and crashed into a wall.
The next sound stage the Passione group drove in was in the process of filming the next episode of Suspicion Island. The sight of the actors fighting on the island set made Sprig gasp. "Wait, 'Suspicion Island' is not real?"
"Doooooy!" said Polly.
"Don't be so gullible, dude," said Anne.
"Even I knew it was fake," said Hop Pop.
The sound of the SWAT officers coming made the group resume the chase, but not before Giorgio left a little surprise for them with Gold Experience Requiem's help. The actors who were fighting with fake oars got a surprise when their weapons suddenly turned into snakes before their very eyes and they threw them away in fright, right into the golf carts of the SWAT team, who screamed and lost control, crashing into the set.
The next sound stage the Passione group crashed through was filming another of Anne's favorite TV shows.
"Primthistle Manor!" exclaimed Anne.
"Lord Frankerton!" exclaimed Sprig.
"And Lady Franklin!" exclaimed Polly.
The actor playing Lord Frankerton said in a ridiculous Texan accent, "What do y'all think you're doing? (points at the ground) This here's a closed set."
Anne was shocked to hear his voice. "Wait, your accent isn't real?"
Sprig said smugly to her, "Who's gullible now, Anne?"
Polly realized someone was missing. "Where's Hop Pop?"
Anne face palmed. "Don't tell me!"
"I knew it," said Giorno. "He's off to find Mitch despite everything. Luckily for us, he dropped this from his vest," he said as he held up a button. Gold Experience Requiem appeared and changed it into a fly, which then flew away. "It'll lead us to our geriatric frog friend."
"Alright," said Hop Pop as he ran out of the sound stage and toward the water tower studio. "I think we lost them. Now I just gotta get to the water tower, and get the part I deserve!" He saw the tower just up ahead and smiled excitedly. "This is it, Hopediah. After today, you'll be the biggest frog actor who ever lived!" Suddenly, he bumped into a janitor. "Ooh! Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" He helped the fellow up, only to be surprised to see who it was. "Humphrey?!"
"Looks like you found out my day job, Hopediah," said Humphrey as he dusted himself off. "Where are you off to?"
Once again, Hop Pop felt guilty. "Oh, me? I, uh... have an audition up there." He pointed up to the water tower.
"With Mitch? Bravo, my friend! Bravo. Golly, what a break. I'm so happy for you. Even if I never make it, it's enough to know an old fart like me did," said Humphrey, not knowing that his words were making Hop Pop think what Giorno said to him. Did he really deserve all this? Now, he didn't think so anymore. "Now get up there! Mitch is waiting for you!"
But Hop Pop shook his head with an exhale. He knew what to do. "No, Humphrey. He's waitin' for YOU."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"It's only because of your kindness that I even had this chance and it's high time I return the favor."
Humphrey beamed at the old frog.
After hearing his candidate read the script, Mitch had one thing to say to him. "All right, Mr. Plantar, after hearing you read those pages, I'm gonna have to say...you got the dang part!"
Suddenly, Latin Simone burst in and wrapped Victoria's Secret around the man Mitch was talking to. Accompanying her were the SWAT team, Jenny, and Mr. X, whose face was swollen from the punch Giorno gave him. "There he is! Get him," he shouted.
"I just did," said Latin Simone.
Outside, the Passione group saw the SWAT team enter the water tower studio. "NOOOOOO!" shouted Sprig and Anne.
"They got Hop Pop," cried out Polly.
Giorno looked to the left and saw someone standing next to the cart. "Don't be too sure," he said with a smile.
"Huh?" Anne and the Plantar kids turned to see he was looking at Hop Pop, completely unscathed. Hop Pop smiled back at the boss of Passione.
"Wait," said Sprig. "If you're here? Who's that up there?"
"Now Victoria's Secret's interrogation can begin," said Latin Simone. "Tell me, is your name Hopediah Plantar and are you an alien?"
"My name is Humphrey Westwood and I was born in New York. I am not an alien."
"Huh?" Latin Simone looked again, and she saw not a frog, but a little old human man. She turned to Mr. X angrily. "Is this your idea of a joke?!"
"Wait! Really, he IS an alien! Your stupid Stand must be broken," said Mr. X as he tugged on Humphrey's nose. "Look! It's fake!"
"Ow! It's not fake!"
Mitch was angry at Mr. X and he pointed and shouted at him, "I don't believe this! You dare treat Hollywood's newest star this way?! You'll be hearing from my robust team of lawyers after this."
Mr. X exclaimed as he fell to his hands and knees, "NO! IT CAN'T BE! NOT AGAIN!" He grabbed onto Jenny's legs for comfort.
One of the SWAT officers said, "All right, stand down. Mr. X was wrong...again," he added with a facepalm. Latin Simone dismissed Victoria's Secret and followed them out of the building. "Next time, don't waste my time," she said.
Jenny patted Mr. X's head as he muttered, "Jenny, I'm gonna need some ice cream, girl. A LOT of ice cream." The two of them left the studio, feeling more embarrassed than ever now.
"I don't get it," said Anne to Hop Pop. "You abandoned the audition?"
"I didn't abandon it. I just gave it to someone who's waited as long as I have," he said as he looked back at Mitch and Humphrey sealing the deal. Anne, Sprig, Polly, and Giorno did the same.
"Thank you," Humphrey said.
Hop Pop gave him a wink. Giorno said, "So, you thought about what I said?"
"You were right, Mr. Giovanna. I didn't deserve it," said Hop Pop. "Not if it meant taking away someone else's chance or endangering my family. I'm sure there are thousands of other plays I can be in when I get back to Amphibia."
"Well, the good news is, now that Humphrey is in the spotlight, no one will be able to tell the difference between him and you."
"That's kinda what I was going for." Then he saw something sticking out of Giorno's pocket. "Wait, is that the elbow cream from the commercial?!"
Giorno smiled. "I admit, even if you nearly blew your cover, I thought it would be nice to support you. Besides, I know a few senior citizen members of Passione who could use it."
Hop Pop said, "Aw, thanks, Mr. Giovanna." He paused as he reflected, then said, "I've already had a taste of the spotlight, kids. It's time for this old frog to stop pining after what he doesn't have and start seriously protecting the things he does." He embraced his grandkids and Anne.
"Bravo, Hop Pop," said Anne. "Bravo."
"Besides, this whole experience has taught me that the real power is behind the camera," said Hop Pop as they all got in the golf cart and drove toward the studio gate.
Anne said with worry, "Wait... you don't mean..."
"That's right, Anne! From now on, I wanna be a director!" Anne kicked Hop Pop off the cart.
"So, how did it go," asked Giorgio as soon as his father returned to the hotel room.
"Couldn't have gone better," said Giorno as he handed him some raw bloody meat. "Hopediah got his chance in the spotlight and learned that it's not worth risking your family's safety, or dashing the dreams of someone who deserves it more."
"You mean that Hop Pop human lookalike?"
"Yes." Then Giorno realized Giorgio was wearing a Hop Pop shirt. "Why are you wearing that?"
"I thought it was funny," he admitted.
"But how did you get it? It's still daylight."
"I kinda hypnotized the bellhop to buy it for me," Giorgio said as he chuckled nervously. Giorno raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not getting rid of it."
⬅ To be continued...
Stand: Victoria's Secret
User: Latin Simon
Power: D
Speed: D
Range: C
Durability: D
Precision: A
Potential: E
Ability: Takes the form of vines that wrap around a person and object and immediately make them reveal all secrets.