All Sprig and Anne wanted to do was plop in bed and sleep. But they didn't get to for long. As soon as the sun set and nighttime began, they heard a rapping sound from outside the bedroom window. Sprig looked over and saw Giorgio on the other side. "JoJo?" He opened it and Giorgio crawled in. "What are you doing here?"
"Word through the grapevine is it's your birthday," said Giorgio as he stretched his limbs. "And I wanted to celebrate it with you. And give you this." He gave the little frog a necklace shaped like what looked like a pepper.
"Well, I don't like hot peppers," said Sprig as he put it on. "But it's the thought that counts."
"It's a cornicello," said Giorgio. "In Italia, they are symbols of good luck."
"You know what," said Anne. "After what happened today, we could use it."
"Yeah, I know," said Giorgio as he took out his phone and showed them a video of the two of them crashing a hot air balloon shaped like Pennywise the Dancing Clown's head. "You two are as subtle as rocks being thrown at a window." Sprig and Anne chuckled nervously. "That's why I thought to myself, that for that reason, you two owe me a birthday."
Anne exclaimed, "WHAT?! Today's your birthday too?!"
"Yep," said Giorgio proudly with his hands behind his head. "I have entered the torturous world of teenagers. Happy Sweet 13 to me."
"You're twelve?!" Sprig exclaimed. "How come you didn't say this?"
"To answer your first question, I WAS twelve. Now I'm thirteen. To answer your second question, no one asked."
"So, what did you get for your birthday? Did you go on a balloon ride, too," Sprig asked excitedly.
"Uh, no. Actually, since most of my familia is in Napoli, we had what you'd call a 'video chat' party. We had a bunch of phones and everyone was on video chat, singing Happy Birthday, showing me the gifts they wanted to give me back home, and Mom showed me her pregnant belly and told me I better be a good brother for my soon to be born sister and not run away again or she will personally push me back up her birthing canal, birth me again, and rename me Mud. That's not exactly what she said, but you get the point."
"So, what did you get, kinda," asked Anne.
"A couple games, some movies, the recent volumes of Berserk, and a new Alfa Romeo."
"Ooh, what's that," asked Sprig.
"The name of a car company in Milan."
Anne exclaimed, "WHAT?! You got a car?! But you're too young to drive!"
"You're never too young to learn new things." Giorgio then sighed. "Too bad it's in Napoli, so I can't drive it yet." Then he smiled and said, "Anyway, that's why I thought we could go on a birthday outing tonight."
"Well, it's kinda too late," said Anne. "Don't birthdays during the day? It's in the name."
Giorgio checked his watch. "Well, it's not twelve o' clock yet. That means it's still my birthday."
"But what can we do," asked Sprig. "Anne's already shown me everything in the city."
Giorgio smiled and asked, "Have you seen the city at night?"
"No. Well, I guess it wouldn't be so bad to see the city at night. I mean, I am always asleep, and the good stuff always happens at night. It's the same in Amphibia."
"Then it's settled," said Anne. "Late night birthday montage!"
The trio went on a ghost tour and explored the haunted locations in Los Angeles such as the Queen Mary ocean liner. They shopped and ate at Abbot Kinney Boulevard. They looked up at the night sky at the Griffith Observatory. They went to the Santa Monica Pier amusement park and rode the rides while eating snacks. They walked on and took pictures at Hollywood Boulevard. They danced the night away at Sunset Strip. They saw late night movies at both Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian Theatres. They ate at Canter's Deli.
All in all, it was a pretty good late night birthday montage.
At one of the local nightclubs, it was karaoke night and the people who were brave enough and/or drunk enough to get up on stage sang their hearts out. Some were pretty good, others were decent, and others were making jackasses out of themselves. Anne, Sprig, and Giorgio entered, only to be blocked by the bouncer. "Where do you think you're going," he asked. "This is no place for minors."
Giorgio flashed his hypnotic eyes at him and commanded, "You'll give us an exception. It's Sprig and I's birthday."
"Okay," said the bouncer, letting them pass. "Make way for the birthday boys!"
Anne and Sprig weren't exactly sure about this. "This place doesn't make me feel safe," said Anne as she glanced at the go-go dancers dancing in cages hanging from the ceiling, the patrons passing out from too much alcohol, and the way the speakers shook from the loud music.
"Would you relax," said Giorgio. "We're not here to drink. This place's karaoke night has a cash prize for the best singer, and I figured the birthday boys deserve it more than these talentless clods impersonating even more talentless celebrity stars."
Sprig happily said, "You're gonna share the prize money with me?" Giorgio nodded. "We gotta go on that stage!"
"We will, after this guy is done singing," Giorgio gestured to a man on the stage singing Shaggy's "Boombastic" and doing a spot on impersonation of the singer. Giorgio was worried when the people applauded after the man was finished. The MC said, "Is there anyone else who wants to take the stage?"
Giorgio whispered to Sprig, "This is the song I want you to select..." He whispered the name to him, who nodded. He got up on stage, and tried to reach the microphone, but the stand was too tall for him to reach it. So he hopped up and grabbed it.
The MC looked confused. "Aren't you too young to be here?" Giorgio zapped him with his hypnosis. "Never mind! He can stay!" The music started to play and Sprig began to sing.
"You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you
"Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party
"I would like you to dance, birthday
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance, birthday
I would like you to dance, birthday
Dance
"I would like you to dance, birthday
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance, birthday
I would like you to dance, birthday
Dance
"You say it's your birthday
Well it's my birthday too, yeah
You say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you"
When the song was over, everyone applauded. "Wow, he's pretty good," said Anne, impressed.
"What did I tell ya," said Giorgio as Sprig hopped off the stage and joined them. "It's in the bag." But he wasn't so sure for long as the next couple of singers proved themselves to be better than Sprig. One of them, who had just finished singing "My Girl" by The Temptations, snickered, "Beat that, girly boy."
"Wrrryyy," growled Giorgio, ready to rip his head off. "Nobody calls me-"
"Ah, ah," said Sprig. "You want to beat these creeps, you win with your voice."
Giorgio replied, "One of these days, you gotta teach me how you do that scary voice." He glanced up at the stage and nodded. "Alright. I know what I gotta do."
"Does anyone else want to have a turn," asked the MC.
Giorgio got up on stage, doing a slow, sexy walk as he did. Then, he did a wicked smile as he faced the audience, took off his hat and Los Angeles Angels jersey, revealing the black t-shirt underneath. People were stunned.
"Has he...always looked this beautiful," asked Sprig. "Or is it because he's a vampire now?"
"I think it's the vampire thing," said Anne.
Then, he began to sing. His feminine voice made the song more entrancing.
"Last fire will rise behind those eyes
Black house will rock, blind boys don't lie
Immortal fear, that voice so clear
Through broken walls, that scream I hear
"Cry, little sister (Thou shall not fall)
Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not die)
Unchain me, sister (Thou shall not fear)
Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill)"
"Blue masquerade, strangers look on
When will they learn this loneliness?
Temptation heat beats like a drum
Deep in your veins, I will not lie"
"Little sister (Thou shall not fall)
Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not die)
Unchain me, sister (Thou shall not fear)
Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill)"
During the instrumental break, he began to do a seductive dance, causing both the male and female patrons to try to reach for them. He did a teasing "No touching" gesture and blew some kisses, causing them to swoon. Then he resumed singing.
"My Shangri-La, I can't forget
Why you were mine, I need you now
"Cry, little sister (Thou shall not fall)
Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not die)
Unchain me, sister (Thou shall not fear)
Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill)"
When the song ended, he put his jersey and hat back on and hopped back down to join Anne and Sprig, basking in the applause that was being given to him. "What do you think," he asked. Sprig was speechless. Anne grabbed him by the shirt and said, "Never do that again!"
It was no surprise that Giorgio was the winner of the contest. Of course, he didn't tell anyone, but he cheated a little by hypnotizing the judges. Giorgio chuckled to himself as he counted the prize money. "Here's your half," he said, handing it to Sprig. "Happy Birthday."
Sprig said, "Happy Birthday."
"Remind me, how old are you now?"
"Eleven."
Giorgio handed him an extra eleven dollars. "Since it's your birthday, you deserve eleven more."
"Gee, thanks. So, does this mean I owe you thirteen dollars?"
"Nah, keep it."
"I'll take it," said Anne.
At the Jerome C. Daniel Overlook, the trio sighed and smiled as they looked at the skyline lights. "We know," said Anne. "Something about the city at night is so captivating. I guess I never really appreciated it."
"I don't even mind if half the stuff we did with JoJo is the same we did in the daytime," said Sprig. "It feels different at night."
"Thanks for spending it with me," said Giorgio with a smile.
"And for once," said Anne. "We don't have to worry about anything."
The sound of a window crashing made Giorgio glare at her. "You had to jinx it, didn't you?"
Down in the streets, the trio looked around, realizing how quiet it was all of a sudden. "Where is everyone," asked Giorgio.
"It's like they they just up and ran all of a sudden," said Anne.
Then Sprig heard it. "What's that music?" Anne and Giorgio heard it too. It sounded like electronic music one would find at a night club or a party. It had an eerie vibe to it. The eeriness intensified when red-eyed figures dressed in neon clothes stepped out of the shadows and began a riot, tipping over cars, breaking into stores, smashing windows, and beating up people who were unlucky enough to get caught in their path.
A voice cried, "Olivia!" A man came rushing toward one of the neon-dressed people and grabbed her. "Olivia, please! Don't you remember me? I'm your father!" Olivia glared at him, picked up a crowbar, and prepared to strike him with it, only to be grabbed by Giorgio, who then tossed her onto a car.
Sprig and Anne came to his aid. Two more of the neon-colored people charged at them. Sprig wrapped his tongue around one and threw him at a mailbox. Anne caught the fist of the other and rapidly punched his stomach, shouting, "KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO!"
"Wait! Stop," shouted the father. "Don't hurt them! THEY'RE CHILDREN!"
Anne, Sprig, and Giorgio gasped and looked again. Indeed, the people they were fighting were kids no older than Anne. They hesitated, and the children attacked them, forcing them to go on the defense. Suddenly, the music changed tune and the children fled the scene. Anne, Sprig, and Giorgio groaned as they recovered from the attack.
"You guys alright," asked Giorgio.
"Define alright," said Sprig.
"I've got a couple of bruises," said Anne. "But I'm fine. But who were those kids and what's their problem?"
Giorgio asked the father as he sat him down on a bench, "Why did your daughter do all those things? Is she a delinquent?"
"No! She's a good girl," the father said through tears, pausing to blow her nose into a handkerchief. "It all happened when she bought this music." She showed the trio a CD case with a demon's face on it. "She was never the same again."
Giorgio flipped the case over. "There's something written on here. 'Made by Sebastian Saga'. A calling card?"
Anne reached for her phone and looked up the name. "Let's see. It says here that Sebastian was the lead guitarist in various tribute bands, until he lost his left hand in a freak pyrotechnics accident. He now works as a music producer. And a very eccentric, reclusive one at that."
Giorgio looked at the direction the children had gone. "They went this way. Don't worry," he said to the father. "We're going to get your daughter and the other kids back."
The trio stealthily followed the brainwashed children out of the city and toward an abandoned factory, where loud electronic music was playing. They could see the children inside, dancing wildly to the music. Giorgio was about to go in when Anne stopped him. "Hold it. Don't you think a disguise is needed. They did see our faces, after all."
Giorgio nodded. "You make a point. But where do we...?" He saw a couple of kids nearby and summoned DARE to knock them out cold. Then he dragged their bodies behind a set of trash cans and robbed them of their clothes.
The trio glanced down at the ridiculous clothes they were wearing. While they all wore baggy pants and pacifier necklaces, Anne wore a green shirt with a blue jacket and a green and purple cap, Sprig wore a purple short sleeved shirt with a matching beanie, and Giorgio wore a yellow turtleneck sweater.
"I don't get it," said Giorgio. "What's with the pacifier." He gave the pacifier necklace a flick.
Sprig fell flat on his face and Anne helped him up. "These baggy pants keep making me trip," he said.
"I don't like this either," she said as she took off her hat waved it in front of her face like a fan. "These clothes are already making me hot and sweaty. Let's just get this over with so I can get back into my usual outfit. So, JoJo, what do we do after we infiltrate this rave?"
"Do what we always do," said Giorgio. "Make it up as we go along."
"Business as usual," said Sprig. "This is turning out to be quite the birthday."
"Couldn't agree more, Rametto."
And so, the trio entered the building, and almost immediately, their ears started hurting from the loud music playing from the speakers. Giorgio bumped into a pair of teens, who gave him a look that said "What are you doing here?" Giorgio, realizing he needed to play along or else run the risk of having his cover blown, did the "Torture Dance" Mista taught him. Impressed with his moves, the teens started copying him. Satisfied with the distraction, he led Anne and Sprig toward the stage where the DJ was supposed to be.
The music abruptly stopped and spotlights shined on the stage, revealing a man with long silver hair wearing wide and baggy denim pants and green turtleneck with an orange spiral on the front. The most eye-catching feature about him was the silver prosthetic left hand.
"I'm guessing the guy with the scary hook is Sebastian," whispered Sprig.
"My children," said Sebastian. "Can I get a kazam?!"
"KAZAM!" shouted the kids.
Anne and Giorgio were not impressed. "Nobody talks like that," whispered the former.
"I am so glad you've all come to see me," said Sebastian. "When I lost my arm," he showed everyone the hook. "I thought my career was over, being forced to go into the producer's seat instead of being in the spotlight! That was until months ago, when the arrow pierced my heart and granted me the power to share my music once more, and take my revenge on the music industry that wrecked my body!"
Anne, Sprig, and Giorgio's eyes widened. Arrow?! Oh, no! "Sebastian is a Stand user," exclaimed Sprig quietly.
"Ugh! Why is it that every time there's a new bad guy, they have to have a Stand," asked Anne.
"And now, let your minds relax to the sound of my power, Rock DJ!" Sebastian's Stand appeared behind him. It was humanoid in shape, but had a head shaped like a boombox and speakers coming out of its palms. Sebastian fed Rock DJ a disc and it began to play the song Anne, Sprig, and Giorgio heard in the city. The children's eyes glowed red as they fell under Sebastian's spell. Giorgio summoned DARE and commanded it to deafen himself, Anne, and Sprig before they too became brainwashed.
Unfortunately, Sebastian saw DARE. He shut off the music and said, "What have we here? A fellow Stand user?"
"What was that," Giorgio shouted. "We can't hear you!" He dismissed DARE and said, "That's better. Anyway, we're here to crash this party!"
"Party crashers? You know, I have just the song for just such an occasion!" He placed a new disc into Rock DJ's mouth and it began to play the new song. In an instant, all the brainwashed kids glared at Anne, Sprig, and Giorgio and began to attack them. The trio then began to use their fighting skills to fight off against them, but not cause too much damage. Eventually, they started to get overwhelmed, so Giorgio grabbed Sprig and Anne and flew up to the rafters.
The brainwashed children climbed up the support beams to reach them, but Sprig used his Ripple-infused tongue to knock them off. They then jumped onto one of the giant speakers. The kids clambered on top and Anne used her calamity powers to blow them off. "There's too many of them," shouted Giorgio.
"We'll hold them off," said Anne. "You stop the music!"
Giorgio nodded, jumped onto the stage and summoned DARE again, ready to pummel Sebastian. "Aw, no, it won't be that easy," said the DJ as he fired lasers out of the hook, sending Giorgio flying back and crashing into one of the speakers.
"Hah...hah," panted Giorgio as he got up. "How did a washed up rocker get laser technology?"
"I know a guy," replied Sebastian. He fired the lasers again, forcing Giorgio to dodge until he found the opportunity to have DARE punch Sebastian square in the face. Anne and Sprig jumped down to join him and the latter said, "Music making man, your beats are bad!"
"I know," Sebastian said with a smile. "They are bad."
"He means bad in the literal sense," said Anne.
"Whatever. And you can't stop me! I will never be silenced!"
"I have no idea what you just said," said Giorgio. "And your suit sucks."
"AAAAAHHHH! Let's dance!"
Sebastian charged at Giorgio and did a spinning kick to his face. Anne grabbed Sebastian and threw him into one of the speakers. Sebastian got back up and performed a series of dance/fight moves, but Anne blocked them and and countered with a Ripple Overdrive that launched him into the audience. But the brainwashed kids crowd surfed him back onto the stage. "Sing the song of ultimate destruction!" he said.
He pressed a button and the sound system transformed into a giant mech. Sebastian hopped in the seat and laughed. Giorgio exclaimed in annoyance, "Oh, come on! How can you afford to buy a robot suit?!"
"I know a guy." Sebastian charged forward and tackled the trio into a mud pit next to the factory. The brainwashed kids gathered around to watch the fight. Sebastian grabbed Giorgio and threw him aside then fired a machine gun arm at him. Giorgio's body looked like Swiss cheese, but almost immediately, the holes healed and he coughed up the bullets.
"What the hizay," exclaimed Sebastian. "What are you?!"
Giorgio dropped the bullets and smirked. "Immortal."
Sprig and Anne snuck up behind him, chuckling. "You shouldn't have thrown us in mud," said the former. "You're in OUR element now! Ready Anne?"
"Ready, Sprig!"
"SPRANNE AGAINST THE WORLD," the two of them shouted. They jumped up in the air and shouted, "RIPPLE BROWN OVERDRIVE!" The mud coating their bodies shot off and flew at Sebastian like a hail of bullets. Before Sebastian had a chance to defend himself, the mud bullets shredded his suit's limbs off, while Giorgio jumped in the air and slammed his and DARE's fists into Sebastian's face.
"MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA!"
Sebastian was sent flying as the robot's body was destroyed, and he landed in the mud.
Name: Sebastian Saga
Status: Retired
In an instant, the spell on the children was broken and they looked around, dazed and confused. "Children of Los Angeles," said Sprig dramatically. "You were pawns of this evil musician, but now, no more! Return to your homes and never listen to this evil beat again!"
"Sprig, don't overdo it," said Giorgio. "Aw, what the heck, you're the birthday boy. Overdo it however you want!"
"Woo-hoo! Go Sprig, it's your birthday! Go Sprig, it's your birthday!"
"Go Giorgio, it's your birthday too! Go Giorgio, it's your birthday too!"
Anne chuckled at the sight of the two of them dancing. "Those two crazy kids."
Meanwhile, the father was at home weeping until... "Father?" He looked up to see his daughter standing in the doorway.
"Olivia?"
"Father!"
"Olivia!"
The two of them ran to each other, embraced and wept in joy. "Thank you, strangers, thank you," said the father.
Now back in their normal clothes, the trio headed home. "So, how was the late night birthday," asked Anne.
"Except for maybe getting attacked by Sebastian, it was honestly pretty fun," said Sprig.
"I thought so, too," said Giorgio. "Still, I wouldn't have minded driving my new Alfa Romeo."
An image of Giorgio crashing the car into a wall popped in Anne's mind. "Yeah, let's not."
⬅ To be continued...
Stand: Rock DJ
User: Sebastian Saga
Power: E
Speed: E
Range: D
Durability: E
Precision: A
Potential: E
Ability: A Stand that controls people through music. Depending on what CDs the user places in its head, the victim of the Stand will obey the commands it sends out.
