Hello! This is the finale chapter of this fanfic's Season 1 and I want to say; thank you for reading. This fanfic is the longest piece of work I've ever made, longer than anything. It took over 2 years to finish and so much has happened since then. I've grown and changed as a person, and I can confidently say that I'm an actual writer. I never thought I ever could.

I'll be marking this story as completed for now, as I'm going into a hiatus to do my thesis. But when I return, I'll re-mark it. Until that day comes, I hope you enjoy what I've offered and I'll see you again soon :)

Bye-bye!

What is strength?

According to an online dictionary, strength is the quality or state of being physically strong. Alternatively, it is also the ability to resist being moved or broken by a force, or even the quality that allows one to deal with problems. In every sense and definition of the word, strength is equivalent to power.

But is that it?

Depending on who you ask, the definition of strength differs from person to person. Take 'moving a mountain' for example. It's a term used to describe a great feat of strength. But how does one actually do it? Most would assume having a single person literally push the mountain with their bare hands. Strength at its purest form.

But that's not the only way. If you have an army of 1,000, you'd be able to do the same — strength of the people. If you were smart, you'd be able to build tools such as shovels and pickaxes that make it easier — strength of the mind. In any case, no matter which method you use, the mountain ends up being moved, one way or another.

What is strength?

Power, of course. Absolute power.

And power is dangerous.

"Do you think she's home?"

"I don't know. Isn't that why we're here?"

Los Angeles; commonly referred to as L.A. It is the largest city in the state of California and subsequently, the second-largest city in the United States. It has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by its dry summers and wet winters, and supports a great degree of ethnic and cultural diversity. It's also home to the Hollywood entertainment industry but that's not important.

What was important was that it's where they lived.

Anne Boonchuy — master athlete, destroyer of the tennis court and super rad dancing queen — and Marcy Wu — skilled chess maestro, gaming wizard and unintentional pyromaniac — were standing in front of a door. Not just any door, mind you, but a wooden one. A wooden white door with gold-paint trimmings and a bronze doorknob. The building in which that door held was a modern family house, one with exposed brick walls, smooth stone walkways, black tile roofs and a ground-level garage. The rest of the house was above the garage.

"Well? Ring the bell!" Marcy insisted, standing behind Anne. Anne waved her finger over the button, only to pull back just inches away. "Anne…"

"Sorry, I'm just nervous!" Anne exclaimed. "I don't even remember the last time we came here."

And for a good reason too. Unlike Anne's and Marcy's homes which were located on the east side of the neighbourhood, this house was located on the west side, a complete opposite to where they'd usually frequent. Houses here were luxury pieces with well-maintained amenities, expensive shrubbery and modern decor. It was not a place where small restaurant owners and office workers could afford.

A few of their friends came from this side of the neighbourhood but there was only one that mattered — Sasha Waybright. Sasha was a tenant of this house and their close friend. For the past few days or so, she had not attended school. This was already notified to the staff so no disciplinary action would be taken but that didn't ease their worries.

Due to the house's location and its reputation, it wasn't often that Anne and Marcy visited the place. Usually, it's Sasha that visited them. She'd frequently hang out with them in various parts of town or quite often, Anne's home. But with how quiet she's been, it's no wonder why they're worried.

With a shared glance, Anne hesitantly pressed the button, ringing the doorbell to their friend's home. They then waited for a while, hoping for someone to answer the call.

But to their disappointment, the door stayed closed.

"Well, that was a bust." Marcy noted. "Maybe Sasha's not home? Oh, what if she went on vacation with her parents?"

Anne shook her head. "No way. Sasha would definitely tell us if she did. You know how she's like."

Marcy chuckled. "Yeah, she'd totally want to brag about how she went to Malaysia or something." She replied in agreement. "Still, it does make you wonder."

Anne hummed, nodding her head. Sasha wasn't the kind of person to flaunt her family's wealth but that didn't she wouldn't brag about other things. Going on vacation at some tropical beach resort & spa was for sure something she'd want to talk about for hours. Probably even bring up how their pineapples were different from our pineapples, even though both were imported from the same place.

The fact that she hasn't said a word? That was worrisome. Sasha was not the silent type.

"Anne Boonchuy? Is that you?" A voice called out from beyond the porch. Anne and Marcy both turned around, finding an old white lady on the sidewalk. She looked like she was in her 70s and had her teeth replaced with a set of dentures. Also, she was holding a leash, the other end connected to a refined and properly-trained poodle.

Having worked as a server, Anne immediately recognized who it was. "Mrs Kenway?"

The old lady smiled. "It is you! My, I haven't seen you for quite a while. You've grown up a lot."

"You see me every week. I served you noodles two days ago."

"Really?" She asked, mildly surprised. "Time sure flies quickly. And who's that friend of yours?"

From behind Anne, Marcy meekly waved. "H-hey… I'm Marcy."

Mrs Kenway nodded. "Hello, Marcy. A pleasure to meet you." She greeted.

Old Lady Kenway was a regular at her parents' restaurant, Thai Go. She would visit the store once every week on a Wednesday, at exactly 4pm on the dot. Every time, she'd spend several minutes pondering on what to order and every time, she'd choose the same thing — a plate of chicken dumplings and some iced tea. It became so normal that they usually have the order ready by the time she arrived. So all they had to do was wait until it could be served.

She doesn't even eat the dumplings. Her dog does.

"What brings you two girls here?" Mrs Kenway asked, oblivious to her poodle peeing at a nearby car.

"Oh, we wanted to see a friend of ours, Sasha. But, uh, she's not home at the moment. No one is…" Anne answered, only to deflate near the end. "Do you know where they went? Sasha hasn't come to school for, like, a week."

Mrs Kenway frowned. "Is that so? Well, it makes sense. I wouldn't want to go to school either if I was going through what she is."

Huh? What did she mean? "Is something going with Sasha?" Anne asked.

"Oh, I wish I could tell you but... it's not my place to say. You'll just have to ask her yourself when she gets back." Mrs Kenway advised. "Though, preferably not at her home. It's not the best place to talk about it."

Okay, now she was getting worried. Anne walked down the stairs and towards the old lady, her eyes pleading for answers. "Please, you gotta tell us. What's going on?"

She looked at the young girls with saddened eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry but I shouldn't say. It's a family issue and I wouldn't want to intrude in their private affairs."

Anne held Mrs Kenway's hand and begged. "Please…?"

Mrs Kenway struggled. She was always fond of children and seeing the Thai girl emotionally manipulate her right then and there; it made her heart strung. Anne herself wasn't intentionally trying to do that; it was a trick she learned from Sasha. Weaponise her adorableness, as Sasha once said. She didn't actually know what that meant.

After much deliberating, Mrs Kenway conceded with a sigh. "Alright, I'll tell you. Only because you were very polite."

Old Lady Kenway began to tell Anne and Marcy everything and slowly, the realisation dawned on them.

Mr and Mrs Waybright had a divorce, and they were arguing about who gets to keep Sasha.

CRACK-KOOM!

Lightning flashed in the background, followed by the booming blow of thunder. The skies were dark and ominous and although blackened clouds loomed over on the horizon, the crimson moon still laid bare, shining its cursed light onto the arena. Toad Tower, the bastion of toad military might, was at a standstill.

Two girls, one of strength and one of heart, stood at opposing sides. The former wielded her shield defensively while the latter readied her blade for battle. They were once friends and maybe still were but right now, a decision must be made. Whoever wins this bout will determine the fate of the future.

Anne stared at her friend, saddened by her choice. Yet, she steeled herself and gripped her sword's handle tightly. "I didn't want this to happen. But looks like it's just meant to be."

Sasha glared, pulling her shield close. "No, it wasn't. You're the one who wants to keep going. So I'm stopping you. Right here, right now."

Anne took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. Even after all they've been through, she still refused to cooperate and understand. Why did she have to be so difficult? Why did she have to make everything so difficult? Anne was done taking the blows meant for Sasha. This time, Sasha will take them on herself.

The two girls rolled for initiative and Anne got a natural 20. Without a moment too soon, she rushed forward and swung her blade down, forcing her opponent to defend. The sword clashed against the shield directly, pushing the owner of the latter. Sasha gritted her teeth and braced, doing her best to hold steady.

Anne was strong. Stronger than her. Much, much stronger. She was an athlete with years of professional sports and self-defence classes under her belt. It was never a contest, to begin with. Sasha was just a cheerleader; a performer and a gymnast. She'd never win in brute strength.

She never counted on it either.

Taking a step back, Anne then resumed her assault, swinging her blade left and right. Instead of taking them head-on, Sasha dodged the swings, one step at a time. In terms of range, she was at a disadvantage. Thus, she needed to get close. But Anne wasn't the same single-brain-cell girl she knew from long ago. She'd never get this close and Sasha's current tactic didn't make it easier either.

After another successful dodge, her back finally hit a wall and Sasha realized she was running out of space. Anne swung her blade in a horizontal motion, forcing Sasha to duck as the blade cleanly sliced the air above her. She rolled to the side and quickly returned to her stance, her reliable shield up.

Beads of sweat poured from her forehead. This was going nowhere.

"You can give up now, Anne. You can stop this." Sasha pleaded, though with an edge in her voice.

Anne huffed, turning to her with the blade drawn. "Stop this? You think I wanted this to happen?!" She yelled frustratedly. "Why couldn't you just stay in your cell? Why'd you have to come up here and ruin everything? Again!"

Anne's grip tightened. "This night would've gone smoother if you just stopped being selfish! I'm the one who's trying to stop anarchy and yet, you just had to butt in and make it about you!" She accused, pointing her sword. "How is it my fault?! How am I to blame?!"

Sasha's form loosed, showing her sorrow-filled expression. "Anne, I don't blame you at all. I'm the one that got us into this mess, so I'm the one who's gonna get out."

"So you're sorry? Is that supposed to make things better?!" She growled, pulling her blade for a swing. "Sorry doesn't change anything! It doesn't give me back the 3 months I've lost! The blame I had to take and all the crud I've been through! 'SORRY' DOESN'T FIX THINGS!"

"I know. So let me make it up to you."

Anne's arm stopped, jittering edgily.

"Anne, help me fix this." Sasha beseeched, lowering her shield and stepping closer. "I can send us back and with your help, we can find Marcy. Please…" She asked once more, now with an arm's reach. "I promise I'll make things right and I'll pay back all that I did to you. I swear on the Plantar name."

Plantar?

Plantar? Plantar? Plantar? Plantar? Plantar?

Anne immediately scowled. "You don't even have the gall to swear on your own name!"

Anne continued her downward swing but it was too late. Sasha had already invaded her space. Just as her arm came down, Sasha blocked the rest of her swing with her shield, stopping her in her tracks. Shocked, Anne tried to fight back but was quickly intervened by her opponent, grabbing her other arm from reacting.

"Ggh— LET GO!" Anne cried, attempting to free herself.

She was physically stronger than Sasha, so any longer and she would've overpowered her. So Sasha didn't wait and bashed her head against Anne's, bruising her skull and pushing her brain out of whack. Now disoriented, Sasha snatched the opportunity and slammed Anne back with her shield, knocking her down while taking her blue glowing sword from her grasp.

Anne landed on the cold stone with a thud, weaponless and at the mercy of her enemy. While downed, Sasha took a breather and examined the blade in her hands. Its ethereal light was almost magical and even with her untrained eye, she could tell it was a work of art.

"You know, I always liked swords. Always wanted to have one." She said, still examining the fine craftsmanship. "But I don't think it's my style. Swords are so last season."

Without a second thought, Sasha threw it behind her, landing the sword blade first and embedding itself into the ground. "It's over, Anne. You don't have a weapon and I do." she stated, staring her down. "Give. Up."

Anne didn't comply. With a glare, she stood back up, cracked her neck to the side and loosened her shoulders. Tightening her fists, she lifted her arms and entered a fighting stance. "I don't need a weapon."

Sasha scoffed. Was Anne really going to fight her bare-handed? She'll just shatter her wrists at this rate. Flesh versus steel? Always bet on steel. But if she wanted to be stubborn, then so be it. Sasha gripped the strap of her shield and readied herself.

"RAAAAAHHH!" Anne roared, running towards her with her fist pulled back. Sasha, however, stood her ground. If Anne wanted to break her hands, then Sasha was willing to oblige. At least then, she would be forced to listen for once.

Anne threw her fist with all her might, landing her punch directly on Sasha's shield, just above her arm and between her eyes. Before the punch could hit, Anne's eyes glowed blue and a great power coursed through her instantaneously, all from her heart.

THUNNG!

For the longest month, this shield had protected her from harm. What was once a piece of scrap metal, then turned into an unyielding wall. It wasn't a piece of high-quality blacksmithing similar to Anne's sword but it still held up pretty well.

She never had thought its time was nearing an end.

A mere inch from her face, the shield stretched, leaving dented steel before her. An imprint of Anne's fist, just barely reaching her. It was not a weapon that'd ruin hers. No, beyond her wildest dreams, it ended up being the bare hands of her best friend, still embedded in the metal.

Without waiting, Anne pulled her hand and consequently, the shield with her. Sasha yelped, losing her balance. Immediately after, Anne threw another punch with her other hand and Sasha, no longer steady, attempted to block the blow. Just as before, the punch left another fist-shaped dent in her shield, right next to the old one.

Anne followed through with this hit and pressed her arm forward, launching Sasha across the arena and painfully onto the stone floor.

"GAHK!" Sasha gasped, the air from her lungs having been forcefully pushed out. She was still in a state of shock.

After all, Anne just punched through her shield.

Anne just punched through her shield.

"W-what the heck…?" Sasha stuttered. She just witnessed the impossible. This wasn't some cheap metal; it was armour. Armour doesn't break that easily. Checking her shield, she stared at the Anne inflicted. If any of those punches had hit her, then she would've been a goner. Even a graze would've probably KO'd her.

Sasha turned her head at Anne, the girl slowly walking towards her. "Surprised? When I said I got a lot stronger than before, I really meant it."

Sasha blinked. This just got a whole lot more dangerous.

Unfortunately, Anne didn't let her wait. With a superpowered leap, Anne shot towards Sasha like a missile, reining her fist back for a throw. Reacting quickly, the blonde ducked and jumped out of the way, causing Anne to hit the stone beneath her instead. The floor cracked under pressure, followed by clouds of dust erupting from the crater. The force was so intense, Sasha was thrown off her feet, even dropping her shield.

As the dust settled, Sasha, rubbing her head from the blow, watched as a pair of glowing blue eyes turned to her. Its owner walked calmly towards her, hand clenched and unharmed.

Instinctively, Sasha crawled backwards before eventually hitting a wall, the surrounding floor littered with pebbles and broken stones. Nowhere to go, she scowled and began chucking stone after stone at Anne, most missing its mark.

Internally, Anne scoffed, absorbing this pathetic sight. Even with no chance of winning, Sasha would never back down from a fight, a quality that didn't help at the moment.

"Is that really the best you can do?" she mocked. To think that she used to be the strong one and here she was, flinging pebbles with bad aim. And the pebbles didn't even do much! At this point, she just allowed it to bounce off her chest plate.

Even the blue in her eyes subsided, no longer worth the effort.

Anne sighed. This was far more depressing than she thought. She didn't like the idea of punching down someone weaker than her but Sasha would never surrender. She'll just have to knock her out with one punch, holding back most of her strength.

Closing the distance, Anne readied her arm for the final blow. But as she got close, Sasha's glare hardened. Instead of grabbing any remaining debris, she instead scooped a handful of sand and sprayed it towards Anne. Caught off guard, the sand hit directly in her face, leaving Anne howling irritatedly.

"ACK! Sand?! Seriously?! What the he—"

THWACK!

Before she could finish, a fist came in contact with her cheek — a fist owned by none other than Sasha Waybright. With her powers deactivated, Anne felt the full brunt of the hit, knocking her a few steps back. Before she could recover, Sasha threw another, this time to the stomach.

Sasha didn't relent; she couldn't afford it. Anne was a better fighter than her and thus, she can't let her make a move. Considering that Anne was able to punch rock and steel, she assumed that her fleshy fist wouldn't do much against her. But she didn't want to test it; she must take Anne down as fast as she could.

So she punched and punched and punched some more, pushing Anne a step back with each smack.

Eventually, Anne's senses returned. Her eyes reigniting in blue, she immediately threw a superpowered punch. Sasha's eyes widened but right after, her gaze sharpened. Tilting her head slightly, she dodged the missile blow by a hair's breadth and quickly grabbed her extended arm. Twisting herself, she then pulled Anne's entire body up and over, shoulder-throwing her into the ground with a roar.

"RAAAAH!"

THOOM!

Anne's back hit the stone floor with a loud bang, bouncing off by an inch. Even with the durability increase from her powers, the pain was excruciating. She felt a sharp sting, starting from her skull down to her spine. The aching reverberated across her entire body, leaving her feeling hurt all over.

Being a practitioner of Muay Thai, she wasn't accustomed to being thrown. Thai boxing was more about punches and kicks and counters. Meanwhile, for Sasha — who practised tai chi — throws were quite common. She was no professional like Anne but she knew enough to use it.

Anne gasped, her body paralyzed by pain. Left frozen in shock, she needed time to fully recover but Sasha wasn't a kind person. Climbing over her, Sasha grabbed her shield and raised it between the downed girl's eyes.

Sasha glared into Anne's eyes, waiting for a response. For who would blink and look away. A bead of sweat fell from Anne's forehead, slowly understanding her predicament.

She wouldn't. Right?

After a moment or two passed, enough for Anne to contemplate the situation, Sasha felt her hands shake. Not wanting to wait any further, she struck her shield down, its edges pointing directly at her. Instinctively, Anne raised both arms to protect herself, closing her eyes in the process.

Yet, nothing came.

Moments passed and Anne reopened her eyes. The shield didn't fall like a guillotine. Instead, it stopped halfway, not even close to her. Sasha got off and strapped the damaged shield back onto her forearm, glancing at Anne from time to time, looking a tad hurt.

She made her flinch. Anne, who was so confident this entire time, flinched in fear.

Anne lost.

"Woo! Sasha!" Sprig Plantar, the boy frog, cheered from the sidelines, making her smile.

This entire time, their tussle was done in front of an audience, most of which were toads. But in the heat of battle, it was hard to notice their presence. Now that the fire has cooled, she finally heard the cheers and boos around her, most of which were the latter. It was hard to tell if it was aimed at her or her opponent.

Among this audience, Captain Grime stood quiet. Still standing by the edge of the tower, she noticed his hand being over his sword's handle. She smiled; so the old toad would've intervened if Anne was in any real danger. Guess he wasn't as unreasonable as she thought.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" Sasha asked the toad captain. "I won your fight. A deal's a deal. Now show the toads that you're worth your words." She hissed.

All eyes fell on him and Grime grunted against the pressure. In truth, he didn't need to respect her end of the bargain; she and the Plantars were still his prisoners and with a snap of a finger, he could resume the execution as planned. There'd be no repercussions, no consequences. There was literally nothing the girl could do against him.

He didn't need to show honour to criminals.

Grime raised his hand to snap.

"WAIT!"

Her eyes widened, Sasha quickly turned around, seeing Anne pull herself up, albeit her body shaking. Her eyes flickered blue, its piercing glare straight at Sasha's own.

"I'm not done yet…" She hissed, slowly standing back up.

Sasha closed her eyes and sighed. This was getting old. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up." Anne growled back, focusing entirely on her target. "I'm not letting you get your way this time. Not again!"

Sasha frowned, pulling out her shield. The metal plate was so battered and bent — Sasha couldn't help but feel sad for it. Maybe Loggle could fix it later, hopefully. "I already beat you. Just give up already."

"Beat me?" Anne said, chuckling sarcastically before letting out a snarl. "That's what you always think, isn't it? You always think that you're stronger than me!"

"I am stronger than you." She hissed. "Who do you think was the one that looks after the group? You?"

"I don't need you to look out for me!" Anne yelled. "I can handle myself!"

"No, you can't." Sasha retorted, her tone venomous. "I left for 3 months and now, you're trying to commit murder. It's pretty clear that this is too big for you!"

She sighed and looked at her best friend, her face full of remorse. "Look, Anne... I'm sorry that I got us sent here and that I wasn't there for you. But enough is enough. I'm not going to sit back and watch you make a horrible mistake!"

"STOP TELLING ME HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE!"

With a roar, Anne lunged straight at Sasha, eyes twinkling its menacing blue. Knowing she couldn't take a hit, Sasha quickly dodged the punch, the fist scratching the shield. Wave after wave, Anne threw her knuckles like a wild beast.

Sasha was good at dodging — she had experience — but she couldn't last. Anne's barrages were getting more ferocious by the second and if she was a betting girl, she had a hunch it was faster too. Sasha was being bombarded by near hits and slowly but surely, her chances were getting thinner.

Finally, after so many brushes and misses, the shield couldn't take it anymore. One lucky punch hit the metal at an angle with great force, pushing the blonde off-balance. Desperate not to fall, Sasha dived deep into her dancing instincts and twisted her frame, following the momentum. She spun around like a top and extended her shielded arm outwards, just as Anne did hers.

For the second time today, flesh met steel.

SCRRIIIKK!

"AAAAGGGHH!"

As the shield's edge made contact with Anne's arm, the sharp brim ripped through her skin, cutting a large gash along her forearm. Anne howled in pain, retreating as she held her injured limb. The injury was deep and although she tried her best not to scream, she felt her blood seeping from the wound.

The entire tower grew quiet. Toads all gasped at the sight and the Plantars followed suit. Even Grime, who was usually stoic, looked shocked. He held his sword handle, running to her in concern. Sasha, who had caused the injury, stared in horror as her friend held her wounded arm, holding back the tears.

She was the strongest. She was supposed to protect them.

'What have I done?'

Without a word, Sasha dropped her bloodied shield and promptly reached towards her, scared and panicked. "A-Anne! Are you alright?! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"

"GRRRRRAAAAH!"

Sasha never got to finish her words. In a fit of adrenaline and rage, Anne retaliated without a second thought. While her defences were down, she punched the blonde right in the chest — a direct hit. Before she could process it, Sasha was sent flying across the arena and into a wall, crashing hard. The stone behind her crumbled like biscuits and a sickening crunch was heard across the tower floor.

Anne huffed, her fist finally hitting her. She waited for Sasha to stand back up, all while her heart slowly calmed.

She waited...

And waited...

…

…

And yet, Sasha didn't move. She was just lying there, her hair loose and her dress tattered.

Something was wrong.

"… Sasha?"

Sasha Waybright had many regrets. She regretted not taking her studies seriously and regretted letting Marcy win that one game of Monopoly. She even regretted buying Anne that pink scrunchie; the Thai girl was right; pink was not her colour.

But her biggest regret so far was letting it get to this point. Oh, how she wished she could go back and fix everything.

Up within the heavens, the frog gods croaked.

"Sasha?"

Her eyes opened slowly, letting her blurry vision slowly adapt to the bright light above her. She groaned, experiencing a massive headache and an odd taste in her mouth. Pushing off some white blankets, she sluggishly sat upright, the soft cushions underneath providing comfort.

"Where… am I?" Sasha muttered, dazed and confused. Gradually, the rest of her vision would return to normal and the splitting headache dissipated. Looking around, she found herself examining a familiar sight. She was in a clinic or more precisely, the nurse's office. But how did she get here?

She tried to remember. She needed to remember.

"Oh, I'm Sprig! Nice to meet 'cha, Sasha!"

Sasha gasped, a sudden spike of mental pain appearing. That name… she knew who that was but… why can't she remember?

Just then, the door to the office opened and from it, a pair of Asian girls — one Thai and one Taiwanese — walked in. They noticed her presence and after a short surprised gasp, immediately ran to her side.

"Sasha! You're awake!" The Thai girl said excitedly. Anne, was it? "Are you okay?! Should I call the nurse?!"

"Anne—" Sasha called. "—please shut up. My head feels like it's about to explode."

"Well, it won't!" The other girl stated. Marcy — she recalled that being her name. She pulled out a thick book and flipped through the pages. "I checked the local records on herpetology and thankfully, the frogs on Frog Dissection Day are completely harmless! You have nothing to worry about!"

Frog Dissection Day? What? Sasha shook her head. "W-wait, hold up. What's going on? Why am I in the nurse's office?"

Anne and Marcy glanced at each other with nervous looks. Anne then nudged Marcy with her elbow, before being nudged back. Finishing their telepathic communication, the Thai girl sighed. "Well, it's a long story. So basically—"

"A frog jumped into your mouth and you passed out. It wasn't sedated enough. I wasn't there it happened but Anne told me the whole thing!" Marcy budged in.

Anne frowned, rolling her eyes. "Which I was going to tell you right now but whatever." She then gently placed her hand on Sasha's shoulder. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm…"

"Meeting you was the worst day of my life."

Sasha hissed, her headache flaring up again. The two girls quickly moved in response but stopped when she lifted her hand. "I'm fine. Just… confused, that's all." She then turned towards them, cocking her head sideways. "Did you just say that a frog jumped into my mouth?"

Anne and Marcy smiled, looking glad. At least there didn't seem to be any lasting effects. "Yep! It was super gross. Look, Tanny even got a video of it." Marcy exclaimed, showing her phone and subsequently, the video in it. "I bet it's circulated all over the school by now. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being viral."

Viral?! That was a huge problem! If that video were to go global, then her entire middle school years would be ruined! She'd forever be remembered as the girl who almost ate a frog! A laughing stock to the neighbourhood or even the entire state of California! No more being the prom queen, cheerleading captain, and general popular girl!

…

…

She should be panicking. Her popularity was tanking by the minute. Yet, she felt… relieved. Like an exhausting weight just got lifted from her shoulders.

"… Huh." Sasha said, unsure how to feel about this newfound freedom. This was weird… "What happened to the frog, by the way?"

"Oh, Jackie apparently wants to keep it as a pet. She even got the teacher's permission for it." Anne answered, before staring at the picture in disgust. "She's going to call it 'Sasha Jr.'. Ugh, gross."

Not sure how Sasha was supposed to feel about that.

The rest of the school day went relatively normal. Because of the incident, Sasha was given the rest of the day off. Woo! ... It didn't mean much though since the school day was almost ending anyway. After packing her things and meeting up with the others, Sasha headed off with Anne alongside her. Marcy had to go home early though; something about her parents calling her.

"Hey, thanks for walking me home. I mean, you didn't need to but that anyway!" Anne said, her bag slung over her shoulder. It was far less packed than she remembered.

Sasha hummed. "No problem. Just…" she trailed off. "Just needed to get my head straight, that's all."

"Yeah, I totally get it. If a frog jumped into my mouth, I would've been traumatized for life."

"Yeah, the frog…"

That was the reason, right? Everything went by so fast and yet for some reason, it felt off. Like a distant memory she'd almost forgotten. Why did today seem so long ago, when it's only been a few hours?

Not only that but she was having complicated feelings towards Anne. Mostly... sadness and guilt?

"Hey, Anne?" Sasha called. "I know this is a bit weird but… I'm sorry for all the times I treated you badly."

Anne quickly turned to her, staring incredulously. "W-w-what?!" She shrieked. Sasha was... apologizing? For what? And why? "Well, that came out of the left-field! I mean, I don't remember you treating me badly at all. Though, I guess that depends on what is 'bad'." She said, trying to keep her cool. "Well, is that supposed to be a joke or…?"

Sasha frowned, punching her in the arm. "It's a birthday present for the birthday girl. Take it or leave it."

"Aww, what?! That's the birthday present? Booooo!" Anne complained. The two looked at each other and after a second of silence, began to laugh.

This felt nice.

After a few minutes of walking and talking later, the duo finally reached their destination — Anne's place. It was a quaint wooden house with worn blue paint, a dark roof and white accents. There was a small pond with lotuses by the porch, a clay pot next to it, as well as a statue of cultural significance on the lawn. It was simple with very little standing out but still held its own unique identity.

"Well, here we are; the Boonchuy residence." Anne said, almost proud for some reason. "My mom planned this super cool birthday party. I don't really know what to expect but knowing my parents, it's definitely going to be corny as heck, haha!"

Like clowns or magicians. Sasha wanted to say that but for some reason, felt it was needlessly insulting. But why?

"Yeah, totally…" Sasha said in return, somewhat detached. "I hope you have fun. See you tomorrow, Anne."

"See ya!" Anne replied, waving goodbye.

As Anne reached for the handle, something stopped her. Sasha's been acting weird all day ever since the frog thing and Anne, being the caring girl that she was, felt a bit sad seeing Sasha like this. Today might be her birthday but who's to say her friends can't enjoy it as well?

"Sasha, wait." Anne called out, stopping Sasha just as she stepped onto the sidewalk. "Do you, uh, wanna come inside? I know that the birthday party is supposed to be a family thing but it doesn't look like you have anything planned for the day so…"

Sasha raised both brows, surprised. She was being invited to a party? Well, this was a new experience. "U-uh, sure. I'd like that."

Anne looked at her as a grin slowly grew. "Really?! Wait, if you're joining, that means Marcy has to join too! Let me just give her a call for a bit." She said, opening the door to her home. "Come on in! I'll get us some drinks."

Although faint, Sasha's lips curled to a soft smile. Even though the hairs at the back of her neck was nagging about how unusual this all was, it was promptly ignored. Right now, Sasha didn't care.

It felt nice. It really did.

The party was... something.

It wasn't bad, per se. But it wasn't like any party Sasha would've planned. For one thing, they actually did hire a clown. Despite being more used with younger children, the makeup-wearing pie-throwing funnyman was surprisingly professional about it, giving everyone balloon animals. Not wanting to be rude, even Sasha got one. Hers was a snake.

After an hour, she looked at the clock and thought it was time for her to leave. Saying her goodbyes, Sasha walked out of the house and headed home. It was a bit of a distance but she knew the path from the back of her hand already.

As she walked down the sidewalk, a car drove up to her side. She watched as the window rolled down, revealing Anne's mom, Mrs Boonchuy, in the driver's seat.

"Sasha, I heard from Anne that you live on the west side of the neighbourhood. That's quite a distance from here." The older woman said. "Why don't I give you a ride home instead?"

Sasha blinked. Was this happening? "Y-you don't have to, Mrs Boonchuy! I'm used to it."

"I insist." Mrs Boonchuy said, opening the passenger door. "Come on."

Sasha weighed her options. For one thing, Mrs Boonchuy never liked her. At all. Period. The mother always saw her as a devil's advocate, pushing Anne to do dangerous and illegal stunts and in some cases, she even agreed with her. But she never tried to come between them and Sasha, in turn, tried not to get on her bad side. The wrath of a mother burned as hot as hell itself.

In the end, she took the opportunity and entered the car. Note that you should never enter a vehicle of someone you don't know or trust.

As the car drove to the other suburbs, Mrs Boonchuy started to talk. "I'll be honest; I didn't exactly approve of you and Anne's friendship. You always struck me as a bad influence. But I saw how you were at the party. You were very respectful and Anne seemed genuinely happy around you. Maybe my impression of you was wrong."

Usually, this would be the part where Sasha would just take the compliment without question, especially considering who it came from. But that felt wrong.

"No, you were right." Sasha contested. "I wasn't really the best as her friend."

Mrs Boonchuy looked at her, eyebrow raised in confusion. Sasha, noticing that, continued. "I did pull her in a lot of messes and I'm sorry about that. I promise I won't get her in trouble ever again. And if she does get in trouble, I'll get her out!"

The older woman smiled. It wasn't a reply she expected but it seemed genuine. Mrs Boonchuy chuckled. "Maybe you're not so bad after all."

A few minutes later, they finally arrived. Stopping right in front of the house, Sasha grabbed her bag and exited the car. "Thanks for the ride, Mrs Boonchuy." She exclaimed respectfully.

Mrs Boonchuy nodded. "No problem. You should come by our house more often. We'd be happy to have you as a guest."

"I'll keep that offer in mind." Sasha replied, smiling a response.

Waving goodbye, she watched as the car turned around the corner, now hidden from view. Stretching her back a bit, Sasha walked up to the front door and sighed, checking her pockets absentmindedly.

Today has been a long day. Almost dreamlike.

"Where did I put my keys?" Sasha mumbled, still rummaging through her pockets. She checked the same pocket twice now and she definitely wouldn't put them in her bag. "Crud, did I leave them somewhere?"

Thinking back, she must've left it at school. She was unconscious for most of the school day. What a stroke of bad luck.

"Ah, Sasha-Karma. Makes sense."

Getting a flash of pain, Sasha gripped her head.

Why was she feeling like this? Did Marcy get the notes wrong? Maybe the frog actually was poisonous. With how much her head's been hurting, she felt worn out and all she wanted now was a nice hot bath and a good night's sleep.

Kneeling down, Sasha turned to the side and lifted a small frog-shaped garden ornament, then shook it over her palm. There, a small key fell from the mouth, slightly wet from the rainwater trapped in it. It was a good thing she always came prepared; never leave home without leaving a spare.

KA-CHINK!

Using the key, the front door was finally unlocked and Sasha stepped inside. The house was dead quiet; an expected sight. It was a modern home and just slightly bigger than Anne's. But unlike Anne's place which was chockfull of history and culture, the black-and-white house of hers was pristine and sterile. A few photos here and there, as well as some decorations by the shelves. But it was too empty, leaving very little uniqueness.

Not that she cared. It made cleaning up easier during the weekends.

Taking off her shoes, she straightaway headed up the stairs and to her room, not even bothering to turn on the lights for the other rooms. There was no one else and she didn't want to waste power and rack up the electricity bill. Power was expensive nowadays.

Opening the door to her room, Sasha promptly let go of her bag and plopped herself onto her bed. It had a thick blue duvet and a pair of rockstar-themed pillows, all placed on top of a high-quality mattress. It was soft yet firm and easily supported her weight. It was like sleeping on clouds. Looking around, she observed her childhood room.

The pink walls were plastered with posters and clippings of musicians, fashion designers and actors, and other decorations like glow-in-the-dark stars and random stickers. There was a black electric guitar by the corner, collecting dust for God knows how long, a walk-in closet for all her designer clothes, as well as a vanity table for all of her makeup and body-care products. On the mirrors of the said table were pictures of her best moments, crudely taped. Only one of those pictures — taken at some beach with the ocean behind her — had a pair of adults, the last memory she had of them being together.

"Hah..." Sasha sighed. She grew up in this place but now, it felt... weird. Foreign, even. Maybe she should get some moss from the garden and slap it on her window frames.

... Dangit, that sounded stupid and she hated this. She needed to take a shower.

Grabbing a towel, Sasha headed to the bathroom without pause. Maybe a little bit of freshening up will do her some good.

...

...

While in the shower, she realised something horrible.

When did she ever use the word 'dangit'?

If there was one thing she took for granted before, it was a hot water shower and a bottle each of shampoo, body wash and conditioner. Never again shall she forget the importance of the commodities, especially the hot water part. She could feel her tensed body immediately loosen.

Wearing her pyjamas — just a shirt and some track pants — Sasha walked down towards the kitchen, looking for something to eat. Her hair was still somewhat wet, not in the mood of using her dryer. So, she resorted to manual towel drying.

"Enough about me, what about you? What were you doing in the woods?"

"Proving that I'm responsible!"

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh—"

Sasha clenched her head as pain flared suddenly, stopping halfway on the stairs. The memory flashed before her eyes as clear as day, lasting only for a moment before slowly subsiding. She panted, scowling in irritation.

Who was that person-slash-thing? He looked so gross and almost made her regret having pink as her favourite colour. But despite his ugliness, she felt a twinge in her heart as if something was missing. She couldn't recall and that bothered her.

Why can't she remember?

Before her thoughts could go any further, a peculiar smell invaded her nostrils. She took a whiff, letting her senses process this new presence. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious. Were the neighbours cooking something? But she was sure she had the windows closed.

"Hmm, hmm, mmm mmm mmm~"

That's when she heard humming from the kitchen.

Her eyes widened, Sasha finally noticed the dining room lights were turned on and she wasn't the one who flipped the switch. She could see a faint shadow— no, two shadows, both dancing in the yellow warm lights.

Shocked, Sasha slowly continued walking downstairs, her eyes never leaving the shadows. As she finally reached the bottom, she carefully peeked around the corner, her breath escaping her lips.

There, by the stovetop, two figures stood. They were preparing dinner, cutting vegetables and sauteing onions. Eventually, they ended up putting everything in a red clay pot before sliding it into the oven.

They were blurry and unclear but it was undeniable. Sasha would never mistake them for anyone else.

"Mom? D-dad?"

The two figures perked and turned to her voice. Upon seeing her standing in the dining room, they smiled with a grin larger than humanely possible. In fact, it was the only thing visible to her. No matter how much she focused, she couldn't see their faces — just their wide toothy smile.

"Oh, Sasha! You're back from school! We're so glad!" The mother asked, maintaining her grin.

"We heard about what happened with the frog. What a worry you caused us." The father said, his tone chirpy and upbeat. "But it seems you're all better now."

Sasha stared at the two, her breathing turning rapid and sweat pouring from her forehead. Why…? "W-what are you guys doing here? Together? In one place?"

The mother tilted her head, confused. Her unnatural smile even transformed itself into a frown, albeit just as abnormal. "What do you mean, Sasha? We're always together. After all, we're your parents and lovingly married to one another. Isn't that right, honey-bunch?"

"It sure is, smoochie-pie!" The father replied, using words she never heard of. "As for why we're here, we decided to prepare dinner as an apology. We couldn't make it to your school today because of work but let us make it up to you!"

Sasha took a step back.

"As a family."

Sasha's pupils shrunk at the word.

Family. Family, family, family.

"You're an honorary Plantar and we Plantars watch over each other."

"Goodnight, Sasha. Sweet dreams."

"Let's go, Dream Team!"

... It finally clicked. In an instant, everything flooded back to her. The Plantars, the frogs, the schemes and hijinks, the box — everything. All that's happened in the past 3 months finally dawned on her and what was once a long-forgotten memory, now turned clear as day.

This wasn't real. None of this was.

"Sasha?" Her father asked. "Are you okay?"

He raised his hand to put it on top of her shoulder, only for her to slap it away. The two figures recoiled in shock, surprised to see such violent behaviour from their precious daughter. Yet, Sasha glared, clenching her fist. A slew of harsh emotions, from anger to mistrust, disappointment and sadness, flowed through her all at once and right there and then, she had no idea how to process them.

But as far she was concerned, this was all a lie. And she hated being lied to.

"… Enough." She choked. "Enough of this."

The mother looked at her with concern, though her blank face appeared otherwise. "Sasha, what's the matter? You can tell us. We're your loving parents."

"SHUT UP!" She yelled, pushing them back even further. "Stop it! Stop acting like this! You're not my parents!"

She cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean? How are we not? Isn't this how you wanted?"

It was. It painfully was. This whole day was perfect and she never bothered to question why or how until now. Back then, she wanted to believe it was all possible. She believed she could make amends with Anne, go to her birthday party and have a blast. She wanted to befriend Anne's mom, show her she's not a bad person and gain her respect. She wished she wasn't popular and didn't need to live up to the societal expectations that she unknowingly put herself in.

All of those were things she wanted but never did she think it was impossible. And that's the difference. Back then, she believed she could achieve it if she tried. This, on the other hand? Her parents being together, being around when she needed them and acting as if they never broke up?

This was impossible. And she accepted that a long time ago.

Sasha growled. "Enough…"

"S-Sasha?"

"ENOUGH!"

At that moment, her eyes glowed pink. And at that moment, the illusion shattered and the whole world around her broke into pieces. As the fake world fell, the real one gradually revealed itself as the familiar void she visited whenever she was asleep. Eventually, all the pieces disappeared and her memories — her real memories — returned.

That perfect day never happened. She made a mistake. And right now, she was supposed to be at Toad Tower, fighting her best friend to save a family of frogs. It sounded so insane but it was only after that trip down memory lane did she realize it.

Unconsciously, tears began flowing from her eyes without permission. Her legs wobbled and eventually failed, putting her on her knees. Curling up, she bit her lips, holding her frustrations in. She wanted to yell and scream, angered at the void that dared to show her such a perfect day, teasing her over what could've been. But she refused. She won't give in. She can't. Otherwise, it'd be too much to bear.

'I need to get back.' She thought to herself. She couldn't stay. Right now, there were people that needed her — people she cared. Anne must've knocked her out, which was why she was here. She needed to leave this void and return to Toad Tower. She just didn't know how.

"You know, that's not very healthy."

Sasha's tear-filled eyes shot open as a new voice echoed in the void. She raised her head and to her surprise, her one and only companion in this empty place stood. However, there was something different about the newcomer. For one thing, the box wasn't in her hands; it was underneath her bum as a seat. Another was that she looked relaxed; carefree even.

Finally, she had a plate of omurice in her hands, eating it with a spoon.

"This, by the way, is healthy. Delicious too!" The pink frog said, shoving a spoonful in her cheeks. "Love how soft the egg is. Real nice."

Sasha stared stupidly, her eyes still red and strained from the emotions prior. What the heck was going on?

The frog slid the rest of the food down her mouth, followed by a furious licking of the plate. She burped and smiled. "Ah, nice… You know, you should imagine more foods. It gets boring in here after a few centuries."

"… W-who are you?"

"Me?" She asked, jumping off the music box. "I'm nobody. Or at least, I'm no one you'd know. Considering the age, I'm also dead. Or, again, at least the real me." She walked up to the human, humming a tune under her breath. "I'm a memory long lost; a recording of the past. I'm the embodiment of your greatest quality in the form of a previous host.

"I'm… a faded history."

She closed her eyes for a moment and reopened them, now glowing pink. Sasha felt a strong presence from the frog and without warning, her entire body buckled under the intense weight. It was as if the force of gravity quadrupled around her. She gritted her teeth and quickly put her arms forward, preventing herself from slamming into the solid black floor.

The frog turned to her, watching her struggle, and smiled. "You're a strong one. Even with the weight of your emotions on your back, even when you're so emotionally compromised, you still dare stand. I like that." She kneeled down to Sasha's eye level, still struggling from the weight. "Still, I am curious. You had everything you wanted back then. That simulation was designed with your greatest wants in mind. Yet, you rejected it. Why?"

Sasha couldn't answer. Not only because she didn't know how but also because she was preoccupied at the moment. It took everything she had to keep herself from being crushed by the pressure and it didn't look like it was getting lighter any time soon. However, she didn't need to say a word. The frog's already-pink eyes twinkled a tad brighter for a split second and immediately, she understood.

"Ah, so that's why."

The pink frog snapped her finger and the weight instantly disappeared, giving Sasha a moment of rest. She breathed heavily, her mental body aching. With all the phases she just went through in the past 5 minutes, at this point she's just confused. Tired and sad, but mostly confused.

She lifted her head, focusing directly on the frog. In turn, the frog smiled faintly before pointing her finger at the girl. "Sasha Waybright; as of right now, you're too weak to fulfil my host's last wishes. Thankfully, she was a generous frog and so, I am too. Because I like you, I'm willing to offer a taste of true Strength. But before I do…"

"Tell me; when you wake up, what will you do?"

Sasha huffed and groaned. With a little of her strength returned, she lifted herself and stared into the frog's eyes. She hissed and with determination, gave her answer.

"I'll protect the ones I love."

The frog smiled. "Good answer but... which one?" And with that, she snapped her fingers and before Sasha could react, everything turned white.

In the real world, the tower was quiet. Nobody, not even the bugs that crawled between the cracks, made a sound. Only the gushing wind and crackling flames filled the silence.

Anne Boonchuy stared at the girl in front of her, her eyes closed and her chest unmoving. The Thai girl couldn't look away; when she threw that punch, she felt her friend's bones crack. She heard the snap, the last vestiges of air escaping her.

Sasha… She didn't mean to ki—

Anne leaned forward and gripped her mouth with both hands, the blue of her eyes darkening. Her stomach twisted and knotted, and the edges of her vision blurred from the growing tears. If she didn't clamp her mouth then and there, she would've hurled everything out.

From behind, Grime stepped to her side calmly. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and upon feeling his rough toad skin, Anne glanced at him, struggling to stand.

"Breathe, lieutenant. Deep breaths, in and out." He advised, his grim expression filled with sombre.

Anne followed his words, letting the air flow in slowly and deeply. Eventually, her upset stomach calmed and Anne found the strength to continue being on her feet.

Her mouth quivered and teeth clattered, stuttering with her words. "D-does it get any easier?" She asked, a shiver passing down her spine.

Grime looked away and directly at the fallen. "No." He replied without pause.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, a different group was going through their own turmoil. Hop Pop quickly held Polly in his arms, his hand shutting her eyes. An act of kindness, he would say, but ultimately too late. "Polly, cover your ears. You don't want to hear this." Hop Pop whispered and hesitantly, she complied.

Beside him, Sprig stood, flabbergasted. He was as still as a statue, his eyes locked onto his dearest friend. "Sasha?"

No reply. She just laid there, motionless.

"Get up, Sasha… Please, get up…" Sprig pleaded.

She has to.

Captain Grime took a deep breath and stepped forward. It was time to end this. "My fellow toads!" He shouted. "We have just witnessed a duel of the ages and despite the odds, one of our own has triumphed! Rejoice!"

The toads blinked for a moment before immediately erupting into a crowd of cheers. They genuinely didn't know how the fight would've gone and sat at the edge of their seats. Their lieutenant was being pushed around the entire time. But ultimately, Anne won the challenge.

It's a shame about the other one though. She was pretty good too. What was her name? Chancla?

"As a show of respect to the competitor, a moment of silence. She had also fought valiantly." Grime praised, placing his hand above his heart. The toads stood quietly for a moment as instructed.

Only a moment though.

Grime snapped his tense neck loose. He was feeling stiff all day. "Hmm, oh that's good. Alright, moment of silence is over! Go grab Hopadiah and the body."

Sprig readied his slingshot, aiming at Grime. Instantly after, iron spears surrounded him, though he didn't flinch. "I won't let you take him!"

Grime frowned. It's always the children that caused issues. Why can't they just hurry along and eat paste like they normally did? All he was going to do was kill their relative. It wasn't even that big of a deal.

He remembered when he was younger, all bright-eyed and whatnot. He'd play in some ancient ruins with his sister and a dangerous amount of swords, and have a swell of a time. He didn't complain when they both lost one of their eyes; a mother's kiss healed them right up, as well as tons of painkillers.

"Grime…" Anne called out from behind him, looking sombre. "Can't we just let them go? This time, at least?"

He sighed. She was having a crisis of faith. He can't blame her, considering the circumstances. "Anne, I understand what you're going through but do not let your grief blind you to your responsibilities. This must be done, one way or another."

"As for you, boy—" He began, turning back towards Sprig. "—I usually don't do this but since she was a relatively good fighter, I'll make sure to send your family some reparations. How's 25 gold sound? That's about an average soldier's yearly income."

"My great-grandma's ashes are worth more!" Polly yelled.

"Well, I tried." Grime shrugged. "Can somebody grab the frog already?!"

Sprig glanced at the nearby body. She still hasn't moved an inch. Nonetheless, he refused to accept the so-called truth. She needed to come back and punch them in the face. She must for otherwise, he... he wouldn't know what to do.

"S-Sasha!" He called out, begging for a response. "Sasha!"

Please, say something... Anything...

Sprasha against the world, right?

"SASHA!"

...

...

... Slowly, her hair floated upwards, defying gravity. Quickly after, it shifted hues from root to tips. Not long after, her hair was completely pink.

Her body twitched and turned, and a palm was calmly laid onto the stone, pushing her up. The toads nearby, astonished by what was occurring in front of them, took a step back. They gasped, almost silent, but the bright light from her form was not easily ignored.

Grime noticed the light from behind him and with widened eyes, he turned. What he saw before him was impossible. "What in the world…?!"

A few seconds later, she finally stood upright, her body readjusting itself and cracking with every move.

Anne stared at her friend, befuddled. "Sasha?" She called out in a whisper.

Sasha opened her eyes, her pupils a bright pink. But as Anne stared deeper, she realised something unnerving.

Those pink eyes of hers were completely empty.

"Kneel."

Newtopia — the crown jewel of the lily pad-shaped continent. It's the home of the greatest minds in history, as well as the capital metropolis of the kingdom. Ruled by the benevolent King Andreas, this city has stood against the test of time and was arguably the oldest standing city in all of Amphibia.

When the music box was opened, three girls were transported into another world. One fell to the outskirts of Wartwood, another near the indomitable Toad Tower. The last of the three? She was lucky, having been transported directly onto the centre of the city.

Marcy Wu, a gamer girl with zero boundaries, was flabbergasted when she first arrived but that was quickly replaced by sheer excitement. The city, the new world, was beyond her wildest imagination. So in awe, she was, that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings and accidentally fell down a flight of stairs.

It was a miracle she only came out with a broken leg.

In any case, after being taken care of by the royal physicians, Marcy came under the employ of King Andreas and was placed under the jurisdiction of Lady Olivia, the matriarch of one of the five founding families of Newtopia.

Marcy did a lot in the few months she stayed. She learned archery, fought pirates, designed bridges and even trained herself to ride a giant bird — his name was Joe Sparrow. However, despite all the excitement and adventure she's experienced, her biggest goal was still out of reach.

She joined the Newtopia Knight Guard and eventually rose through the ranks into becoming a Chief Ranger, sorta. All of this was so that she had the resources necessary to find her friends who, much like her, were transported to this world. So far, there hasn't been any news but she stayed optimistic, hoping to one day reunite with them.

Still, while she continued her search, she might as well do some studies. This included history, geography, politics and even, magical artefacts. She knew very little of the box and she was hoping to find any information regarding it in the royal library. So far, all she found were meagre excerpts written by bored monks and a weird diary entry by a young lady talking about 'capture targets' and 'being a villainess'. But hey, at least she can translate ancient Amphibian now.

It still bothered her how the language was replaced with English somehow. Like, what were the odds of that?

"Marcy? Marcy, are you in here?" Lady Olivia called, opening the door to the library. She was wearing her nightgown, seeing that it was way past her bedtime.

From behind a stack of books, Marcy waved. "Oh, hey there, Lady Olivia!"

"Marcy, what in newt heavens are you doing here so late at night? I got a call from the guards talking about seeing a green ghost in the library." Olivia asked. "And what's with all the books?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to bother you so late. Sorry about that." She apologized. "It's just that I found this really interesting book this morning and I thought that maybe I could read it tomorrow but I couldn't wait, so I sneaked into the library to check but then the book started bringing up a bunch of references so I got more books and, uh... hehe…"

Marcy popped her lips. "I Wikipedia'd myself."

Lady Olivia sighed. "Hah… I don't know what that means but I understand. Just, do try to tell the guards prior. They might be Newtopia's finest but even they're afraid of ghosts."

"Wait, are ghosts real in this world?"

"That is not a question for me to answer." The newt shushed. "In any case, I do recommend going back to bed. You have a full day tomorrow and I expect no dilly-dallying. We wouldn't want you to be exhausted, after all."

Marcy smiled. Lady Olivia was always looking out for her and for that, she deeply respected the noble. In RPGs, blue-bloods so often have some kind of agenda hidden, whether they were part of the good guys or being villains. But here? That didn't seem to be the case.

Well, not always. She did go to that fancy ball one time and stopped an assassination attempt. That was fun.

Marcy closed the book in her hands. "Alright, I'll go. Let me just put these books back. The library really needs a better arrangement system. I'm thinking the Dewey Decimal system."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Maybe later." She said. Before she walked away, she saw something out of place. Staring towards Marcy, Lady Olivia leaned in closer. "Huh, that's odd."

Marcy's eyes widened, placing her fingers all over her cheeks. "W-what? What's odd? Is it my freckles? Sasha and Anne said the face cream worked months ago! Did they come back? Can they come back?!"

Olivia shook her head. "No no, nothing about your face. It's just… were your eyes always green?"

Marcy raised a brow. "What do you me—?"

Without warning, a green light exploded from her eyes, engulfing the library and consuming it of its shadows. The lights faded just as instantaneously, leaving only a pair of pulsating green pupils.

"GYAAAAH!" Marcy screamed, gripping her forehead and covering her eyes. The stack of books fell onto the ground in disarray, followed by the girl, winching in pain.

"MARCY!" Olivia shrieked, running to her side after being briefly disoriented. "MARCY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

Marcy continued to close her eyes, gripping them shut. "It hurts…! My eyes, it hurts so bad…!" She cried. Her head was throbbing in agony, her senses in overdrive. Right now, for some reason, she could see through her very hands and even the castle walls. It's as if at that moment, all the world's secrets were hers to see.

It was too much input. She couldn't process it.

"Make it stop…!" She begged.

Lady Olivia could do nothing but watch. Turning around, she began shouting for help. "GUARDS! CALL THE PHYSICIANS IMMEDIATELY!"

Thankfully, whatever that happened didn't last, ending a few minutes later. The event was kept a secret for nobody knew what had transpired. Sometime after the incident, Marcy regained consciousness and her sight was undamaged. Still, she was forced to stay in bed for a couple of days, just in case it repeated.

It wasn't so bad though. Even the king sent her a get-well present — a messy bundle-slash-knot consisting of a single string. Every time she untied one part, the rest just ended up becoming tighter. It was honestly vexing.

However, while she stayed in bed playing with her ball of string, something about that event bothered her. She never told anyone about it, seeing that they wouldn't understand, but when she was seeing everything, she had briefly looked down.

She saw something underneath the castle and for that brief moment, it stared at her back.

One second.

That was how long it took to say a single word.

One second.

Right after that one second, without explanation or logical reason, the great Tower Toad, a bastion of protection and strength that had stood for hundreds of years...

Stone and metal were flung all over. The entire castle shook and quaked. A massive chasm appeared right in the centre of the courtyard, splitting the fort and swallowing everything above it. The great hole grew from the cliff's edge into the deep forests, permanently altering the landscape. Even the gigantic flytrap, one easily towering over the toads, was but a speck to it, its roots ripped out and falling to its demise.

That very tower was cleaved in half, one side bending downwards. If it was alive, it looked like it was kneeling.

Countless soldiers fell from the tower floor, either into the chasm or off the railings. Most survived for they were hardy folk but toads weren't invincible. In a panic, one toad sounded a horn and immediately, every other dropped their weapons and fled for their lives.

There were exceptions such as Captain Grime. As the tower gradually crumbled, one side leaning at an angle, Grime quickly deduced the source and gripped the floor tiles with all his might.

"Grr…" He growled. Unsheathing his sword, he leapt off the ground and towards the apathetic girl. "RAAAAAAAAH!"

Sasha, her face devoid of emotion, turned to the voice. The toad swung his blade, aiming it down to between her eyes. But just as the sword cleaved inches to her face, it stopped.

Faster than he could see, Sasha moved her hand into the blade's path and with just her fingers, she pinched the steel midway, halting it dead on its tracks.

Grime blinked. He couldn't move his sword. "Uh oh."

Apathetically, Sasha flicked his weapon away, flinging him off the tower and down to the ground. Anne, seeing all this, screamed. "Grime!"

Grime knew that there was a chance he'd survive the fall. A small chance with a larger percentage of death. Those were not odds in his favour and he wasn't keen on just taking them. Twisting around, he aimed his fall at the flying rubble and after latching onto one, jump off onto another, breaking his descent. After a few mid-air leaps, he successfully slowed himself, before one final jump and landing safely on the soft dirt at the outer walls.

Seeing him unharmed, Anne sighed in relief. It's a shame she couldn't celebrate; there were more pressing matters at hand.

Sasha had access to her powers and it was... pink? Somehow, it manifested into her favourite colour for some reason, just as it did with Anne. However, hers had completely overwhelmed her with a strong aura, even going as far as changing her hair. Its effects were also far above hers, easily overshadowing the months of hard work.

Right now, Anne couldn't move. Lying on her hands and knees, the floor beneath her cracked. Her entire body, from her arms to her feet and even the hair on her skin, was being crushed by enormous unseen pressure. It felt so intense that she struggled to even breathe. The only reason she wasn't turned into a paste was because of her own powers.

Increased strength, durability and stamina: these were Anne's as far as she knew of. And currently, they were pushed to their limits, doing everything they can to keep her standing. But even under stress, she could tell — the pressure was increasing.

At this rate, she really will die.

Sasha calmly strolled up to her, her steps as light as a feather. While the girl tried to stay conscious, she only stared at her, her gaze indifferent and uncaring.

She reached her hand towards Anne, the latter sensing only coldness from her nearing fingertips.

"Sasha!"

That voice...

Sasha stopped jerkily, recognising the squeaky noise. Like a dissipating storm, her senses returned and the empty eyes Anne saw rapidly returned to life. Sasha turned her head, seeing a distressed Sprig, tears at the corners of his eyes.

"S-Sprig?" She said, her voice echoing, almost otherworldly. Within seconds, the power that flowed through her trickled and vanished, and her loosened hair fell back down. As the weight immediately disappeared, Anne gasped, air flowing in her lungs once more. Even the castle stopped shaking, halting its unplanned demolition. At least, for now.

Stumblingly, Sasha and Sprig moved towards one another, albeit clumsily. As they got close enough, she tripped and fell into his arms, her arms danglingly at the side. Because she was twice his height, he ended up holding her at an angle, her body lying awkwardly.

Sprig hugged Sasha tightly. "I-I thought you were—" He stuttered, barely working a sentence through his sobs. "I'm j-just glad y-you're okay..."

Sasha chuckled. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm Sasha Waybright. I can do anything..." She said weakly. "Now don't drop me. I'm gonna take a nap..."

And just like she said, Sasha promptly fell asleep. This wasn't the most comfortable or safest place to take a break but she wasn't worried; Sprig was there. Nothing bad was going to happen. The boy's a good luck charm.

Due to the size difference, it felt awkward to carry Sasha on his back — her feet were literally dragging on the floor. But he had no other options. Maybe he can pick up her wheelchair on their escape. He'd just have to find it first.

Behind him, while holding onto Polly and the shield, Hop Pop opened up the trapdoor of the tower. "Come on! Let's get out of here before the toads come back!" He urged.

"Or the tower collapsing." Polly chimed. "I mean, I don't know what all that hubbub was but she sure did a number on this place. I'm surprised the Sasha Karma hasn't kicked in yet."

Hop Pop frowned. "Polly! Don't jinx it!"

Meanwhile, Anne watched as the frogs planned their escape, leaving her squirming on the broken tiles. They were just going to leave, just like that? After all they had done? No, she wouldn't allow it. She's the lieutenant of Toad Tower. Sure, the title was just honourary but she still had her pride.

Slowly standing back up, Anne groaned. Her whole body felt numb from the stress endured. "Y-you're not going anywhere!"

She readied herself, letting the power flow through her once more, her eyes shifting hues — but it didn't last. She already used it way too often in such a short period. She couldn't feel the power in her, at least not strongly. It came and went like the wind, leaving her with nothing but crumbs.

Anne shivered, feeling cold for the first time she got here.

Tick, tick, tick—

While all the action was happening upstairs, a little bit of activity was also playing underground. In the sewers of the fort, numerous blue mushrooms ticked, blinking a bioluminescent light. Initially, its ticks were steady, flickering a second at a time. But as the timer gradually reached its end, the ticking hastened.

Ticktickticktick—

5...

4...

3...

2...

...

... Click!

B-B-B-BOOM!

At the base of Toad Tower, numerous bluish explosions erupted, shaking the entire area. The already fragmented fort finally crumbled to pieces in sudden death. The tower, having been cleaved in two, split even further to its last strings. Eventually, the tilted half gave way and toppled apart.

Anne had laid on the falling side and when it broke down, she began losing her footing. The rough quakes also shook Sprig harshly and much to his horror, Sasha slipped loose from his shoulders. Anne tried to balance herself, gripping onto her stuck sword, but as karma determined, she was instead met with a face full of Sasha Waybright crashing into her.

"WAH!" Anne yelped as Sasha's unconscious body pushed her off the edge and down to the abyss, alongside the falling debris.

In a blink of an eye, the two girls disappeared into the darkness, their fates unknown.

Did you know that there is no quantifiable number of how high a human being can survive a fall? This is because there's a multitude of factors to take account of, each with its own conditions and rules. If you're exceptionally lucky, you can survive a fall from 5,000 meters above sea level, escaping from an exploding plane. If you're the opposite, you'd die by tripping over a crack in the sidewalk.

Anne wasn't sure how she was alive. All she knew was that her entire body was aching in pain and that she felt utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at the red moon, unsure of how much time has passed.

Anne sighed, both relieved and drained. Honestly, at this point, she just wanted to sleep and forget this whole day ever happened.

"Nng..."

Anne blinked. That sound... Flopping her head to the side, she saw a figure laying nearby. It was hard to see with blurred vision but the distinct blonde hair stood out the most.

"Sasha..." Anne spoke, her voice soft. Looking back at the red moon, she sighed. "It's always about you, huh? I meet up with you for one night and somehow, everything you touch, everything I've worked on, ruined..."

"I should've just left you alone..."

Anne bit her lips. She was so angry at her, so disappointed and peeved. Sasha once again ruined everything she worked on, all because she wanted to be in the centre of it all. How many times has she tricked and taken by surprise in a single night? How many times has she lost? Did she actually win that fight? Looking back, it didn't seem so. She beat Sasha with one punch, all while Sasha was frolicking around her. Despite all the training, she never stood a chance.

Sasha would've tricked, cheated and lied to win. But Anne wouldn't. The girl was too honourable, too trustworthy to try. And because of that, she lost, plain and simple. At the end of the day, the former of the two had the strength to do whatever was necessary and she won, leaving the latter in the dust.

The very moment Anne did the same — striking her opponent while their guard was down — was the only time she got a hit. And it ended up being the winning blow.

It was the only blow she got, ending the life of another.

And it scared her.

"... What am I doing?" Anne mumbled, her eyes flooding wet so suddenly. "Why... Why did I do that? How could I even think of doing that?"

Anne began pulling her hair, hiding her frustration as water flowed down her cheeks. How could she have done something so unforgivable? It was a miracle that Sasha still breathed but it didn't take back what occurred. A person died and Anne was lucky it wasn't permanent.

A small piece of the rubble tumbled nearby, pulling her out of her thoughts. She was feeling a lot but right now, wherever she was, it wasn't safe. Another stroke of luck for them to be mostly unscathed but they couldn't stay. The place looked like it would fall apart any moment.

Lifting her weary body, Anne stared at Sasha for a brief minute. Then wordlessly, she grabbed hold of Sasha and pulled her up, carrying her on her back. Looking around, she saw an opening and despite the hesitance, took a step forward.

The Walters - I Love You So

I just need someone in my life to give it structure;
To handle all the selfish ways I'd spend my time without her;

You're everything I want, but I can't deal with all your lovers;
Saying I'm the one, but it's your actions that speak louder;

Giving me love when you are down and need another;
I've got to get away and let you go, I've got to get over.

But I love you sooo...

I love you sooo...

I love you so-oooo...!

I love you sooo...

After what felt like hours, Anne finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Having lived in this tower for the past few months, she had mapped the structure from her daily runs, making navigation easier. But with how destroyed the area was, there were a few close calls here and there. She was also considerably fatigued and with luggage no less.

If she was on her own, it would've been easier. Yet, Anne held onto the unconscious girl's body tightly, refusing to let go.

Just as she reached the top and out of the forsaken hole, Anne unceremoniously dropped Sasha to the side and got on her knees, gasping in exhaustion. The entire time, she couldn't access her powers for aid; she felt it tingle at the back of her neck but it wouldn't come out. Maybe it was just as drained as she was.

Anne glanced towards her friend, still unconscious. For someone who just cheated death, she looked surprisingly peaceful — a far cry from all the chaos that blew up, literally and figuratively. Even she couldn't help but feel jealous, as childish as that was.

Anne closed her eyes and took a slow breath in. "... You know, you're lucky to have found a family here. This world just sucks. It's just..." Anne trembled. "I just wish I didn't have to lose mine."

She stood back up and looked at the horizon. The toads shouldn't have gotten far. "If we're lucky, we'll never see each other again. But considering how bad that's been... Goodbye, Sasha."

Anne walked away, no more words spoken. At the edge of the chasm, Sasha was left behind, her back lying on the cold ground. Her body stirred, as if reaching for something, but gave up when all she grasped was air.

She was alone.

"I found her!"

There was something magical about stage plays. It wasn't as spectacular as TV series or blockbuster films, nor was it as intimate as campfire stories or tabletop roleplaying. There was the stage and the seats, separated by a clear and distinct line. When you're in the theatre, you're either part of the audience or you're part of the play. There was no in-between.

Sasha always loved plays. The costumes, the actors and even the cheap props. She loved every part of it. But she never played as the hero. No, that was always someone else. She didn't mind; she didn't participate to play the hero. To her, heroes were pushovers. She was fine with playing the villain or the side character. It didn't matter.

To her, the best part of a play was that she was able to live a different life, even if it was for a few minutes.

Laboriously, her eyes slipped open, warm light flooding her vision. She grumbled, her throat dry and her lips chapped. It took a while to come to her senses and get a feel of her surroundings but thankfully, it didn't take much; she was familiar with this place.

"Hmm..." She hummed, somewhat itchy inside. She really needed some water.

It was then that someone nearby heard her grumbling and hastily went to check on her. Seeing her eyes partially opened and looking around, the said person shrieked.

"SHE'S AWAKE!" She yelled, the said person being one basketball-sized joy known as Polly.

Immediately, everyone stopped what they were doing and ran towards the formerly asleep. Sprig especially raced to her side, almost shaking the bed as he crashed into it. "Sasha, are you okay?! Do you need some water?! Here! This one doesn't have any additives or trans fats!"

Did she hear that right? "W-what?"

"No words — just drink." Sprig whispered, pushing a cup of ordinary clear water to her. In fact, it was actually too clear; she couldn't even see the water.

Too thirsty to contest, Sasha chugged the glass down in a single breath, rapidly feeling her strength returning. The water was suspiciously delicious and definitely not the usual tap water she'd been drinking this entire time. It brought her a brief moment of worry but that quickly subsided, considering who gave her the drink.

Finishing up, Sasha wiped her mouth with her arm, now parched and a tad more refreshed. Placing the glass, she noticed her entire body was wrapped in bandages, especially her chest area. Those were underneath her clothes — her school uniform, that was.

Wait, she didn't remember putting these on, or the bandages! Did they unclothe her during treatment while she was unconscious? Ugh, gross...

Resting for a bit, she then turned to the others, being Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly. "What... happened? And why is my bed in the living room?"

The three frogs shared glances before nodding. This was going to be a long story. "Okay, so, what was the last thing you remembered?"

It ended up being longer.

Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly told her everything. And by that, they meant almost everything. The last thing they needed to say was that Sasha had 'hopped across the river', so to speak. And by her best friend to boot. The revelation would've shattered her fragile reality.

Also, how does one explain the whole 'temporarily becoming a God'? That was not a thing people commonly talk about.

In the end, they did their best to give their perspectives. And Sasha, after listening to it all, nodded, gave thanks, and left her bed. Not a single word escaped her lips for the rest of the night. Instead, she just stood outside in silence, leaning on the fence and staring at the starry sky.

Some hours later, Sprig, finished with his chores, strolled out of the house and moved to her side. "Hey, Sasha." He greeted. "You, uh, okay?"

Sasha turned to him, showing a big grin. "Me? I'm a-okay! I mean, sure, my back's a bit sore and I feel my chest is a tad tighter than usual but I'm sure it'll subside soon enough."

To demonstrate, Sasha flexed her arm, showing her arm muscles in tip-top shape. She'd been gaining weight the past few months from all the labour; even when sitting in the wheelchair, she tried to help in some way.

However, it wasn't the physical part Sprig had asked about. "You know that's not what I meant."

Sasha big goofy grin slowly fell and eventually, her smile faded. Looking away, she watched the stars solemnly. "... She was right there, y'know? If I only talked to her a bit more, maybe things would've changed. Maybe... Maybe we wouldn't have fought."

"I thought that when I found her again, it would've been so easy. Instead, everything got so complicated." She lamented, followed by a sigh. "Sprig... Am I a good person?"

Sprig thought about it. And oh boy, did he think about it. Tapping his finger on his chin, he then shrugged. "Nah."

"Wow, way to be cut in deep there. Might as well twist the knife while you're at it."

"But you're not a bad person either!" Sprig quickly added. Raising a brow, Sasha motioned him to continue. "It's more like you have some good and some bad. But they don't cancel each other out. They just... exist together, you know?"

"You mess up a lot but that's just part of being a person, both good and bad. You're getting there and I think that's okay."

Sasha blinked. That wasn't the answer she had hoped for; it wasn't even remotely close. It was vague, indecisive and had a lot of wordplays just to avoid answering the question. All in all, one of the weirdest responses she received.

Yet, why did she feel satisfied?

Sasha cracked a smile, for real this time. "Thanks, Sprig. That was a hecking lot of faffing about but I respect that. Even if it was cheesy."

"What does cheese have anything to do with this?" Sprig replied with a raised brow.

Sasha burst into hearty laughter, slapping her knee. "Hahahaha! That's a good one!"

The two shared a laugh as they watched the day finally appear. The sunrise today felt different — more blessed even. Its brilliant edges were shining positively golden on the horizon, illuminating the world around them.

Even after all that happened, the world continued to spin, unhindered by the drama and disaster. It was proof that there'll always be a tomorrow and that one day, maybe things could be different. Maybe things... could be better.

One just has to keep trying.

Sprig tugged in a breath of fresh morning air, hints of dewdrops and mint flowing in the cold breeze. "Hah, the air always smells different at this hour. I'm gonna go head on inside for breakfast. You coming?"

Sasha shook her head. "Maybe later. Just tell Hop Pop to save some for me."

"Not sure if you can eat any of Hop Pop's cooking yet but okay!"

With Sprig entering the home, Sasha was once more left alone with her thoughts. The details of the fight were blurry and her memories weren't exactly clear either. But one thing's for sure; if she survived the tower's destruction, so did Anne. Someday, they'll meet up again and when that day comes, she won't make the same mistake.

Taking a deep breath, Sasha performed one last stretch before heading back in, pulling her arms up high. It felt nice being able to walk again but oh boy, did her body feel sore. A pizza would be great, now that she thought about it.

"You're planning on making a pizza, ey? Well, count me in! I've got a hankering for one!"

Sasha stopped. Slowly, she lowered her arms and looked around.

That voice...

"You're looking for me?" The squeaky female voice called out. Suddenly, from the void in front of her, a translucent pink frog literally popped into existence, floating in mid-air like an autumn leaf. The frog looked like a ghost that only she could see and acted surprisingly casual. "Sorry for the drab appearance! I was initially going for a more dramatic introduction but you started talking about pizza and I couldn't wait."

Sasha blinked. Was she seeing things? She rubbed her eyes for good measure. But there was no denying it.

It was her.

The pink frog from her nightmares, now in the real world.

"You know what'd be great on pizza? Chocolate. I think chocolate sprinkles would be fantastic. What do you think?"

"... WHAT THE FU—!"

But I love you sooo... (please, let me go)

I love you sooo... (please, let me go)

I love you so-oooo...! (please, let me go)

I love you sooo...