AN: For those waiting and expected it to be soon, sorry that I went back to monthly updates on this one. It took a while and I had trouble writing this chapter due to author's block. But I was more stronger on the second time editing this. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 4 - The Theories (and Half-Truths)
A few more minutes had passed, and John Dory left Rhonda on automatic mode as they all gathered to discuss the overall plan. Branch and Trollex were nearly done with finishing the clue board and Poppy was nearly done with explaining the history of BroZone to Barb. Well, let's just say Barb did a good job of not looking like she wanted to fall asleep.
When Poppy got listing down some of BroZone's 'top hits', Barb nearly found such titles as derivative.
But things should be alright for the five, right?
"Alright! Alright!" barked a deep voice through the speakers. "Tiny, Branch, Poppy, Queen Barb and King Trollex and this random dude on another musical adventure filled with heart, hilarity and happiness!"
"What?" said John Dory flatly.
All eyes turned to the driver's chair. It was shifting around a little with the wire to the intercom microphone stretched to it. John squinted his eyes and noticed that the lights were switched back to manual control.
All five came closer to inspect but didn't expect it to be Tiny Diamond. Sitting comfortably in a baby's seat and steering onto the driver's wheel with ease.
Floating from above, Trollex's hands grabbed onto the top of the headrest. With eyes of a curious child and eyes of a concerned adult. His fingers twitched in the urge to rip Tiny out of that seat.
"You gotta be kidding me," he uttered in disbelief.
On the other hand, Barb had a wide, amused grin that Guy's little child managed to sneak onto here. "Little dude's on the ride as well?"
Poppy was more happy to see Tiny around. As her auntie, this might be a good adventure to show him around.
"Tiny!" she exclaimed, awed. "What are you doing here?"
Tiny Diamond was quite confident. "Well, Aunt Poppy, for your information, I am no longer a baby. I am a big boy now! And I'm on a man-sized rite of passage to learn lessons of life, courage and maybe love."
The tone of his deep voice would have convinced anyone but his small size couldn't save his genuine intention to be taken seriously by everyone.
"Aww…" cooed Poppy in cuteness overload.
The deadpanned Trollex's response was to playfully flick a hair string from Tiny. "Until you end up coming out worse for wear."
"No touchy!" barked Tiny immediately. "No means no!"
"OK! OK." Trollex quietly thought about this. Then, he nodded. At least Tiny Diamond knew safety. "Well, good that you know the right man-sized passage of love-"
"Trollex, don't downplay this," scolded Branch. He wasn't gonna let a child get on here. Barb and Trollex were exceptions, but Branch didn't like Tiny's presence. They didn't need a baby around.
"Yeah," agreed John Dory worriedly on the same thought. "Should we be letting a baby drive?"
"Not to worry, fellow grownups," claimed Tiny. "I have procured my learner's permit!"
He whipped out his driver's licence card. Or at least what looked like one. For Branch and Poppy, they recognized it. It came from when the Diamonds had a great Bring-Your-Parent-To-School Day. And in arts and crafts, Guy, being the spotlight-lover, couldn't resist making a great craft. Admittedly, the card Tiny brought along still looked pristine and nicely made.
But it was lacking professional confirmation that Tiny was legal to drive. The fake name was someone else's and the picture only had Tiny wearing a gray mustache to make him look like a senior. Naturally, no one fell for the card.
"Who is 'Adulty McManface'?" pointed out Poppy.
"The better question is, are you a narc?" retorted Tiny quickly.
Being the caring, loving mother to all Trolls, the response caught Poppy off-guard. "What? No! No. Why? Are you?"
Barb became her saving grace, forcefully her head to her with a cure of a firm look. "Poppy, focus."
"Oh, right!"
Strangely, Branch wasn't too worried about Tiny driving. They knew the increasing capabilities the glittery kid was gaining. It was more of…
"And Tiny, did your father allow you to come?"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Barb's response was to bring out her guitar and aim it at the front window. Immediately, Poppy and Branch lowered the charged head of the instrument. One look at who was on top of the window drained the colors from their faces.
Guy Diamond was clinging on the front window like a squashed bug as if his life depended on it.
"TINY!" he shrieked in auto-tune. "STOP THE CAR! STOP THE CARRRRR!"
And like any other kid, Tiny's anxious response was to do nothing and continue speeding.
John Dory's idea was to press a button on the dashboard and an extensive tube suddenly popped out from the top of Rhonda. Guy Diamond let out another ear-piercing scream but that was nothing in comparison to the booming, awesome roar of the vacuum pipe sucking him inside. In the interior, everyone could see his body squeezed through the rubbery tubes sticking out from the walls.
Fortunately, it was rather quick and he splattered in the middle of the interior, a great cloud of glitter following from the impact. It was hard to see his face but you could hear his coughing fits from the unfortunate ride.
Immediately, Branch and Poppy ran up to the poor glittery troll, braving through the glitter to pick him up.
"Guy Diamond!" said Poppy.
"Geez, man," said Branch. "You could have nearly died out there!"
From the front seat, Tiny grinned sheepishly before trying to look at the front.
"Oh, sh…" he muttered.
"What are you doing here?" asked Poppy.
"How did you-?" said Branch.
Guy Diamond's back was still hurting, but he was able to stand up like normal. He winced as he straightened himself, sore yet relieved after being stuck in the same pose when he held onto the Rhonda. And enough fatherly adrenaline to ignore the pain and adopt disappointed eyes when he marched towards Tiny.
Guy wasn't always one to show explicit anger or annoyance, but the look towards Tiny made the latter try to shrink himself to look cute.
"You and I are gonna have to talk once we stop, mister," said Guy firmly.
Tiny didn't hear that warming properly. "W-What's up, pops? How's it hanging?"
And as someone who had to go through such a life-or-death danger once again, the reminder provoked Guy Diamond's exhaustion from catching up to the wild Rhonda. His energy burnt, he tired out nearly quickly. He rubbed his eyes in irritation and let out a long sigh.
"Just PLEASE don't run off again without asking me," pleaded Guy.
"But don't you really need permission as well to ask your homies before you go somewhere?"
"At least to make someone feel better than worried."
Tiny was about to argue back, but he let that settle in. And still at his young ages, he had to give his father some credit if he was that determined to chase. The tiny troll nodded slowly, no longer trying to sink into his seat.
"Sorry, Daddy," he squeaked quietly.
Guy just rested his head against the chair and reached out to at least feel his son's hair as a wordless reassurance that he couldn't stay mad. However, there was one more person he had to argue. He slowly turned his head to the nearby Barb. Even if it wasn't a glare, Barb was sure he was trying to give one to put a hole in her forehead.
"Barb, you didn't tell me watching children run around means letting them go off on another crazy adventure," he said.
Barb held her hands up. "Whoa, whoa, dude! I didn't expect THIS as well."
Trollex hummed. "You know kids are ambitious as well."
"OK, yes, but I didn't know a month-old baby would be persistent!"
Barb wasn't exactly lying. She might have seen worse from her tribe but didn't expect the same zeal from the other tribes. Guy Diamond thought of saying something back but he had already said enough that he was too tired to shoot something back. He glanced at the concerned Poppy. Then, he realized that asking Barb for advice was like asking Poppy for advice.
"Uh, is he supposed to drive, new guy?" asked John.
Guy Diamond wasn't so worried about that. "I already taught him how to drive."
"Well, this should be reassuring," muttered Trollex.
"Did anyone else come with you?" asked Poppy.
Guy Diamond shook his head. "No. It is only me."
Branch sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Hopefully, the others aren't too worried by now."
Meanwhile, back in Bergen Town, a wild party was already set. Sharp electro-synths shook the entire town, with the bass rumbling the ground. Neon spotlights flashed all around, nearly blinding everyone like the sun. This came from DJ Suki letting her music go loose for the after-party. And that was not to mention the loud singing and the screams from the Pop Trolls and the Bergens letting loose around the Troll Tree.
Even without Bridget and Gristle running the show, everybody was having fun with all the dance and the food they could get. And speaking of which, most of the Pop Trolls invited were hopping around on the food tables distributed. Way more than the only one long table used hours ago. The amount of cakes and juices would be enough to knock them all out but not enough to settle down the little colorful creatures.
However, a few of them were confused by the explosive fun after the wedding and the sudden news of Floyd's likely demise.
Satin, in particular, was left standing with a few bubbles around her head. That was the mocktails talking for her. Meanwhile, her sister was just bopping her head around to the music. Satin felt like she was the only sane one in the room, her mind still on Poppy and their friends on another life-threatening adventure.
And then, she found a stressed-out Biggie chugging a slice of cake down his mouth. Thankfully, it wasn't Bergen size, but it would be enough to choke the poor guy out.
Before Biggie could reach out for a bottle of lime green cordial, Satin immediately stepped in front of him.
"What is this?!" cried Satin. "This is supposed to be a formal gathering!"
"Well, this is how I acknowledge everything will be OK," said Biggie dryly. "And forget about the forthcoming presence of doom coming for us again."
Guy Diamond clenched his teeth, looking like he might have to tell otherwise.
"Enough chit-chat," decided John Dory. "We got a fellow bro to save. Adulty McManface, keep your eyes on the front."
With Tiny making it his priority to keep his eyes on the road, the rest of the gang gathered together as Trollex gently carried the clue board down to the ground for all to see. Upon seeing it, Branch felt himself smirking confidently and placed himself in front of his insightful presentation.
"Alright, everyone!" he called. "Operation Family Harmony is on and popping!" He paused when he noticed Poppy's long, warm gaze. "What?"
Poppy blinked a few times before realizing he was asking her directly. "Oh! Nothing." There was a faint blush of embarrassment and giddiness of staring at Branch's great handiwork. A similar feeling to getting to meet the members of BroZone. "I just, well… If I didn't know any better, I would almost say you were excited as well!"
Branch stifled his own smile. At first thought, he didn't really want to show he was too eager. "It has nothing to do with my brothers. But we gotta find them quick and fast. John, what's the deadline?"
"I can't tell how long Floyd will last in that crystal bottle," informed John Dory. "Last time I saw him, he hasn't gone fully transparent yet."
"We'll still need to get to him as soon as we can!" said Poppy.
"Fortunately, old Branch's got it handled," said Branch, bringing the clue board closer for everyone to see. "All we have to do is follow the clues."
As he turned to the board to present, he saw Trollex's ears wiggling, matching the same sentiment. They were able to fit many images in based on what they believed would fit their search criteria on Spruce and Clay. They even slapped on the newly extended map of their world, providing connections of where the brothers might be based on the likely cultural references.
Poppy's jaw dropped at the sight of the clue board. Completely covered with magazine pictures, images of BroZone's past albums and casual pictures of the brothers' lives. It was every BroZone fanatic's poster wall except made by the official members themselves! She looked at Guy Diamond. His eyes were shining in admiration as well. An official nostalgic trip to look into.
Barb tilted her head, trying to assess what she was seeing. From a Rock Troll's perspective, it would look like your typical Pop obsession. Except it had a more masculine stage feel? It was hard for Barb to tell, but she could tell what looked like a great concept for a rock stage.
One glance at the smiling and pleased John Dory told her how much the band seemed to relish shining on stage.
Poppy wasted no time fangirling the pictures. "Wow! Check out your old outfits! So cool!" It was like watching a cartoon with Poppy teleporting from one corner of the clue board to another. "Puffy jackets? Puka shell necklaces? Denim tuxedos?" She took one picture from the board to show Branch. "Branch, did you have frosted tips?"
Branch grinned at the memory of first tipping his hair in white. "Um, yeah, it was an era."
"Don't forget his perm," teased John Dory.
"Wait, what? Seriously?" squeaked Barb, suddenly interested.
"Oh! Show me! Show me!" squealed Poppy.
John Dory was more than happy to show it, but Branch only responded with a groan when he saw a picture of younger him having a hairstyle similar to an afro.
"Oh my goodness!" guffawed Barb, slapping Branch on the back. "You rock that one!"
"Never knew you could get instant curly hair," said Trollex, grinning.
"I would like to meet that you before," commented Guy Diamond, grinning.
"Look at you!" said Poppy, hearts popping all over her as she fawned over the picture. "You were so cute as you are now! I love it! I love it! I love it!"
"But we had to pull the plug when he tried to frost his perm," mentioned John Dory randomly.
His face in dark blue, Branch snatched the picture out from his brother's hand. "It was an era!"
"Tragic."
"I'm gonna need copies of that pic for my wallet, you two!" she squealed to Branch. "They'll have a place in my heart!"
John Dory took it cooly with a smirk. Always good to have a fan around.
Branch rolled his eyes at John Dory's reaction but felt bashful from Poppy's comment. He looked over Poppy's shoulder to see Guy Diamond giving him the thumbs-up. Though, Branch didn't feel proud of the perm he tried making.
"Hold onto the merchandise," said Barb, taking a closer look at the clue board. "But how are these references gonna find Spruce and Clay? I think they only birth from one place?"
John Dory looked curious. "What is that-?"
"Pop Village."
Trollex crossed his arms with a pointed look at Barb. He spent minutes with Branch preparing that board for everyone!
"Well, we actually don't need the little board to find Spruce," said John Dory.
"It's not little," insisted Branch, annoyed.
"Because I got this! Booyah!"
In his hand was a postcard. Taking a closer look, Branch immediately searched for any address or writing that confirmed it would be Spruce's. He checked the back, but it was blank. But all he was looking at was an image of an ideal holiday island. The tall mountains were coated in a dark purple, the shadow reflecting from that side due to the descending sun behind it in the salmon-colored clouds.
And written above the image was…
"'Wish you were here'?" read Branch. The words were written in white in a swirly font. Something that wasn't used by many before. "That's it? It's not even signed."
"It's definitely Spruce!" said John Dory. "I mean, he's the only one I know who talks that way!"
Trollex took one look at the postcard and he shared the skeptism. The saying was too general. The writing was really unique and printed. He looked at John Dory with an inquisitive look. "Anyone could say that!"
"But not in that writing."
"Why would you believe THIS would lead us to Spruce?" asked Branch. "There's not even a return address! This could be from anywhere."
Poppy took the postcard with a closer look. She noticed that the sun wasn't really their regular sun they used to see back at home. Unless their sun was all in one instead of multiple suns sitting in various locations.
She analzed the map pinned to the clue board. Last she heard, the road they were taking was coming close to the edges of the land, close to the ocean. Bergen Town wasn't too far from the land's borders and beaches.
"But see that sunset?" she said, pointing the sun on the image for Branch to see. "See that sky? It's in the right shade now. Maybe we have to find it in that direction! We're not far from the ocean, so that island can be out there!"
Barb thought of saying something otherwise in disgust, but she looked back at the image. She compared it to the sky currently. Any chance of finding that island was one in a million. And even if they spotted it on the cliff, it might be far away as a tiny spot, needing to cross more kilometres to reach it.
Taking the logical side, the Rock Queen rubbed her chin and spoke in a more soft tone. "Hmm, well, the sky is in the right shade as the picture, so this is our chance to see."
However, Guy Diamond had his own argument. For some reason, it didn't make sense that Spruce would give a postcard to John Dory if the breakup between the brothers was bitter. John might be crazy after spending days outside any tribe in particular.
"Wait, but is Spruce gonna be on that island at all?" he asked. "When did you exactly give you that card, John?"
"About a year ago," John answered. "And before you ask, he delivered in a blank envelope except his name on it."
But it wasn't recently, thought Guy. "But wouldn't this mean your brother moved out already? Like…he's on another vacation?"
Branch's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Yeah…a year might be enough for Spruce to move out."
However, Poppy was optimistic about finding that island. "Who knows? All we can to do is to find the sunset and see it for ourselves!"
"Hold on," said Trollex with a worried look. "You want to go for the long haul on this?"
"I think it's possible! If this is one of the closest clues, we can go for it! Even if that is far away now."
This was awarded by John elbowing her softly. "Liking that optimism. Tiny! Take a turn to the left! And don't drive Rhonda into the ocean yet!"
Branch hung his head with an annoyed groan. He looked back at Poppy, now occupied with the clue board. Trollex opened his mouth, but Poppy gave him some reassurance Branch couldn't hear well and it seemed like Trollex decided to take her word. When Poppy asked about one of the pictures, Trollex shrugged before going into detail about it.
Hope that Poppy could take the clue board more seriously. As much hope Branch could carry.
He looked back at the postcard. Branch clicked his tongue. Of course, they would eventually find this place somehow. As he pushed the postcard into his vest, John Dory suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and shook them playfully.
"Branch, one word: keep her~!" John encouraged.
Now John was getting into his skin. Branch could only respond with a push and immediately head straight to the front seat.
This went unnoticed by Barb. John Dory was already out of sight, walking away to fetch a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, she could feel steam coming out from Branch, following Guy Diamond up to the front window. All of a sudden, their discussion turned awkward in which direction they should take.
It wasn't really that bad of a clue board, but they didn't mean to make it look like Branch's idea was bad, right?
Feeling a bad gut feeling, the Rock Queen immediately rushed up to the brooding Branch. "Hey, man! Your little clue board is still good!"
Branch narrowed his eyes. "You said they all came from one place."
Barb looked embarrassed. "Sure, yeah, yeah. Though, the diamond guy jogged my memory. I-I mean, you wouldn't get these references from just one place!"
Branch didn't want Barb's condescendance. It wasn't really the right time. When she saw his frown, Barb felt stupid. She came off as too honest again, was she? However, even if upset, Branch could appreciate that she was trying to acknowledge his work. Once his firm look softened up, he looked back to see Poppy cooeing over the clue board.
She was already engrossed with Trollex. And to his surprise, the Techno King was starting to show her the connections to the cultural references with the lands they came from. To be fair, Trollex made the clue board as well. However, he could see that Poppy didn't exactly ignore what they did nor put down Branch. On one hand, it could be just her praising what he and Trollex made.
But the comforting thought that she was told about its usefulness reassured him.
There was no last look of hostility, but when Branch turned away, Barb felt like this ultimately sucked. Just turn around, she told herself. You could worry about that later. And as the self-appointed Rock Queen, she turned around and painted a calm smile over the slight guilt built in her. But at least she knew when Branch wasn't ready to talk…
It was also right on time to see Trollex sharing a photo to Poppy. This one contained an album cover of BroZone lined up together, wearing robotic helmets.
"Wait, you actually knew this album?" asked Poppy, her hands over her mouth.
"Yep!" confirmed Trollex with a chipper grin. "Didn't expect that Branch was involved."
"Can't believe these albums actually reached Techno Reef!"
Barb joined in the conversation. "Wasn't that like only recently? After the World tour?"
"Albums are profitable," pointed out Trollex. "Easy to collect. And I'm guessing their popularity did spread across the world if they reached many Pop Villages in the past."
Poppy's eyes wandered off, directed to the map. It just got much bigger. She could see the places where the tribes lived at the top. She could see the now-gigantic Bergen Town in the middle. There were a few little states and areas housing different colonies and towns. Then, there was Mount Rageous overtaking the bottom of the map.
Her eyes fell on a picture of Clay, the fun one, pointing his finger at the spotlight. All while wearing a silver jacket coated in glitter and black leggings. She looked at the picture on top of that. Most of BroZone wore sparkly disco outfits with puffy shoulder pads and wide-cut pants. In comparison, Clay's outfit was the most sensible and modest.
She couldn't help voicing her thoughts on this. "That era was Clay's favorite. He loved the disco album they did."
"I thought you Pop Trolls said Disco is dead," said Trollex curiously, tilting his head.
"Yeah, that's true. But Clay's vocals and lines hit well during this era! I heard he handled the songwriting in this album! Never knew his passion for survival and empowerment could match the boogie wonderland! Ooohh!" Once again, the excited Poppy had to slow down her breathing before continuing. "It was also at the time when he voiced wanting to be taken more seriously."
"You filled me in that Clay was the fun one, right?" asked Barb, the rush of events blurring her mind a little. "Did that go well?"
"According to their last performance," voiced Trollex. "Clay was having trouble being taken seriously by his brothers."
Poppy was not even far from this concern. "Yep. While producing this album, he was starting to aspire beyond making jokes and flaunting the underwear around."
"A what now?" said Barb, off-guard.
Trollex scratched his chin, tapping to a small spot on the map. "I theorized that Clay might be hiding in a small village where a few Disco Trolls resided in. He might have wanted to stay there if he had his epiphany during BroZone's disco era."
"Wait, you're sure about that?" asked Barb. "They grew up pretty quickly."
"I don't see why not," said Poppy, "Then again, Spruce and Clay might not be close with the other sub-tribes since it's rare for Trolls to come around this area if it's dangerous…"
As Poppy talked on, Barb smiled to see that the Pop Queen had recovered from her previous doubt. She really got ready for this adventure and exploring the unknown. She looked back at Branch before at the clue board. They weren't really putting it to waste. It helped that Poppy loved BroZone and knew what they were like.
It was actually cute watching Poppy geeking out while making so many theories on Clay's whereabouts. Same with Trollex as well. Barb chuckled a little to see how quickly he pointed out a few things for the clue board.
Trollex himself was starting to feel proud. Even felt like he was doing Branch a big good favor. Their work won't be useless after all! He couldn't stop beaming, literally, his body glowing vibrantly. The more he discussed with Poppy, the more he got in the zone. Once he started teaching, he didn't want to stop there.
They were so engrossed this whole time that they didn't notice John Dory. But the eldest brother of BroZone was already waving around a cup of coffee, drunk.
He smirked to himself. He felt great. He had a good feeling that the postcard told them where to go! It should! He knew he saw Spruce on that island-
"John," Branch suddenly called from the front. "Have you ever been to this place before? Do you even know how to get there?"
"Yep!" confirmed John Dory. "I actually came across it whenever passing these mountains. I even visited the place briefly."
"...why didn't you say that earlier?" asked Guy Diamond.
"Why didn't you ask?"
Branch muttered something under his breath. "And have you seen Spruce there? At all?"
"Uh-!" stuttered John Dory, freezing in position.
To the outside world, it looked like his mind just crashed due to his unawareness that he might not have seen Spruce at all. Poppy, Trollex and Barb turned their attention to him. They glanced at Branch and back at John.
First assumption, John Dory was in denial that he didn't see Spruce on that island.
Branch's dry remark summed it all up. "You only saw him in your imagination."
Surprisingly, John Dory didn't lie. He chuckled nervously, his eyes darting sideways for escape routes. "In a way, yeah…ha ha!"
Trollex blinked a few times, wondering if he heard that right. People tended to claim the opposite and John Dory seemed like the guy who couldn't put past his pride. But he seemed quick in admitting he imagined Spruce there.
Branch didn't look too convinced, begrudgingly looking back through the front window.
However, the social Trollex immediately picked up something from John's tone. It didn't just sound embarrassing. And as John turned away, he got a good glimpse of him frowning sadly.
Trollex narrowed his green eyes, wondering what was that about.
Vacay Island. That was the name of the place they were heading to. They got a bit lost after Tiny accidentally made a detour upon finding a shop selling 'man-stuff', but Guy Diamond managed to wrench the wheel the other way. Well, over the edge of a cliff.
With the promise of Rhonda being waterproof, the rest of the journey to Vacay Island was swilling through the ocean of water beads.
Trollex was disappointed that it wasn't real water. Not like the one back home. He had to down about twenty bottles already to stay dehydrated and alive. At least the ocean was breathable for everyone. Especially since too many beads got into the armadillo. Poppy and Barb got too many in their mouths once they arrived on shore.
And Barb took the opportunity to eat those beads. Surprisingly, she didn't spit them out.
Arriving on the island, John Dory claimed to know where to find Spruce the last time he saw him. Nobody believed him at first, but he was surprisingly familiar with the path he was confident in taking. Even if that meant going deeper into the tropical jungle instead of the safety of the shores.
The jungle was thick with bright green balloon shapes and animals shaped for either a birthday party or a pool party. Fitting for such a summer theme, pool noodles were hanging around, acting as vines, bushes or even twirly paths for a rollercoaster. These shades of green, red and pink reflecting off those balloons brought life to the island.
John Dory proved to be the expert in exploring these terrains, specifically this island. Whenever there was a noodle he wanted everyone to climb on, he instructed them to do so. Whenever a hanging leaf or plant was in the way, he simply cut through them without stopping. For someone who gave the impression of not knowing what he was doing, he knew his way around this island.
Slowly, everybody started to pay more attention to the colorful jungle around them.
Trollex was smiling at such sights. He came to these kinds of islands before. Before he discovered the main land covered in felt, he used to believe these inflatable animals were what the Land Trolls would play with and rest on. It looked huggable.
Throughout their hike, Poppy slowly grabbed Branch's hand. The latter barely reacted, comfortable with this. It was a beautiful jungle, after all. For some reason, the hot temperature and the temptation to chill in this place made the setting feel…romantic for Poppy.
She smiled to herself, imagining her and Branch sitting on an inflatable animal dragged out to the ocean.
The colors might not be Barb's style, but the healthy green glow made her feel calmer than before. She wasn't one to settle around, but…maybe this forest that didn't have too many colors would be her ideal place to rest. Being out in the natural wilderness could put her mind at ease from any insanity in her way.
She took a picture of a gigantic pool noodle plant, impressed with how the shredded top allowed a blooming flower to grow at the top.
She took another photo at the front, getting a nice shot at John Dory's butt as he slashed through a couple more bushes in the way.
She then called Branch and Poppy to come over for a selfie. Poppy was more than happy to do so, wrapping her arm around Barb's neck. Branch just cooly made his way into the shot, making the peace sign.
Before Barb could call for Trollex, she suddenly felt the Techno King immediately grabbing her shoulders from behind.
This prompted her to take the photo.
"Can't help it," squeaked the Techno King.
Branch snickered, slapping Trollex's arm playfully. "You little bugger."
"Ooh!" called Guy Diamond. "Can you take a photo of us?"
Tiny Diamond, the ever-loving impatient child, whined at the thought of a picture to put up a big smile. "I don't want a photo!"
"Think fast!" shouted Barb.
Guy Diamond leaned close to Tiny with the biggest smile to blind people's eyes, but neither expected Barb to set the camera on a three-second timer…and throw it in the air. After the flash, Guy immediately grabbed it with his hair and dropped it into his hands.
"This isn't the type of camera shot I am expecting," muttered Guy.
"But I don't have a selfie stick with me," said Barb cheekily.
"You can assume throwing a camera in the air will make the best eagle-eye shots?" joked Trollex.
Barb shrugged. "At least I knew someone was gonna catch it."
Poppy's attention was drawn back to John Dory as they journeyed through the jungle. Fanservice aside, she felt like he was acting as their big hero through these unfamiliar woods. Cutting through them with ease and experience on his belt. Before, she was squealing from all the merchandise Branch had packed for twenty years.
Right now, with nothing else to do besides walking through the jungle, Poppy suddenly got many questions to ask John Dory. She didn't get to know what he contributed to BroZone as the leader.
"So, John Dory, who wrote that song 'Girl, I Love Your Love, Girl'?" asked Poppy, her inner fangirl coming to light again.
John Dory raised an eyebrow, flattered. "I did."
"Cool! Who wrote 'Girl, You Break My Heart, Girl'?"
The eldest member of BroZone couldn't help puffing his chest like he was a tough superstar. "I did!"
"So cool…who wrote 'Girl, I Love Your Love, Girl, You Break My Heart, Girl, I Still Love You, But I Seriously Think We Should Have A Talk About Our Relationship, Girl'?"
"That was Branch."
Poppy gasped, overjoyed. "Oh, shut up! That was my favorite BroZone song, like, ever!"
When Poppy turned to him with a sweet smile, Branch leaned back in surprise. He looked like he wanted to say otherwise.
Guy Diamond's eyes were sparkling, staring at Branch like he was a god. Guy did hear about his poem passions, but Branch rarely used them before.
Barb didn't seem too impressed by the titles, even after Poppy told her many of their songs. "What?" said the Techno King, dumbfounded.
Barb scoffed, elbowing him. "Just run with it, man. Their titles aren't the most creative."
"But, Barb, you should have listened to that song!" promised Guy. "Or maybe 'Girl, You Break My Heart, Girl'! That song is more your pick."
"Don't know, sounds like a lot of love," commented Tiny, a younger mind with ideas on today.
John Dory didn't seem to mind the mixed reactions. Either way, they were talking about BroZone for sure. "Glad you all have your own pick!"
"Is that true, Branch?" squealed Poppy, twirling to Branch's face. "You wrote 'Girl, I Love Your Love, Girl, You Break My Heart, Girl, I Still Love You, But I Seriously Think We Should Have A Talk About Our Relationship, Girl'?"
That was when John Dory broke the ice. "Nah! I'm just kidding! It was also me! Branch has never written a song."
Stung, Branch scoffed with a bit more sass to drill it into his brother's head. "Yeah, I was a baby. What did you want me to write about? Diaper Rash?"
John Dory didn't seem to take him seriously. In his mind, he thought it was a cute response. And showing as much was him giving Branch a playful, sly smile and a tease.
"OK! OK!" he chuckled. "Take it easy, Bitty B."
Being a bit close to Branch, he took the moment to affectionately rub him on the cheek, only to be waved off by Branch. It did nothing to lift Branch's spirits, not like John noticed as he turned on his heel. Before Branch could consider his brother a piece of his mind, Guy Diamond rushed past him with his own questions.
"May I ask, what other songs did you write?" he chirped.
John Dory rubbed his chin yet pulled up information pretty easily. "Well, there's 'Girl Baby Baby' and 'Baby Baby Girl' and 'Baby Baby Baby Girl Woman'."
Trollex gave another look at Barb and she only grinned sarcastically.
Even Tiny Diamond was startled by such titles. "That's a lot of women you love!"
His father jumped, immediately rushing over to cover his mouth. "Tiny!"
"Did I say something wrong?" said Tiny curiously, his voice muffled.
On Barb's side, she wasn't really seeing the potential. Whenever having a new song, you have to make a promising title. Not too unique, but not too mundane as well. Something that would fit the song's overall theme with a good hook. The previous her would say this was proof Pop Trolls were lazy with labelling the kinds of songs they made.
"It's clear to say that those tracks weren't even built on talent," she muttered.
"Oh, c'mon!" encouraged Poppy, bouncing around. "Those are good songs as well!"
"Yep!" agreed Guy Diamond. "Those three songs even taught me how to own the stage!"
"Wait, but they don't seem to be the biggest hits," pointed out Trollex.
John Dory's answer was simple. "But we all accept every kind of song we made! Kids dig underrated stuff, even the B-Side."
"I wonder where that came from," uttered Tiny, his eyes on Branch.
"Speak for yourself, Adulty," said John Dory proudly. "A genius mind can come up with the most surprising tracks." As they came close to four narrow foam vines, he grabbed the nearest inflatable leaf before looking back at the group with a wink. "Oh! And it's not the title you should look out for."
Just when Branch thought of standing up, he suddenly fell quiet by this. Just when he was about to remind John Dory that he was old enough to help and contribute. But the hypocritical comment cut him short with suddenly no way of countering it as John Dory already departed, riding on the vine with his leaf like a surfboard.
His annoyed look slowly turned into one of sorrow. Genuinely hurt. And Poppy promised his brothers would still want to try helping him. Then…why wasn't John Dory seeing him now as himself than Bitty B? The Bitty B that he left behind long ago?
The change in mood actually got Branch's skin to turn a bit duller, his old wounds opened. Compared to John Dory's vibrant cyan skin.
Trollex noticed this and was about to place a hand on Branch's shoulder, but the Pop Troll was too quick for him to reach. Branch already picked up the inflatable leaf he wanted for himself.
Poppy immediately saw the dour look on Branch's face. She knew that look before. She glanced at Barb. The Rock Queen gave her the same concerned look before giving an encouraging nod. Just as Trollex was considering going forward, Poppy past him with a gentle smile. It told him that she got this.
Sighing, the Techno King let Poppy take flight. His watchful green eyes were on her until Barb looked at him. Let her make a step. The silent saying was enough for Trollex to not even watch like a creep, following her as she took her own inflatable leaf.
While the others were preparing for their own rides, Poppy made sure to clear her throat to let Branch know she was nearby. Plopping herself in the back seat of his inflatable leaf. When he looked behind, Poppy's smile nearly faltered.
What if she might end up misleading him to think she wasn't on his side?
But when the leaf started sliding down the vine, it gave her the feeling of needing to immediately go ahead. Don't hold back. It was already at a fast pace. And she shouldn't be underestimating Branch after hearing how much he talked about her. A gentle and sympathetic smile crossed over her face.
"What's wrong, blueberry?" she asked softly.
Branch couldn't get himself to huff, gloomily looking away. "Nothing. Super happy. This is our most fun mission yet. Yay…"
His blue eyes were spitefully glaring at John Dory surfing away in his own world. Poppy looked in front. Would a hug work? Wait, no, that might not work. That wouldn't be what Barb do. And if there was one thing she learnt, never get too close to a person's bubble when not in the right thinking mindset. Should she talk about John Dory? Not sure. Right now felt like the wrong time since they didn't have the appropriate space to calm down.
What did Barb advise her? Well, learning is good? Though, that took a lot of time. And Barb took friendships more realistically than Poppy could ever think. What would she do to build such relationship trust? Then, an idea came to mind. Branch's beef was towards John Dory at the moment. What if they directed his mindset to Spruce?
What was good about seeing Spruce, Poppy thought in her mind.
"Hey, Branch," said Poppy, careful not to raise her voice as loud as her smile. "Maybe it's more fun to meet Spruce?"
Branch hummed in worry. "You think so?"
"Well, I can understand that John Dory is, well…" She couldn't think of a nicer word that wasn't unlike her. "Out there?"
The look Branch gave was a wordless agreement.
"But before your brothers split up," explained Poppy. "What was Spruce like to you? I know him as super charming, super strong and super hardworking! However, how did you see him as? Was he…" At first, she found it hard to say it. However, she knew that the brothers breaking up meant Branch saw all four of them ending on sour terms. "Is he the same as John Dory?"
It took a few minutes for Branch to sink this question in. His widened eyes told such surprise by her question. First claim? She was trying to distract him. Second claim? She was trying to get him to look on the 'bright side'. If there was one, she was asking. His immediate response would be 'no', but when he thought back to that fateful night, there was something Branch could acknowledge, even though it wasn't an excuse.
And who knows? Maybe Spruce might have mellowed out to become a better person. Maybe he might see the errors of his ways when they meet him. Just like Poppy listening to his honest opinion. Slowly becoming unresponsive to the world around him, Branch sat there and contemplated on the many times Spruce did something good for their family…
His explanation was much slower than recounting about Floyd, but it was still clear and one out of trusting Poppy to learn. The much louder sounds of their ride allowed Branch to speak loudly, not worrying if anyone would hear them.
"I-It's a bit hard to tell," he admitted, leaning closer to Poppy. "Well, he's less ditzy. He loved keeping himself strong." He huffed, half-sardonically and half-amusingly. "Always trying to provide a shelter for everyone. Once, he carried a rock over our heads with his literal heads when getting through the rain."
Poppy was awed by this story. "Really?"
Her eagerness to listen prompted Branch to continue with no worry. "Yeah. Crazy. Though, we had to go to the hospital because hard biceps aren't enough to break a rock in two. Not to mention a lightning bolt DID strike us once."
"Ouch. And how does he run the show? What part does he take in BroZone?"
Branch narrowed his eyes with a thoughtful look. As a baby, he didn't get to see how his brothers made the music. But he assumed from the credits listed on their albums. "He's often the lead producer. Always in control of the sounds and instrumentals. You could say it's insane what he did. He tried to ensure we were all comfortable with the songs we sang. Even if John Dory kept raising the stakes."
He paused for a moment, a faint smile slowly appearing.
"You know, Spruce actually wanted to incorporate rock sounds into our music. From his love of tropical rock to Clay's interest in alternative rock."
Poppy gasped at the coincidence. "Was garage one of the options you gave?"
"Mmm, it's been a while. I think John wanted to have that, but he wanted to maintain that stupid image of ours. Anyway, at the same time as loving tougher riffs, Spruce was quite vocal about the whole family taking a vacation or a good break. Sure, Floyd always checked if we were all good, but Spruce just…" It felt majestic saying those sad times out loud. Branch couldn't help smiling sarcastically again. "...wanted everyone to have a good time."
Poppy's eyes seemed to gain a new color. A vibrant shade of pink. A new light of the perfectly pure white of BroZone. And when she thought about it, putting herself in Branch's shoes, she suddenly felt sad that Spruce might have raised hell for Branch when he left as well. She would have rationalized this as Spruce just wanting a break for himself after all the hard work, but it wasn't exactly fair when the poor Branch was in the same room.
Poppy wordlessly comforted Branch by reaching out to stroke his cheek. Not in the playful one, but a careful stroke to tell Branch she was listening without a whip to pull him in.
Poppy finally spoke with a heavy heart. "You're so lucky, Branch. And I'm sorry it was cut short."
Branch smiled, touched by her words. It faded as he thought what might happen if Spruce wasn't ready to change. "Well, you could have him."
Poppy shrugged. "Kinda too late for that. And you're feeling alright with seeing him soon?"
Branch knew it was inevitable, but saying so provoked his stomach to bubble in anxiety. Just in time when they reached the end of the vine. He feared the argument to strike again. He could handle the annoying 'Bitty B' referring if Spruce would want to call him that. But he didn't want to see his brothers talking down on each other without giving him or Floyd a voice.
And seeing the apprehensive look, Poppy didn't want to cross that line if Branch wasn't ready to tell more. He already did enough as much as he wanted to.
Without any grudges, she gave a loving kiss on the cheek and stood up. "It's OK. We can talk later."
Branch suddenly seemed to snap out of his trance when he saw Poppy hopping away. "Poppy, wait!"
She did, waiting patiently. Just standing there with a blank pose and a keen look like there was a treat she might have to deliver.
Branch made sure that John Dory was still far away before he spoke cryptically. "Just as long as John Dory doesn't get in the way."
Poppy didn't want to look like she was taking sides, but she gave him a nod to show she could understand. It wasn't too hard to see John Dory today. She wanted to wait first until she was ready to know more.
"Don't forget you got the strongest bond in the world," she reminded with an optimistic outlook.
She waited for Branch to follow. He stared at her for a long time. Shoot, she scolded herself. Poppy should have reached out her hand to encourage him. Though, Branch liked going independent, right? That being said, she didn't need to do anything when he took a few hesitating steps out from the leaf.
Branch wasn't sure if it was meant to last, but he knew Spruce would also want to save Floyd. And Poppy helped him to remember that Spruce would want everyone to have less stress.
When he finally did and reached Poppy, that was all the Pop Queen needed before they walked together with a relaxed mind.
From behind, the rest had just arrived.
Barb didn't need to see the expressions as she hopped off from her leaf. Seeing Poppy and Branch together, that should be how a queen should roll. The Rock Queen hummed in satisfaction. This was surprisingly easier than she thought.
Trollex slowly turned to Guy Diamond, wanting to see his reaction. The latter was carefully placing down the fussy and sighing Tiny down on the wider vine, but he displayed surprise as well. Neither of them thought Poppy could help Branch get through a bad mood after last month being so bad for them.
Trollex was fearful that Poppy might get herself into trouble due to her tendency to jump forward. But it seemed like she took the correct way that allowed Branch to be comfortable walking next to her.
For Guy Diamond, he never got to see Poppy managing to cheer Branch up or at least make him feel more comfortable. Sure, she did a few times before the World Tour, but when that came around, the Snack Pack had theories they might break up. Fortunately, it wasn't the case and it felt like a miracle.
Guy Diamond gave a knowing smile to Trollex and the Techno King sighed in relief as he floated upwards. After a long ride, it was good to walk around knowing no one was gonna push each other off the vine.
Coming close to Branch and Poppy, Barb smirked and rested her arms behind her head. She even felt daring enough to close her eyes. What would be the big deal? She could sleep with one eye open…
…though, that couldn't save her wide golden necklace to allow a small foam branch to find its way poking through it and out the other end without including her neck…
"Alright, y'all!" updated John Dory cheerfully. "We're getting close to something. I can feel it!"
And that was when the branch reached its limit of how far it could stretch Barb's golden necklace based on how far she was walking. Her eyes only snapped open once she realized how tight her golden necklace was…and the sudden relief bringing her flying backwards. Her first response was to try to grab the nearest thing to hold on.
Trollex immediately dodged, but Guy Diamond was unprepared when Barb grabbed a fistful of his hair and accidentally pulled him down by incredible gravity.
The sudden vibrations of Barb blasting off got John jumping up and down, well, in his little victory.
"Oh! I feel it now!" he exclaimed in glee.
He stopped in his march to cut away a few more leaves blocking his path. The rest watched the screaming Barb and Guy Diamond flinging away until the branch still holding onto them swung the other way, sending them down. They all looked down the vine to find their remains.
Out of everyone, Trollex and Poppy were deadpanned about this.
"Oh no," muttered Poppy. "Not again."
Even in the silence, John Dory was too busy observing which part to cut.
Branch groaned. "John…"
"Oh, yes, sorry?" Once John Dory turned around, it didn't take long for him to realize the connections. He looked down from the vibe, noticing a few glitter bits still floating around. "Uh-oh."
"I'm OK!" called Barb's voice from below.
"I'm not OK…" whimpered Guy Diamond's voice.
A few seconds of silence. "...tasty."
"I know, right?" said Guy smugly.
"I can see a path to the…Vacay Island resort. Front entrance?"
John Dory gasped happily. "Never thought that's the front entrance. But let's continue! We're there!"
Trollex looked down and already decided to accompany Barb and Guy Diamond. The thought of getting to explore the likely destination at another unknown angle sounds like an adventure to him.
"You four go ahead," said Trollex, rolling his shoulder. "I'll assist Barb and Diamond for a while."
"Yes!" hissed Tiny.
"OK, so we're splitting up?" said Branch, rubbing his hip. "Just please be safe when exploring this…place. We don't know what we'll run into."
"Promise!" said Trollex with a salute and a flip in the air before diving down on his own.
AN: For plot purposes, yes, we have to split up the gang in two.
Want to point out that I know some of you were curious about how I will expand on Guy Diamond and his son's wants to be treated like a man. Well, I want Guy Diamond's entrance to be outstanding, so…yeah. That's how he comes along for the ride. While this chapter didn't have much on Tiny Diamond, at least I got Guy onto this ride.
I haven't gotten up to the juicy stuff yet, but it feels like this chapter expands the conversations of these two scenes around Vacay Island. It might not be for everyone; I'll admit, I'm impatient to get to the action and the singing. But there's also the sense that we get more productive discussions and reassurances to know one another more.
When I came to Poppy and Branch having a talk with each other, I originally planned to be a more understanding and longer version of the original. However, after comparing with other fanfics, I suddenly wanted to make mine different. Like Branch's talk about Floyd, I had them talking about Spruce.
We might see a similar case with Clay later or as a variation to know him more. For now, I'm hopeful that in the next chapter, I will look into Spruce a bit further, especially his relations with his family.
Thinking about it, this chapter leaned more into Poppy and Branch. I had the main focus on Trollex and Barb. Maybe the desire to do my version of the third film justice got me into the zone of writing a moment between different characters. But we'll still have new shenanigans for Trollex and Barb (and Guy Diamond).
Thank you for reading this chapter! If you enjoy the story, be sure to favorite or follow this story! Make sure to review as well and constructive criticism would be much appreciated, but if anything foul, then you're going down the drain.
Until next time, keep on rocking!