Val Thundershock strummed her guitar, the powerful chords reverberating through Rock Hollow. Demo stood off to the side, nodding in approval as Val leaped from the stage with an electrifying dive. Her landing was accompanied by a dramatic crash of her guitar, sending a flurry of bats flying into the cavernous air. "Yeah, yeah!" Val shouted triumphantly.

"Excellent form!" Demo cheered. "I give that stage dive two harms up!"

Their celebration was interrupted by the arrival of a Delivery Bug fluttering toward them, an envelope clutched in its tiny hands. It extended the invitation to Val, who grabbed it with a scowl. "Huh?" Val muttered, her face twisting in annoyance as she opened it. A pop-up version of Poppy sprang to life, exclaiming with unbridled enthusiasm, "You're invited to girls' night! Yay!"

Val groaned and tossed the invitation away. "Come on. Not again."

Demo peered over her shoulder, intrigued. "Wha-wha-what?"

"Poppy's been inviting me to this touchy, feely girls' night thing for months," Val grumbled. "But I already SUP'd with a formal 'ugh.'" She rolled her eyes. "She's relentless!"

As if on cue, a swarm of Delivery Bugs descended from the sky, each carrying identical invitations. Val's eyes widened in panic. "No, no, no…" she muttered, backing away.

She bumped into something—or rather, someone. "You're invited to girls' night!" Poppy announced gleefully, shaking her hands in the air. "Yaaaay!"

Val groaned again, smacking a hand against her forehead. "Grr. Learn how to take 'ugh' for an answer."

"Come on, Val," Poppy urged. "Just give me one girls' night of super fun gal-pal bonding! Or I'll have no choice but to unleash the full power of my hospitality." She held up a piece of paper and a pair of scissors, her voice ringing with mock solemnity. "May love and friendship strike to me!"

With a dramatic flash of lightning, Poppy began cutting out more invitations. Which made Val finally cave in. "Ugh! OK!" Val finally relented.

Poppy froze, her scissors mid-snip. "Wait, what?"

"One night," Val clarified. "Then all of this stops."

The discarded pop-up cards around them sprang open, echoing Poppy's cheer. "Yay!"

Poppy grinned, throwing her hands in the air. "Yaaaay!"

Val groaned again, dragging a hand down her face. "Ugggggh." Later, she collapsed onto a couch beside Demo, arms crossed tightly. "I know exactly how this girls' night's gonna go. They'll braid hairs, glitter paint nails, and before you know it, we'll be talking about…" She shuddered. "…our feelings."

Demo recoiled in horror. "Talk about feelings? Nay, milady. Nay! For you are the great Val Thundershock!"

Val sighed, her bravado faltering. "Yeah, I know, but… ever since I came to TrollsTopia, I feel like I'm losing my edge. Somehow, being here always catches me off guard."

She recounted a memory of playing squish ball with Smidge, Holly, Rhythm, and Blues. At first, it had been thrilling and competitive, but then… "That's when I felt my soft side awakening," Val admitted to Demo, her voice trembling. "First the big, caring eyes. Then the born smile. And the arms held out to hug." She mimicked the motions, her hands twitching with suppressed emotion. "It's taken all my strength to stuff it back down! If I let my guard down for even a second, I could end up saying something really personal. And I don't know how to stop it!"

Demo's brow furrowed in thought. "Think, huh? Uh, wanna mosh it over in the Thinking Pit?"

"Sure," Val agreed. Together, they dashed off, letting the Rock Trolls toss them into the Thinking Pit.

That evening at Poppy's pod, girls' night was in full swing. Poppy brushed Smidge's hair while Rhythm and Blues styled Holly's, employing a wormhole's winds for extra flair. Everyone was cheerful and energetic—everyone except Val, who stood outside the pod, arms crossed in defiance. "She's wallflowering," Poppy noted to Smidge. "Five minutes is enough. Time to bring her in."

Poppy glanced at Val, her cheeks flushing faintly. There was something about the way Val stood arms crossed and chin raised that made her seem invincible. Yet, there was also a vulnerability in her eyes, just beneath the surface. For the first time, Poppy found herself wondering what it might be like to break through that armor, to see the softer side Val worked so hard to hide. Despite Val's protests, Holly eventually dragged her inside. The evening progressed as Poppy and the others sang, danced, and even pranked the village. To Val's surprise, she found herself genuinely laughing and enjoying the chaos.

But when Poppy suggested a heartfelt sharing circle, Val panicked. Her defenses crumbled, her eyes softened, and she barely held back a genuine smile. Desperate, she called for Demo, who staged an absurd rescue attempt involving a broken guitar pick named "Pick Jagger."

Despite the dramatic exit, Val found herself drawn back to the group. With a sigh, she admitted, "I really like Flavor Berry lip gloss."

The room erupted in delighted "aw"'s, and Val cringed before grabbing her guitar. "All right, enough of this. Are we going pranking again or what?"

The girls cheered, painting their faces with lipstick and running off into the night. Poppy lingered for a moment, watching Val with a satisfied smile. "Girls' night," she murmured to herself before joining her friends for more adventures.