Our second chance is called Amphibia - Road to Newtopia (Season 2)

by TheRealTrunko

Two months have passed ever since the six humans ended up trapped in Amphibia, and they are now ready to set on a new journey out of the Valley in search of a way to return home. On their journey, they will face old and new enemies, uncover hidden secrets and conspiracies, make new friends and allies and experience shocking revelations.

22. Friend or Frobo?

Friend or Frobo?

---

Duke Pyrforian's mansion, located in the most affluent part of the northern aristocratic district, was a gracious example of opulence and pageantry. A large three-story mansion formed its main building, surrounded by tall columns and provided with a flame-red coral roof, with a delightful water fountain and numerous flower beds decorating its entrance. A double marble staircase connected the manse to the level below, where carriages used to stop and where other parts of the building, mainly used for servants' quarters or various support services were leased. Finally, protected by a tall railing and a sturdy gate with the Yellowleaf family symbol was a small but sumptuous green garden, decorated with coral statues and tall, expertly pruned trees.

Few knew that but, beneath all the pomp and luxury, the Yellowleaf estate was in fact a veritable fortress that could, if need be, withstand a real siege. Reinforced walls, secret passages, retractable bars and pure metal portcullises, booby traps and death traps, a large and well-stocked armory, and a guardhouse as numerous as a small army.

It was in this mansion that today, a gathering of nobles was taking places. Notably, household patriarch and other representatives of noble households known for their staunch anti-royalist attitude, either because they wanted to expand their own privileges and power at the expense of the King's, or because of their hardliner traditionalist views, or because they bore serious disagreements with how the kingdom was currently being managed. Of course, barring the house master, Duke Pyrforian, only the representative of another of the Seven Families was present (that is, Marquess Lepiasse) but counting the smaller households, counts, viscounts and barons, over a hundred noble families were present at that moment, all waiting for Duke Pyrforian to walk into the room, their nervousness and long-repressed frustration making them unable to wait in silence.

"This cannot go on!" One of them grunted. "Ever since his Majesty had brought those filthy gangly animals under his wings, things had taken a turn for the worse!"

"I agree! From what a reliable source could tell me, two of them managed to push their way into the Newtopia Military, while another one used royal pressure and tricks to get themselves appointed as Captain of the Night Guard! And now, rumor say that the Navy too got their own of such beasts among their ranks!"

"This is a coup d'etat! The king is using such monsters to turn the city's own military against us! This is why we need to push the Expansion Militia Act so we can officially recognize our efforts to expand our own militia and grant them official peacekeeping authority in Newtopia's region."

"What about our efforts to have General Yunan removed and appoint someone more sympathetic to our cause in charge of the Army? We have spent literally a fortune in bribes!"

"Unfortunately, the fool general is quite popular among the lower strata of the population, plus her… relationship with the Royal Advisor herself makes it quite tricky to have her removed without anything substantial. And their recent successes against the Order of the Olms have only strengthened that!"

"I told you Lady Olivia was to be removed from her office as soon as possible! If you supported my family when I asked for help, and we had been able to put my daughter on that seat-"

"Lady Olivia's family had passed the role of advisors for the king for generations, viscount. And with due respect, your daughter isn't what I would call a proper fit for such role."

"Yeah? Because your own cousin as Head Postmaster of Newtopia instead-"

The guards who had been presiding over the room suddenly slammed their spears into the ground, the nobles shutting up instantly as their squabble dried up, the main door to the room opening as Duke Pyrforian walked inside, the other nobles lowering their head in sign of respect. Only a few noticed how his expression looked different, the duke's eyes cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Esteemed guests, thank you for having come on this day." The Duke reached his spot at the head of the table, as he continued his speech. "I am aware most of you are probably already aware of the situation, so I'll do only a small resume for those among our ranks who may not have the full picture yet: the King and the Royal Advisor, with their allies in the Newtopian Government and other institutions among the city, are making decisive pushes in attempt to isolate us and weaken our factions by the time the Kingdom's Council will take place. Barely a few days ago, some of our members were treacherously attacked and humiliated during a show at the Royal Opera-"

"That was beyond mere humiliation!" One of the nobles, who had been one of the targets for Sprig's retaliatory prank, vented. "Ever since that happened, I have become a laughingstock among Newtopia's society! Other nobles, the commoners, even my own servants laugh behind my back when they think I'm not listening! No matter how many times I have them punished, I can't make the laughter stop!"

"Indeed, and ever since that happened, our efforts to further expand our faction's members and power had been met with ridicule and mockery, while the popularity of the Royal faction had raised greatly. Two members of the Seven Families have already confirmed their loyalty to the king, and of three remaining neutrals, I have legitimate sources claim that it is only a matter of time before the King manages to acquire their support as well."

The shock all over the table was palpable, for each head of the Seven families carried, due to their household's power and influence, a considerable number of lower-level noble factions and thus voting power within the Kingdom's Council. If the King would be able to retake enough power to push through, no matter how Duke Pyrforian and their allies would try to protest, they would be defeated eventually.

The implicit message was clear: the situation was still salvageable, but they needed to start acting now.

"For this reason, I can say that the time of diplomacy with the King is over, and it is time we teach him and his minions that this is a contact sport!" Duke Pyrforian's voice suddenly became louder, as he slammed his fist on the table. "We need to implement a more… aggressive policy."

"Great!" One of the smaller nobles grinned, having hoped to hear those words for a long time. "What are the directive then? Shall we use our political power to pressure a change in the leadership of the Night Guard, or maybe we could try and influence the masses against those gangly freaks? I have servants who are only waiting for my order to start spreading slander and libel, to pressure the King into-"

"No, that won't do it." The duke immediately rejected, waving his hand with a tone of sufficiency. "Our response needs to be harsher, and more immediate! How many soldiers can we count?"

"By banding together our own militia, guards corps and the military knight orders under our controls, either directly or indirectly, we can count on well above two thousand armed newts. Taking into accounts the soldiers of the Newtopia Army or the Night Guard who are sympathetic to our cause, or that we can bribe to join us, the number can go up to above three thousand and five hundred. But, why would we need-"

"We have less than two weeks before the Kingdom's Council starts, and we must use this time wisely to build our own military power in secret and prepare ourselves on how to neutralize the King's loyal soldiers at the same time. For I think the time has come, for a change in the Kingdom's leadership."

The nobles gasped, some even jumping on their feet as the guards protecting the room suddenly became restless, the duke's affirmation striking into their hearts like a lightning bolt out of the blue. Had the Duke announced he would walk straight into the throne's room and plunge a blade into King Andrias' heart before declaring himself the new king? He wouldn't have committed more treachery than he had done already.

"Duke! What you are suggesting is…nothing less than high treason! To try and depose a king by force not only is the ultimate act of betrayal, but it could also as well spell doom over the kingdom! If we don't manage to act fast enough, or if the King manages to escape, or if the people decide to rebel… we could start a civil war! Plus, if we fail, we would all face the same punishment!"

"Are you that afraid of taking your chance, fool?" The duke snorted, irritated by the noble's hesitation. "The King's power is nothing more than an old, worn-our farm. We just need to slam our way through the door, and it will all crumble down into ruins. Moreover, we won't be alone in this venture…"

(…)

"Akitsu!" Amelia cheered as she rushed toward her loving mythological mount and partner. The large dragonfly buzzing in return as the human started to 'pet' her. "How are you, my little loving wabby-tabby?"

"Biz! Zun zun! Biz-zut-zut!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know! Man, it's been so long since we had a whole day all for ourselves, didn't we?" The young samurai said, thinking back to all the excitement and wild adventures she had went through in the last week, up and including helping Marcy, Jacob and Sasha fight off the Order's underlings in the city's undergrounds. "Ok, we have a full day ahead of us, two girls all revved up and zero responsibility. What do you want to do?"

"Biz! Bri-brim! Brim-brim-bri! Bri-bru!"

"That's… is a great idea! You surely know how to make me happy, my lovable-"

"Huh, Amelia? Akitsu?" A third female voice called out, the human and the dragonfly turned head to see Polly, the small tadpole peeking into the Royal stables with an expression full of curiosity. "Are you planning to go into some crazy wild adventure with no adult supervision whatsoever? And if so, can I join?!"

"Huh, sure, if you want?" Amelia asked, still something inkling into the back of her head. "But, wouldn't you usually spend the day with Sprig, Anne or Hop Pop? What happened?"

"Well…"

(…)

"This is so great!" The tadpole cheered, jumping out of her bucket. "Our first day in forever with no responsibilities! So, what are we going to do today while Hop Pop and Felicia are away?"

"Sorry, but I already promised Sasha and Marcy I would spend the day with them." Anne replied as she finished checking herself in the mirror, her smile growing as she confirmed she had removed the last leaves and piece of woods out of her hairdo. "Why don't you go with Sprig? I heard Maddie asked him and Ivy to accompany him for some 'magic' research, you could try and join them!"

"Geez, I think I'll pass!" The little tadpole rolled her eyes. She liked Maddie, and she found her magic cool, but not when they were doing 'research': it all made her feel like they were back in school.

"Well, there isn't much else I can recommend instead. Jacob already left early this morning, and James is back to Newtopia University for one of his 'lectures.' How about you go and ask Amelia? If I remember correctly-" but the girl stopped talking as she noticed Polly had already left.

(…)

"Sounds like everyone are quite busy, huh?" Amelia chuckled, with Akitsu imitating her. "Very well, I guess it is time we all have a new adventure together. Do you remember the time Sasha tried to rope us into doing girly stuff, but we left them and went to have our own adventure?"

"And we met the Moss Man." The tadpole added, still shivering as the memory of the strange critter resurfaced in her head. "Who knows, maybe today we could meet something just as strange. Where are we going?"

"We are going to check the region to the east of the city." The human got on Akitsu's back, as the large dragonfly began to 'warm up' her wings. "Just us three, roaming among the wilderness, looking for treasures or scary monsters to fight. What do you think, does this looks like a nice plan to you?"

"You bet I do!" Polly cheered again, jumping on Akitsu and holding closely on Amelia. "Come on Akitsu, time to take the sky!"

"Brin brin!" The dragonfly nodded as her wings began to move faster and faster, detaching from the ground and sprinting toward the open entrance, beginning to raise of altitude as soon as she was outside, soon becoming a small dot in the sky…

---

For almost half an hour, Akitsu flew east. The swallow and calm sea surrounding Newtopia quickly leaving place to green grasslands, and then, to forests of tall trees quite like the ones composing the woods surrounding Wartwood. While none of the girls could see any sign of animal life, nonetheless they didn't lower their guard: they knew the risks Amphibia posed to those frogs or humans who didn't pay enough attention to their surroundings.

"There!" Amelia nodded, pointing to a small clearing among the woods, with a large rock towering over a small lake. "Let's land in there. Akitsu, while we are exploring the woods, I want you to fly in circle above the area and remain alert in case I call for you. We don't know what kind of creatures may lurk in there."

"Brin brin bron!"

"Wow, I am so happy we could do this! Together, I mean." Polly spoke, with a genuine sense of gratitude. "Ever since a while, Sprig's been too busy to spend time together with me, saying he has a lot of stuff to do every day." She repeated with a grimace.

"Are you sure that is the reason why?" Amelia countered, "Or maybe, he's just trying to spend as much time possible with his two girlfriends?"

"Who, Ivy and Maddie?" The tadpole raised an eyebrow. "Half of the time they are fighting over him, the other half treating him like an underpaid intern!"

"I guess that's what loves looks like, when you're a child." Amelia chuckled again. "Who know, maybe you could go through the same things, find someone that means the world to you, spend progressively more and more time together."

"Augh, no! Boys are gross!" Polly stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Give yourself a few years, you'll change ideas."

As the talk continued, Akitsu landed on the big rock, remaining alert for a few minutes while Amelia and Polly jumped off her back, before going for the sky once again, leaving the 'dynamic duo' to their adventure.

The human girl unsheathing her katana and taking a defensive position while Polly moved on her hat.

"Let the hunt begin…" Amelia said flashing a large grin, taking the first step into the woods…

(…)

"Well, this is something I never expected to see." Sasha said in a teasing voice, standing among Marcy and Anne, the latter looking upon the temporary stage platform with big red drapes on both sides, a quite large crowd of newt and other inhabitants of Newtopia looking in attention. "Jacob, in a government-sponsored bardic competition? I never imagine him as into that old stuff."

"I don't know, he said he had a 'surprise' cooked up for this," Marcy murmured, a part of her still feeling uneasy ever since the boy had invited the three of them to witness his 'exhibition'. "Plus, we do know he can sing."

"I am curious, what kind of show Ser Jacob is going to pull," Yunan spoke while, a few meters from her, Headmaster Albert could simply grit his teeth. "From what you told me about music in your world-"

"Silence, it begins!"

The curtain opened again, revealing Jacob standing in the middle of the stage alone, a lute in his hands, yet he wasn't playing it, nor did he seem to start. Instead, music began to play, the human girls recognizing it as coming from his phone.

" Some days it don't come easy,

Some days it don't come hard,

Some days it don't come at all,

And these are the days that never end. "

Jacob began to sing in a low tone, his voice full of emotion he had never told, his eyes closed.

" Some nights you're breathing fire, Some nights you're carved in ice
Some nights you're like nothing I've ever
Seen before or will again

Maybe I'm crazy, but it's crazy and it's true
I know you can save me, no-one else can save me now but you "

Jacob began to act following his own song, using hand and body mannerism to empathize with the music and words he sang, the music going slower or faster in 'synchrony' with him.

" As long as the wheels are turning
As long as the bays are burning
As long as your dreams are coming true
You'd better believe it "

Suddenly and without previous warning, Bella and another Newtopia Army newt appeared on both sides of the stage, joining into the singing in choir. At the same time, they kept copying Jacob's moves and body movement, clearly having practiced this before. The three humans' eyes widened at once while, around them, the various ladies among the crowd did the same, large smiles blossoming on their lips, suddenly very focused on the song the lone human boy was playing and singing.

" I would do anything for love

I know it's true and that's a fact

I would do anything for love

And there'll never be no turning back

But I'll never do it better than I do it with you

So long, so long

And I would do anything for love "

From behind the curtains, someone obeyed Jacob's silent order, lights focusing on him and his companions while a strange optical effect like fireworks (probably derived by Jacob's black powder) began to go off, further highlighting the performance and the effect it was having on its spectator, as the song began to go faster and louder.

" Oh, I would do anything for love

I would do anything for love,

but I won't do that

I won't do that "

Among the public, various female spectators began to cheer, to yell, to express their enthusiasm and approval for the exhibition, with a reaction that wasn't too different from teenage girls on some music concerts back on Earth.

"Frog, he IS good." Anne nodded, looking at Jacob with wide eyes.

"I haven't felt this awake before in my whole life." Sasha said in a low tone, trying to repel the blush who had appeared on her face.

"Alright, it is… catchy?" Yunan could only mutter, clearly taken back by the effect the music and show were having on her.

"Ugh!" Headmaster Albert, the only one among the crowd who was visibly unfazed by the exhibition, scoffed. "Ballads these days."

Marcy said nothing, because she couldn't say anything at all. She was too busy flapping her own hand next to her face, using it as an improvised fan to smooth down the sudden surge of heat coming from her own body, as she knew without looking that she was blushing hard again.

Wait, the dark-haired ranger and spellcaster gasped as a new thought formed in her mind, the words of the song… why they feel like-

"I would do anything for love

Anything you've been dreaming of,

but I just won't do that"

(...)

"Why? What can make you so sure? Sasha and Anne are my friends, yet they would surely forget about me if I left; why would you be different?"

"Because I love you!"

(…)

"I always thought you were cheerful and kind, and I felt attracted to you. You were my friend, but as we grew up, I realized I felt different about you. That I was seeing you more than just friend, but rather, as agirlfriend."

(…)

"I was in love, but I couldn't say it, so I kept waiting for a good occasion to tell you. I figured out I would tell you once we would be back home. But I guess now that would've been too late, wouldn't it?"

(…)

Marcy's brain froze in horror, her blood turning cold, as she revived the memories of that day, the day her secret was found and exposed, and how Jacob on the wave of emotions ended up revealing he had been harboring a crush on her for years. While strained, their bond of friendship survived, and both Jacob and she agreed to take some time and stay as friends, and discuss it some other day in the future-

-but what if he had already decided? What if he had chosen not to pursue her anymore? What if this song was a message aimed at her, to say he was giving up… on her?

No, no, it can't be! The girl shook her head, trying to push those dreadful thoughts out of her head. There is no way…. I am sure this is only a coincidence that the words of the song… Jacob already had it on his phone… I am sure-

Then, as Jacob continued to sing, his gaze moved among the crowd, passing over the spot where the three human girls were.

And as their eyes met each other, and she saw the aloof expression on his face, she realized it was no coincidence, and that the song itself was a message. To her.

C-could it be? Marcy felt her knees becoming weaker, struggling not to fall, could he be actually telling me he won't try to pursue me anymore?

And just as when her parents told her they were going to move and leave her friends behind, a heartache began to form in her…

(…)

"Polly, do you need a hand?" Amelia asked as she turned around, the tadpole trying (and failing) to get out of the small hole she had just fallen in. "Because you know, I have two." She joked.

"Ah-ah-ah, just get me out of this!" She replied, letting the human take out of her current impediment and place her next to her feet. "Curse these puny arms."

"Didn't Marcy told you you'd get your legs in five months when we arrived? If that's correct, soon you'll be able to move on your own, and jump without assistance."

"Oh, I can't wait for that moment to come! You have no idea how limiting is not having legs!" And to emphasize her own frustration, Polly kicked a pebble with her tail, the small rock flying on a nearby shrub and making an odd sound. Like it had just hidden something…metallic.

"Huh?" Amelia huffed, "since when shrubs make metal banging sound?" The wannabe samurai grabbed her swords and took a defensive position, walking a couple of steps toward the shrub, Polly watching with interest just behind her.

And then-

Amelia almost jumped back in shock when something emerged from the shrub, flashing her with bright headlights as Polly gasped in shock, and a huge, imposing figure emerged from the shrub, standing in front of the duo.

It was a large robot with a frog-like appearance. Its main body was composed to overlapping metal sheets with Amphibia's sign on the middle and on both sides, elongated gray metal arms ending in slender fingers. Brown metallic pauldrons were placed on its shoulders, three metal studs for each, while on his heads, two brightly glowing optics acted as its eyes. Finally, on the middle of its 'face' was a crescent speaker, looking like its mouth, and giving the robot a weird, somewhat scary appearance.

"Oh, my frog!" Polly gasped, "A monster!"

"That's-that's not a monster!" Amelia replied, still holding her katana tightly and walking back slowly, her eyes focused on the 'being' in front of her. "That's… a robot!"

For a couple of seconds, no one said anything, Amelia preparing herself in case the robot had aggressive intentions, Polly looking at them with wide eyes while 'the robot' simply stood there, its glowing eyes moving between the human and the tadpole. Then-

"No!" Polly yelled as it seemed like the robot was going to move forward. "Stay back!"

As she did that, the robot imitated Polly's movement, Amelia staring as the fear in her body left its place to confusion.

"Ehm, Polly?"

"Huh?"

"It's not attacking us; rather, it's copying you."

The tadpole opened her eyes, only to notice that Amelia was saying the truth. She narrowed her eyes, prompting the large mechanical frog to do the same, then she scratched her cheek with one of her flippers, the robot doing the same like she was gazing into some weird kind of mirror.

"Huh? Ha! You clown. You're totally copying me." She began to laugh, prompting the robot to imitate her once again. However, while Polly's laugh was carefree and innocent as the voice of a tadpole could be, the robot ones was more guttural and scarier, somewhat reminding the one of live animatronic turned monsters in a pizzeria.

"Wow, your laugh is…horrifying." Amelia nodded, before her expression turned into a smile "I love it!" She proceeded to put back her sword and jumped on the robot, checking every part of it as her voice and actions before gradually more and more enthusiastic. "OMG, I can't believe it! An actual robot! Where do you come from? What are you made for? Are there others like you?"

"Huh, Amelia?" Polly asked, raising an eyebrow as her friend started to act a little too similar to Marcy. "You said he's a robot, like those in Jacob's movie?"

"Yeah, that was what I was saying!" The girl with the cone hat nodded. "I can't believe there is an actually working, functioning robot right in front of me right now! This is so Gundam!"

I guess we do have some special gift to meet and befriend large unknown beings while wandering the forest, the tadpole smiled internally as she jumped closer to the 'being', Amelia still going crazy as she tried to inspect every centimeter of its metallic body, rambling about 'hidden photon fists, death lasers' and stuff like that.

"Hello, my name is Polly and the one currently holding onto your arm is Amelia. Do you have a name?"

The robotic frog said nothing, simply shining by indirect exposure of sunlight.

"Can't talk, huh? You're just a big tadpole." She jumped on the robot's pauldron, looking at him with an inquisitive look. "You are a robot, but you look like a frog… oh!" She gasped. "I will call you… Frobo!"

'Frobo' spun, apparently happy with his new name, prompting Polly to chuckle while Amelia took out her phone and began to snap several pictures of him, from various angles and with different lights.

"I know, I know. I'm a genius. So, what else can you do?"

"Yeah!" Amelia jumped in, "Robots in anime and manga can always do crazy stuff! Lifting very heavy things, shooting missiles from their fingers, carry automatic cannons in their torso and fire death lasers beams from their eyes! Can you do it? For example," she pointed at a large boulder, motionless under a tree, "that rock, can you, like, disintegrate it?"

Frobo said nothing, his headlights/eyes moving following Amelia's finger until he visualized the boulder. His programming couldn't understand the meaning of the words the human was using, yet somehow, he seemed to grasp what she expected him to do. Glaring at the rock, his eyes turned red for a second as a hot flash shot out of his eyes and toward the boulder. The large rock vaporized in a few seconds as the instant heat turned it from solid to liquid, the hot lava pouring into the ground and forming a small puddle before it began to solidify once again.

From where they had watched, both Amelia and Polly gasped with jaws and eyes wide open, almost without breathing, as Frobo turned toward them, like he was waiting for their reaction.

And then, they both laugh hysterically.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"Yeah, but this time, let's try it with a bigger boulder!"

---

"You know, and I know that it may sounds silly, but I just felt a chill over my skin." Hop Pop said, looking around with a nervous expression. "Maybe we should, you know, go back to the castle and check out how the kids are doing?"

"Oh, come on Hopediah," Felicia replied, giving a sign to the waiter they were ready to order. "We both agreed on taking a day-off on our own, free of our parenting duties as to give them some time free of rules, as long as they promise to behave and play it safe… and to visit the city without having to divide our attention for each one of them. I even asked lady Olivia to send me a message in case something happens!"

"I know, but still, I don't feel safe. I mean, I know how I look, and I remember my promise to be less paranoid and smothering, but still… every time they're not under my watch, I feel like I'm-I'm…"

"Betraying the promise you made on the same day you lost Sally?" Felicia looked at him. "Believe me, I understand your fear, I understand it greatly, for I must live it every day. But just as any baby bird can't always rely on their mom to give them food, so our children can't always rely on our protection and supervision, and they need to grow skilled and capable of taking care of themselves. For this reason-"

"Here I am!" The waiter nodded, glancing over the table, "What do you and your father want to take, young miss?"

"Hey, I'm not-"

"He's not my father," Felicia was quick to correct, "he is only…the husband of my mother."

"Oh, congratulations then!" the waiter nodded with a look of genuine happiness, "It's never too late to love again!"

Felicia didn't notice, but when she said that Hop Pop was (implicitly) the husband of Sylvia, a rare expression appeared on the old farmer's face…

(…)

"Come on Marcy, come on! You're the smartest brain in Saint James, surely you can find a solution out of this situation!" The dark-haired girl rambled, pacing back and forth under the statue of Ezra Brackish, at the entrance of Coral Park. "Think, think, think, and I've got… nothing at all!" She lamented, shaking her arms in frustration "Ugh, why I must be this hopeless with social-"

"Huh, are you alright Mars?"

"Eeep!" Marcy almost jumped out of surprise as she heard a familiar voice call for her, turning around to see a certain British teen, currently Newtopia University's new regular speechmaker and recently officer of the Newtopia Navy look at her. "James! You…!" The girl took a deep breath while trying to calm down her fast heartbeat. "You surprised me. But what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be at NU now?"

"I was, but there was some kind of accident in one of their labs, security had to clean up the mess and I got the rest the day free, so I thought about visiting the place." He stopped, sitting down under the statue right next to Marcy. "What about you?"

"Well, I wanted to have some time alone to clear up my thoughts and think about… personal stuff."

"When you mean 'personal' stuff, does that perhaps relate to Jacob and the 'feelings' he has for you?"

Marcy spun, her head turning just in time to notice the sly grin on James' lips, her eyes widening in realization.

"YOU KNEW?"

"Well, duh, of course I knew. Jacob's the best mate one could wish for, but subtlety is not one of his skills…"

(…)

"Uff!" James grunted, passing one hand over his forehead to wipe out the sweat. "Ok. I think we're at a good point already. Jacob, can you help me with- Jacob?"

The Saint James prankster didn't reply, as he kept silently watching in direction of the Plantar's farm, and more specifically, toward the slender figure of Marcy doing sketch works on the table outside, a dreamy expression on his face.

"Houston calls for spaceman Jacob." James knocked on his bro's shoulder, as he rolled his eyes in understanding. "Do you copy?"

"UH? Oh yeah! Sorry James, I was just… resting my muscles a little bit.

"Yeah, right."

(…)

"Jacob, you did it!" Marcy hugged Jacob from behind, blushing for a brief second as he felt her body press against his. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me!"

Neither of them noticed, but as Jacob blushed, James nodded in understanding.

(…)

"So, we're going to make a panda plushie and gift it to Marcy?"

"Yeah, as you can see, this is a full list of materials we require to realize it, all without Marcy-"

(…)

"I'm quite sure Amelia knows as well."

"She too?!" Marcy covered her face with both hands, desperately trying not to show her blushing face, "This is… soooo awkward."

"Let me guess, my bro decided to push through with that plan of his to play a romantic song for the bardic contest, and he struck quite some nerves?"

"Well, not exactly." The dark-haired girl replied, "He did sing a song, and it did mess me up a bit, but…I think he's breaking up with me!"

"How can two people break up if they haven't been in a relationship already?" James raised an eyebrow. "Let's start from the beginning: what song was that he played?"

"I'd Do Anything for Love, from Meatloaf."

But I won't do that , the British teen mentally sang in his mind, completing the song's main riff. "I see. And why do you think that means that Jacob's breaking up with you?"

"Well, after he… come clean about his feeling toward me, the day he found out that I was the one who brought all of us in Amphibia," she stopped for a second, shame and sadness washing over her as she thought back to that day, "We had a... small agreement while we were resting from our first use of Calamity Powers, and he said that we could use the remaining time we'd have in Amphibia to figure out our feelings, and stay friends for a little more. But the song, the words of the lyric, the gaze he gave me while he sang them… I think he is telling me that he's moving on, and he no more has feelings for myself!"

"Oh, did he tell you so?"

"Well, not, but-"

"Did you ask him after the song was over, for clarification?"

"N-no, I was so overwhelmed I just ran here and-"

"Did he write a message, or something clear and unambiguous, that he no longer wanted to pursue your romantically?"

"No!"

"Then don't make a mountain out of an anthill and see things for what they are!" James scoffed, "I know Jacob, and let me tell you, he would never use such a cryptic way to convene his feelings. I'm sure he was only playing a song he liked and trying to impress you as well as everyone else, or maybe, he was trying to send you a message, but only to underscore something you had already agreed upon earlier. Like for example, your decision to keep it cool and stay as friends while you try and figure out your feeling, before we manage to return to Earth."

"I-I guess you're right!" Marcy smiled, feeling refreshed and cheered up again after the talk.

"However," James added with a smirk, "if you were in such a despair at the idea of 'losing' him, it means that, love him or not, you do have some feelings toward him."

"What? Of course I do, he's a good friend of mine!"

"No Marcy, you and I are good friends. There is something more between you and Jacob, and I can see it."

"Jameeeees," Marcy pouted. "Look, I know how it looks like from an external point, but even if Jacob may have a crush on me, I mostly see him as I see Anne and Sasha."

"So, you have a crush on all your childhood friends?"

"I don't have a crush on my friends!" Marcy shouted, her emotions taking over, so she was no more paying attention to the volume she used "I mean, of course sometimes I'm having more trouble than the usual looking at them in the eyes, and talking with them, and maybe I get all nervous whenever we are together, and I'm using my vast intellect and smart words to hide my anxiety. Okay, I admit it, maybe I am a bit starstruck, but only a little! And besides, how couldn't I be? Jacob has always been to my side whenever I needed him, and even after he found out the whole 'Calamity Box' issue, he didn't turn his back on me, and promised to help me and walk with me no matter what, and he can have quite some good ideas from time to time, plus he's always the first to dove into danger to help like a knight of a fairy tale, and so are Sasha and Anne, Sash so graceful yet so powerful with her swords and her Calamity powers, and all those kickass martial moves Felicia taught her, and Anne too, and she's always been so cheerful ever since we met for the first time, and carefree and socially-able, with a charm strong enough she can make friends so easily all the time, while I had no one beside them before Amphibia. And they are three so brave, and talented, and classy, and strong, and muscular, and beautiful and cute, and gorgeous, and-"

Marcy stopped suddenly, her brain freezing as she finally assimilated her own words, her eyes widening, James looking at her as he could basically see the light bulb go on over her head, as her 'vast intellect' reached its final compute, her expression frozen in a mix of shock, embarrassment and mortification as her blush grew worse, her skin becoming red like a tomato.

"Oh my gosh, I'm bi."

"Took you long enough. Well, congrats I guess"

"Oh my gosh, I'm bi."

"Yeah, you already said that."

"Oh my gosh, I'm bi."

"Well, that sure was a rollercoaster, so-"

"Oh my gosh, I'm bi."

"Huh, yeah, and we are in a public park so maybe it would be better-"

"Oh my gosh, I'm bi."

"Marcy, can you please keep it down? They're staring at us…"

"OH MY GOSH, I'M BI!"

"Hi Bi!" James suddenly jumped on his feet and extended his hand toward Marcy. "I'm British!"

"James, I am serious!"

"Oh, sorry then! Hi Serious, I'm British!"

"GAAAAH!"

(…)

"Ok, so apparently, Frobo is sadly not provided with jetpack or other equipment that allow him to fly on his own," Amelia summarized as she kept working on her paper, while Polly and Frobo, both in their 'sphere' forms, were attempting to do some kind of race. "That said, his abilities so far include super-strength, enhanced durability, extendable arms as well as the ability to turn his 'hands' into several tools for various needs and functions. Moreover," Polly and Frobo zoomed once again in front of her, the tadpole laughing in happiness, "he seems to be able to understand the reality around them, as well as learn mannerism and abilities of fellow beings to replicate them, like he did with Polly's sphere form and special moves!"

"Is like having a younger brother and an older brother all in one!" The tadpole cheered. "This is so cool!"

"It's better than cool, it's awesome!" Amelia jumped on her feet and joined them. "Polly, do you know what it means, now that we have our own robot friend? We've been a dynamic duo for too long already. It's time to become… a terrific trio! Starring, Amelia, the Master of the Blade; Polly, the Tadpole of Chaos and debuting, for the first time ever, Frobo, the Unstoppable Frog of Steel!" The girl jumped on a pose while, behind her, the image spot of the trio depicted like anime characters (visible of course only to herself and Polly) rose like the first issue of a new comic. "Oh, I can't wait to see the reaction of Jacob and the others, when they're going to see our new friend!"

"Oh, right, the others." Polly murmured, suddenly remembering about the rest of their family and friends still in the city. "Do you think they will be scared? I mean, our reactions when we met Frobo for the first time was very telling."

"Maybe, but that'll soon wash over once the shock wears off. Plus, Marcy has quite some knowledge into robots already, I bet she'll be enthusiast when she met him. Well, more than usual, anyway."

"Why? Does Marcy have a robot too back home?"

"No, she doesn't." Though I'll bet she wishes she had one, Amelia added mentally. "However, her dad works in stuff like this. You see, he is robotic engineer, the kind of guy who study hard and work even harder to find ways on how to design and built our own robots. I heard they made many progresses recently, but we're still years away before fully autonomous robots like Frobo become a reality, at least in our world."

After her explanation, Amelia started to reflect of what she had just said, before looking intensely at her new metal friend. That is another idea to save for later... if Marcy manages to find out how Frobo works and once we come back to Earth, such schematics could be invaluable to her dad. Maybe, this could convince him not to move anymore?

As the idea fully blossomed in her mind, the smile on Amelia's lips grew even further. Maybe, if Frobo was willing to let Marcy 'analyze' him, and if lady Olivia or some of James' friends at Newtopia University could assist her-

Let's proceed slowly, one step after another, the wise, chastising voice in her head sounded a lot like her master's, for now let's go back in Newtopia and introduce Frobo to the others. Then, maybe, I can propose my own idea on how to save Marcy's family to relocate on the East Coast.

The human girl took out her sword once again, Frobo looking at her movement in curiosity as she raised the sword high and yelled words he couldn't properly elaborate, before his sensors started to detect unusual buzzing sound and vibrations, and then, descending from the sky, a large dragonfly, even bigger than the ones he had seen during his long walk through Amphibia, following the path of the caravan, and with a pale epidermis landed in an empty spot next to Amelia, the human rushing toward it and starting to pet it.

"Akitsu, I have a big surprise for you!" Amelia said, turning toward Polly and Frobo. "Frobo, this is Akitsu, my faithful companion and protégé, and Akitsu, this is Frobo, he is-"

"Biz! Zin zin zin! Zot!" Akitsu immediately began to buzz in an alarmed tone, as her eyes laid upon the shining metallic body of the robot, assuming a defensive position with her front limbs, her wings rising in position as she expected to jump on fly at any moment's notice.

"Hey, Akitsu, calm down!" Polly protested, noticing the irked look she was giving to her and Frobo. "He's a friend!"

"Akitsu, I understand you're worried since you can't seem to understand what-"

The large dragonfly buzzed again, and this time even louder. It wasn't that she was hostile toward Frobo because she didn't know who or what was he supposed to be, but rather, because she knew very well what it was. While her memories from the time before she got her wings were a bit confused, she could recall several moments she had shared with the old axolotl, before she was given to Amelia. And among them, the stories of robotic frogs who could pour fire and death upon defenseless worlds.

"Akitsu, please, stand down." Amelia said as she moved right in front of her, the human girl's image reflecting on the pupils of the dragonfly. "I know you're scared, but Frobo is no enemy. I reacted the same as you did before, and I thought he was going to hurt us, but never he attempted to attack, and while I wouldn't say he is… defenseless, he's not a danger. At least, not to us."

Seeing the expression on her partner's face and how lost and confused Frobo looked, Akitsu lowered her wings and moved closer. The robot and the dragonfly were now watching at each other with curiosity.

"We were thinking about bringing him with us, back in Newtopia. Do you think you could, you know, carry him? I mean-"

"Biz-zon!" Akitsu shook her 'head' in disagreement. As much as she was willing to give the robot the benefit of doubt, there was no way she was going to over exhaust herself by carrying it for the whole length of the trip back to Newtopia. She still had memories of the time that heavy frog survivalist rode on her back…

"Hey, what's up now?"

"I think Akitsu is saying that Frobo's way too big for her. And that she refuses to carry him to Newtopia." Amelia intervened. "So, unless we find some way to boost Akitsu's wing or make Frobo weight less, he'll have to follow us by foot."

Polly scoffed, pouting as she turned around, just in time to see a small geyser go off a few meters from their location, just in front of a couple of trees Hop Pop had taught her, whose leaves were big enough to be used as blankets or textile materials.

Cloth plus steam plus Frobo equal… the tadpole's lips turned into yet another grin as an idea popped in her brain.

"I've got an idea!"

---

"I have to admit Polly, this was a pure stroke of genius!" Amelia complimented her partner as she rode on Akitsu, the tadpole holding tightly on her while the large dragonfly flew, a long and resistant rope made of grass tied to the center of her abdomen and used to pull Frobo.

The large robot was now completely devoid of weight thanks to the balloon he was tied to, allowing Akitsu to pull it with much less effort and tiredness than if she had to carry him on her own the whole way. It took them both hours to craft it, but the result was definitely worth it.

"Looks like spending so much time close to Marcy did have a positive influence on you."

"Oh, I simply used what we had available to solve a practical problem." The tadpole replied, yet internally feeling smug for her intellect being recognized. "So, what are we going to do once we're back in the city? How about have some more fun?"

"Sure, but first, can we go and introduce Frobo to the others? I can't wait to see what Jacob's reaction will be once we show him an actual, full-working robot! And Marcy," Amelia barked a laugh before adding "I bet she'll be enthusiast too."

The young samurai turn her head to face the tadpole. Polly now looking at Amelia abhorring a very mischievous expression. "And maybe we could recruit her help to give Frobo some… necessary upgrades?

"Like what, for example?"

"Well, your hot air balloon is a good start. And the only flying option our friend of steel will ever get, I guess. It would be so cool if we could build him a jet pack or some rocket boot! But we don't have the requisite tech for that, so I'd suggest something more doable like a rocket launcher or a hidden machine gun..."

"Like the ones those giant robots you showed me, the Gundams?"

"Yup, just like the Gundams!" Amelia replied, an odd sense of gratification and ambition mixed together, flourishing trough her veins. She was so much focused into indulging her own fantasies that she didn't immediately notice that the forest they were flying above had been replaced by wide grassland ending on high cliffs, and then by a shallow sea where a circular-shaped city protected by tall, impenetrable wall stood.

"Ok, Polly: Newtopia's on sight! Akitsu, fly above the commercial district, it's the fastest way to the Castle!"

"Brin bron!"

"Ok, Frobo," Polly turned back and yelled at their new friend. "When I tell you, cut the ropes, you-"

Unfortunately Frobo, out of zeal to follow Polly's instructions, didn't wait for the tadpole to finish her sentence and with a quick swing of one of his metallic hands, cut off the ropes tying him to the balloon, the latter no more restrained by the robot's weight shooting upward (and pulling Akitsu with it) while Frobo, his weight no more removed by the balloon's power, dived downward, as he once again he had to obey Nature's harshest and less forgiving mistress.

Gravity.

"Frobo! Nooo!"

"Shoot!" Amelia yelled, quickly grabbing her katana and cutting the rope connecting Akitsu to the balloon, the dragonfly taking a couple of seconds to find again her equilibrium before diving down, following Frobo's path, too late however to grab him before he impacted on the ground.

The metallic frog had fallen right onto the commercial's district giant fountain. Utterly vaporizing the ornamental structure and sending a wave of water, mud and debris toward everything around it. Newts, axolotls and frogs diving for cover just in time to avoid the blast.

"Oh-oh." Amelia and Polly said almost verbatim at the same time as Akitsu landed on the middle of the wreckage and could fully see the extent of the property damage that Frobo had caused. The good news was that, apparently, no one had been hurt; the bad news was that the damage the robot had caused was quite impressive.

This is absolutely not going to be cheap, Amelia gulped as she looked around, Frobo standing on the middle of the crater he had caused like nothing had happened.

"What the heck is going on?!" A voice called out and, from of the few buildings who had suffered only light damages, a newt came out, wearing an odd-looking toupee and dressed in a dress that screamed 'retro. "Can't a noble have some fun without- Sweet sassy molassy!" He gasped, looking over Frobo. "What the frog even is that thing?!"

"It's some kind of hulking monster." Another yelped, as a small crowd began to form.

"Good gravy. Look at that!"

"Well, whatever it is, it destroyed the fountain. And it was an historical landmark since 200 years!"

"Not only that, but he also utterly obliterated my fresh fishes!"

"My clothes!"

"My algae-produced oils!"

"My cabbages!" One of them, an old newt dressed in a dep green dress, who looked even angrier and more aggressive than the others, shouted.

"It's some kind of metal abomination!"

"No, stop!" Polly shouted as she and Amelia jumped right between Frobo and the crowd, ready to defend him. "He's not dangerous!"

"People of Newtopia, please stand down!" Amelia nodded, using hand mannerism to try calming the angry crowd before it could turn into a mob like in Wartwood. "We can explain what happened!"

"Ugh, of course. I knew you hoo-mans had to be involved somehow in this disaster!" The noble from before groaned, prompting Amelia to do a mental eye roll. Great, looks like he's not one of the nobles who has much sympathy toward humans.

"This one," Amelia continued, pointing at Frobo. "is a robot that we found… on the forest just outside the city. And while he may look scary, I can guarantee he's quite harmless and innocuous! That is of course unless he's getting attacked first."

"Then, how do you explain the damage he just caused!" One of the vendors lamented. "He pulverized my business!"

"We were carrying him by the air, and the rope come untied while we were flying above the area." Amelia lied, carefully choosing her words. "We're sorry for the damage he may have accidentally caused but fear not! For you all will be compensated for the damages!"

At first, the crowd seemed to calm down, now that Amelia had announced the damage they had suffered would be compensated. Unfortunately, there was someone among them who was either too bitter or too focused to let the whole issue be solved peacefully, and as the fire seemed to die, he quickly threw more fuel to reignite it.

"So, is this all you humans can do?" The still-unidentified noble grunted, taking one step closer to Amelia and Polly, looking at both like they were garbage. "Have the king pay off the messes you cause? What if someone had been wounded, or worse, killed by that thing? How can we know what will happen the next time it goes on a rampage? We got to destroy it, now, before it ever has a chance!"

"No, wait! Stop!" Polly protested, the anger inside her rising. "We told you he's harmless. It was an incident! Now, if you could simply-"

"Shut up, you noisy tadpole!" The Noble snapped and slapped her on the check, Polly falling back on Amelia's hands as both girls looked at him with utter despise, even the crowd member who he had been trying to rile up now glaring at him with glances full of disgust.

Yet, before either Amelia or the crowd could call him off for such disproportionate action, Frobo acted.

The giant robot, at first, didn't seem to understand what kind of situation was going on, only seeing a large crowd of other beings surround him and his new friends. Until one of them had moved forward and hit small-and-pink. Analysis and data running on his artificial brain as old program kicked in, a red target forming on the newt. His eyes turning red once again as he assumed an aggressive position.

That enemy had hurt one of his friends. He wanted to hurt them, and Frobo had to protect them in turn.

And there was only one way to deal with an enemy.

"This doesn't look good." The noble muttered with wide eyes as he felt the robot's angry stare on him.

It was that moment he knew; he had just made a terrible mistake.

Frobo roared as he launched forward (ignoring Polly and Amelia's call for him to stop) rushing behind the newt, his metallic sphere form crashing through any obstacle as he kept following his target. This had by now lost all his previous self-assurance and was running as fast as his legs allowed him to (his toupee even falling to the ground) while he kept wailing and crying, promising all kinds of rewards to those who would come forward and save him. Hearing his cry for help, some courageous (or greedy) passerby took their chance and tried to face off Frobo, only to be sent away as the metallic juggernaut kept tearing its path to follow the noble in a fit of digital rage…

(…)

"So, Sasha, you have to agree that Jacob performance was good, wasn't it?" Anne spoke in a teasing tone.

"Well, he surely knows how to play the crowd, I'll give it to him." Her blonde friend replied, a part of her still thinking about the song the boy had chosen. "Still, if you think-"

The two girl's chat was rudely interrupted as a large stampede of civilians, rushed in front of them, pushing them aside, like they were escaping for their lives from some kind of terrible threat.

A couple of seconds later, the reason of such ruckus became clear.

"Wha... What is that thing?!" Sasha yelled, her eyes filled with horror, as she gazed upon a humongous, frog-looking metallic creature laying destruction on the city, smashing walls and staircases made of stone with the raw strength of his fist, while at the same time shooting powerful rays of red energy from its eyes.

"Some kind of crazy frog robot?!"

"Is that one of Aiden? What is it doing here?!How-"

"Duck!" Anne yelled as she jumped on Sasha, the two girls lowering just in time to avoid being hit by one of the robot's lasers, the scorching mark left on the wall behind them.

"Well, whatever it is, we've got to stop it before it hurts anyone!"

"You took the words right off my mouth, Boonchuy!" Sasha unsheathed her swords, while Anne grabbed her tennis racket. "You attack from the right; I attack from the left. This thing looks thought, but it doesn't seem to fast to me: as long as we keep moving and avoid being hit by its death lasers, we have a chance!"

Meanwhile, Frobo had now cornered his target, the noble in front of him trembling as a small puddle of bodily fluid dripped from his lower body, muttering and begging as the robot's glowing eyes focus on him once again.

"Hey, you!" Anne shouted, Frobo turning his head (literally, a one-eighty turn) to face the new threat as the two humans rushed forward, moving constantly and cooperating with each other as they tried to find an opening. Yet, as Sasha's pink heron sword clashed against Frobo's armor, jumping to the side to avoid the robot's counterattack, the human girl's eyes widened as she saw that her weapons had barely been able to dent the armor, let alone damage it.

"Looks like its armor is stronger than it looks! Anne, move aside, we need to-"

But Frobo didn't give them the time to retreat and regroup, and taking advantage of the talk, he had moved. Grabbing Anne with one of his hands before using her as an impromptu projectile, propelling her toward the blonds. The two girls slamming into a large haystack lying against a wall, both feeling their bodies aching while Frobo, confirmed that the two girls would be unharmed, turned once again to refocus on his real target.

"Anne, are you ok?!"

"I'm fine, Sash. Ugh, whatever that thing is, is too strong to be fought in the classic way."

Sasha looked at her and nodded. She had understood what Anne meant.

"Calamity Powers?"

"Right after you."

Both girls closed their eyes, focusing on the power currently residing within their bodies, their mouth moving to recite the mantras that Jacob had developed for each of them as the colorful energy of the Gems once again began to flow into their veins and bodies, their eyes tingling as the energy danced under their eyelids.

«When peace is lost, when suffering has come,

let all evil be undone.»

«For everyone who can't stand up and fight;

For those who are alone and lost in the night.»

To protect their friends, to save innocents, to fight for what it was right, to vanquish any threat against the people they cared for.

Their hearts began to beat faster and faster, as the duo opened their eyes once again, the blue and pink energy enveloping their bodies as they could feel their feet losing touch with the ground.

«Accept your emotions and join our fight,

Heart conquer it all, believe in the azure light!»

«Never again tyranny on you would befall,

Strength is here, to protect you all!»

Frobo was once again upon the noble, ready to blast him into atoms with his laser eyes, when suddenly an 'ALERT' warning ran through his digital artificial brain. His sensor and built-in detection systems sensing a power surge moving toward him, and barley one second later, the two girls from before, now clad in an energy of obvious power and dangerousness landed between Frobot and his intended target. The robot doing calculations to determine the value of the new factors and calculate the best path to achieve his objective.

Optimal success chances lower than 1%, as its own computation system didn't take long to tell. There was only one slimy chance: hit them with another stronger laser blast, before they could focus their power onto him.

Yet before Frobo could shoot again, or before Anne and Sasha could use their own Calamity Gems power to reduce him into scraps-

"Stop, stop!"

"Everyone, stand down!"

Polly and Amelia jumped right between them. Polly facing Anne and Sasha while Amelia looked at Frobo, holding her katana in a defensive position. She didn't want to use it, but she was ready to if that would become necessary.

"Girls, move aside! You're blocking our line of fire!"

"No, he's not an enemy!" Polly yelled before turning to face her new metallic friend. "Frobo, I know that you were trying to protect me. Everything you did today, ever since we met, was because Amelia and I told you to do it. And I know you're angry at him," she glanced over the newt noble, half-passed out by shock and terror. "Believe me, I understand, because it's so easy to be angry, or scared, or hateful. But if you do this, if you hurt him, you'll end up just like him. And believe me, you don't want to be like him. Don't ruin everything just because you're letting your anger dictate your emotions. It can't be all about that, or what's life for? I know I act like I'm a tough tadpole, but that's because inside I'm scared, too."

"Please, Frobo." Amelia muttered under breath, her hands shaking a bit as she held her katana. "Don't do it. Don't force me to do something I don't want to do."

"You've got nothing to prove. You're a giant, a literal giant, with a big body and even a bigger heart, no matter if made of flesh or metal or whatsoever. Don't be a midget bully boy for these yahoos." Polly pleaded, "He's not worth it. You're not bad, I know it. Please, stop."

Frobo listened to Polly's speech, as her words vibrated through his body. Slowly, his eyes stopped glowing, the red leaving place to their previous bright yellow, as she moved away from the noble, the newt no longer able to withstand the rush of emotions and passing out, while the giant robot looked back at their friends.

"Polly. Amelia."

"Frobo!" Polly gasped, tears of happiness forming in her eyes. "Those are…your first words!"

"This moment is so… just like when Eren took Mikasa as his sister."

"Amelia?" Sasha asked, both she and Anne letting their own power turn off, surprised (but also impressed) by how the duo had managed to talk down Frobo without further violence. "Are you crying?"

"I'm not crying, samurai don't cry!" Amelia hurried to clarify, her left hand moving to take off the salty liquid off her eyes. "These are not tears, they are… liquid pride! Totally different thing!"

"Huh-uh." Anne nodded, not wanting to tease her more than necessary at the moment. "So, I guess the big robot dude is our friend now?"

"Well-" but before she could finish her sentence, a loud rumble of footsteps and the sound of metals crackling onto each other announced the arrival of a large group of Newtopia Army soldiers from one road while, on the one next to it, a group of Night Guard ranger jumped into the open. And leading each group, both dressed in their armor and outfits of their respective military paths, Jacob and Marcy arrived on the scene, both having determined expressions on their faces.

"By the will of King Andrias, everybody stands down and raise their hands!"

"We're here to-"

And at the same time, both newly arrived humans gasped as they saw, standing among the destruction caused by their previous rampage and close with their friends, the towering figure of a metallic frog-like robot.

"Oh."

"My."

"GOSH!" Jacob and Marcy cheered at the same time, rushing forward without hesitation and letting enthusiasm fill their veins.

"Is this a robot?"

"An actual robot, here?"

"Where did it come from?"

"How was it built?"

"What is it made of?"

"What functions can it do?"

"Can I have one?!"

"Yes, me too!"

"What's a robot?" Javi asked while approaching the group, the other Night Guard Rangers and Army soldiers following him. Both groups cautiously forming a perimeter around the humongous metallic being.

"How to simply explain that..." Anne said as she looked at the sky, like she was literally searching her words up there "Trying to summarize, it's an artificial beings made of metal, able to perform many stuffs at once. How did you find it, girls?" Sasha looked at Polly and Amelia, the two partners in crime chuckling sheepishly.

"Well, long story short, Polly and I wanted to go on an adventure on our own, so we ended up taking Akitsu and going in an exploration on the forest close to the city. And while we were adventuring, we stumbled into him."

"So, I know this is a lot to take in, but can we please keep him?" Polly pleaded, looking at Anne, Sasha, Marcy and Jacob with big eyes. "I promise to watch over him. I'll be his big sister."

"You mean, we'll be his big sisters." Amelia added with a teasing expression. Meanwhile, far away from the epicenter of the chaos, Akitsu could only groan, fiddling with her wings: her daily lives were going to get a lot more 'chaotic' she knew it.

"Well, not sure about that." Anne shrugged, scratching her head, only to meet Jacob and Marcy's overexcited expressions.

"If they can't keep him, we will."

"I mean, you'll have to talk with Hop Pop for that. Plus, before even doing that, we'll have to explain to the King how your big new friend caused this whole mess!" She extended her arms, to show the damage caused in the district, causing Amelia and Polly to look at each other with nervous expressions. Would the king accept their apologies for the damage? Or would he hold them accountable for the damage Frobo had caused?

I hope they won't force us to clean this whole mess on our own like Hop Pop often did… Was the idea they unknowingly shared at the same moment.

(…)

When King Andria Leviathan heard of some 'disturbance' in one of the city districts, he wasn't particularly worried. After all, unrest and civil disorder was something happening on an everyday basis in Newtopia, and it could be caused by too many causes to be effectively prevented, often relying on the Army and the Night Arm to quell the most violent riots before the situation could further degenerate. When Lady Olivia came to report him that lady Amelia and lady Polly had been in the very center of the issue, his concern had grown, but not too much, for he knew the human and the small tadpole had proved repeatedly to be able to take care of themselves against much stronger adversaries. And when General Yunan had arrived, announcing the whole unrest had been caused by some unspecific creature whose rampage had been caused by Baron Bunorffer, one of the nobles belonging to Duke Pyrforian's faction, his nervousness had grown once again, while still under manageable limits.

But now, as the four human girls (plus Jacob and Polly) each recalled the events from their own point of view, the giant newt king could barely hear their words, relying on Lady Olivia to do that in his steed while his attention was fully focused on the large metallic being standing almost completely motionless in the throne room. A strange being who neither the Royal Advisor nor any of his guards or servants had ever seen before, but Andrias had.

A frobot. An actual working, full-functioning frobot, like the ones his father and countless generations of his illustrious ancestors had used to lay destruction on defenseless worlds. Opening them for plunder and exploitation by Newtopian hands, each world ravaged and stripped of their resources used to fuel the next invasion.

"So, you meet… him in the woods surrounding our city?" The King said, trying to play obfuscating stupidity and pretending to be confounded and uninformed as the rest of his court were.

"Indeed, your Majesty." The girl with the cone hat replied, still bowing on one of her knees in front of him. "We performed a few tests while we were in there, before settling to the city with the intention of showing you. Unfortunately, while Polly had a very good idea on how to carry him, the ropes ended up breaking during transport and Frobo dropped on the district."

"Don't worry, girls!" Marcy quipped, working on a blueprint on her journal. "I've already noted down all the details, I promise you I can solve the problems you faced to avoid this happening ever again."

"And tell me," King Andrias spoke, summoning his classic 'High King' personality he had learned to hone with the six humans. "Do you have any idea where this… Frobo comes from?"

"Actually, Your Majesty, we have a strong theory" The blonde one, whose name was Sasha, intervened. "As you may recall, on our travel from the Frog Valley to Newtopia we ended up finding some ancient facilities mostly known as 'the Ruins of Despair'." King Andrias gritted his teeth, yet desperately trying not to break his facade. "And during our attempt at… exploring them, we ended up reactivating one of such factories and its defenses, who targeted us. During our escape, we ended up causing the whole building to be destroyed, and yet"

"Wait, you're theorizing that this thing could be built in such place?" Yunan gasped, looking at Frobo with her mouth wide open. "And it followed you all the way to our city, for hundreds of miles?"

"I know how it sounds like but is the strongest possibility that we have to explain his origins." Anne nodded. "Plus, before coming here, I asked Jacob if he could compare the symbol and materials that compose Frobo with all those items he had scavenged on our visit to the Ruins."

"I can confirm, the materials that I have scavenged in there are identical to the ones that currently compose our new robotic friend's body and armor." Jacob couldn't agree fast enough. "We also reviewed all our photos and videos we've taken on that day and compared them looking for hints, and as you can see here," he pointed at the image on his phone, depicting the screen of the factory's main control computer, "the shape appearing here looks identical to Frobo. I think all the hints and proof we have so far means that those factories were used to produce robots, albeit we don't know for which scope or for whom. Mmmmhh, robot factories…"

As the boy began to fantasize, his mind galloping away, Andrias cursed internally. If these humans were aware of the true nature of such factories, and that they were used for producing Frobots, the Core's plan could be severely derailed.

"Ruins where countless of these were built, and who could still be operative." Yunan thought about it, having seen with her own eyes the damage Frobo had caused in his short rampage. "Your Majesty, I request your permission to lead an expedition corp to the Ruins of Despair and retrieve as much salvageable data and relic as possible."

"Request denied, general!" King Andrias hurried to reply, his brain panicking as he tried to come up with a good excuse to delay it. "As much such discovery provides us with priceless info and possibilities, right now we don't have any manpower to spare, even if we were to call the Night Guards and the Navy to provide support." Some of the Royal Guards sneered at the young general and Yunan responded in kind glaring at them back. "As for now, our focus is with the Order of the Olms, to secure our beloved city once again and crush the venomous moss of betrayal so we can properly focus on the threat beyond our walls." I'll have to contact Ernst again later, ask him to do something big and loud to draw attention back on himself and his fake cult. No matter the price, we can't risk them finding out more truth before the time is right.

"I-I understand Your Majesty." Yunan seemed to become smaller as his ego deflated, lady Olivia moving to his side and trying to comfort him. "That said, I'll make sure to prepare a logistic plan as soon as the situation within the walls is stabilized."

"Very good, my General." His attention turned back to Frobo "And, about this one-"

"Your highness, please!" Polly intervened. "Allow me and my friends to take care of him. As we already told you, Frobo reacted the way he did only because he assumed that noble wanted to hurt us, and he got a little overprotective. We promise you he will behave from now on!"

For a moment, Andrias's gaze kept moving between Frobo and Polly, from Polly to Amelia and then back to Frobo. There was something strange, different in this one Frobot, from the way the small tadpole and the human talked about him, like it was a friend rather than a mere machine. Could it possibly be that this one was a defect? It was something that had already happened in the past. Soldiers deemed 'defective' and unworthy to be employed, always ended up being destroyed by the other frobots and scrapped for their parts.

"I'll concede you that." The King said in a solemn tone, figuring out he could afford to let the tadpole have her 'toy' if that could have helped disguise his real intentions while he adjusted his strategy. "You're lucky that Baron Bunorffer had been the true indirect guilt party for what happened today, and as far as it concerns me, his future stay in the dungeons guarantee I won't have to see him ever again. Be careful however, for the situation in the city is already volatile enough without you causing more reason for strifes."

"Understood, your Majesty!"

"Frobo, say thanks to the King!"

"I can't believe this is happening! A true, actual robot, here? Dad would be so excited if he could see him now."

"Come on Frobo, say it for me. Roger Roger. Roger Roger!"

"Jacob, those manual book you found, can I see it again? I think it is time to restart his translation…"

"Your majesty, with due permission?" Lady Olivia asked with a whisper, approaching his throne. The gigantic king giving his counselor a nod of his head for response.

"Are you sure this is a good idea. While I have full trust in lady Marcy's abilities, this latest development is quite big. Maybe we should ask Newtopia University if they could send some of their brightest mind to assist them?"

"No, no need for that. As much as a breakthrough it is, our scholars have more direst issues to focus on. And as long as our human allies are making progresses, no price is too high to pay."

"Funny thing you mentioned sir. See, this is the estimate price to fix the whole damages caused in the affected district-"

(…)

"Voice of the Olms." The cultist all bowed as their leader walked in sight, a newt covered by a cloak and with a golden-looking mask over his face.

Far away from the castle and the surface, in one of the lowest and less-explored underground levels under Newtopia, a fateful meeting was taking place. High ranking members of the Cult of the Olms, all newts dressed in reddish cloaks and carrying black masks over their faces to hide their features, were gathering in response to the increasing persecution they were facing on the surface and to discuss what to do next. Far away from the surface, they felt safe: the existence of this level, let alone how to move through it, was a secret known only by a handful of residents, all who had previously been silenced 'permanently' by their leader.

"Brother Zephyr," the newt known as Goldmask, leader of the Order of the Olms, spoke in a gruff, dissatisfied voice. "I hear we had an unpropitious setback."

"Great leader, that is true." The newt he addressed, one of the Cult's lower tier leaders, replied. "As you may have heard, the Army and the Night Guard had managed to work together to weed out our numbers in some city districts. While I and most of our branch were able to successfully escape by breaking through the enemy's blockade, some of our lesser members ended up being captured."

"They are not of our concern," Goldmask replied. "I have received… reassurances from our benefactor that their tongues won't be able to betray us, no matter what they may know. Still, it is concerning to see how these heathens have managed to successfully coordinate against us."

"They wouldn't have been able to, if it wasn't for those pesky gangly freaks!" Another member shouted. "Ever since those 'hoo-moos' have arrived in Newtopia, our mission ended up meeting one setback after another! Just yesterday, we lost the facility in King's District and-"

"The facility of King District?!" A roar of outrage ran among the various cult members. "What happened?"

"We don't know, our underground hideout was completely razed. The goons we hired to protect it were massacred and the supplies we had stacked in there destroyed. From what we've been able to pierce together, the individual responsible for this treacherous attack is someone calling himself 'Aiden'."

"Who the frog is this Aiden?"

"A problem for later." Goldmask replied, and as soon as his voice was heard, everyone else's shut up. "Just a two-bit whack-job who believes he can make himself worth something. He's not our priority, so for now he's a nobody." The cult leader's tone became deeper, almost to underline his words. "Our immediate issue is the Night Guards and the Army's operations. We didn't expect them to hit the city's underground to track our movements and foil our mission."

"For what it's worth, they only managed to capture some easily expendable and replaceable pawn from within our ranks while our criminal ally took the hardiest blow." Another cultist perked up. "Thanks to your order, we've been able to move away almost all our assets before their raids even started. Why should we care if they are going to keep on grinding on some small-fry?"

"Forgive me if I'm not so sanguine, but have any of you realized what they are attempting to do?" Goldmask replied, almost as if he was 'irked' by the excessive self-confidence of the cult members. "The criminal underworld of Newtopia, while surely disdainful to work with, had provided us with useful coverage to carry on our missions, as well as considerable income we've used to fund our crusade. Now that our link with them has been broken, not only we'll have to make so without such useful benefits, but we'll have to act alone, with our own forces, and thus making it easier for them to track our organization down."

Behind the gold mask, the veteran Night Guard Captain Ranger Ernst could barely repress his anger. For so long, ever since he accepted the offer to leave his life as a Night Guard behind and start the whole 'Cult of the Olms' escapade, every attempt from both military branches of Newtopia to corner and arrest his and his 'followers' had utterly failed.

Being a former Night Guard himself, Ernst knew all their tricks. Every routine protocol, any weakness and weak spot such strategies had. As for the Army… Ernst almost let a scoff out just by thinking about them. Those brutes did more damage on their own than the Cult had ever managed.

No matter how strong the Justice's fist tightened its grip, the Cult would always escape their pitiful attempts. Always.

Yet, ever since those 'humans' had arrived, things had begun to change. Many of their informants and hired muscles have been arrested, as well as almost all their contacts with the criminal words. The raids had become more precise, and several important cult members had come closer to being captured on several occasions. And no matter how Andrias tried to reassure him, the king seemed unable to control his own underlings from making things more and more difficult for the cult.

How did the King expect for he and his 'followers' to plunder and destroy ancient books and documents if they couldn't take a break from the city's defenders? Ernst thought bitterly.

"Then, oh Voice of the Olms, what do we do?"

Behind his mask, Ernst stood silent for almost half a minute before responding. "We need to speed up our operations, and strike before our enemy manages to neutralize us. The issue of course, are those 'humans' who have been assisting them into hunting us down. As much as I want to deny it, these humans have proved themselves to be the greatest threat to us!"

"I couldn't agree more with that."

The cult members suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of a secondary tunnel, once used to drain filth out of the city. Ernst narrowed his eyes behind his mask as he saw a tall, imposing figure walking out of the shadow. He was dressed in pitch-black armor, large pauldron over his shoulder and securing a dirty grey cape to his back, his tail moving jerkily, like he had suffered some kind of muscle damage in the past. He had a helmet with a thick visor covering his own face; metal boots on his feet; and a long curvy sword tied to a belt around his waist.

Something off was coming from the figure. Something triggering every alarm bell of everyone in the room. Even Ernst, who in his long career as a Night Guard officer had faced many dangerous foes, couldn't help himself and felt nervous at the sight of the intruder.

"Who-who are you?!" One of the cult members gasped, with clear intent of hostility.

"You can call me Dark Armor, if a name is what you need." The figure replied, his voice sounding suave and poisonous like the bite of a slaughter snake. "My identity, at this time, is unimportant. What is important is that I'm here to make you an offer."

"Give us one reason we shouldn't kill you where you stand!" Brother Zephyr hissed, his tone strengthening the resolve of several other Cult members, who were now readying themselves to take out the intruder.

"Kill me? Who, you Ser Nefactous?!" Dark Armor hissed in his sweet, poisonous tone, the cultist taking a step back as the intruder revealed he knew his true identity. ""You couldn't even do your duty as a knight, to fight for your lord. Instead, you sacrificed the life of your own servant's son to die in your stead. This is why the King sent you away. The same reason that pushed your family to call you a disgrace and cast you out!"

Brother Zephyr, alias Ser Nefactous, couldn't resist the provocation anymore and jumped forward, a knife in his hands, wanting nothing more but to plant it inside the intruder's throat. Only for Dark Armor to hit him with a powerful punch, the newt's head turning ninety degrees to the left due after the impact. The disgrace ser spit some blood while staggering after the harsh blow, before falling on his knees and then on the ground.

As they finally realized their comrade was dead, the other cultists could only gasp in horror while Dark Armor kept approaching, seemingly unfazed by the carnage he had just performed.

"Stand down!" Ernst, alias Goldmask ordered, seeing other members seemingly moving to try and avenge their fallen 'brother'. "I want to hear his proposition."

"Right now, the Order of the Olms is at a crossroad. You think losing your criminal underlings is bad? That's just the beginning: soon, the Army and the Night Guard will be knocking on your very own door, and the people of Newtopia will see your true colors. And as soon as they do, they won't be afraid of you anymore, and you'll be outnumbered, forced to run away and abandon the city, or to fight for your own survival. This is why, to survive and be able to push through, to continue its mission, the Order must change, as its own enemies have changed. Adapt or die, it couldn't be simpler. And in order to do that, you need to strike at the key to the enemy's success."

"What do you propose?" Goldmask asked, still trying to analyze the figure in front of him to understand who or what he was facing.

"It's simple: to carry out your mission, you have to…take care of the humans."

A round of jeers and laughter ran among the cultists.

"So, that's the big wisdom you came to share with us?" Another cultist mocked the newcomer. "If that's so simple, why haven't you done it already? How much money do you want to… 'take care of them?"

"I'm offering you a partnership: I'll lend my skill to you and your Order, and you cut me in on your plans."

"Partnership." Behind his mask, Ernst couldn't help but smile. Whoever this guy was, he surely had guts. "My, my, we are ambitious. And tell me, what is your real goal? Why would you care about helping the Order of the Olms. I doubt you want to join our mission; do you perhaps have something against the King?

"Let's say I have…peculiar interest about the six humans under his wing. And working together with the cult is the best way I have to fulfill my goal." Dark Armor replied. "Of course, you'll have to accept my conditions as well: I want carte blanche, full control of any operation you'll require me for. I answer to no one."

"Now wait!" One of the cultists protested, "You can't just roll in here and give orders."

"I just did."

"That's… a bold request." Ernst replied, still thinking about it. There was something, in the way he talked, the way he moved, the way he could effortlessly kill someone and be unfazed by it, that could clearly tell about his skills. And in the current situation the Cult currently was, to have someone with such skills working for them could be a considerable asset, especially if they were to face off again with the Night Guard and the Army in the close future. As much as Ernst was proud of his skills, he wasn't too eager at the idea of facing Yunan, or the members of the last squad he trained (whose captain was now one of those humans).

"Fine, but don't forget that you work for me now." Ernst spoke again, facing Dark Armor and glaring at him, his eyes from behind the mask focusing on the mercenary's visor, as he was 'metaphorically' looking beyond it and into their soul. "And as long as you work for me, I expect results and efficiency."

"And you shall have it, master. You shall have it."

And beyond the visor, the disguised human smirked.