Chapter 23: Part 1: Chapter 23: Calamity Wakes Part 1

The day Frank lost his friends happened three years ago.

The day before was the first time the girls tried to ditch school and have fun at the arcade. However, Frank didn't go with them, saying that he didn't want to get in trouble just because Sasha wanted to have fun. The blonde girl didn't like that but angrily left with the other girls.

However, they were soon picked up by police and forced back to the school. The principal called their parents, and all three girls were grounded until the end of the month.

"I can't believe that jerk ratted on us!" Sasha yelled, punching the lock next to her.

"Who?" Anne asked, confused.

"Who do you think? Frank! He was the only one that knew about our plan and decided he was too good to come with us," Sasha said, pacing around with an angry expression.

"Whoa, Frank wouldn't do that. He's our friend." Anne told her, trying to calm her friend down.

However, Sasha didn't calm down. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it. Frank's been getting a little too bold for her liking. He's been argumentative, disagreeing with her plans, and hasn't followed her lead like Anne and Marcy. She didn't like that. And she doesn't like keeping things she doesn't like.

Sasha's come to dislike Frank since he started glowing a little backbone and wanted him gone.

"You know, I've been thinking, Anne," Sasha said, turning around with a hand on her chin. With a smirk, she started her explanation. "I just don't think this whole four-friends group is really working. But three? That's a real friend group."

Anne's eyes slowly widened as she backed up a bit. "Wait, what are you talking about," the 10-year-old Thai girl asked. Her gut started turning, feeling that what Sasha had to say wasn't good.

And unfortunately, she was proven right when Sasha's smirk grew. "Look, Frank's a good guy, but I think it's time to say goodbye to our little friend."

"What?! I can't do that!" Anne exclaimed, shocked and appalled by Sasha's suggestion. "We can't do that. Frank's been our friend since kindergarten. He's been my friend since we were in daycare. I...I can't just let that all go."

Seeing that Anne wasn't going with what she wanted, Sasha's expression became stern. She started walking towards Anne, making her walk back to keep some distance between them. "Oh, I understand, Anne. You're a good little girl who loves her mommy and daddy, who's been best friends with a boy for years. But don't you think it's time to move on? Think about it. Wouldn't you rather hang out with your friends that love you? Marcy would agree. Why have one when you can have two?"

Anne felt her back touch the lockers, and Sasha stopped before her. She was looking at her expectantly. However, Anne was still hesitant. She didn't want to stop being Frank's friend. However, disagreeing would mean Sasha would dump her too.

"Sasha, I really think we should—" Anne was stopped when Sasha slammed one hand on the locker beside her head and held up her hand.

"Anne, this isn't cute anymore. Perhaps you need a reminder of what friends do for each other." She said, poking Anne in the chest with a stern glare. "If a friend likes a pencil case, you get it for them. If your friend likes your new shoes, you give them to her. And if a friend wants you to ditch a boy, then you do it, because that's what friends do, Anne! And if you're not willing to do that for me, then we're no longer friends. End. Of. Discussion."

There it was, the one praise that gave Sasha the power to make Anne do whatever she wanted. Sasha always said that when Anne argued with her because the blonde knew Anne had no spine. Just the threat of ending their friendship, a friendship they had since kindergarten, was enough to make her bend to her will. But this was Frank she was talking about. The kindest boy in the world. She wanted to stand up to her friend but feared losing Sasha and Marcy.

Besides, she'd just be losing one friend for two, so it wouldn't be too bad, right?

In the end, Anne sighed sadly. "Okay."

The Thai girl never forgave herself for making that decision. That one conversation with Sasha took her away from her best friend. But Anne knew she decided to do as Sasha said, so she wasn't entirely blameless. She often wondered what would have happened if she had just stood up to Sasha and said no. Would Sasha have just backed down, or would Marcy have ditched the blonde girl to continue being friends with Anne and Frank? Could they have worked something out? Anne highly doubted it, as Sasha was not the type of person to just let things go.

But, now, Anne was happy. Sure, she was trapped in a world of talking frogs, but she was there with her best friend. Their bond had been reforged, and they were closer than ever before. Frank has softened up and was back to being the once-happy boy she remembered him to be.

Together, they walked beside one another as they headed into town with the Plantars. Apparently, something big was going on today, and the froggy family wanted the human kids up and ready to go.

Entering the center of the town square, Frank and Anne were surprised to see almost everyone in Wartwood there. "Man, what is with this crowd? Are fruit flies on sale or something?" asked the Thai girl with a giggle.

Hop Pop said, "No. Today's the day they announce the Frog of the Year award."

"Frog of the what?" Frank asked before Sprig hopped on him.

"Frog of the hoppin' Year, Frank. Every year, the town gets together and votes on the frog they think best embodies the values of Wartwood." Sprig said, hanging off Frank's chest.

"Really? Why is this the first time we're hearing about it?" Anne asked.

"We all voted last week. Don't you remember?" Polly asked while being carried in her bucket by Hop Pop.

"Huh. Not at all. Wonder why." Anne wondered why she didn't know about Frog of the Year.

Flashback

On the day the voting polls were opened for Frog of the Year, Anne was sitting with her legs on the couch, wearing earphones and listening to rock music. Frank, meanwhile, was sitting on the other side, with his hat over his eyes, sleeping after having just come back from town.

Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly approached Anne from behind as music played. "Frank, Anne, we're gonna go vote for Frog of the Year now. Wanna come?" asked the elderly frog.

"'No, you'll never make us go!'" Anne sang the song.

"Okay, then." Hop Pop said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, kids. Let's leave these two...alone." He gave Frank a wink, not seeing that he was sleeping under his hat.

"I don't get it," Sprig said as he and the family walked out.

Anne thought about it, and she did recall hearing a voice while she was listening to her music.

The conversation was then cut when they noticed Mayor Toadstool walking up to the stage and standing behind the podium. "All right, folks. It's time!" He said with a chuckle. If Frank didn't know any better, he'd say Toadstoal looked confident. But he had a hunch that the fat toad thought he would win, just like he won the election. "As you all know, the Frog of the Year goes to the most selfless, noble, blah, blah, blah... Let's get on with it." He slammed his fists on the podium and held his hand out.

Toadie hopped over and gave the mayor the envelope with the winner's name. Toadstool opened it and started announcing the lucky frog. "And this year's Frog of the Year award goes to—" he gasped and looked at the name again closely. "Well, this can't be right. Anne Boonchuy?"

Everyone in the audience gasped in shock. Frank's eyes widened, and look at his crush, who was just as surprised as he was. A second later, the people around them burst into cheers, except for the Thai girl becoming frog of the year. Anne looked at Frank, wondering what she should do. For a moment, the Hispanic looked like he wanted to tell her something, but he just smiled and grabbed her hand.

As Anne blushed, Frank pulled her along. "Come on, Anne. Let's get you up there!" He exclaimed, pushing frogs out of his way as he helped Anne get to the stage.

While watching the humans, Hop Pop felt his eyes start tearing up. "A Plantar, Frog of the Year. I'm so proud." He cried, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. He tried flicking it off, only for the teardrop to get stuck to his finger.

Getting on the stage first, while ignoring the annoyed look from Toadstoad, Frank pulled Anne up and let go of her hands. Giving her two thumbs up and a big smile of encouragement, he stepped back and let Anne face the cheering crowd.

Still blushing while rubbing the hand he held, Anne stared out at the audience with a look of amazement. Everyone in Wartwood, from the tallest to the smallest, was giving her cheers and appalls. They were doing it because everyone voted for her to be Frog of the Year. They did it because they all must love her. This made Anne feel extremely touched as she smiled and placed her hands over her heart.

"Wow! Thanks, everyone. I don't know what to say." Anne said, almost feeling like crying.

"I do." And then the moment was ruined by Toadstool. "Are you dumbasses out of your frog-damn minds? How did her name even get on the polls?"

"The hell is your problem?" Frank asked, glaring at the mayor.

"My problem is that she doesn't deserve to host a party!" said Toadstool.

"Party?" Anne asked, excited.

"What party?" Frank asked, confused.

"Oh, it's one of our oldest traditions," said Toadie, stepping in to further explain the position to the Thai girl. He then pulled out a scroll with 'Ye Olde Frog of the Year Bash!' written on it, with a frog in a jester's hat blowing a horn, a thumbs up, and three stitched balloons. "The Frog of the Year has to organize an incredible party for the whole town."

"Yeah!" Toadstool said, glaring at the crowd as he gestured to Anne, who looked somewhat nervous while holding her arm. "And that party is supposed to demonstrate the Frog of the Year's selflessness. And Anne is the farthest thing from selfless."

"Oh yeah? Well, She's more selfless than your crocked ass." Frank stood beside his best friend, pointing his finger at the mayor. "After all the greedy shit you've done, it's no wonder no one voted for you. Anne's done more for the town than you did as mayor."

"Frank's right." Anne smiled with determination and turned to the crowd. "I'll prove I deserve this by putting on a party so big, it'll blow all your minds!" Anne announced to everyone, her voice echoing with excitement as she held her arms wide.

However, no one cheered. The frogs blinked for a second before turning to each other and started murmuring in confusion and worry. One frog heard to have said, "I don't want my mind blown."

"That means it'll be amazing!" Frank quickly stated.

"Oh, okay." That one frog said before the crowd erupted into cheers again. Anne accidentally placed her arm around Frank, and they smiled at each other. Realizing her mistake, she immediately took it away, and they looked away as they both blushed with awkward expressions.

"I'm looking forward to seeing this thing go down in flames." Toadstool snidely to Anne. He and Toadie walked off the stage as Anne and Frank glared at the toad mayor.

"I'm gonna shoot him in the ass again," Anne said.

As soon as the five of them arrived back at the Plantar farm, Anne immediately locked herself in the basement for an hour. She was determined to plan out the best party Wartwood had ever seen.

When she came back out, the girl gathered the family into the living room. Anne slammed her fully detailed plans for the party onto the table.

"Boom! Here are my plans to throw the best party and prove that mayor wrong." Anne told the family and Frank as they gathered around to look at the impressively detailed plans. "Stupid mayor with his stupid dumb face."

"Anne, don't worry about what the mayor said. Just have fun planning your party." Sprig said.

"You're Frog of the Year," Polly added.

"Right, right, right, right. Okay, guys, listen up." Anne said before delving into her plans, ignoring Sprig's words about enjoying her own party. "A great party has three ingredients: entertainment, exclusivity, and spectacle. Hop Pop, you're in charge of entertainment. I dub thee Master of Ceremonies."

With this most prestige honor, Anne bestowed onto him a microphone. Hop Pop gasped with stars in his eyes as he took the device. "I've been waiting for this day my whole life."

"Polly, exclusivity. It's your job to decide who gets into the party and who doesn't." She placed a single set of stanchions with a velvet rope in front of the tadpole.

Polly gasped as the look of power formed in her big eyes. "I can't wait to abuse this power!" She said, grabbing one of the stanchions and pulling the set away. Going to do one knows what with them.

"And what about meeeeeeee?" Sprig sang as he jumped on the table and struck a pose for her. He was excited for the Thai girl to give him his role, and so was Anne. However, she was containing it inside her as she spoke.

"Sprig, you have the most important job of all: the spectacle."

"Oh, my frog, oh, my frog, oh, my frog!" Sprig chanted, excitedly stumping his feet.

"At the party...." Anne paused for dramatic effect. However, her excitement couldn't be contained anymore, and the damn busted. With big stars in her eyes, a blush, and the happiest smile she ever made, Anne told him. "You're gonna tell Ivy how you feel about her!"

Sprig's face twisted into a shocked expression. As if Anne slammed his face with Frank's bat. "Wha—Huh?"

"Yup. A legendary party needs a legendary spectacle." Anne told him before opening one of her magazines and turning it to a page before handing it to Sprig. Taking it, the pink frog saw a woman proposing to another woman. "Can you imagine how excited party-goers will be to see true love blossom before their eyes?"

"Didn't rushing love lead to you almost getting eaten by love doves?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah bah, bah, bah, that's all the in past." Anne quickly brushed him off.

"I'm not really sure I'm ready for this," Sprig said with uncertainty.

"Sprig, please!" Anne got down on her knees and begged the little frog. "I need your help to make this party amazing." She said, making her eyes pop with presents and balloons in them.

Sprig looked to Frank for help. "You were going to have to eventually. Why wait longer?" He said.

The pink frog groaned with discomfort before smiling at Anne. "Okay.

"Whoo-hoo!" Anne jumped up with joy.

"What about me?" Frank asked, making Anne look at him. "Is there anything I do?"

Anne looked at him strangely, as if he was speaking Spanish or any other different language to her. "What are you talking about, dude? You're my best friend, meaning you'll be my second in command. Think of it as being my executive party planner. I'm counting on you to make it all go smoothly. Come on, everyone. Let's bring the thunder!"

Frank and the Plantar family cheered together.

Later in the day, the preparations were already in motion for the Frog of the Year Celebration. Everyone in town was helping get the party ready. Stumpy was preparing a vast array of foods and Thai specialties that Anne had taught him. And then there was the giant wooden statue of Anne as the centerpiece of the party. Crafted by Loggle himself.

"All right, let's see how things are going," Frank said as he walked around with a clipboard and pencil. "Stumpy, I'm smelling that stew from here, and I want some!"

"I'll save ya a bowl!" Stumpy said.

Frank continued walking around the party, checking off everything on the list as he saw them. "Decorations are up, and the glassware is looking polished...." He then came up to the statue as Loggle craved Anne's one shoe. "Loggle, love that statue."

"As beautiful as her, huh?" Loggle asked before returning to his work.

Frank looked up at Anne's statue and smiled. "She sure is," he said before moving on.

As he walked towards Hop Pop, Anne ran over to him. Wearing a pink hat with the acronym FOTY on it. "Hey, executive party planner. How's the big bash looking?" She asked, walking beside him with her hands behind her back.

"Everything's shipshape, captain. Just about to visit our learn comedian," Frank said. Together, they walked over to Hop Pop as he looked over his cards, on which he'd written his material. "All right, Mr. Emcee, let's hear some jokes."

"Okay. Have you heard about the snail who went on a diet?" Hop Pop paused to give the joke time to set in. "He's a shell of his former self!" If there were a drum set, someone would play it when they heard him finish.

"Heh," Frank slipped out a slight snicker as he began to smile. "Alright, that was a little clever."

Anne, however, wasn't impressed with the joke. "Hmm. Okay, okay. A little soft, but keep working on it." She said, trying to encourage him.

Spotting Sprig, Anne made her way to him, with Frank following behind. Set up in front of the little pink frog was a handmade scarecrow of Ivy. Sprig took deep breaths, about to practice his confession.

"Sprig, my man. Let's see how that romantic proposal is going," said Anne, excited to see Sprig's progress.

Sprig cleared his throat. "So, it's gonna go a little something like this, okay?" He said, sounding confident. However, as soon as he looked at the fake Ivy, he choked up. "Uh, Ivy, I got, uh, s-something to tell you, uh-- Oop!"

Suddenly, when he took a step forward, Sprig tripped and collapsed straight into the scarecrow. Breaking it as he landed on the ground. Sitting up, Sprig rubbed his forehead until Ivy's severed head landed in his lap, making him scream in horror.

"No, no! This needs work too." Anne clapped her hands on the side of her head. Nothing about this party was going as it should, and it was frustrating her. How was she supposed to throw the biggest party Wartwood's ever seen if everything was collapsing before her eyes?

"Whoa! Stop, Polly! That's not what those are for!" Frank yelled in a panic.

"Says you." Polly chuckled as she swung the stanchions around as if they were nun-chucks. However, this led to her smacking them into the head of one of the caterers. Sending him flying back into a stack of creates and spilling them over. Breaking the contents inside them.

Mayor Toadstool and Toadie were walking by to see the small foul-ups. Leading the toad to cast his judgment. "What'd I tell you, Toadie? She's gonna be the worst Frog of the Year ever."

Those words echoed in Anne's mind. That was the last straw. All the small things that weren't working made Anne blow her short fuse. She groaned in frustration and threw her pink hat down on the ground. "No, no, no, no! I told you guys. This party has to be lit! At this rate, it's gonna be lame! Hop Pop, lemme see those jokes." Hop Pop handed her the jokes, and she skimmed through them. "Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know what? Written jokes are passé. Get up there and do some improv."

"Improv? I've never done that before." Hop Pop said, but Anne didn't listen to him and pointed to Sprig.

"Sprig, work on that proposal. Get some confidence. Come on." She chastised her frog friend. Anne then pointed to Loggle, who was just about finished with his statue. "Loggle! I'm gonna need you to redo that statue. Make it cooler."

"You serious?!" Loggle yelled, throwing down his tolls.

Anne then marched over to Stumpy. "Stumpy, throw that slop out and replace it with somethin' fancier. Like, I don't know. Sashimi."

"What's a sashimi?" Stumpy asked.

"It's fresh fish, okay? Get it." Anne ordered him before turning her wrath to the other frogs helping to make her party what she wanted it to be. "Burn these decorations and get new ones. Replace that jug band with a deejay. And where the frogging fuck is that chocolate fountain?!"

When she was finished, everyone looked at her like she was a mad woman. And she was. Anne was panting wildly after her long rant, but no one dared try talking to her. That is until Frank approached her from behind.

"Whoa, Anne. Don't you think you should calm down?" He asked with a frown. "You're taking this a little too seriously?"

For a moment, Anne just stood there in silence. "Calm? What do you mean?" Suddenly, she whirled around and yelled at him with a crazed look in her bloodshot eyes. "I'M PERFECTLY CALM!"

Frank quickly backed off.

"Now, hop to it, everyone. We've only got 12 hours left. Hop! Hop!" Anne waved her arms around, prompting the frogs and even Frank to hop away.

The night rolled in. The Frog of the Year party was here, and everyone was excited to see what Anne had brought to the table.

What would usually have been a time of dark skies and silence from Wartwood, where all the frog villagers would be fast asleep, was now replaced with colorful lights shining up into the sky and fireflies as rave music boomed from giant speakers. Frogs lined up in a long line, slowly getting into the party. Polly sat proudly at the front of the line, pointing to whoever could enter.

"Uh-uh! Not you." She said, stopping Wally from entering.

"Aw!" the hillbilly frog sulked and looked like he wanted to cry.

"I'm just kidding, Wally. Get in there." Polly exclaimed.

"Validation!" Wally shouted, jumping to his feet and running into the party, cackling like a madman.

Anne made her grand debut as the crowd of frogs grew in size. Her hair was cleansed, straightened, and styled in a way that resembled a pixie cut. She wore bachelor clothes: a pure white tuxedo, a black bowtie, a powder blue undershirt, light gray lapels, a small gold button that pins the coat together, and a purple sash that wrapped around Anne from her right shoulder to her back. And she had two shoes on her feet for the first time in three months. Her dress shoes were peanut brown and of a darker shade near the toe, heel, and tongue and had black hidden knot laces.

Twirling her cane with a golden firefly on it, Anne looked at her guests with a suave expression. "Welcome, my friends, to the best Frog of the Year party ever!" The Thai girl announced to the crowd as the scale of the venue was fully realized as Frank set off the welcoming fireworks. And the crowd was awed in amazement at the statue of Anne performing a dance move that she explained to Loggle was 'trendy' back home.

Frank looked at the abomination with disgust before walking off. His job for tonight was to fix any problems that came up. Which was why he was armed to the teeth with his weapons on him, in case a monster appeared.

The Hispanic boy looked around, seeing everything go off without a hitch. Fireworks were sparking in the sky, and a DJ was off to the side, remixing the best music that Amphibia had to offer. There was even a giant chocolate fountain in the middle of the party.

He walked over to Anne as she was standing near the fountain, proud at the sight of her party. "Gotta say, you were going a little crazy initially, but you actually pulled it off, Anne." Frank complimented Anne.

"Blunt as ever, Frank. But it all worked out. All everyone needed was a little push, and I gave it to them. After tonight, I'm gonna be the best Frog of the Year!" Anne said.

Frank chuckled at that but smiled at his crush. "You deserve it, Anne." He said.

Both boy and girl looked at one another with warm smiles, feeling all fuzzy inside. But then they quickly averted their eyes away from each other out of sheer embarrassment, their faces flushed. "I-I should go back to hosting," said Anne.

"A-And I should go make sure everything is still in working order," Frank said before walking off.

However, things were about to take a turn for the worse.

It all started with Stumpy's food stand. The cook brought a colossal fish and set it on the food stand to serve. "All right, Stumpy, what do we got here?" asked Toadstool, who was the first in line.

"This is Sashimi. He's a mudskipper." Stumpy said, petting the dead fish with his spatula hand.

"Ooh. And is it, uh, fresh?" The mayor asked, interested in the taste of the animal.

Stumpy raised an eyebrow at the question. "Well, ya can't get fresher."

But when he said the fish might be fresh, he didn't mean that it was still alive. Yet it was! The monstrous mudskipper suddenly reared up and roared angrily, scaring everyone off before chasing after Toadstool.

At the same time, Hop Pop was up on the stage, sweating profusely as he grabbed the mic. But his sweat made the mic slip out of his hands, making him scramble to catch it quickly. The old frog nervously chuckled. "All right, folks. It's time for some improv. You, sir, where are you from?"

"I'm from the same town as you, buddy," said the frog.

"Oh! Great..."

As Hop Pop became frozen with stage fright, Sprig searched around the party. Trying to find Ivy to confess. So far, he's only been able to find her mother, not her daughter. That was until he saw her kicking around a bubble with a firefly in it. It popped, and the firefly fell to the ground.

Seeing the girl he loved just a few feet away, Sprig gulped and worked up the courage to talk to her. "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this." He then punched himself in the face. "For Anne!"

Yelling a battle cry, Sprig charged at Ivy as she tried picking up the firefly. Hearing his voice, she turned her head and smiled at him, making the pink frog come to a sliding stop with wide eyes. "Oh, hey, Sprig."

Sprig body froze in fear as he went pale, then scrambled and ran away.

At the dance floor, things were any better. The techno music that was playing so loud even the deejay had to plug his eyes.

"I don't know how to dance to this." One frog said to the person next to him.

"What?" That frog said.

Frustrated, Anne pushed the two aside. "Like this, you guys, like this." She said, attempting to demonstrate, but even her moves were terrible. Not noticing how her own party was unraveling.

With shield and scythe out, Frank quickly rushed over to Anne. "Anne, we've got a serious situation!" He exclaimed.

"What are you talking about—?" Anne gasped when she saw what was happening.

Hop Pop was running away, too embarrassed to go back on stage. Sprig was hiding from Ivy behind a stand, too afraid to face her after bombing his chance. And worse of all, the mudskipper was still on the loose, chasing away all the frogs and destroying everyone it crossed, including the dance floor.

Watching the devastation she brought upon the townsfolk, Anne sighed sadly as she tore the sash wrapped around her off. "This party sucks. Some selfless Frog of the Year I turned out to be. Why would anyone ever vote for me?" She asked, looking at it with a pained expression as her lips trembled.

Frank looked at Anne sadly and said, "That doesn't mean you can't make things right. Come on! Someone's got to save these frogs."

Before Anne could agree, there was a scream that alerted the two. They watched as the mudskipper chased a frog, only to knock over Anne's statue. As it fell over to the ground, it threatened to crush the fire dancers. Seeing the statue coming down, they quickly jumped out of the way. However, one of the fire polls landed on the giant hand of the wooden Anne. Setting off a massive fire that spread across the party grounds.

Everyone screamed and ran away in a panic. Loggle, on the other hand, popped up next to the two humans. "At least the party's 'lit' now, Anne."

"Not now!" Frank yelled before turning to Anne. "I'll take care of the fish. Get the people out of here and find a way to dose the fire!" He then charged at the mudskipper.

Hearing footsteps behind it, the mudskipper turned its head and saw Frank running at it while it had a struggling frog in its mouth. It roared at him and charged at him too. Frank screamed a battle cry as it lunged at him. But the Hispanic boy bashed the fish in the face with his shield, disorientating it and allowing him to stab it in the body.

The monster size fish let out a pained roar and skipper around to give itself distance. "Alimentarás al pueblo durante una semana, peces." Frank said before charging again.

Meanwhile, Toadstool angrily declared, "I knew it! Didn't I say it'd be a disaster?" Anne suddenly tackled him before a pillar could crush him.

On her knee, Anne said, "Mayor Toadstool, I need your help to save the town."

"Me? Work with you? Ha!" Toadstool scoffed until Anne growled at him. "Okay, well, just this once."

"Great. Get everyone away from the fire while I put it out.

"Don't tell me what to do." Toadstool ran off to get the first set of people he saw. "Upsy-daisy! I got ya. Vote for me." He quickly grabbed them and started running for a gap in the flames. Once out, he set them down. The townsfolk watched their usually selfish mayor risk his life and rushed back in to get more people from the blazing inferno.

Anne beelined up the chocolate fountain, covering her white suit in chocolate as she yanked out the nozzle and hose used to dispense it all.

The mudskipper roared as it tried to eat Frank again, but the boy jumped out of the way. He then jumped on the back of the fish, swung the scythe down, and stabbed it deep into its head. The mudskipper let out a scream of agony as blood spewed everywhere before falling to the ground, dead.

"It's your show, Anne!" Frank yelled to her. "Let 'er rip."

Anne quickly turned on the hose, and chocolate sprayed out at high pressure. She started running around the party grounds hosing down the fires and promptly putting them out. ExtinguishingExtinguishing the flames just as Toadstool saved the last partygoer.

Finally, with the chaos having been subdued and the fish dead, everyone came over to Frank and Anne. Seeing that they succeeded, Toadstool started laughing for joy. "Whoo! We did it!"

"Yeah. We did." Anne said gloomily, her hair back to normal. Leaves and all. With her tore sash in hand, the Thai girl approached the toad in defeat. Handing it to him in shame. "You were right about me, Mayor. I am selfish. I got so obsessed with proving I deserved this. I ruined everything. I'm no Frog of the Year. Why did anyone even vote for me?"

"Because I nominated you."

Anne turned and was shocked to see it was Frank that spoke up. The young boy stood behind her with that gentle smile she adored so much, covered in blood once again. "As it turns out, you can nominate anyone you want for Frog of the Year, and since Toadstool was already on the polls, I added you. And when they saw your name, they all instantly voted for you."

For a moment, Anne stared at her best friend in the world in shock. She then looked at everyone else, who nodded with smiles on their faces. "But...But why?" Anne asked, still unable to believe what Frank was telling her. "Why me? You, of all people, know how much of a mess I am. You should have been Frog of the Year, Frank."

"True, but I did it because I wanted you to have it," Frank said. "You're not a flawless person, Anne. Far from it. But you're not the same person you once were; a self-centered girl who couldn't take an ounce of responsibility to save her life. You have grown into a better person in the past three months. You've come a long way in our time here, and you've helped change this town and made these people's lives better, just as they've helped change you for the better...Just like how you've helped change me for the better.

Walking up to her, placing Hellcat's Claw on his back, the Hispanic boy put his hand on Anne's shoulder, making her look at him in his soft eyes. "I was in a very dark place, Anne. I was lost and broken. Without you by my side, I wouldn't have been able to find myself again. You helped me pull myself back together. And I hope one day I can repay you."

Frank's kind words deeply touched Anne's heart, and her face grew a big smile. The Thai girl jumped into his arms and hugged Frank tightly, making him blush before he wrapped his arms around her. The sight of them hugging made the frogs clap their hands and croak.

Eventually, Mayor Toadstool gave in and put his greedy pride away. "God damn it, I tried to fight it, but I have to say, even I'm a little impressed with how you just saved the town from a raging inferno. Here." Walking to Anne, he gave the sash back to her. "This belongs to you."

Feeling more grateful than before, Anne gripped the sash and looked at the toad with a tearful smile. "Thanks, Mayor."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it. Now come on, everyone. Let's try to salvage this party, shall we?" Mayor Toadstool asked the town, earning him cheers from all of them.

The citizens of Wartwood were able to salvage what little party was left, and Frank had to admit, what they came up with felt more like Wartwood.

Instead of being trapped inside bubbles, the fireflies were free to fly around, helping to create the cozy atmosphere of the more toned-down party. No DJ, no giant fountain, or even a statue in commemoration of Anne. However, Frank set his phone up to play La Vida Es Una by Karol G. The frogs had no idea what the singer was saying, but they loved the sound of it.

The townsfolk danced to the Spanish song. With the mudskipper cut up, Stumpy happily served his now edible food.

Anne was dancing along with the crowd on the dance floor. That was until she saw Frank standing by himself, watching her with a loving smile. The Thai girl waved him over to join her. Frank was surprised but shook his head, not wanting to dance. But when Anne gave him a look that said 'come on' to him, Frank sighed and walked towards the dance floor.

He adjusted his hat and then started dancing his way toward her. And Anne was surprised by his moves. He danced with confidence that he's not displayed before, and he moved his body to the music. When he reached her, Frank and Anne stood side by side and danced together, matching each other moves while looking at one another. It felt like when they first danced after Frank had his bandages removed. However, for both of them, it felt different. It felt magical.

When the song finally stopped, so did they, and everyone around them cheered for them. Frank and Anne blushed together and laughed.

Walking to the stage, the Hispanic boy took his phone and said to the band waiting to play, "It's your show, boys."

And so, they played music for the town. Frank and Anne walked away. Polly and Hop Pop were off somewhere, enjoying the party, leaving Sprig sitting alone on a lone bench on the outskirts. The two humans walked over to him and sat down with him.

"Sorry I tried to rush you into confessing your love to Ivy. You do that when you're good and ready." Anne told her froggy friend.

Sprig smiled and said, "Thanks, Anne. When the moment strikes, I'll know it."

"Speaking of which," Frank said as he noticed Ivy walking up to them. Through, she looked rather sheepish.

"Hey, Sprig. There's something I've, uh, been meaning... to ask you. I, uh... Do you, um..." Clearing her throat, she started again and shut her eyes. "Do you think you'd wanna go out with me sometime?!"

That most definitely surprised Frank. He had no doubts she liked the pink frog. However, he didn't think she'd like Sprig the same way he liked her.

Ivy opened one of her eyes to see Sprig's reaction. The pink frog boy was gasping in shock and excitement. Anne squealed with joy.

Thinking that it was him rejecting her, Ivy's face blushed in embarrassment. "Never mind! I'm stupid!" She exclaimed, pulling her hat down to hide her face. "This is stupid! This is stupid!

She was about to turn and walk away when Sprig quickly hopped over and grabbed her shoulder. "Ivy, wait! I'd love to." He told her. He then hid his own face. "Mlep!"

Seeing him do what she did make the yellow frog girl blush again and smiled happily.

"Wanna dance?"

"Heck yeah!"

And with that, the newest couple of Wartwood ran off, both giggling. Eager to have as much fun together as possible. Frank watched the two of them run off, smiling as Sprig took Ivy's hand. "They're good for each other," he said.

"Yeah. I think their relationship will last as long as they stay in love with one another," said Anne. Together, the two human kids leaned on the table and looked up at the night sky. As they did, Anne looked at the Hispanic boy with a guilty expression. "I don't know if I told you this, but I'm sorry that I stole from your grandmother's thrift store. If I had just stood up to Sasha, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

Frank shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her. "Hey, for what it's worth, I'm glad you did. As I said, I wouldn't have reunited with you again if you didn't."

Sitting up, Anne smiled at him. "Still think we'll ever get home?"

"I like to think so. But if we're here for next year's Frog of the Year, I think I might beat you." Frank said jokingly as he looked up at the sky again.

The two best friends sat silently for a moment as Frank stared at the night sky with a calm smile. The wind gently blew Anne's hair around as she stared at him. This kind, wonderful boy that's changed her life so much. Since coming to Amphibia, Anne felt her friendship with Frank had grown so much. However, she was confused about what she felt for him now. Anne's been thinking things she's never felt before when the girl was around him. Feeling emotions for him that she never used to feel with anyone.

And yet was that such a bad thing? Anne didn't think so.

"Don't worry. You always have a way of sneaking into people's hearts." She said, and then did something so bold.

Anne kissed Frank on the cheek.

When Frank felt her lips, he was shocked by how soft they were and instantly loved the feeling of them. Both of them look surprised by what the Thai girl did. Make eye contact, both gasping softly, with Frank's eyes widened and sparkling. Anne, on the other hand, blushed furiously and quickly stood up.

"Uh—okay—good to see you! Farewell forever." She quickly said and turned to leave.

However, she was stopped when Frank's rough hand gently grabbed her soft one.

The two looked at one another as Frank stood up. Anne turned to face him as the boy kept his hand on hers. Looking into Anne's dark brown eyes, Frank prepared to say something.

"Anne...."

"Ahem! Miss Frog of the Year and Frank?" Toadie suddenly appeared, interrupting the tender moment and seemingly not at all guilty about it.

Frank looked at the frog while gritting his teeth. "Yes, Toadie. What is it?"

"Someone is waiting at the bridge for you. They say they're a friend." He said in his usual diplomatic voice.

That seemed to snap the scarred boy out of his annoyance, and he let go of Anne's hand. "A friend?" The Thai girl asked, raising an eyebrow. Even Frank was confused. They didn't have any friends that weren't already at the party. Much less anyone outside of town. The two of them looked at one another for a couple of seconds before Frank grabbed Hellcat's Cat. Anne nodded, deciding to head over together.

Together, the two humans walked out of the town's gate and headed to the bridge as fireflies flowed around. That's when they spotted a hooded figure standing on the small bridge, looking out at the full red moon. They couldn't see who it was but saw that they were tall and slim, around their height.

Anne wanted to approach the figure but was blocked by Frank's scythe. While he had his weapons, she didn't have her bow or sword.

"We were told you wanted to see you," Frank called out to the figure.

Hearing him, the hooded turned their head towards them. For a moment, they couldn't see who it was. Stepping away from the rail, the person faced their body towards the two best friends and took off her hood in surprise.

"Frank? Anne?!" Sasha gasped.

"Sasha?!" The poorly dressed schoolgirl exclaimed, both she and Frank recognizing her as the very same blonde girl. But while the Hispanic boy looked at Sasha with wide eyes and a gaping jaw, Anne lost her mind and squealed in absolute joy.

Sasha did the same, so happy to see her BFF again. "Oh, my god! I can't believe that it's you!" She squealed as Anne ran past Frank onto the bridge and hugged each other. Both girls laughed together, jumping and spinning around.

When they stopped, Anne looked at Sasha, clad in armor, with a big smile. "Oh, my gosh. You're here too? I wasn't sure. Frank and I woke up all alone and...." She stopped to gasp. "Is Marcy with you? Where have you been? I've missed you so much!"

Sasha giggled as Anne pulled her into another hug. "I'll fill you in later. For now, I'm just glad I found you. What about you? What have you been up to?"

"Oh, man, you will not believe the crazy adventures we had! The monsters we fought, the friends we made." Anne listed off, excited to tell her blonde all about her adventures.

Sasha chuckled at Anne's excitement. However, she noticed someone was standing behind Anne and saw there was still one more person she's yet to greet at this grand reunion.

And it was the one person that wasn't happy to see her.

The blonde girl's eyes widened in surprise when she laid eyes on Frank. The same boy she forced Anne and Marcy to stop being friends with a long time ago. The boy whose grandmother they robbed, leading to them being stuck in Amphibia. He was standing just a few feet from her amongst the fireflies, looking worse for wear and with no shoes. Glaring at her.

Moving past Anne, she slowly started approaching the Hispanic boy. "Uh, hey...Frank. It's been a while," she said, still trying to remain calm. However, his glare didn't ease her nerves or Anne's anxiety. The Thai girl looked between the two former friends nervously. "Loving the scars."

Frank glared at her, holding Hellcat's Claw in one hand. "You've changed," he said with a hostile tone in his voice.

Wondering what he meant, Sasha looked at her armor. "Oh, you like it? Yeah, I had it—GAH!" Out of nowhere, Frank rushed over and punched her in the face when she wasn't looking. "Ow!"

"Frank!" Anne yelled, rushing over and pulling him away from Sasha. "What the heck, Frank?"

"What the hell, asshole?!" Sasha yelled at him, holding her brushed cheek.

"That's for what you did!" Frank yelled at her.

Sasha gasped and looked at Frank with a fearful expression. "You...You know?"

"Yeah, I know. Anne told me all about how you were the one that made her and Marcy stop being friends with me!" Frank shouted, wanting to hit her again.

"....Oh, that." Sasha sighed as she held up her hands with a smug-looking smile. Acting like her forcing her friends to dump Frank was the same as tripping each other over and not a big deal. "Look, Frank, amigo. That was a long time ago. I wasn't really thinking straight that day."

"You're not thinking straight right now if you think we're friends, amiga," Frank growled.

"Whoa, okay. Let's all just calm down." Anne said, trying to ease Frank's anger before one of them got hurt. "We're all here and safe. And that's all that matters, right Frank?"

Frank looked at his crush, who looked at him with a pleading expression. Taking a deep breath, Frank calmed himself but scowled at Sasha. "So, how did you get here?"

"Well, remember that thief, Tritonio? He told us about meeting the two of you. So, we came as soon as we heard." She waved it off casually.

"Hold on, 'We'?"

"Yup. Just me and some friends of mine." She said, gesturing behind herself.

Frank looked, and his eyes widened when he saw a line of dark shadowy figures standing on the other side of the bridge in the trees. A firefly flew over the head of the tallest one ahead of the group, revealing scarred lips that opened. The tongue inside the mouth snatched away the fly from the air, and the amphibian ate it. Then they opened their eyes, revealing two different glowing eye colors. One blue and the other light green.

"Nice to finally meet you, Frank Ramirez." Captain Grime said, before his men opened their glowing red eyes.

Frank gasped in fear. "Toads!"

What happened next was quick, with Bog, Fens, and Mire being the first to attack and crash the party.

Bog landed in the middle of the dance floor and laughed menacingly.

Mire landed in front of Ivy and her mother. The two female frogs backed away from him, only to back into another toad.

Fens landed on Stumpy's stand but lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Before long, the toads had utterly invaded the town and roaded up all the innocent people of Wartwood in the town square. Men, women, and children feared for themselves and their families. To them, this looked like what they'd feared since Tartarus's death.

The toads of the tower have come to take revenge on Wartwood. Along with the boy who drove the knife into his neck.

And that boy came.

As the toads closed in around the frogs, Frank and Anne jumped down from above in front of them. Facing the army, the Hispanic boy drew his sword and threw it to Anne, who caught it. Then he reached back and grabbed his shield.

"You three!" He yelled, pointing Hellcat's Claw at Bog, Fens, and Mire. The toads that were with Tartarus became frightened when they saw the boy glaring at them angrily. "I told you what would happen if you came back!"

Both friends were about ready to attack the army when Sasha emerged from the toads and held up her hands. "Whoa, chill, you two."

"Sasha! The toads! Get away from them!" Anne called to her friend, waving for Sasha to come over to where she and Frank were.

"Chill out, guys. They're with me," she said.

"Wait, WHAT?! Sasha, can't you see what they're doing?" Frank asked angrily.

"Frank! Anne!" Frank looked back to see Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly rushing out of the crowd of frogs. They ran to their friends until the tadpole saw Sasha and pointed at her.

"Holy toot, another Anne!" Polly screamed.

"Oh." Anne chuckled as if she hadn't just forgotten a crucial piece of information. "Guys, meet my bestie from back home, Sasha!"

"Heyyy," Sasha responded cheerily.

"Wait, that's Sasha?" Sprig asked Anne. The townsfolk murmured to each other. "Isn't she the one that told you to dump Frank and who ruined your friendships?"

"The very one," Frank said.

Anne chuckled nervously as the blonde girl gave her a disapproving scowl. She wanted to turn the situation around, so she tried diplomacy, even though Sasha looked at the frog family with complete disinterest. "Sasha, meet the Plantars. This is Hop Pop."

"Eh," said the old frog.

"Sprig."

"Hey, hey." Jumped the little pink frog.

"And Polly."

"'Sup," said the purple tadpole.

Sprig hopped over to Sasha. "Hey, I'm Anne's bestie too. I guess that makes me your bestie-in-law," he said, laughing.

Sasha, unimpressed, asked coldly, "Does it?"

The little frog's smile dropped at the ice-cold response before Sprig laughed awkwardly while coughing. "Did y'all feel that?" He asked.

Hop Pop was having none of it and walked over to the two. "Walk it off, boy," he said before addressing Sasha. "Yes, hi, nice to meet ya. Now, can someone please tell me why there's a toad army invading Wartwood?!"

"My thought exactly," Frank said, pointing the Hellcat at her.

Seemingly unphased by the legendary weapon's blade pointing at her neck, Sasha pointed to the elderly frog with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, you're Hop Pop? Thought you'd be taller."

"Huh?"

"Relax, we're not invading anything," Sasha said, pushing the scythe away with her finger.

But while Frank took Hellcat's Claw away from her neck, he still glared at her. "Why should we believe a word out of you? What have your promises ever been worth!?"

"Well, how about you join you two join me and see for yourselves? Grime's going to make a speech." Sasha said, walking off.

The Plantars gasped when the blonde girl mentioned the name. "Captain Grime?" Hop Pop exclaimed.

"The cruelest toad soldier of all time?" Sprig asked.

"Tartarus' boss? Here?" Polly asked.

"Ah, he's not so bad once you get used to him. Now hurry up, nerds." Sasha said, making her way through the toads to the cobblestone wall where Grime was standing.

Anne chuckled and pointed to her friend. "She's persuasive, right?"

"No," Frank said.

"Oh, come on, Frank. Let's hear her out. Sasha's still my friend, so let's trust her." Anne pleaded with her friend.

Frank glared at her but sighed. "Fine, but the moment she or Grimes says something I don't like, I'll tell them to leave. And I wouldn't be so kind about it." He said, passing Anne as he walked to the cobblestone wall.

"Oh boy," Anne groaned, following. Secretly praying that Sasha didn't do something to provoke him.

Once the three humans were standing on the wall with the toad captain, Grime stared down at the frogs of Wartwood. "Frogs of Wartwood! We toads have come here to...."

He paused for dramatic effect. Frank glared at him and tightened his grip on the Hellcat. Waiting to strike him down the moment he said something wrong.

"...invite you to a banquet!" Grime announced, throwing confetti everywhere.