63. Recruiting the Resistance

Chapter 61 - Recruiting the Resistance

After many misadventures on Earth, our group arrives back home in Amphibia. But it is a much, much different place from the one they left. Where there once was green fields, growing fresh fruits and vegetables, and caravans traveling across the valleys, there is now an industrial crisis.

A world as dark and twisted as the heart of its overbearing giant tyrant king. All the hilltops were replaced by robot factories, toxic sludge contaminates the fresh waters, and farmers were forcefully evicted from homes as robot steamrollers demolished them. Up in the sky was much more than a castle that once stood proud in Newtopia. It was now a floating battleship, preparing for the departure for Earth, and other countless worlds.

The group watched in horror at the things Andrias had done to the once prosperous land. Anne turns to Darrel, "You saw this, didn't you?" she asked. Darrel gave a stern glare at the valley and said, "Yes. But this is much worse from the last time I saw it."

"Quick," said Hop pop. "Back to Wartwood!" The group make haste and return to the village of Wartwood without a second thought. They need to know what they're dealing with, what's going on, and how they can help stop this.

But when they got back to Wartwood, a terrible sight met their eyes. The town was already destroyed. Houses were flattened, businesses were deserted, even their statue was missing. The group was devastated, they feared they were too late.

Just then, they heard a noise not too far from them. They find a wild giant centipede eating rubble. It turns to see the group and shows it has glowing purple eyes with a glowing purple collar around its neck.

"Uh, nice giant centipede?" Anne soothed. But the giant insect roared at them, scaring them off. Polly jumps into action and kicks the monster down. "Now stay down!" Polly commanded. "Polly, look out!" Sprig cried.

Polly turns around to see the centipede get back up. The insect roars with intimidation, only to be blasted by a laser beam. The centipede falls in defeat, and four mysterious figures overlook with triumph. The collar on the centipede breaks, causing the glowing purple eyes to fade. The centipede gets back up and retreats underground.

"What the?" Anne asked. "Guys?" Darrel points to the figures approaching them. "Hey, thanks," said Anne. "Whoever you are." The three figures remove their helmets to reveal three familiar faces. Ms Croaker, One-eyed Wally, and a very buff Loggle. "Well, salt my slugs," said Ms Croaker. "It's you six."

"Technically, seven," said Cronaxx, appearing in front of the group. "Croaker, Wally, Loggle? Is that you?" Anne asked. "Yep," replied Loggle, flexing. "I've been lifting weights every single day since you two have been gone. Who knew I had these kinds of gains in me all along?"

The rest of the group come up to ask their friends what's going on. "I don't believe it," said the fourth mysterious figure. It comes up to Anne and Darrel and removes the helmet. That figure is revealed to be their old friend, Sasha. Her hair was down, and her eyes were filled with joy. "You're back!"

"Sasha!" Cried the two humans. They rush up to hug her, surprising her. "You're alive!" Anen exclaimed. "I promised you we would come back," said Darrel. "I'm sure you're aware that we have questions about what happened while we were gone." Sasha nodded, "Follow me and I'll explain."

The group make their way to the old Plantar farmhouse, barely destroyed, but guarded by Chuck. "Chuck," Sasha saluted. "Tulips," nodded Chuck. The group enters the house, and finds little damage done inside. "Wait, our house is your secret hideout?" Hop pop asked. "Only the basement," replied Sasha. She knocks on the chimney, causing a secret door to open.

The group was surprised. "No way," said Sprig. "The Plantar family tunnels?" "Come on," said Sasha. The group followed her down the passage. And on the other side, their eyes were filled with amazement. "Welcome to the Resistance!" Sasha announced.

They find the tunnels were modified to work as a secret underground hideout. The rest of Wartwood modified their everyday lives like a mall on Earth. Captain Grime was down by the Wartwood statue, training young tadpoles into soldiers.

"Alright, let's get you up to speed," said Sasha. The group follows not far behind. "Marcy's been taken prisoner. But she's still alive." Darrel sighed, "I know that. I felt her presence." "You have?" Sasha asked. "Yes," replied Darrel. "But now, I'm worried. For all of us. I won't get into details now, but I warn you the next time we see her, it won't be her." "What do you mean?" Sasha asked. "We'll get to that later," said Anne. "What happened to the town?" "What do you think?" Sasha replied. "Andrias destroyed it. Now let's get you settled."

Sasha blows a horn to call the frogs of Wartwood to the center of the base. "Attention Wartwood," she began. "I'd like to introduce some new recruits." The group appears from behind the statue waving hello. The town of Wartwood rejoiced seeing their old friends again. "It's Anne, Darrel, the Plantars, and the Salamanders!" Bessie, the family's snail, chirped with happiness.

"The Plantars came back to Amphibia just in time," said Sasha. "To help us kick Andrias right in the big ol' tail!" The crowd cheered, then Darrel stepped up. "Now I'm not much of a speaker," he said. "But I have to agree with Sasha. We used to be safe in our homes above ground. And if Andrias thinks he can push us out for his own personal agenda, he's got another thing coming!" The crowd roars with excitement, making Sasha smile with excitement.

Then, she gives them overnight sacks for the group. "Here, go find yourselves a nice cave to inhabit," she said. Hop pop felt down looking at an old fashioned toothbrush. "I sure am going to miss the electric toothbrush," said Hop pop. "Cheer up Hop pop," said Sprig. "Maybe we can find a cave with some nice lykan to sleep on."

With the amphibians looking for a cave, Sasha, Anne, and Darrel were standing side by side once again. "Sash," said Darrel. "I hope we can put what happened in Newtopia aside." "Listen guys," said Sasha. "My days of toxic manipulation are over. And with Amphibia on fire, and Marcy in trouble, I thought we could be on the same side for a change." "Totally," said Anne. "We'll work out our own baggage later."

The three shake hands and Sasha's helmet closes her face shield by itself. "Hehe, what's with the hat?" Anen asked. Sasha opens up her helmet, "The Helmet of Authority," she explained. "Apparently Wartwood busts this out during wartimes so everyone knows who's in charge. Which reminds me…"

She removes her helmet and hands it over to Anne. Darrel was surprised, "You're giving the authority over to Anne?" "Wartwood has only been able to hold out this long because they were waiting for you two," said Sasha. "You stood up for them, you protected them, it's time for the both of you to lead them."

"I don't know," said Anne. "I don't think it's wise," said Darrel. "Amphibia's changed since we left, and you want us to take charge?" Sasha just smiled, "All in favor of Anne Boonchuy and Darrel Loyalitat as your new leaders?!"

The town grumbled in confusion, "But the Helmet can only choose one leader," said one of them. "How about I assume the role of Second-in-Command?" Darrel asked. The frogs instantly cheered for Anne to take the helmet. "Wow," said Anne. "This is a huge honor. And also a lot of pressure." Darrel touches her shoulder, "Don't worry, we can share that pressure." The crowd just doubles on their cheers making the two more anxious. "That's more than I can handle," said Darrel. "Yeah, that's actually not helping," said Anne.

The group enters Sasha's main chambers, with strategic battle maps, and an old statue of herself from Toad Tower. "Alright, Sash," said Darrel. "What are we dealing with so far?" Sasha drops the collar she collected from the centipede, on the table.

"I'm sure you've seen the mind control collars that Andrias is using to control the local wildlife," said Sasha. "Controlling wildlife?!" Tint cried. "That's against mother nature!" "Indeed," said Sasha. She points on the map the location of where they're being made. "It turns out he's making them here."

"How do these things even work?" Anne asked. "Let me see," said Darrel. He takes a drop of substance dripping out of the collar, and uses a magnifying glass to see a glowing purple organism. "Just as I suspected," he said. "These collars contain an enzyme from a glowing fungus. Just like the ones Hop pop used on us." The group looks over to Hop pop, who looks irritated knowing what Darrel was talking about. "I turned you into zombies one time!" he exclaimed.

"The mission is simple," said Sasha. "Destroy the factory. If we're successful, it'll make a big dent in Andrias' army." "Sounds simple enough," said Darrel. "Alright," said Anne. "Let's do it." "Great," said Polly, holding out Anne's phone. "I'll call us a taxi app."

"That's not going to do us any good," said Darrel. "We're not on Earth anymore." "Fine," groaned Polly. "I guess we'll walk." "Anyone got any hand sanitizer?" Hop pop asked. "I never noticed how dirty Amphibia was." He revealed his dirty hands to the group. Sprig offers him some. "Don't worry HP, I got you," he said.

Sasha watches with surprise knowing that spending time on Earth made life in Amphibia a bit hard. "Wow, Earth made you three soft," she said. "Anyway, get some sleep everyone. We leave at dawn." The group agree and take their leave.

As they exit, Captain Grime enters the room. Darrel and Anne salute to the toad. "Hey Grime," said Anne. "Captain," said Darrel. Grime saluted back, "Welcome, Anne, Darrel. I mean, Commander and Wizard." "I know," said Anne. "Weird, right?"

After Anne and Darrel leave Sasha's quarters, Grime expresses his discomfort with Sasha's decision. "You gave Anne the helmet?!" "Yeah," said Sasha. "If Anne's here, I can't be in charge. It's just too complicated." "But they've never led an army," rebuffed Grime. "And they have no idea how much Amphibia has changed, or what we're up against!"

Sasha stared down at the scarred toad, "I said it's COMPLICATED! Besides, Darrel's a wizard, so he can help Anne if she's stuck on something." "Fine," complained Grime. "It just would've been nice to know that I was demoted, again!" Grime dismisses himself and the gang gets some shut eye.

The next day, Anne gathers Darrel, Tint, the Plantars, Sasha, Wally, Croaker, and Loggle for the mission. Anne stands on top of a rock with Darrel below standing beside her. "Okay, you guys!" Anne announced. "Let's go show Andrias what we're made of!"

"Which way, Commander?" Ms Croaker asked. "Oh, uh, no idea," said Anne. This made Ms Croaker lose her salute. "Didn't you take a picture of the map?" Sprig asked. "Aw shoot, dang it," replied Anne. "I'll go back and grab it."

"No need," said Darrel. "Sasha, the map if you please." Sasha hands over the map to the two, "Here's the map, with all the important parts labeled." "Thanks, Sash," said Anne. "But are you sure you shouldn't be leading this?" "It's only fair," said Darrel. "I'm okay with you in charge."

"No way," said Sasha. "You two should be in charge, not me." "Sash," said Darrel. "I'm okay with being Second-in-Command. I'll follow either one of you." "Then, Anne can do this," said Sprig. "She steered us all from Earth back to Amphibia. Just follow your Anne-tuition." "Okay then," said Anne. "Here goes nothing!"

Along the way, Anne leads the group to the factory. However, every time they stop, they come across old dangers and new dangers. Whether it be toxic waste in water, quicksand, or robots ambushing them. Eventually, the group was tired and scratched up.

And finally, they made their way to the factory. The factory was surrounded by a deep crevice, containing sharp spikes at the bottom. The group was stumped at what to do. "How do we get across, Anne?" Loggle asked. "Yeah, what's your Anne-tuition telling you?" Wally asked.

Anne started to think about what to do next. Sasha took out a grappling hook, and Darrel was about to speak up. "How about we build a bridge out of ourselves?" Darrel and Sasha were shocked about her plan. "I saw it in a movie once, all these tiny mice worked together to steal oregano from a french restaurant."

"I don't want to be a doubter, Anne," said Darrel. "But, that's a bad idea." "How so?" Ms Croaker asked. "We haven't even measured the length of the crack. It might not be enough." "Well can't you and Tint levitate us over the cliff?" Wally asked. "We could," said Tint. "It'll have to be one at a time, though."

"That plan could actually work," said Anne. "Go for it." "You heard the leaders," said Sasha. "Let's get floating." Darrel and Tint wave their hands and start to levitate Ms Croaker first. They get her across no problem. "Well done, wizard kids," she said.

As they got to Hop pop, Sprig felt a little impatient and decided to jump for it. "This is taking too long! Catch me!" As Sprig jumped, Darrel had to think fast. He caught Sprig with his magic, but Sprig started shaking.

Sprig stopped moving and dangled over the cliff of spikes "What's going on?" Sprig asked. "I told you we can only focus on one person at a time, Sprig," said Darrel. "I can't hold onto you much longer!" Sprig screamed until Sasha used her grappling hook to swing across the canyon. "Hang on." Anne grabs hold of Sasha and the two swing across with ease. Anne grabs Sprig and pulls him to the other side of the canyon.

Later, Darrel and Tint successfully bring the rest of the squad over, then themselves across. "That was way too close," said Darrel. "You could've been hurt, Sprig," said Anne. "Or worse," said Loggle. "Anyone else think this is going poorly?"

"I do," said Darrel. "And that's a lot coming from a wizard." Anne turns to Sasha, "Sasha I think it's clear that Darrel's right. I shouldn't be leading this expedition. Will you please take command and tell us what to do?!"

"No!" cried Sasha. "You need to be in charge!" "Sasha," said Darrel. "You know as well as I do, that Anne has no experience in leading a group, much less three friends. So listen to this wizard, and do what Anne is telling you! This is a scenario where failure is not an option. One slip up and we could get someone killed! That's why Anne can't lead!"

"We're also usually a lot quieter than this," said Wally. Just then, the factory started spewing pink flames. The doors automatically open revealing four glowing purple eyes. "What kind of creature is that?" Hop pop asked. Then, they hear a strange clicking noise. Darrel immediately perked at the sound. A sound he heard long ago.

"It can't be…" he said. The creature comes out revealing to be two creatures. One was an armored snake with a mind controlling collar and spiked helmet. The other was a dragonfly also wearing a mind control collar. Darrel was shocked and sad to see it. That dragonfly was Clipper, his old friend and companion.

"Clipper?" Darrel asked. "That's Clipper?!" Tint cried. "Who's Clipper?" Sasha asked. Clipper clicked his mouth and the snake hissed at them. The group, except for Darrel, take cover. "Darrel, get out of there!" Sasha cried.

"Clipper, how could he do this to you?" Darrel asked. He was so lost in seeing his old friend, he didn't hear Sasha or anyone else telling him to get out of the way. Clipper lets go of the snake and takes a nosedive at the wizard. "Darrel!" Anne cried.

But just as Clipper swooped down, Sasha dives in and knocks Darrel out of the way. "Stop standing there and get to cover!" Darrel snapped out of his trance and followed her back to the group. "We have to stop them," he said.

"Everyone, ATTACK!" Anne shouted. "What kind of attack?" Loggle asked. With no strategy, Anne says, "Just whatever feels right!" The group charges at the snake and dragonfly, only to be knocked down by the large creatures. Tint tried to go after Clipper, but his jump wasn't enough to reach him. Darrel takes his staff, but couldn't bring himself to hurt Clipper. Anne charges at the snake, but it knocks the two humans down as well.

The two hear Hop pop scream and turn to see what's wrong. "What happened?!" Anne cried. "I got a grass stain on my pants," said Hop pop. "You're a farmer!" Darrel shouted. "You should be used to grass stains!"

Then out of nowhere, the giant snake eats the Plantars, and the other frogs. Tint jumps on Clipper's back and rides on him like a wild bull. Darrel looks at Sasha and decides that enough is enough. Anne can't guide her squad through unfamiliar terrain, she can't coordinate an attack, she can't lead a team in general. Darrel knew that this is something Sasha can do.

"Sasha, what do we do?" Anne asked. "Uh, you're in charge," replied Sasha, who is still hesitant on taking command. "Whatever you think is best, you got this." "NO, SHE DOESN'T!" Darrel shouted. He takes the helmet off Anne's head and passes it to Sasha. "Why won't you take charge when you know you're good at this!? Just tell me why!"

"Because the last time I was in charge, I ruined our friendship!" Sasha cried. Anne was surprised. "And my attitude cost me a great relationship with you Darrel," continued Sasha. Darrel was shocked. "I lost you as a great boyfriend, and I can't take back all the things I did to you. But I thought if I let you two take charge for a change, you'd see I've changed."

"Sasha," said Darrel. "If there's one thing I know in this situation, it's that you clearly know what to do." Sasha looked up to Darrel. "You gave Anne the map when she forgot it. You guided us through Amphibia, even knew the dangers along the way. You saved Sprig from falling when I couldn't. You knew what to expect, and that's why we're putting out faith in you."

Anne smiled, dropped the helmet, and got herself eaten by the snake. Darrel jumps onto Clipper's back and rides him alongside Tint. "What the heck, you two!?" Sasha cried. She takes the helmet and pries open the snake's mouth. She finds the group not yet digested.

"Frogs of the resistance," she announced. "Execute Maneuver Three!" Darrel watches from above and sees the snake's throat expand in size. The snake then coughs up the frogs and Darrel and Tint jump down to safety.

"Well done Sasha," said Darrel. "We're not done yet," said Sasha. "Wally, Croaker, Loggle, mirror punch!" The three frogs nod and get into position. "Tint, get that dragonfly's attention. We need to make it land." Tint saluted, "You got it, Sash!"

Tint creates a ball of flame and makes it change colors. Clipper's dragonfly instincts make the beast mesmerized by the flames that he lands close to the group. Loggle flings Croaker and Wally at the snake, smashing the collar around its neck.

Then, Loggle jumps onto Clipper's back and slams his two strong fists on his collar. The collar breaks off, and Clipper starts shaking violently. Loggle jumps off, and the group watches the snake crawl away. Darrel was upset to see Clipper was still shaking violently. He couldn't give up on his old friend. So he slowly approached the unstable creature.

"What is he doing?" Sasha asked. Tint just smiled silently. Darrel made direct contact in Clipper's eyes, seeing him losing his glowing purple features. "Clipper," said Darrel in a calm voice. "It's me, bud. Remember me?" He puts his staff down slowly, then gets back up to his face. "It's me, I'm right here bud." Clipper slows down his shaking and starts to see a blurry figure in front of him. But the blur started to fade as Darrel got closer. "Come back to me."

"This isn't your fault, bud." Clipper stops shaking, leaving him to only twitch his eyes. "They made you do this." The group was amazed at what they were witnessing. Sasha was still confused, for she hasn't seen anything like this before. "You'd never hurt anyone," said Darrel. He reaches out to his companion with his hand, like he did when they first met. "You'd never hurt me."

Darrel touches Clipper's head, and his eyes go from slight purple to mostly yellow. "How is he doing this?" Sasha asked. "Please, you are my best friend, bud," said Darrel. The two locked eyes, and Darrel's started to tear up. "My best friend."

Clipper shakes his head one last time, and his eyes return to normal. He looks down at Darrel and clips with happiness. Darrel smiled with joy and relief, "Atta boy! That's it! I'm here!" The two celebrate their reunion with a hug, and the group celebrates.

"What's the plan now?" Ms Croaker asked, looking at Anne. "Now," said Darrel. "We destroy the factory. What do we do Commander Sash?" Sasha smiled, "Loggle, you're on bridge duty." Loggle saluted. "Croaker, Tint, Wally, you're lookouts. Anne, Darrel, Plantars, you know what to do with these."

Sasha gives them a handful of Boom-shrooms and Clipper clicks his mouth again. Darrel smiles, knowing what his friend wants. "Alright, buddy," said Darrel. "Let's do this for old times sake." Darrel jumped on Clipper's back and the two took to the skies.

"Alright, let's mess this place up," said Sasha. The group places the boom-shrooms all over the factory. Darrel drops them from the sky, while Loggle finishes making a bridge for the group. They all take cover in the wilderness just as the factory explodes.

The group get to a fair distance from the factory and catch their breath. Clipper lands close to Darrel and the group. "It's great to see you again buddy," said Darrel. "Darrel, who is that?" Sasha asked. "Sasha, meet my old dragonfly, Clipper." Clipper clips his teeth together, making Sasha smile.

"Guess this means you're free to go, buddy," said Darrel. However, Clipper didn't turn away. He nuzzled in Darrel's face again. "Clipper, what's up with you?" he asked. "I think he's saying he wants to come with us," said Cronaxx. "It's not safe for him out here, and he clearly knows wherever we are, he'll watch over us."

Darrel smiled, "You really want to come with us Clipper?" Clipper clips his teeth loudly with happiness and kneels down in respect. "I'm so happy we're together again," said Darrel hugging his old dragonfly. Ms Croaker, Loggle, and Wally wept in happiness.

As the group head back to headquarters, Sasha tries one last time to give the role to Anne. "Come on, you guys. Take the helmet back." "No way," said Anne. "You're clearly the better commander." "I have to agree on this as well," said Darrel. "I'm more of a follower and I'm a wizard."

"After everything I did to you two, I don't deserve it," said Sasha. "Sasha," said Anne. "Not too long ago, you would've fought to keep the helmet. The fact you don't want it now, proves you've changed." "She's right," said Darrel. "It takes a really good friend to defeat their worst enemies. And the two of us made a great impact on your life."

Sasha smiled, "You really think so?" Darrel shook his head, "I don't think. I know." Anne takes her hand and raises it up. "All in favor of Sasha Waybright as your new leader!" Croaker, Wally, and Loggle immediately said yes, begging her to come back. "Don't worry," said Darrel. "You're still going to need a second-in-command. Me."

Sasha takes the helmet and places it back on her head. "Are you okay with that, Anne?" she asked. "Of course." Anne replied. "Listen you two," said Sasha. "Even though I'm calling the shots, I want you to know this is a partnership." She offers a handshake to the two, but the two hug it out. And for the first time in a long time, Sasha felt true happiness and her old bossy self was no more.

"Looks like this is our new life now guys," said Anne. "It sure is," said Darrel. "Back in ol' Amphibia, Clipper back at our side, and now working with Sasha and the frogs of Wartwood. How can this adventure be any better?"

Hop pop just groaned, "House guest to resistance grunt is a harsh transition." "Yep," said Polly. "You can say that again," said Sprig. Then, Hop pop looks down to see that Anne has lost her shoe, again. "Did you lose a shoe?" he asked. Darrel and Anne look down to see he's right. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Anne cried. "You seem to have a habit of losing shoes around here," said Darrel.

The group makes it back to the hideout, then Clipper calls out in the air. Darrel was worried, "What are you doing bud?" he asked. "We need to keep a low profile." Then, the group watched as multiple dragonflies came out of the treeline and made their way into the hideout. All the dragonflies look just like Clipper.

Darrel smiled, "You're a dad!" He takes out his hand and one of Clipper's children lands on it. Darrel gently strokes his thorax, then lets him fly with his brothers and sisters. "I hope you don't mind dragonflies in our base," said Darrel. "As long as they don't cause any trouble," said Sasha. "I'll have to tell them all I know about dragonflies then," said Darrel.

After a couple days in the Resistance hideout, Clipper's family has settled in with ease. Thanks to Darrel's information, they took the time to care for the dragonflies and feed them whatever they eat.

In his cave, Darrel looks at his photo of his family, and smiles. Then, Sasha enters his cave. "You did a good job with the dragonflies," she said. "Some of them are growing up like their father." "I wish I got a chance to see his mate though," said Darrel. "Oh yeah, where is she?" Sasha asked. "She's gone," said Darrel. "Most dragonflies live for only a month after giving birth to their children." "Oh yeah," said Sash. "I'm not that good with insect behavior."

"You know, I'm glad we're on the same side Sasha," said Darrel. "Yeah, me too." She takes out the old photo of her and Darrel when they were still together and shows it to him. "You kept it all this time?" he asked. Sasha nodded, "I did, because you, Anne, and Marcy mean so much to me."

She looks up to Darrel's eyes and frowns, "I'm really sorry for the way I treated you. You deserve better than me." Darrel takes her hands, then says, "I've already forgiven you." The two hug it out. "You take care of Anne, okay?" Sasha asked. "She's my friend too." Darrel smiled, "Of course I will. And who knows, with your new attitude, maybe you'll find someone else who'll appreciate you as much as I did." Sasha leaves Darrel's cave, leaving him feeling happy that he and Sasha finally have closure.

The next day, everyone was taking it easy until their next move. Frogs received grub from Stumpy's new location, getting new haircuts from Fern, even counting worthless coins that have no value.

In the base, they also have an underground park to relax and unwind. Tint, Polly, and Maddie ran together to catch up on lost time. Clipper was leading his children across the park to find a place to rest up. And Sprig, was spending every moment he could with his girlfriend, Ivy. The two walk down the park, holding hands. Then, a moth swoops down and lands on top of the stalactites.

"Ooh, a corpse maker moth," said Sprig. "You're supposed to kiss when you see one otherwise your crops will be cursed for seven years." He kisses Ivy on the cheek, making her smile. "Just to be safe," he finished. "Crops are very important," said Ivy.

Then, the corpse maker moth comes sweeping down on the two frogs, getting in Ivy's face. Ivy punches the moth, then Sprig hits it with his slingshot. Clipper takes notice, then calls to his children indicating he found a meal. His children cling onto the moth, causing it to fall from the sky and slam to the ground

The impact makes a pink heart shaped cloud in front of the two love frogs. "Woah, nice shot," said Ivy. The two stare with love in their eyes, until they hear a bell ringing.

"Sounds like the mission briefing bell," said Sprig. "Come on!" Ivy cried. She runs past Sprig, holds his hand and races to the briefing hall. They make it only to find that most of the hall has taken up seats they could sit in together. Ivy was a tad upset.

"Attention, fellow freedom fighters," announced Sprig. "Will someone give up their seat for Sprivy, Wartwoods cutest couple?" The two give off a cute pose, annoying the frogs. "Not this again." "Young love is the worst." Since there were no takes, the two frogs decided to stand together.

Not long after that, Sasha, Darrel, Anne, and Grime appear in the center. "Good morning everyone," said Sasha. "Is it morning, Darrel? It's hard to tell underground." "I don't think it matters," replied Darrel.

"Anyway," said Sasha. "We've got good news and bad news." Grime steps up to tell the good news. "Good news is, we've secured a major shipment of crucial supplies from a wealthy pro-Wartwood elite." The group cheered for the news.

"But the bad news is," said Anne. "The only way to Wartwood is through the mountain pass. And Andrias has it locked down, guarded by a giant laser cannon." The group groans and jeers in response to the cannon.

"Why does Grime always get to do the good news?" Anne asked. "He's had a track record of failure," said Darrel. "Just let him have it." "Show them the cannon, Darrel," said Sasha. Darrel takes his staff, and projects the location to where the cannon is.

"The cannon is protected by a force field," began Sasha. "If we can take that out, we can destroy the weapon. There's a robot battalion protecting both structures, but every hour there's a five minute window where the robots change shifts. That's our chance to strike."

"Wait, the robots change shifts?" Loggle asked. "Every robot counts for Andrias' army," said Darrel. "He would want every robot maintained and ready to invade our worlds." "He's right," said Ms Croaker. "Everyone deserves a break."

Darrel stops the illusion and the group regains their attention to the humans. "We'll only need two teams of two for this mission," said Darrel. "One team takes out the generator, and the other takes the cannon before the five minutes are up. Sprig, Ivy, Stumpy, and Fern, follow Sasha to receive your assignments." "Move out," said Sasha leaving the briefing room.

"Looks like our number's up," said Stumpy. "Of course they want the two of us," said Sprig holding Ivy's hand. "Yeah," said Ivy. "After all, we're perfectly in sync." The team leaves the room, leaving the rest wondering what's next.

"Alright, so that's the only mission for today," said Anne. "So what do you guys wanna do?" "Can we have a piñata party?" Wally asked. Grime looks at Anne and Darrel with a surprised look, then he says, "Don't see why not." The frogs cheer and bring down an Andrias sized piñata. Tint glared, with his stick in hand, and said, "Long live the king." He burns his stick and takes a powerful swing to the stomach. The candy pours out, making the frogs cheer.

After the piñata celebration, Darrel rushes into the stables where Sasha is prepping for the mission. The stables were filled with all kinds of snails. Some dragonflies as well. "Are you all set?" he asked. "Yep," replied Sasha. "Just need to assign the teams."

Stumpy, Fern, Ivy, and Sprig arrive to receive their assignments. "Okay, you're here," said Darrel. "Now I've run the numbers, studied all your strengths and weaknesses, and as long as you stick to the plan, we won't fail." "Okay," said Sasha. "So the teams are Sprig with Stumpy, and Ivy with Fern."

Sprig and Ivy were shocked at the assigned teams. "Uhh, guys," said Sprig. "Shouldn't me and Ivy be partners?" "He means because we're dating," said Ivy. Sasha sighed, "Listen twerp and twerpette, you're not here to pass notes and play footsie. You're here to do a job. These pairings are super important to the mission."

"But what about Anne and Darrel?" Sprig asked. "They always stay together." "We may be together Sprig," said Darrel. "But Sasha has something else planned for me. And Anne has other stuff she has to do. We're acting as an army, not a group in high school. So deal with being apart for the five minutes we have for this mission, or we can kiss Wartwood goodbye. Got it? Good."

Darrel didn't even give Sprig a chance to answer. This was an order, not a suggestion. "I'll miss you Ivy," said Sprig in tears. "What will I do without you?" "I'll miss you every second!" Ivy cried. "Good lord," groaned Sasha.

"All packed up," said Stumpy. "We're good to go," said Fern. "Okay," said Sasha. "I'll bring them to the laser cannon. Darrel, report to the training grounds. Captain Grime will be waiting for you there with Tint." Darrel nodded and saluted to his commander. The group leaves the hideout and Darrel races off to the training grounds.

When he got there, he was impressed with how big the place was. The arena has a large stash of weapons, a set of various tricks and traps, and numerous test dummies either stabbed, slashed, or pierced.

"Ahh, Darrel," said Grime. "Glad you could make it." He approaches the human with Tintfollowing behind him. "Captain," saluted Darrel. "Sasha sent me here." "Yes, I know," said Grime. "Because she wants you to start training in hand to hand combat."

"Now I understand you guys are wizards, and you have magic on your side. But there comes a time when magic isn't going to help you on the battlefield." "He's right," said Tint. "Those robots we've faced are still impervious to magic, thanks to my grandfather."

"That's why Sasha and I have decided you and Tint should train using other weapons," said Grime. Darrel looks to his hands, and realizes that Grime is right. Magic alone, can't be the answer to everything. "Okay, let's begin."

"Now before we begin, were there any other weapons you have used before?" Grime asked. Darrel and Tint took some time to think. It took a while, but after remembering their experience with Tritonio, they've decided what weapons to use. Darrel grabbed his pair of gauntlets with hidden blades from his backpack, and Tint grabbed a sword that's just the right size for him.

"Before we go any further, Tint," said Grime. "I have something I thought you should have." He takes out a small sock hat and hands it over to Tint. Tint froze for a moment, for he knew whose hat it was.

"Where did you get my uncle's hat?" Tint asked. "After Cronaxx was slain," began Grime. "His body disappeared, leaving behind his cloak and hat. When we made our escape, his hat blew into the air and caught me on my leg. I almost tripped because of it, but somewhere in my mind told me to keep it until then. Now that you're back, I thought you could have it as motivation to stop Andrias."

Tint smiled and put on his Uncle's hat. It was a perfect fit. "Thanks, Captain Grime," said Tint. "I really appreciate it." Darrel smiled, then looked at his photo of his family. "Let's get started," he said.

Meanwhile, Sprig and Ivy were still uneasy with the teams they were assigned with. "There's got to be a way to switch," said Sprig. "As long as Sasha doesn't find out."

The group reach the destination, and find the laser cannon being guarded by the robots. "Alright," said Sasha. "There's our target, and our supplier is just on the other side of that pass." She takes out a couple flags. "I'll keep watch up here and signal him when the cannon is down." Then she gives the signal like she's at a cheerleading rally. "Sorry. Cheerleading muscle memory."

She gives the two teams each a watch. "The shift change is about to start. Follow my plan exactly, and it should just be enough. Okay team, move out." The team salutes in response and make their way to the laser cannon and shield generator. Sasha watches a mail frog come down the pass, only to be blasted by the cannon. "Eesh," she said.

Back in the training grounds, Darrel and Grime stand toe-to-toe, practicing battle stances and lunges with the weapons they have. Suddenly, Darrel gets a chill up his spine. "Darrel?" Tint asked. "Did you feel that too?" Darrel nodded, "Yeah, something's wrong."

"What is it?" Grime asked. "Only one way to find out," said Darrel. He waves his hands in a circle and shows the toad and salamander what's going on. He watches Sprig and Ivy write something on a piece of paper and shows it to Stumpy and Fern.

"Dear nerds, I Sasha, order you to switch partners. Sprig should be with Ivy since they're dating," said Stumpy. Fern was concerned, but said, "Well it certainly sounds legit." "Well let's switch it up then, Sasha's a tactical wizard," said Stumpy.

Darrel stopped the vision and clenched his fists. "Dang it," he said. "They couldn't last five minutes being apart?" "This is going to go so poorly," said Grime. "We've got to do something," said Tint. "All we can do is get prepared," said Grime. "Let's put your fighting skills to the test." Darrel and Tint nod in approval.

With Sprig partnering with Ivy, everything seemed to be going so well for them. However, when they got to the laser cannon, things went terribly wrong. Their mixup scheme caused Stumpy and Fern to get caught by the shield generator. The generator happens to be a robot built-in power station, with crab like features.

Sprig and Ivy jump in to rescue them, only to get ambushed. Ivy and Sprig immediately switched the team's back, just in time before the shift change was up. The laser cannon was destroyed, and Sasha gave the signal to the supply wagon.

Sasha regroups with the team, with a scouring look on her face. "You should consider yourselves lucky," she said. "Sprig, Ivy, you nearly cost us the supply aid." "Wait, how did you know that?" Sprig asked. Then, they see Darrel appear as a holographic illusion. "I told her everything," he replied. "I felt your treachery during my training."

"I separated you two because I needed two of our best commandos protecting two of our best specialists so they could do their jobs," said Sasha. Sprig and Ivy come to an understanding, and agree they made a terrible mistake. "But you still managed to pull off the mission. So I'm only sort of furious!"

"Well I'm glad y'all learned your lessons," said Stumpy. "Well, they could get back on Sasha's good terms," said Darrel. "We can?" Sprig asked. "Yep, I need two of our best commandos back in the training arena for basic training," said Darrel. "I've been working on my techniques and I'm itching to spar with more frogs."

Sprig and Ivy grinned, "Yes sir!" They saluted and Darrel's illusion vanished. Then, the supply wagon comes out from the passage and on the path to Wartwood. And the caravan driver is Wigbert, Wally's father. "Cheerio, my good frogs," he said. "The Ribberton estate is here to pledge its full support for your rebellion."

"Thanks Wigbert," said Sasha. "Your supplies are really going to make a difference." The group gets back in the wagon and follows Wigbert to the base. "Uhh, guys," said Ivy. "Does this guy look like Wally to anyone?"