Another day and another time for the kids to be pissed at Hop Pop. But they had no other options but to go along with him. They were currently sitting with the old frog on Bessie's saddle as she crawled down the road. All four kids were pouting while Hop Pop whistled.
"I still can't believe you're bringing us to a daycare, Hop Pop." Sprig complained.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I have to go to the Annual Crop Convention. It's a long way away, and I can't leave you kids on the farm alone." Hop Pop told the kids as he drove Bessie.
The kids exclaimed. "What?!"
"Ugh! Are you kidding?" Anne grumbled.
"Wish I was, Anne. But you three kids need supervision. Why, sometimes it feels like we have at least two wacky adventures a week!" Hop Pop said with a haunted expression on his face. And it was true. Every week, they would be running from some kind of monster, almost getting killed by some villain, or just have to deal with the wacky antics that the world had thrown at them.
"Uh, do I need to remind you that I always have to babysit them?" Frank said, looking offended.
"And have you been as successful? You need help with looking after them." Hop Pop told the young boy.
Frank crossed his arms and pouted in his seat. He hated to admit it, but Hop Pop was right. Anne and Sprig weren't exactly easy to keep an eye on and would frequently get into trouble. Though, he himself wasn't an angel either, going along with their wacky adventures.
The snail continued crawling down the road before stopping in front of their destination. In front of them was a home built inside a small hill. But what made it stand up was the bastion towering over it.
"Here we are!" Hop Pop said in relief as the kids looked up at the tower.
The door opened, and out came a light green newt with lighter shaded spots on his tail, dark-purple hair, a short mustache, and a goatee. He was dressed in a prim and proper French style that made the newt look like a teacher. "Greetings, I am Tritonio Espada, the instructor of this daycare." He said in a French accent with a bow.
The kids were unimpressed, while Hop Pop was confused and said, "Huh, I thought Briar and Iris Bogwater ran this place."
"The Bogwaters retired last year and sold their business to me," said the French newt.
It sounded like bullcrap to Frank, yet Hop Pop bought it. "Well, in that case, I'm Hopediah Plantar. This here is Sprig and Polly." He introduced his grandkids, though Polly blew a short raspberry. "Frank and Anne. They may be gigantic, but they're also children."
"Hey!" the two of them exclaimed, offended.
"Ah, yes. I shall educate them! Teach them true discipline!" Tritonio declared as he approached Bessie.
Unimpressed, Frank and Anne got off the snail's shell and walked back to join up with the two young frogs. Leaving Hop Pop to talk with Tritonio. "Oh. I like the cut of your jib, Mr. Tray-tony. Did I say that right?" He asked, mispronouncing the newt's name.
"Absolutely not."
"This isn't so bad, I guess. There is a cool tower." Sprig said to the others, gesturing to the tower.
"You guys don't get it. And Tritonio's a teacher, enemy of all that is good." Anne said to the little frogs.
"Uh, what's so bad about teachers?" The pink frog asked, confused.
"Let's just say, me and them don't mix," Anne said, remembering all those times she'd gotten in trouble because of her teachers. And it all brought up memories of one in particular that made her blood boil. "Especially this one teacher, who I swear is the Devil incarnate. Ever since I entered St. James, she made it her life's mission to make my life a living Hell! She is a monster! A dictator! She is—"
"My mom," Frank said with a frown, causing her and the frog kids to look at him.
"What?" Sprig asked.
Frank sighed, as thoughts about his parents were a topic that brought a mixture of sadness and bitterness. "Anne here is talking about my mom. Aren't you Anne?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"No..." Anne said, trying to lie. But seeing how Frank's not buying it, she broke. "Okay! Yes! But you know I'm right. She's evil!"
"She's not evil, Anne."
"Yeah, well, Mrs. Ramirez just doesn't like me. Probably because she's jealous of my carefree spirit." Anne said, flicking her hair.
"Yeah... that's probably why." He said, rolling his eyes, having a pretty good idea about why his mother actually doesn't like Anne.
"Oh, sure, you don't think so, being her son," Anne said, crossing her arms at him.
"Yeah, you'd think that'd make her go easy on me," Frank said with a bitter expression. The woman was known in the school for being a strict teacher that expected excellence from the students she taught. And being her son, she was especially strict with Frank. B+ in English? It could be better. More studying will have to be done to get that to an A.
"Well, kids, it looks like you're in good hands here with Mr. Tritonio. Hyah!" Hop Pop jerked Bessie's reins, and they took off. "Crop Con, here I come!"
When the old frog was gone, Tritonio sighed in relief and turned back to the kids. "Finally. It is just us now. So let us cast aside these illusions, yes?" Grabbing his clothes, the french newt tore them off in one pull. Revealing another suit underneath that consisted of a typical vintage red French jacket with a brown belt fastened with a golden buckle and puffy white sleeves. He also wears long black-heeled boots and gray pants.
"Whoa!" Frank, Anne, Sprig, and Polly said in amazement.
"And this is no mere daycare," Tritonio said, kicking the daycare sign. He then used his foot to reveal the real camp's name. "This is a Combat Crash Course…for kids."
"Yoo-hoo!" Naturally, Polly cheered at the idea of using a weapon and learning how to wield it.
"Cool!" Sprig exclaimed, just as happy as his sister.
"Wait, what?" Frank asked, confused.
"Adults, they shelter their children. I say no!" Tritonio exclaimed, kicking a stick up and grabbing it with his hand. The kids watched as he started swinging it around like a sword. "Teach them to fight. For danger lurks around every corner of Amphibia." He then popped up behind the kids. "Stay on your toes! Trust no one! Ah! Look over there!" He yelled, pointing to something behind Sprig.
"Ah! What is it? Danger?" Sprig asked, freaking out. He turned around to see what it was. However, this left him open for Tritonio to hit him on the head, making him grunt.
"I said trust no one! Now, follow me, and we will begin the next lesson." Tritonio said as he walked to the door of the tower.
"Hit me again, Tritonio!" Sprig said, running behind him and laughing
"This guy's awesome!" Polly said.
"Eh, we'll see," Anne said, not at all eager to start her lessons.
Frank was about to walk inside the house when Tritonio's stick suddenly blocked him. "But not you," he said, narrowing his eyes.
"What? What the hell do you mean not me?" Frank asked, glaring at the newt.
"I do not teach criminals." Tritonio crossed his arms and looked away from him.
Just as it did on earth, being called a criminal made Frank flinch as he looked at Tritonio with a hurt expression. He hasn't been called a criminal or had his criminal record brought up in a while, but just knowing that it still affected his life made Frank all the sadder.
And when Anne heard Tritonio call her friend a criminal, she instantly got mad. Having listened to the truth about his arrest, the Thai girl quickly became protective of Frank. "Hey, dick! Frank isn't a criminal!" She yelled, pointing her finger at Tritonio.
"Then what's this?!" Tritonio threw a rolled-up piece of paper at her, hitting Anne in the face. Not happy about the act, she nonetheless unrolled it while holding Polly.
To her shock and horror, it was a wanted poster for Frank Ramirez for the murder of Toad Tower's Lieutenant Tartarus. And it was set at 50,000 copper coins.
Anne, Frank, Sprig, and Polly gasped when they saw the poster. "Really? 50,000 is all we would get?" The tadpole asked.
"POLLY!"
"What?! I was joking!"
Anne turned back to Tritonio. "But this isn't right. Tartarus was going to kill him!"
"Oh, so it's okay to kill someone if they're going to kill you?" Tritonio asked, acting all smug.
"Yes! It's called self-defense!" Frank snapped.
"Oh…." Tritonio shook his head and recomposed himself. "Doesn't matter. A criminal is still a criminal! That is final! The rest of you, however, I will teach my ways." He said, walking past the kids and entering the tower.
Frank, Anne, and the frog kids weren't happy that their new teacher was excluding one of their own based on something out of Frank's control. They knew why he had to kill Tartarus, and they don't view him any less. The two humans were especially angry with the newt calling Frank a criminal. However, in the end, Frank sighed.
"Look, don't worry about it. I'll just watch from the side." Frank said, not wanting to cause trouble for the others.
"Are you sure, dude?" Anne asked, looking at him sadly.
"Don't worry. Remember, this is just until Hop Pop gets back." Frank said. However, he would be lying if he said he didn't want to learn how to fight. His fight with Tartarus showed him just how much he needed professional training when it came to fighting. "I'll just watch from the side and copy you guys."
Anne looked to the others, but Sprig and Polly nodded their heads. She sighed, and the four of them walked into the tower.
Upon entering the tower, they were amazed and surprised by what they saw. There were weapons. So many melee weapons, ranging from spears, swords, and daggers. There were also bows, arrows with various tips, and targets to shoot at and hit with weapons.
"Your next lesson is to pick your weapon. Find one that resonates with you." Tritonio said, spreading his arms out.
"Yeah!" Polly exclaimed, hopping out of Anne's hands, and went over to a bucket of mushrooms with skulls painted on them. "Ooh, what are these?"
Tritonio jumped over to her. "Ah, the noble boom shroom. Small, unassuming, but in the right hands…." Picking one up, he pressed the stem into the head of the mushroom. This caused the boom shroom to start blinking and make a beeping sound. Tritonio then threw the boom shroom up into the air, which then exploded into a cloud of blue smoke. "Explosive!"
"Oh…." Polly had stars in her eyes.
"Perfect for you, I think," Tritonio said, handing Polly the boom shroom. "Who's next? No wrong answers."
Anne stood near a stack of three swords and looked at them. Wondering which one she should get to accommodate the bow she had left back at the house. Having realized that her bow wouldn't do her any help in close combat. Anne needed to learn how to fight with a sword if she was going to protect herself, the family, and Frank.
She reached to grab a sword, but Tritonio suddenly popped up from behind the stack. "No! Wrong!"
"What? How so?" Anne asked, looking at the newt with a raised eyebrow and fists on her hips.
Stepping out from behind the stack, Tritonio said, "From what I have seen, you do not have the dexterity to wield a sword. Pick something else."
That's when Sprig walked up with a pair of sai daggers." Whoa, these are big forks.
"Ah, an excellent choice, Sprig." Tritonio praised him. However, he then noticed Frank was looking at one of the dummies.
Frank unhooked the legendary Hellcat's Cat from his back and was about to take a swing at it. "Hey!" Frank looked back at Tritonio, who pointed his finger at him. "I said I wouldn't teach you!"
Frank nodded. "I know. That's why I'm sitting back and learning your lessons from afar," he said, frowning at him.
"Ha! You can try." Tritonio laughed, not believing the young boy could learn like that. But he wouldn't stop him. "Then you can watch as everyone else grabs a training sword and prepares for the first lesson."
The first lesson was how to hold a sword, as well as how to block and strike. Tritonio brought out a diagram of a frog holding a sword in multiple poses. Either blocking or striking. Being the only ones with arms and legs, Tritonio gave Sprig and Anne wooden swords. Sprig eagerly followed the instructions of the diagram and matched each of the fighting positions perfectly. Anne, however, wasn't as enthusiastic. She just swung her wooden sword around lazily.
From where he was standing, Frank did the same as on the diagram, but found it difficult to wield the scythe the same way a sword would. So with one hand on the leather wrap, he moved his other hand along the handle's length as he swung it. And he used the scythe to his advantage to block and parry.
Tritonio looked impressed at his ingenuity, before turning back to his real students. "Wonderful, Sprig! Truly inspiring." He said, walking past him from behind, before stopping at the Thai girl. "No, Anne. Swing harder!"
The next lesson was to have the kids run the monkey bars. Frank stood off to the side and sharpened Hellcat while watching as Sprig used his tongue to swing through the obstacles, and Polly hopped on the bars.
"Sprig, Polly, nice work!" Tritonio praised his students until he saw Anne following them. "No, Anne. More nimble!"
Anne grumbled in frustration, but then the bars broke, causing her to fall to the ground.
In the next lesson, Frank was at the top of the tower, coming up with tactics for his shield. If video games and Captain America have taught him anything, it's that a shield can be just as good a weapon as a sword, if you use it right. With Hellcat's Claw in his right hand, Frank jabbed his shield forward and swung it to the left. Imagining that he was fighting off enemy knights.
"That's it, children!" He heard Tritonio call up to his students. Turning to the edge of the tower, Frank looked down the wall to see his friends climbing it. Sprig and Polly jumped up it, using stone blocks sticking out as their steps. Meanwhile, Anne had to climb with her hands and feet. "Feel the stone beneath your hands, the strong breeze in your hair. Much like the breeze on a fast-moving train."
"Odd, but I get what he's saying." Frank shrugged as Anne and the frogs came closer to the top.
"Man, Tritonio's so encouraging." Sprig said, smiling at how positive his teacher was being towards him.
Anne, however, responded with sarcasm. "Must be nice."
"Anne, your hand placement is all wrong!" Tritonio yelled up to her.
"Ugh, what'd I tell you? The guy's totally picking on me." Anne said, looking sad.
"Why don't you just ask him why he's doing it?" Sprig asked. "'Tritonio says, "An honest dialogue is more powerful than any weapon.'"
"Blech. That's the corniest thing I've ever heard." Anne said, taking her hand off the wall. This would just cause her to fall screaming until she lands in a bush with a thud.
"Anne?! Are you okay?!" Frank called down to her, worried.
"Yeah…totally fine!" Anne said, groaning in pain. Sitting up, she looked at Tritonio, who was looking at her with an unimpressed expression.
"Even your fall needs work, Anne." He said, walking away from her.
As he did so, Anne sighed in defeat. This was hopeless, she was never going to get him to like her.
Later on, the sun had gone down, and the moon was high in the sky. Tritonio had set up a campfire, where he cooked Sprig and Polly their dinner. "Here, children, your quinoa macro bowls are ready." He said, handing both of the frog kids their bowls. That's when he noticed that there was a person missing and looked around. "Where is the gangly one? Does she not like quinoa?"
"She said she was going to check on Frank." Sprig said.
"The criminal?" He asked, looking up at the tower.
Sprig and Polly frowned when he called their friend that name again. "Hey, I know that the wanted poster said that he is one, but Frank's not a criminal." The pink frog said to the newt.
"I'm sorry, young Sprig, but I know these things more than you do," Tritonip said with his arms behind his back and his eyes closed. He then pointed to his eyes and opened them. "I can see it in his eyes. He has the eyes of a wrongdoer."
"But there's no way that Frank did that. He's a good guy." Polly said.
"If you just give him a chance to prove himself, I'm sure Frank will prove himself," insisted Sprig. This made Tritonio take a moment of pause as he thought about their words.
Having started their own fire on top of the tower, Frank took one of the fileted fish meat off the fire and placed it on a large leaf. He then handed it to Anne. The young Thai girl looked rather miserable but took the meat and started eating it. The two of them state together, staring up together at the night sky.
"I just don't get it, man. Why don't teachers like me?" Anne asked.
"Because you don't pay attention, you're goofing off, cutting classes, and causing trouble?" Frank listed off all the reasons he remembered his mom had for not liking Anne.
"It's called having a carefree spirit!" Anne argued.
"That's what you call it," Frank said, nudging her. "But…have you ever thought about, you know, putting in the effort?"
"What, like actually learning all that boring stuff they're teaching me?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow at the idea. She was just following Sasha's example, and when it came to doing work, Anne just passed it off to Marcy, who happily did it. However, the teachers quickly caught on to that.
"Look, Anne, I'm not gonna lie, mom's not always the most flexible woman in the world. Not even with me," Frank said, looking off to the side with a bitter scowl. "But dad told me that it's just because she wants people to see at their full potential, not settling for less than their best."
Anne scoffed at that. "Yeah, right," she said, setting her fish down and hugging her legs to her body. However, as the Thai did so, Anne heard the sound of someone approaching her and Frank. She looked up and was surprised to see Tritonio standing a few feet from the two of them.
"I talked with Sprig and Polly. They are convinced that you're not a criminal," said Tritonio, looking at Frank. The boy glared at him. "But I can see it in your eyes, boy. The guilt that only someone who's done wrong in his life can have. The eyes of a criminal."
"You don't know a damn thing about me," Frank said, standing up with his fists clenched as he glared at Tritonio. Anne quickly stood up to stop him if it came to him attacking the newt.
"Yes, but I know that you have been watching me train your friends from afar. So, I've made a decision," He said before pulling a sword from his back. Drawing it from his sheath, Tritonio pointed it at Frank and threw the scabbard away. The sword had a silver blade and possessed a pointed central ridge and a gold hilt and also acquired an intricately designed guard with a light golden shade. The pommel was of similar color but also had a flower-like style at the base.
Frank raised an eyebrow. "You want me to fight you?"
"I want to see how much you've learned. Consider this your first test." Tritonio said with a smug smirk.
While glaring at the newt, Frank was conflicted. He wanted to wipe the smug look off Tritonio's face, but at the same time, the Hispanic boy didn't want to hurt him. However, if Frank was ever going to get him to train him, then he needed to prove himself. He had to show this teacher that he's not the criminal the newt thinks he is.
Frank reached down, grabbed his shield off the ground, and strapped it to his arm. Then he grabbed Hellcat and stood back up. As he approached Tritonio, Anne stood back and watched. But she was still incredibly nervous about what Frank was about to do. Behind Tritonio, Sprig and Polly hopped up the tower wall and sat on the edge to see the fight that was about to go down.
"You will only have one chance to prove yourself to me, Frank," said Tritonio as the boy stopped in front of him.
Frank narrowed his glaring eyes and got into a fighting stance. His shield was held up in front of his body, and his scythe was ready to strike. Unbeknownst to him, however, the blade of the scythe lightly glowed red, just like how Frank's eyes once glowed months ago.
"Block high!" Tritonio raised his sword and swung down at Frank. But Frank quickly used his shield to bash the sword, knocking Tritonio off balance, before he swung with his scythe. Seeing the blade come at him, the newt quickly flipped away before he was cut in half. "Impressive. But we're just getting started."
Frank got back into a fighting stance before Tritonio came at him with another swing.
"Block low!" Tritonio swung for Frank's legs, but the boy countered it with his scythe, hooking the blade with his own and forcing it away. "High!" The newt swung at his head, but Frank raised his shield to block it. "Middle!" Frank then used his scythe to block a strike for his exposed chest.
They continued this for a few more seconds, both seeming to be evenly matched, before the newt got down and used his tail to swipe at Frank's legs. Frank yelled as he was knocked to the floor and on his back. Anne wanted to jump in but held herself back.
"Your defense is most impressive, but I'm still not impressed," Tritonio said, pointing his sword at him. Frank glared at him and got back up. "Let's continue."
Frank quickly got back into a fighting stance and prepared to keep going. Once again, he waited for Tritonio to make the first move. And he didn't have to wait long, as the newt came at him with almost lightning-quick slashes and stabs. Frank had trouble keeping up with the newt, using only his shield to block the attacks this time.
"That's it! You're getting better!" Tritonio complimented, still attacking Frank.
That was until Frank bashed away another attack and thrusted his scythe at Tritonio. However, just like before, the newt's tail foiled his attack. Tritonio's tail wrapped around Frank's arm and pulled the boy. Forcing him to stumble past him as Tritonio stepped off to the side.
"But your shield will only get you so far. You have to use your weapon, which is meant for attacking, as your defense as well. Now, again!" Tritonio said, getting into a ready position.
Frank did the same, but this time, he attacked first. He swung Hellcat's Claw at Tritonio but was blocked by the newt's sword, so he tried again. But on his second swing, Tritonio used his sword to hook the scythe's blade and pulled it out of Frank's hands. Throwing it off to the side.
"You'll have to do better."
"Alright, then, CATCH!" Frank suddenly threw his shield at Tritonio. The newt didn't have time to react and was hit in the face with the heavy metal. Giving Frank the time to rush to his weapon and pick it up off the ground. He was without a shield to defend himself, but this meant he was much more mobile.
"Wow!" Sprig said in amazement.
Frank rushed to Tritonio and swung at him again, but the newt recovered from being hit and blocked the attack. The two would continue to clash their blades. However, Frank was once again kicked off his feet by Tritonio's tail. He landed on the ground, but the Hellcat's blade cut his arm. Making the boy yell in pain as he clenched his bleeding arm.
Anne's body jerked forward to try and help, but a sharp glare from Tritonio stopped her. The newt then turned back to Frank. "You're not fighting me; you're fighting yourself... and have lost, criminal," Tritonio said, picking up his scabbard and sheathing his sword before turning and walking away. Looking like the winner of the fight, cementing his decision not to train Frank. As well as his opinion of him.
However, Frank's anger rose higher than ever when he heard Tritonio call him a criminal. Grabbing Hellcat's Claw, he grunted angrily and changed at the newt. He swung at his teacher, but Tritonio easily dodged by stepping to the side.
"You're not committed to this, just like Anne isn't," Tritonio said, looking at Frank with disappointment. He dodged another attack. "You should quit."
"I won't quit. I'll never quit!" Frank shouted. He rushed at Tritonio and swung down at him, but once again, the newt was too fast. Even for Frank's attack speed as he kept swinging and slashing at him with his scythe.
"Really? That's not what it looks like." Tritonio scoffed, using his tail to give Frank a quick jab in the chest. Frank grunted when he was hit by the tail, but tried again to attack, but was pushed again. This made him stumble for a moment and look at his teacher as he panted. "So I'm right, aren't I? You are a criminal!"
"No!" Frank yelled and charged. He tried to go for a thrust with the scythe's large upper blade. However, Tritonio stopped him when he stepped to the side and grabbed the Hellcat by the handle.
"But that's what your people believe, isn't it?"
Frank growled at that comment and kicked Tritonio away from himself. The newt did a flip and landed on his feet.
"I will not train someone that has committed wrong and will not show a criminal more ways they can hurt people!" He continued berating his student as Frank became angrier and angrier. His attacks became wilder and more uncontrolled.
"I'm not!"
"So what are you?!" Tritonio snapped, pulling out his sword and blocking the massive blade of the scythe.
Frank panted as he tried pushing against Tritonio, but he couldn't. His emotions were a whirlwind in his head and chest. Frank wanted to keep them under control, but after everything that's been happening to him, Tritonio's belittling of him, it all made him so angry.
But he was angry because he knew that the newt was right. He was fighting against himself. Everything he's been trying to do, how he's been trying to prove himself, all brought back his memories of his parents. When Anne brought up how his mother was the teacher that was the harshest on her, Frank's mind could only think back on all the times that his mom and dad were hard on him. And it brought back memories of how all the goodwill he had gained over the years, the notion that he was a good boy, was thrown down the drain when he was arrested and how everything between them changed.
All day he's been trying to think of all the good things his parents have done for him. He should be thinking about all the happy memories to motivate himself. To grant him the drive to find a way to return to them. So why was he still thinking about that night he was framed? The verbal lashing he got from his mother and father? These weren't moments Frank wanted to remember. Yet they plagued his subconscious for weeks and haunted his dreams. Tritonio made it worse with how he was treating Anne.
For four months, Frank's been trying to hold down his emotions. To not break down and make himself look weak, but it was all coming to the surface, until his dam finally broke.
"The truth…is that…" Frank lowered his head for a moment before snapping it back up to glare at Tritonio as tears formed in his eyes. "...I was framed!"
Tritonio's smug grin turned into a look of surprise. A surprise that Sprig and Polly felt. On the other hand, Anne instantly knew what was coming and looked at Frank with pity.
Frank attacked Tritonio, pushing him back with each attack as he lashed out at him. "My mother, my father, my family!" He yelled, pushing Tritonio onto his back after he tripped. Anne wanted to step in but stopped herself. Just listening to him as he poured his aching heart out. "Everything I ever did in my life was to make my family happy! To make my family proud!"
Tritonio quickly got back to his feet, but was still backing away from Frank and blocking his attacks as he slashed at him with the scythe. "I loved my family, even though my parents weren't perfect. Why would I do anything that would make anyone upset? More or less anything to ruin my life?" He asked as Sprig and Polly listened from where they sat, feeling in their guts that they were going to hear something horrible. And they would be sadly right, as Frank just walked towards Tritonio, who kept his distance. The human boy scoffed. "And do you know what it was that would've done it? Steal some stupid shoes. But I didn't. I was just in the wrong play at the wrong time. But they didn't believe me! I was locked up for something I didn't do!"
Frank yelled as he swung down at Tritonio's head. He was starting to struggle against his attack, which had more power in them than before. Frank's eyes began glowing a bit as he pressed on his attack. Swinging at Tritonio at the end of each sentence. "I wanted to tell people. I had to tell people. I tried to defend myself! To save myself, and do the right thing! But everyone else had made up their minds about me. So they locked me away!"
Frank suddenly kicked Tritonio in the chest. The newt was sent a few feet away from Frank, with his sword thrown from his hands. Now on his back, the French newt was at the mercy of the Hispanic boy as he rushed over. Placing his foot on his chest.
"But you know the worst thing?!" Frank yelled, raising his scythe over his head. His eyes glowed red, making the scythe glow brightly too.
Tritonio held up his hand in a vain attempt to shield himself. Anne, Sprig, and Polly were just about ready to rush in and stop their friend from killing the newt. However, they stopped when the three of them saw something they had never thought they would have seen in a million years.
Frank Ramirez, the toughest boy they knew, killer of monsters, who had never once quit fighting to make it home, was crying. Tears flowed down his face as the glowing in his eyes stopped. Defeated by his pent-up sadness, Frank sighed and lowered Hellcat's Claw. "...My family didn't stand with me. They chose to believe the police. They left me." He said, his voice breaking, as he dropped the Frog King's scythe. Getting off his teacher, Frank took a few steps away from him. Only managing to get two. "My mom and dad didn't believe me, saying that they were disappointed in me…."
Unable to handle it anymore, Frank collapsed on his hands and knees and sobbed. Crying in front of Tritonio, and his friends, who all became highly concerned for him. Anne was the most concerned and her heart absolutely shattered as she watched him almost ball his eyes out. She thought his unbelievably sad life was terrible, but now it was just awful.
Anne was no stranger to her parents not believing her. However, the difference between herself and Frank was that Anne had actually done something bad and would have tried to lie her way out of trouble in the past. Only for it to not work. She was the girl that cried wolf in the family. But it would only be for things like skipping school and not doing homework or chores.
But this was a level beyond what Anne could ever have imagined herself to be in. It's bad enough when your parents don't believe you, but when it's something this serious, and you didn't commit the crime, that's a feeling the Thai girl never wanted to know the feeling of. Yet someone as sweet and kind-hearted as Frank has to live with it.
Walking over to him and sitting on her knees, Anne hugged Frank as he continued crying. "I'm so sorry, Frank." She said, comforting him as Sprig and Polly came over and joined in on the hug.
"As am I," said Tritonio. With eyes red from crying, Frank looked up to see the newt standing over him with an apologetic expression. "I see now that I was wrong about you, and I hope you can forgive me."
Having stopped crying, Frank panted lightly as he calmed down. He nodded, sitting down as he took a moment to regain his composer and catch his breath. Sniffling, he rubbed his eyes. "I…I'm sorry you all had to see that." He said, shaking his head in disappointment for himself.
"Dude, you don't have to keep it all bottled up," Anne said, smiling at him.
"Anne's right, Frank," Tritonio said, nodding his head.
However, the moment he said that, Anne became confused.
"Wait, hold on. You're…agreeing with me?" She asked, standing up as Frank stood up with her. He remained silent as Anne talked to her teacher. "I thought you didn't like me."
Now it was the newt's turn to be confused. "What? I like you."
"Oh, come on. I get that Frank was you not knowing that happened to him, but you're always being super tough on me for no reason. Just like his mom and my teachers back home." Anne said, though she noticed Frank grimacing when she mentioned his mother. "Sorry."
Hearing this, Tritonio laughed upon realizing what the Thai girl was so upset about. "Oh, Anne. If I seem tougher on you, it's not because I don't like you. It's because I see a girl who is not living up to her full potential."
Anne's eyes widened when she read that. "Really?"
"That's why…mom was so hard on you and everyone, Anne," Frank said, still sad about mentioning his mom, but did it to help Anne with the lesson she was learning. "Your teachers didn't hate you. You were a bad student, yes, but it's also because you didn't apply yourself."
"Indeed. In you, I sense someone who could achieve greatness with a little effort. And I am sure your teachers back home felt the same way." Tritonio said to the human girl.
Hearing this, Anne smiled. That was the nicest thing a teacher had ever said to her. Looking back, Anne realized that both of them were right. Sasha always told her that her not paying attention in class was just her expressing her free will, and it was her choice to make. For years, Anne never questioned that statement.
Anne didn't think about how much it made her teachers sad about the potential she had that she was throwing away. She only did it because it was easy not to pay attention and skip school. But now Anne realized that it did make her a lousy student, and she was throwing away her opportunities to grow.
Picking up the scabbard and his sword, Tritonio walked back to the human girl. "And now, I believe you are ready for this." He then held out both items to Anne.
"Oh, wow!" The four kids said in unison as Anne took the scabbard and sword. She held up the weapon with the blade pointed to the sky, staring at her reflection as the steel glowed blue.
"This blade has been in my family for many years, and now it is yours," Tritonio said to the kids as he walked to the tower's edge. "Get some sleep, the four of you, for the real training begins tomorrow."
"Wait, four of us?" Frank asked.
"That's right, Frank. No more watching from afar. Tomorrow, you shall be joining us. Way-ha-ho!" Tritonio jumped into the air, back-flipped, and dived down to the ground.
Sheathing the sword, Anne looked to see Frank picking up Hellcat's Claw. He turned his head to see her, Sprig, and Polly smiling at him. Showing him that they were there for him and would help him, just as Frank helped them in the past. Frank smiled back, thankful to have them with him, as he felt the weight in his heart lift.
The next day, the kids once again started training. Only this time, Frank joined in on the fun. While Sprig and Polly just messed around with their boom shrooms and sai daggers, Tritonio had Frank spar with Anne, and he watched as they took each other on.
"Good! Imagine your opponent is a fearsome assassin. Or, perhaps, a meddlesome train conductor," he said, noticing their different fighting styles.
While both were excellent in offensive, it was Anne that showed the most with it came to speed and striking fast. However, with a much clearer mind, Frank showed much more defensive capabilities, using his shield to significant effect before attacking with his scythe when the moment presented itself with heavy hacks and slashes
Anne panted as she said, "Dude, how is it fair that he has a shield?"
"Indeed. But when you find yourself outmatched, think outside the box." Tritonio said.
Anne turned back to Frank as he held up his shield. She retook the ready position shown to her by Tritonio. However, her eyes squinted as the sun shone through the window and into her eyes. However, this gave Anne an idea of how to beat Frank. She grinned and held up her new sword, angling it and making the sun's light reflecting off it.
"Ah!" Frank yelled and shot his eyes when the light blinded him momentarily. Making him lose his balance and drop his stance. Anne then rushed in and swung at the Hellcat scythe. Frank gasped as the weapon of the Frog King was knocked out of his hand.
Anne then pointed the sword to Frank's chest with a grin. "Heh, okay, you win," Frank said with a smile, raising his arms up in surrender.
Sheathing her sword, Anne heard Tritonio laugh as he walked over to her and Frank. "Excellent! You've all improved so much. Especially you, Anne," the Frenchman newt said, winking at her. Anne giggles, happy to hear that from her teacher. "Now, come. It is time for your final test."
The four kids followed the newt as he walked through a doorway. Walking down the short stairs, Tritonio led them into a large underground room with maps and diagrams.
"Tomorrow is our last day together," Tritonio said, pulling a rolled-up piece of paper from the bookshelf, and walking to the table in the middle of the room. The others gathered around to see what he had to show them. "So I put together an exercise to test all the skills you've learned."
Setting the paper down, he showed the kids all the information about a train and its path. Trains in Amphibia were, of course, giant bugs that pulled train cars on train tracks. This train only had a single driver, two guards, and what appeared to be a red crystal in the shape of a butterfly.
"I have rented a train, inside of which, I have hidden a fake priceless ruby," Tritonio told the kids, before handing the plans on a standing clipboard. "Also, I have hired actors to portray guards who will stop at nothing to keep the ruby safe. You must retrieve it using the wisdom and skills I have taught you. Now, study these plans. Become one with the plans. Eat the plans." To demonstrate, he tore off a piece of the plan and ate it, smacking his lips. He then jumps to the doorway at the top of the stairs. "We leave at dawn!"
And he left them, closing the door behind himself.
Frank looked at the plans, noticing a note in the bottom left corner. It read, "Don't listen to the guards no matter what they say about 'not being actors'." If this final test didn't sound strange already, the note made him suspicious about Tritonio.
"Okay, we all think these plans just look like we're robbing a real train, right?" Frank asked the others.
"Oh, definitely," Sprig said.
"Could Tritonio be using us," asked Polly.
The three of them were startled when Anne slammed her fists down on the table. "That's ridiculous! Tritonio's a good dude who believes in me. I think we should do it."
"Okay, but what about all the weird train analogies he's been using?" Frank countered.
"Maybe he's just one of those guys that's really into trains," Anne suggested.
Jumping onto the table, Sprig narrowed his eyes at Anne. "You're really taking a liking to the guy."
"Yeah, where's the old 'teachers stink' Anne?" Polly asked."
"Come on, you all were there last night. That Anne is dead and buried." Anne said in an overly dramatic voice, before talking normally again. "Now come on, these plans ain't gonna study themselves."
Sprig said, "You got me convinced."
"Might as well see this through to the end," said Frank.
Polly added, "As long as I get to use my boom shrooms, I'm good." She pulled out more boom shrooms, making everyone back away from her.
The next day, the kids set off to complete their final test. They will use everything that they've learned out to that point to prove themselves to their teacher.
Their plan was put into action when the railroad crossing lights started flashing and ringing. Seeing the train coming down the tracks, Frank turned to Sprig. "Alright, buddy, you're up."
The train continued down the tracks, blaring its horn loudly. Everything was going according to schedule. That was until the train conductor saw something up ahead. "Huh? What the—"
When he realized it was a kid, he quickly pulled the brakes. The beetle dug its legs into the dirt, trying to stop itself before it could run over the little frog standing on the train tracks. The brakes squealed angrily until they finally stopped the bug and the cars it was pulling.
Dressed like a British orphan, Sprig turned to the train with an arm brace. "Please, governor, I'm a poor orphan boy who done and twisted his wee ankle on these here train tracks," he said in a pitiful tone of voice while holding up his bandaged leg.
Moved by the boy's sad tale, the train conductor sniffed. "Poor kid. Guards! Help me!" He called the guards in the car in front of the one holding the diamond.
The door to the car opened, and the two guards hopped out. "Another day, another wounded orphan to move," said the female guard as they walked over to help.
However, this left the train up and unguarded. Frank, Anne, and Polly ran out from behind the tree they were hiding behind and booked it for the beetle's saddle. Anne then opened a trap door that exposed the back of the bug. Allowing Polly to pour hot coal onto the skin.
The giant bug squealed before snorting a blast of steam from its funnel-shaped horn.
Meanwhile, the toads moved Sprig off the tracks and sat him down on a rock under a tree. They began examining his leg, but couldn't find anything wrong with it. "This ankle isn't twisted," the male guard said.
Suddenly, they heard the train starting to move and pulling the cars. "Hey! The train!" The conductor yelled before he and the guards began running after it as the train began picking up speed. "Hey! Get back here!"
However, just before they could reach the saddle of the train, Sprig tripped the conductor with his tongue, causing him to fall onto the guards. The pink frog laughed as he jumped over the toads and then used his tongue to yank himself inside the saddle.
With the first part of their mission completed, the kids cheered and high-fived. "Acting is fun!" Sprig cheered.
"I trusted you!" All of a sudden, the train conductor popped into the saddle with a sword in hand. He swung at Sprig, but the pink frog jumped out of the way.
The train conductor climbed in and looked at Anne, who had her sword out. He charged at her and swung his own weapon, only for Frank to jump in front of her, blocking the attack with his shield. The toad gasped in shock, allowing Anne to quickly hit the sword out of the conductor's hand. She and Frank grin at each other, and they both kick the toad off the train together.
"Orphan!" He yelled at them before hitting the ground.
Back on the train, Frank picked up the sword the conductor dropped. "Whoa, this thing's real!" He exclaimed, shocked that the actor attacked him with a real sword during the test.
"Man, these guys are terrific actors," said Anne.
"Never mind that. Let's get that ruby!" Polly exclaimed.
Together, the four of them jumped across to the coal car, before running over to the first car. Then they made it to the last of the train. It was made of iron and decorated with gold with a banner that said "Newtoplan Treasury." However, this wasn't seen by the kids.
There was only one way inside, and that was a trap drop that was chained open.
"Polly, you're up," Frank said.
Polly placed the boom shrooms on the door and triggered them. The kids backed away before the mushroom exploded. Blasting off the lock and chains. Rushing back over, Anne opened the door and jumped in, followed by Frank, Sprig, and Polly.
They looked up and were in awe at the sight of their target as it sat on a pedestal. The diamond that they were looking for was a precious ruby that was bright red and shaped like a moth, with featured edges which were carved outward.
"There it is," Frank said, walking up to the diamond. Leaning down at it, he noticed that it was really pretty. Almost as if it was real. "Man, Tritonio's makes some really convincing gems."
"We did it, guys!" Anne said with joy. "Big T is gonna be so proud of us."
"Proud is an understatement!"
The kids gasped in surprise as they looked back to the door. And that's when their teacher jumped down into the car with them. "Tritonio!"
"You've all done so well." He said to the kids, before walking up to the gem on the pedestal. Looking at it with a strange face that resembled greed. "Ah, here it is, the Tiger Moth's Eye." He picked it up and looked through it at Frank. Placing it in his pocket, Tritonio walked back to stand underneath the trap door. "Frank, approach."
"Uh, sure, dude." Frank shrugged before walking away from the others. He approached his teacher with his shield in hand and the scythe on his back.
"Now, to complete your training, I have one more question for all of you to answer. What was the first lesson I taught you?" He asked, with his hands still behind his back.
Not giving Frank the chance to answer the question given to him, Anne gasped and held up her hand to answer. Something she never imagined she'd do. "Oh, oh! Trust no one!"
"Bingo." Tritonio then held up an oddly familiar-looking bug.
"Wait, is that a zapapede?" All of a sudden and out of nowhere, Tritonio thrusted the electric centipede at Frank's chest. Sending a painful surge of electricity coursing through his body. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"FRANK!" Anne, Sprig, and Polly screamed. Watching in horror as their friend dropped his shield and landed face-first on the floor.
"Tritonio, what are you doing?!" Anne yelled, running towards her friend.
SLASH!
"AAH!" Anne cried in pain and fell back when Tritonio suddenly pulled out a rapier and gave her a swift slash across the stomach. Making her fall back on the floor.
"Anne!" Sprig and Polly quickly rushed over, fearing that she may have been disemboweled. Anne groaned and sat up. Removing her hand from her stomach, she saw that her shirt was cut and that she was bleeding. Luckily, it was only a flesh wound.
Tritonio's foot stepped towards them, gaining their attention. "Sorry, kids, but I never could've robbed this train by myself. But now I'll get to turn in your friend here for some extra cash," he said, picking up Frank's body with his tail. "And now that I have what I want, I'll be going. Give my regards to the guards!"
Anne and the frog could only watch helplessly as Tritonio laughed while jumping up through the trap door. His tail pulled Frank's unconscious body up with him.
"NO!" Anne yelled, bolting to her feet and jumping up towards the opening. But the trap door closed on her face, slacking her and sending the Thai girl back down onto the floor of the car. Tritonio then locked the door with a shovel, making it impossible for the kids to get out.
Beginning to panic, Anne rushed to the barred window and tried to pull on it. However, the bolts wouldn't allow the bars to budge. No matter how much she yanked on them. " No! Come on, dammit! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!" Anne cried out to Tritonio. It was no use. He had Frank and was going to turn him in for killing Tartarus, likely causing him to be put to death, while she and the others were going to be thrown in jail.
Kicking the wall of the car, Anne let out a furious grunt. "I don't believe this! He double-crossed us and kidnapped Frank!" She yelled. Sighing, she sat down on the ground and drew her sword to look at her own reflection. "The first teacher I really clicked with ended up being a fake."
While it seemed like she was giving up, that couldn't have been further from the truth. Betraying her was one thing, but to hurt her Frank? If she didn't kill him, Anne was sure he'd never want to mess with her again.
"Well, he's not getting away with this! Polly, got any more boom shrooms?" Anne pointed to the tadpole.
Where Polly was keeping the shrooms on her when she pulled them out will never be known.
Hellcat's Claw was thrown to the side, discarded like a piece of trash. Frank struggled to escape, but Tritonio had succeeded in tying him up with rope. "Ah, you were good kids. Too bad they have to go to prison forever." Tritonio said, tying the knot. "Well, except for you. No, my friend, you'll most certainly be executed."
"So all that talk about not wanting to train me for killing Tartarus was just bullshit!? You were the real criminal!" Frank growled, unable to believe how easily the bastard tricked him. He opened up about his past to him, and Tritonio still was going to turn him in.
"Of course it was! Hell, I've killed the Bogwater just so I could use their tower as a base of operations." Tritonio said with a smug expression. "You were just a bonus, Frank. All that matters to me is that I have my treasure—"
He was interrupted when there was a sudden explosion from the treasury car. Through the blue smoke, the door to the roof landed in front of Tritonio.
"Tritonio!" Yelled Anne as she, Sprig, and Polly walked through the smoke. All three of them glared at the newt that betrayed them.
"Anne!" Frank yelled.
Tritonio, on the other hand, laughed. "I have to say, even I am impressed."
Anne was surprised by that. "You really mean it—"
"ANNE!" Frank yelled.
"Oh, right. Guys, now!" She yelled and pointed at Tritonio.
Both Sprig and Polly screamed out battle cries as they jumped at the newt. The pink frog attacked first, shooting his tongue at Tritonio with one of his sai dagger wrapped around the end. But Tritonio was ready for him. He wrapped Sprig's tongue up around his rapier and pulled him towards himself. The poor frog boy could only scream as he was pulled past the crook before being flung towards his sister.
Polly was ululating while flying through the air until she noticed her brother. "Oh, hi, Sprig." She said, before Sprig was knocked into her. Both kids fell onto the roof of the train car, knocked out of the fight.
"Oh, that hurt." Sprig groaned.
Both boom shrooms beeped before exploding in midair, covering the area in a blue mist. However, through it, Anne was able to see Tritonio and glared at him. The newt gave her a smug smirk.
"Come on."
Anne screamed as she attacked the French newt. Attacking her with fast and heavy strikes and swings. But Tritonio wasn't allowing any of them to touch him. Blocking each strike with his rapier or letting them past his body as he easily dodged her swings and thrusts. Where Anne had speed, Tritonio had years of experience. And he used that to great effect.
When Anne thrust her blade at his chest, Tritonio jumped up and stood on her sword. Confused, Anne looked up at the newt, only to be kicked in the face. Yelling in pain with a bleeding nose, Anne panted as she stumbled backwards, until she reached the edge. She flailed her arms around, but couldn't stop herself from falling off. Luckily, she grabbed the edge of the car and held on tightly.
"Anne!" Frank yelled. He noticed Hellcat's Claw a few feet from where he was.
Anne looked at the rushing ground beneath her, before looking back up. Only to cry out in pain when Tritonio stepped on her fingers. With a smug look, Tritonio pointed his rapier at her face. "Trusting you was a mistake!" Anne yelled at him until she grinned. "But you've made a huge mistake, too."
"Oh, yes? And what is that?" Tritonio asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You messed with my friends."
"Huh?" Tritonio turned around, only to see Frank yelling as he swung the Hellcat at him.
SLICE!
With a downward swing, Frank sliced off Tritonio's right hand, which was still holding his sword. As blood spewed out from his wrist, the sword and hand fell off the train.
"AAAAAAH! Big T's stealing hand!" He screamed in agony, grabbing his stump. Frank then grabbed his tail and yelled as he threw the newt over himself and slammed him down on the roof of the car. Tritonio groaned in pain as he lay still, having been knocked on conscious.
"I wouldn't kill you, but I'll steal something from you," Frank said, smirking at the newt triumphantly.
Despite the blood loss, Tritonio survived. His handless arm was bandaged up before his arms were chained up together with special handcuffs. Once the kids stopped the train, they waited for the train conductor and the guards to catch up to them. Then they explained what had happened. Hearing them out, the guards quickly cuffed the newt.
"Thanks, kids. The tower's been trying to catch this slimeball for months. Been robbing trains with kids for quite some time now." The conductor said, before narrowing his eyes at Tritonio. "...the sick fuck."
The guards dragged Tritonio to the first train car, all while the newt said, "You do have to respect my creativity."
"We respect nothing!" Polly yelled.
"Yeah, get out of here, you fraud!" Sprig yelled.
Tritonio was thrown into the car before the guards stepped inside. The thief stood up and looked back at the two humans. "See you around, Frank and Anne. I wasn't kidding when I said you two had potential. You certainly bested me." He said, showing them his stump.
"Oh, screw you, dick! You were going to turn me in!" Frank yelled, glaring at the crook.
"By the way, should we arrest him too?" One of the guards asked.
"He did save our jobs." The other one said, shrugging.
"Hang on!" Anne approached the open car with Frank beside her. "I just have one more question for Tritonio….Was the goatee even real?"
With a nonchalant smile, Tritonio reached up with his only good hand and picked out the goatee under his chin. "What do you think?"
Frank stared silently at the newt until he frowned. "Take him away, boys."
When the children got back to the tower, they were exhausted and aching in pain. Cut up and brushed up, with their clothes dirty and tattered, they sat together on the steps of the porch. These past few days have been a complete waste of their time. Even their new knowledge of fighting couldn't subtract from the feeling of being used, taken advantage of, and made a fool of by Tritonio.
As Sprig slouched on the steps with Polly sitting on his head, Sprig looked to Frank as he sat with Anne. "So, was that all true?" He asked. "You were really framed for a crime?"
Frank sighed, knowing that this question was coming. Sprig was a good kid, and he was curious. "Yeah."
There was another moment of silence between the four of them before the little pink frog spoke up again. "What was your life like? Anne told us all about her life, but not you. What was your family like?"
Frank looked down for a moment, before he felt Anne's hand on his shoulder. "It's only if you wanna share, dude," she said, not wanting him to be comfortable with what was certainly a very personal crisis.
"I may as well." Frank let out a soft sigh and leaned back on the steps of the stone tower. He stared up at the sky as the clouds moved, beginning his story. "We lived in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, just like Anne. Actually, we used to be neighbors, but…that'll come later in the story. My family was your typical average, slightly lower middle-class, nuclear family. The most eventful moments in my life were baseball games and…." Frank's expression dampened as his mind returned to that fateful day's events. Where it all changed in the blink of an eye. "Well, you know what happened, Anne."
Anne watched him as he went silent for a moment. As if waiting to see what she or the frogs will ask next. "They…didn't take it well, did they?"
Frank shook his head. "I shouldn't have expected anything less." He said bitterly.
"Were they really that bad?" Polly asked, worried.
"No, no, they were never hostile or abusive," Frank assured the tadpole. "Our relationship wasn't always the best, but it wasn't horrible. Just….well, I mean, you know. Raising a kid is hard, right? They wear you out and…I mean, patience does wear thin and all that. But they still try their best."
Frank tried to think of other ways to describe them. He didn't want his mom and dad to sound like they were bad parents. They weren't. They weren't the best, but they did try to raise him right, gave him a good and stable home life, and loved him. But as time passed, they became distant, despite him being right there. Not to the point that the family was estranged, but they didn't interact with him as much as they used to.
"When they got the news of my arrest, they…they chose to listen to the police's side of the story. Once they heard it, my story went in one ear and out the other. Lots of yelling and blaming from them, resulting in my grandfather yelling at them and grandma crying. Then there was the money trouble we were having, and…well, we lost the house just to pay off the fines." Frank said, sitting up and staring at the ground with his arms on his knees. He pulled out his phone and opened his text messages. He stared at his text to his mom. The one that she didn't reply to. "When I got out, I just felt like a burden on them. They just stopped talking to me, and…I didn't want to live there anymore."
Anne wrapped her arms around Frank and held him tight, resting her cheek against his. She was joined by Sprig and Polly, who hugged him as well, despite being in pain. Frank gasped as they did this. He wasn't looking for pity. That's why he had those emotions bottled up inside himself. Was it healthy? No, but he didn't want to be seen as weak or pitied by strangers. However, these three wouldn't be strangers. They were his best friends and wanted the best for him. It wouldn't be out of pity, but because they love him.
With a heavy sigh, he said as tears ran down his face, "I just…I just don't know what to do…."
"I'm so sorry, Frank," Anne said in a voice. She pulled away from him, which Sprig and Polly did as well. However, the Thai girl kept her hand on his shoulder. "My grandma once told me you don't know what you've lost until it's gone. Maybe when you get back, they'll have changed. Perhaps they'll even believe you?"
Frank sighed, shaking his head with a look of dread on his face. "But how can you know? They didn't believe me before; why would they believe me now?"
"Tritonio might have been a crook, but he was onto something with me. And you were right, I was a bad student. That's why when I get home, I'll give your mom and my other teachers another chance." Anne said with a hopeful smile as Frank looked at her. "What they did was wrong, but maybe you can give your parents a second chance."
"Really?" Frank asked, surprised.
"Yeah, man," Anne said, placing her hand on her chest. "You gave me a second chance to be your friend, and I've done everything to ensure I don't waste it. You've come a long way in a very short time. Where you go from here is up to you, Frank. But know that this family will stand by you no matter your choice."
Frank stared at Anne before looking at Sprig and Polly. All three of them were smiling at Frank and had their hands on him. Showing their support for him, whatever he chooses to do. The love and support they showed for him made his lips curl into a smile and tears to well up in his eyes.
"Thanks guys…I'll try…" He said. The group then heard the sound of Bessie's beeping.
The poor snail was just as beaten and brushed as they were. With one eye that was bent out of shape and another that had bandages wrapped around it. There was a bandaid on her neck, and a bandage wrapped around her shell to cover a crack in it. As for Hop Pop, he didn't look any better than the kids.
"Hey, kids." Hop Pop said in a tired voice.
Going back to being tired, Anne asked the old frog, "How was the convention, HP?"
Bruised up and with a black eye, Hop Pop slowly said, "Oh, fine. Didn't get swarmed by killer locusts, if that's what you mean. How was your weekend?"
"Good," Anne said.
"We didn't rob a train." Sprig said.
"Or cut off a guy's hand," Frank added.
"Nope. No crimes committed." Polly finished.
"Good, good. Great to know we definitely didn't have two wacky adventures." Hop Pop said.
Back on earth, at the end of every possible street in every possible neighborhood, there were lamp posts that had missing posters on them. One for each of the four missing kids: Frank Ramirez, Anne Boonchuy, Sasha Waybright, and Marcy Wu.
They've been missing for three months now, and hopes of finding them were dwindling. So many people, especially those closest to the kids and their families, wanted answers, but none could be found. Without security cameras in the thrift shop, Frank's grandmother couldn't see what had happened to him, and the girls' parents had no idea what had become of their daughters. However, the Wu blame themselves, believing that their actions and choices may have led to the kids disappearing. But none of that mattered to the other families, as they wanted to know where their kids were.
However, no one could find them. It was as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth, and all hope was becoming lost. Sasha's mother, who no one liked for being a bitch, outright gave up and continued on with her miserable little life as if she didn't just lose a daughter. Everyone else clung to help so that they would be found.
One family desperately prayed every day that their son would return to them.
Coming up to the lamp post at the end of their street, Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez looked at the poster for their son. Both husband and wife were Hispanic with dark brown hair. Mr. Ramirez was a tall and slender man who bore similarities to Frank, but with a more oval chin, two dark thick brown eyebrows above his pair of eyes, and light wrinkles underneath his eyes. His hair was messy, with a pencil mustache, and he wore glasses. His wife, Mrs. Ramirez, was a beautiful slim woman with lighter skin like her son, long black hair tied up in a tight low bun, two pairs of eyelashes, and eyebrows.
Mrs. Ramirez pulled out her phone and opened her text messages, hoping that her text to Frank would have reached him. However, there was no response. This made the woman cry, with her husband hugging her for comfort.
Needless to say, losing their son was something that had been extremely tough on them. However, they had no one to blame but themselves. This was all their fault, in more ways than one. The Ramirez knew that their son was gone because they pushed him away, blaming him for their unfortunate circumstance, and now they understood it was horribly wrong of them.
During the time last year when Frank was arrested, the family was experiencing a bad moment in their lives when they lashed out. The financial struggles they were experiencing, and the added stress from work boiled over when the police told them their side of the story. But that's no excuse for how they treated Frank.
Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez only realized their horrible mistake of lashing at him, refusing to hear his side of the story, and putting up a wall between them for a year when Frank disappeared. Especially when the investigation into his disappearance had brought to light the corruption that had been going on in the courthouse. As it turned out, the franchise owner of the company that made the stolen shoes used his influence to pay off the judge and jury to get Frank thrown in juvy. Once it was found out, the fat bastard, as Mr. Ramirez called him, was arrested, with multiple charges, related and unrelated to Frank, being placed on him.
Justice was served, but only one of Frank's charges was lifted. The assault charge was cleared from Frank's records, but the theft charge remained unless the real thief was found. When the man that ruined their son's life was finally behind bars, it brought the family little comfort and happiness.
Frank was still gone. They may never hear his voice again. See him hit another home run. Laugh as he tells them a joke to lighten up their spirits. But most of all, to tell him how sorry they were.
When the two adults stopped crying, they heard someone coming up behind them and turned to see it was Mr. Ramirez's mother, Rachel Ramirez. Accompanied by the family dog, Roger. She looked at her son and daughter-in-law sadly, with the lemon beagle whimpering sadly. Out of all the people, she was the one to hold the strongest belief that the kids would return and that God himself would guide them back home.
The parents turned back to the missing posters. They placed a hand on the boy they loved so much, yet threw away. Praying to have him back in their arms again.
Mr. Ramirez licked his lips before speaking, praying to God that his son would hear it wherever he was. "Frank, mijo, we're so sorry for everything," he said, shaking his head. "I know you may never forgive us, and you have every right not to. But please, please, know we love you, and we want to make things right. Please come home to us, mijo."
Soon the three adults and one dog left to go back home. Not knowing that their son was in another world of walking, talking frogs with his best friend. But deep in their hearts, they know that their son will never stop fighting to make it home.