Lone Warrior and the Three Calamities (AmphibiaxRC9GN)

Summary:

First day with a new friend. What could go wrong?

Chapter Text

The Anne Way

The sun rose over the horizon, signaling a new day in the town of Wartwood and all of its inhabitants. Among them was Randy, who woke up as the light of the sun peered into the Plantar living room. He rubbed his eyes, getting his bearings from everything around him. He remembered his arrival and the news of his grandfather's passing, meeting Anne and staying with the Plantars for the time being. It all seemed like a dream that had been turned into a weird nightmare, but he knew it was real. Those things were not something you just make up before you go to bed. Not to mention that sleeping on the couch meant that there was no weird dream.

He got up, cracking his bones and stretching up his body. Letting out a tired sigh, he got ready to face the day. And what better way to do so than with running some drills like he'd done for the last ten years. It was the thing he was most comfortable with. Not just as a way to keep himself ready for anything, but also because it was the only way to rationalize how much his life had changed in the last few days. Even if change was inevitable, he had to get his head straight and ready for what was now his reality.

"Alright, Randy, you got this." Randy muttered to himself as he put on his clothes and walked out of the Plantar house. "Time to get back in the groove of things."

Just as he was about to head to the door, his ears caught the sound of snoring. He opened up the latch going down to the basement and there she was. The only other human in all of Amphibia as far as he knew, Anne, sleeping like an angel and snoring like a stag beetle with pneumonia. His hand reached out to touch her, making sure that she was real, but he stopped himself. Anne was as human as him and he'd already made a messy first impression. He needed to let herself open up to him, and that meant giving her some space.

After closing the latch and leaving through the front door, Randy swiftly made his way back to his old house as the rest of the Plantars started waking up.

"Hey, wasn't Randy sleeping on the couch?" Sprig asked.

Randy ran all the way up the mountain as the traps were set off around him. He wore weights around his arms and legs, keeping him from taking things too easily. Unsheathing his sword, he blocked the flying knives cutting through the air like arrows. Every step he took had been drilled into his body, mind and soul that he could run through the course with a bandage over his eyes and still know what was going on. But that didn't stop him from increasing the difficulty.

He slid down underneath the swinging logs heading for his head. He jumped over the next log before using his hands to push himself high onto the tree branches. Upon landing on one branch he swung towards another and another, using his scarf to swing like a monkey in the jungle. It was both liberating as it was a great form of training. But the branches had its own traps and difficulties for him to dodge and move around from.

The sound of arrows flying through the air caught his attention. He swung his sword at them, blocking the sharp tips from getting anywhere close to him. More arrows came from the sides, forcing him to jump back and swiftly swing his sword against them. The sparks shined in his eyes, making him see the world in a clearer light. His arms, legs and muscles had grown so strong that he could easily keep up with the faster traps that would've gotten him a few cuts in the past.

He quickly took off, reaching the several trap pits that laid between him and the finish line. He jumped and hopped around the pits, avoiding the triggers from the last traps. He spun in the air before landing by the finishing line like so many times before.

"Oh yeah! New record!" Randy cheered, sheathing his sword.

With a cocky smile on his face, he turned, expecting his grandfather to be there to congratulate him.

But he was alone…

"Right," Randy said. "No one's waiting for me up here." His head dropped as he sat down on the ground.

For the shortest time, he was happy once more, but now he had to face the truth: He was the last Norushi. And as such, he had a responsibility to his home and the people living in it. Heading to the ancestral grave, he knelt down before pressing his palms together in respect. It still felt weird doing this without his grandfather, but there was no other way to feel that he was in a better place looking out for him.

"Hey grandpa, it's still weird that you're not here. Guess I'm still in shock from it all." Randy spoke. "I'm now the protector of this town and I need to be there for them. And I guess that includes Anne. Did I tell you about her? I think I did, she's the first human I've met since arriving here. But I'm not sure she likes me, she threw a shoe at me last night. I gotta know more about her, she could teach me how humans work. Nothing will be solved by mopying. Please, watch out for me, grandpa." Randy bowed before the gravestone.

"Where the heck have you been, young man?" Hop Pop scolded Randy.

Randy returned to the Plantar house only to get the sight of a slightly ticked off Hop Pop, a curious Sprig and Polly with a rolling pin.

"Sorry, Hop Pop, I went out for my morning training routine," Randy apologized. "Force of habit, you know?"

"Guess that's true. Just give us a heads up," Hop Pop said. "After all you're not gonna leave us alone with our other guest, will you?" Hop Pop pointed to the basement as Anne;s snores came out.

"She's still asleep?" Randy asked. "It's almost nine." He and the Plantars went down to the basement to see Anne still asleep.

They watched her messy hair fluff around the pillow of her sleeping mattress while some drool dripped from the side of her mouth. Her chest heaved up and down in a breathing rhythm that could only match that of someone in complete relaxation and tranquility. Even if she looked like her body was sprawled like roadkill.

Randy and the Plantars exchanged looks. Neither party knew what to do. To Randy, watching Anne sleep filled him with curiosity. He'd wondered if he'd ever looked like that when he slept. Did he snore like that? Did he drool like her? Was his chest ever that-?

"I'm gonna poke her." Sprig reached for Anne's face.

Randy caught his hand.

"Don't, you could scare her off," Randy said. "She could react violently to that."

"Besides, you never wake a lady up, Sprig. Especially by poking her." Hop Pop added. "That's just dang rude."

"Can I whack her then?" Polly holding up her rolling pin.

Just then Anne sprung awake, making everyone jump back slightly. She panted as though she'd just gotten out of a nightmare. It seemed like she was just now regaining her understanding of her situation, or the dream was so vivid that she hadn't noticed them yet. Letting out a sigh, she wiped the sweat from her brow before talking.

"Guys, guys, I just had a crazy dream that I was in some strange world full of talking frogs and a ninja guy. He was kinda hot in the classic anime boy type, but kinda creepy too." She turned around expecting to see someone else, only to spot Randy and the Plantars looking at her. "Oh crap, it wasn't a dream."

"And a good morning to you too," Randy relaxed as Hop Pop ribbited.

"Morning Anne!" Sprig waved at her only for Hop Pop to pull him back.

"Easy boy, we still don't know much about her. No need to excite her," Hop Pop said. "Well, Anne, how did you sleep?"

"Um, okay, I guess. What's going on here?" Anne asked.

"We were wondering if you were okay since you hadn't woken up." Randy knelt down next to her.

"And we wanted to make sure that you weren't gonna eat us." Polly hopped on top of Sprig's head with the rolling pin in hand. "Just so you know, I will make it hurt every single step of the way. If not, Randy will avenge us."

Anne cringed at the thought of eating the talking frogs.

"No offense, but I don't eat anything that doesn't shower." Anne pointed to the still smelly Hop Pop.

"Fair point. I'll go get some breakfast ready," Hop Pop said. "Randy, go take a shower, Sprig, stay with Anne and show her the ropes of the farm."

Randy quickly jumped in, clearing his throat.

"Um, Hop Pop, maybe I should help out Sprig. I mean, she is human like me." Randy argued. "Besides, I know what it's like to have plenty of questions about Amphibia."

Hop Pop thought about it for a second. Randy was the eldest of the kids barring Anne, and he'd lived a lot longer in Amphibia than Anne. Sprig had helped Anne and vouched for her back when they first met her and that showed his growing sense of responsibility. However, the thought of leaving his impressionable grandson with a strange older girl made him slightly uneasy. Almost as uneasy as two humans of apparently the same age being left alone with no supervision. The last thing he wanted was his basement to be turned into some kind of swamp fever love nest.

"Okay, you two help her out, but no funny business." Hop Pop walked up the stairs with Polly. "Breakfast will be ready shortly.

"Just give me a reason to use old Doris here." Polly tapped the rolling pin like a baseball bat.

"I think the little one wants to kill me," Anne said before turning to Randy and Sprig. "So, what's up?"

"The ceiling," Sprig answered.

"Um, not a lot. Look, I know that this can be very intense for the first time, but if you need help, you can ask anything and I'll do my best to answer it." Randy scratched the back of his neck before puffing his chest.

Anne couldn't help but giggle at Randy's whole shtick. She had to admit that he was a little weird, but she couldn't blame him if he had spent the last ten years in a freaky strange land. Which reminded her of a few questions she wanted to ask him.

"Actually, I do got one: How did you get here in the first place?" Anne asked.

Randy pulled out a necklace from under his shirt. It was the music key tied up with a chain.

"This was amongst my parent's possessions. One minute I was holding it, the next minute I was here." Randy showed it to Anne. "It doesn't do anything now, but I keep it around just in case. How did you get here?"

"Uh." Anne looked away from Randy, unsure of how to answer. "No clue, dude. One sec I'm here and the next I get isekaied here. At least I didn't see the truck for this one, am I right?" She laughed at her own joke.

But it went over Randy and Sprig's heads. They looked at each other before shrugging.

"Wait, you seriously have no idea what I'm talking about? Didn't you watch any anime?" Anne asked. "You're a freaking ninja!"

"I prefer the term Mystic Warrior in Training." Randy leaned back. "But yeah, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't know anime? Videogames? Movies? Boba drinks? Hot dogs?" Anne grabbed Randy by his shirt, bringing him close to her face. "Tell me at least you know what a cell phone is!"

"Um, I do know a few of those things, but I never had a cell phone." Randy shrugged. "I was six when I came here. Who gives a six-year-old a cell phone?"

Anne released Randy, her face as blank as the face of a kid that had just been told that Santa Claus wasn't real. It came to her like a lightning bolt. Randy hadn't just been in Amphibia for ten years, he'd missed out on Earth and a normal teenage life for ten years!

"So, what has your life been like in the past ten years?" Anne asked.

"Well, I trained to be a warrior like my grandfather, I learned to survive in Amphibia, studied the yokai, how to fight off the giant monsters, learned the values of honor, responsibility and traditions." Randy went through the list. "I got accepted by the town and went off to the Eastern Toad Tower for three years, and now I'm back. Pretty much my whole life since arriving here in Amphibia. But I bet it isn't any crazier than your life back home, right?" Randy smirked, feeling like it was only fair to toot his own horn at all he'd done.

Anne however could only look at him with shock and astonishment. Everything that he'd just told her was something straight out of an anime or a fantasy novel that Marcy would gush about every single day. And yet he was there, sitting back before her like he'd never even thought that was crazy. Most teenagers their age were more worried about saving up for a car and not getting humiliated at school, but she didn't think that this guy had even set foot in a high school or a classroom. It was the definition of awesome as well as crazy. There she was talking to a real-life anime protagonist and she couldn't help but wonder one thing.

"Dude, are you for real? That doesn't sound like anything a normal human would do!" Anne grabbed him by the face, pulling him close. "What kind of horrors have you had to face to survive here?!"

"Didn't you hear the whole list?" Randy looked away, feeling his face light up from the closeness to a girl.

"It doesn't sound so bad." Sprig hopped on top of Anne's head. "I wish life in Wartwood were half that cool sometimes."

"You don't get it, Sprig. Randy has been cheated from having a normal teenage life." Anne looked at Sprig before they looked at Randy. "He doesn't know the feeling of calm that washes over you when you drink a cappuccino with sprinkles, he doesn't know the rush of oversleeping and then rushing to school, he doesn't know the consuming passion of a fandom and watching awesome movies at the movie theater!"

"Whoa, those sound good!" Sprig said.

"But don't you worry, Randy!" Anne pulled Randy close to her with one arm. "I will show you the way. The Anne Way!"

"The Anne Way!" Sprig joined in.

"I feel endangered," Randy said.

"You should!" Anne added.

Randy and Sprig sat down on the couch as Anne pulled out a lot of things from her backpack, laying them down before them like an exhibition of multiple oddities. Sprig couldn't help but look at all the different things with wonder, like little treasures laid out before him to gush over. Randy, however, recognized some of the things that laid before him from his time before coming to Amphibia. And his reaction was less interesting and more along the lines of confusion.

He'd seen the objects before him many times over, but they never held that much sway over him. At least, he never developed any big interest in such objects. But he figured that this was the best way to connect with Anne and his human heritage, even if he liked who he was. So, he sat down and watched with a studious eye as Anne explained the many wonders of human teenage life and all its unknown horrors.

"Now, Randy, as humans grow, you'll notice your body changing and coming into its own," Anne explained. "And in order to fully achieve that, you need to embrace pop culture and media! Magazines of pop and movie stars and their scandals. Trendy foods and clothing styles will dictate your life and style. And the most important part of your life is this: your phone!" Anne showed Randy the objects one by one.

"Okay, I see what you're saying, but how does this small box control my everyday life?" Randy asked, looking at the strange screen with a picture of Domino on it. "And why does it have a picture of a cat?"

"That's my cat, Domino, she's a feisty one." Anne pulled up several pictures of her cat.

"Awe. She's adorable." Sprig pulled out a hammer. "I will set her free!" Randy snatched the phone before Sprig could crush it.

"Wait, this is a phone? Where are all the buttons?" Randy looked over the phone in search of the buttons, but found none.

"That's because phones are now fitted with touch screens and lots more things to do than just make calls." Anne pulled up all the multitude of apps, pictures and videos she had on her phone much to Randy's surprise. "Phones are now an invaluable part of life. Go ahead and sample some of the wonders of the phone."

Randy couldn't help but feel drawn to the multiple icons and apps that were on the phone. It had been so long since he'd seen electricity and video games that he was almost wondering if it was all a dream. His eyes soon landed on a gaming app he recognised: Grave Puncher.

"Grave Puncher, I haven't played this game in ages." Randy pressed the app.

"Play on my dude, embrace the gaming system." Anne smirked. "Just don't get too discouraged if you lose, I know it's been like many ages since you even so much as looked at a screen and-"

"NEW HIGH SCORE! RANDY IS NEW CHAMPION!"

"Say wha?" Anne looked at the screen as Randy pummeled through the game like it was nothing. "Dude you tripled my high score, it took me days to get to that level! Are you like part computer-wiz or something?"

"Nope, just good old finger skills." Randy handed the phone over to Anne. "It was fun to play a video game again." His eyes went through the magazine on the table, before quickly glossing over it.

He tried to look into Anne's world and learn more about it from the years he'd been away from Earth, but some of the stuff just wasn't for him. But it was important to Anne, so he played along with her strange ideas and stranger concepts. She pointed to the different gossips of the human world that seemed to entice and bring out the interest in her and he tried to understand why they were important. He'd never met those people nor seen their work, which meant that their privat drama made no sense to him. Human culture just seemed like a strange concept to him as a whole.

It wasn't that he had forgotten his roots or his way of life before coming to Amphibia, he'd just got invested in other things as he was raised in the most crazy world he'd ever been on. He had trained to become a warrior to survive the world around him and now he had to face the dangers that came as the protector of Wartwood. But he would at least try to understand human culture.

At least Sprig seemed to be into all the human stuff and junk, even if it was playing around with a normal writing pen.

"And that is why you need to always dress to impress." Anne posed like a rockstar similar to the picture in the magazine.

"No offense Anne, but you have stuff in your hair and missing one shoe." Randy chuckled before his eyes landed on a picture poking from the backpack.

He took it out and saw Anne standing between two other girls, one blonde and one with black hair. They all had the same uniform and seemed to be close to one another.

"Who are they?" Randy handed Anne the picture. "The girls that are with you in the picture."

"Oh, those are my bestest friends Sasha and Marcy." Anne pointed to them in the picture. "We did everything together and they… were with me when I got transported here." She looked away remembering the dream she'd had that morning.

Randy looked down, wondering if what she'd said meant that they were also here in Amphibia.

"So, they could be here?" Randy asked.

"I mean, maybe. After the flash of light, I was alone in the middle of a swamp on my lonesome." Anne sighed, leaning on the couch while looking at the ceiling. "I gotta find them before I can find a way back home. They're my bestest friends inl the whole world."

"I'm sure they're fine." Sprig said. "If they're half as tough as you and Randy then they should be fine. And in the meantime, we'll be your friends."

Randy could tell the girl missed her friends and the familiarity of her home. He could relate in a way, which was why he was willing to give the human thing a try. But the least he could do was help in making her feel more at home.

"So, this whole boba thing, what's it made of? Because it looks a lot like this shnasty drink with critter eggs." Randy pulled up the picture.

"Sh-what now?" Anne looked at him. "Dude, did you make up your own slang? That's hilarious." Anne bumped his shoulder, making him flinch slightly.

"Hey, I at least go against the grain. Howard often said it was more colorful than saying 'frog' all the time." Randy countered. "We got into all sorts of messes together. And we even played a few pranks on Bufo like a lot."

"Now that's some Earth stuff right there!" Anne pointed out. "I can show you some more stuff, like tennis or baseball or some other sports out of here if you want."

"That sounds awesome!" Sprig hopped on Randy's shoulder. "Let's go and have fun!"

"To the movies!" Anne screamed.

"There aren't any movies here, Anne." Sprig pointed out. "Or amusement parks, or water parks, or any of the stuff in your magazines really."

Anne deflated like a balloon from the news. She was really looking forward to seeing what she could show Randy to really let him embrace human culture. It also made for a great excuse to look for any leads on her friends and get out of the basement.

"But there is a lake not far from here," Randy said. "Is it still open to everyone?"

"Heck yeah! We could totally go there!" Sprig cheered.

"Works for me!" Anne regained her enthusiasm. "Just let me go change!" She snatched all her stuff before running down to the basement.

A short while later, Anne came out of the basement wearing a one-piece black swimming suit with green sides and straps over her shoulders, a pair of pink trunks, green sandals, sunscreen on her face and a towel under her arm. Despite all questions on how she had all that in her backpack, she was ready to hit the lake.

Randy's eyes couldn't move from the sight of her and her body. She was curvy and very attractive in all senses of the word. After a long time without human contact, it took all of Randy's will to keep himself from staring at her. Something he failed to do in an epic fashion.

"You okay, Randy?" Anne asked, noticing his blush.

"Oh, um, yeah, yeah, all cool." Randy looked away, using his scarf to cover his face. "This is gonna be so bruce."

"Who's 'Bruce'?" Anne asked.

"No idea," Sprig shrugged. "But let's hit the lake!"

The trio headed for the door, only for Hop Pop to stop them flat.

"And where do you three think you're going?" Hop Pop crossed his arms.

"Um, to the lake, dude." Anne pointed outside. "Can't stay locked inside all day long."

"Anne, you poor unsuspecting gentle soul. You may have good intentions, but Wartwood is the kind of town that is very set in its ways. And it treats all outsiders like they either have the plague or they are bound to cause trouble." Hop Pop turned to the window, cracking a small gap to see outside. "They like to keep to themselves and some are very, very paranoid. You just got here, so you gotta take it easy. They'll accept you soon enough after they've gotten used to your presence."

Anne looked at Randy, pleading with her eyes for him to tell her that Hop Pop was exaggerating. But he did not give her such comfort, as much as he wished he could give her false hope.

"They tried to run me out of town when I was six. But they started to tolerate me after a few months and then they finally accepted me when I was around ten." Randy admitted, making Anne's mouth hang low.

"So, until then, it's safe for Anne to be outside, you three will stay here." Hop Pop locked the door. "Now, I'll be in my study if anyone needs me." He walked into his study, leaving the two teens and the young frog to their own devices.

"Man, Hop Pop's getting hit with the worry bug," Randy said. "Don't worry, Anne, two or three days will pass on quickly. I can even teach you a few things about town to better fit in."

"Yeah, and in the meantime, we have some board games we can play or we could eat some of Hop Pop's special chilly peppers." Sprig pulled out a glowing red pepper from a barrel.

"Aren't those so hot you wish you were dead?" Randy winced, remembering the first time he tried one.

"The very same." Sprig took a bite out of one before screaming and running around the house like a mad man. "Someone please kill me!"

Randy swung his scarf at Sprig, wrapping him tightly before pulling him down. He jumped to the fridge and poured down a whole glass of milk down Sprig's throat. The little frog stopped thrashing and screaming from the stinging sensation that had invaded his throat. With a sigh released from his throat, Randy placed Sprig down on the ground.

"That was fun," Sprig said. "Who's next?" He pulled out another pepper from his vest.

"No dude. I am going to the lake!" Anne stood defiant.

"Didn't you hear Hop Pop? We're to stay here until everything settles," Randy said. "Besides, it's not all that bad. I know a few things we could do here." Anne grabbed Randy's shoulders, stopping him right there.

"Let me stop you right there, Randy. Next lesson on normal teenagers: Whenever an adult or an authority figure tells you not to do something the more you gotta do it." She poked Randy's chest. "Besides, he won't find out we went out. It'll be a quick dip in the lake and no one will be the wiser. Come on, you wanna stay cooped up with all that energy and ninja skills you got?"

"No…" Randy hated to admit it, but her words rang true in a part of his mind. It wouldn't be the first time he'd disobeyed orders, even if the one giving the orders was a glory hound that only liked to bark orders.

"It is the duty of every teen to rebel against authority." Anne added. "Now, all we need is that key and we're scott free."

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Sprig hopped.

"Alright, let's do this." Randy smirked.

"Heck yeah! Now, let's go rob an old man!" Anne called out.

Randy, Anne and Sprig silently made their way to Hop Pop's study. Randy silently opened the door, spotting Hop Pop reading a book in silence. The young ninja turned to his friends, signalling them to be quiet and to follow him. They tip toed silently across the room with Randy taking the lead. As the one trained the most in stealth, he reached out to snatch the key from the old frog's pocket. Just as he was about to reach for Hop Pop's pocket, Sprig knocked over a vase.

Anne caught the vase before it fell. They both turned to the small pink frog.

"Sometimes shadows knock stuff over." Sprig smiled sheepishly.

"Not really," Anne said.

Just then, they heard snoring. The trio turned to Hop Pop, only to see him sleeping with his eyes wide open. They couldn't believe it. Randy waved his hand over Hop Pop's eyes only to see no reaction.

"Huh, that's a new one." Randy made sure that Hop Pop wasn't faking.

"Yeah, it happens sometimes. Works great as a scarecrow though," Sprig said as Anne snatched the key.

"Who wants to go to the lake?" Anne twirled the key in her finger.

"Us please." Sprig raised his hand.

Randy, Anne and Sprig made their way to the lake before anyone could spot them. Randy and Sprig hopped and swung from the branches while Anne kept up with them from below. It was far more cardio than what she was used to but it meant that they were having fun like normal teenagers. So, everything evened out at the end for her.

She looked at Randy as he swung through the trees like a swamp Tarzan, it was amazing. Even for all the differences and strange behavior, he was probably the coolest guy she'd ever met. And another plus of going to the lake was that she could see more of him.

Soon enough, the lake came into view. It was a sight straight out of a fantasy book for them. Crystal waters, large lily pads and flowers all over the lake. It looked better and more welcoming than any pool Anne had ever seen and that only made her want to go in and have a dip all the more.

"Whoa, look at that beauty." Anne was stunned by the lake. "Last one is a rotten egg!" She jumped in cheer.

Randy and Sprig landed behind her only to notice something that wasn't there before. Their eyes widened before they caught Anne by the arms.

"Whoa, hold up, Anne," Randy said. "Look, something's not right." He pointed to a sign that had been hastily written.

The sign read 'stay away' with bright red letters that looked to have been written by someone that ran away from something. Not a good sign.

"This wasn't here before," Sprig said. "And it looks like whoever wrote it, did so in a hurry."

Randy gripped his sword, keeping his eyes out for any movement that could be considered a threat. Narrowing his eyes, he searched for anything that could stand out, anything that could tell him what was so dangerous that someone would put a sign to warn others about it. He got between Anne, Sprig and the lake, making sure that they were at a safe distance just in case.

"I'll try to find out what's wrong. You guys stay back." Randy pulled down his mask, meaning he was serious. "If I tell you to run, you run."

"Whoa, whoa, Randy, chillax man." Anne ran up in front of him. "There's nothing wrong here. I bet whoever put that sign up did it to keep the lake all to themselves. I bet there's nothing wrong here." Anne tried to take a plunge into the lake, but Randy and Sprig pull her back with their scarf and tongue respectfully.

"Anne, maybe we shouldn't be here. There is a chance that this could be a yokai or a giant creature." Sprig argued.

"He's right, Anne. As protector of this town, I can't ignore this being a danger to the town or you." Randy argued.

"Dude, I've seen this plenty of times. Back on Earth, my friend Sasha always put up signs like this to keep others away." Anne smacked the sign. "This one time she wanted to have the whole ice cream parlor to ourselves and she tricked the owner to go check on his car and put the closed sign."

Randy and Sprig couldn't help but feel like that was the wrong thing to do. And that maybe Anne's friends were a little bit on the criminal side of things.

"I don't know Anne, this doesn't seem like a prank," Sprig said.

"He's right, step away from the water and let me check if it's safe." Randy tried to walk around Anne. "It is my responsibility."

Anne groaned at their words. It was almost like anything related to responsibility was a curse word to her.

"There you guys go again, this isn't the real thing. I thought you guys wanted to be my friends," Anne said.

"What does that have to do with you getting into something dangerous?" Randy asked.

Anne knew that she had to explain things to Randy. Friendship in Amphibia must be different than on Earth. So better to set the record straight before anything else happened. Especially if it helped her and Randy be friends, she could really use one while in Amphibia.

"Look, friendship is a give and take relationship. Your friend likes your shoes, you give them to them, if they need a pen, you get them one, and if your friend wants you to steal a weird box from a thrift shop even if you don't want to, you do it. Because if you don't then they might not want to be your friend anymore." Anne looked away from the boys, turning to see the lake with a downer expression.

Randy and Sprig didn't need to look at each other to guess what the other was feeling. The shame and pity that Anne felt about the topic of friendship was hard to miss. Whoever her friends had been, they didn't sound very cooperative or liked to let others do their own thing. Despite their instincts telling them that things were dangerous and they should use caution, they also knew that Anne needed an actual friend in this world. They both knew all too well what it was like to be in her shoes, with Randy being a human as well and Sprig tending to freak out the other kids with his wild imagination and his desire for adventure. They were weirdos and outcasts just like her. That only left them one thing to do.

"Cannonball!" Sprig hopped over Anne, landing in the lake with a big splash. "Come on you cowards, who wants to have some fun in the sun!"

"Hold up, I gotta get my suit off!" Randy took off his clothes, leaving himself in only a pair of trunks.

Anne couldn't help but blush at his strong and muscularly sculpted body as he ran past her and into the waters with Sprig. She shook her head, getting her mind back in the game. She jumped into the waters to swim with her friends. It wasn't like back home, but the waters were cool, clean and she didn't mind the company at all. The fear and weirdness that she'd seen and experienced seemed to melt away as she embraced more of the old ways from back home. Though she still missed her friends, she was gonna make the most out of everything that was going on with her life.

"Woo hoo! Let's have some fun, guys!" Anne screamed as they all cheered and had fun with her. "Best Lake Day Ever!"

They splashed at each other with water as they laughed without a care in the world. The crystalline waters were the best place they could ask for to have fun. They started by seeing who was the best swimmer of the three, unimpressively, Sprig won with ease as the two humans tied in second place. Though Anne had the sneaky suspicion that Randy had gone easy on her. They then moved on to pretending to have a tea party under the water, acting like they were drinking tea and toasting with one another in good nature. Then they spotted a water bug drinking water not far from where they were swimming. They flashed each other a mischievous smirks as Randy grabbed his scarf. The three of them climbed on top of a branch, waiting for the waterbug to get under them. Once it was close enough, Randy wrapped his scarf around its head before it took off. They jumped on top of it as it took off at high speeds like a jetski. The water splashed them as they rode the large bug through the lake. It moved quickly, forcing them to hold on tightly to one another in the hopes of staying above the water. They ran in circles, trying to hold on to the waterbug with their hands and Randy's scarf to stay afloat. It was scary. It was fast. But above all else it was fun for all of them. Until the waterbug tossed them off of it and into a tree branch it then used to have them hit over and over.

Apart from the bruises and the slip ups, everything was fun and worry free. Randy had to admit that it had been a long time since he'd felt like that and he liked it. It took him back to a time that had no responsibilities nor expectations that needed to be met by anyone. The nostalgic feeling was blinding and almost made him feel like he didn't need to do anything other than to have fun.

"Man, I haven't had this much fun in ages." Randy rubbed his head.

"Dude, welcome to being a teenager. Nothing but fun and no responsibilities," Anne said. "Now all we need is a photo to commemorate this moment. Get ready to have this immortalized." Anne pulled out her phone.

"Time to live forever!" Sprig hopped.

Randy, Anne and Sprig huddled together as she turned her phone's camera into selfie mode.

"Alright, everyone say 'Cheese' at three." Anne instructed. "1… 2…"

"Um, Anne, what's that?" Sprig asked, pointing to what was behind them in the picture.

Randy looked at what Sprig was pointing to and his eyes shrunk at the sight.

Behind them there was the large head of an aquatic snake with brown scales, glowing orange slitted eyes and large fangs that poked out of its mouth. It lifted itself from the depths of the lake, towering over the trio with its large fin sprouting from its back. It eyed at them as its tongue tasted the air around it with a light hiss.

"Okay, so maybe there was a good reason for that sign." Anne looked at the snake with fear in her eyes.

The lake serpent roared at them, showing its curved razor sharp teeth and forked tongue at its prey. It sprung at them like a coiled spring, intending to swallow them all in one fell swoop.

Randy grabbed his friends, jumping out of the beast's way as it tore through the lilypad they had just been on. He tossed his scarf at one of the nearby branches as the snake chased after them like a bat out of hell. He swung over to the branches of the nearby trees, dodging the snake's teeth. He jumped to the lily pads, landing on one just as the snake's tail flipped it over. The three of them ran over to the next lily pad and then to the next, dodging the large tail. Randy spotted another branch not far from where they were. He grabbed hold of his friends just as the serpent plunged down into the waters. He swung them on his scarf, seeing a path out of the danger they were in. But the snake came up from below, forcing Randy to jump back with his friends hanging onto him. Landing on another lilypad, he watched the snake circle around them, waiting for its moment to strike. Instinctively, he reached for his sword, only to remember it being back on the shore. He looked back, seeing it prime and ready to fight, but they needed to get there before the snake could get them.

"We need to keep moving, this snake is hungry and it wants us for its snack." Randy kept his eyes peeled for any sudden movements. "Get ready to run."

"Oh man, this is all my fault!" Anne freaked out. "I should've listened to you two! And now we're gonna be snake food."

Sprig punched Anne in the arm.

"Ow, dude, I already feel bad." Anne snapped.

"Friend punch. Anne, you made a mistake, a dangerous mistake sure, but friends help friends no matter what." Sprig helped Anne to her feet.

"That's right. I don't know how your other friendships work, Anne, or how they work on Earth," Randy began. "But here, friends have your back. Even if you stumble, you get up and learn to take responsibility for your actions. So no more crying or whining, we're getting out of this and we're killing this thing before it eats anyone else." Randy glared at the sight of the snake poking out its head.

Anne smiled, feeling their words reach her. She got up to her feet, knowing that it was do or die if they were to get out of this. But they needed a plan to keep the snake off of them and get back to the shore.

"Okay, so what do we do? Swing back to the shore?" Anne asked.

Sprig then remembered something in his vest's pocket.

"I got an idea. But I need you guys to trust me." Sprig and the rest watched the snake coil up around them, keeping them from escaping.

"I trust you buddy," Anne said.

"You really gotta ask?" Randy asked, getting his scarf ready to fight.

"Okay, great Anne, give me a lift, Randy get ready to pull me back." Sprig hopped onto Anne's hands.

"Wait, what-?" Randy asked, but it was too late.

Anne tossed Sprig as high as she could, getting the snake's attention. The beast sprung to eat Sprig whole, but Randy quickly snatched the little frog from the jaws of death just as they were about to shut down on him.

"What in the name of frog were you thinking?!" Randy snapped at Sprig. "It could've killed you, you shoob!"

"Look again!" Sprig pointed to the snake.

The snake's eyes began to water as smoke started coming out of its nostrils. It coughed and gagged as though something was stuck in its throat that burnt it badly.

"Sprig," Randy began.

"So hot they'll make you wish you were dead." Sprig pulled out one of the peppers. "I stuffed like four down its throat."

"Works for me, let's go!" Anne grabbed her boys and they took off back to the shore with haste.

The trio ran away, swimming and jumping from lily pad to lily pad in order to escape the lake serpent. They did everything to get as much distance between them and the beast. But even as the snake twisted and turned and huffed and roared in pain with fire spewing out of its mouth, it turned its sights to them. Its eyes narrowed at the teens and the little frog with only one thought in mind: Vengeance!

The serpent swam towards them with anger burning in its eyes. It roared at them, catching their attention. They swam faster, trying to get to the shore of the lake before it could reach them. Their kicks and paddling got them close to the shore. They could see their stuff not that far from where they were, but the serpent was already upon them. Casting a large shadow of death, it made its move. It sprung from the crystalline waters, opening its jaws to eat them whole once more.

Randy swung his scarf at his sword, snatching it. With a mighty pull, he unsheathed it. The light of the sun shone reflected on the blade as Randy snatched it from the air. He turned to face the serpent, holding his sword up for one deadly clear strike. Jumping on top of one of the lily pads, he sprinted with great speed on top of the lily pad until he was right underneath the serpent's jaw and throat. Time slowed down as Randy spotted the best angle to strike.

"Norushi Style," Randy said. "Rising Tide Strike!" Randy jumped at the serpent's neck with his sword pulled back as he gripped it with both hands.

His blade sliced through the air like a powerful strike, cutting anything in its path. Like a tidal wave crashing down on the rocks on the shore, the blade sliced clean through the serpent's scales and neck. Randy landed back down on the lake as the snake's body and severed head fell down on the shore of the lake.

Anne and Sprig watched the dead serpent's head bite down in anything with whatever strength it had left. They then turned to Randy as he made his way to them, panting from all the water he'd swallowed.

"Are you two okay?" Randy asked.

"Dude, that… WAS AMAZING!" Anne cheered.

"You chopped that thing's head clean off!" Sprig hopped.

"That was straight out of a Connan comic book!" Anne hugged Randy close to her. "Thanks for saving my neck."

"Um, no, no, problem." Randy cleared his throat, blushing.

Anne looked at his face, wondering what had gotten him so red. It wasn't sunburn and it wasn't blood from the snake he'd just killed. She noticed that he had taken a look at her before looking away. Following the anime logic she'd long been a fan of, she looked down. Her face grew red as she realized her whole body pressing against his manly muscular body. If her swimsuit had been slightly thinner then he would be feeling her completely. But at that moment, it hit her that she was most likely-no, definitely the first ever female of his species to press herself against him. Score another mark for the way of the teenager: awkward touches with the opposite sex.

She released him from her hug, giving him plenty of space. Now sporting a blush of her own, she didn't want to fall into any anime cliches that led to lots of misunderstandings. Besides, there was a chance that she wasn't even his type, despite being a total hunk with a body to match.

"So, um, you kill giant monsters like that every day?" Anne asked.

"Well, not every day but I've had a few run-ins with some big ones," Randy replied. "Nothing to brag about, but I am pretty awesome."

"Y-Yeah," Anne said.

"Um, guys, you okay?" Sprig asked. "Your faces are all red. Is that normal human?"

"Let's go!" Anne picked him up as Randy grabbed the rest of the stuff. "Back to the house before Hop Pop wakes up."

"Right!" Randy ran behind them, trying to keep his eyes from eyeing anything other than the path.

Randy hadn't felt this way before. Sure, he'd been praised and thanked before for his skills. But the way that Anne had hugged him was much warmer than what he'd ever felt before. It was probably because he was finally connecting with another human after so long. And it sort of felt nice to not be alone anymore.

Back at the Plantar house, Hop Pop woke up from his sleeping stupor.

"Wha?! I'm awake!" Hop Pop got up, but felt something missing. "The key! Oh no! Did Anne and Sprig sneak out? Did Randy stop them?! Have they gone into town and started a riot?!"

"Hop Pop?"

Hop Pop turned around, spotting Randy with the key in his hands.

"Everything okay?" Randy asked. "I heard you screaming."

"Is that the key to the door?" Hop Pop checked the lock. "It's still locked."

He then heard grunts coming from the basement. Inside, he spotted Anne and Sprig playing a board game with Anne rolling the dice.

"Come on, mama needs a new pair of shoes." Anne rolled the dice. "Nice! Seriously, I need another pair. Oh, hey Hop Pop." She waved at the old frog.

Hop Pop watched them sternly, waiting to see if there was any tomfoolery.

"So, you three just played board games all day?" Hop Pop asked.

"Pretty much," Anne replied.

"I owe her my first born." Sprig added.

"But the key-?" Hop Pop turned to Randy.

"You must've dropped it by accident." Randy handed it over to him.

Hop Pop shrugged before taking the key back. He then walked away muttering something about shallow pockets and holes he needed to patch up.

Just then Polly hopped down with the rolling pin.

"Aw man, you guys ain't doing nothing." She hopped away, leaving Randy, Anne and Sprig on their own.

They all fell laughing.

"Oh man, that was so close." Anne said. "Guess you have some teenage rebellion in you, Randy." Anne punched Randy's shoulder.

"What can I say? I may be more a native to Amphibia than Earth, but I am still me." Randy smirked. "And being this cool has its perks." He leaned back with his arms crossed behind his head.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted." Sprig fell asleep on Anne's mattress. "Sprig, Anne and Randy against the world. SPRANNDY against the world."

Anne and Randy smiled at Sprig's sleepy from. Even after everything they had done that day, he was still just a kid that needed to sleep. But it was fun. They were friends and maybe that wasn't so bad. Differences and the like aside, they were together on this journey. In honesty, there were worse people to be stuck in a crazy new world with.