It was another day, but this time, Anne, Sprig, and Polly were displeased. But with little options, they went along with Hop Pop, currently sat in Bessie's saddle, but they weren't alone, as Kaemon, Maddie and Ivy also sat with them, Maddie less irritated by this, the whole while Hop Pop whistled blissfully as he drove Bessie down the road.
"I still can't believe you're bringing us to a day care, Hop Pop." Sprig complained.
"Look. I'm sorry, okay? But I have to go to the Annual Crop Convention." Hop Pop said. "It's a long ways away, and I can't leave you kids on the farm alone for the weekend."
"What?" Sprig and Polly exclaimed.
"So why are Anne and I being dragged along?" Kaemon asked.
"Well, Shadow has business out of town and couldn't leave you two on your own." Hop Pop told him. "So, he asked me to drop you off at a day care."
"Ugh! Are you kidding?" Anne groaned, before waving her fist to the sky. "I'll get you back for this, Shadow!"
"Wish I was, Anne. But you kids need supervision. Why, sometimes it feels like we have at least two wacky adventures a week!" Hop Pop told her, saying the last part with a haunting expression.
"So why are Maddie and Ivy here?" Kaemon asked, a thumb pointed at the two female frogs sitting behind them. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I'm just curious."
"Mom insisted that I need to get the energy out." Ivy said with a pout. "Even though I'm too old for a daycare."
"I just wanted to get out of the house." Maddie said with a shrug.
"I wonder what Shadow's doing right now." Anne wondered. "And why didn't he take me along?!"
The snail continued down the road before arriving at their destination, stopping in front of a small house built inside a hill, with a bastion tower standing over it.
"Here we are!" Hop Pop declared as the kids looked up the tower.
The door opened, out stepping a light green newt with lighter shaded spots on his tail, dark-purple hair, a short mustache and goatee. He was dressed in a prim and proper French style that made him look like a teacher.
"Greetings, I am Tritonio Espada, the instructor of this day care." He said in a French accent with a bow.
The kids all looked unimpressed, but Hop Pop seemed confused. "Huh, I thought Briar and Iris Bogwater ran this place." He said.
"The Bogwaters retired last year and sold their business to me." Tritonio said.
"Well in that case, I'm Hopediah Plantar." Hop Pop said before gesturing to his grandkids. "This here is Sprig, Polly," Polly blew out a raspberry as the old frog gestured to Anne. "and Anne. She may be gigantic, but she's also a child."
"Hey!" Anne exclaimed in offense.
"And these two are Ivy and Maddie." The old frog then gestured to Ivy and Maddie before gesturing to Kaemon. "And this here is Kaemon. Please don't be intimidated by his height."
"Not my fault I'm a growing boy!" Kaemon retorted.
"Ah, yes. I shall educate them! Teach them true discipline!" Tritonio declared as he approached Bessie.
"Oh. I like the cut of your jib, Mr. Tray-tony. Did I say that right?" Hop Pop asked, completely mispronouncing the newt's name.
"Absolutely not."
"This isn't so bad, I guess. There is a cool tower." Sprig said, trying to find a silver lining.
"I hear this used to be an old watch tower during the Bog Wars." Ivy said.
"It's certainly aged well." Maddie admitted.
Anne, on the other hand, wasn't convinced. "You guys don't get it. And Tritonio's a teacher, enemy of all that is good."
"Uh, what's so bad about teachers?" Sprig asked, confused.
"Let's just say, me and them don't mix." Anne said, remembering all the times she got into trouble with her teachers. "Teachers. They just don't like me. Probably cuz they're jealous of my carefree spirit."
"But wait, Shadow's your teacher." Ivy pointed out. "How come you don't have issues with him?"
"That's…different." Anne said, hesitating a bit and trying to hide the blush.
"How so?" Sprig asked.
Anne froze, unsure how to answer.
"Well, kids, looks like you're in good hands here with Mr. Tritonio. Hyah!" Hop Pop whipped Bessie's reigns before taking off. "Crop Con, here I come!"
Watching the old frog disappear in the distance, Tritonio faced the kids with a sigh of relief. "Finally. It is just us now. So, let us cast aside these illusions, yes?" With that statement, he grabbed his clothes before tearing them off in one pull, revealing another suit consisting of a vintage red French jacket with a brown belt fastened with a golden buckle and puffy white sleeves. He also wore a pair of long, black-heeled boots and gray pants.
"Whoa!" The kids all said in amazement.
"And this is no mere day care." Tritonio said, kicking the daycare sign to reveal the camp's name. "This is a Combat Crash Course…for kids."
"Yoo-hoo!" Polly cheered.
"Cool!" Sprig exclaimed, just as excited as his sister.
"Well, this took an interesting turn." Kaemon said, Maddie nodding in agreement.
"This whole trip went from a two to a ten in an instant." Ivy said with an excited grin.
"Adults, they shelter their children. I say no!" Tritonio kicked up a stick and grabbed it, the kids watching as he swung it around like a sword. "Teach them to fight. For danger lurks around every corner of Amphibia." He then popped up around the kids. "Stay on your toes! Trust no one! Ah! Look over there!" He yelled, pointing behind Sprig.
"Ah! What is it? Danger?" Sprig asked, panicking as he looked behind him, only to get hit on the head Tritonio's stick, 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.
"I like this guy already!" Ivy declared as she followed behind.
"Hit me again, Tritonio!" Sprig said, laughing as he followed.
"This guy's awesome!" Polly said.
"Eh, we'll see." Anne said, not really eager to begin.
"I doubt I'll learn anything from this guy, but alright." Kaemon shrugged.
"What makes you say that?" Maddie asked.
"I traveled to a large part of Amphibia and fought the best it has to offer." Kaemon told her. "This Tritonio guy won't make a difference."
"You never know when you're gonna learn something new, especially when you least expect it." Maddie replied. "Just give it time."
Kaemon only scoffed. "We'll see."
Upon entering the tower, they were amazed by the interior, lined with many melee weapons, as well as bows and crossbows with many tips, along with a large number of practice dummies.
"Your next lesson is to pick your weapon. Find one that resonates with you." Tritonio said, spreading his arms out.
"Bah, this is amateur hour!" Kaemon scoffed, waving it off. "I've already got the perfect blade." He patted the swords at his sides for emphasis. "Or four."
"Four swords, eh?" Tritonio said, a finger and thumb to his chin as he observed the young newt. "I admit, I've never seen someone using four blades at once before."
"Then you've been missing out, old timer." Kaemon declared proudly.
"I'm not even that old." Tritonio said. "And while your melee skills might be great, what will you do about long range, hm?"
"Psh, long ranged weapons are overrated." Kaemon scoffed. "Besides, I can just deflect the projectiles."
"Take care that such confidence doesn't blind you." Maddie told him. "Besides, having a long-range weapon could give you some options."
Kaemon considered her words before shrugging.
"Yeah!" Polly exclaimed, hopping over to a bucket of mushrooms with skulls painted on them. "Ooh, what are these?"
"Ah, the noble boom shroom." Tritonio said, jumping over to her. And picking up one of the shrooms. "Small, unassuming, but in the right hands..." He then pushed on the stem, causing the boom shroom to blink and make a beeping sound. "Explosive!"
He then threw the boom shroom in the air, the boom shroom exploding into a cloud of blue smoke.
"Oh…" Polly had stars in her eyes,
"Perfect for you, I think." Tritonio said, handing Polly one of the boom shrooms. "Who's next? No wrong answers."
"AMBUSH!" Ivy yelled, leaping at the newt from behind with a naginata, but Tritonio easily sidestepped out of the way, the blade of the weapon hitting the ground.
"An excellent choice." The newt said. "Also, your sneak attack needs work, and less screaming that would alert your targets of your presence."
Anne walked over to a weapon rack, reaching for what looked like the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda, but Tritonio suddenly popped up from behind the rack. "No! Wrong!"
"What? How so?" Anne asked with her fists on her hips.
"From what I have seen, you do not have the dexterity to wield a sword." Tritonio said, stepping out from behind the rack. "Pick something else."
"And how would you know that?" Kaemon asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, I was trained to use a sword before." Anne defended.
"Oh really?" Tritonio smirked. "Then please, proceed.
"Whoa, these are big forks." Sprig said, holding up a pair of sai daggers.
"Those would be sai's, Sprig." Maddie said, picking up a combat sling.
"Ah, excellent choices, you two." The newt said.
Suddenly, there was the sound of explosion nearby, and a laughing Polly had slid into view, laughing like a madman.
"So, what's the next lesson?"
They started off with some sparring lessons, to learn how to hold a sword, as well as blocking and striking, Tritonio pulling out a diagram of a frog holding a sword in various positions. With the exception of Polly, the newt gave the other children with legs training swords to practice against training dummies. Due to already having gone through Shadow's lessons before, Anne and Kaemon already demonstrated excellent skill as they stuck their practice dummies.
"You're doing well, children!" Tritonio said with a smile. "Make sure you swing harder."
They soon moved to a tire-running course. Everyone hopped through it with ease, although Anne had some difficulty, and ended up tripping partially through.
"Wonderful, Sprig! Polly, truly inspiring. Ivy, splendid. Try to apply more speed, Maddie." He soon turned to Kaemon and Anne. "No, Anne, Kaemon. Knees higher!"
The next lesson was monkey bars. Sprig and Ivy used their tongues to swing through, while Maddie and Polly hopped and ran across.
"Sprig, Polly, nice work!" Tritonio said. "Ivy, Maddie, great work!"
It was then Kaemon and Anne's turn, the newt boy going first, with Anne following behind.
"No, Anne, Kaemon. More nimble!" Tritonio called.
Anne grumbled in frustration before the bar she was holding on to broke, causing her to fall, but Kaemon managed to catch her with his tail.
"Kaemon, your tail whip needs more work!"
Kaemon gave the older newt the stink eye before the bar he was hold broke as well, causing both human and newt to fall to the ground.
The next lesson involved climbing to the top of the tower, using the stone blocks sticking out as steps.
"That's it, children!" Tritonio called from below. "Feel the stone beneath your hands, the strong breeze in your hair. Much like the breeze on a fast-moving train."
"That sounds oddly specific." Maddie remarked silently.
"Man, Tritonio's so encouraging." Ivy said with a smile.
"Must be nice." Anne said sarcastically.
"Hey Anne, why don't you use your powers?" Kaemon suggested. "Show him what you're really made of?"
"Shadow said I shouldn't rely on my powers too much." Anne told him. "And who knows how much Tritonio will freak out if he saw."
"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, a sad look on her face.
"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, unknowingly taking her hand off the wall, only to fall screaming until she landed in a bush with a thud.
"You okay, Anne?" Kaemon called, slightly worried.
"Yeah, totally fine!" And said, groaning in pain as she sat up, looking to see Tritonio looking at her with an unimpressed expression.
"Even your fall needs work, Anne." He said before walking away.
Anne sighed in defeat, feeling utterly hopeless.
Later, the sun had set, the moon high in the sky. Having set up a campfire, Tritonio had prepared dinner.
"Here, children, your quinoa macro bowls are ready." He said, handing the children their bowls before noticing that two people were missing and looked around. "Where is the gangly one and the young newt? Do they not like quinoa?"
"Anne said she wanted to be alone." Sprig said.
"And Kaemon went to go check on her." Maddie added.
Tritonio looked towards the tower and squinted, and sure enough, he caught sight of the four-bladed swordsman scaling to the top of the tower.
At the top, Anne sat alone, feeling miserable, when Kaemon popped his head over the edge.
"Room for one more?" He asked with a kind smile.
Anne nodded, Kaemon taking a spot next to her. "Hey, try not to let it get to you." He said to her.
"I just don't get it, man. Why don't teachers like me?" Anne asked.
"I mean, Shadow likes you." Kaemon pointed out. "I don't see how this is any different."
Anne felt her heart beat upon the mention of Shadow's name, a blush on her face, which Kaemon took notice of.
"You've fallen for him, haven't you?" He asked.
Anne hesitated to answer before sighing. "He's the first human I've met ever since I ended up here." She explained. "He's patient, kind, and always ready to give a hand. He's helped me learn how to use my powers, too. He's cute, strong, brave, not to mention honest and I could trust him with anything." She looked up at the stars. "A part of me doesn't want to take advantage of his kindness, but another part of me wants to be…more than friends. I…I really do like him."
"There's nothing wrong with that." Kaemon said. "Still, I doubt you can apply the same logic with Tritonio here, that would be weird."
"Look, we're not here to talk about my complicated feelings for Shadow." Anne said, trying to change the subject. "We're trying to figure out what my teachers have against my carefree spirit!"
Kaemon gave it some thought before answering. "Have you ever thought that maybe it's because you weren't applying yourself?"
"What, like learn all that boring stuff?" Anne asked with a raised brow.
"Look, I had teachers in the past that were tough because I wasn't trying before." Kaemon told her. "Hell, even when Shadow took me in as an apprentice, he had moments where he has it up to here with me." He raised his hand a bit for emphasis. "But if your teachers are ever tough with you, it's mostly because you don't try. They want to see you at your full potential, and not settling for less than their best."
Anne considered the newts words for a moment before they saw Tritonio climb up, holding two bowls of food. "You must eat, children. Only a fool fights on an empty stomach."
Anne looked at Kaemon, who gestured her to go ahead, then looked back at the older newt. "Tritonio, can I ask you something? Why don't you like me?"
Tritonio was taken aback. "What? I like you."
"Oh, come on. You're always being super tough on me for no reason. Just like my teachers back home. Blech." Anne said, sitting on the stone floor.
Upon hearing this, Tritonio laughed. "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."
"Really?" Anne said with wide eyes.
"Indeed. In you, I sense someone that, with a little effort could achieve greatness. And I am sure your teachers back home felt the same way." Tritonio said to her.
Anne smiled at this, realizing that there was truth to the newts words. For as long as she could remembered, she thought she was just making her own choice of not paying attention in class, practicing her own free will, never realizing how it was hurting the teachers to see her waste her own potential.
And her training with Shadow made her realize how much growing up she had to do.
"And now, I believe you are ready for this." Tritonio said, holding out a sword in a golden scabbard.
"Oh, wow!" Anne said as she took the weapon, pulling it from the scabbard, the silver blade glowing blue, having a pointed central ridge and a gold hilt and an intricately designed guard with a lighter golden shade. The pommel was of similar color but also had a flower-like style at the base.
"This blade has been in my family for many years, and now it is yours." He said before turning to Kaemon. "I know you said you're fine with what you have, but I think I found a weapon that would fit you best, young one."
He then pulled out what looked like a silver-colored yumi war bow that had a large blade connected on the longer side, along with a quiver filled with arrows.
"Now that's what I call a war bow!" Kaemon declared, accepting the weapon.
"Get some sleep, you two, for tomorrow, the real training begins. Way-ha-ho!" With that, he the jumped in the air, back-flipped and dived down to the ground.
Anne looked at her reflection on the blade, smiling before sheathing it. She looked to see Kaemon holster the bow over himself, the newt smiling back, the two looking up at the stars.
The next day, the kids were training, while Kaemon was sparring with Anne, the young newt using two of his swords.
"Good! Imagine your opponent is a fearsome assassin. Or perhaps, a meddlesome train conductor." Tritonio said, noticing the two showing similar styles of offensive capabilities.
Anne panted as she and Kaemon circled each other. "Dude, he's too fast." She said.
"Indeed. But when you find yourself outmatched, think outside the box." Tritonio said.
Anne gasped as she ducked under a lunge of Kaemon's sword tail, backing up and retaking a stance. However, her eyes squinted when the sun shone through the window and into her eyes. That's when she got an idea, raising her sword to redirect the sun's ray at the newt.
"Ah!" Kaemon yelled when the light blinded him, giving Anne the opening to charge in and swing her sword, knocking the two blades from Kaemon's hands, knocking him to the ground.
Anne pointed the tip of her sword at Kaemon's chest with a grin, the newt chuckling. "Alright, you win this time." He said, the Thai girl letting him get up.
"Excellent! You've all improved so much." Tritonio declared with a laugh. "Especially you, Anne." He said, winking at her.
Anne giggled, happy to hear that from her teacher.
"Now, come. It is time for your final test." He said, gesturing them to follow him.
The six kids followed him through the door, then went down the short stairs, before entering a large underground room with maps and diagrams.
"Tomorrow is our last day together." He said as he pulled a roll of paper from a bookshelf and walking to the table at the center of the room, the others gathered around and gave their full attention. "So, I put together an exercise to test all the skills you've learned.
Setting the paper down, he then unrolled it, showing the kids the information about a train and its path. These trains being giant bugs pulling train cars on train tracks. This train only having a single driver, two guards, and 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 them. "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, his lips smacking. He then jumped away. "Eh, up! We leave at dawn!"
He then left the room, closing the door behind him.
Looking over the plans, Kaemon raised a brow when he noticed a small note in the bottom left corner. It read 'Don't listen to the guards no matter what they say about 'not being actors.' Kaemon brought a finger to his chin, now suspicious of this 'test'.
"So, does anyone else think this just looks like we're robbing a real train?" The newt asked the others.
"It definitely feels like it." Maddie said with a frown.
"Yeah." Sprig said.
"Could Tritonio be using us?" Polly asked.
Everyone was startled when Anne slammed her fist on the table. "That's ridiculous! Tritonio's a good dude who believes in me. I think we should do it."
"What about the weird analogies regarding trains?" Ivy pointed out.
"Maybe he just really likes trains." Anne suggested with a shrug.
Sprig jumped on the table and narrowed his eyes at Anne. "Anne, you seem... oddly invested."
"Yeah, where's old 'teachers stink' Anne?" Polly asked.
"That Anne is dead and buried." Anne said in a dramatic tone before speaking normally. "Now come on, these plans ain't gonna study themselves."
"You got me convinced." Sprig said.
"We've already come this far, might as well see it through." Kaemon nodded.
"As long as I get to use my boom shrooms, I'm good." Polly added, making everyone back away.
The next day came, the kids going to complete their test, using everything them learn to prove themselves to their teacher.
The train continued down the tracks, blaring its horn loudly. Everything was going smoothly and on schedule, until the conductor saw something up ahead. "Huh? What the—"
He quickly pulled the brakes, the beetle digging its legs into the dirt to stop itself before it could run over to frog standing on the train tracks. The brakes squealed before the bug stopped, the conductor finally getting a good look at the two on the tracks.
It was, in fact, Sprig and Polly in disguised as British orphans, Polly looking over with puppy dog eyes. "Please help, governor. My poor brother just twisted his wee ankle on these here train tracks and I'm too small and meek to move him."
"We're just poor orphans, good sir." Sprig said in a pitiful tone while holding up his bandaged leg.
"Poor kids." The conductor said with a sniff, moved by the sad tale. "Guards! Help me!" He then called to the guards in the car in front of the one holding the ruby.
The car door opened and the two guards stepped out. "Another day, another wounded orphan to move." The female guard said as they walked over to help.
With the guards and conductor distracted, Anne and the others ran out from behind the tree they were hiding behind and dashed for the beetle's saddle, Anne opening the latch that exposed the beetles back, allowing Ivy 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 had moved Sprig and Polly off the tracks, sitting them on rocks under a tree, examining Sprig's foot, but couldn't find anything wrong with it.
"This ankle isn't twisted." The male guard said.
Just then, they heard the train started to move. "Hey! The train!" The conductor yelled before he and the guards gave chase as the train began to pick up speed. "Hey! Get back here!"
Suddenly, Sprig tripped the conductor with his tongue, causing him to fall on the guards, laughing as he picked up Polly and used his tongue to yoink himself and Polly in his arms onto the saddle.
With the first part of the mission completed, the kids cheered and high-fived.
"Acting is fun!" Sprig declared.
"I trusted you!" Suddenly, the train conductor popped into the saddle with sword in hand, swinging at Sprig, but the pink frog jumped out of the way.
The conductor climbed in and charged, Kaemon lunging with his two swords out and blocked the attack, giving Anne the chance to swing her own sword, knocking the toad's sword out of his hand before the two kicked him out of the saddle.
"Orphan!" He yelled before hitting the ground.
Back on the train, Kaemon sheathed his blades before picking up the sword dropped by the conductor. "Whoa, this thing's real steel!" He said in surprise.
"Man, these guys are really good actors." Anne said.
"Never mind that. Let's get that ruby!" Polly exclaimed.
The six kids then jumped across the coal car before running over the first car before making it to the last car that housed the ruby, the car made of iron and decorated with gold and a plaque that read 'Newtoplan Treasury'. However, the kids didn't notice it, more focused on the padlocks on the hatch.
"Polly, you're up." Anne said.
Polly placed the boom shrooms on the door and triggered them, the kids getting back a safe distance before the explosions went off, blasting the lock and chains off. Anne rushed over and opened the door, the kids jumping inside. At the center of the room was a gem on a pedestal, a bright red ruby shaped like a moth, with edges curved outward.
"There it is." Kaemon said, walking up to the gem. "Wow, Tritonio makes some convincing props."
"Yeah, perhaps too convincing." Maddie said with a suspicious look.
"We did it, guys!" Anne declared with joy. "Big T is gonna be so proud of us!"
"Proud is an understatement!"
They all gasped at the sight of Tritonio, the newt jumping in through the hatch.
"Tritonio!"
"You've all done so well." He said before approaching the pedestal, looking at the gem with a greedy eye. "Ah, here it is, the Tiger Moth's Eye." He picked it up and looked through it at Kaemon and Anne before pocketing it, then walking back under the hatch. "Anne, Kaemon, will you approach?"
Looking to one another, both newt and human nodded before approaching, their swords sheathed.
"Now, I have one more question. What was the first lesson I taught you?" Tritonio asked, his hands behind his back.
Before Kaemon could answer, Anne gasped and raised her hand. "Oh, oh! Trust no one!"
"Bingo." Tritonio said, before holding up two bugs that seemed oddly familiar.
"Hey, aren't those zapapedes?" Just as Kaemon asked, suddenly, Tritonio thrusted the electrical bugs at Anne and Kaemon's chest, sending a surge of electricity through their bodies, causing them to scream in pain. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"ANNE/KAEMON!" The other kids screamed in shock as their friends fell to the ground, dropping their weapons. But before they could rush to help them, Tritonio dropped several smoke pellets, releasing a cloud of smoke, obscuring their vision and making them cough, before the newt jumped out through the hatch with Anne and Kaemon before closing the hatch and locking it with a shovel.
"Tritonio, what are you doing?" Ivy yelled, running to the barred window.
"Sorry, kids, but I never could've robbed this train by myself. But your two friends here will fetch a fine price. Anne for such a rare unknown species, and Kaemon for the large bounty on his head!" He declared before hoisting Anne and Kaemon with his tail and holding up the gem. "And now that I have what I want, I'll be going. Give my regards to the guards!" He laughed before running off.
"Nooo!" Sprig yelled as he, Ivy and Maddie tried pulling on the bars, to no avail. "ANNE! KAEMON!"
Seeing it was fruitless, the frog boy slid against the wall, distraught. "I don't believe this. All this time, I thought he was cool, only for it to turn out he's a lowlife thief!"
"Don't worry, Sprig. He won't get away with this." Maddie said with an angry expression, determined to save her boyfriend.
"Yeah, we'll show him." Ivy said before turning to Polly. "Polly, got anymore boom shrooms?"
Polly pulled out a bunch of them. Where she kept them, no one knows.
Tritonio managed to tie up the two, despite their struggling efforts to escape. "Ah, you were good kids. Too bad your friends will have to go to prison forever." Tritonio said, tying the knot. "Well, except for you two. Anne, you'll most likely end up in a freak show for a high price. Perhaps lucky if you don't end up someone's meal." He then turned to Kaemon, the young newt glaring hatefully at him. "As for you? Well, you'll most likely be executed. Oh well. A small price to pay for a wanted man, eh?"
"I don't believe this! You double-crossed us!" Anne shouted in anger. "The first teacher I really clicked with ended up being a fake!"
"Of course, I was! After I swindled the Bogwaters, I used their tower as a base of operations." Tritonio said with a smug grin. "Kaemon here, however, is the real prize! Over ten million coppers for the head of the Demon of the Four Sword!"
"Bastard!" Kaemon screamed, thrashing with all his might. "When Master Shadow finds out, he'll have your head!"
"Yeah, he'll kick your butt!" Anne added.
"Hah! And where is this 'Shadow' now, hmm?" Tritonio asked smugly.
"Closer than you think."
Tritonio spun around, and sure enough, Shadow was standing on the car, arms crossed and a deathly stare on his face.
"Master/Shadow!" Both Kaemon and Anne yelled in unison, glad to see their caretaker.
Tritonio blinked before grinning. "Well, as I live and breathe. I didn't realize they were referring to the Black Wolf himself." He said, trying to not seem intimidated.
"I've been on your trail for a long time, Tritonio." Shadow stated, pulling out a wanted poster with Tritonio's face on it. "Wanted for over sixteen train robberies and a bounty worth of a hundred thousand coppers."
"Seventeen, actually." Tritonio corrected. "So, you've been hunting for me as well."
"When I got word from Hop Pop that the Bogwaters had retired, I knew something was up, since they never considered retirement." Shadow told him. "So, I dug a little deeper and once the dots connected, there was no doubt in my mind. You're the same wanted man."
While this was going on, Anne was chewing at the ropes that restrained Kaemon.
"I could say the same for you, Wolfie." Tritonio retorted. "You have quite the bounty on your head; over a hundred BILLION coppers! I must say, you will make me the richest alive!"
"Then by all means, try and claim it." Shadow said with a glare, holding up Black Hope in its sheath.
Suddenly, there was an explosion from the treasury car. Through the blue smoke, the door to the roof landed in front of Tritonio.
"Tritonio!" Sprig yelled, as he and the other kids walked through the smoke, all four of them glaring at the newt that betrayed them.
"Kaemon!" Maddie yelled, throwing the four swords to him. Thanks to Anne, Kaemon freed himself before getting up and grabbing his swords and facing Tritonio.
Sprig threw his sai, cutting the ropes the held Anne, freeing her, before throwing her sword to her, the girl catching it.
Tritonio, on the other hand, only laughed. "I have to say, even I am impressed." He said.
Anne was surprised by this. "You really mean it—"
"Anne, now's not the best time to be flattered." Shadow spoke up.
"Oh, right." Anne said, but just as she was about to give a command, Kaemon stopped her.
"Hold on, guys." He said. "Let me deal with this scum."
"Whoa, are you crazy?" Ivy asked in shock. "Even with your skills, against someone like him?"
"I've faced better opponents and won." Kaemon declared. "This guy won't even pose a threat."
"Kaemon, are you sure about this?" Shadow asked his friend. "It's not a good idea to underestimate someone like Tritonio."
"This is my chance to show you just how much I've grown, Master." Kaemon said with determination.
Feeling the determination in his voice, Shadow nodded before turning his gaze to Anne and the others. "Anne, listen carefully. No matter what, you and the others are to not interfere unless I say so. Understand?"
Anne seemed unsure at first, seeing the looks on her friends faces, she saw that they have faith in Kaemon, and that she should do the same.
"Kick his butt, Kaemon." Anne said with a smile.
"Yeah, show him who's boss!" Sprig cheered.
"Break his legs!" Polly exclaimed.
"You heard them, Kaemon." Shadow declared. "Show me how much you've grown."
"Yes, Master!" Kaemon shouted, tying his bandana around his head, a look of determination on his face.
"Kaemon?" Kaemon looked down to see Maddie walk up beside him, the boy crouching down a bit due to his height, before she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Make him pay."
Nodding, Kaemon faced the traitorous newt before drawing out two of his swords and took a stance.
Tritonio chuckled. "Well, I suppose I could humor you for a bit." He said before drawing out two rapiers and readied his own stance. "En garde!"
Without hesitation, Kaemon rushed in, swinging his two swords, only for Tritonio to jump back out of the way before attempting to counter, lunging forward with one of his rapiers, Kaemon managing to block the attack with one of his swords before slashing downward, the older newt cartwheeling out of the way before swinging his sword, managing to leave a small cut on Kaemon's cheek, making the boy grunt, but he quickly shook it off before refocusing.
He rushed forward, raising both blades overhead. "Rhino Beetle Rampage!" He suddenly shouted, before slamming his blades toward Tritonio with the force of a Rhino Beetle several times, the attack missed but knocked the newt off balance. "Mantis Swipe!" He suddenly yelled, swiping at Tritonio like a praying mantis, one of the blades managing to leave a cut on his torso, forcing the newt to go defensive, blocking both blades. "Scorpion Lash!" Yelling once more, Kaemon suddenly lashed out with his tail, armed with a third katana, surprising Tritonio and leaving a cut on his cheek, forcing him to jump back.
Wiping the blood from his wound, Tritonio laughed. "I must say, you surprise me, Four Sword Demon. Very few people manage to back me into a corner like this."
"I was trained by the best." Kaemon retorted, readying a stance.
"Well, that may be true." Tritonio admitted. "But that just means I must take you a bit more seriously!"
Pointing his swords forward, Tritonio sped forward, thrusting the tips of the weapons forward, Kaemon moving his swords to deflect the attacks, trying to counterattack, but Tritonio sidestepped before slashing downward, leaving a small gash on Kaemon's arm, making him grunt, but he pushed on, swinging his blades, but Tritonio cartwheeled once again, this time swinging upward, and slashing at Kaemon's left eye.
"GAAAAH!" Kaemon yelled, backing up and pressing a hand over his injured eye as blood seeped from the wound.
"KAEMON!" The other kids screamed in horror.
"Okay, that does it!" Ivy yelled, ready to jump in.
"NO!" Kaemon shouted. "This is MY fight!"
"Damnit, Kaemon, stop being stubborn!" Ivy snapped back, trying to talk some sense into her newt friend. "Put away your pride and let us help!"
"This isn't about pride." Kaemon snarled.
"Then what?!" Sprig asked. "What are you trying to accomplish?!"
Kaemon got his breathing under control before saying, "I'm trying to fulfill a dream, in honor of my friend's memory."
At that moment, Anne remembered something; back at the inn, Kaemon said that he got one of his swords from a friend.
"Kaemon. What happened to your friend?" She asked.
Kaemon was silent for a moment, before speaking. "I grew up on tales about Malikai. How he was the greatest master of the way of the sword. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and be as strong as him." He looked up at the sky. "I had a friend, Kazuma, who was like a brother to me, ever since I was little. He was the one who taught me how to use a sword, and encouraged me to pursue my dream, alongside his."
That's when they saw something unexpected; they saw a tear run down his face. The fearless swordsman they came to know was crying.
"Then one day, there was an attack on a village." He said, his voice cracking a bit. "Marauders attacked, and Kazuma was killed protecting the villagers." He looked at the sword in his right hand, the sword with the blue wrapping around the handle. "Since then, I vowed to become the greatest swordsman in Amphibia. Taking up Kazuma's sword as my own, in honor of my best friend."
The kids felt their hearts ache, having never known about this part of Kaemon's life, even Shadow thought he felt a tear run down his cheek. Even the traitorous Tritonio sniffed at this, as though he was about to cry.
"An inspiration indeed." Tritonio admitted.
"Kaemon?"
Kaemon looked up to his master, the human boy giving a warm expression, before giving a serious one.
"Finish this."
Play You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring.
Nodding, Kaemon clamped the blue-handled sword between his teeth before drawing out his fourth and final sword, a renewed determination on his face as he crossed all four swords.
Tritonio smirked as he readied himself before Kaemon charged in, but once he got close, something unexpected happened; Kaemon vanished into thin air! Shocked, Tritonio looked around before Kaemon reappeared behind him and slashed at his back, leaving a gash on his back and making the thief yell in pain.
"Whoa, did you see that?!" Sprig gasped.
"He vanished and reappeared right behind him!" Ivy said. "Like he was teleporting!"
"Not teleporting." Anne said, as though she was correcting her. "More like moving faster than the eye can register."
Kaemon charged in, and the same thing happened again, Kaemon charging in before vanishing, the reappearing to slash at Tritonio, leaving another slash on the thief's body, going on for several minutes before he reappeared.
"This has been fun, boy," Tritonio said through gritted teeth. "But I think it's time for the fun to end!"
"I AGREE!"
With that shout, Kaemon sped forward, completely catching Tritonio off guard, before a blade plunged into his arm. Tritonio's shock only increased when another blade dug into his leg, his shoulder, and more kept coming.
"ONE THOUSAND QUILLS OF DEATH!"
Soon Tritonio was bombarded by a barrage of sword strikes and stabs at super sonic speeds, all piercing his body while avoiding any vital areas, before Kaemon finished his attack with a double slash of his katana's, sending Tritonio to the floor.
Song ends.
Tritonio groaned in pain as he laid, blood seeping from his wounds.
"Big T's losing a lot of blood." He groaned, seeing Shadow, Anne and Kaemon standing over him.
"School's out, Tritonio." Anne said with a smirk.
"We're not gonna kill you." Shadow assured. "Scum like you don't deserve the easy way out."
Tritonio survived, despite the large amount of blood loss, bandaged up and restrained with chains. Once the kids managed to stop the train, they waited for the conductor and the guards to catch up. After they finished explaining what happened, the guards were quick to cuff up 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 the thief. "the sicko."
"You do have to respect my creativity." Tritonio said as the guards dragged him to the first train car.
"We respect nothing!" Polly exclaimed.
"Yeah, get out of here, you fraud!" Sprig yelled.
"I hope some halfwit makes you their sweetheart in jail!" Ivy shouted.
"Okay, that's more than enough, I think." Maddie said calmly.
Tritonio was thrown into the car before the guards stepped in. The thief stood up and looked at the two humans and newt. "See you around, Anne. I wasn't kidding when I said you had potential. You certainly bested me." He then looked to Kaemon. "And you? I'm sure your friend and Malikai would be proud on how far you've come."
"Save it, you crook." Anne said with a glare.
"Yeah, you tried to sell off Anne and have me turned in!" Kaemon added.
The guards looked at each other. "Shouldn't we arrest the Demon as well?" The female asked.
"You crazy? With the Black Wolf present?" The male guard looked at her as if she was crazy. "Besides, they just saved our jobs."
"Speaking of," Tritonio went on to look at Shadow. "I look forward to meeting you again, Black Wolf of Wartwood."
"The feeling is not mutual." Shadow stated blandly.
"I just have one more question for you." Anne said, pausing a bit before asking, "Was the goatee even real?"
With a nonchalant smile, Tritonio picked out the goatee under his chin. "What do you think?"
With that, the train rode off, the kids watching it disappear beyond the horizon.
After that fiasco, the kids went back to the tower, Maddie and Shadow nursing Kaemon's wounds, wrapping him up in bandages as well as around the eye that suffered a cut during the fight. Thankfully, his eye was fine, but the wound still needed time to heal. After everything that happened, they were exhausted.
Sitting on the steps, Anne looked up to her caretaker. "I still can't believe you were hunting a criminal the whole time and didn't tell me." She said.
"Sorry, Anne, but I couldn't risk Tritonio getting tipped off." Shadow told her. "I was already close to pinning him down and I didn't want you accidentally tipping him off."
"He's got a point." Polly said. "Sprig especially isn't good at keeping secrets."
"No lies there." Sprig nodded.
"Still, I had no intention of putting you all in danger." Shadow said as he stood up. "I hope you all forgive me and understand."
He then bowed to them, much to their surprise.
"Dude, it's all good." Sprig said.
"Yeah, water under the bridge." Polly nodded.
"Not to mention we took down a real crook." Ivy added.
"Yeah, and you saved our lives." Anne said. "I think we're good."
Shadow le out a sigh of relief before sitting down. "I'm glad to hear that."
"I'm curious about something." Maddie spoke up, looking up at Kaemon. "How did you end up meeting Shadow in the first place?"
Kaemon thought for a moment before speaking. "It was two years ago, after I started traveling. I got into trouble that resulted in me getting tied to a post. Five weeks in the hot sun, when I saw Shadow approach and cut me free."
"I took him on as my student since then." Shadow chimed in.
"After a few weeks, I set back out, seeking masters of the sword and defeating them, as well as claiming their swords as my own."
"Taking the weapons from the losers?" Polly said. "Twisted. I like it."
"I've met and defeat some of the best, but there is another I wish to defeat." Kaemon declared. "A man by the name of Lightning Bolt Maelstrom. A swordsman whose skills are fast like lightning and hits hard like thunder."
"Sounds like quite the challenge, Kaemon." Shadow said with a smile. "I'm sure you will best such a swordsman."
"It's not just him, Master." Kaemon said, looking up at the human boy. "You're the first one to encourage me to pursue my dream, just as Kazuma did. If there's anyone I wish to defeat, it's you." He drew one of his swords and pointed the tip at him. "So, until that day, I'll continue training. And when I'm ready, I WILL surpass you."
Shadow looked at him in surprise before smiling. "I look forward to that day. But don't expect me to be sitting on my laurels."
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Master." Kaemon replied, sheathing his blade.
Everyone sat in silence before Sprig spoke up. "Still, you probably dislike teachers more than ever now, huh, Anne?"
"Actually, no." Anne replied. "Tritonio might have been a crook, but he was onto something. When I get home, I'm gonna give my teachers another chance." She looked up at Shadow with a smile. "Plus, I have a better teacher that taught me that."
Shadow smiled back. "I'm glad I could give you a new outlook, Anne."
Anne leaned back into the boys chest, Shadow wrapping an arm armed her and propping his chin on the top of her head.
"By the way," Kaemon spoke up, holding up his war bow. "I know Tritonio was total scum, but he did give us these cool weapons."
Looking at the bow, Shadow raised a brow. "May I?" He asked.
Nodding, Kaemon gave Shadow the bow, the boy giving the bow a careful look over, testing the string and examining the design, before giving the bow back to Kaemon then pulling out the book about famous weapons and flipping through the pages. Stopping at a page, he whistled.
"Well, I'll be damned," He said. "This is the Amaterasu war bow!"
"Amaterasu?" Kaemon repeated with confusion.
"This was the weapon that belonged to the son of Shen the Unifier himself." Shadow explained. "The son named Kazuhira the Black Sun."
"Whoa, I remember hearing stories about him." Sprig declared. "He was just as famed as his dad. Then after Shen died, he blamed the king of the newts, staging a rebellion, before he was killed."
"Man. People do crazy things when sad or angry." Polly remarked.
"Is there anything about this sword?" Anne asked, holding up her sword.
Flipping through the pages, Shadow stopped on a page. "Yes, here's something. This sword is called 'Azura's Tear', the personal weapon to Shen's wife; Iroha the Iron Maiden."
"You're telling me that we all have weapons of legendary warriors?!" Anne gasped.
"It would seem so." Shadow nodded. "Strange how they just so happen to be where they were."
The group then heard the sound of Bessie beeping, the kids seeing a tired and bruised Hop Pop driving in on an equally battered Bessie, the old frog sporting a black eye.
"Hey, kids." He said in a tired tone.
Back to being tired, Anne replied. "How was the convention, HP?"
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.
"Totally didn't get into trouble." Ivy said.
"Everything was perfectly peachy." Maddie said.
"We didn't rob a train." Sprig said.
"Or get into a life-or-death situation." Kaemon added.
"Nope. No crimes committed." Polly nodded.
"Everything was just fine." Shadow added.
"Good, good. Great to know we definitely didn't have two wacky adventures." Hop Pop said.
Meanwhile, far from Wartwood, there was a hooded character trekking through the swamps, and they didn't walk alone. Following behind walked two other hooded figures, both slightly shorter than the first. While the first one had two swords, the other two only had one each.
"Hey, Cody!"
The first hooded figure, called Cody, turned his head to them, his lightning yellow eyes looking at the two young teenagers stepping through the mud, the male throwing his hood back to reveal his bright red hair and orange eyes, tanned skin and wearing an amulet with a red-orange gemstone. He appeared to be seventeen years old.
"How much longer till we reach the city?!" He said in an irritated tone. "It feels like we've been walking forever!"
"It's only been a few days." The girl behind him said, her ivory and fair-skinned face peeking from under the hood, having ice blue eyes and dark blue hair, and wearing an amulet similar to the boys, only hers had a dark blue gemstone attached. She appeared to be sixteen years old.
"It won't be long now, Valor." Cody told the boy in a Brazilian accent, running a hand through his slicked back black hair held in a short ponytail.
"You said that THREE days ago!" Valor whined. "We would've made it by now had we gotten a hold of some mounts!"
"Nonsense. Walking builds character." Cody retorted.
"It's not so bad, Valor." The girl said, giggling at how childish her companion was acting. "It's always nice to just take a nice stroll and enjoy the scenery."
"A scenery that's constantly trying to kill us, Ina." Valor retorted. "Besides, my feet hurt."
"Relax, we're almost there now." Cody said, fishing out his own amulet with a yellow gemstone from his shirt within his ronin attire. "Just tough it out some more. And we still need to make the big trek up the stairs to report to his majesty."
"It'd be better if we had someone to fight." Valor mumbled under his breath.
The trio trekked onward, heading towards Newtopia.