Summary:
Had a good meal today.
Foodies & Curses
After their brief brush with death against the giant snake and slipping past any of Hop Pop's grounding, Anne had gotten used to life at the Plantar Farm.
"Anne, wake up!" Hop Pop called out, waking her up. "Time to work on the crops!"
…Sort of.
Anne groaned as she climbed out of the basement. Chores and responsibilities, the bane of her existence seemed to have caught up to her in Amphibia. But it wasn't so bad. Sure, she had to wake up early to help around the farm but at least she wasn't stuck inside anymore. So, she got fresh air, exercise and more chances of getting to hang out with Randy and Sprig.
"Morning Anne!" Sprig waved at her. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, I could use some coffee, probably a cappuccino with soy milk and cinnamon." Anne yawned. "Bet Randy had to get kicked out of the couch too, right?"
"Morning Anne!" Randy waved at her from outside the house, already helping Hop Pop with the chores.
Anne's eyes went wide at the sight of Randy up and ready to work. While Sprig had fallen between best friend and little brother, Randy was still an anomaly to her. He seemed to have fully gone native among the frogs and had very little relation to what she'd consider to be normal teenage behavior. Not that it was a bad thing in her eyes, heck he was like Tarzan if he was an anime character with a samurai sword. Marcy would love him just for that alone. But that still left Anne with many questions as to how to feel about him.
He was the only other human around since she had no idea where Sasha and Marcy were and a pretty cool guy once she got used to him. He was pretty funny and always ready for action. Which was weird because he also liked to lay back and have some fun from time to time. It was like watching someone that constantly walked between two worlds that were alien to her. One of the frogs and one of the humans. But she guessed that that was just how he rolled. He was someone that she just had to learn to understand, plus he looked nice enough with his shirt off… What?
"Come on, Anne, don't just stay there lollygagging. We need to gather the ingredients for the Pot Luck Contest." Hop Pop snapped her out of her thoughts.
"The what contest?" Anne asked.
"You're still trying to get a win on that, Hop Pop?" Randy asked. "Remind me to hide in the swamp when you start cooking."
"Hush, Randy. This time, we're going to win!" Hop Pop picked up different vegetables from his crops before hightailing it to the kitchen. "I'll be right back with a winning dish!" He closed the door.
Anne could only watch with mild curiosity at what she'd witnessed.
"Okay, could someone tell me what the big deal is with this contest?" Anne asked.
"Every year the town's citizens put up a competition that tests who can make the best dish. Everyone takes part to win the ribbon, the love of the people and lots of coppers." Sprig explained as he and Randy harvested the corn.
"Oh, like a Great British Bake Off but with just about anything? Sounds fun." Anne started helping out picking up the carrots from the ground.
"Yeah, except for the losers when they get put in the cage of shame." Randy retorted, handing her a bucket for the carrots. "You can see it from here." He pointed at it with his finger.
Anne looked at where Randy was pointing to and her eyes widened in shock. It was a literal cage being strung up on a tree branch with a sign that said 'Shame'. The idea that if you lost and had to spend time in a cage was something straight out of a cruel joke or a medieval torture novel. And yet there it was.
"And guess who ends up there every single year." Sprig sighed.
"Wait, what? You three end up there every single time?" Anne picked Sprig in shock. "Well, not this time! I'm not letting my favorite frog family get thrown in prison for being lousy at cooking!"
"Good luck with that, Hop Pop's a bit stubborn when it comes to dishes and traditions." Randy pulled the cart. "My guess is that he'll try the 'famous' Plantar Swamp Stew, again." Randy turned slightly green. "I almost spat my stomach out when I tried it."
"It can't be that bad." Anne walked over to the door to the house. "I bet all it needs is a little extra love and care-AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" As soon as Anne opened the door she was sent back by the intense and powerful blast of stench that hit her.
Sprig and Polly clung on to Randy for dear life as Anne bumped into him. They all knew what to expect from the special cooking time Hop Pop had, but every year they were sent flying from the shock or just by the smell alone. It was always fast but the strength it carried was equal to that of being punched by a flying rock.
Randy pulled down his mask, trying to shield his nose and mouth from the smell. He then wrapped his scarf around Anne's nose and mouth as she coughed and her eyes cried out a little.
"Everyone okay?" Randy asked.
"No." Anne coughed.
"Not really." Polly replied.
"I was almost sent flying." Sprig added.
"What the heck was that?!" Anne gasped. "Also this scarf is super soft. What's it made of?"
"My grandpa told me it was made out of the fur of fire rat yokai, it can take on anything." Randy didn't notice Anne eyeing the scarf with slight disgust. "It can withstand anything. Even Hop Pop's cooking."
They walked into the kitchen as Hop Pop followed an old recipe from his family book. He dropped sliced vegetables and roots inside the pot as he stirred the whole thing. The strong pungent aroma made his hair stand on end but all that did was make the old frog sigh. There was nose blindness and then there was Hop Pop's stubbornness. To him the dish was something delicious and traditional, to everyone else it was poison.
"What's the plan this year, Hop Pop?" Sprig hopped over to his grandpa's side. "Poison the competition?" That question got him a face-full of the grub Hop Pop was cooking.
"The plan is to win, Sprig." Hop Pop countered. "This time I'm pulling all the stops!"
"We noticed." Randy opened a window.
"Yeah, what do you call that? Snot Gumbo?" Anne poked the pot, only to get more of the nasty smell from before. "Well, the mystery of why you lost all those times is no longer a mystery."
"just because it keeps vermin out of the house doesn't mean it is poisonous." Hop Pop huffed. "It is a traditional recipe that has been in the Plantar family for generations, it's all in this book." Hop Pop held up the recipe book titled 'Ye Old Ways', a collection of old Plantar methods and recipes passed down from one generation to another.
It kinda reminded Randy of a certain book his grandpa often showed him. He should probably go look for it whenever he has a chance. He doubted his grandpa had just left it and a few other items in the house out in the open for anyone to snatch.
Anne took the book and skimmed through it with an analytical eye. She hummed and nodded as she went through the book cover to cover. It was certainly the fastest anyone had ever read a book.
"I know what the problem is. Old things are dumb." Anne dropped the book, which Hop Pop caught with his tongue.
"That makes sense." Polly shrugged.
"Everything is so clear now." Sprig added.
"That's a little harsh, Anne. I mean, I like new stuff too but my grandpa taught me all that I know from generations of training and learning." Randy argued back. "I wouldn't be half the man I am if it wasn't for that wisdom passed down for over 800 years."
"That's right, these are the recipes that us Plantars have used for generations." Hop Pop stood proudly.
"You use them in the same Pot Luck Contest every year?" Anne got a nod from the old frog. "The same contest you lose every year?"
Hop Pop stopped himself mid-nod as he registered what she'd said.
"Well, there's still lots of recipes I haven't tried yet. What would my dear great-gram-gam say if I suddenly dropped traditions?" Hop Pop looked over to the picture of al elderly lady frog who was knitting a blanket that said 'Traditions Are Everything'.
"She'd say move on." Anne quickly answered.
"Well, she was a fierce woman." Hop Pop sighed.
"Maybe we just need a new spin on those recipes, Hop Pop." Randy snapped his fingers as an idea popped in his head. "Hey, why don't we ask Stumpy for help?"
"Who's Stumpy?" Anne asked.
"He owns and runs the local restaurant in Wartwood, and he's also won the Pot Luck eight years running," Randy replied. "My grandpa and I would always go there and the food was delicious. I recommend the beetle-don with rice and egg on top."
"Yeah, maybe a word from a winning chef could turn this around. Let's do it!" Anne cheered.
Randy, Anne, Sprig and Polly cheered at the idea of not being stuck in the shame cage this time. Even the smallest change at victory was better than nothing. However, Hop Pop wasn't as thrilled as the young ones. He knew that his recipes weren't going to win any prizes if the record was anything to go by. But the idea that tradition was still there made him feel a little better with his family. If they were set on winning, then he would help them. Besides, it didn't mean that they would drop every bit of their traditions and ways just for a ribbon and a chance to get some extra coppers, right? Right?
Randy led Anne and the Plantars to Stumpy's restaurant, a long fallen log that had the place's name on top of the entrance. Though, it looked like it had seen better days. The windows were dirty, the sign was coming down and there didn't seem to be that many customers coming in. The inside didn't look any better. There was dust on the floor, the sound of dripping water from the pipes and only one or two patrons sleeping the day off on the bar. Even the decorations were falling apart. The pictures hung askew, the mushroom lights weren't working properly and the menus looked old and in need to change.
"It must've changed owners since I was last here," Randy winced as he heard one of the letters fall completely. "What happened to this place?"
"Yeah, it doesn't look like things are going great for this place." Anne picked up a menu. "This font is way too small to read and some letters are missing. Man, if my mom saw this place she'd burn it to the ground."
"Why?" Sprig asked as a light fell in front of him. "Stupid question."
"My parents ran a restaurant back home, I even helped out there from time to time." Anne explained as they all looked at the restaurant. "And let me tell you some of these things aren't exactly up to code." She traced a finger over the top, picking up dust.
"Can I help you?" A gruff voice asked, coming out of the kitchen.
The owner of the voice was a large fat green frog with yellow eyes wearing a chef's hat, a white shirt covered in grease and stains, brown pants and a cloth wrapped around his waist. His body was covered in scars, one of his legs was a peg leg and his hands were interchangeable tools. The ones he was currently using were a spatula and a meat cleaver in each hand. He bore an old tired expression as he chewed on a bug leg like a tired old mule.
"Stumpy? It's been ages." Randy walked up to the cook. "Is that a new cleaver?"
"Do I know you?" Stumpy asked.
"It's Randy. Randy Cunningham, Nobu's grandson." Randy said. "We used to come here all the time."
Stumpy squinted his eyes at Randy before recognizing him.
"Oh yeah, I remember you lad. Man, what happened?" Stumpy asked. "You shot up like a damn weed. And who's this with you?"
"This is Anne, she's a human like me." Randy introduced his friend. "What happened here? The restaurant looks-"
"Like a dump." Polly cut him off.
Randy shot her a dirty look to which she just shrugged.
"Nah she's right kid. Not like I care." Stumpy sighed.
"What happened?" Anne asked.
"The passion is gone. After many years of work everything became stale." Stumpy smacked a mushroom to make it light up. "The monotony of the years weighs down on you like garbage. Not to mention the snooty foodies and junk. " Stumpy looked at the pictures of his victories in the past Pot Lucks.
"Wow, that's you?" Anne looked at the pictures of a smiling Stumpy. "What happened to you man?"
"Time lass, time." Stumpy looked away.
Anne saw the years weighing down on the old frog. Life had become monotonous and boring, the spark had gone from his eyes after many many meals he'd prepared. His mind was in a cage no different than the one the Plantars often ended up in after every Pot Luck. She could never allow this to happen to people, her parents could one day end up like that.
"So what are you here for anyway?" Stumpy asked.
"Well, we were hoping-"
"We're gonna win the Pot Luck and you're gonna help us!" Anne cut off Randy.
Stumpy blinked as he looked at Anne before bursting out laughing. It was a hearty laughter that was probably the happiest he had sounded in ages. He almost fell down from all the laughing, clinging on to the bar with his spatula hand to keep himself off the floor.
"You gone mad girl? The Plantars haven't won a single year and I'm out of practice." Stumpy pointed to the frog family. "What crazy miracle you think you can pull. Randy, is she serious?"
"As serious as I've ever seen her." Randy looked at Anne. wondering what she was cooking up.
"What you both need is something new, innovative, a complete 180 from what you usually do." Anne scrolled through her phone until she found what she was looking for. "What you need is this! Pizza!" Anne showed the frogs a picture of a delicious Margarita Pizza.
Sprig and Polly looked at it with awe in their eyes. The circular dish caught their attention like fire did moths.
"I don't know what it is but I want it," Polly said.
"Randy, have you ever had this delicacy?" Sprig asked.
"I think I did once or twice but I don't remember much about it." Randy scratched his chin, trying to remember the meal.
The two older frogs looked at the picture with some curiosity.
"No clue what the heck I'm looking at," Hop Pop said.
"Same here. Don't see the big deal," Stumpy shrugged.
"This here is a classic meal back home, and you can put anything on top," Anne explained. "So, here's the deal, Stumpy. You help us and the Plantars win the Pot Luck and you get to make something no one in Amphibia has ever made. It could get your groove back and maybe not give you the need to burn this place down and start from scratch." Anne flinched as the roof caved in on top of Wally.
"I'm okay." Wally called out from under the rubble.
Stumpy scratched his beard. He had nothing to do today and he more or less felt like doing nothing. He looked around to see the last of the patrons leave after paying for their bowls of slop. Well there went the only reason he had to stick around the restaurant. Maybe something would happen with this little field trip and he'd get a laugh or two.
"Okay, fine, I'll help ya out," Stumpy shrugged. "If anything it won't matter if I'm here or not. Wally, don't take anything from the register."
"You got it, buddy!" Wally gave him a thumbs up.
"Great, now, where do we start, Anne?" Randy asked.
"For this dish we only need a few ingredients," Anne said. "We'll need dough, basil, cheese and tomatoes." Anne pulled up the pictures from her phone.
"Tomatoes? Ha! Good luck with that last one, lass." Stumpy laughed.
"Don't worry about that one, I've got it covered." Randy flashed his sword.
"Hey, if we can put anything on top, why don't we put pineapple on it?" Sprig suggested, making Randy's eyelid twitch for some reason. "It sounds like the most obvious pick-EEK!" Anne grabbed Sprig before pinning him against the wall.
"Do not joke about pineapple on my pizza." Anne's eyes glowed like two fireballs glaring into Sprig's soul.
"Um, why is that bad?" Hop Pop asked.
"Not sure," Randy replied.
Randy didn't know why, but the idea of pineapple on pizza made his word hand twitchy and ready to fight. His memories of tasting pizza were a distant shore after living in Amphibia for so long. But like the instinct of a beast in the wild, he knew that it was best not to have pineapple and pizza anywhere close to each other. Not just because of Anne's slightly crazed look in her eyes, but because he felt like he would act very much the same as her and end up mauling Sprig for suggesting it.
"Let's go and get the ingredients!" Anne returned to her usual cheery self. "Now, say it with me! Pizza Dreams!"
"Pizza Dreams!" Everyone cheered with her as they made their way out of the restaurant.
However, unbeknownst to the assembled party, two dark entities poked their heads from inside the kitchen. One looked like an umbrella with a large red eye hopping out with one foot, the other was a dark figure covered in a long black robe with long messy black hair that resembled a rat's nest with a large hanging mouth.
"You hear that my minion?"
The umbrella nodded as it hopped on its one leg.
"It sounds like someone wants to get Stumpy out of his slump. Well I, Yonaki Baba, won't allow it." The yokai swore. "He's the best meal we've had in years. I won't let them take him from me. Let's go mess them up."
The two yokai slithered away in the darkness, following closely behind the group with sinister intent in their step.
The first step of the group was the bakery for the dough they needed for the pizza. They entered the humble establishment to see the baker preparing the bread for the day with a masterful dance. They rolled and played with the dough and the flour like a master before turning to the arrivals.
"Can I help you?" The Baker asked, still continuing his work.
"Hello good sir, we'd like some dough." Anne smirked.
"You mean bread, right?" The baker asked.
"Anne, Mr. Baker's bread recipe is kind of a family secret, he'll only sell it baked," Randy explained.
"Best to keep it in the family that way." Stumpy shrugged.
"If you want the dough, the boy has to marry my daughter, Maddie." Mr. Baker turned to look at his eldest daughter.
Maddie gave them a creepy smile and wave.
"You know, there's a recipe here that doesn't require us to sell Sprig," Hop Pop suggested.
"Yeah, this seems like much." Randy added. "Can't we give you something else, sir?"
As the baker thought carefully about it, the two yokai snuck in, using the shadows to reach the over. Yonaki Baba grabbed the dial, increasing the temperature of the oven while the umbrella fanned the flames.
"Well, I guess I could give you some extra-AAAH!" Mr. Baker screamed as the oven flames spread out of the oven. "My bakery!"
Randy and Anne jumped in, pulling them away from the flames before they tried to put out the fire. Randy snatched a bucket full of water with his scarf, but as soon as he tossed it, he noticed it was empty. He looked inside only to see there was a hole at the bottom. Anne snatched a pair of gloves and pulled out all the bread that was burning before stomping on it much to Mr. Baker's horror.
"Step aside!" Stumpy jumped in with a large tenderizer in his hand. "Die flames, die!" He hammered down on the flames, as Randy and Anne joined in putting it out.
But the bread was still burnt to a crisp and black as charcoal.
"Um, can we have that dough?" Randy asked.
Mr. Baker's eyes remained on the destroyed remains of the bread and all he could say is the horror had scarred him. His face hardened as he looked at Randy, Anne and Stumpy.
"Marriage or nothing." Mr. Baker stood firm.
"Done." Anne shook the frog's hand.
"What?" Randy's jaw hung low at how easy Anne accepted the deal.
"Pizza dreams are worth anything, Randy." Anne took the ball of dough from the baker.
Randy rubbed his forehead, trying to understand if pizza was worth something like that at the end of the day. Stumpy could only pat his back to comfort him.
"Well, could we learn to love each other?" Sprig tried to look on the bright side of things.
Just then Maddie appeared behind him.
"I've seen your demise," Maddie said. "It was quite surprising."
"Great," Sprig muttered.
"Lovely kid," Stumpy walked around Maddie as Randy pulled Sprig with them. "Well, better get used to to ball & chain feeling, kid. Some go their whole lives without it."
"Lucky me…" Sprig muttered in fear.
"Bye." She waved at them as they left the bakery.
Outside the bakery, Stumpy was feeling just as defeated as before. Not five minutes out of the restaurant and everything was setting itself on fire.
"Maybe I should go back to the restaurant, you guys would be better off without me." Stumpy tried to leave only for Anne to stop him.
"Dude, we're just getting started. Trust me, this will be worth it at the end!" Anne pulled him up. "Just imagine the bite of the first ever pizza in Amphibia, the sticky texture of the cheese, the crunchy fluff of the cooked dough, the serenity of the basil and the juiciness of the tomato. And you could be the one to try them, no, the first ones to make them."
Stumpy's mind pictured what Anne was selling and he had to admit that he was intrigued. As a cook and chef in a small town, his dishes had been very much the same with the usual clientele. Perhaps he needed to get something new to get himself out of the slump. He felt another hand on his shoulder.
"Besides, you said you had nothing to do today, so we know you're pretty much free." Randy added.
"They got you there, Stumpy." Hop Pop admitted. "We could ask Mrs. Croaker for some cheese, she's one of the few that sell it."
"Next up, the cheese!" Anne pulled the group to their next destination.
In the shadows, behind a bush, Yonaki Baba and her minion yokai growled at the words they'd heard. The nasty and delicious taste of Stumpy's misery was fading because of that accursed new dish the strange creature was offering. It made the Yonaki Baba so mad that she snapped the branches of the bush before fading in the shadows.
Randy turned, hearing the snapping. Narrowing his eyes, he continued on while looking behind him.
"Curious."
Mrs. Croaker was one of the oldest if not the oldest resident of the town of Wartwood, and had all the characteristics that one would expect from someone in that age range. She was blind in one eye, walked with a stick, and dressed like someone's grandma, with a patch stitched brown dress and a white scarf wrapped around her neck. Oddly enough, she was also one of those old ladies that could wrangle large cow-pillars like a common farmer could wrangle sheep-roaches.
Which was a surprise as cow-pillars were huge white creatures with black spots all over their body and cow horns on their heads. Not something most would try to wrangle at such an advanced age or alone.
"AAAHHH!" Randy, Anne, Sprig, Polly, Hop Pop and Stumpy were running away from a large cow-pillar that was chasing after them.
"Thanks a lot for the hand, youngsters." Mrs. Croaker stood by the fence of her farm watching the gang get chased around. "Brutus has been in a bit of a mood and needs the exercise to calm down! Just a few more laps and he'll be right as rain!"
"You got it Mrs. Croaker!" Randy called out!
"I can't keep up! I should just let him run me over!" Stumpy panted before Randy pulled him with the group.
"No one is dying from cow-pillar rampage on my watch!" Randy carried Stumpy on his back.
"You know, there's a recipe here that doesn't need cheese!" Hop Pop held on to his book for dear life.
"No old recipes!" Anne snapped as they approached the fence for the cow-pillar.
However she wasn't the only one to spot it. Yonaki Baba fixed the latch tightly, keeping it from moving or even so much as properly locking.
"Sprig, open it!" Randy told the pink frog.
Sprig shot out his tongue against the latch, trying to pull it open. But it stayed in place. Sprig muttered a scared yeep before being pulled against the fence door, slamming into it.
"There goes that idea." Stumpy sighed, feeling miserable. "Best to drop me off here and save yerselves lads and lasses."
"Works for me!" Polly said.
"Polly!" Everyone else snapped at her for thinking like that.
Randy thought of an idea.
"You guys open the damn fence, me and Stumpy got this!"
"Say what?" Stumpy didn't have time to argue.
Randy jumped over Brutus landing on top of it with Stumpy right behind him. He wrapped his scarf around the beast's mouth. Using it as makeshift reigns, he steered the cowpillar away from Anne and the Plantars. He felt every muscle in his arms, legs and back pull on the large beast. Every move he made, Brutus fought him and pulled in the other direction. If the steering wasn't the problem, keeping it from hitting anything else was. Randy pulled on his scarf, getting Brutus away from the farm, taking a sharp turn to the right. He then steered Brutus with a sharp turn to the left, avoiding Mrs. Croaker's pet spider, Archie. He kept on making the large beast go in circles as Stumpy held on for dear life.
"Why you had to drag me here, boy?!" Stumpy asked. "I was happy back at the restaurant!"
"That's a lie and you know that!" Randy gritted his teeth. "You were miserable, and you know it!"
"That's how life is, kid! Things just got hard and monotonous!" Stumpy argued.
"Then you look for a change! You choose the path and you have to see it through!" Randy argued back.
Stumpy hated to admit it, but Randy wasn't wrong. He loved to cook once. Heck, the Pot Luck was the perfect time for him to pull out all the stops and try out different recipes but he couldn't shake the feeling of monotony bringing him down. Everything became a chore and nothing seemed to work out. It didn't help that everyone just seemed okay with what he was doing. No challenge and nothing to strive for. Like years of piled on garbage weighing him down from what he once loved to do.
A shake from Brutus got Stumpy out of his head and back into the real world. His eyes landed on the fence as Anne and the Plantars managed to free it and open it up.
"The fence is open! Turn now!" Stumpy called out.
"In you go!" Randy steered Brutus into the pen with all his might.
The large cowpillar rushed into the pen at top speed, forcing Anne and the Plantars to jump out of the way. It crossed the fence without any obstacles before Randy and Stumpy jumped off of it's back, landing outside the pen. Anne and the Plantars used that chance to stop Brutus from getting out, properly locking the gate behind it.
They all panted in exhaustion from all the excitement.
"Mother of pearl, my heart hasn't beat like this in ages," Stumpy took in deep breath after deep breath, but he couldn't help but chuckle. "How do you do this every day, lad? It's exhausting!"
"It is, but it's the only way to reach my goals." Randy got up, helping Stumpy to his feet. "I chose a long time ago to be just like my grandpa, so I can't make a big deal out of the stumbles along the way."
Stumpy wondered what that meant. If anything, it just sounded like a road that never ended.
"You guys! That was awesome!" Anne hugged Randy from behind. "You gotta show me how you did that. Plus, we got the cheese!" Anne held a large chunk of cheese in her bag.
"Wow, did she make it out of-?" Randy began.
"I don't wanna know where it comes from." Anne pulled Randy. "Next stop basil!"
Stumpy couldn't help but chuckle at the never ending pool of energy those two seemed to have. In a way they reminded him of when he first started.
Yonaki Baba was not amused.
"Damn those fools." She cursed.
The next ingredient on the list was basil and thankfully, they grew in the wild not far from Wartwood. The group walked through the swamp in search of the wild basil leaves they needed. It wasn't hard to trail through the swamp, but they were starting to notice a pattern of misfortune accidents.
"Why are there batsquitos out during the day?!" Hop Pop screamed as Randy sliced the flying monsters away from them.
The crew fled as the large beasts flew down towards them like dive bombers wanting to drink their blood. Randy's sword sliced them down as they got ever closer to them, as Stumpy smacked a couple away with his spatula hand. Sprig fired his slingshot at the batsquitos before Anne took up a branch and slammed it against their heads. Hop Pop for his part used the recipe book to hit as many as they could before Polly tried to fight them herself. Something that they all got her away from.
Randy pulled out a smoke bomb from his pocket before tossing it at Sprig.
"Sprig, throw it!" Randy blocked another bastsquito's attack.
"Eat smoke, jerks!" Sprig launched the smoke pellet, hitting the leading batsquito.
The smoke spread and the nasty smell of the smoke knocked the beasts out of the chase, forcing them to flee.
"Take that you slug suckers!" Stumpy snarled at the fleeing batsquitos.
"Still how did they come out in the middle of the day?" Hop pop asked. "They prefer darkness."
"Unless something wakes them up," Polly mentioned. "What? I know things too." They all looked at her with curiosity.
"It is very suspicious," Sprig agreed.
"Ain't it obvious? Something has cursed this whole thing," Stumpy said. "Probably me rotten luck has spread."
Anne looked at Stumpy and quickly got back to her feet. She didn't like anyone that beat themselves up or gave up so easily. If her parents ever talked like that, it would be crushing beyond belief. She had to get the old frog back to his feet.
"Come on! We're already half-way there. There is no such thing as curses." Anne pulled Stumpy up to his feet.
"Actually Anne-" Hop Pop began.
"Look, there's basil, right there." Anne turned their heads to the frogs to a clearing. "We can snatch a few leaves there and be done with it in now time." Anne sprinted to the wild basil, not noticing the lizard resting right behind it.
"Oh uh," Stumpy said as he and Randy also noticed it.
"Anne, wait!" Randy rushed to help her.
As soon as Anne plucked the leaves of the basil plant, she looked face to face with the large green lizard. It growled as she gave it a weak smile and chuckle. Anne sprinted to her feet as the lizard chased after her and Randy jumped in to save her, much to the laughter and cheer of the Plantars and Stumpy.
Stumpy couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Anne and Randy fighting the lizard while dodging its jaws. Anne kept on jumping and skidding underneath the lizard's jaws as Randy slammed his sheathed sword on the lizard's head. It was kinda funny to see this after all the misery and trouble that he'd gone through over the last few years. Part of Stumpy couldn't help but admire that those two were going to such lengths to help each other and for a dish he'd never even heard of.
"Say, Hopedaiha, what's the deal with those two?" Stumpy asked. "What is it about this pizza that makes them so crazy?"
"I honestly don't know myself. Anne wants to help us avoid the shame cage, and Randy suggestd asking you for help," Hop Pop explained. "He said the meals he had with Nobu at your restaurant were the best. Guess he thought you'd have some thoughts on helping us out and honestly you looked like you needed a pick me up."
Stumpy thought about what that meant. Sure, he was in the dumps but what could he do about it? There was nothing for him to try out and he just wanted to go through life for as long as he still could.
"We got the basil!" Anne came running, picking up the Plantars.
"Run, run, run!" Randy picked Stumpy and booked it as the lazard snarled at them from behind.
He gave the beast one last glance before noticing the lizard lacked a shadow. Narrowing his eyes, he figured that this wasn't the last they'd see of whoever was chasing that at every turn.
A mile away from the swamp, Anne stuffed the basil in their bag full of ingredients.
"Alright, three down, one to go!" Anne called out as everyone looked beat up from the escape.
"Who knew that great flavor was so painful." Sprig said through his bruises.
"You know, you could've avoided this if you'd just done anything, right?" Stumpy moaned.
"But that's the price of greatness!" Anne claimed.
"At least the old recipes weren't this painful," Hop Pop added.
Randy got ready for the next fight. He kept his eyes open for any signs of strangeness, but then Stumpy tapped him on his shoulder.
"Lad, mind if we talk in private?" Stumpy asked.
Randy nodded as they took their conversation away from the ears of everyone else.
"What's up Stumpy?" Randy asked.
"Lad, why did you bring me along in this mess? Sure, I won a few times, but I was fine back at the restaurant?" Stumpy argued. "I got nothing to give to this insane quest. Plus, I'm pretty sure that all this bad luck is because of me."
Randy looked at the old cook and the heaviness in his eyes. The tiredness in his voice was practically spelling that he'd given up a long time ago. But part of Randy didn't want to believe it. Maybe it was selfish, but he couldn't let someone that gave him so many memories go down without a fight.
"Please, bad luck follows everyone around from time to time. And I don't think you're being that honest with me," Randy said. "You looked defeated back at the restaurant. Like it was all just a chore. I don't know how it happened but I just don't want you to feel miserable."
"But why care about me so much? I didn't raise ya, kid. In fact, I once threw a knife at you." Stumpy pointed to Randy's head.
"Yeah, it was crazy, and you don't owe me anything. In fact, it's the other way around." Randy admitted.
"Huh?" Stumpy didn't think he heard him right.
"You know what's one of the worst things about grandpa passing? I won't get to see him again. All the time we spent together is all I have of him." Randy looked at his scarf like it was made of those very memories. "His teachings, his values, his wisdom, even the most mundane things are all that I have of him. And that includes the times we went to your restaurant for-"
"Battledon bowls." Stumpy remembered the dish. "It's been years since I made one of them."
"Which is why I want to help you. Maybe this won't give you your passion back, but I have to try." Randy fixed his scarf. "And who knows, maybe knowing that you helped bring people together with a warm meal is all you needed." Randy smiled at Stumpy before turning around and spotting Anne and the Plantars crying their eyes out.
Randy didn't even have time to ask if they had heard anything he'd said when they all pounced on him, hugging him like he was about to disappear. Their tears rained down on Randy like drops of a summer rain, making him unable to even move. They were all telling him that everything would be okay and that he wasn't alone. It felt nice and warm inside him to get this kind of comfort from them. It had been a long time since he'd had this kind of treatment from anyone that wasn't his grandfather. He tried to hug them back, but his arms were tightly held by their arms wrapping around his body. Best he could do was stand there and take it.
Stumpy couldn't help but think about what Randy had just told him. The boy didn't show it, but he was affected by the old frog's passing. He just held on with steely resolve to keep on living, even if it was hard. And in a strange way, those times they had gone to his restaurant had helped him stand on his feet. It was weird. He never thought those bowls were that special to someone. They were great, downright delicacies if he wanted to toot his own horn, but he never expected them to be that important to someone. And yet, Randy was going out of his way to help him because of what those memories meant. Maybe there was something to cook for everyone after all.
Yonaki Baba growled from the shadows as her minion tried calming her down. But even holding back the rays of the sun weren't enough for the misery feeding yokai. Her plans had failed so far. And Stumpy was getting better.
"We must end them before this stupid quest is over," Yonaki Baba dug her nails on the wood of the tree. "Stumpy is actually getting back to his former self. But that'll soon be over. I've saved the worst for last. The fools are after tomatoes, they'll die for sure." She cackled at the thought.
Her minion flapped itself a little, trying to get her attention.
"No, forget their stupid dish. We feast on misery, remember?" Yonaki Baba sighed. "Idiot."
"Alright, tomatoes, let's head to town and see if we can buy a few of them for the pizza," Anne rubbed her hands.
After such an emotional moment between the group, Anne felt even more determined to find the last ingredient and have a massive pizza party celebration. And tomatoes were a must after everything they went through should be easy enough. It was a common vegetable that one could get at any veggie aisle at any supermarket back on Earth. It should be easy to buy a couple of them to make pizza tomato sauce.
"Actually, Anne, you won't find tomatoes in Wartwood." Randy stopped her. "No one sells them."
"What?" Anne asked. "Why? How's that possible?"
"Well, it's probably because they are in the dangerous vegetable classification." Hop Pop pulled up his recipe book, showing a picture of a large red juicy tomato. "The book suggests using prunes instead. Prune sauce does sound nice."
"I don't think so, Hop Pop," Sprig said.
"Bleh." Polly stuck her tongue out.
"There is a tomato plant not far from here, but almost everyone avoids it." Stumpy added.
"Um, why?" Anne asked. "Is it dangerous or something?"
Before the eyes of Randy, Anne, the Plantars and Stumpy was the large and very deadly Amphibia tomato plant. A large monstrosity that stood ten feet tall with four long necks attached to four bright red carnivorous heads with razor sharp teeth like venus flytraps mixed with piranhas. It had lots of juicy tomatoes around its leafy lower body but they were very much surrounded by the skulls and bones of frogs, and other animals that had been drawn to the juicy treasures that the beast protected like Cerberus guarding the gates of the underworld. The expression 'holy tomato' was never so good a description.
"...Yep, pretty dangerous." Anne scratched the back of her head. "So, any ideas as to how to get those things?"
"Giving up sounds good to me," Polly said.
"Randy, you think you could reach the tomatoes with your scarf?" Sprig suggested.
"I could try, but there's also a chance I'll be caught by those things." Randy spotted a shadow moving towards the plant. "Or from our unexpected guests to cause some trouble."
"Huh?" Everyone looked at Randy with confused looks.
Randy threw a kunai knife at the feet of the tomato plant, making the umbrella yokai to flinch in shock. Everyone gasped in shock before Randy wrapped the yokai in his scarf, pulling him towards them. He gripped it tightly as the Plantars and Stumpy gasped in shock at the sight of the yokai. Despite its simple appearance they knew all too well that these things could be dangerous and to have one so close to them was concerning to say the least. Anne, however, took a different reaction to it.
"What the heck is that adorable thing?" Anne asked, looking at the little umbrella.
"That is a yokai, Anne! Not a pet!" Hop Pop screamed.
"They are spirits that roam the wilds of Amphibia, ranging from monstrous forces of nature to mischievous or sometimes helpful beings that can live in houses." Sprig added.
"They are also notorious for casting curses and making life miserable for others." Randy added, glaring at the umbrella yokai. "This one mostly haunts homes that are empty and follow stronger yokai around like minions."
"Wait, curses and spirits are real?!" Anne's eyes widened as though someone had told her that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were real all along.
"Why yes. Amphibia is home to many different creatures and beings and arts, like writing, poetry, theater, dancing, and of course, the dark arts." Hop Pop put an emphasis on the last bit. "But back to the matter at hand, why is this one following us?" Hop Pop pointed to the umbrella.
"Oh it seems like the surprise has been spoiled."
They all turned to see Yonaki Baba on top of the tomato plant using its raggedy black hair as a pair of reins for the beast.
"AH! Who's the old hag?!" Anne asked.
"I am Yonaki Baba, brat, and you five have messed with my meal for too long!" Yonaki Baba snapped her fingers, getting the heads of the tomato plant to stand in attention. "Lunch time my pretties!"
The tomato plant's heads launched themselves at the family, snapping their jaws at them like a pack of wolves. Their jaws lunged at them, taking bites out of the ground and the rocks as the humans and the frogs jumped out of the way, avoiding their bites. Each bite made the group run in circles, avoiding the bites before the vines started chasing after them. One of the vines caught Polly only for Anne to snatch her away before she could've been eaten. The mouths chased after them as Sprig fired his slingshot, hitting them as well as angering them even more.
"Oh uh," Sprig said before Hop Pop pulled him away from the snapping jaws of death.
"Get away from my grandson, you overgrown weed!" Hop Pop smacked one of the mouths with his big book of recipes.
"We gotta cut those vines!" Anne caught one of the vines as Polly bit another one.
"And I know just how to do that!" Randy smacked one of the vines with the yokai minion.
The tomato plant snarled as its vines snapped and whipped at the group, forcing Randy to drop the yokai minion and draw out his sword. He sliced the vines with swift strikes, cutting them down to size as Anne, Sprig, Hop Pop, Polly and Stumpy pinned them down. Randy jumped over one of the snapping jaws before spinning his whole body for a perfectly circular slice to the beast's head.
Randy wrapped his scarf on the neck stem of the beast, pulling himself on top of it. He ran on top of the beast's neck, heading straight to the yokai in charge. He jumped at Yonaki Baba with his sword ready to strike her down. But she only smirked at him before one of the remaining heads jumped him from below. The head struck him right in the stomach, forcing Randy to hold on for his life. The pain was little, but he was taken by surprise, forcing him to try something else. Pressing down on the head, he pushed himself off of it. He quickly wrapped his scarf around the beast's neck before swinging around it. Then, with the gained speed of his swing, he sliced off the beast's head.
"Norushi Style, Whirlwind Spin!" Randy landed, spinning on the tip of his foot to face the beast's remaining heads.
Yonaki Baba cackled as she channeled her energy into the beast's body. Her magic regrew its missing heads and the vines that had been sliced off by Randy's sword. The four heads lunged at the group, forcing them to jump behind large rocks to cover themselves.
"It's useless, she's got magic!" Stumpy cried out. "This is a disaster!"
"Randy, who is that crazy chick?!" Anne asked.
"She called herself Yonaki Baba, and she said we were messing with her meal," Randy said. "But I don't know what that means."
"Wait. I heard that name once." Hop Pop went through his book. "Ah ha, yokai like that feast on misery and grow stronger when they're constantly being fed. Some even enhance it if they're strong enough."
Suddenly, it all clicked.
"Stumpy, it's you!" Anne pulled the cook. "That hag has been feeding on your misery for years. You're her meal ticket."
"And we've been trying to get you out of that slump all this time," Randy added.
Stumpy felt like his eyes had been opened. The yokai had been attracted to his misery and lack of love for his passion and had made a meal out of him all this time.
"So, it's all been her? Nah, I was miserable because I lost my passion for cooking." Stumpy looked at his hands. "But I refuse to let some crazy yokai make a meal out of my customers. We're gonna kill that thing, get the tomatoes and make that pizza! I don't know how it'll turn out, but we'll make it!"
"Heck, yeah! That's the spirit!" Anne and Stumpy high fived. "What's that spatula made of? Mahogany?"
"The bones from me missing hand." Stumpy shrugged.
Just then vines sprung out from the floor, wrapping around the group like snakes strangling their prey. They were pulled up as the hungry mouths of the tomato plant swallowed them whole.
"No, you stupid thing!" Yonaki Baba snapped. "Spit them out! Or at least spit out Stumpy!"
Inside the large beast's throat, Randy stabbed his sword into the walls of the throat, stopping their descent. Their eyes landed on the large vat of acid waiting for them inside the monster's stomach.
"My fiance was right!" Sprig called out. "Dying by acid inside a giant killer plant being commanded by a yokai is the last thing I thought would kill me!"
"No one is dying today, Sprig." Randy pulled him away from the stomach acid. "Any ideas on how to get out of here would be welcoming."
"Um, Hop Pop, if your book has anything useful, I'll never complain about it again." Anne clung to the throat walls as best as she could.
"It doesn't say anything useful." Hop Pop flipped through the pages. "It only says this plant's neck is edible."
Everyone quickly got onto the implications.
"Well, let's give this thing a piece of our minds, and bite." Stumpy cracked his neck.
"I love this plan!" Polly added.
The group took a bite out of the beast's throat, taking chunks off of it like starving beasts feasting on their prize. The beast screamed in pain as their bites tore through its neck, but they didn't stop. The acidic taste they were getting was filling them up with more hunger. It was chewy and it was delicious. Their teeth bit through the outer part of the plant's neck, giving them freedom. But that didn't stop them, they continued eating the beast until its whole head fell off like the head of a flower after being snipped.
Randy took this chance. He jumped high enough where the other three heads were gathered. His scarf tied them all together, keeping them stuck to each other. He spun in the air, decapitating them with a single circular cut.
Yonaki Baba cursed as the beast she rode on fell. She tried to escape before she was caught. But she was cut off by Anne holding her tennis racket and Sprig holding his slingshot.
"You ain't going nowhere, hag!" Anne was ready to swing.
Yonaki Baba snarled at Anne, but her nose picked something odd. She smelled power. Power she'd never smelled before. Something blue.
"What are you?" Yonaki Baba asked.
"Back off, dudette!" Anne swung her racket at the yokai, who effortlessly dodged it.
Yonaki Baba reached out to grab Anne's neck only to pull back, avoiding a shot from Sprig's slingshot. But that was all that Randy and Stumpy needed.
They jumped down, slicing her down the middle with their sword and cleaver. Yonaki Baba let out a cry of pain as she vanished into the shadows.
"Yeah, we got her!" Sprig celebrated.
"You alright, Anne?" Randy cleaned his sword.
"Y-Yeah, all peachy." Anne shook herself off. "Just creepy there."
"Well, that's the end of that. But now, we got a Pot Luck to win!" Stumpy said.
"To the kitchen!" Hop Pop joined as they ran to prepare the fabled pizza.
"Hey, Hop Pop, nice save back there. Guess some old things are still useful after all." Anne gave Hop Pop a thumbs up.
"Yeah, well, I guess trying a few new things isn't gonna kill this old frog." Hop Pop swelled with pride at being helpful.
"Also, you remember we can put anything on pizza?" Anne asked. "What do these frogs like?"
Hop Pop thought about it for a second until a list of ingredients came to mind. A smile crept on his face as they approached the Plantar home.
Randy, Anne, the Plantars and Stumpy prepared the pizza following Anne's instructions. Kneading the dough until it was a perfect circle, they proceeded to cover it with the crushed tomatoes they'd picked from the deadly plant encounter and then proceeded to shave the cheese on top of it. Thy each put different toppings, from the basil leaves to mushrooms, onions and some sliced peppers for an extra kick.
Hop Pop admitted that as bad as the last Pot Lucks had been, he'd always loved cooking with family. And maybe it was okay to let some new things happen if it meant that there would be some new memories. All that he cared about was that the family stayed together and maybe this pizza would bring them together.
Stumpy gazed at the pizza as it cooked and gained a crispy brown edge before their eyes. He'd never seen something like this in his life. His nose and those of the other frogs were enchanted by the smell of it. It was a brand new thing that had been born from a new approach to cooking he'd never imagined.
"It looks amazing." Randy looked at it.
"And it smells delicious," Sprig added.
"I think our noses just went to frog heaven." Polly drooled slightly.
"This is wonderful." Hop Pop sniffed.
"Pizza dreams," Anne added.
Stumpy smiled at their expressions. It was something he hadn't seen in a long time. Maybe it was time to try something new himself.
The Pot Luck was going on full swing, and the Plantars and Stumpy had placed the finished pizza at the last spot. They waited for Mayor Toadstool to arrive after tasting all the other dishes. He only took a bite or a finger's worth of food from each of them, obviously more interested in filling his belly than to actually guess what was good.
"And last but not least… The Planters, their pets and… Stumpy?" Toadstool asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you were skipping the Pot Luck this year?"
"Well, I gave these folks a hand. Figured it wouldn't hurt." Stumpy shrugged.
Toadstool looked at the dish and was slightly surprised.
"Well, this doesn't look horrendous, maybe it'll taste passable." Toadstool took a bite from the pizza slice.
As soon as his taste buds touched the Earth delicacy, his eyes widened. His mind exploded as the new flavors enveloped his tongue. Something clicked in his mind and then everything was made clear. It was as though all the mysteries of life became clear before him. There was no denying it.
"This is the greatest thing I've ever tasted…" Toadstool gasped. "I really can't believe I'm saying this but: The Plantars Win!"
"Say wha?!" Hop Pop gasped in shock.
They had won the Pot Luck. After years of being in the Shame Cage after each Pot Luck they had now won and won big time. Everyone got over their shock and started cheering for the Plantars. Randy and Anne lifted Hop Pop's and Stumpy's arms as more and more people dug into the pizza. Some even recognized them for their ingredient hunt and how they'd managed to get the win after all the trouble that they'd gone through.
"That's my future son-in-law there!" Mr. Baker cheered as Maddie waved her hand at Sprig.
"Hi, hubby," she said.
Sprig waved back with a slightly terrified smile on his face.
"Not bad you crazy kids, not bad." Mrs. Croaker laughed.
Randy and Anne each had a slice as the Plantars tasted the fruits of their labor along with Stumpy. Each and every single one of them felt the same way. The slices of pizza were yummy goodness in their mouths. Randy and Anne couldn't help but laugh at their reactions. Their wide eyes and long tasting sighs were enough to make them want to taste their creation as well. They looked at each other and took a bite out of their pizza slices.
"So, what's the verdict?" Anne asked.
"It's really good." Randy sighed.
The next day, Randy, Anne and the Plantars received a call from Stumpy asking them to meet him at the restaurant. And when they arrived they saw the cooking frog cleaning up the place by himself.
"Stumpy, what's going on?" Randy asked.
"I figured that this place could use a face-lift. Yonaki Baba was feeding from my misery but I'm the one that let this place go." Stumpy looked at the cleaning he'd done. "I figured I should get back on the saddle after yesterday's adventure.
"In that case, I have a suggestion." Anne rushed to the kitchen.
Randy, the Plantars and Stumpy waited by the bar until Anne brought forth a strange dish for them. It had shrimp and red soup on it with some veggies.
"What's this thing?" Hop Pop asked.
"Looks delicious," Sprig said.
"This is Tom Yum Goong, a traditional Thai soup." Anne explained.
"Never had it before, but it looks good." Randy, the Plantars and Stumpy all took a spoonful of it.
"Careful, it can be a little spicey." Anne warned.
The Plantars and Stumpy's eyes went wide as their bodies turned red and started to sweat. They opened up their mouths and shot fire out of them as they screamed from the spiciness.
"How is this so spicy?!" Hop Pop screamed.
"My eyes are watering too much!" Sprig rolled on the floor.
"My mouth is an inferno!" Polly screamed.
"Witchcraft! It's witchcraft!" Stumpy tried to put out the fire in his mouth but to no avail.
"Man, that's got some kick." Randy coughed, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Anyone want seconds?" Anne asked with everyone raising their hands. "And lots of milk too."