22. S1: Fishing Trip For Three, Not for Thee

Tired from my internship. I've been doing overtime and weekends for 2 weeks now. So yeah, not in the best of health. But hey, I'm still alive ;) Anyway, too tired to write stuff for AN. Enjoy the read!

The farmers' market — a large clearing designated for farmers and growers to conduct business by selling their produce. Throughout Hopadiah Plantar's long life, a large portion of it was spent just at this particular location. For years, he's sold the various vegetables grown on the Plantar farm, making a more-or-less sustainable living. It wasn't much but it was honest work.

Today, however, he was alone. Instead, he had the kids stay home to prepare for an upcoming once-in-a-year event. Supplies needed to be packed and accounted for. Though, that didn't mean he could just skip work. He'd just have to check on their side once he gets back. For now, he's got customers to attend to.

"Here ya go: a nice whole bag of turnips!" Hop Pop exclaimed, handing over the vegetables to the frog in front.

The frog, an old lady by the name of Mrs Croaker, smiled. "Thank ya kindly, Hopadiah. You truly live up to that honest trait of yours."

"Hehe, and here's a little secret." Hop Pop then leaned closer to her and whispered. "I added a bit extra, just for you."

Mrs Croaker laughed boisterously. "Haha! How flattering! Maybe you should change your cart motto to 'generous' instead." She then handed over a few copper coins and went on her merry way.

Another satisfied customer. Hop Pop chuckled; even after so many years, he just could never get used to seeing their happy faces. Maybe that's a good thing. Though, before he could relish the feeling, another frog stepped in front of his stall and began surveying his produce. From her clothing, it didn't look like she was from here. She might need a little push.

"Howdy there! Welcome to my shop! I've got high-quality vegetables, no contest! Is there anything I can do for ya?" Hop Pop asked, putting on his businessman act.

The lady frog nodded. "Why yes, I'm actually looking for a gourd. I'm planning on making myself some nice gumbo."

"Gumbo, eh? Well, I've got just the gourd for you, Missus—" Hop Pop looked up and upon seeing her face, he froze. "S-S-SYLVIE?!"

"Hmm?" She hummed, confused. In turn, she also looked up and gasped. "My, is that you, Hopadiah? It's been so long! And I've got to say; you still look rather dashing for someone your age."

"Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh—!"

"Still have that stutter of yours, I see? Never change, Hopadiah." She said with a small chuckle.

Sylvie or her actual name, Sylvia Sundew, was the matriarch of the Sundew household. Much like Hopadiah Plantar, she too was deeply involved in the farming business, her proprietary vegetables medicinal herbs being the highest of quality in Frog Valley. She was what many farmers wished to become — extremely successful. Though with her advanced age, she had since retired and now, handled it in the background.

"You know, we should talk over tea sometime. How's tomorrow sound?" Sylvia asked, only to immediately frown. "Oh wait, silly me. You must be busy with your stall. I shouldn't pressure you."

"N-N-NOT AT ALL!" Hop Pop blurted out. "A-hem, I m-mean, sure! I could go for some tea tomorrow! Got to take it slow from time to time when you're in your golden years, hehe…" He said as his cheeks began glowing pink.

Sylvia smiled. "That's very wise of you. I'll make sure to save some gumbo for tomorrow then."

"O-Okay…" He choked.

"Now then, back to business. Now how much did this gourd cost?"

Suddenly, Hop Pop screamed. "IT'S ON THE HOUSE!"

Sylvia raised both brows in surprise. "Really? That doesn't sound like a very good business model."

"C-call it a 'first-time customer special'." Hop Pop exclaimed. He actually just made it up at the moment but nobody needed to know that. And from the looks of it, it worked; Sylvia smiled as she picked the gourd and placed it into her bag.

"You're as generous as you are honest, Hopadiah. I look forward to tomorrow then. Don't forget~"

"I-I won't! S-s-see you t-tomorrow!"

And with that, Sylvia left the stall, continuing with shopping. Hop Pop, too shocked and flustered, then had trouble managing his stall for the rest of the day. Never once did he expect to meet an old friend, especially one he once had — and still has — a crush on. After closing his shop for the day, Hop Pop quickly ran home and readied himself. He didn't tell any of the kids, too nervous to try.

The very next day, the two old frogs met. One could only imagine the conversations and talks they had. For when you have such experienced people together, their stories would last hours. And yet, it didn't feel enough.

Question: Do the Plantars have a fishing boat?

That may seem like a somewhat weird question but the answer was… Yes. The Plantars had a fishing boat. For a family of farmers, fishing was not something they'd do on a daily basis. However, a few generations back, there was this misplaced idea that owning a boat was a sign of wealth and a great investment for the future. It was unsure where the idea came from but back then, everyone had a boat, even if they didn't need it.

Unlike most people though, the Plantars actually used the boat, albeit not frequently. The original owner practically lived on it and later on, donated it to the main branch of the Plantar family for personal use. Thus, the annual Plantar fishing trip was born, created by none other than Hopadiah Plantar himself.

He actually created the family event in order to keep the boat in use instead of rotting in some barn but hey, it worked out.

"Hah, the annual Plantar fishing trip! Hop Pop and I have been on these trips ever since I was a pollywog and all we do is fish and bond as a family." Sprig said happily. He took in a deep breath, allowing the Amphibian fresh air to circulate in his lungs. "You smell that, Sasha? That's the smell of adventure."

"Yeah, sure…" Sasha replied somewhat unenthusiastically from her wheelchair, a far cry from her usual demeanour.

Noticing this, Sprig turned to her. "You're still mad about what happened with Hop Pop, aren't you?" He asked with a voice of sympathy.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Was I too obvious?"

"Sasha, I know why you're mad but I know Hop Pop and he's always had the best of us in mind. He would never do anything to hurt you!" He explained.

Despite that, she scoffed. "Yeah, well, he did. Knowing that doesn't really make it any better." Sasha hissed back. She wasn't used to being on the receiving side of a lie and for the first time ever, she finally what it felt like. It hurt, a lot. "Besides, I'm only going on this stupid trip because we get to catch some fish. You know, food that isn't made of bugs."

Before the conversation could continue, the door behind them suddenly opened and from it, Hop Pop and a new figure emerged beside him. Sprig was about to ask who that was but then gasped as he saw Hop Pop, his grandfather and boat captain, wearing a ridiculous outfit. The old frog did not notice his horrified gasp.

"Sprig, Polly, Sasha — I want to introduce you all to an old friend of mine, Sylvia Sundew." Hop Pop said, pointing to the figure at his side.

Sylvia nodded, waving her hand. "Good morning, everybody. You all can call me Sylvie and I must say, all of you are looking quite chipper today."

Well, as chipper as one could be. Sprig was frozen in shock, unsure of how to process this. Sasha raised a brow at the new person while Polly was still Polly. In short, it was an average day. Promptly, Sylvia — or Sylvie as she preferred — walked towards them, examining each one closely. She first started with the pink frog.

"Let me guess; this handsome little boy must Sprig!" She said with a warm smile.

Sprig, broken out of his stupor, nervously stuttered. "O-oh! Uh, hello!"

Nodding, she then turned to the youngest. "And this adorable ball of sunshine has to be Polly."

"Who are you calling adorable?!" Polly yelled, raising his fin.

Finally, she turned to the only non-frog available. "As for you…" She drawled out. "You must be Sasha."

Sasha scoffed. "What gave that away?" She asked sarcastically.

Sylvia smiled. "Oh, nothing really. My daughter told me a lot about you. She's quite grateful that you helped return her expensive china. They're quite rare, you know. You'd have to be a pretty good person to do any of that."

Sasha blushed at the compliment and faced away, her cheeks turning warm. If there's one thing she enjoyed, it's receiving praises, especially the ones that she deserved. And after being stuck in another world where everything was trying to kill her, she was pretty much starved for it. She would've coaxed for more in a typical Sasha fashion but now was not the time.

"A-hem! S-so, how did you two meet up?" Sasha asked, coughing in her fist.

"Well, you see, kids, I met up with Sylvie at the market a couple of days ago. We had a little chat over tea and I thought 'What if I invited her to come with us on our fishing trip?'" Hop Pop explained. "And that's exactly what I did! I hope you all don't mind."

"I brought fruit pie." Sylvia added, pulling out a whole pie, still warm and steaming.

Polly hummed. "You had me at the pie."

Like a gallant and daring ship captain, Hop Pop hopped onto a crate and pointed his finger outward. The wind, as if listening to his soul, blew in his direction, causing his sailor clothes to flutter majestically. "Come on, kids! Let's get this ship in sailing shape!"

And although the docks were filled with thunderous cheers — except for Sasha who gave a half-hearted one — only one frog didn't show the same enthusiasm. He who looked forward to the event the most had unconsciously planted a seed of doubt in himself. Unbeknownst to him, that seed would soon prove a bigger hassle than anyone could've expected.

After an hour of packing and preparation, the sail was cast, the anchor was pulled and the Plantar's little fishing boat finally left their port. Being an experienced sailor and fisherman, the whole thing went off without a hitch, barring the accidental damage to the house. Really, this was why one should always have a frog on checking duty.

Unlike most homes, the Plantar house was built on a nearby lake. On most days, fishing there was sufficient but on this annual event, it simply wouldn't do. Instead, they took their boat out of the lake through a connecting river, one of many sprawling all over Amphibia. Their destination? The ol' Louis Swamp. No one remembered why it was named that way but the most famous theory was the existence of a swamp beast named Louis.

Usually, the fishing trip would be the focus of Hop Pop and Sprig as they bonded through their parent-child relationship. However, this year, they seemed to have an unintended passenger onboard.

"Haah…" Sprig sighed. Currently, he was being strangled by a giant 6ft-long earthworm — a classic and reliable form of bait.

Nearby, Sasha ignored him, sitting in her wheelchair with her arms crossed. Seeing no response, Sprig exhaled once more. "Haaah…!"

Again, no response.

"Haaaaahhh…!"

…

…

"Haaaaaaaaaaaahhh…!"

Sasha sighed. "What is it?"

"Oh, was I bothering you? Sorry about that." Sprig replied, not at all sincere. He then slapped the earthworm on its jiggly body, causing it to drop him. "It's just, this whole trip isn't going as planned. I was supposed to spend the rest of the day with Hop Pop doing, you know, fishing. But instead, all he's been doing is 'showing the ropes' to Sylvie."

Emphasizing his point, he turned to behind him where Hop Pop and Sylvia Sundew stood. There, the old frog gave Sylvia a tutorial which she accepted in glee. "And that's how you throw a line!" He explained.

"You mean like this?" Sylvia asked, throwing her own line into the water.

Hop Pop cheered. "Exactly! You're a natural!"

Back to the kids, Sprig grumbled. "He showed the same casting technique 10 times already…"

Sasha shrugged weakly. "Eh, who cares? Let the old frog have his fun. At least one of us is enjoying today…" She quietly muttered the last part. "Look, if you're this bothered with Sylvia, just tell Hop Pop. He'll definitely understand, I think."

"But she's a guest and Hop Pop's enjoying spending time with her! I don't want to ruin this for them."

Sasha rolled her eyes. It was too early to deal with this. "Well, if you're not going to be honest about this, then just deal with it, I guess. Nothing much you can do about that."

Sprig frowned. "You're not helping!"

"Oh, was I supposed to help?"

Well, that was just annoying. Sasha was too bummed out to actually help, leaving him all alone in this. He was actually hoping for some sagely Sasha-esque advice, even though those usually weren't good advice. But he was an impressionable child with a heart of gold. It wasn't his fault that he got attached to her that way.

Sprig took a deep breath in and out, venting his stress away. "You know what? It's fine. It's just one day, right? One super-important day that I've been looking forward to all year. So what if it doesn't go as planned? Hahaha!"

That's right. It was just one day. He still had many more days to go so one wasn't worth that much, right?

That was until Hop Pop and Sylvia walked past them. "Over here, Sylvie! I want to show you this thing Sprig and I used to do for fun!" Hop Pop said out loud.

Sprig growled and from the growling, an idea popped out. "Wait! I know exactly what to do!"

"Oh, cool."

"I can get close to them and when I do, I just skooch between them! That way, I'll get some quality with Hop Pop!"

Sasha stared at the boy tiredly. "That wasn't even close to what we were talking about."

"Thanks, Sasha! You're the best!" Sprig said. "Though, I could use a little bit of backup."

Sasha's stare continued to pierce through him with no audible reply. Her silence was enough of an answer, causing him to click his tongue annoyedly. "Alright, fine! I'll do it myself! You can keep moping here if that's what you want."

"Good luck." Sasha said boredly.

As Sprig left to go and get into trouble, Sasha was left alone with her thoughts. On any normal day, she would've been enthusiastic with all of this! For the past few months, all she's been eating were a variety of vegetables, fruits and wildlife, most of which consisting of the insectoid kind. Even till now, she was never used to it and her hopes of having a relatively normal meal were slowly dwindling away.

That was until Sprig told her about the annual fishing trip. This meant that Amphibia had fish and that it was edible. Otherwise, no one would actually hunt them or at least, make a hobby out of it. And thus, fuelled by her insatiable hunger, Sasha was motivated to fish as much as possible. After all, if no one was going to eat them, why should she hold back?

That was over a week ago. Now though…

Sasha sighed. Maybe Sprig was right. Maybe she was letting this get to her too much. With her current mood, there's no way she'd be able to catch anything, let alone a swimming slippery animal. She should just move on, right? Let bygones be bygones.

It's easy to say that but a lot harder to actually do it.

"What are you doing?" Polly asked as she happened to just roll by.

Sasha turned to her, blinking. "O-oh, hey Polly. I was just… thinking, I guess." She replied. "What were you doing?"

Polly shrugged. "Nothing much. These fishing trips are usually pretty boring if you're not Sprig or Hop Pop but it's not like I have anything else to do." Polly then raised a brow, concerned. "You seem off today."

"Okay, now I'm starting to think that it really is obvious." Sasha said out loud with a groan. "Look, I'm just dealing with a few things, okay? You don't have to worry about it."

She didn't need to say any further. In response, Polly hopped to her side, laying herself next to her. "Alright. Whatever the reason it was for Hop Pop to do that, I bet it's something dumb. Adults are weird anyway."

Sasha raised a brow, wearing a smirk. "Really? What gave that away?"

"When you don't have parents."

"WOAH! Just dropping a bombshell like that on me, huh?!"

Polly shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, it's fine. I was too young when they died. It's hard to miss someone you've never met. Hop Pop and Sprig are kinda my only family." She clarified. "When you don't have parents, you kinda notice a bunch of stuff other parents do. Like, lying. Parents lie a lot."

"I'm sorry, Sasha. I have a very important meeting that day so I won't be able to come to your pirate show. But I'll definitely come for the next one!"

"Sasha, dear, I'm a bit busy today so I'll have to miss your graduation. I left my credit card on the dining table. Just use it if you ever need money. You know the code."

"Sasha, we delivered a present to you and it should arrive sometime this week. Make sure to tip the delivery person. Sorry we couldn't make it but we hope you have a great birthday party!"

Sasha scowled. "Yeah, I noticed."

"But you know what? Why be gloomy when you can be happy?!" Polly screamed.

Sasha stared at her, confused. "What?"

"Yeah! I mean, you were looking forward to this day! You want to catch fish! So, let's go catch some fish!" Polly yelled out some more. "While Sprig goes on his rampage over Hop Pop's old people dating life, we can catch so many fishes!"

Sasha thought about it. And oh boy, did she thought about it. And to her surprise, Polly was very convincing. Sure, she didn't know anything about the other world's marine biology and obviously, Polly had no idea how to fish but together, they can probably make it work. It seemed that team Sally — short for Sasha and Polly — were back in action.

"You know what? You're actually right!" Sasha stated, smiling. "Who needs them to fish? All the equipment we need is right here. Let's show those boys that these girls have what it takes!"

"I didn't even bring up the 'boys' part but yeah!"

And so, the two got to work immediately for a grand wet feast, they shall achieve.

Interesting fact: The land of Amphibia is in the shape of a lily pad. Everyone and anyone who had a map knew about this and it was completely coincidental with how frogs on Earth tend to sit on them. And much like a lily pad's veins, the continent had them too in the shape of rivers and streams. With so many rivers in place, towns and villages were often built beside them.

And yet, no one ate fish.

It wasn't because that they couldn't — they simply didn't like it. Fish here were the same as birds: gigantic or monstrous, sometimes both. And you don't see frogs eating birds. In addition, fish were harder to prepare than their usual diet of insects. The bones were tough and very sharp which meant it could easily pierce their delicate throats, and the scales were also quite strong and hard to remove. At least with insects, one could just throw them in a pot whole.

However, this was not a universal truth. There were many places all over that have fish as a large part of their daily diet. But these were far from common and as such, the fishing industry was quite lacking.

Now, for the Plantars, fishing was simply a hobby. They rarely ate what they caught and would often just throw it back into the water. But Sasha was no ordinary Plantar. She was a human. A teenage girl, to be precise. And like any other teenage girl, she had cravings and those cravings must be satisfied one way or another.

She wanted meat. Real, fleshy, vertebrae-sourced meat.

So, after preparing the bait by chopping the earthworms into bite-sized parts, the cast was thrown and all that was left was to wait.

…

…

…

And wait…

…

…

…

And wait some more…

…

…

…

"This is so boring!" Polly yelled angrily, throwing her flippers up.

Sasha huffed dismissively. "What did you expect? This is fishing. Most of the work is for the preparations and we've already done that." She said. "I get why Hop Pop likes it but I was a bit surprised when Sprig said he liked it too."

Though, Sprig was less focused on the fishing and more on the bonding part. Fishing was mostly a passive activity, so waiting for a bite took a while. And what better way to pass the time than conversations?

"What do you usually do during these trips?" Sasha asked.

Polly huffed. "Eh, I just look around and stuff. Not really much to do. Sprig and Hop Pop already got their hands full with the fishing so I just watch or sit with them."

"Sounds kinda boring."

"It is but they enjoy it so why not? It's only this year that's different, what with Sylvia being around."

Sasha hummed. "Speaking of Sylvia, I kinda wonder what's going on with Sprig. I get being jealous and all but this seems excessive."

Polly shrugged nonchalantly. "How would I know? We're both siblings and we got Hop Pop but I'm not the crazy one."

While they fished, Sasha clearly saw all of Sprig's sabotage attempts out in the open. And although she could've done something about it, they were all harmless enough that she decided to ignore it. Plus, it wasn't like he was being inconspicuous about it. It's surprising how the older frogs hadn't noticed.

After so many attempts of putting himself in-between them, Sprig eventually grew frustrated and walked away for a moment and towards the girls, irritated by it all. "Gghh, it's not working! Every time I try to separate them, it's just pushing them together! It's like the frog gods have it against me today!"

As Sprig waited for a response, he finally noticed the fishing poles planted nearby, their lines already cast into the murky waters. Sprig gasped as if betrayed. "You guys are fishing without me?!"

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to fish with Hop Pop. Don't blame us for taking advantage of the situation." Sasha bluntly replied.

"Yeah! Grab your own pole! You can't have ours!" Polly added.

"B-b-but—!"

"Dude, I'm telling you: just be honest. Tell him how you feel. You'll definitely get the better end of the deal. Believe me, the last time I lied, it ended horribly."

'It wasn't the same!' Sprig had thought. This wasn't a life-or-death situation or anything regarding personal wealth. This was the interpersonal relationship between venerable frogs. Sylvia and Hop Pop were old friends, older than he was. How was he ever going to compete with that? What if he went up to Hop Pop, complained and instead, be judged in a negative light?

Sprig the selfish, Sprig the jealous.

The boy's face turned red. Not red like humiliation but red like frustration. The whole day ended up being against him and he grew more and more upset over time. It was a special day today and nothing was going as it usually did. He felt like he could scream!

But he didn't. Instead, all that anger leaked out of him like a deflated balloon and Sprig, now calmed down, drooped to their sides, utterly depressed. It was always difficult to make him mad and today was no different. There was just no more energy left.

"Haah…" Sprig sighed dejectedly. Taking a seat next to her, his voice started to change.

A little baby frog like me

"Oh my God, are you singing?!"

Thought of only possibility

Of hanging with my Hop, of hanging with my Pop

But now what once was two is three

And it's looking pretty dark to me

This baby, baby frog is sad

…

…

…

"So… Got that out of your system?" Sasha asked.

"… Yes."

She nodded. "Good. You have a very good singing voice, by the way."

"Thanks... I practice in the shower…"

Still, as sad as it was, maybe it was time to hang the towel. Sylvia won and had taken his place for the remainder of the trip. There was nothing he could do about it. They were old friends, possibly romantically at that. And he was just a little boy. He couldn't compete with that, not by a longshot.

"Sprig? Can we talk?"

"WAAAH!" The little boy screamed. Out of nowhere, Sylvia Sundew appeared behind him, startling him to his core. He barely registered what she said. Nervous, Sprig started blurting out his words. "Sylvia, great to see you! Why, of course we can talk! I love to talk! Let's talk!"

Sylvia blinked. "… You're a tense little boy. Come on." She said, picking him up and away from the girls. "I'll be taking him with me. You girls don't mind?"

"No, no, take him! Just be aware; he's a singer." Sasha whispered playfully.

Sylvia chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"S-Sasha?!"

Sasha couldn't help but silently laugh herself. Whatever those two would talk about, it should be interesting.

Twang!

Oh, would you look at that! She finally got a bite! Sasha quickly grabbed hold of her pole and began reeling in. Her pole felt firm; it must be a big one. With all her might, she pulled as hard as she could, even leveraging her wheelchair to her advantage. After a few seconds of struggle, she finally got it out of the water and onto the boat.

It was a stick.

For the first time ever, Sprig was alone with Sylvia. No Hop Pop, no Sasha, just a little boy frog and an old lady at the back of the ship. Considering how negatively he felt about her, Sprig wasn't sure how to act in this situation. Thus, he stayed silent, avoiding eye contact when he could.

Unfortunately, it did not last long.

"Sprig, is there something bothering you?" Sylvia asked, concern dripping from her lips.

In response, he nervously laughed and did the one thing no Plantar would do; he lied. "Haha! What? Me? No. Never. Who? How?"

Honestly, that fooled no one. It wouldn't even fool Wally. But for his sake, she accepted that answer and softly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sprig, do you know how I met your grandfather for the first time?"

Sprig blinked. "N-no, not really. A-actually, I… didn't even know who you were until this morning…"

"Eeyup, I can see that. Hopadiah was never the kind to talk about his past — just others." Sylvia said. Although what she said was not a compliment, Sprig could feel the melancholy in her words. "The Plantars always had deep roots in Frog Valley. It's just estranged for a while."

"Before I moved away from Wartwood, I, like many frogs back then, had my own stall. I used to sell these little dolls and pet rocks. It wasn't much but it was honest work. Then, came Hopadiah Plantar, riding his trusty snail into town." Sylvia exclaimed, a smile plastered on her face. "Ol' Bessie back then wasn't big enough to pull a cart but she could still carry a full-grown frog! He never really explained where he got her from but no one really asked either."

"Now, driving a snail isn't easy, especially if it's your first time. And although he loved Bessie, he barely had control over her. One thing led to another and eventually, he crashed into my stall, sending all my dolls flying away!"

Sprig gasped. "No way!"

"Mmm-hmm. It's true!" She waggled her finger as she said. "Thankfully, I could always collect them back but the rocks were a bit more difficult. Hopadiah was so embarrassed that he promised to look for all the pet rocks he misplaced. I told him not to worry — after all, they were just rocks — but he insisted!"

"It took him 3 days to find all 47 of them. He even cleaned them up and fixed their faces with some paint. All that took him almost a week. But it all paid off and he returned them, good as new." She laughed. "Since that day, we became friends. Hopadiah would leave Wartwood and sometimes Frog Valley more and more and eventually, we became… estranged. And I moved on."

"I had a child of my own, grew my business in agriculture, learned a few things here and there and moved away. And though my daughter decided to open up her tea shop here, I never came back. I was far too busy managing my business, so I rarely ever returned." Sylvia stated, her voice slowly becoming quieter. "But I'm old now and I don't want to spend my golden years in some factory, even if I own it."

"I grew up in Wartwood and I had a lot of friends here. Nowadays, most of them have moved on and only a handful is left. The town's not the same as I remembered but it feels just right. And I want to have my final years feeling that."

At that moment, a tinge of guilt struck the young lad. He never thought of it that way, how these two old friends reuniting for one last time. Sprig had all the time in the world! He was young and full of energy, and so were his friends. Ivy, Maddie, Sasha, Polly — they were all in his age group. He'd have decades to spend with them.

But not Sylvia.

Like Hop Pop, she was old and tired. Her friends weren't here anymore and she couldn't do her usual hobbies and continue her lifestyle. Now, Sylvia was definitely healthier and fitter than Hop Pop but she wasn't immune to the passage of time. Sprig had always thought he had to compete with her for Hop Pop's attention but now… It's clear that was never the case.

Suddenly, just around the corner of her vision, something caught Sylvia's eye. "Oh! Just look at that island over there. Ain't those just the prettiest blossoms you've ever seen?"

Sprig looked forward and just as she said, there were bushels of bright blue flowers growing on a small island. Despite having fished here every year, he had never seen such flowers before, let alone the island under it. It looked odd too as it seemed more like a large boulder just barely peeking out of the water. Nonetheless, those flowers did look beautiful and Hop Pop always liked flowers. His favourite was tulips. Something about them being funny.

That gave Sprig an idea. "Maybe I should go grab some and give it to you. For Hop Pop, I mean. It's not his favourite flowers but he'd still appreciate them, especially since it's from you."

Sylvia hummed. "That's not a bad idea. But I think I'll grab them myself. Not to brag but I'm quite the swimmer. I'll give you credit for the idea." She thanked, patting him in the back. She then stood up at the edge and readied herself. "I'll be back in about 15 minutes. Tops." She said with a sly wink before leaping into the water.

Sprig watched as her figure slowly shrank across the distance. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

Just then from behind, Hop Pop appeared. Much to the boy's surprise, he looked completely different, wearing the more practical fishing outfit in comparison to his previous ship captain outfit. In his hands, a couple of unused fishing rods were held, along with a box of assorted hooks and boppers. "Oh, there you are, boy. Sylvia thought you might want fishing time with me."

"She... She did?"

"Yep. She said she could tell something was bugging you and suggested I spend some quality time with you. So, here I am."

… Okay, he did not do justice. Sprig blushed in appreciation. "Sylvia's... a pretty cool lady. You're lucky to have her— I mean, met her! You're lucky to have met her!"

Hop Pop chuckled, blushing himself. "I am, aren't I? Say, where is she?"

"Oh, she jumped ship to get you some flowers. We saw those pretty ones over there and thought you might like them." He answered, pointing to the island behind them with his thumb.

Hop Pop raised a confused brow. "Flowers? In the swamp?" He questioned. Walking to the ship's edge, he focused on the said island, just barely seeing Sylvia's figure in the water. Upon seeing the flowers, however, he gasped in horror. "Dear frog gods! Those aren't ordinary flowers! Those are Blue Blossoms! They only grow on special rich soil like at the back of a Swamp King Crab!"

Sprig blinked. "Swamp King what now?"

KREEEEEEEEEEE!

Fishing in Amphibia was stupid.

No, she wasn't bad at it. She could fish pretty okay-ish back on Earth. She's done it before so she had experience. It's just that nothing in this frog-eat-frog world made sense and her own understanding of the sports just didn't vibe well with it. It was definitely not because she's never actually caught a single fish before in her life, despite spending hours on it.

She didn't suck at it. Shut up.

"Wow, you really suck at this." Polly uncaringly said.

Sasha snarled. She had caught a fist-sized rock. "Shut up. You don't have to tell me that. Also, you haven't caught a single thing either!"

"Yeah but I'm not invested. I probably lost the bait a long time ago too."

Just like she said, Polly's fishing rod stood nearby, completely untouched ever since it was set up. For some reason, seeing that made Sasha a tiny bit more peeved. It seemed that out of everyone on this godforsaken boat, Sasha was the only one that actually wanted to catch something. What was the point of fishing if no one wanted to fish?!

While her frustrations bubbled in her head, the fishing boat abruptly curved, causing her and Polly to jerk unexpectedly. She almost fell from her wheelchair too as the boat began turning so quickly, letting inertia take its role. It seemed that they were turning back and all too sudden at that.

This had Sprig's name all over.

On her wheelchair, Sasha grabbed Polly by her head, placed her on her lap and quickly wheeled to the front side of the ship. She didn't even have time to drop her fishing pole. "Okay, why the heck are we turning around?" Sasha complained. She didn't get an answer though as directly in front of her, a gigantic crab hissed angrily. "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!"

"It's a Swamp King Crab! Didn't you hear me scream about it?" Hop Pop yelled from the wheel.

"NO! Because that's not a normal thing people scream about!" She argued vehemently. "AND WHY ARE WE DRIVING TOWARDS IT?!"

Dear God, what mess was this family getting itself into again? It was a rare example of one where she wasn't the centre of but it didn't make her feel any better, knowing that this was a common thing even before she was around. Apparently, she just got stuck with the unluckiest family in Amphibia. They're even heading towards a humongous, meaty crustacean, double the size of their little dinghy!

… Actually, now that she thought about it, a crab that size probably had a lot of meat, right? Plus, crabs lacked all the messy pointy bones that fish have, making it easier to prepare. You could also make a pretty mean stock with the leftover crab shells or even a flavourful sauce. And although it wouldn't last long due to the lack of refrigeration, that didn't mean she couldn't whip it up into something delicious.

Sasha began drooling from the side of her mouth.

"Let's kill it." She said with pure determination.

At the other half of the family, Sprig peered sharply at the monster. He looked left and right and all over the beast, searching for their VIP. And in mere moments, he successfully found her, Sylvia Sundew, straddling on top of the crab's body/head.

"Hop Pop, there she is!" Sprig yelled, pointing in her direction.

Hop Pop growled and tooted the boat's horn. "I'M COMING, SYL!"

Running at maximum engines, the boat sailed towards the beast at full speed, ready to ram into its side with a force of a decrepit yacht. And to be fair, if it had a stronger engine and a hull made of steel, it would've worked. Unfortunately, the decades-old ship with its rotting wooden body didn't even phase it as it bumped into the animal. In fact, it actually enraged it.

KREEEEEEEEEEE!

The crab hissed loudly and slammed its gigantic claw onto the ship's deck, crashing into the floor. Taken by surprise, Sasha just barely avoided the attack, almost losing her balance.

"WOAH!" Sasha shrieked before gritting her teeth angrily and shaking her fist. "HEY, WATCH IT! I'LL MAKE CRAB CAKES OUT OF YOU!"

"YEAH, WHAT SHE SAID!" Polly added, similarly wagging her flipper.

KREEEEEEEEEEE!

The crab screeched once more, now angrier than ever. It might have not understood what Sasha just said but it had a feeling that she just insulted its entire family. She didn't but this was the fault of poor communication and language skills. Seeing as it was about to attempt another hammer-claw, Sasha quickly reacted and with her fishing pole in hand, she swung the line towards the crab like a whip.

The same line that happened to have caught a rock.

The rock smashed into the crab's wagging eye, causing it to shriek in pain. As it instinctively retreated, Sylvia momentarily lost balance, falling off the crab's island-sized head. "Oh, dear!" She cried.

Hop Pop gasped, watching as his friend descend. "SPRIG! FISHING POLE!"

"GOT IT!" Sprig yelled back, grabbing the nearest unused fishing pole. He wanted to hand it to Hop Pop but there was just no time and thus, he hesitated. He needed to be the one to do this but he was just unsure. Thankfully, Hop Pop knew that as well.

The old frog nodded determinedly. With that seal of approval, Sprig nodded back and lifted his pole, ready for a swing.

"Now, remember what I taught you! Arms loose—"

"Grip tight—"

""AND THROW!""

Pouring all his heart, strength and wit into that one swing, the line shot from the deck of their ship, led by the metal sinker at the end. Sylvia, despite being in mid-air, saw the line flying straight towards her. Had it been any other old lady, she would've missed it due to her depreciating eyesight. But Sylvia was no ordinary old lady. As the metal sinker got close, she snatched it with finesse, tugging the line hard.

"PULL IT, SPRIG! PULL IT!" Hop Pop hysterically shouted.

Sprig grunted, the weight of another frog slowly dragging his feet across the floor. "I-I'm trying!"

And try he did but Sprig was not a very strong frog. He might be a farm boy but he was still 10 years old. There was no way he could pull someone twice his size, especially in such extreme circumstances. However, he forgot one crucial detail; Sprig was no alone.

From behind, Sasha grabbed Sprig's shirt by the scruff and pulled back, her other arm holding the wheel of her chair. It wobbled and skidded slowly across the floor but that wasn't enough to stop her. With an angry cry, she threw the boy behind her, still holding onto the fishing pole. The line tautened and with just the strength of a single human girl, Sylvia was slingshotted back onto the ship and coincidentally, into Hop Pop's arms.

"Sylvia! You're okay!" Hop Pop happily exclaimed.

Sylvia laughed. "Hahaha! Oh, Hopadiah. Of course I'd be okay. I have you to watch over me, after all, my handsome ship captain."

"S-S-Sylvia…" Hop Pop stuttered and blushed.

Sasha rolled her eyes, cringing. Adults were disgusting.

KREEEEEEEEEEE!

Unfortunately, the celebration was cut short thanks to Polly. "Uh, family?" Polly called out. "The crab is still there!"

Not only just there but also in a tantrum unlike any other. It lifted its claw up, determined to squash the smaller creatures into the water in one single blow. Metaphorically faster than light, Hop Pop gracefully placed Sylvia back down and ran to the steering room, all while Sprig shrieked in pure terror.

"BACK IT UP! BACK IT UP! BACK IT UP!"

"I'M BACKING UP! I'M BACKING UP!"

Pulling the throttle in reverse, the engine revved and its blades spun the other way, pulling the water towards them instead of away. The boat, now sailing backwards, retreated from the angered crustacean, all frogs and human taken accounted for. Seeing its prey running away, especially after hurting its eye, the crab was not pleased and with another enraged shriek, began chasing after them.

Despite the head start, the boat was, regrettably, quite damaged. With one-fourth of it gone, it's a miracle it's still floating at all. And a damaged boat did not sail as fast, even in reverse. In just a few short seconds, the crab was already getting uncomfortably close.

"Uh, guys?! It's getting closer!" Sprig yelled. At this rate, the crab would catch up to them and that wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.

Sylvia noticed the pile of useless salvaged junk at the back. It was quite a sizable pile, full of trash like old boots and discarded shells. "Sasha, dear? Did you catch all of this?"

Polly smirked. "Yep, all her!" She said, causing Sasha to blush in embarrassment.

"I am not bad at fishing!" She flushed. Before she could berate any further, Sylvia grabbed a few of the swamp garbage and handed them to Polly and Sasha. The two turned to her, confused.

"How good are you at throwing?"

… Oh, okay. She got it now. And from the looks of it, so did Polly.

Without so much of an acknowledgement, Sasha slugged an old wooden clock at the crab, hitting it near its teeth. Startled, the crab paused for a bit, not sure what hit it. Polly followed the human girl and threw her own salvage and Sylvia did the same. The non-crabs began their counterattack, slinging random junk and useless trinkets left and right at the singular target and within mere moments, the crustacean was suddenly bombarded by a hail of projectiles.

"Get back to the briny depths of filth where you belong, you son of a sea slug!"

Sasha stared at Sylvia, impressed. "Damn gurl, you've got spunk."

"You don't live this long without being hard-boiled." The older lady replied. "Now hand me over that wrench."

No reason to argue, Sasha promptly handed her the rusted wrench who gleefully snatched it from her hand. With one eye closed and a fully focused aim, Sylvia threw the wrench right into the creature's mouth, though not before breaking through its sharp sets of teeth. The crab hissed and screeched, having accidentally swallowed the junk. Now in a state of panic, it decided its best course of action and quickly turned away, escaping with its pincers tucked in-between its eight legs.

Sylvia smiled, patting her hands dry like a job well done. "Well, that takes care of that."

As the waters finally calmed down, Hop Pop stepped out of the steering room and rushed to the rest of the ship's passengers. "Is everybody alright?!"

Everyone simultaneously replied in their own way but the consensus seemed to be that they're unhurt. Pleased, Hop Pop let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the frog gods that we all got out in one piece. But Sylvia, why were you on that crab's head?"

Despite all that happened, Sylvia remained composed. Casually, she pulled out a bouquet of flowers — the Blue Blossoms — and handed them over to Hop Pop. "To get you these, of course." She answered, not a hint of regret or worry.

Hop Pop graciously accepted the flowers, looking rather thankful. "Oh, Sylvie, I'm honoured but you didn't have to go this far, y'know? That crab could've killed ya!"

Sylvia laughed, tossing her hand nonchalantly. "Oh please, that crab was a couple of years too early. Maybe next time, it'll have a better chance."

Right then and there, Sprig stepped forward, his hands locked in together. Considering how he was involved, he couldn't help but feel guilty. None of this would've happened if he didn't suggest it to her. No, in fact, it was a lot earlier than that. None of this would've happened had he simply got along with her.

Sprig sighed. No time like the present.

"Sylvia, I have a confession to make. I… didn't actually like you." Sprig exclaimed, shamefaced. "You just appeared out of nowhere and suddenly, Hop Pop was spending all his time on you. I was jealous and selfish when I shouldn't have been. You're a cool lady and Hop Pop's lucky to have met you."

"Sprig, I'm… sorry as well. I guess it must've been shocking for me to just come into your family life like that. I might've grown a bit impatient over the years and forgot to take account of the people around me. Still, it's kinda hard not to, considering how much of a catch Hopadiah is."

Hop Pop blushed. "Hehehe…"

"But with all that's worth, you really live up to your family's motto. I'm a bit jealous, hehe."

Sometimes, it's easy to forget who amongst those around that you were truly close. Hop Pop, who never got married, and Sylvia, who had her own child. Two frogs having accidentally met in a market after an accident and became close friends, only to be separated years later. How different would their lives have been if one didn't move away? What would've changed if they stayed in contact instead of simply letting the bridge break down over time?

They truly did care for each other. It's a shame how long it took for them to get a chance.

Sprig, without warning, clasped her hands between his. "Don't be. If you're Hop Pop's friend, then you're ours too."

The old lady smiled. "Is that also one of the Plantars' many mottos?"

Sprig, though, shook his head. "Nope. Just mine."

And maybe someday, it'd become one of the Plantars' many mottos to be used by future generations. Who knows?

Meanwhile, as the boy and two old frogs reconciled somewhat, a hungry teenager hung her head in defeat. All that effort now gone to waste and she had nothing to show for it. "All that meat… Gone…" She exclaimed miserably.

Polly hopped to her side and pat her on the back with her little flipper. "There, there, Sasha. Lil Miss Polly here is going to make your day a little bit better. You want some pie? There's no bugs in fruit pie."

"... I'd like that. Thank you."