Chapter Twenty-seven: Reunion

Several years ago…

It was a bright and sunny day in the city of Newtopia, a perfect day for a big parade. Which was exactly happening at this very moment, as large parade floats were being pulled by large beetles, and atop one of them was none other than the king himself, King Andrias Leviathan.

The many citizens roared with applause, cheering as the King's float passed them by, the king waving at them with a cheery smile on his face.

There were, of course, two in attendance, that weren't cheering. These two being Captain Grime and his commander, Charon, both watching the parade, Grime with a blank gaze, and Charon with her arms crossed and a scowl, both staring up at the large king.

"And there's King Andrias." Grime said. "The first of his name and peacekeeper of a thousand years, accompanied by the city's finest warriors."

Charon grunted before speaking. "Lousy newts. Think they're all that, but they are nothing but weaklings."

"You would do well to not underestimate the newts, Charon." Grime said to her. "Newts are much smarter than you think, able to strategize, even through tough situations."

"Captain Grime!"

The old toad looked down at the smaller, younger Damien Fausta, dressed in a brown shirt and grey pants and his hair was much shorter.

"I need help!" The young newt whined. "I can't see!"

Rolling his one eye, Grime, turned to his lieutenant. "Charon, would you be so kind as to give our recruit a better view?"

Knowing better than to argue with her captain, Charon lifted the newt boy up and placed him on her shoulders, giving him a much better view of the parade. Damien chuckled, his eyes wide at the sight of the king and his guard, along with his wife and son, but one character stood out; it was neither a frog, toad, nor newt, but a human dressed in black, standing at attention next to the king, hands behind his back and eyes drawn forward.

"Hey, Grime. Who's that creature in black?" He asked the captain.

"That would be Azazel Leviathan, adopted son of Andrias." Grime told him. "And soon, the best soldier to ever live."

"But I thought you and Karen are the best soldiers to ever live." Damien said.

"Charon, not Karen." The large female toad corrected him.

"Well, we are, but he's just better, from a young age." Grime explained. "Under the best tutors, he embodies focus, commitment, and sheer will. And one day, I expect you to follow his example."

Damien looked back at the human, his eyes filled with awe and inspiration before smiling.

'I hope to meet you in person one day.' He thought.

Present day…

There were many ways Damien Fausta could have envisioned meeting the one he idolized for so long. Perhaps a personal introduction from Grime in the hopes of becoming his apprentice, maybe during a mission and their paths happen to cross. Maybe even an arranged dinner between the two.

Never did he think that meeting the Black Wolf would mean leading a large army on a frog town, as well as having the legend's blade pointed at his throat.

And that was exactly what was happening at this moment, the armored newt standing before two humans with weapons drawn and both blades pointed at his throat, the newt holding his hands up in an attempt to keep them from straight up attacking. He was especially surprised that the dark-skinned human, the one called Anne Boonchuy, who Sasha had assured him was harmless, was pointing a blade at his throat and sporting a dangerous glare.

"Wow." He managed to say, finding his predicament rather amusing. "Man, if this is how you treat your guests, I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies, Mr. Wolf."

"This is exactly how we treat uninvited guests, Toad Tower grunt." Shadow growled, not even taking his eyes off the armored newt.

"If I'm recalling right, Shadow warned you guys to come in peace next time." Anne added.

"Yeah, Bog and company seemed to have forgotten to mention that part." Damien shrugged. "But, I assure you, despite our rather large number, we're not here to invade."

"You expect me to believe that?" Shadow scoffed, keeping his blade aimed at his neck.

"As much as I'd love to play truth or lies with you," Damien said with an amused look. "Don't you think it'd be more beneficial for us both if we put our weapons down and explore a more preferable resolution to this impasse?"

"You're using a lot of big words, pal." Anne pointed out. "All of which make me mad!"

"Hey, someone has to be the voice of reason among the Toad Army." Damien defended.

"Enough talk! You and me, weirdo!" Anne yelled, charging at him with her sword, swinging in a wide arc, only for Damien to backflip away.

"Well, that's just rude." Damien scoffed. "And weirdo? Me? I'm not weird, am I? Eccentric, maybe. Peculiar, perhaps. But weird?"

Anne swung her sword again, only for Damien to raise his armored leg to block the blade, much to Anne's shock, even Shadow seemed surprised.

"Are you even trying?" Damien asked, almost mocking her, before realizing something. "Oh, right. Frog village, almost forgot."

Suddenly, cries of panic could be heard coming from the town, Anne and Shadow looking back at the sound. To make matters worse, the army of toads that were just behind the armored newt seemed to have vanished.

"Damnit, they snuck into town while we were focused on this guy!" Shadow said angrily. "I shouldn't have taken my eyes off them!"

"We've gotta help the townsfolk!" Anne cried, about to run for the town, but Sasha stopped her.

"Chill out, Anne. They're with me." The blonde said.

"Wait, what!?" Anne gasped, looking at her BFF as though she was crazy.

"You brought them here!" Shadow snarled, glaring angrily at Sasha.

"Anne! Shadow!" Sprig yelled, he and his family and Kaemon ran to them. "Toads! They're everywhere. We barely slipped out while the guards were—"

"Holy toot, another Anne!" Polly exclaimed, pointing at Sasha.

"Oh." Anne chuckled, hoping to keep things peaceful as best she could. "Guys, meet my bestie from back home, Sasha!"

"Hey." Sasha replied cheerily.

"Sasha, meet the Plantars. This is Hop Pop."

"Eh." The old frog said.

"Sprig."

"Hey, hey." The pink frog jumped.

"And Polly."

"'Sup." The purple tadpole said.

"And this is Kaemon."

"Yo." The sword newt nodded.

Sprig hopped over to Sasha. "Hey, I'm her bestie too. I guess that makes me your bestie-in-law." He said with a laugh.

"Does it?" Sasha asked coldly, clearly uninterested.

Sprig's smile dropped, laughing awkward while coughing. "Did y'all feel that?"

"Walk it off, boy." Hop Pop said, walking over. "Yes, hi, nice to meet ya. Now, can someone please tell me why there's a toad army invading Wartwood?!"

"I was thinking the same thing." Shadow said, not letting Sasha out of his sight.

Sasha looked at Hop Pop with a raised brow. "You're Hop Pop? Thought you'd be taller."

"Huh?"

"And you must be the Demon of the Four Sword." Damien declared, walking around his fellow newt, looking him up and down. "I see the claims weren't lying about the four-sword bit; you're pretty infamous around the valley."

Kaemon raised a brow. "I believe the word you're looking for is famous."

"Not what I heard." Damien shrugged.

"Relax, we're not invading anything." Sasha said, not phase by Shadow's death glare.

"And why should we believe you?" Shadow demanded.

"How about you join us and see for yourselves?" Damien suggested politely. "Grime's about to give his speech."

The Plantars gasped at the mention of the name. "Captain Grime?" Hop Pop exclaimed.

"The cruelest toad soldier of all time?" Sprig added.

"Charon's boss? Here?" Polly asked.

"Ah, he's not so bad once you get used to him. Now hurry up, nerds." Sasha said, making her way back to town, with Damien following behind.

"She's persuasive, right?" Anne said, looking up to her boyfriend.

Shadow, on the other hand, wasn't amused.

"Anne, if anything happens," Shadow said darkly. "Do not try to stop me from acting when necessary."

Anne watched Shadow walk ahead, as Kaemon walked up beside her. "That goes double for me." He said before following the boy, Anne groaning as she and the Plantars followed, the girl hoping things didn't escalate.

Once back in town, Shadow and Anne stood off to the side of the stone wall, with Kaemon and the Plantars by their side, while Grime, Sasha and Damien stood on the wall, the toad captain staring down at the frogs.

"Frogs of Wartwood! We toads have come here to..." Grime declared before pausing for dramatic effect.

Shadow, Anne and Kaemon brought their hands to their weapons, ready to draw them out if the toad captain tried anything.

"...invite you to a banquet!" Grime announced, throwing confetti everywhere.

…

…

…

The two humans and newt were not ready for that. "Huh?"

"The moment we heard that Anne was here, we rushed over to reunite these two friends and hold a celebration." Grime declared, gesturing to Sasha standing next to him.

"Aw, come here." Sasha said, jumping down and hugging Anne.

Shadow, on the other hand, was utterly perplexed, and he wasn't the only one. "Hold on, stop!" Kaemon shouted, jumping onstage.

"Is there a problem?" Grime asked in confusion.

"You're damn right there is!" Kaemon snapped as Shadow, Anne and Sasha made to his side. "You're telling me that you invaded this town just to invite us to a party?!"

"We're not invading. What reason would there be?" Damien asked.

"So, you guys aren't here to avenge Charon?" Kaemon pointed out, but got no reaction. "You know, the giant toad lady with the hammer and sword?"

"The one I killed?" Shadow added.

"Oh, that." Damien said before waving it off. "Yeah, we're not upset at all."

Shadow was taken aback by this, turning to Kaemon who only shrugged, before the boy turned back to the toad captain and newt lieutenant with a raised brow. "Really?"

"You kidding? She was the worst!" Damien declared, throwing his hands up. "If anything, you did us a favor!"

"Indeed, always going on about wars and challenging my position of command." Grime said with his arms crossed. "She was a walking migraine!"

"And don't even get me started on her blatant racism!" Damien added.

"And the wanted posters?" Shadow inquired.

"Nobody outside of Wartwood knew about Anne, so missing posters were a no go." Sasha spoke up. "And I figured that if I found the fabled Black Wolf, I'd find at least one of my friends. And here she was!"

Shadow stared at her with narrowed eyes. Even if frogs in the other towns didn't know, some of those frogs would have to have visited Wartwood at some point, as well as seen Anne in the market, no doubt. He was still more suspicious of them not razing the town to the ground and killing everyone as examples.

"So, you're not here to invade?" Shadow asked, wanting to be sure. "Just…invite us to a party?"

"That is correct, yes. Despite my rough exterior, I really am just an 'old softy'." Grime said, using air quotes.

Damien cleared his throat, both him and Sasha gesturing the captain to smile.

And he did so…with a rather creepy, toothy smile that may have made a pollywog cry.

"Uh, so, what do you say, Wartwood? You ready to party back at the tower?" Sasha said, pushing Grime to the side.

The crowd remained silent before Mrs. Croaker asked, "What do Anne and Shadow think?"

"May me and my students have a moment?" Shadow asked, glaring at Sasha. "Privately."

Shadow, Anne and Kaemon stepped off the wall and walked away a reasonable distance so the others couldn't hear.

"Master, this reeks a trap!" Kaemon immediately said. "There's no way they would just come all this way, with this big a force, just to invite us to some party!"

"That's an understandable assumption." Shadow nodded.

"But Sasha's been my best friend since childhood; there's no way she'd do all this just to cause harm!" Anne refuted.

"That's also an understandable point." Shadow nodded once more.

"Anne, you can't be serious." Kaemon said. "What if this turns south and the people of Wartwood end up in danger?"

"We'll deal with it like we always do." Anne stated. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course, I do." Kaemon replied.

She looked up at Shadow. "Shadow, what about you?"

"With my life." Shadow nodded.

"Then trust me as I've trusted you." Anne said, putting a hand to her teacher's shoulder. "I've known Sasha since we were kids. Trust my judgement."

Shadow felt his heart ache when she said that, given that he hid the box that Anne trusted him with. One on hand, he wanted to argue further, but the other wanted to agree, the boy feeling conflicted. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Sasha checking her nails, looking up at him as though expecting him to hurry up and agree.

Regardless, he at least wanted to give the blonde girl a chance.

Giving his students one more look, Shadow walked back up on stage, Anne and Kaemon following behind.

"Well? You guys coming or what?" Sasha asked impatiently.

"You have no ill intent with this town, right?" Shadow inquired, as though testing her.

"Of course not." Sasha insisted. "My only intent has, and will be, to find my friends."

"You swear on it." Shadow pushed.

"On my life." Sasha swore, holding up her right hand.

Shadow looked her in the eyes, the blonde feeling slightly uncomfortable from the boy's stare, feeling like he was looking directly into her soul, detecting any lies that may be told.

However, it seemed he was convinced, offering a hand, Sasha taking it and shaking it.

"If Anne believes you're genuine, I see no reason to doubt her judgement." He said.

Sasha smiled at this before cheering. "Whoo! All aboard the party barge!"

And so it was, as the frogs were loading up on a large barge connected to a giant tarantula and started dancing to the music. Shadow and Anne made to join them, but Sasha stopped them.

"Psst, Anne, you and Shadow are with me." She said, pointing at her personal golden carriage, the tarantula wearing a wig and sunglasses, for some reason.

"Wow, cool. Hey, mind if the, uh, Plantars come along?" Anne asked, pointing at the froggy family with a smile.

"And Kaemon as well." Shadow added.

Sasha looked at them with a disinterested frown before shrugging. "Of course, I don't mind. The more, the merrier."

The Plantars cheered, Hop Pop declaring 'First class!', as they piled in, Kaemon following, pushing and shoving each other as they piled in.

"I assure you; they're all housebroken." Shadow said.

The ride to Toad Tower was quiet, aside from the music and loud partying on the barge, as they soon arrived at the tower, the carriage parking within the tower's walls. Sasha stepped out first, followed by Damien, then Shadow, who offered Anne a hand, who accepted, then the Plantars and Kaemon.

"So, here we are." Sasha declared.

"Ominous." Anne remarked, taking note of the red clouds, red lightning cracking across the sky, and could have sworn she heard someone playing the organ.

"Never thought I'd step within the walls of the Toad Towers for any reason." Shadow mumbled.

"Yo, Percy!" Damien called.

"Yes, Commander?" Percy rushed over before saluting.

"Sasha and I are gonna give Anne and the Black Wolf a quick tour. Escort these frogs to the banquet hall." Damien told him.

"Hey, I wanna go on the tour too." Sprig said.

Polly gasped and started hopping. "Me three!"

"Come on, kids. Give Anne and her friend a chance to catch up." Hop Pop interjected.

"Don't worry. We'll find you guys later." Anne assured. "Go have fun in there."

Sprig groaned, but followed his family and the rest of Wartwood with Percy. Kaemon made to follow, but Shadow held him back.

"If you so much as suspect anything wrong, I want you to act." He whispered to the newt.

Kaemon nodded before hurrying after the others as they entered the castle.

"You certainly seem close with those three. What happened to, 'Ew, frogs are the worst'?" Sasha teased her friend in a mocking manner.

"They've been kind to me for the past five years and helped me back on my feet." Shadow explained. "And in turn, they've been kind to Anne as well."

"They're actually pretty great once you get to know them." Anne chuckled.

"And what's your story, Mister Black?" Sasha asked the boy.

"Don't ever call me that again." Shadow frowned.

"He's been living out in the woods for a long time." Anne answered. "And he's been letting me live with him ever since we met."

"Out in the woods? Yuck. Follow me. I'm gonna show you something crazy." She said, as she led them onward.

As they walked down the halls, Shadow could feel Damien's eyes on him. "If you have something to say, I suggest you spit it out."

"Oh, sorry." Damien said, that smile never leaving. "It's just exhilarating to be in the presence of someone I've looked up to for so long. It goes without saying, I'm a big fan."

"Is that so?" Shadow asked, turning his head to the newt.

"Ever since I saw you in that parade seven years back." Damien nodded.

Looking over her shoulder, Anne smiled as her boyfriend talked with Damien, seeing him make a new friend.

"Those two seem to be getting along well." Anne said to Sasha.

"Damien's easy to get along with, his charisma and charm makes him quite the catch." The blonde nodded. "One of the reasons why I hang out with him the most."

"Ooh, so you two are pretty close~" Anne cooed with a giggle.

"Don't go getting any ideas!" Sasha hissed, her cheeks blushing. "How would you like it if I teased about you and darkman over there?"

Anne was silent before blushing. "Actually, it wouldn't be too bad."

Sasha's eyes went wide at this before shaking her head. "Never mind that. In the meantime," They approached a set of double doors before she pushed it open. "This is where I've been living."

Anne looked in amazement, her eyes widened. "Hoopa de boopa!"

The room was larger than Shadow's hut, more so than the Plantar basement they slept in during sleepover's, fitted with luxurious furniture, a silk couch, a statue of a blonde girl popping a trick on a skateboard, and a large dining table with posters of teen singers from home behind it.

"This puts my poor hut to shame." Shadow admitted, looking about the room.

"Yo, Brunton." Sasha called, snapping her fingers before a toad appeared.

"Oui, Commander?" He asked in a French accent.

"Bring us the usual." She said.

Soon enough, Brunton and several other toads had returned with several food trays. Lifting the covers, Anne felt her mouth water at the sight of what looked like real human food that looked like they came from their world. Even Shadow felt his mouth water and his stomach growl when the smell invaded his nostrils.

"Pizza? Tacos? Hamburgers? Whoa, you've got ketchup?!" Anne exclaimed as the blonde picked up a French fry and dunked it in ketchup.

Shadow took off his gloves and picked up a cheeseburger and took a bite, letting out a moan from the taste.

"Shadow, has it ever occurred to you that we've been eating bugs for so long?" Anne asked.

"I've gotten used to it, to be honest." The boy shrugged. "Still, this is a very welcome change."

As the two ate up, Bruton approached Damien. "Anything else, Commander?" He asked.

"Run the hot water, please. For the shower." Damien replied.

"Shower?!" Anne said with a full mouth of fries.

"Well, there goes the pride in my bath house." Shadow said.

Anne was quick to go first in the shower, leaving Sasha alone with the fabled big bad wolf, at least in her mind, while Damien had to step out for a bit. In all honesty, she kept trying to tell herself that it was just a regular boy that sat at the table, calmly savoring the food, but with everything she heard, it was hard to see him as nothing else but a seasoned killer.

Still, she wanted to at least try to keep things calm with him.

"So, Shadow." She started. "You were in this world before us, right?"

Shadow looked up at her, swallowing the food in his mouth. "That's right. Ever since I was born, Amphibia's pretty much been my only home."

"That's insane." Sasha stated. "How would a human child even come here?"

"Anne asked the same question before, when I told her." Shadow said. "I was brought here when I was just an infant."

"By who?" Sasha asked.

Shadow remained silent for a bit before answering. "I'd much rather not answer."

"But you told Anne!" Sasha pointed out.

"Yes, after she earned my trust." Shadow said. "You'll have to do more than host a fancy party to learn more about me."

Sasha glared at him for a bit, but a returned glare from the boy made her back off. The blonde rubbed the back of her neck, feeling quite uneasy being near him, and watching Anne be so cozy with him was bothering her greatly.

Soon enough, Anne got out, wearing a pink bath robe and having curlers in her hair.

"Wow, that's so refreshing!" Anne let out a satisfied sigh.

Quickly, Sasha got up and made for the shower, leaving the couple alone.

"So, how is she?" Anne asked hopefully.

"She seems to mean well, yet she's pushy." Shadow told her. "Got a bit of an attitude when I rejected indulging her about my past."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her about it." Anne said, earning a nod of approval from the boy.

Down in the banquet hall, the frogs were having a wonderful time, chatting and dining away on the delicious food served. Polly tried talking with one of the toads, one with scars all over his body. "So, you experiment with other weapons or are you just a spear guy?" She asked, but the toad didn't answer.

Both Sprig and Kaemon were suspicious. Why weren't the toads joining in? They just stood in place, as though they were on guard. Concerned, they made their way over to Hop Pop.

"Uh, hey, Hop Pop? Something's not right here." Sprig said, nervously looking over his shoulder.

"Not right, yeah, sure. Here, you two, load up on crab legs." The old frog said, giving the two plates before stacking his own plate with crab legs. "These babies go fast."

"Hop Pop, this is serious." Kaemon said. "Don't the toads seem a little... on edge? Like they're on guard, rather than mingling with us?"

They scanned the room, seeing one such toad at the door seemed exceptionally nervous, sweating and looking from one side to the other.

"Eh, they're a militarized culture. I'm not surprised they don't know how to let loose." The old frog said.

"Ah, forget this. I'm gonna go find Anne and Shadow." Sprig said before walking away.

"I'll go with him." Kaemon said before following the pink frog.

"Good idea. They can carry more crab legs." Hop Pop said, continuing to serve himself.

Frog and newt walked towards the door, the nervous toad standing guard, before Kaemon spoke, "Hey, big guy, my friend and I are just gonna go for a walk, get some fresh air—"

"No! Sorry!" The toad guard suddenly said, surprising the two. "Uh, you frogs aren't allowed to leave this room. Especially you, Four Sword."

"We're not allowed to leave? Why's that?" Sprig asked, leaning against the toads leg.

"And why can't I leave?" Kaemon asked, staring at the toad suspiciously.

The toad became even more nervous, looking around. "Uh... I've said too much. Please just return to the party and remain calm."

Frog and newt looked at each other with suspicious looks, before they changed to looks of mischief, wiggling their eyebrows before looking back at the toad.

"Remain calm, return to the party." Kaemon said. "You got it, buddy."

"Whew, thanks, kid." The toad said in relief.

The two kids went back to the table, Sprig standing on top while Kaemon leaned back against it, flashing the toad with a thumbs up, which he returned.

Then all hell broke loose when the four-sword newt kicked the table over, Sprig jumping up high.

"Hey, everyone! This is a sham!" Kaemon yelled at the top of his lungs.

Sprig landed on Kaemon's shoulders, yelling, "We're not guests! We're prisoners!"

"Prisoners?! What?!" Mrs. Croaker yelled before everyone started panicking, pandemonium erupted.

The toad soldier sweat even more, whimpering as the chaos unraveled even more.

Back up top, Sasha and Anne were sat in bath robes on the couch, Shadow currently in the shower, the two girls talking and laughing.

"Wow, Sash. This is so surreal. I can't believe you're really here." Anne said.

"I know, right?" Sasha said, happy to finally be talking with her best friend. "I still can't believe you've been surviving for so long with this world's equivalent to Mowgli from the Jungle Book."

"Yeah, Shadow does have that wild boy of the jungle vibe to him." Anne admitted before taking a sip of her hot cocoa. "With a sword."

The girls laughed before going silent, then Sasha asked, "So, what's his story?"

"Well, he's quiet, but he can be talkative at times." Anne said. "He's also really kind—"

"I'm not talking about his personality, Anne." Sasha rolled her eyes. "What about his past?"

Anne frowned at this. "I'm guessing he didn't tell you?" She guessed.

"I wouldn't be asking if he did." Sasha replied. "Heck, the guy gave me the stink eye for wanting to know! Can you believe him?" She then smirked. "So, what can you tell me?"

A part of her wanted to tell Sasha about Shadow's growing up in Newtopia, but Anne didn't want to violate her boyfriend's privacy by telling without his consent.

"Sasha, he has every right to not tell you." She said. "After all, he doesn't know you that well."

This came as a surprise to Sasha. "For real? Weren't you two strangers when you met?"

"Yeah, but I earned his trust." Anne clarified. "We bonded, became friends. If he wanted you to know about him, he'd tell you himself, when he's ready. But I'm not going to violate his privacy for you."

"Lighten up, will you? Geez, what is he to you? Your boyfriend or something?" Sasha inquired, irked that Anne was giving her what she wanted.

Anne blushed at the word 'boyfriend', which Sasha noticed, making her eyes go wide.

"You're kidding me." Sasha bleated in surprise. "There's no way you two are—"

"We just made it official, actually, before you arrived." Anne told her. "We kissed while slow dancing. It was really romantic." She let out a happy sigh.

Sasha, on the other hand, clearly wasn't happy. "And after, what, a few months, you decided to lock lips with someone you barely know?"

"That's not fair to say, Sasha." Anne defensively said. "Over those months, we spent time together and got to know each other. He taught me how to fight and live out here, and I taught him about stuff from Earth, and we eventually just clicked."

"That is the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." Sasha scoffed, clearly not believing how her bestie had fallen for someone who spent most of his life in the wild.

Just then, Shadow had stepped out of the shower, drying his hair with a towel and wearing a bath robe.

"For someone who's supposed to be Anne's friend, you seem to not understand how friendship works." The boy said before picking up his cup of hot cocoa and taking a drink.

Sasha was taken aback by this, while Anne seemed unbothered. "Good hearing?" She asked.

"Always." Shadow nodded before looking at Sasha with a stern look. "And I'd appreciate it if you do not try to make a stink because I don't trust you right away."

Sasha returned a glare of her own, but Shadow didn't budge, staring back with narrowed eyes. Anne watched them nervously, hoping a fight wouldn't break out.

"Whatever." Sasha said, standing up and stirring her cocoa with a spoon. "Although, once all this is over, you'll be thanking me."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, would be over?"

"The rebellion."

They all turned to see Damien enter the room, holding several newspapers before walking over.

"The what now?" Anne asked.

"You seriously don't know about the rebellion?" Damien said, surprised. "It's all over the news!"

Laying the newspaper down, Anne and Shadow saw the headliner about frogs starting rebellions all over the valley.

"Look, we'll explain. Just promise not to freak out or anything." Sasha said.

"O...kay." Anne said, slightly concerned.

"So, you've probably already noticed that the toads in this valley have one job: to rule over the frogs." Damien explained, gesturing to a map of the valley hanging on the wall. "And lately, those frogs have been stepping outta line. None of that is supposed to happen, much less lead to a toad's death. Now, we were telling the truth that Charon was a bitch; a total bitch, but she was still a toad and a fellow lieutenant of this tower. And if her death goes unpunished, it'll be seen as a sign of weakness."

Shadow narrowed his eyes at this. "Are you insinuating on using me as a scapegoat? For defending Anne and I from a toad abusing her position of power?!" His hand twitched, ready to grab his weapon.

"Wait, let us finish!" Damien raised his hands in defense. "Charon's death can't go unpunished, but that doesn't mean you're the one dying for it."

"That's right." Sasha said, stepping forward. "Killing Charon was bad enough, and it definitely ruffled some feathers, especially Grimes, but I convinced him that we have bigger fish to fry."

"Took me a while to figure out what that meant." Damien admitted with a chuckle.

Shadow tensed, but his stare did not change. "Who?"

"It turns out these 'rebels' have been inspired by a certain frog." Sasha said, picking up a scroll. "You might just know him. Stood up to some tax collectors, even ran for mayor against the local toad."

She held up a scroll and unrolled it, revealing it to be a picture of Hop Pop, covered in red and blue, with the word 'freedom' printed over his head, and the word 'frog' under him.

Both Shadow and Anne's eyes widened, both shrieking in blasphemy. "WHAT?!"

"That's not all." Damien interjected, holding up another scroll. "There's a newt willingly helping these rebels, and I'm sure you already know him."

Unrolling the scroll, it revealed a picture of Kaemon with all four swords drawn and his bandana on, striking a deadly fighting pose.

Shadow and Anne looked at each other in shock, both in disbelief.

"Sasha, there's gotta be a mistake! Hop Pop's not a revolutionary!" Anne exclaimed.

"And Kaemon's no rebel either!" Shadow added. "Just a wanderer chasing his dream and a farm frog!"

In response, Damien dropped several newspapers on the table, Shadow and Anne looking at the headlines of each. How a frog stood up to oppression, how it was a call to arms and time for toads to leave the valley, and how the election was rigged. In regard to Kaemon, there were reports of a sword wielding newt chasing toads from towns, giving courage to the oppressed frogs.

"Doesn't matter. Word has traveled like wildfire, and we've got to make an example out of them." Sasha said, taking Anne and Shadow over to a window. "So, the toads are just gonna feed them to that thing."

Shadow's eyes widened when he looked down outside, seeing Grime and his soldiers struggling to control a giant Venus fly trap. "Hold her steady, boys!" Grime could be heard yelling to his men.

Sasha turned to Shadow with a smile as she continued. "Okay, here's the thing. Originally, Grime wanted the Black Wolf, but I struck a deal with him. I'd help him capture Hop Pop and Kaemon and crush the rebellion, you guys give up the legendary shogun weapons to the toads and you'll be cleared of the charges of killing Charon. Then Grime and his army will help us find a way home. The whole banquet trick- My idea, obvi. Now we've got those slimy frogs right where we want them. Isn't this great?"

She then held her hand out to Shadow, "So, what do you say?"

Shing!

Nobody had time to react before Shadow pulled Black Hope free from its sheath and pointed it at Sasha, the tip of the blade dangerously close to her throat. Even Anne, with all her training, was taken aback by such speed at which he moved.

She could see it in her boyfriend's eyes; they were pitch black, filled with venom. He was angry. No, furious!

For Shadow, he had grown to learn more about the sword; it was more than a weapon used by the frog shogun, but a symbol for the frogs. And the toads wanted it to oppress them further. Not only that, but they wanted to put an innocent frog to death, the same frog who did so much for him and aided him in his darkest moments.

Kaemon was certainly a big factor in his life. Shadow had seen a part of himself within Kaemon, a warrior with something to fight for. Hence why he freed the newt in the first place, as he saw potential for him to be an even greater protector for Amphibia than Shadow could ever hope to be.

He valued these two individuals for many reasons. And he'd be damned if he let them die.

"If you think I'm going to let you put my friends to death," He said in a furious tone. "Then you're a bigger fool than I took you for."

"Whoa, let's keep a cool head," Damien tried to interject, but Shadow was having none of it.

"It's one thing to threaten my life. Hell, I've been ready to die since I realized just how messed up my life has been." Shadow said. "I'm not worried about Kaemon; he can handle himself. Hell, I reckon he'd devastate an entire platoon of toads before asking for seconds. But to threaten an innocent frog that's done nothing to deserve death? I will not stand for it!"

"I'm trying to save your life, Shadow!" Sasha yelled angrily. "He's just a frog!"

"A frog who saved my life, made it something worth living," Shadow snapped back. "And if not for him, I would've ended my own life years ago! And he's done far more for me than you could ever hope to understand!"

Anne nearly gasped in shock from the mention of Shadow almost ending his own life. Were things that bad that it led him to that point?

"Think about what you're doing, Black Wolf." Damien warned.

"I've already made up my mind." Shadow said. "And I think this whole plan is—"

"AWESOME!" Anne suddenly yelled, rushing over and pulling Shadow away, clamping her hand over his mouth. "Uh…why don't I…uh, have a talk with him…yeah, convince him? Yeah, talk him into agreeing! Yeah!"

Anne laughed nervously as she pulled Shadow away, bumping into Sasha's bust. "Whoa." She quickly stood it back up, upside down. "Stay."

"Anne, what do you think you're—" Shadow attempted to ask, but Anne once again covered his mouth.

"BRB." The girl quickly said before opening the door and pulled him out with her fast, the door shutting behind her.

Sasha and Damien watched them leave before Sasha took a sip of her cocoa. "Oh, she's totally freaking out."

"You think?" Damien deadpanned.

"Anne, what are you doing?!" Shadow hissed as his girlfriend pulled him down the hall.

Once she was certain they were far away enough, Anne released him, the boy staring angrily at her.

"Anne, I am NOT betraying Hop Pop and Kaemon!" Shadow snapped at her.

"I know, and neither am I!" Anne hissed. "And keep your voice down!"

"I knew I couldn't trust her!" Shadow sneered, slamming a fist into the wall. "I should've followed my instincts and run them outta town!"

"I can't believe Sasha would do something like this." Anne said.

Seeing the distraught look on Anne's face, Shadow calmed himself before speaking. "Anne, we need to act fast, if we're going to get Hop Pop and Kaemon out of this mess."

He then looked over at several suits of armor lined against the walls before an idea came to mind.

"I've got an idea, but we must act fast." He said. "I just hope the others aren't totally freaking out right now."

"I'm totally freaking out right now!" Wally screamed as the riot continued, the toads having lined up to block the only exit, making the frogs panic even more.

"Calm down, you frogs, calm—" One toad tried to calm the crowd down, only to get pelted with food. "Knock it off!"

"They're gonna eat us!" A random frog yelled.

"Not on my watch. Take that. And that!" Mrs. Croaker said, grabbing some food and throwing it at the toads.

"Ooh! I wanna riot too!" Polly exclaimed, grabbing a crab leg, only for Hop Pop to stop her.

"Polly, don't throw that." He said, taking the leg before giving her a potato. "Throw this potato instead."

The pollywog threw the potato, Wally tried jumping over the wall of toads, only for them to catch him. "Let me out! Let me out!" He cried, only to be thrown to the ground, hard.

The frogs gasped at such violent acts by the toads who were supposed to protect them. Ivy emptied her plate before throwing it at one of the toads, denting his helmet in the process.

"Ouchie!" The toad said.

"All right, that does it!" The toad sergeant yelled, pulling out his mace.

"Bring it!" Kaemon yelled, drawing out two of his swords, ready to fight.

Suddenly, the doors flew open, and two cloaked figures entered, causing the riot to immediately die down.

"Enough!" The male figure yelled, sounding like Damien, the second one drawing out Anne's sword. "Guards, leave us. We'll get these frogs to fall in line."

The toad sergeant chuckled darkly. "You lot have made a huge mistake."

"Enjoy your time with Commanders Damien and Sasha." His subordinate said, the toads laughing menacingly before they all exited the hall.

Kaemon stood ready, prepared to fight the two off, but once the doors closed behind them, 'Damien' nodded to his companion, 'Sasha' sticking a random sword into the handles of the door, locking it, drawing confused looks from the crowd before they drew back their hoods, revealing to be Shadow and Anne.

"Hey, guys." Anne said.

Everyone cheered, before Sprig and Ivy ran up to the two humans.

"Shadow! Anne!" He jumped into the boy's arms. "Boy, are we glad to see you. We've got a situation. We're not guests. We're—"

"Prisoners, we know." Shadow said, putting Sprig down. "And it's worse than that. They're planning to execute Kaemon and Hop Pop!"

Everyone of Wartwood let out a shocked gasp, all turning to the elder frog, who was holding a plate full of crab legs and another full of food and a piece of bread in his mouth before dropping both plates and spitting out the bread in shock.

"Say what?!" Hop Pop gasped.

"So, they finally marked me for death." Kaemon mused. "Sure took them long enough."

"So, you don't deny you've been stirring trouble for the toads." Shadow gave his student a stern glare.

"Hey, they were pressing their foot against the frog's throat, someone has to severe the foot." Kaemon defended.

"But why me?" Hop Pop asked. "Kaemon, I understand, but me?!"

"Turns out Hop Pop's been inspiring rebellions all across the valley." Anne said, handing the old frog the poster. "Blah, blah, it's some political nonsense."

"That's one way of putting it." Shadow said.

Hop Pop took the poster and looked at himself. "Well, it's a good-looking poster, though…I'M GONNA DIE!

"Don't worry, youngster. We won't let 'em get you." Sadie said.

"That goes double for me!" Maddie exclaimed, holding Kaemon's arm protectively.

"So, what do we do?" Felicia asked.

"We're gonna figure something out." Shadow assured. "Anyone with any suggestions is more than free to speak."

Loggle popped his head above the crowd. "I do...n't. I don't."

"Aw, come on!" Everyone groaned at Loggle.

But then Wally popped out from behind Anne's cloak. "I've got one! What say we plant these boom shrooms around the joint? Blow the place sky high!" He then opened his vest to reveal he was carrying a dozen explosive mushrooms.

Anne and Shadow looked at each other with dead stares before returning their gaze to the kook.

"You do realize we're still inside, right?" Shadow pointed out.

"We're not planting boom shrooms." Anne stated.

"Right. We're not doing it." Wally said, closing his vest and tilting his head as though he was winking at them, with his eye closed.

"Seriously. No boom shrooms." Anne told him.

Wally snapped his fingers and pointed at the two humans. "Loud and clear."

Placing a finger to her chin, Anne looked around. "Okay. Gotta figure a way out." She said.

"Hmm. There's only one door, and the toads are outside it. There has to be some other wa—" Shadow stopped when he smelled something foul. Looking down, he took notice of a manhole cover under his feet. Pulling the iron bars, the boy pulled the lid off, opening the sewers to them. "That's it! The sewer."

When Felicia caught a whiff, she cringed, "Oh, yuck, really?"

Polly hopped on top her head before exclaiming, "Deal with it, lady. It's time to get dirty!" She then jumped in first.

It didn't take long for the rest of the town to follow into the sewers, making their way down the tunnels, all the while, Wally was doing the one thing Shadow and Anne told him not to do. With no one looking, he planted one boom shroom after another.

"Just a little gift for our generous hosts." He laughed, pressing the tip before running after the others, leaving a dozen shrooms ready to detonate.

Eventually, after a few more long tunnels, as well as fighting off rats and escaping a giant worm, they found the exit in the form of a manhole with moonlight shining through the bars.

"Finally! I think we made it." Anne declared, being the first to climb up and push the manhole, climbing out halfway and taking in a breath of fresh air.

"Ah! Fresh air." She said as Shadow climbed up beside her.

"And nothing went wrong, too!" The boy added.

Suddenly, as if some cruel joke by an invisible force was being made, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by toad soldiers, all pointing weapons at them.

"I spoke too soon, I know." Shadow groaned.

Sasha, wearing her armor once again, walked between the toads, with Kaemon following behind, looking at them with a smug look. "Oh, Anne and Shadow. Very disappointing." She sighed.

"I mean, my expectations were low, but man," Damien nodded.

"Okay, how'd you know where to find us?" Anne demanded.

"Maybe don't be so loud when escaping through the sewers next time?" Damien shrugged his shoulders.

"Now let's move. Grime's waiting for us." Sasha said.

The humans, newt and frogs were pulled out of the sewers by the toads and escorted up the tower at spear point, all the way to the very top, where Grime was waiting with his men, the toad captain looking down at the Venus fly trap and grinning menacingly before dropping a cricket leg into its jaws, the plant enjoying it.

He chuckled until Damien spoke. "Captain, we caught these prisoners trying to escape." He said, Sasha pulling Anne and Shadow by their arms.

"Dude, are you crazy?" Anne asked, she and Shadow yanking their arms away.

"Shh. I'm trying to get us home." Sasha said harshly.

"By killing an innocent frog?" Shadow snarled.

"Whatever it takes to get us home, Mister Big Bad Wolf." Sasha retorted. "And if it means some frog has to die, so be it."

"Very impressive, Sasha. Especially you, Damien." Grime said. "Always playing Flipwart when everyone else is playing Bog Jump."

Sasha and Anne gave him confused looks. "Well, see, Flipwart and Bog Jump are games, but Flipwart, of course, is far more complicated and..." Grime tried to explain.

"He's trying to say you're smart, Sasha." Damien said, leaning over to his partner.

"Oh. Thanks, Grime-sy." Sasha said, laughing as she and Damien stood next to the captain. "What can I say? Just how I do. Up top."

"Ah... Um... Yes." Grime said awkwardly, high-fiving her.

"This isn't right!" Shadow shouted. "Don't Kaemon and Hop Pop at the very least deserve a fair trial?!"

"Hah! A trail, he says!" Grime mocked, bursting into laughter, his men laughing along. "Sorry, Black Wolf. There are no trails for traitors."

"Sasha, please! There has to be another way!" Anne pleaded, hoping to reason with her, only for the toads to cross their spears in front of her.

"There is no other way, creature. Our very way of life is at stake. I don't expect an outsider like you to understand." Griem said before looking at Shadow. "Now, surrender the weapons of the shogun."

"Over my dead body, you toad pig." Shadow growled.

"Well, we're trying to avoid that," Grime said before grinning. "However, we'll do it over another's dead body. Seize the traitors, Hopediah Plantar and Kaemon of the Four Sword."

Before the soldiers could act, there was a whistle in the wind, followed by a great force that sent the toads tumbling to the floor, as Kaemon stood ahead of the group, his swords drawn and his bandana wrapped around his head, defiance in his eyes.

"Not gonna happen, you lousy creep!" He yelled as he crossed his swords. "Not today or any other day!"

The toads that didn't get knocked down drew their weapons and made to advance on the sword newt, but a black streak flashed out of nowhere before the toads were sent flying by an invisible force, when Shadow stopped in front of the newt, smoke emitting from his feet from the speed he was going.

"If you want to get to them," He said darkly before drawing Black Hope and pointing it forward. "You'll have to go through me first!"

"That goes double for me!" Anne declared, drawing out Azura's Tear and taking a stance next to Shadow.

The toads got back up and began to surround them, but the frogs weren't going to just back down. Sprig pulled out his slingshot, Hop Pop pulled out crab legs, and Polly pulled out her flail, ready to fight for the old frog.

"Do your worst." Wally said, while Mrs. Croaker held her cane like a sword.

"Oh, if you're gonna bring it, then bring it." Felicia said, picking up a rock. She may have been more lady-like than her daughter, but she was ready to fight.

"In retrospect, we really should have tied them up." One toad said, as the frogs of Wartwood got ready to rumble.

"Yeah, you really should've thought about that." Shadow said. "Now, let's see what the Toad Armies finest can really do!"

"Enough!" Sasha shouted, gaining everyone's attention. The toads moved away, allowing Sasha to walk over to the two. "Shadow, what're you doing? Don't you want to go home? See your parents, who no doubt miss you?"

Shadow only glared at her, his stance not faltering. "I don't care what I've missed over the years." He said in defiance. "And even then, I'm not going to let someone die when they do not deserve it!"

"You don't even belong in this world!" Sasha tried to reason with him. "Are you really going to stand for a bunch of frogs who would persecute you?!"

"I don't care what they think of me!" Shadow snapped back. "Even if all of Amphibia decides to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have! I will continue defending the weak, because it's the right thing to do!"

Seeing it was pointless to reason with the Wolf, Sasha turned to Anne. "What about you, Anne? Are you really gonna risk your life for these talking frogs? We don't even belong here. Don't you wanna get back home? See your family?"

For a moment, Anne hesitated. "Yeah, but—"

"Then remember who your friend is and put your sword down now. End. Of. Discussion." Sasha said, those words cutting deeper than any sword.

Shadow felt the rage build up inside, but he saw the Thai girl's confidence wane as she started to lower her sword, but the boy quickly moved his sword under hers, stopping her from lowering it any further.

"Anne, you are to not lower your sword another centimeter, understand?" He said sternly.

Anne looked up at her teacher, the boy who gave her the strength to keep going, who taught her so much and helped her survive this crazy world.

The boy she fell in love with.

"You stay out of this!" Sasha snapped.

"Sasha, please." Shadow scoffed. "True friends are talking here." He turned his attention back to the Thai girl. "Remember what I told you before. Are you going to let Sasha push you around and dictate your every move? Or are you going to stand up for yourself and decide what you believe is best? You're not that girl anymore, Anne. Now raise your sword and fight back!"

Anne looked up at her teacher with newfound confidence, raising her sword.

"I've had it up to here with you, mutt!" Sasha yelled, preparing to draw her sword, but was suddenly met with a mud ball to the face.

"What the heck?!" The blonde snapped, wiping the mud from her face.

"For someone who's supposed to be Anne's best friend, you sure don't know her very well. Heck, Shadow's a better friend than you'll ever be!" Sprig declared. "She's brave! She's smart! And most of all, she's not gonna be pushed around by a bully like you!"

Anne smiled, touched by Sprig's words. Shadow seemed especially proud of the frog boy's bravery. Sasha wiped the sludge off her face.

"I think I've had enough of you, squeaky toy." Sasha sneered, drawing out her pink-colored sword. The weapon had a basic design similar to the humans' Oakeshott typology European swords from Earth during the Middle Ages. The most notable feature was the heron-shaped quillon, having the head and tail as its cross-guard and the body as the rain-guard.

The blonde let out a battle cry as she swung her sword at Sprig, the pink frog bracing himself, but the blow never came, Sprig looking up to see the attack blocked by the Black Hope, Shadow standing defiantly before kicking her back, his foot connecting with her chest, sending her to the floor.

Groaning in pain, Sasha stared at the boy. "What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded.

"What a real friend is supposed to do," Shadow said, pointing his sword at her. "Protecting their own from delusional, manipulative bullies like you!"

Sasha stared at him in shock, before hearing Grime chuckle next to her. "What are you laughing at?!" She demanded.

"Looks like you've got a rebellious seed of your own. You've given me plenty of advice. Now let me give you some." Grime said to the blonde. "Stamp this out. Make the Wolf yield. Fail, and he'll take Anne away from you, and nothing will ever be the same."

Sasha's expression turned to pure hate, as she turned to the boy, heron sword in hand. "Not gonna happen." She said, taking a stance.

Shadow took his own fighting stance, not backing down.

"This should be fun." Grime grinned before calling to his soldiers. "My friends! Instead of a messy free-for-all, I have a splendid idea. How about we settle this…" He then jumped onto a rock. "…the toad-fashioned way?"

At the snap of their captains' fingers, the soldiers surround Shadow and Sasha, holding out their shields in a defensive stance.

"Looks like you'll be getting that trail after all, Shadow." Damien declared. "A trial by combat, that is!"

"Indeed! If your champion wins, you all go home, no harm, no foul." Grime declared, gesturing to Shadow before gesturing to Sasha. "But if our champion wins, well..." Grime looked down at the Venus fly trap as it roared, chuckling before finishing. "Baby's hungry."

Anne watched the scene unfold, realizing that this could be a fight to the death, and she was torn. She wanted Shadow to win, but she didn't want Sasha to get seriously hurt. But more than anything, she couldn't rely on Shadow to fight her battles for her. Making a choice, she used her powers to leap high over the toads before landing beside Shadow.

"Shadow, I've made up my mind!" She declared. "Let me show you just how far I've come!" She stared at Sasha before drawing her own sword. "Starting with standing up to Sasha!"

If Sasha wasn't angry already, she certainly was now. This mangy mutt not only made her friend more disobedient, but he's also completely turned Anne against her! She wasn't going to let this stand.

Grime chuckled at this. "How interesting. Well, it just wouldn't be fair for a two on one, now, would it?" He then turned to Damien and nodded at him, the newt nodding in return. Cracking his neck, Damien took a big leap into the air before landing beside Sasha.

"I don't need your help, Damien!" Sasha snapped.

"Sure, you do." Damien replied, stretching his limbs. "You need to hash a few things out with your bestie over there." He looked at Shadow with eager interest. "Besides, I've always wanted to go a few rounds with the Black Wolf."

The fighters were set, both Shadow and Anne holding their swords in fighting stances side by side, Sasha holding her sword at the ready, while Damien kicked his feet against the stone floor before taking a brawler stance, the atmosphere growing quite tense, both sides glaring at the other.

All was silent, when Grime finally yelled, "Begin!"

Sasha made the first move, making a beeline for Shadow, only for Anne to intercept, blocking a swing of the blonde's sword with her own, Shadow focusing on the armored newt as Damien charged forward, swinging an armored leg at him, the boy ducking under the kick before attempting to counter with a swing from Black Hope, the newt jumping to the side before throwing a reverse roundhouse kick, Shadow blocking with his free hand before swinging upward, Damien backflipping to avoid the attack. Getting into a runner's stance, Damien dashed forward before leaping and spinning forward, a leg extended as it came down, Shadow jumping back from the ax kick as it hit the ground, leaving a sizable dent on the floor.

Hoping to push the advantage, Damien rushed forward again, collapsing into a roll, which took Shadow completely by surprise, before launching a kick upward, hitting the boy in the gut, before jumping up and throwing two sidekicks to his side before jumping and hitting him in the jaw with a judo flip kick, pushing him back.

Shaking off the surprise, Shadow kept his eyes on the newt as said newt rushed forward before throwing a leg sweep kick, the human boy jumping up to evade, then swinging his sword in the air, Damien rolling to the side before attempting to kick Shadow's leg, only for Shadow to catch to kick with his free hand and spinning around, throwing the newt some distance away before raising his sword overhead and jumping, aiming to bring it down on his head, but Damien managed to cartwheel out of the way.

"Whew, this is actually interesting!" The newt jeered, hopping a bit in place. "I could feel the swing of your sword cutting the wind! You really are something!"

"I admit, you have skill as well." Shadow nodded. "It's too bad we never got to meet back then. I feel we would have been great sparring partners."

"Well, some things just can't be helped, I suppose." Damien shrugged before activating the blades on his greaves. "Now, enough taking it easy! Let's get serious!"

Shadow smirked, readying a stance. "If you insist."

Meanwhile, Anne and Sasha clashed blades, the former rushing forward with her blade pointed forward, the latter blocking with her heron sword before returning a swing on her own, Anne blocking before backing up. Sasha rushed in and twirled like the cheerleader she was before landing and attacking again, the tip of the sword barely missing Anne's ear when the Thai girl ducked to the side before kicking Sasha in the side, knocking her away. Growling, the blonde kipped up before charging again.

Anne was making Sasha question what sort of training she had, the Thai girl utilizing everything Shadow and Tritonio had taught her before they locked blades, the blonde glaring at her with frustration.

"What's gotten into you, Anne?!" Sasha yelled at her. "You were never like this back home!"

"Do you ever stop talking?!" Anne yelled back, knocking her sword away before kicking her side, forcing Sasha to back up.

Kaemon and the Plantars gasped, looking at Anne in amazement. Sasha gasped in shock, but she wasn't about to lose so easily. Even if it meant using more underhanded tactics, as she pulled a dagger from the sheath on her back.

"Haha! How do you like that?" Anne gloated, but her confidence soon faded when she narrowly jumped back from a dagger swing from Sasha. "Oh, come on, a dagger?"

Sasha quickly picked up her sword, both it and dagger in hand.

"Anne, catch!"

The Thai girl looked to see Kaemon throwing his blue katana to her, the katana that once belonged to his best friend, catching it easily with her free hand, taking a stance.

"Now we both have two weapons!" Anne declared.

While this was happening, Shadow seemed to be struggling against Damien, the armored newt hitting him with a barrage of different kicks, the human boy questioning what sort of training the newt had. There was no way he got this level of training from Grime; someone outside the Toad Army had to have taught him.

"You're looking a little tired, Wolf!" Damien boasted, a smirk on his face, as he didn't let up his assault. "Maybe you lost your—"

Just as he was mid-flight doing a flying kick, Shadow suddenly vanished, causing the newt to crash, tumbling into the floor, the human boy then reappearing and dashing forward, his eyes glowing back.

"…touch."

Shadow didn't let up, his sword glowing black, as he slashed at the newt several times, before then slashing at him one more time, sending him tumbling to the ground in pain.

In so much pain, Damien looked up as Shadow stood over him, the newt grinning at his idol. "So, the Black Wolf still has his bite." The newt remarked.

"Don't worry about the pain, it'll subside soon." Shadow said. "I made it so it wouldn't cause any lasting damage, but just enough to temporarily disable you."

"That would explain why I'm not bleeding profusely." Damien said. "So, the whole time, you were going easy on me?"

"To gauge your skill level, yeah." Shadow nodded. "Your fighting style looked unique, definitely not something a toad would practice. You're pretty good, but you still need to learn."

Damien chuckled. "Pretty good…"

Stepping away from the fallen newt, Shadow turned his attention to the girls' fight.

The two best friends were still clashing blades, Sasha now struggling to keep up, as Anne was gaining ground.

"They're just slimy little frogs, Anne! They don't matter!" Sasha yelled.

"They're not just frogs. THEY'RE MY FRIENDS!" Anne roared before swinging her sword forward, knocking both Sasha's sword and dagger from her hands, sending her falling on her butt, now having a scar below her right eye.

Anne stood over her blonde friend, pointing her sword at her, and a look of determination on her face. "It's over, Sash. You're not gonna push me around anymore." She said.

The frogs cheered behind her, Kaemon cheering loudly before Maddie pulled him down and kissed him on the lips. Shadow strode up next to Anne, smiling, seeming quite proud of how far she had come.

All the while, Sasha could only glare in defeat, specifically at Shadow. "You turned her against me!" She snapped at him.

"Wrong. I only gave her the strength to stand up for herself." Shadow replied simply. "You did the whole 'turned against me' thing all on your own." He then faced the toad army, all stunned by what they had witnessed. "As for the rest of you? You'd best not harass Wartwood or any other frog town any further, lest you answer to me." He then stared up at Grime, the toad captain staring hatefully at the boy. "And you better keep your word, or you'll suffer the same fate Charon did, when she forced me to bare my fangs."

The two humans turned, the frog cheering for them as they approached. That's when something unexpected happened.

The creaking of a bow's wood. A sharp whistle in the wind. And shortly, an arrow piercing flesh.

Shadow stood frozen, his sigh becoming blurry, but he could barely make out the shocked faces of the frogs before him. Anne, Kaemon and the Plantars staring in shock. Finally, the boy looked down, seeing an arrowhead sticking from his chest, covered in blood. His blood.

Once again, he'd let his guard down, and it costed him dearly.

His breathing weak, he dropped Black Hope and collapsed to his knees.

"SHADOW!" Anne screamed in horror, both she, Kaemon and Plantars rushing to his side, the boy groaning in pain, barely able to breath from the arrow piercing his lung.

Sasha wiped her head around to see Grime holding a bow. "What the hell, Grime?!" She yelled at him.

"Captain, what're you doing?!" Damien shouted, just as shocked.

"Sorry, but we've wasted enough time." Grime said before shooting his tongue out to snatch Hop Pop away from the crowd.

"Hop Pop!" His grandkids cried, trying to grab him, but it was too late.

Grime held the old frog by the shirt and dangled him over the eager fly trap.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Grime said, almost taunting.

"I think not!" Kaemon yelled, drawing his swords and making to charge, only to get caught in a massive net, trapping him.

"Kaemon!" Maddie screamed, she and Ivy wanting to save him and the old frog, only for the toad soldiers to stop them.

"Now with that out of the way," Grime said, his men dragging a struggling Kaemon before him, as he turned to Sasha. "Now, finish this."

"Huh?" The blonde did a double take.

"The Black Wolf is a threat to the order we've been fighting to maintain." Grime told her. "Now, put the Wolf down, or Anne will continue being rebellious."

Sasha was shocked, but she was quick to accept it. In order to get her friend back, the Wolf had to die. Looking over at them, Anne looking at her with shock, as the blonde picked up her sword.

"You'll thank me for this later."

She then made to approach the weakened boy, killing intent in her eyes, but Anne stood before her with her sword out, determined to protect Shadow.

"No! I won't let you do this!" Anne declared angrily.

"Move, Anne." Sasha growled.

"No! This is wrong!" Anne yelled at her.

"Just do what I tell you, Anne." Sasha sneered, her temper rising.

"What happened to you, Sasha?!" Anne demanded. "What happened to the girl that would stand up to bullies? Because I don't see her!"

SLAP!

Everything went silent for Shadow, when her heard that slap. He looked up to see Anne's head forced to the right before she fell to her side, her hand clutching her cheek as Sasha glared down at her. Sasha glared at her before reality soon set in, her eyes widening at what she had done.

"Anne…I didn't mean…"

Everything happening so far; Hop Pop and Kaemon, two of his most valuable friends, about to be put to death, his own life at risk, and now the girl he fell in love with was just struck by someone who was supposed to be her best friend.

All these things happening…it made something inside him snap.

That rage he had suppressed for so long was clawing to get out…and he was losing his hold.

Suddenly, something was happening to Shadow that drew everyone's attention. A black aura was emitting off the boy like steam, the pained grunts turning to feral growling like a starved beast, before the boy soon got to his feet, and he pulled the arrow from his chest, the wound healing thanks to the aura. Sasha watched his form then get cloaked in what looked like blood-red shadows, and his eyes turning pitch black.

At that moment…he let the beast out of its cage.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

With a demonic roar, Shadow's body lit up in flames like a bonfire, black fire erupting from his very being and his body transforming within the flame, everyone present watching in utter shock at what was happening.

"What's going on?!" Damien exclaimed.

"I don't know! Maybe it's a human thing!" Grime shouted back.

Emerging from the flame, Shadow now took the form of what looked like a werewolf the size of an adult human, standing on his hind legs, his whole body covered in blood-red shadow, ten tails, and black claws on his hands and feet, his pitch-black eyes glowing before rearing his head back and letting out a roar of pure fury.

"Definitely not a human thing." Anne said in fear.

Sasha stared at the new form in shock and fear, the Black Wolf in literal form, the beast staring at her with eyes filled with venom, before saying one word.

"Die."

He suddenly vanished with blinding speed, Sasha darting her head around to see where he went, only for the beast to appear in front of her and delivering a powerful punch to the gut with great force that sent her flying off the tower and across the sky.

But the Black Wolf wasn't done, as he disappeared from place before reappearing in the path Sasha was going and hitting her with a powerful double handed hammer fist, sending her downward, then the beast appearing just before she hit the dirt and kicking her with great force, sending her back to the top of the tower, before appearing again and hitting her with a downward punch, sending her crashing into cobblestone before he slammed his feet on top of her, cracking several ribs and making the blonde scream in pain.

Grime looked at his beaten lieutenant before the Black Wolf's stare shifted to him before speeding forward, punching the captain in the face, sending him rocketing from the top of the tower, the beast taking hold of Hop Pop with a massive, clawed hand.

"CAPTAIN GRIME!" Damien yelled in shock, looking over the edge, hoping his captain was okay.

The Black Wolf sat Hop Pop down next to Kaemon, the beast now glaring at the toad soldiers with hate in his eyes.

"Don't just stand there!" Bog yelled. "Get him!"

The toads fired their arrows at the monster, but the arrows instantly disintegrated when they got close, much to the toads' shock. The Black Wolf turned his head to them, the ends of his ten tails sharpening before they flicked forward, sending several sharp quills at the toads, impaling them and sending them flying off the edge. Bog let out a battle cry before rushing towards the beast, swinging a sword at his head, but the beast caught the blade within his jaws, Bog trying desperately to push the blade forward, but the Wolf only stood there glaring at him before snapping his teeth closed, snapping the blade into pieces, before swinging his claws at the toad, leaving a massive claw mark on his face and causing the toad to yell in pain.

As their bounds were undone, Hop Pop and Kaemon watched in horror as the Black Wolf sent Bog flying, Fens and Mire trying to catch him, only for the beast to send them flying with a powerful kick, sending them careening into the forest below.

Hop Pop stared at the monster unleashed, his eyes filled with a mixture of horror and sadness, "Shadow…"

"Hop Pop!" Both Sprig and Polly rushed to their grandfather's side, hugging him.

"Kaemon!" Maddie ran to her boyfriend and hugged him tightly.

"Hop Pop, what's happened to Shadow?" Sprig asked his grandfather, frightened by what was happening to his friend.

"There are three things we wise men fear more than anything, Sprig," Hop Pop told him, watching the Black Wolf decimate the remaining soldiers, be it biting or clawing them. "A sea during a storm, a night with no moon…and the anger of a gentle man."

Sasha, beaten and bruised, no doubt a broken rib or two, watched the scene happen, the toad soldiers falling one by one to the beast's fury, and by the time the last toad fell, he quickly turned in her direction. The beast marching towards her, the blonde could only do; grabbing a nearby shield and held it out in front of her defensively and hope for the best.

The Black Wolf raised a clawed hand and swung it downward, hitting the shield and his claws piercing the shield, before he did the same with the other hand and finally tearing the shield apart, then grabbed Sasha by the throat and lifted her up and roaring in her face.

"Get off her!" Damien yelled, rushing forward and aiming to deliver an ax kick to the head, only for the beast to catch it with his free hand before sending the newt flying from the top of the tower.

Thankfully, said newt safely landed in a bale of hay.

Sasha choked, desperately trying to wrench herself free, before the wolf raised the Black Hope, aiming to bury the blade within her head.

"Don't do this…please…" She begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

The wolf didn't seem phased, as he made to end her life once and for all.

"Shadow, don't do it!" Anne yelled, grabbing the monster's arm, hoping she could reach him.

The beast seemed to have stopped the minute Anne grabbed on, but it was hard to tell.

"Shadow, I know you're still in there!" Anne pleaded, hoping her mentor, the boy she fell in love with, could still be reached. "Please, don't do this!"

Finally, the beast turned his head down to her, his face riddled with hate and venom.

"Why. Not?" The beast asked darkly.

Anne looked him in the eyes, "Because…she's still my friend."

The monster stared at her blankly, though one could guess he thought she had lost her mind. "Even after she hit you? Tried to have our friends killed? Treated you like a pawn?"

"Shadow, please. What would I tell her parents if you killed her? You won't be able to live with yourself!" Anne pleaded with him.

"I've done it before." The wolf snarled.

However, he nearly gasped when Anne caressed his cheek, and his expression seemed to soften, his eyes flickering between the hateful black and his natural green eyes.

"You came to Wartwood to get away from this. From the violence." She told him. "You're better than that. You're not that monster that you were made into. If you kill her, all that goes down the drain. And I can't afford to lose you too. We love you." The wolf looked up, seeing the residents of Wartwood looking at him with worried looks, the frogs he had grown close to after so long. "Be the man you want to be, not the monster you were forced to become."

Finally, that hatred he felt inside was replaced by remorse and grief. He looked at Sasha, staring back with pleading eyes, then at the Black Hope; the sword that represented unity for not just the frogs, but all of Amphibia.

What was he doing? Sure, he killed in the past, many times, but for the last five years, Shadow only truly killed when he was forced to, to protect his friends, to protect Anne.

But this wasn't one of those moments. Not anymore. Sasha was beaten and no longer a threat.

Finally, the black aura was dying down, the boy dropping the katana, the metal blade clattering on the stone floor before then dropping Sasha, the blonde coughing, as she looked up at the beast, the form now reverting to his human form, his shirt and cloak burned away, leaving him in his torn pants and boots, revealing what looked like a black wolf tattoo on his back.

Sasha stared at the boy in shock, before Shadow stared down at her with a glare. "I stay my hand today because Anne still considers you her friend still. Do not forget that." He said before collapsing and falling on his back.

"Shadow!" Anne quickly knelt down to him, Kaemon and the Plantars gathering around him.

"I'm…completely drained." Shadow groaned, breathing heavily. "So much power…spent all at once…"

Watching the slimy frog family gather around the mutt, Sasha shifted her eyes to the katana on the floor. Believing she still had a chance to make things go her way, she reached out to grab it, only for a certain sword wielding newt to snatch it up out of her reach.

"That's not yours to take, blondie." He said to her with a smirk.

Growling, Sasha struggled to get up, but she stopped when Anne pointed the sword in her face, the blonde staring up at the Thai girl in disbelief.

"A-Anne, w-what are you—"

"Something I should have done a long time ago: Standing up to YOU!" Anne said harshly. "You'll never push me around ever again!"

She then turned to what toad soldiers remained alive. "And the same goes for the rest of you!" She shouted, raising the Black Hope. "From now on, you're never bothering Wartwood again! We're not part of any rebellion, but we're not letting you push us around anymore!"

The frogs cheered and clapped. No one thought they'd see a day like this. They no longer needed the toad's protection, now that they had Anne and Shadow around.

Giving Sasha one last glare, Anne helped Shadow to his feet, letting the boy lean on her shoulder and the couple sharing a smile before she kissed his cheek, as they started walking towards the crowd.

But of course, things always go awry in moments like these.

Suddenly, the tower began to shake.

"What the... What?!" Kaemon exclaimed as the floor beneath him shifted and trembled.

Down in the sewers, the boom shrooms started detonating one by one, setting off a chain reaction and destroying the underground system, as blue fire shot out the maintenance tunnels.

Realizing what this meant, both humans turned to Wally. "Wally, what did you do?!"

"What? I thought we agreed." The kook said.

"We told you no boom shrooms!" Shadow yelled.

Confused, Wally pointed at his closed eye. "Wait, could you not tell I was winking?"

"NO!"

"Ah, curse you, one eye!"

Lean On Me by Bill Withers

Brick by brick, the tower began to crumble, the crowd of frogs gasping and moving away from the edge. Even the toads started to panic.

"We gotta get out of here! Move, move, move!" One toad shouted as they all ran for the exit, although some weren't so lucky and fell to their deaths. Even the Venus fly trap wasn't safe from Wally's antics, the monstrous plant getting crushed by falling rubble.

"Everyone! Come on, get off the roof, quick!" Hop Pop yelled, holding the door and gesturing everyone to head down.

As the structure of the tower began to crumble, the ground below Sasha, Anne and Shadow began to slant slightly.

Seeing the floor start to give, Sasha gasped and turned to Anne. "Anne!" She screamed as the ledge beneath her gave out.

"Sasha!" Anne yelled, dropping Black Hope before diving for Sasha, grabbing her hand. "Gotcha."

"Anne!" Sprig yelled.

"I've got her." Shadow grunted, still in pain, but forced himself to get up. "You go help the others get out!"

Sprig wanted to help, but knew better than to doubt his friend, as the last resident of his hometown ran down the stairs, he ran off to help the others escape the crumbling building.

At the same time, Anne tried to pull Sasha up. "I've got you, Sash. You're gonna be okay—" She tried to reassure her, but screamed when she slid off, but Shadow caught her by the ankle, stabbing Black Hope into the floor.

"I've got you!" He called, feeling his muscles strain to keep them from falling. "Just hold on!"

Shadow groaned in pain, the boy unable to call upon the power to try to fly them out. Afte letting out so much power at once with that transformation into the True Dark Form, he had barely any energy left. As for Anne? Her mind was too focused on trying to save Sasha, unable to concentrate on flying.

"Hey, hey. Look at me, look at me. Everything's gonna be totally fine. Just hang on." Anne tried to reassure Sasha, but her strength was failing, and the ledge was about to give.

Sasha looked down in sorrow, tears welling up in her eyes. All she wanted was what was best for her friends, but all she did was nearly burn the bridge she had with Anne with her actions.

In the end, she made a choice.

"Hey, Anne?" She said, getting Anne to open her eyes to look at her. "Maybe you're better off without me. Shadow?" The boy looked down at her. "Please…protect her. And I'm sorry."

And with that, she let go.

"NOOOO!" Anne screamed, watching as her friend plummeted to her death.

However, death would not come for her today.

Music stops.

"Hyah!" Damien yelled, jumping from nowhere and catching Sasha bridal style, the shock of the fall knocking her unconscious, the newt using the blades of his greaves to slow his decent as he slid down the wall and towards the courtyard.

Meanwhile, with the tower falling apart around them, the amphibians threw open the doors and ran for safety. Some, however, were slower than others.

"Come on, Mrs. Croaker!" Sprig said worriedly, staying by the old frog lady's side.

"Curse these old legs." Sadie said, panting as she moved at a snail's pace. And not the giant snail's pace. "Save yourself."

"Like Hell!" Kaemon yelled as he threw Sprig and Sadie on his back and ran for the exit, carrying several other frogs. He wasn't the only one, as Toadstool ran beside him, carrying just as many on his back.

"Hi, Mrs. Croaker. Hi Sprig." Wally said.

"Hi Wally." Sprig waved before seeing the toad mayor. "Mayor Toadstool?"

"Uh-huh. If y'all die, who'll I embezzle money from? Huh?" The mayor said.

"Shut up and run!" Mrs. Croaker yelled, pointing her cane towards the other side of the bridge.

Soon the tower stopped shaking, the debris stopped falling, and everyone made it to safety.

Well, almost everyone.

At the top of the tower, Shadow managed to pull Anne up, the boy hearing a ripping sound before seeing the toad banner fall from the pole. If Charon's death would lead to more conflict, this would certainly cause more trouble.

But the boy wasn't concerned about that at the moment.

Seeing Anne on her knees, looking down mournfully, he knelt down and held her close. Following her gaze, he saw Damien carrying the unconscious Sasha before setting her down, checking her for further injuries, her beaten and bruised form making his chest tighten, before the armored newt was soon joined by Grime, who had somehow survived the fall, as well as what was left of his once great army.

The captain looked up at the humans. While Anne had a look of despair, Shadow's was blank, empty. The boy didn't feel any pride, it certainly didn't feel like a victory. Only guilt and shame.

Grime looked back at his newt lieutenant as said newt held Sasha in his arms, the captain looking back at the humans with a growl before marching into the forest, his remaining men following behind. Damien looked up at Shadow and Anne, an expression of both regret and anger on his face, before standing up with Sasha in his arms and following his comrades, disappearing into the shadows.

Seeing them leave, Anne stood up, Shadow standing at her side, the wide blowing in their hair. The two looked at each other before silently embracing each other, Anne sobbing uncontrollably into her boyfriend's shoulder.

Now, they were all they had.

After an hour ride, the residents finally returned home to Wartwood, all in need for some much needed rest from the rather hectic day.

Shadow, however, had different ideas, as he walked through the swamp before stopping at the spot where he last saw a group of fireflies flying through, before sitting on the ground and crossing his legs together in meditation, focusing his energy and feeling the power within restored to full, and his wounds healing finally.

Letting out a breath, Shadow opened his eyes and gazed out onto the beautiful lake, before Anne joined his side.

"I was wondering why you hadn't come home." She said.

"My apologies, I needed to restore my strength." Shadow replied. "And this spot seems to give me the most comfort during meditation."

Anne sat down next to him, but took notice of the tattoo on his back, depicting a black wolf in a lunging position.

"What's with the ink?" She asked.

Looking over his shoulder as if trying to see, Shadow said, "It's more of a brand, really." He then looked back at the water, his reflection staring back at him. "A constant reminder of what I am. Of the monster inside."

Anne looked at the brand of the wolf before scootching closer, taking his hands into her own.

"What you were then shouldn't matter." She said. "Who you are now is what should be important. After all, you are who you choose to be, not what others think of you."

Shadow considered her words before smiling. "Thank you, Anne." He said. "You've helped pull me from the darkest place and brought light into my life. A light I hadn't seen in so long. I'm so glad to have met you."

The two sat in silence, staring into each other's eyes before they kissed. The kiss lasted longer than their first before they broke away, the two leaning into each other and admiring the view of the lake together.

It ended when the Plantars approached. "Thank goodness we were able to find you." Hop Pop said with a smile, his two grandkids by his side, as well as Kaemon. "I know that was hard for you, Anne. Thank you, both of you, you know, for everything."

"To you as well, Master." Kaemon said with a bow. "That's twice you saved me from certain death."

"It was the right thing to do." Shadow smiled back. "After you helped me back on my feet, it's only natural that I return the favor."

"So, does this make us even finally?" Hop Pop asked. "I don't want you feeling like you owe me, especially after that."

"Of course." Shadow nodded. "I believe we're even now."

"And besides, Hop Pop, you three are my family. I'd never let anyone hurt you." Anne chimed in, before looking up to Shadow. "Or you, especially."

Shadow smiled, everyone sat in silence before Sprig spoke up. "So, you guys wanna get breakfast and come up with some kind of plan to get Anne home?"

"It's gonna be dangerous. Perilous even." Hop Pop said.

"Understatement!" Polly exclaimed.

"Well, whatever happens next, one thing's for sure." Anne said, pulling everyone into a hug. "If we're together, I know we'll be all right."

"Always." Shadow nodded.

"Damn straight!" Kaemon declared proudly.

Hop Pop grunted a little. "Hugging a little tight there, Anne."

"No, I'm not."

Despite the harrowing ordeal, Anne felt her hopes raise to new heights. She had no idea what was waiting for her, what new dangers she'll encounter. What enemies she'll make.

But she knew that, so long as she had her newfound friends, her beloved, all at her side, there's nothing she couldn't overcome.