Huh, I don't remember taking this picture of Toad Tower.
That was me. Wanted a little reminder of how we messed those toads up!
Heh. Sure did.
I've been working on a song based on the battle.
Oh, am I in it?
Maybe.
I'm in it.
All right, that's enough!
- Wow! Great song. - Yeah, that was awesome.
What? Awesome? It was missing all the context.
Like what about the time I ran for mayor?
Or that time I stood up to those nasty tax collectors?
- Eh! Boring. - Audiences want clear stakes.
- And action. - Action!
Feels like just yesterday people thought I was a revolutionary hero.
Heads up, gang!
We're about to stop at our first town.
My first town outside of Wartwood. I wonder what it'll be like.
Will the frogs be friendly? Will they have a bathroom?
Don't get too excited. It's just your average small town.
How small can it be…? Wow!
Oh, my gosh.
It's literally a small town.
Just look at the "wittle" buildings.
Uh… Yee-haw.
There you are.
What's all the ruckus?
But, please. Just listen…
Ooh! I got you.
All right. Y'all know the rules.
Pay me and no one gets hurt. That's right, pay up, keep it coming.
Sorry, Mr. Judro, sir, but I need the money for my boy Bailey.
He's been very sick and…
- Oh, son. - Papa!
I don't want your excuses. I want your money.
- Those poor Bitties. - Someone should do something.
Yes, somebody should.
Sprig, get that fiddle ready. You might have a song to write.
- H'yup! - Ready and willing.
- Huh? - Hey there, uh, feller.
Who do you think you are, pushing people around?
I'm Judro Hasselback, and this here's my town.
Who the heck are you?
Name's Hopediah Plantar, the frog that's gonna teach you manners!
Hey, you better…
Stop! What in the…?
You'll pay for this!
Nobody's paying you anything anymore.
- You saved us, mister. - Huh?
Three cheers for Hopediah Plantar.
Hip, hip, hooray!
- Wow, Hop Pop. Nice work. - Go, Hop Pop.
Why, that was nothing. Judro's just a big blowhard.
- Not like those tax toads. - You stood up to toads?
Tell us the story. Please? Please?
Oh, sweetie, there's not much to tell.
And then I lifted not one, not two, but three toads over my head
and threw them off Toad Tower.
- Threw three toads? I don't remember that. - Because it didn't happen.
Let him have this. He's juicing up the details.
In my world, we call this marketing.
And so using my frog-given natural strength,
I kicked the side of Toad Tower, and it exploded.
Hooray for Hopediah Plantar,
here to protect us from the ruthless Hasselback Gang.
I'm sorry, Bailey, did you say "gang"?
Hopediah Plantar!
Huh?
Whoo-wee!
You done asked for it, so here it comes.
This here's the Hasselback Gang.
My brother Heathro.
Half-sister Ruth.
Uncle Talbert.
And of course, the matriarch herself, Mama Hasselback!
You the frog who dare throw my Judro out of town?
Well…
Yep. And he's gonna run you out of town, too.
- Right, Hopediah? - Yeah, you show them.
Go get them, Hopediah!
Now this I gotta see.
Um… Uh, you're… You're gonna regret this.
Think I almost got her.
- Back off! - Stay away from him!
- This is just like middle school. - Not much different from my bucket.
Looks like you folks chose the wrong frog.
Or should I say "fraud"?
Word of advice. Don't believe everything you're told about heroes.
After all, they don't exist.
Is it true, Hopediah? Are heroes a lie?
It's true, Bailey.
It's true!
Now get lost. And take your garbage with you!
Not proud of what happened back there, kids.
Sprig was right. No one's ever gonna write a song about this old coward.
- Now that you smashed my fiddle. - Hop Pop, you're not a coward.
Who cares about some song?
Being a hero isn't about songs and glory. It's about doing the right thing.
My frog, Anne. You're right.
This whole time I was so focused on getting a song
that I lost track of what really matters.
Heroes are supposed to help those in need, and I was only trying to help myself.
Well, that changes now. We're going back!
- Are you crazy? - What?
Good call, HP. What's the plan?
Well, it goes a little bit like this, you see…
Why are we whispering?
Keep it up, Bitties. That's good.
Just keep working on Mama's toes.
Looks like no birthday gifts this year.
Don't worry, Papa. We'll always have the gift of music.
Yoink!
- Oh, whoops. - I'm pretty numb at this point.
Serves you little runts right.
If you thought things were bad before,
just wait and see what we've got planned for you…
What the…?
- Ma'am. - Look who decided to show his face again.
You're back for more punishment?
I'm back to do what's right.
Stand up to bullies like you.
Get him!
You boys ready for a licking?
His tongue feels like iron.
- Two degrees left. - Load me up.
- Go, Hopediah! - He's doing it.
Huh?
So, that's the game, is it?
End of the line, Mama.
Ha!
- The jig is up! - Run, Hop Pop!
Uh-oh.
Well, I best be going. Toodles!
Being a hero isn't about songs and glory anyways.
It's about doing the right thing.
Know what, Mama? I'm through running.
When you see someone that can't fight, it's your job to fight for them!
Standing up to bullies like you is the right thing to…
Mr. Plantar!
- No! - Don't cry for me, Bailey.
I don't feel a thing.
No, no, no!
Uh, Mama?
They're changing.
Huh? What the…?
Now you listen here, Bitties.
My face!
Whoa, mama.
Hop Pop, we gotta go. The Bitties are going nuts.
Well, I guess after years of abuse, even the most timid of frogs might get a…
Whoa, my goodness!
Hi, Mr. Plantar.
- Bailey? You frogs are fighting back? - Yep. All because of what you said.
You mean about how standing up to bullies is the right thing to do?
Uh, no. The part about how when someone can't fight for themselves,
you need to fight for them.
You clearly can't fight for yourself.
Here's a tooth.
Time to get going.
Okay, dinner's ready.
- Yeah! - I'm starving.
Now hold onto your butts. Bam! Stick surprise!
Hop Pop, this isn't food.
But I didn't tell you what the surprise is.
There's no surprise.
Sorry, kids. This journey's been longer than expected, and we're out of food.
No food, huh?
That's what you plebes think.
This is my fault. I dragged you out here to figure out how to get me home,
and now we're all gonna starve to death.
We're not gonna starve.
This is our chance to find food the way nature intended, as hunters.
Hunters, eh?
- I'm dying. - I have provided.
Now feed!
Guys, leave the hunting to me.
- What? - That came out of nowhere.
You guys do so much. Let me do something for you.
Ooh! I can teach her to hunt the Plantar way, Hop Pop.
Just like you taught me.
Hmm. Okay, but be careful. We're not in the valley anymore.
Who knows what predators could be lurking about?
They could be poisonous or psychic.
They could be poisonous and psychic. You don't know!
Whoa. Hop Pop, it's fine. Anne, you ready to hunt?
I'm so pumped. This is gonna be awesome.
This is not awesome.
Ugh! I thought hunting was supposed to be cool.
Conquering nature and stuff. Not eating mud.
Conquering nature? Oh, no, no.
Hunting is about becoming one with nature.
What? Do I at least get a cool weapon? A crossbow? Kunai?
- A crossbow that shoots kunai? - Weapons are for barbarians.
Now, then, hunting the Plantar way involves three steps.
The first, track your prey.
The soil is a buffet of clues.
Oh, oh! I'm getting something. This way.
See, Anne? Nature provides.
We found some grubbles. They're delicious.
Step two, use your surroundings.
Perfect. And now it's time for the most important step
the dance.
Dance? What do you mean…? Oh, my gosh. You gotta be kidding me.
This dance has been in our family for generations. Watch me.
It's designed to both entice and disorient.
Oh, boy. Okay, that's enough.
I think I can hunt just fine without a dance.
There's nothing funny about the sacred dance.
I thought you loved dancing.
Yeah, when there's music and a dance floor.
Is this even necessary?
These guys seem easy to catch.
- I don't even think they have brains. - Not all prey will be as easy as grubbles.
But that's not the point. Hunting is about connecting to nature.
Let its rhythm flow through you. Can you hear the drums?
Can you hear them playing the beat of the hunt?
No. Now let's split up and catch double the grubble.
- Don't worry. I've got the eyes of a hawk. - Anne!
Totally saw that.
All right. Just be careful, okay? We still don't know what's out here.
Oh, man, are we gonna feast tonight.
"The dance, Anne." Ha!
Know what's better than a ridiculous dance? A stick!
Time for some grubble satay.
What…? Guys!
Sprig? Hop Pop? Polly?
Hey, hey, hey, girl.
Shh. Bessie. Where's the family…?
- It came out of nowhere. - Careful, Anne. It still might be psychic.
I'm too cute to die!
Guys!
My biscuit.
Dang it, Polly. Food hoarder.
It left a trail. Super huntress instincts engage.
I can totally do this.
Yeah, I… I can't do this.
The trail's gone completely cold.
Sprig was right. I don't know what I'm doing.
If only he were here with me.
Anne!
Huh?
Follow the true way of the hunter.
Sprig! Holy cow, are you dead? Is this your ghost?
What? No. The real Sprig is still out there.
Me? I'm a stress-induced hallucination.
So, what you're saying is, I finally snapped.
As long as you're helping. So, what do we do?
Follow the steps.
Right. The steps.
What was the first one again?
Track your prey, Anne!
Right, right. Track.
- How do I track again? - Ah, sheesh.
- Smell the dirt, Anne. - Right. Got it.
Now taste it.
By all means, take your time.
We're only about to be eaten by a horrifying creature!
Okay, I'm tasting.
Sprig, what is the point of…?
Wait a minute.
I'm tasting something. I'm getting…
Polly's biscuits! Which means it's this way.
You're doing it.
With you guiding me, we might just be able to pull this off.
Now come on, Hallucination Sprig.
- You really need to stop that. - D Okay d.
What is that thing anyway?
It's a scorpaleo, Anne. Half-scorpion, half-lion.
Scorpaleo? That is one messed-up horoscope.
Okay, we don't have much time. Think. What was step two?
Use your environment!
I should have eaten more biscuits!
- Okay, running out of time here. - Well, how about giving me a hand?
- Think about what you just said. - Right.
Done. Okay, what's next?
Oh, you know what comes next.
The dance.
Okay, but just this once because I like you guys a lot.
Hey, furball!
Anne!
It's not working.
That's because you don't believe.
You have to feel the music.
There is no music.
This is it. You have to save them.
Me, us, them! This is confusing!
You're right. I have to do this.
Listen, Anne. Listen to the rhythm of nature all around you.
That's it. Let it take hold of you.
I am the leaves.
I am the morning dew.
I am… the Hunter!
Yes, you're doing it. It's so beautiful.
- You did it, Anne. You did it. - What?
Woo-hoo! I did it! Danced in your face.
Whoop. Gotta go. Come on, family, let's skedaddle.
- You got it. - Don't have to tell me twice.
You did it, Anne.
It was the best hunter's dance I've seen.
I did, didn't I?
I heard the music, Sprig.
I felt one with nature.
You were right.
And so were you, buddy.
- Uh, who are you talking to? - Not important.