Calamitous Intervention

Bizarre Bazaar

The last twenty-four hours had been the strangest of Tritonio Espada's life. The newt had a flawless plan to trick those unsuspecting children into stealing a priceless gem from that meddlesome beast, use them as a scapegoat, and then escape as a rich man. But unfortunately for him, his arrogance led to his downfall. Even when he'd been spotted, he still underestimated the trio.

After getting captured yet somehow not immediately sent to the toads, which baffled him, he sat in a stuffy cell in the center of Wartwood, the only view outside being a small barred window near the ceiling. Bugs and spiders crawled along the walls, so at least he had adequate food. And now, Tritonio was conflicted. For the whole time he'd been awake in the cell, Luz's words repeatedly played in his mind. He tried to fire back at her points, but none of them made sense. Regardless, why were her words so effective on him?!

"Look, I... understand what it's like to not fit in," Luz had said. "For me, it started on Earth. Things were not great, but I found my way here, and I met Sprig, Polly, Hop Pop, Maddie, and many more. Back in Wartwood, none of us felt like we fit in. So we decided to not fit in together."

...

"I still have a lot to learn, but after a little while, I met more people who helped me. So far, it's been the best time of my life, even if I miss Mama."

He had already been interrogated, but the people in this town were spineless! Tritonio was expecting to be starved or tortured, or something only Toad Tower could think of doing. He had previously dealt with much worse, but here he was treated like nothing more than a minor nuisance. For Frog's sake, he was Tritonio Espada, self-proclaimed Master Thief, not some... common bandit! After all, he was still one of Newtopia's most wanted! Was Wartwood really this pathetic, or were they used to things like this happening?

Speaking of Newtopia, even their general once tried to hunt him down after he had robbed one of the city's banks. But... what was her name again? Whatever the case, he was always too slippery for anyone to find him. If that was their strongest warrior, he had nothing to worry about.

... Until a bunch of kids got the better of him.

Lost in thought, the newt was surprised to hear the cell door open, not having noticed anybody approach. It was none other than Sheriff Buck himself, presumably about to take him to the toads. However, he was instead led into an interrogation room where his hands were cuffed to the table.

"Alright, criminal," the sheriff began, locking eyes with Tritonio. "Normally, I'd be the one interrogatin' ya, but—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the door to the interrogation room burst open, almost flinging off, as a short, purple frog with red eyes and yellow sclera appeared. She wore a cowl on her head, a red sleeveless top, and a pair of baggy shorts. "I am here," the frog announced in an Eastern European-like accent.

Buck turned back to see the cracks in the doorframe and sighed. Part of him wanted to scold her, but he'd rather keep his own life. "Fiery as always," he muttered, tipping his hat to the female in greeting. "Espada, this is Tuti, your interrogator," he told Tritonio. "Seeing as you aren't willin' to talk, I figured this lady would be far more... persuasive."

Tritonio gaped at the new arrival. Just when he thought Wartwood couldn't lower the bar anymore, they brought some purple-faced shortstack to do the questioning now.

Before he could burst into laughter, Tuti's small fist slammed on the table, causing it to crack and splinter, nearly rattling the newt to his core. "Appearances deceive," Tuti said with a snarl, knowing that he wasn't taking her seriously. "But you will talk, criminal. I make you."