Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 84 - The Power of the Ether! A New Team is Formed

“Ow…” Toadette winced, still applying pressure to her hip.

“I mean, you did get roughed up by two ninjas,” Toad noted, eyes straight on the road. “Be glad they didn’t do worse to you.”

“Kid ninjas, though. Why were they so strong?”

“In a world as vast as ours, what isn’t possible?” Minh replied.

“Hopefully the princess actually read and can catch us up to speed on this,” Toad said.

Once they returned to the castle, Toadette dragged the orange Ethereal Star to Peach’s office. To their delight, Peach was already seated there, though she wasn’t alone.

“Ah, Madam Toadette,” an old voice spoke. “I believe this is the first time we’re meeting in person, yes?”

“Correct,” she answered, straightening her posture. “Though I’ve known of you, Sir Toadsworth.”

The older Toad adjusted his glasses, his white moustache twitching as the other Toads entered the room. Minh waved at him, while Captain Toad simply plopped onto his seat, resting his elbows on the desk before them.

“Still hoping I get a cool moustache like that when I get older, gramps,” he chuckled. “All wise-looking and stuff.”

“May I assume your mission was a success?” Peach asked.

“Feast your eyes.” Toadette set the star on the desk.

“Fantastic.” Peach clapped, coming to life upon seeing her reflection in the garnet crystal. “Oh, Toadette, you’re beginning to impress me again.”

“She defeated two ninjas in Rose Town’s forest,” Minh added.

“I saved her, though,” Captain Toad interjected.

“Boy, please.”

Instead of blushing from embarrassment, Toadette held her head high, as if to reaffirm to Peach that she was every bit the badass that Minh hyped her as. She folded her arms for extra measure.

“If Wario wants to take me out, he’d better send somebody stronger next time.”

“So you’ve confirmed he’s after these stars?” Peach asked.

“The pink-haired ninja had quite the mouth,” Toad said. “I’m not sure how, but they were at that place before we even got there. And we have their only radar, from the sounds of it.”

“Hmm…” Peach pondered for a moment. “Where will you be headed next?”

“The city of neon,” Minh answered.

“Oh, how I wish you weren’t burdened with this responsibility, children,” Toadsworth sighed. “That the fate of our kingdom lies in your hands is too much to bear.”

“About that, Your Highness,” Toadette said, “do we have any idea what these stars are?”

“I tried to find out, but alas, I had other duties to take care of.”

“I knew she wasn’t gonna study jack,” Toad let slip out, catching himself when it was too late. Both Minh and Toadette stared at him with their eyes bulging. “I mean, we were all thinking it, right?”

A slap echoed through the room as Peach’s glove flew past his face.

“Now then, while I was too busy, Toadsworth here has gone and researched as much as possible about the stars,” she said, patting the older man on his back. “The floor is yours, sir.”

“Thank you, princess.” He cleared his throat. “Pay attention, children.”

“We’re more than alert,” Toadette said, pinching Toad just to make herself smile.

“Long ago, when the world was new, there lived a mighty civilisation, unmatched in its power. Known as the Entropies, they possessed the ability to shape reality as they pleased. Whilst many used their powers for good, others succumbed to greed. In the end, their hubris led to their demise, leaving but nine survivors. These nine beings put aside their differences and restored the universe before further calamity could be brought forth. They then sealed themselves into star-shaped homes, henceforth called Ethereal Stars.”

Toadette slowly tilted her head, with Minh leaning closer to simplify the tale for her. Toadsworth, however, continued.

“If one extracts the essence of a single Ethereal Star, they may find their own physical power enhanced. However, when all nine are brought together and a unique chant is invoked, a single fusion of the spirits will emerge. Said spirit shall offer the user three powerful wishes, and once the third wish is fulfilled, the stars will scatter across the Earth again.”

Captain Toad smirked. “So Wario plans to wake up a magical genie? Really?”

“When put that way, it doesn’t sound too serious,” Minh said. “He’ll make himself the richest guy on the planet, simple as that.”

“Was I the only one actually listening?” Toadette asked, hopping to her feet. “There are three wishes, meaning he can use one of those to go on some revenge tour. What if he imprisons us all for what happened in Mushroom City, or he makes himself immortal so that nobody can touch him. Or heck, what if this genie can kill people at the snap of his fingertips?”

The air in the room got tense. Toadette stole the scene with her determined voice.

“He’s already responsible for my brother being unable to talk. And I’m not letting some greedy orc take me out this world! We’re going to Neon Heights right now!”

“Hold up,” Toad said, grabbing her arm. “What are we supposed to wish for when we get all the nine stars together?”

“I don’t know,” Toadette scoffed. “Wish for unlimited ice cream?”

“Sounds yummy, but you’d be putting way too many people out of business,” Minh said.

“The wishes can come later,” Peach snapped. “Our priority for now is making sure that Wario can’t collect all the Ethereal Stars.”

Toadette set both hands on the orange Ethereal Star.

“How do I extract its power?”

“Same way you use an item,” Toadsworth explained. “You’ve got it, young one.”

Toadette gritted her teeth, channelling all her energy into absorbing the power. It flowed through her like an inferno for a brief ten seconds, then she leapt back, breathless. She looked at her fingertips, now a bright crimson. As she blew at them to dissipate the heat, she felt the greater tension in her arm muscles.

“You greedy cow,” Toad shouted. “I want some extra power.”

“You’re a captain! Shouldn’t I be the one who needs the bigger boost?”

Toad pushed her away and absorbed the rest of the star’s energy. “Next time, we’ll take one-third each, considering Miss Flower over there needs some gains.”

“Thank you,” Minh sang, her voice masking her deep wish not to fight.

“Alright, make your way to Neon Heights,” Peach commanded.

“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.

Since Neon Heights was far from Toad Town, the most convenient way to get there was by plane.

***

However, if one couldn’t board a plane, there remained alternatives.

Walking was possible, albeit an exercise in patience, for it’d last multiple days. Fortunately buses existed that could take one there in about twenty-seven hours, though it would cost a lot of money.

If Princess Peach found out that a girl had stolen several coins—especially the valuable red and blue coins which were worth two and five coins respectively—she would be livid.

Despite the freezing weather this evening, Penelope was relieved that there wasn’t any hail but rather a few bits of snowy clouds in the distance. The ten-year-old had dozed off for most of the bus ride with her Nintendo DSi in her hands, only waking up when she heard the bustling sounds of the city that never slept.

Once the bus lurched to a halt, a stream of humans, Toads, Goombas, Koopas, Wigglers and more exited the vehicle. Penelope was the last to step off, and her blue irises expanded past her eyeballs.

Although she’d seen the city through television, those screens could have never given her the full picture. Neon Heights unfolded before her in a kaleidoscope of colours, with its self-titled neon lights dancing against the sunset backdrop. If the lights were so stunning during the day’s end, she couldn’t wait to see how they looked when the sky was nothing but a black wallpaper with twinkling stars.

The streets amazed her, being these blue-tiled walkways rather than dusty paths. Even compared to Mushroom City, the sheer number of shops was overwhelming. On her left were twenty stores, while ten attractions called out to her on her right. All of this was within a short strip.

“Gosh, it’s so unfair! All these places want me to go inside them, but that convention…” Penelope sighed, marching forward with a smile. “Oh well, maybe I can spend an extra day here.”

Wait a minute. Hotels aren’t cheap, especially the ones you deserve to stay at.

So vast was the city that Penelope had no idea where to start. Even with their wealth, her mother had chosen to restrict her daughter to a cell phone rather than the latest and greatest smartphone. But even if Penelope had one, she knew from past adventures with the castle staff that GPS apps were more dangerous than helpful. And with how slow phone tech advanced, 2012 programs likely weren’t any better.

She therefore prioritised finding a map, which was easy enough.

“Walking is out of the question,” she chuckled. She then waved her hand in the air. “Monorail!”

Nearly a minute passed with people staring at her like a maniac. Penelope slowly looked at the map again, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

Note to self: monorails are not like futuristic taxis.

With that confusion cleared up, she skipped over to a station and plopped down on a bench to wait for a monorail. Whilst waiting, she looked at the posters that hyped the convention up. Games, TV shows, comics—everything that would make a girl geek out was right in front of her. She still couldn’t believe she was heading to a true gaming convention, rocking back and forth.

As the sleek silver monorail pulled up, Penelope grabbed a railing and let the vehicle carry her to the northwest part of the city. It would only take about thirty minutes, way better than a three-hour walk.

But when she felt someone bump into her back, she tensed up.

It’s probably an accident, Penelope. You’re strong anyways! Forget what Miss Toadette says. But just in case…

She now pressed her back against the wall, keeping an eye on everyone who might try to interrogate her. After all, a ten-year-old girl wandering alone on a school day wasn’t normal, especially not like it was back home. Everyone else on this monorail was either an adult, a teenager or part of a group. All except for one girl…

What the?

Penelope did a double take.

On one of the side seats sat a dark-skinned Toad, wearing an oversized violet sweater and grey sweatpants while flipping through a comic. The longer Penelope looked at the Toad’s face, the faster her heart pounded.

Without thinking twice, she ran to the mushroom girl and took a seat next to her.

“Hi there!”

Jasmin’s eyes widened upon seeing the cheery menace. She immediately shut her book, turning as stiff as a brick.

“I’m sorry,” Penelope said. “Um… My-o name-o is-o Penelope-o. Believe-o that-o…”

“Please stop talking.”

“Oh, thank the stars, you speak English,” Penelope sighed, awkwardly laughing. “I can whip together a mean Spanish sentence, huh?”

Jasmin simply rolled her eyes. Penelope used this as an invitation to touch the increasingly annoyed Toad, running her gloved finger along Jasmin’s glasses. She smiled wider when she saw the little smudges she was making. Could she make the lenses completely foggy?

“You’re Miss Minh T.’s niece, right? Should’ve known you’d be going to the same place. Gotta tell you: you’ve got it real good. I tried asking Miss Toadette to take me, and then I asked my own mother, and both of them said no. Your big sister is so sweet to have…” The longer Penelope talked, the more chipmunk-like her voice got.

Jasmin was close to ripping her comic in two. The noise from the other passengers was already overstimulating, but this one was practically shouting in her ear.

Taking a deep breath, she stuck her finger in her nose, twisted it around and rubbed whatever she found on Penelope’s cheek.

“What are you doing?” the human shrieked. “Ew!”

Jasmin smirked, ready for Penelope to leave her in peace. Yet as the clock ticked, her patience was running thin.

“As if I’m not irritated enough,” she mumbled. “So you got history with my cousin, yeah?”

“I met her last summer. She’s the nicest person I’ve ever met. And beautiful, too.”

“She is. Now, you Toadette’s daughter or something?”

“Think of her as my nanny,” Penelope explained. “My mom lets me live at Princess Peach’s castle. I’m a great impersonator, aren’t I? Oh, and I don’t even know my father, so don’t ask.”

“Wow, poor you.” Jasmin re-opened her book. “What are the chances that Toadette is coming here right now to find you?”

“Very high. She’s one of Peach’s best workers in getting anything done.”

“Fuck…”

“What’s wrong?”

“So Minh-Minh’s probably on her way here too. Just fantastic.”

Penelope gasped. “You mean you ran all the way here? From where?”

“Poshley Heights.”

Once Jasmin said that, Penelope felt both a mix of fear and a strange sense of safety. It was impressive to think that the girl could travel such a long way without being noticed. Either she was that intelligent, or she was a secret powerhouse. Or both.

“I’m gonna have to go back eventually,” Jasmin continued. “Not like I can stay running forever.”

“At least you’ll have a mom who’s worried sick about you,” Penelope sighed. “Mine just needs me back at that castle because I’m her property.”

“Again, poor you.” Jasmin finally dropped her comic, putting it in her backpack. “Listen, this city isn’t the safest. Since we’re both on the run, how about we roll together until our people catch us?”

“Hmm… I kinda like the thrill of being on my own.” It also made Penelope feel stronger.

“Trust me, I’d rather be alone too. But it’s all fun until someone gets too interested in you.”

“If you say so.” Having no one else in the city to trust in, Penelope needed all the allies she could have. “We shall stick together, um…”

“I’m Jazz, Penelope.”

“How did you...?”

“My memory scares everybody.” She took a breath. “My real name is Jasmin. Emphasis should be on the last symbol, but most forget that in English, so I don’t care how you say it. If you’re spelling it, you gotta drop the ‘e’. And if you see me write it with a ‘Y’, that’s just how we do it in my native language. And yeah, I can spell your name.”

Penelope slowly clapped.

I’m definitely with a genius now. If I get into a pickle, she’ll be my lifesaver.

***

“You’re a lifesaver, Minh,” Toadette sighed, fitting her frame into the cheaper seats of the economy class. “As much as I’ve been doing for my family, there was no way I had enough for a last-minute flight.”

Minh giggled. “No prob. Just gotta pay me back later with some scrumptious S-E-X.”

“Which we better hope Penelope isn’t having while she’s up there,” Toad butted in.

“Ew. Don’t think about that,” Toadette said. “She’s way too young to even know about it.”

“I dunno,” Minh chuckled, pointing to herself.

“It’s not Penelope herself I’m worried about. Frankly she’s too aloof to understand how it works. But like you implied earlier, out there she’s like a tiny worm surrounded by giant, hungry birds.”

“Let’s think positively, guys,” Minh said. “We’ll run in, we’ll find her, you two can hopefully find the star tonight, and then we’ll leave. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.”

Toad shook his head and stared out the window. “Whatever happens—it won’t go down the way you think it will.”

As Toad contemplated the various ways their trips to Neon Heights could go wrong, the girls kept themselves entertained.

Minh, having kicked off her boots and socks, brushed her foot against Toadette’s ankle.

In response Toadette playfully rubbed her toes against Minh’s calf, letting out a satisfied sigh. Though Minh tried to stifle a giggle, it was futile once Toadette began to wiggle her toes. Their little touching session would look innocent to the average person, but deep inside, both were becoming hornier with each passing moment. Minh’s pink toes stopped just shy of Toadette’s knee before she gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Don’t be too obvious, now,” Toadette whispered, lowering Minh’s foot.

“It’s your fault, getting me all hot ‘n’ bothered.” Minh stretched her feet across the seat, setting them on Toadette’s lap. “Care to rub ‘em for me?”

“Are you really trying to expose me?”

“It’s training. The sooner you learn to mask your interest of feet in public, the more fun you can have outside of closed doors.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Realising that Minh had no intention of moving her feet, Toadette rubbed her hands together and began a massage. The combination of the socks, warmth and sweat had softened Minh’s feet more than usual, providing Toadette that fantastic sensation akin to kneading the most malleable dough in a bakery.

Of course the mere sight of Minh’s soles and plump toes were enough to make Toadette’s heart flutter. However, with all the good came that one element that Toadette found difficult to get used to: the stink of another girl’s feet.

Minh’s feet reeked as bad as ever during the autumn and winter months, and their run to the airport only exacerbated the stench.

When Toadette looked around, she spotted several pairs of eyes on her; such a thing was inevitable on an economy-class flight. Murmurs floated among the passengers.

“Yo, put your nasty feet away,” one man had the guts to yell. Toadette immediately tried to lower Minh’s feet from her lap, but Minh’s thick heels burrowed deeper into her crotch.

“Are my feet hurting you?” she asked the man, scrunching her toes repeatedly.

The pungent odour emanating from her toes wasn’t helping her argument, but she continued to hold her ground. As another person went to speak, Minh flashed an irritated look at him.

“Do you even know what I do for a living?” she asked, clearing her throat. “I’m on my feet all day long, watering plants, delivering fruits, all that stuff most of you wouldn’t dare do. And since I don’t see anyone else stepping up to pamper my poor feet, you’d all better zip your lips and admire these sexy toes until we land in the city of sin!”

Though she drew more ire from people, she could also happily sit back as Toadette massaged her feet.

“How are you not embarrassed?” Toadette asked.

“Heh, what’s there to be embarrassed about? What’s so bad about my feet?”

“They make people’s eyes water more than onions,” Toad slipped in, snickering until Minh walloped him in the back of his head.

“I’d rather they stare at the bottoms of my feet versus my body,” she confessed. She slowly pressed her toes against Toadette’s groin. “At least these are prettier. Aren’t they, Toadette?”

She is determined to make me cum in my pants on this flight…

***

“Honestly I’ve never been into games,” Jasmin said, trying to clean her glasses with her sweater.

“Really?” Penelope laughed. “You were reading a Pokémon Adventures comic last time I checked.”

“Exactly. I read,” Jasmin scoffed. “Whereas gamers can’t read more than a few sentences without their brain exploding.”

Penelope pouted. Even though she could read well thanks to hours of playing games, the experience only benefitted her so much. If they were in a spelling bee, Jasmin’s proper education would give her the advantage.

“What’s with the sandals?” Penelope had to slow her walking speed considerably so that she didn’t overtake Jasmin. “Are Toads seriously immune to the cold?”

“We just handle it better than you humans,” she answered. “I don’t like stuff that covers my feet completely. It feels weird.”

“If I could handle the cold, I’d do the same.”

The runaway girls stuck closely to one another, especially as the red of the sky began to overtake the orange. The darker the colours became, the more the risk grew. Penelope was too focused on getting to the convention to look around, but Jasmin’s eyes were always alert.

“I like your toenails,” Penelope said, catching Jasmin off guard.

“One, ew. Two, you just like what Minh-Minh did to them,” she shot back. “Try complimenting them again when they’re not pedicured.”

“I’ve seen a lot of feet, especially last year. Yours are good.” Penelope pursed her lips, letting out another giggle as she saw Jasmin’s face again.

“Are you gay?”

“Huh?” Penelope paused.

“Do you like girls?” Jasmin stepped closer, piercing Penelope’s soul despite not even being able to look into her eyes. “Or are you into guys and girls? What are you into?”

“I was just trying to be nice,” Penelope stammered. “Where did you get that idea?”

Jasmin walked past her at a quick pace.

Breathe, Jazz. She’s too stupid to be a serious threat.

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Author’s Note:
Part of the reason I made Jasmin was because I wanted Penelope to be able to interact with another child, not only adults. That said, expect some adult matters to take place next week.