Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 87 - Leap of Faith

The air from the fire was getting heavier.

With her sandals in hand, Jasmin launched a series of swings, each one joined by a nasal scream and a barrage of spit. Whilst she backed 9-Volt into the corner, Penelope executed a roundhouse kick that caught him by surprise.

“Mom always told me not to hit girls,” he said. “But self-defence always got the green light.”

Seeing the attack coming from Jasmin, he sidestepped her and countered with a jab to her stomach. He then used the Pokémon cards in his hand as makeshift ninja stars, hurling them towards both girls with such speed that Penelope winced. She wiped her cheek, only to find blood on her finger.

“How dare you!” she yelled, charging at the boy once more.

But what the girls had in energy they lacked in fighting abilities. They tried to get another hit in on 9-Volt, and their rage increased as he dodged all their attacks. It was as if he was a boss battle in an RPG, and they entered the fray massively underlevelled.

With projectiles, power and speed on the boy’s side, he focused his attention on the exit.

“It’s been nice playing with you, but I gotta bounce.”

“Like hell it is!” Jasmin threw her sandals to the ground and rushed 9-Volt down. She pulled back a fist.

A heavy kick to her breasts sent her tumbling to the floor. Penelope tried to help, but 9-Volt was already there, his foot connecting with Penelope’s jaw. Groaning in pain, Penelope collapsed next to Jasmin.

“We’re not making this a chase level,” 9-Volt declared, pulling off his socks. “I’m putting you two to bed.”

He placed his foot on Penelope’s face. Panic flickered in her eyes as she gasped for clean air, but all she encountered was the dreaded stench of smelly boy feet. No matter how hard she thrashed, 9-Volt had her pinned.

He then smothered Jasmin’s face before she could rise. Whereas Penelope was simply uncomfortable, Jasmin let out a violent scream, trying to scratch 9-Volt’s leg so hard that he’d let her go. How unfortunate that Minh had cut her long nails a week ago.

The stench was suffocating—a horrid combination of sweat and sock fuzz.

“I know this works outside the cartoons,” 9-Volt groaned, wiggling his toes so that their noses would slide between them. “Black out already!”

Time was ticking, and neither girl was losing consciousness. At most they were stunned, paralysed from the assault on their senses. And that was good enough for 9-Volt, as the fire on the floor was getting more intense. He grabbed his shoes and dashed for the emergency staircase. Not even his socks were worth saving.

Penelope let out a cough. “Come on…”

“I can’t breathe,” Jasmin gasped. “The hell did he just do?”

“Right now he’s escaping! Get up!”

It wasn’t until Penelope reached the tenth floor that she felt the intense burning in her legs. Being Miss Toadette was far harder than she had anticipated. Toadette had years of P.E. classes and side jobs to become a speed demon. Meanwhile, the pampered royal’s greatest exercise was walking a mile or two through Toad Town.

9-Volt was at least five floors above her, and the distance between them only grew.

“Use the elevator!” Jasmin screamed.

“And if he changes directions?” Penelope shot back at the girl below her.

“Forget the stupid star! 5-0 is gonna get us if we don’t hurry it on out of here!”

“What the heck is a 5-0?”

“Damn, are you stupid!” Jasmin lugged Penelope onto the nearby floor. With the girls stopped on the eleventh storey, they’d have to ascend forty more to make it to the top floor: the fifty-first floor.

“Shouldn’t we be going down if we’re escaping?” Penelope asked.

“And walk right into the cops’ hands?” Though Jasmin drove the elevator to the top floor, her fingers twitched uncontrollably. She knew there was no way that she and Penelope would leave this building in anything but a police cruiser. The consequences of running away from home were scary enough, but the thought of carrying a criminal record at the age of eleven shook her to her core.

Once they reached the top floor, she snarled.

She chucked her hard sandals at 9-Volt’s face without hesitation. The boy blocked them with his yellow helmet and revealed a skateboard in his hands.

“If you’re leaving, now’s the time,” he said, flashing a peace sign at them before smashing open a window. “And once we’re outside, stay away from me and my star. Thank you.”

The girls stood in shock as 9-Volt jumped out the window.

They rushed to look outside. The boy plummeted from fifty-one stories like a diver. It seemed he was destined to become a splatter on the concrete. Instead he struck a nearby power line, springing off it as if it were a trampoline. With his skateboard beneath him, he hit the streets and took off at top speed.

“He should be dead!” Jasmin yelled.

“Some of us humans are born more special than others. But I think that boy just got lucky.”

“If only we had a spare skateboard so I could test this theory on you.” Jasmin brushed past Penelope, pacing back and forth as she waited for the cops to arrive. “I should’ve just stayed home!”

Penelope put on a serious face. She had to think. What would Miss Toadette do in this situation?

Duh, it’s obvious. She’d look for anything she could use to her advantage.

The yellow-haired girl searched the floor, rummaging through half-opened lockers and checking within various cubicles. When she opened one of the lockers, she let out an audible “ew”, finding a poster of a woman posing strangely with a Wii Remote between her legs. The more the seconds ticked on, the more dread crept into her heart.

Jasmin, pocketing her sandals once more, got on her knees. She put her hands behind her head. All she could do was wait for the police to run out of an elevator bank with their tasers drawn.

Minh-Minh, please be able to bail me out…

“Eureka!” Penelope placed something crisp yet flexible in Jasmin’s hands. “Use this.”

“A Super Leaf? The fuck am I supposed to do with this thing?”

“This.” Penelope absorbed another leaf, letting out an animalistic chatter as she grew a striped, bushy tail and a set of raccoon ears. She wagged her tail repeatedly.

Jasmin’s eye twitched.

“Have you never used an item before?” Penelope asked.

“When would I have needed to?”

“Right now! Look, you just hold onto it, and you gotta focus on transferring its energy into you. Then you’ll transform.” She ran back into the stairwell. “You’d better believe you can fly, because it’s our only way out of here.”

What kind of nonsense is this? Okay, I think I’m absorbing it… Is it like praying?

Jasmin’s hands felt like they were on fire as she focused all her energy on using the Super Leaf. Her teeth gritted, she popped a vein, and her toes were practically carving the wood beneath her. She could’ve sworn she was having a battle on the toilet with how stressed her body was becoming.

“What the? The elevator won’t open,” screamed a voice from the elevator lobby. “This is Officer Tanabe! All the power to Elevator Bank No. 8 is gone! We need assistance!”

The shrieking voices motivated Jasmin to press on until her brown face was turning violet. She stifled a scream, feeling the ears pop from out her cap, as well as a tail grow from just above her butt.

Penelope rushed back to her. “You okay?”

“I probably look like a jackass.”

“Nah, you look super cute.”

“Please stop lying to my face.”

“Hey, you’ll look even cuter once you take flight.” As she pulled Jasmin to the rooftop, Penelope felt a twinge of nervousness. If this escape attempt failed, she’d never forgive herself.

The very scale of the building made Jasmin’s legs tremble. Her voice cracked the closer Penelope dragged her to the edge of the roof.

“I can’t do it!”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s too high! It’s way too high! I’m gonna die.”

“No, don’t say that! You just need to believe in yourself.”

“Bullshit! Have you ever leapt from this height with a Super Leaf? How do you know you’ll be able to glide all the way down?”

Penelope gulped. The highest she’d ever jumped with a Super Leaf was from the second floor of the castle, a mere fraction of the deadly height they faced now. Looking down at the miniature cars racing sent a wave of dizziness through her, but unlike Jasmin, she refused to give up. She winded back and focused on getting her tail moving.

“I’ve got my target,” she said, pointing to a series of shorter steel structures. She could hide amongst them and in a nearby alleyway before finding a bus to bring her back home.

“You’re insane,” Jasmin whimpered.

“Maybe I am.” Penelope gave her a wave and took the mighty leap.

She whipped her tail as fast as she could, slowing her descent considerably as she glided over the city. Everything was going to be alright. So long as Jasmin could mirror her speed, safety was within reach.

Yet Penelope’s pupils shrunk once she noticed how long it would take to have a safe descent. If she dropped like a stone, she wouldn’t regain the ability to continue flying. Her survival hinged on her ability to keep flapping her tail for a full minute—a task even the famous Super Mario wouldn’t be caught doing.

Twenty seconds passed, and she was already panting. She scanned the horizon for a tall building to land on, but there was nothing higher than ten stories. With the panic came shallow breaths and a loss of direction as she glanced back, only to find Jasmin watching the scene unfold in horror.

“Don’t jump, Jazz!” she shrieked, her lips trembling as she glanced at the traffic-heavy abyss. Her tail lost its momentum, and she plummeted.

“No!” Jasmin’s breath hitched.

A sudden flash of black zoomed past her. It leapt off the edge of the building, nosediving towards the falling child.

The mysterious person caught Penelope in their arms, looking for a safe spot to land. Their eyes landed on a stack of boxes, and with their tail beating against the wind, they landed in the cardboard, emerging with only a few minor cuts.

Tears swelled in Penelope’s eyes.

“You have no idea how lucky you are, kid.”

For as terrified as she was to hear that voice, she buried her face in the woman’s chest.

Two more figures landed nearby, along with a shaking Jasmin. The younger girl clung tightly to the widest person in the group. With them all on the ground and in the darkness, they began to remove their ski masks, which was an extra annoyance since they first had to remove their caps.

“I’m telling you: we would’ve been better off dressing in one of those bad mascot costumes,” Toad sighed. “Not like these masks hid us that well.”

“At least you got to use them like you wanted,” Toadette responded. Her glare at Penelope and Jasmin was piercing. Jasmin simply looked at Toadette with a pout, while Penelope continued sobbing.

“I’m sorry,” she babbled out. “Please don’t hate me.”

“You could’ve been killed!” Toadette expelled the Super Leaf powers from her body. She then pointed at Jasmin. “And you, dumbass! Your family loves you, and all you do is run away. Do you have any idea how scared Minh was?”

“Calm down, Toadette.” Minh pulled Jasmin closer and whispered, “You will not pull this again. Do you hear me?”

Jasmin’s lack of an answer only served to frustrate Minh.

“The star, Toadette,” Toad hissed. “We gotta find that little bastard before Wario has two in his possession.”

“Minh, can you get these delinquents back to the hotel in one piece?”

“Ain’t much harder than navigating Mushroom City. But what if cops come knocking?”

“Before you get in that hotel, hide their faces,” Toad said, tossing Penelope one of her winter jackets and handing Jasmin a hijab. “If it weren’t for your cousin, Jasmin, I wouldn’t have been able to scrub that footage so fast. Don’t let our efforts have been for nothing.”

With a nod of agreement amongst the adults, they went their separate ways. Minh ran with Jasmin and Penelope, and the other two set their sights on the escaped 9-Volt.

“Tracking him down at this hour is gonna be a pain,” Toadette whispered.

“Too crowded a city. We gotta trap him here first, but that’s easier said than done.”

“Hmm…” Toadette delved deep into her memories. “I set off a school fire alarm once without getting in trouble. Did I ever tell you that?”

“You what?”

“Yeah, I had to cheat on a math test, so I pushed the button while leaving to the bathroom. Everyone fled, I stole some answers, we had to sit outside the school for a good two hours, and suddenly I’m going home with a B on my paper.”

“Cool. But what does that have to do with any of this?” Toad waited for her to answer, but her lack of words forced him to fill in the blanks. Suddenly they were both smiling, and he grabbed her arm. “You know, I know a place here that’s popular for burner phones."

“Lead me to it.”

***

For as panicked as Minh was, she knew she eventually couldn’t keep running. How was she supposed to draw attention away from herself if she and two younger girls were sprinting like criminals? Especially that detail—that there were two little girls of different races.

“Slow it down,” she ordered, pausing before they turned onto a bright street.

Even if authorities don’t connect the thoughts, everyone’s nosy in Neon Heights.

“Just walk normally. The motel shouldn’t take us more than a few minutes to get to.”

“A motel?” Penelope whispered. “We’re staying in a dingy motel?”

“Don’t act like you deserve any five-star treatment.” Minh gulped. “Same for you, Jazz.”

Jasmin rolled her eyes. Minh would deal with her later.

It was hard to tell how many eyes were on them as they walked down the coloured sidewalks. Anybody could’ve been watching. In fact, Minh’s heart was jumping out her chest as a Shy Guy policeman was about to cross their path.

Breathe… Breathe… Okay, he’s past us.

“Excuse me, ma’am!”

Minh’s first instinct? Run. Every fibre in her body commanded her to take off with the girls. Before her feet could betray her, she bit her lip, put on her calmest face and turned to the officer.

“May I help you, sir?”

“We’re looking for two girls who happened to be at that building up on the north. A human and a Toad,” he explained. “And wouldn’t you know it, your kids happen to be a human and a Toad.”

“M-My kids?”

“You mind showing me their faces?”

Minh drew the girls closer. “Sir, I won’t do that.”

“Look, ma’am, if they weren’t at that convention, they have nothing to worry about. But if you’re not going to cooperate, you’re only making yourself look more suspicious.”

“Are you arresting me?”

“I have reasonable suspicion to detain you.”

Jasmin held tightly onto her cousin. Penelope felt as if she was going to explode on the spot. This wasn’t any easier for Minh, who was sweating bullets. She glanced at Jasmin, then Penelope. She had to think.

“My daughters are special, officer.” More confidence emerged in her voice. “Even simple car horns can terrify them, so imagine how they’d feel at some loud event. And just so you know, I’m walking them from their father’s place. They don’t go anywhere without one of us. So if you wanna harass my kids for something they didn’t do, you’re gonna have to deal with me all night!”

The officer’s blank glare on her intensified, then it shifted to two children, whose features were still obscured. He set a hand on his waistbelt.

It’s now or never, Minh!

“Get ‘em home, then,” he spat. “Would be wise to keep those troublemakers away from your daughters, wouldn’t it?” His irritation was evident, but he allowed them to pass. After all, Toad-human families were common enough in Neon Heights. He had other targets to investigate.

Minh didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they made it around the block.

“How did you do that?” Penelope asked.

Like I’m going to teach you how to be a better liar.

Thirty minutes later, fumbling with a key, Minh unlocked the door to room 205. It opened and led the girls to a space far from cosy. Tile floor, just two beds, an old TV and even a beetle scurrying under the wallboards. Despite its qualities, it was still better than being on the streets.

“First thing’s first: Jazz, get in the shower.”

Jasmin still gave Minh a disobedient look, now folding her arms. Minh gave her a moment to fix her attitude, but when Jasmin tried to sit on the bed, a scream left the adult’s throat.

“Get in the shower! Now!”

Both girls jumped. Jasmin quickly dropped her backpack and sped to the bathroom. Penelope’s breathing was intense, but not as intense as Minh’s.

“While she’s giving me the silent treatment, I wanna know just what you were thinking.”

“Miss Toadette made a promise to take me here, and she broke it.”

“It wasn’t like she had a choice.” Minh began to remove her sweat-soaked jacket. “I’m sorry you were hurt, but when our kingdom is in danger, stopping Wario takes priority over some gaming convention. Can’t enjoy a convention if there’s no freedom.”

“Wario?”

“You didn’t even know what you were getting into.”

Penelope grimaced. “How do you expect me to act when I’m just stuck at home all day? I’m bored! I’ve got no kids to play with, and the one person who I like being around always leaves!”

“None of that is an excuse for running to Neon Heights.” Minh stepped away, making sure all the curtains were closed. “If that special object we’re hunting had been somewhere else right now, you’d both be in jail. Don’t you get that?”

Penelope buried her face in her hands.

It was hard for Minh to resist shedding a tear, especially after having yelled at both girls. But someone had to be the adult while Toad and Toadette took care of the Ethereal Star. With a sigh, she flicked on the TV, flipping to the nearest news channel.

“I’m ordering us food. Toadette will have a word with you when she’s back.”

“Breaking news—tonight officials have ordered the shutdown of all airports, subway lines and bus routes in the greater Neon Heights area. This follows a bomb threat and a confirmed explosion that took place in a field just outside the city limits. Investigators are currently on the scene, and while no one was killed in the blast, the mere presence suggests the threat is severe enough to warrant a suspension of all major transit options.”

Kilometres away, a young boy watched the same news broadcast across a series of screens in an electronics store.

“Alright. Respect, respect.” He gave a thumbs up, now touching the golden treasure in his bag. “Well played, girls. But I’m just a little blip among two million in this city.”

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Author’s Note:
The Super Leaf was always an overrated powerup, and Penelope has learnt that the hard way. My favourite part of this chapter was making the illustration; it’s a very cinematic scene by my standards. Soon we’ll see what exactly 9-Volt is capable of.