Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 103 - The Verdict

Toad woke to a dim light filtered through the curtains. From that alone, he knew he was in no hospital. It was some kind of bedroom. His body screamed, but it was his right foot demanding most attention, sending jolts up his leg repeatedly. He needed to know where he was and why.

His gaze dropped, finding his right foot in a thick cast. A set of crutches leaned against the bedside.

As his eyes adjusted to the lighting, the room’s details emerged. There were pictures on the wall: pictures with someone he knew very well. Toadette. This was her old bedroom. She’d really gone all out with the decorating since last time, adding far more pink to the aesthetic. On their nightstand, a framed picture showed a younger Toadette and Minh giggling at what looked like a birthday party.

Even then she had that smile, he thought.

But the warm feeling couldn’t push away the greater coldness. He looked out the window. Dark pillars of smoke plumed from various sections of Mushroom City. At least T. Ana and Dane T. must have made it out, seeing as he was here.

He pushed himself upright, gritting his teeth against the pain from his foot. Grabbing the crutches, he hobbled into the living room.

T. Ana wasn’t on the couch. She was on the floor, hunched before the old tube TV. The light flickered on her expressionless face. Jugem News played, a voice recounting the horrors of yesterday. Toad listened attentively.

The reporter spoke of Peach’s castle, hit by a bomb on the second floor; warped walls, flooding, grave injuries but miraculously no deaths within. The same couldn’t be said for Toad Town proper, where one hundred two Toads were injured; thirty-six of them were confirmed dead, either blown apart or run down.

In Decalburg, there was news of the Treasure Seal being broken into. Three of the Toads guarding it seemed to be in critical condition.

Mushroom City’s Block Fort, the kingdom’s defence hub, was extensively damaged. All four buildings were burnt up, standing as empty black bricks. Yet the city reported zero fatalities caused by the attackers—another confusing detail.

However, Poshley Heights wasn’t so fortunate. Two jets, originating from Isle Delfino, had purposefully crashed, spreading a toxic powder all over the region. One of the jets dove into Pikari Middle School. Over one hundred lives were lost, and the number continued to climb.

The reporter’s voice continued, “Though the death toll is lower than last year’s Star Festival tragedy, the sheer scale and coordination of these attacks has broken the kingdom’s composure. Authorities have identified two members of the Scapelli crime family as the jet pilots in Poshley Heights, leading them to suspect Wario and Waluigi as the masterminds of this elaborate plot.”

“Those bastards!” T. Ana slammed a fist to the floor. “They’ll get away with it again, just like the last time!”

Toad sighed, lurching forward. “Don’t be so sure.”

T. Ana jumped, spinning around. “Oh! You’re up!”

“They won’t pull another stunt like this again, not under my watch,” he declared, carefully lowering himself onto the couch with a groan. “And I know Toadette will agree with me when I talk to her.”

“I called TT all night, and she didn’t answer.”

Toad’s hand went to his bandaged side. He might be stronger than Toadette in a brawl, but the four he’d faced yesterday…at least one of them could’ve killed him with a snap of her fingers. He looked at T. Ana, his voice remaining calm.

“Your daughter isn’t normal, ma’am. And that’s exactly why she’s still alive.”

***

The whole kingdom shutting down travel gnawed at Minh. Even if, by some miracle, Jasmin made it out of that crash and fire, she was stuck in Poshley Heights with just their grandmother. And the air there was unbreathable.

Her muscles twitched at every microsecond. Curled up tight in a blanket on the couch of her parents’ home, she couldn’t be alone. Not even for a minute. If her father wasn’t with her, her mother was. If her mother wasn’t, vice versa. If there was nobody, she had Bestia to keep her company. As long as somebody was nearby, she didn’t have to listen to the thoughts in her head.

“Minh-Minh, you can’t just stay on the couch the whole time,” Sofia said, poking Minh.

“Yes, I can.” She curled herself deeper into the blanket. “What if another attack happens?”

“It’s unlikely anything more is gonna—”

BOOM!

The living room shook so hard that picture frames shook. Minh screamed, squeezing herself into a ball. Between the boom, the constant barking of her Chain Chomp and her own screaming, she couldn’t escape the loud noises if she tried. Sofia shook her repeatedly.

“Minh-Minh! Stop! You just sat on the remote!” She grabbed the control from under Minh, lowering the TV volume. “Everything is totally gonna be fine.”

“You keep saying that, and we don’t even know where Jazz is right now!”

Sofia threw her hands up. “Think I don’t care? Someone’s gotta stay calm around here, that’s all.”

Suddenly a knock came at the door. Sofia went up to it, let out a groan and unlocked it.

“Minh-Minh, you’ve got company,” she said, stepping aside.

Minh pushed the blanket down, eyes widening. “You look terrible…”

“I saved one.”

“Who?”

“Not somebody. They were going after the stars. I managed to save one, so we’ve still put a wrench in those jerks’ plan.” Toadette held up her arm. “Almost broke my arm again.”

“That’s… That’s good,” Minh mumbled, looking down. “Sorry. It’s just… Jazz’s school, and now she’s just stuck there. I don’t know what we’re gonna—”

“Her Highness has agreed to let planes fly again, only if they’re bringing people away from one of the places that got hit.”

Minh’s head snapped up.

“I couldn’t not try to convince her.” Toadette finally managed a tired smile. “The only thing I like seeing scare you is a Boo.”

Minh suddenly lit up, pulling Toadette into a deep hug and thanking her. Could the news get any better than this? Just as she pondered this, Sofia’s phone began buzzing.

“Hello?” She listened for a moment. “Yes, I am her sister.”

Minh froze. She crossed her fingers so tightly they nearly snapped off. Please be good, please be good news… Anything but a funeral. Especially after her last interaction with Jasmin had been so complicated, she couldn’t bear to accept that was the last time she’d see her.

“I understand. Thank you very much.” Sofia lowered the phone, ending the call. She spun over to the girls. “Bad news first? Jazz’s body is beyond messed up from that attack.” She paused, giving Minh a second to feel the weight of her words. Then her voice softened. “Good news? She’s still with us.”

Minh’s lips trembled, then she fainted. Toadette poked her with her foot, but there came no reaction. She looked from Minh’s body to Sofia.

“What happened to your arm?” Toadette asked, noticing the thick bandage wrapped around Sofia’s arm.

“Had a little tussle at work. Some savage vagabond on one of our stops decided to use me as a scratching post.” She finally smirked. “She got away, but I got to dish out some proper punishment.”

“Yeah, that sounds like you,” Toadette scoffed. She stepped past Sofia, heading towards the front door again. “They can try and destroy me all they want. I don’t break easily.”

Sofia just watched her go, letting herself observe with a smile those various bandages on Toadette’s body.

***

“Just one star?” The yellow Ethereal Star gleamed in Wario’s hands, reflecting his furious scowl back at him. “Idiots! You brought back only one?”

Mona sighed. “Like, we were flash-bombed twice, Wario! It’s kinda hard to grab two magical stars when you can barely see.”

“My eyes still hurt,” Ana whined.

“You’re a bunch of softies!” he roared. Mona, Ana, Cricket and Penny received the brunt of his ranting in this meeting. “The only reason you’re not all scrubbing toilets right now is because we still got an advantage up our sleeve against that pesky princess.” He turned to 13-Amp. “You did alright, street rat. Mushroom City looks beautiful in flames.”

“Happy to serve my city,” she said, graciously bowing. “But those defence plans are garbage. This kingdom’s practically begging for another attack. Still, those items…”

“You should all train to use them proper,” he advised. “Especially you fools already swimming in that magic gunk. Should give you a nice little boost.”

“Oh yeah, this looked pretty interesting.” 13-Amp pointed to a specific folder. “Threw 9-Volt in some shredding-document room, and he found these papers marked in red. Must be important, huh?”

Wario scanned the papers. His face twisted into a devilish smile.

“She’s covered her trails, Peach says,” he snickered. “Seems she didn’t account for her useless mushrooms taking forever to destroy vital secrets. Excellent job! No, the best job, street rat!”

Mona’s fingers twitched as 13-Amp happily took all the praise.

He adjusted his suit and bowtie, watching as Waluigi entered the room, just as spiffy in style. Another plane would depart from Diamond City that day, this time with even more valuable cargo aboard.

“Let’s give the kingdom who they want,” Waluigi said.

“Indeed.” Wario pointed to his workers. “Disperse. Make yourselves useful while I’m gone. Especially you, Mona.”

Mona’s jaw dropped.

“Seems the street trash has more brains than you. Try learning something from her for once.” Wario left with Waluigi, both cackling.

Mona then glared at 13-Amp. “Don’t you say one word to me.”

“Decalburg.”

With a shriek, Mona lunged with her fist extended. 13-Amp sidestepped with ease. In an instant Mona was on the floor, arm wrenched painfully behind her. 13-Amp’s worn sneaker ground into the back of her neck.

“This impulsive bullshit? This is why you’re a shit leader.”

“I could’ve exterminated so many of those yeastballs out there if it weren’t for Penny!” Mona yelled, bursting into tears. “Her and her dumb chemistry! Every single time I wanna have the time of my life, somebody has to go and ruin it all for no reason!”

Penny kept her silence, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

“You were so busy playing movie star that you hit the castle instead of the thing literally called the Treasure Seal. All for a pointless body count.” 13-Amp lifted her foot slightly. “Quit pretending you’re some daredevil action hero and use your brain for a change. Are you addicted to being stupid?”

Mona huffed, shoving herself to her feet. She snarled at 13-Amp and puffed her chest out. 13-Amp remained unimpressed. With a final, teary glance at Penny, Mona turned and ran out the room.

“Forget killing Toads. That girl’s gonna get herself killed someday,” 13-Amp said. “Yo, don’t stress, Penny. No need to feel bad ‘cause you ain’t psycho.”

“I just… I don’t know what’s happened to her.”

“You ever met a super rich kid whose folks actually raised ‘em right? Thought so.” 13-Amp shrugged. “I’ll get the rest of you something to eat. Except for Kat; that’s out of her money.”

Ana snapped back to reality. “What? What’d Kat do?”

“Mona ain’t the only one eager to off people. Kat nearly took out a mom and her boy.”

Ana’s eyes went wide, darting to her stiff twin. Everything among these people appeared to be breaking down one by one. Was she next?

***

Many of the citizens of Poshley Heights were forced to relocate for the time being. There was no way even the world’s greatest fan could blow away all the toxins covering this financial hub of the Mushroom Kingdom. Many escaped to the docks of Rogueport, whereas others took refuge on the island of Keelhaul Key. Only a handful ended up somewhere distant, like in Toad Town.

That was where Minh continued to sit, perched on the steps inside her parents’ home. She listened attentively to the tyres screeching into the driveway.

Then the door opened. Her mother was the first to step in, looking paler than usual. Behind her came more: her grandmother, Sofia and the greatest victim of this attack.

Minh took a deep breath. Various heavy bandages covered Jasmin as she was assisted by her grandmother. It was as if she had left a demolition derby, for there wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t injured in some way.

Without a second thought, Minh wrapped herself around Jasmin gently. The minimal pressure was enough to make Jasmin scream at the top of her lungs, repelling Minh.

“My bad!” Minh shrieked. “I was so scared for you. Are you okay?”

Before Jasmin could respond, Minh looked back towards the TV. The low sound of the television news flowed.

“Turn it off,” she said. “Mom, turn it off!”

“I don’t care,” Jasmin mumbled, her voice incredibly scratchy. “There isn’t a second where I’m not feeling some kind of pain, Minh-Minh. I’ll live.”

“Of all the times we could use a Life Shroom, and we don’t have one,” Minh lamented, tugging Bestia away from Jasmin before those teeth caused another injury.

As Sofia brought Jasmin closer to the living room, careful to lay her down on the couch, she caught a glimpse of the news broadcast. Live photos of Wario and Waluigi landing in Mushroom City played. Sofia could only frown upon seeing Wario so casual after all of this. She ended up squeezing Jasmin’s arm from watching the footage, resulting in another pained cry.

“They’re actually turning themselves in?” Minh asked.

“Unlikely,” Sofia said. “More like they’re willing to take this to court. They want it a quick trial, if I had to guess.”

“There’s no way it can be quick,” Violeta contested.

“I beg to differ, auntie. In Poshley Heights those in the upper class got two strategies: delay a trial until the public forgets it or come storming through like a train.”

“Then I want that train to crash hard!” Minh said, holding back from spitting on the screen. “I want it fucking derailed! Oh, excuse my language…”

In the north of the city lay another pained child.

Penelope had been in one of the castle’s small medical rooms since receiving her concussion, hooked to a ventilator. Every morning and night, Peach would get an update on Penelope’s status. Originally it seemed she’d wake up by the end of the first day. However, now she’d been in a coma for over twenty-four hours.

“You’re to do everything to get her up and running, is that clear?” Peach said to one of the medics, a firmness in her voice.

“Once more, that blast carried down the lift shafts and took out many of our reserve Life Shrooms, Your Highness,” the medic responded. He showed her a clipboard. “Young Penelope can survive, but it’s a matter of her injuries being healed quickly that’s a concern.”

Peach ran her hand along Penelope’s bandaged forehead.

“I refrained from asking it originally, but Toadette noticed her eyes flashing red. What’s the meaning of that?”

“Eh? If we lift open her eyes right now, they’re blue as can be.”

“Despite Toadette’s inadequacy at times, I doubt she’d lie about this observation.”

“If we discover something, we will keep you informed, ma’am.”

Peach nodded. “Please do. In the meantime, I’ve business to attend to. On my return, I pray Penelope is in better condition.”

“Where are you headed, if I may?” The medic looked cautiously at Penelope. “It won’t be a long trip, will it?”

“You’ll all see me in the news.” As she walked off, her frustration slowly rose. She unfolded a letter from her dress, giving it another look.

It appears we are both armed with proof against the other, eh? Be very careful. Next time tell your Toads to be faster with their paper shredding. With hearts and kisses, Big Man.

***

After the next five days, the High Court of the Mushroom Kingdom loomed in Mushroom City. Its high ceiling soared to the sky, with intricate fabrics draping from the walls. The marble floors, polished to the nth degree, reflected everyone’s faces. Contaminating them was a duo as black as smog.

There sat seven High Justices. They weren’t just slightly taller Toads; they were shrouded in coloured robes, their faces swallowed by the hoods. To the side was Princess Peach, her usually cheerful expression replaced by a look of cold disgust. Judicial matters weren’t typically in her hands, but seeing her home unravel had pulled her here today.

A door creaked open. A collective gasp rippled through the courtroom.

“Good morning, Mushroom City! Hope you brought your popcorn!”

Wario waddled forward with a grin too wide for his face, flanked by sharp-suited human lawyers. Beside him, Waluigi swaggered. He took a smoke from his long cigar then, with a stylish flick of the wrist, extinguished it. He plopped onto a seat, and Wario slid into the seat next to him.

The audience let out both chuckles and groans from the sight. The duo’s callousness might’ve been hilarious to those who weren’t directly hit by the attacks, but to those over the kingdom who were, their blood was through the roof.

“You jerks really don’t wanna see me in person,” Minh growled, sitting attentively in front of her parents’ living room TV.

The prosecutor rose, a sharp-tongued, black-spotted Toad. “Your Honours, people of this terrorised kingdom, we stand here today for justice! Justice for shattered lives, buildings reduced to rubble, for fear in the hearts of every citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom.” He paused. “The evidence, Your Honours, leads directly to the architects of this plot.”

He spun towards the defence table. “Wario and Waluigi, and their organised crime family in Mushroom City. These weren’t random acts. They were coldly calculated attacks designed to cripple our home.”

He meticulously laid out the timeline of the attacks, recounting the bomb at Peach’s Castle, the destruction of Block Fort, the crash at Pikari Middle School and the break-in at the Treasure Seal. He highlighted the connection between the pilots of the jets involved in the Poshley Heights incident and the Scapelli family, headed by Wario and Waluigi.

“The attacks of the Scapellis not only mirror the Banzai Bill attack on the Star Festival last year, but the tail of the plane sported Waluigi’s emblem. Mass destruction is their calling card at this point. Wario and Waluigi may feign innocence, but we the people demand justice!”

While the crowd murmured, Wario’s smile refused to falter. The same was true for Waluigi, who got so comfortable that he put his feet onto the table, leaning back in his chair.

“No idea what they’re going on about now,” Waluigi said, chuckling deeply.

“Where do they even get these ideas?” Wario twirled his moustache as one of his defence attorneys rose.

“Your Honours, ladies and gentlemen, the prosecution has presented a series of tragedies and attempted to weave them into a conspiracy. He implicates my clients without a shred of proof.”

The defence proceeded to dismantle the prosecution’s arguments. He argued that the pilots in Poshley Heights could have been rogue agents, their actions unknown to Wario and Waluigi. Additionally, while witnesses were able to point things out like purple bandanas for the Mushroom City team, nobody was able to get a good look of faces. Neither Toad Town nor Decalburg had recordings of the team attacking there, meaning nobody else could be directly linked to them.

“Moreover lingers the question of motive. Why would Wario and Waluigi attack the very land their businesses operate within? It’s illogical. Let us not forget Diamond City is Mushroom Kingdom territory.” He straightened his posture. “My clients are not saints, Your Honours. But they are respectable entrepreneurs. And they have been maliciously accused of crimes alien to their legitimate business model.”

At last Wario was called to the stand. He finally dropped his grin, replacing it with a look of concern as he leaned into the microphone.

“People, citizens of the MK. This whole thing? Terrible. Bombings, dead children… Nobody wishes for this.” He shook his head. “I condemn this. You have my word that I will look into my boys, understood? But at the end of the day…they’re adults, right? How can I control everything they do?”

Then came Waluigi. He cleared his throat, carefully overlooking the court. He shut his eyes.

I give you my deepest regret
For these sorrows you won’t forget

Peach raised a brow. She looked to Toadsworth. “What is he doing?”

Those sickeningly sweet lives, extinguished so bright
Denied tomorrow’s promising light
Such a tragic fate caused by monsters
Monsters who are not my dear mobsters

His voice came through smoothly, as if he were singing in a choir. As he continued, there was a clap heard among the audience. And suddenly more began to emerge, prompting him to get louder.

Please blame this world for its cruel design
I had no control over that explosive airline
The fears, the tears, they weren’t my aim
You can’t keep giving me the whole blame

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, for all this pain
For the MK and princess, I promise to wipe up this bloodstain
With millions of your donations, I will help you rise from this event
And as a bonus, I’ll gift ninety-nine coins to make the families content

He bowed, wiping tears from his eyes. Some people started to roar in applause for him, whilst others booed. Peach pressed a hand to her mouth. The red-robed judge slowly raised a hand.

“We… We have heard your defence, Mister Waluigi.” He stretched out his hand. “The court will recess while the High Justices deliberate.”

As the justices disappeared through curtains, Waluigi returned to his seat. Wario slapped him on the back. “That was beautiful. You are the next Pop Diva, sir.”

“Wish I could take all the credit, but I’ve got the rapper girl to thank for that.”

***

Minh’s fists clenched so tightly she unintentionally cut her palm.

“He’s out here singing songs while Jazz is barely able to walk.”

Her mom placed a hand on her arm, but Minh shook it off. She wouldn’t move her butt from that cushion until a verdict was given. She didn’t even want to risk missing it.

“I think they’re more than guilty right now, Minh-Minh,” Violeta said, squeezing her trembling daughter. “They’ll get what they deserve.”

“Puh-lease.” Everyone’s head turned to Sofia, who was busy washing dishes. “It’s all theories and no proof. If they can’t prove a single solid connection, those two are walking away like nothing ever happened.”

“That won’t happen, Sofi,” Minh insisted. “The Poshley Heights thing is about as tight a connection as you can get, right?”

“I took classes on this, Minh-Minh. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Minh’s heart raced.

In T. Ana’s apartment, she couldn’t believe the words she was hearing.

“TT’s more than likely dead, and these two are out here hyucking it up,” T. Ana growled, crushing the remote in her grasp. “They’re gonna get away with it, I’m telling you.”

“Doesn’t hurt to have some hope,” Toad said, stretched on the couch. “Damn it, Toadette. Pick up your phone already.”

***

Later that afternoon there was high tension. The High Justices had discussed the matter in chambers, and now they had returned. The red-robed judge stepped forward, raising his voice.

“In the matter of Mushroom Kingdom v. Wario and Waluigi,” he started, his voice devoid of emotion. Everybody in the room leaned forward, holding their breath. From outside, the murmur of the city could be heard. “We, the court, find the defendants…”

The pause felt like an eternity. Any second now…

“…not guilty.”

----------

Author’s Note:
This is the part where you either stew in anger or decide to riot. He can’t keep getting away with it… This is the longest stretch of unfortunate events happening so far, but next week we’ll add some much-needed levity. How well do you think Toadette can suck and slurp when it’s someone she likes?