Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 107 - Aboard the Sunken Ship

The rain blurred the approach to Seaside Town. The humble shantytown, comparable in size to Rose Town but lacking its floral obsession, presented a more expansive vista. Its white-and-blue buildings seemed to stretch into the air. When Minh’s bare feet finally touched the ground, she found the grass incredibly soft.

If it weren’t so wet, I could fall asleep on this, she thought.

But exploring the town this late evening was out of the question. They had decided to sleep in the boat to save money for more pressing expenses ahead. After eating and showering quickly, they settled into their sleeping positions. Toad claimed the top bunk alone. Toadette and Minh shared the bottom bunk, their feet tangled beneath the covers. Penelope and Jasmin were left with the air mattress; the latter was already drifting off.

Penelope yawned. “If they’re pirates, Miss Toadette, why is their ship underwater?”

“Sharks need to breathe in water.” Toadette turned on her side and placed a hand on Minh’s butt. “Though if we can’t do the same…”

“Wouldn’t have invited us if they hadn’t accounted for that,” Toad interjected, his voice firm. “Penelope, you let me and Toadette handle the fighting tomorrow.”

“I can fight too.”

“You’re a last resort,” he said. “No offence, but you’re still a kid.”

“A kid who’s way stronger now.” She felt his comments physically dig under her skin. “I…”

“Listen to him, Penelope,” Minh sighed. “Please don’t argue back.”

Once the lights were off, there was no more discussion to be had.

Yet sleep remained elusive for Penelope. She waited for what felt like an hour, only listening to the quiet tapping of the rain in the background. With everybody appearing still, she poked Jasmin in the neck. No response. She carefully lifted Jasmin’s eyelid to find her eyes unmoving.

Her heart began to pound. Rising, she crawled to the foot of the air mattress. She undid the sheets and peered at Jasmin’s feet, their shapes murky in the blackness until her eyes adjusted. She then brought her nose close, inhaling deeply. A shuddery moan escaped her lips. As she continued sniffing, a relief washed over her at their clean scent. It wasn’t super sweet like lotion, but it was so faint that she needn’t worry about it making her dizzy. Each sniff saw her hands drift lower, finding solace between her own legs.

Soon she started to massage herself.

Then, after looking back at the sleeping adults, she licked Jasmin’s feet. It only took a handful of slurps before a wave of pleasure erupted inside of Penelope. Her body trembled as she sucked on Jasmin’s slender heel.

She popped it out her mouth, gasping and panting. In a rush of shame, she pulled the sheets back over the feet.

“Enjoyed yourself?”

Penelope’s head snapped. She saw Minh’s eyes practically glowing in the darkness. Penelope became so twitchy that she didn’t realise she was still feeling around her own thighs. She was speechless.

Minh smiled. “They stinky?”

Penelope slowly shook her head.

“Shucks. You didn’t get the best experience.” Minh shut her eyes, rolling onto her other side and embracing Toadette as she drifted to proper sleep.

***

The rain hammered into the next morning. The waves rocked the boat violently, and Toadette felt a sick sensation in her stomach. She’d never felt this kind of nausea before. When Minh went to check on her, she had already run to the wastebin to vomit.

“If this boat rocks one more time, I’m gonna end up puking everything up,” she coughed, wiping her mouth. “Please tell me we’re almost there!”

“It’s not like they gave us a map!” Toad rubbed his eyes from the captain’s room, having spent the morning repairing the glass windows. “Just imagine we’re there, and you’ll feel better.”

“So you’re telling me we could be searching for the entire day?”

Toad shrugged. “You’re no captain if you can’t handle a bit of stress.”

Groaning, Toadette took matters into her own hands. She retrieved Stuffwell from her pocket, tossing him out to expand and unfurl. Before his overly polite greeting could escape him, she swiftly snatched an item and tucked him away again.

“What was that?” Minh asked.

“New device.” Toadette slipped into the Frog Suit. Its slick, rubbery texture enveloped her, and she immediately regretted having been so rash. Having done it in the middle of the boat, she’d now have to hop her way off of it. And so she did. She performed a series of awkward bounces through the cramped living quarters, attracting confused stares from Penelope and Jasmin.

Once out on the deck, she surveyed the hectic waters. The waves were a chaotic spectacle, easily surpassing the ferocity of her previous voyage. Suddenly the prospect of getting swept into the vast ocean felt terrifyingly real. But was she going to let Toad lead them on a potentially fruitless trip?

“Absolutely not.” With a croak, she leapt into the ocean. The sluggish movement of the Frog Suit vanished, replaced by a surge of underwater agility. She felt like an aquatic acrobat.

Better yet, she could breathe and see with perfect clarity.

She fought the currents, looking for any signs of a cave or land structure. However, the deeper she went, the more she realised what she was up against. The light faded rapidly, and at a certain depth, she felt an immense, crushing pressure, as if the water itself was trying to suck her down. Then a thought sparked.

Water pressure! Ugh, another lesson I never paid attention to!

Struggling to even absorb oxygen bubbles through her skin, she rocketed to the surface. She gasped for fresh air, spotting the boat. A powerful leap brought her within Toad’s line of sight.

“What are you doing in the water?” he yelled. “Get back up here, Toadette!”

“Making sure we weren’t overshooting anything, that’s what.”

“They mentioned a cave. I doubt it’s underwater.”

“The sharks mentioned an underwater cave, so why would it be above the surface?” she shot back.

“It’s probably underwater in the sense that it leads to under the sea.” He pointed past Toadette. “Why don’t we check that one right up there?”

Toadette spun around, catching a glimpse of it: a dark, isolated cave mouth.

“Alright, Captain Smarty-Pants,” she scoffed. “Still, this water’s weird. It’s heavier than normal water. Might wanna keep that in mind.”

“As long as we’re not at the bottom of the ocean, the pressure is the least of our worries.”

Toad steered the boat closer to the cave, parking it just offshore. Toadette, still in the Frog Suit, hopped awkwardly onto the rocky shore. If she expelled the suit now, it meant potentially having to borrow one that someone else would need later. The other girls disembarked, Penelope gazing around with curiosity.

“Smells like fish,” she noted, her eyes already beginning to water.

Jasmin rolled her eyes. Boy, the sea cave smells like fish. Who’d have thought it?

“Stay behind me,” Toadette said.

Inside, the cave was a labyrinth. The water was murky indigo, and the only light sources came from Toad’s headlamp.

“Gross,” Minh whispered, lifting herself carefully over a stone. “It’s so slimy.”

“I can’t tell.” Despite the awkwardness of the Frog Suit on land, the cavern’s dampness felt natural to Toadette. The passages she followed were relatively straightforward. But the air grew heavier, and the sound was only broken by the constant dripping of water and the squeakiness of the Frog Suit.

After what seemed like forever walking through the dark place, they suddenly hit a dead end. Or so it seemed. Before them, jetting out of the water was a huge, rusty pipe. Water shot out from the opening with a strong hiss.

“What is that?” Penelope asked.

“You already know,” Toad said. “The question is where it goes.”

“Only one way to find out.” Toadette hopped towards the pipe.

There was a strong pressure and then nothing. She was in a small, dimly lit room. The wooden walls creaked, and soon the pipe began to violently shake. Toad, Minh and Penelope tumbled out of it. Minh tugged at her tasselled hair, while Penelope took in the scene with awe.

“Yo-ho, I think we’ve made it,” she chuckled. “Wait. Where’s Jasmin?”

Before Penelope could finish, two feet made her fall forward. Her teeth gritted as she felt two heels grind into her back.

“Welcome aboard,” Minh said, receiving a simple glare from Jasmin.

“Okay, just in case they try anything,” Toadette began, expelling the Frog Suit, “I say we split up. Who’s with who?”

“You four stick together,” Toad declared, puffing out his chest. “I’ll go alone.”

“No, you won’t,” Toadette countered. “This is new territory for you.”

“Those sharks back there were pushovers.”

“You of all people should know better than to underestimate others,” Minh said. “Toadette’s right; it’s not safe to go alone.”

“Fine, I’ll placate you.” He glanced at Penelope and Jasmin. “Penelope, you’re with me.”

“Then Jasmin’s with you too,” Toadette decided, grabbing Minh’s hands. “Minh and I are a team.”

“You’re leaving me with both of them?” Toad exclaimed.

“Do I look like I wanna babysit the cousin? Because I really don’t.” Toadette’s words earned her a loud raspberry from Jasmin. “Case in point.”

Jasmin clung to Minh. Her grip tightened when Minh tried to shake her off.

“Jazz, if I could take you by myself, I would. But I can’t fight compared to—”

“I am not going with him.”

“You are,” Toadette said.

“Bitch, says who?” Jasmin yelled.

“I do!” Toad yanked her by the wrist, holding her up to his face. “That slick mouth you got from Sofia is gonna dry up around me, is that understood?”

Jasmin folded her arms, a tantrum building. Penelope tugged her sleeve.

“At least we’re stuck together,” she said with a bright smile.

Toadette grabbed Minh, eyes still on Toad. “If we find absolutely nothing in the hour, we’ll meet back here.”

“Agreed.” Toad snapped his fingers. “Let’s move it, little girls.”

***

The air inside the ship was heavy with the smells of old wood and stale water. The only sounds were the creaks and groans of the ancient ship and the constant dripping of the water through the boards.

Toadette and Minh stepped into a long corridor. Furniture, crates and coils of rope were scattered everywhere. Surprisingly much of it wasn’t as grimy as Toadette expected. Though it was still too far from clean.

Soon the floor grew damp and mouldy. A pool of water, reeking of rotten eggs and aquatic life, blocked their path. It stretched down the corridor as far as they could see.

“Great, just great,” Toadette muttered. “I’m not wasting another Frog Suit on this. Guess we’re getting our feet wet.” She pulled out Stuffwell. “Alright, Stuffwell, storage time. Open up.”

“As you wish.” Stuffwell looked to Minh. “Oh, hello there, friend. And what might your name be?”

Minh’s eyes widened. “Did it just talk?”

“Minh, Stuffwell, and in reverse.” Toadette kicked the back of Minh’s heel. “Barefoot, c’mon. You like it that way anyway.”

Minh dropped her flip-flops into Stuffwell, not only amazed that they seemed to vanish into him but that he also vanished into Toadette’s pocket.

“I have a sudden urge to wanna stuff him to the brim,” she said. “Okay, do we really have to go through this water, Toadette?”

“Unless you see a magical floating platform, yeah.” Toadette dipped her toes into the water, wincing. “Chilly. You scared?”

“I really think I should use a Frog Suit.”

“Let me go first.” Taking a deep breath, Toadette plunged into the water. Minh counted to thirty before Toadette surfaced, sputtering. “Thirteen-second swim. Tight squeeze, but we can make it.”

Minh gulped. “Oh boy.”

“After you,” Toadette said, pulling Minh into the water. “I’ll be right behind you if you get stuck.”

“Don’t even joke about that!” Taking a deep breath, Minh submerged herself into the depths. The creaking of the sunken ship filtered through the water. She swam forward, her cap scraping against the low, unseen ceiling. Toadette’s occasional nudges at her feet were a constant reminder: forward was the only way out.

Then something thin brushed against her leg. She nearly choked, her movements becoming frantic. Suddenly she was stuck.

Toadette gave Minh a hard shove. Once Minh’s head was above the surface, she gasped desperately. Then Toadette hopped onto a staircase, dripping water onto the wood.

“Really? Gonna drown an arm’s reach within the stairs?” she asked Minh, blowing some water off her own glasses.

Minh didn’t answer. They cautiously entered a large room, heavy with the smell of brine and stacked with barrels. As Toadette closed the door, a low moan echoed through the space.

Minh clutched her chest. “What now?”

“Sounds like the ship,” Toadette said with a shrug. “What you’d expect a sunken ship to sound like.”

Another moan, closer this time, resonated through the room. Then another, even closer. Minh gasped. A form materialised before her—a Shy Guy mask shrouded in tattered yellow cloth. It clutched a rusty scythe. A translucent glow emanated from the figure, confirming Minh’s worst fears.

Her legs turned to jelly. As she spun to flee, another ghostly figure blocked her path. A scream left her throat as she instinctively wrapped herself around Toadette. Her toes were tensed to the max.

“Can’t say I’m surprised there are ghosts here,” Toadette said, her voice calm. “Alright, Minh, you want protection or a free ghost massage?”

“That’s not funny!”

“I could go for a massage.” Toadette tapped her fingers against Minh’s cap, continuing to peer at the ground. “How would it feel?”

“Toadette!”

One of the spectral figures moved closer, lifting its scythe. Toadette immediately reacted, swinging her hammer with a grunt. To her astonishment, the hammer hit its mark, causing the ghost to recoil.

So they’re not Boos! This changes everything.

“Piece. Of. Cake.” Toadette swung her hammer repeatedly and threw in a few well-timed kicks for good measure. The ghosts, while not very strong, swarmed her at an unsettling speed. She narrowly avoided their scythes, each strike from her hammer making the spirits fade out.

A single ghost managed to slip past her, momentarily phasing through Minh’s body. Minh screamed, swatting at it as it recoiled. The otherworldly feel sent a shiver up her spine.

“Over here!” Toadette cackled, landing a final, heavy blow.

The ghosts dissipated into the shadows, leaving the room silent save for the girls’ breathing. Toadette retracted her hammer.

“Pretty pathetic for ghosts.” She turned to Minh, who still trembled on the ground. “Hey, they’re gone.”

“It went through me,” Minh squeaked, her fingers twitching.

“And my hammer went through them all,” Toadette dismissed, gently pulling Minh to her feet. She gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “You’ve got nothing to worry about with me around.”

Minh nodded, her eyes nervously scanning the barrel-filled room. As she studied the room, checking for any ghostly qualities, something caught her eye: a small, water-stained yellow paper nailed to a pole.

She read it aloud. “They’re the ocean’s tears.”

“That tells us nothing,” Toadette scoffed. “The ocean’s tears?”

“Could be something real important,” Minh said. “Why else would they just leave a note?”

“To screw with us.” Toadette stepped closer, her expression softening. “Hold on.” She noticed a smear of underwater grime on Minh’s cheek and began to clean it off with her thumb. Minh chuckled, feeling strangely pampered. Her gaze dropped to the floor.

“We might wanna put our shoes on. Wouldn’t wanna get a splinter, right?”

“Just say you’re afraid of being distracted by my feet,” Toadette teased, wiggling her toes.

“Projection much?” Minh’s face grew serious. “Is that why you didn’t hit those ghosts immediately?”

“Not like it was a super long delay.”

“Fair enough. Maybe.” Minh’s concern remained. The slightest delay could cost them in a situation like this. Especially now that there were ghosts on board, and she was arguably the least equipped of their group to handle them.

Maybe I should’ve stuck with Toad and left Penelope with Toadette.

“It is starting to stink real bad in here, though,” Toadette noted, pressing onward. “Jeez…”

“If we can get it reeking like your feet, I’m all for it.”

“That’s a good smell. This is just… Let’s hurry before I throw up. Again.”

***

Toad’s path wound through tightening passageways. His small size proved a blessing; any human his age would’ve slammed their head against the impossibly low ceiling.

Penelope’s nose twitched as she took in the musty air around them. Jasmin stayed close, her face unreadable but her movements loose as she fantasised.

“Pay attention,” Toad warned, glancing back just in time to see Penelope nearly trip over a sack. “This isn’t a playground, you two.”

“I know,” Penelope laughed, wrapping an arm around Jasmin. “Feels like one, though.”

So far, the flooded zones had been avoided; most doors were tightly sealed. Now they entered a cargo hold filled with barrels and weapon racks. Suddenly Toad spotted something moving in the shadows. Penelope’s irises expanded past her eyes.

“Whoa! So these are the shark pirates?”

Toad dropped into a defensive stance, yanking out his machete. “Stay behind me.”

“Again with the staying behind crap!” Penelope stepped forward. She held up an item. “Super Leaf, remember?”

Toad glanced at her. As overexcited as she was, the fact was that she needed proper experience in battle. No amount of training would amount to anything if she didn’t get a chance to prove herself in a real fight.

“Fine,” he conceded. “Take it seriously.”

Penelope nodded. After looking back at Jasmin with a wave, she absorbed the Super Leaf. Her raccoon ears popped out her head, and her striped tail wagged behind her.

Jasmin watched silently from behind Toad. Has Penelope lost her mind?

“Prepare to meet your end!” Penelope announced to the sharks. Without hesitation she whipped her tail out, aiming for one of their sides.

The shark grunted, stumbling back a step as it stood on its tail. Penelope giggled, ready for another hit. She quickly followed up, knocking the spear from the shark’s fins.

As she spun around, her eyes drifted once more towards Jasmin. Did she see that? In that split second, a sharp pain erupted in her left leg. One of the pirates had struck Penelope with his spear.

Penelope shrieked and stumbled back. The spear was lodged deep in her leg.

Toad jumped into the fray, slicing the shark’s back with his machete. He then sent it into the wooden wall with a kick. The one whom Penelope had already hit received an even deeper slash from Toad. They groaned.

Toad then marched up to Penelope, who clutched her burning leg.

“Distracted. You got distracted.”

“He just poked me out of nowhere!”

“Because you stopped paying attention.” Toad’s eyes darted towards Jasmin, who raised a brow. “You only get to show off when you’re a pro, kid.”

Penelope’s face turned red, hotter than the sting on her leg.

Toad sighed, delving into his bag. “With how dirty this place is, can’t risk getting infected.” He disinfected her wound, making her shriek in pain. In minutes he’d bandaged it successfully. “You can still walk.”

Penelope gritted her teeth. “I think so…”

“Wasn’t a question.” He pointed to Jasmin. “Let’s go!”

They pressed deeper into the ship until they reached a dusty room stuffed with maps. Another note lay there, on the same yellowed paper the other team had discovered.

Before Toad could grab it, Jasmin pulled it from the nail holding it in place. She flatly read its contents aloud.

“The sacred jewels of the sea.”

Penelope stroked her chin. “We got puzzles now? Like in a game?”

“Why would they even need a puzzle?” Toad asked, scanning the space. “It’s their own ship.”

“Because it could be a secret hint to a passcode,” Jasmin explained. “It’s not abnormal for a villain to want to mess with the hero solely for his own amusement. Or because he knows he needs a weak point for an interesting conflict.”

“Some comic stuff?” Toad scoffed. “Come on, Jasmin, let’s be real.”

“From what I know, King Bowser was always the type to put giant self-destruction buttons on his vehicles. That true?” she retorted, leaving Toad speechless.

“It’s a pretty weak hint, though,” Penelope said. “Sacred jewels of the sea?”

“Do I really gotta spell it out?” Jasmin sighed. “It’s gotta be…”

***

“Socks!” Toadette’s nose crinkled. “That’s what this place smells like: dead fish and wet gym socks! Couldn’t they at least air the place out?”

“It’s an old, sunken ship, Toadette. I don’t think water ventilation was considered.”

“Well then they should’ve thought ahead! What if they wanted guests? Like now, with old Toadsworth.” Toadette took a deep breath through her mouth, trying to calm down after another waterlogged corridor. “Any signs of the…”

“Don’t say it,” Minh pleaded.

“Oh, ghosts! I’ve got a nice, sexy Toad who’d love to give you pleasurable company!” Toadette patted the handle of her hammer. “If you’re hunting booty, it’s out in the open here!”

“La-la-la-la-la! Not listening!” Minh clapped her hands over her ears.

“Some things never change,” Toadette chuckled. “Watch your step.” She pointed to a gaping hole in the floor.

They avoided the hole and entered another square room, marginally less flooded than the others. It had a semblance of upkeep. In the corner of the decorated room stood a wooden table with another piece of yellowed paper. Minh snatched it up with trembling fingers.

“I swear, they’re giving Jazz competition in whose handwriting is less readable,” she snarked. “The ‘R’ comes before the ‘L’.”

Toadette scratched her head. “I’m about to snap. Ocean tears? One letter before another?”

“Pearls.” A small smile stretched across Minh’s face. “The ocean’s tears. That plural matters.”

The table was scattered with wooden alphabet tiles on a board. Toadette playfully bumped Minh with her hip.

“Look at you, all smart as usual.” The two got to work arranging the letters into a six-panelled grid in the middle of the table. The last letter clicked into place. A faint horn blared, and a heavy door groaned open. Beyond it lay a darker passage, deeper flooded, water sloshing audibly.

“Here we go again,” Toadette said, hoisting her hammer. “Let’s give this captain a piece of our minds.”

“I’ll give you the ultimate cheering support.”

As they stepped into the passageway, they turned to see the door slam shut behind them, plunging them into near-total darkness. They gasped. From the void ahead came a sound that chilled Minh’s blood.

A deep, gurgling bellow echoed. It wasn’t a ghastly scream but something far darker.

As Minh pulled out her flashlight, trembling, the light caught a terrifying sight. From the flooded depths of the chamber emerged a Blooper, one unlike any they’d seen. Its skin was translucent, revealing veins pulsating with an eerie bioluminescence. Its eyes bulged, unblinking. Its tentacles stretched and snaked through gaping holes in the floor, each ending in suckered palms that flexed with enough strength to rip wood.

Minh’s shorts became wetter and warmer. “I just inked…”

The Blooper responded with a guttural bellow, slamming its tentacles against walls and decking. Saltwater drenched the girls.

“Move!” Toadette yelled, yanking Minh away just as a tentacle crashed where they’d stood. They scrambled, dodging crushing blows that shook the whole ship. Toadette swung her hammer hard, smashing one tentacle. It recoiled, but she only succeeded in drawing out the beast’s ire.

Half a dozen tentacles coiled tightly around her ankles and wrists, pulling her upside-down into the air. The Blooper’s grasp moved to her bare feet.

One of the tentacles prodded at them.

Toadette’s struggles intensified, but then a giggle escaped her. She writhed, unable to free herself from the grip. The tickling was relentless. The Blooper’s grasp tightened, its form growing larger.

Minh watched in dread, paralysed by the surreal sight of her friend being tickled by a monstrous squid. The piss stain on her shorts was now the least of her worries.

“Toadette!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “Somebody help us!”

----------

Author’s Note:
These water chapters must be triggering fears for some. Bloopers in this universe are apparently very obsessed with tickling their prey before consuming them. The Frog Suit is oddly one of those items that hasn’t returned since Super Mario Bros. 3; I say it’s odd because the 3DS/Wii U era was obsessed with SMB3 nostalgia. It’s a pretty good water tool as well.