Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 115 - The Musical Miscreants

A wall of violet flames erupted across the rum-soaked wood, spreading across the planks faster than Syrup could have anticipated. The heat reached her boots within seconds.

“Fire on the deck!” a Gaugau bellowed. “Put it out!”

“It’s eating through the floors! Shut down the engines!”

This was their chance. Penelope and Jasmin sprinted towards the back of the ship, dodging hulking pirates who now scrambled for buckets of water. The smoke was a blessing and a curse, providing excellent cover while also stinging their eyes.

They reached the lifeboats. Hidden under tarps, they were slicker than one would expect. The girls slid into Lifeboat A. Immediately Penelope was overwhelmed by the number of buttons. It looked more like a spaceship’s cockpit. So many illuminated buttons, with many labelled with words she couldn’t understand.

“What the heck is a libération d’urgence?” she groaned.

“The emergency release button,” Jasmin panted. “Go!”

Penelope didn’t waste a second slamming her hand on the red button. With a loud clank, the lifeboat’s moorings released, and it slowly dropped from the side of the ship.

But just as it began its descent, a massive hand shot out from the smoke, its fingers wrapping around Jasmin’s waist. She was yanked backwards with a terrified shriek, her feet leaving the floor of the boat just as momentum forced it into freefall.

The impact in the water sent a painful jolt from Penelope’s toes to her head.

“Jazz!” she screamed, looking around desperately. “Jasmin?”

She scrambled back to the controls. She didn’t know how, but she had to rescue Jasmin. After wiping water from her eyes, she pushed the first blue button she saw. The engine roared to life. Before she could catch her bearings, the lifeboat lurched forward and accelerated to full throttle. It raced away from the burning Sweet Stuff.

“No, no, no! Turn around!” she yelled, wrestling with the joystick. But the controls hardly budged, and every movement she made only sent the boat further into the mysterious ocean. Each rough bounce along the waves shook her core.

A huge wall of water rolled up behind her. The wave crashed over the lifeboat, flipping it and throwing her into the icy waters.

“Help me!” she screamed. Her arms quickly tired from trying to stay afloat. “Miss Toadette! Someone! I don’t wanna die!”

As she sank into the ocean, her lungs burnt. Nothing but blackness and muffled nightmares could be felt. Just as her lungs compressed, she noticed something odd. There was a sudden calm. Her eyes shot open, and she simply drifted to the bottom of the ocean. No fighting, no desperation to breathe.

Death was coming; she knew it. Yet it seemed prolonged. One, two, three minutes were spent with her sinking slowly. After those precious one hundred and eighty seconds passed, she felt the first sign of the end.

I’ll miss you guys…

Then something wrapped around her chest—an arm. It hauled her up to the surface. She gasped for air, coughing up saltwater, and was unceremoniously dumped onto the upright hull of the lifeboat.

A blurred, darkened figure stood over her. Before Penelope passed out, the figure reached down, flipped a switch and reengaged the boat’s mechanics. It sent them speeding away into the night.

“Not as well-defended a ship as I thought…” The figure stroked Penelope’s wet hair. “And wouldn’t you know it, this so-called shortcut is more effective for tiny boats than for big boats…”

***

“So much for that love. Looks like Penelope chose a watery grave over heaven with me…”

Back on the Sweet Stuff’s deck, the fire was finally brought under control by the crew within half an hour. Syrup stood amidst the smouldering planks, her face in a constant twitch as a crew member adjusted a new eye patch. Her one good eye remained fixed on the secondary cause of this damage: Jasmin, now held firmly by two Gaugau as she shivered.

“You,” she growled, snatching a whip from a nearby lackey. “Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused me? Looks like you need a reminder who’s captain here.”

Jasmin flinched, a whimper escaping her as Syrup drew back her arm.

Before the whip could fall, a silver glint shot through the air, followed by the sound of thunder. A massive trident slammed into the mast just centimetres from Syrup’s head. The prongs crackled with electricity in the wood.

Syrup’s eyes widened as she whipped her head towards the source.

“Son of a…” She straightened her posture. “Well, well. How the hell did you even catch up with me?”

“You lose a knot of rudder speed, and I’ll be at your heels before the next tide,” Jones replied. His eyes shifted to Jasmin. “Now then, I believe you’ve got something that belongs to me.”

“The only way you’re getting that amulet is through my dead body.”

“So be it.”

Her crew rushed him. He cut through them with ease, tossing one unlucky pirate straight into Syrup’s path. She sidestepped, dropping her whip as she retrieved her sword—a sleek, illuminated blade that extended to full length with a click.

“Let’s see if you can keep up,” he chuckled with a growl.

Sparks rained as they danced around the ruined deck. Syrup zipped at blindingly fast speeds, every one of her swings precise. Jones weaved and deflected them, but she pressed harder until he was nearly at the rail.

Then he twisted and swept her legs with his tail, sending her stumbling into the mast before he nicked her side with his trident.

She hissed. “Not bad for a guppy.”

“I’d say you already know my calibre.”

Jasmin stood in sheer disbelief at the action that unfolded before her. Penelope and I wouldn’t have lasted one second if we had to fight her. Even Toadette, great as she’s claimed to be, wouldn’t be this good, right?

The fight turned vicious. When Syrup’s next strike nearly tore Jones’ sleeve off, he hurled his trident. The weapon whistled past her cheek, grazing her ear before slamming deep into the ship’s hull.

Using that distraction, he dashed forward, kicked through a wall and followed its embedded glow into her private quarters.

“Different ship,” he chuckled, yanking the trident free, “yet the same old layout. Predictable, Syrup.”

“Like hell!” She went for his back. He spun around and blocked her, but she rammed her knee into his gut. She then drove her sword through his gut, holding him tightly.

“You bastard,” she gasped, wincing from her bleeding side. “Tonight marks the fall of the Cerulean Pirates!”

“Might wanna change that to the Black Sugar Gang.” He nodded towards something on her left—one of Syrup’s grenades, blinking white and in his fin.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh my—”

Jones tore himself free of her blade just before the explosion ripped through the Sweet Stuff. A plume of pink-white fire rolled across the deck, blowing out panels. The crew screamed as they had another disaster to attend to.

Using the distraction, Jones stormed back into Syrup’s burnt quarters. But when he emerged, his eye was twitching.

“Where is the amulet?” he boomed.

“As if I’d tell you.” But Syrup swiftly realised the implication. She bolted below deck, and the entire ship heard her roar. When she burst back up, she seized Jasmin by the throat.

“Girl! You stole my amulet, now hand it back!”

“What? I didn’t…steal…squat,” Jasmin coughed, blood on her lip. “Protect your junk better, bitch…”

Syrup slammed her to the planks. “Find that amulet!” she roared at the men. “Scour the whole bloody sea if you must!”

Jones stepped forward, his trident blurring as it sliced a charging Gaugau. He now stood between Syrup’s crew and Jasmin. His eyes were fixed on Syrup.

“Let the girl go,” he growled. “She’s not part of this.”

Syrup scoffed. She strode over and planted her boot firmly on Jasmin’s back. “She’s got everything to do with this! You want her? Then let that precious amulet of your sink to the bottom of the ocean forever. Your family’s legacy or this worthless mushroom? Your choice.”

Jones paused. His gaze flicked from Jasmin’s terrified, pleading face to the dark water where his family’s amulet was lost.

Syrup smirked. “We pirates know how endless the ocean is.”

“Damn you to the darkest depths, witch,” he huffed. He looked at Jasmin one last time, his face full of bitter defeat. “Hold on, lass. Just hold on. The crew is coming for you, I know it.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Jasmin choked out. But he was already turning his back on her. He dove off the side of the ship, disappearing into the waves.

Syrup continued to bark orders, commanding half the crew to search the waters and the other to keep the ship in order. A Floater rolled up, clicking rapidly.

“Captain, we must make for Kitchen Island immediately, or we will sink. The Sweet Stuff can only stay afloat for one hour.”

“Fine! Then move!” She then grabbed Jasmin by the hair. Her voice dropped to a cold whisper. “You’re about to learn what real trouble feels like, you rotten fungus.”

***

“What is that?” Toadette asked, pointing to the cloud of white in the distance.

“An explosion,” Toad said, checking through binoculars. “And that’s right in the direction of Syrup’s ship.”

“Oh-no.” Minh’s face went pale.

“Well we know we’re getting closer.” Toadette’s expression of concern changed into one of satisfaction. She smiled. “Are we gonna give up now, or are we gonna keep going?”

“Wait a minute, Toadette!” Minh felt something brush against her foot in the water. She pinched it with her toes. It was golden. “Some kind of amulet.”

Toadette snatched it. “I’ll be holding onto this, just in case.”

“Whatever hit this ship must’ve been serious,” Toad sighed, shaking his head. “Watch your feet, okay? This whole sea’s swimming with debris.”

***

Penelope’s eyes slowly blinked open. Upon taking her first conscious breath, she went into a coughing fit. Her lungs burnt. Immediately she tried to lung forward, but her momentum was abruptly halted. Her ankles were locked in gold-painted stocks.

“Don’t struggle,” said a voice. “If you don’t move, the restraints won’t hurt as badly.”

She twisted her neck towards the source of the voice. A young woman stood there. Her orange hair fell behind a face dominated by large glasses. She held a clipboard and fixed her gaze on Penelope. Before the latter could speak, she produced a metal bottle and held it to her lips.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Penelope,” she blurted out after sipping, her voice raspy. “Please, I’m not evil! I’m just trying to find people. Have you seen a Toad with a pink cap? I just…”

“Slow down.” The woman softened her tone. She stroked Penelope’s unkempt hair. “I’m not here to hurt you. Believe me, I wish I weren’t here at all.”

“Where are we now?” Penelope asked.

Before the woman could answer, the door groaned open.

“Yo, Penny! She talking or just drooling?” The deep voice bopped through the air.

“She’s conscious.” Penny’s expression faltered before she hurried out. As she passed through the doorway, somebody clipped her side. She gasped and clutched her abdomen. For a second, Penelope saw a reddened bandage beneath her lab coat.

“My bad,” the mysterious one said, steadying her.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, her voice too high. She fled, leaving the scent of citrus and antiseptic in her wake.

The room expanded around Penelope: a metal chamber. Two new figures filled the doorway: one was a tall, broad-shouldered boy with stylish glasses; the other was a chubby-faced boy around her height.

The latter grinned widely. “Look who decided to respawn. Remember me?”

“9-Volt…” Penelope growled.

“Ha! Told you no one could forget this face, 18!” He bumped fists with 18-Volt.

“You’re like a bad jingle,” another voice chimed in. “Annoying but memorable.” It was the deep voice Penelope had initially heard. A girl with silver hair strutted inside, licking her lips. 13-Amp.

She crouched to meet Penelope’s eye level. “Let’s cut the boring stuff. You know Toadette, and you’ve dealt with 9-Volt. That means you already know what’s up and who signs our paycheques, don’tcha?”

Penelope’s lips trembled. “You blew up my home.”

“Oh, that? Nah, that was the other crew—the one with the nutcase boss who’d slit her mama’s throat to please Wario.” Her smile widened. “I’m the nice one here.”

Penelope scoffed. “Right.”

“Cross my heart. You tell us what Wario wants—Peach’s Ethereal Star, this new radar y’all got—and I make sure you walk off this ship with your legs still connected. Sound fair?”

Penelope shook her head.

13-Amp pouted. “Pretty please? With extra sugar on top? I’ll even let you stomp right on 9-Volt’s face with those stinky little feet of yours, to let that anger get out.”

“Yo, what?” 9-Volt blurted, recoiling. “Why am I the collateral?”

“Because you scream funny,” she giggled. “Help us out, and we’ll make the rest of your voyage comfortable. Foot massages day in and day out, Penelope. What do you say?”

Penelope leaned forward as far as her restraints would allow and spat into 13-Amp’s open mouth.

13-Amp recoiled, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. Her expression morphed from surprise to disgust. Sweetness left her voice, replaced by something far more bitter.

“Guess we’re doing this the hard way, you lil’ shit.” She pointed at 18-Volt. “We ‘bout to mix up the tempo till she’s humming along.”

“She’ll spill everything in five minutes, maybe less,” he chuckled.

“Is your plan to tickle me to death?” Penelope rolled her eyes. “I’ve gotten so strong that it’ll take you weeks to get anything useful out of me. Thank Miss Toadette for that.”

13-Amp raised a brow. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means the only way you’re getting anything out of me is by beating it out of me.”

The trio stood in disbelief. Were they hearing things right? Penelope could hardly take on 9-Volt, let alone the three of them. 18-Volt let out a hearty laugh, followed by 9-Volt.

“Hey, 13, if it’s faster, why don’t we give her what she wants?” 18-Volt suggested.

“Ain’t no lil’ girl so resistant to tickling that she won’t break within a minute.” 13-Amp cracked her knuckles. “Watch this, suckers.”

She scratched the edge of Penelope’s heel with her nails, instantly triggering tension throughout the latter’s body. Penelope’s eyes bulged, and she bit her lips just before she could utter a peep.

The sensation of 13-Amp’s fingers skittering across her soles was maddening.

“Give in already,” 13-Amp groaned. She focused her attack on the pads just beneath Penelope’s toes. Her index finger wriggled in between them.

Penelope’s nails dug into her palms, her face flushed. She felt the laughter building up within her. It was screaming for release, yet her mouth refused to open up.

One minute passed, then two. 13-Amp finally reigned in her tickle assault.

“Well then! There’s a tiny chance the little brat’s spitting some truth.” She flipped her hair back. “Alright, brat. On the deck. We’ll have more space.”

“I don’t know…” Penelope exhaled as 18-Volt released her. “I burnt the last deck I was on, you know.” Her smile faded when she remembered who she had left behind.

“From what I observed, that ship’s a strange hodgepodge of materials,” 13-Amp chuckled. “This right here is the richest material a pirate could ask for.”

The trio walked her out of the cramped chamber and onto the main deck.

The fresh daylight was a relief, but the ship itself was no more pleasant than Syrup’s. Painted in cold blacks with yellow trimmings, it was oppressive despite its supposed wealth. Amidst the dark designs, colourful monsters scurried about. They polished brass and coiled ropes.

“Don’t worry about them,” said 13-Amp. She then whistled. “Scram, maggots! The deck’s all ours!”

As the monsters scrambled to the sides, 13-Amp gestured towards the open space with a flip of her hair.

Penelope eyed her captors. Despite all her training with Toad and Toadette, she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against these three in a real fight. After all, 13-Amp was the one who had taken Toad down just one month ago.

But she flexed her muscles. “Lemme see what you’ve got.”

“No weapons? Really?” 18-Volt asked. “You really wanna start on the expert difficulty, eh?”

“Do I look like a baby?” She glared at 9-Volt. “Me against him first.”

“Heh.” 9-Volt fiddled with a Wii Remote that had been fashioned into a sleek sword. “Sure, who needs weapons when you’ve got uncontrollable gamer rage, am I right?”

13-Amp and 18-Volt watched from the sidelines, eager to see what would happen next.

9-Volt charged. He swung at her with a series of slashes which she barely managed to dodge. Her reflexes kicked in as she weaved between them. Grunting, she blocked one with her forearm, feeling the heavy plastic sting but not penetrate.

“Whoa!” 13-Amp exclaimed, genuinely shocked.

“Wanna play?” Penelope ducked under a wide, sloppy swing: a move she’d practised with Toadette a dozen times. As 9-Volt overextended, she disarmed him with a sharp twist of his wrist.

The Wii Remote clattered across the deck and came to a halt near 18-Volt’s massive boot. Without hesitating, Penelope landed a deep punch to 9-Volt’s stomach. He doubled over and received a dirty foot to the face.

He wiped his mouth, looking up to see Penelope towering over him. She stomped on the back of his head and gripped his hair with her toes.

“Aw, what’s wrong?” she teased.

“What’re you doing, 9-Volt?” 18-Volt asked, leaning forward. “Get her!”

Snarling, 9-Volt grabbed Penelope’s ankle and pulled. When she hit the floor, she landed on her hands and quickly sprang back up. She then leapt into the air and buried his face under her feet. The pressure built until she launched off and kicked him across the deck.

Her head snapped in the direction of the other two. “Yeah, you’re scared now, aren’t you?”

“She ain’t half bad.” 13-Amp smirked. “But she’s got a death wish.”

“Is that what this is coming to?” 18-Volt asked.

“Try to keep the squirt alive. But if she dies, so be it. She’s just one of Peach’s soldiers now, not an innocent little girl. It’s all fair game.”

“What you say.” 18-Volt stepped towards Penelope.

Before she could react, his massive hand clamped down on her shoulder. She tried to push against his grip, but it didn’t budge. She felt a sharp pain in her side as he delivered a swift elbow. Collapsing to her knees, she heard footsteps approaching from another direction.

“Where’s all that boasting you were doing a second ago?” 9-Volt jabbed her in the face with the Wii Remote. As she flinched, he pulled out a Nunchuck and joined it with the Wii Remote. The lengthy cord wrapped around Penelope’s neck.

He yanked it, blocking all the air in her throat. Her fingers twitched as she fought to free herself.

“You’re just a sore loser!” He disconnected the Nunchuck and pressed the Wii Remote into her chest, electrocuting her. She shot across the deck like a cannonball.

Her teeth gritted. But a large hand stopped her mid-flight. She now hung upside-down, staring into the menacing smile of 18-Volt. His muscles audibly pulsed. With a laugh, he slammed her face-first into the wooden planks.

Penelope coughed up blood. “Why?”

“Why what?” a feminine voice asked. “Why you still can’t beat us?”

Screaming, Penelope lunged for her. 13-Amp caught her by the wrist.

She leaned in and let out a short, high-pitched shriek right in Penelope’s ear. Penelope’s world exploded with pain and nausea. She slumped into 13-Amp, completely disoriented.

“We tried to warn you. But kids like you can be so stubborn.”

13-Amp then forced Penelope’s head down onto the deck with her sandalled foot. She slowly undid the other strap, which Penelope heard come loose. Just as she took a breath of fresh air, her face was smothered again. It was a horrifyingly greasy sensation that reeked of dead fish. She wriggled and sobbed as 13-Amp’s toes gripped her nose tighter and tighter.

“Don’t cry,” 13-Amp cooed, her thick lips quivering in mockery. “You spat in my mouth, so I wanted to return the favour with something equally as disgusting.”

“Stop!” Just when Penelope opened her mouth, 13-Amp’s plump toes slid inside. One by one, they clogged her tiny throat. The taste was as bitter as a barnacle, the greasiness coating Penelope’s teeth.

Her stomach lurched, then she gagged.

13-Amp pulled her toes back just in time to watch Penelope vomit all over the deck, spewing out a gloppy black-and-green mess across the wood.

“Nasty!” 9-Volt yelped, recoiling.

“Aw, lil’ baby done barfed up last night’s dinner. Ain’t that a shame?” 13-Amp returned her foot to the side of Penelope’s head. “You wanna help us out and get patched up, or should I just let you choke on my toes?”

Penelope, in a final defiant act, bit the ball of 13-Amp’s foot with all her mouth. 13-Amp yelped, scrambling backwards.

“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t!” she roared. “I don’t know where Miss Toadette is! The radar’s with her!”

13-Amp delivered a strong kick to Penelope, sending her into a mast. Penelope fell back, sniffling. Exhausted, defeated and humiliated, all she could do was stare at the endless wood.

Rubbing her foot, 13-Amp turned to her friends. “So this girl’s got no info, and we already know Syrup’s got the star and isn’t far. Rather than drown her, I say we keep her as leverage in case Toadette shows up.”

“Can I torture her?” 9-Volt giddily asked. “Please, please, please? I am dying for some revenge, 13!”

“Your version of revenge is probably having her eat your crusty socks, dude,” 18-Volt chuckled.

“To be fair, I’d do even worse,” 13-Amp said with a grin. She raised her voice. “And as soon as we’re done with Syrup, we’ll let Penelope here watch as we finish off the rest of them. First the captain, then the fatass and finally the leading lady herself: Toadette.”

Miss Toadette… Thinking of each one of their deaths caused more tears to stream from Penelope’s eyes. There would be no more of Toad’s protection and no more of Minh’s sweetness. Worst of all, no more of Toadette’s everything. Her laughter, her pride in Penelope, her familiar smells—they’d all cease to exist while Wario tore down the kingdom further.

As if mocking her, she could hear the cruel laughter of Wario in her head. That horrid laugh that played after having destroyed her home and hurt so many others…

As she sat there, twitching, a strange sensation began to bloom from within. It was a cold, heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It slowly began to seep out. Black wisps snaked from her mouth and entered the sky.

“She can be my personal footrest for those long gaming nights. I’ll use her stupid mouth as a foot massager,” 9-Volt giggled. Upon looking at Penelope once more, he froze. He nudged 18-Volt with his elbow.

“Yo, what’s that?” 18-Volt stared at the spreading darkness. “13, you see this?”

13-Amp gritted her teeth. Wind started to pick up, sending her hair flapping.

“Talk, kid!” 13-Amp yelled. “Did Penny steal another one of my cigarettes and make you swallow it? What’s this smoke?”

Penelope stiffened up and let out a gasp. Each convulsion shook her frame. Then her eyes snapped open. They transformed from the colour of the sea to the colour of blood. Now they glowed.

“We will end this right here. Right now,” a voice whispered, one that was her own yet layered with a deeper, cold echo.

The trio exchanged unnerved glances as Penelope’s frown twisted into a malicious smile.

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Author’s Note:
Penelope and Jasmin have really been through it all, haven’t they? Eating a lot of pizza as I upload this chapter; thick crust is my favourite.