Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 120 - Spoiled Sugar

Syrup swooped down like a bloodthirsty hawk.

“Move it!” Toadette screamed, diving left. Her clone mimicked the move immediately. But instead of flanking the younger pirate, they stayed shoulder-to-shoulder. Syrup landed a short distance from them and slashed outward.

Toadette raised her hammer to parry, and so did her double. The clone’s handle smacked against Toadette’s wrist, shattering her grip. Syrup’s sword bit into Toadette’s side.

“Hey! Watch where you’re swinging that thing!” both Toadettes yelled at each other.

Minh cringed. “I thought they’d have separate minds or something. Guess not.”

Syrup backflipped away, cackling until fungal nausea choked her. She wiped chunky milk from her lips.

“What’s wrong, mushroom girl? Can’t handle two things at once?”

“Get her, Miss Toadette!” Penelope cheered from behind the dark rocks.

Toadette scrambled up, her clone mimicking every twitch.

It’s not a partner, she realised, watching the clone dust itself off. It’s a reflection.

“Quit playing with your food, Syrup!” Wario bellowed from the sidelines. “Cut her ankles! Render her helpless!”

Near the entrance, Jones tightened his grip on his trident. He noticed Wario’s fingers loosened around the green Ethereal Star every time he barked orders.

Syrup lunged again, ricocheting off the walls before hurling three daggers. Both Toadettes dodged left; the blades whistled past.

If I can’t control her separately, Toadette thought, I gotta work with my environment!

She charged straight at Syrup.

“A frontal assault, eh? Predictable.” Syrup prepared a mechanical bomb.

Toadette didn’t jump at Syrup, though. She vaulted over her, banking hard to the left. The clone mirrored her perfectly, and they landed on opposite sides.

Syrup spun. “Which is the real one?”

“We both are!”

Toadette swung her hammer, and the clone swung hers. Their weapons converged in the centre. Syrup tried to duck, but the sickness seized her muscles. WHAM! One hammer caught her ribs, while the other caught her shoulder. Syrup flew across the room, skipping over the jagged pool before slamming into the far wall.

“Whoo-hoo!” Penelope pumped her fist. Even Jasmin mustered a faint smirk.

Syrup slid down, leaving a smear of soot and sweat. Although she tried to stand up, her legs gave way. Vomit erupted from her throat—more stringy white substance. It was filling her from within.

“What a pathetic wish,” Wario growled. “You got your youth back, kept all that power, and you’re still losing to a mushroom and a stomach bug?”

She glared up, pale and shivering. “Shut…your…mouth… Something’s eating me…”

“Then let it!” Wario stomped forward, shaking the ground. The Ethereal Star reacted to his rage with another bright glow. “I’ll finish the job myself!”

He raised his fists and aimed them at the ground beneath the Toadettes.

Jones’ eyes opened wide. He swam through the air, his powerful tailfin propelling him like a torpedo.

Wario’s fists hammered down. Instantly the floor exploded, spraying rock shrapnel outward. Jones absorbed the blast, his trident hooking the Ethereal Star’s jagged edge. With a flick of his fin, Jones yanked.

“What?” Wario watched as Jones skidded to a halt some metres away, the Ethereal Star in his grip. A vein pulsed in Wario’s neck. “Hand it back, shark.”

Toadette and her clone stepped up beside Jones, raising their hammers. Toad joined them, pickaxe and flare gun at the ready.

“If you want it,” Toadette said, her voice harmonising with her double, “you’ll have to take it from us.”

“You want it the hard way? Fine by me!” He surged ahead. Toadette pivoted and spun rapidly. Her clone instantly mimicked her. Together they moved as a single unit—four arms, two hammers, one target. Wario dodged their attack effortlessly, chuckling.

He then elbowed Toad in the gut. Toad coughed up blood, gritting his teeth.

Wario swiped at Jones, who countered with his trident. As he lunged for the star repeatedly, realisation struck. Jones, Toadette and Toad had all entered this cavern unscathed. They had healed.

I’m not fighting a pathetic captain anymore, Wario thought. I’m fighting a pathetic captain who’s also at his max strength! I’ll have to think quicker!

With a grunt, Wario grabbed the trident mid-thrust. He laughed, yanking hard. It barely budged, however. For every ounce of pressure Wario applied, Jones matched it, his blue scales shifting to a hellish red.

“What in the…?” Just as Wario gained an advantage, he realised Jones was actually pushing him forward.

“I underestimated you. You’re a mighty foe indeed if you’ve forced me into this state,” Jones growled. “Quadruples the strain on my body, yet it grants me quite the vigour!”

Jones thrust the trident forward. It grazed Wario’s shoulder, sending him hobbling back. Wario stomped to halt his momentum. Then he heard that familiar, high-pitched battle cry.

Toad rushed in and slashed at his chest with his pickaxe. But mid-arc, Wario yanked Toad off his feet and met him with a cold glare.

“Hey, Wario!” Penelope yelled, grabbing a rock. “How does it feel getting beaten by someone smaller than you, you ugly blob?”

She hurled the rock at the back of his head. It cracked against his skull. His head snapped in her direction. Squealing, she stepped back into Jasmin.

“You’re gonna regret that, you little—”

“Heads up!” Toadette yelled. That split second of vanity was Wario’s undoing. Both spinning Toadettes cracked Wario’s temples with violent thuds.

He roared, clutching his head as blood dripped between his fingers. “This isn’t happening!”

“Doesn’t matter how juiced up you are on that power,” Toad said, keeping Wario on the defensive. “You’re dealing with two annoying Toadettes now.”

“Hey!” they shouted together, pouting.

“Oh, and a fully healed Captain Toad,” he snickered. “Your goon squad patched us right up. Thanks for the assist.”

Wario’s blood boiled. “You…son of a…!”

With Wario surrounded, Jones turned towards his real target. Syrup was crawling away, leaving a slimy trail of vomit on the cold rocks. Jones approached, his breathing growing heavier.

“You’ve caused enough suffering in these waters, Syrup,” he growled.

His tail pinned her foot. She looked up at him, trembling. The toxic milk was draining the last of her strength. She weakly parried with her sword, but Jones swatted it aside as if it were a toothpick. He drove the butt of his trident into her stomach. She choked, gasping for air.

Jones then reversed his grip, pointing the sharp prongs at her heart.

He raised the trident high.

“Stop!” Toadette’s voice echoed through the cave.

Jones hesitated. The trident hovered centimetres from Syrup’s chest, vibrating with his adrenaline.

“What concerns you now?” He glared at Toadette. “This wretch is a curse upon my waters. Release her, and she’ll spew her venom again. That’s her nature.”

“I know,” Toadette said, panting as she stepped away from Wario. “But look at her. That Brine of Beginnings stuff gave her eternal youth, right? If we kill her, she gets off easy.”

Toadette lowered her hammer, her expression hardening.

“After what she’s done, I’d rather she rot in the deepest dungeon the Mushroom Kingdom has. Let her spend an eternity knowing she’ll never steal, never hurt another child, never be free again. That’s a proper sentence.”

“You dumbass!” Jasmin shrieked, shoving past Minh with pure rage. “Just fucking kill her already!”

“No, there’s no reason to!” Toadette turned her back on the fallen pirate to face the group. “We don’t just kill people if we don’t have to. We’re better than—”

Behind her, Syrup’s hand twitched. A loud, wet sound echoed in the cave as Toadette stiffened.

Her eyes went wide. The clone gasped.

Screams erupted from both throats in chilling unison. Toadette lurched forward, crashing to her knees. The knife’s hilt jutted from her back, just beneath the left shoulder blade. It was buried deep.

The clone lacked a knife, yet blood equally poured from its new wound. The torment intensified between them, reverberating back and forth.

“Toadette!” Minh screamed.

Toadette coughed. She reached back, but the pain was paralysing. Behind her, a rasping chuckle stole the attention.

“Foolish mushroom,” Syrup wheezed. Her lips curved in triumph as she wiped vomit from her chin. “I will never be locked in a dungeon.”

Toadette rolled over, staring up at the dark sky, gasping. “I gave you a chance… And you wasted it!”

“Wasted? I merely exploited it.” Syrup loomed over her, slapping her face with her dirty feet. “You’re all still wet behind the ears. Never trust a pirate, even one as young and innocent as me.”

She drew back her sword.

Toad went to jump in. Before he could launch forward, someone else zoomed past him. To his shock, his pickaxe vanished from his hand. Minh arced the pickaxe at Syrup’s left arm, jamming it deep. Syrup screamed. As she locked eyes with Minh’s furious face, her expression shifted from pained to amused.

She sliced Minh across the neck. Minh dropped like a doll.

“Minh-Minh!” Jasmin screamed, trying to run to her. Penelope was the only one holding her back, receiving scratches in the process. “No! No! Minh-Minh, get up!”

“That wasn’t very clever of her, was it, Jasmin?” Syrup chuckled, kicking Minh’s body a distance across the rocks. “What did you ever see in this wrinkled old prune?”

“I will tear the flesh from your bones!” Jasmin cried out. She looked at Toad. “Save her!”

Toad cursed under his breath. This wasn’t a minor cut; Minh was paling rapidly. She was dying. Desperate, he opened Stuffwell and grabbed a Life Shroom.

“Damn…” To his horror, she was struggling to even move her jaw. “Penelope, was what you did to Jasmin really as simple as spitting it in her mouth?”

“Yes. Do you want me to do it to Miss Minh?”

“No. This has to be fast.” He started chewing rapidly with all his might. “Come on, Minh!”

Syrup refocused on Jones. “Now where were we?”

Rather than waiting, she flung three more mechanical bombs. In a split second, his tail whipped around. The gust he made blew the bombs off course, skittering them in the pool of brine. They detonated underwater, spilling the contents from the rock.

“Right then. My turn,” Jones growled.

He kicked off the ground, aiming a hit at Syrup. She slashed at his exposed underbelly, but Jones twisted mid-air. His skin scraped against her blade. He used the momentum to swing the haft of his trident, catching Syrup in the side of the head.

She rolled across the floor, landing on her feet with an enraged grunt.

“You still perform like a coward,” Jones stated. “Same as you’ve done for over a decade, you miserable wretch."

“I…am…a…beautiful…sweet…little…girl!!” Syrup scaled the rock wall with her sword until she was hanging from the opening ceiling of the cave. “And I fight to win, not for honour!”

Jones didn’t look up. He felt her descend behind him. As she dropped, he thrust his trident upwards, catching her guard. The prongs locked around her sword’s tip. With a mighty roar, Jones twisted his fin. Syrup’s mechanical sword cleanly snapped in two.

Syrup gasped. Jones caught her throat, his massive arm holding her off the ground.

“You fight for sport and nothing more,” Jones corrected her, bringing her face close to his rows of teeth. “A true captain fights for their crew.”

Syrup reached for something at her belt. But Jones slammed her against the cave wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her completely. She slumped, her feet dangling uselessly as Jones pinned her there with one hand.

“Any last words? Make them honest.”

“Rot in hell, you beast!” Syrup fought with all her remaining strength to wriggle out his grasp. With just the blade of her sword on the ground, she picked it up and glared at the recovering Minh. “No reason this little girl can’t finish you off first, blubber ball!”

“Don’t you dare!” Jasmin screamed, rushing in front of her cousin. “Minh-Minh! I got you!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take such wonderful care of you later, Jasmin.” Syrup grinned. “You and your precious baby…”

Her smile vanished, replaced by a shriek as her legs were swept. She crashed face-first onto the stone. Two sets of hands latched onto her ankles.

“Jones… Somebody… Kill this girl!” Toadette screamed, her voice breaking. “Kill her!”

Penelope whimpered, shielding her eyes. She couldn’t watch.

Syrup thrashed, but the Toadettes held fast. They rose with her struggles, one with a knife still protruding from her back.

“Brace yourself, lass! I’m putting everything I’ve got into this!” Jones charged his Mega Drain, energy crackling around his trident. He took steady aim. But there were two problems: the Toadettes. They were practically fused to Syrup. He risked cooking them all. Worse, Syrup was breaking free, one hand clawing for the nearest Toadette’s eye.

BANG!

A gunshot crackled, echoing into the moonlit sky. All eyes followed the flare before focusing on Toad.

In that split second, Syrup’s poisoned body stiffened. The Toadettes seized the moment, tightening their grip. They refused to let go.

“No! Get off!” Syrup choked. She attempted to elbow Toadette, but her right arm was locked in place. Her left arm barely had energy after Minh’s cut to it. “He’s gonna kill you too, you idiot! Let go!”

“I can’t hold on!” Toadette shrieked. “Please help me! Please!”

“Mega Drain!”

“Don’t do it!” Syrup yelled.

A torrent of fiery energy blasted from his trident, enveloping the struggling mass. The heat instantly stole their breath. Then a sharp, whizzing sound whistled above the roar of energy.

Syrup’s eyes bulged. Three distinct punctures punched through her chest, erupting from her back. Blood gushed. She slumped backwards into the unmoving, charred Toadettes.

Penelope slowly peeked through her fingers.

Syrup trembled. Blood continued to ooze from her body. Her teeth began to chatter. Shivering, she glared up at Jones.

“Damn…you…”

“Blood for blood.” Jones reached into her pants pocket and retrieved his amulet. With a victorious smile, he hoisted it over his head and settled it around his neck.

“I just wanted…to be young and happy again…” Syrup tried to feel at her skin, now hardened from the flame attack instead of soft as a baby. “You animals ruined…everything!”

Toad and Jasmin approached. Penelope lagged, her steps heavy. Tears silently went down her face, but she wasn’t sniffling. Her expression held pure disappointment.

“You’re just as ugly dying young as you were living old, Syrup.”

Syrup snarled, trying to push herself up. Jones pressed the trident’s butt against her chest lightly, holding her down. A final, ragged breath escaped her. She fell to the side, motionless.

The cavern fell silent. The pirate captain, once feared, lay on the cold stone as a small, lifeless form.

“She’s gone!” screamed a Gaugau. “The captain has been defeated!”

Chaos erupted. Robots spun wildly, crashing into walls as they fled. The remaining monsters scrambled for the exits, desperate to avoid becoming Jones’ next victims.

Wario stood alone in the centre of the chaos, his blood pressure skyrocketing. He glared first at Syrup’s body, then at the Ethereal Star clutched in Jones’ fin. Finally his gaze fell upon the battered Toadettes. One of them vanished in a puff of red vapour. The other groaned, barely conscious. He could crush her now; he only needed one of them alive to find Peach’s star. But Toad had fully recovered, and with Jones able to fight alongside him…

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A distinct chime echoed from afar. Every Mushroom Kingdom citizen knew what it meant. Wario’s head snapped towards it.

“I know they aren’t…” His ears twitched at another chime. “The Defence Force is coming to this pathetic island?”

“Won’t be too pleased to see me now, will they?” Jones chuckled.

Wario growled. I’m still on probation! If those ‘shrooms see me outside of Diamond City, they might actually lock me up! I can’t just deal with them in one fell swoop! Damn it all!

“Wario…”

Wario turned. Limping into the cavern came his squad. 13-Amp hovered a few inches off the ground, careful to not let her twisted foot touch it. 9-Volt was being carried by 18-Volt. Penny trailed behind, looking terrified and clutching her empty bag.

“Look at you!” Wario roared, pointing at the Volts. “You brought an entire city to its knees, and now you go and get yourself destroyed by two mushrooms and a fish!” His glare locked on Penny. “And you—you make me sick! Why’d your mother pump you out if you can’t handle one simple job, you waste of life?”

“But… We tried,” Penny stammered. “They’re just stronger…”

“I don’t wanna hear…” Wario’s eye twitched. “9-Volt! The radar! Your pants are completely soaked!”

“Yeah, I think the radar’s kinda waterlogged,” 9-Volt groaned. “Don’t think it’s completely broken, but the screen’s…”

“Zip it, midget! We’re heading back to Diamond City! The heat’s coming down!” He turned back to the nearly unconscious Toadette, then he finally locked eyes with Toad. “Congratulations, daddy’s boy. You chumps won this round. But the next time you cross the great Wario? Oh, you ain’t walking away.”

With a huff, Wario ran for the exit, forcing his crew to follow. Before leaving, Penny looked back at the heroes.

Penelope waved at her. “Thank you, miss,” she whispered.

Penny nodded. She disappeared into the darkness with the rest. As soon as the footsteps faded, the tension released.

Toadette let out a long, shuddering breath before crying out louder than ever. The knife wound on her back—previously split between two forms—became a singular, searing point of agony. She could barely draw in oxygen as she trembled. Her vision went in and out rapidly.

“Here, Toadette!” Toad slid to his knees beside her. “Don’t die on me. We got another Life Shroom for you.”

“Thank the stars they grabbed so many of these things,” Minh groaned. She wiped blood from her previously bleeding neck. “Let’s try and conserve them later on if we can.”

“Agreed.” Toad lifted Toadette’s head and pressed the mushroom to her lips. “C’mon…”

Just as she felt her lights about to go out, Toadette managed a weak bite. Piece by piece, she swallowed the Life Shroom. After the last bite, she gasped, her eyes snapping open.

She sat up, then looked at the space where her clone had been.

“Aw… I was finally getting the hang of it at the end there.”

“You were amazing,” Toad said. He pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face into her neck. “Seriously.”

“You both were incredible out there,” Minh laughed.

Penelope’s knees were shaking. She looked at Captain Syrup’s corpse one last time. It no longer terrified her. It was just an object.

It’s over, she thought, finally crying tears of joy. It’s actually over.

“Minh-Minh,” Jasmin called out, her voice quiet. The group looked at her. “Can we get the other kids now? You know, bring them back home?”

“Bring them back?” Minh asked. “That sounds…”

“I can promise you that Penelope is not leaving until we’ve done that.” She nudged Penelope’s shoulder. “Am I wrong?”

Penelope looked down, smiling bashfully. “I mean, I didn’t want to sound so crazy with my request. But…”

“Of course,” Toadette said, hopping to her feet. “Hey, if the Defence Force is already on their way, that’ll make things way easier, right?”

“Girl, explaining to them how we had to kill Syrup, who magically went from her thirties to around ten?” Toad shook his head, a smirk still on his face. “Not my first rodeo with weird explanations. Leave it to me.”

“There’s just one little thing we gotta deal with,” Minh said. She pointed to the glowing Ethereal Star in Jones’ possession.

Jones’ body bulged as he panted, reverting to his blue state. He kept a tight eye on the star. This one item was what had allowed Syrup to obtain such a power boost that he couldn’t dare challenge her alone. A truly dangerous weapon, perhaps even better cast out to the sea. Toadette felt her nerves stiffen as she saw him take a step away from her.

“Piracy may infest these waters still after today,” he said, his back turned to her. “But they shall remain far cleaner so long as this cursed object is nowhere near.”

He tossed it in her direction. Toadette nearly collapsed upon catching it.

“Whoa… This thing weighs a ton compared to its sisters,” she groaned, her face turning red as she thrust it up.

“So we’ve got ones that vary in build?” Toad asked. “I see. That’s how she kept getting stronger from it. Is it completely drained?”

“Unfortunately…” Toadette’s palms didn’t so much as tingle. “If Wario got the rest of its energy, then…”

“You see how we just handled Syrup, Toadette?” Minh wrapped her arm around Toadette’s shoulder, pushing their cheeks together. “Wario should be the one scared of us now."

Toadette nodded. At least I hope so. Doesn't hurt to have some hope.

***

The Mushroom Kingdom Defence Force arrived at Full Moon Island minutes later. Toad explained the situation; his experience with this faction made things easier. The MKDF couldn’t pursue Wario without concrete evidence he’d left Diamond City’s territory, but they immediately mobilised to help the children kidnapped on Kitchen Island.

Within the hour, multiple rescue boats departed for the island, their mission clear: bring every child to a safe harbour and work to reunite them with their families.

One child, however, rode the Poseidon Fin with Jones and his crew. Twinsy Tropics emerged on the horizon as moonlight shone on waves.

Almara was at home, fluffing her mattress after another long day of repairing the island; Syrup’s last raid had left its mark. She moved wearily, letting out a sigh. She wondered if Toadette and the others had survived. Or did Syrup claim more victims?

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. She tightened the mask on her face and opened it.

“Toadette?”

“I live,” Toadette said softly. “Mind if we crash here tonight? We’re a mess.”

“Of course, of course!” Almara rushed to say. “Come in.”

“Before we do, I have news.” Toadette put her hands behind her back. “You won’t have to worry about the Black Sugar Gang ever again.”

Even with her eyes hidden behind the mask, Almara’s shock was palpable.

“Syrup is dead,” Toadette said. “Fortunately not everyone who was with her has died.”

She stepped aside. Almara gasped.

“Hi, Mama—”

“My baby!” Almara wrapped Terro up in a crushing hug. He let out a groan, choking as his mother’s embrace tightened. “I thought she’d long thrown you to the sea! What did she do to you? Are you okay? Have you eaten anything? How—”

“I…missed…you…too…” he managed to squeak out.

Toadette snickered, beaming from ear to ear.

“I’m just so glad you’re back!” Almara whispered, finally loosening her grip enough to look at him properly. She cupped his face, then pulled him close again. “Come in, everybody. Don’t let the night take you.”

Toad was the second to step in. “Yeah, thanks for the prayers,” he said. He glanced at her dusty feet. “Think they might’ve actually worked.”

Almara let out a genuine laugh.

After letting them wash away the grime and blood, Almara offered them her wide bed. It was cramped with seven participants, but nobody complained. After everything they had endured, closeness was a comfort.

In the centre, Toad lay on his back with one arm tucked behind his head. Toadette rested beside him, her head on his shoulder, while Minh was on Toadette’s other side, their hands touching. At the foot of the mattress, Penelope had found her own safe little haven; she was curled up in the warm space between Toad’s and Toadette’s feet, willingly breathing in the scent of her guardians. Jasmin curled up beside her, her arm draped over the younger girl. Nearby, Terro settled breathing in the rich, earthy scent of dust and warmth from his mother’s soles—a comforting, homely aroma he had feared he’d never know again.

“You all have my eternal thanks,” Almara said. “To think nobody could beat Syrup beforehand…”

“The moment Toadette steps into your life, it’s not going to go the way you’d expect,” Minh sighed. “Surprises around every corner.”

“That’s an understatement,” Toad said.

“Well thank you, Toadette.” Almara ran a hand over Toadette’s cap.

“Maybe I am cursed with chaos,” Toadette giggled. “But without these three at our feet? We would’ve never stopped Syrup.”

“I… I love you, Miss Toadette… Captain Toad… Miss Minh T…” Penelope mumbled, dozing off into slumber. Jasmin simply pushed Minh’s foot tighter against her body. Terro let his mother’s foot rest on his mask as he shut his eyes.

The moonlight streamed through the window, bathing them all in a soft silver. Outside, the waves kissed the shoreline.

For the first time in days, everybody slept peacefully.

----------

Author’s Note:
You’re smiling, aren’t you? We’ve still got to get Toadsworth next week, but the adventure for the fourth Ethereal Star has concluded. The heroes and villains are now equal. Where shall we head next? Soon we’ll learn. Now, in my life, recently I ate a lot of baked macaroni and cheese for this Thanksgiving. That was delicious.