Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 102 - Chaos in the Kingdom: Act II

Minh screamed until her voice was raw.

She had gathered with others in the bloodied Toad Town to watch the news unfold on a TV in the library. As if the attacks on the princess’ castle and Block Fort weren’t chilling enough, there were now several explosions throughout Poshley Heights. The most horrifying sight of all was that of a plane ramming through Pikari Middle School before creating a fireball.

She dropped to her knees, hyperventilating. “Someone save us! They’re killing everyone!”

“That wasn’t an accident, that’s for sure,” Russ T. said, eyes glued to the screen. “The likelihood of this being a Bowser plot is slim, though.”

Minh buried her face. She knew exactly who had to be behind this. The fact that it was so similar to the last attack on the Mushroom Kingdom couldn’t be a coincidence.

“My cousin goes there,” she sobbed. “What if she was in that blast?”

***

The school’s foundations shook, sending a storm of marble and papers swirling into the afternoon sky. The dusty air, filled with toxic jet fuel, burnt Jasmin’s throat as she stirred.

She had no idea how much time had passed. Her glasses were split in two and covered in blood. Slowly she touched her forehead, yelping at the pain from her open wound. She could hear some of the screams of her classmates—some abruptly cut short, others fading into choked gasps.

Aimlessly she crawled away from the jagged hole in the building’s side where icy daylight entered. In the span of a second, the cafeteria transformed from a place where kids got bad pizza to a deathtrap. The flames danced among the motionless bodies, the image threatening to unleash Jasmin’s suppressed emotions.

Drew was gone. His formerly smug face was torn to the wind.

Then she saw Rachel.

A piece of the plane’s wing had her trapped between it and a table. A strip of flesh had been ripped off her stomach. Ignoring the sharp glass that sliced her hands, Jasmin crawled towards her.

“I’m fine, Jazz,” Rachel panted, choking on the dust. “Get out of here. Get help.”

Jasmin shook her head. She grabbed the burning wing and heaved. It wouldn’t budge.

“Fuck…” She bit her already bleeding lip. Her muscles trembled, and soon she was falling to her knees, the heat of the floor searing through her legs. Between the impossible weight of the wing and the suffocating smoke filling her lungs, she began to lose more than hope. “I hate myself!”

If she let the smoke take her right then and there, perhaps everything would be easy.

“Jasmin.”

The voice was deep, calm and familiar. Too familiar. Jasmin’s eyes shot open. She looked around frantically. The world remained a hellscape.

Yet through a shimmering wall of flames and fumes, she saw him. Her father. He had a gentle look on his face.

“Dad?” Jasmin’s throat tightened.

“I don’t remember raising a quitter, Jazz,” his voice echoed. “You’re my daughter. You can get out of here, and you know it.”

“Sofi’s your better daughter. She’s the perfect one, remember?” Her breathing intensified as words spilt from her lips. “I’m just the useless one who got you guys… I’m so sorry, Dad!”

“Don’t give up, my daughter.” This new voice was softer. Jasmin turned slightly to see her mother kneeling beside her amongst the rubble. She was smiling.

“We don’t need you to be Sofi. You’re your own person. Your strength was never in being perfect.” She gestured towards Rachel. “You can both escape. Everyone’s waiting for you, honey. Sofi. Minh-Minh…”

“I can’t…” Jasmin shut her eyes, gritting her teeth. “I…”

But something changed. A roar escaped her lungs. With a mighty heave, the metal creaked. It shifted a few centimetres, then a dozen. It was just enough to loosen Rachel’s body from the trap.

“I got you!” Jasmin grunted, her muscles screaming in agony. She locked her arms under Rachel’s shoulders and pulled. The girl came free. She was limp, unable to walk, but she was free. As the floor beneath them threatened to collapse, Jasmin held her close. “We’re going home.”

“Jazz… I’m sorry…”

“Shut up! Stop talking like you’re dying!” Jasmin put Rachel’s arm around her shoulder, slowly inching towards the emergency staircase. Unlike the smoke-filled cafeteria, this part of the building remained intact. Jasmin gulped. “At least the fire alarms aren’t blaring, I guess.”

“They never shut… The alarms still scare me,” Rachel chuckled, coughing up blood.

“Same…” Jasmin took a deep breath. “If only I’d just said I’d rather eat your ass, we wouldn’t have been in the path of this thing…”

“Nah… This thing probably went through the whole building.”

Jasmin turned a corner. “To be honest, I didn’t mind it that much. I… I kinda liked tasting you.”

“Oh, so now you wanna confess it? Well you did it like a pro, Jazz.” Rachel gritted her teeth, crying as her leg scraped against a burning piece of debris. “None of my other friends dared to, so you’re the toughest of them by far…”

I’m her friend?

They stumbled out of the destroyed building, gasping for fresh air the moment it hit.

“Man, I never loved…the cold so much before… Jazz… Thanks a bunch, Jazz…” Rachel’s lip trembled, her legs buckling beneath her.

Jasmin shrieked, trying to lift Rachel back up, but the athlete only slumped over further. Eventually Jasmin froze. She set her hands on Rachel’s chest before moving to her neck.

“Rachel? Are you listening to me?”

But Rachel remained motionless.

Jasmin’s eye twitched. Instead of screaming, she grabbed Rachel tightly by the chest. She ignored the pain in her scraped legs and pulled Rachel forward one step at a time until they were both on the school’s lawn. Through the blur of tears and blood, she could make out the flashing lights of the emergency services, their sirens piercing her eardrums.

Her legs gave out. She collapsed onto the grass beside Rachel.

“We’re going… We’re gonna go home, Rachel… Okay?”

***

“We’re going home, DT!” T. Ana’s voice was strained, her grip on her son’s hand tight as they pounded the pavement. “Nowhere is safe right now!”

To Dane T., the attack had been surreal. He’d seen on the school’s TV the reports of a plane crashing into Pikari Middle School, of Block Fort under siege in his own city. But a screen was nothing like this. The smoke, the broken storefronts, the flaming cars—it was a hellscape that made his young mind reel. Compared to the Star Festival, the scope of this attack went above and beyond.

He and T. Ana were just two among millions scrambling for safety as police sirens blared past them. The cold wind tore at T. Ana’s throat as she panted. “I pray TT wasn’t anywhere near that blast at the castle!”

The words barely left her lips when an unseen force slammed into them. They stumbled onto the asphalt. T. Ana instinctively shielded Dane with her body, twisting to see their assailant.

A few metres away stood a girl in dark clothing, her hand still extended. It was the violet bandana tied around her head that made T. Ana’s blood chill. That bandana—the symbol of the attackers.

“You bastards,” T. Ana spat, scrambling to her feet. “My daughter’s probably dead because of you!”

“Excuse me?” the girl asked, slight confusion in her voice. “Can’t remember killing anyone around here…”

“Toadette! Pink cap, glasses! She’d better still be alive, you hear me?”

The girl’s calm façade finally broke. She grimaced. “That girl. She and her friends cut me in half.”

She brandished her katana. At the sight of the shiny steel, a silent scream went up Dane’s throat. He tugged frantically at his mother’s arm, but only a whispery croak escaped his lips.

Kat closed the distance. She drew her sword back. Acting on pure instinct, Dane lashed out, his foot connecting solidly with the side of her head. The impact sent a shock through her neck. For a split second, Dane’s move had worked. Yet it only served to fuel Kat’s rage. Snarling, she slammed the butt of her katana into his chest. He grunted but held his ground. He swept her off her feet in a spin.

“You really are Toadette’s brother,” Kat said. “Meaning you’re gonna be trouble too.”

She delivered a chop to Dane’s neck before roundhouse-kicking him to the ground. Her power more than doubled his, leaving him stunned.

“Say something. Cat got your tongue?”

Dane lifted his middle finger, mouthing, “Fuck you.”

“No one in this family was raised with manners!” She leapt into the air with her katana held high. “Sorry, 13. But this no-kill rule is getting one exception!”

T. Ana screamed and threw herself over Dane, bracing for the agony of the slice. The blade descended like a guillotine…only to cut through empty air.

Kat stumbled, looking up to see a familiar face.

Floating down with the aid of a Cape Feather was Captain Toad. He set a panicked T. Ana and Dane T. on the pavement a safe distance away before turning to face Kat.

“Damn,” he growled, adjusting his backpack. “How’d you clowns even get here with all this security?”

“You!” T. Ana pointed a shaky finger right at him. “You’re that disrespectful delinquent who was hanging with TT!”

Toad shot her an exasperated look but, seeing her fear, simply gave a nod.

“Is she still alive?” T. Ana asked.

“Knowing Toadette? I’m gonna say yes.”

“You don’t know?”

“No, lady, I do not,” Toad said firmly, his eyes never leaving Kat. “You and Dane T. need to get out of here. Go! Move your asses!”

He didn’t need to tell her twice. T. Ana nodded and scrambled away with Dane in tow. Kat watched their retreat, her smirk returning under the mask.

“They’re not gonna get far,” she promised. “After I’m finished with you, I’ll send Toadette a sweet-as-cake present.”

“Think that scares me?” Toad scoffed, his muscles tensing. “You’re not fighting the same Toad you fought before. Show me everything you’ve got.”

“Powered up, huh?” Kat stretched her hands. “Awesome. Means I get to have way more fun breaking you.”

Toad abandoned his Cape Feather, opting for the chilly embrace of the Ice Flower. Frost coursed through him as he focused his energy. In an instant, he hurled an ice ball with all his might, sending it spiralling through the air like a curveball.

Kat prepared to dodge, but before she could, Toad vanished. He collided with her from behind, propelling her directly into the ice ball’s path. It burst against her ribs with the force of a bowling ball. She gasped.

“Okay… You weren’t lying,” she huffed, springing back to her feet. “But it’s still not enough!”

“Then let me fix that.” Toad conjured a larger ice ball before launching it. Kat threw herself to the ground and aimed her katana at his legs. But he executed a flawless backflip, easily missing the tip of her sword.

Fully unleashed, Kat’s speed skyrocketed. It surpassed her previous performance in the forest. She soared into the air, Toad hot on her heels, both fighters now exchanging rapid blows and slices. In the chaos, Kat marvelled at Toad’s newfound power. How was he jumping as high as she? Before she could analyse further, he delivered an axe kick that sent her crashing into the burning road.

Kat gritted her teeth. Her head snapped towards the far end of the street, catching sight of T. Ana and Dane disappearing down the stairs into the subway.

“No, you’re not getting away!” She pushed Toad down with a force wave. It was all the time she needed to bolt to the subway entrance.

“Wait!” Toad blasted the ground. A trail of ice instantly formed in front of him, and he skated down it without a hint of friction. He was gaining ground, but she had already reached the golden train as it began to pull away from the platform.

Inside, T. Ana collapsed into a seat, breathing a sigh of relief. Said relief was shattered by the piercing screech of metal from above. A childish giggle overpowered the passengers’ screams as the train’s roof began to tear open.

Kat jammed her katana into the groove she had made and heaved. Just as the metal began to pop, an ice ball exploded against her back.

Toad was grinding along the tracks themselves, coating them in frost as he went. Using his momentum, he vaulted onto the moving train and landed a solid punch on Kat’s jaw. The weakened roof collapsed completely. Both fighters plunged into the car, with Kat managing to land a powerful kick on Toad during their descent.

Wasting no time, she aimed at T. Ana’s throat. “Sayonara!”

But Toad was one step ahead, snatching a hefty business suitcase and hurling it into the path of the blade. The sword bit into the luggage, stopping just centimetres from T. Ana’s trembling neck. Toad then slammed Kat against the wall, delivering blow after blow before drawing back a fist encased in frost. The final punch landed with the sickening crunch of splintering crystal—a sound that provoked a groan from the crowd.

Gasping, Kat thrust her palm forward for another force push. The blast hit Toad, but this time he had the ice anchor his boots to the floor. Seeing Kat’s worry, he smirked.

He threw her out the open hole in the train. She smacked against the tunnel ceiling before tumbling out onto the platform. Before she could process the impact, he was on her again, slamming her into a turnstile. The fight travelled back up to the streets, and the two of them emerged into a less populated district. The air was thick with the smell of smoke from the burning buildings.

Kat could only whimper as she watched him approach, clutching a bloodied hand.

“You’re under arrest,” Toad stated, his voice losing its usual arrogance. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. “Tell us everything you know about Wario’s plans, and the High Court might show you some leniency, kid.”

“Dumbass ninja!” a voice cried out.

Toad’s head whipped towards the sound. Three figures stepped from the dark alleyway. Their faces were hidden behind black masks, but the purple bandanas were unmistakable.

“I tell you innocents are off the table, and you decide to ice one anyway,” 13-Amp growled.

“Her kid cut me and Ana open!” Kat retorted.

“And you’d jeopardise the whole operation for some petty payback?” She didn’t wait for an answer. Her hand swung out, and Kat crumpled instantly.

Toad almost laughed. After all of this destruction, he was supposed to believe this crew gave a damn about innocent lives?

A cocky grin stretched across his face. “Well, well. Looks like you saved me trouble of rounding up four of Wario’s finest. Good job.” He cracked his knuckles. “This can go easy or hard. Your call.”

9-Volt scoffed. “You couldn’t even get past my boss battle. You think you can handle three of us at once?”

“Why don’t you find out?” Toad dropped into a fighting stance. “And for the record, the Ethereal Stars aren’t here, and they sure as hell aren’t in Toad Town. Sucks, huh?”

18-Volt chuckled, folding his beefy arms. “And that’s why, while you’re out here playing hero, we already got a squad hitting Decalburg.”

Toad’s eyes widened. “What?” He reached for his phone. The device was barely out his pocket before 13-Amp launched it a block away with a simple flick.

“Yeah, you ain’t gonna be needing that, ‘kay?” She stared at him for a second before giggling. “You mad?

A roar erupted from Toad as he summoned his ice powers. Just like with Kat, he threw out punch after punch at 13-Amp. But unlike with Kat, 13-Amp didn’t merely dodge the attacks. She blocked them like a wall. By the tenth strike, Toad’s lungs were burning, and the frost was disappearing. Frustration boiling over, he encased his entire arm in a thick gauntlet of ice and swung with all his might.

She sidestepped the punch and drove her knee into his gut. Air escaped Toad’s lungs.

“That’s it?” he choked out. He desperately formed one last ball of ice and hurled it.

In response, 13-Amp threw her head back and bellowed. A raw, melodic wave of pink energy vibrated the air and shattered his projectile into diamond dust. Just a simple scream… Toad gulped.

New plan. His hand darted to his belt, closing around his pickaxe. With a battle cry, he swung it towards 13-Amp.

Before it could connect, 9-Volt was there. “Nice try,” he giggled, jabbing the tip of a Wii Remote into Toad’s arm. A jolt of electricity locked up every muscle in Toad’s body.

While his body convulsed, the ground trembled. 18-Volt slammed into Toad’s paralysed form like a human battering ram. The pickaxe flew from his fingers as he was launched off his feet. He hit the adjacent building with a sharp crunch.

“Game over, little man,” 18-Volt cackled, grabbing Toad by his cap and flinging him into the sky. Toad’s scream was cut short as 9-Volt leapt to meet him at the top, delivering a stomp that sent him spiralling back down to the pavement.

Toad coughed. With the last remnants of his strength, he ran at 13-Amp.

“No, no, no,” she purred, puckering her lips and wagging her finger. “Don’t be a dummy.”

“Don’t you mock me!” Toad yelled.

13-Amp vanished in a blur of black and purple. As Toad stumbled past her, her leg flew out. A fiery sensation shot up Toad’s right leg. He collapsed onto all fours, a choked groan escaping him. Left with no options, he tried to crawl away.

He didn’t get far. A sneaker stepped lightly onto his outstretched right foot, pinning it to the ground. He twisted his head, pupils small with terror as he looked up at 13-Amp. She slowly lifted her foot.

Then it dropped.

This wasn’t a normal stomp but a grinding, twisting crush by her heel. The crackling of tiny bones drowned out Toad’s agonising scream. His foot twisted painfully to the side, and his frantic thrashing came to an end, replaced by shuddery, tear-soaked whimpers. 13-Amp dusted off her hands.

“Pathetic. Really. How the rich bimbo couldn’t finish you off in that volcano, I have no idea.” She glanced back at her crew, where 18-Volt now cradled Kat’s unconscious body. “A’ight. Let’s bounce, y’all!”

Toad was left writhing on the cracked pavement. The stinging in his foot and knee felt like being dipped in lava. While still able to think, he focused on the safety of his men. He thought of Peach and Penelope in that castle, potentially suffering from the explosion. He then thought of Toadette, seeing her scream in agony from the blast, potentially even…

“Toadette… I…” He let out a small whimper before shutting his eyes completely.

***

“Yes, I’m strong enough to carry that thing,” Toadette huffed over the phone. “Didn’t you see how strong I was when you were drinking my foot sweat? Hints, when I get there, you’d better not give me a reason to chew your head off!”

The Super Leaf wasn’t as beneficial as Toadette needed it to be. She managed only brief glides that kept her just within sight of the bad guys’ dust trails. Each landing was like hell on her lungs. The empty road to Decalburg was a blessing, but her repeated need to sprint and take off was torture.

There has to be a better way of getting there, she thought, gasping. Feet and tails are no substitute for engines and wheels.

She then spotted someone flying ahead of her.

“Hey! Over here!” She waved to the Lakitu carrying its camera. “Kingdom emergency! I’m gonna need your cloud!”

“A passenger? Sorry, miss, but you’d only slow me down.”

“If I don’t get over there, we’re gonna have more problems than a smoky castle!” Her voice faded as she dropped. “I’ll pay you! I’ll flash you! I’ll blow you! I will blow you!”

“Now that you mention it…”

The Lakitu went under Toadette, allowing her to sink into its soft mass. Although the sudden dip startled her, the cloud held and immediately picked up speed. This was a godsend compared to the struggles with the Super Leaf.

“Thank you. To Decalburg.” Toadette then reached for the Lakitu’s crotch.

“Hey, hey!” He smacked her with his camera. “Our kingdom’s at risk, right?”

“Oh, right.” Toadette chuckled nervously, relieved she wouldn’t be tasting Lakitu sperm.

Behind her echoed a high-pitched whine that matched the anger boiling in Mona. She pushed her motorbike to its limits, her veins bulging.

“Damn it!” Mona let out a monstrous growl. “Right under our noses!”

“Perhaps 13-Amp should’ve been on this, then?” Sofia suggested, riding on her side.

“Zip it, you glorified vegetable!”

Mona slammed on the brakes, the bike skidding to a halt before the building they’d once ignored. Decalburg’s small streets suddenly felt like a cage. The tight alleys and roads offered nowhere good to hide. Their only way out was storming the Treasure Seal and making a dash for the airport.

Hints and Bank, wearing light armour under their uniforms, stiffened. Mona was already moving, whipping a razor-edged boomerang from her belt.

“Don’t be heroes, sporeheads,” she said, maintaining what little calm she had.

The Toads took a double-take at her boomerang. They shared a nervous laugh, with Bank nearly doubling over.

“You’ve no idea whom you’re facing,” Hints said, adjusting his glasses before holding up his pickaxe.

“Oh, it’s gonna be fun giving you your just—” Bank’s pickaxe hit the concrete, followed by that of his comrade’s.

The boomerang hummed through the air as it travelled in a sharp arc, slicing through the guards’ windpipes with a wet rip. It took another trip, this time grazing their chests. Mona grabbed her returning weapon with a smile, watching in awe as the guards collapsed into gurgling spasms.

Penny gasped behind her, recoiling. Mona didn’t even turn.

“We really gotta work on you, Penny,” she said, wiping some blood from her boomerang onto her suit. “You’re a chemistry geek. You should be giddy to analyse mushroom blood from the streets.”

“Mona! The door!” Cricket’s warning came a second too late.

The glass doors of the Treasure Seal shattered outward as a small sphere bounced across the pavement. It pulsed once before erupting. Rapidly flashing lights and a high-pitched whine filled the entire area. Sofia was already on the ground, but the others cried out and clawed at their eyes as their vision turned into a blinding strobe storm.

“I can’t see!” Penny yelled.

“Someone’s coming!” Ana spun towards the building, groaning.

“Right there!” Cricket confirmed.

“Damn it, my eyes! Quit flashing!” Mona screamed, ripping off her helmet and blinking furiously. Through the lingering haze, footsteps approached.

A figure emerged, one different from the guards they’d just dealt with. This Toad was encased in heavy yellow armour from head to toe. He held up five sets of iron handcuffs.

“The game’s up,” he announced. “Yellow of the Toad Brigade. You’re under arrest for murder, attempted murder, destruction of property and everything else in the book!”

“Attempted?” Mona let out a snort. “I guess we didn’t succeed in exterminating all you truffles. But jeez, way to make it sound less impressive.”

Yellow smirked. “How ‘bout I disappoint you further? That castle bomb didn’t kill a single person; it just warped the damn floor.”

Mona’s smile vanished. “I really don’t like liars.”

“Not one of you knows a thing about science. All you know is how to drive a motorcycle like a lunatic.”

Mona stammered, shaking her head repeatedly. Then her head snapped towards Penny, whose face went pale as a Boo. The look in Mona’s eyes was bone-chilling, but her attention whipped back to Yellow in an instant, her shock turning back into rage.

“Wanna be next on my pest control list, fungus? My quota isn’t quite met.”

Yellow didn’t reply. He pretended to glance back at the building and, as Mona followed his gaze, he struck. A piston-like fist slammed into her gut. She doubled over, vomit leaving her mouth.

Before Ana could summon a shuriken, Yellow yanked her by the pigtails, smashing her head against a metal lamppost. Cricket charged in with a soaring kick that struck Yellow in the chest. He continued with a flurry of punches and kicks, each blows landing but hardly fazing the armoured Toad. Yellow retailed with a headbutt that sent Cricket reeling.

“Impossible!” For as many moves as Cricket threw out, Yellow shrugged them all off.

Sofia watched the chaos from afar. Idiots. All of them. They’d fallen for a simple blinding bomb attack and were now being done in by a single man. As Yellow caught a glimpse of her, she simply placed a hand on her hip.

He grimaced. “Poor, innocent people died because of you assholes!” He then charged at her with a fist.

Sofia didn’t flinch. At the last second, she sidestepped the charge. She then seized Yellow by the throat. Using his own momentum against him, she pivoted and forced him face-first into the dented lamppost. Before he could react, her boot was on the back of his neck, grinding him into the cobblestones.

“Like, don’t make me hit you for real,” she said, her modulated voice almost bored. “You don’t wanna end up like your boys there.”

A choked groan was Yellow’s only reply, his face purpling as she applied more pressure. He scratched desperately at her leg. She lifted her boot for a moment before bringing it down. A heavy crunch echoed as his chest shattered, shards of the armour digging into his spine.

Scoffing, Sofia stepped off him and strode towards the Treasure Seal.

The chaos outside was a stark contrast to the quiet within. The layout was familiar: a high-security storage area not unlike a bank. Humming lights bleached the corridors in whites. At the end of the long stretch stood the vault. Full of steel, dials and keypads, it was as tightly secured as the one in Peach’s castle. Perhaps a standard in these parts of the kingdom?

But one punch was all it took. Her fist slammed into the locking mechanism, and the vault ripped free of its hinges.

There, resting on a velvet-lined pedestal, were the two Ethereal Stars: the orange star from Rose Town’s forest and the yellow one from Neon Heights. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She reached for the yellow star, its warmth already radiating against her skin.

Then came a scream.

Sofia didn’t even turn; her arm snapped back, and she caught the solid weapon. When she finally turned, she yanked the hammer from its wielder’s grasp.

“Thought you were done with me?” Toadette spat, trembling. “You think I’d just let you freaks walk away with those? My family’s in the city you monsters are destroying!”

Sofia smiled under her mask. “If the bitch is still drinking, death was coming for her one way or another.”

Toadette’s eyes widened. “How do you—”

Sofia’s swing of the hammer cut her off. Toadette, on reaction, clasped the end of the hammer and regained it. It retracted into its handle, ending up in her pocket. To win against this girl, she’d need speed, not raw strength.

Their fight resumed. Sofia seized Toadette’s arm, ready to slam her against the shelves, but the younger girl thought ahead. She sank her teeth into Sofia’s forearm. A sharp hiss of pain escaped Sofia’s lips. She punted one of Toadette’s legs, forcing them both to take a step back. Then she saw the blood on her own suit. Her own blood drawn by this animal…

With a guttural roar, she grabbed Toadette by the cap and swung her into a wall. The moment to snatch the stars was now. Sofia swept them into a satchel, escorting them out with a single hand. Her other hand was used to choke Toadette and deliver her outside, where more pain could be administered.

“You do not deserve a quick death.” Sofia hurled Toadette through the front doors. Toadette moaned, every breath a struggle.

Before she could even try to stand, two small feet dropkicked her in the back.

“That’s for my nose!” Ana shrieked, beginning to stomp in a furious tantrum. “I still can’t smell flowers right because of you!”

Just as Ana’s assault paused, a hand whisked Toadette into the air. Her breath froze. She recognised the vibrant yellow-orange hair and the predatory grin. The girl from the volcano…

“Missed me?” Mona cooed, her voice uncomfortably sweet. Then, without warning, the tip of her boot connected hard with Toadette’s groin. “How ‘bout another one?”

The second kick made Toadette stiffen. Three kicks. Four kicks. Each additional one tightened her muscles. Mona cackled, beginning to swing her by the braids like a merry-go-round. The world became a nauseating blur. With a final cry, she let go, releasing Toadette into the air.

For a split second Toadette saw Cricket. He delivered a perfect roundhouse kick that connected with her forehead.

“What you did to Mona and Ana wasn’t very nice,” he said, as if he were the wronged party. “We are family!”

No matter how pain flowed through Toadette, she had her anger to keep her going. She reached for her hammer, hearing rapid footsteps approaching. Closer… Closer…

Screaming, she spun in the air and gave all her strength for this ultimate swing. The hammer bore into Mona’s cheek with a wet crack. The wind left Mona’s lungs; she felt her mouth pooling with blood, and she frantically checked that she hadn’t lost a tooth. Toadette landed on her feet, pouting. Ana and Cricket remained locked onto her from the sides, and she knew the mysterious Toad girl could jump in at any moment.

The strangest to her was the girl with the glasses. Why wasn’t she fighting? If she had a special technique she was hiding…

Toadette was brought down too quickly to even consider attacking her. Cricket dodged each of her hammer strikes gracefully, pinning her on the ground while Ana locked her head in place with her boot-clad feet.

Ana performed a hand gesture. In an instant, Toadette felt two damp objects around her face.

“How does it feel?” Ana asked, her voice more menacing than in the forest. “Don’t they smell amazing? Huh?”

Toadette struggled. The smell of sweaty feet was the least concerning thing about the present scene. If this was the worst Ana could smell after a fight, then Toadette had little to worry about here. However, a much taller figure loomed over her now. Mona raised her leg, the white boot hovering high above Toadette’s face.

“Time to crush the sporehead,” she snarled. “Hasta la—”

“Strobe!” Toadette screeched, shutting her eyes tightly. “Strobe! Strobe! Strobe!”

The team was confused. Even Sofia paused.

“Gotcha!” A cloud hovered over them. The Lakitu cameraman dropped another metallic sphere. It bounced, hitting the cobblestones right between Toadette and her enemies.

“Not again!” Penny screamed, rushing to shield her eyes.

But it was too late. The sphere exploded in a dazzling supernova, pulling them back into the realm of bright lights and epileptic afterimages. Sofia’s nerves tightened. The only thing that guided her was their screaming, and yet she still ended up hitting a wall.

Through the chaos, one person moved with purpose. Toadette stuck her hand into Sofia’s satchel. Her fingers burnt as they closed around the Ethereal Star; the raw energy stung her to the bone. One was all she could manage. Clutching the orange star to her chest, she hotfooted it out of the blast radius.

“Come on,” she groaned, lifting Yellow to his feet. He cried out in pain, but she wouldn’t stop. “Move!”

“Just go without me, woman. If I’m going down, I’m going down like a—”

“You don’t talk back to your captain like that!” She caught proper glimpses of Bank and Hints, still bleeding profusely. “I need you guys to hang on as long as possible. Mister Cameraman!”

“You’re giving my cloud quite the workout.” The Lakitu helped load the three Toad Brigade members onto his cloud, finally ascending once Toadette was aboard. The five high into the air, escaping the growing lightshow. “That was awesome. I actually felt like I was in the action.”

“Not so awesome when you’re taking the punches,” Toadette panted, removing her layers and wrapping them around the others. She looked at her Ethereal Star. “Oh man…”

On the ground, Sofia growled. Of all people, Toadette managed to outsmart her. If only she could just rip her hair from her scalp. Yet focusing on that was trivial; the sound of sirens was distant but oncoming.

“Hey, we need to go!” she shouted, working through the flickering light. “Catch that plane now, or you’re gonna get caught!”

“What about you?” Penny asked. “Will you be okay?”

“Of course!”

“Our passports are back at the safehouse,” Cricket groaned. “Do we have enough time?”

“Ana, after you get to that house, use that ninjutsu stuff to teleport yourselves close to the airport.”

“What? But Sofia—”

“Don’t tell me it’s gonna drain you! It’s that or jail.” Sofia tossed her bag to Mona and began to sprint into the grassy outskirts of Decalburg.

***

“The Mushroom Kingdom will be suspending all travel across the entire kingdom within the next fifteen minutes,” a news anchor from Mushroom City reported. “All boats, all planes, all pipe networks will be shut down. That order comes from the princess.”

“Yo, hurry it up!” 13-Amp shouted, rushing through the airport terminal in her civilian clothes. “I ain’t staying in this town when they’ve got lunatics destroying shit!”

“Mom’s gonna go crazy if I get stuck here!” 9-Volt added, his smaller hand clutching the back of 13-Amp’s jacket.

The group of four was still subject to the extensive security protocols that citizens from Diamond City now required.

“You can’t go any faster?” 18-Volt complained, fidgeting. “Come on, dude. I got games to play.”

Anybody from Diamond City is gonna be sus after this… 13-Amp watched as an exhausted Kat was guided to a side-scanner, her backpack meticulously searched, every pocket turned inside out. The guard’s hands travelled up and down her for what felt like an eternity. 13-Amp’s palms grew sweaty. They couldn’t miss this flight. They just couldn’t.

Finally the guard nodded to Kat. “All clear.”

13-Amp didn’t let out a breath until they were through the gate and onto their plane. At last, they were safe. When the plane took off, she looked out her window, a confident smile spreading on her face. Block Fort’s structures stood like four lit candles.

With just four people, her team was able to cause more destruction to Mushroom City than any of the Scapellis.

In the southern mainland, Mona leaned back with her own contented smirk. It was as if she’d just left the cinema after the climax of an action-packed blockbuster.

The good guys had won; the bad guys had been thwarted. She pulled out a glossy fashion magazine from her bag, pretending to be engrossed as she listened to the panicked conversations ripple through the plane; most of the passengers were Toads.

“Did you hear about Block Fort?” a woman asked from the row ahead.

“They exploded a whole school over in Poshley Heights,” a man nearby countered, his voice trembling. “Not small, either. They say about nine hundred kids go there.”

Mona’s smirk twisted into a pout.

“And I bet the stupid school had more deaths than anything that happened here. Probably not even majority sporeheads. Gah!” She leaned closer to Penny, ensuring her voice was just loud enough. “What a totally deceptive role the bad-singing scientist played in this blockbuster, huh, Penny?”

Penny, who’d been staring blankly ahead, flinched. Her lips began to tremble as a tear raced down her face. Then another. She buried her face into her jacket, letting it absorb her sobbing gasps.

“I love you, okay?” Mona flipped a page. “But if you can’t help Wario or Diamond City, you’re more than just a little worthless.”

Back in the savaged Toad Town, Minh was returning to her shop. She had to breathe through her mouth, feeling too queasy from the scent of blood everywhere on the streets. She looked towards the castle, seeing the smoke having largely disappeared into the grey sky.

“Please be okay, everyone in there,” she prayed. She tightened her posture as she arrived at her place.

Repairing it in a day was out of the question with a Toadette-sized hole in the wall. Other debris had punched its way through the ground-floor walls as well. She sifted through the rubble and destroyed plants. It wasn’t until her hands were red and callused that she stopped, simply shivering on the floor.

“Minh-Minh?”

Minh looked back, startled. “Sofi?” She ran up to her, sighing. “What are you doing here?”

“In the area for a meeting involving my second job,” Sofia said softly. She looked at the destruction. “What happened?”

“Everything.” Minh’s sniffles increased. “The castle blew up, Mushroom City got another attack, Jazz’s school is on fire, this weird person nearly killed Toadette…”

Sofia paused. “Wait. Jazz’s school?”

“They just… They…” Minh imitated a plane flying with her hand. “Boom! Just right into the thing.”

Sofia was lost. She’d prevented Minh from getting hurt, and yet Jasmin was in the dead zone of one of the attacks. Her heart started to race. But she took a deep gulp, wrapping her arms around her cousin.

“This’ll be okay, Minh-Minh. I promise, it’ll all be okay soon.”

***

While some people in Diamond City reacted in horror to these events, there were others cheering in the streets.

Wario slammed a mug on the table. “Look at ‘em! Running around like headless chickens!” He pointed to the burning school in Poshley Heights. “Gotta admit, I didn’t expect our boys to actually go through with crashing the plane. The school wasn’t needed, but it’ll serve us much better than the bank.”

“One of those barrels still hit that bank. That’s all I needed.” Waluigi took a long sip. “Claiming it was a necessity to freeze my assets… I told them they’d regret the day, and look what has happened.”

One of the lawyers cleared his throat. “Sirs, with all due respect, the economic fallout from this is already happening. Which means your businesses are now losing coins. I hope I needn’t mention the legal fees once they put out a search for you.”

“Bah! You sound just like those other flat-foot morons after the whole Star Festival junk,” Wario sighed. “It’s all an investment, relax. I know business.”

“We spend a little fortune upfront in exchange for a massive return later,” Waluigi said.

“The world’s greatest return, you mean.” Wario watched as Peach spoke to the press. “You think this is all I’ve got, Peachy? Just you wait until I’ve got my hands on those Ethereal Stars. Then we’ll see who the kingdom bows to!”

He let out a triumphant cackle.

----------

Author’s Note:
This is the darkest we’ve gotten so far. I’ve never been so uncomfortable writing a chapter of Toadette’s Story as I have these last two. Which means I set the tone of discomfort I wanted.

But breathe, people, breathe. It is a tragedy what has taken place. But there are always rainbows after rain. You’ll see the aftermath.