Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 86 - Trampling the Convention

At last they had arrived. The Great Geek Convention. One wouldn’t suspect that a tall building would be the ideal location for any convention, but considering how packed other Neon Heights buildings could be, there likely wasn’t any choice. Either way, Penelope couldn’t care less how tall the building was. Just that she was at her target destination.

Jasmin too, for that matter.

The girls reached their first squabble once deciding on which areas to go to first. Would they begin with the comic-focused stuff Jasmin cared for? Or would they start with the gaming-focused stuff that entertained Penelope.

“I suppose we can either take turns visiting the booths we want, or we can split up and regroup in about an hour,” Penelope suggested.

“Um…” Jasmin glanced around, especially at the adults wandering by themselves. “Let’s start with what you want to see.”

“I wanna see if I can try out a Wii U.” Penelope merrily skipped as she held Jasmin’s sweaty hand.

This girl is way too happy.

Just like her older cousin, Jasmin found it a breeze to walk around in sandals. Sure, her feet would begin to ache as the day wore on, a weakness that Minh didn’t share. However, when she was comfortable, she had no trouble running about with her toes exposed. If there wasn’t a need to appear somewhat presentable, she would’ve happily gone barefoot at this convention, allowing the tiled floor to suck the moisture from her brown feet.

At the same time, she knew all too well the horror stories of nerds walking around and not having showered for aeons. It hit a bit too close to home for her, but at least she’d never gone weeks without bathing, unlike the dreaded sweaty gamer.

Just like in the club, even if my feet stink, nobody’s going to notice.

“You’re thinking aloud. You think your feet stink?” Penelope giggled.

“Zip it,” Jasmin groaned. “I get teased enough about this at home.”

Penelope stopped to remove her boots one by one. Jasmin cocked her head, wondering if this was another way for Penelope to make fun of her odour. But all the human child did was toss the boots in her bag and begin wandering barefoot.

“The temperature’s toasty,” she noted, stepping onto a rug. “Take yours off.”

“I’m not trying to look completely poor out here,” Jasmin snapped. But the more people surrounded them, the more pressure she felt. Perhaps it was illegal to bring a weapon into this place, but shoes were allowed for defence, right? It was then that she removed her cream-coloured sandals, letting her feet touch the cool tile before stepping onto the carpet.

“Better?” Penelope asked.

“Barely.” Jasmin went to pocket her sandals. Before she could, however, somebody grabbed the left one. “Hey!”

“You’re exaggerating about how bad they smell,” the royal declared. She took a whiff of the heel area.

Immediately her eyes bulged. She sheepishly set the sandal back in Jasmin’s hands before spinning in the opposite direction.

“Idiota,” Jasmin scoffed.

“Still not as bad as Miss Toadette’s stink. But… Jeez!”

Jasmin walked past Penelope, pointing to a large object. “Now, I see a certain pink blob that both you and I might want to snap a pic with.”

Penelope squinted, but when she saw what she saw, she went running at full speed.

“Kirby, Kirby, Kirby!”

“Hey, you can’t just cut in front of everyone like you’re royalty!” With a single yank, Jasmin snapped Penelope’s neck, forcing her to the back of the line. “And after the club incident, how about we try not to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves?”

Hmph! If I were Mother, I’d be able to spit in these rules’ faces.

Penelope nodded in defeat. At least while she stood in the line, she could continue to marvel at Jasmin’s feet. Not only was Jasmin one of the few girls her age she’d been able to interact with in a long time, but seeing her do various things with her feet—scratching them, scrunching them, standing on her toes—intrigued her.

She’d been close to feet before, but never had she felt so jittery around them as she did now. And this jitteriness amplified whenever Jasmin caught her.

“Why are you still staring at me?” the Toad eventually asked, just as they were steps from taking a photo with Kirby.

“Is it bothering you?”

“It’s weird, yes.” She folded her arms. “Not like I’m better, but at least I make an attempt not to stare so obviously.”

“It’s just… You look so nice.”

Jasmin’s cheeks reddened. “And what does that mean?”

“I dunno.” Penelope shrugged, walking past her. “Cuteness runs in your family.”

Cuteness? Someone outside of her own relatives acknowledged Jasmin as cute? This kept her frozen for so long that Penelope had to drag her to the giant Kirby mascot.

The girls posed with Kirby—Parasol Kirby in particular—and snapped a photo. During it, Jasmin trembled so much until she let out a big sneeze all over the mascot costume. She hastily tried to wipe it off with her hand, but all she ended up doing was spreading her germs until Penelope pulled a napkin out her pocket.

“It was an accident,” Penelope laughed. “Not like you have a virus.”

“Unless you count ruining the lives of everyone I touch—”

“Why are you so depressing? We’re supposed to be having fun right now, not moping.”

“You don’t even…” Jasmin took a deep breath. “Fine, you’re right.”

“I tend to be.” Penelope handed Jasmin one of the printed photographs, pocketing the other one. “And by the way, here you are.”

In front of Jasmin was an early preview print of the new issues for the Kirby of the Stars comic. They went for sixty coins due to the exclusive behind-the-scenes features alone, and yet not a single coin left her body. Penelope’s smile grew as she forced the comic into Jasmin’s trembling hands.

“Got myself my own copy too,” she giggled.

“You really didn’t have to do this for me.”

“Yeah, I didn’t.” Penelope held Jasmin’s hand as they walked to the centre of the floor. “I just wanted to.”

Due to the limited floor space of the building, the convention would span multiple floors. The girls rode the elevator to the fourth floor, where Penelope’s interest mostly lay. She now found something that spoke to her inner gamer more than just a series: the technology that powered it all.

“I can’t wait until the Wii U comes out,” Penelope squealed, her grip on Jasmin tightening.

“Not to be a downer, but what’s so hype-worthy about a controller?”

“Well, it’s gonna be in HD, it’s gonna have backwards compatibility, it better have an online mode that actually functions, and it’s also…” Penelope stopped, realising her words were going over Jasmin’s head completely. “You know it’s a new system, right?”

“No, it’s very clearly a controller,” the non-gamer affirmed. “Like a giant phone-tablet hybrid.”

“Have you not been paying attention?” Penelope marched onward. “Let me show you.”

Both a Wii U mock-up and the Wii stood next to each other, with the former rounded and the latter angular.

“Okay, they updated the look a little,” Jasmin said. “It’s a Wii with more power then, right?”

“Jazz, you’re killing me.”

The Wii had already seen five years, and with the upcoming Wii U, many of the accessories would be cross-compatible. However, on this floor was a prototype controller, and that was what piqued Penelope’s interest.

Penelope skipped over to the booth. “Ooh, I wanna see how this can be implemented.”

“This, my young friends, is new and experimental Balance Board technology,” the presenter said, the boom in his voice catching the girls off guard. “While we will not be discontinuing our old board, we at Nintendo are curious about the possibility of integrating this technology directly with players. This could pave the way for some interesting titles in the future. It shall be dubbed New Wii Balance Board.”

There were four coloured straps, designed to go around the user’s arms and legs. The idea was that they would all be connected to a singular port, and they’d turn the user into a living Wii Balance Board.

Penelope’s heart rushed. She just had to try this tech, experimental or not.

But if she did, she’d have to endure the nightmarish stench that emanated from Jasmin’s feet. After all, if the representative were to stand on her, Nintendo would have to deal with legal battles involving a child’s crushed chest.

“You wanna be the Balance Board for me?” she asked.

Jasmin nearly choked on her spit. “Have you lost your mind?”

“There is no way I’m letting you stand on me when your feet smell like that,” Penelope insisted, causing Jasmin’s jaw to drop. “Come on, I’ll pay you.”

“There are some things money can’t buy!”

“Jazz, I did a lot for you since we’ve teamed up. You just bought me a one-coin soda. Is that fair?”

“You…” Jasmin couldn’t even refute it. Penelope served as extra protection (two girls were better than one), her stripper plan was embarrassing but ultimately helped Jasmin, and she just allowed Jasmin to save sixty coins for a comic. So Jasmin let out a sigh. “It ain’t like your feet don’t stink either, especially with those shoes you brought here, human.”

“Then I guess we’ll both have our turns standing on the other.”

“Who goes first?”

“Rock, paper, scissors!” Penelope cracked her knuckles. “Let’s go.”

Two lengthy seconds passed.

Jasmin groaned loudly, especially miffed with Penelope’s celebratory dance.

The girl removed her glasses and got on her back. The presenter strapped the device to her, then readied the software for Penelope’s game to engage. Penelope gave Jasmin a cute wave while scrunching her toes over her face.

“The name of the game is grape crushing,” the man explained.

“Wait, what?” Jasmin’s eyes widened.

“Crush grapes and make sure they fall into the cart below in the allotted time. If you let too many miss the cart, it’s game over. Sixty seconds.”

Penelope nodded. “Let’s see if I can’t crush them all.”

Jasmin gasped upon feeling Penelope’s weight on her body. The left foot pressed into her stomach and the right foot into her chest. Jasmin’s breaths slowly became more frantic. How was she supposed to gain air when Penelope was preventing her chest from expanding? The game hadn’t even begun, and it felt as if she was going to black out.

Once Penelope was given the green light, she slammed her left foot hard into Jasmin’s stomach.

“Hey!” Jasmin tried to lean up. “I’m not a carpet!”

“You’re right. You’re a Balance Board.” Penelope began shifting towards Jasmin’s head. “So don’t make me fall.”

With every stomp, Jasmin felt the pressure mount. She could hear the sound of virtual fruit squishing from the display, as if Penelope really were crushing a ton of grapes. The constant flashing from the screen seemed to motivate Penelope to be even rougher, for she brought her foot down hard onto Jasmin’s crotch.

“Keep treating me like this, and I’m gonna sink my nails into you!”

“Give it a try,” Penelope sang.

And Jasmin did. But her efforts were in vain, for Penelope kicked both of her arms and then slammed her foot onto the girl’s face. Her toes scrunched, trapping Jasmin’s nose under them.

“Now, can I still crush them with just one foot?” Penelope began to bounce lightly, with her left foot rhythmically hopping on Jasmin’s thin body.

If the weight of Penelope by itself wasn’t enough to bother Jasmin, the smell of her putrid foot definitely did. Indeed it was just as bad as she could’ve imagined. Technically not worse than her own noxious odour, but did foot odours really need to be ranked by intensity? A smelly foot was a smelly foot.

Not only was it damp, but it was also dirty from Penelope’s barefoot trek through this place. Above everything else, this was what had Jasmin whimpering. Sweat was manageable, but somebody else’s grime was sickening, especially as she had to inhale it.

Penelope eventually removed the foot from Jasmin’s head, now back to using both of her feet to crush the grapes. Only ten seconds remained. Mustering all her strength, she stomped on Jasmin’s abdomen.

“I’m crushing it,” she yelled, pointing to the screen.

“No shit!”

“And for the final stomp,” Penelope announced, jumping high into the air and bringing all her weight onto Jasmin. Jasmin let out a scream, one that was swallowed by the convention noises and celebration noises from the game.

Penelope finally stepped off of her, laughing.

“Oh, this tech is sweet, but it’s gonna be so dangerous. I’ll be amazed if Nintendo actually uses it in the Wii U.” She pulled Jasmin up. “Let’s go.”

Just as she turned around, Jasmin threw her to the floor.

“We ain’t done,” she said, placing her glasses back on. “Forget about my turn?”

“Um, how about I just buy us a huge pizza tonight? A super pizza, one with all kinds of toppings. Maybe some burritos or tacos or…whatever your people eat. Look, I can—”

“Didn’t I say money can’t buy you everything?” Jasmin gestured to the presenter, who immediately attached the straps to Penelope.

If the mushroom girl had plans of holding back before, they had all but disappeared.

Penelope gritted her teeth. Despite Jasmin’s lighter body, the sheer nastiness radiating from her feet made her skin crawl. The right foot hovered over her face as Jasmin took the first step onto her body, the curl of her toes a silent threat.

If Penelope’s toes were mildly dusty, Jasmin’s were downright vile.

The pedicured tops hid what the soles could not. Jasmin’s soles were dark enough to turn Penelope’s lips black, and she could already spot some tough skin returning. There were enough grains of grime to fill a beach, and when Jasmin wiggled her toes, a stink bomb exploded. Penelope’s eyes watered as if she were cutting onions.

Jasmin smirked. Embarrassed as she was for the stinky state of her feet, this pungent mixture of sweat and grime was the perfect punishment for Penelope.

Her task was to crush strawberries.

“Brace yourself. Here I come.”

The game commenced. Like Penelope before her, Jasmin had to shift her weight on the “Balance Board” to ensure fruit didn’t spill out of the cart. But sometimes this required going so far that she had to stomp on Penelope’s neck.

“How do you like it?” she asked, snickering maliciously. “Mmm… Doesn’t it just smell like roses and daisies down there? Don’t my feet feel good pounding you like a burger?”

Penelope’s body was taking such a beating that she was incapable of reacting. All she could do was stare blankly at Jasmin’s blurry form as the older girl pressed her feet against her chest, her heels bouncing rhythmically and mercilessly.

The endless pressure sent jolts of pain through the royal’s head. Yet somehow, for as uncomfortable as it was, that tingly sensation returned to her body.

And it had nothing to do with the fact people could see her being used as a human mat.

With her energy rising, Jasmin suddenly slammed her heel against Penelope’s crotch.

Penelope let out a cry of pain. Tears began to escape from her eyes regularly, as if the smell of Jasmin’s feet hadn’t caused enough crying.

“My bad,” Jasmin said, pressing the ball of her foot into Penelope’s stomach. “Suck it up! Your pampered butt wouldn’t know real pain if your whole head were crushed.”

Even as Penelope writhed, the ticklish sensation intensified. It was so embarrassing to have Jasmin’s foot come down and attack a new part of her body. So why was it that, in spite of the hellish torment, Penelope didn’t want to move from this spot. She was sniffling, and yet she could have sworn she was blushing whenever Jasmin’s dirty sole touched her face.

Though every time that happened, she also let out a coughing fit, which led to Jasmin stomping harder on her crotch.

“I could get used to this.”

Just as Jasmin said that, it was game over. She hadn’t even gotten to a full minute before dropping so much fruit that it was game over.

“What the? You need the precision of a doctor to win this.” She jumped off Penelope. “Hey, tonta, are you seriously hurt?”

“Is that even a question?” Penelope mumbled, rising to her feet. Her cheeks were bright and red, but a determined smirk spread across her face. “When we find a hotel, I’m gonna pin you down and scrub your feet with bleach.”

“Will you now?” Jasmin folded her arms. “As if I’d want your nasty hands all over me like that.”

“Hey, you did impressive for a game with a weird controller.” The two began to walk to another booth as Penelope spoke. “Be happy you’re not useless.”

“Hard not to feel that way. Feels like you’ve been showing me up in every category.”

“You’re a lot more careful.” Penelope closed the distance between them. “Sure, the casino plan was dead on arrival, but in terms of blending in alone, you would’ve looked the part. Maybe you’ll show me up during our stay here.”

“We’ll see.” Jasmin smiled. “I know where I can show you up: a quiz show on any comic.”

“Oh, that’s unfair! I don’t read every book in the world.”

“Neither do I, and I’ll still do better. Wanna bet?”

“Heh. Bring it on!”

***

“The jet lag is gonna be real after this,” Minh groaned, stretching as she stepped onto the streets with her luggage.

“We’re out here trying to find Penelope, and you two are whining about jet lag,” Toad chuckled.

“Yeah, that happens when we’ve crossed over several time zones,” Toadette said.

Her side wound continued to sting at her, but she was beginning to move more actively. So long as Wario didn’t have an even crazier set of goons to do his bidding, things should’ve gone smoothly here.

“You know, I always bring these damn ski masks with me,” Toad continued, “but I almost never get a chance to use them. Not like I go skiing or cover my face that often.”

“Why would you even want to be in a scenario where you’d have to cover your face?” Toadette asked.

“Sometimes you just wanna feel like a badass in a movie, you know? I always like to carry a couple disguises with me when travelling super far.”

“Look at that,” Minh sighed, pointing into the distance.

Neon Heights welcomed the Toads with its dazzling lights and frosty air. Arriving at the turn of night, they were treated to a display of lights shooting into the indigo sky. It was a familiar sight for Toad, a rare scene for Minh and a new experience for Toadette.

“Beautiful, ain’t it?”

“Yeah.” Toadette smiled.

“Certain skies are just so pretty that I wanna die.”

Toadette immediately backed away from Minh, who burst out snickering.

“I’m serious, though. They can be so beautiful that, if I died on the spot while staring at them, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Such a…creepily optimistic way of viewing pretty skies,” Toadette mumbled.

“I always tell people life becomes easier when you find the beauty in death.”

***

The younger girls went to a panel where they were quizzed on their knowledge of all sorts of comic books. Sure enough, Jasmin demolished Penelope, acing five questions for every one Penelope got right. Her mockery slowly transitioned into advice, with her sharing trivia about her favourite comics.

Likewise Penelope returned the favour on the topic of gaming. Jasmin remained as clunky with a controller as ever as they bounced from system to system, but at least they got a laugh from her embarrassing gameplay.

Two hours passed with them encountering tons of cosplayers, buying limited-edition merch with Penelope’s money and grabbing a quick bite to eat. Now on the second floor, they sat in a corner and caught their breath.

“I swear, it’s like the first time I’ve felt alive in forever,” Jasmin sighed.

“Tell me about it.” Penelope bit into her chocolate bar. “It kills me being trapped in that castle all day.”

“You don’t ever go out?”

“Used to have free reign. Then Mother snapped after I kept getting robbed and losing her coins. Now I only go out if there are guards with me, and she’ll only let me go long distances if she or Miss Toadette is going.”

“Damn.” Jasmin slurped some soda. “My sister couldn’t care less, as long as I’m inside by night. She’s just… Ugh, she always wants me dressing like I’m made of a million coins.”

“Really? My mother prefers me looking average. So I can blend in.”

“At least your mom cares about you. Sofi is just so nuts, and it’s like I’m the only one who notices it. My family praises her so much that they got me acting like I’m the crazy one.”

Penelope shrugged. “Sure, my mother cares. But when her caring interrupts my fun… Let’s just say I’ve destroyed a few pillows before.”

Jasmin smiled. “We are gonna be in so much fucking trouble. You know what though?” She stretched, letting out a huge yawn. “Totally worth it.”

“You said it…” Penelope’s voice trailed off, her eyes locking onto something across the busy floor. She nearly choked on air.

“What?”

Penelope was glaring at a boy—another human like her. He was about her height, only sporting messy brown hair that peeked out from under a yellow helmet. A green visor protected his eyes. He wore a red shirt and olive-green pants, blending into the crowd just like another other kid. He checked out all the kiosks showing off upcoming Nintendo titles such as Kid Icarus: Uprising, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Pokémon Black and White Versions 2.

All of that was normal, but what caught Penelope’s attention was his large backpack. Partially unzipped, it revealed a yellow object. A giant star.

That star… That dang star is why Miss Toadette couldn’t take me to this city!

“You’re staring. Again.” Jasmin snapped her fingers. “The boy ain’t even that cute.”

“Jazz, you see that star in his backpack?” Penelope hissed. “We need to grab it.”

“Aren’t you already rich?”

Penelope groaned. “Miss Toadette and Miss Minh T. are out searching for these mystery stars. And they wouldn’t be looking for baby-sized ones. My gut is telling me that this boy has what they need.”

Jasmin immediately grabbed Penelope. “Low profile.”

But the human pinched her arm hard enough for Jasmin to let her go, and she marched in the boy’s direction. Without hesitation, she grabbed the giant star sticking out of his backpack, yanking as hard as she could. When she nearly snapped her spine, she hit the floor with a thud.

“Yo! What are you doing?” he screamed, holding up a series of Pokémon cards.

“That star doesn’t belong to you.”

“I found it, so yeah, it does. It definitely isn’t yours, that’s for sure.”

What the hell is she doing? Jasmin pondered. Feeling the tension in the air, she was already planning an escape route.

“You’re telling me you’re gonna take this star from me, girly?” the boy asked.

“I am.” Penelope took a step forward. “And the name is Penelope.”

“9-Volt.” His large eyes bore into her soul. “You’re scared.”

“Huh?”

“Can’t really blame you.” 9-Volt spun on his heel, beginning to walk away. “If I had to fight somebody, I would’ve liked it to have not been a weakling whose legs are shaking at a million miles per hour.”

Penelope gritted her teeth. She launched herself at the boy, sending him into the floor.

9-Volt instantly retaliated, elbowing her in the gut before hopping to his feet. Penelope threw out a punch, but he dodged her attempt easily. Now the two had gathered an audience.

“Seriously, this is so lame! You gonna keep fighting like a sissy, or are you gonna leave me alone?”

“If that’s the way you want it!” Penelope screamed. Her hand plunged into her bag, and she pulled out an item. A Fire Flower.

“What the?”

“This is it!”

With her hands outward, she unleashed a fireball that engulfed the open floor in flames. Everybody went ducking for cover, with some receiving burns to their bodies. Jasmin, horrified, burrowed into her oversized sweater like a Koopa in its shell. Through the haze, the enraged Penelope stared at her foe. Despite taking the blast head-on, he was standing still.

Penelope let out a defeated groan. The fireball had ignited tiny flames on the floor, so why was this boy not affected?

“A bit more like it,” 9-Volt said, energetically applauding. “But only a bit. Using items is sweet, but it doesn’t mean crap if you can’t control them properly.”

People began to run for their lives. The fire quickly consumed the second floor, fed by flyers and furniture. Within seconds the floor was clear, save for Penelope and 9-Volt, who stood like two cowboys ready to shoot each other.

“What were you thinking, stupid?” a third voice yelled.

“Jazz, just run! This is my battle!”

“If you don’t start running, you’re gonna be in cuffs. All of this to please Toadette of all people? What is your—?”

“Shut up!” Penelope snapped. “If I gotta hear one more person tell me I can’t do this and that, I’m gonna rip my own head off!”

“Do it,” 9-Volt encouraged. “I don’t need you and the Toad cunt wasting my time.”

Jasmin clenched a fist. “Come again?”

“Yeah, I said it.” The boy fanned himself. “And don’t open your mouth again, please. It’s getting hot in here, and it’s not just from the fire.”

“Hmph!” Jasmin stepped forward. “We’ll beat his ass, then we’ll run away, human.”

“Thank you, Jazz.”

9-Volt pulled out a larger stack of recently purchased Pokémon cards, aiming one at the girls. The environment’s flames reflected in his visor.

“I’ve already won.”

***

“Alright,” Toad said, dropping his luggage near one of the motel’s beds. “First order of business is finding the Ethereal Star.”

“Penelope takes priority over that thing,” Toadette retorted.

“The star is a stationary target. Penelope, on the other hand, is like a squirrel. Always moving from one place to the next.”

“And therefore she’s harder to miss.” Toadette was already halfway to the door. “Let’s go.”

“We just got here,” Minh sighed, ready to remove her shoes. “Can’t we take a couple of minutes to rest up?”

“I’m with flower girl,” Toad agreed, voting out Toadette’s proposal. The captain grabbed the remote and lay back as the television warmed up. “Can’t dive headfirst into the fire without a little bit of rest.” Then his eyes widened. “Oh.”

“What?” Toadette asked.

“Hmm…”

“If you don’t give me an answer, Toady, I will smack you!”

“I love that little scrunch your nose does when you’re mad,” he chuckled before pointing towards the TV. “You might get your way after all, Toadette.”

Toadette and Minh stared in disbelief.

“What happened?” Toadette shrieked.

On the screen, a sea of people poured out of the grand doors of what looked to be a convention. And when a camera went to the second floor, a yellow-haired girl could be seen fighting another kid. But she wasn’t alone.

“Jazz!” Minh rubbed her eyes. Was she seeing clearly? “How the heck did she even get here from Poshley Heights?”

“Not like this is out of character,” Toad chuckled.

“She was supposed to be getting better! Why is she doing this? And… Is that the next star in the kid’s bag?”

“The star?” Toad’s head snapped back towards the chaos. Just as he spotted it, a piece of the roof collapsed, and the cameraman fled. “So Wario beat us to this city too? Damn it!”

Toadette yanked the door open so hard that the wood nearly broke. “Penelope better pray that building’s still intact by the time we get there!”

Could they even reach them in time?