Adventurous Stories In Babysitting
By: Virtualboy2558
/
Disclaimer: Super Mario RPG is Copyrights of Nintendo, Square, and Shigeru Miyamoto. I do not own, nor profit, from any or all of the characters mentioned.
/
The journey to E. Gadd's went through okay for Timmy and Valentina, albeit there were some complications before going.
First off, since Tutti was too big for her regular clothes at the moment, they had a hassle of trying to find some attire that would fit her. Even Femi's clothing was a little small for the poor Toad girl. Eventually though, the duo had found a large gray sweater and baggy pants (at least baggy for a normal Toad) that perfectly and snugly covered her frame.
Second, Timmy and Valentina had to keep a close eye on Tutti. The young girl trapped in her womanly body was constantly exploring her every curve, and her brother had to keep her from touching 'certain places' numerous times. It was like giving the keys of a space shuttle to a chimp.
"Stop prodding them!" Timmy warned, after slapping her hand for poking her breasts for the 8th time in a row.
"But they feel so squishy! Like when we ate our jell-o last weekend!"
"I don't care how squishy, soft, bouncy or pleasant they feel. Just please stop messing… No! Don't touch there!" he shouted. This time, he had to pull her away from her 'no-no' again.
He suddenly stood still… because a curly strand had floated down and rested on his nose.
"Uhh… Tutti? You have straight hair, right?"
The Toad girl slowly checked her short auburn locks. "Y-Yeah."
"Valley? What about you? Straight or curly?" he asked, his whole small body shivering.
"I have wavy hair, if that's what you mean," the bouncing beauty told him. She walked up to him. "Why do you ask? Ohh…" She saw the strand hanging between his horrified eyes. "Uh… I don't think that's hair from the head, Timmy…"
"Ewwww! Get it off! Get it off!" The Toad boy swatted it like it was a nasty, disease-ridden bug.
/
After 5 minutes, and one very thorough face scrubbing later, the three individuals make their way outside. The poor shaken Timmy was sniffling, because his nose was beet-red and burning like crazy.
"It's not that bad, Timmy," Valentina explained, trying to cheer him up. "It only grazed you. I'm sure it could happen to anyone."
"Happen to anyone?! Sure, that would be dandy!" he grumbled sarcastically. "It's common for your 6 year old sister to suddenly have a 10 year jump in her lifespan AND… have hair from her nether regions land on your face! All in one day!" He let out a sneeze as some soap bubbles came out of his nostrils. "And on top of everything, I look like I'm suffering from mild influenza! Ah… Ah… Ah-choo!"
"I'm very sorry, big brother…" Tutti shyly whimpered. She had been apologizing ever since they left the house. The Toad boy sighed, half-tired of her sister's guilt and half-tired of the fact that his sinuses were making him weary.
"It's okay, Tutti. I didn't mean to fly off the handle…" He groaned loudly as his dry button of a nose felt like cracking. "Ohhhh… Do you have an aspirin on you, Valley?"
"Nope, sorry…," the bubbly girl said.
"Ugh… figures," Timmy croaked. "I'm gonna die before we even reach Third Street…"
"Now don't be like that… we're almost there anyways!"
They finally got to Fungi Avenue of where E. Gadd's business was, and stopped just outside his doorstep. Inside, the trio could hear clanking, screeching and hissing going on. And there was a faint hint of smoke coming out of the windows. The Toad boy narrowed where his eyebrows would have been if he had any.
"You said this guy was zany, right? Exactly how zany are we talking about?" he asked with suspicion.
Valentina scratched her head. "Well…"
BOOM! The glass from the windows shattered outwards as a large explosion rattled within the building, making the two Toad children (or to actually say… one Toad child and one Toad teenager) flinch from the sudden noise and shrapnel. A shout rang out from inside.
"Gazooks! That was too much ethane and gun powder! Where's a fire extinguisher when you need one?!"
"…very zany, if you ask me," the bouncing beauty laughed.
She knocked on the door and waited for a response. It was about a minute or two before the tiny old man came to answer it. When he did, the whole gang tried to stifle their giggles.
Poor E. Gadd was covered head to toe with soot. His glasses, his shoes, his lab coat… even his tongue was coated with fine ash. His hair no longer looked white, actually making him look 20 years younger. He coughed several times, trying to get the nasty powder out of his mouth, and took off his glasses to clean them.
"Eck… dear me… last time I do an experiment without protective goggles…," he muttered, rubbing his lenses. "Ahem! Uh… who is it?"
"Hi, Professor! It's me again! You should know me just by seeing me!" the bubbly girl cheerful chirped.
Setting his glasses back on his nose, E. Gadd beamed brightly. "Well, well, well! If it isn't my young friend, Val…" His mouth was quickly covered by her hand before he could finish the sentence.
"Shh! Don't say my actual name!" she quietly hissed. She checked behind her back to see the two Toads staring at her. "I don't want Femi's children to know who I am. Just call me Valley for a while."
"Uh… okay," the Professor slowly replied through her fingers. "But may I ask who's what do you want not knowing again?
"Oh, right!" She slapped her forehead. "Um… may we should do this inside so we can get everything out of the way."
The bubbly girl dragged him inside while waving her arm to signal Timmy and Tutti to come inside. The poor old man was confused as to why she was doing this to him, but didn't bothered to fight her grip. She took him in a private corner where they could talk, while the Toad boy looked around the establishment in awe. It was like no home he ever entered before.
"Okay, this place is well out of earshot…," Valentina whispered. She put down the Professor right in front of her. "Umm… so you might be wondering why I'm here."
"Quite, indeed," E. Gadd said. He looked up at her with a worried expression. "You really can't keep everything a secret, you know. It's eventually going to come back at you, one way or another."
"I know…," she nodded sadly. She watched Timmy and Tutti exploring the lab with curiosity. "I'm sure they'll find out the truth about me, and it won't be long before Femi gets wind of it and forces me to never see them again…" She sighed with sorrow. "I'll let them know eventually… I promise."
"So, what is it you came for, my dear?" the Professor asked, changing the subject to make her forget the inevitable event. "Did you find any fault with the youth formula?"
"Umm… not exactly. It works well with me." Here it comes, she thought… time to tell him of her latest screw up. "I hope you won't get mad, but… uh… I… I kinda somehow… or that I should say someone… sigh… here, I'll explain from the top…"
While Valentina told E. Gadd about the situation, the two Toads were searching the workshop of the Professor's belongings. Tutti found a bookshelf that contained dozens upon dozens of books that mainly talked about science, chemistry, biology, engineering and physics. Her eyes lighting up with interest, she picked out a random one off the shelf and checked its pages.
Timmy, on the other hand, sneezed once or twice while looking at the many inventions placed around the room. He was startled when something came out from a stack of boxes, but it only turned out to be a small friendly robot on treads.
"Care for something to drink, good sir?" it hummed. In its metal hands was a cup of some steaming hot tea.
"Uhh… no thanks, I'm fine," the Toad boy kindly refused. "I'm not a tea person…"
"My diagnostics read that you're suffering from inflammation in your nasal cavity," the robot whirred. "It would be wise to alleviate your sickness with something soothing."
Again, he waved his arms in denial. "No, really… I don't want anything to drink. Unless you have an aspirin, I appreciate the offer though…"
At this point, the android began to vibrate, the beverage in its grasp spilling violently everywhere. Timmy jumped back to avoid the mess and looked scared. He was now worried if he made it upset and it was going to attack him. But the machine stopped its rattling, and from out of a dispensing slot… a pill spat out of the chute. It grabbed the pill and handed it to the Toad boy.
"Ibuprofen 100 milligrams. Take with water and do not consume after eating. Have a nice day!" it buzzed. The robot then carted off for business elsewhere, vanishing as quickly as it came. Timmy looked at the pill, shrugged his shoulders and swallowed it whole. Almost immediately, the redness tingling on his nose went away. He sniffed through it, deeply surprised that his congestion is all gone.
"Hey… that was some pretty good medicine!" he smiled, breathing in with satisfaction. "Much better than that nasty cough syrup Mom gives me when I get sick."
The Toad boy continued on his way, feeling loads better now. He was about to examine a neat-looking vacuum when he heard Valentina and E. Gadd talking. By hiding in a pile of the Professor's used lab coats, he listened in their conversation.
"… so that pretty much sums it up," the bubbly girl concluded. "Tutti somehow got her hands on the youth formula and now… for some reason, she's became older."
"Interesting…," E. Gadd reckoned, rubbing his chin. "Well actually… it's not so surprising about the 'getting older' part. I did set the formula at a certain age, so that you drink it and it makes you young… but she drinks it, it will make her more mature. However, I did find it strange that it worked on her at all…"
"How's so, Professor?"
E. Gadd adjusted his glasses. "Alright, I'll enlighten you my dear… you see, humans and Toads may share similarities to each other, but the Toad's body structure works in a different way to other species. It is actually impossible to give human medicine to a Toad, because their immune system dissolves it before it can act. That's why there are doctors in hospitals that specialize only in Toad care and not just human care."
"I see… but what does that got to do with Tutti, or how the youth formula affected her?" Valentina asked.
"I'm getting to that part… ahem… well, you know the youth formula I gave you was designed to handle the female human body, right?" The bouncing beauty nodded. "Good. Well… there are some cases of Toads having a streak of human DNA within them, but it is currently inactive long before birth is given. However… in some fewer cases, there are Toads that manage to still have that DNA active in them, even though they'll still grow up to live like pure Toads."
The Professor pulled out a sheet of papers from his pocket and read through them. "According to my calculations to the formula I created for you… and listen carefully because this is very important… I've adjusted the mixture so that it would affect the body by about 25%. And if I'm right, this Tutti you mentioned has about 2% of human DNA in her."
"And what does that mean? I'm not book-smart like you, E. Gadd. You know that by now," the bubbly girl told him.
"Okay, I'll explain in an easier format for you. You know your multiplications, I hope?" She nodded again. "Alright… well, let's say Tutti have 2 apples. The apples will represent her DNA. And that she can carry a maximum of 100 apples. Follow me so far?"
"Uh huh," she replied.
"Well… let's say I give her 2 more apples. Then another 2, and then another 2. I keep giving her 2 apples about 25 times. Now if I had gave her that many apples, she should be carrying half her limit. In short, she now has 50% human DNA within her, meaning she's half Toad and half human…"
"But what I want to know is, Professor…," Valentina interrupted him. "…can you cure her?"
"Well… I don't think you should worry too much, my dear," E. Gadd assured. "Like I said, the formula only lasts for 12 hours."
"I know that… but I want to know if there a way to speed up that time. Because… what if Femi were to come back sooner than expected? And Tutti hasn't changed back yet?" she worried.
The Professor scratched his head. "Hmm… that could be a possibility…" He looked up at her with a smile. "Tell you what… I'll whip up an invention that will nullify the effects of the youth formula, while you go off with the Toad children for something fun." Still seeing her anxiety, he held one of her hands in his own. "Relax now… there's not much we can do right now. If you really want to, you could leave a note saying you've taken them to the carnival."
She thought it over in her mind. It didn't seem like a bad idea to her… and it could be a good alibi for why she, Timmy and Tutti are gone. She nodded once more and smiled back. "Alright then. I appreciate you for understanding, E. Gadd. I was worried you'd get mad at me."
He chuckled. "Hehehe… no problem, my dear. At least you were honest with me. I think it would be the end if Bowser were to get his hands on the formula."
"I think he'd act more childish than usual if he swallowed any right now," the bouncing beauty laughed.
Timmy watched the two adults walked back to find the two Toads. A lot of questions were rolling in his head.
"What the heck? A youth formula?" he quietly asked himself. "And it's as though Valley already knows what happened to my sister… Something's not right here…" A tap on his shoulder frightened him and he quickly turned his head, wondering if he had been caught. But he realized that it was only Tutti, who bended down to join him.
"Oh… you scared the daylights out of me, Tutti," the Toad boy sighed. "How long have you been standing there?"
She shrugged. "I was merely observing your rather peculiar activities while scanning through 'Old Mushroomian Biology' by Taiwan Shitake. It's quite a perplexing read, but I enjoy it."
Timmy thought that his ears and brain weren't working right, because he didn't understood a word she said. "Uh… what?" he asked.
"Though I can't say it's my field of interest I wish to pursue," the Toad girl continued, not hearing her brother's question. She put a finger to her lip in thought. "Advanced aviation seems like a bold consideration for me, but artisanal culinary arts is a skill I could apply onward in life. Perhaps I should go for professional financial services… it would assist Mom in those dreary tariffs she has to do every fortnight."
"Tutti, what the heck are you talking about? Why are you speaking this way?" Timmy questioned. He stared at her, completely in awe. She stopped musing to herself and looked at him, first with confusion and then went "Oh" after realizing something.
"I think that the amount of literature I have digested in the short period of our visitation has rapidly boosted my intelligence quotient," she explained. When her brother still looked at her oddly, she held her forehead. "It means I've gotten smarter from the books I had read on the shelf over there," she sighed in exasperation, while pointing to said location.
"Oh…" He shook his head, as something still didn't seem right. "But… but wait a minute! You're only 6 years old!"
"Was 6 years old," she corrected him. "But now that my cranium has fully developed, I could now store vast amounts of information on a whim. And in turn, my limited vocabulary has been significantly increased. I guess that means I could beat you in Scrabble anytime from now on!" she added with a giggle. She hugged him fondly when he still had a dumbfounded expression on him. "Don't think I have changed too much, brother. I'm still the sweet, kind sister you've always known. You still love me, do you?"
It took a long time for Timmy to answer, but he knew she was right. Even though she was all strange to him now, he still could feel the same heartbeat from her chest for whenever he hugs her from time to time. "Yeah, I still love you," he smiled.
"Wonderful! Now…" The Toad girl pulled him up to have him sit on her shoulders. "Let's go search for Valley. I'm sure she's doing the same for us."
"Okay then. Just don't use too many big words, or I think you might break her brain," Timmy nervously laughed. He felt a little uncomfortable of being over 5 feet high off the ground, despite the flying session with his babysitter this morning.
"Not to worry, brother. I won't use any context above kindergarten reading levels. Or mention the fact that I want to explore the study of applied science and technology. You know… while I was skimming through, I've found a course that could pique your interests when you move into high school…"
"Tutti…," the Toad boy warned her.
"Okay, okay. I'll cease talking…"
They wandered around the laboratory until they found Valentina and E. Gadd in the backroom, apparently looking for them. The bubbly girl let out a sigh of relief.
"Where were you two?" she started, crossing her arms. "If you were going to play hide and seek, you should have told me so I could join in." A smirk came across her face. She knew she couldn't stay mad at them for long.
"We were just exploring, that's all," Timmy replied, after Tutti set him down to the floor. He pretended that he didn't overheard their conversation a few minutes ago. "So… have you found a way to get Tutti back to normal?"
"Not yet, my lad," E. Gadd stated. "I've yet to find a cause for your sister's… ah… 'bodily changes'." He glanced at Valentina, making sure that it was okay to give out that information. "However, if I could extract a fresh specimen of her DNA structure, I could do a complete restoration of her genetic make-up and we can revert our little adolescent back to childhood."
"Ugh… does anyone speak in plain English anymore?" the Toad boy groaned.
"Hahaha… what the Professor meant, Timmy…," the bouncing beauty chuckled. "…is that he needs to get a sample from Tutti. You know… like getting a needle shot, but instead he'll be taking a little bit of blood."
"N-N-Needle shot?" the Toad girl stuttered. Despite the extraordinary intelligence she had gained, her 6 year old instincts still kicked in. To her, the idea of sharp metal objects jabbing through her skin was more horrifying than the boogeyman in her closet.
"Yes dear," E. Gadd told her, while looking into his medicine cabinet for a sterile syringe. "It'll only be a few seconds of discomfort, but it'll be no worse than a mosquito bite…"
"No! I don't want a shot!" She began backing away after she saw the dreaded item in the old man's hand. Her eyes went wide with alarm as her whole body shivered. Her brother tried to calm her down.
"It's okay, Tutti. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a tiny poke and it's all over."
"NOOOOOO! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" And before anyone could stop her, the Toad girl turned heel and ran out the front door in the blink of an eye. Timmy and Valentina went after her, hoping to catch the frightened teenage female before she got too far, but it was too late. She was gone.
"Oh, fungus!" the Toad boy blurted out.
"Language, Timmy! There's no need for that!" the bouncing beauty scolded.
"Oops… sorry." He looked up and down the street for his sister, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Ugh… that's just great! We don't even know which direction she went!"
"Why don't we check back home?" she suggested. "There could be a chance she might head there first. Come on, let's fly."
Nodding in agreement, he hopped into her arms before she released her wings and they both took off into the skies. E. Gadd puffed out from the building to chase after them, but his weak stamina failed him. He wheezed while watching the two individuals float away.
"Don't worry, Professor! We'll be back, I promise!" Valentina's distant voice called out to him.
The tiny scientist sat down on the rock-hard pavement to catch his breath. "Leaping Goombas… I need to hit the gym more often…," he panted.
/
Sprinting as fast as her long legs could carry her, Tutti kept moving unknowingly towards Downtown Mushroom Kingdom. She didn't dare to look back, if it meant she would meet her demise. She didn't know where she was actually going, but anywhere was safer than going back there to get stabbed with that needle, she thought.
Eventually, she couldn't run anymore. The Toad girl had noticed that she finally lost them… but now, she was unsure of her exact location from the foreign surroundings.
Downtown Mushroom Kingdom was a little more run-down and less friendly than any other part of the town. Instead of gravel roads, there were wooden planks that lined up the streets. To her left, Tutti saw some dingy shops and shabby taverns. A grumpy-looking male Toad was chopping up some fish with a large cleaver before lifting his head, glaring at her for a bit and resumed slicing. To her right, she could see a couple of old ship wharfs on the edge of the open ocean. There were fishermen on some of the docks, casting their lines in the hopes to attract either a large Trouter or a school of Cheep-Cheeps.
Yep. It was safe to say that she had never been in this part of the town before. But the Toad girl remained calm while walking down the street. She tried thinking of positive thoughts.
"It's alright, Tutti…," she muttered to herself. "You're a big girl now. The denizens can't harm you if you just act normal." She went back to her memories, smiling as she remembered the time when her brother brought her teddy bear to her when she was afraid during one particular thunderstorm. Or the time when they built a sand castle on the beach, and their mother had given them ice cream. Timmy had chocolate, while she had mint-flavour. And when she accidentally dropped her treat in the sand and wanted to cry, he allowed her to have some of his. Ah… those were good days, she thought happily.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Tutti snapped back to reality when she realized she bumped into a disgruntled Sledge Bro that wore trousers and an eye patch. She timidly moved back from him.
"I'm… I'm sorry, sir," she apologized. "I didn't mean to invade your personal space…"
"Space? That's where I'm gonna send ya if ya don't beat it, kid!" he shouted. He pulled out his can of worms and chucked it at her. "Scram!"
The Toad girl scrambled for cover, narrowly avoiding his projectile. Along the way, she kept bumping into other people, who either screamed at her or threw stuff at her direction. Unable to take anymore of the terrifying citizens, she headed for an alleyway to hide. After checking that she was safe from the scary fishermen and what not, she sighed and slumped against the wall. Her heart was going at a mile a minute.
"Ohhh… I got to get out of here," she murmured, hugging her legs to comfort herself. "I got to find Timmy and Valley… even if that means I'll get that needle shot. This place isn't for me."
"It ain't better here, missy…"
Tutti jumped as she saw a scruffy Goomba crawl out of a nearby dumpster. One of its fangs was missing, its eyes were low and sunken, and it shuffled on a wooden leg. It menacingly gritted its teeth and growled in a deep voice.
"If I were you, I'd clear out within the next five seconds… you're sitting on my favourite blanket!"
The Toad girl quickly got up from her spot and dashed away from the surly creature. That does it, she thought. I'm never coming back here again. She was back on the street, but not before she fell on top of somebody in the process.
"Oh geez! I'm so sorry, mister! I didn't look where I was going! I… huh?" She stared at him and, for a vague moment, Tutti thought she ran into her brother.
The downed person was clearly a young human. He had a blue striped shirt that was almost like Timmy's, but with yellow replacing the white. He had black hair that clashed a bit with his red cap, and skinny legs that went along with his blue shorts and red shoes. And behind him, he was carrying a brown rugged knapsack. He looked to be around 12 or 13 years of age.
"Um… would you mind if you could please get off of me, miss?" the boy struggled to say.
"Oh… sorry." She lifted herself up and lend out a hand to him. "Do you need help?"
"Nah, I'm okay…" He dusted off his clothes after getting back on his feet. "Man… this place has more filth than Master Belch himself. And that's saying something!"
Tutti drawn a blank expression. "Who's Master Belch?"
"Uhh… never mind. Forget I said that." The boy looked around, as though he was trying to find something. Or someone. "Um… you wouldn't happen to see a girl and two other boys who look a bit like me, do you?"
"Not to my knowledge… But if I ever see them, I'll let you know okay, Mr… uh… I'm sorry, what was your name?" she asked.
He was a bit hesitant, but felt that he could trust this person enough to give his identity. After all… she did seem nice to him.
"I'm Ness. Ness from Onett, Eagleland."
"Nice name, Ness," she smiled. "I'm Tutti… Tutti Fru T. from the Mushroom Kingdom."
They both reached each others hands for a friendly shake, but not before a loud rattle from a nearby trashcan alerted them. The Toad girl feared it may be the one-legged Goomba again, but her guesses were thrown out the door when she saw the stout mushroom run away scared, being tightly followed by two strange black birds with glasses.
The small dumpster pretty much exploded before their very eyes. And from the contents, a bizarre-looking being appeared before them. From Tutti's perspective, it looked like a giant, shiny star with a black visor making up its face, some weird symbols stamped on its chest, its hands ending in sharp points, and its boots were square-shaped.
"Oh crud… not these guys again!" the boy yelled in panic. He dug into his pack and pulled out a wooden baseball bat with a crack on its tip. He armed it like he was getting ready for battle. "I hope you know how to fight, Tutti! Because this could get messy!"
/
You engage with a Starman and his cohorts.
"Uh… what's going on?" the Toad girl questioned. "Who said that? And why is the whole world in swirling colors of rainbow?"
"We're in a battle right now, Tutti!" Ness explained. He pointed to the creatures in front of them. "And we have to defeat them before they knock us out! Here, I'll show you!"
Ness attacks! 63HP of damage to the Spiteful Crow A! Spiteful Crow A became tame!
"Whoa! That bird just vanished? Just like that? What is this… some kind of role-playing game?"
"Don't think of that now! Look out, here they come!"
The Starman is on guard. Spiteful Crow B pecked at your eyes! 8HP of damage to Tutti!
"OW!" she cried. "That hurt really badly! Why I ought to…"
Tutti scolded at Spiteful Crow B. Spiteful Crow B's defence dropped by 10.
"Okay… not what I would have gone for, but I guess this is just your first time, huh?" Ness remarked. "Alright, my turn…"
Ness tried PSI Flash Beta! The Starman couldn't stop crying. It did not affect Spiteful Crow B.
"Huh?! How… how did you do that?!" Tutti spluttered.
"Did what?" the boy asked.
"That thing you did just now!"
"Uh…" He was speechless for a period. "…I'll explain afterwards. GAH! Look out!"
The Starman shot a laser! Tutti dodged quickly!
"Whoa! That was too close!"
Spiteful Crow B has a big grin on its face. It did not affect Tutti.
"Hey, why are these stupid enemies always trying to go for me all the time? Alright… you want a fight? I'll give you a fight!"
Tutti punched and kicked at the enemy! 16HP of damage to Spiteful Crow B! Spiteful Crow B became tame!
"Yay! I did it! That'll show you to mess with a lady!" she cheered while jumping up and down.
"Good work, Tutti! But we're not out of the woods yet!" Ness told her. "We still have to deal with him!"
Ness tried PSI Rockin Beta! 98HP of damage to the Starman! Starman tried PSI Magnet! It did not work on Ness. Tutti punched and kicked at the enemy! 4HP of damage to the Starman!
"Ouch! What?! Only 4? That sounds lousy!" She rubbed her left foot tenderly.
"Here… maybe this'll help." He dug into his knapsack again and handed a simple-looking slingshot to her.
"Are you crazy?! What good would a slingshot do to a guy that can shoot vaporizing lasers at me?!" she exclaimed.
"Trust me. Just use it."
"Ugh… fine…" She took the slingshot from him and equipped it in her hand. "This looks so unconventional."
Ness attacks! 45HP of damage to the Starman! The Starman shot a laser! The laser missed its target!
The Toad girl looked at her puny weapon, thinking that it would have no chance against this technological terror… but she figured anything other than her fists would be better than nothing. Besides… that enemy's hard, metal skin hurt her foot when she kicked it.
Tutti aimed her slingshot! SSMMAASSHH! 113HP of damage to the Starman!
"Whoa!" Her eyes marvelled at the flimsy tool she held. "This primitive device caused THAT much pain?" She smiled greatly and looked at her foe with defiance. "Seems you're going to wake up with a stinging face in the morning!"
Ness tried PSI Rockin Beta! 120HP of damage to the Starman! The Starman is on guard. Tutti aimed her slingshot! 48HP of damage to the Starman!
"Alright, Tutti! We almost got him now! Don't give up!" Ness shouted.
"Okay!"
Ness attacks! 38HP of damage to the Starman! The Starman tried PSI Fire Beta! 72HP of damage to Ness! 89HP of damage to Tutti!
And then… something strange took place. The Toad girl's body started to glow a bright light. She shimmered all over as a some sort of power surged through her veins. It terrified her… but at the same time, it felt familiar to her.
"What the…? Ness? What's happening to me?"
She can feel her whole self vibrate uncontrollably and her lungs be filled with so much air, all before unintentionally raising her hands at the enemy, with her palms sticking out.
Tutti tried PSI Beam Omega! SSMMAASSHH! 620HP of damage to the Starman! The Starman was defeated!
"I… I… I did it?" The Toad girl was shakily laughing, realizing she took out the threat all by herself. "I DID IT! Ness, did you see that? I finished it off! Hahaha!"
Ness was dumbstruck. He didn't even know that this female had such skill within her… but he congratulated her all the same. "That… that was amazing, Tutti! I'm proud of you!"
"Thanks! Hahahaha! We did it! Hooray!"
YOU WON!
Ness and Tutti gained 13204 exp each. Ness's level is now 26! Offence went up by 2! Defence went up by 2! Speed went up by 1! Guts went up by 1! Maximum HP went up by 8! Maximum PP went up by 7!
Tutti's level is now 7! Offence went up by 1! Defence went up by 2! Speed went up by 2! Vitality went up by 2! Oh baby! I.Q. went by 6! Sweet! Maximum HP went up by 23! That rocks! Maximum PP went up by 31!
/
They were now back in Downtown Mushroom Kingdom. The bizarre enemies were gone and the people around them were mystified on what happened. The one-legged Goomba was peeping out of his hiding place under a crate full of fish, shivering in fright from those demonic birds.
"Wow… that was cool! I ought to do this more often!" Tutti giggled. She enjoyed the odd, yet satisfying battle she experienced.
Again, Ness was at a loss for words. He couldn't explain how someone outside his world would know powers like he had. And it wasn't anything special either. It was the exact same aura that he felt among his friends. "Could she be the one we're looking for?" he thought.
"Ness! Is that you? Where are you?"
The boy turned around. "Oh man, that must be them!" he spoke. "I thank you for helping me out, Tutti. And I was wondering if you… Tutti? Tutti?!"
The Toad girl had already left… but from in the distance, he could spot someone running just down the street at high speed, their auburn hair flailing in the breeze. They were being chased by a wooden-legged mushroom that was screaming at them.
"There you are! We were looking all over for you!" A blonde-hair girl with a pink dress and red bow on her head had met up with Ness. She was then closely followed by two other boys. One of them was also blonde, had thick glasses, a fancy green suit and black bowtie. The other had tan skin, his black hair was in a ponytail, and he wore a karate outfit with a black belt tied to his waist.
"Relax, Paula. I'm fine now," Ness stated. He was still staring off where Tutti supposedly vanished from.
"Who was that woman you were talking to?" she questioned.
"I'm not quite sure…"
"Well, she must have been of some importance," said the blonde boy, while pulling out a small device from his pocket. "I can detect a large concentration of PSI energy just lingering in the air here. And strangely… this energy signature doesn't seem like yours, Ness."
"I can feel her presence too," the other male declared. He had his eyes closed in meditation. "She seems scared… but there's no doubt she is powerful."
"Where were you guys anyway?" Ness wondered.
"Me, Jeff and Poo were just wiping out our own mess when we saw the bright blast from your area," Paula explained. She tilted her head to the side. "Is everything okay with you, Ness?"
He nodded. "Yeah… just can't help but feel we might meet her again someday…"
/
"Well… this was totally pointless," Timmy sighed.
For the last half-hour, he and Valentina had looked everywhere back in their home. They checked every nook and cranny for Tutti, even in places where they'd least expect her to be. They even looked all over on the roof of the building and down in every corner of the dark basement. But their whole search had been fruitless and an enormous waste of time.
"Maybe she hid under her bed again, probably while we weren't looking?" the bubbly girl suggested, while rooting through the kitchen cupboards.
"Nah, she's not there," the Toad boy groaned. He slumped on a chair. "Let's face it, Valley. We have not a clue of her whereabouts, it's close to dinnertime already, and Mom could be back early any minute now… and finds out that my sister has became old enough to drive her car."
Valentina perked her ears. "Wait… what did you say?"
"That my mom could be back early?"
"No. Before that…"
"We have no clue of where Tutti is?" he responded in confusion.
"Not that either. Right in the middle of what you said," she told him.
Timmy was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Uh… it's close to dinnertime?"
She quickly looked at the clock and let out a silent gasp. It was ten minutes to 5 o'clock. She realized that there was only about 6 hours until she would change back into her normal self. And there wasn't a lot of the youth formula left, thanks to Tutti's thirst.
What if they were to search all night for her… and she suddenly started to transform in front of Timmy? Or… like Timmy mentioned… that Femi could return without warning, and she discovers her child has gone missing? Any of those scenarios, of which played in the bouncing beauty's head, could result into her losing her job.
Not to mention I'll never be able to see those two wonderful kids again, she thought sadly.
Valentina pulled herself together, reassuring herself that she had a long way before they have to discuss that issue. And as much as she wanted to cry… she will not do so in front of Timmy. She didn't want him to worry about her. Right now, they have more important matters to deal with…
"Why did you make me repeat that, by the way?" the Toad boy asked.
"Uh… it's because it says on the list your mom gave me… that you guys are to have dinner at 5pm," she muttered. It was the half-truth… but she wasn't going to tell him all of it. Not just yet. "And that you're supposed to be inside by 7."
"Oh yeah!" he recalled. His face froze with horror. "If we don't get Tutti back before 7pm… Mom usually calls us at that time when she's at work! To see if we're inside the house like we're suppose to!"
Just then, the kitchen phone rang. Timmy gasped.
"Oh no! It's her! What do we do?! What do we do?!"
"Shhh! Relax, Timmy!" Valentina hushed him. "I'm sure we'll think of something! Just… pretend that everything is okay, alright?"
"O-Okay," he quavered.
The bubbly girl went and picked up the receiver. "Hello? Who is it?"
"Hello, Valley! Just checking up on you and the kids!" Femi's voice buzzed through. "How are they doing? Are they having supper?"
"Oh, yes! Yes they are!" she answered sweetly, while trying her best to mask her anxiety. "Tonight, we're having baked potatoes and peas. And they're pretty much eating it up!"
"That's good to know! Can I speak to Timmy for a minute? I want to know how his day went!"
"Alright, I'll pass him onto you!" She handed the Toad boy the phone. "Just stay calm, okay?" she added with a whisper to him.
He shakily nodded his head before pulling up a big fake smile and he spoke into the mouthpiece. "Hiya, Mom! How's it going? Are you having fun at the convention?"
"I sure am! I just bought a cute little sailor suit that might fit you just nicely when I get back! How are you by the way, honey? Everything well?"
"Yep! Just doing like you told me! I'm behaving in front of Valley and having a blast with Tutti!" Timmy laughed nervously.
"What's wrong with your voice, dear?" his mother asked, starting to sound worried. "Are you sure you're okay? If you want, I can come down early if you…"
"No, it's okay Mom!" he rushed. The Toad boy faked a cough a few times. "I'm just getting a little sick, that's all. Nothing a spoon of medicine and a goodnight's rest can't cure! Isn't that what you always say?"
"I guess so. Just making sure you're fine, honey." Femi remarked. She sounded convinced enough, which made him sigh quietly with relief. "How's Tutti? Can I talk to her now?"
Timmy's stomach suddenly dropped like a stone. His whole body went numb and cold, while he looked to Valentina in fear.
"What the heck do I say?" he mouthed, while covering the earpiece. "Tell her she's not here?!"
"I don't know!" she responded urgently. She quickly thought for an idea. "Umm… why not you pretend to sound like her?"
"Are you nuts?! Mom will recognize my voice!"
"You got any other way?"
They heard Femi from the other end. "Hello? Are you still there, Timmy? What's going on?"
Timmy gulped loudly, but not loud enough for his mother to hear him. He cleared his throat and spoke into the phone nice and clearly. "Yeah, I'll hand it to her. Just give me a moment." He waited for a few seconds before preparing to do his impersonation.
"Uh… hi, Mommy!" the Toad boy chirped in a higher pitch than usual. He remarkably sounded like Tutti. "How are you?"
"Hello, my little angel! Ohhh… Mommy misses you so!" she cooed. "Are you being a good girl?"
"Uh huh! I like Valley! She's so nice to us! We even played a new game today!" he gushed.
Man… he's good at imitating her, the bouncing beauty mused with a smirk.
"That's wonderful, dear! What was the game?"
"Um…" Timmy quickly thought of a game that seemed fun, safe and plausible for them to play. "…it's like tic-tac-toe… but everybody is the pieces! We got some rope and… uh… put them on the ground outside. And we move like we're playing checkers!"
"Wow… sounds like a fun way to spend your afternoon!" Femi laughed. "You'll have to give me the rules and details to me sometime when I come back! Listen, I got to go now… but I want you and your brother to know that I love you very much, okay? You're such a special little person to me…"
A sad little tear leaked out of Timmy's eyes and he went to wipe it on his sleeve. She never talked to her in that comforting tone of voice for a long time. Not since his dad had moved out. Sure… he heard her say that she loved him, but not with as much feeling as like his sister. It didn't feel good that he didn't get as much attention as Tutti… but it was more depressing that he didn't feel his mom's love like he used to. It seemed like only Valley was able to tend to him like a real mother. And she was only their babysitter.
"I… I love you too, Mommy," Timmy muttered, a little choked up in the emotion of the moment, but still speaking like Tutti. "I hope you come back soon. I feel isolated without you…"
"Iso-what, dear?"
The Toad boy cringed in his mistake. His sister would never say something like that so well-pronounced (well… at least her real 6 year old self, that is).
"Uhhh… Timmy and Valley t-taught me that word!" he stuttered. "They asked why I'm so 'isolated' when I was playing with my blocks! They mean to say I'm lonely." He sweated a bit, wondering if she'd buy it.
A long silence fell afterwards. She knows something is up, he thought with panic. We're busted, it's over...
"I'm so proud of you, honey! You're learning even while I'm away!" came her mother's voice again, her tone sounded very impressed. The Toad boy let out another heavy sigh of relief. "I'm sure before I know it, you're going to be even smarter than me!"
Hehehe… well, she's not far off, he thought with a laugh while thinking of his sister's rapidly gained IQ.
"Before I leave, I just need to talk to Valley for a minute, okay? Can you hand the phone to her?"
"Sure thing, Mommy!" Timmy gave the receiver to Valentina again. She rested it between her shoulder and ear.
"So is there anything you want to know about, Miss Femi?" the bubbly girl asked.
"Oh no… nothing like that. I think you're doing a great job so far. I really appreciate it again that you did this for me," the motherly Toad replied. "There is a little hiccup that I need to address, though…"
"Oh? What would that be?" Valentina wondered.
"Um… there is call for a thunderstorm heading into Seaside Town, and everyone at the convention is starting to pack up their things, so… yeah…" Another pause for a brief moment. "…I might be coming back sooner than planned. So at the latest, I'm might expect to arrive back home some time after… oh… about 7 o'clock."
"I'm sorry… I didn't catch that…," the bouncing beauty said breathlessly. "Did… did you say… 7 o'clock? As in 7pm?"
"That's right! I'll be back soon enough to be able to tuck my little angels in bed tonight!" she chirped. "I'll still pay you extra for being a big help. And you can still be around until 10pm arrives. Oh my… the rain is starting to really pour now! I got to leave! See you soon! Bye!"
The line went dead. A blank stare was imprinted on Valentina's face as she slowly hung the phone back to its base. Not a word was said for about 5 minutes.
"Uh… what did she say, Valley?" Timmy timidly responded. He shook her body from her daze. But she continued to have that chilling look in her eyes.
"If we don't get Tutti back before 7 o'clock this evening…," she calmly spoke. "…your mom is going to report the entire police department for a child kidnapping."
"Wait… you… y-you mean s-she's coming here?! Right now?!"
His answer was a solemn nod from her head. And in a snap, the Toad boy's expression matched her own. He stumbled his way to a dining room chair and sat in it.
"I'm a dead man…," Timmy muttered. He looked like he was in prison with those sullen eyes. "That's all there is to it… we're done… finished… it's game over…"
After another period of intense quietness, the bubbly girl looked at him with a determined face. "No… we can't give up now… we still have time to get your sister back to her 6 year old self."
"You can do that all you want…," he mumbled dully. "It won't change the fact that I'm screwed…"
"Come on, Timmy! Snap out of it! I won't let you get into trouble, alright?" she barked firmly, while grasping his shoulders. "We can still do this! I know we can!"
But he only shrugged her hands off him. "That what I thought when I tried to keep Mom and Dad together… and they still separated anyway…" He gazed at the plain wall in front of him. "I can still hear Mom yelling at him to get out while throwing his things through the door… Tutti was bawling her eyes out… while I just stood there, unable to do anything…" His eyes leaked with steady tears. "Sniff… It was the night that I tried making dinner for them… a platter of peanut butter sandwiches and some nice roses for a romantic evening… thinking that that will make Dad stay… but I was wrong… so wrong…"
He couldn't hold it in anymore, and let all out in one mighty sob. The bouncing beauty could only watch as he was suffering from his terrible past memories. She started to cry too, but not as heavily as he was. She wrapped her arms around him and brought him close to her.
"I'm sorry, Timmy… I… I didn't mean to yell at you like that…"
"It's… it's alright, Valley…," he sniffled. "I didn't mean… to make you worry too… sniff."
Valentina sighed heavily. Her guilt had now reached its limit. She couldn't go on like this. "Timmy… I want you to know… after we find Tutti, and we get her back to normal, I'm…" Why does it hurt so much, she wondered. "…I'm going to quit being your babysitter…"
"Huh? B-But why, though?" The news was a big shock to the Toad boy. "You can't leave! I know things may look bad… b-but that can't be any reason to go! You're the b-best babysitter we ever had!"
For a brief moment, she smiled earnestly before turned to him with sorrow. "I know… but this is something I need to do… And…" She made a long pause before thinking carefully of her next words. "…I've been untruthful lately to you and your sister. I so desperately wanted this job, just so I can be able to live on my own… but it's not worth living a lie when it comes to our great friendship. Believe me… the only honest thing I can say is that I really enjoyed being with you guys… and I really don't want to hurt anyone further. So I'm coming out clean to you… right here and right now…" Here it comes, she thought sadly.
"My… my name is not Tiffany Valley…" She looked dead in the eyes of Timmy when she spoke again. "I'm really called… Valentina…"
There was another long, uncomfortable pause of silence, excluding the crickets heard outdoors. The Toad boy was running all that she told him through his head, but still didn't see why she had to leave.
"Well… that's not such a big deal," he implied. "Lots of people don't say their real names, just for privacy or… just because they think their name is stupid. Like… like my teachers always call me 'Timothy' in school, but I constantly tell them to say 'Timmy' instead, because I hated being called the other way around."
"That is true, but… there's also another reason why I can't stay here," the bubbly girl explained. "And if your mom knew about it… she'd never let me watch both of you anyways."
"Then what is it, then? Why is it you're telling me this now?" Timmy asked with uncertainty.
"I… I…" Valentina couldn't keep her voice steady. But she knew she had to let it out. "Sigh… There is… there is actually more that you know about me than I'm letting on… but right now, I can't show you yet. We need to find Tutti before I reveal myself…"
"W-What do you mean 'reveal yourself'?" But the Toad boy already knew what she meant. When he overheard her conversation with E. Gadd…
'Youth formula'… 12 hours…
She gave him a loving hug. Her heart was tearing in two. "I'll show you later… I promise…," she whispered. "…but first things first. We need to get Tutti back."
/
(End of Part 4)