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.

/

"Wha…w-what? I don't think I heard you right, Professor," Valentina stuttered. "Did… did you just say that that is the Fountain of Youth?"

"Yep, you heard clearly, my dear!" E. Gadd chirped. The cup of purple liquid in his hands emitted a soft glow in the somewhat dark room.

"As in… that stuff can make you younger?"

"That's correct… well, sort of…," he said with uncertainty

"But… that can't be…," she denied. She was starting to wonder if Luigi was right. That the Professor has lost his marbles. "I mean… my mom used to tell me bedtime stories of people finding ways to live forever, or something similar… but she always tells me that they can't happen… it's all just fiction…"

"Yeah, my dear Valentina. That is… until now! Here… if you're that doubtful, I'll prove it to you."

As she watched him, E. Gadd walked over to a dying plant that was standing on the counter. Its browning leaves were crumbling, fragile and close to snapping off from the slightest touch. The stalk was all dried up and yellow with age. And the petals were all drooping downward, some of which were falling off as Valentina examined what was probably once a very beautiful flower.

The Professor pulled out a short wooden stool from a cupboard below, got on top of it so he can reach, and poured a generous amount of the violet fluid into the base of the flower pot. It seeped into the chalky dirt, absorbing it as though it was very thirsty, and E. Gadd and Valentina watched with curious eyes to see a wondrous miracle about to happen…

It was like watching a video playing backwards. First, the leaves began straighten and plumping up, returning to their natural mint green. Next came the stem, which perked up from its crippling demeanour, and glistened with shiny morning dew. Finally, and one by one, the flower petals rippled as they were being magically rejuvenated. The bouncing beauty went in awe as she saw vibrant colors of blue, pink, red and orange spread across their surfaces. The base of the pistil became healthy and full of life, and even the ground looked as though it had been freshly set inside the pot.

It was all over within a minute. And in place of the withering plant was now a blossoming and majestic-looking exotic flower. Valentina could only clutch her chest as she breathlessly spoke, looking totally mystified.

"Oh… oh… oh my…," she struggled to say. Her eyes were wide open. "It… it… it actually… it actually works!"

E. Gadd chuckled proudly. "You see, Valentina? I told you that it would be a major breakthrough in the history of science! Now our society will no longer have to worry about the effects of aging! Senior citizens can now enjoy being outside again without deteriorating health… or couples can rekindle their spark for each other! Old long-lost memories can be recovered, and we can help keep dying hospital patients alive for a little longer! We have achieved immortality! Well…" The Professor hesitated in his words again. "…almost, I believe."

"What… what do you mean, E. Gadd?" the bubbly girl asked. She was curious to know more.

The old scientist sheepishly scratched his head, while setting the beaker containing the revolutionary substance on the table. "You see… this youth formula is only in its prototype stage and its not exactly perfect. Yes, it does reverse a person's age, but…" He scratched his hair again. "…but its only temporary for the time being. I have yet to discover a gene that can stabilize the changes, and maintain them… but until then… the effects can only last for up to 12 hours, according to my calculations."

"So… it can keep you young… but then you'll go back to the way you were?" Valentina questioned. She thought of something that really piqued her interest. "How young can it make you, say… if you were only 5 years old? Would it make you younger and younger until you no longer…?"

E. Gadd lifted up his head. "Oh no, no, no! It doesn't work in that way!" he laughed, trying to calm her concerns. "How it works… is that I can set up the youth formula so it can actually make you any age you want! So there's no need to worry about getting 'too' young…"

"Wait a minute… did you say any age?" The bouncing beauty heart was racing.

"Of course!" the Professor smiled. "For example, you could be some 35 year old man with severe back pains since you were 12... and you can set yourself up to be 8 years old and run freely! Or… say you are a young teen who always wanted to go to the prom… you can take a sip and look to be a high-school graduate! And no one will be any of the wiser!"

"So…," Valentina slowly concluded. "It can make you younger AND older? And people won't recognize you the whole time?"

"Exactly!" E. Gadd agreed.

Her head was now swimming with ideas of what she could do with these possibilities. But most of all, she thought of something that she really think it could change her life around. Valentina's eyes lit up with excitement and she suddenly grabbed onto the old man by the shoulders.

"Professor, I want you to make me younger…," she stated.

Now it was E. Gadd's turn to be confused. "I think I didn't you clearly, my dear… did you say you want me to make you younger?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying…"

The Professor's eyes went wide with shock. "Goodness gracious, young lady! You're young enough as it is! Why in Star Road do you want to do such a thing?!" he exclaimed.

"Please, E. Gadd! I really need you to do this for me! Because…" Valentina turned her back on him and hugged herself tightly, so that her large bosom pushed out from her shirt. She had a hurt look on her face "…because I need it to apply for a certain job."

"A job, you say?" E. Gadd asked in bewilderment. "But… aren't you at the age where you can work now?"

"Yes, I know that… but…" She looked at him with sad, desperate eyes. "There's this woman that won't hire me, because she thinks I'm bad news, and… she needs a babysitter that can take care of her kids… but I can't go because she'll know who I am, and…" Tears were dripping down on her delicate face. "…I really need this job."

She turned away from him and quietly sobbed in grief. The Professor could only stand there as he watched her cry, and his heart felt heavy with sympathy. He never heard someone that was willing to go to such great lengths just to find work. The old man knew that it could be a bad idea to use her as a test subject, since he never even experimented the youth formula on humans yet… but his curiosity got the better of him. After all, he won't know unless he tried.

E. Gadd slapped his hands in anticipation, a look of determination in his eyes, and he ran to the FAMU to make some adjustments. Valentina looked at him oddly, wondering what he was doing.

"Professor? What are you…?"

"Hold on, I'm concentrating! This is very tedious!" he responded, while fiddling with the controls. He placed a new beaker below the nozzle, pressed a random button and watched his marvellous machine go. "By adding some more hydrogen iodide, along with a little calcium citrate, reducing the amount of formaldehydes and catalysts, and with enough centrifugal motion… that should be just small enough of a reaction to not cause any harmful damage, yet still make a significant difference to alter the pituitary glands."

"Wait… so…" The bubbly girl was completely in the dark of what he just said. "…does that mean… you're going to help me?"

E. Gadd turned to look at her and smiled. "In laymen's terms… yes. I will help you to get that job by any means necessary."

Valentina jumped for joy and squeezed the tiny old man in a happy hug. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she cheered, pressing him into her soft bosom. "This means a whole lot to me!"

The Professor chuckled while fixing his glasses, after they nearly fell off his nose from the affectionate hugging. "No problem, my dear! Now just stand back so I can make sure the formula come out right…"

She let him go, and did what he told her to do, while E. Gadd examined the gauges to see that they were at the correct pressure. A whistle blew… and some more of the miraculous mixture squirted into the glass cup until it was nearly full.

The old scientist got out a test tube, and poured some of the rich purple liquid into it, corking it before turning to Valentina. He handed both the vial and the beaker to her. "Take the small one first, and make sure you swallow it all… that should give you at least 12 hours before you revert back to your normal self… hopefully. And in case it does work… you have an extra refill from your cup. And remember…," he warned, his tone getting very serious. "…do not give this to anyone else, especially to other species. I've adjusted the formula so it can supposedly handle the female human body. Do you got all that?"

Valentina nodded. "Got it. I take the vial to make myself young… and I have my cup to refill my vial," she repeated. "And I don't give this stuff to anyone but myself."

"Good. Now… if you experience any problems after consumption, come and alert me. This is a very dangerous product I'm giving to you, Valentina. I want you to guard it and keep it somewhere where it won't fall into the wrong hands," E. Gadd explained. He patted her waist in a friendly matter. "Now off with you! I'm sure you want to get that job position before its taken!"

She nodded again and smiled. "I can't thank you enough, Professor. I'll let you know how it goes! Bye!" The bubbly girl carefully ran with her stuff, so to not spill the precious fluid, before exiting E. Gadd's home. The old man giggled lightly while crossing his arms in satisfaction.

"My my… the youth in today's society sure like to rush a lot!" he exclaimed with a grin.

/

The pink woman didn't stop sprinting while on her way to Bleeker Street. Her white high-tops slapped the pavement as she hoped she wasn't too late for the babysitting job. More than anything did she need it to finally get her life back on track.

She had just reached the intersection of where she needed to be, before Valentina collapsed in exhaustion. She rested herself on a street sign, her chest heaving in and out. While she caught her breath, the bouncing beauty examined the corked test tube in her hand.

"Man… this stuff better work… or I've ran all the way here for nothing…," she panted.

Pulling out the plug, the bubbly girl looked at her body once more. She hoped her transformation wasn't going to be painful. That plant may have not been screaming in discomfort, but that's because it had no nervous system.

Inhaling deeply, Valentina brought the vial to her lips and swigged all of its contents down her throat.

She waited. And waited… Her toned belly was digesting the formula like it was any other normal drink. Strangely, it tasted like cherries in her mouth, as she stood around patiently for the effects to kick in.

"Sigh… it didn't work for me…," she muttered sadly, after waiting for 5 minutes. The bouncing beauty rubbed her stomach, feeling empty inside. "I guess that means there's nothing for it but to turn ba… Ahhhhhh! Ohhh!"

Valentina cringed as a wave of unnatural chill swept her whole body. She shivered uncontrollably while clutching herself to keep warm.

"What the…? Is it happening now? Ohhh! Oh my g… Gahhhhh! Sigh… sigh…"

Suddenly, she felt herself go from extreme coldness to a sweltering hot temperature. She sweated as something deep inside her was shifting. It wasn't excruciating at all… quite the opposite, in fact. She felt relaxed all over while her body was drenched in her sweat. The bubbly girl's heart, however, was beating like crazy. It threatened to pop as it hammered at an inhuman pace, moving so fast and so loudly that she could hear it as one continuous sound.

That's when Valentina noticed that she was starting to change…

Her blue skirt was about to fall off as her hips began to shorten. Her shoulders also lost some of its width, but became very sturdy too. Her arms and fingers became more sinewy, like that of a pixie, and her pink skin got tighter and shinier. Her chest shrank significantly, but still remained perky as they hovered down to a C-cup. Valentina felt her shoes getting loose as her feet became smaller and more slender. Her legs trimmed down, losing only a quarter of its muscle mass, and looked somewhat awkward and knobbly.

It was all over after two minutes, and the bubbly girl was in awe of herself while she checked her new body. If anyone had guessed, she would have looked to be 16 years old.

"Holy moley! I… I… I can see my feet again! Gasp!" She clasped a hand to her mouth, after realizing her thinner windpipe had made her voice a little more squeaky and high pitched, much like she sounded when she was a teenager. While still covering her lips, she prodded her small breasts with her other hand. She let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Aww… that sucks… they don't even jiggle." She placed her hands to her hips and smiled meekly. "Well, at least I still have a good figure. I look fit enough to take on the entire gymnastics team!" She lifted up one slender leg, while grabbing onto her thigh, and her foot touched the side of her head while keep her limbs straight. "Wow, am I ever flexible too! Heehee… this is very neat! But I wonder what my face looks like though…"

She set both feet back on the ground, and she walked close to a puddle of water on the side of the road. She peered at her reflection.

"Whoa… I'm… I'm pretty…," Valentina whispered.

Her face didn't differ too much from her adult form. Her nose was a small cute nub, just placed perfectly above her soft, smooth lips. Her blue eyes though… were a little larger now. They now look more adorable and innocent than ever. Her cheekbones were elegantly thin, beautifully sculpted to fit her pink complexion. Her hair was the only thing that remained unchanged. The bouncing beauty almost didn't recognized herself for a second… but she was sure that anyone else won't even know who she is if they glanced her way.

She grinned with enthusiasm. "Yep. Femi isn't going to know a thing! Thanks, E. Gadd!" the bubbly girl shouted, even thought the Professor was blocks away from her. She quickly grabbed onto her skirt after it momentarily fell off, just exposing her dainty panties. She blushed heavily.

"Oh man… I really need to get changed! My grown-up clothes don't fit me anymore!" She dug into the pockets of her loose skirt and pulled out some tight, stretchy clothing. "Hehehe, but good thing I pack some extras just in case! A girl has got to prepare for anything!"

She went behind a neighbour's fence to get changed. About 5 minutes later, Valentina came back out, ready in her new clothes and identity. She still wore a heart decal white shirt, flowing blue skirt and white shoes… but they now properly fit her somewhat scrawny frame. The bouncing beauty noticed one thing different though… the bottom of her shirt now covered her belly button.

She rested her hands on her waist. "Huh… so that's how it's supposed to cover me? Weird…" she wondered. "Oh well… no need to worry about that now. I got more important things to do!"

Adjusting her shirt once more, Valentina took a breath and started jogging across Bleeker Street for house 321.

As soon as she got to the front door, the bubbly girl was a little anxious. She wasn't really sure how well her disguise was, or if Femi won't try to pry her open like a clam. After all, there aren't many girls who have pink as their natural hair color. She could always lie and say she dyed it.

She knocked a few times and waited. Okay, now… the moment of truth, she thought. Please let her not recognize me… please let her not recognize me…

The door opened. But Valentina saw no one there. At least… not from her perspective…

"Hello? Can I help you?"

Valentina looked down, and saw a Toad boy with a purple-spotted cap and blue-striped shirt. She knew him right away, totally surprised that he lives here, but said nothing about it.

"Uh… I'm here for the babysitting job? Is your mom around?" she asked.

Timmy flushed red. "Uh, I think you have the wrong house, stranger. We don't need a babysitter. We can take care of ourselves," he replied quickly. Apparently, his eyes were trying to check behind him without moving his head… as though somebody could be watching him. "Well, you best be off your way. So take care and all that jazz. See ya! Bye!"

"Timmy! That's not nice to treat our guest!" Femi scolded him. She came out off nowhere, and yanked the little hooligan into her home. The Toad mother blushed in embarrassment to Valentina. "I'm really sorry. He's being a tad difficult this afternoon. So you called for my ad, miss… uh, what's your name?"

"I'm Val… uh… Val… Val-E… Valley! I'm Tiffany Valley!" Whew… what a way to think on her feet. "Uh, yes. Of course I did. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here!" the bouncing beauty laughed.

My gosh, she thought… She looked at me and only called me miss! My disguise is working!

"I thank you for coming here on such short notice, Miss Valley," Femi smiled. She guided Valentina inside the house as they talked. "Many of our applicants were fooled into thinking they were at the wrong address, as you saw with my son earlier. I hope you can forgive him. Timmy has been a little 'withdrawn' to new people since his father and I divorced not too long ago."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm sure he's a sweet boy," Valentina spoke politely. She hid a smirk. Yep, this is his place alright.

"I just got a call that I'm needed at the office, so I can't stay long to show you everything," the Toad mother explained. "Could you be able to stay here for a few hours? I'm sure you might be busy and all, if it's too much trouble…"

"Oh no! No trouble at all!" the bouncing beauty replied, shaking her head. "My schedule is wide open! I could even stay here to make dinner if you think it'll be a late night."

Femi clasped her hands in glee. "Really, you'd do that? That'll makes things much easier for me when I come back! Are you good in making healthy meals?"

Valentina nodded. "Be it finger food or something zesty, I'm an excellent cook in all kinds of cuisine."

"Perfect! Now all you need to know is through this list…" Femi handed a long piece of paper to the bubbly girl, and she read it through.

"The kids need to play at least 4 hours of daily activities. Dinner is usually around 5pm. Timmy and Tutti aren't allowed to watch TV during that time. Make sure they also eat everything on their plates. By 7pm, make sure to have them indoors. I don't want them playing too late tonight. Around 8pm, that's when they have their bath. Timmy can bathe by himself, but Tutti needs help scrubbing some spots on her back. They have to be in bed by 9pm, so make sure to keep them quiet. If one of them gets scared, you can choose to stay with them until they go to sleep or put on a lullaby. And… I think that's everything."

Geez… this woman likes to be thorough with every detail, Valentina wondered in her mind. I hope I can remember everything…

"So around 10, you can leave the house if you wish," Femi continued. "You're also welcome to spend the night here, and we have an extra bedroom upstairs. Is there anything you require, Miss Valley?"

The bouncing beauty gave a simple smile. "No, I'm alright. I'll do just fine here."

"Alright then," the Toad mother responded cheerfully. "I'll just be on my way now. Oh! And if you have any problems… just call me on this number." She got out a small sheet and pen, scrawled quickly and handed the paper to Valentina. "I'll try to come home as soon as I can."

Femi grabbed her purse and was about to leave the front door when Timmy and Tutti came up to her. She bended down to give both of them a hug.

"Be good my sweethearts! I want you on your best behaviours!"

Tutti looked a little heartbroken. "You'll come back, will you?" the small Toad girl worried.

"Haha… yes, Tutti. Mommy will be back before you know it," Femi said soothingly to her daughter.

Timmy, however, was more desperate for his mom to stay. "Mom, I told you! We don't need a babysitter! We're not even babies, so why should we have one?"

"Timmy, please… not this again."

"But what if she's mean to us? She could just do whatever she wants, while we get locked in our rooms for the whole night! Babysitters always do that sort of thing when the parents are away!"

"Timmy… listen to me," she firmly told her son. She held onto his shoulders to make her point. "I don't want to hear you causing trouble for the rest of the day. I'm only going for a few hours, so you have nothing to worry. Just have fun and be nice to Miss Valley. Who knows… you may even get to like her if you ask more about her," she added with a smile.

"But… but…," Timmy struggled to say.

"No buts now. I don't want any fuss about how bad you assume she is. Valley is here to watch over you while I'm gone… and that's final. End of story."

With that said, Femi got up, opened the door and walked outside her house. Timmy could only watch helplessly as her mom got to her car and drove off, leaving them all alone… with this strange pink girl.

"Come on, Timmy! Let's introduce ourselves to the new babysitter!" Tutti exclaimed happily.

The Toad boy sighed with grief. "Fine…" was his reply. He slowly went back inside the house, closing the door on his way in.

Valentina was reading the list that Femi gave her when Tutti and Timmy walked up to her. The bouncing beauty gave an "Oh…" of surprise and turned her attention to them, trying to look as friendly as possible while clasping her hands behind her back.

"Hi, Miss Valley! My name is Tutti Fru T.! But you can call me Toot, because that's what Mom calls me sometimes," the Toad girl giggled.

"Nice to meet you, Tutti!" Valentina said while smiling. She lightly patted Tutti on the head, which excited her with more giggles. "And who is this young fella next to you?"

"Go on, Timmy! Tell her who you are!" the little Toad sister urged on.

Timmy sighed again. He might as well get it over with… before his freedom gets taken from him. "Hello… My name is Timmy Ice T.. Welcome to our home…," he responded flatly.

"Aww… you're so cute-looking, Timmy! I can just squeeze you all day!" Valentina pulled in the Toad boy for one of her famous hugs. Timmy tried to wrestle out of her grip, but she proved too strong for him. Not to mention she was 4 times bigger than he was. She let go of him after some time, and Timmy gasped for breath. A bewildered look crossed his face.

There's something funny going on, the Toad boy thought… Either I'm jumping to conclusions… or this girl's hug feels familiar…

"So what are we going to do for fun, Miss Valley?" Tutti asked. She was clearly excited of what game they'll play.

Valentina thought very hard. She snapped her fingers. "Why don't we play an outdoor game I used to do when I was your age? I think you'll enjoy it," she answered, while giving a sly wink to Tutti. "Timmy can even join in too!"

The Toad boy suddenly looked nervous for some reason. "Uhh… no th-thanks! You c-can play without me!"

His sister had put on a sad face. "Aw, come on Timmy! Don't be a stick in the mud! Let's go outside and play!"

"No, I really can't! Umm… I have homework I need to catch up on!" Timmy lied. "It'll take all day to finish up!"

"On a Sunday, though? Why do you have homework for? It's a beautiful day out!" Valentina responded curiously. "If it's Math, I could help you get it done quicker…"

"Nope! No need for that! It's personal anyways, so I have to do it on my own. I'll be in my room! Call me for dinner!" Before the bubbly girl can question him further, Timmy ran up the stairs in a swift rush to his bedroom, leaving the two confused females all by themselves.

"Okay… I guess that means we'll just play with each other then!" Valentina beamed to Tutti.

She and the Toad girl happily walked out of the house and began their game. Not too long afterwards, Timmy peered through his tiny window, watching the two having a blast on the front lawn. His heart felt heavy with unhappiness.

"Oh… why am I such a coward?" he moaned to himself, covering his face in shame.

/

In no time at all, it was 5 o'clock in the evening. And Femi was still not back from the office. So everyone was at the dinner table, eating the meal Valentina had made. The bouncing beauty may have stretched the truth a bit when she said she was an expert cook, but she was still decent nonetheless. She whipped up a simple recipe her mother once made: a fruit salad mixed with carrots and glazed with honey. So far, they all ate and enjoyed the strange healthy concoction without complaint.

"Mmm… This is yummy, Miss Valley!" Tutti complimented, taking bite after bite of her portion.

Valentina giggled while blushing. "Thanks very much, Tutti! Glad you like my cooking! And you don't have to call me Miss all the time… just Valley will do."

"Ok. You're welcome, Valley!"

The only one who was not talking was Timmy. He ate his meal in silence, with his head facing down, so that he didn't looked at either Tutti or Valentina. The bouncing beauty had a small pang of concern for the little Toad boy, so she tried to get him to open up a little.

"So… how well do you think you did in your homework, Timmy?" she asked in interest.

"Okay, I guess…," he replied dully.

Undeterred, the bubbly girl kept trying to coax him from his sad demeanour. "Did you get it all done?"

"Yes, I did…"

Now she was really worried about him. Valentina had met the Toad boy on many "coincidental" occasions during her travels. And to her, he always looked a bit eager to see her or wanting to please her. And despite the embarrassing things she did to him, he never gave a second thought about them. But right now… it seems that something is troubling the poor child.

"Are you feeling alright, Timmy?" the bouncing beauty asked.

"Yes. I'm fine…," he said with little emotion. He got out of his chair, carrying his empty plate to the sink. "I'm going to get ready for bed now…"

"But… but it's not even bedtime yet, Timmy!" Tutti exclaimed. "You'll miss your favourite TV show The Toad Ranger, and you've never missed an epa… epa…" She struggled to say the word. "Epa-soda… Peppa-sode?"

"It's 'episode', Tutti," he corrected her. "And that's okay… I'll just watch the rerun another time… goodnight…"

Timmy shuffled his feet back upstairs, once again leaving both girls to themselves. Both had worry in their eyes, but none more so than Valentina. She got up from the table as well.

"I'll be back in a minute, Tutti. I'll go see what's wrong with your brother," she calmly told the little Toad girl. Tutti nodded and went to clean and put away her dishes too. While she did that, the bubbly girl climbed to the second floor.

It didn't take long to find his room, since his door had a sign labelled in his handwriting "Timmy's Room - Keep Out! (That means you, mom!)". She could tell that he was in there just by listening, as she heard a muffled, yet distinct cry from inside the room. Ever so quietly, the bouncing beauty opened the door a crack and peered through it.

She could see Timmy sitting on his desk, burying his face in his arms, tears falling down his eyes. And right next to him, she could see he had a picture frame lying face down. The Toad boy picked it up and looked at it. The photo had two people side-by-side. One was Timmy himself, who looked to be about 4 years old, and he had a shy smile on his tiny mug… and the one carrying him was a Toad that had a brown moustache, brown mushroom cap and purple vest. He was in delight of holding the tiny child in his hand.

The real Timmy rubbed his eyes in anguish and stifled a cough. "Oh… why did you have to leave, Dad… why?" he choked.

He sudden broke down in tears again and resumed to sobbing in his deep depression. The scene alone was enough to tug Valentina's heart strings, and she couldn't stand to see him suffer anymore. Opening the door even more, she crept into the room and sat on the Toad boy's bed.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

Timmy jumped in fright from her unexpected voice. He turned around and saw his babysitter sitting down, watching him with pity and concern.

"W-Wha… what are you doing here?" he questioned her, his tone sounding a little more resentful than he actually meant to.

She shrugged, pretending she didn't know of his dilemma. "I just wanted to see if you're okay. You left in quite a hurry. You didn't even take a bath yet."

"Um… I've finished washing up before coming here…," Timmy lied.

That made Valentina laugh. "Timmy… you were only upstairs for about a minute before I came in. So how did you find the time to scrub your skin clean AND be in your room since then, huh?"

"Uhhhh… it doesn't take long for me in the tub," he answered hesitantly.

"How did you brush your teeth as well?"

"I brushed them very fast…"

"What about your pyjamas? You're still in the same clothes… so that means you either like to wear them all the time or… you never bothered to take a bath or clean your teeth," she pointed out.

"STOP IT!" Timmy burst out yelling. He was beyond irritated now. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

Cringing a bit from his anger, Valentina tried to calmly reason with him. "I just want to know what's wrong, that's all…"

"Oh, is that all? Okay then! I'll tell you what's wrong with me!" the Toad boy shouted. He hopped out of his chair and confronted the bubbly girl. "Ever since my mom kicked my dad out, it's been one miserable moment after another! My mom smothers me, telling me everything will be fine, but that only made things worse! All the kids had been picking on me, calling me a suck-up to Mom, and making sure I was the laughingstock of the entire town! My sister humiliates and gets me blamed whenever we get into trouble! My mom never understands how I feel or care about what happens to me! I never had a friend in my entire life! And now my so-called babysitter wonders why I'm acting this way! So there you have it!" Timmy bellowed, his face glaring up at Valentina. "My own biography wrapped up in a nut shell! What a great day this has been! I wished my dad never left! I wished the neighbourhood kids would crawl in a sewer and choke to death! I wish I was never born! And most of all… I wish you get out of our house and never come BACK!"

Timmy huffed and puffed in his rage, wanting to get it out all the angry thoughts that were bottled up deep inside of him. But before he could lash out more, he saw Valentina cover her face and started to cry.

The Toad boy looked away from her grumpily, not wanting to be swayed by her sadness. But he couldn't been able to stay that way for long. His expression changed from bitterness to shame upon himself. He sagged his shoulders. "Sigh… what have I done?" he thought.

While glancing at her, Timmy timidly walked back to the distraught girl lying face down on his bed. He jumped up and scooted next her, trying to think of an apology. But he couldn't come up with one. So all he could do was pat her back, so that it would at least let her know he was sorry. She didn't look at him, but her sobs eased up bit by bit until she was just sniffling in his pillow.

They didn't say anything for 15 awkward minutes. It was only until Valentina's breathing was nice and steady that Timmy broke the tension between them.

"I'm… I'm sorry I got mad at you…," he mumbled to her weeping form. "I know you were only here to comfort me… and I rejected your help like frog mucus. I didn't mean those nasty words I said." The Toad boy hunched himself over in guilt, unable to look at her again. "I… I hope you can forgive me…"

The bouncing beauty slowly lifted her head and gazed her puffy blue eyes at Timmy. Before the little Toad knew it, he was gathered into her arms and being cuddled. Again, he tried to get loose, but gave up while being pressed to her small, yet perky chest. She sighed happily with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Timmy…," she spoke affectionately. "That means a lot to me… And I'm also sorry about your dad…"

"Ugh… that's okay…," he struggled to say, while he was wrapped tightly in her arms. "Can… can you loosen your grip on me a bit?"

"Oh! Sorry about that…," she meekly replied. Valentina relaxed her hold to a gentle embrace. "I just love to hug people… Heehee… it's my specialty, I suppose."

"Can I ask you something, though?"

"Sure. You can ask me anything…"

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Timmy questioned her. A nervous look in her eyes came upon her face.

"Umm… nope. If I had known you, I'd tell you," the bubbly girl fibbed.

"Oh… okay. I was just asking…," the Toad boy explained. He shyly smiled while thinking. "Because… you remind me of someone beautiful that I once met…"

"Aww… Really? What's her name?" Valentina had blushed by his kind remark.

Timmy scratched his head. "I don't know… I only remember what she looks like. She had pink hair like you do… She had very soft skin… like what you have… And had the prettiest blue eyes I ever seen… again, just like you. But I never knew her name… I wish I did, though…"

Valentina giggled a little. "Maybe you'll know someday… when you meet her again…"

"Yeah, maybe…," Timmy sighed. There was still something bothering him. "But it's not like she's my friend though… Because really… no one wants to be my friend at all… at least in this part of the country." He slumped into an unhappy mood once more. The bubbly girl felt deep sympathy for him and cuddled him a little tighter, though not enough to choke him again.

"I'll be your friend then…"

"Huh? W-What did you say?" Timmy asked in confusion.

Valentina looked tenderly down upon him. "I said I'll be your friend," she whispered. "And… if you ever feel alone… I'll come down to visit you, and we can talk about whatever's on your mind."

Timmy was dumbfounded. "But… but you're my babysitter. I can't make friends with a babysitter."

"I'm not just a babysitter, you know," she said soothingly. "I'm also someone who cares a lot about you. And that's what friends do. They care for the people they like, not because they think they're cool or have some fun toys to play."

"Wow… I never thought of that," he wondered. "And… and did you say you like me?"

Valentina smiled. "Of course I like you. You're a sweet, caring boy… and I'd like to get to know you more."

"R-Really?"

"Yes, I do."

Timmy's face curled up into a sheepish grin and gave her a hug of his own. The bouncing beauty chuckled and rubbed his back softly.

"Thanks, Valley…," the Toad boy spoke.

"No problem, kiddo," Valentina replied. She finally let go of him, but Timmy was still clutching onto her. She laughed again. "Now… how about we do something fun before we go to bed? Unless you still want to stay here for the rest of the night, cuddling into my chest. It's up to you," she added with a purr.

Timmy realized what he was doing, removed himself from her and blushed heavily. "Hehe… uh, sorry about that. I guess I'll play a game with you and Tutti then."

"Alright! That's the spirit!" the bubbly girl cheered. "Come on, I'll meet you downstairs."

The two left the bedroom. Meanwhile, Tutti was in the living room moulding with some clay and making miniature figurines when she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. The Toad girl abandoned what she was doing after she saw Timmy and Valentina come into the room.

"Yay! I knew you'd come to have fun, big brother!" she exclaimed. "So what will we be playing this time?"

"I don't know," Timmy said thoughtfully. He looked up at bouncing beauty curiously. "What are we gonna do, by the way?"

"Hmm… how about we play using our imagination?" Valentina suggested.

"Huh? What's 'e-ma-gin-a-shun'?" Tutti asked, spelling every syllable carefully.

"Only the most important part in your whole body, silly! You use it while at home playing with your toys… you use it while at school making arts and crafts… heck, you even use it without knowing it!" the bubbly girl explained.

"Oh… like when I was playing with my clay?" The Toad girl picked up and held out a small shape that looked like a dog.

"Exactly! With imagination, you can do anything you want! And what we'll be doing…" Valentina hopped herself onto the couch. "…is pretend that we're pirates! And that this here is our ship!"

"Ahhh! Don't stand on the sofa!" Timmy panicked. "Our mom just cleaned it this morning!"

"Don't worry, Timmy! It's not like I'm wearing my shoes! Now hop on! We be plundering scallywags now!" she added in a cutthroat voice.

"Yay! Pirates!" Tutti hopped on as well, and she joined with Valentina by make-believing they were holding swords and slaying who knows who. Timmy was really hesitant, on the other hand, as didn't wanted to get into trouble by dirtying up his mother's furniture.

"I don't know about this, guys…"

"Come on now, big brother! Don't chicken out now!" Tutti squealed. She was already having fun.

"Ohh…" The Toad boy held his mushroom head, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay, Timmy. I promise you… we'll get this cleaned up before your mom comes home," Valentina assured him. After what seemed the longest time, Timmy sighed and shrugged to himself. Meh… why not, he thought. When in the Mushroom Kingdom…

He took on a smile and leapt onto the couch, making the girls cheer with happiness that he finally came out of his "Koopa" shell. Together, they all pretended that a gang of rival pirates had boarded their "ship" and attacked them well into the night.

"We be the only landlubbers of the Eight Worlds! Show no mercy, merry men!" the bubbly girl shouted.

"Take that, bad pirates! And that! And that!" Tutti squeaked, swaying her imaginary sword around.

"Load up the cannons! We'll blast them out of the water!" Timmy roared, laughing like a true scurvy sailor.

The Toad boy never had so fun.

/

Pretty soon it was 9 o'clock, and it was time for both Toad children to get some shuteye. After cleaning up the living room like Valentina said, and after a good wash in the bathtub, the bouncing beauty carried them to their bedrooms. She first started with Tutti, who was all tuckered out from their game.

"Heehee… that was fun, Valley. I had a great time." the Toad girl giggled, while being tucked under her blankets. She let out a small yawn.

Valentina laughed. "I'm sure you have. Now goodnight, Tutti… sleep tight… and pleasant dreams." She kissed her gently on the forehead. And no sooner said than done, Tutti was off to dreamland.

Quietly closing the Toad girl's door, the bouncing beauty went off to take care of Timmy next. To her surprise, she found him already in his bed. She smirked while placed her hands to her hips.

"All too eager for me to wrap you up, huh?"

"Nope… It's just I don't like being tucked in. It makes me too hot in the middle of the night," Timmy claimed.

"Haha… okay, then. I'll just have to settle for a hug then," Valentina chuckled. She gave the Toad boy a warming embrace before gently rubbing his head in affection. "I'm very glad you decided to have fun with us this evening."

"Yeah… I sure did," Timmy agreed. "Those neighbourhood kids would never do something like that with me. They'd would just throw rocks at me until I'm purple and blue."

"Ouch… how come you don't tell your mother about this?" she asked with concern.

"I tried to… but she thinks that I actually encouraged them to do that. And that's why I don't go outside at all."

"Oh… and that's why you didn't want to play with us at first?" the bubbly girl questioned him. Timmy nodded. "My my… well… the next time I come over, I'll be sure to teach those punks not to mess with you."

"No no no! Please don't!" he suddenly pleaded. "If you try to defend me, they'll just pick on me even worse!"

"Then how will you get them to stop, then? I don't want to see you get bullied for the rest of your life, Timmy," Valentina reasoned. "Trust me… those creeps will follow you all the way to high school if you let them keep doing this to you."

"Please, Valley… I'll let you know if I need help. I just don't want to deal with it too soon." He sighed with anxiety.

"Well… okay then. If that's what you want."

"Thanks. I'm glad you understand," Timmy said, feeling all relieved. He look up at her with a smile. "I'm glad you helped me out. I would have still stay in my room had I've been a little more stubborn. You… you won't tell Mom what we did to her sofa, will you?"

"Haha… cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye if I lie," Valentina giggled. She gave him one final hug for the night. "Now off to sleep… you have a brand new day tomorrow."

The bubbly girl was just about to exit his doorway when the Toad boy spoke again. "Valley?"

"Yes, Timmy?"

He was halfway conscious from his position. "Will we get to see you again?"

She smiled fondly. "I guarantee it."

"Okay…" And Timmy rested his eyes, no longer awake.

Valentina shut the door behind her and breathed out with exhaustion. It was about time she hit the hay as well. Luigi would be expecting her to return home any minute. But while she was about to climb down the stairs, a sudden feeling of coldness washed over her, followed by intense burning all over her body.

"Urgh… ah… oh no… I… I… I think I'm going back to my older self!" she gasped.

And sure enough, she felt a tightness over her clothes as started to grow. Her shirt was straining to keep her expanding bust line from popping out, while her skirt felt like it was shrinking as her hips pushed out. She quickly but quietly ran down the remaining steps so she could get outside and flee before anyone can see her transformation.

But her heart stopped dead when she heard the sound of keys being shoved into the lock of the front door.

"Oh geez, it's Femi! I gotta get out of here!" Valentina muttered. She ran in the other direction, heading out to the back way of the house before the Toad mother knew she was still here. With her body still redeveloping, the bouncing beauty sprinted out of the backyard and into the dark night of the Mushroom Kingdom. She never dared to look back… if that would mean she'd risk Femi finding out the truth about Tiffany Valley.

/

(End of Part 2)