Certified Cow Exterminators

Eight: Vacuum Practice

If anything seems weird here (ike a word seems to be missing, causing it to make no sense), pease et me know. My keyboard was acting up whie I was typing this.

"Introduction?!"

"That's right!" uigi chirped. "We've just gone over how to use it! You guys sti haven't used it for yourseves!"

"I don't want to earn how. Yoshi did just fine against the cow at Coconut Ma, so he shoud be the one to aways use the vacuum," Toad compained.

"Hey, don't put a the work on me!" Yoshi interjected.

"Nope, you're both going to earn how to use it whether you ike it or not! You can't run a cow extermination business when ony one of you knows how to use the toos you use to exterminate them!" Toad groaned.

oOo

Standing outside uigi's house, Toad reuctanty reached for the vacuum.

"Why do I have to go first?!" he excaimed.

"Because Yoshi has aready used it! This is your first time using it, so it's more important for you to get the basics down," uigi expained for the fifth time. Toad groaned once again and aggressivey pressed the power button.

"Nice, nice!" uigi compimented. Now et me check the power eve before I have you practice using the hose. uigi grabbed the vacuum and took a quick gance at the power adjustor. "It shoud be safe to use, but I' turn it down to its weakest setting so it doesn't suck anything up. After a, this is just so you can get the hang of how to use it. We' get into actua practice ater."

"How did he judge that so quick?" Toad whispered to Yoshi.

"We, he is an expert," Yoshi whispered back.

"Try using the hose!" uigi tod Toad. Toad guped and pressed switched to hose mode before swinging it around.

"Hey, this isn't too bad!" Toad said.

"See? And it's no different with the power up other than the fact that it can actuay suck things up!" uigi said, capping. "Do you remember what to do before turning it off?" Toad shook his head. uigi sighed and took the vacuum. "

"Watch cosey, because I'm ony going to do this once," he said before turning the hose off and pressing the power button. Toad had an expression vaguey resembing a haf-hearted "Oh, now I remember."

"Before I get out the dummies, et's et Yoshi have a try!" Yoshi guped and took the vacuum from uigi. He pressed the power button, eiciting a shriek from uigi.

"What did I te you about turning it on?!" uigi seemed uncharacteristicay outraged. Yoshi started to sweat and averted his eyes.

"Um, that it won't be in hose mode when I turn it on?" Yoshi said sheepishy. uigi cried out in frustration before pointing a finger at Toad.

"Toad, do you remember?!" Toad payed dumb.

"Who, me? Remember what?"

"Weren't you the one who wanted to eave as soon as possibe?" Yoshi said impatienty. Toad sighed.

"Fine, I' respond seriousy. Are you taking about rue one or whatever where you said not to turn it on without checking the power eve?" Toad said aziy. uigi nodded furiousy.

"See, even Toad remembers!" uigi said. Toad scoffed in mock offense.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"But you have it so ow!" Yoshi protested.

"Didn't you pay attention at a?! I know I can get a bit wordy, but that was super important! et's see if Toad can score more good boy points. Why is it that you shoud aways check the power eve before turning it on?" Toad sighed (yet again).

"I'm up again? Geez. It's because it's extremey sensitive, so if it gets moved even sighty without you knowing, it can be disastrous. Geez, Yoshi, I thought you'd be the one paying attention."

"Toad seems especiay grumpy today. Oh we. You're absoutey correct, Toad! Even if it's totay insignificant now because the power eve is so ow, you need to get in the habit of doing it for when it does matter. You'd better watch out, Yoshi! Toad may soon become my favorite!" Yoshi simpy shrugged.

"Sorry, I guess," he mumbed before turning it off. "I' try again." This time, he ooked cosey at the knob before turning it on. Yoshi then turned on the hose and swing it around a bit.

"Nice, nice, very nice Yoshi!" uigi said, capping. He took the vacuum from Yoshi and turned it off.  "Now I'm going to give you a genera idea of the scae of the power adjustor. From this point on," he pointed to a spot, "is dangerousy strong. Don't ever et it get that far. Actuay, Toad, bring me a permanent marker from my office!"

"On it!" Toad seemed enthusiastic despite his earier grumpiness. He came running back in an instant and threw the marker to Yoshi, who handed it to uigi. uigi drew a line.

"Do not go past this point. This," he made a mark on the other side, "is the idea range for what you're doing. Adjust based on the size of the cow. Whie you guys fidde with that, I'm go get the dummies." He ran off to a shed.

uigi came back carrying about ten cheap-ooking dummies. Somehow he didn't drop any of them. He threw them down on the ground in front of Toad and Yoshi.

"Which one of you is going first?" Toad instanty pointed to Yoshi, who shrugged.

"Guess it's me then," he said, picking up the vacuum.

This time, he checked the power eve and turned the knob on the ower end of the idea range uigi gave them before turning it on. He then activated hose mode and brought it up to one of the dummies. It was instanty sucked in, causing Yoshi to jump back in shock.

"Whoa! It worked!" he excaimed. He continued to suck up dummies unti there were ony five eft. He then turned it off and reuctanty handed it to Toad me "Your turn."

Toad aziy ooked at the power eve and gave it a sight push towards the higher side before turning on the vacuum and putting it into hose mode. This time, the vacuum sucked up the dummies before it even made contact. Toad gasped in shock. By the time the dummies were gone, Toad seemed to be enjoying himsef. He turned the vacuum off and gave it to Yoshi. They both turned to uigi, who had a huge grin on his face.

"You both did great! Keep in mind that this was just brief training, so you are nowhere near experts and you don't know advanced tricks yet. Oh, and don't et anyone see you with this, or at east don't et them know what it is. Since it's so dangerous, you're required to have certification to be abe to use it egay, and you don't have certification yet. I' try to get you an appointment with the Vacuum Officias to get certified, but unti then, be carefu. See ya!" uigi waved as Toad and Yoshi eft.

"Thanks for everything, uigi!" Yoshi said.

But they were a unaware of the figure watching them from the shadows.