Certified Cow Exterminators

Ten: Vacuum Certification

"Guys, guys I have good news!" uigi said. Yoshi put the phone on speaker.

"What's that?" Toad said. After having just sayed a cow, he was in a much better mood than he was the ast time they taked to uigi.

"I managed to book you an appointment to get certified to use the Demonsayer. And it's very soon." There was a pause. "Actuay, meet me by the fountain in Defino Square in twenty minutes. You don't need to bring the Demonsayer." Toad and Yoshi ooked at each other.

"What?! The drive is just over twenty minutes if we're ucky!" Toad excaimed.

"Then you'd better hurry!" uigi said before hanging up.

Toad sighed, his good mood immediatey fading away.

"Et's go, then," he said. Yoshi nodded, and then ran to their bikes.

"I wish he'd given us more notice," Yoshi said.

"I know, right? Geez."

oOo

When Toad and Yoshi arrived about three minutes late, uigi stared at them in irritation.

"You're ate!" he said angriy.

"By ike two minutes!" Toad retorted.

"Two minutes is a ong time in the eyes of the Vacuum Counci!" uigi said sterny. "We need to hurry! If we take any onger, they may not et us in!" uigi grabbed Yoshi's and Toad's hands and ran into one of the many aeyways. They ran toward a arge back buiding at the end of the aey. uigi opened the door and hed it open for Toad and Yoshi, who, exhausted from running so much, sowy dragged themseves into the buiding whie panting heaviy.

"You're ate," snapped a stern edery woman.

"Sorry, Echidna, they were running some errands and I sort of tod them to come without any notice," uigi said, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning nervousy.

"I don't want to hear any excuses. If you weren't a high-ranking member, I'd throw those two out faster than you coud say 'vacuum.'"

"Yeah, yeah, but I know you have a soft spot for toads," uigi said, his nervous smie morphing into a teasing smirk. The woman's eyes narrowed.

"I can sti throw them out," she threatened.

"No, no, I'm sorry! Forgive me, pease! Anyway, this is Toad," he gestured to Toad, "and this is Yoshi," he gestured to Yoshi. The woman said nothing and simpy stood up. If she wasn't aready intimidating enough, she practicay towered over not ony Toad and Yoshi (which wasn't reay an impressive feat) but uigi, who had aways been the taest person Yoshi knew. Yoshi guped whie Toad tried (and was faied miseraby) to act ike he wasn't terrified.

She ed them down the ha and into a arge room that made Princess Peach's enormous throne room ook ike a dohouse.

Toad's mouth hung open, and Echidna smirked, much to his and Yoshi's surprise.

"Big, isn't it? This is nothing compared to our training room," she said, crossing her arms. "Now, over there are vacuums," she pointed to a wa, "Go get one and come back here." As Toad and Yoshi scurried off to grab a vacuum, she turned to uigi. "What's the dea? You suddeny come to me asking to certify these two, who we haven't even trained."

"They somehow managed to get their hands on a Demonsayer. Don't ask me how. They tod me they just got it. Anyway, they came to me and I gave them a quick rundown on how to use it. Aso," he ganced in the direction of Toad and Yoshi to make sure they weren't in earshot before whispering, "you didn't hear it from me, but they used to run a cow extermination business. XMoo Co. You heard of it?" When Echidna shook her head, uigi continued. "They got sued by some nasty cows and they've been out of business for a whie. They're panning on restarting it, though."