Did you know that Daisy used to have a very short temper?

Yes, this is Daisy Floral we're talking about here. Daisy, princess of Sarasaland, best friend of our adventurous Princess Peach Toadstool. Tomboy-ish, outgoing Daisy Floral. 

Believe it or not, she was not always so level-headed and reliable. She went through a...phase when she was fifteen years old. A rebellious phase. 

No one knew where the sudden anger and disobedience came from. Just that Daisy started to disobey her parents. She neglected her duties as princess for other hobbies such as playing videogames and spraying the castle walls with graffiti. Finally, she stopped going to her summer gymnastics practices, which cost her a scholarship to the prestigious Chai Kingdom School of Choreography and Gymnastics.

That last little deviation was the last straw for King and Queen Floral. And who could blame them? That scholarship had been worth a fortune! 

So, fed up with Daisy "Short-Fuse" Floral's continuous downward spiral, they decided to go to the extremes to do something about it: send her miles across the ocean to an island to live with a toad that could hopefully snap her out of her rebellious streak...

*   *   *

"Stupid Mom!" Whack! "Stupid Dad!" Whack! "Stupid island!" Whack! "Stupid Toadobuki!" Whack, whack, whack!

Every exclamation was punctuated with a powerful kick from Daisy Floral's right foot. The last blow snapped the dummy - which was basically a bale of hay tied to a wooden post - in half. But instead of feeling accomplished at her feat, Daisy just felt frustrated. She always felt frustrated. Especially so in the past week.

Daisy wiped her forehead on the front of her orange gi. It was burning hot outside. The sun was directly above her, beating down on her like a spotlight, and the ring of tropical trees surrounding the scrimmaging courtyard of the dojo cast not a speck of shade. The heat only served to make Daisy angrier. 

She'd heard the whispers back home in Sarasaland: "uncontrollable" her mother had called her. "Outrageous" said her father. "Embarrassing" said the members of the court. 

"Well excuse me if I'm acting my age," Daisy grumbled to herself, glaring down at the fallen dummy. Honestly, what was wrong with her parents? Sure, maybe spraying graffiti on the castle walls hadn't been right, but playing video games and goofing off? Isn't that what all fifteen-year-olds were supposed to do? She couldn't be a princess all the time!

But no, they had to overestimate the situation and ship her off to some island on the outskirts of Japan to live with a hermit and learn to "control her anger". Hmph! That was their solution? Heat, hard work and sweat - this was supposed to "tame" her?

Fed up, Daisy stomped with bare feet across the scrimmaging courtyard towards the dojo. She pushed open the sliding bamboo doors and made her way through the main living area to the house, down a polished corridor, and into the training hall. It was basically a huge room with a shining wooden floor facing the dojo's rear garden. A frail, old toad was currently mopping the floor in neat rows, leaving it sparkling and shiny.

"Toadobuki!" Daisy shouted as she barged into the hall. The old toad looked up. His mushroom growth was shriveled and gray, and he had a white mustache. He was currently clothed in a red robe.

"Oh, good morning, Daisy," the old toad said. "Have you finished your practice?"

Daisy pointed a finger at him. "I challenge you!" she yelled.

Toadobuki looked amused. "This again!" he exclaimed. He set his mop against the wall. "Are you sure, little Daisy? You do remember how the last three times went, don't you?"

Daisy blushed. Yes, she did remember. 

When she'd first landed on this rock, Toadobuki had met her at the airport with her parents. He'd been sitting under a cherry blossom tree, holding a sign that said DAISY FLORAL.

At first, Daisy and her parents had barely noticed the old toad - they'd been too busy arguing. They'd been arguing the entire 16-hour-trip over to the island. Daisy had been threatening to buy a plane ticket home as soon as her parents were back in the air when the old toad had finally interrupted.

"How about this?" Toadobuki had suggested. "I challenge you, Daisy."

Daisy had paused. " 'Challenge me'? What are you talking about, wrinkles?"

"To a fight, of course," Toadobuki had said. "If you win, you may leave this island. But if you lose..." He grinned. "You will have to stay under my tutelage for half a year, as your parents have insisted. Sound fair?"

Daisy had squinted at Toadobuki. He was so tiny and frail that she could probably squash him under her foot. And though she'd quit gymnastics, those lessons hadn't been for nothing - she was extremely flexible, and speedy too. She could probably win.

"All right, old man," Daisy had yelled. She took a flying leap towards him, sorry she'd have to beat him to a pulp. "You asked for it!"

Ten minutes later, Daisy had been face-planted into the dirt, Toadobuki sitting triumphantly on top of her.

Daisy shook her head, pulling herself back into the present. "The past is the past," she snapped to the old toad. "I've gotten better. I can win this time...and finally get off this rock!"

"Very well, I accept," Toadobuki said. He spread his arms invitingly. "Give it your best shot, Daisy."

Daisy spread her legs and raised her fists and began to circle Toadobuki. The old toad didn't move. Daisy now knew from experience that the old toad was quicker than a cheetah. He wasn't going to get caught if he didn't want to be. She had to tie him down somehow. Hmm...

Daisy launched into her first attack, a flying horizontal kick. Toadobuki ducked, as she expected. Daisy regained her balance and slashed her other foot across the floor, intending to trip the old man. If she could get him off balance for half a second...!

BONK! "Nice try!" Toadobuki said, landing hard on Daisy's head.

"Why you!" Daisy jabbed several kicks into the air, trying to nail him with one. Toadobuki dodged each one like a buzzing bee.

"There you go again," the old toad scolded. "Letting your frustration get the better of you. You've already lost, girl."

Daisy snarled angrily. "Nobody's...lost!" she snapped, smashing her fist into the dojo floor. Toadobuki bounced away with a "whoop!"

"Stop messin' around!" Daisy shouted, launching into another flurry of kicks. "Fight me like you mean it!"

"If I meant it," Toadobuki said from behind her, "you might get hurt!" In the next moment, Daisy went flying towards the opposite wall.

"Gyaah!" Daisy spun in midair, used the wall as a springboard, and went flying back towards the old toad. "Hyaah!" She jabbed her foot out for a kick, aiming her heel straight for Toadobuki's forehead. Yes! This is it!

But then, Toadobuki was gone. Daisy's heel pierced the hall floor, sending shards of wood and plaster flying into the air. She sank into the floor up to her waist. Clapping from behind her. She glared over her shoulder to see Toadobuki sitting comfortably on the floor, legs crossed.

"Very nice!" he said. "You're getting better, Daisy. With improvising, at least."

Daisy braced her hands on either side of the hole and tried to get out, but couldn't. "Stupid old geezer," she seethed.

"Well, if you're done insulting me," Toadobuki said, "I'll say that this round goes to me. You're never going to defeat anyone if you don't get ahold of that anger of yours, little Daisy."

"I'm not little!" Daisy snapped.

"Moreover," Toadobuki said, ignoring her, "you're not very good at hand-to-hand combat. I suggest that you chose a different discipline to train in. Such as kendo...or fencing. You might be better in either one of those."

Daisy strained with all her might, but she still couldn't pull herself out of the hole.

"Now then," Toadobuki said, getting to his feet. "I'll go scrape together some breakfast. Finish your drills and do your chores..." He grinned. "Once you get out of that hole, of course."