ACT 7: JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF MT. LAVALAVA
The next day came. Mario, Yoshi, Shine Guy, and new ally Sparkle were all waking up. “Well, guys,” said Mario, “glad to-a see you’re all awake.”
“Where to?” Yoshi asked.
“Mount Lavalava… correct?” Mario turned to Shine Guy.
“That is correct,” Shine Guy answered. “But something is telling me collecting the Red Gem will be a chore.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Yoshi mused. “Getting the other Gems was a chore.”
“Come on, guys,” said Mario. “We’d better get-a going. Dark Paratroopa could be back any minute for the Gem.”
“Where is Mount Lavalava from here?” Sparkle asked.
“On the northern part of-a the island… if I-a remember right…” said Mario. “Let’s-a go!”
They headed for the north exit of the village. “I still want to know who this guy is you wanted me to see…” said Yoshi.
“Wait and see, Yoshi…”
***
Dark Paratroopa was back on the island, angrier than ever. How?! he thought. How could they have defeated Ultraviolet?! These guys are tougher than I thought… I guess I’ll just have to rough them up a bit… Dark Paratroopa spotted the volcano down below. There’s my destination! Red Gem, here I come!
He flew down towards the volcano. Before he reached it, however, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. What is that? He stared down at what looked like a zip cord going into the volcano. Ah… They might use that to get into the mountain. I’ll fix that! He flew down to the zip cord. He stretched out his hand and fired a lightning bolt, hitting the zip cord with pinpoint aim and burning it. Heh… There! I can’t think of any other way they could possibly get in! Laughing to himself, he flew down to the volcano.
***
The group crossed several steams within the northern jungle, walking past a statue before entering a deeper part of the jungle. Yoshi noticed the statue. He stared at it. This statue looks very familiar… he thought.
“Yoshi?”
Yoshi snapped out of his trance and turned to Sparkle. “Are you coming?”
“Oh… Yeah, I’m right behind you,” said Yoshi.
The group bushwhacked through the jungle, which turned out to be very noisy due to the constant chattering of monkeys in the trees. “Mount Lavalava shouldn’t be too far,” said Mario.
“This island is so beautiful,” remarked Yoshi. “Reminds me of home… well, apart from the yelling monkeys…”
Shine Guy shoved his way between two bushes. “Any more tight squeezes such as that, and I am likely to have my clothes ripped off…” said Shine Guy.
“Um… Guys…” said Sparkle. “I think we’re here…” They all gazed up at the volcano. Much to their horror, the mountain was smoking! “Uh oh…” said Sparkle. “It looks like the volcano will erupt soon.”
“I guess you were right, Shine Guy,” said Yoshi. “Getting this Gem will be a chore.”
“So… how do we get into the mountain?” Sparkle asked. “Certainly not through the top…”
“Definitely not through-a the top, Sparkle,” said Mario. “I happen to remember a way inside. Now, if I can-a find it…” Mario walked past a huge tree, gazing upward at the tree treetops. He then saw where the way inside had been, but it wasn’t there anymore. “What?!” Mario said. “What happened to it?!”
“What’s wrong?” Yoshi asked.
“There used to be a zip cord leading into the mountain, but now it’s-a gone! It was the only way into the mountain!”
“Uh… There’s still the top…”
“The only SAFE way into the mountain, Yoshi…”
“Well,” said Shine Guy, “what do we do now?”
“Not to worry, Shine Guy,” Mario reassured. “I know a guy who can-a help… and so does Yoshi, for that matter…”
“I do?” Yoshi raised a brow.
“And… where IS this guy you know?” Shine Guy asked.
“At the top of-a this tree.” Mario pointed at the huge tree. The others all gazed up at the top of the tree, which was very high up.
“You certainly don’t expect us to climb that tree… do you?” Shine Guy asked curiously.
“Of-a course not!” Mario said. He pointed at an opening in the base of the tree. Mario motioned for them to follow him.
They climbed and climbed up the numerous flights of stairs. Then they came to a limb wrapping upwards on the outside of the tree. They slowly shimmied up the limb. “I am not afraid of heights! I am not afraid of heights!” Shine Guy said repeatedly.
They finally reached the top. There, they could see a huge, black bird, snoring away in his nest. A deeply shocked Yoshi stared up at the oversized bird. I don’t believe it! he thought.
“Excuse-a me,” Mario called. The bird was still asleep. “Hello?” Mario called again. The bird still wouldn’t wake up. Mario lost patience.
“HEY!”
The bird woke with a start. “What?!” the bird roared. “How DARE you interrupt my…” He stopped when he noticed the mustached man and his companions standing before him. “… Why… Mario!” he greeted. “Long time no see!”
“Actually,” Mario mused, “I think you’re better off saying-a that to him.” He pointed to Yoshi.
“Raphael!” Yoshi said. “Remember me?”
The bird (I guess I should call him Raphael now) stared down at the green one before finally recognizing him. “… Yoshi!” Raphael said. “It’s been years!”
“You two know each other?” Sparkle asked.
“Sure!” said Yoshi. “He used to live on Yoshi’s Island. He even helped save the Island when the Koopas attacked with… Tetris blocks, of all things…”
“So what brings you to Lavalava Island?” Raphael asked.
“We’re searching for something very important, important to the point where-a the world could be in jeopardy,” Mario explained. “We-a know for a fact that it is somewhere in Mount Lavalava, only… well, you do remember that zip cord your Ravens built for us?”
“Yes, and it is still there, is it not?”
“No, it’s-a not.”
“What?! Hmm… Strange… We must investigate this immediately. CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW CAW!!!” Immediately, five Ravens fluttered down to them. “Caaaaaaaaaaw caw!” Raphael ordered them in Raven language. He jumped out of his nest and jumped out of the tree, with his Ravens following.
“I guess we go, too,” said Mario.
“Please tell me you are fooling…” Shine Guy whimpered.
“Just get on my back,” said Yoshi.
Mario jumped, followed by Yoshi and Shine Guy, then Sparkle. Mario and Yoshi landed skillfully on their feet, while Sparkle landed on Mario.
“OW-A!”
“Ooh! Sorry, Mario,” said Sparkle.
“Oh, don’t-a worry about it…”
They followed the Ravens to the tree where the zip cord used to be. When they got there, Raphael was shocked to see that the zip cord was no longer there. “Very strange,” said Raphael. “From what I can remember, it’s been there since the day we built it for you. CAAAAW CAW!”
The Ravens nodded, then began scouting around for anything unusual. Mario, Yoshi, Shine Guy, and Sparkle did likewise. Sparkle went beyond the tree to look. She then noticed something on the ground. “What’s this?” he asked.
The others heard her and went over to her. There, on the ground, was a segment of a cord. “Hey!” Mario cried. “That’s-a part of-a the zip cord! It’s-a broken!”
Yoshi picked up the cord segment and examined it. It was burnt on the ends. “It’s not just broken…” said Yoshi. “It looks like it was burnt…”
“Raphael,” said Mario, “were there any recent… forest fires?”
“If there had been a forest fire,” answered Raphael, “the jungle you see around you would be gone.”
“In that case, someone must’ve burned it.”
“That tells me,” said Shine Guy, “that my archrival was just here. He is most likely inside the volcano as we speak.”
“Raphael?”
“I’m way ahead of you,” said Raphael. “CAAAAAAAW CAW!!!” The Ravens nodded, then jumped up the tree and began building another zip cord. Fifteen seconds later, they finished, also making a basket to take them up into the tree.
“Woah…” Sparkle remarked. “That was fast…”
“The quicker, the better,” said Shine Guy. He turned to Raphael. “We thank you for your assistance,” he said to the oversized Raven.
“Glad to help,” replied Raphael. “Good luck. The volcano looks as though it might erupt soon.”
Mario, Yoshi, Shine Guy, and Sparkle stepped onto the basket. One of the Ravens hoisted them up to the branch where the zip cord was. The zip cord had four hand bars. Mario went first, then Yoshi, then Shine Guy and Sparkle. They landed on a small ledge, where the lava was flowing dangerously nearby. In front of them was a cave entrance into the mountain. “The Red Gem awaits us,” said Mario. “Let’s-a go!”
***
Dark Paratroopa was already searching inside the mountain. He wandered through the various tunnels. He could feel the heat. The volcano was active. Look likes this volcano will erupt shortly… he thought. I’d better hurry up and find that Gem before that happens…
Suddenly, he spotted a Piranha Plant just ahead. The Piranha Plant stared back at him, then went underground. What was that all about…? he asked himself. He shrugged, then proceeded.
***
Mario and company were shimmying down a narrow path along a river of lava. “Take it slow, guys,” said Mario. “One false step could-a be deadly.”
“Just ‘take it slow, guys’ was enough,” Shine Guy whimpered.
Yoshi was sweating heavily, as were the others. He wiped the sweat off. “Is it getting hotter in here or what?” remarked Yoshi.
“I suppose the volcano is just getting closer and closer to erupting…” replied Sparkle.
***
Dark Paratroopa hovered across a stream of lava. The temperature was rising; the volcano was definitely near erupting. He wiped his sweat off. He entered another tunnel. There, he saw yet another Piranha Plant at the entrance. The Piranha Plant looked at him, then went underground. Dark Paratroopa raised a brow, then continued.
***
Mario and Company were slowly climbing down into the deepest part of the volcano. They could very much feel the heat intensifying. All four were sweating heavily. “I feel like I’m about to run out of sweat,” Yoshi panted. “It’s hotter than Bowser’s breath down here!”
“I think this is the lowest area in-a the mountain,” said Mario. “If-a the volcano were to erupt right now, this area would fill up first.”
They entered another tunnel. Suddenly, Mario spotted a Piranha Plant blocking their way. Mario motioned for the others to stop. The Piranha Plant gazed at them momentarily, then went underground. “That was odd…” said Sparkle.
“Don’t let those-a Piranha Plants trip you up,” said Mario. “They can pop up-a just about anywhere…”
They continued through the tunnel.
***
Dark Paratroopa was face-to-face with yet another Piranha Plant. He groaned, then blasted a lightning bolt at the Plant, which yelped, then disappeared underground. Why are those Piranha Plants popping up so often? he wondered. He decided not to worry about it, and continued onward, still sweating heavily.
Come on! Where is that dang Red Gem?!
***
“RUN! RUN! RUN!” cried Mario. They frantically ran down the downward-leading tunnel, as a huge rock with spiky protrusions and a Thwomp face rolled after them. They charged into the next tunnel, which was narrower. The rock was blocked.
They panted heavily. “That was too close for comfort…” Shine Guy panted.
“I’m still not comfortable!” said Yoshi. “It must be like one-hundred and twenty degrees down here… Probably more!”
“Nevertheless,” said Shine Guy, “we must find the Red Gem before Dark Paratroopa does! For all we know, he could have found it already!”
***
Dark Paratroopa hadn’t found the Gem… yet. He was still searching. He hovered across another lava flow. I can’t believe I still haven’t found that blasted Gem yet! he thought. Where is it?!
Landing on the ledge on the other side of the flow, he saw another Piranha Plant, which went underground before he could blast it. Dark Paratroopa was still confused about the Piranha Plants frequently turning up, but paid little attention. His mind was mainly on finding the Red Gem.
***
Mario, Yoshi, Shine Guy, and Sparkle were still searching through the high-temperature tunnels. Mario remained calm, holding his hammer for any emergencies. Yoshi showed no fear. In fact, he showed hardly any emotion. All he could think about was the intense heat of the volcano. Shine Guy was very nervous. The volcano seemed like it could erupt at any moment. Sparkle was slightly nervous, but kept as calm as she could.
They were stepping down flat slabs of rock that looked like stairs. “The Red Gem must be near…” said Shine Guy. “I can feel it!”
“I hope you’re right,” said Sparkle. “We’ve been searching for hours.”
“Uh… Sparkle,” said Yoshi, “if we were in here for hours, we’d be dead. The volcano’s on the verge of erupting.”
“Uh… Yoshi,” Sparkle replied, “yhat was a figure of speech.”
“… Oh…” said Yoshi. “I knew that!” Sparkle giggled.
“I’m hoping-a the Gem is just through here,” Mario said, pointing to the tunnel entrance just on front of them.
“Well what are we waiting for?” said Yoshi. “Let’s-a go!”
“I’m copyrighting that phrase!”
Yoshi ran ahead, followed by Sparkle and Shine Guy. Mario hesitated. In addition to the Gem, he thought, I think we might even find an old adversary of mine… Mario followed them through the tunnel.
At the other end of the tunnel, Yoshi followed the narrow path of rock. He came to a large pool of lava in the middle of the path. Then he saw it, the Red Gem, sitting just beyond the lava pool. “Aha!” he said. “I found it!”
He was just about to walk around the pool to get the Gem, when the lava pool began to bubble. Yoshi froze, staring at the bubbling lava. “Uh oh… What’s that?” he asked himself. Then, there it was. It rose up out of the lava, hissing menacingly. Yoshi backed up, teeth clenched.
Yells were heard. Sparkle and Shine Guy jumped. They ran forward. Exiting the tunnel, they could see Yoshi confronting a huge Piranha Plant with two buds and many thorns on it stem. “WHAT IS THAT?!” Shine Guy cried.
“I don’t know,” said Sparkle, shivering. “But it doesn’t look very friendly!”
Mario ran up. When he saw the large Piranha Plant, he groaned. “I knew it!” Mario said. “I-a just knew he was gonna show up!”
“He?” said Yoshi. “It’s a she!”
“You’re-a talking about Naval Piranha. This is Lava Piranha.”
“Oh… I see…”
“MARIO!” Lava Piranha spoke. “WHY YOU TRESPASS IN MY HOME?!”
“Uh… Easy, Lava,” said Mario. “We just came for-”
“I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT!” Lava roared. “YOU LEAVE, OR I BURN YOU!”
“This guy needs some Anger Management 101,” Sparkle whispered.
“I HEARD YOU! I BURN YOU FOR THAT!”
“STOP YELLING!” Yoshi yelled.
“I AM NOT YELLING!” Lava yelled back.
“We’re getting nowhere fast,” said Yoshi. “He’s blocking the way to the Red Gem. It’s just behind him.”
“Then it’s-a time to clear the road!” said Mario.
“IT’S TOASTIN’ TIME!” Lava yelled. “BLECK HYUCK HYUCK YUCK!”
“Sparkle,” said Shine Guy, “we two should get out of the way and leave this to the professionals. This could get a bit rough… Besides, my clothes are flammable…”
“Yeah,” agreed Sparkle.
BOSS!!!: Lava Piranha
Lava Piranha squirmed menacingly. Mario and Yoshi watched, not blinking, but only wondering what Lava was about to do. One of Lava’s buds lunged at them. They dodged. Mario swung his hammer at the bud, knocking it back. The other bud lunged in and snapped at Yoshi, who dodged. Lava then lunged at them and tried to blow a fireball, but was pounded on the head by Yoshi. Lava yelped, then angrily blew a fireball at Yoshi. Yoshi was hit. He yelled, slightly burnt but still okay. The two buds lunged at them simultaneously, one lunging at Mario, the other at Yoshi. Mario whacked the bud back with his hammer, while Yoshi pounded the other bud. Lava snapped at them, then blew two fireballs. Mario and Yoshi dodged. Lava and both buds all lunged at the same time. Mario and Yoshi dodged Lava and one bud, but the other bud blew a fireball at Mario, setting his sleeve on fire. Mario yelled and began rolling on the ground. “HYUCK HYUCK!” Lava laughed. “BURN, MARIO!”
Mario finally put the flame out, then turned to Lava. “We’re just-a getting warmed up!” he retorted. He jumped at Lava and whacked him on the head with his hammer. Immediately Yoshi fluttered up to Lava and pounded him on the head. Lava yelped loudly. He hissed at them, then blew four fireballs. Mario and Yoshi dodged three of them. Yoshi swallowed the fourth. “I’m gonna give you a taste of your own medicine!” Yoshi yelled. He blew a wave of fire back at Lava. However, neither Lava nor his buds were affected.
“BLECK HYUCK HYUCK YUCK!” Lava laughed. “YOU CAN’T BEAT ME WITH FIRE! I PRACTICALLY MADE OF FIRE!”
Mario and Yoshi panted. “This guy’s tough!” Yoshi remarked. “Not quite as tough as Naval though…”
“Naval could easily kick Lava’s rear,” added Mario. “… If he has a rear…”
“I HEARD YOU!” Lava roared. “HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME IN MY OWN HOME?! YOU BURN! NOW!” Lava blew another fireball at Mario. Mario jumped high, over the fireball.
“That’s how he earned his nickname, Jumpman,” Yoshi said to Shine Guy and Sparkle.
Mario came down and slammed his hammer on Lava’s head. Lava yelled even louder, then retreated back into the lava. Mario panted heavily. “I think we got ‘im!” he breathed.
“Super!” said Shine Guy. “Now let us get the Red Gem and leave before the volcano erupts!”
Yoshi was about to walk past the lava pool to the Gem, but noticed something. He stared at the lava pool, which was bubbling again! “COME ON!” he groaned. “CUT US SOME SLACK HERE!”
Lava Piranha emerged from the lava again, but this time, however, he was different. His head was on fire, as were both of his buds. “He just doesn’t-a know when to quit…” Mario muttered.
“RRRRRRRR!” Lava growled. “I FRY YOU TO CRISP, THEN I EAT YOU UP!” He blew a huge wave at Mario and Yoshi. Both were hit. They both rolled on the ground to put out the flames.
Sparkle and Shine Guy were looking on. “I think we should help now…” said Sparkle.
“But what can we do?” Shine Guy asked.
Sparkle thought hard, then got an idea. “Shine Guy, get on my back!”
“What do you have in mind?” Shine Guy asked.
“Just trust me!” said Sparkle.
Shine Guy did so, and Sparkle charged towards the giant Piranha. “Woah!” cried Shine Guy. “What are you doing?!” Sparkle suddenly stopped short, and Shine Guy went flying straight into Lava’s head. Lava yelped louder than ever, as he had already been hit in the head numerous times.
Lava panted. “I GOT HEADACHE!” he said.
“Perfect shot!” Sparkle said. “Nice hit, Shine Guy… Shine Guy?” He looked over to see Shine Guy rolling on the ground, with a flame on his clothes. He finally put the flame out, then turned to Sparkle.
“Don’t… ever… do that… again…” Shine Guy said, breathing heavily.
“Hey! What’s up?!” said a voice.
“Not now…” Mario muttered.
Dark Paratroopa hovered in, grinning evilly. “Well, now, a little… trapped, aren’t we?” They looked around; Dark Paratroopa was blocking the way they came in, and Lava had recovered from the hit. They were trapped!
“YOU!” said Sparkle. “One of these days, you and the rest of those Darks will pay for what you did to me!”
“THEY are the ones who will pay, then I’ll have you back, my beloved!”
“I don’t want anything to do with you, you monster!”
“You will become Ultraviolet the Yoshi once again! One of these days, you will!”
“NO! I will NOT become a monster a second time!”
“Something told me you wouldn’t cooperate! Ah well, I might as well just kill all four of you! Heh heh heh!” He advanced towards them.
“Oh great!” said Yoshi. “How can things get any worse?!” Immediately after Yoshi spoke, the ground began to shake! “Why did I say that?!” Yoshi yelled, slapping his forehead.
“The volcano’s erupting!” Sparkle cried.
“IN THAT CASE,” said Lava, “I NO NEED TO WORRY! YOU ALL BURN ANYWAY!” The giant Piranha Plant retreated into the lava.
After Lava disappeared, Dark Paratroopa spotted the Red Gem on the other side of the lava pool. “AHA!” he said. “Finally! The Gem’s MINE!” He flew over to it.
“Oh no you don’t!” said Mario. He ran to Dark Paratroopa just as he was grabbing the Gem. Mario grabbed the Paratroopa’s wrist.
“HEY!” Dark Paratroopa roared. “LET GO!”
“NO! YOU LET-A GO!” Mario retorted.
“Guys, please, no more yelling…” Yoshi muttered.
“Yoshi, a little help here?” said Mario.
“Oh… Right!” Yoshi ran over to them and bit Dark Paratroopa’s hand.
“YEEEEEEEOOOOOWWWCH!” Dark Paratroopa clutched his hand in pain. Yoshi was spitting.
Mario picked up the Gem. “Nice, Yoshi!” said Mario. “Now let’s-a go! The lava’s starting to rise!”
They looked around. The lava was rising! They frantically ran into the next tunnel. Dark Paratroopa noticed the lava rising around him. “Uh oh…” he said. He teleported away.
Meanwhile, Mario and Company charged through the tunnels before reaching a dead end. “NO!” Shine Guy cried. “A DEAD END!”
Mario looked around. Then he looked up. He could see the blue sky far above. “Wait!” he said. “This is-a the main shaft!”
“Good!” said Yoshi. “Now how do we get UP there?!”
Mario thought hard. Then he noticed the lava flowing right at them! Sparkle and Shine Guy both screamed in fear. They all backed up.
“I THINK WE’VE HAD IT!!!” Yoshi cried. The lava was coming nearer and nearer to their feet!
Mario suddenly spotted a large, flat slab of rock floating in the lava towards them. This gave him an idea. “GUYS!!!” Mario yelled. “JUMP ON THE ROCK!!!” Mario jumped to the rock while Yoshi and Sparkle fluttered to it, with Shine Guy riding on Sparkle’s back. The lava began to build up and flow upward through the shaft, carrying them up the shaft on the rock. Reaching the top, the rock flew upward before sliding down the side of the mountain like a sled.
After the bumpy ride, they were at the bottom of the mountain, panting heavily. “And I said that avoiding the spiked rock was to close for comfort!” said Shine Guy. “My whole life flashed before my eyes!”
“I am GLAD we are OUT of THERE!” said Yoshi, stressing the important words. “I couldn’t stand that heat for one more second!”
“Phew!” remarked Mario. “That was-a more than a chore, and look at our reward!” He held up the Red Gem.
“Ah yes!” Shine Guy said. “That makes four: Yellow, Purple, Orange, and Red! Dark Master still has the White and Cyan, and the Brown, Blue, Pink, and Green are still yet to be found.”
“Come on, guys,” said Yoshi. “Let’s head back to the village, get a well-deserved drink, then head back to the Mushroom Kingdom.”
***
Speaking of the Mushroom Kingdom, things were heating up there as well (gladly not in the same way as Mt Lavalava).
BOSS!!!: Morton Koopa Jr.
Luigi, Parakarry, and Flapps were in a heated battle in the park with the rather large Koopaling, who wielded a flamethrower. “I can’t breathe fire but this is just as good!” Morton said quickly. He shot flames at them. They all dodged. Luigi charged Morton, jumping to avoid the flames. He landed on Morton’s head. Morton yelled, then noticed Parakarry swooping at him. He ducked, then turned to fire at him and Luigi, when he was struck from behind by Flapps. Morton recovered and turned to Flapps. “I’m having hot wings tonight!” Morton yelled.
“Funny,” said Flapps. “Your brother with the glasses said that exact same thing to me a few days ago. Ba-KAWK! Why do I keep doing that?”
“FLAPPS! WATCH IT!”
Flapps turned to see a wave of fire headed straight for him! Flapps narrowly dodged.
“Try to fry MY friend, will ya?” said Parakarry furiously. “I’ll show you!” He swooped at Morton, who simply jumped up and punched him in the beak. Parakarry fell onto his shell.
“How can-a you jump like that?!” said Luigi. “You’re fat!”
“Ludwig is the one who can’t jump… Wait… FAT?! YOU THINK I’M FAT?! YOU JUST LOST YOUR LIFE PRIVILEGES, SIR!!!” Morton shot a wave of fire at Luigi, who dodged.
“Something-a told me I was-a gonna need THIS!” Luigi took a Fire Flower out of his pocket and changed into Fiery Luigi. “Let’s-a fight fire with fire!”
“Sounds good to me! YAH!” Morton shot another fiery wave at Luigi.
Luigi dodged and threw a fireball at Morton, who ducked, only to be hit by Parakarry in the nose. “Ha!” said Parakarry. “Now YOU know how it feels to get punched in the beak!”
“You’d better keep YOURS shut if you know what’s good for ya because if you don’t know what’s good for ya then you’re in big trouble because then you’d get—”
“You’re one to talk…” Parakarry said, rolling his eyes.
“RRRRRR!!! TAKE THIS!!!” He shot flames at Parakarry, who simply turned around, with the flames hitting his shell and disappearing. Flapps swooped in on Morton, feet first, and tried to claw him. Morton saw him coming, and ducked. Luigi threw a fireball at Morton, who noticed this also and dodged.
“Give up you idiots because I’ll just eventually beat you because you’re all weak and I’m strong and strong always beats weak! HA!”
“Come on, Morton!” Luigi taunted. “If you’re-a so optimistic, then hit me with-a your BEST shot!”
“You bet I will!” Morton shot more flames at Luigi. Luigi dodged and threw more fireballs back at him. Parakarry and Flapps swooped at Morton from opposite sides. Morton saw Parakarry and ducked, happening to avoid Flapps as well.
“EAT FLAMES, YOU CHICKEN!!!” Morton yelled. He shot a wave of fire at Flapps, who was hit! Flapps yelled loudly and fell to the ground. Parakarry saw this and was instantly filled with rage. He retreated into his shell and darted at Morton. He slammed Morton in the side of the head, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Luigi went to inspect Morton, while Parakarry went over to Flapps. “Are you okay?” he asked in a worried voice.
“Don’t worry!” said Flapps. “He only got my tail feathers. Ba-KAWK! And I did it again…” Flapps slowly got up.
“You-a certainly finished him off,” remarked Luigi. “Come on, let’s-a get this fatty to the princess’ castle, then we’ll put the flamethrower in a safe place.
Luigi grabbed Morton’s hand, while Parakarry grabbed the other. They began to drag him. “Wow!” said Parakarry. “This guy really IS heavy!” They dragged him away while Flapps followed.
The spectating Lakitu, atop a tree, radioed in to Bowser. “Come in King Koopa, over,” he said.
“How’d he do?” asked Bowser. “No wait… Lemme guess… He lost, right?”
“Bingo.”
Laughing and cheering was heard. Bowser was also laughing. “Bwahaha! Who would’ve guessed otherwise? Okay, Blaze, make me proud tomorrow.”
***
“An erupting volcano, a bite on the hand…” Dark Paratroopa explained to Dark Master, “and on top of it all, I lost Ultraviolet!” He clenched his fists in fury. He mentally strangled Shine Guy. He so badly wanted the Shyster dead. “Tomorrow,” he said through gritted teeth. “If I find that Shy Guy, I’LL KILL ‘IM!”
Dark Master tried to think of something to say, but wasn’t sure what. He watched his right hand leave the throne room. He had never seen Dark Paratroopa so upset, but respected his attitude. Hopefully he won’t lose his mind in all his anger… Dark Master thought.
Dark Paratroopa was walking back to his private room. All that was on his mind was Shine Guy. The Shyster had caused him much trouble in the past. He wanted payback. He wanted revenge. Overall, he wanted Shine Guy dead.
“Yes…” he said to himself. “Tomorrow, Shine Guy, I will kill you!”