Paper Mario: Color Splash RECUT/Chapter 5

This is a story plotline of Chapter 5 of the game, "Paper Mario: Color Splash *RECUT*".
==Pre-Chaper 5==
The Violet Grand Paint Star eventually brings Mario and friends back to Port Prisma’s fountain, filling it with her royal purples. Thanking the crew like her siblings, Violet goes into much further detail what happened in Port Prisma a while ago…
In the middle of Port Prisma, Motley reluctantly uses his wand to funnel the unmixed fountain paint into a weird black canister for Bowser Junior. Motley then poofs away and runs to the west of town, causing Pitholl and Cucleer to give chase. Edwin is given orders by Aace to head east, meanwhile.
This leaves Aace and some remaining Musketeers to deal with Bowser Junior and his skydiving Slurp Guys. The two faction leaders fight, their blows making the town vibrate below!
Nya is not only mad learning Junior and Motley stole the paint from the fountain like the pigs they are- she’s also concerned with the machine they used to do it. Huey is equally frozen with confounded fury, wondering what the heir to the Koopa throne is planning. While Violet has no real answer, she does think Tangerine knows, as well as give Mario his fourth extra Artifact-Up Slot.
By keeping their earlier trip on Violet in mind, Mario and friends simply trek back to Mustard Café.
Chapter 5-1: A "Hole" Lotta Trouble
"4 Grand Paint Stars have now been returned to the Prisma Fountain. But having learned of Bowser Jr.'s plans, they knew they had to get the last 2 Grand Paint Stars and quickly. But what our heroes didn't know was that they were"
After arriving back at the Mustard Café, as Marirana and Huey look at the new hole, they suddenly become aware someone is behind them, breathing a death-like smell. The gang turn around, and only Huey is surprised Wario and Waluigi are back in his life. The wicked bros take pride in their rotten ways, as Wario exhales his horrid breath fiercely. The force of Wario’s garlic sour key winds are so great, it blows the Mario gang off the edge and into the hole. Rather than rejoice, Waluigi and Wario get into another spat. Before it can really begin, an aggravated Kidd the Vellbex bucks the duo into the hole as well, commanding they jump in like she paid them to.
In the pit proper, Edwin frantically alerts Mario to something big- Huey’s not in the group, and he’s out cold! The sight of his unconscious metal buddy in this sand pit cavern communicates the situation to Mario greatly, and he mounts a rescue! The good news is the gang’s not alone in the pit. Unfortunately, rather than a helpful face, three kinds of Pokeys- Dry Dry, Drybake and Green- rise out of the sands, balancing themselves as they chase Mario and his allies. There’s no time for Mario to play with these living cacti, but continuous battles force him to use stronger cards so he can reach Huey quicker.
The gang reaches Huey, but Marirana worries when she doesn’t hear Huey breathing! Despite Mario knowing Huey doesn’t like taking his lumps, the plumber also knows he has few other options than his trusted hammer. The gamble pays off, as Huey reawakens with lots of sand in his body. After emptying himself, everyone, especially Marirana and Edwin, are relieved Huey is alright. Huey is thankful, but he points out they need to figure out how to get out of here.
With Louis’ help, Mario ascends to the higher ledge and further into the cave. Against all logic, several pipes are positioned in the sands, rotating in place. The room goes higher, but fences block the way up, preventing Louis from bailing Mario out this time. The experience walking in the first room’s quicksand is also enough experience to teach the team doing just that is slow. Mercifully, there’s a series of poles in the room Edwin can use to travel over most of the sand. Marirana also gets to shine, using her Sound Booms to destroy some SoundStones littering the eastmost platforms upward. In addition, Nya’s Vanishing assassinates the time Mario would spend waiting to sink low enough into the sand in case he falls on the wrong side of the pipe bridges. Finally, the ledge at the end of the east pipe bridge is one without a fence, meaning Louis can Leap up.
Thanks to their combined teamwork, the gang find Bakke T. She’s in no danger, chill as a relaxing female Toad can appear in a hot sandy cave. Once the gang reaches her, she casually offers to share her parasol, exciting Edwin greatly. Nonetheless, as soon as Edwin jumps into the parasol, his added weight forces it open. When Bakke T calls Edwin out on ruining her ‘brella, Edwin asks Huey to take the rap for him, but the bucket guardian declines due to the sheer logistics of having any role.  The parasol is sucked into the sands…and the gang are quickly surrounded by all three Pokey types again.
Not wanting to deal with this crud again, Mario, Edwin and Bakke T make a beeline for the north cave opening. Bakke T is half-grateful for being rescued, yet half-annoyed for Edwin ruining her catnap. In spite of this, Bakke T still shows the gang the key to the Mustard Café, promising them fast-tracked seats and “a fancy star” in exchange. It’s Louis who realizes Bakke T is offering a Paint Star, while Huey is the one who knows helping people is more important. You know what they say- strange minds think the opposite even in the most sensible times. …Oh wait, there’s no such saying.
The third room is home to a winding Warp Pipe with several Colorless Spots and tall thin fences atop. When Mario, his friends and Bakke T try entering, they are sent back the moment they reach the first Colorless Spot. With that plan a bust, Mario remembers that he’s Jumpman- he and his friends can just help Bakke T across the top of the pipes. As if to dissuade this idea, several Dry Dry Pokeys and Slugshrooms “swim” in and out of the sands arching above the pipes, like some kind of sand sharks. Bakke T steps away from the pipe at this sight, as Pokeys give her hives while she doesn’t know what would happen with the trippy mushroom bugs.
Mario doesn’t even say anything this time. Oh sure, he and Nya navigate the top of the pipes and fences. Sure, they time Nya’s Vanishing so they don’t reappear in front of a Pokey or Slugshroom. And sure, they even recolor all the blank spots on both the high and low parts of the Warp Pipe so non-one’s forced back again. But deep down, while Mario knows the importance of being a hero, and even with knowledge of Bakke’s allergy, the feeling of “Why can’t these darn people help themselves?” is still gnawing at him. That man’s decaying inside. He needs a hug.
…So anyways, as soon as Mario recolors all the Pipe’s blank spots, Marirana gives Bakke T the signal to go in. The open Toad chef obliges, and she easily slides through the way she likes to the other side. After recoloring ANOTHER PIPE in the next room, this time with Louis’ continued Leap-assistance, the room after marks the finish line with an orange Warp Pipe heading up into the seeping sunlight. The only other things in the room are a fenced green Warp Pipe on the east ledge, a totally-not-suspicious-placed Save Block to the right of the south entrance. A mission well done, Mario and his party step into the sand with Bakke T…
…aaaaaaand she’s gone- Snifits drag her below.
…AAAAAAAnd Mario’s gang shares the same fate.
…AAAAAAANNNNDD in the midst of insinuating the other is afraid of Mario, Wario and Waluigi follow suit.
This has just been a terrible day all around for the Mushroom Kingdom gang and friends.
All attempts to struggle against Mario and friends’ Snifit captors prove futile as the masked fiends violently throw the gang in jail. As the last one locks the door, it’s very clear the Snifit is “frustrated”, but knows an unseen eye regulates the Mushroom World’s actions. Because of this, the Snifit can only command Mario’s team to be quiet, then leave.
Quickly, Edwin, Louis and Nya try breaking out of the joint. It ends up equally pointless, the prison bars are too thick to dent or Vanish through. While Edwin is suspicious on the Musketeers missing an entire Snifit hideout under the desert, Louis bolsters Mario’s resolve, asking he find the team a way out. Mario is about to agree, when a great shake is heard below, unnerving the Memphawk fanboy.
A cursory amount of searching lead Mario and friends to a Colorless Spot in the top right corner. Once colored in, it reveals a SoundShape. Marirana’s Sound Booms once again do the trick, granting the gang access to a sinkhole and passage to the utterly demolished cell below. Everyone is relieved, and Marirana suggests they find Bakke T so Huey can get his Paint Star.
Just like at Azure Base and Fortune Island, Mario gets déjà vu towards his Rogueport adventure. The reason is simple- the jailhouse has the same general structure as the X-Naut Fortress, with an elevator on multiple floors and needing a Card Key or two! The differences this time are the sinkholes, as well as some strings he can reach with Louis’ Leaps. Nya’s Vanishing and Marirana’s Sound Boom Blasts also help with locked thin fences and SoundShape sealed sinkholes, respectively.
To get to the bottom of this, Mario heads to the bottom of the Snifit-Naut Fortress. Down there, he and friends hear Bakke T demanding if her captors don’t know who she is. Rather than try to catch two rabbits, Mario and Nya head to the office on the left end of the bottom floor. Luckily, the lone Snifit in the office is distracted, wondering where he placed something as it looks at some purple notes. Not so luckily, just as Mario and Nya grab a lone Card Key, a network of other Snifits and Red Koopas are hiding in the room, taking even Nya off-guard and alerting the Snifit to Mario’s presence.
Together, Mario and Nya defeat the gang of Snifits and Red Koopas. Before Mario leaves, he just decides to poke around in the notes the Snifit was looking at. However, rather than some bad puns or pointless non-sequiturs, the notes prove more sinister and moustache-tingling. One note details the completion of a containment device for “Project Shiny”, while another is an alert for “Priority Shiny”. Mario, not wanting to read anymore, leaves the office quickly and refocuses on Bakke T.
In no time at all, the Mario squad find the path to Bakke T’s cell and defeat her captors. Bakke T is just chill as usual, enough for Marirana to consider introducing the Toad chef to Keirf. The gang unlock Bakke T’s door, which is enough for her to declare peace out towards the jail. Using the nearby Warp Pipe, the gang arrive back near the sand pit that started it all. Mario is never too cautious, hitting the nearby Save Block at Huey’s suggestion so they don’t subject someone who may be experiencing this adventure to needlessly relive this breakout.
It should have been a simple matter of hitting the Brick Block obstructing the orange Warp Pipe, then leaving. Nothing’s ever simple, though, as the pipe pours an intense amount of sand- as well as Wario and Waluigi! The duo are as volatile with each other as ever, as they dive right into the sand and surface before fighting Mario!
Sand may be rough and coarse and get everywhere, but that’s Wario and Waluigi in a nutshell. On top of their previous moves, Wario also breathes his devastating garlic breath after some build-up. The smell is not just as rancid as before- it also poisons Mario somehow, sapping the hero’s health over time. Not to be outdone, the lanky Waluigi sinks and surfaces with time as well, pummeling Mario pitiful yet plentiful. After entertaining the two greedy villains for a bit, Mario and friends just drop the Hammer on them.
Wario is anguished being beaten again, while Waluigi now thinks no amount of goat lady gold is worth the continuing losses. Following their departure, Huey and Edwin are startled how desparate Kidd is getting in eliminating the group. In the midst of this, Bakke T finds the wicked duo disgusting, believing their moms should have cleaned their mouths out when they were little.
It’s finally time to bid goodbye to the Mustard Café Underground. Taking a deep breath of relief, team Mario and Bakke T enter the orange Warp Pipe, returning to the surface above. Bakke T certainly appreciates the fresh air, and suggests the team follow her to the café.
There’s definitely a line-up, as some Lakitus, Memphawks and Brustaches wait for entry. Bakke T feels charitable, telling the line first come first serve. Once everyone is seated, she gives Mario and Huey her Orange Paint Star, exciting Huey greatly. At Mario’s touch, the Star creates a path to the Regale Trainworks.
Chapter 5-2: All Aboard the Sunset Express
It doesn’t take long to reach the Regale Trainworks, and even less to meet someone. Just outside, Kersti is talking with an especially proud shell-themed Sticker Fairy. Once they become aware of Mario’s presence, the shell fairy is excited to meet him after hearing of him from Kersti. She also finds Mario’s hat cool, wanting two of them so she and Kersti can look cute and gangsta’ together. When Marirana presses for a name, the shell gives the incredibly creative name of Ellshe, claiming herself the most beautiful Sticker Fairy of all.
The term “Sticker Fairy” alerts Nya that something’s happened to the Sticker Comet. Ellshe wastes only a bit of time laying down the story beats on the airship incident near Crimson Tower. As Ellshe finishes her story, she finally notices Huey nearby, though she gets his name wrong three times- with a memory like that, she’s definitely not solving a mystery or rewriting history. Woo-oo. 
Once Huey explains he and the others are looking for a Paint Star here, Ellshe suggests to Kersti they tag along. Kersti is happy to, considering the two girls haven’t been together in nearly a day, and the two giggle in happiness as they follow. The combined team enter the trainworks- not noticing Kidd the Vellbex spying on them, planning something for the Sticker Fairies “that Koopa Prince” told her…
Inside the Regale Trainworks, Mario, his friends and the fairies meet the easy-going Memphawk foreman. Louis seems to know the foreman, calling him Ferress. Like any good friend, Louis helps Huey by asking Ferress if he’s seen any Paint Stars. Ferress wants to help Louis, apparently having some history with Orion, but he hasn’t seen any Paint Stars.
…Well, except for the weird orange star made out of paint.
Ferress gives Louis (and by extension, the others) the Orange Paint Star, having no use for it. Huey is amazed how easy this paint star was to get, which Ferress justifies as there being nothing wrong with grabbing the easy victories when possible. That said, Ferress thinks sometimes it’s OK to end things on a whimper. Louis, not quite getting what Ferress is taking about, agrees to Ferress’ logic. Upon immediate contact, the Paint Star leaves the Regale Trainworks, and creates a path to the delicious Tangerino Grill.
Right outside the Grill, Mario and the gang meet up with Peach, Toadsworth and Kitanu again. Another reunion also takes place for Kitanu, as he, Kersti and Ellshe quickly chat and know only Nabana remains MIA. Ellshe and Kersti aren’t worried, lightheartedly assuming the banana fairy is a-OK. 
It is with deep regret, then, that Kitanu allows Peach to give the heroes some troubling news- Bowser Junior has found the Sticker Comet. Any hope of Kersti for Peach just joking is crushed with Kitanu just closing his eyes, troubled. The bad news just keeps coming, for Peach and Toadsworth reveal something odd they overheard from Motley regarding Bowser Junior. Somehow, Bowser Junior’s been receiving intel that always come up correct. However, while he goes to his room at Koopaling HQ to learn, no-one else is actually in the room with him. Nya senses a connection with what she’s been suspecting, but Peach is about to dart off again to confront Bowser Junior.
…Or she would, except without warning, Toadsworth suddenly starts scolding Peach. While he apologizes for speaking out of turn, he pleads with Peach to slow down before she runs into an inescapable problem. More importantly, he demands Peach to actually get to know Mario’s new friends.
Given Toadsworth’s more emotional appeal, Peach actually listens to him for once. Edwin, Louis and Marirana eagerly introduce themselves. The odd one out is Nya (who Peach faintly recalls seeing before, or at least someone like her), standing in a corner. Using this opportunity, Peach bolts off quickly. A
Crestfallen, Toadsworth wonders why Peach keeps ducking out, Kitanu admits while he doesn’t completely agree with Peach, she is ultimately free to make her own path as long as she understands the consequences. Kitanu, Kersti and Ellshe all bid goodbye to each other for now, all sure the four friends will laugh this whole mess off on their ride home.
Nya looks at Toadsworth, quietly saying to himself how the Queen was easier to care for. To ease the elder retainer’s mind, Nya also forgives Peach for her headstrong actions, believing there’s a good reason, and agreeing with Kitanu that maybe the hard way is best. Toadsworth doesn’t seem to really buy it, but he does find Nya’s words wise regardless. No more words to share, Toadsworth runs after Peach and Kitanu. Mario and friends finally make their way into the Tangerino Grill.
Unbeknownest to them, Aace appears out of thin air with a Boo cadet, having listened in on the whole conversation. The Boo notices the sheer panic on Aace’s face, as the news on Bowser Junior seems to have struck something in the Musketeer leader. There is no uncertainty in Aace’s words as he gives the Boo the order to keep an eye on Bowser Junior at all times, and report back only to Aace if the Boo sees Junior with anything unusual on his person. The Boo has no time to question the specifics of Aace’s orders, for the elderly Boo demands his trainee to go now. The surprised Boo flies off, leaving Aace to hope his suspicion on what’s going on with Junior are just meaningless worries.
Back with Mario and friends inside the restaurant, the plumber only sees two people. One is Stabyltu, once again enjoying the simple things in these trying times. The other person, though- she looks like the waitress from Rogueport’s Excess Express! Once Mario talks to her, however, the story behind her is different. This Waitress is not the same individual as the waitress in Rogueport, but her older twin sister, Bella T. Bella T has heard from her Rogueport sister, who Mario now learns after all these years is named Serein T, about how the plumber saved the Excess Express.
Bella T then asks if Mario has seen Prism Island’s own train, the Sunset Express. She explains how the Sunset Express’ schematics were brought over to Rogueport to help research and develop the Excess Express. Louis recalls they did a few days ago, in Marmalade Valley. Bella T nods in agreement, mentioning the Sunset is carrying a large party of children who made reservations. However, Bella T heard the train is stopped at Kiwano Temple for some unknown reason. Mario and Louis shiver, a sense of karma creeping into their spines.
Karma leads to fate, as Mario and Louis realize Stabyltu is here with them. Even though Stabyltu found the food great, he realizes he should probably return to Port Prisma with Mario and Louis lurching near him.
On their way back to Port Prisma, Mario, Louis and the others make a quick pit stop at Kiwano Temple. They see Chugga T talking with a female pink Pianta wearing a Blue Rescue outfit. Chugga T is having an overblown freakout about the destroyed tracks, as if this is somehow more important or consequential than a black hole destroying a samurai kingdom and its people. Louis and Mario know this too, and the Memphawk fanboy tries to justify why this molehill of a problem may have happened.
The Pianta Blue Leader also keeps the peace, gently and peacefully. She introduces herself to Mario and Louis as Verda. Amidst her calm, caring demeanor, Verda admits the Rescue Squad is currently unorganized, with the Squad Captain having much on his mind. When Verda asks Mario and Louis to tell her squad on her whereabouts, Louis obliges, hoping the track situation gets resolved soon.
Just like Louis promises, Mario and friends hasten the pace to Port Prisma’s Rescue Squad HQ. At the Squad Captain’s command, Stabyltu, Den T, Kanviss and Wrodes are tasked with heading back the way Mario came to assist Verda. Mario is about to follow suit, when Merlon comes to the HQ. As the Squad Captain exclaims surprise at the Ancient’s arrival, Merlon explains there’s something he wants to tell the sunglassed Vellbex concerning Port Prisma. However, it’s a private matter not intended for Mario’s ears, the wizard gently letting the plumber down by informing him of his need elsewhere. Merlon also specifies that he’ll still tell Mario about any Artifacts the plumber might have missed, but Mario will have to come here temporarily to talk to Merlon.
On their fourth (and as Mario would learn later, final) stop at Kiwano Temple, the five members of Blue Rescue Squad team up to assist the Sunset Express. To start, Verda hangs by her toes on one edge of the train tracks, Wrodes & Kanviss jump to the other side, and Stabyltu & Den T climb onto their leader’s hands. Verda then tips over at the same time Kanviss and Wrodes do. With Stablytu and Den T’s extra length, the five friends form a bridge for the Sunset Express. Feeling relieved, Chugga T restarts the train, and it starts chugging along.
And then a giant maniacal Thwomp crushes the front of the train, forcing an Orange Paint Star out of the locomotive. Chugga T grieves for his train’s pain, treating it like it’s his girlfriend or something. Left with no real other options, Chugga T sheepishly asks the children aboard the train for a little favor- pushing the locomotive to Regale Trainworks for repairs. No-one is happy with this task, but one of the kids, a blue Brustache girl, begrudgingly leads the way. Altogether, two Red Toad boys, two Orange Pianta girls, two Yellow Pianta boys, three Green Lakitu boys, three Blue Brustache girls (one the leader) and two Purple Toad girls exit and push the mighty Sunset Express. The kids try and make it fun by making train sounds, but it’s making the best of an unfair situation at its prime.
Our heroes return again to Regale Trainworks to oversee repairs. Just before the team heads back in, though, Ellshe asks Huey if he’s a Sticker Fairy too. Huey denies this, modestly asserting himself as the average floating, talking, magical paint-using bucket. Huey’s answer then inspires Ellshe to ask if there’s more buckets like him. Like a few times before, Huey’s a little slow to answer such a personal question. Eventually, he reveals he was built somewhere in the current Orange region, and the group might see it sometime.
Awestruck, Ellshe divulges none of the Sticker Fairies know how they’re made. All they know is usually, the Sticker Comet travels to the Mushroom World alone. Whenever it comes back, there’s a new Sticker Fairy with it- and in turn, someone else for Ellshe to gossip with. In addition, Kersti reveals it took her a lot of convincing the Sticker Comet for it to decide to take the formerly hotheaded fairy with it last year- and even then, only her. Huey reflects on this history, believing the Comet just wanted to keep its kind safe.
To change the subject, Huey compares the Sticker Comet’s decisions to the King who made him, explaining the King used to love building mechanical stuff at the past version of the Regale Trainworks. However, Kersti is the first to notice “used to”, raising concern on what happened to him.  Unfortunately, the burger-loving bucket has no clue, having not seen the king in quite a while, and only knowing the King promised he’d be back someday. Kersti feels a little remorse for asking the question, guessing the King’s just taking the scenic route.
On the inside of the Trainworks, everyone is having a freakout- several Fuzzies and Dayzees of different species have invaded! Immediately, Ferress gets Mario and Louis up to speed on what’s going on. The good news is the Regale Trainworks got an order to fix an engine, which is perfect for Ferress’ last job. The bad news, though, is Kidd and her flunkies are up in the Trainworks’ biz, yet no-one at the trainworks, least of all Ferress, is much of a fighter. Louis, remembering how charitable Ferress was earlier, implores Mario help his Memphawk foreman buddy out. Thankful for Louis scratching his feathers in return, Ferress lightens the load by letting the gang know the Sunset Express’ parts are fixed- they just need to align them in the right place.
Systematically, Mario and his friends trek through the Regale Trainworks, taking back the facility from Kidd’s forces. Once again, Mario calls upon his partners’ abilities, from Louis’ Leaps to Nya’s Vanishing, as well as a little Sound Boom Blasting from Marirana and a little Edwin Suction to fix what’s out-of-order. Of course, the three varieties of Fuzzies and the two Dayzees, Crazy and Rebazy, think they’re hot stuff going up against a video game legend, but they’re put in their place in time. Once the gang finds a Beepboxer Megaphone in the middle of a room, though, the thought starts to cross Mario- where the heck is Kidd hiding?
Not even a minute after this comes to mind, Mario and friends board the passenger car of the disassembled Sunset Express. The kids are thankful to see Mario…regrettably, their frustration makes it hard to see their gratitude. The angry kids take turns pitifully attacking Mario. Their meager childlike slaps inflict absolutely no damage of any kind on the portly plumber, and he can’t help but be amused at their attempt to destroy him. In the midst of this “epic battle”, the kids complain about various problems, from the Brustache girl proving impatient with the wait for repairs, a Toad boy starving, to Pianta girl’s turtle running away, and other momentary trivialities. When the fight finishes, the kids are satisfied, and Mario takes it in stride.
Later, Mario and friends have assembled most of the Sunset Express. All that’s left to do is fill up the coal train, baby. With the help of an Unfurl Block, combined with Louis and Nya’s skills, Mario restores the coal track path and makes a boy Memphawk happy. Strangely, though, no coal pours in, confusing the gang and boy.
Outside, Mario and friends find several Yellow Fuzzies keeping the coal in its dispenser. Nya is suspicious of this whole setup at this point, while Edwin tells off the Fuzzies for hording the coal. At that moment, Kidd finally shows up again, The deranged goat woman asserts her authority over the Fuzzies, titling herself a proper lady. Incensed, Kersti comes out to correct Kidd on her jerkishness, while Ellshe tries to calm her friend down. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Kidd wanted, and she gives a command- “NOW!”
Suddenly, a bunch of Fuzzies drop down from the ceiling, grabbing Kersti and Ellshe. Kersti’s spiked crown hurts her captives, but sadly, Ellshe isn’t so fortunate. Kidd looks annoyed at failing to get Kersti, but is soothed when she remembers “that kid” only needs one. Huey wants a go at Kidd, but Kidd just brushes the bucket off. To further twist the horn in the metal, Kidd does tell the Fuzzies to let the coal go- right onto our heroes and Kersti, laughing at this misery as she escapes with Ellshe.
The coal eventually makes its way to the coal car, burying most of the gang and the Memphawk boy underneath. Huey flies in after Mario and friends, making sure they’re alright. Mario and friends look alright, but Kersti is barely conscious. Worried, the Memphawk boy runs Kersti to the other Regale Trainworks workers to aid her.
By repainting a diagram earlier, Mario learns how to rebuild the train. After performing this task, Ferress reveals the parts have all been overhauled, feeling connected to the train like the island’s King and his creations. The other employees congratulate Ferress on his handiwork, finding the comparison warranted and deserved. It’s obvious, however, that the feeling of this being Ferress’ last big job is on everyone’s minds. To celebrate their leader, the train workers toss Ferress into the air on his chair, no worse for wear. The train eventually leaves, filling everyone with pride.
To thank Mario, Ferress and his coworkers give the red hero something especially useful, a Partner Meter Upgrade so Mario can use two partner attacks in one turn if it’s full enough. Ferress explains Kersti found it in the trainworks earlier, as she had a gut feeling it was here. Ferress officially declares his retirement, thanking his coworkers for the good memories, and the workers thank him in return. After the workers leave, Ferress assures Mario he’ll nurse Kersti back to full health while soaking in the trainworks, and that the plumber has a bright future ahead. Louis, too, thanks Ferress, then recommends returning to Tangerino Grill to search for Kidd, as well as another possible Mini-Paint Star for Huey.
At Tangerino Grill, Chugga T thanks Mario yet again for getting the train working. Proud, Chugga T promises all the kids are inside the restaurant with big innocent smiles on their faces.
Chugga T must have been upside down earlier, because when Mario and Marirana enter, they don’t see the sight of smiling children. Rather, they hear the restless yells of schoolchildren, demanding their food.  A worried Bella T informs Mario and Marirana of the obvious problem. Though the Beepboxer entertainer thinks there may be too many cooks in the kitchen, Bella T furiously denies this flaw, proudly claiming there’s a crew of skilled preparers under Chef Vinachio.
Unsure of what’s holding up the grub, Bella T begs Mario and Marirana to check the kitchen. While Marirana points out she, the others and Huey are searching for a friend, she can’t help but admit to finding the kids cute when they’re happy. For that, Marirana agrees to Bella T’s inquiry.
Inside the kitchen, several Dayzees and Fuzzies are threatening the food and Lakitu cooking crew, along with a Brustache chef sporting fabulous hair. The Brustache chef definitely isn’t standing for the invading enemies. When he sees Mario and Marirana, the chef emphasizes that while he doesn’t know who they are or their particular set of skills, he wants the duo to find the troublemakers and to shoo them.
Mario and friends quickly exterminate the pests in the kitchen. In addition to the Dayzees and Fuzzies, our heroes find a Slugshroom, of all enemies, hiding in a cupboard. Apparently, the cooking crew didn’t even know the mushroom escargot was there, but it isn’t anymore when Mario’s done.
Relieved at exterminating all the vermin, Mario and Marirana go check on the Brustache chef again. The Brustache chef confidently introduces himself as Chef Vinachio, a world class cook. He looks a little out of shape, however, no thanks to Kidd’s handiwork. Quickly, Marirana asks Vinachio where the vile Vellbex went.
Unfortunately for Marirana and Mario, Vinachio is “that” kind of guy- he’ll only brush their backs if they brush his. Since the Brustache is in no condition to cook, he asks the duo to take his place as head chefs. Once they agree, Vinachio dubs them a gentlemen and a belle- the latter word reminding Marirana of what Subelle used to be like.
Now that they’re all in the same pot, Vinachio informs Mario and Marirana the feature dish today- the Mamma Mia house special pizza! The sound of pizza quickly summons Keirf into the kitchen, screaming COWABUNGA before quickly leaving. Everyone’s spooked by that non-sequitur, but Vinachio continues regardless. He explains that to make the pizza, Mario and Marirana must spread the pizza dough in a circle, slice onions perfectly, quickly sear the ingredients, and bake the pizza in the oven. While Vinachio admits there’s a LITTLE room for error considering the intricacies of cooking, he warns them a redo costs some coinage.
Mario and Marirana get to work, making the pizza as fast yet professionally as they can. First, Marirana uses her Sound Boom Blast to open the pizza. She flubs it the first three times, but spreads it excellently on the fourth. Next, the onions are sliced expertly. Following that, the toppings are seared across three frying pans, a wonderous combo of Hammering and Boom Blasting allowing quick management. Finally, the pizza is cooked near-perfectly. Mario might be off by half a second, but it’s still good enough no-one will notice the difference.
The pizza is finished, and Bella T brings the Italian cheese-tomato-bread meal out to the kids. Appreciative for Mario and Marirana’s help, Vinachio recommends the duo head out to spy on the kids’ reactions. Not a single complaint is heard among the kids- they all find the Mamma Mia Pizza delicious! From behind, Vinachio also reveals he took a bite of the pizza of the pizza a little earlier, finding it so delicious he instantly recovered. The Brustache chef doesn’t seem to believe in the “a chef shouldn’t taste their own meals” dicthomy, for he asks Mario and Marirana to try their creation. In one bite, Mario gives the thumbs up while Marirana dances.
Everything looks all wrapped up, and Vinachio is about to tell Mario’s gang where Kidd vanished off too. Before he can fully state where, unfortunately, someone in the VIP hallway raises their voice in frustration. The mere realization there were VIP customers waiting at all sends the collected Vinachio into a panic. He’s only composed enough to ask Mario and Marirana prepare an incredibly special dish for the customers.
Inside the hallway, the crabbiness of an oddly familiar voice, who Mario and Marirana aren’t allowed to see for insanely stupid reasons, immediately set the steaks for what our heroes must undergo. It’s not a joke either, as the voice actually brought a steak for the two cooks to prepare. Oh, and there’s that teeny tiny detail where the Steak is alive through some dark magic.
No questions are even asked as to why anyone would bother bringing life to what should be dead meat. The plumber and dancer are only concerned with downing the demonic hunk of unprepared, probably spoiled grime before them. They win, but sadly, that’s not what Mystery Dining Jerk wanted. Grumbling, Mario pays the guy 50 coins for another steak.
Over the course of round 2, Marirana wonders if this is just a scam, and how this is something restaurant could properly prepare for. Once again, Mario and Marirana win and lose at the same time.
Despite his sudden uncharacteristic urge to leap into the VIP room and yell at the customer what they want, Mario takes a deep breath and wonders if maybe Vinachio, Bella T or the kids know how to prepare the steak correctly. Vinachio is offended outsider ingredients were brought into his restaurant, and knows Mario doesn’t have proper cooking equipment. All Vinachio can think of with Battle Card usage is heating up the steak, then cooling it down to perfect temperature.
Another visit to the VIP room, another 50 coins, and another unliving steak precede round 3. This time, with Vinachio’s advice in mind, Mario uses a Fire Flower when the steak is exhausted, then the Ice Flower to properly regulate the temperature. After all that, the fickle VIP customer is finally satisfied. The VIP customer leaves his booth from the backdoor, and leaves behind a handsome coin tip of 300 coins. Quickly, Edwin leaps out of Mario’s pocket and grabs all the coinage.
Vinachio and Bella T hail Mario and Marirana as heroes, considering the customer never ate anything the Brustache chef cooked up. Vinachio also informs our heroes the customer is boarding the Sunset Express. For one last bit of info, the chef tell the gang that while he saw the moustached Boo (Aace) up ahead with the Grand Paint Star a few days ago- something that gets Huey thinking- Bella T has a Mini Paint Star for them right now.
The rewards wait a moment, though, as Bella T asks Marirana the question- where’s Suebelle? Reluctantly, Marirana explains the sisters got into a fight. For the first time, Marirana also outright professes the fight was so bad, she doesn’t think the sisters will ever be able to fix their relationship. Bella T empathizes with Marirana, as she knows how awful it is when sisters, or family members, fight with each other, yet she also reminds the Beepboxer they’re still family.
Once Bella T learns why Marirana and Suebelle are mad at each other (Suebelle not being honest with Marirana’s message, and Marirana not paying attention to Sue’s feelings), she thinks about it. Eventually, she suggests maybe there’s things Suebelle wanted to talk to Marirana about, or wanting more attention from crowds, or afraid Marirana might get hurt from “the wrong attention”, or anger at herself. Since Bella T has never met Suebelle, she doesn’t know if it’s one, all, some, or even none of those things. 
Marirana is curious why Bella T would suggest these possibilities. Truth be told, Bella admits she’s like this towards Serein whenever they get together. Bella finds Serein so innocent, something Mario can attest to. But even if Bella envies Serein for this innocence, and regardless of how mad she may get, she still loves her sister all the same. From listening to Bella T, Marirana wonders if Suebelle may feel the same towards her after all. All Bella T can give in response is Marirana will have to ask Suebelle herself when they next meet, as it’s the only way she’ll know.
Bella T caps off the heartfelt talk via tossing an Orange Paint Star onto the table in the VIP room, breaking Huey out of his thoughts for a moment and exciting him. Vinachio believes the star should bring the gang to the Sunset Express, explaining he overheard Kidd mention the locale while she was going to town on him. For all the two cooks have done, Marirana thanks them, heroically proclaiming they’ll save Ellshe from Kidd.
One question remains, though- why Aace is bringing his Grand Paint Star to the end of the Sunset Express’ route? The thought confuses Edwin. Huey, though- a thought stirs within him as to where exactly Aace would hide the Star. The thought finally sparks something within Huey, as he suddenly demands the gang get on the Sunset Express ASAP! Mario and friends obey the bucket, collecting the Mini-Paint Star and creating a path to the train’s final route.
A panicking Kolorado is the first person the plumber’s party sees as they arrive at the train station. What’s he panicking about? As he and Chugga T explain, Kidd caused a major rockslide up ahead. What’s worse is no-one, not even the Memphawks, are strong enough to lift the debris away. Such a heavy challenge has caused all the burly birds to run around in a panic, followed by Kolorado himself. Chugga T is more concerned Kidd is up ahead, panic quickly entering his mind. Nya’s attempts to calm everyone are undermined by Huey’s own buffoonery, though he apologizes shortly after.
Following the conversation, Mario notices an Unfurl Block underneath Kolorado. For reasons known only to the Koopa professor, though, Kolorado simply will not let Mario hit the block until he checks the landslide up ahead, as well as any possible signs of Kidd. Because Kolorado and Mario go way back, the former wrestler eventually decides to do what was expected of him.
Mario leads the charge down the tracks, painting Colorless Spots and hitting ? Blocks for more cards as he and the others proceed. On their way up, the gang bump into O’Chunks and Nastasia again. Marirana thinks the two not-as-geometric-ex-baddies are a couple, and continues thinking this even when Nastasia professionally denies it. Amidst the Beepboxer dancer’s shipping, Marirana does correctly guess O’Chunks and Nastasia are getting on the train together. This is something O’Chunks proudly confirms, considering he and Nastasia heard about the train from the Memphawks. However, the obstruction ahead, a huge Thwomp, is a problem. Despite O’Chunks’ efforts, the Thwomp is too sharp to touch, and he reels from the pain even now.
In the corner of Mario’s eye, he sees a silo with an Unfurl symbol. The Brookyln badbutt mentally notes this sight before continuing onward.
Soon enough, Mario and friends see a female Memphawk near this super-big Thwomp. The Memphawk insists she’s been asking the Thwomp to move, but Nya finds something odd with this allegation. Edwin’s attempt at politeness also falls flat on its face. Nya, still keeping an eye on the Memphawk female, starts to think the Thwomp is asleep. With that idea now in consideration, Edwin realizes they could awaken the square golem if they had a way to make his voice louder. Mario agrees, and the gang all head back the way they came. Strangely, Nya is still staring at the Memphawk woman.
Now that Mario knows the situation, Kolorado steps off the Unfurl Block. Relieved, Mario hits the block, gaining its power. The plumber hurries back to the silo, so focused he doesn’t see the Shy Guys and Ruff Puffs hiding behind some logs on a nearby carrier cart. They make their move after Mario Unfurls the silo into a ridgeless water tower, but Mario and Edwin easily overpower the quintet of mooks. Edwin follows up his victory by pulling Mario up the water tower with the pole attached to it, launching him onto a cliff with an opening and some ? Blocks arranged so Louis would not have cleared the Leap.
A wrecked part of the fence near the tracks grants Mario and friends access to the other side of the Thwomp, though they hit the Save Block nearby just to make sure. Then, using the Beepboxer Megaphone from Regale Trainworks, the Thwomp is forcibly awoken. Slowly, the drowsy giant leaves the tracks, no longer in any mood for carnage. The Memphawk woman is grateful, specifically thanking Edwin and Huey- or rather, Tin Thing.
In the midst of Huey and Edwin’s warmed response, Huey recoils in horror as he slowly repeats what exactly the woman called him. Edwin also realizes in equal terror no-one said his name near the Memphawk woman. Their worst fear comes to pass, as the “Memphawk woman” tears herself apart, revealing herself to actually be Kidd in disguise! Nya is furious how she knew something was off about the underhanded Vellbex’s disguise, while Huey, actually enraged as Edwin, orders Ellshe be given back.
On cue, Kidd holds up a strange purple containment device with a clown face, red hair, and pink spikes. Inside the device is the resilient Ellshe. Suspicious, Nya demands Kidd tell our heroes where she obtained the device. Kidd replies it was her new buddy that gave it to her, Bowser Junior. The Koopa Prince had heard about Kidd obstructing Mario, deciding to give the goat this device to test on Ellshe. If it works, Junior will let Kidd borrow the device to help with one of her own pursuits.
Edwin is incredulous at the idea of Junior cutting any deal with Kidd, believing the Koopa Prince can’t be trusted to keep his end. However, Kidd deflects this idea, finding Junior not so bad, and thinks he would have loved to meet someone Kidd knows. As Kidd thinks about this other person, she becomes extra motivated to try for them, wanting this person back and to rub her success in the Squad Captain’s face. Kidd immediately follows her epiphany up by administering a kiss on Mario, beginning their final battle.
Whatever little friendly competition Edwin had with Kidd is replaced with pure rage, the Slurple now finding the goat lower than a Stretching Boo. Once again, Kidd defends her actions, thinking if Edwin knew why she agreed to Junior’s request, he wouldn’t be talking so much. Kidd turns the machine on, and it spews purple mist on her, making her Shiny. At the same time, the machine drains color from Ellshe. This signifies success for Kidd, as she expresses the machine indeed extracts Sticker Fairy energy like Junior thought it would.
This is without a doubt Mario’s toughest battle with Kidd yet. Even with his partners’ powers, Kidd tanks half the damage Mario would normally inflict, just as with other Shiny enemies. Further complicating matters is Kidd suddenly utilizing a far wider assortment of attacks, from a multi-hit rush barrage, to a powerful wind-up rush, and even a Slurp straw Junior must have given her. Worst of all is the strange machine draining a fifth of Ellshe’s energy every turn in combat, with no way to heal her. It really is a down-to-the-line situation.
Mario finds himself exhausted from Kidd’s unexpected power boost..but because he’s a hero, the Mushroom Kingdom’s saviour bolsters himself with the knowledge someone’s life is on the line. Finally, Mario realizes the true way to beat Kidd- by shorting out the machine, Kidd’s Shiny effect vanishes for a bit, also keeping Ellshe safe for a few turns. Her defenses down, Mario, Edwin and his partners hit the depraved Vellbex as hard as they can with everything they’ve got. In due time, they finally bring Kidd down.
This ends the fight, but horrifically, the conflict is far from over. On her knees, Kidd starts feeling some nasty side effects of the machine, while Ellshe is starting to lose consciousness. Mario, Louis and Ellshe try to break the machine open, but now it’s in some extreme overclocked mode, as it keeps going despite hitting it very hard. All hope is lost…
...”CHUNKS AWAY!”
O’Chunks barges into the scene, piercing and destroying the machine, as well as freeing Ellshe. The machine’s destruction also vanquishes the effects it granted and cursed upon Kidd. Louis is greatly thankful for O’Chunks’ heroism, which O’Chunks doesn’t want a big deal of. The brave warrior is concerned about Ellshe, however, the fairy not looking well. Alert to this news, Mario, Marirana and Louis hurry over to Kersti’s BFF, while Edwin and Nya angrily guard the depowered Kidd.
Ellshe keeps chattering like there’s nothing wrong. Huey has to disagree, however, as Ellshe has lost a lot of her color. Ellshe is surprised, but isn’t concerned with such a seemingly minor development. All of a sudden, in the midst of speaking, Ellshe falls silent. She then flat-up falls to the ground, unconscious.
Nastasia’s arrival sets the tone for the next 30 seconds- if the area was full of collective people now, it isn’t now, as everyone desperately scrambles for the fallen Ellshe. Thinking intelligently, Huey imposes the importance of the Paint Hammer to Mario now. The red plumber agrees, and Ellshe’s colors are restored! …But she’s still out cold. At this point, Huey, Louis and Marirana have no idea, no great insight on what might save Ellshe.
And in the midst of all this, one person does not care about Ellshe. Instead, that person cares on Bowser Junior betraying them, not informing that person on any side effects the machine would have. That person is Kidd. And at this point, no-one is even amused with Kidd anymore. Rather, Nya is offended Kidd believes herself blameless, while Edwin vows he’ll bring the crook to Port Prisma and pay someone to help Ellshe. He also practically threatens Kidd by telling her she’d better hope Ellshe recovers. In spite of that, Kidd is not afraid of Edwin- in fact, she dares him to do his worst, telling him to his face he’s no different from her.
Edwin’s color changes from green to red, looking like he’s about to unleash something on Kidd. And someone does finally lose their patience with Kidd’s callous attitude towards life. The thing is, those words don’t come out of Edwin.
They come out of O’Chunks.
Everyone, including Kidd and Nastasia, is taken offguard as O’Chunks lays Kidd’s hypocrisy into her face, proving to him that she really doesn’t care about anything at all. A gut feeling on where this is going overtakes Nastasia, but O’Chunks insists on continuing his speech, as he believes everyone needs to hear it. O’Chunks then tells Kidd he and Nastasia had two co-workers who thought an awful lot like the Vellbex woman. During O’Chunks and Nastasia’s stay on Prism Island, the brave warrior held hope Kidd would change her ways, like Count Bleck had. Well, Kidd destroyed O’Chunks’ trust in this ever happening, as the former general is disgusted how the ex-Rescue Squad leader hurt someone Mario and friends cared about, just to prove a point.
Whatever bravado Kidd had vanishes, reduced to stammering a world without “him” in it doesn’t matter- only for O’Chunks to counter Count Bleck thought that way too. The point is, O’Chunks warns Kidd continuing down her path will make her like the other coworker, who O’Chunks must not like considering he never says their name. Turning around in anger, O’Chunks reveals he would never want anyone going down such a dark path.
Everyone, from Huey, to Marirana (who was sure Edwin, Nya or Louis would give the speech first), to Nastasia, are shocked O’Chunks felt this way the whole time. The big guy admits he doesn’t feel any better getting it off his chest, but everyone had to know. Recollecting himself, O’Chunks suggests they bring Ellshe back to Port Prisma and find help, as Edwin also pointed out.
Savor this moment, as it’s the last time everything seems to be OK. For at this moment, Kolorado approaches the group to warn them about something, only to be distracted by Ellshe’s comatose state and the ruined machine’s odd design. Then a Memphawk guy dashes up, spouting how everything is awful, even as part of a team. Oh, plus the VIP and his friends are wreaking havoc. Finally, a Memphawk gal- a real one- runs up to the gang. There’s a problem, though- she’s being chased by the Sunset Express!
Everyone hightails it off the tracks, and the train runs over what’s left of the machine. However, the unconscious Ellshe gets swept onto the front of the train, into the claws of a certain someone- the lazy-looking, cheatsy-sort of Koopaling, Larry Koopa. Louis, ashamed, takes the rap for letting go of Ellshe, but someone else takes the blame for this.
Kidd the Vellbex.
Even Kidd knows she can’t magically flip-flop her opinion after one long speech from a weird bearded guy. She does promise, however, to help the gang, if only to prove she’s not a psychopath, though she insists she had her reasons. Unluckily for her, Huey is against ever allying with her. Huey looks to Mario to have his back on this. Instead, Mario does something unusual- he stretches his hand towards Kidd.
At first, Mario’s party think he’s gone crazy, considering what Kidd just did. Finally, Mario explains what he feels- Kidd deserving a second chance. The instant Louis hears this, he looks within himself, wondering if Mario is loco or the Memphawk fanboy is bitter. Finally, he decides- it’s the latter. For the reason Louis is a fan of Mario is because he always gives people a chance to prove themselves, no matter what. Louis even remembers Mario did the same for him this very adventure.
Soon, most of Mario’s other friends slowly tolerate his decision for their own reasons. While Nya also reminds Mario what Kidd did, Nya also knows she hasn’t been clean herself, yet Mario looked past her vices regardless. Meanwhile, Marirana finally gets what her message has been missing- real acceptance. Just as suddenly, Keirf pops in to pitch in his own two coins on Mario’s forgiving nature, before leaving equally quickly. Finally, though Edwin is still angry, he decides to tolerate Kidd for just a little longer. He warns her, though, if she double-crosses them, she’s gone for good.
With all these votes against him, as well as hearing even more of Mario’s virtues, Huey agrees to let Kidd come with the gang. His own condition, though, is Kidd really apologizing to everyone she hurt, even if they don’t accept it. The Vellbex woman quickly runs through the deal in her mind…and agrees. And that’s the story of how Kidd joined Mario’s party. To prove herself immediately, Kidd picks Mario up. Like a chariot, Kidd dashes after the moving Sunset Express, the fat plumber not slowing her down even a little. Just like that, the two vanish on the horizon.
O’Chunks is filled with pride in his speech getting through to someone, which Nastasia definitely concurs to. An idea crosses O’Chunks’ mind in this heat- he and Nastasia should head to the beach next after this emotional moment.
This thought is interrupted by Chugga T arriving in a handcart to help Mario…not aware he’s got a ride. Regardless, Kolorado offers to go with the train fanatic Toad, since there’s something at Starlight Cape he has to check. Wasting no time asking what the Koopa is seeking, Chugga T urges Kolorado to hurry on the handcart, and both guys start trading pumps after the Sunset Express.
==Chapter 5-3: Hijinx on the Sunset Express==
"The Sunset Express had been hi-jacked by Larry Koopa! With no time to lose, Mario and his friends rushed to catch up with the train! Will they thwart Larry Koopa and make it to Starlight Cape before it's too late?"
Further up the track, Kidd and Mario eventually catch up with the Sunset Express train. Just as Kidd is pumped to retrieve Ellshe back from Larry, she’s interrupted by Chugga T and Kolorado’s arrival. To make things simple, Kolorado informs Kidd he filled Chugga T in on the current situation. Kidd, remembering what she promised Huey, apologizes to Chugga T for delaying the train. As Huey expected, Chugga T doesn’t just take the apology flat. That said, he tells Kidd if she helps get his train back, he’ll call it even. In addition, Chugga T asks Mario to let him know if the plumber needs to return to the overworld map.
It’s not quite training, but it is practice aboard a train for Mario as he learns how to synergize his battle moves with Kidd. Across their battles on the Sunset Express, filling the partner meter enough encourages Kidd to pluck her Vellbex Smooch on one enemy. By doing so, that enemy joins Mario’s side of the field as though Mario had summoned him or her via enemy card. Sometimes, Mario doesn’t pay attention, either shooing Kidd’s allied enemy away with another enemy card or giving the Vellbex permission to kiss while another enemy is on their side. What Mario focuses more on is the sheer power increase his Hammer moves are granted, which is because Kidd uses Any Means Necessary to motivate the portly foreign man.
Out of battle, Kidd is fast on her feet. With her fast speed, she and Mario can outpace brisk enemies, sneaky Slugshrooms, and short time limits.
Once they get a flow going, Mario & Kidd take down enemies left and right on their train trip. From the familiar Shy Guys, Clubbas & Snifits inside the train, to the trainjacking Boosketeers, Spikes & Blue Paratroopas atop, and even the return of the Sombrero Guy & Boomerang Bros from the Decal Lands’ Drybake Desert, the certified piping expert & renegade Rescue Squadee are unstoppable. They feel a little bad when it comes to defeating the neutral Green Paratroopas, but that’s just battling- it never changes.
Our heroes and conflicted villain aren’t the only ones trying to stop the two villainous forces, either. Inside the train’s many carts, Mario and friends and Kidd find several Rescue Squad members of Red, Green and Yellow factions trying and failing to solve the situation. While Leelee, Staupp, Whittik T and Beeyew T have no ill will against Kidd as they head to the back cart of the train, Armstrong of Yellow Rescue Squad is more reserved even after Marirana frees him with her Sound Boom Blast. Upon hearing of Kidd going back on the right path, Armstrong wants to tell the Squad Captain about it. Instead, Kidd asks she be allowed to give the message, to ensure the message isn’t jumbled along the way.
It comes to Marirana’s attention that despite Armstrong being a bird, he doesn’t just simply fly or glide off the train. Armstrong’s response? Explaining the fate of the late Orange Rescue Squad, who Kidd adds had the survival instincts of a Green Koopa Troopa.
After bailing out the remaining adult members of Green Rescue Squad, Mario and friends reunite with Vinn of the Red Squad. Vinn gives Mario the heads-up some FEEEELZ are contained in this room, as he learned even simple henchmen have their own troubles. In minutes, Mario meets a Rebazy Dayzee environmentalist from Dayzee Village in the Pastelora region, a Slurp Guy who wants to be elected, a Clubba with the urge to smash the exhaust funnel, and other colorful minions.
Well, except for a lone Anti-Guy sitting in his own both. To say he’s troubled serves little justice in fully describing his tortured soul. Slowly and clearly as possible, the Anti-Guy points out to Mario how everything he and his friends have experienced is thanks to their hard and underappreciated work. The FEEEEEELZ keep coming, as despite all the Anti-Guy’s wishes he could just vacation at some faraway place, he knows the truth- he’s in Bowser’s service. For the rest of his life. The Anti-Guy concludes his blunt honesty as he explains to Mario they’ll inevitably have to fight someday.
Mario, Huey and Kidd have no response. They have no jokes. Simply put, nothing they can do could serve as a justified response to the Anti-Guy’s words. Instead, they just get up, walk away, and reflect on themselves, along with the FEEEEEEEEELZ.
Eventually, after catching up with Sol of Yellow Squad and outsmarting an ambush of Clefts, Mario, Huey, Marirana and Kidd finally reach Larry. The blue-haired Koopaling is not concerned with his enemy’s amassed party- instead, he’s more focused on the steak he ate.
That’s when it hits Marirana- Larry was the VIP customer the whole time! Larry confirms it, politely contemplating how she and Mario should have been chefs.
Impatient, Kidd orders Larry give them back Ellshe. However, Larry has no interests in any bargain with Kidd, since Junior left her in charge of testing the containment device and botched it. Instead, the cultured swine- er, Koopaling- decides to defeat our heroes and ex-con before they arrive at Starlight Cape to find the Grand Paint Star that Aace hid around there. Not looking forward to Bowser Junior throwing a temper tantrum if met with failure, Larry begins his aggravated assaulted.
Like so many of Larry’s siblings, the Koopaling didn’t come alone. Just as lazily, he summons wave after wave of enemies to protect him from non-Throwhammer attacks, so the stronger moves don’t come for a while. Magic wand, shell toss, yada yada yada, you know that stuff. But did you know Larry also throws smoke blasts at Mario that blind the plumber if he doesn’t block? Or that if Mario dilly-dallies too long, Larry will unleash a powerful five-hit combo? Or that if Larry hides in the train’s steam pipe, Mario’s Fire attacks or Marirana’s Off-Color Lyrics can force him out? You do now.
Oh look, Larry’s been defeated already. What are the odds? In the midst of Larry considering hiding away from the Bowsers, Kidd rams him off the train, telling him to tell Junior they’re coming for him as soon as they get the last two Grand Paint Stars. Before the comatose Ellshe can fly off again, Kidd quickly nabs her. This time, instead of use as a hostage, Kidd gives Mario the Sticker Fairy. Immediately after, Chugga T announces their destination- Starlight Cape.
Upon arriving at Starlight Cape, Huey’s carefree attitude leads to Kidd loosening up in a positive manner. This moment is scuttled when, for some strange reason, Ellshe is shuddering. Huey and Mario assume that she's probably cold. Huey decides that they should look for a Grand Paint Star around here, hoping that it can help her warm up. The Rescue Squad Members immediately get off the train. They then run past it, into the darkness. 
As our team of heroes and cons pass the Sunset Express, Chugga T starts celebrating the train’s improved performance thanks to Regale Trainworks. Both Chugga T and the Conductor discuss the Sunset Express’ recent run, before concluding they should keep using it.
Mario and friends reach the eponymous Starlight Cape. Of everyone in the group, Huey is th most enchanted with the locale. While everyone basks under the starlight, Kolorado arrives to give quick trivia on the cape being where the King and his heir would travel to also collect themselves. Looking upwards, the Koopa professor also wishes to bring his wife here someday. For now, Kolorado searches for Artifacts- and he can feel it in his shoes that some are nearby.
At that moment, a shooting star passes by. Everyone makes a wish on it- Edwin for a lifetime of money for both himself and his friends, Louis to go on another adventure with Mario, Marirana for people around the world to tolerate each other more, and Nya for peace among the Ninji clans. In addition, Mario wishes for Princess Peach and Toadsworth to stay safe. Huey, trying to be peaceful, asks Kidd if she made a wish.
Sadly, what Kidd wants most is something she can’t ever get back. She knows it’s something she has to accept, though. The Vellbex leader dwells on it, remembering she used to come here with “them” all the time. The sun ahead clears up Kidd’s next thought- she can’t undo her mistakes, but she can wish the gang help Ellshe recover from her injuries. To cheer Kidd up, Huey lets her know he wished they had all six Grand Paint Stars, and that one alone could help Ellshe.
Huey’s pep talk is interrupted when a Thwomp stomps the ground far away. All of a sudden, a strange mark appears under the group. A trapdoor then opens, and everyone falls in.
After, Wario and Waluigi make their third appearance in the story, and it’s obvious they’re out for Kidd’s horns in addition to Mario’s. Wario also gets a hunch there’s lots of treasure here for his own reasons.
Within the pit, the gang look around at the high-tech astral hallwork, glowing in blue and lined with yellow. Almost everyone, especially Kidd and Louis, are confused at the discovery of this never-before-seen area of Prism Island. Kolorado, meanwhile, is ecstatic at such an unknown find.
Finally, Huey becomes equally excited, knowing where this is. Instead of explaining right away, he only tells Mario to collect the Mini-Paint Star ahead so he can see. Huey’s friends listen to him, and a path opens to the lost, top-secret Starlight Workshop.
Chapter 5-4: Starmageddon's Creation
Walking deeper and deeper into the Workshop, our heroes notice Huey’s joy at arriving in this location. Once Nya gets Huey to concentrate on Ellshe’s current state, Huey apologizes. It’s just he thought his friends would be happy seeing where he was built. This statement excites Kolorado, the professor now hypothesizing this to be a secret workshop of the island’s King, filled with Artifacts and Things no-one’s even heard of. Huey takes a page from Nya’s book and, while he does mention Kolorado might get to see some of it, the Grand Paint Star comes first. A gentle letdown is still a letdown in Kolorado’s mind, and the professor curses his treasure hunt being sidelined by a starfish again.
The heroes and company arrive in the hub room of the Workshop, with a huge door and sidepaths around them. At first, Huey’s excitement returns, as behind the door is the main room, and all they need to do is activate the five switches. However, Nya brings everyone’s attention to scuff marks on the floor, indicating someone else has recently been here. Before Huey and Kolorado lose their minds, Edwin puffs out who the most likely suspect could be- Aace. Since Aace is a Boo, he must have found out about the workshop over his life. With all the info the gang have so far, Huey realizes Aace must have brought the Grand Paint Star into the Workshop’s main room for safekeeping, meaning the gang really do need to enter that room.
Minutes later, Mario and friends decide to check out the left wing first. To everyone’s confusion, several Boos and Boosketeers doused in Dark purple power are there. Huey is both all riled up and indignated, wanting to know what they’re doing messing with the King’s stuff. Despite one Dark Boosketeer explaining they’re training, his Dark Boo and other Dark Boosketeer brothers are equally insulted at Huey’s accusation, and a fight happens. The toughness of the ghostly Musketeers alerts Edwin how strange it is they’re tougher than the Musketeers at the Emerald Circus HQ. Edwin puzzles over why Aace would need Musketeer soldiers this tough and here, even for a Grand Paint Star.
Knowing they’re not alone, the plumber makes the call to check the right wing before doing any puzzles, just to flush out any more unwanted surprises and enemies. Mario’s a smart fellow for it, as a Boosketeer is keeping two Slugshrooms and a Carrishroom in a reasonable sized cage. When Kidd gasps in annoyance at the Boosketeers trying to keep such dangerous creatures captive, the Boosketeer notices Kidd. Luckily for her, the Boosketeer is cowardly, and believes Kidd to be some kind of bogeywoman. Unluckily for her, the Boosketeer frees his three shroom pets- Curly, Slappy and Brian- in a desperate attempt to save him from the Vellbex.
They get KO’d for their troubles, and the Boosketeer flees in utter terror. Kidd tries to make small talk with Huey and Edwin, but they’re not really laughing. For Huey, he just found Kidd’s banter decent. With Edwin’s, meanwhile, he’s still not enthralled with Kidd considering when she joined. As Edwin knows this line of thinking is toxic, he decides to really try putting Kidd’s recent deeds behind him. Instead, the Slurple rogue shifts the subject to the Musketeers and Aace keeping the shroom creatures so close. It’s here Nya finally asks Edwin who Aace is, but Edwin has no clue. All he knows is Aace let him join initially so Edwin could fill his pockets with coins and help someone- though Edwin doesn’t elaborate on who.
In addition to the two stronger Boo varieties and shroom enemies, Mario and friends engage in combat with other weird foes. Buzzy Beetles, Dry Bones and even Wizzerds return for extra rounds. The latter bamboozles Mario even further, cementing in his mind Rogueport and Prism Island must be more similar or even connected in their pasts than he mused. The bigger badder brother of the Buzzy Beetle, the Spiked Top, also picks a fight or two with the gang. Last but not least is a huge rainbow robot golem with separate appendages, the Corona Golem. This contraption is both brains and brawn, observing Mario and his friends with some personality in-between punching them. Though beatable, they’re still the toughest normal enemies Mario has fought thus far on Prism Island.
Half an hour later, the gang finally KO every enemy in the rooms they can access, and are now able to focus on solving puzzles. Starting with the right wing, Mario first uses Huey’s Cut-Out to reach an area with sawblades, then Louis to time Leaps above the deadly jagged discs. Then, the Paint Hammer has it’s time of night to activate a colorful bubble machine. In the middle of all the bubbles, Marirana is given the OK for a Sound Boom Blast, splattering four mini-switches at once to create a pathway. By accomplishing these two tasks, Mario is able to reach paths leading to two of the hittable switches.
Our heroes are halfway done, so they therefore head back to the left wing of the Workshop to finish the critical thinking portions of this stage…of their lives. Edwin’s Suction pulls two Star Wheels together, allowing them to move thanks to the teeth of their gears. This also forces several poles out Edwin can suck towards. However, it’s not a straight path, as buzzsaws and the moving Star Wheels complicate the process.
Finally, and toughest of all, is an Unfurl Block inside a two tier maze. The first tier has thick walls and a huge Unfurlable globe blocking the way up. Thanks to Kidd’s speed, Mario is able to hit the globe with Unfurl power with less than half the time remaining, turning the globe into a staircase. The second tier, however, is a much more winding, indirect maze, so long that not even Kidd can outrun the timer.
Following a few failed attempts, an exhausted Mario and Kidd look at both tiers of the maze, wondering what they’re not getting. In all this mysterious business, Mario neglected to realize something about the second tier- it has much thinner fences. The solution snaps into Mario’s mind, and as soon as he reaches the second tier with Unfurl Power, he calls out Nya to simply Vanish through the maze, revealing it to be an elaborate misleading clue. A satisfied Mario proceeds to hit the Unfurlable hollow globe ahead of him, creating a lift upwards. With all the puzzles done, Mario hits the other two visible switches. 
The activation of all four switches causes the fifth switch to appear back in the hub room. Huey allows Mario to have the honor, and the plumber thwacks it as usual. The door lights up, revealing the shape of a large starry individual engraved on it. Marirana is enamored with the decoration, as she thinks the king was a large fellow. Huey agrees, demonstrating how impressed Mario seems. It must have been a quick look on Huey’s part, for Mario is more “floored” than “impressed” with the image on the door. It’s here Huey explains what the engraving is of- the island’s king, Starmageddon.
It should go without saying, but everyone except Huey feels misgivings towards such a foreboding name. Edwin also reflects on giving Pirra T such a hard time over his name, considering the King’s own, while also understanding why the locals only call him the King. Once Louis regains himself, he asks Huey where Starmageddon is. Huey doesn’t know where, but he remembers he last saw the King 700 years ago.
The number really agitates Louis, and Huey agrees. From Huey’s memory, he was just flying around the lab as usual, watching Starmageddon build machines while testing out his own new personality core His Majesty just installed. The next minute, however, Huey was blinded, being carried in secret to Prisma Fountain. Huey also admits he has this feeling Starmageddon wanted him to take care of something, but he can’t remember what it was. That’s not what Louis meant, though, as the Memphawk reveals Starmageddon went missing 1200 years ago- it couldn’t have been him.
Just before Huey can argue against Louis’ case and explain something about the King, Wario and Waluigi rudely interrupt. As everyone realizes it’s them, Kidd attempts to brush them off, but the Wicked Duo are seething payment from the ex-villainess. When Waluigi suggests the evil possible-brothers take the Grand Paint Star as ransom, the impossible happens- Wario agrees. The microgame tycoon lights himself on fire and dashes into the main lab, with Waluigi in toe. Flustered at being beaten to the punch, Kolorado dashes after them to stop the duo damaging the King’s stuff. Soon, everyone else follows.
Inside the main laboratory, Mario and co. find the Tangerine Grand Paint Star encased in a star-like machine. Wario and Waluigi are trying to break the Paint Star free, but they’re not strong enough. Meanwhile, Kolorado is struggling to pull Waluigi away, something the lanky prankster doesn’t appreciate. Worst of all, Nya notices Ellshe is losing her color again.
The clock is ticking, so Kidd recommends they solve this quarrel with Wario and Waluigi. Mario and co. dash to the wicked duo, passing by a large gold Huey statue with no opening. Out of nowhere, the statue starts to violently rumble as the good guys pass. Spooked, Mario and Nya want to investigate further, but Huey refocuses their attention on the cheapskate doppelgangers. The saviours of mankind continue on their path, not noticing the statue rumble again.
When Wario and Waluigi shake off Kolorado, they turn towards Mario. The duo, knowing now how badly Mario wants the Grand Paint Star, proposes a deal to him and the others. If the gang pay the capitalist mugs a fee of 4000 coins, they’ll just step out of the way. Otherwise, they’ll fight.
In light of such a high but not unmanageable asking price, Mario considers his options. By looking at Wario and Waluigi, he surmises they might be upset with Kidd, throwing them off their game. On the other hand, Mario has this feeling something worse lurks around the corner. In addition, our video game icon is feeling both charitable amidst his constant moodiness during the Prism Island adventure, as well as tired of fighting all these strong foes. Therefore, Mario deliberates to a decision of paying the bribe, surprising Waluigi and Wario, as well as somewhat upsetting Edwin. Money might not talk, but it lifts the sleazy moustache twirlers’ spirits greatly.
Pity that the point of the exchange is nullified, when an unknown figure calls out Wario & Waluigi on their money fixation. Everyone turns around to see a glowing blue robot guy with a huge spikey crown and wavy robot limbs. However, the guy’s face is all pixelated, except for the glasses. While Waluigi insults the blue guy for his long limbs, Mario stands his ground while Huey is stunned at the individual standing before them. Finally, the guy addresses Huey heartily, as Hubert, proclaiming it’s been far too long since seeing his creation.
After what feels like a minute, Huey can only respond…
“…Starmageddon? Is that you?! Have you been working out?”
To say anyone was presuming the blue guy to be Starmageddon himself would be a lie, especially for the disconcerted Kolorado. Starmageddon, however, clarifies the situation- he’s actually a holo-duplicate of the actual Starmageddon. (So it actually is a lie after all). The real one had been banished to another dimension by his treacherous backstabbing partner, the mention of whom fills the duplicate with anger, after a seemingly minor altercation. In the other dimension, some misunderstanding with the locals occurred, and before Starmageddon knew it, he lost his original body.
In the wake of this explanation is another question from Edwin- how did Starmageddon get back? Once again, the hologram answers that the King very fortunately found a portal inside a museum sort-of out of the way. The portal led back to the Mushroom World’s dimension, to the area that would become this workshop. Over time, Starmageddon used his engineering expertise to create a simple body similar to….are you ready to facepalm? Or at least have a stressball nearby? Good. …a simple body similar to the only species who lives on Prism Island, the Toads.
Right away, Louis and Kidd lose their cool over the sheer inanity and wrongness of that sentence, but the holo-duplicate is too enraptured in Starmageddon’s story to notice or possibly care. Instead, he finds it more prudent to fess up that his false body would be no match for his now-sealed partner or her remaining minions. Nor another task the holo-King is unable to state due to a weird audio glitch.
For this unknown task, Starmageddon created Huey. Dealing with the King’s own local enemies would require his original body, being kept under high security in the other dimension. To that end, Starmageddon built various mechsuits to deal with that security. This is the moment the holo-duplicate reveals himself to be based on the finalized mechsuit, though another is kept in the lab as a contingency. Hearing all this encourages Huey to praise Starmageddon for his ingenuity, sure that when the King comes back, he’ll bathe the island in color and dances. Also, he’ll probably bring a unicycling monkey to entertain his kid.
Sadly for Huey, Starmageddon’s true colors start surfacing when he unveils a change of plans. When Huey is startled by this change, the holo-King elaborates that over the years, while working in this workshop, the King slowly learned something from his betrayal. The Mushroom World…it’s not worth saving. It’s filled with wicked and complicated people. Instead, after Huey finishes his mysterious task and Starmageddon finds his real body, he’ll fix things- by blighting out the whole world in total darkness and start over again, with just Prism Island remade. And maybe the Decal Lands, too. But this reboot would be for the sake of “a new standard”.
Even discounting the sheer disgust Mario and his friends express towards throwing away what made the Mushroom World so memorable and inviting, Huey desperately begs with the holo-King to reconsider. Unfortunately, the holo-King cares nothing for a world where “she’s” gone.
Finally, Kidd speaks out against the holo-King. After letting His Holo-Majesty know she thought the same way a few hours ago, Kidd has come to grips with the truth. The one she cares for is gone, and their absence will hurt for a long time. Now, Kidd has to keep dashing forward.
If the Mushroom World were perfect, the holo-King would change his ways as well, and he would be singing Kum-bay-yah with Mario and friends. The Mushroom World is not a perfect world, though, and the holo-King instead aims his arm cannons at Kidd’s face, cementing in his mind he lost “that battle” because of the Vellbex’s emotionalness.
Without even thinking, Huey flies between Kidd and the holo-King, facing down the duplicate of his majesty. The holo-King chastises Huey for standing against him, but the Underwhere hath no fury like Huey right this moment. His face red with rage, Huey reminds the holo-King what he was built for, and that the real King is not excluded from this criteria if he comes back like the holo-King. Mario jumps in agreement, and this really sends Starmageddon’s duplicate into a frenzy, beginning a tough battle.
Our heroes should thank themselves they’re not facing the real Starmageddon or even his mechsuit now, because the holo-duplicate packs a mean punch. A Jet Laser Buster cannon with multiple hits is nothing compared to a stardust explosion. That move, in turn, is outranked by a super-powerful air-drop move the King’s replica uses on occasion. The move that best balances power and utility, though, is a triple meteor drop that reminds Mario an awful lot of the Trio Meteor move he used in the other Mushroom Kingdom.
In the middle of it all, Wario and Waluigi watch the fight from the sidelines, entertained but non-plussed. That changes when the Starmageddon hologram’s stardust explosion goes off, igniting Wario briefly and forcing him into a fiery run hitting Mario and the pseudo-King. Meanwhile, Starmageddon’s triple meteor sometimes conks Waluigi into the ground. If Mario’s lucky, Waluigi will grab into the King for a turn. Otherwise, Mario’s a sitting duck for His Majesty’s Secret Pseudo-body.
The battle finally comes to an end, and Mario & friends step out triumphant, while the holographic duplicate is about to explode. Starmageddon’s copy can only scream in frustration at this hologram failing to win with all the data input it was given, wondering why he didn’t listen to someone. The King’s speech is cut short as he finally explodes, freeing the Grand Paint Star and send Wario & Waluigi blasting off from Prism Island
"We May Not Be a Team Rocket-Duo..." Wario states.
"But in their case..." Waluigi continues..
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF ANYWAYS!" The Wario Bros. yell out as their disappear in a twinkle in the sky.
As Kidd marvels the miraculous recovery of the Tangerine Star, Huey slowly remembers his wish, realizing it came true! He’s joyful of this idea, encouraging the others their wishes will also come true- even Kidd’s self-professed impossible wish. Touched, Kidd returns the favor and cares for Huey, apologizing what the King became, as well as how she might have turned out that way. In the face of this, Huey becomes a little sad. In no time at all, the bucket guardian happily affirms all he needs are his friends in this room, also glad Prism Island and the rest of the world are in one piece.
In the corner, Kolorado finds this good fortune. He also allows the gang to have the Grand Paint Star, while he looks around the room for new finds. Louis agrees, and Mario once again awakens a Star, hitching a ride as usual.
After they leave, though, the gold Huey statue starts rumbling again. This alerts Kolorado to stay away from it…
Like the first four times, Tangerine takes a little detour before heading to Port Prisma. In this case, he sprinkles his orange goodness over Marmalade Valley, bringing life to the Draggadon statue. Oddly, though, Draggadon has someone on his little list, as the beast flies off…
End of Chapter Text:
"After getting out of the Snifit's Jail, experiencing the Sunset Express, doing some part-time cooking in a resturaunt, thwarting Larry Koopa and learning where Huey came from, Mario and his friends have recovered the Orange Grand Paint Star. But what of King Starmageddon? Does he really want to restart the world by destroying the Mushroom World? And who was this person he cared for? Only time would tell. But for now, there was only one more Grand Paint Star that stands between them and saving Prism Island. Just one last piece to restoring Prisma Fountain to its natural estate. As Mario and his friends return to Port Prisma, they knew their adventure was nearing its end."
==Paper Luigi: Chapter 4 - The Musketeer's Tests==
"As you may have remembered, in our last chapter, Luigi, Daisy and Nabana have encountered Roy Koopa in the Mossrock Theatre. But now our heroes were in a another predicament:  Aace and his musketeers had arrived and using a pair of bongos, summoned the Great Khairacles to grab our heroes. Where would he take them?"
Far away, Luigi is jolted awake by the calls of Daisy and Nabana. Our not-as-heroic plumber awakens to find himself, his friends and Roy in the back room of a circus tent. Immediately, Roy blames Luigi for everyone getting caught, while Luigi rightfully counters Roy’s ambush gave their unknown foes a chance to capture the quartet. When Roy tries skimming around this by asserting he didn’t escape since he wanted a challenge, Daisy sarcastically quips that she’s a dinosaur.
As Roy counters that Daisy barely appears in anything aside from parties, kart racing and sporting events, the argument is interrupted by the arrivals of Aace, Perry and Khairacles. Roy’s raring for revenge, but he can’t find his wand nor cannon to assist him. It turns out Perry is keeping the Koopaling’s wand nice and safe on his person, with the Goomba sharing his motto of needing to be on the winning team if one wants to play the game.
Once Roy realizes Perry used to work for him and the Koopalings, Roy calls the Musketeer Goomba out on always jumping ship every time things get too tough for him. Before Roy really loses his temper, Aace asks Khairacles to handle Roy. The big monkey obliges and takes Roy out back, Luigi and friends hearing the sound of roughhousing. Khairacles finally comes back with Roy, and the Koopaling faints as he tries to get the last word in.
Khairacles’ pride in his strength and his lawyer’s is challenged by Nabana. Instead of pounding him too, though, Khairacles finds a kinship in Nabana’s own boisterousness of power and ligitiousness, feeling they would have been friends in another life. Khairacles eventually runs off, probably to practice for his own act.
After Khairacles leaves, Aace explains he brought Luigi and Daisy here to test them for some reason. He also needs them to entertain the other Musketeers. Aace requests Perry bring the second-string duo (and Nabana) to the front of the stage, and the Goomba does. Perry makes a remark about him leading Luigi this time, but he quickly backspaces his comment.
It’s a big audience today at the Emerald Circus, with several Boosketeers, Cutlads, Monkhairas and other Musketeers seated on the benches. Perry, performing a duty he doubtless has before, introduces Luigi and Daisy to his fellow warriors. The crowd’s not exactly enthralled with Luigi, but Daisy’s presence stirs much more excitement. Luigi’s especially surprised that Daisy didn’t eat her Turtley Leaves yet, considering she’s using one as a hand fan for theatrics. Just as Daisy is explaining to Luigi that she still has one Leaf left, Perry introduces Nabana to the crowd.
Everyone in the crowd is confused at Nabana’s very existence, with one Boosketeer thinking Khairacles is pulling a prank. Ignorant of the crowd’s skepticism, Nabana flies ahead of Luigi and showboats. Nabana is so enwrapped in flexing his dreadlocks that Luigi trips on the banana Sticker Fairy. Believing this to be part of the act, all the Musketeers laugh- or at least show positive reception- to the clownishness unravelling before them. Luigi, though groggy, recovers fast enough to hear Perry announce the act for today- a battle medley with the circus staff!
First, Luigi and his friends face off with two Dino Rhinos (an enemy Luigi hasn’t seen in years) being trained by an on-hand team of Boosketeers. In his wide-but-limited wisdom, Luigi decides to defeat the Boosketeers before reducing the Dino Rhinos to fossils. This turns out to be a bad idea, as when all the ghostly swordsmen are vanquished, the Dino Rhinos suddenly go berserk, inflicting huge damage on Weegee. More Boosketeers coming on stage to calm the reptiles down ultimately sends Luigi back to less than square one. The next time, Luigi defeats his foes in reverse, and it does the trick.
Second on the battle medley act is three Blue Koopa Troopas balancing on each other, with a Drybake Pokey on standby. This time, there’s no unnecessary gimmicks- just two enemies that can be toppled over with Hammer attacks. Closing the gauntlet of fights is two Lepbellers underneath a ring of fire for a Blue Paratroopa. Luigi doesn’t jump into that burning ring fire, but the Paratroopa goes through and his next attack rises higher. Luigi fights, fights, fights, forcing his foes to retire, under that ring of fire.
Luigi isn’t alone during these fights, either. In addition to Nabana’s power of card regeneration, Daisy also assists big green by healing some of his health every turn. It’s not much health, but it’s enough.
After the trio defeats all three waves, Perry is just startled how Luigi and his crew outlasted some of the strongest Musketeers. The trio don’t shy away from taking in the praise for their skills. That done, Perry thanks the Musketeer audience for watching, also reminding them these shows are possible because of one thing- the Justice of the Musketeers. The crowd gives a cry for “JUSTICE”, before leaving for their other missions.
However, as Perry is about to take the trio back the way they came, Aace arrives to tell Perry only he has to leave. Perry’s questions yield no real answers- only that this doesn’t concern him. Spooked at being kept in the dark about something he should know, Perry begrudgingly leaves through the back.
Equally strange is Khairacles bringing Roy into the tent. Khairacles wants to challenge Luigi, Roy and the others in battle, but Aace turns down the request, reminding the ape he’s among the few who know the “details”. It’s obvious Khairacles has some fight in him, but he respects Aace’s declination and leaves- though he wishes he, and not “him”, could have tested Nabana.
With everyone else gone, Aace lets the four know a friend of his also wants a shot at Luigi and crew, as well as Roy. However, the friend likes his privacy, not performing well in front of large crowds. With this in mind, Aace retrieves a Save Block and several HP Recovery Hearts from his person. The sight of such hospitality affirms both a creeping feeling and one thing in Luigi’s mind- whoever Aace’s friend is, he’s going to hurt Luigi and Roy a lot.
After healing, saving, and writing his will, Luigi confirms with Aace that the crew is ready. Aace finds this a good thing. However, Aace proceeds to leave, only loudly proclaiming “They’re all yours to test”. Our heroes find this behaviour strange- why wouldn’t Aace stay to at least greet his friend?
In seconds, they learn the answer from a mysterious voice- that friend has been in the tent the whole time. Suddenly, a giant dark red flower with jagged orange leaves and a green stem rises from below the platform. Two paler, smaller plants follow suit. Ten yellow eyes- two big, eight small- illuminate the main flower shortly after.
Daisy and Nabana show the appropriate reaction at the arrival of this floral foe- utter and absolute joy at getting to face such an unexpected new foe. Then there’s Luigi, who’s horrified at the behemoth before him. The behemoth sees this terror from the green fighting machine and chides him for it, since it thought the trek through the woods would strengthen Luigi’s character. As for Roy, he admits the flower is big, but he could take it with his wand. Upon realizing Perry still has it, Roy calls out the cowardly Goomba’s name in rage. Perry hears his name being called, and walks into the tent- scared at the giant flower monster. This gives Roy the chance to chase after his ex-employee, jumping over one of the plant monster’s buds.
The monster is not concerned with Roy’s departure, revealing Roy’s destiny to not return to the tent. Daisy and Nabana are quick to insult Roy, with Nabana declaring he could take on this “overgrown weed” by himself. Unfortunately, this sets off the plant monster, as it explains only one other individual calls it that, and the monster despises that individual. The monster proceeds to enlighten our heroes that if they wish to maintain a friendly relationship, they call it/him by his real name- King Sporepocalypse.
Battling against Sporepocalypse definitely stretches the meaning of the word test. It also confirms to Luigi that Aace’s generosity earlier was to prepare the group for this Floral Glistening King. Because of the two extra buds, Sporepocalypse can inflict damage a few more times with a 1-2-3 physical combo. The main head also has a few other super-powerful moves, from a head-crushing plant fall to a powerful laser blast. Most disorienting of all is the various pollens Sporepocalypse’s buds can emit onto Luigi, inflicting all sorts of strange effects on one of the first Player 2s. All three flowers only taking half the damage they would usually take only serves to elongate the brawl.
Yet despite all these tricks and traps, Luigi and his friends are able to bring Sporepocalypse’s health to halfway. Their performance actually impresses the huge plant, the beast contemplating their perseverance against such a powerful foe as himself. Daisy praises Luigi for leaving such a good impact on their foe.
And then Sporepocalypse restrains Daisy and Nabana, in order to test how Luigi fares alone. The plant beast deems if Luigi can’t succeed on his own, then he’s not worthy of finding and restoring the treasure, something neither Sporepocalypse nor the Musketeers can do. Nor was Luigi worthy of the letter. Luigi’s immediate assumption Sporepocalypse sent the letter is muffled by the huge flower clarifying it merely advised an old friend of an impending situation- meanwhile, Aace was the one who sent the letter. As one final piece of crypticness, Sporepocalypse lets Luigi know that if he knew what was sleeping on Prism Island, Luigi wouldn’t blame Sporepocalypse for the current extreme situation they’re in. Following this omen, Sporepocalypse completely reheals himself.
The battle begins again, but of course Luigi is ill-equipped to deal with Sporepocalypse alone, just as anyone would be. In a short while, Sporepocalypse comes to the conclusion Luigi isn’t worthy of finding the failsafe. While the creature ruminates on the echoes he felt of Luigi’s deeds across time, past and future, Daisy and Nabana try snapping a frightened Luigi back into focus. No more options are left- Sporepocalypse decides to just wipe the ghost hunter out here and now.
That’s when a splotch of red paint hits the giant greenery, forcing him to let go of Daisy and Nabana.
To put it simply, Sporepocalypse is flabbergasted at paint being present, especially where the paint hasn’t been restored. At that precise point, Perry runs in and out of the tent, screaming for Aace’s help.
“Who needs the local color when I’m around? And I brought my little friends!”
Roy enters the scene with his wand. Twelve Shy Guys are at the back stage door. Any hopes of this being an act of altruism are shot down by Roy, who just wants to fight Sporepocalypse. The Koopaling even threatens Luigi that in the event he runs out of paint, he will not hesitate to use him or the colror green as ammo. Roy proceeds to throw his wand in the air, transforming it into an empty Bill Blaster and catching it. While Sporepocalypse is trying to process Roy’s presence not matching up with his own visions, Roy merely points out the irony in him splatting Sporepocalypse in the island’s paint, even explaining he’s gone to night school just to learn what irony means.
After two false starts, the battle finally occurs for real this time. Along with Daisy and Nabana’s returned assistance, Roy’s Paint Blaster inflicts notable damage to close the difference. Eventually, though, Roy runs out of Paint. Like he promised, the Koopaling uses Luigi as ammo against their blooming behemoth opponent, and Luigi takes half the immense damage Sporepocalypse incurs.
Once again half-filled, Sporepocalypse creates a magic barrier to give the plant time in dealing with Roy. During his turns, he attacks Roy instead of Luigi. When the green plumber tries continuing the battle anyways, Sporepocalypse semi-gently tells him it’s none of his concern yet.
Regardless, Roy is only concerned how long the fight is taking. He loudly demands the Shy Guys bring him all the colors at one. After they do, Roy violently shakes his cannon around. Nabana is a little uneasy how much Roy is shaking his cannon, but Sporepocalypse’s initial confusion turns to terror once a dark thought on what Roy wants comes to mind. Roy is all ready with his concoction, and despite Sporepocalpse’s sudden pleading, the Koopaling fires anyways. And the color of the paint that leaves the cannon is black.
To our heroes’ horror, not only does the black paint destroy Sporepocalypse’s barrier on contact, as if it weren’t even there- it really mucks up the flower fiend and his two lesser buds! Helpless, our heroes can only watch as Sporepocalypse writhes around in immense pain. Sporepocalypse can only wonder in his agony how this wasn’t the future he was promised, when his eyes become very still and then suddenly vanish.
In the silence, Roy is stupefied that his plan worked- he was just winging it the whole time. A job well done, Nabana is about to celebrate when Sporepocalypse’s blackened remains start falling towards him. Nabana only has time to tell Luigi he’s the top banana now, and tell Kersti he won’t make it to the Falafel Eating Contest back home. The dead Sporepocalypse falls on Nabana, collapsing into black paint before hitting the ground.
Roy is just excited at the usability of the black paint, unable to believe now Bowser Jr wanted the paint confiscated. Considering the reality the black paint could turn around the fight with the Musketeers, Roy’s thoughts are interrupted by his shell phone ringing. Roy walks off for a bit to chat with whoever’s on the other end, leaving Luigi and Daisy alone to search for Nabana.
Worried, Luigi and Daisy yell for their plantain friend, yet hear no response. Luckily, Daisy has an idea- using the remaining Turtley Leaf and some of her princess magic, the Sarasaland ruler fans the black paint off of Nabana. Now with the black paint out of the way, Luigi runs to his new friend’s side, picking him up. Though Luigi and Daisy’s first thoughts are finding help for the magic talking banana, another thought gnaws at Luigi- why is Nabana’s body relatively fine, yet Sporepocalypse’s crumbled into the mess before them?
These queries have to rest, as Roy comes back. Roy wants to use the cannon on the three right now, but he’s in such a good mood, he’ll “let them off” this time. Instead, he informs them that Bowser Junior wants him to come to Port Prisma so the Prince can showcase his own toy. It doesn’t take a genius to know Roy isn’t confident with whatever Junior’s built, and the Koopaling laughs at the idea of it falling apart at the tiniest provocation. The bully of a Koopaling leaves with his Shy Guys. The sounds of Musketeers near the front door convince Luigi and Daisy to also haul butt out of there, not noticing a Sticker Comet symbol cracking on Nabana’s back.
Aace and Perry enter the tent through the front. As Aace is livid with Perry for his failure in keeping the wand away from Roy, the Musketeer leader suddenly notices the black paint mound in the middle of the circus. All Aace can do is hurry to the mound and, realizing Sporepocalypse is no more, grieve for him. Perry tries to apologize, but Aace doesn’t want to hear from the Goomba- he only asks he speaks of who their guest was to no-one.
A dejected Perry slowly walks out, as the Boo Aace sent earlier flies back in with news. Aace isn’t surprised to hear from his cadet that the Koopalings are planning another attack on Port Prisma. What does stir a reaction are pictures of something Bowser Junior whipped out when he thought no-one was looking. Aace’s reaction slowly changes from sorrow, to familiarity and then to a mixture of both shock and horror.
The arrivals keep coming, for Pitholl and Cucleer also return from a second run to Fort Cobalt. The duo also found some notes Bowser Junior scrawled into and give them to Aace, with Cucleer finding them creepy. Pitholl’s question of what happened in the tent goes unnoticed by Aace looking back-and-forth, between the notes and pictures. Now armed with the knowledge of why Bowser Junior came to Prism Island, Aace gives the command to gather almost if not all of the Musketeers, including Perry- they need to head to Port Prisma! For the whole island may be in great danger!
Paper Luigi: End of Chapter Text
"Luigi and Daisy have managed to escape with Nabana in time. But as our heroes take their leave, the Musketeers have learned of why Bowser Junior came to Prisma Island and his plans for it. What does Bowser Jr. have in stor for Prisma Island? Can the musketeers put a stop to his ambishions? And what of Luigi, Daisy and Nabana? What will our heroes do now? Perhaps if Mario and his friends could gather the last Grand Paint Star, all would be made clear." 
Category:Paper Mario: Color Splash *RECUT* articles
Category:Paper Mario: Color Splash *RECUT* Chapters
Category:Chapters
Category:Paper Mario Chapters