Paper Mario: Color Splash RECUT/Chapter 4

This is a story plotline of Chapter 4 of the game, "Paper Mario: Color Splash *RECUT*".
Pre-Chapter 4
Mario and friends arrive back in Port Prisma, Azure retaking schkler place at the Prisma Fountain. As thanks, Azure shows the team of good guys another memory of that day….
Chaos! Chaos abounds, as Koopalings and Musketeers battle each other around Prisma Fountain. In the epicenter of the battle, Aace and Bowser Junior in his Clown Car trade blows. Junior’s great strength takes Aace by surprise a few times, but the Sleeping Boo gets a few swipes in! Unfortunately, some Slurp Guys steal some paint, here and there, from the fountain, pouring it into large buckets! The two are so furious and single minded in their fight, the Slurp Guys and Boosketeers take their fight to the west end of town, Pitholl and Cucleer noticing…
Following this flashback, Marirana is horrified how even the Musketeers couldn’t stop the Slurp Guys from stealing all the paint. Huey is just wondering where the paint was brought to, something Marirana points out the next Grand Paint Star might know. Azure further rewards Mario with another Artifact-Up Slot.
Chapter 4-1: Yo-ho-Mario!
"Red, Yellow and Blue have now been returned to Prisma Fountain. Mario's Adventure was half-way over. Now they only needed 3 More Grand Paint Stars. But as our heroes wondered where to go they, they feel they should head back to Violet Passage to check on Piper's friends. Maybe they would know where to go next."
Mario and friends decline to head to Violet Passage immediately, feeling the need to check up on Piper’s friends first. The plant is starting to look more like a tree- in fact, it is a tree. Also growing is the number of people watching over the tree, as a blue Pianta jumps up the steps. Griini the Lakitu recognizes the Pianta as Bolue. Redd, Pynk and Griini briefly admire the tree, only for Bolue to bring up Piper’s own absence. Bolue quickly doubles back, however, as he recalls how, despite Piper’s laid back nature, the mysterious individual’s surprising anger when provoked.
Bolue quietly retells the story of when the five friends were ambushed by a gang of Bullies. The Bullies made fun of Piper for his small feet, his round head, and other things. Piper initially laughed it off- that was, until the Bullies started picking on Bolue, calling him a fat crybaby (making Edwin realize Bolue was the Pianta Kersti landed on at Dark Bloo Inn). Bolue, feeling self-conscious, did begin crying, causing Piper to grit his mouth and breath heavily. Suddenly, Piper leaped upon one of the Bullies, swallowing him whole! While Piper had to recover from the Bully’s horns after that, the other Bullies never bothered the gang again.
Hearing this story leads to Edwin noticing something really strange about Piper, about all the vastly different descriptions they’ve been hearing. Edwin soon begins to wonder just who- or what- Piper is…Edwin doesn't get much time to think, as he and Mario's friends, as well as Mario, head off for the Violet Passage again.
Mario and friends see three people when they arrive at Violet Passage. The first two are Peach and Toadsworth, but the third is a strange leaf fairy thing.
Though Peach is about to tell Mario some more news she and her prime retainer overheard, Mario is too districted by the leaf creature. Finally, Huey breaks the ice, as he notices the creature looks a little like Kersti. Peach and the creature verify this, and the leaf thing humbly introduces himself as Kitanu. Kitanu thanks Mario for giving Kersti the chance to mature during his sticker quest, before handing the conversation back to Toadsworth and Peach.
Toadsworth is startled by suddenly being given talking responsibilities, but he refocuses. He and Peach then explain a strange argument they overheard between Bowser Jr. and Mottley. Though Mottley was sent by a sick Bowser to keep an eye on Junior, Junior isn’t getting along with the clown. During this argument, Mottley was begging Junior to throw something horrible the Koopa Prince found somewhere. 
Unfortunately, before Peach and Toadsworth could learn where, Toadsworth accidentally stepped on a twig, alerting the vile duo. Peach did most of the heavy lifting during the escape, the thought of which gnaws away at Toadsworth’s self-confidence. Kitanu is there to reassure Toadsworth of his worth, thankfully.
Peach also kind of reassures Toadsworth, but is more focused on learning where Bowser Junior went before coming to Prism Island. Once again, Peach runs off, and Toadsworth can’t help but feel mildly annoyed at Peach bailing yet again before meeting Marirana. Toadsworth and Marirana introduce themselves to each other, before Kitanu and Toadsworth hurry after Peach again.
Mario and friends proceed to the ship, greeted by the three sailors from before. Caapri and the red Toadette, Sharlo T, thank Mario for his help, before Sharlo yells for the captain. From the depths of the ship, Baabeaussa walks onto the main deck, taking Mario and friends aback with all her fake appendages. Baabeaussa is a little rough, claiming that while she wishes to give a reward, she can’t spare a single coin- her people need it more.
Mario and friends learn that Baabeaussa and her crew are searching for a mythic place called Fortune Island, said to hide a cache of riches. The thought of riches entices Edwin greatly, but Huey reminds his gold fevered friend of the potential for Paint Stars as well. To get to the islands requires crossing the Lost Sea, but due to replacing part of her head, Baabeaussa doesn’t remember how to cross it. Therefore, Huey recommends the gang look around the ship to figure out how to cross the Lost Sea, an idea Baabeaussa grants permission for.
The scavenger hunt for info yields several notes on navigating the Lost Sea, also all mentioning a legendary captain. When the pirate crew is pressed for info, Pierre replies the captain is one almost all others admire- at least, except for one in a faraway continent, but never mind. The others further recount how he was the only captain to make it to Fortune Island, yet only his ship and journal came back- not him. Even then, the first five pages were missing.
With all five notes, Baabeaussa believes they can cross the Lost Sea now. The Vellbex pirate is about to hoist anchor, when a voice suddenly yells out for passage. Everyone looks down, to see a Ninji with a pink bow-tie, a sight that shocks Mario.
Baabeaussa presses the Ninji for her identity, and the Ninji gives it as Nya of the Decal Lands’ Fibe Forests clan. Caapri and Baabeaussa are apprehensive with the Ninji on their ship, but they hear her case. Nya emphasizes the importance of her request, as her mother/clan leader, Ori, sent her to Prism Island to investigate a threat similar to what threatened her clan a year ago. Nya further reveals that without Mario, her clan would have drowned in the evil’s plague. 
Baabeaussa is unmoved, and further notes how Nya’s story only proves Mario’s reliability more. Realizing her stubborn last hope is a goat, Nya pulls out the big guns, explaining that not stopping the threat will mean the end of all species- including the Vellbex. At this last statement, Baabeaussa relents, allowing Nya to board and back- but no more after. Nya expresses her gratitude, and everyone gets busy readying the ship.
Mario and Huey proceed to give the ship some wind with Cut-Out and the Fwoosh Propeller, moving the ship forward in it’s voyage. Unbeknownst to anyone on the ship, a sub with a similar design to the Ludship rises out of the water where the ship was. The captain of the sub declares the ship’s crew won’t make it to Fortune Island alive.
The ship sails for many hours in the misty Lost Seas. Since they’re not nautical experts, Mario and Huey decide to just relax. Though Baabeaussa and her crew don’t complain, Edwin and Louis are more alert in light of Mario’s uncharacteristic laziness, manning the cannons. In the meantime, Marirana finds herself stunned at Caapri’s singing, the young Vellbex girl gladly reciting a pirate shanty in a disturbingly deep voice.
A tragedy to music strikes when the ship suddenly stops. Pierre runs up in a panic- the ship’s sprung a water leak. Baabeaussa knows how panicked Pierre is in placating the problem, so she orders Mario and friends to go check on the leak. Of course, Edwin, Louis and Marirana are concerned for the ship, and they rejoin Mario.
Down in the ship’s hull, Mario and friends find Pierre has taken care of the problem. Fate further cuts our heroes a break, as Pierre also found a Super Quakehammer card in the water. Pierre is proud of his work, asking Mario to tell Baabeaussa he has everything under control, as well as demand a raise.
Mario and friends return to the main deck. While Baabeaussa is relieved there’s nothing to worry about, the mention of Pierre’s demand spurs her to explain her coin pinching. Baabeaussa first reveals the ship is a hand-me-down of sorts, given it was the legendary captain’s. On the subject of gold, Baabeaussa believes the Vellbex deserve it more. The thought of how few Vellbex are left in the Mushroom World, even on Prism Island, is painful for Baabeaussa to point out, and Huey silently pities her. Baabeaussa quickly changes the subject back to the Lost Sea.
Speaking of the Lost Sea, the entire crew arrives at the entrance. Several mushroom-shaped rocks decorate the horizon. Baabeaussa takes the time to explain to Mario to use his Hammer, or Marirana her Sound, to fire the cannons. The captain beckons a test fire, and Mario obliges. This allows Mario to see the huge cannonballs fire quickly from the cannons, as well as the helpful targeting reticles. Baabeaussa also tells Mario and friends to speak to Caapri for finer steering instructions, and the young Vellbex girl jumps happily in response.
Mario quickly looks over the notes for all the clues the legendary captain left behind, figuring out what they mean. With this quick check-over, our heroes are finally all set to sail the Lost Sea for real this time. No jokes.
The sight of the mushroom rocks reminds Mario of a passage in the journal about turning after a smiling mushroom. This is a no-brainer, as one of the mushroom rocks does look happy. Belaying his order to turn, Caapri does as Mario asks.
It appears to be a success, as the crew sail into some kind of targeting range. Immediately, Huey remembers a message about getting 60 points. With the cannon’s huge fast ammo, Mario cinches the area.
Upon arriving in the third area, déjà vu sets in with the appearance of more mushroom rocks. Marirana mulls over a note about angering a mushroom, yet taking a starboard for the better. Thanks to this reminder, Mario decides to blast several mushroom rocks. While doing this makes most of the shrooms sad, one is angered by this. Mario seizes the day and gives the order to turn right/starboard.
Edwin loves the fourth area, salivating at the many coins floating above the water. Gold fever also kicks Edwin’s mind to remember a journal page about collecting more than 25 coins. Being no stranger to collecting so many coins, Mario and Marirana fire the cannon. Not only do they collect more coinage this way, but also a few cards. Some POW Blocks further make the coin collecting easy. And not only do the gang meet the quota of coins, but a trail of yet more coins appears out of nowhere, paying our heroes with more knowledge and money.
This pre-fortune ends, regrettably, when the ship ends up sailing into incredibly dark mists. Louis reminds Mario about trusting a needle’s direction, but there’s no Cut-Out Zone for any Artifacts. In fact, the gang don’t even have a needle on them!
As per Huey’s advice, Mario quickly checks the ship’s hull for anything helpful. As soon as they descend, Pierre explains he finally plugged up the hole, as well as found a flag to hoist. Pierre heads back to the main deck after this short chat. In the meantime, Huey’s advice pays off, as Mario finds not one, but two Artifacts- the Amp Battery and the Koopa Compass. Mario doesn’t need Huey to know which Artifact to use.
The Artifact problem is out of the way, but there’s still the issue of no Cut-Out Zone. Also, the flag Pierre found looks incredibly beat up, a fact the red Pianta tries glossing around. The flag ALMOST looks like a square, but it’s still not complete enough to be a Cut-Out Zone. Mario is almost out of ideas, until Caapri recommends the cannons for help. Mario obliges, and with one well-aimed shot, the huge cannonball destroys enough rock to form a square with the flag before it.
The Koopa Compass’ needle points north in the most spectacular style, as the needle shoots the shell in that direction, dispelling the fog. Baabeaussa is in the middle of praising the Koopa Compass and making a bad pun, when Huey smells a Purple Mini-Paint Star! The news results in a cry of joy from Baabeaussa, elated she and her crew finally crossed the Lost Sea. Baabeaussa sails closer to the star, and Mario collects it, allowing them to harbor at the Vortex Island.
==Chapter 4-2: The Vortex Perplex ==
Baabeaussa commands the ship to dock near Vortex Island. The cause- a huge whirlpool, with another Purple Mini-Paint Star above it. Huey urges the crew to continue anyways, but Louis gets his bucket friend to consider how dangerous the whirlpool is to the ship. Louis’ statement that even Huey would never risk the ship for a Star leads to Huey falling unusually silent.
Following the actual docking, Baabeaussa, Pierre and Sharlo T decicde to go check out the island to think about their next move. Caapri stays on the ship, in case Mario and friends need to leave for some reason. As for Nya, she also stays behind to consider her own future actions.
The trip on Vortex Island begins with several Bloopers blooping around in the air and both Green & Blue Koopas roaming around. The local Lakitus aren’t happy about the influx of baddies, in-between complaining about the difficulties of bringing things to and fro Prism Island, as they’re the only species that can easily bypass the Lost Sea. This attitude from the Lakitus indicates they’re in no mood to help cross un-crossable obstacles. For example, Baabeaussa and her crew are unitedly stubborn in finding a way across a broken bridge. Louis is raring to Leap across the cliff, but a spikey rock formation above scuffles this plan, also getting Mario to understand why Pierre didn’t just toss them across.
After a quick trip through a cave, the gang spot a house. Inside the house is a lone colorless Brustache woman. By restoring her color, the gang learn the woman is one who has never seen anything of the mainland. Marirana quickly explains about the whirlpool. This leads to the woman revealing a strange secret- an almost-exact parallel world, resulting from the mists of the Slugshrooms and their relatives, exists across the Violet Islands. Rather conveniently, an entrance exists in the Brustache woman’s backyard. Marirana is thunder-struck by this news, finding it fun.
The Brustache woman’s words ring true, as the gang find a Warp Pipe with a strange pattern around it. Before Mario can go in, though, he has to pull out a rather unnecessary cork blocking the way. The force of the pull sends the cork flying high, and Louis wonders if it will ever come down. In the end, it’s none of the gang’s problem, so they jump into the odd Warp-Pipe…
.epiP-praW eht tixe ot deecorp dna… As promised, the parallel world is almost exactly like the one Mario and friends come from. It’s all purple, Boos and Shy Guys seem to have an understanding, there’s a Kracka-load of fences, and the ocean is creepily absent, but other than that, it’s exactly the same. Oh, except the parallel world’s house resident isn’t a Brustache woman, but rather a single Black Snifit.
Inside the reverse version of the cave are a plethora of Musketeer allied enemies. Blue Koopas, Boos, Dry Bones, and the Arantulas are all present. Given the dark cave setting and what the Brustache woman just said, of course there’s also Slugshrooms. Mario and friends together can overcome any alliance in any world, though, so they win with some difficulty. They also find a colored pole Mario can hammer. Nothing seems to happen, but a certain thought crosses Mario’s mind…
Thankfully, the gang catch a break outside when Louis sees that while the bridge is still out, the spikey rock formation is not present in this world. With one Leap, Louis helps Mario to the other side.
In the next area, on the other side of the house (which Louis could have leapt across earlier) are four pillars, surrounded by a super high fence not even Louis can jump over. Seeing the pale poles and faces of his friends, Louis hurriedly suggests maybe the fence isn’t in the normal world or isn’t as high, though he seems unsure.
Following this talk, Mario and friends return back to the normal world. In the cave, they find a lowered treasure chest where Mario originally hit the poles. Inside the chest are four Battle Cards.
Outside, a Lakitu explains they quickly fixed the bridge after Caapri talked them into it. Mario and friends want to go talk to Baabeaussa, but the Lakitus are overseeing the pirate crew. Mario shrugs it off, and his team go to this world’s version of the four poles…
…where, annoyingly, the impossibly high fence is also present.
Mario and friends are now stumped at not being able to reach the stumps. As they think, Nya speaks up, as she’s checking on Mario and friends. As Mario and friends reply to Nya, they realize something unusual.
Nya is on the inside of the fences.
Nya quickly explains she needs Mario’s help driving the poles down, and Mario needs her help traveling around. She then cuts to the chase, proposing an alliance. Once again, Mario’s friends are accommodating. Grateful, and to prove herself, Nya uses a smoke bomb to vanish and reappear outside the fence. From that point on, Nya joins Mario’s party. Together, the two travel inside the fence and hit all four poles, revealing some Rainbow Paint on a circular pad.
Mario and friends head back to check on Baabeaussa and crew. This time, no-one’s blocking the way, allowing them to act on their desire. Baabeaussa is just stunned at the sheer power of the whirlpool, something Nya jokingly chides the Vellbex captain for. Nevertheless, Nya is admittedly concerned not just for the Paint Star, but finding out what “that naughty Koopa” was searching for. Quickly, Mario hits the three poles before him. Afterwards, the team doubles back to the parallel world, where the enemies have returned.
In this time, Mario learns from his initial outings with Nya that her smoke bombs’ ability to Vanish and Reappear can be slightly aimed. In addition, Nya’s Ninji Guard relaxes Mario’s muscles, allowing him to take half damage from the first three attacks he misses his Block timing on. Finally, the Partner Meter lets Nya create a Ninji Log to take noticeable punishment for one turn.
The gang backtrack to the point in the parallel world where Baabeaussa is in the normal one, finding a stairway down to a laundry room under the sea. Within the laundry room is a lone Shy Guy reading a book near a washing machine designed like a Gulpit. Mario comes to the conclusion that the Gulpit Washer is actually an Artifact, collecting it as usual. However, this agitates the Shy Guy’s clothing, rising him to fight.
Mario defeats the Shy Guy. This paragraph should end here, but unfortunately, a Red Koopa enters to avenge his friend. A second opponent fails to unnerve Mario or friends. A third opponent in the form of a Clubba, though- that’s when things just start getting sad. Growing more and more annoyed, Mario swats the Clubba more viciously. And the cherry on top of this whole situation? The fourth opponent is Sledge yet again, now just as peeved as Mario is. The two duke it out, and while Sledge may be slightly stronger, Mario is too ticked to notice as he hammers in Sledge’s turtley face.
Sledge is miffed at losing a third time, but promises Mario and friends that his masters won’t let him down. Sledge also warns Mario to actually check to make sure he’s not being followed, before fleeing.
Worried, the red plumber and his various allies hurry back once more to Baabeaussa. Within moments of arriving, the whirlpool vanishes. Baabeaussa takes credit for herself and her crew, believing fervent wishing got rid of the spiral water body. After Baabeaussa and her mates leave, Nya advises Mario not to inform Baabeaussa what actually happened, as she would never believe a Ninji outperformed her.
Mario and Baabeaussa’s teams quickly return to the ship. Just as they’re about to board, however, a submarine emerges from the nearby docks. From out of the sub, Ludwig von Koopa sticks out his crazy head. Ludwig recounts how he’s been following Mario since he heard reports of the plumber voyaging to Fortune Island, as well as introduce Mario to the Ultranasty Hyper Battlesub of Doom. An incensed Baabeaussa commands Mario to deal with Ludwig, considering the Koopaling followed Mario here.
Ludwig’s Ludsub proves its metal as it launches missiles at Mario, three at a time. The long voyage forces the Ludsub to come onto the ship every once in a while. Even then, it’s not an easy target, as the Ludsub’s walker legs also deal their share of punishment. The walker legs also provide Ludwig other angles to launch his Ludsub missiles with, throwing off Mario with some of his blocks. 
With patience and persistence, Mario is able to total the sub, forcing Ludwig onto Baabeaussa’s ship permanently. By now, Mario is used to the standard magic wand attack. The plumber proceeds to end Ludwig’s symphony with repeated blows and his partners’ skills.
Ludwig finally admits defeat, glad he got to try his sub on Mario. However, the classic clod lets slip he’s researching something else in secret, research made more difficult with the Black Bills confiscated. Ludwig bids adieu, just as the Ludsub explodes, sending the crazy haired turtle flying off.
Captain Baabeaussa takes pride in Mario’s success, and everyone finally boards the ship. The gang sail towards the Purple Paint Star as Louis flubs his pirate speech, and the Violet Seas recolor enough to allow voyage as far as Lighthouse Island.
Some days, Mario just wishes he could skip a level or two and head right for the goal. Unfortunately, this is not one of those days, as an impenetrable wall of darkness prevents further passage beyond Lighthouse Island. The darkness is so thick, Baabeaussa ends up back where she started when she tries brute-forcing her way through. All Baabeaussa needs to do is calm down, for in a stroke of luck, she sees the lighthouse on the titular (hehe… “-ular”) island.
Baabeaussa, Pierre and Sharlo T head right for the lighthouse. Mario and friends follow suit, only to be confused when they see the adult pirates debating at the entrance. Baabeaussa explains she and the other two are debating who should go in first. Though she admits she’d like to go in first, Baabeaussa leaves the honor to Mario and friends.
The trip up the lighthouse is pretty standard. All Mario and friends find on the way up is a Pianta salesman selling a Super Mushroom card. The Pianta justifies the outrageous price by pointing out the possibility of a BIG BAD BOSS, like some kind of villainous boy band manager. Mario can only pity the salesman’s forced meme-ing as he buys one card, but only one card.
At the top of the lighthouse is the silhouette of a Lakitu boy with disco attire. Even after restoring the boy’s color, he still looks pale with sadness. The boy, LD, introduces himself as lighthouse keeper in between his moping. Marirana squees at LD reminding her of Keirf, but Edwin is silently annoyed at never meeting anyone normal this journey. When Huey offers to fix the lighthouse, it finally snaps LD out of his funk, and he asks the gang to follow him.
The gang head all the way out of the lighthouse, following LD across a waterfall with Edwin’s help. They also meet a Pianta boy claiming there’s a treasure behind the falls, but the kid won’t go inside because he’ll afraid of getting a cold, preventing him from playing with his sister. After that weird kid is LD talking with two young Lakitus and a Pianta girl. LD quickly lets Mario know he told his friends to let the plumber and crew through to a pipe to the parallel world. Thanking him for helping with the lighthouse, LD flies back to his post.
The gang reach the parallel Lighthouse Island. Like Vortex before it, there’s no water in the banks of the island. What is present is the dry waterfall wall with a sound symbol, enticing Marirana to break it down. Behind the waterfall is not treasure, but a faded Fold-Out Block in the air. At that moment, it clicks in that Mario might want to head back to his world to check the waterfall.
As suspected, behind the wall is another colorless Block. This one is on the ground, giving Mario the opportunity to restore it. While it only gives out a single coin, a re-return back to the parallel world recolors the Fold-Out Block there, too.
Jumping on the platform with the recolored Fold-Out Block triggers a trap, unfortunately, as the platform retracts further into the opening. Once it stops, several Cutlads and Slugshrooms emerge on the pathway to ambush Mario and friends. The immediate threat encourages Mario’s team to deal with these foes before using the Fold-Out Block. Once they do, Mario uses the Block’s power on some barrels to change them into a treasure chest, from which a lot of Super class cards are gathered. The gang marvels at this acquisition, followed by Mario and Louis simply Leaping across the gap to the other side.
Our heroes reach the parallel Lighthouse. Despite Nya and Louis keeping up their bravado, Marirana’s a little chilled at the foreboding aura of the dark beacon. Thankfully, Edwin keeps Marirana’s spirits up, which the Beepboxer dancer appreciates.
The Lighthouse is definitely not light inside, but dark. Mario’s eyesight does him no favors, and he falls to the depths of the lighthouse, where many Slugshrooms wait in eager breath for prey. Mario fights only a few before deciding to haul his stache out of the pit and onto a lift.
Once back on the main floor, Mario hits the floor with his Paint Hammer in panic. He quickly recollects himself, though, when he remembers…oh yeah, I have a Paint Hammer that sticks to surfaces! In no time at all, Mario heeds the advice of the Grand Paint Stars, and uses his Paint Hammer to let the paint guide him. This pays off, as Mario reaches the stairway to the top- marked by a Save Block. Mario is no sucker to why such a block would be at this point, and hits it before heading up.
Team Mario isn’t surprised when Pitholl and Cucleer drop into the top room, separating the good guys from a Lightbulb with a Shy Guy groove. Edwin is annoyed at the duo’s presence- and it turns out Pitholl is just as confused too regarding why Aace sent him and his chicken pal here. Cucleer quickly clears the air as he enlightens Edwin on Aace’s instruction to test Mario and Edwin on their own way to Fortune Island. The two Musketeers reach for their sabers, and a battle begins.
During the battle, Mario and friends note how much Pitholl and Cucleer have strengthened and buffed up since their confrontation at Crimson Tower. Thankfully, that’s all the two Musketeers have in terms of improvements, as they showcase no new moves during the fight. So in an ironic fashion, this predictability combined with Mario’s increased roster and arsenal makes the Pianta and Coo-Coo swordsmen much easier to deal with.
Pitholl and Cucleer pant in defeat, with Nya rubbing in the salt on how much they stink for two supposed commanders. This comment enrages Cucleer into a new frenzy, while Pitholl makes excuses for their loss. In addition, Pitholl warns Nya against her own boastful attitude, believing it will lead to her team’s downfall against just the Koopalings. He adds that’s to say nothing of the Musketeers or someone else under Aace who Pitholl almost mentions. Before Pitholl can continue, Cucleer cuts him off, reminding him of the priority for Fortune Island. Knowing his friend is right, Pitholl holds onto Cucleer, and the two flee.
Now that both Musketeers are gone, Mario quickly collects the Shy Guy Lightbulb. On his way back to the normal Lighthouse, Mario equips the Artifact to see how it handles in battle. In one battle with some Blue Koopas and Boos, Mario learns the Shy Lightbulb gives his Jumping moves an Electric attribute, possibly shocking enemies into paralysis.
The trip is long, but eventually Mario and his friends manage to return all the way to the top of the real Lighthouse. Huey provides aid with Cut-Out, and Mario places the Shy Lightbulb inside the Cut-Out Zone. The power of the masked lightbulb shines a single light onto the sea, towards a Purple Mini-Paint Star. The sight of this fills everyone in the lighthouse with vigor and joy. From LD, to Huey, to Marirana- even Keirf suddenly appears out of nowhere to bask in the moment!
Their job almost done, Mario and friends head back out the lighthouse. A worried Baabeaussa cries in relief, believing the gang was in trouble and wanting to mount a rescue when she heard LD’s loud joy. Baabeaussa, Pierre and Sharlo T leave, letting Marirana express how cute it is Baabeaussa would have come for them. Nya cuts the thought short, suggesting Mario and friends return to the ship.
Like back on Vortex Island, Caapri sails the ship so it just comes under the Mini-Paint Star. At that moment, Baabeaussa also sees a skull in the sea before them- they’re almost at Fortune Island. And as it happens, the Star colors in the sea to allow passage there.
==Chapter 4-3: The Treasure of Fortune Island==
"'LAND HO!' Fortune Island was now within their sights! Could the treasure really be here on the island? There was only one way to find out. Mario and his friends braces themsevles for whatever the island had in store for them."
En route to Fortune Island, Baabeaussa takes in her hardwork finally paying off. She also tells off the island for trying to scare her with its prominent skull. However, Baabeaussa’s bravado vanishes after the ship docks, something Caapri notices right away. Fortunately, with the encouraging words of Pierre, Sharlo T and even Nya, Baabeaussa regains her swagger, and leads her crew onto the island.
Mario and friends set foot minutes later. Just the beach alone shelters several Bloopers, of the normal and Jumping varieties. Further up on the grasses are Fire Bros, signifying a Koopaling presence. Mario is about to jump up and clobber the Fire Bro, when Baabeaussa suddenly yells for his presence. To Mario and crew’s surprise, the giant skull appears flooded, the water barring the front opening. Baabeaussa is upset, bemoaning her guts meaning nothing considering her peg leg prevents swimming. Nevertheless, Baabeaussa gives Mario and friends the command to find another entrance. After Mario deals with the Fire Bro, he finds an angle in the form of a Parallel Pipe, jumping right in. As he does, Mario notices the corks on the side of the skull…
At first, everything seems normal in the parallel world. Once again, darkness-loving foes like Boos, Dry Bones and Slugshrooms litter this beach. Also once again, there’s a distinct absence of ocean. It’s when Mario and friends are headed for the front of the skull that the plumber sees an enemy that he’d only seen years ago- a Wizzerd. The distraction of a Shadow Queen robot making its home on swashbuckling Fortune Island gives the Wizzerd the chance to attack. Mario defeats it with great difficulty, but the sight still weighs at him, as if there’s something more to Prism Island’s history.
The surprises continue inside the skull, as alongside the Slugshrooms are carriage-like purple mushroom monsters, the Carrishrooms. These beasts also emit pollen before Mario can move, protecting and brainwashing enemies to serve them. They are also pretty durable creatures. The battles with the Carrishrooms teach Mario and friends that the battles ahead will climb higher in difficulty.
At last, Mario finishes several enemies to make the time in paying attention to the environment. Starting off his investigation are the other sides of the corks Mario saw on his way to the Parallel Pipe. Louis is there to help Mario up the ledge, while Marirana’s Sound Boom Blast exerts enough force to eject the cork.
The gang quickly head back to the real world to check on Baabeaussa, who is marvelling at the cork before them. Baabeaussa again leaves the heavy lifting to Mario and friends. Nya is first on board for the idea, while Huey smells a Grand Paint Star somewhere in the skull. After Mario and friends enter the skull, Baabeaussa takes a quick peek in. Uneasy with the inside, Baabeaussa asserts her decision to let Team Mario deal with it. As she leaves, though, Nya thinks to herself how this opportunity will be great for her investigation on something.
The real world’s skull is home to Bloopers and Jumping Bloopers once more. Conversely, Ice Bros roam the halls of the true skull. It’s something Mario confirms after Edwin uses his suction to let Mario cross over the water. With Huey’s help, Mario notices a loose wall in the main room’s lower corner, revealing the whereabout of the other cork. Once again, Marirana comes through forcing the cork out. The left entrance isn’t necessary- it just leads Mario to more blank spots he can Paint, giving him Super class cards.
Mario soon heads further into the skull, into a room with fences and spiked pits covering half the platforms. It’s Nya’s time to shine now, her Vanish transporting Mario through the fences. Clearing the obstacle, Mario walks by a bunch of torches that are lit and unlit in certain spots. The sight of this sends chills down Mario’s spine, the torches reinforcing old memories of the Palace of Shadow in Rogueport.
Sadly, all this wandering around appears to have cost Mario and friends their Grand Paint Star, as Pitholl and Cucleer head right into the centre room before our heroes’ eyes. While they know another confrontation is inevitable, Mario and friends follow the Musketeers in anyways.
Instead of another rematch so soon, however, the sight of Pitholl and Cucleer’s unconscious bodies in the polluted room motivates the gang to get the heck out of dodge, pronto. After they exit, Nya believes she’ll be sick from all the pollen in the room, while lamenting Pitholl and Cucleer’s apparent demises. Huey, meanwhile, is fixated on how he saw the Violet Grand Paint Star amidst the pollen, wondering how to get rid of the infectous pollutant.
This frustrating situation is tempered greatly, especially for Edwin, as they come across a room full of treasure chests. Tempered frustration then leads to disappointment and confusion when the chests don’t contain coins, but rather a bunch of Tornado Jump and Spinhammer cards. Huey, though, believes there’s something more to all these particular cards, considering they all make opponents Dizzy.
As for the fifth chest, Mario recolors it, revealing...a way to a basement floor. After landing and gaining their bearings, Huey draws Mario and friends’ attention to the sight of phantom Slugshrooms and Carrishrooms, exerting the pollen into the Violet Star’s room. This sight gets Nya to state her mother was right after all. Curious, Huey asks about what Nya’s talking about, to which Nya finally explains her reason for coming to Prism Island…
Several months ago, Nya’s clan was practicing Ninji-jitsu in a secret war machine room under the Decal Lands’ Rustle Burrow. Just then, Bowser Junior dropped in for revenge in not getting rare stickers. One of his cannonballs missed, but instead of stopping, it broke a wall in the burrow. Beyond the wall was something no-one expected- kingdom ruins, dedicated to a powerful Monty Mole king. Bowser Junior quickly flew in to grab what he could.
This find grew to scare the Ninjis, as they noticed there had been a struggle in these ruins. As the Ninjis inspected, they were ambushed by Slugshrooms, Carrishrooms, and a third type of mushroom monster Mario hadn’t seen yet on Prism Island, Monstrooms. The Ninjis fought off the creatures, but were further disturbed they were living under the Decal Lands’ forests at all.
Shortly after the fight, Bowser Junior came back with something. Instead of showing it off, however, Junior oddly declined to elaborate. When pressed, Junior suddenly flew out the way he came, leaving the Ninjis with only four words.
One month later, a strange distortion appeared over at least the Decal Lands, bringing most of Nya’s clan to another dimension. The Ninjis were finally returned, but with unusual news. The distortion brought them to the most unusual of realities- another Mushroom Kingdom, where everyone has a counterpart of some kind. While the Decal Ninjis were once again enslaved, Bowser Junior met another version of himself. One Ninji revealed to Nya’s mom, Ori, that the Juniors almost considered destroying the way back to this world. Though they didn’t, the fact they considered it shook the Ninjis. It was then the Ninjis thought this callousness had something to do with what this world’s Junior found under Rustle Burrow.
Two weeks later, Nya and Ori went back to the ruins. This time, no mushroom creatures were even in the corner of their eyes. Instead of this relaxing them, Nya and Ori considered if something had happened elsewhere. Their discussion was interrupted by the sight of a flag with two crests adorning it. One crest was the five similar Royal Stickers (though not the gold one), while the other was the Grand Paint Star crest representing Prism Island. Armed with this knowledge, Nya decided to head to Prism Island to get to the bottom of this. And lucky for her, Junior had arrived sometime before her.
Nya finally finishes her story, emphasizing the need to “relieve” Junior of what he found. Though Huey is at a loss of words, he does promise to help. Nya holds him to it, asking if he’d tell them about the mushroom monsters and how they connect to it. Mario nods to this arrangement….but Huey seems to be half-hearted to this addendum.
Mario quickly stretches his legs following Nya’s long story, out the exit just near the group. They waste no time finding Baabeaussa and telling her the skinny on their discoveries. In turn, Baabeaussa realizes there’s multiple entrances into the island, also telling the team Pierre made a foothold of sorts for them. A quick peek informs Mario and friends that Pierre is actually serving as the foothold! His reporting duties done, Mario and friends head back to the parallel Fortune Island.
Once again, Mario calls upon Edwin and Nya’s aid to traverse the parallel skull’s traps. Clearing the spiked stairway section with the latter is much tougher in the parallel world, though, as Mario quickly understands the spiked pits are not visible. The plumber and Nya reflect on how the stairway looked in the main world. While they get it wrong twice, Mario and his Ninji assistant succeed with their determination and endurance.
The room with the Grand Paint Star smells delicious, the scent overseding that of the strange spores. Unfortunately, it’s just as toxic, confusing Huey and Nya.
Shortly after, the gang end up in parallel Fortune Island’s parallel basement. Mario and friends aren’t surprised the Slugshrooms and Carrishrooms are exactly where their phantom selves were. What does take our heroes by surprise is a yellow pirate Toad with a menacing sword and cocky expression fighting the infectious foes. Also unusual is a barbeque with the Angry Sun’s design upon it, knocked over probably during the pirate Toad’s fight.
The pirate Toad sees them in the midst of his battle. Instead of being afraid, he confidently informs Team Mario they’ll be served Monster-kabob in a moment. Of course, Nya and Louis encourage Mario they should all assist instead of letting him school the mushroom monsters alone.
Another battle ends as soon as it began, but the Pirate Toad is not grateful for Mario and friends serving as the cavalry. Instead, he’s upset from both the monsters attacking him while making his meal, and Mario denying him payback. Not wanting to let go, the pirate Toad decides to follow Mario until he’s annoyed.
He’s not kidding, either. The pirate Toad follows Mario, Huey and the others everywhere they go. On the field, in battle, and even while Mario looks over his guidebook, the pirate Toad is always there. Watching. Mario sees the yellow sword-wielding nutcase even with his eyes shut.
After some though, Huey suggests maybe Baabeaussa can scare the pirate Toad off.  The gang’s in luck, as Baabeaussa is right where they left her. The yellow Toad follows Mario and friends to her, amazed to see another pirate. He starts off his first meeting with Baabeaussa poorly, calling her a goat. Infuriated, Baabeaussa is about to tell the pirate off…until she takes a good look at him. In that moment, the limb-challenged Vellbex captain whispers in awe the identity of the yellow Toad pirate. In truth, he is, and always has been, the legendary captain himself- Pirra T. Edwin is dumbfounded at this name, snarking that he now realizes why Baabeaussa and crew never called Pirra T by his name.
Immediately, Baabeaussa and Pirra T engage in a long conversation. Over the course of it, Baabeaussa is taken aback on Pirra T losing his memory of why he’s here. Pirra T seems to like Baabeaussa, as he commends her for her wardrobe. The talk between two captains takes so long, Huey suggests the gang go find the Grand Paint Star. Before they leave, Nya wishes Pirra T the best, hoping his memories come back.
One quick sprint later, Mario and friends are in the main treasure room of the main Fortune Island. The Musketeers are still out cold, there’s no boss in sight, and the Violet Grand Paint Star is just across the room, near a large clam.
A large clam which starts shaking, baffling Marirana. The shell opens, and who else could it be but Wendy O Koopa? The only female Koopaling yawns from her long nap. When she sees Mario, she starts scolding him as if she were his girlfriend, before letting him and the others know Bowser Junior sent her to stop him and the Musketeers from obtaining the Grand Paint Star.
Wendy keeps up the beat during the great battle with her, dancing in rhythm to some unknown pirate shanty echoing through the cave. The girl incorporates this rhythm during her attacks, such as catapulting coins and Slugshrooms towards Mario. Unsurprisingly, Wendy uses the standard shell attack the other Koopalings can use.
Halfway through the fight, Wendy uses her magic wand to summon an equally enchanted giant ring, intending to trap Mario in it so he can’t block her follow-up move. Mario tries jumping on Wendy with his spike-piercing moves and Hammer attacks, but he can’t finish her off in time. Wendy mocks Mario, trapping her red prize in the ring and showing him with 30 cherry-tap damage coins. One alone doesn’t do much, but together, it’s pretty noticeable damage- though not fatal.
Mario can only gasp in exhaustion as Wendy charges up the move again. With no Mushrooms left, and the Battle Roulette fetching him a basic Jump card, the plumber wishes there were a way to throw off Wendy’s accuracy.
That’s when a strange, misty voice reminds Mario of all the dizzy-status cards he collected in the treasure room.
Mario prays to Grambi this tip pays off figuratively, unleashing the Super Spinhammer cards and some POW Blocks. The first two fail to inflict Dizzy, but the third one does the charm. When Wendy sends her magic ring towards Mario, she instead starts crushing another coin in the treasure trove. Now that the tables have turned, Mario and Nya continue their assault, and finally defeat the kootie pie of a Koopa Kid Elite.
Wendy is aggravated not only at her defeat, but coming out to Fortune Island and being KO’d by the mist as she waited. Immediately after, though, she calms down, as she admits to Mario she finds him cute…though she warns him not to tell Bowser Junior, since he’s a rat. The diva of a turtle dashes off, and Nya takes pride in defeating another ocean-based threat.
Huey rejoices being able to retrieve Violet. However, Edwin is bummed at the lack of treasure. Not only does he lament not being able to bag a small fortune- the Slurple rogue is also concerned how Baabeaussa’s going to react.
Speak of Bonechill- Baabeaussa arrives with Pirra T to sadly answer that second query. As it turned out, the King of Prism had already taken the gold off the island during his rule, for some unknown reason. Pirra T explains he learned this when he came to the island alone decades ago. Those chests he opened that weren’t empty instead only housed the symbol of Prism Island, signifying the King had been here.
Sadly, Pirra T’s optimism for the Angry Sun BBQ is unable to mask Baabeaussa’s feelings of crushing loss and defeat. The Vellbex captain wallows in despair, crushed at letting down her family at the inn and her diminishing race, not to mention the young Caapri’s worship of her.
Not wanting his new friend to feel awful, Pirra T cheers up Baabeaussa with the thought of other treasures to find. Encouraging her she’ll find her people’s fortune, Pirra T further promises to show her the ropes. The pep talk works, and Baabeaussa regains her spirit. The two pirates walk out of the cave, filling Marirana with glee at this new friendship.
After the pirates leave, Mario was about to grab the Violet Grand Paint Star. Suddenly, he hears the same voice he heard before Huey lost his power. The voice taunts the video game superstar the Grand Paint Stars are worthless, unable to stop someone… or something... that would be coming to destroy not just Prisma Island, but the whole world. It finally becomes too much for Mario, as he furiously shakes his head to drive the voice out. However, Marirana, Nya and even Huey look confused at Mario’s actions. Mario mentions the voice he and Huey heard at the start of the quest, but all three friends claim they didn’t hear the voice. Huey eventually emphasizes no-one spoke this time….though he’s a little slow in his response, and unsure.
Mario fears this strangeness isn’t behind him, but hearing Pitholl and Cucleer stir motivates him to grab the Violet Paint Star quickly. As with before, Violet reawakens, carrying Mario and friends out of the cave.
Unfortunately, Pitholl and Cucleer wake up too late to see this. The duo are agitated at failing once again, and Pitholl is frustrated that the ale Aace claimed would protect the two from the mists didn’t work. Cucleer is in full-on panic mode, while Pitholl quietly contemplates only having two Grand Paint Stars. The one at the Musketeers’ Emerald Circus, and the other...
Above the skies of the Mustard Café, Violet restores the varying purples of the ground under the relaxing Bakke T. It definitely restores the color- but the “ground” is actually a deep pit, causing the shameless female Toad cook to fall in with her beach furniture!
End of Chapter Text:
"Yo-ho-ho, me hearties! Mario and his crew have scuttled the scurvy Wendy O. Koopa and recovered the Green Grand Paint Starrgh! But something strange was starting to unfold ever since they heard that voice speaking to them: 'Insert quote from voice here'. What was this danger that would threaten the world? Are the Giant Paint Stars unable to stop it? Undeterred by this rumor, Mario and his friends return to Port Prisma with the Purple Grand Paint Star. Only 2 Grand Paint Stars were left to find. Would they be able to find them before anything bad happens?"
==Paper Luigi: Chapter 2 - Total Kooptastrophe==
"When we last left Luigi, he had arrived on Prisma Island. After dealing with some Boosketeers, he met a living banana by the name of Nabana, who dreams about being a strongman for the circus''''''. Luigi even came across Princess Daisy of Sarharsaland, who had also came to Prism Island. The letters that Luigi and Daisy had gotten were both sent by an unknown person. Whoever sent the letters also mentioned of a danger that would soon be coming? What was this danger? None of them knew. Together, they would find the treasure of Prism Island...and the danger that would soon follow."
Deeper in Mossrock Theatre, Daisy and Nabana are trying to out-cool each other by bragging of their accomplishments. The Sarasaland princess and magic talking banana keep it up, even as Luigi hears an argument of a different kind deeper in the woods.
While there’s a  Koopaling activity in these parts, it’s still mostly the Boosketeers and their allies. Luigi may be afraid, but Nabana and Daisy are there to motivate the scaredy plumber through the monochrome, ghost inhabited woods. A tall guy like Luigi also has his higher jumps to assist reaching ledges in one bound that Mario couldn’t alone.
With this short wood trek, Luigi and friends find the cause of the commotion is a Koopatrol angrily yelling at a Broozer, Jackson, for working with the Musketeers the entire time. Jackson’s meek admittance the Broozer crew at Bowser Jr’s Flotilla were also with the Musketeers this doesn’t help matters. Even when Jackson brings up Bowser never calling them outside the ghost houses, the Koopatrol has no control of his own temper. Eventually, the two strongest minions notice Luigi’s crew just watching them argue. The Koopatrol is surprised the three are in the woods, but claims both Lemmy and Roy will probably enjoy this. A short fight begins and ends with the Koopatrol and Broozer, the two hitting each other as often as they do Luigi.
Amidst Nabana and Daisy playfully arguing who gets credit for winning the fight, Luigi wants the three of them to escape before someone else arrives. That someone else validates Luigi’s fear, calling him an old man. Ladies and gentlemen, Roy’s our boy, and he’s arrived in this story. He also brings his huge cannon with him, pointing it at the three heroes. This doesn’t make Daisy or Nabana wince, as they bravely flex their arms (or dreadlocks) in defiance of Roy’s bully-like manners. The bravery of his friends also encourages Luigi to rise up! In his own goofy way.
Roy didn’t come alone, whistling for some Shy Guys behind him to keep stocking his cannon with paint. Each of the six colors affect Luigi in some way when he’s splattered with the stuff, from Red speeding up his movement faster than his brain can keep up, to Orange disabling Nabana’s restocking abilities, to Blue making him feel blue, and others. Roy makes one slight mistake during this fight, though- underestimating Luigi’s will to fight, as the tall green Italian is able to circumvent the mixed paint-fu and end Roy’s rampage.
Everyone is exhausted after the fight, with Roy only taking comfort that Lemmy isn’t there to ensure he never lives this down. This comfort turns to horror as Aace arrives, claiming he knows the feeling of not living failures down. Perry also arrives, uncomfortable with the current situation. Though Aace senses Perry’s uneasiness around Luigi, he also empathizes with the musketeer Goomba and emphasizes the importance of facing what one’s afraid of. As Roy is furious wasting his paint on Luigi’s crew instead of saving it for Aace, the Sleepy Boo gives Perry a strange instruction- to play some bongos.
Perry reluctantly obliges, keeping up a nice beat. Eventually, Luigi does notice something familiar, and Perry’s failed lie to the contrary further points to his role in Luigi’s past. Luigi also realizes the bongo-playing can’t be a good thing. Tired of waiting, Roy is about to attack Perry…when suddenly a large green Monkhaira with huge muscles and banana swords swoops everyone up in his two hands!
The huge Monkhaira introduces himself as the Great Khairacles- in fact, that’s the only thing he refers to himself as. In addition, he’s a shameless self-promoter rather than a dumb muscle. At Aace’s request, Khairacles runs into the woods with his four captives, Luigi only able to yell as loud as he can for Mario to HHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEELLLllllp….!
This mass departure leaves Aace and Perry alone. When Perry asks his boss on the next step, Aace claims they need to wait for Pitholl and Cucleer. Once together, the Musketeers can discuss what an “informant” told Aace of the clues on the Royal Teapot. Finally, they’ll be able to find a coffin of someone probably not nice that Aace knew of, and use the Grand Paint Stars to bring this person back to mark a new era for the world. Aace is double-excited, as when everything goes to plan, “that other problem” can finally be taken care of as though it never existed.
Perry isn’t exactly concerned with most of the finer details, so long as he’s on the winning. The one thing that does concern him is who the Musketeers are waking up. The question perks up Aace’s moustache, as this person is indeed someone Aace knew and cared for trememdously…
===Paper Luigi: End of Chapter Text===
"Things are not looking for Luigi and his friends as the Great Khairacles has captured them all, including Roy Koopa! What will this great Monkhaira do to our intreped heroes? And what of the musketeers Aace and Perry? What are they planning to do with the Grand Paint Stars? And what of the coffin that Aace knew of? What exactly is in side of that coffin? We'll find out in the next exciting chapter of "Paper Luigi"...as Mario's Adventure Continues to unfold." 
Category:Paper Mario: Color Splash *RECUT* articles
Category:Chapters
Category:Paper Mario Chapters
Category:Paper Mario: Color Splash *RECUT* Chapters