Have you ever wondered, after the villain has been defeated, and the princess has been saved... what happens to the sidekick of the hero who gets all the credit? What happens to the underdogs, who after getting a few moments of fame under the limelight, are shoved away to make way for the big hero? ...what happens, to the former enemies, the vigilantes, and the anti-heroes, who, after they've done their part, are left to pick up the pieces, and wander the world? ...well, here is your answer.
The Totaka Tavern
Chapter 1: The Man In Green
Toad Town... a formerly small, village-like town, was now a bustling city, called "Cogumelo City", home to all sorts of Toads, Koopas, Goombas, travellers from other kingdoms, and more. There were tall buildings, home to offices, shops, and apartments for many to use... but, hidden amongst the tall buildings, and in one of the old alleyways of the more... seedy areas of the city, there is a secret... known only to those who are friends with those who know of it, themselves... laying in one of the old alleyways, sat the meeting area of sidekicks, underdogs, former enemies, vigilantes, and anti-heroes... it was... the Totaka Tavern.
Speaking of the seedy area of the city, actually...
"Tsk... I still don't get WHY the Tavern is so far away... I get it's to keep it hidden, but still..." A hooded stranger said, as they walked through the dirty streets, keeping clear of any suspicious individuals who looked at the stranger with an odd look, or had their hands in their pockets, or behind their backs, possibly to hide something... a weapon, perhaps.
The hooded stranger smiled under the darkness of their hood, as they went into one of the alleyways, losing one of their possible stalkers, as the stranger went deeper into the alleyway, and, eventually, they found what they were looking for... an almost unnoticeable door, hidden in the brick alleyways, only noticeable thanks to one of the bricks hanging out, with one half in the wall, the other hanging out.
Putting their hand on the brick that was hanging out, they slowly pulled it out, only for the rest of the bricks near it to slowly open up, revealing a room... stepping in, the bricks closed behind them, as the stranger then raised their white-gloved hand and then proceeded to pull their hood off, revealing... Luigi 'Mario' Super, the taller, but more ignored, green-wearing, twin brother of Mario 'Mario' Super. The hood now off, it was clear that Luigi was dressed quite differently than how he usually dressed, as evident by the fact that he was wearing a white dress shirt, a dark green suit vest, a pair of dark green suit pants, and a pair of black dress shoes... fit with a bright green bowtie on his front, Luigi made his way deeper, going down a hallway... and was greeted with cheers.
Inside the room leading from the hallway, was a massive bar, filled with various people. There were Boos, Koopas, Goombas, Kongs, and even a few Shadows... either way, Luigi smiled, as he tipped his hat to those cheering, and said "Sorry to keep you all waiting, everyone!", to which one of the Koopas, a blue-shelled, red-bandana wearing Koopa named "Kooper" said "It's alright, man! We woulda waited for you, regardless! Now, let's have some fun, boys!", to which everyone else cheered in agreement, making Luigi shake his head in amusement, before he got behind the bar.
A few minutes later, one of Luigi's new regulars, a beautiful, shy Shadow, named "Vivian", came up to him, and, upon seeing the look on her face, Luigi put all his attention to her, and asked "Alright, what's eating you, Viv? I've seen that look all the time around the more "forgotten" members of the bar, and even myself, sometimes."
Vivian sniffed, her eyes a bit puffy, as she said "My sisters, after they found out about me working with Mario in the past, they... they... they disowned me!", before then faceplanting onto the bar counter, crying onto it... as Luigi looked on, shocked at the revelation... only to then go back to the drinks, and, after a few minutes, Vivian looked up to see a very tasty-looking drink before her, as Luigi said "It's called an Orimā Rūi. I learned how to make it from the previous owner of the bar. Says it's got a pretty good kick, and that a few shots are all you need to get VERY down to Earth.", to which Vivian smiled and began to drink it.
Luigi then smiled and said "And Vivian?", making her focus on him, as he said "...don't let the disowning get you down. Think about it- you're FREE from their control. You can live your life how you want to, now. You are a free, adult woman. A woman who could kick her sister's ass any day- a woman who could kick the ass of ANYONE in this bar. Be happy that you don't have to stay with them anymore. You can do what you want, and act on your own decisions, instead of following THEIR orders. Because now... you can get with who you want to be with, and not be weighed down by them.", making Vivian's eyes widen, realizing what he was talking about.
"I...I never thought of it like that...t...thank you, Luigi!" She said, realizing she was free from her sisters' influence. Luigi merely smiled and winked at her, making her blush a bit, as he then said "Anytime, Viv. And, I gotta say... your sisters were wrong. I don't see a failure... I see a beautiful, gorgeous woman, who I'd personally love to take out for dinner.", making her blush grow a darker color.
Luigi chuckled, and made his way to the others, only for Vivian, her blush still present, to grab his hand and say "Here.", before she let go, leaving a slip of paper in his hand, as she said "Hope you don't mind me taking you up on that, Lu.", giggling, as she finished her drink, and walked off.
Luigi raised an eyebrow, and then looked at the slip of paper, only to blush a bit... it was her phone number! He just got a girl's phone number, just by cheering her up! His eyes a bit wider than they were before, he slowly smiled, and put the slip of paper in his pocket, as he said, to himself, "Huh... well... I guess I can forget about Daisy, then.", before he sighed, his smile still on his face, as he then went back to work, serving drinks, talking to his friends, etc... you get to experience a lot of stuff at the Totaka Tavern, and this is no different!