A/N: Hello all. This is Musashi the Master with a new story. Now don't worry, we're still working on Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS, but me and Panther J are trying the working on two stories at a time method again and hopefully we will be okay with it. Me and Panther J wanted to do a Infinite Stratos crossover story with the most famous video game icon of all time, Mario himself. And what better way to cross Infinite Stratos with the Mario & Luigi series? Now this story will follow the current games in the Mario & Luigi franchise including the side-stories seen in the 3DS remake of Super Star Saga like Bowser's Minions and the upcoming remake of Bowser's Inside Journey which stars Bowser Jr. So me and Panther J would like to present to you all, Mario & Luigi IS! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Me and Panther J do not, I repeat, do not own Infinite Stratos, all rights to the light novel, manga and anime go to Izuru Yumizuru. Nor do we own Mario & Luigi, the great and honorable Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo does. We also don't own any anime or other game we put in this fanfic. Please support the disclaimer.
Arc 1: Super Star Saga
Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins! The Famous Super Mario Bros are Ichika's Childhood Friends?!
In the vast Pacific Ocean just off the coast of China is the island of Japan, also known as the Land of the Rising Sun. Over the centuries, Japan has been known as not only the country of great history and knowledge, but also of advance technologies in recent years. One of the most famous in advance technology is the IS, an endoskeleton like armor created by Tabane Shinonono to help those in need. In the wake of the IS being created, there was also the construction of the IS Academy, a school dedicated to train girls into piloting an IS and help others. One such pilot was Chifuyu Orimura, a world renowned IS pilot that was considered the very best of the best and absolutely no one even surpassed her.
However, our tale isn't about Chifuyu Orimura, but her younger brother Ichika Orimura, the only boy to ever pilot an IS, and his seven female friends who are all considered the best IS pilots of the current generation. It's a tale of an adventure through a land familiar to many people, but holds some special memories in Ichika's heart as he's about to meet some familiar faces from his childhood.
In a residential district of Tokyo, Ichika and his seven female friends were walking down the sidewalk passing by some shops and restaurants while on their way home. Classes at the IS Academy has ended and it was the beginning of the weekend. After a long and hard week of studying and training with the IS, Ichika and his friends were heading for home to relax.
"Oh man, I thought that Mr. Franchee's math test wasn't going to end. That was just brutal." Ling complained with a sign. "I can't believe he had us take a test just before school ended. I think my brain was about to explode with all the numbers flying around. I don't know if I'll ever sleep tonight."
"Tell me about it, that was easily the most brutal test that we've ever gotten." Tatenashi agrees with a nod. "Not including the one that Chifuyu-sensei had given us last month, that's just evil. Remind me to never get on her bad side ever again." Everyone all nodded in agreement.
"I know my sister can be harsh at times, but I'm sure she means well." Ichika said with a smile. "But yeah, that test she gave us last month was just evil. Sometimes I wonder if she does that to vent out some frustration and direct it at us." His friends all shrugged their shoulders and continued on until Houki noticed something at the corner of her eye.
"Hmm?" Houki stopped in her tracks and looked down an alleyway. Her friends noticed her looking down the alley too.
"Houki? What's wrong? Did you notice something?" Char asked in concern.
"Yeah, I think there's something just down this alley. I saw it at the corner of my eye." Houki answered her as she pointed to the alleyway.
"It's probably just some dumpsters with their lids open." Cecilia said with a frown. "Why would something as mundane as a dumpster even catch your interest, Houki? I do not find it that appealing to begin with."
"It's not the dumpster I'm looking at, there's something else in that alley!" Houki refuted. "I saw something green and round sticking out from the ground right in the middle of the alley. I'm not sure what it is, but I think we should check it out."
"If you think it's something worth checking out, then let's go see this object you saw." Ichika agrees with her. "But we'll need to be careful, there's no telling what could happen. So we'll need to be cautious and keep an eye out for anything suspicious." His friends all nodded in agreement and headed down the alleyway to find the object Houki saw.
As the IS pilots make their way through the alley, there was the stench of garbage everywhere ranging from open trash cans to dumpsters that hasn't been picked up in a long time. There were even some cardboard boxes that stray animals live in to keep warm. Upon reaches the center of the alley, there was a giant green circular object jutting out from the concrete, but there was no penetration on the asphalt. Ichika and his friends got closer to it to see what it was.
"What is this green object? And why is it doing here in the alley?" Laura asked confusedly.
"It looks like some kind of pipe. But it's not like any pipe I've seen before." Kanzashi answered her with an astounded look upon the green pipe. "I thought pipes were much smaller than this and they're not green, more like a silver color when it's not covered in gunk." Her sister and friends were all grossed out at that image.
"But if this is a pipe, then what's it doing here? And for what purpose?" Cecilia asked her confusedly. "It doesn't look like anyone else noticed this yet, but us. So why is it that we're the only ones to know about this?"
"I'm not sure, but there must be a reason why it's here of all places." Ichika answered as he looked at the pipe and feels like he has seen this pipe before. "Also, this pipe looks somewhat familiar to me. Like I've seen it before."
"You have, Ichika? When was this?" Char asked with a gasp.
"I don't know, I can't really remember. It's been so long since then." Ichika answered her as he tried to remember the pipe. "But I somehow vaguely remember a pipe similar to this, I just can't figure it out. Let's check the top of it and see what we can find." His friends all nodded in agreement as they looked over the top of the pipe and saw nothing but blackness.
"Whoa, there's no end to it. I just can't see the bottom." Tatenashi gasped in shock. "I don't know what this thing is or where it came from, but it just keeps going. I sure hate to fall down there."
"Yeah, no kidding. It'd be like a bottomless pit you'd see in most video games." Houki agrees with a nod. "But why is it that we can't see anything down there? It feels like there's more to this pipe than we know. What could its purpose be and why were we the only ones to noticed this?" Before anyone could answer, a cat leaps onto a trash can behind Ling and meows that caused her to jump.
"AHHHHH!" Ling screamed before pushing everyone into the pipe.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed as they all fell into the deep darkness of the pipe before it made a classic sound effect and retracts back into the ground.
(Opening song from Sonic Colors plays)
We see Mario running down a green field followed by Luigi who frantically tries to keep up, then we see Ichika flying in Byankushii, Mario noticed him and he and Ichika smiled back as Mario leaped up in the air, followed by Luigi who made a comedic jump. Then the title of the story appears.
We see Mario and Ichika landing near their friends who were waiting for them (Consisting of Princess Peach, the IS girls, Starlow and Toadsworth). Mario greeted Peach with a bow which the latter smiled in response. Suddenly, Luigi crashed into Ling who angrily glares at the younger brother of Mario. Luigi hid behind Mario in fright of Ling's glare. Mario, Ichika and the gang smiled at this despite this.
We then see the Mario Bros and the IS pilots glaring at Bowser's Castle with Bowser grinning evilly at them from his castle.
We then see Bowser Jr arguing with the Koopalings about why he's second in command.
We then see shadows of Crackletta, Fawful, the Shroobs, Anatasma and Paper Bowser with glowing red eyes.
We then see the IS pilots and the Mario Bros running on a field with silhouettes of the anime heroes they encounter.
We then see the Baby Mario Bros and Paper Mario leaping up for joy.
We then see the supporting characters with smiles, including Professor E Gadd and Stuffwell.
We then see the Mario Bros and IS pilots battling Goombas, Shy Guys, Boos, Piraha Plants and Koopas on their adventures as well as battling Shroobs.
Final scenes show Mario and Luigi using their Bro Attacks and the screen flashes, then final scene shows the IS pilots, the Mario Bros, Chifuyu Orimura and Maya Yamada, Tabane Shinonono, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, Starlow, and Professor E Gadd with smiles in a group photo shoot. Then the screen fades out and we see the title of the story again.
For what seems like an eternity, Ichika was still falling in the deep darkness after accidentally being pushed in by Ling when she was started by a cat. However, Ichika couldn't see any of his female friends anywhere, almost like they've just vanished without a trace and he could be next. Just then, he felt like he hits a flat surface that felt somewhat soft, but that wasn't on his mind at the moment. Ichika just stares into the deep darkness as he laments on his last moments of life.
'Is this really it? Is this where I'm gonna die?' Ichika asked fearfully. 'I never would've thought that I'd die after falling down a strange pipe, but I guess there are worse ways to die. Still, I had so much to live for and now I'll never be able to do any of them. Heck, I still haven't given my answer to Houki and the others about who I love the most. But I guess that's what I get for being so dense to them...' He looks up into the deep darkness as he reaches his hand outward towards the vast blackness. 'But I can't just let it end like this, I don't want to die so easily! I just can't end this way, I won't let it!" Just then, he sees a light shine down above him as he starts hearing some voices.
"Hey, buddy! Are you all right? Can you hear our voices?" Voice 1 asked in concern.
"Come on, you have to wake up! Don't die on us now!" Voice 2 panicked.
'Huh? Are those voices? And what's with this light?' Ichika asked with a grunt. 'It feels so warm, almost like it's inviting me. And those voices, I feel like I know them from somewhere but I can't seem to remember where…' As he reaches for the light source and the voices, the light shines even brighter on him. But as the light continues to shine down, everything around him started to become clearer until he sees a blue sky above. The light that was shining down on him was the sun and he also finds out that he was laying on a grassy field. "Huh? I'm on a field? How did I get here?" Just then, he heard the voices again and looks over to see pairs of brown shoes all surrounding him.
"Hey! You're finally awake! You really had us worried there." Voice 3 sighed in relief. "We thought that you weren't waking up, but we're glad that you're still alive. You must've had quite the episode that caused you to faint here." Ichika sits up to get a better look at whoever is surrounding him, only to find himself surrounded by little mushroom people of various colors.
"Whoa! What the heck?!" Ichika gasped in shock as he crawled back a little. "Who are you guys? What are you guys?!" The mushroom people all got closer to him as they seem to know him somehow.
"Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that Ichika?" Mushroom person 4 asked with a gasp.
"You're right, it is Ichika! He really came back!" Mushroom person 5 agrees happily. "Wow, he sure has grown up. He was no bigger than us when he first came here back when he was a kid." Most of the other Mushroom people all nodded in agreement while Ichika was confused on what was going on.
"Man, it sure is great to have you back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Ichika. We really missed you." Mushroom person 6 said with a smile. "I can't believe it's been so many years since you were here. You were a lot smaller too, about the same size as all of us." The other Mushroom People nodded while Ichika was still confused.
"Ok, this is just getting weirder and weirder..." Ichika said to himself confusedly as he placed his hand on his head in confusion. "How is it that these guys know me and what is the Mushroom Kingdom? I must be dreaming or something!" He then noticed something else was missing. "Wait a minute, where are Houki and the others?! Did we get separated when we fell into that pipe?" Before he could ask the Mushroom people, an elderly mushroom like person approaches him.
"Why, hello there, young Master. It's a pleasure to meet you." The elder mushroom person greeted with a smile. "My name is Toadswoth, please to make your acquaintance, Master Ichika. I must say, it's been a long time to see you back in the Mushroom Kingdom. We haven't seen you since you were still a young child." Now Ichika was even more confused than ever before as from what Toadsworth said, he's in a place known as the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Hold on, how do you even know my name?" Ichika asked confusedly. "And what do you mean about haven't seen me when I was a child? I've never even been to or heard of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"I understand it's a lot to take in, but I can assure you that I am telling the truth." Toadswoth reassured him as he began explaining. "You are childhood friends with the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach Toadstool and the heroes of our kingdom, the Super Mario Bros. However, our kingdom is in a crisis at the moment and everyone is in a state of panic."
"What do you mean? What kind of crisis?" Ichika asked confusedly.
"An evil witch named Cackletta has stolen the Princess' voice and fled to the neighboring country, the Beanbean Kingdom." Toadsworth answered him with a frown. "We're not sure what that witch plans to do with her voice, but I can guarantee that it can't be good." The other Mushroom people all lowered their heads in sadness, knowing that they won't hear their Princess' loving voice ever again.
"That's horrible! This Cackletta person can't just take someone's voice and gets away with it!" Ichika said angrily as he clenched his fists in anger. "I'm not going to stand by and let her have her way with your ruler's voice, I'll help in any way I can!" The Mushroom people and Toadsworth all started to look up at him and cheered.
"Oh, we are so grateful for your assistance, Master Ichika." Toadsworth said happily. "I'm positive that with your help, our Princess will have her voice back in no time." He then turns around while also gesturing Ichika to follow, which he does.
"So where are we going?"
"We're meeting up with Masters Mario, Luigi and Bowser at the Koopa Cruiser." Toadsworth answered him. "It's the only way to get to the Beanbean Kingdom fast enough across the border. I'm certain that Masters Mario and Luigi would be excited to see you again." Ichika was still confused at what he meant, but followed him to the location of the Koopa Cruiser where Mario, Luigi and Bowser are loading up before heading for the Beanbean Kingdom.
Not long after waking up in the Mushroom Kingdom, Ichika was following Toadsworth to the castle to meet up with the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Super Mario Bros in order to track down Cackletta in the neighboring Beanbean Kingdom and recover Peach's voice. Upon arriving at the courtyard of the castle, two men were talking with each other discussing what to do once they make it to Beanbean Kingdom. The first man has a short stature with a red shirt, blue overalls, a red cap with an M and a mustache. The other man is a little taller from the first man with the same blue overalls and mustache, but with a green shirt and cap with an L. Toadsworth walks over to the men as they turned to see him.
"Toadsworth, there you are. We were wondering where you went." The short man said with a smile. "We asked one of the Toads where you were and he said that you were investigating something just outside of Toadtown. We're just about ready to leave for Beanbean Kingdom and catch Cackletta." The tall man nodded in agreement, though he was shaking in fear.
"My apologies, Master Mario. It was a matter that needed my attention." Toadsworth apologized as he rubbed the back of his head. "Some of the Toads said there was someone just outside of the kingdom and I needed to see who it was. And to my surprise, it was someone who had visited our kingdom back when I was a young toad and you were toddlers."
"Really, who? Who's the one that we knew as kids?" The tall man asked confusedly.
"Why don't you boys see for yourselves?" Toadsworth suggested, smiling as he gestures behind him to Ichika who was just coming up to them.
"Mama Mia! Bro, isn't that who I think it is?!" The tall man gasped.
"It is, Luigi! It's really him!" The short man known as Mario answered as they both rushed over to Ichika and hugged him.
"Ichika!" Both Mario and Luigi shouted happily.
"It's-a so good to see you again! It's-a been way too long!" Luigi said happily. "We thought that we'd never see you again, but here you are!"
"Mama Mia, you sure have grown, Ichika. You were no bigger than us back when we were kids." Mario smiled. "It's-a sure been a long time since we've last seen each other, but now we're back together again. We have a lot of catching up to do, but I'm afraid that it'll have to wait. We've got some trouble to deal with."
"You mean Cackletta stealing away the princess' voice, right?" Ichika asked with a serious frown.
"Yes, that's-a it. So Toadsworth already told you the situation." Mario nodded, frowning seriously as well. "But it's true, Cackletta has stolen Peach's voice and has fled to the Beanbean Kingdom. We were just about to head out with Bowser and his minions until Toadsworth had left for something. It seems what he meant was you appearing just outside of the kingdom."
"Yeah, that was me. He and the others found me not too long ago and brought me here." Ichika agrees with a nod while pondering. "But even if what you're saying is true, I still can't seem to remember either of you." Toadsworth walks over to them.
"Perhaps that it's because you were so young that you don't remember your time here in the Mushroom Kingdom." Toadsworth explained. "Though it may take some time, I'm sure that you'll remember all the times you had with Masters Mario and Luigi and the princess. Just give it some time, my boy."
"Well, if you think so, then I believe you." Ichika nods in agreement. "I just hope I can find my friends as well."
"Your friends? So, you didn't come here alone?" Luigi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That's right, but when I woke up, I couldn't find them anywhere." Ichika answered him while looking down sadly. "When we were together, we found this strange green pipe in an alleyway and went over to investigate it. But just when we were about to come up with something, a cat scares Ling from behind and we all fell into the pipe. Everything after that just went black until Toadsworth found me." That made Toadsworth and the Mario Bros gasp in shock to hear that a pipe from their world has appeared in Ichika's world.
"If that's the case, then they must be somewhere in Beanbean Kingdom." Mario figured. "If one of the pipes has somehow appeared in your world, then it must've been a reason why you and your friends were brought here, Ichika."
"And what reason is that, bro?" Luigi asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that Ichika was brought back here just like before." Mario answered him as he crossed his arms and pondered about it. "I didn't think much of it because we were only just kids, but now I believe that there was a reason for him coming to our world." But before he could say anything else, a loud roar was heard from not too far from them.
"MARIO!" A loud booming voice roared "Where the heck are you?! Get your pasta loving keister over here right now and make it snappy!" That made Luigi hide behind Mario while Ichika jumped in surprise.
"Whoa! What was that?!" Ichika gasped in shock.
"That was Bowser, the Koopa King himself." Mario answered him with a sigh. "He arrived at the castle before we did and after a brief scuffle, he agreed to take us to Beanbean Kingdom in his airship, the Koopa Cruiser. We better head on over before he really blows his top." His brother, Ichika and Toadsworth all nodded in agreement before heading to meet up with Bowser.
Later
In the center of the garden, a large green and yellow airship rests at the entrance with Bowser waiting on the top deck. The Koopa King was tapping his foot impatiently with his arms crossed while waiting for Mario to arrive. Just then, he looks down from his ship to see the plumbers finally arriving along with Toadsworth and Ichika right behind them.
"Well, it's about time you showed up! You're late! What were you doing?" Bowser asked with a snarl. "We're leaving! Right now! So, get on board, and make it snappy!" Mario jumps onto the deck with his amazing jumping abilities right next to him. "So, what's been taking you so long? I thought you wanted to head for Beanbean Kingdom."
"Sorry, but something came up and we were held back." Mario answered him. "We were just meeting up with an old friend before you called out for me. So we all came over here where you airship is."
"Really? So, who's this old friend of yours?" Bowser asked curiously before turning over to see Ichika looking up at him. It took Bowser a few seconds to recognized Ichika. When he did that, he laughed meanly. "Bwa ha ha ha ha! Well, lookie what we have here. If it isn't little Crybaby Ichika! Still need to have your diaper changed?"
"Hey! That's so not cool! I was only five!" Ichika yelled angrily, a vein popped in his forehead. "And just who do you think you are?!"
"Me? Why, I'm Bowser! King of the Koopas and soon to be ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom!" Bowser answered him, Ichika was confused and Bowser took notice. "What? Don't tell me that you've forgotten all about me?" Ichika just shrugged at him. "Oh, whatever. It doesn't really matter, I still have other things to do." He turns to Mario. "Well? So? What do you think? Incredible, isn't it? This is my newest weapon: the Koopa Cruiser!"
"I have to admit, you've really outdone yourself, Bowser." Mario said with a smile as he looked at the airship. "This new airship of yours could really come in handy to get us to Beanbean Kingdom. So glad I'm not fighting against it." He then turns around to see Ichika climbing abroad the deck.
"Hmm… Yes, very good… Now all I need are my Baddies…" Bowser said with a devious smile before he yelled out "BOWSER BADDIES!" But no one came expect for Luigi waving his cap at them.
"Bye-bye." Luigi said while everyone looked at Bowser.
"GAAH! Where are they?!" Bowser growled as he hopped up and down in anger before noticing Luigi. "Huh? What in green blazes…? Hey! You! Are you sighing up to join my crew of Bowser Baddies?" Luigi was still waving his cap at them while jumping up and down. "I see! I see! You want me to bring you along that badly, huh?" Luigi stops jumping before looking around him.
"Huh? You talking to me?" Luigi asked confusedly, having a bad feeling about this.
"Yes, you!" Bowser answered him with a furious nod before Luigi started shaking his hands and head no franticly. "Bwa ha ha har! Oh, that's rich! Don't be modest, Mr. Green! I mean, you look like a real pain, but I'll take you anyway!" Luigi tries to escape by backing up before turning around and running in the other direction. "Hey, you! Stop!" But something bumps into Luigi as a Koopa arrives while Luigi falls over.
"Your Gnarliness! The Baddies has just arrived!" The Koopa saluted before turning behind him. "Hey! The assembly area is over here, you blithering idiots!" Just then, more Koopas with both green and red shells along with some Goombas all arrived on the scene with Luigi right up front of the pack. "Baddies! Faaaaaall in!" The Baddies all formed three lines. "Now mooove out!" The Baddies all started marching towards the Koopa Cruiser while Luigi was being forced forwards. "All Baddies have assembled! We shall now begin boarding the Koopa Cruiser!" The Baddies soon began to board the Koopa Cruiser while Luigi tries to sneak away through the crowd.
"War har har! Good! Then we can depart! And with an increased head count, too! Excellent!" Bowser gloated.
"Your Flightiness, boarding is now complete! …Except for one deserter…" A Koopa said grimly.
"WHAAAT?!" Bowser yelled as he bopped the Koopa on the head. "Move it, you idiots! Initiate Cruiser pursuit!" The Koopa Cruiser fired its rockets and started to take off after the deserter while Toadsworth and a Toad watched them depart.
That deserter was Luigi as he tries to escape from going along with them while screaming in a familiar tone from a certain Mario cartoon "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYEEEEEEEEEEEELP!", only for the Koopa Cruiser to come up from behind him with its arm out. The airships gets closer and closer to Luigi as he tries to run as fast as he could, but it was in vain as the hand closes around his body before retracting back into the ship. Once Luigi has been brought into the ship, it takes off for the Beanbean Kingdom.
Not long after taking off from Peach's Castle, the Koopa Cruiser was flying though the skies just above the Mushroom Kingdom on its way to the Beanbean Kingdom. Inside the ship were Luigi who was brought in after trying to escape, the Mario Bros and Ichika were waiting around for any further instructions from Bowser.
"He sure is taking his sweet time… How long are we going to wait?" Ichika asked with a sigh as he looked at the ceiling.
"I'm-a sure that he'll call us sooner or later." Mario answered him. "Right now, we'll just have to wait until he does. We can't really do much at the moment since we're on his ship." His brother and Ichika nodded in agreement until they heard a voice calling out to them.
"Hey! You! Down there in the ship's belly! Mario, Crybaby Ichika and… what's-yer-name! Green guy!" Bowsers's voice calls out. Mario, Luigi and Ichika heard it and looked around to see where it was coming from until Mario spotted an object on the wall.
"Luigi! Ichika! Over there!" Mario called out as he, his brother and Ichika spots a speaker on the other side of the arm that grabbed Luigi and headed over.
"Mario! Crybaby Ichika! And…Mr. Green Mario Brother Guy! Look alive down there, will you three?" Bowser issued. "We're about to arrive in the Beanbean Kingdom! Open up your suitcase, arrange your stuff, and get ready to roll. Then report to the deck. Pronto!" The boys all heard the announcement before turning to each other.
"Looks like we're nearing our destination. We're almost to the Beanbean Kingdom." Ichika said with a smile. "Let's head up to the deck and see what our next move will be once we arrive in the Beanbean Kingdom." The Mario Bros both nodded and replied with an "Let's-a go" from Mario and an "Okie dokie" from Luigi before heading out from the hold.
Upon exiting the hold and into the interior of the Koopa Cruiser, Bower's minions were all talking with each other or working around the clock to keep their king's ship flying to reach their destination. They pass some green and red shelled Koopas before reaching the next area where three Koopas were in a line to get their pictures taken with one more Koopa behind the camera.
"Hey, what's going on here? Why is everyone in a line to take a picture?" Ichika asked confusedly.
"It's for passports. Everyone on the ship needs passports for when we arrive at Beanbean Kingdom." Camera Koopa answered him as he worked on his camera. "Since we're heading for a foreign country, you need a passport to enter." He then leaves the camera for a moment and looks at Ichika and the Mario Bros as they were about to continue on. "Hey there! You three!" The trio stopped in their tracks and turned towards him. "Yeah! You two mustache dudes and the dense idiot!" He walks over to them.
"Dense idiot?" Ichika raised an eyebrow.
"You're about to enter the Beanbean Kingdom, so you have your passports with you, right?" Camera Koopa asked as Ichika and the Mario Bros looked at each other in confusion.
"Passports?" The trio all asked in confusion.
"Well, it looks like you've got a suitcase there…" Camera Koopa said with a smile "Tell you what: go ahead and open up your suitcase, OK?" Mario takes out the suitcase and opens it for the Koopa to look inside for their passports. He rummages through the suitcase until he finds two passports and takes them out. "Aha, I see you've got 'em right here! Shiny, new passports! There's no greater joy." Just then, Ichika realized something once he sees the passports.
"Hold on, I don't have a passport! I must've left it back home!" Ichika panicked. "I didn't think that we were going to another country until now! But if I don't have a passport on me, how am I going to enter Beanbean Kingdom?" Mario and Luigi realized that he was right and before they could do anything, the Koopa pulls out a third passport from the suitcase.
"You sure about that? I found it right here in the suitcase." Camera Koopa said with a bored smile. "It was buried under some clothes where I found the other two. You really need to be careful where you put it, buddy." This confuses Ichika and the Mario Bros as they didn't know how a third passport got in their suitcase.
"Bro, I didn't put that passport there, did you?" Luigi asked as he takes off his hat for a bit to scratch his before putting his hat back on his head.
"I don't think so. I don't remember adding in a third passport." Mario answered him as he started to figure it out "But I think I know who did just before we left the Mushroom Kingdom." Luigi realizes what he means and figured that it was Toadsworth has slipped it in right after meeting with Ichika. But as they figured it out, the Koopa was looking at their passports only to find them blank.
"But wait… WHAT?! There aren't any photos!" Camera Koopa gasped. "These won't get you into the Beanbean Kingdom! No sir, no way, no how!"
"Oh no!" The Mario Bros both shouted in worry.
"But how are we going to get into Beanbean Kingdom if our passports are blank?" Ichika asked in concern.
"Don't wig out about it, though. If we take your pictures here, you should be just fine." Camera Koopa answered him with a smile. "Since the Great Bowser has called you to the deck, I'll let you three cut the line." This was great news for them as Luigi replies with an "Oh yeah" and a "Got it" from Mario while Ichika nods. "Snapping photos is easy!" He then turns his attention to a mat on the floor and the boys noticed it too. "Just stand on that mat there. See it? Right there." The boys nodded as he returns behind the camera to take their picture. "Step onto the mat once you're ready! No hurry!"
"So who gets to go first?" Ichika asked the Mario Bros. "We still need to see Bowser on the deck, so we have to make this quick."
"I'll go first. It'll be quicker for us if we each get our pictures taken and head for the deck." Mario suggested as he steps on the mat and faces the camera.
"Now, Mr. Green 'Stache and dense idiot, you two step back." Camera Koopa issued as they did so. "OK! I'm gonna take it!" But just before he could take Mario's picture, he stopped and remembered something. "Oops! I forgot to tell you… Listen, when you're getting your picture taken, stand still. Don't go trying to hold a pose!" He goes behind the camera again. "And away we go! Ready? Say CHEEP CHEEP!"
"CHEEP CHEEP!" Mario smiled as he struck a pose while flipping his cap as the camera flashes.
"You're next, Mr. Green 'Stache." Camera Koopa said as Mario steps off the mat and lets Luigi get his picture taken. "And away we go!" But Luigi moved around. "Stand still, will ya? It's important. Don't go trying to hold a pose!" He returns to the camera. "And away we go! Say CHEEP CHEEP!"
"CHEEP CHEEP!" Luigi grinned as he struck a pose while snapping his fingers as the camera flashes.
"And that's two down. You're up next, dense guy." Camera Koopa said as Ichika walks onto the mat while Luigi joins his brother. "Ok, you know the drill." Ichika nods. "And away we go! Say CHEEP CHEEP!"
"CHEEP CHEEP!" Ichika said with a smile and closed eye as he struck a pose and crosses his arms as the camera flashes.
"Great! I've taken passport photos for all of you! Aren't we all happy now? Happy all around!" Camera Koopa said happily as Ichika and the Mario Bros thanked him and continued on towards the deck to meet up with Bowser.
After getting their pictures taken for their passports to enter the Beanbean Kingdom, our heroes made their way to the bottom part of the Koopa Cruiser to meet up with Bowser on the deck. Along the way, the trio meets up with the same Koopa Troopa back at Peach's castle just before taking off. The Koopa showed his appreciation to Mario by giving him a 1-UP Mushroom before the trio continued on. After moving around some cargo on the third level and clearing the path, our heroes reached the second level where more cargo was blocking the path to the deck.
"Oh no, there's some more cargo in the way. And it's blocking our path to the deck." Ichika gasped. "I don't think we'll be able to move all of that, it looks really heavy. How are we going to meet up with Bowser?"
"There's got to be a way to move all that cargo out of the way." Mario answered him. "Maybe one of the Koopas have a machine that can move the cargo and clear a path for us." He looks around until he stops two Koopas talking with each other and walked over to them. "Excuse-a me, we've got a problem. We're trying to reach the deck, but there's some cargo in the way. Is there any way to move them out of the way?"
"We were just talking about that and came up with a solution to the problem." Koopa Troopa 1 answered him. "You guys can use this switch to activate the Pinch Crane. I like to call it Mr. Pinch. Don't ask me why."
"Ok…" The trio said with the dull expressions and dotted eyes.
"And in case it's not really obvious, you should be able to use ol' Mr. Pinch to move that cargo." Koopa Troopa 1 instructed.
"Well, then what have we got to lose? It's our only option to get to the deck." Ichika said with a smile. "Let's use Mr. Pinch to remove the cargo and head for the deck where Bowser is waiting." The Mario Bros nodded as Mario walks over to the switch and pulls it to activate Mr. Pinch.
The Pinch claw comes on down as the trio moves out of the way so that they won't be grabbed by it. As Mr. Pinch moves over to the cargo, Luigi jumps around and gestures it to the cargo before waving his hat at it just as Mr. Pinch stops above him. The claw extends down towards Luigi and grabs him as Ichika and Mario were shocked to see this happen as it pulls Luigi upward while Mario tries to save his little brother.
"Uh-oh! Looks like the crane mistook you for cargo… That looks…uncomfortable." Koopa Troopa 2 winced. "Hey! Since you're up there, why don't we use you as a lookout!" Luigi can be heard crying as they decided to move the cargo the hard way.
Koopa Cruiser deck
Not long after clearing a path to the deck, Mario and Ichika finally meet up with Bowser while Luigi was acting as the lookout with a pair of binoculars while still being held by Mr. Pinch. Just then, a Koopa steps out from the ship and onto the deck before calling out to his king.
"Your Rancidness!" Koopa Troopa 3 called "We will soon pass over the border between the Mushroom and Beanbean Kingdoms."
"Hmm! Nice work! You can go back belowdecks. Now." Bowser ordered as the Koopa bows and heads back belowdeck. But just as soon as he did, Luigi spots something coming their way.
"OH NO!" Luigi yelled in fright.
"Eh? What's with all the hoopla?" Bowser asked confusedly before turning his attention to a projectile that hits the front of the ship and knocks him back while Luigi was loose from Mr. Pinch's grip and falls onto Bowser and jumping off. "RAWR! What now?" He then spots something as he walks over to the edge of the deck, only for a green being on a flying rocking chair comes into view.
"Eeeyah ha ha ha ha!" The witch laughs evilly "Who would've thought you'd catch up to the Great Cackletta in even a hundred million years?"
"You! You're the fiend who stole Peach's voice! How dare you pull off such a cool evil plan?" Bowser growled while Ichika and the Mario Bros just sweat dropped at that.
"Eeyah ha ha ha! Oh, I dare!" Cackletta cackles "And now I'm going straight back to the Beanbean Kingdom so my next plan can take root! I have no time to chat with the likes of you!" She about-face to call upon someone else to join her. "Fawful!" On her command, a green figure with a strange device on his head flies over to his mistress. "Take care of this!" She then flies off into the distance, straight into Beanbean Kingdom.
"GWAAAARRR! Hold it!" Bowser yelled as Fawful now confronts them.
"Eeeyah ha ha ha ha!" Fawful chortled "I am the great Cackletta's most best pupil, who is named Fawful! I am here, laughing at you! If you are giving us the chase just to get your silly princess's voice, then you are idiots of foolishness! Princess Peach's sweet voice will soon be the bread that makes the sandwich of Cackletta's desires! And this battle shall be the delicious mustard on that bread! The mustard of your doom!" The object on the top of Fawful's device activates and shoots out a projectile at Bowser and knocks him back while Ichika and the Mario Bros rushed over to him.
"Bowser!" The trio yelled in shock before looking back to discover Fawful was gone.
"Huh? Where did that weirdo go?" Ichika asked just as Fawful appears behind them and laughs to surprise them.
"Eeeyah ha ha ha ha!" Fawful laughed "Next is the turn of you!" Ichika and the Mario Bros got into battle stances as Fawful hovers towards them.
"Ichika! Stand back, we'll handle this!" Mario issued as he and his brother got into battle stances.
"Don't worry. I can fight too!" Ichika reassured him as he got to the Mario Bros' side. "I got my IS with me!" The Mario Bros were confused by this.
"IS?" Mario and Luigi asked at the same time in confusion.
"Byankushii, activate!" Ichika yelled as he called out his IS and got ready for battle. Mario and Luigi were surprised and amazed by this.
"Mama-mia, Ichika! I can tell you have grown." Mario smiled. "So do you know how to use that machine?"
"Of course!" Ichika winked. "They don't call me the best IS pilot next to my sister for nothing!" Ichika then pointed his sword at Fawful. "Now let's get back on the subject at hand. You and your master better give back the Princess's voice!"
Fawful laughed again. "Dense idiot who wields strange machine. It is I who will spell doom for you and your finkrat friends!" Fawful's device fired a energy ball at Ichika, who batted it away with his IS's sword. "Finkrat!" Fawful yelled as he fired another energy ball at Mario who leaped above it and upon landing again, he jumped up again and landed on Fawful two times, giving him medium damage.
"L-Let me try!" Luigi stammered for a bit before he toughen up and jumped up and landed on Fawful two times, giving him medium damage.
"Finkrat!" Fawful snarled as he fired another energy ball at Mario who leaped up above it. Mario nodded to Ichika who nodded back as he piloted Byankushii and slashed Fawful two times with his IS's sword. "I have fury!" Fawful yelled as he fired another energy ball at Luigi who was hit by it, but he recovered and jumped on Fawful two times, giving him medium damage. This temporary destroys the device on Fawful's head as he landed on the ground, but he was still showing that insane grin.
"Heh, this will be easy." Ichika smiled as Fawful tried to ram into him, but Ichika swatted him back with his IS's sword.
"Ooof!" Fawful grunted before he oddly laughed like a maniac but in fury "How could finkrats like you beat an nasty awful as me?" He turned to his left and shouted "Headgear!" as the headgear hovered above Fawful and he put it on again. Fawful yelled "I HAVE FURY!"
"What's that lunatic up to now?" Ichika asked as he tensed.
"I'm not sure, but something tells me that it can't be good." Mario answered him as Fawful hovers over them.
"Bah! Now is when the talking stops! I do not have to stop and smell foul roses such as you!" Fawful yelled in anger "One fell swoop is the way I will deal with you fink rats!" Fawful hovers back as his headgear starts firing energy blasts at the Koopa Cruiser while Ichika and the Mario Bros watched in horror. "Eeeyah ha ha ha ha!" He laughed as he flies off into the distance.
"Hey, you! Come back here now!" Mario shouted as the ship started to lose altitude from the damage cause by Fawful.
"Not good! The ship's going down!" Ichika shouted as he struggled to regain his balance. "That Fawful must've caused enough damage for it to start coming down! We have to abandon ship or we're done for!"
"But how are we going to escape from the ship?" Mario asked him. "Neither me or Luigi can fly and I doubt we've got enough time to look for a parachute! If only we had some Cape Feathers, then we'd be able to fly to safety!"
"Hold on, I think I might have an idea to get you guys off." Ichika said, getting an idea with a smile. "You guys can grab onto me and I can carry you to safety before the ship crashes. With the strength of my IS, it should be no problem carrying both of you."
"But what if we lose our grip and fall down?" Luigi asked fearfully. "We're really high up in the sky and I'm not sure what could be down there! I don't want to go to the great Italian restaurant in the sky!"
"Luigi, I know that you're scared, but we don't have any other choice." Mario said, trying to reassure his brother. "I know it's dangerous and there could be the possibility of us falling, but it's out only chance to escape. If we don't hurry and catch up to Fawful, then we'll never make it to Beanbean Kingdom to get Peach's voice back from Cackletta." Luigi hesitated about the idea of jumping off the ship and potentially falling to his doom, but seeing as there's no other way yo escape, he nods in agreement as he and Mario walked over to Ichika.
"Ok, now grab on and hang on tight. This is going to be a bumpy ride." Ichika smiled as the Mario Bros jumped onto his shoulders and held on while Ichika takes off from the Koopa Cruiser just before it explodes. However, the shockwave from the explosion causes Ichika to lose his balance as he tries to keep steady while making sure Mario and Luigi are safe. But the extra weight from both brothers are making it difficult for Ichika to straighten himself as they fall from the sky like a meteor.
Meanwhile
Down on the surface, our view turns to a mountainous region where both the night sky and the terrain gleam with stars. On the mountain floor, Houki was lying unconscious on the dusty ground but starts to wake up a few seconds later. Houki begins to open her eyes as she groans in pain while picking herself up from the ground.
"Ugh… my head… How the heck did I survive that fall…?" Houki asked with a moan as she shook her head. "And what happened to me? The last thing I remember was investigating that weird green pipe we saw in the alley and then…I'm not what happened after that." As she rubs her head to ease the pain, she had a jumpstart of her memory of what happened before. "Hold on, now I remember! We fell into that pipe when Ling was startled by that stray cat. Then after that, everything went black before I woke up and found myself here." She then looks around at her new surroundings. "Now that I think about it, where is here? I don't remember this place being in Japan. It looks like the night sky is on the ground, but I can still see it above me. Did I end up on a mountain or something?" She then also noticed that she was the only one in the area. "And more importantly, am I the only one here? Where is everyone else?" She stands back up and dusts herself off. "Well, if I'm going to find them, then I better get moving. I just hope that they're all OK." She starts walking down the path to search for her friends while also finding out where she is.
Further up from Houki's location, someone was looking through a long tunnel with a glass at the end that cuts the through the dark tunnel: it was a telescope. The lens of the telescope was scoping around the area until noticing three lights falling from the sky. The first light was red, the second light was green and third light was silver.
"General Starshade! A massive explosion has been sighted!" Male voice 1 reported.
"Conformation! I need conformation!" Male voice 2 known as General Starshade acknowledged as male 1 zooms in to see the same three lights falling from the sky.
"General Starshade! Meteorites confirmed!" Male 1 said as he said "meteorites" crashed into the surface with a loud impact. "Impact in Stardust Fields! Initiate recon! Emergency! Emergency!"
Back with Houki
While making her way through Stardust Fields, Houki heard the crash and nearly lost her balance from the impact but manages to keep herself steady by leaning against the wall to prevent herself from falling over. Once the rumbling stopped, Houki stands back up and looked ahead towards the location where the lights crashed and was curious.
"What was that? Did something just crashed?" Houki asked with a gasp. "It felt like meteors crashing into the earth, but where did they land? It felt really close, so the crash site can't be too far away. Maybe there could be someone who can help me find my friends." She heads for the location where the smoke from the impact. As she reaches the crash site, she spots a familiar sight laying on the ground along with two more she doesn't recognize. "Wait… is that Ichika? But if he's here, then the others must be here as well!" She rushes over to him to see if he was alright. "Hey, Ichika! Wake up! Are you alright?"
Upon hearing Houki's voice, Ichika stirs a little before opening his eyes to see her face looking down on him. "Houki…? Is that you? Is it really you?" He asked wearly while starting to regain consciousness from the fall.
"Yeah, it's me, Ichika. I'm just glad to see that you're still alive." Houki sighed in relief with a smile "I was worried that something bad might've happened when we fell into that pipe thing." She then turns to the other two while helping him back onto his feet.
"Yeah, same here. I was worried that you and the others were lost, but I'm glad that's not the case." Ichika agrees with a smile. "Now all that's left is to find the others and make sure they're all okay." Houki nods in agreement as he remembers something else. "Oh right, Mario, Luigi. I need to make sure if they're alright." He climbs up the ledge to where Luigi was while Houki was confused.
"Mario? Luigi? I've never heard of them. Who are they?" Houki asked in confusion as she followed him up the ledge while Ichika picks up Luigi in his arms.
"Hey, Luigi! Wake up! Come on, buddy!" Ichika pleaded as Luigi starts to stir as he opens his eyes.
"Mama-Mia… what a fall… I thought we were done for…" Luigi mumbled before noticing Ichika. "Ichika? Is that you? What happened to us? Are we still alive?"
"Yeah, we're alive, Luigi. We managed to survive our fall from the Koopa Cruiser." Ichika smiled. "And from the looks of it, we're still in one piece after Fawful tried to shoot us down with that headgear of his." He then noticed that someone else was missing. "Hey, weren't there three of us that fell out of the sky? Where's Mario?" Luigi also noticed and jumped back up while adjusting his cap.
"You're right, there was three of us. But I don't see Mario anywhere." Luigi answered him while looking around. "Mario! Where are you, bro?" He then looks ahead to see Mario's legs comically poking out from the ground. "Wah! There he is! Over there!" He runs over to help his brother.
"Ichika, what's going on here? Why are you helping that man that you've never met before?" Houki asked in confusion.
"It's a long story, Houki, but I can tell you that we're not in Japan anymore." Ichika answered her. "From what I've learn so far, we're in another world altogether and it's really a lot to take in. But if you really want to know more, I'm sure Mario and Luigi can fill you in on the details." They turned to Luigi as he pulls on his brother's leg in comical fashion before he flies out of the ground into the air and lands back down on top of Luigi.
"That's gonna leave a mark." Houki winced as Ichika nods in agreement. Mario looks around for Luigi unit he noticed the ground was moving and looked down to see his little brother underneath him just before jumping out of the ground. Ichika then walks over to them with Houki right behind him.
"Mario, I'm glad to see you and Luigi are alright." Ichika smiled in relief "I was a little worried that you two were hurt after Fawful shot the Koopa Cruiser down and we fell." Mario gave him a thumps up while Luigi smiles and rubs the back of his head. "So now that we're still in one piece, where did we crashed?"
"From the looks of it, we must be in Stardust Fields." Mario answered his question. "Fawful must've shot us down here while trying to stop us, but to our luck, we're not too far from the border. Now it's just a short stroll to the border and we'll be in Beanbean Kingdom." Luigi jumps for joy as Houki walks up to them.
"Ichika, who are these guys?" Houki asked as she looked at the Mario Bros confusedly.
"Oh right, I still haven't introduced you to them yet." Ichika remembered as he smiled and introduced the Mario Bros. "Houki, I'd like you to meet Mario and Luigi, the Mario Bros. I've met them right after I came to this world." He then turns to the Mario Bros. "Mario, Luigi, I'd like you to meet my childhood friend, Houki Shinonono. She's one of the friends I was separated from when I arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom." Mario tips his hat to Houki while Luigi waves at her.
"Oh, so you made a second childhood friend there, Ichika." Mario commented with a smiled. "It's nice to know that you've other friends after you when you returned back to your world." Luigi nodded in agreement while Houki was confused.
"Hold on, what do you mean by that?" Houki asked in confusion and shock.
"Oh, me, bro, Ichika and Princess Peach were childhood friends when he first came to the Mushroom Kingdom." Luigi tells her as he explained. "We've played around together a lot and had tons of fun. But eventually, Ichika had to go back to his world and we never saw him again."
"But if you guys and Ichika were childhood friends, how do you know him and what was your relationship with him?" Houki asked again.
"As much as we want to tell you, I'm afraid it'll have to wait for now." Mario reminded her "We still need to make it to Beanbean Kingdom, but we'll explain everything along the way. We need to catch up to Cacklette and get the Princess' voice." Ichika and Luigi nodded while Houki was still confused.
"Someone stole this Princess' voice? How does that work?" Houki asked in confusion.
"I'm not to sure myself, but I'll explain what I know so far." Ichika begins to explain. "From what Toadsworth and the Mario Bros told me, someone by the name of Cacklette infiltrated the Mushroom Kingdom as an ambassador and manages to steal the Princess' voice. Now she fled to the Beanbean Kingdom with her voice for something we're not sure of yet." That made Houki both shocked and angry.
"I can't believe that evil witch! What makes her think that she can just steal their ruler's voice?!" Houki growled in anger. "If that witch thinks she can just get away with this, then she's got another thing coming!" She turns to Mario. "Mario, would it be alright if I can join you guys in your quest to find this Cacklette?"
"Of course, Houki. We'd be more than happy to have you join us." Mario answered happily "We can definitely use all the help we can get in finding her and retrieving Peach's voice back. So you're help is greatly appreciated."
"Thanks, Mario. I'm glad that I can help in any way I can." Houki smiled back with a wink. "And plus, we might find the rest of our friends who are still missing. They could be in the Beanbean Kingdom." Ichika nods in agreement as he and Houki join with the Mario Bros.
"Ok, paisanos, let's-a go! We need to enter through the border gates and find Cacklette." Mario said with a smile. "Once we're in the Beanbean Kingdom, we'll need to keep our guard up. There's no telling what Cacklette have set for us once we're across the border. You ready?" Houki, Ichika and Luigi all nodded, though the latter was still nervous. "Then here we go!" With that said, they all head towards the border gates.
To be continued…
Next time: Stardust Fields: Helping Bowser and Reunited with Cecilia
A/n: How do you like that? Anyway, next time, our heroes help Bowser and reunite with Cecilia. So see you next time!