Prologue Part 2: A Rogue's Welcome

"Rogueport?" asked Nazz. "I've never heard of this place."

"I'm personally not fond of the name, myself," explained Edd. "With the word 'rogue' in the name, the place is likely to be much less inviting than our humble cul-de-sac in Peach Creek. We'd best stick close together, Nazz, as we must be prepared for anything we may face in this town."

Indeed, Edd's perspective was that Rogueport was very intimidating, perhaps more so than Kevin or the Kanker Sisters back in Peach Creek. Just the name alone suggested a rather staggering crime rate, more than enough to make all of Eddy's scams seem like child's play.

"Nazz, will you please help me? I want to secure our vessel to the harbor so we don't lose it," said Edd.

"Oh, sure thing," replied Nazz, as she hopped back into the damaged S.S. Intelligence. Finding a rope, she tossed it to Edd. He caught the rope and tied a knot around both the boat and a nearby pole.

"I think I got it," he called. "Climb back up." He reached out his hand to Nazz, blushing nervously as she took his hand in hers. He managed to pull her back up to the harbor.

"Thanks," they both said to each other. Edd smiled nervously, blushing, as he couldn't believe that he was alone in this new place… with Nazz.

This elation was cut short, however, as Edd's knot caught his eye – the knot was starting to come undone, the boat about to drift out to sea.

"My knot!" he shouted. "Oh, dear…"

"Ahoy, landlubbers!" came a strange new voice. "Yer doin' it wrong!"

Startled, Edd and Nazz looked at the source of this voice – he appeared to resemble a small bomb, but with feet and eyes! This bomb-creature wore a striped hat and an eye patch, like a sailor.

"Oh, my! What…?" was all Edd managed to say, still in shock at what he was seeing.

"Lemme show yeh landlubbers how a sailor ties a knot!" said the bomb-creature. The strange bomb-creature went to work tying a proper sailor knot, despite not having any hands or arms, surprising both Edd and Nazz.

"What- what is that, Double-D?" asked Nazz.

"I… I honestly haven't a clue, Nazz," replied Edd incredulously.

His mind was racing. A whole new species, new data to document, new things to discover… With all this on his mind, he briefly forgot about being stranded.

"Now THAT there's a mighty fine knot!" exclaimed the bomb-creature.

"Uh… th-thanks," said Nazz. This was all she could manage to say, as she herself was still in shock as well.

"Yer welcome," said the bomb-creature. "And hey, kids, toughen up! This place is more dangerous than yeh believe. I'm one of the more docile residents of this town."

The bomb-creature walked away, leaving Edd and Nazz to admire his handiwork in knot-tying.

"For a creature with no hands, he certainly knows how to tie a very firm knot," said Edd.

"I agree," replied Nazz. "But whatever that thing was, he's right. We have to find help."

As the two walked cautiously up the wharf, they were greeted by a truly amazing sight. There were even more of those bomb-creatures walking around, only these were smaller and blue. The kids also saw some new creatures among them. These new creatures looked like mushrooms, but with feet and faces.

"Seriously, dude, like what is this place?" asked Nazz again.

Edd responded, "There's definitely more to this Rogueport place than meets the eye."

The two continued their way through the wharf, up to the mainland, when a voice shouted:

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The kids turned in the direction of the voice and found even more strange creatures. The first batch looked like men completely decked out in overcoats and glasses, bearing huge X's on their uniforms. The other looked like a pinkish-tan mushroom with yellow hair and a miner's helmet, complete with a flashlight.

"Get away from me!" demanded the mushroom-creature. Her voice, to Edd, almost sounded like Nazz's voice.

"Oh, come off it, ya airhead! I know this is hard for ya, but don't play dumb!" bellowed the voice of the tallest of the creatures. "I've seen ya walking around town askin' for information about the Crystal Stars! Well, now I'm doin' the askin', so be a good girl and tell us what-cha know! Right! NOW!"

"Never!" snapped the mushroom-girl. "I've got nothing to say to you creeps! Eww!"

"Oh, my…" said Edd softly, a tinge of fear in his voice.

"I suppose it wouldn't be right if a sassy li'l lass like you met wit' an untimely demise," said the tall X-creature. "Buh! Buh! Buh-huh-huh!" he continued to laugh. "Boys! We're takin' dis firebrand to our fortress!"

"As you command, Lord Crump!" replied one of the smaller X-creatures.

Lord Crump is the de facto commander of the sinister army known as the X-Nauts. He is cunning, but is also quite incompetent and bumbling at times, earning Grodus's disapproval. He is particularly proud of his "Magnus Von Grapple" robot, believing it to be indestructible.

The tall creature known as Lord Crump advanced on the mushroom-girl.

"No!" she said, now with a tinge of fear in her voice. "Stop right there, you weirdos! I'll scream! Really!"

"Hey!" snapped Nazz, who had had enough. "Lay off her, you jerks!"

This caught the attention of the X-creatures and the mushroom-girl. Edd whimpered and stepped back.

"Nazz, what are you doing?" he pleaded fearfully. "We shouldn't get involved!"

Seizing the opportunity, the mushroom-girl dashed behind Edd and Nazz.

"Like I'd go anywhere with smelly lunatics like you!" the mushroom-girl shouted to Crump. "Hmph! Not likely!"

Directing his attention to the newcomers, Lord Crump demanded, "Whaddya think YOU'RE doin', chumps? Who're the two of ya to interfere wit' da mighty Lord Crump?"

"So it's 'Lord Crump,' is it?" demanded Nazz.

"Now how'd ya figure dat one out, Blonderbuss?" retorted Crump.

"Knock it off, Mr. Macho Man," Nazz fired back.

"Y'know what, we're wastin' time here," said Crump. "Boys! Give 'em a taste o' the ol' Crump-a-bomb!"

"Yes, sir, Lord Crump!" came the voices of several of Crump's minions. They advanced on Nazz and the mushroom-girl, pinning both down almost easily, though Nazz still managed to put up a fight. Satisfied with the rather simple outcome, Lord Crump then turned his attention to Edd, who was shaking in fear.

"Hey, kid!" boomed Crump. "You wanna taste o' this, too?!"

"No! Please!" screamed Edd, flinching and nearly crying. "Refrain! Desist! Have mercy!"

Just then, another new voice sounded out of nowhere, with a resounding "Ya-hoo!"

The X-creatures and Edd turned their gaze to the source of this shout. They saw a human this time, this one wearing a red shirt and blue overalls, as well as a red cap with the letter M on it and sporting a thick mustache. He whipped out a hammer and swung it at Crump, knocking him backward and off his feet. The minions holding Nazz and the mushroom-girl rushed to their commander's side, allowing the two females to stand upright once more.

"Man, did you see that, Double-D?!" asked Nazz in awe of the mustachioed man's hammer as she and the mushroom-girl approached Edd. Edd, however, could only babble unintelligibly, a result of feeling both awe and fear at the same time.

"Ow…" groaned Crump, getting up.

He whistled loudly, attracting a whole horde of X-creatures to the wharf.

"Ok, now… IT'S GO TIME!" he ordered. "PUNISH 'EM!"

The X-creatures attacked en masse, kicking up dirt and dust that blocked their views. Amidst the melee and confusion, the mushroom-girl managed to slip away first.

"Hey guys, over here!" she called.

The mustachioed human slipped away from the confusion next, followed a second later by Nazz and the mortified Edd, with the former pulling the latter by his hand.

"Phew! What a bunch of loons! Come on, guys, let's get the heck outta here," said the mushroom-girl.

The mushroom-girl led Edd, Nazz, and the mustachioed man up the stairs away from the wharf into the main town square.

"Hey, stop!" shouted Lord Crump, who had realized his men were beating up themselves. Looking in the crowd, he realized that Edd and the others were gone.

"Huh-wha?! Where'd they go?!" he shouted. "You! Johnson! Didja see 'em? Did anyone?"

His minions were puzzled, having realized the situation for themselves.

"Crud!" groaned Crump. "They bolted!"

XXX000XXX000XXX

Edd, Nazz, the hammer-wielding mustachioed man, and the mushroom-girl had barely escaped from Crump and his lackeys at the wharf, finally arriving in the main square of Rogueport.

"Man, that was close," mused the mushroom-girl.

"So, you mind, like, telling me what's going on here?" asked Nazz.

"What do you mean?" asked the mushroom-girl.

"May I?" piped up Edd. "You see, the two of us, we're lost. We were sailing on the creek with our friends, but we took a wrong turn and found ourselves in the ocean. A freak storm came out of nowhere, its force brutal and its wrath unforgiving! The storm swallowed our friends, and left us unconscious and shipwrecked. When we finally came to, we wound up here, in this unfamiliar location, separated from our dear friends!"

"Well, I gotta tell ya, you guys found a bad place to get shipwrecked. This town isn't safe, man," said the mushroom-girl. She then jumped and added, "I just realized- we haven't yet formally introduced ourselves. I'm Goombella! I'm a junior-year student at the University of Goom. Nice to meet ya!"

Goombella is a young Goomba and a junior-year student at the University of Goom, majoring in archaeology and history. She is an academic, like Edd. She can be pretty sassy as well. She provides the information our heroes need to navigate this new, strange world. She can inform the heroes of enemies' strengths and weaknesses, and she has a pretty decent headbonk attack.

Hearing this, Edd's mood suddenly brightened at the prospect of meeting a like-minded individual.

"Ah, a fellow scholar! It's very kind to make the acquaintance of a fellow brilliant mind," exclaimed Edd. He reached out his hand for a shake, but then remembered that Goombella didn't have visible hands or arms, and retracted his arm, feeling awkward.

"My name's Eddward Bentley. Edd with two D's, but you can call me Double-D. And this is Nazz Van… uh, Nazz Van Barton," said Edd, introducing both himself and Nazz, to be polite but without mentioning Nazz's rather odd full surname.

"Hi, I'm Nazz. Van Bartonschmeer," specified Nazz, smiling. "Double-D's just too polite to use my full name. It's nice to meet you, Goombella."

"Nice to meet you both," responded Goombella. Then, turning to the mustachioed hammer-wielder, she asked, "And you are?"

The mustachioed man replied, with a rather high-pitched voice and a strong but cheesy Italian accent:

"It's-a me! A-Mario!"

Super Mario. Okay, come on. This guy doesn't need an explanation. He's Super Mario, for crying out loud! The Jumpman! The multitalented hero (alongside his brother Luigi) of the Mushroom Kingdom!

"Mario? Wait, you mean like that famous guy? THE Mario? The famous Super Mario from the Mushroom Kingdom? Wow!" exclaimed Goombella. "I can't believe I've met you here!"

"My apologies, Mr, uh… Mario, but Nazz and I aren't familiar with you," said Edd.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Goombella incredulously. "Never heard of the famous Super Mario? Sheesh, where are you two from?"

"We're from Peach Creek," replied Nazz, "in a small cul-de-sac part of the town."

"Peach Creek?" asked Mario. "As in-a Peach Creek, Earth? I've-a heard of-a the place when I used-a to live in-a Brooklyn, New York."

"Yes…" said Edd, unsure of what Mario meant by "Earth."

"You're-a in a new world," explained Mario. "I'm-a unsure how, but you must-a have fallen into some-a sort of-a portal."

"A portal?" chimed in Nazz. "No way!"

"Of course! That would explain the new species," stated Edd. "I'm starting to figure this out! We got lost in our sailing venture when Eddy led us to the ocean. Nazz! We probably entered that place you were talking about back at the creek – the 'danger zone!' Our ill-fated sailboat entered an interdimensional portal or something similar to that extent, and now here we are, stranded, marooned! Oh, dear, I feel like that's something Ed would say."

"You might be right, Double-D!" replied Nazz. "Maybe our friends wound up in this world too?"

"It's possible," stated Goombella. "Granted, they could have been sent anywhere in this place. Or fallen into oblivion." This last comment led Mario to elbow her slightly, as she had said the wrong thing.

"Weren't there two other ships that got sent here too?" inquired Edd. "Didn't they end up here as well?"

"So many questions, I'm afraid, I don't have answers for. Though my professor might," mused Goombella. Then, turning to Mario, she added, "Oh yeah, no offense, Mario, but you look like you just rolled into town yourself, like Nazz and Eddward here. Right?"

"Is-a correct," replied Mario. Edd and Nazz exchanged a pensive glance.

"Me, I already hate it here!" groaned Goombella. "There are freaks and weirdos everywhere! It's just so nasty! I mean, I know the place is called Rogueport, so I should have expected it, but sheesh! You three are the first decent people I've met here. Probably the only ones, too, so far. Besides that, I never would have come to this town if I hadn't heard there was some legendary treasure here."

"Oh yeah! That-a reminds me!" piped up Mario. "I got a map from Princess-a Peach that she mailed-a to me! I came here to-a meet her, but I have-a not seen-a her yet. I was-a hoping we could find-a the treasure together."

"What? You're looking for the legendary treasure, too? Seriously?" inquired Goombella.

"Treasure?" inquired Edd.

"Whoa, cool!" mused Nazz.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA, bucko! You have a map? Let me see that!" said Goombella.

Mario held up the map for Edd, Nazz, and Goombella to see.

"Intriguing!" mused Edd.

"So there might be treasure hidden somewhere in this town?" asked Nazz.

"Great hoogly-boogly! If it isn't Master Mario!" came a new voice, this one with an uptight British accent.

Another mushroom person approached the foursome, this one old, sporting arms as well as legs, dressed in fancy teatime attire, carrying a cane and wearing spectacles.

"Toadsworth! Nice-a to see you!" exclaimed Mario.

Toadsworth, aged 60 years old, is Princess Peach's attendant. He has an aristocratic British accent, and often uses old-fashioned English sayings. He is very neurotic, almost enough to rival Edd, and he is always in constant worry over the welfare of Peach, which sometimes causes him to pass out from severe shroomshock. He is a de facto "father figure" to Peach, having helped raise her since she was a baby.

"I say, bit of a coincidence, bumping into one another in this sort of place, hmm? Ho ho!" proclaimed Toadsworth. "So tell me, Master Mario, what in the world brings you to this wretched little burg? And who are these peculiar young fellows?" he added, turning to face Edd and Nazz.

"Oh, my," said Edd, somewhat intimidated. "My name's Eddward, and-and this is Nazz. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Toadsworth." He extended his hand to Toadsworth for a handshake, to which the mushroom attendant obliged.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two, as well, Master Eddward and Lady Nazz," replied Toadsworth. "So Master Mario, what brings you to this wretched dive of a town?"

"I received mail from Princess-a Peach telling me to-a meet-a her here. She sent this-a map with it," explained Mario.

"Is that so?" asked Toadsworth. "Most intriguing…"

Edd gave Toadsworth a look, as if the old man had just filched the sock-headed boy's trademark sentiment.

"Have-a you seen her?" asked Mario.

"Well, um… I was about to ask you that, Master Mario," replied Toadsworth, a tinge of worry in his voice. "We stopped in this den of illicit miscreance to acquire a spot of fuel for our ship, don't you know. I only took my eyes off her for one measly tick, but the moment I did, she vanished."

Mario, Edd, Nazz, and Goombella jumped in shock.

"Oh, you of all people know how headstrong she is, Master Mario… I merely assumed she'd return momentarily," lamented Toadsworth. "But at this point, I fear we must embrace the possibility that she may never return… I've been at a loss as to what to do. I've been fraught with worry, I tell you! But with you here, Master Mario, I feel a spot better. Surely we'll find her! However, I know my place, Master Mario, and this is not my place. I therefore leave this task to you. Perhaps I'll recline at the inn over yonder and enjoy a spot of tea. I highly recommend it if you ever find your energy running low. Just drop on 'inn!' Ho ho!"

Edd and Nazz shared another glance, unimpressed by Toadsworth's attempt at wordplay.

"Yes, well, I say, the rest of this town is a bit… rough," mused Toadsworth. "Yes, rough, indeed…"

The old mushroom man proceeded to hobble on over to the inn to rest.

"He does seem rather eccentric," whispered Edd to Mario.

"See ya, Mr. Mushroom Man," called Nazz, though Toadsworth didn't hear her.

"Oh, that's right, you and Double-D are new to this world," stated Goombella. "Mr. Toadsworth is of a species known as the Toads. Humanoids who look like mushrooms. I'm a Goomba, one of the more common folk alongside the Toads in this world, and the bomb-like guys down by the wharf are called Bob-ombs."

"Enterprising," stated Edd.

"And what about those jerks with the X-uniforms?" asked Nazz. "What are they?"

"That I don't know… yet. I'm sorry, Nazz," said Goombella. "Like I said, though, my professor may be able to explain it. Let's go check with him."

XXX000XXX000XXX

Goombella led Mario, Edd, and Nazz to a nearby house in the eastern part of town.

"This is where my professor resides," she explained. "We should manage to get some answers here."

She opened the door, and the foursome stepped inside. The house was wall-to-wall with books and encyclopedias.

"Rapture…" Edd gasped, enthralled. It was as though he had entered a library. "Books upon shelves upon walls of literature!"

"A fine collection, is it not?" asked a Goomba at the desk. This Goomba was male, with golden-brown skin, and much older with strange-looking glasses.

"Oh!" exclaimed Goombella. "There you are, Professor Frankly!"

Professor Frankly is a professor of archaeology and literature at the University of Goom. In fact, Goombella was one of his students in a previous semester. One notable alumnus of Frankly's is Professor Kolorado. A defining feature of Frankly is that his glasses are rather thick and swirly. He came to Rogueport to research the legendary treasure said to be buried beneath the town.

"Whuzzuh?" replied Professor Frankly.

"This is your professor?" Nazz asked Goombella.

"Oh, I remember you!" exclaimed Frankly, facing Goombella. "I've seen you before… Yes… Wait, don't tell me! I'll get it right! Let's see… you're not Goombriel… No, not Elizagoom… Hrmmm… HRMMMM…"

"This is going to take a while," mused Edd softly.

"…AHA! I've got it!" exclaimed Frankly. "You're Goombella! You took my archaeology course last year, am I right?"

"That's right! I'm Goombella, a junior at U Goom! Goooo GOOMBAS!" Goombella exclaimed proudly.

"I like her school spirit," stated Edd to Nazz.

"And boy, do we have some questions for you!" said Goombella to her one-time professor.

"Do you, now?" inquired Frankly.

"Yeah, like, first off, can you help these two?" asked Goombella, indicating Edd and Nazz.

"Ah, humans," mused Frankly, sizing up the two Peach Creek residents in his home. "You don't see a lot of humans around here. Although, as of late, I have seen quite a fair number of humans."

"Like who? And how many? Did you happen to catch their names?" asked Nazz, hoping that Frankly had any inkling of where their fellow friends from the cul-de-sac could be now.

"Well, no, I didn't obtain any names, but they looked rather grown-up," mused Frankly. "Well… some of them did, anyway."

"Those must be the lost sailors we've heard about on the news," said Edd to Nazz.

"Pardon?" asked Frankly.

"Oh, do pardon me, Professor Frankly. My name's Eddward 'Double-D,' and this is Nazz," explained Edd. "We're from a small cul-de-sac in another world, but amid an ill-fated sailing venture, we veered off course and somehow got sent to this world, separated from our friends. It's plausible that our friends could be somewhere around here, but we haven't a clue where to begin searching."

"Quite an interesting recollection there," mused Frankly. "May I ask how you arrived here?"

"Like, we're still not entirely sure," said Nazz. "Last thing we remember was getting caught up in a humongous storm at sea in our world, and then a few bright flashes … and when it passed, we woke up just off the coast."

"Mm-hmm…" mused Frankly, curious. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you kids, but I'm not sure what I can do about that at the moment."

"Yes… thanks for your help," mused Edd, clearly disappointed.

"My sincerest apologies. And… this guy here…" said Frankly, indicating Mario, "is…"

Mario struck a pose, assuming Frankly already knew who he was.

"…who?" asked Frankly, causing Mario to facepalm humorously.

"Mario!" stated Goombella, surprised that Frankly didn't know Mario. "Professor, he's Mario! Y'know, the famous guy!"

"Oh!" exclaimed Frankly. "Mario! Of course! My apologies. I'm such a bookworm, I haven't a clue about what's 'hip' right now."

"I can relate," mumbled Edd, as Frankly's comment brought back memories of the Eds' "Whiz-Whaz Fad Freak Suit" craze that only caught on throughout the cul-de-sac after the Eds themselves stopped advertising it.

"But enough about that for now," continued Frankly. "What sort of errand brings you four all the way to a place like this?"

"We were hoping you'd tell us about the legendary treasure said to be below Rogueport," said Goombella. "I thought that if anyone knew anything about it, you would, Professor Frankly…"

"Well, of course I know about it," replied Frankly. "In fact, I came to Rogueport to study that very subject. But what drives you tykes to want to learn about the legendary treasure? No doubt you're aware that most people have written off the treasure as little more than a fairy tale, are you not?"

"Ah, but even archaeologists and historians must search for truth in those fairy tales," stated Edd.

"Elementary, Double-D!" replied Goombella. "Personally, I believe that the legendary treasure really does exist! And I REALLY wanna find it!"

"Excellent points indeed, Goombella and young Eddward," mused Frankly. "In that case, I'll cooperate with you any way I can. First of all, there are indeed many mysteries and puzzles surrounding this treasure. Some say it's a magical item of ancient days, while others say it's an infinitely vast hoard of riches."

"That sounds like something Eddy would be excited about," said Nazz.

"If Eddy heard about this, he'd probably think the treasure was a hoard of ancient jawbreakers," laughed Edd.

"Ahem, please allow me to continue, young ones," interrupted Frankly. "As I was saying, still others believe the treasure is actually an ancient monster, while yet more people believe it to just be an empty chest. Many theories surround this treasure, but obviously, it's impossible to divine the truth among them. However, all theories have one common agreeable point: for the treasure to be found, one must have the Crystal Stars!"

"Crystal Stars?!" gasped Edd and Nazz, as they recalled how Lord Crump and his goons had accosted Goombella at the wharf for that very reason.

"Oh yeah! 'To find the treasure of yore, take the seven Crystal Stars to the Thousand-Year Door!'" recalled Goombella. "The Crystal Stars in that old saying passed down from the previous generations?"

"Indeed, the same," confirmed Frankly. "As it's said, if you want to find the legendary treasure, you first must collect the seven Crystal Stars."

"'Hold the Magical Map aloft before the entrance to the Thousand-Year Door. Then the stars will light the way that leads to the stones of yesterday.' Yeah…" continued Goombella. "A lot of the lore that I've read on the subject says that if the Magical Map is brought to the door, then the map will show you where to find the Crystal Stars!"

"Correct, indeed!" exclaimed Frankly. "And the Thousand-Year Door is supposedly here, deep beneath this very town. Yet the critical piece of this puzzle- the Magical Map- is missing. If only we had that map, then…"

"Wait!" exclaimed Mario. He pulled out the treasure map that Princess Peach had mailed to him. "Perhaps this is-a the Magical Map right-a here?"

Edd pulled out his magnifying glass to examine the map. Mario, seeing this, handed the map to Edd.

"Why, Professor Frankly, this could be it! The missing piece of the puzzle!" the sock-headed boy explained.

"Huh-WHAAAAA?" exclaimed Frankly in shock and surprise. "Hummina-hubbity-hubbida-hippity-hoobida-hammala-huffala-hoofala… REALLY?!"

Edd handed the map to Frankly, saying "Yes, indeed, Professor Frankly! Mr. Mario received this map from his Princess Peach through the mail!"

"Astounding!" exclaimed Frankly, examining the map. "Hmm, hrm… yes, this is it! The real thing! The only and only Magical Map! You, son, are my HERO! You're great! Fantastic! Wonderful, even! Why, with this… All we need is to hold this aloft before the Door to find the Crystal Stars!"

"Right on, Professor!" exclaimed Goombella.

"Well, good golly, Miss Molly, what are we doing wasting time standing around here?" spouted Frankly. "Goombella! Mario! Eddward! Nazz! Off we must go, this instant! Let's take the Magical Map to the door of the legends!"

XXX000XXX000XXX

Frankly led the foursome to a fenced-off quadrant outside his house. He ripped off part of the fence, revealing a pipe leading underground.

"This way!" exclaimed Frankly. He and Mario approached the pipe readily, but Edd and Nazz hung back. Sensing this, Goombella asked them, "Double-D? Nazz? What's up?"

"I suppose this is where we part ways," said Edd. Mario and Frankly looked in their direction, wondering what the hold-up was.

"You're leaving?" she asked. "Why?"

"My sincerest apologies, Goombella, but Nazz and I, we must search for our friends," replied Edd. "We don't have the time to go treasure hunting."

"You guys, come on, be real," stated Goombella. "If you leave now, you two will be all alone in a dangerous and shady community with nothing but a damaged sailboat in the harbor."

"And-a besides," added Mario, who walked over to Edd and Nazz, "call it a hunch, but I believe that-a during our investigation, there's a real good-a chance that your friends are indeed in this-a world. But the only way we can know for sure is if we all work-a together. So… are-a you in?"

Edd and Nazz looked at each other, both reluctant to accompany them.

"Thanks, again, Mario," said Edd again. "But it wouldn't be sound for the two of us to impose this on you during your own mission."

"I'll go with them, Double-D," responded Nazz. "They might need our help anyway. And besides, Mario might be right. Maybe Eddy and Ed and the others could be in this world somewhere, too."

With Nazz willing to help their new acquaintances, Edd realized he didn't want to be all alone in a shady place like Rogueport.

"Oh… very well, then," he mused. "Count me in, too."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Frankly. "Now that's that, let's find that door!"

Frankly eagerly jumped into the pipe, followed by Mario. Edd and Nazz grimaced – that pipe obviously led to a sewer network, which they expected to be filthy and unsanitary like any sewer.

"You really want us to go down that… sewage pipe?" groaned Nazz.

"Bleeugh! That's unsanitary!" Edd complained, ever meticulous about sanitation. "Do you know how much bacteria and disease grows in a sewer?!" Memories of Eddy's "Swamp Ride" scam and the night the cul-de-sac was hit with a blackout came back to haunt him.

"Aw, come on, Double-D, where's your sense of adventure?" asked Goombella as she followed Mario and Frankly by jumping into the pipe.

"Well, um… ladies first," said Edd. Nazz sighed, then jumped into the pipe.

With the others waiting for him underground, Edd reluctantly climbed atop the pipe.

"Ohhh… filthy, filthy, filthy…" he moaned.

He took a deep breath, then jumped down into the pipe…

End of Part Two