A week later, Luigi couldn't help but notice that his brother might be coming down with some kind of illness. His appetite had reduced to nothing, he slept a lot, but was still tired when he woke up, and when Luigi did force him to eat something, it would come back up later. Around the sixth or seventh day, Mario also began complaining of an upset stomach and a fever. This last one worried Luigi a lot, because whenever the little wolf had a fever, it would be a severe one; his temperature would rise to a burning 104.3° F.
Though Mario was deathly afraid of doctors, Luigi made an appointment with Dr. Toadley nonetheless. If this illness proved to be grave, he didn't want to take any chances.
"Luigi? You and Mario are next," the nurse at the clinic called out, checking off something in her pink binder.
Luigi nodded and helped Mario up. The elder sibling's stomach was bothering him so much now that it was hard for him to sit or stand, and no amount of medicine could settle it. He also had his blankie wrapped around him, as he had also gotten a chill the night before and would not leave the house without it. With his blankie, he felt more secure about going to the scary doctor's office. He wasn't sure why, but this office always made him feel very nervous.
The two walked into the doctor's room, dimly lit as always. Various decorations and historical artifacts danced among the walls, and the famed crystal ball sat in the middle, sitting atop a covered table. There were two chairs sitting there, and the brothers obliged to occupy them. Dr. Toadley himself sat in front of it, facing the wall, so his back was turned to Mario and Luigi. Yet he always seemed to know who and where they were.
"What predicament has befallen you?" the doctor asked, getting down to business.
Luigi spoke for his brother. "I-It's Mario, Dr. Toadley. I think he's been getting ill. A week ago, he lost his appetite completely and whatever food he does manage to eat comes back up later. He's become very tired and he can't rest, no matter how much he sleeps. And a few days ago, he came down with an upset stomach and a high fever. A-And no medicine or 1-UPs can help him. I-I don't know what type of illness he might have, but maybe you might know?"
Dr. Toadley sat in silence as he thought about Luigi's words for a short while, which made the brothers feel a bit awkward just standing there. Then he turned around in his seat, so that he was now facing the two siblings. "Most interesting to say, sir Luigi. And did you say it started to occur about a week ago? Yes, you did."
Luigi was about to ask something, but the doctor merely stood up and walked to a wall, pulling out two books that had Toadish language on it. He walked back to the table, already opening and reading through one of the books while holding the other. He muttered to himself as he read, his finger dictating where his eyes read.
"Um, Dr. Toa - " Luigi started to ask, but he was immediately hushed when the doctor raised one finger in the air. Dr. Toadley didn't say anything to him, he was too busy concentrating on his literature.
Mario worriedly shared a look with Luigi until the doctor slammed the book closed, turning their attention back to him. "Have I found the predicament that has befallen the elder Mario brother? Yes, I have, for I inquired within my books! This dilemma that is ailing Mario is most familiar, which is why I had to read to make sure."
"What do you mean?" Luigi asked.
"I hear this dilemma coming from female Toads all the time, normally in either the spring or summer, although I hear cases every season. But have I ever heard this dilemma occurring in male Toads? Never! It is impossible!" the doctor continued. "However...based on my books, it is an extremely rare possibility for male humans, though I have never seen anything like it in my day, for the humans are rare in this realm. The fever is not part of the symptoms, however, it is merely a side effect, while the other listed symptoms are causes of the condition. I have a few suspicions about his current condition, but will I have more meaningful answers after I perform a few tests? Yes, hopefully."
Luigi wasn't totally sure why the doctor would bother to mention female Toads at all, if this was Mario they were talking about, a male human/hybrid, but he figured it'd be best to keep his questions to himself for now. Once the doctor went away on a whim, there was no stopping him until he calmed down.
The doctor turned to the little wolf. "Could you come here, Mario?" he asked. "And leave your blanket there, you won't need it for this."
His heart began to beat faster automatically, but Mario slowly stood up and cautiously made his way up, handing his blankie to his green-clad sibling.
Dr. Toadley stood up and walked him to the bathroom. Before opening the door, he held up a small circular container with a blue lid on it and gave it to Mario. Luigi couldn't hear what the doctor was saying, but he could see very well the embarrassed blush on his brother's face. Then Mario quickly slipped inside the bathroom, shutting the door. Then the doctor calmly walked back to Luigi and sat back down at his original spot.
"What did you ask him?" Luigi asked, out of spite.
Dr. Toadley did not mind the question. "I simply asked him for a urine sample," he answered.
"...And why would you ask him for that?" Luigi asked again, confused.
"One of my three suspicions is far greater than the rest. That suspicion includes a certain hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or abbreviated hCG. If Mario's sample contains this hormone, will I have a better result for this suspicion? I will."
Luigi nodded, though he had no idea what the hCG hormone was.
"Actually, is there more than one way to find the hormone? There is," the Toad admitted. "But I doubt Mario would want to do that, as it would require a syringe and blood from his veins. Already I see him quiver at the sight of me."
As if on cue, the little wolf came out, holding the container behind his back. His face was a bright red as he discreetly handed it to the doctor, then rushed back to his seat beside Luigi.
"Thank you, Mario," Dr. Toadley said brightly. He took the sample and inserted it into a type of compartment that was connected to the crystal ball. "Now, let's see if hCG is present in here," he said as he began to work the crystal ball. But before he did, he turned to Luigi. "I apologize in advance," he said. "For the sake of Mario's privacy, you will not be able to view what is inside the crystal ball. It's not you, it is a standard procedure I must follow whenever there is another person along with the patient."
Luigi nodded respectfully, although he secretly wished he knew what was being shown in that crystal ball.
After a few minutes of staring into a seemingly white crystal ball, Dr. Toadley's eyes widened. "Oh my stars..." he breathed. He waved his hands and the crystal ball dimmed to its dormant state and looked up at the two. "Is there a significant amount of human chorionic gonadotropin in Mario's sample? There is. I'm actually stunned at the percentage."
"But what does it mean? What's so important by this human chronic whatever?" Luigi asked.
"Does it mean that something that once seemed impossible has happened? It has," Dr. Toadley replied, his tone sounding awed. He stood up and cleared his throat, ready to give the prognosis. "It has come to my attention...that Mario is pregnant."
