Chapter 5
Separate Ways
At Toad Village...
A battle between Mario and the Koopalings was underway.
"Hiya!" Mario hit Larry in the stomach.
Luigi was running away from Lemmy.
"Take this!" Yoshi saved Luigi from Lemmy.
"Whoo, thanks-a!" Luigi sighed.
"Don't mention it," Yoshi said.
Luigi looked at the sky, he saw Roy throwing a tree at them.
"Look out-a!" Luigi pushed Yoshi out of the way.
Mario was facing off against Roy and Ludwig. He threw fireballs on Roy's face and spin-kicked Ludwig's face.
"Ugh, hey dimwits! We need a new strategy!" Ludwig said furiously. "Follow me!" he said.
All the Koopalings followed Ludwig to the airships.
"What are they planning now-a?" Mario said to himself.
At that moment the airships cannons were aiming at the Toad Houses.
"Wait, no!" Mario cried.
Mario then got his hammer and hit the cannonball back to the airship.
"AGGHH!" Lemmy cried as his airship fell to the ground.
"One down-a, six more to go!" Mario said.
"Grr, fools! You really think that you'll beat us! Troops! Attack!" Ludwig said to his minions.
"Yes, boss!" they said.
As Mario and the gang were fighting the Koopas and the other Koopalings, Ludwig went inside his airship to prepare his 'secret' weapon.
"I've been working on this for six months now... Hope this works..."
It was some kind of syringe with green liquid inside. Meanwhile, the Bros. came victorious in the battle against the minions and the Koopalings.
Ludwig came out of the airship. "Really?! I leave for five minutes and you rejects lose?! (sigh) Well, I guess I have no choice..."
He pulls out the syringe, puts it in the cannon and launches it on Luigi.
"YEAOWW! What is this?!"
"Hahaha, that, my friend, is a syringe injected with a Poison Mushroom, it will slowly hurt you until you die!"
"Oh, edgy-I mean-a why did you do this to my bro-a?" Mario said furiously.
"Isn't it obvious? If I shot your brother, you would be taking care of him for so long that King Dad's marriage would already be over by then! It's a deviously good plan if I do say so myself!" Ludwig explained.
"You're not gonna get away with this!" Yoshi said.
"I think I already have! Toodles!" Ludwig said before leaving.
Ludwig lowers his airship to get Lemmy.
"Come here, you nincompoop!"
"Ow! Watch the hair!" Lemmy screams.
After the Koopalings left, Luigi started to have hallucinations.
"Ugh, Mario, I don't feel so good..."
"Whatsa' going on?" Mario asked.
"It's probably the poison kicking in. We should take him to Peach's Castle." Yoshi said.
At the Castle...
Toadsworth was awake and organizing everything since the attack caused a ruckus of the castle
He then noticed the gang headed for the castle. "Oh, finally! You're here! I was so worried about-oh good gracious Master Luigi, what happened to you!?"
"He got poisoned" Yoshi sighed.
"That sounds awful!" Toadsworth said worryingly. "I think I know where to find an antidote though..." he said.
"Really? Where?" Yoshi asked.
"It's going to be tough, but at Yoshi's Island, there's a certain tree that sprouts the Legendary Golden Mushroom, which can cure any effects of this poison..."
"Why can't we just get an antidote from the store?" Yoshi said.
"Because this isn't any ordinary poison that Mario encounters on his adventures.." he said. "This is poison from one of the worst Poison Mushrooms in the Mushroom Kingdom, the Reaper Shroom," he said with a chill going down his spine.
"That-a sounds bad..." Mario said with a scared look on his face.
"Oh, believe me, it is..." Toadsworth said. "And here's the worst part, you need to heal him in a day, or else..." he said but stopped mid-sentence.
"Or else?" Yoshi asked worried about what was gonna come next.
"...He dies..." Toadsworth said sadly.
Mario stood with a worried look on his face. He knew he had to help his brother but, at the same time, he had to save the princess as well.
Yoshi knew what Mario was thinking about. Mario and Yoshi have been best friends for a long time now, and they've always helped each other every step of the way. So, he stood up for him
"I'll go and get the mushroom!" Yoshi said. "Mario can go and save the princess!" Yoshi said confidently.
"Yoshi... You don't-a have to-"
"No Mario! As your best friend, it's my duty to make sure that you'll always stay happy, to see you smile." Yoshi said, "That's why I'm gonna go get the Mushroom, and you go save Peach!" Yoshi said to Mario with reassurance.
Mario's eyes were filled with tears.
"Come here, pal!" Yoshi said, who then proceeded to hug Mario.
"Alright Yoshi, stay safe-a!" Mario said.
"You too, go beat Bowser's butt for me!" Yoshi said before leaving.
"I will buddy!" Mario said.
"I will..."
Road to Yoshi's Island...
Yoshi was on a boat called "The Wind Waker" on the road to Yoshi's Island. Yoshi was getting bored.
"sigh... It's already been an hour and still no sign of the Island" he sighed.
He also started to get hungry so he went and opened his lunchbox, and by lunchbox, I mean a whole treasure chest filled with fruit.
"Surely it didn't take this long last time... I mean it is my Island, shouldn't I know where it is?" Yoshi said.
He then noticed an Island in the distance.
"Wait..." he said and put on his binoculars to inspect it closer. "That's the Island!"
He also realized he was going the wrong way.
After turning it back to the right direction, he got ready to get on the Island.
"Maybe I should go to Yoshi Village and talk to the Chief." He said to himself.
"Ugh, no what are you thinking Yoshi that's gonna take forever." He said once again.
"But we could use their help." He said one more time.
"Hm, is it weird that I'm talking to myself?" He said.
"Yeah, I guess it is," he said and then finally set off for Yoshi Village.
It was night time. Mario was at his house. He was getting ready to set off to Bowser's Castle.
He got a Fire Flower, a Mushroom, and an Ice Flower.
"Alright, Princess... Here I come-a!" He said before leaving.
Back at the Castle...
Toadbert was checking Luigi's temperature.
"Holy Mushrooms!" Toadbert cried.
"Toadbert, watch your language! What happened." Toadsworth asked.
"It's Luigi! He's burning up, this poison is worse than I thought!" Toadbert said worryingly.
"I see..." Toadsworth said with a sigh.
A thud was heard outside the castle.
"Crikey, what was that?!" Toadbert asked in fear.
Toadsworth went to check out the window, he saw two of Bowser's airships.
"Get the guards! Now!" Toadsworth commanded Toadbert.
"It's no use, sir! Our army is wiped out! Game Over!" Toadbert cried.
"Stop crying Toadbert, we have to move!" Toadsworth said.
But then...
"Well well well, if it ain't Old Toad and Nerd Toad." the voice said.
"Ludwig! Why are you here?" Toadsworth said in his intimidating voice.
"Heh, isn't it obvious? I came here to take care of him," he said as he pointed to an unconscious Luigi.
"You won't lay your filthy hand on him!" Toadsworth said.
"And what are you gonna do 'ya old geezer?" Ludwig said as he walked closer to Luigi.
"Something I swore I would never do again..." Toadsworth said.
Toadsworth dashed towards Ludwig and kicked him in the jaw. After that, he did an uppercut on him.
"Ow! Geez, old man where did you learn these fighting techniques?!" Ludwig cried in pain.
"Little did you know, I was a member of the Mushroom Kingdom Army. I was an Elite soldier." Toadsworth explained.
"Ugh, I'm not having any of this, I'm leaving!" Ludwig said as he ran away.
"Problem solved," Toadsworth said.
"Wow, that was amazing sir, b-by boogity! Where did you learn those techniques?" Toadbert asked.
"As I said, I was in the Army, but that's a story for another day, lad. Could you please bring me some tea?" Toadsworth asked politely.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Toadbert said.
Back to Mario...
Mario made it to Bowser's Castle with no interference.
"I finally made it! Peach, I found-a you." Mario said heroically.
He made it to the opening of the castle once he went inside he saw Sneaky so he decided to hide. Sneaky was speaking with Kamek.
Mario was listening to what they were saying.
"I hope I can be of service, Master Kamek."
"Oh please, don't flatter me, all we want is to get rid of Mario and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. The Koopalings have deployed the Poison, so his friends are out of the picture, now he's left! We placed a bomb on Yoshi's Island, so his friend is gonna explode!" Kamek laughed evilly.
Mario gasped at the thought of his best friend dying.
"Yes, so what if I told you that Mario was right there behind that pillar listening to us," Sneaky said.
"Wait-a how did he know-a?" Mario whispered.
"You're joking, right?" Kamek said.
"Well, go check it out for yourself then," Sneaky said.
"Fine."
Mario then equipped the Fire Flower before Kamek could check behind the pillar.
Once Kamek checked, he got burned by a fireball.
"Ugggh, call the guards," Kamek said.
"No need for that. I'll take care of him myself." Sneaky said.
Sneaky then threw a smoke bomb. Once all the smoke was gone, Mario then noticed that Sneaky was right next to him.
"Peekaboo," Sneaky said before kicking him in the stomach.
"Agh, he's too strong," Mario thought.
"What's the matter, Mario? Tuckered out?" Sneaky said.
"N-No, I'm-a completely fine-a," Mario said while trying to get up.
"Great, 'cause I'm just getting started," Sneaky said maniacally.
He then went to punch Mario. But Mario blocked it with a fireball.
"Heh, not bad..." Sneaky said.
He punched Mario at the back of his head.
"...But you're gonna have to try harder than that." Sneaky laughed.
But then, Mario fell in pain.
"Really, in two hits? You're the savior of the Mushroom Kingdom? Hah, pathetic. Think of your friends, they're risking their lives for you, and what do you do? You fall in two hits" Sneaky said dissatisfied.
Then, fire was visible in Mario's eyes. He then unleashed a giant fireball.
He threw it on Sneaky, who got hit back all the way to the wall.
"N-Now t-that's more like i-it," Sneaky said before fainting.
"I. Am. The savior. Of the Mushroom Kingdom." Mario said before leaving.
Mario then headed to the hallway of the castle.
"Alright, Princess-a, now I found you."
Now to Yoshi...
Yoshi was scouring the jungle for the tree.
"Ugh, I only have 8 more hours 'till Luigi... Dies... I need to hurry up."
He then found a golden tree.
"There it is! I found it!" Yoshi said happily.
As he was going towards it a bunch of Pirahna Plants blocked the way. And then, their leader came out of the ground. The leader was called Scar.
"Scar! Out of the way!" Yoshi threatened.
Scar was a Purple Pirahna Plant who had a giant spike on his head.
"Yoshi, what a surprise seeing you here..." Scar said.
"Out of the way Scar!" Yoshi threatened
"Haha, and what are you going to do against my whole army of Pirahna Plants?" Scar laughed.
All the Pirahna Plants surrounded Yoshi.
"Uh-oh..." Yoshi said.
To Be Continued
Doonish: Ey, didn't I say this would be a big chapter? Anyway, stay tuned for the final chapters, where things are gonna get hectic ;)