Chapter 9: Rangers in the Forest

"Remember me why we are still here?" asked Yosh impatiently to Mario from across the table.

"Because we are waiting for Goombella," answered Mario for the fifth time while taking a bite of his Zess Deluxe, "She is saying good-bye to her rich friends."

"Oh, yea right," said Yosh rolling his eyes.

The gang was back at the travel trailer. The sleeping partners had already waked up, and the others had told them with luxury detail what had happened in the last room (and in the third room, to Goombella and Luigi). After they exited the cave, they have noticed that they were in some kind of hill atop of Faire Square. With difficulty, and carrying their sleeping members, the gang made their way back to the travel trailer. They were pleased to see that Toadette was waiting for them with some delicious Spicy Soup already at the dinning table. Luigi was the only one who wasn't happy with it; he murmured something about "cooking is MY job…" Being offended by Toadette, Luigi retaliated by doing a Zess Deluxe, a Courage Meal, some Koopa Buns and some Healthy Salad for everyone to prove who was the best chef. Toadette didn't say anything, but she merrily enjoyed Luigi's food as well. Everyone was having a great time, for the exception of Peach, who kept remembering in her head that they haven't found her steward at all. The idea of poor Toadsworth trapped in some damp ugly cell made her sick.

Before the fest had begun, however, Goombella said that she was going to say goodbye to Goomlodia, Goomchelle and Malioomba, so she departed off to Faire Square's streets again.

"Hey, Yosh," asked Bow who was several seats away from him, "Have you found out what that hourglass is for?"

"No luck," said Yosh disgruntled, "I have searched in several books… even I had some help from Goombella, but we found nothing yet."

In that precise moment, Goombella arrived. Sweat was all over her face, as if she had run all the way there.

"Guys, I need you to come with me!" she said gasping for breath in front of the rest of the gang who was still eating in the dinning table.

"What is it, Goombella?" asked Mario worrywart.

"Yea, now what?" said Yosh with disdain.

"Our captor left a message in Goomlodia's house!" she said eagerly.

In an instance, everyone stood up, leaving any food they were eating, and left the travel trailer. From there, they were guided by Goombella to Goomlodia's house. It was surprising how all the people could be so happy playing, shopping in the markets, and doing all kinds of stuff while all the bad things had to happen to them.

When they arrived at Goomlodia's enormous house, Goombella went up front to knock the door.

"Wow…great house…" whispered Parakarry completely amazed.

Moments later, the door was opened by a frightened Goomlodia.

"Oh! Goombella, you are back!" she said with an unsteady voice, "Come in! Come in! Your friends can enter too."

Goomlodia led the gang to a large sitting room where Goomchelle and Malioomba were drinking nervously some tea, looking scared like Goomlodia did. However, Malioomba's face seemed to brighten when she saw Mario coming through the doors. Same thing happened with Goomchelle when she saw Kooper coming in. As the gang approached the pair, Goomlodia invited them to have seat. Kooper sat down in the same sofa as Goomchelle, in the opposite end.

"Mind if get closer?" Goomchelle instantly asked Kooper, "I dropped some tea in this side of the sofa and is like all wet."

"No, not at all," answered Kooper oblivious to Goomchelle's intention while making some space for her to sit.

"Goomlodia, can you please repeat what you told me before? About how it happened?" asked Goombella to Goomlodia who was sitting in a sofa across the table.

"Well," started Goomlodia nervously, "We were just sitting here minding our business when someone strongly threw a rock from the outside and broke the window."

Everyone turned to where Goomlodia was pointing to see, indeed, the broken window and some shattered pieces all over the floor.

"And about the message…?" said Goombella eagerly.

"Well," Malioomba decided to continue, hoping to bring Mario's attention who was sitting in the sofa next to her, "After the incident happened, we went closer and then like, we picked the rock from the floor--."

"And then," finished Goomchelle who was getting closer and closer to Kooper without anyone noticing, "We noticed that it had a message inscribed all over it."

"Can we see the rock?" asked Luigi instantly.

Goomlodia nodded and stood up from the sofa and left the room. She returned moments later with a big, black rock in her hands.

"We washed it," she said while handing the rock to Luigi, "So the message could be seen more clearly."

Luigi saw that the black rock had some red letters inscribed all over it. He read out loud the clue for everyone:

A batter cake I am,
but of fighters I live.
The prize is what you claim
on this sweaty pit.

"Any ideas where this place could be?" Bow asked in general.

"This place…? What are you talking about?" asked a confused Goomlodia demanding for an answer.

"Well…" Peach started. She told everything to Goomlodia and the girls, from the kidnapping of Toadsworth to the Star Sanctum Cave.

"Hey what are you doing?!" Kooper whispered to Goomchelle who had put her head on his lap. Kooper immediately pushed her away, and Goomchelle felt more offended than ever in her entire life. She merely huffed and turned away from him. Goomlodia, who haven't noticed the uncomfortable moment between Kooper and Goomchelle (neither the others), was telling Peach how sorry she felt after hearing her story.

"Well, now let's go back to the trailer, or Toadette will worry why we are taking so much time," said Mario who was staring to get nervous by Malioomba's attempts of seduction. He wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

"Yea you are right…" agreed Goombella, "Goomlodia, do you mind if we take the rock?"

"No, not at all…but, but…what if the captor comes here to attack again?" asked Goomlodia looking panicked.

"They won't," said Yosh instantly, "They 'gave' you the clue because they knew that we will come here, but now that we got it I don't think they will bother you again."

"I really hope so," Goomlodia said now more relaxed.


After several goodbyes, mainly from Goombella, the gang returned to the travel trailer with the rock in their possession. Mario and Kooper totally denied saying goodbye to them for the exception of Goomlodia, being afraid that the pair of Goomba girls would do something pervert if they get close enough.

"Well," said Vivian now back in the travel trailer, "Now we have the clue, but where we are heading?"

"I don't know exactly…" said Goombella who, with the help of Mario, was trying to decipher the clue in the rock and peering through several maps spread across the table. Kooper couldn't help looking at her from time to time. They haven't talked yet of what happened back in the Star Sanctum, and every time Goombella noticed him looking at her she instantly turned away in embarrassment. When he talked to her she was always avoiding his eyes and invented an excuse to get away.

Kooper was still looking at her from across the table when he heard Parakarry's voice as if he was miles away when actually he was right next to him.

"Why don't we stop somewhere to have lunch? We won't solve the clue with an empty stomach." Parakarry said to everyone.

"Yea!" said Peach somewhat happy, "We can have a picnic!"

"I agree; I can cook whatever you want," said Luigi instantly, "But where can we do a picnic? There's just seem to be trees and trees everywhere I turn." He added while peering through one of the windows.

"Oh, I know the perfect spot," said Parakarry confidently. "Is not so far from here; just keep driving, okay, Toadette?"

"Okay!" Toadette shouted from the front seat.

Peach, Vivian and Goombella went upstairs to help Luigi with the food, and Kooper, Parakarry, Mario, Yosh and Bow were talking downstairs. They all were unaware of the trap that was being set few meters away.

In a flash, a black figure using an axe slashed one of the tires of the travel trailer as it was passing by.

"Ahhh!" shouted Toadette while the trailer was starting to move like crazy, "I lost control of the trailer!"

The uncontrolled trailer made a brusque turn to the left and crashed into a nearby tree.

"Toadette, what happened?" asked a worried Peach. All the gang have come back downstairs, and all of them had a dumbfound expression.

"I don't know, I was driving when—" but Toadette's answer was drowned when she saw wide-eyed the figures that stood in front of the trailer. "There are some people out there."

The gang by instinct exited the travel trailer, followed by Toadette.

"Who are you?" shouted Mario angrily to the five mysterious figures that were giving their back to the gang.

"We fight for evil!" shouted the one in middle while turning to face them and posing in a 'cool' way. He looked like a red machine-like creature with a malicious face and a pointy spear on top of his head. In his hand he wielded a big axe which matched the same color as his body.

"We live for disorder!" said the one that was to the left of the red machine creature as he turned too and posed. He looked very cool for being a machine. Unlike his partner, he was black and wore a pair of fancy shades, but he also wielded a mighty axe of the same color of his body.

"We like what we do!" said the one at the very far right while turning to them and posing. He was green in color and was a way more skinner and taller than his other pals. Even his axe (green in color also) looked weaker and smaller compared to the other two.

"We struggle for chaos!" said the one at the far left, also turning and posing in a girly way. She was pink with long eyelashes and her face was covered by a thin layer of make-up. She waved her pink axe with glamour and winked to the gang.

"We are…" said the last one also turning and posing like the rest. He was yellow and had a larger volume than his partners; possibly he was wider than taller. This chubby machine creature also wielded a bigger and scarier axe than his pals.

"THE POWER RANGERS???" Luigi asked out loud incredously to the machines.

"No! This can't be! They are the Axem Rangers!" cried Peach loudly.

"HEY! DON'T steal our words, girl!" shouted Axem Red angrily to Peach.

"The Axem Rangers?" said Goombella with an eyebrow raised.

"I've never heard of them…" said Vivian watching the Axem Rangers with curiosity.

"But this can't be!" said Mario wide-eyed, "We destroyed you long time ago!"

"Correction," said Axem Green with an intellectual voice, "You destroyed the original copies, not us!"

The only ones who seemed to understand the conversation was Mario and Peach. That was because they had personally defeated the original Axem Rangers long time ago at Barrel Volcano, where they sank in the lava along with their enormous warship, the Blade.

"But how?" Mario asked sternly, "We defeated Exor; wasn't he supposed to be the portal between the two worlds?"

"Exor? The portal? Mario, what are you talking—?" But Goombella's questioning was interrupted by Axem Black.

"That's correct, smart guy," he laughed at Mario, "But Exor was the portal for YOU to enter OUR world; in the Factory there's a portal for US to enter YOUR world."

"We were the only ones that survived," said Axem Pink proudly, "So after a hard struggle we managed to enter this world through Exor2".

"But what you want from us now?" asked Peach in a high-pitched voice.

"You seem to have SOMETHING in your possession that can help us bring back Smithy to life" said Axem Red.

"We do?" asked Yosh wide-eyed.

"So give us the Golden Hourglass now or we'll show no mercy!" threatened Axem Yellow.

End of chapter :P. The battle of the gang v.s. the axem rangers will be on next chapter. By the way, the place where the clue indicates I had already mentioned it before, so look carefully in the chapters before! Until next chap!